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 Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:36 pm
Who: Anastacia, Anita, Cruz, and Zeke When: Tuesday, September 20th at half past two in the afternoon after this event Where: Lab 305 Weather: GAWGEOUS OUTSIDE
The phone call came to an end and what energy it took to make it was spent. Zeke collapsed into the swivel chair that had been abandoned behind him, a loud gasp of air leaving him as he settled. His chin rested on his chin and his eyes closed, giving him the appearance of a man at rest...but only for a moment. Within the next minute the vet was again a flurry of movement, the actions coming in the form of twisting the chair to and fro, spinning his seat around at high speeds, tapping his feet hard against the linoleum flooring, and shaking all over. At one point he even bit down on his bottom lip, chewing lightly on it and his piercing there as he reacted to the situation as was fit. He couldn't believe it but it was true: Anita's kissing crocodile was here, awake, and waiting just down the hall!
While Zeke was in the throws of delight and excitement, Anastacia was situated right at the other end of the spectrum. Her guardian's actions and reactions in the whirlwind he had created were not smiled upon, and even though he was slightly quieter than before her focus and expression toward him did not change. What's more, her thoughts didn't change from the ones she had had when Zeke first started acting like a fool: What the hell was he getting so excited over? Clearly now after the phone call she knew it was a pick up but it was just that - a pick up. Something that happened every so often and she had been witness to herself at least twice already. Zeke did get charged up about the pick ups, sure, but not like this. He was having a bloody meltdown! Thus it was suffice to say it was annoying to the nth degree and then some. For her own sanity, she would put a stop to it.
Digging into her knitting bag - never far and thankfully so now - Anastacia pulled out another ball of yarn. Zeke already had two in his possession, one on the floor and one being squeezed like a toy in his hand, but as the saying went the third time was the charm. It also would help that the sphere of woolen string she held in her fist was the largest one in her possession. If this didn't work...Well it would, so that was that. The moment he stopped twirling like a top she'd put all her umph into her swing and lob it at his head...and she hoped that would be soon because the man just started making a high pitched 'eeeeeeee' noise that only got higher the longer he spun and continued to do so. She waited, but as it was her patience was running thin. Zeke was giving no signs of slowing down or even halting and it wasn't long before Anastacia decided to "******** it" and just hurl the ball of yarn at her guardian. It sailed in an arch over the space between the couch and Zeke's desk and hit its mark. The ball smacked down on the top of Zeke's head just to the right of his poignant mohawk, made a satisfactory thump, and bounced off toward the vicinity of the lobby door that led into the vet's weekend office.
With the cause there was an effect and as Anastacia had hoped, Zeke came to a fast stop. A hand flew to his head to rub the offended area and it wasn't long after that that the vet's eyes came to rest upon the spindly Frei floating nearby once more.
"Anya!" He cried, displeasure lacing his tone and making the Frei's name come out on something similar to a whine. "Why did you do that?"
The question struck the spider Frei as an affront. Why had she done that? WHY HAD SHE DONE THAT?!? She should have crossed her arms over her bosom and given him a leer, but she was left looking flabbergasted instead. Her arms hung at her sides and she openly gaped at the man, eyes wide and jaw hanging ajar. Like Zeke had done on the phone just a few minutes ago, her jaw worked to speak words but nothing came out and left her looking like a fish out of water. He had just...It didn't compute!
"I..." she finally began, and with one word out the rest soon followed. "You just...You...You're making a fool out of yourself! Knock it off!" Where Zeke's words had sounded like a whine, Anastacia's were every bit as sharp as she intended. If she had hips her hands would have rested upon them, but instead she did what she should have done before and instead folded them beneath her bosom. A glare came right after as intended and worked well to make the Frei look every bit as pissed as she truly was. His childish behavior ended now. "And give me my yarn back."
"A fool of myself?" Zeke blinked as the words hit him. They were sharp and did sting against his blood-filled ears but they and Anastacia's appearance did not cut into him as intended. The vet looked puzzled for a moment but then the smile came back tenfold. The third time was not the charm. "I know I am! I can't help it, but that's the point Anya. I'm excited, and you should be too!"
Zeke sprung to his feet, eyes lighting up further and making the caramel brown color look more like an orange. A thought struck him as his statement came to an end, and dammit all if it wasn't somehow fact! Jittering with each step, he cleared the distance between himself and his Frei, holding out the ball of yarn he had been squeezing to her. The other two balls - even the heavy third one - were not on his radar right now. Instead, he was fully encompassed by everything else and his face took on a dreamy zeal that made Anastacia's face slacken once again.
Why on earth did she have to be saddled with this one? Of all the people she had this one as her man. He was attentive to her, loving, and let her do as she pleased, but he was also overly chatty and got too excited over the littlest, stupidest things as he was clearly showing now. Now that he was standing before her she could eye him all the better, but instead of continue to criticize and nitpick him, she could only take the item he offered her and attempt to recollect herself. Again.
"Why should I be excited?" She asked the moment she had picked herself up, brushed herself off, and moved two steps away from him. Now that she was back on the ball, her haughtiness came with it and Anastacia easily moved into looking down her nose at her guardian. She had no reason to act like a blithering idiot and there was no chance in hell she would at all. Besides, she didn't recall meeting any Anita and any Raevan owned by such a person was no matter of hers. This was Zeke's job after all. She was simply along for the ride.
With Anya's remark, Zeke was now the one left gaping again.
"Why should you be excited? Why shouldn't you!" Enthusiasm didn't take long to come back from its walk out the door it seemed. When it came back it brought a friend - overly dramatic motions. Zeke put a palm to his forehead, looking swept away before realizing that Anya couldn't be aware of her history with the Raevan down the hall. He had never told her. With that in mind, the palm to his brow joined its opposite in an outstretched fashion as Zeke flapped his arms in his shock and awe and need to explain everything NOW. The very action sent Anastacia floating back from him more, looking as though he was insane. "You two were in your tanks at the same time and grew together. You were born before him of course but...You and him...You're like his big sister, Anya!"
The sudden thought he had came out right then and stretched his grin to painful levels. Zeke didn't care about the hurt - relished it in fact - and trilled with delight to hear it spoken and out in the air. Now that it was said, it was hard fact in his mind. Anastacia was the unnamed Crocodile's big sister.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. She needed to get out of this room and go somewhere within the Lab that wouldn't infect her with Zeke's insanity and stupid. Pronto. The very idea of it alone was mad and with Zeke's antics both preceding and following it was enough to make her want to stab something. That wasn't ladylike at all and even she knew the benefits of just leaving a room until it all sorted itself out. This wasn't to say she wouldn't return later on that afternoon and be pleased with him, but it would help her clear her head of her guardian's far-too-unusual-for-comfort ways and words.
Yes...That sounds good. She knew of a small potted plant in one of the unused offices that had come down with a case of something delicious and immediately decided to make that room her hovel for the time being. Food, quiet, lack of retardation...It was a good place. A safe place. A place to avoid everyone and everything until well after this Anita-person and her Raevan were gone for good. Without even the barest sting toward her guardian's ludicrous suggestion, Anastacia pivoted on her ribbon, angling herself for the door that led into the bowels of the Lab, and started her float toward her goal. Peace, quiet, food. Peace, quiet, food...All she needed and more. A perfect place to detox herself.
The silence could have been expected - and in another time or place it usually was - but Zeke didn't care about that as he watched Anastacia move toward the door. If joy had been across his features this entire time, then they needed a new word for what he was feeling and displaying on his face right that moment for what he saw. It was amazing! Anya was really...
"You're gonna go see him?!" It was pretty much shouted at the Frei's hourglass-marked back and made her flinch in response. Glares and haughtiness were replaced by dead set apathy but that was betrayed by how Anastacia wrenched the door open by its handle.
"No," she hissed, pulling the door hard enough that it locked open into place. Part of her wanted to tell him her true reasoning, spit it out full, but another told him it'd just bounce off his overly thick skull and be a waste of her breath. She listened to that part. "I'm hungry." And with that she left; eyes on the prize and nose pointed toward the scent of sickly plant life that lurked just behind a door down the hall.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:49 pm
In the calm, quiet and empty office lay a lone half-a-figure sprawled across a small couch. His long nails gently kneaded the edge of the sofa cushion it was resting on, keeping him just on the edge of remaining awake while his eyes threatened to close. The new Frei's head was swimming, his breathing slow and shallow, and still the events in the last hour seemed almost dream-like.
He had opened his eyes, he remembered, and felt an immediate relief in temperature. The cold tank he had been in, as his body recalled rather than his unconscious mind, had been sporadically getting colder until the frigid temperature was so freezing it felt as though he were being stabbed. The mistletoe Raevan practically fell into the warm arms of another male and the probing that followed was intrusive but more acceptable than the cold from which he had awoken. His ears and eyes were checked, his mouth and throat had a strange light shined down it, a cold metal circle was pressed against his chest, but whatever was happening to him didn't seem bad so much as intrusive. As soon as it all began, the examination ceased and he was brought into this room to rest and "wait". The words had practically flown in one ear and out the other as he settled himself onto the welcoming warmth of the sofa's fabric.
While it was more warmer outside of the tank, this place was not a huge improvement. He felt sluggish and tired, his body unresponsive, and there was a slight clamminess that caused his skin to look more pallid in the current light. All he wanted to do was go to sleep but he felt as though he had been asleep for so long... and he had to wait. Though he didn't know why or for what, he felt the authority in the voice and understood that it was important, whatever it was.
Vibrant green eyes slowly scanned the room, finding the closed door as he heard muffled voices behind it. A dull click sounded, causing him to twitch into a slightly more alert state. His eyes remained half lidded but the Frei pulled his head up to stare at the door warily. Was this the man in white again, or perhaps the warm horned male? Was this what he had been told to wait for?
Instead, neither familiar figures entered the room. The door was opened by a pale, black clad female that caused his eyes to widen in interest. In particular, his gaze honed in on her ruby red lips and his rune pulsed powerfully, sending a shiver up the Raevan's spine. Gently, his claws dug into the cushion beneath him while the small green wings upon his back shuddered stubbornly, wanting to assist in his rise. Beneath the overhead lights, she appeared starkly pale compared to her dark attire and her violet hair stood out strongly against the backdrop of the office. As he managed a weak and slightly off balance approach, he took note of the dots upon her brow which he assumed were jewels of some sort. In a matter of seconds, he hovered before the spider Frei -- his eyes never left her alluring lips.
