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 Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:14 pm
Who: Duncan and Zeke
When: November 19th 2013; mid afternoon
Where: Duncan's House
Weather: A little chilly, but sunny all the same
Indian summer had been finally blown away by the creeping fingers of winter soon to come. Zeke stood on the sidewalk in front of the house, shivering lightly in the blue windbreaker he had dug out of the closet and checking his phone to make sure the address on the house matched the one in there. Perhaps he should have stayed in the car to check, but hindsight wasn't factoring in at the moment. He was too excited. After what had happened in July the vet and his Raevan had been trying to get through the days and today was a special occasion. Zeke in particular had to have plenty of doctor's visits, a lot of time off work to recover, and other such things. There had been spots of happy times - the recent move in with his long time boyfriend being one of the larger beacons there - but there was something about getting back to work, hell back into a routine, that put a particular bounce in his step. So that was part of the reason he smiled a little brighter when he confirmed the residence did in fact belong to Duncan.
Picking up the case from its spot next to his feet Zeke wasted no time in making his way up to the two-story house, swinging the heavy metal monster in his hand to and fro as he went. When he reached the door Zeke pressed the bell, listening to the chime go off somewhere inside. As he waited, he looked around the property and the nearest sights. Duncan had a nice plot of land for sure, but Zeke's thoughts didn't stray far into wondering how many acres the older man owned and that ilk. Instead he was puzzling the last time he had seen the Guardian of the Floating Rain. Not counting a brief hello on the bus ride to find and save Dr. Kyou, the two hadn't crossed paths since their initial introduction.
s**t, was that two years ago? Time flew too damn fast, especially now that the days were noticeably shorter as winter started to come in for its residency. Zeke had kept Duncan Clarke in his thoughts over all that time, but thoughts were one thing and meeting up was another. Duncan had made a wonderful impression on the younger, gaudier-looking man and even after all this time the vet was keen to chat with him again and of course know what he had captured for his future Raevan's soul. Zeke distinctly remembered the Soul Glass and its bright red cloth; the likes of which made him consider several options for Duncan to look into for possibilities. None of these had been spoken, so this only added to his intrigue. Had Duncan gone for a glittering ruby or captured a stunning cardinal? What about a flower of some sort? Of course, regardless of what the thing was, to pair it with the pretty glittering raindrops in that jar? The thought of a new Raevan on the horizon and one that would mesh those two things together made him grin like a loon. It had been far too long.
I've waited this long and I can wait a little longer.
There was much catching up to do, especially in light of recent events.
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:15 pm
It was hectic after Kahadlok, but the labor was certainly worth it. He was still pleasantly glowing from when Mordekai expressed his support for continuing the Lab project, and by the beginning of November, Duncan had prepared his graces to call in for a Raevan appointment. He waited for solid month before making any advances, though, as he had observed the horrific injuries many of the Lab's staff had sustained, and had no desire to fuss.
Fortunately for Duncan, he hadn't suffered from any truly visible injuries, but was unable to work for a period of time due to a meddlesome back injury, which spiked in pain when the cold season began to settle in. He managed to acquire a back brace from the doctor's, which was easily concealable through his typical layers of thickly wooled clothing. There was no change in his typical style of attire today, of course, though Duncan looked vastly different from when he saw Zeke last-- during his first appointment, he was still wearing his gardening wares, where he would typically greet others with a simple semi-formal sweatervest ensemble.
The cold was difficult to cooperate with in the Clarke household, as its entire flooring was made of wood, and any autumn air that seeped inside settled into every crevasse. By the time Zeke had arrived to the house, he was preparing hot water for tea, and had already picked up a few arrangements of fruit and bread for his guest. upon hearing the age-old ding of the doorbell, Duncan paused immediately in peeling apples and made his way toward the door. He glanced through the peephole and could easily discern Zeke's signature green-and-purple hair, which caused him to smile slightly in amusement.
He swung the door open and offered Zeke a handshake in greeting, his smile quickly widening to a grin. "Zeke, it's so good to see you again," he noted the cold, and quickly moved out of the way for the veterinarian, "Please, come in. I was just making some tea for the cold."
The house itself wasn't necessarily s**c-and-span, but it was cozy and snug-- the exterior was deceivingly small in comparison to its actual size. It was a plain place, decorated sparsely with an occasional photo and framed drawing.
