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 Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:26 pm
Who: Shoshana, Phoenix (Beerrito), Ethiriel and Henry (NeonMace)
Where: Phoenix's apartment in Durem
When: Midday Thursday, early October
Weather: Sunny but still a bit chilly - - - - - The phone call had been mysterious and vague. Ever the tease, Phoenix had insisted on keeping Shoshana's birth a secret during the conversation. He had left it simple. He had a surprise to show Henry and Ethiriel, and he wanted to invite them over for lunch. He made sure to include that they had plenty of tea and fruit for Ethiriel, as those were staples in the Argyris household. He had refused to divulge any more information than that.
"Your friend, he will be here soon, yes?" The Frei hovered over Phoenix's shoulder as he busied himself making melon balls. Shoshana had been buzzing with excitement ever since hearing that Phoenix wanted to introduce her to his friends. She liked meeting new people.
Phoenix chuckled, dropping the fruit in a decorative bowl. "They should be!" He beamed. "They're due here any minute. Do you want to wait by the door so that you can surprise them?" He grinned devilishly. What better way to break the news?
Shoshana's fins twitched as she smiled. Without a word she disappeared from the kitchen, floating through the living room to wait near the door. She looked down at the pit bull laying on the floor. "Don't jump, okay?" She reminded Dio, lowering herself to the floor to pat his head.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:02 pm
Over the phone, Henry was able to mask his negative emotions well enough despite still sounding much more tame than usual. Phoenix's cryptic invitation had certainly goaded curiosity into the nurse, but for the life of him he couldn't keep as upbeat as he normally would have.
Ethiriel, having been fretting and worrying over her guardian since the incident, was sure to stay by his side whenever he would allow -- she knew of her pheromones, her calming aura, and wanted to offer peace and solace to the man as much as she could. The silver Raevan knew more than anyone just how suffocating it was to be around others constantly while down, and while she didn't want to smother Henry, she didn't know what else to do. All the Sigel wanted to do was offer him the same courtesy that the nurse had offered her in her darkest hours, even if she didn't know quite how to do that.
The car ride was silent with no music, which had become the norm for traveling as of late. It allowed Ethiriel to think without disruption, so while the air was thick and tension was high, in a way she appreciated it.
With linked arms, Henry led the Sigel to Phoenix's front door and knocked twice, as if on queue once Shoshana approached the other side. Idly, his free hand found its way to Ethiriel's against his other arm, squeezing gently as he tried to fix his expression from grave to at least content -- which was much harder than it seemed. The Raevan's expression was rather grave as well, but given her resting expression it merely showed as concern.
However, there was an interesting and new scent being masked by the door...
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:28 pm
The knock at the door startled Dio into jumping up and whining eagerly. Shoshana immediately went to him, running her hands through his fur and shushing him gently. "No jumping," she said again, giving him another pat. She straightened herself up and floated to her usual height, then opened the door.
"Hello, friends!" It hadn't occurred to her as she immediately greeted the pair before the door was even fully open that someone else might be there. Luckily for her, 'friends' was accurate, and it was in fact who they had been expecting.
Ignoring the dog who jumped in place behind her, Shoshana floated into the doorway to hover directly in front of Henry and Ethiriel. "You are the nurse, yes?" She smiled at Henry before her attention was drawn to Ethiriel. Shamelessly she stared, unblinking as usual at the beautiful Sigel. "You are the tea maiden!" She spoke in low tones, in awe at her.
Phoenix had explained to Shoshana Ethiriel's blindness, and she had prepared appropriately, asking if she may borrow something silver so that she could be seen in a way. It had taken some digging, but Phoenix had found a plain silver necklace he hadn't worn in more years than he cared to count. It hung from her neck now.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 5:26 pm
As the door opened and Shoshana's scent wafted out, Ethiriel could only stare wide eyed at the silver chain hanging from the Frei's neck. She couldn't place the new Raevan's scent exactly, but it was very distinct and strong. Her expression faltered from concern to surprise, awe.
