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 Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:51 pm
It had been more than 24 hours since the students returned to Amityville. It was in the evening, long after dark, and Taryn had come to a loss of what to do. Everyone in the school was probably still grieving, still moping, and it might take a damned long time to heal if they all kept it up. You had to be active. You had to find something to occupy your time with. It was Xiu that she texted, laying on her couch and heaving a sigh.
----> hey its Taryn
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:14 pm
Xiu had started this novel before the field trip and she had loved it, but now, she found that she just couldn't focus on it anymore. Everything just seemed a little too...bright and cheesy for her tastes, especially right now. Sighing, she laid back against her couch, dropping the novel into her lap and closing her eyes.
It was late. She wasn't tired. There was nothing else to do though, or so the baku thought when her eye-phone suddenly alerted her to a new message. She snatched it up, skimmed the text, and immediately began to type in a reply.
----> Taryn, hi! How are you?
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:24 pm
What kind of question was that? Certainly Xiu hadn't forgotten what had happened in the haunted house. Taryn had seen the ghoul wounded, and doubted that she could even be fully healed by now.
----> ok. Was wondering if you want to have tea time soon??
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:37 pm
Tea time? Was she talking about tonight? ...It was a tempting offer. There wasn't anything else she had planned, and the tea and company would probably help calm her nerves. Whenever she thought back to that battlefield...
Xiu shuddered.
----> That would be nice. Where and when?
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:43 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:53 pm
----> Anytime, really. I have nothing planned.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:59 pm
----> tomorrow?
It was, after all, pretty late and Taryn had no time to bake something special. She would have to work to impress a ghoul who made her own tea and also happened to be her best friend's crush. Tonight was out of the question. She added another text as an afterthought:
----> my room is free but its ok if you want to meet somewhere else
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 6:05 pm
----> Tomorrow and at your room? That works for me.
What could she bring? Usually she would bring some little sweets--cupcakes or spookies were usually easy and fast--but as she was right now, baking would be difficult. Xiu paused, humming thoughtfully before adding,
----> I have a lot of tea, if you wanted me to bring some. Any you want in particular, or should I bring what I have and come up with a blend there?
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 6:30 pm
Oops, another text. Taryn had to open it manually on her ancient skellyphone and smiled. It was almost as if things were normal again. Was Xiu maybe using this as an excuse too? She'd be okay with that.
----> i would love to watch you blend. Im in the monster dorms rm 316. Ill make something sweet :]
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:15 pm
----> Sounds good, I'll see you tomorrow! Thank you for inviting me, Taryn.
Really, she was very grateful. It would take her a while to get her mind off of...well, everything that had happened, but she hoped that this would help a little. She knew that it was better to focus on the future rather than linger on the past--hopefully this would encourage her to stop moping around.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:26 am
----> see you after class! :]
All of a sudden, the night felt less lonely. Xiu was not someone Taryn really knew, but she was excited to get to know her. It was another foray into a real social life, and Taryn was quietly proud of herself. Sleep came more easily than expected that night, and the nightmares were pleasantly few.
- - -
Taryn felt delightfully deviant in not doing her homework first thing after class. The morning had been spent paying attention, taking notes, and she'd immediately locked herself in her room to begin baking. There had been an early-morning trip to the store for ingredients, and now her papers lay ignored in piles on her desk.
Schoolwork could wait. Tea time was now.
Considering her companion was meant to bring the beverages, Taryn had taken to baking the snacks and making them look pretty. Certainly something so sophisticated as tea time required pretty snacks.
On a plate sat a small dish of syrup and a tiny spoon, surrounded by mini sponge cakes. With mitted hands, Taryn pulled a batch of shocklate chip cookies from the oven, something simple to counteract the manufactured fanciness of the cakes. They were still oozing and melty and she grinned. Today would be a damned success, she could feel it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:07 pm
The baku smiled, her tail giving a little twitch as she checked the most recent message. She was certainly looking forward to tomorrow, now! It would be nice to spend more time with the other ghoul, and...honestly, she really needed this.
Tired or not, Xiu immediately started to get ready for bed.
---
"Hmm, have I forgotten anything?" Xiu eyed all the dried herbs that she had laid out on her kitchen counter. They sat in individual little pouches, tags labeling what each pouch contained. In total, there seemed to be at least 30 of them sitting out. The baku's gaze swept over them once, twice, and then she nodded.
"That should do!" Gathering everything up, she dropped them into a larger bag--one that already had a tea pot and various equipment sitting inside it--and hefted the bag up with her good arm. It was a little heavy to be certain, but she could bear with it. Hopefully. She double-checked her phone to ensure that she knew where Taryn's room was, and then head off.
It didn't take her long until she arrived at the ghoul's room. Lowering her bag gently to the ground, she raised her newly-freed hand to rap at the door. "Taryn?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:48 pm
It occurred to Taryn suddenly that she had no idea what Xiu was. Her ears and tail lended toward a monstrous species, but that was really all she had to go on. Maybe Xiu had been in her dorm all along and she'd simply never known...
The cookies were moved onto a small cooling rack that sat atop the oven, and then the ghoul realized that tea certainly meant using the oven. She moved it to an even smaller expanse of counter, and then her head snapped toward the door. It seemed her company had arrived...
A smile split the chimera's face as she went to the door and opened it slowly. It was habit to peek out first, and then open it completely; the method had begun with a fear of strangers and continued after seeing all of the insanity at Amityville.
"Xiu! Hi!" she said, stepped back to allow the baku to enter. Were hugs appropriate in this case? No, she decided, they were both somewhat shy, and didn't know each other too well... "Come on in! Sorry, I just finished..."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:05 pm
She gave a little wag of her tail when Taryn answered the door, bowing her head politely. "Hi, Taryn! Thank you for inviting me over." Smiling, Xiu bent down to pick up her bag again, holding it up for the chimera to see, "I brought...um, almost everything, since I'm not sure what kind of tea you like. I thought we could work on a blend together!"
Xiu hadn't wanted to assume that she knew what Taryn liked. Did she prefer something mild, or strong? Sweet, or slightly on the bitter side? Flowery, or fruity? Hopefully they would be able to come up with a blend that the ghoul liked!
She took a step in as she was invited, her tail giving another wag at the scent that lingered in the air. Mm, nothing like freshly baked sweets! "You have a lovely room," The baku complimented, turning to smile at Taryn. After a moment, she held up the bag again and tilted her head. "May I use your kitchen? I'll lay everything out and we can begin. Shouldn't take too long!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:07 am
"Sure!" Taryn nodded, and it struck her suddenly how strange this all was. She had never had someone else in her room since Joachim's brief visit, and even at home nobody came to call. Xiu was the first person to be welcomed into the ghoul's room with such readiness, and Taryn found she wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. "Thank you and, um, go right ahead!"
Excitement still reigned over awkwardness. The chimera had never witnessed anyone blend their own tea, and to be a part of it felt almost special. It might be something Xiu did every day... but it was special to her! She followed the baku into the room and began putting the spookies on a plate, moving the cakes aside as well. Xiu had free reign of the counter and oven regardless of how small it was. "I have to say, I've never done this before. It seems so... mysterious."
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