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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:39 am
Who: Aaron, Claire (alpha lyrae), and Cesc (Atmadja)
Where: Vermillion Bakery in Gambino
When: Wednesday, November 26th, 2014 (the day before Thanksgiving), early afternoon
Weather: Cloudy and cold
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Claire and Aaron had traveled quietly as they perused the storefronts along the main strip. The occasional murmured word here or there and a point of the finger filled the uncomfortable silence between them. Claire, for her part, was in turmoil about the next day's holiday looming over their heads. She was overwhelmed, unprepared for her brother and sister-in-law's questions about the Raevan and how she had finally chosen adoption, while they flaunted their two perfect, healthy kids before her eyes. She was upset at Aaron for, once again, letting his parents poke at her inability to have children as he tried to explain the Lab project to them, and how he had not defended her but merely taken it in silence. She was bitter, and sad, and overall tired, very tired. Her mother was sympathetic to her plight and in midst of holiday preparations, she had assigned them the easiest task - procuring sweets. Claire's sister-in-law always made wonderful pies, but Ivy confided in her daughter that she was rather burnt out on pumpkin and could use a little something else. Aaron had eagerly agreed to the task and ushered the two of them to the car, opening the car door for Claire (trying to make amends in his own way, she supposed) and driving them to the shopping district.
"Hey." His voice sounded a little raspier than usual, as it had not been used in a good while. He nudged her arm gently and when she lifted her gaze from the street ahead to him, he averted his own eyes somewhat guiltily before refocusing them back on her. "Maybe this one?" He pointed at a very cute shop front, where the word "Vermillion" was emblazoned proudly and a lovely array of sweets was sitting in the window. They had been walking for a while, had poked their head into a number of bakeries only to come out displeased, and she was still so overwhelmingly tired. She nodded.
"Yeah, let's take a look," she replied with a nod and headed for the entrance. Her husband beat her there and opened the door for her, an unsure smile gracing his features. She smiled weakly back and went inside to the tinkling of the front door's bell, the smell of baked goods hitting them full-force.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:22 am
Vermillion was a sight to see the day before Thanksgiving. The bakery did not stomp the holiday in favor of wintry, holiday-type decorations, but instead embraced Autumn's last hurrah. The scents in the air belong to pumpkin and roasted chestnut, playing together with deep, rich coffee and cocoa. There were decorations of gilded leaves, gourds, and cornucopias on the displays and the tables, and the few chairs were occupied by people tasting the bakery's goods.
In the display cases were pies and cakes of varying descriptions -- from opera cakes to pumpkin cheesecakes to simple and simply-decorated berry pies. There were pear crumbles and mousse cakes and macarons of red and orange and brown. Red velvet cupcakes with frosting turkeys sat happily in their own row. A chalk menu hung behind the counter boasted ice cream flavors: salted caramel, roasted chestnut cream, pear and vanilla bean, pumpkin.
And just below that chalkboard, finishing up with one customer, was a broad-shouldered man with pink hair, wings, a deer's ears, and antlers.
A Raevan, right there, in their path.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:25 pm
Claire was immediately drawn in by the charm of the bakery, her bad mood elevating just a touch when she and Aaron stepped inside. She was a fan of bakeries, but recent developments and conflicting schedules did not allow her much time for browsing. Aaron drew to the side towards the berry pies, pulling his hood back now that they were out of the fall chill, while she drifted over to the counter and eyed the chalkboard. A pie with some ice cream sounded divine, and her mother was a huge fan of salted caramel.
Then her eyes drifted down and she drew a quiet breath in surprise at the sight of the Raevan behind the counter. It was just as much the fact that it was a Raevan, here, where they had not quite expected it, as it was that she vaguely remembered him from the Halloween party.
Drawing forward once the other customer was rung up and happily on their way, her fingers laced together as she smiled. "H-hello! I'm so sorry to bother... but were you at the Lab Halloween party? I feel as though I saw you in the crowd there." Upon hearing his wife's voice, Aaron glanced back over and also gave a start as he recognized the antlers atop pink hair and the genial expression.
