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 Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:14 pm
(( Lorenzo - > Cocoa Bar - > Vivi and Ian ))
Lorenzo made himself some hot cocoa as he and Ian were folded neatly into a group. He was a little overwhelmed, what with all the living people, half of whom were floating (not that he could judge, some of his best friends were mostly torso). He supposed he should introduce himself, but he waited for a lull, listening to what was going on. Everyone seemed pleasant- he couldn't quite understand the snatches of conversation he listened to without context, but it seemed like a close-knit community. He felt better about going to Russia with the kit he had received.
He startled when Vivi addressed him. "It's like that with some types of newly undead too," he stammered impulsively, and mentally cursed himself, but once he got started, he supposed he might as well finish. "The sensory overload- and they're still getting used to controlling their organs manually instead of automatically." He reached inside his cloak for his Friendly Pamhplets instinctively, but withdrew them again. "I have pretty plain tastes myself," he said, sipping his mug of peppermint cocoa. "But I can make a mean pastry if push comes to shove." The good thing about necromancing was that it trained you to follow very exacting recipes and instructions.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 11:33 pm
(( Mordekai, Seabiscuit - Lounge with Cesc, Dr. Kyou, & Shep; Aina - Hot cocoa bar with Vivi, Ian, and Lorenzo ))
Mordekai's attention diverted a moment from the stag at the sight oF Ethiriel and Zurine, as well - he offered the Freis a small wave before turning back to Cesc, brows knit with concern. With a grimace, he huffed and scratched his hair; he wondered if Aina or Duncan knew about this at all, but given how often he saw the croc, hearing this so suddenly from Cesc was staggering. "Can't believe I didn't know 'bout any of this 'til now - damn."
He attempted to perk his smile up some to Cesc, "Guess I'll ask Cruz what's goin' on after he's better. Roughin' it out with the cold right now," his head bowed slightly, and he quieted, "But is Iorek doin' okay? He's a friend of yours too, yeah?"
All the scratches from Shepard was well-received - the scratches at his jaw were especially appreciated. The great dane readily stepped onto the couch with Shepard, and after knitting his paws on the surface of the couch for a bit, chose instead to rest his forelegs and head eagerly against the brunette's lap. He lifted his head for just a moment in recognition of Nedhudir and Dr. Kyou before lazing back down again.
"We make whipped cream too!" Aina piped up. The Frei grinned, sleeves pressed to her cheeks, "It's okay, hot cocoa smells really nice...! But I really wanna eat one day..."
As Vivi greeted Lazarus from afar, Aina glanced toward Lorenzo, wide eyes staring as he spoke - with a slight tilt of her head, she frowned. "What's a undead?" she dipped her head down, thinking; "Why would you say 'not dead' like that? Doesn't that just mean alive?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:15 am
(( Claire -> at the cocoa bar, with Nell; Cadi -> just ahead of the cocoa bar, with Amity ))
"Claire; nice to meet you, Nell!" Nell seemed a very friendly sort, and Claire took her offered hand with both of hers in a gentle handshake. "Interesting ride so far, isn't it? I'm definitely not as much of an oldbie as some of the attendants at this party here but it certainly has been a journey." She smiled once the handshake had ended. "How have you been enjoying it so far?" She set to work on her own cup of cocoa - nothing too much, just a touch of hazelnut, some cream, and a bit of whipped cream to top. The cold was already sapping from her cheeks given some time in the cabin and among the crowd, and as she had taken a small look back at the group standing just behind her and Cadi (she recognized Aina with a glowing fondness but saw her engaged with quite a few others, two new faces and a familiar one from past events; recalling the tea party, she decided to wait before approaching her so as not to overwhelm her, there was plenty of time to talk to her). As she worked on her cup, she kept most of her focus on Nell; while the woman seemed the outgoing type, there was no denying that some facets of being a Lab guardian were rather stressful, as could be expected.
Cadi glanced back as Claire engaged one of the other folks at the table before looking down at her masterpiece: Aztec chocolate, whipped cream, nutmeg and cinnamon, and fresh cream. It was a thing of beauty, her own damn masterpiece, and she was going to drink every last bit of it. Her hands readjusted on the finished mug and she took another sweeping glance around - it was certainly a sight to behold. Truthfully, all Cadi had to go on about Lab before the chance meeting with Amity at the comic book store a short while back was the photo Aaron had passed around last Thanksgiving of a cheery crocodile Raevan he knew. It was all still very strange to her, and her nerves were in her throat when she suddenly realized how many folks were clustered around the table. She itched her arm, glancing into her mug, until a distantly familiar voice called out her name, and she looked up, grinning wide. Speaking of the bat Frei, she had appeared out of the crowd and Cadi moved forward a touch from the crowd at the table to meet her.
