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 Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 5:58 pm
"Soooooooooooow~! Sow sow sow sow!" Airyn shrieked in glee and toddled energetically around the 'front yard', her steps awkward but purposeful, if hindered a bit by the snow and the fluff of her winter clothes. Riven watched, bemused but ready to catch in case she fell - though with all that padding, she could probably fall off a bridge and be just fine.
"SNow, sNow. Can you put in the N?" he coaxed, as she carefully sat down and jammed one snow-caked mitten in her mouth.
"Mmfgh." There was a bit of drooling and a little flailing, but the mitten came out soggily. "En."
"N goes in sNow. Snow."
"Sow."
Riven sighed. Obviously, that wasn't going to work. "Well, we can try it later. What do you want to do?"
"Make man! Man man man." Airyn struggled to stand up, then waddled off to plow into a snowbank. "Man?"
"Oh, do you want to make a snowman?" Riven floated over and bent down next to her as she awkwardly swept handfuls of snow off of the drift.
"Sowman. Cold man?" Airyn happily accepted his help, and energetically began to pat the snow Riven scraped off for her into a lopsided mound. "This, head."
"That part, huh? Do you want to give him some eyes?" Riven looked dubiously at the lump dubbed 'head', but oh well. He would hardly do much better if he tried.
"Eyes? Nows!" Airyn pointed clumsily with her mittened hands at her own eyes and nose. "Where?" she demanded.
"Here we go... let's use a bit of stick for the nose, and... here's a pinecone." Riven carefully broke off the end of a nearby fallen stick, and snapped bits of pinecone provided large eyes. Airyn watched the assembly with a curious look.
"Mowf?"
A bendy pine needle was found and appropriated, and the expression adjusted until Airyn was satisfied. The little girl tilted her head this way and that, then sat down with a thump.
"Man has mowf. Tawk, man!" She stared at it.
And stared.
And stared some more.
"It no tawk!" Airyn complained, reaching up to grab Riven's cloak with a quick and insistent tug. "Why not tawk?"
"Well... you can't just have a mouth to talk..." Riven thought hard. "See, it's not alive."
"No live?"
"No, see, it's just made of snow. Snow can't talk, not really... and trees talk, but not when they're dead. See?" Riven indicated the lifeless stick.
"Dead twee? Ew," Airyn offered, making a face at the stick, then turning to stare fixedly at the snowman again. "What good is?"
"... because it's fun to make things?" Riven said, sheepishly, after a moment's thought. "Fun is good, right?"
"Make fun. Like cwans."
"Like with your crayons, yeah. That's fun, and this is another kind of fun. It's like... art with snow."
"Sow art. Man art." Airyn seemed to think about this for a moment, then nodded. "Kay. Make more? Cwans draw on sow?"
"No, you can't draw on the snow with crayons, but we can make more, sure," Riven said with relief.
It seemed the questioning session was over, as Airyn got up and toddled with determination over to the next pile of snow. She plopped down and shoved the pile around, slapping it together into yet another odd lump. "Eyes, eaws, nows, mowf..." she hummed to herself, in a sing-song tone.
Riven followed, then after a moment sat down with her to try and make his own. Might as well give it a go.
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 5:58 pm
The trees were waking up again.
After a long sleep, finally the green leaves were pushing forth again. The blossoms were peeking out from their buds, and the streams ran high under the flood of snowmelt. The forest was coming back to life.
And Airyn wanted none of it.
"SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" she shrieked, kicking and flailing wildly as Riven tried to carry her outside. For a moment, he was gratified that she had at last learned 'snow' had an N in it, but that was rather drowned out by the fact that Airyn had also learned that excruciating pitch that only small children and very irritating animals can hit.
"It's all gone," he said, cheerfully, for the third time in as many minutes.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAANT SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW," Airyn screamed, flailing about, her face turning red from the force of her cries.
"Oh, come on, it's not like it melted overnight! You had lots of time to see it slush up and go!" Riven grumbled under his breath, struggling to keep his grip on the squirming toddler.
"WHERE IT GO?" Airyn bellowed, pushing out her lower lip in a tremendous pout and stopping her wild movements so quickly that Riven nearly dropped her just from the unexpected full stop.
"It melted. It'll be back next year," Riven said, quickly, trying to take advantage of the quiet while he had it. "Don't worry, okay? It'll come back!"
"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEE!" Airyn wailed, the word starting out sounding sane but quickly escalating into another long shriek, the like of which Riven hadn't heard since she was a baby.
"Because that's the way the world works! Things change!" Riven said, raising his voice to be heard over her cries.
"No LIKE," Airyn insisted, her face blotchy with tears.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but... that's how it is, okay? Do you remember how it was when there was autumn-time? Remember the leaves falling?" Riven talked quickly, hoping to at least turn her off shrieking again.
She folded her arms and stared at him, face firmly stuck in a pouting expression. "'es," she admitted, finally, though it didn't lessen the pout any.
"Well, that was one kind of changing. Now it's another kind, see?" Riven gestured at the trees. "They're going to get all green, and make more leaves to fall down next year."
"Then SNOW," Airyn demanded. "Snow?"
"Yes, yes, then snow."
"FALL FALL FALL FAAAAAAALL," Airyn bellowed immediately, flailing one arm at the nearest branch. Riven was so surprised that he let her grab it, at which point she began shaking it around so hard that several of the new-born leaves tumbled to the ground. Airyn watched this with a firey glee.
"All gone! Where snow?!" she cooed, when the branch was completely empty of all life.
Riven sighed. "It... it doesn't work like that."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Airyn screamed, now just plain angry. Lies! All lies!
Wincing, Riven turned around to carry his flailing daughter inside. Maybe another day, with Ghlyssa's calming influence, they could make another attempt at the wonders of springtime.
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:31 pm
Riven idly watched the small fountain's bamboo spouts rise and fall with the flow of water as he lay in bed, sprawled across the covers on his stomach, tail curled on the pillow. He did miss Nozomi; though it was good to hear from her, the last he'd seen of her had been when he'd gone with Sosiqui to... do... something... well, he wasn't entirely sure why, but he'd last seen her in the past, tumbled sleepily across the guest room bed as her spirit traveled with him in Tiers Anwis.
He still owed her for that, a debt that could likely never be repaid, just as he could never really repay the harm his past self had done to that city.
"It's pretty," came a shy voice from the doorway, and he turned to see Airyn standing there, hesitant about entering her parents' room.
"Hey, sprout." Riven smiled and got up, moving so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"C'n I come in?" she asked, and the spirit Fa'e saw that she had her artist's smock on, hands full of paper and stained with paint.
"Is that dry?" he asked, wrinkling her nose at her, then grinning. "Come on in, just don't get paint on anything."
"It's all dry, and it washes out... I think," Airyn said, with a frown. "Hey, dad?"
"Yeah?" Riven curled his tail lightly around her waist as she sat down on the foot of the bed next to him, leaning on him a little.
"How come I can't... do anything?" Her smile drooped, then, and her hands began fiddling with the papers, the crackle underscoring her hesitant words.
"What do you mean, can't do anything? You can draw, can't you? And lots of other stuff too," Riven said, reasonably.
"But... Mom can do stuff with plants, and you can do stuff with... ghosty-things..."
"Spirits," Riven said with a sigh.
"Yeah, whatever... how come I can't? Some kids..." She looked down, and the crackling of paper increased as her nervous fiddling did too. "At school, they kinda... tease me... they're all magical, you're magical... how come I can't?"
