Flouresce - Kaelin

_{Strong Bond}



“Not that one…”

“What? Why not?”

“Papa, the color is atrocious…”Kaelin frowned and looked at his eldest daughter. Her eyebrows were raised and a pleading look was in her eyes. “Papa… Please, let me…”

“I’ve… never worn anything other than…”

“Robes? I know, Papa. You can get away with that when you’re on Monk duty…” She smiled gently and reached into her pocket pulling out a simple and black gray tie. “But when you’re on my time, I must beg that you allow me to dress you.”

“Whose tie is that?” Kaelin’s voice hit a few notes higher with genuine astonishment, "Is that... Is that Vincent’s?” His lavender eyes narrowed and he let out a frustrated sigh. “Did you steal that from your brother?”

“At least he has some sense of fashion.” Flouresce stated plainly reaching around her father to pull the tie onto him. He reached up as if to adjust it properly, but then stopped, making a face. Kaelin hadn’t the faintest idea how to work the magic that made a tie look so socially acceptable. Rolling her eyes the red-haired woman began to fix it for him. “Papa, I… really appreciate you doing this. Leon’s father will be delighted to meet you. He talks so much about you and your work.”

“Could have let me wear my usual clothes… Maybe then he would recognize me.” The blond was standing somewhat grouchily, his arms limp at his side, his head tilted slightly upwards and his eyes rolled back to stare at the ceiling. It was like dressing a five year old.

“Stop pouting, Papa.” Flouresce said, sighing again. She brushed her fathers professional looking white button up shirt obsessively a few times at the shoulders, as if trying to smooth out the imaginary wrinkles she was so sure were going to suddenly appear during the dinner. Her husband’s father—a well renowned doctor himself—had expressed deep interest in meeting Kaelin…That was, Kaelin the doctor. Not Kaelin the monk. Stephen was looking to meet a professional—suit, tie, sincerity and intellect. The latter two Kaelin could pull off—the former? Flouresce wasn’t so sure.

Kaelin was nice enough of a man. Gentle by nature, cautious but sweet… He was smart and creative. He was the sole reason why so many mixed-blood demons were no longer living up to their names as ‘blood thirsty, mindless killers’. It hadn’t been their fault—it had never been. A chemical imbalance struck those of mixed-blood eventually. Kaelin had found a way to stop the chemical imbalances. It was ingenious. It was simple. It was painless. It was a simple herb, ground up and served as a tea. It was remarkable.

“Hunny… I am so happy I finally get to meet Leon’s father… but…” Kaelin took a few steps back, out of his daughters reach and helplessly threw out his arms. “Is this really necessary, dear? I am still Kaelin Starboon regardless of what clothes I’m wearing.”

“I know, Papa… It’s just…” She bit her lip and looked away guiltily. She had pulled Kaelin’s hair back into a low pony-tail. It was a clean look—somewhat masculine and an entirely different style than what Kaelin ever wore. He was the feminine one of Flouresce’s two fathers. Everything about him screamed that he was the mother of the family… yet now, when Flouresce reluctantly let her eyes find her fathers uncomfortable face again, she realized how easily he could pass as any other ordinary doctor.

“What’s this? The jacket? Does it go with this tie?” Kaelin made a strangled noise and he began to pull it on, “I guess it’s a suit… so the tie just automatically goes with it, right?” He turned back to his daughter and began to button up the front. “What’s wrong, Flouresce?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Hm?” Kalein took a moment to glance up from his struggle with the buttons on his jacket.

Flouresce sighed, her hands found the curve of her hips and her head dropped shamefully. Her crimson locks bounced playfully around her tilted face. “Papa, I’m sorry… I don’t mean to be so snobby about this.”

“These… silly buttons are entirely too…” Kaelin scrunched up his face, “small…” he finished with a huff.

Flouresce shook her head slowly and reached up and began to fasten the rest of the buttons on the suit. In the last few minutes Kaelin had only managed to button two of them. Kaelin made a face, a little upset that all his hard work was being outdone in a matter of seconds.

“I guess I look... professional now, right?” He dropped his chin slightly and his eyes searched up towards his daughters face. She was only taller than him because of her heels. It didn’t matter though, since she refused to meet his gaze anyways.

“You do—“ She paused and struggled mentally for a moment, “I’m glad you’re going to spend time with Leon’s father. I don’t know what he would think about you with your usual flowing blond hair, glistening lips and fluttering robes.”

