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Fai was speechless. She knew that Kaphrao was beautiful, truly gorgeous, but seeing her in a delicate white satin dress, delicate high heels and surrounded by her family— Fai was no longer at the party, no longer surrounded by people, no longer anywhere but in front of Kaphrao, time suspended as she approached her.
The subtle make-up barely there, just there to highlight her bright eyes, high cheekbones, soft cheeks and even softer lips.
"Isn't she pretty?"
"Yes, she—" She blinked out of the stupor, train of thoughts interrupted as she remembered where she was. She cleared her throat, ignoring the teasing stares around her. "Doesn't look too bad."
She wasn't sure if she regretted those words, falling into their old dynamics was as easy as breathing, and she would be lying if she said she didn't like seeing Kaphrao holding her ground, but in a way she missed seeing Kaphrao being soft with her too.
Kaphrao huffed and glared at her. "Would it kill you to say something nice for once?" She crossed her arms.
By the corner of her eye, Fai saw Rose slap P'Din's shoulder. She ignored it. Too late to change course and too much fun to bicker with Kaphrao.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Fai pursed her lips, eyebrows raised. "I was taught that lying was bad."
Kaphrao huffed again. "You're insufferable."
"No more than you, guinea pig." She grinned mockingly, hiding her hands behind her back and leaning forward, getting in her face just to annoy her some more.
Kaphrao flicked her forhead, forcing her to step back. Fai yelped, rubbing the spot that had been hit. "No wonder you're still single, you buffalo Fai." Said with a frown. An adorable frown.
And before Fai could get another word in, Kaphrao turned and smiled at the rest, thanking them for the compliments. She spoke softly with them, smile never wavering, nodding along and chuckling, and Fai couldn't keep her eyes off her. She had never imagined Kaphrao would blend in so well with her family, not even in her wildest dreams. She only had P'Rose and P'Lada to thank for it, being so welcoming and protective of her without even knowing her; the amazing social butterflies they were. She swallowed as her heart beat out of rythm, fingers itching to reach forward.
"I'll go get something to eat." Kaphrao pointed at the long, clothed tables on the other side of the room.
Fai moved slightly, getting in her way and getting her to bump shoulders with her, earning another glare and a fist up in mock threat. Fai threw her tongue out as childish as she could as Kaphrao walked away.
Fai followed her with her eyes, staring at the way her hips swayed on those heels, dress fitting her perfectly from all angles.
A hand landed on her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. Nam smirked as she raised her eyebrows, Din stepping next to her on the other side. The both of them sported shit-eating grins that made Fai shiver and try to get out of their hold, wriggling around with no success whatsoever, only getting them to strengthen their hold.
"So, not too bad, huh?" Said P'Nam, P'Lada peaking out from behind her with as much a smirk as her.
"Pfft." Fai waved a dismissive hand. "Didn't want to be too mean, you know. Don't want to get scolded by your wives again."
Rose laughed. "You say that but you haven't stopped drooling since she stepped out."
A choked up noise escaped Fai's throat, making them all laugh. "No, I haven't!"
"Oh, come on." P'Din chuckled. "You can't stop looking at her."
"And being childish with her." P'Lada rolled her eyes. "But at least it seems like she keeps you on your toes. Didn't know you liked them feisty." She wiggled her eyebrows.
That just got more laughs out of all of them while Fai blushed and stammered excuses with an increasingly high voice.
Suddenly, some loud voices and laughs drifted through the space. It wouldn't have been anything if it weren't because one of them, quieter in nature, was Kaphrao's.
And sure enough, there was Kaphrao by one of the tables, small plate in hand, with that awkward face she made back when she was a kid and didn't know what to do in certain social situations, feeling small and out of place.
Fai sprung forth, ignoring the way the girls were calling her name and crossing the distance in swift strides, hastily reaching Kaphrao after stumbling with a few people on the way.
"Kaphrao." Kaphrao jumped, startled at the sudden intrusion. "What's taking you so long? We're waiting for you."
Fai felt an ounce of pride at the way Kaphrao's shoulders untensed, eyes finally focusing on someone other than the floor.
"Oh, I was just—"
"Do you mind?" A woman, one of the three that had been laughing out loud, sneered, looking her up and down like one would an insect passing by. "We're having a conversation here."
Fai stepped forward, instinctively keeping Kaphrao behind her, very aware of the way she didn't mutter a word in response. "And you are?" She raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms.
"We should be the ones asking you that." Another one said, flipping her hair back.
Fai let out a mirthless laugh. "Well, I asked you first."
A huff. "We're her friends back from school. Isn't that right, Kaphrao?"
Fai turned to look at her and she didn't need to hear a word to know how far from the truth that statement was. Her blood boiled.
"Come on," she grabbed Kaphrao's wrist, "let's go."
She pulled and Kaphrao followed, up until something, or rather, someone, stopped them.
"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
One of them had grabbed Kaphrao by her other arm and, by the pained face she was making, she wasn't being very gentle. Fai rushed to get that hand away from her.
"Don't touch her." She growled, getting Kaphrao behind herself again.
"Or what?"
She felt Kaphrao's hands on her waist, trying to pull her back and preventing her from stepping closer to those women.
"P'Fai." She pleaded, a whisper only she could hear.
She breathed in, regaining her composure. "Or I'll call security."
Nevermind how eager she was for her fist to connect with their faces, specially as their screeching laughs rang across again.
"What for? For reconnecting with an old friend?"
Before she could speak, P'Nam's calm voice drifted from behind. "For harassment, I assume."
P'Nam stepped in, P'Lada, P'Din and Boss Rose in tow. The three women's eyes widened.
