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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:01 pm
Who: Claire, Aaron, Ivy (alpha lyrae), Mordekai, Duncan, and Aina (Rookeries)
Where: The Clarke residence
When: August 18, 2015, around 5:30 PM
Weather: Warm and clear, without being too hot - autumn is certainly on the way
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"Are you going the right way?" Aaron squinted behind his sunglasses at the lowering sun, leaning forward between the two front seats to glance around. All he could see in the late afternoon sun were fields, glowing golden under the fading light.
"Do you doubt my sense of direction, son?" He caught sight of his mother-in-law's critical gaze through the rearview mirror and sank back into the seat, drumming his fingers against the berry cobbler she had made.
"No, ma'am, sorry ma'am." Ivy snorted from the driver's seat, nodding in approval.
"Good, as you were, then. Claire, read me the address again, will ya?" She took her eyes off the road for a second to focus on Claire in the passenger side seat, who was eyeing her phone.
"The GPS says you're going the right way, Ma, should be up here soon." Claire raised a hand against the sunlight and saw the edge of the fields and the forest just beyond, and excitement warmed her heart as much as the sun warmed her skin (which was now blessedly free of the bandages, although the scars remained). The excursion had begun with a gentle invitation at the Lab's anniversary tea party (or rather a not-so-subtle dropping of a hint on Ivy's part), followed up upon a short month later when schedules and time had finally permitted. Ivy was adamant that both Claire and Aaron be in attendance and had planned accordingly, pulling up in her old Ford Taurus early that afternoon and honking the horn excitedly to usher them out. Claire was not sure who was more excited, her mother or herself; since the tea party, her mind had wandered often to the sweet child-like Frei who had clung to her waist as soon as the two had met. She was beyond eager to see the girl again.
"Ah, here we go," Ivy said, smile brightening as she flicked on the turn signal and pulled into the gravel driveway. "Don't forget the cobbler, Aaron." She parked closer to the road and put on the car's squeaky brakes. The trio clambered out, Aaron carefully handling the glass platter and holding up the rear of their trek towards the house. He whistled at the home before them.
"Nice house." Aaron's gaze moved up and down, taking in the details with appreciation as they moved up the front steps.
"Be on your best behavior, you two," Claire remarked with a smirk, only to receive a raspberry from both mother and husband, and while their laughs played at her back, she rolled her eyes, smile widening, and knocked on the door.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:56 pm
The response to a knock at the door was almost immediate-- not a second had passed when Mordekai swung the door open for Claire and company, and he offered a hectic "Hey!" while pulling off his shoes, which were worn to the bone and coated in a thick layer of mud and straw.
"Got here jus' before y'all! Sorry if y'smell animal poo, s'me," Mordekai offered, laughing-- he'd certainly brought the spirit of the farm with him on his person, to say the least, and he wiped the sweat off his brow with dirt-chalked hands while walking backwards further into the foyer to give the three more space to enter.
"Duncan's busy cookin' in the kitchen, I'll show you where that's at. We been lookin' forward to seein' you guys all this month!" eager to move on, Mordekai kept pacing along further into the house-- but, midway to the kitchen, he paused to glance up at the stairway hall and laughed.
"Aina!" the pomegranate Frei had her head poked out from the corner of the wall upstairs, watching shyly; he waved toward her, "Baby girl, you wanna say hi?"
When her response was to retreat from sight, Mordekai gasped and looked back toward their household guests-- "Oh no, she's gone. You guys got any magic tricks up your sleeve to get 'er back?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:43 pm
"Not at all, man, not at all." Aaron was the first one into the foyer, and he held his free hand out to the other man, all smiles. "Mordekai, right? I'm Aaron, Claire's husband. We met briefly at the beach party, if I'm remembering right?" Ivy and Claire were right behind him and both glanced around at the house when they entered. While Mordekai was momentarily distracted by the sight of something on the landing, Ivy followed his line of sight, eyes crinkling at the corners with her smile.
"Kitchen, you say? Shucks, let me past ya, Mordekai, I'll find my way and go give him a hand." She patted him on the arm and turned to her son-in-law with hands waiting. "Cobbler please, Aaron." He handed the platter over with a confused blink, and she turned to glance up the stairwell, smiling from ear to ear. "See you soon, sweetpea," she called to Aina, and, giving a cheerful wave at the hiding Frei, she followed the smells wafting from the kitchen further within the house. Seeing how the tiny Raevan had been overwhelmed by so many new faces at the tea party, Ivy felt it best to let Claire introduce Aaron to Aina with one less in the party.
