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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 4, 2009 0:35:27 GMT -5
((Actually, yes. XDDD He's very much a misandrist. I think he'd get along well with Mrs. White, though... XD))
"He is. Don't have to worry about him running off like any other kids," The King replied with an easy smile, drawing his hand once more across the boy's hair. It moved into his touch, its smile nearly reaching from ear to ear, almost rubbing into his hand like it was a cat of some sort. Deciding that he'd had more than enough of that, Apocalypse brought his hand away.
Now he had something else to consider. He had a guest of sorts in his presence, and he'd invited the man to lunch. Now he had to decide what they were going to eat. There was a place in the outskirts of the Bazaar that did a damn fine Bog-style cuy, but some part of the man recognized that bringing the porcupine to a place like that might just be one step too far in regards to testing the truth in his statement. Boggies really would eat just about anything edible, and often did so while their faces were still attached. His stomach rumbled at the thought.
Another day. He'd stick to the more pedestrian for today. "Sushi?" He asked, giving the Lakelander another bright smile before walking down the street in the direction of a little shop. If the porcupine wanted to follow, he could. If not... Well, it would provide a good opportunity for him to go somewhere else, leaving King and strange Childling in the dust of memory. Frankly, Apocalypse didn't care either way. Sushi sounded good, and he didn't mind eating alone.
As its master moved down the street, the boy-thing moved to follow him but then stopped, giving Felix another wide-eyed stare. Then it grinned too, though there was something nervous about it. A small wave indicated that the porcupine should hurry after them, and then the boy went tromping down the road until it was within what it judged to be a "safe" distance.
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Post by Lucca on Nov 4, 2009 6:52:00 GMT -5
((hoo boy, wouldn't THAT be a scary combination...XDXD A meeting could be arranged at some point if we wanted it, haha.))
Felix simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak. This day had taken a turn for the worse, and yet somehow...somehow he found part of him almost enjoying this. It was...different. It had been a long time since the lazy, complacent porcupine had seen...different. Something new in his life, even if it was unplesant. And wouldn't his own home feel much better tonight, much safer, after this? Of course, that didn't help ease any of the fear and wrongness he felt at the childing's existance.
He licked suddenly dry lips as he tried to find the words to answer the man. While he wasn't overly fond of sushi, he had eaten it before and would do so again. However, the thought brought to his mind how remarkably unhungry he was. But he'd accepted the offer and he didn't want to look like a jerk, so he made to follow...though the child stopping to wave at him made his freeze, a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look, one paw raised awkwardly in the air. He nodded. "Y-yeah, thanks, Jaime," he said weakly, and started to walk again once the kid's back was to him. He wondered why no other children he'd met before were this...odd. Then again he'd never met any natural born humans before, so maybe that had something to do with it? Hm.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 4, 2009 18:38:22 GMT -5
((It really would. Which is why my brain is going "yessssss", I'm sure. XDD))
The place really was a traditional place, the only seating stools alongside a bar that was open to the outside air. Apocalypse pushed aside a curtain patterned in Mid-Range designs and then climbed into a seat, glancing back. There was the childling, of course. He hoped that it didn't startle the chef too badly. Hmm. The little thing crawled into the seat beside him, little hands clutching the material of the cushion tightly as it stared down at the ground, little legs kicking eagerly.
The sound of shuffling footsteps brought a smile back to the King's face. Good. Their new friend had decided to stick with them, at least for now, and when Felix slipped into the restaurant he'd find himself being stared at by King and mini-King.
Creepy.
Apocalypse, however, smiled brightly. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to come, after all!" He said in a cheerful tone, indicating the empty seat beside him. It would put a little more space between the man and the childling, which would help ensure this encounter lasted more than five minutes. "Sit down, sit down. Get anything you're in the mood for, after all, it's my treat."
Money didn't matter, especially when compared to the entertainment value of the meeting. The man's eyes flashed brightly. "Would you care to share a bottle of sake with me? Goes well with the fish, I've found." Maybe some alcohol would loosen the porcupine up.
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Post by Lucca on Nov 4, 2009 20:21:33 GMT -5
Felix never hurried anywhere, really. Any place worth going to, was worth taking time and enjoying the journey. So the fact it took him several minutes to daudle in after Apocalypse and the creepy child was less due to his unease (though it was sure nice being out of 'Jamie's' prescence) and more to do with the Selkie's natural pace. He looked up, ears immediately going back a bit at the sight of them both staring at him, and a slight shiver went down his back, though he managed a smile.
