[PRP]How have I never seen you before? (Kyrie + Auric)

[Menelie]

Kyrie's days were filled with exactly the kind of quiet routine she liked: she worked in the archives, she heard people's stories and wrote them down, she came home, she ate, she read books, and went to bed. Occasionally she would meet up with Anise after their shifts ended and they'd eat dessert together.

But today, as she was heading up the great spiral staircase toward the archives, a flash of golden red caught her eye. "Wow," she breathed despite herself, pausing to lean on the banister and watch him. She was the kind of Faun who blended in, who never got noticed. This was usually fine by her, but she found herself hoping that she'd catch his eye. Something about him just...held her attention. And those huge wings--she'd never seen anyone like him before.

As Kyrie did whenever a male caught her attention, her mind wandered, inventing scenarios. She wondered if he could fly away with her in his arms. She imagined them going on a picnic date together out amid the fields, eating sandwiches and cakes together, and of course a little wine. Lost in thought, she lost track of him. "Oh hell," she muttered, looking around a moment for him, then sighing and continuing up the stairs.

Wolfs Heart

 

[Wolfs Heart]

Auric did his best to not stand out as he went about the tree quietly doing his tasks. He would tuck his wings as close to him as he could, giant wings like these didn't belong in the tree, but they were giant and practically glowing when the sunlight hit them just right, so there was only so much hiding that he could do with them. The male did try to keep to himself though, keeping his head down, never feeling like he quite fit in.

He finished his climb up the stairs and walked into the archives, he approached one of the archivists. "I had a few scrolls set aside for me on gardening. Auric." He told the archivist. A little while later Auric was sitting at a table pouring over some scrolls.

Menelie

she is being so cute!

 

[Menelie]

Kyrie went about her work once she arrived at the archives, trying to put the dynamic male and her near-instant crush on him out of her mind. She'd have time for daydreaming later. She set about to filing some scrolls that had been returned by those who had borrowed them when she was approached by a patron.

She turned to look at him and immediately flushed pink.

"Gardening?" she sort of squeaked. She swallowed once, cleared her throat, and nodded. Pull it together, Kyrie. "Gardening," she repeated. "Of course, I know the ones. Come with me." She started walking back toward the desk where such reservations were kept. "Here you are," said Kyrie, scooping them up and offering them to him. "You're welcome to stay here to look at them, or you can take them back to your apartment. If you do that, I'll need you to write your name and apartment number in our log."

After he--Auric--had elected to stay and peruse them there in the archives, Kyrie spent a long minute deciding her next course of action. She could find a spot where she could see him, but not the reverse, and continue her sweet fantasy from earlier. Or she could be slightly more proactive and continue her work, choosing tasks and paths that would put her in his view. Perhaps he'd invite her to dinner or something.

Yes, that sounded like the move. Kyrie gathered up more scrolls that needed filing and moved gently and slowly around the archives, humming softly to herself as she worked, crossing in front of Auric's field of view every so often.

Wolfs Heart

yes, this is her version of "proactive".

 

[Wolfs Heart]

"Thanks, I will sit here and look over them, make sure they're what I need before I head home." Auric spoke quietly as he made his way to one of the seats. The humming of the archivist whenever she passed by him was somewhat distracting for the valk as he attempted to leaf through the scrolls. It spoke more about the content that he was reading than anything. Personal accounts on the growth of different produce under varied conditions were not exactly invigorating reads. At one point Auric looked up from the scroll at the humming archivist, for a long moment his eyes hung on hers. Her eyes were like nothing he had seen before, absolutely entrancing. Auric quickly grew shy and attempted to look at his paper before she might notice his staring.

As if the scroll hadn't already been such an enticing read, he was now completely distracted. Maybe he should just take them back to his apartment, maybe then he could act like a normal...ish... pae. Although in truth... he didn't think these were what he needed anyways. He was going to have to ask her for a different set... after she had already probably caught him staring like a creep. Auric's eyes quickly darted to the front desk to see if there was another archivist he could ask for help, but he didn't see anyone else there. Dramatically he rolled his head back, in his mind he was screaming out of embarassment.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Kyrie did notice him looking, with delight. And when he'd caught her eyes? She felt like her heart stopped for a few seconds. She blushed deeply with a soft giggle, then returned to her work. For plausible deniability, she went back to her desk and sat in her chair.

