Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aphismet knew it was ridiculous, but he had been checking his email constantly, waiting for new on Cudd-err, his Raevan. He'd been ducking out of work two or three times a day, sneaking into the internet cafe next door, always with the faint ray of hope that the message would be there. Of course, the hope was mixed with an equal amount of uncertainty. He expected it should take over a month to MAKE a person... thing... child... whatever. But still, he checked.

He'd been shocked to see the email in his inbox a mere week after he'd dropped off the bottle and vial. He stared at the computer screen at the cafe until an employee came to poke him in the shoulder, telling him his thirty minutes were up.

Aphismet wondered if he should finish his shift, or just let Sam cover it for the final few hours. Was he supposed to go as soon as he knew? Should he wait until he was able to change into something other than a flour-covered apron?

Finally, impatience won out, and he quickly informed Sam that he was taking the rest of the afternoon off. Startled by this comment, Sam merely nodded; Aphismet never missed work!

Hurriedly, Aph hailed a taxi and headed for the lab.



Tsu was sitting in the lobby to Lab 305 flipping pages of one of his magazines while smoking a cigarette. Out here it had been a quiet Saturday and well... he didn't mind it was that way. Inside the labs was a different story... Rivener a new Raevan had just been born and already tried to make Lazzie blush uncontrollably. Not to mention this set Lazzie off in a fit of burning anything in range while he was trying to target the newcomer. So Tsu was glad to be out of the office.

Still it went without saying that they needed the new guy out... and fast.



Aphismet paid the cabbie without paying much attention, getting ripped off as the cabbie gave him too little change. Aph's gaze was stuck on the lab, and as soon as the money touched his hand he dashed away from the car, bursting in through the doors, flustered. He felt like a man whose wife had gone into labour. Have to get to my kid! he thought, the unsettling concept constantly popping into his brain.

A quick look around yeilded the sight of Dr Tsu, again. Reading a magazine on the floor.

"Dr Tsu! I got the email... Is Cud- I mean, my Raevan ready??"



Looking up from his magazine. Dr. Tsu noticed a very flustered young man running in the door, with a cloud of white dust around him. Recognizing the man as Aphismet, the one who came in earlier with erm... Cuddles the scorpion was it? He spoke up, "Oh good, I take it you got the email then about your Raevan being ready. Not a moment too soon either."

Standing up and brushing himself off Tsu motioned Aphismet to follow him to a door in the back of the lobby that lead to the offices and other facilities. "Normally I'd be willing to give you more of a tour, but our labs aren't really in a good condition to show off right now. On the plus side, your raevan was prepared in record time."



Aphismet briefly wondered why the lab wouldn't be good to tour, before his attention became once again completely focused on his Raevan. "I was really surprised to see the email... I thought a month, maybe more! Any idea why he developed so fast?"

Slightly self-conscious, Aph wiped his hands on the back of his apron, only now noticing that his hands had dried pizza sauce on them. He kept his hands on the apron, wringing the hapless fabric into a knot. He was horribly nervous about meeting the person who came from Cuddles... A person he would be responsible for. Oh god, would he have to move? The apartment was a one-room thing! The Raevan wouldn't have any privacy! Oh, why didn't he think of this before?! Stupid, stupid!!

Aphismet's inner turmoil was marked by a myriad of facial expressions, ending with a dark frown at the floor and a few smart hits on his own head with a flour-y fist.



Tsu chuckled slightly. Sure it was a rather wary chuckle... but it was a chuckle nonetheless. "Well... the labs are in a little disarray from an... erm... accident this morning. It seems Kyou's Raevan Lazarus was not really in the best of moods... and flammable liquids tend not to mix with fire that well..." Tsu trailed off not wanting to think about the mess that he and Kyou were almost undoubtedly going to have to clean up / cover up later.

"As for your Raevan... I'm not sure why he grew so fast. Perhaps the essence and the soul just mixed really well together. Have you given any thought to a new name for him, or are you going to call your kid Cuddles still?" Tsu didn't see the man behind him fidgeting, but he heard the soft hits to the forehead and spoke up. "It's understandable that you're not prepared completely for parenthood. You even said yourself that this would be your first time. Still, don't beat yourself if not everything is perfect. The best you can do is provide for your Raevan, and make sure he is happy and safe with you."


