Feritia simply could not hold back the smile that nearly split her face, so filled with joy was she by the sight of those before her. Honestly, it could almost be said that the girl ran off of the happiness of others. Not in the way an emotional vampire might, but like a power generator, a give-and-take reaction that could very well end in a hapless burn but, all the same, served to illuminate those around her. It didn't help that she'd only been cheering for these two since the day that she met Karma-- for Cio since she'd met him in her childhood-- amplifying her joy tenfold.
From her excited glance up to Dark, Feritia quickly realized that she was making a colossal fool of herself, regardless of whether or not she treated the situation like a sitcom for her viewing pleasure. The disapproval was plain on his face, but, even so, all she could do was laugh, a small hiccup of exuberance bubbling up like the effervescent carbonation in a cola. It was impossible to put into words the satisfaction it gave her to see either of these two boys happy, even a little bit, and so she didn't try.
She could dedicate her life to helping them find happiness. In a way, she already had.
After a moment, of course, the tenderness in Karma and Cio's embrace had her blushing, the moment too private even in this public, albeit mostly empty, place. As much as she continuously attempted to meddle in Dark's (regularly) and Cio's (unsuccessfully) affairs, this felt almost like peaking into an older brother's room, like peering into the deep reservoirs of a chamber whose dimensions were still not set. Of course, being Feritia, this made her squirm, and so she did as she had learned to do: let loose her energy elsewhere. She turned swiftly on her heel, grabbing Dark's forearms just firmly and long enough to tug him sideways in order to face her, and grinned, once again up at him, content to let events unfold with only a minimal amount of meddling on her part from that point onward.
Feritia's hands, which had dropped promptly from Dark's arms, clasped before her chest, and she spoke in hushed whispers, half because it felt wrong to disturb their companions to the side and half because, in all her hours spent as a bookstore clerk, she had learned that only the best plans were whispered conspiratorially to her partners in crime. On a daily basis, this consisted mostly of her coworkers and flatmates, but just as often, it seemed, Dark was forced to play the part as well. If he minded, it was with no more disdain than he expressed for any other of her doings.
"Alright, so, you might not know but there's a carnival in town in that big park with the duck pond, three blocks down by the car dealership, and I-- actually, wait, you probably do know. I bet a whole gaggle of those giggling teenagers that come in for you invited you to go, ahaha, gosh that's so cute, anyway--"
For an inexplicable moment, Feritia felt an ache guilt rising up in her chest. Be it as it may that half the reason Dark ever left his apartment or workplace for recreational purposes was her, Feritia felt, every so often, as if she were smothering Dark, as if she were clutching him too close and preventing him from doing these things of his own accord, from meeting new people that he might actually like. As always, she quelled these fears with the knowledge that this was Dark after all, he wouldn't feel comfortable with those girls that he seemed to regard with so much contempt. She had no reason to worry. Like so many menial thoughts, this was silly of her, and she should carry on.
Even with this understanding, however, her unvoiced concerns always lurked in the shadows of her heart, rising once every blue moon to twist at her compassion. Her only assurance of Dark's fond regard for her, after all, was the way that he never pushed her away, and after so long, that was almost always enough to assure her that they were the best of friends, but-- even Feritia had insecurities, and a fair amount of them came from this friendship that her whole life revolved around.
The moment, of course, was quick, no more than a normal lull in her fast chatter, and she was sure that her thoughts would not show on her face. After all, even if Dark had ever noticed them, he would never address them. It was beyond him, and Feritia expected no such thing.
She continued. "I was planning that we go there, you know, since Karma'll only be here for so long and I doubt she's ever been to one and come on, it's a carnival. I don't know about you, but I love carnivals. Even the sketchy ones! But this one isn't sketchy at all, I promise, I see it all the time. I'm totally willing to treat, too, I've been saving up and-- ahah, will you go on the Zipper with me? Please tell me you will. It will be fantastic."
At any rate, Feritia really was too determined and in possession of far too much adoration for her to need any more than Dark's compliance. It was like a silent language that she could speak with him alone, and a few startling voices nagging at the back of her head were not nearly enough to deter her from her purpose.
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For all that Cio's voice might have seemed empty or desolate to cynical, untrained ears, to Karma the delicate lilt of his voice was like a thousand sweet nothings whispered on ten thousand moonlit nights, like every tender embrace that he could ever offer her. This was him, this was Cio, this was his acknowledgement of their mutual inclinations for each other, and it almost brought her to joyful tears, hearing those granite-like utterances once more.
There was such a lightness in her body, an elation so profound that it had created its own universe inside her chest cavity, expanding ever outward and threatening to burst her at the seams. It built up such a pressure inside of her that she let loose a single, breathless laugh, tightening her hold for a moment and burying her face in Cio's chest. Her shoulders lifted as she pressed herself into him, breathing deeply, and it was almost as if she believed they could become one if she tried hard enough.
"I don't think there are words for me, either, but it doesn't matter," she muttered, the curve of her lips never softening. "We can invent them. Imagine that: a whole language, entirely our own, just so we can tell each other how awful it was to be apart like that."
She loosened her hold on him just enough to pull away slightly, to look into his eyes and see every string of pigment, every contour of his face. "I thought I was going to go mad. I thought I was never going to see you again! If it weren't for Spirit-- well. It doesn't matter. I am so, impossibly glad to be back."
After a moment, Karma's eyes darted behind him, and she reached out, almost idly, to touch his hair, tied back as always and just the tiniest smidgen of a bit longer; not enough growth to actually see, but she knew.
"Did you know that no men but the Energy Casters keep their hair long in Nekarta?" Karma asked. Of course he didn't, she knew that, but it had only just occurred to her how little there was in her captivity to even remind her of Cio. Maybe it was purposeful, maybe it was not, but Karma knew that if ever such a separation were to be initiated again, she would have to be far more prepared with far more fortified memories of Cio. Then again, maybe she was being silly. She knew that time passed slower in Nekarta than here, maybe her sentiments seemed a tad too strong after such a length of time. But, she realized, she cared not.
She heard her name in a frantic hushed tone to her side and instinctively she turned her head to look, peering at the jubilant girl who had dragged her over and the ever glowering face of Cio's younger brother. Karma could almost see them, in her mind's eye, their younger counterparts no different then they were now. It was, in such a time of overt sentimentality, almost beautiful. She hoped that such a friendship never dimmed, though perhaps Dark would do well to lighten up a bit. Karma wasn't quite sure how he didn't, in the company of Feritia.
"What are you two planning, exactly?" she asked, amused.
