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Post by fallenraen on Jul 18, 2017 15:52:58 GMT -6
A Quiet Morning
Featuring Oz and Aspen
Setting: Osulas, Sedo. Late morning
Time period: Between chapters I and II
Set in human!AU |
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 19, 2017 2:36:16 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
With the sun high in the sky, bright and peeking through the curtains into the otherwise dark room, and the sound of the rest of the world awake, it usually meant it was time to rise as well as the rest had. All except for one particular nerd, having one of the rare moments when he refused to get himself up from bed. A blanket tossed over his back and a pillow over his face was the perfect message displayed or the want to be left alone for just a little bit longer. Laziness wasn’t a characteristic of the boy, but there were times where anyone could have that moment.
The boy huffed, moving his head from under the pillow to barely open his eyes as he glanced around the room. He knew he had to pick himself up, to get ready and to get to work, but his body only wanted to stay right there where it was comfortable and warm. Besides, his room was his favourite place to stay when he wasn’t outside with Aspen or in her own room. The gems he had on display glittered from the rays of sunlight that had invited themselves in from around his curtains, making small rainbows of color emit from them. It made his room look very pretty and it felt so home, filled with everything he felt love for, including the several shelves of books along the walls.
It was a struggle, but eventually Oz pushed himself up and basically crawled off of his bed, a struggle really. His hair was a tangled mess, a nest of curls on top of his head that fell into his face. He didn’t even bother with them, fixing his shirt to look at least somewhat presentable while he trudged out of his room, his feet dragging along the floor to really get him anywhere. His hand along the wall kept him upright until the sleepiness wore off, guiding him to Aspen’s room first before he went to clean himself off.
Her door was cracked when he spotted it, making him guess she was already awake. His guess was correct since, when he stepped over and nudged it open, he saw here there brushing her hair. Oz clung to the door frame, poking his head in more as he watched the girl, or more her hair. There was the need he often got when he wanted to work with her hair, to fix it up and make it pretty for her-- not that it wasn’t already, but she knew how her friend could be when it came to perfecting anything. So, standing there like a creep, he waited for her to notice him
Word Count: 450 | Post #1 |
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 19, 2017 18:29:43 GMT -6
 Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair She’d been up earlier than morning, having woken up and gone to take a shower before her best friend hogged went to the bathroom. So far, the morning had been relatively quiet while she’d gotten ready for the day. She’d picked out her clothes to wear before her shower, set aside her messenger bag that she used to carry out into the desert, and grabbed what provisions she had from her room that she could need for a trek out. Her cloak hung over the edge of her bed, its glittering pin facing up on the neatly folded cloth she held dear. It was into her clothes, after her shower, that she changed into.
The dark blue cloak sat untouched as did her bag, the rest of her packing put on hold while she sat on her bed with one foot tucked under her other leg and she ran her brush through her hair to get out all of its tangles. Her shower had been short to preserve what water she could, cold, but still her hair had already managed to become a nest of its own and the heat that seeped into their home from the outside desert as it warmed under Ignacio’s sun causing it to curl and frizz. She wrinkled her nose, urging it to stay down. How some people had perfect hair, she’d never understand.
At first, she hadn’t noticed Oz’s presence as she’d struggled with her hair. It began as a prickle at the back of her neck before, from under her eyelashes, she glanced up to spot the boy standing there in the doorway she’d left cracked open. Her room was sometimes his first stop in the morning, even before the bathroom which she had no idea how he could hold himself (but as long as he never accidentally wet himself in her room she never asked), so she wasn’t surprised to see him there. She didn’t do much more than blink before before a grin found its way to the corner of her mouth. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Have a nice night?” she greeted him, already holding the brush out for him and patting the bed next to her for him to sit down.
It wasn’t uncommon for Oz to brush or braid her hair while she brushed and pretended to braid what she could of his own. She’d never found it weird that her best friend liked to devote his time to doing so. What she found frustrating was, while it did take her some time to brush and braid her own hair and usually minutes to do his own, he took hours on her hair if something wasn’t right. It seemed like that, anyways, yet Aspen wasn’t opening her mouth to complain. She was always happy to see him in the morning, her mood uplifted more if that were possible.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 19, 2017 22:40:30 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
It was a mutual feeling felt when he saw her first thing in the morning, regardless if he had to use the bathroom first or get himself ready. No, her room had to be the first stop then and there. Besides, he had to make sure she was managing with her hair and maybe even grab himself an opportunity to braid her hair before she did it. A silly reason, but he loved to help his friend out when she sometimes struggled with her own hair.
