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 Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:28 pm
Who: Harrison and Zeke
When: June 28th; 9:15am
Where: Lab 305
Weather: Hazy, hot, and humid; your standard summer day!
Plans had been made for later in the day, but for now the old saying held true - good things came to those who waited, although Zeke couldn't help but feel a more than a little impatient. What was to come after he had tended to two new Guardians was something he had been looking forward to for forever and a day, and the man with the two-colored hair just could not wait. This trip he and his beloved were taking was something they both sorely needed, and by this afternoon - mid at the latest - they would be off to the oh so secret locale Brad had picked and had gotten ready just for them. The idea of spending a whole weekend alone with the rugged Italian was something that made his heart skip a few beats, his face get a touch warm, and put a giddy tingling all over his body. The idea of doing that with the added plus (and promise) of no work, distractions, stress, or even Anya to mind was the icing on the cake. Come this afternoon he would be gone to a retreat of relaxation and fun in the summer sun, and the world would just have to wait until Monday morning to get a hold of him again.
Until then though here Zeke sat, tapping his feet against the linoleum as he slid his gaze from the door over to the small digital clock on his desk in the Lab's lobby. The small, spherical teal clock - something clearly bought and brought in by Zeke on some whim when he first saw it - ticked over to quarter past the hour when its face came into his view. The vet released a small hum in contemplation, then reached across his desk top to finger the top folder of the two that had been placed there before he had arrived at quarter of. A bright pink Post-It had been attached to this one, and neatly written on it in black Sharpie was 'Harrison Troxel, 9:30'.
He sincerely hoped that the time was A.M. and not P.M., not only because of his trip and his desire not to put it off by any means necessary, but also because he knew that today Alex wouldn't be around after seven or eight tonight. That would leave Dr. Kyou, but who knew if the enigmatic man had plans of his own. He'd hate to find out later that Harrison Troxel showed up to the Lab and found it both dark and empty. It wouldn't be a good first impression of the Lab, but also would mean this poor guy would have to put off being an official Guardian for a whole day! There was no fun in that.
Pulling his hand away, Zeke rose to his feet and gave a stretch. His stomach gave a rumble as he did so, and the vet patted the spot lightly. He looked to the front doors and the world outside the air conditioned room he occupied. There was no one on the sidewalks and the cars across the street had been parked there since yesterday evening. Zeke turned to the door behind him and to his right, idly sucking on his lip ring. If his memory served, he was sure he had a few granola bars stashed in the bottom left drawer of the desk in his office. Not only that, there was sure to be a cereal cup or two in there, plus a quart of milk in his mini fridge! Looking back and again seeing no one on either side of the street, Zeke stepped out from behind the secretary's area and made his way to the door. If caught by Alex or Dr. Kyou, he could just say he simply couldn't do his part on an empty stomach!
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 6:38 pm
The past few weeks have held something of a bleak cloud pressing into Harrison Troxel’s mind. He’d been in his first aircraft accident- granted it wasn’t by his design nor was it at all his fault. Still, he was pending investigation as the FAA is want to do, He hated it. He felt like every move was watched and judged. There was a mechanical failure in the hydraulics system- something that hadn’t been caught in the daily mechanic check and something unnoticeable during the pilot’s preflight. Trox prided himself on a swift preflight check but it was never lacking in the required intensity. The largest issue people could have was that he wasn’t doing it by the book. Well, he was doing it by the book he just didn’t have the text splayed open in his hands while he checked the aircraft. Any competent pilot, anyone who has done as many hours as Troxel, anyone who has done as many preflights as him- did it by memory. A cringe worthy statement because even if you have photographic memory, you need the checklist open. That claim wouldn’t win any battle over an investigation. He could still remember the conversation buzzing in his head.
“Trox, you’re a balls-y kinda guy, I get that, hell I love that about you,” his commander had said, sitting in the unconditioned office off the hangar. The tarmac cooked it like an easy bake oven.
Harrison wiped his forehead with his sleeve and nodded at that, sure- he was ballsy enough to fly a rotor winged aircraft. Something about that sentence though...
“What’s the ‘but’ then, Don,” He had returned, leaning back in his chair. Ballsy? Yes. Stupid? No. Flying a helicopter was already a stupid decision. If you mix stupid with more stupid you get dead.
“You have no collateral.”
