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 Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:57 pm
Earendil smiled softly and sat down on one of the pillows, a fat red one with gold filigree.
"I couldn't agree more," he murmured with a warm smile. He chuckled softly. "Unless I had also dressed up, but I'm afraid I didn't know what to expect."
He smiled up at Lin, his eyes brightly. "You're beautiful."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:05 pm
Lin knelt across from him, as the position allowed her to serve the tea with better ease than if she had just sat down. She blushed despite her attempts to beat down that feeling mentally with a stick.
"Thank you," she murmured setting the tea tray down, "I feel a bit awkward like this so..."
Instead of finishing her sentence she busied herself with the tea cups, putting them side by side. She tried to subtly push her sleeves up to take the tea pot handle, but gave up and just let the sleeves be where they were.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:21 pm
Earendil smiled, and though his instinct was to offer his help, he knew by now that a) he had no idea what she was doing, and b) it was her plan, her idea, and it would probably offend her if he tried to take it away from her. Besides, it was kind of fun to watch.
Kind of? No. It was a definite treat for the eyes, everything about this. Awkward, she said? She didn't look it.
He bit his lip to hide a smile as she fought with her sleeves, trying to hide his amusement. He didn't want to make her feel more awkward than she already felt.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:32 pm
One hand on the tea pot, one hand on the top so it wouldn't fall. Pour slowly but don't hesitant otherwise the tea would spill. She had done this dozens of times before her grandmother but it still didn't make it easier.
Steam rose from the cups as the tea was poured and a fragrant scent filled the air. Not too much she thought as she set it back down. Finally giving up the sleeves Lin pushed them back so she could pick up the tea cup.
Honestly no one was going to know but her how clunky she was doing this.
One hand to grasp the tea cup and the other hand underneath it to support it. She leaned over slightly to present Earendil with his tea. At least until she realized, he probably had never had tea before (and mint tea that the people in Haven had didn't count really).
"Here, it's tea."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:47 pm
Earendil reached carefully for the cup. Judging by how she was treating the dishes, they seemed fragile, and he wanted to make sure he wasn't going to break anything.
"Thank you," he smiled. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hold it or set it down, so he just held it for the moment and waited to see what Lin would do so that he could copy her.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:56 pm
Lin mentally kicked herself because of course Earendil wouldn't recognize the nuances of a couple having tea, or the formality (why was she being formal at all she wondered she sucked at that). She moved to pour herself her own cup of tea as if nothing was wrong.
"Tea is actually really common in Gaia," Lin murmured quietly trying to make conversation all the while trying to pour herself a cup, "A good number of human cultures have routines around tea."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:06 pm
"I would imagine this is one of them?" Earendil smiled, holding his cup and waiting for Lin to be ready. He had been raised after all to wait until everyone was served before beginning.
He tilted his head slightly. "Of course, as I have no idea what tea is, I don't know what the ah ... routine ... is, either. So you're going to have to tell me all about this as we're going." He smiled again. "All right?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:16 pm
She smiled at him, and couldn't help but giggle. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all, they could muddle through this together.
"In this case, you can start drinking, you don't have to wait for me since it's my skills on display here."
She lifted the tea pot to stop pouring, not quickly enough as a slight drip was left on the tea tray.
"Though they're not very good," she murmured more to herself as she looked at the small tea puddle as if to will it to go away.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:20 pm
"On display?" Earendil grinned. "Refreshment and a show! How thoughtful you are. Pray, tell me, is there meaning behind all of this?"
He wanted to still be a gentleman and wait for her to be ready before drinking his tea, but she told him to start, and so he did. He put the cup to his lips and sipped it slowly, careful not to burn himself.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:36 pm
Lin blushed a bit at that, she hoped he would like it having chosen one of the more fragrant, not as healthy as say oolong, but much tastier.
"For Dad's people, there is some sort of pride to a lady who can pour prepare tea well and pour it with grace, probably because tea has become a form of social interaction. We drink tea with family gatherings, it is the beverage at dinnertime, it has become a respectful form to serve tea to one's elders, and in a setting like this has been used for courtships."
It kind of didn't help people drank it every day just about, she wondered if that was even good for a person.
"Though I'm not quite sure why this is a lady thing..."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:39 pm
"Perhaps because if it were up to us men, the tea would be all over the table, rather than in the cup?" Earendil guessed. He smiled softly at Lin. "Though you do raise an interesting topic ... one that I had hoped to speak to you about today. This morning. While we have the time to ourselves."
He sipped some more of his tea. He liked it, he decided. It was different from anything he had ever had before, but it was good. And it wasn't even just because Lin had prepared it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:43 pm
It took a blink before it clicked in, the excitement of seeing the babies and having to prepare Lin had forgotten that Earendil did want to talk to her about something.
Picking up her tea cup she blushed a bit, "That topic you had talked about the other day? You said you wanted to talk about."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:51 pm
Earendil nodded and lowered his gaze, and this time it was his turn to blush. He cleared his throat and sat forward a bit, setting his teacup down on the table.
"Please ... tell me if I'm being too forward, or if I'm rushing things," he began hesitantly, "but ... I think by now there is no question, really, but that someday ... you and Miyuki and I ... that we will be a real family. I want this, more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. That being said, I don't want to just ..."
His blush grew brighter. "I don't want to just ... ask you to marry me immediately because of that. In neither of our societies, I think, would that be proper. Lin, I want to give you a proper courtship, give you everything that any other woman would have. All the attentions, the gifts, the ... the time together. But I don't know how. I could easily go about it as I have always observed done in this world ... but I know that it is not your world, it is not your culture. And I want to do things ... according to your culture."
He raised his eyes, forcing himself to look at her, despite how hot his face was feeling right now.
"I had hoped to speak with your father or mother so that I could just ... do it right, surprise you," he went on softly, "but with us being here ... I can't wait. I don't want to wait. I want to know about your culture, so that I can court you in ways that mean more to you."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:12 pm
Lin was really hoping she didn't look like a deer caught in headlights at the moment, because that would make an already awkward moment even more awkward. It wasn't just he was asking her how to court her, it was that Lin up until she realized she loved and would love to have a romantic, long term (and some day permanent) relationship with Earendil felt the general population of dating teenagers (and young adults) to be frivolous in courtship.
Not to mention teenage courtship was generally a really, really bad example.
She set her cup down and looked at Earendil thoughtfully, because to be honest she did not want courtship gifts (they made no sense to her), and he was already giving her lots of attention, and she already knew he would make an excellent father.
And she sure as hell never celebrated Valentine or White's Day.
"But spending time with me like this, does mean a lot to me. I mean... back home when we talk about courting it's under the assumption that the couple do not know anything about each other. Courting is a chance to know each other better, spend time..."
Something they had been doing since well forever only they weren't a couple then.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:21 pm
Earendil nodded slowly as he thought about what she was saying. It made sense. In a way, it was like the courtship period here as well. Simpler, perhaps, but similar.
He smiled softly and reached across the table, setting his hand on Lin's and holding it gently.
"Then we should make a point of putting aside time for ourselves like this more often," he murmured.
Though he still had other questions.
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![[T]he [O]thers's avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/fe/ce/f6078ff69cefe_flip.png?t=1432603596_6.00_00&a=1&i=53107&s=stand&f=front)
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