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 Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:43 pm
Aria -
After the morning run, Seren had gathered her stuff and gone to the showers. She thought she was doing fine on time, but it took her a little longer than usual, so despite trying to be back at their room by 8:45, she was still finishing washing her hair.
__
Dai walked up to room 143, as instructed. He was kind of early, about 15 minutes, he knew that, but... he wanted to see his sister again, and apologize, and just... find out what had happened on her end. He was baffled at how she looked his age practically, he was unsure how this worked, but... He was going to find out. And talk things out with her. And apparently meet her boyfriend? He was somehow surprised she was in a couple, rather than a triad like before, but if it made her happy...
And that was the key, the man had better make her happy, in Dai's mind. This was his sister after all.
He stood there silently, taking a deep breath to steady and calm himself, then he reached out and gave one, sharp knock, making sure he it was loud enough to be heard by the occupants of the room.
Pao -
Rhys was still in the middle of getting dressed when the knock came, which had him curious. Seren wouldn't knock, obviously, so after glancing at the clock and seeing that it was almost 9:00 he came to the reasonable conclusion that it was probably her brother. So with his shirt on hand he went over to the door and opened it, eyeing the kid on the other side of the door rather curiously because at first glance he already seemed familiar.
But then this was Seren's younger brother. He'd be more surprised if they looked nothing alike.
"'Sup," he said after a beat, then extended a hand for a proper handshake. That was proper right? Normally he wouldn't give two shits about proper greetings but, again, this was Seren's younger brother. At the very least, first impressions with him mattered. "Dai, right? Name's Rhys."
Aria -
Dai stared a little at the man on the other side of the door. Shirtless, and Dai was impressed by what he saw. The man was muscled, and good looking. His sister had definitely shown she had good taste on that matter, at least, but the looks were not the main issue. He glanced at the man's tat with interest for a second, and then refocused on Rhys. "Hi. Yeah, I'm Dai. Technically, Dewydd, but... Dai is less of a pain."
He took Rhys' hand, and gave it a firm, but not testing, handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, as long as you plan to treat her right." His eyes were... firm, and a little cold, at those words. The young man hoped he sounded tough and strong, because, after all, this was his sister they were discussing.
Pao -
"Not even gonna pretend like I'll remember how to pronounce that," he said, a little huff of amusement escaping him. "I do my best but good to meet'cha all the same." While Rhys felt a bit relieved when Dai simply gave him a firm handshake, he couldn't exactly ignore the cold look the kid was giving him, so he curled his lip in a mild irritation despite his best efforts of controlling himself.
"Wipe that look off your face, though," he sighed and stepped aside to give the kid room to come inside. "She'll tell you the same when she gets here, and might get kinda defensive for my sake if she sees it."
Once Dai was inside he closed the door behind him and pulled his shirt on, still eyeing the young hunter as he stood by the door, watching curiously. "Your sister's still in the shower, probably 'cause of her hair. You're kinda early though. Couldn't sleep or what?"
Aria -
"It's why I use Dai." The lip curl simply earned a raised eyebrow and he said "Terribly sorry if the fact that I want my sister to be happy, and treated like the damn treasure she is, bothers you." He sounded both defensive and slightly suspicious as the reaction. Was the man just irritated that he was being protective, or was Rhys not really worried about it?
He stepped inside, though, following the taller, older man, and glanced around. His sister's mark was very much on the room, he noticed, and then he saw the giant plush stegosaurus, sitting right by the bed. He closed his eyes for a long moment, knowing that she would never have thought to buy that for herself. A small one, maybe, but that monstrous thing? Someone had to have bought it for her, because she would be too worried about the splurge on herself.
After a moment of that, he turned to speak, and saw the photos on the desk... Himself, and then a photo of Seren and Rhys together. He considered again, then said, with a sigh, "My apologies if I came across badly. I just... want her to have someone who treasures her, like I said. And I usually get up at 7, and do yoga or tai chi. I have no intention of changing that now that I'm here. I'm more early because... I wanted to see her. I... owe her an apology, and..." He trailed off, unsure how much Rhys knew about... well. any of it.
Pao -
It was hard, so very challenging, to not just give the kid the Finger when he went on like that, but Rhys just took a very, very deep breath and did his best to not do that. Instead he crossed his arms, frown turning into a bit of a scowl as he left Dai to wander and take a look around their room.
Thankfully an apology did come, so he took another deep and calming breath and waved a hand to dismiss it. "It's cool, I get it," was all he said on that, thinking that if Dai needed more proof that he did treasure Seren that it would be better coming from Seren, herself. "And I gotcha. Kinda why we're up early, too, for a run and a workout at the gym."
As his explanation went on Rhys couldn't help the snort. "Yeah, I heard you punched her. No offense, but if I had been there you'd probably be in the infirmary right now 'cause of the whole 'no shield' thing and me probably beating the ********' daylights outta you."
Aria -
Dai went red as ********, and stared out the window for a long moment, then sighed, and looked back at him. "Yeah. There... was a lot of s**t going on in my head in that moment. I do not remember the details, but I have this feeling I had a long, horrible dream before I woke, there was..." He stopped, and then looked down and said "Naw. Gonna stop there. She deserves the story, more than you, no offense. She's the one I... Wronged." He clearly knew that what he had done was utter s**t.
