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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:19 pm
Aph paused, also feeling the boy slip more and more. He leaned forward and shifted the boy's weight, pushing Isi further up his back and waiting for the boy's arms to re-adjust themselves around his neck before continuing, jogging up the stairs hurriedly. Tenth floor now... not much farther to go...
"A leaf from what, now? With red? Sounds interesting... I wonder where Dr Kyou gets all this stuff. What's he like, anyway?" In all this time, Aph realized he had never once met the good Doctor in person. He'd seen him from afar at the Guardian party, but before he could meet the man, he'd been accosted by Mr Sweet and hadn't left his side all night. Not that Aph would have noticed anything different, in his state that evening...
"We're almost there!" he said, nearing the top of the building. They could now both hear the Whale's singing, and Aph supposed that was a good sign... Rivener hadn't done anything inhuman to it just yet.
On top of the building, Riv was trying his best not to laugh at the whale's antics; it would ruin his recording. His grin was muffled into the pouffy collar of his coat, and his smiling, glittering eyes were watching the LCD screen carefully, always adjusting the framing so that the little performer was centered in the shot.
"Aw!" Riv whimpered as his film clip ended. "Stupid 30-second limit!" he swore mildly. He still grinned as he pocketed the camera, and floated forward. "Okay, little buddy, time to go now. Your keeper is mighty angry at you," he said, reaching out a hand to wave the floating Whale closer.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:30 pm
"Thanks," Isi said gratefully as soon as he was fixed back securely on Aph's back, then he ntinued asking the other's questions, "The Yggdrasil is the World Tree from Nordic mythology and it's said to be the only thing that survives ragnarok, aka the apocolypse and a whole bunch of other stuff. I don't know what the red is. I think it's blood, but that's just me. Oh, Dr. Kyou? I don't know. I've never met him in person."
Then, they reached the last platform and Isi watched as they passed the tinted windows of the fancy restuarant below. People were inside, in their evening gowns and with their heavy winter coats thrown over the backs of their chairs. They were all enjoying some man singing as they waited patiently for their $80+ dinner. Shifting his glance, Isi announced triumphantly,"We're to the top!"
"Who wants to live forever?! Forever is ours today! When is forever anyway? Wailed the whale in a classic Queen finale. Then, with an extravagent bow, the whale turned tail and flipped gracefully and quickly into the doorway that led to the passage that ultimately led to the restuarant below. Beauregard wasn't going to be that easy to catch.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:39 pm
Aph jumped on top of the building just in time to see the whale escape into the doorway. "Ah crud," the man swore. "It's going into the restaurant!" Aphismet blushed at the thought of having to rush through, dressed as he was, chasing a flying whale. Not to mention, He might have Rivener, a floating Winter Coat with a head coming out of it, following angrily.
The man chanced a glance at his charge. At least he was glad that Riv hadn't done anything extreme to the poor little fish-thing.
Rivener frowned as the Whale left. What a disobedient little brat. Why would it want to stay out here anyway? It should want to go home, where it's warm, where there is food. Riv looked over at Aph, who was hurrying to the doorway with the cripple kid on his back. Letting out a laugh at the image, Riv whipped out his camera and once again flashed a surprise picture of the two, before following after.
"This is going to be good," the Frei noted as he floated down the stairs after his Guardian, the cripple, and the whale.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:55 pm
"You helium-filled musical fish-bait!" Isi yelled at the whale as it disappeared from his helpless position on Aph's back, "Get back here!"
The whale still didn't respond and the group of hunters were greeted with the sound of a screaming lobby from below. Beauregard had made his entrance and now it was time to make theirs. Sighing and readjusting his grip on Aph's neck and shoulders, Isi gave another groan of frustration, "I can't believe...We're chasing a flying singing whale through a fancy restuarant on a snowy evening at 8:51 PM."
