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 Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:43 pm
The sky was a dull grey, border lining green. Kurios was doing his best not to speed up on the wet roads, trying to beat the hale which might come down later tonight. It was already raining heavily, blocking up the window screen, but hale would just be the icing on the cake. As she always was on car trips, Kashya was sitting in the back staring out the window. She seemed unusually happy to be in the storm, not even a cry or hint that she was scared., enjoying it. She was taking in every sight it offered. The miss coloured clouds, how the rain fell in light burst every so often, only to pour twice as hard soon after, how they collected in house gutters and fell into giant tanks at the end of the piping. It all seemed like this was a first time thing for her.
From the car window, Kashya could hardly see what was out side, but what glimpses she got, fascinated her. Rain spots streaked down the window, collecting smaller droplets as they went, gaining speed with each. In her mind she would set start lines, and watch them racing. She would cheer silently as the losing one would suddenly join with another large drop, pick up speed and win with the combined efforts. She licked the bow of her lip, where a small drip of water had pooled when they had been running to get to the car. Kurios had said it was just water, the same which came out of the tap, so she couldn’t fathom why it seemed to taste just that little bit different. But it was nothing compared to what was awaiting her at the end of the trip. Julien was going to meet her there. The little boy she had met with at the cake store just a short week ago. Kurios had told her about what they talked of, and how keen he was to meet her formally and she didn’t want to leave him disappointed. Personally Kashya didn’t have much to recall of him. She remembered everything they had spoken, but it was so few words, she wondered if it was right to use them as a basis. Still, she remembered his fluffy white hair, and the tones of his voice as he spoke with her. Kashya wished dearly that he was as kind as she had allowed her mind to think him, and that she had not been tricked by her own memories.
“that one right there, Kashya, that one’s Mireille’s” Kurios informed her as they drove past. The car u-turned at the end of the street, parking just off side of the drive way. Kashya undid her seatbelt by herself this time, and run with Kurios to get under what porch Mireille’s home had. Kashya couldn’t help but pout slightly. While running, she hadn’t gotten the chance to see the outside of Mireille’s home, and she had wanted to see what sort of place it was. Her thoughts were broken into as Kurios brushed his fingers on the door, emitting a knocking sound as they continued lightly.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:13 pm
"Coming," called a voice from the other side, and after only a moment, a white-haired teen who looked very familiar opened the door, two towels under his arm. "Come on in," he smiled, handing one towel to each of them with a grin. "Kashya, it's good to see you again." He offered her a hand as the scent of roast beef and vegetables floated out to them. "Mind roast beef for breakfast?" he asked, grinning at her before looking up at Kurios. "Mireille and I were hoping you'd stay for dinner, at least, but looking outside... would you like to stay overnight, too? Kashya can take my bed, and I can sack out on the couch for the night," Julien offered, just as Mireille made her way into the room.
"Kurios, it's good to see you again," she said, smiling as she moved to the little group. "Jules has been very excited about this get-together." She turned, looking down at Kashya with a fond smile. "I don't think this is quite your level just yet, but I thought you might grow into it?" she suggested, offering the girl a paperback book called "The Silver Trifecta" with Mireille's name underneath, and the picture of three teens on the cover, in fantasy garb. Looking back up at Kurios, she blushed just a bit. "I hope you don't mind?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:57 pm
Kurios looked at the teen. He was of an average height for someone his age, and spoke like he was getting a high grade in English. None of that gangster or leet slang he knew some teenagers used. His voice was similar, yet he couldn’t place it at all. What truly threw him off was that he knew Kashya.
How the devil did she know…anyone? She never went to the park, for it was not a safe place to be at night, and all those she had met with, Kurios had been there with her. Of course, it didn’t stop at her name, he knew her sleeping habits! Had it not been from this stranger, he would have laughed about the roast being a breakfast. His expression was completely puzzled.
