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 Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:24 pm
He was standing on the lowest shelf, gripping the next highest one he could reach with one hand and extending the other to try, TRY and pull down the object of his attentions. This was -stupid-, it was the isle that specialized in asian imported foods... weren't they supposed to be -short-!?
"Eeeerrrrgh!!" His fingers brushed just hard enough against the box of panda-cookies to push them further back on the shelf and left him cursing and searching for something taller and probably more precarious to stand on.
Topping height at 4'11 inches, ((though he swore it was 5 feet)), it wasn't uncommon for him to have a hard time reaching things, today was just ... one of the more irritating days for it.
Why couldn't they put the damned POCKY up there, he didn't even -care- for pocky, he just, wanted the damned cookies, preferably before someone from -school- noticed him going for 'cute' cookies, that would be disastrous in his mind.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:40 pm
Khalla had gone home from the dorms for the weekend to stay with her family and like usual she'd decided that instead of having her grandmother bend over backwards to treat her to nice home-cooked meals all weekend, she would instead cook dinner for her family at least one night. She couldn't wiggle away from Mrs. Anselms' mother hen nature all weekend, but she could put her a little at ease. It was pure coincidence that the next ingredient on her extravagant list had to come from this isle. In one hand she had a list of scribbled ingredients, some marked out, and over her other arm was a grocery basket mostly filled with said ingredients. She looked up just as she was sure she was near what she needed, only to see a situation that practically screamed for her help.
Now, Khalla wasn't exactly enormously tall by any means. She was a rather average 5'6'', neither tall nor short. However, she could tell at first glance, before she was anywhere near him, that the boy before her was, well, quite a bit shorter than she was. Not to mention, he was having a terribly hard time reaching whatever was in that bag. Her own motherly need-to-help instincts kicked in, and before she could even be asked, Khalla felt herself swooping in to pluck the cookies from the top shelf.
"Here you go," she said with a pleasant smile, holding out the bag to him. She'd dressed down from her Crystal Academy uniform for the weekend, instead choosing a plain pair of dark jeans and a comfy looking cream-colored sweater. Nothing about her really seemed threatening, from the smile on her lips to the ethereal white and gold that repeated itself in her outfit and general appearance.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:49 pm
His attire was almost completely the reverse of her own, Dark, nearly colorless in Blacks and greys, but his hair was like a stormy sky of dusty blue, and his eyes pale but bright.
They were also enormous with surprise among other things.
He looked... flustered, suspicious... even a little irritated though that was quickly buried in another wave of 'suspicion' that also ate the surprise, as he glanced her over.
Ascetically, she was pretty, beautiful even if you -cared- about looking at girls. Normal people did, so he did, though he'd never honestly wanted to -date- one. The complexity of reasons behind those reservations were a well guarded personal secret for him though. At least so far... after all, whom would he trust?
"Thank you..." He managed at last, though there was an sort of odd undercurrent to the thanks like he really -wanted- to say "I'm not a kid" or something of the sort. He took the cookies cautiously, waiting like he expected a 2nd shoe to drop as the colloquialism went.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:57 pm
If she saw the flurry of emotions passing over his face, the suspicion among others, then she must have simply ignored it. As soon as he thanked her for handing him the cookies, she gave him a little dip of the head and replied with a very pleasant "you're welcome."
She turned to reach for a box from a nearby shelf, her eyes glancing over the front of the package quickly in assessment before she decided that it was indeed what she'd come to this isle for. Then she deposited it into her basket with the rest of her goods and struck it off the list. That was all she needed for dinner!
Her eyes peeked back up at the small boy standing there, her mouth pursing slightly for a moment before she addressed him again. "Is there something else you need help with? I'm done shopping, I really wouldn't mind."
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:04 pm
That took him aback, written as plainly on his face as her list of ingredients. He blinked at her stunned for a moment and then shook his eyes looking at her with a new sort of 'fresh assessment' on his face.
"...you don't -want- something?" he asked at last, blunt as a sledge hammer.
"Favors or... demands?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:17 pm
"No?" she said with a little frown on her lips, her brows creasing as a mildly confused look spread over her face. She'd never asked anyone for anything in return for helping them. Sure, Serah had taken her for icecream, but that had simply been a gift.
"It's not helping if I demand something from you, now is it?" Her frown had faded and her smile returned as she explained this. She wrapped both hands around the handle of the basket she'd been carrying over one arm, letting them fall to hold it at a level with her knees. "No, I'd just really like to help. Unless you'd prefer I didn't, then I can be on my way and leave you alone." She shrugged a little, but had to admit deep down that if he simply blew her off, she'd be more than a little hurt at having her good will scorned.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:22 pm
He frowned confused, staring at her, started to say something, stopped. Looked at the cookies, the shelf... then at her, arching an eyebrow.
Was she seriously, just -helping- to help? was that all? He stared at her again hard like he could peel back layers to find some -real- motive behind her actions.
He was torn, not sure how to behave with the suspicion after so long of having so little faith in -anyone-, but one thing he -could- settle on. He did not care to owe people anything, even if it were only in his head.
"...let me help with that." he said offering a hand for her basket.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:29 pm
She waited in silence for his response, showing her endless reserve of patience. She wasn't the type to get irritated that he was taking so long to consider her offer and just walk away, that was for sure. What she wasn't expecting, however, was for him to offer to help her. That just wasn't how she did things, not at all. She helped other people, she helped everyone, they did not help her. She didn't need help!
