It's Not Called Stalking If You're Straight [Lili]

[Deleted]

CHECK MATE

It's not called stalking if you're straight - when your target is of the same gender, of course. If it was a person of the opposite sex, then you would have to be 'not straight' to be considered a non-stalker in such a situation. Clara's logic - made sense, right?

Incoherent rambling - a very clear sign that Clara was in need of her daily kick. But she was rather certain that drinking (even if not strictly alcohol) was not recommended for agents on the job and Clara was adamant not to take this mission lightly; it was one that Q had personally given her, after all.

A tiny part of her scoffed, affronted at that very thought. Oh, she knew, of course, that the Quartermaster was only humouring her, a way of appeasing a restless child with a piece of candy. He was always the one who treated her like a mere bairn despite her actual age and maturity, yet it was not an approach that Clara particularly hated. Everything was backwards for her, really; made to be shoulder the heavy decisions of an adult when she had not even reached a decade of age, and yet only now treated with care, with a veil thrown over her eyes as if to shield her from seeing what she had already known. But should a child be identified for her foolhardy and sincere zest for everything and anything, then perhaps Clara would remain one for a little bit longer. She had made a promise, so Clara would keep it, even if it was only serious on her part.

Ah, sentimental rambling. It came with a genius' penchant for over-thinking and the lack of caffeine in her system, and was not an ideal topic to dwell upon. Adjusting the brim of her hat against the morning light, Clara squinted at the quaint little coffee house at the corner of the street. A general sweep of faces and she had spotted her - Miss Lili Zwingli, younger sister of Vash Zwingli (agent) and potential partner of Donald Finn O'Neil-Kirkland (also an agent). She was a really lovely miss, but one had to question her relation with another trigger-happy Zwingli. The serenity that the young miss possessed was such a confliction with Vash's own aura of gun-powdered intimidation and unspoken death threats. Perhaps she had taken all of the niceness in the Zwingli genes as a foetus.

Q's instructions were to 'make friends your age and is actually human' and 'make sure she was right for (his) stupid brother'. At least, Clara is fairly certain those were the orders given. It was hard to listen precisely when one was being physically escorted to the exit.

It also just occurred to Clara that she would not be able to pass a suitable judgement on the other girl if the two did not interact. Ah, so even geniuses make mistakes.

Quite suitably stuck in a sticky wicket, Clara could only stand at the edge of the street, mulling over her next move. Okay, target sighted, target identified. Now what?

So much for being a secret agent.

TAGS: Miss… Lili Zwingli, I presume?
WORDS: 521
NOTES: I need coffee.

coded by DESTINY of BTN

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together Quite unaccustomed to the idea of espionage potentially targeting her, Lili sat perfectly content and ignorant to the teenager that was – ahem! – stalking her. Today would be perfect and uneventful, just like every other morning had been for the last few years save the small exception only a short time earlier, meeting someone she scarcely believed she may ever meet again. Life resumed easily, following the pressing flat of a certain lily and the careful and organized consumption of the gifted cookies, which Lili was mildly afraid of Vash discovering and jumping to absurd conclusions over. But this morning, the only thoughts on her mind were those that focused on the other female she sat with. She was brunette, brown-eyed, and spoke wildly with Lili about all manner of things. She was a nearly regular customer in the Flower Pot, consistently appearing pre- and post-season to restock on seeds and bulbs for her own gardening escapades. They talked of generic things, such as books and romances, their professions and plans, and the occasional mention of boys somewhere in between. This would easily be a morning ritual if not for the fact Lili seemed to interact with a new person every single day she came in for her coffee before opening shop. The pattern of interactions looped, and in a week or two she would be sitting back at this table, speaking to the same girl. She didn’t expect or even feel as if she was being watched at that very moment, nor would she even be able to guess the reason for which the watching was happening. Why would Lili feel as if anything was out of place? Everything, so far, was entirely normal. Her visit over, the brunette female finished off the rest of her coffee, set the cup aside, and said her good-byes. Lili returned the farewell, and upon her friend’s leaving leaned back into high back of her chair. She wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. The day was still pretty young, and the chill of winter had not yet given way to the comfortable warmth of spring. In fact, she’d probably be happy ordering another coffee. And carry me away as light as a feather.

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[Deleted]

CHECK MATE

So a good forty-three seconds had passed and an answer to her question has yet to descend from the heavens in a chorus of angels and golden light. It seemed like Clara was on her own.

What was the priority of this mission? To stay hidden and unnoticed or to make certain of this young lady's character? Ahh, what was that advice that Donald had always given her? 'Go with your gut feelings', was it? Clara sincerely hoped that this works - if it all goes well, she would not be sued for harassment against an innocent civilian. Imagine what would happen to the government's reputation should that happen.

