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 Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:58 pm
Who: Dayo, Zul, Mouse & Alex
When: Just before noon
Where: Mouse's Workplace
Weather: Fair, still moderately cool
The old truck was beginning to protest starting, and Alex could only attest it to the venture into the sea water not that long ago.
She had dinked around under the hood herself, calloused fingers meticulously sorting through what she knew, but she could not, for the life of her, figure out where the problem was. The sputtering and whining when she turned the key made her think the starter had blown, or the battery was dying, but the faithful vehicle still managed to start and thus the problem had been sorted into the back of her mind and conveniently forgotten.
As the weather got colder, the truck protested more so, and she knew at the turn of the new year as the thing rattled and sighed that she couldn't put it off anymore. She needed that truck, needed a good solution...which meant she couldn't just take it to any old mechanic. Being female and owning a truck automatically made her stupid in the eyes of most mechanics, and she was unwilling to walk away with a four-digit bill and five new problems.
Alex had instead scoured the phone book, ticking off the professional looking ads until she had lit upon something entirely different: something funny. It was odd, that such a thing would stop her, but the mention of 'fitting under your car' made her grin, and the contact name piqued her interest. A phone call, explanation and time to visit later, and the Italian found herself easing the vehicle into a parking lot next to a modest shop.
With her charge in tow, the somewhat greased woman meandered towards the open garage, hands stuck in her back pockets, relishing the cool air that tugged at her tank top (she was all too eager to shed the jacket and excess garments as soon as the snow melted). Brushing her long bangs out of her bright green eyes, she peered around, calling out, "I'm looking for Mouse - I'm Alex, I talked on the phone about bringing the howling truck?"
The Raevan was not terribly interested in these things. The large metal contraption had been intruiging enough at first, but it lost luster after it ceased to do anything interesting other than roll this way and that. The sound the poor thing had made sounded less than appealing, and Zul had almost outright refused to ride within it if it insisted upon being so noisy. Luckily, the initial sounds had ceased and he had reluctantly agreed to tag along to see about getting it 'fixed' (which was really quite odd, for the thing was still moving and thus not broken).
Arriving at the garage, however, was less than pleasing. There were more large and small metal things, different colors but he was certain they all did the same thing. Not only that, but they were ugly, not at all the warm or cold influence like he, nor were they as striking in color as he, and while he'd admit some had a fascinating sheen, they were simply not as remarkable as himself. There wasn't much in the way of ego involved in the Frei's thoughts, just a simple mindset that if an item was not as attractive as the one beholding it, there was little interest to be held.
The demonic Raevan floated near his woman all the same, arms crossed over his bare chest, fingers idly toying with the fur on his arm band. This was promising to be an utter bore. "How long will this take?" Zul inquired with mild disinterest, giving the truck a reproachful glance for forcing him to this metal and fiberglass playground.
"Patience, Zul," the woman smiled at the Frei, who regarded her with mild hope. "We just have to find out what the problem is. I'm not even sure it can be fixed today, so not long, 'kay? Promise."
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:03 pm
Mouse took a moment to crack her neck and her fingers, getting them stretched out for what would be her first job in what felt like far too long. It had been weeks since she had gotten a call, and her Raevan's sudden surge of adventurousness had kept her too busy to even notice if anyone had. She was glad that she was at a resting point while the phone had rang. Alex seemed like fun, and the mechanic was more than a little relieved to wind down and get back to work for a change.
She had spent the morning getting everything cleaned up and organized, accumulating the healthy layer of grime on her hands and face that she would usually have during her more busy times. The roots of her hair and some inches after it were distinctly auburn, with the green dye on the rest of it a bit faded - stopping by the salon to get it redone had been low on her priority list for the last couple of months, and she kept having to brush it out of her face since it hadn't been cut either.
Of course, it looked tame compared to the mass of pancake-colored down blooming out of her Raevan's head, which was currently whipping and floating about in the air as she whizzed across the shop. A peach-fuzzed mass of tentacles wasn't far behind, scrambling to catch her cloud-patterned ribbon.
