"But there is a reason to 'go out of my way', you know?" Giggling, the girl grinned and crept just a bit closer. "I love you, after all, so why wouldn't I want to help you?" Of course, even to her the words were a bit embarrassing. While she was one to bluntly admit her thoughts, she was also easily turned red by words she said at any given time- a habit which she often grew to grumble about in later days. Hearing about the curse was an interesting story, though the small girl wondered just how that came to be. Wanting to ask, she was too surprised that Kaede had left her side to try something on...And then the apology had come out of nowhere, to boot. "Um, I-I'm sorry. It's just, no one besides Kaede's called me that before, so it seemed really special that way. I-I didn't intend to..." Flustered, the girl wanted to hide her face but saw nowhere to do so. Had her distaste for someone else using the nickname been that obvious? And even more so, why was she quite so...What word was she looking for? This wasn't jealousy. It was some other form of dismay, but not one she could describe. She sighed softly, shaking it off. She was already embarrassed just being able to say something as sly as she had earlier, and being called an item not long after. Eyes turning to the sound of Kaede's question, she flushed further. Had she ever actually seen Kaede in such a dress? With a soft smile, she fiddled with her fingers. How could she describe it's suitability? While thinking it over, she blurted out the first thing to come to mind, only to regret it not long after. "It's so cute it's hard not to pounce you." Turning to see the similar dress that Diabloa had put down, she wondered why it was there, when all the other clothes had some differences. Though, then again...Hadn't Diabloa just claimed Kaede helped in the process? "I didn't know you liked to design clothes, Kaede! You should think of something for me too next time. It'll be something special just for me to wear with you that way." Giggling, she realized how selfish she sounded. "But still...It's rather lovely looking. It really compliments you well." Turning to Diabloa, she grinned a bit more easily. "You're really good with a needle and thread, aren't you, Miss? And you have other interesting things too! But...Did you make those, er...seeds? Or are those a regular plant that's just rare? I was made curious by it...Where you find these interesting things...And what other interesting things you make, too."
_____Needless to say Kaedé was not expecting to hear those words from someone, it showed rather easy on her face as she blushed badly for a moment and tried to hide her face by turning it. Diabloa simply laughed at the two of them before she walked off once again leaving the two red faced couple to their own devices. When Harveste asked about a custom outfit Kaedé tried to cheer up to show her excitement, fashion was not always her strong suit but it was something she enjoyed tinkering with on and off when she had the time or drive to do it. ”I’ll see what I can come up with, It should be something casual… or maybe a bit formal, it can’t show to much skin or to much of you because I don’t want others to fall in love with you also…” _____Kaedé's hands moved to cover her mouth as she went full red and looked ready to burst. Not only did she go and think it she said it aloud and almost like she owned Harveste from the tone she seemed to have when it was said. The small bits and fragments of Athea still clawing to get exposure as Kaedé rushed back into the changing room to get back into her old outfit and to try and calm down. During the time she was away Diabloa would once more arrive reaching a closed pouch to Harveste, inside a number of the small seeds she would recall and a larger one that matched the others. ”Custom redesigned via Alchemy, some tricky magic, and one very playful spirit. The first version of the seed was from another plain of existence, it was far more dangerous though so I had to water it down and that was the first generation of seeds that you and Kaedé tested out. The larger one in the bag can be grown with a bit of sunlight and water every week or so. If you ever want to see the other things just come by my shop when I’m inside, a friend of Kaedé's is a friend of mine.~” @Spider Lily
Kaede's words didn't help the rose of her face, nor did it keep her heart calm. Quite the opposite, the woman's words left Harveste quite timid. Her heart moved so quickly it felt it might burst! But...I had the surgery...It's not right if it's this strong is it? Shaking her mind out of it's conundrum, she'd wanted to give Kaede a better reaction, but no words seemed to come out until after the woman was already gone. A soft sigh escaped her lips, which she quickly covered. If she sighed, she'd let out her happiness! How could she let Kaede go? "W-What's this for?" She mused when handed the pouch of seeds. Though she recognized them, she hadn't been sure until Diabloa mentioned what they were more clearly. But...Why had she given them to her? Especially a big one to grow for herself. "I-I'm thankful, but...Why give this to me? Especially the seedling...Wouldn't it be better if I came to you for it directly?" Similarly, it would have been better to be direct with Kaede, she told herself. I'll tell her properly when she comes back out...Yes, I definitely will tell her! Her face was still tinged, stinging slightly- but her heart that raced grew calm and warm, her determination returning to it's proper state, anxiety making it's way back to the back burner.
