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 Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 6:42 am
Who?: Vivi, Phiel, and Zurine
Where?: Vermillion bakery
When?: Early afternoon. Phiel's day off!
The day had broken overhead all humming-cicada dead heat, which was not pleasant for either Phiel or Zurine, in truth. The bodyguard hated the early approach of spring -- the temperature on the island was never quite cool enough for him, and if it was hot for Phiel, it was almost guaranteed to be too warm for Zurine. The pale, icy owl Frei seemed deeply irritated by this development, and as a result, both of them had been walking surrounded by a decidedly chilly breeze even on this unseasonably hot day. Though it could easily have been remedied to a certain point, she refused to use the car unless it was absolutely necessary, and Phiel supposed he could understand that. Many beings -- he just barely stopped himself from thinking people -- weren't fond of cars in general, and whether it was the enclosed space, or the incongruous sense of motion, or some combination of the two that bothered Zurine, he would still let himself be swayed into indulging it for now.
Though the day had started off as an aimless trip simply to get out of the house on Phiel's day off, it rapidly turned into something else. What Zurine wanted, Zurine got, and what the icy little frei wanted most of all, it seemed, was to go into every single store they passed. This included, unfortunately, more than a few stores that drew strange, strange looks when they were entered by a man of Phiel's stature, when accompanied by a... woman of Zurine's. It had boggled Phiel's mind to realize that there were in fact four stores that specialized in the sale of women's undergarments on this street. He had, much to his own chagrin, been in each and every one. It was fortunate that his pretty charge had not yet figured out that these things could belong to her.
However, Zurine had only wandered perhaps ten feet ahead of her bewildered guardian as they stepped out onto the street before something more caught her eye -- from behind the bright, polished plate-glass of a window ahead, Zurine's keen black gaze caught sight of something very interesting indeed. After the gaudy pink and black of that last shop, the sight of something more tasteful -- if only marginally -- was a marvel.
"That one, Phiel," indicated the pale owl frei with the point of one delicate hand, her expression set and calm. "We go in." It was not a request, and though Phiel wanted to balk, it was hardly worth it to upset her. After all, how many things did she request of him? Besides, the café ahead looked inviting, if ordinary to his gaze (and certainly cooler than the street) -- and it was always intriguing to see things through Zurine's eyes.
"Vermillion, hm?" Phiel replied with a little sigh as he broke into a brief jog to catch up with his fixated charge as she made a beeline for the place. "Perhaps I can obtain a nice cup of coffee there."
"Coffee," said Zurine archly, reaching out for the door and pulling it partly open before Phiel could reach around her and tug it the rest of the way, "is very not good. Too hot."
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Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 4:20 pm
"Welcome~" chimed a voice from inside the bakery, the easy tones blending with the melody of the door's tiny bells. A bloom of cool air welcomed the incoming pair, and all the air and scent in the bakery drifted toward them, light and pleasant, to join in their welcome. In all the heavy stillness of the sudden outside heat, Vermillion was refreshing in its delicate wafting sweetness.
It was clear at a glance that the heat had made itself felt that day throughout the bakery's patronage; already, the four ice cream flavors were nearly extinct, as well as almost anything chilled or lemon-flavored. The heavy chocolates stood firmly in their dark thick lines where they had been placed, while all around them their fruity compatriots had fallen swiftly. Behind the counter, a dark-eyed sylphlike woman was handing a wilted runner a tall cup of iced coffee with a sympathetic sort of smile.
This woman had given Phiel and Zurine their welcome, but it was only after she had handed off the iced coffee that she had really gotten a chance to look at the incoming patrons. Her pretty face burst into a smile as she noticed Zurine in all her delicate beauty, her gaze holding not curiosity but admiration. She nodded respectfully at Phiel, still flashing her wide, lopsided smile, but remained professionally silent -- except to comment (perhaps to herself) in her thick accent: "Waa, elle est tres tres belle~"
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Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 8:29 pm
"Thank you," replied Phiel as they entered, chuckling quietly as they found themselves surrrounded in the lovely bright ambience. This café was unlike any other he had quite had occasion to enter before, luminous and decked out in a decidedly precious fashion, putting Phiel in mind of a child's storybook. And the sweet, mellow warmth of chocolate and baked goods made Phiel's mouth very nearly water. He felt his tongue flicking out to moisten his sun-baked lips, and he hummed pleasure. Oh, he would have to remember where this place was, especially come winter.
