knuxieh

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Freya tilted her head slightly in a bit of concern as her question seemed to interrupt a train of thought he was having. She opened her mouth to say something, but he was already opening the door for her and she gave a small smile of thanks as she moved in front of him to enter. sliding her fingers out of his so as not to tug him forward if she moved inside too quickly. Inside she was delighted by the sounds of groups of people chattering, thankful that they seemed to be droned out by the hum of the large oven on display the the people were using to make their confectioneries.

"A taste tester? James, please." The young woman giggled. "An opportunity to sit back and eat your cooking? I wouldn't pass that up for the world! Though, if I have to be honest--" She paused, her own embarrassment coming through as she gently cupped her own cheek. "I'm glad you like me around enough to keep me when I don't have to be there." Continuing her thought from before, she smiled. "I do think that it would be best for you to have multiple taste testers. I haven't taken your class before, but..if it's anything like on television there might be a panel of judges to taste the dish you two come up with. So, better to have different palettes available to get different feedback, right? I'll stop by Dianne's place to see if she minds. Though, if I bribe her with your cooking I'm sure she'll agree." She suggested with a giggle, moving towards the counter to order.

It was a rather simple menu, but everything on it seemed to be carefully thought about. Browsing the selection, she decided on a blueberry muffin, a warm turkey and swiss sandwich with a house dressing on it, and a simple glass of milk. Motioning back towards James, she looked to the cashier, and handed them her card. "Whatever he would like as well, please." Once James had ordered, they asked for a name to call when they were finished making everything, and she glanced to James. "Do you mind putting it under your name? I'm going to find us a place to sit, okay?" She might not be able to hear them over the hum of people when they sat down and got further from the oven, but she was sure he was used to having to still hear instructions over people chattering. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have worked at the mansion for very long.

She walked from the counter, finding a small table for two by a window. Outside she would watch where they had a small window plant growing, as the wind outside gently blew the plants about. This was such a great morning to be out and about, especially with James. It was easy to try to relax a little more when he was around. When he got back to the table, her attention moved from outside the window and she smiled. "Thanks for letting us come here, James. I'm...I'm really glad we can be out like this." She admitted, shyly glancing out of the window. It didn't seem like long before their order was ready, and she couldn't wait.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Even as she showered she thought about how accommodating James was. Maybe she should take his advice and apologize less about things she wanted. As she made her way into the hallway she couldn't help smiling as soon as James' head poked out. Nothing got past him. Nodding she kept trying to try her hair on her way over and almost protested when it was gently taken from her grasp, as she sat down in a chair. Feeling James hands beneath the towel dry her hair, she felt slightly embarrassed. "You know you don't have to do this, right?" She laughed. "I can dry it, James." He was already done, and moved already to brushing and de-tangling her curls.

Something about him noticing her hair made her feel warm inside. "Oh! Th-Thank you. Annie was telling me about it so I thought I would give it a try!" Happy to hear the dryer power down and the final brush strokes, she gladly took his hand and slipped down from the chair. "Alright, let me just grab my shoes." She turned to head into her room, slipping on a comfortable pair of flats, and grabbing a small flower hair accessory to clip into her hair before returning to James. On her way out, she slipped her hand effortlessly into his as she locked her door, and began down the stairs. "Sunday? No, I shouldn't be doing anything."

As they made their way through the parking lot she smiled, letting go of James' hand as she had to get into the car. After buckling up, she casually laid her hand on the middle console, looking out the window as they drove to lunch. As the car rode downtown, she pointed to a small cafe. "Oh, can we stop there for lunch, James? I've heard people in my class say it's really good." She asked, looking back to him. Even if he didn't want to stop at this particular shop, a good thing about the downtown area was that there were plenty of food options just waiting to be explored. Once they did park and she got out of the car, she slipped her fingers between James' large ones as they started walking towards their lunch destination. "Oh! I forgot to ask, what did you need me for Sunday?"

Friends in the Void.

The young woman nodded, pushing further back into the building. "Goodness, everyone is really packed in here," She commented, trying to gently make her way past Dameons and Humans alike. Luckily they seemed to be used to people pushing past, and they didn't get much backlash except for an occasional grunt. Sighing in relief as they arrived at their destination, Sara looked surprised how quickly Ratsteva took off. She had to hold back a giggle at the purple haired woman's description of Rasteva's current vessel. Watching the two interact was a bit refreshing for her.

The glare that Dalia gave her caused Sara to take a few steps back and hold her hands up in front of her. "W-Wait a second.." At her outburst, the young woman's gaze immediately turned to Rasteva. They had a significant other? She suddenly felt bed about keeping them from someone important. "I-I wasn't meaning to--" ...Hussy? The young woman's eyes widened. "But I'm not.." It didn't seem like either of them were listening to what she had to say, and were wrapped up in their conversation. The glares this woman sent at her had her wishing she could sink into the floor.

