Closing Time [Open]

[Kristopher Roberts]

A cold autumn breeze blew through the late day in the Market Place. Kristopher Allen Roberts pulled his thin old jean jacket tighter about his form. He had long ago abandoned the idea of pulling up the light gery hood over his head as the wind often blew it off his fair head.

The wind did nothing for his already whipped hair that had fallen loose from his ponytail. Lifting a hand, he moved his golden locks out of his face and behind his ear to keep from being beaten by the curls. After making sure his hair would stay out of his face, his free hand darted back into the pocket of his jacket to keep his fingers warm.

He hated fall with a passion and winter even more. This was his worse season and he was already starting to feel worn down and broken. It was bad enough that he and Augusta was on rocky grounds and now Naelona was keeping a seriously close eye on him, then there was Corvus...god getting sick just seemed to take the cake.

A light cough came from his lips, his hand rushing to cover the noise and succeeded as he moved through the semi empty road. He was out in the Market today to pick up a few items for his Mistress. He had already gotten a few and shoved them into a backpack Naelona had given him to use to fetch the side items. Currently, he had purchased his Madam's favorite tobacco that she loved to smoke and stuffed it into the bag. He had finished his shopping and roamed the streets for some reason. He wasn't sure why he was still in the Market Place but he was, maybe he just needed some alone time.

Kristopher stood off to the side as his green and red eye watched the boogies and their humans put away their wares for the night. Some stands remained open while others have closed or are closing at this very moment. The blond looked down at his engagement watch, it was a quarter past nine. He should really be getting back...but something made him not want too....

His eyes tore away from the watch as soon as he heard a voice behind him, one that was a bit sly sounding. "Say, are you looking for something boy?" The voice of a boogie said. Kristopher turned around and looked at the creature, it was more bat like then anything. But Kristopher shook his head, "Not really." He stated and was then shooed away from the stand.

Kristopher took a few steps away when something suddenly caught his attention. Off to his side in a near by stand was a flower, a single one sitting in a pot. It looked like something between a rose and a venus fly trap. It was beautiful really, but the mere sight of it send the blonds skin crawling but he moved towards it anyways. He came all the way up to it slowly and stared.

He didn't see anyone around and so he saw no harm in staring. Ever since he lost his green eye, he had been nervous around plants, especially roses. He wasn't afraid of them per say, just paranoid that they might come to life and kill him or take another eye.

But a Plant was a plant, it couldn't hurt him...

His two color eyes narrowed at the plant for a long time before he suddenly gained the courage to reach out and touch it. It shouldn't be a big deal, he would touch it and go on his way and maybe prove to himself that not everything was out to get him. His hand grew closer and closer to the thing, fingers shaking in uncertainty and it seemed like nothing was going to happen and he would be able to leave with all his fingers, until it suddenly opened its pedals revealing sharp, dangerous teeth and a long tongue.

The plant sprang to life and jerked forward to snap at the blond. A cry of surprise erupted from his throat as he stuttered backwards, trying to get away from the beast and keep all his fingers. However, in his sudden movement of surprise, he lost his balance and fell backwards, but he never hit the ground as he bumped into something solid. Wide-eyed and panic stricken, he looked up to see what he had bumped into and prayed to god it wasn't a even bigger plant!

[Elric Vlarintos]

The scent of an old and familiar friend kept his mind away from the creeping thoughts of the late evening. His jacket used to provide some shelter against the chill of winter, but had aged far too poorly to serve in the snow. However, during the autumn season it still provided enough comfort and warmth that Elric need not concern himself with the breeze. After many years it had become a companion during the colder weather and he often neglected to remove it even when the weather was warm. During his worst days it felt like there was a chill that no amount of heat could ever remove from his bones.

Elric wandered aimlessly through the market, he had picked up the mineral oil for Master Anolean's blade, along with a couple other items he had desired. His only hope was that the master would not see fit to test the sword on his leg once again. Absentmindedly Elric reached up and felt the back of his neck. His hair was far too long for his liking and he desired a trim, but there was no time for that now. He'd have to get it cut some other time.

He saw something snap out of the corner of his eye and he paused for just a moment to get a better look. A small blond boy leaped backwards into him. Elric let out a breath of air on contact, but did not respond much in any other way. His eyes narrowed when he realized he knew the person who had just jumped back into him. It looked like he had been poking at one of the finger-biting plants that seemed all-too-common in Wonderland.