Uh oh. This was serious, Riven realized, as she squirmed closer in to him for comfort. He shrugged one misty wing around her shoulders. "Well, Gaia... is a really magical place, but not everyone has magic," he said, hoping his voice didn't betray the concern he felt. This was one of those... parent moments that Sosiqui kept talking about. One of the important ones.
"But you do, and Mom does, and Gramma Sosi does and so does Nana Sunny... even Kurri does," Airyn added with a sulk, as if it was totally unfair that her platypus friend could have any head start on her whatsoever. "How come?"
"Magic isn't everything, at all," Riven said, helplessly. "It's important for me and Mom because of what we are... but you're human, sprout. And that's okay, becuase if you were Fa'e you'd... have a hard time."
"But I have a hard time anyway!" Airyn said, her voice breaking as the paper fell to the floor altogether, her hands balling up into little fists.
"I know..." Riven put one arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "But you know what? When you were born, Lady Airi said that you were lucky. Very lucky, because you could pick how to live your own life. Mom and I have had things to do since we were younger than you, almost!"
"My own?" One hand reached up to wipe tears away from her face.
"Yeah, all your own. You don't have a past self or anything. You're totally free to be you, and that's... kind of magic itself."
"... I guess," Airyn said, although she didn't sound too convinced. Still, she reached around and hugged Riven around the waist. "Thanks, Dad. Is it really good as magic?"
"Better," Riven said, and he meant it.
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:31 pm
Meeting RionneBritain Rionne had been very surprised when Galatyne went along tamely with his decision to visit the HQ- and even more surprised when the doppelgaenger drove them there in a dark blue convertible. The thought of his 'knight' driving was extremely alien. He seemed very amused by the fact, however; it was only Rio that was stuck in his medieval world. Gala very dryly informed him that it was his turn next, and he could expect that along with the piano lessons.
He almost didn't recognize the HQ...at all. So much had changed from the familiar building he once knew that his eyes were wide as he stepped out of the car. He wore black slacks and a white button shirt under the white veil he had worn since coming home from the hospital; his wounds were healed as well as could be expected.
"Go on, coward," Gala told him gently. "Your fear is the only enemy you have, here."
Taking a deep breath, the pale Fa'e accepted his advice and stepped into the HQ. He felt very awkward, a painful fluttering in his stomach screaming that he didn't belong there...but at the same time, this place carried a trace of home.
"Hello?" He called softly, slightly changed voice too quiet at first. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "Is...anyone here?" Sosiqui Rionne's call was greeted by sudden movement as the two figures sitting at the kitchen table looked up - Riven and his daughter, Airyn. Though Airyn's look remained wide-eyed and curious, Riven's expectant smile faded a bit into a slightly confused look. Obviously, he didn't recognize the Fa'e before him. "Hello," Riven offered, getting up out of the chair while Airyn stayed behind, the girl continuing to peer at Rionne from her seat. "Have, um, we met?" The spirit Fa'e's tone was friendly enough, but his brow was furrowed in thought. Something about this odd white Fa'e seemed so familiar, and yet he was completely sure that he'd never encountered such a Fa'e before. Britain "H-hello, Riven," Rio stated quietly, hands tightly clasped before him. Galatyne slipped in the door behind, eyes narrowed- he had faith in his 'prince,' but after his reception from the family...very little in anyone else. The fact that Rio respected Riven made it far easier for him to be hurt.
"I...suppose we haven't really met," Rio continued hesitantly. "Not like this, as a point of fact. I came here looking for someone, anyone...but I didn't expect it to be you."
One hand came up to touch the veil, and he looked away. His long, pointed ears were pressed flat against his hair. "I was called Morion, about a week ago." Sosiqui Riven's jaw dropped. "Morion? What... what happened to you?!" He quickly reached to draw the Fa'e in, guiding him towards the nearest couch. "Dad?" Airyn asked quietly, from her seat. "Not now, sprout - hang on, okay?" Riven said, quickly, and the girl bit her lip, then nodded and turned back to what she had been doing - though she kept taking small, furtive glances at the two Fa'e. "Are you okay? Your... your wings, your tail... did you grow or something? Did someone hurt you? You look so different..." As was usual, once Riven got curious, the questions came rapid-fire. Britain Oh, thank God. Rio relaxed into the curiosity and concern, so very grateful that it wasn't revulsion or rejection that met his statements. He glanced at the little girl, pure-white eyes wondering exactly when SHE had happened...good for Riven. She was a beautiful child.
He managed to redirect his attention, and almost smiled at the barrage of questions. "Well, ah...it's extremely complicated, I'm afraid." Allowing himself to be lead to the sofa, he took a seat, glancing at Gala to make sure he was close. The Doppelgaenger shrugged and trailed after them, leaning against a nearby wall.
"First...I must tell you that Smoke has returned to Gaia. I don't know what happened, or where she's been, but...that caused everything. My-"
He took a deep breath, still badly shaken. "My- our- soul seemed to split when she returned, since I was bound to Britain, but a part of me was never cut off from Mother. There...are two of us now, Riven. I have taken the name Rionne." So pretentious, but how ELSE was he supposed to introduce himself...? Sosiqui Riven's eyes widened at the mention of Smoke, but the spirit Fa'e managed to keep his obviously burning questions contained until the other had finished his explanation. At the end, his mouth was hanging open. "TWO of you...? One for Smoke, and one for Britain? I suppose that's fair balance," he added, the last bit mumbled, as if meant only for himself. "And what about the other... er... Morion?" he added, carefully. It was a huge idea to get his head around, but he'd seen what happened with Morion before... when Smoke died, and then after being bonded to Britain. He had no idea how Smoke had managed a return, but the results.... seemed plausible. Horrifying, but plausible. Britain "I don't know." It was agonizing to think about it, and he found his hands twisting themselves in his lap again. He was worried, terrifyingly so, about his other-self. "Smoke...came to see me. Apparently when she returned, and after the trauma of our 'split,' he returned to her. She says he is recovering...but I have not seen him. I think we are both very much afraid of each other."
He frowned at his hands, though the expression was obscured by the veil. "Though, we seem to have grown younger. I am terribly confused by everything. Galatyne..." he motioned over his shoulder, and the Doppelgaenger nodded solemly to the other Fa'e. "Gala has told me that I am some sort of Doppelgaenger, as in the old legends of spirits in mirrors. He and his father have taken steps to assist, but I am still a Fa'e- which throws shadows onto what would otherwise have been simple." Sosiqui Riven absorbed all this thoughtfully, then nodded, slowly. "I... I see," he said, finally. "And you? How are you doing?" He reached out and rested one hand on the shoulder of the white Fa'e. How strange, to find a friend in two shapes, two bodies, two pieces. Britain Startled white eyes looked up at him, expressions clear even with their strangeness and his veiled features. "I-"
He stopped, and took a deep breath. "You have no idea how much better I am doing, my friend, because you are sitting here speaking to me as you have before, and not turning me away."
