CLOMP-a-saurus
Shirtless Husband
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- Being the mansion's overseer often meant late nights. It really wasn't so much work during the day, when the children and teenagers were off at school, but at night she had to look over grades, and look at any calls she'd gotten, tell the servants and cooks what was to happen the following day, the like. Lila owned the building, but Mycah made it run.
The city elf remembered a time when she had been the child being taken care of here, but then, at the time, the situation had been quite different. Like all the children, Mycah had come off the street. A true city elf was almost always an unwanted child, and were abandoned soon after birth, just as Mycah had been. Most quickly turned to drugs at a fairly young age, and became so addicted that they forgot what they were, what powers they might have, and lived their lives only trying to feed their habit. Mycah had been lucky, instead of drugs, she had turned to religion. The two sided god(dess) had spoken to her very strongly, and, despite diet changes, it had kept her strong of mind and body until fortune smiled upon her again and brought her Lila.
Lila, despite living in the city, was not a city elf. She was a clumsy, ditzy, forgetful forest elf, who had married a very rich human man in a union that had produced no children. The husband had been growing old in years, and to comfort him, Lila had decided to take a child in, to act as their own. She had gone to the streets and simply plucked Mycah up.
The husband had not lasted a month after her arrival, but Lila kept Mycah anyway, using her to distract her from grief, teaching her to speak, dress, and act like a lady, and it didn't stop there. Lila gave her the best education possible, let her follow her own religion, and, within reason, do as she pleased.
In the end, Lila had even named Mycah her heiress, and the blond had been grateful enough that when Lila asked her to help with this project she wanted to start, the city elf could not say no. There was a problem though. Mycah had been grateful, young, and had taken to Lila completely during the course of her...upbringing. The people Lila chose now were often older, old enough to already be molded into their personalities, old enough to really just view being here as free food, beds, and clothes. They did not appreciate what they were being offered, they blew off their classes, and often ran off in the middle of the night to do what they wanted...or tried, as Mycah was not easy to get past.
By now, Mycah knew all the tricks in the book, and had developed a whole book of tricks of her own. A generally effective trick was to get up early, not Mycah's favorite thing, and eat breakfast with the teens and children before the bus came to cart them off to school, and that was exactly what was happening right now.
Some children had cereal, others bacon and eggs, some even had pancakes, but Mycah had a strict diet of fruit and vegetables, preferably unprocessed and raw, and so she sat to the right of the head of the table ( for that was Lila's chair, even when she did not sit in it ) idly eating from a bowl of fruit as she scrutinized each one of the young people at the table. Most of them kept their eyes decidedly away from hers...in fact, it was only the newest boys who could hold her gaze for more than a couple of moments, one of them even going so far as to smirk cockily when they saw her looking. Someone hadn't learned their lesson yet. They would.
"Remember," Mycah said easily, in such an offhand way that it sounded like an afterthought, even though the blond had brought this topic up at least once a day for the last week, "Grade reports come out on Friday. I will be looking over each of your reports carefully, and there will be consequences if I find them unsatisfactory." There would also be rewards if she found a report to be exceptional, but the likelihood of that happening with this group was slim to none.
A couple more minutes passed in relative silence, with the kids chatting amongst themselves, and then, finally, there was the distinctive beep of a horn and Mycah lifted her head, "There's the bus, get going. Be careful."
Most of the people at the table got to their feet and made their way toward the door, knowing all too well what would happen if they didn't, but Mr. Cocky Smirk lingered long enough to earn himself a look, to which he said, "I was thinking I would stay home today."
"Funny, I was thinking you'd go to school."
"I don't think that's really what you want, is it?"
She almost laughed. Almost. She didn't have time to be condescending right now though, the bus was waiting. "If your a** isn't on the bus in ten seconds, you'll find out what I really want, and it isn't what you think it is." Kicking him in the shins all the way to school was a horribly tempting option when she was annoyed, but, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, he got to his feet, dejected, but not convinced, and made his way out to the bus.
Soon, she heard the sounds of the bus starting up and driving off and Mycah sat back in her seat, popping a few of the remaining pieces of raw fruit into her mouth. She'd mostly saved the pineapple for last. It was her favorite, as yellow as her own hair, but far too sweet to really be anything like her, despite the sour tang it held. No. Lemons were not sour enough to be like Mycah, and that was saying something.
She was tired. City elves liked the night better than the day most of the time, and morning had never been Mycah's favorite time of day. She supposed she would finish her fruit, not that there were more than three or four pieces left, and then she would make her way back up to her suite and sleep until noon...then maybe a walk, or perhaps she would pay a visit to Lila, take her away from her newest hobby ( painting ) for a while until the children returned from school. Or maybe...
The gong went off, just as Mycah had placed the last piece of kiwi in her mouth, and the blond internally sighed. They were not expecting visitors today, but she got herself to her feet all the same. They had servants, of course they did, but when she was home, Mycah liked to answer the door herself. It was such a hassle to boot someone out the door once they were inside, and besides, the doors were large, and Mycah's strength made it much easier to open them than any of the male servants, much to their disdain.
Mycah opened the door expecting to find some political representative wanting money, but that was not what she found at all.
CLOMP-a-saurus
Shirtless Husband
j a e d e n
- Jaeden stared openly at the buildings as she made her way through the city in the early morning light, not exactly sure where she was in relation to where she was going, but certain if he kept at it long enough, she’d find the building she was looking for. She’d actually arrived last night, but having promised her older sister she wouldn’t go wandering into an unfamiliar city at night, she'd camped out in the forest nearby. The dryad INSISTED the city was a dangerous place at night, though Jaeden couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be worse than the forest. Surely they were just different dangers? And she was no helpless little damsel. Still, a promise was a promise, so she’d camped out, then packed up and headed in at first light.