The daydreams began again. Kyrie was glad there was no one else in the archives today, because she was also quite distracted. She imagined a cozy fireside chat, cuddled up under a blanket and sipping something warm together. She wondered if his feathery wings were soft.

Kyrie chanced a glance back in his direction. She saw Auric toss his head back in what looked like frustration. She couldn't help but smile--she had distracted him. He had noticed her. She thought about going and saying something to him, but that's not the kind of girl she was. She always let the guy make the first move. Had that gotten her anywhere, ever? No. Was she still like this? Absolutely. Could she change? Not particularly.

She cleared her throat quietly and started checking in borrowed materials at her desk.

Wolfs Heart

 

[Wolfs Heart]

Auric wasn't sure what to do, did he try to get a new set of scrolls or just give up for the day. This shouldn't be so hard, he had only stared at her for a short while, but he was already so shy and self-conscience. He occupied himself for a little while, attempting to burn holes in the scrolls with his eyes, though he doubted the mesmerizing archivist would appreciate it if he actually did.

At last, he gave up. Rolling the papers slowly back up. He approached the desk, tucking in his wings extra tight. Auric opened his mouth to speak, "Much pretty, these not what I needed have scrolls." The words vomited from his mouth in the completely wrong order. His eyes widened, completely unaware of what he had said other than that it had been entirely wrong.

The male took a quick deep breath, attempting to regain his composure. "I meant... these scrolls were not what I needed, pretty much." He set the scrolls down cautiously on her table, his plan suddenly changing. His brain was clearly too fried, he was going to blame the scrolls for that. "I think... I need to go to Mojo's and get something to eat..." he said, mostly to himself.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Kyrie couldn't help but giggle at Auric's mixed-up sentence. She was thrilled to know she'd made an impression. Was she going to do anything with that information? Absolutely not.

"I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for," said Kyrie as she took the scrolls from him. Her fingertips brushed the back of his hand as she did, and she blushed.

She heard him say something about going to eat, and she had to think fast. How could she get him to come back? If he left she might never see him again! "I could, um, set some other gardening scrolls aside for you, if you like. They might have what you need?"

Wolfs Heart

girl he is gonna have to make the first move lol mine is just TOO SHY

 

[Wolfs Heart]

She laughed at him. Oh no... His blood rushed to his face. At first he thought she might be laughing at his giant wings, but he soon realized she was probably laughing at the clumsy way he had spoken.

"Oh, its alright. It's not your fa-." He started to respond to her apology, but then he realized that she was being professional. Though, his voice had been cut off by the quick brush of her fingers that sent a zing of warmth coursing up his arm.

Before he could even think about it, his mouth opened up and words rolled out, "Do you want to come? With me? To lunch?" Why, why had he done that. As if this encounter had been anything apart from embarrassing. How badly did he need those scrolls? Because he clearly wasn't going to be able to show his face around here while she was working again, and possibly not at all depending on if she told the other archivist's about him.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

A quiet gasp escaped Kyrie's lips and she blushed, biting her bottom lip. Suddenly she was speechless, despite this being the very thing she was wishing for. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and nodded with a somewhat silly smile. She swallowed and then nodded again. "I'd--" It came out as a squeak. Kyrie cleared her throat and continued. "I'd be delighted to."

Then, after a pause, she added, "Just let me close up in here and put the sign on the door so people know to come back later." Not that the archives was a particularly happening spot. But just in case.

Kyrie put Auric's returned scrolls in the basket to-be-filed, then snagged a little wooden sign from under her desk and put it on top. It read "Back in one hour."

"Okay," she said, coming out from around the desk. "I'm ready."

Wolfs Heart

 

[Wolfs Heart]

What had he been thinking? Auric didn't expect her to say yes, he was entirely prepared to flee, thankfully the desk was close to the entrance and he was leaning towards it. But then she said yes? His mouth parted, "You, you would?" he asked in surprise, but the response didn't feel right. "Great!" He added, changing his tune.

When she talked about setting the sign up, he realized how easily she could have said no to him, she had a perfectly good reason. The fact that she had said yes to him, just felt that much bigger to him now.

"I was thinking of Mojo's, if that is okay with you?"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

"That sounds great," agreed Kyrie readily. She was already imagining what she might order. Stuffed mushrooms sounded good. She envisioned him popping one playfully into her mouth. The image made her blush. But then again, the garlic might be off-putting if it lingered on her breath. A plate of fresh vegetables? No, all the crunching would be most un-romantic.

She would for sure be getting a beer to calm her nerves.

