route_1065 | We are anything but unremarkable

Entry tags:

We are anything but unremarkable

Who: Johan and Kay
Where: Goldenrod City
When: Thursday, September 30
Summary: Revenge of the Date.
Rating: PG-13, but since it's these two, who even knows if it'll get that high.
Log:

It was cold, and she was without her muffler, because Kay was now certain that one didn't wear mufflers on dates. And this wasn't a practice date, according to Johan-- which was something she'd been trying to understand ever since he'd asked her. Sure, they'd had fun on the first one, but that had been practice for 777 (and she was beginning to wonder if that would even happen), so what was this for?

Kay didn't know, but she didn't make a habit of dwelling on things that she didn't need to dwell on, and she wasn't about to start now. Fun with her friend was fun with her friend, and if fun meant letting her hair down (as Kaito had recommended) and actually finding a decent non-white dress (she'd learned) and potentially freezing, then she'd do it! This was but a minor trial of adversity!

... No, Kay, it was a date, not a challenge. She could picture Mr. Edgeworth shaking his head at his assistant's competitive mindset already.

Once again she stood outside, though the urge to return inside where it was at least twenty degrees warmer was growing stronger by the moment. Maybe she should have at least grabbed a jacket... not that this was going to bother Johan, having attended school in Glacier Central (darn him).

"Round Two, huh?" she muttered to herself, and stretched up on her toes. "This should be fun!"

And she meant it.

Leaving her man-hating Crobat behind in the inn would probably be of some help, too.

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Now this was more familiar, and Kay was more than happy to return the hug. What she'd always liked about him was that, no matter the situation, at the heart of it-- Johan was still Johan. Even if this was a date, it didn't change things between them all that much.

Or maybe things between them had changed, just too subtly for her to notice it. She hadn't always felt that twinge in her chest whenever he looked sad or upset, and she didn't know when that had started happening.

"Then, since we're finished with guessing games..." She reluctantly pulled back. "We're going up now, right?"

"There's no stopping you, is there?" He asked, already knowing the answer full well. For the most part, if Kay wanted to get somewhere or do something, rain or shine, she would do it. Smiling at her as she plled away, he just nodded, and with that nod, began to lead her towards the elevator. He knew it didn't go all the way up, but it would be good enough.

"Say, have you ever been in a building this high before?" Johan questioned after a moment, as he pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

"This high? Close, but no." Kay stepped into the elevator once the doors had opened, pulling Johan in after her and leaning against the wall. "Even though I've been in a lot of buildings, the really high ones are probably all in New York. Even higher than this one, but I bet you anything this is one of the biggest in this world!"

Of course, there was no way to say that for sure, but with all the traveling still ahead of them, who knew? She'd see for herself at some point, and until then, she could enjoy the ones she was seeing here and now.

Johan grinned quirkily to himself at that, and for once during this date, it wasn't about anything in particular Kay had done or said, not technically; but rather, for a moment, he was granting himself the little joy of hearing someone else say the name of a place that was familiar to him. Not that the Mystic Kindgom of Shiningshine didn't sound like a great place, of course not, but after being here for these few months, he was beginning to wonder...

"Hehehe, I see! Then we'll have to enjoy it for all it's worth, won't we?" Johan nodded seriously to this statement, though he was still grinning. He leaned forward to push the button for the highest possible floor and turned back to Kay, his thoughts from a moment earlier returning. "You know, Kay, I was in New York once-- For a duel, I mean, I go to lots of places for those. But I didn't get to check out many of the buildings... Think you can show me around someday?"

Sure, it sounded like she had never been there before herself, but hopefully the implications of what Johan was saying were clear enough.

He'd been in New York? He'd been in her country? Of course, that was long before she'd met him-- or was that in her future? With everyone coming from different timelines, who knew how old Johan really was in regards to her own time?

... And did it really matter? Johan was still Johan; she didn't think too much could happen to change as irreversible a fact like that. At the very least, New York existed for both of them. If that was true, there was a very good chance that she'd be able to see him again.

