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 Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 2:59 am
Who: Sven (Yushika), Lorenzo & Vesna (Kotaline)
Where: A sushi restaurant (The Fishing Hole) in Durem
When: Tuesday evening, in late August
Weather: Starting to cool down after a long and hot day - - - - - Sven hadn't expected the phone call to go as well as it did, honestly. He hadn't been sure how to reach out to other guardians, nor was he convinced he didn't sound creepy asking another stranger out for sushi, but the call with Lorenzo had been short and to the point, something he was grateful for. Lorenzo hadn't stuck out to him for any particular reason, really. In fact, Sven had just randomly placed his finger down on the list when deciding to reach out and make a connection and Lorenzo had been the lucky winner. If Lorenzo minded, he hadn't made it a point to express it.
The call had been a few hours ago, and now Sven waited, leaning against the front of a small restaurant affectionately named The Fishing Hole. The neon light propped on the top buzzed softly, melting into the background noise as he lifted his head to gaze at the dimming sky. The restaurant behind him was small and made from brick, but it was one of his favorite places. That, and when he suggested sushi someone in the background had yelled something about a conveyor belt, and this was the only place he could think of to oblige such a request. His stomach flipped nervously as he stuffed a hand into his long jacket pocket, dragging a nail over the soul bottle that remained secured within. He shivered absently despite the warm breeze that circled him, his nerves twisting as he considered that, soon, he might be coming here with his own kid.
Would they even like sushi?
Tugging on his sweater, he freed his phone from his dress pants, checking the time. They should be arriving any minute now... was this a bad place to bring them? What if they didn't like sushi, or thought his preference in restaurant was tacky? Crap, there it went again -- his stomach was insisting on making him feel like a nervous schoolboy again.
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Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:43 pm
Lorenzo Fisch was the type of man who showed up precisely on time, and this time was no different. He was surprised to have been called by someone from Lab 305, and slightly apprehensive- after all, the last potential guardian he had met had shown up at his house at midnight and promptly proceeded to indulge in a nervous breakdown.
Lorenzo was no stranger to anxiety, however, and his own anxiety as a potential candidate for Lab 305's program had been greatly assuaged by talking to slightly more veteran guardians, so regardless of the past, he was ready to pay it forward again, even if his schedule was busier and busier by the day. The weather had been nice lately, anyway, and it was good to take a cool evening walk with Vesna for once. it felt like these days he hardly saw her, what with her part time jobs and his own work.
"I'll text him," he said as they arrived and the restaurant.
"You're hard to miss," Vesna noted lightly. Ever since he had been promoted, Lorenzo was dressing even more conspicuously like a necromancer, and he had hardly been subtle to begin with. "Although I guess it is Durem." At night, it was hard not to pass at least a few people in dark capes in the downtown district. She didn't dwell too much on meeting up with Sven, however, as much as she normally loved meeting new people- she had never been to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, and right now that had her full attention.
"I can really pick all your plates, right??" she asked eagerly.
"I think that's fair, since you can't eat, yourself." Lorenzo agreed. He held up a finger and warned, "Don't get carried away. I'm not even that hungry to begin with."
"That's because you don't eat enough to begin with," chided Vesna. "I babysit now, you know! I know how much humans are supposed to eat!"
"Then I suggest you save your advice for the babies," Lorenzo said, brushing her off. "Anyway, I think I see Mr. Beyer." He waved tentatively, asking, "Are you Mr. Beyer? I'm Lorenzo, Lorenzo Fisch, and this is the raevan I care for, Vesna."
Vesna stopped pouting at Lorenzo and put on her best smile. "Hi Sven!" she greeted chipperly. "Nice to meet you!"
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:41 pm
Sven knew it was Lorenzo before the greeting, although it wasn't the attire that tipped him off. The floating Raevan next to him was enough for Sven to make an educated guess, proven correct when they reached him. He smiled in acknowledgement, pushing off the wall to properly greet the two.
"That I am! You can call me Sven. Hello!" He nodded to Lorenzo and Vesna, taking a moment to gather both of their appearances. "Were the directions alright? I was worried I might have not made them as clear as I should of." Plucking at his sweater nervously, Sven immediately flattened his hands upon realization, tucking his twitchy fingers within one another. His head raised, glancing back at the glowing neon sign above them before gesturing towards the restaurant.
"I'm excited for you to try this place." He paused, remembering the call with a slight smirk. "And it has a conveyor belt." He chanced a glance at Vesna, who he assumed had been the one to cry out for such a thing. His eyes lingered on her ribbon, chest tightening in anticipation. Soon he'd have his own child too! What would their ribbon be like? Their rune? Shaking himself free from those thoughts, Sven returned his attention to the two. After all, that had come all this way, they absolutely deserved his focus. His fretting over his eventual child could wait!
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 8:14 pm
"A pleasure to meet you," Lorenzo said in the Friendly Professional Voice that he couldn't quite shake even off the clock. "The directions you sent were perfect- Vesna's been wanting to go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for some time, anyway, so she was familiar."