Claire watched Ivy go out of the corner of her eye but her attention remained focused on Aina. She had taken her mother's quiet departure and Mordekai's hint easily, and, stepping forward, she feined a sad pout and pressed her hand to her cheek, gaze falling to the floor. "Oh dear, that's so sudden, what a shame! I was hoping she would be able to show me her gardens." Her eyes flickered up the stairwell. "I would get terribly lost exploring by myself and I'd rather have an expert guide.." Aaron grinned, craning his neck around Claire's head as subtly as he could to get a better glance at the Raevan; Claire had been so excited to see her again that he found himself nearly as excited to meet her.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 9:13 pm
With Aaron's greeting, Mordekai grinned and gave him a firm handshake. He'd recognized Aaron, but he was grateful for the reminder of where exactly they'd met, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, the beach party Lab was havin'-- that was-- this-- last year, yeah? S'been a while!"
He turned curiously to Ivy when she pat his arm. "Oh, sure thing!" he took one step up the stairs to open up space; he looked up at where the Frei was when Ivy did, chuckling. The kitchen was only a handful of feet away from where they paused, and Duncan's back was visible in plain sight while he was busy at the stovetop in the far corner-- the man seemed, to say the very least, distracted from hearing his guests arrive.
An inch of the shy Frei's branches poked out from the corner as Aina tried to watch Ivy leave for the kitchen, but the pomegranate had just missed her-- and, when Claire piped up, she was torn between hiding again and showing herself, wanting very badly to see her, but not quite knowing how. A moment of hesitance later and the Frei was gone from sight again, and Mordekai pressed his palm to his chin and hummed, thoughtful.
"Ye'know, gettin' lost in the gardens in the evenin' can get scary-- can't risk it," he offered an exaggerated shrug, then nonchalantly stepped back down from the stairs, "Guess we're gonna have to send y'all home after dinner widout our lil expert."
That in itself was enough to solicit a sharp gasp from Aina. "No!" She ventured forward, expression stern, "Momo, Miss Claire's gotta see the gardens!"
Eyes wide, Mordekai jerked his head back, gasping. He glanced over at Claire, then pointed toward Aina, "Mais, you brought her back!" He waved toward the Frei, then gestured toward Claire and Aaron, "Girl, y'wanna say hi to Miss Claire an' Mister Aaron?"
Aina paused, staring down at the three adults present just downstairs-- but, the idea of introducing herself to a new face seemed to lessen her bravado somewhat, and with a short yelp, she floated fast and away to the hall again. Despite her nerves acting up, some part of this was also in play-- and, when Mordekai heard a giggle resounding from upstairs, he cracked a smile toward Claire and Aaron and gestured upstairs.
"Lemme show y'all upstairs real quick. She's playin' us like a fiddle."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 7:58 pm
Ivy chuckled to herself at the banter between her family and Mordekai as she eased into the kitchen. "Howdy, stranger!" She gave Duncan a broad smile and held up the cobbler. "Figured you'd be holed up in here, scootch over and let me give you a hand! Got a place I can drop the dessert?" She was quick to offer and quicker to move from question to question - perhaps to lessen the time it would take for a polite refusal to be issued. "Whatever you're cookin' smells delightful, mind if I take a peek?" Just as eager as she was to pick up any gardening tips, Ivy was equally invested in new recipes - while her late husband and Claire were the better chefs of the family, she liked to think she did okay for herself, and a little extra help could not hurt.
Back out in the foyer, Claire found it harder to maintain her false air of disappointment, especially in spotting the large eyes that had been following her from the top of the stairs and the outcry of protest as Mordekai played along. However, she carried on, and her and Aaron exchanged a glance when the child ducked out of sight and giggled.
"Sounds about right," she replied with a laugh, and then, projecting her voice a little more up the stairs, "here's hoping we run into Aina somewhere up there?" She nodded to Aaron, who took the lead up the stairs. He glanced back over his shoulder at Mordekai with a smirk and a nod up to the landing.
"Kids are good at that, at least I know our niece and nephew are good at it." He did his best to step lightly up the stairs, not wanting to startle the strange, tiny Frei he was so interested in meeting. "They've got more conniving things in mind though, usually." He grinned despite what he was saying.