”Maybe I want to see if others can grow the plants, few people I trust with the seedling, and maybe you might be willing to test things I don’t with it.” _____Diabloa was an odd girl and left nothing else to be said as she walked into the back room and closed the door behind her leaving Harveste alone for a few moments before Kaedé returned in her normal clothes with the dress around her arm. Moving to the counter to get a bag for the dress with a light blush still on her face when she turned back to Harveste, a small puff of her cheeks. ”Here I wanted you to peek in on me for taking so long…~” _____Kaedé would playfully smile at her friend before going to lock her arm around the girl’s and nervously kissed her cheek. She was flustered sure, but she also knew now that trying to flip gears all at one time was not going to work, she had to ease herself out of the perverted ways, the idea of matching such to easing her way to a girl’s bedroom caused her to blush badly. Overall her greatest enemy would be her own mind during this but she wanted to try. ”Your pick next.~ Let’s just… try to avoid animals along the way shall we ha-ha…” _____Kaedé would nervously laugh as she waited for Harveste to guide her to the next location. If she kept the small bag out Kaedé would take a small notice if it and try not to focus too much on it, she figured what was inside and did not want to dwell on those thoughts to avoid getting more flustered than she already was. No matter where she was, beside Harveste felt the best for Kaedé, someone she could relax beside and not hide herself from. Nervously moving her fingers to trace and lace them with the girl’s hand and not so much minding the gaze of others around her. ”A Faerin and Yladian, Seems people judge in the game also… but as long as you don’t mind I won’t mind it as much.~” @Spider lily
Though embarrassed, being trusted with such a task (as awkward as it was to her) made her happy. She was quick to blurt out that she'd do her best, but her words seemed to miss the woman in timing as she scurried off. Kaede's words, however, didn't fall on deaf ears. They left her with a red hue as she hugged the woman, who now wore clothes she was more used to. Though the dress had its appeal, Harveste was just happy to have Kaede at her side again, causing her to smile up at the tall fellow brightly. "I didn't know it was your hope. I ended up chatting with Diabloa while waiting. If you wanted me to watch, you could've just had me come in with you, no?" Giggling at her own bold words, she knew well that Kaede was trying to reinvent herself- or rather, figure out who 'she' was in compared to her past facade. Even so, the somewhat impure background of such words left a gentle warmth upon her heart, the blood that rushed to her face seeming to get more notable, and almost painful. Her own words hadn't helped, however. Imagining Kaede nude was...Both enticing and embarrassing, after all. "Hm...Well, you got some pretty clothes, and I got a nice gift..." Thinking it over, she stuffed the pouch carefully into her inventory, before happily twirling her fingers against the hand that took her's. The gaze of strangers didn't seem to bother her- she'd gotten used to being viewed strangely by NPCs. Faerin, after all, were more like second-class citizens to many for quite a while. They were still getting used to her kind. "Someplace with less animals...Probably not the woods then." Her anxiety hit a new level when she heard a light growl from her virtual stomach, her food bar getting lower. "How about we get something to eat? But I wanna feed you a bit too, this time. Not like our last date~ This time we both share. If it's okay, I mean...And I don't mind the stares. I'm used to them anyway so it's fine! I'm happy so long as I get to be with you, Kaede."
