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The car ride's conversation had been rather one-sided, as most conversation with Rivener was lately. Aphismet tried to engage the Sigel in talk but Riv would only stare out the window petulantly, leaning his chin on a fist and replying with a vague "hn" once in a while. It was disheartening, but the white-haired chef convinced himself this was all for the best. Rivener needed to get some air, needed to be around people again, needed to feel the sunshine. What better place to do all this than at the Farmer's Market?

Aphismet made it a habit long ago: every weekend he'd go to the Market in the early morning and pick up things for the day's meals. Those were his days off from work, and he could cook whatever he wanted, not just the items off a menu. It was fun to see what caught his eye at the farmers' stalls, and then come up with something to concoct during the day. He had a whole family to feed now, and the weekend journeys were a joy. He truly hoped he could pass on some of this joy to Rivener.

The Sigel, for his part, wasn't very impressed with this whole thing. He was more of a night-creature, staying up late to feed on starlight and moonlight... Getting up this early left Riv cranky and sore. Add to that the fact that his broken wings were still bothering him, strapped against his back like a useless lump of bone and leather... The Scorpion wasn't keen on being seen like this, but Aphi had insisted.

The pair of men abandoned their car in a parking lot and made their way to the open-air Market, finding it already bustling with people. Riv winced already, just knowing that someone would bump into his sensitive wings in this crowd. It was BOUND to happen. He was not looking forward to this, not one little bit.

"Look around and tell me if you think anything looks particularly delicious, okay? Maybe we can come up with today's food ideas together!" Aphismet offered what he hoped was an encouraging smile, but it only came off as tentative.

Rivener sighed and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and braving the mob, moving forward into the throng.

Rivener tensed and flinched away from any slight touch to his person, having narrowly avoided bumping his wings more than once so far. This latest near-miss was accompanied by some foreign-language word that must be an apology, and Rivener spun to face this person- this woman- with a slight nervous frown. He carefully made sure he didn't back into anything as he turned, just leveling the girl a pair of ruby-red eyes.

She kept staring at him. Of course it didn't help that he in turn kept staring at her for some reason. She was pretty, with long dark hair and dark eyes... The sudden realization that she was somewhat similar to the one who'd left Rivener in this state made the Scorpion bristle, a look of disdain crossing his face along with a wince of pain; his wings tried to rustle and snap open threateningly, only meeting with bindings and stabs of agony. "Ow!-... What? What are you staring at me for?" The bristling was evident enough in his posture despite the lack of his usual wing-display. He squared his shoulders and loomed a little higher, frowning.

Aphismet had wandered off for a short moment, and of course that was all the time his confrontational Sigel needed to pick a fight with some hapless passerby... A dainty-looking woman at that. Aphi sighed and hurried back through the crowd, a bag of green beans under one arm. "R-Rivener! Rivener, stop that, what's going on? I-uh, I'm sorry, miss, he's just-... not a morning person." He smiled sheepishly, placing a hand on the Scorpion's arm just in case...

This woman must have been psychic to know so easily how to diffuse Rivener's temper. Flattery was definitely the key with many Raevans, but the proud Scorpion foudn himself particularly placated by such praise today. He'd been self-conscious about his wings, but he was still handsome enough to earn stares? The frown lessened to a mildly smug look and Riv's stance returned to a careful neutral, crowding slightly closer to Aphismet simply to make sure no one else bumped into him.

"You didn't actually bump hard, so it didn't hurt," Riv answered rather magnanimously, pretty much forgiving this woman for the supposed slight. "...And yes, I suppose people do stare a lot. Usually because I have no legs, but sometimes because of my looks." He smirked, blatantly fishing for more compliments.

Aphismet rolled his eyes but relaxed visibly, now that a fight wasn't about to break out. He grinned at the french-accented woman, a bright and cheery expression. "You don't have to keep praising him, he's bound to get a big ego."

"Hey!"

"I'm Aphismet Delaran," the chef offered, extending his free hand for a shake. "This is Rivener. Always glad to meet a fellow Market-goer!"

Rivener positively preened. She'd praised him even though Aphismet had tried to take the wind out of his sails, and so she earned herself a place in the Sigel's good graces. A self-satisfied smile made its home on Riv's face, the Scorpion holding himself up tall and emanating as much handsome presence as he could.

"Pleased to meet you, miss LaCelle." Aphismet shook her hand, grinning. It was a good day, starting out with making a new friend and perhaps even lifting Rivener's mood a little! "We are here for pleasure, discovering what our weekend menu is going to be. Although I often come here for business too-..."

Vivi's sudden change of topic took center stage then, Aphismet losing nearly all interest in fresh produce the moment that glass container was revealed. A soul bottle! This woman was going to be a Guardian? What were the odds! Lab 305 people just seemed to gravitate towards one another! The chef's face brightened into an excited smile and he carefully reached fingers out to touch the cool surface. "Oh, wonderful!!! It's empty still... Do you know what soul you will catch?"

