Pet Friendly - Radiant Gardens

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:03 am

ChewyChewy wrote: (She's already outside. And why does he have to make it SOUND like that? ISN'T he?)

Vanilla stepped outside and took some deep breaths of the cold winter air. It hurt a little, but it allowed her to clear her head.

No doubt about it, Max had given her the gift. And he was coming into very close proximity to her constantly. And he was good enough at chess that he almost beat her.

WHY?

Freezing though it was, she was afraid to go back inside. And she couldn't go home without Honey--it would be rude to leave with no explanation or goodbye anyway. She stayed outside for awhile, until the cold got the better of her and she came back in.

((He is concerned, I just typo'd. I mean to have it say that he sounded like he was concerned, which masked his intentions of speaking with her outside. Also, I must not have read that bottom part

))
Max watched as Vanilla stepped outside. He sighed, feeling dejected as she left, not liking the pained look on her face at all. He set his gift down on a nearby table and stepped outside, following after her before she came back inside.

Vadiant · Post by **Vadiant** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:40 am

Almost immediately after receiving his present, Sebastian held it up to his ear, and shook it lightly. Though he didn't really have to, now that he was actually holding it, he'd always liked the thrill of trying to guess what his presents were. "Sounds like... Something inside something else," he muttered to himself, based on the sound. He didn't have much of a guess from that, but ultimately gave in to his curiosity, and peeled back the wrapping paper. "Oh, cool!" Holding up the movie case, Seb looked it over while humming the familiar tune. "Hm hm hmm... Transformers, Robots. In. Disguise!"

Watching Seb open his present so excitedly, it took Dahlia a second to remember she'd yet to open her own. Peering at the gift in front of her, she was definitely curious, even if she didn't plan to 'guess by sound' herself. Instead just going for the direct route, she slipped the wrapping paper off carefully, and pulled from it a book set. Her eyes lit up when she read the author's name, before even reaching the title. "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle... The great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes!" Running her paw over the top cover, she was tempted to take a peek now, but decided to wait. In the mean time, she considered her own mystery, as to which Santa was the one that had given this to her.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:23 am

ctcmjh wrote:((He is concerned, I just typo'd. I mean to have it say that he sounded like he was concerned, which masked his intentions of speaking with her outside. Also, I must not have read that bottom part ))
Max watched as Vanilla stepped outside. He sighed, feeling dejected as she left, not liking the pained look on her face at all. He set his gift down on a nearby table and stepped outside, following after her before she came back inside.

Vanilla started as she noticed Max while coming inside.

"What is it?" she said, not meaning to sound brusque but not quite able to hide it either.

"You all right, Vanilla?"

"YES, I'm all right!" said Vanilla.

"Okay, okay, just asking...." She noticed Vanilla's gift. "WOW...that's just what you've always wanted!"

"I KNOW!"

Honey didn't press the matter further, but she wondered why Vanilla didn't seem as happy as she would have expected.

Athlon2736 · Post by **Athlon2736** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:10 pm

Jackson walked over to Liz and smiled at her and hugged her from behind.
"Now my dear lovely Kitten, would you like your present from me?" he said holding the gift with his hand to her shoulder.
Zappa heard Vanilla and cringed alittle. He looked over and became alittle worried for her, then thought about getting involved. Then quickly thought against it.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:31 pm

Athlon2736 wrote:Jackson walked over to Liz and smiled at her and hugged her from behind.
"Now my dear lovely Kitten, would you like your present from me?" he said holding the gift with his hand to her shoulder.
Zappa heard Vanilla and cringed alittle. He looked over and became alittle worried for her, then thought about getting involved. Then quickly thought against it.

Liz was still in her super happy state when Jackson hugged her from behind. She looked to him with a big smile on her face, "You got me a present?! Oh Jacky! You shouldn't have!" She said, turning around and hugging him.
-
Max stood there as Vanilla asked him, "What is it?" He was going to reply when Honey and her began to talk. Max was standing there, a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He cringed slightly as she said, "I KNOW" fairly loud. He looked to Vanilla, "Vanilla, if something about my present, or about me in general, is bothering you, I would like to talk about it, rather than cause us both stress and grief." He told her, calmly and non-threatening at all. He sounded more comforting than anything.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:36 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max stood there as Vanilla asked him, "What is it?" He was going to reply when Honey and her began to talk. Max was standing there, a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He cringed slightly as she said, "I KNOW" fairly loud. He looked to Vanilla, "Vanilla, if something about my present, or about me in general, is bothering you, I would like to talk about it, rather than cause us both stress and grief." He told her.

