#gaiaspoken 10

[wingherc]

@gaiaspoken

｢𓆄｣ When the invites for the party had come out, Hawks had sent a text Aerith's way, effectively inviting her to go with him. With her acceptance of his invitation, he suggested with the nature of it being a masked ball, that they try to find each other! And while they'd at least coordinated a color palette, neither one knew what the other would be wearing, so it kept it fresh.

And, with Hawks' late arrival, when he was in proximity of the manner, he could already hear the atmosphere of the party through one of his feathers. Sooo, maybe he had an added perk, but, he wouldn't find her right away just to even out the playing field. Even so much as to moving farther away when he was mingling with some other party goers.

After being at the party for about thirty-ish minutes, he decided the jig was up, and it's when she was being invited for a dance, is an arm thrown around her.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." A playful laugh escaped him as he guided her away from the crowd. "You haven't been here long, have you?"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "If it goes missing, I gueeeeess I just lost it when I got moved here." He can only shrug, looking up with a coy smile as he did so: he half expected some of his things to go missing, anyway!

"Well, there's Tokoyami, who's here and I've told you about him!" While she had rattled off about Tifa, she had turned the question around on him, and fortunately, he had some answers ready to go, "There's a lot of people in my life who are pre-eeeetty neat, but, there is Endeavor. And I've gone into the nitty gritty on why I think he's pretty neat. Though, he's a bit rough, he means well, though."

"Psst. Hey, I think we should head to bed. But, before I go: are you doing anything tomorrow? I know a guy looking for something to do."

"Miiiiight have to steal this from you. It's pretty comfy!" Comfier than she had expected it to be anyway. "Careful or I'll be raiding your entire closet soon, too."

"Oh, she's super badass. Brunette, red eyes, super long hair that goes all the way down to her waist, really good at martial arts...she used to run a bar too! She's so kind and thoughtful, and always held her hand out to me no matter what...she's just got a really warm aura about her. I miss her a lot." chin in hand as she speaks thoughtfully of the other. It's times like this when she realizes that Tifa really is her closest friend and that she misses her now more than ever.

"What about you? Anyone I should be looking out for on your end? Any...crazy fans, maybe?

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ And down Hawks went with her!

"Good night, Aerith, I'll see you in the morning, love-dove." Something new to roll off the tongue! Though, perhaps he'd use that one sparingly. "Well, when the next one rolls around, I hope we're both still here. 'Cus then we both have guaranteed dates, right?"

"Love yooou."

"Once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, really." she's settling into lying down, pulling him down with her in the process, and with a yawn she's already cuddling up to him all nice and cozy.

"G'night Keigo, I love you. I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks for going to that ball with me...I already can't wait for the next one!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Not anymore!!" Once he lets go, Hawks pressed a kiss to her lips.

"This ten out of ten is also ready for bed!" With that, as promised, feathers take away their used wash cloths to the hamper at the corner of the room.

"Two ten out of tens...What're the odds?"

"Keigo, I have to breathe!" but even as she's saying that she does nothing to stop him from squeezing the literal air out of her as he holds her close. When he finally lets go, she starts wiping off her own mask and patting down her face.

"Never stopped loving you, silly! But anywho, is my face a ten outta ten or what?"

"...This ten outta ten also happens to be ready for bed!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Noooo!!" When she said this, his arms went around her and squeezed her as tight as he could. "You'll have to face me, whether you like it or not!"

"Awh, thanks, dove! Once we're done with these, I can have a feather take care of these." Gently, he plucked one rag from her and began to wipe it off his face.

"Look! You can love me again!"

"Hm...I dunno, you're lookin' a little too green for me right now. Might have to turn facing away from you tonight!" They really were so silly at times. She's even worse for enabling him and playing along, but it's just way too much fun.

"I think it said it's okay to sleep with these on but I prepped warm wash clothes for both of us for easy removal! Don't want it all over your sheets, I'd bet." And ta-dah! Two wash clothes, one for him and one for her.

