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 Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:07 am
Kyou was found alongside with Alex, both holed up in Kyou's bedroom trapped inside the ice. Thanks to Kyou's magical abilities, he was able to keep the ice at bay as much as possible, so they could still have a dry and relatively warm bed to stay on. But there was nothing much he could do to the ice, as they were too malice to battle, even for himself. The relief he felt when Zul broke through the doors was quickly replaced by worry as he noticed the lifeless form the newborn Sigel was holding. Lazarus... Despite the fire Sigel's dire situation and broken body, Kyou was relieved to find that he is still alive.
Arrangements were quickly made when they got out of the thawing Lab, Lazarus was to be sent to Hazeline's place for recovery, as Xiu was already readily waiting outside the Lab when they got out, eager to help. Although still worried, Kyou knew he had to let Lazarus go as he had other matters to attend to. Gold eyes that was once bright now shadowed as he looked up at the ice fortress that was beginning to fall apart. It will probably take a couple more days, maybe even a week for it to thaw, and even longer after that to clean up and undo all the damages. Drying and patching the walls, replace broken furniture, checking through all the equipments, drying out all the paperwork and much, much more. First and foremost, he would still need to make frequent checks for the tanks in the Lab, just to make sure everything was alright. There is a lot of work laid out for him, but he is sure that in time, the Lab will be how it used to be again.
However, whether the Raevans involved will ever be the same again, is another matter. Zul was quickly whisked away on a holiday the moment Alex had food in her stomach and access to the internet. One moment she was still stuffing herself at a diner nearby, the next she was already on a plane to some far away tropical country. Kyou did not have a chance to ask the Sigel what really happened.
Rivener was also not much help, his situation was as bad as Lazarus's. Aphismet was at the Lab within minutes when he received the call from Kyou, apparently running every red light along the way. Where he was taken to later was unknown to Kyou. Perhaps to a hospital nearby, or maybe just back home for recovery, he do not know. But he knew deep inside that everything will be alright, and he look forward to seeing Rivener up and about again.
The scientist was actually more worried about Melisande. Just as he was surprised by the sudden icey assault on the Lab, he was equally surprised to see her alongside Zul when the latter broke through the door. The muse was completely silent throughout the entire period, looking troubled and distracted. She left as soon as they got out of the Lab, her clothes stained with Rivener's blood. Whatever that happened in the Lab, he was afraid that Melisande is perhaps the only one who witnessed everything up until the end. Perhaps he should talk with her later...
And then, there was Roux... Although Kyou does not know the details, but he was quite sure that this was all the Raevan's doing. All this while, he could feel the ice Raevan's presence through the ice, the malice that emanates through them. But moments before Zul breaking through that door, he felt that presence vanished, and the ice just turned into normal ice. Although he does not know what happened between the Raevans, one thing he knew for certain... Roux is dead. One visit to the upper level of the building much later confirmed his suspicions as he found the hamsa necklace that he had given to Roux a long time ago for protection, laying in a pool of water on the ground. The magical trinket had lost all it's powers as there was a large crack in the middle. Although sadden by the undeniable fact, he was at least glad that perhaps the Raevan had gotten peace at last.
Yes, may you rest in peace Roux...
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:13 pm
Looking after fire. In the aftermath of the Roux arc, Lazarus woke up in Xiu's room a little more than a week later.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:15 pm
Spooky Harvest. Months later, Lazarus and Kyou attends the Halloween party that they had organized in a barn. Lazarus going as an ancient chinese war general, and Kyou as the phantom of the opera.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:19 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:20 pm
Books Galore! Lazarus's interesting encounter with Eirdirsceol working in the library.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:23 pm
The Navigator's Pub. An interesting drinking night out with Rivener when he invited Melisande over too.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:24 pm
A secret garden. Lazarus planned a date with Xiu in a hidden part of the hedge maze, and they had a little surprised discovery when the fire Sigel accidentally rubbed Xiu's horns.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:27 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:06 pm
[PRP]
Chance meeting between Lazarus, Vivi and Cesc on a sunny Sunday
while the former is out hunting for strawberries and mangoes.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:43 am
"Argh!! Why is this not working?" A cry of agony was heard immediately in the halls of the Lab right after the sound of a small explosion. With a blacken face and slightly charred bangs, Kyou stormed out of his office coughing as he opened his doors wide, letting the smoke escape the small enclosed area. Quickly rushing to the other side, he opened the windows too to clear the room. His calculations were correct, his method was impeccable, but for some unknown reason the experiment was just not going as smoothly as he had hoped. He must be missing something, but what? Letting out a heavy sigh, he threw a glare at the still smoking petri dish.