"As for the rest of it... I have to see it, to believe it." He looked back up at the man, and said "She was always desperate for approval and love. I have to be sure, for myself, because she's going to be biased towards you, for showing her affection." It wasn't cold, it wasn't judgemental, it was just a statement of the fact that she had been affection starved for years, and it could easily bias her to have some. "I do not want to see her hurt again."
He had found out, after, all that had gone down between her and the exes, from them. He could easily guess Seren's reactions, even if not her side. "Is... there a place I can sit?" He was suddenly noticing a sincere lack of chairs.
Pao -
There was the slightest hint of amusement at how red the kid had suddenly gotten, but he held on to his lopsided frown for the most part. "Happens. Pod stasis can ******** you up so I get that, too. And you're apologizing, even, so." Again, he waved a hand to dismiss it. "And none taken. She does deserve more than I do. I'm here mostly for moral support, in case she feels like she needs it."
Though by the looks of it he was even more certain that she was less likely to need him given the way Dai was so protective of her. Which was a relief as well, and one he hoped would lift her spirits given what they talked about just the night before.
At the question of sitting the brunette nodded toward the bed. "Requisitioning here is kinda hit or miss, I think? Mostly s**t by my experience but you learn to live with it. We were thinkin' of saving up for a house in Towns so haven't decided if we wanna bother trying to request for a chair for the desk or not."
And then his tone took on a more serious tone as he added, "Also, just for future reference, I'd sooner drop dead than hurt her. She deserves the best the world's got to offer, and I sure as hell try my best to give her that."
Aria -
Dai nodded, grateful that Rhys had accepted the apology, and was letting him save his explanations for Seren. He ran his hand along his arm, fingers tracing some of the stars in the tattoo, eyes distant for a long moment, remembering when he got it, how much effort he'd had to go to to get it, and how hard it had been to hide until it was too late for his parents to do anything about it. It had meant so much to him, and now it felt strange to have, because the memorial was... no longer needed.
He refocused, though, and blinked at the bed for a moment, then finally went and sat on a corner. He felt a little strange sitting here, because it was the bed his sister and her boyfriend slept on, and presumably other things which he really did not want to think about because this was his sister.
And then he studied Rhys' face, his eyes serious as he considered the words the man was saying. Finally, he gave a small smile, and held out his hand again. "It seems we're in agreement, then."
Pao -
Rhys felt mostly the same about Dai sitting on their bed, but it was either that or the floor and the bed just seemed like the nicer thing to offer because of the fact that...well, it wasn't the floor. Still, when the kid sat on the corner he couldn't help but snort out of amusement, knowing what must have been going through his head.
And rightfully so, but he wasn't about to say that.
When Dai seemed to take his words seriously, Rhys's mood lightened quite a bit. He was actually thinking that Seren would have to do most of the convincing on that end, so this was a rather nice surprise for him. "Always have been," he said as he took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake, "just took you a second to figure that out." His expression finally eased into a little smile.
Aria -
Dai arched a brow at Rhys' snort, but chose not to ask why, under the thought that he did not want to know. Instead, he focused on the situation at hand, and smiled a little. "What can I say? I have... reasons to be protective of her." He did not know how much she had confided in Rhys about her past, though he was sure he knew about the scars by now.
He just also knew things about her exes she did not know, and was glad she did not know.
_
Seren came running down the hall, because she had noticed it was 8:58 when she'd finished getting herself ready. ********, she was late! Her damn hair had been a chore this morning, and she wanted to be there when the two most important men in her life had met. When she arrived, she got the door open, and was both pleased to find Dai there, sitting quietly... ********, they still needed a chair... And disappointed she hadn't gotten the chance to see how they had gotten along on their first interaction.
Pao -
"From what she's told me," he said as he leaned back against the wall again, this time with his hands in his pocket as he wasn't irritated anymore like he had been earlier, "you've got some pretty damn good reasons to be protective of her." And he was glad to know that someone from her life before Deus felt as protective over her as he did. Though he could argue he felt it all the more...but that would be an argument that went in circles.
When the door suddenly opened he turned and smiled brightly at his girlfriend as she stood there with...a weird look on her face. "Hey, babe. Your bro's an early bird. What took you?"
Aria -
She sighed softly and gestured at her hair. "Hey, love. Hello, Dai. I see that you are correct, Rhys." She moved into the room and put her shower stuff in it's usual places. "And my hair was doing the 'Let's Be An Annoying b***h' routine, so it took twice as long as usual to get done." She looked between the two, then decided to make things clear, and walked over to give her boyfriend a soft kiss, before leaning on the wall next to him.
"So you wanted to talk. Let's talk." Her tone was neutral-ish, but both men could probably hear that she was sick with nervousness underneath her calm mask.
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Dai looked at her, and then got up and walked to her, and got on his knees before her. "Seren, I am so sorry... So very sorry for what happened last night. I never... I never want to hurt you, and I hate myself for doing so. Gods... I was just... In the four years you were gone, I missed you so much, and I grieved for you every day. Our a*****e parents refused to let me do so publicly, so it had to be a secret." He closed his eyes, for a long moment, then said, his voice pained with the knowledge that despite all they'd done to her, what he was about to say would hurt her.
