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 Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:40 pm
   ✤ ▪ Death Precedes Rebirth ▪ ✤Phoenix ran harder than he ever had in his life. His side ached from the cut, but the pain barely registered in his mind. His only focus was getting back to the house to get the Soul Glass. Katsaros could barely keep up with him. They turned a few heads, the two men making a mad dash across the beach, one of them obviously injured, but neither of them stopped to answer any questions.
The city was built into the hills. The streets were busy, and the crowds of people slowed them down considerably. They tore up the various steps built between the houses, the uphill climb winding them both.
It seemed an age before they finally reached the home in which Phoenix and Zoe were staying. They barrelled through the door. Avra, sitting in a chair playing with the baby, jumped a bit in her seat at the abrupt entrance. “Whoa! What’s with the-- Phoenix!” Her eyes widened at the sight of her bleeding cousin. “What happened? Where are the girls?”
”We’ll explain later. Everything’s fine,” Katsaros answered in Phoenix’s stead. Avra looked unconvinced.
Phoenix had already ran straight for the room where he and Zoe were staying. Frantically he started digging through their belongings. He couldn’t focus. His head was a jumble, and he couldn’t remember what bag the bottle was in. Where was it?  Nadie gently lifted the head of the dying hippocampus and slid her body beneath, crossing her legs. She let it rest in her lap, running her hands across its scales. It breathed calmly, eyes half closed.
She sang a song in the tongue of her people, the Lenape. She sung of the life that Kishelemukong gave them all. Zoe did not understand the words, but her own tears calmed at the sound of her aunt’s voice. She sat in the sand, obeying her father’s orders and keeping enough distance from the creature that she wouldn’t be harmed if it panicked again. The tears dried on her cheeks as she listened to the song. Phoenix had to take a moment to collect himself. He was never going to get anything accomplished if he didn’t cool down. After taking a few deep breaths he remembered that the Soul Glass wasn’t in any of the bags at all. He’d removed it when they arrived, afraid of it somehow getting damaged, and had wrapped it up and hidden it in a drawer. He went to collect the bottle.
Katsaros stood in the doorway while Phoenix searched. When he’d found the bottle, he immediately stepped out of the way as his brother lead the way back out of the house. Avra, on their way out, still looked concerned, but she said nothing while the two men rushed out, leaving the door open completely behind them.
The run back to the outcrop on the beach seemed to take twice as long. Phoenix’s cut burned, and they were a little tired from running up all the steps. But they continued at as quick of a pace as they could, with Phoenix tucking the bottle protectively against his chest, still wrapped in a t-shirt.
When they saw the wall of stone, relief rushed over Phoenix. He slowed to a jog as he came around the rocks. The girls were still sitting there, Nadie with the head of the horse in her lap, Zoe watching at a safe distance while her aunt calmed the beast.
Katsaros smiled warmly at the sight of his wife singing. She smiled back, but continued her song. This was why he’d married her. Nadie was as gentle a soul as they came. She softened Kat. He loved that about her. They all did.
Zoe looked up, but did not move from her seat when her dad approached, unwrapping the Soul Glass. Nadie also stayed where she was, singing her song to its finish. Phoenix sat beside her, and when he did so the hippocampus made no effort to move. It was too weak. Even if it had had the strength to move, Nadie had calmed it near to sleep with her words. Even out of fear it did not see the humans as a threat any longer. They were here to help.
Phoenix pushed the sand in front of the dying creature away to make a small dip, and here he rested the bottle. It looked like such an ordinary object, like any old bottle abandoned on the beach. That it would soon carry the soul of the great beast of legend before them was impossible to really imagine.
”Dad?” Zoe spoke softly. She’d stood up, and the look on her face was all that was necessary to say what was on her mind. Phoenix nodded, and the little girl slowly approached. The hippocampus watched her, not threatened by the small girl. She sat between her dad and her aunt. Only Kat stood further away now, but he closed the distance and stood behind his family. He did not sit with them.
No one spoke for a long time. Tears were once more rolling down Zoe’s cheeks. But she wasn’t the only one. Nadie began to cry just as openly, her body trembling with the effort to keep from sobbing out loud. Katsaros rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. Even Phoenix had to rub at his eyes when his vision clouded. While they all recognized that new life would come of this, no one was happy to see the creature taking its final breaths.
Not a sound was made beyond the girls sniffling. Not when the hippocampus finally stilled, the eyes of the great horse glazing over, forever staring at nothing. Not when the smoke began to fill the bottle. For a long while after, they all sat in silence, quietly thanking the grand creature for what it had done.
After it had drawn its final breath, its soul resting within the Soul Glass in the sand, Zoe reached forward to touch its face. Her chest heaved with a choked sob when she felt it under her skin. Now that there was no longer any danger, she ran her little fingers down its face and neck. She kept her eyes averted from the blood on the sand, as they all did.
The sun was beginning to set over the sea, and the orange glow on the sand reminded them of this fact. Nadie slowly lifted the head of the passed creature from her legs and rested it in the sand so she could stand. ”We’ll leave you two alone. Take your time.” She took hold of her husband’s hand, and the two of them silently walked away, leaving Phoenix and Zoe by themselves.
