Half Of Lily's Strategy In Life Is Throwing People Off, So Realizing He Hadn't Expected That Earned Excited

She didn't resist the suggestion, even as her cheeks flushed at the proximity. She doesn't have the energy to try and be more independent, and is content for now to enjoy the company while she can.

"That sounds like a good plan." She agreed, looking up at him with a quirked brow in response to him doubting himself. "I have a feeling you know me better than you think. Or at least, better than you let on. I don't imagine that I'm difficult to figure out, either."

Turning her attention forward again so she wouldn't risk tripping over her own feet and taking a moment to tuck her hair behind her ear, not used to having it down while she's out and about, she hummed. "So, who should start with the questions?"

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

Send me a prompt!

~

Normally, Lily tries to be fully aware of her surroundings. Working as a Hunter means she shouldn't let her guard down, especially when by herself. Who knows what threats are just waiting for a chance to strike, after all?

Though normally, Lily doesn't have to resort to late night walks to try and clear her mind so that she can sleep.

Suddenly hearing a voice nearby startles her out of her own thoughts, immediately setting her on alert. Her head whipped around towards the source, her posture tense and ready for a fight. Once she finally recognized Xavier, she let out a slow breath that ended in a sheepish laugh.

"Xavier!" She half-greeted, half-scolded.

Once she finally processed his warning, she offered what she hoped came across as a reassuring smile. "I know, I know. But I'm a big girl, I can handle going for a little starlit walk before bed." She teased, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down further so her heart wasn't pounding so hard in her chest.

"What about you? You're out rather late too."

Lily hummed happily as she nodded, even turning to walk backwards for a little bit so she could face him properly. "Mmhm! And it has good reviews, which is all the more promising."

She faced forward again to ensure that she wouldn't risk running into anyone or tripping over her own feet and making a fool of herself, in public no less. Fortunately she had meant it when she said it wasn't far, just a couple of blocks and a few turns away she checked her phone again, then pointing to a small storefront. "There it is!"

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.

I got myself one of those little fake jellyfish lamps that changes color, and it is downright hypnotic-

Lily quirked a brow at Kaia's analysis, humming as she considered before doing a 'so-so' hand wave, only to laugh when Kaia admitted to just trying to find someone to balance out her own chaos.

"I wouldn't say I'm impeccable at cooking or anything, and I prefer baking, but I'm at least generally good at making things that are edible." She teased lightheartedly. "I'm actually more into reading and needle craft for completely non-work hobbies." She admitted.

"As for you..." She started, trailing off thoughtfully as she tapped her chin. "I feel like you're the artsy type. Fashion, perhaps?" She mused, but seemed a little uncertain.

"Oh, wait! Before you leave, what color do you think the jacket should b—" Not looking away from the clothing rack in front of her, she grabs the sleeve of the person nearest to her without thinking, and realizes a little too late that it felt... Different. She turns, blinking; the person she'd been talking to had left, and beside her instead was...

"Wait, you're—! Lily?! You're Lily, right?! Oh, my god, I am so sorry, I totally thought you were someone else! Gosh, and this is the first time I'm actually talking to you, too..."

—&&. @kaiakaya 🤍

Lily was more than a little startled to suddenly feel her sleeve grabbed while she was looking for a new jacket to replace her favorite one that has... been through it. It's getting a few small holes in it but she's already mended it so many times it's time to retire it.

She blinked in surprise at Kaia for a moment before she started laughing, keeping it relatively quiet for the moment so they don't draw too much attention.

"Yes, I'm Lily. You're Kaia, right?" She asked, hoping she doesn't make a fool of herself.

At Kaia's concerns about how this is the first time they're speaking, she shook her head with a smile and waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright, don't worry!" She reassured easily "Do you need help finding the person you're here with?" She offered, tilting her head slightly.

Lily flashed Xavier a playful grin at his teasing, batting her eyelashes innocently. "The most pressing of questions~." She agreed through small giggles.

Truthfully, she'd spent a lot of time trying to figure out his preferences, but... sometimes he could be hard to read, especially in when it came to more 'trivial' matters such as colors. "Lavender, hm?" She hummed, tilting her head. "That makes sense. I honestly was starting to think it was white, since that's most of what you wear." She teased lightheartedly.

She easily followed his guidance around the uneven spot, turning her attention down curiously even though he'd already guided her away from danger. His question caught her off guard, prompting him to look up at him to confirm she heard correctly.

Her perfect life? It's not as though she hadn't ever thought about it. Of course she has. But that doesn't mean she ever thought she'd end up voicing her thoughts.

"My perfect life... All I'd really want is to be generally healthy, and for everyone I care about to be safe and healthy too... having enough time to spend with people I care about."

Perhaps it's the fatigue loosening her tongue, or maybe it's Xavier's presence, but she finds herself continuing despite herself.

"I just... wouldn't want to be alone."

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

Send me a prompt!

~

Normally, Lily tries to be fully aware of her surroundings. Working as a Hunter means she shouldn't let her guard down, especially when by herself. Who knows what threats are just waiting for a chance to strike, after all?

