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 Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:48 am
 Watching them all was terribly agitating. To the left, a group of girls all gossiping over who was hooking up with who and what fashion was more popular than the others. To the right was some book club that had only spent five minutes discussing their book before going off on some indulgent tangent. And behind him, right behind him was a pair of business men, blabbering on about nonsense, nothing related to business at all!
Why had the coffee shop become so suddenly popular? It was packed to the brim, every table crowded beyond maximum capacity and the only seat that wasn't currently occupied was the one right across from Caelius. Of course, it had been occupied a few times, but each unsuspecting fox soon decided that standing was much more preferable to dealing with his less than friendly personality. With a quiet grumble, he closed his eyes and took a sip of his coffee, trying fruitlessly to ignore the chaos around him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:59 pm
 Juliette wasn't normally one for crowds. Most days she tried her hardest to avoid being surrounded by strangers. However, today the place that was too full of others for comfort was Juliette's favorite coffee shop. If she was to pay her usual patronage to the shop, she'd have to suffer through the oppressing masses.
Once she had her coffee she realized how truely hard it was going to be to find a spot to sit. Juliette silently scanned the area as her anxiety grew. Surely she was being stared at now. There! A spot was open!
Juliette moved quickly to get out of the public's eye. It wasn't until she was standing right before the table that she noticed it was already occupied. Another quick scan confirmed Juliette's belief that this was the last seat.
She took a quick steadying breath before allowing a shy smile to grace her masked face. "Excuse me," Juliette started, "but is this seat, um, taken?" She could feel herself shaking with nervs. Please say no, she silently begged. It would be far too embarresing to have to stand in a corner.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:27 pm
Slowly, Caelius opened his eyes, giving her a very uninterested stare while looking her over. She was shaking, only slightly, but it there and unlike his blind mother he had excellent eyesight. Of course, he didn't need to see to know she was uncomfortable, it was quite apparent in her voice, and that had already given her one more point over the other three who had attempted to sit with him before. She was just as unhappy about the crowd as he was.
He also couldn't help but notice her mask. What was the point of wearing it? Was she trying hide something or was she simply trying to make a statement, stick out from the crowd? Well, guessing from her reaction to the current crowd around them, he could only guess that it wasn't the latter option. As opposed as he was to sharing his table with someone else, he couldn't ignore his manners and she was off to a better start than the others had been, so perhaps she wouldn't be as unbearable as they were.
"No, it's not." He gave a subtle nod of his head then went back to sipping his coffee. In his mind, Caelius had already determined that she wouldn't stay long, even if she did seem a small step up from the others. She probably won't be able to stand his attitude and he doubted he'd be able to stand her for long either. But he would try his best to not be bluntly opposed to her presence, she did seem nervous after all and he shouldn't give her another reason to be.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:46 pm
"Thank you, sir," Juliette said as she scooted into the seat. She chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye to check on the crowd. Good, everyone was back to minding their own business.
Juliette was about to comment on just how busy the shop was that day when she noticed the male's lack of attention. He wasn't a talker, she figured. Juliette wondered briefly why he even bothered to sit in the shop then, but kept herself from asking. It would be better if he talked first.
Silently, she took a sip of her coffee and slipped into watcher mode. Juliette watched as customers came and went; noting who got what and with whom. She sighed with content and smiled to herself. It was fun watching others, even if she hated being watched.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:23 pm
Caelius was also "fox-watching" but his attention was focused on Juliette, though he tried to be discreet about it. If she was going to sit near him he might as well observe her, find out under which category of annoying fox she fell under. But it was difficult to judge a fox who seemed quite content to remain in silence. She didn't try to start conversation with him like the others had; making some comment on how crowded it was, inquiring about what he had ordered or some other form of useless chatter. It was actually a bit surprising how she seemed to continue to earn respect from him in the few minutes they had started their interaction, albeit it was still quite a low amount, but more that the majority earned.
Of course, while he didn't approve of useless chatter, he was quite open conversation that had a point and there was a question he felt was quite necessary to ask, "Might I ask why you're wearing a mask?" He didn't bother to look at her after asking his question, his eyes locked onto the brim of his coffee to avoid having to look at all the others around him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:55 am
Juliette was startled when Caelius broke the silence. "My mask?" she asked, bringing her attention back to their table. She reached up slowly to touch the brim of the object in question. Nobody had ever so bluntly asked her before. She had been teased about it as a kit, sure, but never asked why she wore it.
"Don't laugh," the shy femme warned. Juliette's face tilted down as she stared at her own coffee. "I use to...hide." She wondered if that would be enough. Probably not. "It blocks my face from being viewed by people I don't know. While wearing it I feel like I disappear. I can watch without being watched." Juliette could tell her cheeks were burning and hoped the mask was covering it. "At least, that's how I used to feel as a kit. I now understand that it actually makes me stand out more... Which makes me uncomfortable."
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:43 am
Laugh? That wasn't something he did often so she really didn't need to worry about that. Besides, her answer wasn't funny, or even amusing. It was, to some degree, a legitimate reason to wear a mask. The purpose of a mask was to hide one's face and assume a sense of anonymity. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work so well with most foxes since what separated each fox from the next was his or her markings, so simply covering up the face wasn't enough.