Still, it was Zurine's reaction that was the most surprised -- as they entered the cool, scented sweetness of the cafe, she spun in what was almost a pirouette, drawing in a deep breath as if she would carry the scents into her and keep them there. A sweet smile curved her lips and her eyes were wide. When she let out a breath, it was cold, a fresh rush of frigid air. "I like, here," announced the pretty pale frei, turning her dark eyes to the woman who had commented, tilting her head. "What?" Her voice was quiet, sweet, well-mannered right now as she shifted her wings.
A little chuckle escaped Phiel as they approached the counter, one of his large gloved hands resting on Zurine's shoulders. "Hello," he replied quietly, his voice warm and amused. "Pardon my young charge. It would appear she likes your decorations."
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Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 9:15 pm
"Is this a thing that needs pardoning? It is quite a lovely thing, I think!" the Frenchwoman replied with a lopsided smile, friendly and fluid and sure, and ducked into a little half-curtsy from her place behind the counter. She turned that smile from Phiel back to the ivory Frei, and again her guileless admiration was clearly written on her face.
How interesting, she thought, was the variation in the guardians chosen by the lab. She wondered, did that mysterious doctor who pulled the strings behind the curtain really know who he was choosing? Did he have some way, perhaps, of matching people with their Raevans? She all but bit her tongue to refrain from asking the newcomers all the questions that floated through her mind; every time she came across a guardian, she wished and wished again to make great friends and confidants of them.
"Here likes you as well, mademoiselle. What is your name? I am Vivi, the owner here." She gestured with flourish to her surroundings. "Welcome, indeed~! May I tempt you two with anything, perhaps?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 12:54 am
"Name? Mine is Zurine," said the delicate icy frei with a smile, tilting her head as she continued to marvel at her surroundings with sweet, near-childlike joy. Zurine had never been any place like this. Phiel's home certainly lacked such fascinating things, and she pouted faintly at that thought. Perhaps he could be persuaded to change that, if she was clever enough. "Is good to meet, Vivi." Her little curtsy was, perhaps, not as elegant, but she certainly seemed pleased with herself when she'd done it.
"I'd like an iced coffee, actually," Phiel said with a chuckle, watching his delicate charge's antics with surprisingly gentle grey eyes. His affection showed on his face, which was flushed with the heat of the day, and his smile was warm. "That is, if such a thing is available here?"
Pulling a (decidedly delicate) face, the dainty raevan shook her head at her guardian's drink order. "Ice," she said softly, her lips pursing softly. "Zurine wishes for two ice, please...?"
"Ice cubes, she's after..." Shaking his head, her guardian could only smile.
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 3:43 pm
"A pleasure indeed, mademoiselle Zurine~. " said the Frenchwoman with every evidence of earnestness, incredibly charmed by the Frei's manner. What an absolute doll, she thought to herself as she gathered up a couple of glasses for the two. The Frei's graceful little movements and slender pretty arms reminded Vivi of a ballet dancer; visions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker danced fluidly through her mind.
"An ice coffee and two glasses of ice cubes, yes? I think such a thing can be managed! How strong would you like your coffee, monsieur?" Vivi asked as she moved to fill the glasses with the pair's orders, gliding swiftly but unhurriedly behind the counter. She ducked for a moment out of sight and there was the popping sound of a freezer door being pulled open, and then she appeared again, a few ice-cube trays in her hands.
In one tray, there were little green mint leaves suspended in the cubes; in another, teeny scarlet raspberries. These ice cubes Vivi generally used to add a touch of flavor to tall glasses of plain lemonade, but in this case, she figured she may as well offer! Vivi lifted up the selection to Zurine, a little doubtful. "I am not certain what a Raevan does or does not enjoy, I am afraid -- would Zurine like her ice with a little flavor, like this? Or perhaps simply plain would suit her better?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:52 am
"For me, as strong and dark as you've got," said Phiel with a chuckle, shaking his head. "I've got a terrible adoration for coffee, I'll confess. Bitter or not." His smile widened, quick as a flash, and then was gone, settling back into his more sober demeanor as if it had never been.