"They... They died, in a car accident, Seren, a few months before I got recruited. I managed to get the court to let me have self custody, because I'd finished High School. I sold everything... I was gonna go find you, then go apply to college." He sighed, then said "And then I got recruited. I left the money to Father's parents and a charity, even split, then faked my death and left. The... Pod Dream. I don't remember much, but I remember death... I was freaked out when I woke, and seeing you... I lost it. I am sorry for saying that about you, and hitting you. Can you ever forgive me?"
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She was stunned silent by the news.
Pao -
When she indicated her hair Rhys looked over at Dai and gave him a little nod, just to confirm that his guess from earlier was right, before turning his eyes back to Seren. "At least you got it done?" he offered, smiling as she walked over to him. He gladly returned the kiss and took her hand when she stayed beside him. It was less to show where she stood and more because she might need the support if the talk was about to happen.
The first surprising thing was the fact that Dai was actually kneeling in front of her, but sure enough he dropped a couple of other bombs on her, the biggest of course being about her parents. Concern crossed his face as he looked over at Seren, staying quiet because it wasn't his place to talk right now but he squeezed her hand to remind her that he was there if she needed him at all.
Aria -
"They...they died? You... you..." She trembled a little, because even knowing it was completely impossible, with everything, part of her still hoped for a chance that someday they would be proud of her, and love her. Now, now it was impossible on a whole new level. She closed her eyes, leaning into her boyfriend for a long moment, gathering herself together. Finally, she opened her eyes again and whispered "Of course I forgive you... I know I hurt you." She looked sadly at her brother, and reached down to pull him to his feet.
Once he was up, she half pulled him in, half collapsed against him in a hug, her eyes closing again. "I missed you... I missed you so much..."
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His eyes lit up when she forgave him, and he followed her guidance, then hugged her back, a momentarily bewildered expression crossing his face when he realized she was smaller then him, rather than vice versa. He'd intellectually known but it felt so very strange to hug his sister and have her be shorter then him.
He looked at Rhys for a moment, a bewildered expression on his face, because he wasn't sure what to do, then he refocused on his sister. "Well... we're both here now... we can catch up, finally. I love you, and I missed you too. I just... How is it you look like you're the same age as you were when you left? It's been four years, Seren."
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"Pod... I was in the pod a very long time. You don't age in there..." She whispered.
Pao -
He wasn't entirely sure what to do except offer her his shoulder, as he always did. Words, he knew, wouldn't be enough, at least not likely from him given it concerned her parents, so he stayed silent and just held her for the moment she needed to collect herself enough. And when she moved to her brother he let her hand go and stayed against the wall, hands finding their way into his pockets again as he watched the two hug it out.
The look Dai gave him had him raising his brow curiously, not sure what the kid wanted him to do about what was going on, but thankfully the new hunter focused on his sister again and Rhys just sat back and let things play out.
Aria -
Dai blinked in surprise and said "That whole time?" In response to the comment about her not aging. He sort of pulled back and stared down at his little big sister, unable to really process how this was even possible, despite getting the concept of something along the lines of a cryo pod. "That is insane."
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She smiled, weakly, and nodded, then broke the hug to go sit on the bed, tucked into the corner by the wall, hugging a pillow close. She was too stunned to grab GiGa, and frankly he was of a size to make holding him and still conversing a little challenging, since he'd get in the way. She glanced at her desk, and sighed, realizing she still hadn't requisitioned a chair, and vaguely gestured at both men to sit with her on the bed, even if in different positions.
Pao -
"It's a pretty serious ********, like I was telling you earlier," Rhys chimed in, following after Seren and taking up the space just beside her and again taking her hand to at least offer that small comfort. He wasn't entirely sure how cuddly she wanted to get in front of her brother, so he left it to her to draw that line.
"Not that everything you just said isn't some kinda ******** on it's own, s**t." He looked over at Dai, then. "So how long ago did they get you, exactly?"
Aria -
Seren slipped right up against Rhys, snuggling into him for the comfort her boyfriend was always good at giving her, even if it was just from him holding her close. His words had her nodding quietly. "Let's be honest, love... Life on this island is a complete ********, on a regular basis." She was clutching his hand, just a little, like it was a lifeline, which right now, it almost was. It was definitely a sanity line for her, and she needed this comfort from the love of her life.
"Like that weird dream about ********' Wonderland. Now that was a helluva ********." She still hadn't tested out the mirror, though she'd had thoughts about a way to tease him with the bell he'd come away with.
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"Yeah... ********... Good way to put it..." He blinked slowly, then suddenly jerked back. "WONDERLAND? What do you mean, Wonderland? Like as in Alice's Adventures therein? That's just a book! Please tell me it's just a book! I'm not really thinking I can cope with it being real."
Pao -
When she cuddled in Rhys smiled softly, turning his head just a bit to give her a little kiss to her forehead so there wasn't a whole lot of leaning in and getting in the way of conversation. "True," he sighed, squinting a little bit at the mention of Wonderland. He noted the way she was clinging to his hand and gently caressed the back of hers with his thumb to sooth her a little bit more.
"Oh, it's real, bro. At least whatever ******** up version we got sucked into was real enough. The one we went into was technically a dream, I guess, but our friend was there and she said she'd gone into an actual real, non-dream version." And then he paused and wondered if that made any sense at all.
Aria -
Dai shook his head, horrified. "Ok that's almost as big a ******** as my sister being alive and looking not much older then me..." He paused, then said "As for your question about when they got me... July. I signed on in July." He tilted his head, thinking a little, then said curiously, "When did they get you? How long have you been awake?" He asked it to both, since he was talking to both of them, but he was more interested in the issue regarding his sister, of course.
