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 Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:23 pm
Who: Anastacia, Axel, Idylla, and Zeke
When: October 6th, 2011, roughly an hour and a half after lunch time
Where: Axel's office in Barton Town
Weather: Sunny but gusty with a noticeable chill in the air
Scheduling mishaps could be a terrible thing. Hours lost, coming in late or not at all by mistake, being yelled at by your boss...Downright horrid, if that 'could' was a definite thing. Zeke seemed to have gotten the good end of the stick in this case and he was happy for the day off. It was a chance to relax, a chance to unwind, and a chance to figure out just how he was going to get Anya to talk to him again. Two weeks had passed since the debacle at Cruz's pick up and still the spider Frei acted as though her guardian didn't exist. He tried to talk to her in all manner of ways - even apologized dozens of times to her - but each and every time there was no reply. He was disheartened by this of course, and was beginning to think he'd have to let her grudge run its way out of her before she would talk to him. That, or save her from being run over by a bus. The way things were looking, some sort of feat of bravery toward the virus Frei seemed like the only other option.
Or maybe anger her so much again she'd have no choice but to yell at him for what he'd done. Either way, the vet was at a loss in that department and greatly welcomed the call about dropping off a bottle and vial to an Axel Halkias in Barton Town. It was a nice addition to his day and he was almost to the building in question - Anastacia in the backseat of the Aston Martin and paying the vet no mind, lost in her own little world as she looked out the window at Barton October.
Her plan, as it were, was going swimmingly. She'd held off talking to the man - even snapping at him for stupid comments - for two weeks now. She'd talk to others when spoken to, but Zeke was treated as though he didn't exist and anything he asked or mentioned was thoroughly ignored. It felt rather good to strike the man down without actually touching him, and the method that she was punishing him truly did compliment her own normally aloof demeanor to a 't'. She decided it for certain now - the cold shoulder would most certainly be her new method of dealing with riffraff or those who offended her from now on. The results were clear and that thought alone made a small, cruel-looking smile curve the Frei's cherry red lips. Said smile only faded into nothing when the car she was in came to a stop and shut off completely, knowing they had reached their destination.
Or, in reality, Zeke had reached his destination because this business was all him and Anastacia considered herself just along for the ride. Even she considered the outing a nice change up from the vet's office and Lab and thus wasted no time in bundling her coat tighter around her partial form and getting out of the car herself - no assistance from her Guardian required. The first thing she saw when fully out of the car was just how PINK the building Zeke had parked in front of was. She couldn't see the roof, but even if she could, it would still be a giant mass of gaudy brightness that damn near seared her eyes. In under a minute Anastacia had to look away, focusing her attention on a drab brick building next door. Surely the equally colorful man had just picked the first parking spot he saw and they weren't actually going in there!
"Well would you look at this place!" A low whistle was uttered as Zeke put his left hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. In his right was the standard metal case that all bottles and vials came in with a piece of paper with the new family member's name and business address tucked between his palm and the handle. Zeke walked to the hood of his car and gently set the case down and checked the paper against the number emblazoned in red against the building's front door. Complete match.
Zeke dropped his hand from his eyes in order to lock his door - checking to see if Anya was out first - and then dipped the same appendage into his pocket for a couple gold coins. Picking up the case again, he dropped both coins into the parking meter just as he stepped up onto the sidewalk, attention turning from the pink and most certainly lovey building to his ward.
"Ready to go?"
Silence from his companion, but the femme did turn her eyes to him, if only to see where the man was going to be dragging her. Zeke gave her a smile when he saw her turn her head toward him and gestured to the pink building's door before leading the march.
Anastacia sighed, muttering "Figures." under her breath before following quickly behind. A gust came along and blew up her pea coat, making her shiver and all but dive inside the gaudy building when Zeke opened the door for her. Thankfully it was both warm and drastically less pink in here, winning at least one point back on the Frei's tally of 'Do I tolerate or hate this?' as she rubbed her coat-covered arms.
"This way Anya." Zeke called in a voice that was low due to being in a business place but loud enough to carry across the lobby. Anastacia followed him into the elevator, and within a few moments both were being sent up in the lift. "Nice place, huh?" He said with a grin, watching the numbers on the floor display go up slowly. "I guess our new Lab member is a dress maker or a matchmaker or a wedding planner or something."
Again there was silence and Anastacia kept her eyes forward, focused on the door. She knew he was probably right in his guesses and didn't think the place was all that fantastic, but she was firmly holding onto her resolve. Two weeks in - she would not give it up now.
Zeke looked to his Raevan and the grin he had been wearing faltered. Still nothing. Not even a responsive sound. Though he knew better, he reached a hand out to touch the Frei's clothed arm, but a soft 'ding!' and computerized female voice put a stop to that before it happened or Anya even noticed.
"Fifth floor."
The doors slid open and the Frei moved out first, stopping in the middle of the definitely not gaudy hallway to look around. Beige floor, paneled walls with zero in the way of decoration, fluorescent lights overhead...A regular business hallway. Very much not what she was expecting to encounter given what the outside looked like.
"Okay we go..." Zeke extended the 'o' sound on 'go' as he looked down both ends of the hall, trying to figure out which way would lead him to Axel's office. Finally he settled on the left after a few too many looks down either end. "This way."
His footsteps echoed off the walls, and with each door they passed, he made a half-second pause to look at the number on the door, its siding, or the wall. A soft 'no' followed each one, until they reached the end of the hall where Zeke instead gave a cheery 'ah ha!'.
"Here we are." He turned around and looked at his ward. "We might have to wait a bit in case they're busy, okay?"
No reply and it seemed like Anastacia was looking through him, but Zeke gave the Frei a small smile all the same. With a quick motion, the door was opened and both bodies were in the room. Both man and woman looked around the area they had walked into, Zeke cheerily telling himself that 'dress maker' seemed like the right idea when it came to this new Lab member's job. Once all was seen that could be seen, the vet moved from the vicinity of the glazed glass door and to the receptionist's desk, leaving Anastacia to gander and ogle at everything all over again.
"Hi!" He said with one of his best, most friendly smiles, "I'm here to see Axel Halkias."
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:30 pm
There's only a single way of telling the Halkias twins apart when one lays eyes on them, and it's a little detail that can be explained by a quick visit to the hairdressers. For those who do know the twins personally, they'll give a good chuckle before telling you they are both very different individuals.
As Axel gently managed her sisters hair up into the hairdo she needed for this years most hip wedding hairstyles, she wondered why exactly her sister had dyed her hair that deep shade of red. Her sister didn't look bad in it, Idylla didn't look bad in much, but Axel had always loved looking exactly like her sister. As children, they'd fooled plenty of people, helping each other in class since Axel was terrible in anything that included sciences. Finishing the style with some hidden pins, she grabbed the paper she'd printed earlier and glanced back in forth between it and her sisters hair.
“How do I look?”
“Mmm...” Axel frowned lightly, this wasn't exactly what she'd aimed for, this wouldn't make it into her catalogue. She could only promote things she hoped would make a statement in her industry, especially during the assemblies where thousands of wedding planners gathered and tried to outdo each other. Sighing, Axel crushed the paper with both hands and threw it towards the small trash can beside the mirrors. There was already a small growing pile of other photographs she'd crushed and thrown over, it would be ever growing in the next few weeks. Not only was she doeing hairstyles, but she was also doing wedding dresses, shoes, themes, pretty much anything wedding related she could cram in. Only the best, for the best. “It's not making it.”
“You can be so picky.” Idylla pulled herself out of her chair and practically marched over to the large mirrors to examine herself. She made a face, she herself liking the style. “Honestly, I think you could sell this.” She eyed her sister with a sly smile, Axel was starring at her sisters reflection in the mirror with disappointment written all over her features. “You're the only person who could get Lucifer out of prison.” The twins chuckled in union, their laughter resonating through the room until they finally quieted down.
“You want to come along for the wedding dresses?” Axel was already on her way over to her desk to grab the pile of wedding dresses a boutique had sent her, all the styles were new this year, though what Axel was interested in far more, was the runway dresses. Expensive dresses brought along an expensive clientele.
“Sure, I think I could spare a week or two for you.” Idylla ran her fingers through her hair, picking it apart and trying to find as many pins as she possibly could while walking towards the client chairs. She dropped herself into one of them, kicked off her heels and crossed her legs as she put them ontop of her sisters desk. Axel made a sound a tsk sound she spotted her sisters actions from the corner of her eyes, she reached over and slapped her sisters feet. Usually, Idylla would have earned herself a shout, but Axel's eyes were glued to pictures she'd taken herself. “Idylla, take your feet off of my desk, I'm waiting for someone to come in any moment now.”
