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 Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 5:16 pm
Gabriel was surprised as Nikki pulled him into her house. He laughed at her explanation of the paint and glanced at the now orange walls. "That's quite an accomplishment," he noted with an amused smile. "You managed to paint the kitchen, half the living room and yourself since noon? Impressive. I didn't stop you when you were on a roll (lame pun) did I? I can help you with the rest of it if you'd like," he offered. "Actually, that's why I came here. I'm a psychic along with a time-traveling knight you know." Seriously. He sometimes wondered why he bothered to open his mouth. Perhaps prison had affected his brain.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 3:19 pm
Nikki held in the smile at first, unable to determine if maybe he was just joking with her, but even that thought was pushed out of the way as laughter bubbled out of her at an uncontrollable rate. She knew that it was likely rude, that he might take it offensively, but she just could not help herself. She was leaning against the table, one hand laid flat against the plastic surface, and shaking with mirth. Taking a step back, she managed to accidently catch the leg of the dark gray card table and flip it over. Everything went flying, including the tray of orange paint which soon landed on her head, covering her in the thick liquid. That was more than enough to stop her laughter as she stared at the thing covering half her face in surprise, before another smile appeared and a giggle slipped past her lips.
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:39 pm
Gabriel smiled widely at her laughter, which seemed uncontrollable. He stared in shock as she uprighted the table... and managed to cover herself in even more paint, which splattered him in the process. "Are you okay Nikki?" he asked, trying to supress a grin. However, she soon started giggling again, and he took the opportunity to laugh himself. "I think you missed a spot," he said, crouching down to Nikki's level to see the paint nearly all over her. He couldn't remember a time after prison that he had laughed so much or had so much fun. Perhaps Lucy was right - he did need to get out more.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:51 pm
Laughing again, Nikki grinned at him, before reaching up to rub some on his nose and cheek. "No, I'm pretty sure I got it all." Another giggle exploded from her and she tried to stand, sliping and sliding some because of the paint. Deciding that the best thing to do first would be to take off her shoes so that she could get a bit more traction, she did so and was able to carefully able to stand, though it was iffy as to whether or not she was going to remain standing. "Did I forget to mention that I'm a bit clumsy?"
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:18 am
Gabriel laughed and said, "Hey!" as she painted his face. "That's okay, I think I found that out for myself," Gabriel assured her as she mentioned how clumsy she was. As she struggled to get on her feet, he wanted to help her, but she righted herself. Whether she would stay that way for long was another thing entirely. Once again, going out on a limb - why was he doing that so much more lately? - he reached over and took Nikki's arm, steering her out of the paint puddle with minimal slipping but plenty of sliding. "I hope you wanted to paint the floor too," he joked, looking at the orange streaks now all over her floor.
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:55 pm
"hmm, no that's tomorrows task. I gotta pull up all the tile and lay down some wood. I'm gonna pay some kids to come and pull the tiles and lay the wood, then I'll varnish it." Grinning, Nikki held onto him she was sure that she wasn't going to slip anymore, though she was still sure to stand close incase she did. Glancing around the room, she carefully made note of all the places where the paint splattered, before turning to look at him. Before Nikki could say anything, her stomach growled. Grinning again, she glanced at the offending organ, before looking back up at him. "You hungry?"
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:48 am
"I should hang out with you more often - free food," Gabriel laughed, then more seriously said, "Yes, please." He allowed himself to be pulled into the kitchen - Nikki was still holding his arm - probably because paint was pretty much everywhere by now. He couldn't say that he minded... "Have anything in mind?" he asked, glancing around the kitchen. Since she was doing all of this interior decorating, he figured that she had just moved in.
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 1:42 pm
"Ummm, well...." she trailed off before pulling out a couple slices of cheese and some butter, an sheepish grin on her face. Setting them on the counter, she reached up and pulled the loaf of bread off the fridge and tossed it to him. "No how to make grilled cheese?"
Nikki glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, she stepped around the paint and bent to a cabinent next to the stove, pulling out a small skillet. She remembered as a child that she would often have to make this for herself, sometimes having the same thing two or three days in a row because her father was never home or what too drunk to care. One night though, when Nikki hadn't been paying attention, he came home early and she was so surprised that she ceased to pay attention to the sandwich, causing it to start smoking. The bread was burned to a crisp and inediable and smoke filled the house. The memories were vivid and clear and Nikki instinctively reached down to the old burn scar on her thight, just visible under the hem of her shorts. She touched it as if it had just happened, her fingers gentle and shaking; it was the sound of the phone ringing that jerked her to attention and she again focused on the reality of where she was and what was happening.