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Her brows rose at that. "July? There's a bit of irony. I was busy waking up as you were getting put in a pod. Wonder how many days we 'missed' each other by." She leaned her head against Rhys' after his kiss, and she relaxed her hand, taking every bit of comfort he offered her. "I mean, you should know when I went in... When I 'died,' Dai. Four years. Four ********' years, apparently, I was asleep."
Her tone took on that 'this is insane' sound again, as she said that, her eyes closing. 22. This was a mental adjustment for sure. "So I'm experientially still just 18, but... yeah."
Pao -
"Little over two years for me," was his reply as he thought back for a second. "Spent most of those two years in Mexico, though, so island life is kinda new to me, too."
The age thing had him wrinkle his nose a little bit as he glanced down at Seren. "I said this last night, babe, but I really like knowing we're the same age. At least if you count by years since you were born. Otherwise you're practically jailbait and that makes me human garbage." His tone dipped a little at that, since she knew exactly what he meant but Dai obviously didn't. And wouldn't ever, if he could help it.
"Oh! But speakin' of ********, the most recent crazy s**t to happen on-island was ********' Atlantis. Atlantis, bro."
Aria -
"Babe, you are in no way human garbage!" She turned, her tone anxious with concern for him, and how he might be feeling, and pulled him into a kiss. "I'm a legal adult, I know my own mind, and don't you dare go thinking of yourself in any way negatively, just because in some ways I'm a bit younger than you. And I was the one who pushed us into it..." She actually slid onto his lap, and hugged him tight, obviously very concerned about this reaction, wanting him to be sure he was in no way a bad person for being with her.
She'd pursued him, after all, she was the experienced one of them. She was the one who would be 'in the wrong' if either of them were, and they were in no way in the wrong. Barely legal was still legal, after all.
_________________________________________________________________
Dai watched all of this, his brows raised up with surprise. He knew his sister could put her all into caring, and comforting, but he had never seen anything quite like that before, and it was interesting. He did not ask, however, and instead simply said "My sister has known her mind for years... I think if you hadn't accepted her, it just would have led to a long term hunt." He had no idea about how much she had been prepared to give up just to be Rhys' friend, of course.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT." His brain caught up. "Atlantis is real TOO? What the ever living ******** -
He welcomed the kiss and the hug, along with her words, with a relieved smile and quickly nodded so they could move past it. "I know, babe, and I won't." He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place against him with just enough room to adjust and make herself comfortable. "And you didn't push, you asked and I obliged." Turning quickly to Dai he thought to clarify, "Talkin' about our first kiss, not our first time."
Thinking about what Dai said, though, he couldn't help but smirk. "We actually danced around it a while. Not like she was the only one doin' any kind of liking, I was just kinda stupid and didn't notice so was bein' usual me."
"And yeah, it's ********' real, dude. We got to go inside and everything. Place is pretty much dead, apparently it's just a bunch of unseen dead souls down there now, not sure what the ******** they're all waiting for but as long as it isn't raining for forever I really couldn't be bothered to give any ********. Enough s**t to deal with, with just Deus stuff on my plate."
Aria -
He looked slightly green for a moment, until Rhys clarified what was being discussed. He did not want to think about that, regarding his sister. In abstract, he could handle the idea that yes, his sister had sex. In practice, he REALLY DID NOT want to think about it. "Ah. Well. Thank you for clarifying. Yes, good."
He took a few calming breaths, and then smirked in amusement. "Not so good at picking up the hints ladies give? If you weren't with my sister, I'd offer to give you some tips, but I think you're fine as you are, given you caught one of the best options out there."
His eyes widened though. "Holy ******** hell. Atlantis is real, and... You've been to it. By we, does that include... You, too, Seren?" He gave his sister a stunned look.
_________________________________________________________________
"Babe, I don't just mean the kiss. I'm also sayin' that I pushed into your life..." She kissed his nose and then added "But you let me in, and that's what matters. And yes, thank you for obliging. It was one of the best moments of my life." She turned back to Dai as they talked, and spluttered in appalled shock when he hinted he could teach Rhys how to read women, and the associated implications.
She took a few deep breaths, then added "Yes. Yes, I did go to Atlantis. It was... not a good day."
Pao -
The kiss to his nose got him to crinkle it as per his usual reaction at the very affectionate gesture, which he responded to with a proper, if brief, kiss. "Happy to. I was then, always happy to be from here and moving forward." And he kissed her once more before addressing Dai again.
"In my defense it wasn't like we were openly flirting, I'm not that stupid, but I probably did miss some hints that she liked me, too." Seren sputtering beside him had him give her a little squeeze as he laughed softly. "And yeah, thanks but no thanks. Pretty sure I found the perfect woman for me."
Aria -
She kissed him back, and then shifted to rest her head on his shoulder, listening to everything. When he called her 'the perfect woman for him,' she hugged him tight, eyes shining softly with how much she loved him, and how happy he made her every time he said things like that. "You're the perfect man for me, too..." She murmured, then refocused on Dai.
"Atlantis was... just not a good day. I had a friend who was killed by the Creation Tree... long story... and came back a week later. It was bad news. Be prepared for a lot of ******** here."
