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 Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:17 am
Okay.
Money? Check.
Wand? Check.
Car? ...Doesn't own one.
Comfy Shoes? Check.
Pants? Check.
Money? Double Check.
Wand? Double Check.
"Okay, good!" Neveah stood in the doorway to her small home, looking over herself and everything around her. She'd already gained permission to stop travelling and to stay at home, but under the condition that the drow wand she held become the subject for a research study, which was to be conducted solely by her. Frankly, in her mind, that was the hardest thing done and over with.
Well, thats a common way of thinking, for a woman who knows next to nothing about parenthood.
This butterfly humanoid had zero maternal instincts, so since she thought the hardest part was over, she was going to get onto the second hardest part...and that would be to get books on parenthood and children, so she can force herself to learn what nature never taught her.
So, she made her way down to the local shopping district, her precious drow wand held securely to her body with both of her arms. If there was one thing she did know about children or future children, it was that you had to keep an eye on them at all times...even if they were just wands to start with.
"Oh geez, I don't know where to start..." Neveah sighed out, thoroughly discouraged. There were so many stores, so many...everything! She hadn't been home in a year and a half, and while she'd travelled and been stuck in thoroughly confusing places, she'd never felt this confused or lost before. With her antennae twitching bravely, she started down the sidewalk, eyeing each and every shop she passed by, looking for something that might help her in her quest for parenting books.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:28 am
"Dawdie! Buggies, dawdie! Yum yum on buggies!"
"Akilah! No!"
Quite a sight, to see a little brown and white meerkat zooming down the sidewalk, chasing after a little beetle flying high in the air. He was holding a large purple ball to his chest so.. it became more like waddling after a few minutes. Right after his hyper a** came a short black man, pierced to high hell and back, a little pale child being held securely on his hip.
The pale child was sporting fluffy blue and black fox ears and a tail to match, wearing a small 'asian' looking outfit made out of green silk. He was distracted from his brother and his father by the butterfly thing and the wand she was holding that they were quickly getting closer to.
Akilah stopped when he got near Neveah, diminutive foot-paws pausing and staring up at the woman. Then, demandingly, he held his two hand-paws up as if accepting an offering. "Buggie! Keela eat buggie now."
"Akilah! Damnit! No! No eating people!" The man swooped down, scooping up the squirming, whining meerkat as well. Yashima remained silent, golden eyes on the humanoid butterfly before sliding to the wand in her hand.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:41 am
Neveah's antennae twitched as she heard the meerkat call out, then the pounding little feet that followed...that got increasingly louder. Turning her head, the butterfly woman looked down at the animal child once it had stopped beside her, her angled eyes blinking in confusion. "Uhh...Excuse me...?" She stared at the small meerkat, the wings on her back fluttering for a moment before closing behind her. "Eat...Bug--..." Her angled eyes widened as it sunk in, and she instantly backed up towards one of the stores, her wings flaring open as she turned to face the little animal...and the wand was clutched tighter to her.
"YOU CAN'T EAT ME!" She cried out in panic, her eyes wide with what might have been fear. Little or not, the meerkat wanted to eat her! The woman visibly relaxed once the 'threat' was scooped up, and she placed one of her long hands onto her chest, as if to stop its fluttering. "Ohthankgod..." Neveah breathed out in one word, leaning against the wall behind her.
"Uh...Hi?" She smiled weakly at the man; he saved her life! Or at least the life of her fragile wings, because he highly doubted the meerkat could eat her body. Well, maybe a toe or finger or something...but her wings would probably have been a prime target. "Kyaaah...you saved my wings, thank you...!" Well, she thought he might like to know she was grateful.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:47 am
"Don't worry, miss... He's just a baby. He wouldn't do anything.. WOULD you, Akilah? Apologize!" Patricks voice had gone from amused to a firm fathers, looking down at the floofy meerkat sternly. Akilah deflated slightly, clutching his ball to his chest and staring up at Neveah.
"No eat fluttry buggie," He agreed solmnely, ears pricking up a little bit. "Wandie? Yashi wandie?" Again, the boy tried to reach for something at Neveah - the drow wand - but with some fancy hand movements, Yashima was slid into a little pouch at his front and Akilah was soon strapped to patricks bag.
