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 Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 2:15 pm
Who: Cruz & Anita (Snoof) / Laurel & Oliver (Bouquet)
Where: At Oliver's home in Barton
When: Late November, mid-afternoon on a weekend
Weather: A chilly evening with a faint drizzle
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Lab 305's callsheets were a welcomed blessing and a well tread resource when it came to their household. Each updated sheet offered the promise of new faces and even new friends.
There were many new additions to the sheet with the latest updated, but one that stuck out also included a raevan's name which meant they had just recently come out of the tank. The guardian was a name neither Cruz nor Anita recognized, or at least neither of them could recall having bumped into someone by the name at any number of the parties the lab held. That was quite an unfortunate circumstance, Cruz decided, and with permission from Anita the sigel called up one Oliver Kipling to bridge the gap.
While the conversation was not overly long, it did present some interesting information; Mister Kipling was a teacher in Barton, which would make it extremely convenient to visit Aina and her family afterward, but also that his raevan charge was practically brand spanking new and he could appreciate any advice he could get. The added benefit, of course, was socializing the new frei and Cruz was always eager for new friends. Anita took over the rest of the details with Oliver; together they ironed out the how's and when's, and before Cruz knew it they were set to visit once the weekend rolled around. Directions to Oliver's house were simple enough; they set out before noon to catch the ferry from Gambino to the mainland.
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:04 pm
Oliver wasn't aware of the callsheets when Cruz called, but was more than pleased to arrange a meeting. Although Laurel had only been born a few days before, Oliver was certain that Laurel was ready to meet another Raevan. He'd already bonded very well with Yves' Raevan, Yuri, so he couldn't see why he couldn't get acquainted with someone else. The sooner he made friends the better!
He happily chatted and relayed directions before hanging up and taking a look around the house. It seemed tidy enough for guests, but maybe a quick sweep would give it some more life? He hummed in thought. "Was that Yves?" Laurel asked, his head peering up from behind the couch. He'd been lazing again, his brand new striped sweater all too comfortable to ignore, and only stirred when Oliver moved across the room. "Is Yuri coming over?""Oh, there you are!" Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "No, actually, it was someone I've never spoken to before. His name was Cruz and he's a Raevan just like you.""No way!" Laurel chimed, moving to lean over the couch. "Can I talk to him?""In a little while, actually!" Oliver replied, motioning to the door. "He's coming over to visit with his guardian. Would you like to help me clean up a little so the house looks nice when they get here?""Yes!" Laurel exclaimed, shoving himself over the couch and hovering around excitedly. "What should I clean? How? When do they get here?""Grab a broom from the closet and I'll show you how." Oliver said, laughing. "And they should be here soon."
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Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 9:07 am
The drive itself was not overly long, even a bit shorter than they were used to when it came to visiting Aina's family at the edge of Barton closer to Durem. Traffic had been tolerable and Cruz was dutiful as always in reading the directions to Anita in lieu of a voiced GPS system. He was abuzz with eagerness, always ready to make new friends and meet other raevans like himself, and he was curious about so many things.
"Think they got dogs, Nita?" Cruz rumbled. His hands gently gripped the edges of the car seat as he looked out the window.
Anita laughed. "I dunno. They might have cats." With the raevan apparently having the soul of a cheetah, that made the most sense to her.
"Cats are okay, too!"
They pulled into the driveway, a red Oldsmobile from the 90s that looked a little worn but otherwise well cared for. Anita waited before turning the car off to make certain they were at the correct address and when she was sure the only way they had gotten wrong would have been through programming error she nodded to Cruz. He lead the charge, unbuckling faster than his guardian, and practically threw himself out the door. Immediately, he was hit with brisk November air. He had forgotten how chilly it was outside, especially in Barton, when the car had been so nicely warmed.
Cruz tucked his arms against himself and pulled his sleeves up over his hands as best he could. His pace toward the front door was leisurely, thanks in part to not wanting to kick up a further breeze but also the limitation of his small wings. Anita rounded the front yard behind him. When he reached the door, Cruz hesitated and glanced between the door and its bell. It only took a moment for him to weigh his options and bend down toward the bell; he pressed it with his forehead.
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 10:25 pm
The second the car pulled up, Laurel was ready. He'd done his share of the cleaning, leaving Oliver to do the more delicate things, and had his faced pressed firmly against the living room window. Now, finally, the guests were here and he was filled to the brim with excitement!
However, before he lunged to the door all by himself, the ringing of the doorbell had him reaching for Oliver.
"Dad! The door made a noise!" He cried, recoiling toward the stairs. "It's only the doorbell!" Laughed Oliver, from the kitchen. "I'm still finishing up the washing in here, why don't you let our guests in before they catch cold!" Doorbell? Laurel squinted. He wasn't sure of what that meant, but catching a cold, that was something he understood! He flung the door open with a grin.
"Hello!" He cheered, before grasping his arms and shivering. "M-my dad says you can come in! "
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 11:25 am
His guardian had time to chuckle at how Cruz chose to announce their presence, but that was all. It didn't take long for the door to open with as much excitement as Cruz seemed to feel in his center and it all bubbled up into his eyes and smile when he caught sight of a brand new face.
