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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 4:06 pm
He shook his head slightly when she asked, taking in the muted palate and the changes and tucking them behind his mental 'ear', it was more or less an unconscious process, but he was deeply interested in somehow scanning her book shelves. Sadly, he thought it might be too obvious, too clear a tie between himself, here, and the 'young man' at the party to whom she had offered a card. Was it possible to have a small twinge of envy for yourself?
Ridiculous really... to envy the ease that he could address her with as a civilian, but at the same time, being Zinkenite removed other social barriers, what a very strange world.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 4:38 pm
It probably would've been hard to simple scan her bookshelves, considering they covered nearly all of one of her tall walls. It was apparent that she liked to read. Adira rattled around the kitchen, finally deciding after several seconds of thought to pull out a clear teapot from a cupboard. She set it on the stove to boil while she laid out an assortment of things on the coffee table.
By now, setting up tea time was autopilot for her, seeing as it was something she would do ever time her mother came over to visit. She was having a hard time coming up with small chat, though. What would they talk about? She sighed softly, and took off the teapot when it began to steam. Adira had chosen a flowering tea, one of her favorites. The little bulb of tea bloomed almost instantly as it hit the water, steeping. "I... how have you been?" The girl slipped off her shoes and sat on one side of the couch, eyes watching the captain's movements.
This could be a very awkward and dangerous conversation. Adira was beginning to regret inviting him here, apparent by the gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 4:55 pm
"I..." He started trying to think of how best to answer it as a negaverse agent. "I've been alright..." he said with a small shrug. No true inflictions of that old chinese curse...beyond being a 'weird thing in the night.' He stayed by the door at first... hesitant to remove the tall boots, if for no other reason they were a bother to get on and off. But he wanted to see those books... and yet...
And yet she seemed nervous, it was understandable of course... so why not be sure she didn't regret this offer too much.
"...Did you... prefer that I leave?" He asked carefully. Polite as ever...
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 7:18 pm
Adira sighed, peeling her eyes away from the boy hanging around her door. No, she was being much to apparent. "I am sorry... for my rudeness." She stood. "Please come in, don't worry about your boots, the carpets are darker now anyways." She still couldn't give away quite why she was nervous, however. Too much of a giveaway. It was a tightrope that she walked, and thank the moon that she was damn good at it by this point.
"I suppose I am still frazzled from the nights events. The tea is almost ready, though." The tea had almost fully bloomed, still visible in the colored water. Playing good hostess, she set out two Japanese style teacups and poured the tea out with practiced motions.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 7:33 pm
He stood for a long moment before bracing himself against the door and removing his boots, putting them neatly side by side and moving carefully forward, no sudden movements. He positioned himself carefully across from her so that she might feel there were enough things between them to be a sort of 'armor' before he bowed slightly and took the teacup carefully.
"Ah....domo arigao?" He said, his pronunciation was terribly 'american' but the effort was there.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:14 pm
She tried to keep it in, she really did. It started as a smirk and moved into a giggle before she hid her mouth behind a hand. "Iie." Another small giggle. "Sumimasen!" It was apparent that Adira had spoken Japanese before. "It...was a very nice effort, at the least." She gave him a smile. "Though, you maybe want to pronounce it 'doumo arigatou' the next time." Adira herself only spoke broken fragments, used to having a translator. All she really knew was the form introductions and snippets of things here and there.
Nevertheless Adira grabbed her own teacup and sipped gratefully. It was very, very relaxing for her. Nothing like a good cup of tea to calm your ills.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:23 pm
He paused looking like someone just put a stage spotlight on him and he had forgotten his lines, a blush peeking over the edge of the mask he was about to draw down for the sake of tea.
".... I have no idea what you just said...But...dou-mo ar-i-ga-tou? For...the pronunciation correction?" He said hesitantly... "Dare I ask what I said the first time? " He said hesitantly as he pulled the mask down. The same young face as before when she had saved him in the alley, even with the new uniform. If anything, the only real change was his eyes looked... older, but couldn't the same be said of any senshi who had really realized the terms of their 'service'?
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:18 pm
"I simply told you to not mention it, and said sorry for laughing." Adira smiled and took another sip of tea. "Yes, thats more like it." She repeated it once more for his benefit. "You... didn't really say anything the first time, that I could recognize? Just syllables that sounded vaguely like you were attempting to say thank you." She smiled, clearly teasing.