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Ooooh! That makes sense." These two were so much.

"It certainly feels like my face is becoming a new face, actually! Hopefully you'll like this new face and won't run away." Hawks snorted as he capped the jar and just gently set the product on the night stand. It would find its home back in the bathroom. Maybe.

"Don't you always see sparkles around me? I think the face mask is just enhancing them." as she says so, she leans forward for a quick kiss before she pulls away to laugh.

"How's your face feeling? Rejuvenated? Like it's breathing in the air around you?"

"...I was gonna add in 'like you can fly' but you can literally fly, so."

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "I so am!" Maybe it was becaue he held himself to a certain standard of whimsy and silliness!

"Sparkly clean!!" He's confirmed as he now pressed both of his thumbs against the dimples of her cheeks, slightly pulling at her face to make her smile. Hawks was in a silly mood, that was for sure.

"Don't you see the sparkles around you? Because I do."

"Are you drawing on my face? Man, I should've done that to you too but nooo I was trying to be professional!" Missed opportunity!

As he continued smoothing it over her face, she could start to feel it tingle which meant it was working according to him! It was a strange feeling, but not one that she disliked. "Oooh...my face already feels so clean! And...sparkly! Is it possible for a face to feel sparkly? Mine feels sparkly."

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "My baaaad." His apology didn't exactly lend itself to sincerity, so...He definitely did that on purpose!

"Totally normal. I'm not a face mask expert: but I'm pretty sure that means it's working." Ever so carefully, he smoothed some more over her face. Though. He couldn't help but draw a smile-y face on her bare cheek, before covering that as well.

:)

"Yeah, my turn to smell like grass!" she says a little too enthusiastically. It's exactly as he described: cold and gritty. It's a little slimy too at some points, but she doesn't dislike it. What does feel funny though is when he accidentally gets some of it on her lip.

"Bleh, Keigo! Keep it off my lips, thank you!" She tries to wipe it off as she talks but ends up getting a little bit of it in her mouth. "If matcha tastes like this then I dunno if I'll like it...feels good on my face though!"

"My cheek feels...more airy. Is that normal? Is my cheek supposed to feel like it's breathing!?"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "And I get to be your taste tester? Say no more, I'm there!" He's sold!

"Oh, man, this stuff feels cold and gritty. There must be sugar or some exfoliating thing in it too." And when she's proclaimed his face as properly masked, he took that as his cue to sit up.

"Your turn to smell like grass, I guess!" He gently took the jar from her and began to smooth some of the face mask onto her cheek.

Until he got the devious idea to brush some over her lip. While not as evil as putting it in her mouth. It was still clearly mischevious.

"Sounds fair, yeah! It's settled then. I'll be sure to make something good, promise. There's a couple new recipes I've been wanting to try, so you'll have to be my taste tester for a while!" A role she's sure he wouldn't mind at all, considering how much he loved food.

Once he's finally settled onto the bed next to her, explained what matcha is, and propped himself up accordingly, Aerith leans down to kiss his forehead before pulling away again to start applying the mask. Upon opening the jar, it smells exactly as he described, but she doesn't dislike it. "Definitely...smells like grass. Yeah, I'll put it on you! Probably won't do a good job though, warning you in advance!" With that, she dipped her hands into the product and began liberally applying it to his face.

It's uneven and patchy at first, but she manages to smooth it out into a somewhat presentable thick enough layer that should do the trick. When she finally sits back to look at the finished product, she can't help but laugh. "Your face...it's so green! And you smell...so grassy! Like a forest! I think I need that for me. Do me next!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Fair enough, I suppose!" Can't argue with that sound logic.

When invited back in, he's shuffling to grab the sleepwear he set aside for himself, "Oh, that sounds nice! If you want to keep it light then, I'll look into menu offerings in the area of the stores we'll stop at. I pick lunch, and you pick what you're making for dinner? Sound fair?'