The city was very different than where she’d come from. Not that she’d never been in one before. Her clan was a little nomadic, and there was a small one near where they wintered where they sometimes went for supplies. But this one was larger, and somehow. . . dirtier? Wasn’t that strange to say? She’d lived all her life walking (often barefoot) through the dirt, and yet, it was this manmade place that felt dirty. She smiled. It was very interesting, though. She very much looked forward to learning more about this place, about where she’d be staying, about finding a job! She wanted to travel the world. She wanted to try new things and explore. But she would need money (and more of it than she’d been sent off with, though even that was more than she’d ever handled before!) to do that, and for money she would need work. The clan leader had informed her it was very hard to get started for someone like her, but luckily, she knew someone in the city here would be amicable to taking her in while she got her bearings and learned what was required of her. She’d been told she’d probably have to work for her place, but Jaeden didn’t mind. Not if it meant finally moving forward.
It turned out it was a good thing the dryad had a bit of food left from her journey, as it was past time for her usual breaking of fast by the time she found the building, tall, elegant, and sturdy with the blue sign in front just as had been described. She nibbled on the bit of sweet bread as she walked, and unbeknownst to her, a scattering of crumbs was still sprinkled across her ruffled shirt as she walked up to the building’s front door. It was a rather large building, but then, as she’d been told, this was a place where many children had been taken in. Jaeden was kind of excited about that, actually. She got to meet lots of new people right off! She was curious about what that would be like. . . After all, all her life, she’d lived with the same people, the occasional new child or marriage (not that the latter was terribly common) the only exception. She didn’t even know what living with someone else would be like.
She took a deep breath, pushing aside her jangling nerves, and placed her pack down beside her before reaching forward to knock on the door. Brave new world, here she came! She waited, wondering if she should knock again, then looked around the door more closely. Someone had told her once that they had devices in the city that could announce a visitor’s presence anywhere in the house. Maybe just knocking wasn’t enough? Ah! A button. Was that a doorbell? That’s what it was called, wasn’t it? She pressed it, then waited expectantly, rocking slightly on her heels. Shortly, the door creaked open, revealing a pretty blonde girl. She was so young! She hadn’t expected someone that young. But she supposed that didn’t really matter.
“Hello,” she greeted the girl, managing a nervous but genuinely warm smile. “Are you Miss Lila?” Suddenly remembering the letter the elder had sent with her for the woman, she dug quickly through her pockets until she came up with the somewhat wrinkled envelope. Holding it out, she tilted forward in a slight bow – enough to be polite, but not enough to show true subservience. “My name is Jaeden. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- What Mycah found awaiting her outside the front door was a young girl, at least in appearance. Being an elf of any kind meant a very long life being very young for most of it, and even at the end, never getting very old, so age was truly a relative thing. Mycah herself looked only twenty at the oldest, yet she was over thirty years old already...
But this girl's wide eyes, full of wonder gave away her truly small number of years that probably matched her appearance. The cute girl, for she was cute ( and better dressed than street urchins, but not as well dressed as a political representative ) said hello, and then asked if she were Lila. At that accusation, Mycah frowned more deeply than she probably had been before, she could understand someone thinking that based on the ears and gender, but... "Do you really think someone like Lila answers her own front door?" The answer to that should have been no, but it was clearly a yes by the statement. Well, now the girl would know better.
The girl, who said her name was Jaeden, as though Mycah cared, bowed, holding out a rumpled envelope. Mycah took the envelope, sorely tempted to shut the door in the girl's face, but she had manners, enough of them to bow, and she had a letter, which usually exuded some sort of importance, so, with something between a huff and a sigh, Mycah stepped aside and lightly gestured for Jaeden to some inside. For a moment, between this gesture and the girl actually moving to enter the household, Mycah moved to open the letter, but a glance at the girl made her stop. Lila would not mind her looking at her mail, but Jaeden might, and even Mycah was not so rude as to do something upsetting or impolite in front of someone who had done nothing to her yet.
Closing the door behind them, Mycah tucked the small letter under one arm and then gestured for Jaeden to follow her, "Come, I will take you to Lila." Another person might have said it gently, comfortingly, considering how nervous the girl obviously was, but Mycah was not kind, gentle, or comforting. To her, all Jaeden currently was was a cute girl that was distracting her from her morning nap, however, once inside, introductions were customary, as Lila had taught her, so further speaking was required.
"I'm not the person you want," and let's face it, she was never really the person anyone wanted, "but my name is Mycah, I am Lila's heiress, and, daughter, by way of wayward adoption," if you could even call it that. There were no papers saying they were legally related, and though Lila probably felt differently, Mycah had never felt like Lila was her mother. Mycah had no family, and Lila was as close to a "friend" as she got. "I also run and oversee the household, but it is Lila who makes all final major decisions." In other words, the decisions she wanted to make, but Mycah didn't mind. She liked having control, it made her feel safer.
It took two flights of stairs and three or four hallways, but they finally came to another pair of doors, and the blond elf lifted a hand and knocked three times on the door. There were a couple moments of silence before a soft voice wafted through, simply saying, "Come in."
Mycah did not hesitate to pry open the double doors and enter the room without any more words, and only spared a brief glance behind her to make sure the girl was following.
Lila's quarters were, much like Mycah's own, easily a house in and of itself, with an entry way and to one side of the entry way a bedroom and bathroom, and to the other side a place to entertain guests and a small kitchen. Lila was in the parlor area, painting, though what she was painting this time, Mycah did not know, for the canvas was turned away from her.
As they entered, Lila rose to her feet. They were both elves, but where Mycah was quite simply blond and brown eyed, Lila was black haired with bright green eyes and a beautiful face that obviously smiled often. She looked kindly, though Mycah was not fooled, there was always a twinkle of mischievousness behind those eyes. "Good morning, Mycah," she greeted warmly, her arms outstretched for a hug, and Mycah came forward, awkwardly leaning into the woman who wrapped her arms firmly around her, though Mycah did not return the hug.
After a moment, Lila released her and asked, "Who is our guest?"
