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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 9, 2009 23:15:06 GMT -5
Belle shuffled to the french doors that encased her balcony, looking outside for what was probably the seven hundreth time in the hour. She could barely see anything due to the darkness that had come early in the winter night, and the snow swirling just outside the window. She sighed, shaking her head and walking away again, going to to curl up on her couch, her slippered feet hanging over the end. She had told him not to come, with it being the first night after the full moon, but Belle had never felt more alone. Tomorrow was Christmas eve, and after that Christmas. A holiday she didn't much care for, either way. At least... not until Zeph had come into her life. After meeting him, she always had someone to spend holidays with, even when they were just friends.
"I hate snow." Belle sighed to herself, closing her eyes. She might just fall asleep on the couch, if it wasn't for her rather selfish wish that somehow- amidst the near blizzard that had been falling for two days now- Zephyr might show up. She knew she herself couldn't make the trek to his house, and she absolutely hated apparating, and therefore used it only in emergencies. Looked like it would be another night alone.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 10, 2009 0:07:24 GMT -5
Teeth chattering against the bitter wind, Zephyr adjusted the scarf wrapped around both his neck and lower face, thanking Merlin and the powers that be that the pile of cut wood he kept for use during the winter months was in his back yard and only about ten feet away from the back door. Making the chilling trek in close to three minutes, he gathered the logs he'd need for keeping the house warm later that night, then retreated back into the warmth and comfort of said house. The wood was stacked to dry out in the laundry room, and his heavy duty 'snow-trek' gear was also left there. Making it to the living room, he collapsed on the couch and stretched out across it, turning towards the fire still burning in the hearth.
It was a miracle that he was even moving around after the night he'd had. The full moon was always hell, but this one had been far worse. The winter months always made the transformation harsher on him, and for whatever strange reason it always had. Every individual werewolf was different in the severity of their transformations, and his seemed to be regressing rather than getting better. With it, his moods were also getting noticeably worse, and he would have been content to lie on the couch and brood for the rest of the night - but he remembered a vague promise to visit Belle some time before Christmas Eve.
Quick calculation in his head told him he was already over his limit by being at home, and he sat up with a sigh and ran a hand through his mess of hair. He didn't want to back out of that promise, but he felt as if he was coming down off of a very bad hangover and wanted nothing more than to curl up right by the fire and sleep as long as he could.
After over two years of friendship, it had become clear that Belle was usually the one to go out of her way to do anything Zephyr might need, even if he didn't specifically ask her to. More than once, the behavior had puzzled him. Why she put so much into their decidedly strange relationship was something always beyond his comprehension, but it wasn't in the cards for him to figure out right away. He knew, though, that she was worth keeping a promise for - he needed to see her. She had a knack for soothing away his roughest edges and helping him come down from the werewolf mindset.
Coming to a decision after a few moments of sitting and staring at the flames in the fireplace, Zephyr got up off the couch and went to pull on one of his heavier overcoats. He pulled on gloves and a rather thick scarf as well, then closed his eyes in concentration. Apparating to the street outside of her apartment building - for once not even a bit off of his mark - he glanced around at the street and wasn't surprised to see that there weren't very many people out in this kind of weather. He wasn't out in it himself for long before he was standing outside of her door. Pulling off his gloves to tuck them away in his coat pockets, he knocked lightly and then leaned against the doorframe, oddly hoping in the back of his mind that she didn't mind the look of hell warmed over that he was sporting.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 10, 2009 0:19:11 GMT -5
Belle looked up from the bottle of champagne she was opening when she thought she heard someone knock at the door. Since she was alone, she had planned to drink herself into oblivion so she at least wouldn't remember being alone. Setting the glass down, she rose to her feet. "Coming." She muttered more to herself, running her fingers through her tousled hair. She certainly didn't look her best, being in her pajamas and slippers, but she knew that no one would bear the mess of a storm outside unless they were extremely close to her, and therefore they had probably seen her in worse states.
