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 Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:34 am
 Durem Medical CenterAnita and Cruz try to help through the aftermath.
Trigger Warning: suicide attempt, seizure, drug overdose
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:36 am
 Reverie
Anita was quiet through the drive back, save for asking if he was doing okay when the silence stretched too thing for her liking. Cruz nodded. His movements felt sluggish, as if he were lagging. Every part of him felt weighted and heavy. He sat lower in the passenger seat than usual.
By the time they got home, it was dark out and well past the time Anita should have been in bed. She had work in the morning. Cruz watched as Minerva and Anita spoke but all he heard was static. Anita got a hug from her mother. He got one too, and a kiss on the corner of his mouth. It warmed him up and gave him enough energy to float a bit higher but it didn't lift the weight of confusion and worry from his shoulders.
He had never been to a hospital before. Never seen that much panic and stress in anyone, much less a gathering.
Not since he frightened Ana.
The frei offered both women a small smile despite floating through a haze. Minerva went back to bed after giving them both some more affection.
Cruz reciprocated. It felt numb. One look at Anita told him she felt it, too. They exchanged hollow glances, then smiled for each other anyway.
”It's okay,” she whispered.
Through her shaken voice, Anita's eyes were sturdy and resolute like an oak and Cruz found he could believe her. His smile softened and he nodded. She kissed his head and he felt more at ease.
Silence wrapped around both of them again. He let it linger as Anita readied herself for bed, brushed her teeth, got on her tank top and pajama pants. Tango licked his clasped hands, sun kissed knuckles paling with the slow force he wrung them. When he noticed their dull ache, Cruz saw fit to bury his hands in the wolf hound's fur instead.
The lights were turned out through the apartment and he barely noticed. He scarcely reacted when Anita left the bathroom and climbed into the pull out. For several minutes the three of them existed in a quiet stillness that was only breached by the dog's panting.
”What happened?”
He heard Anita breathe out. It took several seconds more for her to give a proper response.
”That guy,” she started slow, ”he was hurting.”
”Yes...” Cruz's response was barely a whisper.
The image of him sprawled on the floor of the gazebo, shaking, was still fresh in his mind. Cruz's brow furrowed.
”Hurting where?”
She took a deep breath. Cruz strained his ears in case she spoke over the sound of sheets rustling. Anita waited until everything was quiet again to speak.
”His heart,” she murmured, ”I think...”
It was too dark to discern detail but his eyes attempted to bore holes in the wood floor, regardless. Beside him, Tango calmed and lay himself flat to soak up the coolness from it. There was a dull ache in his chest. He felt slow and wrong and jostled. His claws idly scratched and tugged at the fabric over his heart.
”He's okay now.” Cruz glanced up to see Anita turned upon the couch, propped against the back so she could look at him. ”They're taking care of him.” There was a strange tone to her assurance, something half formed.
She didn't know the details, either. Neither of them knew the scope or cause of this. Even so, Anita believed things were okay. Would be okay.
”You should sleep...”
”Mm.”
He heard her mouth open – then close.
”Come on.”
Cruz watched Anita disappear behind the silhouette of the sofa as she pulled the covers over herself. He rubbed his arm and hung his head, feeling no motivation to move. Only a soft patting sound brought him back from listlessly staring around the apartment.
It took him a moment to realize Anita was offering him the other side of her bed.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:37 am
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:47 pm
A Picture`s WorthLeo visits Game Depot with his raevan charge, Ethiriel, and treats Anita and Cruz to lunch.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:14 am
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:15 am
Showdown in DowntownAnita made a pit stop in Aekea to get her car looked at, and what Cruz finds looks like it could have come out of a monster truck's exhaust. Art by Atmadja! A nervous puff of breath preceded a familiar but shaky voice.
"Josh? It's Anita. Um. I-- Is LuLu with you? I just-- I don't know if she's in trouble or something. Uh. You might want to call Lab, I really don't know what to think. The one I'm looking after, he got in a tussle with this... thing and -- I was so sure it was her. Please call me back, I'm really worried--"
The sound went low as if the phone was being held away, soft mumbling of Anita's voice and a quiet grumbling voice he wouldn't recognize, more masculine. After a moment, she returned.
"He hopes she's alright too. Um... Good luck."
There was another few seconds of silence before the message finally ended.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:00 am
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:29 pm
 Don't Rock the Bus
Reks should've packed more. They said to bring food so he placed a few of his favorite ocean rocks into a baggie and was just about to leave with only that. But when he got to the door, the sleepy raevan thought better of it and slinked back to his room actually pack a backpack. By then, on the next go-around to the door, he had thrown in a hoodie if it got cold, a small first-aid kit, and just in case he also tucked in a book on wilderness survival.
Now as he floated beside the bus, the raven felt that he probably needed more for this trip. The other raevans and humans were bringing far more than he did. For goodness sakes, just look at the queen-sized luggage LuLu was toting!
He had only met her a sparse number of times over the years but even Reks could tell that something was different about her. His eyes widened when he realized the bunny raven was also bringing along a new attachment on this trip: a torso! Looks like someone had been busy...