The invitation was accepted though, and he and Kashya stepped into the doorway of a seemly nice home. It smelt fantastic, and had a warm feel to it. But still, his eye remained on the teen, trying to place him as they were each given a towel to dry off on. “If it won’t cause Julien and Mireille too much trouble, I wouldn’t mind staying over as well,” Still not placing a name to the boy.
Kurios was of course, not the only one surprised by the unfamiliar face at the door. Kashya’s head cocked itself to the side in bewilderment at this new face and how he knew her. She nodded polity, lapsing into the state of observation which she fell into when meeting someone knew. His attitude was open, friendly, and very forthcoming. He had very little to hide this man. His voice too seemed as if she had heard it before, but somehow her mind seemed to lift it up by a few octaves, to that of a Childs. As his hand stretched out to hers, she lifted her own to place her palm in his in greeting. It took only that second of contact for her to realise who he was, simply from the memory of seeing his pale hand resting on her tan skin as he shook her awake. It had been so contrasting that she couldn’t help but remember it. She likened it to when snow white’s mother had seen the red droplet on the snow. “Julien,” she stated, confirming it in her own mind by how well the name fit his image. The name fit smoothly to his features, eliminating him as a stranger to her.
Kurios look over as Mireille came to join them in her hall. “I’m glad to hear. You look happy today,” He said, noticing her particular mood. He got a quick glance at the book she handed to Kashya, notice it’s thickness, the title and then trailing down to the author, getting a shock as he did so. “Yes, no trouble..,” He said as he looked back at the book. So she was an author, that explained the business cards now. The teen boy was still standing next to Kashya, holding her hand actually, when he heard Kashya mutter as she found the name he couldn’t. “Julien?” he was dumb struck, it seemed to be happening a lot of late. “you’ve…grown. A-a lot,” He managed to get out, looking at the teen again. He glanced at Mireille, as if she hadn’t realised it either.
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:22 am
In response to Kurios' stunned glance, Mireille made a very pointed nod toward the hallway, her own eyes opening a little wider as she tried to tell him through expression that she was more than a little bewildered by the whole thing, too. But not wanting to say anything in front of Julien, she held her tongue, stepping just a bit away from the others in the hopes of explaining things to Kurios without Julien overhearing.
Not that the teen seemed particularly upset by Kurios' startled words. He let go of Kashya's hand, looking up at Kurios with a wry grin. "Yeah... just kinda shot up there, I guess," he nodded, favoring them both with a smile before looking down at Kashya gently. "That won't bother you much, I hope?" he asked, offering a hand for the towels they'd used to dry off. "And I have cherry pie I'll put into the oven for dessert as soon as the roast is done," he added.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:43 pm
Kurios spotted Mireille’s gestures, and gave a curt not that he would follow her when it would seem polite and well timed. He didn’t want Julien to think him rude, or become suspicious of what his guardian and himself might talk about. Though in all honesty, Kurios only had a basic idea of what she wished to speak anyway, thought he doubted it would be anything negative about the cheerful boy. teen his mind corrected him, forgetting what his eyes couldn’t. He took the chance while Juloen was looking down at Kashya to follow Mireille’s lead out if the room.
“Why would it bother me,” she asked, sounding genuinely confused in her soft tones. “Julien is still Julien,” while he was taller, and different from what she remembered, she could still see ‘Old Julien’ in his new appearance. His oddly fluffy hair, the blue eyes almost too pale to be real. His tones keeping up with that light air of joy which seemed to trail even as a room silenced. Yes, how could this Julien be any different bar his shape?
Kashya had never tried cherry pie as yet. While Kurios was a good cook, he never adventured into recipes he didn’t know. So exotic things like pies, mud cakes or pastries where always store bought, and thus limited by the pre-cooked taste. She wondered if Julien had made this pie, and asked him if he had.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:55 pm
Mireille paused when they were in the next room over, waiting for Kurios to catch up before offering a wry smile. "Julien's growth," she started, trailing off for a moment as she tried to figure out precisely what to say. "...I really don't know what to make of it. I think it must be normal for them... after all, he hatched from an egg as a young boy, rather than a baby. And he grew so fast..." There was the oddest little catch to her voice at that, and a tension in her jaw that spoke of stress. "I don't even really understand yet what he is," she admitted, "so I don't know if something's wrong for him to be growing like that, or if it's perfectly normal. I guess I just hope it is. I'm sorry if we startled you."
