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 Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:28 pm
Who: Nina (unohime); Phoenix, Zoe, Shoshana (Beerrito)
Where: A park in Barton.
When: Early afternoon; Saturday.
Weather: Fair; partly clouding with a smattering of blue sky here or there.
+
Guardianship wasn't as smooth sailing a venture as Nina hoped it to be. Far beyond it actually—the brunette could best describe it as stumbling around in the dark with a blurry photo of an idea clutched in one hand. She kept an open mind with which direction she could or should be headed, but in actuality, there didn't seem to be a pinprick of light at the end of this long, long tunnel.
It had all seemed easier to go at this alone. Unfortunately, Nina would have to give in and admit to herself that, no, she couldn't. It was a difficult truth to submit to; when had her plans ever failed her? She managed stability well enough with her career, with friends, her parents, bills, the works. Why should parenting be any different? Yes, it was a new avenue to explore, but it shouldn't have been this difficult!
It was the worries Nina wasn't prepared for. The endless thoughts of, "Will I be a good enough parent?" and flip-flopping the possibility that, while yes, she may make a million mistakes, was she Adult enough own up to them? Yet, with the veritable truth being she couldn't even Adult enough to ask for help meant she wasn't ready.
Not yet. Not without some extra advice.
The contacts list for guardians and their Raevans seemed both menacingly short and horrifically long the longer Nina perused it. With such a limited, but also diverse, set of people to contact, the brunette wasn't sure who to go about giving a call or shooting an email to first. So she went about it in the most professional and precise way possible: closing her eyes and jabbing a finger to the first name she touched on the slice of paper. Upon opening them again, she shrugged a shoulder, and decided her first choice was her best.
All right, Mr. Argyris. You'll have to do.
As with her previous attempts at virtual communication, all of her emails lacked personality. It came off akin to a business letter, despite the innumerable amount of drafts she went through cutting down the babbling and rants to just a few sentences. Satisfied, she sent it to the provided email address beneath Phoenix's name and closed her laptop down with hopes never to use it again:
Quote: Dear Mr. Argyris,
Hello, my name is Nina Swannekke, and I've recently been accepted by Lab 305 as a potential guardian for a future Raevan. Though I've completed the necessary requirements for the creation of said Raevan and duly shipped them back to the lab, there exists some qualms and questions that have been brought to my attention that I wish to seek advice for that I cannot simply summarize in this email.
If you are available, I would like to request the company of both you and your Raevan (and any other acquainted parties) at the park located in central Barton between 11AM-2PM. If you are unfamiliar with the place, I've attached an address and directions to the location for your convenience. I will be in attendance at the park throughout the entire time frame given, seated at a park bench near the entrance. Just seek out the woman in the yellow dress; I hopefully shouldn't be too difficult to find.
However, please don't feel inclined to attend to my request if it clashes with your schedule. The least I wish to be is an interruption in other people's busy lives. Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to read this email and consider my request.
Best wishes, and hoping to hear from you,
Nina
That following Saturday, Nina was prompt with her appearance at the park. The weather was surprisingly fair, despite the threat of rain that hung about the horizon daring to ruin her day at a moment's notice. And, as per her email's dry description, she wore that lemon yellow sundress she absolutely abhorred, if only to stick out in the minuscule crowd that hung about the entrance to the park. In actuality, she wanted to turn right back around, climb into the nearest bus, and head back home for a nap. It was only the threat of another nightmare of her future Raevan choking on a marble that kept her firmly planted in her seat and refusing to budge.
Gods, I am really blowing things out of proportion, Nina thought, glancing about for any hints of a Raevan or their guardian. But if I don't talk to someone about these worries I'll be pulling my hair out by the handfuls!
Beerrito i hope this is okay!! i'll edit this post with what characters you'll be using after you post, if that is fine!
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Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:59 pm
Phoenix Argyris had been more than a little surprised to receive the e-mail from Nina. While he had once run into another guardian who had recognized his name from the directory, he had never specifically been contacted by anyone off the list, nor had he reached out to anyone himself. In his case it had been as if a magical door had been opened when he applied to the Lab, and after that chance meetings just kept on happening. Even an old acquaintance (now friend) had turned out to be involved.
After reading the e-mail he immediately approached Shoshana to ask if she would like to meet Nina as well. She was more than a little excited at the prospect, and Zoe insisted on coming along as well. It was, after all, her actions that lead to the existence of the hippocampus Frei, so she would probably be just as valuable a resource. Phoenix responded promptly that they would be there at eleven.
Saturday afternoon the three of them piled in the car and started the drive out to Barton. Thankfully Phoenix had the day off from work, so there was no stopping them from making the trip. He called in anyway to make sure that he was only called in an emergency, so that he could devote as much time as he could to helping this woman with any questions she had. It felt a little strange, going to offer another guardian advice when he was so new to this himself, but he still felt he could be of some assistance.
As they pulled in, both girls had their faces planted against the windows of the car, looking for the woman in the yellow dress. "There!" Shoshana pointed as they parked, her fins flickering. "She is wearing a yellow dress. It must be her, yes?" She could barely wait until the car was at a full stop before opening the door.
"Hold on, hold on," Phoenix said with a laugh as he climbed out. "Wait for us, yeah?" He looked over in the direction of the woman and waved.
