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 Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:46 pm
:: Coffee with a Kick :: Rivener hadn't wanted Aphismet to worry that he had been fired from his job (he HADN'T! He was just forced to take a leave of absence) so the Scorpion went out to Durem every day still. Only, there was a whole lot of nothing to do. Most of the time, Rivener would wander until he found a shop whose aroma would entice him inside. Coffee smells worked best at accomplishing this, with bakeries and some restaurants achieving it a few times as well. But the smell of coffee, that would work every time.
Rivener never went to the same coffee shop twice. He'd not found one that blew his mind away enough to return to, and he tended to wander the sprawling city in every direction. He couldn't be pinned to a single location, and didn't have a set pattern of wanderings. Which, as it turned out, would work to his advantage.
On his third visit to a random coffee shop, Rivener had met a pair of women who seemed very chatty with strangers. The two, in their mid-forties and obviously very fond of hair spray, had engaged Rivener in conversation while they all waited for their drinks. The scalding glare Riv had sent them was largely ignored and the women kept chatting away. Eventually Rivener had been invited to share their table, once he'd begun actually replying to their inane chatter.
The only reason Rivener agree to any of this (the chatting or the sitting together) was because of the supreme satisfaction he got when he "accidentally" bumped into them both as they sat, stingers piercing the coffee cups' carton sides and injecting a small amount of sickness-inducing toxins. Rivener sat with them, chatting away, until one of them puked her guts out all over the floor in a sudden bout of nausea.
Rivener acted the concerned stranger well enough to earn him an Oscar, although inside he was grinning from ear to ear with dangerously flashing ruby eyes.
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:34 pm
Aphismet's Cellphone
-----------------------------------
New message.
Click.
"God DAMN IT! You're seriously not answering your phone, Aphi!? ********!
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -- with what caution -- with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work!
Nh...Eiry, can you JUST SHUT UP! Mnh...Aphi, Aphi, I need you to come home NOW! As soon as you get this message! Please! Something's happened to Eiry. He's just not acting...He's not acting like himself, he's a freak! He's gone absolutely ******** MAD!
Presently, I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief -- oh, no! It was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well.
EIRY, SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, WILL YOU?!
His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not.
There is a sound of sniffling, the sound of shifting on the other side of the phone.
"Aphi, you need to come home, I'm...I'm stuck in the godforsak-"
Click.
End of message. If you would like to hear this message again, dial 2. If you would like to delete this message, dial 7. If you would like to save this message, dial 9.
-----------------------------------
Eiry's quoting Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:42 am
:: The Tell-Tale Heart :: [ The Tell-Tale Heart]Eiry goes crazy and entraps Isi in the ceiling, and Alex in the wall. Aphismet is left to pull the humans out while Eiry and Rivener suddenly have it out with one another... [THIS IS A META PRP]
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:57 pm
:: Ire :: [ Ire ]Rivener and Eiry fight on the roof of the Delaran household for days on end until their energy runs out and the cold nights take their toll, slowing the infection's effect on them... :: During the Ire ::
An MSN PRP
Isi sat on a rock outside the makeshift tent they had on the outskirts of the Delaran property. After some time of silence he sighed and folded his arms around him, "This is stupid." Aphismet only peeled his eyes away from their house's rooftop long enough to spy the youth looking disgruntled. With a sigh the chef returned his gaze to the warring Sigels. "I know, Isi. I wish there was something we could do, too, but there's nothing." "That's the stupidest part," Isi mumbled. For a few more moments he stayed in silence, looking at the lights on the roof top dance to and fro. Then he spoke aloud, much louder than before, "They've been up there fighting for three ******** days! Who knows what kind of shape they're in right now!" Aphismet frowned. Isikoro's worries, while warranted, had been on repeat for a while now. Aphi was beginning to feel like a personal failure for not meeting his brother's expectations, for not finding an answer to this. "There's nothing we can do, Isi! Hopefully they'll wear themselves out before-..." He wouldn't dare say it aloud. The thought sent shivers down his spine. "I don't like feeling like this," Isi grumbled, burying his mouth against his folded arms so that his nose rested on the fabric. He kept his eyes trained on the battle, "Everything's out of