italy ♔ a promise lives within you now

[romanticidal]

♬ mia per sempre - josh groban

WHO || Rafael, Buffy [Closed]
WHAT || After months apart, Rafael and Buffy celebrate the end of his tour with a private trip to Italy
WHERE || Italy
WHEN || /truck drives by, blaring horn
HOW || Actionspam.

It hasn't been an easy few months, but then again, it hasn't been an easy few years. Following the night of the Grammy's, Rafael's returned to his tour, aspiring to use his concerts as a chance to try and warn people of the dangers inherent in listening to Blade and company's music, even at the risk of looking like a crazy person. It wouldn't be the first time the world thought it, alright. Meanwhile, Buffy's been dealing with the fallout of what the Mind Master did to Finnick, and by extension, Myri, trying to be there for her friend in every way she can.  It would be easier for both of them if they had each other to lean on through it all, but they had to rely instead on numerous phone calls and memories of one night that finally offered them both some hope just when everything had started to seem more impossible than ever.

They also had the promise of this to look forward to: a planned trip to Italy that Rafael insisted be just the two of them, once he was finally free again.  He's arranged to meet her at the Galileo Galilei International Airport in Pisa, and when she gets out, there's some Italian chauffeur guys holding a sign that says "Summers".  

Comments

[slay]

[ Buffy flusters comically, briefly gaping like a fish as she shovels food onto Pietro's plate for him as a distraction from it. It gives her time to compose herself and she reflects, ] You know, I think public humiliation counts double when it's in a language you don't understand.

[ She points towards him with the serving utensil like yeah that was uncalled for and stupidly charming just like you're being right now you little bastard. ] And you should really revise your policy for handling crazy American fangirls.

[elfiest]

Especially now that he has so many of them. What was that he was saying about his ego? [ she points her spoon at rafael, cautioning buffy teasingly: ] You must be careful with this one.

[slay]

Oh yeah?

[ She looks from Nell to Rafael like oh look I made a friend who's going to embarrass you now. How nice. Attention back to Nell, she raises her eyebrows. ]

Sounds like there's a wealth of embarrassing stories waiting to come out of that statement.

[romanticidal]

I bring her here and already they are ganging up on me, do you see this? [ he feigns being wounded to giorgio, and nell suppresses a laugh behind her hand, as the kids catch the giggles. raf turns to giulia, shaking his head ] Can you believe this? [ she shakes her head, grinning around a wide mouthful of pasta ]

[slay]

You mean this getaway thing wasn't to give me more ammunition? [ Her expression is too sarcastic to truly feign surprise. ] I don't want to be the one to break this to you. [ She gets a forkful of pasta, ] But you may have made a terrible mistake.

1/2

[viticulturist]

[ giorgio chuckles, finishing up a hearty forkful ] I like her. She can stay.

[romanticidal]

I think I am the one who will be leaving, at this rate. [ he pretends to pout, and giulia shrieks 'no!' amid more giggles and clutches his arm, pressing her face to it. ] No, no, I see how it is...

[slay]

We're just taking preemptive measures to make sure Nellethiel doesn't have to get an extra chair out for your ego. [ She says it in a placating way, smiling all the while. Glancing away from Rafael, she lights up slightly, looking at Giorgio, then over at Nell. ~They like me.~ She looks more at ease with that, smiling around a bite of pasta. ]

[elfiest]

See? He is already playing the diva. [ she clucks her tongue once slightly, shaking her head ] We will have to take him down a peg.

[slay]

Out of control, really. All that touring and screaming fans.

[ She looks back at Rafael, fond as she declares, ] We might just have to convince you to take some real time off. Bring you back down to Earth before Burt Becksworth starts with the pony shows again.

[viticulturist]

What in the world is a Burt Becksworth? That sounds horrible. [ he winks at pietro who snickers, and even rafael laughs at that. ] I think the only pony shows he needs are the ones waiting to see him out back.

[ giulia sits up straight, bouncing in her seat, and asking something excitedly in italian. ] Well si, Giuli, he would not come all this way and not go see them. After dinner.