His voice grew rueful, and he shook himself a little. "Galatyne's father, the Heron, has stuffed me into an apartment with a piano, and is making me learn to help me regain my focus. He is also apparently making me learn to drive. I am quite horrified." Sosiqui "Why would anyone turn you away?" Riven said, looking confused. "You had a terrible thing happen to you, but you're still you. I mean, it kind of makes my head hurt because I suppose... Morion... is still... him?" He wrinkled his nose, then grinned. "Confusing, but we have to find the balance in it, right?" "Daaaad," Airyn whined, her feet drumming on the table leg now. "I'm bored." "Just a second," Riven said, raising his voice, then turning back to Rionne. "That's Airyn, my daughter - I brought her here because I wanted her to meet some more Fa'e besides just me and Glee. Would you be up to meeting her? She's never met anyone but the two of us before." Britain "I...would be honored to meet your daughter, Lord Riven," Rio stated decisively, finally, finally smiling at the spirit Fa'e. A huge weight lifted off of his shoulders; it made perfect sense, the way Riven put it. As usual, he was likely worrying himself into a panic.
He looked up at Gala, then to Riven, considering removing the veil. Not yet. He simply wasn't ready yet. He would have to be as earnest as he could, and not disturb the child with his strangeness. "Pray, introduce me to the lovely young lady you have so graciously brought into our HQ." Sosiqui Riven blushed a bit at the 'Lord' part, but floated up a bit from his seat on the couch. "Sorry, sprout - you can come on over now." Immediately, the little girl dropped her pencil and darted over, coming to a quick stop in front of the two Fa'e. "Hi," she said, suddenly, then took a step back as though startled by her own daring. "Rionne, this is Airyn - Airyn, this is the Fa'e Rionne, a good friend of mine," Riven said, making introductions. Airyn dropped a half-curtsey, gray braids bobbing with the movement. "Hi," she repeated, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Um. What happened to your eyes?" "The same thing that happened to my legs, silly," Riven teased. Britain "I believe it must have happened when I walked in the door- you were so lovely that they forgot what color they were," Rio told her solemnly, a touch of laughter in his voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Airyn."
He'd caught the similarity to Airi's name- so sweet! She was an adorable child, and he...wasn't going to think about the physics of her birth. He felt a tiny blush stain his own cheeks, and was grateful for the veil. None of his business, at all!
"And how old might you be, m'lady?" He asked, glancing from her to Riven with curiosity. Had she aged like they did? She wasn't a Fa'e, he could tell, but the resemblance to her parents was clear. Sosiqui Airyn gave Rionne a funny look at that. "They did not... I can't do stuff like that, I don't have any magic," she said, pouting a little. "Um. But it's nice to meet you." Riven cleared his throat on the last question. "She's actually only about a year and a half old, though she is human," he answered for her. "I'm not a baby, though," Airyn added, raising her chin a little, as if daring Rionne to call her so. "My Guardian thinks Gaia's wild magic naturally accelerates growth," Riven added, giving Airyn a grin. Britain "If you are a baby, then I am a toddler," Rio told her, nodding firmly. "I could never think of you as an infant, Lady Airyn. You are obviously quite grown up."
He looked back at Riven, nodding thoughtfully. "My Guardian, Britain, has a son...he has grown very quickly while I have known him. As do the Fa'e! Perhaps it is just the nature of the world."
Again, focus on the lady, as it was quite rude to leave her out of the conversation. "I see that you are quite the artist. You seem very well-spoken, also- your parents must be quite proud of you." Sosiqui Airyn looked skeptical. "Nuh-uh, you're not a toddler. You're too big, AND you don't smell funny. So there!" She stuck her tongue out at Rionne, then giggled. She blushed a bit at the mention of her art. "You didn't even see it, how would you know?" she pointed out. "Airyn," Riven murmured. "I'm not being mean," Airyn insisted. "I'm just saying, that's all! Um. Do you want to see it?" she asked Rionne, shyly. Britain Rio raised one blue eyebrow at her, tilting his head. "If you are able to pick up a pencil and draw with it, then you have done better than I. I swear to you that drawing has never been a skill of mine."
He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind one long ear. "I would be delighted to see your work, Lady Airyn. Would you mind terribly, to share it with us?" Sosiqui "Um, okay," Airyn said, glancing back toward the table. "I only drew a little, though." She ran back to fetch what she'd been working on, her sandals flopping against the floor, returning quickly with three pieces of paper in her hands. "Um... that's the garden, it had fairies in it," she said, indicating a piece full of green. "And that's the pretty window up there, see?" Airyn tilted her head back and pointed up at the visible second story, and the lovely stained glass on the upper wal. "And... um...." The little girl blushed beet-red. "This one's... um... youbecauseIthoughtyouwerepretty." The pictures are all obviously amateur, but rather better than most considering her age. Britain Pretty. Rio was rather stunned at the concept- for a child to think that way of him, when he couldn't even face himself in the mirror, was nothing short of amazing. He took the pictures silently, looking them over and holding up the one of the window to compare...looking at the one of himself in sheer awe. He felt...something in his heart unclench, just a little.
"My lady," he said quietly, holding the pages gently, "truly, I have not seen such honest, inspired work in a very long time. I think you are quite a wonderful artist. Would you promise me this? Tell me that you will always draw. It would be such a shame, such a loss to the world, if you ever stopped." Sosiqui Airyn squirmed on the spot under the attention, though the blush on her cheeks made it obvious she was enjoying it. "Um. I won't," she said, quietly, her blue eyes bright. "But, I bet it'd be prettier if you had your whole face out," she added, shyly, then looked up wide-eyed, once again surprised at herself. Riven merely leaned back and chuckled quietly to himself. She was doing fine, although he did tense up a bit at Airyn's suggestion... still, he doubted Rionne would take offense at it. He had more sense than that. Britain "With my..." It took a moment for him to understand what she was saying. Gala knew instantly, and he was tense as a live wire- but also silent, letting Rio decide. Would this little girl change everything? Perhaps he was afraid of his own face, but...if one person, just one, accepted it, then maybe Rio would begin that process himself. Gala glanced at Riven, golden eyes thoughtful...interesting people, these friends of Rio's.
And slowly, Rio reached up to touch the jewelled chains that held the veil.
They clipped to the silk that was draped across his face. He didn't look at Riven as the silk fell away from his clever fingers; he looked only at Airyn, still hesitant and uncertain. His features were sharp, but there was no horrible scar or disfigurement for him to hide. Strangely, without the veil it was easier to see the movements of his eyes, and discern where a pupil might be.
"My apologies, my Lady," he said softly. "I have not possessed this face for very long. I am afraid I am as yet unaccustomed to wearing it." Sosiqui Airyn clapped at the veil's removal. "Ooh, yay! I was kinda worried you'd have a really really ugly nose," she added, conspiratorially. "But you don't, so it's okay!" "Airyn!" Riven said, meaning it to be scolding, but it came out a laugh. Still, noticing the stiffness of Rionne's movement, he didn't look directly at the other Fa'e, as curious as he was to see his friend's face in its entirety. This obviously went deeper than he could fathom. Airyn, of course, didn't really notice, as blushing and excited as she was. "It's a nice face," she said, sitting down on the coffee table and grabbing a book to use as a drawing surface. "Can I draw a picture of it? I bet it'll be lots better than the one with the cloth over it!" Without waiting for permission, she started doodling, her tongue sticking a bit out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. Britain "By all means," Rio told her, slightly dazed. Warm-hearted child! She was going to break hearts, he could see. Hesitantly, he glanced at Riven, fingertips brushing his lips carefully...then slowly being forced back into his lap.