"That's a...um...mighty bag you brought." The gargoyle raeven said as he drifted over to where LuLu was collecting herself. Yep, he thought as he looked over the stuffed luggage, he was definitely impressed by her show of strength. "Do you need help putting it on the bus? I didn't bring much so I have extra hands to help."
At first, LuLu thought someone was trying to make a smart remark about her luggage decision. Mighty? The rabbit looked up to Iorek with more fierceness in her gaze than she was deserved. She immediately corrected her expression as she realized who it was that was commenting. Her features softened as she tilted her head and took her time taking in Reks’ form and face. She needed a few moments before she recalled the other raevan’s name. It had been years since their last meeting. Though the memories were distant, she recalled fond ones from the day. Her smile grew broad as he offered to help her. The rabbit nodded with renewed vigor. “That would be lovely.” She scooted the bag into a better position for him to grab. “It is also lovely seeing you again.”
Reks was certainly startled by the first look LuLu gave him. For a moment he was on the verge of panicking over what he could of done to receive such a stare. But as quick as it had come the look was gone and a sweet face rested in its place. He smiled back at her and took the bag with one hand while the other was offered to her, "Heh, just to refresh your memory the name's Iorek. We met a long while ago but I remember a toy store and a doll you just couldn't reach. How ya been?" He realized after he probably sounded a little too cheery for what they were about to embark on. Maybe it was his nerves that gave him that extra happy boost? Soon as those wheels on the bus got going Iorek's worries would set in, but for now he might as well ride the high.
She slipped her hand into his. Her small palm fit neatly into place and she could feel the weight of his arm as she shook it. The rabbit nodded and quirked a brow, "LuLu. I recall. I appreciated that at the time. Though, I do not have that doll anymore." Her wings snapped gently against her back. "Good and bad. Good for now." She smiled despite her words showing she held some optimism regardless of the reason they were all here. LuLu was not feeling nervous yet either. Maybe once the threat of danger turned into a promise things would change. For now though, things were peaceful enough in the group.
Iorek smiled wider, happy to hear she remembered it like he did. Course he couldn't relate to her giving the doll up. Most of his possessions he shared with Tyson and what was his alone he had kept. One these days he'd donate his old toys but not yet. "Well, I'm glad it's back in the good. You look great by the way. Congrats on the waist and tummy. Have you tried human food yet?" That was always something he was very curious about. He liked his rocks but lately he found himself staring like a begging dog at Lil and Tyson's food. Now to know another raevan had the ability to taste test all those sweet smelling foods? He had to say he was slightly jealous.
The rabbit helped Iorek heft her luggage into the bus. LuLu's eyes widened at his praise. Becoming sigel was some kind of accomplishment in her book, it was certainly something that had been earned through hardship, but she never considered it would be recognized by other raevans. The rabbit felt herself fluff with pride somewhat. “Thank you.” She nodded enthusiastically at the mention of human food. “I was eating that before I had a stomach. My favorite is carrot cake. It does not fill me up like other things. It is yummy though.” Human food was more for taste than any kind of nutritional value. LuLu enjoyed it all the same though.
"I haven't tried it too much." He licked his lips and thought about some of the foods he'd missed out on, "I'm still eating rocks but one of these days I hope to have it too. Course by then you'll probably have legs." Iorek grinned and made sure her luggage was secured and not at risk of tipping over and squishing anything. "Alrighty! Looks like you're all set, LuLu. Judging by this luggage you're probably going to be the most comfortable out of all of us."
LuLu giggled softly at Iorek's joke. It was good for lightening up the mood and it was what they all needed at this point so early in the morning. The rabbit also helped in making sure her belongings were situated properly in place. However, she did not need to worry about her bag being damaged. It was the other luggage that would need protecting. Once everything was positioned, LuLu ducked out with Reks. The sigel smiled bashfully, “I just like being prepared.” She drifted back into the crowd a bit now that her dealings with the luggage were over with.
Luka had packed lightly, but thoroughly. With his hobby of sleeping out in the woods every night, the Frei had gotten pretty good at learning to differentiate between what were and were not necessitites. He had managed to shove in some flashlights, flares and extra batteries just to be safe. There was no guarantee there would be light where they were headed, and... flares would be visible hopefully to everyone if something did go wrong. He had also packed a first aid kit, a jacket, and a fire starter for when the nights came. As he neared the buses, Luka noticed two figures. One was quite obviously LuLu, and the other... well the other was new to him. The frei deliberated approaching the two but decided against it, for now. Instead, he opted for putting away his luggage first.
The pack Anita had helped him with was little more than a carry on shoulder bag filled with stuff to keep Cruz occupied during the long bus trip. An MP3 player, hand held games, a couple books, and his guardian had packed similar for herself. Everything else inside was much more important and the extraeneous stuff would be switched out into her bigger suitcase once they arrived; first aid kits, flash lights, whatever crisis preparation equipment they could get ahold of for personal use.
