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 Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:02 pm
Who: Zeke, Anya, Cesc, Shep, Vivi
Where: Vermillion Bakery
When: A steamy-hot early afternoon in mid-June
Weather: Steamy. Hot. But a little breeze to keep things from wilting.
"... and you ... balanche?"
"Balance."
"Balance. On the seat." The young dawn frei said with some curiousity, looking with impressed eyes at the large collection of metal and leather that made up Shepard's motorcycle. He floated upward to hover over it, touching the handles with a gentle hand. Rhedefre had not yet been allowed on the motorcycle when Shepard drove, but he was intrigued by the instrument. He had seen it rocket off at breakneck speeds with his guardian on its back many times already. "And drive away."
Today, Shepard meant to teach him all about machines. It was the frei's second week with them and Shepard cried foul that morning -- Cesc had lessons with Granny Maplethorpe every day to teach him to speak and to be well-mannered, and the rest of his time was spent at the bakery, actively learning and interacting with others. But all this amounted, in Shepard's eyes, to a load of brownies and bowing, and not much real, fun stuff. And so he had taken the frei outside the bakery that morning, with an aim to teach the stag a little about cars and bikes. Vivi had rolled her eyes but waved them both off, saying something about the man time that Cesc did not understand.
"An' then y'drive away," Shepard repeated, standing up from where he was crouched beside the bike. The man looked every bit his beach-bum heritage that day, wearing long shorts and flip-flops, his hair sun-lightened and his skin tan. He went shirtless in the harsh June sun, a thing he rarely did if his object was not the beach, but this first swell of summer heat seemed to demand it. Even Cesc, as impervious as he seemed to be to temperature, had rolled up his white sleeve-cuffs against it -- but that was all, and otherwise, the frei looked perfectly comfortable.
"I like it," said Cesc, floating back down beside the bike and nodding with approval. He looked up, and was happy to see a smile on his guardian's face.
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:07 pm
"Is this the right way?"
"Kind of! I'm taking a little detour before we get there."
Zeke used the rear-view mirror to smile at the Frei sitting in the backseat. In return he received a frown and a glimpse of Anastacia blowing a stray strand of hair out of her arachnid eyes. The pair were on their way to the beach - the first trip Zeke was planning on making to the ocean with Anastacia this year - and although the Beach Party from last year still left a foul taste in the spider queen's mouth, the promise of seashells and perfect weather had coaxed her from her den and into her Guardian's silver Aston Martin. To hear now that he was delaying the day he had so happily tittered about for days on end for whatever reason did not sit well with her. She wanted to go to the beach now, before all the beachcombers picked off the best shells like vultures to carrion!
"What kind of detour?" She figured she might as well ask. If anything it didn't hurt to know the where's and why's of Zeke's little plan so she could hold it over him later. From the front the vet smiled again, pulling the car to a stop at a red light.
"Do you remember Vermillion Bakery?" He flicked his gaze to the mirror again and caught a moment of thought and then a nod from the Virus Raevan. "That's where I'm detouring to. I wanna see if Vivi has any sandwiches and maybe pick up a few things before we go to the beach."
The Raevan raised a brow as Zeke looked back toward the road and pulled the car out of its standstill when the light turned green. He wanted food, that was all. Anastacia began to wonder why he didn't just pack some himself - she knew he could make a sandwich or two without injury - but then remembered this was Zeke she was dealing with. It wouldn't surprise her if in his haste the vet forgot that he would want to eat on their outing. She shook her head.
Hopeless.
They drove in silence for another ten minutes then Zeke chimed out a cheery "We're here!" In actuality the vet was a good forty yards from the business, but the sign and shape of the building was hard to miss. Even harder to miss were the pair out front as they drew closer - one with familiar pink hair and the spiraling ribbon that belonged to a Raevan and an unfamiliar human male whom Zeke had never met. Always in a mood to make a new friend, when the car was parked and shut off, Zeke wasted no time in getting out of the sports car and giving the pair a jolly beam and a wave.
"Hey Cesc! Remember me?"
After greeting the one he knew, Zeke turned and opened the door for Anastacia. The Frei had been watching and had frowned again when the vet went about greeting someone called "Cesc". A detour and meeting someone new? She wasn't against being admired, but being shoved into conversational meet-and-greets was not her favorite thing in the world. However, when she floated out there was no frown on her face, just pale neutrality and a momentary grimace as light bouncing off the motorcycle's chrome hit her in all six of her eyes.
