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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 18, 2022 21:02:27 GMT -5
"I do, you really are beautiful." He says. Then as she mentions cake and a gift he would argue a bit, though a little half-heartedly. "You don't have to do that, really! I'll be fine without it, you don't need to do more then you already have." He would say, smiling softly at her.
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 0:23:20 GMT -5
Atsuko looked away and put a hand to her cheek, and she felt a lot of heat radiating from her blush. "Th- thank you very much, Apollo-kan." She twiddled her hair in her fingers before returning his gaze and smiling back at him. "I think you're incredibly handsome yourself." She managed to stutter out, still reeling from the compliment. "I really would like to, if you don't mind. I would enjoy having something to celebrate once we get back to shore." She couldn't help but twist a lock of her hair in one of her fingers.
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 5:51:55 GMT -5
"You're welcome, Atsu.. Atsuko-san?" He'd tilt his head a little, unfamiliar with Kumo terminology though the conversation being held in Common was easier to work with. "And thank you, as well. It's.. rare, to get compliments." He'd chuckle softly.
"If you're sure. I don't mind it, it's just.. not something I celebrate, normally. Haven't in years." He'd tell her. "..It'll be rather late then, won't it? I imagine you may wanna sleep, unless you're a night-owl.. or, uh, night-crawler?" He'd tilt his head again. "Do you use the night-owl or something else in Kumosenkan?"
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 13:00:12 GMT -5
"You- you can just call me Atsuko if you want." She said with some pause, as she hadn't been on a 'no honorifics' basis with anyone since childhood. "Or... Sone. It's up to you." Her heart continued to race as she offered up her first name for Apollo to use.
"I know what you mean but I'm not sure if we have a word for it. A lot of Kumo are 'night owls' by nature." She laughed a little, enjoying the difference in their cultures already showing through. "I'm... a little tired yeah, but I want to get you to shore as soon as I can. So I'm going to stay up as long as I can to man the helm."
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 20:09:33 GMT -5
"Sone it is." He'd say. "Apollo is my only name, but if you wanna shorten it or give me a nickname I'm good with that."
"When we get back to shore and get to your home I think you should sleep. We can have a celebration, late as it'll be, for my birthday tomorrow then. I'll still probably have to go to that doctor you mentioned, yeah?"
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 20:17:36 GMT -5
The use of her first name both embarrassed her intensely and made her heart flutter in joy. "The doctor will come first," Atsuko stated firmly. "While she's checking you out, I'll deal with the port regarding the early dock and fish on board. Depending on how long that takes, I'll either run by the general store and see if I can't get everything I need for one of my mom's cake recipes, or I'll come pick you up, and we can do the shopping together." She smiled, feeling incredibly happy to make plans like this as the last few years of her life had begun to meld together. Go fishing. Sell the fish. Buy food. Rest.
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 20:32:27 GMT -5
The prospect of being left virtually alone with a Kumo who would probably know how best to cut him open was a bit of a damper on his mood, though he wouldn't let it linger on his mind. He'd nod his head. "That's workable then." He'd reply, scratching the side of his head with a couple of his fingers as he watched the sun finally disappear over the horizon, darkness settling in on the waters.
He'd stare off at that thin line of orange as it began to fade for a few moments, before he'd blink and turn to her.
"How long do you imagine it'll be before we're back on land? As much as I like boats and dreadnaughts I think after today I need a vacation far away from salt water."
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 20:42:32 GMT -5
Atsuko noticed the souring mood of the festrian but wasn't sure exactly what caused it, and her heart sank a little in her chest. "About twenty hours if we can maintain speed. I can certainly understand wanting to get to shore." She was thankful that the darkness was now hiding her frown. She adjusted uncomfortably and folded her legs beneath herself.
"We don't have to celebrate anything if you don't want to. I understand if you just want to get some rest and get back home as soon as possible." She said with a reasonably obvious shift in her tone, trying to take a stab at what may have upset Apollo.
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 20:47:41 GMT -5
He'd blink at the shift in tone, a little confused.
"Hm?" He'd turn his head, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" He'd ask her.
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 20:52:33 GMT -5
"No! No, nothing's wrong." She answered in a rush. "I just don't want to pressure you into doing anything for my sake. If I were in your situation, I figure I'd want to go home as soon as possible. Not linger around in a foreign country I've never been to."
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 20:58:41 GMT -5
"..I don't have a home to return to, to be honest." He'd say. "The boat had been my home for the past few years and before that it was a Roskanan warship."
He'd say. "..It's not that I don't want to hang around, quite the opposite - so long as its around you, given you're probably the only person I've met that I've.. well, liked being around in recent years. My problem is mostly being left alone around.. a kumo doctor. Maybe an irrational fear but.. well." He'd shrug.
"As for pressure, well. You aren't pressuring me into anything beyond the doctor as far as I can tell, and the doctor I can begrudglingly agree to, if only because I don't want to go and discover I've contracted some kind of disease from being around a hermit crab for a day." He'd say with a chuckle.
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 21:13:51 GMT -5
"Oh, Apollo, I'm so sorry." She said with genuine sorrow, but her mood had clearly shifted to the positive upon hearing that he liked her. "If you don't want to go to the doctor, you don't have to, but if it makes you feel better, I can stick with you the entire time she's checking you out." She smiled, looking down at him. "You can even hold my hand if that will make you feel better." That particular offer had come from the memories of her mother holding her hand tightly as she received her vaccines growing up, but the thought of holding Apollo's hand made her heart race once again.
"It's not that I want to, just that my mom always did that, and it made me feel better when I was nervous at the doctor. Also, I don't think you're sick or anything. I just can't imagine floating around the ocean and laying on a remote island for days is good for your health." She rambled, trying to cover up what she thought was a very awkward offer.
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 21:22:40 GMT -5
He'd shake his head a little. "It's fine. I just.. do not enjoy checkups. Or being around medics. People who know how to cut you open and NOT kill you always freak me out to some level." He'd say. "..Especially medics."
He'd shiver a little. "..Anyway.. I think I'll be fine though."
"Nah, you want too." He'd chuckle, smiling at her before he turned back to the ocean, finally the light of the sun had faded entirely. "..I'll go to the doctor, might as well. You're right, it's probably bad for my health to be on a rock in the ocean for a day and floating about in the waves for however long."
"But I think I can happily commit the cardinal sin of holding your hand now, if you'd rather go shopping while I'm at the clinic." He'd say, smiling at her as he rested his chin in one hand, then set the other out on the wooden deck between them like an offerring.
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Post by Sophie on May 19, 2022 21:30:10 GMT -5
Upon being called out, even jokingly, Atsuko's entire face burned bright red. "I, I'd rather go shopping with you, Apollo." She said softly and yet anxiously. Though, still wanting to take him up on his current offer, she gently placed her hand on top of his, interlacing their fingers together on the rough wooden deck of the RFS Halibut. Her heart thumped with enough force to break a rib. As butterflies made a home in her stomach, she said a quick, silent prayer that her hands weren't too clammy. "Th-that is if you don't mind going with me. Our stores aren't very big or interesting."
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Post by VoxApocrypha on May 19, 2022 21:39:10 GMT -5
"We can skip the doctor then." He'd say, as he would move his tail to gently lay across her abdomen, smiling at her. "I think I can wait a night before I go to get poked and prodded."
He'd tell her, the gentle red glow to his eyes having shifted softly to a pink tone.
"Well, good thing no one goes to a store for sightseeing." He'd chuckle. "I'm going because I wanna go shopping with you, not to explore."
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