[T] Chailyn's Tome | Page 5 | Tomes | Guild Forums

anemosagkelos

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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:00 pm

Fishbowl
Chailyn yawned, a few sniffles sounding the end of her cold. She'd heard the phone ring and had gone to get a drink of juice only to hear the doorbell ring. She toddled out throwing her juicebox away as she passed by the trash can. She was glad not to be sick anymore seeing as before when she tried to get to the door, it only seemed to get farther away. Now it seemed within her reach, as she took hold of the doorknob. She yanked the door open looking out to see who had caught her attention.

No one. Only a faint splish meandered to her ears. She titled her head confused before looking down. On the steps sat a fishbowl. She gave a smile bending down and reading the tag. "To Chailyn. From It's a secret!" Her face fell briefly before she shrugged. She picked it up carefully, walking through the door and making sure to close it before going to seek out her mother.

"What do you have there?" Anemone asked gently. She'd just hung up the phone and already knew what it was and who had dropped off the present. She smiled watching the tale's face closely.

"It's a fishbowl. It's a present..." she trailed up looking up at her mother with a frown. "It doesn't say who it's from," she admitted.

"It doesn't matter who got it for you. You should enjoy it, they would want you to be happy you got a present," Ane said. She knew the tale was sad she couldn't get a gift for the person in return.

"But, it's not very nice if they give me something and I don't get them anything."

"Sweetie, you've gotten him lots of things. So don't worry about that. Think of this as a gift for what you gave him last."

"Who him? Donny? Lance? Daddy?"

"It was Lance, but I didn't tell you that," she admitted. "And you've gotten him so much, I think a simple thank you would be fine."

"I haven't gotten his mom anything though!" Chailyn stated giving a grin. She didn't notice Ane's face her eyes admitting defeat.

"All right, but you are going to have to learn not to give to everyone you see for every little thing," Ane said.

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:28 pm

The God and the Siren
Chailyn trudged out of the kitchen rubbing at her eyes. It was too cold to go outside, too dreary to look out the window, too something to invite anyone over. It was just a yucky day. She was sleepy and decided to ask her mother to tell her a story. She dragged her feet along until making it to the living room and peering in. Her mother was sitting in a chair looking through a book.

"Momma, will you tell me a story?" Chailyn asked pulling herself up into her mother's lap. She looked up at her, purple eyes ready to beg if she had to. She nestled her head against the soft fabric of her mother's sweater giving a yawn. Her own sweater kept her warm enough but still, she preferred cuddling up to her mother and didn't much think of moving.

Anemone smiled down at Chailyn brushing a brown strand of hair behind her ear before wrapping the tale in her arms. "A story? What kind of story do you want to hear?" she asked. She turned slightly in the chair, so that her daughter's back was resting against the chair to keep her from falling into a heap. Once she was situated she began thinking about what kind of story she should tell. The tale didn't seem to have any preference, at least she hadn't said anything. "How would you like to hear a story my mother used to tell me?" she asked.

"Your mother? Tell me," the tale nodded her head as if agreeing that she'd like to hear it. She cuddled against Anemone giving a smile. It was nice to be closed to people she loved, especially her parents.

"Once, long ago on a small group of islands lived women known as sirens. Their voices were so beautiful the whenever they sung, the sailors on the ships sailing by longed to go to them. The islands were surrounded by sharp rocks that rose out of the water, they looked like teeth of some monster that was hiding. Many ships crashed into the rocks and it became known as the graveyard of ships.

There was one siren who was like a queen to them. She was known as Dysis. She acted like their mother, keeping them safe from what she called the dangers of Greece. They could only stray so far from the caves they lived in. This women liked one siren above all the others. Dysis thought of this siren, Lorelei, as her treasure. She was beautiful with chestnut brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, her voice like a song bird that made the choir of muses jealous.

Lorelei was a young woman who enjoyed watching the waves. She'd never seen anyone besides the sirens as no one could get near enough to visit. She didn't mind too much. She was rather happy for someone who was so secluded. She had heard from Dysis that mortals were cruel people that would hate her. She had no reason to think it wasn't true. She was usually daydreaming while sitting on the beach," she paused looking down at Chailyn to see if she was still paying attention. She seemed to be concentrating on the story waiting for Ane to continue.

"One day while Lorelei was watching the waves, the sound of wings flapping caughter her attention. Beside her a man stood, offering her a rose. It was a unique flower, the petals opening gently to show white while the outer petals remained a gentle sea blue. The stem seemed a gentle green color and there wasn't a single thorn. She gave a smile to the man, accepting it while fingering the silky petals."

"Did he have wings like Daddy?" Chailyn asked intrigued. She'd never met anyone with wings like her father's, not that she really wanted to.

"Mother never said he had wings. I don't think he would've had wings like your Dad's though," she mused. She'd never asked her mother about the man really. She never interrupted the story, as her mother always seemed like the story was a lifeline she held onto. Looking down at the tale, she saw that Chailyn seemed to have shrugged off the question and was now waiting for more.

"The man said his name was Zephyrus, he was a god of the east wind. For him it was love as first sight and it was much the same for Lorelei. He swept her off her feet, bringing her roses daily. He loved giving them to her and she loved seeing him. They seemed very happy together and it made Dysis mad. She didn't want to lose her treasure."

Chailyn tugged on her mother's sweater. "Momma, can we take a break? I'm hungry," she giggled as her mother tickled her growling her stomach. She smiled as she was lifted into the air by her mother. She gave giggled all the way to the kitchen. They'd finish the story some other time.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:30 pm

A Lump of Coal
Chailyn stared at the present. She titled her head to the side. It looked like a black rock. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Turning she moved to the nearest person she could ask. She still wasn't the best at reading. She could only make out a few words of the note.

"Linn, can you read this to me? Does it say why they gave me a black rock?" the tale asked her older sister. She tugged gently on her sister's skirt.

"Maybe Santa gave you a lump of coal for being naughty," Aislinn joked. She gave a giggle until she saw her sister's frown. "I'm just kidding, Chai. Let's see, it says it's from Elena." Opening the note she read it aloud to her sister:

Hello and Happy Holidays from Sylphs and Shards.

It seems that someone has bought you a present! heart

User Image

No, really, this isn't just any old lump of coal! It pulses with warmth, just perfect for carrying in your pocket during these cold months. Shelter it from the wind, keep it close, and before long it will burst into a new companion! When that happens be sure to visit our main shop to give this little fellow a name.

Warm Wishes,
Sylphs and Shards

"It's some sort of pet. The rock is like the egg Laban and Taini came in, sweetie. So make sure to keep it close and warm." Aislinn smiled kneeling down in front of her sister. "Don't worry, Santa won't give you a lump of coal. You're a good girl. I promise, okay?"

"Okay Linn. Why does Santa give naughty people coal?" Chai asked. "And why do you kiss under the mistletoe? Why do they call it mistletoe, it doesn't look like a toe..."

"Why don't you write a list of questions you have and then we're try to answer them?" Aislinn suggested not really knowing how to answer the questions. She wasn't sure why Santa gave coal to naughty children or why they called it mistletoe, let alone why one would kiss someone under it. It seemed goofy, for lack of a better word.

Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:54 pm

Questions about Christmas
Scribbles moved along the paper, pausing to cross out misspelled words or to think of what else she wanted to ask. She'd situated herself at a table in the play room, her chin resting on her arm while she thought. She wanted to make sure to ask all of her questions, or at aleast most of them. She looked at Laban and Taini, since both had followed her. She scratched the purple feline balan behind the ears listening to the purr.

"I'm not sure what else I can ask. I can't seem to think..." she sighed setting the pen down. She looked at the coloring book and crayons. Perhaps if she colored for awhile. She had set out two candy cane coloring pages for Laban and Taini. They were using finger...well paw painting to color their pictures. She was using crayons to color hers while she tried to think. She flipped over the page, setting down her blue crayon and picking up a pink one.

1. Why do they call it mistletoe? Why do people kiss under mistletoe?
2. Why did Frosty say "Happy Birthday" when he came to life?
3. Who is Santa?
4. How does Santa get down a chimeny? What if you don't have a chimney?
5. What's an elf?
6. How does a reindeer fly? Why does he need nine reindeer?
7. What does Mrs. Claus do?

Chailyn sighed, she really didn't think she had anything else to ask but she wasn't sure. She shrugged. She'd go ask her siblings her questions later. After she gave Laban and Taini baths. They both looked like they'd painted each other instead of the candy cane pictures in front of them. She didn't really feel like cleaning them up, she felt like taking a nap.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:44 pm

Eve at the Shop
Anemone and Chailyn visit the shop to ready it for Christmas Day. Christmas Eve at the shop seems highly crowded and Chailyn is at a loss.

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:26 pm

Christmas Day
Chailyn smiled dancing into the house in her dress. She pulled down the hood of her red cloak giving a twirl. Being little she didn't at all mind being dressed up especially since her mother was dressed up as well.

Anemone looked much more sophisticated dressed in a scarlet full-length bella satin dress, the trim embroidered with clear rhinestones. Her slightly curled hair covered the silver earrings in her ears but a glint of them could be seen.

The Christmas party at the shop was over and she'd taken the family to a Christmas service at a near-by church. She had done it in effort to be closer to Michael in spirituality. She had let the other children open presents last night though Chailyn hadn't yet gotten her secret santa gift from the shop.

Now that she had it, she was excited to open the box. She'd been trying to pry edges of it open all the way home but hadn't been successful. She giggled happily as she plopped down on the floor ripping the wrapping off the box.

The first item her fingers touched glistened in the daylight. She opened her mouth in awe. A beautiful coin bracelet dangled from her hand. She beamed in approval at the stunning piece of jewelery as her mother fastened it.

Reaching in again, she lifted out two fans. One was a black color while the other was blue with white lace. She flicked her wrists letting them slowly fall out before giggling as she fanned herself.

"It looks like there is something else in there," Anemone whispered softly. She nudged her little one to the box who peered in letting one fan go while she pulled back at the tissue paper. "It's a zodiac orb, Chailyn. You came to me in July, in the sign of Cancer."

Chailyn slipped the orb out of the box as her mother explained it to her. Anemone kissed Chai on the head before excusing herself for a moment. Walking to her room she stopped to see Aislinn, Kali, and Miette gather around the tale. Ane smiled before retreating to her room.

Anemone was just going to slip into some jeans and a sweater, she didn't at first notice the giftbox on the bed. She gave a sigh as she slipped out of her dress. She didn't much notice her appearance in the mirror as her eyes fell and she saw the present.

With the door closed, she didn't mind walking around in her bra and underwear. She walked over to her bed sitting down and lifting the lid. A smile spread over her lips a tear slipping from her eye. A charm bracelet shimmered in the light. It was a beautiful Christmas gift from Michael.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 9:15 pm

Collision with Death
Chailyn was frolicking in the snow. She was dressed warmly, all bundled up in a purple jacket and a pair of warm tights under her skirt. She was kicking at the snow giggling as Dulcea walked behind her. She was too young to walk by herself but the dog tahnee was giving her enough room to make her think she was being independent.

She stopped for a moment blowing on her gloved hands. She hadn't seen anyone else outside and noticed a figure coming towards her. She was hopeful it was a friend, someone she could run around and play with in the snow. She didn't know the tale she was about to meet wasn't up for playing.

Andi had waited until his new guardian, Mekt, was asleep to sneak out. He wasn't wearing much - his usual white shirt and jeans. He didn't carry his torchlight this time, and he had left Natty inside, where it was warmer. He had his hands shoved into his pocket, and his head lowered, eyes watching his feet, but mostly closed. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. Anywhere away from here. He shivered. Cold. Good. Maybe he'd freeze to death. That would be a good thing at this point and time. He doesn't notice another - doesn't even look up - keeps walking at a slow, but steady, pace.

Chailyn stopped, waiting for the person to get closer. She watched as the person came into view and she could see him better. Her head tilted to the side as it always did when she was curious, wondering who it was. They didn't seem very happy nor did they seem to be paying attention.

In her eyes, it seemed that maybe he just needed a friend. "Hi! I'm Chailyn, what's your name?" she asked sounding rather perky. Apparently she was more of a night owl than an early bird. She gave a smile waiting for him to look up at her and give a smile of his own.

He stopped, but didn't look up. He bent down to grab a stick that was poking out of the snow, and started to "write" in a nearby snowbank.

A - N - D - R - A - E - L

After he was finished writing it, he simply dropped the stick, and stood there, waiting for her to say something or do something - Listeless. His eyes didn't raise to meet hers - and if they had, they would have been near-lifeless.

Chailyn had to move to stand beside him to read it. She looked up at him, though she couldn't really see his face let alone his eyes. "Hi Andrael! You look kind of sad. Maybe playing will cheer you up?" she asked curiously. She knew it would be rude to question what was wrong, or blurt out some silly greeting card phrase like smile for awhile.

