forum Glad You Came (oxo Closed)

Started July 14, 2020 by @Oakiin

tune

Crystal laughed. "You've been insisting the whole night to pay for the meal so you best not go back on your word now." Evelyn suddenly chimed in. "Hey mom didn't we tell you to bring him home with you if you came home at all." "Oh quit that Evelyn. While yes you did, I wouldn't want to overwhelm him or rush him into something he would either later regret or may not have the time for. Besides it is rather a little late. He may wish to go home and rest instead." As she spoke the waitress came by, collected the dishes, and promised to bring the bill by soon.

(Yep, all good, just got everything crash down on me at once bc I'm dumb w/ time management! Sorry! Thanks for checking up on me :)

"Ah, uh…" Arlath blinked, definitely overwhelmed. Most of him actually would have loved to spend more time with Crystal, meet the rest of her family perhaps, anything to avoid the cold loneliness of his own home. But the same little voices that had been plaguing him all evening hissed about how he didn't deserve anything more than the cold loneliness of his empty house. It was beyond preposterous to even consider going with Crystal…
Wasn't it?
"Sorry," he muttered, realizing they were waiting for an answer. "I just…I'd really like that, I just…"
He didn't really know how to say I just hate myself and I don't want to get close to you, but it's no fault of yours, I think you're a wonderful person, but I really don't feel I deserve you in a concise and reasonable manner, so he just trailed off again into frustrated silence.
You're the most indecisive jerk she's probably ever met, he told himself. Good job.

"Oh dear. It's alright. I'd love to bring you home with me, but if you decide otherwise let me know. At least you're not as bad as my children. Well then. Shall we get going home?" The siblings were already piling out of the booth, as the waitress dropped the bill. "Not yet! We can't diner dash. Sit down, my little wiggle worms." Evelyn pouted as she sat down. Evan seemed uncaring, and Ashton was too busy texting away on his phone. Crystal noticed the sadness behind his eyes, and it deeply troubled her. He might be another person she has to save. Which she didn't mind, a very self substantial woman herself she could handle it. It just surprised her, as damage this long run would take quit a bit more to undo and heal. (Crystal actually has quite a tall order of issues herself that she takes a LOT of meds for, and even then that doesn't fix all of her problems. Of course those won't show up until later tho)

(Sorry, you're going to have to be a little patient with me, college is starting and I have 10+ rps I'm trying to keep up with ^^ I promise I'll always get to you as soon as I can!)

Arlath busied himself paying the bill, unable to meet Crystal's gaze. He could tell she was seeing right through him, and it made him feel both uncomfortable and comforted at the same time. On the one hand, he hadn't had anyone care about him at all in…well, years. It was a foreign feeling almost, and he didn't quite remember what to do with it. On the other hand, he'd been so desperately lonely for so long, to even just have Crystal care at all brought a feeling of peace he'd long since forgotten.

He didn't think he could pull any curtains over her eyes. If he thought of excuses, she'd likely see right past them, and probably call him out on it as well. She was much too smart and observant, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. Too experienced. Arlath doubted she'd had a perfect life, something in her eyes as she stared at him spoke deeply of someone who'd been in places similar to his, heaven knew how she'd overcome it.
If she had. Maybe she was just that poised.
Well, that's one thing to envy, he told himself wryly. He knew he lacked anything to do with poise. He was just a mess trying to make it through each day alive.

"I can walk you home?" he finally offered quietly, forgetting for a moment that cars existed.

(Can I just say, I LOVE Crystal, I think she's exactly what he needs ^^ maybe she can even convince him to get some professional help haha I really can't wait to see how she develops as they get to know each other! :D)

The watiress plopped down the bill after it was paid. Crystal smiled. "Darling that is a most romantic gesture indeed, but I must kindly decline as we aren't in the 1800s anymore. We have cars now,and I have three very troublesome children to get home too, and then of course to see how much damage my older brother has caused. But. Thank you kindly." She got up and smoothed down her skirt, and after tucking back her hair,held out her hand for Arlath to hold on the way out,her children already racing out the door and to the van. "Thank you for a most magical evening Arlath." She smiled sincerely. (Honestly Crystal has got issues that Arlath will be able to help her with too. I think they will play off of eachother very well. I'm very excited for this roleplay.)

