Kori breathed deeply as she jogged to catch up with Rachel who was still speedily storming away from the beach. "Rachel!" Kori puffed, "Wait!"
Rachel immediately halted and turned to face Kori. Kori raised an eyebrow at Rachel as she noticed her bright red cheeks before anything else. "What... What is... Is something wrong?" Kori breathed, placing a hand on her hip.
Rachel folded her arms over her chest and frowned. She looked away from Kori and huffed while her cheeks continued to flame up. "No... Yes... I don't know." Rachel groaned,
"Will you please explain to me what has caused you to seem so abrupt?" Kori asked,
"Garfield... Garfield... Asked me out on a date..." Rachel explained quietly. Kori gasped and squealed joyfully for her. The red head leaned forward and embraced Rachel tightly, showing the extent of her happiness for Rachel.
"Oh! That is wonderful! What did you say?" Kori pressed,
"... I said yes..."
"I am failing to see what has happened that has made this situation so terrible..."
"I'm not supposed to be here to go on dates with random guys... I'm... We're meant to be here to help you get over Xavier."
Kori involuntarily felt a pang of hurt and anger at the mention of her ex fiancés name. True, she was having a wonderful time away from the stress of her wedding shamble and she really was gaining deeper feelings for Dick but she still hadn't quite got past the whole situation with her sister and Xavier. Kori shook her head.
"Rachel... I am currently very happy and that is because I have allowed myself to connect with Richard. No one would begrudge you for doing the same with Garfield." Kori explained,
"But-" Rachel was cut off,
"Do you like Garfield that way?"
"Wh-What?"
"Do. You. Like. Garfield. That. Way?"
Rachel looked away moodily, "I don't know..." She huffed,
Kori crossed her arms over her chest, "Rachel." She deadpanned,
"Alright! Maybe... Okay, a little bit..." Rachel sighed,
Kori smirked, "Well then. There is nothing to act so dramatic about, yes?" Kori laughed,
Rachel's cheeks burned as she realised Kori was making a lot of sense. She chewed on her lip slightly as she was hesitant to ask the next question of Kori. She groaned and shuffled her feet uncomfortably,
"Kori?" She began,
"Yes?" Kori answered,
"Will you... Help me... Get ready?" Rachel stuttered, irritated by her own request.
Kori's green eyes were suddenly filled with life and excitement. She clasped her hands together in front of her and jumped lightly on the spot,
"Oh! Yes! Of course!" Kori gasped. Rachel rolled her eyes as Kori dragged her back to the cabins by a tug of her hand.
The evening drew closer and time was ticking away as Rachel's date with Garfield quickly rolled on. Kori was calmly sitting on the end of Rachel's bed, eating noodles while she waited to see the 5th outfit choice that Rachel had chosen. Rachel sighed and stepped out from behind a changing screen. She groaned and crossed her arms over her chest in irritation at her own inability to make a decision.
"This one?" Rachel grumbled,
"Mm... I believe it is too dark." Kori responded,
"I already told you... Dark is my style."
"In that case, wear what makes you feel comfortable, Rachel,"
"I felt comfortable with the first outfit!"
Rachel whined and wandered back behind the screen to change once more. Kori stifled a giggle at the difference in Rachel's behaviour. Kori knew that she was getting impatient about the date which is why finding the right outfit was proving difficult for her.
"So, are you not seeing Dick tonight?" Rachel called from behind the screen,
"No, I am. He has proposed the, "Chill night" within my cabin this evening." Kori answered, placing more noodles in her mouth.
"Sounds... Peaceful."
"Mm..."
"Kori... Do you really like Dick? Like properly?"
Kori sat up straight for a moment and furrowed her eyebrows as if she were deeply thinking about it. She slowly broke out into a smile,
"I truly do like him very much so..." She breathed,
"... But?" Rachel interjected,
"I am still fearful for the future..." Kori paused and looked down, "... What it shall bring..."
"I understand. You want to be proven that not all men are the same as Xavier." Rachel stated.
Kori gave a ghost of a smile at the hope of that being true. She really hoped Dick was different from Xavier and so far; she was not disappointed in the slightest.
