[PRP] You've got to be kidding [Titus/Xiu]

[Inu-Mitsu]

She had laughed. Titus wasn't sure if he should take that as a promising sign or not. At least she hadn't kicked him, he was a little vulnerable in his current position crouched at the table.

He looked away at the mention of him changing. A lot of things had happened to prompt said change and he was afraid she would pry. It was by luck that it didn't happen and instead she surprised him when she said she wasn't above giving him a chance. The second hurtle in the equation seemed to rest on Gene and Titus could only hope he hadn't crossed them at some point or another.

"Test? Yeah, I can do that." He nodded as he rose from his seat a bit awkwardly, stretching once he reached his full height. "Is there anything particular you want me to make?"

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

She'd be lying if she claimed that she was not even the slightest bit curious about what prompted this change in the boil, but seeing him glance away when she mentioned it was enough to make her push aside the urge to ask him. It was probably something personal, and she hardly had a right to pry about that--not that it usually stopped her with people she was close to and worried about, but still.

"Nothing in particular," Xiu chirped, moving behind the counter and grabbing a cup from the stack, "I guess just make a few and show me what you've got."

She offered him an encouraging smile, but truth to be told, she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Just by looking at him, Xiu never would have expected the boil to be someone working in a cafe making lattes...but to fair, it wasn't like she knew anything about him beyond those few, less-than-friendly encounters they had had with one another a few years back. For all she knew, he could have been a cooking or musical genius and she never would have known.

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Following the ghoul behind the counter Titus looked the machine over. He hated the latte machine at the other cafe. There was something to making the coffee by hand but at least he knew enough to figure out how to work it without asking. "Alright, I'll make three then."

He took the cup she had grabbed from the stack and got to work. His motions at least seemed practiced and there was a bit more confidence in what he was doing than he had displayed in their previous conversation. It didn't take him long to fill the bottom of the cup with a light brew working in silence as he added the cream to top it off, leaving a wavy pattern of white through the latte. Grabbing a coffee stirrer, since that was what he was used to using, he went to work making leaves and swirled designs along to top of the first cup. It was simple but a common pattern that seemed to be popular.

The next cup sported a similar simple design of a spiderweb made of chocolate and cream with an added spider in the top corner but the last cup Titus took his time on. He had gotten much faster at the more complicated designs because having people complain about cold coffee was irritating when they didn't consider the time it took to make. His hand motions were deliberate and careful and when he was done he set the cup down in front of the baku and turned it so that she could see the little bleeding heart foxfire that was staring up from the depths of the cup. Cats, for whatever reason, were very popular at the maid cafe. Somehow Titus felt Riyo was to blame, but he knew cute often won out over what he deemed as cool but he was more than done with drawing cats. At least this was still cute.

"So..." He almost sounded anxious. "What do you think?"  

[Kaiyumi]

In light of how she herself felt about people watching her work, Xiu tried to keep an eye on him while simultaneously reminding herself not to hover. She didn't mind when people were in her kitchen and watching her make or decorate her cakes, but it was when they were practically standing flush against her back and peering over her shoulder that made her uncomfortable, so she tried to avoid doing the same to Titus here.

Except, you know, that "looking over his shoulder" thing was kind of improbable. She probably could have pulled over a chair if she had really wanted to though.

Still, she had to admit that she was pretty impressed by what she saw. She wasn't sure how his coffee brew itself was--honestly, that part was all on Gene as she knew very little about coffee--but the little images that the nightmare demon made were surprisingly delicate and detailed. Xiu waited until he had finished his final one and turned to her before giving him her opinion.

"Your amazing!" she chirped unabashedly, beaming up at him with a smile, "I never knew you had such a talent with this kind of stuff, Titus. Did you practice a lot?"

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Despite how often he heard the praise over his work it was still hard to believe. His father had lead him to believe that this sort of skill was pointless and no one would like it. He had given up drawing for the longest time because of it and there was still a part of him that wanted to recoil and sneer and call the baku a liar. Fighting back that urge was difficult, like swallowing a large pill with no water.

