[PRP] A Day of Coffee and Cake [COMPLETE]

[a crybaby]

Who : Axel and Jezabroux
Where : Le Petit Chat, a small and quaint café in Durem
When : Noon
Weather : Overcast with a nice cool breeze

It was a small café, one of his favorites. He'd found it by accident when seeking shelter from a sudden downpour several months ago. The elderly owner had been kind enough to fetch a small towel for him to dry off with while he waited for the rain passed. A gesture to which, the acupuncturist responded by ordering a cup of café latte and a small slice of pound cake. Small as his purchase had been, he'd left feeling surprising full. The cake and coffee had reminded him of his own mother's cooking and a strong wave of nostalgia had washed over him that day. Since then, he found himself frequenting the shop fairly often.

Eventually, the café had worked itself into his weekly routine. Every Sunday noon, he'd come here with Luka to enjoy the cozy atmosphere with a book over a cup of coffee. His charge occasionally followed him for a bite or two of the sweet confection. However, Luka seemed to realize for the most part that being at the café was one of Jezabroux's private moments. One spent in silence or soft conversation about how their week had been.

It was actually for that very reason that he'd chosen the café to be the location of today's meeting with Ms. Axel Halkias. He'd received the call earlier in the week about a cup of coffee, and after a few minutes they'd finally agreed on a time, date and location. After much deliberation, he'd figured that Axel would enjoy the atmosphere and the food as well. Not to mention, it was kind of sad how the shop never seemed to have many people in it.

Pushing his sunglasses up the ridge of his nose, Jezabroux was seated at his usual table on the left side of the window. The acupuncturist was dressed surprising stylish yet casual. Navy tailored slacks with a white belt with a well fitting white dress shirt tucked in. His hair was shorter now as well, having received a haircut just days before. It was styled into place with some wax, his white patch of hair swept back to keep the bangs out of his eyes.

Taking a sip of water, he kept a watch out for Axel. He had given her the address of the store, but the shop was a hole in the wall. It was easy to miss. Checking his watch, his heterochromic eyes drifted back to watch the occasional person pass by. It was strange. This café almost had a way of separating time between inside and outside. Time always seemed to pass so much faster inside the café than it did outside.  

[Tasinei]

The busy session for weddings was slowly dwindling down, no more sitting around outside baking while the bride walked down the aisle having completely forgotten to give her guests a fan or something to cool off. Axel couldn’t wait for the short winter she spent in Gaia; she looked forward most to the destination weddings that made her travel to the warmest places. So when she did find the time she remembered her meeting with Luka and his guardian Jezabroux, and the promise to call the doctor for a coffee meeting. Her Raevan still hadn’t been born, so she would take this opportunity to meet the guardian instead, hopefully Luka wouldn’t mind.

Axel had gone to work in her usual suit, but wanting to seem more relaxed she`d changed into a pale pink sleeveless dress that extended down to her knee, her shoes were pink flats, and her purse matched the color of her dress. Shed even let her hair down and fixed herself up a bit in the mirror. Gertrude made her pause at the door, asking her who she was going on a date with. Axel replied gently it wasn’t a date; she was simply meeting another fellow guardian. Gertrude sighed loudly wile rolling her eyes and handed her a raincoat and pink umbrella. If there was one thing the old woman wanted to see her boss do was definitely get out more and meet someone.

Ignoring her secretary’s grandmotherly attitude, Axel left the office and followed the directions shed written down in her notebook. Gertrude said it would rain, though as she looked up at the sky she was rather hoping things would hold up. She parked a little ways from the address, she was going to walk it Jezabroux had said she could miss it easily if she wasn’t careful. So off she went, umbrella on one forearm and jacket in the other, glancing around and enjoying the small walk. Axel probably should have been watching where she was going, because she did indeed miss the café the first time she passed it, and once she realized it turned around.

A tiny bell rang when Axel entered, an elderly woman was behind the counter paused whatever she was doing to give Axel one good look. She probably didn`t get many patrons, much less ones that looked as she did. The planner offered her a smile before shifting her eyes around the room and catching sight of Jezabroux, whom actually made her breath catch a little. The doctor had looked good before, but now with shorter hair and in that suit. Axel caught herself starring a little until she moved her feet towards him, she was here on business after all, not to ogle Jezabroux. “Hi, Jezabroux right?” Of course it was him, but she wanted to confirm it.  

