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 Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:33 am
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 Day ShiftSeptember 27th
Running water was the first thing to bring Cruz from a dreamless sleep. The bedroom was dark, save for a dim nightlight on the adjacent wall and light beneath the far door in the corner. Two small shadows broke the horizontal line near the floor, which moved away once the water stopped. With a soft click, the light disappeared and he was left to bask in relative darkness.
The frei was drawn out of the comfort and warmth of blankets by the sound of clicking heels. Cruz floated to the bedroom door and opened it just a crack; it was still night time, according to the windows, but the sky was lighter than he last saw it.
Only a small light in the kitchenette was lit, leaving the rest of the apartment to bask in a sleepy glow. Minerva was moving around while Tango and Anita were still whiling away their time in dreams. There were two dark lumps on the fold-out mattress, huddled together. The croc smiled curiously and floated out into the living room just as Minerva opened the refrigerator door that sent more light around the room. Anita's face was buried well against Tango's fluffy back, shielding her from any offending brightness.
”Nerva,” Cruz said at a casual volume. Minerva whipped around from the fridge door with a finger to her lips and offered a soft 'shhh'. ”Nerva,” he tried again, quietly.
”Hi, Cruz,” she whispered while retrieving a thermos from the cabinet.
”Why awake?”
The mistletoe frei floated closely behind her, which seemed to give the woman pause. Regardless, she continued on her route to the coffee maker and poured some into the thermos.
”I have to go to work,” Minerva answered with muted amusement.
This puzzled the croc. He stayed just a foot or so away from Minerva and tilted his head. ”What work?”
”I work at a bank,” she explained while adding a bit of milk to her coffee. After replacing the carton to the fridge, Minerva gave a short laugh under her breath. ”Work is how we make money. It's what we do during the day.”
Cruz made a sound that suggested he understood but his furrowed brows told a more accurate truth. ”Neeta work?”
”Yeah, she works too.” Minerva screwed the cap onto the thermos and stepped out of the kitchen to retrieve her purse.
The frei continued to follow after, even as she dug out her keys. When she turned back towards the apartment, the croc's proximity gave her a start. Minerva clutched her chest and laughed breathlessly. ”Alright, I've got to go. You should go back to sleep.” There was a moment of fumbling as Minerva couldn't decide whether to give Cruz a handshake or a hug while juggling her items. A quick kiss on the cheek was given instead before she disappeared out the door.
Cruz's fingertips pressed against where her lips touched, still warm and pleasant despite the cool night air in the apartment. He floated over to the sofa and looked down at the two remaining members of the household. It seemed Tango wasn't asleep after all, as his tail wagged slightly upon Cruz's approach, but the pup was far from being awake and grew still moments after.
His ribbon traced over Tango and the covers keeping Anita warm. Cruz floated directly across the couch rather than moving around its perimeter. Anita was on her side, cuddled up against Tango with one arm draped over the dog's middle, which left a large enough space for Cruz to settle into. His chest pressed to her back and he mimicked the same arm draping as she had, though his movements took little care and he instantly felt her recoil against him.
”Neeta work?” he asked, still in his hushed tone.
Anita inched closer to Tango, but the suddenness seemed to offset his comfort and the wolfhound slid himself off of the mattress and onto his feet. While he shook of and went to his water dish in the kitchen, Anita squirrled herself away to the opposite corner of the bed away from Cruz.
”W-what?” she rubbed her face. Her voice was muffled and croaky, her words slow.
”Nerva gone. Work.” With both his guardian and their dog awake now, he dropped the low voice entirely. ”Neeta work?”
Her response took several minutes to form; Cruz watched her mouth open and twist in time with her thoughts. ”No... uh, yeah,” she finally stated. Anita rubbed her eyes. ”I-I work today but not until later,” she took a moment to squint toward the cable box's clock and give several determined blinks, ”A lot later.”
Cruz took up the lingering warmth Anita left while she spoke. Her words were slow and clumsy, not at all like how she handled herself before. The frei looked up at her from his new bundle of covers and, though details were difficult to discern in the low light, he could tell she was staring at him.
”I gotta take you in with me,” she murmured, running both hands over her face and through her hair.
”Don't work,” Cruz stated matter-of-factly.
Anita scoffed. ”I know you don't but I have to keep an eye on you.”
The croc let out a small rumble from his throat. He lifted just enough from the mattress to crawl with his arms to the top of the couch and peer over it. Tango decided to lay down on the floor near his bowls.
”Tango work?”
”No,” Anita gave a weak groan and lowered herself back beneath the covers, ”Just-- go back to bed. No work now. Need sleepy.”
