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 Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:17 pm
Banjo-Kazooie
WHO: Cruz, Anita, Tango (ex o ex Snoof), Duncan, Aina, and Mordekai (Rookeries)
WHEN: Last leg of September 2014
WHERE: Anita's apartment at Gambino
WEATHER: Gloomy. A typical autumn by the bay.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:18 pm
November had arrived and winter began to settle timidly into Barton. The gloom seemed to follow up Gambino, too, and Aina marveled the fog quietly from the back seat of Duncan's car. They were going to go meet Auntie Rebecca today, along with cousin Jillette and Jerri. She was curious about them-- she'd only seen them in small photo frames around the house. Curiouser yet, they were also going to stop by to see another Frei friend, Cruz, and Anita, his guardian friend. Their home was on the way to Auntie's, anyway, and Mordekai smiled a lot when he heard their names, which meant they must have been very important.
The ferry ride into Gambino was long and dreary, and it seemed like Cruz and Anita were still a long ways away. The newborn Frei didn't have much energy left in her to fare the rest of the drive with open eyes, so she napped a little while-- by the time she woke up, she was being lifted up from the car seat by Mordekai, and they were in an unfamiliar place. She looked up at the towering buildings blearily as she was left to float at the edge of her seat.
"'Ere we are," Mordekai whispered; he ruffled the Frei's hair and set a backpack down in front of her-- it was huge and bundled with blankets. Aina rubbed her eyes but didn't protest as she was lifted up by Mordekai from under her arms; her ribbon and torso were cozied comfortably into the warm backpack. Mordekai carefully turned around to adjust the backpack straps around his shoulders, but before standing upright again, he wiggled his back a bit.
"You ready?" he asked, glancing back behind him, toward the Frei. Duncan smiled at the two as he watched the interaction from the driver's seat until walking out of the car himself. When Aina nodded, Mordekai carefully stood up and straightened out his back. He looked toward the apartment complexes.
"Onward an' upward, then!" The blond looked back at Duncan and grinned, "Yeah?"
Duncan chuckled, then gestured toward the apartment. "Onward and upwards."
---
Once Mordekai reached the apartment floor they needed to be on, he struggled not to rush toward the door. Duncan was with him, after all, as was a small Frei that was napping contentedly in a backpack he wore across his shoulders. By the time they got to the front of the door, though, Mordekai grinned toward it but seemed to hesitate before doing anything else-- he adjusted his jacket, fixed his beanie, and cleared his throat.
Duncan glanced up toward the man with a curious smile. "Are you nervous?" Mordekai responded with a small laugh.
"No!" he protested, "Just--" he breathed, "Excited."
Duncan laughed in return, then nodded. "I can't blame you."
The two exchanged glances; with that, Mordekai tapped on the door once, twice, then stood back with Duncan.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:21 pm
It was the norm for visitors and anyone knocking on the door to be first met with Tango's bark as greeting. There was some shuffling behind the door, sounds of fumbling and shushing several seconds before the sounds of locks. Though it was quiet with a barrier between them, there a very clear whisper carrying barely contained excitement: ”It's them.” With the hound rounded up for the moment by his guardian, Cruz opted to open the door with wide eyed wonder. Tango whined and struggled a little against Anita's hold with Mordekai's presence but she settled down on the floor with him and held on for the moment.
After all, there ought to be a newcomer with them today. Cruz's eyes met Duncan's and Mordekai's before he looked around for a third pair. There was none. The croc's smile held fast as he leaned away from the door and began peering around the two men, even lowering himself to peek between their legs. He could feel himself shudder with anticipation for all kinds of things: they were to meet the rain child today, he was getting to see Duncan again, and he was so happy he could bear witness to his guardian and their blond friend after certain developments he had unfortunately missed.
Behind him, Anita did the same from her seat though she was quicker to smile more at the two and give a small laugh. ”Hey, guys,” she smoothed out Tango's bandanna. He panted while staring at their friends, tail a flutter as it gently thwacked Anita's thigh, ”C'mon in.”
Cruz gestured for them to enter, ready to close the door once they were out of the threshold to prevent a certain doggy escaping. Excitement for everything aside, for the moment the mistletoe frei was fixated on one particular thing. Something was amiss.
”She's not here?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:22 pm
Mordekai let out a laugh of relief and waved once toward Anita, Cruz, and Tango, grinning easily. "'Ey!" he called out, almost breathless from anticipation. Duncan followed up with a 'Hello!' in greeting, himself, much calmer than the blond next to him.
And then came Cruz's question. Mordekai's expression grew quietly surprised at the question-- he knew for a fact that the Frei was napping right in his backpack, but of course it wasn't obvious! She was tiny, after all, and he was giant. Before Duncan (equally surprised at the question, no less) could answer, Mordekai gasped and covered his mouth. He glanced down as if expecting someone there, but to no avail.