"Kris?" he asked with a curious tone after taking a moment to recall the name. "Are you all right?" It felt odd, but it was a much better greeting than the last one he had offered the boy.

[Kristopher Roberts]

"Zomg, please don't eat me!" Was actually the first thought that filled Kristophers head, followed by, "Omfg, he's so fucking tall and big...like good big." If course, he realized who it was and that it wasn't a boogie he was dealing with, that in itself was nice to know.

A sheepish smile touched the blonds face as he pulled away from Elric, he was more embarrassed then anything at this point of time and it took him a moment to place a face to a name. He stood straight and fixed his coat, "i--I'm alright, I just got startled is all. Um, sorry for stumbling into you..." His mind raced for the name, he had seen the white haired man around a lot but always had trouble with his name. "Elric." He let out a releaved sigh when he was able to recall the name.

Slowly, the blond adjusted the pack around his shoulder and looked back at the plant that quivered. Kristopher himself, shivered and pulled his two colored gaze away from the evil thing. Turning his attention back to Elric he seemed to be thinking for a long moment. The nineteen year old messed with his pack again as if it was giving him strength to talk.

"What are you doing out here?" Dumb question, "Almost past crew few." Another dumb statement to be making. But Kristopher seemed to realize this after he spoke it and shook his head. "Um, never mind, dumb question really." he chuckled, hand clenching to the strap of his backpack that was over one shoulder. Then a thought suddenly came to his mind, "Oh my god, I hope Naelona didn't send you to find me! I must be taking forever!" his red and green orbs grew suddenly wide at the mere thought of keeping his Mistress waiting on him for so long to return. The blond looked like he was about to spaz right about then, he had so much shit going on right now that he felt suddenly like a chicken with its head cut off.

Barely hanging on by a thread and body flopping about uncontrollably!

[Elric Vlarintos]

Sorry for stumbling into him? Elric hardly felt an apology was necessary at this point. It had already happened and no one had gotten hurt over it. Most importantly, neither of them appeared to have dropped anything. That would have been truly disastrous. Even if that were the case, getting angry over it would have done absolutely no good. Everyone would have enough shit to deal with if anything got damaged in such a collision without slaves beating on each other too. It probably wouldn't stop some less reasonable people from doing it, but Elric liked to think himself a little better than that.

Kris remembered his name; he was not certain if that was a good sign or not. Was it his hair that always made people nervous at first glance, or was it his size? White hair was very peculiar in people his age, but his hair had turned white when he was young. He might have considered dyeing it if he were more concerned with his appearance.

Even with his lack of concern over appearances he couldn't help but notice something very different about Kristopher's eye. Something about it set him really off edge, but he felt awkward bringing anything about it up. Could he actually see out of it? He must have been really out of the loop to miss the detail about that. He had heard about the run-in with Kazn; it was hard to miss since it was a family affair for his Master and Mistress, but he had not gotten a good look at Kristopher since before the incident.

He tried to shake that feeling that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He concerned himself with reassuring Kris about his reasons for being here. "The Mistress did not send me for you, I'm out to collect things for Master Anolean." It was at this point that Elric was trying to think of what sorts of things someone would say in this situation. "If you're worried about getting back on time maybe I can help you carry some of your things?" It didn't seem like Kris had all that much to carry, though.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Well, it wasn't the hair that always messed with Kristopher, it was the man's air. He just had that intimidating factor that screamed: I am going to kick your ass now and you will like it! The blond cleared his throat a moment and let a releaved experession touche his features. "Oh good. For a moment I thought I was going to be in trouble over being late." A nervous laugh escaped his lips.

He blinked a few times and looked at his pack, "Oh. No, no thank you. I got it but thanks for the offer, it was very nice of you. But you can walk with me if you like." The blond offered, he decided to try and get to know Elric. He didn't seem like a bad guy even if he was scary to look at. But some people thought Kristopher was mean just because he had a lot of tattoos and heaven knows Kristopher is the sweetest thing on the planet. Maybe Elric was the same way, plus Piper kept him as a friend, that had to say something.