Well, she wasn't exactly sure when Zeke would arrive, but her excitement was getting hard to contain from her sister. She'd wanted it to be a surprise, telling her sister she was taking part in an experiment that would later bring a new individual into her life. A child that would grow and learn she'd been told. Axel wasn't really sure how her sister would react to the news, probably thinking her sister had gotten herself into a mess she didn't need, her twin protective as always. However, she knew she was making the right decision, which was another reason she wanted to spent a lot of time with her sister, almost like softening her up with some butter, or shopping.
With a sigh, Idylla obliged and took her feet down, she straighten up in her chair and raised a brow. “Are you waiting for a client?” Their eyes caught, and Axel was unable to hide away from her sisters prying eyes. Slamming down her hand onto the desk, Idylla jumped up, excitement all over her face now. “You're waiting for a guy! Is he cute? Why didn't you tell me you were dating!”
Axel rubbed her face, “No, I'm not dating anyone. I am waiting for a guy, but he's not here for what you think he's here for...” Axel struggled with finding the proper words. “I guess, I'm sort of his client?” What she said didn't make much sense to her, and the way Idylla was looking at her now, Axel guessed her sister didn't understand either. God, she really wanted to tell her sister, but than the surprise and whatever expression Idylla would give her would be ruined.
Closing up the photo album, Axel made her way over to her bathroom, leaving her sister alone in the office.
Mildred glanced up from her papers at the two who had walked in, the older woman blinked a few times as she watched the purple haired beauty, than she gave Zeke the good look over. She'd seen many couples come in and out of the office in her years as a secretary, but never had she seen one that looked so... Interesting. Usually it was the bride who took charge, but here was the groom looking as happy as ever as he walked up to her desk, Mildred almost expected him to saunter over.
“Hello dear, here to see the wedding planner are you?” Her voice cracked from age, but she gave him a smile. “Let me get her, I think she's just about finished with her sister.” Using the desk as support, Mildred got up and started her shuffle towards the office door where she knocked twice and went back towards her seat.
A lot of people wondered why the old woman still worked for Axel, with her age she should have been placed in a peaceful home for elders where her grandchildren could run circles around her as she fed them chocolate and gave away her pension money. Truth was, Mildred had no children of her own, no grandchildren, and her husband had died a few years ago. When Axel had offered retirement, she was met with a steel wall of power and a definitive answer. No.
When the knocking came, Idylla glanced at the bathroom door once, if this was the mystery client, than her sister wouldn't mind if she acted as her to invite him in. Almost launching herself off the chair, she pushed her heels under the table and went for the door. Maybe if Axel had explained the situation a little more, she wouldn't have been so shocked at what she saw when she opened the door. There, in the reception area, was a floating body.
Mildred glanced at the appointment book, than towards Idylla. Without glasses, the elderly lady wouldn't be able to tell the difference. “This is Zeke, you've been waiting for him.”
All the twin could do was stare between Zeke and the woman with the most perplexed expression on her face. A few seconds later the wheels started turning again, she straightened her suit up, offered him the smile she offered all her own clients and made her way over to him. Of course, it was hard to look serious in a suit when one wasn't wearing shoes. “Hi Zeke, I'm Axel Halkias, why don't you come into my office?” Her hand went out for a formal handshake, her lawyer skills always came in handy when she needed them. Though, this odd couple made Idylla wonder if this was what Axel had been hiding from her.
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:57 am
While Zeke was immediately striking someone out of her range of sight's attention and shoving them into conversation, Anastacia's focus was elsewhere. It was commonplace for her to assess the new surroundings she ended up in when with Zeke, but this time it seemed that came second for her. Instead she was immediately drawn to the framed pictures on the wall of smiling women in ballgowns the likes of which she had only seen by chance on TV. Frills, lace, beads, sequins, even some sort of diamond-encrusted number in one poster: even though the vast majority were white, the spider femme couldn't deny they were rather appealing to her. The women were ordinary and one or two even looked plastic, but the gowns? Very odd in some cases, but very pretty all the while.
When the Frei tore her eyes from the pictures lining the office wall, she immediately found the generous pile of magazines. Again there were smiling women on them, one or two accompanied by a tuxedo-clad man, but all were dressed in a ballgown of some description and color. Anastacia didn't even pause to think if she was truly allowed to touch the pile and picked up a magazine between her glove-covered fingers. Thanks to the covering, the magazine slipped and landed back down with a papery 'splat', but the spider queen was quick strip herself of her gloves and shove them in her pocket. Offhandedly she also removed her scarf and jacket, stretching her wings out to their fullest length and giving them both a comfortable twist and shake to get rid of the feeling they had from being trapped against her back for the duration of a car ride. The coat and scarf were laid over the nearest chair without much care and Anastacia had her slender-fingered hands on a magazine again just moments after "Axel" made her appearance.
"Yes ma'am!" Zeke chirped to the elderly woman who served as the receptionist, raising the metal case up enough so she could see the shining silver case. In his head he chuckled to himself - he had guessed wedding planner but had settled on something else entirely. He felt he was half-right because of it.
As Mildred mentioned the woman he was meant to meet was working with her sister, he nodded appreciatively and watched her go to the door across the room. His expression relaxed slightly as the old woman knocked on the door, but was quick to perk back up into a smile when he saw the redhead peek out from the other side. He took on some surprise when she was quick to move out to him, and the vet could only hastily shift the case to his left hand in order to take the hand extended to him with his right.
“Hi Zeke, I'm Axel Halkias, why don't you come into my office?”
"Pleasure to meet you, Axel." Like with Mildred he put on one of his friendliest smiles, shaking the offered hand firmly before releasing. One thing surprised him about this woman - that being that she knew his name - but he quickly assumed whoever had called ahead wanted them to know it wouldn't be the person making the call showing up. Fine by him, it made things go smoother, but he did have someone to introduce, extending the hand he had used to shake out to Anastacia floating nearby. "This is Anastacia, my Raevan."
He couldn't have sounded prouder to say that, but the Frei didn't react the way she did because of him. Introductions were long since ingrained into her psyche as something that came habitually on these things, so she did inwardly curse herself for straightening her posture and tearing her eyes away from the magazine to look at the two standing a short float away and right in her line of sight.
"Good afternoon." Though she cursed the habit and knew she'd have to work harder to break it, she still kept up with her polite lady routine in the face of this new woman. Zeke was still ignored and instead Anastacia put her entire six-eyed stare onto the redhead, giving a polite nod of her leg-crowed head before looking her over and assessing "Axel" where she failed to assess the room. Long red hair, oddly vibrant blue eyes, suit-clad, for some reason not wearing shoes...
That caused a brow to raise, but nothing was said about it despite how out of place it looked. Other than that little absurdity, so long as she got no ideas about coming over here and touching her, Anastacia had no qualms with the new woman in the room. In fact, she had so little problem with her that she quickly had the magazine covering her lower face once again.
Zeke chuckled.
"She's found something interesting," he explained, "so she'll be engrossed with it for awhile." He hoped the wedding planner didn't mind. Although she didn't do it often, when something did catch her eye, his Anya was prone to picking it up and inspecting it to her heart's content regardless of what it was or if it even belonged to someone.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 11:13 am
Idylla wasn't too sure if a “Raevan” was another word for bride or lover, but the redhead wasn't one to judge others, and so took a better look at Anastacia. The first word that came to mind was gorgeous, flowly long mauve hair partly held up by a spidery crown. Fair skin with some spidery limbs protruding from her back, Idylla by now had guessed that Anastacia had spider genes somewhere within her. She barely caught a glimpse of the woman's face before it was covered by a wedding magazine however, and was a little disappointed. “It's nice to meet you Anastacia, are you going to be coming in with us? Plenty more magazines inside and real dresses if you'd like to see them first hand.” Hopefully that would grab her attention, Idylla didn't know a single bride that didn't like looking at dresses, nor resist trying them on when offered. Though honestly, she had no idea who it would work if she was missing most of her body.
In the quiet bathroom, Axel starred at her reflection as the idea of what she was going to do today settled in her mind. Was she ready? Would she be able to handle the situations that would be thrown her way in the future? Could she properly raise a child on her own? All these questions buzzed in her mind and made Axel dizzy. Grabbing the glass cup beside the sink, she poured herself a glass of water and drank it up at once. A smile appeared on her features as she fixed her shirt, she didn't know what fate had in store for her, but she knew it was going to be one hell of a ride she'd enjoy.
