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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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 Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:50 pm
Serenity smiled. She should have known Ian would go for that first.
"I've never seen any anime," she admitted as she reached into her bag once more and pulled out two sets of chopsticks (since she was more familiar with them than with forks and knives). "I know the people at school tend to talk about it sometimes ... but all the Japanese I know, I learned from my brothers, and a little from one of my aunts. Everyone else only speaks English and Elvish."
Two different dialects of Elvish, sure, but still, just English and Elvish.
She reached for one of the California rolls with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.
Once Ian had a mouthful, he sat down, holding the apple (which was nearly as big as his head) in both hands. Before he had even swallowed, he took another bite, as big as the first.
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:59 pm
He shrugs and he smiles softly, as he holds both of his hands out to recieve the chopsticks, if she's willing to give one of them up. It was polite in Japanese culture, after all, to give and receive with both hands. "I enjoy anime. People in this culture see 'cartoons' as all the same thing. They don't really differentiate anime from older cartoons like the Flintstones and the Jetsons, and that kinda irritates me, but there's nothing I can really do about it. But anime can be as wide and diverse as any other program found on TV. And because it's animated, the sky is the limit, the only thing holding a producer back is the limit of his or her imagination." He smiles and he tilts his head a little. "Maybe you can teach me some Elvish someday. It might be an interesting thing to learn."
Prince continued to much on his sammich. Whatever types Serenity made, he seemed to have found one that he liked, because he looked intent on trying to put the whole thing away.
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:03 pm
Serenity wasn't really able to follow everything that Gaunt was saying about the difference between anime and cartoons and whatever else it all was, but she did understand that those who were familiar with both items couldn't differentiate between them despite the fact that there was a difference.
"I would love to teach you," she smiled, passing him the second set of chopsticks. "I've been speaking it since I was born, so ... to me it wasn't very difficult, but I can understand that if you weren't born speaking it it could be very hard to learn ... it's nothing like English at all."
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:12 pm
He shrugs as he chuckles softly, taking his own California roll and popping it into his mouth. "Mmn. Well, there's a lot of languages not like English at all. Like.. well.. in Japanese. The grammar is backwards in comparison to English, and nothing in Japanese sounds English, unless the Japanese adopted the English word." He shrugs and he chuckles softly. "So I'd kind of figure that Elvish will be about as hard as Japanese to learn for a natural-born English-speaker."
He looks over the rest of the food, and he looks at Serenity. "Did you cook all of this?" He smiles softly and he tilts his head. "That's something I've always wanted to do. Cook with someone. Team up to do a big meal or something." He shrugs and he moves on to the potato salad, picking up a big chunk of potato with the chopsticks and popping that into his mouth.
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:20 pm
Serenity didn't know Japanese, but the description was very similar to Elvish - at least in some regards.
"Then perhaps you won't have so much trouble learning Elvish, after all," she smiled warmly at Gaunt. "Not that I would mind giving you extra lessons," she added with a giggle, hardly believing that she was actually daring to be so open with someone.
At his question, however, she blushed and shook her head. "The cake, I admit, is bought," she murmured. "I don't have the tools to make anything like that ... though once I've paid off my laptop and tablet that Papa's getting me, that's going to be my next goal. Supplying my own kitchen. My sister Skye, who lives with me and Ian, she helped with the potato salad, but I did the rest."
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:33 pm
He smiles softly and he shrugs. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I've never had formal lessons in Japanese. I just picked up some words and phrases from watching their programs. Though I'm willing to give it a shot!" He smiles softly at her. It was nice to be open with someone. It helped him to feel comfortable instead of having to watch always what he did and said.
He nods and he smiles softly. "That sounds like a really nice goal. Especailly if you love to cook. It would be nice to have a fully functional kitchen in my dorm. But.. all I have his a microwave and a rice cooker. And it's kind of a low-quality, cheap rice cooker so it doesn't even do that great of a job making good rice." He chuckles dryly and he shrugs. "But, I do what I can with what I have. Good thing I have a cafeteria to feed me and Prince every day besides Sunday night."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:19 pm
Serenity looked thoughtful. "Perhaps I should let you take whatever is left from the picnic home with you," she mused. "It doesn't really sound as if you eat like you ought to ... and if I recall correctly, you said earlier that you had to sneak food from the cafeteria in your pockets for Prince?"
That was no way to live. He needed proper food, and the proper amounts. If Prince grew how was he going to get the nutrition he needed?
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:26 pm
Gaunt blinks, then he smiles sheepishly and with a bit of shame. He rubbed the back of his head slowly and takes a slow sigh. "Yeah. It's cafeteria policy to only let me take a piece of fruit or a bagel from the cafeteria. So if I want to feed Prince properly, or at least try to, I have to find a way to make a sandwhich or something and then stuff it into my pocket or bookbag. There's really no way for me to sneak something like pasta back. It's just too messy, and a little too obvious if is was bringing a bowl or something inside."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:51 pm
Serenity nodded certainly. "Then that settles it," she smiled warmly. "The next time I see you, I'll give you a bag like mine. You can put anything in it, as much as you want, and it never gets any fuller. Take my bag for example."
