|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm
Who: Basil and Lucia
Where: Cristal (in Durem)
When: midday
Weather: sunny and typical temp for the season
The spotlights on the racks of clothing that lined the walls and the tables full of dark and posh clothing were the only bright light. Behind the register the blacklights lit up the area, shining on the silvery backdrop of models with dark hair, heavy makeup, and stylish clothing. The clothes were the highlight of the store, obviously, but even the mannequins looked chic with their wigs and plastic makeup. There was all kinds of clothing lining the racks. While most of it was dark in color there was some dresses, some artistic clothes with tears, fishnet, and screen printed “paint” splatters. There was also guys clothes with tight jeans and t-shirts, collared shirts, hoodies, and even some artsy suit jackets. There was an outerwear section with jackets, and a whole rack full of silvery jewelry – long layered necklaces, dangly earrings, slip on bracelets and rings.
Lucia was currently floating there, fixing a table of shirts some douchebags had screwed up. Rather than asking for help, the group of three teenage boys who probably didn’t have any money anyway had tossed through them, only to hold up the medium and throw it down on top of the mess. The cat sighed softly. Though she was normally able to be constantly busy helping customers – the store was pretty strict about one-on-one shopping support (she guessed it made people spend more money) – today had been unfortunately slow. Though it didn’t change how much she was paid – somehow she never had any money after she bought the new inventory she liked – she preferred it when it was busy. On days like today – when she wasn’t working with any close friends – it was nicer when there was more momentum.
She was bobbing a bit with the music – some techno thing blaring with almost unintelligible autotuned words – and her dress was flowing with her movement. With her hair down, the sigel had a headband in it with a black rose made of zipper teeth on the left side of her head (where her skull hair clip often was). Matching the headband, the kitten had a dark green and off white striped sleeveless dress on with zipper teeth following the seams – both along the bottom, up the sides, and around the top. Though all that showed from the bottom was her ribbon (with no legs), Lucia’s upper half (well with the exception of her wings) looked normal. Adorning her neck was a long layered silver and black beaded necklace. Her fingers were decked with rings and she had a ton of loop bracelets on each of her arms.
Hopefully work would pick up, she though pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 1:00 am
While their small family had been forced to endure several weeks of cautious spending after the purchase of Basil's new bed, Genie was happy to say she had finally managed to tuck away just enough to afford Basil a proper chance to furnish his new bedroom as he chose.
While his homely gas-station decorations had been sufficient, she had felt that it was now time to show Basil that other options could be made available to him. Give him some perspective, and introduce him to the rudimentary lessons of spending, although frankly Genie had always found shopping to be painfully tedious, and the experience of shopping for others moreso.
She had been finding it easier and easier to allow Basil his space since his "infancy", though she still felt the familiar pain of worry whenever she should rest her hand upon the electrical burns he still maintained on his chest and shoulders. It had helped to ease her troubled mind when Basil had finally become familiar with the polite, accommodating phrases that sought her permission to explore, as opposed to his earlier habits of simply wandering off the moment he should become distracted by a strange smell or bright light. Handing him a shopping basket, she had given him deliberate, and carefully worded instructions to comb the stores for anything that held his interest. If he liked something enough, he was to carefully place it in the basket, and they would discuss which items were in her allotted price range. After several hours, they would meet for a lunch-break, and coordinate from there.
So far, it was nearing the hour, and Basil's basket had been no heavier than when he had first started. Likely because in a moment of typical absentmindedness, he had left it on a bench not several minutes after Genie had left his sight. It was all for the better, as he never liked having his hands too far away from his face at any given time.
It wasn't until having passed the third or fourth "lady's store" rife with smelly perfumes and uncomfortable looking advertisements that Basil felt his interest slipping, and fast. A deeply-etched frown of inconceivable boredom lined his face. Thinking back, he had remembered there being an especially comfortable looking heating vent beside the cinnamon-bun hut. Perhaps he could freshen up with a nap underneath it and continue his search later. That is, until he felt both his heart and his rune begin to pulse with a decidedly inhuman and exhilarating beat that called to him as though by name. His wings, previously tucked against his back as they often were, now arched and flicked with new life. As he would only later discover, the primal, rhythmic thumping was emanating loudly from a store halfway across the mall. Even he could not help but be impressed by how easily he could detect an interesting noise from great distances, thought it would have been a considerably greater victory to have located a noise more subtle than the errant pounding.
