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Interesting Conversationalist
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 Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:00 pm
Exactly four days after the daring rescue the unusual summer heat began to die down, the weather returning to normal. Shorts were not required anymore, and regular t-shirts became more acceptable as the heat died down a bit. The flowers, too, seemed to recover from the drooping heat, and although they did not flourish as they had in the last few weeks, they, too, seemed happy for the more normal climate.
From where she sat Robyn could hear the weather reports sounding on the screens fixed from the ceilings of the coffee shop, the reporters sounding bewildered as they commented on the bizarre occurrence. For the most part the ginger-haired girl ignored it, barely even hearing their voices as she stared out the window at the cobblestone streets, her sea green eyes at half mast. A cup of coffee in one hand, her chin resting on the other, the college student had a lazy look about her, as if she wasn't paying attention to the world around her. Which she wasn't, really. While her eyes followed random passers-by, her mind wandered elsewhere, focused more on gods and goddesses and what had occurred in the last few days. The meeting... the trek through Durem... then the rescue of the goddesses...
It had started out so normally. She had headed on over to Rose's shop to thank her for her generosity and to tell her how much she loved the wreath she had received from the woman's private collection. Things had just disintegrated from there. Of course, the girl hadn't known what she was getting into when she decided to go back that day. She hadn't known about the secret of the shop. Hadn't known there was a nymph in the laurels she had received.
Robyn let her eyes flicker from the window to the wreath that rested on her lap. Many might think the behavior strange, and she had gotten more than one bizarre look from people in the shop, but she knew the person she was waiting for wouldn't. Anymore, anyway. Aidan had been with them that day, and had actually received one of the goddesses that had been causing the strange weather. She hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to him after the rescue -- both of the new guardians were a bit too shocked for that. Instead, she had let them settle for a few days before she had called the man in hopes to arrange a meeting. If she was honest with herself Robyn would admit she wanted to see the little goddess as much as she wanted to see the young man. She had no doubt Aidan would bring the little girl today.
Taking a sip of coffee, Robyn sighed, letting her eyes return to the window as she waited.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:26 am
The sun was shining and the grass was green, all seen liked a normal summers day. However, the realm of normality had pretty much been demolished for one person who was hurriedly striding down the cobbled street, hand clasping that of a young girl with wide teal eyes and a white daisy nestled in her hair. Aidan had been somewhat struggling with keeping up with the rapid changes in lifestyle that had been enforced since Altheda, a reborn goddess, had been placed in his care. But now he was taking a break from trying to keep up with everything and had allocated some time out of his somewhat frantic Sunday schedule to have a cup of coffee with someone he could talk freely about the reborn deities with – Robyn.
Whilst they had been led on the search for the twins Aidan had enjoyed talking with Robyn, the proud owner of a laurel wreath containing the nymph Daphne. She had been funny and easy to get along with and so Aidan had arranged to meet her so they could have a chat and just chill out for a bit… Only he was now late and so was panicking – Altheda could hardly keep up with his long speedy strides.
”Daddy, who are we meeting again?” Altheda queeried, skipping to keep up with her adopted father’s pace. He gave her a strained smile. ”Just a friend, she helped look for you… But I didn’t get much of a chance to thank her and introduce you to her after we found you.” She nodded and grinned as they stopped outside the coffee shop. It was a pleasant little place and outside the shop were a few tables with flowers in glass vases – splashes of bright colour against the white tablecloths. At her presence they seemed to seem a bit less withered by the sun and became noticeably perkier.
Robyn didn’t seem to be outside – which was a shame, it was a nice day, but if she was as sick of hot weather as Aidan was he didn’t hold it against her.