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:22 pm
The_Doctors_Wife Rae laughed playfully when he called for her to wait up and soon they were walking side by side toward the carnival and she was reaching for her money when Lantis paid. Looking around in awe it was better than she remembered as a child then again since she had met Lantis life seemed a bit more manageable and the world had a little more color. All the people in brightly colored clothes and the smell of fresh foods and she didn't even realize how intoxicated she had become with the world until someone took her hand and she intertwined her fingers with his. Looking over it was a pleasant surprise to see Lantis still standing next to her and to her complete amazement he didn't look bored with her yet. His voice quelled the fears that threatened her broken heart and if only for a second it seemed things were falling into place and she laughed when he spoke about her leaving him behind, "I can't do that. Then who is going to win me some giant plushie!" she said with happiness in her voice. Looking up to him with a smile on her face she wondered what secrets were hidden behind his eyes. What darkness held him within its grasp refusing to let him go. As he looked at her, Rae's cheeks tinted a slight pink before her eyes lit up, she had promised him a good time and she meant it who was she to assume he would ever want to see her again after this day was over but she was going to make it one to remember. Moving among the large groups of colorful people in masks and costumes she kept hold of Lantis to be sure she didn't actually lose him as they moved into the thickest part of the crowd. This carnival had actually been big enough to draw in the city dwellers and the farther in it was near packed. First things first she led them to a stall that held a colorful array of masques quickly choosing two she didn't let go of his hand until she had two almost identical masks in hand and she quickly went to slip the blue and silver one on Lantis before donning her own red and silver one before taking his hand again and heading off toward the house or mirrors/ maze not leaving much choice with her excitement as she said to him over the noise with a smile before taking off, "There. Now if we get separated I will always be able to tell its you again and not some random impostor." Rae remembered the mazes as always being fun. Though they weren't grown there large hedges almost 3 feet thick were set up in the size of half a football field and there was supposedly a special prize to anyone who could find there way to the middle. And of course for the squeamish there were several posts along the ways and dead ends that allowed people to call for rescue should they get scared or tired. Slipping through the people she said to Lantis, "I've always wondered what was in the middle. I've never personally made it there and there are supposed to be people hiding to scare you and clues and riddles. My old man told me when I was little that there is a rose garden in the middle with a wishing well and whatever you wish will come true." Her tone was excited at the thought of it all as if it was some magical world and even as they approached the maze roses and other exotic plants could be seen growing and weaving through the shrubbery and cobble stone path that had been laid just for this even.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 8:10 am
Once again, Lantis had little say where they were to go, but this was just as fine, being led around by an attractive young lady was not what he would consider a bad day. Besides, fairs, carnivals, theme parks, Lantis never took any interest after awhile. But Rae showed him with in a few minutes how much fun these locations were when you were with someone you liked. It almost felt like reclaiming his lost child hood. Another stroll down memory lane to those happier times. For her efforts, (because he knew she was trying not only for him but for herself) Lantis felt he ought to get into it more. So he made no qualms where she took him, not even when she bought them masks. A few times he had touched the accessory and thought how fitting they were to them both. When they entered the maze of flora and fauna Lantis looked about hesitantly. Something had flashed before his mind but only for a brief second. Green lush rose bushes were replaced with a vivid and all too real building made of old bricks and riddled with holes. There were no doors as they had been destroyed long ago. Suddenly Rae came into his vision, disrupting the nightmare and she pulled him forward. She was reluctant to release his hand. Reality came back as he tightened his hold on her hand as if holding to some life line. “The center of the maze….” He repeated. One hand he held to trace the walls of the maze as they walked. “I remember a trick that if you keep your hands on one of the walls of a maze and never lift it, you’ll eventually reach the end. It’s time consuming but at least it keeps you from going in circles.” Lantis remarked almost as if stating a fact. “I’ve tried it a few times. We could too, or I can just put you on my shoulders and you can navigate us both to the center.” The last part was said with obvious sarcasm as Lantis didn’t like to cheat. Games like this were meant to be enjoyed. “Let’s go to the middle and find out what’s there. I bet it’ll be worth while as this maze is pretty grand. If there’s anyone to ambush us, let’s ambush them first and get them to tell us where to go.” Again he was joking. Lantis surprised himself with how many emotions he was going through in the span of only three minutes. To fill the time as they manuvered through the maze, Lantis spoke steadily. "Rae..." He loved saying the name and how easy it came from his lips. "...What do hope to be in the center of this maze? The wishing well? And if so, what would you wish for?"
