Biding Time

Elizabeth Zhu | 37 (40) | Vampire Night Manager at Crescent Birchwood Resident

[elizabethzhu]

jameshorton​:

▬ 

“What if I like it cold?” His question reached her, the kind of tease that he’d usually share with his sister instead of their friends, but Liz, just like Mateo, were almost family, so it fit perfectly. Then, raising an eyebrow, he tried to ignore the fact his heart would slowly increase his heartbeat because James was the kind of person that would easily worry. Anxiety would take over whenever others would share a lack of details over their response to him. “Okay… and we should definitely sit. I have all the time in the world for you,” even if he had to head back to work, he’d find an excuse to let them know why he was late. Something he wouldn’t have done a year ago. Taking one of the seats for himself, he kept his attention on her. “So…”

— ◈ —

Rolling her eyes in response to his remark, she uttered out a small laugh. Maybe she was overthinking about what had happened with Mateo, but at least talking to James made things feel a little more normal. At least for a bit anyway. Elizabeth nodded and took a seat at the table beside her. She fiddled with the cup and threw a sheepish smile in his direction. “So...” she began and took a deep breath. “I think I did something stupid and now I don’t know what to do...” Frowning, she tried not to blurt everything else weighing on her mind all at once. “About Mateo. I messed everything up there and now I’m just actively avoiding him again.” 

[elizabethzhu]

jameshorton​:

set: monday night, january 18th location: myriad cafe availability: closed | @elizabethzhu​

Lately, James had been in a good mood. Everyone was aware of that and that wasn’t an exaggeration; it was one of the first comments he received the moment he stepped inside the office when 2021 began. It was a whole new year that gave him the chance to right his wrongs, appreciate life more and find a better way to approach subjects that still worried him about the city he worked for. James had made a list to help him set his goals, and in the midst of that list, there was a particular option that caused him to accept meeting Elizabeth without thinking twice about it: be more present in the life of those he cared about. 

Moving inside the cafe, looking up the moment the door announced his entrance, he waved at her as soon as his light hues found his friend in the midst of the crowd. “I’m on time, nothing happened that caused me to start our conversation with: I’m sorry, something at work happened and I couldn’t get here sooner.” He chuckled. “Well, so how are you? Something happened?”

— ◈ —

Elizabeth smiled. “Well that’s a good thing you are on time or else your drink would’ve been cold.” She passed over his usual order and wrapped her hands over her own cup. Tapping the sides of it nervously, she glanced over at James. Last month’s event still left her feeling absolutely embarrassed. Talking about it, even to her friend, probably wouldn’t make her feel any better about it. “I’m, um, good. I wouldn’t say something happened... But maybe that’s the problem.” She gestured towards an empty table. “Should we sit? Or do you actually need to get back to work in a bit? Because I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy.” And it gave her the excuse to continue to not talk about how frustrated she was regarding their mutual friend.   

[elizabethzhu]

scout-ainsleyt​:

availability: closed | @elizabethzhu  when: january 10 setting: a costume shop

Scout would be damned if she let her friend mope at home while the party of the year was happening right under her nose. Despite the vampire’s reluctance, Scout had convinced her (read: strong armed her) into agreeing to be her date to Atlas’ birthday bash. And what was a costume party without a good costume? As they combed through the racks of the first store they’d found, Scout poked her head from around the current rack they were searching through. “Are you sure you don’t want to join this book club? It won’t be a complete drag, I promise.” 

— ◈ —

The only reason she was even going was because of the woman beside her, and even then, she had protested attending. A lot.  Elizabeth went through the clothing rack and tried not to sigh about finding a costume. It was bound to be a spectacle, she knew, but she doubted she would be much fun. The last thing she wanted was to ruin Scout’s fun though, so Elizabeth attempted some enthusiasm about it all. At the mention of the book club, she shook her head and chuckled. “And see first hand all the arguing you do with him? I’d prefer my sanity, Scout.” She pulled a dress and showed it off to the other woman for her opinion. “Why’d you even make one if you didn’t want to spend time with him? Seems rather counterproductive.” 

[elizabethzhu]

location: kaleidoscope (atlas’s birthday) status: closed | @bashianofonte

With much prompting on her end, she made Scout leave her side to go and enjoy the party without her. While the place looked amazing, as she knew it would, she certainly felt out of place in the club even her dress. There was no need to have the younger witch watch over when the birthday host was Scout’s best friend. Elizabeth would just find some corner of the room to be in and wait an appropriate amount of time before heading out. Walking along the edges of the dim room, she didn’t notice the other person as she bumped into them. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, only realizing as she looked up that it was Bash. Smiling, she relaxed a bit at seeing him. “Hello, Bash. Didn’t expect to see you here, but then again I guess that can be applied to me more.” 

