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 Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 8:25 pm
Who: Aaron and Claire (alpha lyrae), Cruz and Anita (ex o ex Snoof)
Where: A small outdoor cafe in Gambino, The Lighthouse
When: Wednesday around 1pm, early May
Weather: Sunny and clear, a perfect day to go to the beach
---------- The phone was answered with a woman's pleasant voice that Anita almost remembered but she couldn't be sure.
"Hi, is this Claire? It's Anita, from Lab 305."
"Anita! Yes, this is Claire - great to hear from you!"
"Hey! Yeah, same. Is this a good time to talk?"
"Yeah - no problem! Hold on, let me put these down.. just a sec --" she could hear rustling and a car door close, -- there we go... okay! What's up?"
Anita laughed. "Alright, sorry-- Cool. Um! Right. I was wondering if you were still interested in the raevans?"
"Aah! Oh yes, I'm most definitely still interested! I'm just.. um.. not sure what else I have to do to follow that interest?" Claire's chuckle made Anita smile, "I felt a bit out of sorts at the boil.."
"Yeah, that's what I figured. It was pretty confusing when I was first looking into it, too, so don't feel bad at all. With how crowded the boil and everything was, I had an idea, actually-- Do you maybe want to meet one of them?"
"Oh -- oh yes, I would love that! I remember Aaron telling me of your raevan after the get together at Justin's.. would we be meeting Cruz?"
"Aw, great. Hah, yep, that's the one! And then I can answer any questions you have to be the best of my ability. I don't work there or anything but I've been involved with them for, oh, man, um-- something like five years now."
"Wow, that's quite a long time! Before this I've only really spoken to Zeke, and that was a brief meeting when I first heard about the Lab.. so yes, please, I would be happy to meet Cruz. Aaron thought he was a kick, I'm sure he'd love to join us."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you guys wanna do! Do y'all live in Gambino or were you just popping in for the boil?"
"We actually just moved to Gambino not too long ago - moving closer to my mother since she's getting on in years."
"Ahh, I gotcha. That works out, though, we're in Gambino too. Do you wanna meet up somewhere for lunch or something? I'm off Wednesday and Saturday this week."
"Wednesday would be perfect! Aaron can join us on his lunch break from the office. Do you have any lunch spot recommendations?"
"Awesome, that's perfect. There's a cute outdoor cafe with a beach view not too far from the lab building called the Lighthouse. They've got coffee, soups, salads, and junk. Does that sound okay?"
"Sounds excellent. Shall we meet there around one?"
"Yeah, that'll do it! We'll see you there for sure."
Anita hung up feeling pleased and eager. It had been a long time since she sat down to help someone with anything relating to Lab, about a year ago with less than productive results and a somber ending. This seemed like it would go a lot more smoothly and be an overall positive experience; both of them seemed nice, and Aaron was certainly amusing if the DnD game could be counted for anything.
Around one o'clock, as agreed, Anita and Cruz settled into an outdoor table with four seats under an umbrella waving Gambino's signature colors. Anita herself was decked in a simple white tank top, sandals, and airy cargos with a pair of sunglasses, while Cruz was sporting his typical outfit plus the early sun kissed bronze of his Summer tan. Four waters had already been ordered and a menu waited patiently for Claire and Aaron each.
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 9:52 pm
Truthfully, Claire was feeling much more optimistic about this meeting than she did at the boil. Perhaps it had been Aaron's laughter-tinted recollection of the Dungeons and Dragons night at Justin's house that had done it, or how Anita had caught up with her at the end of the boil to exchange numbers after (at least what Claire would term it) what was a personal failure in regards to outings, but something about this lunch seemed.. better, somehow. She was humming and dropping change into the meter when her husband ran up to join her from down the street. Compared to her simple light blue blouse and pink skirt combo, Aaron looked almost overdressed in his work suit and tie. He was likely thinking the same thing, as he unbuttoned his jacket and loosened the tie a bit - a look which suited him more than the stuffy business attire, Claire thought.
"You ready?" he asked tentatively, with a careful glance at his wife. She pursed her lips as guilt constricted her chest. It feels like walking on eggshells sometimes, but he's trying. This time, however, she could smile genuinely - this was not a large get together, just a casual lunch. It had been too soon after certain incidents to have expected herself to jump right into large social engagements. Small steps would do for now.