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 5:26 pm
Gabriel smiled. "Sure. Accident prone in the kitchen as well as with paint and in the street?" he asked. His cheerful smile gave way to concerned curiosity as he noticed her fingers brushing an old scar. The phone rang as he went to spread the butter lightly on the bread. "Are you going to get that?" he asked Nikki, who seemed to have snapped out of some sort of daydream, or perhaps a recollection of a memory. He hoped he hadn't brought that on, since the look on her face wasn't a contented one at all.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:07 pm
Nikki nodded silently, though whether it was an answer in terms of answer the phone or to his question about her ability to get into accidents, wasn't quite so clear. When her smile returned as she answer the phone, she was glad, worried that she might worry him and that he in turn might ask questions, questions that she desperatly wanted to avoid. "Yes...Oh, no, I don't mind!" She brushed another strand of hair out of the way. "That's fine. Yeah, the keys are already in the ignition, so just go ahead and take it when you get here. I know you're in a hurry, so no need to stop what you're doing to come and say hi." Smiling, she said a few more words, before hanging up the phone and turning the ringer volume to zero.
"That was my old friend Jason," Nikki said as she walked around the paint again and went to stand next to him. "He used to help me out a lot when I was younger, so I return the favor by letting him borrow my car whenever he wants." Smiling, she watched as he buttered the bread, his hands big and yet still graceful looking. "So what were you saying?"
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:56 pm
Jason, hm? Luckily she had used the terminology 'old friend'. Otherwise, it could have been more awkward than he already felt. Apparently Nikki didn't find him awkward, watching him work on the sandwiches. Aside from when he has saved her, this was the closest they had been. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Just admiring your motor skills," he said quite seriously. The slight rise in the corner of his mouth betrayed his joke, though it was already implied. He put two of the bread slices in the pan, then added the cheese slices, and finally the last two slices on top. "Now, let's just hope I don't burn your freshly painted house to the ground."
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 6:39 pm
"Hmm, look at it this way," she said, smiling softly as she watched the buttered bread sizzle in the warm pan. "If you burn it down you get to help me re-build it." Leaning her hip against the stove so that she could watch him as he cooked, she thought about his little joke and goosebumps rose on her skin at the memories that flooded forth. It wasn't that long ago, not really, when she thought about it. Not that long ago that her father used to beat her for even the smallest, clumiest mistake she would make. And no matter how many times she apologized, pled with him to stop, please, please stop, he would hurt her over the smallest of things, like a glass of spilled milk or a burned sandwich. With a small shiver, Nikki glanced at the pan again, watching as the butter melted and slid around the pan, like a child on the floor, weeping and broken.
Nikki could not remember the last time she had thought of her father as much as she had today and even just the smallest fragments of memory made her nervous, left a small little thought in her mind that he might find her to finish what he had started so long ago. It killed her to think that she was so scared of him, that her every action was planned on a 'what if' that might never happen. But it was the possiblity of the might that kept her scared, that made her aware of her every action, yet also kept her so distracted that she had almost died earlier that morning.
Sighing, she forced another smile and got back to the topic at hand. "Who knows, we might find out how good of a carpenter you really are. Or at the very least how good your cleaing skills are." She laughed, her sound soft and filled with music.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 11:41 am
Rae laughed and stuck her tongue out at him when he suggested they cheat keeping his hand in hers she watched as he kept his hand against the wall and spoke loving the way his voice sounded, almost like a fairy tale it wasn’t to deep or overly nasally like some people had, it was just right, like music. Hearing his question about what she hoped was in the middle, that caught her by surprise her mouth going to answer before forming the perfect ‘O’ of surprise and complete loss of words before she laughed, “You know I never really thought about it, I always assumed I would know what to wish for when I saw it, you know assuming it is an actual wishing well.” Smiling at him Rae couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy, or for so long. Even with her past relationships if they spent anytime at all together they started to argue usually ending with her crying and him storming out or trying to hit her. As her mind continued the long battle against her heart over Lantis she answered thoughtfully, “I think if someone popped out at me right now and demanded I make a wish, I think I would wish for the people I care about to find true happiness.” Shutting her mouth wish a blush, it crossed Rae’s mind that Lantis was really the only person she cared for past that as one would an acquaintance. However with what happened next she wasn’t sure if it saved her embarrassment or added to it as a group of older teens maybe early 20’s came flying around the corner having opted for running around and tormenting other people as two of them looped their arms through Rae’s lifting her off the ground and breaking her away from Lantis before running around the next two immediate corners and dropping her hoping the man she was with was slower than they were or cared more about her than revenge. As Rae sat there trying to catch her breath from the sudden impact and being dropped again a thought hit her and her head whipped up to look around at the emptiness since she wasn’t sure which was they took her she stood still closing her eyes as bad memories flooded through her, “Lantis…?” she asked quietly hoping someone would answer.
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