|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:38 pm
Who: Phoenix, Zoe (Annarchye X), Aaron, Claire and Lorin (alpha lyrae)
Where: An Italian restaurant in Durem
When: Saturday, July 2nd, just before 5PM
Weather: Hot and somewhat muggy - - - - - Quote: The weather was finally starting to turn for the better in Durem, the rainstorms of early summer giving way to clear skies and sunshine the likes of which they regularly saw in Gambino. As the days were getting longer, Aaron was finding it harder to stay inside the office and focus on work. It was a sentiment clearly echoed by his father, who had a hard enough time staying in the office as it was and was now out on the golf course as much as humanly possible. Still, though, Aaron was glad to know that things were running smoothly and he did not have any surprises to look forward to now that the tiff between them had cooled enough to make work days easy.
Mind off of his last report of the day, Aaron’s eyes drifted over to the giant glass window of the brownstone that Holmes Produce called their headquarters, when he was startled by the ringing of the office phone. He reached the phone by the second ring and patched the line through.
“Holmes Produce - Aaron Holmes speaking!”
“Hey! Just the man I was hoping to get. It’s Phoenix.”
Vacation time was very much over, and Phoenix was now buried deep in Ambrosia business. He was settled into his office at work, looking mildly frazzled, and as enthusiastic as he sounded his voice still held a hint of tiredness. Unfortunately there had been little downtime before jumping straight back into work. And there was a lot to be done.
Phoenix had decided that it was vital for him to step back a bit for the time being to focus on his new Raevan child when they were born, at least for a while. He would step up his hours again in due time, but this was more important. This of course meant a lot of changes at Ambrosia, and informing anyone in business with the family restaurant of these changes. Holmes Produce was first on that list.
“Hey, man!” Aaron was all smiles when he heard the familiar voice of the head of Ambrosia. “How are you doing? Dad told me the you were out of town for your yearly trip.” There had been a rescheduling of trucks due to the trip, one that Aaron and his father both were very familiar with, having done business with the restaurant for years. “Did you just get back?”
A light chuckle, and a hand dragged down Phoenix’s face. “Just a few days ago, yeah. It was...interesting, to say the least.”
Aaron leaned back in the chair at the tired tone. “Oh?” He paused for a beat, unsure of if he should continue - were they close enough for him to reach out? “Everything alright?”
“Ah!” Phoenix laughed again, this time more genuine and less out of frustration. “Everything’s great, it was just a bit draining. We found ourselves a soul.”
For all his efforts to remain relaxed, Aaron sat upright. “No kidding!” He followed with a quiet, breathless laugh, one hand in his hair as the laugh petered out. He remembered what the capture had done to Claire and his tone was gentler when he spoke again. “How did that go.. ?”
“No kidding,” Phoenix parroted back. “It um, heh. It was interesting.” He shook his head suddenly. “But before I get too off track, I was calling to let you know of some stuff.”
It was not hard for Aaron to tell but there was something Phoenix was not quite ready to say yet. There was time enough for that. “Sure, what’s up?”
“With everything going on I'm going to be cutting back at work a bit.” He didn't especially want to, he loved his work, but he knew this was more important. His kids would always come first. “So there's going to be some change in management, and you may be dealing with someone else more than me for a while.”
“No problem, just call the office here and we’ll get them added to the paperwork.” That much was easy enough; the secretary could handle it, and if not, he and his father were around enough to do it. “Just gotta know who that person is gonna be and we’re all good here.”
“I'll do that! You'll be dealing with Miranda Solberg a lot, so you know. You may have met her already.” He chuckled. “She's hard to forget. Pink hair and all that.” He gestured vaguely, even though Aaron couldn't see.
“Ah yeah! I remember mention of her - at least I remember Dad bringing it up.” Aaron laughed as he scratched his head, remembering his father’s words about the pink-haired manager. “But yeah, I’ll get that entered before I leave tonight, no problem.” He paused, chair creaking when he shifted. “Any other changes we should know about while I put that one in?”