He started down the empty roadway back towards home, but moving slowly. He was in no hurry to go back to his life of being a slave and dealing with his issues. His pale hand readjusted the strap of the backpack on his shoulder, he was trying to think of something to talk about, anything at all.

The sickly man then suddenly got hit by a topic, "So," He started in a friendly manner, "How is Piper doing? I haven't had a chance to stop by and see her in a long time." he chuckled a little, "I kinda noticed and heard that you two are getting along quite well. I think that its nice." The blond tilted his head to look at Elric with a cheerful smile, it was nice to talk about someone else for a change and he utterly adored Piper. And adored he liked her in more of the sister-love way and not an attraction to her, even though she was a very pretty girl.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Trouble from the masters wasn't either of their concerns yet, though it certainly could be if they tarried here for too much longer. Elric nodded in solemn agreement with Kristopher's offer to walk together and the large man tried to match pace with the much smaller blond. It took some conscious effort not to pull ahead of Kris for a few moments, but eventually he internalized the pace.

It was good to see that Kris was relaxing around him. The Powers knew that Elric still felt stressed and uptight around most people. The first few moments walking together were filled with awkward silence. Elric could not really consider anything appropriate to say to break the ice, he only wished that Kristopher would say something and make it easier. Well, there was one topic that kept coming to mind, but Elric was absolutely certain commenting about the eye would seem weird.

The question that came by was about him and Piper. He smiled and nodded in response to Kristopher. "Yeah, she's trying to get me to try talking to people more. She's really nice." It was hard, but it would probably do him a lot of good to talk with people more than he had before the two had met. It wasn't until after he spoke that he started considering the implications held in what Kris had just said.

He slowed down what already had felt like a very slow pace as he went over the words in his head: people were talking about it. He picked up his pace once more as he cleared his throat to speak. "What sorts of things are people saying?" His eyes narrowed a little bit as he looked at the boy with suspicion.

[Kristopher Roberts]

The little blond shrank into his jean jacket as soon as Elric asked what was being spread around the human population of Wonderland. Kristopher blushed a little and averted his eyes. "Not much, really. Um, most think you two are you know..." Wow, talk about an awkward moment. "Dating. You two do look really close when I see you from afar, so I thought it might be true. I mean you are a pretty hot guy with a nice ass and Piper needs a good ass--wait I mean, that's not it. Um, what I meant to say is that it is true you are a looker and a great guy, so you're prefect for her! Um--ahh--how about I just shut up about that, huh?"

God, he felt like an utter idiot! That's what he got for believing a rumor might be true. Go figure, it wouldn't be true and Piper really needed a good man too. "I'm sorry, I am making this all very awkward. I didn't mean too--really. I was just hoping, it was true. Piper does need someone, the poor girl is so lonely." He let out a small sigh, his blush still on his feminie features.

Kristopher ran a hand through his blond hair and shook it lightly to send some golden strands flying about his face. "Um, maybe a new subject?"

[Elric Vlarintos]

Did people really think the two of them were an item? The idea seemed really bizarre and foreign to Elric. The consideration had not really crossed his mind, especially since he hardly seemed capable of basic human interactions necessary for friendship, let alone something serious. Did Piper know about those rumors? Should he tell her about them? It just made it seem more awkward to consider it.

"I suppose that's why they are rumors," Elric commented. Of course, he rarely heard rumors, but he had heard enough to think that there might be some credence behind the belief that Kristopher... what was the term? Batted for the other team? He dismissed it as hearsay with a chuckle, before Kristopher went on his little personal explanation. It really had not seemed necessary to go on about the detail, but information was spilled.

Elric seemed to get caught on the comment that he had a nice ass. He stopped walking entirely as he began to contemplate his own ass, even bending his neck backward and trying to get a look at it. In the mirror Elric never really considered that he might look good. All he really paid attention to was the scar on his face. "You really do go for the men, huh?" he said aloud before he could stop himself. It was too late to take it back, it was already out there, and Elric did not act too shocked, but he mentally reprimanded himself.

"I'm sorry, that sounded a lot better in my head," he offered before trying to walk forward again. "You know though, it isn't bad to wish well for Piper, but I don't really think that she needs anyone... at least, not like that." Elric had his own suspicions about what she had to deal with, but he couldn't pretend to know for certain. If his guesses were correct, she'd be afraid of such a relationship. "She has friends and what she needs are good friends that she can open up to." Elric had pushed to make her open up once, he was hoping that she would volunteer such information in the future.

