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 Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:43 pm
Who: Lazarus, Alex, Zul
Where: Alex's office
When: Afternoon, mid January
Lazarus had been putting this off and dragging it for far too long. It had been more than a month since he was cured from the infection and Christmas is long gone. However, there is something about facing and apologizing to someone that you've known for a while that makes it that much more difficult to do so. Lazarus can't well explain why either, he had just been trying to avoid the issue subconsciously. Avoiding Alex even, when she works in the Lab and they are in the same building for a certain amount of time everyday. Yet he had not able to look at her directly and had only caught glimpses of her before he hide away somewhere in the shadows.
However, this must stop today, he can't be a coward and keep hiding like this forever. He must face his fears and regrets and atone for his sins; he must apologize to Alex today.
Or at least he hoped he has the courage to, as he floated outside Alex's office door quietly for the past five minutes, not making a move at all. The wrapping of the packages in his hands crumpled as his nervous grip tighten on them. He had to go in some time, he can't chicken out now that he is at her door already. Alex could be opening the door to exit the room anytime now, and it would be even more awkward then.
Fact is, aside from apologizing, Lazarus had something else he had to ask Alex as well... if she forgive him that is. He would swallow the question if she don't. But the Sigel had no one to turn to at this moment, he doesn't want to ask for Kyou's help, and he felt that Alex could help him with the issue better.
Which is what brings the firey Sigel to the front door of Alex's office at the moment. Well, it's now or never. Lazarus thought as he felt his heart beating loudly in his chest, his nervousness hiking. Raising a fist, he rapped on the door a couple of times. Then he waited for an answer, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:45 pm
She was pouring over the records again, trying to understand, trying to learn just a little more about the fel virus. It seemed to be what she spent the majority of her time doing these days, ever since the Raevan-to-be was entrusted into Zeke's care. Alex wanted to know everything there possibly was to know, so she might be prepared in case the worst should happen. The woman had faith and trust in the younger man, even if the odds were stacked heavy against him; each time her eyes turned over the documents that she nearly had memorized, she couldn't help but feel that there was another weight added to that pile. She would do everything in her power to take some of that weight off.
Alex rested her chin against her palm, fingers drumming over her lips, the report she had compiled at the end of events staring at her from the soft glow of her computer screen, her own lidded green eyes gazing with mild unfocus. How many times had she turned the events over in her mind, replayed every excruciating detail? From where it all started with Lazarus, to where it ended...with Lazarus. But that wasn't the end, not anymore...
The knock startled her, jumping a little in her seat and turning her now alert eyes towards the door. "Ah--yeah, comin'." Alex did a bit of a hop-skip out of her chair and opened the door, expecting to see Kyou, Zeke, or maybe even the ever-elusive boyfriend, but who floated there now completely caught her off guard. The woman tilted her head back a bit to look at the slightly taller Sigel, surprise riddling her features though it quickly wiped off in favor of a large grin. There was hesitance in her heart, but Lazarus was the same old Laz she remembered - aloof, independent, somewhat awkward.
"Hey," she said amicably, tilting her head to the side with an intrigued look at objects in the handsome Raevan's hands. "This is a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe the honor?" she teased, stepping back from the door and making her way back into the office as means of inviting the Sigel in. Alex rolled her stiff shoulders, lifting her hands above her head and stretching until she felt a satisfying pop in her neck. "Oof, I needed a break..." She gave a jaw-cracking yawn before she again turned to face Lazarus, settling her arms comfortably across her stomach, the appendages wrapped. Not being one to enjoy being over-heated, she wore her trademark tank top with plain jeans, her jacket slung over the back of her computer chair. She arched one dark brow over her quietly pleased smile, waiting.
