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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2013 4:02:43 GMT
Aster sighed, running a hand through her hair, combing it over her shoulder with one hand while the other worked her phone from her pocket. Three minutes past. He wouldn't stand her up, that much she was sure of, but now that he was a big shot actor it seemed his schedule was too busy to make it on time to a date. Even if he'd been the one to insist on this meeting up for coffee. She glanced from her phone irritably, finding him nowhere to be found. Wasn't it her job to be fashionably late? On her phone, the numbers switched to four past, and with another huffy sigh Aster slipped her phone away. Maybe she'd just leave. @merrill |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 3:46:22 GMT
| Rubbing sleep from his eyes with one hand and gripping a Styrofoam coffee cup in the other, Merrill hurried along the winding street. He was late to meeting with an important childhood friend, yet miraculously had enough time to grab a coffee. Merrill’s priorities were a bit skewed. He was sure she’d still be there by the time he got there. It was only four minutes. Now, if it were half an hour to an hour, he could see a reason to be upset. Four minutes was no big deal.
A pink haired girl—who he assumed was Aster—came into view as he turned the corner at a brisk pace. He was looking at the back of her head where a veil of silky pink hair spilled down and hid her back profile from him. All he could tell was that it was a girl from the general shape and clothes, although even that was questionable with all those androgynous men floating around. “Aster? Is that you?” He called out. This was the place they agreed to me so it had to be her.
@aster |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 5:36:42 GMT
She knew Merrill was a big star now. She didn't keep up with pop culture, but he'd mentioned it, and she'd grudgingly looked it up and realized that, wow, he had actually gotten famous. And... hot. Aster was actually a bit surprised that he'd stayed in contact with her all this time. He was famous, and he had plenty of fans, it seemed, plenty of people who thought he was perfect, while Aster didn't believe in special treatment. Famous or not, Merrill would always be that short little kid who tugged on her pigtails and cried when she pushed him off the monkey bars. He would always be a brat. But the voice that called for her caught her off guard. It wasn't the voice of a grade school kid. They'd spoken on the phone, she'd listened to him in movies, but it was different in person. Despite herself, Aster felt her heart flutter a bit at the sound of her name in that voice, though she didn't betray the fact when she turned to face him, looking completely unimpressed. Hand on her hip, Aster gave him a once over, and managed to keep her face straight despite the shock. Yes, she'd seen what he looked like before then, but just like his voice, it was different seeing him in person. Not necessarily better or worse, just... different. He was taller, and he was damn good looking, though Aster wouldn't be caught dead admitting it aloud. Her eyes stopped at the coffee cup he had in hand, quirking a brow, waiting for some sort of answer or apology before she simply plucked the drink from his hand. "For me? You're such a gentleman." She didn't bother to hide the biting sarcasm in her tone. She didn't bother to treat him any differently than she would have before. @merrill |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2013 0:54:56 GMT
| Aster had always been that freakishly tall girl (and no, it wasn’t because he was short) who always wore her hair in pigtails and always got mad when he decided to pull on them. But she always pushed him around on the playground, even managing to break his arm when she pushed him off the side of the slide. Even if she was rough with him, she was his friend. His only friend. She stood up for him because she, as she often told bullies, was the only one allowed to pick on Merrill.
What he saw turn to face him wasn’t what he expected. She had filled out since he last saw her and, for one reason or another, the duckling (certainly not an ugly one by any means) had become a swan of exceptional beauty. Pretty as she was, his eye lingered on her chest as it was certainly the most attention grabbing part of her. He was stunned into silence as he gawked stupidly at her figure until she snatched away his coffee. “H-Hey—Ahem, right. You’re welcome.”
She didn’t look too mad that he was late. No one ever minded if he was late. Maybe they did, but no one ever showed it. “I almost didn’t recognize you without your pigtails,” remarked the blunette. “You’ve really grown up.” Merrill’s eyes momentarily darted down to her chest. Palms starting to sweat and butterflies stirred in his stomach. He stayed calm and collected nonetheless. A career in acting had given him control over his nerves, now he used them to draw energy from.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2013 2:58:50 GMT
Aster was no idiot – she could see where Merrill's gaze lingered longest and she raised a brow – not that he seemed to paying much attention to her face. Between his lack of punctuality and thinly veiled gawking, Merrill hadn't exactly made an upstanding first impression. Well, sort-of-first. She sighed. "Thanks." She replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at what he was implying. "It's good to see an old friend again. You've grown too." Aster added, using that particular word as she met Merrill's eyes and took a sip of his – now her – coffee. It was revolting, but she managed to swallow a mouthful, grimacing – she swore she could feel the sugar between her teeth. "What is this?" She shoved the cup back at Merrill, wiped at her lips, set in a frown; she wasn't going to drink this. @merrill |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2013 16:45:55 GMT
| His reunion with his childhood best friend was going differently than what he imagined, though he was self-deluded enough to think it was going well. Merrill figured Aster would be impressed by how much he changed from the whiny kid she pushed around on the playground. It was probably safe to assume he hadn't changed much. Maybe he had changed a bit. Not enough, obviously.
