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 Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:41 pm
Soco caught the slip, but only the corners of his lips twitched in amusement. He was even more amused when Theif began turning a soft shade of red and hid his face. Karlet had the same habit whenever he started feeling self-conscious...
Speak of the devil, Adrian finally appeared in the doorway, looking more awake than he had a few minutes before. "Greetings," he said, stepping into the room and extending his hand to Theif. "Sorry to keep you waiting; I was trying to get some stuff done before you got here. I never heard the doorbell..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:02 am
Theif stood in a hurry, and took Karlet's hand, shaking it firmly. He smiled, snaking his tail down and around his left leg, and pressing one hand to his cheek, wondering if his face was still tinted. "Doorbell?" Theif mumbled, then laughed a little shrilly, slightly betraying his nervousness. As if to cover it, he nodded and smiled bigger, feeling slightly foolish. "I didn't mind waiting. Your Soco and I had a nice little ch--chat."
This Karlet did seem young, but Theif was too polite to ask his age. And his hair color made Theif want to stare, but after working so long as he had where he did, he knew that most people didn't take staring as simple curiosity. Theif wondered vaguely if his smile was showing too much tooth, and changed it abruptly to a small, tight-lipped smile.
'I'm not nervous to talk to this Karlet...no, not at all,' Theif was thinking He was, in fact a bit relieved that he seemed so young as he did. Yet, as soon as he had that particular thought, he felt the nervousness again.
Here was this purple-haired man, who cared for all the little beings around his humongous house. He was probably very well versed in the ways of taking care of children, it was reasonable to think {thought Theif}. And here was Theif... He had one little one who meant the world to him, but he wasn't quite sure if he made a good parent, and now he was faced with questioning the personality of one of the members of Karlet's household to his face.
Theif looked over his shoulder at the boy-maid with the pink hair, after shaking Karlet's hand. He decided, even before beginning the conversation with Mister Karlet, that there was nothing bad about Soco, and that if Karlet willed it, Kilayla would be allowed to visit with Soco whenever she wished.
Theif realized that he was blocking the door, and moved aside, so Karlet could enter.
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:52 am
Adrian shook Theif's hand, smiling warmly as the visitor betrayed his nervousness. He gave a quick glance over the man's shoulder, catching Soco's grin. "Oh, did you, now?" Adrian said, turning his attention back to Theif. "I hope he was good company for you."
He waited patiently under Theif's appraising eye. Dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans, Adrian hadn't felt the need to be formal for this meeting. He gave the man his own once-over, eye catching a glimpse of a furred tail by the man's leg. Adrian's eyes flicked back up to Theif's face and got an eyeful of that toothy grin.
What an odd felinoid, Karlet mused to himself.
After a moment, Theif finally moved out of the doorway. Adrian gestured to the man's seat and sat in a chair nearby.
Soco stood and bowed slightly. "Is there anything I can get you, gentlemen?"
"I could go for some lemonaide," Adrian said. He jokingly thought that their visitor could use one of many things, but refrained from mentioning them, lest the man became offended.
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:11 pm
"Unless it's too much trouble, I'd like a cup of coffee, Mister Soco," Thief said, sinking back down into his seat, and trying to smile graciously. "No milk, and lots of sugar...but only if it's not too much trouble."
Theif shifted his weight so that he could get his tail out from under his leg, and began thumping it quietly against a cushion of the couch he was sitting on. He honestly thought he'd regained his composure, but his tail was betraying him...again.
He looked over at Karlet, and had the sudden desperate wish that he'd worn pants rather than a skirt for the second time since entering the mansion. Though the point was usually to make himself look more feminine, he felt Karlet might not take him seriously dressed as he was.
"I'm not sure I introduced myself..." Theif said. He leaned over the arm of his couch and extended a gloved hand again. "You can call me Theif." He felt apprehensive.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:56 pm
"No trouble at all, sir," Soco said politely. He bowed once more before leaving the room.
Adrian shook the offered hand again. "Theif? Then you can call me Adrian, if you'd like," he said. Sitting back in his seat, he smiled at the guest. "I hope Soco has done his best to make you feel at home. There's no need for nervousness around here; we're an easy going family."
He kept his eyes locked on Theif's. Although it wasn't unusual for the male members of the Karlet household to run about wearing skirts, Adrian felt a tugging compulsion to stare at the man's outfit.
"Forgive my absentmindedness," Adrian said, "but why exactly are you here, again?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:16 pm
Theif felt his face prickle with heat as Adrian stared him down in the same fashion he'd done Soco. He turned his eyes to study the wall behind Karlet's head, as he coughed into his hand, covering a small smile.
Theif had, in fact come to do recon on Soco before he made the decision on whether or not his Kiki would be allowed to come visit. Soco and the library were the reasons she wanted to visit...