Henry's expression couldn't help but waver as well as he stared in confusion at Shoshana's greetings. Arms almost going slack, his jaw hung slightly open and his heart beat hard. "Oh," he stammered, trying to fix his expression. So Phoenix's Raevan finally grew... "Y-yeah, I'm Henry. This is Ethiriel--"
"Greetings--"
While the nurse couldn't quite seem to figure out what expression he should exactly wear, he was excited for Phoenix that his Raevan grew, but with his mixed emotions he couldn't proclaim his joy like he once could have. When was the last time he met up with the man...? Ah, right; before the breakup...
"It's good to meet you," Henry finally said, settling on a torn smile. He had also taken note of the silver necklace hanging from Shoshana's neck, giving Phoenix mental props for remembering. Clearing his throat, the nurse nodded. "What can we call you...?"
While Henry tried to correct himself and start conversation, Ethiriel paid close attention to his tone and what body language she could feel just by being connected to his arm. He was tense, she could feel, and her brows knit with worry -- she tried her best to fix her expression as well, as she smiled politely at Shoshana and nodded.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 5:40 pm
The Frei didn't seem put off in the slightest by the confusion or Henry's body language. Her excitement over meeting new people clouded her understanding of others' emotions. Henry. Ethiriel. Phoenix had told her, of course, but she'd already forgotten.
"I am Shoshana," she introduced, her accent dripping from each syllable. She wanted to hover more, examining the Sigel in the hallway, but she drifted backward into the apartment to let them in.
Just as she did so, Phoenix emerged from the kitchen drying his hands on a dish towel. He beamed when he saw the pair had arrived. "Henry! Ethiriel!" He exclaimed, pausing to toss the rag over his shoulder onto the kitchen counter. He crossed the living room to his guests. "Surprise," he said, waggling his eyebrows.
Shoshana floated toward her guardian, eyes wide. "The tea maiden is so beautiful!" She said in hushed tones, wings fluttering. "And your friend is quite handsome, yes?" Phoenix laughed heartily.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 5:52 pm
"Sho--shana," both Henry and Ethiriel said in unison, the Sigel offering a dip of her head while the nurse offered a tired smile and a silent exhale. As they were led into the apartment, with the Frei turned away, Henry's expression fell back into the borderline between neutral and upset.
Until Phoenix came into view -- Henry's heart skipped a beat when he saw the man, just as attractive as ever. No, the nurse reminded himself. No.
"Yeah, surprise...!" he responded, trying to sound upbeat. It was definitely a good surprise and Phoenix seemed happy enough, so Henry felt like he should be overjoyed for the man, but it was just... hard. His smile was forced but it was a smile nonetheless. "That's great...! I'm happy for you, man." His sullen tone was more obvious in person.
With Shoshana's outburst of compliments, Ethiriel smiled a little more naturally. "You sound very lovely, yourself, Shoshana. It is good that you're finally here with us."
For Henry, however... he felt anything but handsome. In fact, he felt undesirable, cast away, thrown aside. Still, he tried to smile a little easier and he nodded his head. "You're lovely, yourself," he mindlessly repeated, shoving his free hand into his pocket as the other held fast to Ethiriel. "How long...?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:06 pm
"It's only been a few days. I would have called you sooner, but we wanted to give her some time to settle in." He smiled at Henry, but it faded slightly when his friend's tone sunk in. He hadn't noticed his expression at first, given his own excitement when he'd walked into the room, but now it was plain as day.
Still oblivious, owing mainly to the fact that she was entirely fixated on Ethiriel, Shoshana smiled. "You want tea, yes?" She offered hopefully. She may not have remembered their names, but she remembered what Phoenix had told her about them. They'd already boiled water, and there was always iced tea in the fridge if that was preferred. Her gaze fixed on Ethiriel's curious-colored eyes, then swept over her wings. Not like hers at all!
"You okay, man?" Phoenix asked Henry quietly, though it was clear he wasn't. "Do you want to step outside?" Shoshana was a little bit more familiar with people now, so he wasn't as concerned about leaving her alone with Ethiriel if the Sigel was comfortable with it. He had to admit it helped that she wouldn't be able to see Shoshana staring. She hadn't quite gotten over that yet.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:57 am
Henry gave a smile and exhaled through his nose, giving a simple nod. "Understandable," was all he said, his gaze drifting to the two Raevans as they interacted.
