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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on January 26, 2020 at 15:24

She gave him a pointed roll of her eyes “Just because I put up with something doesn’t mean I have to like it” she commented with a quirk of her brow implying that could definitely be applied to other situations too. He definitely found ways to press her buttons and get a rise out of her and the worst part was she knew that and yet couldn’t help but respond the way she did anyway. “It’s a perk” she responded with a slight smile because she did like being able to heal quickly, especially because when she went out to protect people in the city she would often get cuts and bruises which she needed to heal before she went into the office next. “And off day” she lifted a hand and pretended to stroke an imaginary beard on her chin “You know I haven’t seen one of those in quite a long time” she wasn’t counting the holidays because the office was literally closed over them which meant she couldn’t go into work even if she wanted to. If it had been an option she probably would have gone in. 

She raised her brows when he seemed intrigued by this bet she had heard of and indeed seemed interested in trying for himself “Careful angel boy, wouldn’t want to cause any damage to that pretty face of yours” she reached up and patted against his cheek with a sarcastic smile gracing her lips as she watched him. Cloud really was a good judge of character though, if her dog was ever off about someone it usually meant they were shady or the mailman and she could understand why Cloud would think the mailman was shady. Perfectly understandable. She had to laugh softly when he said he got drunk alone once and all he got out of it was a hangover “Yeah alcohol does that, though most people can learn their limits and avoid the headache the next day” she teased it with a chuckle, she nodded when he asked if she liked to drink “I actually weirdly like the taste of the stuff, but I’m definitely not a party girl, could you imagine me at a party?” work ones were different because she had to socialize with their clients but actually drinking and dancing for fun? Pass. 

She scoffed when he said he wanted to spend time around her “I mean I’d say good luck to you because I may actually drive you nuts” she chuckled slightly, she acknowledged that she was acquired taste and that most people got pushed away by the front she kept up, her dry humor and sarcastic comments were basically her personality except with those she was really close to, she figured if someone stuck around long enough to realize there was to her than that then perhaps they were worth giving her time to. “You learn what girls like by googling it?” she raised her brows and then chuckled under breath “You do realize every girl is different right?” she tilted her head curiously as she tipped her head back to meet his eyes, he really was a damn giant. She smiled softly when he called her room view beautiful “It’s definitely my favorite place to be” she admitted with a soft laugh, especially because there was a bed, which meant it was comfortable too. 

She laughed seeing the way Cloud made him jump “Don’t worry, you get used to him being literally all over the place before long” she chuckled as she headed off into the kitchen and started sorting through the different things she’d gotten out for the baking “You can start mixing the flour and the butter with the eggs while I set up the mixer” she pointed to the bowls on the side. She didn’t bother to try and argue with him offering to help because he was already in the kitchen and eyeing the ingredients, besides, she didn’t mind the company “I forget, do you actually bake usually?” she raised her brow as she dried her hands on the towel after washing them and then got to work, pulling out the mixer and plugging it into the outlet “Normally I avoid it all costs but this one is a special case” she chuckled softly. Traditional and all. 

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on January 29, 2020 at 16:21

"Shhh, I see it, no need to say it outloud, Nora" he teased, the longer he knew her, the more Julian managed to find her quirks, what makes her tick and what's likely to make her grin. Even though it wasn't a lot, it meant something to him, baby steps, right? If this was a step towards a better and far better as well as comfortable relationship with Nora, then he was all for it. "Lucky" he pouted, even though he had healing blood in his system, he found that he could heal others using that blood better than he'd heal from a bruise. It takes time, obviously. "Maybe you should get one of those soon, who knows if you truly need one, Miss Nordstroem" Oh how he loves using her surname for the purpose of teasing her. He automatically covered his face with his hands before peeking out slightly with a playful look, "Come on, you don't really want to ruin this pretty face. You like this pretty face." Was he being bold? Extremely. 

More time spent with the dhampir and that's exactly what's given him. A boost of confidence to be around the normally intimidating COO. But here, she's not a COO, she's Nora. Just Nora, the person he befriended that day at the hangar. "If you dog likes me, I guess I should take it as another step further on this chain of friendship we have." Hey, Cloud doesn't dislike him, he did the opposite so that's a big pointer right there. Julian rolled his eyes when she teased him about his rather reckless alcohol consumption, "I just drink because I could. What if you were trying to celebrate… watch others drink only to find yourself drinking water? Nope. My sister will never let me hear the end of it. Ever." Hangovers are a pain, but if they could control it better, maybe it'll work.

 "I mean, you look like you could fit anywhere I think you wouldn't. You're a pretty lady, Nora. Anywhere suits, really." The dhampir was quite attractive, there was just something about her that just drags you in wanting to know more. Admittedly, he's fallen victim to that. "Should I drag you to one just to see how you do parties?" He pressed his forefinger towards her lips as an attempt to shush her, "You mean you haven't tried to drive me nuts yet? You must really do love me, Len" He had no idea where that came from, it just did. The Nephilim cleared his throat and averted his gaze away when he was called out on googling what girls like, "I'm not that experienced in relationship department as you may very well know" he grumbled defensively, "Maybe I just wanted to impress her… an extra gesture even when you know what she likes won't hurt, right? I mean… don't you like flowers? Unless you're allergic to it."

