Welcome!

Oh sweet Rafayel, thinking she would leave it there.

Instead of bothering to try and hit a moving target by just throwing her snowball, she opted to instead run after him.

"Get back here you brat!" She called through laughed, her arm still posed to throw the moment she saw a good opportunity.

❄️ -@artistrafayel

Send ❄️ to throw a snowball at Lily!

Lily yelped in surprise at the sudden impact before turning to Rafayel, seeming almost offended for all of... two seconds.

A wide grin spread across her face as she leaned down to make a snowball of her own. "Are you sure you want to play this game~?" she asked playfully, glancing up at him from where her hands were making quick work of the snow.

"You don't have to be a good artist to be good at different forms of art." Lily reassured, amused by how much such a simple observation cheered Kaia up. "I still think I'd trust you to pick out an outfit for me."

She's perfectly content to watch Kaia get so excited and ramble, propping her head up for now.

Taking a moment to thank the waiter, Lily turned her attention back to Kaia and nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we did? If we did I don't really remember it, but I probably wouldn't have noticed since I would've been too focused on my books..." She mused just as thoughtfully. "We should absolutely go together sometime, though!"

"Oh, wait! Before you leave, what color do you think the jacket should b—" Not looking away from the clothing rack in front of her, she grabs the sleeve of the person nearest to her without thinking, and realizes a little too late that it felt... Different. She turns, blinking; the person she'd been talking to had left, and beside her instead was...

"Wait, you're—! Lily?! You're Lily, right?! Oh, my god, I am so sorry, I totally thought you were someone else! Gosh, and this is the first time I'm actually talking to you, too..."

—&&. @kaiakaya 🤍

Lily was more than a little startled to suddenly feel her sleeve grabbed while she was looking for a new jacket to replace her favorite one that has... been through it. It's getting a few small holes in it but she's already mended it so many times it's time to retire it.

She blinked in surprise at Kaia for a moment before she started laughing, keeping it relatively quiet for the moment so they don't draw too much attention.

"Yes, I'm Lily. You're Kaia, right?" She asked, hoping she doesn't make a fool of herself.

At Kaia's concerns about how this is the first time they're speaking, she shook her head with a smile and waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright, don't worry!" She reassured easily "Do you need help finding the person you're here with?" She offered, tilting her head slightly.

What are you seeking? - HOME

"i wish i could say i am a light that never goes out, but i flicker from time to time." 

oh, little one, you have burned for so quietly for so long, haven't you? burnt yourself out trying to give others light? wishing, desperately, that they would notice the way your hands shake or the wildflower bruises under your tired eyes. but they never have, have they? and so, it obviously wasn't bad? right? you had more to give, didn't you? how much could you pour yourself out before they noticed? it is all you've ever known, after all. help, help, help, help. (are you providing it, or begging for it?)

but you've given too much, spread yourself too thin, didn't you? you are so heavy, so tired. you have spent your life carrying for others the way you wished someone would care for you. but you're worried, aren't you? that if you can't be what they need, if you can't be the pillar for others to lean on, they'll leave you.

what you seek is home, a safe place to rest and be taken care of. and little light, you deserve it. you have earned it. you are worth more than what you can provide for others: you deserve the same care you so freely give out. they will love you all the same, honey. set down the world, and rest that weary heart of yours

Tagged by @mikiquette ! Thank you so much!

Tagging: @dolasach , @deepspacepunk , aaaand anyone else who wants to do this!

“There’s a universe inside your head; constellations of the things you left unsaid.”

— Laren Aquilina, Talk to me

I'll be nosy anyway, petal. Be honest. You definitely fall asleep during movies right? But what are your favorites then?

I would be upset, but you're not wrong! Especially if I'm watching movies at night, I'll fall asleep so fast, it's a little embarrassing. It's just so nice to wind down with a fun movie, lounging on my couch with a few snacks. Then next thing I know the sun is up and I'd fallen asleep on the couch...

Favorite movies though... I've always been partial to musicals, especially with happy endings. Otherwise, romcoms!

Lily snorted at the wink, shaking her head affectionately as she took another bite of her food, only to almost choke on it when he spoke again.

Whenever she starts thinking she's got him vaguely figured out, he throws a curve ball she never could have predicted in a million years. Bodacious beloved?

Once she was sure that she wouldn't choke, she started giggling. "You are... something else, dear."

🔪

"Xavier, dear, darling, I swear if you try to steal another bite of this before I'm done, we're gonna see what's faster. You, or the nearest throw-able object."