[a crybaby]

As Axel came through the door, Jezabroux rose out of his seat to greet the other guardian. "Ms. Halkias, yes. It's been a while. Please take a seat." The acupuncturist gave her a warm smile before motioning to the seat across from him. "You look wonderful; that color is quite flattering on you." Getting seated once more, he took a moment before speaking again. "I took the liberty of ordering a class of water while waiting."

At that moment, the elderly woman behind the counter approached the two. In her hands were two menus, ones that she carefully place in front of Jezabroux and Axel. "It's been a while since I've had people go on a date in here. Last time, it was my son and his wife when they first started dating. I don't get many customers now, with all those fancy restaurants around. You two look through the menu, and then I'll be back in a couple of minutes to take your order." Giving the two of them a warm smile, she made her way back behind the counter.

A light flush on the acupuncturist's cheeks, he cleared his throat. "I apologize for that Ms. Halkias. Valencia has a tendency of saying things. Please don't mind her." Usually she was good about leaving him alone, but it seemed his female guest had piqued her interest. Brushing his bangs back into place, Jezabroux took a quick flip through the menu before setting it back down to look at Axel. "How have you been? It's been a while since your visit to the clinic. Luka has been quite insistent about meeting you again. He keeps asking that I call you to see if your Raevan has been born yet as well." He couldn't help but give her a sheepish smile. "I try to tell him that patience is a virtue, but you know how kids can be when excited. Sometimes, Luka is just like any other child. "

Unlike Luka, Jezabroux had not been there when Axel had talk about her fel essence and soul bottle. It was something he was curious about, but he had time. He could bring that up slowly. Looking back to the menu, he chuckled. "Is there anything in particular you would like to try? Valencia was a pastry chef, so all of her desserts are superb. I usually either order the tiramisu or the strawberry napoleon with a cup of hazelnut coffee."  

[Tasinei]

Good, she had been right. “You can call me Axel. I apologize for not calling earlier, my work had me all tied up for a little while. I’m glad I could meet with you today.” She took the seat across from him, settling in and putting her bag, coat and umbrella on the chair next to their table. “Water is good thank you.” It was almost odd, she hadn’t met anyone this formal in a while, and it was quite refreshing to know there were still gentlemen out there. It made her wonder how old Luka’s guardian was; he didn’t look that much older than her.

Axel turned towards the elderly woman just as she arrived, and dove for the menu as she uttered a quiet “Thank you.” The planner kept her eyes on the menu to the point of burning a hole through it, she couldn’t look up. Why did everyone think they were out on a date? Axel’s cheeks flared up a bit and she moved the menu up until Jezabroux wouldn’t be able to see her face, she needed just a little moment, this was embarrassing. At least the woman hadn’t stood there talking about dates the whole time, that would have been much worst!

She only brought the menu down when Jez cleared his throat and she gave a small nervous laugh. “It’s okay, my secretary gave me almost the same comment before I left work today.” Axel gave a small push of the menu to the side. “I’ve been quite well, I’ve hired a new assistant at work that’s on probation and she’s also a guardian. Ebony and Cordelia, do you happen to know them?” His comment about Luka made her laugh, it sounded Luka alright. “No my Raevan hasn’t been born yet, I’m hoping she will soon. Well I don’t know if the Raevan is a she, but I’m hoping.” Axel took a sip of the water. “And what about you? What’s new? We didn’t get to talk much last time, I do not know much about you!” So far, she’d had conversations with all the guardians she’d met so far except Jezabroux.

“I was thinking of having the strawberry shortcake with a cup of chocolate milk.” Axel always felt a bit childish when she asked for chocolate milk, but she liked the stuff quite a it and had some powder to make her own at home.  

[a crybaby]

At the mention of her secretary, Jezabroux gave an amused chuckle. "People are always interested in the affairs of others, particularly when the involve matters of the heart." Taking a sip of his water, a small look of surprise came on his face at the mention of Ebony Shade. "I, I actually am familiar with Miss Shade, but I had no idea that she had a Raevan. Cordelia is it? I'll have to invite her and her charge over for dinner sometime. I actually met Miss Shade at a Christmas coat drive. I haven't seen her since then though." He made a mental note about calling Ebony later. "I'm sure she'll be here soon. And, wishing for a girl isn't so bad. Expecting parents always seem to have a gender picked out in their head." Another chuckle came from the acupuncturist. It was true now that he thought about it, guardians waiting for their Raevans to be born seemed to have the same anxiety and fears as parents of newborns. "But when she does come along, I'm sure Luka will want to be one of the first to welcome her home."

