spirituals | the fell asleep on meme!

[Jim feels like he can breathe a bit better when she turns and smiles at him. Relieved, he does the same.

Sounds like you've had an adventurous life, Kairi. [Although Jim doesn't take to well to hearing the 'against my will' part. Forcing people to do anything against their genuine wishes is one thing that annoys Jim to no end.] Well, maybe if you just wait it out, you'll meet someone you know from your own world, since it sounds the way you got here is different than most travel methods. [A laugh.] Besides, the weather's good today.

By the way, I'm Jim.

[She breathes a sigh of relief. Ohhh thank goodness she woke up next to someone friendly.]

It's nice to meet you, Jim. And- I'm sorry about sleeping on you. [But you were warm and it felt nice and she wouldn't mind it happening again, but that's just if she can't find a place to stay for the night.] I hope I find someone I know soon. I mean, that isn't to say that I wouldn't think your world is interesting! But. Hm.

[She takes a deep breath. Calm down, Kairi. Calm. There. Good. She lets her smile come back, and it's brighter than it was previously.]

At least I'm not alone.

Don't worry, Kairi. I didn't mind.

[It was nice, feeling the contact of another person, to know he was being leaned on - literally. Traveling around for a while had made him start to miss his friends. Although, right now, Kairi is more than pleasant company.]

I'm sure you will. And this place is alright. It's usually more crowded from what I've seen but I guess it's a slow day - not entirely sure, since I'm just traveling around right now with Karen. [He motions over to the crocodile who was busily sleeping on his other side, and he pats her head lovingly.] She's friendly, don't worry.

[Kairi's last words make Jim smile, a content and pleased upturn of his lips.] Yeah, having company is nice.

[Her gaze flickers instantly to the crocodile, and she hesitantly reaches out to pat her nose - though she chances a glance up at Jim, asking for silent permission before making contact.]

Do you mind if I... stay with you, then? If you're traveling, then I'll have a better chance of running into someone I might now, right?

[At least, she's sure that's what Sora's reasoning would be, and it's how he's made so many friends on other worlds. And don't mind her, it is getting a little cold, so she's leaning against him a bit.]

[He instantly smiles broadly at Kairi's bravery towards Karen and her gentle nature, grinning warmly as she pets the crocodile. However, her next words come as a shock, and he pauses, thinking hard.

It'd be nice to have a another companion. And she's right, what if they do run into someone she knows? Besides, she seems brave enough to be able to handle traveling around and he does have some extra money to accommodate her for a bit...

Then he nods, facing her with a grin.]

All right then, Kairi. You can come along with me. It'd be nice.

[And he can feel her leaning against him, so he shifts a bit to meet her half-way, sharing his warmth with her.]

[Oh good, he doesn't mind physical contact all that much. It'll be just like having an adventure with her friends, or... at least it'll be kind of close. But seeing him smile, it already warms her heart. Clearly, the way to Jim's heart is through Karen, and she struck the proper chord by being as brave as she is.

And when he agrees to drag her along, her smile brightens and she wraps her arms around him to hug him - he won't mind, right?]

Oh, thank you Jim. I promise, you won't regret it.

[And she takes her promises very seriously, thank you.]

[Jim laughs, arms going around to catch the excited girl as she leaps into his arms, and he ruffles her hair calmly as he shifts a bit, holding her by her shoulders. Her excitement reminded him of Judai and the others, all eager to have an adventure, to have fun. It makes him smile.]

I know I won't, Kairi.

[And then he grins at her, eye closed in delight. Whoever said happiness was planned hadn't lived his life.] How about we go get some dinner? Then, we can plan out where to go from here to find some friends of yours?

[She giggles at the hair-ruffling, playfully swatting at his hand as if it's natural - and knowing the way Riku used to do it to her, it seems pretty natural to her, at least. But already, Kairi seems rather happy with the situation, and it certainly reminds her of the day she woke up in Twilight Town, instantly connecting with the people there as if they were just old friends she hadn't seen in a long time.

Of course, it seems silly to have nostalgia at her young age, but she can't help it. But at his suggestion, she stands up and brushes the sand off of her dress and nods.]

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I can cook whatever you need me to. Just get me the ingredients, and you'll never go hungry.

[He's relieved at her playful nature - it's a good quality to have for a travel companion. Just having someone with you isn't enough. Jim felt you need to bond with someone to have a good time - and he thinks he just did that. Judging by the look Karen's giving him, she seems happy, too.]

