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 Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:09 pm
Who: Cesc, Vivi, Shepard, Zuri
Where: Vermillion Bakery
When: Early morning, after Zuri's growing
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:12 pm
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:14 pm
Zuri's voice was full of soft laughter as she answered the phone. Its tone was a little warmer, a little more mature, a little more sure of herself than she'd sounded recently. "Good morning," she laughed softly, still sounding a little sleepy. She'd texted him first thing upon waking, after a few minutes of wide-eyed surprise and peering into the mirror.
"Good morning," Cesc's voice was a little breathless, incredulous. He stood in the bakery kitchen, one floured hand atop the mixer, the phone on speaker. He looked around himself, half-waiting to see someone pop out laughing at his gullibility. "Surine-- are you having your fun with me?"
That tone made Zuri's smile warm further, and she laughed, perched at the edge of her bed and marveling at the difference in her point of view now that she'd grown -- everything seemed smaller, her ribbon nearly touching the ground at this height. "I promise, I'm not," she reassured him. "I just woke up this way! It's so strange..." She couldn't help laying a palm across her new stomach, marveling at the change. After the difficulties of the summer, it felt so strange to have her head light and giddy with excitement.
Cesc put his hand on his face and dragged the digits down, inhaling sharply and exhaling in a laugh. "You -- are you--" He paused, realizing he had effectively floured his face with the notion, pulling his laughter out of him even faster. "--i did promise you. What do you want? What can I get you? When can I see you?"
Zurine couldn't help it -- the sound of his laughter made her giggle too, though she couldn't see him or know what was so funny. She couldn't squash the warm flutter of emotion that his words brought, either, and so her cheeks burned bright with color as she flopped back onto the bed. "I can come over now," she said, smiling. "As soon as I'm dressed. And I will bow to your expertise as far as food -- something cool, maybe? Easy to eat?"
"Come over now-- or sooner if you want," laughed Cesc. "I will -- I will make you something cool and good." His words sounded so incredibly lame as they came out, as if his vocabulary was as stunned as the rest of him. He turned and looked around the empty bakery kitchen, at the goods cooling on steel countertops, trying to remember what he'd already put out that morning. Was there anything worthy? Anything good enough for a first meal? "I can't believe… Zuri, congratulations."
"Thank you," Zuri said, her voice warm with sincerity. "I... I guess something good came out of this summer, huh? I'm... I don't think I'd have made it this far without you." Embarrassment made her pause again, and she swallowed softly. "U-um! I guess I should say that to your face, though! I'll... I'll be there soon, okay?"
A rush of blood went into Cesc's face as she spoke, his ears flicking uncomfortably with the compliment. He shook his head, but knew she couldn't see it; still, it took him a moment to respond, and by the time a note had exited his throat, she was saying goodbye.
"Alright!" Said Rhedefre, his voice becoming bright. "I'll see you soon, and I promise, I'll have something good."
He hung up the phone, took in a breath, and stared down at the picture of Zurine he had as her contact background. Zurine! How different would she look? He'd changed so much after growth, gotten broader and lost so much youth in his face… Zurine, after all she had suffered, deserved this growth, deserved to see herself more womanly and complete.
Was he ready to see her? Would she be so changed?
"Vivi!" Cesc called, turning the mixer back on, going quickly to the pantry and beginning to load up his arms. "Shepard! We're going to have a visitor!"
After she hung up, Zuri spent a few moments looking in the mirror, feeling at once overjoyed and apprehensive. What else would have changed? Had she damaged herself at all by her activities this summer? Phiel wasn't here to see her this morning, busy on a whole day's job, and she felt a little pang at that idea. He should be one of the first, and she tried not to feel too stung at the idea. It wasn't as if she didn't have plenty of support, and once again her mood lifted. She couldn't wait to show Cesc how much she had grown!
Almost all of her clothes fit much different now, the soft fabrics clinging to her more, the stretch showing off her new, more feminine curves, and she tried on several dresses before settling on what she'd woken up in, including the feathery tutu that fluffed out prettily around her hips and tossed a soft cardigan over it in case the heat got to her on the way. She didn't even bother fussing with her hair or makeup, she was so excited, and rushed out of the house as quickly as she could manage, trying to leave behind her doubts and worries.
