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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 22, 2009 1:31:01 GMT -5
"Did your eyes change colour?" She shook her head. "Nevermind..." When he nudged her she looked back up, slightly surprised. He had just a few minutes ago pulled away from her, so she hadn't expected the contact.
"No," Laurel replied, as if setting down a rule. "Because if I let that happen, people have their lives ruined. I run the risk of getting locked in an institution, or being shot down." And too many loved ones that could be affected by her choices. She didn't add that. "I've been that person on the receiving end and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
She didn't understand his apathy toward people, but if he had been this - serpent? - all his life, maybe it was different. It made her sick just to think of having this anxiety and pressure to control herself all her life. She supposed she could count her blessings there.
Laurel was finished talking about herself. It was depressing, looking at the bleak road her life had gone down.
"So I don't know much about me, and I don't know much about you either. What's the legend?" She offered a small encouraging smile, hoping he would tell her a bit more.
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 22, 2009 11:14:27 GMT -5
Monty seemed dissatisfied with her answer, but let it go for the chance to talk about himself. He puffed up some, sticking his hands back in his pockets as he spoke, "I am Moñái, third son of Tau a Kerana, Lord of the Air and master of the open plains."
He looked down at her with a wry look, "Or I was, at least. Times change after so long, of course." He shrugged. "I all but ruled the lands in what is called South America, taking what I pleased and building quite a collection within my cavern palace."
The man was quiet for a while, mentally arriving at the part in the story he was least comfortable retelling, both out of pride and the fact that despite hundreds of years the wounds were still fresh. He felt his chest tighten uncomfortably and his lips turned down in a frown.
"After that, the villagers took over what was to be a magnificent tale of power and wealth," Monty said flatly.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 22, 2009 13:01:21 GMT -5
What do I say to THAT?
"That's uh...too bad," she said after a moment. "Sorry they stole your thunder." She needed to research this the next time she got the change. Laurel vaguely wondered if even less pleasant things than herself existed, too.
"So why Bridgeport? I mean, I've never been to South America, but I know it's nowhere near as cold as Bridgeport." Originally from further north, Bridgeport's climate was an easy transition for her. She doubted highly, though, that the quiet port-city had been recommended to him by a psychologist.
"Oh, I shouldn't be rude... Moñái, you said? I'm Laurel."
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 22, 2009 20:36:01 GMT -5
"Monty," he corrected before twitching one corner of his mouth up in something akin to a polite smile. "But it's a pleasure to meet you nonetheless. And yes, the cold is deplorable, but with the advancement in technology and thick layers of clothing, I don't mind it nearly as much as the south."
The man shook his head, looking sad for a moment as he mumbled, "I just couldn't stay there anymore." Monty quickly caught himself, straightening and shifting to a bored expression. "So I moved from place to place, seeing the sights and doing whatever I wished. Until Bridgeport, at least. Then I caught sight of first one creature, then another, and let me tell you: Keeping the company of monsters is much better than being alone."
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 23, 2009 1:21:22 GMT -5
"Monty," she affirmed as he corrected her. "Sorry."
She smiled in return to his...almost smile, pausing as his tone changed. "Others? Really?" She tried not to sound so incredulous about it. "In Bridgeport?"
Was that why she was...? No she was here because it was quiet, and dull. Good for her. Not too much going on...Laurel liked it that way.
"Is this where we're going?" she asked all of a sudden, pointing to the convenience store across the street. "You'd think I'd be sick of it by now, but I'm about ready to die for some hot chocolate..."
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 23, 2009 1:36:44 GMT -5
"Why yes," The man said, as if it were obvious. "You didn't know? This place is just short of teeming with all sorts of things that go bump in the night." He then turned to the indicated store and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Yes, this is exactly where we need to be." He'd begun to almost skip towards the sanctuary of sweets when she'd mentioned hot chocolate, and he looked back with a genuinely shocked expression. "Why would you ever get sick of it?" The idea seemed to be like the end of the world to him, and he looked rather upset by that sentence.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 23, 2009 2:01:49 GMT -5
"R-really?" She didn't know if that were good or bad, but it gave her a little comfort that there was a population, however small, similar to her. It was an incredible relief to feel less isolated, even a little.
"Huh? Oh, I work at Linda's cafe..we passed it a while back." She pointed behind them. "Two years of lattes, mochas, macchiatos and cocoa, it stops tasting as good as it used to...I guess unless you really like chocolate, then maybe not..." She shrugged and continued past him toward the store.
"Anyway, I want one now." She smiled. "So let's go."
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 23, 2009 11:39:49 GMT -5
Monty shook his head, finding it hard to believe anyone could tire of such a thing as cocoa. Or chocolate in general. Or desserts in general. Whomever actually did should either seek serious help or be kicked off of a cliff, it was madness.
