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 Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 1:28 pm
Heads turned, it seemed, everywhere the pair went. As the couple headed down the gangway of the bustling mega-mart people would stop. Some whispered and most glued their eyes to them behind their backs. The shorter female paid them no heed. But then again to her the nekos, vampires, angelic, demons and other assorted Gaians looked quite odd to her so she assumed as they were in a new place, gawking would only be natural.
Her tatty and well-loved hempen bag was slung over her shoulder. A plastic bottle of mango nectar sloshed softly within it. She had started fertility treatments a little under a week ago and was all ready not feeling up to par. She took it all in stride, however, and kept reminding herself what all of the effort was going toward.
That helped.
Most of the time, anyway.
Jiao'lan's mind wasn't the most analytical so the maths involved with currency were still a very foreign concept. Whenever she could help it she had her mate handle the finances. As Mums strolled along pushing their prams or their hands wrapped tightly around a chubby little fist, she couldn't help but watch them. Her heart warmed and a large smile usually spread across her face.
There were also moments when it saddened her. She tried not to, but sometimes she couldn't help but think their venture into conception might be unsuccessful. Or if they managed that, the gestation might not go smoothly.
It was bad enough trying to adapt to a new way of life without all of the added worry and stress. But, she was sure, things would get better.
They just had to.
Right?
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:08 am
Ke'rehl was oblivious to the stares and whispers of Gaians walking past. His ice-white eyes were wide and hinted at some fearfulness as he wandered the halls of this shopping mall with his mate. There were so many bright colours, flashing lights, amazing things! Though Jiao'lan seemed unbothered by the colours; being from the rainforest south of their island, she was used to bright colours. Ke'rehl, however, was used to frozen tundras, icy waters and falling snow. He had adapted well to the warmer climates of Gaia, his feathers moulting to a finer covering, but the new colours he had never experienced before pounded on his eyes and forced him to experience it over and over. Sometimes, he had come home from job hunting with the most massive headache, and all he had wanted to do was sleep, but Jiao'lan had started to deteriate, so he cared for her, then cared for himself. He had never complained, just accepted he had as much altering to do as Jiao'lan.
Turning wide eyes to his mate, he smiled at her and took her hand in his. He pulled them to a stop and nuzzled his nose into her neck, a Shan'ro sign of affection. He wrapped his winged arms around her and pulled her close for a moment, glaring as some teenagers of some sort or another walked past hackling them. He hissed out a warning challenge and they sped of. Perhaps that short birdy creature was not worth the hassle! Turning his attention back to Jiao'lan, he grinned wide.
"What bothers, Jiao'lan?" He stroked her fluffy plumage and then her cheek. "You nearly as distracted as me!" He chuckled a little, and motioned for them to sit on one of the seats that filled the center of the corridor. "Come. Let us sit and think what it is we're doing here, eh? What did we need get?" He took the bag from her and helped her up onto the bench, rubbing noses with her for a moment before placing the bag onto the bench and ruffling through it to find their to-do list. It was lucky Ke'rehl had learnt the language so quickly. His own Tribe had had very little use for language, and thus, he had learnt the new one much easier then Jiao'lan, who's Tribe had had a language all their own. Ke'rehl sometimes slipped into the hand-gesture talk of his Tribe, but often spoke with it. Up in the frozen north, hand gestures were better, for the wind could not steal the breath, or ice suffocate you when it fell so heavily.
Finding the notepade and pen, Ke'rehl flicked through the pages to the list they had made for today. He struck off the first item 'Arrive at Mall'. It was childish in style, but Ke'rehl was getting there. At least he knew the spellings now. Those classes had been very helpful. His job hunt had been slightly successful. He now worked in a small shop that sold ornamental accessories. Cloth that shroaded the form, shiny items that hung from ears and necks; even horns! The Leader of the place had offered to put metal through his horns, but he had flat out refused, saying he had to talk to his mate first. He hadn't ever mentioned it. It was wrong for his Tribe to wear accessories!! Granted, these people seemed to be put off by an apparantly 'naked' individual as he and his mate were, but that was partly why they were here. Jiao'lan wanted to cover up a little, and her Tribe cloths were wearing out. Ke'rehl flat out refused to wear anything other then his feathers. He had made Jiao'lan laugh that night.
