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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:13 pm
The Pokeball Method
Participants: Alex and Zeke
Location: Java and Jive; Lab 305
Type: {PRP - PICK UP/CAPTURE/DROP OFF}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Meeting Alex at a coffeehouse leads Zeke into quite the predicament. He's the only one the Italian woman can trust to take care of the Fel virus that ravaged through half the Raevan population back between October and December, but the Raevan born from this pathogen and a soul may be just as harmful, if not deadly. Much thought is put in and he accepts both that proposition and one to join the Lab as a part time staffer. From seriousness comes hilarity as Alex accidentally captures a soul for her little brother and thus begins the journey of the man, the Lab, and the virus Raevan to be. 
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:35 pm
 Possibilities for the Future{Reflection}
A virus Raevan…
Its Essence would be sealed off and its powers would only stem from its soul, but still! And the soul itself…
Zeke’s eyes opened and cast downward as he felt a tug on his pant leg. A smile managed to rise up as he saw Dust Bunny had attached herself there, large off-green eyes gazing up at him and tail twitching in a way that meant she was happy he was finally home. Zeke heaved himself straight before bending at the waist to pick the tiny cat up, her head automatically finding his bearded chin and rubbing her head there as he cuddled her.
“I guessed I was missed huh? Well I missed you too and I had a day, Dusty, I had a day.” Holding the kitten close, Zeke padded through his flat, mind set on his room. He didn’t bother to turn the other lights in the apartment on as he went. If he got his way, he’d just stay in bed the rest of the night until six o’clock tomorrow morning, but that would likely be impossible for a plethora of various but common reasons. He entered his room and Dust Bunny was first dropped on the sheets before Zeke flopped on after her, rubbing his face into the quilts beneath his body once his bouncing came to a stop. He could fall asleep fully clothed and not mind come morning, but of course like some nights his mind preferred to act up right this moment. Instead of some crazy fantasy or something he had seen on TV, he was going over the day’s events and Zeke couldn’t help but focus on each part in turn.
There was quite a bit to the day, but the part he focused on the most had to be the single most humorous thing to have happened as well; Alex freaking the hell out over the spider and inadvertently capturing its soul. Dust Bunny jumped in alarm and sniffed her owner curiously as the man began to laugh seemingly out of the blue as the memory of the older woman’s wigging out dance brought tears to his eyes once more. The spider hadn’t been a small one, that he could excuse the ick factor for, but despite that the fact Alex had acted so over the top was too damn much!
“Ah man…Even you would have laughed at that.” His head turned so that one eye was focused on the kitten. She looked at him for a moment before head butting his temple, causing fresh laughter from her owner. When it finally subsided into throaty chuckling, he hauled himself better into bed - kicking his shoes off his feet as he did so. Zeke set himself up against his pillows and patted his lap for the kitten to join him at her leisure, shaking his head as he went right back to the beginning when Alex noticed the spider on his shoulder. With a performance like that, he’d never let her live it down, not ever. Even Brad would surely get a kick--
“Brad.” Like earlier in the coffeehouse, the Italian man’s visage came to the pierced man’s mind, temporarily pushing the replay of Alex‘s dance out of his head. Zeke had told his sibling that he’d tell her brother about this situation first; to lighten the blow that would likely be directed at her no matter how much the younger man would ask him not to be cross at her. At least, he hoped it would lighten it. Like Alex had said, he was the only one she could trust with the future virus Raevan and still he felt flattered by the comment. Flattery aside, however, he had a task to do and he figured he could stave off sleep enough to at least get the older man here with him.
The Raevan…
The soul capture had been a fluke.
Caught by Alex in her haste to kill the arachnid, the soul had leaked into the bottle as Zeke had set it into the bathroom sink to loosen the corpse off in warm water. When he had noticed the soul glass was filled, he had been rather in awe at how fast the bottle worked, as well as still hurting from laughing so hard. The fact the spider had been crushed to death against the object had probably helped the process along and he had readily returned to show her what happened and how the black - and red - smoke swirled within it. His sister had been mortified and he watched her write the note for Dr. Kyou which asked the warlock to release the soul without a question as to why. No mention of a new bottle had been made, but the pierced vet figured that would be part of the deal too, since Alex had said the choice would be his. Not that he minded the spider really - while he had been hoping to get something not potentially poisonous, the situation was so…Perfect in its humor that the fact it had been some random specie of spider rolled off him without quarrel. What’s more, he couldn’t help but think that the combination was rather interesting. A virus which can reproduce on its own that was accidentally released among the Raevan populous and an unknown specie of spider…No matter though. On the doctor‘s desk the sticky note had been left with the bottle and the essence itself, and Zeke supposed he would have to wait only a day or two for word from his new part time office.
He rolled slightly to retrieve his phone from his pocket, flipping the screen up and holding his thumb over the keypad to call his beloved. It was then that Zeke started to imagine what that combination could bring. First and foremost, of course, was the Raevan’s gender. Male or female? The spider was large, but sexual dimorphism didn’t happen in all cases, so it (she!) could have been a boy. The abdomen was also crushed in on itself so Zeke hadn’t seen the tell-tale red hourglass on the spider’s underside, especially when it had been immediately sucked down the drain after he removed the stopper. Next, his thoughts went to appearance and there he stopped. He couldn’t begin to speculate hair, eyes, clothing, wings, or anything else that came with the Raevan physique, and he shouldn’t either, since he’d be getting a new bottle within a few days. The only thing things he knew would hold true no matter what soul was attached would be that the Frei would have wings, a ribbon, and it would first start out as little more than a bust with full arms. He thought of Zul and the demon’s unique appearance before thinking of Rivener. The Sigel’s appearance was blurry since it had been so long since he had first met him, but both Raevans were as unique as the two key elements to their being. What would the virus hold for his Raevan? What could the spider, even though he was only toying with the idea? What’s more, when the Raevan was born, would those who were infected know outright that the pathogen lurked within his or her fourth of a body? Even by just looking at him or her?
“No matter what, it‘ll be a great Raevan. Everyone who was infected will see.” The tone he had used when confirming his decision after Alex had asked him if he would take care of such a potentially dangerous being returned to him. Though the heavy weight of the situation was saddled on his shoulders, he was still certain the Raevan - his Raevan - would be different than its “parent”. Time would tell for certain though. By now the screen on his phone was black from waiting and Dust Bunny was curled up in his lap, keeping him warm and purring in a ball. He still had those files to read over to see exactly who was infected, but for now those could stay by the door. He’d get to them tomorrow for certain, work or no work. Right now though, he had a simpler though no less pressing task to attend to. Zeke would focus on his boyfriend and his reaction to the news that his own sister hadn’t told him yet - news that would change his life as well as the younger man’s own. The screen lit up as Zeke’s thumb pressed down, making a short beep until the phone registered he wanted to call the saved number under speed dial.
One ring…
Two ring…
Three ri--
“Hey there handsome~”
The phone call continued on for ten minutes with light chatter between the two men and Zeke coaxing Brad to come over with the assurance that his bed was cold without him in it. He hung up with the Italian on his way, giving him at least an hour or so of time to prepare. Zeke looked out his bedroom door at the shadowy wall across the way, biting his lip with worry on how to start that conversation and almost hoping the answer would appear there. He’d be totally truthful but he wasn’t expecting a smooth conversation to begin with. No matter how it began or went, regardless of what Brad said during or after his speech, he’d already gave his word. Hell, he already thought of the Raevan as his and it hadn’t even started to develop yet! Zeke laid his hand against Dust Bunny’s back as thoughts of spiders and viruses echoed in his head; thinking once more on what could come from two such things.
He could think on it all he wanted, but it wouldn’t be the lasting combination - this he was certain given Alex’s determination - but no matter what the soul, the Essence would always be the same. He now knew the possibilities of this fel virus, curse seal or not, but he’d still do his best. Like Alex and the mysterious Dr. Kyou, the veterinarian had no idea what the future would hold until it was on his doorstep, but he wasn’t going back on the words he said earlier in the day at the coffeehouse. Everything spoken there had come from the heart and the Raevan child would always have a home with him, no matter how those who had been infected treated it. Until he or she was born though, he’d make sure he and those involved were prepared as they could be - starting first with the man closest to his heart.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:46 pm
The V-Files There was a soft click of ceramic on wood as Zeke set his coffee down. Sitting next to the red mug on the coffee table was a manila envelope whose contents made the off-yellow paper look stuffed and unable to hold more. To the right of that still was just a regular notepad - the kind used for planning with boxes of various sizes on each page - and a decent ink pen brought from work. Zeke plopped himself down on his futon, rousing his pet kitten from her nap as he did so. He didn’t notice her movement as she stretched and reconfigured herself in her spot, his light brown eyes surveying his materials and finally coming to a stop on the envelope.