No collateral. Harrison was real pissy about that blanket statement. He was 32, unmarried, no kids- just an aging dog and too many nightmares from deployments as his companions. No collateral? What about a good life, a good job and some bean juice in the morning? Either way, that’s how it all started. During the weeks he was nursing his lower back- injured in the firm crash, but he ached everywhere anyway from his time in the service- he stewed in those words.
Applying to be a Guardian at this lab had been a shot in the dark, an indignant display of ‘look how responsible I really am. Then came the horror of ‘oh my god what did I get myself into’. He prayed it’d be declined. Or at least that was his thought at first. Then the initial giddy and proud behavior to his application came back, around the time he was able to get back into his airframe. He was, well? He would be lying if he stated he wasn’t at least a little excited at the prospect of having an entity under his wing. The happiness was intermittent with gut wrenching fear of failure and death in the line of duty- but he had a dog? And more people died from alcohol and vehicles than aircraft crashes.
So he was ready and at 0915 the aviator all but swaggered through the glass door, standing at his hunched height, in part to make him appear smaller and thus less intimidating and also due to the advil having not kicked in yet. He set his coffee cup on the counter and leaned forward over the secretary desk, palms flat on the cool surface and bit his lip. Just his luck- he turned, sliding into the lounge seating area, long body hanging off the chair making odd angles out of his limbs as he checked his work blackberry. Hurry up and wait, he thought, wasn’t that always the case. With a small grin he scrolled through his email.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:35 am
A granola bar had been partially unwrapped and popped into his mouth when Zeke heard the chime from the lobby and then the click of the heavy door as it went back to its latch soon after. The vet turned in response to the sound then stared up at the wall clock in his office, brow furrowing ever so slightly when he caught the time. The idea that perhaps Alex or Dr. Kyou had stepped out for a minute crossed the raver's mind, but he knew better. If he wasn't at his post at the secretary's desk, either of them would poke their head into his office and tell him where they were off to, in case of any emergencies or the like. With that explanation ruled out, the vet had three options to choose from: either a curious lookie-loo had stopped in, one of the Raevans or their Guardians had, or his appointment was fifteen minutes early.
Zeke didn't waste any time regardless. With his breakfast still in place between his teeth, he padded out into the sunlit lobby. His eyes went from the door, to his desk, and only then to the assortment of chairs and couches that made up the waiting area. His brown eyes fell on a tall, angular looking man with tanned skin and strawberry blond hair; a stranger around these parts. It seemed as though option one or option three was the winner here, and the vet pulled his treat from his lips as he strode over to offer the new arrival his standard bouncy greeting.
"Hey there!" His greeting was slightly muffled on account of the granola-chocolate combo, and he worked hard to chew and swallow before he reached the chairs. As he made his way, the vet was a hard thing to miss, even at a distance. Zeke was all colors today, although that wasn't unusual. His hair was still its two-colored sour apple green and plum purple, styled up in his mohawk with the longer bits tied back in a ponytail. He wore a yellow tank top spattered with blue and pink stars over an equally sour apple-colored mesh top, the sleeves of which reached his elbows and allowed for the tats on his upper arms to show through. His jeans were red-colored denim, with various rips, tears, and holes filled in with oddly patterned and colored cloths, and his shoes - to top everything off - were purple high tops that were almost swallowed by the wide, torn up, and dragging cuffs of his jeans. The raver wore his cornicello on his chest; while various bracelets and cuffs hung from his wrists and two belts hung from his hips.
"Welcome to Lab Three-Oh-Five! The name's Zeke, how're you doing today?" The colorful bird of a man stuck out his right hand, where rings both colorful and standard metallic were stacked on more than a couple fingers. He put on his best, most friendly smile - the one that stretched across his pierced face almost all the way to his ears, which were studded their own with multiple barbells and rings - and waited for his first impression to hit home.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:41 pm
Harrison hadn’t actually been reading any of the emails on his phone but rather giving the impression he was. In reality, the words on the tiny illuminated screen all meshed together as they drifted by his glazed look of boredom. The look soon vanished at the sound of another character in the room. He had heard footsteps and general commotion upon his first arrival but maintained a demure approach and took his seat as to not initiate any ruckus. For a tall man he was trying very hard to take up as little space as possible. Physically and existentially.