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 6:18 pm
Cesc rang up another customer as Claire and Aaron began looking around the bakery, and as that customer walked away, he had the opportunity to notice the couple. Something in the back of his mind nagged him.
Rhedefre was great with names and faces--his natural friendliness and abilities coupled with having a service-type job since his birth made sure of that. But these humans left him unsure. He was certain he hadn't seen them at the bakery-- and they weren't regulars on the boardwalk or at baseball games, either. It wasn't until Claire approached the counter and spoke that his memory jogged, and he broke into a smile.
Lab people! Of course.
"I was!" replied Cesc, recognition dawning. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Claire. He spoke, his voice low and easy in its tone and accent, as though he had known her for years. "That's right-- my guardian had to explain your costumes to me. The pop stars, right? I'm Rhedefre. You can call me Cesc, if that's a mouthful."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:12 pm
"That would be us." Claire's laugh was marked slightly by embarrassment; it has been Aaron's idea, as had many of their couple costumes had been in the past, but she had agreed to it. "We tend to.. do that, sometimes." Rather than feed the ill, awkward feeling that was present between the married couple at present, Claire added as a consolation, "but it is more fun than way." Aaron's attention was diverted from the cases by the conversation and after a moment of debate, he made his way to the counter.
"Why be what people expect? That's kinda boring." He grinned good-naturedly, his hand brushing the back of Claire's knuckles, which she returned weakly. As Cesc introduced himself, Claire nodded, wondering to herself where the nickname came from if it was not a diminutive of his first name.
"That's quite a lovely name, if you don't mind my saying." She flashed him a small smile. "I'm Claire Holmes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rhedefre. We're new to the Lab." She used "we" without much thought, and her husband took it as a hopeful sign that some her disparagement from the past week was vanishing.
"I'm Aaron, her husband. As she said, new to Lab. The bottle and essence just came to us a few months ago, yeah?" He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to remember and redirected the question at his wife, who only nodded again. He redirected his attention to the bakery around them and whistled at the selection. "Nice spread you've got here. I didn't know Raevans kept jobs too! That's pretty neat."
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 10:20 am
Rhedefre smiled and listened as the two spoke, his gold eyes sliding from one of the pair to the other. They seemed like nice people, seemed like they had things together, good candidates for guardians. There was, Cesc thought, maybe a tinge of something in Claire's aura--but it was distant and unsolvable, a vague feeling the stag Raevan could not understand. As he grew and gained a better handle on his powers, Rhedefre got better and better at ignoring things that were not his business.
"No reason to be predictable if you have the creativity not to be, ah?" said Cesc with a smile. "And thank you, it's always a treat to meet other Lab members. A bottle and essence so far, ah? Our babyhood. What essence have you got, then?"
He stopped short of asking if the couple had gathered a soul. Some, it seemed, were a little more upset about that aspect than others, and it would not be his place to say anything if so. He laughed instead at Aaron's comment, continuing: "Not many of us in that category-- but I've had this job since I was born. My family owns and operates this bakery. Be gentle with your critiques, I make some of these goods, too." The stag's eyes were soft with good humor.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:16 pm
"Bitter Honey," Claire replied, when Aaron had opened his mouth to answer. To be fair, though, he did not remember the exact name and was prepared to merely say "the honey one" and hope it got the point across. Perhaps it was the genial atmosphere and being out of the cold November air, but the bakery was helping to lighten Claire's despondant mood somewhat; it felt silly to carry on a bad mood in front of another, especially one as pleasant as Rhedefre, and Aaron had been trying.
"No worries there, dude, all this stuff looks really good, and I don't say that lightly." Aaron laughed and returned to perusing the cases, eyeing the macarons with special interest. "I'm somewhat of a dessert connoisseur, you could say." Back at the register, Claire stifled a snort and made a small show of rolling her eyes, but this time it was with affection.
