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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 23, 2008 22:58:23 GMT -8
Lily had taken Val up on his offer to meet his mom and talk about the Old Powers theory. While most would be all about keeping it a secret, Lily felt that there should at least be a few Nightworlders who understood. Always the optimistic one, right?
Shivering a bit in the cold night air, she glanced around the dark street, looking out for any passing car that might be Rui's. She'd invited him along, explaining to him that she'd made a friend, who's mother knew of the legends. Whether he agreed or not, was another matter, and one she was a tad nervous about. And if he would show. This would make it the first dinner they'd had together, even if it was with strangers. She'd told him to meet her at the corner, and they could go in together. But she'd arrived a bit earlier in anticipation, and now she was just waiting, and pretty darned cold too.
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Post by shinigami on Jul 27, 2008 20:20:21 GMT -8
The Crow House was at the end of the street. The last one, in fact. Two stories, Spanish architecture. Privacy, assured by dark trees that look, in this twilight, like ink. When it gets even darker, they'll blend into their own shadows. There's a car with what some people call "personality" out front and another car, much nicer, red as a Maraschino cherry in certain light, parked in a garage which is open. Beyond the cul de sac that the street ends in is desert. Lots, and lots, and lots of open desert. The lights are on, and it's clear that people are home.
Especially since the door opens, and a blond kid -- maybe eleven years old, maybe not quite -- stomps out, hauling a big bag of recycling. He doesn't yell OKAY MOM I'M DOING IT, but he doesn't really need to. The way he huffs is eloquent enough. He puts the bag down next to the bins by the kerb, then turns back to go inside. A woman's voice drifts out -
"INSIDE the bins, Simon."
- and he kicks the ground, shoulders hunched like a puppy, turning back to do it properly.
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Post by titan on Jul 27, 2008 20:44:12 GMT -8
Rui walked up behind Lily, nudging her with his shoulder from behind.
"I suppose we have to go in now, huh?" he asked her, pouting like a puppy who just ruined his very last squeaky steak toy..
He did not like people very much, and even less did he like dining with people that he wasn't overly familiar with. Sure, he'd met Beatrix in a past life, but that didn't make it any better. His last experience with another old power had been Fire and that had been less than happy.
Trailing along behind Rui was a small snowy white kitten who managed - despite his incredible cuteness - to look indignant about being dragged along. Wasn't it bad enough that he hadn't gotten Lily? Did it have to be rubbed in his nose?
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 27, 2008 20:51:49 GMT -8
Lily was startled for a moment, spinning around and clutching her chest. Man, she needed to be more observant of her surroundings.
"Stop pouting," Lily said, even though her heart was still running a marathon in her chest, and nudged him back just to sass him. "It's not like they're going to kill you and then serve you up for dinner."
She looked down and saw the fluffy cat trailing behind Rui, and felt a very strong pull of guilt in her gut. "Hi, Xerx," she said, leaning down to scratch him behind the ears. "I'm sorry you got dragged along."
She wasn't only saying sorry for that, though, and she hoped he got her drift. She felt awful for rejecting him because he was a nice guy, and she really did adore him. But she loved Rui. But she'd try not to do anything to rub it in his face... hopefully it would help a bit.
"Er, come on," she said quickly, straightening up and gesturing to the house in front of them. "It's this house here. Please try to be nice. Val is my friend, kay?"
And without waiting for an answer she bounded up to the yard, and then paused when a kid kicked the ground and tossed a bag of garbage in the trash can. "Oh, um, hi!" Lily grinned, and waved a little, "Are you Val's brother? I'm Lily."
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Post by shinigami on Jul 27, 2008 21:09:13 GMT -8
Simon startled. His head came up quickly and his shoulders tensed. Now, Simon was shy; painfully shy. The pain in "painfully shy" is quite visible for Lily and Rui to see as he regards them with a mixture of, well, shyness and suspicion. His eyes are blue, but wistful ocean blue, and his hair flops into them.
"Yeah." That was almost just a whisper. He clears his throat. "You're Lily? And this is your boyfriend?"
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Post by titan on Jul 27, 2008 21:13:13 GMT -8
Rui nodded, not liking to talk to strangers much more than this kid seemed to. He felt Xerxes at his ankles, weaving through them. This simple movement reminded Rui that at a moment's notice, Xerx could climb his leg again...No, he wouldn't think about that.
As far as Xerx was concerned, he couldn't stay mad at Lily, damn it all, but he was also determined to find another girl soon...Now, Rui had said something about this Val character having a sister....
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 27, 2008 21:15:40 GMT -8
Lily nodded sheepishly, tilting her head so her hair cascaded forward and hid part of her face from view. "Yup, I'm Lily. So... um.... should we, er, go inside, or...?"
Her and dinners with families, she just wasn't familiar with the way things went. And she was just a TAD nervous.