Again his rune thrummed and a hollow feeling coursed through him so quickly that he nearly reeled. A low, predatory growl rumbled quietly in his throat as he held his arms out gently to balance himself before holding them out toward Anastacia in an attempt to cup her face.
Yes... Surely this was what he had been told to wait for.
The crocodile leaned close in an effort to connect their lips, his base instinct overwhelming all other thought. He needed to feed and this was how, he knew it. Though it had never been done before it came so naturally... he needed this.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 4:47 pm
As soon as she passed through the glass door, Anastacia had felt herself relax. There had been no call for her to come back and, in fact, there had been nothing spoken by the man at all. This was very good to her and as she floated down the silent hall her mood took a slight climb. Peace and quiet sure did cure what ailed but it was food that would top it all off. Her rune flickered, dimmed from hunger. Heat had been a near-constant all day thanks to the heaters that lined the walls of various rooms in the clinic, but that was merely a snack and only held off for so long. Sickness would fill her up for a day or two to come, with it seeming more and more like the latter the farther down the hall she went toward its source. In the few days that had passed the plant had taken a turn for the worse and Anastacia was already guessing she might be able to stave off hunger for three days with this one. Absolutely perfect.
"Now where is it..." She murmured, lavender eyes flicking between the door into the laboratory itself and the office door that stood closed to her right. The scent pooled in this location, but after pacing between the two doors Anastacia determined it was again the latter. Again, perfect. An office would have a chair to lean against or maybe even a couch to rest on. The laboratory was bare of such comforts and smelled in that disgusting too-clean way. Despite her mood not having turned completely over, the Frei still gave a small smile in spite of this situation. From insanity into heaven? Well, she definitely wouldn't complain about that and thus wasted no time in opening the door via the latch.
When the door opened, her eyes immediately sought out the plant that waited somewhere within the room. Given that, she was unaware of the figure lying on the couch until he started to move. With those first movements to get up and turn around came a jerk of surprise on Anya's part. The older Frei reacted as standard in the face of such a thing and flared both her wings and her crown of spindly legs at the figure. At the same time lavender eyes traveled to the body on the couch to take him in with all three pairs. Once she saw what was there, a frown lit her features and what had been a slightly lifted mood dropped back down again.
You have got to be kidding me. The place where her food was and her salvation from The Stupid was occupied, and by The Newborn no less. A corner of her lips twitched and threatened a glower, especially as said newborn moved to get himself off the couch. She took a quick glance to register his appearance and to write him off as plain, but didn't focus on the expression on his face. She missed the hungry look and how he wasn't focusing on her per say entirely, too absorbed into inwardly lamenting and looking for a route around the green newborn to see it. She saw the desk before her and how there was enough space to go around it and decided that was a good starting point. Good, but still annoying. This was turning into the new very last thing she wanted right now, but on that note a thought struck her. Zeke had chirped about her being his "big sister" and thus she was in the authoritative position. Given that, she could tell him to do something and he would have to listen to her just because. Perfect. She would just tell him to keep away, he would, and then she could get the plant and get out of here. Again, perfect. She put her plan into motion.
"You stay right over the--"
Her attention had been divided and all her eyes on a route to the prize she so sought, and it was because of that that Anastacia didn't see the crocodile Frei float right up to her. At the last moment she turned her head back, caught the sudden appearance of the long-haired boy's face too close to her own, and started to react, but she was too slow because of the sudden start. Her mind cried out in offense and horror as there were then hands on her face and a mouth against her own, but nothing truly came because of it. Her eyes widened, her body seized, and everything simply shut down.
When Anastacia took off to feed herself, as she so told him, Zeke was left standing before the lobby door at a loss. The smile that had spread across his pierced features decreased in size and the vet was left both stunned and a little hurt. He never expected a chipper "Oh yes Zeke I am!" from the dour spider but given the day was a momentously happy one, those hissed words cut in where the ones telling him off for his behavior had failed to. It made the raver sigh and scuff the toe of his shoe against the floor before he moved to and flopped back down into his swivel chair.
"Oh Anya..." He murmured, resting his forehead against the palm of his right hand and rubbing his temple. She could be difficult, but even while she was being so now, he knew he couldn't let her behavior deter him. She never saw Freis after all, and while this one was special to him, he had to let it go. Tell himself 'one day' and get back in the saddle as it were, and he did just that. His smile and energy had diminished somewhat because of the encounter, but being glass half full did have its advantages in these situations. Zeke was back on his feet in no time, pacing behind the desk and stealing glances to the front wall of the lobby as he did so. After the twentieth pass and what had to be the hundredth glance, Zeke broke his pacing and went to the door. A car passed and that made him grip the door handle tightly in his palm, but nothing came of it as the vehicle made no attempt to slow down in front of the Lab. A soft 'tch' sound left him. With a shake of his head Zeke opened the door and stepped out into the warm September air, looking both ways down the sidewalk for any sign of the pigtailed young woman he called his friend.
No one was on the street. Zeke felt anticipation bloom in his chest and fill his veins, causing him to shiver and shake again in the mid-afternoon breeze. He knew she wouldn't just materialize in front of the door the moment she got the message, but that wasn't to say he wasn't hoping for just that to happen. This day had been a long time coming and he was excited to meet, greet, and introduce the newborn crocodile to his woman. If only she'd appear and if only he had the patience! What he said on the phone was true - he was ready to explode. It'd be tough to hold out the entire evening if Anita was at work or school...
Zeke sighed again, but chasing the sound was a soft chuckle in spite of himself. He'd seriously have to find something to occupy himself and waiting here with the door wide open wasn't that thing. It was still difficult to pry himself away from the door however - for the obvious reason but also because it was a beautiful day outside - but that was fixed quickly when an ungodly sound rose up behind him and stabbed him clean in the heart.
A scream. A female scream.
Zeke's blood went cold in his veins. The cheer left him immediately, fear rising up in its place and sending him running. Alex was at lunch. Dr Kyou and Lazarus were out. The newborn was male and that only left-
"ANYA!" He shouted, dashing full tilt down the hall. The shriek continued on in the form of that single, terrible note and it wasn't long before Zeke had skidded to a halt in front of the door that was barely muffling its source. The vet pounded on the wood, yelling his ward's name. The scream suddenly cut off and in its place was the sound of something being shoved, things hitting other things, items falling, hissing, and what was most definitely a scrambling sound. Zeke's heart stuck in his throat and he finally found the latch, throwing all his weight onto it and bursting it open.
"Anya!" He cried again, looking for his Frei. His eyes probed the room that was in disarray. Books from a wall case had been knocked on the floor. A chair had been tipped over and the desk it stood behind cleared of papers and pens which now littered the floor. A wet scent of dirt pervaded the area as the plant the Raevan had so wanted had been knocked to the ground; its pot shattered on impact. All of this stood out but there was no Anya until finally Zeke's eyes landed on her, but she was not at all where he had expected her to be.
Anastacia was lodged up in the far corner of the room by the window; a testament to her soul and its need to flee and get out of reach in the face of a threat. Everything about the Widow was splayed or stretched - her wings were not in their defensive position and instead dug their tips into sections of two walls while Anya's crown was spread out wide and not moving, framing her face with saber-like tips. Her arms were stretched out as wide as they could go and the Frei's fingers were curled into claws and gripping the wall in a manner similar to the her wings. The spider's extremities shook, adding to the wild look she had about her. Said look was one that extended up into her face as well: Lavender eyes were wide and even the navy blues on her brow seemed to bulge out of her head. All were trained on a specific spot in the room that was out of Zeke's line of sight, and the way her teeth were bared gave her too-pale skin an unfamiliar look somewhere between horror and hatred.
Zeke gawked at this scene, stuck in the doorway and doing the fish-thing with his jaw until the words came spewing out.
"What the hell happened h--"
"HE PUT HIS MOUTH ON ME!" A hand was forced away from the wall and a shaking finger was pointed at the out of sight offender. Zeke was sent into action by this and the vet ran to where the pointing indicated, coming to a stop when he almost tripped over who had sent Anastacia into a frenzy.
The newborn lay on the ground as Zeke's feet, looking up at the ceiling in what the raver saw as a confused way. Even as blown away as he was the vet knew who he was looking at and it sent his mind into a whirlwind of questions. He looked from the downed newborn to Anya and back again before doing a double-take back at his charge. Something glittering had caught his eye. He focused on her, searching for the thing that shined in the light from the window. Anastacia's chest heaved with haggard breaths and it was then Zeke saw it. Something clear was dribbling from the older Frei's face down onto her chest. She wasn't crying.
"Venom," he whispered and turned back to the Frei who had been clearly thrown over the desk he lay behind. With a frightened gasp and a frightened look of his own, Zeke dropped to his knees at the fallen newborn's side and started the search for puncture marks.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The virus Raevan shrieked, shoving herself farther up into the corner. Her caught between feelings tipped to 'Livid' but she refused to go down there to give Zeke that piece of her mind. "ZEKE YOU STUPID SON OF A b***h WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM?" For the first time in her life Anastacia sobbed. It was a choked sound and happened only once at the tail end of her shouted question but it was there all the same. "HE ASSAULTED ME GODDAMMIT!"
Zeke had a hand on the Crocodile's chest to keep him still and one on the newborn's arm, turning it to look for any bites. The screams were heard - the curses especially poignant - and Zeke had to address them.
"Calm down Anya!"
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN YOU STOP BEING A ******** TRAITOR!" Her lip was fully pulled back into a snarl and all of Anastacia's white teeth were on display. Clenched together as they were, Zeke could just make out two thin slivers of black peeking out from and against the pearly whites. As Anastacia bit down all the harder against her jaw, the venom dripped from both fangs, pooled against her bottom lip, and then slid down onto the Frei's breast from there.
