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 Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:37 pm
School was boring, magic or not. Elbows propped and hands cupping her face, Riba sullenly nibbled on a cookie as she reviewed the worksheets placed before her. She thoughtfully chewed, uncaring of the specks of cookie bits that sprinkled onto her papers. The next couple moments were spent in relative silence, Riba blankly eyeballing the just-as-blank sheet before she finished off the treat and spoke, pouting, “Xerxes! Do ya get this? ‘cause I dun get it at all!” With a final whine, she partially plopped onto her desk and buried her head in her arms briefly before reluctantly turning to gaze at the other witchling.
“’ey…” In an instant, her expression morphed from depressed to eager, eyes sparkling as a brilliant idea entered her thoughts. “Ya know what we should do instead?” She grinned mischievously as she sat up and casually wiped the crumbs off her cheeks. “We should take a break from doin’ homework! It’ll jus’ be a quick break, ya know? We should go ‘round school, or into town for a bit!” The more she spoke, the more her face seemed to light up at the proposition. “I know a real good bakery if ya wanna walk ‘round town. S’got some yummy cookies an’ pastries.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:49 pm
Xerxes sat at his desk with his knees drawn up to his chest. His pencil currently was being balanced on his nose as he tried to think of the answer for the question that he was supposed to be working on. Who knew there would so much writing and other stuff when it came to magic? He never realized how much book learning would be involved in mastering his magic until he arrived at the Makai Royal Academy. Normally, it didn't bother him very much, but at the moment, he was struggling with the answer and it driving him mad with frustration.
A voice suddenly speaking up nearby him nearly made Xerxes topple out of his chair in surprise. The quiet had gone on for so long that he forgot there was anyone else around him while trapped in his circular thinking of the question laid out on the sheet in front of him. He turned to the girl and scratched his cheek with a weak smile. "Ah, I'm afraid I don't get it either," he admitted.
Considering how poorly he was doing at answering the questions on the worksheet, Xerxes thought he would probably agree to anything that involved not working on them. His brain, he thought, had to be close to burn out if he continued forcing it to come up with an answer that it clearly didn't know. "A bakery?" His eyes almost lit up with excitement at the prospect of visiting a bakery. The smells of things baking in the oven always brought up fond memories for him of helping his mother with her bakery.
He jumped off the chair that he was perched as a wide grin spread onto his face. His tail twitched behind him. "We should definitely go!" He liked to see what other bakeries had for sale, and he definitely needed a break from the worksheet. Some time to stretch his legs wouldn't hurt either.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:18 pm
“Ah, dun worry ‘bout that, Xerxes! We can be clueless bums togetha,” Riba reassured with a smile, devoid of worry and panic. Rather surprisingly, considering that the worksheet’s deadline was approaching fairly quickly. Yet she still seemed relaxed, without a care in the world.
Lips still curled in a feline smile, she slid out of her seat. “Indeed, a bakery!” she confirmed with an excited nod of her head, blue eyes glowing even more than usual. “Do ya like sweets too? ‘cause I absolutely love eatin’ on them! Ma says I have such a sweet tooth, but I dun mind. Sweets are great.”
The male witchling’s twitching tail caught her attention, briefly wiping the beam off Riba’s face as she curiously eyed it. Not all students had animal appendages. In fact, it was quite rare if she recalled correctly. What were they called…Mononoke? Yes, that was probably the term people used. Mononoke. She felt quite tempted to reach out and stroke the tail, perhaps even reach behind Xerxes’ feline ears and scratch them. Riba blinked and shook her head. Wait, no, that would be odd, wouldn’t it? As much as she loved animals—she was aiming to become an Ars Lilium someday, actually—it would be weird, even insulting, to treat him almost like an animal. Yet it was so incredibly tempting…
“Then what’re we waitin’ for? Let’s go!” The grin reappeared on her face as she leaned forward and grasped Xerxes’ wrist, tugging him out of the room and into the hallways. It was fairly empty, save for the occasional scurrying student or a strolling staff member, papers in arms. There was a bounce in her steps as Riba led the other boy into town, but as soon as they stepped foot onto the grounds, she giggled and spun around. “I love the stores ‘ere! So many things. So many foods!”
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:46 pm
There was that strange temptation to just take the paper and shred it into little strips so that he wouldn't have to bother with it. He knew that would be a terrible idea, but he was getting frustrated with not understanding the material. Maybe a break from staring at the words on the worksheet, which were starting to look more and more like a foreign language, was exactly what he needed. "Oh good! I'm not the only one then," Xerxes said with a wide smile. He hated the idea of being the only clueless bum. But knowing that Riba wasn't having much luck at the worksheet made him feel better about his own lack of understanding.
