Collecting Cats [Closed] - Printable Version
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RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 09-29-2017
Andi blinked back at him as he protested their gratitude. “Uhh…” They didn’t really know what else to say. Profuse ‘thank yous’ had seemed sufficient enough, but apparently not for Nicholas. Even his name was fancy. He didn’t even seem real, honestly. Like he just stepped out of the pages of a fancy fashion magazine. Nic wasted no time resolving their initial confusion as he segued into a conversation about coffee.He was inviting them to coffee?
Or inviting himself to coffee? With them.
“Uh, sure,” they agreed lamely. Andi wasn’t used to not having the upper hand in the conversation. Usually they were verbose and charming, but something about Nicholas had them all flustered. They eyed their coffee cup; they would have just shoved it in the microwave to be honest, because he was absolutely right about them. For Andi, coffee was just a vehicle for caffeine and a replacement for breakfast. Their beverages usually had too much sugar and chocolate and other additions, to even really be considered coffee.
Blue eyes returned to Nic, who seemed very smug about something. Andi very well knew that they didn’t have to agree to his proposal, but they didn’t see any reason not to. “Okay.” They grabbed the old coffee and tossed the whole cup in the trash beneath their desk. “Let’s go, then.” They tried to keep the challenge out of their words. Low-key daring him to commit to his own idea; suggesting he had just been saying it to mess with them. “I know a really good place.” Turning off their computer they grabbed a leather bomber jacket off the back of their chair and put it on They rounded the desk and walked past Nic and towards the door.
“So, can I ask where you were headed in such a hurry yesterday?” They asked to make conversation as they strolled down the sidewalk.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 10-30-2017
“Great.” He agreed too quickly. Almost combatively. As if accepting the challenge they issued. That would show Andi. Nic followed his newly acquired coffee date out of the building and onto the street. He walked a leisurely pace to match the strides of his much shorter companion and gazed down at them from the side as they walked. “Oh I had some paper to work on for school.” He answered vaguely.
They were headed in a direction towards a coffee shop Nic had no intentions of every frequency. “We better not be going to Java.” He warned more aggressively than he should have. Nic should have just simply gracious and gone wherever Andi led. Instead he assumed the worst and made accusations.
He had come to a full stop and crossed his arms over his chest with his hip popped out. “Because I don’t go there. On principal.” He waved one of his hands around agitatedly. “Their logo…” He leaned forward as if he were to reveal some confidential information. “...is trash. And they need to hire a professional before I ever spend any money there.”
He didn’t go into detail as to what his issue was with the logo. If Andi had any inclination to check the shop’s Yelp! reviews they would discover a very long review written by one Nicholas Hart describing his problem with the logo in a five hundred word rant. Something about how their confidence in their own business is revealed in how little they spent in logo design so one could only assume that they skimp on quality ingredients and customer service, as well.
“You got any business cards? I’d be happy to drop them off for you...on the way to somewhere else.”
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 11-06-2017
“We better not be going to Java.”
The intensity and determination with which Nicholas made this almost-demand caused Andi’s to stop in their tracks. Which was fine, because he had also stopped and was posturing in the sassiest pose they had ever seen. “You don’t want to go to Java, because...of the logo.” They parroted his reasoning to make sure they understood and also to point out that he sounded ridiculous to them in that moment. Just who the hell was the suit-wearing, logo-hating coffee-snob and what planet did he come from. As a graphic designer they had their own low tolerance for the font in question, but only to the point that they wouldn’t use it personally. Their distaste didn’t run deep enough to condemn entire business.
Shaking their head Andi started walking again. “Where do you want to go, then?” Andi gestured with their hands for Nic to take the lead. The coffee shop that he had just so vehemently turned down was the one that Andi often went to. It’s distance between their job and their apartment made it a convenient stop. No doubt fancy-pants had his own place that he’d want to go to.
“Where do you go to school?” They asked to route the conversation back to what they’d been interested in.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 11-14-2017
“Just follow me.” Nic instructed Andi rather than answering with the name of the coffee spot he wanted to go to. It was his favorite in town, a place he frequented when out with his parents or friends, when studying, and for casual dates. “I’m in my post-secondary years at the magical academy.” He explained somewhat vaguely. It was expected that locals knew what school that meant. “I’m hoping when I’m done with my current apprenticeship and course work, I can take a lecturing job there.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Nic wasn’t the type of person who felt self-conscious rambling on about themselves, but he was curious about Andi and stopped any explanation of his education there to turn the subject to his impromptu friend.
