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 Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:50 pm
Duties were done for the day - duties being cleaning out the minipet tanks. Lex hated the minipet tanks; really, really hated them. He'd only kept dogs at home, and their mess was incredibly easy to clean. Minipets, however, were incredibly messy, and coupled with the fact that he had to be extremely meticulous lest he suffer the wrath of some of the senior Life techs, it was pure torture for the man who made a point to smell great and look better.
As a reward to himself, and just to blow off some steam in a way that didn't involve shooting something, Lex decided that he'd make a cake. He'd eat a slice of it, maybe, after delivering it to some lucky person. Maybe Otto; he seemed like the type to like cake.
So he had his apron tied on, coat and top shirt removed, and was currently in the process of measuring out flour when he head the kitchen door open.
"Hello?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:55 pm
Eva's intention had only been to drop by the kitchen to make a quick bite to eat. Nothing fancy, mind you--she was definitely no cook--but she had been hoping to make something slightly more tasty than the plain foods in the cafeteria. Since the kitchen was almost always empty whenever she dropped by, the last thing she had expected to see upon entering was a man standing at the counter with a dry measure in hand.
There was a moment of surprised silence, and then Eva suddenly laughed at his greeting. "Hi!" She chirped back cheerfully, taking a few more steps into the kitchen before stopping beside him. Cocking her head to the side, she motioned towards the bag of flour. "Making something? A cake?"
Eva. What have I told you about bothering people while they're doing things?
Oops. Looking a little sheepish, the girl took a step back, propping a hand up on her hip. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just dropped in to make something as a quick snack. I promise I'll stay out of your hair!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:17 am
Ah, a girl. A fairly pretty one at that; Lex smiled at her, giving a little wave. "Ah, no you're completely fine." He poured the flour into a mixing bowl, and then pulled out a bag of sugar, and began to measure. "Actually, I could use some help if you don't mind? If you could get me some milk, and a few eggs..." He began to pour the sugar, paying meticulous attention to the white crystals.'
<< Whelp, are you feeling okay? >>
< Yes, are you? >
<< Completely fine; but I'm wondering why you're not trying to put the moves on this girl? >>
< Regal, the fact that I can bake is flirting enough at the moment. >
The Gryphon snorted and shook his head in Lex's mind, muttering something about ridiculous human courting rituals.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:51 am
Ah, was she not interrupting? The girl grinned, and she could hear Chara sigh with exasperation in her head. "Milk and eggs. No problem!" She obediently moved over to the fridge, rooting around until she got what was needed. With a carton of milk in one hand and three eggs clutched precariously, she made her way back to where the man was.
Somehow, just somehow, she had managed not to drop any of the eggs in the process.
Setting everything down in front of him, she peered curiously into the mixing bowl, blinking her blue eyes owlishly. "So you are making a cake? ...And ah, my bad!" Drawing back, she grinned up at him sheepishly, holding out her right hand, "My name is Eva. I'm in the death division!"
Was he new? New-ish? There were plenty of trainees that Eva had not met yet, and this man was definitely one of them. Although he may have looked vaguely familiar--perhaps she had seen him in the passing--she definitely didn't have a name to put to his face.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:15 pm
Lex smiled down at Eva, taking her hand and shaking it graciously. "Alexei, Life division." He went back to his dry ingredients, pouring in brown sugar now. "Call me Lex though, if you don't mind? Sounds less girly." He joked, smiling as he moved on to baking soda and powder.
He got lost in his baking for a second, carefully measuring a teaspoon of baking soda before paying more attention to Eva. She was average height for a girl, with a pretty average figure. Her hair, though, was quite the pretty shade of ebony.
"Funny, you know, a Death Hunter helping a Life Hunter without a price." Another smirk, as he began to mix the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. "If you could beat those eggs in with the milk for me?"
He finished his mixing, pushing the bowl to the side while he searched around for vanilla extract. "You know, you could charge me some kind of price, if you wanted. I make great pancakes."
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:05 pm
"Aw, Alexei's a cool name! But mmkay, I'll call you Lex!" She grinned at him, giving his hand a firm shake before drawing back and watching him work curiously. She had baked a cake in the past...but she had had to pore over a recipe book during the whole process, and even then, it okay came out "so-so". Compared to her, Lex definitely seemed like a pro.
