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 Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:39 pm
Things were definitely weird after those cookies. The good mood of the island twitter was pleasant to read for a change, but outward displays of affection were hard for Oliver to accept, especially from himself. The nervous young man had tried to avoid the uncontrollable emotions by hiding out in his room, but he couldn't stay in there forever. After much inner debate and stomach rumbling, he left his room determined to get to the kitchen, get dinner, and get out without embarrassing himself. It was a tall order, but he was in luck, the kitchen was empty when he arrived. Without another soul in sight, he bustled about preparing the biggest plate of nachos he could cram into the microwave.
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:49 pm
Seren had finished her duties for the day, which included Kitchen Duty, and had left to shower. She hadn't really WANTED what she'd cooked, because it felt good to make it for everyone for once while not being something she was in the mood for. She was in the mood for something a lot less healthy, honestly, and for once she intended to indulge herself. So she returned to the kitchen, once she felt clean and presentable, and also ready to deal with the world again. She just felt so HAPPY about everything, and everyone was so wonderful today, but it got a little overwhelming at times. She hadn't expected anyone to be there when she arrived, so she just happily bounced through the doors, vaguely wishing she had thought to invite Rhys. She almost pulled her phone out to do so when she saw some one in there already. She paused, standing just inside the door, and then her face lit up in a bright grin. She recognized that cutie! That was that nice Oliver she'd met at Dates last night! She headed in towards him, calling out cheerfully "Helloooooooooo!" with a big wave, and a bright, warm smile on her face.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 9:03 am
Oliver was caught off guard by the cheerful address, but it didn't take him long to go from surprise to timid welcoming. It would have been impossible for him to not recognize her. "Ah, h-hello, I was just making nachos, um, would you like some?" He stammered, cheeks beginning to turn red even before the invitation was out of his mouth. It was already getting out of hand, he wanted so desperately for Seren to say yes and at the same time he was terrified of embarrassing himself or leaving a bad impression. He looked away shyly, and shoved the plate of cheese-loaded nachos in the microwave.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 2:52 pm
Seren moved to the counter nearest him, and hoisted herself up to sit on it, her smile not lessening in the least. She looked at him, curiously, then saw his plate. "Oooo Nachos? That sounds amazing. I'd love some!" She gave him a thankful smile now, and tilted her head, looking thoughtfully at him. "I could try to whip up something to make for dessert with whatever's here... I can usually manage chocolate chip cookies, for instance. If you want, that is." She leaned her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on her hands as she watched the young man get the nachos cooking. "So did you have fun at Speed Dates?" she asked him curiously.
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Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:40 pm
The enthusiastic response was a challenge for Oliver to cope with. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, as though the acceptance of his food offer carried with it an acceptance of his company, his rather nervous behaviour, himself as a person... and he was filled with inexplicably good feelings. "I- I think, um, cookies would be really nice," he said softly, blushing and staring at the counter as he waited for the microwave to beep. Oliver's fingers tapped nervously on the counter for a second, and then he busied himself cleaning up the mess his creation had made. He paused for a second. "Speed dates?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:21 pm
At his request for cookies, she hopped back off the counter, and began to rustle up the ingredients, gently patting the young man on the shoulder as she past him. "Cookies it is! I'm glad I ran into you again. You seemed to be really nice, when we were talking." She nodded happily and grabbed out a big mixing bowl, then set it on the counter, along with a spoon and then the various ingredients she'd gathered, then got to work on the dough. His question made her brows raise, and she looked over at him, curiously puzzled. "Yeah? We met at Speed Dates... I assumed you knew. Did you get signed up by some one who didn't tell you what you were actually doing?" She looked honestly concerned for him, her blue eyes soft with worry. He seemed like such a sweet guy, even if she didn't feel like she was ever going to fall in love with him. But she was SURE he had some one wonderful to fall in love with, and it would be so lovely and romantic! She couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped her at that idea.
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:52 am
"S-speed dates..." Oliver repeated shakily, and then somehow turned even more red and flustered than before. That explained quite a bit, but it also undermined every single interaction at the event, reframing it in an entirely different light he hadn't been prepared for. The comfortable setting, the heart shaped cookies... and he hadn't clued in at all. The microwave beeped and Oliver seemed not to hear it at all. So even Seren had been met as a prospective date? The mental collapse hit him abruptly. "I-I am s-so sorry, I d-didn't know, o-or I would have... I would have..." What would he have done? Oliver didn't consider himself date-worthy in the slightest, and he desperately hoped Seren wouldn't be too upset that he had wasted her time. With the lingering influence of those cookies still in his system, he just really wanted to be liked, and to share food, and maybe even tell Seren her hair was pretty...
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:09 pm
Seren watched him process everything, and her eyes went even more worried. "Oliver... No, don't apologize! You don't have to apologize. I enjoyed talking to you!" She set the bowl of half mixed dough down and walked over to him. She didn't know how he'd react to it, or she'd give him a hug... then decided to try it anyways. "You're a really nice guy, and very sweet... And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, even if you didn't find some one you were interested in, it was a great way to meet potential new friends." She gently leaned around him, to pop open the microwave, and make sure the nachos looked done, in case they needed more time. They seemed fine, so she shut the door to help preserve the heat, before refocusing on her nervous companion. "Seriously, Oliver... I thought you were super nice, super sweet. You have nothing to worry about." She was emphatic and doing her best to look right in his eyes, so he could see how serious she was.