"This is Jaeden," she responded quietly, stepping back so there was some distance between them. "She brought this letter with her." The letter that she had so carefully placed under her arm was retrieved and handed over to the forest elf who opened it with deft fingers and read it.
When she had finished reading she lifted her head, looked at Jaeden for a couple of moments and then, apparently making her decision(s), spoke, "Mycah, it looked like Jaeden will be staying with us for a while. Would you be a sweetheart and arrange for her to have rooms up on the third floor?"
Mycah raised an eyebrow at that. The third floor was the one they were on now, the floor where the "children" stayed was on the second floor, where they had to share a bathroom and had no kitchens ( much to their bemoaning when they learned that Mycah had it "better". ) If Jaeden was staying up there she was not going to be one of the children she oversaw. "Of course," she responded, unable to keep the curiosity out of her voice, and gave Jaeden an appraising stare as she went past her and back out of the apartment.
With Mycah gone, Lila gestured toward a nearby couch, "Why don't you sit for a moment, Jaeden?" She smiled, the very slight lines on her face showing as she did so. She was well over twice Mycah's age, but even she only looked to be about thirty. "I would like to talk to you for a moment, before my lovely Mycah returns."
Lila sat back down as Jaeden did, and then started, "You are more than welcome to stay here as long as you like, but I do have a favor to ask of you while you are here." the elf nodded solemnly, as though answering an emotionally difficult question. "I do not know who you are, or what kind of life you have lived, but Mycah's childhood was very hard, she speaks of it little, but I know she suffered, as many in this city do. I took her in, and I gave her manners, education, anything, and while it changed her appearance and her speech, it has never healed her."
The woman sighed, obviously saddened by these thoughts. "I'm sure you've already noticed that she is a cold, hard woman, and I know she thinks little of people, and even less of herself. I know Mycah, and I love her. She is cold and hard, but under that I know she is kind...and very lonely. I am her guardian, I cannot dissipate her loneliness. I brought other children, teenagers, closer to her physical age, into the house, hoping that she could connect with them," another sigh, "She thinks I do not know, but I do know they have only annoyed her, taking things for granted in the way she does not. Unfortunately, I have only widened the gap between her and people..."
The forest elf shook her head as though clearing her thoughts. "I do not know what life you've lived, Jaeden, but I know it is a different life than Mycah's. I made a mistake thinking people like Mycah could connect with her, but maybe someone very different will connect with her on a different level. I know I ask a lot of you, because you must have very different goals, but I would like you to keep Mycah company while you are here." A short pause, "If you could make her smile, I would be eternally grateful."
There was another knock at the door, and at Lila's word it opened and Mycah made her way back into the parlor. "It's all prepared."
"Great!" Lila smiled again, putting her hands together, "Thank you very much, Mycah. Would you also be so kind as to show Jaeden to her quarters? And, a little later, maybe show her around the neighborhood? Take her to lunch? We should be nice to our guest."
The city elf nodded, beckoning for Jaeden to follow her. "If that's what you want, Lila. Come, Jaeden, it's just down the hall."
CLOMP-a-saurus
Shirtless Husband
j a e d e n
- Jaeden’s smile faltered at the blonde’s scornful words. “Yes?” Apparently not. Was Miss Lila very important then? The dryad didn’t quite understand it. The elder was very important back home, and she always greeted guests personally. Was that different in the city, or was that just different for elves? Jaeden wished the elder had told her she would be staying with elves. Not that it was important as to whether she stayed or not. But she’d never met an elf before! She hoped she wasn’t staring.
The elf took the envelope, gestured for Jaeden to come inside, though the blonde didn’t exactly look pleased about it. The dryad stepped within, waiting expectantly as the blonde seemed to examine the envelope, then stare at the dryad suspiciously. After a moment, the blond closed the door, then finally spoke again, bluntly stating that she would take her to Lila, and that she was not the person she was looking for. Polite as ever, the dryad offered another small bow at the introduction, adding a soft “pleased to meet you” despite her nervousness, and how the blond had amplified it with her reaction to the dryad arrival. Was she interrupting something? Or were elves – or just this elf in particularly – grumpy? Either way, it seemed that if she was sticking around (and it was definitely starting to feel like a big if), this was someone she would be dealing with a lot.
She followed the girl up stairs and down hallways, and after a handful of minutes, they came to a pair of doors. Jaeden steeled herself for what may lay beyond them, as she was beginning to think, if the blond was any indication, the woman she’d been sent to greet would be very stern indeed. But the voice that answered Mycah’s knock was warm, and Jaeden found herself relaxing a little when they entered. The rooms were large, clearly intended to be an independent living area from the rest of the house. Did the elf never leave her rooms to intermingle with the children (who she had still seen no sign of)? The thought made her a little sad. And yet, the dark-haired elf seemed very happy.
Jaeden stood back a little awkwardly as the elves greeted each other, exchanging a quick hug before the dark-haired elf – presumably Miss Lila – turned her attention on her. When Mycah introduced her, Jaeden gave another slight bow, waiting patiently as her letter was handed over, opened, and then read. Finally, the blonde was asked to ready a place for her, and dryad beamed with relief. She hadn’t be sure she’d be allowed to stay until exactly that moment, and while she’d been prepared to attempt a go at it on her own, she thought this arrangement was probably much better. For while she hadn’t been overly concerned about his chances on her own, the elder had sent her here for a reason, and even she could see the benefits of a friendly face in a what was, to her, an entirely new world.
Obedient, the dryad perched lightly where the elf had indicated, on a plush and deeply coloured couch. She nodded agreeably, waiting eagerly to hear what the elf had to say. It was very kind of her, Jaeden thought, to take her in like this on no more than a few words from what the girl assumed was an old friend. Of course, Jaeden expected to earn her place. Perhaps the elf would tell her what was expected of her now.