"What does she look like?" Vivi pressed, handing a patron his coffee while calling to the back.
"I don't know." Cesc sped, his fingers hovering over a piece of chocolate truffle he'd just placed on the tasting tray beside a slice of chilled blueberry pie, a coconut macaron, fresh creme brûlée, and a small bowl of fresh whipped cream and strawberries. He turned back toward the anti-griddle he'd plugged in, stirring the bowl beside it worriedly. He spooned a small amount onto it in a half-moon shape, watching it slowly freeze.
"Has her hair changed?"
"I don't know." Cesc said again. He tasted a drop of the concoction and tapped the spoon to his mouth in thought. He couldn't consider all of that right now. He had to finish things for her. Had to have something ready for Zurine when she arrived.
"Do you think she will be more beautiful than before?" Vivi's voice sang. "My! I don't think my heart could stand it if she were~"
Shepard snorted, ringing a customer up. Cesc made no reply, doubling up his focus on the ice cream.
It took her less time than usual to get there, despite the looks she got from people who had seen her before and noticed the change. She offered them smiles, but hurried on to her destination. The heat didn't seem quite as harsh as usual, but perhaps that was excitement? Zuri wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to think on it too hard, and she hastened on until she reached the door of the bakery.
There, just a few steps away, she found herself coming to a hesitant stop. What if things had changed? What if things were going to be different?
After a moment Zurine puffed herself up, all feathers and fluff, raised her chin, and slipped through the door like she had not a doubt in her mind. Things had changed already, and she was better for them. "Hellooo," she said softly, beaming a little.
Somehow, even with patrons in the bakery, Cesc heard the quiet hello from his station in the kitchen. Even more clearly, he heard Vivi's reaction from behind the counter, her sharp: "AH!" and then the commotion of her movement as she went around the counter, French cooing in her wake. Behind the noise was Shepard's reaction, a soft noise of approval and congratulations.
"Look at you, petite! Look at you, you beautiful little thing! It is that I have never seen such a heavenly beauty, ah!" At the front of the house, Vivi was throwing her arms around Zurine, hugging the girl's longer form tightly. Shepard moved slower behind her, smiling slightly at the bakery's guests that had turned in their seats to watch the scene.
"You look great," said the Aussie sincerely, touching the owl gently on the shoulder.
In the kitchen, Rhedefre was aware of his absence and how long it was stretching; he wiped his hands on his apron and started forward. Then, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror and the still-bright streak of flour across his face, he uttered a curse -- s**t! -- and jolted back, twisting open a faucet and splashing himself quickly, roughly.
"s**t!" He said again, low, looking back at the ice cream still on the anti-griddle-- he would need to take it off, keep it from over-freezing and ruining it's texture. He'd promised --
"I don't know what is taking him so long! Rhedefre!" Vivi ushered Zurine back to the kitchen with haste, practically dragging the Sigel in her linked arms.
Game over, Cesc thought, his face still wet, working to pull off the ice cream from the anti-griddle, decidedly NOT quite ready for this.
Vivi and Shepard's reactions made Zuri feel warm and happy, the praise alleviating much of her worry as she returned Vivi's hugs with delight, squeezing gently. "Thank you both, you're too good to me," Zuri said with a smile, her cheeks colored brightly. She let herself be tugged along, feeling much easier than usual about letting the world flow around her right now than she usually did. Still, she had a flutter of nerves -- what would Cesc think?
And for that matter, why was she so worried? She shouldn't be expecting anything from him, not after all that had happened --
She went still, though, when she saw him at his work, and Zuri tried to just smile, just relax, not to let her heart run away with her, but she didn't have the words she wanted.
"I-I hope I look okay," she managed after a moment, her cardigan sliding off one shoulder and her expression wistful.
Vivi and Shepard's reactions made Zuri feel warm and happy, the praise alleviating much of her worry as she returned Vivi's hugs with delight, squeezing gently. "Thank you both, you're too good to me," Zuri said with a smile, her cheeks colored brightly. She let herself be tugged along, feeling much easier than usual about letting the world flow around her right now than she usually did. Still, she had a flutter of nerves -- what would Cesc think?
And for that matter, why was she so worried? She shouldn't be expecting anything from him, not after all that had happened --
She went still, though, when she saw him at his work, and Zuri tried to just smile, just relax, not to let her heart run away with her, but she didn't have the words she wanted.
