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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:54 am
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"Just some water would do, thank you," she nodded, lining up the bags on the floor before settling down at a window seat. She had barely begun to stretch out her legs when Xiu's question caused her to freeze.
"It's, uh, the one year anniversary of our business partnership," she made clear to emphasize on that point, "And also a birthday." The frost demon didn't specify whose, but it was clear enough.
Letting out a nervous laugh, she continued, "You know, he really does think highly of your cakes. If only you know how picky he is." She drummed her fingers on the table absentmindedly, staring at Xiu with a :> smile.
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:20 am
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Xiu poured out a glass of water and brought it over to the ghoul, trying to keep her expression as natural as she possibly could. "Oh, that's sweet! I didn't know that business anniversaries were usually celebrated," she chirped, though the reality of the matter was that she was well aware that that was a semi-common thing thanks to her own family's business, "But goodness, I wish I had known about the birthday bit sooner."
That second part wasn't a lie--the baku's brows creased a little at the news, immediately regretting having not prepared some kind of present ahead of time. She knew that it wouldn't have been expected of her, but she certainly would have wanted to offer some sort of special gift anyways.
"I really am flattered that he likes my cakes so much," Xiu smiled, ducking her head down in embarrassment. Shaking it away, she took a little breath and then continued on, "But wow, the way you say that makes me think that you've known one another for more than a year if you've become so familiar with his pickiness!"
:3c
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:56 am
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"Oh, he prefers to keep it a quiet affair," she replied a little too quickly, before realising the implications of what it meant that she was privy to it. "I-I will happily relay the well wishes though," she stuttered, all while trying to laugh it off unsuccessfully.
"Well I do work with him," she reasoned, sounding a little nonchalant, "His pickiness extends to everything, believe me..." She gestured to the multiple bags on the floor. "And this is me hoping that he'd like at least something amongst these..."
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:03 am
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Xiu tried not to grin. Ivar liked to keep his birthdays as a quiet affair, huh? And yet Edel was given the privilege of spending it with him. Even if she hadn't spoken to the man earlier that day, if anything would have made her wonder all the more about their relationship, it would have been this little revelation.
"I'm sure that you've picked well," she assured the ghoul with a warm smile, "I think it's mostly the sentiment that counts. So long as it's something from you, I'm certain that he'd be happy." She made sure that it was a subtle enough comment, head tilted and eyes wide with innocence as she said it. Xiu was trying to take great care to keep her promise and not actually divulge what she had learned while trying to figure out Edel's own feelings on the matter.
...Not that it was exactly her business, but well.
"It seems you put so much thought into each of the gifts," she added, honestly impressed by the sheer number, "You must have taken your time to pick them all out!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:49 am
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She had gotten Xiu's drift by now, and the ghoul was reduced to biting down on her lip to force back a blush that was slowly, but surely creeping up on her face. It was hard to deny that she was devoid of any affections for the man himself, but that... wasn't the main issue.
"Xiu I...just don't know," she began, looking down at her drink as she fidgeted with her hands. "I think I'd make a terrible wife," she laughed despite herself, "I can't even physically make his cup of morning coffee, much less cook." Those were words said in jest, but they weren't any less true. Edel's expression morphed into something more sombre.
"But truth be told, I-" she sighed, disrupting her sentence.
"I still wake up from nightmares of the past," she admitted woefully, "They come from time to time, and I'm not sure if they will ever stop." She continued to fidget with her hands, casting away the thought of ever being able to share a bed with someone. Much less someone she 'd care for - who'd have to wake up to her screaming and crying on particularly bad nights.
"And with all this going on," she raised her hand with indirect reference to the ring that was on it, "I don't want to drag anyone else into this mess, or that mess, in the grander scheme of things."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He doesn't know, and I don't think I want him to...."
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Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 6:02 pm
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Xiu spotted the gradually forming blush, but any hint of amusement or glee over the ghoul's involuntary response was immediately washed away by the words and concerns that followed. Smile fading, the baku's expression softened and she bit down on her bottom lip, immediately feeling bad for all her not-so-subtle implications. She should have known that Edel had her own reasons for being hesitant about getting into a relationship, potentially mutual feelings or not.
"Sorry, Edel. I shouldn't have--" she shook her head and then continued, "I mean, if it was just about the 'being a wife' thing, then I'd say that it doesn't matter at all. You don't have to be able to do those things, and if you wanted to, it wouldn't be hard to learn. But the other bit..."
After their time at Amityville, Xiu could hardly fault anyone for not wanting to drag loved ones into the conflict. It was why she never told her uncle everything else, going only to one of her friends if she was in need of a confidant about a recent dangerous event.
"I can understand why you wouldn't want him to know about this--any of this," she said, gently taking the glass from her friend so that she could grasp her hand with both of hers instead, "But my personal opinion is that there's no reason for you to have to suffer over all this on your own. Maybe having another person there to support you will help lighten your load...and honestly, I think that he may be a little hurt that you're keeping things from him, even if it is to protect him."
Actually, the last bit was less of a "I think" and more of an "I know" after her most recent chat with the man, but she didn't think she needed to mention that.
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Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:33 pm
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The ghoul remained silent as she took in her friend's words. It wasn't a solution to the problem, but it gave her something to think about. It was quite a dilemma between being honest and protecting the other in a relationship of that nature...
"It's just that I'd hate to disrupt that normalcy," she sighed, "Because I wonder sometimes too, what it'd be like to have remained blissfully ignorant."
She looked up to the baku and smiled weakly. "Well, what I meant was that I'd be condemning the poor man to a life of cold meals," she tried to lighten the mood, "That said, he is a much better cook that I am."
Suffice to say, she was currently being well taken care of.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 7:59 pm
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"I think we've all wondered the same thing at least once in our lives," Xiu admittedly quietly, thinking back to those moments where she had wished that she could just be ignorant, "But we just have to made do with our situations and use what we know to protect those who are in the dark."
"And a cold meal isn't anything a microwave can't fix," she laughed, matching Edel's small smile with a brighter one of her own. "And you know that I'm always willing to give you some lessons or tips if you ever need them! I mean, you know where I work and you have my number--if you need any help at all, you know where to find me!"
She tried to lighten the mood as best as she could, that cheery countenance returning to the baku's expression. Holding up her pointer finger in a signal to wait, Xiu disappeared into the back and then returned shortly after balancing a number of cake boxes. Carefully setting them down on an empty table, she motioned towards them.
"And right, the reason you came here! Cakes! Take a peek and take your pick from all of them. I saved ones that I thought would go best paired with wines, so...!"
Zyphiris I'm sry for my post I'm half asleep so I don't think things make sense
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2015 2:12 am
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