"I've not yet managed to face my own reflection for very long," he whispered to his friend. "Thank you, my lord, for bringing her here." Sosiqui "I'm glad you two are getting along," Riven said, with a smile and a nod. "Though you don't have to call me 'my lord', it's not like you've sworn fealty to me or something. And don't, by the way... I don't think you'd like being summoned around left and right," he added, grinning. Airyn scratched and scribbled, drumming her feet absently on the floor as she worked, then looked up after five minutes' work. "It's just crayons, but I tried," she said, shyly, presenting it to Rionne along with the other picture. "You can have it if you want." She rocked from side to side, eagerly waiting for Rionne's response. Britain "I am no longer a prince of anything," he told Riven ruefully. "Everything I thought I had found was merely an illusion I created for myself. I suppose it is habit, now...perhaps I will attempt to change it."
Leaning forward eagerly, he almost startled himself when his hair brushed across his cheek and over his shoulder. Blasted silky stuff. He took the offerings, looking them over in delight- overjoyed by the effort she had thought to give them, and her obvious concentration.
"Lady Airyn, I will treasure them," he told her, quite serious. "I shall have to find a gift to you, in return- though I think it will be difficult to find something as wonderful!" Sosiqui "Okay," Airyn beamed, obviously thrilled to pieces - cheeks flushed, eyes bright as stars. "I'm.... that's really... thanks," she said, fumbling over the words until she found one that worked. "Titles don't mean much, unless you have one to reclaim. I don't. I'm not a lord of anything except to my own spirits, and they're bound to me so they can be called up to fight and die in my place," Riven said, bluntly. "So... don't worry about it. We're in the same place, right?" "Daddy said..." Airyn glanced quickly over at Riven. "Daddy said that it was better to be free than to be all powerful and stuff," she offered. Britain Eyebrows up, Rio considered their words. His face, unveiled, was extremely expressive. So much alike, these two were. "Your words are quite wise, both of you. You are correct; there is no freedom in power at all. Only great responsibility, and too much weight."
He took a deep breath, and leaned back against the sofa cushions. "It can also be said that freedom is not true freedom if it is stolen...or borrowed from someone else. I have been having trouble with that, since I- felt the loss of the other half of my soul. Perhaps I will concentrate on finding the limits of my own freedom, instead of being so concerned about that which I lost."
Galatyne's eyes closed, and he smiled. It's about bloody time. Sosiqui Airyn obviously didn't catch everything Rionne said, nor did she understand it all, but she beamed at him anyway. "See, Dad? I am too smart!" Riven laughed. "You just told him what I said, sprout. How does that make you smart?" "I remembered it!" Airyn retorted. "Ah, there is that," Riven conceded, then stood up off the couch. "I'm sorry, Rionne, but we need to go... Glee will be expecting us for dinner, and I think Airyn has homework," he added, glancing at her. Airyn made a face. "Maybe," she grumbled, folding her arms. Britain "And I have not yet attended to my piano yet this evening," Rio replied, making a face that nearly matched Airyn's. He started to move, then picked up the veil- glancing mutely at Galatyne over his shoulder. Wordlessly, the Doppelgaenger lifted the chains that had fallen around Rio's shoulders, and helped him clip the silk back into place.
With that done, he managed to stand and bow to Airyn in a very gentlemanly fashion. "Thank you again, Lady," he murmured. "I hope to see you again- and soon."
When he straightened, he placed a hand on Riven's shoulder, meeting his eyes. "I will find my own freedom, Riven. I swear it." Sosiqui "Good," Riven affirmed, putting one arm around Airyn's shoulders as she walked over to stand by them, squeezing a little. "Are you still staying at Britain's house... and do you know where Morion is? I'd like to see him too, sometime, if only so I can really teach myself that there are two now," he added, wrinkling his nose in mock-confusion. "Bye," Airyn said, peering wide-eyed at Galatyne - she hadn't even really noticed his presence before - and moving to hide behind Riven just a little bit. Britain "He's with Smoke at the cabin around Bassken...if you can find it. I need to do that myself, before I talk myself out of it again." Rio frowned, very troubled. "Have you...seen Astaroth? I have not been able to contact him since the change, and I find myself- missing something very important."
Gala blinked at Airyn, startled to be noticed- much more accustomed to being in the background. He tilted his head, and offered her a half-bow- and a smile. ^_~ Sosiqui Airyn blushed and ducked further behind Riven, peering out at Galatyne and Morion through her father's translucent wings. Riven shook his head, amused. "A cabin... I'm sure I can find it, if need be. Ghlyssa knows the woods like no one else. And... yes, actually, I saw Lord Astaroth at the recent Fa'e Prom gathering, though I didn't talk to him. He was with Raeith, I think." Britain It felt like a stab to the heart. He drew back slightly, catching his breath- Roth, with Raeith? His memories of her were very vague, now. He could only assume that they had gone with Morion. Surely Roth wouldn't- no. Of course not. He calmed himself down, shaking his head. It would take the most beautiful girl in the universe to tempt Astaroth...and though he had no doubt at all Rae was lovely, he couldn't see his Hellking with anyone he knew.
"And thus, I react like a schoolgirl. I hope he was enjoying himself...I was too ill to attend. Quite a pity, considering I had my costume ready and everything." He smiled, and beckoned to Gala. "Please, Riven- if you see him, tell him I need to see him and badly. If the two of you will please excuse us..."
He nodded to them again, and to Gala as his knight opened the door for him. Gala gave the two one last, thoughtful glance...then retrieved his keys and followed Rio out of the HQ. Sosiqui "Take care, Rionne," Riven called after them, then looked down as the two left and Airyn finally inched out from behind him. "Well, what did you think?" he asked, giving his daughter a knowing grin. "Um. That was fun, I guess," she said, quietly, that blush still suffusing her cheeks. "He was... really nice." "Most Fa'e are, and those that aren't... well. You won't have to meet them," Riven reassured her. "I'm proud of you, though?" "How come?" Airyn squeaked. "Because you were very nice to Rionne, and he needed it," he said, squeezing her close. "I guess," she mumbled, then tugged away, hug-quotient expended. "I'm hungry, are we gonna go home or not?" "Yes, yes, we're going home - get your art stuff, and we'll go," Riven said, and followed her to the table to help tidy up the crayons.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:33 pm
One With the Wood
(backdated)
Ghlyssa had, lately, not been looking quite as green as usual. She was more the the pale colour of a new bean sprout than the usual rich leaf green, the blue markings looking all the darker and more striking for it. The vines in her hair seemed a little less robust than they had once been, a few of them even taking on a slight yellow colour like the autumn leaves. In a word, she looked slightly wilted. The change had been so slow, so gradual, it would have been hard to put a finger on when exactly it had begun, and when it had passed the point of being the sign of a general fatigue and had become something to worry about.
She had been to see Sunny, for tea and cookies and talk. Her eyes were a bit puffy, as though she had been crying.
Glee leaned her staff against the wall near the front door, and slunk into the kitchen, her wings drooped so low they almost touched the floor. She had no idea how she was ever going to explain this to Riven. And Airyn! This wasn't fair to Airyn, either. She sat down heavily at the kitchen table, buried her face in her hands, and sighed heavily.
"Two cookies? THREE COOKIES!" Airyn crowed from down the hall, her footsteps sounding as she skipped.
"No, ONE cookie. I don't care if your mom isn't here, that doesn't mean you can have more than she says," Riven said, his voice following hers, amused. "Your grandma warned me about that trick, you see? Ask the dad, he's easier?"
"That's cheating!"
"At least you have a dad to ask - I didn't," Riven replied, and then they were in the kitchen, all noisy commotion as Airyn skipped over to the cookie jar and took out... after a moment's thought and one glance at Riven... one cookie.