"Hey there!" She was all smiles again now that there was another familiar face. "How've you been, Amity? Happy reading?" She had hoped that some of the goodies the Raevan had picked up during her first excursion to the comic shop had been good ones - doubly so since some had been her own recommendations. "How's Connor doing?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 6:50 pm
(( Nell -> cocoa bar with Claire)) "Oh, interesting doesn't even begin to cover it," she said with a laugh. Her experience in the last few months ran the gamut from amazing to terrifying, and everything in between. Things were calmer now, though she was expecting that to change once her raevan showed up. "It's been a crazy ride so far, but overall it's been..." she trailed off, frowning slightly as she tried to search for a word that could adequately describe her experience. Eventually she gave up with a sigh and shook her head. "Well, I'm glad it happened, even if some of it was a bit....weird." A bit of an understatement, she thought, but she didn't just want to dump the whole story on the poor woman after just meeting her. "I would ask if yours was as well, but I'm starting to think that's the norm for this sort of thing." Her more sensible part of her brain won the hot chocolate battle, and she ended up making herself a plain cup of cocoa, though she did allow herself a splash of cream in it as well, since it is a special occasion.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 10:30 pm
((Zurine - Cocoa bar - Ethiriel))
Watching that smile and twirl, Zuri felt her heart leap giddily. Though she hadn't really had the chance to get close to Ethiriel, it made her feel genuinely delighted for her. Smiling and pleased with herself, the tea frei was absolutely radiant, and it surprised Zuri how much that happiness affected even herself.
"I'm really happy for you," Zurine said softly, honestly, reaching out to touch Ethiriel's shoulder with a cool, gentle hand, her fingertips light. "As long as you're finding it to be good! Zeke made some, ah, suggestions for me last year too. I'm afraid I wound up overdoing it, but here I am." She gestured at herself a bit self-deprecatingly, scrunching her nose daintily before her smile came back. "It must be exciting seeing things for the first time..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 8:09 am
(( Kyou | Lounge - Shep // Laz | Hot cocoa bar - Vivi ))
Reaching his destination, he pulled his arms out of the crutches as he plopped himself down comfortably between a white and a gold pillow. He savored the warmth from the fireplace for a bit before leaning down and putting his crutches on the floor, slipping them under the couch and out of the way.
"Oh!" He exclaimed in delight as Shepard introduced himself. "Oh yes I don't think we've officially met." The man chuckled as he extended an arm. It had been a while since he had greeted someone with a handshake. Since his hands are almost always stuck in the crutches when he meets someone. It may seem odd to some, but he misses greeting people with a handshake. It just seem so impolite if you don't. "I'm Kyou, it's really nice to finally meet you!"
"And who is this?" Kyou laughed as he leaned forwards a little bit to look more closely at the magnificent beast on Shepard's lap.
Lazarus blushed as Vivi called him out from among the crowd, with a compliment such as that no less. "You look very beautiful too, glowing really!" He called back, feeling a little embarrassed but at the same time very uplifted as well. "Pose for the camera!" He shouted before taking a good close up shot of Vivi.
Smiling, he headed on over towards the French woman, showing her the taken photo on the camera screen.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 10:12 am
((Ethiriel – Cocoa bar – Zurine))
Elated, the silvery Frei couldn’t help but beam at Zurine – but at her next statement, her smile faltered just a bit. ”I am sorry… but you are well now, correct?” She said, trying to encourage the owl with her voice. She seemed fine now, at least, and a Sigel at that! Zuri’s expression didn’t seem too pleased until she fixed herself; and once she had, Ethiriel’s matched a bit better.
”It is! Though, at first, everything was so… bright. It hurt. I am still not completely accustomed, but it is far better than it started.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 8:27 pm
((Cesc== lounge with Mordekai, Vivi == hot cocoa bar with Aina, Ian, Lorenzo and Lazarus, Shepard == lounge with Seabiscuit and Dr. Kyou))
There had been a time when Shepard had nothing but spite for the good doctor--that time was the jungle, when he'd seen the aftermath, and thought there had been no good reason for anyone to have risked so much for him. But those thoughts were far away now, practically forgotten. Now, Shepard was pleased to meet the cause of Cesc's being, and his grin was genuine. "It's nice to meet you, too," he said.