A bit hesitant, she followed where the woman was leading them, eyes scanning the walls. Why was she so critical of Sara? She hadn't even done anything to her knowledge to warrant such hostility..Glad for Rasteva's interjection, she sighed softly. Moving to sit on the cushion that Dailia had pointed to she took a seat. "We need some help in dealing with the group that has gained publicity recently. They call themselves The Purgers. I'm sure you might have heard of them after the recent incident?" Sara sighed. "We were looking for a way to deal with them, but not...hurting them to the point of no return, if that makes sense." She glanced towards Rasteva. "Does that sound about right?"

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Did someone open a door? Oh, James was out of the bathroom...maybe?

She frowned, and felt a hand on her chin. She panicked for a moment, but figured it could only be James. Frowning as he pinched her nose she did eventally have to open her mouth even if it was simply in protest, her tongue tasting strawberry. What was this? It only took her mind a few moments to register what happened and she slowly reached up to confrim it was in fact a sucker, feeling the stick. Slowly turning her attention to James, she sighed. "I...Y-Yeah..Thank you. I was freaking out about...yeah." She shook her head, not wanting to go back into her frenzy of thoughts. "Thank you, James..I didn't think you just kept these at your apartment." Freya sat there, finishing the sucker fully to help her relax, grabbing another sucker after that was done, feeling better.

"You're wearing the jeans I bought you." She noticed, smiling softly. "I didn't mean to give you a scare, sorry...I didn't mean to get trapped in my thoughts, it just sort of happened...I was trying to distract myself but I ran out of distractions..." But, that was in the past. "You're dressed pretty casual. Planning to go anywhere?" Her stomach grumbled, the lollipop stirring it awake. "I-I'm so sorry." She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Did you..want to make something? Or would you rather go out for breakfast?" Freya paused, realizing that she was still wearing her date outfit from the night before. It wasn't very formal, but she did want to take a shower and change. "A-Actually...I'm going to shower. I'll be back, okay?" She stood up, and made her way next door, shutting the door behind her.

Going into her room, she grabbed a skirt, leggings, undergarments and a loose fitting shirt before heading into her bathroom, starting the water. Undressing, she got under the water, welcoming the warmth to get her skin clean again. At least she didn't have to worry about James just walking in. That was going to haunt her for a while, wasn't it? Was he going to tease her about it? It was James she was talking about, he was going to tease her a little. Saving washing her hair last, she got out, drying herself off and slipped into her outfit, emerging from the bathroom, attempting to dry her hair further with the towel. Would they go out to eat? She wasn't sure what they could make with what was in the fridge. Maybe it was time to go shopping to restock it?

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Ohmygoshomygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygo--

She flinched slightly as James' cooled hand made contact with her burning cheeks. "Y-Yes?!" She stammered, holding her hands firmly in place as he turned her around, worried he wasn't fully decent yet. It came as no surprise that he easily pried her hands away and she watched with wide eyes as he leaned in. W-Was he going to kiss her like this?! Relief washed over her as he simply kissed her forehead, and she immediately felt silly for even thinking James would do something like that. At his apology she puffed out one side of her cheeks, pouting a little. "I thought you were supposed to make life easy for me." She teased, and nodded. "...'Kay."

As she stoood and made her way outside of the bathroom, she quickly snapped her head back, narrowing her eyes. "Hey! Th-That's not fair!" She whined, as he shut the door. "S-Something?!" Why did that almost sound like an odd invitation? She put a hand to her forehead. Ugh, she felt like her head was spinning from what just happened. Just fold the sheets. That's all she had to do...

Freya made her way down the hall and into the living room. Her hands grabbed at one of the blankets on the couch, shaking slightly.

Just fold the sheets.

Her hands found the center of the sheets, and she folded it in half, turning it to fold it in half another time, before folding it in half a final time. Was it getting warm in here? She felt her nerves building. She reached for the next sheet, following the same routine. Her head was really feeling dizzy, was she breathing funny? Thinking about it only seemed to make her panic, and she quickly scanned the rest of the living room.

Just...Just fold the sheets, Freya.

Should she have waited longer before entering the bathroom? James didn't seem mad, if nothing else he was making fun of her for just waltzing in! Maybe he was just hiding how weird it had been? He had been dripping wet, oh gods he was a lot more fit than he appeared under his butler uniform. She didn't even really get that good of a look but she definitely saw the strength in his shoulders. Did she over-react? Placing her hand on the back of the couch, she steadied herself. Wrinkling her brows, she looked around James' apartment for any suckers to calm her nerves, but couldn't find any within the immediate vicinity. It made sense, why would he have that around his apartment? He wouldn't expect her to just be here and having a moment with her nerves going out of control. Focus. She needed a distraction. She reached for the couch again.