Kyrie continued mulling over food possibilities as they walked down the stairs toward Mojo's. Walnut lentil soup? Ah--but what if she spilled it on herself?Spiced cauliflower and chickpeas? Hm, might have the same problem as the mushrooms. Now she was getting really hungry, though, thinking about all this food...

As they arrived and took their seats across from one another, Kyrie tried her hand at small talk before having to actually decide on what to eat: "So, um, what do you do?" she asked. "I, uh, haven't really seen you around before, but then again I, um, I don't get out of the archives much."

Wolfs Heart

 

[Wolfs Heart]

Auric was incredibly conscious of himself and Kyrie as they made their way through the tree towards Mojo's. "I.... don't think I caught your name." Auric spoke quietly as they walked. The fauness beside him was so beautiful, perhaps she drew stares away from him. Or perhaps the fact that he was walking with such a beautiful faun would draw even more attention to him. It was hard to tell if the looks from other pae were imagined or not when you always felt like you stuck out.

At least they arrived quickly and Auric was able to settle down once they were seated. That was until he realized that he would have to talk about himself. "I work up in the canopy." He responded simply enough, "Taking care of some of the crops." he specified.

As a waitress came by Auric put in his order for the seasonal brew, "Would you like one too?" He asked Kyrie.

"You like working in the archives?" Auric asked her, trying to switch the attention to her. "It seems quiet, but maybe its just the day."

Menelie

love her mental food freak out lol

 

[Menelie]

Kyrie blushed. She hadn't even given him her name! "It's Kyrie," she answered with a fluttering smile. She couldn't believe all this was happening to her. Kyrie was growing more enamored by the moment.

As they sat, she crossed her hooves at the ankles and scooched in toward the table. Yes, a seasonal brew sounded delightful. She nodded and made an affirmative hum. "That sounds very exciting," she responded. No wonder she'd never seen him--going up to the canopy always made her nervous. The very thought made her heart flutter.

Kyrie nodded again at his question. "It is very quiet," she agreed, playing with a strand of her hair. "But I do like it that way. Sometimes someone with a really good story comes in, though, and I get to record it!" She realized that her work--and her life--was the opposite of exciting, and tried to steer the conversation back to Auric. "What sorts of crops are you tending right now?"

Wolfs Heart

as a note, her name is pronounced KEE-ree-ey, not kai-ree

 

[Wolfs Heart]

Wow, her smile. It was enough to make him feel weak in the knees, thank the tree he was already sitting down, but he couldn't help but smile back. The quietness of the archives appealed to him, but he wasn't sure how he would do interacting with the pae who came with their stories. At least working in the canopy could be quiet. There was plenty who socialized as they worked, but for the most part Auric could keep his head buried in what he was doing and avoid some of the others. He didn't really see what he did as exciting, it was mostly hard labor, but it worked for him. "Right now, we are getting quite a variety ready for summer and fall harvest, things are just starting to get busy again." Well at least he was talking about work instead of himself, that was easy enough.

The brews arrived, and Auric was quick to take a few large gulps before setting it down, attempting to calm his nerves. He hadn't been thinking at all when he asked her to lunch, it had surprised even himself. She had just made him so nervous, in a different sort of way, that he just reacted. The poor guy really wasn't sure where to go from there, but he figured he should try getting to know her. Since they were talking about work, "What story that you've recorded has been your favorite?" He figured that might tell him a lot about her.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Kyrie, too, drank deeply of the brew once it arrived, hoping to settle herself and quench the dryness that had overtaken her mouth. She did note with amusement that Auric appeared to be doing likewise, which drew another little smile from her. They were quite a pair then, the two of them, weren't they? She imagined them as star-crossed, shy lovers, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

She leaned forward gently as he spoke. Everything he did enchanted her further. She was so drawn to every detail of his form, every note of his voice. "I love summer fruits," she said as he finished. "So I'm grateful for your work." A blush and a bashful little smile.

"My favorite one?" repeated Kyrie, surprised by the question. "Mm, gosh, I don't know....." She tapped her chin as she thought, then fiddled with the handle on her mug. "I think it might depend on the storyteller," she said after a moment. "Some folks just have....a way with words, I guess. An exciting story I recorded was told to me by Princess Celestia. She related the tale of their exodus from their homeland. It was heart-wrenching and, yet, also hopeful. It made me even more glad that the Great Tree called them all home, and that they're all here with us now, and part of us."

Wolfs Heart