Prompt: "What are you doing?"
"I'm capturing all the things I find beautiful."
Camping - Rei had suggested. It'd be a good idea, Max had agreed. It'd be perfect for team building, Kenny had insisted, and Tyson? He thought that it would be nice to train away from home. Hilary had thought that it was the perfect way for her to spend time equally with her friends, and develop different schedules that would assist them within their training. Kai, on the other hand, had been more difficult to persuade, and almost remained reluctant to participate, claiming that he'd rather be taking the training seriously, than to slack off. The next tournament would be around the corner faster than they could anticipate, he'd reminded. Hilary had persuaded him, with the gentle reminder that it'd be nice if they could all work alongside one another again, even if it was just training, and that if it got too much for him, there were plenty of surrounding areas that he could go off too. Plus it meant that they could all be away from the aftermath of the last tournament, and the group deserved that much.
Camping wasn't camping at all. It was three wooden lodges upon a resort site, surrounded by a thick mass of trees, and few hills, and beyond said hills was a large lake. The lake was also surrounded by a large grouping of several trees, from beech to oak, with branches that stretched up towards the blue hue of the sky as if they were reaching for the sun. Kai assumed there would be tents, and the first team building activity they would meet, would be to set up the tents safely and productively. Not to mention that Rei's ex team had also joined forces, with Lee claiming it was a coincidence that they would all meet here. It wasn't a coincidence at all, and Kai thought it was a mere excuse for two teams to goof off and forget the presence of the tournament. He'd snorted at the very idea and chose one of the wooden lodges to retreat too. He chose the one of the edge, where a path just dipped from it and followed out into a collection of greens and browns, and Kai assumed it was one of the many paths that would lead them down to the lake.
The lodges were fairly small and quaint, but with enough room to move around within interfering with someone else's personal space. When you first entered, you were met with a small corridor, and four rooms connected to it. The lounge and kitchen were meshed into one, and it was clear that each lodge could accommodate a maximum of four people. On the right side of the corridor there were two separate rooms - bedrooms - and Kai had investigated both before picking the one that he'd like, only to discover that both rooms had bunks. Hilary had insisted on making the joke that the lodges were not very 'couple-friendly', which left her meeting the faint amused shake of Kai's head. In the end he had chosen the room that was furthest away from the main entrance, and lounge area. Rei had decided to stay in the same lodge as Kai and Hilary, and to begin with, that was okay, until Rei mentioned that Mariah would be staying with them too, insisting that she required female company. The discussion for the girls sharing a room and the boys too, was one that came and went, as it was quickly dismissed by Kai, who ultimately preferred Hilary's company than to hear Rei talk about Mariah and his ex team. It wasn't that Kai disliked the White Tigers, there was a lot of mutual respect regarding their technique and strength, and it was the same for what Lee saw within Kai, but Kai didn't exactly see eye to eye with Mariah - he supposed it was still down to when he'd taken their bit beasts - and he wasn't that interested in the rest of the team either. Or, perhaps Kai just managed to rub Mariah up in the wrong ways. He didn't really care regardless of her reasons.
"This isn't team building, this is just an excuse for them to slack off." There is a bitter twinge to Kai's retort, a foul drawl that notes the irritants that fuels him. Hilary's watching him from the bottom bunk, her legs neatly folded amongst one another, her hands raised just above her head as she forces chestnut coloured locks from her view and pulls them back into a hair tie. She watches as he tosses his shirt to one side - it's elegant, and she wonders how it's possible for an action so careless, to be so graceful - and trades it for a vest before dropping himself down before the bunk. His back is pressed flush against the wooden frame, one leg up at the point of his knee, whilst it sprawled before him.
"We thought it would be nice to train with some friendly faces." Hilary responds, soon draping her legs over Kai's shoulders, insisting her thighs become support should Kai drop his head back. Her legs are almost bare, apart from a pair of socks that accompanied her trainers, and a pair of shorts, the dark blue denim sort, with her shirt tucked carefully into them. She looks wonderful, beyond anything that Kai could describe in words.
"You knew?" He asks as if he was almost oblivious, when really, he had a feeling all along, that this was just another one of their ploys, and he was the fool for thinking they'd actually want to train.
"Would you have come along if I had told that they would be here too?"
"You're lucky I came in the first place."
"Touche." He is oblivious to the smile that drenches her features, the pull of her lips that guides the colour of her smile towards her eyes, and within the hazel nut hue can sanctuary be found. She abruptly forces the the bottom of her palm against the rear of his head, which earns a faint hiss from him, and a bubbling chorus of laughter from her. Oh, if only she could say the smile that has captures his features, and the way in which is pierces his eyes. If only she knew how often he smiles within her presence. If only.
