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 Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 8:23 pm
Who: Ethiriel and Cesc
When: Mid-afternoon, February 25
Where: Outside Gambino General Hospital
Weather: Cold, snow still on the ground and grey clouds threatening more
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Azucar nodded off somewhere after the first rerun of "The Candlelit Shadows" that the two watched in the hospital room. Rhedefre lingered, in case the detective woke up, well into the second episode that aired. A hospital nurse came in and murmured at him, checking the detective's vitals, and then retreated, and Cesc was left to silence and the niggling annoyance that the producers of the network would air two non-sequential episodes of the wildly popular soap.
Oh, well. He'd have to ask Vivi how the threads in the first episode tied off, he thought to himself as he left the hospital. The air outside was biting and cold, and Cesc zipped his hoodie up high, shoving his hands into his pockets. His mind was clouded with possibilities for the rest of the day.
He looked down at himself, at the grey sweatpants he'd stolen from Shep, at the absurd brown wingtips he'd had no choice but to pair with it. He needed to buy pants. And shoes.
s**t.
Did his credit card still work? He hoped beyond hope someone else had dealt with his financials in the past two months. That would certainly not be a pleasant thing to deal with.
Cesc hadn't turned his phone on yet, either. He wasn't ready to face what waited for him there, the unread texts and emails that were almost certain to overwhelm him.
Maybe, he thought with resignation, he should just go back to the bakery and ask for some help with all the above. Coming back from the dead, or at least the presumed dead, was a massive headache.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 8:59 pm
Ethiriel had tried to take Cruz's suggestions to heart, to talk over Leo about her own happiness in her new life with others, but it was still difficult to get a word in edgewise when it came to their discussions. Sure, after the Sigel had called her former guardian out on his conduct in the car about a week and a half prior, he seemed to have fallen back into old habits. Would he ever run out of things about himself to talk about? Then again, he was getting repetitive on certain subjects, so Ethiriel mostly just chose to nod along when necessary.
"So when did you start volunteering?"
The first question about the Raevan asked since he first forced himself back into Ethiriel's life. She glanced towards him, a brow raised, but she still couldn't convince herself to be impressed. Didn't she already tell him this...? Letting out a silent huff, she obliged, "Earlier this month. I enjoy it."
As Leo then took that opportunity to run with, Ethiriel froze in her tracks. It took the photographer a moment to notice, but he then turned to her with a perplexed expression. He called her name, but no outward response was given.
Though she couldn't see, an overly familiar scent permeated the air, sending Ethiriel's heart racing wildly. It had been months but she could easily place it, but it somehow came off stronger, more concentrated... Regardless of that fact...
He was here.
Cesc was here.
But... this is the hospital... Was he okay?
Hovering quickly past a very confused Leo, Ethiriel made her way past the automatic doors to be met with that wonderful, comforting, familiar scent hit like a wall. Unable to find her words or locate her friend with all the mixing aromas surrounding her, concern was obvious on the Raevan's face.
"Rhede...?!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:23 pm
The sound of his own name tore Rhedefre from his thoughts, and the Valsaros started at hearing it in the last place he expected to. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening, and looked around for the origin of the call. For the briefest moment, something in him told him to duck and cover, to jet out of the hospital, to hide in a bathroom. He'd already seen Iorek and Azucar this morning, and he was running close to the limits of his fortitude.
All thoughts of an early exit, however, stopped short when Cesc realized who'd called his name.
Ethiriel?
Through the ever-moving crowd of those entering and exiting, there she was, hurrying into the atrium of the hospital. There she was, casting about for him. Was she alone?
Wait, was she in scrubs?
Cesc blinked, nearly doing a double-take. Wait, wait. Did Eth work at the hospital?
His confusion could wait, he told himself sternly. And furthermore, there was a pretty easy way to figure out everything that was confusing him, and that was just asking her. Finding his voice, Cesc closed the distance to her with a few long steps. "Eth? Hey, I'm here. I'm right here," he called.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:35 pm
In that moment of Cesc over-thinking and trying to figure things out, Ethiriel almost made herself dizzy with worry. He wasn't answering; oh god, he wasn't answering. Too many people were moving around her without cease, and in her head, all she could want was for it to stop.
She wanted him to be okay.
"I'm right here."
Taking in a large breath, Ethiriel shakily reached forward until she found him -- there, solid, alive -- and before the stag could respond further, the tea Raevan's arms flung around his neck and held tight as she buried her eyes into his neck. She had yet to notice his change, but for now, her focus was just that he was there.