Her grin was contagious, his own lips being tugged upwards as soon as he was noticed. “Good morning,” he returned, his tone cheerful. He had had a nice night, his sleep wonderful, but only the getting up part had been a struggle. Crawling over to her bed and curling right back up as a tempting idea he had to shove from his mind all together, like the angel and demon that fought on each of their shoulders that tried to convince them to do it their way.
His response was a simple, “I did have a nice night. And yourself?” Polite as always, his confidence so much more than the too jumpy boy she met years ago. The same jumpy boy everyone else got when he came around them. Aspen was… different, plus she had the years with him that brought him out of his shell around her. He would have never believed a friend was something he’d needed, but after time passed, he realized how happy it made him.
The brush especially made him happy, Oz perking up at the sight of it being held out for him and he scurried over excitedly to take it from her hands. Such a silly and simple thing to be excited about, but the nerd was a goof that emerged from a boy who was comfortable with the people he was around. Aspen had never once judged him or treated him badly, never genuinely, but the two did play and tease. That was different.
He settled himself down besides her, being careful to put the brush to her hair that he gently brushed through. Curly and frizzy hair was a devil to deal with, he would know with his own hair that grew a little longer and curled around his ears and fell into his face more often than not. His friend would have a (not so) lovely time managing his own hair that had been too ruffled up from sleep - if she could even get the brush through it that was.
Word Count: 426 | Post #2 |
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 19, 2017 23:11:52 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair Seeing her friends always made her happy, but Oz was different. He was her best friend, so of course she could never help smiling whenever she saw him or throw her arms around him in a hug if they happened to bump into each other on the streets while doing different errands. She’d known from the start, since she’d first tumbled and bumped into the shy boy who had stuttered over his words and hid behind his medium-cut hair, that he’d needed a friend. Aspen was just glad that that friend, that his best friend, had been and was her. She couldn’t imagine waking up without him in his room or the morning starting without him coming into hers to help her with her hair.
If only he didn’t take so long. She laughed to his scurry over to take the brush from her, scooting over to give him what room he needed and bringing up her other leg that had hung off the side of the bed to sit with her legs neatly crossed and her hands in her lap. “I’m glad you had a nice night. It certainly looks like it,” the girl teased, her words encouraging another smile to curl at the corner of her lips as she looked at his own mop of hair. She’d fix that when he was done with hers, there was no worry there. “But my night was fine. Nothing unusual,” she told him, looking over her nails.
With anyone else, she might have joked that there hadn’t been any surprises or anyone over. With Oz, however, Aspen tended to not share her bedroom adventures with him. He didn’t need to hear about them and honestly she wasn’t sure if she would ever share them. Why? There wasn’t any need to make him flustered. Surely he knew what she could sometimes get up to, the nights she either spent too long out or didn’t come home until the sun was streaming through their windows, and she didn’t need to elaborate to him anything that went on. As long as she was safe and came home eventually, she figured that was all that mattered. She peeked up at him again, watching as he brushed her hair.
It felt nice, even if he could take ages to braid it when it got to that. She sighed, closing her eyes. “By the way, I left enough hot water for you in case you want to take a shower. Do you want any specific for breakfast after?” She might as well ask. Her showers were usually on the colder side of warm, brisk unless she had some company that she again didn’t mention. Aspen never brought anyone home if Oz was there, keeping how uncomfortable he might feel in mind. With guests that crashed in their living room due to her hospitality? That was another story. Innocent sleepovers were always fun.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 20, 2017 0:05:34 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
“Oh yeah? Does it really?” Oz laughed with amusement, casting her a quick glance before he was pulled back into working with her hair. Tangled, frizzy, no matter the condition her hair was in, he would always manage to deal with it. It’d never been a problem in the past, his only problem ever being the OCD that got in the way that struggled with him getting her hair to look perfect.
Aspen received yet another look to her response, a pause in his work to just stare briefly. Yeah, Oz knew the things she got herself into, things he would rather not hear about. The idea of it did make him uncomfortable, but it was her business. If she wanted to bring people home, away from him, or go to their own places, that was up to her. As always, he felt safe cooped up in his room of books and gems to distract himself if it ever came to that. He just didn’t want to know.
He at least chuckled softly, nodding to show that he was still listening and not wandering into the possibilities of what she could have done. He may as well have shuddered from the idea. “That’s always a good thing to hear.” And it was. Seeing her happy and well was one of the best things and it made him feel happy. He ran the brush through her hair a couple more times, seeing that it was behaving well enough, and he attempted to braid it. How long would this braid take him to deal with?
