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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 10, 2017 14:03:45 GMT -5
𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯ValkoinenLeukaAfter spending most of their life in foster care, finally they're adopted. Not visiting, not fostered, adopted. A real house in the suburbs between a large city and miles of open fields. The family they've been adopted into includes a parent and a sibling. Both seem welcoming so far, but they're cautious. The new home might not be so permanent if the family finds out what they really are. (Alright, all set up. Would you prefer me to start, or would you like to?)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 10, 2017 14:09:49 GMT -5
( thank you for setting this up ^^ would you mind starting, I have a few things to do so I'll be gone for a bit. )
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 10, 2017 14:14:03 GMT -5
(Alright, I have work soon so I don't have too long today. I'll be back later in the evening. I'll get this started after i eat)
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 10, 2017 14:30:07 GMT -5
The car slowed to a stop outside the house and after a short stillness, the door was opened. Arc climbed out of the vehicle, and picked up the plastic bag that held his few belongings as well as his copy of the legal documents that were to be given to his new parent. As soon as he closed the door again, the vehicle sped off. He hesitated, a little sure the driver was supposed to walk him to the door, or at least make sure he made it into the house. He hadn't really heard too much about the new family, though he did recall getting to speak to the parent on one occasion. Still, he'd been pretty certain they were going to just forget his name and face and move on, so he'd done the same to them. He was a little old to be adopted... almost seventeen. He looked back toward the house, frozen in place. Should he approach? Knock? Wait here?
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 10, 2017 15:24:15 GMT -5
Peyton wasn't exactly happy with this new situation. That wasn't to say that she was upset, she wasn't, she just wasn't happy. It was more than a little unnerving to have somebody new join the family, especially when it had been just her father and her for so many years. What if she hated him? Or, worse yet, what if he hated her? She didn't know anything about him, her father had shared his name - Arc - but nothing else. How was she supposed to go off of that? Still, when the sound of the car pulling to a close outside of the house and her father started towards the door, she followed. There wasn't much else she could do.
Her father pulled the door open, not waiting for a knock. He'd been waiting all day, after all, he didn't have much time for that. He didn't have much time for anything when it came to this process, it seemed. Good thing too, at least here and now, because the boy looked lost where he stood, still in the driveway. "Welcome," Peyton's father called, waving. At least he was happy. "Come on in!"
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 10, 2017 18:03:47 GMT -5
(turns out someone told me the wrong day so I have today off ) Arc lifted his head when the door opened. He looked at the man briefly before his eyes went to the ground in front of him. He sort of remembered his face. Lots of smiling, at least there was that. He didn't sound like he'd turn out to be mean or negative, but the idea of permanence still escaped him. He couldn't imagine this lasting more than a year. He slowly moved forward to where the man invited him inside. "Thank you." He said quietly, his grip tightening on his bag. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous to meet him again, not to mention the rest of his family.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 10, 2017 18:47:16 GMT -5
( that's always a welcome surprise! I might disappear at any moment, we're approaching 1 am, but I'm here until I manage to feel some sort of sleepiness. )
Peyton peered at Arc curiously as he approached, unsure of what to say or do. She hadn't inherited her father's enthusiasm for life, so where he seemed to work well in odd situations, she was mostly left uncertain and tired by the whole ordeal. "Hi," she managed, raising her hand in a tiny wave. This seemed to prompt her father into motion again. He smiled again, gesturing to her. "This is my daughter, Peyton." She waved again, feeling unbelievably awkward and more than a little unnerved. "It's just us here. Well, us, and you now."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 10, 2017 19:00:12 GMT -5
(Oh our timezones are pretty far off. its almost 7pm here.)
