Comments | lolocracy: This is sorta like family time....!

bel_chocolate in lolocracy

This is sorta like family time....!

Dec 17, 2010 18:44

WHO: Ai and Willem
WHEN: Late evening
WHERE: Charleston Apartments, specifically, Willem's apartment
WHAT: Ali goes to thank her bro for the present and they end up bonding....kinda

( ...right? )

belgium, status: complete, netherlands, bonding tiemz, alcohol's a food group

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oranje_windmill December 21 2010, 20:19:42 UTC

Willem knew he should probably be doing something productive with his first evening off in forever. There was a pile of laundry in his bedroom waiting to be put away, leftovers from an earlier take out run sitting on his counter waiting to be put in the fridge, and stacks of papers and notebooks sitting on his coffee table from the end of semester madness that should be sorted and put somewhere.

But doing so would require energy which the Dutchman didn’t seem to be able to summon up, so instead he contented himself with laying on his couch and watching Nijntje. He’d created a play pen for her by taking wire shelving left over from when he’d built her house and propping it in a circle in his living room, giving her a place to play where she wouldn’t get into anything.

He was watched her hop around the enclosure, stopping every so often to chew on the center of a paper towel roll, when there came a knock on his door. He stood, grimacing as his back popped, and made his way to answer it.

There was a second’s pause after he opened it, and then...

“Alicia,” he asked, wincing internally at how surprised his voice came out.

bel_chocolate December 21 2010, 22:00:17 UTC

"Hey." This was about as awkward as she imagined it would be, quite possibly even more so, which was quite a feat in and among itself. She shuffled from one foot to the other for a moment before pushing the bottle she was holding into the other's arms, wishing she'd just not done this. It seemed somewhat stupid now. "Here. Thanks for the gift...it was...nice."

Why was it she never knew what to say around him? She was never this awkward normally. In her attempt to not make eye contact she'd looked past him to see his rabbit playing around in the living room and despite the awkward atmosphere she found herself smiling, possibly her one true smile that'd she'd ever had with her brother in company. Then she remembered that he was still here and glanced up at him.

"I guess I'll get going then." She turned away slightly to make her way back to her apartment, figuring that was it.

oranje_windmill December 22 2010, 07:02:29 UTC

There was a bottle shoved into his hands, than she was rushing through a thank you for the gift he’d given her on St. Nicholas Day and an indication that this was a return gift. It was awkward, as anything between them always was, and then...

She smiled. Not a smirk or a strained imitation, but one of the first true smiles he’d seen from her while she was in his presence. True, she was smiling at something behind him, which he took to be Nijntje, but it was something. And it jolted him into action.

“Wait,” he said as she turned to go, “did you want to come in? I’ve got dinner left over if you’re hungry.”

bel_chocolate December 22 2010, 17:56:04 UTC

Halting at the sound of his voice she turned back to him, surprised (but...pleasantly so). She'd been thinking that'd be the end of it, and while some part of her wished it had, she found herself happy that it'd happened anyway. Though she couldn't explain why.

"I...if you're sure." she tested, just in case it was a fluke of sorts, she didn't know with her brother, then again she didn't know him too well to begin with. Sad thought, but true.

oranje_windmill December 23 2010, 06:23:51 UTC

“Yes,” he replied before he could lose his nerve. Turning around he started back into the apartment, motioning for her to follow.

“It’s Chinese,” he said over his shoulder as he made his way through the living room towards the kitchen. “I’ve also got beer if you...”

His words were cut short as he bumped into the coffee table, causing some of the papers sitting there to overflow onto the floor. Cursing under his breath, he waved her on towards the kitchen.

“It’s on the counter,” he told her as he began gathering the papers together again.
“Plates are in the cabinet above and forks are in the dishwasher.”

bel_chocolate December 27 2010, 18:34:33 UTC

If truth could be told, she was surprised, pleasantly or more shocked had yet to be determined. She headed into the kitchen which had the feel of a bachelor and she was actually happy that it was Chinese that her brother had ordered. It was a favorite of hers...something they actually had in common..who would have thought?

..And did he say beer?

With a small grin playing on her face she grabbed a plate and a cup and through a little searching she found the beer and poured it out and began dishing herself some rice and meat to eat.

She could almost consider this comfortable...almost.

oranje_windmill December 30 2010, 19:57:05 UTC

It took several moments for him to get the papers together, although it would probably take a lot longer to get them into some semblance of order. Setting them back on the coffee table, he looked up to see Alicia pour beer into a mug, a plate of food beside her on the counter.

She picked up both mug and plate and turned towards him, and he could see a grin playing on her face. The sight of it caused one to form on his own lips, relaxed the tenseness in his shoulders.