"Khun Apo!" The loudest one breathed in. "Thank God you're here, this women won't leave us alone!" She said, probably trying to avoid blurting out the word 'peasants'.
Fai let out a shocked snort.
P'Nam hummed, ignoring them and focusing her attention on Kaphrao instead. "Khun Kaphrao, are you alright?"
Kaphrao cleared her throat, swallowing down the embarrassement of being the center of attention in such a situation. "I'm f—"
"Khun Kaphrao?" One of them interruped her again. Fai had the sudden urge to stomp on their feet. "Khun Apo, I'm afraid she has lied to you."
P'Nam raised her eyebrows but said nothing. P'Lada rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't know how she bypassed security," the woman continued, "but she isn't one of the guests. She isn't the daughter of any investor. In fact, she's an orphan." Said with a hand on her chest, feigned worry on knitted brows.
"She's here with me, you dimwit!" Fai yelled, fists closed and jaw tight. This time Kaphrao jumped to hug her from behind, forcing her to step back right before she could actually throw a punch in.
"Fai." P'Nam called. Fai relented, teeth bared still.
One of the women pointed at her. "And you're clearly violent towards us for no reason."
"No reason?" This time it was Boss Rose, finally speaking up. "I'd say the reason is clear enough."
The woman blinked, astonished.
P'Nam spoke again. "You have been harassing my baby sister and her guest." Her stern face contrasted to the women's sudden consternated gasps.
They started babbling some sort of apology, but P'Lada cut them short.
"And we don't condone harassing in the Watin group." Her voice turned somber as she regarded them with poorly-hidden anger. "We ask of you to leave our resort by yourselves, unless you prefer to be escorted out."
The women swallowed, glancing back at Kaphrao, as if asking for some help, calling her name with anxious laughs. She ignored them, though, and so they left.
Fai huffed and turned around. "What the hell was that?"
Kaphrao scratched the back of her neck. "Classmates back in highschool." But she didn't say anything else, not that she needed to.
"You could've just punched them the way you did me." Fai frowned. She ignored the way P'Din choked on her drink.
Kaphrao huffed too. "That was your own fault, you shouldn't have tried to sneak up on me like that." Fai clicked her tongue and waved a dismissive hand around. "And I didn't want to cause a scene."
Fai crossed her arms. "What use does a black belt have if you only ever use it with me?"
"The very useful thing of shutting you up." She retorted instantly.
Behind Kaphrao, the rest were moving their hands frantically, gesturing something. Fai squinted, trying to understand. Rose rolled her eyes and hugged P'Din in a dramatic manner, emphasizing every move.
Fai's eyes widened and she shook her head but, looking at Kaphrao, she changed her opinion pretty quick.
Kaphrao, frown in place, was hugging herself as her shoulders dropped, still making herself as small as possible. Her eyes dimmed in that way they did when feeling deeply upset, lips pursed to keep the emotions at bay.
Fai breathed in and, before she could think twice, opened her arms, head turned to the side to stare at a very interesting unused table.
"What are you doing?" Kaphrao asked, full of hesitation.
Fai didn't move. "Do you want a hug or not? I'm not offering it twice." She grumbled.
Kaphrao made a face and everyone held their breath. Unbeknownst to Fai, Kaphrao leaned it minutely before stepping back again.
"Are you sick?" She asked, attempting to get her hand on Fai's forehead.
She batted her away with an annoyed frown and blurted out. "Au! I don't even know why I bother to be kind!" P'Din and P'Nam got all wide eyed, gesturing frenetically. "You always think badly of me!"
Kaphrao jolted back at the outburst but was fast enough to grab Fai's hand before she had the time to leave in a blaze of anger. Fai tried to get her to drop her hand but her hold just got stronger.
"I don't think badly of you." She said with a soft voice and earnest eyes. She rubbed her thumb over Fai's knuckles in a soothing pattern.
That gave her pause and Kaphrao took the opportunity to pull her in, making her stumble into Kaphrao's arms with a yelp.
Kaphrao's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, hands splayed on her back as Fai stood still, as rigid as a steel plank.
"Thank you," Kaphrao muttered in her ear, "P'Fai."
And Fai could do nothing but melt. She got her arms up and around Kaphrao's shoulders, feeling the way Kaphrao nuzzled at the curve of her neck with a content hum. Fai sighed and closed her eyes.
Some snickering got her attention, finding some more teasing faces in front of them that got her frowning and moving her lips in silent threats while still holding Kaphrao close. All her bravado left her face, though, when she felt the ghost of a kiss on her skin, blood rushing to her cheeks as her mouth hung open and everything else faded away.
Kaphrao stepped away with a shy smile and Fai's eyes immediately got drawn towards those, now she knew, soft lips. Fai swallowed.
"I think I'll go back, now." Kaphrao announced to all of them, recieving nods and smiles alike and even a couple hugs from Boss Rose and P'Lada. She started walking away before stopping and turning back, looking intently at Fai. "P'Fai, are you coming?"
"Huh?" She stammered dumbly.
By her side, P'Din threw her thumbs up at her, wiggling her eyebrows.
Kaphrao, shyness from mere moments before all gone as if it had never been there, pursed her lips, hesitating only for a split second before breaking into her brightest toothy smile, making Fai smile back, a surprised and pleased smile in equal measure. That smile faded real quick when she saw Kaphrao making a 'come here' gesture with her finger.
Fai stumbled forward, ignoring the laughs she was leaving behind, and followed Kaphrao as she turned and started walking again towards the doors.
Safe to say, Fai wasn't their strongest soldier.