Anonymous
Jun 28, 2012 19:43:19 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2012 19:43:19 GMT -6
Naota's exclamation brought a shy smile to Anhyue's lips. Of course the magician was over exaggerating when he said that she had been all over the place. Two places out of the gazillion that made up the four nations wasn't much in comparison, obviously, however, Anhyue could see why it would excite someone who had never left the boundaries of the city. If Naota would allow it, Anhyue certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity to discuss–in detail–her time spent in both the North Pole and Omashu. Of course her most clearest memories were of the Northern Water Tribe, but if she had to settle on her happiest memories, then they would definitely be of Omashu. Days filled with laughter, waterbending with friends, and the occasional outbreak of hives, those were the things she cherished most about Omashu. She really did miss living there. Wake up!
Pulling herself out of her reverie Anhyue blushed at Naota's quizzical expression. "Platypus-bears?" she giggled uncontrollably. "What the heck made you think of that?" Reaching for her tea she took a sip to stifle the giggles, but she did it all too quickly and nearly drowned mid swallow. Cupping her mouth with her hand she forced the muscles in her throat to guide the liquid to her stomach. Once it was there she sat back in her seat and half coughed half laughed. "I'm sorry," she apologized with a deep grin. "That was really funny. It caught me off guard. Are you a comedian on the side?" Her eyes shimmered boldly in the dim lighting as she reached forward to place her cup of tea on the table. The muscles in her body relaxed as she shifted back into a comfortable position.
"No, no platypus-bears," she said with a hint of humor. "My dad's business adventure was constructing the Fen Ke Guan, our home slash four star hotel located near the ever popular Probending Arena. Maybe you've heard of it?" That sounded too much like an infomercial Anhy. The actress wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't, it wasn't that big of a deal anyway.
Anonymous
Jun 29, 2012 22:55:40 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 22:55:40 GMT -6
He didn’t see why raising platypus-bears was such a strange guess. She had called what her father did an adventure, and from what he’d heard about platypus-bears, raising them would certainly be considered one. It didn’t help that Anhyue was laughing at him. ”Hmph,” the magician pouted. ”I thought it was a decent guess.” He might look it, but Naota wasn’t offended, and his tone was light. ”You called it an adventure, and that’s the first things that came to mind,” he explained as the woman continued to giggle. Her fit of mirth continued for some time before eventually subsiding with an apology. The question about him being a comedian made him smile, even if he knew that she wasn’t serious. ”What can I say?” He shrugged. ”I am a man of many talents.”
As he waited for Anhyue to reveal the mystery of her father’s business, he took the opportunity to study her in the dim lighting of the booth. She was really beautiful. His gaze kept coming back to her eyes, which were a stunning blue-green color that he’d never seen before. Just this morning he’d been performing for children, and now he was out eating with a pretty girl. It was the best day he’d had in a while.
His eyes had gone a little out of focus starting at Anhyue, and he had to blink to refocus when she resumed speaking. Luckily his brain was still functioning, so he didn’t miss what she said. A hotel? How was that an adventure? Well, he supposed that it might be difficult to make a living off of that alone, and if that was the family’s main source of income then it was definitely a risky venture. The name was familiar, though. ”Yeah, I think I’ve heard of it,” he confirmed. ”I’ve definitely seen it, even if I didn’t know what it was.” He paused to sip his tea. ”What’s it like living in a hotel? Is it really nice?”
Anonymous
Jul 1, 2012 23:08:39 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2012 23:08:39 GMT -6
"It's alright," she said shrugging her shoulders. "We live on the top floor. It's an apartment complex. It's spacious. Nice I guess."
The actress couldn't tell if she was comfortable discussing this with Naota or not. He asked a harmless question after all, and she knew that, but when it came to discussing things that were connected to her family's wealth, well it caused an uncomfortable tightness to form in her chest. Obviously she was proud of her parent's success, but it wasn't something that she enjoyed talking openly about. Wanting to keep the mood light Anhyue thought of something that she imagined would pique Naota's interest.
"What I like most are the views. We have a great section of the apartment that looks out over Yue Bay and the windows in my room face the Probending Arena. It's beautiful at night."
She almost wanted to ask Naota if he would like to see the views sometime, but stopped herself by biting down hard on her bottom lip. You just met him! her subconscious roared. And you want to invite him over already! Loosening the grip on her lip Anhyue slid forward, picked up her chopsticks, and took a couple of more slurps of her noodles. The green in her bowl reminded her of Naota's green eyes and she flushed a bit as she swallowed and lifted her head.
