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 Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 7:05 pm
Everywhere around the city, Christmas had become blindingly prevalent. Music was on store radios, shops had decorations, streets were somehow extra pretty, and houses had delightful displays. Sakura had no recollection of what past Christmases were like for her, but she somehow felt a slight sense of loneliness when she thought of possibly spending the holiday alone. She was, of course, thankful for Aloy and Liam, and knew that they were never far away should she need them, but that wasn't the same as "spending the holidays" with someone.
She didn't want to impose on them more than she already had, and had wanted to do something nice to help out after they had done so much for her already. So when she had approached Liam and asked about decorating, she was delighted when he agreed to let her help.
Sakura smiled brightly as she helped sort out the decorations, her eyes sparkling at all the lovely things. She held up a figurine carefully, admiring the simple beauty of it. "Everything is so pretty. Is there any particular way you like things decorated?" She turned her vibrant smile to Liam, eager to help.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 8:36 pm
"Not really, I never did much for decorating when I was growing up." They had decorated but it was meager and everything was old and worn, deocrations which had seen far too many holidays past, it spoke to how long the orphanage had exsisted...how long it had been needed and just how many children had passed it's halls and called the place home for years. He wasn't picky because he'd never been able to be picky, not till he'd started dating Aloysius anyway. Even then Liam was pretty easy going about things and just went with the flow.
The idea of decorating the city home had been Sakura's and Liam had been eager to help her with this plan of hers, he understood her want to feel the warmth of the holidays and wrap yourself up in it. He'd basked in the warm glow of lights, and decorations, when he was growing up. He might be alone, sort of, but he'd had the holiday season in all it's warmth around him. It had made things feel just a little bit better and that had meant everything to him. He just hoped this would help her.
Sitting on the floor Liam was going through a box of decorations, trying to find the lights. "I know we have lights in one of these boxes. We can decorate the stairs and door ways with them."
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 9:00 pm
Caramel eyes lit up vibrantly at the idea of decorating the stairs with lights. Sakura sat across from him, carefully going through another box to help locate the lights. "I... think I used to decorate? I know that I really like decorations, so it would make sense. Maybe I just like the glitter though, who knows?" She laughed softly as she gently pulled out a tangled mass of lights. "Ohhhh the curse of the tangled lights. No matter how nicely you put them away, this always happens. I swear."Nimble fingers started gently working to untangle a strand of lights. She felt oddly excited to do this, to decorate with someone and make everything look and feel cozy. She hummed quietly as she diligently worked to untangle it all. "Can I ask you mirror senshi questions? I completely understand if you'd rather just focus on holiday stuff for now!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2025 9:14 pm
"It is likely that you decorated before, most people do." Though not everyone but if she celebrated Christmas, as most did, than it was likely. Perhaps he should, at some point soon, suggest to his fiance that he intgroduce her to others like herself...those who had changed sides and had to find themselves again. It might be a good idea, it might help her, it would introduce her to people who have been where she is and can perhaps help her. As he helped in searching for lights he found the idea more and more appealing and sensical.
"I can agree there, lights will always get tangles as will garland." Sighing, lamenting the time they'd have to spend carefully untangling things, he hated this part but she was right. No matter how well you packed them away they always got tangled.
"Of course, I don't mind at all. I might not know everything but I'll answer whatever I can. I don't mind talking about it, holiday season or not." He didn't have hangups with his faction and talking about it, or the war, he didn't have anything negative attatched to it thankfully. "Ask away." Finding some fake pine garland to untangle so they could decorate with that, hopefully in combination wit hthe lights.
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Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2025 9:35 pm
"You're really nice, you know that?" Sakura smiled fondly over at Liam before returning her attention to the lights. "Seriously, both you and Aloysius have gone so out of your way to help me and it... means a lot. I don't think I had anyone to help me before. I just remember this really lonely feeling and isolation." All of her concrete memories had left her of her civilian life, only whispers of vague feelings and notions were left within her and what she could tell from that, she had been very, very alone. "So how exactly are you as a senshi different than me? Is there much of a big difference there? As far as I can recall, I don't think I've ever met a mirror senshi before so it's all new to me." She couldn't help the curiosity that bubbled up within her about learning something new, especially when it pertained to senshi knowledge. Finally managing to untangle the lights, she let out a triumphant laugh and gently set them aside before grabbing another strand and starting to work on that as well. In her mind, it was just another puzzle, something to solve, and she had always been quite decent at those, as far as she could tell.