Vanilla trembled as though she might explode.

She then shook her head violently.

"Not here. Outside," she said in a surprisingly calm voice, then proceeded to step outside. She didn't care about the cold anymore.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:41 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla trembled as though she might explode.

She then shook her head violently.

"Not here. Outside," she said in a surprisingly calm voice, then proceeded to step outside. She didn't care about the cold anymore.

Max just nodded as she walked outside. Despite his guilt at making her tremble like that, he didn't regret asking to speak with her like that. He followed her after a moment and closed the door behind him, wrapping his scarf around his neck and putting his jacket back on.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:48 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max just nodded as she walked outside. Despite his guilt at making her tremble like that, he didn't regret asking to speak with her like that. He followed her after a moment and closed the door behind him, wrapping his scarf around his neck and putting his jacket back on.

Vanilla took deep breaths, though it was difficult in the cold.

Though careful not to shake the chessboard or treat it with anything less than respect, she used it to gesture at Max.

"So you've admitted that you gave me this. May I ask why?"

Though she was still shivering, and clearly still upset, this shivering could be attributed to the cold rather than anything else.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:52 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla took deep breaths, though it was difficult in the cold.

Though careful not to shake the chessboard or treat it with anything less than respect, she used it to gesture at Max.

"So you've admitted that you gave me this. May I ask why?"

Though she was still shivering, and clearly still upset, this shivering could be attributed to the cold rather than anything else.

Max folded his arms and nodded, "Why I admitted it to you? Because you seemed to already know it was from me. Why I chose to give it to you? I knew you liked chess, and Liz informed me that you had wanted a new chessboard. So I made it by hand, and gave it to you as a present." He suspected her shivering to come from both the cold and being upset, as she was obviously still upset.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:05 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max folded his arms and nodded, "Why I admitted it to you? Because you seemed to already know it was from me. Why I chose to give it to you? I knew you liked chess, and Liz informed me that you had wanted a new chessboard. So I made it by hand, and gave it to you as a present." He suspected her shivering to come from both the cold and being upset, as she was obviously still upset.

Vanilla frowned at Max folding his arms. It reminded her too much of Zappa.

"That isn't the only reason, is it?" she said in a calm voice, stuttering due to the cold. "You've played chess with me ONCE. You don't even know me that well."

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:15 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla frowned at Max folding his arms. It reminded her too much of Zappa.

"That isn't the only reason, is it?" she said in a calm voice, stuttering due to the cold. "You've played chess with me ONCE. You don't even know me that well."

Max unfolded his arms and sighed, "I don't know. You just seem like someone that I want to get to know better. And even though I don't know you that well, the things that I do know lead me to think that we would be good friends, if given the chance. We have the same humor and we have a decent amount of things in common with one another. Not to mention we're both intelligent pets, without the eccentricities that the other intelligent pets here all seem to have." He told her, smiling lightly, hoping to calm her a bit, "And you've seemed to be the unfortunate victim of most of the drama around here, so I wanted to see you happy for once."

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:21 pm

Vanilla stared as though Max had confessed to being a vampire.

Why? Had she WANTED him to be more like Zappa, or Zack? But it was TORTURE being stalked by them! So why was she MORE suspicious and uncomfortable with his words? He didn't even sound insincere, and if anyone knew what insincere talk sounded like, it was Vanilla.

Tears started to well up in her eyes. She couldn't even get him on doing it out of pity, with his last comment. It didn't sound like it was out of pity.

"Max...Liz is the first friend I've made since moving here, and while she may not be exactly what I would have chosen in a friend, I don't want to lose that. Having said that...how much has she told you about me, exactly?"

She was stunned. Why had she ended with that question?