Soon enough, the customer had arrived... and it looked as if she had brought a friend. After a glance at Zul, she couldn't help but break into an amused and exasperated grin, bringing a grimy hand up to her forehead. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me. You too?" Crossing her arms and looking to the side with a smirk, she continued, "It seems like I only run into Lab people nowadays... anyway, still nice to meet you. Let's go ahead and figure out what the problem is, shall we?" Her eyes glinted at the sight of the wrecked truck, eager to get to work.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:35 pm
A grin broke over her features at the sight of Mouse, lifting her hand in greetings. "Hey." A dark brow lofted high at the first comment, following the other woman's gaze to light upon Zul, who was still looking around the area as though it might eat him. "Too? He--oh!" she barely had time to spot the whirl of Raevan and...something else entirely chasing it. A her, the woman thought, but she couldn't be certain. "Yeah, I work for Kyou. Nice to know someone with a good taste in humor is a part of it." She smiled widely, nodding at the inquiry and leading the way to the truck.
"Ah, I went over the basics on the phone," she started as she pressed her fingers beneath the hood, seeking out the latch and popping it, "but I sent the back of her into the ocean to unload a jet ski. Guess I got water up pretty high in her." Alex stroked the metal bumper as though it were an animal, lifting the hood up high and cinching the clasp into place to keep it open. "I'm kinda brutal with my things, it comes with the territory." She winced as she admitted the fact, giving a sidelong glance at the greased Mouse, half expecting a reprimand.
The male Raevan watched the two walk off, slightly surprised. It was perhaps the first time he'd not been gawked at or introduced, even if he had overheard the conversation on the phone to begin with. It didn't bother Zul, it was just unusual, and therefore warranted a few moments of wide-eyed blue staring before he continued to float onwards and observe the momentary grounds that he was occupying. It was fairly dismal and smelled strongly of oil and rubber, something he wasn't entirely adverse to, but something he had already learned not to extend his heat-influence over either. He was learning everyday, but that one had been most interesting, involving his woman's brother's truck and--
The zip of long hair and a tentacle-something stopped him cold.
Zul blinked his baby blues in the direction of where he saw the something. Floating closer, he squinted into the garage, curiosity getting the better of him, the blue on his gorget and gloves shimmering with his change of emotion. Something fast could be fun! Maybe the metal carnival wasn't so dull after all!
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:39 pm
"Yeah, um." The mechanic chuckled a bit, waving her hand more or less at the space that her Raevan and chimera had just passed though. "That blue and blonde blur over there is Dayo. Smaller blur's a chimera. We call him Mitya." A stray bit of giddiness wafted over to their area of the room, and Mouse had to momentarily suppress the urge to giggle. Well, at least there was a happy atmosphere to work in. That would make things a bit less of a pain in the a** to do.
She nodded slowly, unable to keep a silly grin off her face, as Alex recounted the events that had led to her truck falling into disrepair. "Yeeeaaah... cars don't... really belong in the ocean." There was a clear teasing tone when she said that. She could understand being a bit rough with one's belongings, though - as far as she was concerned, the best way to go with that was to build it in a way that it could take a lot of damage. So no reprimand from her for now, just amusement at the image of Alex backing her truck into the waves lapping onto a beach. "There's a few things that coulda happened from that. Obviously, water can get in the oil tank, but you might also have some frayed wires. Or rust." She winced at that last part. Hopefully that wouldn't show up too much.
One of the chimera's many flailing paws finally snagged on the eagle girl's long, trailing ribbon - only to be immediately scooped off of the ground by his pretend prey. The Raevan whirled around with him in her arms, slowly drifting to a stop next to a pile of tires but giggling as if she were still being chased. Her hair was a mess. The downy tangle made for a great toy for Mitya to paw and grab at while he wasn't on the ground, however.