"Did something bad happen?" she wondered outloud. She covered her mouth. "I...erm, umm do you have a nickname?" she tried covering up her former question. She didn't want to make him mad or butt in, not that she really understood what that meant.

He kicked snow over the RAEL, and put in an I. He didn't look up - didn't make any motion to join her, simply stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets, eyes on the ground. He doesn't make any move to shuffle away, though - either. Depressed? Most definately. And he won't talk.

Chailyn peered at the snow again. She was definately curious. Was he mute or just not talking? It didn't appear that he was stubborn, at least not refusing to even respond. Instead he seemed relunctant to interact unless it was writing his name in the snow. She wasn't the type to give up though, at least not now.

"Andi. They call me Chai," she gave a giggle finding it amusing. "We both have A's and I's in our names! People could call us Chandi!" she added. The amusement she found in it managed a chuckled out of Dulcea and she was sure it had to get something out of Andi.

He looked up at her with a deadpan expression. His eyes were devoid of any semblance of life or light. His expression was blank - of nothing. As if he didn't feel. Laughter? No way in hell. He shook his head, and lowered it again, slumping to sit in the snow, not caring that he was getting cold.

She was dumb struck. She'd thought it was funny. She pondered for a moment before he looked up at her. She unconsciously took a step back, the blank look in his eyes enough to scare her a bit. She'd never seen such a look on anyone and it made her both uneasy and sad.

Biting down on the inside of her lower lip, she kneeled down in front of him. "It can't be that bad." She had no idea that it was beyond that bad. Being a kid the worse thing she could imagine happening was perhaps that he got grounded. Nor did she know how horrible that question could be.

"Did you parents yell at you? Did you get in trouble?" she asked. She shifted, sitting indian style and looking at him. "I can be stubborn too!" she pouted thinking now he was just being difficult.

He growled under his breath, and started to write with his finger in the snow - BOLD, CAPITAL letters, so she would get it through her thick child's skull.

M..Y....D..A..D....I..S....D..E..A..D.

Chailyn pushed herself back, her senses prickling when he growled. She gulped her eyes showing fear. She hadn't meant to be mean, she hadn't know it was something so serious. She sniffled, her first thought to yell at him stating there was no way she couldn't known but she didn't want to yell. She choked back tears, even if she didn't know him or his father.

"I'm sorry...I didn't know..." she whispered softly. She tentatively reached her hand out, her arm shaking. She touched his shoulder lightly swallowing hard. If she hoped he wasn't going to lash out at her. "Do you have a mom?" she asked softly, practically whispering.

He didn't lash out - didn't react at all. And that lack OF reaction ought to set off warning bells - even in a little girl's head. It might be time to bring momma into this. He shook his head when asked about a mother, and resumed staring down into the snow, tears starting to trickle down his face.

Chailyn gulped. She glanced back at Dulcea who wasn't sure what to do either. "Do...you could come home with me? You could talk to my mother, or my daddy. Maybe they can help you feel better?" she asked gently. She had no idea what to do. She'd never ever dealt with something like this. No one she knew had ever died.

"Andi?" she whispered. She inched forward the idea of hugging him coming to mind but afraid to touch him or do anything.

Andi slumped even further, and curled up in the snow, shaking with sobs now, arms wrapped tightly around him. He seemed so much younger than he physically was. He was trembling all over. He'd probably literally "catch his death" if left out here like this too long.

Chailyn sniffled, her throat beginning to hurt as tears began to well up in her eyes. She frowned standing up just long enough to run to Dulcea. Grabbing onto her older sister's hand, she dragged the older girl towards Andi. The two kneeled beside him before Dulcea decided she needed help with this.

"Chai, stay with him. I'm going to get Mom and some blankets. Don't move." She slipped her coat off wrapping it around the two tales before rushing off.

"It'll be ok, Andi." Chailyn whispered to him trying to give him hope to cling to. She was doing her best to help though she didn't seem to be doing much of anything.

What seemed like an hour of waiting was only ten minutes or so. It didn't take long for Dulcea to rush back with Anemone. Dulcea wrapped a blanket around Chailyn lifting her into her arms, letting their mother wrap Andi in a blanket and putting him into a sitting position.

"Andi?" Anemone asked trying to coax a response out of him.

It had been a long time since Nalira had gone out for a walk by herself. Lemonlime had still been hesitant to let her go, giving her current physical disadvantages, but decided it was probably best to let her. Nalira swung her thin, white cane in front of her body skillfully, occasionally stumbling, but otherwise remaining surprisingly upright.

Her feet sunk into the snow that was piled up beneath her feet, causing a lag in her pace. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, hearing familiar voices. She frowned, turning slowly on the spot and advancing forward. She extended her hand infront of her frame, the voice becoming more and more clearer as she came closer.

Nalira paused, unaware of the scene in front of her. Her arms fell limp beside her body, her left hand twitching slightly. She rocked on the balls of her feet, her heart beating rapidly. She coughed into her hand, before cautiously speaking.

"Hello?" She asked tenderly, nibbling gently on her bottom lip.

Andi had fallen silent, eyes closed, tears frozen to his face. He was still breathing - he was still alive - but you wouldn't know it to look at him. He didn't respond to either voice, didn't respond to someone wrapping a blanket around him - it was as if the world was a blur, and he the center of the whirlwind.

Anemone clutched the boy in her arms. He looked frozen and she didn't want him to stay out in the cold any longer. Her attention was pulled to Nalira as she spoke. "Hello, Nalira, right?" she remembered seeing the tale at the Christmas party.

Chailyn lifted her head up. She sniffed looking at Nalira, "Hi Nalira...Nala." She coughed before continuing. "Andi's Daddy died, I don't know what to do. I'm scared," she whispered. She didn't know if the two knew each other or not but she couldn't much think.

Dulcea patted the tale's back trying to comfort her. "Shh, it's going to be ok Chailyn. We should get him inside, our house isn't far. Would you like to come, Nalira?" the dog tahnee asked. She was just using what her mother and sister had called the tale.

Nalira stood there for a moment in shock. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes watering. The news took a while to finally sink in. She bit her lower lip, hard enough to cause her nerves to twinge, but soft enough not to draw blood.

"Arri .." She whispered, shifting the weight from her feet and lowering her gaze. ".. Dead?" She finished, swallowing a large lump in her throat, her voice cracking. She nodded in agreement to the dog tahnee, moving forward cautiously, her heart taking refuge in her stomach.

"Andi .. I can't see you, but, I want you to know I'm here for you, alright? Forever and always." She whispered comfortingly, reaching her hand forward and placing it on his shoulder. She let out a heavy breath, a single tear gently trickling down her cheek, her hand gently squeezing his shoulder.

"Forever and always."

Andi felt and heard Nalira, but it didn't seem to register. His eyes were half-open, and staring. He'd gone pale as the snow around them, and his breathing had shallowed. His hands were like ice, as well as his face - drained of color, though he was. He started to feel woozy - dizzy - like the world was spinning and spinning. He closed his eyes, and lost himself in it.
He went limp in the woman's arms. Completely unconscious.

Anemone hadn't met Arri but still she felt for those who did, especially for Andi. Her attention was set on making sure he survived tonight at the very least. "I'm sure he'll be glad to know that Nalira. Once we get him warmed up I'm sure he'll feel better knowing you're here for him," she stated. She would've said more but the mere pulse she felt in his neck seemed slow and barely there as it was.

"Do you need help Nalira?" Dulcea asked guessing that the tale was blind much like Cillian. She offered her hand shifting Chailyn in her arms.

"We need to go now, he's slipping," she had meant to say more but Andi went limp in her arms and she began to hurriedly walk towards home. She didn't want to lose the others but she had to get him inside and warmed up soon.

Nalira nodded, moving back from the group, her heart sinking even lower as she felt him go limp. Nalira wasn't much of an optomist, so she was already thinking the worst. She trembled, tears frozen to her face, both in fear and realization.

Nalira gratefully took Dulcea's hand, walking beside them in haste. She muttered a 'thank you' under her breath, when her lips went suddenly very dry at Ane's words. Slipping? She let out a choked breath, shaking her head. Andi wasn't going to die, too. He wasn't, he wasn't.

And she kept telling herself that the whole way.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at Anemone's house. It was a short walk to the living room where she put Andi down pulling the blanket on the back of it down. She rested his head on the pillow placing the blanket over him to help keep him warm.

"You can just lay your coats down for now. I can hang them up later. Nala, you can sit on the right side of the couch if you want to hold onto Andi. Chai, why don't you sit on the other side and Dulcea and I will get some hot chocolate ready?" Anemone instructed. She waited for Dulcea to lead Nala to the couch before they went off to the kitchen.

"He'll be ok, Nala. He will." Chailyn tried to smile though it came off as a frown. She turned pulling herself up on the couch and tucking the covers under the boy's feet to keep the warmth in. She looked up at Nalira. "He just needs rest and warmth," she added, more likely to keep her own hopes up not knowing about the other tale's worries.

Andrael was caught in a nightmare - watching his father die, over and over again, each shadow with a different face, each time with a different weapon - but always the same voice, always the same end result. Always Andi in the corner, trembling and afraid while the figure hissed out:

~You will be next, godling child...~

Andi's body, meanwhile, had started to almost convulse in shivers, his skin hot to the touch, and cold-sweat crossing his brow. His heart fluttering weakly against his ribcage as he fought his nightmares. He kept tossing his head from side to side - caught up in whatever he was seeing beyond consciousness.

Nalira stood there for a moment, her arms falling limp beside her body. She closed her eyes, rocking on the balls of her feet, her arms wrapped around her body. She moved forward cautiously, feeling for the couch before taking a seat near the end.

She reached a hand forward, gently placing it on his shoulder, before letting out a hiss. Her body was shaking violently, her eyes closed in agonizing pain. Images flashed before her, much too quickly for her to make them out.

Nalira threw her head back, letting out a groan, before retracting her hand from his body, her breath heavy and forced. She opened her eyes, her mouth open in shock. What had just happened? Is that was Andi was seeing?

That didn't matter. All that mattered at the moment was that he got well. Nalira gently sunk into the couch, moving her hand to grab his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He would be alright, he would, he would.

Chailyn looked at Nala confused. She shivered hearing the hiss as the tale touched Andi's shoulder. She moved back slightly afraid. She wasn't sure what to think of Nala's actions. She wanted to just curl up and hug the two older tales.

"Nala? Are you ok?" she murmured. She inched off the couch pulling a blanket off a nearby chair and moving to stand in front of her. She offered the blanket to the tale thinking she might be cold. "I'm here..." she whispered pulling herself up on the couch. She sat on her knees, resting on the edge of the couch between Andi and Nalira.

Glancing over at Andi, she sat up and inched forward before launching towards Nalira giving her the best hug she could manage. "Andi will be ok."

Andi remembered the hiss, the slow slither of scales on tile, the cackling voice, the end of a tail sliding out of the window. All of which he could see from where he was in the corner of the bedroom, curled into the closet like a frightened kitten, just staring and staring. So much blood. So much... He couldn't get up from where he was - frozen in fear. his eyes followed the trail of blood to... a body - he couldn't think of it as his father - not now. He hadn't cried out then - but he did sink into darkness of a sort - which he was currently enveloped in again - the world spinning and spinning, no end in sight, no stopping point.

His shivers started to decrease as he slowly warmed up, thanks to the combined efforts of those present. He couldn't breathe very well, lungs rattling and rasping, almost refusing to work. His heart still pounded, but the beat seemed stronger, if marginally. He was starting to regain SOME color to his cheeks.

Dulcea carried in a tray of hot chocolate. Five cups sat on the tray with a kettle. She set it down on the coffee table in front of the couch before pouring the liquid into the cups.

Anemone followed behind carrying some damp towels to place on Andi's forehead. She gave a slight smile seeing a hint of color returning to his cheeks but was still concerned. "Nala, does your guardian know you're out?" she asked. She didn't want any parents or guardians worried about their children, though she didn't know the number of Andi's new guardian.

Placing a cloth on the tale's head, Anemone cleansed the drops of sweat from his forehead. In a sense it was a comfort but more so, she was afraid he was having nightmares about his father or death or who knew what else.

Chailyn continued to hug Nala. She had started twisting some of her own hair in nervousness and tilted her head to the side looking at her mother. She was concerned about Andi and wanted to do all she could to help.

Nalira embraced the young Tale, squeezing her gently and pulled her close. She definately needed the comfort. She registered Anemone's question delayed, but answered nonetheless, her voice cracking when she spoke.

"She knows I'm out -- although, she was probably expecting me back a little while ago. She doesn't know where I am, though." She said honestly, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't want Lemonlime worrying, but she didn't want to leave Andi. Not now, not after this.

