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 Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:35 am
While the two of them chattered, Phoenix began chopping up vegetables, slicing away anything withered, bruised or otherwise unusable. "I suppose you're right! I'm so used to having the super fix everything, and I haven't had so much as a lawn to care for since I was a kid. I'd be calling my brother for help left and right!" He cackled while the pile of vegetables grew.
At the question of where he worked, he peacocked. "Have you ever been to Ambrosia?" He answered Oliver's question with his own, hoping the other man had eaten at his beloved restaurant at least once -- and enjoyed it.
Zoe's eyes widened at the pile of swimming toys. She scanned the assortment before settling on the snorkel masks. "Do you think anything lives in the lake? Not fish, but something bigger?"
She was thinking of her vacation now, and her mind was loaded with thoughts of what could live deeper in the lake. Granted, it was unlikely. But what was the harm in looking?
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 4:23 pm
While Phoenix chopped the vegetables, Oliver poured them each a glass of wine and opened up another drawer. He knew he had these silly little charms that helped you differentiate which wine glass was yours from the others, but he hadn't used them since the last party he'd had. After digging a moment, he pulled them out and fastened them to the neck of each glass. Then, he turned to offer one of them to Phoenix.
"Here you are, cheers!" He said, smiling, before pausing to consider his question. "Uh... No, I can't say I have been... What sort of business is it?"Once Zoe made her selection, Anna went ahead and grabbed a snorkel mask, her favorite inner tube, and a beach ball just in case they wanted to play. She placed the ball under her arm and linked the inner tube around her opposite shoulder, before her mouth opened into a small "o" at Zoe's question. Something bigger than a fish living in the lake? She wished! However, over all her years swimming at this lake, there hadn't ever been something too exciting found swimming in the lake.
However, the forest before the lake was an entirely different story.
"Well, we could look, I don't think I've searched the entire lake yet!" She replied, before her smile grew wider. "But, if you want to look for something else super magical, I can tell you that the path to the lake is where all of the fairies live, and I've seen some myself!"
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 10:28 am
Still using one hand to scrape bits of unusable vegetables away into a separate pile with the knife, Phoenix took the glass with a thank you and an ear to ear smile. "It's a Greek restaurant. I own it." While he said it casually, swirling the wine in his glass with a small hand movement before taking a sip, it was clear he was still very proud of this fact.
"You should come by some time. Bring the whole family!" There was never a day he wasn't trying to bring in more customers. But he really loved when those customers were friends. "What about you, what do you do?"
Zoe had kicked off her shoes and was testing the water with her feet. It was cool, but pleasantly so, as the sun kept the water just right. She stepped into ankle deep water before she heard Anna, and immediately spun around.
A few weeks ago she would have waved off the suggestion that fairies were real. But now she was open to just about anything. "Fairies? What kind of fairies?" The prospect of searching the lake for beasts was suddenly lost to her.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 4:13 pm
Oh, Phoenix owned a restaurant! Oliver didn't know whether to feel more or less embarrassed now. Phoenix had been so eager to help cook something and now it was no wonder. His cheeks flushed and he took a sip of his wine.
"I would love to, thank you for the invitation!" He replied, laughing. "I'll be sure to call in advance, of course. My family may not be the largest brood ever, but we can be loud when we're all in one place."
He took another sip of wine and placed it down before continuing.
"I'm an English professor over at Barton Community College," He said. "And, now that I think of it, it's almost time for school to start up again. Sheesh, where did the summer go?"Anna stopped to toss her things down onto the ground while Zoe tested the water and turned to look out across the lake. It was a perfect day for swimming! Nice and sunny! She beamed at the thought and turned back to Zoe.
"Oh, there are so many kinds!" She cheered, stepping into the water and clasping her hands in front of herself. "Tulip fairies, water fairies, fairies that make hats out of acorns, you name it, there's a fairy like it! My favorite fairies are the ones that live in the houses that my uncle makes."
