A Surprising Night (Riku)

[Kai-Belle Hong]

Wearing


Red tennis shoes.

She knew that she would be getting looks while there. But, honestly she didn't care. It wasn't as though Kai had anyone to impress and she would probably just spend most of the night against the walls watching all the couples be happy in their.. bliss. Kai had actually never had a boyfriend. Most guys were creepos. And, she wasn't exactly the talkative type. Having been here for years, she still didn't have many friends especially since she tried really hard to keep herself away and at a distance.

Kai-Belle chewed on her lower lip as she stood close to the refreshments table. Which was basically a giant label for 'I'm a loser and don't have a date' type thing. She sipped the red colored punch in the little opaque cups while her dark eyes shifted across the Auditorium. She had left her hair down today. The soft gentle curls fell all the way down past her waist in soft waves. She had put on a little bit of make up but the asian girl wasn't overly big on the stuff.

Kai looked around and found a small seating area, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to destin herself to such a fate just yet. Maybe someone WILL ask me to dance. she thought, and then mentally laughed at herself. Everyone here thought she was crazy probably, she was usually just quiet. She didn't offer answers in class or talk to the people around her. Some people would try for a couple days but give up after that in favor of people that were talkative and more fun.

It sucked being so hard to reach but for her, it was vital. Sometimes she still had troubles controling her power.

Kai sighed, and let her shoulders sag for a moment, before she turned and began to head towards the chairs and tables set up in the corner. The corner that was just barely lacking the 'All Losers Here'. She didn't pay attention to who was around her, she just kept moving. Man she felt like an emo.

[Riku Bennett]

Riku decided not to get too dressed up for the dance. He went for and untucked collared shirt with rolled up sleeves, a sagged pair of khakis, and some black Vans. At the last moment before leaving his dorm, Ricky decided he would also wear the top hat that one of his friends back home gave him as a joke. He did one last check in the mirror and headed towards the auditorium. Riku was super excited for the dance. Since he was now at Hammel, he had to break up with his old girlfriend. Riku didn't mind since he never really loved her. She was just really hot to him. That wasn't the kind of girl he wanted though. He wanted to love a girl and be able tell her that sincerely. The dance would be the perfect spot to find someone new. It would be full of members of the Lonely Hearts Club. Riku wasn't expecting to find his soul mate but he didn't just want a fling. Hopefully there would be another girl that felt the same.

As soon as he entered the auditorium, many memories flooded Ricky's mind. Before Hammel, Riku was a party animal. Similarly to the dance, the parties would be packed with people dancing and having fun. The one difference was alcohol, drugs, and sex. Those were Riku's crazy weekends. Since this was a school run party, to would be dry as a bone. In case things got boring, Ricky kept a very small flask of whiskey in his jacket pocket. He doubted that he would use it though.

After making a quick stop at the snack table where he picked up a brownie and some punch, Ricky started scanning the dance for a beauty. He had already planned this out. His first stop was the seating area. From experience, he knew that this was where the single students would be. He wanted to play it safe and not accidentally flirt with a girl who was taken. The last thing he wanted was to look like a girlfriend stealer. As soon as he glanced over, he saw the finest looking girl. Her long, shiny hair beautifully complimented her dark eyes. Riku casually walked towards her. Butterflies filled his stomach which was very unusual. Generally, he was very calm and collected around people and could talk to them with ease. There was something different about this girl.

Riku sat himself down beside her and just went for it. "How is it possible that such a gorgeous lady like yourself is without a date?" He said as he flashed one of his perfect smiles.

[Kai-Belle Hong]

This was a mistake....

The world around her was filled with all these great feelings. Love. Lust. Other.. things. then there was the Lonely corner, as she liked to call it. The corner of tables and chairs for all of the people that didn't have dates. People like her. Here she was torn between at least pretending she had a date but standing next to the snacks and drinks or giving into the fact that she didn't have one and heading for the chairs.

Kai had no idea that she had caught the eye of anyone. So as she headed for the tables and chair resigned to her fate.. she was surprised to hear the voice behind her. Gorgeous. Well that couldn't certainly be her. She turned around to see what lucky lady was getting such treatement and realized.. the boy was standing right by her.

Oh...

Her eyes widened, the deep brown hues sparkling a bit in the red and pink lights that surrounded them in this Valentines Day wonderland. He had realized she didn't have a date, not that it was hard to figure out. Here she was by herself and no one was running over with a cup of punch. That was all ready in her hand.

