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Post by Kyo Suzuki on Feb 8, 2010 1:01:19 GMT -5
Outfit HERE. The first thing Kyo had done after getting out of school was take a long, long nap. He'd set his alarm to go off approximately an hour and a half after he'd jumped into the bed, and even asked Danil to wake him up around that time, in the event it didn't go off or he subconsciously pounded on the snooze button. Any other time, he might have allowed himself to sleep away any after-school fatigue to wake up on time for dinner and late night homework (something he would probably never have gotten away with in Japan). But tonight was different. Tonight he had to be up because Nic's family was visiting. Kyo was both excited and nervous to meet Nic's father. He imagined the man to be as gentle and kind as his son, a good man. And yet Kyo also worried that the man would be strict. He would be concerned about where his son was staying and just who he was staying with. And Kyo could understand that. His father would be the same way. He would want only the best for Kyo. It was, after all, why he had picked Danil and Peter. Kyo almost wasn't ready for the buzz of the alarm clock but sat upright in the darkness anyway, his eyes half-closed. The moon was particularly bright tonight, and was casting silver rays of light through the window onto the bedroom floor. The bedroom door was open just a crack, filtering a narrow sliver of light into the room and revealing the round shadow of what had to be Vaska sleeping at the foot of the bed. He felt a little nervous for the dinner tonight--though Kyo imagined it would be better than ever. Sniffing, the scent of some of the best homemade food he'd ever had wafted through the air. What was he so worried about anyway? Linda? Kyo wasn't too happy that Nic's former girlfriend was joining them for dinner. He had never much taken to the college girl, and she had definitely not taken to him. In fact, from the moment they'd really met each other, all the way through chorus rehearsals together and up until now, she'd kept a rather snobby, cold attitude towards him. Kyo knew he wasn't entirely free of guilt either, considering he'd never really warmed up to, nor felt any good about her the moment she'd made Nic bolt from Cafe Mocha. It took considerable effort for Kyo to get out of bed--he was certainly groggy after what seemed an incomplete nap, but more than that, he was beginning to get more concerned--and after switching on the room's light, he closed the door to change into something a little more proper. Nic's dad probably wasn't expecting them all to be dressed in suits or anything, but Kyo was adamant about making a good impression. And he was guessing that his pajamas weren't going to quite suit. Opting for a simple pair of jeans and a multi-colored sweater, it wasn't long before Kyo was set to go. He took a deep breath at the door and left the room smiling. "Konbanwa, my family." Kyo suppressed a yawn and waved absentmindled to whoever was in the living room. "It smells yum-wah in here. Nic-o-san's otousan will be very happy, I think."
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Post by Angela on Feb 8, 2010 1:38:32 GMT -5
Danil and Peter made something relatively simple for dinner this evening, even though it was a special occasion, having their tenant's father over for a visit. James wanted to make sure his son was being looked after, which Danil and Peter could easily understand. So to honor his presence, Danil made some sesame chicken, while Peter made some special sausage, both hot and sweet links that could be put on freshly-baked buns. Danil also tossed a Mexican-inspired salad full of colorful vegetables, and Peter made some pepper steaks. Danil was hoping that his specialty, a Russian mushroom soup, would go over well. He had made it so rarely, he was nervous most of all about how well it would be received. For dessert, Danil made Russian form of biscotti. It was more moist than its Italian cousin.
Not only was James coming, but also a young woman whom Nic apparently had some history with. Danil could see it in his eyes when he spoke of her. But he wouldn't tell him what happened betweenthem. It worried Danil, but he wasn't going to force the young man to pour his soul out to him. Danil put Zoloto in the basement. She was such a big dog, being a golden retriever, he didn't want her to frighten James or Linda. Lucky and Vaska, on the other hand, were fine, so they could stay where they were.
Peter was sitting down, resting after he had finished with preparing the various dishes he had worked on, and relaxed, watching his usual SportsCenter. Danil, meanwhile, couldn't sit. He had to make sure that the house was spotless.
Hearing Kyo's voice from the hall, he turned and smiled lovingly. "Konbanwa, Kyosan," he said, bowing. We've been working very hard on dinner. I hope that Mr. Wu will be happy." He chuckled as Vaska stumbled behind Kyo, looking cranky. "Looks like someone's mad you got up. Was he sleeping on your feet?"
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 8, 2010 2:14:24 GMT -5
My Characters in the Scene
Character Outfits: i45.tinypic.com/2qxu9l0.jpgi49.tinypic.com/4ibvo3.jpgi48.tinypic.com/2guhytu.jpgNicholas knew exactly what day it was today. He'd been waiting for this day for many weeks now, having not gone to visit his father in quite some time. In fact, it had been a huge relief to know that James was alright. If he was willing to make the trip to Pittsburgh all on his own, then he had to be doing much better than he had been back in November. Nicholas wondered if he had finally gotten a job. He must have, by this point. Nicholas hadn't brought the subject up with his father because he didn't want to upset him. Though this was something that constantly weighed on Nicholas' mind. He'd spent the day at school, going from one class to the next, then heading out the the grocery store with a list of ingredients Danil had put together. Since he would already be out, Nicholas had offered to pick up some groceries for the dinner. After all, since it was his father and his....friend that the entire household would be accomodating, it only seemed fair that he pitched in some of his own time and money for this dinner. After getting the ingredients, he had gone home, arms full with bags of ingredients. He dropped these off in the kitchen, washed his hands and immediately set out with helping to wash, peel, and cut up the vegetables, then helped out with preparing some of the other dishes (though he hardly thought his own cooking skills were adequate enough). He followed this up by going about cleaning the house, starting first in his own room--making his bed, tidying up the books on his bookshelf and stowing away all the loose papers from his schoolwork. Then he'd headed downstairs, sweeping in all the main rooms and making sure the rest of the house looked tidy. It looked like someone had gone over the whole place with a mop earlier, so there was little left for Nicholas to do but finish dusting and then retire to his room for a bit, until the guests arrived. After a long shower to take away the stress of the day, he returned to his room, dressing into an outfit that he felt was formal enough--but not too formal--for the occasion, and did a little bit of his homework. He was still a little tense about having his father and Linda in the same building, let alone the same room. If James recognized Linda, there would definitely be a scene. But since she had insisted...And he hadn't wanted to leave her out, since she knew there would be a dinner... He stopped doing his homework for a moment, sighing and running a hand through his still-wet hair. He was going to have to pray very hard that James wouldn't recognize Linda. Because Nicholas sure had, the moment he'd seen her. And since what she'd done to him meant so much to his father, he was sure he could say the same of James. Please, he prayed to God. Don't let this turn out bad. Please.Feeling slightly better that he'd said a prayer, he decided to go downstairs to watch the door. Heck, though he trusted his dad to have good manners, he just felt the need to be the first one to the door. Even if he couldn't hear the bell, someone would come running, and he would know to open the door. Just to be safe, Nic pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message to his father. Hi dad,
Pls text when you get here. Love you.