"I-I hope I look okay," she managed after a moment, her cardigan sliding off one shoulder and her expression wistful.
Cesc whipped around as he heard the two enter the kitchen. His throat went dry as he saw Zurine, his hands full of a small ice cream dish and the spoon still full of it, frozen in space. He tried to speak and nothing came out, gold eyes staring wide.
Zurine.
She wasn't so different, his brain said to him quietly as he took her in. Still delicate, still sweet, still the same quiet, ink black eyes and soft, pretty face, the silk and ivory texture of her skin and hair. But now there was more, there was color at the apple of her cheeks, roundness in that naked shoulder and curve in the taper of her hips. She was a young woman and not the fine-boned fairy, beauty adorning her feathers at her crown and her dress-- a tutu, fanciful and creative as was she.
His mind went into a strange other place, an alternate dimension so close to this one that it may as well had been separated by a sheet of paper. He saw himself drop the ice cream and go forward, saw his hand smooth the textured fabric at her waist and grip the sweet solidity of the small of her back. He saw himself draw her forward and sweep aside the curtain of her hair and crush his mouth onto the tender, pouting blue that was hers-- the whimper of surprise that would surely be hers, her hands on his forearms--
--"Rhedefre?"
Vivi's voice snapped into his reverie and broke the vision, the dimensions, apart. Cesc started, fumbling his spoon, his face burning.
"Oh-- ********-- I'm sorry--" he started. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. His arms felt strange and empty and what, what the ******** had he been thinking? "You look-- amazing. I got caught up."
Zuri watched his face -- sure, what he was holding was interesting, but that look on his face, the way those familiar eyes widened, understanding of it just beyond her reach -- well, she smiled a soft little smile, eyes crinkling up at the corners, as she shrugged the cardigan back up onto her shoulder. She couldn't help laughing softly, floating forward just a little. "A-are you sure you aren't just being polite? I did, after all, just wake up like this." She tried to say it airily, teasing with a loose and flowery little gesture, wanting to break the tension a little bit. For once she had something amazing to show and she couldn't help being a little vain about it, though, preening internally like a pleased bird.
What the hell had he been thinking? Cesc's heart thudded in his ears with his embarrassment, stealing a quick glance at Vivi to see whether somehow, some way, the Frenchwoman knew what his treacherous brain had done to him.
But she was only looking at him with mild confusion, and as Zuri came forward and spoke to him, he settled himself down. He was being unnecessarily anxious. Here Zurine was, more whole and complete, freshly grown, ready and happy to show her friend. It was remnants of old impulses, he told himself, and it was alright to acknowledge that their history existed without feeling flustered by it, wasn't it? And anyhow, she was tremendously beautiful, a fact he could not ignore.
"Just woke up like this?" Cesc repeated, laughing just barely, his fluttering nerves settling into a smile. "How very kind of your growth to let you keep sleeping!" He went forward, opening his arms to hug her. "I mean it-- you really do look… just… astoundingly good."
She laughed softly and went into that offered hug with delight, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight. She was cool, despite the trip over in the warm August morning -- healthily chilly, and much sturdier to touch than she had been when they last saw each other after months of hunger. Lifting her head, Zuri smiled and pressed a light, chilly kiss to his cheek, as well as she could reach.
"I'm so happy you think so," she said softly, and she meant it. A part of her had been waiting to be all right with the change until she knew it was all good. Whether it was right or not, Zurine wanted him to look at her that way -- the way he had looked at her before everything had gone upside-down, when they had kissed in the snow...
Her cheeks flushed sweetly. Oh, now was not the time to be daydreaming, Zuri told herself, trying to clamp the lid back down on those thoughts and being only partially successful.
Vivi watched with her hands clasped and her smile just a touch too wide. Seeing Zurine this way, all grown up and having joined Cesc in the ranks of Sigelhood, made her heart flutter happily in her chest. And after all the pain and drama and unpleasantness the two had been through in the past few years-- they deserved this happiness, the both of them.
