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 Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 11:51 am
It was rather difficult to find Zumei when they hadn't arranged a meeting spot in advance, but for now, Howth was not deterred. He had chosen to wander this town in particular because it seemed the most likely place she'd be after... the last place she'd been, but also because it had some of the nicer snacks when compared to its neighboring villages. He had paused in his search to enjoy some sort of vegetable pastry, though he had only eaten a couple of bites before he forgot it was there. Howth was focused on a small stack of papers in front of him instead, refining some notes he had taken earlier in the day.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 5:20 pm
Zumei had in fact been wandering once more, and a place with good snacks was always a bonus in her travels. She hadn't had an exact goal in mind when she and Howth had split the last time, but she'd found herself in Tale before wandering a random direction once more. In her time away she had been thinking of things, something that obviously didn't happen often, but she did want to see Howth again. She always had fun when she was with him, and liked helping him with whatever work he had. Zumei hadn't expected to find him so easily, but as she turned the corner she spotted a familiar shape looking over papers. "HEY!" Zumei yelled in her excitement, rushing over to him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 3:59 pm
Hearing her familiar shout, Howth finished the sentence he was scribbling and looked up with a grin. "Hello! I'm glad you found me. I was hoping this would be a good spot, considering the... well, never mind. How have you been?" Howth had far fewer cases and pouches than he usually carted around, making do with a thin folio instead. He also had no experiments planned, since he wasn't sure if they would actually meet up. "Would you like one of these?" He gestured at the pastry. "It tasted all right, but I let mine get cold."
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:09 pm
Zumei perked up at the offered food, eagerly grabbing it from him and taking a bite. It was a bit cold, that was true, but still tasty! She looked over Howth for a moment, tilting her head at him as she noticed his lack of pouches and cases. It was odd to see him without all his items, almost like he was naked in a way. She bit her lip as she considered that a little too closely, feeling her face heat as she glanced away from him. "I've been....okay? I have missed your company, you know. You're fun to be around," Zumei admitted, kicking at the dirt. "What have you been up to?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 6:56 pm
"Am I?" Howth knew he could be compelling in certain circles, but he had never been a hundred percent sure why Zumei tolerated his company. "We do have fun." He thought their experiments were exciting, at least. "I've missed our time together as well."He loosely crossed his arms, brushing at his sleeves as he thought about what he had been up to. "Well, I found a strange box in the river that is sending me on quite a chase, but no recent animal wrangling. These past few weeks, I've been looking for you. I wanted to tell you something."
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:20 pm
Zumei was pleased by his statement, glad that she wasn't entirely a bother to him in their interactions. She knew she wasn't exactly the smartest around, but she liked to think Howth hadn't minded it too much. Hearing about his own adventure was very excitement and she stepped closer as she listened to him. "A strange box? How fun!!" Zumei grinned, bouncing on her heels. "But what did you want to tell me? Something fun? Or something exciting? Maybe you're just here to admire me?" she teased, bumping him lightly on the arm with her first.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2023 12:39 am
His answering smile was skittish, a slightly more deliberate version of one he was sure he had worn in Zumei's presence at least twice before. Over time he had come to realize that she occasionally looked at him in a hopeful way, and those looks were often accompanied by touching or comments or the sleeve of her shirt mysteriously slipping off of her shoulder. It had taken him far too long to figure out what that meant and why it made him want to change the subject. "I... um... I'm going to be going north for a while, and I wanted to make sure you knew I would be coming back."Howth truly cared about her, more than nearly everyone else in Tendaji, but he wasn't sure it was enough. He didn't know if he was capable of the sorts of things that would make someone blush.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2023 6:47 pm
"Oh really? By yourself? That seems a bit unsafe. Though you're very smart so I guess you've gotta plan. You always have plans," Zumei nodded, smiling at him as she stepped closer. She wanted to offer to go with him, but worried her suggestion would be met with a rejection. Zumei would like to say the rejection wouldn't bother her, that she could roll with it and continue on, but she'd be lying and she knew it. "How long do you think it'll be before you come back?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2023 8:26 pm
"Six or seven months," he replied. That he was sure of. Even if they couldn't find what they were looking for in Zena, he didn't want to stay away any longer than that. "I will be traveling with another explorer who is invested in the outcome of the trip. There's always the possibility that something will happen, but I think that everything will be okay."Howth absolutely refused to question his intelligence—the only virtue he was certain he possessed—but he didn't feel very smart right now. "But... uh... I want you to know that if there's anything you need from me, you can send a note to Secer in Zena and I'll come back as soon as I pass through."