“I think a shower would be nice this morning-- as for breakfast?” He chewed on his lower lip in thought, narrowing his eyes as he both focused on the braiding which wasn’t going well as he redid parts many times, and tried to think of what they could eat. “Maybe pancakes? And anything that works well with them? I would love to help if that’s fine!” he added in quickly, not wanting the girl to do everything on her own. What kind of friend would he be then?
Word Count: 351 | Post #3 |
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 20, 2017 19:22:05 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair “Really,” she confirmed as she peeked open her eyes to look at him, trying not to laugh in the case it messed him up as his ran the brush through her hair. She sometimes struggled with her own hair, especially after a shower when there could be tangles in it, but as for her braids? She usually just threw them messily together if she didn’t have her mother to braid her hair or Oz on the rare occasion she sat through the time he took. Her hair didn’t have to be perfect. As long as it was out of the way for when she flew or dove, then that was all that mattered.
Of course, it was nothing she ever told him. She let him do his work, ignoring the look that turned into a stare that had the usually bold girl being the one to glance away. She interlaced her own fingers in her lap, playing with them and peeking up at him when he chuckled and said it was good to hear she’d had a fine night with nothing unusual happening. She didn’t want to get into what he could possibly be thinking, what roads his mind could wander down about her and some of her activities outside of diving, swimming, reading, or hanging out with him if not her various other friends. She’d rather think and talk about them, what they were having for breakfast. What were they going to do that day? What part of the desert were they going out into?
“I’d love pancakes.” She smiled, finding it endearing when he’d chewed on his lower lip she did nothing more than glance to when she noticed. He was cute. Aspen didn’t let him know that often enough, yet she didn’t embarrass the poor boy as he focused on braiding her hair. “We could also see what fruit we have from our rations - and yeah of course you can help. I wouldn’t tell you ‘no’.” It was his home as much it was hers. She gave him an amused look, one that all but called him silly for finding the need to ask her, but Aspen didn’t tease him of it.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 20, 2017 22:57:51 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
What she did was her own decision. Oz himself wasn’t a big fan of sleeping around, among most human interactions, so he tried to keep to himself when it didn’t come to Aspen. The only person he was ever fully open with was her, enjoying the affection and sharing it with her. She wasn’t like him and she enjoyed being out there, being more open with the people. He never judged her, knowing what it was like to be judged and never wanting to make her feel she was wrong or dirty. He accepted her and she accepted him. Nothing would break what they had special in their friendship.
A little smile tipped up his lips regardless of the braid not working out how he wanted; parts being uneven, hairs sticking out where they shouldn’t, or places falling apart. Oz’s job should have been a hair wrangler, keeping all of it where it belonged. But the boy was excited for their breakfast and he even gave a laugh when she said she wouldn’t have told him no. Who knew? There were times when one or the other jumped for the opportunity of being the one to do everything or shooing them away so they couldn’t help. All he wanted to do was be sure she knew he planned on helping.
“I do love fruits with pancakes,” he admitted, undoing a few places in her braid to redo them. Hair could be so tricky; he was glad his hair wasn’t as difficult to manage. Sure, it was curly and got frizzy or tangled easier, like then, but it was also a lot shorter so there wasn’t much to brush or fix. Though he never complained, always having fun working with her hair. “Strawberries or blueberries or bananas would be nice-- what are we having to drink with them? Milk? Tea? Juice?” Anything else that he couldn’t think of? There was too many possibilities sometimes.
Word Count: 323 | Post #4
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 20, 2017 23:57:32 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair He did love fruits with pancakes. Before the drought, it’d never been a problem to have a full breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, fruit, and coffee or whatever it was he could have wanted to drink. Then? Then they had to rely on rations, being selective of what they bought from ports especially due to imported goods being priced higher than usually. Everyone had to make a living, even in tough times. She worried at her bottom lip, looking away while she thought of what they had.
“I think we might have some blueberries. I’ll have to recheck on the bananas - though I think strawberries are a ‘no go’.” Sadly. Milk? She would have shaken her head if he hadn’t been busy braiding it, over and over as he tried to make it perfect regardless of the fact that it could simply get messed up later in the day when they went out into the desert to search for valuables for their faction. “No milk I’m afraid to say,” she admitted, casting a glance at him. She was sorry to crush his breakfast dreams. “We might have to do tea.”