"F--k, That's just it!" Aphismet blurted out, distraught, grabbing a handful of hair with one hand. "I have no idea how to do any of it! What does it eat, what does it drink? Does it sleep?! What makes it happy? Am I supposed to change its diaper? Does it throw tantrums, cry, want attention? Everything was so much simpler with Cuddles! He would sit on his rock in the terrarrium and soak in the lamp heat, and I would give him bugs to eat once in a while! I have NO idea what to do with a.. a.... a kid! Is it supposed to go to school? What does it eat? Oh wait, I asked that already, didn't I? Am I supposed to watch it all day? I have to work, you know! I don't go to school, but I have a full-time job! My house is small and has no room for it; does he just stan- oh, they float, don't they? Does hit just float there all night and day? Does it talk?"

Aphismet was babbling now, pacing around in a circle, subconsciouly trying to stall for time before he came face to face with the rest of his life.




"Woah now... one question at a time please." Tsu was flustered, he wished Chloe was here to answer things for the man. Tsu had always been awkward around men... everyone except his brother really. "Let's see how to tackle this. Well... for one you don't have to worry about diapers at this point in time. The Frei stage - or I should stage your raevan currently is in - does not have anything below his waist. Thus they don't have a way to get rid of waste currently. With this point in mind, I don't suggest you feed your pet solid foods. They don't have a digestive tract that we know of and I can't guarantee that your pet will like that feeling. Tied into this, we have experienced that Lazarus has actually showed signs of nourishment by being around flames, such as candles, cozy fires, anything really. If the hypothesis is true, your pet will get nourishment best by something that is tied to his essence. In your case nocturne rock... so you might want to try out some different ways, such as taking him to a dark place to see if that does anything... or taking him for walks in the night. That sort of thing."

Taking a breath, Tsu tackled the next questions, "The point of having this kid is that he's gonna grow and you in turn will grow with the experiences you share. You can take him places with you if you work or have errands to run. I don't suggest leaving him alone for extended periods of time. I mean... it's boring being alone by yourself after all. He will talk. That might also help clue you into what he wants. The trick for you? You have to listen."

Tsu was on the verge of pushing the man further along into the labs. This was another reason why he hadn't wanted to work as a doctor on people. Especially kids. Frustrating beyond belief.



Aphismet listened intently, staring into Tsu's eyes as he talked, nodding at each suggestion, trying to burn them mentally into his brain. He wished he'd brought a notepad or something.

"So no food, walk at night, listening, don't leave him alone. Got it. What if he doesn't like me?" Aphismet asked, once again wringing his apron, although now he was taking a few steps towards the lab, although slowly and against his will.



"Show him the same companionship that you showed Cuddles, although I seriously suggest you don't keep that name for him. He's a kid... not a pet so much. I think that if he doesn't like you it's mostly he's unsure about his situation. If you keep at it... then you never know.... something might work out. Even if they don't show it outright... your actions and caring will effect them and bring you closer." Tsu was surprised the man hadn't figured this out from reading any common manga series... especially the shoujo stuff.

"Any more questions?" Tsu asked as he arrived at the door and passed his card through to open up into the main facilities.



Aphismet desperately tried to think of what to ask. He knew he had a million questions... None of them refused to present themselves now, when it was so crucial. Letting his shoulders droop, Aphismet shook his head.

"No. No more questions. And I do have a new name for it... I mean him." He added, looking up at Tsu. Aphismet wasn't smart, but he wasn't dense enough to ignore that you can't name a kid "Cuddles".

When Tsu's card swished through the reader, Aph straightened and dusted himself off as best he could. He wanted to at least try to make a good impression on his new companion...

"You told me last time that he won't remember me, right?" he asked, a question finally popping into his brain.




"No... he won't have a memory of you or anything else from his past life. I suggest you start with a self introduction." Tsu said pushing on the door to enter.



Aphismet swallowed hard, taking a step up to the door and peering inside.

The place was singed, to put it lightly. And there, floating in the middle of it all as if he was looking for something, was the most BEAUTIFUL thing Aphismet had ever seen. He stared stupidly.

The Raevan, in one time-stopping moment, turned his head to look at the opened door, and its red eyes met Aphismet's. A confused blink was followed by a slow smile. Familiarity... There was familiarity in that human's eyes, the Raevan understood that much. He turned to face Aph and Tsu, waiting for something...

"Oh my god..." Aph whispered to himself. "Is that him?" He leaned over to ask Tsu quietly, keeping his eyes on the vision before him.



