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 Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:55 pm
Who: Chloe, Roux & Alex
When: Before noon
Where: A Hotel in Gambino
Weather: Cool, brisk, encroaching on cold
Alex's heart had stopped when she had seen the number pop up on her cell phone. She'd all but squealed at the soft, halting voice on the other end and barely let the caller get out a greeting before the Italian asked where the other was. When she'd found that her dear friend was in a near by hotel, she hadn't even stopped to tell Kyou before she'd bolted out of the Lab and to her truck so quickly she'd nearly slipped and fallen on the leaf-carpeted ground.
It took less than a half hour before Alex was clamoring out of the vehicle, into the hotel and down the stretch of doorways, green eyes ticking over the numbers impatiently. Her arms up to the middle of her biceps were wrapped in bandages, mostly covered by a jacket that wasn't doing a very good job of staying on as she jostled down the hallway. Her long hair was left down but brushed and pulled over her shoulder, bottom lip jutting out every few seconds to blow her bangs out of her face. Hindsight told her that she should have prepared better, but foresight told her that precious little in the world mattered more than seeing her friends.
The Italian gave a small squeak of triumph as she came to the door she was looking for, taking a deep breath and knocking upon the paint-worn wood. Alex swept her hair back with bandaged hands one last time before biting her bottom lip to repress a grin.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:53 am
After quite a bit of consideration and at least one call that went positively no where... she'd decided to give Alex a call. She'd been blown away by the enthusiasm the other woman had shown at hearing her voice. After a short conversation she'd told Alex where she could find her, and the phone had been hung up.
Chloe sat anxiously at the foot of the hotel bed, Parfait curled up at her side. Roux was stationed at the window, which had been propped open to let the cool breeze flow in. It was chilly, but it made him smile and she had never been good at denying Roux of anything he wanted. Faint sloshing sounds came from the bathroom, where Snowdrop the Chimera enjoyed a half filled bathtub of water.
The knock on the door came far sooner than she'd expected it to. With a startled jump she gave a terrified glance towards the door before demanding herself to calm down. It was probably just Alex... she'd invited her over, afterall.
Roux turned away from the window, his cool gaze moving between Chloe and the hotel room door. A single eyebrow lofted and he inclined his head quietly, asking without words 'Are you going to answer the door or what?'
"R-Right... I'm. I'm coming! Uhm!" She stopped short of the door, leaning up on tip toes to try and peer out through the peephole. She was barely just too short to reach it. She unlocked the knob, leaving the chain done as she very carefully cracked the door open to peek outside. "W-Who is it...?"
At seeing Alex's face through the opening she immediately shot the bolt back on the chain lock, opening the door more widely for the other woman to enter.
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:57 pm
The minute the door was open and her green eyes fell upon Chloe's uncertain features, the Italian lost her sense of cordial greeting manners. Alex gave a small cry of joy, arms extending to envelope the pink-haired woman in a close but affectionate hug, kissing her cheek. "Chloe! Oh goodness how long has it been? Where have you been? Are you okay? Are you back for good?"
She pulled back enough to look Chloe in the face, her trembling smile full of excitement to see her, but laced still with the sadness and weight of what was still happening in that moment back at the Lab. Her heart ached for her charge and all the Raevans out there who were sick because of the three Guardians that had not understood the scope of what had befallen Lazarus. Alex's green eyes then turned beyond her friend to the Sigel at the window, her expression softening with relief and the touch of awe that always seemed to cling to her when it came to the Roc. Thank goodness he hadn't gotten sick, or half of Gaia would have been destroyed. "Roux," she greeted him with a nod and a smile, "you look as handsome as ever. I'm glad to see you. I hope you've been well, too."
The woman knew better than to pose questions to the Raevan at that point, no doubt he'd just find them annoying. Instead, her gaze returned to Chloe, affording her friend some time to respond before she unleashed anymore questions or...information to fill her in on what's been happening. It occurred to Alex that the pink-haired lady might not want to divulge all that she'd queried, and so she carefully shut the door behind her and took her friend's hand, offering up softly, "You've been missed, Chloe."
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:44 pm
A gasp of shock at the sudden embrace and spill of words coming from her friend escaped Chloe, but she quickly returned the hug, absently patting and soothing at Alex's back. "O-Oh Alex!" Her heart suddenly felt as though it could BURST she was so relieved to see a friendly and happy face. "I... It's been quite a while." She sighed, pulling back in the hug and letting her gaze follow Alex's over towards Roux.
The Roc gave a small nod towards the woman, wings extending slightly as he lifted his chin in an aloof, princely manner. "Yes." A faint smile just barely curved the corners of his mouth upward, pleased with the praise he'd received. He retreated slightly, glancing out the window as he kept half an ear towards the two women. It was all well and good that Chloe was seeing someone she liked again but what about him? He'd find his own time if he had too, Chloe wouldn't keep him locked up in the apartment forever.