Venom from fangs encased in slightly longer-than-average canines, Anya's scream about having a mouth put on her...Zeke put two and two together. His eyes widened and without another thought the vet gently thumbed the newborn's bottom lip, pulling it down to look for that telltale sign of injection. He noticed the sharpened, triangular quality of the green Frei's teeth but didn't stare at them longer than that moment. He couldn't. He had to make sure his Raevan hadn't bitten him first, no matter how hard she screeched and swore over their heads.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:53 pm
The spider Frei's words did not break through the thick veil his hunger formed around his thoughts, his body practically moving on its own while his mind was too tired and sluggish to think about niceties such as manners. As soon as their lips met, warmth spread through him from the point of contact and his body relaxed as he sighed quietly into the kiss. Instantaneously, the hollow feeling was pushed out as he kiss nourished him. Beneath his fingers he could feel the female stiffen and move, not registering it as rejection until it was too late. Fingernails pressed into his shoulders as he was pushed back enough so she could let out an ear piercing shriek, her strong arms rearing back and shoving with all her might.
Weakened and in a mild stupor, the newborn could do little to fight back and he was sent toppling over a cluttered desk. His claws scratched at the polished wooden surface briefly, leaving shallow marks but not assisting in slowing his momentum in the slightest before he collided painfully with the chair behind it and fell to the floor with a wild yelp. Papers flew all across the room, a lamp crashed near him, the chair just barely avoided landing on his head and the dazed Frei moved his arms over his head limply to protect his face from any remaining debris.
More loud noises swept through the small office, bombarding his sensitive ears. His brow knit tightly, eyes clenched shut as he attempted to curl up but it was impossible without a lower half. A door slammed open and a new, male voice began shouting just before a sudden silence washed over everything. Slowly, the youngest Frei unwound himself and turned from his side to his back to stare up with wide emerald eyes. His entire body shook, confused and distraught with what had just occurred.
No. That most certainly was not what he had been told to wait for.
The spider's loud shrieks resumed and the crocodile let out a dismissive growl, unheard over her high pitched wailing. As his eyes opened again to stare at the ceiling, this time he caught sight of the owner of the new voice and his eyes widened in abject confusion. That green... Without a word, the man bent down and began examining him, giving the new Frei a start but it had roughly the same feeling as the other man's probings just a short time ago despite the current circumstances and so he allowed it. He kept a watchful gaze on the man's hands, keeping his jaw clenched shut as he curled back his lower lip. The mistletoe Raevan brought a hand to his ear to try and deafen the femme's shrieks but it was difficult due to the size of the room.
It seemed the Raevan's and Zeke were having about as interesting a time as Anita once she had gotten the message.
Her legs peddled as fast as they could, her bike sailing down hills. Where she could, she grabbed hold of the back side of a bus and allowed it to carry her down a few streets when her legs needed a rest. She couldn't stop, she could barely breathe, and so when the Lab came into view she quickly double timed it with the intent of hopping off her bike as soon as she hit the curb so she could run straight into the building. The reality was much clumsier, as her bike bounced up onto the curb and the handlebars swiveled dangerously, sending her and the vehicle into one of the bushes with a dull thud against the mulch and now crushed branches. This did little to deter her, however, and she quickly leaped up from her tangled heap and flung herself at the door, momentarily forgetting which way it went and swinging into the lobby so hard she skidded on her knees against the floor.
"ZEKE?!" her voice carried through the lobby, expecting the raver to pop his head up from behind the desk as bubbly as usual. Anita waited a second before clawing herself to a stand and rushing to peer over the desk only to find... no one. Looking around frantically, there were signs of he and Anya being around; in particular, she took note of some knitting needles and yarn as well as an all too familiar iPod but there was nothing else, neither one of them were present.
Again she called for her brightly colored friend, only to stop mid yell as she heard two very distinct words from down the hall in an unfamiliar female voice.
"-- ******** TRAITOR!"
Without even thinking of the consequences or the meaning, Anita tore past the open glass door and sped down the hall she had walked down a handful of times before. It didn't matter who the voice belonged to or who she was yelling at, all Anita knew at that moment was that he was here and he could have been in serious trouble from the sound of it.
Her shoes slapped loudly against the polished floor and she skidded once she came upon the open door leading to a completely disheveled and horrible mess of a room. Immediately she lost her balance and, for the third time in the span of the last two minutes, fell roughly against her side. Anita didn't let it deter her and she gripped the door frame like a mad woman to get back on her feet, rushing to the side of the desk and Zeke's side. She didn't even register Anya hanging herself in the corner but seeing her guardian present and accounted for made sense that she was the cause of the racket.
"What the hell happened?! Are you o--"
Two pairs of green eyes met, both widening to the size of saucers. The male Frei's hands were clutched tightly to Zeke's shirt, a confused pout taking up most of his face while his ponytail hung loosely and disheveled over one shoulder and fresh red welts showed obviously upon his exposed shoulders.
This was what they had been waiting for.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:06 pm
Anita's cries of his name were unheard over Anastacia's screeches of contempt and thus went unanswered. Even if they had been heard, Zeke's task now was too important and he might not have replied then either, wholly wrapped up in checking the newborn laying against his knee and trying to calm the widow that was hung up in the corner. The first part of his impromptu job was a success - he saw no puncture wounds anywhere on the green Frei, including his lip which Zeke soon released from beneath the gentle hold of his thumb - but the second task was a complete and utter failure.
"Anya, I'm not a tra--" He started to explain in voice raised to be heard over the screaming, but the angered spider was quick to drown him out.
"YOU ARE! YOU'RE AT HIS SIDE AND CHECKING HIM FOR INJURIES INSTEAD OF ME! HE ASSAULTED ME AND YOU'RE BRUSHING ME OFF LIKE A PIECE OF LINT, ZEKE! DO YOU SEE WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS ******** SITUATION HERE, OR ARE YOU TOO GODDAMN BLIND?! YOU'RE MY GUARDIAN! I'M SUPPOSED COME FIRST IN YOUR ******** BOOK!"
Her screaming accusations sent more venom dripping down her chin when it wasn't being spat outward on each word, which only added to her deranged appearance. Though it was clear, given the nature of her skin the glittering poison was quickly absorbed into shiny stain trails and splatters where they fell. Anastacia was oblivious to this happening and only continued on her tirade. Zeke tried his best to turn to her to get facts and set things right, but the Crocodile had two fistfuls of his shirt and the added weight only made things difficult for the veterinarian. It quickly made the vet feel helpless and stuck, even though the green Raevan was perfectly fine. This wasn't difficult. This was a whole 'nother word entirely, and it wasn't 'tantrum'. What was he going to do? How could he diffuse this without setting Anya off even more than she already was? Hell, was that even possible?
"What the hell happened?! Are you o--"
The thud of Anita's fall was missed by Zeke and Anastacia, but the words drew all eyes right to the pigtailed woman. Zeke ogled his friend and in some part of his mind that wasn't flooded with alarm, hurt, anxiety, or excitement the idea that Anita actually had materialized in their presence popped up. It was something that would have made the vet laugh if the situation hadn't been what it was. With Anya freaking out and the newborn sprawled on the floor with rapidly appearing welts, he couldn't even smile at who should have been the lucky lady of the hour right now.
While Zeke was unable to smile at his dear friend Anita, Anastacia could and was doing all she could to glower at the newest arrival. She didn't know who the woman was, what she was doing here, or whatever, but she did know the strange woman's eyes locked with the newborn and that set the spider Frei off once again.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" She bellowed, shoving herself up so far the back of her head and shoulders were arched and pressed against the ceiling rather than the wall. At this new vantage point Anastacia could see them all clearly over their heads and she bristled at each and every one of them - doubly so at the green Frei still having a time on the linoleum. Looking down on her "attacker", she only grew more angered by the fact he looked so unperturbed by his actions. To Zeke he was puzzled but to Anastacia he looked wholly unphased. This did not fly with her and she then snapped her attention back to Anita. She wasn't Alex and there was no way some random passerby could have just stumbled in out of the blue, so there was only one logical explanation for this dark-haired woman's presence in the room. "IF YOU'RE HIS GUARDIAN, GET HIM THE HELL OUT OF HERE ALREADY! GET HIM OUT OF HERE AND BEAT HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO ME!"
Now that Anita was here, Zeke had to act faster than ever before. Gently he removed the Crocodile's fingers from his shirt and moved off his knees into a crouch. His attention then drifted to Anita, trying to get her attention on him without waving his hands in her face. When her eyes were on him, Zeke tilted his head toward the newborn to direct her to take his spot. She was Mr. Crocodile's now and they should meet, of course, but Zeke really had to get to the bottom of everything in the span of the five minutes the black widow hadn't been in his presence. Without waiting for Anita to take his spot the raver stood up and turned to his ward. This had to end. Now.
"Anastacia!"
All six eyes went from woman, to newborn, then landed on her purple and green haired so-called "guardian".
"OH LOOK WHO FINALLY DECIDED TO GIVE A DAMN!"
Zeke didn't flinch under the accusation, and instead stood tall in the face of the spider's fire. His face was set in stern stone, but his eyes held pleading. He wanted her to stop this and tell him everything so he could make it right again, but that couldn't happen unless she was off the wall and not screaming at him.
"Anya, please stop shouting." He held out his arms to her, palms up to show he meant her no harm. "Come down from there. I can't fix this if you don't tell me what's wrong!"
The Frei glowered at her guardian, brows angled down hard against her lavender eyes to give him as evil an eye as she could. She remained put.
"HE ASSAULTED ME!" That was all Zeke needed to know. He had come up on her and damn near attacked her with his mouth! "AND I AM NOT COMING DOWN UNTIL THAT...THING LEAVES THE ROOM!"
"Anya!" Zeke cried, horrified all the more. He looked between the Raevans and then at Anita before going back to Anastacia again. The newborn was on the floor for the moment, so asking Anita to haul him out might be a no go. Anya was not willing to come down from the wall, but perhaps she was to say what went so very, very wrong. "What happened? Can you tell me that?"
"He assaulted me," the virus Frei spat, her volume still high and shouting but not as terrible as it was just before. "What more do you need to know, you blithering idiot?! He attacked me and you don't seem to give two ******** about it!"
"Then how did he assault you, Anya? What did he do?" He was definitely alarmed she was saying he didn't care about her well being. He most certainly did, especially when something had made her scream and retreat her up to the bloody ceiling, but at a time like this, poison had to come out on top. He didn't say so though. That would surely set her off.
"He...he..." Anastacia started to shake violently, barely containing the fresh surge of rage building in her partially formed body. Her eyes rolled over the people in the room and if her body had any blood, her face would have been cherry red now. "I told you what he did! HE PUT HIS MOUTH ON ME!"