 He was asking from a general viewpoint but a part of him actually wanted to ask Nora that. When she said he'll get used to Cloud jumping around, he chuckled, "You say that like I'm going to be venturing here in the future" he shook his head and covered his mouth with one hand, feigning surprise, "Don't tell me… I'm welcomed in the future?" Julian was quick to do what he was told to do, taking his place at the counter and dragged a bowl before putting a few eggs in so he could wash them before doing anything. He was halfway cracking the eggs into the other clear bowl when he heard her question, "I mean. I'm living a bachelor life but I can cook. Baking is not my forte but… with a good recipe, I can do them just fine. I know, I seem to have quite the good package overall." 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on January 30, 2020 at 9:10

She had to admit, he had a way of getting to her and he was certainly persistent, he didn’t seem to take any of her jests for face value and that meant he kept coming back for more, she had tried to scare him off already and it just didn’t seem to have the same effect it had on most, maybe he really was different? She narrowed her eyes when he called her Miss Nordstroem because had had told him many many times she didn’t like being called that and yet he did it anyway and for some reason she always let him get away with it “I’d spend half the time I was away worrying about the project” she responded and laughed softly noting the way he was hiding behind his hands as though she was going after him for that name drop, which...he probably wouldn’t be wrong to assume normally “Who said I liked your face?” she asked with a quirked brow, okay perhaps he was right, she did think he was especially attractive and stood out amongst others but she’d never actually said that before.

The way he referred to what they had as a chain of friendship made her chuckle “Well he’s pretty much the only being in my world you have to win over” she spoke and shrugged her shoulders, she did pretty much everything alone and worked better that way. She cut her parents many years ago and hadn’t spoken to them since “It’s been just me and him for a long time now” she added in case he was wondering. It wasn’t exactly a secret, what happened with her parents, a quick Google search of her name would bring the articles up, about her parents and their trial and her emancipation from them. If it wasn’t for the significance it held in the business world she probably would have changed her last name because of it. She laughed softly “Well you can celebrate by eating cake instead, I’d argue that’s a worthwhile trade” she quirked a brow wondering what he would think to that tradeoff “What’s your sister’s name?” she asked with a smile, he’d mentioned her a few times now so she felt like she knew a little about her.

She gave him a look which questioned his logical thinking when he said he could imagine her being anywhere and she gave a pointed roll of her eyes “I’m not sure I like what you’re imp-” she was about to keep talking but then he lifted his finger to press against her lips which made her cut off the sentence but also glare at him. His next words actually did leave her speechless, from the way she said she loved him to that nickname which kinda came out of nowhere. She bit her lip for a moment, she was surprised by it but the sound didn’t sound completely foreign coming from his lips “Believe me, I’m just getting started, Jules” she responded with a challenging look, two could play at the shock one another with a nickname game. When he said he wasn’t experienced with relationships she scoffed “You don’t say” she teased as she looked back up at him but she fiddled a little with the sleeve of her top when he said he wanted to impress someone “I like flowers” she responded as she pressed her lips together “But if you want to know what would impress a girl, it might be better to ask her” it did make her wonder for a moment what actually did impress her.

She cleared her throat a little awkwardly when he pointed out that she had implied he might be here quite often and while a little flustered she shrugged “Well you’re going to be here at least a few days right, you said until New Year, that’s a week” she purposely avoided eye contact with him which definitely spoke more than her words about how he kept catching her off guard. His shock made her chew on her bottom lip, did he make her nervous? What was this weird feeling of jumpiness she felt? “I mean if you make Cloud happy like this when why not” she commented as she got to work on her part of the recipe, mixing the rest of the ingredients by hand before taking his mixture and then putting it into the mixer. She then pulled an assortment of different shaped baking trays to show him “What shape are we thinking?” she was leaning towards the Christmas Tree but she wasn’t sure if it was too cheesy. The way he turned his ability to cook into him being a full package made her laugh “If you want ego rolled in sure” she gave him a pointed look.

“Have you called your family yet or is the timezone too weird?” she asked curiously because she was sure he would want to talk to them over the holidays “I have one of those whole-room Skype devices if you want to facetime them tomorrow” she didn’t spend time with her family but she would hate to feel like she was keeping him from his.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on February 2, 2020 at 18:34

He's never been so stubborn before. Not around people that wasn't his family or relatives, no. Julian doesn't mingle as much, he likes to keep it to himself, retaining that reserved attitude but would still offer a smile to anyone who passes his way because that's just how he is. He was fun to be around, but he strictly stays off parties for reasons unknown. Though, he knew secretly it was only because he himself couldn't afford any mistakes being done while he was dead drunk. So when he had the chance to tease Nora, someone he actually likes, he took the chance and never looked back. She prefers his company just as well, at least above everyone else's. "See, workaholic" he pointed out, it wasn't a bad thing, the Nephilim understood that kind of work commitment, he wouldn't want to leave his babies anyway. 