"Not more than Ma is, though." Aaron met his wife's gaze and she gave him a warmer smile, and his bloomed a bit more in response. "She sent us out on a hunt for some desserts that weren't pumpkin pie, 'anything but that,' she said. My sister-in-law bakes them like crazy for any get together because it's her best recipe." Her eyes glanced up at the ice cream menu, perusing thoughtfully. "I definitely think she'll like the salted caramel ice cream."
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:01 pm
"Bitter honey!" Cesc repeated, his eyebrows lifting. He hadn't heard of the bitter honey previously, and although it was certainly less fantastical than some of the fel essence he'd heard of in the past, he was still excited to hear of its existence. Honey had so many properties--which would become powers, and which would be turned on their heads? "Fascinating! Do you know any of its other properties, or just its taste?"
He wanted to continue, to see if they had met other Raevans or seen or heard of other fel essences, but Cesc did not want to overwhelm the couple. He turned his attention to more professional things, and he laughed gratefully at Aaron's comment.
Floating slightly backward, Rhedefre took out two small sample spoons and dipped them into the salted caramel ice cream. He held them out to the couple with a smile. "Anything can be sampled, if you like--we aim to please!" He turned toward Claire then, his own expression warming as well. "Ahh... Well, you know--Quite a few customers have come in looking to get 'anything but pumpkin pie.' I can't tell if that dessert has fallen out of favor or if everyone just makes them at home now? We haven't made it for two years now here."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:34 pm
"Unfortunately not. I probably should have asked a few more questions but it was such a blur that it slipped my mind to. Was it much the same for your guardian, if I may ask?" Claire's eyebrows scrunched together in thought as she looked back, trying to remember some bit of additional information she might have heard on her essence. All that came to the surface were the few happy tears she'd cried at the thought of getting her chance to be a mother. "Zeke just told me it was found by the most unfortunate individual, likely the one taste testing." She grimaced slightly. "I can't imagine that was very pleasant."
"Probably," Aaron agreed, appearing over his wife's shoulder when Cesc offered the taster spoons, "but I'm willing to bet this tastes awesome." Claire took the other and both dove in at the same time. A look of pleasant surprise washed over their faces, Claire's free hand resting on her cheek and Aaron swallowing slowly with a satisfied sigh. "That's great stuff, Cesc! You guys make this in house?" His eyes were already wandering again as he clutched the spoon excitedly, as though the words "sample anything" were stamped over his eyes.
"Remember, we're here for everyone, not just us, Aaron," Claire reminded, but not without a smile, and Aaron waved a hand in acknowledgment, although he continued to wander. She, on the other hand, returned her attention to the stag Raevan. "I'd say it's probably market saturation. Most people tie in Thanksgiving with "pumpkin pies" and pumpkin is in everything as soon as the weather starts cooling so.. I'd say it gives you the chance to corner the market on other goods." Her smile became a grin, and she held up the tiny spoon. "And if is this any indication, I'd say you're on the right track. I definitely know Ma will like this." Her eyes wandered over the rows of red velvet cupcakes, the tiny decorative turkeys atop them so proudly displayed. "Maybe some red velvet? I think Anais is a fan of that." Truthfully, everything in the bakery looked scrumptious, and it was hard to resist the opportunity to sample a bit of everything - pumpkin varieties and all.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:53 pm
Cesc inclined his head and his brow furrowed as he thought. "My guardians?" he repeated. "From what I hear, my guardians could tell relatively quickly about one of my powers. I am made from Broken Dawn--my vial apparently radiated some light, and--ah, this."
As he spoke, there was a sensation of peace that came from him, like a welcome breeze on a stifling day, or the feeling of silence when looking on fresh snow. The feeling always radiated from the stag, but this was more--like a pulse, a quick wave that came and then retreated again. "I hear it is the same for some Raevans this way. My friend, Cruz, is Forceful Mistletoe, and supposedly his guardian was compelled to kiss strangers when he was still a vial." His voice was full of ease and fondness; clearly, speaking of souls, bottles and vials did not distress the stag in the least. "But if your bitter honey didn't... embitter you, I suppose there's not a lot you can extrapolate. My other powers were wholly a surprise to my guardians."