"Rh-Rhede...! I am so relieved...!" she cried into his shoulder, relaxing into him instinctively. As if on queue, the light, sweet smell of green tea surrounded them, causing a couple of onlookers to stop for a brief second before carrying on with their business. "I was so scared for you..."
"Cesc?"
Just behind Ethiriel came Leo, brows high despite his naturally bored expression. Aside from longer hair, the man looked about the same save for some darker bags beneath his blue eyes. "Wow, you grew too?"
For the moment, Ethiriel didn't read much into that comment -- the last Leo saw, Cesc was a Frei too.
Though there were no tears streaking her cheeks, Ethiriel's milky eyes held a gloss to them as she pulled away. Both hands planted softly on either of Cesc's shoulders, she looked to him with just as much worry as she had when searching for him. Her eyes wandered, still clinging to the hopes that there was something to land on, but they clung to the general direction of Cesc from the shoulders up.
"What are you doing at the hospital? What happened? Are you hurt?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:00 pm
Immediately, as she threw her arms around him, Cesc's own went out to brace her. He stiffened as she crashed against his larger form, his hands on her waist and then her back, holding her.
"I'm okay now. I'm home now," he told her, one hand moving to stroke her hair. His heart was in his throat: I was so scared for you, she'd said, giving voice to the fears, the experiences, of all his loved ones in the past two months. It was hellish. It was the worst part of coming back, knowing what his absence had cost those who loved him. Coming back from the brink, Cesc realized, entailed more apologizing than he ever would have thought.
"I'm sorry, Eth," he then said. "I wa--"
His words were cut off by the arrival of quite possibly the last person in the world he'd expected to see. Seeing the photographer was like watching the world in split-double vision, like looking into the Twilight Zone. Cesc blinked, his jaw slack, and stared unabashedly.
"Uh," he said intelligently, his grip loosening on Ethiriel. Had he slid into an alternate dimension? Had his exile placed him into a literal second ******** world? This a*****e, the one who'd abandoned Ethiriel, was somehow, by some sick joke, also at the hospital?
"Is he... with... you?" was about all he could manage, before his politeness caught huff-puffing up to him, and he let go of the tea Sigel with one of his hands and extended it to Leo with civility. His posture, still embracing Ethiriel with one hand, was still slightly protective. "Hi. Long time, no see."
He'd wait, he thought, for Ethiriel's reply before answering her own question.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 11:00 pm
Beneath Cesc's grip, Ethiriel stiffened at Leo's interjection and her friend's own reaction almost having forgotten that he was even there. The only movement she offered past that was a deflated huff. Closing her eyes, Ethiriel nodded once, though just looking at her was enough to show she wasn't exactly pleased.
Leo took Cesc's hand without question, but the stag's distant disposition wasn't missed. In response the man lightly scratched the back of his head, careful not to dislodge any hair tucked back into his ponytail. "Yeah. I, uh... yeah."
Ethiriel's subtle twitch of her brow expressed how unimpressed she was. Clinging to Cesc's arm, she turned her head enough for Leo to know she was addressing him in particular before speaking. "Thank you for the ride, Leonard. I believe I am able to handle it from here." While she had been trying to even out her disdain for the man and progress had been made on her part, it was possibly the most bitter Cesc had ever heard on the Sigel's dainty voice.
For a moment Leo deflated, glancing between Ethiriel and Cesc before offering a simple "okay" and a nod to the stag. Hesitance was clear, but with Cesc's protective stance and both the Raevan's expressions, he knew staying wasn't the best idea.
Ethiriel only eased once he was gone.
While the Sigel was still beyond relieved that Cesc was okay and seemingly unharmed, Ethiriel couldn't quite bring back the emotion she carried before as irritation tainted her expression. "I am... sorry..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 8:44 pm
Cesc offered Leo a tight-lipped smile as the man retreated, although Cesc really would have preferred the man to stay a little longer to explain himself. The entire situation seemed truly bizarre, lifting a few more questions (in lieu of explanations) from the back of Cesc's brain.
"Eth, what's going on?" the stag asked the moment the automatic doors shut behind Leonard, pulling away from the tea Sigel to look more fully at her face. All he could discern in her expression was a guarded sort of irritation. For the first time since he'd known her, Ethiriel looked almost petulant in her aggravation.
