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Post by coldflame on Dec 10, 2007 21:40:32 GMT -5
Kiran was surprised to hear that Kiku’s mother managed a place like this, though it was only faint surprise. After all, he didn’t know what her parents did for occupations, but owning a restaurant seemed like a peaceful job to Kiran. Glancing inside the restaurant windows and looking at all the people who had gathered inside, noticing the happily eating and talking customers, Kiran could see Kiku’s mother handling a place like this very well; it reflected Lien’s personality precisely as far as he could tell. And of course it was no surprise that Kiku got to eat for free here; Kiran could help but wonder if that would apply to him as well.
When Kiran’s eyes settled back to Kiku after shaking the water out of his boots, he smirked at that teasing smile she was giving him. He enjoyed that smile, even though it was every bit as sarcastic as Kiku could possibly be. Playing along, Kiran shrugged and sighed dramatically at her.
“Well, I really do love getting soaked in the pouring rain, but sadly, I don’t think I have a choice…” He soon smirked teasingly at this again, resting his hand on the door handle and swiftly opening the door for Kiku. His father always told him that holding the door open for a lady was the polite thing to do; it could easily put a smile on someone’s face. And it did of course. As soon as Kiran opened the door to the restaurant, a pair of ladies stepped out. Kiran immediately flashed his warm smile at the women as he held the door open for them to pass – and as known, each one of them gave Kiran a shy nod and a smiling thank you. He enjoyed seeing this very much, of course.
Looking back to Kiku, Kiran gestured into the restaurant for her, still holding open the door and grinning as he waited to follow his friend inside the cozy setting.
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Post by kiku on Dec 11, 2007 21:50:05 GMT -5
Kiku smiled more sincerely at Kiran’s courteous offer, somehow bowing in a polite yet teasing way before strolling inside and gratefully inhaling the restaurant’s warm, familiar scent; the whole place wafted with a hazy aroma of perfectly steamed noodles and hot green tea, and it was so warm and cozy with its small booths and intimate tables. Everything was exceptionally beautiful as well, every structure created from fresh, polished wood, and the cushions soft and accented pear green. The atmosphere was very welcoming, considering the freezing contrast she had just experienced. Smiling softly, Kiku glanced back at Kiran with a shy smile, before gracefully strolling to a booth near the back, and slipping onto a cushion.
For a moment, Kiku sat and looked around, trying to spot her mother among the workers and rather large crowd of guests who had followed them into the restaurant. They might not get a waiter for awhile, seeing at how busy they were…
“I can see why Mom has been so tired lately…” Kiku murmured as she observed the crowds. Glancing back at Kiran she smiled softly, as if apologizing for the restaurant's business. "But it's worth the wait. The food's wonderful..."
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Post by coldflame on Dec 12, 2007 21:47:14 GMT -5
“I don’t mind the wait,” Kiran said as he smiled reassuringly at her. His eyes, however, were quickly brought up towards the ceiling as another startling roll of thunder passed in the sky. The rain pelted the restaurant windows with much force and the wind could faintly be felt against the back of his neck as someone opened the door to the restaurant in order to escape the fury of the storm. “Besides, I don’t think we should be in any hurry to leave.” He brought his eyes back down to Kiku and smiled softly in a way that showed no desire to head back out into the rain.
Casually, he then reached for a menu that rested on the table, looking through the list of foods “Hnm…” he mused softly, his eyes already looking hungry as if they were going to eat the menu right then and there. The food definitely did look like it was worth the wait; there was such a wide range of things! How was he ever going to decide? Kiran should have seen this coming, of course; the restaurant was beautiful, so it should have been no surprise that he was going to have trouble deciding on what to get. But as his eyes searched around the menu, he paused and smiled sheepishly at Kiku, for a question had just suddenly popped into his mind…
“So…” he said, tilting the menu down to look at her. “Does the friend of the manager’s daughter get to eat for free too?”