He smiled up at the youthful man, halting his features from displaying anything but cordial indifference to the mans age… or appearance. Professionalism was apparently not the main front of this organization. Between the shocking colors and the lengthy hair, Trox would swear the kid wasn’t anywhere near the important activities that went on here.
With that he paused, nodding a little which for all intents and purposes appears as the nervous new daddy tic, and held his mind back. He was a damn fine pilot at an age around this man’s looks- he just chooses a more flamboyant attire…With a mental shrug, Troxel got over it- to each their own really. They were two extremes, Zeke and Trox. While the younger man preferred vibrancies of color and managed to pull off the southern tropic bird look well, Troxel stayed earthen and warm. His T-shirt was a solid clay red- lightened by sun and use, advertising a desert marathon he had participated in with a few people from his long since distanced unit. His pants were athletic and designed to be climbed in, the stretchy quick dry material ran along the more purple of browns- cargo pockets slim in profile but had the capacity to hold much more. His ball cap was well warn- displaying the crest of his flight crew on the front and his feet were adorned in minimalist running shoes. They dovetailed nicely with each other, he thought. Complex and simple clashing, professionalism be damned. He doubted his confidence in knowing what business casual attire meant let alone knowing if he owned any clothing that would fit the genre.
He pursed his lips, eyes bugging slightly as he looks down at his hands. A sign of slight confusion he did while trying to work out a correct transition between awkward introductions and the meeting… Right. Names were good.
“Great! It’s a gorgeous day outside,” The sheen of sweat drying on Troxel’s brow betrayed that statement but he challenged Zeke to question it. He returned the offered hand without hesitation. “Harrison Troxel, sorry – I didn’t mean to interrupt your breakfast. I like being early.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:29 pm
He honestly couldn't tell that the man sitting down in the armchair before him was trying to keep his expression mum. The nervous tic caught his eye and with that the veterinarian smiled a little wider in a knowing sort of way, while the way the tall man looked at his own hands before shaking Zeke's own made the younger man have to rein in a chuckle. He did well in this instance, giving the returned shake a brief but firm grip.
"It is," he agreed to the mystery man's statement about the day outside. Sunny, hot, and humid; perfect beach weather. Mentally, the vet made a note to double check that he had packed his bathing suit...even if it was more than likely he'd be taking any dips in his birthday one instead. "Bit hot out but hey, that's why we got AC right...Oh!"
The name the other man gave made him start; which showed as a straightening of his posture and a look on his face that said a light bulb immediately turned on in that colorful dome of his. The apology that came directly after made Zeke shrug and wave a hand nonchalantly. He could always eat later.
"Nice to meet you, and hey; no harm done. Better early than never, right?" The vet laughed lightly. "Anyway...Welcome to the Lab!" He couldn't help but reiterate that; both because saying it the first time had come and gone in his mind, but also because the expected new family member was now here and should be properly greeted as such. "Since you're here, you got the phone call and everything, so congrats on becoming our newest family member!"
The vet was all smiles and jovial words, but he was taking in the man all the while. He was tall and lean but had a certain ruggedness about him, probably because of the dark tan he was rocking. That made Zeke peg him for an outdoors kind of guy, which was not a bad thing in the slightest in the younger man's books. It also made him envy him just a little bit, for the vet had the sort of skin that would rather turn lobster red in the sun than sunkissed brown.
The insignia on Harrison's hat caught the vet's eye in particular, standing out in a 'I haven't seen this before' sort of way. He knew the caduceus symbol at a passing glance - only the most easily recognizable medical symbol in the world other than the letters PhD - but the helicopter that was paired with it was a new one. Either way it he didn't have to puzzle it out - aerial medical evacuation. This guy was a medevac or he was a relative or friend of one. Either way, pretty nifty. As far as Zeke was aware, the Lab family didn't have any pilots...or friends-slash-relatives of pilots.
"Would you like anything to drink before we get started? I've got bottles of water, cans of soda, and that kinda stuff, but if you want coffee or iced tea or something, that's totally doable." Keen to get to know the man while they chatted, Zeke gestured toward his desk and the two chairs plonked down in front of it, silently offering him one of the two seats. Despite his excitement - and it didn't take long for that to come about once face to face with a new Guardian! - he wasn't about to bypass the pleasantries.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:16 pm
Troxel smiled easier, slowly standing to his full height before slumping slightly in that ‘gentle giant’ sort of way. He put his hands into his pockets and jingling his keys, feeling for his wallet and nodding in response to the young man. Hot and humid made for awful flying but great days on the water. He always wanted to try deep-sea fishing for a day. He smoothed his hands over his pockets and flicked his ‘remove before flight’ key-chain.
