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 Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 1:17 pm
With a quiet nod, Duncan took the essence bottle from Zeke and studied it closely, going so far as tapping gently on the glass to test its durability. Though there was no smile, there was a plain and studious face as he picked apart every detail of what Zeke called 'floating rain.' If it were any other time, Duncan would have unraveled for hours about how beautiful it was, but instead he silently tilted the bottle and couldn't help but notice each droplet, of which there were dozens, shying away ever so slightly from his touch. As some formed together, others separated from sheer force, and each slight movement allowed light to flow through and let water glimmer beautifully.
"An Essence is one half when it comes to making a Raevan. The other half deals with this," when Zeke spoke up, Duncan had to nearly pry his attention away from studying the essence. He stared at the shadow cast by the glass, now on Zeke's desk and the wall behind him, and the tiny little spots of light the rain made. It was a relatively slow proess for him to turn back to the Soul Glass, and he gingerly settled the essence onto Zeke's table, for now, and listened intently.
Duncan nodded, though solemnly, and looked closer at the rich red cloth on the soul. "I see... yes, very interesting. This bottle, how would it capture any soul? It looks like the container is readily openable."
He scratched his chin, "You did mention a plant or an animal, but stone and metal as well... you might have to explain the concept of this soul to me, if that is alright. Of all my years of discussing what a soul is, no description was quite the same, and I never would have known I would have to work with physically obtaining one," he laughed, "How long might the Laboratory have been around?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:46 am
With the question about the Soul Glass uttered, Zeke was right on top of it - low voice still present as though talking about a secret.
"It actually doesn't open, at least not by our hands. Soul capturing...it's kinda like magic in a way." A gruesome seeming magic, but magic all the same. "You just place the bottle down next to whatever you want to capture and over a period of moments to maybe days, the soul will be absorbed into the bottom of the device."
It was here Zeke hoisted the heavier of the two objects out of the case, standing again and holding the bulbous end out to Duncan to show he meant this area. When he was certain Duncan had gotten the point - not pausing for longer than a couple of heartbeats - the vet held the Soul Glass to his chest and using his free hand, moved the case from the desk back to the floor. Once the area was clear, he set the item he held down on the table, letting Duncan do as he pleased with it while Zeke took in what the older man said next.
"Mmm...It might be hard to describe since I've only seen one capture myself," he looked at Duncan and nodded his head over his left shoulder, meaning Anya who was now absorbed in her knitting to pass the time and wholly ignoring the boring Lab work Zeke was attending to. "But from what I've read and talked to the other staff about, a soul is like the life essence of a natural thing. Let's say you wanted the soul of a flower for your Raevan. If you put the bottle next to that flower, the bottle will absorb the soul of it...but then the flower will wilt and die."
Again he paused, looking at Duncan as he said that last line as though that would be the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a serious thing after all, a life for a life, even if it did end up becoming something as wondrous as a Raevan. Reservations and perhaps even protests were to be expected when it was laid out on the table like Zeke just had, even a little.
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:23 am
"A soul is like the life essence of a natural thing."
While Duncan was marvelling at the bottles, that sentence was what really stuck. His expression dimmed significantly in light of how enthusiastic it seemed before, but the fire hadn't completely gone out: he'd never seen a contraption like this in all his years on Gaia, not even during his time at the universities or as a lab assistant.
In truth, Lab 305 before this very meeting seemed more an adoption process than anything else: it made him nervous, it made him review his previous mistakes as a too-absent father. While those still held true, and there was no getting around the butterflies in this stomach, it was truly here and now that Duncan realized how truly unique this opportunity was. He gripped the Essence tight in his lap before placing it on the table, staring solemnly at the floating droplets glittering against the sunlight.
For a moment, there was silence, a vacant space and only time Duncan felt he could reject politely. But he couldn't get himself to refuse that essence in front of him, already alit with life and with so much potential.
It was a responsibility and a curiosity-- a job and an opportunity to steer his family back into the right direction. Whether he had to take a life, big or small, he selfishly couldn't let this pass.