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Post by kiku on Dec 13, 2007 22:13:19 GMT -5
Kiku chuckled gently at Kiran’s comment, already amused by the hungry look that had previously sparkled in his eyes; she hadn’t needed to look at her menu, after all, as she already knew everything on it, so she had been silently observing her friend all the while. She had also been listening to the rain; the slight pattering of raindrops and the rumbling thunder were actually fairly peaceful. It was already causing her to feel very content and lighthearted. Or… Perhaps that was simply because of Kiran’s ever-loved presence.
“Well… I would assume so.” Kiku murmured with a grin. She admired Kiran with shy, sparkling eyes for a moment then, glancing up at him demurely while her chin was tilted towards the table. As she met his eyes quietly, Kiku couldn’t help but be reminded of how much she really enjoy his presence, that happiness that seemed to fill her whenever he was with her…
“Hello, you two!” rang Lien’s voice suddenly. Looking up, Kiku could see her mother beaming at them, already at work and full of radiant energy. Lien’s eyes sparkled especially as she caught the sight of the two of them, sitting their all cozy together…. Well, they were a little damp around the edges, but… all the same.
“What brings you here? And what can I get you two?”
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Post by coldflame on Dec 15, 2007 23:50:49 GMT -5
Kiran’s soft stare at Kiku was suddenly interrupted by a bubbly voice ringing beside them. Setting his menu down, Kiran smiled up at the woman politely, but sincerely.
“Hello, Lien,” Kiran said warmly. “We got caught out in the rain, so we stopped by.” As Kiran said this, a water droplet hung from a strand of his hair and dripped down the side of his face, emphasizing the ‘rain’ part of his sentence. Using his charming, but casual tone, he added: “This is a very nice restaurant, by the way.” Kiran wasn’t sure what he wanted on the menu – everything on the menu would have been great, but that was impossible of course. Therefore, Kiran simply pushed the menu away from him and looked to Kiku, however addressing Lien kindly:
“And I’ll have whatever she is having.” Kiran smirked slightly at Kiku, knowing he was teasingly putting all the pressure on her when it came to making decisions…well, about food anyways. Kiran was just simply very indecisive when it came to these things, so why not let his friend (who knew the resturant far better than him) decide?
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Post by kiku on Dec 16, 2007 21:43:26 GMT -5
“Thank you, Kiran.” Lien replied, grinning. Nearly chuckling, she turned her gaze to her daughter who, like the young man she was with, was soaked solidly to the bone. Lien was still smiling as she noticed this, but the mother nearly shook her head; it would be a great blessing if the poor pair didn’t catch a cold. Best to get some hot food into them, and the sooner the better. “And so what can I get you, sweet?”
Kiku pondered for a moment, but it didn’t take her five seconds to decide. When she came here, Kiku always favored one particular dish… She just hoped it was something Kiran would enjoy. She didn’t she why he wouldn’t enjoy it though; not with his appetite.
“I’ll just take my usual. With green tea.” Kiku murmured, glancing sideways at Kiran for a moment, a faintly mischievous smile curling up in her lips. It wasn’t anything horribly odd; her usual was a bowl of round, well-seasoned noodles, with small chunks of tender meat mixed within… But she thought it would be entertaining to have Kiran be surprised nevertheless.
“Can do.” Lien sang, not even bothering to write it down. She winked at the two of them. “That’ll be right out; you two stay cozy.”
Quickly she was gone, leaving her and Kiran alone. Kiku smiled shyly.
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Post by coldflame on Dec 19, 2007 14:05:48 GMT -5
Kiran tilted his head down a little and raised one of his eyebrows questioningly at his friend as soon as Lien left. He wasn’t sure what she ordered for him, but judging Kiku, he knew she would never purposefully give him something he wouldn’t like – just the mischievous grin she gave earlier made him wonder, is all. He raised his head again at a flash of lightning and mentally counted every second that passed until a startling clash of thunder loomed overhead; this time he felt the floor shake slightly.
