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Archive 16 / riding-the-wave
NSFW | TW: Sexual Content
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Custos BOT 12-Sep-22 07:13 PM
Another year, another trip down memory lane. Custos put on a black leather jacket, the weight of the material pressed down against his broad shoulders, while the collar hung around his muscular neck lazily. He ran both hands through a bunch of long wavy hair, brown and slightly highlighted from spending too much time in the sun. He was tan with a swimmer build. Sharp when it came to speaking to people and gave off a salacious vibe that he wasn’t easy to approach. Women found him attractive, and more often than not, he was complimented on his choice of cologne. The first day of school, more like college, or a job, he showed up on time and took his seat in the back of the class with the number “8” printed on the seat. The campus was located in the heart of Rome and was completely off the grid unless you knew where to look. No one was allowed into this place unless they were invited, and Custos was a veteran of the program - and what was the program all about? It was simple really. Custos was born to assist the souls of Earth, to help them elevate their consciousness, and ascend into higher planes once reaching the afterlife. He was a guide. Most people on earth had two mentors, they just didn’t know it. Today was special. He would meet his partner, and they’d discover who their “student” would be. It was up to Custos to get to know his partner, form a relationship with them, and as a team, together, they would guide their trainee to pass specific tests. He liked to call them temptations - Custos came from a specific part of the school catered to handing out the tests, whereas his partner would be the one attempting to guide the individual to make the right choices. What a duo. He’d done this so many times before he wasn’t expecting any surprises.
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Custos positioned an empty chair beside him with a matching number “8” on the seat, making it easy for his partner to find him. He relaxed, easing back into his chair, and folded his hands over his jeans until achieving a comfortable position where he could focus on the people trickling in one by one. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 12-Sep-22 08:46 PM
This never happened to her.. NEVER. She never ran late, but of course on the one day that she could not afford to be, she had slept past her alarm. So now she had no choice but to run for her life in the hopes that she would still make it in time. She wore a simple dress, white with subtle flowers printed on the fabric. it hug around her waist and then flared out to sit just above her knees. The top left her back mostly bare and the front had thin straps that wrapped around her neck. On her feet were simple sandals, something that made running to the campus not the easiest task in the world. Unlike Custos, Shae was new to this. She had finally finished her training and had now been deemed ready to go out there and receive her first “student”. Perhaps that was also why she was teamed up with the experienced team member. After all, put two newbies on one person was just asking for trouble. She finally made it to campus, looking on her phone she had two minutes left to get to the classroom. She quickly showed her pass and was granted acces and ran the rest of the way to it. She made it just before the doors were closed, the teacher giving her a sideways glance of disapproval and she let her head hang low in embarrassment. She quickly scanned the room for the number 8 and her eyes met those of Custos, the chair behind him the only one still empty. She made her way over quickly. Her hair was messy from running, a soft sheen of sweat on her forehead and she was quite winded. In other words, she looked a mess on her first day. She sat down on that chair and tugged her purse against her front. The teacher was about to start the class and she just got a quick look at the guy beside her, the one who was going to be her partner. God.. he was intimidating. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 13-Sep-22 12:07 PM
“This year is going to be slightly different,” said the teacher who stood in front of the class. Their name was Professor Caeli. He was a strong black man wearing a purple vest that barely held in all of his muscles, a pair of black pants, and worn in black military boots. Around both eye sockets were shades of purple - the unusual color made his stare even more ruthless. He looked like he’d never laughed a day in his life. Then again, what he taught was serious business, and he expected his students to conduct themself in a similar fashion. All Professors wore makeup depending on what field they were in. It was an easy way to identify who was who in their school. Professor Caeli went on, educating the class of 30 Guardians about a darkness that was spreading energetically over the world… “Some of you have done this before, and for others, this is your first time being a Guardian to a new soul on Earth. I want you to take a moment and introduce yourself to your partner. Get to know five things about one another before we continue. Afterward, spend the rest of the day forming your bond, experienced Guardians will conduct the ritual - and tomorrow, you will begin your task to watch over and guide your trainee.” Custos took the liberty to lean forward, straighten his leather jacket, and offer his attention to Shae. She was pretty. Even with all the sweat clinging to her skin from rushing to get here on time, it did it for him. “I guess I can start. My name is Custos,” he said, and a single piece of hair fell over his face from the way he tilted his head to one side, “This is my seventh time doing this, and last if we’re successful. I plan to graduate at the end of this year. I like surfing, the ocean, and puppies.” What a smile Custos had, it said: I can be your best friend or worst nightmare. “My favorite color is black, and…” he reached down and picked up a pen on the ground, “...I think this fell from your purse.” @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 14-Sep-22 12:01 AM
The whole environment of that class was somehow intimidating.. Perhaps it was just because she still felt guilty for being late, or it was that intimidating teacher that stood before the class. She had seen him around before, but she had rarely ever seen him in person. Or perhaps it was the person sitting beside her, someone who glowed confidence and seemed to belong there. Or it as because it was simply her first time being assigned and she was nervous about it. Whatever the case was, she sat on her chair, clutching her purse close to her body as she listened to what the teacher had to say. Use today to bond? She guessed that was a good start.. they would be each others partner for a long time after all. She looked sideways again, just in the right moment to see him turn to her and lean forward. Even as he talked she did not feel quite at ease, she had to try and guide her student through his temptations? This was going to be rough.. He finished his introduction and held up the pen for her. She quickly took it, knowing the pink thing could have only came from her purse as he said. “Thanks..” she said quickly. “Nice to meet you.” She said to him, trying to give him a smile back that didn’t speak of her nerves and insecurity. She offered her hand and would shake it if he took it, if he did not she would bring it awkwardly back to herself. “My name is Shae.” She started, figuring she would just copy a few of the things he had said to introduce herself. “This will actually be my first student. I like coffee, playing music and..” Why was she blanking on things she liked? Why was she so nervous? “Sunsets.” She then quickly said, blanking on anything else. “My favorite color is lavender..” now came the last fact, one that she could not just copy from him and because of that she just let a short ramble escape her lips. “And I nearly didn’t make it to class on time because I was so nervous last night that I could not sleep and slept right through my alarm.” Did she re
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ally just say that? She guessed she did.. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 14-Sep-22 09:31 PM
It would have been a sin to deny shaking hands with Shae. Custos folded her fingers into his and gently brushed his thumb over the tops of her knuckles before releasing her hand. “A lover of sunsets? I’ve got a nice spot I’ll take you to. Great place to watch the sun go down with a nice view of the city - I’m more of a sunrise addict myself. Nothing beats waking up while it’s dark, watching the stars fade out one by one. Next thing you know, you’re blinded by a burning sun -” Professor Caeli interrupted Custos, handing him a yellow envelope. “Nice to see you, Professor,” Custos said, giving his full attention to the instructor as they towered over him and Shae. “You did well last year, Custos, I’d like to see a repeat of that same dedication.” “Sure thing, boss. You got it.” Custos gave him a reaffirming nod. His tone was respectful and concrete. In return, the Professor gave Custos and Shae a hard and meaningful look, one that said: don’t disappoint me - then left. Custos slid a finger under the edge of the envelope, opened it, and pulled out a piece of white paper. “I hope you like art,” he said after skimming the outline. He handed the paper to Shae. The paper had details of their trainee, including their name, their major, and where they worked. “Says his name is Jeff, works at a coffee house on the east side of town, and wants to go to school for oil painting - this should be fun. Last year I was assigned someone who wanted to fly planes, talk about a change of pace.” “Does everyone have an envelope?” Professor Caeli asked the class, then said, “Excellent. You may leave when you’re ready. Good luck, Guardians.” As people got up to leave, Custos didn’t budge. He wanted to make sure Shae had a chance to read the paper and ask him questions. “There’s only one thing you need to know, you’re with me, which means you don’t need to be nervous. You can sleep well. If you’re ready, we can get out of here and complete our tasks as partners.” <@118689110775824
