piratejournal | 7th rise of the phoenix ஜ Voice / Action for Spades

I'm older than you, teenager, that's enough.

[One year older, but it still counts.]

Guess you don't spend a lot of time in water then if you want to avoid looking like that.

Oh, sure. Sooo much older than me. How could I forget? Old man Ikki, that's what I should call you.

Nopes! Who wants a girl that's a shrivelled up prune? I gotta keep cute for as long as I can!

Do you even know my age? I doubt you even know when my birthday is.

[After all he has never mentioned it before, especially the birthday part.]

Hn, I'm pretty sure there would be someone out there who would take you even looking like that. There are all kinds of people with weird tastes and definitions of "cute".

Well..if I don't know, it's because you never told me! I always guessed you were just a little older than me - even though sometimes you act like a grumpy old man.

Seriously? Thanks for making me feel better about being an old lady. I feel so special now...

Oh? I thought such a smart girl would be able to figure it out somehow.

[Except that there's no way for her to do so, unless she goes and asks Marco and that only serves now because up until a day ago not even Marco knew.]

I thought we had already gone over how you're the farthest one can be from being "old". Any more and you would be a baby... I bet you were terrible when you were one, too much energy.

*Ikki, what is this niceness? Selphie likes it too much. So she ignores that part of the comment for now*

Or..you could just tell me?

*Selphie breathes a huffy puff of air*

A baby?! Hey - I'm not that young, you know! I'm plenty grown up! But... you're probably right. Maybe that's how come I never got adopted.

[He's not being nice, he's just trying to not be an asshole with her, he has done enough damage to her. And he's still a bit drunk, alcohol in his system does wonders.]

I suppose I could tell you. But I won't. If I tell you you may end wanting to do something about it. Like a party or something.

[Okay, maybe he's not being that nice and will always be a jerk.]

Nah, you weren't adopted because most adults who want children but can't have them on their own are assholes. It was their loss anyway.

*Selphie would count that as the same thing. And she can overlook the alcohol thing for now, because it's nice to talk to him again*

Ikki, you're probably the last person in this whole universe I would make a party for - I'm pretty sure you'd burn me alive!

*Eh, did she mean that? Was it a figure of speech that just slipped out? Maybe a combination of both, but she said it clearly with a smile on her face, and laughed a little after*

Oh. Maybe. I grew up fine without parents anyway. I think.

I wouldn't burn you. I would burn the party. Or not attend to it, that way you can have the party and I can not have it.

[That would work. He mumbles a bit then, the sound of a bottle being opened slipping through the journal, it's time to officially break the alcohol today.]

My birthday's not something that should be celebrated either way.

[There's a humming sound at the last part, mulling something in his head before he speaks again.]

Oi, do you know what parents are?

No one's ever gonna wanna give you nice things if you're only gonna do round burning everything, you know?

*She frowns a little at the sound of the bottle opening - she makes note of that, but says nothing about it right away*

Parents? Sure - they're people who make you and bring you into the world, and then they look after you and teach you what is right and wrong. They give you a home, and shelter, and love, and when you're older they get mad at you for sneaking out the house to go to a party. That's what parents are.

*Though she does giggle a little at the oi, wondering how much he might have adopted from Marco*

Someone gave me something nice. And I ended burning her even though I didn't want. It's better if no one bothers to even try.

[He takes a long gulp from the bottle before he continues.]

Officially, that's what parents are. Actually just making you and bringing you into the world is enough to qualify them as parents. But I don't think that's it.

I think that a parent is someone who cares for you at all times, no matter what you do, no matter where you are, no matter how old you are. They want you to be happy and safe, even if they know that it's impossible for that to be constantly true. They never aim to hurt you or put you in danger on purpose and even if somehow their actions or decisions, or just your job and their own duty, mean that they have to send you to a lion's den, they don't do it with glee or without care. And pray for your safe return. They teach you to decide by yourself what's right and what's wrong, not just what they or society considers that way.

I think that someone that does that is more of a parent than someone who just makes you and bring you into the world.

Someone gave you something for your birthday? I bet she wanted to try, though. There's a lot of thought goes into choosing a birthday present, if you do it properly.

*Selphie was a little jealous of whoever it was that had known it was his birthday and had given him something, even if that perhaps wasn't even what he was talking about*

Oh... I think so too. If I had ever had foster parents, I would've wanted them to be like that. But that's what Thatch and Marco are for, right? I wonder which one is the mom...

It wasn't for my birthday. I've not gotten birthday presents since I won my Cloth, though I'm sure that if he could find me, Shun would give me something every year.

[A pause.]

I don't put it past him to have a stock of presents for me that he wanted to give me and couldn't, though I would hope for him to have better sense than that.

[And know that the idea of getting a present he knows he won't be able to give to the person he wants to give it to is just plain stupid.]

Thatch. Marco's too much of a fail to be a mom.

Anyway, isn't there anyone like that back in your world for you? I don't have anyone whom I consider my parents, but there's someone whom I see as a father for one of my brothers at the very least.

Oh... Well, how about I get you a birthday present? I don't know when your birthday is cause I've got a feeling you're not gonna tell me... but if I give you a present then you can open it whenever it is your birthday!

*She sounds pretty pleased with herself, as though this is the best plan that she has ever come up with*

Hm. Not really. There was matron, in the orphanage... but that was before she went crazy and got possessed and tried to take over the world. Heh.

*There was a pause as she tried to think of how to phrase the next bit*

Are you drinking alone?

[There's a heavy sigh on his end. Fine, he gives in.]

My birthday has passed already.

