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Felixir · #1 (**permalink**) 02-08-2021, 02:41 AM

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Candela and Kaiser met in December 2100 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when she was in her fifth year, and he in his seventh. Their initial interaction was brought about by Candi's concern over a mutual friend with a crush, and a protectiveness over that friend which prompted her to ~~corner~~ approach Kaiser.

Though Kaiser abruptly left Hogwarts and dropped off the radar soon after, the pair nevertheless struck up a friendship over the summer, a friendship which deepened significantly with every conversation. They were kindred.

When Hogwarts was cut off from the outside world by the Rheticus Vortex in 2101 and 2102, communication between Candi and Kaiser stopped, but this only strengthened their friendship further. Candi was free to leave Hogwarts again in the summer of 2102, and when she chose to drop out entirely, Kaiser offered for her to live with him in the Unplottable flat he had recently moved to. With her boyfriend's blessing, Candi agreed, and moved in right away.

As the end of 2103, Candi and Kaiser are still living together as best friends, now with an adopted stray tabby cat named Cosmo, and, perhaps in the near future, Kaiser's young son, Elio.

C A S T
[closed RP]
Candela (sweetpinkpixie)
Kaiser (Felixir)

[This thread is a general Candi and Kaiser RP location, existing for various scenes and settings, and maybe occasionally some other characters too (by invitation). Their connection is the overarching plot/theme. Bios and setting descriptions will be edited in here as they are introduced in the thread.]

Felixir · 02-12-2021, 12:33 AM

SCENE ONE - [title]
23rd December 2103

The flat was not a particularly large one, Kaiser could admit that. It had been the first place available to him, at a time when he was between jobs, in urgent need of a new place to live, and unwilling to accept too much financial help from Stemp House, especially given he had asked so much of Lorelai and Saffron around that time. So yes, the flat was small, but he'd never really minded. It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things; there was a roof and four walls, windows, and a door, and it was hidden, Unplottable, known only to the few people who needed to know. This flat was a million miles from other places he'd known. Not to mention, it suited him and Candi. And Cosmo. And the eight thousand books or so that he'd filled the place with that past year.

Sitting on the floor of the living room, Kaiser stared the Hungarian Horntail cuddly toy, positioned in the middle of a large square of birthday wrapping paper, adorned with balloons and clouds. He pulled the corners of the paper together, let them go, tried the other corners, abandoned them too, then lay the dragon on its side and attempted to roll it in the paper, only to give up once again.

More sitting. More staring. A mild throbbing in his head, the only lingering sign from the previous day's migraine; they'd been getting more persistent again recently.

Kaiser looked up again, deadpanned at Candi. "It's a sign. I should have got something else for him." He stared around the living room, at the piles of books nearby. "You think he's still too young for an Italian translation of Les Misérables?" Rhetorical question.

Unless...

sweetpinkpixie · 02-12-2021, 04:01 AM

The eight thousand books of which thirty or so had attempted to physically harm her a couple of weeks ago. Sure, perhaps she should not have climbed up on the counter in the first place during her search for a bowl...but there was something to be said about keeping books in the kitchen pantry and using them like bricks to hide the actual kitchen necessities. Still, she continued to be grateful for Kaiser offering for her to live with him and it had been one of the final affirmations in her decision to finally break off from her adoptive family and step into the light on her own. It had been one of the most, if not THE most, liberating moments of her life. She could do with fewer books, however. And she really did need to point out to him that what had nearly happened to her, arguably an adult, could happen all the more easily once they had Elio living with them as well. The mountains and towers of books were a bit of a hazard.

Though she was hoping he would piece this together on his own. They perform an Extension Charm on a trunk or two to fit them all in. There were options.

Her own gifts laid out to her right with her wrapping paper selection on her left, she was just finishing up her work on a special something for Frederick when Kaiser began behaving like a restless feline trying to figure out how best to situate itself in a box that they were obviously too large for. It was nearly impossible not to draw comparisons between Kaiser and Cosmo on the daily - both were her stray cats. Finishing her boyfriend's gift off with a ribbon and setting it aside, the former Hufflepuff scooted herself across the floor closer to his efforts and tossed her curls (she was back to thick ringlets and braids - seafoam turquoise highlights here and there - rather than her signature dandelion fluff aesthetic) around a bit while she shook her head and giggled softly. "No...but it is a sign that the paper needs to be larger. Three times the size of the Horntail with some excess at the sides ought to do it..." she paused and tapped her lower lip while eyeing the remaining roll of birthday wrapping and then her own little pile of gifts for Elio. All of them art supplies, of course, from large crayons made easier for tiny hands to hold to jumbo paint brushes where all Elio would have to do was squeeze the handle and paint would produce itself in the brush portion to finger paints to chalk. It all boded well for the mural they were STILL working on in Kaiser's room as well, though at least now they seemed to have settled on the design and it was now penciled on the wall.