control, spiraling spiralling away. And we can't get a grasp on any of it. I don't like feeling like that, not being able to do anything. It's stupid." Again, silence. But Isi spoke up again in a quieter voice, "Is that how you feel when others get sick? I think that's how parents feel when their kids get sick. Right?" "Of course I feel like that. I hate this as much as you do. But complaining isn't going to make it stop happening, Isi; it's only making us both stress even worse." Aphismet turned to face his brother, tilting his head and leveling a beseeching look at the graying-haired boy. "We have to stay positive and do what we CAN do: we have to watch them, and be ready to go get them if things suddenly change." The chef sighed and shrugged his coat closer to his neck: it was the coldest yet, tonight. "Sorry, Aph," Isikoro muttered into his clothes, sinking further into his self-hug. "I'm just not patient, I guess...By the way, uh...Thanks for coming so quick after I called you a few days ago." Before the chef could wave off the other's apology, Isi had latched onto a much more acceptable topic. "Don't mention it," he replied with a smile. "I'm just sorry you got my voicemail instead of my picking up. I wish I could have been here even sooner. I'm just glad you were safe." The man reached over and ruffled his brother's hair affectionately. "You should've seen the expression on my face when I heard your end of the line drop into the voicebox," Isi said, squinting his eyes and face into a smile as he braced his neck against Aphismet's hair ruffle, "And hell, shut up, Aph, I'm gunna mention it. Thank you. I don't know how much more of Eiry's poetry Alex and I could've sat through. I've heard "The Tell-Tale Heart" so much from Eiry, I'm sure I know it by heart now." Aphismet smirked softly. "Well, if that's all he was doing was recite poetry, it wouldn't have been so bad." The chef sighed. "I'm so scared that next time it's our HEADS he'd leave imbedded in the walls, cutting off our air... That boy of yours can be so dangerous. And scary. At least with Riv you know when he's going to attack you. With Eiry, it's like trying to figure out a timebomb." Isi ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it back, nodding to everything Aphismet said, "Yeah, definitely. In a way I feel safer with Rivener more than Eiry. You should've seen the stunts he was pulling before he stuck me in the ceiling. He was chasing me around the house like a madman, crawling on the floor even! He looked like some kind of weird crab...And Aphi, the kitchen island has holes now." THIS Aphismet hadn't noticed. He blinked at the younger man, face pale. "My kitchen island has HOLES? H-how?! What happened? Oh god, how am I going to explain all this to the insurance people... Do they even cover willfull ripping of walls and floorboards to remove stuck family members?" Now it was Aphi's turn to run a hand through his hair, biting his lip with nerves. "I don't know? That's adult stuff, how should I know that!" Isi bleeted helplessly. he glanced over to Aphi, watching him engage in his own show of nerves and worry. It made him sad to see him like that, "Well...I woke up from sleeping in because Eiry wouldn't stop haunting me in the night, and I was pinned to the kitchen island with all your cutlery and silverwear. That's why I had holes in my pajamas. But, I'll help pay for the repairs and everything! The money I've been saving up is just for that, Eiry and his wild endeavors." Aphismet smiled over at Isi sympathetically. "Poor kid," he sighed. "Quite the crap you have to go through at your age, raising such a bundle of trouble. There'd be no need to pay to fix things, Isi: if the insurance can cover it, it'll be paid. I just hope I can explain it to them in a way that doesn't make them think I'm crazy." The chef sighed and glanced up at the roof again, blinking. "Hey look, they're just kind of... talking?" "Well, it's better than just sitting around all day with my face plastered against textbooks, I assure you," Isi said, "And it's not easy for you either Aphi...You have to hold it all, me, Eiry, Rivener, yourself, the house, everything....Uh...What?" Isi looked up, squinting his eyes. It was hard to see in the sudden falen darkness, but the two glowing colors of Rivener and Eiry were still. "Oh god, do you think one...?!" Aphismet tried not to panic. He'd taken his eyes off the two of them for too long, he didn't know what had happened! His voice was calm enough, but one look at the chef's wide-open eyes would reveal his panic. "I d-... Let's not assume anything, Isi. They could just be- Oh, thank god, they're both moving." Although it was only for Eiry to swipe punched at the Scorpion, but still. Isi didn't know how he was supposed to feel at this moment. His muscles were twitching, telling him to jump and run as fast as he could to the house, but the better portion of his mind told him wait. He glanced at Aphi, easily seeing the worry in his eyes and he bit his lip. "They've slowed down," he said, glancing back as the two lights moved apart. "...Do you think they're tired? ....God damn