Phoenix considered for a moment. “That's it for now. I may call back, who knows.” He laughed, sounding a bit stressed. “Everything is a jumble still. There's a lot to do.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Aaron frowned thoughtfully, although his tone was cheerful; the desire to help out Phoenix in his time of need was great, if his apparent exhaustion was any indication, but he knew that he, himself, did not have anything substantial to offer. However, he knew someone who did, or rather.. two someones. “What’s your schedule look like this weekend?”
Phoenix took a quick glance at his work calendar. On the personal side of things he knew there was nothing. “I don't suspect I'll be holding interviews until next week. So it's looking pretty bare. Why, what's up?”
The smile was evident in Aaron’s tone. “I think you should meet my wife.” It was on the tip of his tongue to mention Lorin, but he thought he might leave that little bit as a surprise. “If you and your daughter aren’t busy, I think you deserve a welcome home celebration. What d’you say?”
A warmth spread through Phoenix at the very suggestion. The idea that anyone would be so kind… “Aaron, we would love that so much. Just tell me when and where.”
At this, Aaron leaned back; he would steeple his fingers if his hands were free but for the moment he contented himself to smirk. “Saturday night, how does 5 sound for you? And I’ll leave the where up to Claire and get back to you.” His smirk became a grin. “We’ll find somewhere good, don’t you worry.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:56 pm
The sleek silver vehicle rolled up to the restaurant at about five till. Phoenix was looking more at ease than he had all week, all things considered, and in fact looked like he was full to the brim with excitement at the dinner they were to attend. Zoe, seated calmly in her booster in the back seat, looked considerably less enthusiastic, but all the same she seemed in pleasant enough spirits. She had no qualms about going to dinner with her dad and the Holmes family.
"You hungry?" Phoenix looked over his shoulder as he cut the ignition, giving his daughter a wide grin. Zoe nodded wordlessly, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out of her booster to let herself out of the car. Phoenix likewise slid out of the car, closing both his and Zoe's doors and offering her a hand to lead her across the parking lot. "This'll be fun, yeah?"
The two hurried across the lot to the restaurant, where they could already hear the pleasant tunes pouring out as the doors opened for guests to trail in and out. The sound seemed to give Zoe in particular a skip in her step, and they were both full of smiles when they walked through the doors.
Phoenix stepped up to the podium just inside, giving the young woman behind it the widest of grins when she greeted the two of them. "Hey! We're a few minutes early. Not sure if they're here yet. Is there a reservation under the name of Holmes?"
"Let's see!" The woman scanned a page in her book with her fingernail, humming to herself until she found what she was looking for. "Holmes! Here it is. Yes, I'll take you to your table!" With a flourish of movements she snagged a handful of menus from a shelf and gestured for the two to follow her through the pleasantly lit restaurant.
They were seated at a booth, where the hostess sat down the stack of menus. "Your server will be by shortly, and I'll direct the rest of your party when they arrive!" Phoenix thanked her kindly, giving a wink and a smile as she left. He left the menus be for now.
Zoe stared at her dad with a serious expression. "Are you going to do that all night?"
"Only if our server is cute," Phoenix teased, tugging at one of her pigtails.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 11:20 pm
The three of them were dressed to the nines, Aaron still in one of his nicer suits from work from a last-minute client visit and Claire and Lorin had driven up to meet him. Befitting the hot weather, Claire had opted for a clean, pale pink and yellow A-line dress, hair pulled back to show off a new set of earrings gifted from her mother. However, while Aaron had made it quite clear that she was going to be the head of these proceedings, she was also quite aware of how important Lorin would be to this meeting. Both of them realized that Lorin was a great example of what waited at the end of this road, what all the pain and toil and sadness amounted to, and she knew that was very important. Therefore, she had Lorin dressed equally nicely as well in a small button-up top and a sweater vest, in order to make the best impression. His willful hair had been given a quick trim and had been carefully brushed and blow-dried so it lay flat on his head. Given how hot it had been, she had rolled up his shirt sleeves to leave his small forearms free.
Aaron stood waiting for them just outside of the restaurant when Claire and Lorin rounded the corner from the side parking lot, hand in hand. Lorin floated forward quickly at the sight of his papa and the man took a few steps to meet them before they all gazed at the restaurant's exterior.
"Have they arrived yet?" Claire asked.