[slay]

An illness. [ Buffy concludes without any love. Burt needs a punch in the face yet. But she looks between the hasty and only half-understood exchange between Giorgio and his daughter with a sudden, confused blink. ] Uh ... Horses? [ Ollies out a window before someone asks if she knows how to ride one. ]

[elfiest]

Rafael's horses. He'd asked us to lodge them when he first went to America. Luckily so. [ she affords rafael a tender, sympathetic smile ] The youngest is quite big now.

[slay]

So they weren't at your house when—? [ She perks up, looking to Rafael. Relief colors her expression. SMALL VICTORIES, OK. Finnick may be catatonic, Thomas and Luthir and Jade might be dead, but the horses are fine. She settles, then looks over at Pietro and Giulia. ] That's gotta be living the dream for you guys. Are your mom and dad teaching you how to ride?

1/2

[elfiest]

[ pietro nods, but says solemnly with some effort of remembering words: "Giuli is too small still." nell delicately finishes her bite and adds: ] Some day, though. Pietro likes to ride with his father.

[romanticidal]

What do you think, carina? Can I twist your arm into going riding tonight?

[slay]

You just want to see me fall on my butt so you can get back at me for plotting against you.

[ The accusation lies there in the place of her uncertainty. Of course, it's Rafael asking, so uncertainty doesn't last long in the face of. Well. We all know what. ] ... Maybe. A strongly phrased maybe.

[romanticidal]

[ he grins widely, hanging his arm over the back of giulia's chair, visibly relaxed ] I will take a maybe. [ he sounds smug and imminently pleased all at the same time ]

[slay]

Yeah, keep smiling. If I get kicked off a horse, you're the one who's gonna have to hear about it forever.

[elfiest]

[ giulia peers over at buffy when she says that, mulling over her word choice, and finally finds her words, speaking slowly in her adorable bb voice, looking between her and rafael and asking innocently: "Forever? Does that mean you are going to get married?"

nell's eyes widen a bit, and giorgio lets out a delighted laugh, even as his wife leans over to whisper something to the little girl in elvish. she frowns, says: "But Mama..." and nell puts a finger to her lips, running a hand through the little girl's blonde hair affectionately. ] It is not nice to ask such things, ma vhenan.

[ rafael's eyebrows shoot up and the smugness vanishes as he glances over at buffy, mouth falling open to say something but he

lost all his words lmao kids ]

[slay]

[ While Giulia mulls it over, Buffy takes a drink—which she nearly spits out when the question leaves that blessed child's mouth. She chokes while Nell chides her daughter, but recovers enough to set the glass down and draw a breath to collect herself with one hand pressed to her chest. ]

I — No. [ Surprisingly articulate due to an advantageous dice roll, Buffy lays down the facts clearly. ] Very big no, we're — We're not getting married. But Rafael and I are friends. [ Super convincing, as she looks to him for some kind of ?? confirmation ?? ? ? The wording is carefully neutral and present tense, careful not to exclude something beyond that and yet not making assumptions. Without waiting for him to jump in, Buffy soldiers on through it and looks back at Giulia to patiently explain. ] Don't you have friends you hope you keep for your whole life?

1/2

[elfiest]

[ the little girl frowns, as if thinking on that question far too hard, but then pronounces decisively: "If I was a beautiful lady, I would marry Rafael." she looks up at him with a little smile, and nell tries not to laugh, as she chastises: ] You would be lucky if he would take you, with so few manners.

[romanticidal]

[ giulia's adorable comment saves rafael from having to comment one way or another on what buffy said, so he just shifts his attention down to her, leaning over conspiratorially to say: ] You are the most beautiful lady I know. But alas, I am married to the stage already.

[slay]

It's true. [ Thinking about her all day and on her most nights. Badum tish. Instead of making sex jokes, Buffy opts for the more kid-friendly, ] He cries like a baby every time we try and tear him away.

[viticulturist]

Looks like you're out of lucky, preziosa.

[ he chuckles and then tries to move the conversation elsewhere for both their sakes. ] So, Buffy, what can you tell us about yourself?