Actually, Vivi thought, they deserved more than this happiness. Much more. A different, closer kind of happiness… and now that Zurine was feeling better and stronger and brighter, well…
… maybe Vivi would just see what she could do about that. Maybe she could talk to the little crocodile that loved love so much, get his opinion on the matter… yes… yes…
Cesc smiled immediately at the feel of the kiss on his cheek, and he spun Zurine around with his arms around her waist. Finally, the flipping flopping anxiety gave way to a broad happiness that spilled out all at once. He was proud of her, overjoyed at her strength, comforted by seeing her so well.
"Look at you! This is ridiculous. We have to celebrate -- I made you some sweets, something to taste now that you can." He pulled back and peered at her, still grinning. "You think you're up to it ?”
Zurine laughed gleefully as she was spun around, her dark eyes sparkling with absolute joy as she looked up at him, her head tilted. "I agree. A celebration is in order -- and I'll taste anything you put in front of me! I've looked forward to this all year," she said, her voice still filled with laughter. "Maybe even longer!"
Vivi stole a quick glance at the tray Cesc had set up on the counter, the careful preparations of each bite of food upon it. She slid her eyes slyly back at Rhedefre, who was listening to Zuri's raptures. Yes, the kitchen wasn't the MOST romantic of spaces, but a little privacy would certainly help it. And who was to say it had to be the only place they shared a meal?
"Oh! Rhedefre, if it is that she has wanted to taste things for so long, why not take her to dinner on your day off this week? I can make you a reservation at Testsuya's. Such a lovely place, and such delicious food. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Cesc looked up sharply then, coloring. Tetsuya's was NICE, a place generally out of his price range, with authentic Japanese decor and atmosphere and delicate, delicious food. But the place was generally so… so full of couples…
He looked down at Zurine. How was he supposed to decline? It was a celebration, and after that terrible summer -- two running now -- she deserved that much. Besides, it didn't have to feel awkward if they didn't make it awkward…
"Oh, ah, if Zuri wants, of course…" he ventured.
Zurine's eyes widened as she looked up at Cesc, biting her lip. For the most part she had stuck almost entirely to feeding on ice for the majority of her life, avoiding ingesting things because they generally made her feel ill -- but the possibilities had opened up now. And she knew some things about food after all -- the name meant sushi, meant cool, dainty bites, and for once she felt her hunger piqued by something that wasn't a new flavored-ice treat. She squeaked with delight.
"Of -course- I want to," she breathed. "If i-it isn't any trouble, that would be absolutely wonderful...!" There were practically stars in the darkness of her eyes, and she laid a hand on his arm. "Wouldn't it be delicious? I want to try it with you..."
Vivi's palms went silently together, her dark eyes lit with mischief and glee. She tossed her hair as she turned around, deciding not to give Cesc any time to make a reply, lest the stag start backpedaling. "Well, then it is settled! I shall make you the reservation. It is that I have a lovely friend there, he shall take excellent care of you both!"
And she flounced out of the kitchen, leaning back in only to swing shut the partition door with a broad, sunny smile.
Cesc frowned gently as he watched her motions; there was something strange and duplicitous about the way she was acting, but the stag was still in the dark. Perhaps she was laughing at him for his earlier bout with nerves, or his lack of general calm when Zuri had entered. He wanted to protest it-- he had been nervy due to the lack of time, and it was coupled with an excitement to see his friend grown! She couldn't think--
--there was time to talk with Vivi later. For now, Rhedefre looked down and smiled gently at Zurine, nodding with encouragement. If Zurine wanted Testsuya's, she would get her desire.
"I've only been one time, but it was quite good. I think you'll really enjoy it," Cesc said, pulling back just slightly from her, adding distance. He floated toward the steel countertop and gestured toward the plate of tastings he'd created for her.
The plate was a small orchid-purple oval, and atop it were several different bites, each one a simple mouthful. They were arranged prettily, waiting for her: a doll-sized creme brûlée with a tiny spoon, the toasted sugar ready to be cracked. A triangle of blueberry pie, the berries fat and neatly arranged. A coconut macaron, white and gold with rough texture around a creamy filling. A tiny little bowl with chopped strawberries floating on fresh whipped cream and a sprig of bright green mint. And finally, slowly melting, the Rose ice cream he'd just made on the anti-griddle when she'd arrived. "But enough about that for now, ah? Why talk when you can taste?"