"Oh man I almost forgot that you haven't met Cesc yet." Zeke bounced on his feet and looked to Anastacia, who had just leaned into the car to grab a white, lacy parasol. Only after she had opened it and lofted it above her crown-topped head did she look at the vet. "I think you might like him because...you look gorgeous!"
Standing side by side as they were now, they looked quite out of sorts. Zeke, all colors and piercings in the head region, was in full beach bum mode. Blue jean shorts, bright green flip flops, and an orange tank top covered him appropriately, with his cornicello dangling openly against his chest. Anastacia had her own mind for what was "beach appropriate" and in addition to her parasol had taken to wearing a short, sleeveless red dress and tying her long hair back in a braid. She had forgone her gorget and bracers as well and in place of the former was a long, white silk scarf around her neck. In the case of the latter, she had decided against wearing her favorite silver bangles and instead let the spider web birthmarks on her arms show freely today.
"Thank you," she said offhandedly and nodded automatically as she spoke. His compliments didn't phase her much anymore. Besides, now that she was out of the car and her eyes properly shielded, she found some interest in the two males standing and floating just a few feet away.
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:05 pm
"Hey Cesc! Remember me?"
Both guardian and Raevan tipped their heads simultaneously toward the sound of Zeke's voice. Shepard's eyes ticked immediately back to Cesc for a reaction, his brow furrowing in confusion: it seemed impossible that in two short weeks Rhedefre might already have made an acquaintance that Shepard had never seen, regardless of how social the young stag already showed himself to be. And Shepard was certain he had never seen this person, not with his extremely memorable coloring and outwardly friendly bearing. It gave Shepard a mild headache to look directly at him, the colors practically vibrating off of his body, the cheeriness rolling from him like the heat off the asphalt. No -- he would have remembered meeting this one, Shepard thought, that much was certain.
The look on Cesc's face, though, was not to be mistaken. The frei's eyebrows went up and his face lit in a friendly smile of recognition, surprised but pleased. Shepard stood beside the bike, perplexed.
Then, all made sense. A female frei also exited the car, dressed like a lady from a time long passed, with a parasol and a silk scarf and a long thick braid of silken hair. She was everything that was subdued and elegant, the diametric opposition of her caretaker, her movements slow and pleasing to the eye. An elixir to the migraine she belonged to. Shepard blinked. There was something else.
Oh, there it was. It was easy to see once his eyes focused on all the parts that made her up.
She was a spider.
"Zeke," Cesc greeted, his manner warm and calm. His voice was still a little drawling, foreign, uncomfortable with speech. He floated closer to the pair, tilting his head into a polite bow. Yes. Of course I remember. Thank you for that day." His words were practiced, correct, the work of diligent study. He turned toward Anya, his smile broad, genuine. Where his words were practiced, the rest of him was not. He smiled at her with all earnest interest and immediate admiration. She was beautiful, and she was Zeke's, which gave her instant worth, if nothing else.
"Salut," he said simply, bowing to her as well. He held out his hand the way Granny Maplethorpe had told him to do to ladies, to await theirs and to press a soft kiss to it if given. He was certain upon looking at her that she was a lady; that much seemed obvious to him. In bearing, she was clearly of that class as it was explained to him, evidenced by her posture and her beauty and her slightly chilly aura.
"Who're yer friends, Rhede?" Shepard took a step after Cesc, letting the stag take the lead as he surreptitiously sized the pair up. Fellow Lab-members, obviously, but other than that Shepard had nothing. Zeke's ... plumage... was like a reflector to the Aussie's perceptive nature; Shepard could not quite look at or away from the man. He held out a hand, all the same. "Shepard Ryan, mate, hullo."
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 11:51 am
The Frei approached and Zeke turned his always-sunny smile toward him. The bow earned the Stag a chuckle, but his greeting - his already so well developed speech - had the vet's brows rocketing upward in great surprise. It wasn't as if he hadn't already met young Frei with such linguistic skills - Ethiriel came to mind at that moment - but it was always stunning to come into contact with a young being who had such a grasp on words; even as shakily spoken as Cesc's were.
"You're welcome," the vet said in a voice softer than expected as he recovered from the shock, doing so in a matter of moments while the Stag turned his sights to Anastacia.
