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 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:20 pm
She looked away a little. Of course Cesc would be upset with Phiel. It made sense, after all. Poor Cesc had had to be the one to find her when she was so sick, had been the one to have to deal with her at her worst. Her stomach twisted a little. That probably had been Phiel's job, but what did it say that Zuri was so glad it had been Cesc and not her guardian? She loved Phiel dearly, but god, how different things would have been if he had been the one to rescue her! Thinking too much about that made her uneasy, so she reminded herself that it hadn't happened that way, that everything had turned out well, and that it was best to let what-ifs lie.
"I know you're mad at him," Zuri said, fiddling with her ring, then lifting her eyes to smile at him again. "But... really, you know me better than he does, I think. And he does try -- really he does -- but you know how I am. I keep my secrets, whether they're good for me or not."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:28 pm
Cesc let out a long exhale, straightening and pulling his arms off the table. He felt suddenly like the room was very warm, that his cheeks were uncomfortably heated and that heartbeat a little too loud. He was strangely proud, under his ribcage, sneaked away in his stomach. He was proud that she trusted him, that she wasn't unhappy with how things had worked out. But, at the same time, it felt strange to hold that pride. It was still him covering for a guardian, and he didn't want that. He wanted Zurine to be safe, first and foremost, even when he wasn't around.
Not that he intended to be hard to find. Not ever again, if he had a say.
"Alright, here's some water for you guys, and I have your sake," the waitress broke into his thoughts, and immediately Cesc looked up, his ears perking, a polite smile zipping onto his face. She set the cups down on the table, along with a small, elongated bottle and two tiny rounded cups. She poured a clear liquid into both of them and smiled. "Your tofu will be right out."
"Thank you," Cesc said automatically, and he looked after her as she went. He shook his head, his smile half-slipping, and reached for the sake cup. "Well. I believe you, Zuri, and I believe he's trying. But let's leave that for now. We've got to toast."
He held up the cup, so small it only fit between his fore and middle finger and thumb. "To your health."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:30 pm
She watched him, wishing she could read the emotions behind those familiar bright eyes, wishing that she knew what he was thinking. Zurine's wings shifted slightly, uncertainly, and she was almost glad when the waitress returned to bring the sake.
Straightening as well, she peered in at the cup as it was being filled, and licked her lips daintily as she reached out to pick up hers as well, cradling it delicately. "Alright... a-and to our happiness, both of us!"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:35 pm
"I'll drink to that," said Rhedefre with a broad smile, and he tinked his cup gently against hers, still just managing to slosh the sake over his fingers. "Geezus--" he interjected with a laugh, the flush receding from his cheeks, and he brought the cup to his lips for a long sip.
The sake was chilled, and it was smooth and bone-dry to taste, with a strange fruitiness that lingered on his palate for a long moment after he swallowed. Then came the delicious burn, waking him up, warming him more comfortably inwardly. "I hope you like it!" he said. "I just realized I don't know if you've ever had a drink before."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:39 pm
She giggled a little at the slosh, and when he sipped, so did she. It was the first time Zurine had ever tasted any sort of alcohol, and as the sip slipped over her tongue and down her throat, carrying with it the strangest chilly burn she'd ever felt. Her eyes rounded, and Zuri's cheeks flushed brilliantly, her lips pressed together.
"I haven't ever had anything like this, no," she said, her voice a little husky, followed by a laugh. "But oh, that -is- nice...! It tastes like... it tastes like I imagine moonlight would."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:40 pm
Cesc smiled, taking another sip. "I'm really glad you like it! I had a feeling you might." He relaxed, his shoulders dropping, his expression becoming easy. "Moonlight, huh? I could see that..."
The waitress was back, this time with a rounded stone dish, filled with lightly tempura'd tofu and a shallow bit of broth, topped with slightly-moving flakes of bonito--the look of which would never seem quite right to Cesc, the way they always seemed to be still alive, regardless of the fact that they were just flakes and nothing sentient.
"Agadashi tofu," said the waitress. "Are you guys alright for now?"