Frustrated, the scientist left the room to clear itself, ignoring the mess on his table as he entered the bathroom to clean his face. After a refreshing wash, he looked into the mirror to examine himself more closely. His face felt warm, and it definitely had a red tinge to it, like he was blushing. It could be because he is currently angry and frustrated, but it seemed more likely that he burnt his skin when the concoction blew up in his face just now. "Great, just great." He muttered as he applied some skin lotion for sunburns, hoping it will go away soon.
At times like this, like every other human being, Kyou just had the increasing urge to make himself feel better. And at this moment, he just want to fulfill his strawberry craving. With loud footsteps that echoed along the empty hallways, he stormed into the cafeteria and opened the fridge, only to find it empty of fresh strawberries. Annoyed, he picked up the carton of strawberry milk at the door, to only find it nearly empty as well. He muttered a foreign curse under his breath before slamming the fridge door shut, causing the giant ice box to shudder slightly. Grabbing a glass, he poured all of the remaining strawberry milk out, and only got half a glass. Great, this day couldn't have gone any better. Feeling bitter, he grabbed the glass and walked out of the cafeteria to maybe enjoy it in the living room upstairs, maybe he could watch a documentary or channel surf or something to numb himself.
At that moment however, a chime could be heard coming from the lobby as Lazarus entered, hauling a big bag in one hand and a plastic one in another. He had to push open the glass door with his shoulder. The Sigel just got back from grocery shopping, and unfortunately, he didn't manage to get any fresh strawberries at the food stall. An old lady got the last pack just before Lazarus arrived, and it will seem very impolite to fight with an elderly over a single pack of strawberries. He did however, get quite a few mangoes, so he was happy about that.
"Did you get any strawberries?" Kyou's voice caught the Raevan's attention as he looked up at the horned man standing in front of the hallway, looking slightly pink and agitated while holding half a glass of strawberry milk.
"N-no..." The answer that came out of Lazarus's mouth was a little timid, feeling a little intimidated as Kyou looked cross with his face like that. "But I got you a fruit tart with a strawberry on top." Placing the big bag gently onto the floor, he picked out the box of confectionery balancing precariously on top of a large cabbage and some basil, handing it over to Kyou.
Accepting the box, he turned it around to read the bakery's name printed on it. "Raspberry Bakery? Their fruit tart tastes terrible!"
Lazarus didn't think about that. Honestly he had been to so many bakeries and had bought so many different pastries for Kyou, he lost track which one was good and which was bad. The Raspberry Bakery just happened to be along his way back, and he saw that they had fruit tarts with a fairly fresh looking strawberry on top, that's why he bought it as a consolation of sorts for Kyou. But instead of a prompt 'thank you', which Lazarus was half expecting, he got scolded instead. He really didn't like that tone in Kyou's voice, it just rubbed him in all the wrong places and it just makes him... boil! Dropping the other bag onto the floor, he advanced forwards and slapped the box from Kyou's hand. The scientist could only stare wide eyed as the box flew a distance away and hit the lobby counter, falling uselessly to the floor upside down.
"First off, if you don't like it, don't eat it." Lazarus's voice was dripping with anger as he pressed on, making Kyou slowly backing away as he stared wide eyed now at the fire Sigel. "Secondly, I had been to FOUR fruit vendors today, ALL MORNING, running all over the city with this heavy grocery bag, and they were all out of strawberries! It is not my fault that they are out! So if you can magically make strawberries appear at the fruit vendors, you are very welcomed to do so."