"Hi!" he chirped in return. His energy had boosted, if only for a moment, and the frei's response to the chill of the air reminded the croc he was hunched over for the same reason. "Thanks! And oh, yeah-- it's cold." Cruz nodded, huffing a laugh through clenched teeth.
Behind him, Anita nudged against the sigel's back and directed him inside past Laurel with a smile. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you," she started. As they moved beyond the threshold, she took a quick glance around the foyer. "Is your dad around? I'm Anita, and this is Cruz," the croc managed to dislodge one of his hands from the bundle he made of his arms to wave, "And you're -- Laurel?"
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:34 pm
Laurel, as tightly clenched to himself as he was, wiggled back to allow Cruz and Anita to enter and quickly shut the door behind them. With the cold air now safely outside, where it belonged, Laurel rubbed his arms and beamed toward his guests.
"Yep, I know! My dad told me!" He replied, hovering gently from side to side. He didn't quite know who to give his attention to first, both of them were so interesting and he had so many questions already buzzing through his head. How was he supposed to pick one? He looked genuinely puzzled over this and clicked his tongue.
"Mhm! I'm Laurel, and my dad's in the kitchen!" He continued, leaning toward the kitchen door. "Daaaaaad! Are you done washing stuff now?""Yep, just coming out now!" Oliver announced, nudging his way out to the hall. There had been some pretty stubborn stains on the counter that needed more elbow grease than usual to clean. He normally wouldn't have bothered with it so long, but if those had lasted any longer, it might've left some damage. He moved slightly past Laurel and offered his hand out to Cruz and Anita.
"Hello, I'm Oliver! I hope your journey wasn't too long!" He said, motioning toward Laurel. "Laurel's been practically glued to the window since I told him you were coming, but I haven't had the chance to prepare anything as far as snacks or drinks. Do you happen to like tea? Coffee?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 2:08 pm
"Oh, okay!" Anita chuckled pleasantly. She seemed a little more relaxed knowing that the awkward pleasantries were mostly done. It was refreshing to see a younger frei -- even though Laurel did not appear young, physically -- more well spoken than Cruz had been; it made communication easier overall and that was a relief.
On the other hand, Cruz was completely taken with examining the frei before him. His mouth was curled into a curious smile over the rim of his scarf, green eyes bright and wide with wonder at Laurel's vibrant hair, facial markings, and specifically the appearance of his wings. He had seen some raevans with wings made of bone before but never with so few feathers or adornments, Cruz had to wonder if they could be used for flight or if they were meant for some other purpose like the small fins along his back. Anita tapped his arm with the back of her hand when she caught him staring, which startled the croc, but before he had a chance to correct himself and tell Laurel how nice it was to meet him the cheetah frei called out for his guardian.
"Hey." Anita took Oliver's hand first, followed by Cruz who offered the man a pleasant smile in return. The bright curiosity in his eyes was still present, quickly turned back to Laurel as Oliver gestured to him. "No, no, it wasn't bad. We commute from Gambino to Barton pretty often, it's no trouble." Anita laughed a bit sheepishly as she glanced to Cruz. "Um! Just water's fine for now, I think?" she looked back to Oliver, a little uncertain but clearly grateful for the offer. "Thanks. You don't have to do anything fancy."
"S'nice to meet you," Cruz finally eked out to Laurel. He held a hand out to the frei emphatically, shoulders straight and poised with excitement. His smile was wide and toothy, full of genuine energy. "There anything you wanna do while we're here? Play some games or somethin'?" He wasn't sure what sort of things Laurel might enjoy but offers of games always seemed like a safe bet in his book. If the frei didn't have any in particular, he certainly did -- he and his guardian rarely left home without them.
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:47 am
If he hadn't been so distracted, Laurel would have been busy doing the exact same thing as Cruz. Instead, he hovered closer to Oliver and glanced back and forth as the conversation went on. He didn't know what Gambino meant, or Barton for that matter, but if they'd come here by car that had to mean they came from somewhere far away, right? Was Gambino a place? He pursed his lips and opened his mouth to ask, before Cruz grabbed his attention.
"Games? Uh..." He said, his voice trailing off. ... What were games? He looked to Cruz rather blankly at first and, as though to avoid the question completely, grasped the sigel's hand and shook it. "I-uh-Nice to meet you! You have very nice teeth!"Water was good for now, alright. Oliver made a mental note of that while he finished shaking hands and smiled at how excited Cruz seemed to be over Laurel. Judging by that alone, he felt like they'd have no trouble getting along.
However, when the subject of games was brought up, Oliver found himself drawing a blank as well. Laurel had spent so much of this week being carted around and sleeping that there hadn't been time to introduce him to any kind of game. In fact, now that he thought about it, where we all of the games he had? He knew there had to be some board games somewhere, hopefully somewhere easy to access. He chuckled and clasped his hands.
"I think I have some board games upstairs, if you'd be interested in those." He offered, looking apologetically to Laurel. "But, I'm afraid we've been so busy this week that Laurel hasn't had time to learn how to play any of them. Would you be alright with something easy to play?"
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