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Dai just looked stunned by what Seren was saying, and then refocused on Rhys. "Well to be equally fair, she can be good at hiding what she wants hidden, unfortunately." He took a few deep breaths, then said "Have you two eaten yet?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:45 pm
Pao -
Neither the hug nor her quiet response were lost on him, and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head as she refocused on her brother. He soon focused on the kid, too, and did his best to not snort with amusement at Dai's reaction. It was a lot to take in, obviously, but it was still a little funny to see the surprise so plain on his face.
"We're a lot alike, actually," he replied at first, then briefly turned the topic back to Deus things for just a second. "Lot of people have been longer than the two of us, they've all seen some s**t so you can ask around if you want more crazy stories. That said, no, we haven't eaten yet. You?"
Aria -
Dai thought silently about this, then said "I think I'll just let the stories come to me at need. Otherwise, I'm just going to go nuts, trying to figure out everything that could go wrong here. In the meantime... No, I haven't. Perhaps you can show me where the cafeteria is? I have not yet worked out this place, and I basically got my weapon..." His hand reached up, and under his hair, to brush against his ear. "Got my things, and escorted to my room. I barely got my basics unpacked, before passing out for the night..."
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That got a response that probably surprised neither man. Seren was up and off the bed, and pulling on her shoes. "We'll show you the caf, but this morning, we're going to the kitchen. You are not having cafeteria horrors on your first morning here! Come along, gentleman!" She began making shooing motions, the moment her shoes were on.
Pao -
The second Seren got up Rhys couldn't stop laughing as he followed her off the bed, pulling her into a little hug to hopefully calm her down a little. "I'll catch up with you two, I think I have a chair downstairs I could probably drag up here so your brother doesn't have to sit all awkward and s**t on our bed when he visits." Or when anyone visits, really, but more for Dai because he hoped for Seren's sake that he visited often.
Turning again to her brother, he offered a fistbump. "You guys catch up a little, I'll take my time, yeah?"
Aria -
Seren blinked a little and hugged Rhys back, then looked slightly non-plussed at the idea that getting a chair was more important than eating for Rhys, but she smiled at him gratefully, and kissed his cheek. "Don't be long, baby. I'm gonna make french toast, so you'll want it fresh off the griddle." She stepped out the door, though, to wait for her brother.
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Dai arched a brow, but laughed and gave Rhys a fist bump as he stood, though the mention of French Toast had him looking very eager indeed. Heading out the door, he neatened his clothes, then followed his sister down the hall, and out. They spent the entire time, as she prepped and began cooking the meal, catching up as Rhys suggested, though they stayed on generally lighter topics, since they were in public.
Pao -
He gave his love a lingering smile and followed her out, kissing her on the cheek before he turned to head downstairs. "I'll be there, no worries. You know I wouldn't miss any breakfast cooked by you, babe."
Getting the chair didn't actually take all that long, but as promised he took his time once they were out of the room and the siblings had gone off to get breakfast started. He lounged for a few minutes, actually, and fixed up their bed before taking the tray he brought last time with him as he headed for the cafeteria.
"So, what'd I miss?" he asked as he stepped through the door to be welcomed by the smell of french toast on the griddle. He beamed over at Seren, eyes lingering on her for a moment before going first to Dai, then the griddle, and then the sink because he needed to put the tray down.
Aria -
Dai was leaning back in his chair, watching his sister cook with adoring eyes, because french toast was his favorite and had been since he was two or so. His sister had always been so good at it, too. He had been about to comment on something when Rhys came in, and he watched the other man. When he saw the way his eyes went straight to Seren, and the way he looked at her in that moment, he felt another bit of the concern he felt over his sister loosening.
He'd never felt that way about another person before, but he'd seen people in love, and... good. This was what he wanted to see.
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Seren looked up, as she was flipping the pieces she was cooking, and her expression, which had been relaxed and happy, shifted into bright joy and love as her boyfriend came in and spoke. She kept flipping the pieces until they were all turned, but did not look away from him the entire time. "Nothing much, babe. He was just catching me up on people from home. He told me Annie was now head cook at the cafe I worked at, for instance. That kinda small thing that makes me feel good to know about, but isn't earth shattering."
Pao -
He set the tray down and looked over his shoulder as she spoke, nodding a little. "Updates, cool. It's the small stuff sometimes, right? Earth shattering news should only come one at a time, anyway." He shot her a smile before turning back to the sink and quickly getting those dishes out of the way before he joined her by the stove. Leaning against the counter just beside her, eyes eventually falling on Dai.
"So. You got any questions about this place so far?"
Aria -
She nodded at his words, and began to flip the first set of French Toast onto a plate, which she indicated her brother should take... After all, they had food last night. He had not. She hoped Rhys wouldn't take it the wrong way, but he was usually pretty reasonable, so she figured it would be fine. She just kept quiet, now, listening to the two men she loved the most talk.
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Dai took the plate and added some butter and powdered sugar, but that was it, and began to wolf it down. He glanced up at Rhys, surprise on his face, with his mouth in the classic 'FULL OF FOOD' bulge. He took a second to chew and swallow, then said "Ahhhhhhh... So. What do you feel are the most important things to know for a newbie to this island, and to the dorms, too?"
Pao -
He didn't mind the first plate going to her brother, and in fact was glad to see that the kid had a healthy appetite when he started scarfing down the plate. He leaned toward Seren, smirking as he quietly said, "Funny, two important guys in your life eat like they've been starved for days on end." With a chuckle he leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek before turning back to Dai, barely catching him with his squirrel-like stuffed cheeks.