Nic.He headed downstairs.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 8, 2010 2:30:15 GMT -5
Linda was actually thrilled for this moment. She'd gone a few places here and there with Nic, but she'd never really been invited to eat dinner at his house before. Not like this, with the whole family and a huge feast to boot. She knew it was because Nic's father would be in attendance--something made her just a tad uneasy--but she would be enjoying herself nonetheless. She was still a guest, after all.
It had taken awhile for her to decide on an outfit, but she eventually chose a simple but flattering white dress that she had purchased one Saturday afternoon, when she had really been considering why, after all the months she had been in Pittsburgh, she had not once gone on a shopping spree.
It looked like the dress would come in handy. She felt sure she looked beautiful in it. She'd even put her hair up and wore a black headband to match her black heels. Nicholas couldn't resist her when she looked like this, she was sure of it. She wondered if any of the other guys in the house would have been able to either, if they weren't already gay. As for the Japanese boy, well, he wouldn't understand beauty if it poked him in the eye. He'd been rude to her since the very beginning, and she had, admittedly, taking a disliking of him since the very moment she'd seen him. The way he was so close to Nic. That had been her once. She wanted to be in the Japanese boy's position again.
Having made sure to perfect her makeup, Linda didn't leave her house until it was quite close to the dinner. Technically, she didn't really think making an entrance was all that bad. And heck, Nic's father was coming all the way from Connecticut. Surely she would get there before him!
By the time she got to the Andropov household, the moon was shining brightly far above her. Although it didn't seem that far right now. Looking at it, she remarkable felt warm, despite the fact that it was still winter and she was wearing a dress. Up ahead of her was the large home she had begun to become familiar with. She glanced up at attic, knowing well now that that was where Nicholas lived, but the lights were off. They were probably waiting for her.
Taking a few crunching steps through the snow, she made her way up to the door and knocked. Who would answer? She didn't know for sure, but she knew who she wanted to answer. "Nicholas, Nicholas, Nicholas," she breathed to herself, praying she got her first choice. If it was the Japanese brat, she'd slap herself.
Hurry up here, I'm freezing, she thought to herself, hugging herself to keep warm and feeling a tad neglected that it was taking someone so long to answer the doorbell. She stamped her heels into the concrete beneath them.
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Post by Kyo Suzuki on Feb 8, 2010 3:14:16 GMT -5
Danil bowed, so Kyo returned the favor by bowing back lower. (In Japan, it was custom and respectful for younger people to bow lower than their elders or superiors). "Konbanwa, Kyosan. We've been working very hard on dinner. I hope that Mr. Wu will be happy."
Kyo sniffed the air again and clutched his stomach, which seemed to have come awake by the delicious scents wafting through the air. "I think he will be, Dan-o-san. He will be grateful to the hard work done and enjoy it, I am sure."
Kyo caught Danil peering around him at something and turned to find that Vaska, previously a ball of fluff nestled contentedly on his bed, had just emerged from the bedroom behind him, something of a grumpy look on his face. Kyo laughed.
"Looks like someone's mad you got up. Was he sleeping on your feet?"
Kyo was still laughing. "I do not know. I think I am so used to this now." Kyo stepped back into the living room to follow Vaska, and caught sight of Nic, who was looking particularly nervous about something. His dad? Linda? Probably that. He probably was worried what his father would think about Linda...
"Are you all right, Ni-ku-san?" Kyo hefted a rather fluffy Vaska up into his arms and pet what he was sure was a further cranky ball of fur. "If you are worried about what your family will think, do not be! We will be good hosts, I promise! Dan-o-san and Pe-tah-san have made such good food, and you know I won't do anything really crazy or anything like that. Your dad will like it here a lot."
Kyo considered mentioning Linda, then refrained. He wasn't sure he had anything good to say about her. He just hoped she wasn't the reason for Nic's unease, because in that case, there was little he could do to help.
At that moment, the ring of the doorbell resounded throughout the home, bouncing off the walls of all the different rooms, bearing an almost ominous tone to it. Someone had arrived. Someone, whether Linda or Nic's father, was here!
Kyo lowered Vaska into Nic's lap and saluted to him. "I will go get it and be a very good host. I will not disappoint!" He gave a huge smile in an attempt to make his friend feel better, and headed for the front door. Truth be told, he was pretty nervous himself about the arrival, however excited he may have been otherwise. He was almost confident the person behind the door was Wu-san, who Kyo imagined to be a lot like his own father. Stern, but loving, and most definitely on-time. Those thoughts had been the ones to spur him on.
Kyo was grateful for his sweater when he pulled open the front door to the home. The icy wind from outside went right through him, and he actually closed his eyes and took a step back from the feeling. When he finally got to take a look at the arrival, he almost wasn't surprised to find Linda. SHe would have the bearing of an Ice Queen, wouldn't she?
Kyo sighed. He'd expected Nic's father when he'd made his way for the door, otherwise he probably would have "made himself busy" in order to avoid any more encounters with Linda than need be. And this was all mostly because he'd expected that Wu-san was more likely to be on time than Linda.