Now instincts dictate that she should approach the young miss. She looked friendly enough, and her acquaintance had excused herself a mere moment ago. An empty seat, an excuse for companionship and perhaps a good day was ahead.

Casually making her way towards Lili, she gestured to the open space with a smile. "Good morning. Is this seat taken?" At her answering smile, Clara slipped into the chair across the table with a polite nod of greeting. Raising her hand to attract the attention of the owner, she placed an order for an espresso romano. It would seem quite odd for a young lady to develop such strong taste in her coffee, but Clara was shamelessly and unabashedly addicted to her caffeine. It was the drug that pulled her through her insomnia and likewise put her through it.

"It's a nice weather we're having this morning," She began lightly, touching upon the classic conversation starter of every Brit - the lousy weather. "But knowing British weather, the sky is as temperamental as the people. It would probably be storming later." Clara smiled. In retrospect, the government should have included a course on social interaction when they were raising her. Clara's humour was often dry wit at best.

A closer inspection revealed that Miss Lili Zwingli was a very lovely lass indeed; a clean look, a classic beauty and a petite frame that would stir an alpha's instincts to protect her. Theoretically speaking based upon a human animalistic psychology, perhaps Donald had found in this miss the ideal traits for a mate. The primal instinct to copulate, or as the youths would say it these days - 'the urge to merge'.

Clara's mind was a fascinating place, but there would be more than a few who would beg to differ.

"I've forgotten to introduce myself, pardon my rudeness. My name is Rose." She offered a hand. Well, look at that; Clara wasn't too shabby after all! At least she possessed the common sense to disguise her identity - that was what agents do, no? A complete turn around from her previous state of anxieties and uncertainty, Clara praised herself with a mental pat on her back for being just so bloody marvellous. Ah, shall the prideful never be modest.

TAGS: Miss Lili.
WORDS: 487
NOTES: God, I might need a little help here. And by little, I mean, a legion of angels.

coded by DESTINY of BTN

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, height: 495px; width: 530px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/ri98c1.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; border:inset 5px #7D053F;] Then the Earth and the sky they open together "Good morning. Is this seat taken?"

[/i] An unfamiliar voice spoke from outside of Lili’s peripheral. She glanced up and shook her head with a smile.

“Of course not, feel free.”[/b] Lili courteously moved her own things from the opposite side of the table. The rest of the café was free with the exception of a few occupied tables, but this didn’t bother Lili in the slightest, for she was always welcoming of company and new friends.

She pulled aside a server and ordered before continuing in the conversation. "It's a nice weather we're having this morning."[/i]

Hm, well. Lili had never seen this girl before. She expected that, she didn’t know everyone in London. But her appearance was curious in that she didn’t often see its like. She had a lovely, youthful face with an Asian complexion, but she wasn’t sure from where and didn’t feel comfortable speculating out loud and risking insult. Her dark hair allowed perfectly for a pair of deep green eyes to pop into view and completely overtake her decorum.

She could possibly be around Lili’s age, if not younger.

Lili nodded, taking a sip of her second mug of coffee. “Very nice. I love being able to wake up to actual sunlight for once. A good omen for a good day, wouldn’t you say?”[/b]

Bad days were Lili were very few and far between, though many of them depended on how the day began and how it would end. Ending the day on a sour note with her brother, for example, could possibly lead into the following day and put her into an awful mood. Or, perhaps an unpleasant morning start would do the same thing.

"But knowing British weather, the sky is as temperamental as the people. It would probably be storming later."[/i] Well, that was true. Weather was unpredictable sometimes.

“Oh no, I’d disagree. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many kind people over the time I’ve been here.” More good people than she had met bad. Maybe she was lucky, or there truly were more good people than bad here. She had yet to meet an asshole that could keep up the act for very long.

The girl seemed very naturally pensive, but if only Lili know exactly what was running through Clara’s mind at that moment. One of the last things she expected Clara to be thinking about was Lili’s potential for having attractive mating traits. Or, perhaps even, a worrying reference to someone’s urge to mate with her.

But Lili was obviously unaware of Clara’s silent, somewhat creepy thoughts, and smiled accordingly as they spoke.

"I've forgotten to introduce myself, pardon my rudeness. My name is Rose." Clara – or rather, Rose – held her hand out, which Lili politely took and shook lightly. What a lovely name that was! Lili was very much not biased, of course.

“Rose? Beautiful! My name is Lili.”[/b] She introduced back, quite thoroughly amused by the coincidence that didn’t actually exist. “We’re both named after flowers. Isn’t that funny?”[/b]
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And carry me away as light as a feather.

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[Deleted]

CHECK MATE

Thankfully Miss Lili was a mighty kind lady, for if she had rejected her offer for companionship, Clara would be left standing around just a tad awkwardly with no clue on how to proceed. Thank the Holy Spirit that God had favour over her this day. (Which is a nice change.)