"I um," she started a bit shaky as she dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin, "work at the restaurant in the hotel. I uh wait tables. You should come by sometime. Our chefs are pretty awesome." Then maybe I could show you the views.
Anonymous
Jul 6, 2012 11:30:10 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2012 11:30:10 GMT -6
[tag: Anhyue]
Anhyue didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about describing her life living in a hotel, which surprised him. He imagined that owning a popular business like that would make her father quite rich, and that because of this her home would be amazing. Maybe she just didn’t want to sound like she was bragging about it; he could understand that.
All the same, it did seem a fantastic life to lead in comparison to the cramped apartment he called home. He was especially jealous of the fact that Anhyue had a view of the Probending Arena all lit up at night. Often on his way home the magician would stop to stare at the arena; it was one of the most beautiful spots in the city. When the building was filled with light, it could be glimpsed from practically anywhere in the city. Naota had never been inside—probending wasn’t really his thing—but he was sure the inside of the arena was just as glamorous as the outside. Seen from above, the whole thing was probably even more impressive. ”I’ll have to come check out those views sometime,” he said with a grin .
He was surprised to hear that Anhyue had chosen to work so close to where she lived. He would think that she’d want to get a job away from the hotel, just to have some space to call her own. Maybe not, though. Just because he’d moved out and spent every day among different people in different areas of the city didn’t mean that everyone was so desperate for independence. If Anhyue was happy with her living and working situation, he wasn’t going to judge her. ”I’ll definitely stop by,” he agreed. ”I can easily be convinced to go anywhere with the promise of food.”
Taking a bite of his noodles, the magician tried to think of what else to discuss. There was much they hadn’t covered, but he wasn’t sure what to say or ask. Finally something came to him, so he swallowed his food and spoke. ”You said you want to be an actress, right? How’s that going? Have you been in anything big?”
Anonymous
Jul 7, 2012 9:21:18 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2012 9:21:18 GMT -6
[tag: Tenshio]
A goofy grin crept across her lips when Naota voiced his interest in seeing the views from her apartment. If Naota ever did end up visiting he would be the first of Anhyue's friends to step foot inside of her home. Her parents were quite strict when it came to visitors and Anhyue had pleased them greatly since their move into the complex by not asking a single soul over. It also helped that Anhyue had few friends, so she had little reason to invite anyone to her home anyway. But having Naota over would be nice for a change. He could teach Taka a few more card tricks and entertain Liko, who would jump at the opportunity to have someone like a big brother around to play with. Her house seriously lacked in testosterone.
Becoming comfortable in her seat at the thought of Naota visiting, the actress almost missed the magician's next words. Hearing them she sat up and flushed. The nineteen-year-old couldn't believe it, was she actually making a friend? Crossing her fingers in her lap and squirming a bit in her seat out of joy, or was it excitement, Anhyue parted her lips to speak. "Food is pretty tempting," she said reaching again for her chopsticks. "Hopefully, you'll stop by when I'm waiting. A day during the weekend might be good." Following his lead she took another slurp of her noodles and sea prunes.
For a moment they sat in a peaceful silence. Enjoying the calm atmosphere between them Anhyue used the break in conversation to take a few more sips of her tea. The actress always worried about having food stuck in her teeth, and sea prunes usually never agreed with her teeth. It didn't hurt to be cautious.
"You said you want to be an actress, right? How’s that going? Have you been in anything big?"
For a split second the actress gazed at Naota with a look of bewilderment. He remembered? Nodding her head and running a hand through her bangs to break her expression, Anhyue rested her arms on the table before proceeding. "It's going. I can't expect to fly before I run. But I've landed some small things, mostly commercials on the radio. I do most of my acting at the University. I'm part of the drama club there." It did feel good to talk to someone about this. Her siblings were too little to take any interest in this part of her life and her parents were usually too busy to spare a moment of their time. You see this is why you need friends, her subconscious smirked. "I have some auditions coming up," she continued, her tone hopeful. "I don't expect much, but I am excited."
Anonymous
Jul 8, 2012 1:12:39 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2012 1:12:39 GMT -6
So he should visit the hotel on the weekend. He could do that. One of the benefits of his job: he worked only when he wanted to. It would be easy for him to just decide to close up shop early one day and stop by the hotel for lunch. And even if Anhyue wasn’t working that day, he’d still get a decent meal. This was a good plan.
