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 Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:11 pm
Maize Maizier had seen better business on a regular weekday. It was not a surprise that the Destiny City New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball had managed to steal away the potential customer base, leaving Maize Maizier practically a ghost town.
Despite how quiet it was, the owners were not the sort to cancel a promised event at the last moment.
Though Howl was at work, a part of him pined to also be at the Masquerade. However, it was quite nice to be preparing a much quieter festivity. The cooks were busy preparing black-eyed peas, pork, olie bollen, bannocks, grapes, rice, apples and honey. Several drinks were prepared as well, Wassail, spiced hot pot, and spiced wines were waiting to be served.
The servers had been tasked with the job of putting together the various gift boxes for the patrons to open upon New Year's. Leaving him and Lydia to put together the simple boxes with various snack foods.
"Are you missing out on any New Year's Eve plans to work, Miss Lydia?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:47 pm
Though it was bad for Maize Maizier's bottom line that business was so slow that evening, Lydia was sort of relieved. Fewer customers meant less stress, and she desperately needed as much stress relief as she could get her hands on. Between school, work, and keeping her newly-purified, semi-amnesiac best friend from freaking out or getting himself killed, she was exhausted.
Compared to all of that, sitting at the counter putting nuts and chocolates into boxes was easy. So easy that Lydia found her mind wandering. First to Andrew, wondering if he was lonely, being alone on New Year's Eve. She hadn't really planned on working, but everyone wanted that night off, and not everyone could get what they wanted.
Though, looking around, she couldn't help but think that it might be better if they just closed up early. It wasn't like there was much of a crowd to entertain.
That wasn't a particularly helpful train of thought. Fortunately, Mister Howl provided a diversion. Sort of.
"I didn't have any specific plans," she admitted. "Just, um, spending time with friends. What about you, Mister Howl? Did you have any plans that had to be set aside?" Even though they had worked out their differences, she still didn't know that much about Mister Howl. Maybe tonight would be a chance to change that.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:46 pm
"I did not have any solid plans prepared for this evening." The lad's fingers delicately tugged upon the bow he had tied, ensuring it was as straight as possible. Balance on such a presentation, no matter how small, seemed rather important to Howl.
"Had I been free this evening, I may have considered going to the Masquerade Ball I have heard mentioned around the city." Considering how formal he acted on a daily basis, it was not a farfetched idea that he would enjoy the opportunity to dress up in his best and display his manners publicly.
Seeming content with the box he had completed, he moved it carefully towards a pile to the side before started with the ribbon for the next box.
"It was my lack of defined plans which made me more willing to work this evening. I suffer no loss, for I will still be awake and still be able to do a small form of celebration for welcoming the year 2015."
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 10:19 pm
Busy as she was with everything else in her life, Lydia was a bit behind on the news."There's a Masquerade Ball tonight? That sounds lovely." Though she hated being forced to attend fancy parties, when the choice was up to her, she actually enjoyed them. Dressing up, delicious food, and dancing- what was not to love?
But if she went to that kind of event, she would have to figure out what to do with Andrew. It wouldn't be fair to leave him home alone. Leaving him for work was one thing, but abandoning him to have fun was something else. Not that she would be able to have much fun, knowing that he was all by himself. And bringing him to such a public place would be asking for trouble.
So she sighed, wistfully, and curled the ribbon around her latest box. Keeping the conversation going would be the best way to distract herself from what was going on at home. "Did you have anything in particular in mind, or were you planning to partake of the festivities here? There's certainly no shortage of traditions to take part in."
Reaching across the counter, Lydia took one of the freshly made ollie bollen from the rack where they were cooling and popped it into her mouth. Normally, such behavior might be frowned upon, but at the rate things were going, there would be plenty of leftovers for everyone to enjoy.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:48 pm
Flipping the edge of green ribbon he had been using between his fingers, the lad honestly stated "I have picked up a bit of a habit from my parents. I believe they said they picked up the tradition from Greece, but I am not certain if it is truly a tradition or not."
Where as his coworker seemed a bit more lax with the usual guidelines on food, Howl did not seem as willing to bend the rules for his stomach's gain. Though he didn't comment upon the snatched up ollie bollen, but he also did not follow suit.
"...it is merely to have something sweet upon the New Year. It does not need to be midnight, but any time during the first. It is simple and supposedly good luck. I am not certain as to how much stock I should be taking on chocs bringing me luck for a year, but for me it is more of a family tradition than a New Year's tradition."