She wailed the words and gave a heavy shudder of repulsion. The crown atop her head flexed and quivered as she moved it and her wings were thrown over her shoulders to keep the unmoving offender at bay. Her arms and hands remained where they were, keeping her pinned to the wall that was her sanctuary from all three of them. She would say no more than that unless the newborn was gone and even then she might still refuse to tell that "man of hers" anything at all. He didn't deny her accusations and to her one track mind that was all the proof she needed. He was trying to appeal to her and bowed to her whim, but when tit came to tat? Well she was nothing to him wasn't she?!
With this now prevalent in her mind Anastacia started to hiss again; a feral sound not laced with words but also not sounding anything like a snake either. Zeke's shoulders slumped, but he was not defeated. She wasn't moving, she wasn't giving up the full story, but what she was doing was reacting as anyone would when in that position - with fear. Her anger and upset stemmed from that and thus in order to get from A to B and then clear the air he had to get his spider down again. That would involve possibly setting her off again, but he would take it as it came. As well, it would be better for Anita and her newborn to get into a reasonably quiet place instead of witness what was possibly to come. Definitely not how he had planned it or hoped it would have gone, but it had to be done. He turned to Anita, touching her shoulder as he dipped to lean in close to her ear.
"I am so sorry," he began, "but she's really, really freaked out. I don't think she bit him, but he did take a tumble and probably has a few bumps. If he can move, take him to the lobby. I'm going to try and clear things up in here with Anya and find out what happened. Once I get everything fixed with her I'll come get you two sorted, okay?" He bit his lip, watching Anita carefully and looking at her charge. The red marks on his arms had grown more noticeable in the few moments he had looked away. From the fall itself or being pushed, he didn't know where they came from, but either way it was not a good thing. Not at all. "I'm sorry, Anita."
Most definitely NOT the way he had hoped this would go.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:10 am
What had started out so calmly on the crocodile's end was now a swirling torrent of confusion, pain, and growing hunger. He had gotten a snack from the spider but he was starving and it would take a lot more to satiate him than a few seconds of lip. Regardless of her current reaction, he wasn't so sure he wanted to kiss her again with how bitter her lips tasted; it was an odd flavor, one he didn't entirely dislike but was unsure if another taste would make it more or less appealing. His brows upturned harshly, causing the Frei to look distraught as he glanced between Zeke and the new woman, the word 'guardian' sticking out quite clearly from Anya's ravings.
"My" guardian, she said. "His" guardian.
She did not know who this dark haired woman was, but whatever that word meant it tugged at the nameless Frei and one hand was removed from Zeke's shirt to grip the edge of the desk standing between them.
Anita jumped at Anya's shouts directed at her, stumbling away at the strange sight of her splayed up in the corner near the ceiling. "Jesus!" was all she could hiss in response before the spider began shouting again, this time eliciting a more physical response. Her cheeks flushed, a mix of embarrassment for being called out and yelled at as well as anger; though she wasn't entirely sure if she should be wholly angry at the spider femme as she had absolutely no idea of what had gone down, beating him was not a suggestion she took lightly and it came off as a threat to her ears that if Anita didn't, Anya would.
Zeke was quick to tell her off but it did little to ease the situation and she continued shouting. Her attention was back and she saw the wanted exchange of their places, to which she quickly scooted behind the desk and down onto the floor with the young Frei without a second thought. Anita's hands immediately began wandering and he recoiled slightly from her touch, thinking this was yet another examination, but after a moment he began to lean into her hands as they smoothed out his hair and caressed his cheek. The touch was warm and personal, rather than routine and intrusive, and he quickly huddled closer to the pigtailed woman to cling to her thick jacket and hide his face against her shoulder.
All of the sounds in the room seemed to stop momentarily for Anita as the newborn moved closer and she wrapped her arms around him for both comfort and protection from Anya's harsh words. It was only until she referred to him as a "thing" that everything came back in one loud crash and Anita's gaze whipped around to the spider Frei with a harsh glare. Aside from being huddled up in a corner and dribbling, she looked fine but the one who supposedly assaulted her was much more roughed up. She rubbed a hand down his partially formed back, only to lift it up and stare at his exposed skin. It was rough, a dark scaly green, with ridges. Around his small fin-like wings and dotting the backs of his shoulders were crocodile scales.
The volume and words Anya was spewing out were impossible to hear and caused Anita's eyes to narrow all the more at her. From the brief time she saw the spider at the beach the previous year, she could tell she was a reserved sort and at the time she seemed rather ill. This was a whole new extreme to her, for her perception of Raevan's in general, and it seemed it was the same for Zeke but he was taking charge regardless, even as she hurled insults and curses at him.
And then, she said the penultimate thing that put this entire situation into perspective.
"HE PUT HIS MOUTH ON ME!"
Anita's eyes widened and she leaned back, looking down at her exceptionally green charge. He pulled back to return the gaze, mouth set in a partially open pout. Then she saw them, the sharp rows of crocodile teeth. The Frei seemed to notice where her attentions were currently locked and he closed his mouth quickly before his eyes wandered to the brightly colored man returning to them. The offensive spider had gone mostly quiet but dared not move from her awkward perch and he was fine with that. Zeke's voice was calm as he spoke and it allowed the crocodile Raevan to relax slightly against his guardian, especially at the words 'take him' which he seemed to understand easily enough.
"No, it's fine. We'll sit out front," she turned back to the Frei in her arms and gave the back of his head a stroke, "Okay? You wanna go somewhere else?" His fingers held tightly to her jacket's fabric, silently telling her he would go where she went and that was good enough. Nodding, she cradled his back with one arm and held onto the desk to pull them both up. He was surprisingly light, but then again he was a third of a person and was floating. Once she was on her feet, her other hand wrapped around him as if to protect him from Anya's scathing glares and once she reached the door she turned back to Zeke to say "Good luck."
He would probably need more than luck with this girl but she was nearly two years old now, wasn't she? Surely there were times where Anya over reacted to things, if this was any indication. She was Zeke's problem now, though, and the boy in Anita's arms was hers. ...Hers. It felt odd, the further she walked down the hall. It had been so long and now, finally, he existed. He was alive.
Out in the empty lobby once more, it felt desolate compared to the commotion in back but the silence was calming and the no doubt exhausted Frei had his eyes closed against Anita's chest. She walked toward the line of chairs in the waiting area and gently set him down as she glanced over her shoulder at the locked open hallway door. His nails fought a little, not wanting to let go, but he eventually relented and allowed himself to be left in the chair. Only now did Anita realize it was a lot warmer than was necessary for her jacket while in the building and she unbuttoned the hooded peacoat, resting it on the seat beside him. "I'm just gonna close this..." she spoke quietly to the Frei, returning to the glass door and kneeling down to find the lock. As she worked, the crocodile did as well and one of his hands rested tentatively against the coat.
It was warm.
Though his movements were slow, the determination was obvious and he set about to pulling the coat closer to him and draping it over himself. The body heat it absorbed warmed his skin and his eyes fluttered at the relief it washed over him. Adjusting himself so that his arms came through the sleeves at the front, he curled the open ends off so he was essentially in a hot box from the neck down and his rune pulsed appreciatively -- but he was still hungry.
A soft clink of metal and glass told him that the woman had succeeded and he could hear her returning footsteps along with a sigh as she sat in the chair beside him. "Oh!" she sounded surprised, but his eyes felt too heavy to peer at her and so he lifted his brow curiously instead, "You were cold, I'm sorry. It's colder outside, you can wear it on the way home..." Her voice tapered off, then, and one of his eyes cracked open just enough to see her looking out of the large glass windows at the front. Something shiny and rumbling passed by quickly, and both eyes opened in response, tilting his head at the strange scenery and fast moving objects. There were people as well, walking while wearing similar coats as this woman did, this 'Anita' if he had heard the colorful man properly.
The newborn uttered a soft, purr-like growl to pull her attention back on him and she looked surprised for a moment, then smiled warmly. It was contagious, and the reptilian Frei couldn't help but give a tired one in return. Anita opened her mouth to speak, her eyes moving to look upon his welt covered shoulders, but she could not finish speaking as he interrupted her with a kiss. She shifted uncomfortably beneath him, giving a muffled gasp before gently holding his wrists and pulling away with a huff. His second attempt at feeding was also brief, but much better tasting than the spider femme. This Anita tasted sweet, with just a small kick of spice. Little did he know it was from the cinnamon sugar cookies she had been snacking on just a short time ago, but his tongue ran across his lips appreciatively all the same.
That made her understand.
"You... You feed on kisses... don't you?" her words were quiet, and all he offered in response was a brighter smile. Her kiss still wasn't enough to completely cut his hunger but it was definitely a step in the right direction and Anita's reaction was a thousand times better than Anya's, even if she cut it short. Her face, however, was flushed and red, causing concern to wash across his own. A hand reached out and gently rested on her cheek, the Frei's face painted with apology and bemusement. Anita reached up to give his hand a gentle pat and move it from her face, holding it between both of hers. "It's okay," she smiled, and he let out a quiet sigh.
I just hope we can find an alternative...
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 5:36 pm
"No, it's fine. We'll sit out front,"
Zeke nodded, giving the bare minimum of a smile as the young woman before him questioned her new Raevan. All things considered it seemed the pair was off to a good start at least but he didn't linger on them once Anita gave her agreement. Instead the vet pivoted on his heel and took two steps toward his angered ward, placing himself between her and the two getting up to leave the vicinity. He didn't believe she'd come down and attack the pair, but he didn't want to take any chances either. Never in his life had he seen the spider so enraged and he had been in her presence each time she had molted.
Out of the corner of one eye the vet watched Anita and the newborn leave, but Anastacia watched them will all six eyes. She had bristled at the woman who shot her nasty looks and expanded her crown once more to its best and widest posture. The look didn't cease even when the two were gone from her sight. There was still another body in the room she had to deal with and her ire wouldn't die just because she knew this man.
"Close the door!" she commanded before Zeke could get a word in, shuffling herself against the ceiling to turn and get the best view of it. She kept her eyes on that place, not even making to look down on her guardian as she made the order. She didn't trust the two that left to not come back in after apparently leaving. If Zeke wanted her to come down from her sanctuary and get her side of things then he would have to do what she said to the letter.