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Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 2:56 am
Lazarus had expected awkwardness, irritation, or even resentment. This reaction however, was not expected at all. The Sigel just floated there, his eyes wide in disbelief as Alex stretched and relaxed as she strutted back to her seat. It was as if nothing had happened between them at all, like it was back to the old times before the Fel Outbreak. Lazarus felt like a rock had lifted from his heart and he felt relieved knowing this for a fact. Deep inside, he wondered if he should have came earlier so that he wouldn't mauled over himself internally for so long. He had ran this scenario over many times in his head, what would he say if Alex felt awkward, what would he do if Alex was angry at him and getting physical. But with the situation at hand, he felt a little at loss on how to react. Maybe he should just act normally? Since Alex is doing so.
He took a deep breath as he followed behind the Italian woman, shutting the door behind him gently as he entered the warm office. "I-I have something for you." The Sigel said a little nervously. Putting down the blue package at the edge of Alex's desk, he held out the red one with both outstretched arms. If one looked closely, they would be able to see that his hands weren't very steady, trembling slightly, perhaps from nerves.
"I had meant to give you during Christmas... but..." He didn't know how to explain that he was nervous to see her, so instead he just ended the sentence awkwardly as his eyes stared at the desk surface in embarrassment, not daring to look at Alex directly. "I hope this would be of use to you." Feeling a little braver, his eyes trailed upwards a bit and fell onto the wrapped arms of the Italian woman. Those were the burnt wounds that he remembered from the outbreak, they looked pretty bad back then. He knew that it wasn't him who made those wounds although he is capable of it, but he hoped that the scar healing lotion that he got for her would help in some way.
"I-I also want to apologize... for what I... I did during the virus outbreak." Lazarus stammered in broken sentences. Biting his lower lip nervouly, he waited for a reply.
(( The image is clickable to see the unwrapped version inside! ))
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:05 am
A dark brow began to lift at the way Lazarus was just kind of...gaping, even without his mouth being open. She almost thought to ask if she'd sprouted a second head, but something in the hesitant manner that Sigel moved kept the words from passing her lips. It was Alex's turn to be stunned when the Raevan stammered that he had something - for her? The Italian opened her mouth to make some sort of comment and snapped it shut as he continued, completely baffled.
Christmas? She had a good idea what the unspoken words on the Incubi's end were, her mind filling it in neatly: he didn't know if I'd see him. Hell, by Christmas, she wasn't sure herself if she'd wanted to see him, and inwardly, she commended the eldest Raevan for his forethought. Or perhaps it was just his nerves? Either way, she was grateful for his consideration, hands extending to accept the red-wrapped parcel. "Laz," she said softly, giving him a gentle smile, "you didn't have to. Thank you." She noted the way he looked at her bandaged arms and took the moment to unwrap the gift, not shredding it so much as pulling open the neatly sealed end and removing its contents. Once more, surprise riddled her features, wide green eyes turning over the lavender bottle in her hands. Scar lotion... It was...it was terribly thoughtful, and very personal, in that only five people on the planet knew what happened that day in quarantine. To say she was touched was an understatement.
The apology cut her thoughts short, but only served to cement that look of doe-eyed shock on her face. Alex stared at the Sigel for several moments, unblinking before she gave herself a mental shake, drawing herself out of her numb surprise and carefully putting the bottle down, the wrapping neatly next to it. She turned to look at Lazarus again, momentarily silent before the deepest, most maternal part of her won out; she closed the distance between them, taking his hands and giving him the most heart-felt smile she knew how. "I don't hold it against you," she said with perfect honesty. "What has passed is in the past." Her hands lightly squeezed his. "I forgive you, Laz. Forgive yourself, okay?" Her eyes sought his for understanding, hoping that he could understand that what she had said was the truth as pure and unfettered as she knew it.
