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 Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:11 am
Raina was past the point of being lonely.
That was what she was thinking as she took herself for the usual morning stroll around Cyrus City, for the first time, in the right attire and not sticking out from the crowd. There was a certain contentment to be found in blended in with the masses, and while it was a pleasant feeling, the days where she did not appeal as an eccentric were few and far between.
But somehow, despite all of that, she still managed to find companions.
So she was totally, completely past loneliness.
Of course, there was a time, as most would guess, when she felt utterly shunned, from the long, mundane letters detailing the medical schools she might enter from her mother, to the long drawl of the afternoons she spent thinking just how much she didn’t want to be a doctor at all. It was in those times that she found the will in her heart to try to find the smallest hint of camaraderie in the corners of her life, and that was how it all began.
This particular morning, it was a bit chilly, even for summer, and as she wrapped a shawl around herself, she couldn’t help but smile at the pigeons that littered the cobblestone sidewalks. With their head-banging scuttles and endearing head tilts, they were something that she found delight in, like many other things. They cawed as they avoided passerby, fluttering their wings in annoyance, making her laugh.
The sun had only peeked itself over the horizon, at that time, and found itself illuminating a lavishly decorated sign that hung from the awning above the head of the university student, a small, delicate plaque that read, ‘The Gilded Lily.’ From inside, there were the smallest hints of activity to prepare for the forthcoming workday, but Raina was settled in the bench just outside, reveling in the myriad of lovely scents- lily, iris, and the hint of rose, nostalgic of seasons long past.
Taking in a deep breath, she folded her palms in her lap methodically, and stared out into the expanse, deciding to take a rest before continuing on throughout the city. She would still have to visit Dami, the friend that was secretly more than a friend, and then there was Cephiel, the persocom brother who would be awake at home just about this time.
Tapping the slightly moist bench with long, tapered fingers, she suppressed a giggle from the back of her throat, the pure relaxation of the day soaking into her psyche. In all honesty, it had been so long since she had last had a moment like this, free, absolutely free to do anything she wanted, like life was supposed to be, she noted duly.
Like life was supposed to be.
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:58 am
To say the least, Phoenix was an independent child. The medicinal child had managed on xir own for what must have been a while before Dr. Azalea Brick discovered xir, so Dr. Brick saw no reason to restrict xir while she was busy with her work at the hospital. Therefore, it was not unusual for her to give Phoenix some directions and let xir go off on xir own for an hour or two.
Where she sent Phoenix this time was a place nearby the hospital: a cafe she had recently heard of from Carwyn Yates. Apparently, his son knew the owner, and if that nervous wreck could trust her, so could she. Of course, Phoenix didn't necessarily care about where xe was going. The child just liked to meet new people, and the prospect of going to a new place excited xir. There had to be new people at a new place, right?
Phoenix hummed and skipped down the street, loosely gripping the directions to this 'Glided Lily' in xir left hand. The young one would forget about the directions from time to time and drop them, but Phoenix noticed quickly enough and scooped the paper back up. Despite the forgetfulness, Phoenix managed to get to the cafe without any problems. A quick glance at the paper and then to the sign let the young one know xe was in the right place, and Phoenix did an amusing little victory jig at the discovery.
That lasted until a breeze came by and swept the paper out of Phoenix's hands. The child knit xir brows in frustration before going to chase the paper. The map landed in front of some loud birds, which immediately started pecking at it. Well, that wasn't good! Phoenix needed that paper; Phoenix hadn't intended the paper as bird feed.
"Aww!" The medicinal boy tried to reason with the cawing pigeons so they would give the paper back. "Come on, birdies! Mama said I needed to hang onto that so I knew my way back to the hospital! It's only a block away o' something, but I still need the paper!" It didn't seem very effective, though. If anything, the birds were ignoring xir.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:30 am
Reclining back into her bench, Raina let out a sigh, trying to resist the urge to fall asleep. The wine red tint to the clouds was slightly epic and coaxed a small chuckle from her throat. It was quite the pity that the regular citizens of Midori wouldn't spend so much time cloud gazing, but then again... if not for these bizzarre habits of hers, she would probably be getting ready for medical school.
Pursing her lips as if she was tasting something sour, she wondered to herself what would be more unpleasant, living her whole life watching clouds, or living her whole life cutting people open and listening to babies cry in her antiseptic-smelling waiting room?
...The latter, by far. At least clouds were pretty.