When her attention was averted to the tasting plate, Zurine's eyes widened, and she floated closer with fascination written on her face, her lips pursed softly in an O of wonder. "They are almost too pretty to eat," she said in a tone of reverence.
After a moment of pondering, though, she ran a dainty fingertip over the topmost peak of the ice cream. Her chill made a little frost collect there, and the melted sweetness she had scooped up, she raised to her mouth to lick clean. "Oooh... sorry, I couldn't resist," she sighed happily. "It tastes like flowers, though!" It hadn't been very dignified, but this was her treat, and she certainly wasn't used to the 'rules' of proper etiquette when eating solids.
"You've eaten with your eyes plenty long enough," said Cesc with a smile, floating to the other side of the counter in order to better explain what each treat was. As Zurine reached out a curious hand for the Rose ice cream, Cesc readied his speech about it-- how he made it, what ingredients were in it-- but she effectively cut him off. He watched with a quiet fascination he could not quite unbutton, a warmth collecting in the bottom of his stomach. She had a small mouth but such full lips, did Zurine…
"That… is…" he said, his voice coming out a touch dry. Then, clearing his throat, he refocused. "That is a rose ice cream, actually-- I made it for you, because, well, rose…"
Articulate, he congratulated himself.
Zuri blushed and smiled up at him, picking up the spoon this time to take a proper bite of the creamy, floral sweetness, savoring it slowly and dreamily, an unfocused happy look on her face. "Mmm... I like it very much," she admitted after the last of her bite had been swallowed. "Wasn't this what you were making when we burst in so unceremoniously?" She couldn't resist giggling, thinking of his expression.
Cesc had the grace to laugh at himself, the expression good-humored and warm. He shrugged helplessly at her mirth, unable to do much else. "You really took me by surprise," was all he had to defend himself with. Thankfully, there was no way she could know just what his mind conjured…
"Anyway, I had been planning to make this for you for a long time now. I am here in the bakery for so long, I have been making cupcakes for my friends--inspired by them," he explained. "I made a few already; I think you might remember the ones I made for Cruz's birthday, for him and Anita? I've made some for others, Zul, Melisande, Aina, Ethiriel… I thought it was about time you got one, too. I didn't have time to make the whole thing, but I figured it would be filled with that."
He paused, looking at her. "It's not just as simple as a rose-rose thing, by the way. I mean, it does fit in that way, but I chose it because it suits you even more than that. You got a lot from your essence, you know. Yeah, the chill, but also that fairness, the delicacy, the lightness of a rose. You -- you're unique." Cesc smiled again, this time something faint, dropping his eyes. "You linger."
She listened to him while she ate the sweet, floral treat, watching him with quiet eyes as she licked every drop from the spoon between bites, relishing each taste and the way that it felt as it went down, soothing and rich and delicate. The idea of having a confection that was inspired by her made her cheeks color softly -- it was something that clearly he had put thought into, which meant that he had been thinking of her. Sure, Zuri knew that he did, because rarely did a day go by these days that they didn't have some sort of contact, be it text or face to face. But this, the way he spoke of it made her feel a warmth in her chest that had little to do with temperature.
Zurine didn't want to let her hopes rise, didn't want to let herself expect more out of their relationship. Expecting more -- wanting more -- than what they had, wasn't that greedy? Already she had her best friend. And so much had changed this summer. Zurine's body felt stronger than it had in months, and she was here in the bakery's kitchen enjoying an array of delicious treats with Cesc. She watched his eyes drop, heard his words, and felt her traitorous heart kindle with sweetness and hope anyway, despite her attempts to make it see reason. "You're too wonderful," Zuri found herself saying, smiling behind the empty spoon for a moment. "I... I'm glad you think so highly of me. I do try to be worth remembering. And... I think this would be delicious in a me-cupcake!"
Cesc's face was warm, but he dropped his eyes and busied his hands so as not to see her blush or expression as she replied. He worked diligently for a moment at wiping an imaginary spot from the bakery counter, but as she spoke, a smile bloomed across his lips.
"Well, then, you'll have one soon enough. I'll make your cupcake the next time I have a free moment." He looked up, straightening his shoulders.