Though normally, Lily doesn't have to resort to late night walks to try and clear her mind so that she can sleep.

Suddenly hearing a voice nearby startles her out of her own thoughts, immediately setting her on alert. Her head whipped around towards the source, her posture tense and ready for a fight. Once she finally recognized Xavier, she let out a slow breath that ended in a sheepish laugh.

"Xavier!" She half-greeted, half-scolded.

Once she finally processed his warning, she offered what she hoped came across as a reassuring smile. "I know, I know. But I'm a big girl, I can handle going for a little starlit walk before bed." She teased, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down further so her heart wasn't pounding so hard in her chest.

"What about you? You're out rather late too."

Lily calmed down to tiny giggles, running her hand over her ponytail to tidy it up a little.

"Learning from other people's mistakes, a good strategy." She approved playfully, shaking her head. "I found out that for all the skills Xavier has, cooking is not one of them, thanks to hearing an explosion from his apartment on a day off because he was trying to make an egg tart, if I remember right." She admitted, her expression torn between amusement and 'I still can't fathom how he messed it up that bad.'

The offer for him to have them both over for dinner did catch her attention, laughing a little at his justification.

"Well if you're willing to have us over, I can make dessert to keep it fair?" She offered. If he's willing to open his home to them and cook dinner, the least she could do is offer to make dessert!

Fortunately, Lily was able to shake her head at the question regarding allergies. "No allergies here that I've found!" She answered easily.

( Jump - sender jumps on receivers back - @lily-of-the-linkon )

Lily grinned when seeing Jeremiah wasn't paying attention to her, a mischievous little plan forming in her head.

Putting her training to the test, she carefully approached him from behind. She kept her movements as silent as possible, slowly lifting her arms to brace herself for step two.

When she was finally within reach of the (unsuspecting?) man, she lunged to jump on his back. While she was careful not to knock him over if she could help it, she was still dramatic.

Almost immediately after 'impact', she couldn't help but break into giggles, shifting to at least attempt to look at his face. "Hi Jer~" she greeted with playfully exaggerated casualness.

"What the- ah!"

The sudden surprise and sensation of warmth pressed against his back shocked him enough to let out a yelp in surprise, but the familiarity of the voice immediately calmed his instincts.

He adjusts his grip to ensure her safety but doesn't put her down.

"Stars, Lilyyyy! Where did you come from!? How did you manage to be so quiet!?"

Lily flushed at the affections, giggling a little as she slowly released him to prepare the last batch of cookies for the oven.

"So XaviLily's Bakery, then?" she asked with a wistful hum, expression soft as her thoughts unintentionally mirrored his own. All the times she had dreamt of domesticity and peace like this, but doubted she'd get to have it for any number of reasons.

"Anything else I want...," she mused, drawing out the syllables as she pretended to think hard about any further requests, "Could you please put this in the oven for me?" she asked playfully, offering the prepared tray to him with a smile. "If you want, I can start on an icing for them, too?"

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

Lily hummed her agreement, since she knows full well that caffeine is only good in moderation. She made that mistake once, and that one time was plenty enough warning.

She hummed happily as she headed out with him, thanking him for holding the door for her. The teasing made her cheeks flush pink as she lightly nudged him with her elbow, giving him a playful pout.

"It wasn't that late!" She insisted though there was of course no heat to her fussing. "But you're right that I really shouldn't make it a habit. If that keeps up, it'd be my luck I'd fall asleep just outside the building or something." She snickered, opening the door to the building and holding it for him this time.

"Well, first things first I figure we go to the tea place, then figure out what food we're in the mood for. Then from there, see what we have the energy for?"

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.

Lily accepted the helmet with an amused eyeroll, but did lower her head slightly when he reached up to move her hair out of her face. She did obediently put on the helmet though when he was satisfied, snorting at his comment.

"How sweet of you. And here I thought you're trying to make the entire building jealous," she teased playfully before taking her seat behind him carefully, at least used to this when hanging out with him. Though, she can't deny the fact that even the small compliment made her blush, though the visor of the helmet helped to hide it.

closed starter ofr: @lily-of-the-linkon

Sylus picked up his phone, swiping through the screen as he dialed Lily’s number, his thumb tapping rhythmically against the glass. He leaned back in his chair, watching the soft light of the afternoon filter through the blinds. As the phone rang, he let out a small sigh, a hint of impatience buried beneath the calm exterior.

When the call finally connected, he greeted her with a casual tone. “Hey, Lily, you busy? If not… would you want to come see me for the spring? The cherry blossoms are finally blooming, and I haven’t had the chance to see them with anyone yet.”

There was a slight pause as he adjusted his position, a faint smirk creeping across his lips.

"Thought it might be nice, you know... to have someone to appreciate them with."

He exhaled, gaze still fixed on the view outside of the dark N109 zone. "Never had the chance to see it with someone before." The words were quieter, almost absentminded, but laced with something unspoken