Rivener hadn't really been paying attention, but the mention of catching souls drew the ruby gaze down. "Ah!" Riv inhaled sharply, leaning down to look at the object closer. He'd only seen a very limited number of soul bottles... One, perhaps two. One clawed finger tapped gently against the glass. This was what he'd come from, too...

Rivener took the offered bottle like one might hold a baby, cradling it carefully even though it had yet to hold an actual soul. It was the same to him, really. This bottle would disappear and become part of the new Raevan. He tilted his head at it, fingers carefully drifting across the fabric half-draping one side... did this fabric matter, he wondered? The other bottle he'd seen had a different color... Did the bottles have colors because they were pre-set, like they'd only accept one kind of soul? Or was Dr Kyou somewhat psychic, able to know what color he'd end up needing?

It was fascinating. Rivener suddenly wanted to watch this Raevan grow completely, from bottle to Sigel, so he could see how it began, how it grew... A small smile tugged at his lips. It wasn't his place, he knew, but maybe if he asked nicely he might get to see?

Aphismet chuckled at Vivi's admission that choosing a soul was difficult. Indeed, it might have been... Had Aphi known what he was doing back in the day, he might not even have picked a scorpion soul. "Fate has supplied indeed, hah! I misunderstood the instructions when I received the bottle, and thought it would "give new life" to an old friend of mine... So I accidentally captured its soul and he became Rivener." The chef shrugged. "For the best though, like you said! It solved itself. And really you needn't wrack your brain. Eventually you'll find your opportunity, I'm sure! I'm sorry if I'm being overly curious, but what kind of Essence did you receive from the Lab?"

Aphismet had figured as much. If she went around with the bottle, it was only natural to assume she'd also have the Essence, simply in case something happened and she needed to drop them both off at the Lab... But he hadn't expected Vivi to so openly offer to show him the vial instead of just explaining it. A small thrilled tremor went through him, and the chef's grin broadened happily. "I don't think it's silly at all! ...Broken Dawn, hunh? It's so pretty!"

With great reverence Aphi took the vial, lifting it up to the light. It DID make a certain kind of calm wash over him, but that might be his own mind playing tricks on him? Rivener's Night Rock had never given off any kind of vibe, back in the day... "It really is very VERY pretty."

Rivener glanced over as well, inching closer to peer into the glass tube. So whatever was in the bottle would combine with this vial, and the result would be another Raevan. Again, one long-clawed finger raised to gently tink against the smooth surface, the small impact serving to jostle the fragments inside just the tiniest bit. Rivener smiled.

"Hey, do you think I could see it when it's born? Your Raevan, I mean. I'm curious to see what it'll turn out being. And I want to know what Soul you've caught too, when you do catch it. And how does it work anyway? You just leave a bottle open and it catches the closest thing?"

"Rivener, don't just demand things!"

"I"m not demanding," the Sigel corrected with a barely-tolerant sigh and a glare towards his Guardian. "I'm asking."

Aphismet laughed and nodded at Vivi's ponderings. "I wonder, too! Who knows what other Essences the doctor's hiding away... And he comes up with the WEIRDEST things sometimes." Thoughts flew back to the menagerie of pets at the Delaran house, many of which could directly be attributed to Dr Kyou's odd experiments.

Rivener was glad Aphi seemed to have let go of the whole don't ask for anything incident. The chef seemed happy and chatty again, not even minding as Vivi turned to Rivener and assured him that he'd be welcome to know the Raevan's progress. "It wouldn't be an imposition at all! I'm curious, after all." He'd take pictures, he'd keep a binder about it, documenting its life as much as Rivener could know about! Maybe in so doing, watching another Raevan instead of himself, Riv might discover some sort of secret about their kind... If there even WAS a secret to begin with. In all likelihood Kyou just built them on a whim.

And of course, it was only fair for Rivener to answer Vivette's questions when she posed them. He gave back the soul bottle as Aphismet gave the Essence vial, smiling. "It's not improper, it's not like it's a secret or anything... Although to some of us it is. Weird. Why'd you always just tell me, anyway?" the Scorpion asked, turning to his guardian with a slight frown.

Aphismet shrugged. "If a kid asked me where babies came from, wouldn't it be alright to tell him? You asked, so I told you."

The Sigel digested this for only a second before shrugging a shoulder the same way Aphi had. "Anyway, I was made from a Scorpion and a piece of the night sky called Nocturne Rock. So Aphi here tells me."

"It was my pet Scorpion!" Aphi declared with a snicker. "Though Riv's a lot less friendly than my pet was."

"I am NOT anyone's pet!" The Scorpion bristled, wincing as his wings gave a reflexive twitch in their bandages.