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 Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:28 pm
Who: Tatiana, Trox, Cam (Lime) & Cruz, Anita (Snoof)
Where: Trox's home
When: July 19th, arly afternoon, approximately 1400h
Weather: Bright, sunny, and hot -- distant storm clouds raise the humidity------ The sky was bright and open, the only clouds were dark ones looming in the distance. For the whole ride, the air conditioning was on to clear the muggy air. Thanks to the clinging humidity, Anita’s hair was frizzier than normal but keeping it in braids kept that mostly at bay. As was often the case when they were traveling to new locations, the timing was a little off. “Fashionably late” was the term but they were only off by a sparse ten or so minutes and neither of them had dressed anything but casually for the occasion.
”Thanks, bud,” Anita smiled at the frei in the passengers seat once the car came to a halt. Trox requested they park anywhere that wasn’t grass, so the red Cutlass sat neatly behind the other vehicles.
Cruz folded the sheet of paper they were using for directions and tucked it inside the glove compartment. ”Mhm.”
”I should cave and get a GPS, shouldn’t I?” she mused idly when the engine cut.
”No,” the croc puffed his cheeks out as he unbuckled, ”Like reading them. It’s nice to help.”
Anita hesitated getting out of the car, one leg out the door, to laugh. ”Alright. If you’re sure, it’s a big help.”
While Anita exited and locked her door, Cruz reached behind his seat to unlock the back passenger door and got a sloppy lick to the cheek. He wrangled Tango’s leash from under the hound and held on as he was pulled toward Anita -- just barely having time to lock and shut that door as well. With a bit of whistling and coaxing, Tango snuffled along the driveway and followed Anita to the door. All Cruz could do was hang on and get pulled along through the air like a living balloon. Anita rubbed her eyes to rid herself of that lingering highway hypnosis and knocked her knuckles against the door. Cruz was all smiles, wringing the slack on the leash in his hands and staring intently at the peephole as if it would help get everyone’s attention inside.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:30 pm
Troxel’s ranch was an open one, big windows all unshuttered and screened in, allowing a calming breeze to flow through his humble home. The heavy wooden door was always propped open in the summer, allowing Anita and Cruz a view of the interior foray leading to the kitchen. As soon as Anita knocked a chorus of barking came from the back mudroom. The sound of paws and tiny claws mixed with the chiming of bangles and rings echoed as Troxel’s ‘family’ stampeded behind the entrance. Tatiana skidded as she wobbled to a halt, three of Troxel’s pack having followed her to greet their guests. The hamsa’s eyes widened and she lifted her arms in excitement, as if beckoning the two and their pet in for a hug, white teeth gleaming in her too large smile.
“Harrison! We have guests! People are here!” Tatiana called out excitedly before adjusting her gauzy and bright scarf depicting purple flowers in a wash of blue. Her sundress was simple and equally as flowy to beat the summer heat. The hamsa pursed her lips, almost forgetting the herd of dogs barking at Tango and his people.
“Oh oh!” She said, gripping her hands and moving herself between the door and the dogs, “Kiowa, Apache, Belle-- Sit! No bark,” She commanded before turning to the door and slowly opening it.
“He’s bad at hearing things sometimes, y’all can come in though,” Tatiana said with a cringe, before moving closer to the stairway, listening for a moment. She relieved a sigh and gave a small shrug, “I’ll take over for now, he offers guests drinks. Do you need drinks?”
Honestly, the Hamsa was trying not to become over excited. She felt like she rarely got to spend any time with the other Raevans- Revontulet did not count because she was technically more of a sibling. She had to keep her cool with Cruz, a flush running over her cheeks as her willpower slowly declined, “This way to the beverages and food.”
She lead the entourage into the kitchen, offering to hang up Tango’s leash as they passed a repurposed keyhook- names of the Troxel pack written on the set to include ‘Cam’- on his hook there were actually keys. The human in question was bent over at the breakfast bar, giving Cruz and Anita a squinting and calculating look as they entered, a straw in a red-purple drink stuck between his lips.
“Uncle Cam, human guest, do the humany things,” Tatiana said none too subtly, crossing her arms before she looked back at Anita and gave a small wink. She turned her attention to Cruz immediately after, brows lifted high and a bright smile replacing the former sass pout she’d expended on the short man.