"This guy here?" Shepard patted the Great Dane on the side, his palm making a flat, loud sound against the fur. "This little dude is Seabiscuit--he's Aina's, I think, and Mordekai's. A big sweetheart's what he is." Remembering suddenly, the Aussie added: "You do some work with animals, too, that's right! We've got one of 'em, your little... what's it called. Cat fox. Our guy's great. Wish I'd brought him tonight now, actually."
Cesc shifted his weight slightly as the conversation shifted to Iorek. He was aware that the conversation was a little heavy for the proceedings, and although he had no real reason other than the passage of time to suspect the gargoyle's heart had mended, he tried to be airy with his response. "Iorek? He'll be alright. He was pretty upset when it happened. It's kind of weird, he said the actual breakup was fine for him, but the next day he just got into a deep funk."
The stag shrugged, shaking his head. "Well, heartbreak sucks, but he'll be alright. He's a good guy."
Smiling, he floated to the side. "--but, hey, let's leave all that. Did you see they're having a snowball fight? I'm gonna sign up before I forget. You should get in on it! All that working on the farm probably means you've got a mean arm, yeah?"
As he spoke, he floated to the book by the mantle, signing his name to it beside Ronan and his crew's.
"You'll eat before you know it!" Vivi was saying in the meanwhile to Aina. "And, my darling, undead and alive are quite different-- how impressive that our new friend knows so much! Perhaps he will give us a lesson?" Vivi's eyes went to Lorenzo, and she peered at him with a great and pressing curiousity, her gaze quite direct into his.
Luckily (perhaps, considering the third-degree she was about to unleash upon Lorenzo), Lazarus returned her hello and her attention was taken there. She smiled brilliantly at him and his camera, and shifted her focus as he came closer.
"Why, Lazarus! I had no idea you were a photographer. You look so much like you should be on the other side, instead," she cooed, looking down at the shot on the digital screen. Pleased with the result, her smile widened. "Why, what a skilled shot you are. Does this mean the Lab is getting into some social media? Are we finally going to be showing you all off a little more?"
"Oh-- how rude of me," she then said. "Lazarus, do you know Aina, Ian and Lorenzo?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 8:25 pm
((Oliver -> Entrance -> Heading straight for some hot chocolate))
Oliver typically spent New Year's at home with the company of family, but with Lab's festivities being so close to home, it was difficult to pass up. He had his family come over to watch the house while he was out and left them money if they wanted to have a party themselves, so everything was taken care of there. All that was left for him to do was pick up a cake to bring and arrive.
He had to pause a moment to admire the cabin while he retrieved the cake from the car. It was a lovely cabin, like one you'd see in a travel magazine, and the snow covering it's top made it all the more pleasing to the eye. However, given how chilly it was outside, he could hardly wait to see what it looked like from the inside.
"Happy New Year, everyone!" He called, hustling inside and toward the far right side. "Goodness, it's really bitter out! I should've brought a better coat!"
He gave his sleeves a quick dusting and placed the cake on the table, before turning to assess the scenery. Well, everything was just as a New Year's celebration should be, at least in his opinion. A gorgeous fire, a bounty of food, and plenty of people to talk to. He'd have to scout out someone to chat with after he'd found himself a nice cup of hot cocoa to warm his bones with.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 5:36 pm
(( Ian -> Cocoa Bar - Aina, Vivi, Lorenzo, Lazarus ))
Aina was so sweet, and Ian couldn't help but smile at her in return. She was the youngest-looking frei he'd seen in a while, possibly ever, and he briefly wondered why that was. Was it normal? Were the others just unusually mature-looking? Though now that he thought about it, there was a bit of a range in apparent ages as far as he'd seen. He wondered how old his own frei would look, or what they would look like in general.
The little frei's question pulled him back out of his thoughts. "Oh,um, not quite yet. But it's a shame you can't try it yet. I'm sure you'll love it when you're bigger." He chuckled and started to make his own mug of chocolate. He mixed it up with skim milk, extra peppermint chocolate, and a big mountain of whipped cream on top complete with peppermint pieces. "I know, I'm actually a little worried about finding the right food when my frei arrives..." He smiled anxiously, then turned back to Aina. "We'll have to have a playdate sometime, so you can meet them."