"Says the kids' favorite pack mule," Claire added, and Aaron elicited a soft "hee-haw" in response, nearly doing his wife in with a fit of badly-stifled giggles.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 1:43 am
"Ah-- hello, Ivy!" The sound of another in the kitchen came at a complete and pleasant surprise to Duncan-- he looked back at Ivy as she approached and quickly set the bowl of dough he was mixing aside onto the kitchen island. Though he heard other footsteps linger in the hallway, he chose to leave them be for now; he assumed, at the very least, that Aina was keeping them plenty busy, and regarded Ivy and her berry cobbler with a broad smile.
"Oh, that's delightful, Ivy-- thank you! Feel free to set that on the counter," he paced over to pat the empty space at the bar, then looked back at his work, laughing-- he was rarely one to turn down help from anyone eager to offer it.
"I was just mixing up some soda bread to put on the skillet, there-- and the shepherd's pie is in the oven, it's almost done. If you could help me with the salad, I would be very grateful." He walked over to show Ivy their display of greens and ingredients for the dressing of the evening. "Would anyone object to a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette and some arugula?"
Hearing Ivy and Duncan chat from the kitchen only made Mordeka's smile grow as he trailed just behind Aaron and Claire up the hallway. "Here's hopin'," he piped up, smirking right back at Claire; he couldn't help but laugh with Claire's giggling, too.
"Ah, man, believe me, Duncan's got a niece an' nephew who's jus' the same. Their shenanigans are rubbin' off on Aina, I swear," once they reached the top of the landing, Aina was giggling just to the side of them-- Mordekai looked over and grinned.
"Aha! Found ya," Mordekai walked over to reach for the Frei and pick her up, but Aina relented by floating back and giggling into the sleeve of her cardigan-- when the smell of the farm hit her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut and squeaked, surprised.
"Ah! Smelly, you're smelly!"
"Huh? What smell?" laughing, Mordekai chased the giggling and quietly screaming Frei the short distance it took for her to reach Aaron and Claire. When she did, the Frei did just the same as she did during the tea party-- hiding behind Claire and Aaron the best she could, though now she did from play and not panic.
"Miss Claire, save me!" she squeaked. "He smells like poo!"
"Das so mean!" Mordekai knelt down to tilt his head to try and look at Aina from her eye level, but the Frei tried her best to keep out of sight. "Goats smell like poo alla time an' you still love 'em, don't you?"
"That's 'cause goats are cute!"
Mordekai pouted up at Aaron and Claire.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:51 pm
"Aw goodness, you didn't have to go all out!" Ivy's fingers tapped delightedly on the bottom of the glass platter and her line of sight fell to the oven. The shepherd's pie smelled delicious and already her mouth was watering. "You certainly won't hear any complaints from us about fresh veggies, we're all grass grazers in the Wainwright-Holmes households." She let loose a short bark of laughter and side stepped Duncan as he moved about the kitchen. "Only thing is Aaron can't have too much heavy meats, but we've got nothing to worry about here, looks like." She set the cobbler on the empty space on the counter Duncan had indicated.
"You just leave the salad mixin' to me, glad to do it. Let me get past ya to borrow your sink, if I may?" She rolled her sleeves up and headed towards the sink, eyeing the bread dough as she went. "And bless you for making soda bread, it's been ages since I've had it."
"Ouch," Aaron said, flinching at Aina's statement and flashing Mordekai a sympathetic smile. "From the mouths of babes, no less." It seems he had been right about the other childrens' behavior rubbing off on Aina, and Aaron could only imagine what would happen should she meet the likes of Brendan and Dinah - two delightful children in their own right but terribly spoiled and equally as mischievous.
"Aw Aina, that's really unfair, isn't it?" Claire shook her head and knelt down next to Mordekai, placing her hands on Aina's tiny shoulders. "I can carry you if you like, but only if you apologize to Mordekai, okay?" Aaron, meanwhile, watched the exchange with his arms folded, and glanced over at the blonde-haired man with a shrug. Children, in his experience, enjoyed a bit of a play-up, and perhaps now was the time to put to use that tried and true method for entertaining his antsy niece and nephew.