“A/C is a luxury that’s new to me,” He started with a smile, dimple creasing one cheek, “My old facility actually paid to have the air conditioning removed from the aircraft,”
He rolled his eyes with a smile because half-hearted behavior was easier to love he supposed. The freckles on his face pulled over his cheekbones with his smile and his dimple and he looked over the lobby. Listening to the younger man do his introduction gave him some situational awareness information gathering time. He squinted, looking down the hall.
“Pleasure’s mine,” He said looking back down and making eye contact, “Oh yeah, the whole nine –yards. I’m pretty thrilled, really.”
A slight flush came over his cheeks and he raised a brow. The younger man had no idea about the turmoil and the constant personal vows of ‘never, ever, ever have kids’- well technically these weren’t kids. He scrunched his face as he thought about Revontulet and the half body she had. Kind of glowy too. He bit his bottom lip, biting at the free skin there and tilted his head, watching Zeke’s antics.
He moved over to the counter, picking up his coffee and smiled at the younger man, lifting it in the air slightly as if to say ‘I’m good’ while shaking his head in a silent ‘no thanks’.
“Thanks though, I’m all set. I’m a bit of an addict you see,” He chuckled and looked to the chairs, folding his large form into one and smiling at the kid before looking down at the coffee cup’s lid- thumb flicking over it like the page of a book, anticipating the next page.
“So-“ He looked to the desk, scrunching his brow as he tried to pull a name off of it. The kid was rubbing off on him with his pleasantries which left him with a tiny grin. But just Zeke for a business interaction? it felt weird. “Zeke? What should I call you? Just Zeke? What’s your niche here?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 9:34 am
Zeke had to look up when the long limbed man stood to make the short walk, but his expression didn't change when Troxel gave away what the veterinarian had half-figured out from the cap he wore on his head.
"I take it you do medical evacuation?" The vet gestured to the hat; the assorted bits and bobs on his arm chiming here and there as he did so. "Sounds like a tough job, but anything med-related is tough, even if you're not the one holding the scalpel." He would know; he was a veterinarian after all.
When the other man took his new seat, Zeke followed suit. He nodded and smiled as the takeaway coffee cup was shown to him, and with that out of the way the vet took a seat himself, tossing his granola bar off to the side. He was glad to hear the taller fellow was thrilled about being chosen and didn't doubt it for a second. Even if a person didn't physically show it, he was the sort of man who would take a word with no problem. Everyone reacted differently after all.
Taking Troxel's folder off the short pile, the raver pulled it towards himself and with a quick motion pulled the Post-It from its cover and tossed it away in the bin right next to him. He placed a hand upon the manilla folder's cover, and made to speak to start things off, but a query from the older man made him pause.
“Zeke? What should I call you? Just Zeke? What’s your niche here?”
"'Zeke' is fine. Mr. Farris is my father, and 'Just Zeke'...Mm...Doesn't have the same ring to it, ya know?" He grinned though his joke was quite terrible - perhaps he was just grinning because it was so bad - but gestured to his little area that they now occupied before throwing his thumb over his shoulder at the door a little ways to his right. "I guess "technically" I'm like a secretary. If people come in off the street I give them the run down on the Lab, what we do here, and that sort of thing. I also handle paperwork," He patted the folder. "As well as help out with odds and ends if asked. But the biggest part of my job is that I take care of new Guardians and their future Raevans. So like what we're gonna do now is the main course of my work here; I'm gonna be explaining the Raevans, how they come about, what being a Guardian entails...All that good stuff. Oh, and I'll answer any and all questions you have along the way!"
There was a bit more to it than that, but that was the jist of it. He needn't bore the man to death with a whole run down, but all the same he was more than just a secretary even if he was the bottom of the totem pole around here. Zeke took pride in his work for the Lab, to the point where he had been told time and again that he almost looked too happy when he filed whatever various papers he had been given that day.