She took in a deep breath, squeezing Chailyn once more, kissing her forehead. It was a friendly gesture, and she was sure the young girl needed comforting just as much as she, herself, did.

His eyes fluttered beneath his eyelids. He was dreaming - reliving it. But he kept the promise he had made - he didn't make a single sound, not even asleep.
He started awake, panting hard, and trembling all over, eyes wide and frightened. He didn't know where he was, he was hot, his heart was doing flipflops in his chest, and it was hard to breathe.

Chailyn smiled, feeling comfort from Nalira's actions. She was looking at Andi curious as to what he might be dreaming about. She was grateful for the comfort she recieved and hoped she was helping Nala, too. She really wasn't sure she understood what death was, let alone what it must be like for someone to lose a loved one. She'd only heard about it in stories but she was too young to comprehend how much it must be affecting Andi.

"You can call her to let you know where you are. She'll be-" Anemone started. She stopped suddenly noticing Andi move. She took a moment before speaking to him. "Andi? Shh, you're all right. You're here with Nalira and Chailyn. We brought you to my house, I'm Chailyn's mother," she told him softly. She sat up on her knees looking at the boy unsure if he would need comfort from her.

"Andi? It's Chai," she added as her mother finished. She smiled hope filtering through any darkened thoughts she had about Andi not feeling better.

Nalira was just about to move to ring her Guardian, when she felt Andi stir. She turned around, her breath caught in her chest. He was waking up, he was alright. He was alright. Nalira couldn't help but smile, moving her hand once more to his shoulder.

"Andi? Andi, it's Nalira, Chai and Anemone. We're here, don't be afraid." She whispered, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. Nalira couldn't even begin to comprehend how Andi was feeling right now, but she would try as much as she could to help him. She would move the world if she had to.

"Don't be afraid, we're here." She repeated tenderly, still rubbing his shoulder. She felt around for Chai's hand, grabbing it, too. She gave it a small squeeze, turning her head to where she assumed Chai was residing, giving her a smile of hope.

He calmed - slightly, and closed his eyes again, swallowing. He WOULD not cry, he would not cry, he would not cry... But he was not able to obey, and tears started to trickle from his eyes. He rolled over, face into the back of the couch, so no one could see him cry.

Chailyn curled her hand around Nala's frowning when Andi began to cry. She gently touched his shoulder and tried to offer comfort. "It's ok, Andi."

Anemone gave a gentle sigh, sitting on the edge of the couch she began to rub his back gently. She thought silently to herself wondering if singing would help calm him or lull him into a restful sleep, but decided not to chance it. Instead she continued rubbing his back giving a soft shh to try and ease his tears.

"It's all right, Andi. It's ok to cry. You can cry all you need to," she added. She'd never really believed it wasn't ok to cry though if it was her, she probably would've reacted the same.

Nalira felt her heart sink. Think, woman, think -- what made you feel better all those depressing times? Nalira thought back, closing her eyes to concentrate further. Suddenly, she remembered. She coughed into her hand and gently wet her lips before speaking.

"When the day is long, and the night is yours alone. When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on. Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries -- and everybody hurts sometimes." Nalira said softly to Andi, and everyone else within hearing space. That song used to calm her in the most traumatic of times. It made her feel normal, made her feel that she wasn't the only person who cried. Made her feel strong.

She gently placed her head on Andi's curled up body, nibbling on her lower lip, wrapping and arm around him. No child should have to go through this -- Scratch that. No person, young or old, should have to go through this.

Andi heard Nalira's voice, and it seemed to register a bit - he started to calm, shivering still, and still very much ill and in shock from what he's been dreaming about. His crying stopped. His eyes calmed too - and he rolled onto his back, coughing.

Chailyn and Anemone both smiled at Andi. "You need something to eat or drink? Another blanket?" she asked. She could at least try making his visit comfortable. Though she was sure it was more his heart needed the comfort, something she really never thought happened. Losing someone hurt and one only learned to accept it with time, even then it was often covered with many wishes that they would return.

"Andi. It's all going to be ok. We'll be here for you, for always." She moved away just slightly from Nalira dipping forward to smile at him. She moved to sit next to her mother and took hold of one of his hands. "We love you, Andi. We'll help you," she added.

"Nalira, why don't you call your guardian. Dulcea can dial if you need her, too. Then you can sit with Andi some more," Anemone piped up. It was mostly in attempt to quell any worry that Lemonlime might be feeling. She stood up straightening the blankets waiting for any responses.

Nalira sat there silently for a moment. She really should dial her Guardian herself, but, she wanted to stay with Andi. She turned her head to Anemone, smiling politely.

"Could, uh, Dulcea please dial her? I would really like to stay here with Andi. You know, just incase.." She trailed off, rubbing her neck and shifting uncomfortably. She ran her hands of Andi's body in a desperate attempt to warm him up more.

She continued to speak, realizing the almost comforting effect it had on him. "Everybody hurts, take comfort in your friends. Everybody hurts, don't throw your hand -- Don't throw your hand. If you feel like you're alone, no, you are not alone. If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long, when you think you've had too much of this life to hang on. Well, everybody hurts sometimes, and everybody cries."

Dulcea gave a nod, setting down her cup and standing up. She leaned over to Nalira asking for the number and nodded again once she'd memorized it. She made her way to the phone dialing the number quickly and waiting for someone to pick up.

Chailyn shifted to rest against her mother finding herself tired. She began to drift off, falling to lay her head on Andi as her eyes closed. It was apparent she was sleeping as she began to giggle once sweet dreams filtered into her mind. She nuzzled her face into the blankets for a moment,

"I'll be the shelter in your rain
Help you find your smile again
I'll make you laugh at a broken heart
Wherever you are

'Cause I'm never gonna walk away
If the wall comes down someday
All alone and you feel afraid
Be there when you call my name
You can always depend on me
I believe until forever ends
I will be your friend."

The song apparently had just flitted into her head and she repeated it as her sleep deepened.

"Stay as long as you want, Nalira. I'll get you a pillow and blanket in case you get tired," Anemone said smiling at her tale. She hefted the girl into her arms, giving a soft laugh. She exited the room to get some blankets and pillows, knowing Chailyn would want to sleep in the living room as well.

"ANDI!"
There was someone outside in the snow - calling for Andrael - It sounded not much more than a boy.
"ANDI! Where are you!? Andi!

Andrael was out cold again by now - but it was a peaceful sleep - not one wracked by nightmares. He didn't hear the man calling for him. And even if he had - he probably wouldn't have cared.

Lemonlime awoke with a start, shaking her head slowly. She had been waiting for Nalira all night, and she still haden't returned. She looked over to the phone, heaving herself out of her chair, answering the phone hastily, almost dropping it.

"Hello, is that you, Nalira?" She asked hopefully, biting her lower lip.

- - -

Nalira smiled, nodding softly. In her haste, she had forgotten she was laying almost directly ontop of Andi, which couldn't be all that comfortable for the Tale. She moved back tenderly, curling up at the end of the couch and yawning. She was suprisingly tired.

She didn't ask for a pillow or a blanket, she didn't really need one, she was comfortable as she was. She drew her knees up to her chest, propping her head on her arms, closing her eyes slowly. She listened intentively to her surroundings, yawning once more, the warmth radiating between her and Andi keeping her at a comfortable temperature.

In a strange and unusual way, this was rather nice.

Princess, one of the four felines that lived at Anemone's, pawed at the door mewing incessantly. She scurried back and forth begging someone to follow her. She continued until she saw Ane and promptly sat in her way.

"You don't like the snow, Princey..." Ane started but the feline only mewed more. "Fine." She shrugged shaking her head as she walked to the door, the feline eagerly following. As soon as the door opened, Princess took off towards the voice she'd heard calling for Andi. She knew her mistress was much too busy to have heard it, and she was only human meaning her hearing was horrid.

Shaking her head, Ane wandered back into the living room and covered up Nalira. She encouraged the tale to lift her head so she could put a pillow under it before moving to cover up Chailyn. Her face was already covered by strands of her fiery soft red hair, breathing with her mouth open as she murmured.

Smoothing Chailyn's forehead, she kissed the tale gently before hefting her up again and sitting down. She didn't want to leave the three alone just yet.

"No, I'm Dulcea. I wanted you to let you know that Nalira is here. She wants to stay with Andi, his father passed away and he seems to be having trouble with it," Dulcea said gently. Her ears flicked back and forth with each word fearing she'd be yelled at. "I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind if I gave you our phone number and address," she added quickly.

Outside, Princess darted to and fro shaking the snow from her paws. She shivered at first finding the cold air constricting. She almost wished she could hitch hike somehow, so the wetness wouldn't make her feet so frozen with each move. Rather than give up and head home, she stubbornly forged on. Hopefully the voice would keep calling and she'd find him more easily.

"ANDI!... Dammit, where are you, kid... ANDRAEL! ANDI! AN-"
He paused, and looked down at a cat that was moving towards the snow. He'd always been an animal lover.
"What are you doing out -here- sweetheart? It's cold out here... Don't you have a place to go?"

Andi had slipped off into sleep again - restless sleep once more - his fever back fullforce. Shaking his head in denials - fear causing his heart to race, and his breathing to quicken.

The other end of the phone line went silent. Lemonlime stood there, her ears ringing painfully. She closed her eyes, biting back tears, letting out a shaky breath.

"Thank you, Dulcea. I was getting a little worried. I hope Andi is alright .." She paused, whiping a tear from her cheek hastily before remember that no one could see her.

"I'll come and gather Nalira tomorrow -- so, could I have your address?" She asked politley, fiddling nervously with the phone.

- - -

Nalira nuzzled into the pillow, sighing contently. Before she could drift into a sleep she heard something calling out for someone, someone that sounded vaguely like ..

"Andi." She whispered to herself, sitting upright and moving her hair from her face. She frowned, concentrating on the voice, her hands griping her knees tightly.

"Ane? Ane, I think there's someone outside calling for Andi." She said quickly, slurring her words together in a half-conscious state, yawning and pulling the blanket further over her body, grasping her hands together.

"Of course," Dulcea replied. "I think Andi will be all right, as long as he's surrounded by friends," she added before going on to give Lemonlime the address. She was probably one of the few in the household who actually didn't mind being on the phone.

Anemone gave a smile at Nalira, "That's probably why Princess wanted out. She'll bring them here." Still she stood up shifting Chailyn into the chair, glad that tonight she seemed able to sleep through anything. She knew the feline would find the person but it'd be hard to know if the person would understand her. She'd have to open the door anyways, meaning she might as well walk a little ways.

Princess meowed gently rubbing against the boy's leg before skittering forward a bit. She turned her head mewing as if asking him to follow her. Normally she wouldn't mind just jumping up and being kept warm, especially since she hated the snow but this was different.

Mekt blinked, and shrugged. He'd learned long ago that you don't typically NOT-trust a cat. Especially when they seem insistant.
"Ok, ok - give me a minute. I'm coming. Promise."
He started into a soft jog to keep up with the cat.
"Dammit Andi... where are you..."

Andi, meanwhile, was still in the throes of a fever-dream, tossing and turning, murmuring denials and altogether having a very bad time of it. He whimpered softly, and rolled, but this time - off the couch. He didn't wake when he hit the floor though - far out of it.

Anemone's fingers jerked back from the doorknob twisting it so that it creaked open. Her attention was on the sound of a thud and she darted back to the living room. She looked at Andi, falling to her knees to pick him up at least into a sitting position somewhat.

"Andi?" she started slowly. She gave a sigh hoisting him back up on the couch. She briefly checked on the other two before going to get another cool rag to apply to his forehead.

Chailyn stirred, slipping out of the chair and truding over to pull herself up beside Andi. "You gotta get better Andi. Your Daddy wouldn't want you to be sick."

Princess mewed continiously as Mekt followed. She would only sit still but a moment before darting forward and giving another mew. It took her a moment to actually realize that he was following her and she let her meowing soften to a soft prodding.

Nalira sat there, oblivious to what was happening. Everything seemed to be falling away, her eyes becoming heavy. She yawned, slowly sliding down the couch, curling up into a comfortable posistion. She slowly drifted into a semi-conscious sleep, pictures swimming infront of her eyes.

Her breath became heavy as horrific images flashed through her mind. She let out a choke, her body twitching terribly. The images were flashing far too quickly for her to register what they were, but one image was vivid. One image was clear.

Blood.

Nalira whimpered, shaking her head slowly. She was accustomed to night terrors, but hers usually consisted of wolves, not blood. Nalira tossed, struggled and strained, trying desperatley to rid herself of the terrifying images, but to no avail. She fell limp, trembling as the images haunted her dreams.

Princess successfully lead Mekt to Anemone's house. She meowed moving through the door and quickly heading into the living room. She swished her tail as she jumped onto the couch back, meowing to let both Anemone know that she was there while letting Mekt know where Andi was.

