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 Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:33 am
Quote: Shopping for anything at this time of year can be downright crazy. Stores are filled to the brim and people have broken out into fighting over--what, things? The best deal on jewelry, the newest toy craze. Honestly, no one sane should be out right now. But, for some reason, here you are. Something out there compelled you to join these crowds--so what is it? Why did you brave this busy time of the year to shop? Are you one of the many looking for that one perfect gift? Or did you just so happen to run out of toilet paper at the same time someone started a major sale? Whatever it is that's got you out--just be careful; those crowds are dangerous!
It was for that reason and desire to show how he felt that drove him to stand out in the cold at a winter market, awaiting the arrival of someone very special. Honestly, though, today felt far more nerve wrecking than any of the other times he had found himself waiting for someone. It wasn't Arian whom he was waiting for this time around. As much as he would have loved his company, Anxo would not be able to achieve his shopping desires with the other man around. It seemed rather odd to want to buy a gift for someone and the person was right by your side after all. No, today's companion was a different Laith, the very well thought of Saffy. Through his time spent with Arian, it wasn't that odd that he had heard of her, especially since she and Arian ran a business together, but this would be the first time he met her in person.
A few weeks ago, when the idea sprung into his mind to get Arian a special gift for the winter season, Anxo found himself at a lost. Yes, baking cupcakes or other sweets was a given, but it felt expected at this point. Every time he asked Arian to accompany him, or if he was going to just take some time to spend together at each other's house, he'd bake something new, something delicious for them to enjoy together. As delicious as that was, it just didn't feel like it could be the special gift that Anxo wished to give. After a long time of debating, he decided that perhaps he needed some outside help. Or was it technically inside help? It didn't take long to find out how to contact her, even less time to arrange a date where they could go shopping together. There was no telling how she would be once they met face to face... Hopefully she would be willing to still help him once he told her his true intentions.
For now, he waited, sipping on the remnants of a once-warm cappuccino.
litian Here's my start! <3 Let me know if anything needs to be changed!
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:27 pm
Saffron found herself curious.
After day it wasn’t everyday that one of Arian’s friends contacted her via etsy convo… In fact Anxo was the only one of Arian’s friends to have ever contacted her directly.
At least as far as she could remember.
It was perhaps just as well for Anxo that it was her and not Arian who checked the etsy messages, with her cousin only really getting involved if someone was messaging to request something custom.
To be honest there probably wouldn’t have been an etsy shop if not for her, but Saffron wasn’t sorry that she had nagged talked her cousin into setting one up with her since he had a talent for making jewellery.
She increased her pace because she was running a little late, her heels tapping smartly on the pavement as she made her way to the small coffee shop where they’d agreed to meet and pushed the wreath-decorated door open as a cheerful jangle of bells heralded her entrance, her brown eyes glancing around as she tried to spot Anxo.The moment his eyes had turned from the door, the young woman who he had contacted came in and when he saw her, Anxo nearly choked on his mostly-cold drink. Flustered he quickly cleaned up his mess, throwing away the almost empty cup and made his way over to her.
“Miss Saffron! Good afternoon! I uh… Thank you very much for joining me today.” His voice was warm and excitable, and were he not strangers to the woman, he probably would have immediately taken her hand for a pleasant squeeze. Seeing as that was not the case, he found his hands being kept to himself and only offered his sheepish smile.
“I uh… W-would you like a coffee or something warm to drink to hold while we shop? Oh geesh, I’m sorry, I’m a little too excited about this! Thank you so much for joining me, again! Really, I was nearly kinda at my wits end thinking about this. Thank you, again, for helping me!” Saffron hadn’t been too sure how long it would take for her to find Anxo, because her small glance was enough to confirm that the coffee shop was busy, her brown eyes met those of a young man as she contemplated whether to try heading towards the counter, feeling torn between both bemusement and concern as he promptly started sputtering over his drink.
Concern rang out, Saffron starting to walk over towards his table, an 'Are you okay' on her lips only to have the other get up and walk in her direction.
As luck would have it, it turned out that the young man was actually the Anxo in question who she was meeting and Saffron couldn’t help but feel bemused again at the other’s earnestness "Oh please use Saffy" she said with a smile, because she hated Saffron and the 'Miss' in front of it just made her sound like a spinster...
