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 Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:45 pm
The cafe was surprisingly quiet, but then again, it was the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday. The tables inside held only a few patrons and the tables outside were even more bare. Templeton would know because he was the only one outside hiding underneath one of the brightly covered umbrellas. After his third cup of decaf coffee, he'd finally just asked the waitress to bring out a whole pot. He'd been waiting for a while now, though through no fault of the person he was supposed to be meeting. The day had been nice enough so Templeton had left an hour early, simply for the sheer satisfaction of relaxing away from his own home.
Flipping to the next page of his newspaper, Templeton paused to look up. He glanced around, but when he saw no one, he went back to his reading. He was supposed to be meeting a woman, which surprised even himself. For the first time in five years, he'd finally found a a publisher who was more interested in his writing than his big name. Being famous for erotic love stories only got a guy so far. When Templeton had realized that, it had been too late and that was all anyone knew him for. After that, Templeton had made it his life's mission to be known for another kind of genre.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:12 pm
Mei-Xing had arranged a meeting with a potential client, one she'd heard of from the "adult" department: Templeton Criss. He was rather famous for his...novels, even if they weren't Mei-Xing's cup of tea; they obviously sold well, and that was all that really mattered in a publisher's mind. But she had arranged to meet him for coffee at a local cafe, and she was running a bit late. Well, late by her standards; she always arrived at least a half hour early, just in case. At this rate, she would be right on time but normal standards. This realization did not make for a very happy publisher, and neither did the little ball of blackness that insisted on following her around all day. What if this Mr. Criss noticed that she would mutter under her breath occasionally? It wasn't as if she could just ignore Nuan Ling; he was much too insistent for that.
So, precisely five minutes before the agreed-upon time, Mei-Xing arrived at the cafe. She had seen pictures of this Templeton Criss, and thus had a bit of an idea what to look for. However, she didn't have to look too hard; he was the only one sitting outside the cafe, and the only customers inside were women. Offering her a warm smile, one she often used with clients, Mei-Xing seated herself across from him, bag hung over the chair. "Good afternoon, Mr. Criss. I'm sorry I'm a bit late; the boss kept giving me more and more work," she said, a nervous laugh bubbling up from her throat. As she bent to retrieve a pen and pad of paper from her bag, she noticed Nuan Ling standing - or rather laying - next to her chair, just barely out of Templeton's line of sight, no doubt. Well, it wasn't as if he could see him anyway; no one else had. This let her breathe a bit easier for now. If only she could refrain from talking to him during this meeting, everything would be fine.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:29 pm
"Ah, Ms. Hong," Templeton greeted as he set down his newspaper. "And you're not late at all. Actually," he shook out his left wrist to peer at his watch, "you're five minutes early." Flashing a small smile, he indicated that Mei-Xing should sit and make herself comfortable. Thankfully, he'd had the waitress already bring out an extra cup earlier so it was waiting for Ms. Hong when she arrived. Politely, Templeton offered her the cup and saucer, still empty for the moment, as well as the pot of coffee and its condiments.
As Templeton leaned back, only to press forward again, squinting at the ground beside Mei-Xing's chair. He'd thought he'd seen some sort of little dog there, but when he blinked rapidly, nothing was there. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, wondering if there was too much sugar in his coffee, he eased himself more comfortably in his chair again, his attention back to the publisher.
"Thank you again for meeting me again. I know your publishing house was against it in the first place." Templeton shrugged, feeling the remembered sting of that as he ruffled around in his messenger bag, pulling out his manuscript after a moment. "I have my manuscript like you asked. Hopefully I'll finally get lucky." He slid the thick packet of paper towards Mei-Xing, looking at her a bit imploringly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:55 pm
"Oh, really? My watch must be a bit fast," she murmured, glancing at it. She let out a soft sigh, smiling at the male across the table. She twitched slightly at the offering of coffee, but grinned. "Thanks, I could use a bit of a boost." She laughed a little, pouring herself a cup of coffee and adding a cube of sugar and a few drops of cream. She watched as he sat back, then leaned forward again, squinting off to her side. What.. OH. Nuan! Surely he couldn't see him? She had gotten used to everyone paying no attention, and so it was a bit of a shock; there was nothing else there, after all. What else could he be looking at? He didn't ask, however, and so Mei-Xing let it slide. Hopefully Nuan would behave today.
Templeton's words made her laugh a bit sheepishly. "Ah, yes, sorry about that," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "they tend to get stuck in their ways every once in a while. And your stories were doing so well; who could blame them?" She had personally only read a bit of his work; it was a little too adult for her tastes. She could remember the way her coworkers had teased her for blushing like a schoolgirl at the words in the book, and flushed a little at the memory. But the soft thump of something hitting the table snapped her back to reality, and she looked down at the manuscript he'd given her. "Oh, alright!" She reached out and slid it toward herself even more, flipping through the first few pages.
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