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Post by shinigami on Jul 27, 2008 21:34:24 GMT -8
Simon freezes in place, again. He looks absolutely wide-eyed and frightened and like maybe a good stiff breeze would blow him over. Should he have invited them in? Did -- did they say Rui's name and he just missed it? Or was Rui's name boyfriend? Because that could happen, couldn't it? Simon chewed on his lip, and blushed furiously. He whispered: "Uhm. Yeah. That's cool. I mean, of course. Welcome to my house. I mean - the house. I'm... " He paused, and smiled a surprisingly sweet smile, especially given that he was really quite frightened. "My name's Simon and ... Oh shit. I mean, uh. Darn." He lead them toward the front door, but when he cussed, he glanced nervously toward one of the lit windows. Mom'd have his hide if she knew he'd cussed in front of their guests. "Is that your cat? He's kind of tiny..."
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Post by titan on Jul 27, 2008 21:42:36 GMT -8
Rui looked down at Xerx, trying to hide the alarm he felt for the boy who had just called his..companion...tiny..
The little cat's eyes widened, and then narrowed. He started forward with a purpose, but Rui grabbed him before he could get more than a couple of steps and held him in his arms.
"You scratch me and I'll feed you dog kibble for a week," he whispered to the cat, who relaxed slightly in his arms. Him, eat dog kibble? The mere idea was laughable. But that didn't mean he was taking any chances..
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 27, 2008 21:49:29 GMT -8
Lily looked between the three and laughed, a distinct nervous note in the tone. "It's cool, I won't tell your mom you swore," Lily said kindly to Simon. "Just so long as you promise not to call the Xerx tiny again. He doesn't really like it, I think."
Lily decided she liked Simon. Shy, and yet could sass people too. It was adorable.
Trying to divert any trouble, she opened up the screen door and smiled at Simon. And then leaned over and scratched Xerx under his chin whispering a, "Please don't attack the children, Xerx."
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Post by shinigami on Jul 27, 2008 21:59:34 GMT -8
Simon somehow manages to look -- smaller. His shoulders hunch up and his eyes get big, again. "I... I'm sorry, I ... It's just... We have a cat. And ... and she's a little territorial... She killed one of her own kittens once. I mean, it was a runt... But... I just..." He ducks his head and opens the door, mostly to stop himself from speaking anymore.
He calls out: "MOM! GUESTS ARE HERE!"
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Post by titan on Jul 27, 2008 22:19:30 GMT -8
"I think he can handle himself.." Rui said quietly, and was only slightly startled when the child yelled.
((sorry it's so short, i have to go to bed..))
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 27, 2008 22:25:31 GMT -8
Lily winced a bit at the yelling, shuffling her feet a bit and wringing her hands in her skirt. "Right, well, I think our arrival has been sufficiently announced," Lily muttered to Rui, slightly amused, but a little scared at meeting someone else's family. Maybe if she just kept the speaking to the bare minimum then everything would be okay.
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Post by shinigami on Jul 27, 2008 23:08:55 GMT -8
"Please take off your shoes," Simon says, his voice a shy barely-there whisper again. He shoves his hands into his pockets, standing inside and holding the door open for Lily and Rui with his shoulder. Then he grins, bashfully, because he's ten or eleven, and he startled them, and that's just good fun.
Cue Description.
They're in the foyer. Beyond the foyer, there's a hallway; to one side is a room which is lit and appears to be some kind of small den. Beyond that, if they look, they can see what looks like a sun room -- the tiles are ruddy, warm in hue, Mediterranean. Tothe other side is another room which is dark and also vast, although there's a circle of candles (they're like stars) lit around a pit in a table which is fossilized wood. That's the true living room.
Down the hall, more -- real -- luminousity. The kitchen is in the back of the house. And the stairs to the second floor are there, too. The interior feels -- well, spacious. If they look up, they can see the dark wood railing -- Spanish, Italian, what-have-you -- for part of the second floor.
The Crow House feels ...well, good. Clean. And, perhaps oddly, essentially mysterious. Magic. The house -- it settles. It also smells good. Cooking food.
Cue, Valentine Crow.
He comes straight from the kitchen. His hair is even more tousled than usual, which is tousled indeed, almost scruffy, and his silvery eyes crinkle up at the corners. Why? Because he smiles, lopsided and easy, at Lily and Rui.
"I'm so glad you guys made it! I see you already met Simon. The food's not ready yet. C'min!"
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jul 27, 2008 23:18:50 GMT -8
Lily looked around the house in awe, she was comfortable here even though it was so far from what she was used to. She lived in a tiny apartment in the bad side of town, herself. But this was warm, and inviting, so different from any house she'd been inside.
At Simon's instruction to take off her shoes, she quickly bent over and took off her flats and set them neatly off to the side. She glanced briefly at Rui, and had been about to say something when Val came in and greeted them. And of course, seeing her newly-made friend made her ecstatic. Ecstatic enough that she went runnig over and jumped at him, hugging her arms around his shoulders.
"Hi, Val!" she said happily, grinning from ear to ear. "How's it goin'?"
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