"No offence, dude, but Aina did go for the cuter of the two of you." He nodded solemnly, and without even waiting for a reaction from the other man, he patted his shoulder heartily. "Don't worry though, you're still plenty cute! Just weighing in." Claire glanced up at the words, and he waggled his eyebrows. She snorted and smacked him lightly on the arm.
"Aaron, please." Claire raised an eyebrow, brushing the edge of her shortened bangs. "Mordekai could probably bench you easy, I'd like to bet, right, Mordekai? Farm work is not easy stuff." Aaron stepped back as though he had been dealt a heavy blow and placed a hand dramatically to his chest.
"Well, I never," he gasped, wearing a pout comparable to Mordekai's a moment before, as he paused to consider the words, tapping his cheek in thought and shrugging resignedly - all in the grandest gestures he could muster for the pomegranate Frei's entertainment. "But touche, madam. I am but a humble desk gnome." He followed with a flourish of the arms and a bow at the waist, raising his head a touch to wink at Aina.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:15 pm
"Oh, no, this was no trouble!" Duncan couldn't help but grin while he finished mixing the soda bread and turned on the stovetop to warm the skillet. "Of course-- pardon me," he stepped aside to let Ivy to the sink, pouring the batter neatly into the iron pan with a spatula.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind for future visits-- we eat too much meat in this household most days, the farm my son works at spoils us," Duncan laughed. Once the soda bread was settled and warming, he walked to the oven to check on the shepherd's pie; cloth in hand, he pulled the tray out to inspect. Golden and steaming, the dish was done, and Duncan set it aside on an empty compartment of the stove.
"It's been a while since I've made soda bread-- I hope it'll be alright. I used to crave it when I was younger," he smiled at Ivy, "When I lived in the UK. If I may ask, were you ever stationed over there during your time in the Peace Corps?"
Mordekai only frowned further and let out a small, exaggerated whine, more than happy to play along with Aaron and Claire. Seeing him reduced to such a state only caused Aina to giggle into her sleeve even more, staring delightedly at Mordekai’s plight from the comfort of hiding behind Claire. When the woman knelt down to look at her eye level, though, the small Frei rocked side to side, eyes bright with mischief-- she didn't want to get in trouble, surely, but all this was too funny, and she was happy to see Miss Claire again. Even though Aaron was still a strange face to her, she seemed comfortable already with all the laughs he’d given her.
“Hmm!” she couldn’t help but giggle a little more at Claire’s humble request, and Aaron’s comment-- along with Mordekai covering his head with his hands to sob-- did not help her little fit. Still, some part of the rain Frei did feel bad, and she certainly wanted to be carried by MIss Claire-- hastily, she squeaked out her apology. “I’m sorry Momo! Please don’t cry!”
Mordekai removed his hands from his face-- the blond was completely fine, of course. “Y’mean it?”
“Mhm!” Aina nodded.
“Aw, shucks!” he glanced up at Aaron, and-- with a gentle nudge to his side, laughed and picked himself back up off from the floor. He turned around and extended his arms out, grinning; “I dunno, wanna try it out? You carry my bébé, I carry yours?”
“Kids, it’s almost time for supper!”
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 6:20 pm
Ivy finished washing her hands in record time, watching Duncan as he milled about the kitchen and pulled the shepherd's pie from the oven. Other than holidays, she had little chance to see others at work in the kitchen, and she was duly impressed with how delicious the main course looked, as did the soda bread cooking in the pan. "Certainly looks good, Duncan. My husband was more the gourmand than I was so most of what I make is pretty basic, gotta say I'm mighty impressed by the spread here!" She laughed deeply, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "But I hear ya, guess it wouldn't do to tease Aaron with a steak or something." She rounded the corner, careful to avoid bumping Duncan, and headed to the counter to mix the salad. "He's learned one time too many that he can't tempt it, though, heartburn does a number on him." The arugula was still wet from an earlier rinsing and she nodded approvingly as she tossed it into the bowl with the other mixed greens. She added in a bit of the vinaigrette and mixed, swirling the bowl to coat evenly before adding more, cracking a smile at Duncan's reveries.
"We made a stop-over in Manchester on the way to the Ukraine, but that was the extent of it." Spoons clacked against the bowl, mixing in rapid time as the soda bread was nearing completion. Duncan seemed to be of the same mind and had paused to call up the stairs about dinner, and she finished just as soon as he was back in the kitchen in earnest. She wiped the rim of the bowl of excess vinaigrette and walked it to the table, setting the dressing bottle next to it should anyone want more. "How long did you live in the UK before coming to Gaia, Duncan?"