“Hi! Are you hungry?” Her accented voice lifted an octave, her crossed arms moving so instead she was holding her shoulders- more nervous and passive than before. ”I’m Tatiana..”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:31 pm
The sudden whirlwind of barking and skittering paws lit up all faces outside the door. Tango’s posture stiffened, his head and ears lifting straight up. He offered a single sturdy bark in retaliation before trying to pull towards the door. Anita caught the leash and tugged back so he wouldn’t go flying through the screen. She offered the dogs a soft greeting, then smiled pleasantly at Tati.
Just behind her, Cruz’s eyes were locked on the hamsa.
”That’s okay! Thanks,” Anita laughed and, still with Tango’s leash held, lead the dog and frei into Trox’s home. ”Oh, uh-- yeah, sure, thank you.”
Once the dogs didn’t have a barrier between them, Cruz set to work on releasing Tango from his leash. The offered hooks were a blessing and they both gave Tatiana another quiet thanks as they folded it up and handed it over. Tango was wide eyed and bushy tailed, wagging excitedly while he sniffed and greeted the parade of other dogs.
Anita offered Cam a short wave before Tati’s comment. She paused, then laughed and hung her head. Cruz glanced at them both with a rumbling chuckle, offering Cam a nod in greeting before his attentions returned to Tatiana. It was somewhat the same for him, not getting to spend enough time with other Raevans, so this was certainly a treat. She seemed so nice and boisterous already, he couldn’t help but grin.
”Cruz,” he returned, eyes alight at her question. The croc held a hand between them, not quite for a shake but an offer of contact in some form if she felt so inclined. ”Always hungry.”
”Uh--” Anita wavered at the frei’s interaction. Cruz looked at her expectantly. ”Well-- you know.” She waved her hand as if wiping away her half formed comment. Cruz just gave a low chuckle and cast his eyes back to the gorgeous lavender ones in front of him. In turn, Anita inched away from the freis and towards Camille. Do the humany things. Right. ”Hey,” unlike her frei charge, Anita offered her hand for a shake.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:31 pm
Tatiana’s excitement was no where near poised and it was openly displayed in her wings. They were spread wide, bristling slightly to add a bit more flare and shape. She was for all intents and purposes an open book. She gave a small clap, silently mouthing the name ‘Cruz’ on her tongue before gaining the courage to say it aloud. It rolled off nicely in the Tamil lilted tongue. She grinned brighter hoping for confirmation that she did in fact pronounce it correctly.
“Cruz,” She elongated the ‘u’ so that it was a bit more ‘oo’, more for fun than actual difficulty, “I like it. It reminds me of boats and war movies.”
She flustered, happy to play hostess to her guest while Camille pretended to host Anita, he hadn’t moved yet and that was something she wanted to rectify- but wouldn’t. It’d be rude and Cruz was a bit more important than Anita in her book- just a bit. She released her palms, wobbling forward and gripped the croc’s extended palm with both of her hands, rings glinting as she pulled it close and placed her chin on her own knuckles.
“Right on,” A term obviously learned from one of her male influences, most likely her guardian, “What do you eat?”
She released his hand and moved to the utility drawer, pulling out a bouncy ball she’d snagged from the crab boil. She dropped it, bounce dampened more than a ‘super bounce’ should. She caught it and smiled contentedly, feeling slightly fuller, “I eat falling things.”
“Kinetic Engergy,” Cam reminded the Hamsa as he slowly stood up, righting himself on his legs, real and plastic. He turned his attention back to Anita, regarding her cautiously, “Do I know you, you look very familiar…”
He was playing a game now. The man was very feline in his way of acting around people. It was hard to tell if Tatiana’s coy demeanor was due to Cam’s influence or if she was born that way. Harrison didn’t tend to mind either way. Que sera sera and all that. He jutted a thumb back towards the fridge, asking her silently if she wanted a drink.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:32 pm
The croc gave an appreciative rumble at the sound of his name on Tatiana’s voice. Truth be told, he and Anita were pronouncing it incorrectly but likening it to a ship cruise was easier for them when they were unfamiliar with the language of origin. Her mention of boats in response pulled Cruz’s grin wider, though he wasn’t sure the association with war movies was a particularly good one. The croc saw fit to look past it for now, not one to harp on unpleasantness, and he was soon swept up as she took his hand. His rune pulsed excitedly from the contact, warm and comforting. Already Cruz was feeling at home here thanks to her enthusiasm.
