OoC - 48° Tessera 81379. BiC - It had been about a week now... well, six days, not that Riot was counting. The excitement, the pure, exhilarating sense of elation, still had not left her. The butterflies still flocked in her belly, becoming particularly wild and frenzied whenever thoughts of him crossed her mind. There was still a spring in her step, an unmeditated sign of her deep happiness. Also, of course, there was a permanent smile etched upon her face, and a perpetually shining twinkle in her eye. Without a doubt, it had been the best one hundred and fourty-four hours of her entire life, and it showed. She hoped that the following hours, days, weeks, months, and years would continue to be as wonderful, that she would continue to feel just as sensational. Not that she could imagine that her relationship with Cayson would be anything less than a long, amorous, spectacular ride! Sighing now, in the contented way of one in love, Riot walked across the Janardan courtyard, her feet moving her swiftly, but her mind not on her movements at all. She was thinking about the previous night. She and Cayson had hung out in their dormitory room, sharing a pot of coffee and talking. They'd spoken for hours, and had covered just about everything imaginable. They had also hugged, cuddled, kissed, touched, and played. It had been incredible, and so satisfying. Never before had Riot had such a deep, intimate, and sublime relationship. Of course, she'd had boyfriends, but she honestly hadn't ever experienced anything like this. She was a complete sap for it, and she was loving every minute of it... again, not that she was counting. Riot found herself pausing at a bench at the edge of the walkway, too consumed by her thoughts to continue just then. She quietly sat down, folding her hands in her lap, and let a bout of quiet giggling overtake her. She just couldn't get over last night. After they'd had a heart-to-heart all evening long, Case had then playfully picked Riot up, carried her to her bunk, and then stretched out beside her. As she'd laid there, with her eyes closed, he'd read from an interesting novel, his smooth timbre lulling her to sleep. It had been the sweetest thing any arden had done for her before, and as she thought about it now, a fresh round of giggling overtook her. Her toes wanted to curl, too, in utter delight, but they were crammed into her sneakers, so she had to make do with her airy laughing, a white fist pushed to her mouth in order to muffle it. Eventually, her quiet laughing subsided, and Riot hoisted herself from the bench. She adjusted the straps of her backpack across her shoulders, and then continued on her way. She tried to focus now, tried to brush thoughts of Cayson out of her mind, and she succeeded... mostly, anyway. She kept her eyes on the physical world, navigating her way towards the caféteria, idly counting her footsteps as she went. She'd called her "brother," Reveri, yesterday, and had requested to meet up with him for lunch, so that the two could catch up after their mutual absence in one another's lives. That's where she was headed to now — her lunch appointment. The two of them had opted to eat at the simple and inexpensive caféteria, seeing as it was convenient and nearby, and as Riot drew up next to the building, she continued to flick her mismatched eyes about, waiting for her bro' to appear.
<blockquote><font face=tahoma>out of character Gah. Meant to reply to this much, much sooner. Sorry, Kattle, my inspiration has dwindled lately. :| in character Reveri pulled a smoke out of his back pocket and casually stuck it between his lips. A quick flick of his wrist - accompanied by the expert roll of his finger across the proper mechanisim - and it was lit. Flicking the lid of his lighter closed, the arden shoved it carelessly into a side pocket in his cargo pants. Which one it was, he wouldn't remember until he wanted it again. There were probably six or seven going up his legs, in various sizes, and at least two on either side at the back. Taking a quick puff, the male swung his legs, leaning back in the bench where he was resting. He got a couple of odd looks from 'dragons - some disapproving, some just curious, a rare few envious - but he ignored them all. Overall, he wasn't much of a rule breaker, but the whole no smoking thing just didn't make sense to him. If he wanted to mess up his lungs, he had the right. It wasn't as if he was forcing anyone else to inhale it. They just had to avoid him. Personally, he figured it was as much of a way to be anti-social as any other, though 'dragons usually figured he was vying for attention. Quite the opposite, really, but they weren't usually smart when they said that, anyway. Suddenly, the 'dragon stopped stockstill, his ears flicking back, eyes wide with horror. It was the 48tH. He had promised Riot he would meet her at the cafeteria! With a yelp of surprise, the arden leapt to his feet, dropping the cig' and quickly stomping out its flame as he ran off in the direction of the cafeteria. Surprised by this, the students in his way quickly got out of his path, some glaring at his back. One even went so far as to cuss at him, but Rev' didn't miss a beat as he lifted a middle finger at the offended 'dragon behind his back. Yep, good ole Rev. A sweetheart at the core, a punk on the outside. He got to the cafeteria faster than he expected and ended up skidding as he came to a stop, his ears twitching as he settled his breathing. Reveri Silvent was in superb shape and it showed. Even though he was wearing a baggy hoodie, the muscle definition was vaguely obvious beneath. Just the way he walked oozed confidence and quiet strength. What a weiiirdooo. Rev' caught sight of his soulsister rather quickly and promptly rushed toward her. As long as she didn't move, the playful twenty-something would give her a brotherly embrace - probably including picking her up for a couple of seconds - before releasing her with a sheepish grin. <font color=darkred>"Hey, 'Ki- er, Riot, sorry I'm late."</font> Old habits died hard and she had been 'Kie to him for the longest time. He sort of liked being the only 'dragon to call her that, now. Though he knew she didn't want to be Okkatteiru any more, so he had fixed it with Riot.