Husband and wife watched the interaction between Mordekai and Aina with matching smiles, and Claire nodded, satisfied with Aina's apology.
"That's the spirit," she cheered. "Up we go!" And with a sudden scoop, she stood, cradling the Frei in her arms. Her heart thumped against her ribs at the thought of holding a wriggling child in her arms, head full of dangers should she move around too much but heart full and happy. 'She does float, you know,' she had to remind herself; odds are she would be alright. However she was struck momentarily speechless by Mordekai's offer and extended arms, and with a glance at Aaron she could see that he was feeling much of the same surprise - only for it to be quickly washed away by his enthusiastic reply.
"My hero!" Aaron clasped his hands together and batted his eyelashes playfully at the other man, wrangling a deep laugh from Claire. The call for dinner caught Aaron and Claire's attention and both looked towards the stairs, before returning their attention to Mordekai and Aina.
"You've on, Mordekai," Claire replied with a grin, shifting Aina in her arms to hold her more securely. As for Aaron, a smirk crossed his features and he leaned forward, knees bent, and Claire whispered lowly so only Aina could hear, "Hold on tight, we're gonna race 'em down to dinner."
"Hope you're ready, bro." And with no more preamble, he leaped into Mordekai's waiting arms. A beat had not yet passed when Claire shouted, "race you downstairs!" and she disappeared down the steps, leaving loud giggling in her wake.
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Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:44 pm
"I understand," Duncan chimed in, laughing; of course, acid reflux was no lighthearted subject, but he felt intimate with it when so many of his Bellamy relatives suffered from it. He smiled over at Ivy while returning to the soda bread's side, lifting the handle of the skillet with a cloth and both of his hands to check the crust's color. "But how unfortunate! Mordekai brings home an excellent filet mignon. I suppose we'll have to give it to you and Claire when Aaron isn't looking."
Aina let out a squeal of pleasant surprise when Claire lifted her up and into her arms. The small Frei gave her as big a hug as she could and giggled at Aaron and Mordekai's little charade, and-- during Aaron's moment of surprise-- Mordekai giggled too.
"My prince!" Mordekai called out. When Claire rumbled with laughter, Aina laughed with her, her face hiding against the woman's shoulder the best it could; she gasped at Duncan calling them from downstairs.
With Claire adjusting her hold on her, she looked up at the blonde and smiled wide, nodding in determination. "We're gonna win!"
"No way you're gonna win! More'n ready," Mordekai looked back at Aaron; with a 'hup!' and a bounce to adjust Aaron steadily in his arms, he rushed behind Claire.
Back in the kitchen, Duncan remembered to quarter the soda bread; but, before he could reminisce, he heard the sound of drumming footsteps from the hall just ahead and looked up, half-curious, half-worried.
'Miss Claire, we're almost there!' was the first sentence Duncan could recognize from upstairs. Frankly, it was the loudest thing he had heard out of Aina's mouth since her birth-- laughing, he glanced over at Ivy and motioned for the stairway.
"I think we'd regret missing this, don't you think?" laughing, he veered around the corner of the kitchen to glance up the stairway to see the splendid disaster before them.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 6:15 pm
"We won't tell, promise." Ivy winked conspiratorially at Duncan and another peal of laughter fell from her lips, and she too redirected her attention after hearing the joyous cries and thunder of footsteps from the stairwell and hall. The squeal of the little girl's laughter brought to mind many a holiday at the Wainwright house, thinking first of her niece and nephews enjoying presents on Christmas morning, but hearing her daughter's laugh so clearly mixed in, the memories shifted to ones more fuzzy and further back. It felt somewhat melancholy that this is the first time she had heard Claire laugh freely in a very long time, but somewhat heartening all the same. She reached for a dish towel on the island and was right behind Duncan. "I agree, might as well flag them in as they cross the finish line. Sounds like the heat is on."
