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 Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:15 pm
[Ethiriel > lobby – Cruz, Ekundayo, Fathle and Revontulet]
Ethiriel’s chin lifted at the presence of another person, another introduction; though in response to the action she dipped her head into a bow, letting it linger just long enough for Cruz to reach back over and claim her hand, offering him a quick squeeze as well. ”Another pleasure,” she affirmed, raising her head back to normal stature.
While Revontulet’s colorscheme allowed Ethiriel a better anchor, her offered hand was missed. Had she known she would have taken it, or perhaps even offered her usual greeting, but she knew nothing of it and kept herself from moving too terribly far from where she floated. She didn’t want to be rude, not in the slightest, but her own comfort had been at stake and she was feeling just a bit better now that she was in someone’s grip.
”I have had one Christmas since my birth, though it was far less celebrated than the party we attend now.” the tea frei said, adding no extra flourish to the statement. ”It is certainly nice to be in the presence of others, I will admit.”
Not many Raevens knew about her as Leo was very much a home body, keeping her stuck at home too.
It wasn’t long before she recalled Dayo’s compliment toward Ren, lifting her head once again with a smile. ”I apologize for not offering a compliment upon our meeting, Miss Ren. I mean no offense.” Ethiriel stated, her paled eyes resting in her general location. Would it need to be further explained? She wasn’t sure, not knowing that there was a visible difference as she had never seen herself before. ”I am sure you look beautiful this night.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:49 pm
[[Fathle > Christmas Tree [Elai, Xan, + Domevlo] || Dayo > Lobby [Cruz, Revontulet, + Ethiriel]]]
Fathle smiled and offered another small smile to Cruz and the others before turning to Dayo and murmuring quietly.
“And how is your evening thus far, my heart? Are you having fun?”
“Oh yes,” the eagle breathed before her golden eyes glanced over to Cruz again. “Thank you, Faye.”
Fathle smiled before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “I am glad. Please excuse me for interrupting your conversation.”
He turned away from the small group of raevens to give Dayo her chance to integrate back into the community. There were so many unfamiliar faces. The only ones he vaguely knew were all a part of the staff. Fathle realized that Alex was not attendance. He looked over at the Christmas tree. Xan and – assumably - his raevan were standing by the white tree and… Fathle quirked an eyebrow. He recognized that two-toned hair. Fathle approached the small group and waited for an appropriate pause in the conversation before interjecting.
“Gentlemen…,” he said with a small smile before looking at Elai. “Mr. Ferenan, it has been a long time.” Fathle offered his hand before turning to Xan and the white-haired raeven.
“May I assume this is your charge? My name is Fathle. A pleasure to meet you.”
---
When her guardian left her side, Dayo immediately turned back to her new acquaintances and she took Ren’s hand and shook it warmly.
“Yes, it is one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy the snow the most… and the smell of Christmas food,” she answered with a smile. Dayo moved back toward Cruz, offering him a quick smile before looking at Ethiriel. She had a strange way of phrasing her words. What did she mean by: I’m sure you look beautiful this night? Dayo furrowed her eyebrows with curiosity, studying her pale eyes. Could the elegant raeven not see?
“Are you okay, Ethiriel?” she asked with concern.
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 10:51 am
(( Cruz -- Lobby with Dayo, Revontulet, Ethiriel / Anita -- Sofas with Justin ))
And with that, as quick as he swooped in, Ekundayo's guardian retreated. Cruz smiled and nodded to his departure, thinking little of it, and instead turned back to the rest of the group with a bright smile. Ethiriel's apology took him off guard just as it did Dayo but he knew the reason for it. Carefully, he raised their hands and pulled the tea frei's to rest against his chest. Dayo's concern made Cruz offer her a calm smile and a quiet nod. At least, he hoped she was alright. She was seeming a little weary but he knew from their first meeting that interaction with her was strange due to her sight.
"Thiriel can't see you," he explained quietly, offering his hand out to Revontulet. Cruz's brows upturned with slight concern as well; the discovery of her poor sight, rather than complete blindness, had given him considerable excitement. Maybe they just needed to get close enough for Ethiriel to see them. "Is it okay if they touch you?" he asked gently, leaning close to her ear. He had gotten in her face the first time, then suddenly her eyes which looked out aimlessly locked onto his and there was a swell of relief in both of them. Maybe they could emulate it, Revon and Dayo both.