"We've got reservations so if they are, they're probably at the table already," Aaron replied with a grin. "Shall we?" Claire smiled and Lorin did as well, taking both of their hands as he nodded.
The cooler air of the restaurant hit them and the group collectively breathed out a sigh. A friendly hostess beamed at them as she made her way over. "Hello! How many tonight?"
"We have reservations actually, under Holmes," Claire offered. "We're waiting on two others --" But the hostess was all smiles as she shuffled two adult menus and a child's menu in her hands.
"They're already here and waiting!" she said, and with a nod of the head and a "follow me!", she led the way to the booth further in, Lorin trailing behind them as his neck swiveled to and fro to take in the sight of the restaurant. Aaron broke into a grin as soon as he caught sight of Phoenix and who must have been his daughter, if he was correctly recalling the few photos he had seen of her.
"Hey!" he greeted. "Glad you made it!" He shuffled aside momentarily and turned with a hand on his wife's back. "This is my wife Claire. Claire, this is Phoenix Argyris, one of our clients, and his daughter Zoe."
"It's lovely to meet the both of you," Claire answered with a gentle smile, one that only warmed as she reached behind her to lay her hand gently on Lorin's head. "And this is Lorin." Glancing downward, she redirected her smile to her son. "Lorin, this is Papa's work friend, Phoenix, and his daughter Zoe." Two antennae tips peeked around her skirt and he curled his fingers in a wave at the two of them.
"Hi," he said, testing the waters, and smiling himself. The man sitting in front of them had such neat hair and so did his daughter, and Lorin's eyes were trained on her the most. Everyone he had met looked decidedly older than he was; Zoe had been the first to look close to his age, and this was a revelation to him. He looked between daughter and father, and said in an impressed whisper, "How d'you get your hair like that?" Her curled pigtails were the most impressive hair style he had seen in a while - next to Henry's manbun and Cadi's uneven cut - but never on someone his own size!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:42 pm
While they waited the two busied themselves looking through the menus. As much as Phoenix loved to cook he was glad to not have to for a change. He was a bit spent from all of the extra work he'd been putting in the past few days. To be waited on instead felt a blessing. And besides, Italian was easily one of his favorites.
Their server had just delivered a milk for Zoe and an unsweetened iced tea for Phoenix when the Holmes clan came into view. Phoenix waved enthusiastically as they approached.
"Aaron! Of course, thank you for inviting us." Phoenix looked to Claire and gave her a warm smile. He stood as best he could from his place in the booth, unable to slide out completely given that Zoe blocked the opening, and extended his hand to shake. "I'm so glad to finally meet you!"
Before he could greet Lorin, Zoe let out a little gasp. "Hi!" She seemed to have forgotten her manners, completely disregarding the presence of Aaron and Claire. When her dad gave her a little nudge, Zoe whispered a quiet "oops" and looked up at the two adults. "It's nice to meet you," she said politely, but her eyes were immediately drawn back to the boy.
Phoenix chuckled and shook his head. "I'm glad to meet you as well, Lorin." He looked back at Aaron, eyes wide with surprise and excitement. "You didn't tell me! Congratulations to you both."
Her obligatory greetings out of the way, Zoe addressed Lorin once more. "It's always been like that," she answered his inquiry regarding her hair, looking him up and down as if he was the most fascinating person she'd ever laid eyes on -- and indeed he was. She'd met another Raevan once before, but Lorin was so young! "I like your antennae," she complimented softly. "Are you a kind of bug?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 6:20 pm
"Likewise," Claire said, both hands encircling Phoenix's as they were introduced, and both Aaron and Claire laughed when Zoe, so interested in Lorin, had failed to register them at all until her father had nudged her. "It's nice to meet you too, Zoe." Lorin's head had peeked out further at the girl's name, and when Phoenix introduced himself to the young Frei, his smile grew, and his attention was immediately back on Zoe. Meanwhile, Aaron folded over his coat and shoved it into the other side of the booth, shimmying in first as Claire followed, and Lorin on the end.
