The ride to Olette's place was a blur. The Gummi driver was mercifully just as uninterested in making conversation as she was. Naminé gave him the address, and with a nod, they were on their way. Naminé wondered how a society full of people like this would work. Silent. Efficient. Lonesome…
Before she knew it, Naminé was standing outside Olette's dorm. Technically, it was more of a house, but it was owned by TU, and the rooms were rented out at a reduced rate to students attending. The sound of laughter and music drifted through the night air, and she could see the soft glow of lights spilling out from the windows. She hesitated for a moment, adjusting her outfit, hoping she didn't look as rushed and out of place as she felt.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the door and knocked. She stood there awkwardly, waiting for someone to answer the door, before she realized the music was probably too loud. For a brief moment, she considered just going back home, but the money she spent for the Gummi would be wasted if she left now, so she rolled her eyes and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the music lowered, and the door opened. A tall blonde girl stood in the archway. Hell, tall was an understatement. Naminé felt like a china doll being looked down on by the woman in front of her.
"Either someone's little sister is lost, or someone didn't order the pizza right." She called back into the house with a high-pitched, almost playful voice, but beneath that lightness was a dangerous undertone. Like a razor wrapped in silk. Naminé wasn't sure how to react to that, did she really look that childish? She felt herself shrink a bit as she tried not to sulk when the woman turned back to face her. "You selling Girl Scout cookies or something?" When she spoke, there was a smugness that seemed to drip from every word, as if she took pleasure in how awkward and uncomfortable she made Naminé feel. That would be weird, though; they just met. Naminé was sure it was just her imagination making her feel stupid. For a moment Naminé looked blankly at the woman. Dressed in a sleek, tight, sleeveless turtleneck that clung to her slim figure, and a matching black miniskirt, she gave off an air of elegance and menace. Naminé blinked before realizing that the woman was giving her a look. Probably because instead of answering she was gawking.
"Uhm.. No.. I was invited. By Olette." Naminé eventually spoke, the words falling from her mouth clumsily. Something about this woman seemed to fry Naminé's brain. Maybe it was her cold, sharp eyes that looked her up and down like a wolf would prey. Or her graceful, deliberate movements, like an apex predator on the hunt. Confident. Terrifying. Beautiful. Dangerous.
"Okay…? Come in then, I guess?" The woman answered, combing her long fingers through pale short blonde locks that framed her face in a way that made her look both playful and intimidating. Shortly after, Olette came up to the door, probably to investigate the lost little sister, and Naminé gave a timid wave.
"Oh! Why didn't you say you were coming? You look... I mean, great, but I didn't expect this. You are actually Naminé, right?" Olette said excitedly. Naminé felt a little annoyed at her reaction, but if she was being fair, it wasn't an unreasonable one. Naminé never dressed up for anything. If she wasn't in a ratty white oversized sweater, it was a plain white skirt and top combo that even the plainest of girls might turn their noses up at. Naminé didn't see the point. She wasn't going to be spending much time with anyone besides herself anyway, so she never saw a reason to waste time with fashion.
"Yep, it's me," Naminé muttered, avoiding Olette's gaze.
"Come on in! We're all just hanging out, waiting for the pizza to get here. You hungry?"
"Oh, uhm, yeah." She lied. Her stomach growled as if in protest of the idea of that being a lie, and Naminé shuffled into the house, past the blonde woman who'd answered the door. If Naminé was being honest with herself, she was quite curious about her. She'd never seen her before, and Olette never mentioned anyone matching her description. The moment she crossed the threshold, the warm hum of conversation and booze hit her, along with the faint smell of cigarettes. People were scattered in groups, chatting and dancing, while others lounged on a pair of twin couches, laughing at something she couldn't quite hear over the newly turned-up music. A mix of anxiety and distress fluttered in her chest as she scanned the room for a familiar face, wondering if it'd been a mistake to come after all. But before she could second-guess herself, Olette interrupted her thoughts.
"I didn't think you'd come!" Olette shouted over the blaring stereo. "I'm glad you did, though!" Naminé could see the excitement on her friend's face, and it made her nerves calm a bit. Naminé made a mental note to herself to try and treat Olette a bit better. She was a good person and she didn't deserve the bitchy way she treated her Naminé thought.
"I just… felt like it, I guess," Naminé called out, instantly regretting trying to yell over the music. Thankfully Olette didn't seem to mind her watery voice and simply smiled.
"It's still pretty early so everyone's just chilling out until the pizza gets here, so make yourself comfortable." Olette cheerfully bounced away, her brown twin-tails flowing behind her as she got into a groove with the rhythm of the beat. Naminé glanced around the room. Despite the noise, it really wasn't a large party. Maybe a couple dozen people if she had to guess. She didn't recognize anyone here, though, scanning across the faces, dancing and relaxing. Naminé awkwardly shifted, feeling completely out of place; luckily, no one seemed to pay her presence any mind. Naminé felt herself drift to the edge of the room, her fingers twisting the sleeves of her jacket as she observed the crowded space. The music was loud, the laughter even louder, and yet she felt strangely disconnected from it all. Like she was watching the party through a window rather than being part of it.