At this, she lifted her head, seeing a bit of motion in the corner of her eye. Her peripheral vision was surprisingly good, but she never gave herself a chance to use it in sports or the like, to indulged in the arts for anything that required her physical body. Approaching the pigeons fast was a small child in what looked to be, to her chagrin, a medical lab coat. Xe took a glance at a small piece of paper before breaking into a happy dance in the middle of the street, sending Raina into almost tearful guffaws. The little figure was adorable, but she still had to wonder if he had permission to be wandering the streets at such an early time.
Curious, she rose to her feet, at which point the gale that blew away the paper came, sending it into the flurry of pidgeons a few feet away. Smiling in amusement as he bargained with the birds, she took a few steps forward, sending the grey birds into their reluctant flight, leaving the paper free.
So he did have permission to be out here. Reaching down for the paper, she flipped it over to reveal what seemed like a rough sketch of the block and bent down until she was at eye level with the child. Immediatly, the scent of medicine hit her hard and she was almost sent reeling back onto her palms, had not the frequent visits to her mothers clinic built up an immunity to the strange smell.
"Here, I don't think the pigeons harmed it very much. Is this yours?" she cooed gently, holding out the small piece of paper, "I'm Raina, by the way. Who might you be?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:21 am
When the birds failed to relent, Phoenix pouted. All the little medicinal child wanted was the paper! It was probably all dirty now, though. That wasn't good, and Phoenix hated when things were dirty, but xe still needed the paper. The child was about to begin another bargain attempt when suddenly, the pigeons scattered. Had xe won? Phoenix was about to cheer in glee when xe saw someone else enter xir vision.
Well, new people were good too. Phoenix always loved meeting new people, and xe certainly didn't recognize the person in front of xir. The child watched her carefully as she plucked up the rough sketch of a map and observed it carefully. Would she give it back? Xe needed that paper! Fortunately, Phoenix's question was soon answered as the woman turned to Phoenix and offered the paper.
"Yup, that's mine! Thanks ma'am," chirped Phoenix, as he took the paper back from the woman. Eww, it was dirty. In distaste, xe began to brush the paper off in an attempt to get any dirt off it. Even if it wasn't possible to clean paper, Phoenix would try anyway. It didn't work too well and Phoenix pouted because of that fact, but xe was soon distracted by the fact that the woman was talking to him. Suddenly, the paper didn't matter quite as much for the gregarious child.
Xe gained a grin from ear to ear. "My name's Phoenix Brick, Raina! It's nice to meet you!" Cheerfully, Phoenix offered xir free hand to the woman in hopes that she would take it and shake it. That was what xir new mother always did to greet people, after all. Of course, Phoenix had xir own steps for greeting people: talking to them about whatever crossed xir mind.
"Did you come here for something to eat too? New Ma said that I needed something to eat and so she directed me here! It looks like a pretty cool place from out here. Speaking of out here, it's nice out here this morning, besides for the wind that blew my paper away. The wind was being mean." When given the chance, Phoenix could talk and talk and talk...
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:01 am
Raina blinked, surprised, at the politeness that the child offered. Rarely did someone of that age address ladies as 'ma'am' or thank them so earnestly. Falling back into a smile, Raina brushed the stray strands of hair from her face, tilting her head in obvious affection towards the small child.
When he started to brush off the paper almost methodically, she let out a small laugh, finding his actions eccentric but strangely endearing, like what she might have wanted from a little brother, had her parents not had their hands full from herself alone.
Carefully preened eyebrows raised at the name, and her voice held betrayal to the surprise that nipped at her chest as she spoke, reaching out to take the hand graciously,
"Phoenix Brick? Why, might you know someone named Dr. Brick, who probably doesn't work far from here?" she mused aloud, too taken aback at the name to realize how unusual it was for a child to offer a handshake to a full grown adult.
And Dr. Brick, from what she had heard from her parents, shouldn't have been old enough to have a child of this age...? Could xe have been a the child of a relative or...?
At the question, Raina suddenly looked up, as if awoken from a dream, and took a quick sweep of her surroundings, and then her pockets.
"What was I here for, again...?" her voice came breathy and teasing at her own mistakes, but there was a hint of fear underneath, as if she might have forgotten something that was very, very important, "Ah! I just came out to do the usual stroll around Cyrus City, Phoenix. It's very nice in the early morning, and not many people are in the streets, so it's quiet, too- but, thinking about it, I haven't had breakfast, either..."
Laughing off her blunders, she stood back up onto her feet and offered a hand to Phoenix to get him out of his crouching position.
