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 Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:33 pm
"Varun. Varun, no. Hey! Hey, no, put that down!"
Varun gave Kinsey a baleful look, but he put the pillow down anyways. She wanted it to be eaten by her nasty little furbag? That was fine. He didn't really want to save it, anyways. The Frei sniffed and floated by Ford, skirting Kinsey's pile of....something and into the kitchen where his guardian stood. He followed her gaze, tipping his head at the assortment of boxes that seemed to have captured her attention. The Frei frowned, tapped Kinsey's shoulder, and pointed.
"What, Var?" Kinsey looked over at her charge with a puzzled look. "You want something?"
Varun scowled. "V-uh-roon," he instructed his girl. He was Varun. Not Var. She had given him the name, why was it so hard for her to remember it? The Raevan shook his head and motioned to the boxes again. ".....what?" This was the word Kinsey was always asking him. Varun assumed this was the word to get her to explain. (Kinsey, as it were, was not a master of teaching her charge good English.)
"What? What are those? Those are just cereal boxes. And I think there's some ramen in there. And maybe some..." Kinsey stepped forward and leaned up on her tiptoes. "Nope. No cookies." She frowned. "Ah, well, it's not like you can have them anyways, Var. Varun."
At least she caught herself this time.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:51 pm
It had been a long while since Phiel had visited Kinsey, and he felt guilty as he padded up the stairs with care, approaching the apartment he'd spent the night in, a couple of times. He had a good excuse, he thought; a gunshot wound to the shoulder would put anyone down for awhile, and compounding that with his erratic-at-the-best-of-times work schedule, he'd spent a whole lot of 'I'll call her in the morning' and 'I'll visit when work calms down' excuses putting off getting reacquainted. His right arm was still in a sling, and he was still looking a bit the worse for wear as he approached the door. His always-neat dress-clothes were looking a little rumpled and his hair was a little too long, but he was smiling, if awkwardly.
After what had happened on New Year's, Phiel rather thought he owed it to her (and possibly to himself) to continue cultivating the friendship. So, as an apology, he had brought an armful of flowers, so knocking on the door was going to be a challenge, with one arm in a sling and the other holding a vaseful of flowers. After standing helplessly for a moment, he edged out an elbow to carefully knock at the door.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:26 pm
The knock caught Varun's attention first, his headfins flaring a little as he floated towards the end of kitchen, which was also the entry. Kinsey quirked a smile as she watched her redheaded charge; he certainly was a curious little creature, wasn't he? He looked back at his guardian once before staring at the door, which had ceased making its noise. "What," he demanded with a frown, furrowing his brows as he floated closer.
Kinsey laughed and shook her head. "Go ahead and open it, Var. If they try to sell you anything, you can go ahead and slam the door on them," she instructed the Raevan, turning back to her pitiful pantry. She really needed to go shopping. Good thing Varun and Ford didn't eat this kind of stuff, or she'd be down the hole! The youth blinked and looked back at the Frei. "Well, go on!"
"Varun!" the Frei insisted, wings flaring a little as he floated over to the door. He grabbed the handle and gave a tug; nothing happened. With a puzzled frown, Varun tried again, to no avail. How did Kinsey open this- Oh, yes. Varun gave an inquisitive turn of his wrist, and the door popped open. Much better. The door swung open and Varun frowned at the man standing there. Selling what?" he demanded.
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:28 pm
A dull sort of puzzlement broke the awkward smile on Phiel's face -- his brows rose, his smile sort of folded in on itself, and his grip on the flowerpot loosened a little bit. The pretty orange daisies swayed dangerously in the vase as he looked the curious creature up and down -- from the top of his violently red head to the bottom of his... ribbon? He appeared to be coming apart.
"... I am not selling anything. I've come to visit Kinsey," he said it when his mouth opened, more briskly than he intended. Then again, nothing about Phiel was gentle, he reminded himself, and squared his shoulders, except that made him yelp a bit in surprised pain. Bright idea.
After the throbbing quieted, Phiel did his best to meet the bright green eyes evenly, though his own grey ones were a little bit watery with pain; he gripped the vase tightly in one black-gloved hand. "Is she here...? Who are you?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:38 pm
Varun narrowed his eyes. "Selling nothing?" What was nothing? Was it whatever the man had in his hands? And why did he want Kinsey? The yelp startled the Raevan out of his thoughts, wings and headfins flaring as he stared at the man. What did Kinsey say to do when- Oh yes. Varun's lips curled into a wicked grin as he grabbed the door.