Haha, that's good to know. I'll buy some food tomorrow, but tonight, let's have other people wait on us. [And he stands as well, closing his eye with a smile that tells her he would wink if he could, and claps to rouse Karen better from her fatigue.]

C'mon, you two. Let's go. [And he walks forward, Karen at one side and Kairi at the other.]

[She's instantly at his side, falling into step with him (and admittedly, she looks to make sure that she is), and she even dares to loop an arm around his as if they're walking into some sort of formal ball and he's her date.

But that's just silly to think about, and after a moment, she lets go.]

Oh, hopefully you won't have to worry about buying food all of the time. I've been cooking things with food that grows on an island for a while, so I think I can manage all sorts of things.

[She kind of had to, with Sora's stomach.]

Oh, and if we need to, I can manage to do odd jobs for money. I'm definitely okay with that.

[And being a burden is bad.]

[Jim doesn't hide his surprise when she loops their arms together, but he doesn't pull away, taking it in stride as they walk along. But then she lets go, and it causes Jim to laugh and ruffle her hair, absently chuckling at the fact that Kairi reminds him of Rei.]

I've had to do the same when I was growing up, only it wasn't really an island. But it's good that we can put our heads together for food.

[Because he can cook decently and can tell if ingredients are safe or not - growing up in the Outback practically alone for a while helps that - but it'd be nice to have another experience mind around.]

All right, if you want to. I have enough to keep us going for a while, if we're good. Knowing Karen, we'll be bankrupt in a week with her appetite.

[Then Jim jumps a bit when Karen snaps at him, laughing at the crocodile as they cross the street, heading towards several restaurants and take-outs.]

[Again with the hair-ruffling, which she once more, playfully swats at. And hey, when she gets around to saying 'my turn', she'll be saying 'watashi no taan', not 'boku no taan'. She's all girl and proud of it, okay.]

Oh, you cook? That's good to know. [At least Kairi doesn't have to do everything.] Oh, and uh...

[She glances at Karen with a bit of a concerned look on her face.]

How often do they actually... let her inside of restaurants?

[Jim laughs as if he doesn't have a care in the world, bending down to fondly pat Karen on the head.]

I've made a friend here who let's Karen go back into one of the spare rooms' in the dinner's kitchen. But most of the time, I get take-out since some people don't take too highly of me having a crocodile as a friend. [He shrugs, not bothered as Karen growls in hunger.]

She's usually well-behaved though if she's let in. I just usually have to get special permission.

[She seems relieved about that, and she nods.]

Well, that's good, then. I'd hate for her to be left out entirely.

[She swings around behind Jim and gets closer to Karen, crouching down to give her a good petting.]

She seems really friendly, though. I'd say I found a new best friend.

[Kairi's teasing of course, judging by the grin on her face as she looks up at Jim.]

[Jim smiles, watching as Karen growls warily before happily surrendering and enjoying Kairi's ministrations.] She's friendly to people she sees that I'm nice to, and that I trust.

[And he meets he teasing grin with a raised eyebrow as he laughs.] Good to see you're getting along with her. Maybe now I can sleep without getting woken up... [And he sends Karen a cocky grin as he walks towards a near-empty diner.]

[She straightens herself up, but not before one final pat to Karen's head, and follows after Jim. And maybe she lets her arm slip around his again.

She's in a wonderful mood, and it's a distraction from the thought that she's ripped away from Sora and Riku. Don't judge.]

What do they serve here?

[Jim curls his arm around her, laughing as they reach the door before untangling himself and holding it open for Kairi and Karen.]

Stuff like burgers, fries, sandwiches, soups. Simple comfort food.

[Then he looks around, frowning slightly at the lack of customers, and meets eyes with a waitress.] Hey, Veronica. Can you let Karen in the back again? I don't want anyone trying to hit her with menus again. [Jim sits in a booth, arm tossed over the seat, and he watches as Karen trots to the back, Veronica ushering her back with a laugh as the cook's shout echoes throughout the diner.]

[She gives a polite bow of her head before slipping inside, and as Jim takes care of things with Karen, she looks around. She waits until they're both sitting (she had slipped into the seat across from him) before speaking.]

I'm guessing it's just a slow night, huh. That's good, though. Less work for them, right?