It had been a week since his meeting with Alex in the coffee shop, a week since she had used an analogy and finally propositioned him to take on both a part time job at the Lab as well as a future Raevan, and yet he hadn’t had the chance to view the contents his sister had given him until now. Work seemed to claim him for itself all this time and now he was finally - gratefully - getting a moment to himself. While most would take the time to catch up on some missed TV shows or lounge about, Zeke knew he couldn’t do just that this particular weekend. Time would be devoted to reading about events that had taken place only a few months ago, jotting down notes, and beginning to prepare for what he had agreed to take on.
“Self Replicating Virus…” He murmured the Fel Essence’s name aloud, remembering how the contents of the vial glittered and almost danced in an innocent and otherwise unsuspecting manner. The purple cloud wasn’t necessarily evil - just did what came naturally and was programmed into it by whatever power originally created it - but the veterinarian was certain each of the infected in this folder and their caretakers clearly saw it as such regardless.
That wouldn’t do.
In his mind, while the virus caused so much harm (harm he would be reading about shortly and throughout the afternoon) it wasn’t inherently evil. With that thought, he was certain whatever was born from the virus and soul captured couldn’t be evil either. Like he told Alex in the coffeehouse, while the saying was ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ he’d read and seen enough to know that wasn’t always true, and no matter the risks that could possibly be around the corner, he’d make sure that the Raevan-child born in the aftermath was raised in a home where it would be loved. No matter what.
His hands gripped the envelope and worked at the waxy red string that held the contents inside. He’d also make it his mission to introduce the Raevan - his Raevan - to all the names listed in this file, so they could all see that nothing bad could come of the virus. The soul would…The soul. Alex liquefied a spider with the soul bottle and the body had been so crushed and flattened that Zeke couldn’t determine what kind of spider it was. It was big though, so most likely a female, and she had peeled off the Lab’s linoleum floor. Alex said she would leave a note to her boss about releasing that one and getting him a new bottle, but since Zeke hadn’t heard a thing from her since, he had a feeling the spider would be his Raevan’s soul. While he had the idea to get something not-dangerous, he was aware not all spiders were poisonous or even that dangerous. He held onto that hope and maybe it would work out after all. No matter, he’d stick by his guns one hundred percent.
Spider and virus though…
He shook his head. It was done and regardless of specie the Raevan would always have a home with him. Him and Brad, actually, when talks and moving happened. As Zeke drew the papers out he thought about the talk he had with the older man. He hadn’t seemed happy, no matter how much he tried to deny it, but Zeke knew. He could also sense some animosity directed at Alex when the younger man spoke of her asking him and despite what he had said Zeke was certain Brad had given her a talking to. Despite all that though, the Italian man was sure of his younger lover’s skill and they had ended that conversation on a positive note.
He cleared his head of the Italian’s visage as several files were in his hands now. All of them were weighed down slightly in one corner thanks to paperclips holding the individual cases together, but he didn't hesitate or think on that just yet. Instead, Zeke drew them to himself, automatically flipping through the tops for one particular name.
“Zul…Zul…Cordelia. Well that‘s pretty.” Another shake of his head. He’d think on the eloquence of each name after he was done reading about the virus infection and each one’s symptoms. He found the demonic Frei’s report two clips after Cordelia’s and Zeke hastily pulled that one out and set it on the far side of his coffee table; face down. That one he’d save for last. The rest tapped their bottoms neatly against the hardwood surface before they were laid flush against it, Zeke grasping the top report as his other hand retrieved his notepad and pen.
Name: Vyn xxxxxxxxxx Guardian: Ethan Blake
Soul: Rose xxxxxxxxxx Essence: Living Shadow
Gender: Female xxxxxxxx Stage Infected: Frei
Date of Outbreak: October 17th, 2009
Symptom Start Date: October 29th, 2009
Pen scribbled against paper as Zeke copied the header down. The date of the initial outbreak was written down on the inside cover of his pad instead as that would not change throughout the reports. Since he had just started the veterinarian lingered on the Frei’s name and the two key elements of her creation.
“Rose and shadow,” He wouldn’t begin to imagine her appearance as that would distract from his task, but he was sure the Raevan was beautiful with such a combination. “Twelve days of no symptoms or zero infection between the outbreak and her first symptoms.” Again, more scribbling as he did the mental math. On the floor and against the arm of the futon he rested on were several medical and science textbooks. They were worn tomes, used when he was an undergraduate, but out of many pages were scraps of torn paper, each one marking a page or pages where virus information could be found. It wasn’t unusual for sickness to hibernate for a few days to a couple weeks, so so far nothing was out of the ordinary in regards to Vyn.
Zeke’s eyes flicked down the page, noting the lack of dates lined up with the symptoms shown. It was possible her guardian could recall when she first started not acting normal, but not the later times as the Frei succumbed to the virus’ effects. He was likely more concerned with her wellbeing than the dates, but the progression notes would have been helpful. Zeke would have to hope the other guardians were prompt about their charge’s deterioration and that Vyn‘s guardian listed her symptoms down as they occurred over time.
Symptoms Displayed:
-Mild lightheadedness
-Aches and pains at joints
-Increased temperature
-Slight physical alterations (incl. petals developing on cheeks ; thick rose musk (attracted swarms of insects))
He had to stop there. It was all rather normal; Vyn had shown signs of a common virus like the cold or the flu. Nothing out of the ordinary till that fourth symptom.
“’Slight physical alterations, including petals developing on cheeks and a thick rose musk…’” He had to read it aloud to fully grasp what he had just read. Already it was clear this virus was unlike anything known to humankind. It could cause such a change in a Raevan too, so he could see why Dr. Kyou would take that extra precaution and seal the virus’ abilities away under a magic curse. There was no mention of the petal development (and possibly peeling he figured) caused bleeding or physical pain to Vyn, so that didn’t seem so bad other than the fact her developed smell attracted droves of insects. Zeke put a star next to symptom four in his notepad; that would likely be a special case for Vyn and Vyn alone.
-Slight aggression
-New feeding technique : Photosynthesis (caused build up of green skin tone due to chloroplast dev.)
-Delusional
-Desire to be wild
-Heightened emotions (Passion; Aggression)
-Inability to control powers
-Complete loss of human comprehension
Vaccine Discovered: November 25th, 2009 xxxxxxxxxx Vaccine Received: December 7th, 2009
More scribbling; a neat doctor’s scrawl legible to Zeke and very few else left in the pen’s wake. With no time line he could only begin to figure what her deterioration rate was. After the ‘Vaccine Received’ date was a full report of what Mr. Blake experienced and saw as Vyn underwent the virus, longhand to compliment and detail what he could recall of his Raevan‘s affliction. Zeke read through the pages entirely; jotting here and there where something seemed poignant or just a good fact to have down. When he was done he rested Vyn’s trial down on the manila envelope; the endpoint for all these files. The veterinarian then collected his coffee cup and raised it to his lips, drinking deeply of the hazelnut flavored beverage.
So far it seems it tailored her symptoms - the physical ones at least - to her rose soul. It could be just her, the files would tell truth soon enough, but already he could feel that Vyn would not have been the only one who acted like her soul. The virus was amazing, though of course intimidating. An illness that made the infected revert to their basic instincts, so far so to make them even take on characteristics of said soul. A Fel virus that seemed to cancel out the Fel Essence of a Raevan; at least until this rose Raevan’s powers went out of control.
“Though even then, what if it hardwired her brain to react to outside stimuli?” Ethan’s report said he had been trapped in the kitchen of his penthouse as Vyn’s powers had reacted violently to his and their dog’s presence. She had created tendrils of thorny vines and effectively tore up her own home with no regard to her action. A defense to protect herself? Or was it one to protect the virus itself from the vaccine…? “That‘s far-fetched.”
The debate if a virus is an organism or not has been waged; most writing it off as not because viruses could not reproduce on their own. They needed host cells from humans, animals, plants, or even bacteria to do so; injecting their genetic material into the cell, taking over, and creating more of themselves before breaking out to start the process all over again. Despite that though, this Fel virus could, can, and does reproduce by itself - the small yet decidedly massive cloud of contagions located in that glass vial a testament to it. Did that make it - them - an organism by that standard that write off all the rest? Zeke couldn’t focus on that to wage a single-man debate, his hand already reaching for the next file.
