|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:20 am
[ This RP is between kamtrouble and azuredreams, as well as any characters they have or people they invite. ]It was a warm summer day. The air was good and it wasn't too hot yet, but all the same, no one was outside the Concord house. For once, it looked every inch the normal house between the rest of the Port Gino houses. ( Though Nora knew otherwise, but no one was paying attention to the nosey gossip today. )
Carmine was situated in the living room, a medical journal in hand and reading it while he kept an eye on Lafe for Wren. ( The demon apparently needed time to write and had somehow managed to get the Italian man to look after the baby, for a price. ) It was a laid back day, for the most part, and Carmine didn't have an issue with looking after Lafe.
Lafe was far too content to sit on the floor and playing with his tarot cards. He was, once again, thinking of the meanings of each card that was spread out before him. The cards were everywhere, of course, and he loved moving them about. Because just like each card had a meaning, if he moved it somewhere else, it could mean something else! He let out a happy growl, and continued about his work, content himself. Carmine wasn't bad as Wren, in his mind.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:36 am
Abnormally unsettled by recent events in her own house, Chandra had taken to the streets. She had almost reached the point at which she would be willing to act, but once she did - everything would change. She was not quite ready for that eventuality.
She had thought of going to the record store again, but she had not even played the music she bought on her last trip yet. Aimlessly wandering, Chandra had idly reached into the pockets of her dark cloak and found something worth exploring. An address for the small Legend that played with cards. And presumably, his philosophic guardian.
Navigating was not Chandra's strength, but Port Gino wasn't particularly large, and she eventually found her goal. Anyone else might have been uncomfortable from walking around in the heat, but Chandra's internal temperature kept her comfortable in all weather - as long as she didn't expose her sensitive skin to the bare sunlight. Oddly enough, the condensation which should have sprouted up on her clothing as a result of the difference between her temperature and the ambient was strangely absent.
As she reached her destination, Chandra pulled her hood back from her face gingerly. She disliked the way her pupils had to dilate in the bright daylight, but others seemed to find a hooded figure disturbing. Once inside she could rest her eyes. Once at what appeared to be the front door of the abode, Chandra rapped several times on the door with her fist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:14 am
Carmine was a different sort and not likely to be bothered by the appearance Chandra held. At least, one would assume so considering the children that appeared to be taken care of in the house hold and ... the things he kept company with on the occasion. ( Some things were better not mentioned. )
Stretching languidly at the sound of someone knocking on the door, he pushed himself up to go answer it. An idle glance told him that Lafe would be well enough on his own for a bit, the fox distracted by his tarot cards. ( Carmine wondered, if he meddled with tarot cards at this age, just what else he would get into as he got older. )
He didn't have any shoes on, not planning on going out for a bit, and padded silently towards the front door. Stretching out his senses, he pulled back all most as instantly as he tried to sense the one standing beyond it. Interesting.
Charming smile in place, blue eyes glinted at the visitor. Well, well, what do we have here? "Hello," he spoke smoothly, "Can I help you, miss?" His accent slipped through some and Carmine was, if anything, charming when he wanted to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:31 am
Chandra studied the person at the door carefully, keeping her annoyance at not being met by someone she expected hidden behind a cool mask. Looking him up and down, she felt that encountering him while Xochiquetzal was in ascendance gave him a distinct advantage over her. His good looks and charming nature made a distinct impression, which Chandra attempted to ignore. Her mood shifted even further as she realized she could not get a peek at the color of his soul.
Looking him squarely in the eyes, she spoke slowly and deliberately. She resisted the urge to pat the book at her side for assurance.
"Is this the home of the Legend child Lafe?" She inquired, one eyebrow raised questioningly to offset the lack of intonation in her voice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:51 am
Curiouser and curiouser. Carmine's smile widened, as disarming as possible. His demeanor was meant to be that way, pleasant to the eye of most, but underneath was anything but. This young teenager was rather interesting, at least, the way she spoke and her appearance and the way she seemed to be holding herself.
"Yes, it is," the words rolled smoothly, and he took a step back from the doorway. This time, when he stretched out his empathy to get a taste of the young woman's feelings, he hid the surprised arch of his eyebrow. It was all ways interesting to meet someone who seemed to surpress their feelings, blunted as it were. But there was a faint taste of attraction there, which wasn't too surprising.