"Thank you for the lotion," she added after a moment, just in case he wasn't ready to address her comment yet. "That's extremely sweet of you - I'll put it to good use." Alex released his hands, fingers ghosting over the bandages without meaning to; it had become automatic for her, a self-conscious habit that would stick with her for quite some time.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:21 am
Seconds felt like minutes as he waited for Alex's response, Lazarus could almost feel the edge of his nerves frazzling as he scratched his arms gingerly - a bad habit he developed when he's feeling nervous. The grip of his hands came somewhat unexpectedly. He cannot deny that there was still a hint of doubt in his heart, that Alex was still mad at him although she was not showing it. But the warm smile on the Italian woman's face washed all those doubts away.
"I forgive you, Laz. Forgive yourself, okay?"
For a moment, the Sigel felt like time had stopped at that instance as the words sank in slowly. His mind was blank, but his body felt... light, although at the same time he felt a pressure on his chest as tears welled up in his eyes. What was this feeling? Is this... relieved? But it was different somehow, more intense. Perhaps the words hit home harder than he thought. Unconsciously, Lazarus had been putting most of the blame on himself, and perhaps the person that he needed forgiveness from the most was actually him, not from others.
He sniffled once as he wiped at the welled tears in his eyes, trying not to cry in front of Alex. Tears, that was something foreign for the Sigel as well, having not cried before in his entire life. "T-thank you." Lazarus said meekly, his voice almost a whisper. A gentle, relieved smile spread across his lips as he chuckled feebly, more at his own embarrassment at nearly crying than anything else. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess right now." And it wasn't far from the truth.
His crimson eyes fell onto the blue package on the edge of Alex's desk then that he almost forgot. "Oh!" He exclaimed, grabbing the package with his hands. "This is for Zul, I-I thought he would be here that's why I brought it." Although he was actually glad now that Zul was not here. It would have been so much more embarrassing than it already was!
Lazarus actually had some trouble trying to pick a gift for Zul, since he don't know the Frei that well. He silently hoped that the gift would be to his liking.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:17 pm
Surprise lit her green eyes at it seemed the Sigel was prepared for a minor meltdown. Alex felt a sting of guilt in her chest as he wiped his eyes, her heart sinking. She was the human here. She should have understood better than most that despite his appearance, Laz was still young. He never should have been allowed to carry the burden of his feelings by himself. She should have approached him first! "Oh Laz," she murmured as he indicated a blue package, her gaze flicking towards the present before returning to his face.
Offering a soft sigh, the woman moved back to Lazarus and lifted her arms, wrapping them around his shoulders in a friendly hug. It was just that - a friendly, unassuming motion, thus chaste - and then it was over, ended with a light kiss to his cheek. "You're a good guy," she told him with a kind smile. "I'll give it to him when he comes back - I sent him out to get me some lunch." Alex carefully accepted the package from Lazarus, carrying it to one of the chairs in the room and placing it on the cushion where it couldn't be missed; Zul frequented the plush chair the most to read his magazines. He'd see it quickest this way.
Turning back to the Sigel, her smile still a touch apologetic, she tilted her head to the side and tried to make up for her lack of foresight for both of them. "Is everything else okay hun? I haven't seen you in a while - things aside," her smile took a brief twinge of something undefinable, "or heard of you from Kyou. Are you keeping yourself busy?" It would be nice, Alex thought, if Lazarus was living a bit more freely than the Frei's; even Zul was sent out into town without supervision for small tasks. Certainly Laz had some sort of life of his own outside the Lab?
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Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 8:50 am
A hint of a blush graced Lazarus's cheeks as Alex hugged him, it got a little darker when the Italian woman's lips met with his cheek. Under normal circumstances he would probably be flustered from such an act of intimacy, but at this moment he felt the complete opposite. He felt a sense of calmness, relieved. His lips quivered for a moment, and he smiled. It was gentle, a simple genuine smile. "Thank you." He said, his voice more calm and clear now.
The Sigel watched quietly as Alex took the blue striped package and placed it on a cushion nearby. That is somewhat of an odd place to put a paper package like that, but it must also mean that the spot is special to Zul, or else Alex wouldn't place it there. Lazarus snapped to attention when the Italian woman turned around and posed the question. "I-I'm..." fine. That was what he would normally answer to that query. However the word somehow got stuck in his throat, and he realized he couldn't say it, at least he wouldn't mean it anyway. Taking a gulp, he swallowed the word down his throat and re-pondered his answer.