"You noticed huh?" He grinned. "I had a growth spurt in high school." Striking something akin to a heroic pose, he let her get a good look at him. The blunette wasn't so scrawny anymore either. She had be impressed, he thought. "Not the shrimpy kid you remember, huh? You should see my new house. Its nice. I can set a room for you if you ever want to sleep over."
The wind was blown out of his sails when he noticed the grimace on her face - he picked the worst time to actually look at it. "What? Its coffee. Hazel nut with extra cream, extra sugar." He wanted to try something different from his usual coffee. It tasted pretty good too him. "Would you have preferred mocha?" Merrill shrugged, taking back the cup shoved at him. "I'll get you something else. What do you want?"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2013 18:32:18 GMT
Aster humoured him, she looked him over, though she didn't look too impressed, only offering a small shrug. Merrill may have gotten taller and better looking, but he'd also gotten cockier. He seemed to have enough people acting impressed by him, and Aster didn't think he needed any more. She brushed off the offer to sleep over, didn't acknowledge it because she had an idea of just where he was going. Aster was beginning to think that this had been a bad idea. If Merrill thought she was going to fall at his feet now, he had another thing coming. She shrugged. "Coffee. Just coffee." She was irritable, not as polite as she might have normally been. He had kept her waiting – was the line at Starbucks too long? @merrill |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 3:42:24 GMT
| Although he would never voice it aloud (especially not to Aster), the ambition that lead him to acting and his fame was born partly of the crush he had always had on the pinkette. It was the seeds sowed in him while the oppression of his family acted as the fuel it make it grow. He had finally climbed up to the limelight, basking in it until he remembered what lead him there. Now cocky and eager, he returned to his roots with the idea that he would have it all, from a nice house to his beautiful lover - Aster. Yet she hardly seemed impressed.
It was almost enough to dishearten him, almost. But if he learned anything from acting, it was that he couldn't give up because eventually he would win her over too. All it would take was the same perseverance that earned the role which carried him to fame. With some patience and his charm, she would come to him in time. "All right. Coffee it is." He beamed, showing a mouth full of pearly teeth. "Care to accompany me, m'lady?" Elbow bent and held out for her, he waited for her to take him by the arm.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 18:15:15 GMT
@merrill | From what sparse contact they'd maintained through the years, Aster had realized that the fame had gone to his head - just how much, she was only beginning to see. He flashed her the megawatt smile of a movie star, and she returned with a small, almost sarcastic, one of her own.
She glanced down at the arm that he offered her, looking up at Merrill with an expression that made it clear he had to be joking. She wasn't going to be Merill's arm candy, and all she had agreed to was a date between friends. But she wasn't going to refuse coffee if it was his treat - and it would be his treat.
She brushed past him towards the nearest cafe and she didn't look back, fully expecting him to follow. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2013 14:17:54 GMT
| His offered arm was met with an incredulous stare and outright refusal. She brushed past him, giving him the cold shoulder and everything. That was the first time in years that a girl didn't jump all over him. Merrill had almost forgotten what it was like not to be adored, what it was like to work for attention. A newfound determination flared up inside him. He would get Aster's attention.
Aster had always had a special place in his heart, but now he was urged on by his pride too. "Hey, hey. Slow down. You're going to get to the coffee place before I do. Don't you want to catch up?" He called out, breaking into a jog as he followed after her. "Come on, don't be so cold. Aren't we best friends? Remember all the times you pushed me off the playground and I pulled your pigtails?"
Merrill caught up to her eventually. Nonetheless, he felt his words fell on unhearing ears. She was annoyed and thoroughly unimpressed with him. "Okay, maybe that wasn't a good example." He quickly added. "But we are friends. Aren't we? And friends mess around with each other and, you know, act friendly." The blunette really hoped he was getting through to her. Probably not.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 2:35:13 GMT
@merrill
ORNELLA BELLEFLUER | He called out after her, but Aster didn't bother to slow down. Sure enough, he managed to catch up on his own, and she glanced over at him, raising a brow. Best friends seemed like a bit of a stretch – she had only ever visited when she was young, staying summers until she grew out of hoping one day her mother would take her for good. She wouldn't believe that she was Merrill's best friend either, not when he probably had more friends than he could count, famous as he was now.