Anita was lucky Justin decided to call her pretty when she wasn't sipping, as a hard scoff into the bowl surely would have sent soup everywhere. It wasn't quite that she didn't want to date, it was more that no one really seemed interested in that. All of the flirting she usually received was heavy to the point of alluding only to one thing -- not a relationship but a fling -- and that was what she wasn't interested in. Anita just shrugged instead of explaining. She kept laughing every time the harem was mentioned, even glancing over to try and spot the others. Ian seemed content to stay at the dinner table for now, Josh was over at the alcohol table it looked like, and Trox was still over chatting with Zeke. Did Trox count in her "harem"?
"Raevan," she said before taking another sip. The bowls were pretty small and the soup was almost gone. It tasted great and definitely warmed her up but once that was done it would be time for some real food. Anita craned her neck, peeking out toward the center lobby to scan for her charge. She grinned once he was spotted, nodded, and pointed, "Mr. Green Monster over there." He was gathered with a group of three girls, two of which Anita didn't recognize. She wondered how new they were, whether they'd been born recently or she just never got the chance to meet them.
Come to think of it, if Justin was affiliated with Lab and knew about raevans, this was actually a perfect opportunity. Anita chewed her lower lip while staring a bit blankly, then turned back to look him in the eye. "While we're on the subject, you can blame him for that fiasco two years ago. You know about essences, right?" Of course he did. He knew about raevans. He was here, among raevans. He was familiar with Zeke, he worked for Lab. "Forceful Mistletoe." Take a wild guess at what that did, Justin. Go on.
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:17 pm
{{ Sofas -> Anita}}
Justin felt his brows ascend into his hairline at her scoff, but he decided not to press the issue. Instead, he turned to look where she had pointed. There was certainly someone green over there. How overly festive. IT looked like he was hanging around a raevan with delicate branch-ish wings and one with eagle wings. He was still unused to raevans: they look like they belonged to the realm of video games. A soft chuckles escaped his lips.
"Oh, do you know an Isobel? And wow, your guy could give Zeke a run for his money, color-wise. Whenever I come by, Zeke's been the king of colors." He opened his mouth to ask the green one's name, but paused as her eyes caught his. Anita's teeth charmingly worried her lip and Justin wondered what had her so anxious. But, at her words, he quirked an eyebrow in confusion, recalling that kissing incident rather vividly. His bright eyes dropped to her lips involuntarily, lingering on their soft pinkness, then they flew back to her face as the implications of her words sunk in. Oh. Ohhh.
"What?! Really?" He laughed, loudly."I know I shouldn't laugh but oh, you have all the luck. A lot of guys went home happy. That must have been so awkward." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A smile still lingering on his lips, he joked: "Here I thought you were just being overly friendly that day. I mean, even I got one from your kissing-fiend self." He knocked into the table slightly and remembered his gift. Leaning forward, his slid the blue gift over to her.
"That's yours, by the way. But no opening until Christmas." Without pause, he continued, gesturing back over his shoulder at Cruz. "Does it still affect you like- if you stand really close to Mr. Green? Come to think about it, since it was in voluntary, I bet it was very much not fun. I'm sorry, Anita."
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 3:05 pm
[Elai>Christmas Tree----> Fathle, Thanatos, and Domevlo]
Elai couldn't help but feel at a small smile tug at the corner of his lips upon seeing the small interaction between Domevlo and Xan. It was something he'd experienced with his own charge. It was hard to know just how much freedom the Frei wanted sometimes.
"Yes, that's perfectly fine. Luka and I will be glad to have both you and Xan join us." He gave a smile and ruffled the Lead frei's hair in the same manner he often did to his own charge. "And, I will be sure to keep Mr. Xan busy as well so that you can play explore with Luka without any problems." Chuckling, the acupuncturist's eyes settled back onto Domevlo's guardian.
Elai's attention turned to Fathle as the red haired man casually interjected with an introduction. It took a moment before the acupuncturist was able to recognize just who this was. "Ah, Mr. Lekabel?" The man said slowly, as though he were almost guessing the man's name. "Mr. Fathle Lekabel, right? It's been a very long time since our last meeting." The male responding with a chuckle, taking the other's hand in a tight handshake.
"How have you been? It Ekundayo here as well?" He asked, slowing recalling the details of the taller man's own charge.
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:34 pm
[Genie > Dinner Table]
Genie and Basil approached the building, trying to quickly close the distance between the doors and the parking lot.
Despite Gambino's mild winters, Basil dressed defensively in layers. He was wearing a white thermal shirt under a faded navy sweater that hadn't seen a Christmas since 1974. Lots of busy patterns in white and red. His head was fit snugly into a red tartan ear-flap cap that Genie had always liked on him. It helped to soften the sharp lines in his face, and when he smiled under the fuzzy bar of fleece above his eyes, it nearly took her breath away.