As she waited, Riot idly fished around in one of her jeans pockets, until she produced a slightly smashed cigarette, as well as her apple-red lighter. Using her deft white fingers, she tried to unflatten the coffin nail, and when it was suitably repaired, she put it in her mouth. She then lifted the lighter to the business end, and it wasn't long before she was puffing away, enjoying the crisp smoke as she breathed it. The nicotine managed to soothe her, too, and chase away the giggles that seemed to be ebbing and flowing, ever silently, within her; she relaxed. Toking on her cancer stick, Ri peered around the yard, and it didn't take long for her eyes to fall upon a familiar figure. Not quite punctual, but still too early to be fashionably late, here came Reveri. When he spotted her, he rushed towards her, and Riot could see it in his eyes that his intention was to hug her. Preparing for this, she used two white fingers to remove the cigarette from her mouth, and she held it away from her body. This way, neither she nor the arden would be singed by the smoldering cigarette. "Hey, not a problem. If you're still sweet on a nickname for me, Riri always works," the thill said in response to her soul-brother's swift greets.
The arden purred low in his throat, a sign of comfort and affection as he gave his soulsis' a friendly peck on the cheek. Purely platonic, with that added snuggle effect of a big brother. He set her down carefully, winking in a playful fashion as he took a step back. He eyed her with a grin on his face - though this was not a lewd or odd grin but, rather, the most innocent of cheers, an unstoppable glee that came with seeing her again. It had been too long, far too long since the indestructable Silvent-Stormwing duo had been together. Yet, still, he felt that familiar thrum of pure contentment that always came with Okkie's - pardon, Riot's - presence. A casual twist of his head was given as Ri spoke and he shrugged with one lax shoulder, indicating a gentle preference for 'Kie, though he knew her need for change required that he stop calling her by a name formed from her old one. Thus it was that Riri would have to work, though he would definitely pronounce it "rye-rye", rather than "ree-ree", which was sort of how it looked. The second one sounded too much like "pee pee" to be an appropriate way to speak to anyone, much less his beloved 'sis. <font color=darkred>"Riri it is then, milady. Shall we?"</font> With a gentlemanly flourish, he proferred his arm, eyes twinkling merrily.
Riot made a sound akin to "squee" when Reveri picked her up in his strong arms, cradling her in an airborne hug. Because of her splendid mood, and her new liking of demonstrative affection, she did not hold back; she flung her arms around his neck, and buried her muzzle in his neck, if just for a second. The thill unleashed a purr to match her brother's, as well, but then the two separated, and Riot slipped easily from Rev's arms, her sneakers slapping the pavement as she became a landlubber once more. "Gosh, I've missed you," she breathed, reaching out her free arm to loop into his proferred one. As the pair began to walk, she continued. "We don't see each other often enough. I always have so much to tell you, and on this occasion, especially, I feel like I am bursting at the seams." Riot grinned at the words, and then brought her cigarette to her lips. She knew if she didn't shut the heck up for a couple seconds, take a toke, and relax, she just might explode. Thus, she took the opportunity to inhale the sweet, calming nicotine from the cigarette, before blowing it back out — away from Reveri, of course. Even if he was also a smoker, she'd never be rude enough to blow smoke right into someone's face. "I have some big news to tell you. Shadowlack has turned into a truly positive thing: a business. It's become Shadowlack, Inc., and we are going to be opening night clubs all over the world. Good night clubs," the female rushed to pin on, before her soul-sib' could begin thinking of clubhouses and strippers. "For dancing, having a good time. We've already opened three, and the most popular one right now is The Panic Room, a Janardan hotspot. No drinks there, just a juice bar... maybe you've heard of it? You and I need to go there sometime, and hang out in the lounge. Or, actually, I was thinking you could work there? I'm getting way ahead of myself — listen to me blather! How are you, Rev?"
