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Lucetific - (AU) Eventfic - Post-Invasion
Title: A Chance Visit
Fandoms:![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
luceti, Tales of Legendia, Persona 3, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Genre: Gen
Rating: G
Words: 1406
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the above fandoms.
Summary: Sequel to "A Chance Rescue." A teenaged boy stops by to help Grune with her garden, leaving Fenimore to wonder just why he sounds so familiar.
Author's Notes: The second of what's now three fics involving House 34 and Ryoji. Unsurprisingly, it makes more sense if you read the first one first (gasp!).
Not a lot to say about this, except that this is a pretty good illustration of why Luceti keeps giving poor Fenimore heart attacks. Token normal person of House 34, goooo....
Finally, finally she was almost finished cleaning.
Fenimore blew out a sigh and surveyed the last bit of floor left to be mopped. House 34 hadn't been hit as hard by the storm as some places in Luceti, but that didn't mean they had gotten off completely free, either. And with Norma in the clinic, she was pretty well on her own when it came to clean-up. She could ask Walter, but with him looking after the outdoor damage, she knew that was pushing it.
As for Grune . . . well, she was more help than Sophie—who was currently pushing around the dust in the unmopped part of the living room with a child-sized broom—but that wasn't exactly saying much.
Fenimore dunked her mop back in the bucket. Looking at the mess wasn't going to get it tidied (much as she wished it would). Time to get back to it.
Of course, she had just barely started on the final stretch when she heard someone knock at the door.
She paused mid-push. Should she assume that all her door-training of Grune had paid off, or should she assume they had a visitor?
Another sigh. The second option was definitely the most likely. She stuck her mop back in the bucket and headed to the door.
On the doorstep was a slender boy her age with slicked black hair and a bright yellow scarf. Upon seeing her, he smiled—though he seemed kind of tentative about it. "Hello, Fenimore-chan. Is Grune-chan in?"
"She's off visiting Norma in the clinic, but she'll probably be back pretty soon . . . unless she gets distracted."
For all her response came naturally enough, though, two things were bugging her about their visitor: One, how did he know her name? She was fairly certain they hadn't met. (Unless Grune was off spreading her personal details again, in which case that would explain that.) And two, why did he sound familiar?
"Oh, that's too bad. I'll come back a little later," he said and seemed ready to leave—until something lower down caught his attention.
Fenimore glanced behind her to see that Sophie had come to get a look at the boy, broom in hand. She stared up at him with her usual serious expression.
The boy crouched down, allowing her a good view of his black-tipped yellow wings, and it was only when he gave Sophie a bright smile that Fenimore realized how guarded he'd been.
"Hello, Sophie-chan!" he greeted her. "Are you helping clean up the house?"
"Yeah." Sophie held out her broom for him to look at.
Wait a minute.
The boy examined it, as was expected of him. "I'm sure Fenimore-chan must be happy you're helping her."
Knowing her name was one thing, but knowing both hers and Sophie's?
". . . Sorry, but have we met?" Fenimore asked over top of Sophie's affirmation.
She was frowning and she could see the effect it was having on the boy as he stood up again only to hunch his shoulders, but she didn't care. She wanted answers, now.
"Yes—ah." His hand rose to press against his chest. "We met last week, during . . . during the storm, but I didn't get a chance to introduce myself." He smiled, but he seemed too tired for the expression be real. "I'm Ryoji Mochizuki."
Still frowning, she started, "Pleased to—"
She knew that voice.
It had been deeper the last time she'd heard it, with an unnatural echo to it. But even then, as terrified as she'd been, she'd thought it oddly gentle—for a monster.
"That was you?"
Ryoji's next words came through fabric; his chin had dropped to hide his mouth behind his scarf. "Yes, that's . . . my true form. I'm sorry I frightened you with it. It was my only way of defending the village."
Fenimore reached out without looking, and her hand came to rest against the doorframe by her head to steady her. It was impossible to believe that this scrawny kid was really that—thing that had rescued her. Xion was strange enough, but. . . .
"Ah . . . !"