"Hey, gotta keep some secrets, don't I?" Aaron joked, but he shook his head, a hand pushing through his hair. "But no, it's just been a little hectic the past few months. A lot of things going down, you know the deal, I'm sure." He thought a lot of everything going on with work, and the awkward ambience between him and his father ever since the dinner party where Lorin had been introduced to them. It still did not change the fact that Aaron had to work in close quarters with his family, but he was thankful that Clarence had not tried to broach the topic of Lorin to him since that night. "But hey, thanks man." He reached across the table to clap Phoenix on the arm amiably. "And congrats again to you, too!"
"Yes, congratulations!" Claire rested her elbows on the table, hands linked. "Aaron told me that you completed your capture recently." At this, her cheerful expression softened a touch into a more sympathetic one. "I hope it wasn't too trying." She would not forget her own (the scar on her neck would be a permanent reminder besides) but taking a life was a very troubling thing, even if it was to be remade into something new. She glanced at the top of Lorin's head briefly as she passed the menus down the line - despite the tribulations, Lorin had been worth it.
Lorin had waited until the adults had started talking to pose his question to Zoe, and upon getting her answer, he nodded, enthralled. While she was not a Raevan, he had not met anybody who was around the same size he was, and he was positively enchanted. As she pointed out his antennae, he reached up to touch them, feeling the soft hairs on their surface. "I dunno.. I don't think I am. Mama says I have a leshy in me but I dunno if that's a bug or not." He smiled broadly though. "But I like bugs, they're real neat! I like bees the best." He wiggled in place. "We get lotsa them at my house. Do you get bees at your house?" They had come so far from Gambino, to a place he had yet to visit, that he wondered if Zoe and her father lived here. Mama had patiently explained to him that this was where Papa worked - he drove so far! The tall buildings of Durem astounded him in comparison to the lower-set buildings of Gambino, and he wondered where people lived amongst all the stores and restaurants here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 10:31 pm
Letting out a chuckle at the good-natured joke, Phoenix leaned back in his seat a bit. He nodded his head forward. "Thank you." Before he could respond to Claire's comment on his soul capture, their server arrived to take the rest of the party's drink orders. Sipping idly at his tea while making eyes at the young woman, Phoenix waited until the three had ordered before returning to the conversation.
"It could have been worse," he said honestly, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "It wasn't an easy situation though, either." He cast his gaze over his daughter, the corner of his smiling lips twitching ever so slightly. Zoe was doing just fine now, but he had been concerned that the event may have been mildly traumatizing for the little girl. It still weighed heavy on his own heart, and like Claire he too would be left scarred. His side was still mildly tender, though mostly healed.
Zoe had shut out the conversation the adults were having completely. It was like they didn't even exist to her. "A leshy?" She wrinkled her nose. "I've never heard of that. It sounds like a funny animal or something." She giggled a bit.
At the mention of bees she wiggled and leaned forward. "Bees are nice!" She didn't mind most bugs, but only if they were the nice kind or weren't gross. Zoe shook her head. "I don't live in a house. I live in an apartment. We don't really have a lot of plants up there, so I guess the bees don't like it so much. Sometimes I see them in front though. They have a lot of flowers outside the office."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:21 pm
Claire and Aaron both glanced up as the server appeared, and Aaron scrambled to browse the menu's drink selection quickly. With a cursory glance to Claire and a bit of puppy dogging (to which she scoffed gently and smacked his arm with a laugh), he grinned and selected a beer, while Claire (designated driver she had become) chose iced tea and ordered a water for Lorin. With that done, the woman returned her attention to Phoenix, fingers laced as she rested her chin atop them. The expressions of both husband and wife softened as Phoenix went on, Claire honing in on him becoming lost in thought. The glance over to the child next to them did not go unnoticed by Claire either, and for a moment she was extremely grateful that nobody else had been there when the leshy had died. Arina had mourned with her but she was thankful that the older woman had been spared the leshy's final moments.
"It never is," she replied after a beat, sympathetically. She loosed her hands and one snaked to the back of her neck, touching the scar that was obscured by her hair. "You'll carry it with you." The hand slid from her neck and she rested them on the tabletop. "But trust me when I say that it will all be worth it. All of it, scars included." She passed a glance over to Lorin's head and smiled. "I think the leshy would be happy to know what he's become."