Name: Xiu xxxxxxxxxx Guardian: Hazeline Lee
Soul: Pi Yao xxxxxxxxxx Essence: White Blood
Gender: Male xxxxxxxx Stage Infected: Frei
Date of Outbreak: October 17th, 2009
Symptom Start Date: October 17th, 2009
“Xiu,” He began, incorrectly pronouncing the Frei’s name as “Zee-oo”. The veterinarian hadn’t the foggiest idea what a Pi Yao was, but he had a feeling it wasn’t a plant, even though each report had a distinct lack of photographs of their listed Raevan. How would this effect the male Frei’s symptoms shown would be seen, though he hoped it wasn’t as bad as Vyn’s case. Looking at the dates, it seem Xiu was present at the time of the infection and was one of the first to catch the virus.
Symptoms Displayed:
-Aggression
-Inability to think rationally
-Increased strength
-Acting on instinct
Vaccine Discovered: November 25th, 2009 xxxxxxxxxx Vaccine Received: November 25th, 2009
There was no more in regards to symptoms after that and despite the ones listed Zeke felt a surge of gladness at it. Despite being one of the first infected, the viruses effects on this Raevan weren’t as severe as Vyn’s. Zeke read the corresponding report beneath while sipping on his coffee again. He made a note in the margin that Xiu had been taken to the Lab mid-infection and kept there, so he was the guinea pig for the cure as it were. It was possible the sterile environment had helped as well, but the vet wasn’t about to jump to conclusions. This Raevan’s file also contained some notes from Dr. Kyou as well, detailing that the vaccine was hydrogen sulfide and what happened after Xiu was treated. Injection, sleep, blood work, and he (like the rest of the Raevans after him) was fine. The notes on Xiu and the notes on Vyn were compared and Zeke tore out a sheet from his pad. Atop the header line he wrote ‘Similar Symptoms’ and jotted down ‘aggression’ as well as ‘delusional/instinct/loss of comp.’. He tacked tallies up there as well, two slash marks next to each so far. Once he was through each and every file he’d transfer that back into the book, but for now this was easier. Next up...
★ ★ ★
Ten other files later and Zeke was finally done. Even Zul’s file, as that was now the top sheet of the pile, sitting there as plain and innocent as the virus in the Lab vial had done, but in fact containing the horrors Alex and her charge had gone through for over a month and a half. Zeke’s right hand throbbed dully and the knuckle of his ring finger was red from him holding the pen steady against it. The sun outside was setting, early winter evening bringing about night rather than twilight. Dust Bunny saw her chance to get a petting in and started to rub her head against that cast aside appendage, but her master made no move to rub the kitten down.
It had been a month and a half of heck and back for everyone, not just his sister. Some cases were not as heavy handed as Zul’s, Vyn’s or one called Eirdirsceol, but they were still hellish he was sure. Cordelia, the one with the pretty name and a basilisk for a soul, had just been born the exact day the infection got out. Just a baby, but the right place and wrong time. She would likely have a hard time getting over this obstacle after all her symptoms and what went on as per the report. Zeke rubbed his face with his left hand, relishing the warm darkness of his palm.
Aggression, delusion, attacks on guardians, new powers and the loss of control of them…One little cloud of pathogens did all that and more. It was ludicrous, but one shining factor was that it kept to Raevans and Raevans alone. It didn’t make it any less horrible, that he was sure, but at least it wasn’t able to be transferred to humans or animals like rabies. There was damage, but if the virus was so widespread, that would only be increased by billions.
Like after Alex showed him her arms - one of the damages done by Zul - his stance about taking care of a child that could (by heredity) likely be as dangerous as its parent, but was still uncertain, was once again shaken. He knew what he was getting himself into then and that there was no turning back now, but he couldn't help it. This virus… Another toss of his head and he took in a deep breath, calming his nerves. The soul was captured and it was likely the Raevan was starting its growth into a bust within one of the large experiment tubes as he sat there. He knew this Raevan would have no one if not for him, and Alex only came to him because he was the only one she could trust. Like he had thought when he started, the virus wasn’t evil like a villain was. It was doing what it could to survive, even if it can replicate on its own. Viruses had been doing that for millions - if not billions - of years right?
"..."
Zeke looked hard at the paper-clipped files. Regardless of soul, regardless of the symptoms shared or otherwise before him, he would still care for this Frei. Its viral abilities would be sealed away (Alex assured him that Kyou was quite the strong warlock) and there was a likelihood that the contagion was like chickenpox - get it once then never again - especially with the vaccine. He wouldn’t let them label his Raevan as malignant for something a raw Essence did. He could feel it in his gut that he or she wouldn’t be like that. He’d do his damnedest to make sure this being had the best life it could and that no prejudice or hate for something it didn’t do would linger in its wake. He gave an assured nod, once more sealing in his promise to his Italian sister, before he drained his coffee cup, looking into the bottom where the dribbles pooled against the base edge.
Seems that now was the time to concern himself with names.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:50 am
Check Up and Chatting
Participants: Ethan, Thorn, Vyn, and Zeke
Location: Durem All-Animal Clinic and Care
Type: {PRP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
With lunch about to start, Zeke is surprised but willing to take a last minute check up at work. He's rather glad he did, as the patient in question is Thorn, the black pug belonging to Vyn! As he gets to work, Zeke starts the first (but not the last!) telling of the creation of the Virus Raevan. Vyn reacts negatively to the news, but other than that, the check up goes smoothly!
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:33 am
Name Game{Part One} Clicks of a computer mouse mixed into the air that was littered with the opening and closing of doors, footsteps on linoleum tiles, and the copious amounts of animal sounds drifting down from the lobby, exam rooms, and kennels. Zeke’s lunch hour was in full swing and despite the door being shut, the sounds of work and life outside still filtered in around him. While his right hand was manning the mouse, his left was idly spearing bits of tangy orange chicken with his fork, eyes held completely by what was happening on his laptop screen. A single tab was open on his browser - a baby name registry and index.
Some time had passed since he had first cracked open the affectionately dubbed ‘V-files’, and despite figuring at the end of that first read that now would be the time to think up names for his future Raevan, he had been hard pressed to actually come up with a sizable list. Each time he had sat down in front of a spiral bound notepad with a pen at home, no names - male or female - had stuck with him. Something made up would be no good and names like Dan or Cindy were just too plain for the spider and virus being developing in a laboratory on the Isle. No, the veterinarian figured, the Raevan would need a unique but pleasant name. Something all their own, no matter its gender, that would make it stand out amongst its peers but hopefully not too much, since that had already happened given the future Frei’s Essence. What would he name him or her? What would fit? True, appearance would dictate a lot, and maybe the Raevan wouldn’t look like a Mani or a Michaela--Zeke’s cursor clicked the site’s homepage icon. The M’s weren’t giving him anything inspiring or eye-catching, so he wouldn’t linger there any longer. The veterinarian sighed lightly, turning his attention from the screen to his heavily-laden fork to pull a chunk of meat and sweet sauce off the prongs.
What would fit? Before he decided the internet would yield the best results he had already thought and scratched out any and all names relating to both soul and essence; even by extension. No Arachne’s, Vira’s, or Webb’s here, thank you very much. His or her name would be his or her own, though in truth Zeke hadn’t been clicking individual names to see their meanings. Why give up a perfectly nice name just because it meant ‘Of the Ocean’ or something? Plus he was sure no one really cared about the meaning anyway and face value was important instead. What you signed on paper was what mattered, not what said signature really meant.
“Hmm…” The hummed sound passed his pressed together lips as he chewed, now back to the screen and watching his cursor spiral rapidly around the horizontal list of letters at the top of the site’s page. A through Z and he had already visited C, Z, J, P, and M. Near his equally spiraling mouse was his notebook that contained his writings from the files, opened to a page with ‘Boys’ on one side and ‘Girls’ on the other. The former’s list was considerably longer than the latter at eight to three, but Zeke was working to even the score. As he took another bite of his meal he settled his arrow on O and let himself onto that particular page. The index happily told him in gold and pink boxes that this letter had six pages of O-starting names. He opted to cut that down a bit, narrowing the search to girl-only names. Four pages remained, so the bi-color haired man set to work.