"Oh, s**t! I think I lost 'er," he whispered-- he glanced over at the croc and creased his brows worriedly.
Duncan stared and raised his brows, quietly curious, though he fixed his expression into an upset frown. "Mordekai," he offered, tone stern, "Goodness, you were supposed to look after her."
"I know, I'm sorry! Lemme go find her," Mordekai protested. And, with their moment of faux-panic, he turned around to head out toward the hall once again.
And there, perched inside of the backpack, was the Frei, sleeping soundly in a nest of blankets. While Duncan was fully expecting Mordekai to stop his little showcase at that, Mordekai did not, and continued out toward the hall-- he had to see if Cruz had noticed, after all.
"Mordekai!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:22 pm
The frei floated back to allow both men more entry room. What started as unbridled excitement before the door was opened turned into the equivalent of opening a birthday gift and receiving school supplies. He looked them over curiously, only for his expression to match Duncan's. Cruz glanced at his own guardian; her brows were set low but there was a smirk that seemed very out of place, given the circumstances.
”Please,” the croc urged with clenched teeth, ”Shouldn't be losing her so early.” Shouldn't be losing her at all.
In fact, it would be better to have a second set of eyes – or more. Why wouldn't they all go out and try to find the lost little rain child? Cruz floated a bit higher, ready to follow Mordekai out of the apartment.
Behind them all, muffled by Tango's fur, Anita laughed.
”Mordekai!” she called in time with Duncan.
Cruz halted. His eyes widened at the sight, a pale sleeping angel tucked away upon Mordekai's back. The man was still leaving. Like an episode of Blue's Clues, the mistletoe frei pointed and pursued. ”She's right there!!”
Anita's laughter turned somewhat exasperated as she rested her cheek on the top of Tango's head. She smiled at Duncan and murmured under her breath, ”Oh my God.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:25 pm
Duncan laughed along with Anita as the Frei remained pursuant of Mordekai. The older man chose not to block the threshold any longer and walked over to where Anita was; he lowered his hat from his head and nodded toward Anita. "Thank you for allowing us to visit, Anita," he asked, smiling, "How have you been?"
Mordekai, meanwhile, paid no heed to Cruz's exclamations nor Anita and Duncan's. Not at first, at least-- it was only after a few amble steps toward the elevator that he turned back toward the mistletoe Frei. Just like that, the backpack was out of sight again, and the blond called out teasingly. "Huh?" He turned around every which-way, then spun around on his heels, "Cruz, this is serious! I gotta go find her!"
The rain child in question was growing weary of the spinning, though, but she didn't do much else to protest but flutter her wings and burrow deeper into the backpack and its blankets-- it really did look like she was disappearing, save for the pair of antlers sticking out just past the backpack.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:25 pm
Though she would have liked to greet Duncan properly, the front door was still wide open and that meant Anita had to hold fast to Tango lest he scamper out to join the search. In her stead, the wolfhound leaned against her arms in effort to sniff at Duncan's hands and give a greeting of his own.
”Of course,” Anita beamed with her chin on the pup's head, ”You know you're always welcome. I've been pretty good, just-- work, you know. How about you guys?” she glanced towards the door, ”This happen often?”
In the hall, Cruz was following Mordekai every which way. He frowned harder when the man dismissed him, then exclaimed more adamantly every time the backpack came into view. ”Yes! She's there! No – There – Behind you! Right behind you!” When she actually appeared to sink further out of sight, Cruz whined and held his hands out. ”On your back!”
Anita winced; it was the middle of the day but they were right out in the apartment hall and they already got occasional guff for how loud Tango barked. She stood, holding onto Tango's collar with a solid two-handed grip, and walked him to the threshold with an apologetic smile to Duncan. Anita leaned her head out to see what kind of commotion they were causing and tried to lock eyes with either one of them, a difficult task when they were spinning all over the place.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:26 pm
Duncan offered Tango a few pets on the head at the greeting. "That's very kind," Duncan looked up at Anita; he nodded in sympathy, then chuckled toward the threshold. It was easy enough for him to hear Cruz and Mordekai lollygagging about in the hallway. "I can say this is a first with Aina."
Mordekai's smile continued to grow the more frustrated Cruz seemed to get. "What? Behind me?" he turned around to find no one, "She's not there! Where?" He continued spinning around and evading the croc until he caught a glimpse of Anita at the doorway. He slowed a bit when he noticed her, then glimpsed toward Cruz with raised brows-- he let out a soft 'oooooh' in understanding.