[Kristopher Roberts]

"You really do go for the men, huh?"

He came to a sudden stop and looked back at Elric.

Kristopher's two colored eyes went wide and he moaned loudly as he slapped a hand over his own eyes in shame. "Oh. Oh god, don't tell me there are rumors about my sexual perferance and love life now..." the blond looked horrified for a moment, then offered to correct the rumor. "I happen to appericate both genders, I'm not picky." He was one hell of a greedy bisexual man, he might as well pick the men side with his current choices in suitors, but recently he wondered if he should just hop back over to the ladies at the rate of things.

Don't get him wrong, he loved Augusta more then his own life but sometimes it was hard loving the guy, let alone live with him. But he wouldn't trade him in for all the gold in the world. "Anyways, it's alright, don't worry about it. I'll just have to go and knock some heads in with a wooden spoon." he teased, wondering if he freaked the older man out. He hoped not, he really didn't want him to think he went around checking people out, it wasn't something Kris did.

Slowly, Kris started walking again. He nodded slowly as he listened to the older man, "Yeah. I know, but I think it would help her through her hard times. I know having my boyfriend around helps me sometimes." Again, he blushed at the mention of having a loved one. It wasn't a shameful blush, just one of being uncomfortable and uncertain how people would take it. Especially, ones that aren't used to hearing such a thing. But if Elric heard about his choice in partners, he was sure he heard about the recent rumors of the two fighting like cats and dogs.

"Then again, maybe you're right. Maybe she doesn't need anyone like that yet. She has enough issues on her own to deal with that I pretend to ignore." His two colored eyes glanced over at Elric curiously, then looked straight ahead without much thought.

"So, anything you like to do? Other then run errands?"

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric raised an eyebrow at Kristopher's response to his slip-up. Liking both men and women just seemed to be a peculiar and foreign concept to Elric. He really could not wrap his mind around how someone could like both men and women. Then again, it was hard enough imagining how anyone could like men.

"Knock heads around with a wooden spoon?" Elric said with a genuine smirk on his face. Oddly enough, the image of the little man trying to beat anyone up was amusing. Doing it with a wooden spoon pushed it over the top into funny by Elric's standards. There was no laughter, but there might as well have been considering Elric's normal reactions to humor. It was even enough to get him to forget for a moment that Kris had essentially told Elric that he was good looking.

Thinking more on that Elric mentally shook his head. He could not recall the last time anyone had ever complimented his appearance. It had always seemed like it was something superfluous to say to someone; that they'd already be aware if they were good looking. It gave him something to consider as he listened to Kris talk about Piper. Maybe he was the only person that had ever really pushed her to share anything in regards to her personal problems. He was not certain whether that should make him feel special, or if he should feel like a jerk for pushing it. It could just be that he thought too much about such things.

"What do I like to do?" Elric echoed back to Kris. The way the question was worded made it sound like he actually liked running errands. Working for the Ezels was better than his last job, but he still did not derive any enjoyment from it. "I like reading. Music is fun too. My family made me learn violin a long time ago." He supposed that when he was younger he disliked it, but now it was one of the few things he could really enjoy here. "What about you?"

[Kristopher Roberts]

The blond offered a cheerful smile and tilted his head side to side as he thought about what he was going to say. A cough escaped his lips a few times, but he had put his hand over his mouth each time. He would then wave off any concern towards his sudden illness, which was nothing new. Kristopher always got ill at this time of the year.

"Oh, I kinda like the same. I like to read and play the piano. I'm not very good at either one but it's still fun. But what I really like to do i help people, its why I work at the hospital a lot of the time. Oh, and I like cooking too! Now I am really good at that!" Kristopher then adjusted the backpack again, moving it to his other shoulder. It was starting to get heavy but he wasn't one to complain, so he merely sucked it up and went on.

"Actually, I was supposed to make dinner tonight, but it seems like I won't get there in time. So someone else will do it, it's not a big deal really." He paused for a moment. "Do you like cats?" He inquired suddenly, "I happen to have one, we call him Ken. His actual name is Kender though. He is a sweet little thing to most people."