The elf began to speak of the blonde who had lead her up there, and Jaeden quickly began to see why Miss Lila had sent her away. Jaeden had only just met her, but already she thought the blonde didn’t seem the type to like being spoken about like this. But surely there was a reason for it, so the dryad listened intently, nodding occasionally to assure the woman she was listening. The dark-haired elf described her adopted child as cold and hard, but the dryad thought those were not the words she would have used. Hard, maybe. She didn’t know the blonde well enough to make that judgment. But cold? That had not been a cold look she’d given her when she’d found the dryad on her doorstep. Jaeden thought perhaps there were few people in the world who were truly cold. Maybe the blonde wasn’t as warm and welcoming as her guardian, but Jaeden rather thought there was more to it than a little arctic chill.
The dryad’s hands came out to rest on the elf’s in an automatic gesture on comfort when she appeared sad, her wide eyes staring earnestly at the woman as she made her request. So all this had been for the blonde’s benefit? And yet, it hadn’t had the effect intended at all. “I will do my best,” she declared softly with complete sincerity and confidence. Micah would not be the first stubborn creature the girl had won over, and it was, after all, Jaeden’s experience that sooner or later, they always gave in. Who didn’t like a dryad, after all? Everyone had always been so friendly with them, and though the elder members of the clan sometimes spoke of the opportunistic and cruel in warning, Jaeden had yet to encounter any such persons for herself. To her, the world was still a friendly place, and if she saw someone hurting within it, she couldn’t help but want to help them.
She started to speak again, but whatever words were in her throat were cut off by a knock at the door, and Mycah’s return. The dryad let her hands drop back as the dark-haired elf smiled brightly, bringing her hands together in a simple motion as she spoke. Jaeden stared at the younger elf quizzically, absorbing the new information and reconciling it with the sight on the blonde in front of her. After a moment, she rose, offering another, deeper bow to the dark-haired elf.
“Thank you very much, Miss Lila. You will not be sorry you let me stay.”
Straightening, she gave a small nod, her face set in a look of determination, before turning abruptly and following the blonde out the door and down the hall.
“Please don’t let me disrupt your schedule further,” she said sweetly, directing the full force of her personality upon the girl she was now determined to befriend. “I’d very much like to see the area, as Miss Lila suggested, but I am in no rush.” Well, that wasn’t quite true. She had quite a bit of enthusiasm for seeing. . . well, everything. . . and that in itself made her eager, but if she was going to befriend the girl, the very first thing she felt she should do is not disrupt her day any more than necessary. Order was very important if one was accustomed to it, and in a place like this. . . yes, routine was probably much more important than back at the clan, when they were always ready to react to the surprise change of plans. Though of course there order had its place, too. Their lives were very ordered, in their own way. Everyone had a place and a contribution, and they were all expected to fulfill their responsibilities.
Unless the blonde wanted her routine disrupted. Maybe she’d appreciate the change of pace. In which case, Jaeden would gladly go exploring with her right away. But otherwise. Well, she supposed she’d get her meager things in order and occupy herself, somehow, until the blonde was ready to go.
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- The girl, Jaeden, said that she didn't want to disrupt her schedule, and Mycah almost scoffed. What a sweet little lie that was. That was what polite people said. "Oh, don't let me interrupt, I can wait." It was always a lie, but at least the girl had the manners to lie, instead of hurrying her into her jacket and out the door. "Don't you worry about my schedule. I do most of my work at night. City elves are night creatures." She threw the little factoid in there for the girl's benefit, for, if she'd never been the city, she probably didn't know.
The blond stopped in front of the pair of doors down the hall from her own and handed Jaeden a key. "These are your rooms, and this is your key. I will tell you now I have a spare key to every room, and I reserve the right to go into anyone's room when I feel a need, but I will never just barge in because I want to." Only if she thought there was serious trouble going on, but, considering the girl's behavior so far, she doubted she had to worry much about Jaeden in that regard.
"I am going to leave you for a little over an hour to settle in, and then we will go. Think about what kind of food you'd like for lunch." That would give Jaeden time to put her few possessions away, and it would give Mycah time to nap and change into something she seemed worthy of going outside in. "I will see you then." And then she left Jaeden on her own.
Back in her own room Mycah slipped off her flats and slunk under her covers to almost instantly fall asleep. Today was going to be a long day. She had this girl, and then she had to deal with the children when they came back from school. It perhaps didn't sound like a long day, or an unrewarding one, considering wandering around the city was usually considered pleasant, but no, Mycah knew better. A long day indeed.
Every twenty minutes or so, Mycah would open an eye to check the time, and then, when it was pretty close to having been an hour since she'd gone to bed, she rose up once more, dug through her closet and pulled on new clothes, the ones she'd been wearing were just house clothes, but if she were going out, these were much better. She also elegantly braided her hair, which showed off her ears, and then pulled on a pair of nice heels and her jacket. She placed her wallet in her pocket and then she was ready to go.
The blond made her way down to Jaeden's new room, only to find that the girl wasn't there. A sigh escaped her lips. Already there was a problem...she didn't think she would have left the mansion on her own...but then, Mycah had not thought that Jaeden would have already left her rooms. Anything was possible.
She set off on a journey that took her to one of the parlors, where, sure enough, she found Jaeden chatting away merrily with one of the maids. Another sigh. "Jaeden!" She said sharply, tapping her heeled foot in impatience. "Are you ready to go?" Mycah suspected she probably was. Her fashion was something akin to disastrous, but she suspected there wasn't much to be done about that at the moment. Lunch, and a quick tour were all the things that were going on, and were probably all they'd have time for before the brat squad returned from school. Supplementing their newest guest's wardrobe would have to wait.
CLOMP-a-saurus
Shirtless Husband
j a e d e n
- Jaeden paused in front of the indicated doors, hesitating only momentarily before pushing one open as the blond spoke. It was huge in there! Probably even bigger than it looked from the doorway. She’d never had so much space to herself – which seemed silly to say, considering she’d never really lived indoors, either. But dryads. . . they were always in each other’s company. It would be so strange to be here alone. . .