Unlocking the door and stepping out, Axel frowned. Her sister wasn't sitting down, but was in the reception area talking to... A client? Axel couldn't really see from her standpoint, so moving towards the door, she finally spotted a man and a Raevan. Unlike her sister, Axel knew very small tidbits about Raevans, she'd signed up for this after all.
Why in the world was her sister meeting her clients?
“Idylla! What have I told you about meeting my clients and pretending to be me... It confuses people and it's rude.” It was in these moments, that Axel sometimes regretted having a sister who looked exactly like her. Only sometimes.
The redhead froze and turned around to meet her sisters glare as she approached them. “No need to be so angry Axel, I was just trying to shuffle them into your office.” Idylla rubbed the back of her neck just as Axel reached them, she guessed the only reason her sister was upset was because this was perhaps the surprise she'd been hiding from her. She had no idea why Axel would want her to meet this specific couple, divorce maybe? A wedding planners office was certainly an odd place to meet a divorce lawyer, or so Idylla liked to think. Than again, maybe it was a publicity stunt, offer your clients a wedding planner, and if divorce comes along a few years later, well here's her sister for a lawyer!
“I'm so sorry, I hope my sister Idylla,” Axel sent a look towards the redhead. “Hasn't bothered you much, I'm guessing though you thought she was me.” She gave a chuckle, and extended her own hand. “Sorry for the confusion and all, let's try this again. Hi, I'm Axel.” It was hard for her not to give a few glances towards the floating figure, she was excited to meet her, well both of them properly!
“If you'll excuse me.” Idylla slipped past her sister and back into the office to try and find her shoes, she gave a quick glance at her watch and sighed. She needed to get back soon, she had her own clients to take care of back in Durem after all; if this was the surprise, it better happen soon. Taking a seat, Idylla found her shoes and slipped them on. She'd probably stay seated until they came into the office, it made her wonder if Anastacia would want a seat or would float around.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:53 am
Though she was engrossed again with the magazine - there were plenty more pictures of gowns in there, as well as cakes, tuxedos, decor, and that ilk - the Frei kept her four navy blue eyes on the two adults nearby and an ear open for the woman who called herself Axel. In her experience, some people still wanted to be chatty Cathy's after an introduction and she knew it was in her best interest to at least look at them when referred to, even if she didn't really want to. She was hoping not to be interrupted, but when Axel turned her voice to the Frei, said Frei wasn't as agitated by the call as she normally was.
More magazines was 'meh' to her - there was a large stack on the table behind her that she had yet to flip through - but there were actual gowns in there? The spider queen didn't even need to look between the magazine she held and the door that the other woman had come from; immediately the one she had been looking at was closed and tucked beneath an arm, floating closer to the pair as she did so.
"Yes," she said as she stopped a foot away from the two humans. An afterthought rose in her head and she figured she might as well add it: "Please."
As she said it, a cry from a new voice broke through the room, causing the Frei to jump. With her attention focused wholly on the redhead, the black-headed arrival had not been seen even though the door had clearly been opened from the opposite side again. It hadn't been out of her field of view, but the world behind the redhead had been blurred all the same to the Raevan with the promise she offered. As well as the jump, the Frei did what came naturally in such a situation, shoving herself away from the offending sound and bringing her wings over her shoulders and across her chest in an 'x' formation. She then immediately sought out the one who had startled her, glare rising up until she saw just who had caused the ruckus. Seeing the twin standing there before herself caused any expression other than surprise to stop dead in its tracks and Anastacia started looking between the two women who were standing perfectly close for a side by side comparison. Other than their hair color, outfits, and the fact the one with black hair was wearing shoes they were identical!
Copies? How could that be?
The moment the real Axel came in the door, Zeke did much of what Anya had done. Like the Frei he saw the door open but it was the call of a name he hadn't yet heard that made him jump in surprise. Up until that point he had been watching "Axel" take Anastacia in and even get the Frei to come over, but once that cry was out and followed by a stream of reprimanding words, the veterinarian looked to the new arrival, then between her and her sister, and started to laugh.
"Twins!" He cried out mid-laugh, causing Anastacia to look at him as though he was mad. As the real Axel continued and offered an apology the raver shook his head and waved the statement off with a flip of his hand; one he extended out to take the black haired woman's hand. "It's alright! Axel...There's not a mystery triplet I should be worried about right?" His friendly smile had spread into a jovial grin and with his little joke he gave the women a playful wink. This was too fun for him: it had been awhile since he had been pranked so good! The fact he had a fast one pulled on him by the old switcharoo made a flurry of questions crop up in his mind. How often did that happen? How many people did they prank? Was he lucky victim number one hundred and had he won a prize?
The questions he hadn't yet vocalized made him chuckle all the more and before releasing Axel's hand he gave it a fond squeeze. That grin and a nod was given to Idylla as she made her exit into the other room and Zeke quickly turned his attention fully toward the actual woman he was here to meet.
"I'm Zeke, it's nice to meet you." As with Idylla he stretched his hand out to the Raevan who was floating nearby. "This is my Raevan, Anastacia."
The word Zeke had cried out stumped her. "Twins" wasn't a word she had heard before in regards to people. At least, not whole people. Sections of people. Sections in the chest that some men mimed out as though holding cantaloupes to their chests. These women clearly weren't breasts, though looking at them both, they clearly had them themselves. As with the one who had called herself Axel initially, this new Axel immediately went to Zeke. Like Anastacia already knew, this was his job, and now he seemed to be getting down to real business.
That was fine with the spider queen. While she had been through a slight upheaval by this new - odd - situation, the first Axel had said dresses and that thought had not faltered from her mind even at the startle. She had seen Idylla go into the room on a polite excuse of herself and although there was a body in the room she might have to interact with, there were dresses in there as well.
The Frei figured she could very well take a peek.
"Err...That was my Raevan, Anastacia." Zeke said as the Frei dropped her guard, skirted behind the true Axel, and and slipped into the office in search of her newest interest.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:14 pm
“I didn't mean to scare anyone.” Axel managed through her giggles that had started. The expression on Zeke's face was something she'd seen over and over again throughout the years, however, it still made her laugh every single time it happened. The Raevan's expression had been a little on the scary side, but considering the way Zeke was laughing there was probably no real threat. She hadn't missed pulling such a stunt in a while, after all they were grown up now and she had never seen a need to switch places with her sister. Idylla seemed to think otherwise, Axel couldn't really be mad at her though, she'd thought they were clients and had apparently invited them into her office. Boy was her sister in for a big surprise, good thing nothing had been revealed to her yet. They weren't the clients, Axel was.
The triplets joke made Axel burst into laughter along with him, her parents would have been very unhappy if their girls had turned out as triplets, twins were enough trouble as it is. She did manage to reply through her fit of laughter. “Don't you think I have enough with just one sister?” Idylla's voice boomed from the office. “I heard that!” Idylla was faking her displeasure, she thought the whole ordeal to be just as hilarious as they did, but now that she thought Axel was with clients, she'd settled down to be a little more quiet. As all parties finally settled down, the real Axel finally got the mans name. “It's nice to finally meet both of you.” As her gaze turned to Anastacia to greet her, the Raevan seemed to have already moved past her into her office, Axel gave a little look of surprise into her office.
In any other instance that Axel was with clients, Idylla would never get involved in her sisters affairs. After all, she knew nothing about this wedding business and didn't know how to show people the things Axel did. So when Anastacia floated into the office, Idylla felt a little panicked. She had offered the woman a chance to view some of the dresses, and if she was a bride it would explain why she'd come in while Zeke and Axel were still outside. Was it a bad omen to show the bride some dresses? What about the groom seeing her picking a dress? It couldn't all be important, the dresses were only samples so brides could see styles they may like, Idylla had seen Axel explaining to clients some do's and don'ts before they went shopping. Ah well, she might as well entertain Anastacia while Axel took care of Zeke.
“You want to take a look at the dresses?” Pulling herself up, Axel motioned to Anastacia to follow her as she went towards the mirrors at the back of the office, beside them was the closet. Grabbing the handle, Idylla pulled open the door and stepped back. “As far as I know, they should be in order of silhouette types and than materials... That should me silks, satins, sheers, and than lace.” The closet looked like a tiny walk in that had been stuffed with an enormous amount of dresses, Axel liked her brides to be very knowledgeable when they went out shopping by themselves.