“You can eat that at the table or in here, whichever you want,” he said as he made to stand. As he did so he caught sight of the bottle he’d set beside the coffee table. His first present from his sister in quite a long time. His grin grew a little bigger as he picked it up, noting that she had gifted him with a red wine.

“Thank you,” he said, indicating the bottle as he continued on into the kitchen. He placed it on the counter next to the fridge and grabed a beer of his own.

“I assume you liked yours?”

bel_chocolate January 10 2011, 06:08:48 UTC

Pushing one strand of hair out of her face a little nervously, Ali's grin turned into a soft smile. Of course she'd like the gift (KeKe probably didn't approve much but that was besides the point), though it was only for a split second before she tilted her head to the side in a somewhat cocky manner and sat down at the table while Willem set aside her gift. "Of course I did," she replied offhandedly while taking a small bite of rice and chicken, patting the place right across from her, inviting him to join her.

She wasn't exactly sure how to treat her brother, but maybe if she started acting like they were friends (or at least good acquaintances) she could find a zone she was comfortable in.

"And I hope you will enjoy yours" she added before taking a drink of the beer.

oranje_windmill January 11 2011, 20:53:35 UTC

He paused for a second when she indicated the seat across from her, but then decided if his sister was going to treat him like someone she liked instead of an enemy he wasn't going to complain. He plopped down in the seat across, pulling out one of the side chairs to prop his feet up on.

"I probably will," he replied. "Red wine is a favorite of mine.I didn't think you knew that."

bel_chocolate January 16 2011, 02:20:31 UTC

That's because she didn't, actually. She had no idea, she just guessed. KeKe wasn't there so she couldn't ask her and there was no way she was going to call up their parents to ask. Her smile dropped for a second before coming back full force, somewhat dejected that she couldn't, in good confidence, say that of course she knew it was his favorite.

Instead she shrugged, slightly awkward, taking another bite to try and hide it, "Oh well...you know." was the offhand remark that her brain came up with.

oranje_windmill January 16 2011, 22:56:43 UTC

Willem frowned slightly at her reply. It was obvious from her reaction that she hadn’t known, which didn’t upset him so much as that she felt she needed to lie to him about it.

Plus, the fake smile was back. His frown deepened in response to it.

“If you didn’t know,” he said, his words becoming clipped, “then just say so.”

bel_chocolate January 17 2011, 06:10:17 UTC

The smile dropped as her eyes narrowed in slight annoyance, not reacting well to the tone of her brother's voice, feeling herself fall back into their old pattern of bickering and almost helpless to stop it. She opened her mouth to say something sharp in response before closing it slowly. "Fine. I had no idea. And tell me exactly how I was suppose to?" It wasn't a rhetorical question.

Dropping her utensil on the plate she tilted her head up at her much taller brother, lips pulled taunt in an unsure and slightly angry expression.

oranje_windmill January 18 2011, 07:51:02 UTC

“It’s not that you didn’t know,” he replied, his own voice becoming sharper in response to her tone.
“It’s that you felt the need to make up a lie about it.”

He felt his insides twist just a little at she looked up him like that.

“I don’t understand why you would feel the need. All you had to do was ask.”

bel_chocolate January 31 2011, 06:00:38 UTC

Ali bristled a bit at the suggestion, she hadn't lied! She'd merely not told the...whole truth. Her frown deepened and she broke her eye contact with her older brother, choosing instead to look at the nearby wall as if it'd suddenly become more interesting and shrugged a little looking more than a little worn.

"I dunno. You seemed happy, I didn't want to ruin it..." she muttered almost inaudibly, eyes firmly fixed at the wall.

oranje_windmill January 31 2011, 06:51:54 UTC

He started to snap back, to ask her why in the hell she thought lying so he would be happy was the best way to go about things. And then stopped himself, and went back over that in his mind. And decided to at least be grateful she was trying to make him happy. That was a step up from their usual interaction.

He took a deep breath, let it out. And then, slowly, tried again at a reply.

“I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.”

Another pause to collect his thoughts.

“What I mean is that I’m already happy you brought me a gift. It upsets me you feel you have to lie to keep me that way.”

bel_chocolate January 31 2011, 07:05:32 UTC

Smiling a little ironically and turning her eyes back towards Wilm now that she wasn't being yelled at, she answered with a trace of unhappy humor, "It's the way Mom would have wanted me to do. You know how she is 'lying is alright as long as it gets you in someones good graces.'" Ali let out a somewhat unnatural sounding laugh (probably an effect of the drink she'd been having early coupled with the stress of coming here in the first place).

"Not that I ever did that when she deemed it an appropriate time." One of the many reasons she was shipped off to America the first chance they had. Leaning forward she put her elbow on the table and her hand cupped in her hand.

"Sorry for lying. Didn't know you'd freak out." Okay maybe the wrong wording, this wasn't easy, frowning she tried again. "I'm sorry, you're right I shouldn't have felt the need."

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