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 Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:08 pm
"Duncan, hi," said Cesc as the man approached, his smile growing. He looked down at Aina as he heard his name, catching the smaller frei's eyes and winking. He didn't want to interrupt her conversation with Cruz, but wanted still to say hello.
"Vermillion is good," he said to Anita and to Duncan. "We're getting into a nice groove for the holidays and wintertime. Vivi and Shepard would love to have you guys over sometime, I know."
As Henry spoke, however, Cesc quickly dropped off his gift at the table and then scooted into the living room, ready to welcome the guest of honor.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:24 am
"I'm glad to hear it. I hope the cold is an inviting one, too; Rebecca was complaining about how torrid Gambino was all year. And the garden is doing well, thank you for asking," he offered a smile alongside Anita to Cesc as he spoke; his expression brightened at the mere mention of the bakery. "Aina would be nothing short of enchanted if she visited the Vermillion. Are you open on Saturdays? Oh-- hello, Henry."
Aina giggled as the Frei pulled her into a gentle hug; when he pulled back, she looked up at him with a shy smile. When Cruz glanced over at Cesc, she did, too; at catching the wink, she flustered and waved. Cruz caught her attention again when he held her hand, and when he mentioned Vivi, she nodded. Her voice was as serious as it was quiet. "Vivi is amazing."
When Henry made his announcement, Duncan glanced to the side to see if Aina was moving, as well. Amid her excitement, she looked rather lost on what to do when Henry ushered them to the room, and Cruz's offering his arm was well appreciated. Aina looked up at Cruz for assurance and floated into Cruz's arms to be carried. Duncan offered Cruz a smile and bowed his head before heading to the living room.
"Miss Ethiriel is here?" she asked in a loud whisper.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:03 pm
The wait was a short one despite how it seemed to drag with excitement; at least, it was for Henry. It felt like the Frei and his brother had been out all day, and while he was ready to get this party started, he also missed his family and wanted them home. Now, they would be greeted by so many friendly faces! It was almost too much for the nurse to handle!
There was a single, soft knock on the door; the sound of Gabe’s knuckle tapping the wood as he reached for the handle.
Henry readied himself, a huge smile plastered on his face.
The sound of footsteps and keys jingling were the first clear signs they were inside. Henry's brother waited for Ethiriel's full entry before shutting the door -- if the group wasn't in place now, they were out of luck.
The Frei hovered a couple of feet away from the door, the cake securely in her hand as she waited for Gabe to make contact once more. Normally, she would have felt her way into the other room on her own at this point but with the weight of the cake between her dainty arms gave her pause. Once she felt him, they moved forward.
Henry had actually been careful to use fragrance in the house, and with the baked goods and its icing, most of the scents of the other Raevans were masked.
Guided to the door, Ethiriel was immediately greeted by several floating silver decorations, and with Henry’s cue, a chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY that followed. If it weren’t for Gabe’s help, the cake would have fallen to the floor as the Frei’s surprise practically shocked it out of her hands. When the weight was no longer hers, a free hand met the lingering arm of Gabe’s against her own. Her gaze darted between each person’s silver with wide eyes, and immediately she could feel tears stinging her eyes.
This was all for her?
”Wh-what? I…” Ethiriel stammered, moved by each little sentiment that lied before her. She could spot everyone, for one, and while there was only a few of them this meant the world. She never expected so many people to come for such a silly ‘holiday.’
Henry moved forward and gently placed a hand on Ethiriel’s shoulder, allowing Gabe to slip free and place the cake into the kitchen. ”Happy birthday, Ethiriel!” he repeated.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:23 pm
Anita hung back with Duncan and Cesc for now, while Cruz stayed huddled closer to the front with Aina. The croc grinned to her inquiry, eyes locked on the open doorway ahead of them.
"Think so," he returned with just as little care to his volume. A soft shh came from behind them and Cruz turned to look at Anita with a finger pressed over her pleading smile. He nodded, then turned back to Aina with much the same expression as his guardian and mimicked the gesture. The excitement was still in his eyes and his heart was thrumming against his chest, against Aina, with unabashed eagerness.
And then, before long, there she was. Henry started their song and Anita faltered just as Ethiriel's hold on the cake did. Cruz swayed while holding Aina, his voice loud and coarse but the unbridled enthusiasm carried him.
"Thiriel!" Cruz chimed once they were done, floating over with Aina still in tow. He never met the man now holding the cake before but that was of little importance now in the wake of Ethiriel's presence -- and the starting of her tears. The croc's posture and voice softened as he reached a hand out for one of the silver frei's, "Aw, Thiriel... Happy birthday. Are you okay?"
