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Post by Evangeline on Mar 5, 2009 22:12:51 GMT -5
Riana looked at the statue thoughtfully. "Real marble, not concrete and not your usual tacky lawn ornament. I'm surprised she's as intact as she is. If she was bronze, she might have been melted down for the metal, which would have been a shame. You might want to put in a claim for this place if they're giving out land."
"Guess I'll fold." Rihanna sighed. She didn't have any cards of value in the latest round.
Clarence started to grin as Cyrus also opted to fold.
"OK, let's show'em."
He had pulled a straight flush.
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 10:35:16 GMT -5
"I don't really see what's to do with it." Gideon said. "It's near a hot zone, so tourism is not an option. So is mostly everything else because of it's near a radioactive zone, which scares most away."
"Good game." Jonathan said as he showed his defeated hand.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 14:48:09 GMT -5
"At least that ensures privacy." Ariana grinned. "Except for the birds and frogs, of course."
"Another round?" Rihanna asked. "Whose turn to deal?"
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 19:33:34 GMT -5
Gideon stirred slightly. "We better get back before someone goes looking for us and find this place." He said.
"Derek's turn." Jonathan motioned towards the human extra. He took the deck and shuffled it, then dealt the hands.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 19:59:08 GMT -5
"OK." Ariana pulled herself up. "Thank you for the evening. It was wonderful."
Rihanna, Cyrus and Clarence took their hands. Rihanna pored over hers. "Gideon and Ariana should be on their way back by now."
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 20:09:14 GMT -5
"So were you." Gideon said. He headed to a clearing for take-off.
"Yeah." Jonathan said. "Too late to ask for a lowball game?" He said smiling embarrassingly.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 20:17:26 GMT -5
"We can do that." Cyrus nodded. Rihanna and Clarence joined him in assent.
Ariana blushed slightly under her coat with a modest show of pleasure at the compliment. She followed him over to the clearing, which had been a large parking lot in its previous life.
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 20:25:12 GMT -5
Gideon went back in slight silence, exchanging smiles between him and Ariana on the way. He landed and got his fuel can quickly. This venture had tired him more than others.
"Sounds like the two lovebirds are back." Miles said as he heard the engines.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 21:09:31 GMT -5
Ariana said good-night and got the can that Jen had put aside for her. She went to her own spot in the shelter and settled down to do some studying of e-texts before going to sleep.
"Imagine they'll hit the hay pretty fast after what they've been up to." Clarence chortled.
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 21:20:30 GMT -5
"Just how long have they been away?" Jonathan asked. He had a good hand now.
Gideon finished from his can and then raised himself up to scent who else was there. He hadn't been around his sister for long enough to predict her actions.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 21:24:43 GMT -5
Arataki paused as she came by, scenting that Gideon was back. She had nothing to say about his off-work activities, and even his work time was Thorne's bailiwick, but his taking off immediately after work with Ariana scratched at one of the old sore points between the two siblings. She stopped by the shelter tent and looked inside.
Rihanna consulted her watch "Four and a half hours. That must've been some "workout."
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 21:31:37 GMT -5
"I know Gideon has some endurance, but this is the first time I've heard of his mate having energy to match." Jonathan said.
"Hey Arataki." Gideon said as she looked inside.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 21:54:39 GMT -5
Clarence lowered his voice and leaned in towards the others. "We were helping the aero-doc give her an exam at the time of hiring, and he was going to look in her mouth with the speculum to check her teeth and see if they needed floating. It was one of those rigs with a part that depressed her tongue all the way to the back and I said to her, "OK, you might feel like gagging after a while but try to bear with us," and she went, "No problem, I've got perfect control." He imitated a chirpy, candid tone. "I kinda wondered at that, but it all makes perfect sense now."
"Hello." Arataki answered. "I hope your evening went well. I just meant to ask... have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?"
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Post by elizar on Mar 6, 2009 22:03:31 GMT -5
Jonathan just put his hand aside so no one would see it, then brought up his hand to his mouth as suppressing laughter. "I just got to wonder how many she's had showed up in her mouth. But that's not really a judgment call unless you want to be called sexist."
Gideon tried not to visibly wince by that simple question. She hadn't gone about teasing him, or tell him off. That simple question was enough to break his order and conversation tree he had hoped to get through instead of this.
"Not really." He said. He saw no real reason to avoid answering it. "How are they?" He asked Arataki, as she was the one who was closer to them than he was.
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Post by Evangeline on Mar 6, 2009 22:27:14 GMT -5
"She offered to show us how she could tie knots with her tongue, but we managed to finish up and move her on before she got the chance." Clarence rolled his eyes. "Gideon should be very happy, though."
"They're fine." Arataki answered. Dad was just awarded the Order of New Zealand for his lifetime contribution in rebuilding the technological base there, and Mom is still handling VIP transport for the government, though she'll be retiring pretty soon. And next year's their 30th anniversary, you know. And as for Kim - you DID remember you have a sister, right? She finally got engaged with Brian - Brian Atheron, remember him? You know, they'd like to see your face more than once in a blue moon."
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