"Speaking of questions, do you have any before we begin?" Now that he thought about it, he had one of his own. "And do you have anything you'd like me to call you, Harrison?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 7:07 pm
The pilot walked with a demure air to him. Slightly hunched, quiet, focusing on where he stepped, ball of the foot before the heel so as to not sound like a dinosaur romping through the forests. This spoke to a time where he needed to be cautious of his imprint on the environment. He smiled; Zeke’s company was kind of enjoyable. The man had an attitude about him- initially he was trepidatious of Zeke due to the over the top, youth bubbling from his veins and very in your face visage. The man was reminiscent of a 6-month-old golden retriever, but contained. Trox could deal with contained.
He paused at the question and bit his lip, scrunching his face slightly and debated going into the logistics of his Jobs and past jobs. He was more comfortable keeping it to himself, just letting people know he flies things if need be. But Zeke had pinned him and he WAS wearing the hat. It was only fair. You see, the hat was a relic from his time in the service and had very little to do with the moonlighting he did now at the med helo group he’d picked up with.
“Actually, I do mostly border patrol stuff? But every once and a while I hop over to the medical helo unit to keep my hours up. And it’s additional pay, so it’s not all bad.”
His calloused thumbs played with the edge of his coffee cup once more, eyeing the younger man in front of him as he manipulated the folder. A smile crept across his face again when Zeke mentioned his father. He felt the same. Harrison or Trox. Those were the names he felt comfortable with. Mr. Troxel was a name he had long dropped. It ALSO belonged to his father.
“Alright, Zeke. Cool,” He raised a brow in a silent appreciation to Zeke’s method of jumping into the nuts and bolts of the visit. He smiled and scratched the back of his neck, leaning forward and resting an elbow on his crooked knee.
“Well, I did some research at home but honestly a lot went over my head. Guardianship 101 would be nice- the sparknotes version I guess. What am I getting myself into, what’s the end state. Yenno— oh me? Just call me Harrison, or Trox. Your call- I’m familiar with both,” He gave Zeke a charming grin, single dimple pinching his freckled cheek.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:09 am
"Trox, okay." He gave a sunny grin back to that handsome smile and nodded to the older man, thinking hard on just where to begin first with what Harrison asked of him. Guardian 101...Well that should be a textbook for sure, and it was almost a pity they didn't have one. 'Almost' being the keyword here, as Zeke enjoyed being the bevvy of information to newbies here at the Lab.
"Well, I guess the super sparknotes of Guardianship would simply be 'you're going to be taking care of a Raevan', but I know that doesn't help much." He chuckled, and wished Anya was here so he could have a living, breathing example. Since she wasn't, Zeke supposed a photo of his Frei would do well enough. The vet stood for a moment and dug around in his pocket, pulling out his phone before sitting back down. He had a photo of Anya up in seconds and slid it across the desk to Trox. "This is a Raevan. My Raevan, in fact."
The pride was as apparent as the sun on a clear day in his voice. The photo showed a sharp-featured, purple haired Frei with matching eyes, frowning at the viewer. Her face was surrounded by eight long, black pieces in her hair and her brow had four dark, gem-like circles crossing it. Her wings were barely in the shot, but they were easily seen as thin, long, and equally as shiny black as the things in her hair and the color matched the top she was wearing, which was low cut, strapless, and and included some spiny looking details along the cups.
"Raevans are beings created here in the Lab by Dr. Kyou. They are born of a mix between science and magic and you will get to help us with that part of the project." He looked as if he was barely containing a big secret but surprisingly kept it down as he continued. "As a Guardian it'll be your job to take care of this Raevan. You'll be acting sort of like a parent, sort of like a friend and helping Dr. Kyou along with his research while you do so."
That was as sparknotes as it got as far as Guardian 101 was concerned. A Guardian's job was to oversee the Raevan in their growth from Frei to Sigel to whatever lay beyond. It was a long term project, akin to adopting a child, and the Lab was particular about who they allowed to be Guardians. Applications were reviewed in and out and Zeke was sure some measure of a background check was done as well to make sure that the person applying really was who they said they were. Since Trox was sitting here now, the man had passed the bar and so far seemed quite capable in Zeke's eyes. He couldn't stop the wondering now about what soul the man would capture to go along with the Essence that was tucked away in one of the cases next to him behind the desk. In fact, he hoped Trox would pick up on the 'you will get to help us' part of his sparknotes so he could get right to the presentation!
