An Evening Stroll~ [dehlia]

Dehlia had been parkouring for the last hour or so.  Her hair and sunshine yellow sleeveless athletic top had been rather sweaty when she'd quit, but not so much now.  She'd lost track of time, just like she always did.  She had so much fun bouncing from rooftop to rooftop that often the sunset sort of served as a wake-up call for her.  It was a good way to blow off steam after she was trapped in the Runic University all day, or at her job as a bodyguard.  Well trapped might not have been the right word.  Dehlia adored learning at the university, but she also had this habit of being unable to sit still.  She was loud a lot of the time too, which tended to get on her professors' nerves.  She tried to be quiet and listen and sit still, but two of those things were so so difficult for her.  Listening was no problem though, something that semi amazed her professors.  Despite her loudness and being so fidgety, she apparently had a very good comprehension of what was being studied.  [break][break]
After her parkour she liked to relax in one of the many restaurants in Felici.  It was sort of amazing how many there were.  She was enjoying a coffee and a dish of chicken fettuccini when she spotted a woman across the way.  Dehlia cocked her head to one side, watching but making sure not to make it obvious.  She heard a loud noise, and then the woman dropped her cup and immediately tried to pick up the pieces.  Dehlia stood up and walked over, her hands casually in the pockets of her green athletic shorts.  The waitress had already picked the pieces up and left by the time Dee got there.  She had been at a meandering sort of pace after all.
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She watched for a moment as the woman seemed to be having trouble getting up.  Dehlia knew it was rude to stare.  Logically she knew this.  However, she stared for just a moment too long before pulling a hand out of her shorts and offering it to the struggling redhead.
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"Here.  You startle easily huh."  Just an observation of hers.  Dehlia wasn't expecting an answer at all.  When the woman was standing Dehlia's striking violet eyes couldn't help but do a once over of the woman.  Her tone might seem a little monotone, but her eyes betrayed the interest she felt.
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"Wow.  Even my fucking daft self can tell you're pregnant."  The sentence's tone was also semi amazed because hey, she WAS daft.  She realized though after it was out of her mouth that that had been a tad rude.
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"I'm sorry that was rude of me.  Need another cup of tea?"  It seemed like she was always offering cups of something to make up for her rudeness.  But hey, if it worked it worked.  She wasn't gonna mess with what worked. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, her red hair swinging slightly in its loose ponytail. 

Dehlia was quite visibly relieved when the woman laughed instead of shooting her a glare.  Dehlia didn't always feel awkward around people.  It was like sometimes her embarrassment was broken.  Or maybe that it had some terrible lag, as she thought about things a few days later.  Regardless, she couldn't help but say things and sometimes people didn't like what came out of her mouth.  And for the most part, mentioning something obvious about someone's appearance seemed to make them angry.  The laughter was a nice change from having people slap her or walk away in a huff.  In fact, the woman even thanked herand then continued to compare herself to a turtle.
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"The fact you're not pissed at my word vomit is both bewildering and relieving."  Hey, Dehlia was honest.  She saw the waitress called over, and then ordered a cup of chai tea.  She'd already eaten her chicken fettucini after all.  And the coffee.  Too much coffee had her bouncing off the walls.  And not the good parkouring kind either.  Besides, the other redhead was drinking tea so it seemed appropriate.  She watched as the redhead seemed to stare at her for a moment.  And then she excused her manners and Dehlia gave an easy smile.
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"I'm Dehlia.  Call me Dee if you like.  And if you mean the staring, I'd say we're even.  Plus I mean...I have bright red hair, violet hair and I'm five foot eleven staring isn't exactly something I'm unaccustomed to."  She grinned after giving a chuckle.  She heard the bit about being oblivious and she nodded.
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"I'm like that too sometimes.  There's times I take in everything and in kind of overwhelms me.  And then there's times where I kinda just stare into nothing without realizing it.  My professors get pissed at me for both behaviours."  She rubbed the back of her neck. [break][break]
"I don't have a room-mate so I sort of just leave a lot of post-it notes everywhere.  I think I've killed a whole forest which kind of makes me feel bad but it's better than forgetting an assignment or where my job is that day."  Her job moved her sometimes.  It was being a bodyguard for a noble so sometimes they were at a gala, sometimes they were at his house, or sometimes they were in transit.  Personally she liked the gala ones the best.  She either got to dress up, or she got to watch him from the rooftops.  She was one of the few to be able to get up there after all.
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"After all, a brain is a terrible thing to lose."  She smirked, putting a finger to her head and tapping there for emphasis.  She could give off the air of being a bit eccentric at times, but Dehlia really did mean well.  