As they entered a smile played across Aidan’s lips, she was sitting inside and was easy to spot; her distinct laurel’s nestled in her ginger hair making her stick out. Moving over to her Altheda examined her, smiling as she too noticed the head garment – laurel’s were trees and trees were plants, she liked plants and so almost instantaneously she seemed to like this woman. ”Hey Robyn, nice to see you.” Aidan greeted her, taking a seat and sitting down.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:46 am
Blinking, Robyn glanced up when she heard a voice beside her, her expression alight with slight surprise at the sound. Her feathers quickly smoothed out, however, as she realized who it was who had spoken, a light smile curling the corners of her lips, sea-green eyes glittering a bit mischievously. "Nice to see you too Aidan," she replied, trying not to grin too much, "Shame on you, I didn't know you had a child. Tsktsk, I see no wedding band either."
Ok, so she was a bit of a tease, but she felt it was alright, in this situation, considering all they had gone through. They had poked fun at each other the first day as well, so the girl didn't feel as bad about doing it today. She enjoyed teasing the man, and would have teased him longer, had there not been a very important guest standing beside him. Letting her eyes fall to the girl, Robyn gave a genuinely warm smile as she admired the goddess silently. "What a pretty girl! She's beautiful Aidan... too bad she's not blood related to you, so you can't take the credit." Giving one last tease, she extended her hand to the girl, palm up. "My name's Robyn, it's nice to meet you."
Blinking, Robyn motioned to the other chairs around the table, flushing a bit at her rude behavior. "Oh, please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?" She asked, looking between the two, "I'm sure they have juice or soda for your little sweetheart, if you're willing to give her such sugary things."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:09 am
Altheda was a little confused by the woman's behaviour but simply gave a shy little giggle and accepted the chair offered to her, sitting next to Aidan examining the baffling woman. What had she meant about Aidan not taking credit and something wedding bands too? Did she think she was married to Aidan? That was just silly, Aidan was her Daddy, not her husband! And anyway, she wasn't old enough to get married! She was going to point this out these facts but Aidan cut across her before she spoke.
”A coffee for me sounds brilliant, you have know idea how stressful it is looking after a kid.” He looked to Altheda who seemed to be quite confused about something. ”And for Altheda… Juice?” He suggested. Altheda blinked and nodded, juice was nice in general but what flavour? She wasn’t too keen on some, for example orange, but others, like blackcurrant, she loved. However, so as not to seem picky, she would just take whatever was given to her, she didn’t dislike orange that much...
Aidan stretched his arms and leant back on his chair. It was good to unwind and have a rest for a while. ”What have you been up to in the last couple of days?” he asked, before adding, ”Found out any more about our nymphy friend?” He smiled mischievously. Robyn had also found out about the reborn gods at the same time as him, she had also discovered that her laurel was actually holding a nymph! But unlike him she hadn’t been dropped in the deep end with an actual child. She would have a period of time to prepare, whilst he had to deal with Altheda without any warning – in the morning of the search he hadn’t even believed in the supernatural, but by the evening he was putting a goddess of summer to bed (on a makeshift bed constructed out of pillows and a spare duvet organised in a rush on the sofa)!
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:41 am
Robyn nodded, raising a hand to flag down a waitress. "Actually, apparently Daphne has a whole section of a book devoted to her, as well as a very interesting, albeit sad, love story." Looking up at the waitress, Robyn smiled, resting her arms on the table. "A coffee and some juice for the little one... what would you like, sweetheart?" She asked Altheda, noting the confused look on the little girl's face. She wasn't surprised. She would definately ask her later what the look was about though.
She waited until the waitress had left before turning back to the two, her gaze primarily on Aidan. "As the story goes, apparently, Apollo taunted Eros about the child wielding a bow, saying something about leaving the manly weapons to the... men. Eros, of course, didn't find that amusing, so he set up two arrows -- one with a gold tip, the other with a lead one. The lead one he shot at Daphne, to make her instantly dislike the thought of settling down and loving anyone. The gold, he hit Apollo with, and of course he fell in love with the nymph. There was a long chase, and finally when he was just about to catch her, Daphne asked her father, the river god, to save her. So he turned her into a Laurel tree." Taking a sip of coffee, she sighed, resting her chin on her palm again. "I wonder if Apollo's already out there... I wouldn't want any trouble, but I would be curious to see how they would interact."