It was the distrust he sensed that did. His lips nearly quirked into a smirk, but he held back. This one, she was intelligent if she was distrustful of him -- or perhaps it was her nature. In any case, it was a good idea to not trust him. Trust was something only given to those that deserved it, in his line of work.
"I'm looking after him today, would you care to come in to see him?" he asked, eyebrow quirking up. "He's in the living room and I believe, with your complexion, that getting out of the sun might be a good idea." In that moment, the doctor in him snuck up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:05 pm
After a moment of thought, she decided that while the man at the door was unfamiliar - the address was likely correct and the child worth seeing.
"I would. And indeed," Chandra agreed, slipping past the man at the door and into the interior of the house, "It is best to be cautious, since I am not yet sure I will be able to adequately replace this body if it is damaged."
Once past him, she paused, uncomfortable with him at her back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:14 pm
Carmine held back the chuckle that wanted to come out, particularly when Chandra stopped just after entering. "That's very true," he responded, "it is best to treat your body well -- getting a new one might be a bit difficult." Though her speech and words seemed a bit out of place, it was interesting nonetheless.
Shutting to door, he brushed past her and walked on towards the living room. It wasn't that far, but there was a step down into the room. There was couches and chairs, surrounding a coffee table. Lafe was on the plush carpet, a bit away from the coffee table and had been playing with his tarot cards.
Except now he was looking all most expectantly towards the entrance to the living room, his tail swishing back and forth quickly. Carmine grinned at the way the baby's feelings were so obvious. He was happy to see this particular visitor. "I'd say someone's here to see you, Lafe, but I believe you all ready know." And of couse, he went ahead and stepped into the living room. He didn't seem to have an issue with having his back to Chandra, but that was likely because he knew he could handle himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:31 pm
"Greetings," Chandra said to Lafe as she entered the room. "I see you are again studying your cards."
With a short look to the man who had opened the door, whose name Chandra noticed she still did not know, she walked closer to Lafe and knelt near him.
"May I look?" she inquired respectfully, gesturing to the cards. It was not her place to peek if Lafe did not wish to share.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:59 pm
Carmine stood for a bit longer, watching the two of them. Really, was this young woman another like Lafe and Alex? It was an interesting thought, but she ... reminded him of Death in a way.
"Don't mind me," he said to the both of them, "I'll just go back to what I was doing, but do ask if you require anything." That charming grin was back in place. Before he retook his seat, he looked towards Chandra directly. "And my name is Carmine, to share."
Lafe only gave Carmine a brief glance. The man, he could sense, had something dark about him, but he could've cared less. Instead, Lafe's focus was on Chandra and when she gestured towards his cards he gave a slight nod, his tail swishing back and forth still. She was nice ( so far as he knew ) and interested in his cards, so it was fine for her to look.
Actually, the young pooka scooted closer to Chandra, trying to get a better look at her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:17 pm
With a dismissive wave of one pale hand, Chandra acknowledged Carmine. Having his name was comforting, so she curtly gave him her own.
"I am Chandra," she said, adding almost as an afterthought - "I am a Legend, like Lafe."
She did not look up, sweeping her gaze over the cards that Lafe had assembled on the floor. They meant something, she was sure, but she did not have whatever skills were required to interpret them.
Moving slowly, so as not to spook Lafe, Chandra removed her heavy outer cloak and placed it on the floor behind her. It gave her more ease of movement not to worry about it.
"Will you read cards for me?" Chandra asked Lafe finally. "I can offer a song in return." She pulled a silver flute out of her pocket and showed it to the younger Legend.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:02 pm
Carmine did chuckle at the wave of Chandra's hand and nodded slightly. "Pleasure, then, and good to know." At least her words answered his thoughts, which was never a bad thing. She was probably somebody Lafe would like being around, even though her feelings were so stilted, she was calm and those seemed to be the people Lafe liked most.
Or so he noticed. It was no wonder Lafe didn't all ways enjoy being around Wren. The demon was bound to snap eventually. Situating himself back in his chair, he picked up the medical journal he had been reading and went back to it.
And the former doctor's eyes, if only for a moment were entirely focused on the flute. There was an aura about it, one that made him unconsciously twist the antique silver ring on his finger, instead of the wedding band next to it. There were feelings with the flute, so faint and nearly entirely gone, but ... perhaps despair. Unhappy things.
All the same, Carmine knew an object of potential power when he saw one, and there was something about the flute. The way it gleamed in the light. It spoke of power that could be had, but he turned his eyes from it to Chandra anyway. How did such a young lady come to be the owner of an item like that?
