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Post by Banshee on Oct 25, 2023 17:38:05 GMT -6
The sarcasm went right over Nox's head. He actually thought these things really did happen. And a part of him really got nervous about the idea of police officers coming to the house. His gaze slowly turned to Lux, wondering what he was thinking. But all he was doing was, snickering at the story. “...So...why were you having a party again?” Nox asked them. “Why would you want the police to come over anyway?”
“Nox...” Lux sighed.
“What? I...I don't get why you're snickering about this. If we slept through it and there was loud music, then why didn't we wake up? Were we drugged? I don't recall on being that tired...”
Lux facepalmed.
Then Mark said something about having an army of wise-asses. Nox blinked at him. “Wait...what? What do you mean by that?”
“Wait...are we actually a part of the team? Like...for real?” Lux wasn't sure if he understood that correctly. “I-I mean...”
“IT'S LIKE WE ARE ADOPTED!” Nox immediately cheered excitedly over this. “I knew we were like a family! See? I told you! Mark is like our cool brother-or Father figure. AH! I'm just not sure what else to say.”
“Eh, I don't know if I want to run away. I'm okay with this.” Lux gave him a small smile, seeing his brother being so excited was amusing to say the least. He was happy, himself. But unlike Nox, he was actually being calm about it.
Then the topic of them not having much, the brothers glanced to one another. “Uh...I suppose you're right. We only have two days worth of clothes, one pajama...and a singular coat to our names... Perhaps it would be a good idea to get some clothes.” His eyes then lit up as he relished the idea of shopping. “I can get comfy pajama bottoms!”
“Wait...But we don't have much money to our name...” Lux said with a frown. “Reese only bought us stuff that we needed...”
“Yeah!” Nox agreed with Ikuki. “Some stuff have sentimental value. Like the scarves for us! We wear them because of that. Our Mother gave them to us and that's why we treasure them. Though, it would be cool if they held magic on their own! Wouldn't it?”
Lux then smiled to Mark. “Yeah...for once...I actually had a good sleep.” He then explained to them what happened. But when he mentioned the girl, he didn't explain who he thought it was.
“It's probably Joe.”
“NOX.”
“What? You're friends with her. She's the only girl our age. Unless it was Tiffany.”
“N-No...” He could feel his cheeks warm up and he sank in his chair. “It's definitely not Tiffany. She's a baby...”
“So it WAS Joe! Aww!! She visited you in your dream! As a pretty dragon lady!! She even hugged you! Ooooooh!”
Lux quickly changed the subject to; “Mark! Ikuki! You both appear very friendly with one another. Did something happen?”
“Don't change the topic!” Nox flailed. “Do you crush on her?”
“It is a dream, Nox.” Lux hissed. “I don't even know if it really was her!”
Nox grinned. He knew that Lux was familiar with who it was. “Sure you don't. That's why your cheeks are red.”
“It. Is. Not. Joe.”
“What if we met her at the mall? Gonna tell her?”
Lux flailed. “I hope you find a female friend one day and have a dream with her in it. Then I'll make fun of you too!” He stuck his tongue out at him.
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Post by Moe on Oct 25, 2023 19:40:04 GMT -6
"Of course we're a team." Mark smiled at the boys. "You're more than that, you're family. You're like the little brothers I never had. Heck, I can even get an extra bed for the guest room, and you can fix it up however you want. No matter what path you two end up taking, I want you to know that you'll always have a home, here. And that goes for you, too." he smiled at Ikuki.
"Wow, we work on one suit together and you're already asking me to move in?" she teased him.
Mark started to joke back with her, but didn't get a chance to respond when Lux started talking about his dream. "Whoah, now. Whoah. I was not prepared to have the talk about girl dreams or crushes. So Ikuki will do it."
"What?? I didn't agree to this!" Ikuki flailed back behind Mark.
"I'm not qualified!"
"You're more qualified, than I am!"
"I'm pulling the ace card!"
"Oof. You fight dirty." Ikuki finally accepted defeat. "How about this, when Lux is ready to talk about it, then we'll both talk about it, with him. There's no need to embarrass him, anymore."
"Fair enough. Sorry, Lux. When you're ready to talk about girls, Ikuki is here to talk with you." Mark repeated, but left himself out of it.
Ikuki nodded in agreement, before it clicked. "HEY."
"SO!" Mark tried to change the subject. "Don't worry about money. Hyper X might have wired over a large amount of money from all those drug busts and sting operations."
"You know, I was going to ask about that, but felt it was kind of rude. I just assumed it all came from your cybernetic prosthetics business." Ikuki said.
"Pfft. How do you think I got started in that? Technically it's not wrong to take all that money and use it to start something to help people. You're basically stealing from a thief. It's a morally gray area, but I'd like to think it's for a good cause." he shrugged. "And today, that cause is having a mental health day."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 25, 2023 19:56:10 GMT -6
“Wait...Talk about what? With girls? What are you talking about? Joe is just a friend.” He scratched his head as he was trying to keep up with their conversation with tossing around who was going to talk to him about girls. Lux was lost. How did his dream become something so confusing? “I...thought it was just a masquerade ball. We didn't do anything. Just danced and had some fun.”
Nox giggled.