He wasn't smiling at the moment though. In fact, his face was creased and windburnt, his eyes squinted into black almonds as though against gale-force winds. He'd only shaved once since he'd come back from the jungle and looked positively wolfish. The wiry hair grew around his mouth in aberrant patches, but somehow connected to his sideburns in neat right-angles. Apparently he'd had a pretty close call in the jungle that had shown him how vulnerable to the elements he really was. The face-fur was just part of a larger reaction. The hat and sweater were another.
Winters were always harsh on him, especially in Durem, but Genie had managed to take a certain guilty pleasure in them. She found that the cold had a way of making Basil more... approachable. Easier to dote on. Easier to be affectionate with. Like the old days.
Over the years he had become so increasingly withdrawn, and it had only been compounded with the rotten stretch of luck he'd had. Going blind. His fallout with Cordelia. Embarking into the jungle where all those poor people had gotten hurt...
Maybe withdrawn wasn't the right word. As tempting as self-righteousness can be for someone in a parental role, if she were to be totally honest with herself, she never once had gotten the impression that she was being avoided by him. Not so much as it was he had just started to lose his total dependence on her... Buffering her from his experiences with silence and passivity and a general emotional distance. The sad thing is, she wasn't sure which was worse.
Despite living in the same apartment together, he had a way of making her feel like she was only "visiting". He kept odd hours, and spent long stretches of time in his loft with all his "projects". She would climb the stairs and poke her head into his space, and right away it was like a little stopwatch was ticking in his expression. The barometric pressure in the room would drop like a hurricane was coming, creating a sense of urgency. And although he would never outright tell her to leave in so many words, his inner dialogue was clear as glass. Uh huh. Uh huh. Is that all? Make it quick.
Lately she had found an embarrassing amount of satisfaction in fetching him things. Like soup or warm blankets fresh from the dryer. The gestures reeked of desperation, and were almost vulgar in their transparency. But he responded to that vulgar dedication, arching up his shoulders as she draped a comforter around them. Maybe just to humor her.
She was then free to ask what he was working on next, and while he explained, she would draw inside her head, beginning to wonder what she would do with herself once he was grown. Once he was walking and fully functional. She wondered, was this just a preview of things to come? Was he coming out of her control?
It started giving her hard spikes of anxiety that struck her at random, like lightning. When she was on the phone or turning down the beds. Bam. Like all of the sudden she was running out of winters to spend with him. It didn't seem possible. He hadn't been here such a long time already... Had he? And what had she done for herself in the meantime? He was pretty much it. Her one big investment. If he left... she wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
It'd be over.
But she was getting ahead of herself. He didn't even have a bellybutton yet. There was still time and plenty of it. Maybe it was just the holidays that were making her so goofy.
At the moment, she grasped for his hand, which was limp and chill and unresisting. After a moment or so, she felt his fingers gently squeeze hers before pulling away. A silent reassurance. She adjusted two gift boxes in her arms, her mouth compressed into a smile.
She wore a red button-up sweater over a man's white shirt with a black pencil skirt. A smart look in her opinion. The only indicator of her holiday spirit were two enormous plastic Christmas bulb-lights dangling from her ears. They were heavy and uncomfortable. She remembered them clacking together like billiard balls when she looked at them in the store. They were exactly the type of thing she tried to avoid, mainly because of her left ear. She didn't know whether it had been pierced wrong or just healed funny, but it always seemed to give her trouble. Feeling a blend of horror and resignation each time she ran the flesh through with the pin. Even now she self-consciously kept touching the lobe, checking for blood.
They stepped into the room, Basil holding the door for her with his elbow in a perfunctory fashion. Once inside, they both took a moment to bask in the warmth. "Here," Genie said, taking one of the presents and handing it off to him. A plain square in forest-green paper with a tape-on bow. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, which he tolerantly allowed. She lingered there a moment before stepping down, wrinkling her mouth from his whiskery skin. She wiped the itchiness off her lips with her fingertips, "Mmokay. So, you just go ahead and give that to Anita, and be nice."
"...Okayyy." He said suspiciously. He didn't know what she meant by that. He never knew what she meant by it, except that she seemed to say it a lot. Be nice. Did she expect him to launch the thing at the poor lady's head, or what?
Then the mood shifted. She held his eyes a moment, touching her earlobe in a way that struck him as almost girlish. "I'm famished. I'm going to get some food..." An invitation was left unspoken. He stared at her blankly. He didn't get the hint.
"Okay?" He said after a while.
She pursed her lips and looked away. "Okay." She said softly and with finality, turning to leave.
