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 Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:57 pm
Nanedin. The city of no color. Technically, there was color in the small buildings and the tall walls surrounding the city, but everything was tan or grey. All light, neutral tones. Only the Tower was a glistening white, the highlight of the entire city. It stuck out high above the city, the glass at the top sparkling in the sunlight.
But most of the city lived in shadows. Light hit parts of Nanedin, but the buildings, crammed together in a unorganized fashion, created many shadows. There were no streets, but many alleyways between the various buildings. The entire city was a maze.
The children, from their toddler years up until their testing, lived in one of the largest buildings in the city, situated right beside the Tower. The Tower held many offices and also hosted the school, where the young children went. The toddlers only went for a half day while the older children stayed during the afternoon to learn fighting techniques. Fighting was tolerated among the children, but they were required to have someone watch them. Often, the teens undergoing testing would supervise a fight during their freetime. Other times, adults supervised.
There is no money system. Instead adults barter for things that they need. Children and Elementals are often given whatever they want as the Colorless respect them. Rumors abound about the Colorless that refused an Elemental something. They say that Colorless was never seen again.
The Elementals occasionally visit Nanedin, mainly when they wish to have a child. Some visit the city on occasions, able to relax since the city is a no element zone. No one knows how, but no Elemental can use their powers within the city.
Surrounding the city are farmlands, reaching out for quite some distance. Though technically part of the city, children are not allowed there. They must stay within the city walls. The farmlands are an element-free zone as well.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:15 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:01 pm
Morning! It was beautiful morning to the redheaded toddler as she woke up that day. A grin stretching from ear to ear, the girl rushed over to the window to look outside for a few moments before the lady in charge came in to make sure their cots were made up and shooing them out the door towards the Tower for class.
Hearing the older woman's steps just outside the small room where five cots stood, each with a small nightstand and cubby hole beside them, Nikiana scrambled to make up her bed. The toddler's efforts were well placed, but the bed looked like it had been made by, well, a toddler.
In her efforts to keep getting ready, Niki made an effort to get dressed. However, when the woman entered the small room, she nearly burst out laughing at the young girl's efforts. The shirt was on outside of the jumper and the jumper itself was on backwards. One arm had not managed to make it through a sleeve.
Shaking her head, the woman bent down and helped the young girl straighten out her clothing. Eventually they got it all on correctly and the woman sent the toddler off towards the Tower for class. Niki skipped, stumbled, and fell, bouncing back up as she headed out the door with a cheerful wave.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:13 pm
From a separate wing of the building came a loud yell. "TALIESIN!" The rest of the shout was muffled by the distance to Nikiana but closer to the small five bed room the young woman's irritated shout was clear. "Wake up! You are supposed to be up and dressed by now! Up! Up! Up!"
Slowly the toddler rolled over a bit blinking sleep from his eyes. Quite ignoring the usual rantings of the young matron, a sleepy sweet smile slowly bloomed. "Monrhtona," came the sleep slurred reply. Tali held his arms out to the matron who sighed smiling in response. Swiftly she scooped the young boy up and set him gently on his feet.
Taliesin shivered as the cold floor seeped into his bare feet while waiting quietly. Dark brown hair flopped into his round cherubic face as green eyes watched the Matron. Bustling around the room as Taliesin watched the Matron swept the bed into neatness with a few strokes and strode the cubbyholes lining the opposite walls. Unlike Nikiana's room where each bed had a cubbyhole, in his there were only four beds, three currently unoccupied. Each bed lined the far wall and the cubbyholes were directly opposite them.
Quite tired of standing Taliesin fell backwards onto the floor before yawning again. The soft noise drew the young woman's attention. "Taliesin! Up! More children are coming today. You have to set a good example! Make your bed, get dressed!" The toddler ignored most of the words, not quite understanding what the Matron was saying. As she lectured him the toddler was quickly stripped of his clothes and dressed again in the uniform every other toddler wore. They wore green shirts and shorts that were the same size regardless. On Taliesin they hung fairly loosely.
Finished Taliesin held out his arms. "Up!" He asked with a smile. The Matron rolled her eyes but lifted him anyway. Giving the Matron a wet sloppy kiss Tali smiled at her. "Shank'ou."
The Matron melted as she did every morning. "Try better tomorrow?" she asked redundantly. It would be the same routine as always. Taliesin simply nodded and smiled as she brought him out to the front doors.
Nikiana was there waiting as the young woman set Taliesin down. "Be good!" She called out as Taliesin carefully *walked* towards Nikiana trying not to fall.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:26 pm
"Tah'li, 'ou late..." The young girl waggled her finger at him before turning to head towards the Tower, knowing the boy would follow. Her steps were fairly wobbly as she tread the wellworn path between the building and the Tower. Many small feet had made such a smooth path.
