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 Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:57 am
Marissa shook her head solemnly. "Oh no, betrayal is an awful fate," she said, "It can lead to some of the deepest hurt. I wish you the best in solving your dilemma." She turned to Heather. "The only ones who know are Valleldia, Oqaia, Caroline, and the two of you," she said, "And I'd hate to imagine any of them would wish any harm on Kale," she muttered gravely. "And it is true that he could do most anything against his will if someone wears the necklace...but I...I don't want to think about it." She blinked and looked down, skirting the painful subject.
Kale squealed as he was tickled, trying to scramble away from the two children, but tripping over his own frantic feet.
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:40 am
Lorelei shook her head. "I don't think it's Kale who will betray Vanna. You said that all this will happen in a forest? Vanna's prophecy speaks of the water. And as we're so close to the Pythos and nothing's happened yet, the only thing I can think of is... something will happen while we're in Tempranillo." She shuddered. "Not... the best place.
"And with Kale... might it be that somebody outside the caravan knows what the pendant supposedly does? If they realize Kale has an affinity with fire..." She shrugged, and took a bite out of her sandwich.
Vanna fell down as well, due to her faltering legs. She simply laid on her stomach and watched the two boys, kicking her legs and twitching her back feathers in amusement.
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:03 am
Heather listened and nodded. "I hope things dont turn out for the worst." She watched all the children, Amkia seemed to collapse, he was so tired. "If you both don't mind, I better go and give him a nap and find out where and what Kala is upto." She stood up and smiled, walking over to pick Amkia up before turning to leave. "See you both later!" She nodded and walked to her caravan, which was such a long tiring walk to the caravan behind Lorelei's!
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:47 pm
Marissa nodded her goodbye. "I should be going as well," she sighed. "Thank you, Lorelei, for such a lovely time." She stood, scooped up her son a few feet away, and turned to leave. She ruffled Kale's hair, freeing it of a few leaves. Kale, looking dissapointed, waved solemnly to the other children, and he and his mother returned to PhoenixSong.
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:02 pm
Watching as the women and their boys left, Lorelei finished off her sandwich and made sure Vanna had had enough to eat. Finished that, she began to clean up the extra food and put her harp away. Vanna picked up her doll again and began to play with it.
That had been a rather successful picnic, she decided. But now she had a new reason to visit Oqaia - she had to make sure Vanna would be as safe as possible.
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:40 pm
Vanna's playing happily with her doll. I'm glad my anxiety hasn't touched her much... Marissa and Heather brought their sons today for a little picnic, and over the course of the afternoon, they told me more about their predictions, and what Valelldia had added when they last talked to her. Marissa's boy, Kale, can be controlled by a pendant... and will be, it seems, at this Woodland Choice. Amkia, Heather's son, is going to be embroiled in a sibling rivalry with his new sister, KAla, which may lead to one of their downfalls...
With all of these dark words ringing in my ears, I went to see Oqaia, to gain insight. She told me that of a man and a woman - one of them angelic and the other insatiable - will search for something, and that Vanna will be betrayed by her friend (which I already knew) for confusing reasons.
She also mentioned... "reconciling fire with the creature of the water." The only "fire" I can see is Kale. But who could "water" be...?
Her major piece of advice was to keep friends close and understand what could make them change in a moment. Again, the only one that comes to mind is Kale... and the pendant. I hope it's not him... but... perhaps it would be better if it was him than somebody like Annjette. A betrayal by Annjette, so much a sister... I don't want to think of it.
Vanna's pointing to the harp. I think she wants me to play for her again. I think I shall - it will help me take my mind off of things.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:13 am
Is this.... what? Love? It doesn't feel like what I thought love was. What I felt... feel for Shamira. It's different. There's this weird, melodic undercurrent that I can't put my finger on. I can't name it, save to say there's something more.... enchanting. Heady. I was swept away with Shamira, yes, but... not this way.
If Heather hadn't come to return Vanna to me, I may have left the caravan and gone with him. As it is... I may never see him again. I don't.... I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Leax...
I wish that I had some sort of... some sort of messenger bird. Surely there is some bird that can fly between caravans, no matter where they might be? Maybe I should ask Oqaia. Then again... perhaps I should keep it to myself. If what I felt really wasn't love... wouldn't it be best for it to fade?
But he was so kind - and Vanna accepted him immediately. He would have made a good father for her, I think...
Oh, listen to me! I'm nineteen, and judging men on whether or not they'd be good fathers. Truth be told, I probably would have been married years ago... not sure why I'm not. Perhaps I wasn't palateable to the nobles and merchants? Perhaps, even then, they could sense my wandering future?
I don't know...
Whatever it was, though, I'm glad of it.