Once the teapot began squealing, Duncan looked back and hurriedly wandered back to the kitchen. Just in front of the counter was an empty dining table, which shone brightly with the light protruding from the backyard, which was magnificently green and covered in flora. After Duncan quickly shut the heat to the stove off, he grabbed the fruit and bread assortment and rushed it to the table, where he ushered Zeke forward.
"Pardon me, I'm a bit behind on preparing. I'll go get the bottles once you settle in."
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:15 pm
The door opened and Zeke turned around, greeting the homeowner with a sunny smile that reached his eyes.
"Duncan! Nice to see you too!" The vet took hold of the extended hand and gave it a firm shake. When the older man moved out of the way Zeke stepped into the home, nodding in thanks. The change in temperature - clinging drafts or no - was most welcome, as was the high pitched cry of a kettle coming from the kitchen.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything! Traffic wasn't too bad on my way here, so I know I'm early!" He had a second appointment today with Trox but they had set that for later on in the day, towards evening. Keen to catch up, Zeke made sure to schedule these two meetings so he'd have plenty of time for talk and idle chatter with each man. Now that he was here with Duncan, he wasn't about to let the man out of his sights lest he miss a moment of banter. Zeke followed at Duncan's heels, taking in the man's home as he made his way to the kitchen.
"You've got a nice place here!" He rather liked the framed drawings in particular, eying one by the kitchen doorway for a few extra moments before turning his head at the sound of a plate being set down. He found the offered assortment charming and smiled, but that expression became an impressed gape as the vet found the backyard through the kitchen windows. "Wow, what a garden!"
He couldn't resist striding to the nearest window to peer out like the lookie-loo he truly was at heart. Duncan's hard work showed brilliantly and Zeke was instantly transported back to his childhood home which had a garden in the back quite similar to this one. He could clearly remember the smell of damp earth and growing things, the taste of fresh produce from his parents' vegetable patch, and the ever present buzz of bees. Had it been summer and not quite so crisp Zeke would have had to ask to take a stroll through Duncan's garden at some point. Given the chill and his foremost reason for his being there, the vet instead turned on his heel and beamed at his friend, returning to the table and unzipping his noisy jacket - waiting for his host to take a seat first.
"I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." His words were clearly a tease. "It's been too long; how have you been?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:43 pm
Duncan prepared the teapot, two cups, two pitchers for cream and sugar, and a box of teas onto a tray. He looked back at Zeke with a bright smile. "You're not interrupting at all. I didn't have to work today, all I have to do is entertain the guest." He chuckled.
He quickly set the tea tray table. "If you want tea, feel free to drink as much as you'd want to." The box of teas were an assortment of earl grays, English breakfast, and green tea, all plainly marked. The man didn't sit down instead quickly excused himself and walked quickly upstairs. The bottles were still sitting by the bedpost of his room.
When he came down, he offered Zeke warm (though delayed) responses to his compliments. "Oh, thank you. The house has got a good fifty years with her, so I hope you don't mind the clutter.
"Here they are," Duncan held out the Fel Essence and Soul Bottle to Zeke, just in case he wanted to see, then set the two containers onto the dining table. He urged Zeke to sit as he claimed his own chair, which faced away from the garden. He couldn't help but offer a sheepish grimace to Zeke before laughing nervously-- of course, he hadn't told the young man the reasons for his absence.
"I realize. It's been two years, I can't even believe it... I was just so busy, I lost track of time. It happens when you get older," Duncan clasped his arms and hands onto the table, and scootched forward, "But all things considered, I'm doing quite fine. How are you, Zeke? And Anastacia? She isn't with you today."
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:33 pm
"Thank you, don't mind if I do." Zeke wasn't usually a hot tea drinker, reserving the stuff for days when he was feeling under the weather more often than not, but with a chill in the air and good company the drink seemed suitable. As Duncan excused himself Zeke slipped his coat over the back of his chosen chair and took a cup and a single bag of the English breakfast from the tray. The vet made his tea and let the bag steep, taking his chair when his host came back and urged him to sit.