They sit like this for a little while longer, her legs draped idly over his shoulders, her socked feet swaying back and forth slightly. His head drops back every so often, to have a quick peak at her, whilst she seems to be focusing on doing something with her camera. He'd not even realised that she had brought it along with them in the first place, until he'd heard her fiddling with something that sounded delicate and occasionally scolding said device under her breath. It's a fairy small camera, with minimal design, but it's a white colouring, and along the bottom, it's a brown, and gives off a wooden effect. It has a strap, the sort that would go around your neck, but it's currently wrapped around the entirety of her wrist. It's a white strap, and in some areas, it is faintly frayed, but nothing too major. He hears a click and thinks nothing of it, but assumes she has managed to get the camera to work. She drops a small photo down upon his lap, and utters beneath her breath that, that was a waste of film, before her weight leans more so above him.
Once again, he thinks little of it, and assumes that she is either attempting to get comfortable, or she's attempting to take a picture of the view from the window aside the bunk. There's another click, a faint flash and an intoxicated giggle, before there is a faint noise of something printing. Kai drops his head back carefully into her thighs, to discover that she's looming over him, the white of the camera before her pretty face, and the light of the sun casting down upon the camera, draws faint shadows across her features. She clicks quickly, and the flash becomes almost blinding, and he realises then that she's been taking pictures of him, rather than the scenery.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm capturing all the things I find beautiful." Hilary responds faintly as she waves the printed photo back and forth faintly in the efforts of waiting for the ink to set. To say that it was a picture she caught of him, with him being off guard, it's incredible how wonderful he can look. It's incredible how the light of the sun warms his naturally white exterior, and all the faint scuffs and pulls of his skin become a little more obvious. It is all the little specs and flaws about him that Hilary finds the most magnificent and intriguing.
"Disgusting."
"Lighten up. You're so dry." Had it been someone else - anyone else that wasn't Hilary - Kai might have just rolled his eyes at the comment, or responded with something witty in aid of shutting down the conversation, and winning one over the other. This isn't someone else, this isn't Tyson, who he could have easily belittled with a snappy comment, or Rei who would have met his remark with another. It isn't Max either, who would have met a sincere laugh and maybe even a light hearted comment. This is Hilary. The girl who has seen through his behaviours, and his mask, and removed them without exploiting his weaknesses. It's the same girl who has witnessed him at his most powerful, and at his weakest, and even then... Even then, nothing had changed. Nothing. She didn't see him differently, but saw him in a better light in comparison to others.
"I didn't realise you were into taking photos."
"I wasn't, not really. But I found my camera amongst a bunch of others things. And I have a scrap book, so I thought, why not combine the two." Hilary responds, and carefully she shifts her weight from Kai's shoulders, in the efforts of reaching out an arm to gather up her bag.
"For?"
"For memories, silly. I can look back and remember the idiots that I managed to become friends with. Besides, it isn't like you can all Beyblade for the rest of your lives. I figured making the most of this." She's a photo briefly before him, but when she says 'this', it appears that she is gesturing to well... Whatever this camping trip is supposed to be. She hands the photo to Kai, it's of vibrant colouring, and it's Tyson whilst on the bus, hand buried deep into a large bag of crisps, whilst the other appears to be cramming a fistful of crisps into my mouths. Not the best of looks for him, but it sums up Tyson as a person, and Kai appreciates it.
"Not his best of moments, right? But it's something. I can look back and question how he stayed stick thin." Hilary's comment earns a faint snort from Kai, who is clearly amused by her remark. He soon hands the photo back, and she takes it quickly, and stuffed it face down onto the bed spread behind her. She leans forward once again, hangs above him carefully and casts a shadow upon the features of his face that she can make out from this angle.
"I'd like another one of you."
"You have one."
"Preferably when you are expecting the camera. Um. Like one of you and me." Hilary's smile becomes the shadow of a halo pressed flush against the rear of Kai's head as her chin sets upon the top of his head, buried deep within a mass of slate and deep blue hair. He drops his head back carefully, mouth meeting the pleasant flesh of her cheek, where lips brush ever so lightly. It's sincere and it is innocent, and if anything, it is precious to Hilary. She's wearing a smile, camera held above them, in an angle good enough for the photo, but also out of Kai's view. She drapes her free arm over his chest, lithe digits clung to the material of his vest, and she so carefully mouths: smile.