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:27 pm

Max swallowed out of nervousness when she stared at him and tears welled in her eyes, but he stood his ground and didn't change his body language. He was a little confused as to why she ended with that question, "Before I answer that, I want to say that I highly doubt that being my friend will cause Liz to lose friendship with you." He told her, "Liz tells me what she does while she's over at your house, she told me that you're very intelligent, but she says she doesn't understand your jokes sometimes, and doesn't know any of the big words you use. She also told me what kind of music and movies you like, as well as telling me you're very good at chess and that you enjoy reading. What you enjoy reading, she didn't tell me." He told her honestly, "She also told me that underneath your hard shell, you're a very nice girl, and a good friend to her, but you don't come out of your shell, and not often do you let people in."

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:32 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max swallowed out of nervousness when she stared at him and tears welled in her eyes, but he stood his ground and didn't change his body language. He was a little confused as to why she ended with that question, "Before I answer that, I want to say that I highly doubt that being my friend will cause Liz to lose friendship with you." He told her, "Liz tells me what she does while she's over at your house, she told me that you're very intelligent, but she says she doesn't understand your jokes sometimes, and doesn't know any of the big words you use. She also told me what kind of music and movies you like, as well as telling me you're very good at chess and that you enjoy reading. What you enjoy reading, she didn't tell me." He told her honestly, "She also told me that underneath your hard shell, you're a very nice girl, and a good friend to her, but you don't come out of your shell, and not often do you let people in."

Vanilla started breathing heavily again. This wasn't going well for Vanilla, and she didn't know why. At the very least, Liz proved to be a true friend in keeping her secret.

"I didn't say that I would lose Liz's friendship by being friends with you," she said, leaving it at that. "But since you obviously know what I'm like, you understand why I'm skeptical about your intentions in giving me such a personal gift. In addition to which I don't want Liz to get the wrong idea."

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:37 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla started breathing heavily again. This wasn't going well for Vanilla, and she didn't know why. At the very least, Liz proved to be a true friend in keeping her secret.

"I didn't say that I would lose Liz's friendship by being friends with you," she said, leaving it at that. "But since you obviously know what I'm like, you understand why I'm skeptical about your intentions in giving me such a personal gift. In addition to which I don't want Liz to get the wrong idea."

Max nodded, growing uneasy at her heavy breathing. He was uncomfortable that he was making someone this uncomfortable, especially Vanilla, who he was trying to have the opposite effect upon.

"I do understand, and I would be skeptical of such a personal gift as well. But what do you mean by giving Liz the wrong idea?" He asked her, confused now.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:39 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max nodded, growing uneasy at her heavy breathing. He was uncomfortable that he was making someone this uncomfortable, especially Vanilla, who he was trying to have the opposite effect upon.

"I do understand, and I would be skeptical of such a personal gift as well. But what do you mean by giving Liz the wrong idea?" He asked her, confused now.

Vanilla put her head between her legs, feeling faint, then stood back up again. This was NOT easy.

"You know how Liz can be.... If she saw you...your brother...with me...her best friend.... Even if no one led her to the idea, she might get the impression...."

She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to say it, especially if he was already thinking it.

Athlon2736 · Post by **Athlon2736** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:44 pm

Jackson smiled, and offered it too her, "Well here you go," he said. Inside was a small leather necklace with a piece of beuatiful black stone Jackson found in the forest a while back. He 'convince' Zappa to form it into a small heart for him.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:45 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla put her head between her legs, feeling faint, then stood back up again. This was NOT easy.

"You know how Liz can be.... If she saw you...your brother...with me...her best friend.... Even if no one led her to the idea, she might get the impression...."

She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to say it, especially if he was already thinking it.

Max understood what she meant and took a deep breath in to calm his nerves, to no avail, "Yes, I understand. Liz might get that impression." He said, "But even if she got that impression, or even if we actually were like that, Liz would not stop her friendship with you because of it."

-

Liz looked at the gift with wide eyes, "Thank you Jackson!" She said, throwing a hug at him as she grabbed the necklace.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:50 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max understood what she meant and took a deep breath in to calm his nerves, to no avail, "Yes, I understand. Liz might get that impression." He said, "But even if she got that impression, or even if we actually were like that, Liz would not stop her friendship with you because of it."