Olivia‘s nice, His hand moved from the mouse to his pet and jotted the name down. He didn't have to scan too far or even click onto the next page of names to find another candidate. Ophelia… Down the name went beneath the other in his neat scrawl. He saw no other decent ones for females under O, so he checked males. Only the name Owen stuck and once it was down he was hovering above the alphabet again.
“Might as well get rid of the vowels,” He said softly, food tucked up against one cheek as he spoke and chewed at the same time. The arrow trailed back to the start of the list of letters and settled on A. Twenty-three pages of A-names including unisex names. Like with the O’s he cut down the list to girls only, and was left with sixteen pages instead. “Jeez…” Time to get cracking.
★ ★ ★
A half hour later he had gone through most every letter on the website and had compiled a neat list in his notebook. Several names on both sides had been scratched out as he found better sounding replacements and now each side was about even with one another. In the end, boys edged out with just two more than the girls, but Zeke didn’t mind. Now came the hard part - narrowing down each list until he had five or less names on each side. Looking up and down, he was able to cross a name or two off each, but the rest sounded too good to get rid of without him thinking he’d regret it later. What to do? As he licked the orange chicken sauce off his lips and left fingers Zeke’s office door burst open and one of his coworkers spilled in, clutching the door handle.
“Hey Zeke, staff meeting before you leave tonight. Don says it’ll only be about fifteen minutes or so, but he wanted me to give you a heads up just in case he wasn’t able to get to you first.” Zeke turned around in his chair, beaming at the older man.
“That doesn't sound so bad. You can assure him I won‘t slip off without at least sticking my head in.” He grinned and the colleague departed, shutting the door a little too forcefully so that Zeke’s whiteboard toppled from its hook. The metal and plastic board made a hell of a clatter when it landed and Zeke flinched away from it as though he would be hit when it fell. Once the sound came to an end Zeke turned his swivel chair all the way around and bent at the waist to pick it up. As his fingers touched the metal frame an idea struck him. If he had such a hard time narrowing down the results, why not run a poll to help do just that? His coworkers almost always came through for him before so…Why not? The whiteboard he had in his hand now was much too small, plus it had some affectionate doodles on it left by his beloved when he had stopped by while the vet was in surgery with a patient. Then again, a white board might not be the best idea, given the results could be accidentally smudged away. Zeke placed the item back on its hook and plopped back down again. Dry erase pens would smear and be wiped off easily on their board, but on paper the results would be safe. He swiveled back to his computer, nabbing sheets of paper out of the printer’s loading tray. He pulled two off the top of the few he grabbed and tilted them vertical before writing a single gender noun at the top. A line beneath that separated the header from the rest and Zeke printed the names down in neat block letters. Once that was done, a third sheet was pulled and he jotted down the announcement and his idea.
Hey guys!
Seems that once again I’m stuck being indecisive with something and it so happens to be narrowing down two long lists of names into a handful between one and five each. So, instead of floundering around all by myself, I decided to run a little office poll instead! All I need is for each person to make a tally mark next to the name(s) they like the best for both ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls'. It’s a bit strange, I know, but it’ll be a big help to me in the long run. The poll is running without a stop date so far, but please only vote once so the results aren’t skewed.
Thanks in advance!
--Zeke
He held the paper up when he was done and blew on the ink though it dried automatically after each stroke was made. The pierced man fished some clear tape from a desk drawer and made his way to the door; opening it and taping all the sheets up. The announcement - written in red dry erase marker - would be a good beacon to draw attention to itself and the two lists beneath. Once they were all secure and he was satisfied, the young man tossed the tape back on his desk and shut his door once again. In the hallway now and due back to his patients, Zeke pulled a wet wipe from his pocket and cleaned off any lunch, marker and saliva lingering on his hands. He looked over his shoulder once as he started to walk down towards the lobby, smiling faintly at the colored words on stark white paper. His first results would show up that night.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:20 pm
Making Others Aware
Participants: Xiu and Zeke
Location: Hazeline's bookshop
Type: {PRP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
On a hunt to find replacement textbooks that Dust Bunny happened to chance upon and destroy, Zeke ends up stopping at the bookshop run by the guardian to Xiu, another one of the previously infected Raevans. After making the Pi Yao Frei aware of the situation at the Lab, some apprehension follows but ultimately leads to Xiu agreeing to meet the yet to be born Fel Virus Frei when it arrives.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:29 am
Crocodile Kisses
Participants: Anita and Zeke
Location: Lab 305
Type: {PRP - FILLED DROP OFF}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Zeke's first real job for the Lab comes in the form of Anita, a young woman who appears at the Lab to drop off her Forceful Mistletoe Essence and a crocodile soul. Anita meets the still-developing virus Raevan and soon learns of the Essence's past, but to Zeke's surprise she doesn't shun the being like those who were infected have so far. Maybe the Frei will have a chance at friends after all.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:13 am
Can You Hear Me? When Anita had departed from the Lab, Zeke plopped himself back down behind the receptionist’s desk and got back to working on his project. The words the young woman with the future crocodile Raevan had left him with made the vet’s heart swell with a variety of emotions - all of them positive.
"I hope they can be friends,"
“Me too, Anita. Me too.” His smile that was once bright and welcoming now settled to a small and somewhat fond state. His Raevan - still growing within the tanks just a hallway away - now had a chance to have a friend. He wouldn’t - couldn’t - jump through hoops to bring the previously infected Raevans around, but with every Raevan after it, maybe it would have a chance at some normalcy and acceptance. Even then though, he would still hope that those who were under the influence of the virus would come to see his Raevan wouldn’t be dangerous; virus or not, spider soul or otherwise.
But we‘ll cross that bridge when you arrive, Raevan.
He pulled out the markers he swept into the right side drawer and flipped his sign back over again. The bold, black ‘Hello’ was crisp and sharp against the white of the paper, which was almost painful to look at for too long. Some color would be added now to combat that and hopefully pierce through the murky liquid that the developing Frei was submerged in. Even after lingering near the tank with Anita and seeing how dark the shape within was thanks to the water, it still didn’t cross the pierced man’s mind that the Raevan was likely unable to read or even see in there. Its eyes were likely not even opened yet, but he was too excited at being able to monitor his own Frei-child as it developed that he remained blissfully ignorant of the fact. He was getting a golden opportunity after all. What other guardian (aside from the good doctor himself) got the chance to see their Raevan grow within the tank? He felt very lucky on that front and, in his head, maybe he could establish a bond with the being before he or she came into the world. As he put orange marker to the paper he chuckled at the idea that he must seem like a proud mother hen.
“Hopefully I won‘t be too like mom…” He said, starting up once more with his self-assigned task.
In a short amount of time, Zeke had completely covered his sign in assorted waves, squiggles, shapes, and colored lines. He capped the last of the markers and dropped it in its place before lifting his work up, admiring what he had done. For someone who was rather “art dense” Zeke thought he did a pretty nice job. Even with the oranges, greens, blues, reds, and purples the neat block print still shined out strong and may just be able to be seen despite the murky fluid in the development chamber.
Excited, the receptionist took his artwork and skedaddled from the lobby back towards the laboratory. The scent of sterility was stronger back here, every surface past the tight-sealed, sliding doors kept pristine to avoid contamination of the things that went on. As Zeke adjusted to the change he could just make out the door to Dr. Kyou’s office between two of the inactive tanks. Beyond the door was Anita’s mistletoe and crocodile, waiting for the scientist to come back and start them on their journey to becoming new life. From there, the faint inner glow of his Raevan’s tank drew his eye and as he approached he had to wonder which of the other tanks would house the crocodile for however long it took him or her to grow. His own was flanked with a tank on either side, so maybe the Frei’s neighbor would be close to it.
Close neighbors, close friends perhaps? He thought to himself on a lark, carefully stepping over the various pipes, cords, and other things coming from each tank and then together into a sea of roots at their bases.
Like when he had Anita here, the water inside was murky but lit dimly with inner waterproof lighting so Kyou could examine the being’s progress. The Raevan - only formed to just below its collarbone before the rest spiraled off into a long ribbon - was a featureless, genderless shadow within. Even from outside, one could tell the glass windows were thick, but Zeke still moved and lingered near with caution. The last thing he would want to do is jeopardize his Raevan’s life or Dr. Kyou’s research. It was almost like when Alex presented the Essence vial to him the day the soul was captured. He only pressed a finger to the vial, but did not trust himself to pick it up fully. In this instance, he would do the same first action (though using his full hand), but be mindful not to attempt any other sort of contact with the tank.