There weren't any more sheets.

"Please, I just...I just want my head to stop spinning..." She breathed, falling to her knees and holding her head. Why was she so shaken up about what happened? Just calm down, that's all she had to do. If she didn't calm down she was just going to spiral until she blacked out. Beginning to mumble to herself, she did her best to make her breathing as even as she could. How long had it been? He seemed to be taking forever..

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Sighing as she rinsed the lather off her hands, she heard the shriek and nearly jumped herself. Quickly shutting off the water, she blinked. Was that James? Did he get hurt maybe?! She moved quickly back through the living room, and towards the bathroom area. "James are you alright in there?" She asked, knocking on the door. All she could really hear on the other side was the water running from the shower. She knew she heard James' voice from in there though. Maybe...Maybe he just stubbed his toe on something? It wasn't uncommon. But he hadn't answered her all morning...

Oh my gosh--

What if he fell and hit his head and he was unconscious?! She put her hand on the handle, pushing it forward. "Oh my gosh, James no!" Freya was met with a small bit of steam, looking about her eyes settling on James. He was...not wearing clothes. It only took her eyes getting to his chest before she turned bright red. "OH MY GOSH! J-James I'm so sorry I thought you had fallen and then you were unconscious because you weren't answering me and I was looking for you and--"

He. Was. Still. Naked.

"Ahhhh!" Freya's cheeks burned as she fervently scrambled for a towel on the hook nearby and thew it at James' face. She turned around and covered her eyes, sinking to the floor. "P-Put that towel on!! Why are you outside the shower with the water still running?! You gave me a hear attack!" She shook lightly. "I-I've been looking for y-you all morning!"

Friends in the Void.

She was relieved to hear that they had no intention on bringing their acquaintance anywhere near her apartment. Nodding, she let Rasteva get situated before grabbing her coat and heading outside after slipping on her shoes. Surprised to see how close they were to where Rasteva needed to go, she couldn't help glance towards the bird on her shoulder. "Why would I buy something from someone I don't know? I mean..I might think about it, if I liked it enough.." Sara went through the process of why someone would be trying to sell her something. Was it like the people at carnivals, shouting to get your attention to what they had to offer? When she put it that way, it sounded quite enjoyable! But, something told her deep down that if Rasteva were to warn her beforehand that perhaps she wouldn't want anything offered here anyway. The dark alley had her quite nervous, fidgeting with the end of her jacket sleeve. "Are you sure this is right, Rasteva? Maybe we passed it?" She asked softly.

Seeing the shadow, she couldn't help the small squeak of surprise as the bear materialized out of seemingly nowhere. "W-We're not here to--" Rasteva knew this bear? But he was so gruff sounding! Was this the person they were talking about? Maybe not...The way they interacted didn't seem to give her any indication that they were more than just of name-sake. The young woman couldn't help flinching as the bear poked at her with their rather large paw. Small? "I-I don't think--" Rasteva seemed to cut in again. Job? Daemon's had jobs? They didn't seem to be making good friends with the bear... She nodded quickly and moved past them, whispering a small thank you, and apology for Rasteva's quick tongue.

"I'm not sure if that was the best way to approach them. What if they got really upset and wanted to fight?" She frowned. Nearing the end of the staircase, she gently moved a hand to shield one of her ears. "How can music be that loud?" She whined softly. "I am, but I'm not sure if my ear drums are..." Once Rasteva was ready, she took a deep breath before pulling the door forward, surprised at how light the metal was. They were instantly hit with the music, bass boasting from across the floor. She could hardly hear herself think. There was a lot of her senses being stimulated at once. Her ears pulsed, and her eyes were constantly forced to move with the rhythmic lights, and colorful characters that ushered their way into view. And what was that smell? She cast her eyes about, unable to really place it. Was it food? Someone's perfume or cologne maybe? She couldn't really tell. Sara got so caught up in her senses she nearly forgot Rasteva was on her shoulder, until she felt their feet shift a bit, causing her to focus back onto them.

"Y-Yes? Sorry, were you saying something?"

Friends in the Void.

Sara sighed. They did have a point. People and animals did have a tendency to act differently when immense pressure is put on them. But what was to be expected? Their response to her question had her raise an eyebrow. Not in the true sense? "Cost? Friends don't really ask for things in return, not usually.." She began, and crossed her arms. "I'm not sure if I would be able to rest easy with you out there alone. N-Not that I don't believe that you can't handle your own, don't get me wrong!" She corrected, doing a bit of a backpedal. "I just...it would have me a bit on edge with you not around, is all. However if you feel that you'd feel better going by yourself, I won't stop you."