She approached the Dinner Table, soberly tossing items onto a plate. It felt like all she ever did at these things was eat... She glanced up periodically to admire the decorations, everything white and pristine and sprinkled liberally with glitter. She wasn't sure when it became fashionable to bleach the primary colors out of Christmas. It seemed like everyone was set on white trees and white decorations and white wrappings anymore. It just felt so sterile to her. Not homey at all.
She sank her teeth into a hunk of warm bread, ripping off a fluffy chunk and chewing it thoughtfully, then glanced down at the present under her arm. Luckily her Secret Santa was someone she knew, or at least, a face she was sure to recognize. She hoped he'd like it.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:53 pm
[Basil Banter > Hot Chocolate Bar]
She pursed her lips and looked away. "Okay." She said softly and with finality, turning to leave.
Basil stared after her with a tug of feeling, then looked down at the present in his hands. The Other's voice startled him with its closeness. Like he had sneaked up behind him and hissed in his ear. ("Well, I guess now the first order of business would be to find Anita. Shouldn't be too hard.")
Basil fingered the little to-and-from tag, Anita's name staring up at him in red felt marker. It was just letters on cardboard. Floating around without any meaning or context. His head was somewhere else. Not exactly in the "holiday spirit". "Hey, does Genie seem weird to you?" He muttered.
("Always.")
Basil paused in considering silence.
("You aren't going to tell her about this morning are you?")
Basil blinked, touching a few fingers to his forehead, above the cap. "I don't know yet. I don't know how much longer I can hide it from her..."
("Well you better think of something. She's been so squirrelly lately, who knows what she'd do.")
The Other was referring to a yellow bruise just off-center of his brow.
It was one of those nights that he had trouble sleeping and had woken up with the alley cats. He was sitting on the front steps of The Arms, sheltered from the intermittent snowfall under the blue canvas awning with "Greg. Arms" printed on it in copper colored letters. It wasn't snowing so hard just yet. Not enough to properly cover the ground. In the city, they usually had gray and slushy winters.
Because his vision was so blurry, Christmas lights took on a beautiful Bokeh effect when he saw them at a distance. At the risk of chill, he sometimes liked to sneak outside and unfocus his eyes even more. Taking in a blurry, twinkling dreamscape in the sacred still hours before his street came to life. When it was still dark and the lights would shine best.
He was wearing his blue sweatshirt at the time, the one he had worn into the jungle. The one Lazarus had practically shredded off his back after it had been splashed with cold river water. Full of holes and tears, but perfectly serviceable. For extra measure, he was also wrapped in the crochet afghan off the back of the couch.
He didn't intend to be out there very long, but naturally the cold made him sluggish and reluctant to move. Made him curl into his covering for warmth, blowing on his hands with tepid breath that was not naturally heated by his body. Time slowed to a blur. His ears closed as though too filled with blood. Shutting out the rest of the world. It was a mental reflex, the way a yawn is a reflex for when an idle person's breathing has become too shallow. A yawn in his stream of consciousness, brought about by total peace and contentment.
"Hey," A voice suddenly said.
He blinked up at a sandy-coloured man in a padded jacket, uncomfortably close. "You live here?"
Basil must have zoned out pretty good. It seemed impossible that he wouldn't have heard him coming... The man was standing firmly with his hands thrust into his pockets, one step above where Basil was sitting. He was a hard-looking man, with an equally hard shadow, which he cast down over Basil like a cold sheet. The question wasn't asked sarcastically or just in passing. He was waiting sincerely for an answer, and was willing to delay the gratification of a warm lobby to get it, which was somehow more intimidating.
Basil got a bad feeling. Like a cold balloon was inflating in his chest. It took him a moment to realize what was happening. To appreciate the delicateness of this encounter. Then he stretched his mouth into a smile.
"Yeah." He said softly, but earnestly.
The man narrowed his eyes. Looking Basil over from his wild hair and lusterless eyes and ratty sweatshirt. Trying to figure him out. He canted his head. It was shaved down to the scalp, his skin exposed to the cold without cover of hair or hat. "Sure about that?"
Even while smiling, Basil's eyes flashed with something like insult. He felt like he was being accused of something, and the nervousness translated into a quiet righteousness that was reflected in his tone. "I'm sure."
A hard pause. "Alright." the man drawled, in a tone you hear from fathers or teachers. I'm going to believe you this time.
He went inside the building, and after he was gone, Basil let out a long exhale, sitting up a bit straighter. That was kind of weird. He looked around. The sky was brighter now, gray and smoky. He could feel a salt-truck rumbling two streets over. Car keys jingling in people's hands. Scrapers on car windshields. The street was stirring awake. How long had he been out here?