Only took...three or four times but she had not minded. It needed to be just right and if anything the numerous rejected designs had provided her with more practice.

"...I can use this square of paper for some of these. They ought to all fit." Since her offerings were mostly flat and compact compared to the bulky dragon. "I'll show you how to wrap this perfect plushie up." She even picked up said stuffed animal and gave it a kiss on the snout. "And then if you really want to give Elio an Italian translation of Les Misérables you can do that too. He love you reading to him. Also ... pretty sure I have seen at least four copies of that here somewhere."

Maybe even one of the ones that had attempted to knock her on the head.

Felixir · 02-12-2021, 05:41 AM

For the record, since Candi had nearly died by book avalanche, Kaiser had been subtly endeavouring to charm each and every stack, pile, and sequestered batch so that they were gravity resistant, at least inasmuch as they wouldn't topple or relinquish a single book unless it was deliberately removed. It was just that there were... a lot. Hard to remember which he had already charmed, and which he had charmed three or four or eight times over.

But he liked seeing them. The books. Kaiser didn't know how to explain it, didn't really understand the logic himself, but there was a kind of comfort in being able to see them, and in knowing they were there. It was especially significant - and, on a private level, extremely concerning - as he'd not been so attached to anything (person, place, or object) in... years? Maybe ever.

Until he could confront whatever truth the books represented, they were staying put. Mostly.

"Three times the size?" Kaiser repeated, looking between the square he'd cut for himself, and then the roll. Clearly this piece really was too small, so he handed it over to Candi. "You're sure that's not too... much?" Waste of paper, maybe? Kaiser did manage to refrain from insisting he could manage to wrap the idiot dragon himself, mostly because if he messed it up, it really would be a waste. He was working on allowing Candi to help him with things too, but so far he could only seem to manage it in simple things like this before the urge to push back tended to strike. At least he knew that she knew exactly what she was doing with this stuff. Allegedly. "I still don't understand why we're arming a two-year-old with art supplies; Saffs and Alby will hunt me down. Then, of course, I'll have to send them after you." Totally unavoidable, of course.

Kaiser briefly side-eyed Candi, as he picked up on that hint about the books. Honestly, if there was anything that made him all the more stubborn about keeping them, it was a hint. Or a perceived hint. Same thing, really. Candi didn't need to know just yet that he'd been surreptitiously taking a couple of books at a time and passing them along to new homes - after he'd read them - and it was unlikely she figure it out any time soon... there wasn't exactly a noticeable dent at the moment. He kind of wanted it to be a surprise anyway. A really... really lacklustre surprise.

"You probably have, but they are all by different translators." It was true there were no repeat editions of the books in this flat; no special covers or anything, different content every time (the variety of translations did count as different). Kaiser heaved a sigh, aiming for frustration over the wrapping of the gift, missed the mark entirely, and landed in dejection. Realising this, he held back the remark he had been about to make, about not having any idea what Elio did or did not love, only that Kaiser himself likely fell into the latter category. "I can save the book for next year."

Maybe by then, Kaiser would have Elio here. Maybe any number of things might have happened by then.

The weight of the world bore down heavy on his shoulders.

sweetpinkpixie · 02-17-2021, 08:39 AM

She would hardly consider that a near death experience, but if he wanted to assume the worst case scenario and be affectionately dramatic about it then he was entitled to that. Though she had noticed the addition of charms to the various stacks of books, at least in the areas of the flat she frequented, and it was an improvement from before...but still a bit of a hazard considering the little sunspot they were hoping to have join them soon. So, again, still counting a tiny bit on the best friend sorting out the potential dangers and being proactive about that. And, seeing as he was apparently quite good at assuming the worst, it seemed very plausible he would get there. Or perhaps her and Cosmo could stage a scene to push the narrative. Just in case. In a pinch. Leading the hippogriff to water and helping him realize the need to drink from it too.

The Library of Alexandria was safe for the time being.

"Mmmhmm," she nodded as she took the piece he had cut and draped it over her gifts to divide up later for all her rectangular gifts. "Three times the size of a Hungarian Horntail stuffed animal and it would be helpful if you could tear me off about....oh...hmmm....five pieces of tape about 5 Bertie Bott's in length. Just stick them to the tips of your fingers and I'll pull them off as I go." She tapped her lip and looked around at the array of options and, once the dragon was in her lap, reached for the roll of wrapping paper. "I can use the paper after, even if Elio tears it to shreds opening it. Repurpose it and make a textile out of it. Or some paper decorations for you and Elio's room." Or her own. Possibilities were endless. This former Hufflepuff, much like Kaiser, was not a fan of waste. It was something Sophia had praised once in her designs and the accessories she made. "Hunt you down? Why would they do that?" she asked as she looked up from her rolling out of paper and setting the dragon at the base and then placing her finger at the tip of the wing. "But I don't mind talking to them so...okay! Send them my way." It was probably about time she had a proper audience with the couple anyway, especially after everything they had done for Kaiser. She could make them some Brigadeiro.

