Stoking the Fire

((sorry about the wait. Christmas is getting busy!))

As Caen saw the two accompanying him, as well as the two they were speaking to, introduce themselves, his eyes widened. "Ah! Where are my manners?" He said, bowing "I am Caen Flare, pleased to meet you both, and truly, don't let the way that... Shell of a man acted fool you into thinking all humans are that way. I know some humans who are possibly some of the kindest people I've met," he replied, giving a smile

When they mentioned the fact that they were making potions, the hedgehog's eyebrow was raised. "Potions? Are you... Sorcerers or something?" He asked, tilting his head slightly, before he waved his hands "s-sorry, I don't meant to pry into your own affairs!" He said quickly.

A small confused frown appeared on Yukikos face. It was apparent that these two didn't have the best grasp on the English language, but it wasn't too difficult to interpret what they were trying to refer to. "Maybe we should consider moving away from the store?" She glanced around to find some staff members staring at the group who had been on the outside of the door to the supermarket for the past, who knows when and gave then a very nervous half wave as she sweatdropped. "I think we may be holding up people f-from coming in to buy things."

She began to leave the huddle of Mobians, hoping they would follow suit. Sure it was nice to meet new people and chat with them, but they were quickly all turning into a large nuiscance for the shop they were in.

((I know what you mean, Red. I've been working more the last week, so I can't post as quickly as I'd like.


And I don't know why, ForevaYoung, but I thought that they had exited the store and were standing on the sidewalk outside of it. Either way, no matter. We can just go with that they were still in the store.))
 
Flo listened as the father and daughter Mobians explained their situation. "Oh. Okay. I bet it would be lovely in a completely different sort of way than from around here," Flo remarked after they had described their homeland. "Potions? That's definitely out of my league. I don't know one herb from another." Flo said as they continued.
 
Before Flo could waste anymore of everyone's time with silly and irrelevant questions, he noticed that Yukiko had begun to exit the store. Flo quickly realized that he been making a burden of himself, not only to his fellow shoppers, but also to Yukiko and Caen; the former of which he had promised to return a favor for an act of goodwill that many would not have performed. For all he knew, Yukiko was in a hurry. Flo thought that Yukiko probably wished she had just left the wallet on the floor where it lay, leaving the witless chinchilla to accept responsibility for his own mistake. Flo realized that he needed to either get his act together and help Yukiko with what he promised or he should revoke his offer of “help” and relieve the snow leopard of the burden of his company and let her be on her way. Flo immediately began to compose himself.
 

Flo smiled slightly at the two Mobians he had been conversing with and then gave a quick glance towards the exit and Yukiko. "Well, it was nice meeting both of you," Flo said. "Me and Caen here both offered to help Yukiko get her groceries home, so she wouldn't have to take a cab." Flo then began to fiddle around with the bags. "Man, I almost wish we could take one of the carts here. This might be kind of hard--even with all three of us. But I guess we’ll manage.” Flo then began towards the exit, stumbling with the heavy bags the whole way. “Geez, what about Caen’s stuff?” Flo mumbled to himself.

((Apologies, I made a mistake in that. Yeah they are outside and I done goofed. I'll see if I can fix it and male sense.
EDIT: made it more prominent that they we're on the outside in case it didn't make sense before ^^))

((alright, it's been over two days, so I'm skipping it back to me. Hold on while I make a post.))

(Wait, hold on. I had some after Christmas parties my family had to attend to.)

"Sort of like that." Arnzarel replied to Caen

At the sound of Caen's question the one who called herself Lilian simply replied by taking off her ushanka to reveal a pair of pincer shaped horns, demonic like horns. She then she put it back on her heard. from the appearance of her revealed noggin it would appear that she had some sort of red like lizard flesh instead of fur or skin, and coal black colored hair.

"Da, be seeing you around." Lilian replied to Flo and Yukkio's departure.

(I'll admit I only read the first post and the last 4. Would there be a way for me to join as Silver under the pretext that he knows something bad will happen if Xavier Flare's information ends up in the wrong hands, he just wouldn't know what the information is or who the wrong hands are.)

(I don't think you can join an open RP if you want to be a canon character. Non-canon roleplays are the 'safe' zone you can roleplay as a canon character without being accepted by the application, however I could be wrong.)