While the croc looked around at all of the new and colorful faces, he felt mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension. This felt like some kind of field trip, almost like an adventure, but he knew this wasn't supposed to be fun and that once they arrived things would get serious. Even dangerous. He didn't understand why Anita was so determined to go and her mother had given her a lot of grief -- she was just worried -- but eventually she explained it to him. When he was still waiting to be born in Lab, one of the Raevans caused a situation and he was put in danger, along with other people she knew and cared about. He could get behind that. She just wanted to make sure no one in her extended family was hurt again.
Clutching the strap of his messenger bag, Cruz hovered while Anita was hauling her big suitcase to store it. He asked if she needed help but she declined. Looking around, at least on this side of the bus, none of the Raevans looked immediately familiar but the dim light of dawn was hiding many in shadow. Only a certain satyr's bright form immediately caught his attention and Cruz hovered over. His smile was muted, tired and uncertain, but present all th same.
"Luka," he rumbled as he approached, second guessing whether he had gotten the frei's name right for how long it had been since they spoke.
"Cruz!" The Satyr replied, giving the Croc a sunbeam smile. "It's been a while! How are you? You look tired." It was a wonder that Luka still remembered Cruz's name after how long it had been since their initial meet. "Is it just you? Or will Anita be coming as well?" He couldn't help but look around and try to spot the other's young guardian.
"Mmm," he mumbled affirmatively, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand. His smile brightened despite it. "Nita is here. She's putting bags away." Noticing Luka's searching, he turned to the side and pointed with one clawed finger to Anita, also tired, waiting for her turn to stuff a big rolling suitcase into the storage compartment. She looked tired too, perhaps more than Cruz, but she was too far away to notice their glances. "Is your -- mm -- Jez? Here?"
"Oh really?" When Cruz motioned towards Anita's direction, Luka's eyes followed until he spotted the young woman by a large bag. One might have thought they were going to on a summer vacation instead of a rescue mission with all these big bags. "Elai? No, he has an important client and their family coming in over this week. So, he'll need to stay and work." He explained. "Otherwise he would've wanted to accompany me. Or, maybe he would've asked me to stay while he went." The reluctance his guardian had shown towards him regarding his decision to help with the rescue mission was stuck in his head. "Is Anita reluctant to have you along too?"
Cruz wasn't sure what was in the bigger bag, now that he thought of it. Probably more to do with Anita's needs than his own, like spare clothes and food. She also probably packed their tooth brushes and bathroom type things, not that he had many. "Ah," he responded simply to the explanation, rubbing one of his eyes with a finger. "Mmm, a little. She wanted to go though. Said it was okay if I wanted to stay but I wanted to come. I don't really remember Dr. Kyou but I don't want him to be in trouble."
"I don't remember him at all. I don't think I've ever seen him." Luka commented. It was weird actually, now that he thought about it. This man who was his proposed creator, and he'd never even met him. He just knew him by name. "Hopefully we'll find him soon before there's more trouble."
It was hardly a memory for Cruz. He only vaguely recalled waking up, everything was blurry and sterile, and there were hands examining him before he was set into a waiting room. He didn't even know for a fact those hands had been Dr. Kyou's but it made sense, given the circumstances.
"Yes," Cruz rumbled, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. He glanced around again, squinting against the dawn. There was another form that was familiar, with its rocky texture and long cylinder arms. The croc tilted his head, then smiled and nodded when he decided it was, in fact, Iorek he was seeing. "Luka, there is Yorek. Do you know him?" he pointed, not yet noticing the other Raevan near him as she was blocked at his current angle.
Luka followed Cruz's gaze to the gray Raevan beside LuLu. "No. I don't know Yorek." He replied, his eyes moreso on LuLu than the new Raevan Cruz had mentioned. "Would you like to introduce me to him?" It was probably a good idea to get on some kind of familiar term with the other Raevans he hadn't met yet just in case he got in a search party with them.
His smile broadened at Luka's question, a bit of excitement catching in his eye at the prospect. Cruz nodded, "Let's go say hi," and adjusted the strap over his shoulder before hovering nearer. It looked like he just finished putting a big back into the storage compartment as well, so now would be the perfect time to engage before they had to board. "Yoooorek," he called as their distance closed, voice scratchy and groggy but there was still a bubbling happiness at getting to see another frei he knew here.
LuLu's ears perk as they caught a familiar voice. Croaky but cheerful. Her eyes scanned the crowd until she saw Luka. She offered the satyr a nod of her head and the faintest of smiles and left it at that. Her gaze then shifted to the other frei nearby. Her eyes widened. "Cruz."
Reks jumped when he heard that voice and quickly turned to look towards the oncoming green raevan and his friend. Cruz. The gray raevan's face immediately flushed red as memories of their first meeting came back for a visit. "C-Cruz! Uh...hey, you're coming on this trip too?" He smiled widely while internally he fought away the peculiar feeling of butterflies in his chest. "It's nice to see you again. How are you? What have you been up to? Um..your friend? Hi, uh, I'm Iorek," He held his hand out even though the two had yet to close the distance between them "And this is LuLu...but...you probably already know her and..uh..heh." Word vomit, as Lillian would call it, and at this rate he was vomiting all over the place.