"Precisely..." Kori answered, quietly, "Anyway, tonight is not about me. Let me look at you once more."
With that, Rachel stepped out from behind the screen to reveal her outfit choice. She wore black skinny jeans with black boots and a deep blue sweater adorned her torso. She tugged at the sleeves, clearly feeling self conscious.
"Beautiful." Kori stated, smiling.
"Mm. You could have said that the first time I put it on, y'know." Rachel quipped. Kori grinned and couldn't stifle the giggle that erupted from within her.
Soon enough, Kori wished Rachel the best for her date before scampering off to her own cabin. Rachel inhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes as she waited for Garfield to appear. Suddenly, she heard a couple of light knocks at her door and reopened her eyes immediately.
She exhaled a deep breath and silently cursed herself for being such a girl and allowing herself to become nervous over such an event. She slowly turned around and opened the door.
She must have opened the door suddenly because Garfield became unbalanced and wobbled on the spot. He nervously chuckled and regained his composure while Rachel shot him a look with a raised eyebrow.
"You- You look great, Rachel," He stammered, his nerves getting the better of him, momentarily.
"Uh... Thanks." Rachel replied, not used to receiving compliments.
"Sh- Should we leave?" Garfield wondered, holding out his hand for her. She graciously accepted his hand and wandered out of the door.
"Are we driving?" Rachel wondered,
"No... I thought we could walk and talk... I think it's better to get to know someone." Garfield replied. Rachel gave into a small smile while Garfield wasn't looking. She had to give him credit. He was a lot deeper than what met the eye.
So, they walked along the path beside the road which led away from the busyness of the shops and arcades of their situated residence. Rachel wasn't exactly used to surprises either so the wait to find out what they were doing for the evening was slowly getting to her.
It shocked her how well they got along. They spoke for the majority of the walk and Rachel learned a lot more about Garfield. Things that were personal; things she did not expect him to harbour.
She learned about all kinds of things such as a past girlfriend named Terra, who had a big effect on his personality and his own trust issues with others. He told her about his parents and how they died whilst he was a child in Africa. Whereas most girls would probably be put off a guy if he was so straight forward about his personal life, Rachel was different from most girls. She felt privileged that he would feel close enough to tell her and trust her with his personal issues.
After speaking about a range of different things, Garfield finally halted outside a large building and grinned. Rachel couldn't read the sign as it was getting darker. She roughly made out the word, 'marine' but was still confused.
"Where are we, Garfield?" Rachel asked,
"We, Miss Roth, are at a Sea Life Centre." He replied, proudly.
"Uh..." Rachel stuttered, unsure how to respond to that.
Garfield chuckled, "I know. It sounds like the most boring thing you'd want to do on a date but it's different from a day trip."
"Oh?" Rachel smirked,
"Yup. I know the owner and he gave me permission to bring you here to see the animals and give them a midnight feed; something no normal visitor would be able to do."
"That sounds... Really fun actually..."
Garfield smiled at Rachel and their eyes locked for a moment. Sapphire mixed with emerald and they became lost for a moment within each other. Rachel's cheeks became heated and she looked away immediately.
Garfield's grin spread and he grabbed Rachel's hand and led her inside. He switched the lights on as he entered the place and the lights flickered on, revealing different marine based creatures. Rachel gasped for a moment and she immediately saw sharks, dolphins, whales, seahorses, octopuses and even starfish.
"So, what do you wanna feed first, Rae?" Garfield quizzed, tugging gently on her hand.
Rachel fully noted the use of the nickname, 'Rae' but she kind of liked it; she had a feeling it would grow on her.
"How about the sharks?" Rachel put out there,
"I had a feeling you'd go for the dangerous ones," Garfield chuckled,
Rachel smirked and hurried up to the shark tank while Garfield retrieved the meat to feed the sharp toothed creatures. Gar grinned as he handed Rachel a big chunk of meat to throw in. The meat was cold and moist and made Rachel cringe but she quickly chucked the meat into the water. The shark swam up high and collected the meat between his jaws. Rachel smiled widely and felt her heart thump within her chest as the action caused a burst of adrenaline.