"What about it? Do you want to come have breakfast with me, in the Gilded Lily?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:36 pm
Dr. Brick! Xir eyes lit up. Of course Phoenix knew Dr. Brick! "Yup! Dr. Brick is my New Ma!" That seemed to be Phoenix's official title for her. Instead of calling her xir mother, the medicinal child insisted that Dr. Brick deserved the title 'New Ma.' "She found me in the hospital back at the holiday time, because I was there. See, I stayed there because it smelled really familiar--it smelled like me!--and it was safe. Dr. Brick decided to take me in."
Actually, Dr. Brick was probably old enough to have a child of her own. Though she insisted that she was not a day older than twenty-five to everyone who asked, Dr. Brick was already in her mid-thirties. After shaking her hand with a grip unusually firm for someone xir age, Phoenix let go of Raina's hand and started to carefully fold the makeshift map. Every little edge had to be perfectly even before Phoenix was finally happy with it. Then, the map was neatly tucked into a breast pocket.
When Raina remarked that she didn't remember why she had come to the Glided Lily, childish giggles escaped Phoenix's lips. "You're silly." At least she shortly remembered what it was she had wanted to do. Walking around Cyrus City sounded fun to the child, though admittedly xe would rather do it when more people were outside. Of course, Phoenix had a way of finding people anyway... "Breakfast? With you?" Xe clapped xir hands together cheerfully. "I'd love to, Miss Raina!"
Unfortunately, that meant Raina was stuck with the talkative child now. "I wonder what they have. Do they have omelettes? I love omelettes! New Ma and I went to this great restaurant one time, and they served the best omelettes! Or maybe they'll serve sandwiches. Do you think they serve sandwiches? I love all sandwiches, unless someone drops it on the floor; then it's icky."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:57 pm
Raina's eyes grew even wider as Phoenix spun the tale. Her parents hadn't said a thing about this child who was... found?!? Did he say he was found in the hospital?!? Well, that was... unexpected. Swallowing down her fervent comments, she forced a smile, realizing that xe wouldn't want to be prodded for answers.
From what she had heard from her parents, Dr. Brick would be responsible enough to take care of the situation herself. They weren't very close, her parents and the doctor, but she was sure they'd be quite delighted in finding out that she had met her child, though xe wasn't the doctor's own. That was alright, she decided promptly, driven from her thoughts by the uncharacteristically firm handshake.
The university student watched patiently as Phoenix folded the piece of paper, every edge immaculately done, every fold crisp and without blunder. Carrying an amused smile, she shook her head in wonder before his giggles.
"I am silly, aren't I? I forget the most important things, sometimes... I think too much, that's what everyone says," she added sheepishly, an embarassed smile gracing her lips.
At his compliance, she held out her hand out of habit for xir to take and began the short walk around the corner to the cafe door, never missing a word of his impromptu speech. Her other hand moved animately, excitedly as she spoke, the golden bracelets that always hung on her wrists jingling with the jovial tune of her voice,
"I heard it was a very good cafe, Phoenix, I'm sure they have omelettes or something like them. I don't have omelettes very often, but when I do, they definitely are the best," she laughed along playfully, never skipping a beat to respond. "They probably do serve sandwiches, yup, all sorts of sandwiches- don't all cafes have sandwiches, hmmm?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 4:56 pm
Someone who could keep up with all of the things xe was saying?! Phoenix's eyes lit up in delight. It seemed that Raina only gave the young child more encouragement to talk. After gripping her hand, the medicinal-smelling child started into yet another random tangent. "I don't know, I've never been to all the cafes!" And xe got an idea. "Say, we should go to all the cafes and see if they all serve sandwiches! It would be an epic adventure. Probably take years 'cause we'd have to go all over Midori. Would you want to do that, Miss Raina? It'd be so awesome!"
The child started swinging their arms between them before suddenly coming to a halt in xir walk. Then, xe sighed. "New Ma wouldn't like that so much, though. She wouldn't know where I was! And even though New Ma lets me wander off, she wouldn't like that very much 'cause I have to tell her where I'm going first or she tells me where to go. Yup, yup!" There was no end to Phoenix's talking in sight.
...Fortunately, the sight of the Glided Lily was enough to make Phoenix stop xir yapping for at least a few moments. Xe let go of Raina's hand to venture forward and place a hand on the door. It felt so cold! Phoenix drew xir hand back and giggled, before pressing xir hand to the door again. The medicinal child liked feeling cold things. They gave xir chills, but the child seemed to find the chills rather fun and amusing.
