|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:02 pm
He was becoming a fixture around the library. Not that this should have been surprising, if it were surprising to anyone they did not know the celestial dragon very well. If one were to search for him, the library would have been a safe bet. If he wasn't in the library, he was most likely on the roof, but that was another story.
Today he was in the library, tail flicking as he searched the shelves, examining the title of each book before moving to the next. What was he searching for? He didn't know, only that he'd know it when he found it, perhaps he was looking for whatever caught his eye, or simply a book he had not already read.
His eyes fixed on the various titles of the non-fiction section (in particular those related to science), Sheridan was paying little attention to what, or who, may have been around him. Hopefully he wasn't about to crash into anyone...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:26 pm
Xiu had been visiting the library frequently these days, always in search of a new cookbook of recipes she hadn't tried before. After getting through and jotting down notes from the last one she had borrowed, she was back again to find a new one. The last one had been on cakes and desserts, so perhaps looking for one for lunches or dinners?
Unfortunately, she couldn't find anything of interest on the bottom few shelves that she searched. The middle shelves were closer to what she was seeking, but none stood out in particular, and up higher...
Ah! A book on cooking fish! Deciding that that was the one she wanted, the Baku moved towards the ladder at the side and began to climb up. Reaching the top rung, she reached out to grab the book...only to realize that she had misjudged the distance. Frowning, she leaned further towards the side, her fingers just brushing the binding of the cookbook. A little farther and...there! She got it!
And suddenly, she slipped.
So no, Sheridan wasn't going to crash into anyone--someone was going to crash into him. From above.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:49 pm
Sheridan had found a book that caught his eye, a hard-cover book with a black and silver spine. Pulling the book from the shelf he opened the cover before flipping through the pages filled with images of stars and charts.
His attention had been captured by one particular page, an image of the stars over halloween town. One talon traced the image on the page, trying to match the chart with the stars he had spent many a night under while sitting on the roof. He remembered this star, this constellation, and--
OOOFF!
What the--Before he even knew what had happened, Sheridan found himself sprawled out on the floor with a weight on top of him. Ow, what had hit him?
The dragon looked up, his gaze falling squarely on the girl who was suddenly sitting on him. I...uh...um...THERE WAS A GIRL SITTING ON HIM! With that realization he could feel the heat rising to his face, purple scales taking on a silver tint.
"Are...are you okay?"
Where had she come from?!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:55 pm
Oww, she was getting hurt a lot these days, wasn't she? Wincing, Xiu pushed herself up, but froze when she realized that whatever she had landed on was...softer than she had expected. Certainly much softer than the hard library floor, at least. That was strange--
--Oh no. Surely not.
She began to open her eyes very slowly, but when she heard someone ask her if she was alright, her eyes popped wide open. It was then that she realized she had fallen on top of someone. Someone who, while not hostile looking, was intimating in the fact that he was really tall. Frightened that he would be angry at her for her slip-up, Xiu immediately burst into apologies.
"I-I'm sorry! I...I fell from the ladder, a-and I didn't see you there, and..." She trailed off, fidgeting and red-faced. "Are you okay?" Never mind that she was still sitting on him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:17 pm
Sheridan was silent for a moment, his ears turning very silver as he stared at the girl sitting on him, blink blink. It was another moment before he realized just what had happened. Funny, he hadn't even noticed the ladder before.
But if she thought he'd be angry, well she'd probably be relieved by the sheepish smile he gave her. No, he wasn't angry, it had been an accident, no harm done.
"I'm fine, but you're the one who fell."
It seemed to him she was the more likely to have been hurt by the fall. His tail twitched, propping himself off the floor with his hands.
"What were you doing up there?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:59 pm
He...wasn't mad? Relaxing slightly, she managed to offer him a smile, giving a little bob of her head. "I...I'm glad you're okay!" Xiu returned the sheepish smile with one of her own, her face still a bright shade of red, "I'm sorry I fell on you!"
She blinked blankly at her question, perking up when she realized that she was clutching something to her chest. Oh, the cookbook! Xiu turned the book over so that he could see the cover. "I was trying to get this!" She explained, beaming from over the book and wagging her tail, "I was a little short thought, so I climbed the ladder and then..." The Baku laughed sheepishly, before the concerned expression returned to the her face again.
"Are you sure you're okay? Oh! And I'm Xiu-Ying!" Holding the book to her chest with one hand, she held out the other for the dragon boy to shake.
Though really. Maybe she should move soon. As much apologizing she was doing, she didn't seem aware that she was still sitting on the poor guy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:04 pm
"It's alright, really."
He was fine, honestly, apart from the multiple shades of silver he was turning! He could have sworn it was not this warm in the library before!
Well um...blink, blink, what did he say now? Uh...oh, a book! So that's why she had been on the ladder. His head turned curiously, reading the title of the book, a book about cooking? Hmm, he'd never read any of those books, which might have explained why he didn't know how to cook.
Oh!
"I'm Sheridan."
He took her hand with a friendly shake, nodding in response to her question. He really was fine.
"You like cooking?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:35 pm
"Good." She let out a sigh of relief, glad to hear that the only thing the fall caused was...well, embarrassment for them both. At least it was better than broken bones though! "Nice to meet you, Sheridan. What brings you to the library?"
Xiu's tail gave another little wave and she nodded enthusiastically at the question. "Very much so! I usually make desserts, but I decided to try for something different today." Smiling at the dragon, she tilted her head, eyes widening with interest. "What about you, Sheridan? Are you much of a cook?"
She began to shift to get into a more comfortable position, but froze when she suddenly realized something was wrong. The little Baku glanced down, staring blankly when she realized that she was still sitting right in the boy's lap. A second passed, then another, and then...