Cruz stayed put with his hands and chin rested atop the sofa. He peered down at Anita as she curled into a ball, covers pulled around her so that only her hair was visible. The sky was getting lighter as the sun was waking up and he found himself not particularly tired. Once the sun was up, the day started – that's how things worked, didn't they? He didn't understand why Anita would keep sleeping past that, or why she and Minerva worked at different times, whatever it was they did. All the same, the mistletoe frei eased back onto the bed and pulled the covers over himself the same as Anita had.
Today was going to be a long learning experience for everyone.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:35 am
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Test DriveOctober 1st
The contraption was... big.
It was long, with a hollowed out backside that had various things stacked inside, large black circles on its underside, and two doors. Inside were various strange devices that seemed entirely alien to the crocodile, his green eyes scanning and scrutinizing their every detail. It seemed as though everything was labeled with the same white text, but only a few of them had images which made any sense to him. The stick figures helped, but everything else was completely indecipherable for the young, illiterate Frei.
His woman indicated how to work the body belt, plunging the metal end into a strange hollow bit and he immediately felt the restriction and pressure. "It's to keep you safe," she explained, and asked him to do his best not to squirm out of the belt's protective grasp. With a bit more questions, he came to understand that this strange thing was meant to get them from one place to another much faster than walking or floating. Essentially, it was the same as her bicycle, which he was somewhat fond of.
She turned the key and the engine roared to life. Cruz immediately sank back into the seat, digging his claws into the leather. His eyes were wide and fearful, watching the rumbling front end vibrate, and his jaw was clenched tight.
This was completely different from the bike.
"It's okay! You're okay," she reached out, holding his shoulder until he loosened his grip on the upholstery, "It does that because it needs power to move. The bike, I just peddle, but this is heavier and faster." He didn't really care. This was a roaring behemoth he was sitting inside and he could care less how it worked, but if Anita was the one controlling it then he would force himself to relax a bit. They never had any accidents while she was riding the bike with him.
It heaved as Anita pressed her feet to the floor and pulled levers. Spinning the wheel in front of her tilted the vehicle and Cruz hung onto his seat for dear life once they began moving -- slow at first but before long they were gaining pace.
He had seen cars, of course. He knew when they were crossing the street together he was supposed to avoid them and wait, and had been told that they could be dangerous if you weren't alert and careful. But to be inside one? To control one?
The very idea was absolutely horrifying to him at that moment.
For some minutes they drove slowly through neighborhoods, no clear destination in mind. She told him it was for practice and assured him that if he was still uncomfortable by the time she was technically done she would go home. Before long, a half an hour had passed and his white knuckled grip on his seat had relaxed to a faint hold.
"Well," she hummed, putting the thing in neutral, "How do you feel? You wanna go home or should I keep driving?"
His heart was still beating quickly, but through the fear there was admittedly something of a fascination that decided to worm its way past that. Seeing all of the scenery go by was completely enthralling, and one of the main things that calmed him down so much. That and the constant flow of hot air from the small vents was keeping him comfortable, calm and focused.
"...No."
Anita frowned. "No...more?"
"N-no," the Frei shook his head and leaned forward, gesturing towards the windshield and the roads beyond it, "Yes. K-...keep..." For lack of words, he made a rolling motion with his wrist and Anita's eyes lit up.
"You want me to keep going? You sure?"
A firm nod was given before he planted himself against his seat once more, looking expectantly at their surroundings.
 Screeching Tires
While getting Cruz used to the car, Anita takes him on a trip to Durem where they get a scare from a poorly conceived practical joke.
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:01 am
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Autumn ColorsOctober 5th
He had been bundled nearly from head to ribbon. The air was crisp and, as October moved in, chilly breezes grew stronger perhaps in effort to assist the trees in ridding themselves of their leaves. Along the beach it was not so but the park and anywhere far inland on Gambino Isle was swirling with yellow and orange. Most hint of green was gone now and Cruz found himself a little solemn about the change. It was already hard for him to stay out for long, even with being bundled up, so the idea of a coming Winter that would be even colder didn't sound the least bit exciting.
Today, however, the air wasn't too cold. He tucked his hands between his sleeves, hiding his uncovered fingers. Dexterity was important so, despite Anita's suggestion to wear full gloves or mittens, Cruz opted for fingerless so his digits wouldn't feel trapped.
They lead Tango through the park together, having walked all the way from the apartments. It was a slow paced journey and for the most part a quiet one. Cruz wondered if the cold air made Tango and Anita just as stiff and tired as it made him but the words were not all there to ask.