At the mention of any new news for him, the man chuckled. "I happen to be a boring person, Axel." The man replied, taking a gentle pause before saying her name without any formalities. It always took a couple times saying a name before he felt comfortable enough. "I've mostly been working. Luka is fairly good about taking care of himself now, so I've kind of settled back into my normal routine prior to him arriving. I mean, with minor adjustments like 3 day weekends to spend time with him. And, yes, we really didn't get a chance to talk when we first met. The only things I know about you right now are that you're a wedding planner and an expecting guardian." He gave a slight chuckle. "I'm not not quite sure what there is to know about me. Are there any specific questions you have for me?" He had a few for Axel, but he would wait his turn.

"A cup of chocolate milk," A look of amusement came across the man's face. "I take it you also have chocolate milk mix at home?" He teased, finding the wedding planner to be rather cute in her peculiarity. It was charming if anything. She gave a different air from the women he'd run into in the past. The atmosphere was so much more relax. It was easy to just lean back in his chair and smile, laugh without feeling out of place.  

[Tasinei]

“I would agree, however you’d be surprised at how a bride can become like a repellent when she’s going bridzilla on everyone around her.” If Jez only knew the hell, Axel had actually seen people turning around and running away from the bride when they spotted her across the street or something. It was the planners turn to be surprised when he told her he hadn’t known she had a Raevan. “Yes Cordelia, she has an essence that has something to do with smoke and the soul of a snake. Very pretty, lots of black on her.” The darkest Raevan Axel had yet to meet thus far.

If waiting for her Raevan to be born was like waiting for a newborn, Axel wondered how she would deal with being pregnant considering things could go very wrong with a baby. “A gender and a name, I only have the gender picked out. I mean, I did look at some names for girls and boys, girls are at the top of the list though.” A soft chuckle escaped Axel, she was doing everything in her power to make it a girl, people said cheer willpower could get you anything, so why not this too? Axel burst out laughing when Luka was brought up. “Yes, he said he wanted to be the first to meet her. Made me promise and everything, so I guess that means you’ll be meeting her first too!”

There was no way Jezabroux was boring, Axel didn’t find him boring, she thought he had a little something something, but then again she still didn’t know him that well and thought he was being modest. “I’m sure you can’t be as boring as you think you are, and in any case I’ll be the judge of that.” Axel hadn’t meant the comment to come out as a flirt, but it did and she hoped he didn’t notice. “As for questions, well how did you come to the Lab? And how did you get Luka’s soul?” Gosh, that sounded weird, she was never going to get used to that.

A blush slowly crept onto Axel’s cheeks when she saw Jez’s face, of lord she must seem silly. “Actually…” She narrowed her eyes playfully. “I do, how do you know that?” She thought of making some creepy joke about Jez watching her from outside, but decided she was already being silly enough. “I have a deep fondness for the powder stuff too, just so you know for my birthday.” Axel stuck her tongue out a bit, her birthday wasn’t coming up or anything, but she couldn’t help making a small joke. It seemed quite easy to just relax and not be uptight about things here in a café with Jez, it was a nice change to her hectic life.  

[a crybaby]

"Bridezilla?" The man asked, clearly amused by the word. "I've never heard of that before. I'm assuming it's a cross between bride and Godzilla." The man chuckled some more, clearly amused at the idea of a giant dinosaur-lizard monster knocking down city buildings while in a bridal gown. As Axel mention Cordelia once more, the man nodded. "She does sound quite beautiful. Snakes always have an air of fluidity and elegance, while smoke tends to evoke a feeling of mystery. I would like to meet her one day."

"I hope that is a promise." Jezabroux said, giving Axel a dazzling smile. "I'll have to do my best to make him behave and to provide her with a memorable first home coming celebration." He could always make a few dishes, or he could always stop by a bakery and pick up confectionary for them to enjoy. Although Luka and the newborn wouldn't be able to each much, they would still be able to enjoy a few bites. That is of course, if Axel was okay with the new Frei trying a little bit of solid food.