He nodded, returning to a keen smile. "It's a difficult task, but I believe I can do it. With some thinking, of course," he chuckled, "And some luck, right, Mr.-- ah, Zeke?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:27 am
The silence pressed against Zeke's ears as his words faded and while Duncan was clearly thinking what was spoken over. The vet fidgeted in his seat ever so slightly, caught between intrigue and some worry as time ticked by moment by moment. No Guardian had ever turned the bottles away before, but - as with life in general - there was always the chance for one. This feeling continued right up until Duncan met the raver's eyes and gave him a smile. Zeke immediately stopped squirming then, and his face lit up as the older man chuckled and spoke his piece.
"Right," he nodded, a renewed beam on his lips as he reached out to pat the Soul Glass before him. He felt happy - even in the face of such a premise, Duncan wasn't turning away. In fact, judging by what he had just said, he was ready for such a challenge. It warmed Zeke's heart and his hand made its way to the older man's shoulder to give him a clap there.
"I guess I should tell you...well, warn you I guess, that sometimes capturing a soul can be an accident."
The vet's eyes passed from Duncan's face to the cloth on the bottle over to the basket of fruits and vegetables that sat to the side. Tomatoes and apples stuck out like sore thumbs in that moment and the vet pulled one of the latter out to demonstrate.
"Like I said a bit ago, the cloth on the Soul Glass dictates what sort of soul you can catch. A black cloth will catch a black soul, while a multicolored cloth probably offers more freedom as to what you can get." He gestured to the Soul Bottle with his empty left hand. "Your cloth is just red, so you're kinda restricted, but on the flip side you'll probably start to notice just how many natural things are red and that'll open a LOT of doors."
Zeke chuckled and presented the apple, holding it out to show Duncan just how shiny and red the fruit was - all while keeping it as far away from the Soul Glass as possible.
"Putting thought into a capture is a great thing to do and I think every Guardian does it. However, if you're not careful and leave the the bottle near something red and natural, the bottle will suck its soul up without warning. It'd probably do that right now if I put this apple down on the desk." To prevent such a thing, the vet set the apple back in its basket and dusted his hands off as though some sort of red residue would cling to his palms when he let it go. "A lot of the Raevans now were the result of accidental captures, and I figure Dr. Kyou knows how to get a soul that's not wanted out of a bottle, but better to be safe than sorry in the first place."
As Zeke knew all too well, things could get lost in translation. He looked at Anya and remembered how he and Alex left her Soul Glass and a note for Kyou to find asking him to release the black widow. Something had happened - an accident more than likely - and the good doctor hadn't gotten the memo, leading to the Frei as she was now. Zeke wasn't complaining, as he wouldn't have his Anya any other way, but the possibility was still there, and as he had said - better safe than sorry, just in case the man found something he had his heart set on.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:18 pm
"On... on accident? That easily? Oh, my," he chuckled at the news: he didn't realize how sensitive the Soul Glasses were, and was rather grateful that Cerise didn't take a liking to red in the first place. In fact, now that he thought of it, his house was near lacking in most colors now save for the radiant array of plants available in his garden.
"I see... ah, I can name a few red things now, but they're all plants and maybe a ladybug," he chuckled, "Even the idea of stealing away a ladybug's soul, though... it's a difficult process, I can tell already, but I can assure you I can do the job."
He grinned and nodded again, lamenting, "I can do it, yes. It's... an honor, to be able to do something like this..."
Duncan hung onto that last sentence, and what he wanted to say struggled to make it past his throat. He strained himself, bit his tongue, and smiled at Zeke-- friendly though the veteranian was, he reminded Duncan of the young students he taught young ago as a professor. He couldn't get himself to let slip facets about his life, and the man couldn't help but feel almost embarrassed at nearly doing so.
He shook his head, "I apologize... I don't have a penchant for communicating well, you see, and I was a little nervous when I'd arrived here."
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Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 7:55 am
Zeke chuckled along with Duncan.
"Yeah they're surprisingly not picky. All it really takes it something natural with the matching color or colors and some time...Oh!" He sat up in his seat, a light of realization in his eyes. "That reminds me, sometimes these things can take more time than you'd figure. Generally that has to do with size, or so I've been told. Larger things might take more time than something small, you see." He made the appropriate gestures as he explained - hands spread wide to detonate a larger creature or object and then brought closer together for a smaller one. He wasn't sure how true this was in most cases - if he could remember right, Anita's only took an hour or two and that was a massive crocodile - but he did have plenty of experience with how fast the soul from a tiny spider could get sucked into the glass orb before them. Not even a minute or two had been required for that.
