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Post by Bri on Apr 28, 2024 20:44:15 GMT -6
"That might be helpful," she laughed softly, at least then it would provide more evidence behind the orange phantom. Her smile slipped into a little frown as her eyebrow raised. "Coffee and oatmeal? That doesn't sound as good as a bagel sandwich." She said, thinking if she did stop by the place she'd probably ask for more than one, even if he declined.
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Post by Kiersten on Apr 29, 2024 19:18:14 GMT -6
"Shall add the things to my to do list," Cedrick didn't want to mention the list was on going, something he'd have for the rest of his life, he assumed at least. He needed to head to the store anyways, since his apartment was lacking in a few essentials. "Yes, it's enough." He usually didn't eat till dinner, in which he ended up eating a meal that might serve four people.
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Post by Bri on Apr 29, 2024 21:59:54 GMT -6
"I can bring you one from the shelter, we give out new ones to people sometimes when they adopt a cat." She offered, they weren't the most amazing litter boxes but they got the job done in a pinch. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to believe him about the food being enough but she wouldn't argue, it wasn't like she knew his body better than he did. "I'll head out and get supplies and I'll be back in less than an hour."
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Post by Kiersten on Apr 30, 2024 20:06:25 GMT -6
Cedrick shook his head, "No need, give it to someone else who adopts." Technically he wasn't adopting the cat from her shelter, though in reality it seemed like the cat adopted the building, and he was just in the cats way. "Countdown will begin." he joked, though he said it so seriously it didn't sound like a joke.
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Post by Bri on Apr 30, 2024 21:02:44 GMT -6
"If you say so." Ari replied, feeling like Cedrick wasn't someone to cross. She was ready to turn around and leave the room when he told her about the countdown, her eyes widening a little because she definitely didn't think he was anything less than fully serious and making her a little nervous so she did the best thing that she could-speak without thinking. "Should we sync our watches?" She said, holding up her wrist to show her watch.
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Post by Kiersten on May 1, 2024 20:50:35 GMT -6
Cedrick stared at her, blinking his eyes a few times before he realized she might not be joking. "Oh, I was joking." Though if she really wanted to they could sync their watches, he was sure his was probably needing an update, since he only used it to look at the time, even if it was a smart watch. "But if you don't come back in an hour, I'll assume the head wound took you." he chuckled with a small smirk on his lips.
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Post by Bri on May 1, 2024 22:39:22 GMT -6
Ari stared back at him, suddenly feeling very small and very stupid for her lame attempt at a joke but a small wave of relief hit her when he said he was joking. "Oh," she managed to laugh, "me too." She lowered her watch, reading to make her way to the shelter again when he joked about her head, this time his chuckle making her realize it was a joke. Her face reddened a little from embarrassment. "And if I come back you're not here I'll assume the cat decided you were the next best snack." She smiled back, playfully tapping the face of her watch. "I'll be back soon, before you'll need to make a welfare check." She pushed some hair out of her face that had fallen loose from her pony tail and headed out of the arcade.
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Post by Kiersten on May 2, 2024 21:03:22 GMT -6
"Sounds about right." Cedrick didn't think the cat was trying to kill him, though maybe it was because he was moving into his house without permission. Though who asked a cat for permission. He watched her leave before returning to his office to finish up his work, hoping he'd get it done before she got back.
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Post by Bri on May 3, 2024 0:50:22 GMT -6
Ari headed back to the shelter, taking out her phone and sending a quick message to Keira to check in on her then switched over to her notes app, making a list of the things she would need to bring back to the arcade, not wanting to forget anything and appear even more incompetent than she already had. Once at the shelter she had received a text from Keira confirming that she was okay then started to gather up her gear and load it into the truck, pausing to talk with one of the other works before finally getting in her truck to head back, but on her way she spotted the cafe and pulled into the parking lot, popping inside the shop and putting in her order, pausing slightly before adding on a couple things. When she had her food she got back into the truck and finally arrived back at the arcade in just a few minutes before the hour was up, bumping open the door with her hip as she carried in her things, which were composed of various treats to try to lure the cat tucked into a plastic bag from the shelter and she had a a different trap in her other hand as well as a net tucked under arm, which as all rather cumbersome but she managed to make it inside, albeit with the grace of a moose lumbering through a forest.
