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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:22 pm
Contrary to his date, Mordread had decided to drink his coffee slowly, hands wrapped around the warm mug as he brought it up and down to take in the liquid and the pleasant aroma that it offered. His green eyes remained ever focused on Elijah, studying him though not in an overly obvious way. Apparently, the other man was incapable of staying still, which reminded him a great deal of Morgan. Trying to get his daughter to sit still for more than ten minutes...Well, you'd think she was being asked to get her teeth pulled.
"True magic is something I lack as well. I don't even think I could do a magic trick that involved slight of hand. You'd think that I'd have more grace, being part feline, but apparently the creators decided to skip over me for that particular feature. I'm afraid I'm horrifyingly plain myself." You know, outside of his cat ears and tail. Which really were quite amusing and his tail usually had a life of it's own.
When the coin disappeared, though, his eyes did widen. Like a child himself, he leaned over the table and poked Elijah's hand, "How did you do that? I always did wonder how that trick was done..." Such enthusiasm over such a small trick. The request to read something he wrote went in one ear and out the other. He was too interested in the coin.
Leave it to a cat.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:13 pm
It appeared to take so little focus for him. His fingers had woven the coin through them, back, forth, back forth, in habitual motion - as if it were a continuous cycle of an action he had memorized some decades ago. There had been a smoothness to the departure of the coin, and he may have gone through the trouble of making it reemerge had the tendency not been disturbed so suddenly.
However, there was one thing Elijah had not grown accustomed to. The wide-eyed wonder of someone, or even the observation of his little hand tricks. He had nearly jumped out of his chair at the feeling of his hand being touched. As soon as he had startled, he had simmered down. His wide eyes had eased as he looked down at his hand, as if for the first time realizing he had been playing with them. For a moment, his brows had furrowed as he wriggled a few fingers. How had he done it? The question had echoed within his mind, and there only returned the vague words of an ancient memory from the first magic show he could recall.
Elijah had watched Mordread a moment, as if entertained by the child-like curiosity over the matter. He had held his hand up, giving a wry smile as if there may have been some joke at hand. "It'd ruin it if I told you, you know? Every time you saw it, you wouldn't find it interesting, and I think that'd be rather terrible to do."
He had paused, running through the motions without the coin. Now and again he would stop - and soon the coin had reappeared within his hand, and he had held it up triumphantly. "There's nothing greater than watching how someone reacts to something like this; your face is ..." He had shifted, as if uneasy a moment. "Well, rather adorable, I'd say. You look so enthusiastic over something so simple. I wouldn't want to ruin a feeling like that. "
His face had turned red as he lowered the coin into his fist. "Want to see another?" He appeared almost eager, almost satisfied with the sudden bewilderment that had been established wholly by accident. No control of his hands, but he supposed that scarcely proved a horrible thing.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:19 pm
Adorable? Had he just been called adorable? Christ, that word hadn't been used to describe him since the before Morgan and Katura had been born. It actually made him smile, even though Elijah wasn't going to show him how the trick worked. Oh, he knew it wouldn't lose it's appeal to him, and he also knew that he'd eventually figure out how it was done. If all else failed, the internet was his friend. The excitement lay with the methodology of something, not the final product. At least that was how it was in the nerdy little kitten's mind.
All of this, though, was going to be kept under lock and key. Why ruin Elijah thinking that he was excited over the trick itself? Better to let him keep that, like he'd been willing to let Mordread keep what he thought was important too.
"I'd love to see another," he said, actually enthused. His mind was already grinding the gears trying to figure out how certain things were done. Maybe if he studied close enough, he wouldn't have to go on an all night research binge. "And thanks for the compliment, it truly made my day."