"On my back? No way," he paused to gently tap over his shoulders and on his back. He could feel the top of the Frei's head, and Aina protested with a quiet whine. With a laugh, he turned to face away from Cruz again, knelt down, and carefully took off the backpack straps from around his shoulders. There she was.
Aina squeezed her eyes shut and nuzzled against the blankets in frustration-- she was so tired, and she felt a little dizzy, for reasons she couldn't quite explain. Still, in that moment of stillness before Mordekai picked her up, she blinked a few times and glanced up at Cruz , her low to the ground and bundled in an army of blankets. Her eyes widened at the sight. A new friend!
Mordekai hugged his arms around Aina then, and she was glad for it-- the backpack could only cover so much of her face, but she could easily hide between a pair of arms. She turned around to hug the blond tightly, and Mordekai laughed-- there was no disappearing act now.
"Cruz, this is Aina," Mordekai leaned his head to the side and ruffled the rain Frei's hair, "Aina, wanna say hi?"
She nodded, but continued to hide into the hug and say nothing. Mordekai glanced up at Cruz and grinned.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:27 pm
With each continued feint and turn, Cruz was certainly growing weary – not of a game, no, but of wanting to meet the small frei. There was a time and a place for games and for the moment he was glad for his guardian's silent intervention. From the doorway, Anita gave them both a relieved smile before disappearing back towards Duncan. She and Tango would have their chance but here, now, the moment belonged to Cruz.
As Mordekai finally conceded, Cruz beamed at them both. He wrung his hands excitedly and smiled all the wider at the manner in which they had been set up. Now that he could wholly appreciate it, Cruz was sure Anita would be tickled as well.
”Aina,” he purred delightedly. With them settling, his voice was much calmer and to a more manageable gravel. Hopefully the neighbors didn't mind their playfulness too much: this was important, after all.
The nod was just subtle enough to Cruz that he didn't catch it and so he thought Mordekai's question was met with silence. This caused Cruz's smile to dip. ”Ah--” he fidgeted, ”--hi.” Maybe she was just tired still, the little one certainly looked cozy in the pack. Worse, though, what if his eager shouting startled the girl? His brows creased worriedly.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:37 pm
Aina turned her head just a bit so she could peak toward Cruz, her cheeks a less-than-subtle hue of pink. She was never quite so fond of introductions, even with Duncan and Mordekai and auntie Leigh, and her shyness did not improve any more with seeing Cruz. A new friend. The first other person she had ever met who was like her, a Raevan.
"Ah," she mimicked, not out of mockery, but curiosity. She covered her lips with one hand as she turned toward Cruz a bit more. Mordekai quieted to let the two speak on their own terms, but Aina uncertainly glanced up at the blond and wiggled her hands.
"Hm?" Mordekai pouted in confusion; after a moment, though, he realized what she was trying to do. "You wanna wave? You wanna say hi?"
She nodded-- and, as if telling a secret, kept her voice very quiet, her head still tilted up to look up at the blond. "Is okay?"
He nodded. Given the permission, Aina looked back over at Cruz and kept her knuckles against her lips, still a bit unsure. After a moment, she gave the crocodile Frei a small few waves.
"Hi," she began. She extended a hand out uncertainly to touch the Frei's cheek, but alas, she couldn't quite reach. With a frown, she fluttered her wings and attempted to move closer by tugging forward-- with that, Mordekai responded with a quiet 'oh' and wiggled a bit forward.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:38 pm
Her pink cheeks, the subtleties of her movement, all of her body language read uncertainty and discomfort to the croc. This was not the kind of first impression he wanted to make, not again. Mordekai was on the floor, giving Cruz the much higher vantage – truthfully, towering over the poor girl. In effort to make the rain child feel more at ease, Cruz lowered himself. His ribbon coiled on the apartment hall floor and he kept both hands close to his chest.
Cruz's eyes were wide with interest, curiosity, and hesitant delight. That first soft peep out of her sent his heart racing and he, too, brought his hands to his mouth. Mordekai's intervention was much appreciated for both freis, it seemed. Once Aina confirmed, Cruz felt more at ease. Perhaps she hadn't been put off after all but goodness she was a shy one.
Not wanting to rush her, the croc stayed put. He moved his hands to show Aina a warm smile that grew instantly more fond once she managed to speak to him. ”Hi,” he repeated, only to utter a soft 'oh' in time with Mordekai as the little one reached out.
Without any hesitation, Cruz brought himself closer. His green eyes, bright with excitement and admiration, kept locked to Aina's sleepy blues. He let his arms reach lazily to the floor, fingers draped against the carpet as he offered his face to her for a full inspection.