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Post by Kiersten on May 3, 2024 21:09:00 GMT -6
Cedrick finished his work at the arcade, checked the time and was happy to see he had time to swing by the store before the hour was up, though he hoped she didn't get back and he wasn't here. He moved quickly, taking no time at the store as he gathered a litterbox, bowls, a collar for whenever he did catch the cat, and plenty of dry and wet food for a month. He had hesitated on buying any toys for the cat, but ended up grabbing a few things to see if maybe the cat would accept an offering of toy mice. Cedrick arrived back at the arcade before Ari, heading inside and started setting up at the spot where he knew the orange cat visited frequently. He heard the door beep go off meaning someone had walked through the front door, and he headed out to find Ari carrying a bunch of things. "Whoa, what can I take to help you… Not drop all that." he chuckled, smiling at how she clearly wasn't the type to do more than one trip from the car.
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Post by Bri on May 3, 2024 22:10:55 GMT -6
Ari looked up, sure her face was turning a little red from his smile and chuckle but also from being caught in her mission to never go to her car more than one time when carrying stuff inside. "Um, it would be great if you could grab this trap." She said with a sheepish smile, glad that he at least offered.
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Post by Kiersten on May 3, 2024 22:48:19 GMT -6
"Alright," Cedrick said as he grabbed the trap, getting a good hold on it and nodding his head to let her know she could let it go. "Is there need of a second trip?" He smirked slightly, thinking there probably wasn't, because he'd watch his employees only grab one thing at a time when unloading trucks all the time when there was a large load.
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Post by Bri on May 3, 2024 23:22:01 GMT -6
"Thank you." Ari gave him a grateful smile, shifting the net into her hand before walking over to the near by counter, setting down her bag before turning to him with a scrunched up nose. "Never, one trip or none at all." She joked, but it was the truth, she always wanted to get things done in the most efficient way possible and to her that meant the least amount of trips as possible. She leaned the net against the counter and opened up the bag, pulling out a bottle of soda and a breakfast sandwich, pausing for a minute before taking out another wrapped sandwich and sliding it across the counter towards Cedrick. "Would you believe me if I said they just gave me an extra?" She asked a bit sheepishly.
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Post by Kiersten on May 3, 2024 23:52:45 GMT -6
Cedrick chuckled, "That's what I thought," he easily understood, though he sometimes did take more than one trip, but that was usually after a long day. Going slower hurt less those days. He looked down at the sandwich she slid before him and paused in thought, "Probably, but I don't get the feeling that's what happened." he said, slowly picking up the sandwich and looking to it. He'd been working for several hours, and when that happened he often forgot when he got hungry. It always took a minute when food was present, as if his stomach had gone to sleep, and needed a wakeup call. "Smells really good. I told you they are delicious. Thanks." he forced himself to say, feeling like it was awkward as he finally felt the tiny rumblings of hunger as his stomach stirred awake. He unwrapped his sandwich and took the first bite, not wanting to awkwardly wait any longer.
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Post by Bri on May 4, 2024 0:24:26 GMT -6
"I like to get things done the most efficient way possible." Ari said for explanation as she unwrapped her sandwich but then paused, reaching into her bag and taking out another bottle of soda, looking up at Cedrick. "Well, your feeling would be correct," she said as she pushed over the bottle to him, "I guessed on what you'd want," she shrugged, figuring it was hard to go wrong with Coke but you never knew. She opened up the cap on her bottle as she smiled a little. "You're welcome." She said before taking a bite of her sandwich, eyes widening a little at how good it tasted, having a little hint of smokiness from the meat that paired nicely with the cheese and just tasted better than a generic McDonalds breakfast sandwich in practically every way possible. As she ate it felt like her stomach came alive with each bite, making her wish she'd gotten another for herself but she could always swing by again after she was done here or she could even try out the bar and grill in town, she'd heard it was good too but she was so used to being on the go she often forgot she could stop at places on the way to just...sit and enjoy life, as hard as that seemed to be.