Lowering his hands down to peek out so he could see the dhampir in front of him again, Julian cleared his throat and shrugged, "Because everyone does?" It wasn't as much narcissistic as it is confusion. He had the indication that she didn't exactly have a good history with family, in general, and this just further confirmed it which made him glad he never talked about her viewpoint on family. He tried not to prod too much, just because his family is a merry one, doesn't mean he could rub it in. "I guess that's a mission undergoing now, just don't be surprised if Cloud ends up loving me more than his own pretty owner" he stuck his tongue out childishly and snickered, he was suddenly in an extremely jolly mode tonight. "Cake in exchange for alcohol? Hmm… not bad. You have quite the brilliant mind" he flicked her gently and chewed his bottom lip absentmindedly when she asked about his sister.

"Classic old Jane-Anne Lockhart. Think she's more of an Aussie now than an English" he scoffed, his elder sister was surely adapting well there. "She's that kind of older sister you just… don't want to piss off but want to piss off. Though, I'm pretty sure she'll end up stuffing me inside a shark tank or something" he shuddered at the mere memory of it, yeah, she could be scary. He was right to shush her with a finger because she soared him a glare when he cut her off, the nickname came out of nowhere and took him off guard. But then again, he couldn't say much because he, too, gave her a nickname without thinking much of it. "Jules? Julian's not short enough for you?" His cheeks flushed a pinkish hue because he was fairly embarrassed that he's never had any other experience when it comes to relationships, "I said I don't have luck for it. Doesn't mean I've never… had one" he murmured defensively. 

His eyes darted over to her when she responded that she does, indeed, like flowers, "What flowers do you like?" There, he's asking her. Julian knew he caught her off guard when she averted his gaze away, not wanting to meet his eyes, "Whatever you say, Len." While he was halfway pouring the flour inside the bowl for a good measure, he clicked his tongue and hummed softly, "Only Cloud? Don't I make you happy?" Whether it was meant for teasing, he didn't know because it sure sounded like it was genuinely serious. "What shape do you want? I don't know much about decoration, I'm a guy, I just eat what's in front of me." Typically. "I haven't called them yet yeah… timezones not too weird, they're only about what- 4 to 5 hours ahead of me? Thank you, that would be… very much appreciated. I haven't Skyped with them since last July. I could only manage calls due to the schedule." He wondered if it's alright if he could ask but decided to move with it, "Don't you feel lonely?" It was an innocent question, really. 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on February 4, 2020 at 21:04

She gave him a look when he called her a workaholic but then she shrugged slightly “Sue me, not everyone is able to switch off the way others do” she shook her head, she had tried many times and it just didn’t work, she didn’t know how to forget about all the customers who would be waiting or the meetings she was going to mess. Trying to forget about it was stressful. She frowned slightly when he said everyone liked his face and she leaned closer to inspect it “Chiseled jaw, dark but kinda colorful eyes, kinda pouty lips” she chuckled slightly “I suppose I can see the appeal” it wasn’t exactly a secret that he was attractive, the kind of person who made you look again on the street, especially because of his height which made him stand out in a crowd.

She looked between him and Cloud on the floor who still looked excited as hell to have a new friend and one who would give him lots of attention no doubt “He would never betray me like that, he might be your friend but he’s my baby” she rolled her eyes at him and smiled softly, there was no way she was giving up her fluffball that easily. “If there is one thing my brain is good at focusing on, it’s food” she laughed softly, she wasn’t the best cook but when it came to eating she would pretty much try everything and she had many favorites. She raised her brows when he talked about his sister, she sensed there might be something going on in his head because of the way he hesitated when she asked “From what I’ve heard, most siblings are like that, though when it comes down to it, I’m sure you’d take care of one another” she never had a sibling and a part of her was glad about that considering the mess her parents put her through.

The look of surprise on his face when she called him by a nickname was almost too good to be true and made her smile a little smugly “Eleanora isn’t short enough for you?” she responded to his question with a quirk of her brow, honestly she didn’t mind what people called her but it was the first time someone had called her Len since high school. She bit her lip when he said he’d had a relationship but wasn’t lucky with it “Yeah I can’t say I’ve had...the best track record either” mostly because she was ended up getting afraid of the way she felt and running for the hills. “How many?” she asked him curiously, since he brought it up it only seemed right to ask. When he asked which flowers she liked she averted her gaze to the floor for a moment and she entirely forgot every name of a flower she ever knew. She bit her lip for a little while as she thought about her answer “Honestly….” damn this was embarrassing “Daisies? I used to make the little flower crowns with them when I was younger” she lifted her gaze, shooting him a don’t you dare laugh look.

Her breath caught in her throat when he asked if made her happy and then cleared it “Of course, when you’re not driving me completely insane with your way too direct questions” he definitely made it difficult for her to keep her cool and it really wasn’t like her to get completely caught off by someone. He seemed to have a talent for it. She felt a little disappointed about his answer to her question, to the point where she pressed her lips together and just silently put the other trays away. She tended not to get too excited about things and his response reminded her that these things probably weren’t all that important, it was cake after all. “Yeah, you can use it whenever you want, I’m sure they’ll want to hear from you” it did remind her how there weren’t many people who wanted to hear from her. Maybe she really did just scare everyone off.