Reveri twitched his tail behind him and eyed the talkative Riot with amusement. It wasn't usual for his soulsister to be so bouncy. At least, last time he had seen her, she wasn't so hyper. Then again, he remembered times when she had been like this, so maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. From the things he had heard about, though, she had gotten herself into some trouble and that wasn't the kind of thing that usually got one to perk up. Never the less, she was - as she stated - just bursting at the seams with words. He eyed her cig' with almost-envious eyes, though it was more teasing than anything. The pendragon had his own box, after all. It was just that he didn't feel like fishing one out. Really, he had just smoked one, anyway, so it wouldn't be good for his lungs to batter them so. Rev' was trying to not be a chain smoker and so far he was surviving without constant smoke. As she talked onward, he listened with attentive ears. So Shadowlack had formed into an organization. That was good. He had never liked the sound of Shadowlack back when it was a gang. The arden had to pay close attention to what she said, though, because there was so much information to be had. At her last words, he chuckled, gently, shaking his head mirthfully. <font color=darkred>"Me? Ah, I've been fine, but I haven't been doing much. Sounds like you've made quite the life for yourself, sis, much better than I've done. Sort of at odd ends, trying to figure things out. You said you wanted me to work for Shadowlack, though? Need a bouncer?"</font> He was assuming just a person to help with the doors, a low level sort of deal. Which was still great work experience.
Riot was particularly bouncy today – all due to her recent relationship with Cayson, and the several other positive goings-on in her life. She knew she was probably being overbearing, especially when Reveri had probably expected a more sullen, hardened demeanor, but she couldn’t stop herself. Besides, she figured Rev was probably pleased by her current happy nature. “That’s exactly what I was thinking," Riot said when Reveri spoke about being a bouncer. The smoke from her inhalation had calmed her, but there was still an edge of excitement in her voice. She tried to tone it down a bit. “You’d be perfect for the job, and it helps that I trust you. Hey," she pinned on, having seen his envious glance at her cigarette, “you want one? I’ve got plenty to spare." She went quiet then, though the smile never left her lips, or her beautiful mismatched eyes. Cayson’s love for her had buoyed the thill up, and she was sailing through life right now. She’d had her fair share of hardships and challenges, and figured it was due time for some relaxation and comfort. And she couldn’t want to tell her “brother" about her mateship with the orange arden. Riot wanted to wait for the perfect moment though.
out of character -squints eyes- Why was I thinking this was archived? oO; in character There was definitely something different about Riot. She had always been a vibrant character, but here she was, nearly bursting at the seams with unexpressed joy. It was enough to make her soulsib' want to howl again, even though he hadn't for a long time. This was one of those natural highs that he didn't want to let slip away, so he revelled in the moment, heart beating pleasantly as he half-closed his eyes, basking in the glow of her happiness. Though he himself was relatively happy, he wasn't bounce off the walls happy. It would be great to have a job under his sis', seeing as they had an easy communication. There was no trouble saying anything to Riot, something that he had always appreciated and loved about her. One time he had thought it was something romantic, but it had become clear without too much time that they were much better off as soulsibs than as anything else. Besides, romance was for suckers. So he would have said, anyway, even if he didn't really believe it was true. He just hadn't found that perfect someone yet and he was a rather happy single arden. <font color=darkred>"What brand?"</font> Rev' asked, tipping his head curiously. He asked because if it was the same as his, he didn't want to take one of hers when he could just as easily use his. If it was different, though... he was always open to new types of cigarettes. <font color=darkred>"This Panic Room place sounds top notch. Why hadn't I heard of it before now, though? Just starting up, aye, I realize, but most of the time bouncers are advertising places before anyone else. No one's mentioned it."</font>
“They’re Kunals," Riot replied to Reveri’s query about her brand. Even as she spoke, she used her free hand to dig in a pocket, and she then offered the somewhat squashed carton to her soul’s brother. When he had taken one of the mildly flattened cigarettes, she then tucked the package back into her pocket and fished out the lighter, holding it up as an offer to light it for him. “I’ve tried a couple different brands, but this is my favorite," she said, flicking the candy apple red utility shut when the business end had lit up. Even as tendrils of smoke began to dissipate from his coffin nail, she took a drag on her own, grinning all the while into Reveri’s silvered eyes. “As for the clubs… yeah, they’re brand new. And we didn’t really look for employees for The Panic Room until it was ready to open its doors. Most of the plans were, well, kept on the down low," Riot explained in response to Rev’s question about the clubs hiring. “Kakosenas and I wanted to enter the scene with a very sudden and very intense bang – and so we did. Nobody was expecting to see three hot dance clubs spring up practically overnight." For a brief moment, the thill went silent, rocking on the balls of her feet, and then she glanced around the courtyard. She’d been so bursting about wanting to tell him everything, she’d practically forgotten that they were supposed to be having lunch in the cafeteria. Now that she remembered, she started, and then quickly grabbed onto Reveri’s elbow. Without a word, she then began to steer him towards the lunchroom, using her free hand to take yet another toke of her cigarette as she prepared to continue with her chatty diatribe. “Sorry for all the yammering, Rev’," she spoke on her exhale. “I’m just on cloud nine right now. I’m with someone, too. Six days now. I admit… I’ve been counting every sweet minute," Riot said with a chortle. She looked at her feet for a moment, then swung her mismatched glance up towards the dark arden’s face. “I’ve come to you before, eager to talk about new relationships. Those were all superficial, fleeting. This one, though? This one’s so serious. This one’s forever. I wanted you to be the first one to know, and share in my happiness about it."