Which was never a problem. They liked tea. She preferred fruit tea, of course, if there was no coffee, but beggars couldn’t be choosers or whatever that phrase was she didn’t bother to remember fully nor say aloud. The Serora people weren’t beggars as much as they were survivors. The drought would be over one day.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 21, 2017 10:38:49 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
Oz knew of the difficulties when it came to certain foods or drinks due to the drought. All he’d said was that they would be nice if they had them, so he gave a list of what they could have along with their pancakes. If they didn’t have them, the end of the world wouldn’t be upon them. Still, it didn’t make it less upsetting, but everyone suffered from it. Not just them.
The boy smiled regardless, glancing over at her between his hair braiding then and there. “That’s a shame-- there’s always another time,” he added, reaching around with his free hand as the other held the bottom of the braid so he could go for the hair band she had around her wrist. “Any blueberries or bananas if we have would go nicely with pancakes. Strawberries could be done another day and same goes for milk.” Tea was not a bad option, only milk was usually better with breakfast foods and it washed away the sweetness from pancakes. Not that he disliked sweets, it was just too much that got to be enough.
“Would you like for me to go check to see what we have?” he offered, pulling the band off of her wrist and tying up the bottom of the braid when it was all perfect and neat. As usual, he’d outdone himself and he was proud for if. What would Aspen do without him? He dealt with her hair so much better than she did and knew how to tame it. Braiding? Apart from the time, he did a great job, that was for sure.
Word Count: 270 | Post #5
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 21, 2017 12:57:26 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair His smile was almost infectious. Aspen couldn’t help the little curl at the edge of her lips when he assured there was always another time for strawberries or milk. “I know that.” Though she still felt bad for crushing his breakfast-y dreams. Maybe, as a surprise sometime, she’d see if anyone was selling any strawberries or other fruit that she could hopefully haggle for at a lower price. There had to be someone out there unable to resist her charm. She didn’t joke about it, offering him the wrist he reached for to make it easier for him to slip her hair band off from around it.
“Nah. You don’t have to check. I probably will while you go shower or whatever,” she replied to his offer, shaking her head finally when he was done braiding her hair and had admired his work that she laughed about. He was so silly. Was he sure that he wanted to be a gatherer instead of a hair stylist? Of course, she realized, he would probably be self-conscious in such a profession. He only braided her hair because she didn’t tease him (much) of it. She was patient with the time he took and appreciated the time it gave them to spend with one another.
“What do you want to help with for breakfast? Making the tea? The pancakes?” Washing the fruits wouldn’t take very long. She could do that easily by herself while he showered and used the bathroom and also set out whatever dishes they needed. She’d tilted her head as she had asked the question before she sat up straighter, turning to him and scooting a little closer to fix up his own hair what she could with her fingers rather than using her brush. He’d probably comb it after he showered, she figured, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t slick it back and grin about how silly it looked when it wasn’t curling around his ears in a tangled, bedhead mess.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Jul 21, 2017 17:47:15 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
Oz was an understanding person and the entire herd went through tough times. If they didn’t have something or couldn’t get it, he wouldn’t complain. He didn’t like to be a complainer though sometimes he couldn’t help it. So he smiled at the girl, not hurt or upset at all at the lack of certain fruits for their breakfast.
“If it isn’t a problem, Aspen,” he agreed rather than begging for her to let him go check. Him, a hair stylist? Right. If she wanted her best friend to die of a heart attack, it certainly would be the best profession to toss him into. He would have scoffed at her had she brought up something so absurd and shoved her back before leaving the room to shower. Only, that would have messed up her perfect braid and none of them could have that.
He tilted his head, allowing for her to run her fingers through his nest-like hair. If she ended up finding a couple birds in there, he would swear he had no idea how they got in there and laugh about it. Bedhead was the worst when it was with such curly hair. “I would love to help with the pancakes,” he admitted, an innocent smile on his face. Help with pancakes and take forever on one simply because the pancake had to be perfectly round with no messed up areas. Oz was just the worst. How could anyone ever ask him to get things done when they would take hours on something that should take minutes?
“I could also help set the table with plates and forks,” he offered, as long as she didn‘t think it was too much and he was stealing all the work. If she let him do that, he would at least let her help with the dishes if it made her feel better at all.
Word Count: 314 | Post #6 |
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Post by fallenraen on Jul 28, 2017 23:39:11 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair “It’s no problem at all. Besides, you’ll be busying doing… whatever you do in the shower,” she reminded him, waving a hand absently. As much as she loved her best friend, picturing him in the shower? That was something she could do without the visualization of unless he kept on any undergarments. He’d gone shirtless a few times, that skinny boy. Sometimes she still didn’t understand how he was so thin when they could both eat as much food as they wanted to (when the faction wasn’t struggling and food needed to be more rationed).