She sighed softly trying to get herself together as she finished putting everything into the mixer and turned it on “Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, depends on the day” she shrugged slightly “Every time I’ve let people in, they’ve given me a reason to regret it so” she pressed her lips together.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on February 15, 2020 at 17:31

"I'm not judging" he held both his hands up on defense once again before chuckling, he knows what it feels like and besides, who was he to even attempt to judge like that? He was a nobody. He would rather be sketching on his book or think about some of the modification he could do to the manuals instead of resting like a regular person. Guess they were destined for a work line like that, after all. Not so different, huh. When she described how he looked physically right in front of him, Julian and to admit that he wasn't really expecting that kind of response which was why his reaction afterwards was funny. His face was flushed as he tried to avert his gaze away from the dhampir, "Did you have you have to spell it out like that" he mumbled, clearly embarrassed and taken aback by it.

 The Nephilim wasn't one to brag, especially about his looks, he may have teased a bit but to receive such a strong retort like that was enough to send him to blushing land. "That's what every dog says before they eventually change their ownership" he teased, sparing a glance towards Cloud who looked equally comfortable with how he's acting, he's a cute one, resembling a bit like his owner. "I can see why you called him your baby though, so I wasn't the only one who can see the striking resemblance the two of you bore." He was excited to see what she had planned for the baking part, he's never witnessed this kind of side to her and it was extremely exhilarating for him. Who wouldn't want to explore a new side to someone you actually prefer the company of? He's not sure if he could call her a friend, but they were quite close so he may as well do that.

 "She's the only person I can turn to for help, she's always been there even when I don't want her to be, so yeah." Jane-Ann can be quite insufferable at times, but what kind of sibling isn't? "Do you wish you had one? A sibling, I mean" it was a rather personal question but Julian was curious, and it was entirely up to Nora to answer or dismiss it. Where did Len even come from? No idea, but since it sounded good on her and gave him that small sens elf significance knowing he had a nickname others haven't used and maybe the only nickname coming from him in a while, it was enough to give him that big grin. When she suddenly asked him how many, he cleared his throat awkwardly and pressed his lips together, "One." And that was the truth.

 It was cute that she liked flowers such as daisies, he never would've pegged her as the type but then again, Nora had a way of surprising him with the littlest things, "So if I were to get you daisies, you would be happy?" Not to say that he would immediately go do that but if that alone was able to make her day, then why not? Pretty girls deserve pretty flowers. "Better to give direct questions rather than have you rolling around the vague ones, right?" He didn't like to play around the bushes, but he wasn't brutally honest either. Julian just likes to keep himself as simple as possible. And there was no fault in wanting to do so. The dark-haired male saw the corner of her lips upturned when he said he didn't mind whichever she would choose, it was when he bit his lip and sighed to himself, did he offend her by making it sound like he wasn't enthusiastic about this? 

It wasn't his intention. So he stopped what he was doing and leaned against the counter on his side while stopping her from making any other movements by placing one hand on her left arm, "Hey… I'm really excited to make these with you, I'm sorry if I sounded like I was not into it. I am. I just, well the women in my family wouldn't allow me to set my foot near an oven at all... " He hated to see her upset, it just bothers him a lot. Her response made him stop everything he's doing and stare at her gently, "And have I given you a reason to regret it?" From where he stood, even her side profile captivated him, it was no news that Nora was a looker, he always seemed to get drawled in her expressive eyes most of all that looked as if she was holding thousands of secrets inside. The way her lips would sometimes twitch under certain emotions. That tiny pout she does, everything seemed to make Julian close in.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on February 16, 2020 at 14:20

He definitely had this weird temperament which always surprised her, sometimes he seemed quite confident in himself and would come out with comments she could classify as cocky but then not long after he seemed to soften a little and it didn’t escape her notice that he seemed pretty flustered by her agreeing with him “Well you said everyone likes your face did you not?” really she was only teasing off the back of his own rather confident seeming comment “Besides I am many things, but a liar is not one” she did keep secrets yes but she would never lie to someone directly to their face, if someone asked her outright if she was the Scarlett Archer she would tell them, but no one had ever gotten close enough to figure it out before.

She let it go, instead turning her attention to Cloud who was definitely vying for Julian’s attention and acting more energetic than usual, she supposed he wasn’t used to having visitors because she didn’t have many and so this was a new exciting experience for him “Dream on angel boy, I’ll fight you if I have to” she gave him a pointed look because it was evident that Cloud was quite literally the most important being to her, which was probably a sad realization “We have our schedule and we stick to it, he gets hair all over the apartment, I clean it up, he’s supposed t sleep in his bed but always ends up curled up in the space behind my legs” she gave an amused chuckle and shrugged, maybe she didn’t have a lot of important people in her life but it was evident Nora was capable of feeling compassion and love.

“The only person?” she asked it in a curious tone as though to ask the silent question of whether there was anyone else out there he trusted, perhaps a part of her wanted him to say he didn’t so that she wouldn’t feel like the only lonesome person here who didn’t know how to deal with other people. “Must be nice, having someone you know you can always turn to, no matter what” so when she thought about it like that, the answer to the question he asked was pretty simple but then on second thought, it wasn’t “Selfishly, yes” she answered thoughtfully and pressed her lips together “Selflessly, no, I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to deal with my nightmare excuse for a family or have their potential tarnished by their name” she hoped that made sense to him.

