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 Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:18 am
"C-close?" he flushed lightly, following her out of the building, "you could say that..." He was never quite sure when to think of the jaguar as his best friend, as his worst enemy...as... "- but I guess it's true I probably know him best," he quickly finished.
"He'd love anything you give him, that's for sure," he continued thoughtfully as they strolled down the snow-lined avenues towards the shopping district, "but let me try to think of something that'll really knock him out...you're special to him, so he'd love something special."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:00 pm
The Spiraffe glanced side-long to her skittish companion as he stuttered, a quiet smile curving her lips though she kept her thoughts to herself. Amara listened to Julien, her hooves leaving small indents in the crisp snow, though she felt little of it. It was nice out, she reflected as the Hotot gave pause to consider, much like the autumn day she had spent with Lance.
She didn't have much time, as the male Hyte effectively derailed her thought process with a bit of surprise. "To Maxwell?" Amara looked momentarily stunned before dissolving into light laughter, sweet and gentle. "Oh Julien, you are a sweetheart. I believe all of females in HyTech hold a very special place in his heart," she chuckled to herself, not in the least bit self-deprecating, only speaking the truth as she knew it. "Not that I am ungrateful for your words...and I would like to get him something special."
Smiling, the femme reflected on her adventure with Maxwell, so long ago. "He is special to me," she finally said as the throngs of people began to thicken, "but I suppose he knows that. Silly jaguar, all flirt and no bite." Her words were teasing, almost affectionate. "I don't know how you deal with him, Julien, he must drive you crazy with his Casanova-ways." Amara didn't mean to get stuck on the dark Hyte, but she couldn't help to be a little partial to the topic.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:08 am
"Oh, he does!" he threw his arms up in frustration, "it's terrible - don't you think?! You can't just string every woman you meet along like that and never...never decide! It's not fair to them, and it's not fair to - to - well, it's not fair to anybody! But..." he quietened, tilting his ears down pensively, "I think he's been changing...he's been a little different lately - not that it's easy to tell, the way he still acts sometimes! But maybe he's been growing up...maybe he might actually take a chance one of these days..."
"Of course," he snapped his ears back, smiling apologetically at the spiraffe - oh, he shouldn't have rambled on so! "it took him years to get to this stage, who knows when he'll finally settle down! But not every lady has a hold on him, that much I'm sure. I can tell who does, too - so believe me when I say you're special...after all, I know him best, don't I?"
"And I'll think of something special you can get him, don't you worry! But in the meantime," he concluded, peering hesitantly at the veritable mob in the mall, "we'd better get that cookbook and blanket first, while there're still any left."
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:23 am
Amara was almost immediately smitten with the Hotot once he began his adorable rampage against the Jaguar. The Spiraffe had to make a conscious effort not to laugh in delight at his indignant fury, which was no small feat for the easily tickled femme. Instead, she simply curled an arm around the bundled bunny and gave him an affectionate squeeze. "He's bound to find the way with a friend like you, Julien," she offered up warmly. "No doubt there through thick and thin, just like he needs."
Sticking her hands back into her pockets, her own ears swiveled towards her companion and then back to the laughing throngs of people, not in the least bit daunted; in fact, she was smiling, wide and excited and all but bouncing on her hooves. "You're a dear, Ju," she giggled, eyes sliding side-long to the rabbit for a brief moment before returning to the mass of humanity, "but I think we'll be okay since we have each other! We'll figure something out!"
One hand stole out of her jacket, taking the white paw of Julien; with an excited lift of her shoulders and a glimmer of mischief in her birch-grey eyes, she lead the two-Hyte army of present hunters into the fray.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:14 am
He'd thought that the bookshop would at least have been marginally less crowded, but he had underestimated the Christmas Eve rush yet again - the carpeted floor was practically blanketed by unattended tots. "Oh dear," he murmured, eyeing the sad state of the dog-eared tomes in their grubby fists with no little pain, "I hope at least the cuisine section is untouched." Mustering a rather daunted smile, he turned to Amara, "do lead the way to that cookbook of yore!"
"Maybe you could get him one of those fancy cocktail books..." he mused aloud as he trailed behind the sprightly spiraffe, carefully dodging rugrats - but no, he suddenly recalled: "he's preordered all the new releases off Amazon already. Darn! Well, I guess it doesn't seem right to get Maxwell a book for Christmas, anyway."
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:42 am
"Yessir!" Amara giggled, doing just that, her dainty hooves having no problems finding ample space to press between mingling tots and misplaced books. Her ears flitted back towards Julien at the mention of the books, but she thought the same as his last sentiment; she wasn't entirely sure what message the Jaguar would think she was trying to pass by giving him a book.
