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 Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 9:08 pm
 howthpost sixteenHe stared at her, fork still in his mouth, and as he felt his face warm he deliberately set the utensil down to distract from it. Was he that easy to read?
"Yes. All right. I am glad to hear that." Howth cleared his throat. "I hope you can excuse my discomfort. My... um... mundane expectations... well, I was raised with them. The implications and assumptions can be distracting."
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 9:25 pm
 xaawopost sixteenHalfway through her delicious hand pie, Xaawo placed the half moon of warm pastry back on her plate with a small smile.
"There will always be assumptions. And we will choose to ignore them. It should not matter what anyone thinks."
If he couldn't handle that, maybe she wouldn't travel with him after all.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 10:19 pm
howthpost seventeenHe took a deep, quiet breath and looked down at his hands. All of his life he had been surrounded by people who formed opinions of him without truly knowing him. He had accepted those opinions, absorbing them into his external definition of himself, even if they didn't fit. How freeing would it be to just... not care? To deviate from conjecture and expectation by sheer force of will? Hadn't he already done so?
He supposed he could try again. Every time he felt self-conscious or embarrassed, he would...
He had no idea what he would do.
"I agree." It didn't sound convincing at all.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 11:05 pm
xaawopost seventeenShe nodded, passing the rest of her pie to the poscuta at her feet. His affirmation would do for now. Xaawo hadn't had much of a plan when she'd gone to that river in search of treasure, nor when she'd pulled a soggy earthling out of danger for no reason, but an inkling of one was beginning to form in her thoughts.
"That settles it. If you do not object, I will stay with you and Jasla. We can move on when my ring is complete."
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2022 7:51 am
howthpost eighteenHowth paused again, taking time to finish his last few swallows of tea before responding. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and in such a short time too, but he remained equal parts intrigued and uncomfortable. She had gone from his chaotic rescuer to insistent partner in the span of a few sentences.
"I do not object. As you said, you saved my life."
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:59 pm
xaawopost eighteenHer eyes narrowed faintly, lips pursing before she smoothed her features.
"We will break you of this... embarrassment. But that is a task for another time. You need to rest after your ordeal." After today, she vowed to stop mentioning how they had met, unless circumstances deemed it amusing.
She stood. "Are you ready?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:09 pm
howthpost nineteenHowth nodded, hurrying to wipe at his lips and get to his feet.
"I am."
She wasn't wrong. He was running on adrenaline at this point, and he knew that as soon as he had no reason to be on edge, his exhaustion was bound to consume him.
"Could you make sure Jasla follows?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:20 pm
xaawopost nineteen"Certainly." Xaawo glanced at the poscuta, then deciding that Jasla was probably done following them around at this point, she picked the animal up off of the ground and cradled her to her chest.
Howth had left behind some sort of payment, a handful of dull coins in a small pile, and Xaawo didn't have a chance to comment before he was halfway down the path.
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:42 pm
howthpost twentyHe made it back to the hostel a few minutes before Xaawo did, giving him ample time to explain that the Vandrean would be sharing his room for the foreseeable future. The first thing the woman behind the counter did was smile knowingly and nod. Of course she did. Howth found it less uncomfortable than he had anticipated, but that was likely only because he was suddenly so exhausted.
He filed into his room and stood silently at its center, at a loss as to what to do next. Normally, he would head to the public washroom and bathe before bed, but with company present, he felt as though he should at least try to play host.
Howth yawned.
"Please make yourself comfortable. I'm going to..."
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:23 pm
xaawopost twentyAs soon as the door to the room was closed, Xaawo lowered herself into an out of the way spot on the floor with Jasla at her side. This was more than adequate enough for her, but it seemed that Howth couldn't settle down. He appeared to finally be shutting down, stuck in his thoughts. She watched him in silence for several minutes, his eyes glazed and far away, and she was just about to intervene when he snapped himself out of it with a broad yawn. After muttering something vaguely welcoming, he shuffled out of the room without a backward glance.
Xaawo pondered following or calling out, but it seemed more intrusive than even she was willing to be. She wasn't his caretaker or protector. She huffed and shook her head at the door.
If he didn't show up again in twenty minutes, she'd go track him down.
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