Gotta love having a kid on either side of you. Akilah squalled for about thirty seconds before falling silent - he was asleep. Silly babies. Yashima, however, was still staring at the wand. His hand had moved up to his mouth and was being gummed and sucked at quietly.
"He's a meerkat...they're just hyper and always hungry. I'm really sorry about that. I really--" Patrick paused when he caught glimpse of that wand, lips quirking into a grin. His own hand, dark and encrusted with rings and bracelets, was extended towards teh woman. "My name is Patrick. I've been to the Wand Shoppe as well."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:08 pm
Neveah was at a loss for what to say...how was she supposed to know he wouldn't do anything? Regardless, she had to admit she was impressed with the way the man handled not only the meerkat, but the other pale baby. Now that was talent. Considering she had no maternal instincts, she was in complete awe at the infant-handling talent. "Wow, that's amazing!" She told him honestly, her hands clasping together. Maybe this man could teach her how to handle children! Then again, kneeling down and saying 'TEACH ME!' seemed a little odd...even for her.
"Whats a 'Yashi'...?" She questioned slowly, knowing full well what the meerkat meant by 'wandie'. In fact, she had shied away from the little one again, when he went to reach for her precious wand. Blinking her angled eyes, she then looked down at his hand.
"...Oh! Its nice to meet you, Patrick...I'm Neveah." The butterfly seemed to startle once she realized what he was doing; it'd been so long since she'd had to shake hands with someone as a pleasantry. Her hand, complete with slightly longer and thinner digits than a human, clasped his gently but firmly. She'd been wearing a long-sleeved specially crafted sweater, but even then a hint of her light black fur-gloved forearm showed through. "...You have?" She finished, looking from Patrick down to the Drow wand in her left hand. Brightening, she actually smiled at him. "Oh, that's wonderful! Do you mind if I bother you for information, then...?" Suddenly, the urge to drop to the ground and beg for him to teach her was twice as strong.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:12 pm
"Yashi is what Akilah calls Yashima, this little silent bugger here." Patrick shifted so he was once more holding the silent pale child, eyebrows arching. "He's from the wand shoppe - he's a kitsune. A fox spirit. He used to be a wand too."
The dark man smiled, expression quietly crooked. "It's really not too hard... Just.. protect the wand, I guess? Don't let it get vaccumed when it wisps.. Uh.. Their poop smells just as bad?" He shrugged, one hand moving to ruffle Yashimas white and gold hair. The fox made a quiet face, sinking back into his fathers chest.
Yashima glanced up at Neveahs face and waved his slightly damp fist at her. "Abgabah." Ahhh, baby speak. Patrick grinned, giving the boy a brief squeeze.
"D'ya know if yours is a boy or a girl, yet? I could kind of feel Yashi was a boy but..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 2:25 pm
"Oh...well hello then, Yashima." Neveah smiled, waving her long fingers in a pleasant manner. She didn't realize it, but she never properly greeted the little meerkat who wanted to eat her. "So they do turn into infants..." She breathed out softly, almost under her breath. That was good, at least now she had visual confirmation that the wand thing wasn't a hoax.
"Wisps...? You mean it doesn't just...spring out as an infant?" Somehow, Neveah looked relieved...and rather happy about that. If it didn't suddenly become a baby, she'd have longer to study how to be a mother! Hurray! The butterfly smiled and returned the wave Yashima gave her, thinking it only proper. At the next question though, she looked almost sheepish, and suddenly found the floor around her feet really entertaining.
"Well no...I can't feel anything about its gender...I'm praying to whoever'll listen that its a boy, though...I wouldn't be able to tolerate a girl, to be honest." She prattled on, lifting the spider-tipped wand in her slender fingers, looking at that instead of the floor. Suddenly, she gasped; part of her said he wouldn't understand why she couldn't handle a girl, and really, she had to clarify it before she sounded sexist. "Err well ahh...This is a Drow wand, so the females are nasty, unbearable creatures..." There, suddenly the world was right.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:54 pm
"Well... Yashima seems to like it. I'm betting it's a boy." He smiled reassuringly at the woman, still petting gently at Yashimas hair. Patrick, too, had hoped that Yashi would been born a boy... he wasn't any good with girl-children and frills, ribbons and lace just pissed him off.