As they approached he noted movement behind Iorek. When the bunny girl first came into view he was still all smiles; he didn't recognize her as she was now, her appearance and scent completely different and she posed no threat. When she muttered his name he tilted his head, smiling but his brows knit with some confusion. Had they met before? Or had she just heard of him? Iorek's warm but bumbling greeting set him back into a steady pleasant demeanor and he stopped just a few feet from them.
"Yes. Lots of people are coming, mm?" He couldn't quite see the flush in the gargoyle's cheeks in the current light. "I'm good. This is Luka, he says he doesn't know you." Once that short name left Reks' lips, Cruz froze. His smile dropped and his eyes widened. Immediately his gaze shifted to the quiet sigel. It took a few moments for his eyes to trace over her ears, her braids, but when his mind put a filter of seeping ink over her, it all fit together.
Cruz backed up some, just enough to be safely out of arm's reach. Both hands clutched to the bag on his shoulder. "...LuLu?" his brow furrowed worriedly, green eyes locked with her bright purple ones.
Luka returned LuLu the silent greeting. A slight bow of his head, enough to acknowledge her presence but at the same time let her know things were still stiff between them. He turned his attention to Cruz and Iorek. "Hello, I'm Luka." The Satyr gave Iorek a rather warm smile. "A pleasure to meet you. And yes, I do know LuLu." He left it at that.
Luka's brows furrowed as he noticed Cruz's sudden change in demeanor. "...? Cruz?" The manner in which the croc had said LuLu's name hinted at some sort of history between the two.
LuLu stayed in place, remained small. Anything to take away from the threat Cruz was envisioning. She offered him a reassuring smile, but in the back of her mind she was worried at his reaction. Would it be like Luka’s? One of her delicate hands poised in the air and waved from side to side. “Hello again.” Her expression faltered a bit. “Are you ok?” She was not just asking how his day was going. LuLu was genuinely curious how their meeting had affected him.
"Oh! Well, I'm glad we get to finally meet, Luka. At least with all of these people showing up we finally get to be introduced." Reks continued to smile even though inside he was wondering what to do with Cruz? The green raven seemed so cool and at ease while he, on the other hand, was on the verge of melting. Or at least he did until he saw LuLu.
"Heh, so, nice to see you all know each other already." Course it didn't seem like they were sailing on calm waters just yet. Reks felt uneasy at the tension between the trio but he kept the polite smile, "Surprised too, Cruz? LuLu gained her torso! Pretty neat, huh?" Maybe that was it? Maybe Cruz just didn't recognize her after she'd grown? Or perhaps they had a deeper history than he thought.
Surprised was one way of putting it. Cruz's gaze drifted to Iorek, lips parting nervously, then he looked back to LuLu. She was very different now, and it seemed she was also different to Reks. Was he unaware of what happened to LuLu before? He could feel Luka's tension beside him but the satyr wasn't making any defensive moves either and LuLu, herself, was not making any threats.
"I'm..." he started, lips creasing tightly as he stared at the sigel with apprehensive confusion. Was this how she normally was? Was everything fine now? "I'm okay. Are you...?" Anita knew her, she assured him after LuLu attacked him that she wasn't normally like that. Even so, it had hurt and he was scared, then. "Are you... better? LuLu?"
Luka watched the exchange between Cruz and LuLu silently before quickly turning his attention to Iorek. "Yes, I'm surprised I've never met you before Iorek. I've met a good number of our kind, but seems like there is always a good number I still haven't seen yet." He gave the Gargoyle another warm smile before asking a few more questions. "So how long have you known LuLu, Iorek? What about Cruz?" He took a quick cursory glance at LuLu and Cruz. It didn't look a fight would happen luckily. "We're all friends here." It felt weird saying that.
LuLu was relieved when Cruz declared he was okay. It felt like a small weight had been lifted from her. Her shoulders rose a little higher. However, at his next statement, she blinked in surprise. Cruz was asking how she was? Her chest fluttered, akin to when you saw something cute. The rabbit nodded, “Better? Yes, I am feeling better. I am sorry for our last meeting. I was feeling… very bad then.” She floated a bit closer, low and nonthreateningly, “I hope I did not scare you too much.”
Iorek had been looking between LuLu and Cruz with a great deal of curiosity. It wasn't his business but he couldn't help wondering what exactly had gone on between them. "Hm?" He managed to tear his attention away from the two and look back to Luka. Thank goodness he was there so Iorek wouldn't bump his nose into other raevan's private conversations. "Yeah, me too actually. With all the parties the lab holds you think we'd have socialized enough to know everyone. But someone always crawls out of the woodwork when you least expect it." He chuckled and returned the warm smile while pondering the question. "Let's see...I met LuLu a few years back but it's been a while since we chatted and Cruz..." He flushed again, his chuckle returning but this time it was light and rather anxious, "I met him this um...year." In hopes of Luka not catching his embarrassing red face he looked back at their friends, "We certainly are. Nice to have all these friends coming along with us. Should make it a whole lot easier."