"Okay, here we are! We can get omelettes and sandwiches now! And maybe they have some coffee or tea. I know adults like you like that caff-in-ate-ed stuff, right? It gives you energy." Personally, Phoenix didn't know why. Xe had stole some of that coffee stuff from Dr. Brick once, and it tasted disgusting. It didn't make the child feel any more awake, either. It just made the child grossed out by yucky liquid.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:12 am
Raina smiled at the talkative child. Xe seemed to completely trust her, and that frightened her a bit, since they had just met, but xe probably would know better if the behaviour of someone was suspicious. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if xe was alright, roaming the streets alone with a map that wasn't really a map... she blinked, delighted, as xe talked, taking everything in before replying.
"I haven't either, Phoenix, there really are a lot in Midori," she giggled, squeezing xir hand at xir sillyness. "It would be rather epic~ But I agree, you'd have to get a lot of permission from your mother before you do that. I'm an adult now, but I'd probably need permission too- that'd mean I'd be skipping out on my studies!"
Her face darkened for a moment, aghast. Oh, the things her mother would do to her if she realized she was cutting university to take a world-round trip eating sandwiches with a child she'd met on the street. Oh, the humanity!
Raina let out an amused sound from the back of her throat as Phoenix bounded up the steps with such energy- xe really was a special child, and adorable, to boot. She laughed as she made her way up and opened the door for xir.
"Actually, only tea for me~ I really can't stand coffee- I guess that means I'm not a real adult yet, huh," she giggled, holding open the door so Phoenix could go in. Inside, it was lavishly decorated and not quite bustling with customers yet, and lilies hung from vases mounted on the wall. Large windows to one side held a view of the street they had just walked, and in that small time it was already filled with more walking people. She turned her eyes back to the doorway. It really was a lovely place.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:41 pm
"Well, lots of grown ups drink tea too, Ma'am!" chirped Phoenix with a wink to the woman behind xir. Then, xe turned around so xe could take in the scenery of the Glided Lily. The scenery was nice, Phoenix determined. However, the gregarious child quickly became more interested in looking at the people. People seemed to fascinate the medicinal one... or bother him. Some of the people didn't look totally clean or tidy, and it bothered poor Phoenix, who scrunched his nose in distaste.
Thankfully for the people in the Glided Lily, however, Phoenix was soon distracted by remembering what he and Raina were originally talking about. "New Ma says that some people have a special time of day that they dedicate to just drinking tea. Isn't that silly? It's like a snack time in-between lunch and dinner, except they sit down and drink tea. Does tea have caffeine in it?" That was certainly random.
"Well, either way, it's better than coffee. Should we find a place to sit, Miss Raina? Let's order lots of sandwiches! That'll be fun. Maybe we can clean the people too. Some of them look dirty!" Something was certainly off about the child that Raina had found. What kind of child actually cared if someone had a little dirt on them or not? Apparently, this one did, and dirtiness seemed to bother him immensely.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:04 pm
Raina thought about xir tea comment before letting her eyes soften in a fondness for the white-clad child. Her voice was approving and jovial as she followed xir gaze inside the restaurant,
"I suppose you're right, Phoenix, I never thought about it that way," she admitted. She was rather hard on herself at times- even this little child could detect it? Maybe she had to loosen up on her own standards just a bit...
Her eyes caught the disapproving look on the child's face, and she was about to ask about it when she was interrupted by xir voice.
"Yes, they do, in England mostly, I think," she let her voice wander- when was she in England last? She had friends there. "It does seem sort of silly! I think most teas have caffeine, yes, but there might be some that don't..."
She let her faltering smile harden into sincerity and put a hand on xir shoulder, guiding the smaller figure into a lovely window table with two gilded chairs underneath.
"And how does this look, satisfactory?" she let her voice deepen with a teasing pompous tone, pulling out a chair while keeping up with the conversation. "Yes, we ought to- all kinds, if we can. What kind of sandwiches do you like? But I don't think we can clean the... people, Phoenix. That's rather silly, does it really bother you?"
Raina let her frown show for a second- Phoenix looked totally serious. But why was xe so obsessed with cleanliness? He was, earlier, too, with the paper- did xe think it was funny? Was it a joke of some kind? Raina rather doubted it, but she couldn't put a finger on what it really was...