[elizabethzhu]

choileon​:

—

Leon saw the relief in Elizabeth’s face before she could even say anything about it. While he was happy that they were both on the same page about their relationship, Liz’s answer did make him feel curious as to what she had suddenly realized. She was a good friend… one he’d been happy to have met, so, of course he didn’t want to ruin that because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. “Yeah? And what is that?” He said, while motioning his hand towards the couch, indicating for Liz to sit down, then following her lead once she had sat. “Hopefully not that you don’t want to see me anymore? I mean… I’d respect your choice, of course… but I wouldn’t like it.”

— ◈ —

At his gesture, Elizabeth took a seat on the couch. She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking over her answer before Leon continued on talking. Rolling her eyes in response, she shook her head. “No, that is definitely not what I suddenly realized,” she chuckled. If that were the case, she probably wouldn’t have bothered going over to his place. “I wouldn’t like it if we weren’t friends either.” A small smile formed on her lips and she glanced down at her hands in her lap. “It’s about the ex I was telling you about before... I just realized I’m not as over them as I thought I was or I guess as I was telling myself I am.”  

[elizabethzhu]

mateo-tellezmarin​:

―

“Just a small gathering spread out of the span of the entire month of December,” Mateo joked, eyes sparkling. He had never minded too much, but he knew how tiring the big family events could be for her. There had been moments when he had still been a surgeon where he couldn’t make it to the marathon of the events that his family had planned. Without the crazy work schedule anymore, he had been free to go back to attending every single event much to the pleasure of his family. “You know how many I get to go to,” he said, turning serious for a second, although it was all in jest. “Missing a couple of hours won’t get me in too much trouble. I’ll make the sacrifice especially for hot coffee.” He motioned up the road where she had been walking towards. “Shall we?” 

— ◈ —

“Yeah, only for the entire month,” she chuckled, rolling her eyes. As uncomfortable as she could get in those kinds of things, seeing how close everyone had always been nice. It was knowing that she didn’t have that growing up and wouldn’t that had always been difficult. “Yes, I remember.” Aside from the last few years, she had attended a lot of them, even before they had together. Elizabeth smiled, nodding at the confirmed plan to get coffee together. “Well if you do, you’re always free to blame me for your tardiness,” she said as they began walking. “Just let me know which place you want to go to for coffee.” 

[elizabethzhu]

location: tellez marin residence status: closed | @mateo-tellezmarin

Agreeing to come to one of Mateo’s family things must’ve been a lack of judgement on her part. Even though she had been to plenty of these events in the past, now that they weren’t together and she hadn’t attended the last couple of years, it just seemed weird. Or maybe she was just overthinking things. As always when it came to Mateo. This time around, she stuck to the background. Aside from saying her polite greetings, she didn’t join in the way she had in the past. It seemed odd to do so. Plus, Elizabeth wanted to avoid the awkward questions that were bound to come up. There was a small part of her that felt like she should just tell Mateo she should leave, but she didn’t want to disappoint him either. It very much left her between a rock and a hard place. 

When another one of his family members gave Elizabeth an awkward hello, she tried not to sigh. Turning, she looked at Mateo. “So is it weird that I’m here? I feel like it’s weird that I am...” Maybe she should’ve suggested they bring James along then maybe it wouldn’t be as weird. 

[elizabethzhu]

location: winter carnival status: closed | @jameshorton

The invitation to go hang out with James and Maya at the winter carnival came at the optimal time. She hoped the drive over there would help clear her head, but by the time she had found the Hortons, Elizabeth was still feeling stupid for what had just happened with Mateo. Letting out a breath, she put a bright smile on her face as she walked towards them. “Hey,” she said, giving the pair a quick hug. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long for me.” Hopefully trying to keep things light would trick her into thinking everything was just fine. Glancing around, she looked over the set up for this year’s carnival. “So what were you guys planning on doing next?” 

[elizabethzhu]

tuaharjuna​:

If anyone had asked him, he would say that he definitely did not let out a scream louder than Elizabeth had. He would vehemently deny it ever happening, even if Elizabeth brought it up at another time. But with how high strung everyone was, Tuah doubt that she would bring it up. Besides, she was too good-natured to bring up something that would be embarrassing to him. he was sure of this. Well, almost sure.