[But he doesn't give in fully.]

Hmmm, wait, did she go crazy or get possessed? Or both?

[Because it's not the same time and Selphie should know that well.

He takes another loooong gulp before he answers.]

There's no one here with me, that's for sure.

And so has mine. So I guess we're even. I'll get you a present anyway, and you can decide if you wanna open it now, or keep it until next time. Is there anything you'd like, or should it be a surprise?

She got posessed, for sure. But I don't know if the going crazy happened before that or maybe even because of it. It's not nice...being posessed...

*Not that she had needed to say that to him*

I didn't think you really liked drinking... Drinking alone isn't...very good for you, though.

*The number of times she'd suggested they went for a drink, and then there was that night he got so angry at her for being drunk... She guessed that somewhere along the line, he'd changed his mind, remembering his cut hands the last time they'd met up on deck*

Can you create a portable volcano that we can pull around with the ship?

[Just joking, and a way of saying that she can just surprise him. Or try to. He doesn't try to convince her to not get him a present, it's useless when she has decided something after all.]

Mmhmm, how was she before that happened? Did she care and worry for you? Or did she just see you as things that shouldn't be there and were a pain for her as long as you were there? Because the orphanages where I was were kind of like that, I had the feeling they just saw us as things that should be relocated.

I'm sure they had good intentions and all that but... They only cared about us being adopted by any means, even if it meant separating siblings. They tried to do that with Shun and me several times, always saying they had tried to get me adopted too but that the adoptive parents only wanted the baby. Because that's what adoptive parents want, either a perfect kid that will cover all their flaws and make people be awed at them or a baby so they can try to get said perfect kid themselves because of how awesome parents they are.

[Someone has a very, very, very low opinion on orphanages and most adoptive parents.]

I didn't like it but... Things happened, Marco taught me... And it's good to forget.

What about that paper one I made for you that time? Is it all ruined by now? That's portable enough right?

*She was happy to be cheeky about it, knowing that the paper volcano she'd made for his Christmas was useless to him. Besides, she did suspect that it was probably destroyed by now or something*

I think she was nice. I don't remember most of my childhood anymore... But I think she was good to us, and that she cared. She looked after us even though people visited us and didn't want us. Then we just got sent away to become soldiers. I guess that's better than nothing.

*Selphie found it difficult to talk to Ikki about things, especially given that they weren't so close anymore. At least it was Marco that had taught him, and not some other girl*

Forget? What are you trying to forget? You want someone to drink with?

Are you an idiot? Why would it be ruined? It's fine, but I can't exactly get into it, can I? I can't shrink my size and even if I could it doesn't really have lava or anything in it.

[A growl, does she really think that he would destroy the volcano? Or allow it to be destroyed as long as he had a say on it?]

It's more than what I've ever had, or many others for that matter.

[Another swing of the bottle.]

Many things. Are you offering to drink with me?

Well...uh - I don't know...

*She's a little embarrassed on the other side, assuming that he'd maybe got rid of her gifts for some reason long the way*

No. It's not really real, so not so great, I guess.

*Selphie clears her throat a little, blinking at her journal*

Only if you like...

[This is the guy who kept a gift he had got her for Valentine's for months, until he finally gave it to her while he was turned into a child. Whatever she gave him during their time together or before is all safely kept, in perfect condition and just hidden from plain view in the rare case she goes to his room in order to avoid any awkwardness.]

It's great and awesome. But not a real volcano, that's the only flaw it has.

[A small but also important flaw.]

Hmmm, sure. But promise you won't try to take my bottles away at any point.

[Because if she tries he doesn't want her or anyone around.]

Want to meet somewhere?

*The gift that is still the best gift she's ever been given, kept for use every now and then when she is feeling bored, or even lonely*

Who knows, maybe some day I'll buy you a volcano and you can go visit any time you like.

I'd only take them away if you were sharing - there's enough for me to have some too, right?

*Until then, she really wasn't sure if he'd take her up on her offer or not, and she found herself extremely pleased to his question, though she tried not to show it*

Sure. Where is good?

You would need a lot of treasure to be able to buy a real volcano, though. Are you channeling Saori now?

[Has he ever told her about Saori? He can't remember at the moment.]

There's enough for everyone, I am not so irresponsible to drink like this and leave nothing for others.

I don't really care, anyplace in particular you want? Or we could just invade the crow nest and claim it as our fort.

[Either he's learning a lot of Marco or he's already tipsy, probably both.]

Saori...? They bought you a volcano?

*She recognises the name, though can't place what Ikki might have told her. Still, she guesses that any gesture of a real volcano wouldn't actually be all that great*

If you grab enough for me too, I'll meet you up on the crow's nest. Just gimme five minutes.

*It's only then she thinks about the last time they were together on the crow's nest, when she'd said and done all the wrong things. Still, she appears cheery enough when she finally gets there*

[He doesn't answer the question about Saori, busying himself in moving to the crow's nest with enough booze for them both and then several more. It's going to be basically just them and all the booze up there, though he doesn't expect to drink it all, it's mostly just in case.

When she arrives he waves a hand inviting her to sit besides him and grab a bottle. Only then he resumes the talk they were having.]

Saori never bought me a volcano. Or anything.

[The sole idea makes him chuckle, Saori is the last person who would give him anything good as far as he's concerned. And he probably wouldn't accept anything from her.]

But she was rich enough that she could buy an island as if she was buying candies. Mitsumasa Kido left everything to her after all, his darling granddaughter, the great Goddess Athena.

[There's a special note of disgust and hate when he mentions his father, before taking another swing of the bottle.]

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