"Good afternoon," she returned the foreign greeting with a nod of her crown-topped head. The spider queen had watched the Stag's calm float over to her and her man and as he neared her attention focused solely on him. The antlered Raevan's face was not as masculine as the faces of Zeke or the man who had lingered a moment longer by the motorcycle...and it was not unfavorable. Instead his was round, boyish, and reminded her vaguely of Luka. Unlike the Satyr Raevan however, this one was topped with fluffy pink locks, different horns, and carried himself in a way that Anastacia could not mark against him. This was only added to when the younger Frei held out his hand to her. The Virus Raevan's lavender eyes flicked down to the offered appendage, but she did not place her hand in his. Instead, she placed her free hand on the handle of her parasol and absentmindedly gave the lacy umbrella a spin overhead. She was not dumb and movies had been a good tutor as to what he was offering, but a touch was a touch no matter how proper or gentlemanly it seemed to be.
To the purple-haired femme's side the vet offered Cesc an apologetic smile and a light shrug of his tank top covered shoulders, hoping the Stag wouldn't take offense to the Widow's decline. Anastacia didn't notice but did cast a glance to her man when introductions failed to be made. Zeke caught that look and took a moment to process it.
"Oh!" His posture shifted as he realized, his back straightening and seeming to jump up despite his feet remaining firmly planted to the asphalt. Anastacia rolled her lavender eyes as she looked away, shaking her head just a little as though saying 'this man...' as Zeke extended a hand from one Frei to the other. "Anya, this is Cesc. Cesc, this is Anastacia."
"Charmed, I'm sure." The spider queen straightened as her man had, but did so in a more refined way. She filled out her chosen 5'8" height and did as she always did in such moments - show off. Her wings were stretched to their fullest, her crown's many legs were splayed as wide as they could be about her head, and Anastacia felt every bit as regal as she knew she was. Certainly now, this Cesc would know that just as well.
"Who're yer friends, Rhede?"
Zeke turned from the two Raevans to the man who had taken his own steps over. Zeke gave him the friendliest grin he had in him and when Shepard offered a hand, the vet took it and imparted a firm handshake.
"Zeke Farris, nice to meet you, Shepard. This is my Raevan, Anastacia." Now that this man was before him and not being half-disguised by redirected sunlight, Zeke looked him over as Anastacia had Cesc. He had a handsome face and next to Cesc, Shepard looked as every bit outlandish with his ruggedness as Zeke did standing near Anya at that moment. Although it would be plain for anyone walking by to see, the thought didn't cross Zeke's mind. "We were in the neighborhood, and I wanted to pop in to see how Cesc and Vivi were doing."
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 9:45 pm
Shepard shook Zeke's hand, and he seemed to make a vague attempt at dislodging the faint scowl from his face (hey, the sun could be in his eyes!), but Zeke's words didn't do much to help the expression shove off. Instead, Shepard's eyebrows raised just slightly, and he took a long look at Zeke's face this time, braving the ridiculous -- ridiculous-- hairstyle to get a better look at the guy.
He turned away briefly to nod at Anya, although there his eyes lingered for a touch longer, easily turned by her sedateness and her clean, crisp beauty. "A real pleasure, Miss Anastacia."
Cesc, meanwhile, did not seem to take any offense at Anya's subtle rejection of his hand. Granny Maplethorpe had taught him that this was a possibility, after all. He instead used the hand to gesture into the bakery.
"It is warm out," he said, simply, politely. "Would you be more comfortable inside?"
"Mm, yeh, Vivi'll be in, too, if you want to say hi -- wait, yer the Zeke from the Lab?" Shepard asked, the name suddenly dawning on him fully, ticking his eyes back to the man. Huh. As though there could possibly be another. "Vivi's mentioned you. Often. Always good."
Too often.
This was Mssr. Zeke? Come on, he looked like he went toe-to-toe with the hair-dying aisle at the drugstore and lost.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:33 am
"A real pleasure, Miss Anastacia."
The drawl and strange accent of the other human male drew all six of the spider's eyes for but a moment as she was addressed. She did not smile, did not curtsey or blush, but instead did the same as she had with the Stag - bow her head slightly and offer her standard greeting - "Good afternoon." - before turning her gaze back to the younger of her species, but not without a positive mark being given to the Australian. 'A real pleasure' was something she had not heard before, and coupled with the title of 'Miss' before her name it made Anastacia's wings stretch all the more and her head loft all the higher. Zeke could learn a thing or two from that one, most definitely.