He couldn't help but laugh again at the wedding planner's comment. "Then, I'll have to work hard to leave a pleasant first impression." As she asked her next question, the man took a sip of water before answering. "That's actually a good question. I happened to receive a packet in the mail address from Lab 305. I can't remember exactly what was inside, but it had several packets explaining the Lab's mission statement among other things. It also had an advertisement about a beach party, and if I remember correctly, an application form to fill out to be considered for guardianhood." When Axel asked another question on how Luka's soul was captured, Jezabroux shook his head. "No, no. I didn't see his fel essence or his soul. I was called by Miss Alex that Luka was already born, and that I had been chosen to be his guardian. When I was filling out his paperwork, it had a note that the doctor had prepared his soul and fel combination. So, you could say I missed a lot of the pre-guardianhood and jumped in right away. I only got to write down his name, and even then, I think he told me his name." He gave her a smile. "I wish I could have seen his essence vial and soul bottle. I would've taken a photo to show him one day when he's older."

When Axel blushed, the acupuncturist couldn't help but chuckled again. "I used to be like that when I was younger. Chocolate syrup and power mix constantly stocked up in the kitchen." When the wedding planner made a light joke about getting her some for a birthday present, the man couldn't help but indulge her. Trying to make his most serious face, the man nodded. "Of course Axel, I'll be sure to get you the largest container of chocolate milk mix I can find. Two even, if I can manage to hold them at the same time."  

[Tasinei]

It was a little surprising to hear someone who didn’t know a bridezilla, or maybe it was because Axel had been so cooped up in the bridal world for so long, she’d forgotten that most people had no idea about anything that had to deal with weddings. “A bridezilla is pretty much a woman who literally goes crazy with wedding prep; they are commonly found without a consultant, and eat a large assortment of things such as their bridesmaid, parents, even their fiancée, or all those who get in the way of her ‘vision’. I’ve met a few, but I tend to keep them at bay when I can.” It was why she always did an interview before accepting clients, you could always tell the crazies from the sane woman.

“It’s a promise already made.” Axel chuckled at thinking Luka could misbehave. “Luka got first pick even before my sister, though I want to wait a little before she would meet my sister. We’re identical twins you see, and I don’t want to exactly confuse her if she doesn’t understand what’s going on.” Axel was being a little selfish too, she wanted her Raevan all to herself before Idylla invaded her life and for some odd reason tried to replace her. It was a stupid fear, but one Axel still had. “It certainly will be memorable for me, I’ll officially be a mother!” Scary thought, but one that also brought a whole lot of joy.

Axel didn’t know if the shock registered on her face when he told her he’d gotten Luka as… Luka. Though she found her mouth was making an ‘o’ and closed it right up and tried looking normal. “I’m so sorry.” She had no idea if she could be sorry for something like that, but she’d enjoyed her own little picture taking and soul capturing, it was hard to imagine a guardian who hadn’t done so. “I totally understand about the picture thing, that’s what I did.” Axel chuckled. “I can show you if you want? I know you haven’t seen the soul or essence, and sadly they’ve been handed in before I could show others. Luka did see them though; I think it’s why he’s so excited about it!”

Running a hand through her hair, Axel continued to blush a bit from having come forth about it. “You don’t keep some anymore? All grown up now and moved on to coffee huh?” She liked coffee, but she could never give up the chocolate stuff. Ever. There was no way to hold back the burst of laughter that came from Axel when Jez turned serious on her and talked about finding her the biggest container around. “Oh god Jezabroux.” Was all she could manage through her fit of giggles, this was a man to grab her heart. He could be completely serious and yet still funny, just how Axel liked her humor!  

[a crybaby]

Jezabroux listened carefully to Axel's explanation of a bridezilla, nodding as an appropriate mental image came up. "So, it would seem my older sister was once a bridezilla." He chuckled lightly, before bringing the conversation back to her occupation. The man wasn't too fond of speaking about his sister. "I take it that being a wedding planner is also quite stressful? It seems like a work getting everything to.... fall together in place correctly. So many things seem like they could go wrong. Wrong kind of flowers, too many or too few flowers, and wedding cakes." The man said with a smile. "You must really like what you do. I can't imagine myself being in that kind of a profession. It's too stressful." It wasn't to say that being an acupuncturist wasn't stressful, but to the older man, there were less things that could go wrong compared to a wedding.