"Nice look," he snorted, then waited for his question. "I'd say focus on learning to use your weapon in a fight, so lots of spars. Your sister kicks some pretty serious a**, including mine, but she worked really hard at it. Far as dorms are concerned...if you're in the basement, don't use the bathrooms down there. Just use the first floor ones, no one's gonna complain 'cause basement bathrooms are s**t. We know someone who got a literal bloodbath down there one time."
Aria -
Dai flushed and gave Rhys a very British sort of two fingered salute in response to the comment on his stuffed mouth, and then settled back to eat as he listened. He was nodding to the first sentence, though when Rhys, who Dai could see was a very buff man, said his sister could kick Rhys' a**, his eyes went huge, and just flickered back and forth between them for a moment, his expression one of the sort of disbelief that came from 'THAT IS INSANE WHAT?!?'
The basement comment, though, had him flicker his attention entirely back to Rhys and he listened to that with growing horror. "I... that is... extremely good to know. I am glad I did not shower as yet, because I am, indeed, in the basement." He was disgusted by the idea of a literal bloodbath, and it showed.
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Seren was nodding along to all of this, as she set up the next batch of french toast, and laughed at Dai's reaction to her being an a** kicker. "When I was a trainee, I can only think of one person who was a fellow trainee that I sparred with who won against me. Both of the intermediates I sparred with kicked my a**, of course, one of them being Rhys, here. But I got him back soon's I made Intermediate." She gave Rhys a gently teasing grin. "It's been a more mixed bag now that I'm an intermediate, but I plan to keep fighting hard. I'm in Sun, I need to be ready to fight."
Pao -
Rhys had to laugh at his reaction, not at all embarrassed by the fact that his girlfriend could kick him around on the sparring grounds. It was a point of pride for him that she was that strong, actually, and it gave him an added reassurance in knowing she wasn't helpless out in the field. "That's right, she did," his laugh dwindled down to a chuckle as he looked over and caught her teasing grin, to which he leaned over to gently bump her shoulder.
He gave a sagely nod at Dai's reaction to the basement bathroom news, arms crossing as he listened to the kid decide to take his advice. "Yep. Who knows what else is clogged up in the basement piping, but it's pretty nasty s**t so first floor bathrooms are best." He bumped Seren again, gently, before turning to her. "I think there's other freaky s**t in some of the basement rooms. I got shoved in a storage closet so all I got was a ******** of boxes I moved around to make into kinda functional furniture."
Aria -
Seren was proud of her skill, even if she still was confused by it, and she gently bumped her lover back, amused at his silly self. "Yeah, Kim... She's the person who he mentioned had the blood... Technically, it was a blood shower, can't tell which is worse, really... but yeah... She mentioned her original room, before moving in with her boyfriend, Terry, had a ********' rack in it instead of a bed, and I mean the medieval torture kind, not somethin' to hang clothing from."
She flipped Rhys' french toast as she finished up speaking.
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Dai stared and shook his head, appalled. "A ********' torture rack. Bloody showers. And my sister is an a** kicker who is... according to the pamphlet she gave me... in the Front Line Offense division. What the ever living ********? Especially that last part. My sweet, gentle sister..." He looked stunned, though he kept eating, like any teenage boy alive would.
Pao -
It was, again, very challenging to hold back on commenting that she was more than just his "sweet, gentle sister," particularly to him for obvious reasons, but he was smirking as he held his tongue, glancing over at Seren. He wondered if she could maybe tell what he was thinking, but still didn't really comment for another beat.
"Like I said, crazy s**t on the island. You'll learn to deal, believe me. If you wanna see about kicking a** on the field just lemme know. I'd feel better knowing you got regular practice out there even if it means getting my a** handed to me, so don't be shy, alright?" An offer he would never have doled out to just anyone, of course.
"You get used to your weapon talkin' straight into your head, yet?"
Aria -
Dai smiled a little at the offer, and swallowed his next bite. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Being able to have someone I can call on for practice will mean a helluva lot to me, especially as I try to figure out how to wield the giant ********' polearm I seem to have been given over to." The second question had him rolling his eyes. "Yes. Yes he is. Fiachra is very much talking to me in my head. When he wants to. He's... not the friendliest, far as I can tell." He reached up to poke the earring under his long hair that was Fiac's totem. "He, however, approves of sparring."
He, personally, had noticed Rhys' smirk, though, and was giving him a slightly questioning look about it.
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Seren, on the other hand, had not noticed the smirk, and had no idea what was on her boyfriend's mind at the moment, as she was checking Rhys' french toast. In her mind, that was the more important issue, at the moment... Making sure his breakfast came out right. She did, however, speak as she was working. "Yeah, you want spars, you can call on me, too. And don't you ********' think of avoiding it because of 'protecting your sister' or whatever. I need all the battle I can ********' get."
Pao -
He gestured to Seren with his thumb. "And she will call you on it if she thinks you're goin' easy on her." He was all smiled when he said it though, the little misunderstanding just a fond little memory at this point. "But yeah, Zephira," he pointed at the pendant on his necklace, "isn't the happiest girl on the block either. You either learn to calm 'em the ******** down or, if that doesn't work, ignore 'em until you think they're saying somethin' important."
He could feel Zephira rolling her eyes at the comment.