With this, Lazarus huffed and turned around, picking up the grocery bags from the ground. However before he left, he turned around to face Kyou again. "What am I to you anyway? An errand boy that helps you grocery shop? Helps you buy cakes and whatever confectionery you fancy at any time?" His voice was a bit more bitter this time, even with a hint of disappointment. "Am I just your first successful experiment? Just a science project, part of some data, like the other Raevans?" Although at least the other Raevans had a parent of sorts.
These questions just caught Kyou totally by surprise, as with Lazarus's outburst just now. For a moment, the scientist just had his mouth hung open, not knowing what to say to the Raevan.
Seeing Kyou had nothing to say to him, the fire Sigel just rolled his eyes and stormed off around him and into the Lab with the groceries. He dropped the groceries on the kitchen counter, not even bothered to sort them out before leaving in a huff and headed upstairs to his room. Kyou could just stare like a mute idiot as the slamming of the door was heard echoing from above.
What just happened?
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 4:01 am
Is he an... ungrateful jerk?
It was an uncomfortable thought, but he do realize that he had been, without even really knowing it. The scientist was thoughtful as he took a seat behind his desk, even the mess on the table doesn't bother him anymore as he stared at the crumpled box in his hand. He knew what to expect as he opened the lid, the poor tart had journeyed a long way in a packed grocery bag, and flew five feet before hitting onto a hard wall, falling face first onto the ground. And true enough, it was a sad sight as golden eyes stared into the box. Picking the fork from his stationery holder, he decided to eat it anyway. As he chewed on the bruised strawberry and picked at the crumbled pastry, he was thinking how he should apologize to Lazarus.
It was then that the phone on his desk rang, the phone with his private number, not the one connected to the lobby up front. There's not a lot of people that knows that number, not even the guardians of the Raevans, not even Alex. Putting the box down with the crumbled pastry in it, Kyou quickly moved over to pick it up. "Hello?"
The voice on the other side was deep, a man's voice. "Hello Dr Kyou? It is me, Professor Montgomery."
It was one of Kyou's research informants. Over the years the scientist had made contact with a lot of researchers around the world, researchers that do research in the field of supernatural, anthropology, biology, geology and even a handful of witches and warlocks here and there. They were given this number in case they spotted unnatural phenomenons during their research, tree bark that bleeds, a piece of the night sky, unstable lead. The bioluminescent fish scale was discovered by a marine biologist from Scotland! Dr Montgomery is an anthropologist, studying small remote villages and their unique cultures and practices. He had helped Kyou twice before in discovering two different fel essences.
Him calling this number could only mean one thing. "You discovered a new one?" Kyou's voice sounded eager, a little excited even. However the one that came from the other end was not as positive.
"I'm not sure, but this is a bad one Kyou. Very bad..." The man sounded a little nervous as he spoke. "I am not very far off, just about 8 hours drive west of Gaia, in a small village name Baryo." A pause as some sort of commotion was heard far off in the background somewhere. Kyou couldn't really make out what it was, but it sounded almost like a woman screaming in panic. "Please come to investigate as soon as possible. You can take a plane to a town nearby name Mesto, a jeep will be there waiting for you." As he spoke, Kyou could distinctively hear something was indeed going on in the background. He could hear a loud thumping much closer to the man on the other end now, like someone was banging on closed doors. "Just please come as soon as possible!" There was a hint of fear and panic in Professor Montgomery's voice. Before Kyou could say anything however, the line had been cut from the other end.
Kyou could only stare at the receiver in disbelief for a moment before putting it back down. Something doesn't sound right here, the professor was a bold man. Sure he is somewhat elderly and a little on the nerdy side, which means he don't do much outside from his researches. But in their last discovery, the professor had ventured into a cave with him in the great outdoors. If he is brave enough to step into one foot of guano and being assaulted by thousands of bats, the scientist couldn't figure out what is it this time that the professor would panic over.
Something really doesn't sound right. He should head over as soon as possible.
