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 Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:22 pm
A knock came at the door.
Blinking, Isi looked up from the book he was reading and he gave a distinct glare at the door for interrupting a particularly interesting scene. Sighing and closing the book after he had tagged a page, Isi shifted upon the couch. Then a pain sparked through his body and he winced, forcing his body stil. He kept forgetting that his leg and rib were broken, so he continuously attempted to get up and do things aorund the household, ended up hurting himself, and sunk back into the couch, his face filled with self-loathing. Giving a sigh, Isi opened up his book again and shouted helplessly:
"APHI! THE DOOR!"
He hated screaming for Aphi like this. It always felt, to him, that he were asking for charity and everyone knew already that Isi hated to recieve charity. Sadly, in a situation like this, there was nothing else the boy could do so he had to comply and deal with it. First there wasn't a reply so Isi sucked in another breath and shouted again.
"APHI! THERE'S SOMEONE AT THE DOOR!!"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:31 pm
Aph sighed as he opened the bathroom door in a hurry; since this was the only other room in his apartment, it was the only place he might possibly be that might necessitate Isi to scream for him. "I heard you the first time!" he laughed as he straightened his pants properly. He headed for the door, but then remembered that the apartment was a mess.
"Err, JUST A MINUTE!" he yelled through the door, and rushed off to push his and Riv's easels into a corner, covering his with a cloth (Riv's was already covered, since he refused to let anyone see his work lately). He then threw the blankets back onto the bed in some semi-proper fashion, and ran to the kitchen to hide the dirty dished under the sink, covering them with a dishcloth. Of course, the one day I don't immediately do the dished after dinner, and someone drops by... I wonder who it is? Too early for the landlord to come for rent...
It was probably someone from the lab come to check on Riv... A quick glance revealed that the Raevan was out again. Beauregard was also missing. Aph sighed and made a face. How would he explain THIS to Kyou or Tsu, or whoever?
Ah, well.
"I look okay?" he asked Isi as he hurried to the door, running a hand through his messy black hair. Not waiting for a real answer, afraid Isi would tell the truth and tell him he was NOT okay, Aph opened the door wide.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:43 pm
Chloe gave a little gasp, eyes wide with shock, hand half raised in a fist to timidly knock again. She stood frozen, staring Aphismet square in the face, a simple bouquet of flowers and small box of candies in the crook of her other arm.
"A-Ah... e-e-excuse me.." She took a step back, sucking in a quick breath. "I... I heard uhm.. I-Isi was here..?"
She closed her eyes, waiting for Aphismet to banish her from his doorstep immediatly. It'd taken a fair amount of self pep talking to come to the door, another ten minutes standing in front of it deciding if she should knock or not.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:53 pm
"No you look like something that the Beauregard brought in," sarcastically replied the boy from the couch just as Aphi opened the door. Every once in a while, especially when Isi was feeling down about his injuries, he would get VERY sarcastic. It was all in good fun and intentions and he never said anything that would do something to really hurt his new brother.
Sadly, he couldn't see who was at the door since his back was facing the entryway and neither could he hear her since her voice was so timid. Then his curiosity peaked since anything that was without the two feet in radius about the couch was an object of interest. Turning a page in his book, Isi asked, very much acting like a little brother already, "Aphi? Who is it? Who is it, Aphi?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:04 pm
Aph stood dumbfounded in the doorway. This was the last person he expected to see! The pink hair, those doe eyes, the shy voice... He felt a lightl blush rise to his cheeks for a moment.
Aph shook his head. Finally snapping out of his trance, Aph leaned out the doorway and looked around quickly, but he saw no sign of the Ice Frei... strange. Maybe Roux saw Rivener outside and asked to stay there. Returning to his standing position, smiling, Aph ignored Isi's calls like any big brother would. "Chloe! How good to see you! I, uh, I didn't think I'd ever talk to you again. I was an a** last time. I, er..." It suddenly sank in that she had asked a question. "OH! Isi, right! Yes, he's here; you've come to see him? Come in, come in! Would you like something to eat?" He got out of the way, motioning for Chloe to enter.
He felt like a completely different person! How odd! He wasn't stuttering as much, and he didn't even feel like he was about to put a foot in his mouth! Could it be that he was... he was growing UP? Finally?! He grinned at himself, and secretly hoped he wouldn't screw things up.
"You can put your coat here," he said, pointing to the coatrack behind the door. "Shoes off just there," he said, motioning to the other pairs of boots on the left.
He walked over to Isi and finally answered. "It's Chloe, from the lab, you know her? She came to visit you, it seems."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:18 pm
She paused nervously for a moment, surprised at Aphismet's words. She shook her head enthusiastically. "O-Oh! N-No! You weren't!"
She let herself be ushered into the apartment, taking off her coat and shoes, placing them where she was directed, opting to keep her scarf on. She always felt just a bit cold.. probably a side effect to living with the Frei made of Eternal Ice.