We're heading for Twiggle Forest soon. Back to where I found Ivy-Twined and Caelebre... I have heard things about the forest, though, about the depths. And if something on the outskirts can freeze a wagon and horse in its tracks and keep it locked in time... then who knows what else it is capable of? I'm only glad that Vanna's future doesn't seem to be tied to the trees the way that some of the other children's are.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:20 am
Entry the Fourteenth
I cannot help but feel guilty.It was my idea to bring music into our group that day. I felt it would lighten the mood, what with everybody's mind still fixed on the prophecies. I had no idea... that the fey would be drawn to the music... I still can't sort out the confusion that followed. Children disappeared - Kale, Kalpana, Anezka, and so many others. The fey taunted us. Then... they disappeared. As quickly as they had come, they were gone - and so many of our family were gone. Perhaps I can be slightly redeemed in that I noticed the tree. One of the trees - Valelldia explained it as a magic, truly living tree, and what else could it have been? - was willing to help. For a price, though - all things in that forest have a price. We tried so many things. Ro offered something of shining metal... and I believe Vanna saw this and wanted to try. But the stones she brought over... It seems, now that Silver and I have talked about it some, that Aisrhan had been given a prophetic dream - that the stones were the key, that she should take them. But Vanna, who hasn't had any such thing happen... she took a stone and offered it to the tree herself, before Ais had a chance to. And as it worked, Ais became jealous. She lashed out - bit Vanna! I know she's a snake, but still - I would have thought.... I would have thought... I retreated, after that. They didn't need my help, and I had to tend to Vanna. From what I've been told or overheard, everybody was returned whole and safe except for Pierre, who's bleached white, and... Kale. I can't tell Vanna what happened to Kale. She wouldn't understand.
After all, who is friends with a candle?
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:02 am
Vanna has done a great thing today - she assisted Mirela in her son Tafari's growth.
This morning, Mirela approached our wagon, requesting Vanna's help - apparently, the meij asked that two children give differing opinions on why Tafari should grow. One should be sweet and kind, the other mocking.
Vanna was to be the caring one.
And she did a wonderful job of it! It was amazing and heartwarming, to see her talk so much and do her best to help a member of our gypsy family so readily. Her vocabulary is growing every day, and she put it to such good use!
Still, I wish she's stay put and not climb about the wagon - I don't know what I'll do if she manages to open up her foot again. Tie her to the bed? Perhaps.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:19 pm
We spent the day with DeArca today. Vanna seems to have made fast friends with his son - a little mouse named Ash. She didn't seem to think much of her injury today, which I take as a good sign - it must mean that she is healing well.
The four of us cooked and ate a nice lunch, and talked of many things. He is not very... woven into our caravan. He reminds me of how I once was. How I still am, I suppose, on some level. But he feels quite an outsider - what with being male, and being new to the group.
We talked of Tempranillo, a little. I told my story (as I seem wont to do), and he told me his. He doesn't know his parents, never has. I cannot say... whether that's a blessing or a curse, in my mind. He's looking for a friend of his. Illyana.
We talked of the future, as well. Of gypsy magic. It was refreshing, being able to talk to somebody who doesn't seem to know so much more than I do. I felt... equal. It's not that the other women make me feel lesser. That's never their intent. I just can't help but feel I'm a burden, though, sometimes.
Anyway, he carried Vanna back here to the wagon. She's been sleeping since.
It was a good day.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:36 pm
The wagons had pulled to a stop and everything was quite still and peaceful, not much rushing around or loud playing. It was a slow sort of day, the perfect day to catch up on things that had been pushed off onto the backburner or forgotten about.
Anezka and Leshya'e sat on the logs surrounding the dead fire, a sewing basket between them. The light was much better outside and the fresh air was good for their lungs, so Leshya'e decided to do her mending outdoors. Anezka looked over at her mother, watching and learning as she mended a garment of her own.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:46 pm
Lorelei emerged from her wagon, cradling Vanna in one arm and holding a dress she was embroidering in the other. A few bumbling, unsteady moments - she was so confused as to how the other gypsies managed this sort of thing - brought her to the ring of logs, and she sat down after placing her sewing on the ground. Catching sight of Lesh, she smiled.
"Oh! I didn't expect to have company. Good afternoon," she said, pleasantly. Now that things were cleared up with Voltaire, a little bit of her dread and melancholy had lifted, and she craved companionship.
Vanna, who was currently squirming on her mother's lap, giggled and waved over to the other two. "Hiiiii!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:59 pm
Leshya'e raised her head to look at Lorelei, "Oh hello, good afternoon...Lovely day, isn't it?" She smiled to the woman and the young fortunette, absentmindedly pricking her finger on her sewing needle, "Ow...oh dern..." Leshya'e winced and brought her finger up to her mouth, shrugging and rolling her eyes.
Anezka laughed a bit at her mother, then looked at Vanna and waved, "Hi...hehe...you're pretty..." The bunny girl blushed and leaned forward to look closer at the purple child, as if trying to get a closer look to examine her. All of Ani's other friends and fortunettes seemed to be utterly normal and boring compared to this girl.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:11 pm
Lorelei laughed a little as well, about the p***k. Oh, she'd be getting her own, soon. She set Vanna down on the ground, ready to pick up her own work.
"Don't you run around too much," Lorelei reminded the girl, sternly. "Your foot can only take so much." With that said, she pulled the dress she was making - for Vanna - onto her lap and pulled out the little bag of needles, thread, and beads. She was using beads she'd found stored in Ivy-Twined, but now that she'd found this way of decorating fabric, she'd have to buy more.
Threading her needle and beginning her design, she returned her attention back to Lesh, partially. "Very nice - we're so close to being out of the forest. It looks like we won't get turned around again, doesn't it?"
Vanna crawled on over to Anezka, waving. She got onto her feet, wobbily, favoring her bandaged one. "Whas name?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:30 pm
"Looks like it...hopefully..." Lesh nodded and rethreaded her needle. Looking at her finger and shaking it a bit, she went back to mending the holes in the skirt. "What are you working on? It looks lovely so far."
"My name?...My name is Anezka...What's yours?" Anezka reached out to help the girl stand upright without going wobbily.
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