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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:22 pm
Who: Aadhira, Justin, and Zeke When: August 10th, 2015; around noon Where: Lab 305 Weather: Sunny and hot but not particularly humid thanks to the wind coming off the ocean
Zeke was once again in that special zone of excited reserved solely for Raevan births. He was not on the edge of seat only because he wasn't sitting at all, pacing like a lion in a cage from one end of the lobby to the other. Justin had already been called and - blessedly - reached without voicemail taking up the spot of message bearer. Unfortunately for Justin that meant he had bore the brunt of Zeke's jabbering, which came at a rapid fire pace and several notches above an acceptable volume level. At least the other man would be able to figure out that A. he had to get to the Lab NOW and B. that the reason he had to be there NOW was not because a computer was literally melting down on a desk somewhere.
"JUSTIN YOUR RAEVAN IS HERE! HE'S HERE AND HE'S READY TO GO HOME WITH YOU!!!"
It had only been a few minutes tops since Zeke hung up the phone with the newly minted Frei Guardian, but he was so very, very ready for what was to come. It hadn't been too long since Amity had been born and gone home with Ronan, but even a few months felt like a lifetime in between births.
Justin didn't live too far away. Any moment now...
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:43 pm
While Justin wasn't entirely sure what Zeke had said - it had been, after all, delivered at a nearly inhuman decibel (and who even knew how Zeke maintained such a loud level of excitement) - he was certain it was important. And that it had to do with his raevan. With Aadhira. He wanted to stay, to tidy things, to make sure Aadhira's new bedroom was ordered, neat, spotless (it was), but he couldn't wait. Aadhira couldn't, shouldn't wait. There was an awkward moment as Justin left his house when he realized he'd forgotten shoes, followed by a mad dash to find some shoes. It seemed as though, in his true moment of need, every last shoe Justin owned had migrated under his couch. Traitors, the lot of them. But finally, he was out - after he once again doubled back because he forgot to lock the door on his way out.
On the way over, he had to remind himself several times to breathe. Breathing was good, Justin thought; breathing was important. Breathing meant he could make it to the lab without passing out. In, out.... in, out...
By the time he arrived, Justin was very nearly back to normal levels of anxiousness - nope. Justin was wound tighter than a spring, both from nervousness and excitement. If someone had chosen that moment to toss him down some stairs, he'd do a slinky one better and bounce all the way down and back up. Even as his mind whirled, he debated for a moment trying to play the 'cool guy' and just nonchalantly walk into the lab to casually inquire after things, perhaps accompanied by a stylish head toss as he took off his sunglasses. Well, Justin wasn't even wearing sunglasses, so scratch that, but the rest of the idea... This was thwarted by the fact than as soon as he stepped inside, Justin tripped over absolutely nothing and nearly fell flat on his face. Instead, he did a distinctly un-graceful wobble-hop combo to steady himself, arms flailing. Glancing around quickly, he tried to determine if anyone saw but really, right now, he didn't care.
Hair mussed by wind, he did a weird sort of sliding run up to Zeke and barely, barely resisted the urge to grab the man by the shoulders. "Zeke-" It came out more of a croak than a name. He tried again. "Zeke, WHAT."
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:04 pm
Justin might have stopped himself from grabbing Zeke's shoulders, but the vet lacked such inhibition. The moment he saw Justin he bounded across the lobby with all the grace of a drunk gazelle and fittingly launched himself at the other man to bind him in a fierce but jovial hug.
"You're here!!!" There might have been a hello or a cry of the Indian man's name but not today of all days. Not now of all times. When Zeke finally released Justin he still held the man by the shoulders at arms length, trembling with that endless zeal he somehow constantly maintained. His eyes were bright, his metaphorical tail bushy, and his pierced smile stretched from ear to ear.
"What do you mean 'what'?!" His words were cried out loud with some degree of incredulity to them. "You know what!! Your Raevan! Remember? Independent Bioluminescence? A peacock's soul?"
The shoulders beneath his hands were squeezed and given a surprisingly soft shake. The left one was released and thrust at the glass door that led into the bowels of the building, index finger pointing that location in particular on the wall.
"He was born today! He's here, Justin! And he's ready to go home with you!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:00 am
There were not many times in Justin's life when he felt truly weak at the knees. In fact, he could count them on one hand - on one finger (once he'd been so feverish that walking was difficult and Justin supposed that counted). But now, he could certainly up that count to two. He was kind of grateful that Zeke still had one hand on him; he could pretend it was holding his body upright.
Justin looked towards the door, then at Zeke, and then back at the door. A noise that was approximately thirty-five percent whimper and sixty-five percent air escaped him. Justin was apprehensive, more than apprehensive. "Aadhira," he whispered. "Zeke... Zeke, d-do I go back there, are you coming with, holy s**t what do I do?"But even as he spoke, Justin found his feet turning towards that glass door, found he could walk without threat of collapse. He wanted to meet Aadhira so badly...
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 5:02 pm
That definitely seemed to trip the switch in Justin's brain over to the right circuit! Zeke laughed and nodded earnestly, both to that very fact and to the stream of questions that came pouring out next.