He looked across the street and startled at the sight of four teenagers, watching him very closely. Three boys and a girl. He could see the girl wasn't dressed right for the weather, her bare calves pale and white like a fishbelly. One boy had their arm around her, while the other two stood catty-corner to the couple. He could see the red cherry of a cigarette, being ashed onto the wet sidewalk. Somehow Basil met all of their eyes at once. He smiled, reluctantly, the balloon inflating larger as they looked at each other in a confidential way, like understanding. Basil didn't like it. Non-verbal communication bothered him immensely, because it was such a damn minefield.
Were they watching him with the shaved-head man just now? What must that have looked like to them?
If they had conferred with other, he could have read their conversation. Could have corrected them, or understood enough to just turn around and go back inside. Then a dark-haired boy bent down, scooping the snow up into his gloves-- or so Basil thought. He could only guess at a distance. But one thing he heard loud and clear.
"Watch this." Muscles in his jaw tightened.
Then he saw a blur of white come sharply into focus. A snowball. He'd been hit with snowballs before. He braced himself for a dull cold pressure that would crumple apart on impact. He felt the packed snow, but the searing pain was a total surprise. Blooming over his skin. Penetrating deep into his skull. He didn't know until after the fact that the snowball had a chunk of gravel packed into it. Things got a little hazy after that. The Other took care of it. Basil didn't ask how. When he woke up again, he was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, ruddy-faced and bleary-eyed. The afghan was gone. Had the body been crying? He must have just gotten in. Huge downy snowflakes were melting in his hair. He could hear a faucet hissing in the kitchen. Genie was already making coffee. He hadn't lost more than an hour, maybe.
He touched his forehead. It started as a red lump. A goose-egg. The skin wasn't broken, it just hurt, throbbing under the skin. He tried covering it with his hair, but there wasn't any way of doing it without it looking too conspicuous. Too obvious that he had something to hide. With the back of his hand, he wiped a watery sheet of snot off his upper lip and washed his face with warm water. He waited until Genie went into her bedroom to change for work, then sneaked upstairs. He didn't want her to know about it. She would just blow it up into something it wasn't. Maybe even cancel their plans for the evening. Hence the need for the hat.
It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. And he was confidant that it would happen again. It was just a hard fact. The world was a painful and surprising place. The Other knew that, but Basil had to learn the hard way. He was done having his memories swiped or a limiter put on his understanding. He needed to start seeing things for what they were and learn how to deal with them. He owed it to himself to try. He owed it to his brother. To Genie.
He liked to think the lump on his head was just another kind of "growing pain".
And so it was.
Well you better think of something.
"Hey, you should come out here, he said evasively, "I think you'd like this."
("...I'm good, thanks.")
"You used to like parties though."
("What if someone talks to me?")
Basil laughed. "You're kidding, right? You sure weren't worried about that at Halloween when you made that spider girl explode. Or that garden thing you sneaked me into."
("It's different now, okay? I just... I kind of want to lay low for a while...")
"Just pretend to be me. You know how to handle people, and it's not like I really want to be here... I suck at these things. And I don't really know anybody—"
("—And I do?")
Basil twisted his mouth, looking at the grain in the wood floor. Studying it like it was a tiny ecosystem. A tidepool with little things swirling and floating across the surface. Then he felt a dark pulse inside. A hike in his blood pressure. ("Oh my God.")
His voice climbed octaves. There was no reason for him to mind his volume. ("Oh my God. You're trying to... socialize me aren't you? You're trying to set me up to meet people like I'm some friendless loser!")
Basil shook his head in something like helplessness. He tried to cover up the prickly feeling of a lie in his chest, but he was never very good at deception. Especially not to someone that could see you from the inside out. The Other's voice was thin and breathy with outrage.
("There's a reason I don't put myself out there, you know. A damn good reason. It's not because I can't meet people! It's because it's a stupid idea! What part of this concept are you unclear on? We could die."
Basil rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Okay, okay! I didn't mean it like that! I just... I don't see why everything's gotta be so "life-and-death" and "fate-of-the-world" with you..."
("Of course you don't.") The Other spat, the 'c' in 'course' and the 't' in 'don't' as razor-edged as Ginsu knives.
Basil found a wall to lean against. He checked to make sure he wasn't drawing attention to himself. The words purred past his lips like water through a boat rudder, "I know what you're saying. And for the record I agree with you. But... I just think the Lab has got bigger stuff to worry about right now." He waved a hand vaguely around the room. "Look at everybody. Don't you feel that? It's... like somebody's funeral."