The way he responded to her question about how many made her wonder if said ‘One’ was pretty significant. He always seemed like he was covering up some kind of sadness inside of him so perhaps she did wonder if it was related to that one but she didn’t feel like prying “For long?” honestly he seemed like the type of guy who would marry his high school sweetheart and never look back so it actually surprised her that he seemed to be single now. When he essentially asked her if she wanted him to buy her flowers caught her off guard for a moment, she parted her lips as she looked back at him and then smiled, heading towards the cabinet and taking out the vase she always used for flowers, it was made of china and had a daisy pattern all the way around the rim. She set it down and smiled softly at him “Does this answer your question?” she found it hard to say it with words, especially cheesy things like this but it would make her happy.

“You definitely have this habit of keeping me on my toes” she commented under her breath in response to the way he spoke about answering direct questions. He didn’t leave her much room for being coy and honestly, it made her feel out of her element because she was so used to deflecting people and she couldn’t do that with him. She felt herself trying to keep her own composure around him and it became evident to her that he made her nervous for one and for two, she actually did care about his opinion, to the point she couldn’t help but show her own disappointment when he seemed less interested in helping with the baking.

Usually when someone upset her, she would do one of two things, either get really annoyed and call them out on it or act like it didn’t bother her. In this situation, she decided on the latter, at the end of the day it didn’t matter all that much right? And normally said person wouldn’t even notice that she was upset which is why she was surprised when she felt his hand resting softly against her arm, just enough to give her pause in what she was doing. She turned towards him and bit softly against her lip when he spoke “I uh…” God, why did the way he was looking at her right now make her so nervous “I’d like to do this together” it was incredibly embarrassing to say that but he’d totally just called her out, it wasn’t like she could argue she didn’t care about it. Subconsciously she placed a hand over the hand which was holding her arm as though to acknowledge it was there “No” she answered his question honestly “Though you don’t seem like everyone else” she admitted before cleaning her throat and getting back to work on turning on the mixer.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on February 19, 2020 at 18:03

When she threw that statement back at him, he felt like the whole ground just crumbled beneath him and he was left alone in that tight spot with her towering above him like a giant, when it was clearly the opposite of compared to the reality of it. His ears turned red briefly the same way his cheeks flushed as he attempted to draw his eyes away from her expectant gaze. Nora just quite literally used his words back on him and he was flustered, "Do you like my face?" he murmured and fumbled with the helm of his top, hey, he may as well get it out of her if he's going to be in this embarrassing situation still, right? Maybe that'll give him some worth over it. "Hmm, not a liar. Though that's exactly what a liar would say when they're asked if they're one, I'll take your word on it. You do seem like a trustworthy person, after all." 

Considering how far he's trust with her goes, that one would be a bit of an understatement. A chuckle escaped him when she adamantly tried to hold onto the idea of never letting Julian steal Cloud away, he could see how significant the puppy was, to her. He wondered if Cloud was the only living being she cared that much for. Did he want to be one of those people? Perhaps. There was that strange feeling of wanting to feel her validation again. Julian eventually dismissed all of those but attempting to convince himself that it was just Nora's charm. Keyword; attempt. "Don't worry, I wouldn't steal him away even if I could. Why would I want to rob away the most precious being to you? I'm not cruel." 

Seeing the fluff make her happy, that's more than he would bargain for. "So Cloud is a mommy's boy, huh? Why am I not surprised" he grinned and gave him a delighted smile, now that he's taken a better look at him, he does resemble Nora a lot. They're both cute. And devastatingly charming. Maybe even rebellious too for all he knows. He could relate to her not having a lot of important people in her life, he only had his family and the only people he'd really acknowledge were his parents and his sister. Okay, maybe his sister's fiance. "Yeah, the only person. I… don't have a lot of contacts in my list as you can very well see. I live alone, I go through most things alone. You're basically the only company I have outside of working hours." And he was immensely grateful to be within her company. 

"It is nice" he nodded in agreement, Jane-Ann has never disappointed him before, even when she didn't particularly favor Maleah, she still made an effort to support him. It's a shame she couldn't get the chance to know the late female better. From the way Nora described her family, it wouldn't take him longer than 5 minutes to read up the history of her family. Google is there and the Nordstroem had a name to precede. "Well, let's put it this way, you can always have your own, sometimes your friends can be your 'adopted' siblings, I'd offer to be your younger brother but I don't think that's what we both wanted" It's not what he wanted, for sure. Don't get him wrong, Nora is an amazing person, but perhaps being her brother isn't quite how he pictured their friendship going. "She was my friend for a while… hug school sweethearts I guess you can call us. She's gone though" With the way he worded it, it was clear that Maleah was no longer in this world. It was a quick way to summarize that tragic chapter of his life. 

"But I don't wanna dwell too much on it. Mourning period is over a while ago, it's time I focus on me, right?" When she took out a vase, his hazel hues fell on the intricacies around it, it was a marvelous piece. "Daisies. Got it." That's going straight to his head. Julian could distinctly hear her mumble under her breath and it made him grin secretly, he's glad she felt fine to be around him. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, so as soon as he noticed that change of demeanor in her, the Nephilim was quick on his toes, ensuring the dhampir that he was just inexperienced. He probably shouldn't be so touchy but it felt just right to do it, at that moment. So he did. His lips were curved into a bright grin when she responded softly towards him, exclaiming how she wanted to do that together.