Still, as he held out his hand to offer her aid, she found that her inability to be rude was outweighing her need to be the perfect helper.
"Thank you," she said automatically, a small smile on her lips as she reached out to hand the basket over to him. As soon as it left her fingers though, she felt a sort of pleasantness take over her and the smile melted into something that was truly more genuine. It wasn't so bad to let someone else help, it seemed, even if it was odd to let the smaller boy carry something she was perfectly capable of toting. It was just an odd feeling, seeing as she rarely shared her burdens.
"You didn't really have to, you know," she said as she turned to head towards the check out, looking over her should and pausing slightly in her step to wait for him. "I like to help others, it's what I do."
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:35 pm
He adjusted his own pace to try and match her longer stride, he was used to doing that at least, so few people were as short as he. But he did watch her face as she spoke. Like he was trying to -see- the honesty in her words, but in the end he glanced away, embarrassed perhaps, but just for a moment.
"I'd say that's more unique than people think it is..." He said evenly, no more suspicion or malice in his voice. "don't people take advantage of you?"
Like he did...with Dem, was the unspoken echo in his mind but he pushed it away, smothering it with an excuse of 'everyone wants something, Dem wants a friend, I want a helper, its give and take.
He couldn't quite imagine doing that to her though for some reason, it would be like dropping an opal into an oil slick.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:48 pm
"I don't see how you can take advantage of someone that's willing to help you," she said with a small shrug, that pleasant smile still on her face as she hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans. "I mean, if I was going to do it anyway, there's not much to take advantage of, right?" The fact was that she liked helping and would never refuse anyone that needed her, but she was smart enough to know when others didn't need help.
She either didn't notice he'd been staring, or didn't mind. She did seem to have that endless patience with others, so perhaps she was simply giving him time to come to terms with the fact that she was really not after anything from him. She didn't question his reasons for being so suspicious, nor did she really think much about them. Everyone had a past. She just walked along at his side as they headed for check-out, her silky white flats making only the tiniest thud against the tile of the grocery's floor.
"This one," she said as she pointed to a register, stepping up to the counter and motioning for him to hand her the basket. "You can go first, you've only got the cookies and I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:24 pm
He arched an eyebrow again but nodded after a moment, fine....he'd help her bag... yes... that would be an acceptable swap. He decided and put the cookies down, a bar, and then her basket.
He pondered what she said, if they were going to do it anyhow, how could they be used. He glanced up like he was shocked out of thought when the casher stated the total and he fished into his pocket and produced the necessary bill and accepted his change before moving to wait at the end of the register.
"... what if they created a situation where it -appeared- help was needed but in fact it was just to cause you to act?" He asked abruptly.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:11 pm
She waited patiently as he was checked out, then moved up to take her turn, setting her items out on the counter to make it easier on the cashier. She was busy watching the register's screen when he asked her that question, and she turned to look at him thoughtfully as he asked. "Well, I suppose that would be a flaw in my good will, wouldn't it?" It was sad to think that there were people out there that would intentionally take advantage of someone that was simply trying to help, but she supposed that there were always those that were less than admirable in any population. "I like to think that I have a good idea of who really needs help and who doesn't, but I suppose someone clever enough could always fool me."
She frowned a little in thought, but shrugged anyway, as if there was really nothing to be done about the situation. She would always help others, always trust that others were honest about their intentions until proven otherwise. It was simply her nature and she wouldn't be Khalla otherwise.
She let the frown vanish as the cashier announced her total and handed it over promptly, smiling and wishing her a good day - typical Khalla manners. She moved to grab the paper bags up in her arms then, turning to look at him as she cradled them against her chest. "Do you want to come over to my house for dinner?" It was a purely innocent request. He seemed troubled in some way and Khalla had always thought that the best cure for troubles was company.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:20 pm
"um..." he said with that conflict and uncertainty in his eyes again for a moment. Then held out his arms to carry a bag. "....alright? If, its not an imposition?" He added the last with an arched eyebrow like he -still- expected it to be a trap of some kind.
"I'll um...let me help carry that." He said to cover the expression. "W...wait you don't even know my -name-" He said stopping in some small consternation. How could she be so -trusting-.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:43 pm
"It'd never be an imposition," she said, depositing one of the bags into his arms as she cradled the other one against her chest easily. Neither were particularly heavy, but she could see that he had some deep-rooted need to help her, perhaps repay his 'dues' in whatever manner possible, so she wouldn't be one to deny him.
She was just about to turn and head towards the exit of the grocery when he started fussing about her not even really knowing his name. She laughed softly under her breath as she realized that she had, indeed, forgotten to introduce herself some where in all of this.
"Silly me, where are my manners?" she turned back around and held out her free hand to him as she curled her other arm tighter around the bag she was toting. "My name is Khalla Anselm."
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 5:08 pm
He shifted his own bag and pinched his cookies under an arm carefully and offered his own hand.. "Zac...Bantock."
He had a good grip, not a great one but not limp either.
"...Won't your, family mind if you bring home strangers?" He added with an extra wave of caution.
"A ladies honor and such..." He trailed off "Not, that I have any intent of taking liberties." He added flatly.
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