At his startled sound, Fenimore looked back to Ryoji, but he was looking down again. She did as well, and—
"Sophie, let go," she told the little girl, who had one end of Ryoji's scarf fisted in her free hand.
"It's dirty," she informed Ryoji and released him.
He smiled a little as he rearranged the scarf. "I'm having trouble getting the stains out from the storm. I got very muddy." Then, he knelt down again. "Sophie-chan, do you remember the person who came to your house last week to fight the—bad guys?"
Sophie nodded. "Yeah. He was cool."
Ryoji seemed startled. "He was? Don't you think he was a little scary, too?"
Sophie gave him the flat look reserved for when people treated her like "a little kid." "No. He had a cool sword."
"Oh." Ryoji looked at a loss. Fenimore could sympathize. "Well . . . that was me. I'm glad to see you're doing all right now."
"No it wasn't," Sophie contradicted. "You don't got a cool sword. And you're too small." She looked him over critically. "And you're not cool."
"Sophie!"
Starting this afternoon, lessons in manners were her number one priority!
Luckily for everyone, Ryoji appeared to be trying not to laugh. "Really? I'm not even a little cool?"
Sophie shook her head decisively.
Ryoji forgot his nerves—huh, he actually seemed to be the most nervous of all of them—enough to smile up at her. "She may be cute, but she's tough!"
She felt herself go a bit red. "Yeah. Sorry."
"It's all right!" Still smiling, he looked back at Sophie, who seemed to be trying to determine if being called "tough" outweighed the negative of being called "cute." "I'm glad I was able to be cool for you last week, Sophie-chan, even if I'm not cool now."
"Oh, Ryoji! Hello!"
Fenimore looked up to see Grune stepping into the yard. Despite herself, she relaxed a bit. "Hi Grune. How's Norma?"
"Hello, Fenimore! Hello, Sophie!" Grune beamed at everyone. "Norma is doing better, but she's still a little sleepy."
So, no help and around the house for a while yet, then. Too bad.
"Hello, Grune-chan!" Ryoji stood up and gave her the same sunny smile he'd shared with Sophie. "I stopped by to see if you needed help fixing your garden after the storm. Would you like to work on it together sometime?"
Predictably, Grune looked delighted. "Oh, thank you, Ryoji! That's so kind of you!"
And then . . . she gave him one of those hugs.
Fenimore only just didn't cover her face with a hand. Like everyone in that position, Ryoji seemed startled at first, but he was quick at hugging back. And when Grune finally let him up for air, he seemed pretty happy.
She crossed her arms. His real form might be that of a monster, but he sure seemed to have a lot of teenaged boy in him.
"Would you like to start right now?" Grune asked him.
"Of course! I'll start whenever you want, Grune-chan!" Ryoji answered happily with a flutter of his wings.
He turned back to her. "It was nice talking to both of you, Fenimore-chan and Sophie-chan. Maybe" —his expression turned just a little shy again and his wings folded in slightly— "we can see each other again sometime."
. . . It was hard to remember what he really was when he looked so—vulnerable like that. Damn.
"Yeah, maybe," she answered cautiously. "Have a good time, you two."
Sophie waved. "Bye, Gee Girl. Bye, Yoji."
Grune and Ryoji looked identically enchanted.
"Goodbye, Sophie!"
"Bye, Sophie-chan!"
Once the pair of them had headed around the back of the house, Fenimore looked down at Sophie.
"All right. We should get to work too," she told her.
Sophie nodded and toddled back inside with her broom.
Fenimore paused at the door, listening to Grune and Ryoji chatter away at each other. Ryoji was—definitely weird, and no matter what Sophie said, his real shape was scary. But maybe, like Xion, he would turn out to be a good person despite his appearance.
The sound of Ryoji's laugh, pleasant and light, drifted from Grune's garden. Fenimore sighed, closed the door, and went back to at last cleaning that final bit of floor.
Fandoms:
luceti, Tales of Legendia, Persona 3, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 DaysGenre: Gen
Rating: G
Words: 1406
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the above fandoms.
Summary: Sequel to "A Chance Rescue." A teenaged boy stops by to help Grune with her garden, leaving Fenimore to wonder just why he sounds so familiar.