”Ah,” he started, though waited as she retrieved the ball. Cruz watched the display with keen interest, offering the ball a slight tilt of his head when it did not bounce as much as expected. ”Kinetic…” Cruz repeated under his breath, then righted himself and floated closer to Tati to break the distance.
”Kisses,” Cruz answered plainly. After all this time, he still had not found a better way to explain it or soften the blow. Most Raevans were not shocked by this food source, at least the ones he associated with most closely, and it was humans that seemed to blow things out of proportion. He still couldn’t understand how his eating was inappropriate but the croc had learned to deal with the reactions. ”Is that okay?”
Anita regarded Cam with less cat-like scrutiny and more apologetic observation. He was undoubtedly familiar but she couldn’t recall if they had been previously introduced. ”I think…” she started lamely, giving a small ‘oh’ when he drew attention to the fridge. Anita walked toward it, though politely kept within a few feet of Cam. ”Were you… the beer guy? At the beach?”
She chewed her lip. That was a bit vague, wasn’t it? There were plenty of people that brought beer to the coast. ”I think my friend was drinking some of yours.” Well, two friends, but she wasn’t sure Damien counted in that category just yet.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:32 pm
“Oh that’s an easy one! Like mine. Kisses are very important yenno- just like hugs,” She explained, drifting closer to the croc and tactlessly pressing a kiss to his lips without asking. She pulled away, not fazed in the slightest and looked over to the counter, bindi raising as she considered her words, “When you compress a human’s central nervous system in a hug, it releases the same hormones and chemicals as kissing- brings warmth and placates. I love ‘Love’ it’s so simple sometimes. And if it isn’t? It should be.”
Tatiana paused her lecture, hands drifting to her lips nervously glancing over at her uncle who said she was not allowed to date until she was 31 and she was fairly certain people who kissed dated sometimes. But not all the time. Gabriella was carrying Marco’s baby but was kissing Senor Hernandez on Camille and her latest daytime drama. She didn’t care- she just didn’t want Cam to do that overbearing possessive thing. Her mind flicked like a switch and she wondered if Cruz would be able to eat if people were kissing on TV? Kinetic energy on television didn’t feed her any so she didn’t quite know. She smiled at Cruz nervously, questions now bubbling behind her mouth.
“Are you and your mum here for some of Harrison’s things? He wants a lot gone…”
Camille had indeed completely missed the kiss his niece had given the crocodile raevan. He had raised a single brow at Anita and merely snorted shaking his head. A smooth smile played out on his lips as he regarded her incredulously. He spoke out of the corner of his mouth with a playful visage plastered on, “Uh yeah~ h’was ‘th’beer guy’. Was pettin’ y’husky a bit an’ was gonna get him some ice water an’ y’ showed up an’ didn’ even gimme a hello or salutations before you was off.”
There was an obvious amount of banter in his tone as he opened the freezer side of the fridge, pulling out a frosty beer mug. He set it on the counter before returning to the fridge and pointing to the items inside, “Lemonade, seltzer, sweet tea? Uh- I kin mix you up a pomegranate lemonade- da’s wha’ H’m sippin on’..”
The short man delved into the fridge, hand ready to grab whatever beverage the young lady chose, he grinned at the pause, face lighting up slightly at the mention of Anita’s friends.
“Eyy! Yeah! Mordekai! ‘E’s becommin’ m’new business partnuh. We open next month or so…. I have no clue who the ginger sex bomb was though...”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:34 pm
Cruz’s brows raised when Tati said his feeding method was easy. The suddenness of her kiss caused the croc to lean back some but it was a soft and gentle one despite the motion catching him off guard. It was also unfortunately very short and, though, it did fill him up some, he found himself wanting more. The warm taste on his lips was something like sugar water, sweet and lingering. The croc rumbled with satisfaction, rune glowing brightly in thanks.
He listened to her speak, eyes locked on hers and hanging on every word. Some of them didn’t quite connect; he knew their meaning but it was strange hearing about them in relation to a kiss, or to love. Still, her sentiment came through and it made Cruz smile all the more.
