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 Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 9:40 am
He hadn't ever been certain that he would actually get the artifact that he had so desperately wanted. In fact, Ren had been thinking the complete opposite when he had so unceremoniously recruited Jove, Tybalt, Frost, and Jack to accompany him on his little journey. Ren, after all, was not made for such adventures, nor was he quite as confident as some of the more...successful students that he had spent so much time with over the past several years.
Which was why actually getting the artifact in question was more than a little bit of a shock.
At first, Ren had just taken the chains and left the cavern, waiting for the others to respawn. Which they had, back in the Health room at Amityville, and until they had appeared, Ren had been antsy and jittery and more than a little nervous, absently clenching his fingers around the length of chain wrapped around his palm, half dragging downwards. He had not yet had the chance to use it, but he'd read enough about it to understand the basics.
Now he just needed to see about finding a hunter to use it on and he'd be good.
The others had been, to say the least, mildly disgruntled upon awakening, and Ren had sheepishly explained what had happened after the three that had dissipated had gone. He'd made his way back to the school just with Tybalt in tow (squabbling the whole way, of course), but Jove, Jack, and Frost had not been there at the portal, instead reappearing in Nurse Cricket's office.
Ren had some serious 'splainin' to do.
And he owed a lot of spookies to a lot of people.
Which was why, the day after their little adventure, Ren was found forcing himself into Jove's room. He hadn't bothered to knock (did he ever?), and it only took him a moment to pick the lock and step in, the chain swinging from his belt loops and making a soft clinking sound.
"Jove?" Ren called quietly. The bed was empty, and the room was dark and silent. Frowning a little, he looked around, peering into the adjacent bathroom and then into the closet (Jove never went in there, but it didn't hurt to check). It was only after he took a closer look at the bed that Ren realized there appeared to be a mountain of foxfires all clambering beneath it.
Ren dropped to his knees and peered under the bed.
"Jove?"
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Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 6:00 pm
The mass of foxfires swarmed outward at hearing the voice of their second-favourite person, but once Ren's face was no longer full of happy yipping fluffheads he would see a pair of pale eyes glowing under the bed.
Jove had left the nurse's office as soon as he could and gone to his room, slipping under the bed where he had a small stash of blankets, pillows, and a couple of his brother's long-lost sweaters. His poor, twice-dissipated body needed rest, and if he could just grab a few hours nap he would be just fine.
But it was impossible for his mind to slow down and drift off to sleep. After falling he... couldn't remember what happened. Had Ren made it across? Had he gotten home safely, or had something else gotten in their path? Hidden under the bed he could only fret and worry, until he heard his brother's voice. And then he was so happy, his tail thumped happily against the floor.
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:32 pm
He could hear noises - a familiar thumping sound that could only be one thing, and that was Jove's tail patting against the carpet in rhythmic whumps.
Ren squinted into the darkness, wriggling himself half under the bed as he stretched out a hand, reaching for his little brother.
"Joooooooveeeee - "
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:48 pm
With his less-limited mobility in confined spaces, Jove grabbed Ren's hand, and leapt forward just enough to headbutt his brother on the shoulder. It might have been just a little violent, but it was a way of showing affection that clearly showed his enthusiasm yet didn't make him feel like a scareling. Hugs and kisses were for ghouls and babies, so headbutting was the way to go. The soft whump whump whump noise returned, and Jove stayed like that with his head pressed against his brother, ears pressed back. Whether the trip had been a success or not, he was just happy Ren was there with him all in one piece.
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Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:48 pm
He wasn't entirely certain that Jove was going to actually come out, and Ren almost gave up and went to crash on the bed instead.
Almost. Until he had a shuffling sound and all of a sudden something connected with Ren's shoulder - "Ow!" - something with a head of fluffy pale hair and a snuffly nose and a tail that went flump flump flump.
The expression on Ren's face softened instantly. He scooted forward and curled himself around Jove, pressing his face into his little brother's hair and closing his eyes.
It had been a while since they had just cuddled together like this. He missed their closeness.