"Varun, wait!" Kinsey appeared by her charge's side, pushing the door out of his hand. "This is my friend!" She recognized his voice from the kitchen. "We don't slam doors on friends," she explained, frowning at the very obvious tension between the pair. Pausing breifly, she turned to Phiel. "Please, come in! I haven't seen you- What the hell happened to you? You look terrible!" The cop-in-training realized what she had just said and turned bright red. "CanIgetyouanything?"
Varun huffed, clearly put out. What was so important about the loud man? He tapped Kinsey's shoulder and pointed at Phiel. "What?" he demanded, pointing at Phiel again.
Kinsey blinked. "What? No, he's a who, Varun." She'd have to explain grammar to the Raevan. "His name is Phiel. Phiel, this is my Raevan, Varun."
"Varun," the Frei agreed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:52 am
Though he had smiled suddenly at the sight of Kinsey, Phiel's brows were furrowed in consternation as he eyed Varun, edging past him into the house. "I got shot," he said by way of explanation; his voice slightly flat. "I am still healing -- ah, hello, Varun..." He studied the bright creature for a moment with a puzzled gaze. He would ordinarily have stuck out a hand to greet him with a proper handshake, but he lacked a hand to do so with. "... So this is what a Raevan is," he said a little sardonically. "Also, I brought you flowers..."
The mood was a little spoiled, he thought, but he forged on. "I am terribly sorry that I went so long without contacting you. I hope you can forgive me, though it appears you may have been busy yourself..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:05 am
"Shot!?" Kinsey's eyes widened and she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath. "You got shot? Dear gods above, Phiel!" Kinsey just stared a moment, not sure what else to do. Or what else to say, really. Was it polite to inquire the circumstances? Probably not. "Oh, flowers." She took the offered flowers, smile faltering a little as she tried to figure out what was going on. "Oh, it's okay, getting well again is more important than visiting with me. I've been training and I finally found a job and Ford's been a real handful, I should have called-"
Varun regarded Kinsey, eyebrows raised.
".....I'm babbling. I'm going to put these flowers away now. Varun, show Phiel into the living room, please?"
Varun huffed and glowered after Kinsey as she disappeared into the kitchen, trying to find a nice home for the pot. His gaze wasted, the Frei turned back to Kinsey's 'friend' and gave him a long stare before he started floating into the mentioned room, waving Phiel along. He rounded the corner, only to find that stupid dog with the same pillow he had been trying to rescue only a few minutes before. Face screwing up into a frown, the Raevan approached the dog and tried to pull the pillow away. Ford clearly thought it was a game.
"No! Down!" the Raevan cried, mimicking his guardian. "Down!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:55 pm
Unsure, he just met the Raevan's bright stare with evenness and calmness, but followed behind Varun, speculating quietly on how in hell the strange bright thing was in fact moving. Then again, this was Gaia, and Phiel had seen stranger things, he supposed.
When he saw the puppy playing with the pillow, an involuntary grin showed on his face. "Hello, pup -- " he raised his voice, a little bit sternly. "Drop it." Carefully he moved to kneel down, patting one knee.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:56 pm
Varun huffed, letting go of the pillow as Kinsey's friend took control of the situation. The Raevan was clearly put out, but there was nothing he could do to remedy the situation. If Phiel wanted to mess with the dog, he was more than welcome. Varun made sure to huff again, shifting unhappily as he floated back into the kitchen and looked at his guardian imploringly.
"What do you want, Var?" Kinsey couldn't keep the affection out of her voice.
"Phiiiiel. Ford." The young Raevan pointed and frowned unhappily. Kinsey glanced around the wall, confused. Phiel was just rescuing the pillow. Her dog was on the ground, presenting his friend with his belly for a good scratch. The only one unhappy here was Varun. She looked back at the Frei and frowned thoughtfully.
"It's okay, Varun. Phiel is a friend."
But Varun was not convinced. Exasperated, he gave a great sigh and floated back towards the couch, staying a few feet back to watch the dog and the strange man. Finally, he tapped Phiel's shoulder. "What?" he demanded, pointing towards Kinsey. ""What? he asked again, his vocabulary limiting him to gestures. Kinsey called him a friend, but Varun still didn't understand what that really meant.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:52 pm
Phiel had to admit that he was glad to see someone here react with simple happiness to see him, and pleased with the idea, he simply began to scratch Ford's belly. "Good pup," he rumbled softly, voice in a pleased bass octave; even though he only had one hand to scratch with, he still did quite a thorough job on the furry belly, muttering pleased nonsense.