People around her danced and clinked plastic red cups of soda and booze, but she couldn't bring herself to join in. The idea of doing so, of losing herself in the music or the buzz of alcohol felt foreign to her. It wasn't that she judged the others for it - it just wasn't her. Instead, she stood there, trying to make herself smaller, her eyes darting from group to group, searching for any familiar face she might anchor herself to. Then she saw him. A mess of sandy, spikey blonde hair caught the light, and for a moment, Naminé's heart stopped.
Roxas was surrounded by a few people Naminé didn't know, their animated conversation seemingly worlds apart from the quiet bubble of isolation she had wrapped herself in. She hadn't seen Roxas in almost as long as Kairi, and she was definitely not ready to deal with him. A wave of nervous energy hummed through her as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She had already checked her phone three times in the last ten minutes hoping for some excuse to leave early, but nothing came. The conversations around her were fast-paced, full of inside jokes and stories she didn't know, and with every passing second, she felt more out of place. She tugged at the hem of her dress and let out a quiet sigh, trying to remind herself why she thought this would be a good idea. Hoping to avoid being noticed by Roxas, she scuttled into the kitchen where she last saw Olette. The sound of the music was muffled by the walls somewhat and she was grateful to see Olette gulping down a bottle of water. She stepped over to her trying to decide how she would tell her she was leaving.
"Hey, Naminé. Enjoying yourself?"
"Yep!" She lied. She did that a lot, she thought.
"Great! When the pizza gets here, we'll vote on what movie to watch. Pence set up a big projector out back, and we have a bunch of bean bags we ordered from Mooglezon. You should have seen the looks we got from the neighbors when those big boxes got delivered." Olette laughed, the sound soothing Naminé's stress somewhat.
"That sounds pretty cool! I'm excited!" More lies. Naminé wondered if she ever spoke the truth. If being a bad friend had competitive awards, she'd be dominating.
"Do you know anyone here?" Olette asked, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. "It's mostly just friends and friends of friends. I don't know everyone myself, but I'm sure they're good people." The blonde woman who opened the door for her flashed through her mind before her thoughts landed on Roxas. Naminé wanted to lie again but the guilt made her decide against it.
"Oh, yeah. Roxas is here. We grew up in the same place." She offered, hoping Olette wouldn't pry.
"Wow, small world, huh? Well, you can go talk to him if you want; I won't hog you to myself."
"Actually-" Naminé interjected, a ball of panic rising in her chest. "I was hoping you could tell me about that blonde girl? The one at the door?" Naminé blurted out. She hadn't meant to say that but she was desperate to keep Olette from pushing her to talk to Roxas. Naminé was absolutely not interested in doing that. There was a lot of baggage there that she was not prepared to deal with, you mean Larxene?"
"I guess so?" Naminé offered. The name definitely fit the woman in question. Sweet and edgy. Like extremely sour gummies. Or a sharpened candy cane.
"I don't know her to be honest. Well I do, but not really." Olette stated, a questioning look on her face.
"That's a bit vague." I pushed hoping to keep the topic change going. Anything to avoid having to talk to Roxas.
"Well, she's a friend of Roxas' friend Lea. Apparently, they were in a rock band or something for a while. 'Organization 13' or something? That's pretty much all I know."
"Awww, and here I thought you were a fan!" A playful voice cut in. Speak of the devil. Larxene stood across from us with a hand on her hip. "We made some pretty good music, If I do say so myself." She pinned Naminé with a smirk that sent a jolt of panic through her body. How long had she been there? Did she hear her ask about her? 'Oh. If she didn't think I was a weirdo before, she definitely does now.' she thought to herself.
"You guys were pretty underground though, right? I think I did see you guys headlining at a few bars downtown but I never caught you live."
"I kid. We weren't really that serious about it. Well, Demyx was, he's chasing his dreams as a musician without us now." Her words were as sharp as her looks. Each one carried a slightly cruel edge that made every syllable feel like a veiled insult. "So who's the girl, Olette? They seem pretty curious about me." She felt her face heat up and stared at her shoes. That was probably the safest place to look for now she thought.
"This is Naminé. We met in our first year. She's an art major, and could use more friends!"
"Olette!" Naminé cried, embarrassment flooding over her.
The doorbell.
"Oh, hey! Pizza's here! Sorry, can't talk anymore!" Olette said hustling out of the kitchen, but not before winking at Naminé cheekily. Naminé was flabbergasted. 'I take it back. Olette totally deserves the lies' She thought in frustration.
"Naminé, huh? Pretty name. Kinda delicate. It suits you." Larxene took a few steps closer, her slim figure seemingly towering over Naminé.
"Th-thanks!" She blurted.
"Why so shy? I won't bite." Larxene's presence alone was enough to make Naminé feel like a cornered rabbit, just being the focus of her attention was enough to make her feel on the verge of fleeing in terror. And yet, for some reason, Naminé liked it? Something about Larxene was enticing. Like fire. No. Like lightning. Brilliant and flashy, but dangerous and deadly. That was much more fitting.