Normally, Jeremy would go with him on most of his fel hunts. But right now Jeremy is miles away performing an exorcism on a young boy. It would be days before he gets back. Kyou had been on fel hunts on his own before this, but those were mostly harmless expeditions, like the collection of the bioluminescent fish scale and the discovery of the Limitless Fractal nautilus shell. The scientist had always preferred to be accompanied by someone, in case something happens.
Actually just last week, Kyou had thought of bringing Lazarus along with him for the next fel hunt. He thought the Raevan had matured enough, earned his rights. How could he ask him now though, after what happened just now. He haven't even figured out a way to apologize yet, which is something he is not very good at personally.
However, this sounded like it couldn't wait. Biting his lower lip after much consideration, Kyou called the airport to inquire about the earliest available flight to Mesto. Perhaps like last time, Professor Montgomery would tag along with him on the expedition. Although he had reservations about that, judging from the tone of voice from the other end of the phone. Perhaps this was just a false alarm, he haven't had a bad fel hunt that went wrong in a very long while now, ever since he started the Lab in fact. Maybe this will go smoothly too.
Hopefully...
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He thought he would feel better after he had mouthed off at Kyou like that, letting him know that he's an ungrateful jerk. But somehow it doesn't. After Lazarus had calmed down in his room, he felt terrible. Did he really said all those things to Kyou? It surely felt good at the time, slapping that box out of Kyou's hands, and the scientist was definitely acting like a jerk just now. But now that the Raevan think about it, he also smelled the smell of smoke on Kyou's shirt, even had a tinge of chemical smell in it. There's also the pink face...
Maybe Kyou was angry because his experiment exploded in his face again? Lazarus had to face palm at that image, it wasn't the first time it had happened. But it does explain the agitation. So should he apologize?
.......No.
Kyou was the selfish jerk in this case, and he should know that. Lazarus crossed his arm and huffed. If anyone should apologize, it should be Kyou this time. The fire Sigel will not let the scientist get away with it every single time. Floating over to the couch, he settled down and turned on the television, channel surfing until he found something interesting to watch. He will wait here patiently for Kyou to come, he thought as he watched the action movie on TV.
But Kyou never showed.-----
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 12:07 am
Typical, just so typical of Kyou. Instead of facing the problem, he ran away from it. The fire Sigel stayed up all night waiting for the scientist to come apologize. He fell asleep from boredom around 3am and then when he woke up in the morning to see where the man was, he was already gone. The mess on his desk is still there!!
Kyou had always been like this, excitedly running off when a new fel essence was discovered somewhere on a remote corner of the planet. Even then he usually wait over a night before running off. To the Sigel, it just looked like the man ran off so quickly because he didn't want to apologize. Because as far as he can see, there wasn't an apology on the note stuck to the fridge.
And now he has to clean up Kyou's mess in his office too?!
Irresponsible, just so irresponsible! Nevertheless, Lazarus picked up a broom and a pail of water as he headed towards the horned man's office. Kyou may be the irresponsible and ungrateful jerk, but he won't be that jerk, he refused to be that jerk. He would prove that he is the better man, a responsible man. Setting the pail down, the Raevan started to dispose of all the broken glass on the table first, throwing everything away just to be safe. For the next week or so, he'll be mostly alone at the Lab unless Alex or Zeke comes in. Kyou is usually away for one to two weeks on fel hunts, depending on where the discovery was. Once he was away for nearly three weeks because he had to hike five days into a dense jungle to reach the fel essence.
Well good, maybe when he got back and see how well Lazarus is taking care of the Lab, he would thank him.
When Lazarus was cleaning out the rubbish bin in the man's office, he found the Raspberry Bakery box in it. It was empty, although there were cream smeared on all four sides of the box and crumbs everywhere. The Sigel still couldn't help but c**k an amused grin at that before tying the rubbish bag up.------
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:42 am
The driver had not spoken a word to him the whole time, he looked foreign so Kyou don't know if he spoke english or not. However, from his expression, the scientist could see that he was nervous about something, and he had a feeling that was why he was in such a rush to cut through this forest. So the man held onto the jeep for dear life as the vehicle jumped over every bump and swerved violently around curves.