Belle shuffled over to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open and blinking when she saw Zephyr. Well, looks like I got what I wanted. "You look...." She shook her head and moved aside, gesturing for him to come in. She didn't have a fireplace, and her apartment was a little drafty because of all of the windows. Her apartment had originally been the attic of the building, but the landlord had renovated it, adding in a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and a kitchen. "Cold." She finally finished, going and sitting on the couch as she watched him with concern clear in her eyes. "How are you?" She asked tentatively, her gloveless fingers beginning to fidget with the fabric of the quilt that was thrown over the back of the couch. Zephyr was the only person that Belle went gloveless around, and it was a sign of immense trust on her part.
She seemed to understand without even asking that this moon had been horrible on him, and she felt even worse for asking him to visit her. "Would you like me to make you something to eat?" She seemed oddly restless, as if she didn't know what to do for him, and it seemed to be deeply upsetting her.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 10, 2009 0:39:50 GMT -5
There was only a moment's wait for Zephyr before Belle opened the door, and the first thing he noticed about her was how she was dressed. It made him smile for some reason, and feel a little less bad about not looking his entire best. Having avoided mirrors since the hell of a night had ended, he didn't quite realize how bad he really did look. There were dark circles under his eyes to indicate a general lack of sleep and exhaustion, five o'clock shadow had set in on his face, and there were a few forgotten gashes caked with blood.
"Cold's one way to describe it, I guess." Following her inside, he unwrapped his scarf and set it down on the arm of the armchair next to the couch, then sat down and leaned foward to rest his elbows on his knees. Not missing how she seemed to radiate concern, he wasn't exactly surprised. "Worst transformation in a while, but I'll live." Rarely one to own up to just how bad his situation was, he again managed a smile as if trying to assuage her obvious fears. Swallowing against a throat raw from snarls, howls and growls, he considered the option of food and found that the thought of most of it turned his stomach. "Don't feel like I can keep down much more than broth or thin soup. If you have it.."
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 10, 2009 0:49:02 GMT -5
Belle knew as well as he did that he was understating things, but she didn't say anything, instead pressing her lips into a slight line. She rose to her feet, moving her hand in a curious motion as if she was going to reach out to touch him, but at the last second she clasped her hands together, making her look small and innocent. "I'll see what I can do." She said softly, going into the kitchen. She was pretty sure she still had some soup left over from the day before, but she thought she might want to check it first. Seeing there was indeed some left- quite a bit, in fact- Belle poured it into a pot to warm up.
She leaned against the counter, watching him as she waited for the soup to heat up. There were so many things she wanted to say right then, but she couldn't. Instead, she turned and pulled a bowl out of the cabinet, ladling the soup into the bowl and bringing it back to him, along with a glass of butterbeer. "Bon appetite." She said, her voice lacking some of her usual warmth. She seemed extraordinarily fidgety this evening, and her eyes were dark with concern and what might be sadness. She went back to her seat on the couch, pouring herself a glass of champagne, which she sipped on slowly, turning her head to watch the snow fall.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 10, 2009 0:57:57 GMT -5
Taking the bowl with murmured thanks, Zephyr kept his attention on it for a time, body finally deciding to remind him of how much he needed to eat. The warmth soothed his throat rather nicely, as well as the dull ache of hunger pangs that had decided to set in. He let a lot of things slip after the end of the cycle, including his basic needs.
Done with the soup before he really realized it, he glanced at the empty bowl and gave a soft chuckle, then stood up. "I'll take this to the kitchen and clean it out, then I need to..clean up a little." He finally seemed to have realized a little help was needed for his appearance, and also wanted to look better for Belle. He knew just as well as anything that she was genuinely worried..and there was something else he couldn't put his finger on. Whatever it was, he wanted to try and fix it.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 10, 2009 1:03:30 GMT -5
"Just put it in the sink- I'll take care of it." She returned her attention to him, tilting her head slightly as she studied him. He had a little more color in his cheeks, no doubt from the warmth of the soup. "The towels are under the sink." She said absently, gesturing to the bathroom. Though their relationship was platonic, it wasn't uncommon for them to keep clothes at each other's home, though Belle probably had more of a wardrobe at his place than he did hers, since she usually came over after the full moon to help him recover, or at least keep him company.