It was true. There was something just a bit lacking... An elephant in the room. They both knew about the Doctor. The state he was in. And poor Lazarus at his side... "Do you really think anybody's going to think twice about us? Have they ever?"
Silence.
"You know I'm right. I'm not asking you to run out in the middle of the room and sing Streisand. Just...freaking come out here and fix a plate or something, please? It's Christmas..."
("Why is this so important to you all of the sudden?") The Other said reluctantly, and with an unusual lack of censure.
"Just do it. For me? I promise, if you start having too much fun, I'll tag in."
("...I'm not talking to anybody.") He said petulantly.
Basil smiled, his voice fading in transit, "Your call, but good luck finding that lady without asking around... "
"Ugh." The Other groaned, settling into the body like a bowling ball dropping into a grocery bag. He was instantly aware of at least ten unpleasant sensations at once. The scratchy hair on his face. The way his scalp was sweating under the cap. The dull ache in his forehead.
He supported himself on the wall, his eyes sweeping the room in sharp focus. He realized he needed something hot and preferably caffeinated. Stat. Maybe Anita's name would come up around the hot chocolate bar...
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:26 am
((LuLu > Cocoa booth Doucette + Banter ))
LuLu's eyes just seemed to grow brighter and brighter at each prospect throw at her. All the things Dou and her could do together buzz around in her head. They could have a girl's day! It had been such a long time for the rabbit. "I would like that very much Ms. Dou."
She nodded at the other woman's next question. She did not verbally affirm it, as though speaking of it directly would bring life back into the events of that trip. "I am glad you are safe." The sigel's gaze followed Dou's until they landed on a head of gradient hair. LuLu gasped.
Very familiar hair.
LuLu would have to be blind not to recognize such a unique attribute, colorful in a way that mimicked the sea. She may have been half crazed during their first meeting. Yet, if anything, that made her memories even more vivid. She had never gotten the frei's name, but now that her guardian had let it slip the rabbit repeated the name. "Ren."
LuLu wondered idly if Ren also recognized her. Would she be afraid of her? What if she wasn't.... would she join Dou on their ventures?
She tilted her head back in time to see the gruff silhouette of another raevan. This time, they had a hazy familiarity. Not as crisp and clear as Ren had been. LuLu squinted her eyes for a moment and studied his face before her eyes snapped away. Basil.
Lu's mind kept falling back to her Secret Santa gift. The card she received said that she was gifting for a Ms. Genie, Basil's guardian. She had met the woman in the most superficial of fashions on the bus. She assumed she could find her during the party, but it seemed as though the fact that Basil would be there too had never click until now. Until he was a mere three feet away.
She felt her heart begin to patter a bit more quickly as he settled at the booth near them. LuLu busied herself with talking to Dou. "I hope you both have recovered well since." Her eyes kept flitting over the woman's shoulder in between words directed at the human.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:42 am
(( Harrison -> Luka, Zeke || Camille -> Alcohol Bar, Mordekai ))
Harrison listened with eyes squinted, scanning the room and using his added height as an advantage to seek out the particularities of the raevans Zeke was talking about. He nodded, to at least show that while he was gazing over the raver's head that he was paying attention. He caught sight of Luka not too long after Zeke had started guiding him over that way- that had been a tiny blow to Harrison given his requirement to search for fellow aircrew, birds and obstacles in the sky while flying. He should have been able to pick out the satyr long before he actually did.
"Luka?" Harrison hunched, bobbing his head down, a common action the man pulled to appear smaller. He grinned and extended his hand, "I asked Zeke here if he could help me find you, still new here. Name's Harrison."
He flustered and looked down to the helmet bag taking out a small gift bag, face scrunching, reading the name and nodding. Definitely Luka's. In the box Luka would find a silicone orb, big enough to fit in two hands. Press the top and the orb would light up a brilliant blue color. A soft LED portable nightlight. Instructions and a charging cable would also be found at the bottom of the bag. Harrison beamed, rather proud of himself.
--
Mordekai's smile was obnoxiously contagious. Camille flushed and shook his head, keeping his banter strong and his snarky face sharp in place. His eyes scrunched and he tilted his head and shook his head. "Some package da' is, innit?"
He laughed and placed all his weight on the crutches, swaying his entire body like a chuch bell before landing forward with a tiny hop and snagging the tequila from Mordekai's hand, "nuh uh. You're goan need some jungle juice," He offered his flask forward and regarded the bottle of Patrone.
"H'kin guarantee tha' will knock t'pain' righ' off y'sideboards, grease y'weapon and fuel an apache," He grinned, jutting his hip to the side and licking the corner of his mouth in anticipation. The flask hasn't been washed, never rinsed, the only new liquid that passed was new hard liquor. Never any of that sugary s**t- can't have bacteria. That flask has three years of alcohol poured on alcohol mixed with alcohol creating a deadly grog.
