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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 1, 2014 2:22:43 GMT
Cain strolled down the hallway of the University's Thanksgiving wing, fighting back an urge to click his heels together around corners. This was it! This was what they hadn't had time to do, and this was what he'd been dying to do since he met her!
In his hands he held a small bouquet of peppermint roses and could only hope she liked the smell of them, because although they weren't overpowering, they smelled fairly strongly of peppermint. It was one of the few flowers that grew in Christmas Town, and they were hard to come by unless you knew somebody. Cain knew many people.
When he got to her door, he straightened his bowtie, ensured that all of his swirled peppermint candy buttons were fixed in place, and swept his hair over to the side (not that it needed help- it was his natural part). He raised a hand and knocked on her door to the beat of jinglebells, a practice not uncommon in his town. He could only hope that she hadn't dwelt too much on... the mishap with trickster magic they'd run into last, and that she was willing to give him a chance to prove he wasn't intending at all to move that quickly. Proposals! He could have kicked himself! Granted, it wasn't all his fault, and somehow he knew she understood, but... It still made him nervous.
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 1, 2014 2:34:36 GMT
Alice: "Ooooh dear!"
She hummed and let her shoulders fall, and reached for a napkin. It had been ages since she could play around with make-up, mostly because she really didn't have the means to purchase well...anything since her curse, really! She promised she would live 100% off of the land, and, while she did cheat now and then (Only for tea and very, very minimal furniture!) she hadn't used make-up since her younger teaching days! Was lipstick always this hard? She let out a small giggle and wiped it off, eager to try again. She hoped red lipstick wasn't too distracting... but maybe it would at least take away from her multitude of freckles..(Was she gaining some? She was sure there were more today...) Her favorite man-made item, however, had to be her curling wand. Admittedly, it was the first thing she had bought with her paycheck, and sense then, couldn't help but to use it nearly every day. Something about curly hair just felt right!! Provided, it was a nice alternative to the silky flatness of crow feathers...
Speaking of which, she twirled her lipstick in her palm and closed one eye for aim! With a flick of the risk, she managed to startle some crows (dastards were JUST out of reach!!) and they flew out of her window, just in time!! (Why did she insist on leaving it open, anyway???) She heard Cain's knocking-admittedly, she knew the tune, and hopped out of her chair in an excited hurry to answer it! She stopped herself first though, and, using the reflection of a nearby window, straightened her neck-ribbon and smiled. Everything looked in order!! True... a white blouse and red ribbon might have been cliche, but she always really wanted to celebrate Christmas...
...and matching the walking pun wouldn't hurt!! She giggled a moment and slid on a pair of black gloves, grabbed her black coat to boot, and opened the door, smile on face. She tilted her head and curls fell (She still wasn't quite used to that!) and she blew them out of her face.
"Hello Cain!" She beamed, "I'm so excited!"
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 1, 2014 2:55:22 GMT
Cain: All of his nervousness vanished when she opened the door and he saw her face. A part of him knew that he should be flustered or embarrassed or even maybe flattered that she was matching him (was it on purpose? Who knew?), but all he could pay attention to was the way she said his name. He was positively beaming.
"I'm positively thrilled to hear that!" he exclaimed just before bowing his head slightly and giving her the flowers. "These are for you. I didn't bring any chocolates, but I'll make up for that, I promise." He winked, showing off his crow's feet for just a moment.
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 1, 2014 3:07:06 GMT
Alice: Her eyes widened. She had never seen flowers like that before!! They smell like him!! She stood still for a moment. Thank God she didn't say that outloud! She laughed at him and took them, "Whyy, thank you, dahrling! I love them, I'll stick them in a vase right now!" She smiled brighter at his wink and walked back into her classroom, boot heels clicking along the way. On the far end was a small kitchen (mostly used for tea purposes, Alice couldn't make much else...!). She pulled a rustic looking vase from her top shelf and filled with water (She hoped that would contain them! Christmas flowers didn't use syrup...right??) She set them in and tousled them gently. Homey! She set them on her desk on her way back to him. If the crows touch the flowers and I kill the crows, is that suicide?? Either way, she would have NONE of that!! Although, as lovely was it was, she remembered reading something somewhere that crows are put off by smell of peppermint? Oh, it would be a miracle, really!