The store was sparsely occupied, and the cobra couldn't help but be appreciative. Basil was by no means an especially shy or discourteous person if he could help it, but as a personal preference, he liked to feed alone.
The speakers were highly mounted, leaving them inaccessible even to the Frei who could elevate himself only so much. He stared longingly at one of them from beneath his hood before realizing that it was getting him nowhere, and he would not be able to get any closer. Gradually the sound began to grow softer as his hungry rune absorbed the frequencies. It supplied him with a growing sense of warmth and well-being that left him alert and unusually calm. With a sharpening sense of clarity, it was then that Basil began to become more aware of his surroundings. He looked to his left, and to his right. He chewed on one of his fingernails. While his face belied him, he decided he rather liked this place, finding it to be a refreshing change of pace from most he had passed. The jewelry caught his attention from the start. Shiny, like his spoons. Earrings and other piercings glinted from behind the glass of a protective case. He wondered quietly what they were for, and envisioned how they'd look on top of his dresser at home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:08 pm
Lucia noted the guy slip in the store, but she hadn't really seen where he went. Was it her turn or, she thought as her eyes darted around looking for the punky red-head, Hanna's? Hanna was behind the counter checking someone out. Gregg was in the dressing rooms with a customer. Dreya was in the back, probably being lazy. So it was up to her.
The sigel finished folding the shirts quickly and spun around. Where did he go?, she thought, her eyes scanning the men's area. Letting out a sigh, she spotted the guy -- someone with a dark hood over his head -- on the other side of the tables. His eyes were locked on the jewelry rack. Hopefully he wasn't planning on stealing anything.
She floated over to him, her eyes looking back at the display she had just fixed as she approached him. "Hey! Is there anything I can help you with? Our male jewelry is really popular. Or if you're looking for something for a girlfriend I'd be happy to help you."
Her eyes turned to his face (and no lower) and she realized with a start that he was pretty cute. She smiled at him. "My name's Lucia."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:56 pm
His interest steadily growing, Basil continued to tease his mind with possibilities. A time or two, he forgot about the barrier that prevented him from touching the treasures within, his hands forceful against the glass, though not so much as to damage it. He was not there long before finding himself propositioned by an unfamiliar voice.
The knife-slit of his mouth grew thin as he raised his eyes. He had been slightly startled by the voice, having approached him without warning. The creature, the female that advanced upon him had no legs, as he did. And without legs or feet to make noise, it was difficult for Basil to anticipate her. His face reflected this, as did a darting display of his teeth. He did not mean to be unfriendly, but was unapologetic in being cautious. Her dazzling expression and warm attitude quickly lowered his guard however, and he was aware that she was similar to him. To Cordelia and the Red One. A Raevan. It seemed he was having a lot of chance encounters as of late with new Freis (failing of course to realize that her body was slightly more developed than his own.)
Without a prepared response, he instead spoke simply and shortly with whatever entered his mind first, "Ah..." He sighed. An ejaculatory note of uncertainty. "Ah.. I don't. Jewelry?" The word was unfamiliar, and so simply, strangely, it came out slurred, the second syllable in "jewel" ommitted. Joo-ree. The rest was white noise to him, as was the implication of a girlfriend for whom he might have been shopping for. His eyes met the floor, and with a rude clipping sound, he chewed on one of his fingernails. She offered her name to him, which lifted his eyes and aroused a smile from him. His rune shuddered and he reached to prod her in the chest, of which was zipper clad (and bountiful.) "Lyoo-shuh. My name is Basil." Thankfully in recent months, this declaration had started to sound less robotic, and more casual. He was Basil, and he was happy to meet her.
"These?" He asked curiously, putting his palm flat on top of the glass, no doubt smudging it with his unspeakably dirty skin. The question was incomplete, but begged an answer. What were they? What were the shiny things for?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:29 pm
In her initial staring at his charming (well to her it was charming) face, her expression turned to confusion at his speech was almost child-like and confused. It reminded her of Luka's thought a little different. Was the cute guy foreign? Well that would definitely be hot. He could whisper to her in his language and she would melt, looking into his deep grey - almost black eyes. She found herself wondering, as she listened to him trying to express his thoughts, if his eyes could be like a storm cloud and completely envelop her.