"Hi, Mom!" Airyn waved, then vanished with her cookie.
"Do your homework!" Riven called after her, then turned to Glee with a smile on his face. "You're back ea... oh..." His grin turned into a worried look as he took in her condition - red-eyed, droopy, leaves touched with yellow on the edges. He sat down in the chair next to her, tail moving to coil lightly around one of her ankles. "What happened? Did Sunny have any ideas...?" he asked, softly.
"Hi, Airyn." Ghlyssa waved after her departing daughter, and she smiled a little.
She turned back to Riven and leaned against him. For a moment, she didn't say anything, and only tried to collect her thoughts.
"I don't know if you could call it 'ideas,'" she said at last. "But Sunny listened, and it helped, I think. I think." Glee frowned slightly. "And I guess I already knew what I had to do. I just don't really want to do it."
"Hibye," Airyn mumbled around her cookie as she left the room, clomping on the living wood floor towards her bedroom.
Riven shook his head, smiling softly at his daughter, then tilted towards Ghlyssa, his expression sobering. "And... er... what do you have to do, then?" He looked a bit worried, as he had ever since he'd noticed the 'wilting'. At first he'd been terrified she was fading again, but she seemed as solid as ever, and Sunny was obviously just fine. "It's really not fading? Just... something else?" he asked, after a moment.
"It's definitely not fading." Ghlyssa shook her head. "Something would have to be wrong with Sunny for that. And she's just fine. This is, well, my fault." She rested her chin on her hand and stared at the table, trying to sort out her words. "As the Earthkeeper, I'm all the plants. But I'm also here, doing this, and being something closer to animal. I'm two things at once, and I'm sort of drained because of it. What I need to do is..."
She bit her lip, and looked at Riven sheepishly. "I have to go concentrate on just being the Earthkeeper, for a little while. If I don't, then either the Ghlyssa part of me will just keep wilting like I have been, or the Earthkeeper part of me will suffer and so will everything that grows. I need to go away for a while."
Riven looked startled for a moment, then nodded slowly, knowingly. "I understand. It's one of those... Fa'e things, right? The same reason I have to go to the Spirit Realm. Of course you have to go to your realm too! You should have long before now, I think - I'm so sorry, I should have thought of it sooner..." His voice, flustered, trailed off into an abashed and guilty silence, mortified that he might not have been giving his lover the proper support.
"It's not your fault!" Ghlyssa protested quickly. "Not even a little bit, Riven. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not paying attention. You have your job and I have mine, and I wasn't doing it properly." She shook her head. "Please don't blame yourself."
Her wings fluttered slightly, the feathers rustling. "I don't want to leave!" she burst out. "I'm going to miss you and Airyn so much. Why can't things ever be simple?" She inhaled deeply, and continued, softer, "I need to go soon, though."
"Go, then... do what you need to do. I understand." Boy, did he ever... but it would be strange to be without Glee, when she was the one leaving. That had never happened, really; not since before Svrellia's murder.
The thought was disquieting, and he moved away from it as fast as possible. "Where will you go?" Riven asked, tilting his head to one side. "I mean, where IS the Earthkeeper?"
"Mum's going somewhere?" Airyn poked her head into the kitchen, looking surprised, a sheaf of papers in one hand. "When? Why? How long?"
Glee's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure the Earthkeeper's realm is a where, exactly. I think it just... exists. When it's needed, it's there." Oh, that made her head hurt. "It's... more a state of mind than an actual place."
When Airyn came into the kitchen, Glee's face dropped guiltily. "Oh, dear. Oh... Airyn..." She struggled for the words for a moment; she had been dreading this part of the conversation most of all. "I have things I need to do, things because of what I am, that I haven't been doing properly. So... I don't want to, but I have to go away and fix things."
She shifted on the chair, and opened her arms for Airyn, hoping for a good hug.
"Well, how are you going to get there? Do we need to travel, or is it just kind of like the Spirit Realm? Are you going to leave... uh... your body behind?" It was an odd question, but a fair one, considering anyone save Riven who went to the Spirit Realm left their bodies in a coma state as their spirits roamed afar.
Airyn looked confused, but came in for the hug anyway. "Like Dad does? He's gone a lot."
Ouch. Riven cringed a bit, inwardly - was he really? Hrm. "It's kind of like that, Sprout... it's just something we need to do. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, I guess." Airyn didn't look too bothered, although she did lean in and sniff at the drooping flowers in her mother's hair a bit more deeply than usual, as if savoring, memorizing the scent. "Will it make you look prettier again, Mum?"
Riven grinned.
Ghlyssa wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter, closing her eyes momentarily. "I hope I look pretty again," she laughed.
She looked up at Riven, sobering, though she didn't really let go of Airyn, either. "I need to, well, abandon my body, or at least the part of it that acts and thinks like a human and not a plant, convert it into a plant, so that at least for a little while I'm not going to be tied down to something that's alien to what the Earthkeeper is." Her forehead wrinkled again. "At the same time, I can't let my body die in the meantime, and this body would if I just left it. I was discussing this with the Earthkeeper. My body is going to turn into a tree until I need it again."
"A tree? You're gonna turn into a tree?" Airyn looked astonished. "That's so cool!" But at the same time, a flicker of odd emotion - jealousy? - moved across her face. Still, the girl hugged back, then withdrew a few paces. "When? Now?"
"Good question... when do you need to do this, Glee?" Riven let one hand rest on his lover's shoulder, squeezing gently. He, too, subtly breathed in to catch the scent of her flowers. It was much lessened from what it normally was, but the fragrance was still there. "I can handle things around here just fine," he added, arily.
Ghlyssa just looked relieved that they were taking it so well. "It will need to be soon. I've put this off too long already." Her face fell into nervous lines. "I just hope there's been no serious damage. You two really will be okay?" She squeezed Riven's hand, trying not to let
herself think of all the things that could happen.
"Of course," Riven said, reassuringly.
"Yeah, sure," Airyn echoed, and Riven glanced at her. That would be the interesting part... taking care of Airyn all on his own.
"See? We'll be fine. What can we do to help you... or, rather, what can I do now, and what can Airyn do when she's finished her homework?"
"Aw... dad..." Airyn moaned.
Ghlyssa found that tears were springing to her eyes, though whether they were from grief or relief she wasn't sure; she blinked them back as best she could. "I'd like a drink," she said. "Just water. And then I should go, so I'd like you to come say goodbye."
"I'll get it," Airyn said, quickly - probably to forestall the return to homework. She flung open the cupboard noisily and pulled out a glass, then rushed to the sink to fill it up.
"It's fine," Riven said as Airyn moved, speaking softly, gently. "Really. We'll all be happier when you're feeling better. It's just a Fa'e thing, like you said..."
"Here you go!" Airyn returned and offered her mother the glass.
"Fa'e things... It's all so complicated, sometimes."
Ghlyssa drank, surprised at just how thirsty she was, and put down the glass. For a moment, she didn't let it go, but clutched it on the table, her expression distant and preoccupied. She drew a deep breath, and stood up. "Well. I suppose I should do this, then, while I have the nerve. I'm ready." Still, she turned to take Riven's arm.
Riven supported Ghlyssa gently while Airyn buzzed around them, full of questions. "You're going now? Where are you going? Can I come visit you? What's it like?" The last one was spoke with a hint of envy as the three moved out of the kitchen and towards the front door.
"Is there anything else you need before you go?" Riven said quietly, overriding yet another question from Airyn.