Her gaze flickered up to the man when he spoke, and she emitted a light laugh. "Is that how Deathies and Lifers are supposed to treat one another? And yeah, no problem!" Reaching over to grab one of the other mixing bowls, she proceeded to blend the wet ingredients together, using a whisk to whip the eggs into the milk. She wasn't a great cook or baker, but even she could do this much.
"Hmm? Why would I charge you?" Eva looked genuinely puzzled as she peered up at him, pausing momentarily from her work, "If anything, I appreciate the fact that you're letting help a little! You seem like you really know what you're doing--I could definitely use the lesson."
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:15 pm
Lex smiled as Eva talked, clearly glad that she wasn't like a lot of the Death division. If he'd asked Solia to do this for him, she'd be asking for info on the latest runic pistol developments, or how far along the Life division's latest pet project was. Eva was just being appreciative, something Lex could easily get behind.
"That's really quite sweet of you Eva." He chuckled, searching the cabinets until he found the little bottle of vanilla extract. Not even Mexican or Madagascaran, but the cheap American stuff. A sigh, it would do. "Deus could really use more people like you." He said, handing her the bottle of vanilla. "About ten drops should do it - just beat it in there, and then pour the wet into the dry. I need to start on the filling."
Raiding the fridge, Lex luckily found a few ripe strawberries, enough to make a skimpy filling. He frowned at that, and dug deeper into the fridge.
Limes? Well, why not.
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Eva. Other than you're incredibly friendly and kind."
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:05 pm
Eva looked a little embarrassed at the compliment, quickly lifting a hand and giving a dismissive wave of her hand. "Ah, nah! Most people here are pretty serious, but they have good reason to be! If more people here were like me, we'd never get any work done!" Taking the offered bottle of vanilla with a thank you, she obediently dropped in ten drops before capping it again.
"Do you bake a lot, Lex?" She asked curiously, ensuring that the vanilla was evenly incorporated in the wet ingredients before she slowly began to pour in the dry. She put in a third at a time, pausing between each part to make sure that there were no giant clumps in the batter. Looking good!
Eva grinned at the question, and the comment about her being kind earned a laugh. "No, I'm just a little too cheerful for my own good sometimes. But uhhh, let's see!" She furrowed her brows thoughtfully as she mixed the batter, her head tilted slightly to the side, "I...woke up about a year ago. I'm twenty years--oops, nope! Sorry, I'm twenty-one years old now, and before I came here, I was in nursing school."
That was an okay introduction, wasn't it? Thinking about it, she wasn't a very interesting person. "Haha, what about you? What can you tell me other than the fact you seem to be an amazing baker?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:14 am
It was Lex's turn to wave away the compliment, grinning lightly. "Eh, I wouldn't say amazing. Just practiced." He started chopping strawberries, able to talk and chop at the same time. "I'm from Las Vegas, woke up about two months ago now. I went to school to be a business major, and I used to manage my mother's bars and clubs." Simple, straightforward, never skipping in his cadence. A fast talker and a smooth operator, that was him, Alexei Jamil. "I'm 24, single, and my favorite fruit is raspberries."
And idea hit him then, as he was squeezing as much juice out of the limes as he could. She was twenty one, just legal to drink. Well, turning twenty one without drinks was a shame. "Tell you what, Eva, for helping me with this cake, I'm taking you out for drinks when we finally have clearance to leave this place." He was pouring sugar into the strawberry lime combination, grinning from ear to ear. "Not drinking on your twenty-first is a shame; so...take it as a late birthday present."
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:50 am
"Ooh, Las Vegas!" Eva had never been, but she had always wanted to take a trip there. Unfortunately, she had never had the chance--...well, then again, Deus Ex provided a pretty good opportunity to go wherever the trainees and hunters so desired. Perhaps Las Vegas would be the next place on her list.
"Compared to you, I'm just a small town girl then," Eva chuckled, "Born and raised in a tiny town in Alberta, and then moved to a city in the same province to attend school." Unfortunately, even the very mention of her old home was making her feel a little nostalgic and homesick. She was grateful when Lex suddenly spoke up with a...proposition?