Reveri had never heard of Kunals, which was probably a hat tip to the cigarette's quality, seeing as he was usually the sort to buy cheap ones. Then again, it was more likely that he just hadn't gotten around to trying the brand yet or shopped in the wrong place. Whatever the case, he was grateful for the offering and felt there was no reason to refuse it. Thus, he took one with a pleasant nod to his sister. Before he could reach for his lighter, hers was out, and he grinned a bit, lighting his cig', then raising it to her in silent salute, before taking a long draw. The intoxicating breath of smoke calmed him more than he had been before, a gentle tremor of satisfaction curling up from his stomach. At her words about the clubs, he nodded, thoughtfully taking another drag on his cancer stick before responding. <font color=darkred>"Quite impressive, managing that. Club owners and bouncers are among the chattist bunch in the world when they get together, though they're tight-lipped as can be when they're around other sorts. Still, it's rather a feat to manage to keep those sorts of plans on the down low. Kudos to you and Kakos."</font> Though he had never met his soulsib's elusive best friend, he felt nothing wrong with calling her by a shortened name. Abruptly, his sister was silent, and the male quirked an eyebrow in question. Before he could ask what was the matter, however, her fingers hooked his elbow and steered him toward the lunch room. Obligingly, Reveri caught up with her pace and walked, though there was interest sparkling in his eyes. Did she have even more to tell him about what had been going down since he last saw her? The mere idea thrilled him. She truly was living the rock star lifestyle. As she spoke, he smile grew wider. Even if he thought romance sucked, at least his favorite thill in the whole wide world had found someone. He was glad he hadn't said romance was for suckers, because that would have jarred wrong with his loveestruck sib'. <font color=darkred>"Congratulations, Riri. I'm sure whoever he is must be a great guy if he's managed to capture your heart. Though he should probably know that if he causes you even the slightest hurt, he'll have one very annoyed soulsibling on his hands..."</font> Of course he meant that in the merriest of ways, even if it was true. <font color=darkred>"But I needn't worry about that, I suspect you'd give him a good beating before I got to it. What's his name, then?"</font> Maybe he knew the guy. Probably not... but, hey, it was possible.