Matching the whisper Tsu said sideways to Aphismet "Yes, that's him. He just came out this morning so he may be a little disoriented."

Turning back to the raevan, Tsu sorta made motionings for the Raevan to come closer and get a better look at Aphismet. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try.



The Raevan completely ignored Tsu; after all, he hadn't truly paid attention to anyone other than Lazarus yet, and as a result he didn't know who was or was not part of the staff who had brought him into the world. This was the first time he looked at someone other than Lazzie for more than a few seconds. He kept his golden gaze locked on Aph, and floated closer of his own volition, only a few feet. He then tilted his head slightly and smiled.

GAH! Aphismet reeled. The smile! It felt like a physical blow! Probably hallucinating from all the emotion of seeing his new companion, Aphismet somehow detected in that smile all the caring and affection he'd always imagined Cuddles would have had for him! Of course, it just a normal smile to anyone with sense.

The poor pizzamaker fell back a step, bringing a hand up as if to protect himself from the barrage of bright joy beaming out of that hallucination-infused smile. He had his mouth open, vaguely aware that he was supposed to say something, but his brain shut down for the moment, stuck on "OH GOSH!"


Seeing a good reaction between the Raevan and new owner, Tsu quietly backed out of the labs to let them be alone for a bit.

"Just see yourself out when you're ready Aphismet." Tsu smiled and went back to the front where his magazine sat waiting.



"Ah, wait! What am I supposed to do, again?" Aphismet whispered sideways again, jarred out of his stupor.

....No reply. Too late. Tsu was gone. Aph is on his own.

He watched the Raevan with wide eyes, fearful, nervous. "ER, Um.. h-hi!" he yelled out, much too loud, waving wildly. "H-how are ya! I-I... I'm Aphismet." He took a tentative step forward.

The Raevan startled at the sudden movement, jerking backwards slightly, smile dissolving. He stopped before bolting, however, still clinging to that warm feeling of familiarity. He looked more wary, however.

"I, er... I'm going to be your guardian! I'm Aphismet!" He restated the last, putting a hand on his chest to demonstrate.

No reply from the Raevan.

"He's not talking!" Aph called out loudly between the clenched teeth of his forced smile, hoping Tsu would hear him. "You said he'd talk!"



Sighing, Tsu saw the struggling man, "You really can't rush things here Aphismet. He may have slight feeling of familiarity, but if you go too fast... he can't follow. Try saying your name and encouraging him to repeat."



"Should I tell him his name or something, or wait for later?" Aph asked again through clenched teeth, shifting in place as the Raevan floated nearer, curious as to why the human would be yelling at someone who wasn't around. Aphismet waved another small Hello to the Raevan. Without waiting for Tsu's answer, the young man decided to talk some more.

"I'm Aphi-GAH!" Aphismet startled as the golden-eyed thing suddenly reached out, in arm's length, and put its clawed hand on Aphi's head. The scream, however, propelled both men away from one another, as both recoiled in surprise. For some reason even he didn't understand, Aphismet thought it would be best to just keep talking.

"I... I, er... Aphismet. Me. Y-you... Erm, you're eh, what was it again? Yer... AH! You-you.. Y-you're Riv-river-erm, Riv-erm...."

"Rivener," The Raevan repeated what it had understood.

"Oh! Um, well... That's not really..." Aphismet considered. It was a fine name, much better than the silly, weird name HE was going to pick: River, cause the water always changes, just like you did! It was a stupid idea... Rivener was more unusual and unique.

"Rivener is fine," Aphismet said, smiling slightly.




"It sounds like he already knows his name. And see? I told you he can talk. It's simple words for now... but his vocabulary will grow."




Aphismet smiled. "Rivener, I am Aphismet." He pointed at himself. He felt much calmer now. "Aphismet," he said again, poking himself in the chest, with a smile.

"Aphismeh", Rivener repeated, with a slow nod. He smirked, glancing around quickly; he thought he'd heard something clinking. That usually meant Lazarus was attempting to sneak back around these parts, checking if Riv was gone, most likely. For the first time, Rivener's eyes left Aphismet's, and he peered around.

"Err, what are you looking for?" Aphismet asked cautiously.



"See? It looks like you're making progress already Aphi." Tsu said listlessly flipping through more pages of the book and tilting his head at various poses. "You'll do just fine."




Rivener was eagerly searching the room with his eyes, and let out a rather mischievious laugh...