"I'm... not doing so well." Lazarus admitted truthfully, he just couldn't bring himself to lie right now, even if it is out of courtesy. Floating a little backwards, he leaned himself casually onto the side of Alex's table, like how one would sit there if they had a backside. Busy. If only he knew how that felt like. One thing he had too much on his hands were time. "I... do grocery shopping for the Lab, maybe once every three to four days." He buys enough cakes to last Kyou a couple of days normally, and every trip probably only takes him two to three hours, more if he decided to travel further. "I had started mixing drinks lately." But Alex probably haven't seen him do so because he only felt safe sneaking into the kitchen when she's not around. "And... I watch TV, a lot of TV, in my free time." Sometimes he even resort to watching chick flicks.
Lowering his head, he looked at the floor as he pondered the following topic for this discussion. "But lately, I had been thinking a lot too." He said as his right hand scratched on his left arm absentmindedly. "Things that I shouldn't be thinking about, but it keeps bothering me. And then sometimes... I have these... urges." His crimson eyes trailed to his left hand as he curved his fingers inwards, then un-curving them again repeatedly in a gesture of groping. "I was... actually hoping you could help me." He looked up at Alex again, his brows slightly furrowed, sincerely asking for help, or even some simple advices would do.
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:56 pm
The smile was the greatest gift she could have received from the Incubus; it was real, it was honest, and more than anything, it made him look like he may have found some of that peace she was hoping for him. Alex smiled quietly in her own easy-going manner in return as she awaited the response to her question, her gaze attentive on his face. The good part about the Raevans being so much 'younger' in mentality was that she felt she could read them better. Lazarus' hesitant body language, his posture, told her much more than his words first did.
Her smile took a bemused quirk at the mention of Kyou's sweet tooth, but she didn't comment, as she herself was an enabler to his cake-fetish. The next part, however, earned a surprised lift of her dark brows, eyes both uncertain and impressed. She supposed he was something of a teenager now after all - though she always thought of the Sigel's more as young adults - so what was booze to them? Pushing aside the question of what the alcohol could do to their bodies, she tilted her head to the side and continued to listen in silence.
The reclusive sound in his voice; the curl of his fingers, and Alex suddenly felt her stomach fall. Closing her eyes for a moment to feign consideration, she pushed aside the memory of those hands. "Have you, ah," she opened her eyes to look at Laz again, "tried dating?" The Italian was at a bit of a loss. On one hand, she knew Lazarus was unique in his make-up and that he had to explore certain options to satisfy his...urges. On the other, she didn't exactly want to instruct the Sigel to have sex with--! When he didn't have--!! Awk-ward!
Biting her bottom lip, Alex tried to turn her question inward and away from the encroaching dangerous territory. When she felt anxious, like she had energy to burn, what did she do? A few answers came to mind, but rather than bombard the Raevan with questions and ideas, she awaited an answer to her mostly innocent question. "Are you able to go out with any of the other Raevans, or is the age difference a bit trying?" Alex smiled in an understanding manner, not able to really imagine Lazarus having a conversation or outing of substance with most of the Frei's she had met.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 1:20 am
Oblivious to Alex's worries encroaching dangerous territory, Lazarus just looked at the Italian innocently as he bit his lower lip, anxiously waiting for an answer, hopefully some sort of enlightenment to his dilemma. When Alex spoke however, it wasn't an answer at all, it was a question. Perhaps this is normal, maybe if Alex knew more about his situation she could pinpoint a better solution for him.
"I've... dated once." He confessed, remembering the date he had with Tariel. "But that was a long time ago." And not a very nice experience either as he thought about the horrible chocolate cake he had. Thanks to that date, he had developed a phobia to most sweet food especially chocolate as well.
