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Apartment housing some blocks away from AD-HOC - Early evening

Delia leads Gillian up the stairs... and up another set of stairs, in the old building. From the outside, the ancient multi-floor looked like it was built before the invention of elevator, but at the same time, sturdy enough to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes... who knows, maybe it has.

The corgi is excited and can't stop her tail from wagging, as this is her showing her apartment for the first time to... anyone, really. She's mildly confused as to why she is excited now, but brushes that thought off - Gillian is special, and that's all the reason Delia needs. They finally get up to her door, with a slightly wonky '355' on the door. Delia is silently happy that no neighbours were around at the moment. Not that she actually knows much of her neighbours and really prefers to keep it that way - something about how demi's are usually looked down upon.

She turns to Gillian with a smile, if slightly exhausted from all the steps: "A-and here we are. My uh, home."

Gillian has followed Delia to her apartment with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It's her first time off of the AD-HOC campus since her arrival, and it makes her a bit uncertain, but Delia is there, so she can trust the canine wouldn't lead her wrong. She's got some big news of her own, wanting to get Delia's opinion on what she should do, but first, she smiles at Delia, giving a bit of a bow, "Th-thank you for inviting me over, I'm honored."

Delia smiles with a mild blush: "W-well, felt like it was time since we've been in your room so much." She fishes for her keys and has to awkwardly open the lock that is on her eye level, to get them in. She opens the door and motions Gillian to head in first.

The apartment is... old, and full of stuff. Seems like the corgi has a bit of a habit of collecting all kinds of affectionate junk - lots of shelves, cabinets and other assorted mildly chaotic containers full of hobby stuff. One wall is nearly lined with CD's, DVD's, BluRays and even a shelf of old vinyls - whole lot of movies and music- , while another on the opposite side contains a near perfect collection of small glass figurines of canines and other art glassware collecting dust. On the wall next to the entrance, a full bookshelf of titles about human (and demi) psychology and other 'how do people even work' related titles. Same goes on for nearly every wall surface of the apartment - seems that whatever interests the corgi, she devotes time and effort into acquiring everything about the topic. What little space isn't covered by shelves, are posters from old movies and bands from at least couple of decades ago.

The space of the apartment isn't all that huge, just the large main room full of aforementioned hobby stuff, a small bedroom to the right side that really just contains a big bed, and a kitchenette to the other side that doesn't look all that used. At the end of the main room is a big windowed door, leading to a small balcony overlooking... mostly the industrial district, but hey, at least she has a balcony.

Gillian looks inside with a bit of awe, letting her eyes pass over everything as she tries to take it all in. "A-all this is yours? W-wow..." She nervously chuckles, fighting an urge to start tilting dusting and prop up some of the DVD's to get things in proper order, "There's so much... stuff."

Delia shrugs as she tosses her shoulderbag aside to spot it clearly rests on every time: "Eh, I have a lot of time in my hands... most of the thrift stores near here don't mind a demi all that much if she's buying something every time." She motions to the couch in the middle of the room, a worn-out but comfy pillowfort made for watching movies. "Sit down, and I'll get us some tea going."

Gillian smiles, dipping her head again, "Tea would be nice." She walks over to the couch, taking a moment to carefully fluff the pillows, arranging things a bit to trying to clean up the clutter around it.

Delia smiles, then steps into the kitchen. Once out of sight, she takes a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She might have been waiting for this but jeez does it make her nervous anyway! Once she has the worst of the jitters out of her, she puts together the tea set from a matching pair of cute little cups with rainbows and hearts on them that she totally has not been waiting for a chance to use.

Making her way back to the living room, she sits down on the couch next to Gillian: "So uh, yeah... my place, been here a while, sorry for all the mess." To be perfectly honest for herself, for all the cleaning she does for a living, that only half-applies to her own home. It's not messy, but it's not... exactly pristine, either.

Gillian eventually got herself seated on one side of the couch, sitting with her hands folded on her lap. When Delia takes a seat next to her, she laughs awkwardly, "I-it's not so bad. It's just... old habits. I'm so used to just cleaning, you know? It was my whole life for a long time."

Delia shrugs with just a bit of a blush: "Still, I should have cleaned before I you came here..." She did, in fact. If slightly hastily, and got distracted by her 'background noise for cleaning' movie halfway through last night. But she tried!