And Zeke did just that without a word. Once the door clicked into place in its jam, Anastacia started her descent. Her movements were rigid and tense so as she floated downward she scuffed and scraped against the window and anything else in her path. Zeke only turned around when the noises came to an end - signalling the Raevan's return to her regular height - but what he saw when he turned around added another dose of startle to his veins.
Anastacia was pacing back and forth like an animal in a cage. Her wings had been tossed back over her shoulders but they were held erect as though expecting another attack and her crown had not been relaxed either. As he watched her, the black-clad femme threw the vet and the door behind him distrustful glances and wrung her hands together as though she was having an anxiety attack.
He knew it. She was scared and though she had chewed him out and screamed hurtful things at the top of her lungs to him and Anita's newborn, in the vet's chest his heart gave a pang. The urge to take her into his arms and hold her and tell her everything was alright filled him, making his fingers twitch. Though he had long come to accept that his Frei wasn't affectionate, the fact he couldn't - not ever, and most definitely not now - made him hurt inside. Hugs started the healing process in his book, but could never be used on the widow.
"Anya," he said gently, shoving the desire to hug the Raevan aside and cautiously taking three steps toward her. She caught his movement and stared him down, making the vet come to a standstill and hold his arms and palms out to her once again. No harm meant. He wasn't going to do anything to her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a box of tissues that had been thrown off the desk during the scuffle and plucked a few out of the sleeve on the top. "Here."
Anastacia glared at him and the wad of tissues he held out.
"What's that for?"
"You have something here," he tapped his bearded chin, "and here." He tapped his chest. Anastacia raised a hand to her lips, felt the warm dampness of the venom and pulled her hand away to look at her fingers. Revulsion rose up on her pallid face and she snatched the tissues from her guardian, inadvertently scratching him with her nails as she did so.
Zeke waited patiently as Anastacia wiped herself, saying nothing even as the Frei hissed, spit, and finally threw the venom-kissed wad of paper down. He could see it from here - she had in fact stained herself. That would only add to her ire.
"Little freak." She hissed audibly, wiping her lips with her chitinous wristband. Her fangs had retreated into their casings and thus the venom drip had subsided, but Anastacia was unaware of their presence and thus blamed the green newborn for her mess.
"He's not a freak." Anastacia rounded on him.
"No? Fine! He's just an assailant then!" She glared at her man, daring him to say otherwise. He had broken right through her personal bubble and attacked her - there was no doubt in her mind about that. "He's an assailant and he attacked me and he...URGH! Look at what he did!"
She held her arms out showing off the glittery, clear stains that made lines down her chin and chest. She might have also been pointing out the room, but Zeke had already seen the damage done there. He didn't need to know how the mess was made - it was obvious - but he did need to know what led up to it.
"What happened here, Anya?" Now that Anita and her Raevan were out of the room, Zeke had hoped it would have helped Anastacia calm down enough to give a straight answer. He was mistaken.
"I told you," she snapped, crossing her arms over her armor-covered chest and glaring at the human male. "He assaulted me! He put his mouth on me! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?!"
Zeke's lips parted to say something, but he then closed his mouth once more. It was a dangerous dance and he didn't want to upset the spider more than she already was. He was good with words in most situations but when he was under fire wasn't one of them. His method of diffusing a tense situation or upset person was either with laughter or with a hug and soothing words depending, and neither were possible right now. He bit the inside of his lip. He'd have to tread carefully.
"I heard that, but that's not what I mean." He watched her closely, speaking slowly as he judged and weighed his choices of words. "What I want to know is how he assaulted you. What led up to it? All I know is that you went off to feed, I heard you scream, and found you stuck up against the wall. Help me fill in the blanks."
Though Zeke was being cautious for both of them, Anastacia was doing no such thing and in no such mood. She bristled with new anger just thinking about what had transpired and that led her to round on her man.
"Why do you care?" There was fire in her eyes and her new found mistrust of the man showed through. He didn't care about her, so why would he care about her side of the story? What did it matter to him? She glared at her man, pulling her upper lip back and twisting her expression into something most ugly and unnatural for the normally stony-faced femme. "You clearly don't about me!"
The hurt Zeke felt inside leaked onto his face at that judgment. It mingled with the flabbergasted feelings already milling about there and gave him a look both foreign and unnatural. He knew first impressions were big with her and made or broke her assessment of another, but while he had never known her true feelings about him, hearing this now with the lack of swears and screaming stung terribly. This wasn't some mid-rage snap. This was solidly formed opinion.
"That's not true," he said, looking dazed. "Anya you're my Raevan; my girl. There's a special place in my heart for you and--"
"Bullshit." She glared hard at the raver. Zeke flinched at the word and her acidic tone but otherwise remained still, his face empty of everything - even a frown. "If you gave a damn about me, you wouldn't have gone running to him first! I was assaulted and you were at his side, checking him for wounds! How backwards can you get, Zeke?"
"There's a reason for that--"
"As if!" There was no reason, no excuse for what he had done. Anger dictated this as fact and at this moment she was believing everything it whispered to her. Anastacia pulled herself up to her full height and then a few inches over, towering over the man and looking down her narrow nose at him. "There's no reason for you to abandon me like that! You're my guardian! That means I come first!"
"There is, Anya! I didn't abandon you! I had to check him out first because--"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" She would shout herself hoarse, but she would do it if she had to. She was right, Zeke was wrong, and that was that. In fact, it was a done deal. She was done, both with him and with this. "Get the hell out of here Zeke." She raised her wings all the more, trying to make herself seem larger and more imposing than she already was. "Go see your stupid friend and her freak of a Raevan. I'm done with you."
She turned her back on him, dismissing him. He might have always been the one in charge before, but she always had him wrapped around her finger and taking her orders like they were his job. This left her confident she would hear him walking away and the door open and close without a fight. Which made her clearly surprised to hear the defiance in the older man's voice:
"No." Anastacia turned around, eyes wide with shock. Zeke stood behind her, arms at his sides and feet firmly planted, lips pressed into a thin line.
"What?"
"I said 'no', Anastacia. No, I'm not leaving. You can yell at me all you want, throw curses at me until you're blue in the face, but I'm not gonna leave." He straightened, locking eyes with the Frei's lavender pair. "You're upset, you're hurt, and you're angry as hell. I know you are. It hurts me to see that and I want to fix everything that's got you that way." He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head slightly to the right. "You know why that is? Because regardless of what you think, I DO care about you, Anya. With all my heart. I'm not leaving until I get this entire story out of you and set things right. Got it?"
It was Anastacia's turn to be taken aback. Zeke's words hit her like a slap in the face, knocking her off balance enough that she even gave her spindly pinions a flap to keep herself level. His defiance of an order wiped the nasty look off her face and left her with nothing but blank shock. She gawked openly at him as her brain tried to comprehend it all and only changed that look when it all settled in like a dead weight.
"You..."
"Me," Zeke said mildly, "it's not about me. It's about you and what happened between you and the new guy down the hall. Tell me everything that happened after you went out the hallway door to feed. If I know, I can at least explain it to Anita and hope she doesn't get upset."
"I..." Her arms dropped to her sides and her hands balled into fists. Her lips pulled back slightly and the Frei grit her teeth, starting to shake again. She cast her lavender eyes to the floor, but the four on her brow continued to point at her guardian and show him to her. He had raised his voice to her but hadn't shouted at all...and other than that? He had managed to cow her.
"Anya?" Concern filled his tone and Zeke reached a hand out to her. She slapped at it, missing her mark but making her point clear.
"Don't touch me."
"Sorry. Can't help it when a person I care about looks like that." She looked up at him and he managed a meager smile. He hoped she believed him, but even if she didn't now, he would prove it to her after this was all said and done. He knew his Anya - stubborn and very much judgmental. Looking at her now, it just may take awhile.
And that was so because her expression was firmly set to 'miserable'. Touches of offense and anger were spread throughout, but Zeke had somehow managed to blast the majority away. She still believed telling him would be a waste of her breath and couldn't possibly see what good it would do in her favor, it was clear now that trying to turn him away and even yelling at him would do her no good either. With that in mind Anastacia gave a haggard sigh, crossed her arms over her chest again, and begrudgingly told Zeke what had transpired.
"And then you came running in."
"I see." The vet's voice was level and even a little thoughtful, keeping his expressions muted. Inside was a different story. He was in shock and dismay at what had happened - Anastacia had shoved the newborn across the room for chrissakes! - but he knew he couldn't change things now. He had to hope that the green Raevan was definitely okay, wouldn't hold it against Anya, and that when he told Anita that she wouldn't react how he was dreading she would.
"Okay." There was no sign or signal to his Raevan that he was going to move, but Zeke suddenly pivoted on his heel and moved toward the door. "Wait here please."
"What are you doing?" Her brows went as high as they could go on her forehead. During her retelling, the defiant anger returned but was kept at bay under Zeke's unusually contained gaze. She expected a reaction from him for her tale and had gotten...none? His eyes had widened when she spoke of shoving the newborn away and knew something would come from that. Seeing Zeke move to the door with just an 'okay' did not compute with her.
"I'm going to explain to Anita what happened, then I'm going to get her and her Raevan taken care of. Once they're all set, I'm going to come back and we're going to have a chat." He spoke with zero animosity - in fact his tone was almost like they were talking about the weather - but even though he had the spider queen taken aback for now, he knew said chat came with the possibility of setting her off again. He would have to tell her to her face that she overreacted and done the assaulting. And to such a proud woman that would not go over well, he was sure. He looked over his shoulder at the virus Frei and gestured to the mess scattered around. "So please wait here for me. If you could start picking up this mess, I'd appreciate it."
Zeke gave the Frei a faint smile, a short raise of his hand for a wave, and then departed the room. The door was shut behind him, giving finality to his words and immediately the vet took off down the hall, feeling tired and like there was a huge weight on his shoulders. He stopped just short of the glass door that led into the brightly lit lobby in order to take a moment to collect his thoughts. Everything was a mess and while he did understand why she had reacted in such a manner he was not pleased with his Raevan's behavior. She would be talked to and reprimanded, but right now he had a job to do. He gripped the latch, opened the door, and stepped into the lobby.