”Very important,” he agreed, ”Yes..” Cruz could get behind that. Loving love. It being simple. Too often humans overcomplicated everything, especially affection. Tatiana seemed to understand and that made him float higher with admiration.
Again he offered his hand, enjoying what contact they could have. She seemed fine with it and it had been more difficult to hang off of people in the Summer months, especially Anita who often claimed it was too hot for physicality.
Across the room, she rubbed her bare arm. Cam’s smile perhaps wasn’t quite as reassuring as he hoped with the subject matter that followed. ”Oh, I--” she fumbled, ”I did.” It wasn’t a question but an admittance. ”Sorry…” Anita glanced at Tango, still piled with the other dogs. Definitely not a husky but correcting him now would be a d**k move.
”Uh, yeah, pom lemon sounds good, thank you.” Her tone was a bit more stiff, posture withdrawn. She hadn’t meant to be rude at the beach but it seemed that really stuck out to Cam.
Mention of Mordekai perked her up a little, enough to lift her head so it wasn’t drooping and remove the worried crease from her brows. ”Partner? What are you guys opening?” Anita moved further into the kitchen after Cam, though hung back closer to the table. Mention of the ginger caused Anita to stifle and she quickly hid her smirk behind the back of her hand. ”Uh-- Damien, probably. Mordekai’s friend.” They’d formed a small gaggle at the drinks bar, she recalled, but remembered little more than that.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:34 pm
“So- what are you made of?” Tatiana inquired, taking his hand in both of her palms again, leading the croc away from the humans and back towards the dogs. She nodded out towards the backyard. The back screen door painted a pretty frame to the picture of an underused farmland. Ducks quacked madly as they moved by the old fenced in pasture. There was a run down barn- Trox had been using it for storage and it was small in size. The red paint long since faded. She had wandered the property enough to know it well- but it was always alone. Cam had his prosthetic and while he didn’t mind joining her on small jaunts he often wanted to sit and relax after not too far a distance. Troxel of course joined her but often in the evening. For now the sun was bright and her energy was higher than the spirit she was born from.
“Wanna go exploring?” She asked, very demure in her posture and voice. Her wings flitted against her shoulder blades, the waxy coating letting off the pleasant sound of rustling feathers. She tugged at his hand gently, waiting for an answer before she informed Cam or Trox, “We can take the dogs out and run with them!”
She gripped Cuz’s hand to her clavicle, giving it a mock hug as she looked around the corner for Cam’s disposition. Tatiana may have spice to her but she honestly didn’t enjoy being rude for rude’s sake. Interrupting was a definite no-go.
Camille watched Anita’s reaction with a growing smile as he quickly and expertly mixed her a drink. He felt a twinge of guilt for eliciting a very downward response from Anita. She was a sweet girl. Young but sweet. He waved her off, scrunching his face and shaking his head before pushing the frosty mug towards her, “Y’lemme know if h’made it too sweet, ya’hear?”
The small cajun made his way back to the fridge, replacing lemonade and pomegranate juice back to their respective spots before returning to his new spot standing at the breakfast bar. He gestured to the stool, encouraging Anita to take a seat and rested his chin on his hand as she stumbled through a twinge of self-guilt.
“ ‘Ey now, beatin’ y’self up won’ change nothin’ bu’ h’m a gentleman an’ all da’. Wipe the sla’e clean if we star’ over? Seein’ how y’m’bar-man’s frien’ an all that?” He extended a freckled hand towards the gamer, lifting his chin, “M’name’s Camille Moore an’ y’must be Anita?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:37 pm
Such a question was not one he experienced much from other Raevans. It took Cruz aback but certainly he was not offended -- quite the contrary, he kept his smile and the curious light in his eyes.
”A kissy croc,” he said, first, then let loose a short rumble of a laugh, ”Mistletoe and crocodile. You?” The sugary taste of her kiss almost made him think of glitter. Glitter couldn’t be a fel essence, could it?
There was a kindness in her touch and Tatiana’s enthusiasm was quite contagious. He soaked it up like a sponge and it powered his smile, which was typically languid and calm, to be wide and child-like. The sunny day and exuding warmth helped as well to keep his motions from being too sluggish. Summer was, indeed, ideal, as evidenced by his own tanned skin in these months. ”Yes, please,” Cruz cast the dogs a fond look, ”You have a lot of dogs.”