A little unsure of what to say, Kyo glanced sideways, bowed slightly--no matter how much he disliked her, he really had no right to be outwardly rude--and stepped aside to let the college student by. But he didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say to her anyway. Every other time they'd been together, whether Nic or anyone else had been around or not, there had never really been nice things said, if anything at all.
Closing the door behind them, Kyo had to admit that that the seemingly selfish girl looked pretty. It was easy to see why Nic might have fallen for her, and easy to tell that she'd dressed to impress, but he still found the relationship between Nic and Linda ineffably awkward. He couldn't place why that was, and he doubted he ever would. Kyo hesitated, then sighing, finally said softly, "Everyone is this way." He moved past Linda back towards the way he'd come from, figuring the living room was probably the best place for the girl to go, since Nic was already there.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 8, 2010 21:25:24 GMT -5
It had to be bad luck that the person to open the front door was none other than the Japanese boy himself. What was his name again? Kyo? She'd never fully bothered to learn his name because she didn't like him all that much.
As promised, she mentally slapped herself for having to see him first. Where was Nic?
She heard the boy sigh and scrunched up her forehead, staring at him for a moment. Did he think he looked cute in that sweater? He just looked like a little geek to her. Wasn't doing much to break the stereotype that all Asians were geeks.
Although her Nicholas sure as hell wasn't.
She saw the boy bow, but otherwise say nothing, and a moment more and she would have told him off and just walked through the door. Did he really think she was just going to wait there for him?
"Thank. You," she said sassily, parading her way past him and searching the hallway for Nicholas. No sign of him. Great. Well, she'd make the Japanese boy busy, get him out of her way and go find Nic herself.
But it seemed Kyo knew what she was thinking.
"Everyone is this way." His voice was soft like Nic's, though for some reason she still found him annoying. She didn't say anything, only followed the boy down the hall. In a moment, she knew where she was being led.
"Living room, huh?" She said, stopping to take off her coat. "Thanks. Here you go," she added, tossing her coat into Kyo's arms and, not waiting for his response, making her way into the living room. That got rid of the little twerp for a while.
As she entered, doing her best to look pretty, she saw Nicholas sitting on the couch, looking a tad uncomfortable. The cat--whose name she'd never bothered to learn--was sitting beside him. It wore a slightly hostile expression, in her opinion.
But it wasn't like she cared.
Nicholas looked very nice, dressed in a simple beige jacket, a pink shirt and jeans. Formal, but casual at the same time. He looked up, and those same beautiful eyes pierced hers, as they always did every time they met. She didn't even notice the other man in the room. She only had eyes for Nicholas.
"Hello," she said, smiling and giving him a small wave.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 8, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5
Seeing no one in the hallway, Nicholas had made his way to the living room. He wasn't surprised to find Kyo and Peter there, Peter watching TV and Kyo happily playing with Vaska. Nicholas thought perhaps Danil was still cooking in the kitchen, and he considered joining him to help out.
No, don't, something told him. You'll just get in the way. And on top of that, he knew he had to watch out for the door. It was better to do so from the living room rather than the kitchen.
As Nicholas entered the living room, he saw Kyo reaching down to pick up the big cat.
"Are you all right, Ni-ku-san?" Kyo hefted a rather fluffy Vaska up into his arms and pet what he was sure was a further cranky ball of fur. "If you are worried about what your family will think, do not be! We will be good hosts, I promise! Dan-o-san and Pe-tah-san have made such good food, and you know I won't do anything really crazy or anything like that. Your dad will like it here a lot."
Nicholas smiled at Kyo's words, despite the nervousness that seemed to be keeping his stomach in knots. Was it that easy to tell that he was nervous about this? He hoped not. Then again, Kyo was a smart kid. He would notice if something was wrong with Nic.
"I know that, Kyo. I'm sure everyone will be really happy. I just..." He paused, not sure what he wanted to say. Sighing to himself, he took a seat on the couch near Peter, letting himself become lost in thought. He still couldn't quite pinpoint what was bothering him. Yes, Linda being recognized by his father would be bad thing, but there was something else...
He was still thinking about it when suddenly he felt something large and fluffy land in his lap. He looked up, surprised, to find that Kyou had dumped Vaska into his lap, giving Nic a small salute.
"I will go get it and be a very good host. I will not disappoint!"
There was a big smile on the boy's face as he suddenly launched himself out of the room.
Go get what? At first, Nic had no idea what the boy had been talking about. Then it occurred to him--could...could he have meant the door?
Nicholas sat up. Feeling stupid that he had so easily missed the doorbell ringing, he quickly picked Vaska up off his lap and set the feline down beside him on the couch. He smoothed out his pants and tried to look more alert than he was feeling, thinking it would be mighty awkward if this was his dad who had arrived, and he had not been first to greet him. He thought about getting up to go to the door as well, but then decided against it. Kyo would bring the guest here.
But who would it be?
He was given his answer only a moment later. There was a flash of white, as a slender figure appeared in the doorframe.
Linda.
She was smiling, her lips a bright red, her hair neatly tied up. She was wearing a very flattering white dress. Nic thought she looked beautiful, and he couldn't keep himself from blushing slightly. He felt a small twinge in his gut.
"Hello," she said, almost teasing as she gave him a small wave. Trying to smile in return, though feeling slightly choked, he gave her a wave back.
"Evening," he said softly in response. He stared at her for a moment, before realizing that he was completely forgetting his manners. "Uh--you remember Peter, right?" He motioned to his kind house mate, who had been sitting right near him. "Why don't you have a seat?" he added, quickly turning to pick up Vaska. Remarkably, the cat gave him an agitated look and dug his claws into the couch, rather than be moved.
Nic realized he was talking rather quickly and felt stupid. Hopefully he didn't sound as stupid as he felt. And...where had Kyo gone?
"My...my father hasn't arrived yet, right?" he asked Linda, getting up to let her have his seat.
