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 Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:08 pm
Oh dear, was he buying her something to eat and drink, now? Xiu really was starting to feel a little guilty about this! Ears flattening, she shook her head to indicate that she was fine. She wasn't really hungry! He could eat, and she would just sit there and soak in the surroundings! Actually, she wasn't entirely sure how she would eat a burger in this form either. It wasn't impossible, but it would be a bit difficult.
The monster received a wary look, but Xiu made no other effort to communicate with him. Instead, after another nervous look, she glanced away to look at the other diners, who were...not much better, actually. There were all much larger, and if something happened and they decided to pick a fight with Roch and herself...
The Baku immediately averted her gaze, settling for squeezing her eyes shut for now. How did Roch work up the guts to come out to such places?
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:13 pm
"I was--" the monster started out, then he stopped, frowning as he looked more closely at the baku. "She really is pretty cute, ain't she?" he said, sounding a bit surprised.
"Yeah--oh, you aren't hungry?" he asked the baku. "At least a shake. Or maybe I can pour some of mine out into a lil cup or something. Can I do that?" he asked the lady behind the counter.
"It'll cost an extra seed," she said.
"Sure, that's fine," Roch said. "Get me a... scrawlberry shake, a burger with everything and some cries," he ordered, digging out some seeds from his pocket.
The plate was dropped in front of him and the shake slid down the counter into his hand. He poured a bit of it into the small paper cup they offered and offered it to Xiu. "Here you go! You gotta at least try it, the food here's awesome!"
The lady behind the counter flushed slightly and didn't look quite so grim.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:35 pm
All the attention was making her feel a little self-conscious, so she was relieved when she could focus on something else. She gingerly took the cup between her forelegs, balancing it very carefully to ensure that she didn't spill any. After an uncertain glance up at Roch, she slowly raised it to her mouth a took a sip.
...It was pretty good! Unconsciously, her tail began to wag slightly behind her as she had a little more. Roch definitely had good taste when it came to food--she needed to trust him more often about this kind of stuff. Since, in the end, he had still paid a seed to get her something, Xiu wanted to thank him, though...she wasn't sure how to do so without speaking. If only she had a pen and a pad of paper!
She settled instead for looking up at the reaper, bowing her head, and wagging her tail. Hopefully that would get the point across.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:40 pm
"Hey, it's fine, Screech!" he said, rubbing her head fondly. "I'm tryin' to cut back on how much I eat, anyway," he said, although the burger and cries were gone without a trace. He dug out another couple of seeds and tossed them onto the counter, having already paid the bill. "Thanks for the food!" he said before scooping up the little baku. "We got a concert to go to!"
And they walked out of the scary place without even a hint of violence. That... was strange. No, that was Roch. "Nice guys, huh?" he said to Xiu as they headed for the crowd. He was excited. It was practically vibrating off of him.
In fact the entire crowd seemed excited. Roch looked around, seeing a few people wearing glowing circles around their necks or wrists. "Hey, where'd you get those?" he called to one.
"They're selling them over there!" the ghoul called back, pointing to a stall.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:03 pm
Nice? Well, she supposed that they were rather nice. It wasn't the type of place that Xiu would venture into alone though, or even with Mitsu and Lizzy. The place still gave her a rather uneasy feeling, though that could have partly been influenced to her rather sheltered upbringing.
Her ears pricked up slightly as she also took note of the strange glowing things. What were those? She tapped at Roch's shoulder and then tilted her head in her silent question. Whatever they were, they were awfully pretty, weren't they? Since it was so dark out, the only things that really stood out were the strange glowing circles.
Maybe she had been too paranoid after all. It didn't look like she had had to follow Roch considering that he wasn't doing anything all that dangerous.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:16 pm
This time, that was. He headed for the stall, a cart, really, that had hoops and sticks set up for purchasing. "You want a necklace, screech?" he asked, picking up one of the bigger bracelets. It was green.
"Like this color?" he asked her, showing her. "I think I'll get a necklace and a couple of bracelets. Like I don't have enough as it is," he added with amusement. He paused as his phone let out a guitar riff and dug it out of his vest. "Pick yours, screech, I'll get it!" he said as he answered the phone.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:21 pm
Xiu pawed at the glowing loops with interest, her eyes bright and ears pricked right up. Could...could she really get one? Though to have Roch buy one for her...again, she felt that feeling of guilt. Why didn't she think to bring a pouch of seeds, such in case. Though she supposed that, since she knew where the reaper's room was, she could just slip some seeds into an envelope and slide them under his door. At least then she wouldn't have to feel too bad about his kindness (especially since her original intention had been to follow him and make sure he didn't get into any trouble).
She had been poking at the green one that Roch showed her when the reaper's phone went off. Curiously, she turned her attention to him and the phone. Who would be calling at this hour? Surely not Danny or Demi? She would have assumed that both students would have been sleeping by now.