Her comment about the springing of infants from the wands made the dark man laugh, head shaking. "God, no. I mean.. ianna said Coailiann did... But Yashima became this little wispy blue thing and then this slightly solid cloud of baby gas matter around the wand... And then, one day, pop! Baby!"
Yashima nodded seriously, as if he could understand his father, jamming his hand back into his mouth. Patrick grinned, "They're smarter then average babies, from what I can tell... like when it comes to emotions and stuff, but they're still babies. The diapers still smell."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:07 pm
Neveah brightened...someone had inklings about the drow being a BOY! "God I really, REALLY hope you're right...A Drow in general is bad enough, but at least a Male Drow is bareable" She seemed excited now, knowing that since the wand was most likely male, she doubted it would threaten her life, and her boss wouldn't have to take counter-measures. Namely destroying it.
And geez, of all days to not bring a notebook with her! "So...Wand to wisp to more solid, baby-like wisp to an actual baby?" She repeated, trying to make sense of it...that was odd, but then again most things on Gaia were. "Okay...I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much, Patrick...I uh...have no parenting instincts whatsoever...nevermind maternal instincts. You've helped me so much!" Saved her wings from the meerkat, informed her about the wand, gave a prediction about the gender, told her a more accurate timeline about how the soul became a baby...geez, he'd been her saviour since she met him!
"So...if they're still just babies, normal parenting books still apply, right...?" The butterfly asked sheepishly, slowly peeling herself from the wall, her black and blue wings fluttering in discomfort behind her. "Because uh...in all honesty...thats what I was going out for, today..." It was shameful she was admitting that! She! A Woman! Honestly. Then again, butterflies were never the parental type to begin with...but still, she was part human! "...If you're not busy, would you like to join me?" Might as well at least extend the offer.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:17 pm
"Yashima just..really can't stand girls. Usually he cries when one comes near him with an intent to touch. So if he's not being antsy about your wand, I'm just gonna assume it's a boy... or a girl with a p***s. Either or, y'know." He was joking lightly, one shoulder rising in a shrug.
"Don't worry about the parenting instincts. I have seven of these little brats at home... Only a few of them can walk and talk without aide. Akilah - the fuzzy b***h on my back - being one of them. It's all me and my lover can do to keep them from overrunning the house! As long as you stay calm and don't like..beat them or anything, keep them fed, I'd say you're okay."
Patrick sounded smart about babies! Even he had to admit that he wasn't too good with people before the kids fell into his life... he wasn't social or nice or anything. He was supposed to be snarky.. and he knew it. But how could he NOT help this poor girl, who didn't have any clue what to do?
"Kiddlet shopping? God, yes. I was trying to but... well, Akilah ran off, as you saw. I know some good places."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:28 pm
Neveah giggled. "So as long as the plumbing is male, Yashima will tolerate it?" It was funny, but at the same time...she was thanking the fact she hadn't tried to touch the boy yet...even though the urge to tweak his ears was almost unbareable. Still, she wished she had a notebook with her. Bad folklorist, bad! Bad form!
"Seven!? And here I am worrying over just one...!" The butterfly's antennae twitched a bit, as if entertained. "Well...it sounds fairly easy..." She breathed out, not really knowing how naive she sounded just by doing so.
"Oh, good then!I coule use the help very much!" Holding the wand in the crook of her arm, she clapped her long hands together a few times, a rther childish motion of joy. As she started back down the street, and fell silent for a moment...and after a few minutes of quiet contemplation, she looked to the side, towards the man who'd agreed to help her. "I uh...really appreciate this. If there's anything I can do in return, I'll try my best to do it...." She started, her gratitude clear in her voice. "...I'm a folklorist you see, so I can get my hands on a lot of different things..." Not that she'd steal for the man, she was just trying to say she could get tickets to a game if she wanted too, as long as she could think up some bogus story to accompany it.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:32 pm
"Yep! He pretty much despises girls. I think your wings keep him from seeing you as a girl, though." A quick grin from the dark man, taking a step or so back. "It's not a problem! I like helping people! I know what it's like to think you're completely fu--folklorist?"
Ooooh, did that ever perk him up. "Well... You wouldn't happen to know any legends on gods like Inari, would you? A Japanese rice god? I've been looking for stuff on him and so far...the pickings have been scarce." He paused, head ducking slightly. "...unless that's not what you meant! Gah. Sorry."