"Yes, thanks!" answered Cesc, taking up his chopsticks. As the waitress retreated, he cast a look over at Zuri. "Is this going to be another first? Do you know how to use these?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:49 pm
Sipping the sake again, Zuri blew out a soft breath, leaning in to peer at the tofu and broth with wide, interested eyes. It smelled good, and she drew in a breath of it. "Honestly? No, I haven't used those either," she admitted, sitting back and picking up her own chopsticks daintily. "But I've watched other people do it... so I do know the basic principle." She began to try and arrange them in her hand, scrunching her nose at the unfamiliar position.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:57 pm
"Here--it's like this," said Cesc, holding up his hand to show the positioning of the sticks in his hand. He himself had only recently started using them for the actual consuming of food--he'd originally learned how to use them when placing delicate things atop pastries, as they afforded greater control without the heat of his fingers messing anything up. "It just takes a little bit of practice is all--although I hear you're more than welcome to use your hands on sushi."
He set about arranging some tofu in their respective bowls as she got used to the motion. Tofu was slippery enough on its own, even crisped up as it was.
It was a pleasure to see her reaction to what was unfamiliar and pleasing, Cesc thought more than once as Zurine tried new things--as the sushi rolls came to their table, with different flavor combinations and new ingredients for her to sample. She was so beautifully honest, so eager to enjoy everything! Watching her made him feel light inside, like every laugh or crinkle in her nose set aside weights on him he didn't even know were there. He listened to her likes and dislikes, the flavors she enjoyed and those she did not, and filed them away as though he was learning secrets.
They finished their sake and against his better judgement, Rhedefre ordered more, and by the time they were both full, he felt warm and pleasant and affectionate. He felt like time was slowed down, like he could linger on the heavy beat of her blinking lashes, in the silk swinging of her hair when she tossed it back.
By the time the waitress brought the check, Rhedefre was full of bonhomie and generosity; he signed his name to a large tip with a flourish and looked across the table to see if Zurine was ready to go. He did not, he realized, feel out of place anymore with the Tetsuya's crowd of couples. Not with his cheeks warm and his smile easy and lopsided and his eyes half-lidded as he looked across the table to meet his da--his friend's.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:00 pm
The meal was a glorious feast; even the things that Zurine didn't like, she relished the chance to test and taste, to add to the list of things that she had tried. She had found in herself a new desire for experience and taste, and each new texture gave her a new point of reference. She filed each away with a delighted hum, her hands still somewhat clumsy on the chopsticks even once she had gotten the hang of it.
As the sake flowed, Zurine felt herself lighten, worries melting away and leaving her relaxed, refreshed; it brought a soft flush of merriment to her face, made her laughter easier and her smiles more sure, made them linger longer as she chattered across the table, gesturing daintily. It felt good to be free with her attention, not to overthink things, and to simply enjoy his company without weighing her every word and motion against the past. She wanted to keep this easy, comfortable moment forever, basking in the way her world focused in around the two of them.
As he finished signing the check, though, Zurine finished the last of her ice water, sitting back in her chair and smiling, dark eyes alight with contentment. "That was wonderful," she enthused softly. "And I really think I couldn't eat another bite..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:03 pm
"I agree, that was incredible. Worth the wait," said Cesc with a low sort of laugh that felt a little loopy. He was glad for once that he didn't have legs; he didn't want to betray the slight unsteadiness the sake had left him with. He rose and held out a hand to Zurine to escort her from the table, not realizing until a few moments later that the gesture was probably unnecessary.
The air outside was cold, and it felt nearly orgasmic on his flushed skin. He wanted to sleep in it, cool fingers in his hair, his hands slung low on her hips--
Cesc's eyes snapped a little open at the slip of his mind, and he shook his head as though to rattle himself back into sobriety. It didn't work--the only thing he felt was a slight spinning and an increase of the warmth on his cheeks. He turned to look at Zurine. "You feeling okay?" he asked. "The sake didn't get to your head too bad?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:09 pm
That hand helping her up from the table was much appreciated -- as Zuri rose, she felt the world take a lazy, meandering trip slightly to the left, and she held onto Cesc with a hiccupped little laugh, her face flushed. She managed to keep her composure long enough for them to get outside, which she was grateful for. Her head felt warm and muzzy and heavy, and now that she was upright, she realized that the drink had definitely affected her. An uncharacteristic little giggle escaped her, and she held onto his arm for a moment, blinking owlishly in the cool evening air as she steadied herself.
