Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Sept 1, 2021 3:41:09 GMT -8
It had a habit of feeling itself. Like it knew it was hot shit. And for all intents and purposes it was. The café did single origin coffee. The origin was irrelevant. A much younger Oren had been to Italy only once, but he could see where these so-called bohemians got the interior flair from. Like a lot of the acquired tastes in his life, Oren found that coffee always smelled better than it tasted. A richness that did not translate to the tongue, but all that the nose would talk about. He wondered if Lucas Chevalier felt the same way. The Winter courtier had shown himself a performer in Springtime. A victim of a broken Oath in the Summertime. How would he fare on his time? Battered and withered by the whips of the Wyrd. Sensitive. Oren was sure he would be checking the floor for eggshells and take care not to walk on them. This was more for Oren than it was for Lucas. A way of preparing for the scene that was to come. Here he was, a Lost, embarking on the new ground of an unseasoned friendship. What's my motivation?, he asked himself. They never got a chance to catalyze their Imbolc alchemy. Take the two-step an extra mile. Dancing with their hands and their hips and their teeth. And Lucas did have wonderful teeth. The coffee was dark and piping hot and Oren did not just want to fuck Lucas Chevalier. There was the work side of things, a personal project of his that involved attaining the Good Will and grace of every Court in Las Vegas. And then there was the more personal side of things. Oren found it lacking, and found himself wanting. A relationship outside of work, outside of a scheme, or an obligation. Something genuine. Something grounded in reality. "So...how're things?"
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 2, 2021 0:24:17 GMT -8
Lucas could feel his brain wanting to go back into sleep mode again. Sleepwalking through life in some ways was more appealing than walking around with the fear that had burrowed itself inside of the core of his being. Even all of these weeks later he still felt shaken from his experience with the rite Golden Boy performed.
How could he not?
Everything he knew had changed in that instance. In the grand scheme of the universe even the most powerful among them didn't hold a candle against the monumental force he had encountered that had literally melted reality around him. He found himself flexing his hands every now and then as phantom pain coursed through them.
However, if there was one thing he had learned from completing the right it was that he needed to stay awake. He needed to keep forging forward. The Fairest was discovering that spending time around Elementals was good for staying awake. The intensity of their emotions and the unpredictability that followed felt like capturing lightening in a bottle. Even if they went in a direction that he found frustrating or even frightening, they made him feel *something*.
After feeling nothing for so long feeling that level of intensity was energizing. Maybe even a little addictive. He had enough insight into his mental health to recognize he ended to be careful with how long he held that bottle of lightening in his hands. Otherwise, he was going to drain all the energy from it and begin an endless hunt to keep it filled.
The invitation for coffee was innocuous enough. There was only so much excitement that could come from drinking coffee in front of mortals. On a personal level, he felt a debt of gratitude towards the Summer storm. Oren's words had helped Lucas find his senses during the debate over what to do with the Wyrd gun. On a professional level, Oren offered an opportunity to access a new information network. Summer was in full swing and Solomon was top dog after the fall of the Sun Banishers. Kai was sworn to Solomon so there was a good chance that Oren was as well.
"Hey, Oren. I'm doing good, thanks. How about yourself?"
The Fairest lips had an easy smile sketched into them . His golden hair was shaggier than the last time the two of them had met. However, his hair was well groomed and he was clean shaven. He had opted to wear a form fitting maroon v-neck shirt and a pair or gray Chino pants. For all intents and purposes he looked well put together and not like someone who had seen cosmic horrors a few weeks ago.
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Sept 11, 2021 10:05:35 GMT -8
"All things considered? I'm very well."
One could tell so much when they looked into another pair of eyes. If there was anything that the Lost hungered for it would be connection. And it could be for all the wrong reasons. Oren prided himself on being able to take the pulse of the room. He couldn't say he was altogether surprised that the Fairest could pass for a lifeless corpse. But he was disappointed.
He had to work before he could play.
"Granted, I haven't been through as much as you have. Has it all been cleaned up?"
