Can We Play With Them? (Gabe/Luis/Sitara)

[Deleted]

Today was going to be a wonderful day, Lilium could feel it. Today however, she would not be with her beloved Esmek, which was fine. Lili felt that this day should be with family...although, a lot of her family had vanished today, doing who knows what. That was ok today, they should do whatever made them happy. The only one of her many siblings who was available was Gabe, the oldest and by far the most over protective. Lili loved her brother though, despite his gloomy attitude or his stubbornness at times. She knew he was only trying to look out for her, and it was understandable. She was the only Kriotag female to have a very serious disability, and that was the loss of her hearing. Sure, Alenko had it very rough, the poor boy. Lili would rather remain deaf then be like her poor brother, who was seriously damaged in the head during some skirmish with a Seskrit ages ago. He had trouble remembering a great deal of many things, including his Seskrit girlfriend Tuuli. And then of course he had the crazy mood swings. No thank you, the loss of hearing is a much better alternative. Despite her accident, Lili was happy. She could cope with her issues, though Esmek had a hard time getting over his guilt over the deal. And then there was Gabe, who turned practically into a mother bear. Again though, the female Oushaga could understand.

Lili skipped happily, her fiery red hair flowing behind her and her green eyes alight with a giddy excitement. She was dressed in fairly appropriate clothing for the weather, and the destination she had wanted to visit. The girl was in a pair of white flip flops, shorts, and a light blue tanktop. And underneath her clothes was a swim suit, just in case she decided to go in for a swim. She felt comfortable in the warm weather, and felt absolutely happy. She stopped and turned around, a huge, child like grin on her face as she faced Gabe. "Come on slow-poke!" She called, perhaps a little louder than normal seeing as she could never tell how loud she was. As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, forming signs as she spoke her words. It was an unconscious habit to sign as she spoke now. Lili bounced in place before turning around again, facing the lake that was now only a short walk away. Unable to contain herself, the female mad a made dash to the water and stopped just at the edge, gazing at the water that lapped on the shore. She looked back at Gabe again, her grin unchanged before she slipped off her flip-flops and walked ankle deep into the cool water. "The water feels so great!" Lilium said aloud, crouching down for a moment to touch the water with her hand. She really hoped Gabe would have a little fun...just a little bit and Lili would be very happy. She hated seeing her brother always so down. Lili looked back to Gabe once more, standing up. She made a gesture at Gabe to come join her, smiling as she did so.

[Gabriel Cole]

It was going to be a long day. Gabe just knew it was. Keeping a steady gait as he walked behind his sister, Lili, he thought about how he had even managed to get himself here in the first place. Surprisingly enough, nobody else in the family had been free to tag along today, and he seemed to be the only one with nothing particularly spectacular to do. So, rather than just sitting there at home wasting his life away, he decided to join his sister on a trip to the lake. It was a good enough distraction from himself, for the most part. Lilium was skilled in the art of drawing his attention and occupying his time. When she wasn't doing something that he knew was alright for her, she was mostly with that idiot of a Seskrit Esmek, and that in itself was enough to get Gabriel involved. He couldn't stand Esmek, not in the slightest, and so he often found himself popping up randomly upon Lili whenever she was with him, simply to make sure nothing that was harmful to her had the opportunity of happening. Sure, he was a bit overprotective at times, but he meant it in the best way possible. After his years spent here, he wanted his siblings to never have to go through such experiences as he had, even if that meant he had to crack down on them a little harder and more often than usual. Watching his siblings also provided a type of refuge for him, something to occupy his time and thoughts so that he wouldn't be able to get lost in the dark, depressed recesses of his mind that he often succumbed to when he was alone. So at least that much was okay about it all.