[He gives her a little half-shrug with a warm smile as he watches her settle in the seat.] Yeah, it's good. Although they're usually really busy, but I think that new bar opened up a few blocks down. Everyone's probably there checking it out.

[He scans over the menu as Veronica records their drinks and goes off to retrieve them.]

I've been in the city for a week and a half. I was planning on leaving today, but I guess fate had me stay for a reason.

[Then Veronica is back, smiling a little flirty smile as she hands them their drinks, asking them what they'd like.]

Just a bacon cheeseburger and fries, sheila. Easy on the bacon, though, please. [He glances at Kairi.] What do you want? And don't worry about the price.

[Kairi is totally undeterred by whatever sort of feminine wiles this woman is up to, because contrary to popular belief of horrible fanfiction writers, she isn't the jealous type.]

I'll just have a ham and cheese sandwich.

[She might regret not eating more later, but right now, she's just not that into eating. There's still that lingering feeling of 'what am I going to do?' that's making her stomach do flip-flops, but her overlaying excitement is having its way with her appetite, too.]

I'm glad you stayed, then. Who knows what kind of person could have found me? I'm glad it was you, Jim.

[And she flashes him a bright smile, completely genuine despite her worries.]

[Snerk. And don't worry, Kairi - Jim's not the jealous type, also contrary to some beliefs.]

You're welcome. [It's all he feels like he has to say - he can read the gratitude on her face - so he sends her a smile. Rolling up the paper from the straw, he flicks it in the air, making a low whistling sound as it falls. Entertainment can be found anywhere, did you know?]

[She giggles at that and follows suit, finding it a bit of a relief to be able to be a little playful. She's usually got a bit of responsibility on her shoulders... mostly looking out for her boys to make sure they don't do anything too dangerous.]

So. Tell me about this world. [Her voice is quiet, seeing as it's not really something she's supposed to be talking about, but seeing as he reacted fairly calmly about it earlier, she's guessing he's at least okay with the idea.] Just how big is it? Are there monsters that you have to fi-- [Oh. Right. Something just occurred to her that's... easily much more important than anything else.]

Um. Have there been any Heartless around? They're shadowy creatures that go around and steal peoples' hearts.

[Her curiosity makes him smile. He digs into his bag, yanking out an poorly folded map and a marker, splaying the map out on the table and marking a destination before turning the map right up in Kairi's direction.

Pointing to the marked area, he smiles.]

We're currently in a place called Virginia. It's a state in the U.S.A. [He gestures towards the continent with a finger twirl.] The U.S. has 50 states that makes it up - we're in one. Kinda like districts of a town. The rest of the world is made up of different continents.

[Then he points to Australia and smiles.] That is where I'm from.

[Kairi's next words puzzle him, but he shakes his head.] No, most people don't really have to fight against monsters. Although we have Duel Monsters, but that's a card game. [He grins.]

Heartless? Never heard of them, but they don't sound good. Stealing people's hearts, huh? But no, we don't have Heartless around here that I've noticed.

[She seems relieved that there aren't any Heartless, to the point that she breathes a heavy sigh as she leans back against the seat of the booth. Oh thank goodness. But then... why is she in this world? Huh.

Either way, she sits up and takes a look at the map, taking in his words. Though, when she sees the distance between where they are and where he's from, she looks thoroughly surprised for a moment before realizing, it's no different than her being as far from her home as she most likely is right now. So she nods as she listens.]

So like how Traverse Town is, but much bigger. [She murmurs that, mostly to herself to help her understand it better. But then...] Duel Monsters?

[Jim didn't catch what Kairi mumbled, but he seemed pleased as she looked over the map with a sharp, interested gaze.

But then he just full-out grins when she speaks again.] It's a game in my world, here. People are called Duelists who play, and they all have card decks with monsters, spells, traps, you name it, and they all battle each other. Most of the times it's just plain fun.

[But then there are times when the world is at stake, lives are at stake, and he can't hide the frown on his face as he absently wonders how Judai is doing.]

Also... [Then he's smiling again and he unclasps his deck from his belt and places it on the table, allowing her to pick it up if she wants.] There are schools dedicated to Dueling. Places were the game it taught. Back home... [He motions to the map.] I was the champion at my school.

[His tone is the voice of a man who isn't bragging, merely stating a fact.] Many of my friends are great duelists.

the fell asleep on meme!

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