"I think you know where to find everything else." She offered him a slight smile, finishing off her champagne and heading into the kitchen to take care of the dishes. I'm such a coward.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 10, 2009 10:12:34 GMT -5
Finding the routine just the same as always, Zephyr reluctantly conceded the dishes to her. She rarely ever let him clean, so it wasn't something that really surprised him anymore. Slipping off to the bathroom, he went ahead and took a lukewarm shower - he never liked to waste the hot water, and the bathroom was thankfully warm enough to allow him to do it. Clean and a bit less chilled than he had been before, he dressed in the set of clothes he'd currently left over there - actually warmer than what he'd had on before. One glance in the mirror reminded him of the gashes to his face, so he went around the usual first aid methods and healed them magically.
Now clean, unhurt and healthier looking, he cleaned up the minor mess he'd made in the bathroom, then went back out into the living room to take up his former seat.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 10, 2009 10:34:53 GMT -5
Belle finished the dishes and went back to the couch, curling up on the end with her champagne glass. Feeling particularly restless, she gave up on the glass and was actually drinking out of the bottle when Zephyr came back. She looked up, taking in his much healthier, cleaner appearance and gave him a slight nod. For all Belle cared, he could have shown up at her house covered in mud, but she knew that he felt much better when he was clean and healed, so she was happy to see him that way. "Much better. Champagne?" She waved the bottle so that the much depleted inside sloshed.
She moved so she was sitting on her knees, her toes curled into the arm of the chair as she stared at him. Now. She swallowed and took another drink of champagne, unable to make her mouth move properly. Idiot. You've been quiet for two years now... what's next, fifty more? You're going to die alone. Her cheeks turning slightly pink in frustration she took another long drink and sighed.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 11, 2009 13:23:13 GMT -5
Regarding the bottle that was obviously being depleted rather quickly, Zephyr just kept his mouth from twisting - the smell of it wasn't that pleasing to his senses, as he was used to smelling firewhiskey, which definitely had a burning and sharp quality to it. "Er, no thanks." He replied with only a slight smile, now starting to wonder why she seemed so..distracted.
"Are you..alright? You seem like you have a lot on your mind." Half expecting her to deny it and change the subject, he waited to see if he was right this time.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 11, 2009 13:34:26 GMT -5
Belle looked up when he asked her, and she thought about saying no. "Actually... yeah." Belle put the bottle down and slid to the other side of the couch, leaning over the edge so that she was inches from him. Despite having drank almost the entire bottle, she still smelled like her usual scent of lilacs. "Zephyr...."
She got up suddenly, standing in front of him so that she was looking down at him, her eyes dark. Almost as if she was entranced, she leaned over and kissed him, all of her emotions pouring out at one time. This feels good.
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 13, 2009 11:16:58 GMT -5
Something was on her mind, and for once, she was actually owning up to it. By the time Zephyr realized how close she was, it changed - and in what seemed a blink, her mouth was against his. Already-muddled senses and a feeling of shock delayed his reaction, and when he was able to make his arms move, he took her by the shoulders and held her at arms' length. "How long?" He asked quietly, knowing full well that she'd understand the question.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 13, 2009 11:25:02 GMT -5
"A very long time." Belle said softly, staring at him. His hands on her shoulders felt like weights, keeping her in place, but she didn't mind. He tasted like something divine, something she had never had before. She wanted to do it again, but she wasn't sure he'd let her.
"Almost two years. The first time I cleaned your kitchen. I'm sorry."
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Post by Zephyr Carlisle on Sept 13, 2009 11:38:00 GMT -5
"What are you sorry for?" Her answer hadn't really surprised him, but the question did. Still retaining his grip, he didn't hold on quite as tightly at that point, hedging for what to say - and what to say. "This..I'm not angry or upset, I just didn't think you would feel this way." The admission finally came, and it was quiet.
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Post by Belle Hullett on Sept 13, 2009 11:46:17 GMT -5
"I- what?" Belle blinked at him, her green eyes clearly surprised. "Why wouldn't I, Zeph?" She raised a hand to his cheek, her touch gentle and more than affectionate. She had learned to block out the image of trees when she touched him, even though she hadn't managed it with anyone else. "I told you- I don't care if you're a hippogriff. You're my friend and... I love you." It felt good to finally say it.
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