At the sight of those interesting cubes, Zurine raised herself a bit, floating forward slightly to look more closely. Her lips pursed into a curious, delighted O, and her head tilted, eyes widening -- though the pupils contracted in focus, a decidedly owlish affectation. A dainty pink tongue touched those lips, eager to taste, but she restrained herself. "Zurine would like to try," she breathed happily, and then a moment later, when Phiel arched a brow at her, she added more politely, "please...?" She smoothed her hands delicately along the feathery front of her clothes, almost preening in a way. Though she was a terribly independent creature, Zurine did like it best when Phiel was happy with her.
"Not too many," Phiel said with a chuckle. "I don't know how actual food will affect her... I haven't had the chance to ask. Things have been a bit... slap-dash and rushed into, I'm afraid. But worth the learning."
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:07 pm
"Quite black for the cafe, of course," Vivi said obligingly, suppressing a rather girlish sigh that was building in her chest. The owl Raevan was gifted with an almost miraculous amount of grace and beauty -- all Raevans seemed to be rather gifted in attractiveness, but Vivi had yet to meet one that rivaled the petite bird's sheer willowy elegance. Her own excitement at her eventual guardianship warmed and fluttered in her heart.
"Which of these do you enjoy, monsieur?" the Frenchwoman asked Phiel, taking out from beneath the counter a small clover-shaped dish that held three samples of coffee beans. She had not missed that brief grin of his, and now showed her own in return as she set the dish before him on the counter and began to prepare the Raevan's meal.
"Slap-dash?" She laughed at the word more than anything, making conversation as she carefully filled a glass two-thirds of the way full with plain ice. The lab, haphazard about its guardian training? From everything she'd heard, that did indeed sound like the norm. She shook her head helplessly, setting some raspberry and mint-filled cubes gingerly atop the rest. This way, if the human-endorsed flavoring did not meet with the Raevan's approval, there would be plenty left for the owl to eat. "My goodness, and it had been my previous hope that perhaps I would get a manual when my Frei is to be born. But this is not the way of the thing, non? A shame."
Had she mentioned to Phiel and Zurine that she was a guardian, too? The thought slipped Vivi's mind completely as she offered the glass of mixed ice cubes to the Frei with both hands, her accented voice cheerful as she asked: "Does Zurine approve?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:27 am
Accepting the dish with the samples, Phiel sampled them while watching the woman prepare Zurine's lunch. Selecting one -- a medium roast with lots of body and fragrance, he indicated it. "This one, if you please, madame." His French was good enough for as least that, he thought wryly. "No, we do not get manuals, though I wish it were so. We are left, for the most part, to muddle through on our own. Though there is, of course, a number given for panic situations... the little things, such as trying to teach them to speak and the like... Those things are for us to figure out. I suppose it is like taking on the care of a child."
Phiel's words trailed off, and he looked thoughtful for a long moment. Zurine delicately laid her hands on the counter, lacing slender fingers together neatly and lifting her head. Her nose twitched slightly at the scent of the flavored ice and the feel of the delicious coolness drifting off it was wonderful. When she was offered the glass, she gratefully bobbed a little half-bow and drew it into the shelter of her chilly little body, possessively. Dainty fingers plucked out a mint cube first, and she hummed curiously, poking out her little tongue to taste curiously.
The faint hint of mint was clearly pleasing, because Zurine's eyes widened, and without further delay, the cube disappeared into that dainty little mouth. There was no sound of crunching, only a soft, tiny puff of warm, very slightly minty water-vapor that escaped her half-parted lips. Those dark eyes sank shut with pleasure. "Mmmmm," sighed the frei delightedly. "Approve is good?" She looked to Phiel for assurance, and when her guardian chuckled and nodded, Zurine smiled her sweet smile at Vivi. "Yes. Zurine approves much."
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:08 pm
The care of a child.
That seemed to be what it always boiled down to; whomever she spoke to, whatever she observed, the care of a child was all that seemed to be repeated. Vivi wasn't certain why that news would surprise her -- and continue to surprise her, every time she heard it -- except that Raevans didn't look like children, regardless of how they acted. Just a trick of the eyes, she supposed, hitching up her lips in a smile as she watched Zurine's delicate little feast. Just at trick of the eyes, that these creatures could be given such mature looks but such adorable, such pure, such immature souls.