"Ye', pilot. He's all hot headed like one too. Y'know?" He smiled big and leaned into Mordekai's bubble a bit at the question. Shaking his head, "Naw, H'ain go' a ribbonny kid... Kinda interestin' seein' all them colors and wings and s**t? An' they all glow. Trox- y'know... the pilot? He's got a few bottles tha' apparen'ly will turn intuh on'f 'em. Saturns rings and some blood s**t. I think he killed a swan by accident and weaseled outta a 500$ fine coz them boyish looks on an old man's face yenno?"
Camille glanced over his shoulder out of habit, double taking seeing Josh regarding them and merely offered him a winning smile. He reached awkwardly over his shoulder and offered Josh the bottle of tequila, "Merry Chris'mas there~"
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:46 am
( Domo --> Christmas Tree to Lobby [Dayo, Revontulet, Ethiriel, & Cruz] || Xan --> Christmas Tree [Fathle & Elai] )
Domevlo couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, although hidden below his mask, his eyes crinkled with mirth. Wings fluttering softly and rune giving a warming flicker of light. The ruffling of his hair was unexpected but he didn't mind the slight contact. Perhaps it was a form of affection, something he was not privy to with Xan... well more like he didn't allow it from the man. "Domo is pleased. Elai will be sure to hash out the details with Thanatos then." He confirmed with a nod then slid his gaze to Thanatos who just gave a sigh and shake of his head.
He was used to Domevlo's form of control. It was just how he dealt with their on again - off again feud. One day the two would meet eye-to-eye. Xan was working toward that daily. His mint green eyes slide from the frei's toward Fathle's approach. With a light smile the cowboy tipped his hat and nodded toward Domo with acknowledgement. "That he is. Domevlo this is Fathle."
"Domo." He corrected. "Pleased to meet you, Fathle " The lead frei nodded briefly turning his eyes on all three men, "Pardon." He quickly ducked away excusing himself from the bramble of guardians. Turning amber orbs on the group of raevan near the lobby he wondered if it would be too rude to interject himself. With a deep sigh and straightening of his shoulders he floated over to the group standing slightly off to the side of the group to observe quietly.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:15 am
[Ethiriel > Lobby – Cruz, Ren, Dayo and Domo]
It apparently did need to be stated.
Taking a small breath, just as Ethiriel was about to explain Cruz did the honor and instead she dipped her head in Ekudnayo’s general direction. ”My apologies for the confusion, I perhaps should have mentioned…” she started, lifting her head back up. The concern in Dayo’s voice was clear and she was truly remorseful, but more often than not it wasn’t a conscious thing for Ethiriel to point out, in fact it hardly ever needed an explanation. ”I hope it is not a bother for you.”
With the question posed in her ear, Ethiriel tilted her head toward Cruz so that she could focus – of course, from this position she could only see his ear and hair, but she wasn’t about to complain – and once his question registered she gave a graceful nod, squeezing his hand gently in her own.
And then something resonated within her.
Ethiriel couldn’t recognize the slightly toxic scent he carried, but as soon as Domevlo approached she could feel her essence reach out to his. They might have been different, very different, but the scent of lead gave the tea frei a strange sense of recognition, even if she knew she had never become acquainted with this new bystander. ”Greetings,” she said, pausing for a moment before Cruz would try to pass her around in hopes that she would see.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:23 pm
( Domo --> Lobby [Dayo, Revontulet, Ethiriel, & Cruz] )
Domevlo was content to just observe quietly on standby but a soft greeting had startled him out of his observational stupor. Blinking himself back into reality he gave a curt nod moving forward with a glide. "Yes greetings... oneself is called Domevlo. Hopefully this one didn't interrupt your group." He offered. Amber eyes scanned the others with measured glances stopping to smile softly upon Ren before returning his attention to the tea frei. He was just learning how to interact in a group. Most of what he knew was learned from observation and mimicking the guardians and other raevans in the party. The rest was sheer instinct alone. Socializing was a bit exhausting but he was learning to like it, being around his own wasn't so bad.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:37 pm
( Faexa Khonel Entrance > Outside -- [Leo]. )
"Yes. Of course. I am already on my way." the woman known as Faexa said, ending the phone call immediately afterwards and placing the device back into her purse, holding it at her side as she walked down the many streets of Gambino to the party in which she was given the task to check out and write about afterwards. The woman wore her cream lace dress with her black high heels and, of course, her black winter coat and cream scarf to defend herself against the chilly December weather. She was ready for quite a party and wanted to look nice in order to draw in some of the crowds attention for interviews.