"Hey, far be it from me to uh...turn down a free meal. Uh, Your Highness. It was very kind of you to offer." He climbed up on the stool with a bit of effort, tapping his claws on the counter nand briefly glancing over the menu. He had a hard time making sense of complicated foreign menus at the best of times, let alone when his nerves were this frazzled. He figured he'd go with the safe bet, since if he didn't like it...well, he'd eat it anyway, and he still wasn't very hungry.
"I'll have whatever you're having," he said with an absent wave of his claw. But he actually perked up at the mention of alcohol. That sounded like just what he needed! While not quite an alcoholic, the porcupine could certainly drink with the best of them. "Oh that sounds great, actually. Cool, man." He was still tense, and he could still see the child out of the corner of his eye, but at least it was quiet, and that aura of 'wrong' was familiar enough by now to somewhat ignore it. Mostly. As long as the thing wasn't looking directly at him.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 4, 2009 23:44:37 GMT -5
A bright smile accompanied with the slightest flash of teeth indicated Apocalypse had heard Felix, though his attention was currently locked on something far more interesting in his mind at least - he could see the fish behind the counter, kept over ice, fresh and pink and oooh... The man licked his lips, ignoring the squirming of the boy beside him. It didn't much like waiting in one place. "It's not a problem." He replied in an off-handed manner. Where was the damn owner of the place? It had never taken him this long to make an appearance before, and this was starting to get on the pale man's nerves.
Granted, that wasn't hard to do. He started to drum his fingers against the table, giving the porcupine a glance.
"Sure thing." He said, glancing once more at the doorway behind the counter. "As soon as we can, you know, order, I'll get that for us."
As if he sensed the discontent coming from the patrons of the restaurant, the Mid-Ranger who owned it stepped out, ready to take their orders. A small smile graced his placid expression, after all, he recognized the pale man. This was true until, of course, his eyes fell upon the boy sitting beside Apocalypse and spinning on his stool. The man faltered. Then he dropped his notebook and swore rather loudly, hurrying back into the dark room. Apocalypse stared after him, his smile faltering and then vanishing entirely, leaving him with a rather unhappy glare.
Then he swore, too. "...Give me a minute. I'm going to figure this out." Without another word, the King vaulted over the counter, stiffly pushing open the door. There was quiet conversation that escalated into yelling, then went quiet again. Finally, Apocalypse stepped back out, shaking his head. "He says if we wanna eat so damn bad, I can make us food myself. Whatcha in the mood for?"
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Post by Lucca on Nov 5, 2009 9:02:59 GMT -5
Felix, who tended to generally be laid back about everything, didn't mind waiting, so he wasn't sure what was making the man so tense. He frowned a bit, hoping it wasn't anything he had done, but since most of the glances weren't directed at the porcupine, but at the back room, he relaxed slightly on that count. "Sounds good," he said, smiling cheerfully...which faltered at the other's annoyed expression. He was rather relieved when the man finally stepped out, not for his own sake but for Apocalypse's, and then something really confusing happened...
The man seemed just as unnerved by the child as he himself had been. But that didn't make any sense...did it? Unless there really was something wrong with the boy. He puzzled over this, and his eyes would show clearly that he was deep in thought (well, deep for him) but he had more sense than to say anything more about the boy...
Until he was left facing 'Jaime' with nothing in between the two, since the King had just jumped over the counter. Nervously, he waved at the child. "S-so...you...come here often?" Probably not, judging by the reaction that other man had just had, but he needed to say something. It was with a great deal of relief that Felix saw Apocalypse step back out, though his words made golden eyes widen in surprise. "Oh! Uh, oh. Well, I suppose fish, since that's what we were going to have. And we can still have sake, right? If...if that's all okay with you." Yeah, he definitely wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. His brow crinkled in confusion, then. "But why do we need to cook it ourselves? That's his job."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 7, 2009 2:39:53 GMT -5
The Childling did not like it when its master was so far away, and it gave the porcupine a nervous sideways glance, leaning in to clutch the countertop. It opened its mouth and spoke in that peculiar, soundless way it did, glancing at the door Apocalypse had vanished through minutes before. When it heard his voice it brightened, standing on the stool and leaning forward, seeming to be struggling to catch any glimpse of the King. It didn't like being away from him. It felt nervous around people. It was being asked questions and the man wouldn't be able to hear its answers.
It just wanted its master back. It did make a sound then, a soft and urgent little whimper.