"Princess, thank you," Ane murmured briefly. She would've reached up to pet the feline but was drawn to Nalira. She wished she was two people, it was hard balancing her attention between the two. She sighed letting go of Andi briefly.

She sat down between the two pulling Nalira up to rest against her in hopes it would relieve her. She couldn't do much but make Andi comfortable in his state of unconsciousness. She sighed again covering him up and looking at Nala. "Poor kids..." she murmured to herself.

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:38 am

Comprehending Death
I met Andi and Nala. Andi's dad died. I don't know what I'd do if my daddy died. I don't know what my mommy would do. It makes me sad to think about it. I'm confused. I don't understand. Why would a daddy die when he has Andi to care for? Andi doesn't have a daddy anymore. Where will he live? Who's going to take care of him?

My mommy tried to talk to me about it but I feel asleep. I didn't sleep well though. I kept dreaming that daddy and mommy died. I was all alone...abandoned. I...didn't like it.

Tears slipped from Chailyn's eyes, slidding down her cheeks before slipping onto her lips as she opened them to let out a breath. She let out a waited breath, her body shaking. She'd had sad thoughts before but this was new, and terrible. She wiped at her tears, sniffling before continuing to write though the wetness on her fingers smudged some of the ink.

I didn't tell Daddy or Mommy about it. I just said that I was worried about Andi and Nala. She didn't seem to be sleeping well when I woke up the first time. I saw someone, I don't know who he was. I really hope Andi will be ok. Is it wrong to hope I will be, too? I'm scared. What if my parents die like his?

I wish Lance or Donny or Vidya or Ezra or Elena or the girl called Aido was here. I know I haven't met her but she's bigger, I bet she and Vidya could make me feel better. I could hold onto Ezra...if he let me and Elena might be able to talk to me. Donny could distract me and I could hold onto him or Lance. I feel alone...I'm going to go find my Daddy and ask him to hold me.

Luff,
Chai

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:25 pm

Dancer's Soul
Chailyn meets Jiro at a dance shop near the stationary store.

(Status: This is currently being role-played here.)

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:20 pm

Sylvester Long-Neck?
Sylvester stalked down the same section of sidewalk he had several days ago, lost in his thoughts just as he had been then. These thoughts were not happy ones about the weather, however, as much as he wished they could be. He was confused, and he wished someone would just tell him what the hell was going on.

"Sylvester! I told you to wait!" Smerdle had never been this frustrated with her charge, not even after he had gotten band-aid-happy at the movies. She wasn't looking after Brownie today, having found a daycare center for problem children in the area, but she wasn't going to run after Sylvester. Why wasn't he listening to her, dammit! He always had and he always should.

The Tale stopped momentarily at his mother's angry tone, turning partially to wait for her to catch up. His gaze lingered on the alley just ahead. Stupid alley. He huffed out a sigh and stomped the remaining distance to the Stationery Store before pulling open the door and stepping inside, leaving Smerdle down the block.

Chailyn moved down the street just slightly in front of her mother. She was going to go shopping later. She was feeling rather happy so far. She'd thought of a present for Elena, or at least she had an idea. She was still thinking about what to get Jiro and thought the stationary store would be a good place to get some inspiration. At least that's what Aislinn said, whatever inspiration meant.

She heard someone yell a name she thought sounded familiar but wasn't paying attention to those around her. Instead she continued walking noticing the door to the shop swinging closed. She blinked, curious and began to walk faster. Someone was there today and she wanted to know who.

"Chailyn, don't walk so fast," Anemone said. She frowned seeing that Chai wasn't listening. Instead the tale rushed forward and darted into the shop, only to run into Sylvester.

"Oops...hi..." she said after blinking a few times and looking up at him. It took her a moment to realize she was sitting on the floor now.

Sylvester tripped forward as Chailyn's small body ran into him. If that was Smerdle trying to teach him a lesson, he would just... He clenched his fists and spun around, looking up at where he presumed the threat was. "Mama! I..."

Only there wasn't anyone there. He hadn't heard Chailyn's hello over his own angry retort, so he spent a fraction of a second in puzzled silence, staring at the empty air, before he looked down.

"Oh! Chai, I'm sorry," he said, lowering his hand to help her up. Well, he couldn't be mad at Chailyn, she wasn't keeping anything from him, at least that he knew of. "How've you been?" He looked down at the ground, trying to cover the fact that the hand by his side was still balled in a fist, and the other fact that he had just yelled at a nice person for no good reason.

Smerdle sped up when she saw Chailyn enter the store. She only knew the child was a Tale because she had seen her briefly at Christmas. Smerdle hated to think it, but she didn't want Sylvester causing any trouble. She smiled briefly and waved at Anemone.

"Was that yours?"

Chailyn just giggled blushing. She took his hand gratefully oblivious that he had yelled or had his fist balled up. She got to her feet letting out a soft breath of air. She was glad to have run into him, well not literally.

"Hi Sylvester. I'm ok. How are you? I'm sorry for bumping into you. I saw the door shut and got excited to have someone to meet," she explained. She looked up at him, her eyes just shining with interest.

Anemone smiled walked over to Smerdle. "Yes, I think she got a little excited when she saw the shop door close." She knew her tale loved meeting people, though more one on one, otherwise she seemed to retreat to the outskirts just following the motions of others. Of course, this likely meant even more shopping had to be done.

She had to admit it was worth it, especially since Chailyn seemed so happy when she met others.

"That's okay," he said, relieved she hadn't seemed to have noticed his sour mood. "I've been better, but that doesn't matter now." He glared at the door before turning to Chailyn and smirking. "Would your mom be worried if... well, yeah she would. Chai, would you do something for me? When Mama comes in, tell her you haven't seen me. I'll be upstairs. If I'm not here, maybe she'll leave." He sounded like a pouty brat, but he didn't care. Without waiting for an answer, he ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"She's adorable. Were you guys headed anywhere important before she made a bee-line for the store? Actually, we should probably talk inside. Shall we?" Smerdle smiled and held the door open for Anemone if she wanted to enter.

Chailyn was a bit surprised. No one had ever asked her to lie and she wasn't sure what to think. She didn't think Sylvester sounded like a whiny brat and she didn't think he was bad for asking either. She guessed she'd have to do what he had asked.

Anemone smiled at Smerdle nodding. "We were going to do some shopping. Chai wants to get her new friends some presents," she replied. She walked inside stopping to wait for Smerdle though she saw Chailyn standing by herself.

The tale looked up at Smerdle and Anemone. "Sylvester's not here..." she said but it wasn't very convincing. She'd never lied before so it wasn't surprising that it fell flat.

Smerdle glared at the stairs, where the faint sounds of little-boy-shoe-clops could still be heard. Honestly, she didn't know what to do with him. Making another kid lie? Well, he wasn't going to get rid of her that easily.

"Okay, well, he's been around this neighborhood alone by himself before. He'll come back soon, I'm sure. I'll just stay down here and wait." She hoped she didn't sound too uncaring, but she didn't want to make Chailyn feel bad about covering for Sylvester. "Should we sit down for a while?" she asked Anemone.

Upstairs, Sylvester sat in a room crowded with boxes and wondered what was going on with Mama and Chai. Just as he had been worried Chailyn's mother would have been upset if she had entered the shop to find Chailyn gone, he was also sure she wouldn't let the Tale come up here unsupervised. Sometimes, he didn't really think a thing through. He sighed, but didn't move, not yet ready to give himself up.

"Yes, why don't we," Anemone replied picking up Chailyn. "It's nice that you want to help someone but lying is wrong," she whispered into the tale's ear. She kissed her on the cheek before sitting down. She was about to apologize to Smerdle for Chailyn's action of lying but Chailyn decided to speak instead.

"Can I go play with Sylvester upstairs?" she asked. She looked up at her mother, knowing that she wouldn't want to. She didn't have much choice though. Anemone didn't want to leave Sylvester upstairs alone and since he was avoiding his mother she had no reason to think he'd accept her presence.

"Ok...but be careful," Anemone said putting Chailyn down and watching as she ran off. She gave a light sigh hoping nothing bad would happen. Somehow she could just see the two accidently breaking something or worse. As a parent, she couldn't help worrying over all the possible things that could go wrong.

Chailyn climbed up the stairs slowly. She looked down the hallway tilting her head to the side. "Sylvester? Where are you?" she called out.

"Sylvester's not usually this... troublesome," Smerdle apologized. "I think he thinks I'm keeping something from him, but I don't even know what that something could be. I'm hoping he gets over it on his own." She perched on the arm of a nearby chair. "He shouldn't have asked her to lie," she muttered, thinking out loud.

Chailyn's voice carried down the hall and into the room Sylvester was hiding in. Was she alone? He didn't want to go out there only to find his mother or someone else there too.

Montmorency clung to Sylvester's neck, her camouflaging ability discarded in favor of her natural, metallic skin. She had never ventured far from the giraffe Tale, but she understood that his current behavior was causing more problems than it was solving. The more he overreacted to this whole snowglobe thing, the more likely it would be that he would find out what he had been created to do. She knew that couldn't happen. She hopped off of Sylvester and bounced toward the door, intending to reveal his location, even if it meant her existence would be public knowledge.

"Morry, no!" Sylvester whispered.

"You are acting like an infant," she scolded, her voice cold but melodic as always. She hopped out of the door and plopped to a stop in front of Chailyn. "Hello."

"No, he shouldn't have. I'm sure he's just dealing with something in his own way," Anemone tried in hopes that it would help Smerdle feeling better. Although she was feeilng rather nervous herself. She hoped the giraffe looking tale wouldn't ask Chailyn to do anything else that she shouldn't do.

Chailyn peered at Montmorency and giving a smile kneeling down. She put her hand out to let the creature get her scent if she wanted. "Hi. Do you live here? Have you seen Sylvester?" her questions blurred together slightly as she barely paused in between.

Well, at least Anemone was being nice about it. "Yeah, 'his own way' seems to be really annoying right now." She sighed. "So... this probably wasn't the best way for us to be introduced. I'm Smerdle," she said, holding out her hand. "And, that was Sylvester. I think he and Chailyn met over Christmas. There were so many kids there, I could hardly keep track. But, he did mention her. Something about having a cool name." She smiled.

Oh, this was convenient. Maybe she could just pretend to be some shop oddity and not connect herself with Sylvester at all. Morry touched her cold nose to the girl's hand in a gesture of greeting, even though she couldn't really smell anything in the conventional way. "You are Chailyn, correct? Sylvester is here. Follow me." With that, she turned and hopped back to the room he was hiding in.

"Perhaps he'd talk to Chailyn or someone about what's bothering him. I know she saw him at Christmas and has been quite curious about him ever since," she said with a smile. It seemed impossible for Chailyn not to be curious though. She always seemed to jump at the chance to meet new tales, though she would probably jump at the chance to meet almost anyone. "It's nice to meet you Smerdle." She smiled as well taking Smerdle's hand in her own.

Chailyn giggled at Morry's gesture. A shiver ran down her spine and she shook lightly from the cold before shaking it off. "Mm-hmm, I'm Chailyn." She watched Morry turn and followed the hopping creature. She wondered who owned her, thinking Morry seemed like a nice pet.

"I hope so," Smerdle said, shaking Anemone's hand. "Anyway, how long has Chailyn been with you? From the little I've seen of her, she seems like a real sweetheart." She dropped onto the actual sofa cushion and took off her coat, settling it around herself.

Montmorency entered the box-filled room and bowed slightly. "Here," she said to Chailyn. She wanted to scold Sylvester again for his attitude, but she stopped herself.

The giraffe stood, his head hung lower than usual. "Sorry Chai," he said. "I shouldn't have asked you to lie. It's just... Mama's lying to me. I know she knows something." He didn't even begin to clarify what the hell he was talking about, but he stood up straighter and smiled at Chailyn, as if coming to the conclusion that his behavior was justified. Morry, again, stayed silent.

"Chailyn's been with me for about six months. It almost seems like yesterday. She tends to be so cute and sweet," she replied giving a smile. She moved to sit in a chair beside the couch having forgot she was even wearing her coat. She shrugged the coat off letting fall back.

"It's ok Sylvester. I didn't mind. I'm sorry they didn't believe me though," the tale started. She smiled brightly before her smile turned to confusion. "Mom's shouldn't lie. It's not nice that she's lying to you." She seemed to scowl at the thought but it vanished when she replaced it with a softer look. She wondered if they could get Smerdle to tell the giraffe what she knew, though she also wondered if maybe she should wait and ask her mother to do it.

"Why don't we go ask her to tell us?" she asked catching Sylvester's hand and turning like she was going to pull him out of the room. She gave him an encouraging look having forgot about Morry for the time being.