"Hey." He said softly as his eyes landed on Anita, smile spreading across his face. It grew in earnest when he ticked his gaze over to the green fellow sitting behind the young woman. No worse for wear it seemed. "And hey to you too, kiddo. You okay?"
He'd wait for a reply from either of them first and then repeat the story as it had been told to him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:10 pm
"He assaulted me", she claimed.
It was one of the only things Anita made out that wasn't just a single word, but from the looks of his shoulders it appeared to be the opposite. His teeth were... intimidating, to say the least, but from what she could see Anastacia hadn't been injured in the slightest unless that clearish fluid she was dribbling was blood.
The new guardian's expression constantly shifted as she mulled over what could have possibly happened to lead up to the scene she literally fell in on but nothing quite fit until Anya's voice rang in her mind once more.
He put his mouth on her.
Anita's eyes drifted back to her charge, still cuddled up beneath her coat but having scooted closer between the two seats and busied himself by playing with her fingers on one hand. His skin was warm and taught, if perhaps a little dry, and she wondered if she ought to get him some lotion once they got back home. Then the reality dawned on her that, in her flustered reaction to the voicemail, she had ridden her bike here. She supposed if absolutely necessary she could ask Zeke to drop them and her bike off but with what he currently had to deal with she certainly didn't want to impose. She supposed, if he was very careful with his ribbon, he could 'ride' just behind her and hold on tight but that wouldn't be terribly comfortable for either of them. Then again, there was a large basket attachment at the back just above the wheel where she would put her messenger bag while riding to work.
"Sit tight for a second, okay?" she smiled to the crocodile who gently squeezed her hand in reaction but allowed her to slip away toward the front doors. Once out of reach, his arm immediately retreated beneath the fabric of the coat and he pulled the hood closer to his face so everything below his eyes was hidden. His bright green eyes watched her carefully, widening when she opened the doors and stepped outside.
Was she leaving? That didn't seem right at all. The spider had called this woman his and he was absolutely certain now, with how kind her touch was, that she was what he had been told to wait for. Was it over just like that, so soon? Of course, everything was soon to the newborn as he was roughly two hours old now and still had no sense of time. He fidgeted nervously beneath the coat which acted as a blanket, brow creasing with concern when she began digging through one of the bent up shrubs at the side of the building and pulling out a strange looking contraption. After taking a moment to dust it off of leaves and dirt, she began wheeling it toward the doors and then through them.
He practically deflated as he sighed, the bottoms of his eyes curling upward from his hidden smile. His woman moved the thing toward the wall and leaned it up, her foot pulling a bar from the bottom out and aligning it with the floor with a low click. With that, she turned back to the Frei and smiled, seeming quite pleased with herself. "There. This is my bike," she indicated with a hand, "It's how we'll get home."
We.
So this wasn't to end so soon after all! He would be going somewhere with her, to this place called "home". All he knew was that he hoped it was very warm and cozy there compared to this strange, lukewarm facility, and that there would be no more spider girls to throw him across the room. It was just eating, after all, and being touched felt so nice, he really couldn't see why Anya had reacted in such a way but she was safe from having a sequel episode with him as he was certain they would not be seeing each other after this. Not after the looks his Anita had given her for calling him that word. Thing.
Not wasting anymore time, Anita returned to her seat beside him and tousled his already messy hair. She would have to fix that for him before they got on the road but for now he seemed content and she didn't want to push too far into his unfamiliar personal space. His hands quickly curled around her nearest one again, cradling it for more warmth she figured. In the hall behind them there were footsteps and then a click, signaling the entrance of the colorful man.
The newborn Frei peeked his head further out from his covering and examined the man; he appeared quite drained, though the crocodile had no idea of the exuberance he normally carried, and his soft tone sounded a bit glum. Anita gave Zeke a reassuring smile, looking to the Raevan beside her when the raver addressed him. In response, he tilted his head and gave a quick smile before concern took over his face. A little banged up, it seemed, but not so bad off. It seemed the little guy could take a beating.
"He's okay, I think," Anita kept her voice quiet as well, turning back to Zeke with an apologetic smile. The pieces weren't all there yet but she thought she had an idea of what had gone on. "Sorry about the trouble... I hope she'll be okay." There was little doubt in her mind that Anya had merely blown the situation out of proportion and the reptilian Frei hadn't actually assaulted her but there was the chance that, perhaps, he had gotten mouthy for whatever reason. He wriggled, almost on cue, and kept his attentions on Zeke. Though he didn't know the words for it, he knew the man had stayed behind to make sure things were alright with the femme and now he was curious to know where the situation lay just as his Anita was.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:02 am
He felt relief when Anita gave a positive reply. No worse for wear; just a little shaken up and probably confused, but nothing seriously damaged or poisoned. The vet's posture relaxed as he saw the Crocodile's smile and the very expression made his own eyes crinkle at their corners. Getting a good, unhindered by anxiety look at the Frei made him pass a positive assessment of him: He was cute. However, Zeke missed the concern on the boy's face due to turning back to Anita.
"Sorry about the trouble... I hope she'll be okay."
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, not meek but definitely sheepish.
"It's not your fault," Zeke began, shaking his head at the new pair for emphasis. They really hadn't done anything wrong and the newborn didn't know any better. "She'll be okay, but she's...'shaken up' would probably be too light a term."
He gave a soft chuckle, continuing to rub the back of his neck before forcing his hand away from there. Instead it moved down and brushed over the length of his ponytail before he finally dropped it down to his side. He felt the urge to hook his thumb through a belt loop or into his pocket, but fought it off. It wasn't the time to be so casual. Not yet.
"I did get what happened out of her though, and I will be talking to her about what happened after I get you two sorted." He had to tell Anita that just so the woman wouldn't have to worry about him letting this slide...even if she didn't think that. "But pretty much...Well, for starters, I guess you should know Anya doesn't like to be touched. No hugs, no hand holding, heck even the slightest brush makes her snap at a person. She's never reacted violently before, but then again, no one's really gotten that far into her personal space."
He looked at the Crocodile Raevan, brows raising lightly at the concerned look he wore. He put on a smile again for the boy, and even reached out and patted the hand that held Anita's gently. He barely noted the dry skin, but did happily see that the two were holding hands. A good start already, even if there had been some bumps in the road.
"I think there were a couple other factors that set her off," the vet continued, turning his eyes over to Anita again. He meant her recent molt and the fact she was hungry, but didn't explain. "But the main one was that he...kissed her."
In spite of himself and probably to Anastacia's ire if she had been in the room, a barely contained smile rose up on his face. Yes he knew it had set his ward off, yes he shouldn't be, and no he wasn't taking this lightly; but there was still a part of him that found some humor in this whole thing. A large part, it seemed, given how he had to fight to bring his smile under control.
"She left the lobby to feed and the plant she was after just happened to be in his waiting room. She didn't know he was in there and didn't realize it until after she had shut the door behind her. She said she was looking around for the plant and when she turned her attention back to the front, he was floating before her and then 'assaulted her' as she put it." The urge to hook his thumb faded and was replaced by the pull to rub his neck again. Zeke resisted. "He kissed her, she freaked out and shoved him away. Which was actually across the room."
He winced as he said it, knowing how it sounded. It wasn't a large room or anything, but it was sizable. Anastacia had shoved the green Frei over a desk hard enough to leave marks so she had quite the physical prowess to her and though she had been screaming 'assault', she was the true assailant. Zeke already knew that would not go over well when he told her. He looked to Anita, watching and hoping her placid expression wouldn't turn into something negative. If it did, he couldn't rightly blame her, but he hoped that the woman who understood him when he told her of his Frei's special make up and condition would understand him now. The spider queen wasn't always like this. Things just had gone horribly wrong and he didn't blame either Anita nor her Frei for what had happened. Mr. Crocodile hadn't known any better.
"And that's pretty much it. She shoved him away, started screaming, and lodged herself up in the corner as you saw. I went running, found her like that, and him on the floor." He gestured to the green Frei, turning his eyes over the boy again. He must have gotten quite the shake up from all that had happened. "Then you showed up and here we are now."
He gave another meek smile and raised his shoulders in a light shrug. That was it. That was everything that had happened. There wasn't much else to say on the topic except to reiterate what he figured Anita would most want to hear from this situation:
"Like I said, I will be talking to her and...grounding her or something I don't know just yet." He raised a hand to his brow and rubbed a spot there. He couldn't even begin to think what was suitable for that. "I came out here to tell you what happened and to get you two sorted. Not to sound like I'm shoving it under the rug or anything but it is your day." He dropped his hand again and smiled at the both of them. Guardian and Raevan now together after so long apart. He truly was happy for Anita and did his best to show it, but he couldn't deny that he was tired. Quite a difference from the bubbly, overeager man he had been just fifteen minutes ago.
"How about we all get acquainted, eh?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:46 am
At Zeke's reassurance, the newborn relaxed some and his look of concern eased but did not entirely disappear. Though he didn't seem to be in trouble, which was a relief since he hadn't assaulted her as she claimed, there was still a strange and heavy air surrounding the topic and the Frei's eyes wandered between the woman whose hand he held and the colorful man standing before them.
Anita's gaze didn't leave Zeke once it was on him, quickly noticing his awkward posture and fidgeting. She gave him a sympathetic look, though the corner of her lip couldn't help but curl into a half smile at the poor man. What a day it must have been, and it was only less than two hours ago that the day truly began, especially for the young one beside her. She listened carefully to his explanation, the crocodile's fingers occasionally brushing the back of her hand. It was difficult to tell if he was understanding the current situation or not, but she hoped he did. It seemed, at least, he understood the nature of Zeke's hand pat as he didn't shy away from his touch and a glance back told her that he smiled before tucking his face back under the warm coat.
The main reason for Anya's freak out came as no surprise to Anita, not after her Raevan sprang that one on her just a couple minutes ago. She wanted to laugh, and her face crinkled up to indicate as much, but forced herself to hold back and let Zeke finish. It all made sense that way, but the fact that he fed in such a way was surprising in itself. Zul had surmised that the young croc would feed from mistletoe, and Anita had put a lot of stock into that assumption, but she supposed it was impossible to predict what a Raevan would truly be like until they finally floated out of the tank. Suffice to say, his appearance was not what she had been expecting either; in the time he had been developing, her mind had been running wild with fantastic representations of a Raevan with a crocodile head, rock hard pecks and biceps and a bronze, oily tan that would put most professional body builders to shame. In contrast, the mistletoe Frei was pretty normal looking save for his teeth and even then, for a Raevan, that probably wasn't the most outlandish feature they could have.