Anita took the drink gratefully and gave quiet thanks before taking a sip. Sweet was good, especially when offsetting sour. She shook her head, ”It’s great,” and occupied herself with sipping until Cam saw fit to accept her apology. It managed to twist one side of her mouth upwards and she shrugged a little, not sure how else to respond to it. ”Yeah,” her voice had an underlying nervous laugh as they both shook on forgetting Anita’s faux pas at the beach, ”Anita Bishop.”
Cruz and Tango were offered their own introductions with a nod in their respective directions.
”Bar man, you said? You guys are opening a bar?” Anita’s eyes widened a little at the idea but her voice resumed its previous calm tone. No more obvious guilt or awkwardness, it was time to tuck that away.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:37 pm
“Uncle Cam?” Tatiana called from her spot holding the other frei’s hand. She was grateful for the contact and the support Cruz offered. She’d always been a bit off balance, having someone else to use as an anchor was comforting in her own right- the vertigo seemed to dissipate and there was a notable difference between free-form and holding hands. Holding anything, “I’mma show Cruz the water lilies with the dogs, ok?”
She was telling instead of asking, always a bit more independent than anticipated. She grinned back at Cruz, slowly pulling him over to the leashes, furrowing a brow as she pointed to Tango’s lead, she spoke quietly, addressing the Croc so that the humans wouldn’t hear, “Does he run away? None of Troxel’s dogs really need their leashes unless we’re taking them to the vet… If he don’t need one we can ask your mum if your dog can come too.”
She felt comfortable with Cruz, more comfortable than she had with Melisande and Zul or even Luka. His speech was less than proper, more like Camille and Harrison’s and he seemed honestly happy. She couldn’t feel any sadness emanating from him, no barriers no holding back. Just a genuine personality that liked kisses. And he was good at answering questions.
“I’m a Hamsa… A sacred indian waterfowl or something mixed with Saturns rings-- but without saturn,” She scrunched her face and tightened her grip trying to think about what she just said and how to further expand on it, “I mean. Dust in space circles large bodies of matter- like a planet. So I’m that apparently. It’s pretty abstract to me, honestly.”
Camille glanced over at Tatiana, eyes narrowing immediately- zoning in on the hand holding before shrugging and shaking his head, “If it’s cool with Anita here y’kin all go out. Bring dat whistle though incase Trox’s dogs start takin’ off, y’know how they is with them geese outside.”
He glanced at Anita whilst grabbing his own glass and taking a pull- he wouldn’t speak for her in regards to Cruz. That was on her. He grinned at her appreciation of the pomegranate lemonade and nodded in response to her inquiry. Yeah, yeah. Alcohol, depressants, blah blah blah. Mordekai and Camille were probably the last people that should individually run a bar.
“Financially he’s hurtin’ apparen’ly,” Cam held up his hands, “An’ he’s the only man h’trus’ round here t’be hones’. Anothuh infantry man in dire straits. Bu’ yeah. H’m notta drunk no more- h’go to meetin’s and everythin’. Hell h’even started rehab for this ******** knocked on his prosthetic with a smile and gave a small shrug, “- but we’re openin’ a bar. ‘s called ‘Wha’ Ales You?’. A new start kinda. Somethin’ t’ pour my energy intuh.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:39 pm
He liked Tati. She was straight forward and well spoken, taking initiative and leading their conversation as well as their actions. It left him no room for uncertainty and that was where Cruz was most comfortable.
”Don’t know,” he answered, glancing between Tango and the kitchen as Anita was hidden for the moment, ”Usually he runs with fences.” There was always some type of barrier around when Tango’s leash was off, the walls of a room or an exterior enclosure. He wasn’t certain if that was because Tango would run off and get lost or just to make things easier.
He stifled at Tati’s second use of ‘mum’ to refer to Anita. The croc had caught it before but it sort of went in one ear and out the other as he was enamored with her. Cruz laughed. ”Not mum. ‘Nita is… ‘Nita.” Their relationship, as far as he was concerned, was a close friendship. Minerva was the ‘mum’ but she was not his mother, she was Anita’s.