"I don't know what it's like," Ghlyssa laughed, despite her worries, "because I haven't done it before. I don't think you can visit me, but I wish you could." To Riven, she said, "I don't think so. Wait. If you can just keep an eye on, er, the tree... I'm not sure what would happen if something happened to it. I might be able to grow a new body, but I wouldn't want to risk it."
As they came outside, Glee glanced up at the sky, and then down at the ground, at her bare feet amongst the yellowing grass and the first fallen leaves, searching for a good place to put down roots.
"I'll watch you... it... closely," Riven promised. "Whatever shape you take, I'll protect you." The words were awkward, but the entire situation was strange... here he was, waiting for his lover to turn into a tree. How did you handle that, except with awkward support?
Airyn knelt down and scraped some leaves away from the ground, eying it critically. "Won't your feet get cold?"
Ghlyssa smiled warmly at Riven. "I know you will," she said. "I've never doubted that."
She nudged a leaf to one side with her toes. "I don't think my toes will get cold, since I won't have toes, exactly. But I won't be far, Sprout. There's a little of me in every plant, in a way." She smiled at Airyn, but glancing at Riven out of the corner of her eye; her words were as much for him.
"This is a good place," she decided. "There's a lot of sun, here, and I'm not too far away from the house. Oh..." She bent down and gathered Airyn up into a sudden hug. "You'll be good while I'm gone?"
Airyn squirmed a bit under the sudden hug - it was a lot of hugging for under ten minutes' time, really - but a quick glance from her father stilled her movement, and she returned the hug warmly. "I'll be good, I promise... You be good too, okay?" Airyn said, brightly.
"I will," Glee promised, and kissed her daughter on the cheek. She straightened, turned to Riven, and embraced him tightly. "You be good, too," she teased, and kissed him. "I love you."
She turned away, her eyes on the ground. "I should do this before I lose the nerve.... oh." Her feet had suddenly, easily, sank down into the soil.
"I love you, too. Be well," Riven said, returning both embrace and kiss, then floating back as the earth took her. He wondered if he should leave, if this was a sort of... personal thing, or something like that.
But Airyn was watching her mother wide-eyed.
Once begun, even if it hadn't been entirely on purpose, the process was hard to stop. Glee's arms raised of their own volition, her fingers spreading and branching into greenish limbs, as her feet did the same beneath the surface of the soil. Her skin toughened into bark that crept up her legs and over her dress, while her hair became more leafy and less like hair. The process was perhaps surprisingly quick.
"I'll be back soon," Ghlyssa promised with a gasp of effort. "Love you... both..." With that, her face faded into the trunk of the tree, only a few vague indents suggesting eyes and a mouth.
The new tree twisted a little, and settled into a final shape: tall and slender, covered in smooth, pale, slightly greenish bark. The leaves were firm and green, and had every appearance of being some variety of evergreen broadleaf; the green was broken here and there by tiny blue berries. The tree was not straight, either, but curved gently towards the house with outstretched limbs.
"I lo-..." Riven's voice trailed off as the transformation overtook her, and Airyn stiffened, then stared and clung to his hand. Quickly, everything that was Ghlyssa faded into the strong young tree. "Goodbye," Riven said, finally, laying one hand on the tree's trunk. If he let his spirit-sight slip, he could see the green that was the mark of Ghlyssa's spirit to him, coloring each branch and leaf. It was comforting.
Then he realized that Airyn's hand in his was shaking, and he turned to see her eyes filled with tears, a look of fear on her face. "Airyn?"
"MOM!" Airyn cried, then, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around the trunk. "Come back, come back..." she sobbed.
Riven moved forward quickly, reaching to hold her from behind as she cried. "Sprout..."
"I didn't think she was serious! Not like that, that was... that was creepy!" Airyn wailed, releasing the tree and whirling abruptly to bury her damp face in Riven's robes. "She will come back safe, right? Right?!"
"She will. I promise," Riven repeated, shaken. Airyn had seemed so... fine with it. Perhaps it was fine, until it was real, at which point it became not-fine... "She's right here. I can see her spirit. Even if she's somewhere else, she's here too. Okay?"
Airyn sniffled, and said nothing, but some of the tension went out of her. "I'm gonna watch the tree every day," she said, finally.
"Okay, Sprout... me too. We'll do it together, okay?" Riven gently untangled her from his mussed robes and wiped a stray tear from her cheek, smiling. "We'll be fine. We promised, right?"
"Right," Airyn mumbled.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:41 pm
New Friends
(backdated)
Airyn had gotten to know many new children since starting school, and Gaia being Gaia, her classmates were fascinating in their variety... some were nice, and some were mean... like Renswell Colton, who took extracurricular magic and liked to rub Airyn's normalcy in her face. There was no way she was writing about him!
"Have you all thought enough? Well, then - write!" Miss Merthwaite nodded at the class. "Remember, the subject for your journals today is 'new friends'." The teacher's fairy wings fanned lightly as she sat down and began marking homework, and small heads bent over desks all over the room in obedience.
Airyn chewed on her pencil eraser for a moment longer, then started to write. First she wrote about Pina, the tiny pixie girl who was sweet, even if she was really hyper and talked really fast. Then there was Peter, a centaur boy who was the best EVER at soccer with all those feet! And Melody, and David, and the fallen angel kid Fentith... soon, the page was half-full with names and descriptions of Airyn's aquaintances. Some of them she drew little sketches of, next to their names.
Then something tapped at her elbow, and she glanced back, careful not to attract the teacher's attention. "Shh! Here," Melody whispered, poking again with a folded piece of paper.
Airyn quickly reached back and snagged it. "Thanks," she hissed back, then retreated to unfold the note quietly in her lap, while pretending to think about what to write next.
It was from Astarte, and Airyn's smile widened as she read the note from the demon girl -
"I wrote you down as a really good friend! Is that okay?
heart
~Astarte~"
Airyn giggled quietly, then flipped the note over and added her own to the back of it.
"Yeah! I'll write you down too! You're the best, Star!
heart
Airyn!"
"Psst! Melody," she whispered, poking the paper back at the elf girl behind her. "Pass it back!"
"You're gonna get in trouble," Melody whispered back, but took the paper. Airyn kept writing, but kept one eye out as she watched the note travel around the row until it reached Astarte. The young demoness unfolded it carefully, bending over so that her long black ringlets hid her face - then turned, and flashed a brilliant smile at Airyn, who beamed back.
Then, as one, they turned to their books and began to write.
"But my favorite new friend so far is Star! Her real name is Astarte though. She's a demon, and some parents don't like that, but that's stupid! She's the best!"
"Pina's nice and all, but I think I like Airyn best. She's human and she draws the best pictures ever!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:48 pm
Talking To Trees
(backdated, crossposted)
Riven looked out the window as he carefully scrubbed a potato, watching over Airyn. She was outside again, sitting on the lawn with one of her stuffed animals in her lap, nestled against Ghlyssa's tree. Talking to the tree, he knew, as had become her habit... letting her mother know what had happened to her that day.
He had no idea if it was getting through, but it was comforting for her.
"Hey, you're going to scrub the skin off of that if you're not careful," a voice interjected, and Riven jumped out of his reverie.
"Ehe... sorry," he apologized, turning around. Sosiqui was peering at a cookbook on the kitchen table, checking the recipe. "Thanks for coming over, by the way... I really appreciate it..."
