with. – @rfjofficial where.– rafael & ikki’s home when. – june 18th, before the engagement party
Nana stays atop her bike a moment longer than needed. The summer sun dances against her gloved knuckles, creating shadows against the knees of her leather pants. Her boots dig into the asphalt on either side of her as she finally finds the motivation to push herself up and off of her bike. Her wound had since healed, though there was a residual soreness brought on by sudden movements and the inability to stay put in one position for too long.
The Power catches her reflection in one of the many windows that greet her as she steps through the gate. The sound of the rocks shifting beneath her weight is loud enough to alert Rafael, she’s sure-- if he hasn’t already been warned by the security system she installed. She could enter his home, brush past the boundaries that should be in place. But instead, she stays put just beside the front door.
There’s a surge of frustration that courses through her. She recalls the way she could barely look at him as he lay asleep in his hospital bed. The way the monitors were a siren song, threatening to drag one of her closest friends to his untimely demise.
She hadn’t had the time to consider what this party meant. She’s unsure if she wants to.
Nana looks up at the camera discreetly placed only where she and the home owners know, before she looks back to the door. There’s movement-- supplied only by shadows, not noise, and then it opens. Nana steels her jaw, preparing to see somebody she doesn’t recognize, but although a bit bruised and tired, it’s Rafael. Despite it all, he stands before her. “I hope it’s not too early,” Nana says as she looks at him. “I figured it’d be better to meet ahead of The Factory.” The words taste stale as she says them, like they’re being written by something small and pushed forward from the back of her throat. “How are you feeling?” She asks, then realizing she isn’t sure how he’ll respond-- about his injuries, or the party that awaits him in a few hours.