Welcome to Gaia! ::

The day was breezy and light, but dark clouds heavy with rain loomed heavily in the air, making Kouya no Kiku nervous to be outside with Hajari at this time. The air didn't smell wet as if it were going to rain, but she was still on her toes. She kept stride with the harpy boy but her head lowered, wishing they had brought an umbrella at least, just in case.

Turning her eyes to the six-year-old at her side, she offered, "Don't you think we should be heading home? It looks like it's going to rain within the hour. We can always come back later." She didn't mention that the clouds had a very good chance of just pass by, missing them completely, as she wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

But Hajari only grinned at the tabby-marked wolf, too happy to be discouraged about the clouds. "But now is as good a time as ever! Nobody is ever out here when it's going to rain, so we won't be bugged! Besides, it's more fun out in the rain anyway," he chirped, claws tapping along the sidewalk as he walked barefoot.

Kouya sighed, but a smile spread across her lips regardless. At least he was getting to be more adventurous and taking more risks, but she didn't want to be responsible if he caught a cold in the rain! "Where are we headed to, anyway?" she asked, realizing they were wandering around rather far from the apartment complex.

Hajari looked up to the tall buildings lining the street and sidewalks, in awe at the height of them even though he had been down the street before. Turning back ahead, he grinned shyly and answered, "Nowhere, really. I just wanted to take a walk. And see this place." As he said the last sentence, they stopped at an old abandoned lot. The area seemed to have once had a building standing on the square plot of land, but had long since been demolished. It was littered with old pieces of furnishings and nick-nacks that were only partially recognizable, overgrown with grass and weeds of varying size and length.

Kouya no Kiku tweaked her mouth in thought, shaking her head as she said, "I don't think it'd be very safe to explore here. You might step on something and get a cut, like glass."

Hajari grinned at her, answering, "It's okay, Kouya, I won't get hurt. Doesn't it look like fun? I wonder what's in there." With that, he walked onto the plot without further instruction, interested in what could be uncovered.

With a sigh Kouya no Kiku followed, muttering, "I hope I don't get in trouble for this..."

(( XD Oh it's okay. I get blocks a lot more than I want to as well, so I understand. I just got over one myself. ))

The pale tabby wolf's ears twitched to the thick air, and she was startled to realize someone was heading in there direction, and not without speed. As Hajari entered the lot completely, Kouya no Kiku held herself warily at the entrance, bracing herself for the meeting of the oncoming being.

However, she was less than ready for what materialized before her. Around came a girl about Hajari's age, bright red hair vibrant and harpy appendages highly visible around a cute dress. She was so taken aback by the view that she hadn't stopped the girl from stopping by and growling to her charge.

Hajari, upon inspection of a plated hub cap, jumped as the all-too-familiar voice of his sister's snapped him out of his closed mind and he dropped his find. He was almost afraid to turn around after she spoke, not shrinking back from her words or the way she said them, but for fear it might not be real. For so long he had wanted to see his sisters again, and in all the time since the rescue he had only been able to locate one of them. Could this one be true as well?

Slowly he turned around, and just like he had imagined, there stood his sister. However... there was something different about her. "Wh.... What are you wearing?" he asked, a slight snicker escaping his mouth. He knew she was not the typical girl, and was definately not one to wear dresses, let alone anything. He caught himself before he made any further mistakes, however, realizing almost immediately that laughing at it was not a good idea. Before she could say anything further, Hajari sighed and smiled, "It's so good to see you again! I didn't think I'd ever see you again! So, what did your family name you? I find that kinda weird."

His eyes widened as he realized he hadn't answered her question yet and giggled nervously. "Oh, sorry. I thought I could find some interesting things in here. You'd be surprised at the things people throw away, and this place looks really old!" he answered excitedly. He didn't give a second thought to Arianna's foul language, as he had never really heard it before and therefore didn't know what it meant. He wasn't about to ask though.

His behavior surprised Kouya, as never before had she seen Hajari instantly converse with anybody willingly. It was a side of him that she'd never seen before, and that she hoped they would be seeing more of.

(( I saw that! Very good idea to do that! Hopefully my internet will hold up so that we can get this roleplay going somewhere! @.@; ))

Kouya's ears twitched to the child's foul language, taken aback that a child so young would know so many. It was unheard of for one her age to speak them so fluently, just as an adult with no regard for censorship would. However, before she had time to come up with what to say about it, Hajari disregarded the words and continued to keep the conversation going, leaving the bejeweled wolf at a loss.