Then he saw it, just for a second only, but there were a few pair of red glowing eyes in the darkness of the dense forest. The jeep was moving so fast that it was passed in the briefest of moments, but he definitely saw that. He couldn't see what they really were though, as it was pitch black in the shadows. Momentarily, the scientist's gold eyes trailed to the driver's face. The man's expression was focused as he drove, his eyes never leaving the road as he navigated every curve expertly. But maybe there was another reason why his eyes don't trail off, why he only stare straight ahead.
Kyou was thoughtful for the rest of the trip. It wasn't too long a trip on the dirt road thankfully, just a little under an hour. However, his legs still felt a little wobbly and his knuckles numb from grabbing the jeep too hard. When he got off the vehicle, an elderly, average sized man in glasses and a hunting vest ran out of a small hut and up to greet him, along with some of the curious villagers. "Dr Kyou! So glad you're here!" Professor Montgomery said as he took Kyou's hand in both of his, shaking it very rigorously. "I've been looking forward to your arrival."
"Yeah, thankfully there was a flight today." Replied Kyou as he retrieved his gear from the jeep. It was only a little more than 8 hours ago that he got the professor's phone call. With the driver's help, he managed to unload a huge luggage bag off the vehicle. "So where shall I put these?" He asked after he muttered a thanks to the driver, who only acknowledged it with a nod of his head.
"Come with me." The elder man gestured as he led Kyou towards the small hut that he just exited from. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so you can have my hut."
"You're leaving already?" That came as a surprise to Kyou as he lugged the bag behind him, and there he was hoping that the professor would be able to go with him on the hunt. Or at least stay back a little longer for his research, keep an eye on the base or something.
"Yes, there is nothing much I can do here..." The professor seemed thoughtful as he opened the door to his hut, inviting the other in. When Kyou entered, he could see that the professor had already packed most of his research, there was only a notebook and a few stray stationeries on the table left. Even the bed in the corner look made and clean. "You can sleep here tonight, I can rest at the elder's house."
Putting his luggage at a corner, Kyou sat down onto the bed, and Professor Montgomery followed his lead, taking the chair at the desk. There was a moment of silence before the professor spoke first. "The villagers are agitated." Straight to the point, that's how Kyou like it. "For hundreds of years, this village had been coexisting peacefully in this remote part of a large forest, growing their own crops, hunting for a living. For the most part they are cut out from the rest of civilization." Professor Montgomery paused for a moment before taking an audible gulp and continuing. "But the last few months, there had been a lot of rumors going about. Villagers seeing strange creatures, like chupacabras, giant spiders, strange man eating flowers, even one claimed he saw bigfoot! But whenever they send out a team to investigate these stories, they never find what exactly they were looking for."
"At first, it was just a few weird stories, happened once or twice a month. I've been here for only two months, and I disregarded them as just active imaginations from the villagers since my visit. You know, since I read them stories and all." He chuckled a little weakly as he spoke, sounded more awkward than amused. "But the last two weeks or so, it got so... so bad." It was obvious that the professor himself seemed agitated as he told the story. Reaching for his flask with slightly shaking hands, he took a few large gulps before speaking again. "Some villagers claim they saw monsters, just at the edge of the forest, and they can see them out of the windows of their own homes. Of course the villagers were terrified, even if the monsters never really did came out of the forest itself. Then... two days ago..."
Sweat was forming on the professor's face as his voice trailed off, his eyes looked terrified as he recalled the horrible image of what he saw. Kyou could only look on with great concern as he listen intently. "Don't worry, I'm here." The scientist said reassuringly as he leaned over and held the professor's shaking hands in his own. "Take a few deep breaths, and tell me what you saw."
Taking a few deep breaths as instructed by the other to calm himself down, the professor continued his tale. "Two days ago, a pair of hunters came back from their hunt. Only... they did not return in one piece. One of them was... mangled into pieces... by some monster... The other was screaming and crying as he hauled the body pieces back in a net. That look on the dead hunter's decapitated head..." His voice was shaking as he spoke. "It was... it was.... pure fear." That was the breaking point as the professor broke down into tears.