“I don’t think this storm is going to be ending anytime soon…” he said, smiling a bit regretfully. He was hoping to not get anymore soaked than he already was, but staying in the restaurant until the storm was over would take up the entire day: definitely not something he was interested in doing. “…Looks like we’re going swimming later.” His lips curled into a small grin and he glanced out a nearby window to see the unyielding wind and rain pour upon the earth. Soon he took in the ambiance the restaurant had along with the storm as his eyes wandered: the lighting was a little dim, but candles on some nearby tables and upon the walls of the restaurant gave the atmosphere a soft glow. The dull hum of voices and the pitter-patter of the rain against the windows added to the nice setting. Everything seemed peaceful, and not just because of the restaurant, but because of the person he was with…
Turning his golden, sparkling gaze back to Kiku, he offered her another heartwarming smile. He was very happy to have a wonderful friend with him. As crazy at might have sounded to someone who didn’t understand, Kiran was actually glad he fell very sick and was forced to stay with Kiku. Now something else was forcing him to stay, but he refused to think about why that may truly be. Kiku was just simply kind in every way – accepting and soft spoken; gentle and understanding. Never in all the times that Kiran traveled had he found someone quite like her.
Snapping out of his daze, however keeping his peacefully fogged expression rather the same, he pointed to Kiku’s bag where the music box was wrapped inside. His voice was soft: “So…did your gift survive the rain?” With all his quiet might, he hoped that it did.
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Post by kiku on Dec 19, 2007 21:46:22 GMT -5
After chuckling at Kiran’s earlier comment, Kiku’s face promptly became concerned as she fingered the bag that rested on the table and wondered about her present’s fate.
“I hope so…” Kiku murmured as she began to gingerly unwrap the bag. It was still covered with random water bubbles left by the raindrops, and Kiku worriedly dusted these aside, hoping her music box was still in a good working condition. It would be a shame to have it broken so soon, when Kiran had sacrificed so much to get it for her.
“It looks alright…”
The music box had somehow managed to stay relatively dry, Kiku noticed before setting it gently down on the tabletop. She stroked her fingers against the smooth, polished corner, before slowly opening the lid.
To her immense relief, the light, lovely tune began to play; Kiku couldn’t help but smile. She left it open for a moment then, staring at it, loving it a little bit more. The music was so peaceful, and it was so beautiful… She wanted to thank him again, but it might have been a little random at that point, and it was obvious she loved it by the glisten in her eyes. She glanced up at him, her smile and eyes very soft.
“Perfect.”
She stared at him for a moment then, letting the music play on. It was impossible not to notice how handsome he was... And even less likely to forget the kindness and peace he brought her with the music playing...
Another crash of thunder rumbled in the distance, shocking Kiku a little bit, a soft blush darkening her cheeks. Yet, she quickly recovered and chuckled a bit, before smiling more teasingly at Kiran, while shutting the lid.
“I just hope it survives another swim.”
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Post by coldflame on Dec 20, 2007 18:39:24 GMT -5
Kiran grinned at Kiku’s teasing smile for a moment and then looked back to her gift, happy to hear the familiar song echo out of its shell before Kiku closed it.
“I think it’ll be fine. Just wrap it well before we go outside again.” He smiled a little crookedly at this and looked back up to his friend. His head tilted to the side slightly, staring at her with some spark of curiosity in his eyes. In his nature, his mind began to bubble up with questions – questions about her, rather. He suddenly became curious about things that he still didn’t know about her; curious about things that they hadn’t talked about together, or at least, about things that they hadn’t discussed to the full extent of what Kiran was satisfied with. Kiku had asked questions about him and seemed equally curious about what Kiran wasn’t telling either. Besides, asking questions were always capable of carrying a conversation on…
He gave a small smile and decided he would ask her something different – something he wasn’t quite sure about. He tried guessing the answer before, but he could never be sure until he asked.