”Are you okay?” Phoenix rubbed Zoe’s back with one hand, watching her face with concern. In all of the chaos he had almost forgotten how difficult it would be for the six year old to see what she had. The child had never seen death, much less one like this.
Zoe nodded, scooting closer to the hippocampus. She continued to run her hands along its body, feeling its legs, its hooves, its fins. She kept in front of it, not wanting to look at the wound that had bled out into the sand. Every inch she could touch she did, wondering at the magnificence of the animal that lay lifeless in front of her.
Phoenix reached forward to close the eyes of the beast. He wondered what would happen to it now. The two of them could do nothing with the body, and he did not like the idea of calling for someone else to deal with it. He decided they would wait until morning, then figure out what they should do. No one else had bothered to chase it. No one cared.
As the sun continued to lower in the sky, the father and daughter pair remained with the creature in sad silence. Ages seemed to pass before Phoenix spoke again. ”We should get back before it gets too dark to see.” He spoke in barely over a whisper.
Zoe did not immediately respond, but when she did it was simply with another nod. She sniffed, taking the t-shirt sitting in her dad’s lap in one hand, and the now filled Soul Glass in her other. She wrapped it carefully, then stood up with the precious bundle clutched to her chest with both arms. She watched the body of the hippocampus for a moment longer. ”Bye.”
Phoenix guided his daughter away from the scene with a hand on her back. Neither spoke while they walked across the cooling sands. As they walked, each lost in their own minds, there was one thought that floated through the sadness that made them both feel a little bit better. The hippocampus gave its life, but a new life would come of it.
After months of waiting, they’d succeeded. It was done.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 10:54 pm
✤ ▪ All Things Must Change ▪ ✤ The sun had barely begun to warm the sand. The morning was peaceful, surprisingly quiet, but it was greatly appreciated.
Phoenix walked in silent solitude down the beach, hands thrust in his pockets and eyes cast over the sea. Was it just yesterday they had run, as if their own lives had depended on it, down that very same beach? His gaze scanned over the stretch of sand before him, wondering if he could see their frantic prints. Naturally, their own footprints were impossible to pick out amongst the rest, if they were even there anymore to begin with. It all looked the same to him.
Zoe had elected to stay with her great grandparents for the morning, for which Phoenix was grateful. He didn't particularly want to bring her back to the gory scene from the day before. For that matter, he was severely regretting not leaving her home during that fiasco in the first place. She was only six, for crying out loud! What had he been thinking, letting her come with him? She was clearly upset, and she had certainly never seen anything like that before. He was careful to watch what sort of content she was exposed to, both for her sake as well as for his own aversion to blood. Thinking back on it now he was surprised he hadn't gotten sick.
It took a lot longer to make his way down the beach when he wasn't hauling a**, but he didn't mind. It was a beautiful morning, one he wanted to savor. He didn't particularly want to run to begin with, however. He was a tad bit sore.
While the cuts he'd received from the hippocampus lashing out had indeed been minor, he'd been surprised to find he'd bruised up pretty quickly. In the chaos of it all he hadn't thought much of it. His side had gotten the most of it, and he'd had it bandaged up after cleaning the wound (and disposing of his ruined shirt). The rest of the small scrapes and cuts were mostly covered as well, to prevent infection.
Of course, explaining what had happened to his family had been...interesting, to say the least. No one really seemed incredibly surprised that he'd run into a hippocampus. Whether they believed him or not, they had all heard the stories before. They were, however, surprised that Phoenix and company had taken off after the beast after what they'd witnessed.
There was no hiding the injuries he'd sustained, so everyone got to hear the tale, and that meant revealing to everyone who hadn't already heard that he was involved with Lab 305. He was surprised at the generally positive reaction, but there were still a few that were confused and put off by the idea. As was to be expected, his parents went cold at the end of the story, his mother in particular. With pursed lips she listened to the details of her son collecting the soul of the creature. This was the first they'd heard of souls being involved at all.
There was an uncomfortable amount of silence when he explained that particular detail. The vast majority of his family had religious reservations about the matter of souls, so it was not the most enjoyable of explanations. A few asked to see the bottle, but during the retelling involving his parents, Iliana dragged her husband out of the room before the offensive item could be brought out.
Zoe had kept careful watch over the bottle for the rest of the evening. She hardly let it out of her sight, clinging to it as though letting it go would cause it to disappear. She kept mostly quiet, which was exceptionally rare for her, looking quite serious. When the two of them had finally gone to bed she kept the bottle at her bedside table, watching the smoke swirling inside the bottle until she slipped into a heavy sleep.
The outcrop of stone that marked the location they'd found the hippocampus at finally came into view, and Phoenix slowed his already casual pace. What would he find beyond those rocks? He didn't want to see, but he knew he couldn't live with himself if he left without making sure the beast had been properly seen to.
It wasn’t there.