"I'm okay, Freckles. Everyone's okay."
No thanks to me, said a nasty little voice in his head, but Ren shoved that thought aside, squeezing his eyes shut more tightly.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:20 pm
The pup let out a long sigh. Everyone was okay. He was so relieved he butted his brother again, bumping his head against the side of Ren's face like a foxfire very determinedly asking for attention. It might have cost him lots of pain and heartache at times, but how would he ever get by without his big brother... Suddenly he pulled back, his right ear perking up. The other was still unresponsive after his double dissipation, but thankfully there was not much bruising on his face this time around, and both his eyes were clear and bright as he peered at the gryphon with a curious expression. So... Did he get it?
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:08 pm
"Ow," said Ren, even though it didn't really hurt, but he reached out and ruffled the top of Jove's head, wrapping an arm around the boil's neck and promptly planting a big smooch on his cheek.
"We're just fine," he said, and then blinked, taken aback by the sudden movement. It was only when he saw the look of wide-eyed curiosity on Jove's face that Ren realized what he was asking.
"Oh!" said Ren brightly, and grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the length of chain, dangling it in front of his little brother.
"Got it."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:15 pm
Jove's unsmiling expression brightened. Was that it? Something powerful, even though it was small enough to fit inside his brother's pocket. Well, he wasn't about to dispute the idea of small things being pretty strong.
The pup propped himself up on his elbows as much as the small space allowed him, and eyed the chain like a little dragon eyeing a mighty shiny treasure. Was he allowed to touch it?
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:24 pm
"Do you want to hold it?" asked Ren, holding the chain out reverently between two palms towards Jove. "I haven't figured out all of the inner workings yet, but I do know at least one thing, and it has to do with fire."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:31 pm
Jove's ear perked again, and then he withdrew. He was no undead, but that didn't mean he was overly fond of fire. It was okay for Ren to have it though. It was a bit of a contradiction, but if it was his affectionate, clumsy, half-idiot brother, he trusted the artifact to be used safely.
The pup let out a sigh and his elbows slid forward until he lay flat again, still watching the slight glittering of the chain.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:35 pm
"What?" said Ren, his ears flopping back against his hair. "You don't want to hold it? Fiiiiine,"
He held it up in his hand, dangling it from his fingers and couldn't quite believe his luck. It had taken a great deal, that was for sure, but now he had it, and now it was something he could use to help him with his goals.
"I wonder how you activate it..."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:52 pm
Jove's good ear flopped back in a skeptical expression. Had he just thought his brother was all that capable?
He butted Ren again, and began to wiggle forward, forcing the gryphon out from under the bed with him. If Ren was going to start musing about how to make a fiery thing work, it wasn't going to be under his bed! Not so close to all his soft blankets and treasured things!
Scrambling out past his brother, he flopped onto the bed and was promptly swarmed by foxfires.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 6:05 pm
And suddenly Ren was trampled by foxfires. And a Jove.
"I wasn't gonna do it here," he whined pathetically, rubbing his nose, even though that was exactly what he had been going to do. "I was just gonna look at it."
He crawled back up and onto the bed, flopping across it beside Jove and his little minions, the chain still in his hand. He held it up and scrutinized the heavy black links, one ear twitching thoughtfully.
Activate, Ren thought experimentally.
And - oops, it did and suddenly there was fire in his hands.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 6:10 pm
NOPE.
Jove's reaction was swift and automatic, like he had practiced it a thousand times. He immediately grabbed the half-empty glass of water off his nightstand and dumped it over Ren's hands, soaking half of two foxfires in the process. They bounced and yapped, but Jove's stubbornly set expression was fixed on his brother. No fire in the bedroom.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 6:54 pm
Ren gave a yelp of surprise and nearly tumbled off the bed -
- and then promptly got his hands doused in water from Jove and it was burning it was burning -
- ...it wasn't burning. Ren stared in bewilderment at the chain, which was most definitely on fire, but it wasn't burning him at all.
"JOVE JOVE LOOK AT THIS JOVE!"
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