Oblivious to Mireille's conversation in the next room over, Julien grinned, nodding at Kashya as he led her to the kitchen. "I made the whole meal," he explained, eyes dancing. "I like to cook, and it seemed like a perfect time to try making something new, with a guest coming over." He nodded to the kitchen table for her to sit, and turned to the oven, pulling on mitts and peering inside before grinning and moving to pull the pot out and set it on the stovetop. Nearby, a rice cooker clicked to 'done' and Julien nodded. "Looks like everything's ready. What would you like to drink?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:05 am
Kurios nodded, recalling the strange incident when from the egg, a fully developed child had come. Mireille was right. While it was not normal by human criteria, what was normal by Julien or Kashya‘s standards? He was frustrated by how little information they had. Why didn’t these eggs come with labels, directions, or at least an idea of what was to come. But by comparison, Ryo had been lucky. The egg had been delivered to him by a woman, he was just too silly to ask questions. Most of the others, had received them under much stranger circumstances. “If there was something wrong, I’m sure Julien would have had some indication of that by now. But don’t worry, I was startled, but nothing else it seems,” he smiled, curios what the pique in her voice had meant. “How are you handling the new teen anyway?
Kashya took a sit, jumping ever so slightly to reach up to the chair, the ones Kurios owned had a small rudder along the bottom which she used to climb onto them with. She sat on her knees to make sure she could see Julien over the table top. She could see the entire kitchen as well, and she lifted her head, allowing the scents which emitted from the open over, to waft over to her. The heat which came forth felt welcoming to her after the cold rain outside. So, he liked to cook. That was too surprising, it fit his personality justly, she could practically describe him using cooking similes. A personality as sweet as a desert. He had the ability to lift a rooms atmosphere like a cake in an oven. His movements where always careful and loving, like a chef with his delicate soufflé. But she couldn’t help but wonder, if like the soufflé, was Julien himself just as delicate. Simply floating happily, until something came to deflate it. “..like a soufflé,” she muttered under her breath, engrossed in her own ideas. She brought her hand down from her chin, where it rested as she thought, and shook her head. Ringlets spinning lightly.
“Juice,” she said, hopping they had her favourite. “Why do you like to cook Julien?” she asked as he listened to her request.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:16 am
Relieved when Kurios didn't get angry over the change, Mireille shrugged a bit, smiling wryly. "I guess... I don't really know yet. He seems just like the Julien he's always been, but in a bigger body. Everyone says to beware of teens, but maybe they don't feel quite the need to rebel in whatever people Jules comes from. Or something." She laughed softly, looking up at him. "Then again, maybe I just got very lucky," she suggested. Her thoughts turned away from the idea of just how fast Julien was growing, she was able to relax, and her entire face lightened for it.