But then things began to connect. He spoke almost like Luka. His teeth, when he smiled, they were different. His wings -- wait human boys didn't have wings. She let her violet eyes drift down from his reflective eyes to his lack of abdomen and glowing rune. Yes. He was a raevan. Her own eyes filled with mirth. Well someone -- Basil he said his name was -- he could be trouble. But it didn't really concern her that she had been almost enthralled by him. It just was.
The kitten smiled at him. "Nice to meet you Basil." She nodded at him as he placed his hand on top of the glass, not caring, for whatever reason, that she had cleaned its surface less than a half hour ago. "It's jewelry. Decorations for you body." She indicated the layered silver and black bead necklace that hung around her own neck and gently jingled her silvery slip on bracelets. She also playfully twitched her ears and flapped her wings lazily. The piercings in her left ear and adorning her bat-like wings reflected the bright lights even with the subtle movement.
"See anything you like?" Lucia giggled slightly. It was really hard with the fledgling hormones not to make that into a silly question in her head. Or to imagine an even sillier response. But he was a frei -- not a human guy who would have the same dark ideas as she. She quickly stifled her giggles, but nothing could get rid of the mischievous smile she wore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:58 pm
Typically, Basil was fascinated by the prospect of meeting new Raevans, each that he had come across becoming memorable to him in one way or another, despite a few iffy details and inconsistencies.
Cordelia had become his confidante and companion, Vyn was bookish and compassionate, the Red One had been protective and disciplinary, and so far, it seemed that this one might become memorable for her... strangeness. The coy once-overs and bashful smiles. While subtle, Basil had surprisingly detected them.
Basil had never given much thought to how he might have felt about girls, or as the case may be, how they felt about him. Sometimes he thought they might look nice, or smell pretty, but was too emotionally immature to understand. Too self-involved to think he might be the object of a passing fancy.
However, she seemed nice enough, and helpful. And with that sentiment, he gave her a brief smile before returning to the case. As well as a lacking knowledge of girls, Basil knew even less about fashion. He wore what was comfortable, or what Genie had managed to borrow from her brothers. He liked things that were green, or earthy, and even then he wasn't dedicated to his choices. He liked what he liked, but seemed insecure in choosing for himself when under a watchful eye.
Feeling pressured, he frowned, looking away, "You can pick." Unintentionally, it seemed he was playing hard to get.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:40 pm
Lucia's eyes went slightly wide at the offer to show off some of the shop's jewelry when he didn't seem to have a preference. Her mind quickly flicked over the common things guys always bought. Chains. Hemp bracelets. Small pendants on cloth rope necklaces. Collars for the gothy sort. But none of those seemed to fit this raevan. Her eyes flicked over the selection as she looked through it thoughtfully.
Pulling a bracelet off her own wrist, that hid a store key that opened all of the displays, the kitten quickly opened the display and ran her fingers over some of the more rarely purchased items. The problem, she realized, was other than the studying of his face that she had been doing (which really could amount to nothing now that she knew he was younger -- freis were...well she just had an instinct to protect them, or most of them, rather than smother them with kisses), she had no idea whatsoever what Basil was interested in. Other than something about the store and jewelry that drew him over. She took in his appearance, trying pretty unsuccessfully to figure out what he was.
Cocking her head to the side she examined him briefly and then turned back to the display. Deftly, her fingers quickly drew down three different necklaces. Two had a similar shape, but were made of different material. One had a different feel, but was something that was not aimed specifically towards any kind of guy. The first two had a spear, or almost fang-like shaped pendant. One was made of a dark shiny metal on a thin metal chain of the same material. (Link to #1) The other one was similar, but silvery and reflective on a black leather necklace. (Link to #2) The third necklace she brought down was also silvery, on a beaded chain, but this pendant was rectangular, like a plate that was not yet inscribed with a name. It dangled gently off the bottom, easily reflecting the lights of the shop as she examined it. (Link to #3) All three were about the same length, meant to rest a few inches above a guy's pectorals.
With a smile on her face, Lucia slid her free hand down the length of the necklaces, catching all three pendants in her open palm. "I narrowed it down. Which do you like best?" Her violet eyes flicked up to his, trying to gage his reaction. If he didn't like any of them they could work together to find something better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 1:24 am
Basil watched curiously as she picked and sorted through the materials. Given that she was freely handling them and held the key to their case, it occurred to him that she might be the owner of everything that was there. If that were so, she was very fortunate, and very organized. If Basil had ever come to possess so many necklaces, he wouldn't have kept them on display. He might have tried to make them into things or put them in a pile to roll in and hear them jingle. He knew what it was to guard possessions. To feel comfort and security from having everything close-by and terror when they were gone. For this new person to be so forward with her belongings that she would go as far as to offer them to him both amazed and confused him.