“What? I don't get what's the big deal-oh...WAIT!” His cheeks turned a bright red. “What are y-no! Joe is only a friend! I couldn't date my friend! That's just so weird!”
Nox rolled into a fit of laughter over everyone being so perplexed over the topic. He nearly fell off his chair because he was laughing so hard. The boy had to wipe tears from his eyes because of it. Then when he looked over to Mark, he was being flustered over the idea of talking to Lux about girls. Then Ikuki was catching on to Mark avoiding ever having the conversation. And finally the absolute embarrassment over his brother realizing what they were referring to; he laughed again.
“Ew! That's so gross.” Lux was all red on the cheeks now. “She's only a friend. Nothing more. She's super cool and stuff.”
“But brother!” Nox chimed in, to make things much worse. “According to the stories I've read, they always start out as friends! Then they build stronger feelings. Then it's love! Ah! Mon frère.”
Slightly angered, Lux spat; “Ne sois pas si ridicule! Ce n'est qu'une amie! Pas un intérêt romantique.”
“Look at you yelling at me in French.” Nox teased.
Lux flailed at his brother. “Okay. Money. Good. I want to get some new clothes. Please.” He saw Nox leaning into his face, whispering to him. Lux then shoved his hand into his brother's face and forced him away. “Ferme-la s'il te plaît.”
Nox grinned. “You know...”
Lux stuffed a biscuit in his brother's mouth to shut him up. “I doubt she'll be there at the mall. Davis would rather be going around flirting with girls and getting money from them. I doubt he's ever bought her clothing.”
“Then how does she get clothes?”
“Probably stole them from some unsuspecting merchant... Davis does. I don't think Joe steals.” Lux puffed his cheeks. “Also, I don't care where she gets her clothes from. I just know that I need newer stuff because mine are getting to be a little short.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 26, 2023 16:04:09 GMT -6
"Actually, would the mall even still be open, after what happened there yesterday?" Ikuki brought up a point. "Between Apollo's avatars running around, a mind control circus, and a bunch of weird alien lizards, the city is bound to be on high alert and shutting places down."
"Nah. This city is always on high alert." Mark shrugged. "Everyone is used to heroes and villains, weird mutants, robots, and rebuilding damaged property. Actually, most heroes that are registered in the city have to sign a 'you break it, you fix it' waiver with the city council. So uh, don't break any buildings or dent any cars, okay? Since you're in training, it'll fall on me."
"Noted. So, do we have a plan for today? Only places I've seen in the city so far, have been full of bad guys." Ikuki stuck her tongue out.
"Well, Lux and Nox need clothes, first. There's plenty of places, for that. We've got the downtown district that's a little more on the fancier side, but there's a lot more to do. Shops, parks, the museum, though I'm not sure about going there again after I stole a dinosaur. There's the historic district, that's actually really nice. There's a ton of historical buildings and the vibe is pretty peaceful, so long as it's not tourist season. I'm pretty sure there's also a few magic shops, you'd be interested in." he said specifically to Ikuki. "Most of them are pretty gimmicky and just there for the tourists, but there's a couple hidden that are legit, you just have to know where to look." he winked at her.
"Thought you didn't believe in magic." Ikuki teased him.
"I didn't until you put a spell on me." he said with a cheeky grin, leaning on her shoulder.
"I don't know whether to cringe or swoon." Ikuki shoved him off, in a playful way.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 26, 2023 16:40:34 GMT -6
“I wonder what kind of clothing stores do they have there?” Asked Nox as he was mostly talking to himself. “I bet there's got to be some nifty places we can go. Then again...I wonder what I would wear? I don't know anything about what the trends are these days.”
“You talk like an old guy, Nox.” Lux said as he readied himself to go into the car.
“What? I don't! Are t-shirts in? Plaid? Tie-dye? Camo?”
Lux rolled his eyes and hopped into the car. He then sat himself down and looked up at one of the visors that were hanging down, to block the sun from blinding the driver. Beside him, Nox continued to prattle on about what trends were fashionable and whether or not they'd know what to look for. And as much as Lux didn't want to agree with him, he didn't know anything about the fashion trends either. Usually it was Reese that went and shopped for him. And his taste in clothing was rustic and old fashioned.
Once the car got going, Lux mostly spent his time looking out the window and ignored most of the conversations going on between everyone. His mind was circling around various thoughts. Some that were pretty happy. Others, not so much. One of the biggest drawbacks of thinking to himself was, encountering Reese again. Whether they get sent home, or Reese swings by and demands them to return home with him. Whichever happened, he knew that their time spending with Mark would only last for so long. And then it was back to being dull again.
But Nox continued to be cheerful, even singing along with some of the tunes playing on the radio. Every once in a while, he'd elbow Lux to see if he was awake. Then he'd smile when Lux poked him back. He didn't notice that his brother was brooding again and simply laughed, thinking he was fine.
However, one thing did shake Lux out from his daze. And that was the cheesy line that Mark said to Ikuki, stating that he didn't believe in magic until she cast a spell on him. Quickly, Lux made a gagging sound. Which, confused Nox into thinking he was choking on something.
“LAME.” Lux shouted to Mark and sank in his seat even more.
“I thought it was cute.” Nox said to him.
“Bleh...Gross.”