"You have a sister?" Jezabroux asked, clearly intrigued. "Do you have more siblings? Or is it just you and your sister?" As Axel explained about her fears of confusing the Raevan, Jezaboux couldn't help but nod. "I can understand that. Luka had some trouble learning that my father was his grandfather and not so much his own father. But, oddly enough, he doesn't treat me like a child would a father. More so, he treats me like an actual guardian." At the mother comment, the man chuckled once more. "It's exciting. Watching them learn, progress, mature. And, it happens so quickly as well."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who received their charge as is. And, I would imagine that receiving the vial and bottle would be a lot more work than just getting the Raevan itself. Since, as you mentioned, there is the deal with capturing a soul. And I would imagine that some souls are much more dangerous to catch than others. Say for an example, Cordelia's basilisk soul in comparison to Luka's Satyr soul." When Axel mentioned having taken a photo of her own essence and soul bottle, the man couldn't help but nod a little too enthusiastically. "I would love to see it. Luka told me about it, but a picture is worth a thousand words."

At her mention of coffee, the acupuncturist chuckled. "You could say it's something like that." It was a little more complicated than how Axel put it. But, to put simply, chocolate milk had been a routine, a ritual with his younger brother. And when his brother had died, there was little he could do to return to it without feeling the heavy emptiness of what used to be his brother's presence. "Perhaps one day, I will make you a glass of chocolate milk." He smiled, but his eye hinted at an inexplicable sadness.  

[Tasinei]

Axel chuckled lightly, “Then you know first hand what a bridezilla is capable of.” His next question made her go silent for a few as she formulated her response. “I suppose to outsiders it would seem stressful, but I’ve always been a very organized person and I pay lots of attention to details.” It was what made her exceptionally good at her job, and her large clientele was proof of it. “I mean, it’s not totally stress free, you mentioned some very good points that could go wrong. Brides can just get insane about the smallest things so you have to be able to rearrange things pretty quickly so you get less stress.” Axel laughed when he mentioned the last part. “I bet you take it real easy as an acupuncturist.” She was teasing him of course, she truly had no idea what he did.

Nodding, Axel took a sip of her water before continuing. “Yes, Idylla is my twin sister sadly.” She loved her sister, but sometimes her twin was just too much for her. “She’s a lawyer surprisingly, and my only sibling thank the lord!” She didn’t know how her Raevan would react, but at least her only problem was worrying about her sister and not her own mother who was residing in Greece at the moment with the rest of the extended family. “It’ll be nice, I have a large family back in Greece so we were raised with lots of children running around. I will have to take my Raevan one day, I’m sure my family will enjoy knowing I am now a single mother.” And chastise her for still being single, and in a Greek family that was no good. Good thing her sister was still just as single as she was, they both would share the blow.

Oh he was certainly right about the more work thing, or so it seemed to Axel anyways. Plus, he got to skip the whole killing business even if he hadn’t picked out the soul. “Yea, I probably wouldn't go up against a tiger or like Anita go up against a crocodile for the soul. I do agree though, it was a pain, mostly because I didn’t like killing off something so innocent.” Axel really needed to get over killing the damn chameleon, it had probably deserved it and she was giving it a way better life anyways. “On the plus side, it’ll be reborn into something beautiful.” She was quite excited to show him the soul, she quickly went digging into her purse knocking the table a bit and sending the glasses of water wobbling a bit. One of her hands shot out t grab onto the table while the other got a grip onto the book and pulled it out to extend it towards Jez.

“I’d like that.” Axel murmured quietly, feeling giddy all of a sudden and squirmish like she was a little girl meeting her older crush. “I’ll extend the offer and maybe one day I’ll make you some coffee if I can find some.” The planner censored herself, she had almost said ‘at my place’ implying that she could possibly be inviting him into her home. Axel’s eyes wondered momentarily down from eyes eyes to his lips and then gave is shirt a quick glance before the rest disappeared under the table. “I wonder where our food is!” It was a quick subject change, but it was better than imagining Jezabroux in her house alone with her. Almost.  