Phoenix peeked around the rocks, where he was sure there would be a sign of what had gone down the day before. There was nothing. He stepped closer, confused. There was no body, no blood, no nothing. The sand was bare, with not even prints from the hippocampus, no sign of the struggle where it had thrashed about in pain. There were the footprints of humans, and some of them may have belonged to Phoenix and his family, but there was no way to tell amongst the rest. It looked like any other place along the beach.
He made his way into the center of the half ring of stones to where he thought the creature should have been. He stared down at the sand as he walked, looking for any little sign. Nothing. So he stopped where it should have been, more or less, moving the sand around with his shoe, pushing it to each side until he’d created a shallow dip in the ground. When he was satisfied, he turned around to face the sea, then lowered himself into a seating position, draping his arms over his knees and resting the side of his head on them.
Someone had to have already dealt with it, clearly. But whoever had done it sure did a strangely thorough job. It was like nothing had ever happened. If it weren’t for the Soul Glass back at the house being filled with something very much real, he would have thought perhaps he’d dreamed it all.
There was a mixture of feelings in him as he watched the small waves washing up over the shore. His heart felt heavy, but at the same time he also felt relieved and glad.
So many questions had come up in his mind. He hadn’t even known a creature like that existed in the waters around his family’s home town. So how many of the stories were true? Were any of them about that very beast? The way it had so valiantly swam to save the lives of those people… They would all very likely be dead. Had the hippocampus not come… Instead it had given its own life. And that had been most terrible to witness.
However, as painful as it was to see it die after having carried out such a selfless rescue, there was something comforting about the fact that they had been able to do what they had. Beyond having been able to give the creature a new life, Phoenix felt there was more to it than that. It wasn’t every day that you got to see the actual soul of a being before it was inside of them. That very soul was going to be inside his future child. That’s how he saw it. Blood or not, they would be his child, and he had seen their soul.
Beside that, they had been there during such a crucial moment. They all had. No matter what his parents tried to say… Phoenix sniffed and rubbed his nose idly, adjusting his head on his arms. They could stuff it. Andreas and Iliana had been just as stubborn when Zoe had come into the picture. They’d get over it this time too. And even if they didn’t they could seriously just stuff it.
Phoenix smirked, taking a deep breath. He watched the birds swooping down to the water, the spotty clouds floating lazily across the sky, and the distant fishing boats. There wasn’t a damn person on this earth that could make him feel differently about the situation. The fact that he could say the creature who gave its life to be given a new one also saved several others just made him all the more proud.
The situation was sad, there was no denying that. But as he stretched out to lay in the sand on his side, reaching an arm out to run his hand through the grains, he knew there was a lot more to it than that. In the end it was really quite a happy ending, wasn’t it? An ending and a beginning, all in one.
The sand was warm under his cheek. Phoenix smiled, relaxing into the earth, closing his eyes. A lot was about to change. Things had already been changing for a while now. But it was about to get a lot crazier. He was going to have to cut back his hours at work for a while. That would mean changing things up at the restaurant a bit. He was going to have a lot to do when he got back to Gaia. And they were still going to have to refurnish Zoe’s room, on top of it.
Phoenix chuckled and brought his knees close to his chest, eyes still closed. This had been one hell of a family vacation.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:37 pm
✤ ▪ I'll Never Let Go ▪ ✤ They were on the boat again, but this time the sun was already going down. It was the last evening before the Gaia-inhabiting members of the Argyris clan would fly home.
The past two weeks had been spent fishing, swimming, and walking down the lit streets at night. For once Phoenix had left the cooking to everyone else, and they had all enjoyed exceptionally fantastic, warm delicious food. They had watched the sun go down together, swapped stories under the stars, and danced and partied for hours on end.
But most importantly they had done what Phoenix had been wondering how to do for months. They were one step closer to welcoming a new member into the family. The rest he had expected to do. That? Not so much.
Phoenix idly brushed the bandaged cut on his cheek with the tips of his fingers. Petros had joined them this time, eager to get a few more final hours in with Zoe before they had to leave. The two were sitting by the edge of the boat, Zoe seated on a crate, her cousin in the floor of the boat next to her. Neither were talking. Petros had been trying, but Zoe’s eyes were cast out to sea, silent thoughts occupying her.
He watched again as the teenage boy tried to engage her in conversation, but Zoe simply shrugged. Phoenix approached the two of them. ”May I have a word with the princess?”
Petros stood and bowed, taking his leave to join the others. Phoenix sat in his place, leaning over to prop his elbow next to Zoe on the crate, resting his chin in the palm of his hand and batting his eyelashes wildly at her. Zoe looked down at him and blinked slowly. ”What?”
”Y’know, I was hoping to wait a few years before having to deal with the moody teen phase,” he teased, raising an eyebrow at his daughter. ”What gives?”
Zoe shrugged again, turning her attention to the water once more. She sighed heavily. ”I don't want to go home.”
There was a bit of relief when that was her response. Was this really just a case of Zoe not wanting vacation to end? Phoenix had been certain she was upset over everything that had happened with the hippocampus. But she hadn't seemed all that down the last couple of days. She watched over the soul like a hawk, but her mood seemed to have picked up again.
”You know we’ll be back again next year kiddo, and you had fun, right?” He gave her a playful tap on the shoulder with his fist.