Dehlia heard the question about the professors and whether she went to the Runic University and she nodded.
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"Yup.  Studying Runic Magic and law.  Because fuck it, I need money."  She sighed at herself, chuckling slightly at it.  
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"Naw I'm kidding.  Sort of.  I do need the money to pay off my debts, but that isn't the only reason I'm in law.  There's so many things that could use changing in Ethea and the world at large.  Hopefully I can make a dent eventually."  Dehlia shrugged.  
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"Do you also go to the university?"  Generally Dee would've assumed but this woman did seem a little scatterbrained.  Of course, she wasn't really in a position to criticize considering she could be the same at times.  But she still focused on class and she was finding it a tad hard to believe that the woman before her would be able to.  So it was always a better idea to check first before assuming she thought.  She heard the words about the woman not hearing what she said before and 'pregnancy brain'.  
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"Oh no big deal I was just talking about the magi behind you lighting up like a goddamn rainbow and juggling rather terribly."  She could make things up if she wanted to.  The woman had been staring.  She smirked a moment after her words too.  But the pregnancy brain thing stuck with her.
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"That's a thing?  Like an honest to gods thing?  Pregnancy brain?"  She was curious by nature after all.  Dehlia soaked up knowledge like a sponge.  She would look it up later of course as well.  But a pregnant lady would have firsthand knowledge too which was always an invaluable source.  One thing Dehlia also realized was that the woman had been staring at her again.  Well if she wasn't even going to pretend she wasn't staring, she supposed she could look at the woman herself a bit better.  Fiery red hair fairly different from her own.  Brown eyes, a normal sort of colour that contrasted what Dehlia herself saw in the mirror everyday.  Violet was normal to her, but she realized it wasn't so for so many people.  
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Perhaps the thing that caught Dehlia's eye the most was Lily's chest.  It was...well the inner gay in her thought it was magnificent but knew better than to stare for more than a few seconds.  Dee was hyperactive, not an idiot.  She also weighed in that perhaps the pregnancy had made them bigger because that was something that happened.  However as Dee felt her cheeks heat up slightly she realized thinking too hard about someone's chest was kind of a kiss of death to conversation.  
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"S-so you're not tall."  Well that was fucking brilliant now wasn't it?  Why don't you point out everything the woman might be insecure about like the daft little bitch you are.  Dehlia facepalmed.
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"I'm sorry.  I have chronic word vomit today apparently."  Perhaps it was that aforementioned chest doing this.  
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"It's just...I'm five eleven so everyone's kind of short to me anyways.  Unless they're taller of course.  Obviously."  OH GODS SHUT UP DEE .  She's friendly and pretty and she's going to fucking leave you to drink your Chai tea sadly.  Well, she was also pregnant so nothing she said would probably come across as an awkward flirt anyways, but she wanted to make a good impression GODS DAMMIT. 