If Mama had been keeping things from him all this time, he didn't see why she would suddenly tell him what he wanted to know just because he asked again. But Chai looked so sure that this was the right thing to do. He held on to her hand and started out the door.

"Sylvester, wait." The Tale stopped in his tracks at the sound of the soothing voice.

"Oh, sorry Morry. Come on." He held his hand out for her to jump onto, finally acknowledging that she wasn't just some creation of the shop.

"No. Your mother doesn't know the things you want her to tell you. I know what you did to the man with the snowglobe that made him so happy to see you again. And I'm not going to tell you. It is not the right time for you to know these things."

Sylvester narrowed his eyes at his 'pet,' his anger rekindled.

Smerdle nodded. "Time does fly. It seems like yesterday for me too. I just came by to get some invitations and I came out with a kid. That's something I never thought would happen to me." She chuckled.

Chailyn smiled at Sylvester as he took her hand and was a bit confused why Morry asked for them to wait. She watched as the creature talked suddenly realizing that she belonged to him. Her first thought was to tell him how wonderful a pet she seemed like.

Her purple eyes seemed to mist over in confusion when Morry finished speaking. What man? Snowglobe? What had Sylvester done to the man? Why wouldn't she tell him? What did she mean by the right time? What was the right time?

It only seemed to last a second as she found herself glaring at Morry. "That's not nice. It's not right to keep things from people 'specially if they are your friend." She accented the last part more loudly than she'd ever spoken before. She placed her free hand on her hip giving Sylvester's hand a squeeze.

Anemone echoed Smerdle's chuckle nodding her head. "I didn't really come in for anything. I just felt like I needed to wake up and come somewhere. Next thing I knew Chailyn was staring at me."

Montmorency would have looked taken aback if she could have. "You shouldn't interfere where your opinion is not needed or wanted," she said to Chailyn. Her eyes glinted red, but her voice seemed more devoid of emotion than usual, if that was possible.

Sylvester continued to stare at the metallic being for a few seconds before saying, "I don't think I want to talk to you anymore, Morry." He was more hurt now than angry, and he just wanted to get away from her. Turning to Chai, he said, "We should go back downstairs." He held Chailyn's hand tighter and made no motion to pick Montmorency up off of the floor.

"Really?" Smerdle asked. "That's pretty cool. I kinda wish it had happened like that for me. I like hearing people's stories of the Study. It seems like I've heard so many now."

Montmorency would have looked taken aback if she could have. "You shouldn't interfere where your opinion is not needed or wanted," she said to Chailyn. Her eyes glinted red, but her voice seemed more devoid of emotion than usual, if that was possible.

Sylvester continued to stare at the metallic being for a few seconds before saying, "I don't think I want to talk to you anymore, Morry." He was more hurt now than angry, and he just wanted to get away from her. Turning to Chai, he said, "We should go back downstairs." He held Chailyn's hand tighter and made no motion to pick Montmorency up off of the floor.

"Really?" Smerdle asked. "That's pretty cool. I kinda wish it had happened like that for me. I like hearing people's stories of the Study. It seems like I've heard so many now."

Sylvester smiled. He had listened to Morry for too long. Chailyn's reaction was perfect. "Bye Morry," he said, trying not to sound too smug. He walked out of the room and started to head back downstairs, still hand in hand with Chai. "So what do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I felt it was more than mad at me," Smerdle said. "The stupid pen grabbed my hand! It was really very freaky."

Happy to continue holding onto Sylvester's hand, Chailyn followed her new friend downstairs. "We could play a game or explore," she suggested. She had thought about suggesting Hide and Seek but it didn't seem like there were a lot of places to hide. She was sure there were a few but she'd have to get creative to pull most of them off. Besides it wasn't that fun a game with only two people. There were probably better games to play.

"I felt silly after everything settled down and their was this beautiful little girl looking up at me." Anemone admitted. "Although at the time, I would've been the first to yell how scared I was. For a moment I felt like I was going to cry. It seems silly now though," she blushed.

"Chailyn is a very pretty young lady." Smerdle sounded a bit distracted. She didn't find Anemone's fear silly at all. She was still afraid to think too closely about what had happened in the Study sometimes. And that strange woman she had met outside the shop the morning Sylvester had been born... what was that all about?

The Tale reached the bottom of the stairs, still smiling at the prospect of playing a game with Chailyn. His smile faded when he saw his mother. He jumped to apologize, hoping that he could circumvent punishment. "I'm sorry I called you a liar, Mama. Can me and Chai play a game?" He put on his best cute face, but it didn't look like it was going to fly.

"Thank you very much for getting Sylvester to come out, Chailyn, but I don't think he should be playing any games right now. You were very rude to me earlier, and you asked someone to lie. You know that's not right." This last was directed at Sylvester in a mid-level whisper. Smerdle felt bad for having to stop the kids from having fun, but Sylvester had to be taught that he couldn't act the way he had been.

"Sylvester's a handsome tale, he'll probably break a few hearts when he grows up." Somehow she couldn't help wondering how many of Chailyn's male friends the girl would end up developing crushes on. She had a feeling it'd be hard for her not to have a crush on Donny.

Chailyn gave a frown following Sylvester. She didn't think it was fair that he was going to get punished. She thought it was all Morry's fault anyways. If his pet would just tell him the truth then he wouldn't have been rude to his mother. "But it's not Sylvester's fault. It's..." she trailed off looking at her friends. Did Smerdle know about Morry? She didn't want to say anything that might get her friend in trouble.

Anemone was torn on the subject. Chailyn had tried to lie, meaning she really shouldn't be rewarded but she had been trying to help a friend. Chailyn hadn't be rude to Smerdle and while Ane didn't think she should interfere with whatever Smerdle thought was the best punishment, she felt preventing them was playing was punishing Chai. "Maybe we should give them a chance to explain?" she suggested softly.

Smerdle softened at Chailyn's defense of Sylvester. "I suppose I don't really need an explanation," she said. "You can stay for a little while longer. Sorry, Chailyn." She gave the girl a reassuring grin. After all, Sylvester must have told her what was wrong with him, and if she was still ready to defend him, it couldn't be that bad, right?

Sylvester nodded and sat down on the stairs. He might have just gotten out of a punishment, but he didn't feel much like playing. He waited until Smerdle was out of earshot before whispering, "Thanks for not telling her about Morry."

"Thank you." Chailyn beamed up at Smerdle nodding her head. She followed after Sylvester glad she hadn't revealed any of her friend's secrets. That just wouldn't make a good impression or be nice. She'd just have to remember who knew and who didn't know about Morry, not that she wanted to think about the creature. She still wasn't happy with the pet and didn't think Sylvester deserved such a rude thing.

"You're welcome," she told Sylvester sitting down beside him. The mood for playing had slightly fallen apart but it didn't bother her. "I won't tell anyone about her. I don't think they'd like her much, either."

For a moment she almost regretted not liking the creature. It'd be sad to have no one like you but Morry didn't seem to care. So for now Chailyn decided she wouldn't either.

"Sorry I overreacted," Smerdle said to Anemone. She sat down and sighed, glad Sylvester seemed slightly happier now, but still a bit upset over how he'd been acting.

Sylvester smiled. "Yeah, they wouldn't, would they?" He recalled a time when Morry had repeatedly urged him to bite his Uncle Chucky. She had been pretty bad all along. But she had been his only real friend besides Mama for so long, it kind of hurt to see her be so mean. "Chai, I know we haven't hung out a lot, but do you think maybe someday you would think of me as your friend?"

"You didn't over react, you're just trying to be a good mother. It's hard to decide what to do, how to punish, if you should punish them, or when. There's not exactly a rule book and what might work for one child won't work for them all." Anemone paused giving a smile to Smerdle. "I think you're doing a good job," she added honestly.

Chailyn looked a bit surprised at his question and giggled scooching closer to wrap her arms around him. "I already think of you as my friend. You're a great friend!" she added the last part as a grin spread on her lips.

Smerdle nodded. "Thanks." She thought about Brownie, the angry, bladed baby she had been given care of while her best friend was away, and vowed to take better care of her. Brownie might be a handful, but she deserved better treatment than Smerdle had been giving her.

A smile crept across Sylvester's face as Chai hugged him. She was definitely a better friend than Morry had ever been! "You too," he said, giving her arms a squeeze. "So, what were you guys out today for?" he asked, letting her go so she could sit back.

Anemone smiled sure that Smerdle was a good mom. "It's true. Sylvester seems to be getting along wonderfully with Chai, so you must've done things right," she added.

"Mom and I were looking for gift ideas. I like to get people I meet a present but I haven't been able to think of one for some. So Mom said we could do some window shopping. I don't know how shopping for windows is going to help though," Chailyn admitted with a shrug. She hadn't yet figured out that her mother meant they would look at displays for ideas.

"And now I have to get you a gift, too." She gave Sylvester another hug. She tried to number them off in her head. She had yet to buy five presents, counting one for Sylvester. She only had an idea of what to get one of them, too.

Smerdle looked over to where Sylvester and Chailyn were talking. He did look happy.

"Weird." Sylvester didn't have any idea what "window shopping" was either, not having a mother who was inclined to do such things. "About the windows, I mean." He smiled. "And if you're getting me something, I'm getting you something too!" Now he and Chai were sort of in the same boat. He had never bought a present for anyone before and he had no idea what she might like.

Smerdle fidgeted. She couldn't explain why she was suddenly so concerned about the other child in her care, but she knew something had to be done about it. Smiling at Anemone again, she said, "I'm sorry about this, but would you mind watching Sylvester for a few minutes? I need to go get my niece."

"Not at all. I'll keep an eye on him," Anemone said with a smile. "Chailyn will keep him occupied I'm sure," she added giving a laugh as an image of Chailyn tying the tale up popped into her head.

"Moms are weird sometimes. My mom talks to herself in the mirror sometimes when she's getting dressed. When I have nightmares or can't sleep I go climb in with Mom, but she wakes up so early."

She was glad she wasn't the only one who didn't get what window shopping was though. She was even more sure that her mom wasn't the only one who was weird. But her attention turned back to gifts with Sylvester's statement. "Giving gifts is fun. I love giving gifts to my friends," she said giving Sylvester a hug.

Smerdle nodded and waved, thankful that Anemone was willing to help. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she said before slipping out.

"Yeah, Mama's super weird," he said. He didn't elaborate on that fact by announcing that she had mostly become that way after his uncle had left town. She deserved a little privacy, he supposed, now that he had redirected his anger at Morry rather than his mother.

Sylvester returned the hug, distracted by it enough that he didn't notice his mother's departure. He had never been the touchy-feely sort, but hugging and hand holding was okay. Suddenly he remembered something. "Hey! I did help Mama get a gift for a Tale once. Christmas!" He couldn't believe he had forgotten, but Smerdle had done most of the work on that one.

"Christmas was fun! I think Mom was glad I didn't know who got me a gift, I would've gotten them a thank you gift." Chailyn giggled. She didn't really realize why she found it so important to give gifts to her friends, she only had an inkling.

"I think you need a nicer pet," she whispered to Sylvester. She tilted her head wondering what kind of pet would suit him. "Dogs are supposed to be loving and friendly and loyal. Do you like dogs?" she asked gently. She really wasn't thinking of getting him a pet as a gift, she simply wanted to help him find a new pet. No one should have to be lied to by a pet or anything for that matter.

"Dogs are okay. We've got Warwick at home. He's a big doggy-fox thing," Sylvester said. He held out his hands, palms in, and spread them wide to indicate the Velah's size. "But he's too smart. He does his own thing." Sylvester nodded. "And I've got some little octopuses, but they don't do much except float around. I think I've had it with pets that tell me what to do, no matter how nice they are." He stopped talking for a moment and tapped his foot. "D'you have any pets?"

"Well I have two balan, Laban and Taini. Labby is a canine and Taini is a feline. She's a brat most of the time. The other pets aren't really mine. Just regular cats that Mom has adopted. There's Princess, Tiger, Stripes, Izzy, and Cynder. My favorite are koi...we don't have any yet really, no place to put them. They are so beautiful though," Chailyn explained. She smiled nodding her head. Once spring came, she'd have koi not that she knew it yet. It'd be a special thing between Lance and her.

Sylvester didn't know what koi were, but an image popped into his head of majestic, talking trees that ate all your food and took up all the space on the couch. Maybe that's why they needed a special area. "They sound cool, the koi." A thought struck him. "Do you get presents for everyone you've met? How many Tales do you know?" He found all the kids he knew that had come from the Study to be so interesting and he wanted to compare notes, like some weird Tall Tale collector's game.

"I try getting presents for all of them. I haven't yet but I'm working on it!" she added the last bit with a cheer. She giggled softly wondering for a moment. She put her hands out in front of her starting to count off the tales she'd met.