"Ah," Arlath murmured, slightly embarrassed. "Of course, forgive me." He lightly took her hand, trying to keep his own from shaking as the frustrating anxiety set in.
Nothing bad is going to happen just from holding hands, he told himself sharply. Stop being such an idiot.
Not that that did any good, but he did his best to control and ignore it. He did, however, manage a genuine smile in return to hers as he went with her to her car.
"No, thank-you," he said sincerely. "I enjoyed that very much. I'm glad you did as well. it was lovely to meet you and your children."

(Yay! :D Honestly same, these two are a perfect match I think ^^ I can't wait to see how this turns out! ^^)

"Hmm. You say that now dearest, just wait until you meet the whole pack." She smiled and squeezed his hands. "Your hands are shaking. Health issue, or your nerves?" She said as she unlocked the van and watched her children pile in. "Do I scare you, Arlath?" She said slyly. "Oh yes! You need my address." She pulled out a notepad and a pen, wrote it down and handed it to him. "Really think on that answer as you drive to my place. I want you to answer me as soon as you get there." She then kissed his cheek, and smiled at the red lipstick mark she left behind, before getting into her own van and driving off into the night. (Crystal is my favorite character so there is a LOT of thought put into her, even down to little quirks and small things.)

"I-uh-" Arlath took the address automatically, hardly even noticing what he was being handed, flustered by her questions. Any coherent thoughts or words abandoned him entirely as she kissed his cheek, his mind going completely blank.
Do I scare you, Arlath?
The question repeated over and over again as he watched her taillights disappear around a corner. Truth be told, he realized he'd need every second of the time she'd given him to come up with an answer. In some ways, yes? In others, he hadn't felt more comfortable around someone in a very long time. He finally looked down at the paper, his mind finally over it's crisis. Sort of. He lightly touched his cheek where she'd kissed him, the entire exchange a lot more than he knew how to handle.
But…in a good way, maybe.
Of course, it all had to come crashing down eventually.
"I don't have a car."
Crap. Uh.
He pulled out his phone to text her, only to find it was dead.
Shit.
Okay, home was only a couple blocks away, maybe a ten minute walk. He could charge his phone, and text her, and then…walk over? Looking at the address he realized he had no idea where it was. Okay, add google maps to the list. He could still be heading out in fifteen minutes. Trying to push down the sudden anxiety he felt, he struck off at a tense, brisk pace.
It would take him until he got home, unlocked his door, and turned on the too-bright lights to realize he had a nightmarish stress headache. Still dedicated to his mission, he managed to plug in his phone, find his dusty laptop, and sit down on the couch before he practically passed out, exhausted, his tired brain unable too keep him awake a moment longer.

(I can tell! She's VERY well put together ^^ I'm loving how well you play her <3 Arlath is by far my most developed character, I probably know him better than he knows himself at this point xD He's going to be pretty panicked when he wakes up tomorrow, that's for sure. He's barely had any social interactions at all in the past few years, much less all that xD poor lad wasn't ready xD)

(SHE HAS 16 CHILDREN! 17 IF WE COUNT HER ONE BIRTH CHILD but that's a story for another time. He ain't ready for shit) Crystal went around the house and got so lost in lecturing her children and cleaning up she completely forgot that Arlath was coming over. Until about 2 am when the house got quiet and her mind caught up with her again, ringing bells and whistles of concern. She stood up in her cat robe,makeup and jewels all been put away. Her makeup had been wiped off as well, revealing a patch work of scars against her chest. She spent her whole night worrying about Arlath. Did he get in a car crash? Or mugged? Kidnapped? Who knew. She didn't go to bed until 2 hours she was supposed to wake up. And so, with her alarm going off at 7 am per usual,she made herself her morning cup of tea,and began to make her usual large breakfast feast. She didn't sing while she cooked like usual, or even softly hum. She was normally a pretty cheerful person so her not doing this was worrisome. Her mind was too busy running on the Worry Wheel, as she wondered if she'd ever see Arlath again.