"But yeah, dude, anytime. There's also training courses you can do, solo or with groups. And there's.. hold up, which division are you in?"
Aria -
She laughed softly, and nodded. "Definitely will call you on it. I don't like it when people take it easy on me. Can't learn anything useful from that." She said, and then flipped Rhys' food onto a plate. "Here you go, baby. Eat it while it's still fresh." She gave him a loving smile, then began her own batch, still focused on the food.
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When Rhys chose not to explain the smirk, Dai took it as a case of he probably did not want to actually know and left it be. Instead he sighed. "Guess I'm lucky, he's pretty taciturn. Not a lot to say, Fiac." He took a few breaths, and gave his sister an odd look. "All right... I won't take it easy on you." He then looked back at Rhys, and blinked for a moment, then shrugged. "Death Division."
Pao -
Death. He wasn't too familiar with that division beyond knowing they dealt with information, and by extension a lot of paperwork. The idea didn't have him looking too thrilled as a result, and he curled his lip. "Hope you like processing lots of information, then. You got the pamphlet, right?"
He took his plate and gently leaned over and precariously around her (and over the stove just a little) so he could give her a kiss. "Thanks, babe." He want and joined Dai shortly after, opting for butter and syrup on his stack before starting to dig in. After that first bite, though, he asked, "You do coffee? Or what's your usual morning drink?"
Aria -
"I was planning to be a hacker, so yes, I like processing information." He said, with a calm bluntness to his words. "I like to figure out how to get into things, get the information, and use it, too." He shrugged, and worked on his next slice of toast. He watched the way Rhys risked injury to get a kiss, an amused, if concerned, look in the young man's blue green eyes. "Coffee is always good..." He said, in an intense voice, the kind that came from a devoted love of coffee.
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Seren snorted and shook her head. "The men in my life are coffee men. Best to keep that in mind. Sorry I didn't start some of the weak s**t they call coffee here. Babe, we should get some when we go to Costco." She had her own breakfast on the pan at this point.
Pao -
"Yeah, we'll get some of our own at Costco," he replied as he went off to get a pot started. It went quickly enough, and he even got the kettle going for tea for his love. When he was done he went back to his seat to keep working through his plate. "Gotta deal with the weak s**t for now." And he kept working at his plate, occasionally looking up to check on the pot until he saw that it was enough for two. He got up then, and poured two mugs of coffee and got tea for Seren, bring the cups back to their table very...very carefully.
"So a computers guy, huh? Nice. Didya bring your own laptop here with you or you planning on getting one later on?”
Aria -
She gave him a bright smile at his getting the kettle going, then refocused on her cooking. Once her toast was done, she got the burner off, and flipped it onto her plate, then joined her man and her brother. She buttered it, and then put some raspberry jam... which might look familiar to Rhys... on the french toast as she listened to them.
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"Costco? We can go to Costco? Aren't we 'dead'? How does that work, exactly?" Dai sounded fasciated as to how a dead person could have a Costco membership. Did they hack in and create accounts? Or were they issued 'documents' to prove who they 'were' and use those? He had no idea, after all. "And oh yes I brought my laptop. There is no way my beauty was staying home."
Pao -
He gave Seren a beaming smile as she joined them, scooting her drink over to her before cutting up his next slice. "Your 'beauty' is gonna cost you to make it work here, but good you brought. At least saves money on having to buy a new one entirely." He shoveled a bite in, chewed, swallowed, and washed it down with a bit of coffee before going to the Costco question.
"Yeah, they give us fake documents so we can go on leave and actually do stuff. We went to London just last month, actually."
Aria -
"London? Nice city. Love to see it again. Good to know that we have ways to travel." He frowned a little, however, at that comment about costing. "Why is it going to cost me? Any idea how much? It's not like I have money yet.. When do we start getting paid, anyways?" He sounded unsure about this, of course. "I just... Hmmmmmmm." He looked unhappy at the idea that he could not use his laptop yet.
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Seren had to control the urge to big sister at his worry, and instead picked up her tea, and sipped, eyes closing. "Thank you, baby..." She leaned and whispered "And thank you for taking him kinda under your wing. I don't think I could do it right." She sat back, and took a bite of her french toast, and made a happy sound, though not the kind she made the last time she ate something that she had used this jam on.
Pao -
He turned to Seren for a moment, half-processing all the questions that her brother was shooting at him. Still he smiled, shaking his head slightly. "You're welcome," he started, then leaned in to kiss her on the temple, "and no problem. Family, right?" Though the idea was mostly foreign to him, it wasn't hard to help out someone who he knew Seren loved as much as she loved him (but obviously in a very different way). He squinted at the jam, recalling a very different sound the last time she pulled it out, but didn't comment and finally turned back to Dai.
"We have portals, bro. ********' portals that take us basically wherever we wanna go for leave. As for your laptop, traditional tech around here doesn't work so you gotta pay for it to get modded before you can use it. If it's a fancy a** laptop, and it sounds like it might be...I mean, mine was pretty basic and it cost around $1k. And I think you got paid as soon as you woke up, you can check when you go on leave this month, 'cause you can already 'cause it's the holidays."
He took a sip, then smirked. "Lucky b*****d."
