tampered | (no subject)

(no subject)

When; October 7, night
Rating; PG13
Characters; Greed

steadfastedly
Summary; Greed enjoys a pleasant date with newcomer Penelo
Log;
Water dripped from the leaves in the forest as the localized storm moved on. This one seemed to rain directly on the temple and springs, for some reason. Like all other things, it was random in this place. Greed rested on the steps to the temple, awaiting the arrival of his date. He laying back with his hands behind his head, staring into the sky and waiting to hear footsteps.

"Eh?" his ears twitched, "Babe, that you?"

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"Babe?" Penelo wrinkled up her nose a little and shook her head. Nonetheless, she walked over to the familiar form and stood over him, her hands linked behind her at the small of her back. She had never been on a date and wasn't quite sure what to expect but, according to Larsa and Fran--

"Hello, Greed."

He rose to his feet and bowed to her, smiling.

"How are you? I hope ya' didn't get lost along the way. You ready to head inside?"

He offered her his arm, waiting for hers before he could ascend the steps to the massive front doors.

"No, I didn't, someone was nice enough to escort me here, actually. I wasn't sure where the temple was," she began, raising a brow at the bow before her lips twitched up into a smile. Even if the things they had told her were true, she couldn't help but be a bit reassured by the smile.

She had been about ready to take his arm when a noise behind her caught her attention. "I hope you don't mind, but I asked him to come with me. I've never been on a 'date' before, so I was a little nervous. You're not mad, are you?"

Her eyes shifted from Greed's face to the one behind her.

Larsa simply did not like this day. It had started out terribly, his conversation with Megumi turning awry as soon as he sensed thoughts that were not his own, followed by images he could hardly stomach. And then his brother.

He had believed, quite simply, that he was going mad. Every person he passed on his way back to the apartment had left their imprint. Images, words, feelings. And no matter where he looked, there was his father. His brother, the one and only--

Too much. It was just too much. He had spent the rest of the day holed up in his room, keeping an eye on the Network and hoping that he was not in fact crazy, but just cursed. If this was a 'power', he did not approve. He didn't want to know others' thoughts... Especially if they made him hallucinate.

It was easier when he stayed by himself, but Penelo had a date, and he had promised to be her escort. Still, he was sure to keep his distance from her, not wishing to invade her privacy. Larsa Solidor, who was normally so matter-of-fact with his ability to concentrate, was...distracted.

He had let himself trail behind, gaze constantly darting around nervously as if expecting his brother--dead he ought to be dead--to sneak out from a tree or building at any given moment. It was her voice that made him snap out of it, and the boy stopped just in time. Any further and he would have waltzed right into her.

"Oh!" Quick. Three steps back. Then a look was offered to Greed, doing his best to remain polite. Their last exchange had not gone well, after all.

"Greed. How nice to see you again." A smile pulled at his lips, a judgmental gleam in his eyes, and the boy's gloved fingers touched his own chest as he went so far as to bow his head. "Do pretend I am not even present. I am simply here for Penelo's comfort. You understand."

[ OOC: Larsa's PSYCHIC for the day so I'll need to know Greed's thoughts~ ]

Greed's face grimaced for a moment, but he quickly returned to his normal expression of amusement. He walked over to the boy and held out his hand.

"How...wonderful to see ya' again, kid. It's truly been too long since we had a nice conversation. I didn't know there was gonna' be a chaperone on this trip. Kinda' surprising."

The homunculus was amiable enough to the boy, but in his head he imagined tying him up and putting a rag around his mouth, then leaving him on the temple doorstep until the date was over. He couldn't resist an inward chuckle at the thought. Numerous other scenarios ran through his head, including forcing Larsa to dress like a female maid and deliver drinks to the customers at the spring.

"Anyway," he turned to Penelo, getting between her and Larsa, "You ready to go?"

It was nice to see them get along, even if she had a hunch that something wasn't quite right. Either way she nodded and turned back towards the building, quietly admiring it. She had never been to a hot spring before and, while the outside looked amazing, she hadn't a clue what to imagine on the inside.

"Yes, I'm ready." Not quite thinking on it, she offered Greed her arm in the same manner that he had offered his to her not a few minutes before then, lips turned up into a smile. She wasn't quite sure she was getting the hang of this date ordeal thing, but she was willing to try.

Greed led Penelo inside of the large complex, taking off his shoes and vest at the door. He walked her to the main room and through a long hallway, showing her several wall-mounted pieces of weaponry and art along the way.

"We keep the kitchen over here," he said, showing her a massive, pristine kitchen that looked like it was made for a large group of cooks, "This is one of my favorite rooms. We always keep the fridge well stocked. Never know when guests are over."

There was a large, rolling tray in the center of the room, on which Greed began to pile different covered dishes, utensils, and bottles.

"I had the food prepared earlier," he said, pushing the cart out ahead of them, "We can take it to the springs with us."

Penelo followed his lead, sans the removal of any articles of clothing and glanced back over her shoulder towards the door. She had told Larsa to leave, but only because he hadn't looked well. She definitely didn't want him to stay if he wasn't feeling well, naturally. The decorations caught her eye for some time, until his voice stole her attention again.

"Hm?" Her mouth nearly dropped at the sight of the kitchen and she crossed the room to poke at various unfamiliar things. Their microwave was bigger than the one in the apartment she shared with Fran, and even the stove looked more refined. It reminded her of something Larsa might have in his home back in Archadia -- if they made microwaves, that is.