For most of the trip, the frei's eyes drifted toward the leash in his guardian's hand. It connected down to Tango's collar and he seemed wholly unfazed by the affair. As they passed more people, and other dogs, he came to understand that it was a connection of sorts. Many pairs of humans would walk hand in hand but dogs didn't have the same kinds of hands that he and these humans did. What if the leash was like holding a dog's hand?
In that case, Cruz wondered, why was his guardian holding Tango's hand and not his own? A mistake had been made, he was sure.
Cruz hovered closer to Anita's side. Her arm was swinging just out of synch with her steps. In a single moment, the croc slipped his hand into Anita's and folded his fingers into the spaces between hers.
Her entire arm went rigid and she nearly missed a step.
”Doing okay?” she asked a bit shakily.
Cruz smiled up at her and nodded. Her fingers remained splayed, not touching his own.
”Good... Um--” Anita glanced around the immediate area. The croc's eyes followed hers, turning his head to see what she was peering at. When neither of them found anything, Anita peered back at him. ”Do you... want to walk Tango?”
”Walk,” the young frei parroted. Weren't they already doing that?
When Anita seemed to pick up on his confusion, she held up Tango's lead. ”Do you want to hold him?”
”Ah,” while he kept a calm smile this whole time, it grew suddenly and pinched the bottoms of his eyes. Anita was asking if he wanted to hold Tango's hand, which of course was a question that only had one correct answer: ”Yes.”
That made her smile more easily, as well. She rolled the lead up some, causing Tango to slow his pace but not stop entirely. With a gentle but deliberate hand, Anita pulled their connected arms up and pried away from Cruz's grasp to exchange Tango's lead for her own hand. The croc glanced to his guardian when all contact between them was severed – her posture was almost instantly more slack compared to the stiffness he felt while holding on. Cruz frowned lightly until he noticed Tango glancing back at him. They were holding hands now, or as close as they could get in their current predicament, and that was absolutely not something to be frowning about!
Cruz grinned at the pup, who then let his mouth hang open. Soft puffs of white air came from Tango, guiding their way as he turned to face forward again. Maybe the cold wasn't so bad if it offered quiet times like these.
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:05 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:24 am
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O Christmas Tree
While the changes of Autumn had been a subtle build to Cruz, the shift following Halloween was almost instantaneous. From the television to stores and even people's houses, as soon as the spooky holiday was over things shifted to much brighter things; little men made of white circles, strings of multi-colored lights, and gorgeous lace-like patterns were suddenly everywhere.
By the end of November, most trees were barren. The palms refused to follow suit and kept their green leaves but there were no coconuts to be seen. Despite the still warm sun when it wasn't blocked out by clouds, the evenings and nights became quite chilled and the oceans waves were frigid. This made going for walks more difficult, as even with his bundling Cruz had to be more mindful of his time spent against the wind. Still, when they were able to, it was easy to spot all of the different decorations being loaded up.
”White,” the frei observed idly as they passed a set of hedges. There was a coating of something white atop them that, when Cruz touched, he found to be soft and fluffy in ways similar to Tango.
”It's fake,” Anita noted, ”We don't usually get snow here.”
When they returned home, Cruz urged her to explain snow to him and she pulled out her laptop. Several videos of pure white landscapes were viewed with rapt attention. The croc couldn't take his eyes away.
It wasn't long before other new concepts were introduced. Reindeer, a man in red, and all the decorations. Once December was in mid-swing, it seemed like everyone was gearing up for a Winter version of Halloween, only far less spooky. This holiday was less about dressing up and getting stuff, quite the opposite it turned out!
The more Cruz learned about Christmas the more he understood it as a warm time in spite of the growing cold, when people gave each other things rather than take for themselves, and spent time with the people they cared about most.
Of course, it turned out, the holiday was also about making things pretty.
Even their apartment turned into a Christmas paradise, though admittedly a much smaller sort than the big stores and places shown on TV. They got a wreath to hang on the door and a small fake pine tree as a centerpiece for the dining table. Lights were strung up over window panes and if ever there was music playing it was Holly Jolly and Silver Bells.
Minerva brought out a bag that looked about the same size as for carrying marshmallows but inside were various bits and bobs with a variety of shapes Cruz had seen about town.
”Want to make the tree pretty?” she asked the frei with a sly wink.
He spent upwards of an hour finding just the right spot on each small artificial branch for tiny wooden candy canes and plastic snowmen, strings of beads and lights and tinsel.
Gifts were a more difficult thing for Cruz to wrap his head around. Advertisements for sales were near constant but there was still the matter of money – he had none. Money came from jobs, he knew, and he was as unemployed as it got, except for Tango. How was he supposed to give things away if he couldn't acquire them in the first place?