Rumor had it that there was a large Christmas Party going on and she was to attend and report back. She hadn't known where the party was held until last minute, and thus, she was later than she would have liked to be. By now, who knew what was happening and how many of the guests had already arrived.
It wasn't for a few moments that the woman found herself outside of the parties grounds. 'Here we go.' she thought to herself as she took a deep breath, smiled, and began to walk up the way, noticing only a man outside on the telephone. By the looks of it, he seemed to be a photographer. This would be her first "victim", she determined. She quickly took her phone back out and opened up the voice recording application and was ready to press record whenever she needed. With a bright smile upon her face, she walked right up to the man and waved a bit to get his attention away from the phone.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, sir. My name is Faexa Khonel. You can call me Fae. I'm with the Gaian National and I've been given the task of attending the Christmas Party. May I bother you for a moment of your time before I attend?" the woman said with as sweet a voice as she could muster, waiting for the man to respond.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:49 pm
[Revontulet --> Dayo, Cruz, Eth and Domo in the Lobby]
The newborns lips had popped open to inquire about Ethiriel's words, but the lovely brown frei had beat her to it and instead Ren turned her inquiring gaze back to the green woman, awaiting her answer. Although the assumption was there that the other's sight was somewhat lacking, the way she moved did not betray a handicap. She seemed to remain poised despite herself and the aurora couldn't help but to silently marvel at her strength. At her apology for not offering up a compliment Revon's wings slumped momentarily, her brows furrowing.
Upon Dayo's compliment, Ren had offered back no such compliment, not because she did not find the sky-woman beautiful as well, but because she had not wanted her sentiments to come across as insincere or nothing more than a simple parroted reply as prompted by tradition. Instead she had been biding her time, waiting for a moment where she could interject a compliment which would be more appropriate and possible more appreciated. Eth too would have received her own compliment once the proper moment came.
"It is no bother," Ren said soothingly, moving closer to Cruz as he offered her hand towards her. Fingers grazed against the croc's before wrapping about them, a little hum of her wings and the slight pulse of her rune showed her happiness at the touch of the other, but it was short lived, as the tea frei's greeting had her turning her head to witness the new member of their little group.
"Domo!" Gently the aurora released Cruz's hand and moved over to the gray one, her eyes a warm, happy blue. She was glad he had decided to join them. "We will visit the lights soon?" she inquired, referring to the conversation she had somewhat unceremoniously abandoned. "You are not an interruption. You are welcome," Ren's voice reverberated slightly with the flutter of her wings humming upon her back, each segment following the other in a three-tempo pattern.
[Doucette --> Lulu and Banter at the Cocoa Bar]
The aurora's guardian caught none of Lulu's contemplative look in the direction of her frei, assuming only that the bunny had been captivated by the impressive ombre of her girl's hair. A little smile of pride grew upon the woman's lips as she nodded, "Yes, Ren. She will love to come on a tea party too I am sure! And we must go on many other adventures together. Oh I hope you will like each other," Doucette said with a rather happy sigh.
Although she hadn't noticed the other's concerned glances towards Revontulet, she did catch on to the looks she was giving Banter and the woman blinked a moment before recognising the boy. "Basil! It is so nice to see you. Is Genie around as well?" It had not been so long since the group had been to the musical together, but it felt like ages away now that the seasons had changed so much.
Soft blue eyes turned to gaze around the room as she tried to catch sight of the boy's guardian. It would be nice to say hello to the nice woman if she could grab the chance.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:11 pm
[Leo > outside, entrance -- Faexa]
Had it not been for the fact that his call was on its last legs, the photographer might have become very aggravated with the woman as she approached, seeming to not care that he was busy with other matters. It was slightly annoying even still; he wouldn’t have interrupted anyone on the phone on his own time, and little did this woman know that it was business.
”Could you hold on for just… one moment,” Leo said, holding up a gloved finger for emphasis. With a quick apology to the man on the phone, he continued with prices, due dates and other official business before he offered a goodbye. A huff of white escaped his lips as Leo turned, his every-bored expression present. ”One more time?” he asked, eyeing the way she held her phone out, like a mic.
Much like he usually did, he signaled with his hand for the woman to follow, leading her to his car. He hadn’t fetched their Secret Santa gifts, kept up by the phone call and he couldn’t keep them waiting for two long. One of the names he had recognized as Ebony’s employer, as she was the one who extended the job offer to him as well. However, the gift Eth was to give out was to someone neither of them knew, and this would be an interesting search.
Hopefully they liked their respective gifts.
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