Intense blue eyes studied the face behind the mask. There were subtle differences, and Adira was glad she could get acquainted with them before she would have to deal with sensing his aura. He seemed... wizened for lack of a better word. Like he'd somehow managed to have seen more of the world in the time between their last meeting.
The ToS of being in a war was never quite what they laid it out be be. Often, you skipped to the end to hit accept for the bonuses, or occasionally you weren't asked to review it at all. Life was a hard, cruel, domain mistress who really just wanted to screw with your profile. Life happened. Adira was sure her own eyes reflected the same knowledge after having seen what she had.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:22 pm
"... I must admit, the last time I was here I didn't realize you had so many books. I'd... say I'm impressed but I make the condition that you must have at least read them once before I say that."
He sipped his tea, there was a light 'tease' in his words when he said that, but there was also a seriousness. He closed his eyes for a moment savoring the tea. Though to be honest, even watching her make it there was some part of him that tried to make sure it tasted only of tea.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:35 pm
"I have read ever book in my collection at least once." She paused. "Well, I supposed that is not entirely truthful of me." She stood, pausing to look at the bookshelf with critical eyes, as if she'd had each of the books memorized by position. Which she actually might have. No one was allowed to touch her books without her say so, after all.
Standing on tippy toe, she legged up onto the first row of shelves and pulled down a book. With a look of disgust she laid it on the coffee table. "That... is the only book in my collection that I have not and will not read. Unfortunately it was a gift so on my shelves it remains." The title read 'Twilight' in bold white letters, with an iconic picture of an apple on the front.
And she was never going to read it ever.
"Otherwise, at least once, have all of these books been read." Adira was serious about her reading. After all, there was little else to do on a plane.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:48 am
"... The fact that the author is still alive to continue adding to her so called series, makes me quite sure that she has some unholy 'Fan', on one, or both 'sides' of the night 'weirdness' defending her from the sane who might put that series, or at least her writing tools out of the world's misery." He said with narrowed eyes over his teacup at the iconic apple and pale hands. "but... the rest of your reading, that's really quite admirable" He said with a nod that said he was deeply impressed.
"You find time for so much reading between... some self defense class though I assume?" He added trying to make conversation that would not give him away.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:48 am
Adira sat back onto the couch with a sigh, listening to his tirade about Twilight with an amused look. "A lot of it came from very long, numerous plane trips." When you were on a very quiet 18 hour flight to wherever she happened to be headed that day, there was little else to do but read.
"Unfortunately, since school started up again I've not had much time to read." She smiled, bemused at his asking about her self defense class. "I was actually just getting out of one tonight. Ever since I was accosted several months ago, I figured it would be best to know how to fight." She didn't mention that she got the snot beat out of her because she was a pansy against a blackened superpower, but he didn't need to know those details. "I'm currently finding time for two martial arts classes and a general self defense course."
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:38 am
He arched his eyebrows impressed with her exploits. "That's... quite impressive." he said with a small note to himself that that could very well be a wise investment of time on his part. Judo for example...the books only helped with the basic idea, but executing the moves wrong was both dangerous and often painful...sometimes resulting in nothing more than dragging your target on top of you. "It sounds like it's also taking away from your reading time as well though, I suppose though that in the name of personal safety, its a fair enough trade off." He said with a considering nod. His eyes drifted slightly in search of a clock though and he straitened almost imperceptibly...was it that late already?
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:54 am
"Thank you." She dipped her head graciously, finishing off the last of her cup of tea. "That it is... if I don't make it home, how can I read regardless." It was a true enough statement, but a bleak one. Adira followed his eyes to the clock, also shocked at how late it was.
"I hate to be rude, but I have a test tomorrow afternoon and still need to review for it." She stood and offered the boy a polite smile. "Thank you for having tea with me. And thank you for your help earlier." Even if it hadn't been much actual help, it was the thought that had counted most.
Her eyes flashed a bit guiltily before becoming blank again. "Be careful Zinkenite." It conflicted her to say it. Just how many people had she killed by proxy in letting him live all those nights before? The thought pained her, but she couldn't justify leaving someone to die, corrupted or not. Lives were lives.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:58 am
He stood and bowed again "Thank you for the tea Miss..." He said as he reclaimed his boots. "And..." He paused only a second at that look of guilt that crossed her face. "You as well." He said, though he meant it. There was a reason he was so careful of his targets. The world needed more people like her, kind, intelligent... civil. She was a rare thing indeed. He took his leave of her with a final bow, but it would be some hours before his thoughts drifted from her, to other important matters, not the least of which, sadly, was filling his quota for the night. Especially having dropped his last star seed.
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