Looking to his mate with love apparant in his eyes, he smiled and took her hand again, pen stuck into the corner of his mouth. "Where to?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:47 am
Jaio'lan couldn't help but smile at the nuzzle. She allowed him to usher her to a bench and revelled in the close contact. She hadn't even noticed the teenagers, her mind was so preoccupied. She shifted a bit to adjust her tail, due to the bench's back. That was something to get used to; seats with backs. Her claws dangled a good distance from the floor, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
"Eet's seely..." She admitted, casting her soft grey eyes up to his. The young woman sighed again. "Ah see all'a these Leifusa (mothers) 'round...weth their haju'ri (children) an'..." She paused and took his hand in hers, brows creasing slightly. "Ah can''elp but tink dat...dis may not 'appen fer us." She told him with a soft sniffle.
The claws on her feet had tensed and her plumage was pulled close to her body. Those involuntary actions made it hard to hide her emotions, just as it would be hard for a human to control their heart rate.
Ke'rehl was far better at writing than she was, but that was mostly because in her tribe the stories they passed down were oral. But with not much to do but keep house she had plenty of time to study and learn.
Jiao'lan did need new clothing. She had worn hers nearly to sheds! Clothing in and of itself was something she had tried to get used to. Like her mate's culture "clothes", as the people of Gaia knew them weren't necessary. But while people gave Ke'rehl issues on occasion, Jiao'lan could be jailed for 'public indecency'. The males of her tribe went completely naked while the women often wore sarong-like coverings that covered only one breast. The garment was only long enough to cover the the breast leaving the midriff bare and as such, was only used to denote status. A single women would cover her left, and mated woman would cover her right to denote that her mate stood at her left side and her body was his.
When he asked his next question, her mind jumped to that. "Ah be needin' some new tops...heh, I jest hope dis knot 'olds 'till we get 'ome." She told him, with a forced yet soft chuckle. One of the straps and finally worn so thin that it snapped under the tension of being worn and she had quickly tied it in place before they were due to leave for the day.
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:33 am
Ke'rehl smiled at his mate, pleased she was trying to be cheerful about their situation. He glanced around their position, trying to find reasonably priced shops. His employer had been especially understanding, paying him double pay for his first two weeks of work, so that Ke'rehl's new 'family adventure' had some sort of income to start on. Now his payment had returned to a lower level, but enough, still to support them. Ke'rehl had been fortunate in finding his most helpful employer!
Somewhere in these webs of corridors, shops and moving-steps, Ke'rehl's work place resided, usually quiet and empty. Ke'rehl had resolved to take Jiao'lan to see, and see if she liked any of the trinkets. Perhaps she'd like the metal and gem body spikes? That metal in the parts of the body. She had some sort of jewel attached to her stomach, above her belly button, but Ke'rehl was still unsure of whether it had been attached to her skin, or was simply stuck on with some of the amazing adhesive her Tribe had made from a certain kind of tree's sap... He had a feeling it was some sort of evergreen.
"It will happen for us Jiao'lan. I promised you! So clothes... tops..." His childish handwriting sprawled across the paper. He knew trousers in this world would not fit either. They tended not to fold in the right places for the Keikancho-Jin's digigrade legs. Skirts and sarongs were alright, but Ke'rehl still found it more comfortable in his own feathers. Jiao'lan, however, could endanger herself if she continued to walk around in very little. At least Ke'rehl had a more... covered appearance with his soft downy feathers. "That place looks like mot'ouji. See, the fake-people? Big bellies. Perhaps clothes suitable for further along. Then... Over there, see? 'Hip... Hippie Parlour'? It looks natural. Shall we walk?" He placed the notepad and pen back into the bag and slung the strap over his own shoulder. Jioa'lan would not be carrying this for a while! Ke'rehl took her hands and smiled, sliding her from the seat.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:18 pm
Her eyes followed his as he pointed out two of the more promising shops. Before he rose from his seat she squeezed his hand lightly. “Ah knows yeh promised meh. An’ Ah trust yeh wit all meh ‘eart, meh love.” She told him softly as she leaned up to rub her nose against his, grey eyes sparkling. Jiao’lan scooted off the bench. “So the mot’ouji shop firs’?” She asked, unable to help herself. The idea of the clothing reinforced the idea of their own child which she would need if all went well.
It wasn’t a cold season in Gaia so most of the blouses either had little billows at he shoulders or no type of sleeve entirely. That would most certainly work well due to her flight feathers sprouting from her arms. There were copious amounts of fabric and colours spanning wall to wall. She wasn’t sure where to look first.
The styles of clothing seemed so odd to her!
A tall blonde haired woman in a white oxford, dark denim blue jean trousers, and boots walked up to the pair with a smile. “Oh hello!” She beamed, her hair was sprayed stiff with 80s fringe and height. Her lipstick was dark but her expression was warm. “Welcome, welcome! When are you due?” She asked. She had a name placard that read: Kim Tanner.