Zoe’s lip twitched into a partial smile, but it just as quickly faded. ”But I have to go back to school for a whole year.”
Relief gone, just like that. Phoenix's own goofy grin disappeared. ”You really worried this year will be the same?” His voice was gentle, not carrying any of his usual jokes and teasing. Zoe didn't openly talk much about her problems at school, but when she did it was generally done so in a way that would seem she didn't care. That is of course if Phoenix didn't know his daughter well enough to know she was hurting over it.
Hell, he'd had his own troubles in school. High school in particular had been difficult. But he'd still always had friends, and that made things easier. But Zoe? She'd never brought a friend over, nor had she gone to visit any. She connected more with her teachers than her classmates.
”What about everything that has happened over the last few months makes you think anything at all is going the same anymore?” He offered her the tiniest of smiles, nudging her chin with a finger. ”Our family is growing, that's gonna be fun. You'll always have a friend. And I'm sure you'll meet someone new who appreciates everything about you.”
Zoe gave her dad a little more genuine a smile. ”Yeah.”
”So we're good? All good?” Phoenix raised an eyebrow, knowing sometimes the best thing to do with Zoe was to just take her straight out of her mood rather than talk it into the ground. She nodded. ”Good. Now come here.” He hopped to his feet, nudging Zoe on the shoulder before hurrying up to the bow.
Zoe stated after her dad as he stood directly at the edge, then thrust his arms up and outward. ”Zoeee!” Phoenix looked back over his shoulder. He'd caught the attention of the rest of the family, and there was a chorus of groans. ”What are you waiting for?”
Zoe looked properly confused. ”What are you doing?” She stayed firmly seated.
”Titanic!” He laughed, the most carefree of grins on his face as he jerked his head in a gesture for Zoe to join him.
Zoe looked over at the rest of her family, with a look as if to ask, is he for real? He was definitely for real, as the continued pleading proved. With an exasperated sigh, the little girl stood up and joined her dad at the front of the boat. Too short to reach his arms, she instead placed her hands on his hips with a thoroughly disapproving look on her face.
Satisfied, Phoenix's grin only grew as he shouted, ”I'm flying, Zoe!” Another series of groans from the others, but he only laughed.
With Phoenix distracted by his reenactment, Kat approached quietly from behind. He tapped Zoe on the shoulder, putting a finger to his lips to tell her to keep quiet, then motioned for her to step back. As soon as she had let go and stepped out of the way, Kat grabbed his brother from behind. He was considerably bigger and stronger, so with little effort he lifted Phoenix up and tossed him straight over the edge of the boat. ”You're falling, Phoenix!”
Startled, Phoenix flew threw the air towards the water, but before he hit the surface his grin reappeared. He spun his body and tucked his legs into a cannon ball, and crashed into the water. A few moments later he resurfaced, still smiling. ”What? Not good enough to be cast in the remake?”
The others fell into a final chorus of groans, but Zoe erupted into hysterical giggles. Mission accomplished.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:07 pm
✤ ▪ Safe Travels ▪ ✤ The trip home had taken more out of them than the trip there had. Every member of the Argyris family journeying back to Gaia was thoroughly exhausted when they boarded their flight, and most of them had slept through a good portion of the trip. When they landed they moved sluggishly to the cabs that took them home. Phoenix even nodded off during that drive, and Zoe had woken him gently when they pulled up to their apartment complex.
It felt strange to walk through their front door. Dio had been so happy to see them that he'd leapt straight into Phoenix's arms, nearly knocking him straight over. But once the excitement had settled down they were left with a peculiar feeling. It was always odd coming home after such a long trip. They'd almost grown accustomed to waking up in another house, walking out to another street, seeing an altogether entirely different sort of world than the one they lived in regularly. Everything felt still and quiet inside compared to the constantly bustling homes they'd stayed in for the past two weeks.
The first day they slept. It wasn't until the afternoon that Phoenix and Zoe finally dragged themselves out of bed, neither bohering to make them back up, because they crawled right back in a few short hours later after eating. They slept hard through the night.
The second day they woke up late, but it was still morning. After treating themselves out to breakfast Zoe and Phoenix had a relaxing day. Phoenix was not ready for things to go back to normal. Not yet. He'd anticipated a couple of days down time after their return, so he was not yet expected back at work.
It wasn't until the third day that Phoenix told Zoe to say her goodbyes to the two bottles sitting safely in their case. Once Zoe’s sitter arrived and Phoenix left, they would no longer be seeing the soul and Fel Essence as they were. Zoe spent the morning watching the shifting sands and swirling smoke while she ate her raisin bran. Soon it was time, and Phoenix packed the bottles away in the case they had come in, and packed that snug and safe inside another box filled with foam padding. He'd written a letter earlier that morning, and this he tucked in with the case before sealing and addressing the package. Quote: Zeke,
Well, it's been months, but here it is! As you can imagine it wasn't the easiest of decisions to make. In the end the decision was pretty much made for me. I'll have to tell you the story some time. Suffice it to say for now that we took a family vacation and a lot more happened than anticipated!