 "Then we'll do it together. I'll be your assistant. I can promise it'll turn out good but… how bad can I go, right?" Hopefully, not too bad. What he didn't expect was for her to place her own hand on top of his, he swore his eyes widened and it was hard trying to control his composure because uh, alert; Nora was touching his hand. His hand. "No, I don't seem like anyone. Come on, let's bake this thing so we can eat it and move onto our next plan, hm?" 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on February 21, 2020 at 20:20

She couldn’t help but notice the way he got flustered when she turned his own very bold statements back around on him which made her grin slightly at his question, so he wanted to hear her say it huh? “Would I have listed all of those things out if I didn’t?” she answered his question with one of her own allowing a hint of a smirk to curl on her lips as she watched him. When he debated her trustworthiness she smiled softly at the conclusion he came to “No real reason for me to lie, like I said before, most people don’t bother to come close enough” and yet he was here right now and didn’t seem scared off at all by the way she was or how she jested and played with him. She had to admit he looked pretty adorable with those red cheeks.

“But then maybe you’re right, maybe that’s what I want you to think and secretly I’m nothing like what I see” she grinned coyly as though planting that seed could leave him questioning just who she really was, though if she was honest, Nora wasn’t actually sure how to define that herself. She pressed her lips together slightly when he concluded he couldn’t steal her dog away because he was so precious to her “True, I’ll warn you that my wrath is definitely not something you want to face” and taking what was precious to her was certainly a way to draw her attention. She gave a slightly surprised laugh when he called Cloud a mommy’s boy and looked up at him with a somewhat playful expression “Aren’t all boys just a little?” she shrugged slightly, her dog was one of the only constants in her life and he made her happy and smile every day.

The thing about Julian is that the impression she got from him was that he was very charming and while a little shy and goofy at times, he seemed like someone people would like a lot. Nora didn’t see herself that way, she was the tough businesswoman with high expectations and the somewhat prickly person who most people interacted with. In a way you could say they were opposites and get they both seemed to share this feeling of loneliness “Surely you could have more people in your life if you wanted to?” he was curious to know if he just preferred feeling that way, she tended to put walls up to keep people away but she didn’t get that impression from him. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or wondering what you do to scare everyone else off” she commented with a dry laugh in response to the way he described her as his only company.

She stopped for a moment when she heard him talking about how people can be their ‘adopted’ siblings, she knew what he was trying to say, that she could choose her own family if she wanted to and that she didn’t feel the need to be stuck with the one she had “Still doesn’t change the way the world looks at you, unfortunately, that name and what they have done will always be a part of my life” she accepted that, even though it sucked. Though his comment about him not wanting to play the part of her younger brother made her go quiet for a moment “Did you just assume my age angel boy? Or did you do some intense Googling” perhaps she dodged the whole rest of the situation but she was curious to know which of them were older.

The way he described the one girl he met and from the look in his eyes, quite clearly loved, she knew she was right about him being an only eyes for a certain someone kind of person, he struck her as the somewhat sappy type who probably liked Valentine’s day and the likes “Sorry to hear that” she responded with a slightly sad smile but he said he wanted to move forward and she respected that “Well then it only seems fair to tell you that my dating life has generally been a whole mess, especially in my teen years” she chuckled “You could say the whole sweethearts thing never really got to me” never really had a boyfriend for longer than a few months if she was honest.

She felt herself getting a little flustered over the idea of someone even considering buying her flowers, no one had ever done that for her before and she would never really ask them to, it seemed so cliche and strange to her. But then everything felt strange with him, he made her feel jittery and a little nervous which seemed like an entirely foreign concept to her until now. “Stick with me, I know a few secrets when it comes to making cakes” which she did, it was one of those phases she went through before where she just ended up learning a bunch of recipes. She watched the way his eyes widened slightly which made her panic for a moment, clearing her throat and getting back to the task at hand.

Before long they had managed to finish the mixing, line the tray and then pour out the mixture, during the whole process she had set the oven on to preheat and before long she was putting the trays into the over and smiling proudly at how much they managed to get done “Turns out that wasn’t as bad as we thought huh?” she raised her brows slightly as she watched him carefully “So what is your absolute favorite thing about the holidays?” maybe they could recreate it in spirit somehow.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on March 7, 2020 at 17:26

Okay, perhaps that was a little bit too much for asking, Julian. When she said that, he had the urge to suddenly fan himself or better yet, find somewhere that wasn't so… warm. Which contradicted the entire reason of why he came here, today. No, you didn't come here because you needed a warm place to stay at, that's one of the reasons, but it wasn't close to being the main one, he reminded himself. He was here today because he didn't want her to be alone when it's supposed to be a festive day. But how in the world is he expected to keep his cool when she's like… this. It was going to be harder than he expected. "Point taken" he murmured under his breath, wanting to avoid this topic further. That's enough talking about him. "I wonder why" he jested teasingly, "When people get to know you, I think they'd be surprised to see how incredible of a person you can be." And that went a lot further than a backhanded compliment. 