“I have a question for you…” he began, relaxing his arms against the mahogany table and leaning forward slightly, his eyes cast downward at the music box. He brushed his fingers against the sides of it slowly. “How…” he said, his eyes still staring at the little box, “…old are you?” He then, very quickly, gave her one of the most innocent wide grins he could muster, just to make the question seem even more random and ridiculous. Nonetheless, his golden eyes were unfazed by the simplicity of the question and wanted an answer from her.
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Post by kiku on Dec 20, 2007 20:25:17 GMT -5
Grinning, Kiku met Kiran’s gaze, again pleased with the easiness he brought along with his conversation and presence. His wide grin was childish and silly… yet she couldn’t seem to get enough of it. That was just something else she liked about Kiran – his cute, youthful nature. It made her feel alive and lighthearted, almost like a child, which was something she had recently thrived on. Her eyes sparkled as she restrained another quiet laugh, but she replied to him calmly as she could, though a faint laugh was apparent in her gentle voice.
“I’m eighteen.” Kiku replied pleasantly, before pausing, silently pondering for a moment. “Though… My birthday is only about a month from now.”
It was quite strange how fast her life had gone, Kiku thought. It seemed like only yesterday that she and Daichi had been laughing in the garden, together, free of worry. And yet… She felt almost like that now, with Kiran cheerfully across the table. Only… it was different somehow; not worse, just different. In fact, in a way it was better. They just clicked somehow, like kindred spirits. Though they had only known each other a day or two, it felt like forever. It seemed like they were growing closer every moment, with every question. And with that thought, Kiku smiled at Kiran
“And how old are you, Kiran?” She asked, smiling in a slightly amused, yet curious way. In fact, she now noticed she was very curious… In a way he appeared so young, yet very mature at the same time. His face was very handsome but faintly boyish – he could have belonged to any range of ages. And, randomly, another thought crossed her mind – a rather odd one. Many woman her age were looking to marry…
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Post by coldflame on Dec 20, 2007 22:31:59 GMT -5
Eighteen – that seemed like a good age for Kiku, though she did look just a little younger than that age. Ah, well. It seemed perfect now, of course; her rosy, still very young looking skin; her sparkling chestnut colored eyes…He wasn’t lying when he said she was pretty. Her attitude was also mature enough to be considered eighteen years old, of course, Kiran couldn’t picture Kiku not having that polite and gentle nature about her at any age.
Kiran smiled, happy knowing another fact about her and it was no surprise that Kiku would ask the same thing about him. He gave a light chuckle to her as well, seeing the curiosity in her eyes as he had in his eyes earlier.
“I’m twenty,” Kiran replied, grinning more. “My birthday isn’t until the first day of spring.” He tilted his head down towards the music box and tapped it gently. “And consider this an early birthday gift.” His smile was warm, happy knowing that giving her this music box had even more purpose now. It was perfect (well, almost perfect) timing to get her the gift! However, something in Kiran’s gut knew that he would probably he ending up giving her another gift when it actually was time for her birthday….but, he didn’t know if he would see her again by that time.
His smile faded slightly at this thought, but instantly pushed it away, not wanting to think about it; not now when everything seemed so peaceful. His eyes focused onto Kiku’s chocolate brown eyes again and - not wanting to seem like his thoughts faltered – sighed dramatically and rested his head against his fist. “I’m getting old.”
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Post by kiku on Dec 21, 2007 22:41:08 GMT -5
“Oh yes! Ancient.” Kiku emphasized, rolling her eyes. However, after she spoke, Kiku grinned as she focused back on her good friend, again soaking in the pleasant warmth of his presence. Twenty, Kiku mused as she observed Kiran with a soft smile. That wasn’t very old – why, Daichi was twenty now as well. He was only two years older than her, which, for some reason, made Kiku feel rather content; he was still fairly young, at least to her at the moment, and, of course, quite handsome… It was quite a shock no girl had married him yet. Then again… Kiran had probably had been busy, with the war and such.
It was after this thought that Kiku realized she actually didn’t know very much about Kiran’s childhood. Of course, Kiku was instantly curious, though she tried not to seem it too much. This was easy, as she was still in a bright mood.