“I noticed your accent. You’re Irish?” He posited carefully. “May I ask, how long have you been in the Isles?” Nic asked the question gently. Having been abroad himself he was used to questions as to his origins phrased rudely. So where are you from? Or what’s that weird accent?
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 11-16-2017
With a roll of the eyes Andi trotted after Nic, who was now in charge of their journey. He had away about him that made Andi feel inferior. It wasn’t that he was deliberately trying to make them feel that way. At least, they didn’t think so, but there was just something about him. But that something was also what made him very intriguing and had them trailing along after him. “The magical academy?” The parroted in the form of a question, perkin at the information and jogging a little to properly catch up with him. That was certainly interesting and added another element to his mysterious charm. Andi looked up to watch him in profile while they walked. As he spoke they noticed the handsome slope of his nose and the attractive curve of his mouth. It often took them longer than others to notice that people were what would be considered good-looking. Most of Andi’s interest relied on a person’s personality.
Nic was definitely handsome.
But also super cocky.
“What do you study,” they asked in time with his questioning their residence. Andi frowned. Unlike Nic, they were self-conscious about talking about themselves. They nodded, fluffy hair bouncing, as he correctly identified their nationality. It was not at all difficult given their aforementioned accent. “I’ve lived in Macrilan for five years.” They pushed through this answer quickly. Now looking up at him expectantly with clear blue eyes, still wanted him to answer their previous question.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 11-29-2017
Though their questions were asked near simultaneously, Nic gestured that they should answer first. That he wanted to hear their answer first. His eyebrows lifted. Five years they had lived in the same city and had only come across one another’s path because of bumping into one another. Well except for that one year he had done abroad a few years back but still. “Five years? Clearly you’re liking it well enough to stick around.”
Nicholas wasn’t particularly keen on talking about his magical training. For one thing his discipline wasn’t exactly one of the more cool sounding ones.
“I just study healing arts.”
He led Andi around a corner and opened the door to a coffee shop. “After you.” He gave an almost sarcastic half bow as he held his hand out giving deference for Andi’s entrance. “They have a killer nitro brew here, if that’s your thing.” He gave them a recommendation on potential order before moving up to the register with them.
He shared a familiar greeting with the barista, placed his order, and then moved slightly to the side and behind Andi at the register. His positioning suggested that he fully expected that they pay for his coffee. His earlier joke that they buy him coffee as reparation for his suit was apparently not a joke at all.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 12-07-2017
Andi shrugged. A meaningless lift of their shoulders as he suggested that they liked Macrilan. It wasn’t that they didn’t like Macrilan, but they often often found themselves homesick. “I like my job,” they deflected. “I have a lot of creative freedom and my boss doesn’t mind when I’m late sometimes.” Sometimes was not quite accurate. All of the time. Everyday. Andi’s poor time management and disorganized lifestyle had them constantly behind schedule. Still, Andi didn’t want to talk about themselves. They wanted to talk to him. Comparatively, he was wildly more interesting and that was just by the look of him. Paired with the details they had gotten of him so far, it remained true. Andi was entirely mundane, and had absolutely no skill with magic, which was true of most humans. From what they knew Veridians and Eskrans were the most proficient with the arcane and Andi wondered if he was either.
“I don’t know what that is,” Andi admittedly easily as his suggestion. They usually just ordered whatever seasonal beverage sounded like it had the most sugar and was entirely to complicated to put together. While they waited for him to place his order, they reached for their wallet. Which...was not in skirt pocket. A cold dread filled them as they then searched all of the pockets in their jacket. They came away with nothing but crumpled receipts and an old concert wristband. “Oh my god,” they said in a shocked monotone.
Nic was looking at them, and they knew full well he had not been joking about paying for the coffee. Which was reasonable, they should be paying for the coffee. “I don’t have my wallet,” they admitted quickly. They dropped their hands, defeated, to their sides. Face turning a bright red.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 12-29-2017
Nic resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose up in a worrisome granny kind of way when Andi alluded to their tendency towards tardiness. Although to be honest, he wasn’t surprised. Andi seemed ...a bit… disorganized in his estimation. “You must be very good at your job then.” He offered this statement as a compliment and a jab. As if Andi needed to be very good at their job to make up for their other negative traits.