(Aaack! Sorry I'm on mobile but not in mobile view. My bad. I thought this WAS non canon.)

(Nope, it's one category below this one down there.)

((you CAN be a canon character if the mods deem you fit to do so, but you already knew that. Anyway, I kinda don't want anyone else in the RP, as it's getting... Crowded, to say the least. Sorry))

Caen looked over at the crowd gathering, eager to leave the store. They were blocking the doorway! How rude of them. He stepped away, letting some of them past. He nodded at Flo "yeah, what he said. But, it truly has been great to meet you! After seeing the one named Lillian's... Interesting features, he looked at Flo, smiling "c'mon, I'm not even that strong and I can manage!" He said, holding up both handfuls of the rather heavy bags above his head, including his own. "No need to worry about me, anyway, I've got it."

The hedgehog tried his best to wave at the people he presumed to be demons, although it was more... Holding one bag towards them, before he started down the road after the two who had already left. "So... Demons, huh? They seem a little tamer than a demon I know of, at least." Caen said, smiling.

Yukiko twitched her tail slightly when she saw the larger females, rather intimidating horns. She genuinely meant no Ill will towards the woman -they had barely met- but she was rustled a little as her fur slowly began to stand up on end. 
She understood now though the reason for the heavier clothing, and felt a little sad for them that they had to keep warmer because of their blood. Still, she was nice enough so Yukiko bowed respectfully and gave them a small bag-wave and a smile to say farewell. 

"May we meet again in the future if you're staying around." She called as they departed. 

Amber eyes widened as she heard Caens words. He knew another demon? There were more?  She only ever heard of them from her father in the past and had never actually met one until now.  "It's somewhat of a new experience for myself. I only ever heard of demons from my father in the past. I feel bad that I was fearful of her horns though, as they were both very nice and rather pleasant to talk to. "
She lowered her gaze sheepishly and lowered her ears a little at her passive nature as they walked along towards her home a few blocks away.

When Caen hefted the bags above his head with little effort, and threw a quip in Flo's direction in the process, Flo responded with several poor excuses. "I had it, man! I just--I didn't want the bags to break! And..and I've been up all night.." Flo's defensive explanations were laced in exasperation and a hint of embarrassment. Once Flo realized how silly he sounded with his lame excuses, he let out a sigh, shrugged slightly, lifted up his share of the groceries, and exited the store. 

At Caen's mention of demons, Flo looked a bit puzzled. He had took notice of their strange looks when he had glanced back at them and Caen while leaving the store. But everything seemed strange to Flo since he had come to the city, so he didn't think much of it. But the way Caen said it made Flo nervous.

"Is that why they look that way? And were dressed like that? I've never heard of demons before," Flo questioned enthusiastically. "The way you say it makes me..."

Before Flo could finish, he heard Yukiko speak up. After listening to Yukiko, Flo went silent. It was obvious she felt guilty over her reaction to the two kind strangers, and a bit of guilt welled up inside Flo as well. But Flo quickly attempted to dismiss it. After all, they were warm and welcoming to the strangers, and Flo hadn't felt they'd done anything wrong.

Flo quickly wanted to lighten the mood before things became awkward for the group and what little remained of their outing together was ruined and became nothing more than an unpleasant memory. That's not how Flo wanted their trip to end.

"So, guys, what brings you both out shopping this early? Or at least it was early. For me it's my job. What about you guys?" Flo questioned both Yukiko and Caen with a smile, as he walked along jovially towards their destination.

((been over two days, gonna skip Jared's turn. Giving him one more chance before auto-skipping him.))

Caen smiled at Flo's desperate attempts to excuse his complaints, soon changing into a quiet chuckle. However, seriousness returned when both Yukiko and Flo brought up the subject of demons "I've met a few. Demons aren't actually all that bad, most of the time. I can understand your fear, though. I mean, the first time I came across one, she actually tried to kill me! Although, we're good friends now. She has dominion over ink, which is rather unique to demons, from what I've learned, so maybe she's an exception," the hedgehog said, shrugging his shoulders.

Afterwards, Flo asked both Caen and the snow leopard why exactly they were out at this time. The hedgehog's face remained straight the whole time. "I'm pretty sure I already told you, but... Someone very important to me, someone who I thought dead for seven years has, well, sent me a letter, asking to meet in the forest at half past midnight."