"Then… I'll see you however you want me to see you" he grinned sheepishly, yeah, he can do that. It wasn't as if he hasn't been seeing her in a good light, after all. "The last thing I want to do on this special day is to invoke your wrath, don't worry, I'll do my very best to... Diffuse it." The Nephilim scoffed when she said all boys are that, "I'm not sure if I like what you're insinuating but… maybe us boys just wants to have a little bit of that affection and attention" he leveled his gaze with her and felt the corners of his lips curl into a playful smirk, it was as if he was saying that directly to her. They were pretty much the opposites, nobody would've expected to see him with her, aren't they a weird combination? If that is so, then how come Julian found himself being more drawn to her each day? What was it about Nora that drew him in like an enigma he couldn't understand? He's felt like that for a while, it wasn't until about two weeks later that he decided, he was fine feeling that way. It's fine to like your boss, he told himself.

 "If I wanted to… but I don't think I want to. Don't get wrong, it's not as if I wanted to push people away. It's just that… I don't think I need a lot of people in my life. I just need the few people I don't want to live without." It was easier that way. "Having many people in your life means more expectations. I only want the people I care about to have expectations on me. No one else." That's why he said she's his only company. "I'd tell you that you don't need to care on what other people think about you but I don't think that'll help" She wasn't wrong, the name Nordstroem will forever be etched, the affiliation will never go away. "I don't like seeing you sad. It makes me feel sad." Now, he wasn't sure if he said that out loud or whether he said it inside his head. He was so tempted to say he would be his brother if the circumstances were different; if he didn't like her enough to want to be more. 

"You'd be surprised to see what comes up when you google… Eleanora Nordstroem. Guilty as charged, I may have googled you…" his lips quivered slightly as he tried to pick up some valid excuses, "But that was only because my colleagues won't stop shoving your information in my face! I swear. I mean, not that I don't want to know more about you… it's just-" How come he was so easily flustered in front of her? "You are… a year older. Yeah." Now that she's said that, he was curious how long her relationships lasted, Julian tried to convince himself that it was just due to pure curiosity and not because he wanted to last longer than them. "How many boyfriends have you had? Or… girlfriends. If you don't mind me asking, of course." Stick with me, god why did those words come out of her? Why did you have to use those words, he cursed internally. 

He averted his gaze away and tried to busy himself by helping her, feeling another wave of relief washing over him once she changed the topic, "About the holidays? I like when I'm gathering with my family. It's very hard to see my sister. And when my parents could see her, they couldn't see me. So seeing us gathered in one place is not an easy thing for us to fulfill, holidays became the only time I could use that excuse and go back." It was clear that his bond with his family was tight; his and his sister even tighter. "And seeing people happy because it's that time of the year, wouldn't you feel happy too? You get to find an excuse to decorate your place and feel good about yourself. Couples would use that time to do something special for each other… sounds a bit cliche but I love that. You? There must be some festivity you like most right? What is it?" 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on March 8, 2020 at 17:38

She raised her brows a little in surprise of the way he described but allowed the comment to roll with a shrug of her shoulders “Well people would have to find a way to get to know me first” she knew she didn’t make that easy, most people she did her best to keep at arm’s length, honestly that was nearly everyone because she just didn’t want to let anyone in. It was that part inside of her that knew how badly people could hurt her if she let them past her walls. She looked at him for a moment and a small pang of realization hit her, it seemed like someone had found a way around them without her even noticing. “Is it bad that I don’t really know how I want to the world to see me?” she pursed her lips for a moment wondering what kind of person she wanted other people to see her as, honestly, she drew blank.

She shrugged a little when he said he didn’t like what she was implying “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with feeling particularly close with your mother” she admitted with a soft grin, honestly there was a part of her that really missed the part her mother had once played in her life and she definitely felt an absence in it now, there were moments when she just didn’t have anyone to talk to and she wished she had a mom who cared enough to hear what she said. Nora rarely ever spoke about her family or the feelings attached to them but somehow with him, it didn’t feel so hard to admit it.

She understood what he meant completely when he explained how he didn’t need to have loads of people in his life and he preferred a few important ones. She was more of the general rule of keeping herself from getting close with anyone at all, but perhaps a part of her knew deep down she was a little lonely and wanted someone to come knocking on those walls and not just walk away the moment they pushed back. It was complicated. “I think you’re smart to live that way” she admitted with a nod of her head, now she’d thought about it, he made a lot of sense, honestly a lot of the things he said gave her pause for thought. “I’ve gotten pretty good at putting my armor on and rolling with whatever they throw but” she nodded slightly “Maybe just once I’d like someone to be able to see it’s there” which was a vulnerable admission for her but she couldn’t live her life alone forever could she?

She widened her eyes a little when he said he didn’t like seeing her sad, the words were so quiet that it kinda sounded like he spoke it to himself than her so she didn’t say anything on it, but she did feel her heart pounding a little in her chest. Honestly, she had never heard anyone say anything that meaningful when it comes to her. So she would attempt to be happy today, for him. His admission that he Googled her made her chuckle softly “No doubt the tabloids debating my personal life more than anything about my actual achievements no?” she gave a playful roll of her eyes, she was so used to it by now. His defensiveness about searching her up was actually pretty sweet and made her give a somewhat playful grin “Well how about I let you have something none of those tabloids were allowed to have” she tilted her head slightly “An interview, ask me any questions you want to know” honestly she was curious what he would even want to know about her.