Riot smiled when Reveri spoke, though it grew widest when he went on to playfully threaten Cayson – albeit indirectly – should the orange arden ever hurt her in any way. The thought that, through all these years, Rev’ was still standing at her side so faithfully and protectively caused a fuzzy feeling to burst in the thill’s stomach. She knew, however, that Reveri would never have to make good on his vow. Cayson would be the last pendragon on the planet to hurt her. “I’m sure you’ve heard of him through school. He’s really popular," Riot said when Rev’ requested a name. “Cayson Lapices. He’s Radin Dragyn’s best friend, and now my best friend and significant other as well. We’ve been friends and roomies for quite a while now, but we recently hooked up during a rather awesome night at The Panic Room." Some day, she would have to show her soul-sib’ the scribbled notes that she and Case had passed, as well as share with him some more serious secrets – like the identity of Cayson’s mother. For now, though, she just wanted to focus on the fact that they were a new couple. “I’d had a crush on him for a while before it happened… and it turned out that both he and Radin liked me. Radin’s been a little weird about it, naturally, but we’ll try our best to keep him in the loop. He’s an awesome guy. So is Case! You need to meet both of them some day…" Here, Riot paused in yet another slew of words, for the pair of them had reached the doorway. Shunning gender stereotypes, she tucked her cigarette deftly between two fingers and then reached out a white hand to open the door for them. She then loosed her other arm from Reveri’s so that they could pass through the door in sequence. Once the pendragons were inside the cafeteria, she looped her arm in his once more, though she didn’t steer him this time, but in fact waited for him to tow her to whichever food stand he was interested in. “Wherever you wanna get something is fine with me… I don’t have that hearty of an appetite today. Been thinkin’ about Case so much, about how I’m so in love with him. I know a lot of it’s the ‘newness’ of it, but I honestly have such a wonderful feeling, like we’re going to last. You know, get married, have babies some day, even? I mean, he’s so awesome that he can be alone with me, we can even be lying next to each other, and it’s not about sex. It’s about togetherness and hugging and cuddling and talking and exploring each other without all that hormonal crap getting in the way…" Riot very nearly went on to mention how glad she was that Cayson wasn’t the type to pressure her into sex, for though she was a high profile female with an ambiguous record, she was still holding onto her “purity," as it were. However, feeling that delving that far into personal matters might make Rev’ uncomfortable, she sufficed to cut off her latest ramble with a grin and a low, ululating purr for her brother’s ears only.
No matter how playful the context of the words, Reveri meant it when he said he would beat the hell out of anyone who harmed Riot. The truth was, he would have done that to anyone who wasn't romantically involved, too. If they so much as lifted a finger against his soulsib', he would be at their throats. Though he hadn't been when that whole Grader thing was going down. A fact he regretted and, occasionally, even felt guilty about, even though there wasn't much he could have done. That was in the past, though. Cayson Lapices. He had heard the name before and it was definitely one of those popular guys that were being chatted about here and there. It wasn't the sort of arden that he would have pointed out for his sis', but maybe he was different from the other popular pendragons. Maybe, for example, he had a decent head on his shoulders. That wasn't too much to assume when the fact that Riot was dating him came into play. She was no fool. Reveri knew she wouldn't date some brainless moron, no matter how cute he was. <font color=darkred>"Yeah, I've heard that name before. Can't say I've ever seen the guy, but there are going to be a lot of disappointed adoring fans. He's one of those popular guys, right?"</font> The sort Silvent usually avoided. Radin was another somewhat familiar name, as he thought it was usually tagged on to whatever was said about Cayson, but he didn't remark. That sounded like an unhappy love triangle if he had ever heard one. Something he was glad he had never been involved with. Of course he felt bad for Riot, especially since she was roomies with the two ardens. That meant that she had to deal with Radin every single day. As they got near to the door, he prepred to move and open it, but was stopped when his sister did the same, getting there first. A wry smile crossed his lips as he entered the building, scanning the place for any good grub. Nothing particular made his stomach growl, so he just went to his favorite place. In truth, he was almost careless about what he grabbed, getting a little bit of this and that without even really thinking about it. Most everything there was good, otherwise he wouldn't have eaten there, after all. <font color=darkred>"I've never heard you talk about having babies before, Ri, this must be really serious. And so fast."</font> His silver eyes moved over to Stormwing, curious and serious at the same time. Was she sure?
As Reveri guided Riot towards his favorite restaurant, which offered a menu with things like sandwiches and soups, the thill noticed a passing teacher give them a stern look. It was then that she realized that she – and he, too – was still holding onto a cigarette. Even as the professor looked on, she pinched it out and tossed it into a nearby trash can. She also went as far as to snag Rev’s right out of his hand, put it out, and toss it, as well. Satisfied, the disapproving kiom soon wandered away, leaving Riot smiling sheepishly after her. “I forgot that we’re not allowed to smoke in here. So did you," she spoke when she turned her face back towards her soul-brother. She used her now cigarette-free hand to poke him in the ribs, but she said nothing more, as he was speaking, telling her about what he had heard of Cayson and asking some more questions. “Yeah… he’s well-liked," Riot replied thoughtfully as they waited in line at the sandwich and soup shop. “We’re actually from the same ‘group’ at Janardan, and we’re a lot alike. We’re both popular," she said with a measured voice. It felt so immodest to speak about herself that way, but it really was the plain and simple truth. “But both really nice people, most of the time, anyway." At this point, it was their turn to place orders. Riot scooted up towards the deli counter, and turned her head upwards to peer at the menu overhanging the smallish food stand. It had a cold cut submarine on its menu, and though it was one of the pricier items, she asked the thill behind the counter to make her one, six inches, with some cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise. The worker quickly complied, and when she had turned away to fetch some cheese and grain bread, Riot took the opportunity to address Rev’s latest and heaviest remark. “Up until very recently, the idea of babies made me want to… puke, to be honest. I clearly remember shopping with Radin and Cayson last Tria, seeing a screaming nioti, and telling him how I never wanted to have kids. But as I slowly but surely fell in love with him, and then hooked up, the idea has suddenly changed for me. Of course, I haven’t mentioned anything about it yet to him, nor have I really thought too much about it myself. It’s way, way too early to be talking about that sort of thing. I just know that with this one, it’s different. It’s real. It’s serious. And, like I said, hopefully, it’s forever. Though I have no wish to hurry through it, to get hitched and whatnot, I can just feel that in our future. I guess you could say that I feel like this, because I’ve finally found it. ‘The One,’ you know."
