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 Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:01 pm
Vit was restless and given that it had Mali's contact on its tablet, it knew it could talk as per the man's request. While nothing had happened, it asked for a patrol. Then added. "I'm restless and want to be outside."
Message sent, it went back to working in one of the archieve rooms in the castle. It wasn't later that it checked its tablet to see the email back and they had a time and place set. The downside of them both being lieutenants was neither one of them could teleport. This meant they had to rely on a general to piggyback them back and forth. For Mali, he could go home after a patrol. Vit needed to wait somewhere quietly till it was retrieved.
Vit met the general in their office later that evening and they took him to the specified rooftop that Mali said he would be. "Your pickup will email you to pick you up later." They said and phased out.
And Vit sat down on the roof and waited patiently. It knew it should not leave this spit until it had another officer with them. In that time, it crouched by the side of the roof and looked down, enraptured by the lights and people casually walking by, bags in hand and talking on the phone about things it didn't get. There were different smells of exhaust and cooked food from bars and restaurants open for the drunks and insomniacs. Across the road a cat ran into an alleyway. Normal one. And in the distance police siren's grew loud then faded away.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:18 pm
While it couldn't be said that Mali was sitting by his tablet and waiting fro a message from Vivre, he had been checking his tablet much more since they had last seen one another. It was foolish, he knew it, but something inside of him didn't want to be the first one to reach out.
It'd be too clingy, too invasive to want to see the halfling so soon since their adventure into the Rift. And he wouldn't lie, he figured it could be a sort of test.
Did Vivre really want to see him again? Did he care?
The message really couldn't confirm it. It was a simple request to go outside. Nothing personal, nothing special. Hell, it could have even been a mass message sent to anyone he knew who would have connections to the Human world. It didn't matter in the end, Mali was all too happy to provide Viv with that means of escape. It was put off for a day though, as there was a few things he wanted to prepare before hand.
Nubi teased him, of course, and Obie made off like a bandit with some of his work, but he was used to such shenanigans, and prepared accordingly, powering up for a brief moment at the end of each process to stick them safely away in his pocket space.
Night came slowly for him the next day. As much as he willed time to go faster to meet up with his friend, it didn't, and that anxious waiting let him doze off after a while on his couch for a few hours.
It wasn't until Nubi dropped her purse full of bricks onto his stomach that Mali woke up in a panicked state, dashing out of the house to the designated meeting spot. He wasn't too late, but being late at all left a terrible taste in his mouth, and he kept running until he finally sprang up onto that rooftop he arranged for them with a hard thud.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait..." His words were rushed, skin flushed and damp with sweat and his breathing was more than a little ragged. "How've you been? Damn... I'm really, truly sorry..."
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:48 pm
Viv was waiting by the edge of the roof, its arms set on the raised rim of the roof that outlined it and head set on top of those. Its eyes were out, faintly glowing like the streetlights further off, and watched as the few people who had been about slowly trickled to less and less. Its current interest had been of someone locking up a bar, turning off the lights behind them, closing the grate, and turning the lock before walking down the road. They were almost out of sight when Viv felt Mali's presence start heading closer and closer.
Looking out, it watched to see if maybe it could see the officer approaching, but the man took another route and arrived with a thud atop the tarred roof.
"You didn't have to run." Viv said, rising up from where it was sitting and heading over. "I would be fine waiting. I like being outside. This is not bad for me."
"I've been okay. How have you been?" It asked, wondering exactly how Mali was doing after their last talk. The corrupt hadn't sent him any messages but it wasn't like they hadn't talked a lot last time. It probably didn't want to deal with any fights over messages too. When Mali first postponed, it wondered if they would wait a long time to go on patrol, but the corrupt only moved it one day. Now he was here.
Reaching over, he set a paw atop his head. It was something it had been wondering about. Mali never asked to touch its head and he wondered if that was something it just did with friends. "Hello again." It said, not so much as petting Mali as just having its paw stationary like a hat atop it's head before removing it, a somewhat hard gesture when it had to stretch to reach the top given its height difference.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:43 pm
Mali hadn't been expecting any scolding when he arrived, and he was right, it didn't come. That paw on his head though, seeing Viv stretch up to do so was surprising however.
"Still... I don't like being late. It means less time with you." The emotions he had the last time Viv had tried were gone, leaving him to enjoy what he interpreted as a tender little moment.
"I've been alright. Nothing exciting, but nothing terrible. Seems like when I'm with you I always have an interesting and enlightening time, So I'm glad I finally got to be with you again." What he spoke of when they were together had been contemplated. He toyed with the idea of speaking to the other side and figure things out, but he also had been busy with other things. Finals were coming up too.
