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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 9:08:44 GMT -4
"Whoof. Three months, eh? Hope ya brought a book!"
Guido chuckled briefly, then trailed off as he saw Lilandra's quizzical expression.
"Heh. Ahem. Crazy brother, huh? Well I guess there's somethin' ta be said fer bein' an only child, eh?"
Still nothing. Guido sighed. Tough room tonight.
"So when ya say Phoenix, ya mean Chris? How'd she end up with that thing, anyway?"
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 9:14:42 GMT -4
"Chris?" Lilandra repeated, testing the name, and not finding it truely to her liking, Phoenix worked better - didn't give her the same emotional attachment if she used the name the man next to her had given her. If she used Phoenix - then it wouldn't hurt and she continue to treat her like the godling she was, but to use her real name - that would imply a family she was tearing apart by taking this child.
"The entity is drawn by those she deems worthy of her attention. The child, Chris," she said the name slowly, hesitantly, "impressed the Phoenix with her desire to save her friends even if it meant ending her own life to do so."
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 9:22:56 GMT -4
Guido frowned.
"So this thing just flies around until it finds someone 'worthy,' an' then just moves in? Is there any choice in tha matter? Or do ya just wake up one morning an' find out ya have an extra houseguest all of a sudden?"
He didn't like the sound of this. It was one thing to willingly accept a blessing from a higher power, but to have one just...take you over? The idea repulsed him.
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 9:26:34 GMT -4
"That I do not know," Lilandra answered quietly. "I assume a deal of some nature was made between Phoenix and the child. But as to what the deal was - that I do not know."
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 9:44:22 GMT -4
"Hmmm."
Guido still wasn't sure what to think of his guest, but she did seem to carry the same world-weariness on her shoulders as Christine did.
She's convinced this is important, anyway. I guess we'll see.
He was running out of polite conversation, and had already found that his joke stash would fall on deaf ears.
Hurry up, people. If she bases her opinion of Earth on me, we're in big trouble.
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 9:48:35 GMT -4
Lilandra yawned softly, trying to hide it behind her gloved hand. "Excuse me," she murmured. "I haven't slept in the past several days and it's catching up to me now."
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 9:57:12 GMT -4
"Don't worry about it," Guido waved. "A lot of that goin' around."
I would offer ta get her somethin', but I don't really wanna leave her by herself, either. What's keepin' everybody?
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 10:10:53 GMT -4
"You don't have to babysit me. I'm old enough to take care of myself," Lilandra said, feeling a bit silly by having a grown man babysit her - especially when *she* was much older then him.
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 10:21:49 GMT -4
"No, no," Guido said unconvincingly. "It's, uh, great ta hear about all this, uh, cosmic stuff. Yeah."
He just knew the moment he got up and left her to herself was when Logan and the others would appear and find a stranger with a gun in the house, unsupervised. That would look REAL good.
An idea struck him.
"Hey, can I getcha somethin' ta drink? If yer tired, I got just the thing. Why dontcha follow me to tha kitchen. Ever tried coffee?"
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 10:23:24 GMT -4
"No... but I might as well... I'll think of it as a learning experience," Lilandra said slowly. 'What am I getting myself into.'
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 10:28:55 GMT -4
"That's tha spirit. Don't worry, you'll love it."
Guido led Lilandra to the kitchen. Guido nervously poked his head in the door first, and was relieved to discover Logan had cleaned up "his" mess. Setting the silver percolator on the counter, he loaded it up and hit the switch.
"Takes a few minutes ta perk, so have a seat. What it's doin' here is, I stick dried, roasted bean grounds in this basket here, and the machine pours boilin' water over 'em, and there ya have it! Nectar of the gods."
Guido noticed the look of shock on Lilandra's face.
Maybe that wasn't the best way ta describe it...
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 10:34:26 GMT -4
She looked a tad uneasy about the last line. "And mortals are allowed to drink it?" she asked, her voice shaky.
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 10:39:35 GMT -4
"Well, maybe not MY coffee, but for the most part, yeah," Guido laughed. Then he saw she was serious.
"Oh, no. It's just an expression. Lots of people really love coffee, so I guess they give it a godlike quality. Unless it's Cain's or Hills Brothers." He shuddered. "Word of advice, though. If ya decide ta bring some back to Chandril-la or wherever, be sure ta get Folger's. Maxwell House'll do in a pinch, but it's not quite the same. Also, stay away from that Starbuck's nonsense. It'll rot yer guts and bankrupt yer planet at the same time."
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Post by lilandra on Dec 7, 2003 10:45:41 GMT -4
"I'll take your word for it," Lilandra said softly. She sighed and leaned back. "Out of curiosity... How close is the Phoenix to everyone here..."
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Post by Guido Carosella on Dec 7, 2003 10:54:00 GMT -4
Red flags started waving in the back of Guido's mind.
"Tha Phoenix? Never met her. It. Whatever. Now, Chris, she's kinda the mother hen ta all the kids that live here. She looks after 'em, fusses over 'em, fusses at 'em, makes sure they stay outta too much trouble."
He met Lilandra's eye briefly. "This whole house is like one big family. And she's always tha first ta step up an' welcome a newcomer to the family. HER family. Not many people would do that."
He sighed, drumming his fingers on the table. "Look. From what I understand, carryin' this Phoenix around comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Which apparently includes savin' tha universe now an' then. I think Chris'll realize what she has ta do eventually, an' I'm guessin' it'll involve her leavin' here for a while. Maybe a long while. Just realize she'll be leavin' a big hole here when she does."
He stopped and turned his attention to the percolator. Grabbing a mug out of a cabinet, he filled it up and handed it to Lilandra.
"Here ya go. Careful, it's hot. Lemme know if ya need ta sweeten it or somethin'."
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