"I don't think it's clutter; it's more like history if you ask me." He grinned over the lip of his cup before taking a cautious first sip and then setting his cup down again. A cube of sugar was added but not immediately stirred in as Zeke looked at the two items that Duncan had brought down. Naturally, his hands went for the Soul Glass and it's bright red swirl of captured soul. "Well now, what do we have here?"
The weight of the glass orb was familiar as ever and after his long stint away from Lab the vet relished the feel. By the end of the day it and its chosen mate would be on their way to making Duncan's Raevan. It was funny to think, but it was the truth. In a few hours times the glass and Essence would be upended into the business end of a tank and everything would begin as it did with every Raevan who had been born.
Zeke didn't let the Glass go as Duncan talked. The gentleman's sheepish look wasn't missed but the raver didn't comment on it. Instead he gave his own sheepish smile in turn, running his hands over the bulbous body of the soul bottle as he tried to figure just how to explain Anya's...predicament.
"I'm glad to hear you've been good, and hey, no worries about how long it's been. I'm honestly still reeling it's already fall and we're about halfway through November!" His eyes lit up as he chuckled airily. "I'm doing okay myself, all things considered after what happened this past summer." Then the smile on his face tightened, as did the well used laugh lines around his eyes. "Anya's...I wish I could tell you she were the same as me but the search and rescue we all went on left her a little worse for wear, let's say."
"A little worse for wear" was an understatement, but that was about as well as he could explain it without going into details. The jungle had changed his Frei and not for the better. Where before the enigmatic Widow would carry herself like royalty - head up, eyes forward, and posture all but screaming 'I own my space' - she now moved about folded in on herself; lowered, withdrawn, and more often than not her eyes fixated on the ground. She was even quieter, more easily spooked as well as agitated, and he was sure she still wasn't sleeping well. Trying to talk to her also proved difficult on his end as after that conversation he had attempted to have with her she seemed to mistrust him more - or at least expected him to try and breach the topic of what had happened to her again. While it was warmer she had gone out to explore her new surroundings here and there but now that it was getting colder and colder he wasn't sure how she was going to handle her yearly brush with cabin fever. He was trying to help her in every way he knew how, but Zeke wasn't so sure she was trying to help herself. He had to do something, but he couldn't - and wouldn't - force her and risk closing her off even more.
'Where there's a will, there's a way'. Anya had to find her will again first. That would be the key to everything.
Placing the Soul Glass on the table, Zeke took up his cup again and took another sip now that the tea had had some time to cool. The strong flavor was just right and it definitely helped to take the chill off. He plucked a piece of apple from the plate but hesitated before lifting it to his lips.
"But then again...I guess we were all 'a little worse for wear' after that." He took a bite, chuckling with just as much sheepishness as he showed before continuing. "I know I was. Ended up cracking a couple ribs and bruising a few more; then I was dehydrated and pushed my body past its limits like a dumbass. ...Pardon my French." There were also the scars, but the most apparent and largest ones were not his doing. One fell swoop of Anya's wing and her claw-like nails had done a number on his chest and forearms, respectively. The latter were on display thanks to Zeke's chosen t-shirt; ragged but well-healed things that had been quite painful and nasty-looking at the time and while they healed.
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:12 pm
Duncan took notice of Zeke's scars, and nodded solemnly. He joined the man in pouring some tea, and got some English breakfast for himself, as well-- he remained contemplative for a moment, then nodded. "I remember seeing you out on the cliff, before we found Dr. Kyou. You looked worse for wear," he looked at Zeke then, his expression softening, "But you look much better now, so I suppose the past is behind us. I'm sorry to hear about Anastascia-- it looked like she was suffering pretty badly." He could still recall her screaming-- he frowned and sipped his tea.
"Do you know how the doctor is doing? Is he faring any better?" Duncan was curious about Jeremy, as well, but he wasn't sure if the man was an official staff member of Lab, or a mere friend. "I can imagine activity at the lab has been slow since July. I didn't want to bother you lot until you had some time..."
Duncan cupped his cold hands around his teacup. He stared at the soul glass and Fel essence-- he had to meticulously clean them to get all of the dirt and grime off, but they were now as polished as he'd remembered from Zeke and his first meeting. It was difficult for Duncan to phrase his next couple of sentiments-- he was unsure if he wanted to confide with Zeke with this.
