Chapter 16: Summer Vacation Part 3
Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: The Velvet Room
"Hello there, Sora," Igor greets. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room."
"I see that you've been busy," Margaret says. She opens her compendium and three arcana fly out. Each one is veiled in blue, pulsing flames, and a trail of stars follows them. "The Chariot, The Priestess, and The Lovers Arcana. The bonds you have with your companions have certainly grown stronger."
"That's my friends, Yuffie, Namine, and Kairi respectively, right?"
"Correct." Igor nods. "You've done well in your time here so far… I wonder where your strengthened bonds will take you."
Darkness shrouds my eyes as the Velvet Room fades away.
August 21, 2015
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Sunny
Place: Destiny Islands- Train Station
I yawn and stretch on a bench next to Roxas. The two of us got here before everyone else to wait for the train heading out of the Islands and into the City.
More specifically, we're headed to Radiant Garden. People flock to there because it's one of those places that tourists love to go to. There are places like casinos, nightclubs, and huge strip malls. It's practically party central of the country.
I've never been there myself, but my parents told me that they went to a boarding school there as teens and that there's a bunch of great places that my friends and I would love. Why they put a boarding school like that, I might never know.
As of now, the two of us are just eating some bagels he brought for a quick breakfast. "So how come Donald couldn't come again?" Roxas asks.
"He said he wanted to check up on some things in his world," I tell him. "There shouldn't be anything to worry about, but he said he just had a weird sinking feeling whenever he thought about it."
"Why would there be any problem?" he asks.
"I dunno…" The case should be over. I don't even know why I bother to stay up and check the Midnight Reflection everytime it rains at night. I just do.
"Hey, guys!" I turn to my left, and Yuffie is waving at us down the street. Next to her is Riku and Namine. "Are we all here now?"
"No, we're still waiting for Kairi," I tell her. "I wonder what's taking her so long." My phone starts to ring. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me!" Kairi's voice echos through the speaker.
"Where are you?"
"Down the street, to your right!" I look right, and I see a black car. It drives up to us and a window rolls down. Kairi jumps out of it, waving towards us frantically. "Heyoooo!"
"I thought we were taking the train," Roxas says.
"You thought wrong! If we're going to the city, we're doing it in comfort!" Kairi smiles. "Anyway, just throw your shit in the back of the car, and get in!" The trunk door pops open, and we pile our bags in the back of the van.
As I get into the car, I instantly recognize the driver. "Oh hey, what's up Penny?" He simply waves back.
"His name is Penny?" Yuffie holds in laugh.
"Yeah, but I feel like he could break every one of us in half, so it's probably best not to laugh," I warn. In the driver's mirror, I see Penny grin and give me a nod of approval.
"Anyway, get your asses buckled up, it's time to head off to Radiant Garden!" Kairi cheers.
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Place: Radiant Garden- Hotel Lumiere
Penny parks the car in front of a large, fancy looking hotel. Over the door is the building's name, Lumiere, in gold. "Welcome, my friends, to the Hotel Lumiere!" Kairi says.
"Kairi, this isn't the place that I won the contest to stay at," Roxas says.
"Yeah, I know. I checked the place out online, and it's in the sketchy part of town, so I just got us rooms here." Kairi puts on a black wig and sunglasses. "You can thank me later."
"I don't think the place the place we were supposed to go to holds a candle to this one!" Roxas responds.
As we barge in, I notice that the interior is extravagant; something fit for the upper class. Everything looks so nice and fancy. Shades of golds and illuminated tans make up the walls and floors. Purple carpets are rolled out on the floor, and an ornate glass chandelier crafted with glass in vivid colors hangs on the ceiling. "Kairi, how much did you pay for us to stay here?"
"Trust me, it's cheaper than a lot of places I've stayed," she says. If this is cheap, then where the hell has Kairi stayed before?! We follow her up to a reception desk, and the woman greets her. "Hello there, I've reserved two rooms for me and my friends. It should be under the name Thalassa Panettiere."
Thalassa Panettiere? That name is certainly a mouthful.
"M'kay hun, just let me look through the computer." The reception lady starts typing. "Okay then, Ms. Panettiere, you and your friends will be on floor 17 in rooms B15 & B16." She hands Kairi two key cards."Your bags will be brought to your rooms, and I hope you have a nice stay!"
