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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:35 pm
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As soon as she heard the bell go off, Xiu began to greet who she assumed was a customer, only to freeze at that familiar nickname. Even if she didn't immediately recognize that voice, there was literally only one person who had ever called her "wingnut".
The smile on her face fell slightly, but then she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Okay, so she wasn't particularly fond of the nightmare demon...but she had promised herself to treat everyone who walked through those doors with courtesy (unless provoked otherwise, anyways) and so she would see through to that. It took her a moment, but the pleasant smile was back on her face when she stepped out from behind the counter.
"Well, didn't think I'd see you drop by," she laughed, her smile a little wry, "But welcome to Shifting Blossoms, Titus. Feel free to take a seat."
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:46 am
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:35 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:31 pm
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Ah yes, there was the Titus that she knew and... had called an asshat. Xiu narrowed her eyes at his words and instinctively lifted a leg, verging on kicking him in the back of his knees in retaliation for the insult. But when he apologized, oh man, the ghoul nearly lost her balance in her surprise. Titus? ...Saying sorry to her for saying something rude?
"I'll...pretend it never happened," she sighed, setting a hand on her hip. Although she was clearly hesitant to oblige due to past encounters, the baku gave a little nod. Who knows, maybe he had changed since the last time they had encountered one another? He still called her "Wingnut", but at least he seemed a little less snarky than he had been previously.
...For now, anyways.
"I'll have to talk to Gene--my friend and business partner--before actually doing any hiring, but if you're really serious about it...I guess we could talk." She gestured towards one of the tables to indicate that he should sit down and wait for her, sweeping into the kitchen and returning moments later with a teapot and two teacups. If they were going to talk, it would be over tea.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 8:13 pm
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Xiu tried not to giggle when she came out and saw Titus, but a quiet one may have escaped her lips. He looked so cramped that she almost felt sorry for him, but she did mentally take note of this to tell Gene later on. Maybe they should get some different tables and chairs in case of larger or taller customers? That was something they could look into.
But until then, there was just the here and now. Setting everything down on the table, she filled both cups and gently set one down in front of the boil before sitting down across from him.
"Gene was a friend from school and is a fellow alumni," she explained, hands in her lap, "We both wanted to open up a cafe after graduation, so we decided to open one together. This is the result." It was a quaint little place, but honestly, Xiu couldn't ask for more--she was so pleased with how everything had turned out, from the ambiance of the place to the fact that it was located so close to the school.
"And how have you been? Don't think I've seen you...well, since I called you an asshat, so two years now?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:09 pm
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Tilting her head, Xiu blinked at the boil curiously. He seemed...tense? Or at least, not as comfortable as she would have assumed. Then again, that was just one of many changes she had noticed in him thus far, and while a part of her was on guard, the other part of her was confused and curious. She took a sip of her tea before letting out a little hum.
"'Interesting', huh?" she echoed, smiling wryly, "That awfully vague, but from my experience, saying that things have been 'interesting' is never good." At least, that's was her default response when people asked her about a particularly traumatizing past event.
She arched a brow at the nickname that slipped out but nodded. "A group of us all graduated around the same time, so I've been out of school for a while. How about you?" Xiu asked, genuinely curious, "How has school been lately? I actually dropped by recently but was caught up in something rather...interesting as a result." She recognized the irony of using the same word as he had, but she couldn't help it.
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:31 am
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Xiu squinted at both his expression and his answer about how school was. Not only was that a vague answer, but his face seemed to imply otherwise. She considered prodding him for more information, but decided against it--at least for the time being. She considered the possibility that something personal had happened. Perhaps she'd find a way to encourage him to tell her on his own rather than have to pry for the information.
"A little," she admitted, shifting in her seat, "I was surprised to see you, but even more so when you mentioned whether or not we were hiring. I didn't think you the cafe sort of guy." There was no taunting or teasing in her words, rather there was genuine curiosity. Xiu supposed you'd take whatever job you'd find if you really, really needed one, but still.
She gestured to his untouched tea, indicating that he should relax and take a sip. It was true that she was gauging him right now before she talked to Gene, but it was meant to be a casual chat and she hardly wanted him to spend it completely tense and uncomfortable.
His passiveness was still totally weirding her out though--and it worried her a little. She was almost hoping he'd say something mean again.
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:30 pm
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This time, rather than glower at him for his slip-up, Xiu simply laughed. He had to backpedal so many times that she was genuinely starting to feel bad for him, though she certainly would not say so aloud. Still, she could hardly judge him for thinking that about cafes--after all, her own opinions on his...family business wasn't the best either. The only reason she wasn't completely disapproving of such a background was because she had met Shun early on in her Amity years.
"We don't have the best history," Xiu was quick to agree with a wry smile, "But I'll admit that I'm not above trying to work things out despite that. You seem to have...changed," She said this hesitantly, her voice careful, "And I'm not sure what prompted that, but if you're really serious about this job then I'm not about to turn you away without giving you a chance."
"Of course, a large part of whether you get hired is how Gene feels, but she's not here right now unfortunately. Still...since you mentioned latte art, up for a little test?" She had already risen from her seat, nodding towards the large latte machine behind the counter.
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