But even her lack of interest didn't seem to deter Merrill. They had reached the doors of the coffee place, and she stopped mid stride before the entrance, arms crossed and looking pointedly to the doors, then to Merrill. He knew what to do.
She wasn't going to fall at his feet because he was famous - he would have to charm her. And she wasn't going to admit that maybe, she already was charmed, just a bit.
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Post by ORNELLA BELLEFLUER on Nov 11, 2013 2:28:31 GMT
OH, YOUR LOVE IS A SYMPHONY ALL AROUND ME RUNNING THROUGH ME YOUR LOVE IS A MELODY UNDERNEATH ME RUNNING TO ME YOUR LOVE IS A SONG | Seven hours earlier, Ornella held a coffee filter filled with ground columbian beans. It was industry-sized, as big as an Easter egg basket, its strongly bitter scent contrasting with the sugar under her fingernails. Their supplier wasn't the highest quality though, and with the new chocolate shop across the street serving spiced hot cocoa, her cafe's drink venue had lost its edge. She contemplated the new power she had discovered only a few weeks ago, flexing her hand. She looked around the shop, but her assistants were all busy in the kitchen. 'Coffee beans that will make people feel like they just had sex,' she thought. 'I don't know what the chemicals are called, though....'
In another moment, an empty coffee bean bag was filled to the brim. A brusque pen-mark under her nose made a satisfied smile, but, she decided against putting it in the coffee grinder to serve to the customers today. It ought to be tested first... Sweat of exertion glisten on her forehead, and she needed to sit down with a cold glass of milk to recover. From her seat, she admired the coffee beans she had created from thin air.
But as the workday stretched into 4PM, Ornella was informed by her staff that they had run out of beans, but luckily, one opened bag had been found to hold them off until they closed at nine. (The one that contained her secret creation she saw being dumped into the grinder.) She warily paced while her assistants continued to work, and later, she analyzed the cappaccino machine. Finally, she peered down into the first cup, unwilling to taste it. But two customers were coming into the door. A bickering couple? The girl seemed stand-offish and the man like he were trying his best to hold things together. The girl led the way into the shop with he tailing like a dog behind her.
Telling her employees to wait on the orders, she swept over to the two customers by the door. Two steaming cups of the new brew were on a tray, prepared as lattes and without sugar.
"Excuse me," she said with an amiable expression. "I hope I'm not much of an intrusion, but you are... our one millionth customer!" she said thinking of the first reason that popped into her head. "I would like to give you the prize of our complimentary finest cup of coffee. It's very... special, so if you don't like it and would prefer something else on our menu, my assistant will prepare it for you on the house." She offered the two cups forward on the tray. She ought to scurry back to the counter soon and tell one of her employees to buy some fresh beans at the market just in case. IM SORRY THIS LOOKS SO LONG WOW |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2013 3:31:09 GMT
| All his pleading was in vain. She wasn’t listening to a thing as far as he could tell. He was surprised that she had even stopped and he paused at the door a moment to look from her to the door until it registered exactly why she had. She wanted him to open the door. Fair enough. He gave a playful bow. “Ladies first,” he said lightly, pulling open the door with exaggerated movements. When she had stepped inside, he followed after her almost like a lost puppy.
But he froze as a woman approached with two cups of coffee. One millionth costumer? People still did stuff like that? He though it was only in movies or commercials. Whatever, he couldn’t complain about coffee. “It’s no intrusion at all,” he beamed. “I’m sure a brew made by your lovely hands will be delicious no matter what. I’d be happy to accept this.” He tossed his unfinished cup in the trash in favor of taking the cup offered out on a tray. “There’s one for you too Aster.”
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2013 0:38:29 GMT
ORNELLA BELLEFLUER | He pulled open the door with more flourish than was really necessary, and Aster just barely resisted rolling her eyes as she walked inside, and Merrill followed.
A woman with fluffy hair and a countenance bright enough to put the sun to shame met them at the door. Aster's arms were crossed and she raised a brow, not sure what to make of it. She normally went by the assumption that nothing was free, though this was just a cup of coffee.
She glanced over to Merrill, who returned with saccharine sweetness and copious flattery.
"Oh, there's a cup for me too? Thank you." She gave a small smile to the woman, plucking one of the cups from the tray and taking a sip, glancing between the two of them.
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