"That was incredible!" Rachel exclaimed,
"I know right!" Garfield replied, throwing another piece of meat into the tank.
"Have you fed them many times before?"
"Oh yeah; I do it all the time. I try to come down from Gotham twice a week to feed them."
"That sounds amazing."
"I've loved animals since I was a kid. That's why I loved Africa so much. Everywhere you looked there were animals of all different forms."
"Do you miss Africa?"
"Sometimes... I felt really happy there and my parents loved gaining research from Africa. It was more insightful than anywhere else."
They were both quiet for a moment as they were both in deep thought. Garfield smiled and shook his head to free his mind from negative thoughts.
"Dolphins next?" He asked. Rachel nodded and took his hand as they walked across the floor and up the stairs to see the large tank with four dolphins within it. The dolphins began to squeak cheerfully. One raised its head out of the water and came close to Rachel. She leaned back and gasped out of shock of the dolphins' actions. The dolphin hesitated, as if waiting for her to do something. Rachel slowly and carefully lowered her hand onto the dolphin's head and gave it a gentle rub.
"Looks like Flipper likes you." Garfield commented, sitting beside her.
"Flipper?" Rachel laughed, raising an eyebrow at him,
"I know. Original, huh?" He chuckled. Rachel found herself giggling along too.
"Just a little." She answered, returning her focus to the dolphin in question. Garfield continued to simply stare at her with the faintest of smiles upon his lips. He really did like Rachel. She was different to other girls. She was dark and unpredictable. She hid her emotions until she wanted to reveal them and he thought that to be a smart thing to do to stop yourself from getting hurt on account of letting your emotions show too much, too soon.
Garfield and Rachel finished giving the other marine creatures their food and were soon switching the lights off and locking the doors behind them as they left. They walked side by side in a comfortable silence, only hearing the occasional car going past. Rachel sucked in a breath and allowed her hand to fit against Garfield's hand. It was probably the only thing she could do to remotely portray any sign of affection in public.
Garfield noted the gesture but decided not to make a big deal over it considering Rachel would probably not appreciate it in the slightest. He decided to be careful as he didn't want to force Rachel into being someone she wasn't.
Finally, they stumbled across a food truck. Rachel smirked to herself. She liked what they were doing for food better than that of going to some fancy restaurant that would simply give her a headache. Keeping it as casual as possible was better for her.
Garfield stepped up to order for them, "Can I get a tofu burger please and a strawberry big gulp?" He asked. He then turned to Rachel who was staring at him with a look of consideration.
"I'll have the same, please." Rachel stated,
"Are you sure?" Garfield wondered, blinking at her,
"Yeah sure, why not,"
"Well... A lot of people aren't a fan of tofu..."
"I'll try it. I'm sure it isn't the worst thing."
Garfield stared at her, shocked by her willingness to try something new. Rachel quirked a smile which in turn, caused Garfield to smile. He looked away to pay and Rachel continued to look at him with a glint to her dark eyes. She couldn't help but feel closer to him. She wasn't sure about him at first but she had got to know him and she could honestly admit that she was beginning to like him more and more. She blushed at the thought of her own feelings. She straightened up as Garfield received the food and gave her what she ordered.
They began to walk away from the truck back towards the cabins and Garfield hesitated to eat the first bite of his tofu burger. Rachel raised an eyebrow at him,
"Aren't you gonna eat it?" She asked, confused,
"I want you to try yours first," He chuckled,
She rolled her eyes playfully and shrugged. She inhaled a breath and took a small bite of the tofu burger. Garfield waited patiently to hear her verdict.
"Hm... It's not bad... Not bad at all, actually." Rachel stated after swallowing the bite.
"Oh yeah! I've found someone who agrees that it's not the worst thing on Earth!" Garfield boasted, taking a big bite of his own burger. Rachel laughed quietly and slowly finished her burger a couple of seconds after Garfield demolished his.