Chloe lead Alex inside once the door was shut and she'd made sure the locks were in place, moving to sit down at the edge of the bed. She looked a little tired, but otherwise fine. "A-Ah... I've been in the country side." She looked down at where she'd carefully brought her hands together in her lap. "I'm... I'm fine. I'm better, at least. And y-yes. I'm in the process of moving back." She wanted to go... to apologize, to explain but the task just felt too huge. She'd already realized and told herself that the reasons she'd had were worn out and tired. Somewhere it'd gone from keeping a distance to running away.
"B-But how h-have you been? How is the lab? Dr. Kyou? I... I shouldn't have made him s-send me a letter like that. I should have s-sent him one first resigning." She gave a heavy sigh. Oh my... there were so many things to blame herself for.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:14 pm
Alex smiled warmly between the two, listening to Chloe's small explanation and feeling much more content for it. At least she was okay, all this time, the woman thought to herself, and she's back. What happened in the past is irrelevant. Sticking her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, she meandered a short ways into the room as Chloe sat down, nodding, "I'm glad. I was really worried, but I figured...I figured you'd be okay. You're bright and have Roux, so..." She shrugged and let that speak for itself.
Her dark hair wafted around her face as she shook her head; even though the pink-haired woman was blaming herself, it did her heart good to know that some things simply never changed! "Chloe, he, of all people, understood that you had to do what you had to do. You're back now, and Roux looks fantastic, that's what matters." Her unspoken praise was that they were both here and in good health; anything else that may have happened was not their business, but Chloe's and Roux's.
At the questions, she exhaled through her teeth, eyes averting. "I...god, I don't even know where to start," the Italian laughed softly. "A lot...I mean, so much has happened within the past year alone!" Alex ran her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to decide where to start. "About this time last year, I became a Guardian myself, to a handsome little spitfire named Zul." The pride in the Italian's voice was unmistakable; it lit her eyes and made her stand just that much more straighter. "The Lab is flourishing. There's many new Raevans and a lot of old faces. Kyou has been well, but..."
She paused for a heartbeat. "Recently, there was an accident, in the handling of a fel essence. Unfortunately...said fel essence seems to be a virus that targets the Raevans, and a lot of them have been terribly sick." Alex closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a fresh wave of guilt surge in her chest. "My Zul amongst them. He...he and Lazarus are the worst right now, they're quarantined. So...I would recommend that you and Roux stay away from it, until we have a cure." The woman suddenly looked mildly embarrassed. "In fact, it's best I don't touch anything. There's been no documented observation of it being switched by human hands to Raevan, but I would hate to give Roux something unwittingly."
Alex was certain the virus didn't transfer by human touch, but she would rather be safe than sorry, especially when it came to the Roc. She had a sneaking suspicion that he would be immune, given his essence, but she would not be reckless anymore. "The good news is that we do think we have a cure...we just have to figure out how to administer it to work directly against the virus."
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:26 pm
Chloe's expressions ranged from a bright happiness at the news of her friend becoming a guardian and being able to raise a Raeven of her own to horror towards the viral outbreak that had seemed to happen. She sat up, causing the little Gwee on the bed to give a grunt of displeasure at being jostled, and promptly stopped. She began to pace a little, bringing her left hand up to chew anxiously at a nail.
"At least there's a cure! Oh, Alex! I h-hope the Raevens... and the guardians! I hope e-everyone's been alright so far." She sighs, stopping short and standing once more at the foot of her bed. She seemed unable to entirely sit down at ease. The worry that the disease could be transmitted from human to Raeven made her a little anxious but surely the woman would not have come here if she really thought that she might unwittingly do harm to Roux.
From the bed came a sudden, reptilian shriek of joy, causing Chloe to jump comically, startled out of her deep revere of worry. Parfait had opened her wide eyes and spotted Alex, launching into the air and fluttering about her head, chirping and mumbling rapidly as though trying to talk to her. She finally landed on the Italian's shoulder, pressing her full face into her hair and promptly tangling her long cheek frills in the dark locks.
"O-Oh!" Chloe let out a small laugh, smiling.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:41 pm
"Me too," she said softly. She thought of Aphi and Isi, watching their two Raevans fight atop the roof. The woman made a mental note to call them when she left to see how they were doing, and maybe bring them a snack. Alex subconsciously pulled her sleeves down a bit further to cover the bandages on her arms, not wanting Chloe to worry about her or get a bad first impression of Zul.
When the pink-haired woman jumped, the Italian tensed in reaction; she knew that sound, but it felt like it'd been ages since she'd heard it. Parfait was suddenly zipping around her like a mad little jet, making the older woman erupt into equally joyous laughter. "Parfait!" she cried out happily, lifting her hands to nestle the dragonette against the side of her face. Alex turned her head a bit to kiss one of those frills, wishing she had a small mint or sweet on her, but she didn't, not since...