And there! The cooking section! There were a few confused looking men milling about but it wasn't anything Amara couldn't squeeze between. She kneeled down, tail flicking to and fro as she rested her elbows against her double-jointed legs; the fingers of one hand tapped over her bottom lip as she read, the other touching the spines and faces of books in the "A" section.
Her fingers paused over one, drawing it to her lap and beginning to flip through it. "You know, I'm not even sure what he likes to eat," Amara commented thoughtfully. "It's hard to buy a personal or meaningful gift when I don't really know much beyond the tough-guy exterior he puts up. You know, Cia kind of does too -- do all men do that?" She posed her question with an openly curious expression to a rather baffled looking gent, one who simply gave her a confused look and a slight shake of his head. "Oh, gosh darn the luck then!" she sighed, putting the book back and beginning her search anew. "Guess I'm just unlucky!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:37 am
"It's not you, it's totally him," he stated flatly, "for one, he eats everything - though his favourite is beef. There isn't a lot to Maxwell, tough guy exterior or otherwise - there are three things he really likes: food, sleep, and girls. And money, I guess," he added, thoughtfully, "or he wouldn't have opened HQ. But that doesn't change the equation much - he's got his Harley too, but that's partly to facilitate the 'girls' bit, or the chasing thereof. You probably already know him as well as anyone could!"
"...Although he's been disappearing a bit these days," he continued, idly watching her deft search, "I don't know what he does then. Other than that, he does nothing at all, as far as I can tell - but men are simple creatures!" Kneeling by her to help pull a recipe collection out here and there, he finished: "Of course, I doubt Ciaran is as simple as he is - you wouldn't catch Maxwell trying to whip up a Beef Rouladen, he'd get someone else to do it for him."
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 5:43 pm
She listened while she continued her search, scooting over a little as the Hotot joined her. "His Harley is nice," she commented softly, "and it was fun to ride." Amara looked thoughtful, her eyes not quite as sharply watching for titles, though her gaze came back into focus at one of the books Julien pulled out. "That one!" she cried out triumphantly, long fingers tapping a surprisingly thick tome that apparently specialized in...apples.
"Thanks Julien!" she grinned as she pawed through the few copies of that book, choosing one that didn't look like it'd been thumbed through a thousand times. Standing, she waited for the Hotot to do the same before taking his arm, fearlessly leading him through the crowd to the cashier. "If you were such simple creatures, I wouldn't be fretting for the right gift!" the Spiraffe laughed, good-natured. "I'm afraid I'm no good with meat, I think that's part of my heritage," one eye dipped in a wink, "so it's just as well that my Knight likes his fruit best."
Procuring the gold from her jacket pocket once the total was given, she continued, "That's not always a bad thing, you know. I like to do things for my special ones. One man's 'simpleness' can be a woman's affection, silly as that seems." Accepting the bagged book, she held it against her chest as she borrowed a pen, picking up one of the free bookmarks and turning it over to the blank side. She wrote on it:
"My Beloved Knight,
You pick, I'll cook!
Consider this an open invitation
for company, in gratitude for all
you've done for me. Merry Xmas!
Love,
Your Damsel"
Satisfied, she tucked the bookmark into a random spot in the book and nodded to Julien. "One down. One to go, and one to puzzle out!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:07 pm
"Oh...my." If he'd thought the bookshop was a war zone, the household goods department must be ground zero.
"Well," he nudged a few stray crystalline shards around the glassware shelves, "a set of cocktail glasses is out of the question, then. Let's go get that blanket of Cobalt's - at least it can't possibly be broken."
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:26 am
Huddling close to the male Hyte, her large, round eyes stared over where they were supposed to go. "And we're the animals," she commented with a touch of dryness. Shaking her head, she carefully picked her way over forgotten spoils, varying from the mundane like coasters and the more curious like bamboo hampers, to the broken ceramic pots and scuffed candles. Amara wasn't entirely sure how these things found their way into the middle of the walkway, but it was sure making for an adventure!
They passed cutlery and drapes, towels and framed replicated paintings before they found the bedroom area, just beyond the ambient music stall. "We'll see if anything has survived the war on gifts," the Spiraffe said in a meek voice, shuffling towards the model beds with the blankets folded on display, quilts hung above. She inspected each tapestry with a critical eye; most of the fabrics were too airy, too thin or too small for her xenomorph friend. Thus her attention turned to the quilts, though there were few left that weren't garish.
She paused next to a 'sales' bin that had a rather beautiful blue quilt haphazardly thrown inside it, drawing it out with hopeful fingers. It had a spectrum of blue, from navy - to cobalt! - to an ocean cerulean with appeasing patterns. The reason for it's placement became apparent quickly; two of the patches were ripped nearly clean from the seams.