"Thanks!" Kairi turns to us. "Okay, so the girls and I will stay in Q15, and you guys will stay in Q16." Kairi hands me a key card. It's purple and has a stylized golden candelabra on it.
"Okay, but why were you using a fake name?" I ask.
"I use fake names to stay incognito," she says. "It's so when I reserve rooms and stuff like that, paparazzi and fans won't follow me."
"Makes sense."
"Anyway, what were you guys going to do?" Kairi asks.
"I dunno," I tell her. "Riku, Roxas, and I were just going to go around the city, see the sights. What were you guy going to do?"
"I was going to bring Yuffie and Namine to Twilight Boulevard and show them the best shopping spots!"
"How are we going to even afford anything there?" Namine asks.
"I doubt I could afford half a sock there," Yuffie says.
"Don't worry, I gotchu! Using 10,000 munny on a dress isn't too bad in terms of fashion!" If 10,000 munny isn't too bad, I want to know her definition of expensive. "Anyway, the three of us will just head off now, 'kay?"
"Yeah, sure," I tell her.
"Oh, but make sure to come back here before it gets too late," Kairi says. "I'm gonna bring you guys to somewhere fun!"
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Cloudy
Place: Radiant Garden- Club Amitié
"Kairi, how'd you even get us into a place like this?!" I ask her. We follow a bouncer into a posh high-end night club. Multi-colored lights are flashing everywhere, drunken bodies bounce around without rhythm to booming music, all while a DJ plays and remixes the hottest songs out right now.
While the rest of us drop our jaws, Kairi seems to be right at home. "One time I was supposed to have a small solo concert here, but the power went out, so the club owners owe me."
The guy we've been following leads us through a hallway, with dark-colored walls and blue doors on each side. Each one had a number, and a small screen that either said "Vacant" or "Occupied". The club employee leads us to a door that has a star on it at the end of the hall. Could it be a VIP room?
As we walk in, I can't help but think of the Velvet Room's design. It's made up of various shades of blue, but there are also gold inlays on some of the furniture. There's a table full of different foods, ornate chairs, and couches around it. I feel like Igor would be jealous over how nice this room is.
"This place is awesome!" Roxas says. "But how come we're not allowed in the club itself?"
"The club owners do have a reputation to keep," she explains. "If they let minors out on the dance floor, people might snitch and call the cops or something."
"Make sense," Yuffie says. "It's too stuffy in that area anyway."
"How do you think I felt whenever my concerts were indoors?" Kairi asks. "Anyway, how'd your day go you guys? Have fun touring the big city?"
"It was great," Riku says. "We got a ton of pictures and stuff like that."
"Forget that, I got a girl's number!" Roxas cheers.
"Seriously?!" The girls ask in unison.
"That was our reaction too," Riku adds.
"I feel like he paid her to give it," I say.
"Well, screw you guys then," Roxas says. "Do you think I could have her come here with us?"
"I dunno Rox, it really was just supposed to be the six of us…" Riku says.
"I don't see the problem," I defend. "Who knows, she might be a nice person."
"Lemme call her now then!'" Roxas takes out his phone, quickly dials a number, and puts it on speaker phone.
"Hello, this is Genie's Pizza, would you like to try our Three Wishes Deal? Three toppings, three pizzas, and three sides!" Roxas' face of pride, quickly shifts to that of shock and despair. "Hello, hello? Anyone there? Al, didja butt dial me again?" Roxas hangs up.
I pat him on the back as he slouches onto one of the lounge chairs. "It's okay buddy, it happens to the best of us."
"Don't patronize me..." He sighs. "I'm just going to eat my sorrows away if you don't mind." Roxas reaches toward the table, and stuffs tacos into his mouth.
"Soooo, what'd you guys do today?" Riku asks. "Or should I ask what did you buy today?"
"So many dresses," Namine says tiredly. "So much makeup! Not enough money…"
"Yeah, we just went shopping," Yuffie says. "Not much to it. I had fun trying on different clothes, but the price tags on them gave me and Nami heart attacks."
"Everything was bought by yours truly." Kairi bows.
"But you only bought stuff we wanted, not what you wanted, so I kinda feel bad," Namine says.
"I said it's no problem! Buying nice clothes is the least I can do for you girls." Kairi grins. "Plus, if I wanted to, I could just have someone just send me the latest fashion trends directly from a high end fashion brand, so it's no big deal."
"You sure do love flaunting your money and celebrity status around," I comment.