"Pft. TV dinners are well and good, but sometimes you need real food... and I needed a break from Kurrin anyway. She's quite a handful, though I think she's figured out that works to her advantage when she wants to go to a sleepover. The answer isn't 'oh, hmm...' anymore, but 'when do you leave?'" Sosiqui smiled, wryly. "And hey, I have to spend some time with you, right?"
"Yeah." Riven smiled. It did feel better with his Guardian, his mother, around - part of that, he knew, was probably due to the renewal of strength from their Guardian bond, but it also meant he didn't feel so alone. He hadn't been out of the house or Spirit Realm since Glee had left. "Thanks."
"But for now... why don't you go talk to her?" Sosiqui took the potato out of Riven's hand, and pointed him at the door. "Go on. I can finish up the curry just fine. Airyn should probably have a coat on anyway, it's getting chilly. Might snow within a few weeks."
"Mmm." Riven obediently floated out of the kitchen, pausing to grab both his own cloak and one of Airyn's coats out of the closet before heading for the front door. Autumn was indeed progressing, and it was more noticable this year than it had been before. Without Ghlyssa's constant and total presence, the trees seemed to succumb to the seasons more quickly.
Outside, Airyn was cuddled up to the trunk of Ghlyssa's tree, her lips moving quietly as she spoke - but she froze and looked up when she heard the door close, then relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, hi, Daddy..."
"I brought you a coat," Riven said, dropping it on her head, and Airyn scrambled into it with a giggle. "How are you doing, sprout?"
"Astarte an' I built a really good sand fort at recess," Airyn replied. "She's the best! I think I like her even better than Kurri. She's not such a snot anyway."
Riven grinned. "Don't tell Kurrin that, she'll get mad."
"I won't!" Airyn shook her head, and turned to lean against Ghlyssa's tree. "Astarte's so nice, though. But some of the moms and dads aren't nice to her, just 'cause she's a demon." The girl frowned. "I don't get it."
"Well... I know a demon," Riven said, thinking of Astaroth. "He's... not a kind and gentle person, but he is a noble one, even if his morals aren't the same as everyone else's. I trust him. Trust people by what they do, not by what they are."
"I know that. Can you tell the other parents?" Airyn sighed. "But I always can make her smile again! By making a silly face, see?" She demonstrated, waggling her tongue and putting her hands up to her ears. "Nyeh-neh-bleh!"
The spirit Fa'e laughed. "That's quite a face."
"Yup, that's what she said. Can she come over sometime? I want to show her my house! She doesn't believe me that it's really made of live trees and not just dead and cut up ones like most people's."
"Sure," Riven said, grateful already for the future distraction the new friend would provide. "Just make sure you don't have homework first, okay? And tell me."
"I will! You're the best too," Airyn said, drawing her knees up to her chest and beaming. "Um. I know Mum's gone, but you're doing really good, Daddy. You haven't burned anything for a week!"
That's because it's been TV dinners, Riven thought, but grinned all the same.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:09 pm
Trials of the Playground
(backdated)
"You... you shut up and stick your face in the toilet, Renswell!" Airyn yelled, her hands clenched into fists at her side. She wasn't going to hit the older boy - he'd zap her with a spell - but oooh! She was tempted!
Renswell grinned nastily at her. "Mundanes don't have the right to speak to mages that way. You don't belong here!"
"I do so! I was born here, same as your dumb butt," Airyn retorted, though she felt the tears starting, inside. "So you shut up!"
Before the mageling could say anything else, Airyn whirled and stomped off, but she could hear their laughter. She stomped all the way across the playground until she reached one of the play structures. This particular one had several large cubbies, and Airyn pulled herself up into one of them before sitting down, hugging her knees to her chest and trying not to cry.
"Airyn?"
She didn't look up at Star's voice at first, not until the demon child climbed into the cubby too and sat next to her, tentatively placing one hand on Airyn's knee. "I heard them. They're just stupid with butts for heads and heads for butts."
"I do so belong here," Airyn sniffled.
"Yeah, you do," Star affirmed, patting Airyn's knee. "It's okay. They're stupid, and you don't need 'em. You have me!"
Airyn looked up, and Star grinned, her teeth faintly pointy, dark eyes bright. She smiled back, tentatively. "I... yeah..."
"So next time you can just tell 'em, "hey! I'm Airyn and you have a butt for a head and a head for a butt!' And they'll shut up, 'cause butts can't talk!" Star giggled. "Right?"
"Yeah! Right!" Airyn laughed too, and the two of them snickered for a while before leaning back in a more relaxed way, listening to the other kids clamber about and play. "Star?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. I dunno... my dad doesn't really understand when I talk to him about this stuff... Gramma does, kinda, but she's old..."
"What about your mom?" Star dug about for a moment and came up with a loop of silken cord, which she worked over her fingers and held out, a cat's-cradle. "Talk to her."
"I do, but she's a tree right now, goober - I told you!" Airyn made a face, then worked her own fingers into the cat's-cradle weave.
Star rolled her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! You can come over and see - Dad said you could, remember? It's okay."
"If Dad can bring me over, yeah... he's kinda scared. Once my big brother Ronove went over to a friend's house, an' his parents got scared and called a demon hunter on him!" Astarte shuddered, and nearly lost a loop off of the cat's-cradle. "So my parents are really careful about it..."
"My dad would never do that! He told me himself, he has a friend who's a demon. 'Sides, he doesn't like good 'n' evil the same way most people do. He's kinda different." Airyn saved the precarious loop and pulled it over one of her own fingers. "So you can come over next time, 'kay?"
"Okay, I'll ask my dad when he can come with me," Star said with a smile.
"And you can see my room! We can play for ages - it's the best!" Airyn beamed. "You'll see! And it is TOO made of real trees," she added."
"Pfft, it is not," Star teased back.
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:26 pm
Visiting Demons
(backdated, crossposted)
Riven couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as Airyn hovered in the window, eagerly peering through the trees, waiting for her friend. This was the first time Airyn had brought a friend home that wasn't part of the family like Kurrin or Dana... and to make matters worse, the girl was coming with her father. It was rather intimidating.
The spirit Fa'e had tidied up the house as best he could, but some things he wasn't quite sure where they went, and all in all it wasn't as polished as it was when Glee was there to help. The house itself had lost all of its leaves, as had the surrounding forest with the march of autumn. The only green tree left was Ghlyssa's own physical form, still slim yet stately in the front yard...
"They're here!" Airyn's gleeful yell startled Riven out of his reverie, and he turned just in time to see his daughter rocket out the door. "Star!"
"Airyn, hang on, you need a coat," Riven called after her, automatically, then froze a bit as he saw the dark-haired child - and her father. Her tall, imposing, stag-horned father.
Riven steeled himself, shut down the butterflies as best he could, and sallied forth. "Welcome to the Glade," he said, smiling as he floated out to meet them.
"Star Star Star! See, look! That's my mom! I TOLD you she was a tree!" Airyn said, folding her arms and giving the demon child a superior look. "Told you! You can ask my dad too! Oh yeah! Dad, this is Star... Star, this is my dad!"
The girl, who had dark curly hair, a small devil's tail, a kimono design Riven had to admit was quite classy, and the barest fang-like tips to her teeth as she smiled, grinned up at him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Airyn's Dad!"
"Er... you can call me Riven," he said, feeling a bit flustered, then turning to the older demon, who was giving him a suspicious look.
Astarte elbowed the demon man, though, and he lost some of his sternness almost instantly, replacing it with a sheepish look. "Hello... Riven, was it? I am Paimon Baphomet." The demon reached out one claw-tipped hand.