She gave Cain a warm smile. She had to remember not to indulge too much, if she ate too much chocolate, would she be too fat to fly in crow form? Ah, responsibilities! She shook the thought away. She promised herself she'd have fun tonight, at least. She...really hadn't had much fun since the curse and... in all honesty, keeping up with both that and school work was starting to wear her thin. One night of fun, at the very least! It was an internal promise.
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 1, 2014 3:26:58 GMT
Cain held out his arm to her and gestured down the hall. "Shall we, then?" he asked brightly. He was determined to show her a lovely time tonight- after all, a wing of his factory was basically for her...!
"I must confess I have a bit of a surprise," he said after they began walking. "But, I also must confess that you won't get to see it immediately. I hope that's alright!" As they went he pulled a set of gloves out of his pocket and put them on gracefully, not even disrupting Alice's hold on his arm. He'd, admittedly, brought a set of mittens as well in a slightly smaller size for Alice-- you could never be too sure!!-- but he could always give them to her later, as long as her hands were safe from the cold upon entry to Christmas Town.
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 1, 2014 3:44:09 GMT
Alice: She reached to take his hand, but stopped for a moment! "Oh, I should lock up!" She locked her door (And hopefully the birds behind it!!) and put her keys in her coat pocket. She put her arm in his, much like when they first met, she noted, and walked with him.
She looked at the ground and then back at him. "Lovely! I adore surprises!" Surprises make things interesting, she wouldn't have it any other way! As they walked, she chewed her lip for a moment and looked back at him.
"I have been wondering for quite some time; is there a quicker way between the holidays? I'm familiar with the doors, but I have yet to see anyone else make much use of them! Is there a short cut?" Other then...turning into a flock and flying away, that is! Still, the doorways just...didn't seem proficient!
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 1, 2014 3:58:34 GMT
Cain: He couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
"Well, I know that many have their ways, but I think most walk. I have a shortcut for... most holidays, myself, but for the Christmas one... well, I prefer to wait until we're out of doors." As he said this, he opened the door in front of them and led her outside. Once they were down the steps, he pulled a snowglobe out of his pocket and gave it several good shakes before tossing it gently in front of them. It disappeared into a cloud of flurries and a portal to Christmas Town was opened out of thin air. Snowflakes flew in their faces and all around them, though most melted once they got too far away.
"Shall we, then?" he asked, gesturing toward the portal with his signature lop-sided smile.
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 1, 2014 22:56:25 GMT
Alice: She tapped on her chin with her free hand. She would have to get her own way then, one of these days!! Perhaps Rufus has something up his sleeve? Wouldn't she have read that in one of his books, then...? She watched with wide eyes as he played with a snowglobe. She was sure he was up to something but...watching a grown man play with something like that was almost amusing!! Ah, how she was all ready reminded of her childhood! She was fixated on the snowglobe curiously, and muttered a small but surprised "Oh!" as it opened a portal right before her eyes! She really shouldn't have been all that shocked- she had read about these things hundreds of times, and obviously if there was a crow monster on loose in the campus, there was bound to be other strange things but...Alice had never laid her eyes on this before!! She grinned and closed her eyes while she tightened her grip on Cain; "This is far too much," she laughed! She opened her eyes and, almost childlike, "Oh yes, let's go!" She nearly let him into the portal!!
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 2, 2014 3:51:38 GMT
Cain: "Why, certainly!" he exclaimed, thrilled that she was already excited. Her glee was intoxicating and contagious- not only because he was an empath, either! He was certain anyone else would be pleased with such mirth standing by! And she was cute, too.
"Here we go!" he cried, stepping into the portal with her. A vision of snow flurries danced around them as they were whisked away to the frozen wonderland that was Cain's hometown. By the time their feet hit the ground again, they were stepping into snow and the city in front of them was alight with any color a person could imagine! The entire town smelled like a bakery, everyone was smiling, and a tall tree stood proudly in the center of the town. Cain couldn't be more delighted to be back home- especially since he was showing Alice! He looked over at her to take in her every expression as he caught the previously used snow globe as it fell from nowhere.