"Try the other treats!" He encouraged, partly out of want of something to say. He felt like there should be so MUCH to say, to ask, to gently inquire over: her health, her happiness, her feelings… but there was a swell of emotion behind his ribs that made real conversation escape him. He did not quite find himself ready to hear more of her trials, and wanted badly whatever was the right and recommended share of her happiness.
How to judge THAT, however, felt beyond him.
Zuri was quiet for a moment, as she turned her attention back to the plate of treats, her expression warm with delight. Everything looked so good, and the next thing she selected was the macaron, picking it up to examine the crisp little thing. It was lovely, so delicate, and the lightness of it was surprising. For now, it was best to rely on what was tangible, since feelings seemed such an impassible wall of unsureness.
She bit into it daintily, expecting a cookie, but instead the airy crispness made her eyes widen and her lips curve into a smile again. "Mmm..."
It was happening again.
Cesc's mind was sliding from reality into something else, something not-quite-right--an alternate universe where nothing of their unpleasantness had ever happened. Where now they would have been together almost two years, close and without confusion. Where now he could do as his arms wanted, to go forward and touch her, to kiss sugar off her lips and congratulate her, again and again, on how her beauty had grown and grown and grown.
This time, it didn't upend and surprise him. It made him self-conscious and almost weary. When would his spirit be free of her? Would it ever happen? Once, he had so angrily wanted it so, but now...
... he half-smiled at her, leaning on the counter and taking the spoon he'd left her. He turned it, cracking the creme brûlée he'd made her. "You have to try this," he said. "I'm impatient--I want you to try everything. You've wanted to so long, and now I want it all at the same time."
When she heard that soft, crisp -crack- of caramelized sugar, her attention perked, and she licked her lips as she turned to face him, her eyes wide. Zuri guiltily swept the last tiny crumbs of macaron from her lips, and beamed up at him, her eyes wide. "Oh, that -was- a lovely sound," she murmured with delight. "I don't mind the impatience -- oh, it really feels like my birthday. Here, pick the best bite and I'll taste!" She leaned in a little closer, her dark eyes twinkling with absolute excitement. "Everything's been so delicious, I trust your judgement."
Really, it was better not to imagine leaning forward and just opening her mouth, just to see what he would do, but she was intensely tempted.
"It kind of is your birthday, isn't it?" Cesc scooped a healthy spoonful of the creme brûlée into the spoon, smiling a lopsided smile. He ticked his eyes up to her, a tickle of pleasure at the corners of his mouth and the nape of his neck at her look of sweet expectation on her face.
The sweetness, the health, the bloom of rejuvenation on her face was so becoming. He looked down at his hands, then put them out, one hand cupped below the spoon to catch anything that fell, and he held it out to her. She could take it with her hands if she wanted, or...
It did feel like her birthday -- and it sort of was. Many things seemed to have been made new. The uncertainty and fear and anxiety, so much of it had gone, leaving a sober sort of peace in its wake. And now, just this morning, under that bright gaze, a sudden fizzy, giddy daring warmed her belly. Zuri hesitated only for a moment. Leaning forward, she daintily took the bite from the spoon while he held it, then lingered a moment, cool and close, while she savored the new taste, gaze flicking up to him and a smile on her face.
"It's delicious," she murmured, sighing with absolute delight. "Happy sort-of birthday to me. If everything sweet is this delicious, I'm going to eat the entire bakery..."
"It's a nice, ah…" Cesc was about to launch into an explanation of creme brûlée, what went into making it, the steam bath that locked in the silky texture and the blowtorch that crisped the top, when Zuri leaned forward… There was immediately a warmth that crawled below his belly button and snaked up his spine, and it took him a moment to realize he was holding his breath.
Put your finger in her mouth, a dark, husky voice whispered in the back of his brain, as she looked up at him with those dark, heavy-lashed eyes.
Nope! Cesc's eyebrows went up at himself, and he put the half-filled spoon down in the bowl. It felt like all the air had gone out of him, and, knowing human anatomy, he was suddenly and strangely happy to not have anything below his hips.
"Don't-- don't fill up too much," he said, his voice rough at the edges, raw as though he'd choked. He cleared his throat. "We have that-- reservation. Sushi. So, leave room. Until then."
