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 Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:16 am
Who: Phoenix (Annarchye X), Henry (NeonMace)
Where: A movie theater on Gambino
When: Early afternoon on a weekday, mid September
Weather: Pleasantly mild in temperature with a light breeze - - - - - Quote: Since making the changes at work that allowed for Phoenix to take more time off of work in anticipation of the new Raevan, the restaurant owner had found himself with a lot of spare time. Zoe had since gone back to school, leaving him to his own devices a lot more than he cared to be. He couldn’t remember the last time that he had this much free time. What did one do with all of it? What friends he did have still had work, so he couldn’t go bothering them every day.
It occurred to him during one of these days, while quite literally laying on his face on the living room sofa out of boredom, that he hadn’t yet heard from Henry since meeting him at the restaurant. Phoenix was eager to meet up with him again in a less rushed circumstance. He wasn’t sure of the man’s schedule, but it was worth a shot. Besides, if he didn’t answer he could at least leave a voicemail, and if he got back to him he would know better for the next time.
Just a quick look through the Lab contact list and Phoenix had the number, and he resumed his place on the couch with his face in the cushion and the phone to his ear.
==
Surprisingly, it only took two or three rings before the phone was answered.
Today was one of Henry’s days off; the hospital had plenty of pediatrics nurses and doctors on site for the time being so, considering his obligations as a guardian within the lab, his supervisors suggested he go home and spend some time with Ethiriel. He was well off with money without a doubt so even though he always looked forward to going into work, the nurse was thankful for the sudden time off.
Phoenix’s name popped up on the caller ID and immediately a goofy grin spread across Henry’s face.
“Hey, Phoenix! What’s up?”
==
“Hrmm!” Phoenix realized too late that he was still face-first in couch, and adjusted himself quickly. “Hey! I’m not bothering you at work or anything, am I?”
==
Laughing, Henry let out a groan of his own -- he had been lying on his back on the couch. “Nah, you’re not bothering! I was just reading!” Ethiriel perked up from her couch, listening for just a moment before returning to her audiobook.
==
A sigh of relief. “I just realized I have no idea what you even do, much less when you do it.” He chuckled, dragging a hand down his face.
==
Another chuckle sounded from Henry’s side of the phone. “I’m a pediatrics nurse! I’m usually on-call 24/7 but they let me have the day off.”
==
“A nurse!” Phoenix snapped his fingers. “Does that mean I can get the friend benefit some day of free house visits when my kid is sick?” He joked, laughing.
==
“Hmmm…” Henry hummed in mock consideration. “I mean, you did give me a free meal, so… I think I could swing that!”
Not that there was a comparison in price.
==
Phoenix snorted with laughter. “Glad to know my food is equal to health care,” he said through a chuckle. “But in all seriousness, you up to anything important today?”
==
There was another groan as Henry adjusted himself in his seat. “Nah, just reading! What’s up, man?”
==
Phoenix scratched at his beard. “Well, I’mma let you off the hook for now on making me that pasta. But if you’re not doing anything, I could really do with a combination of emergency boredom control and going through new dad panic attacks...again.” He chuckled to cover the honest anxiety he was feeling.
==
New dad panic attacks ‘again?’ Interesting! The thought definitely made Henry smile a little wider as he passed a glance towards Ethiriel. “I’m down for that! Anywhere in particular you’d like to meet?”
==
He considered it for a minute. He hadn’t really thought it through before calling. “Any chance you like popcorn? I haven’t been to a movie since the new Star Wars.” The movie and company combined would kill the boredom, and the inevitable need for real food at some point would give them plenty of time to chat.
==
“Man, that actually sounds pretty great! I haven’t had time for movies in a while -- I’m sure Ethiriel would love some alone time, anyway!”
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“You’re sure?” Phoenix couldn’t help the bit of hopefulness that crept into his voice. “I don’t want to interrupt family time.”
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Another chuckle, followed by Henry’s voice softening. “Yeah, it’s perfectly okay!”
==
“Since I’m stealing you away from the lovely lady, I’ll leave the choice of theater up to you.” It occurred to him suddenly that he also didn’t know where Henry lived.
==
“There’s a place near the hospital I work at, just a couple blocks down! The only hospital here on Gambino!”
==
Easy enough. A bit of a drive, but he had nothing but free time. Zoe would be home from school soon, but he could easily settle things with the sitter and all would be fine and dandy. “How’s about an hour sound, meet up then?”
==
Pushing himself up from the couch, Henry’s smile grew. “Of course! See you there, man!”