His question about her dating life made her shrug her shoulders “I guess you could say around 12 officially? Though most of them didn’t really make it past the 1-month mark, mostly because that’s when the new and exciting part wears off” she didn’t want to say specifically she wasn’t interested in real commitment back then because honestly, she cared about what he might think of her “And they were a mix of both, I’ve never been choosy” she grinned slightly wondering if anything she said tonight would send him running, she usually wasn’t this honest with people. She headed into the lounge, curling up onto the sofa and before long Cloud had placed himself in the spot on her lap he always did when she sat down, she smiled as he talked about his fondness for going home and seeing his family for the holidays “It must get pretty hectic with all of you in the same place huh? So much to catch up on” she was sure there was never a dull moment.

She pressed her lips together when he asked her what her favorite was “When I was a kid...it was getting to decorate the tree, my dad would get this really big tree from the farm to go in the front lounge and we would get to put all the decorations on ourselves, they always let me pick the colors” she averted her gaze to the empty room they were in, no tree. That memory had been too hard for her to handle and so she hadn’t really had one since.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on March 18, 2020 at 18:39

"It's definitely easier said than done. Little Miss Nordstroem is not so approachable but really, that's just people making excuses. If they really wanted to get to know you, they would've spared the effort." Like I am, he muttered internally. Yeah, that's not going out anytime soon. Who knows when she'd even let him live that one down. "Their loss." Because Nora is a wonderful person. "No… don't worry about it. Some people don't know what they want the world to see them and that's fine. It's natural to feel like that. Just remember, nothing you feel should be invalidated. It is your feelings, your choice. Your word, your end. Who cares what other people think, right?" All this time, she's always struck him as that kind of girl who doesn't give a damn about what people thought of her. There's that one other person who shakes the same; Scarlett Archer. Speaking of her, Julian wonders how she is doing now. 

"Yeah… I'm a mommy's boy, admittedly. She loves me. But that's probably because, unlike my stubborn sister, I actually follow the rules and do what she tells me to do instead of whining." He was definitely closer to his mother. He knew talking about family is not the kind of topic he should be talking about, especially with her, considering her family's history, but Julian also wanted to share the warmth he had. Sharing is caring, right? "I'm not sure if I was being smart or not, but I do know I'm just afraid. And sometimes, it's fine to be afraid, it reminds me that I'm still human" Being a Nephilim doesn't change that. At the end of the day, most of the supernaturals are half human anyway. His eyes softened visibly as he allowed himself to lean against the counter, blocking her a bit so she would look at him, "You don't always have to wear your armor on. If it makes you feel any better, I won't do that in front of you. I won't wear anything." That's a step of bringing in solidarity, they could go though this together. 

"I mean, not literally… of course I would still be wearing clothes because, uh, exhibitism is not me." Even with the said armor on, Julian wasn't sure if anyone else could see it too, but he does. He saw this facade Nora was trying so hard to uphold and all he wanted to do every time he sees her is to remove it and embrace her. Weirdly enough. But not less weirder than having a crush on your boss. "Unfortunately… yeah. There's a lot of gossip blogs… I never even knew they existed until I found them. Nasty stuff though. I'd don't bother to read after I read the first 10 words off the headline. Terrible journalism." The one they wrote and the one he sees at work, is so different he was so sure they were two different people. "I am kinda proud of it though. It means I know something about you that those people don't." Advantageous, that's another word he'd use. 

"Ah… an interview…" he chuckled heartily until he backspaced and realized what she just said, "Wait, did you just say you'd willingly give me a space to interview you?" It's a shame nobody's taking a picture of this worthy reaction he's wearing right now because Julian is beyond surprised. "Any… questions? Really?" The number 12 almost made him choke, but then again, he couldn't possibly be surprised, right? Nora is an attractive successful woman, hell he has a crush on her so why wouldn't anyone else have one? "And suddenly I felt so inexperienced in that department" he murmured sheepishly, he hasn't even had sex yet. "Are you easily bored? Is that why the relationships don't last as long? Or was it because of other factors?" he was genuinely curious, he wondered why it didn't last, but it was also a hint, maybe he could learn from this for the future. Just maybe. "Of course you'd attract girls too, why am I not surprised" he snickered lightheartedly. 

The dark-haired Nephilim trailed behind her and took a seat across Cloud, not sure who he should be resting his gaze at; him or his owner. "Kinda, but it's fun to see the looks on my parents' face. My sister and I fight a lot but we both love each other, you can't hide that on days like that." It was as if the space was suddenly shrouded by dark clouds of grey, just waiting to rain on them. He followed her gaze directed to the room and pursed his lips, "Christmas girl. It suits you. Mine is Thanksgiving. Happy occasion, people huddled up just to celebrate and nobody goes hungry." He wondered, has she decorated the tree? Before anything, Julian was up on his feet and his hand was outstretched to Nora, as if he was waiting for her to take it, "So what are we waiting for? Come on, we have a tree to decorate."

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