“H-Hey there.” He pressed his sign to the glass, but was careful not to hold it too high so his purple and green framed face could be seen. If anyone were to walk in now (and not yell at him to get away from there) they might think the twenty-five year old insane for talking to a creature that at the moment amounted to a fetus. Not just a fetus even, but one sealed behind a half a foot of protective glass and surrounded by water as well. “Keep…Keep growing okay? I want to meet you outside the glass someday soon.”
Zeke lowered his sign, sucking on his lip ring for an idea of what to say next. In his time he had seen enough people talking to pregnant women's bellies to assume this would be something of the same thing. Raevans had no real gestational period and he wasn’t sure how aware it was in there, but…Maybe just talking to the Frei, being with it and saying things that wasn’t the technical mumbo-jumbo it would usually be hearing from Dr. Kyou would be beneficial in the long run. Maybe, by some chance, he could establish a bond with it while it was in the chamber. Maybe when it was born, it would know his voice.
“You‘re going to be amazing, I know it.” He smiled as he spoke, looking up at that for-now genderless face with hair just starting to sprout on its scalp. Inside the tank, the Raevan gave no response, but it continued to move ever so slightly in its limbs. Was it dreaming…Or was it because of the water that suspended it? Maybe it was just some reaction to its mind beginning to fire off electric signals and impulses. …Could it even hear him?
“I‘m gonna be the one to take care of you when you‘re born. I - heh - I‘ve got a cat. I think she might like you, but hopefully she won‘t use your ribbon as a toy like she did with Zul.” A pause. “Zul‘s another Raevan here. Like you, but different and older. I think you might see him first when it‘s time for you to go home with me. I think he‘ll like you from the get-go.”
The smile spread wider across his face, Zeke turning his gaze down to his hands which still held his colorful sign. Feelings of affection and pride welled up from the pit of his stomach and he guessed this is what it must feel like to be a parent, though his “offspring” wasn’t yet here. Spiders and viruses be damned.
“You‘re gonna have your own room. It‘s got a nice view, and the neighborhood‘s pretty decent too so you wouldn't have to worry about looking outside and seeing a bunch of trash in the street. Neighbors can be a bit loud on the weekends, but they are'‘t so bad otherwise.” He looked back up, beaming with all his attention on and only for his Frei. “Listen to me going on about stuff…You wouldn’t have any idea what outside is, would you? Well I‘ll tell you about it, so you can know a bit beforehand!”
Even if his legs got tired, Zeke would still continue on. If he lost track of what to say, he’d make up a new stream of sentences about himself and everything the Raevan would soon be a part of. And even if it didn’t know or remember he had said all of this, that’d be okay. Because…He had the chance to speak with it. Not many other caretakers could say that. He let go of the sign and raised his hand, pressing it against the glass with certainty in his brown eyes. No matter what happened…
I‘ll do my best with you. I promise.
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 3:56 pm
Fel Outbreak II?
Participants: Cordelia, Ebony, and Zeke
Location: Lab 305
Type: {PRP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Near the end of Zeke's shift at the Lab Ebony Shade and her charge Cordelia burst in with news about another Frei named Lucia. Believing it to be the virus, Cordelia demands to see Dr. Kyou, who is unavailable at the time. When Zeke learns of the basilisk's assumption, he breaks the truth with explosive results from the snake, but surprising understanding and kindness from her guardian.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 11:18 am
Twice the Glow
Participants: Anita and Zeke
Location: Lab 305
Type: {PRP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
While occupied with cleaning and dancing to the beat of his own electronica drum, Anita drops by the Lab to visit Zeke with a bribe of sweet sweet donuts. After sharing in the spoils of Anita's generosity Zeke takes her back into the laboratory itself with a surprise in store - a tank for Anita's Raevan is aglow! This spurs quite the Q&A session between the two with even Zeke getting a few questions of his own answered by his pigtailed companion.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 9:55 am
Blossoming Anew
Participants: Phiel, Zeke, and Zurine
Location: Lab 305
Type: {PRP - PICK UP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Left with a new task is quite exciting as Zeke waits for a new guardian to arrive to pick up the new Ice Rose Raevan Zurine! Once he meets Phiel Cereus, Zeke takes the bodyguard down to meet his new Frei and quite the lovely thing she is too! Documents are signed, a name is given, and soon guardian and Raevan are off on their journey together, leaving Zeke more than just a little jealous (in a good way)! Take care of her Phiel, Zeke knows you can!
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Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:47 pm
It`s Electric!
Participants: Ripley, Rong Wei, and Zeke
Location: Lab 305
Type: {PRP - PICK UP}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Working during the week leaves Zeke with the task of rehoming a second Raevan to a new guardian. Said guardian, a woman by the name of Hu Rong Wei, isn't exactly what the young part time employee expected. Despite that, she was picked, and is soon introduced to her Raevan; a male Sphinx now named Ripley. Rong Wei clearly isn't pleased by what she sees, but does end up taking the Frei home. Zeke, however, is left feeling...Concerned.
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Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:48 am
Spring Cleaning Click!
Kkkssssh…
“Hurt, can’t work, and your insurance company won’t pay?”
Kkkssssh…
”--so the spring line up for the Aekean Aeros is looking--”
Kkkssssh…
“This is a test of the channel thirty-four point five weather alert syst--”
Ksshhh…
“And He will come down and rain fire and brimstone upon the nonbeli--”
Kkksssssssssssssssh…
Sssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhh….
“And welcome back to Mix one oh two point one, the only home for all your rock needs!”
“Finally!”
“I’m your afternoon host Don Macintyre and let’s get this beautiful Durem afternoon hopping with a Bowie classic from nineteen seventy-four - ‘Rebel Rebel’!”
As soon as the song title came over the air music started pouring from the speakers of the radio sitting on a wooden chair the young man had hauled in from the kitchen and that was now propped against the clothes dresser. The volume rose as the dial turned right, Zeke’s dual-colored head bobbing to the tapping of drum sticks and the chords being played on electric guitar. A line of “doot doot doot” started up as he pulled away from both the radio and the chair, pajama bottom-clad hips swaying to the beat and carrying him backward in the direction of the bedroom door. Arms, shoulders, and the rest of his clothing-less torso joined in soon after, the lyrics and tune coming from the dual speakers playing right up his alley. Zeke danced his way toward his ‘instruments of dirty destruction’ - broom, dust pan, sponges, various rags, bottles of cleaner and polish, and new box of trash bags lined up against or sitting on the bed - the plumes of dust finaly settling down since he tossed the items onto the unused surface. The young vet nabbed an electric blue bandana off the foot of the mattress, keeping his hips swiveling as he tied it around his purple and green hair then tucked his bangs beneath the lip and off his pierced brow.
“There,” he trilled over David Bowie’s singing before grabbing a rag in one hand and a black plastic trash bag in another, “now to get started on this place!”
The virus Raevan still had weeks or even months to go before it was born but the fact he had to get his two bedroom apartment ready was not lost on him. He probably could put this off for ages given the Frei’s now-slowed growth rate, but procrastination wasn’t a boon to anyone. He took the day off for a reason after all and while the warm sunlight was filtering through the now-opened windows - trying to coax him to go outside for awhile - he had his task and was going to see it through. It was only five rooms after all, he’d have plenty of time once he was done! Still dancing to the beat of his own drum Zeke surveyed his first work area of the day from the foot board of the bed. The side tables, dresser and the window sills all had a slight layer of dust covering them and the light coming in through the glass of the windows on the opposite side also seemed a little bit grimy. Zeke looked around, clicking his tongue stud against the roof of his mouth at the sight. This was the “big room” as he had dubbed it last night - the room that would be given the most attention to detail out of the rest of them. He didn’t like how it looked, not the dustiness of course, but the fact it didn’t appear lived in at all. He never had a reason or excuse to come in here, so the door was always kept locked and the room was still the same as it had been since he moved in, just plus a coat of light tan dust. That would change soon enough. Itt was his job to get it ready and maybe once he was done, it’d look a little livelier too, despite going to remain uninhabited for another long while.
“More dust than I thought." He muttered to himself as the box of black bags slipped from the mattress and fell to the floor; the action causing dust to rise from both the bed and the hardwood at the same time. Zeke waved his hand to keep the microbes away from his nose and mouth, moving across the flooring toward the dresser once more. The large wooden chest was near the closet that only separated his room from this one by a thin wall between. A breeze came in from the now open windows and over here it didn't smell as stale or dry. Never before did the smell of a city seem pretty damn decent. This would likely be the only time though, at least until after a long rain that made everything smell clean and new. He let the breeze ruffle the longer, tied back parts of his hair for a few moments before turning toward his task.