"Yes you are and yes I am!" His chortling continued as he looped an arm around Justin's shoulders, pulling him along to the desk the vet normally occupied. There he scooped up the folder that had been procured between Zeke finding out and now, tucking it under his free arm in order to push open the lobby door when the pair reached it next.
"I'll have you know that you haven't been keeping him waiting long. He was born about an hour and a half ago and I was informed that he passed the newborn check up with flying colors. He's as healthy as can be!"
This information gleaned from a word from a trusted mouth of course. Zeke hadn't seen the Peacock Frei for himself for the age old traditions that he would be letting his companion in on. Just as soon as they both entered the hallway Zeke let Justin go, pointing down the hallway to a door among other, similar ones. Their destination was on the right hand side of the hall, at least.
"If you'll follow me I will take you right to him! Once you two get acquainted there's one last set of papers I'll need you to sign in order to officially seal the deal, but no rush on those." He waved his left hand airily as though legal necessities were blase. "That being said, let me let you in on a couple little traditions we have here as far as those introductions go!"
He was trying his best to keep from zipping down the hall at his own breakneck speed and turning around to walk backwards to give such information helped a little in that endeavor.
"So I'll have you know I haven't seen him for myself yet. That's tradition number one. The Guardian gets to see their Raevan first. Number two is that I'll knock on the door when we get there so he knows we're about to enter and then as soon as I open the door, you go in first. Sound good to you?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:34 pm
Born an hour and a half ago... so new, Justin thought. He also wondered briefly at 'born' - did the lab create some sort of artificial womb? But he only wondered briefly, his mind immediately slipping back to Aadhira. He felt like he was gonna throw up. Wouldn't that be the best first impression? He shook the thought from his head and looked at Zeke. He allowed himself to be guided along as his stomach knotted itself into some kind of strange intestine labyrinth.
"Right now, I would follow you into the bowels of hell without noticing," he said with a weak chuckle. "I see him first? Like... like a wedding, only with about five hundred percent less marriage." Justin breathed deeply - in, out, innnnn, out, but his nerves weren't going away. There was nothing to be done but do. "Let's.... let's do this."
He was vaguely terrified.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:53 pm
"Would you now?" He laughed at that. "We'll have to take that tour another time, then!"
Zeke came to a stop by a door with a number 3 on its face. Here he held up his hand to get Justin to stop as well, grinning from ear to ear. If Justin was ready, he more than definitely was!
"Yes you do! I'm gonna hang out just out of sight for a bit. Let you two see each other and you can say hello or whatever you want to say to him. Also that way if you pass out, I can catch you before you hit the ground!"
That hadn't happened in his history with the Lab, but never say never. Excitement may have narrowed his vision but he wasn't blind. Justin looked as nervous as a bride on her wedding day, yet here he was talking as if he was the groom!
"Okay if you're ready, it'll be on the count of three." He paused for protest or exclamation, a need for another minute or two to breathe. When none came, Zeke held up his left hand and started. "One...two...three..."
The third digit up curled in with the other two and the vet's knuckles came to rap upon the door's face. A wink was given to the Indian man as that same hand came down upon the latch, freeing the lock that kept the door in place. As it swung inward, Zeke stepped back and gestured for him to go right on in.
"All yours, Justin! I'll be right behind you."
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 6:05 pm
Justin felt his heart jump into his throat as the door swung open. "O-ok," he managed to choke out, and stepped in. If he made it through this alive, he could likely do anything - bungee jumping, maybe. Skydiving. Raising a raevan.
The room was fairly standard, though it held a vaguely sterile feel about it, as though it had been used before, but measures were taken to clean it to a semblance of newness - something he had expected from a facility like the lab. Justin stumbled a little, his feet feeling clumsy, his entire being feeling clumsy. As he entered, his hip knocked into the door, nearly swinging it shut behind him. The soft click of it nearly latching almost made him jump out of his skin. He turned to stare at the door and cleared his throat before turning back around.
Aadhira was nowhere near as nervous as Justin was, and he did not show his what little nerves he had very much, simply tangling his fingers in his long hair while he waited. To put it frankly, he'd been alive for an hour and half and he was already so bored. There was nothing stimulating in this room beyond his thoughts; he had already run his hands across the smooth walls, tested them for hardness, seen his blurry reflection in the opaque shine. The raevan had been told someone was coming for him and being abandoned never crossed his mind, but it was lonely. Maybe it would be a prince, he mused, or someone soft-looking, he held no true expectations beyond someone new. (Everything was new to him, and he fixated on this word, thinking about those three letter and how such a wealth of meaning could reside in such a small word.) Aadhira wanted to see everything, to taste, to touch, to be. He wanted to share himself with others. But still, for now, he did not paint a picture of who might be coming to get him. So it was that he was not nearly so surprised as Justin when their eyes met, a glowing blue and a cool green.
"Hello." Aadhira floated over to Justin, the tassel on the end of his ribbon dangling dangerously close to the ground. Finally, something new. He reached out a hand to experimentally patted Justin's shoulder, a small smile on his face. "Hello," he said again, just in case Justin didn't hear. Maybe he was deaf. Or mute. Or both. "Who are you?"