Even while he was talking, Patrick shifted to walk along, fingers crooking slightly to indicate the girl to follow, lips quirking into a grin.
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:54 am
"...My wings?" Neveah questioned curiously...why would something like wings distract someone from seeing her as a girl...? Curiously, the woman looked over her shoulder at her black-outlined blue wings, fluttering them for a moment. Huh. Maybe infants were distracted by vibrant colours...? Her attention turned back to the man when he started talking again, and she found herself giggling at the way he cut himself off.
"Yeah, Folklorist." The butterfly woman replied with another small laugh. Her antennae perked a bit at his rather energetic request, then fell into silence as she thought about it. "Oh, no...! Thats perfect, I can definately help you there! Lets see...just so I have it right. Inari is the rice god that is both male and female, and his messengers are foxes, correct? I believe he can also turn into a spider to teach the wicked a lesson." She tapped one of her slender index fingers against her chin. "I'll go dig up some books on him for you...I'm sure my boss wouldn't mind if a few books went missing for a little bit." Philos kept two copies of everything...so if he really needed it, he just had to go into his personal library and retrieve what had gone missing.
"Uhm...Here." Neveah had gone searching in her pockets for something, and eventually found what she was looking for in a hidden pocket on the inside of her jacket. Once it was found, she held it out to Patrick...it was her business card, decorated with her work's insignia, though her name had a small blue butterfly beside it. Philos had done that without her consent, and it only served to piss her off...but considering she has no choice, she resolved to dish them out as often as possible, just to get rid of them. "That has my work and home number on it, so just give me a day or two and give me a call, alright? I'll have some materials for you by then."
When motioned, Neveah shuffled to cath up with him, then walked beside him as he wandered down the street.
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:55 pm
"Your wings," He confirmed, lips quirking into a grin, "Yashima has two anthro siblings...one is a girl. Somethings like wings - and your antenae - helps him see you as something that won't hurt him and thus, not female."
Patrick paused, nose wrinkling. "Or maybe he just really, really hates fully human females? I don'tk now. I'm waiting until he can talk before I ask him anything." A faint grin, hand still petting at his sons head... Yashima really DID like being petted... it comforted him. At least Patrick knew that much.
"Yeah! That's Inari! Yashima here used to be a messanger of his...or that's what I'm told, anyway. He was an awesome god to begin with so now that I have foxbaby here... Well, I'm curious, yanno?"
A sheepish smile, reaching out to take the card, blinking. "Pretty card. Not a problem... I'll probably call in half a week.. I loose my mind with all these kids. Hey! There's the store I was telling you about... That's where I got Akilahs ball and the damn thing hasn't popped yet."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:49 pm
"Oh...well that makes sense!" Neveah agreed, once she heard the explaination for it. Reaching up, the woman tugged lightly on her antennae. "Yeah, I understand...A butterfly can't hurt anyone..." She murmured a bit. It was true, she never was a fighter. In fact, she had a tendency to flee once danger lurked its head. Either that or bring a fighter with her. That was the butterfly nature, though...they never did stay and fight.
"...Inari's messenger...?" The woman repeated in awe, looking from the man to the rather quiet boy. Geez, everything around her seemed to be research-worthy! Slowly, she pursed her lips into a thin line...No. No studying them. Her job was for the spider wand and nothing more. She made a mental note to find a way to keep Philos from investigating the wand shoppe. Who knew what would happen to these...reincarnations...if that old man found out how much potential they had. Suddenly, Neveah broke into a wide, careless, and absolutely happy-go-lucky smile. "That's amazing! I understand why you wanted information in Inari...I'll be sure to double my efforts, then!" She hid her glower at the mention of the pretty card. Neveah certainly didn't think so.
"Aheh...thanks. And yeah, call whenever you have time!" Then, with a soft cough, she turned her head to look at the store they had stopped infront of. "Oh, is this it? Akilah, he chews on it, right? I thought I saw tooth marks...So if it can stand up to that, it should stand up to anything!" She laughed softly, moving forward to open the door for him, considering he had two infants and she only had the wand. "Uhm...if its not too much trouble...what kind of things would I need to buy an infant? I mean, aside from a crib and a lot of diapers." Still, the woman looked sheepish...it was embarassing, not being able to live up to the stereotype of your gender.
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