And she was nowhere near spinsterhood.
"And it’s nice to meet you in person Anxo" her smile was genuine. "Arian’s talked about you" at least to an extent he had because her cousin wasn’t always the most talkative.
She continued "I’d rather do the shopping first" because Arian wasn’t the only person she needed to shop for since she’d left shopping for presents to the last minute and the crowds out seemed to suggest that a lot of people were in the same boat. "But I wouldn’t mind some tea and cake afterwards."
And maybe by then she would work out why the other had approached her, because whilst she was a little flattered, it didn’t stop her from being also curious.Anxo’s cheeks turned a sweet rosy color as Saffy mentioned Arian talking about him. Had he really? For as quiet as the target of his affections was, he would have thought that his name would be far from his tongue. But he was charmingly mistaken!
“He talks of me…? That’s wonderful to know! I always wondered a little what he thought of me, if he thought of me… But I will not push, as it is not my business to know.” Since she did not wish to get coffee now, that was fine, it would give the amount he had already drank time to actually settle in before he went for a round two of caffeine. Not that he really needed it; he was already a bunch of jumping nerves anyway.
With a small nod, he went back to the door of the coffee shop, holding it open for them to exit before heading towards the winter market. As pretty as the lights were, it was still very cold, so his hands found their way back into his pockets.
“Saffy, Okay, I will remember that… And before I leave too many questions in the air, I’d like to be very straightforward with why I asked you out today.” Anxo continued to walk forward towards their destination, hoping that maybe by keeping his eyes forward, the older woman wouldn’t notice just how far his blush was spreading. It made its way across the top of his cheeks, reaching all the way to his ears. Or maybe it was just the cold.
“Arian… He’s become very dear to me. Did he tell you where we met? On the blind date back in February? Since then I’ve felt nothing but adoration grow towards him in the time we’ve spent together… And I wanted to give him a gift that could, um… That could represent the feeling of wanting to get closer, beyond just simple friendship…” He turned his gaze to Saffy, wondering how her reaction was thus far.
“I know he loves to work on jewelry pieces, so it seems silly to get him something along that nature… And I know he loves sweets, but everytime I see him I find myself bringing something new and exciting to taste test with me… I want to give him something a little more tangible and long lasting... “"Well yes he has," Saffron said. "Although he’s talked about most of his friends at some point or another." Although it had been to some extent offhand, more that he was doing this with a friend or meeting someone
The flush on the other’s face went unmentioned but not unnoticed as Saffron stepped after Anxo back towards the door.
Seems like Anxo has a bit of a crush on my cousin…
Well at least the other’s behaviour seemed to point towards that, although Saffron didn’t know enough to be certain.
A woman’s intuition she decided as she once again stepped out into the cold December air - she was going to go with a woman’s intuition.
And of course that meant that she was going to ask.
Anxo beat her to it, her brown eyes looking startled as the other mentioned the blind date that she had badgered Arian into going on back in February because Arian hadn’t really talked about the blind date - but then again her cousin also hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about going.
"I thought the two of you had met during his time at DCU" she admitted, because Anxo looked to be around the same age as Arian and so Saffy was kind of assuming he was. "And no he didn’t tell me about meeting you at the Valentine’s Day museum event. But..."
She stepped to the side to allow a running child past before continuing "He did ditch me to go watch sparklers with you" her voice was amused rather than annoyed. "Even though he usually does them with me."
Pausing Saffron paused abruptly and turned to look up at Anxo "And yes okay I’ll give you a hand." Her smile faded as brown eyes turned serious "But if you’re serious about my cousin then you should probably come out and just tell him, because whilst I adore Arian" and yes perhaps she was biased but she didn’t care "I also know that he can be dense about some things."Anxo was never one to beat about the bush when it came to doing things. Well… That wasn’t entirely true, since he had been trying to say what he felt to Arian for a while now.. But still! A heavy breath that Anxo didn’t seem to realize he was holding was released when Saffy just seemed to go with his thoughts. Arian really didn’t seem to be the type who would have gossiped about his date, even if it was as pleasant as it had been.
