Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
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Post by Lior Menke on Feb 28, 2013 23:39:40 GMT -5
A pig that looks like a cat? Lior assumed that was in reference to the Al’s weight, but she could be wrong. Maybe he snorted too, she couldn’t know. The albino watched in plain amusement as the fluffy white feline rolled over onto his back and wiggled. A sound of adoration rose in her throat but Lior silenced it. She wasn’t going to start fawning over the cat, at least not yet. She did love anything even vaguely feline, but then that made sense since she had a bad history with canines.
Lior could have died when she put Al into her arms. He was so heavy! She’d expected him to weigh a bit more than the average house cat by his size, but she tipped forward a bit before being sure to regain her balance. Holding him firmly but gently so she wouldn’t drop him, the blush was back on her face. It was an overwhelming feeling of joy that hit her, one similar to that of a child on Christmas morning, or at least that was what Lior imagined. She o course didn’t know what that was like, but she assumed it was just as pleasant as Hanukkah was for her. The albino tried her best not to grin as though she’d just been handed her entire world on a platter, but that was just how happy being in contact with a cat made her.
Giving in, a grin so joyous it was almost comical appeared on her face, the likes of which had been rarely seen even by family members. Muted red gaze fixed on the white fluffy cat; she gently scratched Al behind the ears and let out a light giggle. Yes, this was heaven, she was sure. Oh wait, Lavender was talking to her, wasn’t she? For a moment, Lior had forgotten she was even still in the room. Nodding her head but not taking her eyes off of Al, she did finally respond,
“Yes, I am. I’m a Meister in the NOT class. I assume that you’re attending Shibusen as well by your line of questioning?”
Listening along to Lavender’s musings, Lior was sure to pay attention, occasionally glancing at her and nodded. Ah, a dress? Lior tore her eyes away from the cat in her arms and looked it over, grin still present on her face and becoming even wider if possible,
“It’s lovely, Lavender!”
It was indeed a beautiful thing. Lior had tried on similar things in the past, and she remembered that she had one vaguely like it sitting in her closet. It was black, though, having been bought for a funeral when she was sixteen. It barely fit her around the hips and bust anymore. Puberty could be such a wretch sometimes. Once again nodding along to all that Lavender was saying, there wasn’t anything she felt the need to protest to. She loved red, and a few more measurements would of course be necessary. Of course that would mean putting Al down on the floor but she could deal with such momentary separation she was sure. Giggling at Lavender’s apparent failure to have heard her the first time, Lior nodded again,
“I do, Lavender, I love it.”
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Lavender Pratchett
Weapon
Demon Queen Anne Pistol
Because I'm a Lady, that's why!
Posts: 47
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Post by Lavender Pratchett on Mar 1, 2013 1:53:35 GMT -5
Judging by the enormous, happy smile on Lior's face, Lavender could see she was already in love with Al Capone. The pinkette was even more gratified to see Lior was happy with the dress design.
"Of course you love it!" She said, smile triumphant . "I have a gift for this! I'm not going to be a world famous designer for nothing!!" Satisfied that her work was sufficient, she scrambled over her bed to where her fabric lay in large spools and in neat towers, folded to keep clean. "To answer your question, I'm a one-star. I'm a weapon!" She held up two bolts of red next to each other, frowning at them as she weighed the options. "I'm the best Demon Gun this side of - anywhere, really."
Lavender's boast was, of course, completely unfounded. She may have been a better than average shot thanks to all the hours logged at the firing range (and the makeshift one she had set up at home that was supposed to be for archery), but the very, very best? That was mostly Lavender's overconfidence and ego speaking. Lavender did think quite highly of herself. It wasn't in her nature to do anything half-halfheartedly, even feelings about her own abilities.
Dragging over a neatly folded yard of dark red fabric and a lighter shade that looked barely any different to anyone but Lavender, she draped both over Lior again, frowning and adjusting, ignoring the cat in her new friend's arms. Cat hair on everything was a casualty Lavender had already been dealing with for years.
