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 Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:11 am
Gale took a long sip of his chocolate milk and grinned at Stormy. "I used to drink hot spiced milk before bed," he said. "My mum used to bring it to me all the time whenever I had bad dreams."
He set the cup beside him on the table and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "I was definitely serious," said Gale, and smiled. "I have a few in my head, all from my childhood." He twined his fingers together, thought for a moment, and then began to speak.
"Once upon a time, there was a great forest of animals. It had rained a lot as of late, and they were beginning to run out of food. In the center of the forest, however, there was a magnificent tree that was rumored to be a magical tree that would supply them with plenty of sustenance. The only way to get the tree to produce such food was to remember it's true name, and to get the true name they would have to go up to the mountain nearby and speak to the spirit that lived there.
"The first to try was the lion king called Simba. Determined to prove himself faster and more agile than the cheetahs, he sped up the mountain and asked the great spirit what the tree's name was.
"Awongalema," said the spirit quietly, and the lion raced proudly back down the mountain to tell the others. He ran so fast he was not paying attention to where he was going, and wound up tripping and falling into a termite mound. In his haste to show himself off and to impress the others, when he finally returned and was asked what the name of the tree was, he could not remember.
"The next to try was Duma, the cheetah. She was another proud sort, determined to prove herself and that she was better than the lion who had forgotten. Racing up the mountain, she demanded of the spirit what the name of the tree was.
"Awongalema," said the spirit, and Duma ran back down the hill at her fastest speed. But in her haste, she stumbled over a nest of birds, and by the time she rid herself of them and returned to the others, she had entirely forgotten what the name was.
"The animals began to grow upset by this time, believing themselves to have no more food for life. They wondered what they had done to deserve such a fate, when a tortoise named Mkondo said 'I will go and ask the spirit one more time what the name is.'
"Many of the animals ridiculed the tortoise, for he was slow and quiet, but he went anyway, plodding up the mountain at his own pace. When he reached the dwelling of the spirit, he asked what the name of the tree was.
"Awongalema," said the spirit, and the tortoise nodded, turning around, and beginning to creep slowly back down the mountain.
"Awongalema," he said to himself, as he made his way quietly around the termite mound on steady feet.
"Awongalema," he said to himself as he navigated slowly around the nest of birds.
"Awongalema," he reminded himself, as he reached the foot of the mountain.
"When Mkondo reached the rest of the animals, a great deal of time had already passed, and the animals were certain that the tortoise would have forgotten by the time he reached them again. However, Mkondo looked straight up at the tree with his long neck, and said,
"Awongalema."
"And the tree bent its branches and produced food for the animals, leaving Mkondo a hero and the animals quite humbled."
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:34 am
Gale had her at "I was definitely serious." The rest was just bonus.
Stormy found herself sitting up the further into the story they went, her eyes never leaving him. Even so, there was a dreamy quality there that showed how fast her imagination worked: she could vividly see the golden fur of the lion, the spots of the cheetah, the dusty shell of the tortoise, the purple mountain arching towards the sky; hear the roars and rumbles and thumps and buzzes and the rustle of new leaves and fruit. Only absentmindedly did she remember to sip at her drink, an afterthought very much coming after the rest, as she partially left herself in that forest to wander.
When Gale finished, it took her a few seconds of blinking to come back from her imagination. "That was an excellet story," Stormy noted, the words too limpid to convey what she really meant--thus she broke into a smile. "Almost Tortoise and the Hare even. Thank you!" She set her cup down in her lap and clapped a few times, for any good story deserved applause.
"But now I've got to ask: Simba, Duma, Mkondo...You got to read African stories as a kid?"
kurotomato ho s**t we on page 11 son
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:51 am
Once he was finished, he sat back a little, twisting Jinhai's ring, Stormy's enthusiastic clapping making him smile. "I didn't so much as read them as listen to them," he said wryly. "My mother told me that story as a kid; she was a big fan of other cultures. A researcher, an anthropologist of sorts, basically what she devoured what she could from other cultures. They fascinated her."