“Very nice. I love being able to wake up to actual sunlight for once. A good omen for a good day, wouldn’t you say?” The only thing 'good' about her day as of yet was how quickly her coffee came and ooh, this was a splendid cup of espresso romano. Clara pondered on the reasonability of ordering a cup (or a dozen) on the way to work on a regular daily basis.

"Well, if one was to mistake mathematics at work all arranged by a certain higher power for the gypsies' superstitions based on glass balls and what sparkles in the sky, then yes; it is considered a 'good omen'." On a split second hindsight, it just occurred to Clara that that might have been a rhetorical question. "But yes, sun. Sun is good. Very good." She covered her slip up - not that she was wrong or anything, heaven forbids - with a subtle cough and another quick sip of her beverage.

“Oh no, I’d disagree. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many kind people over the time I’ve been here.”

"Well, you're very lucky that you don't work where I do then," Clara offered with a slight chuckle. "The tension is so thick all the time. You could cut it with a knife, serve it with tea and it would taste like jam, stress and scandals." She recalled making a similar remark just a couple days back - the night of the soirée when Clara's world started crumbling around her...

Rest in pieces, the Maximantics Corp. building.

Clara noted with satisfaction that Miss Lili had reacted positively to her alternate persona. She was after all a florist, and it would make sense that she appreciated anything with the general theme of floral and fauna. (Research and basic psychology.) Now that Miss Lili seemed more inclined to pursue a slightly deeper conversation of common interests and coincidences, Clara was all geared and ready for this game of words.

"Miss Lili; what a lovely name." Clara replied earnestly with a smile. "Unfortunately, I wasn't name so much after the beautiful flower than a famous female protagonist. Have you ever heard of the movie 'Titanic' - produced in 1997, around 24 years ago. It was an overly-romanticised film about the existing sunken vessel." And while the door would have certainly fit both Jack and Rose, the wood would have sunk under their combined weight. So better one than none, right?

"Do you come to this part of London often, Miss Lili? I have never seen you around before."

TAGS: Donny’s girlfriend, or would-be girlfriend. Has he asked yet?
WORDS: 478
NOTES: I am a natural. I think.

coded by DESTINY of BTN

[Deleted]

If there was one thing Lili could be certain of so early in their conversation, it was that this Rose character had quite the mouth on her! Her brow furrowed awkwardly, eyes confused slightly as she listened to her company continue on with her short tirade. To her question, this was not the kind of response Lili expected at all. Considering the size of the little lady the words flowed from, Lili found herself both surprised and humbled.

"But yes, sun. Sun is good. Very good." She continued, quickly correcting her slip of the tongue, if her rant could be called such a thing. She seemed to only catch herself long after the words were said, quite conscious of what she was saying. Lili could only laugh, albeit stifled slightly. It was rude ti laugh at other people.

“Hm, though I would agree England doesn’t have a much sun as I would like.” Lili propped her chin up on her hand, using the other to lift her mug to her lips and take a drink. The city felt so gloomy if everything was grey… that was easily the reason why the shop made her so happy. She seriously needed color.

Actually, this entire conversation reminded her of the colorful people she’d met since moving up to the United Kingdom. Though it was true Lili had met a multitude of kind people, she’d be lying if she said all of them were nice. She’d had her own share of jerks and assholes from time to time, each seemingly having no rhyme or reason for their behavior. Lili wasn’t the type to complain about them, though. She didn’t plan on seeing anyone more than one time unless they asked for another meeting, hopefully after pleasing circumstances.

Rose’s verbose and expressive introduction and additions to conversation aside, the girl had a touch of sincerity to her, even if the sincerity was very obviously immodest.

"Well, you're very lucky that you don't work where I do then. The tension is so thick all the time. You could cut it with a knife, serve it with tea and it would taste like jam, stress and scandals." Rose continued, drinking her own beverage with a straight face as she spoke so fondly of her coworkers. Lili immediately recalled Donald making a similar comment. It seemed like everyone only encountered the bad apples at their jobs. It was probably a good thing, then, that she mostly worked alone.

“I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with that. Only employee.” She sang happily. “I don’t really get too many customers like that, either. Not many people walk into a florist’s shop looking to be a jerk.”

Clara’s explanation of her name’s origin made her smile. “Oh, so not the flower. Who hasn’t heard of that movie, or seen it?” Titanic made her cry every time she saw it, but she kept that little bit to herself. “I prefer the flower. Lets me think we have something in common!” Lili’s smile grew.

"Do you come to this part of London often, Miss Lili? I have never seen you around before." Hm, actually, come to think of it, she wasn’t familiar with the Singaporean’s face either, but that was hardly suspicious or surprising, right? London was a huge city.

“I do, actually. I normally meet friends here in the morning. What about yourself? Where do you work—or rather, where were you intending to go?”