The snap of a camera startled him a bit and he glanced at Lazarus - he assumed, since that was the name Vivi had used - with a shy smile. He chuckled softly when Aina picked up on Lorenzo's vocabulary, wondering how he was going to explain that one. Thankfully Vivi chimed in and did a pretty good job. Soon enough, however, he was being introduced yet again. "Nice to meet you, Lazarus." He had to be a raevan, right? But he had no wings... Demons did exist in Gaia, but something about the fiery man convinced him that he was different.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 8:54 pm
(( Kyou | Lounge - Shepard // Lazarus | Hot Cocoa - Vivi, Ian, Lorenzo & Aina ))
"Seabiscuit eh? That's a very cute name." Kyou chuckled, then leaned forwards to give the marvelous creature a few gentle strokes on the head.
Kyou turned his attention back to Shepard when he mentioned the cat fox, his eyes brighten up. "Oh! I didn't know you had a cat fox." He laughed. Although it is a little disappointing that he was not brought along to the party. He would like it very much to see how the chimeras are doing once in a while. When those get adopted he seldom hear back from their owners. "What is the little guy's name?" He asked curiously.
Lazarus blushed again when Vivi complimented him, but he was happy that she thinks he is skilled though. "Oh, I do have one of those Instagram accounts." He said at the mention of social media, as he whipped out his phone. It was just a modest smartphone, not one of the higher end ones but works just fine. The Valsaros turned on the app and sure enough, on the top of his feed was a selfie he took himself when he was upstairs just a few moments ago. "Uhm..." Feeling a little embarrassed at that, he quickly pointed with his finger at his username - fireman305. "You can look for me if you have an Instagram account."
"Ah." Lazarus looked around himself when Vivi introduced him. He recognized Aina, her guardian come help tend the garden once in a while at the Lab. Although they're not officially acquainted. Ian he recognized as well, probably from past social activities. Lorenzo is a face that he had never seen. "Nice to meet you all." He bowed his head politely. "I uh... I work at the Lab." He smiled, feeling a little embarrassed.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:05 pm
((Zurine - Cocoa bar --> Lounge, with Ethiriel))
"I'm fine now," Zurine hummed as comfortingly as she could manage. She did preen just a little under Ethiriel's attention, though. It felt rather nice to be admired -- she stopped herself quickly though, feeling her frost-crisp feathers fluffing in pride and the temperature of her skin dropping just a little in accordance, chilly in the warm glow of the room. Ethiriel didn't like the cold, did she? Few people did, and Zuri drew herself in a bit, trying to modulate the temperature of her skin just a little so that it wouldn't be quite so unpleasant for her more temperately-inclined companion. It was a new skill, so she didn't have perfect control over it anyway, but she was going to try.
"Well, in any case I'm glad that we're both doing better these days," Zuri said, smiling with delight as she reached out, taking gentle hold of Ethiriel's arm with a light grasp. "Would you like to join me in the snowball fight, then? I want to see what I can do in the snow these days." Her eyes lit with a spirit of mischief, her dark glittering eyes wide and her cheeks flushed prettily with delight. "I'll protect you?" Her tone was coaxing and cheerful as she tugged her new companion along, hoping Ethiriel wouldn't resist too much, but ready to let her go if need be as she trailed toward the sign-up, and Cesc.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 12:53 am
(( Mordekai, Seabiscuit - Lounge with Cesc, Dr. Kyou, & Shep; Aina - Hot cocoa bar with Vivi, Ian, and Lorenzo ))
Seabiscuit perked up as Dr. Kyou sat on the couch with them - he was receiving of the pets, but with a lazy whine he rested his jaw back on Shepard's lap. The dane glanced toward Mordekai as he walked away with Cesc, but while being so comfortable, saw no reason to move.
Mordekai's heart sank as Cesc explained. Of course, he loved Cruz dearly, but despite him being slightly older in appearance than Aina, he always likened him to a child - Minerva's son, Anita's baby brother - and he had to wonder how the end of the relationship went, when even adults ******** that up so poorly. His brows knit in concern; what Cesc described was weird, but when the stag seemed eager to moved on, he laughed quietly.
"Hope so -" he began; he walked by Cesc's side, toward the mantle, and shook his head. "No way! Didn't see," with a chuckle, he searched for a pen as Cesc wrote his own name into the book, "Yea, they shape us up on the farm! But from what I'm hearin', some'a you Raevan kids can kick my a**, right?"
He signed his name shortly after Cesc. He glanced back at Shepard, then Vivi, and a grin grew on him; "'Ey, should we drag Shepard an' Vivi into it or leave 'em be?"