Luckily for all involved parties, that was about when the pale man made his return appearance and grinned brightly at both boy-thing and Lakelander. He glanced around for a cloth, wiping down the cooking surface, and then picked up one of the knives. Sharp. Very sharp. He whistled appreciatively. After all, even if scythes were more his forte, he could still appreciate a well-built weapon when he picked one up. "Niiiice. Real Mid-range steel, I'd wager. Ever seen one of these in the flesh?" Experimentally, the man gave the blade a twirl, then selected a deep red piece of fish from the available selection. He could get some food ready for them while his companion spoke.
"Yeah, we can still have the sake. It's probably a good thing that none of this really needs any... preparation to speak of." His grin flashed brightly as he sliced the fish into thin strips, then rolled small balls of rice to lay those strips over. "I'm not much of a chef, but my friend did all the hard parts for us."
As soon as Felix brought the subject of the chef up, a briefly sour expression crossed Apocalypse's face. The damn Mid-ranger had almost ruined the whole game with his nerves, and that wasn't any fun at all. He shook his head slowly, almost sadly. "Ah... He wasn't feeling very well, unfortunately, but Jaime and I are regulars and good friends of his." A semi-lie. He didn't consider many people to be good friends, and this was the first time he'd brought the boy here. "He trusts me to take care of his shop." He quickly slid the small rolls onto a platter, pushing the platter in front of boy and porcupine. Then he snatched a bottle of sake down from the wall, setting it down in front of Felix.
"So, Felix, what do you do exactly?"
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Post by Lucca on Nov 7, 2009 9:07:56 GMT -5
Felix looked away uncomfortably at the boy's soundless answer. Right. Trying to ask questions of someone who was mute rather defeated the purpose, didn't it? He watched the man slicing the fish with precision, shaking his head in answer to the question. He didn't even know Mid-Rangers were known for steel. He wasn't even sure he knew where the Mid-Range -was-, though he'd seen a few Cards of that Realm before, all honor-bound and with weird magical cuts against their dull fur and vivid blue or green eyes. Was that one of those things he was just supposed to know? Or did others learn it in school? Ah, whatever.
"No, never," he finally replied aloud, since Apocalypse might not have seen his head-shake. "They look very...sharp." He smiled, watching as the food was prepared with some small amount of admiration. Cooking wasn't something he'd ever managed to get the hang of, and this time he imagined it wasn't -just- laziness preventing his skill from developing. Even cooking that didn't actually involve, ah, cooking anything, he wasn't sure he'd be able to roll rice with such dexterity despite his paws that would seem suited for such a purpose.
"Oh! Oh, well I hope he gets better soon," the porcupine said, ears drooping back a bit. Yes, luckily he was dumb enough to believe whatever BS the man cooked up unless it was blindingly obvious that it was false. And even then...his eyes lit up as a bottle of sake was placed in front of him, and he eagerly popped the top off and took a long swig, sighing in satisfaction. Now this was what he needed. "Thanks, Your Highness!"
One paw tentatively reached out for the fish, and he took a bite...only to nearly choke on it at the question. Why did people always ask him that? "Well, uh...I live in Selkie." He chewed and swallowed while thinking of how to continue the explanation. He wasn't precisely ashamed of the fact he was a jobless bum, but the lingering fear from 'Jamie's' presence still hovered over him, and besides, you didn't want to make a guy who made you lunch feel like you were just being a mooch. "I help my mom and dad out with selling the fish they catch." Perhaps that would suffice? In case not, he took another swig of alcohol.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jul 16, 2010 18:02:32 GMT -5
Even though Apocalypse had returned, things were clearly not going well with the little creature. He'd been gone for too long, by Slugger's standards, and even if he was back now... It was just too much. He started to squirm, puffing his cheeks up and fixing the King with a steady gaze.
Apocalypse was doing his best to ignore that gaze, but it was rather difficult. The little thing creeped even him out sometimes, especially when it was doing things he didn't quite understand. Like this. He was back - what more did the doppelganger want from him? "They are sharp. Certainly make this easier." The man replied, but his heart clearly wasn't in it. The risk of the weird creature making a scene were high, and they seemed to be getting higher with every passing moment.
Damnit. The King set the knife down gently and sighed.
"I think I'm going to have to cut our time short, Felix," he said softly. "Jaime's getting anxious, and I'd rather get him home before something happens. You know how children can be." He gave a casual shrug, stepping out from behind the bar and scooping the boy-creature up, letting him crawl up onto his shoulders and cling there. "Enjoy the sake and fish on me." He flashed a smile bright with teeth and turned to leave. From his shoulders, Slugger continued to stare, only looking back to its master when they were far enough away for its comfort.
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