Cesc turned his attention to Aaron then, a pleased smile breaking over his expression. "We do! Everything you see, and almost everything this morning."
He looked back at Claire, still smiling, nodding at her assessment. For himself, he was fond of pumpkin pies--he liked the nutty savoriness of the pumpkin and the simplicity of the dessert, especially because he was never called upon to make it. "I'm sure you're right. We do start roasting pumpkins almost the second they get into season--but I haven't been eating for long enough to be sick of them yet." He floated over to the display case and took out a red velvet mini-cupcake, offering it to Claire. "You can try one--hedge your bets, if you like."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 1:10 pm
The pulse of warmth that Cesc radiated was enough for both husband and wife to take notice, and as he pulled it back, the genial feeling it created remained behind. Claire's hand dropped from her cheek to her chest and she and Aaron glanced at each other in surprise before the moment passed entirely and conversation moved on.
"If this is how your stuff tastes then I am definitely coming back," Aaron said firmly with a nod and a tip of the taster spoon towards the stag Raevan as he continued to browse. He nodded to Claire's assessment about cupcakes but his eye was drawn to the small tower of colorful macarons - a favorite from his childhood. "You guys seriously don't help my diet." Claire cracked a sympathetic smile, her own gaze wandering back to the red velvet cupcakes. She had to agree though - if all of their goods were this fresh and this delicious, she would certainly be a return customer. The friendly atmosphere (as well as the friendly clerk) was an added bonus, slowly thawing the growing coldness that had settled between her and Aaron in the past few days.
"I suppose you're lucky there, then," she chuckled, eyes moving towards a pumpkin cheesecake despite herself. "By the time Christmas rolls around, I'll be ready for pumpkin again, probably." The chuckle grew before it ended in a soft gasp as Cesc offered up the small cupcake sample. Her fingers lifted from her chest and took the proffered treat carefully, so as not to smudge the icing. Her smile grew and she turned it around to admire the tiny turkey sitting on top. "No need to twist my arm." Another light giggle left her lips before she took a bite from half of the sample. Red velvet was not her favorite but it was still quite delicious, and this was no exception as she chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. "Oh Aaron, Anais would love these. Come try it." Her husband needed little convincing and crossed the room, popping the rest into his mouth when she offered.
"Just make sure she doesn't eat all of them, because otherwise she's gonna have to fight me for 'em," he added after a moment, earning another laugh from Claire.
"A glowing recommendation." She beamed, clapping her hands together and returning her attention fully to the Raevan before her. "Seems we picked the right place to stop by today." She was already tabulating the treats that would be coming home with them for the holiday, including (judging from Aaron's continually returning glance) a nice stock of macarons. However her mind was wandering back to that wonderful sense of calm that emanated from Cesc just a short while before, and the talk of powers. She chewed her lip, the hand returning to her cheek in thought. "I've only spoken to a few others involved with the Lab but I am glad that my own will be able to try these treats someday." She remembered Cruz and how he had only an upper torso before it tapered off into ribbon - she had somewhat of an idea from her initial chat with Zeke and a subsequent one with Anita but seeing the Sigel before her helped shape a clearer picture. "Wouldn't want them to miss out, after all, would I?" she added kindly, meaning every word.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:32 pm
"You guys are too kind," said Cesc with a smile, some pride showing in his face. He stood a touch straighter and rubbed one arm unconsciously, pleased at the duo's reactions. He knew that what he made was good, but as his baking continued to improve, he watched people with more pleasure than apprehension--and it was good, every time, when someone reacted with delight.
"And the nice thing is that every Raevan feeds differently, he said to Claire. "Yours may get to try things earlier! I know a rabbit-Raevan that ate carrot cake from a very young age, and some other Raevans who eat a lot of junk food, even though, ah, they shouldn't. I would taste a lot of ingredients and it wasn't bad for me--whipped cream, berries, sugar, salt, that kind of thing. Light and fresh, a Frei can do. At Sigel, like me, you can eat whatever you like."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 1:51 pm
Claire ate up the information eagerly and nodded, the taster spoon from the ice cream still clutched in her fingers. "I admit that I'm still in the dark about a lot of this but hearing that certainly helps me feel better." She smiled with a touch of her own self-consciousness. She had been trying to picture what a Raevan of theirs would possibly look like, ever since Zeke arrived with the news that she had been approved and delivered the silver suitcase to her door. Everything she could come up with, however, veered towards one of the Raevans she had already met (or in some instances, merely seen), and she knew that would not be the case. She would have no rightful idea until she settled on a soul to capture, and the thought of what was required for that made her stomach churn uncomfortably. However, she would not let that stand in the way of the amiable time they were having right now.
