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 Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 8:20 pm
"The easiest form is round, of course. I had no planned form when I arrived. I was too young. My people choose forms for various reasons. For me, I was mimicking Toby and the people around us. Being human-shaped made people treat me more like a person and less like a creature." Somehow, sharing information with someone who saw him as beautiful was exciting. "Unless you mean my flesh-and-blood human form? In that case, the enchantment chooses your truest human form, so I suppose for me that was very similar to Toby."
Toby smiled beside Nick.
"It's pressure. I am, for all intents and purposes, the fluid within the membrane, and not the shape you see. Life and death are difficult definitions in humanity. I don't breathe or eat or sleep. I don't have a heart or a brain. To most, I'm not alive, but I've lost minutes of time in my eidetic memory, and I remember regaining my shape. Everyone was very upset. I can only assume that that was a death. If jellyfish are to be considered alive, certainly I should be too. That's where I got my name. Cnidaria."
Toby's smile split into a grin, but it was Lori who spoke: "Toby named him."
Dari smiled broadly. "He did."
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 8:39 pm
Nick was more interested in Dari than the enchantment—But would it help other entities that wanted to live among humans, and couldn’t? It was fascinating! “You wanted to blend in,” he smiled. “I’m glad you found someone safe,” he said.
“You named him after a jellyfish?” Nick grinned and shook his head. “So Dari! What’s your favorite color? Your favorite bird?” It seemed Nick had decided Dari was a friend!
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 9:00 pm
"I wanted to go out," Dari amended. "Before this ring, I had to wear long coats and hats, and had to paint my face. Now I can just put my ring on and go where ever I like. It makes my job easier too, and people are less afraid."
"What? He didn't have any internal parts, and he was black and jiggly. What do you want from me? I was Googling stuff all night," Toby said.
"I like it! Mostly I'm just Dari now, though." At the question of color, his expression turned neutral as he thought. "...colors that you can see, or colors altogether?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:50 am
Oh...that would’ve put a damper on things, wouldn’t it? Nick couldn’t imagine wearing coats everywhere he went. He shook his head in sympathy. “Why would anyone be afraid of you? You’re just stunning.” He frowned in thought. He wasn’t dangerous. He didn’t have fangs or claws or anything that indicated a painful death. “I’m glad you found a way.”
He sent a smirk Toby’s way. “Wait, how many colors can you see?” He asked.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:54 am
Dari beamed. "Well, thank you! There's something about a shadow with glowing eyes that instinctively frightens people, I think."
Toby smirked back.
"Ah, I've never counted," Dari said, "There are so many. For example, you likely see Toby's shirt and yours to both be 'white', correct?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 4:12 pm
"Aww, Mikey, you're okay!" Dari cooed. He put the phone down on the couch, stood to take the baby, but quickly sat back down. "Look!" he said, pointing to he phone as he lifted it again. "Dada!"
He smiled to Cody then, just to let the man know he wasn't being ignored.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 4:49 pm
When the office closed and the skeleton shift came on, HQ became very, very quiet. Michael very much enjoyed meeting with his friends during the day, but the night was his time. HQ became his realm and he was free to wander, to haunt, to explore, to play. Kevin was good company too, but he was liable to be asleep and Michael wanted some adult company anyway.
Some particular adult company.
Sure, he could have simply walked to Lissie's room and asked her to join him on a walk, but where was the fun in that? Good lovers deserved courting. Michael wasn't certain if he and Lissie could be considered a couple yet, or friends, or courting, but when a romantic idea struck, he was bound to stick with it.
At approximately 2am, gentle piano music began to float through the halls of HQ. It was quiet, but distinct, behind every door.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 5:11 pm
Music, at this hour? Most everyone had left by now, and the skeleton crew was no fun. Lissie had tried to interact with them before, she was sure the music wasn't being played on one of their phones. No, it sounded too organic. Someone was playing it on a piano.
It seemed to be behind every door, as Lissie wandered into the hall. Michael, then. She smiled. Where was he? She began to follow the music.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 5:22 pm
When Lissie left the room, the music became slightly louder, as one would expect. Still, it filled HQ with a gentle sound. In the hall lay a single red rose and, when picked up, she would see around the corner a pair of candles flickering on the wall outside Michael's door. Those hadn't been there before! In fact, his room door had never been that solid and rich of wood before, either. Should she follow to Michael's door, the music would get louder and louder.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:05 pm
Lissie followed the music, and when she came to it, picked up the rose. She smiled and put the rose to her nose. It seemed to cast a rosy glow to her cheeks--or was she blushing?
It had to be Michael. No one else would leave a rose for her. She slowly made her way to his door, pausing when she noted the candles. She didn't remember those being there. And the door... had changed? It was lovely.
She knocked.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:50 pm
After Lissie knocked, the signal he had been waiting for, he let the door open slowly. He continued to play at the piano, but he was smiling and had that romantic look in his eye.
"Hello, Elise," he said, using her proper name and a romantic tone. He played the last few bars in silence and then turned on the piano bench.
His room was not his room, but a small parlor with an ornate Player piano. Two candlesticks were attached to the compartment that held the strings. The table beside the chaise lounge held an simple but ornately detailed oil lamp surrounded by hyacinth flowers plucked from the main stem.
Hyacinth: Your lovliness charms me.
Atop the piano, between the candles, was a crystal vase containing white apple blossoms and honeysuckle. These said I prefer you before all and I have devoted affection for you.
The lights were dimmed, also offering the room a romantic and old-fashioned air.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 9:03 pm
Lissie stepped inside, and paused. Oh... It was lovely. So different than the room Michael had shown her when she'd first arrived. She went further and sat at the bench beside Michael. She smiled at him.
"Hello Michael," she greeted. The flowers atop the piano were lovely. Did they mean what she thought they meant? She put her hands on the piano and began to play the same tune, lining up with Michael's melody quickly.
"You've made things beautiful again," she said.
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 9:22 am
Michael smiled more broadly, though his eyes remained on the keys.
"Hello," he replied, "I was feeling nostalgic. I thought you may like to spend a few hours of the evening with me?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 9:46 am
Oh? “I’d love to,” she said, and gave him a smile. “You play beautifully.” She would never get over how different Michael was compared to the people who’d been in her life. He was such a beautiful person.
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 1:27 pm
"Thank you," Michael said, "Mother mother taught me when I was a child. She believed that a gentleman should have a wide variety of skills, not just coins in his pockets." He shortly ended the song with a flourish and turned to Lissie, still smiling.
"Can I get you anything?"
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