Nox rolled his eyes at his brother for being so disgusted over the conversation. He wanted to add more to it but they were already at the mall. Which, was surprisingly open and full of customers. Nox leaned in towards the window and was struck with awe. “Wow...They sure don't mind the chaos.”
Lux shrugged and once they parked their car, the group then headed inside. Upon entry, they could hear the fun and upbeat music that malls typically played. Stores were bursting with energy, people walked around with bags, and children played hopskotch on the tiles as they followed their parents.
It was Nox who brought them over to a map and pointed out some stores that would be of interest. “Bert's Boutique. Sizzling Matter. New Royal. KC Nickles...” He then paused for a moment and then gasped. “Wait... Bert's Boutique? Isn't he that popular fashionista guy from Spiral City?”
“Uh...”
“WE NEED TO GO THERE.” Nox didn't even wait for Mark and Ikuki. He grabbed his brother by the scarf and yanked him along. “Come on! I wonder if he's there? He's really awesome! Have you seen his fashion shows? He's got such a good taste in fashion. If anyone is going to try and help us pick clothes, it's him! Come on Lux! Stop dragging me down!”
Lux struggled along and managed to say; “I'm dying on the inside and you think choking me with my own scarf is a good idea?”
Nox did not slow down, even though he heard Mark and Ikuki behind him and his brother. His excitement was just too grand as he simply, wanted to meet the owner of Bert's Boutique. It was clear that he was a fan.
They arrived at a massive anchor point in the mall. The two of them looked up at the fancy italicized lettering over the opened doorway. Nox then dragged his brother inside, eagerly hoping that they'd meet Alibert in person.
Once inside, upbeat dance music played. Lights were easy on the eyes but didn't ruin the chances for the clothing to stand out. Upon looking around, they could see several areas that had specific styles. These ranged from, punk, rocker, classical, business, formal, nature loving, and more.
“There's so much in here!” Nox chimed as he looked around. “Isn't this so amazing?”
“It would...be better...if I could breathe...”
Nox looked and realized he was actually choking Lux by his own scarf. He promptly let go of it and fixed it so that it wasn't tight around the boy's neck. “Sorry brother. I'm just so excited. I'm surprised you don't know of this place. I mean, he's insanely popular at home.”
“I don't have time to enjoy my life, at home.” Lux frowned at him. However, it did dawn onto him that the place was actually quite huge. Intimidating even. He didn't even know what kind of clothes he'd like. And instantly, he began to feel quite small. Quickly, he retreated back over to Mark. “This place is bound to be-”
“Hello lovelies!” A voice chimed from their sides. “Ah! Look at this beautiful family here. Love the hair by the way.” The man in a rather, extravagant outfit approached them. He directed the hair comment to Ikuki. “It has such a wonderful shine to it! You're a lady who knows how to treat her hair!”
“IT'S ALIBERT.” Nox couldn't contain his excitement and practically shook in his spot. “Oh my goodness. It's really him. LUX IT IS HIM!”
“I kind of got that. He's wearing a name tag...”
Alibert smiled, enjoying the energy that the boy was creating. “Pleasure to meet you, young man. Are these two your parents?”
“No.” Lux said to him, a polar opposite tone from his brother. “I mean...well...they have been treating us as such, but we're not related.”
“Oh! Silly me! Sorry about that! So what brings you adorable folks into my Boutique? Looking for a fashion update? Try out a new style? Maybe expand your interests?” He took notice of Mark's style. “You sir, would look excellent in some of my more rugged and dark styled clothing. And young lady, I feel like you're preventing yourself from shining!” He then looked to the boys. “You two though...Hmmm... The boy with the glasses, I bet you'd look excellent in formal styles, but not too formal. And the other? You're a peculiar one.”
“Eh...I'm okay with just jeans and a t-shirt.” Lux frowned, not wanting to expand on fashion.
“SO!” Alibert clapped his hands together. “It is not often that I'm in my own store, doing fashion shows and all. I'd like to offer any advice to you lovely folks. If you desire it! And please, do not ever hesitate to ask any of my staff members. They'll all be sure to help you out in every way possible.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 26, 2023 17:47:40 GMT -6
When Nox bolted off, Mark tried to stop him but was unable to chase him with Tiffany in tow; "Nox wait, don't just-...run off." he sighed. "Well, we know where he's going, at least. Ugh. Fashion." he said with a shudder.
"Aw, come on. I think you'd rock the full punk look." Ikuki teased him.
"I look good, no matter what I'm wearing." he said with a smug grin, causing Ikuki to roll her eyes and follow after the boys. "You knew what you were getting into!" Mark shouted.
When they finally caught up with Lux and Nox, Ikuki was in awe of how big the shop was, while Mark was less impressed. "Blegh." he stuck his tongue out. "Just another big-name industry playing into peoples' insecurities to make money."
"I think it's charming." Ikuki retorted, and headed inside. Once there, she was greeted and delighted by Alibert, when he commented on her hair. "Oh, thank you! I don't really do anything with it, though. It sort of just does what it wants." she smiled.
"Not interested." Mark said, flatly. "I'm perfectly comfortable with how I look and how I dress, and Ikuki shines just beautifully on her own."