She shook her head, taking her hands back to herself when she was satisfied with running out the tangles from his hair with her fingers, and smiled when he confessed that he’d love to help with the pancakes. “Well that’s a can do. Just try not to flip any out of the pan this time, okay? I rather not having any splatter on the floor - or the ceiling.” Though that had been her fault for goofing off that one time. Still, she could mention it and smile innocently about it while she took her brush and slid off the bed. “But you don’t have to set the table by yourself. If I’m not done setting it by the time you get back, you can help. We can also wash the dishes together when we’re all done,” she told him over her shoulder, putting her brush where it belonged on her dresser.
She couldn’t have him do everything, could she? Well, only on special occasions. Also if she wasn’t there for a meal. She couldn’t really help him with anything then, could she? She stepped back over, holding her hands out for him to take to help him down from the bed (as if he’d need it (he was taller than her)), and grinned all over again. “I think you’ve done plenty already today, don’t you? With my hair and all - which, by the way, thank you.” Even if it had taken hours. She snickered at the thought, nudging him towards the door. “Now go take your shower. I’ll get everything started and leave a couple things for you,” she promised.
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Sept 6, 2017 22:39:06 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
“I…” Oz blinked at his friend, a faint blush colouring his cheeks as he looked away. “I clean myself in the shower… there’s nothing more to it,” he murmured softly. What an awkward thought, anyone wondering what it was he did in the shower. For such a shy boy, what was there for him to do apart from showering? Knowing him, he was too scared to even look at his own naked body let alone clean it. Why would he think of doing something so embarrassing?
He cleared his throat, huffing at her. “I will not flip them out of the pan!” he protested, crossing his arms with a pout. “It’s not exactly my fault anyways… you started it…” Always put the blame on him, so it was his turn then to put it on her. What were best friends for? He shook his head, kicking his feet slowly over the side of the bed. “Yeah, I won’t take long maybe, so I’ll help. Just try to leave some for me please?” Oz looked over at her with hope in his eyes, a little smile crawling across his lips. Could she deny him?
Well, maybe she could. Aspen could just hurry and be rude so he couldn’t help by the time he got out. It wasn’t like she’d never done it before. He took her hands, sliding off the bed and to his feet with her help. “Plenty? Please, Aspen. Your hair was only one thing. I can definitely do more,” he told her. Sure, it did take quite a bit of time but it wasn’t a lot. “You’re welcome, though. Anything for you.” He said it with a huge smile on his face, stepping towards the door when she nudged him. He looked back once and blew her a friendly kiss, laughing about it on his way out. “I’ll try not to take too long!” he called, first heading back to his room to grab some clothes before locking himself in their bathroom.
Word Count: 334 | Post #7 |
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Post by fallenraen on Sept 7, 2017 18:41:44 GMT -6
 Aspen
Perfect morning start with friends braiding hair What? She had no idea of what kind of shows he could put on in the shower, however she didn’t tease her friend of it when the poor guy was blushing enough. It hadn’t needed to be anything dirty, but she held herself back from snickering for his sake. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” she joked instead to when he protested how it was her fault any pancakes had the misfortune of flipping out of the pan, grinning. So she’d goofed off a couple times with him, so what? Usually they’d still been pretty okay as long as they hadn’t become a mess on the floor (or ceiling from the one time). She laughed, especially to such a hopeful look across his face, and shook her head.
“I already said I would, Oz. Don’t worry about it.” Even if he had every reason to. Sometimes Aspen could be a little brat, rushing to do everything and anything before Oz got the chance to. What could she say? She liked to be helpful, she could have teased. It was definitely an amusing thought reflecting in her eyes, but she had the mind to behave that time and allow her best friend to help out if that was what he really wanted to. “I think hair is plenty to do, but if you really say so.” She shrugged, letting his hands go once he was on the floor. Anything for him as well.
Wasn’t that what best friends did best? Give and give back, sometimes with a little sacrifice then and there? She laughed at his friendly blown kiss he sent her direction when he’d made his way to the door, wiggling her fingers after him in a way. “Take as long as you need to!” Silly boy. He didn’t have to rush just to be able to help out with breakfast. As amusing as it could have been to steal all the chores to do, Aspen would try to leave him some things to prepare or get ready. How well would she try, however, he’d just have to wait and see. He wouldn’t be allowed to touch anything if he went for a two minute shower and then ran out after getting changed.
