returninghope | Appointments

They had irises, at least. [A lot of them. Especially after he was born, but he leaves out whether or not they were alike to her kind of iris. Frankly, he has no idea.

Long trek up the stairs to his apartment, go!]

[Good thing he was holding her hand, it's been quite a while since she's had to climb up a significant distance and it shows in the way her hand instinctively seeks out the wall, trying to navigate by feel. How long has it been since she came into this building?]

It's probably really pretty, then...

... My home? [Zan'nen changes his path, so that Kaori could use the wall for guidance. He wasn't about to allow her to fall, but if it made her more comfortable....

Zan'nen clenches his teeth slightly, and tries very hard not to pause as the memory of a sickly crackling dashes across his memory. They were not going to talk about this right now.] It was, at one point.

[It was hard not to notice the past tense he had used, or the way his mood seemed to change after those first two words. Her expression immediately becomes worried, but it's not her right to ask was it? She hadn't called upon him to ask about his life and force him to answer.

So... she'll stay quiet. That's what she was good at.]

My apartment's probably a little messy, so watch your step inside. ['Messy' in this case mostly meaning clothing. There still wasn't much else to his apartment other than the necessities. Not many came to visit, so there were at most four seats. Anything valuable was locked in his room. The other rooms had remained untouched since Marcell had left.]

Want anything special made?

Anything's fine. [Just the thought of being able to eat while in someone's company was enough for the time being, and more than likely would help her to be able to force down whatever he offered her. Though she did feel a little strange, being back in his apartment after so long. How could he stand being alone like this...?]

[Frankly, he didn't handle it very well.

After grabbing an apron, he dragged her off into the kitchen. As usual, there wasn't anyone present to bother him there either. The residents on this floor seemed to change quite frequently, so the meal is completed rather quickly, and mostly in silence.

Zan'nen serves them each a plate and a glass of milk. You look like you need calcium, Kaori.]

[Kaori for the most part stood back silently, at times tempted to offer help if he wanted it but for the most part staying out of the way. Just enjoying his company, even if it was in silence, for spending time with Zan'nen was definitely preferable to the loneliness she has subjected herself to.

Once the food is placed in front of her she can't help but look curious. She can smell the chicken, and what seemed like milk? Not that she minded, but why that?]

Are you going to eat, or do I have to feed it to you? [Although the sentence would imply otherwise, Zan'nen actually says that very softly. It was a gentle tease, rather than an impatient nitpick.

Zan'nen sat down on her right side, close enough for her to nudge or cling at him if she desired. Normally, he'd sit across the table but with her sight... Well, he was just more comfortable this way.]

Ha? [Please forgive the sudden jump and blush Zan'nen, not only was the teasing unexpected but hardly anyone here did it other than Masaomi. Given a few moments though she begins to calm down, though there's still red in her cheeks. It wasn't the usual means through which someone would try to cheer her up, but it was appreciated nonetheless.

It's why she manages a small smile at him, picking up her fork to try to begin.] Would you actually do it if I asked you to?

If I offered. [Wow, you really blushed at that, Kaori? Huh. You didn't usually come off as such a shy little girl. Too bad you weren't able to see that Zan'nen wasn't a catch at all, even in such a cute white apron.

Zan'nen waits a moment for her to have a few bites, before asking his next question.] ... How is it?

[Yes Zan'nen, she did actually blush. And how would he know if he was a catch or not, unless he just happened to be that narcissistic!

But it's pretty obvious that she's enjoying the food with the way she keeps taking bites of the meal. Frey's cooking was good and all, but there was something about Zan'nen's that achieved taste at a higher level.] Mm-hmm... Are you self-taught?

[~~WELL MAYBE HE IS. HE'S SEXY AND HE KNOWS IT. PROBLEM?~~]

No. I went to school. [... But he's not going to tell you he's actually certified. For some reason that's embarrassing.]

[~~THE PROBLEM IS YOU DON'T COMB YOUR HAIR.~~]

Hmm... Lucky... [Not just that he can cook, but that he went to school. But she wasn't about to resent him for it.]

Thank you...

[~~IT HURTS HIS HEAD, OKAY?~~]

You're thanking me? For what?

[~~DEAL WITH IT~~.]

Well... because of the food, and... You're willing to put up and listen to me. [Dammit, she didn't want to start tearing up when she hadn't even reached the topic of discussion yet.]

You were willing to help right away even though I didn't even really tell you why.

[Zan'nen sucks gently on his fork. She was right. He had been very eager to help her, when really he felt it would've been more like him to send her away, or make a few jerk comments first. Maybe he'd just been lonely, or maybe he just couldn't damn well take it when girls cried. Either way, he didn't feel like it was anything he deserved any thanks for.]

Well, that's what- [What? Was he going to say that's what friends are for? That's what he was here for? How cheesy. That didn't feel right, coming from his mouth.

Mmrgh. He didn't know what he wanted to say. He placed his free hand on the crest of her head again, and lightly ruffled her hair.]

I'm... glad. If I helped, then I'm glad.

... I'm glad, too. [The way that he responded had been so awkward and shy that she's almost tempted to tease him, but not was not the time, and... Well, he didn't seem like the type who would take to that very well, if memory served correctly. Odd that they could seem so close when in reality they barely knew anything about each other at all, experiments aside.

It almost makes her want to smile for him again, if it weren't for what she were about to say next.] ... Y'know Freyjadour's real sister is here?

[Judging by the way Zan'nen just inhaled milk into his lungs... No, no he did not. He'd just barely learned Frey even had a sister.]

A sister? Here?

[... Oops. Are you going to be okay Zan'nen? Because now she is worried about you potentially choking to death because she said something wrong. Just forgetting the other sister for the moment.]

Are you okay?

I'm fine. [He takes a long sip of milk to clear his throat. Stupid. He was sure he'd heard of her before, he shouldn't of been so surprised. Damn Malnosso bastards...]

You were saying?

Mmm... [She'll just have to take his word for it, and hope that it was only a passing spell while she tries to think of the correct way to explain to him the circumstances of Lymsleia being here.]

It's been... at least a week now? I don't know for sure. But she's living with everyone else since and... Freyjadour's just been busy with her, I guess.

Huh? [Y'know, this scenario felt familiar.]

Hasn't he been paying enough attention to you? [It was true Frey seemed like the type to throw himself into things, but... Well, he wasn't heartless enough to start ignoring others out of the blue. Did they have a fight?]

Edited 2012-02-29 06:03 (UTC)

He's busy, and she's his real sister. She's always going to matter more than I can ever be stupid enough to hope to. [If she could have, she would have left the house already so that they could simply enjoy each other's company without the non-Human between them. It's why she's been staying outside in the cold rather than sticking around inside the house and having to face all that truth in silence.

And it definitely hurt to have to acknowledge all that, despite the casual air her voice took on when she spoke. It was best to pretend that it didn't really matter, that she didn't really care. But that mask was always so transparent it was laughable.]

[Woah Kaori. That was a pretty heavy assumption. And despite the calm way she said it, he didn't believe she was calm at all. The sudden appearance of this other girl was ripping her apart.

But there was one subject that seemed to ruffle his feathers.]

Blood doesn't have to mean anything when it comes to family. [You could ask him all about that Kaori, but he felt like there was something more than that bothering her.]

Edited 2012-03-01 06:46 (UTC)

Appointments

[February 19th Action]

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