"Oh," Ethiriel chirped, her smile starting to bloom a little more naturally, easier, "I would love some, thank you, Shoshana." The Sigel did prefer hot tea over cold, and while she still had a preference over plain ol' hot water for the time being, the silver Raevan appreciated the offer. It wasn't until what Henry said next that the upturned corners of her mouth threatened to fall.
Letting out a bemused scoff, mostly at himself, Henry raised an arm to scratch his scalp just below his bun. He hadn't meant for his mood to be so apparent, but it had been so long since he'd really felt this down about anything he wasn't sure of how to hide it -- he was never good at masking his emotions.
"Nah, nah..." A sigh. "Candice left me, is all. I've... just been pretty down about it, that's all." he said softly, but with Ethiriel's heightened sense of hearing, she caught it clear as day. The nurse tried to offer Phoenix a smile, but it was half-hearted at best -- for the most part, at least in the public eye, Henry had gotten his crying out of the way and, to be honest, he felt rather dried up at this point.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:10 am
The sudden reveal of the more than unfortunate news had Phoenix blinking in shock. Candice? The same Candice Henry had planned to propose to? Just like that?
Fortunately, Shoshana was completely oblivious to the topic of conversation. Had she been listening, a whole slew of questions would have followed. Who is Candice? Why are you sad about Candice? But her focus was on tea for the moment, and she nodded firmly at Ethiriel. "I will get tea," she said kindly, before floating off to the kitchen.
"Henry, I'm so sorry," Phoenix said, his face twisting with hurt for his friend. What did you even say to someone that had just been dropped out of a serious, long-term relationship like that? He knew what he'd wanted to hear when it had been him, and that was as good a start as any. "We don't have to talk about it, or we can. Whatever helps," he said gently. "And I've got a lot of wine in the kitchen if you wanna just cut loose and let it all out. I'm sure Ethiriel can drive you home just fine," he joked lightly. But he followed it with an warm smile.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 1:23 pm
While Shoshana went to prepare the tea, Ethiriel took the opportunity to hover closer to the two men. Having managed to catch a glimpse of the silver chain clinging to the back of Phoenix's neck, her delicate fingers fumbled onto his shoulder with a gentle grip -- offering a gentle, sympathetic smile to Henry, she gave a nod once she felt the cook's head turn.
"It's... it's fine. Thanks for worrying, man. We can talk about it later--" it was clear that Henry was defeated by this, the usual pep in his step was gone and his voice was deflated. "We're here for Shoshana and Ethiriel to meet; it needs to be a happy occasion."
Ethiriel's smile faded, but her hand remained on Phoenix's shoulder. "Do not ignore your feelings for our sake, regardless of intention, Henry..." she said softly -- she knew how damaging, how much it hurt to hold everything back, and the Sigel knew that Henry didn't deserve to do that to himself. With her free hand, she reached out and placed her hand against the nurse's arm so that she was gently touching both men. "It does not have to be discussed now, but... he just wants to help. I understand if you don't want to speak of it now."
Expression faltering, Henry glanced away with a subtle nod, even though he knew Ethiriel couldn't see it. Correcting himself after a moment of silence, he added, "Yeah, yeah... It's best left for later." Trying to smile again, he glanced between his friend and companion. "Sorry to bring down the mood."
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:37 pm
Phoenix hesitated. He wanted to help his friend, but Henry seemed pretty certain that he didn't want to discuss the matter further at the moment. Maybe he could pull him aside later. Phoenix knew for certain he didn't want Shoshana involved in the discussion. She would be sure to ask too many questions, not having learned boundaries and that her questions would likely do more harm than good. "We'll talk later, yeah?" He offered softly.
Shoshana reappeared then, floating slowly into the room so as not to spill the tea she was carrying in both hands. "Tea!" She announced proudly, hovering in front of Ethiriel.
The tea reminded Phoenix, and he turned back to Henry with a reassuring smile. "You hungry, buddy?" Food might help, at least for the time being.
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Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 11:13 pm
Offering a tired, torn smile, Henry nodded as he gave Phoenix a hearty pat to the back of his shoulder. He definitely didn't feel like talking about it at the exact moment -- Shoshana being a definite factor but, admittedly, so was Ethiriel. This was supposed to be a happy get together so that the two Raevans could meet and become friends, and it certainly wasn't the time or place to be talking about heartbreak.