@lily-of-the-linkon

It was a small game. How much could he steal before she reached this point? With a sly, wicked grin plastered on his face, he reaches forward at a sloth-like pace, and in the same vein turns his grin into a pout.

"But I thought we were sharing..."

And then with lightning speed only possible enhanced by his evol, there's another small piece in his mouth again, and the sly smile returns. "I'll brace for impact, but don't worry. Here's my card, you have my PIN. Order more if you'd like. More than you need is ok, starlight, we can take leftovers for tomorrow."

---

Threaten my muse

Lily had taken to quietly humming while she put things away and tidied up, only for the gentle melody to be cut off with a startled squeak when feeling the cold water against her back.

Standing straighter in her surprise, she tried to turn towards him with a pout, sticking her tongue out at him. Before she could say anything to call him out, his arms were around her, turning her cheeks bright pink.

"You're lucky you're cute...," she mumbled without any heat, settling her hands on his arms and relaxing into his grip slowly. She'd managed to get most everything put away by now, so she didn't mind being 'trapped'.

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

Lily couldn’t help but snicker a little when Jeremiah commented on how easy her day was, nodding happily. “It probably means I'm going to have a rough or more tedious mission in the near future, but I'll deal with it when I get there.” She hummed casually, still examining the pin. “I really am fortunate to have as many friends as I do, and the fact they have such varied interests and backgrounds just makes it even better.” 

When he started to tease her and Xavier, she finally set the pin down to turn her attention back to her properly. “I may not know a whole lot about the stars, barely more than the average person, but I do love looking at the stars at night when I can. They're just so pretty…” 

There was a bit more to it, a feeling of something *more*, but that's hard to pinpoint and even harder to explain to someone. She'd rather that Jeremiah not think she's crazy when they're still getting to know each other. 

The barely-subtle suggestion that she make Xavier a new charm for his sword caught her off guard, even as her cheeks warmed up at the compliments. “It's something from highschool? It must be important to him, since it's in such good condition despite being on his sword…” she mused, tapping her cheek in absent thought. 

Jeremiah’s continued insistence made her giggle again though, shaking her head. “We’ll see. I might be able to find something, and if not I should be able to make something. I don't know if it would compete durability wise, though… I'd need to take a closer look at it…” 

At this point she's thinking out loud, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she tried to plan out the entire project in her head, where she could look for a pre-made one, what materials would work, what styles, everything. 

( Jump - sender jumps on receivers back - @lily-of-the-linkon )

Lily grinned when seeing Jeremiah wasn't paying attention to her, a mischievous little plan forming in her head.

Putting her training to the test, she carefully approached him from behind. She kept her movements as silent as possible, slowly lifting her arms to brace herself for step two.

When she was finally within reach of the (unsuspecting?) man, she lunged to jump on his back. While she was careful not to knock him over if she could help it, she was still dramatic.

Almost immediately after 'impact', she couldn't help but break into giggles, shifting to at least attempt to look at his face. "Hi Jer~" she greeted with playfully exaggerated casualness.

"What the- ah!"

The sudden surprise and sensation of warmth pressed against his back shocked him enough to let out a yelp in surprise, but the familiarity of the voice immediately calmed his instincts.

He adjusts his grip to ensure her safety but doesn't put her down.

"Stars, Lilyyyy! Where did you come from!? How did you manage to be so quiet!?"

“In their defense,” Lily started through snickers, “most recipes assume that the person reading them has either baked at least once before in their life with someone else, or follows directions to the letter without assuming any steps are missing. They don’t think they need to state that once the oven is pre-heated to the desired temperature, you don’t touch the temperature unless otherwise specified.”

His genuine befuddlement and interest in something she always thought was common knowledge made her hum affectionately. It also serves as a great reminder that she shouldn’t just assume people know the things she does, even if she thinks they’re better than her in most every way.

“I set it to pre-heat it when I finished cleaning, so that it would reach the right temperature by the time we were done prepping the batter.” She explained, nodding to all of his questions. “And yes, we can put them in since it’s done pre-heating, and the consistent heat will bake them faster and properly, so they don’t risk getting burnt so long as we set a timer.”

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

Lily flushed at his response to her choice, it didn't comment further. She smiled politely to the cashier as she ordered and paid, giggling to herself quietly when recognizing Xavier's instinct to try and pay first.

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before she also stepped aside to wait for their drinks. Once they were ready she accepted the drinks, going over to Xavier and offering him his drink.

"Now then... Food time?"

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.