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:46 pm
Phoenix must have been satisfied enough with the table because xe happily sat xirself at the table and swung xir feet underneath the table with a grin. "I like lots of sandwiches. Have you ever had a sandwich with bacon on it? How about ham? Maybe tuna?" The medicinal child thought of a few other things before realizing that the woman had made another comment.
Xe seemed rather incredulous that it didn't bother Miss Raina at all. "It's not silly at all! The people are dirty and therefore someone needs to clean them! When I first met New Ma in the hospital, she was really sweaty so I got a washcloth and started drying off her face, yup-yup. She was dirty and dirtiness isn't good. Dirtiness is a terrible thing and I don't like it at all!" This child was rather strange. Xe wandered around outside with a makeshift map, xe was very polite, xe talked a lot, and now xe was very, very clean.
In fact, Phoenix's eyes drifted down to the table, and xe realized that wasn't quite clean, either. The medicinal child groaned quietly, swiping a napkin from the holder at the end of the table and wiping off one little spot until it was shiny enough for xir. When it was, Phoenix grinned and set down the napkin as if xe had just accomplished some great deed for the entire place of Midori.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:39 pm
If it were any other time, with any other person, Raina would have been lost in her surroundings. The setting was too delightful to pass up, from the poise of the wall lilies to the din of the cheerful chattering that came mostly from the mouths of adults just slightly older than she was. However, today she came with a motormouth that left all her past-known chipmunkers choking in the dust; as a result, she found herself riveted to xir every word slightly feverishly -albeit happily- as they sat awaiting the waiter or waitress.
As his story spun on, Raina ran through the options- was xe just very good at telling tall tales? Were xir tails so tall as to include drying off adult faces with washcloths? She suddenly began to feel doubtful of her surroundings and peered at xir silently, trying to prevent the air between them from becoming thick as peanut butter.
"Why don't you like it, Phoenix...?" she started hesitantly. And then, with the smallest smile, "It's just not very often that I come across someone that is so bothered by dirtiness."
She was about to go on, but it was at that moment that the waiter appeared, a clean-shaven young man with an obvious fake accent despite their place. He blinked twice, seemingly waiting for some sort of signal, then jumped straight into his given line:
"How may I help you today?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:46 pm
The sad thing was that it was all one hundred percent true. Xe was obsessive-compulsive about neatness and xe was not even a teenager yet. "Well, that's easy, Miss Raina!" Xe clapped xir hands together excitedly before starting into yet another rant about cleanseliness, totally ignoring the waiter for at least the moment.
"I don't like dirty things because when things are dirty, that means there is more possibility for sickness, and sickness is really bad. Dirtiness is always the perfect way for germs to grow! If someone lets themselves stay dirty, they'll get sick. And if they don't get sick, they'll look really gross. Haven't you ever looked closely at people who haven't showered for longer than twenty-four hours?! Their hair gets greasy and they're full of sweat and dead skin and it's so gross!"
The poor waiter must have been baffled by this point at Phoenix's dislike of dirtiness. Wasn't this kid, well, a kid? Why was xe so passionate about this whole cleanseliness thing anyway? The waiter wouldn't have too much time to ponder such things, either. As soon as Phoenix saw him, xe stopped talking to Raina and instead turned over to the waiter. "Oh hello Mr. Waiter! I'd love some help today! Can I have some sandwiches?"
Of course, some sandwiches was not very descriptive, so xe decided to expand on that. "I'd like a sandwich with wheat bread and ham and salami and chedder cheese, and I'd like a sandwich with..." Xe went on this way until xe had come up with five different sandwiches. Oh dear.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:21 pm
Delighted that she was to be spared the awkwardness of waiting for a waiter with a small child with her, she was about to ask for a menu when the sharp claps of Phoenix's small hands brought her attention back to the table.
Raina, chronically happy person she was, still found herself faltering with every obsessive word. In xir eyes, the world seemed an ever-precarious place, a place to be feared. That was something that bounced right over the older woman's head, something that she couldn't and would probably never understand. Still, she offered a small smile and tried not to pursue it further, leaving their differences at that.
Besides, xe was just a child- xe had the rest of xir life to grow out of it.
She nodded patiently at xir before turning to the waiter, who was at once overloaded with a bucketful of information for his first day at the job. Swallowing, he tried to grin, revealing a pleasant set of glinting teeth that he might have been hired for.
"...would you like to see the menu first?" he offered casually, producing from under his arm a rather gilded, well-Photoshopped booklet that Raina reached out with every intention to accept as quickly as possible, mindful of the trouble Phoenix could cause otherwise.
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