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Shae BOT 15-Sep-22 02:18 AM
The professor almost sneaked up on them, if that was even possible with his size. As he suddenly handed over the envelope, Shea almost jumped in her chair. She was not always like this. She was actually quite confident and happy. But something about this whole exchange had her on edge. Like she was convinced she was going to fuck this all up. She needed to breath.. just breath. She flashed the professor a smile, opening her mouth to say thank you, but nothing came out and he already went to the next pair. Her eyes the found Custos and went down to the envelope. “Art?” She asked, giving him a questioning look before he let her know more of the details. She felt some weight come from her shoulder. That didn’t sound to hard.. someone creative. She could get a feel for that. Once he offered the paper she read through it, scanning it for the details. “That shouldn’t be to hard.. The coffee shop will be a nice place to keep an eye on him. He is really creative so becoming a painter shouldn’t be too hard for him.” She read over the other details that were on there. She was getting excited to meet him now, her nerves starting to die down a bit. Once she looked back up at him, most people had already left. “Well.. maybe. Just go easy on me. I have never done this before. I have heard horror stories about Guardians first years and I don’t want to become one of those.” She said with the softest of chuckles. She got back up from her seat and would start to walk with him from the classroom. The purse left her chest, not just resting at her side like it should. She patted her hair in place, trying to get it to not look like a mess and ending up just tying it in a ponytail. “Is he working today? Maybe we can get a peek at him.” She said. “Or should we not meet them yet?” Still very unsure about how all of this went. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 15-Sep-22 01:42 PM
“Sure, we can stop by his coffee shop to see if he’s there. You should know, though, we’ll be attending the art classes with him. Shouldn't be too bad, just enough for us to introduce ourselves and become friends. It doesn’t matter if we pass the art class or not. Our goal is to invite him out for drinks. Exchange contact information. Hang out on the weekends. There are specific tests Jeff needs to pass - as long we get them done within the next year, we’ll have done our job.” It was late in the afternoon, and Custos led Shae to a building with a side entrance. They walked up a series of stairs and eventually landed on a rooftop with a view of the city. The sun was lowering behind the horizon, casting warm light on everything, turning slightly red the further down it went. Orange colors played on Custos’s face as he brought Shae over to the ledge. He turned to look at her and then gently took one of her hands into his own so that she was facing him and could see what he was doing. “I’m going to complete our ritual as partners,” he said to her. The smile on his face was attractive yet reassuring. “Don’t be afraid or worry about remembering how to do this, you’ll learn in your third year. I’m going to connect us, which means I’ll be able to hear your thoughts, and you’ll be able to hear mine. It’s strange at first, but you’ll get used to it. I promise I won’t sing you lullabies to sleep, unless that’s something you enjoy…” He was only half kidding. Shae would be his seventh partner, and each of them was unique. He didn’t know what to expect from her, but he knew she was hand-picked and placed with him for a reason. The leather jacket pulled against his arm as he raised his right hand in the fading sunlight, holding her right hand up. Their palms touched, and then after a heavy moment, with the wind swaying pieces of Custos’s brown hair, a soft light began to glow between their fingers. His gaze flickered from their hands to look directly into Shae’s eyes.
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@Nakachu
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Shae BOT 17-Sep-22 08:38 PM
She liked that he was thinking along. He seemed to experienced in all this, while for her it was all new. In a way it was intimidating, but at the same time it was soothing to know that at least one of them knew what they were doing. She followed him up that flight of stairs, staying a small bit behind him at all times. Her eyes scanning his body from behind. The leather that he was dressed in so smooth and shiny, creasing at the right places to accommodate his shoulders. Once they made it to the top she couldn’t help the soft gasp that came from within her. She sights was beautiful. The sunset at that perfect place in the sky to coat everything in oranges and pinks. “Wow..” she said, mostly to herself. She loved sunsets. She had not lied about that. She didn’t even know you could get here. She needed to remember that. He took her hand and brought her closer to the ledge before making her face him. She looked him with curiosity, once more brushing her hair behind her face. “Right.. the ritual.” She said, her lip going slightly between her teeth. She had almost forgotten about this part. How she and her partner would be connected by their very souls. Her thoughts no longer private, she might as well be naked around him. But it was needed, it was how Guardians worked together best, as they could not have secrets for one another. “Just.. give me one second!” She asked him. Closing her eyes and just getting all the thoughts out that she needed in that moment before opening them again. “Okay.. I’m ready.” She said to him then. She gave him her right hand and watched it as he guided them upwards. Her hand much smaller then his, her fingertips barely reaching the the first bends of his fingers. Her eyes had just flicked to look into his when the glow began and a strange yet intense warmth filled her entire body. It as so intense that she found herself almost closing her eyes, another deep gasp of air leaving her lips that seemed to come from her very core. Her heart
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feeling like it went a thousands miles a second for just a moment before it calmed down once more. She had heard that the bonding ritual could be an experience, but that.. that had been intense. As the feeling faded she pulled back her hand from his, almost panting from the strange feeling that had just gone through her. That was.. Holy shit.. She thought to herself, not realizing quite yet that these thoughts were just as clear to Custos as if she had spoken it out loud. “Is it suppose to feel like that?” She asked, hoping that he would understand what she meant. “Like..” she didn’t even know what to compare it with. “Like, burning up from the inside?” Was the only thing she could find to compare it too. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 20-Sep-22 12:11 PM
As the sun’s last glimmer of satisfying orange light slid across every wall and corner of the city, their bonding commenced - a resounding flash blipped into the sky, signaling sunset had occurred, which triggered the momentum of the ritual between the two Guardians. The only way to explain what happened next would be as if someone took a film strip of Shae’s life, cut out the best parts, and spliced everything back together for Custos to review. Moments of his partner’s life played rapidly, blinding him like the sun on a car window, flickering her deepest secrets within the shadows of Custos’s mind… Custos saw Shae as a child growing into adulthood. He saw the moments filled with joy and sorrow. How she handled stress and what made her feel safe. He saw the very day she was approached to be a Guardian, yet the reason why was still hidden from him. The light surrounding Shae’s soul flooded his mind and caused his entire body to enter a state of cosmic euphoria - a sensation starting from the top of his head and cascaded down to the tips of his toes. The physical sensation forced him to experience a river of goosebumps on his arms. He saw her memories, though she could not see his. “I will train you over the next few weeks to control your thoughts. Until then, do your best not to think of any moments you do not want me to know about….” Take a deep breath… Those four words drifted into her subconscious like the wind traveling through an evergreen forest. The speed at which their minds connected was enough to make someone black out. Custos placed a hand on Shae’s wrist, their palms no longer touching, and held onto her to ensure she did not lose her balance.