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Post by Angela on Feb 9, 2010 3:43:52 GMT -5
Danil had prepared a platter of appetizers to serve before dinner: bacon-wrapped sausage, mango and chicken mini-kabobs, grilled shrimp with mango salsa, and small garlic breadsticks with marinara sauce. He also set up a special bar on the outdoor patio - which of course was enclosed and heated, but offeed a beautiful view of the backyard. They would eat everything there, but for the time being, Danil offered a small platter for the living room.
When the doorbell rang, Lucky, lying on Zoloto's bed in front of the blazing fireplace just below the TV, perked her head up and barked, but did not make any move to the door since she was still recuperating from her broken leg. Peter turned off the television and stood up when he saw Linda. He was dressed in designer jeans - Danil got them for him - and a light blue cashmere sweater. Danil got him that too. He chuckled at Vaska's indignancy when Nic tried to move him. Peter got up and sat in one of the other chairs so that Nic and Linda could sit together. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Peter continued, offering his hand to her.
Danil came in carrying the small platter. He was wearing designer jeans, a navy blue shirt and blazer.
"Hello, you must be Linda," he said, holding out the tray to her. It was a white platter with silver flourishes along the raised edge. "Nic has spoken very highly of you. I'm Danil. Would you like an appetizer?"
He raised his eyebrows. Where was Kyo?
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Post by Kyo Suzuki on Feb 13, 2010 4:19:56 GMT -5
Linda didn't disappoint. And she sure hadn't changed her ways. But still, Kyo tried to maintain some respect. Their relationship was the epitome of the pits, but for Nic, Peter, and Danil's sakes, he knew he had to at least try to be civilized with this woman. Even if she didn't want to be that way with him.
They hadn't even made it to where the others were before Linda spoke out, "Living room, huh?" and moved past him to take off her coat.
Kyo was silent for a moment, unsure of what he was expected to say, and found mere seconds later that nothing was fine. Linda didn't want him to say a word. She threw her coat into Kyo's arms--somehow Kyo caught it on time, thank goodness for quick reflexes--then with a rather snide look, departed for the main area of the living room.
Kyo grumbled under the weight of her coat. He got the feeling it weighed more than she did, and couldn't help wondering how she didn't collapse under it every time she wore it. Actually, now that that image was rolling around in his mind, Kyo couldn't deny how funny that would be. Linda putting on her coat every day, just to fall through the floor or something. He actually laughed out loud at the thought, allowing himself this one silent retort for his own mental health against this woman. Then he brought the weighty object to the hall closet.
As he was hanging the darned thing--it seemed to have a mind of its own, and that was set on not being hung up without sliding off the hanger first--Kyo heard some kind of conversation start in the living room, and he couldn't help feeling a little left out. He didn't know how much Linda liked his host parents--he'd never really seen the three of them interact--but by her falsely sweet tones to Nic, Kyo was willing to bet she could win them over too. He didn't want to look like some kind of jerk, being the only one in the house who thought there was something really wrong with Nic's girlfriend.
With the coat away, and knowing he was going to see Linda now whether he liked it or not, Kyo took a deep breath and returned to the living room area, just as Danil was offering Linda an appetizer.
Charmed by the thought of food, Kyo didn't waste a second to get back to the parlor. "I do, I doooo!" Moving past Linda and Nic right up to Danil, who was holding a tray of ridiculously yummy-looking goodies, Kyo beamed. "This looks amazing, Dan-o-san. Like master chef food. May I try one?"
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 14, 2010 1:07:40 GMT -5
Linda kept the same smile on her face, though she really felt like grinning. The look on Nicholas' face was priceless.
"Evening," he said softly in response. He stared at her for a moment, before realizing that he was completely forgetting his manners. "Uh--you remember Peter, right?" He motioned to his kind house mate, who had been sitting right near him. "Why don't you have a seat?" he added, quickly turning to pick up Vaska.
She nodded at his question about Peter, then nodded gracefully at the other man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Peter continued, offering his hand to her.
She graciously took his hand and shook it gently. "Same, of course," she said simply, still smiling at him.
She couldn't keep herself from laughing, upon seeing how stubborn the cat was being. And Nicholas, trying to deal with it. That was just cute.
"My...my father hasn't arrived yet, right?" he asked Linda, getting up to let her have his seat.
Linda found Nic's gesture so thoughtful, but Peter got up instead, so they could both share the couch. She smiled at Peter again, before moving to sit besides Nic. "I didn't see him," she answered truthfully, giving a small shrug. She tried to sound concerned, although she really wasn't. Right now, the last person she wanted to see--aside from that Japanese twerp--was Nic's dad, because she was sure he would recognize her.
At that moment, another person entered the room, and she recognized Nic's other housemate, Danil. Of course she knew that he was a famous skater, though she'd never watched skating in her life and didn't care about it in the least. But Nicholas had told her about Danil and how kind he was and...Well, as much as she didn't care, she could at least[ pretend to.
Danil was bearing a tray of positively delicious-looking appetizers, from bacon-wrapped sausage to mango and chicken mini-kabobs and much, much more. He too smiled at his guest.
"Hello, you must be Linda," he said, holding out the tray to her. It was a white platter with silver flourishes along the raised edge. "Nic has spoken very highly of you. I'm Danil. Would you like an appetizer?"
Linda felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Has he now?" she asked teasingly, looking from Nic to Danil. Nic seemed to be unable to meet her eye.
Realizing that she was being asked a question, she quickly cleared her thoughts and then added, "Ah, well, if everyone else is eating, then I suppose I can too. What have you got there?"
Truth be told, Linda could really eat when she wanted to. And looking at that food, that was exactly how she was feeling right about now. But of course, if no one else was gonna share with her, then she wasn't going to eat. Not by herself. Then she'd just look like a pig.
At that moment, Kyo returned. Linda smile subconsciously wilted a little. Not him again. She'd been so sure she'd gotten rid of him for a bit.