“Yes, it’s me, it’s me,” Tuah ran his fingers through his hair, heaving a sigh as he tried to calm himself. “And you? You’re you, yes?” It was a silly question, but he had to be sure. “Heavens above, I understand the full moon can bring about strange things in this town, but this is simply taking the piss, don’t you think?” He shook his head, rubbing his face with his hand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this full moon to be over.”

— ◈ —

"Yes, it's me" she sighed, nodding her head. This whole thing was frustrating to say the least. If she didn't need to head into work later and pick up some blood now, she would've just stayed inside all day. The confusion of today was not something she would be looking forward to, but mostly she didn't want someone to accidentally shift into her either. Rolling her eyes, she agreed with Tuah's comment. "It really is. I'd rather not deal with today if I could." But at least she was in the company of someone who wouldn't be making a surprise shift. “Have you been dealing with a lot of duplicates of yourself? Or just witnessing everyone else?” 

[elizabethzhu]

naomiacker​:

— 

A visit from Elizabeth was always welcome. Naomi was happy to see her friend. There was also the added benefit that having Elizabeth there was a welcome distraction from the looming full moon. “I’m good, I am. How are you?” She reassured her friend, happily accepting the hug before stepping back so that Elizabeth could come in. “I’m even better now.” She rubbed her hands together in excitement, her attention turning to the food. She popped open one of the containers lids to take a look at the order. “You got it perfect, thank you so much Liz. Do you want to eat on the couch?” She turned to take out a bottle of wine from the fridge, setting it down on the counter then moved to get two glasses. “All I want is to be comfortable and cozy.”

— ◈ —

"I'm good as well." It helped that she was giving herself time to think about what she wanted. Not that she was sure she would do anything about it even if she knew, but being self-aware was better than not knowing at all. Hopefully. Continuing to smile at the other, she nodded at the suggestion of where to eat. "That sounds perfect to be honest. Especially with the moon around the corner." Grabbing the food, she headed over to the couch, setting the containers down on the coffee table. "I do feel like we haven't talked too much in the past month though, so I'm sorry about that."

[elizabethzhu]

mateo-tellezmarin​:

―

“You must not have gotten it that hot then,” he countered back playfully. “So really, your barista did me a favour.” There weren’t many things that could shake his otherwise mostly cheerful disposition, even the prospect of scalding hot coffee being spilled on him apparently. But then again, he realized that not many things were all that bad when Elizabeth was a part of them. “I was about to head to my parent’s. An aunt is in town - the first of many.” Christmas was always such a big deal for his family that he and his siblings had titled their family showing up in Astoria the ‘Grand Migration’. “But I can get a coffee with you if you’re offering.” 

— ◈ —

Elizabeth bit back her smile. If it was anything else she would've said her apologies and went on her way. It was easier to give herself a reason to stay a hold a conversation though. "Ah," she replied. It was the season for all the family things to occur. "So doing the usual holiday things then." That had never been her thing even when she had been with Mateo, though at least that time of year was more enjoyable. "I mean, I am, if it's not going to interrupt your plans. Maybe I can attempt to find hotter coffee," she joked.

[elizabethzhu]

choileon​:

—

Leon didn’t know what was going through Liz’s head, but he didn’t want her to feel like what had happened between them, had been the reason for his distance. Lucky for him, his unfortunate Samhain situation had been popular enough to be broadcast on the news, so, at least, Elizabeth was well aware that he wasn’t giving her the cold shoulder or putting distance between them. “Right. Um…” He started, one hand moving to the back of his neck to rub at a certain spot of tension that lingered there. Truth be told, Leon hadn’t had that much time to think about their situation, but now that Liz was there, he was certain that he didn’t want to lose her friendship. “Look–I don’t regret it. Believe me… you’re… you’re great. The sex was amazing, but… I also think we would be better off as friends? Hopefully you feel the same?”

— ◈ —

This kind of conversation wasn't something she liked having even though she knew it was necessary. Elizabeth didn't want things to be weird between them, nor did she want them to not be friends because of what happened. Letting him speak first, she hoped it wouldn't become awkward. But hearing what Leon had to say, she let out a sigh of relief. "I do, actually," she replied. "I'm actually really happy that you feel the same way... Not that I regret anything either, but I've just had a lot of time to think about things and it made me realize something." The something being that the relationship she had told Leon about before wasn't one she was actually over. 

[elizabethzhu]

mateo-tellezmarin·:

Elizabeth wasn’t the only one not paying attention to where he was going. Mateo had taken up his old habit of throwing himself into his work, and his mind as of late had felt like nothing but white noise when he was alone. He had been on his way to his parent’s place when he rounded the corner right into Elizabeth. Mateo was jarred from his thoughts immediately when their bodies collided and he looked down at coffee that had landed on his boots, before looking back at Elizabeth with a mild smile. “Spilled coffee never hurt anyone.” It would just slide off if he gave them a quick rinse. “Is your coffee okay though? Can I get you another one?” 