"Aw, you're sweet." Ikuki bumped her shoulder against his, playfully. "It wouldn't hurt to look around though, would it? I do feel like my clothes aren't really...me." she gestured to the bright green top she was wearing.
"Does this have to do with what you told me, last night?" he smirked.
"Yeah, kinda. I wanna...be myself. Yknow, not have to hide the stuff I like and look how other people want me to look."
"I can support that. I'll hang back here. I can appreciate that you wanna do your thing, but I still don't support big companies. Plus, I gotta stay back with Tiffany. Don't worry, we'll be hanging around to watch you all model and rate your outfits." he said jokingly, but also absolutely had every intention of doing exactly that.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 26, 2023 18:08:55 GMT -6
Alibert understood very well that not everyone was into fashion, and that was okay. He didn't get offended in the slightest over Mark's lackluster excitement. “Well! I do hope you enjoy the comfortable chairs we have over there then. We-”
“Can you help me choose something out?” Nox beamed with excitement. “I never got to choose my own outfits before and I'm not sure what I'd look good in.”
Alibert smiled at the more enthusiastic of the group. “Ah, young ma'am. You're in the right place then! Please, allow my lovely fashionista here help you decide. Tell her what you like to wear, or what you would like to wear. Give her anything that can give her some ideas of what to get!” He then held out his hand to a young woman with blue hair and a cheerful smile. “This is Stephanie, and she will be happy to help you!”
“Hello.” Stephanie greeted her with a polite handshake. “Pretty much what Alibert says, what would you like to see yourself in? Maybe I can direct you to some adorable clothing!” She then winked. “Maybe even put on a little show for that hottie of yours.”
“Stephanie, please contain yourself. You cheeky devil!”
She giggled. “Don't worry, I'm already taken.” Stephanie then motioned Ikuki to follow her along. “This way we have our women's department. And don't worry, if you're a bit tom-boy, we have some of that there too.”
Alibert then turned to the twins and smiled. “Alright, same for you. What would you two like?”
“I like making machines, coming up with blueprints to create them, I like opera metal, and I don't like to get into too much trouble. My favorite color is blue-violet. Uh...I do have interest in helping others, if that helps any...”
“And you?”
“I dunno.” Lux shrugged. “I'm active...I like video games...” He stopped and tried to think about anything else that would help Alibert at all. But sadly, his hobbies and interests were quite limited. And a lot of this had to do with him not being able to express himself or venture out to explore new things. He then frowned. “Being left alone.”
“Interesting. You two have such polar opposite personalities.” Alibert stroked his chin before clapping. “Alright boys! Let's go grab Oliver over there and he'll help out with your choices.” He then brought the boys over to him and explained what they said.
Before they knew it. The boys were trying on various clothing styles and showed them off to Mark and Ikuki. Nox had a lot of the nicer and more dressier clothing. Something typically a alchemist would normally select for their attire. As for Lux, he was stuck wearing, punk, goth, jock, and rugged wear. None of which really interested him.
“I love these clothes.” Nox chimed as he chose his favorite ones from the bundle. “This is kind of fun!”
Lux only had one t-shirt that he liked and a pair of ripped jeans. But he wasn't exactly too keen on purchasing something from the store as they were still too fancy for his taste. “Don't...you have anything that's like...more natural? Like, I don't have any interest in any of this...”
“We do.” Alibert said to him and guided Lux away from the group so that he could look at some of the clothes that he had in mind. “So do you like more of the nature type stuff? Browns, greens, things like that?”
“I guess.”
Alibert frowned, realizing that either, Lux was the least colorful personality he's ever met, or the kid was having some rough patches. But it wasn't his business and so he offered him to try on some of the more, casual but outside dweller styled clothing. Much of which, slightly impressed the boy.
After that was done, Nox wanted to see more clothes. But Lux had enough of trying them on. So he walked over and sat down beside Mark. “...I never thought Nox would have this much fun. It's like he finally met his hero...or something...” He then looked down at the small pile of clothing he actually liked. “Alibert told me that, because he was having a lot of fun with helping us choose items out. He's going to give us a 65% discount on these.”
Lux sighed. “Man, I never thought how exhausting playing dress-up is...”
Nox returned with a bunch more clothing, grinning as he too obtained the same discount. Ikuki did as well. “Thank you for bringing us here, Mark. I...uh...hope this isn't too much...I can select some items out if needed.”
“Ikuki looked nice in some of the clothing she wore.” Lux pointed out.
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Post by Moe on Oct 26, 2023 20:46:29 GMT -6
When Stephanie commented on the "hottie", it wasn't clear who was more offended, Ikuki or Mark. Neither of then had a chance to say anything, though, before she said she was taken. As Stephanie lead Ikuki to the women's department, she glanced back at Mark and grinned eagerly.
"I can't tell what that was supposed to mean." Mark said to nobody in particular. Tiffany only responded by throwing her toy on the floor and laughing about it.
He humored them all as they showed off their clothing choices, but like Lux, he was growing tired of it. "Normally I'd be in a much better mood, but I prefer supporting small businesses." he grumbled as Lux sat next to him. "But hey, you guys needed clothes and we've got the whole rest of the day to explore the city. There's even some better stores here in the mall, if you wanna ditch this place and check out the comic store or something. Heck, we don't even have to shop. If you wanna just vandalize shop signs with googly eyes, I'm totally down for that. Every now and then I feel like going back to my degenerate teen roots." he said with a devious smirk.