Hey, he figured he should let Elijah know he appreciated it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:49 pm
Gradually, Elijah had began to ease over. The red tint to his cheeks had sluggishly fallen away, returning to the pallor that had become an accustomed feature. Nevertheless, the traces of happiness seemed there, and, indeed, there was no harm in allowing him to believe as he would. He was as enthused as Mordread may have been, a giddy childishness encompassing his motions as he fiddled with his fingers in thought of what to do. He had already made the coin disappear. What more was there?
Suddenly it had hit him, and soon he had removed a second coin from his pocket. Together the two appeared to conjure up two quarters. Elijah had held them out in view, weaving each coin through a finger nimbly. He certainly had a pianist's quality to motion - smooth, well-practiced. Yet, his attention was divided as he began to speak.
"To be honest, I never get tired of coin tricks." He had tilted his head somewhat. For a moment, he had paused, the flush returning to his face at the notation of appreciation. "Mm." The noise had been made quietly, his childish grin shifting to something thoughtful as he gave a bit of a nod. "It's only honesty."
His fingers had stopped again as he held the coins. In a whirl, the two had touched, and were soon gone; then with a flick of the wrist there appeared to be a larger coin in his hand - different from the twins he had been toying with. "... Two-into-One." He had chimed. "...And One-into-Two." With a bit of a quicker motion, he had reversed the trick, returning to the two coins. "If I had anything of interest, I'd be able to show you something more interesting." Inside, he was beginning to laugh with the thoughts of past tricks he had done.
The trick he had performed was simple enough to see, and his mind raced with the trickery of it all. One coin palmed and hidden within his hand, which was turned to its back side to shelter the trickery, and of course the nimble working of the fingers - each one rhythmic like a wave. He was confident an observant person could pick up the matter quickly, but he had few qualms with that idea. He was having fun, reworking the trick a few times in a row as if daring to be caught.
"There's actually a trick similar to this involving cups and balls. Well, not entirely so, but close enough for a kinship. They use a similar method." He had confessed lightly, ceasing the trick to watch Mordread curiously.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:05 pm
"When you meet my daughter," Mordread said, "You realize she will beg you to show her each and every trick in the book? My sons won't give a damn, my toddlers may be enthralled, but Morgan will be plain out curious." When, and not if - that was a good thing, wasn't it? It meant already Mordread seemed to like the thought of a second date, which was a fairly big step for one who hadn't been out in such a long time.
"How long have you been practicing magic?" he asked, unable to recall whether or not it had stated on the man's profile the length of time he'd been doing it. He'd had a lot on his mind, and hadn't exactly been thrilled at the thought of a date at that point in time.
The trick amused him just as much as the first, though he unfortunately didn't catch on to exactly how it was done. Sure, he figured it had something to do with slight of hand, but it was going to be pretty difficult to hide a bigger coin like that, and maneuver three at once. Curious, indeed. The same wide-eyed wonder remained.
"I've seen the trick with the cup and balls, I think. They do it at carnivals in attempts to get your money. Thankfully, I'm usually pretty good at keeping my eye on the cup. I guess feline reflexes with human intelligence seems to come in handy every now and then."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:37 pm
"When?" Elijah had quirked a brow for a moment. He had appeared relatively surprised by the notion. All the same, there was a terrible amusement behind it all and the context of which it was uttered. Children are always the oddest to show., his mind had added, the good-nature of it bringing back a bit of nostalgia. He had never been subjected to that tiresome droll most magicians seemed to face. The endless 'show me!' of some very curious individual. It almost sounded nice. He really did say when, didn't he?
"Well, I hope I would be adequate enough to meet her expectations. I would love to show her if she's interested in the matter; it's second nature to me by now to do things like this." He had straightened his back somewhat as the trick began to cease. He had pocketed the coins before long, always remaining careful to never revel more than the two small ones.
How long had he been practicing magic? The question had tapped him curiously as he sat back, shuffling the change in his pocket. His head had lolled to stare at the ceiling, eyes squinting as he mouthed a few numbers, counting backwards within his memory. "It's been a very long time, actually." He had pulled his hand from his pocket, resting it on his lap with its mirror opposite. "I've been practicing for years and years. Since I was very small. Six-years old." He had laughed lightly, leaning forward. "Yes, I was six when I started. Remember seeing a street performer. Fell in love at once."