Returning her attention towards Zeke, Axel chuckled. “Guess she's eager to start? Do you want to come in?” No use standing out here, plus she didn't like to talk out in the reception area, another client might walk in. Not that she minded if anyone else heard, she just felt it rude if her guest wasn't comfortable. As Axel walked into her office, she glanced back at Zeke. “Would you like anything to drink? Cofee, tea, soda? I can have Mildred get you something, Anastacia too if she'd like anything.” While it may not look like it, the small kitchen was well hidden behind one of the many doors on her floor. It was something the owner of the tower had built on each floor, with a bathroom, so that the inhabitants could eat there and not at their office; in most cases it was to avoid people having to order out all the time.
Just as she made it to her office, Axel finally caught wind of what her sister was doing with the Raevan. Showing her dresses? A confused look crossed her face as she took a seat behind her desk, why in the world would she show her dresses? Axel wasn't even sure Anastacia could even wear dresses, this was probably a question she'd have to ask Zeke. Settling down into her chair, she would continued to keep an eye on her sister while speaking with Zeke.
At the back of the room, Idylla was watching Anastacia's reaction to the dresses. It made her wonder why she hadn't gone to Axel, the clear expert in such things instead of Idylla. Maybe she was hoping to skip the lessons, the thought made Idylla smile.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:12 pm
As she entered the office, Anastacia did a cursory look around. This room was similar to the reception area but with more of a personal touch and some clutter here and there. It wasn't too shabby, but she gave no real judgment on it as her mind was elsewhere. Her lavender eyes ticked all over to find what the redhead had promised and, finding none, they landed on the woman herself with one brow raising in quiet askance.
Luckily for her, Idylla seemed smarter than most and knew exactly what she wanted. This gave her a point in Anastacia's books. As the Frei was asked the question with the words she wanted to hear, the Frei gave a slow nod, watching the woman move toward the closet before moving to the area herself. Given how she was, the spider queen kept just out of arm's reach of the human woman, barely listening to her talk about the materials as the closet was opened up and the light was allowed to shine down on what was inside. Idylla had said there would be gowns and she had made good on her word.
The vast majority was white from what Anastacia could see, but they were what they were. Gowns of all shapes, sizes, and materials were arranged in rows and the Frei felt a pull to browse through them. She floated closer, but kept one of her arachnid eyes on Idylla, placing the magazine she had brought with her on the nearest piece of furniture to use both hands while looking. There was much to see here, perhaps almost too much, but nonetheless Anastacia would keep herself fully entertained while Zeke did his own thing. That was just fine by her.
The fact Axel started to laugh made the vet feel good inside. It seemed they were already off to a good start, even if it was truly the second one he had made today. His own laughter increased with the retort from Idylla from the other office and he had to press a fist to his pierced lips in order to stifle the noise down to something manageable. It took a minute, maybe too, but soon the vet had the raucous sound reined in and under control and he dropped his hand to his side once again, attention like Axel and on the door the lavender-headed Frei had floated through.
"Your sister mentioned dresses and I think she was rather taken with all the posters and magazines you have in here," he said to explain, "and yes, please. Can't exactly get you taken care of standing out here!"
The vet followed the wedding planner in, taking in the office with as much care as Anya had toward the posters on the walls of the previous room. It was a nice place; the sort that made him almost wish his own office was just as spacious.
“Would you like anything to drink?"
"Oh, no thank you." He gave the woman a polite shake of his mohawked head. "I had lunch before picking up your effects, so I'm fine for now and Anya doesn't eat human food." He would have made a joke about her taking a rabid dog if they had one, but he had no idea if his Frei was hungry or not for the obvious reason. Despite that his apartment, the car, and the office they were in now were all heated, so she was likely subsisting fine on that. The vet looked to his ward, catching her looking at the two of them as they came in and immediately turning her eyes to the dresses Idylla was pointing out when her eyes met with her Guardian's. The action made him sigh softly, but she looked fine all the same. A bright rune, which she had, usually meant a full Frei. If she was hungry, he'd ask when they left and hope to get some sort of reply. Perhaps food was the way to get her to speak to him again.
Regardless, he had a job to do right now. As Axel took a seat, the raver paused before her desk and a seat for himself. He squeezed the handle of the case in his left hand, the weight of the metal monster starting to make his arm tired. The desk the wedding planner sat behind was slightly cluttered, but it would be needed to show off what he had brought and explain everything easily.
"Is it alright if I put the suitcase on your desk?" He pointed to the hard wood desk as he spoke, eyes on the woman seated before him. If it wasn't, that was fine. It could rest on his lap for the time being and he could showcase everything inside it from there. From the desk he looked at Idylla and Anya, watching his Frei pour through the closet and the other woman stand nearby. Given what had transpired, the vet figured Axel had told her sister why he was here and what was about to happen, but thanks to his friendly nature he wanted to extend the invitation to the redhead all the same.
"Would you like to watch, Idylla?" He smiled at the woman across the room and held the case up to bring her eye to it. She was Axel's sister and since she was family, the Raevan born from the two things inside would be part of her family too. "I think we're ready to get started, unless you have any questions?" He looked to Axel to pose the query, smiling lightly at her in that same polite but friendly way. Usually new Guardian questions were reserved for during or after the showing of their bottle and vial, but it never hurt to ask all the same now. For all he knew, perhaps the wedding planner did have one or two!
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:27 am
If Zeke had seen Axels face when he mentioned her sister offering Anastacia to show her dresses, he probably would have been sent into another fit of laughter. It seemed like Idylla was trying to be helpful, and probably a little curious about the Raevan, but Axel was going to bring her in soon. “Can she wear dresses?” It looked rather hard without a body, or maybe it was easier, Axel couldn’t really tell. All she knew was that dressing brides are already a sport in itself, so many things to zip, button, and tie. Maybe that was what Idylla was investigating.
“Oh sure, sorry. Trying to get some of this year’s styles into a magazine, so it’s lots of research. Nothing I want to bother you with!” Zeke, like most men, probably wasn’t interested at all about any wedding specifics. Axel had learned early on that most people didn’t like talking about weddings, and that girls were far more excited about such things. Plus, Zeke wasn’t here about a wedding, they had other business.
Grabbing some of the books and magazines, she opened up a drawer and stuffed them inside. Than it was the loose papers and scattered folders which Axel put into another drawer, she’d have to remember to properly fix those client folders later on, else she deal with angry brides with a few things wrong at their wedding. An angry bride on her wedding day was something to avoid at all costs. The last few things on her desk she put to the side, pencils and highlighters were put in there folder and her desk was finally free. “Things can get so messy during this time of year.” Best time for wedding planners to get organized was when weddings were at their low, which was when winter had settled in.
Idylla almost hadn’t heard Zeke call out to her, she’d been so entranced watching Anastacia and wondering how in the world she would get her in a dress if she decided she wanted to try one on. The fog lifted however, and she turned towards Zeke with a contemplating look, elbow in her hand as she played with her necklace absentmindedly. Had he said watch? Wasn’t he here to plan his wedding? What did watching have anything to do with it... “No thank you Zeke, I’ll just stay with Anastacia in case she needs anything, or wants to see anything else.” Plus, she wasn’t into the whole wedding thing.
Axel glanced up from her desk, she hadn’t asked Idylla here just to watch from a far. No, she wanted her sister to at least understand and be ready. Sometimes, her sisters more intellectual side would also help, she may think of a question that Axel would have thought of after the fact Zeke had gone. “Idylla can you just come watch? This is important.” Idylla turned to her sister and shook her head silently, Axel sighed. “This is the surprise I was talking about!” Axel smiled; even she knew Idylla wouldn’t be able to stay away.
“Alright fine, you got me I’m coming.” Idylla turned back to Anastacia. “Just close the closet door when you’re done, magazines are to your left if you need them.” If she needed anything else, they weren’t far. Idylla made her way over to the desk and grabbed the free chair beside Zeke; she’d sat down just in time to hear him asking questions. She so far didn’t have any except what was going on, but she was certain she was about to find out. Idylla was eyeing the case curiously, and then her sister and her expression. It was like she could feel her twin’s emotions because they were so strong.
As far as questions went, Axel didn’t have any. She knew little, and Idylla even less. The sisters would have questions for him once Zeke had started, than she would probably have questions about the Raevans themselves. Zeke had mentioned Anastacia not eating human food, than what did she eat? What would her own Raevan eat? Other questions were starting to buzz in her mind, but Axel had settled and she was going to ask them after. No use making him repeat twice if he was going to answer her questions in the first place.