"Ah... I-- I would hope for everyone that the search and rescue never happened, but... I wouldn't have bothered with the Soul glass otherwise. I-- didn't know if I could keep up with this project for along time... but here we are now." He grimaced, weakly.
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 8:34 pm
Duncan talked about seeing him and Anya on that cliff and Zeke's smile turned a touch sad. He had probably been hard to miss; trying so hard to get to his Frei and failing over and over again, calling incessantly for her until exhaustion had claimed him for a short stint of time. Not to mention torn up and covered in just about every aspect of nature and blood from himself and Iorek too. And then Anya herself; so incensed, just as filthy as her Guardian and then all of a sudden on the ground screaming and writhing as though her flesh was being sloughed off.
"Yeah I...Was more than a mess." It had been four months since and although Zeke was smiling and chipper before Duncan, he wasn't truly one hundred percent. Brad had noted that he was quieter at times and that he jumped at sounds or things that he thought he saw. And there were the nightmares. Not as frequent as when he had first gotten home from the hospital, but when he did have them they were almost always the same - the jungle, the hunter, his teammates being picked off and Zeke being unable to save them, or making a mistake that caused their demises like he had thought he had done with Iorek when he had found the blood and the triggered trap. They woke him up when he had them and left him sweaty and shaking, but he was doing better, certainly. He had Brad to rely on and talk to, same with Alex, and that age old saying about talking helping really did hold water.
If only Anya would talk... Talk and then listen to reason. Extenuating circumstances, the grip the eye had on everyone...she wasn't a monster; she had been a girl who had been attacked and succumbed to stress with an extended outburst. Her violence had been a product of her situation and she had been defending herself. She had been dangerous, certainly, and Zeke had the scars to prove it, but she wasn't the sort who was going to go outside and start massacring the neighborhood after the fact! He wished she would see that or at least allow him to show her that.
"Anya was suffering for sure. That eye did a number on everyone, but her most especially. She's still feeling aftershocks."
His chipperness had died completely in his voice and Zeke hid the turn down of his lips behind his cup, taking a long drink and clearing most of his tea. He was glad that Duncan turned the conversation to another, even if Zeke wasn't the bearer of any better news.
"He's ah...Still in a coma." He smiled sadly, nodding to the second part of what Duncan had to say. "Dr. Kyou's been moved to home care, so that's some good news. Jeremy and Lazarus have been handling his care while my sister Alex has been handling the injured Raevans and their Guardians. I've been healing and trying to help Anya at the same time so that really took a bite out of a lot of Lab-related services."
He wouldn't be able to even start to tell Duncan about how happy he was to finally be out and aiding the Lab in more ways than just doing paperwork and making sure the bills and taxes were kept up with. The road was still rocky, but the bumps were slowly getting easier to get over. It'd take time, but things like this always did. They'd bounce back.
"I'm glad to be here though, don't get me wrong. Like I said, it's been too long and after what happened it's better to be in the company of friends, you know?" He cocked his head slightly so that the bi-colored bangs slipping to the left over his brow, hiding some of his eyebrow piercings while revealing others. His head remained in that position as Duncan admitted to him and the vet looked rather puzzled when he was done and grimaced.
"What d'you mean by that?" Zeke put the Soul Glass next to its counterpart and looked them over with some scrutiny. They looked as shiny and new as the day he had given them to Duncan; the only difference being the red swirl inside the heavy sphere. Finding nothing wrong he looked back to his friend, waiting for the explanation.
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Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:37 pm
Duncan glumly nodded in acceptance of the terrible news. When the helicopter took Dr. Kyou away from the cliff premises, Duncan had despaired that the doctor wouldn't last too long-- to hear that he was alive and hospitalized at all was a relief. A pang of sympathy hit him upon hearing about Lazarus and Jeremy, and how they were helping Dr. Kyou improve.
"Ah... that's awful," he sipped his tea, brows furrowed with sympathy, "I wish Lazarus and Jeremy the best of luck, I'm sure Dr. Kyou will get better in time."
He managed to lighten up a bit once Zeke found a change in peace. He nodded humbly, and placed his cup of tea on the table. "And I'm glad I was able to see you again." His expression fell upon Zeke sought clarification on what he had said, though; Duncan adjusted the rim of his glasses and stared at the two containers.
