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 Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:39 pm
"This may seem odd but," Guan began to say to Tomo before the little boy piped up.
"My name's Arlen," he said excitedly, hopping off of the sofa and running over to the bar. "Who're you?" he asked curiously.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:48 pm
Tomo didn't seem surprised in the least. He walked around the bar and knelt down to be at Arlen's eye-level. "Arlen, huh? What a cool name." He said, extending his hand to shake as he would any patron. "My name is Tomokazu, but sometimes people have trouble pronouncing it, so they call me 'Tomo' instead." He introduced.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:54 pm
Arlen smiled and shook Arlen's hand enthusiastically. "That's a cool name," he said, before giggling and pointing to Tomo's ears. "You've got kitty ears."
Guan sighed and watched the exchange. He hoped that Tomo wouldn't jump to any conclusions. The man was usually sensible, but he had just learned of Arlen's death the night before so this couldn't be very comfortable for him.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:02 pm
Tomo shook Arlen's hand and nodded with a chuckle, "Yep. I have kitty ears. And a tail, too!" He said flipping his tail back and forth so the boy could easily see it. "It's okay if you touch them as long as you're gentle." He said, lowering his head in offering. His eyes did dart to Guan briefly as if silently letting him know he had questions, but for now he would enjoy the moment. This Arlen seemed to be nothing more than a victim of circumstance.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:18 pm
Arlen giggled some more and gently ran a hand along Tomo's tail. "That's so weird," he said bluntly like a child does.
Guan still gave the child a stern look before nodding to Tomo. If the man had questions then he was more or less obligated to answer.
"I'm hungry," the kid said, turning to look at Guan.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:22 pm
"Isn't it?" Tomo agreed, standing up slowly, "I've had to deal with this bugger for eighteen years and I still think it's weird." he said, letting it drag limply behind him. "What would you like to eat? We have lots of stuff."
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:31 pm
"Can I have waffles?" Arlen asked excitedly, letting go of Tomo's tail and looking back at him hopefully.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:35 pm
Tomo nodded and walked to the kitchen. He pulled some waffles from the freezer and popped them in the toaster. It was a little late to be pulling out the waffle iron and he figured the boy wouldn't mind. After a few minutes, the blonde stepped out with a small plate of waffles along with the syrup. "There we are." he said, setting it on the bar. "Please sit," He said, gesturing to a barstool.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:41 pm
"Thank you!" Arlen exlcaimed and climbed up onto the bar stool where he began to eagerly and a bit messily eat the delicious treat.
"Arlen," Guan said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I need to talk to Tomokazu for a bit. You stay here until we get back, alright?" He asked the boy, intending to give Tomo the answers he wanted while the boy ate.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:48 pm
Tomo perked his ears and turned to Guan with a nod, "Oh, yes!" He said, pushing open the kitchen door. "Here's fine." He said, stepping into the kitchen and waiting for Guan to enter before letting it swing shut. "You probably know what I'm gonna ask. Last I knew Arlen was dead and now... There's this boy here with the same name and looks eating waffles. Care to fill in the blanks for me?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:54 pm
Guan followed Tomo into the kitchen and leaned against the wall by the door. "I expected that, but the thing is I can't give you a definite answer on it," Guan said carefully. "The important thing is that this Arlen is for all intents completely separate from the one we know, save for the name and similarities in appearance."
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:58 pm
"So, he's just a kid? Does he have parents or anything or did you just find him?" Tomo asked, resting his hand on his chin. "He doesn't seem to find it odd that he's in a weird place with people he doesn't know."
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:02 pm
Guan shook his head. "Arlen was the same when I was charged with him," he said thinking back to all those years ago. "Though he was younger than this Arlen. "All I am given is the child and it's first name. Then I find a couple I can trust to be good parents and remain nearby to help when the boy starts using his abilities."
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:06 pm
Tomo nodded, "There are a few people here that I'm sure would take him in... But is it a good idea to have him here when Lily seems so fragile, now?" He asked, more to himself than anything.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:10 pm
"I'm not sure," Guan said, sighing. "It sounds cold, but my primary concern must be what's best for the boy. While it is unlikely, if Arlen is Arlen then he would want to be with Lily if he were to return to how he was."
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