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 Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 6:07 pm
June 7th, 2017 Text to Fritz: It's hard to breathe without knowing you're alright. [Message Deleted] Text to Fritz: Please don't stay gone for too long. [Message Deleted] Text to Fritz: I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. I miss my friend. I miss you. [Message Deleted] Text to Fritz: I hope the weather abroad is treating you kindly.
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Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 6:42 pm
October 1st, 2017 Cordelia couldn't deny that she was anxious. Not as much as Fritz was, no doubt, but anxious just the same. The last time they'd danced together, months ago, something had changed-- so much so that he'd put an entire ocean's worth of distance between them. It had taken months for them to settle back into 'normal' and here she was on the verge of risking it. Again. The chorus echoed in her ears as it chimed through the jukebox speakers asking that simple question that she hummed along with again. How much you wanna risk? She shifted her hand in his turning it to let their fingers twine as her other hand rose to settle on his shoulder. "I think we should start with something simple." Cordelia stepped in closer to him, watching his face for signs that it was too much, trusting him to be honest with her as she guided him into a slow side-step sway. "Something just like this?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 7:23 pm
October 19th, 2017 - Following the Bootanical Gardens Fritz had offered to see Cordelia home from the disaster that her 'quiet evening out' in an attempt to 'stop and smell the roses' had turned into-- less offered and more insisted, although she was in a position of not really wanting Fritz to head home by himself afterwards either. He had kept such a cool head that night and she? She had panicked. The spiders and the helplessness hadn't boded well with the young woman who any other time would have called upon her powers as the Senshi of Vengeance to get herself and those she cared for out of a bind. It was an awful feeling, one that still caught like a lump in her throat or a rock sitting on her chest, threatening to stop her heart at any moment. Or maybe that was from the way her hand had remained held in his for the duration of their walk back to her apartment, hold only breaking so that she could fumble around for the keys to let herself inside. "Would you like to come up for a drink, Fritz? I could pull out the sofa if you'd like to stay..."
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Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:56 pm
October 1st, 2017
He remembered the gala. He remembered every second of it, from how stunning Cordelia had looked in her gown, to the press of her hand in his, to the way she had swayed unconsciously close to him; the beat of his heart, the gentle flow of the music, the way it had all just...fit together.
How his life seemed to have turned around, right then and there.
Her hand on his shoulder felt like fire. Fritz pushed past the initial resistance, kept his head held high, and smiled at her, giving her enough space between them to not impose, but not too much for it to seem awkward. His feet moved instinctively as hers did, stepping forward when she stepped back, mirroring left, then right.
"Something just like this," he agreed.
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Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:01 pm
October 19th, 2017
He felt tired, in spite of how level headed he'd attempted to be. Attempted, and not exactly gone through with. He felt drained, both physically and mentally, both from an excess of people and everything else that had happened, his footsteps feeling heavy as he followed Cordelia back to her place.
Like hell he would have let her walk home alone. Fritz lifted his head at the invitation - and at the look on Cordelia's face, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Yes," he said, after a moment. "T-tea would be nice."
A pause.
"Or something stronger, perhaps."
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Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 9:09 pm
October 19th, 2017 Something stronger certainly sounded like the better option, although brewing a pot of tea to chase whatever spirits they wound up with down didn't seem awful either. Cordelia reached inside the door to flick on a light once they'd made it up to her apartment, making a light gesture towards the sofa. "Make yourself comfortable, Fritz." Her hand was trembling as she filled the electric kettle with water, leaving it to heat as she drew two short tumbler glasses from the cabinet. While she wasn't one to drink straight from the bottle, the events of the night made it almost tempting to pull the cork out of the decanter and do just that. She refrained, not wanting Fritz to worry more than he already was, making the transition from frazzled friend to party host in seconds. Ice clinked against the glass as she dropped two cubes into each, soon joined by an amber liquid that carried a sweet aroma along with the sharpness of the proof. The sweetness along with the chill from the ice would make it smoother to sip-- in theory, at least. She generally only used the bottle of Celtic Honey for baking. ".... I've got a bit of pumpkin bread leftover. I don't suppose you'd like a slice?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 7:36 pm
October 10th, 2017 With the post that afternoon a gift was delivered to the home of one Fritz St James. The first contained a small note card; plain and simple with a message scrawled in a familiar script. May the next year bring you an abundance of joy and light, laughter and love... And most of all, creativity.
Happy birthday, Fritz.
Always,
Cordelia Within the first package was a sketch book along with pencils and a set of markers that had come highly recommended by the young woman at the art supply store. She'd also assisted her with picking out a pack of brushes with an assortment of sizes and styles to go along the paints that were also included. Cordelia had been reassured that the watercolors were a very popular set and the acrylics that she had picked out would be more than enough for someone to begin painting and mixing colors with. The last part of the gift was a bundle of fresh canvases, packed separately with another note card. You have to start somewhere.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:34 am
October 19th, 2017
He made his way towards the sofa at her gesture; ordinarily, gentleman's protocol would have been to offer his hand to help her, but Fritz knew Cordelia needed a moment, and besides, he also needed a moment. He sank down onto the cushions and put his face in his hands, rubbing at his brow.
Somehow, the sound of her moving around in the kitchen was soothing.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Fritz dropped his hands and turned to look at Cordelia's back, following the line of her hair, a glossy, raven black-blue curl that had fallen free and was now tumbling across her back in an unruly strand that made him want to reach over and fix it.
"I'll take a slice," he said.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:38 am
October 11th, 2017
He tried.