When the Italian posed the second question, Lazarus pondered a bit before he answered. "I've went out with Rivener a couple of times. In fact, we went to drink at a bar just a couple weeks back." The Sigel chuckled as he recalled the experience that night, although his expression dropped and he made a face as he remembered the day after. "We had horrible hangovers the next day." Then the incubus went quiet again, who else he is close with and he considered as friends. "I've met and hung out with Xiu too, but only less than a handful of times. Me and Zave are good friends, but I haven't seen him in a while. And he seemed gloomy and troubled the last time I saw him."
And that was it. Lazarus frowned as he tried to recall someone, anyone that he could call as friends. Zul isn't exactly a friend, they fought once and talked less than a handful of times, friendly rivalry maybe? (although it was during the virus outbreak) Delia he had met twice, and they didn't exactly talked either. Tariel. What was she to him? They went out on a date sure, she is pretty cute too, but he felt like she was too young for him. It wasn't the age problem, but more of the mental state. Lazarus and Meli went through some rough patches as well, but he still he wouldn't consider their relationship as a 'friendship', since he barely knew her.
So that's it? His social circle is so small that he has less than a handful of friends? Frowning, Lazarus directed his gaze at Alex as he fell quiet, feeling kind of miserable at the moment.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:07 pm
"Ah," she commented softly as the Incubus responded, listening and weighing all his words. Alex felt a mix of disapproving maternal nature and a touch of youthful amusement at the mention of going for drinks, though she leaned heavily on the latter as Lazarus admitted that they had hangovers. Serves 'em right, she thought in a chiding but gentle manner, bemused. Maybe they wont depend on that so much for a social call.
The Italian crossed her arms, nodding as he finished. Her eyes unfocused as she began to think, having limited interactions and knowledge of teenagers outside her personal experience - and that was as far from normal as one could reasonably get. What could one do with a being composed of fire and sexual urges when they were only half-grown and limited? There had to be a way to spend that nervous energy, to relieve the anxiety and clear the mind...
There were artsy things, like her sculpting, that she did personally, but it wasn't very physical. It was more to put her mind at ease. She hiked, or went for runs, but that was impossible when you had no legs to use. Pursing her lips, Alex considered further: an activity to do with only one's arms? That did seem to limit events to more art-orientated devices, unless he wanted to do wall-climbing (which could be a problem with horns), or wake-boarding, or--
Alex bit the inside of her lip, green eyes blinking as she came back to herself. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? Smiling a bit more hopefully, she asked, "Well, to spend that energy in another direction, how would you feel about boxing?" Standing upright, she spread her hands and gave a crooked grin. "I may not look like much, but I'm pretty mean in the ring. I could teach you if you were interested." It was worth a shot, anyway!
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:12 am
Lazarus looked hopefully at Alex as she smiled, she looked like she had a solution for his dilemma. However his eyes grew wide when the words left her mouth. Boxing? Quite frankly, he was a bit taken by surprise at the suggestion. He was half expecting the Italian woman to throw him a bunch of self-help books or advice him to hang out more or something, you know, the generic stuff. Suggestions that Kyou would probably give him if he had went to him instead. He was thankful that Alex wasn't his workaholic nerdy guardian. No, Alex is waaaaay cooler.
Boxing.
It was true that Lazarus is interested in martial arts, he love watching action movies that features a lot of physical combat. Not that he likes violence, but like normal boys, he is genuinely fascinated by it and thinks that it is rather cool. However he knew that he can't learn martial arts because he doesn't have legs yet. So when Alex volunteered to teach him boxing, he was more than willing to oblige.
"Yes, yes!" The firey Sigel exclaimed with his eyes lighten up, being a bit more ecstatic than normal. "I would love to learn boxing!" He said as he got off his leaning position on the table, floating a few inches higher in excitement. The incubus knew that the Italian woman is physically active, what with the scars she accumulated for everyone to see, but he didn't know that she knew martial arts. Alex just got a lot cooler in Lazarus's books.