The way she explained herself caused Cruz’s eyes to squint. He listened intently but, in this instance, all he heard were pretty words. It certainly sounded like a beautiful description but he was on the same page as Tatiana -- it was awfully abstract. All the same, he smiled and nodded. Cam’s response in the positive was well met and Cruz drifted back toward the hooks with Tatiana’s hand in tow. ”Didn’t see fences outside,” he explained. Better to just do it and not have to get confirmation. The sooner they got outside and back in the sunlight the better!
”It’s fine with me,” Anita peeked out from the kitchen to give both freis a quick smile.
She made her way to the offered stool and took a seat, holding back another apology for the beach. The topic turning back to Mordekai was a decent enough distraction -- except that it wasn’t exactly the best news. Anita frowned and listened, nodding as Cam explained.
It was a lot to take in. Much more than she bargained for. Her brow creased when he mentioned they were both infantry. She had no idea her friend had been in the military, but she supposed there was a lot she didn’t know and that was alright. The name of their prospective bar made Anita smirk as she took another sip, ”Cute.”
Anita swirled her glass a little, watching the slight difference in contents swirl about each other. ”Where’s the bar gonna be?” she lifted her head to look at Cam as the back door opened and the Raevans made their exit, ”If you don’t mind me asking.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:39 pm
“Well. There are fences!” Tatiana supplied but scrunched her face a little and gave a small hunch of her unoccupied shoulder, “But they’re for bigger creatures than dogs. They can go under or over the first rung.”
The Hamsa explained as they exited the large family ranch house and entered a picturesque country scene. Immediately they were greeted with a wave of sunlight and gently but warm breeze, it was almost enough to wick the humidity from their skin. Almost. Tatiana relished the heat, happily spreading her free arm out to catch as many rays on her bronzed skin as possible, her bangles sparkled in the light, giving off a pleasant chime.
“I love it here, I don’t want to move.” She announced, wings extended to catch the small breeze and direct the cooling air down her back. Her hair, although tied in a high ponytail, stuck to her shoulder blades in the sticky heat- she needed as much air as she could get. Tatiana quickly came down from her personal high and regarded the crocodile with a beam and a gentle tug.
“Y’wanna see our tiny pond? Trox built it for goldfish or something but never got around to buying the fish,” the hamsa explained, pointing over to the sweeping boughs of a weeping willow. She had so many questions for the other frei but definitely wanted to be a bit further away from the guardians and prying ears of the house. This was Raevan talk- talks she really couldn’t have with Troxel or Camille and the questions were bubbling so strongly above her throat she could barely contain them.
“I’m sorry if I’m talking too much, and sorry about calling ‘Nita your mum-- Harrison is Harrison- although I guess he could be like an adoptive father….” She apologized, fingertips drifting to her lips. She lifted her hand and touched her bindi, ensuring the jewel was in the correct place. Her fingertips were not stained with red that day as the hamsa had opted out of makeup. The heat would have it run and it would be heavy on her skin. She did insist on decorating her wrists and fingers as she often did. The bangles slid down her forearm as she flicked her ponytail away from her spine.
“He is old,” She continued and nodded, “And I’m going to have a human sibling from him soon too. It’ll be like a real nuclear family. She seems really nice though, your ‘Nita.”
“Oh it’ll be between Barton an’ Gambino. Offa Emrie St if y’all familiar widda’. There’s a promenade, real pretty and lit up like. Fountains and things. Small shops, lots of good food. Hopin’ me an Mords can have cook offs… His crabs were tasty bu’ ain’ no one beat my jambolaya.”
He sipped from his beverage again, pushing off of the breakfast bar with a small grunt and hissed as he settled on his prosthetic. This humidity was doing nothing for his phantom limb or aches. He moved slowly at first, finger in the air to indicate a pause, before warming his muscles up once more.
“I’ve been rude, lemme get Troxel,” He said back to Anita before leaning on the banister and calling up to the pilot, “Ey! Ey, Trox? stop yer playin’ pain pee po! an’ getchur a** down ‘ere!”
There was some shuffling from above, muttering in duress maybe but otherwise no movement or motion to return down to the main floor.