"Oh.. uhh.. hey." she bit her lower lip. "I.. umm you're right I don't have a date, but don't you? I mean... you're.. pretty good looking yourself." she said trying not to blush at those words and failing miserably.

She was terrible at this kind of stuff. Sometimes she wished for the person she had been before she woke to her powers. She wised that she was more confident, or .. perhaps even just the same person she could be when she warmed up to people. It was easier though, when she didn't spend so much time around others for her to control the extent of her powers.

"I'm.. Kai." she said holding her hand out to him, trying not to be a total weirdo. Maybe she could dance .. just once at this dance. But, his girlfriend would likely show up from somewhere and it would be all over. That's what usually happened to guys that talked to Kai. She was used to it.

[Riku Bennett]

If his "girlfriend" showed up, Riku would be just as surprised as Kai. His ex was back home and he was single and ready to mingle. Ricky had gotten over his girlfriend very quickly though. He didn't want to be depressed and stuff his face with ice cream while he watched the Notebook. Riku saw coming to Hammel as a new opportunity and he was prepared to take the bull by the horns and try to have the time of his life. If he hadn't gone to Hammel, he would be partying and drinking with his old friends in high school. Ricky always tried to not think about it since it got him homesick.

Riku noticed that the beauty seemed nervous. He didn't understand why. Her appearance was breath taking and she looked adorable in her little outfit. The red dress and tennis shoes were the perfect mix of formal and casual. Ricky loved the look. Riku was a little nervous too. He had never met someone like Kai. He barely knew her but there was something different about her. Kai sent off these good vibes that made Ricky feel warm inside.

Riku was at a loss for words. His brain wouldn't function. To get himself back in the groove, he took a quick look around the dance to make sure no chaperones were staring him down, and took a swig from his flask. He quickly stuffed it back into jacket pocket as if nothing happened. "So, wanna dance?" Before Kai could answer, he grabbed her petite hands and dragged her towards the dance floor. Ricky really wanted to dance with her but chose that exact moment because he had a feeling someone caught his drinking. He wanted to stay hidden so he could spend more time with Kai.

[Kai-Belle Hong]

Kai wasn't sure what she thought of the sudden boy.. hot/cute boy that was totally talking to her. Firstly, she discreetly pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger. To make sure that she was awake and not totally dreaming because, that was her first theory. Kai didn't have any friends and most boys .. well she just thought they preferred someone far easier to date. Word went around easily about who had what powers, and it wasn't hard to figure out at first that Kai had empathy.

So as much as she tried to hide it, people knew.

She almost wanted to tell the guy off. Tell him to leave her alone, because he didn't want to mess with her. And she certainly didn't want to mess with him. She didn't want to get excited and get to know him and find out that he was just lusty or something when she let her walls down and read his emotions.

He took a small flask out of his suit coat and took a swig. Her eyes widened. Kai wasn't 100% good two shoes but at the same time, she wasn't about to bring booze into the dance. If he got caught with that he would be in trouble.

Her mild mental freak out was stopped when he asked her to dance. Before she could even open her mouth to answer he took her hand and drug her onto the floor. Kai of course was blushing furiously. This was totally straight out of one of those movies that she liked to watch. The books she liked to read. Underneath the lights of the dance floor, she could only hope that it hid her blush well as they turned towards each other.

The music wasn't slow, just yet but she knew it would come at some point. She began moving to the beat of the music. Being a dancer, she actually had pretty good skills when it came to dancing, so it wasn't hard for her to pick up the beat and just move simply. She tried not to worry about whether he liked her moves, or if she was just embarssing herself or... what.

"What is your name?" she asked him curiously since if he had given it to her she hadn't heard.

[Riku Bennett]

Riku was really digging Kai's moves and could tell she was a dancer. She seemed confident in what she was doing but didn't go over the top. Sometimes he wished he could be more subtle at parties. Since Ricky had gone to so many in middle school, he was very comfortable at them and wasn't afraid to go crazy and show off his moves. They weren't even that good but everyone else was usually too drunk to notice. But this was a dry party. Riku decided to just follow the girl's lead and keep it simple.

As they danced, Ricky got lost in the dancer's beautiful, brown eyes. He was so thankful that she was dancing with him and especially glad that she didn't freak out when he whipped out his flask. Kai seemed like the girl that could be serious if necessary but also really fun and chill. She was the perfect girl for Riku; he hoped. He finally snapped back into reality when the beauty asked for his name.

"I'm Riku. You can call me Ricky though. You have some great moves. I'm assuming your a dancer." Riku was just trying to make small talk until the slower music came on. He didn't want Kai to get bored and leave before anything really happens. Ricky wasn't trying to get into her pants though. He just wanted to show some sign of affection before the night was done.