...Then again, she would usually be sleeping by this hour too. It was with a bit of concern that Xiu realized she was actually rather tired. Hopefully she would be able to stay up for the duration of this event though.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:40 pm
Roch abruptly turned, still on the phone, and looked up at the rooftop of the nearest building. "Seriously?" he asked. "Can you see this?" he asked, flipping the bird up at the rooftop. He snorted at whatever the reply was. "No, just stay up there," he said, hanging up.
"You pick your color, Screech?" he asked her, seeming to cheer up the moment he saw her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:33 pm
...Who did Roch just flip his middle finger at? The Baku turned her gaze in the direction that the reaper had been looking in, but she couldn't see anyone in the darkness. Hesitantly, she raised a foreleg and pointed in the direction of the rooftop, blinking curiously. Who was he talking to?
Her attention immediately turned back to Roch at the question, and she eyed the glow sticks thoughtfully. The red one...well, Xiu tended to have a thing for the color red in the first place, so it was unsurprising that that one was the one that caught her attention the most.
She pawed at it uncertainly, and then turned back to the reaper, her ears drooping. Was it really okay? Xiu continued to remind herself that she would just pay him back the next day (without him catching her doing so, of course).
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:30 am
"We'll take this one, this one, and this one," Roch said, grabbing the red one she wanted, and a larger red necklace and purple bracelet for himself. "These are great, man, where'd you get them?" he asked the guy running the stall as he handed over the seeds. The man muttered something hard to understand and Roch nodded, taking his stuff and slipping the red necklace over Xiu's head.
"Huh," he said, reaching up and touching the flowers at her ears. "These look familiar..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:45 am
Xiu visibly stiffened then, and though it wasn't visible on her face, her heart had picked up pace and she had begun to panic mentally. Why hadn't she taken the flowers off? She was so much more easily recognizable this way, considering how she always had them on in her human form as well!
Hoping that he hadn't pieced everything together, she suddenly bowed her head, waving her tail in a nervously hasty fashion. It was thanks for the necklace...as well as an obvious attempt at distraction. In all honesty though, she wasn't sure why exactly she was hiding this fact. Wouldn't it be good if Roch found out early rather than later?
At this thought, she timidly began to raise her head again.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:18 am
"Oh! I got it! Xiu!" he said, snapping his fingers. "You're her pet, aren't you? I bet you stole some of her flowers like Riff keeps stealing my spare rings and wearing them like bracelets," he said, grinning as he put his necklace and bracelets on. The night was getting darker, so the glowsticks lit up his face and hands. "Hey, let's go try to get closer to the stage," he said, picking her up again.
The crowd was getting excited, a sure sign that the band was about to begin. But that wasn't what was really interesting. What was really interesting was the tall, thin man that was walking behind them. He looked... almost exactly like Roch would in twenty years.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:40 am
He knows.
That was the first thought that crossed her mind when she heard her name. He knew. He found it. While she was nervous about how he would react, she told herself that maybe it was better this way--at least now she didn't hide it. Still, feeling the need to apologize, she opened her mouth to speak--
Wait, what. Pet? He thought that she was her...?! Oh, Roch.
Before she could protest, the reaper had already picked her back up and started through the crowd. Still a bit troubled, the Baku rest her chin on Roch's shoulder as she considered telling him the truth when she saw the man. Immediately, she perked up, glancing from Roch's face, to the man's, and then back.
Waaaaaaaaait a minute.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:49 am
A faint curve showed on the man's lips as he saw her looking at him, and he brought a finger up to his forehead as a slight salute--before disappearing from sight.
"I bet you've got a name," Roch went on, completely ignorant of the man following them. "Something like... I dunno, Sock? Nah, I don't think Xiu would name a pet that..."
The truth was, Roch hadn't really caught the whole "Humanoid badge thing" that the school had. He had a skull on his arm cuff, it worked somewhat like that, providing the whole speaker thing and stuff, but he didn't have a natural form to change back to. And he'd grown up expecting people to BE in their natural form all the time.
So basically, he was an idiot when it came to this aspect of school.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:27 pm
The Baku almost called after the man to come back, but she caught herself before the words could fully leave her mouth. In the end, it sounded more like she had suddenly squeaked for no particular reason. That man...he looked a lot like Roch. Could he be Roch's...? He seemed rather nice, didn't he? At least, that was the impression she got from the smile and the salute that he had given her.
It looked as if Roch still believed that she was a pet. She wouldn't correct him--partly because she couldn't think of a way to without speaking--but she did puff out her cheeks at the name "Sock". Considering how much Xiu puffed out her cheeks as a sign of indignation in her human-form, it may have been an action that the reaper was familiar with.
Though...Roch had to call her something. Maybe she would let him settle on a temporary nickname for her.
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