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 Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:51 pm
Sitting in her trailer alone, Grete felt ready to scream. Not out of anger or frustration, but more so from the throbbing headache that had come from a very, very terrible hangover. She sighed while sitting on her sofa; softly rubbing her temples and regretting drinking so much the night before. Casting a sideways glance at a bottle of liquor from across the room, Grete toyed with the idea of using her new roommate's plan for hangovers: just drinking more.
Sadly, as much pain as she was in, Grete decided against it. At least for now. If it got any worse, then she would definitely be driven to drinking. Instead, she just sipped a cup of tea, and cursed herself under her breath. Glancing at a clock in her room, she wondered what everyone else was doing.
Grete had, in passing, told Maxem to come by her trailer at some time that night. Or at least, Grete thought she had told Maxem to do so. It could've just been a dream. Regardless, Grete had a present for Maxem, and she might as well give it to her while she had just gotten it, so that she wouldn't forget to hand it over later.
Slowly sinking into the sofa, Grete closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, wishing that she hadn't had so much to drink the night before.
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:00 pm
It hadn’t been a dream; or, if it had, Maxem had somehow had the same dream.
In either case, she was on her way to Grete’s trailer.
After talking to half of the recommendations Grete had made, she was feeling pretty good about herself. Not only that, but she had managed to form some idea of who she would be working for. That alone was worthy of a bit smirk. The smirk widened bit by bit as she pictured how amazed Grete would be with her for getting so much done; or so she hoped at least.
Whatever Grete’s real reaction was, she could only find out one way! With a rhythmic little series of knocks on the door, she anxiously rolled on her feet in anticipation- Hopefully Grete would appreciate the news and not send her out for being frivolous.
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:14 pm
Groaning slightly as Maxem knocked on the door, Grete got up to answer it. Did she have to knock so loud? Regardless, Grete opened the door with a smile, and let in Maxem.
"Come in, come in," She said happily. Despite the fact that she had a terrible hangover, Grete was still in a good mood, "The trailer's clean, huh?"
Her trailer was, in fact, much, much cleaner than it had been last time Maxem was over. Most of everything was put away in its proper place. The only things that currently littered the room were a few dishes and liquor bottles here and there, as well as a small suitcase and some men's clothes on the floor near Grete's couch. Those belonged to Iosif, her new roommate.
Sitting on the couch slowly, Grete smiled at Maxem.
"I've got something for you!" she exclaimed. Not wanting to get up and get it at the moment, however, Grete added, "But I'll give it to you in a few. So, what've you been up to?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:19 pm
It took a small deal of self control for Maxem not to quickly hop to doing the few dishes; it was so little work, and she so badly wanted to get to setting the room perfectly… But that would be impolite, so she restrained herself. Despite noticing these slight details, the fact that the suitcase and clothing were there were completely oblivious to the spunky redhead.
“It’s a million times better.” She wasn’t sure whether or not she should stand or sit, but when Grete seated herself, she figured for the sake of casualty, she’d join her. At the prospect of getting a present, she clapped once with enthusiasm; this trip was going to be well worth it!
“Well, let’s see here. I spoke with Aiden! He’s a good person; he said he’d help me get my act set up. We got most of my supplies as well. He didn’t seem too fond of you, though. I think I may have said a few things out of turn.”
Coughing and hoping to move on, she hurried on with another subject.
“So what got you to clean this place up so nicely? Is it just for me?”
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:31 pm
Smirking at Maxem, Grete nodded. So, she liked Aiden. Huh. Well, at least she had gone and done some of the things that Grete had told her to do. Standing up slowly, Grete stood up and walked over to her counters. She started to reach for the bottle of liquor, but her better judgement told her not to do so. Rather, she grabbed a glass and filled it with water.
Turning back to look at Maxem, Grete slowly took a sip and leaned against the cabinets. She gestured at the pitcher of water, as if to ask if Maxem wanted any. Swelling with pride at her clean trailer, Grete smiled widely.
"Well, see, it was just beginning to get to me. How dirty it was, I mean. And then, a little after I cleaned it up, what do you know? I get a house guest!"
Grete walked back to the sofa, sat down, and crossed her legs.
"To be honest, I don't think he'd really mind if the trailer was messy or not. I'd rather it be clean for a guest, though. I would feel pretty guilty if I made him stay in a total sty."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:39 pm
“A house guest!” She mocked Grete’s tone and added in a bit of incredibility. After a dramatic flair of her hands, she was back on her feet once again, pouring herself a glass of water so as not to impose on Grete any more than she had before.
She stole Grete’s old ‘seat’ at the cabinets and intently listened to the story laid out before her. “So now it pays off to be clean, see? They pay people to do it, even, so it can’t be all that bad.”
Thinking back onto that logic, she felt the utter need to correct herself. “But they pay prostitutes too, and that is bad. So keep the trailer and your morals clean and it’ll be smooth sailing.”