First up was the closet and dresser drawers. The part time Lab employee was imagining just how many mothballs he’d find in those areas of the room, his own had held enough of those smelly balls to fill at least two boxes to the brim and since then he had always wondered why the previous tenant had needed so many. No matter now. If they were in fact here, he’d clean them out right and make sure no trace of the poison remained. Absolutely none. He may have been a man who did prefer leaving his clothes in a pile the moment he got them off rather than a hamper and that didn’t mind the occasional dust or dirt in small places, but with the Raevan still at the forefront of his mind daily he’d work his fingers to the bone to make sure its new home was spotless, safe, and prepared. He’d also work as long as it took but the fact his schedule offered little in the ways of breathing room already made him want to get this done in a single-day gauntlet. He'd have to hope he could do that, but if it took more than a day, so be it. Armed with the bag and the rag from the foot of the bed, Zeke pulled open the first of the chest of drawers. The scent of cedar wood, stale air and - of course - mothballs came out but the first drawer was quite empty. There were some cobwebs lodged in the back corner but they were cleared out with a single swipe. The spider that made it was nowhere to be seen and the veterinarian quirked a small smile at that fact. There’d be a spider in this room soon enough, and he imagined he or she would be able to make more than just flimsy, unorganized string art. The rag was run around the entire inside of the dresser and the walls lining the basin; picking up dust, grit and what was probably once bug chitin. The same was repeated for the next two drawers (with each of those yielding a handful of poison balls a piece) and soon Zeke was on the last - and largest - compartment. This one wasn't as easy to pull out; the wood having warped during its life or just been made too snug for the frame. Either way, tugging on the metal handles wasn't giving the veterinarian any results past an inch or two of space. He wasn't sure how to unstick wood from wood either.
"Jeez," he said as he sat before the finicky drawer, knees bent and legs spread enough to give him some base as he tugged, "way to be a pain in the a**." While some people would likely call a friend, neighbor, or even a carpenter (as Zeke's father was), Zeke's independence as well as want to get the room clean as soon as possible had him improvising ways to prop the shelf open. The option of just buying a new one was in his head, yes, but the fact he'd have to clean this one out before tossing it that overruled the idea first. Oh how things worked. His first idea was simple enough in theory - use the broom handle to knock around in there and, hopefully, dislodge anything that could possibly be stuck. He knocked and prodded, successfully bringing to light there were in fact mothballs in the drawer. Not just a few like in the drawers above this one, but at least a box full.
"Why on Earth...Would someone need that many?!" Zeke stared blankly down at the off white spheres which unlike their housing had remained somewhat crisp in coloration. He could smell them from here too. It was disgusting and he wished this room would vent a little faster but it couldn't be helped so far. He had to get the drawer open after all and the smell would likely get worse once it was free. Zeke shook his head. He didn’t have time to waste if he wanted to attempt to make his goal after all! The broom was knocked around the inside of the drawer once more and after it was pulled out the part time Lab employee tried again at the handles.
His results barely changed. The wood squealed as he squatted down and yanked on it but his efforts only freed about another inch of cabinet. Inside, the mothballs rolled around when their prison came to a sudden stop and released more of that stink that made Zeke want to pinch his nose shut with a clothespin. He gave the metal handles a few more quick tugs until his palms started to hurt from his grip around them, his skin there turning a light but stinging red.
Maybe I‘m going about this the wrong way. He shifted his stance until he could see the left sideboard of the drawer, looking at how very little space there was between the frame and the slat of wood. It was the same on the right hand side as well but this board showed some light discoloration from being pulled against the pieces that held it in there. He grabbed the sides of the front panel and gave those a shake. Maybe rattling it side to side while slowly pulling out would work. It disturbed the balls inside but without enough space between, Zeke merely succeeded in giving himself most of the shaking. This was so frustrating! Enough so that the vet was pretty much tuning out the radio altogether and nearly jumped out of his skin when something soft and furry brushed by his arm.
“Gah!” He whipped his arm up and away from what had touched him, recoiling away as well though his head turned toward the intruder. His eyes landed on Dust Bunny, who had retreated to hiding behind the ajar bedroom door. Her half-hidden, returned gaze was baleful; as though she wasn’t pleased he hadn’t been happy to see her and scared her back here to boot. “Dusty! You scared me!” His reply was a high pitched mewling, telling him off for what he had done. The young human chuckled at her, but as she tried to come back in, he waved his arms at her to make her stop and hide behind the door again. “Can‘t come in here kitty, I‘m cleaning. There‘s stuff in here you can‘t get in to.” His warning fell on deaf ears - she was a cat after all, she had selective hearing - but instead of entering she just sat herself down between the door and the frame, watching him with off-green eyes and her bottlebrush tail curled around her feet. Her master’s attention went back to the clothes-keeper he was seated in front of; Zeke giving it one last heartfelt tug before waving at it in a way that meant he gave up for now, then got to his feet. He had more room to cover. And, like he had planned, his next task was the closet.
“Lessee,” he murmured as the door for said closet was pulled open with ease, “what we have in here…” The cord for the light hanging from the closet ceiling was tugged on and after a few flickers the bulb - and the small space - was lit up. The closet was too small to be able to walk into far, but large enough to hold a fair share of the clothing of the person who used it. Unlike Zeke’s on the opposite side of the thin wall, however, this one was empty of garments. The only things occupying the room was the metal bar for hangers to be placed upon, some more cobwebs (and in greater numbers than the dresser, that was for sure), the obvious dust, and a few old, rickety clothes hangers. Much to his surprise was the lack of the mothballs. Surprise and relief, what a feeling. He dropped the rag off to the side and fetched the broom instead, first taking the old metal hangers off and tossing them all into the bag. He’d buy a package of new ones later, it was already on his list of things he’d need to buy in the kitchen. Once all of those were removed, the broom was sent in to take care of the webs. Dust clung to the walls and as Zeke swept it fell to the floor in plumes. He coughed as what fell was then sucked out of the window, pausing the actions he was doing to cover his mouth. Last thing he wanted was dust in his mouth and spit all over the place. He closed his mouth tight, lips making a thin line that was only disrupted by the quick rise and fall of a metal ring, before going back into the closet with the broom to sweep the fallen dust out. A short pile was made inside before the broom was positioned behind it, the hill spreading out into a rope-like shape as it was pushed. As the wave crested the barrier between dark and light and Zeke had left it in the latter, a small spider that had become caught up in the sweeping scuttled free of the grit. The man was distracted with getting the rest of the dust out of the closet that he didn’t see it, but the small body’s movement wasn’t lost on the cat still seated between the door and the wall.
Her eyes had been on her master, still looking at him with disdain, but the scuttling motion was just barely noticed out of the corner of her eye and that was enough. Dust Bunny’s head turned, and even with the length of space between her and it, she could clear as day see the spider wriggling out of the dust pile and then across the floor toward one of the nightstands. The tip of her tail twitched and her pupils contracted all the more, watching from her part of the room. The spider was struggling with mobility - the dust having gotten into its multiple eyes and clinging to its otherwise off-black body - and Dusty realized her prey would be an easy capture. She didn’t think twice to look at Zeke and didn’t pay attention to the sweep of the broom or the chatter of radio commercials, but instead struck out to pad cautiously across the wooden floor. Her steps were slow and silent and her body lowered to the floor when she made quick stops as though the spider had seen her. A triangular ear twitched as Zeke started singing along to the song on the radio, but otherwise she remained still when down.
On the other hand, the spider kept moving. To it, a few quick steps for a human from the closet to the bedside table was practically infinite and salvation seemed no nearer than it had been once the arachnid gained its bearings. What’s more, even half-blinded by dust, its instincts were saying it was being watched by something big, predatory, and hungry. The spindly creature had to make the cross-room run into hiding before the beast lashed out and it was made a meal. As a common house spider, it would be powerless to stop any assault from any giants and it was in this moment. A step from the human that had brushed it out of his home made the ground beneath its eight legs quake and the spider was rocked to and fro. It lost its momentum and teetered to the left, and in that moment of weakness the beast that was stalking it took her advantage. What would be a simple ‘mrrrrow!’ to Zeke was like the roar of a jet plane engine to the arachnid. A few pounds of weight to a human hand was tons to a spindly body, especially as that weight shifted forward onto the front paws. Somehow the spider wasn’t crushed, but the paws from the cat cupped around it instead - the beast wasn’t a professional hunter just yet. Darkness with one major point of light surrounded the spider for a blink of a moment before light overtook the senses again. To say the spider was ‘disoriented’ would be putting it lightly; the world was covered with a white glare but then suddenly darkness came over again. The change of dark to light and back again continued with the spider trying in vain to get away, only to be covered up once more. Salvation was no closer, but death was probably plucking at the web right about now.