It's the soul of a hippocampus. And here I’d been thinking a plant would have to do. This is the furthest thing from!
Thank you again so much for all of this. You changed our lives forever when you walked in my restaurant that night. You know how to reach me if you need anything. Take care!
Phoenix Now here he was, standing outside the shipping store with the box held protectively in his arms. He was staring at the signs on the windows advertising their flat rates and speedy service. He kept reading them over and over again, looking for something that guaranteed safe delivery. Maybe he should have brought it in person. It wasn't too late to get back in the car, call off work and drive there himself.
Phoenix sighed, knowing he couldn't very well do that. He had more to do today than he wanted, and they needed him there. The package would be safe. It would get there fine, and then it was just the waiting game. As people continued to walk past him, wondering why he was standing there staring so openly at the store, Phoenix finally gathered himself up and walked with determination into the building.
There was no one in line. The clerk stood behind the desk with a smile on his face, immediately welcoming Phoenix the moment he entered. “Good morning! What can I help you with today?”
Phoenix lifted the package a little. ”Just this,” he answered with a returning smile. The way he said it made it sound as if it were just any other package. Perhaps he was sending a gift to a family member. Maybe he was returning some rented equipment. His future child though? When he thought about it it almost seemed ridiculous.
“Certainly! Are we shipping it standard?” As soon as Phoenix reached the counter and sat the package down, the clerk slid it towards him.
”Ah, whatever your fastest is, please. And do you have any of those stickers that say ‘fragile’ on them?” He laughed a little. He'd wanted to write it himself in huge bold letters over the entire box.
The clerk laughed in return. “Of course, sir. Let me see what I can do.”
Phoenix watched as the young man found a roll of red stickers as requested, and plastered a big one right on top where it could be seen. Then he typed at his machine for a moment, before quoting off the price to Phoenix. He fumbled I'm his wallet for his card to pay for it.
“Excellent! We're all set here then. Is there anything else I can help you with today?” The eager clerk was so oblivious as to how special the package was. How could he know what he was sending along? He hadn't made any sign of recognition when reading the address. To him this was just any other box.
Phoenix shook his head with a smile, his eyes still on the package. ”That'll do fine, He responded quietly. ”Take care of that for me, okay?”
The young man chuckled and gave him a thumbs up. “I'll make sure it's given the best care, sir. You have a great day!”
”You too.” Phoenix finally tore his eyes away from the box to hurry out the door before he changed his mind.
When the bright summer morning sunlight welcomed him, Phoenix stood in it for a moment before going back to his car. Just like that it was all done with. Now all there was left was to wait
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:16 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:17 am
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:12 pm
✤ ▪ No Matter What ▪ ✤ Zoe was staring with the highest level of intensity at the new bed against the wall opposite hers. It was a simple bed, with a white wooden frame matching hers and a simple, pale green duvet. The gentle colors matched the existing pinks and whites of the room, while remaining gender neutral. Zoe had transferred most of her things to her side of the room, leaving plenty of space for new things.
Some of what they'd bought was temporary. They'd kept the furniture white to match what already occupied the room, and that much would likely remain. But Zoe and her dad had already discussed that they would take their new family member shopping as soon as they were comfortable and ready to pick out things that suited them.
“Stare any harder at that bed and you'll burn a hole through it.” Unbeknownst to Zoe, Phoenix had been standing in the doorway with his shoulder leaning against the frame for the past minute or so. ”You good, jellybean?”
Zoe didn't start at the sudden noise. She looked calmly over her shoulder at her dad. ”Just thinking.” She was doing a lot of that lately, and a lot of preparing. She'd been a lot like a nesting mother. She spent most of her time at home going through everything. She'd remake the bed, making sure Dio hadn't left any wrinkles or fur or drool. She'd make sure the new set of drawers was clean and perfect, with no dust gathered. She'd check the welcome gift box her dad had helped her put together, looking through each item to make sure it was still there.
”So what's going to happen,” Phoenix started as he entered the room, sitting on the floor next to Zoe with his legs crossed. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. ”if it's a little dude, and you're stuck with a brother?” His tone was teasing.
Zoe's gaze had returned to the bed. ”Doesn't matter. It's like your friend said. Boys and girls can do the same things.” While she wanted a sister, she didn't care in the end all that much so long as she had someone. A sibling. A friend. A best friend.
Phoenix nodded solemnly, mimicking Zoe by turning his own eyes to the empty bed. ”So what if it's a girl...and she really hates the color pink?”
”Tough.” Zoe's response was firm.
The dad busted out laughing. ”Tough, huh? How's that?” Phoenix never ceased to be amazed by his daughter's bluntness.
Zoe broke her focus away from the bed briefly to look at all of her things. She liked pink, and she liked lace. She liked other things too, but those were her favorite things. Her room had always expressed her tastes. It was bizarre to see the other side of the room so void of anything with personality to it. That would change soon, but for now it looked strange.
”We have to share the room, and I like pink. Maybe she'll like a color that's really ugly. She can keep it on her side.” She thought in silence for a moment. ”If we have to share the room then we should both get what we want, even if we don't like the other side.”
