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(( This is where the 'Fresh Blooms' roleplay will be recorded. Depending on its length, I may just link it and write a synopsis here.

[Fresh Blooms!] ))

The television set whirred lazily in the background as Akina Tokuwa busied herself in the kitchen. Tonight, she reasoned, would be the first time in a long time that she prepared dinner for the family instead of just letting Naraka or Calliope take care of it. Tonight, she prayed, was an olive branch of sorts that was aimed at bringing the makeshift family. Tonight, she worried, would be disrupted by the bipolar tendencies of her toddler.

Tossing some sautéed mushrooms and onions around in a large skillet, the elf cast inquisitive blue eyes through the railing and into the living room. Yup, he was still there, sitting slack-jawed as the dancing images moved across the pixelated screen. It saddened Akina that the child she had grown closest to was so drawn to technology--something that she grudgingly used only when absolutely necessary--so it was with a sigh that the elf turned her attentions back to the meal at hand.

Honestly, she didn't even need to look over her shoulder at Brimstone. As long as the TV was on, Brim could not look away. He had moved from his Star Wars phase into a new, far more disturbing Bill Nye: The Science Guy period. It reminded Akina of the artist Picasso she had learned about in The Lady's English lessons that she once took. Hopefully, Brim would not be as much of a psycho as some of those artistic souls. The elf could picture it now; one day, she would come home to find her son painting water lilies on the walls and cutting off one of his ears.

Then again, Akina doubted that the child would bother looking away from the TV to do such a thing. The question was, should she be happy or upset by that fact?

Moving the skillet from the heat, the blue-eyed elf dumped the mushrooms and onions onto a large metal pan sitting beside the sink. It already contained green peppers, tomatoes, and thick slices of steak and chicken, but the elf seemed to keep adding to the heap. This strange 'Mexican' food had become a favorite of Naraka's, and Akina hoped that by making it, Naraka would finally understand that her roommate did listen to her and did care.

The sound of gravel crunching on the walkway alerted Akina to the approach of her housemates. Quickly, she set the makings for fajitas out on the table and ran into the living room to gather up Brimstone. With a manicure-less nail, she clicked off the TV set and glanced down to her son, "Dinner time, Brim. No more television for tonight."

Brim furrowed his eyebrow and glanced up at his mother with disdain. "TV now," he stated flatly, using the remote to click it back on. Sighing, Akina flipped it off once more and moved to block the screen.

"I said now, young man. Naraka and--"

"Tee. Vee. NOW."

Sympathetic blue eyes narrowed into slits, glaring down at Brim's pupiless green ones as he turned on the television once more in direct defiance. "Brimstone. I will not ask you again. Turn off the television. NOW." To emphasize her point, the elf put her hands on her hips and jutted a finger down toward Brim.

"What did you just say to me?" The color came in flushed in her cheeks, anger rising in her voice with each new syllable.

"Young man," Akina began again, trying to reason with her unstable son as best she could while still maintaining her authority in the house. Again, she turned off the television and folded her arms in anger. "If you turn that television on one more time, you will regret it, mister. I am warning you, and I will NOT do it--"

He turned the television back on.

In a flash, Akina hopped behind the set, yanking the cord from the wall and fitting the child safety notch into the plug. "Alright, now, be sensible, Brim--" Before she could even offer a compromise, the young Shattered had begun to scream. No, it was worse than screaming. He was positively shrieking.

The elf could here her housemates stop at the door. It sounded like someone dropped their key on the ground. Covering her sensitive ears, Akina ran to grab Brimstone, but he moved before she could reach him, running into the kitchen. He crawled under the table, still screaming; every vein in his neck bulged as if it was about to burst. Furtive hands pulled at the table cloth, inching the dishes closer to the edge.

"STOP IT!" Akina screamed, trying to reach Brimstone in his impassioned state. "BRIM, NO!" Blue eyes went wide as she watched the first few dishes clatter and break on the floor. Diving under the table, the elf wrapped her hands around Brimstone, spinning him around so that he would face her, but before she could speak, Akina felt the words sucked right out of her at the sight of her son's face.

The grey wisps all over his body seemed to be moving, his smoke wings were thicker, and his green eyes were swirling so fast that Akina could barely register the movement. Heat hissed off of his body, and it was only after she had held him for a few moments that it registered with Akina that her hands were burning. Shouting, she dropped Brim hard on the floor, staring at the red welts that had formed on her hands. They crackled with steam burns and acid irritation.

What is going on!? she shouted in her head, watching in horror as her toddler ripped the table cloth to the ground. She could hear the hiss on her hardwork over the stove cooling on the thread.

Feeling the first tears she had felt in a long time, Akina did the only thing she could of. Building up her adrenaline, the elf dove foward, grabbing Brimstone in spite of how his skin was ravaging her hands, and sprinted toward her room, kicking open her bathroom door. Spinning on the shower, she tossed Brim into the basin of the bathtub, letting the cold water run across him.