[a crybaby]

When Axel suggested that his job be stress free, the acupuncturist broke out into a laugh. "Hardly the case Axel. It's a lot harder than you think being an acupuncturist. In some aspects, it's even more stressful than you're job. A wedding planner is rarely accused of murder or malpractice. However, there's always a possibility that those two will be thrown at me. If the technicians don't do their job, I may pierce someone with an unsterilized needle. That could lead to infection and death. Misplaced needles can also lead to other serious problems like hemorrhage, damaged arteries, liver, even nerve damage. It's actually a wonder that I'm still in this occupation." The man said quietly, his fingers reaching up subconsciously to comb through the white patch of hair.

"Greece? You're quite far away from home." The man said with a chuckle. "Then again, I'm hardly one to speak. My parents were born and raised in Germany before they moved to Gambino. I've lived in Gaia most of my life, but I did spend over a decade in China studying acupuncture and eastern folk medicine." When Axel mentioned taking Isobel to Greece, the acupuncturist smiled. "I think, that would be a wonderful experience for her. She'll get to learn more about her guardian, and it's always fun to get railed on for being a single parent of sorts." He would know. His mother had absolutely adored Luka, but she'd also taken the time to give him an earful about how she wanted a daughter-in-law. Marriage was hardly at the top of Jezabroux's list of things to consider though. For a second, he couldn't help but wonder how Axel felt being a single woman while working in an occupation that brought her face to face with women getting married every day.

"A crocodile?" The man said incredulously. He'd have to take the time to meet this Anita and ask her about it. And maybe, he'd get to see the crocodile Frei as well. "I'm sure you're just saying that. I can't imagine a woman such as yourself going around killing chameleons for souls." He gave a slight chuckle at the mental image. "And yes, it will be something beautiful." When Axel began shuffling through her purse, the acupuncturist couldn't help but muse to himself silently. Women and their purses, those things seemed to have enough space to carry anything. When she knocked the table, his hands also reached out to stable it once more. When she passed him the book, he let out a soft gasp at the photo inside. "Wow, Axel. This is.... There are just so many colors. I've never seen anything like this.... I wonder if Luka's soul was just as brilliant.... The fel essence, can you tell me more about it?" The man asked, peering at the photograph of a jar filled with tiny forget-me-nots. "It looks like... flowers. But I mean, certainly there must be more to it than just that right?"

"Coffee would be wonderful." He said with a smile, noting the faint flush on the woman's cheeks. When Axel mentioned food, Jezabroux's lips formed an 'o' shape. "Oh right! I completely forgot about that."

At that moment, the portly form of Valenica came up beside them. "Don't you darlings fret. I had everything ready, I was just waiting for your conversation to die down some before I intruded." Let out a raspy laugh, she set down a glass of chocolate milk and a slice of strawberry shortcake on a beautifully decorated plate. In front of Jezabroux, she set down a cup of piping hot hazelnut coffee and the most delicate looking slice of tiramisu. "Now you two younglings go back to your date, and don't be afraid to call me if you need anything else." Laughing silently to herself, the cafe owner disappeared into the back room.
 

[Tasinei]

There was no way around it, Axel made a little face at his explanation of his job, eyebrows rounded up in surprise and probably a bit of shock. “Death? Oh my...” She was curious to know if anything he’d just mentioned had actually happened, but on second thought decided she was better off not knowing. “Then you are rightfully right, you’re job is quite stressful, how do you deal with that kind of stress?” It was sort of a around the way of asking him what his hobbies were, she was curious after all about knowing more about him. He was like a secret locked away in a treasure chest and she had to solve some puzzles, put things together to get to the heart of things. Truthfully, it was quite enticing and refreshing that he wasn’t spoiling a bunch of surprises about him all at once.

Shrugging, Axel made a nonchalant face. “After my father died, my mother decided to move back with family ince both her girls were well off on their own. Granted I still need to babysit my darn sister at times, I don’t think it’s that bad.” She was quite surprised to learn that he’d spent much time in China, of course she should have expected it considering his line of work. “I believe I’ve been to China once for a formal wedding for a couple, very pretty. Japan has my heart however.” While she didn’t exactly fit in the kimono’s because of her upper body, she found the fabrics and designs very beautiful. “Have you returned to Germany since you moved? I am guessing most of your family is back there.”