Zul's spike of excitement was a surefire way to catch the energized empath's attention. She turned about to find the source, her little claws reaching up to brush a lock of hair out of her face, and once she saw him she fixed her gaze as if she were a raptor hunting prey... or probably more like a puppy getting ready to chase after a new toy. He was unfamiliar, but that clearly wasn't an object to Dayo. She figured she could surprise-attack him into a game of tag...
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:48 pm
"Dayo and Mitya," she repeated, mind trying to turn over what few files she had read yet. She didn't have much time to think over or try to recognize the names, feeling suddenly giggling and swept up in the motion to laugh. One hand covered her mouth, looking towards where the Raevan was, a bit of laughter escaping between her fingers. She'd have to remember this one!
Alex bit her lip, mostly to keep herself from laughing as she turned her green eyes back upon Mouse. "I figured that out the hard way," she replied good-naturedly. "It had a perfectly good reason for being there. Although I suppose saying a truck had a good reason to swim is kinda...out there." An apologetic smile lit her tanned face, bowing her head as Mouse listed off the possible issues. "God I hope it's just some pissy wires," she groaned, rubbing a hand along the side of her face. It was her own doing, she should suck up and own up, but the prospect of it was still a downer.
The giddiness curled up his exposed spine, making his already curious smile curl into a wide grin, floating further into the garage. If he knew the slang and had a stomach to speak of, he would have felt like he had 'butterflies in his stomach' for how the emotion washed over him. Bone wings ticked out from behind his back, marble webbing pulling taut between the joints, making himself as noticeable and grand as possible. He did not want to miss whatever joy this new creature would bring!
Crystal eyes found the focal point of his inquisitive search, joyful at what he saw there: pale of skin, true, but tawny tresses and impressive wings made up for it. There was a mark on her chest, not unlike his forehead, and although she bore no horns, she was still quite remarkable in her own right. That alone was a different thought for the self-infatuated Zul, his excitement growing, yet unmoving beneath her pinning gaze. It was the same way the Gwee looked at him before they tore through the house in a merry game of chase. His wings fluttered, the rings within the folds tinkling against the bone; he wanted to play.
Was he supposed to chase, or be chased? She would set the tempo for their game, and he could only grin more widely at the prospect of it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:13 pm
"Eh, well, I'm sure you had a good one," the mechanic replied. "I know I've put all sorts of motor vehicles through all sorts of weird stuff, so taking one for a swim isn't too out there, really!" She offered a grin to reassure Alex she didn't think the other woman was dumb or crazy or anything of the sort and gave her a dismissive wave, then walked over to pop up the hood of the truck. "Just, uh... think of them as potentially wallet-raping learning experiences." There were always some exceptions to this rule (herself included), but one thing she had learned about her line of work is that expensive mistakes were usually made only once or twice if one was smart enough to figure out how to avoid them. And Alex didn't exactly seem dull!
Slowly, the eagle girl put the chimera down, and just as slowly she began to approach the baphomet, broad feathered wings folded tightly against her half-of-a-back. Sure, the other Frei had seen her - she might not have been the smartest creature out there but she could recognize when a pair of eyes had locked onto her - but being hidden wasn't going to be the point of this game. The inch-by-inch approach was all about building suspense, and coiling up muscles in preparation to strike. As she drew closer the air around her grew dense. It was as if she was carefully gathering as much excitement as she could and stuffing it into a tiny bottle, creating a feeling of anticipation that might have brought to mind a rollercoaster creeping up to the top of the track. She kept drawing nearer, and the feeling continued to intensify, until her face was inches away from his and a pair of claws were brushing on his bare chest.
"Tag."