"And don't worry about it, kiddo." he said to Nox. "You two needed clothes and I'm happy to help out. Today is about family, and you and Lux are family."
Ikuki, meanwhile, had tried everything from full goth to grunge punk. Some of the outfits had way too many belts and chains, some of them had too many holes and rips, some of them were too colorful or not colorful enough.
She finally walked out, settling on something simple. A cropped, solid black top with half-sleeves, and a neon-blue skeleton print on it. She wore a choker with a rainbow-colored bat, and rainbow-colored netted gloves. Her pants were black and baggy and held up with one neon-blue belt, and had ripped patches in them that revealed rainbows underneath the black. Her shoes were boots that were primarily rainbow, with black soles and stripes along them.
"Loving the colors!" Mark smiled at her. Judging by her pout, that wasn't the response she was looking for. He looked around the room, suddenly feeling like he'd said something wrong.
She tried to have a sense of humor about it, however. "Oh Ikuki, you look so sexy and rocking the pastel goth look!"
"RIGHT. YES. THAT." Mark blushed. "Oh my god I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to imply-"
"It's fine, I just need to get used to your love language." She gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You're lucky you're cute when you're flustered."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 26, 2023 21:04:33 GMT -6
Vandalizing stores with googly eyes sounded like a lot of fun and thus, he smirked. “Yeah I like that idea too. Though, I wouldn't touch this one. Nox may have my head if he ever found out that I did anything to his role model...or whatever.” He shrugged and reached down to grab the toy that Tiffany had thrown onto the ground. Lux then dangled the toy before her, playing with her for the first time since meeting everyone.
Nox chimed to him; “Why don't we wear the things we bought?” And when Lux mentioned that they should be washed, he flailed. “I just want to look good! This is going to be the first time in ages, where I'll actually feel like myself!” He then dragged Lux to his feet and turned to face Ikuki standing there in a completely different outfit.
This stopped both boys as they hardly recognized her. “Uh....” Nox wasn't sure on what to say about her outfit.
“That looks good on you.” Lux complimented her. “As Alibert said, it shows more personality...or something.”
“You sounded condescending.”
“I am not.” Lux frowned. “Sorry if I can't--”
Nox interrupted his brother again. “Let's leave the love birds to their flirting!Let's get dressed in our new outfits and walk the mall!” He then tore Lux out from his spot and pushed him into the changing room.
Shortly after, the boys returned with their old clothes inside of a bag. They both appeared fairly refreshed. Nox turned to his brother and frowned. “You still are wearing the browns and blacks?”
Lux looked down at himself, showing the lack of enthusiasm. “I like the natural colors...I mean, I know we wear them all the time...But I kind of like it.”
“Interesting...” Nox then turned back to Mark and Ikuki. “Where are we going to next? An arcade? Another clothes store? Maybe some amazing mall food?”
Lux felt naked without his scarf on, and was half tempted to pull it out of the bag. But while he and Nox were changing, they made a promise to one another to not wear it while being at the mall. Why? Because they always wear it.
“...I kind of like the googly eye thing...”
“But if we vandalize a store, we could be in trouble...”
Lux let out a small sigh. “Fine... You're no fun.” He then glanced to Mark and smirked at him and mouthed; “Let's do it.” To him.
Nox at that point had lost interest in his brother being...well his brother and paid attention to Ikuki. “I really like those colors on you! You look so pretty in them! I think he had some pretty neat ideas for all of us too. And he signed this!” He held up a small trinket and written right on it, was Alibert's name. “Free of charge!”
Lux tip-toed over to Mark and grabbed his hand. “Psst. Let's go have fun while they're distracted.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 27, 2023 10:15:36 GMT -6
Mark smirked at Lux, as he agreed that vandalizing a fancy mall sounded way more fun than fashion. Though he didn't want to just ditch everyone; "I think we should pick a place Lux would enjoy, next. There's comic stores, candy stores, survival stores, art exhibits, arcades, pretty sure there's laser tag, somewhere around here. And if there happens to be any googly eyes placed on any signs along the way, well that can't be helped."
"I also vote googly eyes." Ikuki agreed. It was harmless fun, and not like it was damaging property or anything.
"Three to one. What do you say, Tiff?"
Tiffany just grinned at them.
"Looks like a yes, to me." Mark grinned. "Don't worry, we'll definitely pick them all up on the way out." he leaned over at Lux and whispered, "No we won't."
"I'll make sure he does." Ikuki said to Nox.
"Hey now. At least I'm not teaching him the things Alex and I did, as kids. Though now graffiti is a recognized and respected form of art. Just saying." he nudged Lux.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 27, 2023 11:28:28 GMT -6
As predicted, Nox wasn't all for the idea of vandalizing the stores or the mall. It was a criminal act, in his thoughts and simply frowned when he was singled out. He let out a sigh, not enjoying the idea of doing such a thing. “Well, I'm not taking part of this.”
“You're no fun.” Lux frowned.
The twins fell silent when they thought over the possibilities of what they all could be doing. Nox didn't seem to interested with much of their options but he did recall them talking about the magic store that Ikuki may have some interest in. He wanted to bring it up but this choice, was Lux's and not his. So he simply glanced over to his brother and waited for him to make the decision.