His brows had furrowed at the thought of carnivals and swindlers. "Ah, yes. There is that carnival came. Rigged as could be in most cases I've seen. The few good ones are crafty; you're lucky if you can follow the cup! I never was very good at keeping my eye on it."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:54 pm
"I..Yes?" Mordread said, backpedaling as fast as he could, "I mean, I think things are going well but if you're not interested in a second date and I've assumed too much please don't hesitate to kick me in the a**.." Recoil, recoil, recoil. The relaxed feline that was there seemed to slink back a bit, the hair on the end of his tail coming to attention. He really shouldn't have used 'when', right? Right.
Rothe was going to kill him. Totally kill him.
The momentary panic blinded him in hearing the rest of Elijah's words, for the most part, until he heard 'I would love to show her' and he instantly attempted to calm himself down, tail going relaxed. Okay, he didn't screw up as bad as he thought. Poor nervous kitty.
Now that his coffee was finished, and he had nothing to hold onto himself, he grabbed another napkin to worry, "Long time to be doing something," he murmured softly, trying to gain his balance again. Which was a rather difficult thing to do, when you were Mordread.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:16 pm
Elijah's face had grown long with curiosity over the seeming panic. He was as taken-aback as could be, gawking peculiarly a moment before the matter had appeared to simmer down. Quietly, he had slunk in his chair, the expression of guilt overshadowing him.
"Well, I didn't mean it like that." He had explained softly, his head still turned upward towards the ceiling. He had lolled it back around to eye Mordread, the glimmer of guilt still showing. Poor word choice, he supposed. "I ... Actually think it's going rather well too." He had confessed, striving to seat himself as straight as he could muster. Nervously, he had fiddled with his shirt's sleeves. "I was just surprised, is all - I hadn't expected that you'd be comfortable with the idea of my meeting your kids."
His words had trailed off as he looked towards his feet, trying to soothe over the awkwardness in his stomach. He had unbuttoned one of the cuffs of his sleeve, turning it up a few times before doing the same for the other. The more he thought about it, the longer it seemed to have been since he had first started. Indeed, time had flown.
"It has been a long time, I can admit to that." He had nodded his head, the bit of joy beginning to return to his face along with its color. "But it's been fun. I can also say that."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:25 pm
"Oh good," he breathed, relaxing immediately, "If you can't tell, this is my first date in a..very long time. Actually, come to think of it, it's my first date ever." He and Patrick hadn't exactly gone on dates. He'd been found on a bus bench and taken home. It had developed from that, and they didn't really do a date night either. Kind of hard when Patrick already had two kids that he'd taken to immediately. He smiled at the thought of their children and then shook his head, pushing away thoughts of his former love interest. "And I don't exactly know what's right or wrong, here. Going kind of blindly into a blind date."
Mordread was quite pleased to hear that Elijah thought the date was going well just as much as he did, and the napkin was abandoned until he got too nervous again. "My kids meet new people every day whether or not I'm comfortable with it. I'm sure they're going to want to meet the person who actually got me out of the house for a night."
And grill him alive, probably, but Mordread decided to let that little tidbit go.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:50 pm
I haven't really seen the light of dating either., Elijah had confessed to himself. He had felt an intrigue tugging at his stomach as he cocked his head slightly to the side. "To tell you the truth, I can't imagine there is a right or wrong to dating," he had began, seeming to mull over what he had been thinking of. "If there were set formalities, they'd prove rather boring, I'd think - and I'm rather enjoying how it's going. I haven't had the opportunity to have such fun in a good while." It was sheer truth. He was always so busy with his things that he had rarely taken a moment to venture off and socialize or get to know anyone. It was refreshing, if not exhilarating, to talk to someone other than Remington or his mice.