When they entered the seething lobby, Isi and Aphismet were greeted by a sea of frightened customers and panicking waiters. Beauregard was zooming above their heads, singing "Twisted Transistor" from Korn and screeching at the top of its brassy lungs as he tried to mimic the singers. Women were cowering in the arms of their dates and their dates were gazing dumbfoundedly at the flying whale.
"We have to hurry and get that bloody flying rat out of here!" Isi hissed to Aph, his grey eyes widening in shock.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:04 pm
Aph burst into the restaurant, trailing snow in the wake of his boots, and his face burnt up to beet red almost instantly. He carefully kept his eyes off the crowd, and focused on the whale. "How do we get it down!?" he screeched at the boy on his back.
"I could do it," Rivener noted calmly as he floated to a nearby table, stealing a little bread bun from the patrons without their notice (they were too busy watching the whale in horrified fascination). Rivener then floated back to the two's side and looked at them pointedly with that dead serious look he always assumed when he was considering using his poison.
"Aw, by all that's holy." Aphismet swore and looked over his shoulder, at a loss. "Sh-should he really do that? I don't know what else we could do!" Aph could probably have thought of something else, but he was in too much of a hurry to get out of here. His brain wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything save for the need to extricate himself from the prying, judging eyes of all these high-echelon people.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:21 pm
"Uh, uh..." Isi looked at a loss for what to do as well and he pulled his cheeks back in a grimace. People were screaming still. The whale was still singing. Rivener was standing in front of him with a bread bun...Alright...Choices. What were they?
1] Struggle and flounder for the whale in front of all those people?
Or...
2] Have Rivener sadate the poor thing with his poison?
Crap.
"Alright, do it! We don't really have much of a chance! Go!" Isi cried, clinging tight to Aphismet's back. Just then, a waiter crashed into Aphismet's legs with a metal cart and the two startled boys flipped onto it and were pushed across the room on a rolling driverless cart.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:37 pm
Rivener grinned at the Go Ahead, and he shed his winter coat immediately, freeing himself for the chase. A second later he was free of the giant, warm coat, and he focused his red eyes on the whale. He coiled down on himself, and ZOOM! Off he went! Again, his strength startled him as he pushed himself through the air so fast that he was upon the whale almost too fast to react. As it were, he hadn't had time to produce the poison yet, and simply tackled the Whale bodily, both of them flipping through the air and into the chandelier that was hanging beautifully above the middle of the room.
Amidst the tinkling of the crystal shards (which turned out to be much more solidly attached than anyone would have given it credit for), Rivener struggled with the Whale, trying to get his stinger into it. The chandelier was getting in the way! Pushing himself (and the captive whale) out of the expensive ceiling light, Riv finally managed to stab the little whale with his needle-like stinger, administering a small dose of Sleeping poison. He wasn't sure how much to give, but he didn't want to overdose the thing. It was an amusing critter, and he wouldn't want to kill it.
Riv kept a strong hold on the thing, however, just in case it needed another dose.
On the floor below, Aphismet was yelling helplessly as the cart rolled down the aisle, somehow gaining speed. "Look ooouuut!" Aph yelled as the pair of trolley-bound guys careened towards a particularly snobbish looking couple's table. The man raised his arms to shield himself, tensing, hoping that Isi had the same sense...
With a loud crash, the cart slammed into the table, sending it tilting backwards, its contents flying off onto the esteemed laps of the occupants! Aph and Isi were forcibly flung from the trolley, Aph losing his grip on the boy and landing squarely in a fountain that had before hand been peacefully babbling behind the table.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:54 pm
Isi gave a startled cry and he didn't have enough time to unlock his arms from around Aph's head before they crashed into the table and were splattered with food and dishware. Then, pulled along by their good friend 'gravity', both of the guys flew into the fountain. Isi landed roughly upside down beide Aph, his limbs tangled in the fake plants.
"Freaking fantastic," He groaned, his face hot with embarassment and his body aching with pain. Now they were soaked to the bone with the fountain water on top of it all. Twisting himself around so his weak legs fell in the left over free space of the fountain, Isi struggled to pick himself up but found himself rather stuck without the fantastic use of his legs. "Are you okay, Aph?" He asked warily.