“Oh, no, not at all. We met at the museum, with nothing plotted except to be friends. We went out to get tea, and walked and it was so wonderful… I do apologize for stealing him away… I hope that night was still pleasant for you, and I was truly honored to be invited to something he enjoyed so much!“ His eyes just sparkled at the thought of that night, thinking of the event as the very beginning of his world. It was cheesy and unneeded but never had he felt his heart so swept away since knowing Arian.
A worried look came across his features as Saffy paused, and he paused beside her, looking down with her with a nervous smile. Her eyes seemed to speak mountains around his mind, and when she spoke, he seemed set back for a bit, before his smile returned and he laughed lightly.
“Yes! I adore him, I do, and I’ve tried to drop hints of my feelings for a long time now, believe me! I’ve held his hand in mine, and looked into his eyes, saying sweet words of protecting and endearment to him… But nothing seemed to work. So… Hence the gift, and an actual confession.. No more beating around the bush, just pouring my heart out while it still beats and hoping he has a hand out to catch it. If he wants to, of course!” His cheeks darkened further and a nervous laugh came from him.
“Even if he’s not interested, I’m still here to be the best friend that I can be, I promise you that.”Saffron couldn’t help but blink at Anxo for a moment before being startled into a laugh at his mention of the February blind 'date' - because going out to have tea was just such an Arian thing even if it wasn't particularly 'date-like'.
Her eyes crinkled up in amusement as she murmured "I bet he put half the sugar bowl in his cup" because to say that Arian had a sweet tooth was perhaps putting it mildly.
She had a sweet tooth - Arian on the other hand had a sweet dedication.
Her smile faded as she continued to listen to Anxo because the young man seemed to have it bad for her cousin.
"Well my November 5th was quiet" she said "But it was enjoyable enough." She'd experimented with a new recipe and had shared some of it with one of her neighbours at the apartment block, Madam Thomas. "Although Christmas seems to have wound itself back around pretty quickly this year."
She looked amused again for a moment as she started walking "And as for a present I think you should get Arian a hair brush" she thought about it "Or a brush and comb set - not one of those plain ones mind, but one of those nice fancy ones." Because Arian loved brushing out his hair..
Truth be told he enjoyed having it brushed even more - but that was Arian's secret to tell and not hers.
And whilst perhaps helping Anxo shop for her little cousin would be considered meddling and it was true that she didn't really know the young man well.
But…
But Saffron just wanted Arian to be happy and truth be told she'd been worried about the way that he'd seem to shut himself up in that apartment after his former flat mate's sudden disappearance.
And whilst she didn't know Anxo enough to know if he'd make Arian happy - he had managed to succeed in getting Arian out and about and the fact that he seemed like he was prepared to be open about how he felt was a mark to the positive as well…
And if Anxo was stupid enough to make the mistake of hurting her little cousin then she could always find a way to make him sorry.
As Anxo began to listen to Saffy once more, pleased that he had managed to make the older woman laugh, even if he wasn’t quite sure what had caused it. So far, it seemed, they had gotten off on the right foot. And if anything else, that certainly was one of the most important things to consider. Even if Arian hated his father and stepmother, there was no doubt that he loved his cousin, especially given how fondly he spoke of her when he did manage to speak of her. How horrid it would be if Saffy had come to hate him!
Honestly, a comb was not on the list of items he had in mind at all for Arian. Anxo adored his friend’s beautiful raven-colored locks. It framed his face so perfectly, and every so often he did imagine how it would feel with his hands running through it, but it felt so forbidden to do so. Simply trying to touch his hand felt far too forward, but to actually imagine touching his hair felt like he deserved to lose a hand! Of course, his mind was overly exaggerating.
As Always.
“That’s a wonderful idea! I could get him one perhaps carved from stone. A nice heavy comb that’s been sanded to silky smoothness… And a brush to match, with only the finest of bristles…” Sweet thoughts began to come across his mind. Thoughts of him sitting behind Arian, gently brushing his hair from tip to root, going at a slow and gentle pace. He’d work his way up until he reached his roots, then he would gently push the hair away from the base of Arian’s neck and press small, sweet little kisses all along the pale skin there. He’d smile, then trail the kisses all the way around until he could see Arian’s eyes, and with the most loving of smiles, he would -----
His mind cut him short with a deep, dark blush that popped across his cold cheeks and he coughed, adjusting his scarf just a bit.