”Hi,” he said again, soft but with a pleasant rumble, ”Good to meet you. Been waiting.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:40 pm
Once the croc and Mordekai closed in the space a bit more, Aina managed to reach Cruz's cheek. She placed her small, cold palm against Cruz's cheek, delighted at his warmth, and covered her lips again with her opposing hand, a smile growing on her features. She tilted her head to the side-- what he said sounded so familiar, but she couldn't quite place why.
"Been waiting?" she repeated-- she retracted her hand from Cruz's cheek and placed her palm on her own cheek, in an attempt to feel his warmth. "'Nita?"
Mordekai giggled at the slight mishap in names-- he shook his head and pointed toward Cruz. "Nuh-uh. This is Cruz. Cruz, like Christmas."
"Ah!" Aina covered her mouth at the mistake, blushing. "Crooz... Croooooz," she smiled, "Cruz likes Christmas?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:40 pm
He didn't mind the coolness of her touch so much – at least, he ignored the quickness at which it worked to sap the warmth from his face. Autumn was upon them and Cruz was unfortunately quite sensitive to the shifts in temperature. All the same, it was a welcomed touch and the croc leaned into Aina's small hand. He stared with growing fondness even after she slipped away, to which Cruz pressed his own warmer palm to his cheek and allowed the temperature to even itself out.
Being mistaken for Anita was not something that had ever happened before. Cruz let slip a small rumble of amusement. Mordekai's comparison to that particular holiday only served to light the frei up all the more. He beamed at Mordekai, then back to Aina.
”Cruz likes Christmas,” he confirmed, then added after a moment's thought, ”Nita likes Christmas, too.”
In the next moment, it was like the metaphorical light bulb turned on in Cruz's mind; his expression dipped from sunny admiration to stark realization. The mistletoe frei clutched his hands to his chest and hunkered down further so he was below Aina's eye level, gazing up at the pomegranate girl with starry eyed wonder.
”Aina,” Cruz tested her name on his tongue; it was a very comfortable amount of syllables, flowed easily, and sounded nice. ”Want to meet Nita?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:43 pm
"Christmas, Christmas," Aina repeated; she giggled happily, her voice naturally quiet and soft. "Aina likes Christmas," she responded, with caused Mordekai to smile down at her a hint confused, but pleased nonetheless. She had heard only a little bit about Christmas-- about holly trees and the smell of pine and getting presents, little surprises wrapped in colorful boxes, and that Cruz liked the holiday very much. It seemed like that was enough for her.
Aina rested against Mordekai's chest and observed Cruz as he floated downward, big blue eyes looking up then directly toward his bright greens with curiosity and admiration. He was so, so green, like grass and leaves, things that were soft and inviting. When Cruz asked her a question, she tilted her head and blinked upward at Mordekai again-- "Want to meet 'Nita?"
Mordekai glanced back down at her, too, and poked her nose. "Do you want to see her, baby girl? See her? Like seeing Cruz?"
Aina blinked up at the man until the concept become clearer. Eyes wide, she nodded and looked back toward Cruz-- she reached out with both of her arms toward him. She pat the crocodile Frei's hand a few times in longing.
"Cruz-- 'Nita," Aina began, wiggling her fingers-- "See 'Nita?"
Mordekai chuckled and smiled sheepishly toward Cruz. "Think she wants to go with you, Cruz."
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:43 pm
Aina's soft mimicry set Cruz's off as well; her voice was so quiet, he dared not speak over her with something so simple but he moved his lips in time with her. They were pulled tight from smiling so much. Gosh, she liked Christmas too and it hadn't even happened yet! This little one had a lot to look forward to.
Her limited words, the trouble she had understanding, Cruz knew that well. It took him a while to build up his vocabulary and understand how the language worked. Even now, it still gave him some difficulty and he stumbled, had extremely improper grammar, and he took things very literally. It seemed Aina was still getting her bearings as well and the croc waited patiently for Mordekai's explanation to sink in.
The girl's enthusiastic insistence set Cruz to rise higher. Her dainty, wiggling fingers were quickly met by his paling palms. Autumn was draining his Summer tan away but he was still considerably darker than Aina's rainy complexion. Cruz smiled at them both as he assisted Aina from her secondary guardian's arms to float on her own. Their hands gently clasped, the mistletoe frei lead the pomegranate prince down the short hall. He glanced back at Mordekai to check the man was following before stopping at the apartment door. It had since been shut, just enough to keep Tango from rushing out and becoming a nuisance.
With Aina's small hands in his, Cruz lowered himself to eye level. She was so new, he wasn't sure what sorts of things he should prepare her for – or even how. There would be a large dog behind this door, one very eager to meet her, but Anita had that covered. Not to mention, Anita herself whom this silly child had mistaken Cruz for. That meant someone had been talking about his guardian quite a bit and Cruz eyed Mordekai over the top of Aina's head before getting back to the task at hand.
”Ready?”
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