it's so dark out! And ball-freezing too." The chef opened his mouth but couldn't really think of what to answer. He shrugged his shoulders, keeping both eyes fixed on the two above. Rivener and Eiry had parted after a few rounds of hits, and now they looked like they were- yelling at one another? "I-I... Don't know? I can only hope so!..." "They better be, after three days!" Isi exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him again in a bitter effort to ward off the cold through his jacket they stole from the back of Aphi's car. "...If not, I'll go up there personally and knock 'em both out with your frying pan," he grumbled, "....Riv and I were suppoed to have a scary movie night tonight." The chef chuckled. It always made him happy to hear of how Isi and Riv were movie-buddies now. After that incident that seemed so long ago... "To be honest, bro, I don't know if a frying pan would hurt them. And they don't work like we do, who knows how long it takes before Sigels get tired- Oh my god!" The white-haired Delaran actually shot to his feet in surprise when the two Raevans suddenly HUGGED in the sky above the roof. Isi struggled to move himself up onto his legs, wildly swinging his arms for balance as he straightened up and strained to see what Aphismet saw. "What?! What?" he asked, not really believing what Aphismet was saying, "What happened?!" "They're HUGGING!" Aphismet nearly screamed, grinning dumbly, beside himself with relief and happiness. "Isi, they're HUGGING!" The chef laughed hysterically and turned to grab his brother's shoulders, dragging him into a hug of their own while both sets of eyes kept trained up on the two Raevans. Isi could hardly believe what his brother was saying. He blinked wildly, was caught up in a hug, and before he knew it he was wrapped up tight and his ears were ringing from Aphi's exhaltations of joy. "What? They're....Really? Oh my god, that's great! Are you sure? That must mean they're okay now!! Aphi, we have to go to them!" For once, Aphismet agreed with his brother's wish to run into the house. Or at least towards the house. "Of course we do! Come on!" Lacing his arm under Isi's shoulder to lend the boy speed, Aphismet jogged towards the house, screaming up for the two Raevans. "RIVENER! EIRY! DOWN HERE!" The chef could almost cry from relief. They'd be okay!
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:40 am
:: After the Ire :: He and Eiry had been fighting for days, up on the rooftop. After all that time, Rivener and his brother seemed to calm down enough to come to some crazy, sentimental conclusion where they hugged and made promises.
Now that Riv was back inside, wrapped in his blankets and warming up again, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why he gave a crap about Eiry's ******** feelings. That crazy half-mad ghost?! Who gave a ******** about him?! Certainly not Rivener! Huffing, the Scorpion decided he didn't want to be in this damned house anymore. He needed to go out and get some... coffee. He smirked dangerously. Yes, a nice bit of coffee.
It had been an entire day, and Rivener was prepared to face the outside again. He wore his best, warmest coat, a scarf, and gloves. Before anyone could ask him where he was going in the middle of the night, the Scorpion beat his wings and took off from the balcony, heading towards the city.
~~~~~
Twenty minutes later, Rivener was wandering the streets, sticking to the shadows, glowering angrily.
The coffee shops were closed, this late at night.
He could sneak into a club, but that was just crazy. There would be people everywhere, bumping into him, the music would be loud and obnoxious... Just thinking about it was getting the Scorpion irritated. He sighed, crossing his arms. Maybe he should at least wander around the club areas. He'd at least fit right in to that crowd.
Riv slowly floated along the city blocks until he approached the night life areas. He'd cross a few people from time to time, half-drunk and laughing, returning from their outing... And that's when Rivener spotted the man.
Alone and drunk, stumbling, the young raver had wandered into an alleyway. It was dark and... and perfect. No one had seen the man go in, and no one saw Rivener follow, either. The Scorpion approached as quietly as a shadow while the drunken young man pulled at his trousers, trying to free himself so he could take a leak or something. "Whuh?" the man asked after Rivener's soft tap on his shoulder, turning around. Drunken eyes widened at Rivener's fanged grin. The man inhaled to let out a yell, but it was too late. Rivener stung him, and the poison's effect was almost immediate. Red eyes watched, unflinching, satisfied, as the light faded from that strangers's gaze. As the scream he'd almost let loose degenerated into a gurgle of confusion. As the strength left all the raver's limbs and he crumbled to a pile on the ground. Those lifeless, glassy eyes stared at the street unseeing. Rivener shivered with happiness. That had felt SO much better than poisoning people's coffee.
Smiling broadly, humming to himself, Rivener took to the skies and headed home.