"In this day and age, I suppose encounters with strangers are inevitable for children. Regardless, I would so be delighted to meet them." Whether or not he would regret that statement, he was uncertain - but it seemed as if it would be interesting. And, in all regards, Houdini and Leopold would likely have a bit of fun were they to come along. "Were I to meet them, I think it'd be appropriate for you to meet Houdini and Leopold as well, frankly. They're fickle little things and somewhat curious." He had nodded his head somewhat. "Perhaps we could arrange that some time? I'm ... Not really that busy of a person, to tell you the truth, so any time you'd like..." His voice had trailed off somewhat sheepishly as he looked down towards his feet.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:13 pm
Eljiah certainly made a good point, though Mordread was sure that he'd missed some kind of etiquette that he should have read before going on the date. "You're right," Mordread said after a moment, "And I'm enjoying it too. I've been holed up in my room writing for the last few months, and moping about my ex for longer. It's good to be out, and have company older than a ten year old."
Oh, he adored his kid, but there were definitely times when adult conversation was something that he'd give his left testicle for. Which was saying a lot, considering how fond Mordread of was of a certain past time.
"I would like to meet Houdini and Leopold," the feline answered, "And hope that they like me. Rodents tend to take one look at things with feline traits and bite or head for the hills, if they're smart. Yours seem smart."
Yeah, he really didn't want to be bitten by a rat.
"I'm not an incredibly busy person, either, and I can force my son to babysit, or even call their father and ask him to. Lord knows he'd be thrilled that I'm getting out of the house. Unless you'd like to have an evening in and watch movies and have popcorn or something. I'm a fairly good cook." Considering he'd cooked for a family of at least fifteen for the last two years.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 6:30 pm
Elijah had given a good natured laugh at the ideology of being confined to the consistent accompaniment of a ten year old child. He had never been subjected to such a matter, and thus it seemed somewhat intriguing. Nevertheless, there was an understanding that such would become tedious and less than satisfying after a while. Thus he had nodded his head and grinned acknowledgedly of such a fact. "I can't imagine being in the company of a ten year old for a good long while. I've never really had to spend time with kids, to tell you the truth. Now and again I'll bump into them, but interact extendedly? I can only imagine."
He had hummed lightly at the idea of Houdini and Leopold being fearful of a feline. He had never witnessed their encounter with a cat. Unorthodox mice as they were, they were mice - and he found the logical conclusion that they may be appalled to see Mordread at all. Still, it was nothing he couldn't talk over with them. As mad an idea as it was to believe mice could understand spoken concepts, Elijah had come to believe it. He was the pied piper, and his mice had never appeared to not understand him in the past.
"They're strange little things..." He had uttered in his contemplation. "I don't quite understand them, but they're never quite normal. I don't know what to expect; they've never encountered anything feline while with me. Not once, to my memory."
Elijah seemed generally pleased with the idea that Mordread wasn't too busy a person either. There was a twitter in his stomach, possibly of excitement, over the prospect of a continuation - and possibly something a bit more venturous than a casual trip to the coffee shop. A movie, a night out. Whichever it was, there was joy to be found in the idealism of it all. At the same time, it was so terribly confusing.
"Well," he had began "There's fun to be found one way or another. I do think getting out and about may be beneficial; I've been holed up inside a good while too. Exploring the town would be a bit of an adventure, I'd think." What lurked within the town? He hadn't a clue beyond the old theatres, the cinemas, the restaurants, museums, and other such nonsenses. Surely, there were odd exhibits and shows and ventures within the adult world - far too many to specify in thought or word, nor decipher.
"We could wing it." He had concluded. "And decide spontaneously. Could prove rather exciting, as I said."