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“The short answer is yes,” he replied with a smile that shouldn’t have been there, “...the process is overwhelming the first time you do it with someone. You’ll find each time you connect with a Guardian, it’s a different experience.” He brought her hand into his and led her to the street. The low-hanging city lamps suddenly turned on, and business windows had already started to glow with a soft yellow. “The coffee shop is this way…I’ll let go once we get there,” he said, squeezing her palm once. Tell me if you feel faint… And after giving her one of those deep stares from under several locks of wavy brown hair, he slowly guided her in the direction of Saint Bernards Coffee Co.
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@Nakachu
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Shae BOT 27-Sep-22 09:09 AM
Do her best not to think of things he didn’t want to know? She couldn’t help the nervous smile that came to her. That was like telling someone to not think of a pink elephant.. when that would be the first thing to come to their mind at that moment. Take a deep breath.. She looked up at him as their eyes found each other and she did as he said she should. She took a deep breath in through her nose, one that made her chest rise, before blowing out through her nose. It helped to calm her down, her heartbeat seeming to return to normal. “So.. next year should be easier?” She asked, because this had seemed.. exhausting already. He took her hand and started to lead her down the steps. The fact that he knew that she was feeling faint somehow bothered her. She had tried to hide it from him. She wondered if he could hear her thoughts even then. I will. she tried and her reaction told her exactly what she needed to know. He could. They walked down several streets as he led them down to coffee shop that Jeff worked at. At first she had felt like she was slowly recovering, but the closer they seemed to get the more her head was starting to swim again. Eventually she stopped in her tracks, pulling his hand. “I-I need a moment.” She said and just as she finished she sentence she sank down to the ground. She didn’t exactly faint, but the energy just seemed to have left her body, like her sugar just plummeted down. She reached into her bag, searching for her water. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 27-Sep-22 08:48 PM
Custos took a seat next to Shae on the ground. They ended up on a cement sidewalk outside an old bookstore. Warm light poured down on them from the store’s windows. He reached out and took both of Shae’s hands into his own. They felt clammy to him. “You’re sending me down memory lane.” He smiled and rubbed the tops of her knuckles with his thumbs. “I fainted my first year. Fell over sideways straight into a bush. They had to pull me out and dunk my face in ice water - at least you’re doing better than me.” Then Custos sent a wave of energy to Shae through his hands as if he injected her with drugs to make her calm down. “I need you to trust me.” And Custos took one of his hands and placed it on the center of Shae’s chest, positioning it right under her collarbone. He could feel her heartbeat. His palm flattened against her skin and in a matter of seconds sent another wave of energy to her. This feeling was different than the first, it was as if a piece of Custos suddenly belonged to Shae. Strength. Peace. A sense of belonging. All of it allowed her to view the world around them as a landscape of beauty with endless possibilities if she wanted to see it that way… He guided his hand away from her body with his fingers slipping off her slowly. Custos tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear making it so her face bathed in the light of the bookstore. You have nothing to be afraid of. Your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and memories all belong to you. I am here to support you, and I will not let you fail. We will not let Jeff fail. If you need me when we’re apart or together, all you need to do is think of me and speak to me as I am doing now, as a thought, and I will hear you…otherwise, your mind is off-limits.
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@Nakachu
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Shae BOT 27-Sep-22 09:09 PM
Her eyes went up to him as he said that he had fainted to. “Really? You are not just saying that to make me feel better right?” She asked him with a soft chuckle. But he seemed genuine in what he said and she couldn’t help but feel slightly better. Seeing how easily he had handled their bonding and how she was struggling, it had made her feel weak. When he let his energy shoot into her it was like a wave of warmth that flowed over her. It was so intense that she found herself closing her eyes and sighed out deep. The second one even more so, almost making a soft faint moan leave her mouth, but she was able to surpres it. But she did feel better and her heart calmed down, her head more clear in that moment. Her eyes glowed with a faint light for a few seconds before returning back to normal. His voice once more filled her mind and she took in what he was saying. Good.. so not everything she thought would get to him. That made her feel better somehow. “Thank you.” She said to him and would start to get up again, using his hand to support her on her way up. “Let’s go meet Jeff.” She smiled at him then. She looked much better now, the color back on her skin, her amber/green eyes glowing with life again. She seemed more confident then she had felt since stepping into that classroom that morning. Together they would finish the walk to the coffee shop and she would peak inside. She walked up to the counter and was greeted by a male employee. “Welcome to Saint Bernards Coffee Co! How can I help you?” He asked with a smile on his face. She looked down to his name tag and couldn’t help the smile on her face. It was Jeff. “Uhmm, I will take a matcha latte please, medium.” She spoke before turning to Custos to see what he wanted. He seems nice. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 28-Sep-22 12:51 PM
“I swear it on my soul, I did not say it to make you feel better. I fell face first into that bush and came out with tiny leaves and twigs sticking outta’ my hair.” When she smiled he found himself holding back. Custos thought Shae was pretty, but when she smiled, it was like tasting the first lick of strawberry ice cream on a summer’s day. His favorite flavor. And her eye color was the hot fudge on top. What Shae didn’t know was Custos had never been partnered with someone he was physically attracted to before. It made things interesting on his end. A powerful wave of roasted beans went straight up his nose as they entered the coffee shop. The sound of fresh grounds blended in the background. Small chatter from people sipping on their drinks roamed here and there. Most of the tables were taken, but a few weren’t. By this time he’d let go of Shae’s hand. When they approached the counter he stood next to her. “I’ll have…” He scanned the menu pretending to be indecisive, but he already knew what he wanted. “...what she’s having.” He’s nice so far, let’s see how he handles our order when I say he made mine wrong. Jeff rang them up, and Custos paid with his card. While the drinks were being made he found a table and sat down, using his foot to slide Shae’s seat out from under the table so she could sit with him. Custos leaned back, folded his hands over his lap, and waited for their drinks to show up.
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Jeff BOT 28-Sep-22 12:51 PM
Many people came to the coffee shop yet Jeff never forgot a face. Things were already busy, and the manager said he had to work late and close. Jeff didn’t want to. There was a club his friends were going to that night, which meant he’d show up late. He wasn’t in the best mood, but not the worst either. After he took Shae and Custos’s order, who he’d never seen before, he started on their drinks. A little matcha powder and some steamed milk went into both cups. He brought the drinks over to their table and set them down. “Here you go, two matcha lattes.” Jeff smiled, then instantly lost his good mood after seeing the look on Custos’s face. Jeff knew the look of a Karen, and Custos was definitely one of them. He braced for an unpleasant review of his coffee-making abilities. Jeff could see it now. One star on yelp, and it was all his fault.
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Custos BOT 28-Sep-22 12:52 PM
After taking a sip of his drink, Custos cringed. “This is awful.” He rubbed his chin, digging his fingers into the stubble along his jawline. “I can’t drink this. It tastes like someone farted into my mouth. This is the worst day I’ve ever had in my entire life. First I lost my pack of gummy bears. Then someone stole my carton of juice from the fridge at work. All of my crayons went missing so I couldn’t draw in my coloring book. And now my favorite drink, my matcha latte, is poop soup.” He placed an elbow on the table and looked at Shae to see if she had something to add.