The soul glass and fel essence were indeed in tact, and Duncan took notice of Zeke's scrunity at what he'd just said. He cleared his breath and drank another sip of tea. "Ah-- it's nothing, nothing. I suppose I was just reminiscing about how long it took me to capture a soul," he lied, "I'm sure the others have retrieved their souls much quicker than I have."
He watched the swirling ball of soft red light whirl lazily in its bottle. "Would you like to guess what the soul is?" he glanced at Zeke, "The answer is probably simpler than you would think."
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Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 4:13 pm
Zeke nodded to the expressed sympathy, feeling just the same as Duncan on all accounts. He had visited Kyou in his bedroom a few times since returning to the Lab to help get things back on track but his heart had ached for the warlock each time. Kyou was hooked up to all sorts of machines and while he wasn't as skeletal as when he had left the jungle, he was by no means back to a healthy weight and physique. Laz and Jeremy were doing all they could but only time would tell.
"You'll have to not be a stranger and go MIA on me again, you hear?" His smile returned a little and Zeke polished off the last of his tea. He set the cup aside for now, letting the first beverage warm his insides and settle, but did pick up another apple slice and a small piece of Italian bread from the tray. Chewing slowly, he nodded to what Duncan said about others taking a shorter time to capture their souls and he couldn't stop his lips from quirking as he once again recalled the capture that lead to Anya's soul being what it was today.
"I think I hold the record for fastest capture," he dusted some crumbs from his hands. "But we really don't keep a count on that. Captures happen when they happen and there's nothing wrong with that." He didn't know about any others but Trox, the man he was seeing after this visit, had had his Essence and Soul Bottle for a few months now. His soul was another curiosity Zeke was eager to discover; but as before, all in good time. He was quite enjoying Duncan and the man's calm company.
"I like guessing games, you know." The vet's eyes brightened and he eagerly took up the Soul Glass again, turning it slowly between his hands and surveying the color once more. There was no secondary splash of anything to this particular soul so the vet's options were narrowed but just as vast as ever. He sucked on his lip ring lightly as he thought it over, thinking back to the ones he had thought of when he had given the older man his tools after their first meeting.
"Is it a...cardinal?" Males of that species tended to have a splash of black around their faces, but their gaudy red color was sure to be what the soul took on as a color entirely. "Or maybe it's a gemstone; a ruby or a garnet."
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:42 pm
Duncan was the type of man to express only silent disappointment, though he was always awful at keeping certain emotions secret. He stared into his cup of tea with sadness and a touch of regret; it was hard to place into words how ambivalent he felt about the entire Kahadlok excavation. He quickly sought to drown the thoughts out with more tea, though, and once he finished with his cup, he poured himself another serving of hot water.
"I've always been curious about other people's stories," he took his tea spoon and stirred the water idly, "I'm sure you had an interesting time, Zeke. The only other 'capture' I've heard of was miss Anita's."
He paused, wary to continue, but he chuckled and continued along: "My capture wasn't nearly as exciting as her's. It was-- a happy accident, and I was glad to see it filled." He sighed, "When I saw the soul bottle, it was positively radiant. I cried, like the sentimental I was."
Duncan's smile managed to grow wider with every guess Zeke came up with, but he shook his head every time. "I didn't manage to capture a living animal, no," Duncan admitted, "I suppose, in the most abstract sense, I captured something between an animal and a mineral. Living, but not sentient."
He was in no mood to eat, but he was glad that Zeke was enjoying his fair share of the fruit and bread. When his tea was finally steeped (enough), he poured a minuscule amount of sugar and cream into it, then motioned toward the kitchen.
"And-- I would like to mention, if you would like anything else to eat, perhaps something more substantial, I would be happy to make you anything."
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 2:33 pm
Zeke looked up from the Soul Glass and his expression was the sunniest it had been since the veterinarian arrived.
"I had the best time capturing Anya's soul." His grin stretched across his face like he was daring Duncan to ask him to tell the tale. "Pretty sure I heard Anita's story. She got herself a big ol' crocodile and he became that sweetheart she has now." His grin broke into some light chuckling, the likes of which warmed his heart like the tea did his gut. When the sound died, his smile faded into a smaller expression, Zeke remembering Cruz by his side with Iorek and then on the helicopter after the events at Kahadlok. He pulled his cup toward him and like his host, made another cup of tea for himself.