Kyou had not seen the professor so weak and fragile before, it was heart breaking to see him cry like that. Taking the blanket from the bed, he went over and draped it around Professor Montgomery's shoulders, petting him reassuringly and waiting for him to calm down. It was the only thing he could do at the moment.
It took a few minutes, but the professor finally stopped crying as he wiped his face with the blanket. "I-I'm sorry... this is... quite embarrassing." He half chuckled and half choked as he spoke. "Anyway, we questioned the surviving hunter afterwards, hours afterwards when he finally stopped screaming and is coherent enough to answer some questions. He said it was a giant praying mantis, how strange is that? But the strange thing was... this man was known for his irrational fear of praying mantises, ever since a large one landed on his face since he was a child."
"When I put everyone's stories together, I realized that everyone saw different things. These 'monsters' as they call it, were different for everyone. I thought about calling you then, two nights ago. But I thought I would wait and gather more information first. Then this morning... about an hour before I called. A woman went into the forest to a clearing to check on some crops, fell ill to the flesh eating bacteria. It turned out after some questioning, that she was terrified of being eaten by monsters, in light of the strange things that happened lately. That was when I decided to call you."
"What about the ruckus I heard on the phone?" Kyou just had to ask, it sounded scary then. "What was that all about?"
"Oh, that was the panic from the entire village when I told them what the flesh eating bacteria is. Admittedly it's a pretty terrifying disease, especially when you first knew about it. I was baffled when I first found out about it!" He chuckled.
Kyou was relieved to see the professor more relaxed when he finished his story, and that was some story! When he sat back onto the bed across from the professor, the scientist felt heavier both emotionally and physically. Now he realized why the professor wanted to leave so soon, he was just terrified, like the rest of the villagers. He don't blame the anthropologist though, his work was exotic, but it is rarely violent. But essentially, by leaving the village, he had left the entire responsibility of the matter into Kyou's hands, and it doesn't look like this will be easy to fix at all.
A knock on the door came then. "Oh that must be Miho. Come in Miho!" The professor called as a young woman entered. She was petit, young, and quite pretty with long black hair tied into a side braid. "Miho is my assistant and interpreter. Some of the villagers speak english to do business with the outside world, but most still don't." Wiping his face embarrassingly once more, trying to clean the tear stains, Professor Montgomery got up from the chair and introduced the two.
"Nice to meet you." Kyou smiled brightly as he shook the girl's hand.
"Nice to meet you too." She said as she smiled politely. Her english wasn't perfect with an exotic accent, but it was easy enough to understand. Kyou supposed he couldn't ask for more in a situation like this.
"Alright. It's late, and I should rest soon so I could wake up at day break to leave." Pulling off the blanket from his shoulders, the elder man offered it back to Kyou, where the latter took it in his arms. "I know what you can do." He winked at the scientist, knowing full well of the fact that he is a warlock too. "But I still wish you luck in your quest. Oh by the way, they call the forest the 'Kahadlok'." And with that, the anthropologist disappeared out the door, towing his bags and notes along with him.
Stepping out a moment into the night air, Kyou observed through the shades of his hut, the leaving figure of Professor Montgomery and the village girl Miho. There was a soft breeze in the air, and it smelled like lush greeneries. The sky was clear with a half moon shining gently, enveloping the small village in it's entirety. It looked so peaceful now, it's difficult to imagine that the horrific things that the professor mentioned happened here at all. But nevertheless, it was worth investigating. The image of those strange red eyes in the shadows still bugging him, were those the 'monsters' the villagers were referring to? Stepping back into the hut, he locked the doors before settling down, opening his luggage bag to unload his stuff. Pulling out an intricate box from within his clothes, he opened the lid to reveal his octagon disc sitting snuggly within. Softly, he chanted a string of mysterious words and the golden needle situated atop the disc started to move. At first it wavered for a little bit, like it didn't know where to point exactly. But seconds later, in a rapid motion like it was pulled, the needle pointed straight north, and stayed still like that. "So this is a fel essence after all..." That was all the confirmation he needed, his hunt will start tomorrow.