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:44 am
Trox breathed in, looking from his hands, to the coffee cup and back to the vet, biting his lip but still maintaing a smile on his narrow face. He tilted his head and reached up to remove the baseball cap. He looked at the picture of the bubbly man's Raevan. She wasn't at all the soft features of Revontulet, nor the tranquility inspiring visage of the aurora either. She looked... dangerous. He leaned back and placed his baseball cap on his knee, thumb and forefinger perched on his lips as he rested- chin to hand, elbow to chair arm. Intriguing.
"Are they all female?" He's only had experience with one in the flesh and one photographically. Both had female torso and faces. It was an honest question.
"I mean to say-- I've met one. Her name was Revontulet and she looked all midnight skies and luminescence. Yours has an arachnid air to her..." He gestured to the back of his own head, relating to the components of the photograph he saw. He rested his hand on his chin again, the look of complete concentration and focus coming over his features. It was reminiscent of his face in Flight School.
"I don't need to change diapers as that portion is missing, but so is their stomach. What happens to food? Do they lay down to sleep at night?" He paused and his eyes widened in horror. Sleep and Coffee were very important facets to Trox's life. Well... Sleep, Coffee and Flying that is, "DO they sleep?"
The man looked down to his watch. A fancy little thing his mother had gotten him- complete with compass and GPS. That way he could track flights and activity. It came in handy as a safeguard to recording coordinates on the aircrafts GPS, should they find illegal drugs being grown anywhere. He bounced his foot on his knee, not wanting to spend all morning in the lab. He had a few errands to kill before he went in for his afternoon and night flights.
"I also have no problem multitasking if you're good to continue and explain unless there's audience participation required after this Q and A session, Doc."
He grinned again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 11:15 am
Zeke took the phone back and flicked through his gallery to another photo. He slid the phone back over. This photo was of a male Raevan, with bright blue eyes, tan skin, and short white hair with reddish ends. He was topless, but his arms and throat were covered by bands of leather and fur. Like Anya, this Frei (for Zul was a Frei when this photo had been taken) had head accessories, though his were three horns - two curled ram-like ones on the sides, and one long, pointed one coming out of his forehead, above an inverted pentagram.
"There are males, and this one is Zul. He's my sister Alex's Raevan though he's much older now than when this was taken." He chuckled when Trox mentioned Doucette's pretty Frei and the arachnid air of his own Raevan. "Revontulet is one of our newly born Raevans. She went home with her Guardian...About two months ago." And it had been such a long development for the Moonstone Frei. Years in fact, but well worth the wait when he had seen the look Doucette had worn upon seeing her. "Anya does have an arachnid air about her, but that's because she is literally part spider."
His barely kept secret face broke and with Trox's blessing about multitasking, the vet had the older man's case on the desk in a jiffy. While he straightened the case out and got to fiddling with the clasps that kept it locked up tight, he went right for the pilot's questions and explained a bit more as he went along.
"Raevans are made up of two key things - a Fel Essence and a Soul. Anya looks so spidery because her soul is a black widow spider. Latrodectus hesperus if I'm remembering right." The clasps were proving to be difficult, so this had to have been the case they had been meaning to replace. "Raevans eat and they sleep. I dunno if all of them sleep laying down, but Anya does. She's a bed hog, actually." He had to laugh as he remembered the times he had poked his head into Anya's room to see if she was awake, only to find the Frei sprawled out in quite the un-queenly positions. Sometimes she would have bits of pillow stuffing around her or in her hair thanks to her crown and its movements overnight too. Not even a helpful suggestion of sleeping on her chest helped that unfortunate habit.
"What Raevans eat is unique to each individual. They don't eat human food...well...they can eat it, but it doesn't do anything for them as Freis. Anyway...Their food sources derive from their Essences, which is one of the two things you'll be getting if I can get this damn case...open!"
Zeke gave a hard tug and the latches finally released. The vet pressed his right index finger to his lips with a momentary hiss, then shook the pinched hand to try and relieve a little pain. It worked for what it was worth and he had the contents ready to be revealed.
"When I said you'd be helping us - well, Dr. Kyou - with creating your Raevan, this is what I meant." He opened the case before Trox, and in the overhead lights the two objects inside glittered prettily. The larger of the two was a bulbous orb of glass, topped with a peculiar conical contraption. Held in place between the metal cone and the objects' base was a reddish-brown cloth patterned with closely printed gold designs including a thick golden strip along the hem. Next to this peculiar bauble was a smaller, but equally sizable jar. Unlike its companion, it had something in it. What drew the eye was a multicolored assortment of rings, floating in the center of their container. Not only did they float unaided and unhindered, but the rings rotated as though in orbit, like a record on a turntable. Reds, yellows, purples, greens, blues, and oranges all spun along together as though they had no end in sight.