Shaking her head, the girl sighed again, turning her attention back to Altheda. "You never introduced me to this young one though. How're you two fairing?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:29 pm
Smiling Altheda cheerfully replied to Robyn's question about the juice. "Blackcurrant." She nodded graciously at the waitress and swung her legs under the table, her feet couldn't quite touch the floor. She was pleased that she had been given a choise to what type of juice she could have, it would've been a bit sucky if she had to have orange.
She listened with a half interest as the adults talked about a nymph called Daphne. Her memories of her past life were no more than just snippets here and there and as far as she could recall she had never heard of the other deity. However when they'd finished talking Robyn addressed her directly and she beamed warmly back at the woman, replying eagerly. "I'm fine thank you Mrs Robyn, my name is Altheda by the way, incase you didn't know. Daddy has made me a nice bed and has given me some plants to play with. One's called a ger-geran-geranium?" She had been thrilled when her daddy had given her the plants - 3 of them, all neatly lined up infront of her makeshift sofa/bed. At first they had been only small things but she had quickly accelerated their growth to make them become beautiful blooms.
Quite pleased with himself for the idea of giving her the flowers he smiled widely, it had been a touch of genius - his house had nothing really for the poor child to do and his garden was nothing more than a small scrub of grass. The story of Daphne was also interesting, and it was amusing to think of how an Apollo child would interact, would his feelings carry over from his past? "That's really interesting. Hopefully your wreath, when it becomes a child, will get on with Altheda. They're both related to plants in some way. And yes, I'm alright thank you. Stressed, but managing."
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:43 pm
"Pleased to meet you, Altheda. And you can drop the formalities -- I'm not married, and we're all friends here. It was very polite of you though." She replied, he smile just as sunny as the girl's. She was really very cute. Very well mannered too. Briefly Robyn wondered if all the gods and goddesses were like that, but she had to think not. She could not imagine the god of war skipping down the street. "Geraniums are very pretty. I'm sure you'll take good care of them. I'm glad your daddy is being good to you. Remember to hit him for me if he says something bad behind my back, mmk?" Winking, she brought the coffee to her lips, taking a sip before settling back down.
"I'm sure she will. She was a tree, at one time, she'll have much to talk about with Altheda."
She hoped. Thinking about how the nymph would react was a little frightening. She didn't know anything about what to do, what she would like to eat, or even where she would sleep in Robyn's little dorm room! And how would she explain that to the college? Rubbing her forehead, she chuckled at Aidan. "You seem to be doing well. She seems like a very happy child. It was smart of you to give her some plants to care for."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:14 pm
Altheda smiled shyly, she had interacted much with others and so didn't know much about adressing people and so had assumed it was normal to adress people formally - she had heard Aidan calling his boss Mr over the phone and had assumed it was the done thing - but it was nice that Robyn had called her a friend. "Thank you Robyn, I think all flowers are pretty! Even little ones!" She exclaimed in reply to Robyn comments about Geraniums. She pointed eagerly at the daisy in her hair, she had found a small patch of the white flowers in her fathers rather sparse garden and had made one grow rather large - picking it and putting it in her hair as a decoration.
"Thanks, I thought it was a good idea as well. I'm afraid she'd probably get bored in my rather dull home otherwise..." He explained as the waitress returned with their drinks. He waited for her to walk away before continuing, it didn't seem a clever idea to openly discuss the godly children blatently infront of people... They'd look slightly crazy. "I wonder if your kid will have any powers? Altheda can make plants grow and Hattie could shapeshift... But seeing as Daphne wasn't a goddess as such, maybe she won't have any powers.." he pondered the thought. Daphne hadn't been a main goddess, unlike the famous Greek gods - Poiseidon, Zeus and Hades - but had been a smaller character in Greek myth. He wondered if other not main gods could be reborn; Herculeus for example. He too had godly blood in him, he was Zeus' son if Aidan remembered correctly (or at the very least he was in the disney film).