Vanilla stared, her eyes about to pop out of her head.

"Even if we actually WERE like that?"

So he WAS considering it.

She knew his last words were true, but now.... Now a whole storm of emotions bubbled to the surface.

She turned away from him and started to cry.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:54 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla stared, her eyes about to pop out of her head.

"Even if we actually WERE like that?"

So he WAS considering it.

She knew his last words were true, but now.... Now a whole storm of emotions bubbled to the surface.

She turned away from him and started to cry.

As Vanilla turned and started to cry, Max hurried over to her, very concerned, "Vanilla, why are you crying?" He asked, a hand hovering over he shoulder as he contemplated touching her shoulder. He was conflicted with comforting her, and respecting her personal space. He decided to hope that it comforted her and placed a paw gently on her shoulder as he stood behind her.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:56 pm

ctcmjh wrote:As Vanilla turned and started to cry, Max hurried over to her, very concerned, "Vanilla, why are you crying?" He asked, a hand hovering over he shoulder as he contemplated touching her shoulder. He was conflicted with comforting her, and respecting her personal space. He decided to hope that it comforted her and placed a paw gently on her shoulder as he stood behind her.

Vanilla shuddered but didn't shake Max's paw off her shoulder. She wanted to--and hated herself for it.

"I'm NOT crying!" she said, continuing to sob into her jacket sleeves. "I just--I don't--don't--w--des..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:57 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla shuddered but didn't shake Max's paw off her shoulder. She wanted to--and hated herself for it.

"I'm NOT crying!" she said, continuing to sob into her jacket sleeves. "I just--I don't--don't--w--des..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

Max kept his paw on her shoulder, "You don't want what?" He asked her.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:58 pm

ctcmjh wrote:Max kept his paw on her shoulder, "You don't want what?" He asked her.

Vanilla shook her head vigorously. "Want...to want.... Don't...deserve...."

She wailed in frustration, unable to get the words out.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:39 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla shook her head vigorously. "Want...to want.... Don't...deserve...."

She wailed in frustration, unable to get the words out.

Max kept his paw on her shoulder and shook his head, "Vanilla, you deserve any good that comes to you." He told her, "What exactly do you feel like you don't deserve?"

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:47 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max kept his paw on her shoulder and shook his head, "Vanilla, you deserve any good that comes to you." He told her, "What exactly do you feel like you don't deserve?"

Vanilla couldn't even talk--each time she tried, she ended up gasping and sobbing again.

She ended up collapsing onto the snow, but was careful to keep the chessboard on her lap so it wouldn't get snow on it. Even in her state she was able to treat it with that much respect.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:52 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla couldn't even talk--each time she tried, she ended up gasping and sobbing again.

She ended up collapsing onto the snow, but was careful to keep the chessboard on her lap so it wouldn't get snow on it. Even in her state she was able to treat it with that much respect.

Max knelt down in the snow next to her and put his arm around her to try to support her. He was going to stay like that, until she was better.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:56 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max knelt down in the snow next to her and put his arm around her to try to support her. He was going to stay like that, until she was better.

Vanilla cringed, but didn't try to fight it off--she barely even noticed it.

Her tears froze into crystals as she sat in the snow crying. Every bad memory that she'd tried to suppress, every time she'd been bullied or used, every time she herself had let emotion get the better of her reason erupted in a volcano of frozen tears.

It was several minutes before she was able to stand up. By now she felt numb all over and needed Max's support, a little. But now she was numb. She was numb to everything.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:15 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla cringed, but didn't try to fight it off--she barely even noticed it.

Her tears froze into crystals as she sat in the snow crying. Every bad memory that she'd tried to suppress, every time she'd been bullied or used, every time she herself had let emotion get the better of her reason erupted in a volcano of frozen tears.

It was several minutes before she was able to stand up. By now she felt numb all over and needed Max's support, a little. But now she was numb. She was numb to everything.