He'd be back tomorrow for more satisfaction.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:49 am
:: Infamous :: Aphismet's happiness at seeing Eiry and Rivener stop fighting had been short-lived. The chef had believed the two were done being crazy, but after only a few hours back into the somewhat-warmer house, Eiry had gone nuts again and Rivener had become just as apathetic and cruel as before. Everyone had to keep an eye out for Eiry's constant, dangerous behavior and it was beginning to wear everyone out. Aphismet couldn't in good conscience leave Isi alone here while Aphismet was out at work, so the chef had taken a week off. That week was almost up, and it was beginning to look like Aphi would need to take another. He hoped all this time off wasn't going to get him in trouble... He'd explained it was a family emergency, and the people at work knew enough about Aphismet's odd family of Raevans, disabled brothers, and pets to know that it was most likely something really weird and dire that required Aphi's constant presence. So focused on avoiding Eiry's deadly traps was Aphismet that he barely noticed when Rivener left the house. It's not like it was easy to see: the Scorpion rarely left his room, and hardly made a noise. Still, some times Aphismet had spotted the Sigel's figure through the window at night, flying off towards the city. The chef knew he should be worried, but he'd naively let himself think that Rivener was just going out to escape the craziness of their own house. Aphismet had enough to worry about with Eiry... This was the fifth morning after Eiry had gone crazy again. Aphismet sat in the kitchen, reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee (triple checking to make sure it was only coffee and nothing else). He nearly spat out the hot liquid as he read one of the minor headlines on the front page. Serial Killer on the loose!
Club scene deaths caused by poison injection. Aphismet's face paled and he swallowed his coffee past the large lump in his throat. It couldn't be... Could it?
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:56 am
:: From the Coils of a Basilisk :: [ From the Coils of a Basilisk ]Ebony won't answer her phone so a worried Aphismet drives to the brit's house with a vengeful Rivener in tow. Their arrival reveals trouble: Ebony is paralyzed and Cordelia has filled their house with snakes! Rivener faces off against the frei angrily, and Aphismet attempts to save Ebony... [THIS IS A META PRP]
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:24 pm
:: Fight Fire With Ice :: [ Fight Fire With Ice ]Aphismet and Ebony bring Rivener and Cordelia to the Lab to receive the cure from Kyou. [THIS IS A META PRP [cure stage]]
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 11:28 am
:: The Aftermath ::
Meta Solo RP - CONCLUSION Aphismet came back into the Lab's lobby, where Rivener had been waiting with arms crossed. The chef toted his Sigel's favorite coat, the leather one that had cost so much. As much as Aphismet wanted to hate the thing because Riv had stolen Aphi's paypal information to pay for it, the chef couldn't. The coat was warm and, he was reluctant to admit, stylish. And right now, the coat was a godsend. Thank goodness Aphismet had thrown it into the car when they'd left for Ebony's house. "Here. This should warm you up." The human handed Rivener the jacket. Riv took the coat gratefully, quickly slipping it on and zipping it up, arms crossed to rub at his biceps. "It's so cold in here...""It's actually nice in the lobby, Riv. Your body is just still a little chilled, you'll get over it. Let's go sit near the heaters, you'll feel better in no time." Aphismet smiled encouragingly and guided his ward to the couch closest to the heaters. It was nice to have the old Rivener back. Aphismet had been able to tell right away that his Raevan was cured. That harsh absence of light in the Scorpion's eyes was gone, and the constant down-turn of the lips was replaced with a sorrowful frown. By all appearances, Rivener hadn't forgotten any of the things he'd done while under the influence... Aphismet had kind of been hoping that all those memories would have been wiped out of Riv's mind completely. As the two sat, Riv sheepishly huddling closer to his guardian, Aphismet smiled hesitantly and wrapped an arm around the Scorpion's shoulders. "There, there, you'll be better soon," he promised again. For a long while the two were silent. Five or ten minutes passed, or maybe only one or two. It was hard to tell when the atmosphere was so tense and heavy with all the things that needed to be said. Surprisingly, it was Rivener who broke the silence first. "...I'm going to have to go apologize to a LOT of people, aren't I." It wasn't a question. By the way Rivener's ruby-red eyes were focusing intently on the tiled pattern of the floor, he was all too aware of the bad things he'd done. "There are some things I don't even want to admit I did. And there are other things I really don't know WHY I did. Everything's so muddled and strange, all that stuff while I was sick is just so-... so NOT ME. Well, I mean obviously it was me, but Not ME. You know?""I know," Aphi answered, intent on leaving it at that. Rivener had other ideas. He seemed to need to get all this off his chest. "Did my work call? They're probably pissed. Hell, they probably fired me... I poisoned the inks.""...Rivener!""Not anything lethal! Just some sickness stuff. They were just so annoying, which is odd, because I always used to like them all. But now they're going to hate me, most likely... And they might have called the cops on me, even. And if they did that, then-..." Rivener bit his lip, frowning in deep concern.