“I think there is a nice stall around here with such goods, if you’d care to join me. I really do hope we can find something handmade. I’m sure he would appreciate it!”
It was perhaps as well that Saffron was unable to read minds because if she could then she might have felt like she should correct the other’s misconception that Arian hated his father or even his stepmother..
Because in actuality the truth was that it was complicated - very complicated.
However then again it was perhaps just as well that mind reading was not amongst the skills that Saffron could claim amongst her own, because whilst if it was she might have felt like she ought to correct the younger man’s misconceptions, it wasn’t as if it was something that she would have done…
Because however charming Anxo appeared, however earnest - the young man was not family.and in this, in family business, family loyalty came first - well at least it did and always would for Saffron.
As it happened however she couldn’t read minds and thus had no inkling to the thoughts flitting through Anxo’s mind.
She did however note the way how a flush suddenly spread over Anxo cheeks in interest even if she didn’t immediately say anything as she instead opted to nod at his suggestion that they start browsing the stalls.
It was only later as they walked over towards the nearest of such stalls that she raised an eyebrow and asked mischievously "So Anxo..?"
She waited for him to look her way before continuing "Is this the point where I offer a penny for your earlier thoughts?"
A small quiet came over them as they began their search for gifts and Anxo simply began to browse for a time. There was something specific he was looking for; an image of what would have been perfect for Arian had formed in his mind, and thought it was unlikely he would find that specifically perfect piece, he certainly would try. He thought of how it would work, of what sort of brush and comb teeth would be best… He also briefly thought of how he intended to cut his own long hair sometime soon. So focused he was on his search to find that item that when Saffy began to speak, the young man jumped a little.
“Huh?”
Oh… OH, oh dear, she was asking about his thoughts, about why his face turned red. Just the simple thought of what he had thought about earlier forced another blush to come across his cheeks. He couldn’t simply tell her exactly what he was thinking, that would have been awkward… Oh dear, he was certain she must think him an odd one, fantasizing in public!
“My thoughts… I… Um… W-well… I was thinking of Arian… He does have such wonderfully long and beautiful hair… My thoughts had wandered into the idea of brushing it for him someday. And… Um… I believe the thought of such intimacy was too much for my mind and… Yeah.” Anxo wasn’t quite ashamed of his thoughts, embarrassed at having been caught, and by Arian’s cousin nonetheless!
“Gah, I’m sorry, Saffy, I speak too much. You must think me some love-sick fool… And that’s most certainly true, I can’t deny it at all…”
Saffron had watched as Anxo had jumped a little at her question and then at the blush that had formed in interest knowing that her question had perhaps been a little mean..
No scratch the little - the question had been mean and she knew it.
But she didn't regret asking either - although she didn't think that the answer that Anxo gave her was quite the full answer either - at least not based on the other's blush.
It wasn't something that Saffy was 100% sure of though and so she didn't call Anxo on it - in part because she had been mean enough in asking the question and in part because she wasn't sure she really wanted to 100% know either.
She shook her head, "Oh I wouldn’t call you a fool" she said "After all you’ve admitted to the good taste of liking my cousin."
The stall they were perusing had a silver hair brush with a back that had been carved to mimic a waterfall and Saffron reached out to carefully pick it up and hold it out for Anxo to have a look at as she continued, lips quirked up in a small smile as she slightly changed the subject "Has my cousin ever told you the meaning behind his name?"
Anxo truly did appreciate how accepting Saffy was of his very obvious adorations of her little cousin. Certainly this trip would have gone a whole different direction if she had been more wary of his intentions, but thankfully she was kind, if not a little teasing. That the young man could handle.
“He has not. In fact, it often seems like he doesn’t wish to say too much about himself if he can avoid it…” He replied sadly, taking the offered brush and running his fingernail over it. It was nice, but didn’t seem to be quite enough. A single brush seemed almost lonesome, so his eyes wandered over to another silver item, having been rather taken by them. Perhaps he could find a matching comb to go with it…
“I imagine it’s something wonderful, am I right?”