Green eyes blinked a few times, surprised to find them prickling with unshed tears. Alex moved one hand to wipe at her long lashes, embarrassment rearing up but not yet able to squash the sadness that welled in her. "Oh, Parfait..." she murmured, her smile trembling. She took a shallow breath, watery eyes turning to Chloe, explaining quietly, "Lorenzo passed away in July. I...I still haven't really let him go." Her vision got blurry as it returned to the happy little Gwee. "I miss him..." she confessed, one finger hooked beneath the little dragon's chin to scritch fondly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:56 pm
Parfait gave a small little croon of concern, picking up on the sudden change in her mother's emotions. She reached out a little claw'd hand and patted it gently against her cheek, licking away a salty tear. She let herself be stroked and cuddled, not that she'd ever protested against that kind of thing.
"Oh... Alex." Chloe's shoulders settled lower, her heart doing a slow loop downward. "I'm so..."
She fell silent as she realized Roux was floating passed her, towards where the other woman stood. She hadn't realized it but he'd been paying close attention to the conversation. He floated in front of her, keeping his distance (for he'd heard mention of the virus as well). Icy blue eyes looked her over.
He'd learned about this... sadness over having someone gone. "Sad to be gone but... have ice tea." He nodded as he spoke the recommendation. Finished speaking now he just watched Alex, trying to grasp at the feeling that was trying to surface.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:12 am
Alex murmured softly, "I'll be okay, little one..." Her smile was a fragile thing, a small tremble of sadness slipping through her eyes at how the Gwee reached for her. She ran her fingers up and over Parfait's head to rub just behind her small ear, feeling comforted by the little one's concern. Her eyes ached with the denial of tears, blinking the sadness back and lifting her gaze towards Chloe, completely and wholly surprised to be intercepted by Roux.
Stunned didn't quite cover the look on her features. She suddenly felt like it was Valentine's Day again, three years in the past, gazing at the haughty and handsome Frei manning the booth. He'd been so intimidating then, so unbridled and self-aware. To see him now was both humbling and a bit awe-inspiring; not only was he mindful of those around him, he seemed to have a sense of compassion. An awareness outside of himself. Alex was thoroughly shocked and twice as impressed, although she couldn't help but wonder what had made him change his mind...
The Italian blinked at Roux a few times, trying to process his recommendation. "Ice tea," she repeated slowly, "alright. I'll do that, just because you said so, Roux." Alex couldn't help but smile then, a faint but grateful expression on her face. It seemed, no matter when she ran into Raevans, they never were interested in humans, just each other. Roux had always been different, and he was special to her, for that. "Thank you," she added softly, genuinely touched.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:33 am
Chloe smiled, feeling pride well up within her. Roux had... he had come so -very- far. He still was prone to moments of furious anger and had a bad habit of being unable to forgive or forget when he felt like someone wronged him but he was slowly becoming more mellow. Talking with Roux wasn't as intense of an experience as it once was.
Roux nodded, satisfied that his message had gotten across and floated across the small hotel room towards the bathroom door, opening it. As he turned his back to the two women, if either had continued to watch him leave, they'd see a small smile break out across his face as he murmured a simple, "Snowdrop." to the catopuss that splashed playfully in the bathtub.
Chloe sighed, brushing hair out of her face as she turned back to Alex. Her heart sped up and she felt as though it had lodged itself in her throat as she took in a shaky breath. "Uhm. So. Uhm. How's... How's Rivener?" She turned a little to busy herself with a small mess Parfait had made of some berries, picking up the peels, stems and seeds that the little Gwee didn't like to eat. "Er. And Aphi?" She closed her eyes, continuing to pick up the dead fruit remains to hide her anxious expression.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:43 am
The woman nodded as the Sigel departed, giving a confused little smile at the name he uttered and the splashing she heard. Did Chloe have another pet? Alex would have asked, but Chloe moved on to another question, one that rather made her feel cold. Rivener, she thought to herself, glancing nervously towards Roux. Now was not the time to disclose the Scorpion's feelings; she'd leave that to the Raevan to decide upon.
"Rivener is doing well," she commented, deciding not to mention the virus again. "He grew, did you know? He's a gorgeous Sigel now. I...personally, you know, I haven't met him," she laughed a little, continuing to cuddle the Gwee on her shoulder, "not formally. Just in passing. He's usually busy with...other Raevans." Alex shrugged a little, careful not to dislodge her precious darling, hesitating a little at the part about Aphismet. "Gosh, what was going on the last you saw him?" she asked, none-the-wiser to the purpose of Chloe's question.