Drinks? "Wha--oh, no! You don't have to!" She paused from her mixing to lift a hand, quickly shaking her head, "I mean, I'm don't mind helping! ...Though it might admittedly be fun."
If she didn't get drunk out of her wits.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:47 pm
Alberta....Canada? Lex hadn't been to Canada before, not even flown over it. Maybe he could go once he got some shore leave; hunt a moose or something manly like that. What would he do with it though - mount the head? He had to chuckle at the thought - a moose head looming over his bed. Yes, that would be so inviting. Who wouldn't want to have sex under a moose head?
"Please, I insist." Another charming smile, said in a smooth canter as he added water to the mixture. "And you'll have the time of your life, promise."
He threw the whole strawberry mixture into a pot on the stove to simmer while the cake baked. "The oven's preset, just pour that batter into that cake pan over there, and put it in the oven for an hour." He pointed towards a round cake pan as he walked into the cafeteria, noshing on a granola bar he'd stashed into his pocket.
Once she sat with him, he gave her a non flirty smile. "Is Deus what you thought it would be like? Or were you expecting more...I don't know, heroism?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:29 am
It was clear that when it came to something that seemed as innocent at going out for a drink, Eva did not take that much convincing. After a few moments of screwing up her face in thought, she finally relaxed and laughed, shrugging. "Mm, alright! It'll be my first time at a bar though, so don't mind me if I ask any stupid questions, okay?"
Making sure that the batter was nice and even, Eva picked the whole bowl up and moved towards the cake pan, slowly tipping the mixture into the new container. Scraping the extra batter off the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, she moved to pop the cake pan into the oven.
Phew, there we go! Hopefully she hadn't screwed up Lex's recipe.
Following the man out into the cafeteria, she sank down into the chair across from his, one corner of her lips quirking upwards in a lopsided smile. "Honestly? Yes, it's definitely less...exciting as I thought it'd be. I guess I should have expected it, but some of the horrors I've seen..." She trailed off with a little shudder before shaking her head. "And you?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:34 pm
"Mmm...definitely more adventures were in my imaginings; along with more actual rescuing of mankind." A soft smile as he folded his hands under the table, twiddling his thumbs a bit. Small talk - he could be great at it; if he were trying to get into someone's pants, which he wasn't this time around, for whatever reason.
"I can only imagine the things you've seen, if that Haunted House was any inclination." He murmured, still a little shaken by what he'd seen - and done. "Though, I suppose it's all worth it, right?"
A quick chuckle. "Oh, and there's no such thing as a stupid question. I'd rather you ask me everything and get out safe than assume everything and end up tainted."
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:07 pm
Eva chuckled--she could definitely understand Lex's sentiments. "Right? It seemed a lot more exciting on paper. Help the people, get rid of the monsters, and save humanity." Okay, so it sounded a little silly when she said it aloud like that--kind of like a generic action movie--but Eva had honestly been expecting something closer to that. The fact that her first mission here had been transporting dead bodies had served as a very quick wake-up call.
"It doesn't get much better," She admittedly a bit dryly, "The surprises never stop coming, but...yeah. Just gotta plow on through them, right?" She flashed Lex another grin, and then leaned back in her seat with a sigh.
"It's definitely worth it though. I think the people in this place have become my new family." And while, overall, she was fighting for the sake of trying to keep humans in general safe...the most personal part of her was fighting to keep these people--her new friends and family--alive.
Perking up, she propped her elbows up on the table and rest her chin in her hands. "End up tainted? Tainted how?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:57 pm
"Tainted as in so drunk you'll cling to the arm of any sleeze with a couple twenty dollar bills and do whatever he wants." Lex warned, still smiling about it though. He'd seen it happen far too many times - and used to be one of those sleezes. Those women weren't quality though - they were just the chicken breast of the woman world. He'd learned how to get the Filet Mignon, without spending a good hundred dollars on mixed drinks.
She brought up family, something Lex wasn't quite sure how to handle. He'd had his family, though it was sundered at a young age.
Alas, that was another thought for another time.
Family? These goofballs and slightly insane people were her family? Lex couldn't quite grasp that. Coworkers was how he thought of the people at Deus, coworkers that he cared enough about to take care of when they were hurting, but if he saw someone go it wouldn't hurt him too deeply.
"Family....hm."
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