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Roux shook his head, no, no, none of that, he didn't.. yes he did.. But he couldn't. If he ever could he would on his own. Instead he gave a sigh of slight irritation, his meaning had been confused.

The whisper was enough to still the frustraited anger that had begun to rise again in his chest, pressing his lips tight together as he looked at Rivener with unease. "Beautiful?" He looked up hopefully.

The girl had tried to tell him this. But she'd said it in such a way... so full of.. sympathy.. and that wasn't what he wanted. Rivener he could hope to get honesty from.


Chloe gave a small apologetic smile to Isi. "I'm not sure.. he's just been.. mostly normal, I suppose." Her eyes seemed to unfocus as she thought of something else.

Something.. bigger. Something that quite obviously worried her deeply. Her gaze wandered to Roux once more, slowly scanning across the grounds until resting on the Kissing Booths, Julian, Dr. Kyou, and Dr. Tsu all were occupying at the moment.. she wasn't sure where Eirdirsceol was..

Natsuki stood by Dr. Tsu's booth, she wa-

"Oh." Chloe blinked, giving a small gasp as something clicked within her memory. That was it! She remembered what she had to do earlier, what was of great importance! "E-E-Excuse me, Isi." She hurried past him, toward the lab, and entered the doors at a near run.

That was right! She couldn't believe she'd almost forgotten. She rummaged around through the yellow sticky notes on her desk before finding the one she wanted, holding it up with a small, satisfied, "Ah-ha!" Yes... it was correct.

She turned to the glass case and the last bit of reassurance that she wasn't just mistaken sat within on a velvety pillow. A Soul Bottle and Fel Essence. Chloe unlocked the glass case and removed them tenderly, making sure the lock the case back up before she headed outside once more, moving at a far slower pace.

She called out as soon as she got closer to Natsuki, holding the precious glass items close to her chest as she walked. "N-Natsuki! U-Uhm... I-I've g-g-got something for you.."

Chloe's face was flushed as she bit her lip. She paused, looking Natsuki up and down carefully before giving a small nod. She very tenderly held out the Vial filled with what almost seemed to be small, colorful chips and the characteristically round Soul Bottle.

"I..... I uhm.." She licked her lips, blushing. "These are.. f-for you." She swelled inwardly with pride. Dr. Kyou had given her this particular soul bottle and fel essence with direct instructions.

'I want you to chose who you think would be best for these.'

It was -her- job, a very important one, and one she felt certain of as soon as she'd caught sight of the cascade of color within the vial. Yes... it was perfect for the colorful, bright, happy Natsuki.

Chloe smiled and nodded, holding them out a bit further for Natsuki to take herself. "Yes. It's Fel Essence is.. Fragments of the Rainbow.." She smiled and help up the vial. "They made me think of you.. a-and how your hair changes a lot.. and your clothes."

"T-Take good c-care of them.. a-ah.. you know how they work?" She glanced around warily.. she didn't really want to speak too indepth about it all around the Raevens, that forboding sense of taboo looming over the subject.

"Wow! Fragments 'o Rainbow? That's so neat!" Natsuki said, admiring the shards of rainbow in the vial. Her smile softened when Chloe mentioned that the fel essence reminded her of Natsuki. Colorful. Brilliant. Changing. Rare. Unable to resist a good pun, she giggled, "Talk about a 'lucky break'..."

"I will care for them greatly, Chloe. More so because I know its a precious gift from a true friend," Natsuki said, setting her cap on the counter of Tsu's kissing booth. Thankfully the white spots she saw vanished. Running her fingers through her long hair, she eyed the other bottle Chloe held. From the looks of it, nothing was inside it.

"I know a little bit based on my interactions with you, Roux, Shuura, and Vyn. I remember mention that it takes a combination of the fel essence, and a soul," Natsuki said, in a hushed voice to Chloe. Pointing to the bottle with the exotic plum and golden accent cloth, she continued, "but that other bottle is looking rather... empty..."

Ravi glared at his companion. He'd been rude, clumsy, and difficult the whole five minutes Ravi had spent with him. Was he even worth sticking around? In his usual state Ravi would have left easily and without regret or hesitation. But now, the man's confident, though brash, air was almost a comfort. Yeah. About as comfortable as those grass-woven blankets. Ravi sighed.

"It's nothing," he said, though the opposite was true. "Just got a chill. And what's your problem?" Ravi asked, quirking an eyebrow at the man. "Not so smooth tonight, are we?"

"O-Oh... of course. H-Here.." She reached into her pockets, fishing around for a moment before pulling out a small pad of yellow sticky notes and a pen, scribbling something down and handing it over to Natsuki.

"Th-There's my home number.. i-if you need anything." She gave a small smile and nod.

Aphismet smiled and nodded. He could easily imagine the feisty Italian driving her "captors" crazy if she was cooped up in a small place for too long. He chuckled at the mental imagery, a ravenous Alex flailing about a living room, flipping television sets off their stands...

"Oh, what work is it that you do?" he asked. "And whatever it is, you get to have a long vacation each year, that must be nice! I hope it doesn't leave you financially crippled," he added, instantly regretting his choice of words. He'd basically just asked her if she was a bum!



Rivener saw the frustration well up in the other Raevan, and knew that he'd missed the mark. Roux was always such a mystery. "I'm sorry I didn't understand, Roux," he said, petting the other's hair while still holding one of his hands. He offered one of his most sultry smiles. "And yes, you're beautiful. Always beautiful. Perfect face, pretty hair, soft cool skin... Very beautiful."

He wondered what it was that was making Roux like this; he wanted to help find the answer. Smoothing down the other's hair softly, he watched the cold features for any trace of reassurance.

Alex laughed, shaking her head lightly. "I'm a zoologist. The company I work for has been trying to get me into anthropology for as long as I've worked for them, but they've failed miserably." She cast Aphismet an enigmatic smile, either not catching the wording or choosing not to acknowledge it. "It just so happens that we didn't know that these critters hibernate. Usually, they'd transfer me to a new source, but it's been a hectic year. I contribute some graphics and pictures for a local magazine, so I'm not sure I ever really stop working."

The woman paused, turning to look behind herself at where Zoe was. Apparently he'd taken off again, as Chloe was speaking with Natsuki. Roux wasn't at his booth, either. There were so many people now! Alex was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable again. She would probably have to go soon, or find a less crowded area to be in. Giving a last sweeping glance for the Gwee, she turned back to the young man in front of her, her lips parting in a hint of a grin. "If I can find him, you can meet one of the 'studies' that has been domesticated."

Her green eyes met his; she couldn't help but notice he was much less frightened this time around. Maybe it was because he had his family, or because he was near people he knew? As if a lightbulb had gone on over her head, Alex asked curiously, "What do you do? Do you work for the Lab, since you have a Raevan?"