As he lay down onto the bed to rest, he still couldn't shake the bad feeling about everything that had happened so far. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, since he just had a day that started out bad, and turned weird later on. There was also the fact that he is now out here alone, and probably will be hunting alone too since the Miho girl seemed a little too young and fragile for forest trekking. Sighing softly, he shut his eyes, and quietly prayed that this expedition will go well.
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Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:42 am
First Words. On a quiet evening, while Lazarus was minding his own business, Xiu showed up suddenly all dirty and sooty, and then he spoke! Much celebration ensued, but they had to clean up first.
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Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:50 am
(( Skype short between Lazarus and Xiu, morning after First Words ))
It was morning. Xiu could hardly believe it. Yesterday's events seemed distant and dreamlike in the early morning rays of the sun. But it did happen. Otherwise, how did he end up waking up in Lazarus's bed, wearing someone's white shirt and feeling rather sore in the arms? "Lazarus?" Xiu called as he floated out of the room and stood uncertainly at the top of the stairs. At the moment, Xiu did not feel inclined to meet any of the lab staff just yet. Mostly because that would cost him a rather lengthy explanation. From him being here to being able to speak.
The Lab was quiet for the most part, eerily so, like it was uninhabitated. The only sound heard was the distant noises from the streets outside, vehicles passing by and footsteps on sidewalks. However, if Xiu paid attention, he would have smelled the smell of food which would give him a hint of where to go to look for Lazarus.
This was odd. Usually there were common everyday sounds one would usually associate with a working establishment. But not today it seemed. It was quiet and seemed almost deserted if not for the faint scent of food being prepared in the cafeteria. Floating gingerly down the stairs, Xiu approached the cafeteria. The smell of food was stronger here. Pushing the doors open, Xiu peeked in. "Lazarus?" Xiu called out again.
"Oh, Xiu! Good morning!" Came Lazarus's cheerful voice as he turned around from the sizzling pan. The fire Sigel didn't sleep much. Late last night they chatted until Xiu fell asleep from exhaustion, and he stayed up to watch Xiu sleep quietly. He took a short nap later on but decided to wake up early and prepare some breakfast for Xiu. That's what a good boyfriend do right? "I'm making scrambled eggs, I hope you like eggs." Lazarus is quite fond of them himself.
"I could do with scrambled eggs," chuckled Xiu softly as he entered the cafeteria. Like the rest of the facility, the cafeteria seemed quiet with only Lazarus breaking the silence as he handled the gas stove with apparent ease. "Where's everyone else?" asked Xiu with some measure of curiousity. "Did they go somewhere?"
"Oh, Kyou is out on a fel hunt." Lazarus explained as he add a pinch of salt and pepper into the eggs. "Alex and Zeke don't really come in on a daily basis. So if they don't, I'd be alone here all day." The way the fire Sigel was explaining it, is like he's used to this. Used to being a house sitter and left alone on his own, taking care of himself.
"Fel hunt? That must be exciting," said Xiu with a smile. "You must be excited to find out the fel essences that are brought back,"
Then realizing that while they were talking, Lazarus was busy handling the breakfast preparation. Looking around for something to do, Xiu spotted two empty glasses on the counter top. "Should I pour out the juice?" offered Xiu, wanting to be of some help to his friend. "They are in the fridge right?"
"Sometimes." Although normally, he didn't even need to show any curiosity. The first thing Kyou would do when he got back was talk on and on about the fel essence he newly acquired. He's an excited science nerd, that's what he is. Taking the pan off the stove, he turned the fire off and continued to stir the eggs in the heated pan. "Yeah, on the fridge door. Take the orange juice as that is going to expire soonest."
Xiu nodded and took out the carton of orange juice. Pouring a generous amount into both glasses before bringing them over to the table, Xiu gave Lazarus a puzzled look. "Only sometimes?" the white Sigel teased. "Were you interested about my fel essence then?"