So she'd like a soufflé? Julien thought to himself, barely having caught the words. He tucked the thought into his mind, making a note to learn how to make soufflés before Kashya's next visit. Moving to pour her a glass of orange juice from the fridge, Julien considered her question carefully. "I think maybe it's because I like seeing people enjoy what I make," he said slowly, as he offered her the drink. "And it feels good to know these hands are put to some use. Cooking is rather like art... you can experiment with almost everything and come up with some wonderful dishes, but they always taste better if you pour your heart into making them," he added, returning to preparing the dinner. He slid a pie into the oven, then turned to prepare four plates with slices of pot roast, vegetables, and rice with a thin brown gravy from the roast poured over the grain.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:45 am
Kurios raised an eye as her expression suddenly seemed to loose a great deal of the worry or stress which had been held in her face. From the outside, Julien seemed like such a lovely boy, but had his sudden change truly caused her to become so strained? Perhaps things weren’t as balanced as she claimed them to be, and it caused Kurios to fear for Mireille’s state of mind. Keeping such a thing inside would be dreadful indeed. She was probably still adjusting was all, that was the most logical idea to him considering she had just had a complete stranger show up in Julien’s bed one morning. Would it be the same with Kashya he wondered. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder with a soft pat, hoping she wouldn’t think him odd. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve nothing to worry about with him. I would be happy to invite him to stay with us if you ever needed space or had to go out of town for work. And I’m sure I’m not the only one you can look to for the odd hand,”
Kashya leaned over appreciatively of the food which Julien was serving out, Kurios’s cooking had nothing over this. The vegetables held a sweet golden colour to them, and the roast smelt as if it had come from a high class restaurant. Her eyes danced admiringly. “Julien made all of this?” she asked, not hiding her awe at the teens handiwork. She lifted her hand to the counter, leaning down on it so that her fingers wouldn’t sneak over to take a small slice of skin from the roast.
“Doing things for others is a virtuous pursuit, but in doing so, you can’t let the wish of doing right for others make us forget we have to do things for ourselves as well,” She said in that ever shy quality she wore. She caught Julien’s eye, careful to make sure he knew she wasn’t joking, before putting a cupid like smile on her petite lips. “Which means Julien has to have the first serving of whatever he makes tonight,” Her tone was sweet, almost deceivingly so, a silent stubbornness
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:52 am
Mireille held still under his hand for a moment, offering a faint blush and a wry smile before stepping back just a little. "I appreciate it," she said, meaning every word. "Julien has this knack for making himself welcome everywhere. I don't really worry so much about things like that." And she fell silent, not elaborating on what her worries were, though there was obviously something she hadn't said, words that lingered unspoken in the air between them. She started to open her mouth to cover up the lingering discomfort when Julien called out to them both, asking them to come to the table. "Ah... Jules made dinner by himself tonight. We should go." Relieved by his timing, Mir started to turn toward the kitchen.
Julien chuckled, his eyes warm as he watched her. "Since the honored guest has the right to decide," he said lightly, the formal words only a touch awkward for him, "I'll do as you ask. But Kashya? I don't neglect myself at all," he added, his voice more serious as he set the plates down at the table, one by one, the second going in front of her. "You don't need to worry about me."
The plate was followed by the glass of juice, and water for the rest of them, and then Julien called out to Mireille and Kurios that dinner was ready before moving to sink into a chair beside Kashya, grinning brightly. "Eat as much as you want," he encouraged. "There's plenty for seconds and leftovers."
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:12 am
Kurios sensed Mireille’s mood, and didn’t bother to ask. Her business was hers. He wasn’t the type to pry. He sniffed at the air as the two entered the room where Kashya and Julien were all ready seated, he didn’t like how close the two were, not one bit. He purposefully made sure to sit opposite Julien. Stupid teen, making him worry over...he didn’t want to think. He knew somewhere in him that Kashya was far too young for Julien to be attracted to, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t go the other way. Still, he seemed to have done well with the dinner. “Mireille was just telling me you made this yourself. I can’t deny that I’m impressed,” He complimented.
“Really?” was all she said in response to Julien. Kashya looked over the young pale headed teen once again. His words had seemed serious, and she knew that no doubt he believed in what he was saying. But no matter what he said, it seemed to Kashya. Julien would be the type to take a bullet if it meant saving another. Would offer to jump off a cliff first if it meant the other person’s landing was softer. She shook her head then, detesting her own prejudice. This was only their second meeting, and already she was making judgments of him, judgement he probably hadn’t even made of her. She scolded herself internally for it. Thoughtless thing, have you no mind? If it is what he says it must be true. And if it is, why should I judge if he wishes to be so kind? A quick turn in attention brought her thoughts back to the room as Kurios and Julien’s guardian entered. Her smile was a bright glow as Julien sat down next to her, even if he was the cause of her odd thoughts, Julien seemed to have a knack for making them go away and letting her just enjoy the moment. “You first,” She commented, not hiding her eagerness that he might hurry. Kashya was very keen on tuckering into her ‘breakfast’.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:33 pm
Oblivious to Kurios' worry, Julien chuckled, moving to serve them each before sitting to eat himself. "Any ideas about what you might like to do tonight, Kashya? I picked Mir's brain for some game ideas, and I also have some art supplies and cloth if you'd like to make something instead." Looking up to include Kurios, Julien added, "My project room is next to my room, but if you want to sack out here to avoid the storm, I can bring the stuff downstairs so that we don't bother you."