She shook her head at the idea, making sure everything was in order in her room, before making her way out of it and into the kitchen to begin getting out everything they’d need. Plates, bowls, utensils. If he was going to do the pancakes, she figured getting prepared and washed what fruit wouldn’t be possibly tossed into them would be a good idea besides getting the tea started.
Post count: #7 | Word count: 443
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Sept 8, 2017 15:28:09 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
She had no idea what he was talking about, sure. Oz really believed the claim she was making, only having given her a face in response. Rarely did he ever start something like so, the boy too shy and quiet to begin with in general. Sure, his comfort levels were higher with her than with anyone else, yet it didn’t mean he went over the top with messing around. Not to the point of getting pancakes or its batter all over the place. Usually.
He was already too busy worrying about whether he’d make it out in time to help anyways, regardless of what she’d said. Aspen promised him things, but she also stepped in quickly to do things before he could help. Surely there was nothing wrong with him worrying. His friends wasn’t always trustworthy when it came to those certain things. He hurried to get himself into the shower, running it and hopping inside.
The water was kept right in between hot and cold, so he didn’t waste up all the hot water. Besides, a hot shower wasn’t necessary when it wasn’t freezing in their house or much outside. Perks of living in the desert (not really). It took a little longer than he hoped, fighting with his mess of curly hair as he scrubbed shampoo and conditioner into it, then cleaning up his body with soap before getting out and fetching a towel. Once he was mostly dry, he placed his clothes on and peeked into the mirror. His hair did not look one bit better, he noted. What a nuisance.
A brush was snatched up and he stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen to where his friend was, dragging the brush through his tangled curls in attempt to loosen them. Maybe a braid would be a good idea after breakfast, or while he made pancakes, to spare him of the troubles. “I’m finished, Aspen,” he spoke up once entering the kitchen, seeing her having already get out plates and bowls and such. Good. It looked like the pancakes weren’t finished and he would be able to make pancakes. Not messy, perfect pancakes.
Word Count: 360 | Post #8 |
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Post by fallenraen on Sept 9, 2017 19:29:12 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect morning start with friends braiding hair As Oz showered, hopefully taking his time, Aspen busied herself with gathering what fruit they had and could eat for breakfast to wash in one of the bowls she’d pulled out. Those, rinsed, were put in the center of the small table they had (clearly made for only about four in the space that was their kitchen, dining room, and living room in one) before she got their mugs for the tea and started that. What else really needed to be done? She paused as she thought of what they were having and what they needed to do, biting the inside of her cheek and resting one hand on her hip. The dishes were brought out, left on the counter for Oz to take care of, and at least those didn’t need to be washed or cleaned as they usually took care of their dishes after using them.
She heard the water elsewhere in the home turn off, ‘hm’ing under her breath and narrowing under her eyes. He’d taken a shorter shower than usual, hadn’t he? She shook her head, sighing and leaning against the counter where she crossed her arms and waited for him. “So you are - obviously,” she added when her friend stepped into the room, poking her tongue out at him. She should have timed him and shooed him right back into the shower. Not that Aspen did such a thing when he was already out and dressed, hair seemingly brushed despite the waves already coming in. What would he say if she stepped over to put it up into a ponytail for him?
The thought was amusing, a smile briefly coming across her face, yet she didn’t act on that either while she turned her attention to their tea to prepare. “I was a very nice friend, as you can see, and left you everything you wanted to do,” she pointed out, casting him an innocent side glance as if she hadn’t thought of doing everything herself for him to come out of his shower and simply enjoy breakfast with her rather than worry about making anything. She smiled, crossing her arms on the counter once their mugs were set aside. “Aren’t I just your best friend?” Of course she was. Who else was there that he’d been cheating on her best friendness with?
She snorted softly at the thought, turning back around to lean against the counter again before she pulled herself up to sit on it without the mugs in the way. “Do you need any help with the pancakes?” she asked him, tilting her head to the side. Anything to help just a little bit more, feeling useless then sitting until their teas were ready and she could finish perfecting those.
Post count: #8 | Word count: 458
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Sept 13, 2017 18:29:17 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
Oz scoffed, making his way across the kitchen and to where Aspen stood. “Yeah, obviously. I’d have to be finished sometime, you know.” Not as fast as he wanted, but also not as long as she might have expected. He was clean and that was all that mattered, there was no going back then. His hair was getting rather annoying, a messy mop place on that head of his that wouldn’t cooperate. A braid like Aspen’s would be nice and more manageable, but a ponytail also worked. Only, he didn’t have a hair tie for him to put it up in. How irritable.