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 6:43 pm
"His sister has said I'm too nice, and sometimes she might be right, but I honestly like to help others as much as I can." He liked to help even if he was helping a stranger, such as the night he first met Aloysius who had been drunk and only just consious. Liam had, from there, decided to help Aloysius and pull him back from where he'd been.
"Lonely...isolation..." Whispering the words he nodded slow,y. "I understand those feelings..." Even though he'd had people around him, having lived in an orphanage with many people, that didn't mean he didn't feel lonely or isolated. He certainly felt isolated because he couldn't just let classmates know he was an orphan so it did have him seperate from classmates - from normal people.
"Ohhh - good question. Well, you ca nteleport, like Aloysius can, I can't. I can however walk through any mirror and come out any other mirror - so long as I know which one I'm walking out of and where it is. We also don't gather energy on our own...we use wraiths, which I suppose you could say are similarish to youma." And he did mean the ish part...they weren't the same but it was an easier way to explain it to her. "We can go out gathering together one night and I'll show you."
Watching her cheer over the untangled lights Liam was smiling, as he worked gently on the garland and untangling it. "It's a bit late this year, too close to the holiday, but for next year we can order ornaments ahead of time. We can seach online for ones you want and order them in advance, I'll help you look and we can go to stores as well." He would help her enjoy Christmas and make it a holiday full of warmth and comfort, as it should be. She wouldn't be alone.
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 8:43 pm
"So functionally similar with minor differences then. Huh." She seemed thoughtful as she worked on the second strand. At the mention of working together, she once again lit up, nodding in cheerful agreement. "I think I would like that! From what little I remember, I....never really worked with anyone before. I have a vague memory of another senshi with me, but... It makes my stomach twist to try and remember them. I...think he was the one who isolated me." She shook her head, refusing to look harder at the memory. She retained a decent amount of her memories as Ako, but virtually nothing as a civilian. It was confusing and more of a pain in the a** than it was helpful. "You would....still want me around? Even that far in the future?" The thought of being wanted, being invited to be around, made her heart squeeze just a little. She quickly wiped at her eyes, refusing to start crying over such a simple thing. She didn't know why that brought up so much emotion, why it made her want to cry, and yet again she was frustrated by not understanding her own emotions. But the idea that Liam, and perhaps Aloy, would want her here even after a year, would want to be around her and be part of things with her, felt overwhelming. "Sorry, sorry, I don't know why I just....the tears just happened on their own..." She wiped at her face as a tear rolled down her cheek, feeling embarrassed. "You really are too nice. But...in a good way."
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 9:55 pm
"Even though we are two different sorts of chaos it'll keep you safe to have a stronger signature with you." Order would be less likely to attack Sakura while he was with her, less they were strong enough to handle them both, he was happy to keep her safe because she was important to his fiance and she was new to this. She might remember being a senshi before but he somehow didn't think she'd been very active, unlike himself and some others.
"Of course, why wouldn't I?" He questioned, staring at her with wide curious eyes. "You're part of Aloysius' team...that makes you like a...branch on a family tree." At least he thoguht so. She was someone he'd bring food to and help, keep safe, and he'd be there if and when she needed to talk as well. It was like the sort of family you chose for yourself rather than the sort you were born into.
Laughing Liam scooted on the floor, moved about, so he sat next to the other and pulled her into his side as he hugged her. "It's fine, it's more than ok to cry. Aloysius isn't about to just dump you, and ignore you or something, at some point because you can handle yourself or something. You're his team and that means something to my partner." And he gave her a little squeeze and ruffled her hair.
"Melody says I'm too nice also, I think I'm seen as some sort of lab or some other friendly dog." Shrugging a bit, he didn't mind really. He was who he was.