"I've met Donny, Lance, Vidya, Elena, Ezra, Onoway, Zayne, Andi, Nala, Jiro, and you! I've seen Linneas and Aido but haven't really met them yet. I don't think Zayne much liked me..." she admitted. She'd had just enough fingers to count out the tales she met.

Putting her hands down, she pulled at the tips of her hair thinking. She way trying to form sentences of what she thought of each but was having a bit of trouble. "Who have you met?"

"Hm. Well, I met Linny the first day I was here," he began. "Then I met Jiro and Miako and Viddy at a party! I met Tybalt, Lance, Lyris, Angelus and Aido here at the shop. And you and Donny and Armel at Christmas! I also know Ono and Nalira and Rhea. I think that's it." He was glad to hear that Chai mentioned some Tales he had never heard of. That meant he had more to meet!

He smiled at Chai and was about to launch into another question when the shop door swung open again. Smerdle rushed back inside, Brownie beneath her coat. The little Shattered peeked out above her aunt's collar through the blades of her wings, one of which was coated with what looked like tapioca pudding. "I think we need to go soon," Smerdle said softly. "I can't apologize enough," she said to Anemone and Chailyn. "Brownie and the other kids didn't get along very well." She sat back on the sofa and arranged Brownie so the little girl would be comfortable.

Sylvester might have made a face if he hadn't seen the state his normally raucous cousin was in. Oh well. At least he still had a little while longer with Chai. And he could see her again whenever he wanted, he presumed. "Have you ever heard of Disneyworld?" he asked the Tale. "We should go there." He nodded, not realizing how ridiculous a request it might be, given their current location.

"Who's Miako and Tybalt? And Angelus and Rhea?" Chailyn tilted her head wanting to know about these people she hadn't met. She didn't notice Smerdle enter with Brownie, too busy wondering how many tales there were. There must be an army of us, is the conclusion she came to.

Anemone gave a soft laugh, "You don't need to apologize at all. Sylvester and Chailyn were so busy talking and being good, I couldn't have had an easier job of watching them." She gave a smile standing up and excusing herself for a moment. She pondered for a moment before remembering where the kitchen was and coming back with a towel. Sitting down, she looked at Brownie's wing and began to gently nudge the pudding off.

"Disneyworld? No. I bet it'd be fun to go through!" she added with a smile. Whatever it was it had to be fun. Everything was fun with a friend.

"Miako's got a horn." It didn't clarify much, but it was true. "Tybalt's a parrot. He's a little scary. Me and Aido and Angelus went exploring once. Angelus's got big, black wings. And Rhea's cool. She can talk in your mind." He whispered the last part because it was just that cool. "There are an awful lot of us," he thought out loud. "I wonder why." Alas, this question was too big for Sylvester's brain at the moment and he quickly tangented. "I've never been either," he admitted. "I hear it has things you can ride on, and I like cars, so it must be pretty cool there."

"Thank you," Smerdle said. She looked on warily as Anemone began to brush at Brownie's wing. After all, the kid had been known to freak out over less, but the little girl behaved, even going so far as to rest her hand on the woman's in some sort of silent thanks. "Do you guys have a phone?" Smerdle asked, seeming as conversationally jumpy as her son. "I'd really like Chailyn and Sylvester to meet up again. She really brings out the best in him."

Chailyn tried to picture someone with a horn. Miako sounded like a girl's name, she thought, so she pictured a little girl with a horn. She wasn't sure where it was supposed to go though and quite a few odd images popped into her head. "A scary parrot? I don't know if I want to meet him."

Anemone didn't know Tybalt but she'd seen Inle at Christmas and once before with the parrot tale. She felt rather...nervous when seeing the woman, mostly because she thought she might've offender Inle on their first brief meeting. She didn't really like admitting that she was scare of the brash guardian but honestly she was. It'd be fine with her if they didn't encounter them for a long while.

"Ooh, Labby and Taini can talk in my mind! It's called...talepthy or something," she grinned. She nodded thinking over things. She wondered why there were so many of them, too. She shrugged. "It'd be fun to ride on things...I think."

"Yes, she does seem to have that affect on him. I'll jot down our number for you." Anemone smiled, waiting til she had finished cleaning Brownie's wings to get up. She went to put the towel away in the kitchen stopping briefly to jot down her number for Smerdle, thankful that a notepad and pen were on the desk. "There you go," she said, sitting down and handing the paper to the woman.

"Well, if I ever go, I'll let you know if it's fun." He had come to the conclusion that with he and Brownie along, Smerdle might not have space or money for anyone else. He never worried about money, but he knew Mama thought about it a lot and that things like fun trips to ride on things used a bunch of it. But what did that matter really? He leaned over and whispered, "I'll find a way for you to come too."

Smerdle took the slip of paper and put it into her pocket with a smile. "I should give you mine too," she said. She rose and Brownie began to writhe, the toddler's good mood over. After a bit of a struggle, Smerdle made it over to the desk and scrawled her number on another paper scrap. She had to do it one-handed, so the paper shifted a lot but the numbers were still (thankfully) legible. "Sylvester?" she said, dodging baby parts.

The giraffe's head snapped up, looking a bit guilty even though he hadn't done anything wrong. "Yeah?"

"Say goodbye to Chailyn." She indicated Brownie with a slight lift of her arms so he would know them leaving wasn't his fault.

"'Kay." He clasped his arms around the other Tale and patted her on the back. "Thanks for helping with Morry," he said. "We'll see how she likes it with no friends." Feeling that was a little harsh, he pulled back and smiled. "I'll see you again soon!" he added excitedly.

Chailyn grinned glad to know he'd find a way for her to go with. She didn't think about money either but with all her siblings it might be hard to buy anything. To her it was more like, what was one more? Nothing ever seemed to stop her mother from getting more kids. "And if I ever get to go, I'll invite you along too!" she whispered.

A frown soon appeared across her lips as she heard Smerdle. She gave a sigh before pasting a smile on and returning Sylvester's hug. "I'll see you soon, Sylvester!" she piped up, "Bye, Sylvester's Mommy and baby!" She had no idea how odd that sounded.

"Thanks, Smerdle," Anemone said accepting the slip of paper. She'd add to her address/phone book when she got home so she wouldn't lose it. "It was nice meeting you Brownie and you Sylvester."

Sylvester broke the hug and stood up, still reluctant to leave. "'Kay. It was really fun to see you," he said with a smile. He made his way over to Smerdle's side, looking up at Anemone shyly. He never really had much to say to adults, but if Chai was any indication, Chai's mom must be a nice lady. "Nice to meet you too."

Brownie was in no mood for social niceties. She stopped squirming, but directed a scowl at the top of Sylvester's head. The woman with the towels had been nice enough, but Sylvester was always deserving of some small amount of hatred, even if he wasn't looking.

"Thank you Chailyn, it was great meeting you as well," Smerdle said to the girl. "I'm sure Brownie would say the same if she wasn't mad." Which pretty much ruled out 96% of the time, but the little Tale didn't need to know that. "You too Anemone. And thank you for watching Sylvester. Bye!" She would have shaken the woman's hand, but she didn't currently have one free. Instead, she nodded and crossed the room to the door, which she pushed open with her back. With one last wave from Sylvester, they made their way out of the shop into the chilly afternoon air.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:13 pm

Silver Shadows
Chailyn meets Aido and Rael.

(Status: This is currently being RPed here.)

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:43 pm

Aching Hearts: The Beginning of Emptiness
Anemone and her family get some bad news. It marks the beginning of the hole in Chailyn's heart.

(Status: I'm currently waiting for Lani to have time to RP this event.)

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:06 am

Midnight Rendezvous
Lance sneaks out to show Chailyn he's grown.

(Status: Dee and I plan to RP this soon. With her hiatus though, it might be awhile.)

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:45 pm

Cafe by the Park
Linneas was seated at his usual table in the small cafe near the park. The spot was situated near the door and just beside the picture window of the shop. He had been frequenting it more often and had already gotten to a first-name basis with the baristas. At one point, all he had to do was walk in and the baristas already knew what they were going to serve him.

He was stirring his chai latte and staring off into space. His thoughts had drifted back to the night Ai arrived in the Study, particularly when Lynn had mentioned penance. What did he mean by that? Did it have something to do with the woman he used to dream about?

Chailyn moved slowly finding everything strange. She felt like she had awaken from a dream which ripped a piece of her away. She was confused to say the least. Things seemed different but she didn't know why. She couldn't even find the words to explain it but she didn't have to at home.

Everyone had the same look in their eyes, a missing piece that had just appeared. No one knew what had caused it though. Of everyone, it seemed that Anemone and Chailyn were the most affected. Anemone did her best to hide it as she continued taking care of her children. She didn't understand it any better than her children but she was trying to ignore it for now.

She held Chailyn's hand talking gently to her but the tale wasn't listening. She didn't know why they were at the park. She didn't feel like playing. She just stared forward until her eyes noticed a familiar face. The empty feeling inside subsided as she yanked her mother forward.

"Careful, Chai!" Anemone breathed out as she was pulled to the cafe. She gave a soft laugh at the tale before picking her up. "Alright, we'll go see Linneas."

A moment later they were inside looking at the older tale. "Linneas!" Chailyn shouted out with glee. She grinned as Anemone sat her down in a chair.

"Can we join you?" she asked hoping he didn't mind.

Linneas heard his name being called and looked up from his drink. He remembered them, after all he had been present when Chailyn arrived. With a warm smile he nodded, pulling up another chair for the pair to sit down.

"Sure, the more the merrier." He nodded, glad to have some company. At least they'd help him take his mind off the matter of Lynn. "Want anything to drink? I can ask Josh to put it on my tab." he offered.

"Thank you Linneas. Do they have hot cocoa?" she asked. She'd never been to a cafe, this one or any other. She gave a smile slipping out of her coat.

Anemone sat down in the chair Linneas had pulled up. She smiled at both tales sure that Linny would be a wonderful friend and role-model for Chailyn. "That's very nice of you Linneas. I'm not thirsty thought, but thank you for asking."

"Do you see all the new tales, Linneas?" Chailyn asked. It'd popped into her head that he'd really been the first tale she'd seen and wondered if it was like that for all the tales. If it was it would give her something to break the ice with when meeting new tales, if she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well, Josh? Do you guys serve hot cocoa?" He leaned back, turning to the barista by the counter.

Josh, a blonde teen with a goatee he dyed black grinned, "Of course we do. One hot cocoa coming up!"

And while they waited, he faced the pair. "Well, not all of the new Tales. Some arrive while I'm out with Pae or here at the cafe." he explains, "But I do see most of the Tales. The only Tale I really saw arrive first hand was Ai, I was in the room with her Author. The rest of the time I'm outside in the shop." he narrates. "Have you met a lot of the Tales?" he asked warmly, keeping the conversation going.

The little tale gave a wide smile when she heard Josh said they did have hot cocoa. She clapped her hands together lightly beaming at the thought of having something that would warm her up more. "I don't think so. I don't know how many there are but at Christmas it seemed like I hadn't met very many," she paused for a moment trying to make a list of tales she'd met.

"I met Donny and Viddy, and Lance, Ezra and Onoway and Zayne. Um, I met Andi and Nala recently..." she trailed off looking down biting her lower lip sadly. "I have met Aido, she's really nice. Just like Elena and Jiro and Sylvester." She nodded looking at her mother towards the end.

"Yes, I know we have presents to get," Anemone said. She turned towards Linny, "She likes to get everyone she meets a present. We have quite a list of who we need to get presents for, too." She gave a smirk shaking her head lightly. She was sure they already had yet another person on their list. She didn't mind it but she hoped that they wouldn't be out all night. She was actually hoping to stop by and see a friend, any friend at all.

Linneas listened intently to the younger tale list those she had met. She seemed to know more than he did, ironic that he had been present during most of their arrivals.

"I've met Khiarhu, Donny, Viddy, Jiro, Aido, Captain Tybalt, Angelus, and I saw Nala recently. I met Ying and Sylvester but very briefly. As for Ezra, Lance, Onoway, Zayne, Andi, and Elena, well, I've only glimpsed them." he counted, trying to remember who else he had encountered.

"Presents?" He blinked, he had remembered to buy some of the Tales gifts. Although he knew he hadn't given everyone one. "Well, now that you mention it, I think mom and I also need to go shopping for belated gifts." he chuckled.

It wasn't long before Josh declared the hot cocoa was ready.

"I'll go get it for you," he smiled, getting up from the table to retrieve the warm beverage for Chailyn. On the way back, he got some tissues and one of those plastic stirring things.

"Here you go." He grinned, setting the cocoa before the younger Tale. "How have your holidays been?"

"Captain Tybalt? I haven't met him. I think I saw Angelus but I haven't met him yet. I haven't met Ying either."