Lux felt like he was in the spotlight and debated on what he wanted to do. “The comic store sounds cool, but you mentioned art exhibits? I'd love to see one of those.” He then smiled when Mark mentioned that graffiti was now recognized and respected art. Lux agreed. “There's this guy that likes to graffiti over profanities and he turns them into beautiful pictures. Most of the time, they're forest creatures or natural forms. But he always does an amazing job on them.”
Nox said; “I vote going to either one of those before googly eyes.”
Lux smirked. “We're doing the googly eyes, dear brother.”
Nox felt defeated once more and groaned. “Ugh... Do we really have to?”
“Just think of it as a form of art! Right Mark and Ikuki?” He said as he turned back to them. “We're just applying a personality to, otherwise, boring displays! Especially mannequins.”
“Is there a book store around here? I'll just go linger there and you guys can go and have your fun. If anything goes on, I'll give you a call for help. Alright?” Nox really wasn't interested in anything that Lux and the others wanted to do. “I kind of want to look up Alchemy. Like...it seems kind of neat. So I wonder if there's going to be anything there to use for a guide or informative base for my curiosity.”
“Nerd.”
“Well, if I can master it. I can potentially become more useful.” He frowned. “Creating potions or things to help others out would be a beneficial addition to the team. Especially if I have to help you out all the time.” He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “I don't have many magical qualities and neither do you. But with that, perhaps we can come up with something cool. Unique. I dunno...”
Lux didn't seem to completely hate the idea and glanced to Mark and Ikuki for their opinion. “I'm totally going with you but if he wants to do that, then maybe we should let him? The bookstore should be safe enough for him, right? Then we can go and have our fun while he has his!!”
“I'll even watch Tiffany if you want me to.” Nox shrugged. “How hard can an infant be?”
“Diaper changes. Feeding time. Crying. It's all so easy.” Lux sarcastically said to him.
Nox frowned. “Fine...I take that back.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 27, 2023 12:56:43 GMT -6
"Hold on now," Mark stopped Nox from leaving. "You dragged Lux into doing something he didn't want to do, without even asking him first. Remember that talk we had about trying to be more supportive of each other? Lux stuck around for your thing, it's only fair you give the art exhibit a shot. Besides, the magic stores in this mall are stupid gimmicky. Witches that ride around on brooms kinda thing."
"Ugh." Ikuki groaned.
"Exactly. If you still wanna go to the book store, we can split up after. Deal? You never know, you might find some art that interests you. If you don't, then at least you'll have tried. We're not all going to enjoy the same things, and that's okay. But the important part, is being together. You may not enjoy the same things, but seeing the other one happy doing what they like is worth it." Mark smiled at Nox, trying to encourage him to stick together, at least for the time being.
"Art is actually a good example of an object of personal value." Ikuki nudged at Nox. "If a person puts their heart and soul into their piece, it can actually be used for a lot of different kinds of spells. Some malicious, some good, some neutral. If you want, I can teach you about some of the different uses of magic in art. Take this, for example." she held up the scrap metal flower that Mark had given her.
"You kept that?" Mark joked.
"Of course. It has sentimental value, and I can use it to channel my spells much better than a boring old wizard staff or wand, that I don't feel connected to." she smiled at him.
"Well if that's what you're using it for, I can make you a better one."
"No! This one is special." she insisted. "It was...the moment I realized I was in love with you."
"Aww, you dork. You're as sentimental as I am." Mark started to lean in to give her a kiss, but Tiffany interrupted the moment by throwing her toy in front of her and onto the floor, again. "Okay, okay. I get the message, we're going." Mark laughed, as he picked up the toy. "I'm not going to stop you if you want to hang out at the book store, Nox, but I'm sure your brother would appreciate you being with us at least for a little bit."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 27, 2023 22:50:35 GMT -6
Before Nox could slink away into the book store, he was stopped by Mark. Which made his heart sink below the ocean's lowest point on the planet. He was hoping that no one would realize this and that he would've been able to escape without needing to see what Lux wanted to do. But he kept up his act by smiling at him. “That's fine!”
Lux rolled his eyes as he could see that his brother wasn't too interested with doing anything that he wanted to do. He had to give it to Mark, he did do his best to try and convince Nox into doing some of the things Lux liked. But it didn't quite catch the purple haired boy. However, when Ikuki stepped in to explain her view,s, he could see a spark of excitement radiate from Nox.
“Something that someone put their heart and soul into...” He tapped his chin and thought up several things that could become potentially good use to magical techniques. Nox then saw Ikuki hold the metal rose before him, showing him how impressed and charmed she was by it. And in all honesty, Nox did find the rose to be quite cute, a job well done by someone whom he didn't think had any artistic interest.
“Wait...so...” Lux looked down at his bag where he had kept the scarf. “You think we could potentially use our scarves for something?”
“Don't be so silly. We didn't make those.”
“No, but they do have a lot of importance to us. Maybe we can use them to benefit us or something.”
“Yeah, comfort.” Nox said. “Though...you do have a point.” He then tapped his chin. “Alright. You got me sold. We can go check out the art place, then go to the book store.”
“Like you had a choice, Nox...” Frowned Lux.