"Oh...! Why?" Aina questioned, turning toward Vivi - though, as Ian began making his hot cocoa, she closed her eyes and savored the cool smell of peppermint. With a small smile, she held a palm to her cheek; "You have a baby Raevan comin', Mister Ian?"
"Hi Lazarus," the pomegranate smiled at the Valsaros - like Lazarus, she recognized him in passing. "Mhm! You have pretty flowers at the Lab. I like your hair!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:56 am
((Ethiriel - Cocoa bar --> Lounge, with Zurine))
At Zurine's assurance, Ethiriel bowed her own head with a softened smile. She hadn't quite noticed the temperature change beneath the owl's hand, her cardigan and under-dress were enough to block out most of the cold -- making Ethiriel worry for just a brief moment at Zuri's hand pulling back. Once things were settled and her hand was back in place, the tea Frei's expression remained as chipper as it had been before.
"I feel the same. Good things come to those who wait, yes?" the silver Raevan recited, raising a hand to meet Zurine's on her shoulder. This time she noticed the temperature, but her hand remained and gently squeezed her friend's in response.
Smile growing and eyes widening, Ethiriel nodded excitedly at the idea of a snowball fight. "Oh, yes! I would love to!" she chimed, as eager as a child.
Nedhudir gently nudged Ethiriel at her excitement as if to remind her of his presence, and in returned she gave him a gentle forehead rub. "I am sure someone would be able to take care of you, my pet. All is well."
The collie returned to his near-statue position and the Frei looked back to Zuri as she began pulling her towards sign-up, but her eyes ended up locking onto Cesc's form as he came into view. Light color met her cheeks as her expression softened again. She was eager to meet with the stag again, but with the hustle and bustle of most Lab parties it was hard to but into a conversation.
She had something she wanted to give him, quite badly, but she had to be patient as they drew near. She wanted a moment alone.
As Zurine took her along, Ethiriel's phone vibrated in the pocket of her cardigan. Pulling it out, she worked with it the best that she could with one hand and selected text-to-speech, and her phone said: "Gabe Knight; "He can't get you tonight so I'm on my way over."" He? Oh, Gabe must have been Henry. Soon she would reply, but it was difficult as they finally made their way to sign-ups. Maybe she could thank him while he was here, instead.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 10:10 am
((Cesc== snowball signups, Shep==lounge, Vivi==hot chocolate)) "I'll sign up Shep, but I'm not dragging Vivi away from Aina. And a**-kicking? Can we?" Cesc laughed at Mordekai's response, shaking his head. "I don't know about that--maybe some of the powerhouses, like Iorek or Zul. They're built specially for a**-kicking. But I've seen some of us throw a ball--it's not pretty. Clearly had some neglect in learning the throwing mechanics." As he spoke, Zurine and Ethiriel approached, and Cesc turned toward them, still grinning. "--this one's the one you need to be worried about with snow," he said with a laugh, gesturing toward Zurine. "Better hope you get her on your team!" Then, he turned toward Ethiriel. "--and happy birthday, Eth! Many happy returns. Do you guys know Mordekai? He's in Aina's family. Mordekai, this is Zurine and Ethiriel." -- "Ohh! I have an Instagram as well, as does Cesc," said Vivi, with some excitement. "We shall both friend you immediately. How silly we never thought it before!" She peered at Ian with excitement, along with Aina, as he spoke. "Oh! That's correct, isn't it! A newborn Raevan, how exciting. You must be thrilled. Have Zeke or Lazarus here let you have a peek at the tank? Or is it that they grow in secret, to surprise you?" She laughed, sending Lazarus a playful look. Seeing Oliver, a stranger, at the bar, she shifted her weight and moved slightly: "Oh, I'm so sorry--we've been blocking you from all the delicious goods!" -- Shep smiled at Kyou as he continued to pet the lazy dog, pleased with his intense laziness. Lazy dogs were the best, he thought, ruffling the pup's ears. "We did, yeh--Rhede got him as a little kitten-pup. Pretty much big enough to fit in my hand. Now he's big!" He stopped petting Seabiscuit for long enough to hold up his hands about two feet apart. "His name is Guy Smiley. Rhede named him because he always looks like he's smiling and he's got a great temperament. Really playful and friendly. We've got an old crotchety cat, Grumpaws, so he's a great little foil." Shep grinned. "It's great that you made some of these. One of our friends, Iorek, he's got a butterfly-fox. She's tiny and really cute, named Penny. They're great companions."
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