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@Nakachu
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Shae BOT 29-Sep-22 08:17 PM
The moment she heard him say that he wanted to instantly test him she looked up at Custos. Already? Shouldn’t we get to know him first..? She tried, but it seemed that her partner had already made up his mind. So she just followed him to the table and sat down with him. She couldn’t help the nerves that were building up in her as she knew what was going to happen. The first test.. and the one handing it out had been doing it for years. She would smile up at Jeff as he brought the drink over and watched him place it down. She studied his face, trying to get a feeling for him. He looked sweet with a round face and a subtle stubble on his cheeks. “Thank you.” She said to him as he placed the drink down. It was that beautiful soft green color that she was used to and as she brought it to her nose the earthy matcha reached her nose. She loved that smell, reminded her of nature. But Custos was soon going with the test he had thought off and he did not go soft. Really down playing the wonderful drink that Jeff had made them, going as far as blaming him for everything that had gone wrong that day. Her eyes went to Jeff, her heart beating fast in her chest as she waited for his reaction.
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Jeff BOT 29-Sep-22 08:23 PM
The moment that cup went to the lips of the guy he knew that this was going to be it. The look on their face telling him that a complaint was coming next. This day just couldn’t go worse could it. Yet he was not ready for the barrage of complaints that went his way. Poop soup? Really? “I am sorry?” He tried to be gentle. “Look, Sir.. I don’t know where you have had your matcha latte’s before, but here at Saint Bernards Coffee Co we only use high quality matcha powder. This can make our matcha’s a bit more earthy then perhaps your average coffee company.” He spoke. He was essentially blaming Custos for being used to the low quality stuff without being rude to him. “I would be glad to add some vanilla syrup to it for you to take the edge of?” He suggested, adding sugar to anything was usually a way to please customers. “How about you Miss? Is it to your liking?” He asked, a small check to see if he had not done anything wrong. After all, both their cups came from the same batch. Honestly though.. it was steamed milk and powder, what could he have done wrong.
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Shae BOT 29-Sep-22 08:25 PM
She couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped her at Jeff’s words and she had to say that she was impressed. Sure he could have been perhaps a bit more customer friendly, but he had handled it well. And asking her if hers was to her liking was a good way to check his work. Perhaps this would be an easier subject then they had thought it would be. “I actually really like mine.” She told Jeff. “I can taste what you mean, love the quality.” She complimented him and looked to Custos to see his next move. This was the good part of her job. She was here to help him overcome Custos challenges, she didn’t need to add fuel to the fire. She was here to extinguish it. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 30-Sep-22 01:53 PM
Custos spit a piece of gum into a napkin, then took another sip of his matcha latte. “Oh you know what, you’re right - this is good. I guess I was just mixing the flavor of my mint bubblegum with the drink.” Another long, deep sip later, and Custos had a bright green mustache on his mouth. A big sweeping green arc just above his upper lip. Custos turned to Jeff and smiled like this. “It’s a really nice place you’ve got here. I usually get my coffee down the street at Old Timers. You know the shop? It’s the one a few blocks from here on Coontville Street. Great spot. I go there to read books. Their matcha latte isn’t as good as yours, though, that is, when I’m not chewing my gum, ha!” Before Jeff could derail his train of thought, Custos turned to Shay, smiling with green matcha all over his face. “You know, we’re going to need to get going if we’re going to make it to the Soggy Tats concert tonight.”
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Jeff BOT 30-Sep-22 01:53 PM
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “You’re going to the concert? I tried for months to get tickets! The entire thing sold out, and my mates decided we would watch it at a club instead. Either that or try and sneak in through the back door, depending on how much we drank at the club. Sometimes there’s a side entrance round the back!”
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Custos BOT 30-Sep-22 01:54 PM
Custos took a napkin and wiped his face clean of the matcha. “Soggy Tats is my favorite band. I know a guy who knows a guy - they were able to get us tickets, but the thing is, one of our friends canceled.” Custos moved his eyes to the little box hanging off Jeff’s apron, reading his name as if he didn’t know it already. “You know what, Jeff. You should come with us. Turns out you make one hell of a matcha latte, after all.”
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Jeff BOT 30-Sep-22 01:54 PM
“Oh…I’d love to. I wish I could. But I can’t. I have to close tonight-” but Jeff was suddenly interrupted by another employee from the coffee shop. A man with slick black hair tucked behind both ears. He wore a business suit, and his name tag had the word Manager on it. His name was Darren. And Darren smiled at Shay first, then Custos, and finally Jeff. “Listen, Jeff,” Dart pulled Jeff to the side, “You’ve been working real hard. I want you to take the rest of the night off. I’ve asked Ramona to close the shop. We appreciate all you’ve been doing around here, and I just wanted to say thank you.” The manager handed Jeff an envelope with a bonus of $500 in it for being the Employee of the Month and gave him a pat on the back. Jeff turned around stunned and immediately set his eyes on Custos, who held a ticket between his index and thumb.
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Custos BOT 30-Sep-22 01:54 PM
“We’ll see you at 10pm. My number is on the back if you want to meet up. Otherwise, enjoy yourself - sounds like you deserve it, Jeff.” Custos shook Jeff’s hand, and after Jeff left, he picked up his matcha latte and smiled at Shay. “I can’t wait to teach you all I know…” His hair fell against his face as he set his cup on the table. His charming eyes returned to Shay. “Feel like going to a concert tonight?” @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 02-Oct-22 03:03 AM
Shae could not keep her surprise to herself as Custos just took out his cum and then told him it was fine. It was such a sudden change that she couldn’t help chuckle at it as she looked back up at Jeff who seemed to just shrug his shoulders at the same time. As he turned to her to talk about a concert she couldn’t help her eyebrows coming together in confusion. But she quickly picked herself up again. “You are right! We should.” She said, figuring she would back him up on what he said. The reaction from Jeff was instant and she just wondered if it had been on the card they had gotten for him. She watched with the same kind of awe as the rest of that scene unfolded themselves. She had heard about how as Guardians they could manipulate those around their target to aid them in their quest, but she had never seen it in action. To see Custos so casually making all this happen before them had her wondering just how inexperiences she was in the pairing between them. How was she supposed to guide Jeff along against the challenges of someone who was so many times her senior? At least this first on had gone alright. And he seemed to be very aware of this as well as he smiled at her and told her he couldn’t wait to teach her. She smiled back and took a sip of her own drink as well. “I don’t think you left me much choice.” She chuckled at him. “I would need to get home to change though.” She said, motioning at her summer dress. “Not really concert material..” She took one more sip as she looked at Custos once more. “How did you even do that..?” She then asked him, referring to the display with Jeff suddenly being employee of the month. “It was so.. natural and fast.” @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 05-Oct-22 12:51 PM
“You can put ideas into people’s heads. I prompted the manager to give Jeff employee of the month, listing all the reasons he deserved the bonus and a night off. Usually, with enough patience, you can get people to do anything you wish. Just know our thoughts are recorded by our Academy. If you don’t have justification for your suggestions, that energy will return to you. In this case, it was my intention to provoke Jeff into being angry with a customer that was clearly in the wrong. When he defended his place of employment respectfully, I felt that deserved to be rewarded. Should Jeff have acted out of anger, we’d be in a different situation. I knew he wanted to go to the concert because I could hear his thoughts. Even from a distance. It’s my job to put him in situations that challenge him, and yours to guide him on the right path. When we’re at the concert, another situation will happen where Jeff will be forced to make a decision. It’ll be up to you to send him down the correct road. You can do this by speaking with him in person, or if you would like to practice, send ideas to Jeff and see if he makes the right choice.” Custos stood, pushing his chair back with his legs. He leaned on the table and looked at Shae. “You look great - though I understand wanting to change into something else. Meet me at the Delemont Concert Hall at 9:45pm tonight. I’d give you my numbers, but…” Why bother when you can message me any time… There was a look on his face, sort of how a guy smiles at a girl he likes but hasn’t come out and told her how he really feels. Before Custos left the coffee shop, he sent a wave to Jeff, then disappeared around the corner. He headed for his house, which was a short bus ride away. They each had just under two hours, which was plenty of time to get ready. Funny, though...on the ride home he caught himself wondering what Shae planned on wearing to the concert. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 07-Oct-22 10:57 PM