Gillian shakes her head, "It's fine, I promise. Thank you for inviting me in the first place! I've never um... n-never been a guest to anyone's home before."

Delia smiles: "Well, it's been a very long time since anyone's been, uh, my guest too..." She trails off, glancing around: "So uh... do you like movies?"

Gillian blinks. "Err... I don't know?" She glances away sheepishly (goatishly?). "I've... never... had one?"

Delia blinks: "Oh. Um... well, we have to fix that." Dodging the awkward questions as she hears the tea whistle, she gets up to get it: "Tea! Right. Be right back!" True to her word, she is soon back with two cups of tea in those cute little rainbow cups, smiling at Gillian.

Gillian oofs with a laugh as Gillian rushes out to get the tea. She smiles at the cups as she takes one, "Aw, cute! Thank you, Delia."

Delia laughs a bit: "Y-yeah, thought that was fine. At least, they hold liquid, so that's good." She shuffles onto her seat, just coincidentally a touch closer to Gillian than before: "So, yeah... my place. I guess you could say I kind of collect hobbies as a hobby of sorts? Does that make sense?

Gillian nods, "Well it's like... you. All this stuff is your experience, your joys, your interests... right?"

Delia shrugs with a blushing smile: "I-it's me, yeah. Stuff that interests me, and... yeah, stuff. I have... a lot of time on my own, I guess." There is a note of sadness in her voice, even though she tries to keep it off.

Gillian chuckles, "W-well there's... a lot. A lot to get to learn about you, then, right?"

Delia smiles: "I mean, i-if you want to... yeah, guess there is." She gives a soft sigh, sets her tea cup down after taking a sip, then reaches her hand towards Gillian's free one.

Gillian glances over, then slowly opens her hand to take Delia's. "I... do. I feel like there's not much to me in return, though."

Delia ponders, then smiles: "That just means you haven't found it yet. Who knows what catches your interest when you have the time?" She lightly squeezes Gillian's hand.

Gillian smiles back, "I.. have time. I have time now, and I... like this." She blushes, fumbling a bit with her words, "I mean, I think.. I s-suppose... I... I know... that you've caught my interest."

Delia blinks and blushes and smiles: "Oh. I mean, y-you too. My interest." She scratches the side of her neck: "S-sort of obvious, I guess." Awkward, but the corgi's short legs are refusing to work so no escaping to the kitchen now. "I... Like you. Spending time with you. Showing you around. Having, um... Tea?"

Gillian is equally flustered, but nods quite quickly, "Oh! Yes! Me too! T-tea! And Time... and... you. Never quite gotten to know anyone like this before. I'm s-sure that sounds awfully silly."

Delia gives a brightly blushing, demure smile as she shifts on the couch: "... Not all that silly." She lets out a nervous giggle as she looks at Gillian.

Gillian glances at Delia, then rubs her fingers along Delia's hand. "So... we figure it out together then? The whole, um... time together stuff, and... and..." She sits up in surprise, "Oh gosh! My news! I almost forgot!"

Delia blinks in surprise though doesn't pull her hand away: "Time tog... news? What news?"

Gillian grins awkwardly, "I got a job! A w-well a sorta job! A temp job at least. Just a little diner that's willing to give me a shot doing waitress work. Maybe a little bit in the kitchen? It's... it's not much, but it's a start."

Delia smiles: "Oh! That's excellent! Getting back to your feet, er, hooves-" she corrects herself for the thousandth time: "-for like, proper hopefully. Doing what you have been training for, right?"

Gillian still giggles at the correction, not seeming to mind at all. She nods, "It's... it's a big step, but far from the last one I'll need to take. Still, another step forward, and another step closer to being my own person! It's... scary, but exciting."

Delia continues smiling, getting excited on Gillian's behalf: "When do you start? Maybe I can pick you up afterwards." ...Where did that suggestion come from, she briefly wonders to herself.

Gillian's expression brightens further at the suggestion, and she spontaneously hugs Delia before releasing the corgi awkwardly, "Oh, um! S-sorry! I just... I'd like that a lot. I still aren't all that comfortable being out on my own... walking from the AD-HOC campus here was a little nerve-wracking, and the diner is a bit further away... I start next week, I just wouldn't want to be a bother if it's too far out of your way."