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:30 pm
"Flowers are very pretty. Have you ever tried growing a garden?"
The girl was really very cute. Smiling politely at the daisy, the ginger haired girl turned her attention back on the man that sat beside her, one eyebrow lifting when he mentioned he thought his idea was good as well. She didn't say anything, however, merely smiling gratefully up at the waitress when she brought the two drinks before returning her attention to her guests. Her smile, however, twitched a bit when Aidan spoke of Daphne not having any powers, her eyes losing a bit of their sparkle. The comment of Daphne not having a powers seemed to be a slight jab at her, the college student's pride pricked by the statement. Personally she thought that comment was quite unnecessary, rude, and quite insulting. Still, she kept a forced smile on her face, although it was obviously less than pleased.
"I don't know, I guess I'll have to wait and see," She replied coolly, letting her eyes wander to the window, watching the people go by again, "Altheda is so very impressive... with her flower power and all. I don't recall ever hearing about her... she must have been a small time goddess."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:54 pm
Aidan considered her point. "Yes, I suppose she isn't as well known as other deities... But I think I read something about her being worshipped at Athens. Which has to count for something, right?" He smiled a little boastfully, proud that his adopted child was famous in some way, but when he realised that he could be causing insult, the slightly forced smile on Robyn's face becoming evident, he quickly added; "But unlike Daphne I couldn't find any prominent stories about her.."
Altheda seemed quite unaware that the adults were talking about her past, but was instead contently sipping her blackcurrant juice and thinking about Robyn's suggestion of growing a garden. Aidan's garden was small, but she was sure that with a bit of work and her powers she could make it pretty. She grinned up at Robyn, "Do you have a garden? Can you give me any advise on what makes a garden look nice?" It was all well and good that she could make the plants grow but if she wanted the best effect then she'd have to choose specific types and such... But she had no idea where to start and she doubted her Daddy did either. He didn't seem overly keen on flowers, he said the pollen set off his hay-fever, whatever that was...
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:07 pm
Robyn relaxed visibly when she noticed Aidan realized what he had said, relaxing the vice-grip she had had on her foam cup. Her cheeks flushed slightly when he backpedaled, and she shook her head, feeling a bit guilty. She had such a hot temper sometimes. Of course Aidan hadn't meant to insult her -- he was just happy and very proud of the little girl. It was understandable. Flashing him a warm smile, she chuckle, shrugging off the talk about the kids.
"I'm not surprised. If she can make vegetables grow as well as she can flowers I fear for her safety. The farmers will steal her and never give her back!"
Grinning at the slightly purple-lipped girl, she nodded slowly, thinking back to her own small plot of land at home. "I don't have one here, since I'm at college and in a dorm, but I do at home. Right outside my window. But it's not what you think -- it's primarily vegetables like tomato and basil and lettuce. I do have a mango tree though. The little mango blossoms are cute when they are in bloom."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:22 pm
Glad that he seemed to be forgiven for his breif moment of boastfullness Aidan relaxed, taking a sip of his coffee. He laughed at the comment about the farmers, but on a serious note he might have to keep her powers under control - Robyn was correct, some people might try to exploit his little girl, it was crazy what people would do when extra profit is involved. "They'd have to get past me first." he stated, half joking, half serious. Although it was a bit of a bother fitting Altheda into his life, over the last few days he had become very attatched and strangely he already pretty much viewed her as his own daughter.
"Vegtables! I'd not even though about them!" She exclaimed, tapping herself on the head in a cute 'duh' movement. She grinned in appriciation at Robyn and returned to her mental planning. She could have the bottom of the garden as a vegatable patch, growing carrots and lettuces. (They looked best in her opinion.. Potatoes tasted good, but they just looked like a dirt patch from above...) However she still didn't know how she wanted the actual garden part to look. Maybe she could get her Daddy to take her to another garden so she could get ideas. If not, they could go to the libary and see if there were any helpful books (preferably with pictures... she wasn't too confident at reading long stuff at the moment).