Now, Theif trusted the boy-maid, so for a second he didn't know how to answer the question. After a small silence, he crossed his legs and said airily, "I was only wondering if my little girl, Kilayla could come visit with your Soco. She likes the idea of your library...and she seems to admire your Soco, too."
Theif smiled brightly, still trying not to feel too nervous.
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:14 pm
"Of course she may," Adrian said. "If he wants to have friends over, he's perfectly welcome to." He snickered softly, remembering the night of the pagent when he'd told Soco to go and make friends. Of course the first person the teen went to was a little kid of a girl.
"I hope the library lives up to her expectations, though," he added. "It's not all that grand, but I suppose there might be a few books she'd enjoy."
Soco returned to the room with a tray in hand. He distributed the drinks silently, and then stood waiting for orders.
"Would you like to join us for a moment, Soco?" Adrian asked. "We were just talking about having your friend come over to visit."
"Certianly," Soco said, smiling as he took his seat again. "So, it's okay?"
"Of course, of course," Adrian waved him off. "When has it never been okay to have people come over?"
"I can name one."
"Well, besides him."
Soco inclined his head. "It's always been okay."
Adrian sipped his lemonaide. "Precisely." He looked up at Theif then; he hadn't meant to leave him out of the conversation. "So, was there anything else you had on your mind?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:28 pm
Theif blew gently on his coffee, smiling vaguely. He looked up at Adrian's question.
"Actually, yes. I was kind of wondering..." Theif paused.
"You said that you tutor the little ones here, Soco," he said to the pink-haired boy. "Well..." he said to Karlet, "Kiki and her tutor had a bit of a...falling out." Theif laughed brightly. "And, she's shown interest in playing piano."
Theif heaved a sigh, and sipped from his coffee, curling his tail across his lap. He feared rejection, but he asked anyway. "Do you think that she could take lessons from Soco? I could pay..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:03 pm
Adrian glanced at Soco, figuring the teen could answer the questions that pertained to him.
Soco glanced back at Adrian before turning to Theif. "Like I said before, I don't have any great talent for it," he said. "I've only had a little training, and the rest I play by ear."
"You're better than anyone else in this house," Adrian reminded him.
"Maybe so, but..." Soco paused, considering. "I wouldn't expect much in the way of pay, if I received any at all."
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:30 pm
"Oh, no!" Theif cried. "I couldn't ask for any favors. I'd be glad to pay you for your services."
Theif smiled cheerily, then repeated the last sentence inside his head. As he felt himself blush slightly, he wondered if anyone else had a mind as filthy as his.
Theif lowered his head to stare into his coffee.
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:36 am
Certainly Adrian had a dirty mind, and the wide smirk across his face betrayed him. He quickly took another sip of lemonaide to hide it.
Even Soco was amused by the comment, but kept his expression even. His polite smile didn't waver, but his voice was dripping with suggestion as he said, "I'd be glad to offer my services, then. When would you like to start?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:12 pm
Theif had looked back up at Soco. And when the words left Soco's lips, Theif felt his mouth pop open slightly and his eyes glaze over as an image overwhelmed his mind. In it, there was flesh.
He bannished the thought from his mind and came back to himself a split second later, face burning. He put a gloved hand to his forehead and crossed his legs more tightly. "We-- I--" he sputtered. He looked up helplessly from Adrian to Soco and back again. "Er, you can--whenever you like!" Theif heaved a sigh, eyes wide. He felt horrified. He wished he wasn't so easily unsettled by the thoughts in his own head.
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:44 pm
Adrian and Soco shared a look, and the guardian choked on his drink as he tried to cover up his laughter. Soco played innocent, save for the soft smirk that was tugging at his lips.
Adrian finally recovered and reached over to pat Theif's shoulder. "I hope you're not reconsidering letting Kilayla come over," he said. "He's not usually this much of a... pain." He smiled at Soco quickly.
"We can start as soon as she'd like to," Soco said, choosing to ignore Adrian's comments.
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:08 pm
Theif gave Adrian a distressed look, then cleared the look from his face to give Soco an appreciative smile {though it was still affected by a slight crease in his brow}. He willed himself to calm down and took a gulp of his coffee, which scalded his mouth.
'Oowwww...' he thought. The pain was unsettling, and Theif found himself calm again, though he knew he'd be tasting rubber for a week.
"Thank you Mister Adrian, Mister Soco," he said aloud. He stood, bowing slightly to each in turn, and setting the cup he'd been holding down on an intable. "I'm know Kiki'd love to see you soon, but you might care to know that she keeps relatively nocturnal hours."
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:22 pm
The two stood with Theif as he rose from his seat. Soco nodded and said, "That's fine, my evenings are usually free... except for this weekend."
"Otherwise, just about any other evening would be fine," Adrian cut in, leading the way into the entrance hall, since that seemed to be the direction Theif was heading.
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