She paused, leaning forward to whisper.
"And, sometimes, they leave little gifts behind!" She said, grinning. "They're just flowers and pretty stones, but I know that's how they say thank you!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 10:31 am
Phoenix barked with laughter, shoving aside the vegetables and checking to see if the meat was thawed enough that he could season it. "You haven't seen loud until you've seen my family." Once they'd gotten back from Greece, it was alarmingly quiet by comparison, not having the entire family all shouting and laughing at once.
The meat was doing quite well, so Phoenix started rummaging through spices, pulling out a number of things he could work with. He mumbled to himself as he did so, before returning to the current conversation with Oliver. "Are you really? How long you been doing that for?" He inquired while removing the pork from its packaging, arranging the chops on a pan so he could season them.
Zoe listened with great interest, stepping further into the water and watching the reflection of the sun on the ripples she made. "I've never seen a fairy before," she said quietly, looking back at Anna. "Can we look? When we're done swimming?" She wanted to go now, but they were both all dressed and ready to go swimming. It seemed silly to change the plans now. And the water was so nice!
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:10 pm
Oliver paused, his eyes also going towards the meat to check if it was thawed, and returned to... What was he supposed to be doing again? He'd poured the wine and decided on drinks for the girls, but he felt bad that Phoenix seemed to be doing all the work preparing dinner. Maybe he'd take care of marinating when the meat was ready?
"About ten years now." He replied, swirling his wine glass. "It's funny to look back and realize just how much time has passed... How long have you had Ambrosia open?""Yes, definitely after swimming!" Anna nodded, nudging herself further into the water. Ahh, her feet felt better already! No more sweaty toes and ankles, now all she needed to do was get the rest of herself in!
The girl took a step or two back, posed, and ran forward, before diving into the water with a satisfying splash. When she rose, her chestnut colored hair covered her eyes, she waved out to Zoe.
"Come on in! It feels great!" She exclaimed, laughing.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:53 pm
It had honestly escaped Phoenix completely that Oliver might feel the need to help. He was pretty used to taking over when it came to cooking. "I took over a few years ago, but my parents opened it up right after I was born. They left it to me when they more or less retired." He smiled fondly, sprinkling and rubbing spices and oils on the meat and vegetables before scooping the latter into some small grill cages he'd found.
After washing the mess away from his hands he turned to Oliver with a grin. "Shall we take all this outside, see what the girls are up to and get this grilling?"
Zoe was buzzing with excitement at the idea of going looking for fairies. It was like a whole new world of possibilities had been opened up to her, and she wanted to discover as much as she could.
But for now, the lake was calling! And so was Anna. Smiling happily, Zoe hurried forward into the water. She didn't get her hair wet yet, but she waded out to where her new friend was, submerging herself up to her shoulders in the cool water. "It does feel great!" She agreed.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 9:37 pm
Oliver watched Phoenix work with the meat and vegetables, and couldn't help but feel as though he were being given a lesson. He never really fiddled with seasonings and what-not, only if he were hosting a get together with a lot of people. He took some mental notes, nodded, and grabbed the glasses and lemonade for the girls.
"Sure, let me show you where the grill is!" He exclaimed, adjusting his hold on the lemonade bottle. He turned toward the back of the kitchen and nudged the back door open with his foot. The grill could clearly be seen from where he was, with a conveniently placed bag of charcoal settled beside it, all on a small patio area attached to the back of the house. The blond kicked the door stopper down and moved to place everything he was holding down on the patio table.
"How're you doing out there, girls?" He called, waving to Anna and Zoe. "Do you want anything to drink, or are you alright for now?"Anna grinned when Zoe hustled in after her and dove down, just so she could resurface with her hair over her eyes again. She thought it was funny to look through the world with her vision obscured by her hair. However, when Oliver called out to them from the patio, the seven year old looked more like a wet dog trying to shake itself dry when she wiggled to look for him.