The first time was a failure.
The third time was also a failure, and so was the sixth.
The seventh time, Cordelia would receive a text.
Text to Cordelia:
[ picture0339.jpeg ]
It was messy, and a bit uneven, the lines wobbly and the paint not quite dried in some places. Some areas were too dark, some were too light, and overall, it did not live up to the normal standards that were adhered to when things were fine. But it was, very clearly, a portrait of a raven with a red flower in its beak.
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 7:07 am
October 19th, 2017 Cordelia took the time to arrange a small serving tray after slicing the bread. It was settled neatly on a plate along with a side dish of cinnamon cream cheese and a spreading knife, just in case. The glasses filled with spirits were placed next, followed by the pot of tea, two additional cups, cream and sugar. A feeling of satisfaction settled over her as she surveyed the spread, letting go of a bit more of the anxiousness as she lifted the tray to return to the kitchen. It was easier to leave the nightmares behind once normalcy was introduced to a situation... And what was more normal than drinks to finish off a night after a... Date. The word lingered and she paused just shy of the coffee table. It hadn't been a date. They hadn't planned to meet up with one another. Nothing about the evening had gone according to any sort of plan, and yet... Simply being around Fritz made things better. His presence calmed her; that he had been there when things had gone south had made it bearable. If anyone was going to see her fall apart due to shortcomings, at least it had been him. Cordelia set the tray down on the coffee table, picking up the two glasses of the honey liquor to hold one out to Fritz with only the slightest tremble to her hand. "Your drink, sir."
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 7:24 am
October 19th, 2017
It wasn't a date.
He had to keep reminding himself of this fact, because it had felt - no, no, he wasn't going there. He wasn't taking that step, wasn't going to go down that road, because he knew what it would lead to, and he wasn't going to give himself that, or put Cordelia through it.
He couldn't. Wouldn't.
Fritz took the offered glass, felt Cordelia's fingers trembling as they brushed, just slightly, against his own. His eyes moved to her face, watching the sweep of her lashes, the dark hair, the way it curled over her shoulder.
"Thank you, madam," he said, offering a faint smile. "Are you all right?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 7:24 pm
October 19th, 2017 I'm fine. We're safe. It's fine. Everything's alright. The words filtered through her head, circling round and round as though the thought of them could weave around her and protect her from everything. They couldn't, of course. Words didn't quite work that way, no matter how much she might have wanted them to. Cordelia sank down onto the sofa next to him after slipping out of her shoes, settling back against one of the throw pillows while drawing her fingers slowly through the condensation gathered on her glass. She watched the ice bob for a moment before bringing the glass to her lips. The liquid brought with it a pleasantly distracting burn, giving her something to think about other than the way Fritz was watching her. It made her feel.... No. It didn't matter how it made her feel, or just how much her heart swelled. It was silly. It was... It... "Honestly? I don't know. Come morning I will be, I'm sure. I just--- Feeling weak, like there's nothing I can do about a situation, it... It brings back unpleasant memories. It's been a long time since I've felt that small and out of control." The glass was settled on her knee for a moment as she stared into the amber liquid once more as though it might have answers to questions she hadn't asked. "What about you? Are you alright?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:44 am
October 19th, 2017
He took a sip of his drink and felt the pleasant burn of the alcohol down his throat; nothing too strong, but enough that it took the edge off of his - well, edginess. Fritz was not a drinker normally, but, well. Sometimes it was necessary.
He didn't like how weary Cordelia sounded. How frustrated.
"I'm...well," he said gently, though it wasn't entirely true. "I'm...not as bad as it could have been," Fritz amended, after a moment, his voice low. "But I'm still...very unsteady, if that's a good word to be used. I wish things had gone differently."
The internal war inside of him was still fighting. Fritz hesitated, then reached out a hand and brushed his fingers lightly over the back of Cordelia's, the touch barely a suggestion in and of itself.
"And you're not out of control. Or unhelpful."
I couldn't do this without you.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 2:17 pm
October 19th, 2017 Cordelia felt the brush of his fingers and hers twitched in response, brushing ever so lightly back against his as though tempted to take his hand. She hesitated only because she wasn't certain that she would be able to let go if she did hold on. It wasn't fair how much she wanted to. It wasn't fair how much she wanted anything in regards to pushing her friendship with Fritz past the simple comfort she took in just having him around. She could just tell him. She should just tell him. "Fritz, if you hadn't been there I don't know what I would have done." Fallen apart around Abby, no doubt. "I'm so used to falling back on being Corvus in a crisis that I don't know what to do when I can't be her." At some point her focus had shifted towards being a senshi so much that she'd forgotten how to be a girl-- how to be young woman, now that she was older. "I don't know what I'd do without you," her voice was soft as she gave voice to words she had no idea he was thinking, fingers shifting around her glass as she brought it to her lips once more in an attempt to chase some of the sudden dryness from her throat.
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Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:31 am
October 19th, 2017
He wished he was capable of more. He wished he was a better person. He wished that, somehow, in some universe, he would have been able to take Cordelia's hand without fear, without the sickening anxiety that stemmed from his inability to touch people properly.
His throat felt tight. He wanted to hold her.
He wanted to -
Fritz's fingers closed - extremely lightly - around Cordelia's. Gently tugging, he pulled it away from the glass and her lap and brought it to his face. His lips brushed against the back of her hand in a soft, barely there kiss meant for comfort and reassurance and everything he couldn't say.
Then he let go.
"I'm here for you," he said quietly. "Always."
And he would be.
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