Axel burst into laughter, yes she certainly did not picture herself going around killing chameleons either. She couldn’t help but beam at him when he saw the soul, “Now can you imagine me going around killing chameleons for such a soul?” She teased, smiling as he asked his next question. “I was... Very odd, I mean it’s the only essence I’ve ever seen but...” How could she describe it? her lips pursed once more, “The flowers are old, hadn’t rotted away or anything. And when you brought the jar close to your ear you could hear soft murmurings, sometimes it was a male, sometimes a woman, and very rarely both. They were murmuring, loving things if I remember correctly. I wouldn’t be able to tell you what exactly though.” Her memory was failing her in that aspect for some odd reason. “I think I wrote some of the things down. There was also the smell, every time you heard the man whispering, there was this lilac smell like... Like he was talking to his lover and while he could only hear her, you could smell her. Same thing but with cologne when the woman talked.“ Her eyes were cast down to see what her notes said.

“I know before I gave the flowers back, it felt like they, or it knew I was going to give it away. I usually kept them on my desk and with me at all times, I was attached you know?” Her voice quieted down as she stared at the picture, her mind going back to the night in the car before she’d arrived at the lab to give the flowers away. “I could hear both of their voices, the girl was frantic though, and then I heard her yelling. Scared the crap out of me. The smells all turned to the smell of water, like I was by a river or something. It was very odd.” The sound of the woman screaming had made her stop her car in the middle of the road and look around, it had sounded like she was dying.

The old woman shattered Axel’s somber mood, and she lightened up once more as her eyes landed on the chocolate milk. “Thank you so much.” Her hand went straight for the glass of milk, and she gulped some down quickly, saving the rest for later. She looked back up to Jezabroux and dug into her shortcake at the same time, stuffing her mouth with a large piece and making some appreciating noises. “This is some good cake.”  

[a crybaby]

At her question, Jezabroux smiled. "That's a good question really. I find that swimming helps reduce the stress of my job. And, I also find that reading a book with some jazz playing is quite relaxing as well." He didn't do much aside from that. It was weird now that he thought about it. He hasn't realized it before, but thinking on it now, he spent a lot of time with the Luka. They had a shared interest in music, so it was nice being able to relax while bonding with Luka at the same time. "And, sometimes I find that lying in bed with Queen playing isn't so bad either. Though, Luka hates it when I do that. He isn't very partial towards classic rock." The man explained, a chuckle following after. Sometimes when he felt that he and Luka were starting to become to identical, the Frei had a way of showing that was not the case. "What about yourself Axel?" He asked.

"I've been to Germany a couple of times. It's not really my place of preference. It's odd. Having spent so many years in China studying, it seems like China is what Germany is to my parents. I try to go back to China for a couple weeks every year. I took Luka with me on my last trip. He seemed to enjoy it a lot. Though, he made it clear that he prefers Durem more. He found it too... industrialized. Not that Durem isn't. But, he says it's easier to find woods in Gaia than it is in Durem." He explained. "And yes, we have a huge family reunion every 5 years or so." He chuckled, recalling the shenanigans that had occurred during the last reunion he'd attended. "The last one I was in was about... 2 years ago. We went during Oktoberfest. And, things got a little crazy when Aunt Helene thought it was okay to take her top off." It had resulted in a few too many cat calls, and her husband had gotten in a fight with 5 other men. A fight he had won nevertheless.

"Yes. You make quite a scary Jack the Ripper of Chameleons." He teased back. As he listened to her explanation, Jezabroux nodded. How curious indeed. The more he'd learned about the fel essences that existed, the more impressed he became with Dr. Kyou and his Raevan creations. Although he hadn't seen Luka's fel essence, the papers on Luka's adoption had read Forsaken Light. So, it must have been pertaining to light some how. "Do you mean to say that the flowers captured the lives of two people, perhaps lovers, and continue to replay it?" If only Axel still had her essence. He would've loved to see just what she meant by that.

When Axel continued her explanation, Jezabroux was silent. What a morbid occurrence. "I see." He said simply, unsure of what else to say.