And she bolted.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:22 pm
Maybe 'dragging a sea serpent several miles long' constituted as a good reason, but she wasn't entirely sure and thus kept it to herself. Alex laughed at the term used to describe the expenses, nodding her understanding with amused green eyes. "Yeah. It's not a hobby, I swear." Scaling cliffs, diving, any form of excursion that could cause her potential bodily harm, she was used to that; when her tools broke, it was the end of the world, and had to be handled immediately! The Italian grabbed the edge of the hood as it was popped, pulling it up and propping it open with the interior stick. She leaned on the edge of the opening, peering over her engine, ever the fool with her head in the lion's mouth.
She couldn't help the anxiety that was creeping up her back, although she had a distinct feeling it had little to do with her truck...
His fingers clenched before stretching out, reaching for something at his sides without moving. Each slow inch was making him feel like his ribbon was coiling tighter, ever tighter, certain that it was condensing in his chest. Zul could vaguely hear something roaring in his long ears, the pressure on his skin a delicious opposition to the light and flighty feeling he felt within; those golden eyes held his blue ones, enticed by their glow even as she eased up close to him, her clawed fingers seeming to brush over that tight feeling in his chest. The Baphomet's head tilted only slightly to the side as she was near flush against him, his grin having faded into a smaller version of its former glory, but far more intense; his wings lowered just a little in unspoken question, one that was answered in the strangest of manners.
She said one word and was gone.
In any other given situation, Zul would have corrected her on his name, or perhaps assumed it was hers. He might have even looked at her quizzically at the unfamiliar word, perhaps even considered that she'd made a random noise that had no bearing on anything. In this situation, however, the male Raevan was a restrained spring, and the fleeing eagle Frei had unbound him.
A surge of excitement rippled down his molten spine, and after the initial shock of the female fleeing from him, he realized the chase was on. His ribbon did indeed curl a little as he launched himself forward, a wide, wicked grin on his tan face, eyes bright and displaying his excitement for all to behold. Bare fingers stretched after her, quiet bits of laughter streaming around him as followed the fast Raevan, the need to pursue and catch almost innate in him. There was a certain awareness that whom he was chasing was not one meant to be chased, but that made the hunt all the more thrilling.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:39 pm
Two pairs of green eyes met and exchanged a smile of kinship: it was clear they both enjoyed getting their hands (and feet, and hair) dirty and could probably swap increasingly tall-seeming tales about their adventures with little surprise between them. Amusement, however, would be in abundant supply. "I wouldn't hold it against you if it were your hobby, really."
Tension crept up Mouse's spine, but didn't phase her too much at least on an outward level. Experiencing emotions that were not quite her own were something that she was almost getting used to by now. So she twirled a socket wrench out of her tool belt and set it to a bolt, casually saying, "I'm gonna check out the air filter real fast. It's probably loaded with grit, but easy enough to fix..."
It was through the thrill of a chase where, for once, the predatory nature of Dayo's soul could shine out pass her easygoing grin and masses of messy hair. She bulleted through the air with an intent and precision that was of direct contrast to her usual aimless drifting - her wings were tucked tightly against her form in a mimicry (or recollection?) of a raptor diving after its prey.
Once or twice they flared and flapped her to a stop, making her just a hair close to Zul's victim... but then she would bolt in a new direction, the gold-and-tawny down on her head curving and whipping behind her.
Perhaps she was not meant to be chased, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:25 pm
A pleased grin lit her features, eyes shifting to Mouse from within the confines of her engine compartment; were she any shorter, she surely would have fallen in. "You'd be the first," she laughed with good humor, trying to shake the strange feeling of unrest that twined up her spine. Alex glanced uncertainly in the other direction, just in time to catch a view of the two Raevans, namely the one named Dayo. She observed the slow, careful approach to Zul, and then--
The woman was taken by giggles, barely registering that her own charge had taken off in pursuit. Was it the fumes from her truck getting to her? Shaking her head and brushing a stray lock of hair over her shoulder, she shifted out of the professional's way but still managed to keep her head poked in with curiosity. "I wonder if it has seaweed or some unfortunate critter in there..." she murmured, not entirely joking.