_____Kaedé would blush a bit more at Harveste’s comments but would nod slowly and follow the girl wherever she wanted to go to eat. Kaedé's focus seemed to be set on the far back tables when they would arrive at a location, she simply preferred to stay as far away from everyone’s gaze to avoid them from seeing her blushing badly. If Harveste did allow them to get a seat in the back Kaedé would sigh with a bit of relief, but would not be bothered if they got a table anywhere else. She herself not that hungry but her bar was decently lower than full. ”So should we sit across from each other or beside each other? Though I guess across would be slightly harder to share food…” _____While it was not impossible to share food across a small table Kaedé would sit wherever she was told to. Her ears leaning down a bit as she nervously thanked the person for guiding them to a table before she was left mostly considered alone with her date causing her to blush more. Thinking it was not helping her out much as she started to try and find something else to focus on. ”So… Um… ...What did you think of the waitress?” _____Kaedé did not notice what she had said or the way she had said it for a few moments. Her words seemed excited about the girl serving them and to a date that was a hard no from her experience. She should have tried to talk to Harveste about the herself or asked about the girl, not sound like she was looking at other girls already incase this crashed and burned. The mere thought of her considering her and Harveste to be nothing but a failed couple stung her more than it had other times dates blew up in Kaedé's face. She did not want to consider it again so nervously hiding her face as her ears sank down a bit more before she just tried to hope she did not speak loud enough for her date to hear, but the chances was slim to none. @Spider lily
Far from troubled by Kaede's seating preference, the faerin probably would have requested a seat further from the rest of society herself anyway. Not a fan of crowds but a big fan of being close with her loved ones, she stayed cautiously snuggled at the new elf's side, more than happy with her current situation. Being able to keep others from seeing how cutely Kaede was blushing? Of course she was in on that! "I think it's easy enough opposite, since I'd want to be able to see your face, but...I'm fine snuggling up next to you, too. I'll still be able to see you, I bet. Plus this way, it'll be warmer, don't you think?" Once at the table, she took a seat beside her date with a bubbly air about her, carefully scooting closer so their hips were just shy of touching each other, wanting to be as close to her lover as possible. Sure, when they ate, she might have to move to not elbow her- but until they had food, she could more than easily enjoy the closeness, right? That Kaede asked about the waitress was only a mixed surprise to Harveste. While there was a part of her made jealous that the woman looked at another, she couldn't deny that she often did that herself, even if she had someone she loved. Emotional attachment didn't change the natural interest in bodies of others- this was true even for a person who's physical interest was based almost entirely on said emotional closeness. If nothing else, she had a natural interest in watching people due to writing. So, she'd taken a note of some of the waitress's features while they were getting settled herself. How could she complain that Kaede had? And surely, she didn't mean anything bad, did she? It wasn't like Harveste was any better at making conversation. In fact, she was quite bad at it. "I thought she was more pretty than cute. Her hair caught my attention the most. The way her bangs slightly cover her eyes- well, more than slightly- is a really cute, shy appearance. I can't help but wonder what color they were, since the honey-color was blocking them so much." Giggling, she realized her analytical view of the woman wasn't quite what her date had implied in her question- however, it was her honest thoughts. And, as she mulled over it further, her natural instinct to blurt out what her mind was saying made her embarrass herself only moments later. "I think Kaede's definitely cuter."