"Thank you, Valenica." The acupuncturist replied, taking a sip from his coffee. He took a moment breathe in the warm aroma, the rich scent of hazelnut making the man smile. As he watched Axel dig into her cake, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You have something on your chin." He said as he set down the cup of coffee. Reaching over the small table, he wiped the small bit of whipped cream on her nose with thumb. "You don't have to show Valencia your appreciation for her food by putting it on your chin." He said with a slight chuckle. "Is it really that good?" He asked, licking the whipped cream cream off this thumb in a surprising sensual manner. "It does taste better than usual." The man commented before taking a bite from his own dessert.  

[Tasinei]

A swimmer... There were hints of muscle on him when he moved and the muscle would ever so slightly bulk in places, such places Axel’s eye were drawn to briefly unconsciously. “You just, lay in bed and relax?” The thought was strange, she never saw herself just relaxing in bed unless well, unless it involved some activities beforehand. “You can say I’m somewhat of a fashionista, and I like window shopping. Obviously, I also like to decorate so just going around and looking at stuff that matches.” Axel felt a little plain, she didn’t really have any concrete hobbies that she did. She used to go clubbing with her sister, and she still sometimes did, but the fun in the activity had quickly vanished once she realized clubbing was all about looks and beating each other at who had the better wardrobe. “I’m more of a conversationalist I suppose. I go out a lot with friends.”

“That must be a really nice vacation.” Axel loved traveling as well, though there wasn’t a place she returned too as often as Jezabroux did with China. “That would makes sense yes, that he enjoys the forest more so than the city considering his soul.” His family certainly sounded very interesting, Axel chuckled at the notion of his aunt taking her shirt off. “Your family reunions sound very entertaining, I think this is the first time I hear about a family member taking off their shirt at a family event!” It made her wonder what Jezabroux was like when he got drunk, and if he was perhaps keeping some secret story about what he’d possibly done at the family reunion.

Axel wasn’t quite sure as to what exactly her fel essence had gathered, and so shrugged. “Truthfully, I’m not sure. Kind of interesting that flowers that are called forget-me-nots would be memories from a time long passed.” And she wondered how old the memories could be. “My thoughts on it though are that they were too lovers and something bad happened to one of them. Maybe the woman died or the man died, I don’t think I’ll ever know.” It was scary to know the essence had decided to show her the last moments of the memory the night she was giving it back to Zeke for a new life.

Caught up in stuffing her mouth with another piece of the cake, Axel froze when Jez reached across to her when she had something on her chin. Her gaze locked onto his as she watched him lick his thumb in a very sensual way, making her stare even harder. “Uhm,” Axel nearly lost her speech. “Yes, it’s very good.” She said quietly, eyes finally going down to his dessert. “May I try yours?”  

[a crybaby]

"Very rarely, yes. It's quite relaxing. On days when it's just raining, I'll just stay in bed and a read book." The man was never really the type to bring home women. And with Luka, the number of sexual encounters he had just zeroed out. "Well, you are well dressed. In fact, the last time we met, you were also well dressed." He said with a smile. "Do you enjoy decorating your home?" It was an odd question, but he had the feeling that her house would be like the ones portrayed in home decor magazines. Well lit and clean with tasteful furnishings. "I have a few friends. But, our work schedules usually prevent us from meeting too often." He didn't mind. It just made the times that they did meet more interesting.

"It was. Sometimes, I just want to move back to China permanently. But, my parents need me here. And, Luka is much more comfortable here than China." He explained. He could wait to go back to China. For now, his yearly visits were more than enough to keep the desire to return to the country under wraps. "You could say that my family has a tendency of going wild when drunk. My parents aren't heavy drinkers, though the extended family is quite seasoned with their beer." He chuckled. "My aunt and uncle actually own a brewery in Bavaria, Germany. It's very popular." He explained. With family members in the beer industry, it only made sense that their reunions always seemed to take place with copious amounts of alcohol. "Does your family do reunions often?" He asked, curious.

"I see. I wish that I could have seen it." At least, when Isobel arrived, he would be able to see it in traces on the Raevan. Which made him wonder, how would the Raevan react to that? "Do you ever wonder how the fel essence may affect her? I mean, as she's developing. I can't help but feel that... if you were able to experiences smells and voices, then perhaps.... she may experience that and if not more when she's here."

"Of course," He responded, not having noticed her staring. He pushed the plate of tiramisu towards her. "It's delicious. A little bit richer than how my mother used to make it. But, the taste is almost identical." He said slowly, taking another bite.