Aphismet gasped in alarm. Surely that couldn't be a good sound! And Tsu did say he wanted Rivener out of there as fast as possible... Could it be because the raevan was somehow responsible for the sad state of the lab?

"Err, Rivener! Let's go home now, okay?" Aphismet said, loudly, hoping to catch Riv's attention again. He didn't dare reach out and touch the handsome creature...

Thankfully, Rivener seemed to listen. He was rather obedient, or rather, calm. He just seemed a tad dissapointed to have missed seeing Lazarus one last time. Then again, after that first time, he didn't see him much... He mostly saw smoke and fire. Turning around, Rivener floated after Aph, ready to follow. "Home," he said tentatively.

"Yes, home!" Aphismet repeated happily, stepping backwards to lure Rivener out of the lab. "Stay close, ok?" He walked through the lobby slowly, keeping a close eye on the raevan.

"Well, thanks for everything Dr Tsu. I'll email if there are any problems?" He asked, not sure if he was supposed to bother the scientists with his issues.

Aphismet was dreading this moment, this talk. This is the Talk that parents talk about in whispers, the Talk that always gets put off until it can't be ignored any longer. Normally, people don't have this Talk with their child after they've only be alive roughly a month.

The human looked over to the bed, where Rivener was laying grumpily.

The Raevan had tugged the tall lamp over to his side and lay directly under the light, just like Cuddles used to do with his own lamp in the terrarrium. Aph wondered if it was just a reflex on Rivener's part... He liked to think there was a little of Cuddles left in Rivener, even if he'd yet to see that.

With another resigned sigh, the third one in the span of two minutes, Aphismet walked towards the young Riv.

"Rivener, we should, erm... talk. About what you did."

Rivener looked up. He frowned.

"What do you mean, what I did? I did nothing wrong!"

"You kissed Roux!"

"And?"

"*blubber-cough*y-you can't just go around kissing people!" Aphismet exclaimed, already losing his train of thought.

"I don't. I've been going to work with you for a while, and never kissed anyone there. I kiss Roux because I like Roux." Rivener sounded exasperated, as though HE was the one trying to explain something to a child, not the other way around.

"Grah, you don't even know what that means! You like him as a friend, people don't kiss their friends on the mouth!" Aphismet practically screeched, not a very masculine sound.

Someone next door banged on the wall. Aph immediately simmered down and even whispered an apology to the wall before continuing.

"You should only kiss someone you LOVE. Someone you're attracted to, rather."

Rivener sat up, annoyance won over by curiosity. This was all something new, although they were words he heard on television, he didn't know what they all meant. "What's the difference?" he asked.

Aph stuttered for a moment. s**t, how did he manage to get himself into a position where he had to explain what love was? Anything he'd say would be rather silly, seeing as he'd never been in love himself... He assumed trying to explain attraction was easier. Taking a deep breath, Aphismet sat on the bed as well, far from the hot lamp, and tried his best.

"Well, erm... When you like someone, it means you don't mind having them around, you think they're fun. That's a friend. To PLAY with; friend. Get it? Roux is a friend." Aph emphasized his words with his hands, keeping his gaze on the floor between his feet. "Now, erm, the people you are supposed to kiss are those you're ATTRACTED to. That means you want to be close to them, more than a friend..."

Aph suddenly realised this would be a bad definition, since Rivener wanted to be close to everyone. He shook his head roughly and waved his hands around to erase what he had just said. "Nononono," he stuttered, "n-not that. Erm... Someone you are attracted to is... Oh! Okay, like this: it's someone who makes you feel warm in your stomach when you see them, someone who, when you see them, make you feel different than when you see anyone else."

Rivener, sitting, pondered this deeply. "I feel different when I see Roux," he said.

"What? No you don't!"

"Yes, yes I do. I feel different with every Raevan I met," Rivener continued with a wise nod. "Vyn; feel dark. Feel the same. Gage: feel empty. Feel like I want to fill a void. Roux: feel cold, but happy. Feel special." Riv had never taken the time to think about his experiences, and now that he was, he puffed up with a tiny bit of pride, grinning. "I'm special, they all talk to me. Vyn talks; big shock. Roux talks; big shock."

"Err... I, uh... What was I supposed to talk to you about? Oh, erm, nevermind all that for now, Riv. I really want you to understand about the kissing." Aphismet turned to look at Riv as he said this, to try and convey how important it was... he was faced with an utterly confused Raevan. Riv still didn't think he'd done anything wrong.