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 3, 2014 1:33:57 GMT
Alice: She felt so young! She giggled as flakes hit her face, half in excitement and half not realizing just how cold they were!! It snowed in Thanksgiving town here and there, sure, but it was never as brilliant! She felt the thick but airy snow underneath them, and was surprised how quickly her heel sunk! She took in a great breath of air- it smelled amazing- and couldn't help but to return all the warm smiles the people wore!! Her flashed between them and the lights, and finally back at Cain. She started to laugh and let go of his arm;
"I love it, I love it, I really do!!! But... I really have to try something first, really quick, all right??" Her voice was rushed with excitement, almost equaling a toddler on coffee! She had always ALWAYS wanted to try this, but her mother claimed playing in the snow was never ladylike! Alice was confident she could at least TRY to find a balance between the two! Or look completely like a fool, but at this moment, she didn't quite care! She suddenly crouched down in the snow. If she hadn't been wearing a long skirt, she probably would have fell on her knees, but thankfully, just crouching would suffice!! Still, she padded her skirt down, and tried to remain as much composure as possible.
She pulled her gloves tighter and chewed her lip, and took up a handful. It was cold, excellent!!! She took another handful and mashed the two together. That was how her younger cousins had done it, she was sure! She pushed and compressed, but it didn't look remotely round? Her brow furrowed and she dropped it, and took another handful to try again. "Perhaps I wasn't trying hard enough?" She pushed her hands together, but in doing so actually managed to shoot the powder directly in her face. She let it fall from her hands and gave Cain a defeated smile and laughed. "It always looked so fun...!"
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 3, 2014 5:30:17 GMT
Cain: A warm, full smile took over his face, revealing the usually faint and hardly noticeable crow's feet on both sides of his eyes, marked there by time and laughter even though he was still young. The red of his cheeks stood out on a backdrop of snow in a cute way that made him appealing in a way he could never hope to understand or even acknowledge. It was as if his face was meant to be smiling.
He leaned over near Alice and pulled up a sizeable handful of snow and bunched it together skillfully, making sure she was watching every step of the way.
"It does take practice," he admitted, "But once you do it once, it's easy from there. It's easier with mittens, actually." He tried not to think about the mittens in his coat. It would be silly to give them to her, right? Still, he found his mind wandering to the small box wrapped brightly with a tag that had her name on it in his, what he referred to as a clumsy scrawl. Others used more charitable names for his penmanship, among them being 'legible,' 'jolly,' and 'arching,' but one is always their harshest critic, he supposed.
"Admittedly," he said finally as she gathered up another handful of snow, "I had brought this with me as a gift." He pulled out the small present, wrapped in white with a red ribbon. It was deceiving wrapping, actually, and required only taking off the lid to reveal the contents. He pushed the present into Alice's hands anyway, as Christmas town etiquette states that once wrapped, a present, no matter how small or simply wrapped, is to be opened only by the receiver. Otherwise, he might have opened the lid for her and taken them out himself, rather than making a show of things.
((wow I have no idea why and how this ended up so long I am so sorry))
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 3, 2014 18:44:02 GMT
Alice: She breathed out a puff of air, almost a laugh, but a tad bit frustrated with her snow balling. For something she had seen hundreds of times, she really thought it would come naturally to her. As Cain showed her, she crossed one arm and put her other on it, with her palm resting under her chin. She couldn't help but to admire how fast he made one, and while she was watching how, her focus was mainly on him!
There really was something just as magical to him as the town itself, really. Alice knew that the town took after its people and not the other way around obviously, but he really was the epitome of his holiday, or, was at least, in her eyes! It was worth noting, as she watched him, how throughout being learned and educated, and whatever engagement he had talked about prior (Which she wouldn't question, but did wonder about!) never looked as if they took their toll on him. As a matter of fact, he still regained the innocent air of a child almost, in a refreshing way! Too often did people in her life look weary of their burdens carried, but Cain still seemed so fresh and light. Even if he did have crow's feet!!