The restaurant, by this time, had emptied and the customers had all fled the scene.
The whale was slowly falling aseep in Riv's arms, giving a twitch everyonce in a while and sounding like a dying record player.
"I can't live...Within...you..." It sang in a disgruntled dwindling groan.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:09 pm
Rivener smiled smugly, seeing that his plan had worked. He floated down carefully, making his way through the restaurant to his coat, which he picked up gingerly and somehow managed to get back on without dropping the whale. He then floated over to his guardian and the Whale's owner. What the hell were they doing in a fountain? Not a good idea to get wet before going out in the cold.
Aphismet groaned as well, coughing out water he'd almost breathed in. "Ugh, I'm fine enough, I guess... How 'bout you?" he asked, pulling himself painfully out of the fountain. By the feel of things, all this running up the stairs was getting to him, after all; his legs were sore. After he managed to stand, he offered his hand to the other, ready to pull him out of the water.
"Gentlemen!" a stern voice spoke from behind the trio.
The Restaurant Manager was standing there in his tuxedo, looking understandably upset. His back was straight as a board, his nose was poiting at the ceiling, and he was glaring down its beak-like length at the three troublemakers. "Hhhh-WHAT is the meaning of this?" He demanded, arms shaking at his side with anger the likes of which only an aristocrat can muster.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:24 pm
"I think I'm okay," Answered Isi as he reached up for the other guy's hand. When the Restaurant manager appeared, though, Isi's grip slipping on Aph's wet hand and he collapsed back into the fountain as his weak legs gave out from underneath him because of the weird position he was standing up in. With a clunk, Isi hit his head on the fake rock rim and he gave a groan, lifting himself halfway out of the water and rubbing his forehead where he felt a lump coming. "Nevermind..."
Isi's attention was then drawn to the angry manager. Looking up at the shaking man, Isi curled himself behind the rock wall of the fountain like the child he was and replied hastily, "We were chasing my flying whale and-" he stuttered wildly, "We had no intentions of doing all this!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:41 pm
Rivener was staring blankly at the manager, and by the way his wing was twitching, Aph could tell that the Raevan was considering poisoning the man, simply to spare themselves the trouble of having to deal with him.
Aph moved over to stand in front of Isi, and pinched a handful of Riv's coat, tugging the Frei to his side and away from the Manager. "Please, it's not the kid's fault. It's my fault. The whale got free and we had to chase it here. I'm sorry for the mess, and for scaring off your customers... I'll pay for the damages," the man volunteered unhappily, knowing full well that he didn't have the money. "I-I have no money, but I can work! I can work for free until whatever we broke or damaged is repaid?"
A sudden flash.
Startled, Aph glanced over to Riv, who had once again taken out the camera and had taken a picture of the Manager. Riv giggled almost girlishly as he looked at his LCD screen. "His mustache was shaking with rage!" he snickered.
Aphismet turned back to the manager and grinned sheepishly.
"HARRUMPH!" the Manager said, tilting his nose upwards even more (if such a thing was possible) and glancing about. "The damage to the establishment is minor, luckily for you. It is the business you have cost us this night, which is the most angering! WE have lost at LEAST 2000$ worth of paying customers!"
The Manager scuttled forward and glared at Aphismet and Isi, and most especially at Rivener. He then focused his gaze on Aph. "Verrry well! You shall return here and work off this horrid debt. The other two of you can count yourselves lucky!"
Turning with one final huff, the snobbish Manager shuffled off to tend to the broken china that was strewn about when people ran off.
Aph finally turned back to Isi and offered his hand again, to help the boy out of the fountain. "You'll catch your death," Aph said with a meek smile.
Another flash as Rivener captured Aph's rescuing of the boy from the fountain.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:04 pm
Isi thankfully took Aph's hand and he pulled himself out of the fountain, dripping wet and soaked to the bone. Just as Rivener flashed the picture, Isi gave a small smile.