"But, I felt special with Roux. Special is alright to kiss, isn't it?" Riv asked, tilting his head.

"No! Did you have the warm stomach? Feels kinda like butterflies..."

"I don't have a stomach."

"... Then you can't be attracted to someone!" Aphismet said, hoping the Raevan would fall for this ploy. After all, there were no other floating torsos on TV for Rivener to compare himself to in that respect.

Rivener, surprised, floated back a bit, blinking at Aph in disbelief. "I... I can't?" he asked, down-trodden.

"No, no you can't. So no more kissing! You should only kiss ONE person anyway, so you have to wait until you're older to decide who that person is." Aph inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Rivener seemed to be falling for it.

"Oh," the Raevan answered, turning away. "I'm sorry, then. I did not know." He frowned in confusion and hesitated a moment before asking his guardian: "Even if Roux liked it, it's not ok?"

Aphismet heard the tinge of hurt in Riv's voice, and thought that it was probably just from Rivener being denied something. It couldn't be from actually liking Roux. "I'm afraid not; Roux didn't know about the kissing either, so you were both wrong."

"Oh." Riv sat under his lamp and toyed with a strand of hair, thinking.

Aphismet smiled, and snuck away as quietly as he could.

Yay! He had done it! Rivener had said he wouldn't kiss people anymore... And although Aph hadn't worked his way to explaining sex to the scorpion-raevan, he didn't think he would need to for a long time, after all. Quietly, Aph headed for the kitchen to make his supper.


Rivener heard Aphismet walk to the kitchen, and only now did he lift his head and glare at his guardian with narrowed eyes. Those eyes carried as much venom as a scorpion sting. Rivener might be young, but he learned fast. He knew Aph knew nothing of Love, and Riv himself had watched enough romance movies to learn of it himself. Aphismet had no right to tell him what to do. And trying to lie to him about the warm stomach thing? Riv had seen better acting in b-rated films.

He smirked darkly. Aphismet was the one who would be tricked.

Aphismet was sitting on his bed, holding the letters weakly in one hand, leaning forward with elbows on knees. He let out a long sigh. How the hell was he supposed to handle this?

Rivener hovered above the man's shoulder, looking at the letter. They were very different from one another; one was neat, the other messy. Riv wished he could read. "What does it say?" he asked, half expecting another lie, looking out for it.

For a moment Aph considered lying... Then his shoulders just drooped and he simply told the truth. He was too tired to lie.

"It's a letter from miss Chloe, and one from Roux," he said, lifting each one as he mentioned it.

"Roux?" Rivener repeated, slightly jealous that the ice Raevan knew how to write. "What does Roux say?"

"He says he's sorry he hit me, and that he would like to see you again if I let him." By the sharp tone in Aph's voice, he wasn't likely to let the pale Raevan anywhere near his house again. He took Roux's letter in both hands and folded it compulsively smaller, until it was a compact little cube of paper. He then put it on the bed next to him, where Rivener was quick to pick it up and unfold it, studying the letters written there.

"I would like to see Roux again," Rivener said, thoughtfully, as he looked at the squiggly writing.

"*snort* Yes, I bet you would."

Riv stopped, looked over at Aph with a slight frown. "What's that supposed to mean?" His stinger-tipped wings twitched.

"Nothin, nothing. Just do us both a favor and stop thinking about Roux, will ya? You're too young to be hanging out with other things like you anyway."

Things like me? Rivener repeated to himself, frowning deeper. For a moment he saw red, but a deep breath calmed him enough to assume his normal face again. "I think I'd like to know how to read and write," the Raevan noted. "Is there a TV show where I could learn that?"

Aphismet thought for a moment. "Weeelll, there are those teaching channels, although they're part of a cable package we don't have... And those classes might be too advanced for you anyway. I think maybe I can find you a few tutoring tapes at the pawnshop not far from the Pizzeria. You can watch those, and once you know the basics, you can tell me if you wanna learn more. There's math, too... Art, music, chemistry, physics..."

"I think I would like to learn lots of things. Writing first, though," Rivener said, nodding. Couldn't really learn anything else until you can read and write. He was already looking forward to being able to write notes to people like Roux had done. Riv's respect for Roux climbed a god few notches then.