Once Zeke wrapped up and proposed their acquaintances properly, Anita couldn't help but giggle and that giggle turned into a laugh. "I had a feeling that's what it was," she said, giving her chair companion's hand a gentle squeeze which he returned promptly, "Croccyface here kissed me, too, while you were getting the full story." Recalling it caused pink to rise in her cheeks once more, but not to the same degree was when it had actually happened. The humor of the situation staved much of it off, but Anita hid her face in her free hand all the same, struck with the giggles.
As his eyes were the only feature on his face visible once more, they darted between Anita and Zeke with the utmost curiosity. Zeke's retelling of the events, from what he could understand, lined up with the truth. He still didn't understand why the spider femme had reacted like that but he supposed, as long as she wasn't out to throw him across a room again, things were okay.
"Well," Anita started, her laughing fit mostly over as she locked eyes with the Frei, "How 'bout it? You wanna have a name?" His eyes fluttered and brows raised, suddenly intrigued. For the first time since donning it, he pulled himself away from Anita and sat up properly in the chair, pushing the coat down so it only covered his ribbon and his arms were free. There were no words from him, but Anita took that as a yes for now and nodded to Zeke. "Is there any paper work I need to fill out, or...?"
Slowly, the crocodile Frei rose, tucking the coat onto the seat as he floated away from it. Anita paused in her questions to watch him, but he moved past the two humans and stopped in front of the now closed glass door leading to the hall. It seemed as though the other Raevan would not be coming out, and this perplexed him if she was fine now and not wanting to hurt him. Reaching out with a single claw, he tapped at the glass on the door as if testing its existence before lightly pressing the tips of all his nails on that hand against the glass, issuing a slight tink sound. He didn't understand why she was hiding and it struck the newborn as unfortunate. Though she wasn't very tasty and apparently didn't like being touched, she was very pretty and he would have liked to have gotten a better look at her without his hunger in the way.
"I think he's worried about her," Anita leaned forward to whisper, resting her chin in one hand while she watched him with an unfading smile. Too bad for him, Anya wasn't coming out of there anytime soon, and especially not to see him if her flip out was any indication. Hopefully in the future, but only time would tell and just from this one instance Anita could tell she wasn't really the forgiving type. In that case, it would probably be best to get all of the paper work done, have him named and then get on their way home so Zeke would be able to talk with Anya more. If she knew anything about women, you had better not keep them waiting.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 2:33 pm
Anita's giggling laughter came as a surprise to the vet, but it was not an unwelcome one. It was infectious and a genuine smile rose up on the raver's pierced face and even laughed in his own, light way when the nickname 'Croccyface' left the young woman's mouth. It wasn't the full bellow of mirth he would have normally gave, but it was a sign things were on the right track all the same. Zeke felt relief again, but it turned into intrigue at what Anita had said next.
"He kissed you too?" A pierced brow raised and Zeke turned his attention wholly on the crocodile, smile blooming anew across his face. "Either he's very friendly or he feeds off kissing people." He spoke the words and then they dawned on him, striking him as both funny and rather fitting. He grinned fully at that notion - a full display of white teeth - and like the green one's guardian, fell into chuckling. When he and Anita had met, they had been made to kiss each other thanks to the Mistletoe's influence after all. It made sense for the sharp-toothed boy to get his fill from such a sweet act.
Zeke reined himself in as Anita started talking again, keeping his eyes on the crocodile Raevan who sat at her side. When she questioned the croc about wanting a name, he had to wonder just what she would pick for him. Like Anita, he wasn't quite what Zeke had expected him to look like, but it was that unexpected appearance that made him like the Frei so far. That and the fact even in the aftermath of Anastacia's rage he was as bright eyed and smiley as if nothing had gone wrong. A sunny-side-up, glass-half-full Raevan for Anita? Perfetto. He couldn't wait to learn more about this one; he was just as special to him as he had said, even if he couldn't really be the virus Raevan's little brother after all.
"Is there any paper work I need to fill out, or...?"
Ah yeah! How could I forget?" Zeke stood up straight, eyes brightening immediately at the mention. Now that it was back on his mind, he turned to Anita and smiled. "Just release forms and stuff, really, but there's a spot for his name and once you give me your signature, he's all yours." Excitement filled him at that and despite his mental exhaustion he started to shiver again. Anita was so close to having her crocodile be one hundred percent hers. All it would take was a few quick pen strokes and then...
As he made to turn to go to his desk to fetch the folder and a pen, the actions of the Mistletoe Frei made him pause. He watched with interest as the Frei rose up and turned to follow his progress as the Raevan made his way to the door. Both of Zeke's brows raised as he watched the Frei pause before the door, inspect it, and then look through the glass. What was he doing? Looking down the hall of course, but...was he looking for Anya? The very idea struck him and left him awed and that feeling was only amplified by Anita's suggestion for why the green haired young man was doing what he was. Said awe showed on the vet's face and after a moment it faded into a fond little smile. What a guy this one was turning out to be. Worrying about another in the wake of disaster was one thing, but worrying about the one who had struck out at him? That was something else entirely. It made him want to hug the green one, but he would be respectful. Instead, Zeke took the few steps he needed to be at the Frei's side and gently put a hand on his scaly, bump lined back.
"She'll be okay," he said gently, smiling at the Frei in a reassuring way. She was hopefully calming down right now which would be good for him later on, but she was physically unharmed. "You didn't hurt her, but she won't be coming out right now." He patted the Frei's back, intrigued by the rough scales and small, hard knobs that lined the green one's spine. Now that the boy wasn't covered with Anita's coat and Zeke himself wasn't distracted, he let himself take a good, long look at the Raevan's entirety.
Green as far as the eye could see, accents of gold and a little creamy white; claws, teeth, stubby little fin-wings, a crowbar-like rune, and a ribbon that got choppy near its end...He might not have been what he had been expecting a crocodile Raevan to look like, but dammit all he was perfect. Perfect and good and he was over the moon for Anita. And for the crocodile Raevan too. He'd be going home with a wonderful young woman after all. Tilting his head again, he looked the newborn in the eyes. Vivid green eyes. They reminded Zeke of Alex's.
"You, my friend, really do need a name." Zeke said suddenly, looking over the Frei's shoulder and winking at Anita. The vet took his hand off the Frei's back to walk backward to the secretary's desk, eyes never leaving the Frei as he went. "You need a name that fits that face of yours, because I really can't keep calling you 'kiddo' forever." He came to a stop when his butt hit the table, turned around and grabbed what he needed off the desk. He opened the folder, flipped through the pages, and clicked the pen to life when he came to the page with the line that read 'Raevan Name:'.
"So what'll it be?" He grinned, eyes going from the Raevan to Anita and back again twice. "Are you a Daniel? Matthew? Hmm...Or maybe an Aragorn instead?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:58 pm
While Anita agreed that perhaps the young Frei was just very friendly, the chances were exorbitantly high that it was a result of how he fed. Maybe, though, it was both with how he was trying to peek out after Anya. Her own green eyes watched the crocodile hover curiously, and then gently turn to look over his shoulder at Zeke upon the man's touch to his scaled back.
At the raver's words, the Raevan's eyes wandered back to the door, brows lifting in a manner that revealed acceptance, and turned to face the rest of the room with a fairly contented smile upon his face. He was feeling better now, more alert and able, and so he flexed his fingers while giving his form a stretch. His small wings fluttered, looking as if they were attempting to lengthen, and his ribbon reached out toward the floor. A low but pleasant grumble emanated from him once he was finished, rune pulsing with a nearly satiated hunger.
Zeke speaking once more called his attention and he watched carefully as he retreated to the desk and pulled out a file. A name... So far, he was only absolutely certain of one of their names, and that was Anita. His gaze drifted to her and she seemed locked in thought, resting her chin in her hand so her mouth was obscured and her eyes were directed to the floor. The three suggestions elicited different reactions each from him; Daniel was awarded a quirk of a brow while Matthew caused a crease to appear between them at the bridge of his nose. Aragorn, on the other hand, was given a thoughtful tilt of the head before he puffed out his cheeks for a moment in disapproval.
Quietly, Anita was mumbling names to herself. All of the ones she had searched through, accepted, rejected, accepted and then later rejected, it was so difficult to narrow down and she still hadn't had a chance to prior to his unexpected birth. With a soft hiss, Anita picked her head up and turned to the mistletoe Raevan with an expectant look, "Aydin? Kai?" Both were dismissed gently by the Frei, who gave his guardian a sly look that seemed to say "stop playing around". Other attempts were flung the newborn's way -- Abel, Cain, Hans, Logan, Paxton -- all were rebuked by the green Frei. Pursing her lips, Anita tapped the lower one with the tip of a finger before she seemed to freeze entirely.
There had been one name in particular that nagged at her for a very long time. She had looked at it, picked it, rejected it later, brought it back, and then again removed it from her list of candidates. The name itself was simple and only four short letters with a sound that easily slid off the tongue and as she sat up straighter Anita cocked her head to the side, uncertain what his reaction would be, but dove right in and gave it a shot.
"...Cruz?"
Preemptively, he began shaking his head and then stopped mid shake. His gaze shifted to the side while the name ran through his mind and from the back of his throat came a steady clicking as he quietly attempted to mimic the sound of the beginning syllable -- K-k-k-k. His mouth moved in a way that his vocal cords did not yet understand, copying how Anita's had moved when she said the name. "Krrooo..." he attempted, accidentally rolling the 'R' more than he should have. A wide and cheery (but almost intimidatingly toothy) smile bloomed, taking up most of his face and he excitedly ran a hand through his bangs as he tried the sound again; "Krooo... kroo"
Cruz, it seemed, was a keeper.
Anita couldn't help but laugh, hands finding one another to clap with joy. Indecisive as she was, as she looked at him it seemed that he really looked like a Cruz somehow. From what she recalled, the name meant 'cross' but from further reading during her more choosy moments she found it more literally meant 'dweller by the cross' and that second meaning was exceedingly accurate with the mistletoe part of him. As part of a holiday tradition in a religion represented by a cross, mistletoe literally was a dweller near a cross rather than being an active part of the cross' 'life', so to speak. How he wanted to interpret it or what he wanted to do with his name was up to him now but that was it, plain and simple; he was Cruz.