Gale gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "African was her favorite, though. So - " he rubbed his hands together. "I'm pleased you liked it, that was always my favorite as a child. Some of the stories she told were odd, but that one was just right."ol-j-man we r so ossm also trufax my mom used to tell me that story as a kid wheee
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:25 am
Even better. "Listened! Oh~" Stormy clutched the cup to her chest, pleased and inwardly (deeply) envious at the same time. "I wish I could have met her...Soaking up all those cultures, mixing and matching and comparing and contrasting--sounds like a real dream." She practically wiggled in place at the thought.
"Papi used to read me fairytales as a kid. Later on he graduated me to the Brothers Grimm versions just to watch me make faces. I still have the book here: thick and green with gilded pages," she noted with pride. "He was the one who got me reading and writing; you can still see some comments in the margins if you ever pick it up." She sipped some more cocoa. "But oral tradition, that's the real fun part...I'm jealous. Those stories are meant to be heard, you know? Writing it down, you lose something in the process sometimes. You don't get the sounds, the pauses, the atmosphere or accompanying actions--the beat of it, you know?"
Stormy paused, then laughed softly. "That's the problem I find when I write in my journal at any rate. The difference between thinking and writing is so vast--it's like taking a cloud and trying to make it more solid. Aaaanyway." She tilted the cup to him with a smile. "I think you've got a bit of storyteller in you, too~"
kurotomato you can't see it but I'm physically kirakira-ing at my phone right now emotion_kirakira that's so awesome
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:33 am
"My mum used to read me the Brothers Grimm as well," said Gale with a light laugh. "It wasn't a fancy copy, more like just something she picked up from a secondhand shop. But it was still nice to be able to listen."
He shook his head, amusement in his eyes as he added, "I'm not that great at storytelling - not like you, at least, I could listen to you forever. But there's something to be said about listening to something rather than reading it. Reading it is wonderful, but you lose the real meaning sometime."
Leaning forward, Gale gently plucked the cup from her fingers and pressed gently on her shoulder.
"Now sleep," he said, and smiled at her, touching her cheek. "You've had your milk and your story, and now you should rest, otherwise we'll just keep talking and you'll never get rested."
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:14 pm
She started to resist when the cup left her fingers, naturally opposed to ending the day regardless of time marching on without her. That was where her stubbornness really came out: when it meant being self-serving and indulging herself; hadn't this whole day been an example of that, in a way? Stormy fought against even the nudge to settle back against the couch, quietly but firmly sitting back up.
"Now you have me intrigued!" she explained herself, because if Stormy was given an inch she'd crawl the mile if she had to, and shamelessly so if it was with Gale. She slid his hand from her face and cradled it between hers. "What other stories do you know? If you tell me one, I'll talk about whatever you want to listen to." Maybe appealing to that would get her what she wanted?
kurotomato ilu22222222 I actually have a book of Grimm stories like that, from when Barnes and Noble/Borders used to be in town /cry
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:18 pm
He gave her a Look that clearly indicated that she was stubborn and needed to listen even if she didn't want to rest. His attempts at pushing her back onto the couch failing, Gale curled his fingers around Stormy's when she took his hand, rolling his eyes.
"You're stalling," he said sternly, and pulled her fingers to his lips to press feather light kisses against each of her fingertips in turn. "You're stalling, and I totally won't fall for it, nope."
Except he totally was. Gale gave a small sigh.
"I'll tell you one more, if you behave."Ol-j-man ksjadfn there is no more bookstore in my town /cry
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:39 pm
For a moment she thought she couldn't convince him. And then she totally did. Still got it~
Giggling at the kiss to her fingers, Stormy perked up attentively. "I was behaving," she argued. "I listened without interrupting and drank my cocoa and stayed on the couch~ It's not stalling if I'm really interested!" No sir, not at all.