Vesna nodded eagerly. "I memorized all the ones in Durem," she affirmed. "Just in case we ever happened to be in the neighborhood."
"Admirable efforts for someone who doesn't even have a stomach yet," joked Lorenzo lightly. Turning to Sven, he said, "I'd continue with introductions, but I'm sure you must be hungry, and I know Vesna is eager to begin, so let's head in. Please let me pay tonight, it's the least I can do for a new member of the Lab 305 community."
Vesna nearly dragged Lorenzo through the door as he finished speaking, and waved at the nearest waiter for three seats together. There was a mixture of seats and booths all around the central feature, a large conveyor belt with cheerful and colorful covered plates of sushi and desserts placed on it. Vesna's face lit up, and if she could sit properly, she would have been rocking back and forth in her seat. As it was, her rune glowed and dimmed on and off as the waiter handed them menus with beverages, side dishes, and pricing explanations.
"So," Lorenzo asked as he sat down, "What led you to be interested in Lab 305?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 11:53 pm
Sven smiled at both of them, feeling the edge of what was once only a polite expression turning into a more relaxed one as Lorenzo and Vesna seemed to ease into comfortability. A low chuckle left him as Vesna demonstrated her interest in conveyor belt sushi restaurants, mentally patting himself on the back for even knowing about this location in the first place. His eyebrow quirked, a faint moment of resistance hesitating as Lorenzo requested to pay. Could he say he wouldn't feel the same, though? If he was in Lorenzo's position he'd absolutely offer the same treatment, so who was he to reject the offer?
"Ah, if you're sure. Thank you." He'd need to repay the kindness somehow. He trailed after the two, letting Vesna and Lorenzo take the lead as he quietly drank in the atmosphere. Once they settled he took the moment to notice Vesna's face practically illuminate before turning to Lorenzo, his own expression rising at the question. Ah! The memories!
"A bit ago I was married, and towards the later years we discussed wanting kids. While she wasn't as adamant as I was, it became a very real possibility. Unfortunately, we seperated, and I had to change locations. I still wanted kids, but I knew adoption as a single parent tended to be harder. I heard about the Lab through one of those flyers; the ones they send out during events. I forget which it was, honestly." He paused, drumming his fingers on the table as he tried to honestly remember the name of the flyer. He should have saved it.
"Mmm, nope, that memory is gone. Either way, I decided to look it up and learned a little about how they work. It intrigued me. I hadn't lost my dream to have a small family, and I could accomplish that plus help someone's research. It seemed perfect. So I applied." He laughed faintly, a finger trailing over the wooden table absently.
"It took a few years, but then just a few days ago there it was; the package. What about you? What drew your interest?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 1:00 am
Lorenzo nodded faintly, by this point well used to the fact that most guardians signed up for Lab 305 because they wanted children, even if he was no closer to being able to fathom why.
"Well, many guardians are in the same position as you are, even if their circumstances may vary slightly," he assured. Allowing himself a dry little laugh, he elaborated, "In fact, you may have come to one of the only guardians who did not intend to be a parent tonight. Vesna is my charge, but her soul was a client of my mother's, an undead girl inhabiting a marsh in Russia. Her, ah, circumstances prevented us from aiding her through normal necromantic magic, so we relied upon Lab 305 in this case to at least give her soul another chance to lead a relatively normal life."
"Yeah, relatively as you can get in a necromancer's house," Vesna added flippantly, reaching over Lorenzo to grab her first plate. She set it in front of him neatly and addressed Sven. "I mean, I guess being a raevan isn't super normal either, otherwise I'd be eating that unagi roll myself, you know? And I'm, like, way smart for a one year old." She drummed her fingers on the table. "I-D-K, Lorenzo says most people join Lab to become parents, right? But, like, you don't really get a kid, and that's the thing that gets me. Like, yeah, I act like a teen, but I don't really... feel like... that's right, sometimes?? I dunno, sometimes I feel like a literal baby, like dumb as rocks, and sometimes I feel frustrated that people are treating me like I'm too young to get things, and it's just weird. Like an in-between thing? And every raevan is kinda different, too..."
Lorenzo grimaced, maybe remembering something, or maybe finding that the unagi wasn't quite to his taste. "It was difficult," he conceded, "As a necromancer, and, well, frankly as someone who is simply too young to consider being a guardian figure, to adjust to the reality of the Lab 305 program. I don't know if perhaps I've always done the best job." Here, Vesna snorted, and Lorenzo tactfully ignored her, continuing, "I still believe that rebirthing Vesna's soul was the best choice to make, however, I will admit, I tend to be surprised at how flippantly those who join this program wishing to be parents sometimes choose souls- regardless of whether the soul will be reborn, the program essentially requires one to kill a living thing. Think what you will about necromancers, but we have a keen sense of the value of a life, human, animal, or otherwise."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:29 am
There it was, the reason he found filling the soul bottle so daunting. To do so, one needed a soul, and Sven was reluctant to look at anything visibly living. Sure, a kid with dog features or feathers would be cute, but could he live with himself knowing he had effectively ended their previous life and decided for them that they would enter another life? It felt egotistical to think he knew what was better, as if a second life would somehow fulfill their needs better then their previous. He very well could give them a better life, or not, and that thought left a twist in his gut. He didn't like playing god.