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 13, 2021 6:18:28 GMT -8
"It's getting there. I'm not directly involved in the cleanup myself. I can feel the effects of what was released because of my particular...innate connections so to speak. "
Since the two of them were in a public place he stuck to speaking in code or at least general vagueness. [/font]
"The feeling isn't as intense as before. Let's hope it stays that way, eh? We could all use a cool down period. "[/font]
The past few months had been especially brutal on the Freehold. After what Lucas had been with Golden Boy, he feared that this was only the beginning. They needed to find a way to get spring's healing back as well as fortify each freeholder's mind and spirit.
"I've picked up a couple of new hobbies to give myself some space from it all and do a mental recharge. How about yourself? Your team has been especially busy with everything that's been going on. Lots of new team members in need of training I imagine. "
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Sept 13, 2021 16:35:26 GMT -8
The thought of hobbies made his ears perk up. "Fun! Let me guess..."
He made a real show of it, putting on his thinking cap. "Gardening? No. Tai Chi!"
It came off rather harmless. But Oren was doing the farthest thing from improvising small talk. He loathed small talk. The Mirrorskin wanted to cherrypick. Snip off the parts of the hedge--no pun intended, he was pretty sure the very thought was illegal--that caught his interest, and kept the conversation funneling back into Lucas. What Lucas wanted. What Lucas needed. What Lucas liked or didn't like.
Because then, Oren could give it. "Am I getting warmer?"
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 14, 2021 5:21:22 GMT -8
For his part, Lucas was going with the flow of the conversation. Nothing the Mirrorskin had done indicated he was digging deeper into Lucas' psyche and desires. He did notice that Oren didn't share what he had been up to but nothing about that was unusual. Many a Lost liked to redirect when it came to their business, especially when they were in public, or they were mingling with other courts.
He flashed Oren an enthusiastic grin as he grew closer to what Lucas had been up to.
"You are closing in on one of the hobbies. Very warm there. The other one...well, if you manage to successfully guess what it is, the drinks will be on me. I'll even throw in a pastry of your choice."
If there's one thing the Fairest enjoyed doing it was adding more energy into his conversations or his social outings when he had spoons to spare. Today happened to be one of those days where he had extra social spoons to spare. Adding a harmless bet was usually a good way of making a conversation more engaging and fun.
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Sept 21, 2021 5:40:24 GMT -8
"How nice of you to offer."
Oren had already paid for his, but he was under the impression he could very easily bait a sequel for a nightcap. And he had no issue with Lucas paying for that bottle.
The Summer courtier raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm all out of guesses. You're just gonna have to tell me. I am incredibly lazy and incredibly curious."
Just what do you get up to?
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 26, 2021 12:03:51 GMT -8
"Fair enough. " Lucas laughed, he knew that lazy feeling all too well.
"I've started to practice yoga with a mindfulness focus. My plan is to get certified in it and setup shop at Eurydice's dance studio. "
Focusing on health rather than dying like with his current job has been a nice change of life pace. He still kept up his job as a death doula because he needed the insurance benefits. If he got enough clients he could make the switch over and pay for the insurance out of pocket.
"The other..." He paused to create a dramatic effect before revealing his answer.
"Aquariums. "
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Sept 29, 2021 16:00:20 GMT -8
His eyebrows furrowed. His lips pursed. Oren looked like a fish, but in truth, he was surprised. It was wonderfully quaint, and definitely not the sort of thing one jumped to when they thought of Las Vegas.
Still...now he had something to work with. "Can I make a confession? I've never been to one."
He filed Eurydice and Yoga in the back for later. Maybe there was a business card in Lucas's wallet somewhere. A 9AM green tea and a 9:30 downward dog sounded absolutely divine.
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Oct 1, 2021 22:05:33 GMT -8
The expression on the Elemental's face caused the smile on Lucas' face to grow. He didn't outright laugh but he was amused. It was the kind of amusement where you were enjoying having a humorous moment with someone rather than laughing at their misfortune.
"Really? With how awesome you are at dancing, I figured you had done formal training at some point."