His guardian pondered the same, lifting her chin to see around Cruz's head but for now decided not to intervene. It seemed like she was already getting overwhelmed.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:33 pm
Aina relaxed with Anita's soft gesture for quiet, too, though her eyes traveled between Anita in the back and Cruz and toward the front while everyone was waiting in silence, searching for an expression to take on. Some part of her was anxious for Ethiriel to arrive (why hadn't she yet?)-- and by the time the birthday girl did, everyone suddenly saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY stunned her into staying quite still and without a word in Cruz's arms.
A two, three second delay later, the Frei matched everyone with a "Happy birthday!" of her own, her voice a pitch higher given her excitement. She looked up at Cruz afterward with a giggle-- a job well done!-- and he floated with her in his arms to the girl of honor. When she noticed that Ethiriel was welling up, though, she immediately turned to concern.
"Miss Ethiriel? Please don't cry," she asked alongside Cruz; she noticed the cake and grew worried even moreso, "Oh no! Cake? You knowed already? Are you mad at us?"
Anita's concern mirrored Duncan's own, but he thought it best to stay back with her. He glanced toward Anita with a careful smile; "She'll be alright," he noted.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:41 pm
Cruz’s voice was the first to chime in, save for Aina’s dainty well wishes – both definitely pleasing to Ethiriel’s ears. The croc immediately approached and, with eyes on the silver bangles hanging from each of their necks, reached her hands out carefully for the two.
”Wh-y-yes, yes; I am… I am fine, and no... sweet Aina, I am not angry,” the tea frei stuttered, bringing up a hand to hurriedly wipe away the wet in her eyes. She cleared her throat and gave the most sincere smile she could muster, her hands eagerly meeting Aina and Cruz’s arms, giving them a gentle stroke before pulling away from both. She reached for Cruz’s face first, giving him two gentle pecks just beside his mouth. Then Aina; she offered a lingering kiss to her forehead.
The scents in the air still mingled strangely and Ethiriel couldn’t make out the other scent in the room, but she could definitely feel the warmth emanating from Cesc. With lightly knit brows she glanced up to his silver and gave him a smile, her arms still taken by the two fellow freis.
”You have all done this for me, I… thank you, so much.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:27 am
Cesc hung back as Ethiriel seemed immediately overcome by the surprise. Unlike Cruz or Aina, Cesc did not take her expression as displeasure or upset -- just shock, perhaps, but not an unpleasant one.
He waited, so as not to add to her feeling of being overwhelmed. He looked over at Anita and Duncan and smiled wordlessly, obviously pleased. The three freis looked well together.
After a moment, when Ethiriel's eyes went toward him, Cesc went forward.
"Happy birthday," he said, inclining his head to kiss her on on the crown of hers. He was careful not to jostle anyone from their positions at her side as he did so, pulling forward and then back again fluidly. "I take it they pulled off the surprise pretty well? Or you're a marvelous actress."
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:49 am
Ethiriel dipped her head lightly at the feeling of Cesc’s lips against her, her expression softening now that she understood what was happening.
”Indeed, it was well pulled off. I hadn’t expected a thing,” she said, her voice lifting in a small laugh. ”It really does mean so much that you have all done this for me. I could not ask for better friends.”
Henry, near the kitchen now, clapped his hands twice.
”Alright, guys! Until Ethiriel’s ready to open presents, it’s time to give the room to the Raevans! We’ve got cake and other goodies in the kitchen!”
The nurse really wished that the others could partake in cake and other festive goodies, but hopefully soon they all could, like Cesc.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:38 pm
Cesc's little kiss to Ethiriel made Cruz's core feel warm and he grinned at sensing a kiss right where he could see it. Instinctively, he gave a small one to the top of Aina's head too while keeping his eyes and attention on the birthday girl.
"Glad to be here for you," Cruz thrummed. He glanced around at all of the decorations, everything Henry put together for this special occasion, and grinned. He smiled at Aina, at Cesc, and then back to Ethiriel. "How you been, Thiriel? Everything good?"
At Duncan's reassurance, Anita gave him a quick smile. She agreed and folded her arms. They all would be, it seemed.
Henry's little announcement caught her off guard and Anita twisted to go grab the chip bags she brought in and neglected to bring to the kitchen. She wanted to say her own piece to Ethiriel, too, but she supposed Henry was right -- after all, there was plenty of time. His brother was already in there when she set everything down on the island. They acknowledged each other with a brief 'hey' but otherwise waited quietly for Henry and Duncan to join them.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:57 pm
Aina giggled in response to Ethiriel and Cruz's kisses, both, smile warm with delight. She looked between the three other Raevans, though her eyes focused on Cesc in particular at his greeting. When Ethiriel spoke positively in tune, she wiggled pleasantly and smiled.
"Ethiriel is a actress?" she asked; Aina glanced up at Cruz, curious, then back at Ethiriel, "Are you in movies?"