Mireille chuckled, just watching the two before speaking up herself, "My property is pretty safe. If you don't mind, Kurios, I have some lights in the backyard that they can turn on and get some night air into them?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:46 am
To be honest, Kashya hadn’t even thought of what was to be done at the sleep over. Kurios had been the one to make arrangements, and she had no experience in the matter herself. Julien said he believed to have some crafting materials in a room not far off from his own, and even suggested that he might move said things downstairs in case. All the same, she shook her head in detest. Kashya had been locked indoors of night for some time now, what she really wanted was to be outside and simply be there, she didn’t care if it was an activity or not. Just because her hobbies could be done indoors, didn't mean she wanted to be there. Even the rain tired of clouds some days, and broke free into a sun shower. Kashya felt no different, and the sealed walls of Kurios’s home had become more and more distant to her as she desired for black grass underfoot and moonlight shadows.
While Kurios was hardly ever able to see Kashya’s emotions, he could easily pick out her wish to be outdoors like a green bottle at the beach. There wern’t many games she could play outside at this hour, but one of the few he knew of was a game known as ‘spotlight’ It needed only a torch, perhaps a tree for ‘poison’ , two people and a set of legs for each of them. Mirielle’s added comment about having some lights on also sounded like a good idea, just in case. “ If the two of them want to go outside I wouldn’t have too much a problem,” Kurios said, not hinting at all that it was in fact her playing partner that was the problem.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:18 pm
"Outside it is," Julien said, seeing Kashya's look of distaste and hearing the oh-so-subtle hint from Kurios. He didn't particularly mind, either. While he loved crafts, he knew it wasn't for everyone, and he'd just have to make something for Kashya another day. But it didn't really matter terribly much to him, as long as Kashya was happy. "We can have your lunch out there as well," he noted with a grin.
Mireille fell quiet, watching the interplay between the other three curiously. She didn't know Kurios or Kashya well enough to read either of them, and Julien certainly seemed to feel perfectly at home with both of them, which pleased her. With a smile, she dug in.
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:42 am
Kashya was at last free to reach for the serving of beef on her plate, human or not, she was a growing little thing, and she needed food like any other life form which grew in the world. She let the small morsel of meat melt on her palette, before giving a satisfying lick at the corner of her lip to catch a fleck which had missed her mouth. How could Julien so soon be thinking of lunch, when he had already made such a nice meal, though she made no noise, and only her brief mummers of ‘yum’ or ‘delicious’ squeaked out. “Kurios has told me of a game once that he said could only be played at night. Maybe we could play that?” she suggested, before daintily sipping from her class and continuing to cut the meat. A task she had conquered rather recently, though she didn’t feel the need to make a show of it. It was after all, a skill all the other guest already had.
Kashya had guessed Kurios’s thought exactly, and he gave a curt nod. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a torch with me. But I’m sure if you ask Mireille or Julien, they might have one,”
Kashya swallowed a bite, and turned her shy gaze on the woman whom she knew even less of than Julien. She parted her lips to address her, but found her courage disappear and she reverted back to speaking to Julien. “I would very much like to play the game ‘spotlight’ If you have a torch. Do you know how to play?”
Kurios felt awkward to have Kashya suddenly look away from Mireille like that, But it didn’t surprise him. She was shy, and even at their first meeting, it was mainly Julien who she had met. He only hoped the kind woman would understand.
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