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 Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:38 am
Who: Shoshana, Phoenix, Zoe (Annarchye X) and Cesc (Atmadja)
Where: A park in Gambino
When: Late morning on a Saturday in early October
Weather: Cool and crisp, slightly cloudy - - - - - The park seemed the perfect place to go that day. Phoenix had recalled that when Zoe was a baby, they used to take her to the park to get her accustomed to going outside and seeing new things without the stress of being around too many people. Given that Shoshana similarly needed to be introduced to the world and all its wonders, Phoenix and Zoe agreed that the park would be just the thing to do.
The three of them stood outside the car, breathing in the cool, fresh air. Zoe held tight to her new sister's hand, dutifully carrying on her back a small backpack with water bottles that she had insisted on carrying herself. There was an entire case of them in the trunk as well.
Shoshana's firm grip on Zoe's hand was already loosening as she floated forward, eyes focusing on everything around her. "It's different from home!" Her deep tone was filled with excitement. "So many colors!"
Phoenix laughed, stepping forward next to the girls and locking the car over his shoulder. "The parks back home aren't nearly so big or nice. That's the downside to living in the city." He had specifically taken them out of town to a park he knew would be plenty interesting for the Frei to explore.
"Come on, let's go!" Zoe started forward. Shoshana eagerly floated alongside her, tiny wings beating rapidly in excitement over getting to explore this new, interesting place. It took every bit of what little restraint she had not to pull her sister along quicker. There was so much to see!
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:56 am
One of the things to see at the park was a wide clearing, and in that clearing was a baseball diamond, with a raised mound, real bases, and even a small hill where people could sit and picnic and watch a makeshift game. It was thoroughly homey and comfortable--a place where people might decide to have a family reunion, for instance--and, today, almost completely empty.
Almost.
On the pitching mound was a incongruous figure, standing--or rather, floating--with a bucket of baseballs beside him, pitching into the catcher's netting. It was a fine day, with good light and a faint breeze, and Rhedefre had decided to come to the park and practice his form. He floated still, looking down at the baseball in his hand, and shifted his grip on it. Then he adjusted the bill of his hat, squared his shoulders, and pitched.
The ball flew quickly from his grasp and socked the netting cleanly, tangling itself for a brief moment before dropping harmlessly to the ground. Rhedefre watched it fall, nodded, and then leaned down to retrieve another ball.
Something caught his eye as he did so. While this area of the park had its fair shares of passers-by when the diamond wasn't in use, today had been somewhat slow--and furthermore, these passers-by seemed a little different than usual. For one, one of them didn't seem to have an abdomen, or legs. And, hey, wait, didn't those silver curls ring a bell?
Rhedefre paused for a moment, combing through his memory. Z-something. Zohar? Zo...Zoe!
"Zoe!" he called aloud, lifting a hand in a wave.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:43 pm
The sound of someone calling her name stopped Zoe dead in her tracks, abruptly pulling Shoshana to a halt as well. Outside of family, none of whom would be so far out of town, there was really no one that should be calling for her. Confused, she looked towards the sound of the voice.
"Cesc!" She could barely make him out, but she could vaguely see his pink hair under his hat, and the fact that he was floating in the first place considerably narrowed down the possibilities. She had only met so many Raevans, after all.
"Is he your friend, Zoe?" Shoshana asked curiously, eyes trained on the figure in the distance. When she too realized that he had no lower half, she gasped. "He's like me!" Without waiting for an answer, the Frei dropped Zoe's hand and floated forth at full speed towards the stranger.
Phoenix followed by at his own casual pace behind the girls, but offered Cesc a cheerful wave. Zoe hurried after Shoshana as quickly as her little legs could carry her.
In her eagerness to meet the Sigel, Shoshana reached him in almost no time at all. Her fins twitched, her eyes wide as she hovered alarmingly close to him. "Hello," she said, unblinking as she looked over the stag. "You're like me! But you are not. What are these?" She examined his antlers, not touching but clearly enthralled.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:56 pm
Cesc smiled as the duo recognized him, but his hand slowly floated downward and then froze as he noticed the Frei was accelerating toward him. He was reminded very strongly of his first meeting with Amity--her barreling rush toward him, like, well, a bat out of hell. The second time around, Cesc didn't react with alarm so much as understanding: ah. Must be a newborn.