Cruz smiled, turning to Zeke and imitating the sound once more as if looking for approval -- not at the name itself or the fact he could half speak it, but his tone held a lofty sort of meaning that sounded to Anita as if he were saying "yeah, it's awesome, you better agree" and that made her heart soar. What an incredible young man this Raevan was turning out to be already! She was absolutely bursting with excitement to get him home and comfortable, for him to meet everyone.
"Cruz it is, Zeke," Anita chuckled as she came to a stand, ready to sign anything as she walked her coat over to Cruz and began showing him how to put it on properly. With a couple of head tilts and attempt to cover his front with the back of the jacket like when he was sitting in the chair, she managed to get him into it properly and then buttoned up the front, putting his mind to rest. As soon as she stepped back, his arms wrapped around himself and he rubbed at the warm material of the coat, attempting to bury his face in the large and fuzzy neck. If he needed that now he was going to need a huge one when Winter came around and that was one more thing she would do to make him comfortable.
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:39 pm
"None of those huh?" The vet said as he watched the Crocodile Frei give physical opinions to the three names he had picked off the top of his head. The reaction to 'Aragorn' was especially tickling, making the corners of Zeke's eyes crinkle again as the Raevan puffed his cheeks out. "That's okay. You'll find a winner."
He looked over the newborn's shoulder to look at Anita again, amusement only growing more as he caught sight of her posture and 'lost in thought' face. He had to chuckle at her and couldn't help but compare the two of them at this point in time. She was thinking hard on her options. His brain had basically flatlined and spat a few names out at him, none of which had worked until that smooth, five syllable name had its turn. He had to wonder if she was struggling, but before he could make a guess, Anita had spat out the first two names that came to mind.
Zeke was amused to see how they were dismissed.
"Well, so long as he's not an Ezekiel. Ezekiel's a," he stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry, "name." Granted it was his full first name, but who would know better on that topic than him? There were reasons he introduced himself as 'Zeke' and left the full name for legal papers and such things. He winked at the two and fell silent as Anita threw out the next round of names, resting his eyes on the face of the Mistletoe teen to see how he took to them.
All no go's.
No one said it would be easy and it seemed not every Raevan took to the first name that came from their Guardian's lips. Amusing, but he hoped Anita wasn't frustrated all the same. He certainly wasn't - he might have to have his chat with Anya, and while he shouldn't keep his lady waiting, he felt like a delay would help her cool down. It was certainly helping him to wake up again and that would be a boon in the long run.
Zeke leaned back against the desk - bottom slightly seated on the lip - and shifted the papers in his arms. He looked between the two before settling on Anita, watching her freeze before his eyes. The vet's pierced brows raised, giving him a look of mild surprise and polite intrigue was added with a relax of his smile. She looked like she had an epiphany. Perhaps she had found The One.
Had his brows not already been lofted, they would have at the name Anita uttered. Cruz. It sounded like a fine name to him, short and sweet, but it wasn't his decision. For the umpteenth time that day he looked at the Crocodile Frei, and like Anita, waited with bated breath on his opinion. Would he like it? Would he think it was him? Would he call it his o--
The initial shake of the Frei's head was a put off and made Zeke wonder if this sweet kid had an odd inner picky side that was just bubbling to the surface. Not a bad thing of course, at least, not now, but it was still a little troublesome. There were so many names in this world and they couldn't go through all of them in one afternoon. But then the shake stopped suddenly and the newborn attempted to mouth the word. It seemed to Zeke that he was testing the name, something similar to what Anastacia had done when he had given her her own. Testing it, tasting it, seeing if it was them...And then the Frei rumbled the name and Zeke, like Anita, knew they had The One.
Laughter from the raver swiftly followed Anita's, the sound too infectious and the Frei's delighted expression too much to keep the sound at bay. When the Frei - Cruz - turned to him and spoke his name with such a proud tone, Zeke laughed freely and openly and it was clear the tiredness had been fought off for the time being. It was enough to make his shoulders shake and his stomach start to hurt and it felt good. Very good indeed.
"Cruz," he said once he was able to rein in the majority of his mirth. It was indeed a fine name, but also one with two spellings and while he gave his pen a shake to ready the ink, he didn't yet put nib to paper. Instead, he waited for Anita to wrap her charge up in her coat, and only afterward did he pose the question, smiling at the two of them - especially as Cruz buried himself in the faux fur collar.
"C-R-U-Z or C-R-U-I-S-E?" The first three letters were written down when spoken given they were the exact same in both spellings, but Zeke paused his writing before getting to the fourth. He looked pointedly at his friend, waiting with an expectant and no less excited smile. It was all her now and once the name was given, he'd point out every little nook and cranny she was supposed to put her signature down on. After that? Well a hug was most certainly in order.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:54 am
At the blown raspberry, Anita had interrupted her thoughts to give a short single laugh, an obvious grin curling her lips before her expression immediately dropped back to serious. The Raevan, on the other hand, had turned back and tilted his head at the sound, having missed Zeke's tongue make it. His eyes roamed curiously, searching for a source, but when it did not happen again he seemed to lose interest.
There were much more important matters to attend to anyway, such as getting warm. Cruz pulled the ends of the sleeves over his hands as best he could to cover them, rubbing the soft fabric against his cheeks. While it was a fairly baggy coat on Anita, it was a snug fit for the more broad shouldered male. It didn't look odd and he felt comfortable enough in it, but she intended to get him a proper jacket of his own -- and in his own color. The dark grey of her pea coat really did not suit his bright nature.
Zeke's question on the spelling made Anita snicker a little. Was 'Cruise' really used as a name by anyone? Shaking her head, she made sure to enunciate clearly: "C-R-U-Z." Beside her, the Frei gave a quiet hiss and then another.
"C..cee..."
He didn't quite understand, but he knew those sounds were related to his new name somehow and he wanted to keep them close at hand in his mind. A gentle rumble left him as he tried to make an 'arr' sound but it came out as more of a growl. He would get the hang of it, surely, but the fact he was trying and learning so quickly made Anita proud and happy -- and as we all know, a happy Anita cannot stop laughing or giggling, even if it starts hurting.
"So," she sighed with mirth, hands in her jean pockets as she glanced to Zeke, "What do you think?" Anita was quite interested in her friend's opinion on the name, but more on her new charge himself. After so long in the tank and being quite far from what either of them anticipated, she was extremely curious. Even more, Zeke had been with her from the beginning of his conception within the tank and she found his opinion very relevant. Where Anya could not be Cruz's older sister as the raver wanted, perhaps he could be the Frei's god father of sorts.
A smile curled across Cruz's lips at Anita's question, him subtly answering for her. Good. This was good. There was not much for him to compare it to, but everything that was happening right now, her and this friendly, colorful man, his name, it was all better than feeling sick from hunger, it was better than being flung across the room, and it was so much better than that strange stabbing cold that felt so long ago. His rune thrummed happily in time with his small wings flapping and he hovered closer to the two humans, exchanging glances before leaning over to look at the papers in Zeke's hands. He couldn't make out any of it, it all looked like scribbles, but he was interested nonetheless.
"Sssee... rrrr... yoo..." he attempted again, not really reading it from Zeke's sheet, but then he scrunched up his face at the last letter and tried but only an 'S' sound came out. Hmpf! That dastardly 'Z' was tricky.
Anita took notice, and called his attention with a hand, pointing to her mouth. "Zzz. Zzz. See?"
He tried again, his face taking a comical expression like a frustrated child that had tasted something icky, but after a few attempts the 'S' managed to become an awkward sort of 'Z' and he looked at Zeke, showing off his mouth movement. "Ssszz...?"
Good enough for now, Anita figured, and she chuckled. "Good, good," Her hands were held out expectantly to Zeke for the pen and paper so she could finalize everything with her signature. Just a little longer now and they would be on their way home. She couldn't help but wonder if the best course of action would be to call her mom before hand or surprise her with the news. The look on her face either way would be absolutely priceless.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:43 am
"C-R-U-Z." The fourth letter was added with a flourish. Cruz. Now and forever, that's who this Raevan was. Looking at the crocodile Frei again, Zeke deemed the name fitting. He looked like a Cruz, especially around the eyes. Or eye, as the case was, given the green male's long hang over of hair on his right side. "So you have said it, so shall it be. He is now Cruz!"
Zeke couldn't help himself to a little dramatics, the spark back into him for true now. Said spark only grew as the hissing, rumbling attempts Cruz made to try and speak the letters of his name. So quickly into learning this one was! It made him proud to see and he had to bet himself that in a few days time, Anita would have quite the talker on her hands. Perhaps a talker who wouldn't quit with questions. It made him damn near giddy to think about, but before he could at length, the guardian of said Raevan questioned him first.
"I think he's awesome." The words were said with relish, Zeke moving the folder in his left hand for a moment so he had a free arm to loop over Anita's shoulders. He squeezed the woman close to his side, beaming down at her before raising a pierced brow with intrigue. "How about you? Do you like him?"
Clearly the second question had been answered by now, but he couldn't resist. He wanted to hear the words from his companion's lips for himself. Of course, Cruz was still keen to speak his name and that drew Zeke's attention first. Like Anita, he mimicked the sound the letter 'z' made.
"Zz. Zee." The sound Cruz made in his attempt after Anita showed him made Zeke release the girl's shoulders to applaud. "You can do it! You gotta do it! How else are you going to say my name?" He cast his jovial grin to the crocodile and then pressed his right pointer finger to his chest. "Zeke. My name is Zeke." He pointed at Anita. "This is Anita," and finally to the Frei himself, "and you are Cruz."
He made the triad of pointing again, noticing Anita's outstretched hands on that second pass. He cocked his head for a moment - puzzled - but then realization dawned on him and he playfully bopped himself in the forehead with the butt of his palm.
"I'm so excited, I keep forgetting this. Jeez..." He handed the manilla folder over, moving out of Anita's way so she had the desk to rest it on. Once it was, he placed the pen down and gestured to the folder with an airy wave. "It's been dated already, so all you'll need to do is sign where it says!" He paused for a moment. "Oh! And read it too of course!"
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