Riot grabbed his cig' and the arden half-opened his mouth as if to protest, then realized the wisdom of her action. His lax jaw pulled itself into a smile as he shrugged a shoulder. He had been too preoccupied when they entered to pay much attention to the cancer stick at all, much less remembering that there was no smoking allowed in here. Some places, there were smoking parts, but Janardan was a school. Smoking was generally frowned upon, even if one was of age to possess the potential health hazard. As to her teasing, he just stuck his tongue out in a playful fashion, before diverting his attention back to the task at paw. He was very distracted, though, seeing as this was a lot to think about. Riot, clubs, a job, and even the new boyfriend of his dear sister. Maybe he would have to get someone to do a little research on how old relationships of Cayson Lapices had gone. It wouldn't hurt to have a nice background check on the guy. Though he mostly just knew bouncers as friends, they often had friends who had ways to check into that kind of thing. It was a good thing for bouncers to have, in case someone high profile showed up who wasn't exactly welcome. Ah, of course, he had forgotten that Ri would be one of the popular girls. Usually preferring the outcast grouping himself, Rev' chuckled lightly. <font color=darkred>"Are they all like that? The popular ones, I mean. I've never understood why everyone worships a particular group. You're all high profile, though. Surprising how many celebrities we have just around campus."</font> The charcoal arden said with a chuckle, teasingly poking his sister, a "return" prod from when she had poked him earlier. Reveri had - when idly snatching things - grabbed a salad and a pre-wrapped ham sub. Realizing he had forgotten a drink, the male snatched a bottled water, placing it all on his tray and walking forward. As Riot spoke, he listened, twitching an ear back toward her, then turning his head around entirely as she finished up. There was a lot to say. "The One" ... ah. <font color=darkred>"I'm glad that you've found your One. Just be careful, alright? I don't want you to end up hurt because he goes and makes a fool out of himself. Though I doubt he will. I have confidence in your judge of character, though just the fact that you hang out with me might show there's a bit lacking..."</font> He grinned playfully. <font color=darkreD>"But come, I am worrying too much. It is time for celebration, for your business and your love."</font>
When the employee was done building and wrapping Riot’s sandwich, she placed it on a tray, and passed it across the counter. Thanking her, the brown thill grasped the platter, and then stepped down the counter and towards the register. On the way, she, too, snatched up a bottle of water, as well as a bag of potato chips. Sliding the teeming tray towards the cashier awaiting her order, Riot used her free hand to retrieve a credit card, and handed it towards the young arden awaiting her payment. “His, too," she added absently, gesturing towards Reveri’s tray, as the cashier rang up the totals. She didn’t look at her brother, in case he should protest, but silently signed the receipt that was handed to her. “Thanks," she then said rather brightly, and then she gave Rev’ a look and began to walk away from the food stand and towards one of the cafeteria’s cluttered tables. Once the two of them had found a seat, Riot curled one of her legs beneath her, and uncapped her bottle of water, but she did not immediately tuck into her lunch. Instead, she waited for Reveri to get settled in his chair, before she leaned forwards on her elbows and addressed the latest round of questions he’d asked. “I can’t answer the questions about popularity," Riot said with a small smile. “I don’t really know how it works. Some of the popular pendragons are nice, some aren’t. Most are attractive, some have charm. Hm." Reveri’s words about Cayson possibly “making a fool out of himself" caused Riot to smile, a knowing grin, though she did not explain, not right now. She and the orange arden were risking so much by being together – soon enough, Case’s cover would be blown, and everyone would realize who his mother was. They were probably screwing up Koani’s political agenda, as well, and Riot knew it was only a matter of time before she and the Lapices male were tabloid fodder. Those were just the public issues, too. There was always Radin to worry about, as well as Koani’s eventual reaction… it was a lot of shit to deal with, really, and that’s why Riot knew they would last. They would not go through the obstacle course only to give up. Their love was new but strong, and they would see it through. “How about a toast, anyway?" Riot asked after a moment, lifting her water bottle to knock against Rev’s. “To Cayson and I. And also to you, for being the best soul-sib’ I could ask for." When their waters had clashed together, with some spillage and a few giggles from the thill, she then pressed on, now onto a new subject. “How about you, though? How’s your romantic life?"