He clambored out like a fish and sat himself on the edge, watching himself drip with a sad sigh. The boy turned his head up to Aph, his grey eyes guilty and sorry, "You didn't have to do that," He said softly, "You've done so much for me already. You didn't have to go and save my hide too. You see? This is why I don't like accepting help from people." That last part he kind of meant for himself but he said it nontheless.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:12 pm
Aph plopped himself down next to Isi, and smiled. "I know I didn't have to, but I doubt you have any money, do you? And you're too young to get a job. As for me, this might actually be ok... I mean, even if I work for free, I could probably put this on my resume, and it might get me a better job than the one I have now. I wonder what they'll make me do? Probably bus boy. Rivener, please stop it." Aph protested as another Flash nearly blinded him.
Rivener was grinning madly. In his eyes, this evening had been incredible. They'd met someone new, found an interesting critter, had an adventure worthy of being on television, and he had it all on film! ...Well, sort of on film. This was exhilerating! He hoped they would do it again sometime. He hoped he could one day get a webcam, maybe next year for Christmas, and then he could film the Whale and put it on the internet. It would no doubt be popular. Riv felt so happy that he obeyed Aph without protest, pocketing the camera and floating closer, "sitting" on the ledge next to his guardian.
"This was really fun!" Rivener said enthusiastically.
Aphismet smirked dryly, before turning back to Isi. "At any rate, we should probably get you back home. Do you live far away? My apartment is nearby, if you live too far it might be a better idea for you to come to my place and dry off first."
He realized he sounded like a ***** when he heard Rivener snicker at him. Blushing, he hoped Isi wouldn't know about that kind of thing, or at least not think that Aphismet was that kind of guy.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:15 am
"Far away as in I live in the country side in the middle of nowhere," Isi answered with a frustrated huff as he tried to wring out his sleeve. Apparently Isi was innocent eough to not know about such things. The boy reached back over his shoulder and he slipped his backpack into his lap so he could pull out his wet crutches and unfold them.
"My adopted grandma is too feather brained to be worried about me so I'm sure she won't mind if I stayed out a bit longer. I'm sure the food dispenser and the water bowl are still filled, so she'll be alright locked up in her room. I...I guess....It wold be nie to dry off first before I go anywhere." With grey eyes of defeat, Isi looked down at himself and Aph and smirked, "I'll turn into a freaking ice cube if I try to go anywhere like this and I'll catch pneumonia! That'll make my day...Um...Thanks for doing all this...I don't have money, but I think my grandma does, but then again, I can't be too positive of her."
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:20 pm
Aphismet quickly raised up his hands and waved off the boy's talk of money. "Oh, don't worry about money at all! I think this might be best for me, after all... I could maybe finally do something different with my life." He smirked, and got up. He waited for the boy to follow as he headed for the elevator, making sure that Rivener was following as well.
The Raevan looked around again as his guardian pushed the elevator button. There were plenty of staff, all busily cleaning up broken dishes under the careful watch of the Manager. Riv didn't like him. The elevator doors opened with a loud ding. When the Manager glanced over at the exiting troublemakers, Rivener turned his own nose up at the snobbish aristocrat, and gave him the same haughty sniff he'd seen done on television so many times. As the shiny doors closed, Rivener smirked at the view of the Manager's face turning beet red with rage.
"It shouldn't take long for your clothes to dry at my place," Aph continued once they were alone in the elevator. "It's normally pretty warm in there, Rivener makes me keep the thermostat pretty high. He likes warmth, you see," the man explained stupidly.
Rivener rolled his eyes.
The doors dinged open at the bottom and the trio exited. Once they reached the front door, Aph turned and crouched, offering a piggy back ride again, smiling. "Here, I'll run so we get home sooner. Hop on!"
Rivener simply opened the door and waited outside, the konked-out whale tucked in the crook of his arm.
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