Though her steps were still unsteady, Nikiana tried to skip as she'd seen an older girl do the other day. Each time, she fell abruptly to the ground, getting dirt on the nice clean clothes she was wearing. The clothes that looked the same for just about every girl.
Sighing as they grew nearer, for the walk was a long one for such tiny feet, Niki's clothes were covered in dirt and she had dirt on her knees as well. Her pigtails were loose already and she looked like she was bound for a bathtub once the Matrons spotted her.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:52 pm
Taliesin lagged behind her, one foot carefully being placed in front of the other. Occasionally the toddler would take a tumble like Nikiana but he silently got up and started trying to walk as smoothly as the older kids. The long walk, for him, was a chance to practice going farther without spills.
Taliesin had his tounge stuck partway out of his mouth in concentration. Matron's would be waiting for them at the school entrance, and he wanted to arrive on his feet.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:22 am
-Early morning, that it was. The light soft sounds of the morning echoing throughout his ears as he tumbled out of bed. The small thud from where his body collapsed as he'd rolled from his cot and landed onto the rough wooded floor. Ow that hurt -his mind echoed- Oh NO! -He knew he would need to get to class soon, as from what it seemed some of the room most of the others had left him! Ugh, they left without me -His voice whined some in his head.-
-Pushing up off the palms of his hands, the shaggy black hair twisting and conforming around his brow the hazel eyes dancing across the room. He stood shakily on the ground, he knew how to walk. And could walk well, he was just a bit unsteady with his steps and tended to go in the wrong direction."owwie" he whined rubbing this forehead where it smacked the ground, reaching throughout the grawers at his cots side he drudged out his bright green shirt. "FROGIE!" he cryed out as he hugged the shirt tight and then with a bit of a strain pryed it over his head and slipped his arms through the shirts loops. And drudge dup the shorts which he trodded out the door with, yet once more forgetting ot make his bed as usual. He was met midway down the stairs by his care taker who only gave him a faint glare, already knowing what the toddler had forgotten-
" BUT! BUT! " -he whined faintly pleading as his foot tapped the ground in anxiousness-
" Go make your bed, now come on " -Tetsakuro Kai, the caretaker of experiment #004 gripped the young boys dark palms and began walking him up the stairs and once more back into the room. " Now go make your bed "
- A sigh was released from the toddlers lips - "bu't Bu't ah fwineee" -he stormed over to the bed already one could see a bit of a temper in this. Tetsakuro took note of this and watched the toddler. The young boy jerked his hands around the bed and began fumbling with the blankets. Tucking them as best as a toddler could, the bed was a bit of a mishap but the toddler spun around and smirked, "allll done" he smiled quite happily and began to stumble off down the stairs-
-Tetsakuro watched as kai(experiment 004) walked or more stumbled down the stairs. Steppng forward he shuffled the blankets and began pressing it down firmly tightening up the young boys slack job-
-Kai(experiment 004) tryed to jog down the stairs but failed completely twisting around the small opening and trotted outside. The rough ground was easy to jog on but one could see his feet wanting to slip out from under him at any moment, Tetsakuro(care taker) had not let him meet any of the other kids(experiments) yet. But he was to meet them today, at class in the tower-
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:29 pm
Indeed, there were two Matrons waiting at the entrance to the Tower, ready to guide the youngsters to the right area. One was holding a clean set of female toddler clothing while the other held a brush. They were well prepared for Nikiana's appearance.
The girl noticed them as she grew closer and gave a startled sound. She covered her eyes with her hands, apparently thinking that the two Matrons would be unable to see her if she couldn't see them. However, with her eyes covered, the girl couldn't see where she was going.
BUMP! The toddler's fingers seperated enough for hazel eyes to gaze through and look up and up towards the face of the Matron she had run right into. "Heh... heh..." The girl turned to scamper off but was grabbed up by the woman.
"Oh no you don't, missie. I don't see why we even bother putting clean clothes on you in the morning. You can't keep it clean for five minutes." The two carried the girl inside and set her on a chair while they expertly changed her clothes and fixed her hair. All while fighting the squirming toddler.
"Wanna pway!" She protested, trying to escape their grasp.
"Off to class with you, young girl." The Matrons had finished their jobs and Nikiana was subjected to a wet cloth to her face, arms, and legs before they steered her in the direction of the classroom.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:05 pm
-Kai(experiment #004) trotted down the open walkways jogging some as his hair went adrift from his pace. Easily stumblnig and skittering along anxiously through across the roads towards the tower, he was well within plain site of it now that he turned his head sideways and stared up at it with amazement.No matter the times he had seen this he simply sat in awe of how it was almos ten times the size of houses they all lived in, although they were some size bigger than average. Casting his gaze along the tower entrance he spotted the young girl as she passed into it and his gaze widened-
-A girl? He had only seen few people and they were all within very close proximity to him. Mostly older people, the colorless. His eyes floated on her as she was picked up after hitting the ground and saw the small amount of dirt padded all over her, a pick up in pace caused him to stumble a bit more but he reached the tower entrance. His feet wobbily slipping over the stairs into it and adjusting as he stared off. "Wew am I apposed to go"? He said turning his head sideways and looking over to the 'matrons' as they stood before him.-
-The two looked down at him and sighed some, "You children these days. Do you ever listen to what your caretakers tell you"? -the one turned and pointed up to the girl who was now well on her way to class, " Just follow her, ok"? Somewhat rolling their eyes they turned around and waited for the others to follow in suit-
-Kai was confused and looked at them and shrugged, " otay " he smiled that playful smile a youngster such as himself could. He grinned brightly and paced upwards towards her, shouting slightly to catch her attention, "heya, heya! wait fow mee"!