Delia blinks at the sudden hug, though doesn't exactly find herself minding: "It's... okay. I can uh... I can do that. I want to do that." She finds her smile again: "If you don't mind having an embarrassing, small furry chaperone walking back."

Gillian shakes her head, "I wouldn't mind at all! I'd love you -IT. I'd.... I'd love it." She sighs, still quite close to Delia after the hug, and now just staring at the Werecorgi.

Delia blinks again, though finds herself sitting close to Gillian and fails to do anything about this fact, staring at Gillian in return: "W-well, if you... w-would love it, I would love you... it, too."

Delia mildly stammers in the middle of the not-quite love confession: "A-ahm yeah. Tea. You. With you?" The corgi is slightly - by which we mean very - perplexed on exactly what to do here.

Gillian sort of stares at Delia a long moment, then simply leans into to kiss her.

Delia blinks, then leans into the kiss~

Gillian breaks the kiss after letting it linger, then blushes brightly, "Oh my gosh, I didn't- I mean, I did, but I shouldn't have? I just thought, and- and it felt like i t was right? But I sh-should have asked! I'm sorry!"

Delia blushes bright: "It it's... it's o-okay. Just s-surprised, is all. It's um... yeah."

Gillian nods quite quickly, still unsure, "Yeah, yeah okay! S-sorry I just... I couldn't help it there in the moment... it... it did feel nice though..."

Delia gives a soft smile: "W-well... that it sure did." Pause. "Want to... try again?"

Gillian nods again, "Yes! Err, um, yes! I mean... whenever you're ready to?"

Delia blinks, then just smiles a sharp smile and leans over to kiss the Satyr softly, tenderly and at lenght.

Gillian leans into the kiss in turn, her hands that were gripping the cushions of Delia's couch in nervous anticipation slowly loosen. She lifts one hand to Delia's face, slowly breaking the kiss to reveal a huge smile upon her face. "R-really nice... yeah."

Delia smiles with equally huge smile: "I-I'd dare count that as 'really nice' yes." Her tail wagging, she looks at Gillian: "B-been a very long time since anyone thought of me like, uh... like this."

Gillian blinks, seeming a bit startled, "R-really? You're beautiful, and kind, and intelligent. Honestly, I just assumed you wouldn't be interested in someone like me. I... I was kind of afraid I was making a fool of myself."

Delia smiles with a blush: "I-I mean, then there's two fools on this couch if that is the case. I uh... r-rather very much like you, Gillian. Maybe even... love you."

Gillian blushes, awkwardly tracing her hand down Delia's face to settle between them. "I feel the same... and I... oh gosh, maybe this is all too fast. I feel like I just barely started to find myself, but... well, you found me when I needed you most. You kept coming to make sure I was doing okay. And I just... couldn't get you out of my head. I might still be figuring things out, but I think I love you too."

Delia smiles with a slightly brighter blush: "T-that obvious, huh? I g-guess I was." She lets out a small sigh, looking down for a second before looking back up: "T-that morning, when you showed up, I... I saw a lot of myself in you. Lost, confused, without a place to go, afraid to even ask. I wanted to help you. I... needed to."

Gillian shakes her head. "You didn't need to... but I'm glad you did. The advertisements gave me the courage to leave my old life, but you gave me the chance I needed to actually reach out and ask for help. And now... here I am. I'm getting an education, starting a job... o-on your couch... holding... your hand." She looks down to find that her hand has found Delia's.

Delia looks down at their hands: "So uh... it seems. Oh well." She gives Gillian a smile as she squeezes her hand: "I don't think I mind."

Gillian squeezes in turn. "So... then... if we're... if we're going to try this whole d-d-dating thing... um... what's next?" She blinks "If you want of course! I um, didn't mean to imply we um... we're dating. Or should date. I just... I've never done it before..."

Delia blinks, tilting her head: "Next? Uh... well, once you are off work, we can go out? Somewhere else to... eat together? Or come here. Or the park for ice cream. Or really... I don't care, I just want to spend time with you."

Gillian smiles at Delia, chuckling, "Oh? Um... that seems... easy? That's all I really wanted too. I guess... if you're going to come walk me back home after work, we'll have plenty of time for that."