(Haha you're right tho! xD He's got a big storm comin' xDD)

Arlath woke slowly, with a strange sense of urgency he couldn't place. Why he was on the couch instead of his bed was beyond him, and why his laptop was open on google maps was another mystery as well. What had he been doing…?
Crystal.
"Oh, fuck," he muttered, dragging himself upright. Ignoring the aches and pains from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position, he found her house, scribbled down the directions, and, forgetting about his phone entirely, managed to make it out of the house and started off towards her house. It shouldn't be more than a twenty minute walk, he figured. Then his pace faltered slightly. Maybe she wouldn't want him there. After all, he did sort of stand her up, much like the other gentleman she'd been going out for a date with when they met.
I'm so stupid, he thought bleakly, but made himself carry on regardless. The least he could do was show up an apologize. It was with a heavy step he finally made it to her house, right around 8 am. He paused, then gathered up the courage to knock gently on the door.

The whole house froze. The children had been happily chattering away at the breakfast table, eating away at cereal, poptarts and toaster strudels since Crystal had been too tired to cook breakfast. She nodded. "Alright darlings, I know. I'll keep you safe." Crystal set down her tea, got up, and walked to the door. Her hair was a mess, still wrapped up in her robe. She hadn't even changed out of her cat nightgown or slippers. Which meant her scars were showing. She didn't expect Arlath to be at the door, so she didn't bother to care. She opened the door with one hand, metal baseball bat in the other behind her. See, she had gotten used to her children's abusive parents showing up, suddenly giving a shit about their kids and wanting them back. That of course was not the case when she looked up into Arlath's eyes. Immediately she wrapped her robe tight, to hide her neck area the best she could. "Well good morning darling! Don't worry rosebuds, it's just my lover. No need to fret!" The children shrugged and returned to their conversations, as Crystal took a break and set down the baseball bat. "I do appreciate you coming back. I was up worried about you all last night though. Didn't get a wink of sleep. Well come in come in! I'll make you some coffee, and how do you take it?" She rushed Arlath in. The front of the house was gorgeous, with a large front porch holding a swing and two rocking chairs, along with a huge 6 panel picture window. In this window there was a piano instead of a normal seating area, though it was hard to tell it was a piano. There were plants sat on top of it, and a black and white tuxedo cat named Tux asleep on it. The other two cats, Precious a Siamese tabby cat mix, and Mozzart, another tuxedo cat, were busy chasing eachother up and down the halls of the childrens rooms. The final cat Taffy, a tabby cat, was asleep on Crystal's large bed. But to focus our attention back to where Arlath was standing. He was in the mudroom, with tons of outyard toys and sports stuffed in a closet, along with shoes scattering the floor. If you were to go up two stairs you'd get to the living room. About 2 steps from the piano was the couch and tv, with videogames and movies scattered across the floor. About midcenter of the 4 seater couch on the otherside, was the stairwell that led upstairs to the hallways. About 2 feet past that, with pictures and knicknacks, including one of Crystal's family from when she was young, was a small little alcove with three doors. The one to the basement, the one to the laundry room, and the one to the first floor bathroom. If you went through the laundry room and took the door directly across from the first one, you'd lead into the garage. Zooming out back to the alcove, you go past that, and it leads you into the kitchen. The kitchen had a large pair of glass doors, where 2 dogs and a fox were all sitting at the door and making puppy eyes for scraps of food. The kitchen table was one of those large fold out tables, and still there was hardly a spot of elbow room. Then there was the kitchen. Instead of hanging pots, Crystal dried herbs from the ceiling. The fridge, freezer and cabinets were always packed with goodies of all sorts of stuff for the children to snack on. As long as they cleaned up, she didn't care and even encouraged it for some of her children had eating disorders. (It has taken me years to fully plan out the house like this I'm really proud of myself) She brought Arlath into the kitchen and began to start up another half pot of coffee.

(Yeah, no worries, he's honestly not used to technology like this, and he forgets his phone and such a LOT. Hence why he doesn't have a car, and offered to walk Crystal home :) He's a bit out of his element here ^^)

Arlath hadn't even had time to open his mouth to apologize before Crystal had rushed him in. He caught just the slightest glimpse of her scars, but it was instantly pushed to the back of his mind as he took in the beauty of the house, the animals, the children, and her questions all at once. He'd always considered his own home to be conventionally comfortable and good looking, but the level of love this house held cast his to the gutter.
"I…uh…" He forced his brain to get back into gear, stopping and turning to face Crystal properly. "Crystal, wait. I need to apologize. I…basically stood you up last night, and I'm sorry, that was incredibly rude of me. I promise, it was not my intention."
He met her gaze steadily, hoping she could see his sincerity. "I understand if you'd rather have me leave."
At least this was something he could do well. When he was undeniably in the wrong, it was almost too easy to accept the consequences. If Crystal told him to go, he would do so without a second thought. It was her decision that mattered, not what he wanted.

