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 Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:11 pm
A break in the rains of spring had finally arrived, and in three days time the grass was green but dry, soft but with firm soil beneath it. Perfect picnic weather. And there was no more beautiful place than Wasa's own back yard. Not just because the borders disappeared into the surrounding forest, or because of the unique flora and the occasional scurrying bug-taur, but because a fully stocked kitchen was only a few brisk steps away. No smooshed peanut butter jelly sandwiches, no lukewarm tea.
Wasa sat comfortably on the corner of her blanket as her two sons took turns stacking and demolishing a tower of untouched bagel sandwiches. As one would roll across the blanket, the artist would simply lift her cup and saucer, wait for a tentacle to reach to retrieve it, sip, and then set it back down. All in all, a rather idyllic afternoon.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:31 pm
The peace, however, was clearly not to last. Even as Wasa and her sons enjoyed their picnic, there was a high whining noise on the air that intensified for a split second into something ear-piercing before it ceased in a discharge of intense white light in a corner of the yard.
When it cleared, there was, in its place, a very disoriented someone. ...or perhaps someones.
Ayanne had cast many spells in anger in the past, all of them having gone off without a hitch, but even as she collected her scattered wits to look around herself, she could tell that something here was very, very wrong. There were scents all around her she'd never smelled before and something about the air here was...different.
On her back, the infants seemed to have sensed it as well. Though they had slept through her entire confrontation with Kanatta, this apparantly seemed like the opportune time to awake and begin to cry in unison.
....she could feel a headache coming on.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:38 pm
The deep black eyes of the two boys transfixed immediately on the new arrivals, but it took a long moment for the broad straw hat to tilt upwards. She finished her tea, wiped her lip with one of the thin tendrils that sprouted from behind her ear, and smoothed her skirt. With a deep breath, the hat tilted back to reveal a face half-masked behind red striped feathers and porcelain.
"Good afternoon."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:44 pm
At the voice, Aya whirled in its direction, eyes wide and lips reflexively twitching back in a snarl. Who.....or WHAT was that? The defensive experession on her features faltered into one of sheer puzzlement as she took in the sight before her.
The one who'd spoken was nothing she'd ever seen. And the same could be said for the oil-eyed infants she had on the blanket with her. Were those....tentacles?
For a long moment, the rug yanked from beneath her, she simply stood. dumbfounded, one long ear twitching a bit.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:53 pm
To further disturb the mage, the two small ones placed the pudgy ends of their tentacles over their ears to block out the continued shrieks of the twins. Wasa's head tilted with a sympathetic smile, but she shook her head sad and slow. She'd been through this several times now, but she knew it had to stop somewhere. "I'm sorry, but you can't leave those here. I promised my therapist I was done."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:16 pm
The stranger's voice pierced through the fog of shock, bringing her situation back into focus. "Leave what?" she demanded to know, taking a step back. "Who're joo?"
On her back, Mal'kyor's crying trailed off into a series of coughs and sneezes. Something in the air, perhaps pollen or maybe just the change in atmosphere, was not agreeing with him very well. Beside him, Tasi continued to wail, seemingly uneffected.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:26 pm
"You... aren't leaving those children here?" Well that was a change. She couldn't remember that last time something had appeared on her lawn that didn't need to be adopted, thrown back over a fence, or scooped up into a small plastic bag. Her smile widened into happy relief. Nothing else about the event seemed to bother her any. "I'm Wasa. I live here, so... I guess that makes you my guest. Hungry?"
The infants both made squeals of protest as she nabbed the top most bagel from the stack, brushed off a blade of grass, and offered it up to the other. One of the boys crawled across the blanket and reached hand and tentacle to reclaim it while the other watched to see what the blue one would do.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:38 pm
Having been brought up in a world where magic ran rampant and many abused it, Aya had come to understand one simple truth -- things were never what they seemed. Her time studying in Dalaran had necessitated her learning to read and speak the Common language, which allowed her to, if nothing else, understand the stranger even if she couldnt make sense of her otherwise.