==
Just like that, problem solved! “See you soon!” Phoenix hung up, suddenly feeling a lot better about the day ahead of him.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:17 am
There was little to settle after the phone call ended. Zoe was very much accustomed to having their regular sitter waiting for her at home when she came back from school, and the sitter was just as accustomed to last minute requests. She was well paid and had free reign of the apartment when Phoenix had to work, and she lived just a few doors down. Her schedule was exceptionally flexible, so there had rarely been any sort of conflict that caused an issue. On the rare occasion that she had been unavailable, Zoe’s grandparents were almost always willing to step up and lend a hand.
This was the first time that Phoenix had called the sitter for a last minute job for personal reasons in as long as he could remember. Regardless, he left a note complete with a terribly rendered doodle for Zoe when she returned, and within a few minutes he was on his way.
As he’d expected, the drive took a while. Phoenix was not as accustomed to longer drives, living as close to both the restaurant and his family as he could (and rarely finding reason to drive anywhere much further). But it was by no means a burden to him. To the sounds of The Police he drove, singing loudly the entire drive, until he arrived at the theater he’d been directed to by the GPS on his phone. He was a few minutes ahead of schedule, so he allowed himself the remainder of the song before he climbed out of the car to seek out Henry outside the theater.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:19 am
The setup for Henry had been easy enough: he made sure Ethiriel was situated and, even then, she was more than accustomed to the house and where everything was -- she also had his number and Gabe was in the other room in case something happened. Henry had long gotten over the nervousness of leaving the Sigel to her own devices now that she had proven herself many times over.
It wasn’t long before the nurse pulled up into the theater’s parking lot. He wasn’t able to park near Phoenix, given he didn’t know what the man’s car looked like, but as soon as the vehicle was stopped, Henry piled out and looked around. Being a weekday, it wasn’t too terribly busy and there were few enough cars that he could glance in through the windows in passing. However, at the sound of his new friend’s music blaring in the car, it was easy enough to find him. Tapping on the glass, he leaned in with a grin.
“Nice tunes! Did you decide what movie sounded good?” Henry asked, standing back up. While he wasn’t necessarily short, he was still a good few inches shorter than Phoenix. He wasn’t at all bothered, quite used to it with his circle of friends.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:21 am
Phoenix was more than surprised to hear the tapping at his window. A quick survey of the parking lot around him revealed to him just how easy it would be to find him just then. It hadn’t really occurred to him that the theater would be so vacant. It made sense though. Mid-afternoon on a weekday, most people would be stuck at work or school.
Climbing out of the car and cutting the engine, Phoenix greeted Henry with a wide grin. “Not exactly. Kind of figured we’d wing it since I didn’t know what you’d be game for.” He wasn’t even entirely certain what was playing anymore. The theater wasn’t a frequent haunt for Phoenix, and he wasn’t exactly up to date on what was playing.
He locked the car over his shoulder, extending a hand to Henry. “I was kind of hoping you were a little more up to date on things than me.” He smiled sheepishly.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:23 am
“Sounds good to me; we’ll see what’s playing!” Henry cheered, patting Phoenix’s shoulder once and letting his hand rest for just a moment before squeezing. His smile easily met his eyes as he opened wider into a toothy grin. “I like just about anything! Though, I will admit, cheesy romance is kinda my thing--”
With that, the nurse began leading Phoenix towards the theater (despite being shorter). The parking lot was small as the theater itself was only a six room venue in the middle of a strip mall, leaving the rest of the lot mostly for the other shops.
As they approached the box office, Henry had already begun digging out his wallet as they glanced up at the header board -- a couple of summer horror flicks, romance, comedies… Admittedly, he felt a little strange going to see some topics with someone other than Candice, and while he found Phoenix very attractive and liked his personality, he was faithful and would remain that way. Swallowing silently, Henry bit down that thought with another smile and glanced back to Phoenix.
“Anything sound good to you? I’m paying since you got our lunch the other day!”
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:27 am
Admittedly, Phoenix felt a bit of guilt at being offered the movie for free. This was coming straight out of Henry's pocket, whereas the free lunch was the equivalent of mere cents out of the restaurant’s profit. He hardly considered it the same, even if Henry was clearly more than capable of paying for it, given his profession. But Phoenix kept his mouth shut, keeping mental note to properly return to favor as soon as he could.
“I'm with you on that,” he admitted as they walked. “Let's just avoid the blood and unnecessary violence and I'll be fine.” He chuckled. Action was fine, but it had to have a point to it. Phoenix didn't have much of a stomach where gore was involved. He avoided horror where possible, and usually stuck to comedies if he could. He would sooner see a cheesy musical than sit out a slasher film.