Between all that, there wasn't time to doubt. And thoughts of his first friend didn't really encourage those thoughts to leave.
"Have you gone out since we last seen eachother? How's your... training going?" Did you miss me too? The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it for now.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:14 pm
"They said as long as I send a message, someone can pick me up. That means I have time." But it was Mali who had to be concerned about how long he needed to be out. There were bound to be obligations he had in the morning and that meant he had to sleep. He said he did photography which meant he must have work at some time.
Moving over, it went to hop up and sit on the edge of the roof and leaned back, looking over the side of the building.
"I have't been out. Not a lot of people want to take lieutenants out, and most already have personal youmas. They don't want a partner tagging along. Not some random person begging them to go. No one seems eager to go on patrol. They just grumble about quotas when I hear them come back and drop off orbs."
A candy wrapper was floating down the road, and it watched it go by down below.
"I'm going to go to bootcamp. My General said he is making the arrangements. But I haven't done anything yet till then." It looked back at Mali. "I've been busy, but very bored. I want to patrol more. I want to fight more."
"Where are we going today? Do you have any plans?" It asked.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:39 pm
"Well, glad that's taken care of." There was an air of awkwardness now, he began to notice. Perhaps Viv didn't feel it, but he did. It felt like he was trying too hard. It was easier to be cold than it was to be caring, so it didn't come naturally.
Work was always a safe topic though, and he welcomed the conversation as he took his seat beside Viv, looking down below. A year ago he would have felt his chest tighten and the blood pounding in his ears being up this high, faced with his mortality had he moved wrong. Now it simply felt like any other seat.
"I'll always have time for you, you know that right? While I do normally go out alone, you can send me a message any time to come out and work with me. The more we do that, the stronger we get, I think. Then the closer we get to being able to come and go as we please." It would be exciting to have that power, but... Would Vivre bother to come see him again with that freedom. He wasn't going to demand to keep in contact, or try to chain him down, no matter how appealing it would be to keep him close.
He never wanted to be like those who held Vivre's leash now.
"Boot camp, huh? How long are you gone for? Ah, even more so, when will you be leaving? I assume during that time I won't really get to see you. I'll do my best to keep you entertained for now, but if I am honest, I didn't really plan all that much for fighting beyond just patrolling... Oh, but I did bring you a few things I've been thinking about since the last time we were together. Would you like them now, or later?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:29 pm
"If you get too eager to see me, i could abuse it and just say come over every day. Even you need to sleep. You're not as nocturnal as I am." It said as it continued to watch the street. Nothing else moved now, the trash long since caught on the sewer drains, and now the last people had gone. Despite that, it still had the feeling of being alive and touched by movement and warmth. Of use and the tension of any moment being interrupted by something. A person. A animal. A machine.
"I don't know how long. I think a week. I'll just be in the barracks and the Negaverse headquarters. I won't be going away anyplace. I'll just be busy the entire time. I'll send a message once I know when it is and when it's done."
Its attention was caught when he said he brought something. "Now." It said, sitting up now and setting its hands in its lap. "I'd say you didn't have you. You didn't. But I wanna see."
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:02 pm
"Even if you did, I'd still come. Coffee does exist for a reason, and since I never really partook in it, it might be more effective than you think." As the city grew quiet, and that eerie feeling of mystery that the night held washed over the streets below, Mali grew calm. For now, in this transition between the stress of the day, and the war of the night, there was peace. Not long lasting, but it did exist.
Soon enough the violence would stir... And soon enough, they would have to fight. He wondered quietly to himself why there weren't sirens announcing the fighting, warnings for those who valued their lives to go home. To their families, their cats, just.. safe. Maybe a motion should be passed for that, but then, who would come to a city that had sirens blasting in the streets?
"Ah.. If you're still in the barracks, then maybe I could leave you a care package. Snacks, pain medicine, some of those pads you slap on your skin... Oh, compression socks. those help some with your calves.." Plans were already befogging to form in his head. That did lead nicely to the his next actions. In an instant, he had a decently sized basket in his hands, and rested it in his lap.
"So... I recalled you saying you liked baked goods yesterday, but unfortunately couldn't remember what you liked. On the first step to being able to make you happy with what I can do, I figured I'd try a bunch of small-portions." Slowly, he pulled the cloth covering the goods, feeling a little embarrassed (what was he, someone's grandmother), yet also pride.