Reveri surely did open his mouth to protest his soulsib's paying for the meal that he had grabbed. Of course she wasn't even looking his way and the cashier - with a knowing smirk - had already swiped the card before he could even get a word out. The charcoal tinctured male growled a bit in his throat, but let it pass. Not that he had a problem with Riot paying for his food, in the long run, it was just a bit awkward for him. He wasn't used to others doing anything for him. Then again, it wasn't as if she expected him to pay her back, otherwise she would have just let him pay in the first place. The arden slipped into his chair, getting comfortable rather quickly as he peered quietly at his cream-on-caramel sister. There was still more going on in that noggin of hers and he was wondering what else she had to say. So much had happened since they last saw each other, a fact he regretted. They needed to keep in better contact. Which, by working for her, he would make sure happened. This thought made him even more content and he slumped down a little bit, relaxing. As Riot spoke about the popular kids, the male's quicksilver eyes flickered with amusement. Like everyone else. Much as many of them tried to distance themselves from the sheep that crowded the cafeteria, they were all just the same. He avoided snickering, though, as he was in the presence of his soulsib', who happened to be popular herself. So instead he just nodded smoothly, grabbing his water bottle off of the tray and unscrewing the cap. Before he took a swig, however, Ri was talking again. This time proposing a toast. With a hearty nod, the male raised his water bottle and knocked it back against hers. Bringing it to his mouth, he managed a quick swallow before she asked him about his love life. Surprised, the male raised an eyebrow, then shrugged nonchalantly. <font color=darkred>"Me? Love life? Naw. Single and probably better off that way."</font> Rev' replied with a wink, setting down his water bottle and idly grabbing a cherry tomato from his salad, which he promptly tossed into his mouth.
Riot tilted her head at Reveri’s response, some of the happiness fading from her face and even her eyes. She’d never known her soul’s brother to have a girlfriend, and had never really bothered to ask whether there was a reason for this. He wasn’t the demonstrative type with most, but Riot knew firsthand how much of a protective and affectionate arden he was with those he cared about. So, why would his being single be “better"? One of the thill’s ears flicked, and she took a swig of water, pondering this very question. It suddenly occurred to her, even as the fresh water trickled down her throat, that it could possibly be too much to assume that Reveri was even interested in females. Though not as common on Ramath-lehi as heterosexuality, a tendency to like the same gender was not unheard of. Perhaps Rev’, so gruff and edgy with his soft center of gold, preferred the company of males. But, maybe not. It was possible that he simply preferred to be alone – though Riot ached for him. She was a lot like him, could understand his desire for independence, but didn’t he know how amazing and fulfilling it was to be with somebody? Didn’t he want to settle down and start a family some day? The banded female set her water bottle back down, and turned her mismatched gaze upon the meal in front of her. She began to unwrap her sandwich with deft white fingers, and took a bite once it had been freed of its wrapper. Riot chewed thoughtfully then, her gaze intermittently flickering between Reveri, her food, and the other pendragons in the cafeteria. Eventually, she swallowed, and then she turned to him, unconsciously pointing her submarine sandwich at him like some sort of indicator. “We need to find you a girl… or a guy, depending on your preference. It just occurred to me that I have no idea which way you swing, or whether you might swing both ways, or none at all." Riot would have laughed then, at the clichéd analogies, but she was quite sincere. More so about finding someone for him – for sweet, deserving, solitary Reveri – than about his orientation, which was consequentially of very little importance to her.