Max kept kneeling there, his arm around her. He rubbed her back with his other hand, trying to help comfort her. He didn't want her to cry like this. He was expecting an emotional backlash of some sort from her, but her emotional breakdown like this was unexpected, and unsettling, "Vanilla, you do deserve it. You deserve anything good that comes your way." He told her softly, hoping his words had any impact at all.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:18 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max kept kneeling there, his arm around her. He rubbed her back with his other hand, trying to help comfort her. He didn't want her to cry like this. He was expecting an emotional backlash of some sort from her, but her emotional breakdown like this was unexpected, and unsettling, "Vanilla, you do deserve it. You deserve anything good that comes your way." He told her softly, hoping his words had any impact at all.

Vanilla started to shiver when she came back inside. She wished that Max would quit saying that.

"Vanilla, are you okay?" said Honey, very concerned. Vanilla sometimes got upset at Christmas, but never like this.

Vanilla shook her head. "I will be."

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:30 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla started to shiver when she came back inside. She wished that Max would quit saying that.

"Vanilla, are you okay?" said Honey, very concerned. Vanilla sometimes got upset at Christmas, but never like this.

Vanilla shook her head. "I will be."

Max followed her inside, closing the door behind him. He stood near Vanilla, not giving up on her. He listened to Vanilla and Honey's short conversation, but didn't make it obvious he was paying attention. He didn't look upset at all, he just looked a bit troubled and concerned.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:32 am

Vanilla looked at Max dully.

"I suppose you are prepared to play chess with me on this board, since you gave me a hand-crafted set, and you are the only one with whom I've played who was any good?"

She knew the answer, but she wanted him to say it.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:40 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla looked at Max dully.

"I suppose you are prepared to play chess with me on this board, since you gave me a hand-crafted set, and you are the only one with whom I've played who was any good?"

She knew the answer, but she wanted him to say it.

Max looked back at Vanilla, a faint smile on his face, "As long as you are willing to play me, then I'm prepared, and willing."

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:45 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max looked back at Vanilla, a faint smile on his face, "As long as you are willing to play me, then I'm prepared, and willing."

Vanilla nodded in acknowledgment.

She didn't know what to do, or to say. He had given it to her selfishly, he had to have--all the signs were there.

But then...she KNEW insincerity when she heard it--surely he wasn't THAT good at deceiving her? Besides, why would he go to the trouble of making a hand-crafted cherry wood set for her if that were it?

She wanted him to have given it to her selfishly--why? But he hadn't done so, she knew that, never mind the signs.

She didn't feel worthy of this gift--yet neither could she give it back. She wanted to believe that was HER own selfishness, that she didn't want to give it back, but...that wasn't it either.

Why were things so confusing?

She had a feeling that the first chess game she played on this set would be a personal one.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:51 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla nodded in acknowledgment.

She didn't know what to do, or to say. He had given it to her selfishly, he had to have--all the signs were there.

But then...she KNEW insincerity when she heard it--surely he wasn't THAT good at deceiving her? Besides, why would he go to the trouble of making a hand-crafted cherry wood set for her if that were it?

She wanted him to have given it to her selfishly--why? But he hadn't done so, she knew that, never mind the signs.

She didn't feel worthy of this gift--yet neither could she give it back. She wanted to believe that was HER own selfishness, that she didn't want to give it back, but...that wasn't it either.

Why were things so confusing?

She had a feeling that the first chess game she played on this set would be a personal one.

Max knew that look. He had seen it on people when they were contemplating something very complex or difficult. He smiled, "If you ever feel up for a match, we only live a few houses apart, so we can play any time that you wish." He told her. He really did enjoy playing chess with her, she was a very good opponent.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:58 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max knew that look. He had seen it on people when they were contemplating something very complex or difficult. He smiled, "If you ever feel up for a match, we only live a few houses apart, so we can play any time that you wish." He told her. He really did enjoy playing chess with her, she was a very good opponent.

Vanilla looked away and bit her lip. She didn't want to play on the board, especially not with him. And yet she DID--in fact, she didn't want to BECAUSE she did want to.

She wished very much she could remain objective and rational about this, rather than letting her emotions run away with her. She didn't want to allow herself to be emotionally vulnerable (she knew what THAT had gotten her in the past) and yet her stubbornness WAS being emotional, just another form of it.