She listened carefully to what Custos was telling her. She had heard all those things before, the abilities that they had and how they could be used to guide their person, but she had never seen them being done before. To see how it actually worked and how easily Custos navigated them was.. intense. She nodded as he told her that she could practice on Jeff, but at the same time she felt so insecure. How was she supposed to apply these skills that she had never done before. But she didn’t want to say them out loud to Custos. Hopefully he would just help her tonight with what she needed. He seemed willing to make this a balanced experience. After all, without her, he would fail as well. As he complimented her outfit she just smiled at him with the softest of blushes. She finished the rest of her matcha and then got up from her chair as well to leave. “Yes.. I will meet you there.” She said before his thoughts invaded her mind. I already forgot about that.. She admitted to him as she watched him walked off. She really needed to be careful with her inner dialogue, not sure what he would be able to hear and what not. She would find out over time she guessed. She went home as well, taking a different bus then Custos and soon found her way home. She showered herself and curled her hair. She had done some research into the band that they were seeing that night and tried to decide her outfit accordingly. She wanted to look like she belonged instead of feeling like a lost wallflower like she was used to. In the end she chose a red dress that fell till just over her knees and showed a small bit of cleavage, paired with a feminine leather jacket. She wore dr martens boots underneath and some black stockings to keep her warm. For her make-up she choose a smokey eye that made her green eyes pop out even more then normal. By the time she was done, she looked completely different then she had done that morning. She actually looked very different then she would any other t
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ime too. But she was determined to do her part. Would Custos like it? She instantly stiffened. Did he hear that..? She waited for a moment, but nothing seemed to come back. Wether he heard it or not, he choose not to respond. “You idiot Shae..” she just mumbled to herself. She ate a small dinner and then got herself on the bus to meet Custos at the concert hall. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 11-Oct-22 03:43 PM
Leather jacket, red dress, boots, black stockings - no, Custos did not see the Shae he left at the coffee shop get off the bus. At first, he didn’t recognize her and thought the stranger looked good. Really fucking good. To his surprise, it was her, and he was impressed by her effort to show up looking like someone he’d want to have his photo taken with. He didn’t want her to get lost in the crowd, so he made his way over to her and kind of hurried. As if she’d be swept into a sea of people and he’d never get to see her again. “Hey! You look…fantastic.” Custos wore dark blue jeans and a black shirt. Oddly, the two of them sort of matched with their leather jackets and boots - and unbeknownst to Shae, he liked that. “The entrance is this way.” He took Shae’s hand and led her past a line of people. The staff at the front took one look at Custos and Shae walking towards them and opened the door to the Concert Hall, as if they knew who they were and why they were there. You’d be surprised how many people work for the Academy… Custos didn’t stop walking once they were inside, surrounded by purple and pink lights flashing all over the place. Loud music hummed in the darkness. He took Shae to a guarded staircase and handed their tickets to the employee standing there. After getting their names crossed off a list, they waved them through, and up Shae and Custos went. At the top of the stairs were several tables with candles, placed next to the railing, many of them already filled with people. A server sat them at one of the tables near the middle with a great view of the stage. Before Custos sat down, he pulled Shae’s chair out for her, then took his seat, sitting directly across from her.
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“You’re probably wondering about the tickets and how I got them.” Custos placed his phone on the table in case Jeff texted, making it so Shae could see his screen. But before he could explain the backstory behind the tickets, a waitress approached the table and asked if they wanted anything to drink. Custos ran a hand through that longish brown hair of his, then looked up to the waitress with a smile. “Jameson on the rocks.” “Did you want anything to eat?” “Sure.” Custos took the menus she placed on the table and handed one to Shae. “Anything for you, Miss?” Instead of looking at the menu, Custos watched Shae, interested in what she’d order to drink. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 14-Oct-22 05:44 AM
She had been searching for him when he found her first. As he called out to her she turned and was instantly bombarded with a compliment. She couldn’t help the soft blush that was on her face as she looked down at herself to hide it. She moved the dress around a bit. “I just.. didn’t want to look like I didn’t belong here.” She said to him with a nervous chuckle. “You look good too.” She said quickly, not that he looked that much different from before. She was confused when he pulled her past the line of people waiting and even more when they were led it just like that. His thoughts answered her question. She could not imagine how strange this job would have been if he had not been so willing to sharing all this knowledge with her. She became more and more grateful that he was helping her. As they went inside she was still pulled along, almost tripping over her own legs as they made their way through. She was to busy and distracted looking around to go the pace that he seemed to want her to take. The sudden almost cafe style place they were taken surprised her. As she looked to the side she could see the stage. These were probably pretty high end tickets. “Yeah.. I have been wondering ab..” she tried, but got interrupted. The waitress was paying attention to the way Custos was swiping his hair out of his face, a soft smile at the corner of her lips. Shay didn’t know why, but for a split second she didn’t like it. Was it because they had been bonded? “I uhmm.. I will take a Pina Colada please.” She decided quickly and force a smile, happy when she walked off to leave them to choose what they wanted to eat. “But yeah.. I did wonder.” She continued her sentence. “There is just so much I don’t know. I thought I was better prepared then I was..” she admitted as she looked down at the menu. Custos phone would soon flash and she would look up to see a text came in from Jeff. “Is he meeting us here as well? I take it his tickets are the same?” She asked him with a
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smile. She didn’t feel ready for what this night might bring them. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 19-Oct-22 11:06 AM
Custos glanced at the phone on the table vibrating with a blue screen and the name Jeff on a notification. “He says he’s downstairs. I’m going to tell him where we are.” After sending the message, he set the phone on the table in its original position, then leaned toward Shae. His leather jacket pulled on his arms, now closer to her, making it so she could hear him over the music. “Before Jeff gets here, I wanted to mention how I got the tickets. Once you reach Level 3 in your training, you’ll be able to manifest tangible objects into existence. You’ll need to discuss what those things are with the Academy first, but if they sign off on your request, you can use your power to bring them into reality. I won’t be the one teaching you how to do this. My job is to get you comfortable with influencing Jeff to make the right choice by using your gifts.” The waitress returned with his Jameson and Shae’s Pina Colada. “Decided on anything to eat?” she asked them. “Our friend is on the way, just a few more minutes would be great.” “Sure thing, take your time.” The waitress stuck her pen in her pocket, next to her name tag with the letters BRENDA etched onto the small plastic box. “Thanks, Brenda.” Custos used her name on purpose, which made the waitress smile and leave without another word. She works most nights and has two kids at home. Single. Spends her evenings alone and hopes someone here will be a sugar daddy to raise them. Her dream is to be lazy all day. She’s usually ignored by customers and her coworkers, then lonely when she goes home. Her only friend is a body pillow with a cover that needs to be washed from all the makeup on it. She is jealous of you and thinks we’re together. The odds of her hitting on Jeff are high. Brenda is not a good person and will take advantage of Jeff by trying to flirt with him. Jeff will most likely enjoy the attention and be conned into a date, it’s your job to make sure he doesn’t take the bait.