‘Fun‘, however, was the correct word for the kitten. Excitement flooded her small form as she toyed with the eight-legged body between her front paws, watching as it tried in vain to regain its bearings and take off in a straight line. Her tail was twitching enough it could probably be called ‘wagging’, but between her forepaws and that fluffy appendage the rest of her was coiled up and still. She wasn’t (being or naturally) cruel or evil, she was just herself and doing what her instincts told her to do with the small, defenseless spider. She was slowly teaching herself what to do when she caught something, learning how to become a hunter like her ancestors and larger cousins around the world were, but until she finally came upon that primal knowledge these actions were merely a game that would probably end in the creature before her becoming an early afternoon morsel. She was feeling up for a snack she figured, allowing the spider to escape her paws (get a start at running away) before she was hot on its nonexistent tail and repeating the same pouncing action she had done with the first capture. This time though, her body didn’t remain low and still. She kept herself up, batting the spider to and fro between her feet, watching as it could barely get up before she smacked it back the other way.
By this time Zeke had finally become aware of his cat’s presence in the room again. He was leaning against the broom, the bristles bent slightly before the pile of dust he had collected, watching Dust Bunny toy with something he couldn’t quite see. She let whatever it was escape again but pounced once more on it, head finally dipping down to end her playtime.
“Dusty…” He said in a low, slightly annoyed tone. The cat‘s head swiveled around to look over her shoulder, something thin and kicking poking out of the corner of her short muzzle. “What did I tell you before?” The Maine coon’s tongue swept the last bit of spider into her mouth and she finished it off, turning around to face her owner before sitting down on the floor. Had he said something? She couldn’t recall, but he wasn’t smiling. Wasn’t frowning either, but he was holding a broom and giving her a look. Whatever he wanted could wait though, she had to clean herself now. She was dirty from hunting and snacking; the floor dust having gotten onto her feet and the bib of fur on her chest and this was a priority to her.
Zeke wasn’t having that though. The broom made a clatter as it was rested against the wall, trash bag and pile of dust momentarily abandoned as the vet swooped in and scooped his pet up. His action was met with an indignant chorus of meows, Dust Bunny digging her nails into his hands for ruining her preening time. She never bugged him when he was grooming!
“Dusty you have to stay out of the room.” Zeke’s tone was filled with finality as he set the cat out an arm’s length away from the door. Not one to be told what to do, the kitten turned around and, with an air of superiority about the way she held herself, started to strut back toward her owner and the inside of the room. She instead met the door, shut with a light ‘snap’. Zeke could hear her clawing the wood and making various noises that he had shut her out of exploring, but it had to be done. As he passed the bed he grabbed the dust pan, sweeping the pile up into it and then into the trash. “As of…”
”Welcome back to Mix one oh two point one! It’s still early at one twenty-four p.m. so let’s keep the afternoon rolling with another round of hits from the eighties, nineties, and today!”
“Now I have the closet cleaned and three out of four dresser drawers done as well. Next…” He looked around the room again, even casting his eyes up to the ceiling and down to the floor. Kitten toes and his own footprints littered the floor and he still had the broom in his hand. Task found. The dust pan was left on the floor and the closet door left open so the space could vent along with the room, but Zeke moved away from both, broom sweeping over the tracks and erasing them quite effectively. Any dust beneath the bed and nightstands would be ignored for now, but soon enough they and the dresser in the room would be moved around to allow Zeke to clean beneath and behind. Like when he was cleaning the closet Zeke started singing along with the radio, voice challenging the one of the paid professional in terms of volume rather than skill. Soon his sweeps were mimicking the beat, dust and grit rolling along the floor in a line that matched the length of the broom’s head. Several small piles became a handful of medium sized ones which in time became two decent sized dunes - one on each side of the room. The floor would need a bit of scrubbing and maybe some polish before it would truly be done but even with just a sweeping the room looked better. The dust was swept up into the pan and then deposited in the trash, Zeke brushing his palms together over the open to get anything remaining off his hands after tapping the plastic pan against the bag’s side.
With that done, Zeke put those tools off to the side, fetching the rag from in front of the closet where he dropped it and then padding over to the bed. He fished through the multiple colored bottles of cleaner - wood, all purpose, tile/linoleum, metal, and glass - before nabbing one of the latter variety with a squeeze-n-spray nozzle. As the song on the radio died off and there was a pause between it and a commercial, Zeke could hear that the clawing at the door had stopped. Dust Bunny had gotten tired, bored, or just given up and wandered off to curl up in the living room, he figured. He was also figuring he would be quite ignored later, but that was a small price to pay. She’d be back and wanting his attention soon enough, especially when she would want him to fill her bowls. Zeke didn’t keep with that thought for long, his feet carrying him to the first of the two windows to pull the glass shut and start to spray it. Two grips on the handle was all it needed and he waited with his foot tapping to the beat of a song he hadn’t heard before as the gravity made the chemicals slide down the yellow-tinted surface. Once the dregs got nearly halfway down Zeke started to rub the rag against the glass, strong circular motions with his left hand working the cleaner into the glass and ripping the grime away. Another spray was needed, but soon the bottom pane was clean. The top soon followed after Zeke put the radio on the dresser top and dragged the chair over. Actions were repeated for the second and when he turned around to face the room again the entire place looked brighter. He grinned; it really wasn’t that hard.
Sills, side tables, bed, dresser, and the heater that ran beneath the windows were all given the cleaning treatment. Areas previously cleaned were double-checked, furniture was moved and dust was eradicated. The mattress and box spring for the bed were now leaning against the wall, and the horribly yellowed window shades were thrown in the trash, allowing more light than ever into the empty but jumbled room, though the light itself was dimmer than it had been as afternoon had given away to early evening. Zeke sat on the chair that had been dragged around the room more than its fair share of times, carefully tilting it back on two legs and balancing as he spoke on the phone.
“Yeah, I can‘t get it unstuck. It‘s pretty much wedged in there tight enough that it won‘t budge past a couple inches.”
“You try jostling it side to side while pulling?” The voice of Zeke’s father asked after his son explained the only real dilemma he had had so far during his cleaning spree. Now that the room was pretty much done, he could settle back down on that drawer and let that pride streak that had prevented him from calling earlier cool its heels. And who would know better than a carpenter?
“Tried it. It wouldn‘t budge, there’s literally no breathing room between the sides and the dresser itself.” Zeke was staring hard at the offending drawer, willing it with his mind to fly out of there, but of course that didn’t happen. He sighed lightly. “I already plan to get a new one, but the drawer is filled with nasty a** mothballs and I doubt I‘d be smiled upon with that in mind.”
“You could lie you know.” Both men chuckled at that. “But I could make you a new one Zeke. Half the cost and better craftsmanship--Hello dear.” There was a pause, Joshua’s voice was lower as he held the phone out and away from his mouth, talking to his wife briefly while Zeke waited with a faint smile. Josh could be on the phone with the Queen of England discussing new age bands and he‘d still pull the phone away when his wife came into the room or home. “It‘s Zeke…Your mom says ‘hi‘.”
“I say ‘hi mom‘.” His smile turned into a quick grin as words were exchanged between his parents then his father’s voice came back in full volume.
“But anyway…I can make you one. I’ve got a bum leg, not a pair of bum arms,” and before his son could say otherwise, “how about this? I’ll drop by tomorrow, take a look at it myself and see if I can’t jimmy the thing open or apart. I’ll even clear it out for you too if I do get it free. If, after I do all that, attempt to fix it, and it still sticks on the way out, I’ll take it all apart, haul it out, and it’ll be out of your hair. Your freaky, freaky hair.” The two men laughed.
“Well, I can‘t really say ‘no‘ to my own dad huh?”
“Nope. Not saying ‘no‘ means you‘re slowly repaying me for helping to give you life.” Another laugh from both of them, with Zeke shaking his head in amusement as well.