Luka's assurance caused Cruz to sigh, though he didn't take his eyes off LuLu. Friends. Yes, they could all be friends. They knew LuLu past her inky monster, just like Anita did, and if this was how she was normally then he wanted to know her past it as well. Her response was positive and the frei relaxed visibly, brows lifting as his expression softened.
"Sorry you felt bad. You seemed... upset." perhaps not the right word. It was difficult to explain but, even though at the time LuLu had been smiling, there was some sort of pain there Cruz had detected when he first saw her. When he first approached and she grabbed his hand. He looked down, smile torn between apologetic and embarrassed. "I was scared... but I hurt you more than you hurt me, I think..." He remembered clearly how the water changed her, caused her to drip, and her attention immediately fell away from him.
Cruz hadn't meant to ignore the other two as they spoke but they seemed to understand that he and LuLu required their reconciliation. Whatever the case, all of them seemed to be on the same page now. Cruz lifted his head and gave LuLu a better smile, one not hindered by uncertainty. "You'll be okay now. Right?" he glanced between Iorek and Luka for confirmation.
"Well, it's no surprise when you consider all the new Raevans that are constantly being created, born." He corrected himself. He wasn't sure if the others knew or how they felt about it. So, it was better to use less.. fire starting words. "Oh really? Then you've known LuLu for quite a bit! You must be quite older than me too." And although Luka did catch the Gargyole reddening, he didn't bring any attention to it. His attention shifted from Iorek to Cruz though as he felt the other's gaze on him.
"I'm sure that she wouldn't be here if she wasn't going to be okay, Cruz." The Satyr said with a smile, giving the croc a reassuring smile. "Right, LuLu?" Luka asked, verbally engaging LuLu for the first time since seeing the Sigel at the bus waiting area.
And although he was curious about what had happened between LuLu and Cruz, he also knew it wasn't his place to ask.
LuLu shooked her head and chided softly, "Do not worry about what you did to me." LuLu looked up and caught Luka's gaze. Despite his upturned lips, there was still a tension between them, but that was expected. She felt the urge to reach out and pat the freis, to let them know everything was alright now. Her fingers twitched as they felt the itch to move. However, she simply clasped them together and returned their smiles, "I will be."
Iorek smiled and nodded in agreement with Luka. "Whatever you wanna call it, it's a lot faster than it used to be. And yet with how fast new raevans are popping up, we're all different. Each one brings something special to the table." Which would come in handy when they got to the destination.
That got Iorek thinking. What was Luka's power? He couldn't find any hints or clues either just by looking him over. Before he could ask, Iorek was met with another question before he could ask his, "Oh? You think? Could be."
Luka was then speaking with LuLu and Cruz, those two seemingly done with their private conversation. It looked like everyone was better than before. Phew.
"Well, glad to hear it. So, do you guys need help putting your things on the bus? You should've seen the luggage LuLu brought. She's got 'being prepared' nailed down pat." He teased and nudged the bunny girl with a smile.
He smiled fondly to LuLu then. Cruz could tell she was being genuine. Though he didn't know her yet, he knew now that the LuLu he had met before was not the real one. He nodded to Luka's assurance and smiled to Iorek as well, feeling relief swell in his chest. His rune grew brighter as a result, thrumming happily. Cruz still felt tired but this helped him be more energized.
"Thank you," he gave his shoulder bag a pat, "Taking this on. Brought things to play." Maybe if any of them were bored during the trip he could share with them. He was about to open his mouth again when he heard his name from behind. Looking over his shoulder, Anita was waving one of her arms, beckoning, as she finished putting their large luggage away. "Time to get on. See you later."
Cruz started to float off after giving each of them a reassuring smile but he paused and turned back to LuLu especially. "Be good, LuLu." It wasn't a chiding comment but a hopeful request.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:33 pm
Hey Stranger The bus had been trundling along for roughly two hours. Here and there Anita had been able to drift off, but a bump in the road or loud conversation would always pull her back out. It was only from sheer exhaustion that she was able to sleep at all. Anita hadn't woken up at 6AM to get ready, she had been awake the entire night. Her brain wouldn't shut down with fears and worries both concerning the Doctor currently and also of what fate she had wrapped herself and Cruz into by agreeing to go. When the bus first started moving she had to fight away nausea from her anxiety but now that they had been on the road awhile her stomach was calm, resigned to the lengthy drive.
Beside her, Cruz had in a pair of headphones and was tapping his thumbs quietly away at his lime green DS. Some kind of monster raising and fighting game akin to Pokemon but she couldn't think of the name with her mind swimming. He never actually battled the monsters, which she thought was kind of adorable. He was content to just feed them and train them.