And there was that sensible part of her that Phoenix admired so much.
”What if they snore, what then?” He was enjoying teasing her with these questions. He already knew there wasn't a single thing about his daughter's new sibling that would ever ruin this for her.
Zoe rolled her eyes. ”Is that the best you can do?” She looked at Phoenix seriously, and when he only blinked sweetly at her, she sighed. ”Then they can sleep in your room.”
This drew out another long, loud laugh. After it faded he leaned back, laying on the floor and crossing his arms under his head. He stretched out his legs, looking up at the spinning ceiling fan. Zoe joined him, folding her hands neatly on her tummy.
”What if...” Phoenix said slowly after a couple of minutes of silence, keeping his eyes trained on the ceiling. ”What if we sing you to sleep every night with Take On Me?”
Zoe sat up abruptly with horror written over her every feature. ”You wouldn't!”
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:15 pm
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:59 am
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 12:10 pm
✤ ▪ The Joy of Painting ▪ ✤ ”Aaand done!” Zoe proudly held up the card with both hands, admiring her craftsmanship. The card itself was a piece of blue construction paper folded in half; Zoe thought blue would be best, since the Raevan’s soul came from the water. But very little of the blue base was visible amongst the colorful cutouts, glitter and paint she’d used over the whole thing.
She’d spent a long time trying to decide what the card should say. She couldn’t use the Raevan’s name, because they hadn’t picked one yet for certain. They’d talked about names, but they didn’t even know if they needed a name for a girl or a boy! For the same reason she couldn’t say anything about a brother or a sister. So the front had no words, only pictures. On the inside were the words “we love you”. Because they already did.
Now all that was left for them to sign it. Zoe dipped her paintbrush neatly into the pink paint, signing her short name on the page opposite the sentiments. After cleaning her brush she opened a small container of silver glitter and pinched just enough between two fingers to sprinkle over the letters while they were still wet.
Phoenix was in the kitchen, but there was still one more important member of the family who was in the room who needed to sign it. Dio was asleep on the couch with all four paws in the air, his lips hanging open absurdly.
”Dino!” Zoe called, using her own name for the pup. He immediately woke up and flipped over, looking at the little girl curiously. ”Come here!” He obeyed.
She picked out a pale green color and poured out a bit onto the palette, and called Dio closer to her. ”Ready to sign it?” She smiled at the dog, who just tilted his head at her.
Zoe gently grabbed his paw and placed it on the palette, moving it around a bit to coat all the pads with enough paint to do a proper paw print. Dio allowed this, and he made no move to act out when she pressed his paw against the paper next to her name. ”There!” Maybe it was her excitement. Maybe it was the realization that his paw had something funny on it. But all of a sudden Dio was excited. Too excited.
He decided it was time to run.
Dio immediately broke free of Zoe’s light grasp, the force of his bolt sending the dish of water for cleansing her brush splashing everywhere. Luckily Zoe was sitting on a plastic sheet and the water was confined to that area.
”Dino!” Zoe screamed, as the dog sped through the living room towards the kitchen. He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know why he needed to run. But he knew he had to. He was excited. He had to go!
Zoe tore after the pit bull, but she was nowhere near as fast as he was. She watched in horror as the green paint still on his paw left marks skidding across the tile. Before she could get halfway through the living room Dio had disappeared into the kitchen, and she heard her dad. ”WHY IS THERE PAINT ON THE DOG?”
It wasn’t often that Phoenix raised his voice. But when he suddenly appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Dio scrambling back and forth behind him, Zoe could see that he wasn’t angry. He was surprised and confused. And there was paint on his floor.
”I’m sorry! I just wanted him to sign the card!”
Phoenix’s confused and mildly frustrated expression gave way to a small, sympathetic smile. At that moment Dio zoomed up behind him, shoving his face between Phoenix’s legs from behind and looking at Zoe from between his knees with a dopey smile. The paint had rubbed off of his paw and he was no longer leaving any green prints on the floor, but there was a long trail of it that circled around the kitchen multiple times.
”Dio,” Phoenix said sternly, looking down at the dog. Dio looked right back up at him, panting excitedly. At least it was confined to the tile. The paint would wash right off.
”Did the card turn out at least?” Zoe giggled and nodded. Once her dad signed the card would be perfect. Even if the apartment was now a mess.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:49 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:39 am
✤ ▪ Going Home ▪ ✤ "What is that!" Shoshana exclaimed the moment they stepped out of the Lab and approached the car. She immediately zoomed toward the sleek black object, which to her was possibly the most interesting thing she'd seen since her birth. It was so large! Is it alive? What does it do! What is it called?" The questions rolled off of her tongue one by one, leaving no room for either Phoenix nor Zoe to respond.
Finally when there seemed to be a moment, Phoenix answered her burning questions. "That's a car, my car," he clarified, walking up to it and running his hand along the smooth, clean hood. He watched his new daughter float up and above it, then down to the other side, then all around it so as to see it from every angle. "It isn't alive, it's a machine."
"Machine?" Shoshana looked up from where she had been studying her reflection in the mirror with a furrowed brow.