But if that was the price she had to pay to be out here in the world, experiencing something new, than she would gladly pay it. She still could hardly believe they had let her go, and not only that, hadn’t sent anyone to accompany her. That her sister hadn’t invited herself along just to look after her, anyway! The more she thought about it, the more she was excited rather than anxious. And now she was going to make a friend!
“All right,” she agreed with a small nod, offering another minute bow as the blond went to do. . . whatever it was she planned to do for the next hour. Jaeden stepped into the room, leaving the door open as she cautiously crept around. It really was huge in here. Was it always going to feel this big? It made her feel a little lonely, and for the first time, she realized how long it might really be before she saw her clan again. Her friends. Her family. She sank down on the bed, heavy with a sudden gloom. She was going to miss them, she really was. But she WAS NOT going back. And that was that!
She bounced off the mattress back onto her feet, pulling her bag off her shoulder and dropping it on the bed where she’d been sitting. She started to step away, then paused to pull the little clutch her sister had given her to store her money in from the bag to stuff into her pocket, tucking the key she’d been given inside it first. Who knew if she’d be back in her room by the time Miss Mycah was ready to leave? Then, forcibly cheerful, she bounced toward the door and pulled it mostly closed behind her before she started forward. It was so quiet here! Surely there was someone else around. She didn’t want to bother the blonde until she was ready, but she didn’t really want to be alone just then, either.
She crept down the hallway, then down the stairs, and finally she thought she heard someone else moving around. She peeked around a corner into an open room to see a girl with some kind of feathered. . . thing. . . attacking the curtains? For a moment, she stared blankly, dark eyes wide with confusing, and then shaking her head slightly – silly city people! – she put a smile on her face and greeted the girl.
The maid – Rosalyn, she came to find out her name was – seemed nervous to talk to her, but after a few minutes of friendly conversation, she seemed to relax a little, though it was clear she thought Jaeden was quite strange. Apparently she was doing something that was entirely normal – dusting, of all things! See! This is why Jaeden needed someone here to guide her, else it never would have occurred to her to do a thing like. . . dusting, whatever that was. Cleaning of some sort, she had gathered. What a strange thing to call it. If you were cleaning, shouldn’t you call it undusting?
They were warmly exchanging stories about the antics of young children as the girl worked (she had a little brother, as it so had it, and Jaden had been around a young dryad or two enough to have some amusing anecdotes of her own) when the blond found them, catching them mid-story when she sharply called out her name. Jaeden startled slightly, having been caught up in the conversation, and fell silent for a moment before she absorbed the blond’s sudden appearance. Then, with a bright smile, she bounced to her feet from where she’d been sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“I’m ready!” she agreed cheerfully, pausing only to brush off her skirt before moving to the blonde’s side. That hour had gone quickly, once she’d found someone to talk to! She noticed belatedly the blonde had changed clothing, which seemed strange to her, but she wasn’t about to question it. Maybe what she was wearing now was more comfortable, for all she knew. Maybe the blonde had different clothes for wearing in public and private. It didn’t matter. She looked good either way.
She’d tied her hair back, too, putting her ears even more on display. They were interesting, though the dryad tried not to stare. That was probably rude, right? Sure, she didn’t have anything that marked her out as different at a glance, but Jaeden thought if she did, she wouldn’t want everyone staring at her, either.
“I like your hair,” she commented softly, half to cover her staring, and half because it was just true. She’d seen blonde hair before, of course. There were a couple of girls in the clan that had it, though neither’s was so pretty as Mycah’s. She wondered if it was soft, too. She really. . . wanted. . . to touch it. . .
But that would DEFINITELY be rude. She clasped her hands demurely in front of her, restraining the urge. Pretty as it was, Jaeden wasn’t so dull as to not understand that touching people without permission was bad. In fact, if anything, that was something dryads understood very well, even if they were all so physically affectionate with each other. But there were stories. . . and they’d all heard them, from a very young age, though Jaeden herself wasn’t too deeply worried about their possibilities. The way her clan would tell it, the world was full to the brim of dangers for girl like her, but Jaeden rather suspected it wasn’t as bad as they made it sound. She supposed she’d find out for herself, though. After all, now that she’d left home, the world and its experiences – good or bad – were hers to discover for herself.
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- Jaden proclaimed that she was ready, and if she said she was, then Mycah was inclined to accept that, although she had hoped that the girl would change into something more acceptable. Indeed, the girl probably didn't have anything more acceptable to change into, or, more horrifically, didn't know that what she was wearing wasn't acceptable. Either way, it would have to be changed, but not today. Today there was no time.
She waited for a second or two, and then she caught it. The way Jaeden was staring. She was used to stares, from both girls and boys, but not ones that were quite so...awestricken. The ears, Mycah realized a second later, when the girl caught herself and tried to avert her gaze. That was it. Her weird a** ears had caught her attention. Perhaps Jaeden had never seen an elf before. To her they were a curiosity, but to most they meant that the person in front of them was "easy", although Mycah was most certainly not.
“I like your hair,” the girl said softly after a moment, and Mycah's lips curled into a smirk. She was going to try and play it that way, was she?
"You weren't looking at my hair." She said with an almost cold laugh at her lips, but then turned, and beckoned Jaeden to follow her. "Let's go," she said softly, but not kindly, "Lunch is waiting." Not literally, of course, not like it would be waiting if they chose to eat here, but soon the lunch rush would start and Mycah wanted to make sure they got good seats. Now the question was; where would they go?
"What would you like to eat?" she asked the girl as they wove their way through the halls, down the stairs, and finally out the front door, which the blonde held open for the darker haired female. Nothing too fancy, with Jaeden dressed like that, but then maybe the girl wouldn't want that. She seemed curious, maybe she'd start with a simple eatery. "You can have anything you like." That was the impression Lila had given her anyway. Jaeden was more than a charge, she was a guest, and guests got whatever they wanted.