_____Kaedé was not fully sure if Harveste understood what Kaedé meant by her comment but was happy the girl did not get it or show it at least. Moving to rest her head on the girl’s shoulder gently before closing her eyes and enjoying the spot with a smile. She was happy to have someone who was ok with Kaedé trying to change, and not someone who would go to her just for a fun time or her doing that to other girls. She wanted to start rebuilding relationships least in the game, and not rushing things in real life either, but that was some time away as she relaxed. _____Kaedé would not notice the waitress for some time as the girl stood nearby the two. When she did she got flustered and moved her head quickly and tried to act like nothing was going on, not fully wanting to let her hand let go of Harveste’s hand though as the girl looked over the area for what others had been enjoying rather than the menu. Not seeing anything that exactly stood out to her taste she simply looked back to the waitress with a faint smile. ”I’ll take the most sour food you have. And just water for a drink… What about you Harveste?” _____Kaedé would ask the girl beside her with a light nudge, not sure if she even ordered before she returned to reality or otherwise had not yet. After they both ordered Kaedé would look down at the table to try and hide the blush on her face. She was not exactly used to being the nervous or clingy once since she lost Athea and it was hard to adjust for her. @Spider Lily
Whether she knew or not for certain, Harveste was happy enough being able to converse normally considering how awkward things had been when they first met up that day. In a way, it was somewhat reminiscent of the day they met in general- only this time, Kaede had been far more nervous than the faerin was from the close proximity between them. Not finding herself embarrassed was a bit strange even though she realized people were staring just then. With a smile, however, she seemed to already know what she wanted. Today, she was feeling far more confident than usual, after all. "I'll have a slice of shortcake and some green tea." When asked, she'd refuse milk or sugar in her beverage, simply some ice or cold berries to cool it down, since no doubt otherwise she'd burn her tongue within moments of it's arrival. When the waitress nodded and left the two to their own devices once more, Harveste snuggled slightly closer without asking, moving to better intertwine her fingers with Kaede's once more. "You don't need to hide it you know...Not from me, at least." Her words were vague, but she hoped Kaede would understand she meant the woman's red face, which gently matched her eyes and hair in their beautiful crimson hue. "You've seen me like that plenty of times, haven't you? Though...The urge to keep it to myself isn't that easy to avoid either. Maybe it is better if you hide it for the moment...But I really want to see it, still. Ah, such a conundrum..."
_____Kaede would lift her gaze towards Harveste to show her blush and nervous gaze. She could smell a number of flowers off the girl beside her, hand fingers nervously tapping the hand of her partner as she tried to compose herself enough to not cause people to look at them so much. Her ears moving up a bit as she relaxed enough and moved to focus on the table for a moment before something she was not exactly expecting happened. ???”HELLOOOO~ Can you hear me? Spirit realm to Astramancy mage!” _____Kaede jumped out of her seat at the sudden sound. She was sure there was nobody that close to her outside Harveste but the voice seemed to come from directly beside her. Moving to look around as if she heard a ghost but so far it clearly seemed like such. Looking to Harveste to see if maybe the girl was playing with her, highly doubting that she held her head before she was taken by surprise again. ”I got a reaction this time yes, take that other spirits ha-ha!” _____Kaede would hold her head a bit more before looking to Harveste again, her face pale and lined with worry. Waving her free hand for a hint to give her a moment before she walked towards the bathroom and sat in the room trying to understand what was going on. Hands covering her face and slapping her cheeks to try and wake up thinking maybe she was just tired. @Spider Lily
When Kaede had lifted her face, Harveste was keen on taking a good look at her- even when the woman was quite desperate to focus on the table, trying to stay calm. It's understandable if she's nervous, I guess...It's like a new first date for us, isn't it? But...I still don't like her hiding from me...Am I scary...? I hope she's not scared of me... The flustered thoughts went unvoiced, only locked in her head as she tried to keep her focus centered on Kaede, breaking from the thoughts more easily when the Yladian jumped. "K-Kaede? You okay?" She seemed startled and struggling, much to the Faerin's dismay. What had her looking spooked? Was the cause of her death nearby? Now that she thought about it, she still didn't know much about it. "Ah, kay." She tried to relax when she watched her date head away to the bathroom, sitting at their table quietly, now alone. She had a mixture of emotions flooding her blood, from worry to excitement, from a slight sadness and loneliness to a flutter of happiness racing her heart. "I need to relax more...If I worry too much, she'll notice and be uneasy too. I'll work hard...Hard enough to be able to make her feel at ease...But what do I do to do that...? Like this..." Staring at her hands, she let out a sigh and covered her lips the moment it was expelled. Calm down...just calm down...Kaede is working hard. You know that. Just focus on making her enjoy today...Focus on making her smile...That's it. Just do that. Just focus on Kaede's happiness. That's all you can do to help right now. Just being with her...That'll help, right...? So she knows she's not alone...?