Arc gave a small nod at the introduction. "Hello." He answered quietly, looking between the two again. He couldn't remember the father's name at all, but he was defiantly an animated and social person from what he could tell. The daughter seemed just as unsettled as he did. Admittedly, that helped a bit, but also raised the caution that she might be unfriendly to his arrival. He wouldn't be able to tell how she was until he got to see more of her behavior. His feet stayed rooted in place as he tried to think of something else to offer. He couldn't find any other words. His head ducked slightly again as he tried to think of what more he could say.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 11, 2017 2:13:43 GMT -5
( a six hour difference, then. I'll keep that in mind. )
Both Peyton and her father were silent for a moment, and the silence was heavy and strange. It wasn't like they weren't used to quiet, with just two of them that was common, but now there was another person there to see it and Peyton, for one, felt entirely on edge. "We got a room ready for you, it's up the stairs and the first to your right," her father continued, breaking the silence with information. It was surprisingly close to a strategy Peyton might have employed. He continued to point out, only very briefly, the other rooms in the house and then to assure Arc that he could move around as he wanted, to explore it himself, but that if he wanted a tour he just had to ask.
It wasn't the first time Peyton envied him his energy and constant movement, but she was incapable of mirroring it, yet again. "I'll, erm, be upstairs if you need me," she told them both, her father primarily. She nodded, still looking a little lost herself, and turned to go back to her own room, hoping that dinner would be a lot less stiff.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 11, 2017 2:27:27 GMT -5
Arc gave a few more nods as the father of the family spoke. He tried to keep his eyes on him, but prolonged eye contact just felt uncomfortable and his focus went to his feet again. He still listened, more than he did when most adults spoke. He quietly replied that he would stay in the room they'd picked out for him. They knew the house better than he did, after all. He considered the offer for the tour of the house. Perhaps a little later when he wasn't toting around the plastic bag. Once the man had finished spooking and the daughter had retreated, or at least it seemed like a retreat to Arc, he gave the man a hardly audible 'thank you' for the information. He then added. "May I go see the room?"
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 11, 2017 9:23:05 GMT -5
Peyton was hiding, she realised that, but the whole thing was strange. That a stranger was going to live in her house, legally her brother, was odd. She should get to know him, figure out if they were going to hate each other, but she could only take so much at a time. Besides, her father seemed to be handling things just fine, as evidenced by the cheerful, "of course, you should make yourself at home," that drifted up the stairs. She wasn't needed, so she'd take the time to fortify herself.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 11, 2017 21:58:43 GMT -5
Arc gave a small nod at the father's statement, waiting until he no longer heard the girl's footsteps on the stairs before he started to walk toward them. He went up step by step, quietly thinking. How long was this supposed to be? He'd been adopted, that was supposed to be permanent. But there were so many families that had complained for so many reasons. He'd tried to change based on their criticism, but it seemed he never changed enough or he changed too much. Now he couldn't really change anymore, he was too old to start acting differently again. If this new family didn't like him, they could send him back. Or if they found more, they might... He stopped at the top of the stairs, looking between the doors. Which one had he said to go through?
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 12, 2017 2:21:07 GMT -5
Peyton fell face first into her bed, sighing dramatically. It wasn't so bad, really, as soon as she got away from it. But in the situation itself, she was disoriented and a little uncomfortable. She'd hide out here for a while, work through it again, and then she'd try again for dinner. It seemed like the perfect plan. Surely she wasn't expected to be able to fall right into her new routine? There was a reason visitation and fostering usually preceded adoption, it was so permanent and it took some getting used to. She'd just have to get used to it quickly, and without the knowledge of what he was like.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 14, 2017 22:02:58 GMT -5
(Sorry for my absence. I was so tired yesterday.)