Was there NO way out?

She didn't trust Max--she didn't WANT to trust him.

And yet he seemed like just the sort she COULD trust--that was why she was suspicious of him, because she had no way of knowing when or how the other shoe would drop.

She took some deep breaths to calm herself down. She thought she had one idea of what his angle was, and so she would hold onto that as an ace in the hole, as SOME means of maintaining control of the situation. It was a problem, but it seemed to be less of a problem than it had been with Zappa or Zack.

"If I don't feel up for a match, I need a doctor," she said dryly.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:27 am

ChewyChewy wrote:Vanilla looked away and bit her lip. She didn't want to play on the board, especially not with him. And yet she DID--in fact, she didn't want to BECAUSE she did want to.

She wished very much she could remain objective and rational about this, rather than letting her emotions run away with her. She didn't want to allow herself to be emotionally vulnerable (she knew what THAT had gotten her in the past) and yet her stubbornness WAS being emotional, just another form of it.

Was there NO way out?

She didn't trust Max--she didn't WANT to trust him.

And yet he seemed like just the sort she COULD trust--that was why she was suspicious of him, because she had no way of knowing when or how the other shoe would drop.

She took some deep breaths to calm herself down. She thought she had one idea of what his angle was, and so she would hold onto that as an ace in the hole, as SOME means of maintaining control of the situation. It was a problem, but it seemed to be less of a problem than it had been with Zappa or Zack.

"If I don't feel up for a match, I need a doctor," she said dryly.

Max noticed that she kept taking extra time to respond to him. He still believed that she was having an inner struggle against something. Something that his mind was starting to wrap around. She was obviously having a very powerful inner conflict about her feelings towards him, he was certain of that. He didn't know how to feel about that. Part of him was happy for that, and a part of him was nervous about the whole thing. He just wanted her to be happy, and he wanted her to know that without coming right out and telling her that. She probably wouldn't believe him anyways, thinking it was some method to cover up some ulterior motive.

Max nodded, "That's good to hear. But I'm sure you want to make the first game you play on that board a very good game." He said.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:51 am

ctcmjh wrote:Max noticed that she kept taking extra time to respond to him. He still believed that she was having an inner struggle against something. Something that his mind was starting to wrap around. She was obviously having a very powerful inner conflict about her feelings towards him, he was certain of that. He didn't know how to feel about that. Part of him was happy for that, and a part of him was nervous about the whole thing. He just wanted her to be happy, and he wanted her to know that without coming right out and telling her that. She probably wouldn't believe him anyways, thinking it was some method to cover up some ulterior motive.

Max nodded, "That's good to hear. But I'm sure you want to make the first game you play on that board a very good game." He said.

Vanilla squinted.

"Are you suggesting that I would have to TRY?"

Honey turned her head so Vanilla wouldn't see her giggling. It was inaudible, but if one could see her face one would know.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:41 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:
Vanilla squinted.

"Are you suggesting that I would have to TRY?"

Honey turned her head so Vanilla wouldn't see her giggling. It was inaudible, but if one could see her face one would know.

"I'm saying that I know you want a challenge, and you know I can provide a challenge." He said, challengingly.

ChewyChewy · Post by **ChewyChewy** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:21 pm

ctcmjh wrote:"I'm saying that I know you want a challenge, and you know I can provide a challenge." He said, challengingly.

"I don't know any such thing," said Vanilla. "I've only played you once, and you didn't beat me then--besides, I wasn't fully on my guard because I always beat my opponents and subconsciously my mindset was such that I wouldn't even have to try very hard to beat you."

Honey couldn't help grinning.

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:38 pm

ChewyChewy wrote:"I don't know any such thing," said Vanilla. "I've only played you once, and you didn't beat me then--besides, I wasn't fully on my guard because I always beat my opponents and subconsciously my mindset was such that I wouldn't even have to try very hard to beat you."

Honey couldn't help grinning.

"In that match, I was in the mindset to simply have a fun game and to see if you were as good of a player as Liz had told me. I was more or less testing to see if you would be a challenge." He said, grinning back, "But, if you really are as good as you say you are, then you'll have no problem showing me just how good you are."