Seeing the cringe, Sara reached out to gently run a finger over Rasteva's head. "I don't know why help is something you actively shun, Rasteva. Needing help isn't a sign of weakness, you know. Only with the help of others will you gain knowledge you otherwise would not have known." Sara reminded them. They did suggest one person, not really naming them. Overbearing manners? "Well...I'm not sure what you mean by a bad influence, actually..I don't think they would? Maybe? I'm not sure...We don't have to be around them a lot if you're worried about it, and we don't have to bring them back here for security and privacy reasons. Would that help?"

She wasn't really sure who Rasteva had in mind, but even if they would try to influence her in a negative fashion, someone they could go to was surely better than fumbling around in the dark on this issue by themselves, wasn't it?

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

"Deal," She smiled in agreement.

Raising an eyebrow as he shifted suddenly, a small squeak left her as James tugged her close, her hands pressing against his chest. "You could have asked," She laughed lightly as she stuck her tongue out towards him. Freya did quickly settle in, shifting on her side so she was more comfortable but could still rest her head against him. "Well, I didn't want you to think you had to do it or anything, it was just a suggestion." She smiled. Shaking her head about the back hug, she then nodded. "I suppose I could stay for just one more movie~" She chimed, with a false groan. Once they had settled on a movie title, she was awake through about half of it before sleep began beckoning her. She did her best not to yawn too often, or rub at her eyes as she grew more and more tired, but eventually she slumped against James' chest, snoring softly. Ah, hot chocolate and James' warmth were always the perfect combination to lull her into an effortless sleep.

---

Come morning, Freya found herself still at James' apartment. "James?" She yawned, sitting up to rub at her eyes. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she just felt so at ease around James she couldn't help it. Did he have classes today? She didn't know his schedule or anything like that, just that he was taking classes. What time was it, anyway? Reaching around, her hands found her glasses, slipping them onto her face. Was he gone? Her intention was to call for him again, but the sudden urge to go the bathroom hit her, and she clenched her teeth. Finding James could wait just a few minutes. She needed to take care of this first.

Freya moved to wash her hands, but noticed the dispenser was out. Did James know? Maybe she should tell him.. Exoting the bathroom, and looked around again. Where was he? "James, are you here?" She called, moving towards the kitchen area. She didn't smell anything cooking, maybe he was next door? That is where most of the food was kept anyway..Turning on the faucet she began washing her hands in the kitchen instead.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

She couldn't help feeling just a little guilty that almost immediately he got rather nervous, fidgeting with his hands. Hearing his reasons for keeping it from her, it seemed it was her turn to pout a little. Did have to be so...correct? Indeed being around her as often as he did, James wasn't unaware of her habits and need to help if she felt she was a bother. Freya had been known on more than one occasion to completely ignoring her own well-being to make sure others were taken care of. It was in her nature to help others, but it often didn't end well for her, or for James for that matter. Freya being sick at the manor meant that he had to set aside extra time to see to her recovery, she couldn't imagine what that would entail here.

Sighing softly, she resisted the urge to pinch at James' nose when he smiled towards her knowingly. A small laugh left her and she returned her fingers to his hair again. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm glad that you enjoy work so much. Though, I'm not wrong for trying to help you because I honestly don't think you would sleep. I don't know if you've seen yourself lately, James, but you are known to work yourself sick, remember?" She teased with a smile. Though, she wasn't sure if he was sick from working all the time, or from that evening they went to the fair. They had stayed out late and the air was pretty chilly...

However, she thought it only fair to let him know. "I knew you were taking classes, James."

She wasn't looking directly at him, too busy simply enjoying the feel of his hair in her hands. She couldn't imagine what his face looked like. Hopefully it would cause his nerves to settle a bit. "Annie spilled the beans on her first weekend over, you didn't think she would really keep it from me, did you?" It wasn't a secret the two girls were close, usually using the weekends that they had together to play catch up. Giggling, she leaned down and embraced him from behind. "You're not mad at me for keeping it a secret that I knew, are you James?" She asked, resting her chin on his shoulder as she passed a guilty look his way. "Don't kick me out~" She whined, before giggling. She knew James wouldn't tell her to leave over something silly like that. Leave...

She turned to look at the time, and then back to James. "Did you want me to head back to my apartment for the evening?" They had pretty much finished their hot chocolate, and she still wasn't sure if he had agreed to cuddling afterwards, so she offered to leave just in case. He didn't have an obligation to do it after all.