Xerxes grabbed his worksheet and rolled it up before he shoved into his bag. A sparkle was in his eyes at the thought of going to a bakery. "I've always loved sweets! I think my mom worried I'd get fat because I kept snacking on things when I helped her with the baking." A soft pink colored his cheeks as he scratched one cheek with a finger out of embarrassment for having confessed that.
Picking up his bag, Xerxes slung it over his shoulder, eager to get out for a while. With all the studying, he sometimes felt a little stuffed up from being locked up inside for such long hours. As much as he enjoyed learning about magic, he still looked forward to anytime that he got to spend outside and feel some sense of freedom away from studying for a little while.
Xerxes didn't resist as Riba grabbed his wrist. He followed her out of the room and down the hallways. As soon as they were outside, Xerxes stretched his arms over his head with a happy sigh. "Oh? Which are your favorites?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:02 pm
On more than one occasion she had also considered shredding up her homework assignments, but something always made the witchling stop just as she was about to tear the papers in half. Riba supposed she still felt responsible to uphold her grades, to keep them as high as she could—at least for the sake of her family. If she couldn’t be there and assist them in tending to the farm or restaurant, then the least she could do was earn some decent grades until she could graduate.
“Funneh, Ma worried ‘bout that too ‘coz I was always nibblin’ on somethin’ no matter what.” She smiled understandingly. “She kept wonderin’ why I didn’ get fat, but I guess I’m someone who ain’t ever gonna get fat. I’m jus’ gonna stay forever skinny.” Riba laughed as she placed her hands on her thin hips before she returned to holding onto Xerxes’ hand.
“Favorites? Geez. I dunno. I guess I dun got a favorite ‘round here, but that ain’t so bad. If one store is closed then I dun mind going to another,” she answered after a thoughtful moment of rumination. “Oh, let’s go in here. They make realleh sweet bread.” Her expression lit up as she finally loosened her grip on him and pressed a hand against the door. Soon as she pushed it open the two were met with the sound of light, welcoming tinkling of bells.
“Hello there, dears!” the attendant greeted as she leaned over the counter, smiling amiably as she adjusted the cloth tied around her brunette hair. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Not right now, we’re gonna browse ‘round for a bit first,” Riba answered with a wave as she leaned her face close against the display, her palms pressed against the warm glass. “The names are labeled underneath. Do ya know which one ya want?” she asked as she kept her gaze glued to the pastries. “As for meh, I dunno what I wanna get at the moment. Gotta ponder for a little while more….”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:41 pm
Xerxes chuckled at her comment. His mother was always amazed that he didn't seem to gain any weight despite how many times she caught him sneaking sweets. The only excuse that Xerxes could think up was that he was always being active. Sitting still for too long was never possible for him, which probably explained his growing frustration with trying to finish the worksheet. He had been sitting in the desk for what felt like ages until he could no longer stand it. This break was something that he really needed.
"They're all pretty good then?" he asked with a grin as Riba continued to drag him around by the hand. He didn't have much complaint about that so long as she didn't try to force him to sit at a desk for another couple of hours. He might just go a bit crazy if he had to go back to that desk any time soon. "I guess that's one good reason not to choose a favorite. You don't get disappointed if your favorite shop is closed." He smiled as Riba dragged him into one of the shops. The bell on his ear jangled, blending with the tinkling of the bell on the store's door.
"I think I'll have to take a look around," Xerxes answered to both the woman behind the counter and Riba. He crouched down, pressing his hands and his face against the glass of the display as he examined all the various breads and cakes and cookies and everything else that the store offered. The smell of things freshly baked made him nearly drool as his stomach gave a hungry growl. His tail swished excitedly behind him. He would have loved nothing more than try a sample of each and every item the store had to sell, but he would never be able to afford such a large load.
"Hm," Xerxes mumbled as he stood up with a hand to his chin as he debated what to get. "I'll try one of the white chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate chip fudge brownie." He wouldn't blow all his money if he stuck to only two little treats. "Have you decided what you want?" he asked as he glanced at Riba.
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Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 3:01 pm
Riba had always been active, too. Her parents owned both a small farm and a restaurant. While her younger sister had opted to assist solely at the farm, Riba had taken it upon herself to help both. Consequently, she continuously scrambled between the two, running from one place to the other and then sometimes even back again. It had been an exhausting business at first, but as the years passed she had adapted to her hectic schedule. She had learned how to always be on the move and to summon the energy for things, even when she felt like she couldn’t even budge a single muscle.