[Deleted]

CHECK MATE

"I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with that. Only employee. I don’t really get too many customers like that, either. Not many people walk into a florist’s shop looking to be a jerk."

"You're indeed really lucky; I imagine that you'd have quite a lot of freedom being the only employee. Is this floral shop your own personal business then?" Clara queried. "Oh, that's surprising. I thought mostly jerks would need to buy flowers, because they did something to upset their partners, y'know. I'm not really a romantic at heart." She admitted with a laugh.

It made Clara smile that the other lady was starting to warm up to her, and was pleasantly surprised to find herself responding likewise. Miss Lili was indeed a lovely one thus far; Donny has found a gem amongst the gravel.

"I do, actually. I normally meet friends here in the morning. What about yourself? Where do you work—or rather, where were you intending to go?”

"Oh, me? I'm a civil servant." Clara answered. That was technically not a lie; she just happened to be much more closely tied in with the government than most others. "I don't do much—" Not a lie. "There's a lot of words and numbers with what I do." Truth. "It can get quite boring sometimes—" Half-truth. Half-lie? Half-something. "But I'm easily dispensable in my field." Okay, now that's a lie.

"Pardon me if this sounds rude, but you don't sound native British. Are you from somewhere else?" It was a polite question to ask, but not entirely necessary. Clara have read her data file earlier this morn and had every last detail memorised; born in Liechtenstein, adopted by a Swiss couple (now deceased), older brother who is in the MI6 (classified information), and is now unwittingly involved with another MI6 agent (darn you, Donny). Such luck, Miss Zwingli has.

TAGS: Lili
WORDS: 323
NOTES: Civil servant haha.

coded by DESTINY of BTN

[Deleted]

"It took me a great deal of time to put the business together but yes, it is a personal endeavor of mine. I won't be getting rich off it anytime soon but the profits are enough to ensure if I were to become independent soon, I could live. Perhaps she was lightly insinuating a future plan... perhaps not. Regardless the profits from the shop were largely superfluous as long Vash was still in the picture.

She laughed when Rose brought up the subject of flower-buying assholes. "They aren't about to disrespect the woman who just might save their relationship, though. They keep it to themselves if they do exist. I could just as easily give someone a shoddy bouquet that looks awful." But alas, Lili was a woman who would try to avoid such spiteful actions. Her shop existed purely to support the romantic arts, not destroy them. But, it still stood true that anyone looking for flowers to cheer up an angry partner was bound to keep their assholery in relative check.

Lili listened with interest as Rose went down a list of items she was entirely keen on believing. Even if she was lying, she was a superb actress.

"I'm sure that's not true... everyone's important to someone else. You can't possibly just be dispensable, right?" That was not a very pleasant word to her. Everyone deserved life, deserved second chances, deserved to be important... regardless of her field she was a cog in a clock that could bring down the function of the world around her if she were missing. But, yes, cogs could be replaced... but surely human lives were not so easily replaced as well.

When asked about origin, her face lit up briefly, but the realization that her accent wasn't quite on par yet was... disappointed. "No, I'm not native British. Swiss, actually-- that's what you hear. I'm from Switzerland, born in Liechtenstein, though, but I can call myself Swiss." She awkwardly scratched her head. "My English isn't perfect yet, forgive me."

Such luck, indeed. She had no idea her new friend already knew this.

[Deleted]

CHECK MATE

"You must be very proud then," Clara inclined with a slight nod. "It's an extremely impressive for a lady of your age to already have a steady income and flourishing business. You can't be more than 18, yeah?" Miss Lili was actually Clara's senior by 2 years.

"Independent? Eager to fly out of your cage and take a gander at the world?" Her lips twitched with a smile. Travelling the world, Clara wondered how that would be like. She imagined that it would be very brilliant, very brilliant indeed. "Where would you go, if you could choose any place on this earth? I think I would like to go back home first, and then just... disappear." It was a wistful thought, one that was unlikely to ever come to pass, but dreams were nice to have even with opened eyes.

"Important? No, not at all. I am just one among many; when I'm gone, they'll surely find another," She confessed truthfully. It was when and not if, because Clara understood very well the dangers of being in the inner circle of the British national security; she'd seen people go down. Gunshots, car crashes, the 'accidental' fires in their homes. Killers will never go extinct, so long as there's a market calling for them. "My family isn't here, and I'm too young for a significant other. I don't have much keeping me here, to be honest. That in itself, is somewhat a relief." She wasn't suicidal, of course, but logic reasoned that it would be less painful and troublesome all together that Clara did not have many ties that death could severe.

"Switzerland! I heard that is a lovely place. I certainly do enjoy the truffles from there," She praised with a chuckle. "And is it true? What I hear about cows attacking tourists?"

"What made you come to the United Kingdom, Miss Lili?"

TAGS: Lili
WORDS: 321
NOTES: blah

coded by DESTINY of BTN