Dehlia's face lit up like pure sunshine when the woman looked around for the rainbow magi, and then turned around to look back at Dehlia as she realized Dee had been joking.  Dehlia had such a big grin on her face as a result.  She heard the chuckle and saw the blush and her grin turned into a kind smile.  She heard the explanation of pregnancy brain and laughed.
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"Spaced out and can't stop thinking about food?  You say that's pregnancy brain but I'm not pregnant."  Her fairly hearty laughter dissolved into giggles.  She had a fast metabolism so food was pretty much always on her mind regardless.  As for the hormones...well she knew she didn't have the same amount as someone who was pregnant that was sort of obvious.  She heard the bit about law and how she wasn't smart enough and Dee scoffed.
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"I'm sure you could do anything you set your mind to.  That said, if you're good at photography then that's awesome too.  If I ever know someone who needs promo photos I'll shoot them your way perhaps."  She worked for a noble.  That was the one thing about nobles: they loved their pictures.  It was like their memories were so terrible they needed a physical representation of the moment.  Dee knew that wasn't true, but it was a good enough joke of an explanation.  Dehlia also noted that Lily said 'babies'.  So she was expecting more than one.  That was kind of impressive if Dee was being completely honest with herself.  She'd been a twin, and her mum had said it had been...heavy.Then Dee heard the explanation of why she was rambling and Dee blushed too. Her violet eyes also widened some.  She took in the sight of the woman with her hand on her mouth and smiled despite the deep blush she could feel on her cheeks.
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"I-It's fine.  Honest.  You don't have to worry about rambling I do the same sometimes.  And...I was sort of staring too.  I'm rather daft and awkward around...attractive women.  And you're interesting to boot, so I'm honestly surprised I'm not tripping over more.  I mean, I am, but it could be a whole lot more worse I guess I could say."  Gods now she was rambling.  And had she just said all that?  She was sure her cheeks matched her hair colour now.  She ducked slightly and looked rather intently at her cup of tea to avoid eye contact, something she did when she was embarrassed after rambling.  She rubbed the back of her neck idly.
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"Can't completely get away from being super awkward though."  

Dehlia saw the woman gulp out of her peripheral vision and heard the awkward answer.  She also saw the woman close her eyes and Dehlia arched an eyebrow.  She saw the woman open her mouth to say something and nothing came out.  Dehlia couldn't help but look up from her tea despite her persisting blush.  
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"Uhm...did I say something wrong?  Everything I said was the truth but I guess I know not everyone reacts well to the truth or at least that's what my mum used to say."  Her eyes darted around a bit nervously.  She was never sure how someone would react to what she said, and this was one of those times.  She did wonder if the woman was single.  She was pregnant after all.  Perhaps she'd broken up with someone?  That said, Dehlia was able to stop herself from asking that for once.  Heavens she was glad she was able to stop herself from asking that question that could very well hurt Lily.
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"So do you study photography at the Runic University?  I'd imagine you'd be a fair bit ahead of me and that's why we haven't met yet.  I kinda took a year longer than I should've because my job took too much time to study.  And it isn't like I can quit because I owe them."  She was, quite simply, up to her violet eyes in debt.  There was no getting around that.  However it had helped her get an education so she wasn't complaining too much.
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"Are you a student or do you work on the side like me?"  She really really wanted to know more about Lily.  Dehlia hungered for knowledge regularly but this felt fundamentally different.  She wanted to know more about Lily, but it felt like it was a mixture of curiosity and interest in what the other person.  She would probably realize eventually that this was what conversation was supposed to be, but Dee didn't really register that at the moment.  The day was steadily looking like it was going to come to a close.  Dee had nothing against being out at night because she could defend herself, but she knew it was an issue for others.  She felt like she might be running out of time and that saddened her.  It didn't show on her face though, not at all.  She was still eager to learn about Lily after all.  That enthusiasm showed despite herself.  