“I don’t have any, well, I have a few but I’d like to ask the after. Just in case you answer my question in the process.” She turned to her sister and gave her a look; Axel didn’t want her asking questions either. Idylla caught the glance and gave her a small nod in response, if Axel wanted her to wait, than she would. Axel turned back to Zeke and smiled. “The floors all yours.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 10:50 am
At the question about Anya being able to wear dresses, the veterinarian turned his attention back toward the two by the closet, studying his ward's hourglass-marked back before turning back to Axel and giving her an honest, but lightly sheepish shrug.
"As far as clothing goes, she only really wears it in fall and winter. Coat, gloves, scarf; that sort of thing, otherwise she's always in what you see her in now." Anya's top, cuffs, and gorget were made of a hard, chitin-like material which, despite the pointier bits in the front and lack of lace safe for the edges of the cuffs, seemed to suit her just fine. Other than her coat and winter effects, she always came off rather oblivious to human clothes outside of what Zeke wore himself. The fact she was taking an interest now surprised him, but it wasn't an unfavorable one. Perhaps it would breach the door she had between liking clothes and not liking them and get her into more colorful attire. "I don't see why she couldn't wear it, but it'd probably be a little..." He weighed some word options. "Shapeless below here."
He marked the area just below his tee shirt covered chest with a touch of his hand. With no curves to wrap around or draw against, any dress the Frei decided to put on would look shapeless, flat, and perhaps make the spider look like one of those Japanese wind chimes. The image made his lips quirk higher in a smile, but it faded as Axel started moving to put her papers and such away. Being the gentleman he was, the vet set the case down on the floor and helped the woman by passing whatever was in reach over to her. Each time he picked something up, he couldn't help but look at what was in his hands. More often than not it was a photo of a woman in a bridal gown, but even so, the fact he was where he was right now was apparent to him. Being surrounded by wedding stuff galore made him think on his own special someone which then brought about a soft, but present pang. He missed his boyfriend. Phone calls just weren't enough.
Once the table was clear, the case was grabbed off the floor and carefully placed down on the desk top. Zeke first set it straight up then gently set it flat against the desk - both out of respect for the nice mahogany station and for the contents packed in soft foam inside their metal entrapment. It was just as Axel turned around and as she spoke about everything being messy, he had to incline both his head and his pierced brows in intrigue.
"I didn't think there'd be a lot of weddings in fall." Spring or summer was his immediate guess, maybe winter if it was around Christmastime or some other holiday. If it were him, and though he would talk to Brad about it if it was, he would have gone for summer or spring. Hot sure, but a lot of daylight for a lot of celebration and plenty of gorgeous weather too. Maybe something on the beach...
While Idylla hadn't almost heard Zeke, Anastacia heard nothing from the man. Part of it was carefully crafted from his habit of going off on a talking spree, the other was her being so engrossed. The closet was literally stuffed with clothing and the Frei was pouring all her attention into judging each gown by a mix of sight and touch. She would pull one gown slightly out from the rest, scan it for details, and brush her hands over the material. If it didn't feel or look right to her, a crease between her brows or a crinkle of her nose would follow and the item would be abandoned for its neighbor. She had done this to several already - all either sheer or satin - and was quickly growing to dislike both materials. They felt off against her fingers, rubbing against her skin in a way that was unpleasant to several degrees.
"No..." She said quietly as another mainly sheer gown was pulled outward and touched over. Once the word was given it too was abandoned and Anastacia floated to the right, moving out of sheer and into silk. She was about to reach out for the first of many silken dresses, but given Idylla was close to her, the Frei was made to stop as the redhead tossed her voice back to the two otherwise completely ignored behind them.
At the words, the barest of frowns touched the spider queen's pale face, but as she straightened and turned around to look at the humans, it had vanished. A slight turn down of her brows remained, but while any other signs of displeasure had been erased, the thought still resounded in her head - she didn't need anything. She was fine where she was and with what she was doing. If the woman to her right was worried about something being torn, her fears were misplaced and thus silly, bordering on stupid. Anastacia had nails, yes, but it was her wings and crown which could - and did, in regards to the crown - most of the tearing if anything was to be torn. Her wings were folded neatly at her back in the smallish area and her crown was at rest against her hair, only moving now to allow one long leg to draw her length of side bang away from her eyes and behind her slightly pointed ear. Once the motion was done, it was made to settle again, and thus it was harmless toward anyone and anything. Besides, she knew she wouldn't dream of destroying something that had caught her eye. Back at home her mirror, seashells, knitting things, and Nel were all taken very good care of and thus were a testament to this.
It didn't cross her mind that Idylla wouldn't know this, but Anastacia knew she was right and that's what mattered to her. In fact, she started to part her lips to say something, but Axel's coax had won out before she could and anything Anastacia was going to say simply became a soft "Yes." when Idylla stated what to do and where other magazines were when she was done. Anastacia gave a point to the dark haired twin - at least she made it so the Frei didn't have to waste her breath. Once Idylla was gone and seated at the desk, Anastacia waited just a moment longer before turning back around and taking hold of the first silk dress.
She immediately found it agreeable.
When Anastacia turned around to look at them all, Zeke gave his charge a friendly smile. She was thick into ignoring him, yes, but no one could say he wasn't an optimist all the same. She'd have to speak to him again sometime, or so he hoped. Nothing was said, but he distinctly saw her eyes flick to him at least once, so that was something at least.
When Idylla sat down, Zeke himself remained standing. There could be time for sitting afterward, but now that they were getting down to brass tacks, the excitement of welcoming a new Guardian into the fold and giving them the tools to help create a Raevan of their very own filled his veins anew. His smile and eyes brightened, and as Axel gave the word, he straightened and reached for the case's latches with trembling fingers.
"I'll try to put on a good show," he said with another wink as the latches were freed with two sharp metallic snaps. He felt that pull to quickly open up the case to show the contents, but was able to make himself wait enough to turn the metal monster so its top would be open to Anastacia and the contents visible to both women. "You know why I'm here," he nodded to Axel and slipped his fingers into the groove of the case's two parts before looking at Idylla, "but I'm pretty sure you don't." Axel had said the word 'surprise' in her light chastise to her sister and that was all Zeke needed to hear to know his first assumption had again been wrong.
"I work part time for a place called Lab 305. Awhile ago, your sister's application to the Lab was reviewed and she was picked," his fingers dug into the groove, lifting the two halves of the case a finger's breadth apart, "out of many others to be part of the Lab's project."
The smile never left his face and only seemed to grow as he lifted the top half free in one motion. The contents inside glittered in the overhead lighting - a Soul Orb with a blue to purple gradient Soul Cloth and an Essence Jar with a small cluster of white flowers inside. Given it was his first time seeing the pair, the vet had to drop his eyes to the contents. He gave a soft, delighted gasp at what was there, immediately taken with the Soul Cloth and its pattern as well as colors. Very cool, if not potentially tricky.
Once he stopped ogling the two items, he looked back toward the sisters - beaming at Axel before settling on Idylla.
"With the two things in here, Axel will be helping us to create a Raevan of her very own."
He dropped his hand from the top of the case then and let it slide down the back of the top half to the desk. The vet held onto the mahogany edge once there, bouncing slightly on his heels as he let everything - as short as it was - sink in to both. He looked as jovial as ever, but despite his excitement he was as patient as ever when it came to this part of his job, especially when knowing this surprise would likely lead to more questions than he had ever handled at his time at the Lab. He'd let the ladies seated before him tell him to proceed and until then do as best he could to do whatever it was that would come with this reveal.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:43 pm
With or without clothing, both sisters could agree she was pretty none the less. Axel wondered what her own Raevan would turn out like. Not much had been told to her on the phone, with the exception that Zeke would be the one coming; Anya had been a pleasant surprise and perhaps a little taste of the future. Axel wasn`t sure if she wanted her Raevan to ignore her, and it got her wondering if a rift had been caused between the two.
The change of subject towards wedding made Axel smile at Zeke, if he was asking, than she would answer. “It’s more of wedding shopping that’s abound. Wedding planners get together to consult and find out what the trends are for next year.” She gave a small pause, letting him soak up the information. “Of course, there are the few brides who like a winter. The colors are rich, the food is great and you`re not outside long enough to complain!” Of course, people always complained cold or hot, there was no happy medium to make guests happy with the temperature. The temperature was uncontrollable, thus Axel never really attempted to fix it and hid away from the guests. If people thought brides turned into horrible beings on a wedding day, they had never dealt with cold or warm guests. All part of the job Axel thought quietly.