Delia lets out a small giggle: "T-then I guess we are in agreement." She blushes, still grinning: "How is this so hard? We spend like all our free time together, but call it 'dating' and we're just flailing?"

Gillian giggles, "I know, right? We're already doing it, but why do I have butterflies in my stomach just because we're calling it something different!"

Delia smiles: "Must be something in the tea, then. We can't be silly, surely?" She giggles anyway, as though to prove her point.

Gillian looks down at the cup still in her other hand, "You did make the tea, so I guess you'd know? C-can't be us. I um... I've never been silly, um, at all." She giggles as well, the corgi's laughter being quite contagious now that the awkwardness seems to have turned to relief and joy.

Delia continues giggling, at the sheer absurdity and warmth of the situation, leaning on the Satyr as she does. "Hehe, heh. This is so... So..."

Gillian lets Delia snug against her, letting herself sink into the couch a bit more. "...crazy? Unbelievable? ...Great? Everything all at once?"

Delia muses: "Let's go with... Yes." She reaches her hand behind Gillian's back, lightly tickling the base of her tail.

Gillian eeps at the touch against the Satyr's quite ticklish tail, causing her to fumble the tea cup and hurriedly let go of Delia's hand to try and save it from spilling. She's blushing rather brightly, "Ah! C-careful! Sorry! Sorry!"

Delia shifts to hold Gillian steady, succeeding in holding the cup steady... And they find themselves very close. The corgi blushes bright: "Uh..."

Gillian stares at Delia again, blinking a few times at just how close they are, but not making any move to break away, "Uh... My tail is um... it's kinda sensitive. Just um... letting you know..."

Delia blushes and smiles apologetically, though also fails to move away from the embrace: "Uh. Sorry. Noted." And possibly filed away for future use.

Gillian looks aside, setting the tea cup down on a small side table, then bringing her hand back over towards Delia. "W-well, no need to apologize. Just wasn't expecting that, that's all. It wasn't a bad thing at all."

Delia smiles with a bright blush: "Y-yeah, but I was still... or am, forward?" If anything, the corgi has been overly cautious so far. "I hope you d-don't mind."

Gillian shakes her head, "I don't! Err, that is, I don't mind at all. It's just all very new." She hesitates, "I-is it too forward to ask if I can pet you? O-or is that too weird?"

Delia blinks, then lets out a nervous giggle: "It uh... well it is kind of forward, but..." She gives Gillian a blushing look: "B-but it's usually reserved for l-loved ones so I g-guess it could pass..."

Gillian blushes as well, but moves her hand to the back of Delia's neck to pet her. "I guess that's me now. Th-that's quite an honor."

Delia leans into the neck petting, closing her eyes: "Mmm, debatable if it's an honor... but it feels nice." She lets out a kind of sigh, feeling pretty vulnerable: "G-guess you can see why I can't let just anyone do this."

Gillian nods, continuing to pet. "It's an honor to me." She reaches her other hand up pull Delia in closer. "But if you enjoy this, I promise I won't abuse it. I... I wouldn't want to hurt you at all."

Delia leans closer: "Mm, you're good." She opens her eyes, giving Gillian a smile: "I think I love you~"

Gillian 's contented smile grows at the words. "I love you, Delia."

Delia giggles nervously at Gillian's touch: "G-good. Would hate for this to be one-sided..."

Gillian giggles, letting her hands pet a little deeper into Delia's fur. "Me too. But it feels so... right."

Delia leans onto the faun: "It definitely does... just wanna be with you like this."

Gillian shifts to help Delia get more cozy, "Then I'm happy to be here for you, beautiful."

Delia giggles as she definitely gets more cozy: "B-beautiful? Me?" She blushes: "Only if you accept that you are too."

Gillian takes a breath, humming, "Ah! W-well... Yes... I suppose I am too, then, yes. I... I am beautiful. And so are you. Th-there. It's settled."

Delia smiles with a bright blush: "S-sounds about right, then." She leans upwards, giving Gillian a soft kiss: "You liking such a wretched creature, I'll take it~."

Gillian leans down to return the kiss. "Nothing wretched about you."

Delia leans into the kiss, grinning, mmhm'ing. "G-guess I'll have to take your expert opinion, then~."