Alice looked down and nodded at him, smile on face. How long had she been smiling?? Ah, well! She took another handful; the last thing she wanted was to look like she wasn't paying attention to his lesson! She knows better than that, as a fellow educator! Her eyes went from him to the snow in her hands, until she caught a white box in front of her. She stood up rather quickly, and let the snow fall from her hands and palms up, put them in the space between her and the gift. "Oh!! ...Oh, Cain you really didn't-" She started to look away , but she he pushed the present towards her, she hesitantly received it. Perhaps is was just merely custom then, to give gifts here and there all over this town, but Ms. Weisse never mentioned a gift? Still, Alice gave him a warm smile when she saw her name on it. "Really, you did not have to- but thank you!" If anything, Alice did know how to be thankful!! She carefully examined the present, and first went to remove the bow until she noticed it didn't cross over the sides? Very odd! Still, that meant if the box was applied separately from top to bottom, the box must be in two? She ran her hand around the top and lightly lifted the lid and set it under the bottom half of the box. She looked back up and him, "Mittens?? OH! These are most likely for packing the snow? Brilliant!" She laughed in relief. Why had she been worried? Just because he had previously mentioned marrying her didn't mean he'd try it soon!! She pulled her gloves off and put them in her pockets, and tried the mittens on. "These are beautiful, Cain! Thank you, really!" And quite a bit warmer than her gloves, thankfully! She was starting to notice just how cold it was here!!
(ahhh mine is too I'm sorry!!)
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 3, 2014 19:10:44 GMT
Cain: He laughed joyfully, pleased that she liked them. "Not at all! I was happy to get them," he said truthfully. Cain had learned from a very young age from his dear Auntie Claus that it was far better to give than to receive. Time only proved the idea more true.
"Now," he said after a moment, "Where would you like to begin?" He tried to ignore the fact that a scarf would keep her much warmer in the cold climate, as he wasn't wearing one currently to give her. Now that he thought about it, the tree might have a gift tucked under it of that nature... But he wanted to do what Alice wanted to do, and the tree could wait until they passed by it more closely. "There are about a million things to do here."
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Post by candyleptic on Oct 4, 2014 5:54:03 GMT
Alice: She took in the rest of the city. It really was an eyeful! Books...really could never do it justice, as hard as it was to admit! Speaking of which, she wondered if maybe Cain finished reading what she had given to him...? She could always ask later! For now, the night was young, and so were they. Or she was. Or, he was too but looked old. Either way!
She tensed as she was about to shiver. Thanksgiving town was cold too though, and she never needed any thicker clothing---mostly because she had feathers! Of course! How could she have forgotten?? As she pretended to be interested in whatever shop was closest to them, she chewed on her lip. She did it in front of him before, hadn't she? Alice puffed out feathers, just around her midsection and upper arms (She wouldn't want to have to explain THAT if he caught glimpse of her wrist!) It was for this reason, really, that she never wore anything very tight. And modesty of course!! ...But, mostly the feathers...!
Hoping the silence hadn't been too awkward, she looked and Cain and grabbed his hand. "Dinner! Let's get dinner!" She led the way! The closest store, she noted, was some sort of eatery! Dinner before sweets was probably more ladylike, anyway. (Although, she wouldn't mind it the other way around...!)
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Post by zykrinnox on Oct 4, 2014 10:15:08 GMT
Cain: Laughing with glee, he followed her gladly into the eatery, surprised at her eagerness, but not at all displeased by it! When he looked around and realized where they were, he smiled widely. Perfect choice on her first try. Just what he liked in a lady. Decisefulness and intelligence, even in places unknown.
It was a quiet, yet jovial restaurant, where the bread and Christmas dinner scents covered every inch of the air. It was homey, with a fireplace and couches to mimic a living room, and several tables dressed up, but not too much. As if a family was just setting down for dinner- or, as was the case of the window seats, couples.
"Sit down wherever you'd like!" called someone from behind the counter. "Your server will be right with you!" Cain looked over and nodded, only to see the tip of a hat past the counter. All too used to short staffs, he quietly led Alice to a window seat that was close enough to the fire that he was comfortable enough to take his coat off and hang it on the back of his chair before circling the table and pulling out her chair and assisting her with pushing it in. Now he'd revealed a white dress shirt with a red bow tie with narrow, white, diagonal stripes and his usual suspenders.
As they waited he grinned at her. "I don't suppose you've had a Christmas Dinner before..?" he asked.
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