Dehlia heard the words from Lily about how she had been at a loss for words and Dehlia grinned.
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"Well you know, that's a compliment that I have that effect on some people sometimes."  The sentence had just popped out unbidden, but hey it worked.  It was a bit cocky, but she chuckled a bit at it too so it would be entirely clear that she was joking.  So it would be okay that way.  She heard the giggle too, and couldn't help but think it was a very nice sound.  She heard the bit about not thinking of studying photography, and that she'd been doing awful lately.
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"Everyone hits their stride eventually in their studies.  Also...if you don't take photography there what do you take other than Runic Magic?  I can't help but be curious."  She gave a gentle smile.  She heard the tone of the voice as Lily told her it was impressive she was working at the same time and Dehlia rubbed the back of her neck.  It was a habit she had whenever someone complimented her, or when she was embarrassed.  
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"Oh I suppose you're right I guess it wouldn't be very good to study and work while pregnant.  Might not be healthy."  Another good reason for her to never get pregnant.  She chuckled at that mentally.  She was firmly into girls, but the thought still stood.  She did not have time to not work.
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"I kinda have to work my debt includes my tuition and living expenses right now.  It'll take ages if I don't work now.  Besides, the people paying for those things need me to work for them and that's the whole reason they're having me study."  It was also part of the reason she was taking law.  Law was useful to them.  She heard the questions about where she worked and grinned.
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"When I first came to Felici I helped out a businessman and he decided to hire me as part of his security force.  I come in handy because not only can I use a sword and a bow and arrow, but also I can climb and get on top of buildings so it makes it easier to watch him."  Lily told her that she'd texted her room-mate to let her know she might be a bit late if Dee wanted to talk more and she just knew her violet eyes had lit up.  She was thoroughly enjoying talking with Lily.  It was like...she was nervous about what she was saying but at the same time she was relaxed about it as well.  She took note of the blush too and smiled.
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"I'd like that.  You're fun to talk to."  She heard the question about having another drink and she nodded, asking the waitress over to order one of their brownies and another cup of chai tea.  Theirchaiwas apparently very good.  She smiled and while she was waitingforher order she heard the question aboutwhatkind of law she was taking.
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"Criminal law.  Civic isn't as exciting.  I'm kind of a sucker for stuff that's interesting."  She grinned a bit sheepishly.  A part of Dehlia knew Lily was pretty and said that might be it.  However, the majority of her reminded her that that was likely not all that was behind this.  She knew that fairly instinctively.  

Dehlia heard the exclamation from the other redhead and she glanced from side to side and her cheeks heated up slightly.  She wasn't used to being complimented at all.  Then as if that wasn't enough she said Dehlia was 'brilliant'.
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"I...I'm not brilliant.  I just don't like staying idle for long."  She wasn't usually complimented for things.  Usually she was being told by people that she needed to concentrate more.  Work more.  Being told she was doing okay as is was a completely different ballgame for her.  She was told she was interesting too, and her cheeks tinged with pink once again.  So many compliments.  Dehlia heard Lily say that her dreams were interesting and she ducked her head slightly, her cheeks still rosy from the previous compliment.
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"You're working hard at university while you're pregnant don't sell yourself short please.  I'm not nearly as amazing as you're making me out to be."  In fact, Dee didn't really fantastic very often.  Sometimes she would parkour and stick a landing just right and then she'd be proud of herself for a short bit.  
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"It's just my everyday life after all."  She heard the words about the camera and studies and smiled.
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"You should try to find one.  If it's your hobby it'd be good to cultivate it a bit."  She saw the woman smile softly and Dee couldn't help but mirror the expression, her violet eyes softening looking at Lily.  She saw the woman bite her lip and seem to get ready to ask something.  Then she paused and took a deep breath before speaking again.  Dehlia stayed silent and just waited patiently for Lily to say what she wanted to say.  However, inside she was excited because it meant more time with the woman who had caught her attention.
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"I'd love to go for a walk.  As long as you'd be okay.  But I mean...I'm not saying you wouldn't be I just..."  Ugh.  She put her palm to her forehead, hitting it lightly.
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"Somehow I'm not so good at vocalizing things today.  I guess today around you I'm a little nervous."  Dee smiled somewhat sheepishly, finishing her tea and the brownie she'd been biting into during the conversation.
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"Let me know when you're done your tea.  Would be a shame to let it go to waste after all."  What else could she ask the woman?  It wasn't that the silence was uncomfortable though.  In fact, it was quite opposite.  She was nervous, but yet it was more of a companionable silence.  She didn't mind it so much.  It was like there was an air of relaxation pervading the atmosphere along with her nervousness.  Dehlia didn't know what caused it.  She would have to think about it later.