While Axel was looking at Zeke with an excited face as she tried to remain calm on her chair, Idylla had turned weary. As a lawyer, she didn’t enjoy surprises. Surprise! Your client admitted to killing his wife half way through court. Surprise! Your opponent had a witness up his sleeve. She didn’t mind tricks, as she used them both in her daily life and at court, but surprises were scary and you never knew what you would get from them. “No, I really don’t.” Idylla thought he was here to get married to his Raevan, which she’d concluded meant ‘wife’ in some other form. Now, she was doubtful about the whole thing. Anya seemed to ignore Zeke, and seemed less and less like the happy bride that wanted to take care of her wedding.
When the word Lab and project were mentioned, Idylla's first thoughts were what in the world did Axel get herself into. Worried that her sister might have signed up to be an experiment, Idylla turned to her quickly. “Did you sign any papers?”
Axel’s brows furrowed, why was her sister acting like a lawyer? Or should she say a douche bag. “Of course not, Idylla what’s why Zeke’s here...” The two exchanged a look which lasted a few seconds, Axel could feel her sisters worry about her, but didn’t understand where they were coming from. Her anger flared up, Idylla needed to wait for Zeke to finish. “Idylla, honestly let the man speak. You have no idea what’s this about and you’re coming to conclusions.” Axel gave one last angry glare at her sister for interrupting Zeke and then glued her eyes on his case.
Idylla crossed her arm and watched Zeke.
When the contents were finally out, Axel tilted her head curiously, a jar with tiny white flowers inside, and an oddly shaped bottle with a brilliant cloth atop. Draw to the objects, she reached across the desk to get a hold of both, before she could touch them however, her fingers curled back in momentary hesitation. Could she touch them? She gave Zeke one brief look, as if asking for his permission, but still reached for the jar and bottle. Gently, she grabbed a hold of them and brought them closer to the point of having the jar at eye level to fully inspect the flowers. That’s when she heard it. Tiny whispers coming from the jar, leaning closer, Axel put her ear to the jar and listened quietly. Her eyes closed as she listened; now with her sense of sight gone she could smell something, but just couldn’t put her finger on what it was. “What are these?”
Idylla wasn’t sure she understood the whole situation perfectly, on one side she had her sister who was so entranced by a far of flowers, on her other side the mysterious smiling scientist. If her sister was going to be signing papers of any kind, and not bother to ask questions, Idylla was. She had her doubts on the flowers containing something that made people go crazy, because that’s exactly how her sister currently looked like. Watching Zeke, she lifted a brow. “I’ve heard the word ‘Raevan’ being mentioned several times, but I have no idea what that is. You say Anastacia is your Raevan, does that entail that she is from this Lab 305?” She had so many questions she wanted answered, so many what if’s and how to’s to ask.
While Idylla’s reaction had been expected from Axel’s part, she didn’t want her sister to be the only one to be asking questions. If Axel wanted Idylla to understand, she too needed to hold the jar by herself, she needed to make the discovery alone. Opening her eyes, Axel placed the jar near Idylla, a smile growing on her lips when she spotted her sister giving it a glance. Now it was the bottles turn to have her attention, Axel rubbed the cloth in between her fingers. The color was pretty, she could make out purple, green ad a bit of blue, and the pattern seemed a little zigzagged like a zebras. “What’s the bottle for?” Curious items to make a Raevan, whispering flowers and some bottle, perhaps it contained a liquid? Axel hopped she wouldn’t have to go out and harvest blood of an animal as a sacrifice of life. Kill something and create life with its blood.
“And you said create, how exactly are they created? If Anastacia is a Raeva, thus she was created. What was she created from?” A little of topic, but at least it would give her a good idea on how Raevans worked. Since Axel was finished with the jar, Idylla picked it up to examine it. “What kind of flowers are these?” Poor Zeke, he must have felt assaulted with all the questions from both twins. It didn’t take long for her to start hearing the whispers; she brought the jar closer, a surprised expression on her features. “They’re whispering! Can we open the jar?”
“I’m not so sure we should open it, and by the way ca you smell the jar? I can’t figure out what it smells like.”
Taking a deep breath, Idylla smiled. “Smells like a man’s cologne, and I can smell lilac so I’m guessing a woman’s perfume.” Both the woman turned their gaze to Zeke this time, expecting lots of answers.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:43 am
Zeke watched the sisters in silence, eyes drawn between both women as Idylla piped up about Axel signing anything and said woman giving her retort. The vet knew that technically the dark-haired woman had done so via filling out the application form, but he knew that wasn't the base of what the redhead was getting at. He kept his smile on his face as he watched, waiting patiently. To his knowledge no family member had ever asked 'Did you sign anything?' as a first response to being told about what was to come in the future, so in the back of his head he had to wonder if Idylla was some sort of lawyer or perhaps overprotective of her older sister in the face of signing your name away. No matter what it was though it was interesting to him and he enjoyed the glimpse into the family the future Raevan-to-be. Despite the odd first question from Idylla, he quite liked both of them already.
Once the two were done with the minor spat, the vet straightened his posture a little more and beamed over the two. Idylla didn't look very happy to his eyes, but with the bottle and vial quickly revealed he hoped that would change. It definitely made Axel's expression change in a way that made the vet grin. He watched her reach out to her items and then recoil; the brief look making his heart swell for the women. That was too cute, but of course she could touch them! He gave the woman a nod and gestured toward the case with one hand and a slight bow. They were all hers.
"Go right ahead."
Her question - "What are these?" - made his lips part quickly to explain, but Idylla's statement and question took over first. The vet held a pointer finger aloft to Axel - silently asking her to hold on just one moment, please - and turned to her sister. To the question, he nodded.
"Anastacia is my Raevan," he began, taking his seat next to Idylla to better get a one-on-one with her, though he was explaining this to Axel as well. "And she is from the Lab. 'Raevan' is the term given to Anya's kind by their creator, Dr. Kyou. They're beings made from two things..."
Here he paused, looking over his shoulder at his wayward ward. He was still in the mindset of waiting for the right place and right time for divulging the Frei's components and thus wanted to check how close she was to him. She might have so far taken no interest in what created her or the other Raevans, but in case it got to Axel or her sister asking about Anya's Essence, he didn't want to let anything slip with her right behind him. She might not have been talking to him, but if the Virus and its past was something that just might set her off. He didn't want that and, again, wanted to wait for the right time to divulge such things. Preferably when it was just them.
Looking back, Anastacia was still very much engrossed in the dresses and thus Zeke relaxed. When she became absorbed in something, it took awhile to get her out of it and she generally didn't pay attention to bottle and vial drop offs anyway. Still, better safe than sorry, and with the sight of the Frei involved in picking at dresses taken in, the raver turned back around, offered a light smile, and continued on without missing a beat.
"An Essence and a Soul." He held out his left hand with his palm up for 'Essence' and did the same with his right when he said 'Soul'. "Put them together with a little magic, a little science, and some time and," he brought his hands together, making a soft clap, "you get a Raevan."
He looked hopefully at Idylla before looking at Axel to see if she had reacted to that. The way he had put it was about as simple as it came and if either of them wanted anything more technical, he might be left floundering. He could explain the tanks and the growth process, but the heavier aspects of the magic and science were beyond him. Kyou had given him a crash course in Raevans and their development over coffee that afternoon they had met, but it was the basics and just enough to get a staffer by in any Lab-related situation. With that now being said, he waited long enough to watch Axel pass off the Essence jar to her sister before turning to the black-haired woman as she asked about the second object.
"Okay so," he stood up again and took the Soul Glass from in front of Axel. He shifted the weighty orb-based item in his hands until it was held out for both to see. Zeke always felt like a game show's showgirl displaying off a prize when he did this, but it was silly enough to make him chuckle every time. He did so love his part time job. "This is what's called a Soul Glass. The colorful cloth up here is called a Soul Cloth and it's got a special purpose..."
A tickle in his throat stopped him, making him turn away from the women to clear his throat. He caught another glimpse of Anya, watching her pull a dress off the rack and hold it out for inspection. The sight made him smile fondly at his ward and the expression didn't die even as he turned back. He started to continue to explain about the Soul Glass and its Cloth, but once more Idylla caught him off guard.
"Flowers? ...Oh!" He put the Soul Glass down and turned the case toward himself, prying the cushy foam out of the case in order to get the necessary papers. A little shuffling and flipping later and he had the answer to that question, easy. "The flowers in the jar are...Well first off I should say that that's the Essence." He laughed softly. He was always fine with being thrown through a pleasant loop but damned if he wasn't a bit off kilter after it. "Essences are magical things that don't exist in nature but do. This one is called 'Forget-Me-Not'."