She smiled nodding once the conversation went to presents. She didn't even know what to get everyone on her list. "It's fun getting presents for others. I just wish I knew what to get them," she gave a blush. Most of them she didn't know what to get but then she rarely did. She'd just see something and know it was what she wanted to get them.

Chailyn nodded thanking Linny as he went to get her hot chocolate. Once he came back, she thanked him again and stirred it with the plastic straw like thing.

"My holidays were good. How were yours?"

Linneas rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well, I'm sure they'll like whatever you get them." he smiled. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

He took a sip of his drink, savoring the cinammony taste in his mouth as he swallowed, "My holidays were fine... nothing bad happened, thankfully." he wasn't going to tell anyone about Ai arriving in the study that night. He figured it should come from her. "Although mom did get a bit of indigestion. She ate too much." he chuckled.

"I hope so. It'd be sad if they didn't," she started nodding her head as she took a drink of her hot cocoa. "That's what Mom says. So it must be." She wasn't sure if she understood what it meant but if Linneas and her mother said it, it had to be true.

"That's good. Only good things should happen on the holidays." she stated giving a smile. She gave a giggle at the thought of Linny's mom eating too much. A cartoon image popped into her mind.

She paused thinking about Christmas and gift giving. She gave a smile at Linny wondering what to talk about. She still wasn't very good at conversation. It always seemed to come to a lull and then she floundered desperate to think of something to talk about.

"Do you have a Daddy and a Mommy?" she asked gently. She purposely stared at the cup in front of her rather then look at her mother.

Linneas wasn't sure what Chailyn was getting at, but he did notice the change in her demeanor.

"Well, I do have a mom, but no dad. Never had one. Uncle Syrie was the closest thing I had to a dad." he answered thoughtfully. Truth be told he never really gave it much thought, he just assumed that most people had only one parent. Like Khia just had Uncle Syrie as a dad but no mom, and Ai only had Aunt Chao.

To the teen, a family 'unit' was composed of only two people: Parent and child. Three or more if there were additional siblings. Linneas never viewed a family would have both a mom and a dad.

"Why do you ask?" he smiled, his gaze unconsciously turning to Ane.

Chailyn braved a glance up at her mother who shook her head sadly. "I just..." she sighed shrugging her shoulders. She didn't know exactly why she had asked that. She felt emptiness when it came to her family lately. She felt like someone was missing. Her natural assumption was that it was a father or something. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it before saying anything.

Anemone must've figured the tale was having trouble talking. "I'm going to run some errands if you don't mind," she told the two giving a smile. She gave Chailyn a kiss on the head before heading out the door. She had no idea what she was going to do though.

"Do you ever feel like someone...something is missing? I feel like I woke up from a wonderful dream, even though I don't remember it, and now everything seems fake..." she said softly. She couldn't explain it. She was trying to figure out how to explain it to herself let alone to anyone else.

Linneas listened intently to Chailyn, he had learned that a Tale's age was never meant to be used as a gauge for the depths of their thoughts.

"I'd like to say I have," he rubbed the back of his neck, "My dreams were rarely pleasant, it was always the waking that I looked forward to. Although sometimes the dreams feel so real that it doesn't seem like you went to sleep at all..." he trailed off briefly.

"But that's not what you're asking about, is it?"

"No...I mean, since I can remember there's always been a very tiny piece that said I didn't belong. Then it seemed to ease away with meeting friends. I'm not even sure when this new feeling started. It seems like I forgot someone, something," she tried to explain. She looked up at him thinking for a moment. She really didn't know how to explain it and decided to shrug it off for now.

She'd ask a few of her siblings about it and while a few admitted to feeling the same, most of them brushed it off as the winter blues. Somehow the more they brushed it off the more she felt like she wasn't the only one who felt it. She could see a speck of something in her mother's eyes but everytime she brought it up, Anemone simply said she just missed her friends or something.

Linneas wasn't sure about not belonging, but he understood having a small fragment of yourself telling you something, reminding you over and over again about a certain thing about yourself.

"Hmmm, I'm no expert on things, except maybe cleaning products" he chuckled, "But it sounds like you did lose something. Maybe it has something to do with your the question and answer that helped bring you here?" he suggested. As the first written Tale, Linneas knew that the Study and the Tome didn't ask random things. There was a reason behind these questions.

Chailyn's curiousity perked up at Linneas's suggestion. She tilted her head to the side. "My question and answer?" she blinked thinking for a moment. "But...how can they be about me? I don't have a cold heart..." she whispered with a frown. She'd never understood how the question or answer could relate to her.

Letting out a breath she nodded. "Well the question in my tome is 'Why is your heart so cold?' and the answer is 'Because half of it is missing.' I don't see how that question can be about me. My heart isn't cold." she added again. She really didn't see how she could be considered cold-hearted or even have a piece missing. She didn't think it had to do with her heart. It was more like she had forgotten something.

Linneas knitted his brows together in deep contemplation on Chailyn's question. "Hmmm, having a cold heart doesn't really have to mean your heart is cold. And it doesn't have to mean it's your heart." he began, "It might be someone else's heart that's cold and you're the missing half?"

He wasn't all too sure about his answer, though he knew he could read the roster for all the Tales' question and answer, there was little else that was there.

Chailyn shrugged her shoulders. She didn't understand. She let out a sigh looking up at Linneas. "What's your question and answer?" she asked gently. It seemed only fair that since she had shared hers he might share his but she was confused. She wondered if it was just a feeling she'd have to get used it though it didn't seem new, she didn't think she'd learned to accept or deal with it for awhile.

She pondered how she could be the missing half of someone's heart. The idea of being half a heart was disturbing. Had she ripped a piece of someone's heart away? Had she hurt someone? Had someone ripped her away from someone and now both she and that person only had half a heart? The thoughts made her want to cry. She wanted to curl up in her parents' arms. But she didn't have parents, she only had her mother.

"That doesn't sound like a good answer..." she blinked feeling uneasy. It sounded really mean actually. "It sounds a little mean," she said gently.

She nodded her head. "I hope my answer doesn't mean I hurt someone. I..." she gave a soft sigh shrugging her shoulders. "I wouldn't hurt someone," she said softly moreso to convince herself that that couldn't be the reason for her answer.

She gave a smile to Linny. "You're nice to talk to," she said. She would've hugged him if it weren't for the fact they were sitting down at a table. It'd be pretty hard to hug him without getting up.

"No, no it doesn't." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Don't really know what mom was thinking when she wrote that down." he shrugged, "But I think that even though our question and answer have something to do with us, it doesn't necessarily dictate what we will become. At least I'd like to hope so..."

He gave Chailyn a soft smile, "I'm sure you wouldn't hurt someone, at least not on purpose. I know there are some people who like hurting others for the sake of hurting them."

'Are you referring to me?'

Linneas ignored the voice in his head, "Thank you, Chai, you're a fine conversationalist yourself. A lot better than I was when I was your age." he laughed sincerely.

Giving a nod, she decided it might be best to change the subject. Bad thoughts were starting to plague her mind and she wanted nothing to do with them. She gave a smile to Linny wondering what to say now.

"Does that mean not all tales can talk when they come here?" she asked referring to the study and Gaia. She didn't mean the cafe but she was sure he would know that. She only knew that the tales she had met could talk pretty well. At least she thought so. She couldn't say big long words like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious but she could talk. The one time she had tried to sing along with Mary Poppins she'd ended up saying super-docious since that was all she could remember.

"Maybe, I'm not sure if every Tale can talk as well as another. I remember when I arrived, I had to learn how to say a lot of things properly." He smiled, recalling how Huni struggled to teach him the alphabet and how to pronounce things. It had been his turn to teach Paestri and the little pink Legend was having some difficulty in articulating herself.

"Have you been studying or reading books?" he asked.

"Aislinn, one of my older sisters, teaches me to how to say things. Mom teaches me, too. Linn is considered the smart one since she's the bookworm. She's teaching me how to write in cursive...but I like print better. Dulcea taught me how to play a few games on her computer but only if Mom says they are ok." Chailyn replied nodding.

There weren't a lot of rules around the household, it was mostly a free trust that helped everyone keep to being good. Anemone trusted her children to learn, do good, and be helpful so she didn't have a lot of rules for them. Though she did insist on knowing where they were going and who they were going to be with. She liked keeping them safe and knowing where they were.

"Sounds like you have a big and wonderful family. Are you the youngest one?" Linneas asked, "I have only one sister named Paestri, I had another sister named Talim once but she went to live somewhere else. Ning and Icing are pets of sorts, though Ning would get mad if she heard me call her a pet." he laughed.

"I'm not the youngest but I'm the newest. I have five sisters. Kali's a little younger than me and Miette's the youngest. Dulcea is the oldest. I only have three brothers and all of them are older than me. Cillian's blind and everyone says he's grouchy but he's really nice to me and Miette. It's nice to have so many siblings," Chailyn started. She gave a smile finishing her hot cocoa though it was just starting to get cold.

She tilted her head trying to see if she could count how many pets her family had. "I'm not sure how many pets we have. Mom has a habit of finding cats that need homes. She brings them home and we take care of them."

"Ah, sometimes I wish I had a big family, I hardly see Uncle Syrie or Khia for that matter. But in a way, even though I don't know every one of the Tales, we're family." Linneas nodded, "Yeah, that sounds rather corny but sometimes the corniest things are true."

If she had known what corny meant, she would've said that it certainly didn't sound that way to her. Still she shook her head. "That sounds nice. I hope that it's true. It'd be nice to always know the tales are a family I can turn to. I really like the idea. I don't think all the tales will like me...but it's a nice thought," Chailyn said with a smile. She looked up at Linny pondering the last think she had said.

"Are there any mean tales? Or are they all nice like you?" she asked.

Linneas beamed at Chailyn, "That's nice of you to say so. But I don't think all the Tales are nice, some are cranky and a little hard to get along with. But I know a lot of them are nice." he nods. "I think you're nice, Chai."

Chailyn blushed thanking him for his compliment. "I'd like to get along with them all. That'd be hard though. I'm glad you're nice, too." She gave a smile looking at Linny.

"Who is your best friend?" she asked for no reason. She was just trying to make conversation now.

Linneas "Hmmm'ed" audibly, "I'd say it would have to be Aido. You'll like her, she's really sweet and fun, and if you like exploring places she's one of the best people to bring along." he nodded. "How about you? Do you have a best friend, Chai?"

"Lance is my best friend and Donny. I've seen Lance more than Donny though. I think I could be good friends with Andi...if he talked and...hadn't lost his Daddy. Vidya's nice of course but...I didn't talk to her like I'm talking to you. We just played with my sister." She paused thinking. It was hard to say none of the others she met were her best friends. They definately were her friends.

"Sylvester is a good friend of mine, too. Oh and Elena..." she blushed. It seemed more like she was trying to name all the tales she had met. She giggled a little. "My best friend is Lance though. We played in the stream and tried to catch a fish. Then we went Trick or Treating together. He's really nice and he's going to grow up to be a knight." She hoped that explained a little bit why he was her best friend.

"A knight? That sounds nifty." Linneas nodded, "I don't know what I'm going to be when I grow older, though. You'd think you'd know more when you grow up but it turns out you don't." he scratched the back of his neck a little awkwardly. "Do you have any plans for when you grow up?" he asked.

"When I grow up? Hmm." Chailyn pondered for a minute. "I think it'd be fun to be a dancer. I think fan dancing would be fun." She nodded her head though she was a little unsure. There were a lot of things she could grow up to be and none of the things she knew of would be bad. Although she didn't particularly like the idea of being a maid or cook. It was much more fun to make messes than to clean them up.

"Dancing sounds like lots of fun!" Linneas smiled, "I haven't tried dancing before, and mom never tries to dance. At least not when there are people around, she says she has two left feet and is as graceful as a hippo out of water." he laughed.

Chailyn giggled picturing someone with two left feet. She wasn't sure what a hippo was like out of water so she simply imagined a large animal stumbling about. It was a pretty funny picture.

"Dancing is fun. I don't really like dancing in front of people yet. Mom says I just need more confi...erm, something. I don't remember," she admitted blushing. She had more fun dancing when she thought no one was watching or when she was just being silly with her siblings for the time being.

"It must be fun being older though. Isn't it?"

"Confidence?" Linneas offered, "Some people need it more than others, and some people have way too much." he laughed. He liked seeing Chailyn happy, Linneas liked seeing everyone happy.

'A shame that it's all a mere dream.'

"Hmm, is it fun being older? Well, it makes doing certain things a lot easier, and people don't ask you where you're going or if you're lost as often." he chuckled, "But at the same time a lot more things are expected of you..." he didn't mean to discourage Chailyn, but he didn't want to lie or fill her with false hopes either.

"That's it. Confidence!" Chailyn nodded her head. She beamed at him thinking he was brilliant for knowing the word she had forgotten.

