material worthy [o]

[VIVIAN DURHAM]

Although the air outside was crisp and could be considered cool enough for a light jacket, Vi was sitting on the steps of the Natural History Museum, a Canon camera set next to her, a book in her hands. The woman was reading, a light purple hoodie on with a white t-shirt underneath, her blue jeans comfortable and slightly worn, but not to the point of tearing. The Count of Monte Cristo was a worn paperback copy, a gift from her brother when he managed to pick it up at a stray bookstore. It's pages were dogeared and the binding looked as though it could give out at any moment. She was midway through the novel, enjoying herself as best as Vi could. The woman looked comfortable, as though Vi belonged there, and no where else in the world. She was in her element, alternating between playing with the camera to picking up her book.

Vi, having had enough of her photography and reading for the day, and packed up, setting the book in her little bag, swinging that over her shoulder. Heading into the main attraction, where the tourist flocked and the locals mulled around in when they had leisure time. The woman flipped her hair back, removing the offending black strands from her field of vision as best she could. Camera in hand as she exited the revolving doors, the former experiment was hit with a blast of warmer air, a pleasant change in temperature compared to the outside.

Her pleasure was short lived, however, as Vi took up a faster pace, she collided with some poor individual who just didn't make it into her field of vision in good time. Camera falling from her hands as she became more of a subject of gravity, the woman grabbed for it, choosing to save the equipment instead of balancing herself out like she should have. Once the camera was located safely in her hands and almost cradled to her chest, the woman took the time to balance herself, leg moving backwards to firmly plant her foot against the floor, thus steadying herself, bag swaying uncomfortably, should strap falling to her arm before she fixed it, too cool to use both shoulder straps, placing the camera's neck-strap where it belonged. The woman turned plum gaze upon the soul who she had so sorely mistreated. "I'm sorry! Are you alright? I didn't see you there." Her voice was frantic and apologetic, assessing them to see if there was any permanent harm done. It just simply wasn't in her nature to harm, and those violet eyes of hers were wide with worry and concern.

[ZEPH ARAIGUMA]

For once in his life Zeph had been job hunting. Not that he didn’t mind his little part-time job at the local pet shop, but he was looking to actually make a decent amount of money. Tam ate most of his away. Well... He was partly to blame there, him being to one to just give in to the furry animals little whims and wants. But he was just so cute, and when he begged... God, that was a killer. Zeph smiled lightly to himself, the feeling of eyes staring into his back there but only distant as he walked along, personal fur scarf clinging to his shoulders.

Though Tam liked riding up on his shoulders he didn’t seem to like the movement. Sure, the view. Sure, the smells. But how was the little creature supposed to hold on to such a narrow space? Zeph almost laughed at the thought. His animal friend could be such a moron sometimes. Surely trotting along by his side was much more simpler than clinging for dear life.

Zeph began to rummage through his plain brown messengers bag, he had multiple copies of his CV ready to hand to employers who were willing to take them. Though today had been exceptionally hard. Tam had been the least help he could have asked for. The raccoon had been so hyped up lately that it was hard to catch him at a time when he wasn’t moving- except now. He was being lazy. Which was just typically considering Zeph had given up. Not paying attention, and stuffy papers into his bag, Zeph didn’t notice the female approaching him at quite a speed. When he felt a body collide with his, his first reaction was to grab Tam, worry about himself later.

He was forced back quite a way, his heart hammering crazily against his chest as both hands clung desperately onto Tam, his feet having to find balance without any aid for his arms. Once he stopped moving, feet splayed out, panic on his face but dying down, he looked up to see who it was he had barged into and if they were okay. “Ah! No! It was me- I wasn’t looking at all...” Zeph blinked, a hand rubbing behind the masked animals ear comfortingly. With his feet now together he bounced a couple of times before Tam clambered back onto his shoulders, his small furry arms hugging round his head, cold padded hands clutching his forehead. “I'm fine. Are you okay?”

[VIVIAN DURHAM]

The woman, gaze still focused on the man who she has bumped into, was gently and slowly turning the camera over in her hands, checking for damage without looking at it. Vi was quietly assessing him, taking in the little creature that accompanied him, realizing that no one would willingly let a raccoon touch them like that if it were wild. "Yes, I'm fine. Guess we both should have been paying attention." Her voice was light and cheery, pleased that no harm had come to the man, who looked about her age, give or take a few years. Regardless, she couldn't help but give him a once-over, telling herself that it was to check for any injuries that could have escaped her notice earlier. Vi grinned, before it faded into a faint smile, before she lay eyes on the furry animal, reaching out to touch him before pulling back. The woman knew what if was like when others touched Persephone and they didn't like it; Vi didn't want to do this to the stranger if he was a previous experiment like him. Awkward for all of them if the animal wasn't pleased.