"I do, I doooo!" Moving past Linda and Nic right up to Danil, who was holding a tray of ridiculously yummy-looking goodies, Kyo beamed. "This looks amazing, Dan-o-san. Like master chef food. May I try one?"
Linda almost gagged at the Japanese boy's words. Wow,what a suck-up, she thought, rolling her eyes and feeling a little annoyed that it had been the kid who was first to want to eat. Why couldn't Nic or Peter have taken a snack first?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there...Save some for the rest of us, kid--er, Kyo, alright?" She made a joke out of it, though of course she knew that the Japanese boy knew exactly why she was saying what she was saying. She smirked at him, before looking back at Nic, Danil, and Peter. "He's got a big appetite for being so skinny, doesn't he?"
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Post by Angela on Feb 21, 2010 18:03:38 GMT -5
Danil chuckled at the teasing by Linda, smiling towards Kyo. "Nothing wrong with a big appetite," he said with a smirk. "We love to cook here, that's for sure. May I offer you something to drink?" he asked Linda. Once Kyo and Linda had some appetizes, Peter took a shrimp and dipped it in the salsa, smiling as he tasted it in his mouth.
"Delicious, dorogoy," he complimented. Danil smiled proudly, and tried one himself.
"That was the first time I ever made that. It did turn out well," he said after he tried it himself. He set the plate on the coffee table. "Drinks?" he offered again.
"I'll have a white chocolate espresso martini," Peter said. Danil nodded, and looked to Linda.
"We can offer you something from the bar, or we can offer you hot or cold tea, coffee, water, juice, or Pepsi or something," Danil told her. "Kyo, what would you like?"
Before either of them could answer, however, Danil looked back to the foyer as the doorbell rang.
"Hold that thought. Peter, would you mind?" he asked, and Danil went to answer the door.
"I can take you back the the bar, if you want something from thee," Peter told Linda.
As he walked through the foyer, Danil thought about Linda. She seemed interesting, but there was still something about her that didn't seem right. He wondered why he felt this way; after all, he didn't know her. The girl seemed nice, so why did he think she could be otherwise? She was respectful, albeit quiet...
Well, I'm sure it's nothing, he thought, and opened the door.
"Hello," Danil said with a smile to the man at the door. "You must be James. It's a great pleasure to meet you. Please come in. May I take your coat?" he asked.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 21, 2010 19:21:04 GMT -5
ooc: I think this post will be a mix of Nicholas', James', and Linda's POVs, if possible! ic: "Nothing wrong with a big appetite," he said with a smirk. "We love to cook here, that's for sure. May I offer you something to drink?" he asked Linda.Linda, now reaching for one of the kabobs, paused for a moment. "What have you got?" she asked sweetly, using her long fingernails to pull a juicy piece of mango off of the kabob. She listened to the conversation exchanged between both men, before hearing Peter's choice of drink. "That sounds good," she responded, nodding in Peter's direction. She was about to say that she'd like one of those martinis as well, when suddenly Danil was interrupted. "Hold that thought. Peter, would you mind?" he asked, and Danil went to answer the door.
"I can take you back the the bar, if you want something from there," Peter told Linda.Linda paused again, still smiling but trying to think quickly. Personally, she didn't want to leave Nic behind here, but she didn't want to come off as a bad guest. Maybe she could see if Nic wanted to come with them? And they could finally leave the brat, who was still stuffing his face with Danil's appetizers, behind... But suddenly Nic had jumped up. "Where did Danil go?" he asked quickly. Linda was startled. "The doorbell rang. He's probably going to get it." She was about to ask Nic if he wanted to join her and Peter, but the college student suddenly looked troubled and dashed out of the room. "Um..." She paused again, unsure of what was going on. Was he really that worried about people meeting his dad? "...OK," she finally said, feeling a little bitter that she'd been left with bratty boy and Nic's host's husband. Oh well. She'd made this work. "Sure, let's go get a drink." It looked like she was going to need it too, if Nic was gonna be this tense all night. * * * Nicholas had been lost partly in the conversation and partly in his own mind. Why did he always get like this when he was around Linda with other people? This time, he felt even more tense than usual. Maybe that was because of his father too. Yeah, that had to be it. But he felt like he was being such a bad host. Good thing Danil and Peter were keeping Linda busy with conversation--Nicholas wasn't sure what to say. It was because he was still dwelling on this that, for the second time, he stupidly missed getting to the front door on time. He hadn't immediately noticed Dani leaving the room, had instead been thinking about a good topic to start with Linda, when he suddenly looked up and saw that the other man was gone. "Where did Danil go?" he had asked, turning to Linda quickly and fearing her answer. Linda had looked a little surprised. "The doorbell rang. He's probably going to get it."His heartbeat quickening, Nicholas didn't even pause to thank her. He quickly got up and dodged out of the room, into the hallway. But he was too late. Because he could see now that Danil had already opened the door. The outline of a taller figure stood just outside it, and Nicholas knew. It was his father. * * * "Hello," Danil said with a smile to the man at the door. "You must be James. It's a great pleasure to meet you. Please come in. May I take your coat?" he asked.It had taken a few hours for James to arrive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had been saving up his money for this trip. It wasn't often that he got to see Nicholas, and yet while Nicholas had come to visit him several times during his two semesters at Penn State, James had not come to visit him once. So he had finally saved enough to make this visit. And see his son again. It had only been a month and a half or so since they'd seen each other, but that was enough time for James. James was glad that his son was finally in college and doing well, but he always missed Nicholas. Especially at night. It just felt lonely to be alone in their Connecticut home. No He Bei, no Nicholas... He'd never fully realized how much he depended on the boy. It was much colder in Pittsburgh than it had been in Connecticut. James shivered in the cold and had made his way from the train station to Nicholas' host's home. He'd felt his cell phone going off in his pocket, but had ignored it for the time being, set on getting to the home as quickly as possible. He was probably already late. When he reached the address Nicholas had provided him with, he stopped just to marvel. The house was huge--almost like a mini-mansion of sorts. This place was beautiful, away from the noise of the city and surrounded by a nice tree-filled area. What a nice place, James thought, unable to help admiring it. Nicholas got lucky to live here.And so he had made his way to the door, rang the bell, and waited to be received. The man who answered the door couldn't have been much older than Nicholas' age. He smiled at the sight of James, and James smiled back. "That I am," he said happily. He could already smell something delicious, and it made his mouth water. Boy, it had been a long time since he'd had a good meal. "And you must be..." James took an educated guess. "...Danil? Ah, thank you--" he added, stepping in so the door could be shut. He was just struggling out of his big, rather shabby overcoat (he'd need to get a new one soon) when he looked up and saw another person at the end of the hall. Nicholas. As usual, Nicholas' face wasn't exactly readable, but James could certainly understand how he was feeling based on the look in the boy's eyes. Worry, concern, some fear...Was that look meant for him? Pretending he hadn't noticed it, James smiled. "Thank you so much, young man. This is very kind of you," he added, gently handing his coat off to the boy who had answered the door. Then, he turned to his son. "Nicholas," he said simply, smiling wider and holding out his arms to his son.