With a quiet sigh Gabriel lifted his dark eyes up to look at his sister as she called out to him. It appeared they had finally reached the lake, and he rolled his eyes at her name for him before he glanced out to the water. The day was actually quite perfect for such an outing as this, and the sun reflected brightly off the lapping waves as his eyes skimmed the shiny surface. He had no plans for stepping into that water. He wore his usual jeans and a dark blue button-up, exposing no more skin than necessary. Shifting his eyes back over, Gabe watched as his sister stopped just at the water's edge before finally breaching it, taking a few steps in and touching its surface. Sometimes, he envied the light-heartedness of Lili. Even with the hand she had been dealt, she made do, and walked with a skip in her step without the accompanyment of hearing. He had never been able to rebound like her, and because of that, a darkness always seemed to plague him. Gabriel took a few steps closer then paused on the sand, his black converses prohibiting any of the grainy substance from touching his feet. The dark-haired male stood there quietly for a moment before nodding at Lili, lifting his hands to sign at her as well as speaking the words, just as she now communicated. "You should've brought along some floaties," he teased, his sister one of the few people who ever got such comments from him. It wasn't really like him to crack something with a jokeful undercurrent to it, but with Lili here, he figured he might as well attempt to be a smidge lighter in mood than usual. But it probably wasn't going to last very long.

[Deleted]

Not to far from the two siblings Luis walked along the water's edge. He had recently been offered a security job but turned it down because he needed a break from the usual, that's why he was out here today. To enjoy himself. He was dressed in blue surfer shorts and a black tank top, his sandals hung limp from hand. Luis proffered to feel the ground beneath his feet. As he continued down the beach he spotted a red headed woman interacting with the water, looking up beach a little he saw her companion. "Well at least I'm not alone out here today." He muttered to himself as he approached the pair. "Hi there, mind if i join you two out here?" he called out

[Sitara Cole]

Hm, another year, another experience! Sitara had been living here for a total of three years at this point, and they had been pretty... Interesting years! Sitara had learned what rain was and how it made her slightly chilly- which was odd. Not too many things chilled the girl in the slightest, but rain was an exception it seemed. However, the girl had never even considered swimming. Oh heavens no, splashing around in a large body of distilled rain? That sounded so... So... Fun! In actuality, Sitara had not come to the lake to swim. She didn't even mean to adventure this far out! The girl had only intended to walk around to see what she could find, and it looked like- Ooh people!

Sitara's eyes widened when she noticed a familiar figure. Gabriel! A giggling Sitara ran over in her own pair of tan sandals and jean shorts, and yes, of course, a nice galaxy tanktop, stopping just short of the water and waving her arms frantically to keep from falling forward into it. Staring at it for a moment, she switched her eyes to Gabe, a smile plastered on her face. Eyes a deep indigo, Sitara broke the silence. "Gabriel Kriotag! Hello!" She'd officially known him for a year! Looking out into the water, she waved to the red-haired doll. "Hello to you, too, new hu- female!" Sitara blinked and stepped back from the water a few paces before a new shape caught her attention. Another male? Oh joy, more people to meet! Waving happily, Sitara took off her own flipflops and set them in the sand. Looking to Gabe, she asked a question. "He seems nice, can he join us? Yay!" Without waiting for an answer, the female waved over the new man. "You seem kind! Come enjoy the sunlight with us!"

[Deleted]

Lili really did love it out here. It was just beautiful, and the water looked so inviting. She just really wished Gabriel would join her. However, she was just happy he tolerated her enough to tag along with her to the lake. The girl looked over at her brother, still beaming at him as he walked over. She rolled her eyes and giggled at his comment, very lightly pushing his shoulder. "Ha ha very funny! I am not that terrible of a swimmer." Lili said with another giggle as she signed out her words. She crouched down into the water again and wet her hands before standing back up again. The girl grinned and flicked some water at Gabe. Lili looked back to the water, seeing something swimming just in front of her. "Fishy!" She squealed, taking a few steps deeper into the water until it lapped at her shins.

The girl did not hear the approach of the new female and male, so it was a surprise when she finally turned back around. She gasped, seeing first the female who was speaking with her brother. The girl was saying something to her, and Lili narrowed her eyes, trying to read her lips. She did smile and wave back though...too bad she couldn't see what she had said. The male had spoken too, though she had been unable to catch his words. She walked back towards the shore, a curious expression on her face.