So he wouldn't. Minerals, woods, and similar materials had been of interest to him instead of an animal. It didn't make the decision any easier — there's something about having that many options that makes one feel trapped almost — but, it was better than the alternative. It didn't come with guilt. Even then, he saw flaws in his logic, but Sven had decided awhile ago signing up for Lab 305 came with its flaws, in general. He just needed to decide which were actually important to him.
"Choosing a soul is perhaps one of the hardest decisions I've had to face as of late," Sven admitted, taking a sip from his drink before glancing towards Vesna. "I decided awhile ago I'd stick with minerals or non-sentient souls, but..." He trailed off, thoughtfully glancing down at his plate before taking a moment to eat. It wasn't an easy decision. Maybe he was overthinking it. No, he definitely was, but a part of him was afraid of messing up; whatever that meant. Any life he created he would love, and they were worth that love, but Sven wanted to ensure the best life for his child. It didn't help the essence was a strange one and hair to pair with. Milk of Kindness? What did one give that for a soul?
"I keep trying to determine what would go well with their essence. Compliment, really. Their essence is called Milk of Kindness, and it's left me stumped, if I'm honest." A shrug followed as the realization he had overtaken the conversation settled, an apologetic smile flashing as he leaned back in his seat. "I'm sure this sounds silly. I have too much free time on my hands these days, I suppose."
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:46 am
"Another guardian, Evren Candemir, consulted me with similar ideas for a non-sentient soul some time ago," noted Lorenzo. "His plans did not quite go as he hoped, but perhaps he still has his research that he could share with you if you contacted him. I didn't meet him in the best of situations, but overall he seemed like a fairly friendly, if not anxious, man."
Lorenzo tapped his fingers on the table, recalling the night that Evren had barged into his office after unintentionally capturing a kyorinrin. "If I didn't know better," he began, then shook his head. "I mean, it's certainly possible, since these soul bottles are a melding of science an magic... That is to say, I feel as though, in a way, they have minds of their own." He laughed. "Not the most academic statement I've ever made, but there you have it. For some, that might be a relief, I suppose, since it would suggest the guardian is less responsible for the action of taking a life. However, I think that you should also be careful, Mister Beyer, depending on what essence you have."
Vesna was less interested in what Lorenzo was talking about than she was in the sushi conveyor belt, so as he spoke, several more plates piled up in front of him. She brought her attention back to the conversation when Sven mentioned his essence. That was interesting.
"That's so cute!" she exclaimed. "I wish mine was cute like that." She tried to think of things that went well with it and said, "Fairies are supposed to like milk, right?? And Hera was associated with cows because the Greeks thought cows were beautiful! But I guess you can't, like, recycle a goddess. Or, you'd at least need some kind of permit. Oh, but maybe something like wheat? That kind of reminds me of Hestia..." She trailed off and explained, "So, my best friend is like a super pretty nymph raevan! And her soul was all Greek, so I've read all about it. Well, mostly because Lorenzo's mythology books are the least boring books he owns. Er, but it doesn't have to be Greek, I guess. And I guess it'd be easier for you to capture a soul if it wasn't super mythological."
Lorenzo choked on his salmon nigiri. "I doubt Mister Beyer wants to deal with a fairy," he admonished Vesna. "Surely you should know how dangerous they can be."
"Some of them are cute though, right?" reasoned Vesna. "Like Brownies! That'd go great with his essence!"
"Fairies and brùnaidh in particular are Gaelic anyway," Lorenzo countered. "I thought you were all about Greek myths?"
Vesna waved his concerns aside. "I'm all about all that stuff! Anything less depressing than all the Slavic myths you made me read."
"Still," Lorenzo reasoned. "Greek, Gaelic, Slavic, mythological creatures are very much sentient, and oftentimes deadly. Even the cute ones."
"Guess that's true," Vesna sighed. "I'm pretty cute, but back then, I hear, you wouldn't wanna have met me in a marsh at midnight."
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:58 pm
Sven nodded thoughtfully, tucking aside the name Evren Candemir away. He'd reach out to them once home, most likely. If they were a guardian then it'd be easy enough to find their contact info. Sven's attention was drawn over to Vesna when she let out an excited exclamation, an eyebrow twitching in thought. Fairies, huh? He laughed softly at the thought, mouth tightening at the trouble he imagined which would ensue. Fairies were trouble, he knew that much, and Sven was both unlikely to absorb a sentient soul and very reluctant to raise a fairy. Still, it was an adorable idea if you kept your mind on the cute fairies imagined by popular media.
His eyes flicked up as the two chattered, keeping himself entertained with their talk and food. As Vesna sighed he took a bite of a spicy tuna roll before tucking his hands into his lap in thought.
"Do you look different then you did before?" Sven found himself asking the question before he could stop himself, a curious lift in his tone. "How much of your essence came along with you, if I may ask? I'm curious how much a soul and essence combine to make a raevan, and what ends up left out in the process."
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