“Okay. I‘ll leave the spare key with the front desk and make them aware you‘re coming over. Just be sure Dust Bunny doesn‘t get out when you come in, she‘s sneaky.”
“Done and done Zeke.” A pause and more talking to Nancy on Josh’s end of the line. Zeke took the time to stretch and get up to rattle the drawer again to no change. “Oh yeah, before I let you go since your mom wants to go out tonight…Why you cleanin’ that room all of a sudden? Last time I asked you said you didn’t need the room, even to store your junk and now you’re just cleaning on the fly."
“There‘s a reason, but it‘s a bit of a surprise.” He didn’t know how his father would take the news of a Raevan over the phone, even if the older man‘s speculating would yield possibly crazier results. Even living in Gaia with all the weirdness going on, the existence of such creatures was still more than a little farfetched, so seeing would really be believing in this case. He’d be sure to introduce his family to the Frei when it was born, but until then, better to just place it in the ’surprise’ column of excuses. “I‘ll be sure to let you and mom in on it when it happens, but for now let‘s just say I was bit by the cleaning bug. What do you say?”
“I’d say you’re a weird kid, but then again you always have been. All right, cleaning bug it is Zeke. I should be over some time late tomorrow morning. The room’s the second one on the left, yeah?”
“Yup! Right as always dad.”
“S’not what your mother says…”
“Joshua!” Zeke flinched for his father when he heard that.
“Whoops…Okay I’m going before I vanish mysteriously in the night with no trace. Key with the front desk, and it’s the fourth drawer on the bottom.” Zeke confirmed both again. “Okay, can do. I’ll see you then and your fridge will probably be stocked once I’m done since she knows I’m going over there tomorrow. Night Zeke.”
“Night dad, and thanks!”
There, that was done. The room was clean - even smelled it too now that the stale smell was gone - and the dresser would be taken care of. He’d have to talk to his father about making a new one since he really didn’t mind buying one from a store, but other than that Zeke was pleased. With a grunt the younger man heaved himself from the chair, hand raising and pulling his bandana off his head. His main focus was just lacking the minor touch ups, but all in all it was done. The rest of the apartment was up to bat next, but for now Zeke needed a break and a meal. All supplies were left where they stood or laid and the vet let himself out of the room, door left ajar so the cat could come and go as she pleased. Zeke wouldn’t mind now; leftovers and a cup of something bubbly sounded real good, and with a movie even better.
“Time for that well earned break.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:26 pm
It's Got A Head!
Participants: Anita and Zeke (Text Messages)
Location: Over the Phone (3/28/10)
Type: {MSN PRP}
Status: Complete
----- From: Anita
Zeeeke can't come today how are things?
Call: Anita
12:46PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Hey! And that's okay, things are well. Big changes since last time!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
12:48PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Big? How big! I'm so excited!
Call: Anita
12:53PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
XD Big as in it's got a head!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
12:54PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
OMG! Any obvious gender?
Call: Anita
12:57PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Not yet. The water's murky so that kind of hides features. I'm sure once it grows a bit more it'll be obvious though! X3
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
12:59PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Damn you murky water~! How about yours? Progress?
Call: Anita
1:06PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Murky water - the bane of us all! XD Still slow going around the torso, but it's grown more in the arms!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:10PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Arms! They both really want to stay surprises, don't they?
Call: Anita
1:14PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Yes they do! I bet they're getting a good laugh out of us not knowing one way or the other. XD
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:15PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Have you nailed down a name for either gender? I'm still looking.
Call: Anita
1:19PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Not yet, but my poll is going pretty well. I do agree with some of the popular votes on either side. Find any you like yet while looking?
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:21PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Mm, I guess for a girl I like Jordan... I can't imagine it being too girly with the soul it has. Stuck on boy names.
Call: Anita
1:24PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Jordan's nice! And it's a two-way name too, so there's that. What letters have you searched for boys?
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:27PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Yeah, unisex! A-H so far, there's so many!
Call: Anita
1:32PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
26 letters, billions of names! When I was looking, I tried narrowing it down by searching for gender-specifics only. Maybe that'll help you?
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:35PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Probably. I didn't want to go too girly with girl names, but strictly male names should be easier!
Call: Anita
1:38PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Makes sense, since you've got a /croc/ for a Raevan soul! And I hope it works for you! Advanced Search is your friend XD
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:40PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Waiting is so haaard~ I wonder if a name will just click for us when they're born.
Call: Anita
1:42PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
It is. I've been keeping busy, but I can't help thinking about it too! I wonder too, but I'm gonna try and have at least two names for each gender picked before then.
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:46PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
I'm gonna try and have two names, too, then! Maybe you can help me pick? I can't do a poll like you ):
Call: Anita
1:49PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Sure! I'd be happy to help. Anytime you have your choices, I'd love to see what you pick. :3
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
1:52PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Mom isn't helping much on names lol. What's your current top two?
Call: Anita
1:55PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Aww! And mine are Dorian and Jericho for a boy and Sophia and Anastacia for a girl. Though there's a few others that sound really nice, I can't remember the rest off the top of my head.
Call: Zeke
1:59PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Oh wow! The boy names are so cool! The girl ones are really pretty! I think my votes are Jericho and Anastacia
Call: Anita
2:01PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Thanks! X3 I tried to not look at the meanings since you know something pretty could really mean something outlandish or weird, but I'm happy with the choices. And I'll take your votes to mind too!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:06PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
I keep looking at the meanings. Should stop that I guess. Not like most people look at the name meanings when naming their kid anyway. : D Yay!
Call: Anita
2:08PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Well you don't /have/ to stop, but maybe try just looking down the lists without clicking on the names to see. Should get you through the pages faster at any rate. And right!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:11PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
True true! Well, the search continues, then! Thanks for the updates, wish I could've stopped by today.
Call: Anita
2:14PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
You're welcome! And hey, don't be down, there's another weekend coming up soon and you're free to text or call me when you need to or want to meet up!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:16PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Thanks! I'll definitely try to come by next time, but do you wanna hang out sometime on a less professional level?
Call: Anita
2:18PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
That sounds like fun! After today I'm gonna be going in earlier to work this week, so I should be out earlier as well. Maybe we could meet up then for lunch or something?
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:24PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Sure! My day off is Wednesday this week, does that work?
Call: Anita
2:27PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
That sounds fine to me! You live in Gambino right? I'm a Duremite myself.
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:28PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Durem! Used to live in Durem. Wouldn't mind visiting. We can go somewhere for lunch there? Suggestions?
Call: Anita
2:31PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Awesome and sure! Hmm...Anything you prefer for lunch? There's quite a few places depending. :3
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:33PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Mm, tough. I like hot foods, so maybe a restaurant or diner? I like meats~
Call: Anita
2:35PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Hmm...I know of a hole-in-the-wall sort of place off Cherry Street called LeAnn's. They've got pretty much everything - soup, salad, sandwiches, hot food, cold food...Good stuff if you're interested!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:39PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Ooh, that sounds good! Hole in the walls usually have the best stuff, too!
Call: Anita
2:45PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Yes they do! And that place has outdoor seating so if the weather's nice there's always that! X3
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:46PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Cool! I'll Mapquest directions. So see you there on Wednesday?
Call: Anita
2:48PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
Yup! Wednesday at lunchtime, I'll be there!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:50PM 3/28/10
From: Anita
Sweet! And thanks again!
Call: Anita
2:54PM 3/28/10
From: [LAB] Zeke &
You're welcome Anita! Take care!
Call: [LAB] Zeke &
2:55PM 3/28/10
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:45 pm
Dawn Till Dusk
Participants: Vivi and Zeke
Location: Vermillion Bakery; Isle de Gambino
Type: {PRP - DROP OFF}
Status: Complete
--- Summary ---
Thanks to a week of taking early shifts, Zeke gets off work at times that are much more pleasant for the young veterinarian. The first thing he does after a long shift? Drop off a soul bottle and vial of course! The task leads Zeke to a Gambino bakery and there he meets Vivi LaCelle - the newest Lab guardian. After breaking the good news Zeke is pleased to find Vivi is more than just a little excited about the project which makes him happy to no end. The conversation the two share turns momentarily to the still-growing virus Frei and Zeke finally realizes just what sort of spider Alex caught those months ago at the Lab. Despite that tangent though, the meeting ends just as positively as it began and Zeke takes home a 'thank you' in the form of a lovely opera gateau!
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