“How's Ethiriel doing?” Phoenix inquired politely as they approached the attendant, only half paying attention to the titles displaying themselves across the marquee.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:29 am
Henry was beyond relieved. Thank God,” he chuckled, holding up a finger to the box office attendant to signal pause. “I don’t like that stuff, either. Considering my profession, I’m not sure if it’s surprising or not.”
When the topic switched, Henry leaned against the window and smiled. “She’s doing pretty great! She’s gotten herself into a new book so she’s been into that… I’m sure she’s enjoying the quiet time -- maybe she’s hanging out with Gabe by now, unless he’s stepped out.” While she never really seemed much like a child in his eyes, the nurse was always grateful to have her around -- and Gabe. It wasn’t exactly the picture-perfect family, but it was something.
“So, you said you’re having dad anxiety ‘again?’ What’s their name? How old are they?” As Henry asked his questions, he turned back around to look at the board for a final decision. What the heck, he figured; they could go see a stupid romance movie without it being weird, right? It was the only thing that seemed all that interesting -- comedy was okay, but he’d been warned that this one wasn’t exactly family friendly and he wasn’t very interested in that. Holding up two fingers, he stated the title and took the tickets once they were hashed out, handing Phoenix one of them.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:33 am
Phoenix was glad for the choice in film. He wasn't really certain exactly what to expect, but a quick survey of the list of films suggested there was little that would suit him personally. He could politely sit through most films, but he had a strong feeling he wouldn't enjoy most of what easy playing. It didn't particularly surprise him, either. Not the way films had the tendency to lean these ways. It really wasn't his taste.
Before he could inquire about what it was the Raevan was reading (he wasn't much of a reader himself normally, but he did have his guilty pleasures), he found the topic turned towards his daughter. “Oh, Zoe!” Phoenix laughed, scratching the back of his head. “She just turned seven the other day, actually.” As they made their way into the building and towards the counter to order their snacks, a proud smile crossed his lips.
“It's really all thanks to her any of this is happening to begin with. I shouldn't be so nervous, but it is a bit different than expecting a kid in the usual way I suppose isn't it?” He leaned in to examine the displays of candies, considering his options. “Do you have any kids?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 4:34 pm
Zoe! Henry's grin grew wider -- he had always wondered what it was like to have a little girl! "Seven! Wow! Time must fly as a parent!" he said cheerfully, placing his hand back on Phoenix's shoulder. Their movie wouldn't be starting for another ten minutes, but he led the man towards the concession stand while they waited.
"As much as I would like to say I understood, but..." Henry chuckled, brows furrowing just a tad. "I don't really have any kids. I mean, I take care of a lot of them at the hospital and I adore every minute, but... I've always wanted kids of my own, even when I was younger. Kinda envious of you, to be honest!" Another laugh, but this one was much more chipper than the previous chuckle. "Sounds like you're a lucky man!"
Their conversation continued as snacks and drinks were purchased, and within minutes they were shooed off into their respective theater. Given it was a weekday, there were hardly any patrons inside -- just a couple of older folks with nothing better to do. Henry didn't mind this; there wouldn't be much whooping and hollering during the duration of the film, and if they had a sudden topic to discuss they wouldn't really be disturbing anyone. The nurse led his new friend directly into the middle of the stands so that they could get a good view without completely blowing their ears out or straining their eyes.
Once they were seated, Henry turned to face Phoenix a little better, his arm propped on the back of the seat. "What's Zoe like? I bet she's a doll--"
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 10:10 pm
The time very much did fly. He still half expected to walk into Zoe's room and find her curled up in her crib instead of her lacy bed in a room filled with books and things. "It does," he agreed, the feeling somewhat bittersweet. "And I certainly feel like I am."
He bought himself a pack of Red Vines and a water while they talked, and once they had settled into their seats in the theater he popped open the package to pull one of the licorice vines out with his teeth. He held out the open package in offering to Henry. "She's mature for her age. She has a bit of a hard time at school because of it. But she's the greatest kid anyone could ever ask for." The tone of his voice showed just how much he meant it.
They didn't have long before the lights dimmed and the previews started playing. Phoenix immediately dropped his voice, and for the entirety of the film he was polite and didn't distract with unrelated conversation. A few elbow jabs and exchanges of low-voiced commentary on the film, and his laugh rung loud when jokes were told.
When the credits rolled he stood with a stretch, pulling out his cell phone to check the time. There were no messages from the sitter, and he had already let her know that he might be out for a while, even after the movie. He had plenty of time yet to kill. "Well it wasn't Star Wars," he joked, placing his hands on his hips, "but it was good! Thanks, man."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:19 am
It warmed Henry's heart to hear Phoenix gush over his daughter -- he really was envious that his friend had been able to start a family, even though he didn't know the circumstances. The nurse wished so hard that he could do the same, but right now he just needed to focus on what was ahead of him.