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Post by Kiersten on May 4, 2024 9:21:51 GMT -6
Cedric took another bite, feeling his stomach wake up completely to accept his sacrifice, though paused when she placed a Coke for him on the counter. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Just an extra sandwich huh.” He shook his head, knowing his suspicions that she’d gotten an extra for him anyways was more likely the story. He usually didn’t drink soda, but he didn’t want to make her feel bad after she had gotten him something, so he opened the bottle and took the tiniest sip.
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Post by Bri on May 4, 2024 21:39:26 GMT -6
Ari smiled innocently under his stare, "uh huh." She replied before taking a sip from her own drink as she leaned against the counter, taking the time to look over the arcade. It was so well put together she could imagine people roaming the place and playing games until their hearts content, it made her smile a little bit. "This place looks...really great." She told him.
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Post by Kiersten on May 4, 2024 22:18:49 GMT -6
Cedrick smiled, knowing he had worked to set up the place to flow perfectly. “I don’t like places that try and shove everything under the sun, crowding places, dirtying up spots that gathered clutter, I plan on changing out games every few months to keep peoples interest.” Though he also planned to keep track of what games were played the most, what games needed more repairs and how often, and of course, which games broke the easiest.
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Post by Bri on May 4, 2024 23:05:20 GMT -6
Ari continued to look over the arcade as he spoke, nodding in awe. "I'm a little jealous of your organizational skills." She joked, she kept her things organized...to an extent, when she got overstressed or had too much to do she sometimes lapsed in keeping things cleaned and organized and would often have to do a reset at the end of the week...only to do it all over again. It was exhausting but it seemed like no matter how much she tried she couldn't get things just right enough.
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Post by Kiersten on May 5, 2024 10:57:18 GMT -6
"I like to stay organized," Sure it made him stressful sometimes go the extra mile and make sure everything was perfect, but Cedrick didn't feel like himself if he didn't go to that extent. He had definitely lost sleep over it, lost connections with friends because of it, and most girlfriends thought he was a serial killer in the making. "The flow of the space is very important." Mostly because if it flowed well, people would spend more time and more money here, and he wanted to prove to his dad he could take on the casinos at home without him.
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Post by Bri on May 5, 2024 12:59:48 GMT -6
"So do I but...I'm not very good at maintaining it." She admitted a bit sheepishly, wishing she could get better at it but life always seemed to get in the way somehow and throw what routine she tried to have straight out the window. She looked around the space again as she took a final bite of her sandwich when a flash of orange caught her eye, making her gasp but, ever so graceful and lucky, the bit of food in her mouth flew back in her throat and she started to cough, bending over as her face turned bright red.
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Post by Kiersten on May 5, 2024 21:30:12 GMT -6
Cedrick shrugged, knowing several of his friends back home that was the same way as her, organized to a T, but had days or weeks of chaos that derailed all the work. "I think I'm a type A++ kind of person." He chuckled, looking down at his phone when he heard it vibrate on the counter, a message from his sister with another request and he couldn't help but wonder if marrying her off was the best idea for her. He looked up quickly when she gasped, wondering what she saw, though had an idea why, but paused when it seemed like she was choking. "Shit." He was wondering if he should actually ban her from his arcade, she seemed determined to injure herself here. He moved around behind her, placing his hands in the correct position, since he had to learn the Heimlich maneuver when he worked in one of his parents hotel restaurants, and squeezed. It took a few squeezes before he heard her take a deep breath, and a soggy thump on the counter in front of them. "You okay?" he asked, unwrapping his arm just enough to give her room to breathe, but catch her should she pass out.