"Yeah, let's head inside," she replied, and the two headed through the door as the overhead bell chimed. As Aaron addressed the waitress, telling her they were joining another party, Claire scanned the crowd and spotted the back of Anita's head amongst the outdoor tables. She tugged on Aaron's arm and raised her free hand. "Anita!" Her husband turned and followed, and as they approached the table, broke into a grin of his own.
"Hey!" Both husband and wife lowered themselves into their chairs, and Aaron grinned up at Cruz, deciding to break the ice and take the initiative. "Good to see you guys again. What've you been up to since the DnD game?" Claire, for her part, found her eyes moving to Cruz as well, since she had not seen him at the boil proper, and he was quite a spectacle. Those teeth were especially attention grabbing, and Claire found herself all the more fascinated. Aaron was right, he did seem like quite the character.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 11:15 am
From across the way, Aaron's call pulled Anita and Cruz from their small conversation while she glanced over the menu. The frei wasn't to eat solid foods yet, lacking a stomach, so water was usually the way to go when dining.
"Hey!" she sat up and leaned against the table to wave.
Beside her, Cruz clutched at the table edge while floating just above his seat and smiled at the approaching couple. He recalled Aaron and his dwarf but Claire was a new entity that he had missed entirely at the crawfish boil.
"Ahh, not a whole lot. Work and play," Anita shrugged and laugh, returning to her seat, "How 'bout you? Y'all been good since the boil, too?" she extended further to Claire, lifting her sunglasses so they sat upon her head while they were in the umbrella's shade. The wife hadn't been present for the campaign, which was a shame, but Anita understood she was probably busy or it wasn't her thing.
Cruz idly palmed the table edge as his guardian and Aaron spoke. Claire's attention was on him, and his on her in return. Despite the obvious toothiness to his smile it was warm and inviting with the rest of his expression.
"Hello," he purred with not an ounce of shyness, "Are you Miss Claire?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 1:42 pm
Aaron maneuvered himself to rest his coat on the back of the chair. "Ah yeah, work hard, play hard, right?" Chuckling, he picked up the menu and perused it briefly, his eyes lingering hungrily over the burgers. Acid reflux always had other plans for him, though, and he forced himself to look more towards the chicken sandwiches. "Yeah, we've been good. Working a lot on my end - we've got a big shipment due in Durem at the end of the week and the trucks got messed up -- ah geez, sorry!" He shook his head as he placed the menu back down. "I go off rambling about work and you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, sorry, it's a thing that happens sometimes."
Claire laughed and perused the menu herself, favoring a southwestern wrap for lunch, some juice perhaps. "I've been doing a lot of unpacking, since we recently moved in. They have me starting slowly at work given that I'm, uh, new to the firm." The stumble in her tone was slight, her natural inclination for honesty almost spilling the real reason but tact won out in the end. Aaron gazed over the table at her for just a brief moment before reaching for one of the four available waters and taking a draw. Claire's eyes flickered back towards Cruz and she was surprised to see that he was watching her back as well, and her heart warmed when he greeted her kindly and called her "Miss Claire." Not that her encounter with the lovely Raevan at the boil had been bad, per se, but something about Cruz's manner put her more at ease (likely because the other Raevan at the party had been caught off-guard by Claire's sudden compliment).
"I am," she replied, her heart tingling, "And you must be Cruz. Aaron's told me a lot about you, and the shenanigans from the D & D game." She reached a slender hand over the tabletop and held it out towards the crocodile Raevan. "I'm glad to finally meet you!" And she truly was.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:36 am
Anita had to laugh. Aaron was a quick lipped one, she knew that from the game, but it was always kind of a pleasant surprise when people were able to just ramble on about things they were eager for to her. Even if she definitely had no idea what they were talking about.
"It's fine! I can't remember if you mentioned what you do." There had been so much conversation amid the game when last they met that all of the details were swept up and away, then quickly eroded with time passed.
She paid Claire a smile while opening her own menu, though her eyes stayed level with the couple. The stumble in her words was completely missed. Anita's brows raised and she smiled at the news. "Yeah? Congrats, then! Must be exciting."