Cesc pressed: "Is something going on with Henry? Is everything ok with him? Or--you're not--Leo didn't exercise some kind of--previous--I don't know--" He broke the train of thought, guiding Ethiriel to the lobby chairs with a gentle touch to her arm. They navigated the distance in a matter of seconds, and Rhedefre led her to a seat with another motion. "Wait. C'mere, sit with me, tell me what's going on."
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Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 9:53 pm
Not until Leo was gone did Ethiriel relax, again her pheromones kicking in on their own. She was beyond glad to get rid of the man -- she hated her behavior around him, but it was so difficult to compose herself when all he did was annoy.
Eyes opening wide at Cesc's flurry of concerns, the Sigel quickly shook her head as she was led towards the lobby. She followed easily, floating along silently beside -- what was that, feet...? The sound being so steadily close caused Ethiriel to c**k her head and instinctively glance down and around, but as soon as she had noticed, they were seated. Her aggravated expression softened into emotional exhaustion.
"Do not fret, Henry is fine... He-- I--" Ethiriel interrupted herself with a disgruntled sigh through her nose, eyes fruitlessly searching Cesc's face... area. "Leonard... just showed up one day. He said he wanted to make amends... He has not tried to take me back, but that is something he would never achieve anyway. I will never go back..."
Especially at Leo's rate.
Despite suggesting Cesc not worry, the aforementioned emotion suddenly sprang back to Ethiriel's face as she began searching the stag's arms, shoulders and face. "That is not what is important now! Please, are you well? You are not injured, are you?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 8:30 pm
"Make amends?" Cesc repeated as Ethiriel pronounced the words, his brow furrowing. He leaned toward her, resting his elbow on his thigh, trying to parse the situation. So Leo, that irresponsible douchebag shitcan of a guardian, did at least have enough of a soul to realize what he did was wrong, and that Eth--surprise--had more value to her than to just be tossed aside on a whim. "And you're... not... excited about that, huh?"
Yeah. But Eth was clearly not having any of the man's apologies, if her face was anything to go by. Cesc tilted an eyebrow up as he looked at her, watching her distinct disapproval of having had to even see Leo as briefly as he'd shown himself earlier.
As she switched from her problem to his, however, Cesc straightened, his mouth opening in a quick denial. "I'm not hurt. I'm alright. I--I'm ok; I'm not here for me. Just visiting someone."
He paused, unsure how to continue. Explanation and excuse were impossible, but so too was telling her the whole story. Clumsily gathering one of her hands in his, he let out a noise of hesitation and continued at length: "I got... I got into some trouble, but that's over now. I'm sorry if I made you worry. It looks like you've got a lot on your plate right now, even without what--what happened with me. But I'm here, I'm alright."
It was a vague sort of comfort, Rhedefre knew, but it was about as specific as he wanted to get at the moment.
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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:41 am
For now, the only sign that Ethiriel had registered Cesc's question was a subtle twitch of her features. Leo was... trying; she couldn't deny that. The Sigel needed to give credit where credit was due, but for the moment, the topic had successfully shifted and she would take that gratefully.
"Thank heavens..." she said softly, visibly relaxing. Ethiriel knew Cesc had leaned in, his scent closer to her face. It embarrassed her how much she enjoyed it, how much she didn't want him to move away, but they were just friends and she asked for this in return for his safety. Well, he was safe, so she had to honor that -- and, even then, he didn't feel the same way for her, so she had to relent regardless. "You need not apologize, Rhede... I am just relieved to hear that you are fine! But... hm..."
In that brief moment she trailed, glancing off towards the nurse's station where they had kindly set out some silver to ground Ethiriel. On her skin she could feel the thick fabric of her scrubs and knew that if she were to stay, she would have to leave soon.
The Sigel returned her gaze toward Cesc and gave him a smile. "If... if you are not opposed to the idea, I would like to request I leave for the day. That is, if you do not have business to attend to..." Ethiriel hadn't even realized that she never explained what she was doing here; Cesc had been gone since before she began volunteering, so it wasn't going to be common knowledge for him. Still, she could always explain later if he still wanted to hang out.
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:39 pm
Explained or not, the context of Ethiriel's scrubs in a hospital, coupled with the fact that Leo had seemed only too willing to leave her at its entrance, had clued Cesc in to Ethiriel's occupation, paid or not. As she spoke her desire to leave, blood drained from the Valsaros' face. It had been a trying day--a trying several months--and he was not to his usual stamina. Part of him did not especially wish to leave her; their proximity called to mind a time when he was much younger and smaller, softer around the edges and more easily raw. Leo's presence, too, strengthened the memory. She'd helped him then. It was a kindness.