"Whoa, heya," he laughed as Sho halted her zooming pace right in front of him, looking over him with curiosity. He smiled at her and kept his spot, allowing her all the time she needed to form an opinion. It gave him, moreover, a little time to look at her without being leering--to take in her glittering appearance and soft beauty, her crown of curls and bewitching eyes. For her fresh youth and obvious ignorance to personal space, her appearance at least was something graceful, mature. She came from something ancient, old-world, faraway. That much was plain.
"We are kind of alike! I'm Rhedefre--you can call me Cesc, if you like. You're Zoe's new sister?" he said with a laugh, his ears perking toward her. "Those are antlers. You can touch, it's alright. They're not sensitive." He gently inclined his head, floating a touch lower, to give her access.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 1:40 pm
The Frei's wings fluttered in response, and she slowly reached out two fingers to gently touch the antlers. He was very curious looking, indeed! She didn't have antlers, so he was certainly different from her. And his ears were not the same, either. And his hair! What an interesting color of hair! "They are very nice antlers, Rhedefre." She would forget his name within moments.
Shoshana quickly circled the stag, and she stopped in front of him. "I am Zoe's sister, yes! Are you Zoe's friend?" Remembering that she had left Zoe so suddenly, she looked over her shoulder to the still running girl. She had almost reached them, so Shoshana waved at her excitedly.
Zoe caught up finally, slightly out of breath but all the same excited to see the Sigel. "Hi, Cesc!" She beamed at him, grabbing hold of Shoshana's hand once more now that they had been reunited. "This is Shoshana!"
It took Phoenix the longest to join the group, as he kept his original pace and watched the interaction from a distance with great amusement. When he finally reached the trio he smiled warmly at Cesc. "It's so good to see you again, Cesc!" He truly meant it. He had intended to take Shoshana to the bakery to introduce them, but it looked like fate had another plan.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:00 pm
"Why, thank you. I like them. I like your ears, too," said Cesc with amused politeness, straightening and rising back to his usual floating level. He smiled a broad, boyish smile at her as she circled him completely--he felt hilariously on display for her, in his plain grey-and-black raglan tee and ballcap. He took his hat off, and there was another curiosity--his antlers blinked out of tangibility for a moment as his hat sailed through them, and then they were back again, hard as they had been just moments ago. He fluffed his hair out of flatness as Zoe approached.
"Hey, Zoe!" he said, floating lower and putting out his hand for a high-five from the girl. "We just met--Shoshana? That's a beautiful name."
"Hi, Phoenix, good to see you again," he greeted at last, smiling at the proud new guardian. "Your family's gotten bigger, hey? Congratulations."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:17 pm
Shoshana watched the spectacular, but brief, change in Cesc's antlers with awe. "Zoe! Did you see? What magic, yes?" She reached forward to touch again, to confirm that they were indeed solid. She hummed, amazed.
Zoe enthusiastically high-fived Cesc with a grin. Before she could say more, Shoshana leaned in to her height. "Zoe, I'm going to get a water from your bag, okay?" The little girl nodded, and the Frei unzipped the bag to pull out a water bottle. She drank, quickly consuming a third of the bottle. Replacing it, she pecked Zoe on the cheek before floating back up to examine Cesc some more.
"Thank you!" Phoenix's eyes sparkled with joy and pride. "I apologize if she was abrupt in her approach. This is her first real time out," he explained with an apologetic smile. "How have you been? How's the bakery?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:30 pm
Cesc laughed as Shoshana reacted. "You've got plenty magic, yourself, he said to the newborn with a nod. He replaced the cap on his head, adjusting the bill, and then knocked on one of his antlers in illustration, smiling. "You'll figure out all the ins and outs of them pretty soon."
As Shoshana hydrated, he turned his attention back to Phoenix. He was struck by the paternal expression of pride on the man's face. Before Lorin and Claire, he'd never known a guardian to feel so... so parental over their charge. Everyone he'd met before acted, in various degrees, like guardians or foreign-exchange-student hosts, or, like his own strange family, more like siblings than like parents. It was surprising, but warm, and bittersweet, to see people like Claire and Phoenix. It gave him hope that those Sho would know much more warmth and fun and safety than, say, Zurine or Ethiriel had.