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 11:24 pm
"Thank you. I mean it. Seriously, thank you." She hugged back tightly, feeling silly for crying but unable to help herself. The hug was something she realized now that she had been desperately needing. "Family huh? I like how that sounds. A lot." Family meant warmth and meant being cared about by people who you cared for. Family was something that most definitely appealed to her, even if it wasn't by blood. Found family, after all, was one of her favorite things to see in the books she read. Sakura laughed softly and wiped her eyes again, smiling warmly at him when he ruffled her hair. "Hah. I can see that. Very 'Golden Retriever' I think. It's a good thing though. That's my favorite sort of person. And for what it's worth, I'll always have your back. Both you and Aloysius. Whatever I can do to help, both as me and as Ako, just tell me and I'll do it. I.... I think that it's been a long time since I had someone or something to care about, and... it feels really nice." She leaned against him a little, working on the strand of lights as she spoke. "I'm glad that out of everyone who could have found me, that it was Aloysius. I'm glad that I get to be here right now, that it meant I got to meet him and you and Des. Even if I'm absolutely about ready to throw these lights out a window." She held up the tangled mass, laughing softly. "These are so much worse than the first set and I'm not even sure how that's possible. I thought I was good at puzzles, but this might be even beyond my level of ability."
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 12:37 am
"Family is a good thing to have, sometimes it just means making your own - like now." Taking tghe lights from her he offered up the almost unknotted garland to her. He'd finish the lights, his fingers starting the work to untangle them.
"Thank you, and if I ever need you to have my back I'll let you know." He'd trust her to have his back and he'd make sure she would trust him as well. He'd keep her safe. "If it's been that long than it's about time that things change. I think I should start making you meals and leaving them in the fridge here for you." He'd just mirror walk his way in and drop off food for her, so she always had a homemade meal. "If you haven't done the collage thing we can set you up with that, if you want, I graduated not too long ago so I do know how to sign up for all the grants and such." He'd make sure that if she wanted to persue something she would, and he'd see to it that she did well also, he understood the power an education and a good job could give a person. It was why he'd worked so hard in college himself.
"I know Aloysius and Dessire will support you as well if you do want to get a degree in something. If not and you just want to work we'll help there also if we can." She would need to establish herself and get her feet under herself, to build a life for herself, and they would help her do so. "I know what it's like to build from nothing. Not for the same reason but I know it's a lot."
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 8:01 am
"You sound like you've been through a lot yourself, Liam." She smiled warmly up at him, finding more and more that she really did like him and felt genuinely comfortable in his presence. At the mention of food, she grinned. "You don't have to do that... but I also won't say no. Maybe you could teach me to cook sometime? I... don't think I ever learned more than just basic microwave stuff. Or if I did, I don't think I was much good at it. I think maybe it's time I learned."College made her seem thoughtful, trying to see if there was anything in her spotty at best memory that would give clues to if she had or hadn't attended. "Even if I had attended college... any degrees I had wouldn't match up to the person I am now, would they? Name change and whatever magic keeps me separate from the person I was before, right? Maybe I have records or something in the storage unit I put together. I'll have to see what all I thought to stash in there. Yknow. When there isn't snow on the ground." She laughed softly, working at untangling the last little bit of the garland. "Yknow... I think I'm gonna be okay. In the long run I mean. I know when Aloysius offered me the chance to start over, I didn't even really need to think about it, didn't give myself time to be anxious or afraid. Which isn't like me at all. But now, being on the other side of it, I think I made the right choice to trust him."
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2025 9:50 am
"I have but I've gotten through it." And come out better than he'd ever imagined he would, and in far less time as well. "Sometimes life is hard and we don't get a choice in it, it happens, all we can do is work through it and take what help we're offered. We can, once we're in a better place, help others who are in similar situations to what we'd been in...paying it back in a sense." Smiling as he spoke, he really was looking to help others who needed it. Those who needed to build al ife up from the ground...because help was always nice to have, he'd apprecaited the help he'd gotten along the way. "I can teach you to cook as well, I don't know how m uch time Aloysius will have but he can also help perhaps. But I don't mind." Since he worked from home most of the time, something his fiance appreciated, he could take the time to help her with cooking.
"The Negaverse could fix things, make those degrees work, the issue would be do you remember what you learned. But the rest I know they could handle, they have a good network of people who can handle such matters." He didn't know everything but he knew they could do that, they weren't going to leave new members to flounder and regret the side swaps they'd done. It would risk loosing members to the other side, when they'd just pulled them away, it wouldn't be a good idea for them to not have a department which could help with such things.
Laughing he leaned in and ruffled her hair, a friendly gesture which had him taking the garland from her to finish untangling it. "He cares abotu his team, a lot, and while he might not always be around there is me and I'm normally avalible. It's a two for one deal...get him and I come along for it all." It really was like that, and Liam was makign sure of that, because he was inserting himself where he could with his fiances team. He'd make sure they were all wel land good, safe even.
"You'll be more than ok, it'll just take some time."
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