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:58 pm
Vinny was uncertain. His had told him he was coming to live somewhere new and have friends to play with when a lady came to take him away. His favorite toys were put in a bag and he was given new clothes. He disliked them and tried to pull them off put the lady just laughed and shook a finger at him, readjusting his clothing.
Two ladies were carrying him from his home and his person, he was unhappy. He also disliked being carried and sqirmed. This caused the ladies to aww and coo over him. He disliked this too.
As they women walked the discussed. Vinny did not understand any of this and he pouted, but couldn't find a way to break free of the protective grasp.
"This one here, why isn't he already with the other toddlers, we've already had the graduates move in and they've adapted nicely."
"Oh, this one's milk mother had a terrible time giving him up; she's as overprotective as a mother hen. We had to get the law on her, to get her to cooperate that is... if we just forced the baby away the doctors felt it would cause unnessicary strain. I'm afraid he'll have a lot to catch up on to be on equal level with the other toddlers. And this being his first day of classes, he'll be thrown in unprepared."
"One of the doctors told me that the mother wouldn't even let him out of the house; he'll have terrible social problems, I don't know how he'll react to the other children; he doesn't even speak yet... or if he can, he doesn't."
Vinny, even in his egocentric toddler mind, had little idea that they were discussing him. He wanted to go back to his, even if she did act oddly sometimes she was very kind to him.
They reached the base of the tallest building in town. Vinny was shocked as he looked up and up and up and thought surely that this must touch the sky.
The woman carrying him set him down so he stood as strait and tall as he could to show that he was very capable of standing himself.
"Now look, you've got some friends coming from over there." Vinny blankly looked as two other women were dealing with a squirming girl. The woman hunched over and took his hand, slowly leading him towards the other women. There was hushed conversation then Vinny was propelled toward the little girl.
He plucked has his new shirt and glanced oddly at the girl. The shirt was bright colored as was her's... he rarely saw colors such as this. His never wore them nor did any of her friends.
Vinny stared. What was going on?
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 2:34 pm
Niki turned as two other boys appeared. Oh good. Excuses for her not to go to class yet! She waved happily at them both. "Hihi!" She clapped her hands together and bounced, giggling. Then she noticed her first friend wasn't right behind her like she'd thought.
"Tah'li?" She peeked behind the two other boys. Where was that silly boy?
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:40 pm
Tali stuck his thumb in his mouth with two new toddlers suddenly appearing between him and Nikiana. With the other matrons suddenly distracted the toddler could tell that this time he was going to have to walk all the way to class by himself.
As the mild chaos began to reign, Taliesin sat down in the dirt, legs giving up. Still sucking on his thumb, green eyes darkened slightly. His lower lip began to stick out preparing to go into sulk mode as Nikiana greeted the other two enthusiasticlly.
"Tah'li?" As if Nikiana's plaintive call was the start sign, Taliesin starting bawling. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed, his nose snotting up.
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:26 am
((... sweatdrop *just starts posting*))
Parmida stumbled down the path to the Tower, having been scolded already for making a mess of her "room". She kept glancing at her feet to make sure they stepped right, and only fell a few times. She saw the two Matrons at the doorway, and raised her arms out to them as she toddled over. As she drew closer, she saw a young boy bawling on the ground, and turned her arms in that direction. She wobbled over to him, put her arms in a hugging position, and repeated what had been said to her when she cried: "There, there. Ith's ah kay..." She was greatly troubled by his tears; it generally meant either something bad was going to happen, or had already happened...
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 11:15 am
Soft arms wrapped around Taliesin. "There, there. Ith's ah kay..." The waterworks turned off and a snotty smile bloomed. The toddler glanced behind him ready to demand being lifted. The action aborted in confusion when the face of another toddler looked back at him.
Taliesin blinked for a few moment, realizing it was neither Nikiana nor one of the Matrons who was comforting him. The toddler blinked. "Who you?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:03 pm
Parmida blinked back, then abruptly sat, so she could think. She adopted a Pooh-Bear look, and it took her awhile to remember. She hadn't heard her name very often, and it took awhile to figure the question out... She finally had it. She climbed to her feet, and responded, "Me Parmida. Who you?"
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