Beside her, Cruz waited patiently and grinned when her attention turned to him. Mention of the silliness at Justin's made the croc utter a low rumbling chuckle as he crossed his arms on the table top. Her hand was a small surprise. It was strange how few humans seemed to offer their traditional greeting to him. He took her hand eagerly and gave it a gentle shake. "Yes," he all but purred, "Good to meet you." Even in the calmness of his voice there was an excitement and sincerity in his eyes that was almost childlike.
"You're -- interested?" Cruz paused slightly to make sure his question sounded accurate. Just to make sure she understood, he pointed a finger at himself. Raevans, he meant, but perhaps it was accurate that she had a curiosity for him too.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 10:44 pm
"Of course I am," Claire answered, and patted his hand with her free one. "It's too bad that we didn't have a chance to really talk at the Boil, but then again it was so busy." She had only seen the crocodile Raevan from a distance, and fleetingly. Next to her, Aaron's fingers stopped their tracing over the menu when Anita asked about his job.
"My family ships produce. We redistribute from farms to local markets, far away grocers, what have you." He grinned and jerked a thumb towards his chest. "Junior Exec of Holmes Produce, or so Dad calls me." He lowered his hand with a laugh and curled it around his water glass. "I've been commuting for now if not working from home on some days, it works out pretty well. We both do okay for ourselves. It's good to be closer to Claire's mom anyway." He tilted his head towards Claire, who smiled back and nodded.
"It's been a bit bumpy recently but things are starting to settle down," she added, taking a sip of water. A low gurgle drifted from Aaron's side of the table, and his wife snorted into her glass. She coughed a bit in her laughter and reached for her napkin to wipe her mouth. "Anyway, have you two ordered yet? I think we better get this one some food before his body stages the next Hunger Games."
"What can I say? I'm a simple man who simply likes food." Aaron shrugged, patting his stomach with another laugh.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 9:08 am
"Too bad," Cruz parroted. He hadn't quite recalled seeing them at the boil, but she was right -- it was busy.
Anita nodded along as Aaron explained his work situation. She awarded the junior executive with a laugh and smile. "Yeah, commutes are hell but, when you've got a good thing going in both places, it's worth it. Sounds like you guys are doing good."
At Aaron's stomach, Anita's reaction mimicked Claire's, minus the glass of water. Cruz's eyes widened as he stared at the man's stomach and a wide grin formed. "Nah, not yet. We weren't waiting long before you guys got here, so just the drinks. Actually," Anita leaned over to rest a hand on Cruz's shoulder, "that's a good segue. Cruz can't eat the same things we do. Not yet, at least. Can you--" With a small gesture, Anita coaxed Cruz into floating high enough that his rune was visible. "No stomach. But they get one! I'm sure you saw a couple of the raevans with tummies at the boil. Right now, Cruz can have water and that's all he's really interested in as far as liquids go. No solids. We haven't experimented with it but--"
"--food smells good but I need kisses." Cruz interrupted with a smile as he hovered back down on his chair, arms folded on the edge of the table. With a flick of his eyes, he grinned at Aaron. "Simple is good."
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:52 am
Aaron and Claire leaned forward when Anita steered the conversation towards Raevan diets. As Cruz hovered up, revealing his rune, Claire nodded slowly, thoughtfully, and then blinked in surprise when he mentioned something about kisses.
"Kisses are your food..." she ventured slowly as she leaned back in her chair, the spoken thought said more to herself than to the table in general. "Zeke hinted about the food sources being a bit different, when I first went to the Lab. So I take it that it has to be between you and another for nourishment? Or could it be ambient?" She glanced sideways at Aaron, who had been watching the proceedings with half-interest while kneading his stomach. Curiosity about that theory was growing inside her.
"I suppose that corners the market on a simpler diet though," Aaron added with a laugh, missing his wife's stare, "wish it could work that way for me sometimes, think of the money I'd save!" He perused the menu again quickly, and then smiled. "You guys ready? My stomach is ready to collapse on itself so I think I'd better get something ordered." Claire nodded distantly, her eyes skimming the menu in front of her before flicking back up to Anita and Cruz.
"I do hope you remember to ask permission first though," she added with a mischievous smile of her own.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:33 pm
The frei was quick to smile and nod at Claire's confirmation, though it was quiet and introspective. Anita laughed a little and smiled as well, sipping her water while returning to the menu.