Claire had a good lead as she took off down the stairs, hands holding fast to Aina in her arms. She heard Aaron cry "You rotten cheaters!" with a pout and the sound of footfalls behind them indicated that her husband and Mordekai were quick in pursuit. She took each step quickly but cautiously, but her heart was racing in circles inside her chest; perhaps it was the feeling of the child in her arms and the chorus of giggles from the both of them and the boys just behind, but she felt light, more than she had in such a long time. Aina's loud cry of victory preceded the last step and in her exhilaration she jumped it, rounding the corner. Ivy and Duncan became visible, and as she heard Mordekai's approach she skidded to a stop. Ivy raised her hand and brought the dish towel down in a grand sweep as they did so and the whole group finally congregated in one place.
"A photo finish!" Ivy exclaimed with a grin, clapping her hands together (a sound slightly muffled by the dish towel in one hand). "But today's winners are Aina and Claire." Claire grinned at Aina and bounced her in her arms in the semblance of a victory dance.
"Curses, foiled again!" Aaron pouted dramatically as he climbed out of Mordekai's arms, his voice a pale imitation of Snidely Whiplash but an effort towards it nonetheless. Ivy rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"But now, we can't let this good food get cold, y'all go get your hands washed." Claire smiled at Aina and she scooted past both Duncan and Ivy to queue in front of the sink, letting the child down in front to go first. Aaron took his spot in the line behind Claire and Ivy narrowed her eyes playfully at the two boys as they approached. "Especially you two, goodness." Aaron glanced down at himself and tapped his shirt, producing a tiny puff of dust that had likely hitchhiked inside with Mordekai. The smell of the farm was thick on him now, too, and he looked back at the blonde man with a grin, smacking him playfully on the arm and eliciting a matching cloud of dust.
"Whatever, totally worth it," he called back as he filed past Ivy, who snorted. "You won't be acting like that come round two, Mordekai and I have that on lock, trust me." He patted his chest enthusiastically, sending more tiny dust particles into the air.
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 9:48 pm
Laughing, Duncan clapped along with Ivy as Claire and Aina danced together in victory. "Congratulations, ladies!"
"We did it!" Giggling still, the pomegranate clung to Claire and buried her face against her shoulder-- she only lifted her head to look back when she heard Mordekai lumber forward with Aaron.
Friction didn't catch on the blond's socks and they slid to a stop next to Claire and Aina; Mordekai couldn't help but erupt into laughter as he let Aaron onto the floor and caught his breath, hands behind his head as he paced around the vicinity of the kitchen. He trailed behind Aaron under Ivy's orders toward the sink, grinning. "Yeah, y'two got us good, huh!"
"Super good!" Aina piped up. She didn't argue when Claire set her back down, but she stuck close to her as she clung to the edge of the sink and reached out for the faucet, but was just out of reach. Mordekai ambled forward to give her a quiet lift up; she was able to reach it with his help, but the pomegranate couldn't help but cover her nose a bit and squeak. "You're still smelly!"
"Huh? What smell?" laughing, Mordekai kissed Aina's temple before walking the few steps back to Aaron, and at the playful smack to his arm, he grinned and pat his jacket down for the remaining plume of dust; he offered the brunette a sheepish grin. "Aw man, sorry--" but at Aaron's response, he could only laugh and nod in agreement. "No, y'know what! Das right, we got this."
"Oh-- Mordekai, pardon! Would you like to go get cleaned up?" Duncan called out; between the small amount of time everyone had herded into the kitchen, he'd pulled out the shepherd's pie to cool on the kitchen island. Mordekai rubbed his hands together and a grimy mix of dirt and sweat clung to his fingers.
"Y'know, if das okay," he nodded, then began walking backward toward the stairway, "Aina, be a good girl an' help set up la table for Miss Claire an' Mister Aaron an' Miss Ivy, oke?"
"Okay!" once her hands were clean, she looked up at Claire and pointed toward the countertop shelves, "All our forks an' spoons an' stuff are over there, an'-- um, we gotta get all the tablecloths and stuff from the laundry bin."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 12:27 am
Setting the table took no time at all for Claire and Aaron while they followed in the wake of the pomegranate Frei. The excitable, friendly atmosphere that had been sparked by the friendly competition carried between husband and wife as they chatted happily, setting the silverware where they were directed to. Ivy, for her part, circled in and around the kids and Duncan while helping to set out the meal, and once everything was set and all parties present again, she gratefully sat down.
"Looks wonderful," she complimented, echoing her earlier statement while directing her smile towards Duncan. "Who first? I'll dish up."
"Losers first!" Aaron called, holding his plate up eagerly. His wife snorted back a laugh into her glass of water.