And it wasn't exactly doing a fantastic job of covering her face either. Caelius could see the hint of a blush peeking around the edge of her mask. If it was so ineffective in achieving what she wanted it to and made her uncomfortable, then why continue to wear it? Well, that would just have to be his next question, "If that's the case, then why do you still wear it?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:22 pm
"Habit," Juliette replied promptly. She smiled meekly up at Caelius before turning her face back down. "After wearing it so often as a kit, I feel like I would be missing a piece of myself if I were to leave it at home. Similar to how other females are about purses."
She took a moment to sip her coffee and let the reference sink in. "I suppose someday I'll break the routine, but at the moment I like the small bit of comfort it still supplies me." Juliette's smile turned to a grimace while she wondered if she had said too much. She was convinced that her speech had been borderline ramble. Next time, Juliette would have to make sure that her replies were simple.
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:13 pm
"While it's unusual, I find it rather sophisticated compared to many of the accessories most females, or other foxes in general really, wear. It's not a loud, obnoxious color and the pattern is subtle. It's not adorned with gaudy baubles and I believe the only reason it bring unwanted attention is simply because it's such a rare sight." He finally looked up from the rim of his drink and the corners of his mouth gave the slightest sign of a smile. It was surprising how quickly he was starting to enjoy this conversation. It was interesting and not about the weather or recent happenings around the shop. Subjects like those were always so dull, always the same and painfully obvious.
He felt he had reached the point where he could offer his name. Afterall, he had managed to get out much more personal information from her on the first question. It was really the least he could do, "My name's Caelius."
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:50 am
Juliette beamed after Caelius praised her mask. In general, that wasn’t something she got often. “Thank you.” She looked up briefly and met his eyes, noticing his small smile. She dropped her gaze soon after, however. Eye contact was something Juliette tried her best to avoid. Especially since now she was blushing again.
“I’m Juliette,” she replied. Her blush had settled enough that she felt it was safe to look up again. “Perhaps… Perhaps I should make masks and hand them out to other foxes. Then I won’t stand out.” Juliette laughed lightly at the idea of other foxes in masks. She had seen a few, sure, but not enough to allow her to blend again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:32 pm
His smile widened a bit at her blush and nervous behavior, though he smoothly hid it behind his cup as he went to take another sip of coffee. She was so easily flustered, it reminded him a bit of his mother, the one his sister took after in looks that is. It was pretty easy to make Themis blush, but unlike this female, his mother didn't bother trying to hide it. After all, she really didn't even know what a blush was other than heat in her cheeks considering she couldn't see.
This time, Caelius didn't bother to hided his smile because this one simply a polite smile. Not exactly genuine, but not completely fake either, "I'm sure you could make a bit of money from doing something like that as well. Some foxes may even buy them simply to collect them rather than as an accessory."
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:51 pm
There was a shift in Caelius' smile, though subtle. A moment before he lowered his cup Juliette had seen a genuine smile. Then after she mentioned her idea, it turned into one that was humoring her. Though, by the sound of it, Caelius had misunderstood her intentions as well. Something had gone wrong and she didn’t know what. She shouldn’t have spoken so irrationally. If Juliette hadn’t, things wouldn’t feel confused.
Juliette lowered her head and talked to her cup, "I wouldn't sell them. I don't want money for my art." Her words had been spoken in almost a whisper, as if thinking aloud. "Whatever," Juliette said looking up again with a defeated sigh. "They probably wouldn't be all that good anyways. No one would wear them… and displaying them would defeat the purpose. It was a silly idea."
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:48 pm
He had offended her. What was so wrong with making money for your work? Everyone did it, it was how they made their way in the world. So why did this seem to offend her. His smile had faded at this point. Perhaps he should stick to his usual routine and not try to be too friendly. It was obviously working against him. However, since he hadn't decided that he completely hated her yet, it was only polite to apologize, even if he didn't understand how he had upset her, "I apologize. I meant no offense."
Staring into his cup, Caelius noticed it was nearly empty. And not only that, but the sounds of the shop had quelled quite a bit. Taking a moment to glance around quickly, he realized the crowd had died down some and there were several empty tables now. Of course this would happen as he was finishing his coffee and not while he was drinking it. He gave a nearly silent sigh into the cup and just stared at it thoughtfully.
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:12 pm
Things were still confused. Juliette shook her head lightly at Caelius' apology. "No need, you didn't offend me. It would probably be a great way to earn money, if I wasn't so unsure of my talents." She tried an attempt at a smile but found it only hurt her cheeks.
Now he was looking listless. "In case you thought so, this mask was not made by me," Juliette mentioned. As she reached to touch her mask again, she also noted the sudden quiet of the background and gazed about her. A lot of customers had left, leaving silence in their wake; A silence that made the quiet between the two even more awkward.
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Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:53 pm
"I'm sure you have more talent than you give yourself credit for..." He had gone back to speaking without looking at her. This conversation seemed to have taken a turn for the worst, and with no coffee left in his cup now, he was contemplating his departure. He could easily stop this awkwardness by leaving, but a part of him was still intrigued by this female and her mask and wasn't quite ready to leave. But this conversation was undoubtedly making her uncomfortable, perhaps it was just best for both of them if he simply left his intrigue for someone else and departed from the shop.
Quietly, he stood up from his seat and gave a subtle nod of his head, "I think it's time I left. Good day, miss Juliette." Grabbing his empty cup, he made his way over to the trash, weaving through the thinning crowd, and tossed the cup. All the while, he felt a small desire to turn back and take a last glance at Juliette but that was far too cliche and he refused to allow himself to do such a thing. So, he kept his eyes locked onto the door as he went to make his exit.
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