His Answer Prompts Her To Tilt Her Head As She Looked Up To Him. "We Don't Have To If You Think It Would

Pumpkin space latte, anyone? ☕

Hubble captured this festive array of stars, Terzan 12, found in the Milky Way about 15,000 light-years from Earth. The stars in this cluster are bound together by gravity in a sphere-like shape and are shrouded in gas and dust. As the starlight travels through that gas and dust to Earth, blue light scatters, leaving the redder wavelengths to come through.

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Lily at least attempted to pay for their meal, sticking her tongue out at him as she stepped aside to wait with him.

"Then shouldn't you call me once you're caught up and ready for the rambling?" She asked, her tone both playful and genuine. She doesn't want to rush him after all, so it's better for it to be on his terms.

She took another sip of her drink, which was also mostly empty, though she didn't seem phased by the cold condensation.

"Maybe?" She hummed thoughtfully, absently chewing on the straw. "It would be nice, just get to relax for a bit."

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

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Definitely." Lily hummed in agreement, beaming up at him. "Even better when making those memories with people important to you."

She followed him closely to the table, ensuring all of their stuff makes it on the table safely. "I had a feeling that that would be the case, which is the main reason I suggested it." She admitted with a happy hum, pausing before sitting down. "I didn't notice you'd already finished your drink. If you want I can run and get you something to drink with your pizza?" She offered, looking to him and tilting her head. To be fair, her drink is mostly gone now too, but she at least still has some.

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

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DON’T BE SHY, SEND MY MUSE SOME NOSEY ANONS!

ASK ABOUT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES, ABOUT THEIR LIKES AND DISLIKES, WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS, ANYTHING YOU WANT! HIT ME UP WITH QUESTIONS!

Lily thanked him for holding the doors for her, her shoulders relaxing just a little more at the familiar scent of the flowers that led to their complex.

"That would be nice..." She agreed quietly, covering her mouth to muffle a yawn as she walked into the elevator, selecting their floors. Honestly, she'd be more than happy if her dreams were just an extension of their time together this evening, to enjoy his company. Though, that's a thought she'll keep to herself for the time being.

"Let me know what you decide, and I'll see where we can go for it." She offered, giving him a soft smile. "We might as well get something to eat while we're at it, too." She mused.

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

Send me a prompt!

~

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best part of Kaia’s reaction is the fact that Lily hadn’t even meant it in a romantic way. So seeing her get so flustered prompted Lily to snicker, smiling at her innocently as she fumbled her way through trying to move past that topic. "No cooking for you, got it." She teased lightly.

Deciding to have mercy on her, Lily left that conversation be to focus on the question being directed towards herself.  "As for the food, I don't tend to be too picky. I'll likely go with one of the soups, since something warm and filling sounds absolutely perfect right now."

She turned her attention back to the menu, humming thoughtfully as she debated which one she wanted to go with.

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

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

—&&. @kaiakaya 🤍

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

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

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

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

Cheering at the successful hit, Lily laughed as she slowed to a jog in order to catch up with him, her face flushed from the cold wind and the laughter.

"Okay, truce?" She asked through giggles, even offering a hand for him to shake. Her cheeks hurt in the best way, and she figures they're pretty even again. "Hopefully I didn't hit you too hard?"

❄️ -@artistrafayel

Send ❄️ to throw a snowball at Lily!

Lily yelped in surprise at the sudden impact before turning to Rafayel, seeming almost offended for all of... two seconds.

A wide grin spread across her face as she leaned down to make a snowball of her own. "Are you sure you want to play this game~?" she asked playfully, glancing up at him from where her hands were making quick work of the snow.

After a moment of consideration and realizing that she hadn't thought that far ahead, she nodded gratefully. "If you don't mind, I really would appreciate it!"

After double checking that she'd gotten responses from everyone, she started to lead him out of the office. "The coffee shop isn't too far, thankfully."

❝ how do you take your coffee? ❞ - @lily-of-the-linkon

"I prefer sweet coffee! So a bit of sugar, a bit of creamer. I know some folks say that's not real coffee, but it's my cup, I get to doctor it however I please!"

"We absolutely could!" Lily beamed, already having a few ideas for simple things they could bake together. Cookies, or even cupcakes, since they could do a lot of decorating, and not have to worry about Kaia handling anything involving heat for long...

Setting aside that thought for now, she let out a small laugh at Kaia's dramatics. "You just seem like the type, I can't quite put my finger on it," she admitted honestly, settling her cheek in her hand for the time being.

At the question, she nodded. "I've been to the library a few times, usually when I'm studying and need a change of scenery but minimal distractions." Though, now that she thinks about it, she really should make more of an effort to try and visit the library...

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

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

—&&. @kaiakaya 🤍

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

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

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

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

With all the hype for the next chapter of Love and Deepspace, I felt inclined to try and figure out how I keep picturing Lily presenting herself in the N109 zone!

Xavier said it won't work if it's not intimidating enough, and she took that to heart and channeled her inner villain for her new aesthetic :P