When she was finished and held them up in front of him, all three were good choices. It would be difficult to pick. After all, Basil didn't really wear jewelry for their intended purpose. Certainly he appreciated shiny, special things, but did not feel the need to flaunt himself or draw too much attention. Truly, both inside and out, Basil was simple. Not to say uncomplicated, but simple. While he was examining her choices, he felt the urge come, irrepressible. His face twisted into a terrible grimace, and feeling the sensation of flies swell in his brain, he covered his mouth as if to hold it in,
"FFT. FFT. FFT."
He had become better at disguising his tics as a sneeze, but did not enjoy being disingenuous. He shook his head and frowned. He then blinked, his expression clear of any emotion. He glanced first at Lucia, then at the ceiling, and finally at what she held out to him. He seemed disorientated.
"What are those for?" He said. Either his "sneezes" rattled something loose, or he had already forgotten why he had come here. He smiled slightly and lowered his hood, revealing a fresh, if not sleepy-looking face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:20 pm
Lucia watched as he examined the necklaces she picked. She wasn't really nervous, but it was weird being put on the spot. Her eyes did not miss the contorted expression on his face. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as he apparently sneezed. "Bless you," she said politely, trying to remember to use disinfectant once he left. Germs transfered, even when you didn't touch the person, she had learned. Just touching the same money could get you sick. But she had never been sick. Did raevans get sick?
Off topic, she thought quickly, and returned to the present when he began to look around. Her head cocked to the side slightly at his question, always a sign she was confused. He lowered his hood and she confirmed that he was definitely a cutie. "They're the necklaces you told me to pick out." Maybe she misunderstood his question, so she began to describe them. "These are almost fang-like in the pendant. Though if you want to buy one you'll just have to tell me which color metal you like best. And this one," she indicated the third by tapping her finger under the pendant, making it pop slightly out of her hand before settling back down, "is just a plain silvery one. I wasn't sure what you'd like. But if you don't like any of them, let me know and we can pick something else." Lucia's ears twitched slightly and she grinned at him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:57 pm
Taking a moment to wipe his hand on his jacket, he nodded, uncomfortable. He couldn't remember asking for this woman's time, and was struggling to remember her name. Most of the time, forgetting names didn't upset him. He would just introduce himself a second time and continue on, unaware that the first exchange had ever taken place, but here, he started to feel stupid. Thrust into a situation that hinged on his participation.
He seethed through his teeth and stepped away. Having brought attention to the necklaces again, Basil hurriedly made a choice. Impulsive, unsure. "I don't know... That one I guess. It looks nice." He added with a stifled laugh, "I'm sorry..."
In a way, the sharp, black accessory looked nearly like the glass of his own wing. He double-checked, bringing the left one closer into his peripheral vision, the individual segments clinking against one another. The sound of wine glasses at the end of a toast was elegant. The sound of his appendages scraping together was hideous.
Looking closer, he decided that his own wings were more flat. They were geometric, with sharp, defined edges, and less like the smooth, curved edge of the necklace. Rather, it looked more similar to Cordelia's wings. He reached to palm it in his own hand, taking it from her at the necklace's clasp, where the broad edge of his thumb glided across her skin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:59 am
Lucia laughed lightly, trying to help relieve whatever caused Basil's sudden tension. "Don't be sorry. I like that one best too." Her eyes shone. He didn't need to know that she would have said that no matter what he chose, but honestly something about the dark metal did draw her attention. She quickly hung up the other two necklaces and relocked the case and turned back to him. "Is this all you want, Basil, or can I help you with anything else?"
Her eyes glanced towards the register, trying to see what time it was. Would she maybe be able to take a break to talk with this unfamiliar raevan? She had been working for a while now without one and all the other girls had gone already. She didn't eat and didn't smoke, so it always limited her breaks. But even a raevan needed time to relax. She noted the time -- she was past due for a break. Perfect! "If you're all set I can check you out at the register. And if you're not doing anything it's time for my break. Maybe you can hang out with me?"