The two of them reached Rachel's cabin and silently stood next to each other, unsure of how to finish the evening. Garfield rubbed the back of his neck and grinned nervously at Rachel who seemed to be patiently waiting for him to decide on what he was going to do.
Garfield gave into a deep exhale of breath, "Look Rachel..." He paused and took her hand in his, "I... I really like you and I hope you like me too... You make me kinda nervous so I'm pretty sure I really like you anyways..."
Rachel quirked the tiniest smile. With a sudden rush of confidence, Garfield leaned in and placed a quick, sweet kiss against Rachel's lips. She returned it without question and blushed when they parted. Garfield broke the restraint and gave into some more nervous laughter.
Kori smiled and watched Dick as he slowly stepped out of her cabin. She had had the most wonderful evening with him and she felt ecstatic that they had had an evening in to learn more about each other. Dick turned back to face her and was surprised when she quickly threw her arms around his neck and latched her lips to his. His surprise melted away instantly however and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back, smiling a lot while he did so.
Kori released him and grinned at him. He chuckled. Kori suddenly saw Garfield wandering away from Rachel's cabin looking pretty pleased with himself. Dick saw her expression and raised an eyebrow, "What is it?" He quizzed,
Kori took his hand and pulled him closer to her, "Look," She told him, nodding her head in Garfield's direction,
"Oh, he looks happy," Dick noted,
Kori clapped her hands lightly, "Oh! I hope they had a good time!" Kori squeaked. Dick chuckled and turned to her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek,
"I will see you tomorrow, yes?" Kori hoped,
"Of course," Dick responded. He kissed her hand and backed away slowly. He turned and jogged over to Garfield who looked like he had been shaken from a trance. Dick threw his arm around his friend and prepared to grill him about his date.
Kori watched Dick go and smiled to herself. She was really starting to fall for the ebony haired guy. She hadn't planned to gain feelings for anyone on this trip but she could hardly stop thinking about Dick Grayson.
Then, she slipped on her shoes and closed her door. She sprinted over to Rachel's cabin and knocked on the door lightly. Rachel opened the door and rolled her eyes, knowing it was only a matter of time before Kori appeared to hear about the date.
Kori wandered inside and bounced on the spot, waiting for Rachel to tell her about the date.
"Kori, what on Earth could you be here for?" Rachel said, sarcastically,
"What happened!? Richard and I saw Garfield looking quite happy to say the very least." Kori urged,
"It was really nice actually..." Rachel paused, "He took me to the sea life centre to give the animals a midnight feed."
"Oh! How sweet!"
"Mm... Then we went and got tofu burgers..."
"Tofu burgers? But... They are disgusting!"
"I thought I'd hate it but it was actually really good, much to Garfield's happiness."
"So... Did you kiss?"
"... We did..."
Kori squealed and threw her arms around Rachel in an embrace. Rachel sighed but smiled at Kori's enthusiasm.
"I am so happy for you!" Kori announced,
"I'm kinda happy for me too..." Rachel replied,
"So, you are together now, yes?"
"I don't know... We didn't really talk about it before he left."
"I will be interrogating you once more tomorrow then,"
"I don't doubt that,"
Kori sighed and smirked, "I suppose I will see you at breakfast then. Goodnight, Rachel!"
Rachel nodded, "Night Kori," She responded.
Kori waved as she walked out of Rachel's cabin. The red head shivered as she heard Rachel's door close. She hopped down the front steps of the cabin and slowly began to walk back to her own cabin.
The wind was bitter and was picking up quickly. A harsh rustle caused Kori's hair to go everywhere and her ears were deafened momentarily by the blustery weather. As the angry weather calmed for the moment, Kori caught something just barely. She heard movement and the snap of a twig from within the bushes across from her cabin. She turned her head and squinted her eyes to try and see the source.
"H-Hello? Is someone there?" She stuttered, frightened. She looked left and right, certain that she had heard someone or something. She gulped and her heartbeat increased. The dark proved too much and she gave up trying to spot whatever she thought was behind the foliage. She shrugged and hurried up the steps of her cabin. It must have been her imagination.
She made sure to lock the door and all of the windows however; just in case...