“S’fine,” she replied, blue eyes curiously staring at Xerxes’ swishing tail. Again, a hand cautiously reached out in an attempt to brush it, but then Riba shook her head, even going as far as to smack both her cheeks. Xerxes was not an animal! Although the cat ears and tail were starting to become increasingly tempting to touch. Riba frowned childishly. As soon as she became an Ars Lilium, she would definitely set out to find herself a cat familiar! Cats were nice and furry.
She stood next to Xerxes, one hand pressed against the warm glass as she examined the freshly-baked goods that lined the trays. All of them were delicious in their own right, but Riba’s gaze eventually floated over to her favorite treat. Xerxes’ order broke her thoughts. “Ah! Yea, I’ll jus’ get the usual,” she answered with a bright smile as she looked at the worker at the register, who nodded her head knowingly. The woman reached down to collect the treats and placed it into one bag, which she placed on the counter as she punched in buttons on the register.
“I’ll pay for ev’rything, ‘kay? S’my treat, since I suggested this in the firs’ place.”
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Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:37 am
He had to resist jumped on the balls of his feet as waited eagerly for the woman at the counter to bag up his order. His attention strayed from the sweets as Riba spoke again. An eyebrow quirked up as he tilted his head to one side, the little bell bouncing and jingling at the side of his head. "The usual?" Xerxes repeated curiously as he grinned. "Do you come here often?"
Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise. Many students visited the shops surrounding Makai Royal Academy during their free time. Xerxes hadn't spent much time exploring the shops since his arrival. There was a stray little calico cat that he came across not long ago. He liked to come down and feed the kitten when he had the time, his love of cats making it impossible for him to ignore the hungry little orphan cat.
"Eh? Really? Are you sure?" Xerxes asked in surprise. He had been about to reach for the money to pay for his order when Riba spoke up offering to treat him. He chewed on his lower lip as he thought. Then his eyes lit up as he grinned widely at Riba. "Then I'll treat at the next place. Where do we want to go next?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:27 pm
The sound of Xerxes’ bell jingling throughout the shop filled her ears. Her blue eyes gravitated toward the other witchling, never straying away from the tinkling bell attached to the boy’s tail. So tempting. So tempting to reach out and pat the boy on the head, and so much more. She furiously shook her head, her ponytail whipping back and forth against her neck. “Wha’? Yea! Yea I do! I mea’ I go to town a lo’ an’ I like to go ‘round an’ look at the other shops an’ stuff.”
She laughed, nodding her head. “Yea, yeah! Dun worry ‘bout it, Xerxes. I’ll pay for it this time ‘round, ‘kay?” Riba affirmed, handing over the coins to the employee, who handed the paper bag to the girl. Opening the bag, Riba strode over to Xerxes and held it out to him. “Ya can ‘ave some of mine if ya want, since ya haven’ really been ‘ere, right?” She laughed again at his proposal. “Yea, yea. If ya insist.” Suddenly her expression turned solemn while she stared at Xerxes. “’kay, I can’ take it, will ya let me pet ya for a bit? Yer tail an’ ears ‘ave been drivin’ me crazy.” The request was utterly serious.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:32 pm
Xerxes took a nibble from the chocolate chip fudge brownie, trying not to bounce on the balls of his feet as he reveled in the delicious sweetness of the treat. He had to agree with his mother that he might, indeed, have a small problem with his obsession over sweets. But how could anyone blame him? There were so many different levels of flavors that one could achieve with the various types of sweets, chocolates, and pastries. He loved to sample every new variety that he came across and had yet to find one that didn't please him.
His tongue darted out to lick a small smear of chocolate lining his lower lip. "Ah, I haven't gotten out of the Academy much," he admitted with a small pout. "But there's plenty of time to rectify that!" And he made a mental promise to himself to try and make a visit to the town whenever he had some free time from studying at the Academy.
Xerxes nodded as he grinned at Riba. "I do insist," he said with a chuckle. He wasn't entirely used to being the one getting treated to something as he had the habit of being the one gifting something to other people. Leaning over, he peered into the bag of treats that Riba bought. "What's that one?" he asked as he poked one of the sweets inside the bag.
The request disarmed him so much that Xerxes nearly lost his balance from surprise. He recovered most of his composure quickly as he blinked owlishly at her. "I - I guess so," he said, stumbling over his words. He couldn't recall anyone having ever asked if they could put him, making him feel uncertain on how to handle the situation. But he saw no reason not to let Riba pet him.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:29 pm
Riba stared at Xerxes for a longgg time as he informed her that he didn’t leave the Academy much. She stared and stared. Comically, a hand reached up and cleaned her ear just to see if the witchling had heard wrong, but her ears weren’t that clogged up. “That’s…somethin’,” she noted after a while, and then her baffled expression turned into an excited one. “Always plenty o’ time, I agree! Why dun ya let me help ya with that? Yea? Yea?” She appeared all too eager to show another student around the town, especially when there was assignments to finish and exams to study for. Ha, who needed to work?!