Her violet eyes again reflected the lights as a moving one swept past them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:33 pm
By this time, Basil had come to understand that he was taking part in a transaction of some kind, which meant money would soon be changing hands.
Sometimes in gas stations and drug-stores, Genie would call his attention to this crucial tradeoff; Money, for goods and services. He was at something of a disadvantage, as he could not count very high, and could easily be taken advantage of by shady street vendors who could prey on his inability to judge the value of things. He was not often exposed to people like this, which had robbed him of the character-building experience of being fleeced, and realizing how dishonest the world could be. As she gently suggested their course of action, his face was one that was naive and trusting. In good fortune however, this was a kind girl. She was doing her job as she'd been instructed, and concealed no ulterior motive. She was not interested in money, she was interested in him, which was all the same, as Basil had no head for figures himself. He stood in place, fumbling in his pockets for loose change, unaware that he would not be able to afford what he had chosen with just nickels and dimes. At present, Genie had not trusted him with any large bills. Rather, singles and quarters were lumped together in his pockets which spilled onto the floor in his groping fingers.
Watching them clatter noisily onto the tile, he quickly began to feel an intense, disproportionate sense of shame and stupidity, coupled with his physical awkwardness in the presence of an intelligent and worthy Frei such as was in audience with him. Matters were only made worse as he went to the floor to pick them up again, making himself small before her. It was clear to him that he had made a mistake. Basil didn't much like to make mistakes. He began to imagine what she must have thought of him, only peripherally acknowledging her request to spend time with him on her break, likely because his ears were sensitive to many things; voices, footsteps, weather, music, but rarely to the compliments and concerns of other people.
As he hunkered onto the floor trying to gather the coins together in a small pile, groaning notes of frustration and disappointment, he glanced up at her in time for a strobing light to catch his eye, specifically the one not guarded by a fringe of oily black hair. It was this stabbing beam that electrified him.
Externally, the change was very subtle. A gradual straightening of the shoulders, a clearness of vision and delicate adjustments in his posture and carriage, but internally, it was as though a very large hourglass were being flipped. Neurons fired and bodily markers blossomed while others wilted. Basil had needed confidence now, and The Other was willing to provide it. He made a low gagging sound, his head hanging. He could see the shine of something on the floor. A drop of spittle which had edged from the corner of his mouth as he grimaced. He then drew in a very long, large breath, his half-chest inflating like a beach-ball which he then exhaled with a certain security. He wiped the spit away from the floor with the palm of his hand, then examined the coins he had dropped with a certain confusion and revulsion, as though he was horrified at the thought of being on the floor where others could see. He stood up again very quickly, swallowing a lump at the back of his throat to find a young woman in front of him, her eyes large and shiny and all too feline. His own narrowed quickly, reptilian.
Typically Basil's eyes could only be described as dull, and a small bit deranged. They were glazed, like a honey-covered marble or premature cataract, often shifty and furtive, as implied paranoia. These eyes however, were the pearls of the cobra. They were bright, glinting in the light like the devastating cut of a gemstone. There was an attentiveness to them, as he examined her from ears to ribbon, forming his opinion of her. Cataloging, from the wave of her hair to the flicker of her ear with an impressive capacity for memory and detail. This attentiveness was not out of any want of information or genuine intelligence. It was not curiosity or even polite social interest, but rather, an unabashed fear. A fear of contradiction. An assessing scrutiny which padded his ego, and created distance between himself and others. He would need these details to ably judge her, so that he could then put himself in relation to her, and see how he matched up. Remarkably, this complex series of observations would take only seconds to complete, and give him everything he would need to proceed. He smiled a peculiar, almost feminine little smirk, looking at the money he kept cupped in his hand. He shook his head, and then knowingly deposited these things back into his coat pocket. He then took Lucia's hand and nudged the necklace away. His skin was ice-cold to the touch. "Why don't you keep that for now. I don't have the money to pay right this minute." He added with a scoff, "Not that I couldn't get it."
By this time, Basil had long since completed his feeding, and gradually, the music returned to its original volume. A thumping and pounding which now visibly upset him. He struck the side of his head with the heel of his hand, grimacing and retreating towards the store entrance. "It's so loud in here, how do you stand it?" There was a sudden spasm in his expression, a barely perceptible twitch of irritation and madness. Turning from her, he shouted in a drastically shrewish and piercing voice, "You said you were going on break? Meet me outside."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