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric raised an eyebrow as Kristopher coughed. The change of seasons often affected allergies, but autumn rarely seemed to be a problem for most people. Then again, the weather also got cooler and that would mean that one who was already not in good health could be more susceptible to illness. All slaves were really in poor health as he considered the idea. Kristopher in particular seemed really small and in poor health. Elric was larger, but never seemed to get enough to eat.

"Books and music and not much else to do around here," Elric noted as the pair walked together. If slaves had other hobbies than those, they tended to put themselves at greater risk. Taking risks here was the type of thing that eventually got you killed if you made it a habit. Elric tried to keep a habit of not taking risks. "Cooking too?" Elric commented on the third hobby listed by Kris. It reminded him of a time long since passed when he could have sworn that he never got enough to eat. Time had adjusted his appetite since then.

A question about cats seemed random in comparison to the rest of the conversation. There was a joke he could throw in there related to the last subject, but Elric decided not to. "I like animals of the feline persuasion, yes." Maybe he really just liked them because his father had liked dogs and he wanted to be different from his father. "I didn't know that you could keep pets."

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher smiled lightly, "Well, that's good then too. Actually, I'm not sure if we can keep pets or not but Naelona doesn't seem to mind so much. In fact, she happens to love Ken as much as I do, or it seems that way to me at least. However, Augusta doesn't care for him." The blond frowned then, a sad expression coming over his once cheerful face. "Then again, he doesn't care for much anymore."

Turning to face the tall man, he put the smile right back on his face, dropping all saddness that had been there. "But that's because he doesn't really like cats, but I find it funny he was the one to get me the little cutie." He laughed a little, adjusting the heavy pack once again.

Silence took over for a small bit as Kristopher brought a hand to his lips and coughed into it a few times and said nothing as he let the fit settle itself out. Once the coughing stopped, he cleared his throat and didn't think much more on it.

"Mmm, I'm not sure what to really talk about anymore. Umm, not to be mean or anything Elric, but you are kinda intimidating." Lifting a hand, he patted Elric on the side of the arm in friendly gesture.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric felt his face crumple a little as he considered the potential for breaking of rules. Then again, if Naelona seemed perfectly fine with something he could not conceive of it being wrong in any way. As far as he was aware, she kept in line with all the rules of Wonderland. If she stepped outside of what seemed the norm it was like the rules shifted to accommodate her. Hence, there was no real reason to be concerned about the cat.

As socially inept as Elric seemed at times, he had noticed that Kristopher now had seemed to wave off two different things that should be bothering him. First of all, there was that recurring cough of his. It concerned Elric enough that he considered bringing it up, even though most people might not like talking about their health issues. The second was in regards to Augusta, his on-and-off significant if Elric were to believe what he had heard. That was a topic he'd rather leave untouched for now.

"Are you going to be okay? Repetitive coughing puts a strain on the throat and all that. And you deal with sick people on a regular basis." Did Kris get it from someone he was treating? Maybe not, but then there was the concern that he could give it to somebody who was already unwell. Elric remembered swapping illnesses in such a fashion when he was younger. He didn't usually get sick anymore.

A hand reaching up and patting his arm earned a raised eyebrow from Elric. It wasn't like he attempted to intimidate people. He was just abnormally large for someone in Wonderland. Then again, he had already gone through the majority of his growth by the time he had arrived. "It's not like I'm going to eat you or something. I am human, after all."

[Kristopher Roberts]

The blond blinked his mismatched eyes for a moment, "Oh, I suppose you are right about that, it does put a strain on the throat. But I'm used to it and yes, I deal with sick people alot. However, I didn't catch anything they have it's just that I have a seriously low immune system to the point that even a slight change in weather like this makes me quiet ill. So, don't worry, you won't catch anything I have. It's just my system beating me up." He smiled at that and shook his head.

"It's normal for me to get sick at this time of the year. I'll probably get moved around in the dorms again to a room that isn't so drafty." He waved his illness away like it was nothing and then suddenly stopped in his tracks for a second, then moved on, although his two colored eyes where very wide.

"Eat me? You know, most people don't say that to friends. It's normally a common curotsey not to eat your fellow human being." he smiled as he joked with Elric and then added in a bit of a serious voice, "But you don't eat people...right?" Dur, the man was human, of COURSE he WOULDN'T eat people but still...

The thought was very unnerving...