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[shesgotguts]

house #1490
husband ❧ daughter ❧ son
sister ☆ daughter ☆ nope ☆ no way

owner of Good Golly, Miss Holly!
principal's assistant at Altaciere High School
member of the Holly Heights Welcoming Committee

"Your queen, Milly Ashford, isn't here right now, so feel free to leave a message!! She'll have a servant get back to you ASAP!"

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Comments

wheeze

[leadingspirit]

[He laughs.]

Admittedly I don't speak much Spanish. Do you-- are you free? I'm not intruding or anything...?

[shesgotguts]

[she looks up at him with a gentle smile, but her eyes are curious, searching for some sort of answer. is there trouble? is there something he wants to tell her? (no, not that. not yet.)]

We should learn together... And of course I'm free. If I wasn't before, now I am. [a wink.] Intrude all you'd like~ [all of this is said with a teasing tone, but she drops it to put him at ease.] Would you like some tea? Or a glass of wine?

[leadingspirit]

[He sags, visibly, sighing and shrugging a shoulder.]

Either works, really. Probably wine. Maybe both. Can you do that? Are you allowed to drink wine and tea at the same time?

[Taki you are talking too much.]

[shesgotguts]

I wouldn't suggest it. It tastes awful.

[the hand on his waist leaves to reach up for his face, knuckles brushing against his cheek gently. calm, taki.]

Tell you what, if the tea doesn't work, then you can have all the wine you'd like. Okay?

[leadingspirit]

What about wine-flavored tea...?

[He quiets halfway through the question and trails off, looking sheepish about her knuckles.]

...yeah. Am I that transparent?

[shesgotguts]

Or tea-flavoured wine? You could be on to something.

[she still smiles at him, her hand flipping around to cup his cheek, fingertips light against his skin.]

Not really. But I'm getting better at knowing you. [a pause, and a sigh, and then--] If you don't want to tell me what's wrong, you don't have to. But I'm here to help, no matter what.

[leadingspirit]

Tea-flavored wine. I like that. Be good for Brits. They're too high-strung.

[A beat.]

...you aren't British in amongst all that wildly hard to pronounce heritage of yours, are you?

[A thin laugh, and he tips his cheek into her hand.]

I'll be okay. I'm just... A little out of sorts over something I didn't think would get to me like it has.

[shesgotguts]

[she laughs lightly, and shakes her head, a bit of mischief in her eyes.] Oh, those English are a bit too tense, you're right. Britannians are much different. You don't think I, a Brit, am too high strung, do you?

[it's all in jest, and she laughs lightly, rubbing her thumb over his cheek, and bringing their interlocked fingers up to her lips to press a sweet kiss to his hand.] I know you'll be okay. You're strong. But you aren't okay now... Is there anything I can do to make it better?

[leadingspirit]

Britannian. I will never keep up.

[In the end he just looks tired.]

I might actually take you up on that tea, honestly.

[shesgotguts]

[she smiles softly, then pulls away from him slightly to bring him inside. her hand is still in his, though, and she doesn't dare let go.]

Anything for you. Do you like Darjeeling? I've got cookies too~ They're sugar! [his favourite ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

[leadingspirit]

I can't pronounce it, how am I supposed to know if I like it?

[He drinks Lipton, don't judge him.]

[shesgotguts]

Shame, shame, Kazuya... [she shakes her head and closes the door with her foot, pulling him to the kitchen and motioning to a chair with a tilt of her head.]

You'll probably like it if you haven't had it before. But I'm sure you have. It's pretty standard. [a pause] Maybe I should just stick to green tea, huh? You can't go wrong with that!

[leadingspirit]

I mean I like Kombucha, so there's probably nothing worse than fermented black tea.

[He sits, looking marginally chastised.]

[shesgotguts]

Now that's something I've never had. Or heard of. [once he sits, she ruffles his hair lightly, and kisses him on the cheek before moving over to the cabinets to find the tea and kettle.] I should try it sometime.

[leadingspirit]

I dunno where you might find it here, and I haven't the foggiest about how it's made. Given it's fermented I sort of didn't want to know.

[He loops an arm around her waist when she gets close enough and doesn't quite hug her so much as he squeezes her middle gently before she meanders off to tea. This sort of idle contact is really, really nice.]

[shesgotguts]

I'm sure we could find it here. This town has everything, even things you wouldn't expect to find.

[quick work is made of getting the tea in order-- turning on the stove, filling up the kettle with water, pulling down a box of tea, then sugar, grabbing two cups, their saucers, and teaspoons. after all that is done, she approaches taki once more, wrapping her arm loosely around his neck, holding him from behind. a gentle kiss is pressed to his neck, and she hums softly.]

[leadingspirit]

[His eyes close almost immediately upon the contact, and he huffs a sigh.]

...'m glad you're here.

[shesgotguts]

And I'm so glad you're here too.

[another kiss to his neck.] But what makes you say that, huh?

[leadingspirit]

Friend of mine that was here left. Didn't actually expect it to bug me.

[Dully.]

[shesgotguts]

Hmm. [her fingers tap lightly against his chest, and she sighs. her daughter disappeared as well, but she won't bring that up. not when he's lost someone here for the first time (?)] I'm so sorry to hear that. But I know the feeling...

[she presses a kiss to his ear, and keeps her voice low.] Tell me what I can do to help. I know not much will, but I want to try for you.

[leadingspirit]

[He just sort of shrugs, leaning back into her.]

I shouldn't be upset, it's uncontrollable. Inevitable, even.

[shesgotguts]

I know. But just because we knew it could happen doesn't mean you can't be upset about it.

[she gives him a little squeeze, and puts her nose in his hair.] Kazuya, be upset. You have to do it for yourself now, so that you don't hurt forever. [her voice is so small when she speaks, like she's telling a secret right to his brain. perhaps what keeps her quiet is her own shame and sorrow.]

[leadingspirit]

[He tenses up subtly in a way she might recognize as the beginnings of him closing himself right the hell off the way he sometimes does, hunching his shoulders.]

It's not that simple.

[shesgotguts]

[she can feel the beginnings of a problem; the way his muscles tense up is a surer sign than any. so she loosens her hold on him, her hands squeezing his shoulders lightly as she pulls away.]

You're right. It isn't. But you should try somehow. [a pause, then--] But if you won't let yourself be upset, then get the stress out some other way. Would you like a glass of wine? [she doesn't want to laugh, or sound so playful. she's earnest in her question. still, she can't help herself. it's in her nature to entertain.]

[leadingspirit]

[This is one of those times that he really, really hates being human. Emotions that stew in his gut and poison him slowly, that he ignores until he can't, half of which stem from his own inability to do what he isn't physically capable of. Logic should state that this doesn't bother him-- if he can't do something, really honestly can't, then there's no reason to be bothered by it. And yet, here he is.]

[He inhales, closes his eyes, and leans backward in the chair, bringing his hands up and threading his fingers through his hair and then lacing them together above his head as he drags his hands backward across his forehead-- the result is a vice grip on his own skull. He holds his breath for a while and then droops as he exhales, bringing his hands down over his face and finally opening his eyes to give Milly a tired, almost blank expression.]

...wine might not be a bad idea right now. 'm sorry to make you put up with me right now.