Jiao’lan seemed somewhat startled by the woman’s exuberance. “Uh…’ello…” She said looking up to the woman, forcing a smile. “Due?” She asked. The woman’s green eyes sparkled. “Oh, I meant when are you expecting your little one.” She clarified. “Uhm…mah Engrish es not well.” She said glancing to her mate as if pleading with him for help. Kim nodded and was afraid she had misspoken. “Oh, I’m sorry if that’s now why you’ve come in today!” She added quickly.
As another woman and her mother entered the store, clearly pregnant, a brunette sales woman walked up to her in the same manner and began to chat her up.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:15 am
Ke'rehl smiled at his mate and led her into the shop that had a large 'Mothercare' logo over the entrance. Ke'rehl had a hard time adjusting to the bright colours and masses of light that filled the shop, his pupils shrinking to a slit the size of a thread as his head attuned itself to the place. He had his head lowered a little to save his eyes as his mate was approached. Missing the introduction, he slowly looked up as the conversation progressed, and, pupils still narrowed, looked up at the massive woman that now filled his pained vision. His eyes widened, but his pupils slitted even more till it looked like his eyes were simply white as he smiled and patted Jiao'lan on the shoulder.
"I sorry, Jiao'lan, took a moment to ready myself. Should have listened." He looked up at the woman, who faultered a little in her smile at the strange image of a short bird-man with hardly any pupil left in his eyes. They were slowly returning however, which seemed to unnerve her a little more, the pale pupil widening over his eyes an eerie sight. "I sorry, missus. We are new here, and we are needing cloths for I mate." He motioned at his nervous mate and smiled a sharp grin. "We are not mot'ouji... Mean, due? No due yet. See, we are trying, through G-M-F-C." His letters were pronounced very slowly, his mouth forming them overexaggerated. His hands, in their nervousness to make sure the woman understood, were flicking idly in their habit of hand-speaking from back home in the snowy tundras. No due yet. But soon. You can help find cloths that will protect her image, but mean room to grow? People no like us, for we are a breed that do not wear cloths like you." His hands took in Kim's appearance. But here, we need to start to learn, I fear."
Ke'rehl watched as the woman looked Jiao'lan over and nodded, gathering this information together at a slower pace then Ke'rehl would have liked, but eventually, when the knowledge they were here to spend money sank in, she was all too happy to help. Perhaps not all Gaians' were that bad. She didn't seem overly afraid or disgusted by their apparent nakedness, and was too interested in their appointments at the GMFC to worry about Ke'rehl's troubled mind.
"Ahhhh, so you need clothes? Well, you've come to the right place!!" She exclaimed, taking Jiao'lan by the hand and leading the pair over to the 'Petite' section of the store. Ke'rehl remained at a little distance, as he felt Jiao'lan needed some time to talk about her pregnancy with the woman. It was, after all, a seemingly female thing to do. As he looked around the store, excited mothers were happily talking about their pregnancies with their designated 'shopper'. All the men he could see, which, granted, was not a whole lot, were browsing away from their mates and looking at the odd piece of clothing here and there.
Looking around, Ke'rehl found a few vest type pieces of clothing that he thought could be easily undone along the seams to allow the wings to be accommodated. Buttons could really come in handy, he had noticed since coming here. In the background, it seemed their 'shopper', Kim, had also thought of this as she showed Jiao'lan some vests and t-shirts, and he heard that for a 'minimal price', the store would alter the clothing for them. Ke'rehl frowned. He was sure that he and his mate were perfectly capable of sewing on a few buttons and stitches. As he moved a little further away, he came across some items that were clearly for the haju'ri. There were soft toys that were full of squishy stuffing, and some harder ones that rattled. Ke'rehl smiled, and decided enough time had passed that he did the normal male thing and returned to his mate's side, brushing her arm with his feathers, a smile on his face to show he was there and listening.
Kim was still speaking in a very quick voice that Ke'rehl had trouble keeping up with, so Jiao'lan must be having extreme difficulties with. At last, she stopped and looked at them expectantly. Ke'rehl, eyes now back to a relatively normal size and look, looked at her blankly, before deciding perhaps it was his turn to speak. "Can we come find you when ready? I think looking be best idea, so we have some idea what to buy. First time shopping, need to see first, then discuss." Kim looked at him a little confused, then simply shrugged and went to greet another customer. Ke'rehl looked at his mate. Come, I show you something!" He took her hand and led her to the toys. See how cute? Want to buy one, to put in haju'ri room?" He grinned, and picked up a soft toy that looked a bit like himself, though it was not overly avian, apart from the wings. It looked a lot like those people that were wings, but not avian... what were they again... Angels? It sounded right, so it must have been. He put it back, and picked up a penguin toy instead.