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:00 am
Oliver looked like he was about to run away, but the hug changed it all in an instant. Nervous tense muscles relaxed, and somehow Oliver even managed to give her a little hug back. His expression was still sheepish, but his eyes were full of grateful adoration. "I-I'm really glad I got to meet you," he said quietly. The admission had nothing to do with how pretty her hair was, but it was a start. He belatedly checked on the nachos himself, pulling them out and setting them on the counter. "Ah, we should eat this before it gets cold, I-I'll help with the cookies afterwards too."
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 2:53 pm
Seren smiled at the return of the hug, and gently patted his shoulder. She was glad it seemed to relax him, because he seemed to be so nice. She wondered how old he was, because she sort of felt like he was younger then her, but... He'd been on the "adult" side of dates, so that seemed extremely unlikely. She was on the 'just barely adult' side of things. Maybe it was just how shy he was that made her feel that way, which was probably silly of her. His comment, though, had her smile brighten up into a cheerful, happy one, her eyes sparkling warmly at Oliver. "I'm glad I got to meet you, too! You're really awesome." She chuckled and nodded. "Sounds like an excellent plan." She glanced around, and nodded at a table in one corner of the kitchen. "Let's go take command of that table, yeah?" She bounced a little, on her toes, feeling super happy and excited.
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:40 pm
Oliver turned bright red and mumbled something unintelligible. He wasn't sure about being awesome, but he would gladly settle for not pathetic. There had always been a fine line between being gentle and being pathetic, especially where some of the other hunters were concerned, but none of those hunters were around right now and they had nachos to enjoy. He nodded in agreement for the table plan and picked up the giant plate of food, letting Seren lead the way. How he ever expected to eat all of those nachos by himself before the young hunter joined him was a mystery. "I-it was kind of nice, meeting new people and talking for a bit," he said shyly, thinking back to the event. "I thought... um, I-I thought it was a team building exercise or something."
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:58 pm
She tilted her head, trying to work out what he had mumbled, but she didn't push him on the issue. Instead, internally, she went 'Awww he's just too cute!' and kept herself from chuckling out loud at how adorable he was. She wondered what kind of people he was interested in, because she found herself wanting to help him find love. EVERYONE deserved love, and even if she'd never wanted to do this before, she wanted to help people who hadn't find it. But he was so shy, so she wasn't sure how to ask those kinds of questions of the nervous young man. Maybe it could come up in conversation, naturally. She walked over to the table, and settled herself into a chair, folding her legs under her, and fitting into it in a way that maybe some one of her height shouldn't be able to manage. "It was nice! There were so many interesting people. I even realized that some people I didn't like much might not be as bad as I thought, that maybe they were just under educated on some things!" She said brightly, thinking of how some people who had previously totally loathed each other had been getting along. Oh she HOPED they had found a wonderful connection. She tilted her head, and gave him a bright smile. "I mean, it could be considered that too? After all, the more we know people and the friendlier we are, the better the team strength is! So even if it was some sort of dating stuff... Most of the dates people had probably didn't lead to DEEP connections, since we met several people... Though hopefully some people found love..." She sighed, a little wistfully. "But the rest of us had a chance to make friends, right? And friends are WONDERFUL."
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 7:39 pm
Oliver nodded, hanging off every word Seren said. His eye contact was never very long, but he was extremely attentive to how she sat, whether she was smiling or not, if her voice showed any hint of discomfort... Even when he began to pick at the nachos he was careful to leave the most cheesy, topping-laden pieces for Seren to enjoy. He might have been too timid for outward displays of affection, but those inadvertently drugged cookies brought out a multitude of tiny ways to say how much he cared right at that moment. "I met my closest friends here on the island," he replied shyly. "I never imagined there would be so many people I'd trust my life with. O-or that there would be so many people who valued my life that much." He absently rubbed at the scar on the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes you get the chance to see more good in people than they let on, and sometimes they see it in you where you never expected it."
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:19 pm
Seren noticed, unable to not, the way he was leaving the good bits for her, and she gave him a smile full of gratitude and warmth, before taking some to eat. "You did a great job with these, Oliver!" She said, after swallowing her first bite, her expression on of happy bliss at the flavor. She hadn't had proper nachos in like a year, or more. They were an expensive treat, and she hadn't been able to indulge... And since she'd arrived here, just hadn't gotten around to it. There'd been so many other delicious things she could make with what was available. She blinked, noticing the scar on his nose, and wondered if it was bothering him. She didn't think she knew him well enough to ask, though, or she'd have offered him some of her personal stash of scar cream. "I... met my first real friends here." She said, quietly. "Didn't... really have any at home before." She didn't want to get into that, into her past and how lonely it had been, for most of it. "So yeah... I get that. I've found friends in people I thought likely to push me away instead. It's... been amazing."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:12 pm
The praise had Oliver blushing and looking down at his hands, but he also knew it was hard to mess up nachos when you had all the right ingredients. "I-I'm sure they have much better nachos at the bar, but... um, I haven't been yet. It's a bit... intimidating... So I try and pick up what I need for them now and then." He nodded when Seren spoke of friendships though. He had been in a similar state, even if their reasons and situations had been different. He didn't have much to leave behind when he came to the island. "Here at least we've got something in common with everyone else," Oliver said with a shy smile. "Strange shadows are one less secret we need to keep, right?"
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