Topic: Outside Observations

Cyrail

Date: 2010-02-04 19:55 EST
Cy stretched a good bit and let out a long sigh. He hadn't been sore at all upon waking up, and thus the tall elf was catching up on work he hadn't been able to do for the last couple of days. He had to check the engine, among a few other key pieces of the Luinista. His left hand came up. He wiped his forehead with the back of his glove. It left a small streak of dirt. Cy then kneeled down and returned the screwdriver he'd been holding into the toolbox on the floor. He was beginning to get hungry. It seemed a good time to take a break for lunch. He'd return to the engine room afterward.

He was a little surprised he actually was hungry. His breakfast had been a pretty big one and definitely filling. Something about the meal had been strange. Not the apple cinnamon pancakes that Carley had made. No, those had been delicious. He found himself peeking at the little elf every now and then, around the large stack of pancakes she had made. When he thought she might look back at him, he ducked behind the stack and resumed eating. He was unaware she had been doing something very similar. Some strange feeling had overcome the tall elf the night before. Something about sitting with Carley on Styx, simply talking. The fact they'd been holding hands and each other finally dawned on Cy. Just thinking about it was flustering him a bit. "Tch." He shook his head. It wasn't the time to be mulling over that.

Cy headed to the kitchen where everyone usually ate their lunch. Crao often prepared something even if they were docked and not on a job. Cy was hoping he had done so as he took a seat in front of the kitchen counter on one of the bolted down stools. Crao was behind the counter, cleaning up. He had, in fact, made a meal for the crew. It was a fairly simple one. Small pieces of chicken which had been rolled in spices and grilled. There was also some white rice and steamed carrots. It looked quite good to Cy. Even the carrots.

"Good afternoon, Cy." Crao smiled at the young elf. Before Cy could even ask, he placed a portion of each type of food on a plate. He slid the plate, a fork, and a napkin in front of Cy. "Thanks, Pops." Cy wasted no time in grabbing the fork and digging in. Crao lifted up a cloth and wiped his hands on it. "I see you aren't as sore as yesterday." Judging by how Cy looked, Crao figured he'd been working hard. If he was still particularly sore, Crao knew he wouldn't have. Cy glanced up at the middle-aged man. "Mm? Yeah. Doin' better." The words were a little jumbled since Cy was talking with his mouth full. That fact, combined with the streak of dirt across Cy's head made Crao chuckle. Cy didn't notice, as he was busy eating.

"Grayson and Amelia seem to be getting along well." Crao got a glass, filled it with water, and set that down near Cy as well. "Sure seems like it, yeah?" Cy spoke after he'd swallowed some food. "Likes her a lot from what I can tell." A simple smile appeared on Crao's face. Grayson had told Crao when he had met Amelia. He knew Cy had taken Grayson with him to get lunch that day. Grayson had been quite enamored with Carley, and given how he thought Cy and Carley felt about each other it didn't surprise Crao in any manner. He was quite sharp. "Interesting how they met over such a chance encounter." Cy's fork paused in the air. His dark eyes lifted to look at Crao. "Wasn't a chance encounter, Pops. I took Grayson over there so he could meet Amelia. He did the rest." His fork went back into motion.

"I see." Crao said, the smile still on his face. "I'm sure Carley is relieved to have his attentions directed elsewhere." Even though it was just himself and Cy, Crao stood straight up and maintained proper posture. Cy, well, did not. He was slouched against the counter as he ate. "Think so. She said it was nice to actually be able to talk to Grayson and not have him slobbering over her. Something like that." It was quite the paraphrase. "She had a date last night that didn't go well." Crao was genuinely surprised to hear that, but it didn't bleed into his expression. Cy probably shouldn't have said anything about it either. "Did you take her to a place where the food was bad?" Cy looked up at Crao. "She wasn't on a date with me."

Crao's expression finally did change. His black eyebrows lifted ever so slowly. It was plain as day to him. How affectionate the two elves were with one another. The concern for the other that lingered just beneath the surface. "Oh." He nodded slightly and began to wipe along the counter with a cloth. Cy actually looked a little annoyed. Especially after the night before and breakfast that morning. It wasn't like that with him and Carley. Was it? "The hell is everyone's problem? All the time they think something's going on with me and Carley. There isn't." Crao just listened as Cy spoke. He didn't reply for a moment. "They see something the two of you do not, it seems." Crao's words were calm.

Cyrail

Date: 2010-02-04 19:56 EST
A sigh escaped the tall elf. "No #*(#, yeah?" Apparently, he didn't get the meaning behind what Crao had said. As Cy ate, Crao spoke up. "Let me tell you a story, Cy. It will be a short one." Cy had time. Crao telling a story meant he could focus on eating, too. So he nodded. Crao set the cloth down and began to put the leftovers into containers as he spoke. "There was a beautiful swan. Feathers as white as pure snow. This swan however, was overlooked by many of the other birds, for their feathers were colored and beautiful in a much different way." Cy took a bite of chicken and looked up at Crao as he spoke. "One day, this swan met a stork. They got along very well. They talked to each other many days from the rise of the sun until it fell."

"The hell would a swan and a stork be doing together?" Cy lifted one of his eyebrows. Crao lifted a hand, indicating Cy shouldn't ask questions. Had it been someone else, Cy would have started firing questions off just out of spite. Crao started speaking again. "The swan and the stork spent much time together, growing closer. The stork grew protective of the swan, and the swan grew protective of the stork." After the leftovers had been securely sealed, Crao sat on a stool behind the counter and continued the story.

"To the other birds, it was obvious what was happening. The young swan and stork accompanied each other everywhere. There were times that they were seperated, but they would eventually find one another again." Crao sat up straight on the stool, his posture very good. "The stork was always there to help the swan when she needed, to comfort her when she hurt, and to see her when no one else would. When another bird would ask the stork how he felt about the swan, it was always that he cared. He would do anything for her. 'You are not her mate?' They would ask. And the stork would deny this each and every time."

By that point, Cy was listening intently to the story, having finished his meal. He didn't speak just yet. Crao smiled at Cy. "Now I ask you something, Cy. What do you think of the stork?" Crao's black eyebrows lifted slightly. Cy considered the entirety of the story for a moment. "Sounds like a dumbass to me. Obvious he was in love with the swan, yeah?" Crao's smile grew, just barely. Unnoticeably. "I would agree." He said nothing further. He took Cy's plate and fork. The tall elf gulped down his water quickly and stood up. He started to leave the kitchen, but he turned to look back at Crao. "So what happened with the stork and the swan?"

Crao had grabbed Cy's glass. He was putting it in the sink with the rest of the dishes. "That I don't know, Cy. I'm waiting to hear the end of the story myself." That seemed strange. Cy thought for a moment and then nodded to Crao. He left the kitchen soon afterward. "To be young and naive once again..." Crao chuckled and returned to his cleaning duties.