She tilted her head wondering exactly what things would be expected of her when she grew. "It seems like everyone is growing. I don't know if I'll ever grow. Everyone else is so big and I'm so little..." she sighed. She felt like a flea compared to the other tales, except Linny. He was so nice it made her feel like she was just as tall perhaps because she felt happy.

"Being big or older has nothing to do with how great a person is." Linneas spoke warmly, "I know what it feels like, thinking you're not good enough or that you'll never measure up because you're so small..." he trailed off.

'And aren't you still small?'

"But Uncle Syrie once told me that the people who love you can see how great you really are. Or something like that." he chuckled.

"I just feel little sometimes. It melts away when I'm with friends, like you." Chailyn smiled looking up at Linny. She didn't feel like she had to be afraid of telling him anything. Perhaps because he was an older tale and so kind, she felt like she could say anything and he would understand a little.

"It's easy to see how wonderful people are. I don't know why it's not so easy when you look in the mirror though," she admitted perplexed. It didn't make any sense. One knew themself better than others and should be able to see the wonderful things easier, or so she thought.

"Mmm, I know what you mean about looking in the mirror." He nodded, Chailyn was talking about things he felt and thought about when he was older than she was. Were all the younger Tales as advanced as Chai? He couldn't help but wonder.

"I don't know why, either. Guess no one's come up with a good answer to that yet. Who knows, maybe we'll be the ones who'll find it." he chuckled.

"We could be discoverers!" Chailyn giggled giving a wide grin. They could scour Gaia and find all sorts of things. She let the thoughts fall away for now, she could think about them later if she wanted. "We can be scient people," she giggled having trouble picturing herself as some scientific lady. She'd had to get ugly thick rimmed glasses, a white labcoat, put her hair up in a bun, and try to talk using only big words. The last part would be the hardest unless she had a dictionary and thesaurus with her.

"I hope we wouldn't get too famous though, it'd be icky to miss our friends all the time," she pondered outloud. Imagining how if they did discover something, they'd have to do lectures, talk shows, write a book or two, and all the other boring things.

Linneas' laughter filled the quiet cafe, "Yes, we'd be world famous scientists and win the nobel prize or something like that." he grinned. Visions of stereo-typical scientist filled Linneas' head as he tried to picture himself as one of them. His hair would be standing on end, maybe some soot on his cheeks from an earlier lab explosion.

"Or we'd make it so that we'd be able to have time to see our friends and vice versa." he suggested.

Perhaps it was about time Anemone came back, though there was a slight look of sadness in Chailyn's eyes as she saw her mother outside. That probably meant it would be time to go soon and that made her sad. She really didn't want to go.

"Yes, I'd always make time for friends." She smiled nodding her head. She loved her friends and she'd do anything to spend time with them.

"Are you having fun talking to Linny, sweetie?" For a moment, she thought of asking if Chai had been a good girl but thought it might seem rude. It wasn't like the tale acted out or was a bad girl. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, I didn't want to be gone too long," she apologized.

Linneas was a little surprised at Ane's return, "I certainly am enjoying myself." he smiled at the older woman. "Are you leaving already?" he asked, keeping the sound of disappointment in his voice to a minimum.

"No, we aren't leaving yet. I just saw something one of Chai's friends might like and wanted to ask her about it." Anemone smiled bending down to whisper in Chailyn's ear about something. She waited as the tale thought it over before the tale nodded enthusiastically.

"That's perfect, Mom!" Chailyn squeaked giving her a hug.

"Ok then. I shouldn't be too long." She paused before leaving again. A sigh of relief on Chailyn's face.

"I was afraid I'd have to leave, too." She breath slowly letting her fears melt away, "I'm glad she just wanted to ask me about Elena's gift. smile I just have to figure out what to get everyone else now!" she giggled.

"That's good to know. Hey, Chai, Do you like pastries? I think they're making a fresh batch of muffins at this time." Linneas offered. He did hope his new friend liked sweets, everyone in his family had a notorious sweet tooth.

"Pastries? Yeah, I like pastries." She smiled having forgot for a moment what pastries were. It always seemed a little odd to call sometime a pastry. It seemed like it would have something to do with paste.

"I think blueberry muffins are the best. And I can't remember the other kind I tried," Chailyn admitted.

"I'm more of a chocolate chip myself," Linneas grinned as he turned around to motion to Josh of their orders. "A blueberry and a chocolate chip muffin, my good man."

"Coming right up!"

"What are you getting Elena, then?" he asked.

"I'm getting Elena, two koi. I know she likes stars and things so I wanted to find some starry ones or something. Mom found a Celestial and Moonglow koi at the shop, so I'm getting them for her. Well, Mom's going to buy them." Chailyn giggled and blushed.

"Chocolate Chip Muffin? That sounds interesting," she smiled at Linny. He was really nice.

"Koi? What's a koi?" Linneas blinked, never having heard of that word. "Yup, they're really tasty, although a strawberry muffin with some cream on top is good too." he nodded sagely. He may not know much about animals, but at least he was certain about the sweets in this cafe.

'Simple mind, simple pleasures.'

"Koi are really pretty fish. I like butterfly koi, they have these really pretty flower petal like fins. The standard ones have...round fins." She poised a finger on her lips thinking for a moment. "And they have all these pretty colors and designs! Maybe I can get you one!" she grinned excited by the idea. She didn't know if Linny would really like a koi fish though. As much as she loved them she didn't want to get one for everyone she knew.

"I've never had a strawberry. What's it like?"

"Oh, Koi are fish then." Linneas nods, "Aw, thanks, but you don't have to get me one." he adds, feeling rather embarrassed.

"And strawberries are really sweet and juicy, they're also good for your skin. I think they have anti-oxidants or something like that." he explains. "Mom and Pae likes to eat them. I should get you some nex time."

"I'll figure out something to get you," Chailyn nodded smiling.

"Auntie? Like when your mom has a sister and she's your aunt? Auntie's ox dents? So a strawberry has an aunt that has an ox full of dents?" she asked. That sounded crazy and honestly if Linny laughed she wouldn't blame him. She was sure she had it wrong. "A strawberry does sound nice though," she added with a giggle.

Linneas chuckled, "An-ti-ox-i-dents," he pronounced slowly, "They're supposed to do something for your skin but I don't really understand what they do and all I know is that you can't see them unless you have a microscope.

"I'll be sure to get you a strawberry when we go buy more." he smiles. "Have you seen most of Gaia yet?"

She paused listening as Linny pronounced the word. "Antioxidents...hrm, that's an odd word," she nodded not sure what to say about it. She absentmindedly passed her hand over her skin.

"I don't think I've seen much of Gaia. I've been to the park, and the stationary shop. I've been to Lance's house and um, I don't think I've really been anywhere else." She blushed giggling. She hadn't done much exploring of Gaia, though she hoped to one day. Maybe she could go exploring with some of her friends.

"I've been to the park, the Legends HQ, mostly along Barton, and that's pretty much it." Linneas chuckled, "My sister's been to more places than I have, if you believe that." he laughed.

"Legends? HQ? Whats a Legend?" she titled her head. She really hadn't been to many places and it wasn't surprising she had no idea what a legend was. She assumed she'd visit more places the older she got, especially since she wouldn't have to go everywhere with her mom. Although that thought was a little scary, she liked going places with her mom but it could be hard to talk with one hovering over your shoulder.

Linneas pondered on his answer for a few moments, how was he supposed to explain what a Legend was and how it differed from the stories of old.

"Well, there are two kinds of legends. The first is a story about something or someone that happened or lived long, long ago. It gets passed down from one generation to another, changing in some aspects but still staying mostly the same. Paestri, on the other hand, is the second sort of Legend. They're like us in that we weren't born the way our guardians were. We came from the Tome, right?

"Legends come from somewhere else, at least I think they do. Because mom says Pae was found in a bakery that disappeared." he paused and scratched his chin, "HQ is short for headquarters, it's a building where lots of Legends tend to meet up, sort of like the Stationery store for us." he finished, hoping that Chailyn understood at least part of what he had just said.

Chailyn listened intently taking note of how there were two types of legends. "So a legend is like storytelling? People had to eat as it goes on?" she started first. She was pondering the second type for a moment longer. "So Legends are like Tales but instead of a Tome they're found in vanishing places?" she asked tilting her head. That almost made sense.

She paused nodding her head. The HQ made sense. "So it's like a center where we all meet?" she was just rephrasing it so it made for sense to her.

The teen shook his head "The first type of legend are stories, but I'm not sure if they had to eat it as the story went on." he chuckled, enjoying Chailyn's interpretations. "For the second type of Legend, they're not limited to vanishing places. They just... appear. That's all I know of. And you're right about the HQ."

It felt nice talking to Chailyn like this, he wished he could talk to Paestri in this manner. But even with all the lessons he had been giving her, the pink Legend still had difficulty in speaking.

Chailyn blushed lightly giving a giggle. She hadn't a clue where she'd gotten that idea from. Perhaps it was her stomach growling that had influenced her answer. "So they just appear in places like we appeared in the study? Mommy said that I just appeared. I don't really remember it, I just remember seeing Mommy."

She was curious about what other types of appearing children or pets there were. It seemed odd that so many of them would just appear out of nowhere.

"Yeah, some are just found in the HQ itself." The older Tale nods. He hears a ring and glances back, their muffins were ready. "Be right back." he smiles and gets up to retrieve their food.

Chailyn clapped her hands over her stomach as it growled in response. It seemed to be saying 'About time!' as soon as their muffins were done. Normally she would've offered to help but her mind was thinking about the other tales and now legends. How in the world did they get here?

"Thank you, Linny," she called out softly with a smile. She paused taking a drink though it was a bit cooler now.

Linneas picked up the tray containing two freshly made muffins, their delicious aroma wafting throughout the cafe. He couldn't help but make his appreciation vocal as he "Mmmm"-ed.

"Here you are, one blue berry muffin." He smiled, placing the food before Chailyn with ease. There was something natural about the way he handed the pastry, almost as if he had been doing that for years rather than a few months.

Smiling, Chailyn thanked Linny. She picked up the muffin taking a smile bite. It was delicious and her mind wandered back to Paestri and how'd she'd appeared in a bakery. "Do you think Paestri will grow up to be a baker?" she asked.

She giggled picturing a bakery run by Huni, Paestri as the baker, and Linneas serving. He seemed to like serving people.

color=firebrick]"I think so, maybe. You'll have to meet her one of these days. Maybe you could join us when I try to teach her the alphabet." the teen suggests, wondering what would happen if they decided to open a small bakery beside the shop. "You could help me out and keep Pae focused."

It sounded like a good idea, people wandering through the store, the aroma of freshly baked goodies wafting in. He might think about it some more.

"That'd be fun. I've never gotten to be a teacher, it'd be nice to help someone learn something." It'd be fun to dress up like a teacher and help Pae focus, not that'd she had met the Legend really but she didn't really think it'd be hard.

Chailyn nibbled on her muffin, shaking her head so that her hair wouldn't be in her face. Sometimes it was terrible having long hair. Even pulled back, it would find ways to get in her way.

"You'll be great at it, I'm sure." The older Tale nodded almost fondly. He glanced at his watch, surprised at how time had seemingly flown by. "It's getting late, mom'll be worried if I don't come home soon." he frowned in disappointment.

As if Anemone had heard Linny, she came walking into the cafe. She smiled hefting the koi bowl up in the brown box. She gave a sigh, walking to the table and setting it down.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long. Thank you for looking after Chailyn," she smiled, nodding her head. "We should get home, I'm sure Huni will get worried if Linny doesn't get home soon. It's starting to get dark," she ruffled Chailyn's hair.

"Mm-hmm. Thank you for the muffin Linny!" she stood up walking over to him to give him a big hug.

He returned the hug, affectionately patting the younger Tale on the head. "It was my pleasure, Miss Ane." he smiled at the woman. "No problem about the muffin, be sure to tell me when you can come over to meet Pae."

He waved to them and to the barista before heading home.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 11:22 pm

Missing
I hate this feeling. I feel like I'm missing something. I talked to Linny about it yesterday but it still bothers me. It's not fun to think about it all the time but...it seems to edge it's way back into the front of my mind. I don't know what to do except try to not thinking about it.

When I say something to Mom, she gets this sad look in her eyes. She tries to talk about it but...it seems like it hurts her. I don't want to hurt my mom. I don't think I should try talking about it with her. I think I can talk to Linny if I need to, but I'm not sure I can talk to it about anyone else. I bet Lance would listen. I think Donny would help take my mind off it so I wouldn't have to talk.

It's confusing. I hope it's not going to be like this when I grow up. I'm going to go to bed. I'm tired and I was supposed to be in bed um...two ten minutes ago...twenty I think. Yeah, twenty minutes ago.

Luff,
Chai

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