Andi teed Nic up for an explanation of his studies but he let the opportunity roll away. Shrugging much the same way they did about their preference for Macrilan. “It’s not that interesting.” He deflected. It was kind of a lie. Depending who you asked. There were certainly students at the school who found his discipline boring.
Nic had turned himself to look over the pastries displayed in a rounded glass case by the register when Andi began patting themselves down for their wallet. He wasn’t sure where he got the habit or the idea, but he felt it was polite to not stare when someone paid for something for him. He kept his attention momentarily occupied until Andi said those fateful words.
If he had a tail like his mother and (most) of his siblings it perhaps would have been twitching with annoyance. He turned his head slowly and blinked twice at Andi with a toothy frozen smile. “What.” His hand went to his hair combing back already perfect ginger locks as he stepped up to the register. “I got it then.”
He handed over a fancy looking credit card and joked at the cashier, “I promise they’re not always like this.” They both shared a laugh at Andi’s expense and Nic moved towards the end of the counter where they would await the drinks.
“So you ruin my suit and now I buy you coffee?”
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 01-05-2018
If Andi had possessed ears of their own, they would have pinned backwards at the sight of that metered grin. It showed too much teeth and it didn’t reach his ears. Nic was clearly unhappy with them, not that they could blame him at all. Mirroring his gesture, they pushed a hand through their hair as well. They way he said ‘what.’ It wasn’t a question. Just a vocalization of his disbelief. He stood straighter, and while already petite, Andi felt impossibly small in front of him. “Whoops.” They grimaced as the final ‘s’ of the word continued to sound from them in a bit of a hiss. They tried to grin. Cute. Charming. There was something endearing in all of this wasn’t there? Andi knew that was not at all the case in reality and that their expression probably resembled something closer to a grimace of pain.
Nic was already paying, and sharing a joke with the barista. Andi would have pretended to chuckle along if they weren’t already too busy trying not to look petulant. “You didn’t have to buy my coffee,” they countered. They knew they probably sounded too defensive. He's probably joking, their brain reminded them, but the continued to bite back. “You could have just gotten yours. And honestly I feel like the suit is just as much your fault.”
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 03-15-2018
"No really. It’s fine.” Nic said in a voice that climbed in pitch. As if it wasn’t fine. He was of course being extra just because he liked it. Not that Andi necessarily could tell. They had no reference point for Nic’s usual attitude. Today he was feeling quite feline. And Andi was kind of like a little mouse. He’d paw them around a little for fun maybe and see how they responded.
“It’s on me this time.”
Their drinks came out together and Nic gathered up his and passed Andi’s along to his coffee partner. “So, how about we agree to disagree about the suit?” He suggested as if that was super magnanimous of him.
“Maybe we could even be friends.” He shrugged and made a pensive looking face as if that was some kind of remote possibility. "I forgave you. I brought your work papers back. I bought you coffee. We had some introductions. I mean that's a great start wouldn't you say?"
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 03-31-2018
Nic’s words didn’t match his tone. In fact they clashed together horribly in a manner that continued to make Andi feel worse as this interaction dragged on. They could not think of a time that they had made a worse impression on a singular person. They quickly ordered a drip coffee without any of their usual bullshit add-ins. They’d just settle for cream and sugar at the self-service bar as to not further be judged by their smug company.
They waited sullenly for the order, with their hands shoved into their jacket. “That’s fine,” they agreed quickly to settle the matter of the suit. They didn’t know if they’d survive talking about the ruined garment any longer. They removed one hand to accept the coffee from Nic.
“Why would you want to be friends?” They asked without thinking, somehow forgetting the confident airs that they usually put on around people - especially practical strangers. She didn’t know anything about Nic, because his name and that he seemed rather put together. Just that simple fact was the polar opposite of Andi themselves. Blue eyes glanced at him, then skirted away as they took a sip. Apparently deciding against cream and sugar, too.
“I should probably get back to work,” they said as if to save him from having to respond to their previous question. Or interact with them at all for that matter.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 04-15-2018
“Why would I want to be friends?” Nic with a sardonic edge to his parroting of their question. “Yikes. I’m that bad, huh?” His teasing easily blended into a self-deprecating joke. He sighed and shook his head dramatically. “Look I’m not trying to cramp your style. I thought we had an Odd Couple vibe going on here. But hey, I get it. Too cool for school.” He shrugged as if it was no matter at all. If Andi thought he had ignored their need to get back to work, they were wrong. “I’ll walk you back.” He said quickly before gesturing with his hand out that they should lead the way.