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Post by Angela on Feb 21, 2010 20:44:57 GMT -5
Peter took Linda to the patio, where a nice area was set up for the bar, decorated simply but elegantly. Thee, he made the martinis.
"So..." he said, but his voice trailed off.
Danil nodded. "Yes, that's right, I am Danil Andreievich Andropov. Just call me Danil or Danil Andreievich." He smiled as he saw Nic. "I'll leave you two alone." He left the foyer and went back to the living room. Kyo was sitting alone, looking slightly down.
He must be upset Peter and Linda left him, Danil thought.
"James is here," he said redundantly as he stood in front of Kyo. "Is Peter getting you something to drink?"
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Post by Kyo Suzuki on Feb 21, 2010 22:37:31 GMT -5
When Danil gave his approval, Kyo ended up taking not one, but a few delicious-looking treats from the tray, none of which he was sure he could confirm by name. He was more of a "if it looks good, it'll taste good" type eater. Then he stepped back, grinning at his caretaker. "Thank-ah you, Dan-o-san." A second later, the snack was in his mouth, and he closed his eyes, still beaming. "Yum-wah!!"
He didn't catch the smug look on Linda's face, but he did hear her words loud and clear.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there...Save some for the rest of us, kid--er, Kyo, alright?"
Kyo opened his eyes and just stared at her, closing one hand over the other, which was holding the other two snacks he had taken, as if eager to protect them from the evil death rays that girl could shoot from her eyes. Linda was feigning innocent amusement, but Kyo could tell she'd really just made a jab at him.
In fact, she looked his way, smirking, before glancing at the other guys. "He's got a big appetite for being so skinny, doesn't he?"
Kyo swallowed one of the delicious treats and refrained from going for another, at least while Linda was so adamant to point out his eating habits.
Danil just chuckled at Linda's words, and Kyo pouted. He didn't seem to have the same bitterness about Linda that Kyo did. For that reason, Kyo felt a little bad and looked down at the floor. Maybe he really was overthinking things and being the rude one here....He was actually expecting Danil to dislike Linda right from the get-go, just so he could feel like he wasn't the only one? That seemed pretty heartless.
"Nothing wrong with a big appetite. We love to cook here, that's for sure. May I offer you something to drink?"
As the others continued talking, Kyo looked at the snacks in his hand and sighed. He didn't understand what about Linda had Nic so intrigued. In fact, she seemed like the type of girl who Nic would avoid. Like the kind of girl who just wanted someone for their money or something. Linda did want something from Nic, that was obvious, but Kyo wasn't sure if it was really because she liked him or for another reason.
"Kyo, what would you like?"
"EH!?" Kyo looked up to see everyone looking his way, waiting for an answer. "Ano..."
Ding Dong!
Saved by the bell. Kyo actually sighed as the sound of the doorbell rang through the foyer and into the living room. Danil looked in the direction of the front door.
"Hold that thought. Peter, would you mind?" Then he made his way out of the living room and into the foyer.
"I can take you back the the bar, if you want something from thee," Peter told Linda.
Kyo turned his attention back to the girl to see what she would do--he preferred not to follow Peter if Linda was going to do the same, and also, he wanted to meet Nic's dad and introduce himself, maybe tell him just how highly he thought of his son. Nic had been a good friend to him from the moment they had first gotten to spend time together, and Kyo was certain that with all the other hardships life threw people's ways, Wu-san probably wouldn't mind the thought at all!
As if hearing Kyo's thoughts, Nic leapt up from his spot. "Where did Danil go?" He sounded rather frantic.
Kyo, mouth now full from one of the other snacks, gestured in the direction of the front door.
"The doorbell rang," Linda explained. "He's probably going to get it."
She looked a little unnerved as Nic tore from the room, and actually, even Kyo was a tad surprised. "Uwaa, he sure loves his father," which came out sounding more like, "Uwaa, 'e er uvs iz fazzer."
"Sure, let's go get a drink."
"Waaaah!" Kyo swallowed the rest of his second snack all in one giant gulp and sighed, pointing to his nose to signify he meant himself. "I will stay here and be a profess-ornal greeting person!" Kyo waited until Peter and Linda had disappeared from the room, then tossed a large piece of shrimp into his mouth.
Kyo could hear voices in the foyer, and he started wondering what Nic's dad would be like all over again. He was still as nervous as ever about meeting the man--he didn't want to seem rude or like a bad exchange student brother for Nic to have--but he got the strong feeling that Wu-san was tender and loving like Nic. He got the feeling the man was a hard worker and would have the same good nature as his son.
Kyo started chewing really slowly. His thoughts had drifted to Nic's situation....his deafness. How did Wu-san cope with it? What had he been like when he'd found out his only son was deaf? Kyo knew his own father would have been beyond distraught had his son been born deaf...Not because he pitied him or thought it would make him less of a person, but sounds....the beauty of music.