"That's how mine went - a happy accident. Though mine was more humorous for me, and not quite so happy for Alex." He hadn't let the Italian woman live it down. Occasionally he would "remind" her when they occupied the same space and spider happened through. That usually ended with something being thrown at him, Alex chasing him, or both. It was always worth it.
Sipping his tea when it was ready, Zeke hummed a single note as Duncan posed his riddle. Living, but not sentient; between animal and mineral. It wasn't a hard riddle to figure out - the older man clearly meant a plant of some kind. The vet's eyes flicked to the windows ahead of him and stared at the garden out back. He couldn't see anything red, just a lot of greenery, but perhaps Duncan's soul had come from there.
"Well in that case, you mean a plant." Zeke smiled again, touching the orb with his right hand while holding his tea cup with his dominant left. "Of course, that makes things a little harder 'cause there's so many red ones or ones with red somewhere in 'em."
He took another sip of tea, but set his cup down abruptly to wave off Duncan's offer. Zeke shook his head to add to the motion, going full tilt into modest mode while trying hard to get the hot liquid down to speak.
"No, no! Don't feel like you have to trouble yourself for me! The fruit and bread is more than enough, thank you." To prove this, Zeke pulled another apple slice off the tray and held it up, beaming. Before he brought it to his mouth however, the vet got an obvious idea and his expression turned a bit more mischievous. "Well if it's a plant soul that you captured," he shook the slice knowingly, "could it be an apple?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 3:35 pm
Duncan laughed-- it was hard being exposed to someone so cheery without catching some of it himself. Even if they had talked about a relatively tragic event only minutes ago, there was no point in ruminating on it now. Duncan nodded along to Zeke's story while he carefully sipped his tea-- it was still plenty hot-- and stared at the fruit and bread platter. He had no particular desire to eat, but he grabbed a piece of Italian bread anyhow and took a small bite.
His smile grew and he covered his mouth, making sure to finish chewing before he spoke. "Yes, I had such a hard time believing Anita at first, I never would have imagined being able to capture a crocodile," he placed his bread down onto the side of his teacup plate, "Who is Alex? They're not a big fan of arachnids, I suppose?"
Duncan's eyes lit with bemusement at Zeke's guesses and deductions. Of course, his hint was very broad, but it gave itself away quite easily. He glanced at the fruit and bread platter-- was it somewhere on there? A majority of the fruit on the platter were a variety of grapes, apples, and oranges. He'd peeled the pomegranates before Zeke had arrived, just for the sake of convenience, and the gemlike arils were cozied at the very bottom of the platter. He hadn't planned it that way, of course. A pleasant give-away.
He nodded. "Yes, they are. Fortunately for you, we don't buy most of our produce here-- it's either from where I work or from the back of the gardens." He waved one hand in dismissal and chuckled, taking another drink of his tea, "Don't you worry about troubling me at all, Zeke. It wouldn't be a problem at all. We have soup, we can make sandwiches... breakfast items, other beverages, you name it."
Duncan grinned, then shook his head demurely. "And no, it's not an apple."
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:53 pm
"Alex is one of the Lab's staff members. She's pretty much my big sister, even though we aren't blood related." He thought of the dark-haired Italian woman fondly when he spoke of her. They were two peas in a pod, Alex and he, a terrible twosome who had crazy amounts of fun whenever they were in proximity to each other. He loved her dearly and blood or not, she was his big sister. Perhaps one day they would be "true" siblings in a way other than by blood or just declaration. Zeke thought of the spunky woman's brother then - the tall architect waiting for him at home - and it was a good thing his cheeks were already rosy from talking and laughing with Duncan. Oh yes, he would like that very much. "You'll know her when you meet her, trust me. She's got a Raevan of her own; a big white-haired Sigel named Zul. You'll know him when you meet him too, but no, she's not fond of spiders at all. Arachnophobic."
He chuckled and popped the apple into his mouth, frowning in play at his guess proving wrong and then shaking his head again when Duncan once more offered more than just the offered spread. Even though soup did sound quite nice, Zeke did not want his host to go through the trouble for him.