It was only after a few silent seconds ticked by that he realized he hadn't answered the baku's question and responded with a shrug before letting a grin touch his lips. "Maybe I'm just that awesome."

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Her own smile grew a little at his response, somewhat relieved that he hadn't answered in an overly polite or stiff manner. She would have not only found that to be completely uncharacteristic, but a little...creepy and troubling as well. "Aren't you the modest one," she teased, pulling out her phone, "But then again, I suppose I can't blame you if you have the skill to make things like this. I'm going to snap a few pictures to share with Gene when I see her next."

But really, who would have thought that the nightmare demon had a hidden talent for this kind of thing? She would have guessed him to be good at fighting or sleuthing just based off of Shun's own skillset, but she supposed that this was just a good reminder that everyone was different. Putting away her phone once she had her pictures, she peered up at him thoughtfully.

"I probably should have asked this sooner but...have you actually ever met Gene before? Doppleganger ghoul?"

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

"Modesty is for those who can't put on a show and keep it going." Titus said bluntly and he said it with such conviction it was likely something he had familiarized himself with. You never played the humble card because it gave way to weakness and left an opening for people to walk all over you.

He waited patiently while the baku snapped a few pictures thinking over her question about Gene. "Doppleganger?" The name itself didn't sound familiar but the species helped narrow it down, just not enough that he could actually dredge up a face to associate with anything. "Don't think so," Titus shook his head. "But I hardly put anyone to memory unless I have to." Brutal honesty, it was an admirable quality in some but left a lot to be desired from Titus. "Are they the type to hold a grudge because if we have met this might go south really fast."

Kaiyumi

I honestly cant remember if Titus has met Gene I am...so out of it right now so if he has I will be just as surprised as he is LOL

 

[Kaiyumi]

"I suppose that's one way of thinking about it," Xiu mused, accepting the answer without much fuss. It seemed like Titus either hadn't ever met Gene or just didn't remember, though if it was the latter...she too hoped that he hadn't done or said anything to offend the ghoul.

"Well uh," she started hesitantly, "Gene is really sweet, but she might be the type to hold a grudge if you did something really bad." She couldn't help but wonder what Titus' ratio of people offended to people who tolerated or liked him were. In light of his current disposition, Xiu was finding her opinion of him to shift over to friendly tolerance rather than blatant dislike, but then again...he had never done anything particularly bad to her aside from calling her dumb things.

She had no idea if he had done worse to others though.

Xiu held her hands up in an effort to reassure him. "Don't worry, I'll talk to Gene. And if you haven't met before, then you'll just have to do well at the interview and show off your talents, and I'm sure things will be fine. I'm pretty confident in your ability for the talent bit especially." She glanced down pointedly at the drinks again. Gosh, those were cute.

Inu-Mitsu

IT'S OKAY I rarely remember brief meetings too OTL

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus wasn't sure what constituted as really bad. Mostly he was all talk with maybe a little dream manipulation in the mix. He wasn't one to go around beating people for things, mostly because that took energy he really didn't have.

"Oh good, I'll just keep my fingers crossed your friend is deaf and that my talents will sell themselves." He made a small grumble of a noise knowing full well he wouldn't be able to keep himself in check no matter how hard he tried. Something would slip, it was bound to happen. Maybe this was a waste of time but he had to try something. He had to make money somehow.

"Should I leave my number or...fill out one of those soul sucking pieces of paper with my job history and the like?" Not that his job history was long nor were his references.

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

"Just watch what you say or I might eat your wings," she warned, though the light tone of voice indicated that she was just kidding. She probably would have reached up to tweak his ear had he not been so ridiculously tall either, so she settled for just propping her hands up on her hips and staring up at him with a look.

Procuring a pen and a notebook from within her obi, Xiu flipped to a new pages and then held them both out to the boil. "That 'soul sucking piece of paper' can wait! Just write down your number and I'll give you a call whenever I speak to Gene about this, hopefully with an offer for an interview."

She had a feeling it would definitely be a...very interesting interview though, especially if the doppleganger was at all familiar with Titus. Only time would tell.