"I-I'm sorry!" She yelped, jumping up and stumbling backwards right into the other bookshelf. Xiu didn't seem very phased by this, though. By this point, the color of her face was probably not unlike the bright red flowers that were tucked behind her ears. "I-If I realized it sooner, I-I would have gotten off, and...and..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:49 pm
Sheridan indicated to the book laying on the floor nearby where it had landed when it fell from his hand. It had landed spine down, the pages falling open to the reveal the images within.
"I was searching for a new science book."
His own tail twitched, his head shaking at the question. He didn't dislike cooking, he'd just never learned how. Now that he thought about it that seemed rather silly, maybe he should have.
"I've never really tried it."
He did like fish though, especially--oh! If the silver blush had started to fade, it was suddenly back in full force. Um, err, oh, ouch, that looked like it might have hurt. He was scrambling to his feet, hoping he didn't trip as he did.
"It's alright, don't worry about it--are...you okay?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:32 pm
It would have been quite the sight of Sheridan had tripped and landed on her. Quite the sight, but unsurprising--the little Baku seemed to have the worst luck with people falling on or slamming into her.
"I-I'm fine!" She assured him, using the bookcase to support herself as she stood back up. Xiu winced, but she was quick to smile and shake her head. "D-don't worry about it. I...I'm pretty clumsy sometimes." And apparently she was disturbing oblivious and unable to notice when she was sitting right on top of someone.
Turning to look at the book he gestured to, she tilted her head with interest, bending down to retrieve it. "Science? What kind?" Blinking at the page that it was open to, she closed it gently and held it back out to Sheridan with a smile. "You're a science-y type of person, then?"
"You should give cooking a try sometime too," The Baku added, beaming up at the dragon, "It's a a very handy skill to have." Perking up suddenly, she turned to look at the clock that hung on the library wall, and then back to Sheridan.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:43 pm
Sheridan visibly winced, uncertain if the ghoul had regained her balance or if she was going to stumble backward. Oh good, she was alright, at least she seemed none the worse for wear.
"You sure?"
Thinking about it, that was a silly question, she did say she was okay and she didn't seem injured. It was one of those questions that it seemed everyone asked, whether it made sense or not. Oh well.
He nodded, a hand reached out to take the book.
"Thank you. Usually physics and astronomy, but I find it a fascinating field in general."
He gave a small smile, the book held in one hand, his tail ever in motion.
"I--no, I haven't yet, I didn't realize it had gotten so late."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:31 pm
"No harm done beyond a few bruises," She assured him, laughing and waving her hand dismissively. "And I...I'll admit that I'm not very good at physics, but I always thought that astronomy sounded fascinating." Despite always wanting to learn more about the subject, the Baku wasn't even sure where to start.
Perking up at his answer, she glanced from Sheridan, to the clock, and then back. Xiu raised her book in front of her, hiding all of her face but her eyes. "U-um...as an apology for landing on you like that, would you like to have lunch with me?" Her voice was timid, but she did lower her hands a tad so that she could offer the dragon a smile. "I wanted to check out this recipe book because I wasn't sure what to make for lunch. Is there...anything you like to eat in particular?"
She had gone grocery shopping just the day before, so her fridge was stocked up with various ingredients already. Xiu was certain that they could make a fair variety of the recipes with what she had. Perking up, she added, "U-um, and...I can teach you to cook! I-if you'd like!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:14 pm
Sheridan might have gone off on a discussion of stars, the galaxy, physics, and the mysteries of the universe right then. That is if it hadn't been for the shift of the conversation back to lunch (take the fortune of that as you will).
He looked toward the bookcase, his ears turning a distinct shade of silver, a twitch of his tail. He was silent a moment before finally looking at her again with a soft smile and a nod.
"O-okay...that sounds nice. I um...I like fish."
He indicated the book she held, it had something about fish on the cover didn't it? His words hadn't really been a request, but rather an expression of interest in the book she now held.
Learn to cook? Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to try, right?
"Okay."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:18 pm
Honestly, Xiu was a little embarrassed at her own invitation--this was the first time that she invited a male to her room--but they were just cooking! Still, the basic implications were still there, but she was quick to wave them away.
Smiling at his response, the Baku turned her book over so that she could flip through it. "T-this book is actually on fish dishes," She smiled, pleased by the coincidence, "I should have all the ingredients already, so we don't have to go shopping." That saved a lot of time.
Looking towards the book that he held, she gestured towards it with a smile. "W-well, um. Shall we check out our books and get going? I live in the demon dorms, so..." Considering the size (and lavishness) of the demon dorms, Xiu had been allowed to have a small kitchen installed. It wasn't much, but it made her happy that she had somewhere she could cook.
Slipping towards the check-out desk, she handed over her book. While waiting for the librarian to finish processing everything, the Baku turned to smile at Sheridan, albeit a little shyly. "U-uh...s-so, have you ever cooked before?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:32 pm
Whatever implications Xiu had been thinking of, Sheridan had not. However he was thinking of...shopping? No one had said anything about shopping! But she had said they didn't need to, that was a relief, he wouldn't have had the first idea of what to buy or where to look for it.
Oh the books! Right. A nod, Sheridan carried his own book to the desk for check out. A quiet thanks to the librarian, he took the book that had been returned to him, tucking it neatly under his arm before his gaze turned back to Xiu, answering her question with a shake of his head.
"I...usually just go to the cafeteria."
He was a bit embarrassed at that statement. Kind of pitiful wasn't it, maybe learning to cook wasn't a bad idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