"There are cookies of various types, some croissants, a few slices of bananabread, lemon poppyseed muffins, mini of course... Ah, some tiny jelly tarts, strawberry and lemon, a cake pop, a small cherry hand pie... And some meat buns. A brioche base filled with onions and bacon, with a bit of pepper." At each mention, he pointed them out, hoping atleast one drew his companion's attention.
"I didn't know if your tastebuds would be more drawn to meet... Which would make sense since you're part wolf youma now.... But is there any that catch your eye right away? They are all for you, made fresh through yesterday and part of today.."
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:36 pm
"I don't want you becoming run down because I'm bored or want to be let out a while. I don't even know what you do in the day. When you wake up. Who you see. Where you go. I don't want you you to ruin your chances in life because you are in bed all day. You're not a cat."
It shook its head at even more things Mali was working to give it. "You shouldn't spend so much on me. I'll probably be dead after this." It joked. Faustite was not a gentle trainer and it had no doubts it would be a purple pulp of an officer by the end of it. The only thing that mattered was that it was alive by the end of it.
"But after it's done. Let's meet again. Even if its just hanging in my room or on a roof." It all depended on how much it would want to move or be able to move after.
All the while, its eyes were on the peculiar basket that Mali had produced. Something wicker that made it think of summer thought it couldn't remember ever seeing that kind of basket in its life. Watching, Mali pulled of the checkered-print cloth and stared as all variety of food sat tucked and neatly piled upon each other.
"That's all for me!" It said, staring at it all. The barracked didn't even have desserts and if anything was baked, it was something that had once been frozen or were already wrapped. Anything like a cake or a snack was a luxury and therefor limited to those who had the money to buy something for themselves while out to take back with them. A ability he had yet to earn which left him looking forward to breakfast, lunch, and dinner just to something to eat but still disappointed in the lack of anything more.
"Uh, can I try the meat bun and...and that one..." It said, pointing to one of the lemon poppyseed muffins. Viv opened out its palms slowly. "Please."
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:59 pm
”I suppose not. For clarity, it’s just School, really. Photography stuff. Nothing even intense, but I try. And who I see, Just Nubi and Obie, so nothing to worry about there.” They were important to Mali, but they were also seen every single day. Morning and night. They could wait for him if he wanted to go do something else. Hell, they might have even been a little proud of him like they were tonight.
Thank goodness Mali got the humor and chuckled to himself. Someone else might have panicked, especially given how little trust he had in Faustite in name only. A thought he’d keep to himself.
“Of course, you can tell me about the intensity, and then mourn your poor muscles and I’ll go ‘there there, you’re alive and stronger now.’” A teasing bit of support provided. He could see it now, and gave a small chuckle at the thought of Vivre whining to him. Certainly cute in his head.
Was that excitement? It seemed like it, from the exclamation and the immediate decision on what he wanted to try. Mali fought back the grin that was trying to show on his face, wanting to save it for the moment Vivre said his baking was delicious.
As asked, he placed one of each into those outstretched paws and then covered the basket back up for now. The less exposure to the air, the better.
“Yes, it’s all for you. It was small batches, so not too hard, and if there’s anything you really like, I’ll be sure to make some more.... Oh, do you have a pocket space too? They seem to keep there just fine, but if not, I can hold onto it until you go home. Of course, you’re free to just... Sit here with me for a while and keep snacking. As I said, no schedule for tonight.” Mali wanted to take his time today, to make up for all that stress he caused before. No arguing, no punches to the face, only peace.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:49 pm
With one item in each hand, he was careful to close his fingers to make sure they didn't fall to the ground. The bad thing about very small foods was that he couldn't hold them too well, but being soft meant he didn't have to worry about breaking them. If they were smushed a little then it just made it easier to eat.
"I have a pocket. I just never use it. I never have anything to put in there. I thought about putting my coat in there but its not winter anymore now." It decided it would have the meat bun first and then the lemon poppyseed muffin.
Setting the one hand down, he brought the other and slowly brought it to its face. The dough was a golden brown and had a soft inside but a nice shell on the outside. Despite it not being fresh from the oven, the bacon and onion inside that had flavored the dough as well. Closing its eyes, it slowly ate, tail moving back and forth quickly as he savored the rich flavor. It was good and it couldn't recall ever eating something like it before. "It's really good."
It was easy to eat and soon was gone, nothing left but one corner bit of crust to finish the entire thing off. It was half tempted to lick its paw but decided in current company not to go that far. Instead, it had to use the back of its hand to wipe at its mouth, a unfortunate downside of having good food was that its mouth tended to overflow with saliva. It swallowed a few times to keep it from overflowing.
