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Post by Linneus on Sept 20, 2012 0:39:18 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY ( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tea could be an art. Linneus wasn't too particular about the kind of tea as long as it could be made well. "Well" being almost entirely contingent on how sweet the tea was. (Once, Xanthe had brought him a case of sweet tea - what an experience that was!) If he steeped it for the right amount of time (five minutes for white tea, four for green) and then added the right amount of cream and sugar (more sugar than cream) he could make a near perfect cup of tea out of anything.
As Linneus started out toward the entrance of the house, he reflected on how people could be like that. Take a bitter person like, say, Xanthe. Black tea. Perhaps an oolong. Bitter and sharp. A shock to the system. That you couldn't let steep and brood for more than three minutes. Black tea needed plenty of sweetness to make it palpable. But black tea was delicious when brewed correctly.
Linneus smiled at the thought and sipped his tea. He checked the clock on the wall. Nearly two hours before his appointment with Gilder.
Gilder. The thought of him was a warm, safe feeling spreading through his chest. Gilder was an Irish Breakfast tea. Quick to brew. Definitely needed cream, too strong to go without cream, but smooth enough that it didn't really need sugar. Linneus paused, thinking of how Gilder's mouth had tasted vaguely of alcohol. Bourbon or something like it. Maybe whiskey. So perhaps a splash of liqueur would go into Gilder's personified tea. Or two. He sensed Gilder enjoyed his luxuries, all things considered. Linneus laughed softly into his cup, steam billowing up around his face from the excess air.
Linneus scrolled through the other people in the house. Claret would be a fruit tea. Sweet and whimsical, nothing needed to be added to a nice strawberry or orange tea. Rory would be a light, pearl Jasmine. Sweet and simple, but not overbearing (though Linneus wouldn't mind adding some honey). Lilith was...Lilith was peony tea. He frowned slightly at the thought. Beautiful. Elegant. But bitter. Bitter in an odd, biting way.
He was still trying to settle on the right tea for Mercutio (something odd, a little overbearing, colorful) when he bumped into Axis on his way to the couches beside the stairs. Tea sloshed over the rim and onto its saucer, nearly making its way toward the floor had he not maneuvered it in time. "Sorry, Axis, I wasn't watching where I was going." He smiled slightly, tilting his head. "Between appointments?"
Linneus and Axis didn't speak often, but Linneus enjoyed his company as much as he did any other's. Axis was a bright presence in the house. Vivacious and fiery. A chai tea. Good on it's own, but...well, Linneus wasn't one to turn down a sweetened chai latte.
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! 475 words STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Sept 20, 2012 19:12:35 GMT -5
Had Axis known that Linneus was currently comparing him to a type of tea, he would have been very confused. Axis didn't know much about tea. Too fancy for him. He much preferred coffee or a strong shot of something alcoholic. Though he didn't know it, Axis's attitude toward various beverages was very much like that of Atros's father -- coffee was for Manly Men and tea was for Everyone Else.
Whiskey was for Manly Men too.
He huffed and frowned at Linneus. "Maybe you oughtta watch," he said. "I just had this shirt washed and my afternoon appointment loves it!" Actually, she probably just loved taking it off of him. The ratty thing was so full of safety pins it would have been impossible for her to touch him with it on. But Axis thought she loved it, so he wore it almost every time she came to visit.
He flopped down on a couch and stretched out, taking up the whole thing so nobody else could sit there. "Yeah, got most of the day free," he said. "What about you?"
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Post by Linneus on Sept 20, 2012 21:38:09 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
In the years that Linneus had known Axis, he'd never known him to delicately side step situations. It was definitely admirable in a way. Linneus tended to avoid the issue, sugar coat things, feign a more palatable emotion in favor of its tougher, less savory counterpoint. Axis, on the other hand, seemed to put it all out there. Certainly, Linneus supposed, Axis had his own emotions that he liked to hide behind his brash exterior. But it was a different sort of mask. The sort of mask Linneus admired in a sense.
"Maybe you oughtta watch, I just had this shirt washed and my afternoon appointment loves it!"
Linneus looked over his shirt, suppressing a smile. He wasn't entirely sure a shirt so holey could withstand a washing, but he wasn't about to point that out. Instead, he sipped demurely on his tea and watched Axis sprawl out over the couch.
"I'm terribly sorry," he said lightly, but wasn't quite sure Axis caught it since he didn't respond.
"Yeah, got most of the day free, what about you?"
Linneus perched on the arm of the adjacent chair. "I have an appointment in a few hours. I thought I'd caffeinated ahead of time. Keep my energy up." He lifted his tea in demonstration. "The kettle is still hot on the stove if you want some."
He sipped at his tea some more, considering finishing it in his room before he spoke up again. "Claret tells me that you had an unorthodox visitor the other day. He payed for a double visit?"