"Bottles?" She leaned over to snatch up one of the bottles by the neck and carefully examine the writing. "What's this?"

He pointed to each bottle, holding it up for inspection.

"Sake, white wine, red wine, milk, water. I didn't know what you liked, so I got medley of things. The food tonight is called "Italian." You up for it?" he asked, putting the bottles back and gathering together some cups.

The cart was wheeled into the hall and began to move toward a large, steamed over door at the end. The air grew decidedly more humid as they approached it.

"Hope you're used to heat."

"Italian? I think I'm up for it. Water, please," she murmured as she peeked over his shoulder to admire the spring itself. It just seemed as pretty on the inside as it had on the outside, but when the humidity began to kick in, she found herself becoming a tad bit apprehensive.

She raised her hands over her face, half-expecting to be met with some type of flame when her eyes fell over the heated pool. "Is it magick?" She stepped ahead of him and crouched down to dip her fingers into the water, swishing them around a bit before she laughed. "It feels nice, Vaan would have enjoyed it, I think."

"How does it stay warm?"

"Thermal vents underground," he said, wheeling the cart in and shutting the door behind them, "Underground volcanic vents send heat up into the waters."

He stopped the cart and went to a side area for some towels, throwing one to his date. He gestured to her clothing.

"It's going to get steamy in here, so I need to know, you either wear a towel, or wear a swimsuit. I don't need somebody dyin' of heat stroke in here."

She followed his hand with her eyes and idly tugged at one of her pant legs. Really, the heat hadn't seemed all that bad but, if they were going to be there for awhile, then it might just be. After opening the towel and turning it every which way, she folded it back up and held it to her chest.

"I don't have a swimsuit." Then she looked at him, eyes nearly longing as she took a seat next to the spring and sighed. "I don't think I'm very good at dates, Greed. I'm really worried about Larsa, it's all I can think about."

The longing, thus, turned into an almost apologetic look.

"So tell me why? The kid obviously is strong-willed, and he seems well-educated. Why worry? The path back is safe. The beasts know better than to step off their territory."

He began to put out the materials on a large tray, which he set afloat in the water, anchored in place.

"This is my own little design. You can eat in the springs with this! Natural filtration will get rid of any food someone drops in the water."

He stripped entirely out of his own clothing and threw a towel onto his shoulder, then sauntered down into the pool.

"Come on in, it's shallow enough right here to sit on the bottom."

"Because Larsa's my friend. He seemed so strange today, I've never seen him like that before." She threaded her fingers and let her bare feet dip into the water, toes wiggling against the comfort. "It's not the path I'm worried about, Larsa can handle himself, it's just.. I'm not really sure. This City is so strange."

But then--

Penelo yelped and turned the second she saw a bare bottom, quickly covering her eyes with her hands. "You! What are you.. You didn't even warn me first!" When he was in the spring, and muchly covered, she cautiously turned back to him and her face was bright red, clear up to her ears. She had never seen a naked man before, so it really hadn't been expected.

"I don't get his deal. It's like the kid forgot how to hae fun, somewhere along the line. It's almost sad, really," he said, sliding over by her, "I think humans should have more fun and not worry so much, over all.

He cocked an eyebrow at her statement, clearly perplexed at her shock.

"What? So I was naked. That's how you're supposed to be in a spring. You gettin' in or what? The foods all ready for you. We've got food, cool drinks, good atmosphere, privacy. It's nice."

"He's been through a lot for being so young," she began, pushing up and off of the ground as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him the look. There one where you're totally about to get scolded. "He's the only heir to the throne of a kingdom that's in turmoil and he's just become a teenager. If it were you, I'm sure you would have a deal, too!"

And don't even get her started on the naked.

"I've never seen a naked man before!" The girl grumped and nearly pouted until she folded her arms and scuffed one of her feet against the ground. "Not one, it's just not right to see one." The water really didn't cover much, but she was thankful for the steam. "I don't think I'll be getting in."

"No, because homunculi don't let things like that get to them. We don't despair or get overwhelmed so easy," he shrugged, "Just the way things are. We're fundamentally different from humans."

He waded closer to her, putting his hands on his hips. Clearly, he was somewhat put off.

"How the hell is it not right? It's perfectly natural! What's wrong, are our baths not good enough for you?"

"That's not it at all, I really like these springs. I've never seen anything quite like them before." Pausing, she flicked a few droplets of water at him, flashing an almost coy sort of smile. "So, because you're a homunculi, you have no sense of modesty?"

Then she would just have to explain it to him.

"People don't run around Ivalice in the nude and, if they did, I'm sure they'd give fair warning." Humming, she rolled her eyes, more exasperated than anything else -- as she was still smiling, while tilting her head. "You really don't understand why I'm mad, do you? This is almost like the time I had to explain to Vaan the importance of not asking a girl her age."

"...Actually, I understand why you're not supposed to ask that. It's like askin' a chick how much she weighs. Ya' just don't do it," he said, popping his shoulder absent-mindedly, "And I understand that humans tend to have a sense of modesty when they're from "civilized" cultures."

He moved up to sit along-side her.

"Like I said, I get that you guys do have that sense of modesty, I just don't understand why ya' have it. You said people go naked in your world, but you never explained the reasoning for why."

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