"Don't forget your water!" Zoe exclaimed as she let herself out of the car, grabbing Shoshana's water bottle sling and bringing it to her. The Frei thanked her big little sister sheepishly and slung it over her shoulder before taking a long drink from the bottle. Zoe had brought a small bag of her own with extra bottles, just in case they were there a while.
As soon as they were all set, Shoshana lead the way towards Nina with the biggest of smiles, fins and wings beating rapidly. "Hello! You are the lady in the yellow dress, yes?" She called out when she was in earshot, rushing towards Nina with the others following at a more casual pace. She stopped just in front of the bench, beaming down at the woman and studying her with wide eyes.
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Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:44 am
Sometimes life had a way of just pulling the rug out from under you for one great, big surprise, and the look on Nina's face couldn't be read as anything other than awe. The brunette had mentally prepared herself for greeting the guardian as the first person to speak, not Shoshana, and she seemed dazzled by the fact that, holy crap, there was actually a Raevan in front of her.
Wordless, Nina nodded her head slowly to the hippocampus Frei, and only seemed to find her ground again when Phoenix and Zoe were within satisfactory distance. "Aha, yes! I am the woman in the yellow dress," Nina said with a small laugh. Standing, she looked to Phoenix expectantly, but her eyes glued onto Zoe first.
Ahh, I feel like I'm in the middle of a parent-teacher conference, Nina thought, mustering up the best friendly smile she could offer.
"Hi, you must be Mr. Argyris," she said. "I'm Nina, Nina Swannekke. It's a pleasure to meet, well, everyone here! Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me. I hope it wasn't in the middle of anything?" She glanced over the man's shoulder toward his car. "Especially if it was a trip! I wouldn't've mind having a friend drive up to you if it was!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 6:33 pm
It took Phoenix and Zoe a moment to catch up, but once they did Phoenix immediately extended a hand to the expecting guardian. "Hiya!" He said with the biggest of grins. "I'm Phoenix. Looks like you've already met Shoshana," he added, nodding towards the Raevan who was practically vibrating as a whole from the pace her wings and fins were beating at. "And this is her sister, Zoe," he introduced, placing a hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"Hello," Zoe said quietly, reaching for her sister's hand. "We weren't doing anything," she informed Nina importantly. "Dad didn't have to work today."
"And we like driving, yes!" Shoshana butted in, nodding firmly. "Do you live near here, woman in yellow? You are going to be a guardian, yes? Tell us everything!"
Phoenix laughed, giving Nina an apologetic look. "Let her breathe, Sho, give her some space," he said through laughter. "I understand you have some questions? We have all the time in the world, so don't worry about it!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 2:06 am
"It's an absolute pleasure, Phoenix, Zoe, Shoshana." Nina raised her hand and clasped it with the man's to give it a firm shake, nodding her head as she bid hello to each of her guests. Shoshana's infectious excitement elicited an even wider smile from the brunette, but she collected her bearings and reminded herself it was Very Illegal to simply take her home and want to feed her cookies. (Did Raevans even eat cookies?)
"Ah, that's good to hear! Sometimes my worries start up before I know it." Nina waved a hand dismissively here, as if shooing away her intrusive thoughts in annoyance. Though it seemed a bit of an understatement as while some skittered away to who knows where, the concerns of her own eventual Raevan remained horrifically latched to her amygdala and refused to let go.
The Raevan's questions caught Nina off-guard for a moment, and her lips pinched to a small O. "Y-yes and no? I don't necessarily live far from here, but I did have to take a bit of a trip as well? And I am going to be a guardian, but—" Nina caught herself and returned her attention to Phoenix, looking a little bushed from both her nerves and excitement.
"How about a walk?" Nina offered, indicating one of the side paths that twined its way into the verdant depths of the park. "There's a nice lookout spot over the lake up that way where it's a little quieter. We can talk there, since it's a little difficult to collect my thoughts with all of these people around, aha."
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:29 pm
Phoenix smiled sympathetically. "I wish we'd known it was a drive for you! We would have been happy to meet you anywhere. Perhaps next time someplace closer?" He immediately assumed that there would be a next time. After all, Lab 305 already seemed to him to be rather tight-knit, and he knew he wanted as many repeat visits as possible, and to make friends with everyone they met. It was good for all of them. Phoenix had long since fallen out of habit of socializing, Zoe had never been good with it to begin with, and Shoshana desperately wanted new friends and was good at socializing (even if she was overbearing at times) from day one.
At the suggestion of taking a walk, Zoe immediately took up the front and started leading them down the path. The other two followed suit, Phoenix gesturing ahead of him for the ladies to go first. He stepped in beside them, looking exceptionally pleased at the opportunity to be outside interacting with another Guardian.
Eager to make friends with this new woman, Shoshana took it upon herself to take Nina's hand in hers, beaming brightly at her. "You should ask many questions, yes, yes you should. I am always asking questions!" That was an understatement. "It is a very good way to learn things, and learning is very fun!"
Phoenix laughed, happy to see the Raevan being so friendly as always. "We'll answer everything to the best of our ability. We're fairly new to all this ourselves. Shoshana isn't even a year old yet, but we've figured out quite a bit so far!" Things had been especially surprising for Phoenix and Zoe, and they hadn't known what to expect, given that prior to being accepted neither of them had ever even met a Raevan. Virtually everything that came at them they hadn't known what to expect. Then of course there were always going to be mysteries regardless given that each Raevan was unique. But they'd done alright so far.
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