Gillian nods. "A-as your expert g-girlfriend..." She pauses at that word, then giggles, "As your expert girlfriend, yes. I guess you um, do."

Delia hums, smiling: "Guess that's settled, then. I hereby name you the resident expert of... me." Her hands wander towards Gillian's midriff: "Mm, you're soft."

Gillian blinks, "I don't... I don't know a lot about you... err, yet I guess. I guess we'll have to take the time to learn, yes?" She ooo's at the sudden bit of a bellyrub. "Ooh, that does feel good..."

Delia continues to let her hands wander: "Such is our fate. Having to learn more about each other with like... dates, and stuff. We must endure it with honor."

Delia takes Gillian's hand in hers and smiles: "Pretty thing~."

Gillian squeezes Delia's hand, blushing, "Oh uh, yes. But it takes one to know one?"

Delia blushes in turn, scoots closer to Gillian: "Well, then... here we are. Um..." She hesitates: "...B-been a while since I felt like this. But I like it."

Gillian smiles, snugging against Delia, "And I... I've never felt like this. I used to think, maybe the Young Master... b-but that was just a silly maid. I just hope... I don't want you getting into trouble because of me."

Delia smirks: "What trouble? You can't be that bad underneath all the cute and timid."

Gillian gasps slightly, "Oh! Oh I'm not! I um, I don't think I am? I just thought... you know... a Demi- like me..."

Delia shrugs, leaning ever closer: "Exactly. You're like me." She hums, then nods as she looks Gillian in the eyes: "I like that."

Gillian stares back, the uncertainty in her eyes fading into a tender gaze, "Well, not 'exactly', but you're right. Close enough." She leans forward to kiss Delia as the corgi draws closer (But not close enough in this case.)

Delia melts into the kiss she didn't realize she was waiting for, her hands starting to wander around Gillian on their own...

Delia leans onto Gillian's kiss some more~

Gillian holds the kiss for what feels like an eternity, yet still ends too soon. She blinks, slightly at her own presumption, and how readily Delia reciprocated. She's really not sure what she's stepped into with a relationship, just that she doesn't want to let Delia go. "Ah... so... what next?"

Delia stares, then finally blinks: "... More tea?" The corgi is more than a little dumbfounded herself.

Gillian giggles a little awkwardly, then nods. "I guess I did spill mine. Could um... start that movie? And then just... get close to watch?"

Delia laughs nervously: "W-well, I fail to see a downside... What do you want to watch?"

Gillian turns to look at the shelves full of movies and chuckles, "Oh... I don't... know?" She's painfully unfamiliar with popular titles or genres, "Something... good?"

Delia hums, considering: "...oh, right. You probably haven't seen a lot. Weelll..." She gets up: "Let's watch something silly and romantic, shall we?" She stares at the shelf for a moment, then picks up one 'Down With Love'. "This definitely is a lot of both, despite the name."

Gillian nods, shifting on the couch to try and take a closer look at the title. "Oh? Silly and romantic both sound good to me. I mean, the only way to see what I like is to watch a bit of..." She waves her hand towards the shelf, "Everything. Right?"

Delia grins: "Ain't that right." She picks the dvd out of the case and puts it into the player with practiced ease, before returning to the couch next to Gillian and smiling to her: "Everything with you sounds good."

Gillian blushes again, lifting a hand to her snout to rub it slightly. "Oh gosh, you're so sweet. W-well, we'll just have to try it all then. Together."

Delia giggles, twitching her snout: "Eep! Well, maybe am sweet. But uh... d-definitely together."

Gillian pulls her hand back, settling it down on Delia's thigh, "W-well.. I say we um... snuggle up and enjoy the movie?"

Delia belatedly remembers to press 'play' on the remote before turning her attention back to the Satyr: "Mm, sounds g-good." Her paw finds itself on Gillian's thigh in turn: "I like that."

Gillian sits back to watch, but until the movie actually starts, her eyes are still on Delia, a smile upon her face as she shifts to cozy alongside the corgi, keeping a hand upon her. "I like you too."

Delia leans on the slightly taller Satyr. She's slightly conflicted between going further than just holding Gillian close, or not wanting to distract too much from the actually darn good movie. "Mmmhm..."

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