With that in mind, Kay nodded and placed a hand to her chest with a bit of a dramatic bow. "I'd be happy to," she told her friend sincerely. Then, adding in a more mischievous tone, "You'd just get lost otherwise, and no one would be able to find you ever again."

Johan was about to smile at her, and thank her for her generosity, and even go on to add how he'd be looking forward to it... when, in true Kay fashion, she kept going.

And wait just a minute. That was cold.

"Hey!" Johan protested, flinging an arm out (as if this would help prove something like that to be even more false than it already clearly and truly was) as he did so. "I'd be okay on my own! Really! What about what I just said a minute ago? I've got experience there to prove it, you know...!"

... Of course, what he wasn't saying was that Ruby had been giving him directions almost the entire time when he had originally been there, and without her, he might not have even been able to find his way back to the hotel. ... But Kay didn't need to know about unrelated (totally unrelated) things like that.

"Goldenrod," she reminded him. That was probably all she needed to say, being as that the entire network had gotten to see Johan's hilarious failure when it came to finding the right exit... but, being the excellent friend she was, Kay decided to drive the point home. If they met up in New York, there was no way she'd be letting him take the lead at any given point in time. It was just embarrassing for a thief to not know locations when they were such an integral part of heists!

So - because she was such an excellent and awesome friend - Kay shook a finger at him (having ducked to avoid Johan's arm). "You had enough trouble in a city that's like a lizard compared to New Yorkzilla. You can leave all the showing around to me, okay?"

"That was just-- That is--" ... If there hadn't been the finger waggling, he might have put up a stronger defense against Kay's "friendship" - as it was, however, there was that finger right there, which, to any experienced duelist, was the sign of an opponent's victory, either already obtained or on the way. ... Or something like that. In any case, Johan eventually gave in by slumping his shoulders and laughing meekly.

"Yes ma'am," he replied after another moment of slumping, straightening himself and grinning at her. It had been his idea for her to show him around anyway, after all, so it wasn't like he could really be upset with the outcome.

Kay beamed at him and just barely refrained from giving his head a pat and telling him what a good boy he was. Somehow, she didn't think Johan would appreciate being treated like a dog.

"That's 'yes, Miss Beautiful Thief' to most people," she retorted, with some false grumbling in her tone. "I'm not old enough for 'ma'am' status yet. But I'll let it slide."

"Ehh..." Johan raised an eyebrow at her, already starting to grin a little. Whether or not he believed in the title aside, he had to wonder if anyone had ever called her that, let alone most people. Well, if they didn't, as her partner, it was his duty to give her a hand in situations like this, now wasn't it? ... Plus, it was a chance to either get back at her for earlier (on... some level) or... something else, something Johan wasn't going to think too hard on right now.

With that logic, as peculiar as it was, in mind, Johan put on what he thought was his most charming grin, stepped back to repeat Kay's earlier movements of a bow, and finally looked up into her eyes and spoke simply and honestly.

"Yes, Miss Beautiful Thief."

If that accomplished anything, it definitely served to wipe Kay's teasing and smug look off her face. It was true that no one humored her enough to address her by that title, and Edgeworth's sense of humor usually emerged enough to mock it in a way only he could. But Kay had also never been too bothered by that, either. If anyone had humored her, she'd thought it would have been much the same.

So then... why on earth did her face feel hotter? It wasn't like she cared whether Johan called her beautiful or not, right? Of course not! He was doing it because she'd brought it up, and that was that.

Kay glanced away and cleared her throat. "That works, too."

... Well, it wasn't quite the reaction he had been looking for or expecting, but it seemed to have, at the very least, met his initial goal of "getting back" at her. ... Or maybe, with the way she'd looked there for a moment before she looked away, maybe it was the second goal he'd achieved? ... Maybe both?

... He'd just have to try it again when she wasn't expecting it and see what happened. That would clear this up.

That would have to be saved for later, however, for now he reached forward for her chin to turn it back towards him, still smiling, albeit a little softer now. "I can try a few other things if you want."

He was doing this on purpose. He had to be! Either that or Johan was following Kay's habit of being "laughably" honest, and for once, she was the one being exposed to it instead of the other way around for everyone else.