_____Once Kaede started to feel better, things just got worse inside her head. One voice turned into multiple, none very clear and all of them causing loud static inside her head dropping the girl to her knees as she held her head and tried to cover her ears. It did not help her struggle but it was all she could clearly think of doing as the voices kept trying to all talk at once and giving her more trouble. Arm lifting to support her frame as she rose, right hand still holding her head and covering her ear. Slowly making her way out as she stumbled into view of her date but looked much worse. _____Her skin was far more pale, her eyes showing clear fear and pain and her frame trembling. How could she even begin to explain this to Harveste? Kaede tried to wrap her head around the thought only to be kicked from her own mind as the voices got louder causing the Yladian to fall down to a kneeling position in the middle of the walk area of the restaurant. Second hand returning to her head to try and ease the pain by holding her head as it felt like it was shaking and ready to crack open from all the sounds. _____If anyone was trying to help her she could not even focus on them enough to notice them, trying her hardest to stand back up and stagger her way towards the exit only to fall ten feet from where she first fell down, this time onto both knees as she kept gripping her head and doing everything to try and act calm enough to not make any more of a scene then she figured was already happening. There was nothing Kaede could do otherwise, but leave the area as she tried to stand again and make it out of the building, hand moving to use the wall as a support to guide her into an alleyway before she bent over and began throwing up and crying for reasons she did not fully know. ______Frame began to shake worse as she tried to walk away from the thrown up food she had in her system before she fell over in a pile of trash and started to claw at her head and ears, the sound of voices and the static starting to truly get to her and no longer feeling the need to reduce the scene as much. Unless stopped Kaede would start clawing the skin at her face and around her ears, if left alone she would move to claw at her eyes for a reason unknown to her but felt was one of the few ways to stop the voices. ”Shut up… shut up… get out of my head… GET OUT!” _____Her voice was mixed with rage and pain, the tone so lost and unknown as Kaede was fighting something unknown and none the wiser to the world around her as she struggled to move and began to try bashing her head against the wall numerous times, blood being drawn if left to her own devices but overall nothing would change and the voices and static would continue to barrage the girl as she fell to the ground and curled up still trying to hold her ears. _____The only good thing, or slightly better news was the new perspective and pain allowed Kaede to think of something slightly smarter than trying to crack her skull open as one hand shakily rose to clench her fist and open it for her UI, trembling hand scrolling the menu of items until clicking slowly and rematerializing a bottle of wine half empty from her collection as she moved it to her lips and began to chug down the content, some spilling out her mouth and near the end she had to pull it from her lips to gasp for air as the rest of the wine poured on her, hand throwing the empty bottle aside as it shattered. @Spider lily
Startled as she saw Kaede's ill form and the way she seemed quite quick to leave their date, the worried girl was quick to pursue her, offering her apologies to the waitress before giving a compliment and thanks, fleeing outside fairly easily despite an oncoming crowd. Rogue and mobility had been wise to invest in! "Kaede...?" She looked around, but found the woman wasn't in clear view where she was. Nervously, she sent a direct message out into the airwaves. Harveste/Whisper @Kaede Hoshi: Kaede? Are you okay? What happened? You didn't look so good when you came out of the restro A noise caught her off guard, causing the message to be sent without actually being finished- even a word not fully spelled out, much to her own dismay. The sound was more important, however, and she rushed towards it. In an alley, Kaede was retching, and then suddenly, she seemed to be crying out. At first, Harveste merely watched from a corner, not sure she could do anything for her. But, as she realized the possible meaning behind the words, and the fact that wine had been brought out of the air... Her face still flushed a slight pink, she finally knocked on the wall to show she was there, not wanting to hug her into shock again. "I don't know who they are, but...If those voices harm you, tell me. I'll find a way to see them and crush them. Unless they're kind to you- then I'll accept them." In their own world, these 'voices' had haunted her plenty- but unlike in their own world, she was fairly certain that the cause was what she'd often told herself in reality, but was really the case this time. "I think...I-I know it might sound strange but...I think the ones you're struggling with, that are talking to you...They might be spirits. It's harder to say back home, but...In this world, it's well known that spirits and magic exist, right? When I was little, I was often talking to trees, but I believed I was talking to the spirits in them and, to be honest, I thought I heard them back. So long as they're kind spirits...I might even envy you for hearing their voices. Though...I also don't like them for stealing your attention away."