Feeling rather off topic, she felt the need to correct herself again. Golly, she was off tonight. “So who is this mysterious house guest? Fresh meat or an old friend? Any scandalous love affair that you two need to catch up on?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:54 pm
Frowning slightly at Maxem, Grete was rendered speechless for just a moment. Had she just been compared to a prostitute? She was sure that Maxem hadn't meant it in that way, so Grete just listened to her attempt to dig herself out of the hole she had just made. When she began to ask about Iosif, Grete just took a sip of water and smiled, all while watching Maxem's actions.
"His name is Iosif," Grete stated rather plainly, as she just smiled at Maxem, "And, I'm afraid it's not as dramatic as you make it out to be. No scandalous affair here." Her smiled widened as she said this.
"He's just new, and I let him stay in my trailer," Grete rubbed her temples slowly, and sighed, "And he's the source of this massive hangover. Well, rather, his whiskey is."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:37 pm
“So it’s like a sleepover every night… “ She was smiling and picturing Grete and some poor man getting into a rabid pillowfight… But then the realization that they had gotten drunk had finally sunk in.
“Hey, Grete… You were drunk when we met, too. Is there some kind of tradition where you come from to always me intoxicated before meeting new people? A way to break the ice, maybe?”
So Grete had gotten a newbie to be her roommate. A small part of Maxem was jealous; here Grete had helped her find the newbie trailers, yet she was taking in men that she hadn’t somehow by a twist of alcohol-driven sob stories become related to. Well… At the very least, Maxem would be spared the horrible hangovers from the booze…
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:51 pm
"No, I don't believe it is," Grete smiled, "But I wasn't drunk when I met him. See, he asked where the guys' trailer was, and I didn't know. I told him to just room with me until he found it. Then, he had this whiskey and said 'Let's make a toast!' and we drank and made a toast. Several, actually."
Once Grete finished rambling, she smiled at Maxem, and took a drink of water. She set the glass down on her coffee table, and then she realized something. Was Maxem being sarcastic? Grete frowned, and looked slightly hurt. If something like that had come from anyone else, she wouldn't have minded so much, but it came from her faux-sister. Grete sighed, and then smiled once more, in an attempt to hide everything that she had just thought up.
"I guess I'd better find your present," Grete said slowly, "I hid it so you wouldn't find it, and now I've got to find it."
Grete stood up, walked over to her dresser and began to pull open drawers to search for Maxem's gift.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:42 pm
Maxem shifted aside from her perch on the counter, partially to watch Grete look through the drawers, and partially to be able to quickly move out of the way if the need called.
She was trying to suppress a giggle at the idea of Grete and some squirmish little man (Which Maxem assumed the new roommate looked like) looking around on their hands and knees in order to find a proper hiding spot for a gift.
“Awwh, now this isn’t the first time you’ve tried to give me gifts; don’t let me take advantage, I haven’t even brought you flowers or wine as a housewarming gift yet!”
And while it was engraved in Maxem’s brain to always bring gifts when she would go to someone’s how, the sever lack of proper gifts at the cirque was almost painful. Sure there were trinkets and posters and all sorts of strange foods she had never heard about, But Grete LIVED at the cirque, so all these things must be common place and certainly not worthy of giving as a gift.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:32 am
"I don't really like flowers," Grete explained, throwing articles from her cabinets onto her bed and cursing under her breath, "Could've sworn it was here... Anyway, they're pretty. Flowers, I mean. But I just wind up killing them. All the time. I guess I've got," Grete closed one cabinet and opened another, "Whatever the opposite of a green thumb is. Plus, you don't really need to give me gifts."
No sooner after she said that, she withdrew a small parcel, wrapped in delicate tissue paper. It was tied up with lace and ribbons and bows, something that had taken Grete quite a while. Attached to it was a card that simply read "To Maxem" in Grete's flowery cursive handwriting.
"Here, here," Grete said excitedly as she took Maxem's wrist and moved her so that she was sitting on the couch. Grete sat on the couch next to her, and handed the package. Once Maxem opened it, she would find a pale green corset, covered in ornate stitching and designs, something that hinted at how expensive it had been. Grete could hardly wait for her to open it.
"I'm not sure if it's the right measurements or anything," Grete said, large eyes fixed on the package now, "But I described you, and the girl at the counter gave me this. Then I looked at it, and I'm sure it will work. If it doesn't...," Panic flashed over Grete's face for just an instant, "Then I'm sure I could get my money back."
Even though she was worried, Grete was near positive that the corset would fit Maxem. It had to! Plus, Grete had done a very good job measurement-guessing.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:01 pm
“Well~” Maxem drawled, peeking over Grete to look at the mess that was being made (Oh, how she wanted to clean it.) “Maybe it’s not you, but the flowers. If they’re cut they’re going to die no matter what you do.”