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:51 pm
Pleased laughter followed the Sigel's outburst, prompting Alex to nod and tuck some of her hair behind her ears. "That sounds good?" The Italian smiled, unable to help but pat herself on the back for an idea well received. "Then I'd love to teach you! If you really take to it, and...you know, when you get legs, because I figure that has to happen sometime...we can evolve it into kick boxing. But one step at a time, right?" There was no harm in enthusing the Incubus and his desire to learn; even though she had a bum leg, she could still pack a vicious kick, perfectly able and willing to teach Lazarus what she knew. If she couldn't, in the future, she could always get Lazarus in touch with the person who taught her, since Zul was working for him.
Clasping her hands together and wearing an excited smile, it was all she could do not to bounce on her feet as if she were the one receiving the lesson. "When would you have time? I have lunch coming up and if you want, we can go over the basics so you can get started! I'm not gonna lie to you Laz," she gave him a playfully critical look, "it's going to be a learning process. If you can see it through, though, it'll help you in a lot of ways." Again with getting ahead of herself! Alex chuckled under her breath, feeling the thrill of receiving a possible student to her care. Having only sparred with humans - and men at that - she wasn't sure how well she could go rounds with Lazarus herself, but she could certainly teach him all she knew when it came to the bags first.
"What do you say?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:59 am
Kick boxing, that sounds even cooler than boxing. For the first time since forever he couldn't wait until he grow legs, although he wasn't sure when will that happen since he had been a Sigel for three years already. But nevertheless, Alex is right, he could start from boxing first, kick boxing could come later.
Lazarus could only listen attentively as Alex spoke, nodding enthusiastically as her words echoed his thoughts. "I have time now!" The thought of being able to start as early as a few hours later made his heart beat in excitement; a different type of excitement per se, one much more like a little kid with his new bike compared to the more lustful variety. He nodded as Alex talked about it being a learning experience, he is fine with that. The Sigel likes to learn new things, whether it be learning a new drinks recipe or learning how to operate a new electronic equipment. And of course with martial arts, his eagerness to learn is probably doubled.
"Sounds awesome, let's start during lunch!" Then he paused for a moment, suddenly remembering something. "Of course I could wait until you finish lunch first." He may not have a 'lunch hour' since he only feed when needed, but he was sure Alex, much like Kyou and other human beings, prefer to have their three meals per day. He could wait patiently until Alex is done.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:49 pm
The Sigel's enthusiastic response made her laugh, clapping her hands together in delight. Pressing her fingers together against her lips, she couldn't repress the crooked grin that formed as the Incubus excitedly barreled on in wanting to get started. Alex hadn't seen such enthusiasm...well, since herself, really! It was refreshing for someone to be excited, especially over an offer that she made. Bouncing on her heels, she had to put on the proverbial brakes to make sure she didn't abandon her job post and run Laz up to the gym room right now! Glancing to the clock, she noted that it was lunch time. Reversing her previous thought and throwing the notion of brakes out the window entirely, she returned her attention to Lazarus as he spoke again.
Moving her hands and giving a dismissive wave, she grinned and bounded around her desk to grab her keys out of the drawer. "I can eat later, it's not like we're in a sales position," she laughed, swinging the metal ring around her finger as she closed the drawer with her hip. "For now, let's head up and I'll get you started on basic moves and watch you go through the motions." The keys ceased to spin, being held in her palm and jingled there with anticipation. "I'll bring in a book tomorrow for you to look over - for the proper names of the swings and some history. It's good stuff, I promise."
Alex moved next to the Sigel, feeling rather at ease for the first time in a long time, resting her free hand on his back. "Lead on Laz," she smiled at him warmly, "and we'll get started." Maybe the time would do more than just teach the Incubus how to box; maybe it could teach them both to forgive and forget.
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