Maybe it was both; she wouldn't put it past him.

Kay didn't pull back, though, eyes locked on his and chin still in his grasp. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like what?" Johan had to pause at that. Truth be told, he was dropping the tease just a little bit (he was starting to wonder, though, with how he was reacting to her reaction, if there had been all that much to begin with) but clearly she wanted more from him. Probably more on the lines of "Miss Beautiful Thief" he had to guess.

... Well, there was always the truth! It wasn't as if Miss Beautiful Thief was too much of a stretch, though Johan wondered if Miss was necessary instead of working Kay's name in there somehow. He tilted his head, still smiling, and finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I guess... Do you want it to be another title or just what I think?" Johan's expression began thoughtful for a moment, and he suddenly couldn't help but notice how close they were and what she was wearing and how... little that really mattered when, outside of this outfit, he'd seen her face and all of its different expressions. He'd seen her light up and laugh and smile and give him looks that filled him with confidence and, of course, her eyes when she was teasing him, and...

What was a word for that though? Looking even more thoughtful, Johan tilted his head and kept thinking.

... He'd just have to use more than one word! Suddenly gaining his smile, he leaned back towards Kay, grinning just a little, and finally began to speak.

"... You're a glowing, radia--"

DING

And there was the elevator.

At the sound of the chime, you may now exit the elevator and pretend that you weren't staring at your friend like he was way more than that.

It was sound advice, and Kay followed it immediately, almost stumbling as she turned to step out, but correcting her balance in the next split-second and straightening up. Part of her was tempted to strike a pose straight out of the Olympics and wait for the judges to announce their scores, but she desisted with only minor difficulty.

"Looks like the rest of the way is up to us," she said after a minute. Her grin was still the same, but she was thinking hard. She hadn't been serious, but did she really want him to finish what he'd been saying? She didn't see herself as particularly glowing or radiant, since the Yatagarasu operated in shadow, but...

... This was hurting her head.

Johan inexplicably felt like the breath had been knocked out of him as Kay nearly fell out of the elevator and out into the hall - an arm outstretched to grab her just in case she fell over. She righted herself not a moment later, though, and Johan withdrew his hand and slowly stepped from the elevator, even more confused now than he was before. Had something been about to happen...?

"Ah, yeah, you're right. It doesn't go all the way up," Johan replied almost blankly, leaning his head to the side before straightening it. Kay probably already knew that. He looked around the area and, seeing no one, looked back to Kay with his smile slowly returning to where it had been a few moments prior. "So... Guess we're in for a treasure hunt. For the stairs, that is."

Edited 2010-10-05 03:48 (UTC)

"A treasure hunt?"

It didn't take much. Just those words perked Kay up immediately, enough so that she could push whatever had just (or almost) happened to the back of her mind and settle back into her energetic self.

The girl stretched her arms over her head and went up on her toes, then looked around. "Okay, if I was a bunch of stairs, I'd be somewhere in the back. ... And maybe I'd cloaked in some kind of secret illusion or fake wall so no one would be able to find me, because at the top, there'd be the most valuable item!"

And then she stopped.

"... But yeah, let's check the back."

Johan was glad to see Kay (almost literally) perk up at the suggestion of a treasure hunt. He supposed, if anything, he really had gotten to know how she ticked since they'd been traveling together - not that it was... hard, per se, but for some reason he felt rather pleased at this revelation that he could turn her back on from being off like that. Though he supposed anyone could, really, but as long as she was getting turned back on, that was what counted, right? Right?

"Hehehe, who knows? Maybe there are Psychic types in here doing just that kind of thing! There could even be trick floors on the way...!" Johan added cheerfully, walking forward to snatch Kay's hand so they could walk along towards the back. "The only way we'll know for sure is if we check it out."

His hand was warm, she noticed. It wasn't something Kay had thought about all that often, especially when wearing gloves tended to hinder one's ability to feel it, but no decent thief allowed for fingerprints (and she thought they just LOOKED cool). However, her hand was free from that at the moment, so she could properly... enjoy it?