Look like my cousin. He look like this bird, though better wings..." Ke'rehl squeezed the little toy, and it squeaked. It made him jump, and his feathers fluffed up in fear, but he burst out laughing and squeezed it again, feathers flattening.
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:17 am
As he helped her make her escape from the over-zealous woman her eyes went to the bright toys. "Dey do look a bit like us...wings on dey back though..." As he picked up the penguin she couldn't help but laugh at his comparison. When the toy squeaked, she didn't have such an explosive reaction. She merely jumped a little, and as he laughed joined him.
Jiao'lan looked over the toys she found a stuffed lemur and other assorted primates. Some had hook and loop on their hands to make them appear to 'hold' onto something or hang. "Oh! Dese are so cuuuute!" She exclaimed. "Dey look so real with dese amb'a eyes..." She said. "Is dere any animals from where yeh grew up here, Ke'rehl?" The young woman asked as she looked at the various stuffed animals.
Ke'rehl had been buying her little trinkets and 'totems', decorative figurines, and she knew he was spoiling her. She had begun to think that perhaps instead, she'd rather they buy things for their haju'ri's room. Afterall, she'd much rather spoil their child, if anyone were to be getting gifts.
But, for his sake, she reasoned, she wouldn't say no to something every now and again. His doting on her made her feel special.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:41 am
Ke'rehl gazed over the toys, and saw a few fishy looking animals, and pointed these out. Just as he was going to mention that they looked a lot like the prey he hunted, he spotted a large, fluffy white bear. Its black nose and eyes were a stark contrast to the pure white of his face, and Ke'rehl gasped, picking it up. It was nearly as tall as his torso, and it was a bit of an effort for the small Keikancho-Jin to lift. Glaring at it, Ke'rehl turned it and made its dark eyes look out at her.
"Here. This look like the big snow-bear that wander our hunt grounds. They very good at catching... Ahh... sss--seals? Yes, seals." He turned it again, and looked at the apparently friendly face. "They not friendly as this in the snow. They steal hunts from us. Much much bigger!" He dropped the white teddy bear and raised an arm, the tip of his longest feather reaching far into the air. " Bigger than that!" He chuckled his strange little laugh and turned his eyes back to the door. "Wait here." He weaved his way through the racks of clothing and arrived at the doors to the shop, in a little basket, there were net bags with a hard base that had the sign 'Help Yourself' over it. Ke'rehl had such bags in his own store, and they were designed to put in your potential purchases. Picking one up, he weaved his way back through people and clothing to Jiao'lan.
"Shall we shop, my mate?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:33 am
As Jiao'lan listened to him describe the polar bears that lived in the tundra in his home her eyes widened slightly. Granted, there were things taller than the Banku where she lived but none of them tried to steal their kills! For the most part, many spear heads pointed at a Jaguar would suffice in getting them to think that the 'tiny bird things' were not worth messing with for an easy meal.
As he left she watched in the direction he had taken. The shopping bag trolleys were fairly tall compared to the little female as they were made for the "average sized" Gaian.
"Et needs doin'." She agreed with a soft smile
She wasn't sure where to start first. The clothing was an intimidating notion in itself as they were hung on very tall display rods and there was so much to choose from!
A heavily pregnant woman in a soft pink tee-shirt and maternity jeans walked over to the other side of the stuffed animal bin. She picked up an elephant and looked it over before smiling over her shoulder. "Robert...isn't this adorable?" She asked. Said man looked lost as he wove among the racks of clothing. He seemed quite uncomfortable to be in the shop and had his hands tucked into his trouser pockets.
"S'an elephant..." He said, stating the obvious. "But, yes dear, it's cute." He told her. "How much does it cost?" The woman looked to him and the start of a crying fit were clearly laid across her face. "D-Does it m-matter i-if it's for o-our b-b-b-baby?" She asked. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it quickly knowing he had walked straight into a progesterone-fueled emotional ambush. "You're making a scene, sweetheart." He whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:16 pm
Ke'rehl looked at the man with a bit of a scowl. How rude he was. He picked up the snow-bear and put it in their basket, as well as the hook-loop handed lemur his mate had picked up first. These were to be the first two toys of their baby. Both were so soft and cuddly, they'd be most prized! Thinking, he pointed toward the baby clothing section.