Then realizing that Lazarus did not seem to share his humour, Xiu quickly became concerned. "Is something bothering you, Lazarus? Are you worried that the Doctor may be in some danger?"
"I wasn't born when he got your fel essence." Lazarus chuckled softly as he added some chives into the eggs. When the eggs are done, Lazarus took out a plate and gingerly poured the scrambled eggs onto it. They look pretty good, even if this is just his third time making it.
Lazarus was a little confused when Xiu mistaken his disinterest about Kyou for worry. "N-no! I'm not worried about Kyou. He's just been gone for about a week. It's normal for him to be away for one to two weeks on fel hunts." Although it did seemed a little weird to him that Kyou haven't called back yet, not a single phone call since he left. Should he really be worried?
Xiu laughed. "That is a shame," said the white Sigel and meant it. He would have liked to know what Lazarus thought about his essence. But the Doctor had probably several fel essences in store long before any of the raevans were born and Xiu had to content himself with that.
"Ah...if it is normal...," said Xiu as he settled himself down. He knew that Lazarus had been a very independant raevan and that at times it seemed as though it was the Sigel that was looking after the human. Xiu did not want to intrude on their relationship by telling Lazarus to worry about his guardian if the sigel saw no reason to. "But it must be rather lonely like this?" asked Xiu. "You could have called and I would have been delighted to see you more often"
"I... was just afraid that I would seem clingy and intruding if I call you out too much..." Lazarus blushed slightly at that, surely Xiu has his own life and things to do at the book store. Besides, he really is used to being alone like this. Although as much as he tried to convince himself that, his expression showed otherwise.
Taking a deep breath to clear his thoughts, he tried to distract himself by serving the scrambled eggs to Xiu. "Here, taste it!" He smiled as he offered Xiu a fork. Then settling the pan into the sink, he picked up one himself. "Mind if we share it?"
Lazarus's blush was both endearing and heart wrenching to Xiu. In that instant, Lazarus seemed like a lonely child, too afraid to call out for help lest he be turned down. Sometimes...humans tended to forget that their Raevans, despite their looks, are still fledglings in years. If there had not been a table between them, Xiu would have given Lazarus a hug.
Instead Xiu took up the offered fork and smiled at the egg. "Of course not," said Xiu, knowing full well that human food was not enough to sustain the two Sigels. Sooner or later, both Lazarus and him would have to feed off their individual food sources. Fire for Lazarus, innocence for Xiu.
Digging the fork in, Xiu gave the scrambled eggs a taste. "They are very good," said the Sigel with a smile.
Lazarus knew that they don't really need to eat human food, but he just wanted Xiu to try his cooking anyway, as he had developed an interest in it lately. Plus having high resistance to heat does give him an edge in the kitchen. "I'm so glad you like them!" He beamed at the compliments. Following Xiu's lead, he ate some himself too. "So when are you going back?" If Lazarus could have it, he would have liked if Xiu could stay another day, then he wouldn't be as lonely for today at least. But he knew Xiu would be eager to go home and tell Hazeline the good news, right?
Xiu smiled softly. "I was thinking once breakfast is over and I have changed back into my usual clothes, I would head home," said the Sigel as he helped himself to more eggs. Xiu would have liked to be with Lazarus longer but certain obligations need to be met. He could not be away from home longer than this. Not so suddenly at least.
Xiu reached across the table and patted Lazarus's hand reassuringly. "Tell you what, how about I take a few days off from my place and bunk here? I think...Hazeline wouldn't mind it so much"
For a moment, a look of disappointment was on Lazarus's face. Xiu have to head home right after breakfast, which is too soon. He was hoping that Xiu would be able to stay at least half the day or something. However, when Xiu patted his hand and said he would convince Hazeline to let him stay here a few days, his face brighten up again. "That sounds great! Just give me a call or something when you come over!"
Xiu chuckled. Lazarus's delight was apparent to anyone watching. "Alright then," said Xiu as he took the dirty cups and plate to the sink to wash up. "It might be...rather exciting actually. Staying together like this,"
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