Henry had glanced to the sand Raevan as she approached, instinctively reaching out his hands in case of spillage but not drawing closer. Her enthusiasm was charming, the nurse had to admit.
"Thank you, Shoshana," Ethiriel hummed, enjoying the scent as it wafted from the cups. Henry mimicked the sentiment, but it was the Sigel who approached -- she didn't offer her arms as she normally would; the sound of ceramic against metal as the cups gently moved against the flat surface suggested to her that both of the Frei's hands were spoken for, so instead she offered a smile.
The nurse hummed in a knee-jerk response, brows raised as he glanced back to Phoenix. The corner of his mouth rose in a silent breath and he gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah. We haven't really eaten anything yet today."
Speaking of; the nurse idly wondered if Shoshana's methods of feeding had come into light yet.
"Then I suppose it is time for us all to sit and enjoy each others' company," Ethiriel stated, holding out a hand for someone to take. She didn't know this home. Henry was the first to react, taking her arm gently -- he'd been here before a couple of times, but the nurse waited for Phoenix to lead them to the dining room out of respect.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 5:57 pm
Had it been warmer out, Phoenix would have suggested they eat outside. He had little in the way of patio furniture set up, but he had extra folding chairs and the view outside was quite nice. But, as it was on the colder side, they were better suited to eat indoors.
The living and dining areas occupied the same room, separated only by a step up behind the couch to a wooden-floored area that housed a long table and two china cabinets. The table overlooked the sliding glass door, so the sunlight poured in over the dining set and made for a very pleasant place to eat.
Practically vibrating with excitement, Shoshana floated backward towards the kitchen. "I will bring food," she said firmly, disappearing into the next room to start retrieving plates of food.
With Shoshana starting that, Phoenix gestured towards the table, which had already been set. "We made a lot," he said sheepishly as he stepped up to the table to pull out the chairs for his guests. "Wanted there to be options. So please, go crazy." As he spoke, Shoshana appeared with a large salad bowl firmly grasped between both hands. She sat it on the table, looking more than pleased with herself, before disappearing once more to retrieve another dish.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:13 am
Henry didn't so much mind the cold, but Ethiriel was another matter. The Sigel wasn't very vocal about her discomforts -- she never had been -- but the nurse knew better and would have suggested indoors as well. Even despite his own emotions, his first priority, for the moment, was his ward.
The man couldn't help but give a tired smirk at Shoshana's eagerness, watching the Frei float off into the kitchen with determination. At Phoenix's explanation of food, Henry decided it would be best to help the Raevan gather food and set the table rather than standing awkwardly in place. "I'm sure it'll be great," he said, taking Ethiriel's hand and leading her to the table as she was unfamiliar with the layout of the house. She took it gratefully at sat at her then designated spot. Henry, on the other hand, had wandered into the kitchen behind Shoshana.
"Thank you for inviting us, Phoenix," said the Sigel softly, staring straight before her. Even when she wasn't familiar with a place, she did enjoy going out to meet others.
With a plate in one hand and a bowl in the other, Henry emerged from the kitchen and set the table with an uncharacteristically neutral expression. "Everything does look good," he said, trying to lift his voice. "But yeah, thanks for inviting us over. It's nice to finally meet Shoshana," Henry said as he glanced behind him towards the kitchen.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 9:39 pm
Even with the heavy air of things being pushed back to focus on the good things happening, the rest of the meal went without too much excitement (except for Shoshana's own personal excitement, perhaps) and no mishaps. The food was good, the company was better, and the four enjoyed themselves for as much time as they could.
After the lot of them had filled up as much as they could and spent more time chatting and getting to know each other, much of which consisted of Shoshana asking Ethiriel all about her and asking Henry all about his job, eventually the gathering had to end. After their guests left, Phoenix and Shoshana worked together cleaning up and putting away the leftovers. Phoenix thought to himself while he washed the dishes how glad he was he'd become a part of Lab, not just because of the obvious birth of his new daughter, but because of the friends they were all making. And Shoshana simply gushed with new information and excitement at everything her short life had given her thus far. Fin.
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