He was, of course, referring to Rhys. Claret had told him a few nights ago (in her usual bubbling overflow of information) about the incident. Her expression when she described the prince "simply bursting through the door" was engraved in Linneus' memory. As if the sheer, scandalous horror of it all was not to be bourn. Linneus laughed softly into his tea.
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! plenty STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Sept 21, 2012 18:56:34 GMT -5
"I don't know how you think that colored water of yours is going to do anything, let alone keep your energy up," Axis replied. He shifted a bit so he could fish in his pocket for a beat-up pack of cigarettes and an equally beat-up pack of matches, then selected a cigarette from the pack and popped it between his lips to light it before tossing the spent match aside and putting the matchbook and cigarette pack back in his pocket. "You'd get about as much energy from water. You should have coffee if you wanna be energized." He blew a puff of smoke out and eyed Linneus through is as it slowly dissipated. "Don't wanna disappoint Gilder by falling asleep under him."
He may have been expecting Linneus to be embarrassed by that comment, but he hadn't been expecting anyone to ask about Rhys's rather violent appearance the other day. His face still hurt a bit whenever he thought about the way Rhys had punched him. But his face burned like a coal in a hot fire when he remembered what had happened after.
"That's none of your fucking business!" he spluttered in response to Linneus's question. "I didn't enjoy it anyway!" The fact that he had finally come to after Rhys had left, lying naked on his own floor, with Rhys's shirt over him like a blanket, was plenty to show that that was a lie. But it wasn't like Axis himself was ever going to admit that.
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Post by Linneus on Sept 24, 2012 22:49:55 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
"That's none of your fucking business! I didn't enjoy it anyway!"
Linneus lofted a brow at him, baffled by Axis' tone. Axis was always a little on the hot-headed side, but Linneus had never known him to be so defensive. He wasn't entirely sure where in the conversation he'd led things so astray, but he regretted it.
He looked down into his tea, smile a little distant. "I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps Xanthe will let you avoid future encounters with him." Linneus paused to think. "Though, it sounds unlikely that he'll be in such a rage again. Argent was very worried about your safety."
He looked up toward the clock on the wall, unsure what to say next. Linneus could just excuse himself and leave Axis alone, but that would mean he'd have to retreat to his room and anxiously await Gilder's arrival. Or he could simply sit here in silence, but that seemed rude. He took a long sip of his tea, not lowering it until he was finished.
"Well," he said after the stretch of silence, "I think I'll venture into the kitchen for some more tea. I think there are some digestifs in the pantry. Would you like me to get you some?"
He was already standing, ready to make his way into the kitchen. He looked back to the door as if someone was about to burst in at any moment. "Or will your next appointment be here soon?"
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! plenty STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Sept 28, 2012 22:30:13 GMT -5
Axis's eyebrow twitched a little as the topic remained stuck on Rhys's last visit. For a moment, he considered what Linneus had said about Atros letting him refuse Rhys's visits, but he quickly dismissed the idea. There was no way Xanthe Atros would let Axis refuse a client, especially not one as rich as Rhys.
And Rhys must have been filthy rich because, even though he had broken down a few doors, interrupted an appointment, and punched the Teahouse's second-highest earner right in the face, Atros hadn't banned him from the Teahouse. A small part of Axis's mind wondered what was up with that.
Finally, he waved a hand at Linneus. "That wuss is no match for me," he said. "Yeah, he clocked me right in the face, but that's only 'cause I wasn't expecting it, you know? I tackled him before he could punch me again."
He stretched and yawned and twisted his head to look at the nearest clock. "Ah...I've an hour before she gets here. Probably more, she's always late."
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Post by Linneus on Sept 28, 2012 23:41:47 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
"That wuss is no match for me. Yeah, he clocked me right in the face, but that's only 'cause I wasn't expecting it, you know? I tackled him before he could punch me again."
Linneus brow furrowed in concern. He had assumed that they were, ah, conducting a transaction when Rhys had visited. Not that it had turned into a brawl. Linneus opened his mouth to inquire after his health, but Axis had moved on.
"Ah...I've an hour before she gets here. Probably more, she's always late."
Linneus laughed softly. "I have a client like that. I suppose that's better than the early ones." He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, thinking. He'd had a client who would show up, consistently, thirty minutes early and demand to be seen to immediately. Once or twice, Linneus had been forced to end previous appointments early just to placate him.
He looked back toward the kitchen. "I'll, uh, I'll get you a plate, yeah? Did you want coffee?"
Linneus moved into the kitchen, rinsing out his cup and dropping a few digestifs onto a plate before bringing them back out. He'd never liked the bland cookies as much as, say, chocolates, but sometimes he'd drizzle caramel or chocolate over them (much to Xanthe's chagrin) and they'd be just as good. Linneus sat down again and extended the plate to Axis.