Reveri had never told Riot about his orientation, so it wasn't as if he expected her to know. However, the silver-eyed male was quite happy heterosexual. He just had a tendancy to have too big of a heart to be in romantic relationships. Silvent was the sort who gave and rarely received, picking the wrong girls to date. Though he hadn't dated that much anyway... it was about time he buckled down and started to look for someone, though, seeing as he was getting older. Some days he thought about kids, a wife, a life beyond school... but usually he just forgot about it. Easier that way. One of his wings twitched and curved idly about the side of his arm as he poked at his salad with his fork. His soulsib's question was posed in such a disarming fashion, but he had never really thought about it. There probably wasn't anyone out there for him. Rev' didn't think this in a gloomy fashion, it was just what he perceived to be the truth. <font color=darkred>"Girls..."</font> He replied with an amused twinkle in his eye, taking a quick bite out of his sandwich and swallowing before he continued. <font color=darkred>"I dunno, Ri', not sure there's one out there interested in a lug like me."</font> Silvent shrugged merrily and meant it merrily. He had no desire to rush a relationship, though if Ri had someone in mind she thought he would be interested in... that was different. He supposed. She knew him well enough to know the sort of girl he would like, so he would believe her if she said someone was interesting. Still. It was doubtful she knew anyone that was his type.
“Of course there’s someone – heck, probably several someones – that would be interested in you, Rev’," Riot said, setting her sandwich down. She grabbed for her potato chip bag, and easily popped it open. Two fingers easily slipped into the foil opening and withdrew one of the crisps, which she plunked into her mouth. “Before you and I were brotherly and whatnot, I liked you. Some day, the right girl will come along," she pinned on after having thoughtfully chewed her food – with her mouth closed, of course, as was one of Riot’s most polite habits. During the conversation, the thill had subconsciously turned her body towards his, but now she aligned herself with her tray, and peered at what was left of her lunch. Her sandwich had only a few bites out of it, but she was making quick work out of her potato chips. Honestly, Riot was still too revved up over all her latest news, and she didn’t think her appetite was large enough for the rest of her sandwich. Just the chips would do for now. She set them aside for a moment to rewrap her sandwich, and then she settled back down again, happily munching on her greasy snack. “Too bad you’re not gay," she admonished after a moment. Her studded tongue darted out momentarily to retrieve a stray crumb from her muzzle. “Else I’d have a hot date lined right up for you. Radin… he’s bisexual. He’s a bit younger – he’s only nineteen – but he’s awesome." Riot stopped there, not seeing the point of advertising the green Dragyn to an arden who had just moments ago declared himself fully heterosexual. “Ah, Rev’, I don’t know many eligible bachelorettes. The most suitable person I know is Kakosenas, and only because she’s – supposedly – around our age. But she’s not the romantic type… ah, in the least." Riot laughed at this. Tilting her head, she retrieved a napkin from her tray, and wiped her hands. The chips were finished, and so she crinkled up the bag and tossed it on her tray. She was finished eating, but she had plenty more to say. Which was probably opportune, as Reveri was still enjoying his lunch – she could talk his ear off some more. “Well. Now that you’re going to be a bouncer, you’re undoubtedly going to see the cream of the crop when it comes to thills around here, you know. Maybe one of them will be yours someday."
Reveri shrugged. There probably weren't, much as his soulsis' wanted to assure him that there were. He wasn't a sociable sort, so very few even knew he existed. More than likely, he would be much happier and easier to get along with when he was out in the real world. All of this tedious schooling was really starting to mess with his head. He wondered, sometimes, if it was worth it, even, to try and get his Mastery. What was the point, really? Right now he didn't think there was one or, if there was, it wasn't the sort of thing he cared about. Taking a bite of his sandwich, the male eyed his sister with interest. She was eating the potato chips, but not all of her sub. The arden wondered if she was disinterested in food or if it was just that she was going to eat it later. Either way, he was going to finish up his food in a leisurely manner. Unless she had somewhere she wanted to be. If that were true, he would eat up fast, too. She hadn't said anything to that effect, though, so he was rather safely assuming that wasn't the case. As she talked about Radin, he chuckled, amused by her descriptions of her roomie. <font color=darkred>"Ah, yes, more's the pity. Too bad he's not a girl, then."</font> He replied with a teasing twinkle in his eyes. That would have been too easy, though, the fates were not so kind to Reveri Silvent. Then when she continued about Kakosenas, he blinked. Shriker... ah, yes, that was a match made in heaven. Or, rather, hell. <font color=darkred>"Kakos is probably too high profile, anyway. You know, I think she probably has her own fanboy club just from supposedly killing that Grader."</font> He wasn't much into politics. Cream of the crop? Since when had any of them paused to look at a bouncer? <font color=darkred>"Ah, I doubt that. They're usually too busy looking for hot dates in the club to look at a bouncer. 'sides, we bouncers don't tend to make that much money. Lots of girls that go to clubs are attracted to good hard cash."</font> Silvent replied, shrugging once more and taking a swig from his water bottle.