”Ambient?” Cruz repeated.
He glanced to Anita with raised brows. ”Like, um-- kisses in the air. Other people's kisses.”
Cruz's eyes and smile widened. He released a throaty rumble muffled by his closed jaws. He could only imagine what it would be like to feel nourished from other people kissing! It would be a lot easier for him to get full, he would imagine, and maybe people wouldn't be so uppity about these things. ”No, just me,” he gave a soft chuckle and pointed to his lips, ”best here but also here, here is good,” his finger moved up to his forehead and then rested on his cheek. ”Kisses everywhere but mouth is best.”
Aaron's interjection about their current food momentarily broke the conversation but Anita was grateful. ”Oh god, yeah, I'm starving. Let's see if we can flag 'em down...” Claire's comment was nearly overlooked by frei and guardian both but Anita snapped to attention. ”That was lesson one,” she covered her face with a hand to try and mask her embarrassed laughter.
”Yes,” Cruz smiled unabashedly. It wasn't a whole truth; sometimes he forgot or slipped up but since that lesson he absolutely tried to get permission every time if he was uncertain about people's comfort with the idea. ”Do you want a kiss, Miss Claire?”
There was a dull thump on the table as Anita's elbow hit it and she covered her mouth.
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:31 am
"Excellent." Aaron rubbed his hands together, smiling, and raised an arm in an effort to get the attention of the wait staff. He was initially distracted by his current task (and grumbling stomach) when Cruz asked Claire if she wanted a kiss, and as her face reddened and Anita's elbows hit the table loudly, Aaron finally turned back around. He could gather from the girls' expressions what might have transpired, and by his wife's darkening cheeks, the bewilderment in his expression faded quickly to one of interest.
It mirrored a look in his wife's eyes, although in her own eyes there was a measure of hesitancy, and when she pressed a hand to her own cheek, sorting out her thoughts, a grin snaked across his lips. Cruz had outlined the parameters, Aaron had no problem with it.
"I could look the other way if that's what you're concerned about," he laughed, breaking his wife's tension as a giggle bubbled from her own lips, her blush slowly receding.
"Well..." She paused momentarily. "I am really curious. And I'm sure you're as hungry as the rest of us, right Cruz?" One more cursory glance at her husband, who still grinned encouragingly, eyes shining with curiosity. "Let's go, then." Zeke had only barely described how Raevans fed during their meeting months before, and now she was about to see it. She leaned forward over the table towards Cruz, her blush returning as she did so. "Whenever you're ready, Sir Cruz," Claire added with a friendly wink, any smoothness of the statement blown away by her reddened face.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:53 am
While both Cruz and Anita's eyes widened under raised brows, their expressions were wholly opposite; the frei leaned back and smiled in his surprise while his guardian's jaw hung. "Very hungry," he confirmed with both hands on the table edge. They watched the two figure things out and, before long, Claire and Aaron both agreed.
In turn, Cruz looked to Anita as if for confirmation. She covered her face with a hand and laughed, "If you guys are sure."
The croc didn't need telling twice. He let out a friendly rumble to Claire's go ahead, 'Sir Cruz' reminding him oh-so-fondly of Ethiriel and her own willingness to see him fed. As Claire was leaned forward, Cruz did the same with no hint of blush or shyness to him. There was, however, a delicateness as the frei lightly touched one of Claire's warm cheeks. As their lips met there was a blooming tingle, faint to the woman but felt strongly by Cruz. It was an innocent kiss, chaste with closed lips, but tender and prolonged. As it coursed through him, his rune's light grew warm and bright and it remained at its fuller intensity even after he pulled back.
"Thank you," he smiled, touching a few fingers to his lips. Kissing humans was a different experience to kissing raevans; others of his kind had such strong decisive flavors but humans it changed not only with the person but the time of day, what they ate, everything. With a quick smile to his guardian, Cruz realized Anita had been looking the other way as well.
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:47 pm
Claire had braced herself for Cruz to kiss her on the lips, but she found she was not prepared for the soft brush he gave her cheek, nor the very soft tingling feeling as he kissed her. Her family was a very affectionate one, and kisses were often and abundant between parents and child, but this felt decidedly different. She sat back as the Raevan thanked her, one hand pressed to her cheek as she nodded.