"So tell me! Do you have a meister? Who're they? No, no wait, what are NOT missions like? I heard you guys have to do really banal stuff, like cook or weed gardens and that sort of thing," Lavender said, tone indicating that those were tasks better suited for the commoners. Lavender had been extremely glad to be a one-star precisely for that reason - you hire staff to cook and clean and keep up the lawn, not students, and certainly not a student as rich and important as Lavender.
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Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
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Post by Lior Menke on Mar 6, 2013 14:06:41 GMT -5
Lior certainly wasn’t about to deny Lavender’s claims. She certainly seemed very adept at fashion from hat she’d seen so far, plus the pinkette’s own outfit was absolutely adorable. Toss in the piles of cloth as well as the sewing machine she’d spotted along with several other fabrics that were kept much neater, Lavender appeared every bit the young designer. The albino was sure she’d make it to the top someday. It was only a matter of time, and she seemed so determined and eager that there weren’t many problem she could foresee. With Lavender’s attitude, she would probably break into the fashion industry no problem, or at least Lior hoped so.
Ah, so she was a Weapon! And a gun no less! Lior vaguely wondered what kind of gun but she supposed it didn’t really matter. It was just point and shoot, so it couldn’t be that difficult, never mind that the albino had never even seen a gun much less held one. To be fair, though, she’s appeared to be a dead eye whenever her younger brother had conned her into playing video games with him. Something called Halo, if memory served. Apparently she’d completely owned the other team, whatever that meant. She wasn’t familiar with gamer talk.
Shifting her weight, she adjusted her hold on Al carefully. He was heavier than she’d though, but she didn’t want to put him down. She was so smitten with the feline, after all. She’d taken to making silly faces of adoration at him while Lavender draped more fabric over her. Glancing at them, Lior rather liked both even though they appeared only slightly different in shade. She then lifted the cat in her arms just enough so she could press the side of her face gently against the feline’s shoulders. She wanted to see if he was purring or not. His fur was so soft! More rapid fire questions from Lavender drew her attention away, though, and she lifted her head again to look at her,
“I do indeed have a Weapon. His name is Rhett Minsky and he’s a Demon Screw. He can be a bit strange but I think I’m starting to learn that’s a good thing, and he’s very smart.”
NOT missions? Why in the world would a One star wonder-oh, she only wanted to know what they were like. Well Lior supposed that made sense. Giggling at Lavender’s assumptions, the albino shook her head,
“Nothing so laborious, I assure you, or at least we haven’t had to do anything like that yet. Besides, I think Rhett wouldn’t fare so well if we had to do anything even remotely like manual labor. He has terrible asthma, poor thing.”
How to describe NOT missions though. She’d been on two, both having been hilariously different both in task and completion. Thinking a moment, Lior decided to simply give Lavender a run-down of the basic things that had happened,
“Our first NOT mission went rather unexpectedly. We had to look through the girl’s dormitories for a supposed panty thief. It turned out it was only a family of raccoons stealing them to make a nest for their little ones in the attic. Naughty little things, but they were so cute. The one we saw that cued us in to what was really going on was even fatter than Al!”
Pausing, Lior scratched the cat behind the ears again. She hoped he wouldn’t be too insulted by her poking fun at his weight,
“The last one we were on was simpler in its own way. We had to go out to that old and supposedly haunted house in the more middle class suburbs and look for a boy who’d gotten lost inside. He was so scared he ran away from us at first, but we got him out, or rather Rhett did. It wasn’t so bad.”
Truth be told, the boy had run from her in particular screaming about ghosts, but she left that part out. Lavender would either laugh or pity her and Lior wanted neither. She had to admit, though, Rhett had handled that situation far better than she had. She really was lucky to have such a great Weapon, even if he did confuse her sometimes. Lior tilted her head,
“What about you? Have you found yourself a suitable Meister?”
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Lavender Pratchett
Weapon
Demon Queen Anne Pistol
Because I'm a Lady, that's why!