Alex thought for a moment before deciding to summarize as best she could. "He's a sous chef now! He...well, his hair is white," she said in a stumped tone of voice. She truly still didn't know what had happened there. "So is Isi's. And Eiry's a Sigel too!" Her free hand curled her fingers against her lips, thinking. It was hard to say what was 'new' with someone when you didn't really know what was 'old' to begin with. "I don't know if he still paints, I know he works nights." Why did she feel like she was missing something...? Hazy memories of Chloe's birthday party surfaced, but it didn't make much sense in her mind. "Why don't you give him a call, catch up with him in person? I bet he'd love to hear from you!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:07 am
Parfait cooed and crooned and sighed delightedly over the attention she was getting. It'd been so long since she'd seen her mother and it felt good to be scratched in just that -right- spot by her. Oh, ah. Life was amazing and perfect.
Chloe stood again, her back still turned to the other woman as she tossed the garbage away with a sigh. Call him... lord knows she'd tried countless times already. Usually she couldn't keep enough courage to let the phone ring more than once, and once she'd terrified herself when she'd gotten the voice mail, mistaking it as him. She smiled to hear the news, secretly cheering Good for you! when she heard of his new status as sous chef.
She finally found the strength to turn around, giving a small smile of excitement. "They're Sigal's now? O-Oh my I bet they're very handsome."
A flush spread over her face and she coughed into her hand. Would he really love to hear from her? Oh god she wasn't so sure... but she...
Chloe shook her head to clear it. "Well. Oh my... S-So much has happened, h-hasn't it. I'm s-so glad for all the good." She sighed, looking up at her friend with a shy smile. It was so good to be able to talk to someone.
"I missed... e-everyone." She gave a little hiccup of surprise as she realized she'd started crying, reaching up to brush the tears from a cheek.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:22 am
A soft chuckle escaped her at the light sounds the Gwee made. Oh, how she missed her dear friend, and she would always think of him when she was near any type of sweet, but at that moment, she was at peace. If...if she could give these dragonettes a home, if they could live and love as much as Parfait and Munchies, Alex would have no regrets. She would believe that Lorenzo was happy, to the very end.
Her green eyes rested on Chloe's smiling face, earning one of her own as she nodded to affirm the question. "They are," she agreed light-heartedly, "both so fantastic in their own right. But don't tell them I told you that, don't want it going to their heads. Rivener is already certain he's here to grace the planet with his smile." Alex laughed softly, nestling the dragonette closer and making a barely audible coo in return. The woman continued to nod at the words, although her expression slowly began to melt as her pink-haired friend began to tear up. What have you been through...?
Alex crossed the room, securing Parfait between shoulder and neck before wrapping her arms around Chloe in a light, affectionate hug. "We all missed you," she replied earnestly, giving the younger woman a sweet squeeze. "I can't express how much I've thought of you and wished you well. I'm just so glad you're back...it just didn't seem right, with you not here, without Roux." The Italian ghosted her lips over the pink hair. "Thank you for calling me, Chloe." You've been a beacon of light in these dark days, my friend, she added inwardly.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:37 am
Chloe hugged Alex tightly again, sighing as she quickly caught a hold of herself again. It wouldn't do any good to cry right now, she was happy, after all. "Of course. I couldn't really think of anyone else to call first." She chuckled as Parfait stuck her head over the side of Alex's shoulder to see what was going on.
Chloe let out a great sigh, suddenly feeling as though something had uncoiled itself from around her. Her eyes felt as though they had a million bags beneath them and she felt like yawning.
She hadn't realized she'd been so anxious over seeing someone who was her friend again. "Oh my. It's b-b-been a long day." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "I've been looking into r-r-renting a home or apartment somewhere near to the lab. I k-know I don't work there anymore, but... it's h-hard to be away."
Roux chose this moment to float from the bathroom once more, the little catopuss scuttering behind him with the sound of many suction pads and soft claws.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:59 am
Alex watched Chloe take a seat, nodding once again. She herself felt tired from the jolt of energy and adrenaline at seeing Chloe again, not able to imagine just what her pink-haired friend had been through and how trying it was on her. Moving was no small business - it was something she knew she was going to do soon herself, otherwise she would have extended an invitation to her dear friend, if even only for a while.
"Should I let you get some sleep?" she offered up, looking over towards Roux as he entered. "It is difficult, prices have gone uuuhmygod what IS that?" Alex practically squeaked the last part, taking a few uncertain steps back with saucer-like green eyes locked on the...the...very...fish...thing!! The Italian held Parfait carefully against herself again, not wanting to jostle and drop the Gwee as she did a little backwards skip to get a better look at the octo-feline.
Legs! And those eyes! Was it...purring?! The name the Roc had mentioned before popped into her mind. Swallowing, the zoologist ventured to guess, "Is that...Snowdrop?" Glancing side-long to Chloe, she commented in good-humor, "And I thought I had the exotic pets!"
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