(I'm sort of out of  loss to know what to do next. 0_0' )

Yukiko pouted thoughtfully in response to Caens words of knowing another demon. So, nice ones were definitely out there, and by the sounds of it there were more good ones that bad... at least around here anyway. His reply to Flos question as to why he was up and out so early was odd though. It was still pretty early, and the forest wasn't too far away, right? She shook her head. He probably had some other things to take care of and she wasn't one to pry unless it was necessary. She turned her attention to Flo, as he obviously related the question to both.


"I-I'm just an early bird. I took a weeks holiday from work and don't really have much to do, so thought it best to re-stock the f-fridge."

Thinking of Caens letter spiked her general curiosity. Was he putting himself in a bad place by going where a letter told him? The one who sent it was allegedly gone from this world after all.

Once again she pulled herself from sticking her proverbial nose in to other affairs. "What do you guys do in the ways o-of work? You said you'e been up all night, so you do a nightshift job, Mr Flo?"

They turned the next corner and Yukiko smiled as she saw the apartment complex she resided in. Just up two flights and she would be back home. Tea sounded really good right about now. Thoughts of having the warm drink made her sway her large tail happily as they entered the building though the double doors.

Flo was relieved at Caen's words. It comforted him to know that demons were each unique, like Mobians, in that they are not all born inherently "evil--"or good for that matter. 

Not for the first time, Flo felt foolish when Caen reminded Flo that he had already bothered Caen with that question. The worst part was, in Flo's tired and distracted state, he didn't remember asking Caen; and worse, he didn't remember Caen's answer, even after Caen had repeated it for him. It made Flo feel foolish and thoughtless. But a lot had recently happened in a small span of time, Flo reminded himself.

"Sorry about that. I just--I don't know. I'm tired." Flo responded after Caen had explained himself a second time.

When Yukiko asked Flo about his job, Flo couldn't help but let out a sigh before answering her. "Yeah, I work the night shift. That doesn't bother me though. I work in a factory. It gets real boring some times, to be honest. I worked as waiter for a little while, when I first came to the city, but they told me I was too clumsy and fired me." Flo then sighed again, feeling embarrassed, and he was beginning to wish he hadn't been completely honest.

 Concerned for Caen (and wishing to take the attention off of himself), Flo began inquiring further about the strange circumstances surrounding Caen's situation. "That sounds really..odd. To say the least. I mean, can you be sure it's even from this person you used to know? You don't know anyone who would want to hurt you or anything?" Flo couldn't help but express his concern. While he didn't think Caen seemed like the type who would have many enemies, he couldn't be sure. Caen had mentioned that once someone (albeit a demon) had made an attempt on his life. While he claimed they were friends now, could Caen have other enemies? Flo didn't want to see his new friend get hurt.

"Hey, Caen. I know it's none of my business, but I'd be glad to go with you when you go to meet this person. Just in case."

Caen smiled over at Yukiko as he pushed the door open with his back "I know the feeling. Having nothing to do can be such a drag. I'm an actor, so... I'm out of work more often than I'd like," he shrugged his shoulders "but at least the changes of pace keep it from getting boring." Funnily enough, Caen had begun to feel quite parched. The mornin had been eventful, and he hadn't drank anything for a few hours, now. Perhaps that cup of tea Yukiko offered would be welcome after all?

Caen's expression suddenly became serious when Flo mentioned his suspicions towards who exactly had truly sent the letter. "So, I'm not the only one who has suspicions... Yes, there is... One person. But... This man who has apparently sent the letter is, well..." He looked away for a second "I don't know how to put this... But, it's my father. I know it sounds stupid, me thinking that my father would contact me after all this time but I can't just write this off as fake. Do you see what I mean?"

Caen smiled when Flo had offered to help, but he politely declined "this may end in a potentially lethal confrontation. I don't want people to get hurt over my problems."

Pulling the smallish purse Yukiko had on her person, she pulled out her set of keys for her home as they arrived inside. A short trip up two flights of stairs as the lift was once again out of commission and the three would arrive on the floor where she lived. 