The muffin was tiny and didn't need much aside from pressing it to its lips. The flavor wasn't overpowering but soft like a pound cake but bright in a summery-citrus taste. There was however a strange taste left in its mouth and it didn't recall ever having that before when it ate lemon foods. It was - off. And the more it chewed, the more its brow creased as it considered the disconnect between the present taste and its previous enjoyment of what used to be his favorite kind of bakery treat.
Did - it not like lemon foods anymore.
"The lemon poppyseed doesn't taste the same as before." It admitted.
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:37 am
Even if Viv hadn't said it out loud, there were clear signs that he had enjoyed the first treat, and he nodded, enjoying that bit of praise. From the swish of his tail, to closed eyes, each was an excellent expression that the treat was well received.
"I had thought about it, that maybe you'd like meat instead of sweets more due to the youma bit of you, especially since that half is wolf, but wasn't quite sure. It pleases me greatly that you enjoyed it." In the next moment, he pulled out his communicator and opened up a pre-made list of what he had made, and put a big check next to "Bacon Pirozhki"".
Before Vivre could ask, he gave him a quick glance of the screen. "Just a list to see what you like and don't like. If you don't like it, then I won't make it again for you. Good to know that the pirozhki was a success, I'll be sure to try other savory flavors as well."
Turning the tablet back to himself, he watched curiously as the halfling tried the next thing, and.. Huh. That was surprising.
"I didn't do anything out of the ordinary when baking that... Hmm... Do you think it may be due the new chemistry in your mouth? With the amount of saliva produced, along with the acid that sometimes flows, I can imagine that there's a different lining, and a change to taste buds than before... Resistance to acidity, thus neutralizing flavors... Is it just citrus then or other things with acid as well..? Hmmm.." For a moment he pondered to himself, tapping his pen to his own lips a few times while trailing off. He scribbled a note to himself, a reminder to try other fruits with Vivre before smiling up to him again, very much entertained by the new information.
"There's nothing wrong with preferences and tastes changing though. As we grow, things change, and that's simply natural. Would you like to try something else? We could test the theory of the acidity level affecting taste. The strawberry tart would be acidic, while the cherry pie would not be, interestingly enough... Oh, we could also test the lemon tart, to see if it was just the lemon that didn't taste right anymore... I don't think I ever asked before, but were there any flavors you didn't like that you remember?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:57 am
"I don't think it's just that. I think it would have been good even if I was human. It's comforting and taste good and is much better than what I've been getting at the cafeteria. It's not something mass made or frozen. Bit maybe I do like it more because of all the changes." But who would be against bacon of all things?
Finishing the muffin, It watched Mali take out a checklist. Predicting it's next question, it answered that it wanted to remmeber what Viv liked. It felt like a science proj CT. It then again, it knew it was coming from a place of caring and wanting to gain his favor. It seemed Mali was doing anything he could to please it and it was starting to make Viv feel guilty. What could it do in return? If it didn't make any effort, then the friendship would be one sided where it was being spoiled and Mali got little in return.
Mali went on with his own theory but all Vit could consider was that one of its favorite foods was now out of the ring. What a shame.
"Um, we can try. I kinda feel silly just sitting here eating in front of you. Could you try something too?" It asked. "Else I'm going to feel like a pig."
It took some time for it to even get a grip on the strawberry tart which was now a bit smashed from it's attempts to pick it up, but it went to try it anyways.
"Did you learn cooking in your own cause you had to or were you taught?" It asked as it bite into the tart. The taste was overpowering and it winced. Very strong and very sharp in the strong sting of strawberry sweetness. What was wrong with it's mouth?!
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:44 am
"I see... Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Another note scribbled and another dessert offered, this time, at Vivre's prompting, he took the other lemon muffin and popped it into his mouth.
"I had plenty earlier, so I didn't think too much about snacking myself, but thank you. I'm happy to eat the ones you don't quiet like." His taste buds were still pretty normal as long as it wasn't too sweet.
That face though, Mali worried for a moment, before pulling a plastic solo-cup from his little pocket space and a bottle of watter, offering the cup first to Vivre.
"... I thought this, too might be a reaction. You don't need to eat everything, you know. If you don't like it, spit it out. It won't hurt my feelings."
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:12 pm
It swallowed despite the offered cup. "Like you said they are small bites. I won't die from it. And you put a lot of effort into making do many different kinds."
The strawberry was abrasive and it took the water but stopped when Viv stared at the cap. Frowning, it attempted to twist it but its hands couldn't get a grip in such a small cap. It didn't take long for it to use its teeth.
"You didn't answer. Who taught you this?" It said as it worked the cap in its mouth.
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