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“He just reached the top of the stairs. I’m going to flag him down…” Picking up his phone to make the screen glow, Custos waved his arm from side to side so Jeff could easily see them at the table. Custos pushed a chair out for Jeff, giving him a seat next to him. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 20-Oct-22 11:44 PM
She smiled up at Brenda when she served the drinks, thanking her in the process. She instantly took a small sip of it through the pink straw. It was the perfect balance of sweetness from the pineapple and the coconut milk, combined with the alcohol from the rum. It was pleasant and she liked it. Once more she was amazed with how in control of everything Custos seemed to be. The way he so casually explained everything did not do much to still her nerves. She knew that he was there to help her and she appreciated his tips, but sh still needed to actually do it. How was he so sure Brenda would hit on him? Had he made sure she would? Just like he had gotten Jeff to get employee of the month? She wondered for a moment if she could just influence Brenda to not hit on Jeff, but that was the wrong way to go about it. Cheating in a way.
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You seem so in control all the time.. She would have thought more if he had not said that Jeff was about to get to them. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Custos waved them down. She waved back to him once he got close. “Hey Jeff.” She smiled as she took another sip of his drink.
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Jeff BOT 20-Oct-22 11:50 PM
“Hey guys!” Jeff said excited. It was clear that he was still over the moon that he had been able to come with them. He took his jacket off and placed it over the edge of the chair and sat himself down. “Didn’t know you both were going to be so damn early!” He laughed at them. He then turned to Custos. “Hey man, I just wanted to say sorry for what happened at the cafe. I might have come up a bit strong.. I did not mean to. We chill?” Before Custos could respond to him, Brenda had noticed that the new person had joined then and was coming over. “Ooh, you didn’t say that your friend was going to be handsome.” She jested at custos. Jeff just also looked at Custos with one eyebrow raised, unsure how to respond to it. “What can I get you to drink? This on is on me.” Brenda winked at him. Jeff stammered over his words for a moment before he could even answer. “Uhh.. Just.. just a beer is fine.” He said. Brenda winked at him. “Alright, you got it.” And would walk off. “What the hell was that..?” Jeff just asked confused as he looked back to the pair before them.
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Shae BOT 20-Oct-22 11:54 PM
She couldn’t help but feel slightly proud at Jeff when he spoke to Custos and apologized for before. Even if he had not been rude to him, he had sure sounded annoyed when Custos had been rude. The fact that he recognized that was a good sign. But the little bliss was interrupted by Brenda. The moment she started to flirt with Jeff, she just looked to Custos. He had been right from the get go. And she was not even trying to be simple about it, she was laying it on thick. She kept her mouth shut until Brenda left again. “Ooh, I wouldn’t let it get to you Jeff.” She then chuckled. “She pulled the exact same thing on Custos just now.” She said, trying her hardest to set the mood that he should not pay Brenda much mind. “Asked if his jacket was real leather just so she could touch him on the shoulder.” It was completely made up, but Jeff did not need to know that. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 22-Oct-22 08:02 PM
“We’re all good, Jeff.” And then Custos did one of those classic guy hug slap hand shake fist bump things that all guys do when they’re making up and being bros again. “Hey you know what, I think she likes you. Fuck my leather jacket, she bought you a beer!” Custos leaned back in his chair so that elusive leather jacket fit him snug, tightening on him just right. He grabbed his Jameson and took a drink. Tasted great going down. Was all warm and fuzzy and made him feel like a good person on the inside. He smiled at Shae. “How’s that pina colada?” But Shae wouldn’t get a chance to respond, because Brenda was back with Jeff’s beer and had a big flirty grin on her face. “Here you go, sweetie. Now, if you need anything else, anything at all, you just let me know, alright?” “Anything at all?” Custos said to Brenda, now leaning forward on the table again, tilting his head up to her like he was her worst nightmare. Oh, the devilish smile he wore, how it could infect another soul without even trying. “Well, sure - food, drinks…” “What about your number for my friend Jeff over here?” Jeff choked on his beer, and Custos laughed, “I’m kidding! Actually. Do you have any crayons? Mine went missing earlier today. Usually, I bring them everywhere with me, but today I just had rotten luck. Someone stole them.” “Someone stole your…crayons?” Brenda was a mixture of things, but mostly confused with a red face. She fumbled in her pockets and got out a pen, ripped off a sheet of paper used for taking orders, and handed it to Custos. “This is the best I can do.” “Thanks, Brenda.” Custos started drawing something on the paper, which brought Brenda’s attention back to Shae and Jeff… “My number isn’t on the menu. It’s a “secret” item. The only way I can give it to you..is if you ask me for it.” Brenda smiled at Jeff so sweet it probably gave them both cavities.
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Custos shot Shae a look while Brenda tried to get Jeff to ask her out. He placed the edge of the pen against his mouth and grinned. I forgot to mention one important detail, every trial for Jeff is a game between me and you, and only one of us can win…
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Jeff BOT 22-Oct-22 08:02 PM
He wasn’t sure what to do, so he took another long swallow of his beer. Maybe if he got drunk enough, he could ask her out. Brenda was good-looking. Kind of. She definitely wore a lot of makeup, but she seemed nice enough. He hadn’t been out on a date in a long time. Yeah. he could do it, just needed to get the courage. The timing seemed weird, though, with Shae watching and Custos drawing something. “I’ll keep that in mind. I guess I know what I’m ordering after I finish this beer. Thank you for the drink,” Jeff said and tried to play it cool. The truth was, he thought Shae was prettier, and if he had a choice, he’d rather ask her out. Brenda walked away with that same old smile and sway of her hips as if she were trying to hypnotize Jeff into doing what she wanted, should he watch her walk away - but Jeff just stared ahead, tapping his fingers on his beer. “Why’re you smiling?” Jeff asked Custos. But Custos didn’t say anything, he just kept drawing something on the paper. “So, you like Soggy Tats?” Jeff asked Shae nervously. He took another sip of his beer and was glad there was still at least half of it left. Somehow, talking to Shae seemed easier than talking to Brenda. She wore less makeup, too, which he liked. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 22-Oct-22 10:32 PM