As they came up to her front door and Yukiko unlocked it to get them in, a coldish chill swept in and out past them. "Oh shoot! I must have left a window open again. "

She dashed off into a room where the door had been left open and returned a moment later a little flustered. She bowed lowly in apology and guided her two visitors into her kitchen and gestured for them to place the bags they graciously helped her with on the round table at the other side of the room. It was a fairly good size, especially seeing as only one person lived in the home as a whole, but it was decorated and set out just perfectly for her. 

"You can go into the living room to make yourselves at home and I'll bring your drinks in." Yukiko smiled as she quickly emptied her shopping into the correct areas without hesitation. After all, any frozen food had been defrosting outside when they were all conversing for how long. "What would you like? Tea, coffee or hot chocolate?"

While the two were in the living room, Yukiko sighed and thought about the possible predicament Caen was currently in. She couldn't feel empathetic towards him as she wouldn't be able to begin to understand how he feels about the letter and such, but she wished that she could help him if the situation turned out to be a bad one. Listening to Flo before she knew she wasn't alone with thinking like that. She had only met them both a short while ago and already she wanted to do what she could to help them out. 

Once Flo was inside, he gently set the groceries down in the kitchen, where Yukiko could pack them away where she saw fit. Flo was intrigued when Caen mentioned he was an actor. He truly never would have guessed that was his occupation. He wasn't precisely sure why, but he just didn't seem the type to Flo. Perhaps it was because Caen seemed too forthright and candid. But actors weren't made on an assembly line, Flo thought, and were each as unique as the next person, he supposed. There are many different types of actors (stage, television, film, etc) and Flo wondered which Caen was, but he didn't press Caen for further details. He was still concerned over the letter, and he was also looking forward to Yukiko's hospitality. He really could use a warm drink about now, he thought. 


When Caen explained the letter and declined Flo's offer of help, Flo was confused and disturbed. At a loss, he just remained silent. His own father? Lethal? He wasn't exactly sure how to reply to Caen or what to even make of all of this. He wanted to help Caen, if he could, but for once in his life he decided to be patient. Perhaps Caen had other motives for not wanting to involve others. Regardless, Flo would leave it alone for the moment. But being the hopeless, do-gooder busy-body he was, he had no intention of letting his new friend walk into a potentially deadly situation alone. But it was more than that. He genuinely liked Caen. Along with Yukiko, he was one of the only people who hadn't either been dismissive of Flo or tried to take advantage of him since he had escaped his old life and come to the city. But it was this concern that made Flo fight his impetuous nature and be patient.

Flo was pleased when Yukiko offered them warm drinks--although that excitement was tempered by his concern for Caen. Nonetheless, Flo couldn't think of much he desired more after being out in the cold. "Oh, um, I'll have hot chocolate, if that's okay."


Flo looked around the apartment, taking in the new sights. "I like your place, Yukiko. It's really cool. It looks roomy, too." Flo felt a bit awkward being in another's home. He hadn't done much visiting since he'd come here. He didn't really have anyone to visit. It was sort of exciting, he thought.


After an awkward moment of silence, Flo then turned his attention back to Caen. "Hey, Caen. I know we haven't known each other very long, and I know it's none of my business and all, but if a complete stranger told me what you did, I'd be concerned. And you're not a stranger. Maybe if you explained a bit more, we could all come up with a plan that was safer for you. Three heads are better than one." Flo then turned his gaze to Yukiko, waiting for her opinion, and hoping she would agree with him.

Caen sighed when he found out the lift was out of service, he already knew that climbing stairs would be difficult with the bags in his hands before he even begun. He was glad that the climb was only two flights, to say the least.

When he heard the click of a lock, and the creak of a door swinging open, he was met with a surprisingly chill blast of air. Yukiko had left a window open. A rather silly mistake, considering she only lived on the first floor, so burglary was definitely possible. Caen walked in, taking in his surroundings. The apartment was surprisingly spacious, considering, from what Caen had gathered, there was only one person living in it. Everything was neatly organised, and every surface seemed to be clean. The hedgehog placed the bags down where the leopard had asked.

Caen was glad to hear Yukiko ask if he wanted anything to drink, even if he had declined earlier, and answered "tea would be great, thanks," as he walked into the living room, where Flo was now.