For the first time since he woke up, the Scorpion turned to look at his guardian, searching for understanding and support that might not be there. "Aphi, I might be in some really serious trouble."The chef paled a bit and frowned, his lips tightening to a line. Riv opened his mouth to say more but Aphismet lifted a hand to stop the Sigel, motioning for quiet. "Rivener. We'll deal with trouble if it happens. I don't want you to worry about it before that. And I don't want you to talk about his to anyone else but me, Ever. Do you understand me?"The Scorpion blinked a few times before nodding dumbly. Was Aphismet protecting him by helping him cover this all up? Or was he neglecting or ignoring his charge by pretending he didn't know the horrible things Rivener had done? With a slight frown the Scorpion turned his gaze back to the floor tiles.
If Aphismet never wanted to hear Rivener admit out loud that he'd become a murderer, then it was all well and good. Rivener would keep it to himself.
"...I'd like some coffee," the Scorpion said instead, feeling a little warmer from the heaters but wanting something hot in his stomach as well, heating from the inside out. "Can we get some?"Aphi only needed to consider for a moment before he nodded, smiling as though they hadn't just been talking about such serious topics. "Sure. Let's go get some coffee."
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:07 pm
:: Step One, We Have To Talk :: [ Step One, We Have To Talk ]Aphismet and Rivener run into the most unexpected people while out on a walk. Rivener seems glad, but is Aphismet ready to speak with Chloe and Roux again after their disappearance?
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:19 pm
:: One Door Closes :: Rivener didn’t want to do this yet. He wasn’t ready! He’d only just been cured yesterday, and already Aphismet was pushing him to go back to work. True, Rivener had been ditching his job for nearly a month now, ever since that time he’d poisoned those inks… He wasn’t ready to face them. What if they knew he’d poisoned all the inks? What if they knew he’d been the one to do that? …What if they told Aphi? It was already bad enough the chef knew Rivener had been out killing people for relief during the end days of his infection. The Scorpion didn’t want to add more acts of horrific cruelty to his list of affronts.
It was because of this very reason that Rivener had agreed to go. He couldn’t explain his reluctance to Aphismet! The chef was already suspicious that Riv hadn’t immediately jumped at the chance to go back: Riv had always LOVED this job. So after only one or two attempts to dissuade the guardian, Rivener had smiled and left the house, speeding along the road in a low flight. He’d get to the bus stop at the edge of Durem and take the transit system the rest of the way. That should eat up a little more time and allow Rivener to come up with some kind of idea what kind of face he should be wearing. Sad? Apologetic? Smiling as though nothing happened?
The one hour bus ride hadn’t done a single bit of good. The leather-coat-wearing Sigel got off at the usual stop and sighed deeply, peeling the large headphones off his head and blinking at the familiar shop fronts. He was SO not looking forward to this.
Dejectedly Rivener bobbed forward, making his way to the Tattoo Parlor all too fast. Before he’d even managed to sort out a single bit of his thoughts, he was pushing the front door open.