As Duncan went on to explain he had a few ideas for something red and then that despite the dauntingness of what was to come at some point in the future he was ready, Zeke had to smile again. He liked this old man who was generous, polite, and quite charming. As well, the man was making for a nice conversationalist, so it came as a surprise to the vet when the man sitting across from him suddenly went mum for a moment. Zeke raised a pierced brow at the sudden cut off, a bit of worry leaking in until Duncan regained his voice and offered an apology. The vet's face cleared immediately and regained its debonair smile while Zeke lofted a hand and shook his head to tell Duncan that no offense was taken.
"Don't worry about it," he said mildly, "but if you ask me, you've been a wonderful conversationalist since I wandered through the door."
His smile curved upwards just a little as he gave his compliment and a subtle touch of his own harmless flirting that tended to seep in once into every conversation he gave. This was added to as he stood and reached across the table to pat Duncan's shoulder once more, beaming at the older man before turning and reaching for the folder that until now had been neglected.
"I think I've explained everything I can for now," he opened the folder and slid a short, stapled stack of papers across the desk to Duncan; sucking on his lip ring all the while as he mentally listed what he said and check if he had missed anything. "But knowing me, I probably missed a thing or two in my excitement! If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask, but since I got the show-and-tell out of the way, all you need to do now is read these over, sign, and once I give you a contact sheet, you'll be all set!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:00 am
Duncan laughed at Zeke's flattery and shifted a bit in his seat-- he was never called much of a good conversationalist until he came of old age. It was fortunate in its own right, he supposed, though he wished he truly felt the same.
There were a slew of questions that fluttered around Duncan's head, but he was at a loss at where to start. He stared dumbfoundedly at Zeke for a bit, but adjusted the rim of his glasses and decided to nod along instead. Most of them concerned fears, a lot of them deep-seated, and he felt nervous enough already.
"Ah, no more questions, I don't think, but thank you."
He laughed. "I must say, though, Ezekiel, that your kindness is very much appreciated. It is difficult, being a doctor and all, but I've met so many heartless men lately. In hospitals and otherwise... so, ah, thank you. But oh, let me sign whatever it is I need to, so I can get out of the way faster."
Duncan always had a pen on hand, and this time he pulled one out of the protector on his windbreaker. "Is a pen alright?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:27 am
"Ah, no more questions, I don't think, but thank you."
Zeke nodded and felt satisfied by the reply. If anything, he felt as if he hadn't forgotten anything and that was always a good thing in his books. Besides, if he had and realized this later in a moment of clarity before jumping in the shower or snuggling into bed, he could always call the man whose information would be promptly added to the Lab's database when he left.
At the use of his full name, the vet's smile tightened just a touch before relaxing as Duncan went on with his statement. Zeke didn't speak for a moment as the older man's words sunk in, and he felt a touch of sadness mingling with his surprise upon hearing such things from the kind man's lips. It also awakened a bit of anger in him - who could be "heartless" to such a nice fellow like Duncan? Certainly everyone had off days where they end up testy and unintentionally terse with those they interact with, but this sounded like something other than that! All the same, he took a moment to reply and when he did, his first words were a little softer spoken due to being flustered by the surprise compliment.
"You're welcome, Duncan." The older man then produced a pen from his pocket and questioned him, making the vet nod once more with eager earnesty - it didn't take much for him to be back on the ball again. "That'll do just fine! You'll also need to date a few spots, but for legal stuff it's not a bad read."
As Duncan read and signed, Zeke looked over the bottles on the desk then trailed his gaze to Anya. The spider queen - alone but not forgotten - was still deep in her busy work. He looked between her and the two inanimate objects a few times, soaking in the nostalgia and reeling once again at how much time had passed from then till now. Soon enough another year would be out and her second birthday would be coming up and she would be two instead of just a year and a smattering of months...
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:27 pm
Duncan was fairly compliant of the paperwork. He was no quick reader, but he understood and digested things in a way where he memorized them for life. That much did not change since his professor years.