"Once we figure out what our Raevan can and can't handle, I have a feeling we'll be coming back here together," she said at length, eyeing the cases. There was so much she looked forward to sharing with her future Raevan, and to know that at least someday (even if it was not right away) they would be able to enjoy treats together was something she anticipated greatly. Aaron seemed to sense the shift in her mood as he stood next to her, noted most of all by her use of the words "our Raevan," and he smiled tentatively.
"I'll be coming back at any rate," he added firmly. "Gonna eat these macarons for days."
"Save some for the rest of the family, why don't you," Claire chided in jest. "But I suppose we'd better pick out what we're buying, shouldn't we?" She tapped her chin and perused the cases one last time. "I definitely think some of that salted caramel ice cream. The red velvet cupcakes, too." She cast Aaron a sidelong stare as he looked very pointedly at the macarons, and she heaved a small sigh, as though conceding. "And some of the macarons."
"I'm so glad you agree." Aaron grinned, flashing his smile at Cesc. "D'you guys have a business card? So we can pass it along to the rest of the family." Vermillion felt, to the two of them, like the sort of place that had no trouble getting and keeping business, but a good turn deserved another in reply.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 9:07 pm
Cesc nodded and smiled as he packed up their treats--first the ice cream in its own red-and-white stripped container, then cupcakes in a matching box, and finally the macarons in a see-through baggie with a red ribbon closure. He set it all in a paper bag with the Vermillion logo emblazoned on the side, and, in response to Aaron's question, put in two business cards alongside the goods.
"We do, of course--there we go," he said as he finished, ringing them up on the cash register and then holding out the bag to Claire. "Happy Thanksgiving to you guys. It was really great meeting you! I'm glad you decided to come in today."
Cesc held up a finger then, and clicked the pen that he'd set down on Claire's receipt. He wrote his cell number above the bakery number on another business card and then held it out to the woman with a warm expression. "Lab's a big family, yeah? Let us know when your Raevan arrives. I'm happy to meet them, any time, if you want."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 10:00 pm
Claire's hands came to rest on the bag after Cesc finished ringing up their purchases, setting it on the counter before them. It followed that their packaging would look just as stylish as the rest of their goods, and she was duly impressed. For having been back in Gambino for a little over a year, she was surprised that she missed this place earlier. As Aaron was rifling through his wallet for the necessary cash, Claire's fingers flexed on the paper bag containing all their goods and a smile bloomed on her face, both her and her husband's moods elevated by their short deviation into Vermillion.
Perhaps it was for the best that she had not noticed this earlier, after all - things had a habit of working out.
"I'm glad we decided to pop in, too," she said earnestly, and as she looked at Aaron, he smiled too.
"Take care, man, and you can bet we'll be back," he added just as earnestly with a tip of the finger. The wallet and debit card were put away in short order and Claire pulled up the bag, only pausing as Cesc held up his finger to scribble down his cell phone number. She reached for the card delicately, turning it over to the front to see the Raevan's phone number just above the bakery's, and she smiled at his words. A big family.. she was certainly feeling Gambino's small size in connection to all the Lab folks who lived around there, but to Claire, that was a great comfort. She looked at the card one more time and held it close.
"I'll definitely let you know," she promised with a smile just as warm. "Thank you again, Rhedefre." She slid the card into her purse (in the cell phone pocket, so she would be certain not to lose it) and, with a glance between husband and wife, the two of them departed with a fond wave, the stag's words playing happily in her head. A big family sounded terribly nice.
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