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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:35 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:14 pm
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While Luke would be found easily sporting high spirits, and with good reason, Dove was fighting just to stay afloat in the mess she had created. Her text, thankfully, hadn't sounded as desperate as she might have found herself now-- the end of the year was drawing closer, and with it, a deadline she had only imagined in her nightmares. One she hadn't spoken of with the one person that needed to hear it most, the one she couldn't bring herself to open up to now.
The meeting she had helped arranged gave her a slight glimmer of hope, though, of course, she couldn't say she knew Luke's situation well. She knew he was of higher birth... some form of aristocracy in Grande Ile, a politician's son. That much she remembered from Asch's letter. From what she could tell, however, his relationship with home was strained, and though she couldn't imagine it could be the same caliber as the tension she held with her family, she didn't want to downplay it either. The chance that he would be able to relate and offer any advice at all, however, was what had her on her feet, quickly making her way into the cafe shortly after he arrived, with her ever faithful companion, Lovey, tucked in her arms, more for comfort than anything.
The woman who had once prioritized looking her best on every occasion, was dressed much more simply today. Her hair lay braided over her shoulder in a long, loose plait, a contrast with the simple white sweater and scarf she wore, her coat left hung open until she let the eevee down into a chair and slipped it off, laying it neatly across the back of the chair across from the one Luke had chosen to hang his scarf on.
A bit awkward, as every other encounter she had elected to participate in with Luke had gone terribly wrong and had left him clearly much more distressed than when he arrived, the woman offered a smile as she again scooped the eevee up into her arms. "Hey...Thanks for meeting with me, Luke." She tilted her head a little. "You're...looking great." He definitely seemed happy... much happier than she had seen him in quite a while.
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:29 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:43 pm
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She only looked at him as he talked, entranced by his good mood and lighthearted comments. His returning question was enough to draw her out of her thoughts, however, and she offered a somewhat apologetic smile; he was so happy, and she didn't want to bring it down with her troubles. To not even speak of them, however, would completely offset the entire reason for their meeting, however, and though she resolved herself not to forget her reasoning, she commented further on his well being. "Well... Hopefully you won't be needing to hit anyone any time soon. And I'm sure Mieu could handle it, right?" she offered, keeping her smile in place. Instead of answering his question immediately after, she looked toward the familiar barista. "Do you want anything? I think I'm going to get some tea to warm up..."
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:57 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:07 pm
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A laugh? An almost confused look passed through her gaze, though she shook it quickly and offered a slight laugh of her own. "That can't be a bad thing," she smiled, setting Lovey down and stepping back to head toward the counter after he politely declined her offer. "I'll be right back, if you're sure."
After a short visit to the counter, the woman would return with a steaming cup of boiled water, and a mix of passionflower and chamomile tea leaves. Setting it down carefully on the table before she took her seat, she looked over to him. "Sorry... I'm... literally running on this stuff these days," she apologized, referring to her drink. Though most would seek tea for a caffeinated kick, Dove currently relied on it to keep her calm, and given the nature of her planned questions, she was sure she would need it just as much as she had needed it the past few weeks.
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:24 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:35 pm
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Carefully, she lowered the tea into the cup and covered the top, waiting for it to steep. Nodding at what he had to say, as she absolutely could not deny that he, out of anyone she knew, deserved the right to say he had 'been there', she looked across to him, unsure of where to start. "Yeah, Alcohol isn't really one of my better options..." Though, of course, she hadn't completely ruled it out. Everyone else seemed to be back on their feet, at least, and she wasn't so much needed as she had been in the past few weeks, but the idea of allowing herself any time to drift away from responsibility still seemed a horrible idea.
Contemplating her answer, her gaze grew a little distant. "You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, but... your family is... technically high ranking, right? In politics, I mean..." Her expression was apologetic and timid, much more so than it had been when she had walked in. "I'm sorry, I know that's an awful question, but I thought you might be able to give me some advice on some things...I don't know how things work in Grande Ile, though, aside from what I saw in Yuri's trial, and that...wasn't much."
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:42 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:47 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:57 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:59 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:02 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:09 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:24 pm
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