He looked like a prince from a storybook, Justin thought, fighting to keep his mouth from popping open. How was someone like him supposed to take care of someone like that? Any way he could, he supposed. The raevan peered at him - Justin had expected less self-assurance, maybe. Finally, he swallowed thickly and brought his hand up to touch Aadhira's hair gently. "I'm Justin, and I'm here to take you home, Aadhira." Aadhira tilted his head, not away from the touch, but questioningly.
"Who is Aadhira and will I be bored there? It is nothingness here, just white and white and white and so boring." He dragged out the last syllable on a dramatic sigh and huffed. Suddenly all of Justin's tension vanished. A great laugh bubbled out of him and he gave into it, even snorting as he did so, the dimple in his cheek showing up. Justin had expected an icy prince, but Aadhira was better - he was a child, normal, perfect. And frowning.
"Why are you laughing? I did not tell a joke."
"Nothing. You are Aadhira, and I will endeavor to make it as non-boring as possible, kiddo." Justin controlled himself and, still smiling, patted Aadi on the shoulder.
"Oh," Aadhira said, and paused in thought, frown dissolving off of his face. Later, Justin would tell him the meaning of his name and, if he wanted to listen, all about how he'd come to be. "-very well, when are we going then?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:42 am
Well, he would have been right behind Justin had the door not shut. Whether by accident or intentional, the vet did not know (although his best bet was on 'accident' since Justin didn't seem the type to do it intentionally) but either way the sound of the door clicking in the latch was enough to make him jump off the wall he had been leaning on. He took the latch in hand and pressed the door open, just enough to hear the proceedings. Of course when he heard them, he couldn't help but open the way in more to actually see them unfold.
While in the tank the Peacock Frei had been one he had a bet on with himself about how he (or she, at the time) would look. Peacocks were the picture of bird beauty and the Independent Bioluminescence had its own prettiness that nothing could really compare to. Combine the two together and Zeke had been sure the resulting Frei was going to be a looker hands down. Well he was partially wrong. 'Looker', in hindsight, was too weak a word. The Frei that had come forth from those two things was a sight to behold; he was gorgeous.
And also surprisingly eloquent and forward, if the scene he now surveyed was anything to go off of.
Zeke watched the Raevan and his new Guardian interact. He kept quiet for the duration, even going so far as to press a fist to his lips to stifle a laugh when Justin started. It worked, surprisingly, but when Aadhira questioned his Guardian about when they would be departing, Zeke let that be the question that broke his silence.
"Just as soon as I get Justin's signature and make sure he's fit enough to drive you both home!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:37 am
Justin startled, again (it seemed to be a running theme for the day), and turned to face Zeke. He felt bad, but he had honestly forgotten about the other man in wake of meeting Aadhira. But Zeke had been right behind him nearly the entire time - Justin was just... preoccupied. "Y-yeah, I'm fine.. Pa-"
"Fit?" Aadhira questioned, looking over Justin with a critical eye. How was someone 'fit' to drive? It was clear that Justin was not fit, in various ways, but the frei did not think that was what Zeke meant. Aadhira decided he did not care and shrugged. Justin was going to take him new places, have him see new things (and be seen - it was a shame to keep himself locked away, people should see), so Aadhira was alright with pretty much everything about Justin.
"He means emotionally fit, Aadhira." Justin raised an eyebrow. He could already tell entire 'raising' thing would take some doing. "And y-yeah, I'm fine. What paperwork?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:35 pm
Zeke nodded as Justin explained.
"Your presence alone is enough to make anyone faint from awe! Justin is definitely no exception!" And delayed reactions were entirely possible. Justin was fine now, sure, but who was to say the man wouldn't suddenly get hit with the full realization of what had happened (and was happening) and suddenly dropped from shock? It'd be one thing if he was still in the Lab and entirely another if he was behind the wheel.
Not to say Zeke believed that he would. It was mostly a joke on his part.
He stepped into the room fully, clasping the Indian man's shoulder as he approached. From there his gaze returned to the awing sight that was the blue and black Frei, reaching his right hand out for a shake.
"I'm Zeke. It's nice to finally meet you, Aadhira." His expression softened as he spoke. This Frei had been no exception to the role Zeke had taken on for himself, which was visiting the tanks the Freis developed in and talking to them. From what Zeke understood, the Essence that had gone into making Aadhira had been around the Lab a long, long time waiting for a home. So, perhaps, Aadhira had been waited for longer than most for Dr. Kyou and the rest of the staff. "I'm sure you can't wait to get out of this room and on your way home with Justin, but it won't be too much longer now, I promise."
With that he turned back to Justin, holding up the man's file.
"Last bit of paperwork, my friend. A spot for his name along with a final disclosure and assurance that you understand everything that's expected of you and that you promise to take care of Aadhira to the best of your abilities. Last page is the final signature and once you and I both give our John Hancock's you'll both be free to go!"
He would of course walk them to the door when that time came, but for now Zeke laid the file out on a desk for Justin and set a pen down on the top of the first page.
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