Somewhat sheepishly, his fingers had fiddled with the buttons on his wrist. "The weekend, then?" The weekend. There always seemed to be things to do on the weekend - or that was what the general consensus seemed to approve of.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:03 pm
If things went well in the future, which was pretty much always on a Father's mind, then he would inevitably be spending long amounts of time with quite a few children. This, of course, was not mentioned as it really was the first date and while it was going well, this was absolutely no time to start a discussion of 'future events'. Mordread didn't even expect it to go beyond this date, let alone next, so he was certainly going to take it one day, one date at a time. Didn't stop him from worrying about his kids reactions though.
"It's certainly an adventure," Mordread answered with an amused tone to his voice, "Every day is something new, so I can't say that it's tedious. There's just a limit to what you can discuss with a child, or do with a child." There were definitely things that the man just couldn't confide in his daughter, or even his eldest son - and that wasn't just because Rothe was a b*****d.
"Well, let's hope that I don't anger or scare your pets," Mordread mused, "It could make seeing you again fairly difficult if they didn't like me. And I agree, exploring the town could definitely be an adventure that I'd be up to. Why don't you make a list of some of the things you'd like to do, and we can tear it up into pieces, put it in a hat, and let the luck of the draw decide what we do on our second date?"
The idea was quite appealing to the panther-boy, and he couldn't hide a grin that took over his features, "This weekend sounds perfect, Elijah."
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:29 pm
"That would make sense." Elijah had blinked, realizing there was a truth behind the statement. There were things you generally could not discuss with a child, and he remember such a statement from his own inquisitive childhood. Mum, where do babies come from? Mum, why's everyone fighting about money? There were some things likely too complicated for a child, or somethings just ... Not appropriate for them to know. Elijah had never thought of it. "There really are some things that children just shouldn't know, or probably wouldn't understand or be interested in."
He had snorted in a somewhat amused manner at the idea of pets. The word was foreign and unusual, almost. While correct, it seemed entertaining in some manner. "Well, I'd hope they were braver and less bigoted than to be startled." He had whistled himself. "They're a mystery, but I'll tell you they both have a thing for carrots. They'll do anything for a small piece of cold carrot. I wouldn't worry so much of them."
Elijah had paused at the thought of making a list and tearing it apart. It did sound invigorating in the most enchanting of childish ways. There was so much to be left to chance, and that alone was particularly welcome. "Well, I do say." He had started with a bit of a breath, straightening himself a bit. "That would be a good way. Leave it all to chance." He had felt that glow of joy there in his mind. Yet, there was the notation: it would be wrong of he alone to make a list. It seemed fair if... "But, I have a proposition that we both make a list. It wouldn't be fair if we only did what I wanted to do, would it?" There was a voice in the back of his mind, echoing that, as enjoyable as it would be, balance was fair. There was a memory regarding it. Somewhere. He could feel it.
Skittish and earnest, Elijah had given an enthusiastic nod. The weekend. It did sound perfect, and, by his word, he wouldn't be late again. "Fantastic!" He had nearly laughed; then came the wonder of planning. They would definitely need a meeting place. "I'll pick you up, then?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:42 pm
"I'll make it a project for my kids and I, then, and I'll make a list with them. The eyes of children tend to add spice, and I'm afraid I may be pretty dull." A fun night to Mordread varied day to day, but chances were it would end in a library or something. Somehow, Mordread didn't think Elijah would find that particularly enchanting.
"Though will we be bringing the rats with us, or should we leave them in the hands of the children all night?" Somehow he doubted most places would allow rodents in there, especially restaurants. His kids weren't the best to watch small animals, though...Maybe Morgan, but Dax would probably try to let them ride in the washing machine or some other silly thing. "Or perhaps drop them back at your house before we go anywhere? Oh, and yes, you can pick me up. At my home."
Mordread pulled a pen from his pocket - he always carried one - and grabbed a napkin to scribble his number and his address down on. "Don't lose it," he said with a warm smile, "I'd hate for you to stand me up on accident."
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