Kaelin’s hands found his daughters suddenly and she jerked up, surprised. “…Are you… ashamed of that, Flouresce?”

“No! Of course not… Papa... I just…” She sighed softly. “I wanted…”

“To impress Stephen? Yes... I understand, but a snazzy tie and suit doesn’t make me anymore impressive than fluttering robes and flowing blond hair.” He snorted out the last bit, almost a little sarcastically. She bit her lip and her green eyes failed to meet his lavender ones. “Come here. Give me a hug.”

She embraced him quietly and sighed but then her brow furrowed…

Often Flouresce forgot about the earrings that her parents wore. She almost never noticed them anymore since they were always wearing them. Each had taken one earring of a pair. Each pair represented one of their children. On their left ears were eight earrings—all different, all unique, all representing the eight boys they had raised. On their right ears were five all equally unique earrings that represented their five daughters. Each of their children had been allowed to pick out a set of earrings for their parents to wear.

Flouresce let out a soft laugh, and reached up to gently touch the earring her father wore that represented her. It was, to say the least, an ugly thing. It was a yellow and green butterfly, obnoxiously bright and horrid. She had not been so wise at the age of eight when she had picked it out—but apparently her young self had thought the earring was a good idea at the time… Now when she looked at it she could only laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Kaelin asked quietly, tilting his head. It was with that look—that subtle tilt of his head, those wide questioning lavender eyes that were so like him. Everything else about him had been altered. Everything from the way his hair was tamed into a pony tail, to the very way he was standing from the strangely foreign attire… It was like looking at someone that wasn’t her father. It was like looking at a stranger. It made her heart hurt.

“…Papa, take off the suit,” she said resigned, turning away.

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Those clothes just don’t… suit you.”

Kaelin blinked questioningly at her and his hands raised hesitantly up to the jacket. He began to cautiously unfasten the buttons. “Change of conscience?”

“You’ve never asked me if I wanted to pick out a new earring,” she said quietly.

He paused and his eyes wandered away, his lips pursed together and his brows furrowed. He gaze quickly returned to her, but his confusion remained,“…I’m not following.”

“Even though it’s the ugliest thing in the entire world… You still wear it. Proudly.” She turned back to him and her smile became a little more sincere. “You might secretly hate the way it looks, may not agree with the style, but it was my choice… and you respect that.”

“…Are you saying my clothes are ugly?”

Flouresce laughed out loud—heartily. Kaelin seemed to hesitate for a moment before he too began to laugh with her. “No, Papa… nothing like that. You look smashing in purple.”

“Good.. I thought maybe my whole life had been a lie. You know? With the flowing purple robes and all. I was fearful for a moment that everyone just thought I was a big nutcase.”

“You’re not a nutcase,” she said quietly, reaching out to cup her fathers face gently, “You’re you, and I love you for that. Let Stephen be a little weirded out by your feminine allure. Just… don’t let him put the moves on you. Daddy might kill him… Stephen is already terrified enough so I think that thought alone will keep him from… Oh, what the hell am I saying? Go put your robes on. You have to leave here in five minutes.”

“Got it.” Kaelin turned to leave but quickly scooted back, ‘The tie? I don’t…” She reached up and jerked it a few times and it came loose. “Thanks… I promise to be good, says my please and thank-yous. Smile…”

“Just… be yourself, Papa.”

“Right.” He smiled and took his daughters face between both of his hands, “I love you Flouresce.”

“I love you too, Papa.”

Kaelin smiled brightly and turned on his heel, hurrying down the hall to put on his ‘fluttering robes’ and let loose his ‘flowing hair’.

That image by itself made Flouresce laugh.


[Ramirez]

<sub>A/N:Story Bond 19/81 of a project I'm working on.

I am thoroughly convinced that this entire plot-line was inspired by House, M.D. I don't know how, but I've been watching like 3-4 episodes a day... and have you seen Wilson's ties? Omfg. They're uglier than sin! So... when I started to write this.. I knew I wanted to write about the earrings.. but I didn't know how to start it off.. and I started writing.. and the last episode of House I just finished... Wilson had the ugliest tie on... and.. yeah... ><;; So... I don't know. I'm confused myself. This came out longer than I expected it to be and much more sad and dramatic.

Kaelin... makes me laugh. I love him so much since he's such a sweetheart... even when he's uncomfortable he'll push through it. He... is the best. Seriously. He rawks.

Flouresce is pushy since she's the eldest of 13. You can't blame her. XD</sub>


Back to Story Bonds
or Ramirez's Art