Kyo lowered himself onto the now-empty couch, chewing more and more slowly. How did Nic do it? How did he live without being able to hear the beauty of music? Music was a large part of Kyo's own life, and he knew that if he ever lost the ability to hear it, he would go mad...
Kyo leaped up from the couch as someone entered the room. "Nass to met yuuu."
He swallowed his food and was instantly glad that it was Danil, not Nic's dad, standing in front of him. So much for wanting to be a professional greeter. Here he was, loitering on the couch with his mouth full and looking glum.
"James is here," he said redundantly as he stood in front of Kyo. "Is Peter getting you something to drink?"
"Ahhh, hai!" Kyo looked in the direction Peter and Linda had disappeared in, then turned back to Danil, nodding. "I think so..."
Moments later, Peter and Linda returned, and Peter had, in fact, gotten Kyo something to drink. A nice Shirley Temple to be precise.
Kyo accepted the drink with a thank-you, bowing his head slightly. "Shirley must have been the prettiest girl to get a drink named after her." He took a sip and waited for Nic and his father to appear, suddenly a little more nervous about the meeting if only because Linda was back in the room with them.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Jun 23, 2010 22:12:12 GMT -5
Linda hadn't had too long of a conversation with Peter when she had gone with him to get the drinks. Their conversation mostly consisted of "Let me get that for you" and "Thank you". The truth was, she really didn't have anything to say to anyone here, with the exception of Nicholas, of course. But that didn't mean she could be rude. If she wanted to keep up appearances, she was going to have to get on Nicholas' host family's good side. She watched silently as Peter prepared Kyo's drink, taking a sip of her own martini, then followed the smiling man back into the living room. Kyo and Danil were there, but Nicholas had not yet returned. Linda pouted, feeling very much out of her element. Where had he gone? Maybe she could make herself busy with her martini. She began to pace around the room, looking up at the photographs on the walls and pretending to examine them. "Shirley must have been the prettiest girl to get a drink named after her."Linda was unable to keep herself from snorting at Kyo's comment, the martini nearly coming out of her nose as a result. She was tempted to say out loud that, in that case, there ought to be a Linda martini, but she figured that probably wouldn't go over well. Instead, she continued moving around the room, stopping in front of a picture that had to be from Danil and Peter's wedding. The two looked so content together. It wasn't that she was a homophobe, but she couldn't see the attraction between them. She'd never really understand how two guys (or two girls, for that matter) could ever be in love. But not wanting to insult her hosts, she put on a fake sweet smile and pointed out the picture. "This is absolutely adorable, you two." She took another sip of her martini and tried to will Nicholas back into the room. * * * Nicholas froze. As his father stepped through the doorway, into the light, he could see that James was having a small conversation with Danil. Just as Danil was helping James out of his coat, the older man looked up, his eyes meeting with Nicholas'. James looked very happy. Happy to see his son again. And yet, Nicholas wondered if that look would remain, once he saw Linda. "Nicholas," he said simply, smiling wider and holding out his arms to his son. "I'll leave you two alone," came Danil's response. He left them alone, smiling as well. When they were alone, there was a further pause. Nicholas wasn't quite sure how to convey his nervousness or other feelings, so instead of saying anything, he moved forward to give his father a big hug. His father held him tightly for a long while, rubbing his back, one hand against the back of his head. Nicholas' own hold was rather loose in comparison, but not purposefully. His mind was on too many things at the moment. But he allowed his father to hold him for a little bit, because he knew that even a month and a half of not being together would feel like forever for James. And not to mention, even as tense as he was, Nicholas felt slightly comforted by his father's embrace. When they finally let go of each other, James held onto him by the shoulders, staring into Nicholas' eyes with a big smile on his face. "Well, Nicholas. It's been a long time." Despite his father's words and the smile on his father's face, Nicholas could now see some concern in James' eyes as well. was James able to read Nicholas as easily as Nic could read him? He felt like kicking himself. If he'd already made James suspicious, it was his own fault. "Yeah," was all Nic could think of to say. He looked away for a moment, trying to regather his thoughts and compose himself. Everything Nicholas was feeling...surely James had been able to see it in his eyes. "Why......why didn't you answer my text?" he asked his father, looking up once more after closing his eyes for a moment, in order to focus. James stared at him for a moment, trying to remember. What text? Then it occurred to him. His phone had gone off on the way up, hadn't it? But he'd neglected to answer because he'd been so set on getting to the house on time. "Ah, so that was you?" James shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't answer it because I was trying to get here early. What was it about?" Nic paused for a moment, before shrugging. It seemed like such a stupid message now, especially since it hadn't even worked. "Nothing important," he replied honestly. His dad smiled and put an arm across his shoulders. "Then, should we join the others?" He motioned in the direction Danil had gone. "Don't wanna keep anyone waiting." Nicholas just nodded and began to lead the way to the living room, dreading what might happen. "Beautiful place you're living in," James said, whistling at the sight of the foyer alone. This place was undoubtedly a mansion compared to their humble home back in Connecticut. He wondered how Nicholas had adjusted to such a change. As he followed his son to the living room, he could sense that something was very definitely wrong. Something had Nicholas worried, although he couldn't guess what yet, exactly. Was he worried that James might embarrass him? Well, I'll try my best not to do that, James thought to himself. He stared down at his son, just as they reached the room. The boy was looking down at the floor, as if unsure of what to do or say. Nicholas had always been quiet, but this was just strange. But there was nothing James could do or say about it at the moment, because he then realized--as they entered the massive and equally impressive living room--that this was where all the guests were. There were four others in total. Danil, whom he had already met, another young man about Danil and Nic's age, whom he guessed must be Nic's other host, Peter. Then there was a younger Asian boy, whom James thought must be Kyo, the Japanese boy whom was also staying with Danil and Peter, and whom had become a very close friend of Nic's. Last was a very beautiful girl in a white dress, who was staring, not at him, but rather at Nicholas. Something about the girl seemed very familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Still wearing a large, goofy grin, James kept up his happy appearance and nudged Nicholas. His son looked up at him with dark eyes, but James appeared unfazed. "Well, are you going to introduce me?" he asked teasingly.