Her body went frigid for a moment as her thoughts turned to her charge, and she quickly stepped up to Isi, thrusting her gifts out to the younger boy, forcing a shy smile. "Hello.. I-I heard.. you were unwell. I thought I might.. visit. If you don't mind."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:32 pm
The boy, startled by Chloe suddenly bursting into the line of his sight, gave a blush of surprise and choked on his words as the two gifts were pushed into his arms. Blinking, he looked at them in bright confusion and he fingered the box with a childlike curiosity.
Glancing back up at Chloe, a grin on his face, he said gratefully, "Oh, thanks, Chloe! How...How did you know to come? How are you? Are these chocolates?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:36 pm
Aph smiled as the two seemed to get along, and he headed for the kitchen. Guests had to be entertained, and he would love to make snacks for them! "Do you like mushrooms, Chloe?" He asked casually as he rummaged through the fridge, thinking of a few different things he could whip up fast... Mushroom caps were tasty and quick to prepare since he already had some filling left over from a few days ago... Ah! there it is. He took out the package of mushrooms and the bag of filling.
He began putting the snacks together almost immediately. If Chloe said she didn't like those, he would make something else, but for some reason he thought she would eat just about anything. She had admitted to enjoying cooking, those few times they had spoken.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:44 pm
Her smile softened into something more honest and shy as Isi seemed to enjoy the gifts. She gave a nod. "Yes.. they've got a few different kinds of fillings in them.. and the flowers are white Carnations and Chrysanthemums... I-It's supposed to mean something like... ah.." She looked down at the floor shyly. "Goodluck and you're a good friend."
She looked up as Aphismet called to her, giving a small nod. "Y-Yes.. please. Ah.."
She fell silent, unsure what else to say. She instead looked around the small area with interest, eyes gradually resting back on Isi. "Are.. you feeling better..?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:52 pm
Isi nodded thankfully and he reached over his head to delicately place the flowers on a table near his head. He didn't want to squash them or anything. Isi wanted to put them in a vase or something so they would last longer. Still fingering the plastic wrapping on the box, Isi glanced once up at Chloe and smiled a big honest and grateful grin, "Thanks a bunch, Chloe. Oh, yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. I'm able to shout now, so thats a good sign! I wasn't able to before. Aphi's been taking good care of me..." Isi waved a hand over at the man in the kitchen and shouted happily, "Isn't that right, big brother?!
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:59 pm
Aph chuckled at the yell, as he placed the mushroom caps into the oven. "Heheh, yeah, that's right." He came back to the living room and sat on the couch near Isi's legs, smiling at Chloe with only a hint of his customary shyness. "I, uh.. Um, it should be ready to eat in like ten minutes. I hope you'll like it! I know YOU like those, " he said, smiling at Isi.
Just as they were talking, the window opened behind them, letting in a gust of cold air. Rivener, all bundled up in his giant winter coat, floated in, followed by Beauregard. The Frei closed the window behind them, floated over to the coat rack, and took off his parka before even noticing someone else was here. He startled. A few blinks, and he glanced around the apartment.
Aph watched Riv questioningly. "Wasn't Roux with you?" he asked.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:05 pm
She smiled, nodding and giving a small chuckle. Her interest perked as she heard Isi call Aphismet big brother. She waited patiently for them to finish talking to ask but a cold gust of wind blew in.
Chloe didn't flinch from the cold, in fact she barely registered it, having become so accustomed to such things. She glanced over and saw Rivener, giving him a small smile and wave, hand stopping in mid-air.
She flinched back at the mention of the Frei's name, eyes instantly cast downward again. Her shoulders tensed and she spoke in a small voice. "N-No..."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:13 pm
Isi gave a slight choke of pain when Aphi sat down on the couch and jostled the pillows that his broken leg was resting on. Not only did he agitate his injuries but everyone else in the household too! He gave the man a meaningful look, and he opened his mouth to say something with Rivener came in with Beauregard.
"Oh hullo, Riv. And Beau," he added after he gulped away the twinge in his leg, seeing the whale give him a sad glare, "Why isn't Roux with you, Chloe?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:18 pm
Aph had turned to blink at Chloe now, and was about to ask the very same question Isi did, but the younger one beat him to it. A ding was the heard from the kitchen, so he hurried over to remove the mushrooms from the oven, placing them on a plate and hurrying back, all the while keeping an ear open to Chloe's answer.
Riv was also interested in the answer. He hadn't heard anything from the ice Frei in so long, ever since they'd gone to the sushi place... Was Chloe keeping them apart? Riv frowned and floated closer to the group, listening as well. She better not lie!
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:27 pm
Her whole body almost seemed to lower, if possible, shoulders and back sagging as though under weight. She brought her hands together in front of her, holding them lightly.
"He's... locked himself away.. I don't know.." She closed her eyes, shaking her head, bringing her hands up to press her palms against her eyes. "He's covered himself in ice.. I can't even.. I don't even..."
She fell silent, the distress apparent in her voice.
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