She poked her tongue out at Xerxes. “Then I’ll make sure to order lots at the next place!” Riba smirked, a certain gleam in her eye. Her tone sounded teasing, but her face suggested otherwise. She returned back to her usual jovial expression as she stared into the bag. “Ah. S’an éclair. Do ya want it? Otherwise I’ll take it.” Riba reached inside to retrieve the pastry and showed it to him.
He appeared to nearly fall and Riba reached out a hand for him, but thankfully he didn’t. Lips curled into a frown as she anxiously awaited his response. Was it no good…? She gasped, eyes sparkling like a child’s. “Really? Really?” One arm tightly grasped the bag of goods while the other cautiously reached out for Xerxes’ ears. She hesitated, but then finally scratched the back of his ears.
She tried not to smile stupidly.
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:16 pm
Xerxes was already looking eagerly to future expeditions to the shops surrounding the Academy. Though his excitement faded slightly at Riba's baffled expression after hearing that he hadn't spent much time outside the Academy since he entered it. Was that really so strange? Surely there were other students that hadn't had the chance to come down to visit the shops.
But any hint of embarrassment or uncertainty quickly fled from his face as he grinned teasingly with a mischievous gleam to his eyes. "Well then, my lady," he said as he bowed deeply to Riba. "Won't you guide this poor soul on a tour of the shops?" He stood up straight, hardly able to wipe the grin from his face.
Xerxes laughed, though he worried how much truth was behind her comment. "With in reason, I hope," he said, trying to come off sounding like he was making a joke. He didn't have a ton of money on him, and he doubted that he would be able to afford everything if she ordered a huge amount at the next stop. Looking over the eclair, he pondered it for a moment then shook his head. "No, you keep it."
Biting his lip to keep from laughing, Xerxes nodded then leaned his head closer so that she would have a better angle for scratching behind his ears. After first learning to transform into a cat, he had quickly discovered the magic of having his ears scratched. It was a nice feeling, but being still in human form, it made him conscious of how strange they must look to onlookers.
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 2:56 pm
If there were other students who rarely visited the shops sprawled outside and around the Academy Riba had never personally met them, or at least she had never learned of their pitiable fates. She did not want to believe there was an entire group of witchlings that did not leave the campus grounds on at least a semi-regular basis. In her mind, the blue-haired girl took it upon herself to formally show the boy around the stores.
Thin lips stretched into a grin as she smoothly followed his bow with a curtsy of her own. “It’d be my pleasure, sir.” A giggling Riba leaned over to weave Xerxes’ fingers with her own and proceeded to gently tug him out of the shop. She kept laughing as she let go of his hand to take a small bite out of the éclair. She nibbled on it while they trailed down the road and past the other shoppers that passed in and out of restaurants and boutiques. “Dun worry, ‘kay? Ah ain’t tha’ mean,” she reassured.
“Hee~” She seemed eagerly pleased when Xerxes leaned his head to allow her a better reach. While one hand tightly clutched the bag of pastries, the other reached out to gently scratch the back of his ears. “So soft~” Riba mused softly, unmindful of any odd glances the couple might have received. She didn’t care what she looked like to strangers, at least not now. This was perfectly harmless! Toothily grinning, she continued to scratch his ears. “Ah wish ah could keep ya as a pet—almost.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:32 pm
Xerxes laughed as Riba dragged him from the shop. Any thoughts awkward thoughts of being odd for having not left campus grounds once until now were left behind, exactly where Xerxes believed they belonged: completely out of his mind. He never liked to let those kinds of thoughts linger too long in his mind, preferring to smile blissfully rather than dwell on awkward topics. In any case, that oddity could easily be rectified by spending a little more time exploring the shops around the Academy instead of staying cooped up inside it.
He was relieved to hear that since he doubted he could afford much if they went to someplace that was pretty pricey. "Where do you suggest we go next, o' wise tour guide?" he asked, grinning at Riba. To him, it didn't really matter what kind of shop they visited next. He was excited simply to be out of the Academy for a while and taking in all the shops the surroundings had to offer him. Perhaps next time, he would stock up on some of those sweets to keep stashed away in his room if he had a late night hankering for something sweet.
Xerxes glanced about and noticed a few odd looks being sent their way, and he felt his face grow warm with a rosy blush. Her comment chased away those uncomfortable butterflies, bringing a smile to his face as he laughed. "I would definitely be better trained than most cats," he said, remembering how much trouble little kittens could be before they were properly trained not to do their business all over the house or shred up the legs of furniture.
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