”Make something,” Anita suggested as he pulled himself away from a snowman display in the food court of Gambino Mall.
This sent the croc's gears turning. He couldn't rely on Santa Claus, he knew that much after Minerva took the time to explain his part in all of this holiday cheer. In that case, making something sounded like the perfect alternative but what?
Christmas Eve came more quickly than Cruz could have predicted. He was positively vibrating with excitement by the time Anita and Minerva were turning in for bed. It was a mystery to him how they could possibly fall asleep when there was so much jolly energy in the air. And what was more, the curiosity of what was in the few small boxes gathered around their miniature tree was driving him mad. He had to remind himself, several times, that it was not the point of the holiday.
More than anything, he wanted to reveal his own gift.
When dawn finally broke – at least, when the sky first started turning light – Cruz pulled himself through the conjoined bathroom between his and Minerva's rooms. He settled at the edge of her bed and peered over it, nose pressed to the blankets. Several minutes passed with no response from the woman and he felt as though he might vibrate out of his skin if she didn't wake up. So, he took it upon himself.
”Nerva--”
She gasped and startled.
”Good morning,” Minerva laughed and reached out to pet his face.
”Christmas,” Cruz stated while rubbing his face into Minerva's hand.
”Oh, you're right. Merry Christmas, Cruz. Is Anita up yet?”
He shook his head firmly. Minerva chuckled. ”Go get her, then. I'll be out in a minute.”
The croc didn't need to be told twice. Cruz fluttered out the main door to Minerva's bedroom and into the main room, the living area, where Anita was sleeping sprawled across the sofa bed with Tango curled into a ball between her knees. He was the first to wake, lifting his head and twitching his ears before yawning at Cruz's presence.
”Nee-taah,” Cruz drew her name out, which seemed to startle her less than poor Minerva had been.
Anita groaned and stretched, pushing her face against the pillow. Her speech was garbled by it but Cruz discerned that she was asking a question, something about the time.
”Christmas time,” he announced resolutely as he drifted toward the dining table.
The wait between Minerva and Anita waking and being alert enough for the opening of presents was even worse than the whole previous night. It was just within their grasp but the girls seemed content to take their time and Cruz was mystified how they managed not to leap from their beds as soon as he reminded them.
Each gift was presented and opened slowly. Cards were read and giggles were had. Tango's presents were opened first, of which he received two: one was a rawhide snack and another was a new bandanna. He occupied himself with the rawhide while the other gifts were unwrapped; Minerva received a new egg timer and Anita got a new messenger bag to replace the old raggedy one she had all the way back from school.
Cruz grinned at all of their exchanges. When it came time to open his gifts, the frei found himself a bit perplexed. There was a greeting card with a lovely message that Minerva had to read to him, as well as a smaller card inside. A gift card, it turned out, that he could use in any store at the mall. Its price range wasn't the highest, she explained, but if he budgeted right he could get a lot of neat little things. In addition, Anita's gift to him was a hand-me-down: her old Nintendo DS.
Tight hugs were given to both, as well as to Tango (though he was much more interested in gnawing his pig ear than paying Cruz any mind). He excused himself to the bedroom so he could find a safe place for these new treasures, as well as retrieve his own gift to all of them.
”Ready?” he asked, peeking out from behind the door.
”Don't make us waaait,” Minerva whined. She was sprawled across the couch bed now, while Anita was seated at the dining table with the tree.
The croc chuckled as he floated out of the room with an armful of what looked like wrapping paper remnants and a single sheet of printer paper. Minerva scooted to the edge of the bed so she and Anita could lean close together and share in the presentation of the paper.
It was a drawing, stick figures with crayon, of each of them; Cruz in green, Anita in teal, Minerva in blue, and Tango in grey, each labeled in exceedingly messy scrawl. They were all holding hands under a smiling sun surrounded by two decorated Christmas trees. In as much of the empty space as he could fit were written various misspelled words such as Luv, Famly, Krismus, and Jally.
While the girls were busy deciphering his writing and cooing over his efforts, Cruz collected his wrapping scraps and tossed them into the air. They rained down like confetti, all sorts of misshapen snowflakes covering the tops of their hands, Tango's back, and the floor.
”Merry Christmas!” Cruz announced over a chorus of giggles. Minerva pulled him into a hug and collapsed on the bed, showering his face with kisses while Anita laughed from her chair. Tango leaped from his spot on the floor and abandoned his toy in favor of licking both of their faces.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:44 am
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