"Can't say you're a sore loser, at least," she replied, and Aaron grinned when Ivy piled his plate high with shepherd's pie, knowing fully how well the man liked to eat. She held the spoon at the ready and dished up around the table.
"I don't joke when it comes to food, food is serious business," he replied dramatically once his plate was back in front of him, and he wasted no time in digging in.
"Thank you again for having us," Claire said, her words backmasked by her husband's satisfied chewing, looking at Mordekai, Duncan, and Aina in turn. "It's nice to get together like this, for dinner I mean. It feels like it's been a long time since we've done that with friends." Outside of the more festive settings of the big Lab parties, there had not been anything intimate like this outside of family engagements, and Claire starkly realized how few friends she and Aaron had nowadays. Their involvement in the Lab was slowly changing that, however, and she felt very grateful for it.
"Outside of the Russia trip, anyway," Ivy added, tucking into the salad, and Claire nodded in agreement.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 1:43 am
Mordekai was downstairs showered and fresh in a few minutes flat to help everyone set up the table, but with Aina so insistent on helping Aaron and Claire all by herself, he was left to pick a few pomegranates from their garden until everyone was settled. Once the adults were prepared for dinner, Mordekai helped set a plateful of pomegranate seeds in front of the Frei for her to eat.
Duncan smiled wide while reaching for the water pitcher in line with Ivy's question, and at Aaron's eagerness, he laughed-- as did his son-in-law and Aina. "I hope you enjoy it, Aaron."
"You're gonna have seconds then, right?" Mordekai grinned; he stood, wandering back to the kitchen cabinets for Aina's sippy cup. The blond glanced back when Claire piped up, but he kept quiet when he saw Duncan's expression brighten, eager to speak.
"Of course, Claire. If ever any of you would like to stop by for dinner, our doors are always open." Duncan's sentiment was received with a nod in agreement from Aina, who was too busy chewing on a pomegranate aril to speak immediately-- but-- at Ivy's addendum, Aina's eyes widened as she waved her hands in the air in excitement as she finished eating.
"You went to Russia, Miss Ivy? Is that the really really really big place?" she asked. She glanced up as Mordekai sat back down next to her, setting a sippy cup full of water down as he giggled at Aina's question.
"Big like a house, or big like a country?" Mordekai asked, ruffling Aina's hair.
"A country!" Aina added, indignant, "It's bigger'n ten houses all together!"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 11:46 am
Aaron's mouth was too full to repond properly to Mordekai but he nodded enthusiastically and raised his fork in agreement. Claire cracked a smile and her attention was immediately grabbed by Aina's enthusiastic questions about Russia, and she set down the glass of water she had been nursing between her hands.
"It surely is," she added kindly, chuckling, "it was my second time going to Russia, but I've never been to that part before. Ma's friend lived there so we went to see her." Aaron's chewing slowed and he let his gaze dash between Claire and Ivy; he had an inkling where this conversation would be going, and enough time had passed, surely, but there was a prickel of anxiety in his chest at how Claire might be feeling once the topic was finally breached. Ivy seemed to favor getting to the point, and after chewing a bite of the shepherd's pie thoughtfully and swallowing, she smiled at Aina.
"It was a good visit for the most part.. a lot of good, some bad, but something else came of it." Now, her own gaze darted at Claire and she backed off - Ivy was no stranger to gently pushing her daughter into conversation, especially when she had a tendency to shy away and keep things to herself. And for a moment it looked as though that would happen again, but Claire swallowed (under the guise of eating her soda bread) and focused her attention on Aina. She did not glance towards Ivy or Aaron, who were gaging her reaction as surreptitiously as they could, and instead told the story to the tiny Frei seated across from her.
"I found my soul there, you know." A wan smile followed. "For my own Raevan. We came home shortly before the tea party at the Lab, maybe by about a week or so." For Claire, she was surprised that the sting of the memory had lessened a little, but there was still a heaviness in her chest when she thought of the leshy, tempered only by the thought of how much she wanted to make it up to him when he came back to her, in the form of her Raevan. The scar on the back of her neck (the only artifact that remained of the fire now that the bandages were gone and the burns on her cheek and arm left no trace, whereas her neck was not so lucky) itched and she almost reached to scratch it, but as soon as her hand lifted an inch or so from the table surface, she planted it back down, fighting the nervous impulse.
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