“Give my best to the Queen!” The barista called to Nic as he held the door open for Andi.
Nic waved dismissively at the barista. “Tell her yourself.” He sassed before closing the door.
“How’s the coffee?” He asked as soon as the door was closed. “I’m telling you, best brew in town.” He sipped his own drink as proof. Shoving his free hand down into his pocket, Nic walked with a kind of cocksure swagger he imitated from his father.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 05-17-2018
Nic’s tone continued to make Adi cringe, visibly. Their eyes narrowed and their nose wrinkled. They couldn’t think of way to salvage this conversation. You don’t get a second chance on a first impression and all that and they felt like they were really botching this chance. “It’s not like that,” they defended, voice cracking in a way that was just barely noticeable. Their throat always seemed to dry up with they were nervous. It was entirely possible the could have continued to stumble over their own words for an indeterminate amount of time, but Nic confirmed that he would take them back to work.Turning on their heel and keeping their head down they trotted out of the coffee shop ahead of Nic his insistence, but that didn’t stop them from hearing the barista’s parting words.
They walked together, and when Nic asked about the coffee Andi realized they hadn’t even tried their own drink yet. “Oh,” the murmured as they looked down to the cup they held as if they had forgotten about it. They took a tentative sip of the hot beverage. “It’s good,” they replied. And it was, sort of, even though they didn’t prefer plain black coffee.
“So, uh. What that barista said? About the queen? What did they mean?”
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - saronym - 06-07-2018
Nic watched with some concern at the way Andi tasted their drink. So unsure of themself. Their bashfulness was kind of cute, admittedly. He liked to have that effect on someone.“Is it?” He asked, eyebrow arching. Nic felt as if he should ask if they were okay. Perhaps he was coming off too strong? Was he being off-putting? But instead he kept quiet and sipped his own coffee to pass the moment of awkwardness. There was nothing awkward in the way he carried himself, or drank his coffee, or ran his fingers through his hair. He was cool and collected and it occurred to him that he might seem too cold that way.
“Oh what?” He asked, his voice pitching higher, incredulous. He hadn’t expected the question. He couldn’t tell whether Andi was being serious or not. What did they mean? “Obviously I’m besties with the queen.” He joked with a handsome smirk. “Clearly.”
It didn’t occur to him that someone wouldn’t know what family he came from. That happened to him when he was abroad in the States, but never in the Isles.
“Well, thanks for getting coffee with me!” He said cheerfully as they neared Andi’s office.
RE: Collecting Cats [Closed] - megs - 09-11-2018
Teagan Weatherfare, personal guard to his highness Nicholas Hart, could tell from a mile away when he was crushing on someone. She wasn't’ currently a mile away, but she was close. Close enough to keep an eye on him, but not so much that she was obtrusive. Nic, of course, knew she was there and therefore could move freely and securely around the city, but his company did not. So, she was doing her job pretty well. Her hair had recently gone from silver to a platinum blonde and sliced down to a neat bob, The guard stood across the street from the coffee shop they had entered. She was pretending to smoke a cigarette because it was an idle activity no one paid attention to. The pair exited the building, and she snuffed the cigarette and threw the butt into a nearby trash, because littering is bad. Teagan followed behind as they walked back to the office that Nic had picked their new friend from.
They stopped in front of the boutique, but Teagan didn’t keep her usual distance, instead she kept right on walking. Keeping her head down she accidentally, bumped Nic with her shoulder as she walked by.
“Oh, sorry!” she said, feigning surprised as she looked up at Nic. A perfect actress, recognition spread over her features, followed by a huge grin. “Oh, hey Nic.” The prince knew his guard well enough to hear the subtle teasing in her tone. “How are you? Who’s your friend?”
Andi blinked at him. "Is that...true?" They asked, because they truly didn't know and had yet to decipher his tones. Further inquiries or conversation on the subject was halted by the appearance of someone who apparently knew Nicholas. Andi almost took this as an opportunity to disappear back into their office, but instead they were quickly pulled into introductions.