Posts: 47
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Post by Lavender Pratchett on Mar 7, 2013 23:29:28 GMT -5
Lavender stared at the two shades of red before chosing the one draped over Lior's left ear, taking it to her makeshift sewing table and folding it neatly there. She put the other bolt of cloth back with the pile. "Rhett Minsky, huh," Lavender repeated, squinting up at the ceiling. "I guess he sounds okay." Lavender had known Lior for less than thirty minutes, and was already behaving as if they had been friends forever and that nothing would be good enough for her albino pal.
Al purred like a motor. Lior was paying attention to him, which had endeared her to him forever. He wondered if she was a Persian cat as well. They had similar fur color. Al poked his nose into Lior's chin and rubbed against her face. Lavender watched, feeling slightly jealous, but she had better things to do than pout over who was getting kitty snuggles from her purebred pig cat.
Taking the tape measure and, raising Lior's arms as she talked about NOT missions, Lavender would take a measurement, write it down neatly in a pink, glittery notebook with a matching pen, and then go back for more measurements. When Lior got to the part with the raccoons, Lavender laughed, grinning wide. "That's awesome! Sounds like a lot of fun, actually," she said, "Although the attic must have been super dusty." She made a face. It would take more than all the money in England to get her to go willingly into a dusty old attic. Lavender laughed again at Lior's description of the fattest raccoon, saying that she couldn't even imagine it, and even stopped measuring to listen to Lior's second mission rundown.
As talk turned to Lavender, she definitely puffed up in pride, simpering. "My Meister is the best, of course," she said. "He's a very accurate shot - not as good as me, of course - and he seems adequate enough to meet my needs." Lavender did not mention that they had only just met. She didn't want her new friend to think that Lavender had encountered difficulties getting a meister in the past.
"Oh, right," she said. "His name is Cyrus. Cyrus Owen. He's sort of serious," Lavender said, sighing. "Very- 'Business! Business! Shoot shoot! Bang bang!'" Lavender curled her ring and pinky fingers, making a gun shape with her hands, pointing them in the air one after the other. She shrugged, lowering her hands. "I guess he's just focused," she said, secretly quite pleased with her meister. She already knew he was a great shot, but it was a relief to know he was extremely competent at what he did. Lavender had no doubts that they would make a good team.
She closed her notebook and sprawled out on her bed. "Well, most of the major measurements are done," she said, "but I have a few dresses I'd like you to try on, if you were up to it. Or we could eat or something." Lavender could hear her stomach making angry noises. "So it's up to you, really," she added, although she did hope the pale girl would be hungry as well.
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Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
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Post by Lior Menke on Mar 10, 2013 17:53:38 GMT -5
Lior was glad that Lavender at least appeared to approve of her choice of Weapon. They were still starting out and learning to work together, but she was confident that they would only get better. Maybe as she and Lavender grew closer she could invite him along and he could meet the pinkette. Then she could see for herself just how great he was.
Hearing Al’s purrs of approval, the albino made something like a happy noise of endearment but sounded more like a poorly restrained squeal of joy. As the feline booped his nose beneath her chin and then rubbed his face against hers, she closed one eye and adopted one of the most gleeful grins known to man upon on her face. Al was such a sweet little thing! Lior wondered if he was this friendly to all of Lavender’s friends or if she just happened to be special. Maybe it was because they both happened to be rather monochromatic? That seemed like a definite possibility.
Lior stood still as a statue as Lavender took her measurements, completely unfazed at her lifting her arms and such. She couldn’t agree more at Lavender’s comment on the attic, though. It had indeed been very dusty as well as cramped, but thankfully she and Rhett hadn’t needed to wander too far in to find what they’d been looking for. The albino smiled as her new friend went on about her Meister. Cyrus Owns? Lior wasn’t familiar with that name, but he certainly sounded nice enough. Giggling at Lavender’s display of shooting with her fingers, Lior gave a gentle smile,
“It sounds like you two get along well, and I suppose an accurate shot is exactly what a gun Weapon like you would need. I’m sure you’ll breeze through all your missions easy!”