Rose was there. She blinked at Rivener, and the Raevan smiled back shyly. “…Hi,” he offered lightly enough, considering.“Riv,” Rose spoke with an edge of something the Scorpion couldn’t place. “What’re you doing here?” “Ah, well, isn’t it obvious? You guys told me to come back when I was feeling better, and I’m sorry it took so long… There was this infection affecting my kind, and-”“Hold on a sec,” Rose interrupted, unmoved by Rivener’s repentant voice. She moved around the counter and headed to the back, presumably to get someone else… Rivener sighed. This was most likely NOT a good sign. There were only a few people she’d be going to get back there. The Scorpion suspected it was either Amos or Dmitri. One of the two big guys. One of the two she usually gets when there’s someone she wants to have kicked out of the shop. NOT a good sign. Rivener sighed again, although this time his eyebrows knotted up in sadness and he hung his head. He deserved this, and he wouldn’t run out while no one was looking. He’d stay and get what was coming to him. Hopefully, that way, Aphismet would never have to learn of what Rivener had done.As the Sigel had expected, Rose returned with Dmitri in tow. Rivener’s former apprentice-master. There was no doubt it was “FORMER” master by the way the man now glowered at his protégé. The Scorpion didn’t even have time to open his mouth before Dmitri barked at him. “What are you doing here? Did you think we were stupid, that we wouldn’t realize what you did?” “…I-”“Do you realize how many people fell ill? How much business we lost? Our reputation is ruined because of you! And we had to throw out our entire stock of inks and buy new, costing us a small fortune! And you DARE show you face back here?” Dmitri leaned over the counter towards Rivener, clearly unafraid of the Scorpion’s stingers even if they now knew he COULD use them. Rivener kept his eyes down, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched up defensively. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t well! I was sick, there was this disease going around-”“You can take your damned excuses and shove them straight up your backside! If you HAD a backside, that is. Get lost, freak, there’s no way we’re ever going to hire you again! And we’ve made sure all the other Tattooists around here don’t hire you either! Go on, GET OUT!” Rivener’s breath hitched and he nodded meekly, backing up until he hit the door and then scrambling outside. Without wasting a moment the Sigel beat his wings and took to the skies, escaping to the closest rooftop to crumble to a heap and hide his head in his arms, clenching his eyes shut. He grit his teeth and forced his breathing to calm, forced his eyes to stop stinging like he was about to cry. He would NOT cry. He deserved that! He had deserved that.
He couldn’t dwell. Rivener just had to move on, that’s all. He’d need another job, and he’d have to explain to Aphismet somehow-… He’d say it was just because he’d been gone too long. Rivener didn’t mind lying, if it kept Aphi from realizing how Rivener had poisoned even more people than first thought.
Breathing shakily, slowly getting back his self-control, Rivener straightened and took off again, flying towards home.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:22 pm
Sometime around noon you hear a knock on the door. Going to answer it you find a Delivery Person holding a brightly colored package. They hand you a clip-board asking for your signature before handing it over. A sticker on the present box reads in bright, bold red letters Do Not Open Until Christmas!. Attatched is a tag with Rivener's name on it, on the other side you see a small message. Gift Tag Message Merry Christmas! Do you think Santa's put you on the NICE or NAUGHTY list? From: Chloe S.
"Sorry Chloe," Riv mumbled to himself as he took his present upstairs. He'd just hide it in his room until Christmas.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 2:42 pm
:: Christmas at the Delaran House :: Aphismet and Rivener sat together in the painting room, but oddly none of their usual tools were out. Easels were neatly put away, paint sat in the cupboards... The two men simply sat there near the window, each sitting on the wall-lining bench covered with stuffed pillows, holding onto a hot cup of coffee. Morning was only just beginning, the rising sun making the frost-lined windows glitter like priceless treasures. "This is so ******** boring." Aphismet simply sighed at his ward's exclamation. It was the third time Rivener said it. "I know, Riv. I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you'd rather go spend some time with Eiry downstairs? You don't have to stay here with me, you know." And just like every time, that soft reply just drew a pouty frown from the Scorpion, along with a mumbled string of words the chef couldn't quite make out. It was getting easier and easier to read the Sigel: Rivener didn't have to stay if it was boring, but he stayed anyway. Because, Aphi guessed, he wanted to spend Christmas morning alone with his guardian. It was rather sweet... Now if only Rivener would be a little bit nicer about it. "Did you open your presents yet?" Aphi asked, taking a sip of his coffee and hoping this meager conversation might perhaps entertain Riv enough that he wouldn't once again exclaim his boredom to the room. "Guh." Riv grimaced at the window. "More like it opened itself. That thing from the lab, it turned into a little winged thingamabob. Not as fun as Beaubeau, not a single little bit. It sprays coffee everywhere! Got it in my eye!" Riv frowned. "I locked it in a closet.""Rivener! That poor little critter!""Don't worry, it's probably escaped by now. The other pets were flitting about, they must have gotten it out by now." "I see!"... "This is so ******** boring."Aphismet sighed again but didn't say anything. He had to agree. It WAS a little bit boring. Something was most definitely missing. Minutes crawled by. The white-haired man knew exactly why, too: he was waiting for something. The grandfather clock in the hallway finally rang nine, and both men perked up instantly. Rivener grinned over at his guardian. "It's time?""It's time!" Aphismet replied, and all but raced Rivener out the door, leaving the two coffee cups to cool by the windows. Who cared about coffee now! They had a very important trip to make! They were going to go get Alex and Zul!