[Kai-Belle Hong]

Kai was actually enjoying herself.

It was wholey unexpected. She really hadn't figured on having any fun but she tried to branch out when she could. Trying to find a true niche in the school. She had been here long enough and she felt that she had enough experience with her empathy that short things like this she could stomach. If she got to the point she couldn't handle it she could leave. It was nice to hang out in places that she had control whether she leaves or stays.

The music wasn't bad and she actually was enjoying Riku's company. She wondered how he got stuck with the name Riku. If maybe someone in his family was of Asian discent or if they were instead just someone that liked really creative names.

"Do you prefer Ricky then?" she aked him. If he preferred Riku that would be what she used. He mentioned her dancing and she could only smile softly.

"Acutally yeah. I've been dancing since I was little and then when I came here and got myself under control I joined the dance team at the school. Also, I take a few classes." she admitted a little sheepishly but honestly.

"What about you? Are you into anything at the school?" she asked curiously. She wondered what would happen when they got to the slow dance portion of the night. She wondered if he would take her to a table or if he would want to be that close to a girl that he just met. Though she was totally liking him, and the attention. Most people looked right past her, though that was mostly her fault for trying desperately ot to call attention to herself.

[Riku Bennett]

Riku loved listening to the sound of Kai's voice. He wasn't fully paying attention because he was daydreaming about her. He had only just met her but he was so in love. "I definitely prefer Ricky. It feels more casual." the boy had to half shout over the music so she would be able to hear him. The song changed and Ricky adjusted to the beat. It was definitely faster and the energy levels were high at the dance. Students were going crazy and jumping up and down. Riku joined along as he continued talking to the beauty.

"I always appreciated dancers. You have to work hard but look graceful while doing it. I'm a swimmer so I can make weird and determined faces as I please." He scrunched up his face to give an example. "You on the other hand have a judgmental audience watching your every move. I don't think I could live with the pressure." Riku was being very sincere and hoped that Kai recognized that. He always felt that dancing was underrated and was sadly sometimes not counted as a sport.

Other then swim team, Riku didn't do much at school. He was pretty sure he was a member of the student activities club but he had never attended a meeting. He wasn't even sure if they had meetings. "Swim team takes up a lot of time but I'm hoping to join some other clubs. Do you have any recommendations?"

But right after she answered, the moment Riku had been waiting for arrived. The slow dance. Without hesitation, the Asian boy wrapped his arms around her waist. The slow dance was the one dance that Ricky had down pat. He had practiced a lot when he was younger because he dreamed of being a very romantic man. He would also practice kissing the top of someone's hand when greeting them (he would mostly practice on himself) and tried to learn how to pick out the perfect gift. Riku sayer back and forth to the tempo of the song. It was a perfect moment.

[Kai-Belle Hong]

Kai danced. It was her favorite thing in the world. She loved being able to move to the beat and enjoy the music. She loved the way that she could lose herself and just be who she was without having to fear about getting judged. The emotions in the room were running high. They were mostly happy. She could feel the judgemental people giving their third degree of everyone and their dresses in the room. She could also feel the people falling in love, or deciding on the more lustful side of things. She could feel the loneliness coming from the corner where the tables and chair swere.

She would have been there too if not for Riku.

He started to talk about dancing, apparently he was on the swim team. Kai had always loved to play in the pool but she would never have been good enough to actually swim on a team. That .. just wasn't her thing. She appreciated the commentary on dancing through. She didn't get complimented that often on it.

"Thanks. I love dancing. It's always been a part of who I am since I was little and I'm really glad that you think so." she said warmly with a bit of a smile on her face. "I think swimming is cool though, you kind of .. make the water your own so that you can move through it quickly."

The song ended and the music changed. Discoball on the ceiling began to cast soft lights all around the room and Kai wasn't sure what to do. But, Ricky had different ideas. He pulled her close by the waist and she blushed brightly. She couldn't help it, she was totally not.. good with boys and well .. she'd never had a chance to be. Not that she minded boys, she liked them, but normally she just never expected moments like this with Ricky to happen to her.

"Umm..." she blushed, trying to think about what to talk about now that they were dancing so close together and the music wasn't nearly as loud as it had been a few moments ago with the dancing music. The sway wasn't a bad way to dance, it was easy to keep up with and she could do her own dancing later. "How long have you been swimming?" she asked him curiously. She didn't know anything about him and she guessed now was a good time to start trying.