Author's Notes: The second of what's now three fics involving House 34 and Ryoji. Unsurprisingly, it makes more sense if you read the first one first (gasp!).
Not a lot to say about this, except that this is a pretty good illustration of why Luceti keeps giving poor Fenimore heart attacks. Token normal person of House 34, goooo....
Finally, finally she was almost finished cleaning.
Fenimore blew out a sigh and surveyed the last bit of floor left to be mopped. House 34 hadn't been hit as hard by the storm as some places in Luceti, but that didn't mean they had gotten off completely free, either. And with Norma in the clinic, she was pretty well on her own when it came to clean-up. She could ask Walter, but with him looking after the outdoor damage, she knew that was pushing it.
As for Grune . . . well, she was more help than Sophie—who was currently pushing around the dust in the unmopped part of the living room with a child-sized broom—but that wasn't exactly saying much.
Fenimore dunked her mop back in the bucket. Looking at the mess wasn't going to get it tidied (much as she wished it would). Time to get back to it.
Of course, she had just barely started on the final stretch when she heard someone knock at the door.
She paused mid-push. Should she assume that all her door-training of Grune had paid off, or should she assume they had a visitor?
Another sigh. The second option was definitely the most likely. She stuck her mop back in the bucket and headed to the door.
On the doorstep was a slender boy her age with slicked black hair and a bright yellow scarf. Upon seeing her, he smiled—though he seemed kind of tentative about it. "Hello, Fenimore-chan. Is Grune-chan in?"
"She's off visiting Norma in the clinic, but she'll probably be back pretty soon . . . unless she gets distracted."
For all her response came naturally enough, though, two things were bugging her about their visitor: One, how did he know her name? She was fairly certain they hadn't met. (Unless Grune was off spreading her personal details again, in which case that would explain that.) And two, why did he sound familiar?
"Oh, that's too bad. I'll come back a little later," he said and seemed ready to leave—until something lower down caught his attention.
Fenimore glanced behind her to see that Sophie had come to get a look at the boy, broom in hand. She stared up at him with her usual serious expression.
The boy crouched down, allowing her a good view of his black-tipped yellow wings, and it was only when he gave Sophie a bright smile that Fenimore realized how guarded he'd been.
"Hello, Sophie-chan!" he greeted her. "Are you helping clean up the house?"
"Yeah." Sophie held out her broom for him to look at.
Wait a minute.
The boy examined it, as was expected of him. "I'm sure Fenimore-chan must be happy you're helping her."
Knowing her name was one thing, but knowing both hers and Sophie's?
". . . Sorry, but have we met?" Fenimore asked over top of Sophie's affirmation.
She was frowning and she could see the effect it was having on the boy as he stood up again only to hunch his shoulders, but she didn't care. She wanted answers, now.
"Yes—ah." His hand rose to press against his chest. "We met last week, during . . . during the storm, but I didn't get a chance to introduce myself." He smiled, but he seemed too tired for the expression be real. "I'm Ryoji Mochizuki."
Still frowning, she started, "Pleased to—"
She knew that voice.
It had been deeper the last time she'd heard it, with an unnatural echo to it. But even then, as terrified as she'd been, she'd thought it oddly gentle—for a monster.
"That was you?"
Ryoji's next words came through fabric; his chin had dropped to hide his mouth behind his scarf. "Yes, that's . . . my true form. I'm sorry I frightened you with it. It was my only way of defending the village."
Fenimore reached out without looking, and her hand came to rest against the doorframe by her head to steady her. It was impossible to believe that this scrawny kid was really that—thing that had rescued her. Xion was strange enough, but. . . .
"Ah . . . !"
At his startled sound, Fenimore looked back to Ryoji, but he was looking down again. She did as well, and—
"Sophie, let go," she told the little girl, who had one end of Ryoji's scarf fisted in her free hand.
"It's dirty," she informed Ryoji and released him.
He smiled a little as he rearranged the scarf. "I'm having trouble getting the stains out from the storm. I got very muddy." Then, he knelt down again. "Sophie-chan, do you remember the person who came to your house last week to fight the—bad guys?"