Jeff was not the only who almost choked on his drink as Custos seemed to be playing between Brenda and Jeff. She really had to keep her surprise from her face as she shot him a look. She watched the exchange happen between the two of them, not really finding a way to really hop into the conversation. She was glad when Custos seemed to let it go again and got his piece of paper to mess with instead. As Brenda walked off after her last little flirt the shot Custos another look, one that he returned before his thoughts invaded her mind. Well I don’t like losing.. was all she could answer him in that moment. Yet he had so much more experience then she did.. she really had to give her best for this is she was going to win. She finally turned to Jeff. “The guts on that one..” she said with a chuckle that she forced past her lips. “Surely you can do way better then her Jeff!” She said before Jeff seemed to change the subject on her a lot faster. So she decided to focus on that instead. She still had plenty of time before they would actually get to the part of Brenda giving her number. She had made it clear Jeff had to ask for it after all. “You want the honest answer?” She said to him with a smile. “I have not listened to them a lot, it is not my choice of music, but I like them enough!” She said, not ready to lie to Jeff about something like that. “I especially like the song ‘I like change to stay the same’. So when Custos offered to take me with him I figured why not? And now we got you here as well! It is going to be a fun night!” She said as she reached for him arm and came him a friendly squeeze. She was unaware that Jeff perhaps had a small eye on her, her motions meant to be friendly. Though perhaps to him it could be seen as her being flirty. Something that could work in her favor tonight. She just had not realized it quite yet. @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 24-Oct-22 11:57 AM
“The band has been around for a while, but this is their last concert, which is why getting tickets were nearly impossible. I still don’t understand how you were able to get VIP access to this event!” Jeff glanced back and forth between Shae and Custos. “The friend who couldn’t make it does promotion for Soggy Tats - they get free tickets to their events all the time. Hold still, Jeff, try not to move…” Custos then shifted his eyes back and forth between the paper on the table and Jeff, as if he were drawing him like one of his french girls. Jeff sat there a little uncomfortable, noting that Custos was most likely creating his portrait. “From what I’ve heard on the news, the lead singer is breaking up with his girlfriend. She was his muse for several years, then became a dumpster fire after she was caught sending married men photos of herself, and now he wants to move on to a new chapter of life and become a painter. I can respect that. I’m going to college for art starting tomorrow.” “How funny, so are we…all done!” Custos held up his drawing of Jeff. It was a perfect stick figure with a circle head and a box for a body, thin lines for arms with crooked pointy elbows, and sipping on a beer. “Wow, Custos, that’s really…” Jeff didn’t know how to politely say the word catastrophe so he moved on. “What’s that?” He pointed to a blob in the background, blurred out and in the shape of a figure eight. “That’s Brenda.” Custos handed Jeff the drawing with a smile. “Which college are you going to, Jeff? How ironic is it that we’re all starting tomorrow.” “The classes are taught by a private instructor. It’s a small school in Torvaianica, going over the basics just to get my feet wet.” Jeff casually moved his attention to Shae to see if what he was saying impressed her or not. “What a coincidence, our school is based in Torvaianica, too! Our instructor is Felix Bianchi, class starts at 10am tomorrow.” Jeff looked stunned. “We’re taking the same art class?” Custos
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grinned.
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“What’re the odds. I guess you’ll be spending more time with me and Shae. You’re almost done with that beer, and Brenda is on her way over - might be a good time to get that number. What do you think, Shae?” @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 06-Nov-22 12:19 AM
During the conversation between Jeff and Custos, Shae mostly stayed quiet, being content with listening. She sipped small bits of her drink, loving the sweet taste of it. It wasn’t till Custos lifted his piece of paper and showed the stick figure he had been spending so much time on that she almost choked on it. She had to really put her hand in front of her face and concentrate on keeping the bit of drink inside her mouth to not just spurt it out. “Custos!” She just said after she had managed to get the drink down and was laughing. Even if they had to appear like they had known each other for a long time to Jeff, the truth was that they did not know each other. She was not used to his jokes and antics and honestly.. he kept surprising her. Her laughing only increased when he claimed that the random blob was Brenda. As the conversation turned to the college after that she again just mostly listened. She once more was amazed at how in control Custos was about all of this. Already he had seemed to have gotten them into the same class as Jeff. She didn’t even know when he had done that.. they had barely been apart. Just to get ready for the concert and she had done nothing but pick an outfit for herself. It wasn’t till Brenda was once again mentioned that Shae gave Custos a look that could have almost been accompanied by a growl. “Pfft.. I still think Jeff can do way better then Brenda.” She said as she made a motion with her hand to wave it off. She looked around herself quickly and notice a few girls sitting at the other table a bit away from them. They kept looking their way and chuckling. The truth was, most likely they were looking at Custos, but she could use this to her advantage. “Like, those girls there. They keep looking your way Jeff.” She said as she pointed to them right at the moment that Brenda came to the table. She just hoped that it distracted Jeff enough. She wondered if she could make those girls walk up to Jeff.. like Custos had done wi
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th the manager. How did he say again she had to do that? She needed to figure that out. “So.. have you handsome boys decided what you want to eat yet?” Brenda asked as she came back to the table. Once more Shae could not help narrow her eyes at the woman. “Well, I don’t know about the boys, but I would like the beef burger without tomatos.” @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 09-Nov-22 01:02 PM
“Hamburger…no tomatoes. Got it! What about you two?” Brenda suddenly noticed the drawing on the table, and her face turned a fresh shade of confusion. “What do you think?” Custos said without giving her any help as to if it were a joke or not. “Did you do this?” “I did.” And that smile he kept around for moments like these, where it was charming, yet hiding secrets, made an appearance just for Brenda. “Oh, it’s really….” Brenda was at a loss for words. “That’s you.” Jeff pointed to the blob, and Brenda’s jaw dropped. “I like to add details to my work. Now that you’re here, I can add in your eyebrows.” Custos drew two tiny lines above the blob’s face, sort of hovering in the air and not attached to Brenda’s stick-figure head. “Oh wait.” Custos stared at Brenda’s forehead, which made her face turn bright red from under all that makeup. “It looks like you draw yours on.” He then retraced the eyebrows several times so they were thick and heavy squiggles. Now she looked like a snowman, all that was missing was the carrot for a nose. Before she could comment, Custos picked up his menu, scanned it a bit, then handed it to Brenda. “I’ll have the chicken pot pie.” Brenda took the menu from Custos, still unable to decipher if he was serious about his artwork or not. “I’ll do the garden salad with extra beets and croutons.” Jeff handed Brenda his menu, she took it, grabbing Shae’s menu off the table, and shoved them under her arm. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else?” Brenda hoped Jeff would ask for her number, but homeboy was oblivious and distracted by the cute women sitting at the table next to them. One of them blew a kiss in his direction. “No, that’s it, thank you.” Jeff waved at them.