Lafe was smiling faintly, regardless, having watched Chandra warily as she was moving. When her cloak was shed, Lafe eyed it briefly, before trying to gather up all his cards and slide his way over to it. ( It couldn't be helped, he liked cloaks. It was all Alex's fault. )
He might've even made it, if he hadn't been distracted by the flute Chandra was showing to him. Lafe's movements stopped and his eyes focused on the flute closely. It gleamed in the lighting of the room and he looked as if he might've been tempted to touch it, but held back from doing so. There was an air about the flute, something that told him it was best to not touch such a thing. It wasn't his, anyway.
There was a slight nod of his head. So he would ... do something with his cards and she would play with the flute. Glancing down at his cards, he started spreading them out again, face down. It was something of a mess, but he understood it in his own way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:23 pm
Watching Lafe closely, Chandra took his movements with the cards to be assent to her deal. To hold up her end of the bargain, she put the flute to her lips and began to play. Softly at first and then growing a little more bold. The tune was one she had been moved to play before, something soft and a little sad. Something that sounded like a familiar lullaby - but wasn't.
The flute really had little choice in what Chandra played, since it was basically dormant, but it liked this song quite a bit. To Chandra it felt like something she had always known, maybe something she had heard as a child? Hard to tell, honestly. The faint feeling of Death which always accompanied the instrument rose slightly at the first couple notes, but Chandra disregarded it. She had found it in Death, so it was not out of place that it should still have some feel of that place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:46 pm
Lafe watched Chandra play, his ears twitching and listening intently as the music began to flow. The melody itself was peaceful, but it felt sad and after a few moments Lafe absently rubbed at his face with a hand. His tail eventually started to swish a bit in tune with the music and the small smile stayed on his face as he listened. The fox was rather entranced with the music and the way in which Chadra pulled the notes from the flute itself.
There was, for a moment, an uneasy feeling that settled over Lafe from the playing of the flute, but he disregarded it in favor of listening to the music. There was a whisper in his mind that things would be all right, there was nothing to worry about from the flute -- for now.
Carmine, however, was a bit unnerved by the flute. Not necessarily the music it played, but the feeling it gave off. It felt like Death itself, if it could be tangible. That same feeling in the air when death was so close to a person, something he had sensed many times in the past. From the ghosts he had come across to the patients he had treated who were dying to the people who's lives he ended.
The tune itself, was calming in way but still remorseful. The bitter ache, perhaps, when one wishes for one thing, but is still bound to another. It made Carmine, briefly, remember being younger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:06 pm
Chandra finished shortly, letting the last note hang in the air for a moment before it died. She would have liked to play a bit more, there was something alluring about letting oneself hide behind the music and get lost, but she did want to see what the cards had to say. And his guardian...
Chandra gave Carmine a shifty glance, confirming that she could still not see the color of his soul. Irked at being denied something she normally found so simple, she tried the dangerous step of momentarily slipping sideways into Death. If she could straddle the veil between Life and Death she would have a better view of him, but she was denied. Death was still there, but it seemed to be out of reach - eluding her mental grasp. Finally she gave up, glared at Carmine for a moment, and then placed the flute back into the folds of her robe.
She hated to ask questions, she really did - so it was with obvious distaste that she addressed Carmine.
"You have a way of blocking me from gazing at your soul. How?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:26 pm
Carmine was all most taken back by the sudden glare that was on the young woman's face, the wave of distaste that filtered through, but he slipped easily into the mask of charming gentleman. His smile, though more of a smirk, was meant to be disarming. All ways trying to make himself not seem like a potential threat.
"I would probably argue that my soul is long gone, as someone else has it," Carmine's tone was quiet, but truthful all the same. This Chandra, she was a part of things -- more than most that he had encountered in a while. "But any sensible person would do something to make sure that prying eyes cannot have a look at something so telling as their soul." It wasn't like he didn't know a glimpse at his soul could tell endless stories about him. He arched an eyebrow, head tilted slightly to the side as he looked back at Chandra.
Lafe had been calm, for the most part, during the music. His fingers were brushing along the cards and certain ones pulled to the side. They were the ones that called to him, the ones that needed to be apart and heard.
Except then Chandra stopped playing and things changed. His ears suddenly cocked back at the tone of her voice, and he turned his attention towards Carmine as well, before looking back between the both of them.
Something was going on, he knew it, but ... not quite what.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