“Hey, I said they had a point. I take my negativity back. Okay?”
After the boys met their mutual agreement, they followed Mark and Ikuki over to the art exhibit which was booming with people of all ages. Artists were showing off their work, while others were explaining their mediums and how they used them. And a few, had booths up where one could simply tinker with various paints and pens to just try.
A couple of young girls giggled and darted past them, running to their parents as they waved their terribly colored papers. They seemed so happy and eager to show off their art. And even though they were poorly colored, the parents seemed equally as happy to see that their kids had fun. To Lux, it was actually quite cute. He also imagined himself and Nox, running up to their parents. Cheering happily.
Nox elbowed him and alerted Lux about the cool walk in exhibit that was going on. “Look guys. That place looks so cool! We should check it out!” And once again, without letting anyone say otherwise, Nox dragged Lux into the massive auditorium.
Inside it, the entire room was dark but there were moving lights that created various designs. Some of them, danced across the smooth surfaces of the walls. While others, skittered on the floors, beneath the customer's feet. Sounds and other various smells also filled the air. For instance, if they walked over to the section that had meadows and floral arrangements, the smell of flowers could be had.
“This is so cool.” Chimed Nox. “Now I'm really glad I came along! Thanks for persuading me, Ikuki and Mark!”
Lux was fixed on a moving painting of a forested area. The world around him, no longer seemed to matter as this one particular section, stole him. Without thinking, he walked closer to it. Amazed by the beauty that the artist created. It was of a fairy-like forest, light from the sun was shining in rays through the canopy. There were moving glitter effects, dancing around, enhancing the magical view he had. Trees had doors and windows, with little mailboxes sitting before them. Cobble stoned walkways went in various directions. And as for the colors, they were so vibrant but pure, it almost felt like he was standing within the world.
Then looking up, he could see the sky and the sun's rays shining down. His mind automatically played the melodic tunes of a forest. Birds chirping. Wind brushing through the trees with the leaves rustling. A cricket or two, singing their own songs. It was all so ambient. He was feeling quite lost within it.
Nox noticed how his brother was captivated by this one particular scene and he pulled on Ikuki's arm. “Look.” He said to her. “My brother is so lost in this. I didn't think he enjoyed art this much. I...” He paused and leaned over. Nox waved but Lux seemed to be absent from reality as his gaze was glued at the painted world above them. “He's smiling! Ikuki, I haven't seen him really smile since he had that Astral Projection thing.”
Lux didn't know who was standing near him, but he spoke out to either Ikuki or Mark. “Wow... I...never seen art like this before. It's...almost like I can touch the leaves on the trees and I'd actually feel them. It's...” He couldn't think of a word to describe how he was feeling. Lux just kept staring at everything.
“This is so amazing...”
And Nox was right. Lux was smiling.
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Post by Moe on Oct 28, 2023 9:18:12 GMT -6
"It is possible!" Ikuki referred to the scarves. "They have a deep sentimental value, so strong magic can easily be applied to them. A defensive enchantment would most likely be the easiest, since they radiate a sense of security. A shield or barrier would work, but if your magic is strong enough, you can shape it into anything you desire, so long as it's roughly the same size."
"Roughly?" Mark pointed out.
Ikuki debated for a few seconds on whether she wanted to elaborate, since dark magic was a touchy subject and most people judge her for even knowing about it, much less studying it. Eventually, she decided it was better to teach Nox what she knew. After all, dark magic didn't necessarily mean one had to be evil. "I mean, technically you can't create something from nothing, unless you go the darker route. With dark magic, you can reach into the nether and use ectoplasm to fill in void spaces. That's how the stronger shapeshifters are able to transform into huge creatures, though it takes a lot of energy and there's always the chance of corruption, if you use it too often. It doesn't always have to be used for malicious purposes, but it's something that can easily corrupt if your intentions aren't good."
And then Nox ran off with his brother, again. Not a word, no warning. Thankfully it was at least within the same space, this time.
"You know what? I'm really tempted to play the wrath of god card, on him." Mark grumbled, following after the boys.
"Thought you didn't believe it?" Ikuki teased him.
"I don't, but you all do. And if I can use that to my advantage, I absolutely will."
Thankfully the boys hadn't wandered too far, and had made their way inside the interactive exhibit. Ikuki didn't know much about or understand art all the time, but she admitted, the display was quite beautiful and immersive. Nox tugged on her arm and pointed out how much Lux seemed to be enjoying the exhibit; "That must have been a really bad experience. It might be best to give the magic lessons a rest, for now. It seems like it's doing him more harm, than good."
Mark, meanwhile, was standing next to Lux and appreciating the art along with him. It wasn't his preferred taste in art, but he could appreciate that others liked it. He didn't want to break Lux out of the immersion by saying anything that could jolt him back into reality, and instead just let him have his peace, even if it was just a brief moment.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Mark finally responded to Lux. "You seem to really enjoy nature, you know? It's no wonder you've been so stressed out. On top of everything else, the city probably feels pretty stuffy and weird. Wish I could take you somewhere a little less..urban. Best we've got around here are a few parks and crowded nature trails. I think you and Nox will really like the historic part of town, though. No city pollution, no heavy traffic and horns blaring, no giant skyscrapers. Just cobblestone buildings and the smells of bakeries. There's some legit magic shops for Nox and Ikuki, and it's plenty outdoors and away from the city, for you." he was silent for a moment, not wanting to dwell on what had happened, but figured he had to at least try to apologize. "Hey, Lux? I'm sorry for pushing the astral thing. I know you're going through some rough stuff and I can't help but feel like that just made everything worse, on you. If you ever get uncomfortable with us trying to push something or talking it out, just say so, okay?"