Nevertheless, Hajari cringed at the obvious hatred in her voice. It was apparent she wasn't completley satisfied with her living arrangements, but Hajari could only hope she would warm up to the family. However, he wasn't about to try to get that across, for he knew it would be a losing battle if he were to mention it. "The name's not bad; after all, it could have been worse!" he said as he tried to climb back over the heap to get onto the sidewalk. Kouya no Kiku jumped at it, but she couldn't help; she could only hope he didn't skin his knees in the process. Never before had she felt so helpless on a matter, but she should have known it was an inevidability. "They call me Hajari! I like it," he said with a wide smile, clambering over the last little bit and stumbling onto the sidewalk, trying to regain his balance before Kouya hooked her teeth on his vest and pulled him up onto his feet.

As he settled back down fully on his feet, he dusted off his shorts swiftly as he answered the question over the junk heap. "Sure, most of it is trash, but sometimes you can find some interesting things! I don't know what most of it used to be, but I like to imagine what it was," he said, a shrug on the end. He liked to keep a collection of small things like this in the chest at the foot of his bed, using them for random games and sometimes even using them for specialized uses. He didn't want to let the subject drag on, however, for it was obvious that Arianna didn't care for it.

Instead, he did what Arianna had hinted at and looked it over, if only for a way to take it off. He circled about a fourth of the way around her, leaning over to look at the back of the dress as he mumbled, "Hmm... What is it made out of?" He came closer, looking for some buttons or a zipper but coming up empty. "How did they get it on you?" he asked after a pause, wondering if they had just slipped it on over her head. If that was the case, he doubted he would be able to repeat the act to take it off.

Hajari could only grin at the matter-at-hand, her tone -- one that linked him to his past -- revealed to him after months of waiting. It had been so long since the two of them had seen each other that hearing her remarks actually made him happy. It was evident in the way he talked and acted around others that he was anxious to see his siblings again, at least when the subject was brought up or hinted at. It was so hard to get used to life with the humans, but life on their own had been a nightmare.

The thought of losing their parents had haunted him before, in nightmares and passing thoughts, and now that the air was still the memories came back. He had always wondered what had happened to their parents, if they had just up and abandoned him and his sisters in that tower and left them to their fate, or if something worse happened.

At Arianna's reply, he meandered over to her back before realizing the clasps that held the dress together. At the angle he was looking at them it was no wonder he had missed them, but he decided not to further irritate the matter. "Hold on, maybe I can get them undone for you," he said, fumbling with the latches. It was difficult and he didn't know if he could get them loosened, but he figured if he could just enough she could pull it off.

As he began playing with the stubborn things, the thought of their parents popped back into his head. He let silence drag on for a couple moments before saying anything, but was still unsure if he should even be asking about it. "Hey sis, what do you... what do you think happened to Mom and Dad?" he questioned, still trying to loosen the latches on her back.

Kouya glanced at them worriedly. Hajari wasn't one to talk about the past very often, something he usually just figured he should leave alone and forget about, but the face of his sister must have brought back those memories.

(( Not sure if you even want to continue with this roleplay, since it was started so long ago and I took so long to reply. I’m replying anyway, just in case, but if you’d like we could start a different one. I’m good either way. X3 ))

Kouya no Kiku's ears twitched at the chill of the air, her eyes fixed on the two children vigilantly. Although they were out into a rather abandoned street -- if not during the afternoon hours, then surely they were during the working ones -- she felt it really wasn't right to just take someone's clothes off. "Hajari, I don't think you..." she started, but heaved a sigh as it became apparent he wasn't listening to her, though he could hear her. She didn't want to stress the situation any further, for reason, at this point, was out of the question. Instead, she sat back on her haunches and watched out for any passersby, just in case.

Hajari's fingers slipped as he got a decent hold on the first latch, catching his thumb on the edge of the metal clasp. A white mark appeared on the skin, but he ignored it. His mind was elsewhere than his own being, as his attention was on a more pressing matter. He was trying to hurry, but these latches were quite alien to him. Luckily, he had enough imagination to try to figure the bizarre things out. "Hold on, I think I've almost got it," he said through clenched teeth, pulling at it until the first one came partway apart. He grinned; at least he was making progress.

But the smile was short-lived, for even though he tended to be a pretty cheery kid, he knew when to be serious, and this wasn't a very optimistic feeling. He had wanted to hear something else from Arianna, but was grateful that she was at least speaking what was on her mind about it. He had been worried before that they had simply been forgotten by their parents, and although MoogerMint had given him a pretty positive reply, it was not the straight answer he was looking for. "Do you... do you really think they didn't care?" he whispered, almost unable to ask. He was sure that his memories of them were pleasant ones, but like with the passing of dreams, was uncertain if they were even real anymore.

His feathered ears visibly lowered back, but it was obvious he was trying to be supportive on the matter, even if it was forced through pain. "Well, even if they are gone for good, it's nice to know you're not alone. Even if your family never ends up being what it should, you've at least got me," he stated as he unfastened the second latch. Only one more to go...