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! plenty STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Sept 28, 2012 23:56:52 GMT -5
Linneus was partly right, of course -- Rhys's last visit had started as a brawl, but it had ended as a transaction...or something. Fortunately Axis couldn't read the other man's mind. The last thing he wanted to do was ponder the exact nature of what had gone on with Rhys.
"Yeah, coffee," he finally said. "Black." Typical Axis. No niceties like please or thank you to smooth his social interactions.
When Linneus returned, Axis took his coffee and sat up just enough to snag a digestif off the plate. He stuffed half of it in his mouth and started to chew before his brow furrowed in a bit of a scowl. "How do people eat these things?" he groused around a mouth full of food. "They taste like crunchy lint."
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Post by Linneus on Oct 1, 2012 21:50:07 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Linneus handed over the coffee (black as demanded) with a wry smile. It took him a moment in the beginning to readjust to Axis' personality, but now that he had fallen in stride with him he felt much more comfortable. "It helps to dip them in something. Coffee. Tea. Sugar."
He crossed his legs, unable to stop the smile from spreading over his face. "You know..." He paused, weighing his options before finally just saying what he wanted to. "...I've never met anyone quite like you." He added quickly, "In all the best ways."
He looked over his earrings, his tattoos, the piece of metal jutting from his lower lip. Eventually, Axis would run out of things to pierce or tattoo. Linneus distantly wondered if he'd let his previous piercings close up so he could just start over again.
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! plenty STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Oct 3, 2012 16:26:42 GMT -5
"You and your damn sugar," he muttered around a mouthful of cracker. "Surprised your clients don't just give you bags of the stuff instead of jewelry. You're gonna run out of places to hang the new stuff after a while."
Axis hadn't gotten a new piercing or new addition to his tattoo in a while. For the moment anyway, he was pleased enough with the holes he had and with the things he had to stick in them that he didn't see the point of getting more. Not to mention that he was running out of logical places to put things. As for the tattoo, well, he needed a good reason to add more to that. So far, no such reason had come up.
"You've never met anyone like me 'cause I'm one-of-a-kind," he replied, as thought this should have been obvious to everyone in the world. "The world can only handle one Axis at a time."
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Post by Linneus on Oct 4, 2012 23:12:21 GMT -5
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY( these are the days [/b][/size] )w h e n • y o u • w i s h • y o u r• b e d • w a s • a l r e a d y • m a d e •I wish it was a Sunday[/i][/center][/font] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
"Surprised your clients don't just give you bags of the stuff instead of jewelry. You're gonna run out of places to hang the new stuff after a while."
Linneus's smile faded at the edges. Perhaps it was petulant, but since Xanthe had taken away Liard's gifts, his jewelry box had been looking...thinner than usual. Certainly, he had enough (really, any jewelry was a luxury; Linneus did remember the days where all he owned was a single gold bangle) but he did miss the diadem.
"Some do," he said after a moment, "I had one client who brought chocolates with him every appointment." He laughed softly, shaking his head at the thought. After a while, he'd given most of the chocolates to Claret--no man could eat that much on his own.
"You've never met anyone like me 'cause I'm one-of-a-kind. The world can only handle one Axis at a time."
Linneus hummed, smiling wryly. "No, but we'd certainly appreciate another one."
His eyes wandered up to the clock, chewing on his lower lip. "I...I'm afraid I should head upstairs to get ready for my next appointment." He set the plate of digestifs on the side table and stood. "Will I see you at dinner tonight?"
[/size] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •WORDS! plenty STATUS! complete NOTES! Fancy running into you here... TAGS! Axis INSPIRATION! John Mayer TEMPLATE CREDIT! Arro @ Caution 2.0[/blockquote] |
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axis
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Post by axis on Oct 8, 2012 20:52:47 GMT -5
"Chocolates?" he asked. "Huh. Chicks usually like those," he added. " 'Specially when I'm licking it off of them."
Somehow, everything came back to sex for Axis. Every damn thing. That shouldn't have surprised anyone, really. The man did have something of a one-track mind and most days his mind was occupied with thinking about work. And since his work was sex, well...it was inevitable that his every waking moment would be filled with thinking about it.
Besides, it kept him from feeling jealous that his clients didn't bring him as many presents. Of course, he had clients who brought him jewelry and stuff, but he also managed to acquire quite a bit by convincing Atros to add it to his expenses. The jewelry was part of his image, after all, and the women who came to him were definitely coming for his image as much as for his skills.
"Nah," he finally said, waving his hand. "You wouldn't want another me around. It would get boring. There's only one me, that's what keeps it interesting."
But he nodded as Linneus said he had to go. "I guess? I dunno. Depends on if my next one wears me out or not." Of course, he would probably show up for dinner. He had heard a rumor that it was beef stew night and if there was one thing Axis loved for dinner it was beef stew. So beefy and...stewey. Or something.
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