Resuming his work after his momentary idling, he added "So there is a good chance I may take up one of the sweeter items to consume, since they are readily available, Miss Lydia."
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 6:53 pm
When he mentioned a Greek tradition, Lydia stiffened, her arm frozen between her mouth and the napkin she meant to wipe her fingers on. Her feelings about her Greek heritage were still mixed, and she was never sure how she was supposed to feel when a piece of her culture was brought up. Proud? Angry? Was it okay to be both?
"I see," she said, letting her hand fall to the counter, where she dusted the oil and powdered sugar off it. Did her father have anything sweet during the New Year's festivities? He was around so infrequently that she honestly couldn't remember. Greek or not, it sounded like a fun idea. "What a lovely tradition. That would certainly ensure you start the year off right- at least, if you enjoy sweets! Maybe I should try it as well. If you don't mind my being inspired by your family, Mister Howl."
There was certainly no shortage of sweet-tasting foods around. "The ollie bollen are quite good, but not terribly sweet. Perhaps one of the honey apples? Oh, but they're so messy... but then, you probably have something in mind already, don't you? Perhaps you're looking forward to claiming a chocolate or some candied nuts when the new year arrives?"
If it was okay to try this for herself, she could do worse than to ask for a recommendation from the person who'd suggested the activity in the first place. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Maybe she could bring something nice home for Andrew, to make up for her having to work. He'd probably like that.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:43 pm
Howl smiled at Lydia's enthusiasm over his odd cross-cultural tradition. With an easy motion, he picked up one of the boxes he had wrapped and shook it gently as a reminder of what was in it. "I think I will settle for one of the gifts for Maize Maizier patrons."
Placing the box back down, he explained "I am trying to keep to something that is small, something that will not spoil an appetite or keep me awake too long. I may be staying up to midnight, but I do not imagine myself staying up much later after I get home."
As he finished up with another ribbon, he couldn't help but notice a bit of commotion towards one of the booths. Whispers about how long it was til the New Year were not hard to hear.
Five whole minutes.
"Miss Lydia..." There was a thoughtful pause as he considered his own request carefully.
"I was wondering if I might propose something which... could be considered rather bold upon my part as a coworker?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:01 pm
The gifts were simple, just chocolates and some candied nuts, but that was plenty if all you wanted was a taste. Lydia tied her last one shut and curled the ribbon, arranging it so that is cascaded down both sides of the box. "I see your point, though I don't share your optimism. We're not closing until one in the morning, and then there's the closing procedure to go through."
She didn't see herself getting home before 2AM. Andrew would probably be asleep by then, but she could still bring him a little something for when he woke up in the morning.
With her share of the packaging complete, she stood and brushed the wrinkles in her apron. Everyone was busy watching the clock, as the restaurant's owners taught people how to count down to the new year in different languages. This was the sort of event she would have definitely come to, when she was just a customer. Now that she was working there, she could enjoy the preparation process, but had to watch while others enjoyed the fruits of her labor. Most of the time, that was fine, but sometimes she felt a little wistful for times gone by.
So when Mister Howl asked a rather confusing question, Lydia was intrigued. Was this something she could only hear because they worked together? Would she learn something new about him? "By all means, feel free. If this isn't the time to feel daring, then when is?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:59 pm
Had they been taking bets on who would finish with the gift boxes first, Lydia would have won, for Howl still had three more boxes to attend to. However, it had not been a race and the lad did not feel the need to show off in a silly competition over gift boxes.
Rather than resume with his work with the boxes, he crossed his hands across the wrists upon the table they were seated at.
The request was simple.
"Upon the stroke of midnight, might I give you a kiss upon the cheek, Miss Lydia? You may feel free to decline, but as I figure, it is considered a tradition to many as well to kiss someone at the stroke of midnight."
With such a request, he of course had to flash his pearly whites at the girl.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 5:33 pm
Lydia glanced at the stack of boxed Mister Howl had already wrapped. That he had an excellent work ethic was one of the things she'd managed to learn about him over the course of her employment. His eye for detail was another. But what about his life outside of Maize Maizier? What about his friends, his family? All she knew was that they liked to indulge at New Year's with something sweet.
But that was more than she'd known yesterday. And, possibly, less than she'd know tomorrow.
So she didn't press the issue, instead waiting to hear his request, hoping it wasn't for her to leave him alone-
Oh.
My.