_____Kaede would look up slowly to her lover, she understood what the girl was saying or trying to convey but as the voices kept shouting and trying to be heard all kaede could do was try to find another bottle of wine or anything to help ease the feeling of pain in her skull or the voices. Holding a new bottle of wine in her hand she sat up holding her head and trying to block out the voices enough to think and hear her own voice in her head over all the others. ”Something tells me you could take them all on at once… but I don’t have a clue as to the where, who, why, or what right now… Sadly i might have to rain check our date… I don’t think I’m going to be able to do much of anything, let alone not make a scene…” _____Kaede did not look happy about what she was saying but it clearly looked like she felt it was the only choice. Popping the bottle open and starting to the wine in a slightly quick pace hoping to rush herself into a numbed state of mind and body. Some of the wine pouring from her lips as she moved the bottle and started coughing having tried to drink too much at one time without breathing. Kaede felt so bad, if this was what she was like after one death who knows what might happen next time. ”Sorry… Seems my death made dating me a whole new sort of complicated…” ____Moving some more to stand up before taking another chug of her wine and starting to feel less pain in her skull and the voices dimming out to just shouting as she kept drinking. Moving close to her close friend to gently kiss her forehead and start to walk away from the area. She would need time to clear her mind and try to understand the whole new thing she was dealing with. As much as Kaede wanted to open herself up and let Harveste help, she was still in the mindset of a loner and felt this was something she herself needed to deal with. @Harveste
What made her feel defeated wasn't the kiss on her forehead- though, admittedly, the girl had hoped for more than that from the one she cherished. What made her heart ache was far simpler, merely the words and tone in which they were spoken. Kaede was struggling more than the surface appeared- which was quite a lot- and it was made clear in those words there was nothing Harveste could do to aid her. If she was going to feel down and guilty, though, she'd feel it of her own causation. As she felt the lips leave her forehead, she hopped to make sure she could reach Kaede's to do the same- before hugging onto her, arms keeping her from falling by wrapping around her neck, and pecking her lips just enough to be felt, without doing any real 'harm' in her mind. "Dating is always complicated, especially when you're a beginner like me. If you can put up with me figuring out what the hell I'm even doing, I can certainly handle a little extra struggle too." Smiling, she let go of her grip, falling feet first to the ground and more than thankful she'd put some mastery into her mobility and rogue. Finally, she wasn't quite as clumsy. She could do things she'd always imagined doing, including enjoying that gentle scent that the breeze pushed towards her from Kaede's skin. It was because she could finally do these things that Harveste also managed a smile. "We can always have another date another day...Here or there, wherever you'll feel at ease. Just... Don't be afraid to rely on me, okay? Even if all I can do is listen... I love you, Kaede. That's why, I'll definitely do my best to be here in any way I can be." Her words left her crimson, but she managed not to avoid the woman's gaze. This was just another step in life, one they'd take together if she had any say in it. Her smile still set upon her lips, she spun in a circle before trotting a few feet away from her Yladian lover. A part of her wanted to cry, the other to cheer. Her emotions were as mixed up as the situation, but she wasn't going to give up. I told myself I'd stop being afraid of the world...And for sure, I won't let Kaede face it all alone. No matter ho much she might want to right now... I'm sure she'll accept me when she's ready... Really sure. Suddenly, she turned back to the woman, singing a small song and holding a flower out like last time- but this time, it was a slightly different kind of lily. "This lily signifies purity. May it cleanse your pain...And show you the purest form of my heart, as well. My heart, and yours."