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Post by Banshee on Oct 28, 2023 10:08:36 GMT -6
Nox watched his brother in silence. His awestruck gaze, turned to the painted world around him. It was a sight to behold because for once, his brother was truly happy. Something within him, seemed to have melted. At least for now. But there were a lot of things that Nox couldn't understand or see. And many of them, Nox began to wonder if it was him that was pushing him away at all. With how involved he was, in comparison to Lux, he wondered if he was forcing him to feel left alone.
But this was all a misinterpretation on Nox's behalf. There was a lot more going on with his brother than either one knew. Emotions, buried deep within his soul, yearned to be heard. And all of it, began to burst and bubble beneath the outer layer Lux often had. The strongest emotion, anger.
However seeing the trees and the natural life before him, pressed down the bitterness he had. Anger subsided for once and he felt home. A place, that he longed to be once again. It was something that Nox wasn't able to see within his own brother.
“I...feel bad.” Nox admitted to Ikuki. “Being Elves, one would think that he'd be really interested with learning about magic and how to manipulate things into another. But for some reason, I feel that he's not interested.” He scratched his head.
“Even when our parents were alive, Lux was always the stronger one. Bullies would pick on me, and he'd be the one to take them out. He was always getting into trouble but...” He looked at his brother, still being fixed on the art around him. “...he's always been there to protect me. And seeing him so broken lately? I...I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help him. And I fear that...I'm just only dragging him.”
He sighed. “I wish I knew what was really upsetting him. It's...kind of why I've been a little annoying to him lately. I don't know what to do and am trying to get him to know that...he's not alone. He never was...and if you ask me...I think he's thinking he is.”
Lux listened to Mark speak to him. He nodded when he addressed that Lux must've enjoyed nature and that the hustle-bustle city was making him nervous. “Yeah...” He agreed.
Then it was mentioned that Mark could take him elsewhere. Places that would be less crowded with more nature. Although the city only had a few areas to allow this, it was still a wonderful gesture. Lux also smirked at the historical portion of town, indicating the boys may like it more. “Nox sure loves his knowledge...he'd definitely enjoy it. He's always reading and looking up information...”
Mark then apologized, which took Lux off guard as he wasn't expecting an apology coming from him. He tilted his head at first, but then took a moment to allow the words to sink in. It was true. Lux was going through a lot of turmoil at the moment, and being dragged into the Astral plane, didn't help. Then Mark suggested that if something was making him uncomfortable, then say something.
Lux thought it all over for a moment, making him go silent. His mind repeated the words that Mark spoke. All of them did make sense, in a way. Lux knew he wasn't as swift as Nox was, with understanding words and phrases. But he knew he wasn't that far off.
“I'm sorry for being such a downer.” He apologized back then shook his head. “No. Nox and I have been...kept from a lot of experiences. We don't know what the world really has in store for us. We don't know what life could be like. We left our safety net, to learn all of that.” He looked away from Mark and saw some of the dancing lights on the floor.
Lux rubbed his nose. “I wanted to do that...I wanted to see if I could find that lady. Every night, she calls for my name. But I can never find her. I can never reach for her. I want to know why she keeps bugging me all the time. And...doing that, I figured I might get an answer.”
A piece of paper fell to the floor when someone accidentally turned on a fan that was pointing at a table that stood near them. He reached down and plucked it off the ground, looking at the art exhibit information on it. “...I...I'm not mad at anyone. Not you. Not Ikuki. You...guys don't know us all that much. Heck...we don't know much about ourselves.” He laughed and looked back at Mark. “The one powerful thing that Reese told us was...sometimes things will make us uncomfortable but we need to push through it.”
“He may be a jerk. He may be really mean. And I may hate him so much...that I...” He paused when he recalled the incident in the Astral Planes. “...That's...like the only meaningful thing he's ever told me. So...I'll be okay. I always make it through in the end. And...I still thank you two for everything you've been doing for us. No one has ever showed this much kindness to us, upon first meeting.”
He glanced away for a moment before adding; “It sucks...Folks at home, know us as Reese's little half-brothers. So they always treat us like we're him. Some insult us. Many try to brown-nose. And the rest would rather pretend we never existed. They judge us before they even get to know us, and it hurts. Nox and I, I know we're nothing like him. But because of that...we're always, Reese's little half-brothers...”
His shoulders sank a little before he brushed away the depression and smiled. “I know we have our moments of being annoying. And we're a little more mature than we should be... But you and Ikuki really mean a lot to us. You guys didn't care where we came from, who we are, what we are. You just...spoke to us like people. The way we both wished many would.”
He then smiled to Mark, a lot happier than before. “I'd be happy to check out that historical area. As long as you guys want to. I mean...it's your day too. And I don't want to be stealing the show all the time. I'm sure Nox doesn't either.”
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