"I'll stay behaved, though, just for you~" Look, she even winked! Absolutely legit.
kurotomato wat no ;; oh nooooooo I'm sorry to hear
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:13 pm
He gave her a suspicious look.
"Uh huh. Sure you will."
But he stretched out his legs anyway and contemplated which story to tell next, idly tugging on Stormy's fingers as though he were trying to do something to keep his own hands occupied. After a moment, Gale turned back to her.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Stormy and she took a nap."Ol-j-man yes u_u it closed when borders went out of business /weep
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:55 pm
"I promise I willlll~"
She sat eagerly and waited, her fingers wiggling as he toyed with them. Stormy had just begun to lean forward when--what. Wat. She snorted at how cheeky he was getting and hoped Gale liked watching hope die in her eyes.
The promise had been for a real story; therefore she had no qualms about misbehaving and whining.
"Except not because she was at her boyfriend's house and he was being mean by not telling her another story," she continued for him.
kurotomato yeah we lost ours at the mall and its now a sneaker store /creys with Also I legit snickered ty Gale
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 6:40 pm
He was trying very hard to hide a smile and failing miserably. Gale attempted to give Stormy what was supposed to be a very serious look, but she was just as stubborn as he was, and it was beginning to look like a game of chicken.
"He wasn't being mean, he was being darling," said Gale, leaning closer to her, and if he hadn't been sitting down, he'd have had his hands on his hips. "Once there was a girl named Stormy who liked to cause quite a stir weather she knew it or not."
He paused and smiled.
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:48 pm
"Yes, as darling as when he stole her into the house as his captive!" It wasn't beginning to look like a game of chicken, it now most certainly was one. Stormy was grinning unabashedly, because while they might argue about the silly things, it still meant she didn't have to sleep. and this was fun!
She also totally caught that pun, clever boy~
"She was very aware! That was what normally caused the fuss," she added, leaning just a bit in as well. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Galedilocks who found what looked like an abandoned cottage. He was so short, he could barely reach the handle!"
kurotomato emotion_kirakira emotion_kirakira
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:03 pm
Gale gave Stormy an outraged look that wasn't really outraged. "It's not stealing if the party consents to come," he said indignantly, and poked the back of her hand as though to remind her of this.
He resisted the very strong urge to roll his eyes. "And once upon a time, there was a girl named Stormy who was just as short as Galedilocks, and she liked to dance and sing and make up stories and speak different languages."
Gale's expression had grown affectionate.
"And one day the girl named Stormy and the boy named Galedilocks met and they lived weatherly ever after."
Affectionate with a slight bit of cheekiness to it.
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:23 pm
"Weatherly ever after pfftf-" Oh my God, Gale.
Her grin cracked into a stifled laugh, and she quickly hid behind a hand before she caved entirely. "If you don't put up a fight, it stops being fun," she tried to say solemnly as words of wisdom (Stormy Wisdom), but it was a horrible attempt with her smile continuing to break through. When she figured she wouldn't go into a fit of laughter over the whole thing, Stormy reached out to take his hands with an earnest look.
"Not quite! Ever after means it ends," she pointed out, the corners of her mouth still lifted. "And that would be sad, right? No, the girl named Stormy and the boy named Galedilocks--also known as Gale for short--met and lived and still live to this in a sunny cottage. Maybe one day they'll defy nature and get taller and you'll actualyl be able to see them~"
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:27 pm
"You're not very convincing," Gale stage whispered back, but he was also fighting a smile, leaning forward when Stormy took his hands in hers. He tilted his head at her, a few pale strands of hair falling into his eyes, but he didn't bother to brush them aside
"And they didn't really live weatherly ever after because there is no end, just a stretch of time that we have yet to cross," he said lightly, and drew her hands to his face, holding them against his mouth briefly to kiss her knuckles before squeezing them, dropping them back down.
"Now sleep."
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