Amara's ears fell. She ran her fingers over the thick fabric that served for the insulation, rubbing her thumb over the thread that still clung to the scraps of patch. "Would have been perfect," she lamented, giving Julien a sad smile. "I suppose I could always give him a few IOU's for the bar..." Despite her suggestion, she remained trembling on the edge of disappointment, turning her eyes down the remnants of the displays.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:05 pm
"Maybe biking gloves - no, wait, he just retooled his old ones a couple of weeks ago..." he continued to rack his brains for Maxwell's perfect gift as they wove through the debris, "or maybe a - no, no, he's already - maybe - no - agh!" When did Maxwell become so - so...self-sufficient?! It was a little disconcerting to realise that Maxwell, procrastinating layabout skirtchaser Maxwell, had gotten his life in shipshape order while he wasn't looking...well, a lot disconcerting, although he should really be pleased about it...but... Maybe you're just worried, an ugly little voice whispered in his head, that he doesn't need you anymore.
He was so distracted by his disconcertment that it took him a while to notice Amara's distress - and no wonder. The quilt looked indeed perfect for the xenomorph...but those two patches! "Oh no..." it had been - in a fashion - broken after all.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 3:03 am
"He's become quite self-sufficient, hasn't he?" she commented lightly, rolling the thread from a missing patch between her forefinger and thumb. It was still rather long and sturdy, as though the fabric had been cut out rather than torn. Amara exhaled quietly, her ears lowering a little more as she considered just what to do. It wasn't like she could just stitch it back together...
...well, why not?
Just like that, her ears lifted and swiveled forward, excitement cresting her features again. Why couldn't she patch it? It would be more personal that way and she was certain the xenomorph would enjoy a quirky little touch to the quilt. "To the knitting section!" Amara proclaimed, apparently too caught up in her new-found purpose to cue the rabbit in on her thought process. Tucking the quilt under her arm, she took off with a great bound towards the creative section, her head held high.
Beyond faux trees and electronic Santa's, she slowed her long-legged gait and quickly sought out the fabric rolls in what appeared to be the children's section. She hummed with self-contained joy, tail flicking to and fro as she checked and double checked each print - and after about checking a third of them, she gave a delighted cry. Amara gathered a yard of two separate prints before turning to the Hotot as he found her, displaying her own finds: a black patch with a cartoonish UFO and alien amongst white stars on one, and a sky-blue patch with a silly looking giraffe munching on an indistinguishable tree beneath a yellow sun on the other.
"What do you think?" she grinned, all but bouncing on her hooves. If Julien didn't think she'd entirely lost her mind, she'd make her purchases and be on their way for the third and last Hyte on her list.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:16 am
All of a sudden, Amara was off like a shot. It was rather a desperate dash to the fabrics - the long runner's legs she'd inherited from her parents packed an almighty stride that was difficult to match - and by the time he'd gotten there, just that slight bit out of breath, she was holding her spoils proudly aloft with an irrepressible smile. And just a moment ago, he marvelled, she'd been on the brink of despair! The resilience of her indomitable spirit was quite, quite impressive.
"I think...that the quilt will be considerably improved by your handiwork," he beamed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:38 am
The Spiraffe nearly glowed with her joy at Julien's words, swooping in to hug the genteel Hyte. "I will do my best," she thanked him with warmth in her tone, giving him a grateful smile before heading for the cashier at a much more leisurely pace. Amara hugged the goods with a pleased smile, nuzzling into the blue fabric with contentment. The quilt had been a good find, and in hindsight, she was almost grateful for the missing patches. She just hoped Cobalt would appreciate her attempt at humor!
"So that's Cobalt," she proclaimed with relief, laying the blanket over the counter with the patches to be rung up. "That leaves our darling jaguar." Amara's eyes turned around the check out area, beaming as she plucked out one of the small greeting cards in a metal carousel with lollipops; she picked a card that had a photograph of water on the front, knowing her friend's love of the pool. "No books, no shot glasses, no gloves. Where does that leave us?" Flipping over the card, she leaned over and wrote simply on the back.
"To my favorite alien,
I hope to see you more this year!
Thinking of you, wherever you are.
Love,
Amara"
Paying for the goods and accepting the bagged blanket, she stuck the card into the plastic confines as well as adding the smaller bag with the book. Turning to her rabbit friend, she gave him another pleasant smile. "I guess we just wander, now, until something strikes us? Perhaps until we're hungry," she compromised. Amara didn't want to fret over what to get Maxwell, but she could already feel the anticipation welling within. Was there anything out there that she could gift him that he didn't already have?
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