While the adults talked, Lorin kept his focus unwaveringly on Zoe, tiny fingers on the table ledge, drumming absently. "I dunno," he answered uncertainly when she asked about the leshy, with a glance up to his antennae. What was a leshy? It was on the tip of his tongue to ask but Zoe thankfully kept the conversation rolling, and he hovered slightly higher in his seat. "My sissy lives in an apartment too. She doesn't have plants, either," he replied, his face softening with a slight frown. He wanted to bring plants to Cadi's apartment to brighten it up but she had kindly declined, which made him feel quite put out - who wouldn't want plants at their place? He brightened at the news of flowers around Zoe and Phoenix's apartment. "Bees like those a lot! My Gran'ma Ivy and Mama, they've got big huge gardens so we get lotsa bees and other bugs." He beamed. "You should come see 'em sometime!" The topic of bugs weighed heavily on his mind and he returned to pondering about himself.
Lorin saw his opportunity as soon as he heard the word "leshy" from the adults and he tapped Claire on the arm.
"Hey Mama, is a leshy a bug? Or an animal?" His tiny face was scrunched in thought as he searched his own memories, trying to remember if it was something he had been told before, or even perhaps if there was something deep inside of him that would give him an indication. The only thing he felt was a gentle pulse from his rune, his body in need of a little nourishment.
"Not quite," Claire replied with a laugh. "They're forest guardians, remember I told you?" Lorin frowned.
"Then why do I got these?" he asked, his hands feeling at the base of his antennae. He looked from his mama to Phoenix and Zoe across the table - he truly did not understand. "He's gotta be an animal if I got antennas." His cheeks puffed out.
"'Cause a bee is a bug," Aaron answered with a snicker, leaning over the table to grin at his son. "Bees make honey, that's the other half of you, squirt." Lorin's eyes widened in astonishment.
"I am a bug!" He proclaimed proudly to Zoe, beaming. The moment was interrupted by the return of the server with the trio's drinks, and as Lorin took his glass between both hands, wiggling in his seat, he asked Claire as a thought struck him, "Can I taste with my feet?"
"You don't have any feet, silly butt," Claire giggled, and Lorin looked at the glass in heavy concentration and stuck a finger in, which he figured in this case would be just as good, but all he had was a wet fingertip for his efforts. He was a little disappointed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:51 pm
The love he could see in Claire when she looked at Lorin warmed Phoenix from the inside out. "I have no doubt that it'll be completely worth it," he agreed firmly with a hint of a smile. He meant it. All the time spent worrying and waiting, the pain and tears in Greece, even the minor fallout between Phoenix and his parents. They'll get over it.
Zoe leaned forward with great interest while Lorin told her all about the plants and bugs. Gardens? That sounded so nice! "I'd love to!" She gasped excitedly at the suggestion. She turned to her dad to tug on his sleeve as Lorin was asking his own questions. "Can we go see the bugs some time?"
Phoenix laughed, giving his daughter another unwanted pigtail tug. "Sounds fine to me. I don't see why not!" He had a feeling they'd all be seeing more of each other as it was.
Satisfied, Zoe turned to face her new friend. At the proud announcement, she giggled. "I thought so!" She watched Lorin trying to taste the water with his finger. "Water doesn't really taste like anything anyway," she said thoughtfully after a moment. She glanced at other drinks, but she knew better than to suggest Lorin start sticking his fingers in other people's beverages.
"So," Phoenix said, pausing to take a sip of his own tea. "How's parenthood treating you two?" He asked with genuine interest. It was such a big change, to go from being a couple to being parents.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:04 pm
Lorin's eyes lit up at Zoe's observation and he nodded, appreciative of her validation. He eyed his mother's iced tea and reached a hand up, but she seemed to figure out where he was going with it and placed her hand over the top of the glass, sliding it out of reach with a gentle tutting.
"Inviting over friends already, huh bud?" Aaron laughed when Zoe rephased the offer to Phoenix, distracting his son from further experiments on tasting with his fingers. He smiled sheepishly in reply, coaxing another laugh out of Aaron. "That's totally fine though, if you guys don't mind the drive." He waved a hand. "We can make a day of it and barbecue, or if you guys want to go to the beach, we can do that too. I'm sure the kids'll love it."
"The yard is a work in progress but there's plenty of room to sit outside," Claire offered.