(That is a STUNNING house! <3 Very, very nice :)

(it's 4 stories,excluding the haunted basement and the attic which Starla and Valentina live in. I'm not even finished describing it. I mean that's just the first floor. It gets better) Crystal blinked a bit, and then her body caught up with her brain. She smiled gently. "All is forgiven. I could see the exhaustion in your eyes dearest, and even though I worried something had happened to you, I'm glad you're alive safe and well. You can spend the day here if you wish lovie." She tapped his nose. "Now then. Again I ask you Arlath,and really how rude not to answer the first time apology or not, how do you take your coffee? Or do you prefer tea?" The chatter that was a constant hubbub seemed to quiet down a bit at the presence of Arlath. It hasn't stopped,just their eyes definitely took notice of the new stranger in the house. It wasn't a hostile stillness in the air but more silent curiosity and caution.

(Ooh, very nice xD I can't wait ^^)

Stumbling over his words, Arlath tried to offer some thanks, for everything, really, and also say black coffee would be fine, and somehow managed to to pull it off without making too much of a fool of himself. Even knowing Crystal wasn't angry wasn't enough to make him feel entirely comfortable, and the awareness of the people in the other room certainly didn't help him feel any less on edge, but at the same time, he decided he would much rather be here than back at his house. At least there was a feeling of life here, as opposed to the still, dead atmosphere of his own place.
Still, he tried his best to avoid eye contact with any of Crystal's children, offering them a smile only when his gaze accidentally fell on them. He didn't want to seem unfriendly, but…there were a LOT of them.

"Black coffee? Hm. Not too surprised really." She poured him a cup and set it down on the table, before heading over to the large table and gathering breakfast dishes and drink cups, napkins and wrappers, and she began to clean. She hummed softly as she worked, a smile on her face. The children had begun to leave the room to go finish getting ready for the day. Arguments over who uses the bathroom first soon erupted and other little tid bits of yelling over outfits,not being able to find something and wondering where their other sock is. She smiled at the sound of her children as she sat down and finished her tea. She didn't seem stressed or anxious at all, a true picture of messy beauty even without the makeup. Her scars stretched up her neck and stayed just below the jaw line, and went down beneath the neck of her purple nightgown, towards her stomach. She took a few breaths and looked at Arlath. "Oh yes do excuse my manners. Please take a seat and do mind the mess and noise."

Arlath managed not to trip over himself as he did as she bid, pulling out a chair and rather uncomfortably sitting in it. He distracted himself with the coffee, which was delicious, then looked back up at Crystal.
"Thank-you," He said, gesturing at the coffee. "It's good."
He wasn't sure what else to say, very aware of the children bustling about, mainly focused on not jumping every time he heard a loud noise, which was often.
(Sorry this one's short, major writer's block x.x)

She smiled. "I also apologize for how much of a mess I am this morning. I wasn't alerted I was having someone over, not that I mind." She laughed a bit, as the fox came over and put it's head in her lap. "Oh and good morning to you too Fyra." She smiled and pet the fox, giving it kisses. It was adorable, the baby talk and way she loved on the creature, her tea slowly going cold.

"Oh, please, don't worry about it," Arlath hastened to assure her, watching wistfully as she played with the fox. It'd been too long since he'd seen his own animals. Years since it happened. The two canines had always been so needy, nowhere near as ferocious as thier breed implied. He missed them deeply, even though they were among the least valuable things lost that day.
He shook himself out of the sad memories as best he could, turning his attention back to his mug. He wasn't here to think about that kind of stuff. He was here to talk to Crystal.

She glanced over him out of the corner of her eye as she shoved the fox out of her lap, and went to go feed the animals. "Hardly get a moments rest…and how are you Arlath?" She asked. "Last night seemed to have shaken you up a bit. The lip stick mark is still just faintly on your cheek." She laughed, and tied together the robe, obviously self conscious about her scars.