“Though…” She murmured, a slow smile curling up into her lips, eyes sparkling. “I’m not too much younger. Ah, well. I guess we can just remember good times, and grow old together.”
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Post by coldflame on Dec 22, 2007 21:15:43 GMT -5
Kiran chuckled and leaned back in his seat. Normally a person would be quite surprised by such a statement, but Kiran was just naturally comfortable with Kiku and tried not to think too much of it.
“I guess so,” he simply replied, his smile soft and amused. It only seemed amused due to that sparkle that Kiku was having in her eyes again. He wasn’t quite sure what caused such a spark, but he enjoyed watching the spectacle nonetheless; in that sense, it was often the case as to why Kiran wondered what she thought about so much. She was happy – he could easily see that – and it was exactly what Kiran wanted to see in the first place. He didn’t want to imagine her being any different than that.
“Alright, it’s your turn to ask a question.” He smiled a bit wider at this. “Ask me anything; I solemnly swear to answer with the utmost honesty.” As he said this, he jokingly placed his right hand over his heart and raised his left hand in the air, showing her his palm in truth. However, he soon put his hands down and leaned back in against the table, his elbows propping his square shoulders up slightly and his head being tilted to one side curiously as he gazed at her. He wondered what she would ask, if in fact there was anything she was going to ask at all…
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Post by kiku on Dec 22, 2007 22:05:07 GMT -5
Kiku couldn’t help but grin, nearly bursting with pleasure at the opportunity Kiran was so freely giving her. It was almost as if he had read her mind… Or perhaps she hadn’t done so well masking her curiosity. But this was trivial; Kiku inwardly shrugged and placed her arms on the table, folding her fingers together while smiling inquisitively at Kiran.
“Well, I was kind of wondering what your childhood was like.” Kiku replied while smiling, eyes glistening contently. “What you did during your free time when you were younger… memories… things that happened to you… stuff like that. Or… Just whatever you’d like to say about it…”
Kiku blushed a little at this, feeling as if she was a little over-eager, wanting to know every insignificant detail of his life… Though it was true, it was a tad embarrassing if Kiran noticed it. She just so curious about what life was like in the Fire Nation. Was it like it here in the Earth Kingdom, really? Or was it like her people had assumed – snobbish and prejudiced? It hadn’t sounded as if he had lived the carefree childhood she had… From what she had heard so far, Kiran had been a little lonely. What had shaped Kiran – this noble, healing stranger who she so now much admired? So much she didn’t want to let him go..?
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Post by coldflame on Dec 22, 2007 22:53:42 GMT -5
Kiran blinked, a bit surprised by her request. She hadn’t even asked him a question, really; he was expecting a simple question such as the one he had given her. Perhaps Kiran just underestimated her curiosity, but he only wondered what she would think of his reply. He wasn’t sure how she would react if he told her some things – things that might make her pity him or feel sad. He didn’t want that. However, there were some interesting things that he could tell, so he simply shrugged. Looking back on the past wasn’t something he enjoyed doing sometimes, but for Kiku, he would.
“Well…” he said, looking around for a bit, wondering how he could say this. He then looked to her and replied casually, “I don’t know what you want to hear exactly, but I grew up in a small village not too far from the coast. Like I said, I was a bit lonely as a kid because there weren’t very many people around to talk to…” He paused and thought for a moment, remembering his grandparents. “You see…both of my parents worked in the military; my mother was a volunteer nurse and my father was a lead engineer,” he smiled slightly at this, “So they were naturally away all the time. I stayed with my grandparents when they were gone – my grandparents lived in a much bigger village, right on the coast. I loved spending time there, but I missed my parents a lot at the same time...”
Kiran paused and looked to her, unsure how far he wanted to go. Perhaps she would ask questions to eager him to tell more, mostly because of the fact that telling her his past seemed a bit ridiculous; there was just too much to go over and he didn’t want to seem conceited by ranting on about himself.
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