[Edel PRP] Not So Little Anymore (Adi/Echo/Concerto)

[Meepfur]

Since Adrienne had decided that she was going to be an aoide, and would in fact be one once she'd found a god to serve, it occurred to her that it would be a good idea to, you know, talk to some aoidei and get a better feel for what it was like to be one. She knew what Rio's aoidei did, of course, and what her father did, but figured that the more she knew, the better! And Seduce had been around for a little bit, too, although he was drunk most of the time...and he'd sort of lost his goddess for awhile.

The 'next' aoide she knew, then, was her Aunt Echo's. Concerto had helped Rio with her when he was little, but had long since returned to Music's service. Which made sense, of course, since she had three kids. And anyway, not only was he someone else to get input from, she hadn't seen him in ages and she missed him!

So, in short, it was visiting time! Adi located the proper door and knocked.

[A Wandering Esper]

Well, Concerto had decided he was done wrangling kids for today, thank you - having appointed Alto to that post and now being in the process of exiting stage left. That is, until something knocked on the door just as he was about to open it.

Drat.

Well, he might as well... and so he did, looking at the person at the other side for a moment. A lovely young woman, yet she seemed familiar.

Wait...

...

Concerto couldn't help but keep on staring for a moment before he finally ventured. "Adrienne ?" But Adrienne was tiny last he saw of her, and it couldn't have honestly been that long ago !

Also, it was probably wrong to think of someone you've watched over a child to be cute, so he tried to banish the thought from his mind. Which was a little hard, because well, she had grown up to be rather cute.

[Meepfur]

For Adi's part, it was rather strange to not be looking way way up at her former babysitter. But not strange enough to give her much pause. After having a little bit of a giggle at the stare she ended up on the other end of, she threw her arms around him in a very enthusiatic hug. "Concerto~!"

[A Wandering Esper]

Cute girl hugging him. This was generally a good thing, but now if was just a wee bit akward.

"Jeez, I turn my back one minute and..." He did finally manage to kick off his awkwardness - or at least hide it - as he closed his arms around her to hug her back. "When did that happen ?"

It was a little mind-blowing. But then, she has grown from being a baby to a child rather quickly, so it wasn't that far-fetched.

[Meepfur]

Adrienne's ribboned, fluffy tail wagged fiercely as she squeezed Concerto, positively beaming. His question merited a pause for thought once she let him go, and she considered her fingers for assistance in answering. "Ummmm..."

Deciding to differentiate between young teenager and more grown-ish teenager, she finally settled on, "A few months?"

[A Wandering Esper]

Had it really been a few months ? It was almost a little hard to believe - but then, things has indeed became much more busy after his Lady's own children were born... He had, most likely, lost track of time. This was not a good thing for him, not really.

"Well, do you want to come inside ?" Lady Echo would find no wrong in it, he knew this for sure.

[Meepfur]

"Sure!" Tail still wagging - it was unlikely to stop anytime soon, really - Adi was glad to be invited in. That meant he wasn't busy, and she could talk to him! Were her cousins home? She gave a cursory glance around. If they were, they could play!

...but later, after she'd visited with Concerto. "How've you been?"

[A Wandering Esper]

"It's been pretty busy." The aoide grinned as he led her to the garden inside. Her rose bushes were there, healthy and thriving. "The three of my lady's children are nearly as much as an handful as you were." Concerto had to resist ruffling her hair like he used to do when she was little, not knowing how she would take it - she, at least, looked much too old for that kind of thing.

He sat at one of the tables, inviting her to do the same. "It's been a long time, though... Im glad to see you." He'd missed her, of course.

[Meepfur]

Adi was delighted to see the roses - and the rest of the garden! - which she inspected visually with great interest. She wouldn't have minded at all if Concerto had ruffled her hair; in fact, she would have been more than happy to bounce up and sit in his lap if she were still the right size for it. Well, technically she probably could have, but it wouldn't have been quite the same.

"I bet they don't bite as much as I did," she said with a giggle. She hadn't noticed fangs on Crys or Kios, either, and presumably her other cousin didn't have them either.

The werewolf sat when invited, though sitting still was clearly a difficulty. After a few moments, she changed her mind and opted to sit at Concerto's feet.

"I've missed you lots! I've been busy lately too, though." Yes, this was a much better spot! Adi's tail wagged contentedly. "I'm going to be an aoide!"

[A Wandering Esper]

"Not I personally." Or perhaps he'd simply gotten enough practice with Adrienne that he knew how to dodge without noticing ? Not that he could even imagine Akakios biting anybody. Not even in self-defence, really.

Sotiris, on the other end of the spectrum...

Her last sentence caught his interest, and he perked. "Really ? Who will you serve ?"

[Meepfur]

"I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "I dunno if I should wait for somebody to ask me, or if I should ask them. And I should probably meet some more gods, too." If she could be that patient, anyway, considering there was one she sort of liked...well, she liked everybody, but you know.

"How did you get to be Echo's?"

[A Wandering Esper]

"Well, back in the day, gods picked you." Concerto nodded along with his own words. A lot of his memories were muddy from his long sleep, but these were nearly crystal-clear. "These days... are mostly aoidei awakening and returning to their masters, if they are reborn. Many of us did die as the gods fell." His eyes turned dark as he spoke. These were not happy memories, and just talking about it made him feel like he was living it all over again. "Those who did not... We were put to sleep. It was better than waiting for ages and eons." If they hadn't... Alto had nearly let himself die after Echo had died, and only his brothers and the prospect that someday, things might be right again...

But no, there was no use telling Adi any of this.

"I think every aoidei are different. Some are born that way. Others became such, after being chosen. And then became immortal."

[Meepfur]

"That's really sad. It must have been awful." Shy and Ishkha had talked a little about going to sleep, but neither one of them remembered much. Poor Shy's goddess wasn't even back, although the doemoness seemed pretty happy with Rio in the meantime.

"So I should wait, then?" Adi supposed she could manage that, even if she was really excited and maybe a little patient, but...a thought occurred to her, and her tufted ears drooped. "What if nobody picks me?" And she'd just be waiting forever and ever...

[A Wandering Esper]

Maybe he was a little biased, but Concerto couldn't help but wonder just who the hell would refuse her when she looked just like that. He did smile at the thought, and shook his head.

"Well, that was back in the day. Back when there were so many gods, of everything and anything, and it was easier to get noticed if you tried hard enough... But well, it isn't like that anymore, isn't it ? So maybe this can be different, too."

He couldn't resist. He did reach down to pat her head. Rio came to mind instantaneously but... she'd probably thought about it first. And when he thought about it, it would be pretty awkward. "Like I said, many aoidei died back then. So many gods are being reborn with none at all. Ill'd say think about what you like to do. Think about deities that fit that." No sense into doing something you didn't enjoy, right ? "Then seek them out. Ask if they need any help. I think most would be happy to have you."

[Meepfur]

Adrienne's tail thumped lazily against the floor in response to the comforting contact. She was usually very confident, but this whole find-a-god/become-an-aoide business was different! It was really, really important. "There is somebody...I dunno if he has any aoidei, though. What if he does?"

Granted, Rio would never turn away another aoide, but maybe Glyph was different. There were just so many things she didn't know!