There was a low whistle of approval and like from Zeke, who eased the top half of the case onto his side of the desk. He gestured to Trox to go ahead and pick either of the two items up and freed the man's file from its place between the desktop and the suitcase's bottom.
"These are your Raevan making instruments. Your Soul Glass," he swept his left hand over the heavy-looking bulb, "and your Fel Essence, which is hereby known as the Plantless Rings."
He beamed over the top of the file, eyes alight and trained on Trox, watching for his reaction.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 11:51 am
Trox was placated by the speed in which everything was hitting him. He was one of those types. Put the nozzle of the knowledge hose to his face and open it to full blast. He followed the vet with his eyes in between glances around, gathering information on what things looked like. He did lean in politely and look at the oddly adorned Frei. He wouldn't comment on the crowns, horns or ornaments. It seemed rude. It also, by the sounds of it seemed permanent. He slid the phone back with a small smile.
"Case and point taken," he leaned back and scrunched his face, "Two months and what she has looks mature and all adult like. So they're-" he used finger quotes, "born, full grown... unbelievable."
He nearly flinched at the jump from lecture to lecture and movement. He stood up and moved over to the vet, eyebrow cocked as he looked over the casing. He paused and wanted to offer aid to the struggling kid but. Eventually and with a small amount of pain apparently he got it.
"You okay, there? We have the same issues with the radio cases for the aircraft. Hurts like a sunnova." Trox stated as he smacked his hat against his hip, unfurling the cap and replacing it on his head.
"So... Uhm. Give me an example here, Doc. Essence of blank is to blank," He chuckled and leaned forward, looking into the case, "Spidery Anya's... I'm assuming the spider is the soul but I'm just guessing here... oh wow."
He was distracted, looking over the Essence slowly orbiting in the glass. He couldn't help it, he was drawn into it. He slowly gripped the jar and peered inside, bringing it up to his mud brown eyes and tilted his head instead of moving the jar. He didn't want to jostle it- make it unstable. He bit his lip and gathered in the dust.
"Planetless rings... Like Saturn? Without the saturn?" He paused, eyes not leaving the essence, voice gravelly as he exclaimed- "how the flying <********> does that work?"
He gently put the rings down, pursing his lips as he'd love to stare at them longer but the bulbous glass needed to be looked at. He traced his fingers along the coth.
"So... Soul- we need a soul. I grab a spider or is it pre-determined?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 12:35 pm
"Well they're not full grown as far as their growth goes, but many of them do appear adult-like to human standards." He had heard that every so often a Raevan was born looking younger than the late teens to early twenties that a lot of Raevans appeared to be. It hadn't happened for a long while, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibilities. Zeke himself had been there when Luka was born, and the Frei looked no older than sixteen, tops.
Zeke nodded when Trox queried him about the injury. "Just fine, happens all the time with this one." He'd make sure to duct tape a sign on it afterward that would read 'DO NOT USE' in red Sharpie. They had several, so it wasn't like the Lab would be taking a major hit with this one out of commission. He made to speak again about the Essence and how Anya's widow side was indeed her soul, but Trox took to the things in the case and he fell mum. A laugh left him at the pilot's befuddlement and when both items were removed from the case, Zeke cleared it from the desk and sat his behind back down.
"It works because it shouldn't work." His caramel brown eyes glittered with teasing, smile playing on his lips a match to that mischief. "A Fel Essence is a thing in nature that shouldn't exist, but does on account of The Storm. D'you know that old kid's tale about the mythical storm that was brought about by the death of Freyr and the suicide of his lover Shira? It's not such a myth as you'd think it'd be." When Trox set the Essence jar down, Zeke took it in hand and gestured to the rings within. "'Rings without the Saturn' is probably the best way to describe this, I think. The Storm warped things in nature and Fel Essences are the remnants of that time. So maybe once upon a time these babies had a planet, but now they don't need a planet to stay in orbit or be whole like they are."
The jar was placed down in front of Trox again and Zeke was all giddy delight. To his recollection he had never had to bring the fable to light before so it was a nice touch of something new to his work.