Arc recalled the instruction from earlier and turned right, opening the first door he saw. He stepped into the room quietly, looking around to be sure there was no one else here and that he hadn't walked into someone else's room by mistake. He set the plastic bag on the bed before going to the window and looking outside. It seemed he had a view of the front lawn. Well, that was at least nice. He could see who was visiting before they entered. He looked back at the room, pausing. Could he just stay in here for a bit? Or would that be rude? Did they want him to come out and try to be social? The girl - his sister? that just sounded foreign on its own. - didn't seem to be too thrilled about having another child in the house. He wondered if he was supposed to be older or younger than her.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 18, 2017 8:51:05 GMT -5
( apologies for mine as well! )
Peyton stayed in her room for a good half-an-hour, trying to script a conversation with her brother - just the thought was strange and new in a way that was more scary than exciting. If she listened carefully, she could hear her dad humming below her, probably busying himself with dinner preparations. That was good, at least he wasn't upset that she'd left early. She hoped Arc wasn't either, she'd hate to upset anyone this soon into their new arrangement. She distracted herself with these thoughts, but it soon became clear she'd need to leave again. So she thought through things properly, and when she'd calmed down enough to figure out a few questions to ask - and a good way to apologise while still introducing yourself - she rose and left the room.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 20, 2017 9:03:58 GMT -5
(Ack, class is getting intense and I just quit my job to keep up. I'll have a post here tonight.)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 20, 2017 9:39:43 GMT -5
( please, do take your time! I understand what being busy is like. )
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 22, 2017 23:35:53 GMT -5
(Ahhhh! One responsibility done! Just four more to go!)
Arc moved about his room... well, the room he was using, for a moment. For part of it he couldn't help but to pace, trying to think of what to do. His eyes went to the mirror by the dresser and he stopped. Did he look enough like them that people would think they were really related? Would he stand out too much? Should he... no. He quickly turned the mirror around before the idea could form. If he changed anything, he might not remember how to switch it back like it was before. Even if he didn't look like real family, he couldn't start changing anything. They still had his adoption paperwork with the 'official' record and photo of what he looked like. They'd notice.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 24, 2017 11:57:05 GMT -5
( ahh nice! it's always so satisfying to get something done. )
"Pey," Will greeted cheerily when she returned to the kitchen. "Dinner's just about ready. Go see if Arc wants to join us?" She smiled and nodded, pausing to see what her dad had decided on today. He seemed to have taken the safe route, going for the classic chicken and rice. He wasn't a bad cook, but she understood why he might want to take a safe option anyway. "Looks good dad," she commented as she turned to head back up the stairs, already dreading the inevitably awkward encounter. "You might want to set the table, though, so we can eat somewhere."
The man's eyes widened in realisation and he started moving again, waving her away. She chuckled and did as she'd promised, taking the stairs two at a time. She stopped outside her new brother's door (even thinking it was strange). What was she supposed to say? Gathering her nerves, she raised a fist and knocked twice, fidgeting as she waited for an answer.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Jan 24, 2017 22:28:05 GMT -5
Arc had heard the footsteps outside the bedroom door. Had he not, the knock might have startled him. He paused a moment, uncertain which person it was. He assumed the father's footfalls might have been heavier, but he'd been wrong before. "Yes?" He called, moving over to the door but not opening it yet. He was still a little cautious out of habit.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Feb 1, 2017 20:01:34 GMT -5
[ so sorry to keep you waiting this long! ]
"Erm," Peyton started, cautiously. "Dinner's ready if you want to eat." She cleared her throat, scratching her arm awkwardly. She didn't know exactly how she was supposed to act in this situation, because nobody had ever told her. Hopefully Arc could understand that, but she knew nothing about him or his experiences, so she couldn't say for certain if she should find that embarrassing or not.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Feb 2, 2017 1:53:00 GMT -5
Arc nodded slightly then realized she wouldn't be able to see the motion through the door. He cringed a little at his own mistake and opened the door, still a little pink in the face. "Okay... I'll head down in just a second... I'm just putting some things away." He lied quietly. He really didn't have much... He could shove it all in a drawer before going to the table so he couldn't be caught in the lie... Was it worth the effort... Not really.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Feb 2, 2017 2:32:23 GMT -5
The door opened and Peyton started, unprepared for Arc to appear in the doorway. She collected herself quickly, smoothing nonexistent creases in her shirt to distract from her tenseness. "Okay, sure, take your time." She was still for a few moments then, realising she wasn't needed and probably not wanted either, added, "I'll leave you to it," and turned to do just that.
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