Now that he thought about it, there wasn't a lot that Lucas knew about Oren. He knew that the Elemental worked alongside Kai, served Solomon, and that he was involved in the entertainment side of things in Vegas. As to where the Elemental's true passions lay and what kind of projects he worked on...that remained a mystery to the Fairest. There was no time like the present to get a better understanding of the other Lost in front of him.
"If you want to come check it out sometime, you're welcome to stop on by. My plan is to transform the room Eurydice is letting me use into a proper yoga studio. My sleep schedule is all over the place so I was thinking about hosting evening classes. Y'know, connect with the market that works a 9-5 or the dreaded second shift job and offer later hours. Maybe until 8-9pm, depending on what Eurydice is cool with."
He didn't want to impose on the other Fairest, especially when the two of them were getting along so very well these days.
"What about yourself? You're something of a man of mystery." He added with a complimentary smile.
"One night you're the reigning dancing queen of the Spring Fling and the next you're ready to get your hands dirty alongside Kai. That's an impressive mixture of skills."
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Oct 3, 2021 13:10:08 GMT -8
Lucas had jumped to an unexpected conclusion. The smirk bubbled into a chuckle. "No, no, I meant the aquarium!"
The intonation slipped out. He wasn't even trying to sound like Lucas. It just sort of...happened. Like hiccups.
"I have had some formal training."
Oren wondered about choosing his words carefully and decided against it. "It's fair to say I had a very eccentric teacher. Mitchell helped me...translate some things, form-wise. Got me back into the swing of things, so-to-speak."
He took a sip of his coffee. Lucas got a pair of raised eyebrows in response to his man of mystery comment.
"In my line of work there is very little difference between a tongue and a blade."
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Oct 6, 2021 12:37:22 GMT -8
"Oh! Haha, that makes a lot more sense. " The Fairest laughed at himself and sheepish grin appeared on his lips as he reflected on his original response.
When Oren revealed his dance teacher was none other than Mitch the Onyx Fairest's curiosity towards the Verdant Fairest deepened. Not only did Mitch and Lucas share the same dance partner so to speak, but they also had romantic ties with Eurydice as well. He couldn't help but wonder if Mitch was also drawn to the same kind of intense energy that he was. One of these days he would have to sit down with Carr and get a better sense of who he was. In the meantime, his attention was solely focused on the Lost in front of him.
His mind quickly played catch up and Oren's response was temporarily set to the side while Lucas backtracked. Woah, how did you do that? You sounded just like me! Which is kind of awesome but also weird. Like when you hear yourself in a recording and it sounds different than how you hear yourself in your head."
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Oct 12, 2021 13:19:07 GMT -8
This was the first time someone asked about it. His little tic. Masks and mimicry.
"I'm rather good at impressions."
That was an understatement. It was Wyrdly tinged. A strange coating on the tongue. A fragment of his Mantle, passively splayed out. "Do you play with the Spring fillies much? Or is tap dancing with Eurydice your first time?"
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Post by Lucas Chevalier on Nov 15, 2021 8:40:20 GMT -8
The Elemental had captured the Fairest's full attention at the mention of being good at impressions. Before diving into more questions about it, he answered Oren's question since he got the sense Oren was interested in learning more about him.
"I sing and dance with the Spring Fillies who enjoy performing arts, especially poetry. They love them some sorrowful poetry." He chuckled softly as he thought back on a couple of occasions where tissues were passed around and the well-meaning courtiers fussed over him.
After answering the question he once again shifted the focus of the conversation on Oren.
"That's an incredibly useful skill. Is it something you learned to do in the before Vegas and before "all this" times or something that you developed after?"
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Oren
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written by Hiver
Posts: 242
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Post by Oren on Nov 15, 2021 12:58:58 GMT -8
Oren threw his hands up in surrender, with a grin that agreed with his whimsical ignorance.
"It's like something you take with you, and forget you had it, only to find it in your pocket or something and wonder, 'How did that get there?'"
His ears perked up at the mention of tragic poems. "You're a poet?"
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