"It's a perk when you get as big as me," Kairi says. "Anyway, how about we play a game to start out the night!"
"Like what?" Riku asks.
"Why, a legendary game, passed from from generation to generation! One where only the ballsiest of the ballsiest can win…" Kairi pauses. "Truth. Or. Dare!"
"Truth or dare? Really? What are we in, seventh grade?" Yuffie asks.
"Oh be quiet, I've never played a serious game of truth or dare myself," she defends.
"Since when has truth or dare been serious?" I ask.
"You guys know what I mean!" she says. She launches herself into one of the lounge chairs. The rest of us follow suit and sit down on the seats, like normal people I might add. Kairi pours the each of us drinks into disposable cups on the table. "To summer vacation!"
"To summer vacation!" We all cheer.
August 22, 2015
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Cloudy
Place: Radiant Garden- Hotel Lumiere
My eyes bolt open, and I'm met with blinding light. I cover my eyes with my hand, to let them adjust. I still can't see much, but I can tell I'm lying down on a bed, and a blanket is covering most of my body. I try to get up, but my legs feel heavy.
Not to mention my head hurts like a bitch! As my eyes adjust, I look around and notice that we're in a hotel room. I notice different people sprawled around the room. They start shuffling around, and it turns out to be my friends.
Riku is on the other bed. His hair is in what seems to be twintails. As he struggles to get out of bed, I see that his shirt is torn up to the point of non existence. Under the shirt is… A bra?
Yuffie is hanging off of the same bed as Riku. Her legs are on the bed while the rest of her body is hanging upside down. As she wakes up and slides off of the bed, she wipes drool off of her face. She's in some weird princess ninja outfit.
Namine is on the floor, dressed in a short kimono that shows off practically all of her legs. Her hair isn't the regular blonde we're used to, but full of different colors. She tries to push herself off the ground, but her arms give out every time.
Roxas wobbles through a doorway. He's wearing jeggings and a lace skirt over it. He's wearing one of those muscle shirts that say SUN'S OUT, GUNS OUT in a hot pink.
"What the hell happened last night?" he asks. Every word he says sounds like a sharp scream, making my head spin, so I clutch my head in pain. Everyone else reacts the same. "I just woke up on the toilet in this ridiculous getup!"
"Were you taking a shit?" Yuffie asks.
"No!" Roxas grabs his head with his hand. "Why are we even dressed like this?"
"Hell if I know." Riku massages his temples. "All I remember is entering that club, and then Roxas calling that pizza place."
"Yuffie, do you remember anything?" I ask.
"Nami… Namine, get up." Yuffie shakes her friend. "And no, I don't."
"Where's Kairi?" Roxas asks. He brings up a good point. I don't see her anywhere in the room.
"I think I know where she is," Roxas says.
"Where?" I ask.
He points to my legs. I remove the blanket, and… Kairi is clinging onto my legs, drool dribbling out her mouth. She looks mostly untouched, except one thing.
She's not wearing any pants.
"S-Sora stop looking you perv!" Yuffie panics.
I turn away from the perplexing, yet amazing, view. "How am I the pervert?" I ask. "She's the one without pants!"
"And you're the one without a shirt," Riku says. I look at myself, and he's right. I don't have anything covering my upper body.
Not to mention that there's an absurd amount of scribbles all over my torso. Crappy scribbles at that. One kinda looks like me holding a star and handing it to a person with poorly drawn hair. Anyway, I'm just happy I have pants on, or else this situation might be even worse. But at this point, is it even possible for things to get even more bad than they already are?
"Can someone just put a skirt on her or something?!" I ask in panic. Roxas gets out of his skirt, and tosses it to Yuffie. She then proceeds to put the skirt on the unconscious redhead.
"Hm?" Kairi makes a noise. She slowly wakes up. "Huh? Wha… What happened?"
"That's the thing," I say. "We kinda don't know jack about what happened."
"Why does my head hurt? Why are you shirtless? Where are we?" Kairi goes on to asking a million questions in a panic.
"Look, can we just all calm down, and then try to remember what happened last night?" Roxas says.
"We should probably dress into some some better clothes first, though," Riku suggests. Everyone looks at their current attire. We all nod, and the guys and I scurry out of the girls' room. We head to our suite next door to change our clothes.