She had hoped more than anything at that moment that she hadn’t come across as patronizing. Everyone knew cut flowers died, but not many actually realized just how fast that happened.
When the wrapping reached Maxem, she was almost giddy with anticipation. The wait itself, just admiring the paper and looking at how beautiful her little nickname could look with just the right flair of the wrist was wonderful enough, let alone the fact that there was a present inside as well!
Being the strange thing that she was, she took to opening the packaging carefully; at first, at least. After having a bit of trouble with a part, she gave it a good, strong tug. That successfully ruined all of her earlier attempts to be careful and save the paper, but at least the package was out!
The package! Bah! Once it was open, the package was little more than scrap compared to the glorious, radiant piece of clothing, no, piece of treasure, in front of Maxem. While she had thought her corset before was worth a gasp or two, this one… This one could very well take away someone’s breath for at least a minute.
With that very thought, it dawned on her that her very own breathe had been stopped, and that if she was going to somehow be able to convey her massive feelings of gratitude to Grete, then she would need to breath.
So she did. A long, sharp, amazed gasp of air. Feeling no words flood to her brain with the intake, she tried it again. Maxem had, in effect, become a speechless replica of a fish; trying to find words and breathing as if she was suddenly out of her element.
“OhmilawrdGrete!” It was all a fluster of quick words sprawled together in what could be mistaken for gibberish. “When I had made those comments!” She gasped again, a hand on her chest as if her heart would burst, “I honestly had no intention of holding you to them! Oh, lord, this is far better than the one I had before. It must have been at least three men’s fortunes to get something to elegant!”
Her fingers gingerly danced over the embroidery, barely brushing against each thread for fear of ruining it. A glitter in her eyes seemed dull in comparison to the shining embroidery and silk. Her breathe was fluttering in awe; there was no way she could wear something like this without feeling as if she would maul it in an instant! There was no way she could accept something so precious!
Oooh, but it was so beautiful, and Grete had been so kind to go to all the trouble; she knew she would regret turning it down.
“Grete… Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. There are no words to express my gratitude."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 4:50 pm
Not quite expecting Maxem's nearly shrill exclamations of gratitude, Grete jumped. Once she realized that Maxem was actually saying words instead of just nonsense, Grete smiled widely and watched Maxem admire the corset. Usually at this time, Grete would say something along the lines of 'I hope you like it', but she found this wasn't needed now. Maxem seemed to like it quite a bit.
"Well, just as long as you actually take this gift," Grete joked, with a smirk on her face. She seemed to remember once before an attempt to give Maxem something, and yet she didn't take it.
No use in responding to Maxem's comment on the price of the corset. It had taken a large chunk out of Grete's paycheck, but Grete wanted to spend it on a corset for Maxem. After what she did to the first one, she more than needed to buy a new one. Plus, Grete had enough of everything else she needed (dresses, booze, food) at this time. Granted, she would buy more, but a corset was top on her list of priorities.
"I promise I won't spill anything on it this time," Grete took another drink of water. Maxem was a sweetie, but her squealing did nothing to help Grete's headache.
"So...did I do well?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:36 pm
“Oh, you did marvelous, Grete! This is so gorgeous! Oh, if there were words with more meaning, I’m sure I’d use them. In fact, I’d probably try to make my own up if I wasn’t so entire speechless!”
The speechless part was clearly a lie, as Maxem was once more going off at a mile a minute with her excited ramblings.
“Oh, oh! It’s so much more lovely than the one before! I can’t imagine seeing my old corset as anything to scoff at when looking at this.” The glitter in her eyes sparkled as she almost came to tears (Of gratitude, mind you), but the redhead managed to hold back her drama for a few moments longer.
“Oh, thank you. Thank you, Grete. It’s so lovely. It’s simply elegant. I’m not suited to wear something as beautiful as this.”
Oh, shoot, wait. Grete had already teased her about not accepting gifts, so she hurriedly tried to cover that up.
“But I will, mind you, even if it doesn’t suit me, because it is such a kind and generous gift from you! I’ll just have to become lovely enough to not be washed out by it.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:45 pm
Grete laughed at Maxem's excitement. She was glad she was excited, but she had never seen Maxem talk so fast before. Well, it's good to know that she likes her present.
"The intention wasn't to make you feel less-pretty," Grete frowned at the 'washed-out' comment, "It's just something to make you even prettier!"
She smiled again, and was amazed by just how much Maxem could talk when excited. Not that it was a bad thing. Grete didn't mind it at all. She just wasn't expecting such a big reaction. In her opinion, it seemed as though Maxem was acting like she had never gotten a gift before. Surely she had. Grete reasoned that maybe Maxem was just more vocal about her excitement than most people.
"I thought this might be to your liking. The color reminded me of the color of your old one. Only, this one's a little darker, I think. Anyway, it'll look nice with your hair."
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