• Ϯѻɼϯʉɼɛɗ • →ʂlคvɛ ɼp← f u l l

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: O.o And somehow I totally missed your post for months...))

"Not always," whispered Curiosity, so still that it was hard to tell if he was breathing. "But they don't like to see us as soon as they walk in the door." Then he went silent as the door slid smoothly open and a cold-eyed, dark-haired male walked in.

If Maxy was paying attention, she might notice Curiosity's sudden tension. Marcelius, as usual, betrayed nothing.

He guided the other Keshval into another room, and Curiosity, just now beginning to breathe again, took Maxy's arm again and continued on their way to the kitchen. He didn't say a word.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy chewed her lip with fascination. They felt oddly drawn to this new Keshval. The couldn't help but look back over her shoulder as Curiosity took to leading her in the direction they'd been headed before, "Who was that?" There was a thrilling excitement in her voice, and she knew he was probably bad but she couldn't help it. The aura that guy gave off! it was like seeing a ghost! Rising the hairs on the back of her neck and raising goose bumps on her skin.

She tried not to smile at the thrill of it. Her face had an alive flush of blood in hefr cheeks, and she could actually hear her own blood pumping.

This sensation was amazing. She'd never been so scared and so excited at the same time, before.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity shuddered at her questions. "Not now," he said softly, trembling. "When we get there." He all but dragged her through various rooms and hallways until they reached a room that looked like something out of an old sci-fi movie. Judging from the way he relaxed, though, it must have been their destination.

"Want anything?" he asked, opening up what looked like a piece of abstract sculpture to reveal various tubes with various unattractive-looking liquids in them. "There's most everything in here."

He didn't answer Maxy's earlier questions.

Maybe he was just hoping she wouldn't ask them again. Because if she did, he'd have to answer them.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

At his trembling she rubbed his arm carefully, hoping the contact would help, letting him drag her along. She couldn't help but continue to look over her shoulder, though.

Maxy blinked at the nasty looking liquids, "Um....how about something muffin-like?" she shook away her goose bumps, and went to lean against the wall.

"You still haven't answered me." She gave a little pout. She wasn't the type to forget. However, she wouldn't push too much if he made it obvious he was getting upset or something; but she still wanted to know. Bad.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity frowned thoughtfully at the tubes, and then selected two or three seemingly at random. "Muffin-like," he muttered to himself, going across the kitchen to another item that looked like another piece of statuary. Opening the top to reveal what looked like a silvery vase, he poured in a few drops of each and tapped a few buttons before closing it. As the machine began to hum, he put the tubes away.

"I know," he replied heavily to Maxy's question. "It's just...I don't know his name. The master never told us. Says it's not important if we try to ask him. But I know why he's here. Why he's always here."

He looked weary, and far away. But he would answer the question if she asked.

He just didn't want her to ask.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy watched him curiously, "Don't make me ask." She pouted, "Sorry I'm being so pushy....he just....I mean WOW....what an interesting and exhilarating creature that was!" she twirled easily on her toes, and wrapped her arms around Curiosity's shoulders from behind, resting her chin on his left shoulder.
She obviously had ...slight....personal space issues, once she favored someone.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity visibly winced at her words, and his own retort came out harsher than he'd meant it to. "Oh sure. Interesting. Exhilarating. Until you have to live with him coming back, and back again. Until you have to know what he's trying to do. What he's trying to--"

He cut himself off, and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just...Sorry. He's been here more often lately, and we're all under a lot of stress."

Even the master, though he never showed it. Curiosity could tell from the way he withdrew into himself for days after the other male came.

He thought he might - just might - know why, too.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy blinked, "But I DON'T know. That's the problem here." She sighed "Forget it."She continued to peer over his shoulder, though. Her eyes were trained on the weird object he'd put her supposed-to-food in.
Her stomach growled loudly, and she gave a low hungry groan. When was the last time she sate? Time had mushed together for her, so she had no real clue.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity glanced at her again for a second, and then turned his eyes back to the metallic object he'd put the liquid into. "You will." That was all he had to say on the topic, at least for now.

If she tried talking to Naïvete or to Reticence later, she might manage to get more, but there was no way to know.

The little metallic thing made an odd dinging noise a few seconds later, and Curiosity moved with the ease of experience as he opened it and pulled out a spongy-looking brown disc about the size of an average dessert plate. It looked nothing like a muffin.

Nevertheless, he flipped it onto a plate that he'd gotten out of somewhere, and offered it to her. "I know it doesn't look the way things do at home," he said. "But it should taste right, and have about the same nutrition." He waited patiently for her to take it.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy hesitantly took the spongey food. "As long as it's edible."
She nibbled at it a little and shrugged. "I guess it's not bad..." She took a bigger bite, and stepped back.
Seemingly without thinking she dropped to the floor in a sitting position and hungered down with the food.
A picture of innocence.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity gave her an odd look. "Wouldn't give it to you if it wasn't," he replied, seeming to wonder if she thought he was trying to poison her or something. "It's food here."

He turned back to the machine. He'd taken a cloth out from somewhere and was efficiently wiping down the machine, not seeming particularly concerned about the earlier discussion now that it was over.

"How is it?" he inquired at last, once he was done with the 'cleanup'. It hadn't taken him more than a few minutes, but in that time he figured Maxy would at least have gotten some idea of whether or not she liked it.

And if she didn't, there might be some problems, since this was the only way food could be made here, as far as he knew.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy patted her stomach, "It does the job." She shrugged.
She patted the ground next to her, "Wanna sit?"
She stretched her arms above her head content, now that her belly had food in it.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity slid down beside her with an easy smile. "Sure," he replied.

The silence that descended after that was more companionable than anything. Curiosity's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, but he was relaxed and quiet as he sat. Still, he was listening for the sound of the door sliding shut that would indicate the leave-taking of their unwanted visitor.

That brought up a question that he didn't really want to ask, but was too curious not to.

"Hey Maxy," he said at last.

"What did you find so 'exhilarating' about that...him?" When Curiosity had seen him for the first time, he hadn't noticed anything about him making him different from other Keshval.  

[iiGypsy_Jazz]

Maxy had been zoning when she heard Curiosity's question, "What? Oh." She shook her head clear of the starry look in her eyes.

"Probably that air around him. He looks....dangerous. It gives me goosebumps."
She shrugged.
"That happens sometimes...I'm easily attracted to things that I shouldn't be."  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Curiosity frowned at her for a long moment. "Well," he muttered, "if that's all, you shouldn't have much of a problem finding excitement around here." His head tilted as he heard the slide that told him the door was closed.

Relaxing visibly, he rose to his feet and offered Maxy a hand. "He's gone," he said softly. "So we're okay for now."

He looked thoughtfully back towards the way they'd come. "We probably ought to go check on the others. Naïvete at least, both of them if we can find Reticence after that other guy's visit."

Though he wanted to know how the master had slipped by the other Keshval this time, he wasn't going to ask. When it came to this kind of thing, the master was as quiet as Reticence.

And on most other things, come to think of it.