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:29 pm
"That's a long time," Zumei huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She liked seeing him, even if she felt like she didn't bring a whole lot to the conversation. Their friendship was exciting and always brought something new to her existence. How was he to manage without anyone super strong near him? But maybe he wasn't going alone? "Your friend will be with you?" she guessed, figuring they usually traveled together when he wasn't visiting her. Zumei knew in a way she was the odd thing out in his routine, the person that didn't mesh well to his lifestyle. "I'm excited for you to find fun things together with your friend!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2023 7:26 pm
He had been trying to avoid mentioning her, referring to some other nameless explorer like he had a whole guild of friends at his beck and call instead of just two. But he couldn't lie outright when confronted like this, not when he already felt guilty enough. "Yes. My friend." He supposed his frequent traveling companion had been superficially mentioned one too many times to be overlooked. Howth swallowed. He should ask her now. He should invite Zumei to accompany them. But he didn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to travel with Zumei or that he didn't think they would have fun... he just wanted to take this trip alone with Xaawo more. "We'll be back before you know it." He chuckled, a nervous puff of air.
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2023 7:49 pm
Zumei gave him a wry smile, shaking her head as she took another step closer to him. Howth was nervous about something because of her, or something to that affect. She wasn't the brightest but she could tell that much. His words were more uncertain than usual, and it felt like he was beating around the bush about every explanation. She didn't like it, this weird wall between them. "Don't lie, Howth, not very nice of you," she teased, trying to keep light about the odd situation. "You don't have to come back around here for me or anything. You've got other priorities. I get it." Those priorities just didn't involve her, as much as she wanted them to.
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 7:37 am
"No! No, I'm not lying." But he was growing increasingly guarded over the course of a conversation that was meant to be informational, and he didn't appreciate the reaction. "I wanted to tell you that you are a priority. I didn't want to just disappear without an explanation. But... my friend. She's important to me too. And so is this trip."Maybe this had been a mistake. It felt like one, even though it made perfect sense from a logical standpoint. You tell the people you care about why they might not see you for a while so they don't worry. It was common courtesy. But the longer they spoke, the more Howth felt like he was being a jerk. Telling Zumei she couldn't go to a party while waving his invitation in her face. "I'm sorry."
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:46 am
Zumei nodded, watching him closely as he explained himself. Maybe she was being too....harsh? It was true he didn't have to tell her anything, so giving her any sort of explanation was worth listening to. She wanted to go. To suggest that she come to be the muscle and help with any heavy lifting while they inevitably went about their super smart business. It wasn't her place to say anything though, and she found herself biting her tongue to keep from suggesting it. If he had wanted her to go he would have said so. He was trying to be helpful by letting her down easy, and she was the one being mean about it. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you'll get to have some fun with your...friend. I'm sure she'll be excited to have some alone time to travel with you."
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 8:08 pm
Howth stood, silent and uncomfortable, wanting to apologize again but managing to hold it in. Fun was what he had with Zumei, and at first he didn't see how it applied to this trip to Zena. But the longer he thought about it and the closer he analyzed her tone, the more he doubted himself. "It's not like that. We have a mutual interest in returning some lost property, that's all."He firmly believed the words coming out of his mouth. He did. So why didn't they sound convincing?
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