"Ah--" The man struggled to come up with an explanation. He had a feeling he would have to start carrying around a pocket dictionary to break things down easier. It had been a while since he'd had to explain the basics to Zoe, and she'd been astoundingly quick to learn "It's made up of different parts designed to accomplish a certain task. In this case, a car moves. You sit inside it and make it move so you can get to where you want to go a lot faster than on foot."
This seemed to excite to Frei to the point she looked like she was going to burst. "Show me!"
Zoe was the first to reach the door, and she gestured for Shoshana to climb in. Shoshana peered inside the dimly lit vehicle with a soft "oooh" before floating in at positioning herself in the seat on the far side. Zoe climbed in afterward, showing her how to buckle herself in with the seat belt. "This is so you don't get hurt if we get into an accident. It keeps you in place," the little girl explained wisely, before sitting in her booster seat and buckling herself in. "I'm small, so I need this to be safe," she added with a nod.
Phoenix climbed in the front, looking back at his girls to make sure they were both secure before he turned on the car and slowly pulled away. While he was always careful, especially with Zoe in the car, today he was even more so. With, of course, the exception that he couldn't stop peeking in the rear view mirror to see how things were going.
The minute the car started moving Shoshana's eyes and mouth opened as wide as they could. "We are moving, yes!" She turned to her little big sister and grabbed her shoulder to shake it lightly. "We are moving!"
Zoe giggled and grabbed Shoshana's hand. "Would you like to roll down the window? Push that button, right there," she instructed as she pointed.
Looking curious, the Frei poked at the button. When the window moved down slightly she gasped, then she pushed it again until the window was open entirely. The sight of the city moving past them as they drove was nothing short of magical to the newborn Raevan, and she stuck her head out slightly while holding her scarf to her head to keep it from blowing off. "Zoe, it is so beautiful!"
"Careful," Phoenix interjected, almost afraid the girl would make like a dog and leap straight out the window. He couldn't blame her for being excited. Going from inside a building to the greatness that was Gaia all around her had to be mind-blowing.
"The world is very big, yes?" Shoshana said without looking at either of them, taking in everything she could.
Phoenix smiled, heart swelling at the thought that he was taking his new daughter home, and she was clearly so in awe of everything around her. "Yes, it is. It's very, very big."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:46 am
✤ ▪ The Beast ▪ ✤ The car ride home had consisted almost entirely of Shoshana pointing out different things that they drove by and asking what they were. Phoenix and Zoe tried their best to answer what they could before they drove past and something else drew her attention, but admittedly a lot of it was lost because her attention was grabbed so easily.
When they arrived at the apartment complex the Frei was just as astounded by the sight of the big building as she had been by the car. She couldn't believe how tall it was, and she was simply dying to get inside and see where she was going to live. She had been so busy asking questions about what she saw on the drive that she hadn't even thought to ask about where they were all going to live together.
But now the building was all she could see or think about, and the questions came pouring out. "Are all the windows different rooms? How many are yours? Which one do we live in? How high up are we? Let us go in, yes! I want to see!" She zoomed towards the door before anyone could answer her, and Phoenix and Zoe hurried to catch up. There on the main floor Shoshana paused, unsure where to go from there.
Zoe came to the rescue, extending a hand. "Come on, this way!" She took hold of her sister's fingers and headed towards the elevator. No sooner than the door closed did Shoshana bombard them with more questions about the magical box they were in and where they were going once it began to move.
When they reached their floor the Frei took off immediately, floating back and forth down the hall a couple of times before returning to her family with an expectant look. She was gasping a bit, which made Phoenix frown. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.
"I am thirsty," Shoshana admitted.
Phoenix nodded and started towards their unit. "We'll get you some water inside." He stuck the key in the lock and immediately heard a shuffling inside.
Zoe loomed close, hearing the noise and wondering what could be behind the door. They'd mentioned something about having a "dog", but she wasn't sure what a dog was. Was that what was making all that noise?
Her questions were answered the second the door opened. While Dio was usually a lot better about jumping, he had smelled the unique new creature from the other side of the door and his instinct was to jump. The force of the beast knocked Shoshana back and dragged her to the floor, where she fell with a gasp and wide eyes.
"Dio, no!" Phoenix shouted in alarm, hurrying to drag the pit bull off the Raevan, but as he went to grab him by the collar he saw that there was no trouble.
Gentle as ever, even if a little powerful at first, Dio was doing nothing more than shuffling his mug all over Shoshana, sniffing and licking and making a terrible sloppy mess of her face. Slobber stuck to her hair, she certainly got a bit of tongue in her mouth, but even so the Raevan was laughing and only half trying to guard her face from the mutt. She didn't seem to mind the weight of the dog on her torso, and in fact was quite thrilled to meet him.
"This is a dog, yes?" Shoshana laughed heartily, petting the brute all over. "Hello dog! I am Shoshana. I am going to live here with you, yes? I hope that is okay!"
"Alright, come on now you big dumb thing," Phoenix chuckled, pulling the heavy dog off of Shoshana. Dio whined but did as he was told. After the Frei righted herself, brushed off her clothes and fixed her head scarf, she floated towards the open door. Dio immediately followed, sniffing at her ribbon.