She was now expected to believe that this woman would simply offer her food? She wisely kept her distance.
Mal's coughing had not abated, however, and Tasi had fallen quiet to stare at her brother curiously, reaching out to give one pointed ear a tug and see if that helped any. For a moment, Aya's attention was torn between the bizarre trio before her and the state of distress her son seemed to be in. At length, she gritted her teeth, taking another couple steps back to unshoulder the sling she carried the twins in and lay it on Wasa's lawn to fetch Mal from it.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:44 pm
The bagel was back in an infants possession as Wasa shrugged and poured a fresh cup of tea from her press. The babies weren't meant for her, so the momentary spike in her blood pressure was only a slight flutter of a pulse. It was still interesting that a woman had shown up on her lawn with two squalling infants, but considerably less likely to complicate her life any and she liked that. It let her enjoy the randomness of it all.
As the non-affected infant was left on the grass and beyond the attentions of her mother, one of the pale babies on the blanket edged towards the border. His brother kept watch as the blue woman fussed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:59 pm
Dealing with two infants at once was not something the mage was used to. One infant, she could handle. And one infant was what she was currently handling as she fetched Mal'kyor into her arms, giving him a cursory examination for what the source of the coughing might be.
Tasi, momentarily distracted from her mother and her brother, lit up at the approach of new company, her blue ears pricking a bit as she rolled onto her belly, propping herself up on her hands to have a better look at her fellow carpetcrawler.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:13 pm
One fat hand tentatively splayed out on the grass as his knees scooted to the very edge of the blanket. One long, finned ear flicked, then across the spread the other brother's ear flicked in response. More confident, he dug his fingers into the grass and pulled himself onto the lawn.
"Water, perhaps?" Wasa offered though she quite obviously hadn't been asked for opinion or help.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:58 pm
"So 'e kin gag it all ova me?" she growled at the lucid masked woman nearby. You didn't give a coughing baby any sort of liquid. Not unless you particularly enjoyed bathing in whatever you fed them and puke. She prodded a finger into his mouth, propping it open to check his throat for blockage, finding nothing. He really did seem to be coughing for the sake of coughing...
As the pale, tentacled child began to inch toward her, Tasi likewise reciprocated. pulling herself off of the sling and into the grass. The lush blades tickled at her as she moved making her pause to wrap a hand around a clump of it and give it a hearty yank. Pulling up a few strands of green, it elicited a giggle.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:15 pm
Wasa wriggled her lips and went back to sipping her tea. Fair enough, but you didn't see her babies coughing...
With the mother's attention now split even further, a watch seemed unnecessary. The second infant poked a tentacle through the center of a bagel and crawled to his brothers side. Two sets of inky eyes watched her at play, obviously intrigued. The first copied her movements, wrapping his fingers around the grass. With great anticipation for the excitement of destroyed greenery, he pulled, but no blades came free. Puzzled, eager to learn her secrets, the bagel was offered. It wasn't a fit meal for a baby, but it was tough enough to make for some great chewing.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:24 am
Tasi blinked at the offering, the blades of grass she held forgotten for the moment as she let them drop in a shower of greenery to grasp for the bagel. As she fumbled it into her tiny blue hands, she examined it curiously.
Favoring the two boys with a grin, she stuffed the edge of the bagel into her mouth to gum on, not succeeding in breaking its doughy exterior, but doing a rather good job of drooling on it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:16 am
After a moment of observation, the twin boys examined their hands as if looking at them for the first time. What was better? Four small fingers, or two big? One turned to his brother and helped him clamp his fingers into an alien formation then placed another bagel in his hands. As the bagel gumming was mimicked, the grass puller pushed his fingers into a two fingered stance and once again tried to rip up some of the greenery. As the sod came up complete with hairy white roots, both boys squealed with self satisfied delight.
"Nauti, Kirki..." Wasa hushed gently. "Our guest is trying to think. Be quiet for her."
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