"I am... fine," she said, after a moment. "Very fine. Much more of this sort of fine than usual." Her smile was warm and just a little sheepish, and she was not entirely sure she wanted to let go of that warm, familiar arm in her grasp. In fact, she didn't want to at all; she would very much have liked to just drape herself around it, hold onto him until she was good and ready to let go, which in this state of mind might have been a good long while. At least the length of a movie and a cuddle and maybe more, she judged giddily. "Are you also fine?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:11 pm
"Well, you look fine. Extremely well," he said in reply, laughing softly at the tipsiness of her appearance. She looked so pleasantly flushed and sweet, like the alcohol had unwound any inhibition that remained in between them. It was becoming. Precious, even, he thought. Her hair glowed in the moonlight and street lamps, her dark eyes so velvet and black, her eyelashes silver.
It was so nice, Cesc thought, to feel so close to her. Even though they'd had pleasant outings and enjoyed time together, his own buzzed thought told him that this was the first time that everything was truly fine--that there was no lingering hesitation between them. It was a thrilling moment of triumph.
"I'm proud of us," he suddenly said, his voice warm and low. He turned to look at her, his ears cocked, his smile half-curled, his eyelids low over his gaze as he looked at her. "We've done such a good job--being friends again, you know. Letting go of everything, just… being friends. Really. I'm proud of us."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:14 pm
For a moment, when he looked at her like that, that familiar face so soft and that voice so nice, that expression almost inviting -- Zuri's heart fluttered with hope, with eagerness. Her tipsy head considered briefly that maybe he might kiss her and maybe she might be okay with that -- oh hell, who was she kidding, she'd definitely be okay with that, and then some --
Friends? Yes, that was right. Just friends. Just friends being friends. So what did that make Zuri, she thought, if she really, really wanted to rewind that moment, shut his stupid beautiful face up with a kiss before he could say anything? She was far too tipsy to trust her first reaction, and the second one didn't seem so great either, so Zuri simply laughed, turning those eyes away for a moment.
"Me too," she said softly, and then when she thought she could convincingly look like she hadn't just wanted to throttle something, she looked back up at him with a soft grin. "It's nice. Being friends, that is." But she could think of something nicer, Zurine thought, chasing away the thought of lacing fingers in his hair and pulling him down to her height to share the distinctly more-than-friends thoughts that she'd been entertaining a moment ago.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:15 pm
There was something in Zurine's look that was almost magnetic. It might have been the sake, but there was a moment where her full lips parted that time seemed to slow, and it unfurled a warmth in his stomach. He suddenly was very aware of himself, of her, of the space between them. His chest rose and fell and then he held his breath, like he could keep the moment, savor that expression.
Very friendly, he thought.
She replied, and he let out that soft breath, wondering why it mattered, why either of them had spoken. It was there again, that tightness, that extra barrier, and in his state he couldn't comprehend it.
Maybe it was dumb, his mind slurred, hummed into the dull heat of the alcohol. Trying to pretend he wasn't attracted to her.
No--he insisted. They were friends and it was good and it was healthy. Damn it. It was!
"It is nice," he managed, nodding. He put a hand to his head. "Mm… I should get Shep to pick us up, huh?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:18 pm
She sighed, steadied herself, then smiled. "Probably a good idea. I don't think either of us could find our way home in this condition," Zuri said, with a teasing smile, letting go of the frustration after a moment to unpack later, when she felt a bit less hazy. It didn't do them any good to think too hard on it, and the night had been so wonderful so far that just one moment couldn't ruin the glow of good food and the warmth of sake and the friendship, right? No matter what she wanted -- if she didn't say it, it didn't matter, right?
But she -did- want more. And stupidly, Zuri kept her silence on the matter, too afraid of the possibilities it opened up.
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