Still cradling Al in her arms, Lior was actually a bit surprised when Lavender she had most of her measurements done. Usually it took longer, but then the tailors that her mother usually took her too always insisted on long, drawn out conversations about things Lior didn’t really understand most of the time, so perhaps that was why. Trying on dresses did sound delightful as the albino did love anything to do with clothes. Food did sound nice too, though. Thinking a moment, her stomach seemed to decide for her as it let out a rather pathetic growl. A light blush dusted her cheeks and she hunched her shoulders a bit,
“Well I suppose that answers that. Food would be lovely, but I will warn you that I’m Jewish. I can’t eat pork, nor can I eat meat or dairy that comes from mammals or poultry in the same meal.”
Of course there were other rules to keeping kosher, but for the most part those were the only two Lior’s parents had ever really been strict on, not to mention all of their food was made for them so it wasn’t something the albino had ever had to worry about for the most part. Still, she hoped she wasn’t being too troublesome.
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Lavender Pratchett
Weapon
Demon Queen Anne Pistol
Because I'm a Lady, that's why!
Posts: 47
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Post by Lavender Pratchett on Mar 28, 2013 12:38:59 GMT -5
Lavender stood up, grinning. "Okay! That's easy enough. We're having pasta anyways. It's like leftovers, except not really since we're just eating it a bit later than everyone else." Lavender looked thoughtful for a moment. "There isn't any meat in the pasta, I don't think. If there is we'll just have the cook make some without meat." Lavender shrugged. "Anyways, let's go!"
The kitchen was on the second floor of Lavender's enormous house, connected to a large dining room that had a huge table that could seat at least 20. There was art on the walls, huge portraits - some of past family members, a few abstract pieces purchased at auction, a family portrait painted one summer when Lavender was 16. Lavender lead Lior into the dining area, happy to see there were still dishes set out on hotplates to keep them warm, situated on the antique end table up against the wall. Snagging some bread and spooning a generous helping of spaghetti noodles on her plate, Lavender gestured at the food. "We have pasta with meat sauce and then one that's alfredo - and you can have it just plain, too, there's olive oil over here-"
It was a simple meal, and it didn't take long to point out the different options to the guest. Lavender plunked her plate, filled with noodles and strawberries, on the table, looking hungry. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving," she said, grinning as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. The simple meal spoke volumes about how busy her parents were - and how late she had been getting home. Usually the family of three ate together, some extravagant meal, but the Duke was obviously wrapped up in his writing and Richard had been waiting for Lavender to return, since she technically was late for boxing with him. She didn't look forward to the training regimen she had in the next week. He was going to work her harder than usual for missing practice.
Looking over to Lior, Lavender kicked her feet. "The food okay? If it's not good enough or doesn't work I can get cook to make something that you can eat."
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Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
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Post by Lior Menke on Apr 5, 2013 20:07:40 GMT -5
Lior thanked her lucky stars that Lavender wasn’t put off by her dietary restrictions. I could have been worse; she could have had an unfortunate food allergy. She knew her father was severely lactose intolerant but thankfully neither she nor her siblings appeared to have inherited. Besides, it was only pasta so it was likely to only have either meat or cheese in the sauce which Lior could certainly deal with. The albino began to protest at Lavender’s suggestion that the cook could make something else for her should the food not be anything she would be able to consume, but then shut her mouth. If Lavender said it was okay then she’d accept it as such.
Lior made to follow the pinkette downstairs only after carefully and rather reluctantly placing Al back down on the bed where they’d found him. Putting him on the floor just seemed mean, may as well put him somewhere comfortable. Dusting a bit of cat hair off of her, she made to quickly follow her newfound friend downstairs. A kitchen on the second floor seemed strange to Lior. The one in her house back at Chicago was below ground, though, given the architecture was older. The dining room was huge, similar to the one her own parents used when entertaining guests. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the family portrait, smiling gently at the site. They look like quite the happy family.