Shifting the dragon up the paper, now his foot at her finger, she looked up at him with a delighted grin. As though she had been hoping he would ask her this very question. Though her initial reaction was to simply reply with 'why not?' and a cheeky giggle, but she knew that would not be satisfactory and only warrant a deadpan. If she was going to earn a Kaiser deadpan she wanted to properly earn one. "Well, for one, art can help teach and practice skills like patterning and cause and effect. For example, pushing down on a crayon while drawing making the color more saturated and less pressure for a lighter color. Also sensory learning aaaaaaaand..." she hummed as she moved the stuffed animal up into the third position. "...art also helps with language reinforcement...discussing colors, shapes, patterns and all aspects of the creative process. Activities for us to do with him and bond." And they had talked in relatively great lengths about Elio and his language acquisition, particularly since his dad was such a polyglot, and the fact that English was neither Kaiser's nor her own's first language. "Plus...it's fun. And you'll get all kinds of art pieces to hang on the walls or the refrigerator door...or attach to book towers. Or your office at the Ministry."

Content with the amount of paper, she applied a Severing Charm and set the dragon in her lap once again as she leaned forward to fold the paper in on either side and then looked over expectantly at him for those strips of tape so she could seal the seam. Length of five Bertie Bott's?

Still serving under the assumption that the gift of Les Misérables had been a dose of Kasier dry sense of humor and, seeing as she was focused on wrapping and not his nonverbal communication, was missing the stairs of self deprecation he was pushing himself down.

"You know...if you're still in the business of collecting books, we could go out sometime and look for children's ones." Even Kaiser had been serious about Les Misérables, Elio was going to need to start small before he started hearing about the nature of law and grace, rebellion, and moral philosophy.

Had Kaiser realized that he was a particularly drawn to a work that examined the experience of redemption? It had been a very prominent thing she had picked up when she had unearthed a Portuguese translation among the towers and read it over the course of a year.

Felixir · 02-23-2021, 04:42 AM

Candela could really talk. She had the capacity to keep going and going where, aside from certain favourite subjects, Kaiser would have cut himself off and kept his thoughts firmly to himself, at least until they seemed significant enough to share. And even then... well, one of their earliest inside jokes had been Kaiser's preference to say as much as possible in as few words as he could. As for Candi, he generally let her talk as long as she wanted to. Not in the sense that he tuned her out until she was done - usually he kept listening, paying attention to what she was saying because he did genuinely want to hear it, though he had his off days too - only that he rarely interrupted her train of thought.

In return, Candela was usually the one to draw Kaiser's thoughts out of him, getting him to voice them instead of spiralling into them. It was a system that worked, until he got too in his head about that too. She knew more about what went on in his head, how he worked through things and pieced information together, than anyone else in the world. Naturally terrifying.

"Because you're giving a two year old paint and setting him loose in their house, maybe?" he chimed in, in between tearing off little strips of tape with his teeth, and sticking them to his fingertips. "But I would be their first target, as it's my fault he's there in the first place."

He glanced up and... oh. That grin - though he did like seeing Candela happy - gave Kaiser a bad feeling. Like she was going to overwhelm him with-... there it was. How did she remember all that? Kaiser read - read a lot, shocking - but not really about that kind of stuff. Every time he tried, getting through it and processing the information was like trying to fight his way through quicksand à la Jean Valjean, but with none of the success.

There were a lot of similar parallels with that particular character, as it happened, and some very relevant themes, and Kaiser had indeed absolutely noticed. Thank you, Candela. ~~For noticing.~~ Now shhh.

Needless to say, she got the deadpan expression she had worked so hard to earn, and he sat there quietly, holding out the hand which bore the tape she wanted. "... Art pieces just in the flat, I think," he replied at last, and left it at that. He'd just have to take her word for it, the importance of the art stuff; he did trust her judgement on it, as creativity was more her thing, and she had Elio's best interests at heart. In any case, thoughts of the wider world were still too preoccupying to allow Kaiser to delve very far into these parenting talks. Probably for the best.

Books though. A topic he was suddenly, like the flip of a switch, much happier to divert back to. "Ahh... well, there are a lot of those here already. I thought they were about to let me have him, remember?" Kaiser was very straightforward in his tone here; it was easier to refer back to that time in a casual way, and he largely relied on Candela following his lead, until he was ready to face it head on. "They... I just put those ones out of sight for now." Anyway. "Do you think we should take some of these others as gifts? When we go to Charles', I mean?" There was, without a doubt, something for everyone hidden away in their tiny flat; it was just a case of hunting it down.

And Kaiser knew he could wrap a book much better than a fiddly little stuffed dragon.

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