"I suppose this is true for all of the people who take on another living thing beneath their wing, n'est pas?" Vivi observed, lacing her fingers together thoughtfully as she turned her gaze back to Phiel. "Muddle through -- I like this term very much! Very evocative, I think, and quite true. I will try to remember it."
And her gaze fluttered back to Zurine, that lovely creature -- everything she did was a delight! Vivi could not comprehend how it was that Phiel didn't spend all his time in wonder of her. "It is my pleasure entirely, mademoiselle~! And now, if you shall excuse me, I shall fetch monsieur his cafe." Vivi curtseyed slightly (it seemed only natural, somehow, to curtsey to that worthy) and turned away with a wide, playful smile.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:08 pm
"Thank you, miss," Phiel said softly, smiling. He was happy to speak with people on the subject of his charge. She was a delight to him, the fragile-looking strength of her making him feel clumsy and huge, and as he watched, Zurine proceeded to delicately eat each ice-cube, one by one. He'd been just as stunned and amazed as Vivi had for the first few days, and even now, sometimes he would look at Zurine and feel his heart drop out of the bottom of his chest at the knowledge that she was his to raise and care for. Such a great responsibility and such a great privilege, he thought, smiling.
"Phiel," Zurine said, after a moment. "Can make these? More." She shook her glass delicately, with the soft tinkling clatter of the final remaining cube shaking about inside. Her eyes were wide and reproachful, disappointed; she seemed to huddle in, almost poutily. "Please?" She then turned her eyes to Vivi, also, expectantly.
"I... would imagine it wouldn't be too difficult," Phiel allowed, a little bit unsure, "but you shouldn't eat too many..."
At that, Zurine ruffled her wings with the soft icy sound of frost, and looked away, quietly displeased.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:00 pm
In another moment, Vivi returned, her hands cupped around Phiel's coffee cup. As she settled it in front of the man, her eyes darted back toward Zurine, at all her sweet delicacy, even in displeasure. She thought back to a story she loved in her childhood, about a white queen of winter -- how would that author's view had changed if he could see this! There was nothing sour about her, even now, even in her childish motions; she was soft as snow falling at midnight and just as thrilling.
"Perhaps one or two more, for the flavor, yes?" Vivi offered, taking out a pair of tongs and refreshing Zurine's glass with a few more cubes. "And it is simplicity itself, monsieur, to make such things -- just a little tray, a chiffonade of mint, and the water. The freezer does the rest!" She nodded at the bodyguard with confidence.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:13 pm
"That does not sound too hard," Phiel said with a sigh, as he gestured, giving Zurine permission to eat up the fresh cubes. He cradled his cup with pleasure, watching his charge and sipping at his own drink. "She does seem to love them more than normal ice..."
In fact, Zurine was quite pleased as she drew another tiny cube into her mouth, exhaling sweet, minty steam. Her wings folded again, and she settled. "Delicious," she sighed softly, looking at Vivi with bright eyes. "Yes yes yes. This always."
"It's good to have found something she likes this much. Normal clean ice from the freezer at my house is good for her, but I guess it hasn't enough flavor for her." Phiel's voice was dry and mild as he looked down into his coffee.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:49 pm
Vivi tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she nodded. "Ah, I am so glad to have helped! The clean ice alone -- the only flavor that it has is its clean!" The Frenchwoman wrinkled her nose and then laughed. So many other flavors! To only have one food to choose from was hard enough in Vivi's eyes -- but to be unable to flavor it? How terribly boring that seemed... "What of your cafe? Has the little beauty had a bit of ice coffee before?"
Vivi inclined her head slightly, politely, to Zurine.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:26 pm
"No, she hasn't," Phiel admitted. "Not with me, at least..." Sipping his coffee, he looked over to Zurine, who was bobbling the cubes delicately about in their glasses. The soft tinkling seemed to please her. "Would you like to try this?" Carefully he set the cup down, and slid it over closer to Zurine. The frei turned her attention to it, setting her own cup down. Carefully, she wrapped delicate hands around the cup, and lifted it.
"Is cold," Zurine said softly, leaning in. Her dainty pale nose twitched as she sniffed softly, and then carefully, she drew a little sip into her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, exhaling a soft puff of fragrant, coffee-scented vapor. "Approve!" she peeped, excitedly, her eyes widening.
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