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Post by Bri on May 5, 2024 22:19:50 GMT -6
Ari gasped for air, wanting on instinct to breath while on the other hand she wanted to just die from embarrassment, why did this always have to happen to her? First it was hitting her head and now this? She grabbed at her throat, gasping again as the flash of orange disappeared into the darkness. She cursed the cat as stars started to dot her vision but then felt arms around her. She squeezed her eyes shut until finally her throat was clear and she was able to take a deep breath, her body falling back against his. She pressed a hand to her face, feeling the heat practically radiating off of it. "Y-yeah..." She gasped, still wanting to just curl up and die from how stupid she was. "Saw...cat..."
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Post by Kiersten on May 5, 2024 22:43:16 GMT -6
Cedrick sighed with relief, not bothered at all that she was leaning against him, knowing anyone would need support after almost dying. He helped her slide into a chair, not trusting her legs at all to hold her up, but stared at her when she said she saw the cat. He opened his mouth, wanting to actually confirm, though he didn't think she'd be joking about choking to pull his leg. "So. You believe me now." He chuckled lightly, wondering if this cat was going to kill someone one day and shut him down.
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Post by Bri on May 5, 2024 23:10:06 GMT -6
Hearing his sigh Ari bit her lip, "sorry..." she choked out as she carefully sat down, refusing to let herself look at Cedrick as she felt his eyes on her. "Well yeah," she replied, taking a deep breath, "he was just sitting there..." she pointed at one of the arcade games on the other side of the room, "scared me so bad..." She shook her head, this definitely was starting to feel personal. First she smashed her head because of the cat and now she almost choked to death, two things that made her feel incredibly stupid and incompetent. Determination welled up inside her, she had to catch that cat, now it was like a matter to prove herself as someone who was able to do their job properly but first...she needed to collect herself and work past the raw feeling in her throat.
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Post by Kiersten on May 6, 2024 20:03:00 GMT -6
"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Cedrick asked with a confused look on his face. He didn't think she needed to apologize because she choked on her food, though it probably could have been avoided, but that cat was unpredictable. He followed her finger pointed at one of the games and nodded his head, having seen him there the very first time, and he stared at him for a long time because he wasn't sure if he was real or if he was so sleep deprived it was his imagination.
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Post by Bri on May 6, 2024 22:20:54 GMT -6
Ari couldn't stop herself from flinching and shrugged a little, "for almost dying before you can open?" She offered, thinking it wouldn't be a good business practice to have someone die in your building. "And for also being so accident prone." She said with a shake of her head, swallowing back that scratchy feeling again and once she felt stable she slowly got up, resting her hand on the back of her chair to steady herself.
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Post by Kiersten on May 6, 2024 23:00:13 GMT -6
Cedrick chuckled and shook her head, "Not your fault, though if you do it again, I might have to ban you." He teased, though he seriously thought about it. He didn't really want this place to have a death on it before it even opened. He stood up and walked over to the bar, filling up one of the glasses with ice and water. "Wear some protective gear next time." he said, holding out the glass to her.
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Post by Bri on May 6, 2024 23:12:29 GMT -6
Ari's mouth fell open slightly from his teasing but her expression turned into a playful glare, "you do that and you'll never get that cat," she joked, now having seen the beast and not being able to doubt its existence she had to catch it. The determination settled into her, making her straighten her shoulders just a bit. "Protective gear?" She paused, "you best not be expecting me to walk around with a helmet." She laughed but it turned into a cough as she took the water and chased it down with a cool drink.
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Post by Kiersten on May 7, 2024 13:10:12 GMT -6
Cedrick laughed and shook his head, "At this rate, I'll be out of business if that cat really is trying to. What if he does it to my customers." He frowned, knowing the cat was probably just being a cat, but sometimes he was sure he looked like he was more than just a cat. "Well, maybe. Can't have you hitting your head again. Or choking.. Though I don't know how the helmet will help with that." He laughed.
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