The albino nodded as Lavender went over what everything was, trying to decide what exactly she wanted. Everything looked good, and she wasn’t exactly picky. Her stomach growled again, though, and Lior decided that pasta with meat sauce sounded too good to pass up. Lavender was apparently hungry enough to eat a horse judging by how much food was on her plate. Lior was hungry but not starving so she plated herself up a more modest portion of pasta with meat sauce before following Lavender and find a place across from her at the table. Lior wondered if the Pratchett family always ate separately or if it was just because Lavender had been late getting home. Lior’s parents were rarely present at the dinner table, always working late or away on business. Her mother was absent much of the time, even her father made him home more often but she was Lior understood that both were busy. Besides, her brothers were always there and so was the house staff so it wasn’t as though she’d been lonely.
The albino sat up straight in her chair, not slouching in the slightest. Hungry though she was, Lior still took small, dainty bites and did her best to eat silently. She nodded at Lavender’s inquiry about the food, covering her mouth as she swallowed before smiling timidly,
“Don’t worry, this is fine. It’s wonderful!”
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Lavender Pratchett
Weapon
Demon Queen Anne Pistol
Because I'm a Lady, that's why!
Posts: 47
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Post by Lavender Pratchett on Apr 9, 2013 0:43:44 GMT -5
"Oh, good," Lavender said, spearing a forkful of noodles. "Sorry it's such a plain meal - both Daddy and Papa already ate. Papa's the one who insists on the nice meals - foie gras, that sort of thing - but Daddy likes more common food." Lavender shrugged, chewing thoughtfully. The Duke had grown up with wealth, his upbringing much stricter but similar to Lavender's own childhood. Richard, however, had been born solidly lower class, working his way up to fame with his talent in boxing. Lavender wondered what it would be like to grow up like that - no Gerald the butler, no Mrs. Diffenbaker the cook! She shuddered. Neither her Daddy or Papa knew how to cook well. It was probably for the best they had hired people to do that for them. Mrs. Diffenbaker could make even simple, common spaghetti seem five-star.
"Speaking of family," Lavender said when her mouth was empty, "What's yours like?"
She knew Lior was from a rich family - of course she was, if she lived in this neighborhood! But if she hadn't met her there, Lavender would have been able to tell from her clothing alone. But she really didn't know anything about her new pal - other than her measurements, which admittedly were sort of a personal detail. It was really only polite for Lavender to get to know Lior more, especially after dragging her into her house, although Lavender would have never described that as what she did. She spooned another serving of spaghetti into her mouth and waited for Lior to talk, giving her an expectant look.
Literally all she knew about her was that she was Jewish and liked cats and had desirable measurements, after all! And she did seem a bit shy. Lavender piped up, "Well, okay, since I guess that was sort of vague, you can say a fact about you and I'll reply with one of my own!! Or several. There's a lot of interesting things about me, to be honest," she said, not batting an eye at how self-absorbed she appeared. "But I really wanna learn more about you, Lior!! Let's start with your family, like I said! And then I can tell you about mine, but you met them, so maybe you don't really need to hear about them."
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Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
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Post by Lior Menke on Apr 16, 2013 21:59:26 GMT -5
If this was plain, then Lior could only imagine what normal mealtime was like in the Pratchett household, although from what Lavender said each of her fathers supposedly had different tastes. Lior was more accustomed to the former than the latter. Her parents, while usually unable to make it home for dinner, insisted on only the best for their children. As long as it was kosher, of course. Generally only Lior and her brothers were present during meals, and even her elder brother was occasionally absent if there was a school event or if he had a girlfriend at the time and wanted to take them out on the town for the night.