"Come, my mate. Lets look at baby cloths! Perhap there be cloth of neutral gender, as is unknown if haju'ri is male or female." He guided her away from the forced-teary woman and her dejected mate. They were odd. Did they not realise what a joy parenthood was! Perhaps they didn't have it as hard as he and his mate. That made him stop and think for a minute. Some of these parents must have had it so easy compared to his Jiao'lan! So many pills that made her so ill, and these women just popped up pregnant and expanded well past the size they should be and complained about 'how hard it was'. They didn't even know the meaning of it! He smiled to his mate and motioned to some cute little white baby-grows.
"We need ones without foots on them. These here claw probably wreak anything with foot on." He sifted through some little white gowns, and found one with detachable feet and held it up. On the front were a parage of cute little brown bears, playing all manner of instruments. "This cute, yes?" He smiled and held it up to his chest. It nearly covered him. "Perhaps smaller?" He chuckled his little clucking laugh and placed it back, looking for extra small sizes.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:27 pm
"Very, cute!" Jiao'lan agreed with a large smile.
There was a rack nearby of impossibly small, doll-sized clothing. The placard above it read: Little Miracles: Preemie Wear. She wandered over to it and found a yellow gown with green frogs on it. This seemed still a little too large, but it was a far cry better than those made for normal sized newborns. It had a sort of drawstring at the bottom. She looked at that part of the garment for a while, trying to discern its purpose.
"Dese seem like dey'd fit bett'a." She said. "Babies in Gaia wear nappies, don't dey?" She asked. The only conclusion she came to was that they must not, and it catches their bowel movements.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:41 pm
Ke'rehl thought for a moment, placing the smallest version of the gown he could find into the basket. He liked it too much to pass it up, and thought if it didn't fit the baby first thing, it would at least in a few months. He followed Jiao'lan to the rack and saw all the teeny tiny baby cloths. They were so diddy and cute! He smiled at the frogs and nodded. Taking it from her and placing it in the basket.
"Yes, they are easier then the constant washing of cloths, I think. They catch it, then you just throw it away. You can buy types that you wash and reuse... terry-toweling I think it called." He looked around the large shop and pointed over to the nappy section. "We can check over there later." He rifled through the baby-grows until he found one that made him laugh. It was pale green, and in big black letters, the caption 'GIVE ME THE SWEETIES, OR I'M CALLING DADDY!!' He showed it Jiao'lan, and put it back. Perhaps not something to get their little baby into the habit of!
Moving around the rack, he found a few more gowns that he liked, showing each to Jiao'lan and placing some in the basket; a white one with a sleeping cartoon fox on the front with 'Sleepy Head' written above it, a pale green one with a little jungle scene on its front with lots of interesting animals on it, a pale blue one with penguins dancing on it with 'Too Cool' written above it. He loved this colourful little rack!
"You seen any Jiao'lan?" He was so excited. He just wanted to spend so much on their new little family!
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 1:49 pm
Jiao’lan browsed the rows of clothing. There were a pair of shirts on the same hanger, one was pastel blue, the other a light pink. The blue one said, ‘Mummy’s Little Man.’ And the pink one said, ‘Daddy’s Girl.’ They were priced the same as one of the larger single sets of baby clothes. She showed them to Ke’rehl. “What you think of these? Same price as one bigger clothes.” The young woman said with a smile.
While she wasn’t too terribly good with counting money yet, she did know it’s relative value versus the item or items she was looking at. Jiao’lan also knew they needed to be rather careful with it, at the moment. A clearance rack of maternity clothes caught her eye. She’d suggest it once they were finished buying things for the baby.
She noticed a green one that said, ‘Wild Thing’, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:05 am
Ke'rehl took the items from her, and looked them over. This was a difficult choice, because the baby would be one or the other of the genders, so to buy two tops, one of each, seemed somewhat silly. He looked through the sets of clothing, but all were similar; he pointed at the differences to Jiao'lan.
"Not want buy two tops of opposite gender." He murmured. "One no good once baby is born." He smiled and placed it back, nodding to the rack she had spied, taking her hand. "Once baby here, we get items that right gender. Then no waste." He hugged her close with one arm, his feathers shrouding her like a cape, before reaching out to clothes on the maternity rack that would suit Jiao'lan. Wrap around skits, vest tops, jackets; it was all there, and a lot of it could be altered accordingly to what Jiao'lan needed. Unlike Ke'rehl, the Keikancho-Jin knew his mate was conscious about showing her body. Some of her body was very human, and it seemed that many of the women here kept as covered up as possible. Ke'rehl refused to bow to the needs of clothing - he was covered in thick feather coverage as it was, he did not need clothes on top of that!
"What you see? You like?"
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