Why’re you thinking about food, idiot? You go to see her, not for the meal! You visit her at work, somehow get invited up to her home, and you sweep her off her feet, and life is great from then on! Why did his internal critic always manage to sound like his sister? He could just see Amaya verbalizing his thoughts while she gave him that look that she always did, the one that said, “I am your big sister and I know what’s best for you.” Why his brain version of Amaya was urging him to woo Anhyue he couldn’t say. Weird things were going on inside his head.
It took quite a bit of effort for the magician to focus to the answer to his question, but somehow he managed. The woman hadn’t done anything, but she definitely had some experience. ”I don’t know much about the acting world,” he admitted. Or anything, his brain remarked. ”But that sounds like a lot of fun. I’m sure you’ll get some bigger roles soon, once people hear your commercials and realize how good you are.” Of course, Naota had no idea how good of an actress Anhyue really was—he didn’t think he’d heard any of her commercials, and wouldn’t have known her voice if he had—but he was good at ego boosting. Words were just another form of magic he’d been practicing all his life.
The Waterbender mentioned auditions, and Naota paused sipping his tea to respond. ”What for? A play?” He wondered what kind of actress Anhyue saw herself being. He’d seen some plays with his parents, but they liked tragedies where all the actors were somber and seldom expressed anything other than sorrow. He couldn’t see Anhyue doing anything like that, given that just a little while ago she’d been running happily through the grass of the park. But what did he know? He’d never have imagined that he’d become a magician. That had just suddenly happened a few years ago. Just because Anhyue didn’t seem like a very serious person didn’t mean that she couldn’t be one when the occasion called for it. After all, wasn’t that what acting was all about?
Anonymous
Jul 8, 2012 16:21:58 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2012 16:21:58 GMT -6
[tag: Tenshio]
"A play?" she repeated her eyes brightening at the thought. "I wish. No, most of my stage acting is done at the University. I don't think I'm ready to take a stage outside of my school yet." It hurt her to admit that small piece of information to Naota. Anhyue's weaknesses were personal to her, as they were to other folks, and she didn't just go about shouting them to the world. "Once I'm finished with my studies I'm sure I'll have the confidence to tackle those other stages, but for now I think it's better to have my voice out on the radio. It doesn't hurt that it's a growing business." Oh quit being so humble, her mind snorted. You've got talent. For Yue's sake Naota showed you his talent. Stop putting yourself down.
"Oh the auditions!" she exclaimed suddenly jumping a bit in her seat. How did she forget to answer Naota's question? Damn ranting, she cursed before pulling her thoughts together into a coherent whole. "Sorry about that. There are two auditions, both for small roles on some radio soap opera. Nothing exciting, but it's still work."
Naota probably knew all about that. He definitely came off as a guy who worked for a living. Probably had an apartment of his own too. Sometimes Anhyue considered moving out. She was in college after all and in this stage of her life wasn't she expected to grow and mature on her own? She thought so sometimes, however, there was one thing holding her back: her siblings. They needed her to watch them, to feed them, and to entertain them. The actress knew she couldn't blame her parents. It was their work that was keeping the family alive after all. Their money paid for the roof over their heads, the food that filled their bellies, and the clothes that kept them warm during the winter and cool during the summer. Without them Anhyue and her siblings would be lost. Siblings, for some reason the word floated around in her head like some kind of a reminder. Siblings, it repeated again more forcefully this time. Siblings? Oh my gosh. Siblings!
Gripping the edge of the table Anhyue's eyes searched the restaurant desperately trying to locate a clock. Turning to Naota who would undoubtedly be eying her like she was some kind of freak, Anhyue said, "Do you know what time it is?" If she arrived late they were going to kill her.
Anonymous
Jul 8, 2012 23:52:55 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2012 23:52:55 GMT -6
[tag: Anhyue]
Naota didn’t know all that much about Anhyue, but he was sure that she was a good actress. She was very expressive, and as far as he knew that was the most important quality for an actor to have. It sounded like the only real barrier to the woman getting her big stage breakthrough was her lack of confidence. He could understand that; there were plenty of days on which he doubted his skills as a magician. But when that happened, he just told himself to get out there and perform, and everything worked out all right. Surely Anhyue could do the same. ”I’m sure you could get a role on stage if you wanted to,” he insisted.
At least she was doing something. Radio plays sounded interested. He’d never heard one—he only used his radio to listen to music or probending matches—but acting was acting all the same. ”That sounds like a lot of fun,” he said, smiling at the Waterbender. ”Good luck in the auditions. I’m sure you’ll be great.” Maybe he should start listening to the radio more often, if there was a chance of hearing Anhyue every once in a while.