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Brenda glared at the girls, but that only added fuel to the fire. All it took was Shae’s intention to get one of those pretty women to stand up and make their way over to the table for it to actually happen, and it did - they sort of moved Brenda out of the way, taking her spot at the table, so they could introduce theirself to Jeff. While the new girl was complimenting Jeff’s choice of clothing, Brenda walked away disappointed. She kept looking over her shoulder, wondering if she’d blown her chance to sabotage Jeff’s life, screw him out of all his money, and would have to one day marry her only friend - the crusty body pillow. The girl, who was younger and better looking than Brenda, didn’t wait for Jeff to make the first move, she came prepared, and handed him a piece of paper with her phone number on it. “Call me.” She said, and her “yes daddy” voice sounded like she’d be good in bed. Her flirty walk back to her table with a mini skirt swaying around the tops of her thighs made Jeff have a big smile on his face. “You know what this means, Jeff?” Custos held up his drink for Shae and Jeff to join him in a celebratory toast. “Double date! Cheers!” The band Soggy Tats blasted their music throughout the venue and people were rocking out. Jeff clinked his glass against Custos, and said, “Deal!” And that’s when Custos gave Shae a look that suggested he was proud of her - that the fun was about to begin with him, her, and their mission to guide Jeff on the right path. His eyes stayed locked on her as he took a drink of his Jameson, and if she was paying close attention, would be able to sense an attraction towards her for being able to win their little game. @Nakachu
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Shae BOT 16-Nov-22 03:21 AM
She couldn’t help the strange sense of pride that Shae felt as the girl at the other table suddenly started to move towards Jeff. His eyes were glued to her from the very start, his mouth slightly opened and unsure of what was happening. The number got given to him and she couldn’t help her chuckle as Jeff seemed at a complete loss for words. Ha! Suck it Custos! She thought as she gave him a bit of a look, completely forgetting that he could hear what she was saying. That should make Jeff forget all about goddamn Brenda and her bad attitude. It wasn’t till Custos mentioned the double date though that she once more got close to choking on her drink. Was that what they were doing here? Dating? No.. they were partners. He was just saying that because it seemed like a thing they were doing. Yet she joined the two in their cheers and raised her glass along with them, just shrugging at the two made a deal over it. “Boys being boys huh?” She just said with a chuckle. But she could not deny that she was having a fun time that evening. Their little game was challenging, yet fun to her. As their eyes met each other she could not help but smile at him. She was proud of herself and he had caused that. She was learning and would continue to learn. I won’t make this easy for you. She just thought out loud to him as she chuckled. The rest of the night they enjoyed themselves. Brenda no longer got any attention from Jeff as he was to busy with the girl who handed him her number. After they had their food they went to dance, Jeff choosing to dance with the new love interest and Shea mostly doing her own thing. Custos received plenty of interest from others during the night, yet Shea did not let it bother her much. It was already way late when the whole thing came to a close. She walked over to Custos, her jacket having been tossed early on in the night and her face a bit red from dancing as much as she had. “Pfft.. I am about ready to go home and get some sleep.” Sh
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e said. “This was a great time though.” @luxtheo
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Custos BOT 20-Nov-22 07:22 PM
“It wasn’t a bad time, I’ll give you that. Let’s get you home so you can get some sleep. We’ve got a big day ahead of us. I hope you’re ready to let your creative side run wild tomorrow.” Custos led Shae out of the venue, flagged down a cab, paid the taxi driver in advance so Shae wouldn’t have to fork out any money, then made sure she was settled in the car before handing her a folded-up piece of paper. “There’s a small cafe near the college.” He text her the address and then shoved the phone into his leather jacket. Something about the way Custos hung on the edge of the car, one arm propped against the door leaning in to say goodnight to Shae shouldn’t have been attractive, but it was. Small Bar Martin Pescatore Viale Danimarca, 131, 00040 Pomezia RM “Meet me there at 9am, we’ll grab a coffee before syncing up with Jeff for his first day. Speaking of Jeff, I better go back in and make sure he finds his way home. Wouldn’t want our guy missing his first day of class, now would we.” And there was that smile again, the one that was intended to leave Shae feeling reassured that everything was going to be alright, and maybe a little mystified by all the mystery surrounding Custos. He didn’t stare into Shae’s eyes for too long. He knew the way he looked at people, women, could sometimes be…a lot. And if you need anything between now and the time I see you tomorrow, just think of me, and I’ll hear you. He didn’t want her panicking, but if something happened, like the driver didn’t take her back home and planned on kidnapping her, or someone broke into her house during the middle of the night, he wanted her to realize she would always have someone there to help her. Not just someone. Him. He could find her no matter where she was. And with enough time, he knew Shae would cherish their bond.
19:22
Like most Guardians, it would be something she didn’t want to give up once they passed their class and everything was over. At least, that’s how it was for his first time. With enough practice, he’d make sure to help her move on just the way he had. There would be lots of bonding experiences for her, seeing as she was just starting her journey and he was ending. But alas, he couldn’t just stare at her and those pretty eyes all night long. He needed to find Jeff and get him home, the music of Soggy Tats blasting in the background reminded him he was in there dancing somewhere, so he gave a friendly bang on the hood of the car, signaling the driver to take Shae back to her place. At some point in the future, whenever Shae decided to look at the folded-up piece of paper Custos handed her, it would be of a drawing he’d done while she wasn’t looking - only it wasn’t another stick figure. It was an incredible portrait of Shae standing on the beach with her hair waving around her shoulders. The contrast between his rendition of the cunt waitress to what Shae would eventually hold in her hands was like night and day. A small gift to his partner for doing a great job that night.
19:22
@Nakachu
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Shae BOT 02-Dec-22 05:31 AM
The taxi being called for her was sweet, him paying perhaps even more. She had been about to complain about it when just one look at him told her that she shouldn’t bother argueing about it. So she just sucked in her breath and told him thank you instead. She got into the car and made sure the properly hold her bag in front of her lap as she sat down. When she looked back up she found Custos leaning forward against the car. The casual pose seemed to really fit him and for a moment she just let her eyes dance over the shape of him. She could see why all those girls were so clingy to him. He was good looking, charming.. he had this sort of aura about him that just pulled you in. Like a magnet that was attracting what was going on around it. She was so lost in thought that she almost missed what he told her. “Ooh yeah! Yeah.. Let’s meet there.” She said quickly as she played in back in her head what had been said. Luckily she could piece enough together to actually answer him. After that she just found his eyes and was not sure what else to say anymore. “Thank you.” She said again before he closed the door and the taxi took off. His voice filling her head just made her smile again. It was comforting somehow, to know that she could always talk to him. She wrapped her arms around herself and just rode in the back of that taxi with a smile on her face. She made it home safe and without trouble. The taxi driver put her out at her front door and she had her keys still in her purse. Coming back inside that small apartment almost made her feel cramped in place. She just clicked on the lights and let herself fall down on her bed. “What a day..” she said, just to herself. She turned on the tv and went to the bathroom to clean off her make-up and get undressed. She brushed out her hair and put it in a high bun to keep it nice for the next morning. Only once she sat down on bed and was about ready to go to sleep did she take that piece of paper out of her pocket and unfol
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d it. What was inside came as a surprise. Her eyes widening as she saw herself staring back, made completely in ballpoint pen, it was incredibly impressive. Once the surprise settled in she just found herself smiling. She walked over to a spot on the wall where she had a pinpoint and took out one of the pins. Carefully she pinned it down to her board and stepped back happy. Thank you for the drawing, Custos. She said, hoping that he could hear her. ————————————— The night went by too quick and once the morning came Shae did not feel ready to get out of her bed. She was drowsy and perhaps the smallest bit hung over. She had had more then just that one pina colada over the evening and it was biting her a small bit more. She took a shower, brushed her teeth and put on a small amount of make-up. She also made herself a cup of tea, hoping it would wake her up a small bit. Pulling out her phone she looked at the adres that Custos had given her. It was not to far away. She would take her scooter there. She dressed in a blue skirt with ruffles that came till just above her knee and a white blouse on top of it. Her hair she brushed out as it fell in lazy waves around her shoulders and she picked up anything that she could find that shouted artsy at her. For someone supposed to enroll into an art college she was wholefully unprepared.. But surely she could face even that. As she got her sky blue scooter out and started getting to the adres that he had send her she could not help the soft flutter in her stomach. She was seeing him again. Why was she feeling so happy about that? Was this what it was like to be bonded to a partner? Was it just something that happened? Did he.. feel the same about seeing her? She arrived soon enough and locked her scooter before she went inside, her eyes looking left and right to see if he was already there. @luxtheo
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