"I think I like dogs!" Shoshana affirmed as she went inside.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:27 pm
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:31 pm
✤ ▪ Making it Our Own ▪ ✤ It had been several days since Shoshana had been brought home, and she'd been settling in quite nicely. They'd already had one outing that had been more than exciting, where she'd met another Raevan. And life at home, while nothing too out there happened, was far from dull. Everything in the apartment interested the Frei, and she spent every waking moment exploring the large apartment and examining everything she could get her hands on -- which was everything.
While the apartment wasn't loaded with books, what she did find was intriguing to her. She didn't quite understand how to read them just yet, but with some assistance she was beginning to grasp the concept, and she spent a good deal of time trying to hone that skill so she could absorb all the knowledge within the pages. Zoe's books were the easiest for now, and there were actually quite a few of those, and the pictures gave her all the more questions to ask.
The kitchen was another place of great interest to her. She tore about the place picking everything up and smelling it all, sighing softly with content when she found things that appealed to her. The spices Phoenix used when he cooked were the best, but more than once she ended up with a nose covered in seasoning when she got a bit too enthusiastic.
When Phoenix had cooked dinner for them for the first time, Shoshana had surprised herself and her new family while touching the food he was preparing when it disintegrated under her touch. She had touched a fig, hoping to pick it up and smell it, but instead it had dissolved until all that was left was a sandy pile. Suddenly she was less hungry after doing so, leading them to the conclusion that this was some bizarre way for her to feed. She continued to do this at dinner, but out of curiosity for the taste took small nibbles of everything as well.
The had also discovered immediately that the Raevan needed to stay hydrated more than a human did. It wasn't surprising, given that her soul came from an aquatic beast, but it did worry Phoenix when he saw how quickly she wore out when she didn't drink. So they bought her a sling to keep a bottle on her at all times, stocked the pantry full of water bottles for while she was on the go, and taught her how to use the spout on the fridge and the purifier on the sink.
After things had settled down a bit, there was something important they needed to take care of: decorating the bedroom. For the time being they had outfitted Shoshana's side of the room with gender neutral furniture and left it bare of all decorations. But now that she was here and clearly capable of making her own decisions on what she did and didn't like, it was time to go shopping.
A quick drive to the mall and a very long walk through it (Shoshana insisted on stopping at every store and peering through the glass, rushing inside some of them, and stopping for every salesperson who called her over to their kiosk) and they found themselves at a department store that would fulfill all their decorating needs.
The first thing they did was grab two shopping carts, knowing one wouldn't be nearly enough. Shoshana lead the way, brushing her fingers against the merchandise as she headed toward the back. She seemed to be overwhelmed for a moment, swirling about the displays trying to decide where to start, but Phoenix and Zoe were patient as they waited for her to settle down and start figuring out what she liked.
"How about a comforter and sheets?" Phoenix suggested gently, pointing at the various sets around them. The Guardian had made no mention of money, a concept Shoshana wouldn't have understood yet anyway. Cost was no concern to him. He had budgeted for them spending a fair amount, wanting to be sure his new daughter was pleased. And, not wanting to leave Zoe out, he had even accounted for if she wanted anything new of her own. But she seemed perfectly content just helping her big little sister out.
Shoshana seemed to like this suggestion, and she immediately began to peruse the aisles of bedclothes. Phoenix pointed out the size that she would need for her bed, but that didn't make the task any less difficult. After a few minutes of intently studying each one, she came across the perfect set. "Ah, this!" She said decidedly, picking it up and dropping it in the basket. It was a gorgeous blanket, white with gold accents akin to henna tattoos.
"That's so pretty!" Zoe said with a smile. "And it'll match my things, too." Secretly she was relieved. She wanted everything to go well together, and it seemed her new sister's tastes would allow for that.
That set aside, they moved on to pick out more things. They found a couple of small decorative pillows for the bed, a quirky bedside lamp in the shape of a white owl, a couple of pretty wall hangings and some candles that smelled spicy and somewhat nostalgic to the Raevan, oddly enough. They also helped her pick out a special towel and wash rag for herself, a fancy toothbrush and a neat mug with an octopus inside it that revealed itself as you drank.
Just as they were leaving to check out, Zoe saw something and stopped the group. "Hey, look at those!" She hurried over to a display of various strings of lights. Some were metal flowers, some simply dangling lights, but what really caught her eye were the paper lanterns.
Shoshana hurried to join Zoe, and gasped as her sister picked up a box. They were soft, off-white orbs with delicate gold swirls around the center. "These look so nice! So nice, yes." The picture on the front depicted the lanterns with a gentle glow.
"So let's get you girls a couple of boxes," Phoenix said immediately, picking up a box as well to read the length and mentally calculating how many they needed to line all the walls. He filled the cart, grabbing an extra for good measure that he could return if he needed to.
Looking over everything once more, Phoenix nodded firmly. "That should do it! We can always come back if we need more. Now, who's up for some clothes shopping?" He grinned wildly.
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