He had to look at the paper again as he said it, sucking on his lip ring in thought as he scoured the black-touched papers. That was the name - Forget-Me-Not. Nothing else was added to the end and even as he looked again it was clear nothing had been left out. It was the most normal Essence name he had ever come across and that was funnily odd.
“They’re whispering! Can we open the jar?”
His brows had furrowed as he scanned the paper a third time just in case, but Idylla brought him out of it for a third time. Said brows raised at the first part, but he quickly started to look alarmed at the second. Thank goodness for Axel!
"Right...Please don't open it. It's rather sensitive." He wasn't sure that was true or not, but he knew full well about the last time an Essence had gotten out. Even though the flowers looked harmless enough, one could never be too careful - for both the people in the room and the Essence itself. Who knows, perhaps it really was sensitive...but that was quickly forgotten as the vet heard mention of cologne and was immediately set upon by two pairs of eyes. He looked confused, and reached out for the jar.
"May I?" He waited for the reply even though he knew full well he could take it, and held the jar up. In the light from the windows the Essence looked like nothing more than a pretty cluster of white blossoms, but looks were deceiving. Like the women before him, he held the jar to his pierced ear, pinching his eyes shut and pressing a hand to the other side of his head to hear the whispers.
Sure enough, there was something there. He couldn't make much out, but the jar echoed softly with voices. With that test passed, the raver moved the bottle under his nose and breathed in. Like the whispers, the bottle did have a faint scent.
"That's some kind of perfume all right. Cologne too." He set the jar on the table, looking at the two women mildly. As light as the scents were they seemed to linger a little before fading and in the face of that the vet could only shrug. Alex never wore perfume and as far as he knew, Kyou didn't wear cologne. Zeke himself used aftershave and on occasion wore cologne, but he hadn't touched the bottle before arriving. And even if he had and was wearing that cologne, it still left the lilac a mystery as Anastacia definitely did not smell floral.
"I think it's part of the Essence, like the whispering. Like I said, Essences are things in nature that aren't supposed to exist. Fire that doesn't go out, shadows that don't have a source...I guess since this one is called 'Forget-Me-Not', it's a flower that really didn't forget something."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:33 pm
So Anastacia was a Raevan, created from an essence and a soul of some kind, that came from a lab owned by a Dr. Kyou with magic and science. Idylla blinked a few times as the information settled into her mind. This was beyond... Beyond belief, she had never heard anything of the kind before, but here Zeke was explaining it with such calmness. “This... This is an interesting concept.” It was hard not to be curious, maybe this was why Axel was so enthusiastic about the whole. Maybe, she shouldn't be worrying so much after all, her sister could make her own decisions. It the concept sounded a lot like an adoption of sorts, did this mean a child came out of all the magic and science?
“So, it’s like an adoption?”
Axel chuckled at her sisters endless questions, she really wanted to tell her to shush for a bit so Zeke could talk. Honestly, she should just just have told her to come over once Zeke was gone. She gave Zeke an apologetic look, though there was no helping it now that Idylla was interested in the subject. Both sisters seemed to settle down just a bit as Zeke began explaining what everything was. Axel was making as many mental notes as she possibly could, she`d probably be able to call Zeke if she ever had any questions in the future.
So the flowers were called forget-me-nots, she`d seen them a few times in some weddings but in colors of blue and purples. White usually meant something pure, Axel found this quite amusing. There were a few legends surrounding the flower if she recalled, all the tales related back to not forgetting something. Though she found the one about a lover falling into a river to be the most fitting especially from what she had smelled and heard. A smile appeared on her lips, how odd that she should receive such an item for an essence, she was probably the only one who`d made the connection.
Once Zeke had finished, Idylla glanced over to her sister. “So what do you plan on catching for a soul?” She gave a quick glance at Zeke. “The soul glass I am assuming is to catch souls since you mentioned a Raevan needed a soul and such.” Of course she was assuming that was what it was for, the name could have been deceiving.
Axel shrugged, she hadn’t really given it a thought. Would she be able to kill something to get it’s soul? Than use the soul to create something new... She thought that was quite a morbid way of recycling, maybe if she could find an old soul she could give it a new life? Still, the idea of taking somethings soul wasn’t very appealing, Axel didn’t like ending things, which was another reason she liked weddings. Here she was joining lives for what she liked to think would be for eternity. If she did indeed need to take a soul, it would be old and she would provide a new life for it. That was certainly a better way of seeing things.
“Not sure really, I’ll be busy for a while. I have to take a trip down to Mexico soon for a client.” Idylla rolled her eyes, her sister had gotten the better job of the two. Travelling to places for weddings, always tasting amazing wedding food and shopping all the darn time. “Well maybe you could find something exotic in Mexico?” Axel had to admit it was a good idea, but that really lowered her chances of finding an old soul. She turned to Zeke, he was the expert here and they had been tuning him out the whole time.
“What do you suggest? You’re the expert on this kind of thing.” Hadn’t he also mentioned something about the cloth having some sort of special purpose of some kind before Idylla had interrupted him? Axel was seriously rethinking having her sister here, maybe she ought to send her to see Anastacia. “You also mentioned a special purpose of kind I think, about the soul cloth on the bottle.” Maybe this would help her find a soul.
Idylla clicked in then that maybe she should listen to Zeke a bit more instead of asking a bunch of questions. She settled back quietly in her seat, she was going to let Axel be the one to ask, after all it would be her Raevan and all. Would this mean she was going to be some sort of aunt? That was a strangely pleasant thought, even if she’d always secretly wished her sister would get married to some charming guy she’d met from friends. It looked liked he was going to be the one to get married to have kids so Axel could be an aunt too, but they were so young still.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:11 am
“This... This is an interesting concept.”
He had to smile when Idylla said that. It most certainly was - taking something that wasn't supposed to exist, pair it with the soul of something, and then have the end result be a being who was much like a child in the first few months (or even years) of their life. In the long run it was a fantastic project started by a man who was not quite human himself. In the short? Well perhaps Axel's twin wasn't far off the bat for some when she spoke her next question.
"Kind of." The vet sat back down, crossing one leg over the other to make himself comfortable. "The Raevan that will be born from the Forget-Me-Nots and whatever Soul your sister gets will be like a child when they're first born. Since she applied to be a part of the project, it sort of is like adoption."
The vet relaxed back in his chair, turning once more between the two sisters to see what they thought. When Axel gave him that apologetic smile, Zeke only beamed brightly back to reassure her. He had been around the mill for the Lab for awhile now, and while he hadn't gotten quite so many questions in the past, he rather enjoyed the sheer number he was getting now. Even if it was Idylla doing the majority of the asking, both were learning and that would help in the future when the Raevan was born. All was good, and he'd be sure to point out which highlighted staff number was his in case Axel ended up having a question or two of her own appear after he was gone.
"You are one hundred percent on the dot!" When Idylla questioned her sister about what soul she would catch, the vet focused on the dark haired woman himself, curious. That glance faded as he was once again questioned and the vet looked to the red-headed sister, but immediately after he did so he was drawn back to Axel again. At the mention of Mexico, the vet gave an approving little hum. Winter would soon set in and even October could have its chilly moments. A trip to a warm, foreign country sounded nice, even if for business.
“Well maybe you could find something exotic in Mexico?”
Zeke half tilted, half nodded his head at this suggestion. It was an interesting concept to him, simply because all the souls he had received from Guardians-to-be had been caught locally, or at least in some place around Gaia. There had to be a few Raevans with non-native souls, but before now he hadn't even fancied it. No reason why a soul couldn't be caught in a place outside of Gaia.
When Axel addressed Zeke, the raver lost his look of contemplation on the matter of "foreign" souls and straightened. His smile turned a touch sheepish - feeling as though he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have - but he caught her questions and didn't miss a word.
"Well," he cleared his throat again, "the soul capture is more your decision than mine. It's up to you to figure out what you want to capture, really. However...it is possible for a capture to be an accident." He stopped here and looked over to his ward.
Anastacia had long since moved into the lace gowns and found one that appealed to her. The bodice had some beading and the bell did have some sheer fabric, but despite the latter - finding the former pleasant - the Frei took a shine to it and had pulled it off the rack. Wrapped up in her own little world, she didn't even hazard a glance over to the three humans sitting across the room even as she turned herself around to face the mirror and hold the gown over her chest.
Soft chuckling left the vet as he turned back around and as he spoke, he fought to contain a smile.