"And lotsa flowers," Lorin added, nodding seriously at the endorsement.
"And lots of flowers," Claire agreed with a giggle. "My mother also has a fairly nice garden. I'm sure she'd love to show you around, Zoe." Claire's nose wrinkled happily when she smiled at the girl. "She also has a dog you can play with if you like dogs."
"Misha's real nice," Lorin added, hoping the extra bit would entice both Phoenix and Zoe to come visit soon. The conversation turned from visits to parenthood, and Claire straightened at the shift and at Phoenix's interested tone.
"It's been great." There was no hesitation in her answer, and her smile read just as much. She placed a fond hand on Lorin's head and he giggled, and the hand looped over his shoulder to tuck him into her side. "Everything that I had hoped it would be and more."
"Bumps here and there," Aaron admitted, and he took a sip of his beer to hide the wavering in his expression. His father and mother had been icy towards him since that fateful family dinner, but with them working together, his father's demeanor had thawed enough into a chilly cordialness whenever they had to share the office. Aaron swallowed and set the beer down, his smile renewed. "But nothing we would ever trade. That's parenthood, yeah?"
"So how about you?" Claire beamed. "How have preparations for your Raevan been going? Are you getting excited?" The second magic word of the evening caught Lorin's attention immediately.
"You're gonna have a Raevan in your family too?" His face was abloom with joy, eyes bright and smile wide as he gasped and looked at Phoenix and Zoe in turn. "Papa never said!! When's your Raevan coming?" The fact that he had made such fast friends with Zoe was wonderful, but to know that there would be another Raevan to meet was also terribly exciting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:32 pm
Zoe watched as Lorin tried regardless to have a taste of Claire's tea, and gave him a small smile when he failed. She leaned in a bit closer to whisper, "You can taste my food if you want. Hey!" That reminded her. "What do you eat?"
Phoenix, meanwhile, shook his head and waved his hand dismissively at Aaron. "The drive is nothing! We'd love to come by some time. And you three are always welcome to come by our place too!" Granted it wouldn't be nearly so interesting, nice a place as it was, but the offer was on the table regardless.
"We have a dog too!" Zoe chimed in at the mention. She wondered if they could bring him along too. Maybe the dogs could play together too!
The comment about bumps in parenthood caused Phoenix to chuckle. "The bumps are fine. Just wait for the potholes," he joked. Then he shook his head slowly and smiled. "There'll always be challenges I'm sure. But I'm glad to hear you two are doing so well with it." He looked at Lorin. "He seems like a cool kid. And he's lucky to have you two."
When the question of his own Raevan came up, he visibly grimaced. "Do you know how hard it is to shop for furniture for someone who's going to be able to tell you right away if they hate it?" He laughed loudly. "I guess you do," he hummed, running his finger around the rim of his glass. "I don't know if I'm more excited or terrified." He'd been keeping it mostly to himself that he was scared, not knowing what to expect. But he knew Aaron and Claire would understand this unique situation.
"Yeah!" Zoe bounced in her seat. "Dad says he doesn't know how long it'll take. We just got a soul. Not a bug though," she clarified.
"It's all thanks to Zoe, too," Phoenix added proudly, rubbing her back. She beamed in response, sitting tall. "If it weren't for her we'd probably still be twiddling our thumbs with not a clue what to do."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 12:25 pm
Claire and Aaron could only beam at the generous compliment, glancing at each other with a chuckle. However the talk of Phoenix's Raevan and their imminent arrival certainly shifted the tide, and all three members of the Holmes clan looked attentively across the table, eyes bright and smiles wide. Phoenix mirrored a lot of her own woes - ones she was certain matched other would-be guardians'.
"Yeah, that's the trick." Claire curled her fingers around her tea with a smile. "Especially because you really don't know what to expect. I mean.. things turned out better than I had hoped but I wasn't sure if Lorin was going to look like a teenager, a child, or elderly. I wasn't even sure if he would be male or female." She laughed and tapped her fingers against the glass. "I think.. going with the basics works the best, and you can work out the frills together. That was what stopped me from getting too far ahead with Lorin, so when he came along, I had him help me pick out things he might like. And y'know, throw in a few goodies of your own here and there."