"Thank you, but I'm fine, really. The bounty here is more than enough!" He waved his hand over the tray but now looked at the spread with some scrutiny. If apples were out, then perhaps the answer was something else on the tray. Zeke's eyes were flicked to Duncan - if that was true, then the old man had quite the fun side to him. He liked that immensely. "Lemme see here..."
Zeke clucked his tongue stud against the roof of his mouth and made a low hum. Oranges were obviously out, apples had been struck from the list, but there were grapes on the plate. The green ones were in the same category as oranges, but Zeke wasn't so sure on the so-called red grapes. They always seemed more purple to him, but red was red wasn't it? He plucked a small cluster from the bunch and held the group between his fingers by the stem.
"How about these? I think it's a long shot but hey, stranger things right?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 5:14 pm
"Ah, oh no," Duncan chuckled-- of course, phobias were no laughing matter, but the idea of an individual afraid of spiders aiding in catching one was quite amusing. "I see, though. I'm sure I will-- everyone at the Lab that I've met so far have been so pleasant. Just to refresh my memory-- Sigels are the Raevans with torsos, correct? And the Freis stop at the chest."
After Kahadlok and retrieving his soul bottle, Duncan made sure to refresh himself on as much Lab knowledge as he could, though his data still left some room to be desired. He finished off his second cup of tea and nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, Zeke, don't be afraid to ask. There's never a shortage of food around here, I can assure you."
Duncan watched with pleasant amusement as Zeke looked around the fruit platter-- he had the right idea going, of course. He ate the remainder of his bread slice while Zeke studied a few fruits. The assortment wasn't too red, past the apple skins-- when Zeke picked off a cluster of the red grapes, Duncan was surprised at the man's ingenuity.
"Ah, the red grapes? What a creative choice," Duncan chuckled, "I wouldn't have guessed that myself. Mythologically, you could say they're vaguely related. Dionysus, the god of wine and the grapevine: if you can, recall his mother." Duncan scratched his chin, "If I were an ancient Greek, I suppose my hearth would be devoted to her, so she could keep the garden healthy for the harvests."
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 5:38 pm
"You'll be hard pressed to find people at Lab who aren't nice at least," Zeke's chuckling continued and he nodded eagerly as Duncan continued. "You've got it right! Sigels are a Raevan's second stage of growth. They all start as Freis and then over time grow into that fuller form. I don't know how it happens and I guess it happens at different times for each Raevan, but every one of them will eventually grow into a Sigel." Zeke looked at the Soul Glass that had been sitting there placidly but not unforgotten. Gently the vet tapped on the glass. "This one too, once he or she is born."
He had to wonder what gender Raevan Duncan was hoping for, or if the older man had considered that at all. When he had been waiting for Anya, Zeke hadn't cared either way and had only wanted his Raevan to have been born healthy - which had been a silly thought when one part of his was pure illness through and through. Zeke hoped the same for Duncan's future Rain boy or girl. The Lab did have a wonderful track record of healthy newborns, but things did happen without warning.
"Thank you," he said once more to the assured tone Duncan used when mentioning the food offered in the other room. Zeke plucked a grape from the small cluster he had chosen and popped it into his mouth, easing back in his chair as Duncan spoke of the ancient Greeks and their gods.
"Like I said, it's probably a long shot and from the lack of confirmation I missed the mark again." Zeke set the grapes down on the plate that accompanied his cup and took up the latter again for a long drink. Not an apple and not a grape, so was it possible Zeke had been wrong about the fruit theory? Perhaps the mysterious soul was in fact a flower or some kind of shrub instead. The vet sucked his lip ring idly. Maybe I need to narrow down the field...
But even in thinking that, his eyes still searched the plate for another red thing he could hold up and declare the actual soul. His eyes passed twice over the red arils placed in little piles at the base of the display but found them again on a third pass. They gleamed a little in the overhead light - strange little gem-like things. Zeke furrowed his brow slightly and the corners of his mouth gently tugged down too. He had never seen these things before. Leaning forward again, Zeke plucked one corn tidbit-shaped aril from the closest pile and examined it like the curiosity it was. It was squishy but with a hardened bit inside that Zeke could only figure was a seed. His expression didn't change even when he brought Duncan into focus again.
"What is this thing, Duncan? I've never seen anything like it before."
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