She was fascinating. Not in the way LuLu was beautiful and sweet, nor in the way Xiu was like winter and traditional, but in a completely base manner; the instincts she elicited from him, the grasp of his nature to chase and her seemingly pure motivation for the sake of the chase was intoxicating. It felt like when he'd had too much to eat and his energy spilled over, except this was raw and far more enjoyable.
Zul gave a good chase, having had much practice with Alex's little Gwee, although Lorenzo was not near as fast as she was. Even caught up in the thrill of the chase, he could appreciate the fine tightness of her wings against her back, the misleading directional changes, the experience she was teasing him with. Oh, but she had picked quite the partner, and he was too pleased to be chosen; a curl of his fingers, the briefest sensation of feathery down hair and she was gone, the demon quickly in her wake.
The Raevan quickly learned to mimic the flighty femme; his bone wings curled tight to his back, flexing with the air currents, his arms tucked closer to his body to keep from slowing himself down. He was laughing all the while, betraying that he was caught in the moment and her influence. It wasn't something he did so freely, but it felt good, the challenge and the engagement of their game.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 8:32 pm
The pair of Freis zoomed straight over the car at one point. It made a breeze that tugged at the mechanic's ill-maintained hair and pulled a brief wild chuckle out of her lungs. Her hands managed to remain in near-complete control, though, the slow rhythm of the wrench loosing bolts in direct contrast to the random wing-flaps and bursts of laughter that could be heard occasionally nearby. "Trust me," she said, a moment of delay after Alex's latest quip about the situation of her truck, "if a fish or something had tried to grill itself in here during your adventure, we probably would have smelled it by now." Her nose wrinkled at the thought, even though she had heard stories about people using car engines as makeshift grills....
With a soft 'pop' the air filter was removed from the engine and promptly set on the grease-stained concrete floor. There was, thankfully, no sign that any wildlife had tried taking refuge in it, but the hollow cylinder reeked powerfully of salt and was indeed caked with sediment on the inside. "Well... there's part of your problem figured out, at least."
There was no doubt that Dayo was already very fond of this new Frei. Not only did he seem to enjoy the simple game of chase as much as she did, he was also good at it! Her thoughts were being all but completely drowned out by the combined rush of joy and instinct as she kept adapting her flight patterns, trying to challenge Zul more, passively feeding off of his laughter and excitement. He was starting to catch up to her-- she could feel his bronze fingers tugging at locks of her hair now, more and more often by the second.
Her eyes tried to dart around the garage faster than her body was. There had to be something to give her some leverage... an obstacle of some kind.
She decided to dart under a rack of shelves lined with boxes. If she were of a mind to pay attention to such things, she would have known the boxes were full of carefully organized nuts and bolts.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:55 am
Unbridled glee crawled up her spine and made residence in her chest, making her giggle in a barely repressed silly manner. Taking in a gulping breath, the woman can't help but laugh a bit more freely, tugging herself out of the jaws of the engine compartment to catch an eyeful of tans, blues, and that which mingles inbetween. "Is that Dayo?" she asked breathlessly, putting a hand over her heart, certainly meaning the strange and sudden feelings more than the sight itself. Alex knew a Raevan when she saw one, but these feelings were so pure and reckless, it felt like being a kid again!
Biting her lip with another deep felt grin, she leaned back against the grill and watched the mechanic lower her air filter - or what she assumed was once an air filter - out of her vehicle. "Oh my goodness," Alex laughed, and this time it wasn't any of Dayo's doing. "I'm surprised that didn't blow chunks of crystallized sea water into my face!" She would have toed it for good measure, but she was partially afraid the thing would fall apart on impact.
Challenge.
He adored it.
Her. The challenge. He wasn't thinking of what it was he adored, only that he did and his very existance was full of tension, joy, excitement and satisfaction. Somewhere, his sense of capture was lost in favor of the chase; Zul was, in his short time, one who often enjoyed the journey more than the destination, finding a massive amount of fascination and enjoyment that came with the venture. This was no different, the simple pleasure of engaging in play, of trying to keep up, of trying to extend the game without ending.