"First time out!" Cesc exclaimed with a smile. "What good timing for me. This must be a really fun time for you guys, hey, Zoe?" he smiled down at the girl. "We're good, though--bakery's doing fine, everyone's putting in their Thanksgiving and holiday orders pretty early. Not nearly as interesting as what's going on with you guys."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:58 pm
Amazed as always, Shoshana smiled back. What kind of magic, she wondered? She was still learning about herself. What she was before she was what she was then, and what she could do now. It had only been a couple of days, so there were still many questions.
"Very fun," Zoe confirmed with a giggle. She tugged on her sister's hand, beaming. How fun it was, also, that Shoshana was meeting Cesc first the same way that Zoe had! Only their dad had met anyone else first.
Phoenix grinned. "Still exciting! Must get busy this time of year, huh?" Ambrosia sure did. He felt a tad bit guilty that he was cutting back on hours just when business was starting to pick up, but he would still go in if anyone needed him.
A little gasp escaped Zoe suddenly. "Dad! Can we get some sweets from the bakery for Thanksgiving?" Normally they made everything from scratch, but she wanted to share with the family the delicious treats they sold.
"That would be fine! Would it be alright if we stopped by to place an order some time, Cesc?" Intrigued by the conversation, Shoshana hovered a bit closer.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:46 am
Cesc's smile grew watching the sisters--sisters! The word dawned on him as though he'd never really parsed it before. What a concept for a Raevan to have siblings as they entered the world. It must have been so comforting for Shoshana to have such a fast friend.
"It is busy, absolutely, but not so busy we couldn't make some extra sweets for our Lab family," said Cesc with a smile. He kneeled to be closer to Zoe's height, tipping the bill of his cap up. "What's your favorite treat? You guys could even come over and bake it with us, if you like!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:56 pm
Zoe's eyes lit up as if she'd just been told she'd won a million dollars. "Really? We can?" She helped her dad regularly with cooking, and baked goods were sometimes a part of that. Not as common, but they did occasionally do it, and it was something she loved to do dearly.
"Bake? You make food too, yes?" Shoshana caught up with the conversation, piecing together what they were discussing. She'd seen Phoenix cook plenty in her small time in the world. She was able to take part in feasting off what he made, too, but not quite in the same way. She was never able to taste the differences between meals.
Phoenix was touched that Cesc extended the invitation, and smiled warmly. "If it isn't too much trouble, we would love to," he said eagerly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 8:14 pm
"Never too much trouble! We'll set it up, maybe on one of the days you've got off? We can cross-reference our schedules, pick a day that's good for both of us," said the stag earnestly, his expression boyish and pleased. Since Phoenix had his own restaurant, he'd wondered if his suggestion might seem like old news--or rather, work--to the family. But perhaps they felt like he did: a kitchen was a place of welcoming, of forging new bonds. There was nothing like making food, or treats, with someone else. "Besides, Vivi and Shep would love to host you guys and meet everyone."
Turning his gaze toward Zoe and Shoshana, he explained: "That's my family--a little different from you guys' family, but I think you'd like them a lot."
To Shoshana, he then addressed her question with a nod: "You guys have a restaurant, right? We have a bakery. I've actually worked there since I was brand new, too, just like you. Do you and Zoe ever get a chance to slide in the kitchen with Phoenix?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:08 pm
The information about Cesc's family and the bakery seemed to completely overload Shoshana. Her fins and wings started fluttering rapidly and her already wide eyes grew wider. "Slide into the kitchen?" She looked at Phoenix questioningly.
"Help me cook," the man clarified, looking amused. He turned back to Cesc. "That sounds excellent. We'll definitely have to work something out." Phoenix looked back and forth between the two girls then. "We should get out of your hair. Zoe's going to show Shoshana the ropes around the park."
Zoe nodded importantly, looking proud. Atmadja I'm so sorry it's been MONTHS. orz I'm finally freeing up though so maybe we can work on wrapping this up, yeh? :3
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