“I can see, Aspen. That was very lovely of you to do,” he teased, gently bumping her hip with his own after taking a peak around. Maybe he should have stayed longer in the shower, but it would have only pushed breakfast time further back and they had to have something to eat. Skipping or not eating on time wasn‘t good. He gave his friend a playful look, chuckling softly with amusement. “Oh, of course. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. You’re the one and only.” And it was true. He had… other friends, if he could stick around for long without anxiety taking over, but Aspen was someone he could be himself around and feel comfortable. He really couldn’t ask for anyone else.
He grabbed a bowl that’d been taken out before he exited his shower, getting the stuff ready to make the batter and dumping everything into the bowl. A couple of fruit also made it in there as well, being mixed up with the spoon he’d taken to get the job done. “You can help me make the pancakes,” he told her, narrowing his eyes playfully at her and laughing. “As long as you don’t have them end up anywhere but in the pan. We’re making breakfast for two, Aspen. Not for the entire house as well.” And last he checked, their place didn’t exactly need to eat. It survived just fine without food, unlike them anyways. They needed to eat, though a bit of messing around wouldn’t really harm anyone.
Word Count: 359 | Post #9 |
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Post by fallenraen on Sept 14, 2017 0:48:55 GMT -6
 Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair & cooking breakfast “I meant because you walked in and announced it,” she pointed out to him, raising her eyebrows at his quip and grinning. Well, now. Someone had a bit of a tongue to them after all, didn’t they? She snickered, “But yeah. You would have been finished eventually. A raisin Oz - now I don’t know if I could be best friends with that. Could you imagine how much you’d shrivel up in the heat?” She shook her head, ‘tsk’ing under her breath. “No. You wouldn’t last like a day. We’ve have to move all the way to like the snowy mountains or something.” So he wouldn’t roast in the heat, right?
She shrugged, surprised when he bumped his hip with hers, but laughing all the same. That was usually her thing. It was nice to see how comfortable he was which, thankfully, he was allowed to be in their own home. She remembered first meeting him, what a mess he’d been. She might have been a little too… excited when they’d first met, though he’d helped her mellow down. A little bit. “Haven’t I always been the one and only?” she pretended to ask, the question rhetorical. Before her, she hadn’t known of any of his best friends. If he’d had any at all. Sure he had friends, but best friends? She loved to tease him and say she was the best for the job.
How he ever lived with her puns was a mystery. She laughed to herself, moving to go help him with whatever he needed for the pancakes. “Look,” she said playfully back when he narrowed his eyes at her, poking her tongue out, “that had been one time the pancakes had ended up on the ceiling! All I wanted to see was who could flip them higher… and I won.” Technically speaking. No one really won with the loss of a pancake that had then had them scatter when it’d begun to peel from said ceiling and splattered onto the floor.
She shuddered at the memory. What a mess that’d been. “I don’t think the house needs to eat after that incident ever again,” she agreed. Even if it must have had many snacks and meals afterwards with how much they goofed off, though Aspen would do her best to behave for that breakfast. Food was limited, precious. They couldn’t go having contests to see who could do what best and or highest and risk wasting it. She shook her head, focusing on her job.
Post count: #9 | Word count: 418
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Sept 27, 2017 0:15:37 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
A raisin Oz. He squinted his eyes at his friend, giving her a weird look. “So you’d be more concerned about being friends with me rather than how I’d be a shriveled up raisin. That hurts, Aspen. It really does.” More shriveled up in the heat than he probably already did? The heat certainly wasn’t a good friend of his when he likely burned too easily, his hair got especially frizzy, and on top of that he would be a wrinkly raisin and shrivel up more. “If it would keep me plump and not shriveled up and dry, I think I’d move to the mountains in a heartbeat.” Only not with Aspen considering she questioned their friendship if he was a raisin. It wasn’t a joke he said aloud, smiling about it to himself.
“Sure. We can say that if you want to,” he teased, poking his tongue out of her. She had always been his one and only since they met, even if he’d been iffy about her to begin with. She was just too outgoing and loud for his liking and the shy boy wanted nothing to do but hide. But, since she insisted on sticking around and gave him no choice really, he’d been forced to hang around her until eventually getting used to how she was. Sometimes he still got embarrassed around her, but she was his best friend and he loved her too much.