She turned, he was in her wake; she zipped over an obstacle, and with a beat of his marble-webbed wings, he was momentarily airborn to follow. But when she ducked under something is when things got messy.
He saw her duck beneath a rack, and immediately followed suit, bunching his shoulders together and narrowing his wings against his back. She did not have horns, which he, most unfortunately, did. As Zul ducked beneath, his horns caught the rack, jarring it dangerously, setting many things to rattle and clamor against one another, but it was his middle horn that did the damage; a molten line was cut into the shelves, causing the lowest to sag under the weight of its contents as it was suddenly not sturdy enough to hold them.
It wasn't until the demonic Frei had emerged on the other side and given his head a good shake from the metallic -clang- that was still resounding in his ears that the shelves gave in, spilling their carefully placed and ordered cargo all over the floor.
And if Dayo was still on the move, he would still be in pursuit, oblivious to the casualties of war.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:22 pm
"Yup," was the simple reply, sprinkled with a breathless grin. It looked as if she was trying to focus all of the free giddiness into the task at hand - every time the Raevans whizzed by, she put a bit more muscle and speed into loosening the bolts. "Her fel essence projected despair, basically - and I guess that since as a Raevan she has a full range of emotions, she projects pretty much everything she feels." Which was something that she was grateful for almost every day - lord knows she'd be a wreck if Dayo had been born confined to the emotions that the Cloud of Despair embodied.
"I should have a spare one of those around here somewhere," the mechanic said in regard to the air filter, idly massaging her wrist with her left hand. "Just lemme check my--"
A cascade of clangs and metallic tinkling noises interrupted that thought, as the shelf gave way due to not only Zul's damage, but the momentum from it. Assorted nuts and bolts spilled to the floor as they flew from boxes that were thrown askew, becoming nests for larger tools and miscellaneous parts.
"Ah, s**t."
Neither Dayo nor the baphomet seemed to have noticed it at all besides that it had made a cool noise. The eagle was still soaring through the workshop, now in search of even more obstacles she could weave through to gain more distance - or, perhaps even something she could throw at him to distract him. She grinned as she caught sight of an oily cleaning rag hanging from the hook on the wall, and swooped in to snatch it in her little claws.
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:40 pm
"Never a dull moment," she laughed at the description of the Raevan's wild and potent powers, shaking her head in wonder. Zul already liked to give chase and be playful, but if he had these free emotions to encourage him, she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle him! Alex was momentarily grateful that they were outside and that the two Raevans could get it out of their systems now rather than later. She wasn't entirely certain her little runt Gwee would survive the onslaught of attention her darling demon was sure to lavish on him in such a state.
Right, back to the business at hand! "If not, I'll be happy to go get one, I'm sure Zul could use the walk to--"
The sound made her eyes double in size, whirling around to catch the tail end of the unfortunate shelving that did not quite survive the antics of the Frei's. Her face paled before a blush colored her cheeks rose, fingers lifting to cover her mouth and thus hide her expression of momentary horror. Had Dayo's abilities not been rampant, Alex would have been beside herself in embarrassment. "Ohmygod," she practically whimpered, turning her wide green eyes to Mouse, "I am so sorry! Let me help get that all--should we stop them?"
Stopping them might be a lot more difficult than it appeared. The demon had no intention of doing so much as hesitating, still after the Eagle at full throttle despite their momentary hang up (or his, rather, since he was the one with horns). If anything, the sound simply wound up his spiked spine and served to encourage the chase, thrilled at the game and its results thus far, no matter who thought what of them.
Zul's central horn gave off a white hot glow as his enjoyment got the best of him, making him more reckless with abandon in their merriment. With arms stretched towards his target, the force of their venture tousling his hair, the humans could have ceased to exist in that moment; there was only her and the next obstacle to overcome.
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