"N-no problem," she replied, collecting herself. Aaron's eyes, meanwhile, were fixed on the rune; his previous curiosity and enthusiasm subsided and he sank back in his seat as well.
"Well I guess that solves that." He blinked as though he were trying to process it - talking about it had been one thing; seeing it in action had been completely different. Claire took a long draw from her water glass as her blush faded, her smile returning as she set the glass down.
"Hopefully that was filling for you?" she joked. If she were to become a Raevan owner someday, would mealtimes be like this for hers? It seemed her husband was of a like mind, and he crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"So I'm assuming, should we make the cut in the program, that we'd be doing mealtimes like this?" He looked curiously from Anita, to Cruz, to Claire. "Or is it different depending on the Raevan?" His stomach was rumbling, but he momentarily ignored it - it was time to get all the facts in order. He had not been with Claire when she filled out her Lab application back in December, so all he had to go on was her quick summary of the occasion, and during the Dungeons and Dragons game he had not seen Cruz eat at all. As far as he was concerned, this was a great place to start.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:04 pm
"I guess so," Anita let out a nervous laugh. Though her face wasn't red, her expression clearly showed her own embarrassment.
Cruz rested back against his chair contentedly, rune remaining brighter than it had been when they first arrived. His own natural color even seemed a bit more full, not quite saturated but as though the sun shone off it more clearly. "Yes," he all but purred with a flash of teeth, "it was nice."
Like Aaron, Anita was getting hungry and the surrounding 'excitement' was just making her more aware of it. To sate herself, she sipped her water. "Oh, no," she shook her head quickly -- Cruz did as well, "That's just him. It depends on the essence, mostly, but it's really hard to predict what they'll eat even with that. Before he was born I thought he might eat mistletoe but--" she laughed, exasperated, and Cruz smiled.
"Kisses," he corrected.
"Right."
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:25 pm
"Makes sense," Claire answered at length, tapping her chin in thought. "Zeke mentioned it a little when I initially checked out the Lab, but it's good to see for myself."
"I'll say," added Aaron, who still looked a bit confused. "Although that is a pretty interesting stipulation, as far as you go, Cruz." His gaze returned to the Raevan. "Since I take it your Essence -- ?" He looked to Claire for confirmation, who nodded. "-- is mistletoe. My guess probably would have been the same as yours at first, Anita. So it makes me wonder what else there is for Essences."
"I suppose we'll find out at some point, hopefully," Claire replied with a smile, just as another figure made itself known at the side of the table.
"Hi there, sorry for the wait - are you folks ready to order?"The waitress had impeccable timing, and Aaron checked himself as he was about to make a somewhat rude comment about the wait (mostly due to a glance from Claire).
"Awesome, yes." He pushed the menu towards the edge of the table, to be within easier access. "Grilled chicken avocado sandwich please, Sun Chips for the side." The waitress noted it down and looked to Claire next, who added her menu to the stack.
"Southwestern chicken wrap, and home fries, please. Oh, and I'll try this pomegranate smoothie you have here." She tapped the picture of the smoothie on the back of the menu. Aaron nodded.
"Hey, yeah, that sounds good, make it two please." He grinned. The waitress smiled, finished taking their order, and turned to Anita and Cruz.
"What can I get for you two today?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:40 pm
Anita was about to retort when the waitress arrived; instead she nodded and smiled while waiting for the couple to get their meals squared away. Both of those sounded good but she had something else in mind. When it came to their turn, Cruz rapped his nails against his sweating water glass and smiled at the woman. "Just water, please," he requested.
"Sure thing. And you, ma'am?"
"Ah, yeah," Anita fumbled with her menu to shut it, "I'd like the coconut shrimp, please, and do you have pink lemonade?" The waitress nodded and she grinned. "Great. I'll have that, thanks."
With that, the menus were collected and their waitress wandered off to get their drinks. Anita leaned back in her chair and tapped the table with her knuckles lightly. "You said you talked to Zeke a bit? What'd he tell you so far?" Cruz leaned in for this, as well, with his arms draped casually across the now open table. He always looked forward to learning more about the lab and other raevans, eager to absorb as much knowledge as possible about his own kind.
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