She shifted, trying to get comfortable, and slid further down in her seat. Her chin rested against her chest, neck hidden, and one arm hung clumsily over the edge of the seat into the aisle. Her legs sprawled out, trying to wrap around the seat in front of her. Anita had never been good at staying comfortable during long trips. Just as she was about to nod off again, a dull thud beside her prompted her awake. Her cell phone fell out of her pocket, resting on the floor. She tiredly eyed it as if it had betrayed her.
Ronan's night had not been much more peaceful than Anita's, but for quite different reasons. For most the night Maili had asked him again and again when he would be coming back, why he had to go, did he really have to do this himself. Kris had eventually taken her to bed, but not before a large chunk of time had been eaten away, along with a pit in his stomach. At this particular moment the selkie found himself staring at the ceiling, his neck in a knot and stomach nearly crawling out of his back with hunger.
He couldn't tell which had woken him. Either way, the end result was the same.
Sitting up with a grimace he massaged his neck with one hand and began to search his bag for a snack, but part way through he heard a soft thump in the aisle. A short turn of the head - someone's phone was on the floor. Setting his bag down for the moment he leaned over and picked up the phone, handing it back to it's owner with a murmured "Here."
He hadn't seen Anita for awhile, but for whatever reason she was one of the few lab individuals that had managed to settle in his mind. At least there was one other person on the bus who had had a hard time sleeping.
"You doing okay there?"
While Anita was busy willing herself to bend over and pick it up, someone nearby did the honors for her. She followed the arm up to its owners eyes and squinted, unintentionally keeping the unhappy look she had been giving her phone. The face was familiar, she knew they'd spoken before, but she was completely at a loss for a name.
"As good as I can be," she mumbled, holding her hand out for the phone. Pursing her lips, she scrutinized him more. They met at the beach. Damn, that was a couple years back. "You're not lookin' much better."
Ronan gave a silent laugh at the comment, rubbing his neck again. "You have a point there." Seeing that the phone was safely back in her hands he found himself looking around, his eyes eventually settling on the green raevan not too far away. Unlike the two of them he seemed to be in much better condition, complete with the continued tapping of attentive game play.
"He seems to be doing alright at least," he said, nodding to Cruz with a small smile.
Once he let go she gestured to him with the phone and gave her thanks as she returned it to her pocket. Anita followed Ronan's gaze to the frei beside her and smiled a little, then looked back. "Yeah, I guess. He had trouble waking up to leave but he's fine now."
She realized, then, that the two had never met nor even seen each other. Then her tired mind also realized that this guy hadn't just been a random swimmer at the beach; he was involved with Lab somehow. Anita nodded toward her charge, catching Ronan's eye. "His name's Cruz." She sat up straighter and craned her neck, trying to peer into the seat beside him, and then looked around the rest of the bus. "You got a baby on board?"
Hearing the question Ronan's stomach gave a slight lurch - another reminder of how much he had neglected his responsibilties so far. Outwardly, he just gave a shake of his head. "No one on this trip, though I should have someone on the way. Honestly though the soul's... giving me trouble." A bit of an understatement, really. The other issue he'd had didn't help either.
"I haven't been able to keep the soul bottle with me. For whatever reason I get sick if I have it for too long."
Anita listened much more intently than she appeared to be, face still mostly blank and tired once she settled back into her seat. She scoffed at the man's confession but it wasn't meant to be insulting; she knew exactly how that felt. She never stopped knowing, actually.
"No s**t?" she croaked groggily, less worried about cursing while Cruz had earbuds in. That was something she hadn't heard of happening with humans, or experienced herself, but she recalled distinctly that her dog had been scared to go near it while it was still empty. "Don't beat yourself up. I'm sure half the dang Lab is filled with surprise captures." She glanced back to Cruz again from the corner of her eye. "Speaking from experience."
While the words didn't make the feelings of guilt go away entirely they were at least able to be dulled. Just hearing that he wasn't alone in his troubles made him feel a bit less out of place, even if the time scale had still gotten cringe worthy. Looking at the young raevan for a long moment he turned back to Anita, words soft. "May I asked what happened?"
Another scoff cut the air and she leaned over on the chair, hanging her head as a smile finally cropped up. She hung there listlessly for a moment without answering. This was always so awkward and hilarious to explain. "Croc attack."
Two words and Ronan's eyebrows went straight up. "That..." He covered his mouth to cover a soft bout of laughter. It wasn't necessarily a laughing matter, but just the sheer absurdity of it and the delivery had caused the laughter to slip out before he could stop it. "Whoa. Well, at least things turned out alright in the end."
Anita didn't respond verbally, still working through her own muted laughter. She was grinning pretty hard. Instead, she lifted her arm and held out an emphatic thumbs up. Sure, she could have been horribly mauled or killed but she managed to get out of that situation with barely a scratch. No more worse for wear, really, and she couldn't have been happier with the end result.
"So how old is the little guy now?" Ronan didn't remember seeing the raevan the last time he had seen Anita, and he knew that appearance wasn't necessarily the best judge of a raevan's age - especially since they didn't exactly age normally.