He had the ring, he just needed to pull through with it.
Much like Phoenix, Henry's laughter rang out at the appropriate moments along with murmurs about each little bit. He had to agree -- it wasn't the best movie he'd ever seen, but... "It's just fun to get out and have a good hangout with friends, sometimes! As long as it was fun, that's what matters~"
Mimicking Phoenix's stance, he added, "Nothing but a pleasure! We'll definitely have to hang out more often!" To accent his point, he gently nudged Phoenix in the ribs with his elbow."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:51 am
Phoenix feigned agony at the elbow nudge and stumbled back dramatically. "If you're gonna beat me up," he said with a sigh, casting his gaze to the lights that had turned back on, "remind me to conveniently have other plans next time." He grinned stupidly at his own joke before leading the way out of the theater.
The halls were filling up with other moviegoers, but the number was few compared to what it would be later in the day. Phoenix disposed of his empty water and candy -- he'd regretted on not going for a full on splurge with extra buttery popcorn as well halfway through the film.
Following the flow of people, Phoenix was about to suggest they get something proper to eat. But a sound to his right alerted him before he could speak. He stopped, looking into a room off to the side of the theater. Flashing lights, music and sci-fi pew pews. It was an arcade.
"Henry, you're not due back home yet, are you?" Phoenix asked slyly, eyes fixed on the display. He'd never played much in the way of video games at home growing up, but he'd spent quite a few days in arcades. Granted he was terrible at most games, especially owing to the fact that he spent more time trying to impress girls and subsequently getting his a** whooped at whatever he was playing.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:59 am
Holding his hands up defensively, Henry made a playful pout -- that didn't last as it soon morphed into a lopsided grin. The nurse followed Phoenix out of the theater, careful of any oncoming strangers they passed so that he wouldn't bump into anyone.
"Hm?" he hummed, first looking to Phoenix before his eyes followed the other man's line of sight. Henry's grin grew in realization and he shook his head animatedly. "Nope! I'm good until later!" he cheered, taking the initiative to lead his friend this time. Eyeing the various different cabinets available, the nurse's eyes immediately locked on to a familiar sight; Megaman: The Power Battle. With an excited gasp, he continued forward. "I used to play this all the time when Gabe and I were younger. I mean, it hasn't been out for that long, but I've put my fair share of quarters into these babies!"
Surprisingly, Henry was quite good at games -- he didn't get many chances to play (especially growing up as he was more the outdoorsy type), but he seemed to be a natural at them regardless. He never was in it for the competition, though.
"Whatcha think? Up for a try?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:58 pm
Phoenix noticed a couple of odd looks from some of the kids and teenagers currently occupying the arcade as the two full grown adults hurried so enthusiastically towards the game. It wasn't exactly unheard of for adults to spend time in arcades. But it did look a little funny to some of them. Phoenix didn't mind the looks. Instead he waved dramatically at a handful of teenagers, who blinked in confusion before turning back to their game of air hockey.
The game Henry chose wasn't one that Phoenix was as familiar with as some of the others, but a quick look around the place told him there would be little he was familiar with at all. It wasn't exactly a retro arcade by any stretch. More of a hodgepodge of things, and minimal choices to begin with given that it was stuffed inside a theater rather than occupying its own space.
It didn't make much difference to him in any case. He was in great company, and no matter what he needed to cut back and enjoy himself. His thoughts had been occupied with anxiety and uncertainties for too many months now. He knew that everything was going to be fine, but he still needed to force the fear away and enjoy himself for at least this moment.
"On one condition." Phoenix stepped in front of the game and rested both hands on it, looking up at Henry with the most dramatic of expressions. "If Zoe asks, I completely whooped you." Not that she'd believe it. She didn't even care for video games and she could still beat him at Dr. Mario.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:45 pm
Henry let out a hearty laugh, giving Phoenix a pat on the back as they approached the cabinet. "Sure thing, man! Though this isn't a one on one fighting game!" Giving the guardian-to-be a quick rundown of the game, the nurse was sure to explain what he could remember of the general plot of the Megaman games was as well as controls for the box. As they started playing, Henry changed the subject:
"So you're feeling nervous about your Raevan, right? I imagine it's kinda like raising a child, but you skip the actual growing-up stages and they don't have a lower body," he chuckled, the sounds of their tapping buttons muffled out by the rest of the arcade. It had been so long since Henry was able to chill and play games like this.
As they beat the first level, he removed his hands from the cabinet for just a moment, his fingers lightly gliding off the buttons. "There are a few things I don't really know since I'm learning on the way, but if you've got any questions feel free to ask! I'll do my best to answer!"
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