When Cesc posed his question, the spider queen had to nod in agreement. Her parasol did a good job of blocking the sun from on high, but the heat of the day was pervasive all around. Worse still, it was rising off the asphalt she floated over, assaulting her rune and feeding her to the point where she was starting to feel overfull. If they all lingered out here any longer, she would go from stuffed to sick and it would take more than just a cool room or air conditioned car to make her feel any better...or help her mood. She did not cast a glance to her Guardian or the other man, but instead released one hand from her parasol to gesture to Cesc to lead the way.
"I would," she said to answer the young Stag's query, "lead the way."
Inwardly Zeke wished the Widow had included a 'please' into her statement, but it was her way and more to point she was floating away before he could make to call out. He gave a shake of his head and another apologetic smile - this one at no one in particular - but beamed anew and laughed when Shepard's words faltered and he posed a question of his own.
"The one and only!" The vet tittered cheerily, putting a hand to his chest and giving a playful bow to the older man. As he rose back up and straightened, the vet's cheeks had pinkened just a little. "Really? Vivi's sweet, though you make me wonder when you say 'often'." Zeke chuckled in spite of himself. "I guess I must have made an impression!"
He had a way of doing that, or so he had been told. At the very least, Zeke knew he was hard to forget from a physical standpoint. Even if someone didn't remember his name he had been told plenty of times that after the fact he had been referred to as 'that colorful guy, you know, the one who smiles a lot and has all the piercings', 'purple and green hair guy', 'that happy son of a b***h', and once even 'parrot head'. The thought made him laugh softly, but he was sure Vivi wasn't calling him 'parrot head', as humorous as the very idea seemed.
"Vivi's mentioned you too, Shepard. Always good." So far the guy seemed nice, though the vet was well aware of the stares the Aussie was giving him. He was used to them though, and thus not bothered. The whole 'sticking in someone's mind' thing was mostly because of his appearance after all! Besides, he was used to not being what people expected, and in fact relished it. "Speaking of her, how's she been?"
The heat was quickly becoming a bother and the sun especially with his skin, but Zeke didn't want to be rude and just say 'let's get the ******** out of the sun' or anything either. He would see the Frenchwoman for himself soon - probably sooner now that Anya was inside - but all the same, if he was anything at all, it was some sort of polite. He'd let his impromptu host take the lead.
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 5:57 pm
Rhedefre was only too pleased to be given the opportunity to show his manners -- manners which he was learning daily from Granny Maplethorpe, who instructed him quite neatly on how to dress, act, and speak to a lady. This, he thought, was positively a lady by all the benchmarks he had been given. After all, one look at that strong, lifted chin, the long neck and imperious face... it could not be confused for anything else! Anastacia was certainly a lady.
With a smile, Cesc floated close (but not too close) to the spider queen, opening the bakery door for her and gesturing for her to walk through first, dipping his head slightly in a bow.
Within, Vivi looked up, and, seeing Anya cross the threshold, broke into a smile. The Flu! The Flu was here, which meant her dear Mssr. Zeke would not be far behind. "Oh!" she called out.
Not far behind, indeed. If Shepard had his way, Zeke would have just walked after Anya rather than trying to stay and make conversation. He was so...
... cheerful.
Shepard did not attempt to match the man's smiles and chuckles. He did not attempt even to attempt. He nodded and bent down for a towel to rub against his dirty hands and glossed over the whole 'oh Vivi's mentioned you, too' bit. It was unfair to dislike the man for being colorful and well-liked, or energetic, or ... friendly...
"Yeh, y'should ask her yerself," Shepard said, motioning into the open shop door. "Just pop yer head in, she'll be ecstatic."
As if on cue, Vivi's voice rang out as she leaned over the counter, laughing with pleasure.
"Zeke? Oh! Come in, you silly idiots, come in!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:24 am
Floating through the door of Vermillion was like a breath of fresh air for Anastacia. It was cool, but not too cool, and shady as well which was just the way she liked things if given the choice. She slid her parasol closed as she crossed the threshold and took a moment to just...soak it in. It felt like crossing into a whole 'nother world when compared to outside, and she couldn't even find fault in the smells of baking breads, pies, and other human treats. When she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder for the other Raevan - as so NOT to be taken by surprise - she became aware of him holding the door and bowing as she had floated by him. Her head tilted slightly to the right at this, but her mind was a flurry of delight rather than scorn or puzzlement. THAT was how a lady was treated!