However, when Varun returned and tapped his shoulder, he looked up, arching his brows and peering up at the Raevan quizzically, trying to follow his gestures. "What? Do you mean what is Miss Kinsey?" he asked, in an attempt to process. "Or what is she to me?" Puzzlement was written large on his face.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:33 am
Varun stared blankly at Phiel for a moment. Trying to communicate with gestures could be absolutely impossible sometimes. Ford was just wiggling away, more than happy to be Phiel's best friend if that meant they could play. Determined not to let the dog steal his limelight, Varun cleared his throat and nodded. A frown. No, that didn't quite make sense.
Holding up one finger, Varun shook his head. "No." Holding up a second finger, Varun nodded vigorously, messing his hair a touch. "Yes." Kinsey had said friend. What had she meant by 'friend'? Kinsey always said all sorts of things, but they were never explained!
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:12 pm
Still busily playing with Ford, Phiel found himself thinking about the Raevan's question, or rather, to the question that he had inadvertently posed himself. It wasn't a question he had an easy answer for. What did 'friend' mean, in the case of Miss Kinsey? His grey gaze flickered in the direction she had gone; to catch sight of her was not necessary, but to be reminded of her was. "Hm." The bright little Raevan could get him into trouble if he didn't think this through, and so he decided to answer it conceptually, to break it down for Varun's sake and attempt to keep his own feelings on the matter as succinct as they could be.
"Miss Kinsey is, to me, someone to protect and be protected by. Someone you feel..." he hesitated, shifting his uninjured shoulder, "... happy, being near. Someone that you wish to make happy, even if it sacrifices your own comfort." He paused again, then looked up at Varun. An amused smile curved his lips -- it wasn't an expression he often wore. "Perhaps I have said too much and nothing that you will understand, however. Forgive me, Varun." Phiel inclined his head narrowly, and his usually-prim grey curls brushed forward over his brow a bit as he looked down, continuing to pay attention to Ford now, though the Raevan was his mental focus. "If you would prefer a more clear answer, I can try to oblige."
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:30 pm
Varun bit his lip and twitched his wings, tipping his head as he tried to consider Phiel's reply. Some of the words made sense to him. 'Happy, near, protect.' Some of the words he didn't understand. 'Sacrifice, comfort. Forgive.' He'd have to inquire after their meaning later, after this strange man had gone. Phiel, Kinsey's friend. Did he have his own friends? Varun would consider this later, right now, he had to deal with the matter at hand.
"Oh," he replied, following Phiel's gaze down to the dog. "I see." But clearly, he didn't.
Kinsey, who had been getting the flowers situated on her small counter, had frozen when the two males began to discuss the friendship in question. She rather liked Phiel; the friendship had been odd from the start. She had spilled her coffee on him and brought him home for a nap; they spent New Years Eve for lack of something better, though Kinsey liked to think maybe they actually enjoyed spending time with one another.
The young woman finally emerged from her kitchen, decidedly less talkative, and took a seat on her couch near Ford and his dedicated belly-scratcher. "Sorry my place is such a mess, Phiel. If I had known I was going to have company..."
"Mess?" Varun interrupted Kinsey, promptly saving her from trying to explain why her living quarters were a constant state of disaster.
"Uhm, how everything's all out of sorts, Var. All over the place. Not in its place." She turned to Phiel. "He loves words. I never realized how hard teaching English would be, though." And she hadn't even tried her hand at reading!
"Varun!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:45 pm
Only half-aware that Kinsey might have heard him, Phiel nodded in response to Varun's acknowledgement. When she returned to the room, he smiled up at her from his place on the ground, kneeling beside the pup. He reeled in his hand though, fussing with the straps on his sling. "My own home is in a bit of disarray recently," he said calmly, shrugging one-armed. "I haven't been able to clean it as well as I would like to. Besides, it would not be your home if things were all where they should be." It was not a snipe, the way he said it; there was a gentle tease lilting somewhere in his tone, his grey eyes brightening with silent mirth as he looked up at her.
"Next time," he said finally, "I will call before I drop by. I do not want to intrude." He'd felt a little silly in any case -- it was unlike him to think of such trivial niceties as flowers, unlike him to allow himself to question the nature of a relationship. And it was especially unlike him to, beyond questioning the relationship, answer himself in terms that were less than curt and simple. Phiel would later chalk it up to surprise and pain.
"It is a good thing for him to enjoy words, though," he replied after a moment, a small knot of tension gathering at the base of his skull. "If you and Varun wish, I can try my hand at aiding him in acquiring a reasonable skill with the language." That sounded more like himself. Phiel sat back on his heels, satisfied that he wasn't actually losing his mind.
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