Sophie nodded. "Yeah. He was cool."
Ryoji seemed startled. "He was? Don't you think he was a little scary, too?"
Sophie gave him the flat look reserved for when people treated her like "a little kid." "No. He had a cool sword."
"Oh." Ryoji looked at a loss. Fenimore could sympathize. "Well . . . that was me. I'm glad to see you're doing all right now."
"No it wasn't," Sophie contradicted. "You don't got a cool sword. And you're too small." She looked him over critically. "And you're not cool."
"Sophie!"
Starting this afternoon, lessons in manners were her number one priority!
Luckily for everyone, Ryoji appeared to be trying not to laugh. "Really? I'm not even a little cool?"
Sophie shook her head decisively.
Ryoji forgot his nerves—huh, he actually seemed to be the most nervous of all of them—enough to smile up at her. "She may be cute, but she's tough!"
She felt herself go a bit red. "Yeah. Sorry."
"It's all right!" Still smiling, he looked back at Sophie, who seemed to be trying to determine if being called "tough" outweighed the negative of being called "cute." "I'm glad I was able to be cool for you last week, Sophie-chan, even if I'm not cool now."
"Oh, Ryoji! Hello!"
Fenimore looked up to see Grune stepping into the yard. Despite herself, she relaxed a bit. "Hi Grune. How's Norma?"
"Hello, Fenimore! Hello, Sophie!" Grune beamed at everyone. "Norma is doing better, but she's still a little sleepy."
So, no help and around the house for a while yet, then. Too bad.
"Hello, Grune-chan!" Ryoji stood up and gave her the same sunny smile he'd shared with Sophie. "I stopped by to see if you needed help fixing your garden after the storm. Would you like to work on it together sometime?"
Predictably, Grune looked delighted. "Oh, thank you, Ryoji! That's so kind of you!"
And then . . . she gave him one of those hugs.
Fenimore only just didn't cover her face with a hand. Like everyone in that position, Ryoji seemed startled at first, but he was quick at hugging back. And when Grune finally let him up for air, he seemed pretty happy.
She crossed her arms. His real form might be that of a monster, but he sure seemed to have a lot of teenaged boy in him.
"Would you like to start right now?" Grune asked him.
"Of course! I'll start whenever you want, Grune-chan!" Ryoji answered happily with a flutter of his wings.
He turned back to her. "It was nice talking to both of you, Fenimore-chan and Sophie-chan. Maybe" —his expression turned just a little shy again and his wings folded in slightly— "we can see each other again sometime."
. . . It was hard to remember what he really was when he looked so—vulnerable like that. Damn.
"Yeah, maybe," she answered cautiously. "Have a good time, you two."
Sophie waved. "Bye, Gee Girl. Bye, Yoji."
Grune and Ryoji looked identically enchanted.
"Goodbye, Sophie!"
"Bye, Sophie-chan!"
Once the pair of them had headed around the back of the house, Fenimore looked down at Sophie.
"All right. We should get to work too," she told her.
Sophie nodded and toddled back inside with her broom.
Fenimore paused at the door, listening to Grune and Ryoji chatter away at each other. Ryoji was—definitely weird, and no matter what Sophie said, his real shape was scary. But maybe, like Xion, he would turn out to be a good person despite his appearance.
The sound of Ryoji's laugh, pleasant and light, drifted from Grune's garden. Fenimore sighed, closed the door, and went back to at last cleaning that final bit of floor.
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Fenimore only just didn't cover her face with a hand. Like everyone in that position, Ryoji seemed startled at first, but he was quick at hugging back. And when Grune finally let him up for air, he seemed pretty happy.
She crossed her arms. His real form might be that of a monster, but he sure seemed to have a lot of teenaged boy in him.
Welcome to Marshmallow Hell, Ryoji XD
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As for Fenimore, she's fun to write for the exact opposite reason. For all she's a member of an aquatic species with glowing hair, she's so normal that her reactions to things like a housemate inviting the physical incarnation of death to keep an eye on her and Sophie while she's away simply isn't going to be taken in stride. Strange, that. :|a