"Thank you," she said with that same cool, neutral voice of hers, flaring her wings once more toward the action the Stag had just performed. She wasn't the sort who was immediately best friends forever with anyone, but she could at least see this young Frei was already worthy of the points she was tallying in his favor. She had yet to find another of her kind who was and who had done so immediately. It wasn't impression she was feeling entirely, more a sense of 'this is how it should be', but there was some there all the same.
The sound of Vivi's voice cut through the warm scent-laden air and made Anastacia turn. She remembered this one from their last meeting, albeit with a little difficulty. She remembered the dark hair and the bright eyes and the fact Zeke liked her, but that was all. It had been far too long since she had seen the Frenchwoman, but even with that in mind, Viviette had not left her with a negative first impression, so the spider queen did not scowl or feel anything that aligned itself with 'horror' or 'disgust' or 'why me'. She did much the same as she did with this pink haired Frei and the drawl-y man outside - flare her spindly appendages, bow her head, and offer her standard greeting as befitting the time of day.
"Good afternoon."
There was no sense of awkwardness emanating from Zeke when Shepard did not match or return his expressions or pleasantries. It was something he was also used to as evenly as the stares, and he actually had a comparison that made him smile all the more as he thought about it! This guy was a total polar opposite from Vivi, from looks to - present - demeanor. Accents put aside, Zeke felt he had a good guess that this was what his coworkers and friends meant when they said his own boyfriend was like night to Zeke's day. Brad was imposing, stoic, and even a little scary looking to people; Zeke was vibrant, energetic, and as unimposing as the day was long. Zeke never saw it - denied it often in fact because of how easily he could make the Italian man smile and laugh and loosen up - but now? It seemed he had an outside-looking-in perspective. It was kind of weird, in an interesting sort of way.
"Yeh, y'should ask her yerself," the Aussie had said and Zeke began to nod, but then a burst of laughter and French accent-heavy words rang from the bakery out into the street and the vet was instead moving in that general direction with his own laughter leaving his pierced lips.
"Coming!" He called through cupped hands, as though to seal in that he actually was outside if there were any doubts at all. Ah Vivi, how he had missed her so! Still, when he reached the stretch of sidewalk closest to the bakery's windows, he pivoted on his heel and looked back at the man left near the motorcycle.
"You comin' too, Shepard? It ain't a party without everyone!" And with him and Vivi in the same confined space, it'd be one hell of a party indeed.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:25 pm
Vivi did a little curtsey as the spider frei, clearly enjoying the polite attentions lavished upon her by Rhedefre, floated imperiously into the bakery. She sent a smile that she knew would not be returned toward her, and said cheerily: "Good afternoon, Anya, how lovely to see you again!"
As she floated in, Cesc let the door swing shut and pulled out a chair for Anya, another thing he had been taught to do for ladies. He then floated aside, thinking of what was next. Oh, yes -- "Can I get you something cool to drink?"
The words were said more clearly than most of his speech, the words rising out of his still-rough accent. It colored all of his vowels and sharpened his consonants, but the effect was not unpleasant in the least, especially due to the warm quality of his voice. Still a novice to conversation, Cesc was cheered to engage in the social niceties that could, at least, convey his respect at meeting another of his kind.
Vivi turned and quickly darted from behind the counter as Zeke's shadow fell across the threshold. She waited until he was turned completely to throw her arms around him with a happy noise, pressing a kiss to the side of his face.
"It ain't a party without everyone."
Shepard had to fight to keep himself from rolling his eyes as he walked in behind Zeke, then slid sideways past the orgy of French expressions of joy that Vivi poured all over the human cockatoo. Yep, this was the party he was expecting, certainly, and it wasn't a party he particularly felt like inviting himself to. He leaned over the counter for a towel and worked on wiping his hands. With Vivi in red and Zeke in his... ... Zekeness of many colors, Shepard was happy to be out of the main, somewhat eye-hurting, interactions. He pulled out a chair at the same table as Anya.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked absently.
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