But he was not yet ready even for help. There was no confession possible, nothing in his veins but a quiet desire to breathe deep in a dark and quiet room. He had not yet finished resting, selfish as it felt. Azucar--his debt to Azucar he'd had to begin to pay, but for his debt to all his friends he was not yet solvent.
And more than that, further than that, there was the matter of Ethiriel in her scrubs, at the entrance of a hospital.
"Ethiriel," said Cesc, gently squeezing her hand. "You're in scrubs. You're either volunteering or you're working--and people are depending on your help here. You can't bail because I'm home." There was a quiet warmth in his voice as he continued. "I'll stay until your shift starts? Tell me about what's happening with Leo. You don't have any call to forgive him if you don't want to. You know that, don't you? Or to see him at all, if he's bothering you to this extent."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 10:36 am
She deflated as Cesc dismissed the idea of her following, but with his tone and dismissal, the Sigel figured it was for the best. He didn't want to spend time together at the moment, at least not extensively, so she would give him that. After all, she bargained for his safety.
The silver Raevan fixed her face and offered Cesc a gentle smile, sympathetic, as she tried to hide her disdain for Leo at the current moment. While she didn't disagree, his first sentiment was glossed over other than the fact that he only wanted to be around for a few minutes, and instead she focused on his next set of concerns.
"He... wishes to make amends for his past behavior. It is commendable, but he does not know how to do so properly... He only ever speaks of himself and his accomplishments, and invites himself into activities that were supposed to only be with Henry and myself." She paused for a moment, her free fingers rubbing and tracing her companion's hands. "I... do not feel the need to accept him. He has... hurt me too much. I do not have the heart to send him away, however."
Ethiriel sighed, deflating again. Her expression had defaulted to neutral as she stared before her -- even her hands stopped working.
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:22 pm
Cesc listened to her and straightened, his palms flat on his knees, as he considered her situation. He was no fan of Leo. The word 'coward' didn't even begin to describe a man who'd returned Ethiriel to the Lab's care like an idiot would a dog to a shelter, with a shrug and a flimsy, bullshit excuse. On one hand, Rhedefre reasoned with some annoyance that his doing so had saved Eth a life of neglect--better for him to give up than try and fail ad infinitum--but the hurt he'd caused her, the marks he'd left on her psyche...
But his forgiveness was not what Leo needed. It was Eth's. And for her own sake, Rhedefre did wonder, just wonder if forgiving and releasing him would allow her to fully move on.
But to do such a thing? She would have to have the purest goddamn heart in the world, Cesc thought to himself.
"I'm glad the son of a b***h knows he did wrong," said Cesc warmly. And I'm glad he's trying to make amends. But, hey. You don't have to forgive him on his time. And you don't have to listen to him, or agree that he should come with you on things set out for you and Henry. He didn't make time for you then--you don't have to now. If he tells you he's fine? Tell him you're fine, too. You've got a family that loves you now. If you don't have the heart to send him away, have the heart to let him see what the a*****e missed."
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Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:28 pm
Unable to keep from an amused scoff, Ethiriel held her breath at Cesc's choice of words for Leo, brows knit but a smile on her bitten lips. It seemed as if everyone around her had good advice for her situation and the Sigel desperately appreciated it, but it was so much harder to pull through than she could ever explain with words. Her expression softened and she smiled for Cesc, gently searching for a hand on his knee to lightly collect. The moment they touched, however, her brows lifted in surprise and mindlessly she glanced down.
"Rhede, you...?" Ethiriel gasped, her hand leaving his for just a moment to rest flat on his leg. She let out a laugh, reaching for his hand once more. "Oh my goodness, congratulations! No wonder your scent was so strong! This is amazing!"
It took a moment for the high of the situation to calm back down, her aura bright and strong with her excitement. The discussion at hand was still happening, and she needed to put her feelings into words.
"I suppose he is... trying. I must put forth that effort, as well," she said assuredly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Even if it does not work out, I believe that this is a situation where one would apply 'it is the thought that counts?'" This time, her sentence was decorated with a gentle laugh, though she was hardly convinced of the sentiment, herself.
Despite the laugh, Ethiriel's brows knit once more as she blindly searched for his face in the darkness. Even though he was here, beneath her fingers, living and breathing, a ping of worry still settled within her that she couldn't shake. "And you are sure that you are fine...?" the Sigel asked, hardly wanting to keep the topic on Leo or herself.
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