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 2:43 pm
:: The Best Christmas Gift :: [ The Best Christmas Gift ]They'd waited long enough. Christmas was the day of Operation Get Alex and Zul!!! The Delarans drive off to abduct the unsuspecting woman and her ward, to bring them back to live all together, one big happy family!
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 10:27 am
:: A Brother's Gift is Time ::
An MSN Roleplay with Storei It didn't take much thinking to figure out where Eiry would be. Rivener floated through the house in the minty Sigel's usual haunts, and eventually located him. Riv grinned. "Hey, whatcha doin'?"Eiry looked up from his cardboard box, quite comfortably curled up inside and looking sadly at a ripped up book. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the devastated spine, "Struggling to remember what pages were once here." He didn't look all too excited to see Rivener. Riv half-pouted. His minty brother had been competely deflated ever since the infection, and now with Zul moving in as well... But Rivener was sure he could cheer up the other! With a sly tilt of his head Rivener peered into the box, smirking. "Well, I know what pages were once there." With a grand wave and a snap of his wings, Rivener pulled his hands out from behind himself, brandishing a wrapped box. "Merry Christmas! It's a little late, but I ordered it off the web and it took a while to get here." Eiry glanced at the box halfheartedly, then looking back up at his brother, he gave a smile. "Thanks, but my feelings say to me that I don't deserve the gift, Riv. Whyever did you purchase it?" Rivener blinked, completely taken aback by the bland reaction. A slow frown etched itself onto the Scorpion's face and Riv pushed the present closer, all but forcing Eiry to accept it. "Your feelings are WRONG. You're my brother and you deserve this gift from me! What you did was no worse than what I did to Isi that time... And you said you still liked me even after that, so I still like you after this! Now stop being difficult and open your present!"Shifting in the box to accomodate the push of his brother, Eiry put down the torn up spine of his book outside of the box. He connected his gzae with Rivener, feeling rather like a prisoner who was being fed morsels of food through a small slit through the bars. He took the gift, and contemplated how to open it, whether he would just reach inside, or open it to please his brother. Deciding on the latter, Eiry took his fingers and peeled away the packaging. When he finally opened the box, he paused for a moment staring at the darkness within the box. Riv waited and watched, frowning still at the way Eiry looked. Not happy and pleased to be getting a gift, but contrite and dejected. Rivener felt GUILTY for giving him the gift, like he'd forced it onto him... Ugh, this wasn't how it was supposed to go at all! But maybe once the box was open, things would change? The Scorpion leaned closer, wings spreading slightly for balance, as he watched Eiry's face for any kind of reaction.Eiry stared for some time at the contents of the box, looking at the four corners with his hands gripped on either side of the box. It seemed like forever when he finally made a motion, which was a heavy drawn breath. Slowly, he reached inside and pulled out the gift within... Three classic-style Poe books, with gold inscribings and hard covers. Eiry couldn't look away. He felt himself tense up and his body, which was already naturally tinged with the cold of death, grow even colder. He pulled the books onto his stomach and pushed the box away. Slowly, he picked up one and pressed it to his face, taking in the sweet stale smell of paper and ink. It was in the release of that breath, that Eiry began to shake. He looked up at Rivener, his eyes a flurry of emotions, of "why" and, strangely, hurt, but the longer he watched Rivener, the more his red eyes welled up with overwhelmed gratitude. He began to breath faster, heavier breaths, and he looked back at the Poe book, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. Eiry lifted the book to his face, and pressed his face to the open pages, smelling the freshly printed pages.Rivener flinched back at that initial look of confusion and agony. H-had Riv guessed wrong? Would Eiry not want those books after all? The older Sigel's ruby eyes flashed with concern, but kept watching, waiting for the final verdict. Eiry's face slowly changed, and then finally the verdict was given without need for words: Eiry NUZZLED the book he'd opened, and Rivener laughed. "So you like them? I'm so glad!"Eiry managed to pry his face away from the book, his breath hitching in his throat as he fought to keep his composure together. He made the motion with his mouth to say something, but no words came out. So instead, he nodded excitedly. He looked back to the book and stroked it. "Brother mine," Eiry finally managed to croak, moving a hand though his minty locks and exposing the pale skin of his forehead, "I...Despite