"I'm okay!" She replied, treading water a bit before looking to Zoe. "How about you?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:20 pm
Carrying the uncooked food in one hand, Phoenix followed Oliver outside. Beyond the grill area he could see the girls playing, and with his free hand he gave a wave before setting the food down. He went to set up the grill, starting to whistle the tune to "The Tide is High" while he did so.
Zoe waved back, then turned to Anna when she asked if she wanted a drink. She shook her head. "I'm okay too," she said with a smile. "No thank you!" She shouted back, then lifted her legs out from under her to paddle out backwards a bit further into the water.
Phoenix started arranging the food on the grill, shaking his hips to the song he whistled as he did so. A sudden mistake in the tune and he trailed off with a long, low note. "That should do it!" He exclaimed, turning around and placing his hands on his hips. "Now we wait."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 8:51 am
Ah, okay, they didn't want anything. That was fine, there'd still be plenty of drinks later when they came out. The blond nodded and turned back to the grill. ... What was Phoenix whistling? He recognized the tune from somewhere. He blinked, shrugged, and smiled.
"Alright, and I'll go get some plates and start setting the table." He said, shuffling back toward the house. "Do you think we'll need any extra sauces or spreads? I think I have some stuffed in the fridge somewhere."
If he did, the quality of whatever he would find was unknown. Of course, if he happened to find something expired, he wouldn't bring it out. He'd die of embarrassment first and then throw it out. Anna dove back under the water as soon as Oliver walked toward the house and swam as far down as she could. There were often some interesting things on the bottom of the lake, even some things that the wind blew in from the house itself. She rummaged around the dirt and grabbed an interesting looking rock, before kicking herself back up to the surface.
"Look, Zoe!" She called, smoothing her hair off her eyes. "There's some cool rocks here, like this one! It's all speckled!"
It probably wasn't anything more than a regular mossy stone, but it looked pretty! It made her wonder what other kinds of stones lay under the dirt. Maybe there were even nicer stones where they couldn't see them?Annarchye X Thank you for being patient with me! ; A; <3
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:11 pm
Phoenix shook his head with a smile. "Depends on your tastes! Should be fine on its own, but I've been wrong before." He winked and sat down at the table to have a sip of his wine.
Being out here felt so relaxing compared to being in the city. He knew that logically he couldn't move his family so far out from everything, but it made him wonder if there was something in between that would be suitable. He wasn't sure how things were going to work out with the new Raevan and Zoe having to share a room. The space was certainly big enough, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.
Zoe was grateful, as she put on the mask, that she had spent so much time in the water ever since she was able to. Phoenix had insisted on her learning to swim quite early, mostly due to the fact that they went on their family vacations once or twice a year. Being that they spent so much time at the beach and on boats during these trips, he wanted to make sure that the little girl knew full well how to swim in case anything happened. It was just an added bonus that Zoe loved it.
"How pretty!" Zoe smiled widely before diving under the surface of the water to do a little exploring of her own. Once underwater she regretted not having brought something to put things in. Rather than go up every time she found something potentially interesting, she could have put a handful of things in the bag to look through each time she dove. But alas, she had to make do. Taking care not to cut herself on anything that could be under the dirt and moss, Zoe wrapped her hands around something smooth with an interesting shape. She immediately resurfaced and started wiping the moss from it. With a frown she realized it was just a weirdly shaped grey rock.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:19 pm
Oliver nudged himself into the kitchen again and fussed about looking for just the right plates to bring outside. He picked some he hadn't used in a while, a set of summery colored plates he'd probably bought ages ago and forgot about, and stacked four of them up. He grabbed silverware and napkins on his way out and wandered back to the patio table.