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:41 pm
Robyn caught the implication in Aidan's tone and gave him a slow, understanding nod. It was dangerous for the kids, and not only because they needed to be put to bed at appropriate times. While she was an optimistic person and liked to think that most people were primarily good, that didn't stop there from being terrible people in the world. Still, she kept a grin on her face, so as not to scare the girl. "Wow, a child who likes vegetables. I'm impressed. Not many girls would be interested in growing other things besides roses. Looks like you've got your hands full with this one," Robyn chuckled, motioning towards the thoughtful girl. "She is sweet thought. Take good care of her."
She wasn't sure whether or not she should take her leave. For the most part she was enjoying the time she was having with Aidan and little Altheda, and yet she didn't not what else to say. She was happy the goddess seemed to be adapting well to the time period, and very impressed with Aidan for taking her on in such a short amount of time. They seemed to be working well together, and Robyn was no longer worried that something would happen to the little girl. Aidan could handle whatever came his way.
Robyn blinked as another thought came to her mind and she leaned forward a bit, tilting her head. "Have you heard from her twin's guardian? Ele... gancia, I believe it was?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:27 am
At the sound of her twin being mentioned Altheda instantly became very interested in the adult's conversation - the planning of her garden could wait, she was more interested in her twin. She hadn't seen her since the incident at the beach and was itching to know how she was and how well she was adjusting to life with her new guardian. Her Daddy had said that she was being looked after by a 'stuck up' lady but she would be just fine and would probably be spoiled rotten. She wasn't keen on the rotten part but being spoilt wasn't so bad...
"Elegancia? No. We haven't. Your the first person I've really had time to meet up with recently - like I said, life has been frantic." Aidan replied, wincing slightly. He felt bad about splitting the twins up, they seemed really close, just like human twins and the fact that he hadn't arranged for Altheda to catch up with her twin was starting to play on his nerves. He could maybe pop in to see Rose at some point and get Elegancia's number so they could arrange for Irene to come around one day, or visa versa. But hopefully it could be a good thing in the long run - if they were separated they should hopefully make new friends rather than just playing with each other...
"Just you wait till your laurels burst into life! Then you'll understand where I'm coming from." He teased playfully, gesturing to the wreath. He paused, remembering that she had just said she lived in a dorm. "Infact... How are you going to manage with that...? Got any plans? I know if I were in your position I'd be getting everything ready! How long do you reckon it will be till they change now? Rose said it took a couple of weeks right?"
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:28 pm
Robyn nodded slowly, a bit distressed that the twins were separated, but comforted by the fact that Altheda looked quite happy with Aidan. 'He must be doing something right,' she thought to herself, tilting her head and staring at the man for a moment, 'she looks remarkably happy with him.' She hadn't known him for long, but he seemed responsible enough, and seemed to really care for the girl, despite the time. She only hoped that she could have such a bond with her own little nymph, whenever she did arrive.
Speak of the devil, Aidan's questions arouse, and Robyn brushed her hair out of her eyes -- a nervous motion. "Yeah, I'm working on it... I'm trying to be as prepared as possible, but I'm not sure what I should be preparing for, or how." Rubbing her forehead, the girl leaned back in her chair, her hands weaved into her strawberry blonde hair. "I have no idea. I'm waiting for some sign from Rose... perhaps a letter or something. I'm not sure what I'm suppose to be waiting for. I'm kinda playing it by ear."
She felt slightly out of control of the situation, and while she knew that Rose and Aidan and everyone else who had already been paired up with a deity would be around to help her, she was a little stressed. She had babysat before, of course, but had never taken care of a child for more than a week or so, and never a deity!
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