Riven took it, though with care, and shook warmly. "Yes, Riven. It's nice to meet you, Paimon... and nice to know the girls have found friends, isn't it?"
"Indeed it is. You seem a good sort," Paimon replied, releasing Riven from his grasp after a few long seconds. "You'll forgive my paranoia, I'm sure. My son Ronove was nearly injured severely in his childhood when the family of one of his friends didn't take kindly to his demon nature..."
"Airyn told me about that," Riven said, making a face. "But I assure you I will do nothing of the kind. I am friends with angels and demons both."
"Hah! Well, you have good taste... and bad taste..." Paimon grinned, Riven laughed, and they drifted back to the Glade, chatting companionably as they went.
Airyn immediately dragged Astarte to her room, leaving the fathers to talk, bouncing as she went. "See! I told you my house was TOO made of alive trees!"
"Okay, fine, your mom really is a tree and your house is made of trees too," Star admitted. "That's neat, though! Ooh, is this your room?"
Airyn grinned and showed Star every inch, and before too long the doll box was out of the closet, contents strewn all over the floor.
"Oh please, kind prince! Save me from the wicked dragon!" Airyn squeaked, making the princess doll waggle in her hands.
"Rah! I am the wicked dragon king! Nobody will steal my tasty meat!" Star dipped her voice into a comical but passable imitation of a baritone, bouncing the dragon toy up and down. It didn't look fierce, but that was beside the point.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:43 pm
Snowlight Starlight
(backdated)
The snow had returned to the Glade, and Airyn and Star had wasted no time whatsoever. They rolled and built and threw snowballs and made snowpeople and screamed and shrieked around the front yard as Riven watched in between putting the Christmas lights up, directing the small magical globes to stay here and there and blink brightly. Airyn insisted that a few of the fairy lights be set to twinkle around her mother's tree.
And so they'd played and played and played, until Riven had to go in and start dinner. Airyn made a snow angel, Star retaliated with a snow demon, and they had another flurry of snowballs before collapsing happily in the yard on their backs, watching their own breath plume up above them.
"The stars are pretty out here," the demon child observed, curling her tail up tightly underneath her anorak. You can see 'em really good even through the branches."
"Yeah..."
The two of them lay there in silence for a while, watching the sky darken further, the stars twinkling and the fairy lights blinking as if in competition.
"Hey, Star?"
"Yeah?"
"Y'know..." Airyn sat up, and fiddled with her mittens. "I heard some of the older girls talking about something in the bathroom the other day. That they were best friends, so they were gonna become blood sisters... poke their fingers, so the blood mixes up, and I guess that means they get to be sisters!"
"That's kinda weird," Star said, but grinned pointily. "Maybe one of them's a vampire."
"No," Airyn replied, sticking her tongue out, then giggling. "But y'know... we should do that! You're my best friend... you'd be the best sister ever! Um. If you want," she added, suddenly shy.
"Airyn..." Star sat up, but to Airyn's disappointment the demon was shaking her head. "I would love to be your sister, but..."
"But what? Are you scared of needles? Scaredy-wuss?" Airyn gave her friend a stubborn look.
"No... it's kinda... a demon thing. Sharing blood is how you make soul-pacts, you see..." Star squirmed. "That's what my brother Ronove did. He's soulbonded to a human sorceress somewhere."
Airyn tilted her head to one side. "Soul-pacts? What's that?"
"Um... I'm not really sure... we don't get taught all about it until we're older, but you share blood and make a promise to share more things too, and it's good for magic and stuff. Ronove told me his sorceress needed the magic the soulbond gave her to save a village."
"Wow... that's weird," Airyn said, with a sigh. "But I guess we shouldn't mess with it, huh?"
"Nope," Star replied, regretfully. "I'm sorry I can't be your sister."
"It's okay. We can pretend to be sisters." Airyn smiled. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:29 pm
And so time passed...
The holidays came and went, bringing joy - and a bit of loneliness, too. Ghlyssa remained a tree, ever-green in spite of the falling snow.
But Riven began burning meals less and, learning from his Guardian, actually started to enjoy cooking. The Glade returned to a semblance of normal life, though still missing something from Ghlyssa's absence. And Airyn and Astarte became closer and closer friends.
Time passed, and life continued, until...
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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:06 pm
Breaking Point
Airyn stumbled backwards into the slush-puddle and flailed wildly at the air with her hands, trying to catch whatever-it-was that was pushing her around - but found nothing. Another shove caught her in the side, and she lost her balance and fell sideways into the brown and half-frozen slush. It soaked through her pants immediately.
"Stop it!" she yelled, fists clenched.
"Fight back!" Renswell jeered at her. The mageling was standing a good five feet away - but something he'd magicked up was harassing Airyn, and no matter how hard she swung for it, she couldn't see it or hit it - her hands went right through. "Oh wait, that's right, you can't!"
"Go away!" Airyn shouted, trying not to cry. The boy had ambushed her on the way home, and there were no teachers here to get help from. "Leave me alone, or I'll... I'll..."
"You'll what?" Renswell smirked at her. "What will you do, mundane?" His invisible construct pulled her hair, making one pigtail unravel. Airyn yelped and pulled away.
"I'll... I'll get you!" Airyn scrambled up and ran at Renswell, but she tripped over nothing at all halfway there and went down hard, the wind knocked out of her. The boy laughed, and Airyn couldn't keep the tears in anymore.
"Renswell Colton! You're a big bully and... and you're a CHICKEN, hiding behind your magic!" came a sudden indignant cry. Airyn had never been so glad to hear Star before in her life, and she pulled herself into a sitting position as the little demoness ran past her and grabbed Renswell's arm.
The boy looked shocked for a moment. "My shield!"
"Is no good against demons! You're a chicken, a total chicken! Yellow-bellied-chicken!" Star railed, taking a swipe at the boy's face with one hand. The girl's claws weren't all that sharp, but Renswell jerked away with a whimper. "Leave her alone!"
"If I'm a chicken, she's worse! She's hiding behind YOU! Ow!" The boy stumbled as Star pushed him away, her tail lashing the air like an angry cat's.
"Go. Away. Or I'll blast you!" Star held one hand in front of her, cupped slightly; immediately a red light began to gather inside her palm. The boy blanched, then turned and ran.
Star held the red light until Renswell was out of sight, then let it dissolve and ran back to Airyn. "Are you okay?!"
Airyn hiccuped. Her face was stained with tears, and her clothes were all slushy, and her hair was a mess. "I... noooooooooo," she wailed, sitting there in the cold, feeling completely useless and helpless.
"Don't listen to him! He's a chicken and a bully and no good," Star muttered, helping Airyn up. "Tell the teacher!"
"It won't help, it never helps," Airyn sniffled. It was true, too - she'd told the teachers on Renswell time and time again, and he'd kept getting detention - but the boy still wouldn't leave her alone. It had only gotten worse lately; the only other non-magical child in the class had recently transfered somewhere else, so Renswell's full attention had been focused on Airyn. "It's n-not fair..."
Star hesitated.
"What?" Airyn blew her nose into her scarf.
"Um..."
"What?" Airyn poked her friend, curious now, jumping on any distraction to get past the twisting horrible feeling in her stomach that always followed an encounter with Renswell.
"I..." Star squirmed. "I have an idea. But it has to be a secret..."
"Whaaaat?" Airyn pouted.
"Just... just ask your dad if you can... sleep over on Friday, okay? I'll tell you then..."
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