"Anya's soul capture was an accident, for example." A hilariously awesome accident in the vet's mind, but an accidental one nonetheless. Looking at his ward again, he wouldn't have changed her soul for the world, even if that had been the initial plan after it had happened. Sure it was a dangerous arachnid and her venom was both developed and active in her life, but Anastacia was hardly such on a general basis. There had been a recent slip of that, but even though Cruz had been shoved over a table, the spider queen seemed to prefer to employ a 'scare them off' or 'keep them at bay' technique rather than all out assault.
"I did, didn't I?" He continued as Axel's next words came up in turn. He was well aware he didn't get a chance to talk about the cloth on the bottle, so the vet stood to grasp the glass in his hands again. "The purpose of the soul cloth is simple," Zeke gently touched over the gradient cloth to point out those colors and the markings thereon to both women. "Its job is to make sure the bottle is only filled with a soul of the corresponding color."
He let them soak that in.
"For example...the Soul Cloth colors of Anastacia's bottle was red and black." He could remember the pattern on the cloth clearly even now. Once upon a time he had spoken of ladybugs because of it. "If you look at Anya, you can easily tell what I caught." Zeke looked over his shoulder, eyes immediately landing on the back of his ward. Her red hourglass marking was visible even under the long fall of her lavender hair. He turned back quickly after stealing that glance. "Given your bottle has about three colors, it seems like you might have a bit more leeway with what you pick. You could go blue, green, or purple or even all three for a soul. The pattern...I don't think that has too much effect, so you don't have to worry about that." It certainly didn't when it came to the black widow's soul.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:20 am
An excited energy settled over Idylla, she was going to be an aunt! Or, well, that’s how she was understanding the whole thing. She clapped her hands together, now she understood what the surprise was. “I’m going to be an aunt!” She got up then, pushing her chair back and made her way behind the desk to grab a hold of her sister and squeeze the life out of her with a hug. Idylla only released when Axel began to squirm and cough, and then took her seat again beside Zeke. Oh, she wold need to make so many calls after this, she wanted to announce it to the whole friggin world. "Let's take it easy Idylla, this doesn't mean you're going to be at my place all the friggin time, or babysit unless I really, really need you."
Axel ignored Idylla after the hug, focusing on Zeke as he continued to explain more about the soul cloth. She glanced at Anya at the same time he did, yes she could easily guess. There was only one creature in the world that had such a marking. “A black widow.” Axel murmured quietly, it was interesting now knowing this information, you could tell so easily. She wondered what type of soul she would catch and how it would affect her own Raevan’s appearance, a smile grew on her lips. Her life was about to get so much more interesting, she was going to have to take care of someone else now.
“Alright so something that green, blue or purple.” Axel frowned lightly, what the heck would be these colors? Maybe she’d go with trying to find something purple, she liked that color best on the cloth. Mexico was pretty large, she’d have plenty of time to find something. Axel turned towards her sister. “What do you think?” While she wouldn’t necessarily pick the soul her sister thought of, there was no harm in getting her opinion on it.
Idylla shrugged, there were plenty of things those colors. “Plenty of insects who have those colors to be honest.” The sister could help laughing when she saw Axel frowning, it seemed her sister wasn’t very found of finding an insect for a soul. The first insect that had come to mind was a butterfly, though Axel wasn’t they type to go running after one. She’d probably just pick the thing with a soul she saw a try out her luck with that. “Oh don’t look so sad, I’m sure there are plenty of other things we can steal a soul from.” Axel rolled her eyes, ignoring her comment. “Well I think I am all out of questions, Axel this is your Raevan after all.” Idylla would be content with just sitting back and watching, it seemed like she’d asked most of the questions anyways.
Now that Idylla had settled down for the most part, Axel beamed at Zeke. “I guess the only thing left to ask is, do I call you when I’ve caught a soul? And the it’s just a waiting game I suppose?” She had no idea how long catching a soul could take, though finding one was the tricky part. “How long does it take to catch a soul?” It would probably be useful to know in case she needed to capture some animal and whatnot, she wasn’t too keen on keeping certain animals in her apartment, or bugs. Apart from those two questions though, she had nothing else to ask, Axel gave a quick glance at the clock to make sure another appointment wouldn’t drop on them while she was still with Zeke.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:05 am
The moment Idylla crowed the words “I’m going to be an aunt!”, Zeke knew everything was going to be all right. His eyes lit up and his smile grew into another beam, but they both paled in comparison to the laughter that issued forth from his belly as one twin bear hugged the other. It was the sort of laughter that echoed in the enclosed space and made the spider queen across the way turn around to stare.
Which then led to her frowning, shaking her head, and mumbling something inaudible under her breath before turning back to the mirror. Zeke being Zeke, it wasn't anything new or exciting whereas this gown was. Although it wasn't physically on her, the picture Anya had before her reflected in the mirror was something fantastic. Inwardly she wondered how she had let herself ignore dresses in the stores before and thus pass up the opportunity to look even more amazing before, but she was telling herself now that that was in the past. Never again, and the next shopping trip they took to the mall would be all about the clothing stores, oh yes indeed.
"W-Well, I guess it's safe to say you're on board, Idylla?" Zeke had to wipe his eyes when he finally got himself under control, still chuckling even as he spoke. Much like with Vivi, he liked these women from the get go and was already feeling assured that the future Raevan was going to be in good, loving hands. One or both might be getting a hug before Zeke swept Anya and himself away for that and the good time they were showing him.
Once the moment of spontaneous hilarity settled and passed for the moment, Zeke focused on Axel once more. At her murmur of Anya's soul, he nodded although there was no need to. No one needed to second guess that half of his Frei's make up.
From there the conversation dipped back and Zeke settled in his chair again, watching the topic volley between the two women. When Idylla offered up insects as a possible, the vet nodded his head in agreement even though Axel didn't seem too keen.
"I'm sure there's a lot of butterflies out there with colors like those." He offered that so Axel wouldn't completely write off that part of the animal kingdom, but also as something to help her consider things with a solid start. A butterfly Raevan would be beautiful, no doubt, but also rather fitting with the flower Essence. That was his opinion however, and other than that line, he kept it mum. He was all too happy to offer suggestions or things to ponder but the choice was Axel's entirely at the end of the day. If she went with a butterfly, wonderful. If not, still wonderful. Whatever she picked - or whatever happened to pick her - would make for a lovely or handsome Raevan, especially when paired with the whispering Not's.
“Well I think I am all out of questions, Axel this is your Raevan after all.”
"You sure?" The vet tilted his head at Idylla, grinning in a way that meant he was clearly teasing the redhead. Giving that twin a playful wink, Zeke turned back to her sister, inclining his chin as she gave the first of her few questions.
"You can call me or you can call the Lab when the bottle is filled." Zeke stood up and turned the case toward himself, pulling the foam out enough to nab the list of phone numbers and addresses of all the Guardians in the Lab. A few names had been highlighted on the front of the sheet in blue and it was those Zeke tapped first. "All these here are numbers of Lab employees. The number for the Lab itself is at the top here and then the staff members below." Dr. Kyou, Alex, himself, and Isikoro were all touched in turn before Zeke slid the paper over to Axel. "You can call anyone on the list if you have a question. If you choose me, I work during the week, so calling my cell is the best way to reach me if you need anything."
And he meant it when he said anything - to chat, to ask questions, even just to have coffee - Zeke modeled himself after his sister and wanted to be as open and available when needed to everyone. Even if it was onesided, Zeke felt a special little bond with each new Guardian and wanted to make them feel as welcomed and appreciated as the older ones. He had been in their shoes once before after all.
"As for how long it takes to catch a soul, I think it varies. Like...Anya's soul was caught within a few minutes." The duration of Zeke taking a leak, in actuality. "But it's safe to assume larger souls would take longer just for size alone. If you go with an animal, maybe an older animal would be take less time than a younger one, but I could be wrong." Perhaps he should have asked Anita about her crocodile encounter. In fact...why hadn't he? "Once the bottle is filled and returned, it will be a waiting game. It could take weeks or months, but again, it varies too." Anya had been born three months after her soul had been caught. Anita's Raevan, Cruz, had taken much, much longer. "If you want, however, when we get to that point, you're free to call me if you want updates on his or her growth. I'd be happy to tell you how things are going."
He offered another smile, and took the legal forms in hand again. Having yet to be signed, Zeke slid them across at Axel and gestured to them with one hand.
"If you have anymore questions," he looked at Idylla as well when he said that, "I'll be happy to answer them. If not, all you need to do is read and sign these and I'll be out of the hair of you lovely ladies!"
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