"But that's a bit of speculation on my part. The file doesn't tell me what it does, it just tells me the name, sometimes a warning if need be." He glanced back at the folder and shook his head. "No such warning here, but I'd recommend not opening the jar in case it gets out or gets contaminated or something."
The Soul Glass was turned to next and like Trox, Zeke touched the cloth. At the mention of a spider, the vet had to chuckle and consider. There was bound to be a red and gold spider out there somewhere but he wasn't sure how well Alex would take to him bounding into her office and telling her 'Guess what, we're gonna have another spider Raevan!' with as much happiness as he could muster. Then again, perhaps Anya would like a "sibling" of sorts. All the same, he shook his head.
"It doesn't have to be a spider, but it does have to match the cloth." He let that sink in a bit - unable to resist playfully confusing the poor chap in front of him - but was quickly back to his animated way of speaking. "You see how the cloth is a reddish color and it has that gold pattern? Think of it as a sort of 'guideline' for what soul can go into the glass part. You have a little leeway, see, you can catch something that has a red soul, perhaps a gold soul, or a red AND gold soul."
The glass and metal device was lifted off the desk with both hands and Zeke hummed lightly as he thought about what could be used as an example. His lip ring moved as he sucked on it, but then an idea came to him and he bounced a little in his seat.
"So say like...Okay a red thing. Souls are natural, so nothing tampered with by humans. Plants, animals, minerals, that sort of thing. So for the red you could theoretically catch a red bird, a red flower, maybe a red stone like a garnet or a ruby." He put the Soul Glass down. "Same applies for the gold. Maybe actual gold, like a nugget or a shaving. Or maybe a gold-colored bug. And so on and so forth, and I'm sure you get the idea for as far as the double trouble red and gold option goes."
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:37 pm
Trox splayed his fingers out over the cloth, inspecting it and nodding as he went. His face scrunched as he tried to take it all in. He might have been over confident with how quickly he'd grasp this. Now he was embarrassed because he was entirely lost. He's here to learn though, he thought, that is the purpose of this meeting. So he nodded and kept his eyes trained on the bottles before him, flicking a gaze back to Zeke only when he laughed or spoke.
"Okay. Everything is variable, that is something I can..." He drew a breath as he set the soul bottle down and picked up the essence again, voice quieting as he was once again distracted, "accept. Like wind, humidity pressure to flight... gotcha."
He was remiss to say his nerd was showing again. Whoops. He traced his finger along the glass, mirroring a ring and hummed. Got it. Don't open the bottle- s**t could go down.
"Impossible rings.... from that kid's story." He jumped lanes in thought completely. "God, how do I transport these and NOT break them..."
Trox was a gentle giant for sure. His size and demeanor leant him the title. But he'd spent years in the army, years as a pilot. Everything he owned could sustain a heavy throwing around. s**t even his wine glasses were plastic.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:35 pm
Zeke nodded to Trox's words.
"Right, a variable. And there's no time limit on when you have to catch a soul and bring these back. Sometimes it can be the very next day, other times weeks, hell, even months!" The mention of months made him think back to Duncan and his Floating Rain. He wondered how the old man was doing and if he had caught a soul that matched that pretty red cloth around his Soul Glass. Of course, with the mention of soul captures the vet had to throw in a word of caution. "Also ah, it is possible for soul captures to be an accident. The bottle doesn't have a magic word or anything so if something red or gold or red and gold comes along and sticks by it, it will absorb the soul. Actually, quite a few soul captures have gone that way."
He chuckled and, naturally, remembered his own capture. It had been the same way although he had had some help thanks to Alex. He hadn't been the only one though and he was sure the amount of accidental captures exceeded the fingers on both his hands combined. Hell, maybe all his toes too!
"Well if you want, I think I can get away with letting you borrow a case. Not the case they came in, 'cause we really need to get rid of it, but I can slip out and nab another one." He pointed his left thumb over his shoulder to indicate the glass door that led from the lobby into the long, door lined hallway within the Lab proper. "But if not, I can see if we have some bubble wrap in the supply closet, and I'm sure I can dig up a paper or plastic bag from somewhere." He smiled easily at Trox. Ever the helpful one, if the man before him had a problem he was gonna do everything in his power to help him along or even fix the situation. Transporting the sturdy objects wasn't an every day problem, but one could never be too careful.
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