"Uhhh! Give me a sec! I forgot to grab these when you kicked me out, so I need to change!" So, he rushed off to his bathroom, slamming yet another door. Maybe if he weren't in a rush everywhere, he wouldn't be slamming things...

But! Nevertheless, he returned relatively quickly, practically crashing into the bed next to her, already kicking his legs in the air like a gossiping high schooler might.

"Matcha's a...type of green tea or something. I 'unno, it's kind of bitter and tastes like grass. I don't really like it. I'm sure it makes a great face mask." Eagerly, he's now propping himself up by his elbows, still kicking his legs idly.

"You wanna put it on me, and I'll put it on you?"

"You leave a bunch of your stuff all around mine, so I'm just returning the favor!" she's joking, mostly, but she only feels so comfortable throwing her stuff around haphazardly because it's his house. As for her dress zipper, well... "With lots and lots of effort, trust me." which most entailed her struggling very hard to get it zipped up all the way and maneuvering her arms in twisted ways!

Aerith scoffs at his little joke but smiles all the same. Corny as usual, but she loved that about him. It doesn't take her long to change into a baggy shirt with one of his hoodies tossed over it. "Okay, you can come back in!"

"Oh yeah and about lunch..." She hadn't given much of a response earlier as she had to think about it. "I'm thinking we keep it light! I could cook dinner later that day if you're cool with it?" And now she's rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie as she flops onto his bed, sits up, and starts opening that face mask jar she'd found earlier.

"Face mask time! C'mon, you know you wanna try too! It says here that it's a...rejuvenating matcha mask! Or something! Don't know what that is! It's green though and I like a good earthy green!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Look at us, going on so many dates. It means we're learning a lot about each other!" Hawks commented as they both went up the stairs, but they both split off at the top: her to the bathroom, and him to his room.

As he sifted through his closet for some loungewear for the both of them, he called out to her: "Hey! Speaking of that lunch date, do you want to do something lighter or maybe something a little heartier? I'm not picky, you know me: I'll eat about anything." He's managed to find a couple of shirts and hoodies without wing slits, so maybe that'll work for Aerith.

Then, she walked into his room, requesting to be unzipped out of the dress. "You're gonna get changed in here? You're just leaving all your things all over the house now." Though he was lightheartedly scolding her, he shook his head with a bright smile, "I'll only zip it down about halfway, you should be able to reach it from there, right?"

When she turned her back to him, he held the top hem of the dress, and began to pull the zipper taut, until the pulling force was enough to slowly unzip the dress.

"How did you get this dress on anyway? This is one of those annoying invisible zippers." He had to deal with those on his hero jacket, so he could only imagine the struggle she had getting this forsaken thing on!

"But, anyway! Upon your request: Keigo? Keigone!" And, in the blink of an eye, he was out of his bedroom, punctuated by the slam of his door!

"Guess that sounds good! It would help to get a second opinion on some potential outfits. Let's call it a date then!" Once that's settled, she does as he offers and heads through the door and right upstairs to his bathroom, throwing off her heels as she goes. "Uh huh, don't mind if I do!"

"Grab some clothes for me too, 'kay?" she half-yells, already up the stairs and to his bathroom. It doesn't take her long to get into the aforementioned face washes in his cabinet, and they do work really well like he said they would. Once her face is completely clean and she's scrounged around more to find an accompanying face mask, Aerith makes her way to his bedroom. "Oh, right! Before I put this on my face, I need you to do me a favor."

"Unzip me." she's talking about her dress, of course! "And then leave so I can change!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "That's okay! We can go together, if that'll make you more comfortable too. Make a lunch date out of it...How's that sound?"

"Here we are, here's my house!" As they walked up the stairs, Hawks wings folded themselves neatly behind his back while he dug around for his keys. Once the door was unlocked, he held it open for Aerith. "Why don't you go up to my bathroom and look for that face wash? I'm gonna find some clothes in the meantime."