As for herself? Mycah didn't care where they ate, as long as they had fruit on the menu. Her teeth may be sharp, but her religion had very strict rules. No meats. Milk was fine, but no eggs. The less messed around with, the better. Sometimes it was hard, and people didn't like serving people who practiced the religion as closely as she, but no matter. If Jaeden ate somewhere she could not, there was almost fruit at home, and there were clothes that could be bought in compensation of a complaining stomach.
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- “Your hair is pretty, though,” Jaeden insisted, falling in line behind the elf as commanded. So she’d inadvertently been rude, after all, but the compliment had been genuine. Mycah had remarkably lovely hair. She wanted to run her fingers through it, wanted to see the contrast of all that yellow against her own dull brown. How lucky the elf was. “I’ve seen blonde hair before, but never so yellow.”
She fell silent a moment, her conscience nagging at her. It was clear the elf had noticed her staring, and had, if not come to the correct conclusion, at least realized it wasn’t just her hair the dryad had been admiring. “I’m sorry,” she added softly. She hadn’t meant to offend, but the elf seemed so easily offended. “I’ve never seen an elf before.” She paused, frowned. “Well, I have. There was one that used to travel with my clan, but she left when I was little, so I only remember. . .” Her face screwed up slightly as she concentrated. She remembered a soft voice, singing. Deft hands, and. . . “Impossibly long hair.” And that was such a strange detail. Most dryads the girl knew wore their hair long, many of them well past waist length. Long hair was just a way of life. That she’d remember an elf’s. . .
She gave a little shrug. She’d been young at the time, and who could say why younglings remembered the details they did?
She fell silent as they ducked out the front door, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings. Everything looked different now that she wasn’t so focused on finding this front door. She could really look around, take things in. The city was so different from travelling with the clan. She’d never seen so many people in her life! It looked so lonely. She was glad she already knew someone here, that she didn’t have to start completely from scratch. She would get lost in all of this.
“What do I. . .?” she started to repeat back, the fell silent, her brain catching up to the words she’d already heard. Again, she frowned. She could have anything? She didn’t even know what there was to choose from. And honestly, she was curious about what they ate here, so really, anything would please her, if it was new. Well, not anything. There was the one thing. . .
“I don’t really eat meat,” she insisted, chin lifting slightly as she tried to seem firm about it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t eat meat, or even that she didn’t like the taste. Vegetarianism was hardly an universal dryad lifestyle, though there were some she knew in her clan had taken it up naturally in alignment with their element. But in Jaeden’s case. . . well, it had to do with her powers, too. Sometimes she saw things. Or felt things. Or just. . . attracted things. But it was hard to enjoy a meal with so much fellow feeling.
“Anything else is okay, though,” she added cheerfully, all sunshine and rainbows once more. “What do you like to eat?” After all, Mycah lived here. She’d know what was good better than Jaeden would. And what real choice did she really have but to trust in her tastes? Surely the elf wouldn’t steer her wrong. And if she did, at least Jaeden would know what to not ask for next time.
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- "Eh." Mycah picked up the tip of her braid and looked at it for a second, making a face. "Pale blonde is considered prettier." What was it? Ah yes, it was more delicate, which was becoming of a girl. Most people assumed her to be a delicate lady until they'd actually spoken to her...and then they knew that she was as bold as her hair, and they never liked it.
Jaeden went on to say that she had never seen an elf before, or that she had, but she had been so young that all she remembered was that she'd had very long hair. Mycah shrugged. It must have been a forest elf. It told her that Jaeden wasn't human herself, but it wasn't surprising. It just was. Whatever. A forest elf made sense, considering her apparent connection to Lila.
At first, the girl seemed shocked that she could have whatever she wanted, but, for a girl that seemed as spacy and airheaded as she was, she recovered quickly, and stated, to Mycah's surprise, that she didn't really eat meat...but anything else was fine. "Great..." Mycah said softly, actually meaning it. That made this somewhat easier.
A second later Jaeden asked what she liked to eat. Mycah scoffed. "Doesn't matter. I practice a very strict religion. Fruits and vegetables are what I'm supposed to eat, period, though milk is all right. No meats or eggs, and if the fruits or vegetables I eat are raw and unprocessed, it's better." She glanced back at the girl as she stopped to wait for an opening to cross a street. "So your not wanting to eat meat really suits me." It was surprising. Very surprising. Something about her actually suited Mycah.
The elf led the girl across several more streets, and along many blocks, or what probably seemed like many blocks, until they came to a small cafe in a large building with other stores surrounding it. From the outside it looked like a hole in the wall, but once Mycah opened the door, the cleanliness and light atmosphere shined though.
They sat themselves at a table by the window, and soon enough a young woman came handing them menus and asking if they wanted something to drink. Mycah didn't know what Jaeden wanted, and didn't really care, she'd order it herself, but Mycah wanted, "Cha, if you would. A whole teapot full."
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- “I don’t agree.” Jaeden shook her head, one hand coming up as though she was actually going to reach for the elf’s locks, but falling back to her side before the motion could be completed. “This is much prettier. Than my hair, too.” When she was younger, she had wished for some of the vibrant colours her clan mates had, which she still considered much lovelier than her own dull hair, but she now knew the common colour would help her blend in among humans. The vibrant hues she’d once longed for would mark her out as different, and the way the clan elders had talked, the last thing she wanted was the cityfolk to know she was a dryad. She’d had to endure numerous stories of the dangers her kind faced from city life, though she wasn’t entirely convinced it was so bad as they made it sound. In fact, she suspected they were trying to scare her into staying. Well, it hadn’t worked! Stories or no, she wanted to see the world, and it seemed this was the place to start.