Her hands falling to her sides, Vivian couldn't help but fumble with the camera strap, slow and steady. "He's cute. How long has he been with you?" the woman asked the stranger, a light question to open up the conversation. Her mind flew back to Persephone; the only way she could get put for a little while and not make a spectacle of herself here was to drop the feline off at her brother's house for the time being. It wasn't as though she liked being away from the cat; Persephone was like a sister, a soul mate. However, Vi just didn't want to deal with the stares, and even now the woman was becoming a bit anxious about her cat. Seeing these two together, if her hunch was correct, made her feel ashamed to even think of leaving Persephone home alone.

Finally, her hands came to another rest, though they remained, lurking by the camera as though ready to swoop in and snap a photo within milliseconds. Vivian looked down at the placement, as though her hands had actually settled there on their own, as if it were not her doing. Her gaze flashed back up to the man who was fine now, no permanent damage done to him or the raccoon that took up company with him. Vi took a glance at his backpack, wondering if he too liked to roam about the city on a free day; that was likely not the case, but it would be nice to find something in common with him. He was cute, Vi concluded, in a way that she just couldn't pinpoint for the moment.

[ZEPH ARAIGUMA]

After coming to the conclusion that the female in front of him was fine Zeph let out a sigh of relief. He nodded to what she said, a small smile appearing on his face. “Yeah. I guess.” She was quite short, compared to him, and very pretty. The first thing he noticed with the indigo colour of her eyes. They were stunning... Breathing in deeply, Zeph put his hands behind his hand and removed, with difficulty, Tam. After such a fright the little animal was afraid of what might happen if he wasn’t clinging onto a familiar, steady body.

Zeph tilted his head to the side, her next question a curious one. “Uh...” he wasn’t sure about answering, by now he was almost certain that she had figured out he was a shifter. After all, who walked around with a raccoon? “Ever since I can remember.” Came his reply, the male blinking a couple of times, a questioning look crossing his face before he noted her camera. She was checking it even while looking at him, it must mean a lot to her. “You like photography.” It was a statement more than a question, it was plain and clear to anybody what the girls hobby was. He smiled gently at her. “Same. Though... I don’t do it. I'm dreadful. They always go blurry. There was this one picture of Tam I took- that was the best one I ever managed really...” He shook his head, memories of blurry moments caught of camera. It shouldn’t have been hard to take a picture, but Zeph made it look like the hardest thing in the world.

Tam wriggled a little in Zeph’s hands, his forelegs sticking out straight as his hands held him under his arms. “Want to stroke him?” Zeph held the masked animal, Tam’s neck stretching now as he went to sniff enquiringly. The raccoon loved attention and Zeph figured it was the best way to get him out of his strop. “He won’t bite. Honest.”

[VIVIAN DURHAM]

His reaction was far more pleasant than she could have hoped for, the woman waiting for his next response. Well, he could have blamed it all on her, which was a plus that he didn't, Vi supposed. Taken aback by his simple, observing statement, Vivian grinned. "Yes, I do. It was a fun hobby, and I got to turn it into a job," she explained to the experiment, having guessed that. It was the only logical explanation as to why he was carrying a raccoon around in a museum. She smiled at his admittance of his bad talent, smiling kindly at him. "It's not that hard, if you have a good camera. I can teach you easy." And there it was. Vi had just offered to spend some time with the stranger; she didn't even know his name. But hell, he was cute, and she liked his easygoing way.

As he offered the raccoon out for her to pet, Vi couldn't help but let a large bright smile spread across her lips. "I would love to! The little guy is absolutely adorable," Vi complimented the man, her eyes flickering up to his own for a moment, holding the contact before she gently pet the animal. It reminded her of when she let Miheal touch Persephone; that was an interesting experience, and although she couldn't have predicted what happened, those two hit it off. Vivian's slender fingers came into contact with the soft fur of Tam, and she let out a small sound of surprise and almost pleasure. It was so soft! Smiling a bit brighter now, Vivian gave her full attention to the little raccoon, almost cooing to him. Were they related to cats? She wasn't sure, but the pair of males before her were damn well cute enough, each in their own respect. Together, well, they were just great. "My name's Vi, by the way."

[ZEPH ARAIGUMA]

Well then... She managed to get a decent job by the sounds of it. But no matter how much it was Tam’s fault he couldn’t actually blame the animal. He looked to innocent for that. “That’s cool.” He smiled softly, then shook his head. “Heh. I make it look harder than most things.” The last thing she said in her sentence made him grin widely, he let out a short laugh, “I’d have to warn you. I'm a terrible student.” Zeph gave a guilty look, but his eyes clearly showed how happy he was at the prospect of spending more time with someone- especially when that someone was beautiful and seemed to be nice. “I never manage to stay focused.” Which was true. Something always popped up that would draw his attention away from what he was supposed to be doing. It had happened a lot when he had been at school and it had gotten him into trouble on numerous occasions.