Aria -
Seren didn't notice the expression Rhys had when he noticed the jam, being too busy enjoying her french toast. It didn't cause the reaction it had before because this wasn't chocolate cake. She did sigh, though, at the comments about the costs of getting things runic'd. "Ugh, runic'ing. A serious pain in the a**, but one that is worth it. Can't wait to get my kindle, and get the little ******** runic'd for lots of books." She sighed again, then went back to her food, though she shifted, innocently, but pressed her foot against Rhys'.
The lucky b*****d comment, however, earned a snort of laughter and agreement.
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"It... doesn't? ******** my life, and ******** hell that's ridiculously overpriced. How hard is it to do yourself, do you know?" He sounded appalled at the idea that he had to pay, again, just to be able to use the expensive laptop he already owned. He was frowning in displeasure at the idea that his precious laptop was going to gather dust until he could get it modded up. He had things he wanted to work on, hacking practices and the like! This was going to suck, having to wait.
"... can I bring it with me on leaves so I can at least steal sweet, sweet WiFi?"
Pao -
He gently nudged at her foot, subtly shifting in his seat as well while he sipped his coffee. "Lots of books that you can only download while off-island, so don't forget to get a s**t-ton while we're on leave." He set his mug down and started on his last slice, laughing outright at Dai's reaction to the news.
"Yeah, you probably could, but leave's two days a month. Usually not in a row, so...I mean, you can but it'd be short-lived bliss." And yes, having internet connected to the rest of the world was pretty nice. "As for doing it yourself, would take longer if you tried that route 'cause you're really new. Plus if you ******** up it's not like you get a do-over. Safer to just save and pay for it."
Aria -
Dai wilted, visibly, at the idea that doing it himself might not go over so well, results wise. "********. Well at least I can snag WiFi on leave, because I need to practice my skills, or what good AM I?" He sounded depressed at the idea, but also accepting, as if he knew he had no real choice and was going to take it as it came, therefore. "Will I be able to bribe you two to bring me stuff from Costco when you go? I don't know when I can access my money but once I can..."
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Seren smiled in an innocent way as she felt Rhys' foot nudging hers.. She'd checked for duty, and had nothing until, once again, dinner prep, so she figured once they were done here, she could make up last night to Rhys. I'm the meantime, though, she was going to make sure he knew that he was on her mind. "Trust me, I intend to make sure to get a couple of completed works of sets for certain authors."
Pao -
"You can access it as soon as you go on leave. They give you your debit and 'papers' before you go," said the brunette before taking his last bite of toast. "Also, you could try asking if they maybe have a laptop you can borrow in the meantime? Or they might have computers set up somewhere in your division offices. You guys all need 'em anyway, so...they should be there?"
He glanced at Seren then, curious at the contact but very much happy to have it, and smiled before he washed down the bite with the rest of his coffee. "Good," he said as he set his mug down. "Maybe you can find some textbooks, too?"
Aria -
Her expression remained innocent, as she ate, but her foot was gently sliding up and down along his calf, in a lightly teasing and caressing manner. "I plan to look, love." She said in a serene voice, that in no way indicated she was teasing him in a loving way.
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Dai was looking at his empty plate wistfully, like many a young teen make before him. He refused to ask Seren to make more, however. He was not going to treat her like their parents had. But dammit he was still hungry, and he was still technically a growing boy. This was a challenge, and he had to keep it out of his tone, too. He barely managed. "All good to know. Then if there happens to be a way to transfer funds to you guys, could I give you money to grab me things when you go? I don't think Costco lets minors get memberships."
Pao -
Again, he glanced over at Seren, doing his best to keep the surprise and amusement from her teasing off of his face. It felt good so he of course didn't mind and instead went about fiddling with his now empty mug. He wanted to get more coffee, but he didn't exactly want her to stop, either.
"Works for me," he blinked and glanced over at Seren while gently nudging at her foot as it traveled down toward his ankle. "Or how do you wanna handle it, babe?"
Aria -
"Yeah. Sounds good to me too. We'll text you the dates, Dai. In the meantime, why don't you go explore the cafeteria, and the dorm, et all, get yourself a little more familiarized with the place?" She wanted to get back to their dorm, honestly, though if Rhys wanted more coffee first, she'd wait.
Pao -
Rhys nodded and looked over at Dai, expression as neutral as he could manage given what she was still doing. "It's a big island, might take you more than a day to see most everything. I'd suggest checking out the cafeteria, then the rest of the dorms--we've got lounges and stuff, just wander around and you'll find it. Then your division office, and then maybe the sparring grounds and training courses if you can squeeze 'em in?"
Aria -
For a moment, Dai wondered if they were trying to get rid of him, then he decided he didn't want to know. It didn't come across as not wanting him there, per se, so whatever it was, it probably was important in some way. "Yeah. Alright, I'll do the dishes, since Seren cooked, then go explore. Why don't you two head out?" He said, to give them a nicely graceful exit.
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At that, Seren gave Rhys one last, slightly longer, caress along his leg, then stood. "Thanks, Dai I'll see you soon. You know where we are..." And started heading for the door, her fingers brushing Rhys as she passed him.
Pao -
Rhys stood up as well just as her fingers brushed against his skin, sending a little shiver up his arm in the process. He gave the kid a two-fingerd salute much in the same way he'd given him one earlier, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, dude. What your sister said, we're around if you need help. Just knock."
At that he turned and headed for the door as well, taking a few long strides to catch up to Seren so he could snake his arm over her shoulders and pull her in to whisper a few little somethings of the rather suggestive nature.
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