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus opened his mouth and then closed it only to promptly open it again trying to let the baku's mild or not so mild threat sink in. Then the absurdness of the idea hit him and he let out a snort. "Right, I'd like to see you try it, Wingnut." He gave her 'look' a wolfish grin as a silent retort though said nothing about actually watching what he would say. Really, he had no idea if her threat was even possible but it sounded a little out there.

When presented with the pen and paper his hands reached out for the items, letting the grin slip away as she explained the process. "Wait it is then." He wrote out his number in an even script and handed the pad and pen back wondering if he would really get a call. "Try to downplay the asshat parts, if you can."

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Xiu inflated her cheeks. "Excuse you, my name is Xiu, not Wingnut!" That was deeeefinitely something they would have to work on if he was hired. As it was though, she was less irritated by it now than she had been in the past. Maybe she had matured a little...or maybe he had, and that was why she didn't seem to sense the same smugness that he had possessed in the past.

"I'll try," she promised, lips curling into a good-natured grin, "But I can't let Gene be too caught off guard, you know? Gotta find that balance between not making you seem like a huge jerk while not straying too far from the truth."

Taking the pen and pad back, she gave the number a quick scan before nodding. "Great! Thanks so much for dropping by. We'll definitely let you know within the next week or so."

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Xiu! Ah ha! He finally had a name. Now if he remembered it, that would be another thing entirely. At least now he could play off like he hadn't completely forgotten the baku's name. "But I think Wingnut is much more fitting than Xiu." Best to repeat it to set it to memory.

His lip drew into a small sneer that threatened to turn into a cheeky grin with her words. "Just tell them to approach me with rose tinted glasses. That way the red flags just look like normal flags at that point."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets once the pad of paper and pen had been returned taking Xiu's words as an end to this interaction. "Alright. Just don't throw out my number alright?" He had seen an application or two throw in the trash before he had even left the building. Not that he expected Xiu to throw his information away, at least not in front of him, but he wasn't completely sure. He couldn't help the small anxiety that started to well up just thinking about it and before he reverted to the nervous boil that had walked in the door he turned to make his exit.

Pausing just before he left Titus gave the cafe one last look over before he glanced back at Xiu. It really was a nice little cafe but as he opened his mouth to say as such disappointment was the only thing to come tumbling out. "Well, at least the place isn't ugly." He wanted to groan again, and he opened his mouth to try to correct his mistake but thought better of it. Likely he would only dig himself a deeper hole. Hopefully Xiu would understand he was trying to pay a compliment in his own way.

Kaiyumi

Titus is such a train wreck hahaha

 

[Kaiyumi]

"I'll be...safe in my description," she said with a wave of her hand, "And don't worry, I'll make sure to tuck your number away for safekeeping! I might have to call you up to show Gene your latte art tricks in person too, so expect that juuuust in case." Sure, she had pictures, but seeing was believing. She would have demanded to see him make these in person too if she and her business partner had swapped roles that day.

His "compliment" earned a blank stare that was followed with the sound of Xiu lightly smacking her face with the palm of her hand. "Well," she murmured, sliding her hand down, "I suppose you're technically saying that it looks good, albeit in a roundabout way so...thank you." Lips twitching, she gave a shake of her head.

"I guess you're not so terrible yourself. Don't get into trouble now, okay?"

Inu-Mitsu

Sorry for late tag /cries

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus rubbed at the back of his neck when Xiu smacked her face with her palm but she had taken it better than expected. "Yeah, good. Saying it looks good works too I guess." Never mind that it was the more appropriate way to say it.

He looked away when she told him to stay out of trouble, knowing that would be hard considering he had already been in trouble and hadn't quite dug himself out of it yet. "Uh, yeah I'll do that." He avoided eye contact after that and gave the ghoul a casual wave as he left. "Later, Wingnut." Using Xiu felt too awkward just yet, he would have to work up to that.

[quote="Kaiyumi]I would say that's probably a wrap for Titus but yay thank you for rping with me *A*