Zeph’s heart fluttered with joy as her eyes connected with his then went to focus on Tam, who was swishing his tail from side to side gently as her small hand petted his head. It was nice to meet people... Though he had the feeling he had forgotten something and it finally clicked when the girl spoke up, telling him her name. “Ah! That’s what I forgot!” He exclaimed, speaking his thoughts. “Nice to meet you Vi.” Zeph spoke cheerfully, “I'm Zeph.” Late introduction were better than no introduction at all, though he was still feeling slightly stupid from having forgotten the most basic thing in meeting new people. You couldn’t really be friends with someone when that someone didn’t know your name after all. “Heh. He likes you.” Zeph pointed out, watching as Tam nudged Vi’s hand.

[VIVIAN DURHAM]

Although she wasn't bragging, Vivian knew how to find pride in herself. It was one of the first lessons she had been taught after being adopted: Be proud of who you are, don't try to hide it. She smiled a little bit, enjoying the way his voice sounded. he was cheery but laid back, and Vi couldn't help but enjoy that. It was relaxing and refreshing to meet someone new, especially since he was so good looking. It was his eyes that drew her- they were an interesting color, amber, and she could relate to odd eye colors. Whether or not it was a genetic defect, Vi didn't know, but she liked her eyes all the same. His were mesmerizing, and she found that she couldn't look into them too long without a fear of being rude. "But that's good for photography," Vivian murmured in response. "You snap whatever interests you, a split second notice." She sent another small smile his way, her hand gently caressing the raccoon, enjoying the way Tam nudged her hand, smiling as she was accepted by the man and his animal counterpart. Her other hand came up, and she scratched both of his ears, her lips still curved upward into a small smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Zeph. This day is turning out better than I had planned," she indirectly complimented him, letting her left hand fall to her side, remaining hand still on Tam, before pulling away within the next few moments. "I'm glad, he seems so shy.. What's his name?" She wondered if Zeph would like Persephone. Probably. He seemed personable, very interesting, kind, and Vi was almost positive that he would have gotten along with her. Now the raccoon was a different story- Vivian had never introduced her to another animal, especially another person's half. "I have a cat, Persephone.. She's been with me as long as I can remember, too," Vivian said, dropping the hint that she was like him; it would soon prove obvious if she continued this friendship with Zeph, anyway. "I think I can safely assume that you're a genus child, too?" she asked him, Vi's voice dropping slightly, not a whisper but a quiet murmured, her eyes connecting to his again, studying those amber pools.

Mihael had often told her that the eyes were the windows to the soul - and she knew he had stolen that from some philosopher, but she didn't care - and in this case, her brother was right. Vivian had taken a step, and although it was an almost rude question to ask, the woman couldn't go without knowing. It would be great to find someone of her kind, of the same experiment that she was. Heart beat faster than usually, she waited with anxiety, hoping that she hadn't made a large and obnoxious mistake. All the odds were against that; the clues were there, he had to be a genus amicus like her. But if Zeph wasn't, she would have to hurriedly apologize and probably end up leaving; the woman would have embarrassed both of them with her question.

[ZEPH ARAIGUMA]

Photography advise when he thought he’d never take another picture again in his life. It was amusing really. Just think, with his attention span he’d have millions of blurry pictures of different things. Zeph like having pictures and looking at them, but he never- and would never- be the one taking them. Though it seemed like the perfect excuse to get to know Vi better, and maybe he’d even become good at something at the same time. Double bonus. His foster parents always used to tell him to make the most of situations, take every chance because there wouldn’t be as many for him as their were others. Thinking about his family bought a pang of sadness. He hadn’t seen them in such a long time, he missed how honest they were. “I guess I could do that.” He winked playfully, one of his hands rubbing affectionately at the scruff of Tams neck, a shiver of enjoyment running the length of the masked creatures back.

A hint of a blush could be seen on Zeph’s face at Vi’s indirect compliment, the male clearing his voice out of nervous habit. “I could say the same.” He replied after regaining himself, his smile returning to his face. “His name’s Tam.” He replied, “And don’t be fooled by his innocent look. Its all for the food.” Bright, large eyes and a cute furry face where always used to Tam’s advantage when it came to him wanting food or strokes. He always got away with everything he did- Zeph really was to soft on the animal, it wasn’t really a surprise he was so bad sometimes. His heart seemed to miss a beat when Vi next spoke up, his eyes widening a little. Did that mean?- well, what else could it mean? Vi spoke so quietly that Zeph struggled to hear what she had said, though the question struck home. Yep. She was a shifter. So what he had been thinking, or hoping, about earlier had actually been correct- wow, that was a first. Zeph swallowed, looked around, then nodded. “Yeah.”

