LILY Girl Ok I Swearrr I Wasn't Peeking I Was Running To Give Andrew A Report And Your Phone Was On Your

As frustrated as she gets sometimes with his inability to cook... The earlier panic was worth it for a moment like this. Where they get to relax and simply be. Simple little domesticity in the kitchen, the scent of baking cookies filling the apartment.

What more could she want?

Xavier's suggestion for karaoke prompted her to tilt her head some to look towards him, though it was impossible to see him properly like this. So instead she settled for leaning her head against his with a small giggle.

"We don't need to wait in between batches for karaoke," She reminded gently. "You can go ahead and pick a song if you want?"

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

I got myself one of those little fake jellyfish lamps that changes color, and it is downright hypnotic-

Seeing him in such a state, frazzled and covered in who knows what, she spares just a moment to look him over for any visible injuries. Not seeing anything too obvious just yet she hurried in towards the kitchen at his urging, even though something in her brain flagged that particular room as being of note.

But once she reached the kitchen, she realized what it was that was noteworthy.

The kitchen. The one place Xavier should not be left alone in. The only thing she's found he's not very good at.

Cooking.

Letting out a slow breath to release some of the tension in her muscles, she put her guns somewhere safer since she didn't even have their holsters on her at the moment, and settled a hand on her chest to try and calm her racing heart.

"Xavier... I love you, and you're an amazing hunter with unparalleled skill, but I swear, you are going to give me a heart attack one of these days." She shook her head with a small, breathless laugh, both teasing him and not.

But with that she rolled up her sleeves to get to work cleaning so she can figure out what in the world he was trying to do.

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

While his concern was appreciated, and extremely sweet, Lily shook her head reassuringly. "You didn't hurt or upset me, don't worry." She reassured "I'm not that tender headed."

She took a moment to debate if she should just go ahead and explain why she's flushed, knowing he's already going to ask if she's okay. Maybe she can throw him off enough to take the focus off of her for a moment?

"You just look really cute when you focus on something so mundane."

“I trust you” - @lily-of-the-linkon

"Huh? What are you up to?" He closes his eyes.

--

Ask meme

Lily flushed at his questioning, even as her shoulders shook with barely suppressed giggles. She hadn't intended to roast him, but also.... It's kind of hard not to tease him about it.

"I don't know if I'd call it a roast per-say..." She hummed playfully as she got the sheet ready to put the cookie dough on for their first batch. "Just some lighthearted teasing."

She scrunched her nose up at him playfully when he pinched her cheek, not that she did anything to try and stop him. "We'll need to bake them for about 10 minutes per batch, and just check on them to make sure that they're cooked all the way through. I'll show you what that looks like with this first batch."

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

“Yes, cute.” Lily insisted, regardless of how flustered she still felt. She wasn’t going to try and deny it, after all!  

Xavier getting out his phone to take a picture surprised her, but only for a moment. She simply let out a happy laugh and easily settled herself into his side, playfully holding up one hand to give the peace sign.  

“I’d have to agree, we do both look pretty cute.” She hummed happily, trying not to be too obvious with how much she was enjoying being so close to him.

“I trust you” - @lily-of-the-linkon

"Huh? What are you up to?" He closes his eyes.

--

Ask meme

Lily couldn’t help but giggle around her next bite of pizza at his question, offering a nod of agreement. Once her mouth isn’t full anymore, she answers him more properly. “Of course! You’re always welcome to reach out if you want to hang out,” she reassured with ease. If anything, it’s comforting to know that he wants to spend more time with her, and it’s not just her pestering him for attention.

She nodded along to his own analysis, only to flush when he reaches over to wipe her mouth for her. She mumbled a quiet gratitude, honestly a little embarrassed even if it’s unavoidable to be kind of messy when eating something like pizza.

His gratitude managed to distract her enough to speak properly again. “Well thank you for the idea," she returned playfully.

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.

Lily couldn't not notice the slip up, though she couldn't put her finger on what he almost said. She couldn't even decide on how to bring it up, so she at least tried to leave it there for the moment, instead focusing on teasing their absent friend. 

"He did." She confirmed with a small laugh and shake of her head. "I went rushing up because I thought he was getting attacked or something, and nope! It was just him trying to cook. Then the brat basically tricked me into helping him make waffles the next day." She snorted, rolling her eyes.

The insistence they try to ensure Xavier only bring drinks earned some eager nods of agreement. "Oh absolutely. Either drinks, or he just brings himself." She agreed, since that's a safe enough bet. 

She did check her phone when it buzzed with the notification of the group chat, humming happily and nodding. "Perfect! Once I get home I can figure out what days would be best and send them in the chat."

( Jump - sender jumps on receivers back - @lily-of-the-linkon )

Lily grinned when seeing Jeremiah wasn't paying attention to her, a mischievous little plan forming in her head.

Putting her training to the test, she carefully approached him from behind. She kept her movements as silent as possible, slowly lifting her arms to brace herself for step two.

When she was finally within reach of the (unsuspecting?) man, she lunged to jump on his back. While she was careful not to knock him over if she could help it, she was still dramatic.

Almost immediately after 'impact', she couldn't help but break into giggles, shifting to at least attempt to look at his face. "Hi Jer~" she greeted with playfully exaggerated casualness.

"What the- ah!"

The sudden surprise and sensation of warmth pressed against his back shocked him enough to let out a yelp in surprise, but the familiarity of the voice immediately calmed his instincts.

He adjusts his grip to ensure her safety but doesn't put her down.

"Stars, Lilyyyy! Where did you come from!? How did you manage to be so quiet!?"

The idea of doing something similar to an outfit swap made Lily giggle, nodding approvingly. "I'd be willing to do that, it sounds like fun!"

When the server showed up, she leaned back slightly to make it easier for them to put down their food, thanking them quietly.

"That's true, I wonder how many people would notice that it's not our usual styles..." She mused thoughtfully as she took her first bite of food. Once she had the chance to process the taste, she hummed happily and nodded.

Quickly swallowing her food to not talk with her mouth full, she added "No kidding, this really is good! I need to make sure to come back again at some point. This was a wonderful suggestion!"

"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.

His offer to pick her up earned a small laugh from her as she sifted through her closet, still holding her phone to her ear with her shoulder. "You spoil me, Sy," she teased, though she appreciated the gesture all the same. One less thing for her to have to worry about.

"I'll be ready and waiting when you get here. Be safe, okay?"

Does she actually think anything can pose a proper threat to him? Not in the slightest. But that isn't going to stop her from saying it every time. It's the least she can do, after everything.

closed starter ofr: @lily-of-the-linkon

Sylus picked up his phone, swiping through the screen as he dialed Lily’s number, his thumb tapping rhythmically against the glass. He leaned back in his chair, watching the soft light of the afternoon filter through the blinds. As the phone rang, he let out a small sigh, a hint of impatience buried beneath the calm exterior.

When the call finally connected, he greeted her with a casual tone. “Hey, Lily, you busy? If not… would you want to come see me for the spring? The cherry blossoms are finally blooming, and I haven’t had the chance to see them with anyone yet.”

There was a slight pause as he adjusted his position, a faint smirk creeping across his lips.

"Thought it might be nice, you know... to have someone to appreciate them with."

He exhaled, gaze still fixed on the view outside of the dark N109 zone. "Never had the chance to see it with someone before." The words were quieter, almost absentminded, but laced with something unspoken