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Post by Nicholas Wu on Feb 5, 2011 13:20:41 GMT -5
Nicholas was nudged out of his thoughts by his father's playful punch against his shoulder. He looked up. The older man still seemed quite cheerful. Maybe James hadn't noticed anything was wrong. Maybe all Nicholas needed to do right now was just relax. He was getting too worked-up about this. And the truth was, he hadn't even given his father a chance yet. "Well, are you going to introduce me?""Oh--" Nic stopped for a moment, looking at the others in the room, and then nodding. "Well, you've already met Danil," he spoke, motioning to the head of the household, the family celebrity. "And that's Peter, my other host, and Kyo, from Japan." He paused, his eyes straying from Kyo, to Linda, who seemed to have been exploring the room. His eyes met hers, and he quickly looked away. There was a smile on her face too, too beautiful for him to focus on right now. He wondered what she was thinking right now, how she felt about his dad being here. He didn't want to say her name, was truly afraid that James would recognize her--but he knew he had to. He couldn't just ignore her. "And that's Linda," he said, trying to sound casual, now motioning to the only female in the room. There was a short moment of palpable silence, one that felt longer than necessary to Nic, who held his breath in wait of his father's response. * * * James stared at the other people in the room, a smile still on his face. He'd only heard good things about Danil and Peter, and the exchange student from Japan. They'd all treated his Nicholas very well. The girl, he didn't know--Nic had never mentioned her. Although she was very beautiful, and something about her still seemed oddly familiar... "How do you do?" James smiled, moving forward to shake hands with the other members of the household, starting with Danil. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Nic's told me how kind you've treated him."
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Post by Angela on Feb 5, 2011 14:00:27 GMT -5
Danil smiled and shook James' hand. "The pleasure is mine. Nic is a wonderful tenant. If I may say, you did a wonderful job raising him."
Peter grinned and shook James' hand next. "Nice to put a face with a name! How are you?" he asked. "Nic's told us nothing but good things about you too." That was slightly false; Nic had hardly said two words about his father.
"And a face with a voice," Danil joked. He went over and got the appetizer platter. "Would you like something to eat, something to drink? We have a bar set up on the enclosed patio, which is also where we'll be dining this evening."
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Post by Kyo Suzuki on Feb 5, 2011 15:20:06 GMT -5
Kyo had barely finished sipping his Shirley Temple drink before Linda came out with one of her snide retaliations. He looked up as the girl snorted, but the moment was fairly short-lived. No sooner had she made her point that she thought everything about Kyo, down to the fact that he breathed, was an annoyance to her then she moved for a photo of Danil and Peter together at their wedding.
"This is absolutely adorable, you two."
So she was a professional suck-up too. Kyo rolled his eyes, then silently scolded himself. Whether or not Linda was telling how she really felt, he really didn't have the right to act coldly towards her. At least not tonight, when she was here as his good friends, Nic, Danil, and Peter's guest. Anyway, if this was the only time he had to see her, he could manage, right?
Just one night, Kyo told himself, sighing. Just one night.
He heard muffled voices coming from the front entrance to the home and cast a look in the direction of the doorway to the living room. No sooner had his gaze moved there, then suddenly Nic returned. With his father.
The man was far less intimidating than he might have imagined. In fact, there was something very jovial-looking about the man, as though he was ready to burst into laughter at any second, the kind of guy who had tons of friends and made time for all of them. He was...well, to be honest, he was quite a bit different in first appearance from his more quiet, reserved son.
Kyo straightened up a bit and cast a quick glance over his clothing to make sure he hadn't spilled anything or had any crumbs on them. When he looked up again, he saw James looking from one member of the household to another, stopping to glance at Linda perhaps a bit longer. The look that crossed his face then was interesting. Maybe he also thought Linda was Nic's girlfriend? Kyo felt like pouting at the idea.
But all the unpleasantries aside, James really did look like a fun guy. He looked quite a bit like his son too, in Kyo's opinion, minus the obvious differences in personality.
James looked to his son, still grinning. "Well, are you going to introduce me?"
As Nic proceeded to introduce all of them--he seemed almost lost in thought himself, for a moment--Kyo bowed when his name was mentioned.
"It is really nice to meet you, Mr. Wu. Ni-ku san is really good to me and a good friend." He smiled, though he actually felt nervous again as James approached. He wanted to make a good impression. No, he needed to. Needed to show Nic was living in a good environment, with good people....Plus he was kind of like a junior ambassador for Japan. He wanted people to think good things about his home country, not bad, in the event he made a fool of himself.
As Danil and Peter exchanged pleasantries with Nic's boisterous father and mentioned the dining area for the evening, Kyo realized he also felt quite a bit as though he was just standing around, not doing anything to help anyone out. And more than that slightly nagging feeling, he felt really disappointed with Linda around. As much as he wanted to grin and bear it, her presence in the room made everything much less special than he was sure it was capable of being. He wouldn't say that out loud--heck, he knew he shouldn't even be thinking it--but she just didn't seem like she genuinely wanted to be here for the dinner. Not for the dinner. For Nic maybe, but even that seemed forced. Kyo couldn't place his finger on it; it just made him uncomfortable.
The exchange student moved over to Danil once his caretaker was done speaking with Mr. Wu, beginning to feel as though he was only getting in the way. "Danyaru-san...." He set his drink down onto a nearby surface and turned to his primary guardian. "Is there a thing I can do to help out? I feel like extra weight...."
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Post by Angela on Feb 10, 2011 10:59:49 GMT -5
Danil smiled lovingly at Kyo's politeness. "That's quite all right, Kyo. Right now, we're just going to sit and talk for a while, and go out to the patio for dinner in about fifteen minutes," he explained.
He turned to Linda. "So, Linda, are you a student? What do you do for fun?"
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