Zuri was quiet for a moment, licking her lower lip daintily, then smiled. Perhaps she didn't know quite how much of an effect she'd had, but it felt nice to hear that familiar voice somehow swayed by her. Zurine wasn't much for flirting, but the mood had taken her, something light and capricious. Whether it was the growth lifting her spirits or the fact that it was Cesc, for whom it seemed she had always felt this way. Her desires had always been plain, she thought. Obvious as the nose on her face. So being just a little bit of a tease felt... fun.
"Of course," Zuri hummed happily. "Hm, what should I taste next, then?" She peered down at the plate, glad of the chance to hide her blush.
Cesc was relieved to be free of Zurine's gaze. He knew her flirtatious nature, knew what she was like when it was aimed at him-- but he couldn't quite trust what was his mind and what was her desire. He knew, from Jackie on one side and Melisande on the other, how easy it was to see what one wanted…
… it used to be easier than this, when he was angry. When he could hold onto that feeling of having been rejected, left, it was easy to summon up the pride to keep her at arm's length. He didn't want to be pathetic, to want someone who didn't want him, who had shown that giving him up was an easy task. It had been so much easier when he was convinced that Zurine had treated him in such a way.
But after the summer, after the renewal of their friendship and her explanations of the summer before, that had been taken away from him. That endless gulf between them had evaporated, shortened, and he was left wondering why, then, they'd been so certain that reconciliation was impossible, stupid, unlikely.
But they'd mutually decided to be friends, and nothing more. If her nature was to be unaffected, sweet, flirtatious, he needn't take it to heart. Or to… to hormones.
"Try the strawberries next," Cesc said, the hitch in his voice starting to smooth. He leaned, elbows on the counter, and took one of the strawberries for himself, holding it up as if toasting her. "My favorite thing as a Frei-- berries and mint whipped cream. It's light and perfect."
Daintily, Zuri reached out to pluck up a strawberry as well, making sure she had a judicious dollop of whipped cream on top. Second-guessing was tiring, and food, she was discovering, was simple and delicious. She hadn't yet tasted anything that she didn't like, and when she had selected her berry, she lifted it and daintily tapped the side of the cool, sweet fruit against Cesc's, smiling softly and mellowly. "To moving forward," Zuri said softly, then smiled and added, "together."
Once she had said it, she took a bite of her berry, letting the fruity sweetness and minty chill fill her senses. She savored it, eyes closing with delight. "Mmm!" She covered her mouth with one hand, still holding the remainder of the berry with the other hand before going back for more nibbles. "I can see why it was your favorite," Zuri gushed softly.
"To moving forward," he echoed with a mellow smile, letting the whipped cream mix on their joined berries before he separated and took a bite of his own. His eyes brightened as he watched her reaction, and his own strawberry was gone in two bites--he could hardly resist his own favorite treat, and was pleased at her preference.
"It's so simple and good, right?" laughed Cesc. "I can't resist it--no matter what I make, I feel like it's not as good as a good berry and some simple whipped cream. One of the finer things in life, I guess."
He leaned forward again, nodding down to her plate at the small slice of blueberry pie. "You have one more--and then we go to show you off to everyone in Gambino. You think you're up to it?"
"To the pie, or to showing off?" Zuri asked with a soft laugh, finishing off her berry with another small, satisfied sound. "The answer is yes to both, I believe!" Her eyes twinkled with delight as she pulled the pie closer. This was more like something she hadn't tasted, the lovely-looking crust and the deep blue-purple of the glistening berry filling immensely intriguing. Reaching for a fork, she looked at it a moment, as if trying to find a satisfactory plan of attack, before daintily taking the very tip of the slice onto her fork, and slipping it into her mouth to stop her giddy babbling. It was -delicious-, even just at first taste, and she closed her eyes to savor it better.
The plate was empty. Her first tastes of food, her first little meal, and it was his. There was a strange sort of pride to that, Cesc thought, a kind of happiness he couldn't quite explain. When he'd grown, he hadn't even sought her. When she'd seen that he'd grown, it had given them both pain. But her growth, hard as it had been, had at least been shared. He'd seen some of the pain, and for that-- for that sacrifice of his worry and powers and sanity-- he was now richly rewarded.
And this was better, he thought. It was better to take part in it all. They could hurt together, and heal together, and grow together. It was better, much better.
"Well, then, let's get at it," said Cesc with a smile.
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