my previous efforts of expressing distaste and disastifcation, of hurt and anger towards you, you and the other occupents of the house, your Lenore...You still would do this?"Riv chuckled, bending down and ruffling his brother's hair. That speechless nod of agreement for the gift had been wonderful, and Rivener now felt even floatier than usual. "Of course I'd still do this. You're my brat brother, and you're just acting like a brat brother, it's to be expected. I still love you anyway. And we're still having Brothers-Night every week! Just you and me, no Lenores allowed."Eiry wiped at his eyes with his wrist, trying to push back the tears that threatened to spill out. He pressed the book tightly to his chest, hugging it tight. For a few moments, he wrestled himself back into composure and then slowly floated out of the box to lean himself, books and all, against Rivener. "Promise me, that your words are true. I am becoming so lonely. Even with books to keep me company, I've become so very lonely."Rivener straightened and wrapped his arms around the minty Sigel, having expected the hug. Riv smiled, nodding against the pale hair. "I Swear on my Rune, Eiry. We'll still have time together, and as long as you're nice about asking, you can ask me to spend time with you whenever you want. Just be sure to share with Zul, okay?" Riv smiled happily, glad with how things were turning out. A few flaps of his leathery wings displayed Riv's good mood, and he suddenly pulled away a bit to level his brother a teasing grin. "Perhaps you should go out and find a Lenore of your own!"When Rivener flapped away, Eiry rubbed again at his eyes furiously, trying to keep his face dry lest he wet his new books. He looked at him, brows furrowing and mouth helplessly pulling into a smile. "...I am selfish to want you all the waking hours," he said, trying to keep his books in his arms from falling. Then he stiffened and looked at him with widen eyes, before shaking his head incredulously and looking away, almost bashful, "There is no Lenore for Eiry. Lenore is lost and I, like in the Raven, shall seek them nevermore. See it says right here..." Eiry opened up one of the books to a certain page, easily finding the poem, and he shoved the book into Rivener's hands. "See? Lenore's gone for me."Rivener chuckled at Eiry's bashful reaction, although he couldn't quite figure what Eiry meant by his Lenore being gone. The only one gone was Gage. H-had Eiry harbored feelings for Gage? The sudden appearance of a book in Riv's field of vision distracted the Scorpion thoroughly and he discarded that idea. Red eyes found the passage easily, though Riv only sighed. "Eiry, you know you're not the one in the book, right? This is about someone else. There might still be a Lenore for you out there...""There is no Lenore out there for me," Eiry said, his voice falling with each word. He folded the book closed and pressed it back to his chest, "You couldn't find a Lenore that was meant for Eiry."Rivener's face fell along with his Brother's words, and he hurried to rush forward and try to make it better, putting a hand on the other's back and rubbing. "Ah well, we'll see. For now, you don't need one: I'm still here! I'll be sure to spend lots of time with you, okay?" Rivener smiled encouragingly, hoping to lift Eiry's spirits again."Thou needst to spend time with your own Lenore," Eiry said, looking back up to Rivener and pushing a smile onto his face, "So you do not end up like myself, lonely with books as company. Rivener has his own Lenore to hold close and keep warm now, thou hast your own Zul to smile with and make things for, to pick flowers for and bring blankets to when cold. You have responsibilities now, Rivener, to your Lenore. I would rather you keep yours than tend to silly me. I'll find books enough to keep me warm."Rivener scoffed, although he grinned at Eiry's sudden understanding. The minty one didn't use to so openly suggest Riv go spend time with Zul. "Pshaw, Zul's a guy, he's not a delicate Lenore. He can handle a few hours without me, and you're important to me too, just like he is. Only in different ways. So no buts! I'm going to be your big Bro forever, Lenore or no." Riv preened.Eiry gave him a look of firm disbelief and of frank amusement. He shook his head, giving a bit of a tired smile, and pushed Rivener gently away, "Go. You have your Lenore and I have my books. I would keep you longer, read to you, sonnets of Shakespeare, but I know, full well, that you wouldn't understand. I don't even have them anymore. Shakespeare is a ghost now, broken spines and tattered skin. Go. Zul probably needs you." And with that, Eiry floated away to the dusty window sill of the attic. He settled himself in its frame, intangible so that he was half in and half out, and he opened the book he held in his arms, settling the other two beneath him. Eiry was right, in a weird distorted way. He had his books. And for now, that was enough for him.
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