His worries were put to rest when she passed him, and he quickly met her pace to stroll alongside her. "Good, I was almost afraid we couldn't be friends," he said absently as he entered the convenience store and picked up the little shopping baskets they had available. He was off then, a fair portion of his upper half sticking out above the aisles as he walked, then disappearing as he scooped various chocolates, candies, sweets, and other things meant only as treats into the basket as if he were grocery shopping. The store clerk looked both delighted that someone would be spending that much, and sick at the thought that they'd have to restock those empty shelves.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 23, 2009 16:42:40 GMT -5
Was he serious? No one was that much of a sweets connoisseur...but she was rather delighted to hear him say 'friends.' It was a word she hadn't really used in a long time, and coming from someone like him, it cheered her up.
She followed him, not really interested in eating anything...she just wanted a hot drink. She could cook something when she got home. Laurel paused behind, both eyebrows raising slowly as he basically swept the place clean. Not knowing what to say, Laurel shrugged it off.
"So...you like all sweets, or do you have a favourite?"
Right, Dad will take over the kitchen back home... Bake treats for nieces before I leave... she reminded herself. "All three of my brother's girls like different ones...but everything tastes good in a rice-krispie square."
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 24, 2009 2:58:41 GMT -5
"Noka's Carmeñago chocolates," Monty said without hesitation, his head poking up from an aisle as he answered. "It has never failed to bring a sense of calm and overall warm feelings to me when I eat it. Like the best parts of home."
He smiled then, looking wistful before making his way to the counter to complete his purchase. As the clerk dutifully began scanning and bagging each and every item, Monty turned to lean against the counter and reply, "Ah yes, the rice krispie treat. Such a basic, simple recipe with such an award-winning taste. But any sugary concoction is good for me, I have yet to meet a treat I didn't want to eat." The corners of his mouth turned up when he'd realized he'd rhymed, and a light exhalation, a sound that any passerby would swear to be a laugh, slipped from his lips without warning. He was oblivious to this action, of course.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 24, 2009 13:47:48 GMT -5
Laurel tried not to laugh as he went on his explanation. "Oh yeah? I don't know that I've ever had them," she admitted, stopping near the cash. She filled a paper cup with the cheap hot chocolate before standing behind him at the counter.
She smiled as he went on. "I'm not much of a candy-fan...I bake a lot instead." The evening's earlier incident was almost gone from her mind. "Of course, now my nieces expect cookies and cupcakes and other things every time I visit, so you can guess what I'll be doing in the next few days."
She set the drink on the counter and pulled her wallet from her purse, pointing to a photo in the front of the three girls, all with auburn hair. "This is them," she said proudly. "Kaitlyn, Michaela, and Nicole..." She didn't know why she was bothering to babble about her nieces, but they were her favourite.
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 25, 2009 0:01:28 GMT -5
"It's been a while since I've had the pleasure myself," Monty mused, then pulled out a small beaded change purse when the clerk neared completion of his purchase. He motioned to the clerk to include Laurel's drink before paying. "I'll have to put in an order sometime. I'll let you know when I get them."
He grinned, then looked increasingly interested as she spoke. His smile grew warmer as he looked at her picture. "Your nieces are lucky to have such a good aunt. Are you going to see them soon?" This was the longest Monty had gotten to talk to a creature of his ilk in such a long time, he was beginning to enjoy it. Many tended to be cold and not accepting of his company for some reason.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 25, 2009 0:15:07 GMT -5
She caught his gesture and gave half a frown. "Hey, you don't need to--" She sighed as the clerk did as he was told, she supposed she couldn't blame him - Monty was intimidating, at least from a distance. "Ah, thank you..."
When he mentioned the chocolates, she smiled. "Really? I'd like that." Laurel glanced down at the photo fondly. "Yeah. I leave in a few days...my brother's a cop back home, same city where we grew up...so we always do holidays with him or my parents. It's a long ways away though, and with my car uh...damaged...I haven't been there in a while."
She closed the wallet and put it away. "Do you need help carrying your um...candy?"
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KB
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Post by KB on Dec 26, 2009 16:46:36 GMT -5
Monty merely smiled at her thanks, then began shoving bag after bag on his poofy-sleeved arms, listening as he went. "No, thank you; I've done enough grocery shopping to be able to transport these few things by myself," He turned, his arms laden with sweets, and winked at her before motioning towards the door.
"What do you do on these holidays? And what happened to your car?" He asked as he started ushering her towards the exit. Monty had never celebrated the way the humans around him had, the only thing he enjoyed about this time of year was the influx of delectable sweets in the stores. Everything else was just a nuisance.
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Post by Clairice-Sarah on Dec 26, 2009 17:08:42 GMT -5
Laurel smiled and followed after him, sipping at her beverage cautiously. "Um...we mostly eat. Exchange gifts. I help build forts and snowmen with Liam and the girls...if we have time, I go shopping with my mom and Jocelyn - my sister-in-law." She smiled. "We don't do a lot outside of the house, but I'm okay with that. My parents' house is nice and quiet."
She gave a slight wince as he asked about her car. "Well..." She trailed off until they were out the door and then Laurel sighed. "A couple of months ago I...y'know...and jumped out of my window - on the third floor - and took out the passenger side of my honda..." She gave an uncomfortable shrug. "I've still got bruises and sore spots...lucky I didn't break any ribs."
She laughed a little, wryly. "The windshield needs to be replaced, and I can barely pry the hood open...I'm probably better to sell the parts and see if I can't find something new."
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