"There we go, should be good enough." He said, setting each place neatly. "You know, I can't believe I didn't think to ask this before, but how to the girls know each other? Is it just from school, or does Zoe do any activities, like gymnastics? My sister's been trying to get Anna into that, hoping it'll keep her busy. Whether that actually works if up for debate, though."Anna Sage dived down as Zoe did, more so to see where she was going than anything else, and quickly resurfaced again to see what she'd picked up. She pursed her lips, not really finding anything spectacular or wrong about the rock, and held out the speckled rock.
"I already have a few speckled stones, but not one with a cool shape like that!" She cheered. "Wanna trade?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 2:31 pm
Watching the girls playing in the water, Phoenix gave a light chuckle. "You know I'm not entirely sure myself. All Zoe said when she got the call is that Anna is a girl from school. Zoe doesn't really hang out with any of the other kids at school..." He trailed off, thinking about it. Then he laughed again. "I don't even think they're in the same grade. I don't remember seeing her name on the class list." So why, then, had Anna invited Zoe of all people to the lake?
"Who knows though," Phoenix said after another moment of silence, raising his eyebrows at Oliver. "Maybe if the girls hit it off, they can do something like that together? It could be good motivation for the both of them." He had no problem getting Zoe involved in activities that interested her. Getting her to socialize at these things on the other hand? Bit harder.
The offer to trade rocks genuinely stunned Zoe. Why did Anna want a dumb rock like the one she found? There was nothing special about it. Why was she being so nice to her? Confused, Zoe stared at the other girl for a few moments. She seemed genuine enough. She had the entire visit. Did Anna actually want to be her friend?
Finally a smile broke out on her lips and she held out the hand with the rock she'd found. "Thank you," she said quietly, beaming.
After they'd traded rocks, Zoe looked back to shore. "You wanna see if we can find anything out there?" They could always swim a bit more later if they wanted to, but Zoe could smell the meat cooking and knew it wouldn't be long before they were called to eat. She wanted to at least have a peek before that happened.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 12:38 pm
Ah, so it was from school. Oliver gave a light nod and set a fork down, before pausing to wonder the same exact question. Why had Anna invited Zoe over if they weren't in the same grade? He pursed his lips. Well, It wasn't unreasonable to think that they'd met on the playground or during lunch, those were times where pretty much everyone was out playing. Plus, Anna was well known to approach other children, she was just that kind of social girl. None of this was really out of character for his niece.
"Maybe they met during recess or at lunch?" He suggested, taking a seat and sipping his wine. "And absolutely! They look like they're hitting it off pretty well already."Anna beamed and swapped the rocks. She honestly wanted Zoe to go home with something special, and that speckled rock was pretty special. However, Anna knew that making memories was just as important during a visit as the gift giving part, and eagerly nodded toward shore.
"Yeah! It's not too far from here!" She exclaimed, pointing out toward a patch of trees a little bit away. "I haven't checked there for a few days, so there's a better chance we'll see more there than anywhere else!"Annarchye X /Nudges this toward you Thank you for being patient with me! ; U; <3
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 10:08 pm
It was a huge relief to see that they really were getting along splendidly. Zoe had never done very well with kids her own age; she related to adults better than anyone. She didn't play like the other kids, her interests were sometimes a bit strange to them, and she didn't like how they behaved. To see her actually getting along with someone so close to her age was nothing short of a miracle.
Standing to flip the meat on the grill, Phoenix chuckled to himself. "Does Anna spend a lot of time here with you? It must be great for her, getting to spend all this time outdoors." The pork sizzled as he flipped each chop, and he breathed in the scent of the spices.
Zoe held the rock close to her and started to head towards the shore. "Let's go get a drink first, so I can tell my dad," she suggested softly, pausing to wait for Anna to follow before leading the way back to Phoenix and Oliver.
When they reached the table Zoe quietly sat the rock down and slid it towards her dad, giving him a small smile. "May we have some lemonade, please?" She asked Oliver. The water had made her thirsty. Bouquet of Diamonds shshshshsh don't worry ur cutie face PAP PAP <3
you've been more than patient with me too
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