The dryad frowned slightly as the blond described her diet. She didn’t feel comfortable saying as much, since the elf seemed to feel strongly about it, but it didn’t sound like a very healthy or balanced diet. Or maybe an elf’s dietary needs were different and the blond suffered no ill effects from such a diet. Jaeden really didn’t know. But the idea that the girl’s health might suffer in the name of her faith bothered her. A god that made such demands was not one that should be respected, she thought. But keeping such thoughts to herself, the dryad merely nodded, signaling she’d been listening to the explanation, and followed the girl to their destination: a small café with a cheery interior.
The dryad followed Mycah to her chosen seat by the window, sitting across from the blonde and offering a warm smile to the woman with the menus. The dark-haired girl opened hers, but unable to immediately find where the drinks were listed, looked up at the woman with an apologetic smile.
“Milk, if you have it, please,” she requested politely. “Otherwise, water will be fine.”
As the waitress stepped away, the girl turned her attention back to the blonde, cheerful as ever. “I’ve never heard of someone avoiding meat for their religion,” he commented thoughtfully, genuinely interested in the subject. She’d known girls who avoided meat before, of course. Several of the dryads had in her clan, though it had more to do with the alignment of their powers. Much like Jaeden herself. Religion, on the other hand, was an entirely separate matter to the dryads. “Are there a lot of practitioners of. . .” she hesitated, realizing she didn’t know what to call the religion, “. . . your faith around here?” Pleased with how she’d recovered from the blunder, she gave a small nod, staring at the elf expectantly.
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- "Don't be silly," Mycah said with a sigh that said what she thought of this opinion. Her hair more beautiful than a paler blonde girl's? More beautiful than Jaeden's own? Scoff worthy. "Pale blonde is more delicate, and is thus more beautiful. Your hair is rich and thick, just the same as any expensive doll, and therefore it too is more beautiful than mine." They said that a person always wanted what they didn't have, and Mycah supposed it was true, although she could not say that she necessarily wanted a different hair color, she much found that she didn't care that her hair was vibrant, bold, and less beautiful. If she cared so much, she'd dye it. It was simply a fact; her hair was less beautiful, and it always would be.
In the cafe, the girl ordered milk, or water if milk was unavailable ( Mycah had no doubt that milk was fine ) and then asked about her religion. It was a subtle question, and she covered a quick mistake quite well. Such pure curiosity should be rewarded, Mycah decided, and so she answered. "No, Koin is not a popular religion. In truth very few people practice it, even here in the city." The young woman nodded a little to herself as she spoke, "And even fewer people practice the aspect of it that I do. People don't like the fact that Koin, unlike most religions, isn't about community, but the individual, and they don't like how restricting it is." She shrugged.
"Koin is, like a coin, two sided." Mycah held out her two hands, indicating the two sides of the religion. "One side, often considered male, is less strict, you can eat most anything, you can work most jobs one would want, and they celebrate most holidays, but in return they don't get many blessings, and if they do break one of the rules they are supposed to follow it isn't as forgiving. The other side is the opposite, very restricting, but forgiving and full of nurture and blessings. No sacrifice, no reward." She remembered when she had stumbled upon Koin as a child. She had never met a city elf over the age of ten that was not a whore, a drug addict, or some combination of the two. Mycah had always been afraid of that fate, and Koin had offered blessings, for the sacrifice of things like nutrition and passion, Mycah had been willing to give up anything, for she hadn't had anything anyway, and Koin had answered her.
Milk and cha arrived, with their waitress, and Mycah took the teapot gladly, though her thanks were said in a somewhat flat tone. Even so, the waitress smiled brightly and asked for their orders as Mycah began to pour herself a cup of cha. The strawberry salad. No dressing, if you would."
"Absolutely," the waitress said with her sunny disposition, and then turned to Jaeden. "And for you?"
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- Jaeden, ever smiling, tilted her head slightly, not at all put off by the disagreement. “Oh, but this colour is so rare! Wouldn’t you say that makes it more beautiful? Anyone can have dark hair.” She really did think the blonde’s hair was lovely. And it looked so silky! She wanted to touch it. She wouldn’t hold it against hers and see the difference in their colours, vibrant, buttery yellow against inky darkness. She wanted to brush it and braid it and feel it slip between her fingers. She never would, of course. It was too rude to touch another without permission, and it was clear the elf would never get it. She was so standoffish. She doubted the girl suffered the touch of any but the older elf. Jaeden had to admit. . . she was a little jealous of Lila for that.
The dryad nodded at the blonde explained the basic concept of her religion, showing she was listening. She supposed it made a certain kind of sense. The more you were willing the sacrifice, the greater the reward. It was just. You got what you gave. And she could understand, at least in the shallowest sense, why the elf might have chosen as she had. But that diet still worried her. She was going to have to learn more. And it wasn’t like she would have to fake her curiosity. She wanted to learn about this new religion. It sounded nothing at all like what she was used to. Dryad culture greatly prized community values – but then, given dryad history, that was hardly a surprise.
“If Koin is so unpopular,” she asked, gazing at the elf earnestly, “how does it spread? How did you learn of it?” That seemed to be the question that won out, for the moment. It seemed to her a religion that had so little value for community – not to mention required at least in the facet Mycah followed great restrictions – would die out quickly. And she was quite curious what these restrictions entailed. Perhaps she would ask that next, if the elf didn’t already find her questioning too personal.
Jaeden thanked the waitress warmly when she returned with Mycah’s tea and her milk, still with her menu open in front of her. There were so many options, even excluding the dishes with meat. It was a bit overwhelming. Back with the clan, they lived off the land and what they were able to preserve. That limited their diet somewhat. To have so many things to choose from. . .
She managed a smile when the blonde ordered, then decided to trust the other girl’s judgment. At least she knew it would have no meat. “That sounds good,” she proclaimed cheerfully, snapping her menu closed and handing it over. “I’ll have the same.” Hopefully the elf wouldn’t mind being copied. If Jayden tried to choose from all those options, they’d be here all day!