“‘Ey! Feet pue tan,” Cam called up again, accent dropping heavier before he sighed and called up a tad bit louder, “Yer adoptive daughter es here y’ couyon!”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:44 pm
Cruz murmured and nodded at Tatiana's assurance. He must have missed them on the way in, not that it would have been difficult with Tango pulling him. Speaking of, Tango was pulling on the leash hard to try and keep up with the other dogs but, though Cruz couldn't get traction on the ground, simply pulling the leash back with his arm slowed the panting hound up. With Tango on one hand and Tatiana on the other, warm sunlight wrapping around them like a blanket, Cruz felt incredibly content.
”You're moving?” his own wings shivered at the thought. The croc offered no resistance to Tati's tugging, allowing her to pull him anywhere she pleased. His own ponytail was high today, the end just brushing his shoulder blades.
No matter what she said or asked, Cruz smiled and agreed. ”Yes,” he tugged Tango gently to follow along toward the pond. Her following apology hit the croc like whiplash. ”It's okay,” he assured her, pausing as she continued, ”She is nice.”
His brows quirked at the mention of the word 'nuclear' in this context. Wasn't nuclear bad? How would you get a nuclear family? With Tatiana apologizing for talking too much, though, he didn't want to appear confused for her sake. Instead, a wry grin creased his lips. ”Keep talking.”
In the kitchen, Anita lifted her brows and listened to all Camille was saying. Her lips pursed as she tried to remember the street, then pushed out a smile when his description jogged her memory. ”That’s a really nice area,” she recalled faintly, ”I’m sure he’d really like cooking with you.”
At his somewhat sudden retreat, Anita sat up straighter only to be reassured things were going smoothly. She offered Cam a short smile and nod before occupying herself with her drink once more. The way he addressed Trox made her smirk -- at least until he mentioned his ‘adopted daughter’. For a second she thought nothing of it. That was Tati. Then the context kicked in and she nearly choked on her juice. ”What?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:44 pm
Tatiana called the pups over, the three that initially greeted them were bounding in time with Tango’s slowed progress. Upon reaching the tree she picked up the long wire lead that was used for training the other dogs, it was on a zipline giving Tango more room to play and roll around with the other canines. Kiowa had found a stick and was happily gnawing away at it under the tree while Apache and Belle kept Cruz’s pet at bay. They’d be tired dogs by the end of the day, she was sure of it. Chaining Tango was a selfish maneuver as much as it was a kind one. She now wouldn’t be lurched around as Cruz fought the pull of the lead and they could have a little more depth of conversation.
It were as if she were swimming, pulling Cruz along through the boughs and branches of the willow. Her hand searching for the rough bark of the tree trunk as she guided Cruz along. Lucky for Tango, if his fidelity ran true, the zipline of the run-lead ended at a low branch, allowing the not-husky a fair amount of room to explore and play while still being close to the crocodile frei. There. Sorted. She leaned her back against the tree, enjoying the way the dappled sunlight cast on Cruz’s green hair and gold complexion. It was a pleasing color combination that lifted her at her rune. She let out a deep breath and grinned brighter.
“Okay, I’ll keep talking. Forever even,” She said, raising her chin and gaining a coy lilt to her tone, “And then my mouth will fall off from talking too much then I’ll never speak again. I see your game, crocodile.”
The Hamsa played, eyes squinted in her cheer. She flapped her wings and danced her fingertips over his knuckles, trying to choose which question she wanted to go with first. But that would be rude. Despite Cruz’s invitation to continue.
“How about this. I talk, then you talk. I like hearing your voice,” It was cute, she decided internally. The simple words Cruz used. She enjoyed hearing them, “So you were a crocodile and mistletoe and now you’re Cruz the raevan-”
She started building a Cruz room in the temple she kept her thoughts. It was green and marble and pleasing. She drew a Makara on the wall, gently writing out mutalai on the back of Cruz’s palm in Tamil- the swirling loops traced over the back of his hand ‘முதலை’. It needed a fountain though, or to be filled with water. The floor sunk deeper, green, blue, aqua, teal and pearl tiles forming in an ornate mosaic before filling with green tinted water. Mistletoe grew in pots in the corner.
She glanced back up at her fellow frei, smiling contentedly, “You eat kisses… What else. What else makes Cruz Bishop?”