"I got sheets with a jungle on it! And lotsa frog stuffies." The honey Frei exclaimed proudly, turning to Zoe. "We can play with 'em when you visit!" The prospect of new friends coming to his house was so very exciting, and he could not wait to introduce his whole gang of stuffed animals to Zoe! Aaron and Claire continued to be charmed by the excitement demonstrated by Phoenix and Zoe - Claire certainly had much of the same excitement.
"A sharp kiddo you got there," Aaron chimed in, grinning at Zoe. "Glad you were thinking on your toes there! However did you do it?" His tone was playful, as though he were conducting a TV interview with the child.
"It can take a while for them to arrive, sometimes," Claire tagged with a note of sympathy in her voice; she had been just as excited (and anxious) for months. "From what I've heard though, it's different for everyone."
"Lorin took about.. what?" Aaron looked at Claire for confirmation. "Nine months or so?" He gave a jolt and shook his head, waving a hand. "Don't let that discourage you or anything though! I mean.. obviously it's totally worth it. But just fair warning that you might be in for a bit of a wait." Lorin listened to the adults explain everything, leaning forward over the table to see the changes in expression on his papa as he spoke. This was a subject he had not quite broached before with them, but he had known that they had waited a long time for him - but from the way his mama had spoken, she had been waiting even longer for her. He wondered what that meant. The moment was interrupted by the arrival of the server, notepad at the ready.
"Is everyone ready to order? What can I get for you this evening?" Claire and Aaron glanced at each other again - they had been so caught up in conversation that they had forgotten to look at the menus.
"Why don't you guys go first?" Aaron said, scooping his menu up. Lorin's rune gave a soft pulse of light at the idea of food, and he placed a hand to his torso over it as it lit up his sweater vest.
"D'you got grapefruit?" Lorin asked, shifting in his seat to smile up at the server excitedly. "And lemons? I want those." The server looked uncertainly at Claire and Aaron before her eyes grazed downward, and she jolted herself - no lower half, of course.
"Those'll be fine," Claire assured her with what she hoped was an encouraging smile, and picked up the menu to peruse quickly herself. The server continued to look a bit dubious but she wrote it down anyway and looked over to Phoenix and Zoe with a tremulous smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:21 pm
Phoenix nodded in agreement. They had settled on very little for the time being, and everything they had gotten was quite simple. They'd trade in anything that was unsatisfactory if necessary. But he knew more shopping would be on the horizon. Not that he minded it, and he knew Zoe would be eager to take her new Raevan sibling shopping for lots of neat things.
"Oh!" Zoe seemed pleased with the idea of playing with Lorin and his toys. "Frogs are neat. Do you like lizards?"
The father-daughter pair beamed identically at Aaron's compliment. "I made him, that's how," Zoe said proudly.
This pulled a laugh from Phoenix. "Yeah, she didn't really give me much of a choice. She sort of took off running from the boat." He looked slightly exasperated at the memory.
Before Phoenix could say anything about the wait -- something he was dreading for Zoe's sake mainly -- the server came for their orders. He bumped Zoe with his elbow, signaling for her to order first. "Can I have the lasagna, please?" She asked politely, then looked up at her dad once the woman had written down her order.
"I'll have the penne al forno, please," Phoenix requested. As soon as he had ordered, he glanced over at Lorin. Every Raevan he'd met ate such different things. Just one more thing that was a mystery about his future Raevan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 11:01 pm
The window of time provided by the waitress addressing Phoenix and Zoe for their orders was plenty, and Aaron snapped his menu shut, stacking it on top of Claire's.
"I think lasagna sounds mighty fine," he agreed, flashing a grin at Zoe. "I'll have that too." Claire passed the menus over to the server's waiting hands.
"Shrimp primavera for me, please." She smiled, until she gasped softly as she remembered something. "Oh, could you bring out the lemons as soon as you can?" The server's face scrunched in confusion. "Like.. an appetizer, I suppose?" Claire rested her hand on Lorin's shoulder.
"No problem," she said after a moment, her smile back quick as a flash, before she excused herself with, "back in a second!" Lorin's rune was duller but his energy, to Claire's eyes, had not faded outwardly, and he continued to hover excitedly in his seat, eyes dancing between Phoenix and Zoe.