He handed the signed and read papers back to Ezekiel a few minutes later. They were neatly stacked and re-organized to their original order, as Duncan was very much a fan of keeping things tidy. He kept his pen out and unclicked, just in case, and smiled.
"Here it all is-- ah, is that really it?"
He glanced at the two bottles-- Duncan was eager to show his family it, namely to the Petit children, who had recently come back from England. It seemed a good idea to re-introduce them to the strange and unconventional this way.
Then, of course, there was Mordekai.
Duncan frowned-- he didn't want to explain to Ezekiel that his ownership was originally intended to be partnered with her daughter-in-law and her husband, and would keep it a secret for the next year. He was wary of telling others of his family's status. He would find any way to make his home stable, and no one else needed to know of his woes.
That was, at least, what he thought and prayed for.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:46 am
When the papers were handed back, Zeke gave them a cursory look over to make sure everything was in proper order. Upon seeing that the required areas were signed and dated as need be the vet nodded, smiled, and slipped the forms back into the folder from whence they had come. That would be handled more later, but for now Zeke placed the manilla folder off to the side and brought a hand to his bearded chin when Duncan questioned him once more.
"Let me think..." he trailed off for a moment, sucking his lip ring idly as he retraced his steps. Introductions made of course, bottle and vial, paper signing; all had been covered save for one thing. "I remember now. I need to give you that list of names and numbers!"
Zeke turned in his seat and popped open a drawer on his right hand side. There was the sound of papers being rifled through as he searched, but in a moment's notice he had what he required and pulled it out. Before handing it to the man before him, the vet took a blue highlighter from the cup at his left and marked four names at the top with a star next to each. In the process of doing this he missed Duncan's momentary frown, which was likely for the best given how if he had seen it, he would have asked what troubled the older man across from him.
"This right here is the list of names, addresses, and phone numbers for all the Guardians and their Raevans in the Lab." He slid it across the surface to Duncan, holding onto the top of the paper just to tap out the four names he had marked. "These four here are staff members; Dr. Kyou, Alex Vizcatti, Isikoro Delaran, and myself. If you have any problems, questions, or concerns you're free to call any of us at any time. My cellphone is this number here and it's almost always on. I only shut it off to charge it, but when I'm at my nine to five I usually put it on vibrate or silent. So if you call me and get my voicemail, just leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
He beamed across the desk as he released the paper and sat back in his swivel chair.
"Since we're always getting new people, we'll send you an updated copy every so often. You'll also get invitations to Lab social events and other such things in the mail as well! We try to hold gatherings at least once every year and they're really great places to get to meet a whole bunch of the Lab's family members."
With that being said, now Zeke was sure he had covered everything. He went over his mental check list again and nodded to himself at the end. Yup, he was sure everything had been covered and if he had had a moment of forgetfulness, he was sure he would be able to update Duncan appropriately. He let the man look at the list he had given him and then clapped his hands happily.
"So with that, I think you're all set, Duncan! You have your bottle and vial, the list...if you have anymore questions I'll be happy to answer them, but other than that...You're golden sir!"
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:56 am
Duncan paid special mind to the names Zeke called out and nodded humbly to the rest of what the man had to say in mind. He quickly skimmed over the list to see just how many Raevan guardians there might be, and noticed that he was one of only a few that didn't have an accompanying Raevan name next to theirs. The community itself was more tightknit than he'd expected, which was pleasing for him, especially at the mention of gatherings.
He looked up at Zeke and laughed, "This is definitely a lot to take in, Zeke, but well..." he glanced over at his bottle and vial, agleam with growing energy, "I haven't felt quite this excited in a long while. If I have any more questions to ask, I suppose I'll contact you by phone."
The man was so full of wonder that he nearly forgot to take the glass bottle and vial with him out of the Laboratory, where, at the exit, he said his final thanks to the young man and extended his gratitude to the project leader, whereever he was. The commute to Durem was longer than it was to get there, but it was more calming, given that he now had nowhere else to go for the remainder of the day-- as it were, all he had to do now was to return to the market and tell Mordekai of the news, then everyone else, if the response was positive. It was highly likely that Duncan would forget that he'd have to do even that, however, as he was listless, and it quickly begot its importance to another subject entirely.
He wondered if his Raevan would enjoy music. He hummed the remainder of the day, bemused.
END
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