The trundle of heavy footsteps heralded Troxel moving towards the staircase. Cam hobbled back into the kitchen, grin bright upon his face as he walked. Anita’s expression did it all for him and internal belief that Trox had indeed never consulted Anita on this turn of phrase was proven. He laughed- letting out a whoop and clapping his head.
“Wha’ you never heard? He be callin’ yous adoptive daughtuh since he first picked me up in da’ bus stop he did. Story of th’jungle- story of miss priss an’ “my adoptive daughter”.” He cut his accent when he mimicked Harrison’s voice, dropping an octave and standing straighter. He grabbed his pom-lemonade and leaned elbows on the granite breakfast bar, nodding at the gamer.
“Cam, stop.” Harrison said from the doorway, moving to the fridge and grabbing a two litre bottle of seltzer. He twisted the cap open, letting the bottle fizz before actually pulling said cap off. The bean stalk of a man threw his head back for a few pulls before righting himself and wiping off his upper lip, “Anita? Welcome.”
“Gross, Trox, gross. Puchur shirt on. Poor girl don’ need ta see your old tattoo’d man titties,” Cam dunked his fingers into the ice filled glass and flicked the beverage on Harrison’s, admittedly, bare chest. The pilot did a full body cringe, protecting his skin and covering up said tattoo on his chest.
“They aren’t that gross are they?!” He cried and rubbed where the ice water had offended him, he then looked over at the three pieces of ink that did grace his upper body.
“No but those are,” Cam announced, pointing a straw at the scarring on Harrison’s ribs, “Dat the bullet that lost my leg?”
Harrison leveled Cam a nonplussed look, deadpanning an ‘aa-yup’ before he turned on his heel and moved back to the staircase.
“You see you had time to don the Philadelphia Flyers baseball cap but not a T-shirt.” He turned to Anita, mouthing a ‘what the ********’ and rolling his eyes before lounging on his palm, “Y’jus’ wann’ed t’show off what crossfit did to those abs of yours to Anita here. Poor poor girl. Yenno they don’ make bleach for eyes.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 6:45 pm
At first, Cruz nodded in agreement with Tati’s statement. Talking forever seemed like a fine plan, she certainly had the voice for it and a lot to say! Then he blinked, still smiling, but shook his head with a knit brow. That wasn’t his game! What a silly thing to suggest.
”Okay,” he agreed to the plan of their exchanged conversation. Cruz enjoyed listening but he did like talking, too -- when he found words good enough to use. The simplicity of his speech wasn’t so much due to him having a young or small mind, not anymore, but verbal language itself was something he found some difficulty with compared to physicality. Body language. Everything about a person’s movements and posture was an open book to him and was much more straight forward than people were willing to be with words.
Instincts and bodies were reliable.
The croc rumbled lightly in thought as Tati posed her first question. ”What else…” The hamsa was looking for information she did not already know about him. She knew already that he had a dog, that he liked his guardian. There was a great deal he could say but finding a starting point proved difficult. ”What do you want to know?”
He invited her to talk more and then she turned it around on him. Sneaky. Cruz snaked his fingers through the spaces between hers. Further back, Tango was ecstatically playing with the other dogs and trying to steal Kiowa’s stick.
--
Anita blinked dully at Cam with her lips hovered over the mouth of the glass. She shook her head, watching as he enthusiastically explained the situation to her. The man certainly seemed amused by it all. She couldn’t find anything about the jungle amusing.
At Trox’s entrance, Anita turned to glance at him and immediately cast her gaze down at her juice. ”Hey,” she smiled politely.
The two entered into a fast paced string of dialog that she was merely audience to. All the while she kept her attention on her juice; looking at it, sipping it. It really did taste good. She didn’t deal with pomegranates often but she could get used to doing so more often. When they finished and Trox made his exit, she chanced a glance at Cam and scoffed at his incredulous look. Anita offered a shrug and went to take another drink but nearly choked again as the Cajun yelled out to the pilot once more.
”It’s fine,” she laughed nervously. It probably just slipped his mind they were on their way. Whatever the case, it wasn’t a big deal -- or rather, she would have preferred less attention being drawn to it for her sake. ”So-- what’s all the crap he wants us to look through?” Anita asked Cam in a feeble attempt to divert topics.
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