Holding Tam up a little higher and bringing him next to his face he grinned playfully, “Did fatty give it away?” He didn’t like to dwell on things, and he wasn’t really that bothered about different so he was perfectly unfazed and normal after getting over the initial shock of finding out she was the same as him. If anything that made everything better. They had something in common and them being the same made everything less awkward. “I’d love to meet Persephone~” He loved cats, less noisy then dogs. Dogs were scary most of the time but he could handle cats. And they were cute, their big eyes. Though he wasn’t to sure what Tam would be like, but knowing his furry friend he’d been fine with it. Might just need a little encouragement- aka food- before he actually went along and introduced himself in his little raccoon kind of way. Zeph smiled brightly at the thought, it would be so cute... that was if they got along, but Zeph was going to assume the best.

[VIVIAN DURHAM]

Her lips pulled up into a larger smile as he winked at her, the hint of a blush on her cheeks. They were a matching pair for a few moments, each with a twinge of red on their faces. Vivian smiled as he named the raccoon for her. "Tam. That's cute," the woman commented quietly, her voice still as cheery, bright, and upbeat as it had been before. A soft laugh bubbled up as he joked about Tam's mooching abilities. Nah, he was too cute, she decided, to use the act for food. The animal was a fun little thing, soft to touch and amusing. Her eyes went back to his own for a few moments, waiting for an answer. Shifter. Please, please, let him be a shifter like her. A genus child. A half breed, a hybrid. His reaction took her by surprise, answering her positively and even with a smile. Relaxing a little bit, she nodded, laughing. "Aw, don't be so mean to him! But yes, just a little bit." she had to admit, that was the major tip off that he was an amicus, but the woman didn't want to just say it to his face. There was no way she could be so mean.

Vi let her smile grow at his mention of her kitty. That was a pleasant bit of information. Some people just didn't like cats, but she was happy to know that Zeph wouldn't mind her, that he might actually like her. Yes, this day was growing great. A good looking guy to pal around with, a cute little raccoon, and the possibility of spending more time with him. "Come on, let's walk around.. or were you on your way out, or here for something specific..?" Vi encouraged him, a new sense of confidence that he was like her. An amicus was what she needed, another sort of experiment like her. Her friends were great, but not what she tended to need sometimes. Struck by a sudden urge to take his picture, Vivian decided to wait a few moments, a little while until she could commit him to photo memory. Zeph was a very fun guy, they would have a good time together, if he wanted to stay with her for the rest of the day. It was early afternoon, they had a long while to go yet until it would grow dark. Unless, of course, the man didn't want to mull around the complex with her. That wasn't the vibe she was getting, however, and Vivian was just encouraging him, wanting to spend as much time, showing interest in Zeph, pleased to have made a new friend.

[ZEPH ARAIGUMA]

She was cute. And he meant really cute. Especially with that blush- no doubt matching the one that was on his face. “Heh. His full name means onion. I think if I ever got a bunch of pets they’d all be named after food.” He smiled widely. He loved food so he would probably end up with animals named things like cucumber, ham, cheese, spag and then maybe another called bol to make it even. It was nice knowing they were the same. Had she been just a normal civilian and acted the same way it would have been nice as well but there was something about having that one massive thing in common that made him feel like he knew her that little bit better than others. Though that probably wasn’t true, no doubt she had a adoptive parents and such. “I can be mean to him.” He said playfully flicking Tams tail. “He’s always scrounging off people. Mostly me... Seriously. Most of the time I have no money thanks to him.” Like now. God. He could do with something to eat. As soon as he got home he would rummage through his fringe- probably only to find a loaf of bread though... But bread was better than nothing.

Zeph waved a dismissive hand. “Na. I was just wandering.” Which was partially true. He might as well have just been wondering for all the nothing he accomplished today. Ah well, just meant he’d be going back to the pet shop tomorrow and that wasn’t all too bad. The people there were nice after all. He was looking forward to spending more time with Vi, she seemed nice and he felt like they could become close friends. And nothing could beat a couple of good friends. Plonking Tam on his shoulders again Zeph perked, remembering something. He grabbed her hand gently in his and began pulling her along. “Ah! Have you seen this thing? Its massive! I only come up to its knee. It’d be so creepy if they were still alive.” He bought her to one of the complete displays of a tyrannosaurus his head having to bend backwards to get a look at the skeletons skull as he stood relatively close to it. “They’re so fascinating... but kinda scary at the same time, Don’t you think?” He turned to Vi, beaming.