"Arian's never really been that talkative" Saffron admitted quietly.
And to be honest she wasn't sure if it was something that would ever change, because her cousin had always been quiet - even as a kid.
Her lips curved in a soft, but sad smile for a moment when Anxo turned to look at some of the other items on the stall.
Little Catrin had been the boisterous one, always up to some mischief or the other, whilst Arian had been the patient older brother...
She shook her head slightly, not wanting to dwell on that particular set of memories.
Besides whilst it was true that her cousin was both quiet and on the reserved side, he was also a lot better than the reserved, overly formal kid that he had been at sixteen.
The smile had faded from her face as she stepped forward to take a better look at the items that Anxo was looking through and continued "His first two names can translate to silver waterfall so I thought that the hairbrush might be a nice play on it."“That’s alright… I talk plenty for the both of us. And he listens and smiles and sometimes even laughs at my nonsense. I’d just like to learn a bit more, when he’s comfortable, of course. I’m not one to push things when I can tell they shouldn’t be. My mother did say I was born with the patience of a saint when it came to making friends, anyway.” Anxo continued to hold the brush in his hand, very much liking it, but truly feeling like he needed something else to go with it. His eyes went to a comb that was shaped like a half moon, made of silver with swirls engraved into it in a nonspecific pattern.
“Is that so…? It must be fate then, for the brush to be here right when we’re looking for something for someone with such a similar name. I think I will get it, but a single brush on it’s own seems a little lonely. What of this comb to be paired with it? It is moon shaped, and though I may not be silver… DeLuna does mean Moon, after all… Perhaps then he’d think of me…” Not that he doubted the other’s thoughts on him, especially when he was kind enough to send him a postcard when he was so far away.
For a brief moment he set down the brush next to the comb, and fished out out his wallet. “Do you wish for anything, Miss Saffy? My treat! After all, I owe you a great deal for helping me with this.” Saffron laughed "Well if you can make him laugh then you're off to a good start" and despite her light tone, she was in fact being serious as a part of her wondered if Anxo knew how rare it was for her cousin to laugh.
It wasn't that her cousin was gloomy - he could and did show amusement - but it generally came in the flash of small quiet smiles rather than actual laughter.
"Oh I'm not sure that I'd call it fate" she said as she turned her head to take a better look at the comb that Anxo held out, "But that looks lovely."
And it did, because the half moon-shaped comb, was unusual and the patterning gave it interest without being overdone.
She laughed again "Oh you don't owe me anything at all" because she was happy to be recruited into helping if it meant making Arian happy. "But if we're done here then I wouldn't mind some tea and cake."
At least, that is, if there was anywhere around that wasn't tooo crowded. nded the items as well as his credit card to the shop keeper.
“Fate, destiny, strings we can’t see… I’d call it something more powerful than ourselves, at least. Maybe just some lucky start that is out there that draws us to one thing or another.” He offered a smile and a small thanks to the owner who handed him back everything and a receipt, which he tucked into the bag everything was packaged in.
Once that was done, he returned to Saffy’s side, easily attracted to her laughter and smiles. There wasn’t much he immediately saw that she had in common with Arian, except maybe for a love of jewelry, teas, and cakes. It didn’t matter though; if Arian loved her, he was sure he was going to as well.
“Tea and cake sounds lovely. I think we may have to venture a bit further than the outside market to find a proper place. It’s like a swarming of bees around here, and I have a feeling it’s just going to get worse. I’m not sure about you, but I’d rather not use my elbows to get places.” Although his words were light and cheerful, there was some truth to the matter. He wasn’t very much a pushy person, he’d rather go with the flow so the Christmas rush was sometimes too vicious for him."That works for me" Saffron agreed as she cast an eye on the crowd - a crowd that seemed to have managed to get even bigger during the time that she and Anxo had spent browsing through the stall…
And whilst Saffron still had Christmas shopping of her own to complete once she parted ways with Anxo, she didn't too much much fancy trying to tackle the crowd anytime soon. "Do you have anywhere in mind?"
Tea and cake first she decided mentally.
Because shopping and tackling the crowd could come always after.Kapoodles I'm so sorry Poods - I never did copy this one over from gdocs
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