She pulled her bag onto her lap and set her chopsticks down on the blanket. "It's about binder-sized, and looks pretty much empty. But inside ... wow, I can't even remember everything I have in there ... books and canvases and three sets of paints, brushes, even water for washing them ... my portfolio, portrait album, scrapbook, a few changes of clothes just in case anything happens ... and then there's all Ian's stuff too ... mostly clothes and a pillow and blanket, since he falls asleep just about anywhere."
She put her bag to the side again and smiled warmly at Gaunt. "Everyone in my family has them. My grandmother runs a school of magic and fighting, she teaches the magic classes ... her specialty is runes."
She pointed to the rune on the bottom of her bag. "She does them for us. I'm sure she wouldn't mind runing a bag for you as well."
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:59 pm
He blinks and he shakes his head a little. He looked in awe when she listed everything she kept in her bag, and the bag didn't even look like it had much of anything in it. He was blushing because not only did he feel a little in inadequacy because he coudln't quite take care of Prince the way she'd rather see him be taken care of, but now she was trying to get people to do him favors. "Ah.. Serenity.. that does look really good and everything.. and I've never really seen anything like magic before.. and I appreciate the offer.. but I feel kinda bad leaning on you so much."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:02 pm
It was Serenity's turn to blush.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, embarrassed now. "I shouldn't have assumed ... I didn't mean to make it sound that way ... I just wanted to help you two ..."
She bit her lip anxiously, eyes lowered. She hadn't wanted to make him feel bad ... just help him out.
"But ... why can't he just go to the cafeteria with you?" she asked quietly, forcing herself to look up again. "I mean ... it's not like takes up much space or anything ..."
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:06 pm
He shakes his head and he slowly takes in a breath. "It's because of rules, Serenity. If I want to bring him in with me, I'd have to pay for him. Nobody but me is on my meal plan at the university. It's just the way it goes." He sighs softly as he looks at the bag. "I really want that bag.. Honestly, I do. But its making me face the realization that I'm not being a very good father, not caring for Prince the way that I should."
Prince had slowed down his eating when he realized he was being the subject of a conversation. He really wasn't aware that he was being taken care of poorly. He blinked a few times at Gaunt, then a few more times at Serenity. He wasn't sure if he wanted to speak up, or what. He didn't really understand, maybe because he was just too young.
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:27 pm
Serenity shook her head and reached over to place one hand on Gaunt's.
"It's not your fault," she murmured. "You're doing the best you can in a situation that isn't very parent-friendly. You can't beat yourself up for that." Her fingers curled around his hand, and she moved to sit right next to him, holding his hand tightly in hers.
"If there's one thing that I've learned since I was born," she told him, looking into his eyes, "it's that love is what matters more than anything else. You love Prince ... you're doing everything that you can for him. That's all that's important. I still can't do for Ian everything that I know I should, but ... I do what I can."
Ian heard his name and also looked up, then looked at Prince, his expression asking what was going on.
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:47 pm
Prince could only shrug and he scooted toward Ian, dropping his voice. "I know they're talking about us, Ian, but I don't really get what they're talking about." And that made him worried, because when someone worries, they start being paranoid about the worst-case scenario. Was he about to be taken away? Was someone finding him an unsuitable father for some reason? It was almost enough to start making him freak out. Already his breath and pulse were increasing - the more his mind was allowed to wander, the more worried he got.
Gaunt remained unaware so far that Prince was starting to panic a little. He just smiles some as he feels Serenity draw close to him and he lifted his chin and found himself eye-to-eye with his girlfriend. "You're right. I'm doing my best. And I'd do anything I can for Prince. But I know if I do the wrong thing, I could wind up away from him, and he'd be lost and alone. I don't want that to happen, no matter what." He gently squeezes her hand and he nods slowly, his voice soft. "I love Prince very much. He's my son, even if it's by unconventional means for me." He squeezes her hand one more time, his voice still a gentle whisper on the breeze. "And I've grown to care for you very much, Serenity. It's odd how quickly you wormed yourself into my life, and I woudln't have it any other way."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:04 pm
Serenity blushed and smiled warmly, leaning just the slightest bit closer to Gaunt.
"You have already become a very important part of my life as well," she told him softly, her eyes sparkling brightly. "It's strange to think that a week ago, we didn't even know each other ... but now I couldn't imagine not ever having you in my life."
Prince's panic was contagious, and the next thing Ian knew he was also freaking out. "But! But! But they were talking about not being good dads and moms ... but! But! But Gaunt's a great dad! And Mom's a great mom! Aren't they?"
He let out a wail and ran over to Serenity, clamping onto her waist and hugging her with all his might. "Mom! Mom! You're a great mom! Don't leave me! Don't make me go away!"
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