"What kinda soul didja get?" he asked them, curiosity radiating from every feature. "Papa told me it was on your trip. Where'd you go?" Just like his mama, Zoe seemed to know where to go and what to do, and Lorin was duly impressed with her. He leaned forward, eager to hear everything about their adventure. Zoe's papa had looked a little tired and worn when he had first brought up the event but now there was laughter - surely everything was fine, now that their Raevan was going to be arriving soon. His small head teemed with ideas on what it could be, but before he could ask another question, Claire pulled him back as the server arrived with his tiny salad plate of lemon wedges. Distracted by the need for food, he busied himself immediately with them after a stifled "thank you!", eliciting a laugh from his parents and the server as well before she departed.
"Sorry," Claire said apologetically, "when his energy is low, he goes straight for the goods." Lorin's happy chewing slowed as he felt eyes on him.
"Did y'want some?" he asked after a beat. How rude it had been not to share!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 2:25 pm
Phoenix chuckled at Lorin's enthusiasm over the lemons. "I understand," he gave the small Raevan a wink. "You and I have that in common."
"Dad is always eating," Zoe revealed seriously. "He likes food too much." Phoenix snorted and choked on his tea, wiping the droplets from his beard and wondering what was really so wrong with that.
Recovering from the mess with as much grace as he could muster, Phoenix opted to change the topic back to the question Lorin had asked before the server had brought the plate of lemons. "Honey bear, why don't you tell them? It's your story to tell, after all."
Zoe peacocked again. How proud she was of herself for being responsible for the whole incident was written all over every feature. "It was a hippocampus," she began, looking between everyone at the table to see their reactions. "Like a big sea horse. It saved a bunch of people!"
"We were on vacation in Greece," Phoenix clarified, and Zoe turned to him with a withering look for having interrupted. He raised his hands in sheepish apology, allowing her to continue.
"Like I was saying," she emphasized, glancing back at her dad once more. "It saved a bunch of people. But it got hurt." She looked down at her glass of milk. "So we helped it." She finished her story bluntly, as if that should explain it all. She assumed they could figure out what that meant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 12:58 pm
The Holmes clan leaned forward in various stages of interest, Lorin's munching the soundtrack as Zoe took the stage to share her story. Claire rested her chin between her palms as Zoe went on, proudly declaring the soul they had chosen, and she sat up.
"Hippocampus?" Aaron asked, a line forming between his brows before Zoe explained.
"Amazing," Claire said, breathless for a moment as her chin hovered above her hands. "I'd heard of them but.." Much like the leshy, the hippocampus had been a childhood story filed safely away into fairy tales and legends. Her own soul capture encounter told her that things in the realm of legend were not just that. But the moment of amazement passed as the tone became more somber and Zoe's eyes focused on her glass of milk, and Claire folded her hands on the tabletop. Troubling, and very similar to her own. Aaron shifted next to her, worried eyes casting between Phoenix and Zoe. Lorin's chewing had long since ceased and he held the lemon peel between his hands, eyes concerned and wide.
"Damn," was all he said, a nervous hand combing through his hair. "That must have been hard." His words were mostly for Phoenix and he met his eyes with a sympathetic glance.
"You did a very good thing." Claire's voice was soft and she spoke more to Zoe than Phoenix, but she flashed a smile at the man briefly before continuing. "I'm sure the hippocampus would be proud of you, too, especially because that kind of thing is really hard." One hand disengaged and rested atop Zoe's. "I had to do the same with the leshy." She swallowed against a thickening throat. Lorin looked concernedly between Zoe and Claire, and his gaze grew watery at the sadness welling from his mother's tone at her memory of the capture and the bluntness of Zoe's finished story. He set the wedge on his plate and reached another hand out, patting it on top of Zoe and Claire's hands. His fingers were sticky.
"And you're gonna have a sister soon 'cause of it, right?" he asked Zoe, eyes still watery through his smile. "The hippocammus would be real happy, I think." It felt weird, hearing Claire address the leshy soul inside of him. He knew himself how he felt, but he wondered if the leshy felt any differently. What he did know is that he loved his mama dearly, and he felt that Phoenix and Zoe's future Raevan would too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