Gradually, his screaming subsided as did his fidgeting, leaving a violently sobbing toddler alone in the stream of water. Collapsing against the wall, Akina remained wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock, ignoring the intense pain in her hands for now.

A soft knock interrupted her horror. Glancing up, Akina recognized Calliope in the doorway, wearing a similiar expression to Akina's. "Is... everything...?" her soft voice trailed off quietly, unable to find the words.

"Just take Naraka and the kids out to dinner somewhere. My credit card is in my purse." Akina kept her gaze distant and aloof.

"Well, do you want some help cleaning up?"

"No. Calliope, please... please, just go. I don't want to talk about it right now. I can't face Naraka." Turning to look up at teal-eyed elf, Akina emphasized her point. "Please... just leave now."

Calliope lingered for a moment before disappearing from the doorway. The sound of a purse being opened was heard for only a moment, followed by the soft closing of one door and the irate slamming of another. No doubt Naraka had been the cause of the latter.

Akina dropped her eyes to the floor, listening to Brim's consistent sobs like white noise in the background on her mind. What was that? He was fine, and then he just... exploded. Warily, the elf peeked over the tub to take another glance at Brim.

Each droplet of water made his skin hiss, sending curls of smoke rising from every pore on his small body. It appeared as though he was encompassed by a cocoon of smoke. The elf rose to her feet, approaching the tub for a moment, but she hesitated. Something in her would not allow her to touch Brimstone just yet, to forgive him.

Something in her was... scared.

Slipping out of the bathroom, Akina left the door ajar, knowing that any noise her child made would be picked up by her ultrasensitive ears. Careful steps lead her to the wreckage of her attempted dinner, her ruined chance to heal the uncertainty in her family. As much as she wanted in to not be so, at that moment, Akina was generally mad at the weeping Shattered in the tub.

All of this devastation over the television.

Not knowing what to think, the elf dropped to her knees and began collecting and throwing out every broken dish and cup and all of the ruined food. All of her hardwork had been for nothing, and it was all Brimstone's fault. His sudden meltdown had left a wake of destruction, and for now, Akina needed some quiet time.

Once this was cleaned up, she would be ready to comfort her son, but now... now, she needed to remain distant from him. She had to cool down before she, too, had a break down.

Asrafel looked down into the deep blow of Bass'ken Lake. He fluttered over the softly churning waters that his father was fishing in, looking for the sudden movements of a fish here and there. His wings hummed quietly behind him, and the sound, however faint, caught his father's attention.

"Asra, you're going to scare the fish away. Come sit by me."

Asrafel whined as he looked up at his father, but obeyed without much more complaint. He hovered onto the dock that his father sat on, and landed on his toes.

"It smells funny."

"You get used to it."

Asrafel scrunged up his nose, and made a face. He didn't think he could ever get used to this.

"I'm going to take a walk over by the boardwalk, to get some fresh air. Okay daddy?"

"This IS fresh air, Asra!"

"Daaaaaad.."

"Sure, go ahead, just be back before sundown." Nio gave his son a crooked smile, and returned his focus to his work.

Freedom! Asrafel flew away in a flash, off to flutter by the boardwalk and accidentally scandalize old women with his near-nudity.

Suddenly a small child bumped hard into Asrafel, and he flailed as the boy ran off. He'd lost his balance, but being in mid-air helped him in that respect. He teetered before hovering straight again, and swished around to watch the boy and his mother run off.

His stomach clenched in pain, and he laid his hand against it, wincing. He felt as though he would surely vomit if he didn't follow the pair.. it made no sense. He'd never felt that way before.

He flew towards Akina and the child she held fast beside her, quickly demising that the boy was one of his kin. His stomach refused to unclench, however, and the pain moved up further towards his chest. A more familiar feeling, he realized.

He sighed, and took a sharp breath to regain his composure, before tapping the woman's shoulder.

"Ah.. hello? Are you both all right? Your son seemed to have run into me rather hard, he didn't hurt himself did he?"

Asrafel was clearly unnerved by Brim's staring. Still, he continued on. "Oh, no trouble at all! I think perhaps it was fate, you see." He gave Brim a soft smile, which faltered slightly at the continued stare-down. "Ah.. well I'm sure you're wondering why I stopped you, other than to apologize. You see, your son there.. well, he is sort of, ah.. hm. How to explain!" Asrafel smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "He's sort of kind of related to me.. in a way!"

One look from Asra to Brim would indicate that these two could be no more related than the sun was related to the ocean. Still, he perservered. "We are the same kind of being, that is.. my name is Asrafel, by the way! May I ask both of yours?" Holding his hand out cordially, he nervously awaited an answer.