— ◈ —

"Hmm. I feel like people that have actually gotten hot coffee spilled on them would say differently," she chuckled. Though she was glad this wasn't the case. "It's fine. Didn't spill too much fortunately. Thank you for the offer though." Elizabeth nodded after checking her coffee. "Still, sorry about that. I think I've been doing that quite a lot lately." Too many weighing thoughts on her mind left her distracted when she wasn't busy working. What she couldn't settle on was whether or not being straightforward with Mateo would be a good idea or not. "Are you heading somewhere now?" Elizabeth asked. "I can offer you a coffee instead? One not from the competition if that's your preference."

[elizabethzhu]

location: outside java cafe in birchwood status: closed | @mateo-tellezmarin​

There were more instances than not that she thought about what she had almost said when she had dinner at Mateo's place. Every time she did, it was difficult not to feel embarrassed about it. Maybe she needed to just leave it be considering how much time had already passed. Being friends was enough and she'd rather not mess that up all over again. Elizabeth just hoped the next time she saw Mateo, he'd forget that she had ever started up a conversation without actually finishing it. Sighing, she sipped some of her coffee and left the cafe. Not paying attention, she bumped into someone passing by and some of her coffee spilled from her cup. "Merde," she mumbled under her breath before looking up and seeing Mateo. "Oh," Elizabeth said, sucking in a sharp breath out of embarrassment. "Sorry. I didn't spill anything on you, did I?"

[elizabethzhu]

location: naomi’s residence status: closed | @naomiacker​

Mostly she wanted to check in on her friend and make sure Naomi was doing okay, but Elizabeth also wanted to thank her for helping her find a housewarming present for James. Smiling, she gave the other a small hug before stepping into Naomi’s place. “How are you doing?” It’d be impossible not to be a little worried with every passing full moon. Heading into Naomi’s kitchen, Elizabeth set down the food on the countertop. She hadn’t gotten anything too fancy for them, going comfort foods over extravagance because of the moon. “Hopefully I got your order right,” she commented, taking some of the containers out of the bag. Before she unpacked everything, she glanced up to look over at Naomi. “Did you want to eat in here or elsewhere?” 

[elizabethzhu]

location: somewhere around vsp status:closed | @tuaharjuna

Needing to get some more blood around this was unfortunate timing on her part. Trying to avoid contact and avoid a potential shapeshifter mishap was tiring. Being in the hubbub of the city, it did feel like she’d hear a gasp of surprise every few minutes as an unexpected change in appearance occurred. She really hoped that wouldn’t be a case for her to deal with at any point during this full moon. There was already an expectation that work would be more hectic, especially after hearing how it was going so far at the Crescent. 

Another loud surprised yelp caught Elizabeth’s attention and she didn’t note the other person steps ahead of her. As she bumped shoulders with them, she flinched, half expecting the exact situation she was attempting to avoid. Seeing Tuah, she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god. Please say this means you’re you and not someone else.” 

[elizabethzhu]

choileon​:

After having spent the weekend at Aleyna’s with Andy, Leon was finally home and he’d decided to skip school that day, so he could focus on cleaning up his apartment. If he was really going to move somewhere else, better to keep the place clean, that way he’d have less work when it was time to start packing. Upon taking a break, he opened a can of beer, scooping up King when his youngest came to join him in the living area. The knocks on his door made Leon furrow his brows and he was slightly confused when he found Liz standing there–which reminded him that, ever since their weekend away from Astoria, he hadn’t seen her or spoken to her. It made him feel like shit. “Hey… no–no, you not.” He offered her a smile, using his foot to move the door and let her in, since his hands were busy. “Shit, Liz… I’m sorry I vanished, I–” What? Was kidnapped by my former coven and almost died in the hands of my adoptive mother? “Do you want a beer?” He offered instead as he set King down. Chances were, Liz already knew what had happened to him.

— ◈ —

The last thing she wanted was for things to be awkward between them, but she wasn't sure how well that would go. At least for her. It was mostly the time that had passed since they last hung out that made her hesitant about seeing him again. A small, nervous smile settled over her lips and she slipped passed him into his apartment. "I know. Or I know now... Are you okay?" Elizabeth shook her head at the offer. "No, I'm fine. I wanted to see how you were doing." Her lips pressed together for a second, debating on the words she wanted to say. "And I just thought maybe we should talk. Clear the air or whatever..."