Resting her elbow on the seat, she propped her head up with the palm of her hand, smushing her face a bit as she looked over at him. "Two," she pursed her lips exaggeratedly and held them as such, brows lifted high over her tired eyes. "He's a September baby so I think... I think just a couple months after we met?"
"Just missed him it seems then," he said, smiling. At that point Ronan's stomach gave another twinge, reminding him that it didn't like to be ignored. Rustling in his bag for a few more moments he came out with a small bag of mixed nuts before setting it off to the side. "What was he like when he was first born?"
Anita had to stifle another chuckle at more awkward memories. "Very kissy." It was the first thing he did, she recalled. The first thing he did when he met Anya, so she was told, and once things were calm and he was safe it was the first thing he did to her. She set him straight quick, though, at least for herself. It was kind of surprising how much the other Raevans didn't mind or flat out enjoyed it. More food for him, she supposed.
"... wait. Kissy? A kissing crocodile?" The laughter Ronan had restrained before finally ended up bursting through, the selkie coving his mouth a few moments in, shoulders shaking. "What's the cause of that? Or was his soul just affectionate?"
Another chuckle, this time with a full on grin. Why was this doubly amusing while she was running on a lack of sleep? "S'right." She brought her other hand up to prop her face more easily. "His essence was mistletoe that made you kiss. It was very rude."
"Made you kiss? Ouch." A sympathetic wince. "Hope you didn't get caught in to many awkward spots with that." He sat back for a moment, thinking to the essence still stored at his home. "Luckily the essence I have is a bit more on the passive side. Still... strange though."
"Of course I did," she scrunched her face up and stuck her tongue out. Anita relaxed when the topic switched to his own essence, a tired but more peaceful look on her face than she'd had since the start of the bus ride. "Mmm. What's yours?"
"Bleeding bark." When the words came out of Ronan's mouth he almost seemed to trip over them, as if part of him couldn't comprehend what was being said. "It's a section of bark that well... bleeds. It seems to have the blood instead of sap." He leaned his head on the back of his seat for a moment, looking back up at the ceiling. "Needless to say it's a bit disconcerting." And he couldn't lie - part of him was worried what such an essence might mean for his future charge. He would love them regardless, but how would others look at them?
One eyebrow quirked while the rest of her face settled into a neutral stare. She stayed silent for a few moments, just watching him, mulling it over. Anita blinked slowly and, without lowering her eyebrow, finally said "That's pretty damn metal."
At that same moment, a slender clawed hand reached over and tucked its fingers around Anita's shoulder. She didn't flinch, too tired and too early on their journey to be on edge. The green frei used his other hand to pull out one of the earbuds as he leaned over Anita's side. "Nita, it's dying."
"Huh?" she asked flatly, looking back. He held out the DS to her, its power light in the red. "Oh, crap. We forgot to charge it before we left. I brought the cable but..." she glanced around uncertainly, trying to find some sort of plug on the window side. "Poop."
While she did that, Cruz had noticed Ronan and deduced that he and his guardian had been speaking. He offered a sleepy smile of his own and a short wave.
Ronan watched at the young frei voiced its troubles to Anita, before waving at the young crocodile himself. Breaking his gaze the selkie began to look around for a solution, voicing a small "aha" when he finally found it.
"There's a plug over here," he said, gesturing to a small outlet near his seat. "I'd be fine letting him use it, don't have anything myself."
Both of their attentions shifted to Ronan at his sound. Anita gave a sigh of relief and Cruz smiled at the man's offer. "Thanks," the frei said as he offered his guardian the DS. While she held that, he pulled up his bag from beneath his seat and started digging through it, eventually locating the cable and handing that off to her as well, who finished the exchange with Ronan.
"It shouldn't take long to charge," she assured Ronan with another quick but tired smile. Glancing to Cruz, she grinned. "He's going to take care of a Raevan soon, too."
This caused Cruz's attention to lock immediately on Ronan, eyes bright and curious. "Can I meet them?"
"Not a problem," Ronan said as he took the cord and the DS, plugging it in. Seeing that the cord wasn't quite long enough to hand the system all the way back to Cruz he set it on the edge of his seat, towards the other two. He couldn't help but smile at the frei's enthusiasm, though part of him hated to disappoint them. "Not yet, I'm afraid. I haven't been able to get my materials back to Kyou, so they're not born yet," he said somberly. "Though I'll be sure that you two can meet up once they are here," warmth coming right back into his voice.
He withdraws a little, not from disappointment but getting lost in thought. After a moment, he brightens back up. "Do you need to fill the bottle? Anita noticed that Cruz avoided the mention of any souls or processes as such with that question and she wasn't sure if it was out of personal preference or he still didn't entirely comprehend what went into it. "We helped someone do it, once. Or... almost did." Again he withdrew in thought, this time looking down at the floor and furrowing his brows as he covered his mouth with a hand.
Anita's smile faded at the mention of that event, but she didn't allow it to disappear for long. "Are you just stuck on what to pick at all or do you have some options in mind?" She didn't want to dwell on that event and it was probably best Cruz didn't either.