Even if she made messes that he sometimes couldn’t handle. How did they even manage to clean it off of the ceiling that day? “Exactly. Who could flip them higher and get them back into the pan,” he pointed out, setting aside the bowl of mixed batter while casting her a look. “Not who could flip them so high they got stuck on the ceiling or splattered everywhere. Don’t you know how that game is supposed to work?” His guess was no, not really.
With a chuckle and a small shake of his head, he grabbed a pan and set it on the stove. The flame was turned on low heat to warm it up, Oz then stepping aside and motioning towards it with his hands for Aspen. “Alright, you get to make the first one,” he told her happily, grabbing a plate to set onto the counter besides the stove for finished pancakes. “Just remember to keep it in the pan this time. Please,” he added, leaning against the counter to watch her.
Word Count: 413 | Post #10 |
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Post by fallenraen on Sept 28, 2017 23:58:44 GMT -6
Aspen
Perfect mornings start with friends braiding hair & cooking breakfast She snorted out a laugh, caught up giggling behind one of her hands when he’d taken what she’d said wrong. “No! That’s not what I’d meant at all,” she said in between laughing, catching a breath and leaning against the counter to wipe at her eyes. There were still some giggles that threatened to bubble and spill out, the girl unable to hide her amused smile at her best friend. “I wouldn’t care if you looked like a raisin, Oz. I meant that if you shriveled up into one, literally, that we couldn’t be friends because you wouldn’t be, like, there, you know? You’d be a raisin.” Or well a very wrinkly, dry Oz that she was hinting at not able to survive.
“You wouldn’t last a day. Out in the heat. Do you get what I was saying now?” she asked, having shaken her head before tilting it at him with her eyebrows raised. If not, it wouldn’t be the first conversation dropped to confusion. Maybe she could have worded it better, she figured. Had she worded it any better at all? She shrugged it off, grinning and tucking her hands into her pockets as she leaned forward. Sneak her way into doing any of his job? She certainly thought of it, yet kept her distance (or more like her hands to herself) in order to let him work until (if he did) let her have a turn.
Her innocent smile said it all when he cast her look once pointing out that they were supposed to have, when they’d played their game, flip the pancake back into the pan after getting it the highest. “I still won - technically speaking and all,” she countered, snickering. “Of course I knew how the game worked, Ozzy, but I uh… well it slipped, you know?” The pancake, the pan, pretty much everything. It’d been a mess that day. Cleaning up the ceiling, well, sometimes she swore there was still a spot on it from the misshapen pancake. She hoped it rested in peace.
Thankfully, the fate of their newest pancakes looked a little brighter (until they’d be eaten, anyways). She smiled when he offered her the chance to make the first pancake, all but skipping over just to do so. “I never make any promises, Oz, but I’ll try,” she teased, poking out her tongue playfully before getting to work pouring the first pancake and cooking it.
Post count: #10 | Word count: 405
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Post by corruptedcorvid on Oct 3, 2017 1:25:37 GMT -6
[ Oz ]
The boy blinked, watching his friend laugh hysterically and being unable to stop while she explained to him what she had really meant. He hadn’t understood it any other way that what he thought she’d meant at first, his face confused until she attempted to tell him what she meant. “Oh, you wouldn’t care if I’d be a raisin? Well, at least I know that you’d stick with me no matter--” Oh. Oh. Oz snorted out a laugh when he finally caught onto what she meant, a grin tugging at his lips. “Yeah, I get what you mean. You’re thinking about me being dead. That’s fine, I completely understand,” he teased, shaking his head at her.
There was no offense taken, it having been a joke in the first place and them always messing around to begin with. When it came to her, not a lot hurt him. Anyone else? Well, she knew he’d have knocked over the bowl of batter to the floor trying to scramble away from them. Oz waved a hand at her, chuckling at her claiming she still ‘won’. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure it slipped. You can believe it if you really want to.” Because he believed it as well. She could dream.
The look on his face was affectionate when she came over excitedly to make the first pancake. He loved to see her smile and be happy, even if she was mostly always like that to begin with (and didn’t always deserve it when she got batter on their ceiling). He let out a soft sigh, rolling his eyes at Aspen with another shake of his head as he watched her pour some pancake mix onto the pan to start making it. “Of course, Aspen. Don’t worry. I believe in you.”
It’d been all he said, leaving it off there while they finished up the rest of the pancakes, switching between them after a few were finished. Eventually, they served them out on plates for the both of them to enjoy, eating their breakfast over chatter, laughter and jokes while enjoying the rest of their morning together.
Word Count: 353 | Post #11 |
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