Her cheeks turned pink as she thought over his request, giving the matter the consideration it deserved. This was a tradition she'd heard of, though she'd never really thought of partaking in it herself. Part of her wondered why he was asking her. Was it because she was the closest person, easiest to ask? Or was there something else?
Did it really matter, all things considered?
Well, yes, it did, even though it wouldn't affect her answer. But there was no way to ask without seeming petty, so she put the matter aside for the moment, ready to reply. Sort of. No matter how hard she tried, Lydia couldn't quite look at him as she spoke, instead watching the clock on the wall. "I would like that very much, Mister Howl."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:07 pm
As tempting as it was to let out a gentle laugh over the color his coworker's cheeks had turned, Howl made sure to keep his laughter internal. He did not need to make her feel more self conscious than she already was.
She did not make eye contact as she responded, which meant she was either shy or insincere about the response. Considering the sort of passionate young lady that sat before him, he suspected it had more to do with a bout of shyness than a case of lying. Lydia wore her heart on her sleeve it seemed at times. If she was indeed a liar, she was definitely a very talented one.
"Excellent," he declared as if he was entertaining a couple he was escorting to a table. "Let me finish off these boxes to at least ensure they are completed before the New Year."
With an easy smile upon his face, he resumed his work. Despite what a kiss could mean to a person, the lad seemed to be rather collected about the whole ordeal.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:13 pm
He was so nonchalant about this whole thing. Was that because it didn't mean anything? Was she silly, because it meant something to her?
There was no point standing there stressing over it for the few minutes until midnight. Lydia took a pot of wassail and nodded. "I'll go refresh the drinks. Some people will probably want to toast the new year."
She couldn't let herself get too distracted by this. They still had a job to do, and if Mister Howl was going to finish his work, she needed to be productive as well. But she didn't really see the people she interacted with, or hear what they had to say, beyond their choice of beverage. Not that they said much beyond "thanks" and "nice!" and "are you ready for midnight?"
Was she? Could she really do this, feeling as worked-up about it as she did?
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:42 pm
Three boxes were completed, and once they were, the lad set up a stack of the gift boxes into a basket and began to drift amongst the scant patrons to offer them their gift boxes a couple minutes early.
It was when one of the oldest patrons started counting down in French that Howl knew it was time to draw himself closer to his coworker again. Slipping the basket further down his arm, his feet brought him towards Lydia Sfakianos. She was shorter than him, which made him internally grateful he did not work with an Amazonian Princess. He had considered himself of a reasonable height, but in his days of living in Destiny City, he had found that the women there seemed to actually be quite a bit taller than he was used to in Westdale.
He could make out the word "Trois" and new within moments they would be at Une. Pulling out a gift box from his basket, he leaned in a bit.
"Une!" was announced in the air as the lad uttered something for only his coworker to hear.
"Happy New Year, Miss Lydia!"
With his wish possibly lingering in the girl's ears, he planted a subtle kiss upon her cheek, as he had mentioned to her approximately five minutes prior. It was gentle and fleeting.
It would possibly leave the poor girl left wondering if he had even kissed her at all.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:51 pm
When they started counting in earnest, Lydia almost dropped the carafe she was carrying. This was it. This was really it. Was she supposed to go somewhere? Do something? Did her hair look okay? Why was she even thinking about that?
It was probably a good idea to put the wassail down somewhere. She left it on the counter, not bothering to make sure it was on the warmer. Then she smoothed her hair, even though it was still neatly contained in her usual double-looped braids. Where was Mister Howl? Had he changed his mind? They were going to miss it-
As the countdown reached one, she could hear something quite different. Feel something on her cheek, soft and light, like a feather on her skin. He smelled like cinnamon and chocolate, from the gifts they had been packing, with a bit of something else she couldn't identify.
As the patrons erupted into raucous cheers, Lydia put her hand to her cheek carefully, reflectively. Then she looked up at her coworker, beaming. "And a most Happy New Year to you, Mister Howl!"
Whether it meant anything to him or not, she was going to savor that memory in the coming days. Feathers and chocolate, and excitement in the air.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2015 11:58 am
With a rather wistful smile upon his face, the lad opened up the gift box he had claimed from his basket. Gently removing the ribbon, he plucked out a small piece of chocolate. True to his own tradition, he popped it into his mouth.
After briefly savoring his sweet, he gestured to his coworker. It might have been a New Year, but they had plenty to tend to now. It might have been brief, but at last the pair had been able to celebrate New Year's in their own way.
[FIN]
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