Luxury Starshine
Star Seeker
--------M Y C A H ● O V E R S E E R--------
- Mycah shrugged when the girl, with her seemingly eternal optimism, said that her hair was rarer, so wasn't that more beautiful. No, not really, "Rare is just another way of saying weird. People don't like weird." There was a certain way that things were supposed to go, and if they didn't go that way...well, it was shunned. That was usually how it went.
The young woman went on to ask more about her religion, which was odd, most people didn't know, or care, but Mycah was willing to answer. It was her religion, in a lot of subtle ways, it was everything in her life, except for what Lila gave her. "There are shrines in some areas of the city, the busier parts, mostly." The blonde was also sure there were shrines in other cities as well, it couldn't just be this place. "Followers of the "male" aspect are supposed to spend one day a month doing upkeep in the shrine and spreading the word about Koin." Once or twice over the years someone had asked to speak to her about Koin, but they instantly backed off the moment she told them she was already a follower, they were similarly supposed to back off if someone said they weren't interested. Personal choice.
"I personally happened to stumble across a shrine when I was young. I needed the blessings and had nothing to lose, so I followed. It gave." She truly believed that if she had not began following Koin she would be dead, or worse. Instead she had gotten Lila, even if that meant the brats too. Not everything in life was good, Koin didn't lie about that either. That was one of the things she didn't like about other religions, just believe and everything will be wonderful, but Koin accepted that life was mostly a mix of good and bad, but the good would increase if you followed the rules. There would still be bad.
The waitress took Jaeden's order, which caused Mycah to raise an eyebrow at the girl. The same thing, huh? Was she going to be good with no dressing? Well, she had said that she also liked to avoid meets, so she supposed she'd probably be all right, but...still. Being emulated was not something that normally happened to her.
With the order complete, the waitress whisked herself away to get those things, and Mycah lifted her teacup to her lips, the cha was hot, but good. This would do for now. "What about you, Jaeden? Do you follow a religion?" In truth, Mycah didn't really care, but the brunette had been so enthusiastically asking her questions....and she knew it was polite to at least attempt to return the favor.
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- Jaeden frowned. The elf was so determined not to take a compliment. It would be frustrating, if she weren’t so determined to give one. She really did love the girl’s hair. It was so pretty. So bright and so yellow. Nothing like her own dull, plain locks. The dryad would envied it very much. And yet, the blond was so gloomily determined to hate it.
“I suppose that means I like weird,” she conceded cheerfully, refusing to back down. “Though if everything that was weird was also that pretty, it would make it easier.”
“Only once a month?” The dark-haired girl listened diligently, but the words slipped out immediately despite herself. But it was hard to imagine being required only once a month to pay devotion to one’s gods. It was. . . not what she was used to. The outside world was proving to be very strange, though that was perhaps the strangest she’d heard thus far. Well. Second strangest, but she’d known after dryad dust before leaving. Frankly, the female aspect of the religion made a lot more sense to her. If you weren’t going to devote yourself whole-heartedly, what was the point of doing it at all? She was not at all surprised to hear that the elf saw blessings in her constant devotion. If one wanted to receive, one first had to give.
The conversation was briefly diverted as a woman arrived to take their orders, and Jaeden had honestly though they’d let the subject behind them, but to her pleasant surprise, once the woman was on her way, the blonde asked about her own religious beliefs. She beamed, her head bobbing in a brief nod. She supposed if the blonde was asking, she didn’t know very much about dryads, but then, that wasn’t so very odd. They were a very private people, and much of her clan held a strong sense of suspicion toward outsiders. Jaeden couldn’t blame them, she supposed, if even a fraction of the stories she’d heard were true. And the fairies that lived in the east had distrusted humans, as well, so it wasn’t like they were the only ones that were biased.
Not that Mycah was a human, though she was, of course, an outsider, at least by the definitions of her clan. Truth be told, here Jaeden was the outsider, and she was all too aware of it.
“The dryads believe in many gods, and each of us devote our lives to the god or gods that are closest to our. . . “ she hesitated, nose wrinkling slightly as tried to decide on a word. She didn’t want to say magic. Not everyone in her clan had magic, and nor did every god, for that matter. And it wasn't always exactly a matter of the heart, either. “. . .purpose,” she finally settled on. Yes, that was a good choice, or at least the best word she could come up with in a brief explanation – and anything more than that was probably more than the blonde wanted to listen to.
“I pay tribute to Melinoe,” she added with a small smile, simply because the information seemed to follow the natural flow of the conversation. The elemental gods were the most popular, of course, given the most common magics, but it was common for a dryad to pay tribute to a secondary or even a third deity. Perhaps the huntress Devana, or Libera, whose domain encompassed both fertility and motherhood. Or the great healer, Epione, who could soothe with a touch. Even the great trickster, for whom names were power and thus kept his secret, had his share of followers.
But Melinoe was not commonly attended to, though thus far in the dryad’s young life, she had saved her devotion entirely for her. “We are told many frightening tales of Melinoe, and even the Trickster is weary of her, but I think she has a kind side, too.” Perhaps it was because she understood all too well the role the goddess had been cast, or perhaps it was just her own kind heart.
She appeared very grim for a moment, seeming to remember such a tale, or perhaps a private moment she had felt the presence of her gods, or how her own purpose related to such a frightening goddess. But the moment passed, and offered a bright smile. “It’s a bit different than what you’re used to, I’m sure, but faith has its own rewards.”
“Would it be blasphemous,” she asked suddenly, as though the thought had only just occurred to her, “to see the shrines, even if I had no intentions of converting?” Mycah had mentioned them, and she was curious about what upkeep was required. Jaeden was curious about other religions in general, even though they mostly seemed strange and unlikely. But what little she knew of other cultures made her curious about the overlap, and she especially liked learning the creation and destruction myths, what others believed happened before you were born and after you died. The other worlds strange people seemed to believe in. She supposed that tied back to what she was. After all, no one really saw what the truth was until their time came. All she could do what believe in the truth as she knew it.