Caen sighed when Flo had finished speaking, asking about what precisely was going on with him, to see if there was any way of helping the hedgehog. "I know... You're right, three heads are better." He scoffed at himself "where do I begin?" He asked himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "When I was eleven... A fire started in my home. I didn't know about.. About..." He summoned a flame in his hand "...this... Until that day. My parents were presumably buried under the rubble, or burned to ash. Either way... Their bodies were never found. A... Friend and I discovered that the perpetrator was in fact Alastor Flare... My uncle. We apprehended him, but not too long ago, he made an attempt on my life. If some friends of mine hadn't stopped and helped, I'd be long gone... My suspicions are raised on whether or not he is the true sender of the letter, but... There's only one way to find out, so it looks like I may be walking straight into a trap." He explained, leaning against a wall, he chuckled solemnly "to be honest... I'm scared my suspicions are correct, and that this time, there'll be noone to help me defeat him."

Yukiko quickly set to work on making the beverages for her guests. She was actually very happy that at least one person wanted a hot chocolate as it meant she could make it the way she liked. Whipped cream and chocolate on top with marshmallows were always just the perfect topping after all. 

Placing a small teapot and cup on to a tray with a small sugar dish and container for milk, she placed the other two mugs beside them as she wasn't sure what the two males wanted in their drink. Picking up the tray, she headed into the living room again and heard the second half of Caens speech about his past. Her ears drooped at hearing that he had lost his parents, and by none other than his uncle?  That was harsh. She placed the drinks down on the coffee table that was between the corner sofa and the cuddle chair on the opposite side and put each cup in front of the correct person.  She sat down on the chair as the sofa itself was taken up and gingerly took her own drink of tea in her hands. 

Smiling at Flo and his kind words about her living space, she thanked him with a shy nod of her head. She prided herself in keeping her home clean and tidy. Sometimes bordering on being obsessive, but it was because she was alone mainly and didn't really have much else to do outside of working. "I know it's not really something you want to think about... But uhm... " Yukiko wasn't completely sure how to word it exactly, but she would try. "Your uncle? Could he possibly have the same powers as you?" 

Not knowing anything about the red hedgehog made it sort of difficult to guess what was the best way to go about things. She only hoped that she didn't overstep any boundaries. "I completely agree with Mr. Flo though, you should not go alone. Especially seeing as they've asked specifically for midnight? I mean isn't that a little bit suspicious to you?"

Yukiko looked down to watch her drink swirl around in case she spoke somewhat out of line.

Flo gave a polite nod and a brief smile in response to Yukiko's hospitality. He thought the hot chocolate looked more amazing than the the cocoa they served at his favorite cafe. But his enjoyment was severely suppressed as he listened to Caen elaborate his disturbing past.

With Caen's past now revealed, Caen's concerns regarding the letter made complete sense to Flo. "That sounds really rough, Caen. I can see why you feel like you have to go though. After all, if the bodies of your parents were never found, it's possible it could be your father."

Flo then listened as Yukiko expressed her own concerns. "I agree. That whole midnight thing is way out there. In fact, it's so out there, that it does make me wonder if it really is your father. You would think someone trying to kill you might try to be more subtle. But maybe he thinks your desperate enough that you would come, no matter what the circumstance are."

Flo then paused for a moment, privately considering the situation. He then finally spoke. "There's no doubt it's dangerous though. And I want to help. I know it might surprise you, but I still have a few combat tricks up my sleeve from my days before I came to the city, if things go south. You need help for this one."

Flo then turned to Yukiko. "And don't worry, Yukiko. I'll be leaving soon. I don't want to drag you into anything. You've been a huge help already."

Caen had realised how much he had changed the mood of the room, causing him to feel much worse than he probably should. Either way, he accepted the tea that Yukiko had made, thanking her in the process. He picked up the cup, blowing before taking a sip. "I'm not sure if Alastor has any similar powers to my own. I've never seen anything that gave me that impression. However, he's... Formidable to say the least. He can shape metal into just about any shape he can imagine."

He looked down at his drink, swishing it around by moving his arms ever so slightly. "Of course the time is suspicious. Still, if this letter is from my father, there are probably reasons why he doesn't want people to see him."
He looked over at Flo, then at Yukiko "both of you, thank you for the advice, and as much as I'd like to accept help from either of you, I just cant take the risk." He said, taking another sip of his drink before quietly chuckling to himself. His reasons for doing so were unknown. Perhaps he was afraid, and nervous, and all he knew to do was laugh it off?