As Lior managed to clear half her plate, Lavender asked about her family. Holding her fork in midair and staring into the noodle on her plate as though they held all the answers, the albino thought a moment. How to describe her family. In her mind they were fairly normal, if a tad bit distant from each other, but she and her brothers were an exception to that. Humming a moment, Lavender of course then specified a bit, although not entirely. Lior giggled lightly, shaking her head,
“It’s quite alright. I’d love to hear more of your family, Lavender, they seem so interesting. Oh, but I suppose I should answer your questions first, shouldn’t I? Oh, let’s see…”
Lior maneuvered another fork full of noodles into her mouth and chewed them slowly, swallowing after a moment before she answered as was polite,
“Well, there are five of us unless you want to know of my grandparents as well. There are my parents, Sarah and Eli Menke. My older brother is named Asher and the younger is Tom, the former being twenty one and the latter being fourteen. My mother works for a rather large law firm, she specializes in business contracts and is from New York originally. She’s very popular, works very hard. Apparently she has a rather vicious reputation, though I don’t really see it, but then she’s my mother. All I see is the affectionate and eccentric side. My father is in the diamond trade which I suppose is self-explanatory.”
Or at least to Lior it was. It wasn’t like he had his name on anything other than trading rights and a few contracts. He mother, on the other hand. Lior knew for a fact that she’d been in a magazine or two for a photo-shoot. Something about her firm and how they were the best of the best. She didn’t doubt it. After another bite of noodles, she continued,
“They both travel around quite a lot. We usually only see them on weekends or late during weekdays, but they always call to make sure we’re alright and to check up on things. Besides, it’s not like we’re alone. My brothers and I have each other, plus the house staff may as well be our extended family at this point.”
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Lavender Pratchett
Weapon
Demon Queen Anne Pistol
Because I'm a Lady, that's why!
Posts: 47
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Post by Lavender Pratchett on Jul 16, 2013 19:51:13 GMT -5
Lavender nodded along, her food disappearing quickly (but in a very polite fashion). By the time Lior had wound down telling about her family, Lavender had eaten nearly two platefulls.
"Diamonds!! Your family works in diamonds? You've just become my new best friend," Lavender said, dabbing at her mouth daintily with a napkin. She had listened to everything that Lior said, of course, but the only thing that she could see that really was important was, of course, the precious stones.
"My birthstone is a diamond," Lavender continued, standing up and pushing her plate aside, ringing a small bell to have the butler clear her plate. "I prefer pink diamonds, myself, but they don't show up in my hair unless they're set in something else - like gold, or silver. I suppose you don't wear a lot of diamonds, since the most popular color is white - I can see you wearing amethysts or sapphires, maybe rubies. Emeralds. Topaz! Goodness, with your coloring you can wear any jewel tones. I'd stay away from light pastels, though - it would wash you out completely. But you probably already know that. Someone with your sophistication should be well versed in this sort of thing, although you really should get a better hairdresser. It's all in your face -"
Without being prompted, Lavender grabbed Lior's arm and almost forcibly removed her from the dining table and steered her into the parlor. She continued talking the entire time."Now, I'm sure that dinner was lovely but it really was boring - we have tea and dessert set out and then I can tell you all about my family. We have a long line of prestige going back on both sides, actually - one side is, of course, noble blue-bloods, but fame is almost as good, which is largely due to Richard and his career, and his father's career, and his father's mother's career- oh, I completely forgot. What blues do you look best in? And please don't say periwinkle - it can be counted as a blue-purple and I'm dealing only in shades of blue. We can't have anyone getting the wrong idea! Not that periwinkle is a terrible color but if you wear it with pink you're setting yourself up for too many warm colors and the whole ensemble will fall apart. I hope you like cream biscuits, by the way."
Chatting excitedly and not leaving very much room for Lior to speak, Lavender happily occupied her new friend, barraging her with questions and giving her a much too detailed run down of the Pratchett and Geld family trees.
Although Lavender did like hearing herself talk, she wasn't simply doing it for love of her own voice - she was happy to have made a friend, and although she may have come on a bit strong, she was excited. It wasn't every day someone could come in and listen to her give a sermon on proper a-line dresses and the importance of a good hairstylist. If Lior sat through her entire speech, she would have endeared herself to the pinkette for ever.
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