All of a sudden, Anhyue started looking wildly around, as though she was missing something important. Naota watched, bemused, his lips curved up in a small smile. ”Everything all right?” he asked, more amused than truly concerned. Her response, coming in the form of a question, surprised him. He hadn’t expected her to ask him something like that. The man didn’t have a watch, so he looked past the woman to see out the window behind her. ”I don’t know, but it looks like it’s getting kind of late. Why? Was there something you needed to do?” He hoped he hadn’t made her miss something important. He was enjoying their time together, but didn’t want to be responsible if Anhyue got in any trouble for spending too much time with him. Hopefully this wasn’t a serious issue.
Anonymous
Jul 10, 2012 11:20:16 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 11:20:16 GMT -6
[tag: Tenshio]
Anhyue wanted to thank Naota for wishing her luck with her auditions, but the brunette couldn't bring herself to form a thanks. Her mind was too focused on figuring out the time. It also didn't help that Naota was smiling at her the amusement playing out perfectly on his face. She wanted to giggle at the sight but knew that she needed to keep her composure. I warned myself in the park, she thought eyes still searching. Don't forget I said, and I forget. Go figure. He asked her what was wrong and the actress answered as she grabbed her purse and rummaged her hand around on the inside. "It's my brother and sister," she said her hands pushing aside the groceries. "I had to pick them up from school." Grunting at the realization that her watch wasn't inside of her bag she raised her hand and called for their waiter.
He arrived at their table with a speed that impressed the waterbender and made her forget her question momentarily. "Uh," she muttered trying to get her thoughts together. "Could you please tell me the time?" "Four o'clock," he replied coolly. "Four o'clock!" Anhyue exclaimed diving her hand back inside of her purse. Turning to Naota she shot him an apologetic glance as she pulled out a few paper bills from her purse. Not only was she about to leave him, but she was also going to bruise his pride. Way to go, jerk, her subconscious growled. "Don't worry about this," she said indicating the money as she laid it down on the table. "Please keep the change. I owe you anyway, for your magic trick." Smiling she slid out of the booth and pulled her bag over her left shoulder.
"I hope to see you again, Naota," she whispered so only he could hear. With one last smile she turned on her heels and half walked half ran out of the restaurant. Once on the street she hailed a cab and jumped inside. Asking the driver to floor it she glanced back at Narook's and silently prayed that Naota would forgive her for that dramatic scene and exit. Although she hated herself for leaving the actress was also pleased that she had given herself the chance to go out. I'll see him again, she proclaimed and smiled at the thought.
OOC: Anhyue out, xP
Anonymous
Jul 10, 2012 12:03:49 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 12:03:49 GMT -6
Anhyue was still looking frantic, but at least now he knew why. She was late to pick her siblings up from school. That was not good, and would probably get her in trouble with her parents. When he was younger, there had been times when Amaya had been late to pick him up from school, and he remembered the lectures his sister had had to endure whenever that happened. If Anhyue was in for something similar, he pitied her. Though, it was kind of his fault. Indirectly, he was what had kept the Waterbender from performing her retrieval duty in a timely manner. He opened his mouth to apologize, but his new acquaintance was busy signaling a waiter to find out just how tardy she was.
Apparently she was quite late. The magician began to protest as the woman took money out of her purse, attempting to explain that it was completely unnecessary, that he would pay for the food, but then she added the bit about owing him for the magic trick he’d performed earlier. That changed things. His face settled into an expressionless mask. Anhyue didn’t owe him anything. No one ever owed him for his tricks. He performed because he wanted to. Money was greatly appreciated, as it kept him alive, but absolutely never expected or demanded. That was the first lesson he’d learned as a magician, and the one that was always foremost in his mind when he performed. The fact that Anhyue thought that payment was required like compensation for some small service rendered was, quite frankly, insulting. He knew that the Waterbending was probably ignorant of the slight on his pride, but she was still guilty all the same. She dashed out of the restaurant after voicing her desire to see him again, and he replied quietly with a simple, ”Yeah,” his tone neutral.
Anhyue exited the building, and Naota sighed. The “date” had been going well, and then all this at the end had spoiled it. He wouldn’t mind seeing the woman again, provided that they had more time to spend together, but the injury to his pride would be difficult to forget. Shaking his head, the magician finished his tea, then stood. Their waiter returned holding a bill, and Naota indicated the money his new acquaintance had left on the table, telling the other man to keep the change. With that he left the restaurant, still in a not-great mood, but trying to move past it. He had work to do.
OOC: Naota also out.