Sadly, an employee just had to be outside the hotel room to give us weird looks. "What do you want?" I ask. He scurries away, and I can tell he was holding in a shit ton of laughs too. Just because you see some people who woke up dressed weirdly doesn't give you the right to laugh at them!
Half an hour later, we're back in the girls' room, talking about what the fuck happened the night before.
"So I found a video on my phone," Kairi says. "It was recorded from last night."
"Seriously?" I ask.
"Yeah, but…"
"But what?" Riku asks.
"Are you sure you, uh, want to watch this?" she asks. "I kinda watched it, and it's pretty bad."
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad?" Namine asks.
"I dunno, but here, just watch it." Kairi hands me her phone. For some reason, she's not making any eye contact with me, and her face has a slight blush to it. How embarrassing could this video be?
On the screen is a video that was shot at two in the morning. I press play. Hopefully I didn't make too much of a fool of myself.
8/22/15
02:57AM
The video starts with Kairi making a duck face, but then turning it around to show the hotel room. The camera pans to Riku and I standing on top of a bed, belting out the lyrics to Call Me Maybe into a microphone.
"Before you came to into my life, I missed you so bad! And you should know that, so Call Me Maybe!" we slur in an intoxicated harmony. As the music stops, everyone starts clapping and cheering.
"Encore! Encore! Encore!" Roxas chants. As I jump off the bed, sobbing is heard from the other side of the room.
"Nami! Nami, why are you crying?" A drunk Yuffie slurs.
"Because I wuv you guys, and I'm sooooo super happy you guys are friends with me," Namine sobs.
"Awww, we love you too, Namine!" Kairi says.
"Okay!" Drunk Roxas yells. "Who's up next!?"
Past me raises his hand. "Ooh, pick me! Pick me!"
"But you and Riku just went!" Yuffie complains
"Aww…" I sigh.
"I pick… Kairi!" Roxas points at the drunk Kairi.
"Yaaaay!" she cheers. "Dare! Dare! Dare!"
"Okay!" he says. "I dare you to… Sit on Sora's lap!"
"Booooring!" Drunk Riku slurs. "Have her rip up his shirt, like what I had to do!" The camera pans to the lacy bra Riku has on under the mangled shred of clothing he's wearing.
"Have her do both!" Yuffie cheers.
"Hmmm… Okay!" Kairi says. Suddenly, the phone is launched into the air. Once it falls back onto the floor, the video ends.
"Holy shit, we got fucked up," Yuffie says.
"I feel like that's an understatement…" Namine says sadly.
Kairi refuses to look at me. She's blushing so much, it's hard to tell the difference between her face and her hair. She looks kinda cute when she blushes like that, but I'll be damned if I ever admit that to her.
"Did someone spike the drinks last night?" Roxas asks.
"What else could have happened?!" Riku says. Everyone starts to talk about what they should do now, or any weird looking marks they found on their bodies.
As the noise in the room amplifies, the searing pain in my head increases. "Listen, do you guys just want to sleep in today?" I ask. "My head hurts like a bitch in heat, and to be honest, I don't want to deal with any of this bullshit until it stops hurting."
So remember how I said the Summer Vacation Arc would end this chapter? Yeah, that didn't happen. I wanted to end it this chapter, but with how I wrote it, it wouldn't be good if I ended it here. I was told by Palette that I wrote myself into a corner.
Also, as of the 11th of October, this story is a year old! God, I cannot go back to the first couple chapters without going on an insane cursing fit, or having cringe attacks. I first planned to upload it the weekend of the 11th, but then I had some school stuff. Tests, projects, the whole shebang. And then this last scene caused Palette and I so much trouble, because we had no idea how to end it!
By the way, recently I updated the format of my earlier chapters (probably Ch. 1-5, and then I think Ch. 7) to match the rest of the story. What happened is that for some dates, I put 2014, when it should have been 2015. That and some paragraphs have been separated so everything looks less messy. I tried not to change too much of what I've written, as I want you guys to see how far my writing skills have developed.
One last thing before I let you guys go. On my Author profile, I'm now writing status updates for the story. This way you can occasionally check up on the development of each chapter.
God, this has been a long Author's Note. Thank you anyone who has dealt with my writing up until now, I hope it's been a fun ride, because I promise it's gonna get better! Hopefully this chapter was good, and I'll see you next chapter! And Happy Halloween, because I know I'm definitely not going to be posting a chapter anytime before the 31st.