"Good point." Giving his hand a squeeze and deciding that holding hands was just fine, Kay set off on a quest for the stairs. They couldn't be that hard to locate, and well... if they were, she wasn't a truth-stealer for nothing! Hidden fireplace passages couldn't fool Mr. Edgeworth and his (self-proclaimed) assistant wouldn't be fooled by hidden anything, either! "Even if it's just the top, that's just as good! I can work with that."

Johan let Kay take the lead for now, instead following along and keeping an eye out for signs of some kind of staircase. However, instead of that, his attention kept straying back to their hands (Kay giving his a squeeze didn't help this) and wondering why he couldn't stop himself from drifting back to that. They held hands fairly frequently, but something still seemed different this time...

As he squeezed back, more from it being the natural reaction than anything, it hit him.

He could feel her hand. Not that he minded her gloves, they were part of what made Kay... well, Kay, after all, but this kind of thing was a rare chance. A chance he was realizing he was... kind of enjoying, and at that realization, he gave her another squeeze and continued on listening. And looking.

"Hehehe, I'm sure you can! I just hope I get to see whatever it is."

"What, is it your first time in here?" Kay asked curiously. It couldn't have been; the man down below seemed to have recognized him, but it could be possible that he hadn't gone any further up. Which was a shame, really, but not everyone loved heights with the same passion she did. (There was just no way to make a good entrance from the ground. It lost all its mystery and drama that way!)

She continued to look around, just as he did, and finally spotted a door, seamlessly fitted into the wall that she might have missed if she hadn't felt the faint whisper of a draft as she walked past. Puzzled, Kay stopped and held out her free hand to test the wall. She was rewarded when the "wall" swung open, the newly open door revealing the very stairs they'd been searching for. In typical fashion--

"Stairs get!"

"Just not this far up is all..." And that was all Johan was going to say about that particular adventure. Kay had already seen a good deal of it broadcasted on the network anyway, she didn't need to know more than she already did. "Besides, I had other things to be thinking about then, remember? I wanted to get back to you as soon as I could."

Johan grinned at Kay's declaration, almost expecting her to thrust a hand into the air as a sign of victory or something like that. Maybe that was on the way. In the meantime, though, he stepped forward to check out the stairs - fairly fancy looking, and it looked like they even went all the way down to the lower floors as well. Not bad at all.

... And maybe it was a little soon, but as he glanced at Kay's victorious look, Johan decided that it was just a good time as any.

"Nice job, Miss Beautiful Thief! I knew you could do it!"

Was he going to make a habit out of it now? Kay grinned at the thought, more relaxed about it than she'd been earlier, and nodded at her friend. "It's not exactly the truth, but I knew all of that investigational work would pay off one day!"

Never mind that when Edgeworth had left her and Gumshoe to investigate with Ambassador Palaeno, they'd all gotten incredibly sidetracked-- but hey, at least it'd been fun, which was something her prosecutor friend really needed to learn about one of these days.

"So, here we go!" She was clearly raring to go from her words alone, not even considering how buoyant she looked. "It looks like we've got a long way to go, but at least we're going!"

"Hehe, what are you talking about?" Johan grinned confidently, patting his chest with his free arm in a rather dramatic fashion as he did. "No way is too long a way for the two of us to go, even the whole staircase from top to bottom! We could definitely do it!"

The scary thing perhaps wasn't the fact that he was suggesting they could really go from the top to the bottom all on their own, but it was the fact that for all his honesty and even sometimes simpleness, he really believed that.

"Right! This is just one small step for... us, I suppose, and a giant leap for raven and dragon-kind!"

And with that, Johan, hand still holding onto Kay's, began his ascending of the stairs.

"Are we astronauts now?" It had never been on Kay's list of possible careers while growing up, but then again, she'd had things like Ninja and HERO OF JUSTICE (and dinosaur once). She'd liked the idea of helping out on Earth, where there were more people who actually needed to be protected.

"Because I think I'd take being a thief over that," she added breezily, and hopped a step, pulling Johan with her as she aimed for another one. If she kept that up, her legs would probably be sore by the time they'd completely ascended every stair, but at least she was having fun with it.

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