"Well, we can go today and see if there are any-" Aphismet's train of thought was interrupted by a melodic ring, as his computer informed him of a new email being received. Aph got up, and continued talking as he headed to the machine to check. "-err, any tapes there. There usually are. I see them all the time, looks like Teletubby stuff. I suppose that's what works with young kids... What the hell?"

Aph's face twisted into a confused mash of features. Could he be reading right?

Curious, Rivener abandoned Roux's letter on the bed and floated over to the computer. "What is it?" he aksed, mildly interested. Aphismet had never made a face quite like that before.

"Some weird invitation to..." Aph snapped his mouth shut, looking over at Riv. He was sure if he told Rivener about the "sleepover", Rivener would want to go. Aphismet wasn't sure it was so wise to let his Raevan be alone, unattended, with a bunch of other Raevans. Look what happened last time he wasn't being watched! "...nothing. Probably some spam mail. I'll just delete it." Aphismet smiled, and hit the delete button. There was no way he would let Rivener go.

Rivener tilted his head and shrugged, then floated away, back to the bed and Roux's letter.

With his back turned to Aph like this, Riv was free to display his true emotions. He frowned darkly, narrowing his eyes. Aphismet had obviously been lying. He was trying to hide something from Rivener. Hmph! The Raevan was highly displeased. He wanted to know what was on the computer. He wanted to know EVERYTHING. He hated nothing more than being lied to. If only there was a way...

And suddenly, something occured to him. He smiled evilly, and settled in to wait for the evening.

Aphismet walked into the apartment, toting a plastic bag. Rivener was, as usual, "sitting" on the couch in front of the television set. The scorpion frei didn't even look up when his guardian walked in.

"What's that?" Riv asked nonchalently, keeping his eyes glued to the TV set.

"I, um... I got you something," Aphismet said, reaching into the bag as he walked forward. He produced a trio of DVDs, and explained, "Dr Tsu said I should spend a bit more time with you, not just leave you alone at the television... So, I thought that maybe we could, um, watch these together?" He blushed slightly, looking at the DVDs and fretting with them. "I have to admit it's a little selfish of me, though..."

Rivener glanced over, snatched the three slim cases from Aph's hand, and looked down at them. He raised a graceful eyebrow.

"Introduction to graduate math?" He looked at the next disc. "English? Physics?" He frowned up at Aph. "What, is this supposed to be a joke?"

Aph frowned back. "NO, it's not a joke. I could never get into the college, so I had to resign myself to working in the pizza shop for the rest of my life, forced to remain dumb and stupid while everyone else learned things and became doctors or whatever. I'm just tired of being less than everyone else, so I figured we could learn together. You're smarter than I am, I figured you could help me..."

"Flattery is futile," Rivener sneered.

"I'm not flattering you, I'm being honest. You ARE smarter than me."

"That's stupid, I'm not even a year old. I don't know anything about math or physics! I'd have to start from first grade stuff..."

"I'm sure you'll catch on very fast... Could we at least try? Please? Maybe we can find something we both like, and then we could study it together? ...I'd really like to be your friend, Rivener. I'm sorry I'd been treating you like a pet all the time." Aphismet ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "The doctor made me realize I wasn't treating you very well. Can you forgive me?"

Rivener was watching Aph with his see-all eyes, looking for lies. He saw none. His guardian really was sorry... Riv's features softened. He looked down, feeling warm inside for the first time. Really warm. "Well," he started, surprisingly shy as he peered over to the left, "there is already something I like here, that you never tried to show me."

"Oh?!" Aph startled. "What is it?" he asked, ashamed of never having noticed that Riv was interested in something.

Rivener glanced over at the left again, to the messiest corner of the room.

Aph followed his glance. He blinked. "My paintings? You like my paintings?"

Rivener kept his eyes down, but nodded.

Aphismet smiled broadly. "I could definately show you my paintings! You could try to paint too," the man continued, taking a seat next to his Raevan. "Although, it's kind of expensive for me to buy the paint and canvas... That's the only luxury I give myself. All the rest of my pay has to go to bills and rent, and food... That's partly why I wanted to learn these things," he pointed to the DVDs in Riv's hand, "so that I might be good enough to get into the college, and learn something that might get me a better job." He smiled weakly. "Doesn't seem very likely, does it. Heh."

"...We can watch these together," Rivener said quietly after a moment. "We can watch them and I'll try to learn with you. And we can paint together sometimes too?"

Aph smiled. "Absolutely."