Henry's announcement took Duncan and Aina both by quiet surprise, but Duncan was quick to move with the others to the kitchen. He glanced back at Ethiriel and company, "Have fun, you three. All of us will be kitchen if you need anything." Duncan offered a small wave to Aina and she waved back in response. She would have been hanging Duncan's coat hem already if it weren't for Cruz, who provided her with enough security.
"Bye," Aina called out; she seemed lost, for a moment, until another idea grounded her into place and she gripped Cruz's arms in excitement. "Ah! Ethiriel! Ethiriel, you have presents! You open them?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 9:23 am
Cesc looked back momentarily and smiled as the humans drew back -- he had to admit that he never particularly understood the separations that humans tended to think was 'healthy' for Raevans; he spent 90% of his time with humans without complaint. Being told to spend time specifically with his own kind, he thought, only underscored their otherness, which he wasn't entirely sure was as healthy as humans seemed to think…
But then, plenty of Raevans seemed to see the divide as well.
Ah, well. It wasn't a punishment to spend time with people he rather liked, human or Raevan. And it would be nice to get to know these Frei better, ones he always meant to pursue his acquaintances with but never seemed to quite get right.
"That is true -- you DO have presents." Cesc smiled. "Barely a birthday without, I'd say."
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 9:55 am
Ethiriel smiled, possibly for the first time, wide enough for teeth to show as she beamed at her friends. There were still tears stinging her eyes, though happy, and she wished her arms were large enough to give all of them a hug at once. Removing her hands from both Cruz and Aina, she reached up for Cesc’s face to gently cup between her delicate fingers as he hadn’t been properly greeted yet, himself. It was hard to reach him with the other two so close, so the silver Frei settled with merely holding the stag.
She still hadn’t had a chance to talk one on one with the Sigel; she had been longing to ever since she heard about his growth – but perhaps this wasn’t the meeting to do so. It would alienate the others and that wasn’t what this party was about. Soon, maybe. Another time, another place.
”I have been well, Cruz. I must admit, things have greatly improved – daily, even. How have you been?”
She had already memorized who wore what necklace.
With a laugh, Ethiriel pulled away from Cesc to gently rest her hand on Aina’s crown, rubbing the raindrop’s hair with a thumb. ”I am far from, Aina, I assure you,” she laughed, her smile softening to a closed-lipped curve. Her eyes had relaxed as well, nearly to the point of closing, now that she was completely content with the situation. ”Oh my, I was not aware!”
Ethiriel looked back up at Cesc, or rather, his silver, and nodded. ”Perhaps I should open them soon?” she asked, looking back down at Aina with another loving stroke of her thumb.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:00 pm
As soon as Ethiriel admitted to not knowing she had gifts, Cruz's shoulders straightened. He glanced back at the table where all of the presents were collected, chin resting atop Aina's head in the process, then turned back around to face her.
"You got lots of neat things," the croc's words fell out of his mouth quickly. It didn't matter that he had no idea what was in those packages, he knew they were good and that Ethiriel would enjoy them.
And then she asked if she should open them. Cruz floated just a bit higher with his growing enthusiasm. "Yes," he affirmed. He gave Aina a soft squeeze and, for the moment, released the little one from his grasp closer to their stag friend. Cruz's short wings did not carry him quickly but the evergreen frei curled his fingers around the doorframe of the kitchen and smiled inside at the four humans.
"Thiriel's gonna open presents."
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:17 pm
Cesc smiled down at Aina as Cruz fluttered away, happy for a chance to get to talk to the child-frei properly. "Lovely as always to see you, Aina," he said politely, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze. He then ticked his eyes back up to Ethiriel.
"At least, I hope you got lots of neat things -- I hope you like everything. I actually made you some cupcakes, too, like I did at Cruz's, but Shep told me it might be better to wait to give them to you until you can eat them. Or until Henry tells me he'd like to, at least." His smile could be heard in his voice.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 4:37 pm
Aina smiled and giggled in approval up at Ethiriel at the affirmation. She brushed the top of her hair as her cheeks lit with warmth from the tea Frei's greeting, which made it a little easier for her to accept that Cruz was letting her go. She fluttered her wings with quiet excitement once she was floating by herself.
The rain Frei looked up at Cesc's gentle voice and waved back. "Hi Cesc," she piped up; when the stag returned to addressing Ethiriel, she ventured to reach around Cesc's arm for support while looking toward the presents. She gasped quietly at the mention of cupcakes, though, and glanced upward. Aina tugged a little on Cesc's sleeve, slightly indignant and a little unaware of what he'd completely said.
"You told Ethiriel your present...! But it's-- it's a surprise!"
Meanwhile, when Cruz peeked into the kitchen, Duncan glanced up with a plate of food in hand. He raised his brows but nodded courteously, careful to pick up a few more morsels before walking over to face the crocodile Frei completely. "Oh! So soon?"
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