Ronan hesistated on giving the main reason for not having a soul yet after seeing Cruz's reaction, deciding instead to give other reasons and simply alluding to the other. "I don't have anything specific in mind really, and I've just never been able to find the right time." He thought for a few more moments, trying to remember the color of the soul bottle cloth that he hadn't seen as much as he should have. "... black. The cloth on the soul bottle was black with some curving yellow lines. That's my only definite however."
The frei mulled that over, one finger plucking gently at his lower lip so it made a soft sound when it was peeled back and then fell back into place. "Black and yellow... What things are black and yellow..."
If Ronan was anything like herself, Anita could understand some of Ronan's hesitation. When she was first scouting for soul ideas, she wound up far more interested in the prospect of plants or other non-living entities because it meant not having to kill something. In the end, she was still left wondering whether or not the crocodile who became Cruz's soul was looking to die. It was old and out of place, and if Tango felt the dangers of the soul glass then surely some prehistoric beast of the water would have felt it too.
"About all I can think of is a bee, or perhaps certain varieties of reptiles or amphibians - maybe a poision dart frog," he said, leaning back into his seat. "None feel... right, though." Mainly for the unsaid reason - having to take a soul. He'd seen some different animals at work that might have fit the bill of the soul cloth, but he absolutely refused to go that route. The animals at the aquarium were his responsibility and he could not, would not do that. End of story.
"Ugh, god. Can you even imagine a bee Raevan," Anita sneered jokingly, scrunching her face up and sticking her tongue out.
Cruz looked at her curiously, finger resting against his lips. "What if it was a fuzzy bumble bee?"
"Aaaahh," she leaned her head back against the bus seat, face still scrunched, then relented, "that might be cute. What about them makes them feel wrong so far? Or is that a little too abstract?" Anita laughs again.
"If it were a honey bee I'd probably have to lock up all honey in the house. Or maybe have to keep them from attacking flowers," Ronan said with a grin. With the next question he gave a shrug. "I'm not sure. It's mainly a feeling." A short, sad smile was directed in Anita's direction, eyes conveying the true meaning. Either way, something was going to have happen soon. If not... well. Maybe it would be better if someone else were given a chance at a raevan.
"Mmm, maybe, but it'd probably have more of an interest in trees in your case. Or blood." She said it without a second thought, at least until it passed her lips. Cruz stared at her, brows lifted with curiosity. He hadn't heard what the essence was. Anita glanced Ronan's way apologetically and instantly caught on to his own expression. All she could do was nod.
Cruz resumed tapping his lower lip when neither guardians offered a suitable explanation. Instead, he busied himself with things that could potentially bear souls that were the colors black and red which Ronan hadn't already listed. When they helped Duncan, he recalled they specifically went after plants that were red, so why couldn't the same be applied here when everything the man thought of already was an animal? "Are there black and yellow vegebles? Flowers?"
"Not sure about vegetables, but I do know sunflowers have both black and yellow?" He tapped his chin, partially for show "Might have to look into more plants and flowers to possibly use." Ronan had decided at this point. Once he got home from this trip, he was going to make another effort with the soul bottle. As for what was going to happen after... he'd cross that bridge when he got there.
Anita and Cruz both smiled at what sounded like renewed interest in Ronan, or perhaps it was more accurate to call it reassurance. With that, she dug into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, to access her own number information. Once it was out, she handed it to Ronan. "Let's exchange. If you need help with anything, we'll just be a phone call away."
"That sounds good!" Ronan got his phone to the new contact page then gave it to Anita, entering his own information into her phone. He needed to get more familiar with the people of the lab, and this was as good of a place to start as any. Once the information was complete he returned the phone, a small bit of tension easing from his shoulders. "And the offer's mutual - if you need an extra set of hands for anything feel free to call."
Once she got her phone back, she scrolled through the contacts to find a name she didn't recognize. Ronan. Right. She thought they introduced each other at the beach but two years is a long time to remember the name of someone you met all of once. He was probably in the same boat or, if not, it didn't matter anymore.
"Perfect," she grinned as she returned the phone to her pocket, "That'll make things easier."
Cruz smiled, too. This seemed like it was going to work well for all of them.
"Definitely." At that point, Ronan's stomach decided to give a particularly loud growl. Ah. He had been looking for a snack, hadn't he? "Sorry," he said, giving a small laugh as he covered his mouth. "If it's alright I'm going to attend to this for now." As if in confirmation he scooped a handful of nuts and dried berries into his mouth. Clearing his throat after finishing the first mouthful he gestured to the DS. "I'll be sure to let you know when it's done charging," he said, capping it off with a smile and a thumbs up.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:35 pm
TEAM FCruz, Anita, Melisande, and Troxel team up to find Dr. Kyou.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:36 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:41 pm
Filling In for Lost TimeAnita fills Zeke in on what happened at the cliff edge while Cruz tries to speak with an unresponsive Anya.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:43 pm
Patching UpThe croc and the stag have a discussion before heading home.
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