"Hello new people! Gabe, do you know them?" Lili asked, turning to her brother and signing once more.

[Gabriel Cole]

Crossing his arms over his chest, Gabe watched as his sister enjoyed the water of the lake, feeling a hint of envy at her carefree ways again. She could go anywhere and do anything, and she would never have a problem. She was very good at keeping herself upbeat. She was a kind soul, though, something that she shared with Narissa. They could both hold their own, but they were always sweet and caring before jumping to conclusions. Gabe, on the other hand, had lost that lightness in his heart. He was too heavily weighed down after all his years to break the surface of the waters of his depression, and his outer self often reflected that through a cold, tough exterior. He was better than he used to be, though. When certain people came into play, that is. A smile didn't cross his lips at Lili's antics, but amusement did worm its way into his eyes, their dark depths just a hint brighter as he rose an eyebrow at her comment. "Just be thankful you aren't Arg," he replied, uncrossing his arms so he could sign while speaking, "or else you really would need floaties." His poor brother. Arganok couldn't swim at all, and Gabe almost felt a twinge of pity for his sibling. Then he remembered that this was Arganok he was thinking about, and that any shape or form of pity was well wasted on him. He didn't need it. He was strong and fully capable of handling himself, even when it came to water.

As Lili suddenly reached down into the water, Gabe allowed his gaze to follow her hands, his nose scrunching when water was suddenly bombarded onto his face. Silly Lili, she knew how he was, and she also knew that the chances of him actually returning fire were slim to none. Rarely did Gabriel "play around" anymore. Rather, Gabe just took a slight step back, quickly brushing a hand over his face to collect the stray droplets left behind as Lilium suddenly became absorbed in a fish swimming near her. That almost made a smile appear on his face. It was just like his sister to take interest in something that many would overlook. She often, as many would put it, "stopped to smell the roses" in life. Just about to cross his arms again, a new voice suddenly caught his attention, one that he remembered well since the first day he heard it. Gabriel turned his head over quickly, his eyes landing on his... Er... Friend, actually, as surprising as that may sound. Sitara. Putting his arms out on impulse as if to catch her , he watched as the girl steadied herself at the water's edge before she could tumble in, and he mentally let out a sigh of relief as he lowered his hands back down. His eyes locked on the indigo of hers, and he nodded once, a bit surprised at her presence. What a coincidence that they would happen to run into each other here.

"Hello," he greeted in return, his eyes shifting their focus from her to something behind her automatically as soon as a movement had caught their attention. A newcomer. He seemed to have taken an interest in the duo-turned-trio, and was headed their way, even stepping out on a limb and calling out to them. Due to years of habit, Gabriel felt himself tense a little as the man neared them. He couldn't help his reactions to things, they had been engrained in his mind for many, many years. There was no getting rid of them on a whim now. Sitara suddenly spoke up, regaining his attention for a moment, though it was short-lived. He was left speechless as she answered her own question, and slowly he turned to look at his sister, her words taking a second to register in his mind. Automatically Gabriel nodded, but then he paused and slowly shook his head, before ultimately giving up and just shrugging at it all. Gabe reached out to Lili with one hand and wrapped his long fingers around her forearm to draw her closer before he released her and looked from her to the newcomer to Sitara. Things had suddenly become a bit too crowded for the usually lonesome Oushaga. Clearing his throat, Gabe gestured from Lili to Sitara before he looked at his sister and signed while saying, "Lili, this is Sitara, a... Friend of mine." His gaze shifted to the other young man and he outstretched his hand to him in greeting, a bit reluctant on the matter but doing so anyways. "And you are?" He probably sounded a little curt, but some things just couldn't be helped. As mentioned before, his mood often depended on who he was with, and he had never been very good at socializing with strangers.

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At seeing Sitara wave at him he approached the group, he was doing his best to seem friendly. "I'm Luis." He said happily, a smile on his face as he shook gabe's hand. He nodded his head to Sitara and Lili smiling as he did so. "It's a great day isnt it?" he asked, trying to make some kind of conversation.