Before he can further shove his own foot into his mouth, Aerith drops the subject with a quiet hmph.

Back to the topic of that date that they were supposed to be going on! "It's not, but...I've gotta go shopping if that's the case! Maybe we'll just pick your outfit and I'll work around it. Gives me more of an idea to work with." She's hesitant but willing to work with it.

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "I mean I am, but..." Insert foot in mouth, actually. "Uh, you know what, nevermind! You're right!"

"Yuri told me it was more upscale. So, while it doesn't need to be black tie fancy, we can't just stroll up in our casual clothes." As they walk down the sidewalk, he's squeezing her hand just a bit tighter as they talk, "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Isn't it though?" Her own shopping experience, that is. It's almost like he's never heard of 'what's mine is yours'. He definitely probably has, but Aerith's being cheeky about it anyway with her response.

"Soooo it isn't because you're attracted to me, got it." Right.

"....Fancywear? Oh, so we're not doing casual? Wait. I have to dress up for the date!? Well, that's not a problem but..." It's a little more than she had been expecting!

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "My house isn't your own little shopping experience." Hawks jested as he thought about the various things he kept in his bathroom. "I'm sure I have a couple of face masks. Maybe we could do one together tonight. That sounds like a thing people do! Wear face masks and watch tv or something."

"As far as the dress goes, I do like it, I really do. But I don't think it's at all related to how touchy I've been..." If anything he might attribute that to some of the champagne he's downed this evening. While he wasn't drunk by any means, it was enough for him to let go of his typical inhibitions.

"Oh, speaking of fancywear, why dont you look through my closet and find something for me to wear for that double date."

Before she knows it she's being, quite literally, swept off her feet once again! They're off and over the hedges, the ambiance of the ball now becoming white noise behind them as they made their way home. It's cold, but not so cold that she needs warmth. That doesn't stop her from huddling closer to him though as a wing draped around her shoulder and her arm comes to wrap around his, intertwining their fingers.

"You're a real big fan of the dress, aren't you? You've never been this touchy before tonight!" then again, that could also be attributed to him getting more comfortable in general. It doesn't go unnoticed by her though. "Hm, that aside, if your face washes are really as good as you say then they miiight come up missing. Do you have any fancy face masks, too? I've always wanted to try those!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "We're gonna have to walk back, then, I didn't bring any flying gear, and I don't want to ruin that dress." He has half a mind to just scale the hedges separating this part of the garden from the outside. He might just use his wings to jump over them though...

"So you're going to dirty my sheets? For shame, Aerith!" Without much warning, he did in fact, scoop her up so he could use his wings to catapult themselves over the hedges. If he had the option to be chaotic, he'd take it!

"I'm sure I've got some fancy bougie face washes that'll take that makeup of your's right off." Hawks hummed as he touched down on the sidewalk now, setting her down. A wing found itself draped along her shoulder to protect her from the chill of their upcoming walk, though, he wasn't sure how well it would actually work out, seeing as feathers tended to move with the breeze.

"Heheh, you're ridiculous." And a little too on the nose!

"Hm...we've been at my place a lot lately. How about we go back to yours tonight? I'm sure you're missing your bed. I also don't wanna have to worry about whose sheets I'm dirtying with all this makeup!"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "I'm doing it because I care." Eventually, his spinning came to a halt, as they both were looking at each other again.

"Ten outta ten! Would recommend being interdimesionally kidnapped!" Results may vary! "Love you too, dove!" He repeated back to her. "Now, do we want to go back to your place, or mine?"

"You're being mean to me at the moment is what you're doing!" As they continued to occupy the garden in their own secluded corner, the sounds of music began to slowly die down, and the murmuring of voices began to fade as they went on with their night. It was easy to lose track of time when they were together.

"Keigo, I know I've said this a lot--and I'm gonna keep saying it, actually--but...I love you. Thank you for coming into my life." she finally pulls back from her hiding spot to look at him again, smiling.