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 Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 5:01 pm
The woman stared at him a moment. Was that supposed to be some sort of chivalry? Saving her the trouble of sending the insects away was a little silly, but it was a nice thing to do. After a moments pause, Laura nodded her head in agreement. "All right. I have laundry and dinner to contend with while you're busy with the wasps."
Standing up, she stretched her back and reached skyward. After a small groan as her back popped slightly, Laura lowered her arms and turned back to Rem. "Is there something you'd like to eat tonight?"
The griffin chuckled at the question and moved to lay on his side peacefully in the warm sun. "I got hurt, and met the nicest lady griffin who helped me get better." That wasn't necissarily a lie, but with the contented sigh the griffin gave with the mere mention of Kedri, Leolin certainly acted as if he'd met an angel.
"I'm a racer, couldn't you tell?" He said, not about to scare the chick with the real reason he was hurt. "Very dangerous sport racing."
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 2:50 pm
“Exactly. You have other things to do besides get wasps mad at you. You know that dealing with tiny, biting, stinging creatures is a man’s job. That’s why I always make sure you’re out of the house before Mal comes to visit.” Rem smirked at that, knowing that Mal probably would have hit him for that joke, even if it was true. Things would be a lot… quieter since he was away for the moment.
“Hm? Oh, right, dinner… there are some rabbits in the kitchen. The dogs caught them earlier, and it would be a waste not to use them.” It had probably been an accident. None of the dogs were much into hunting these days: Trillion was too young, Aggie was far too hyper to be of any use, and Flash… well, the black dog had once been a great hunter, but in his old age he was more likely to catch a nap than anything else. “What do you think of rabbit stew for dinner?” he asked. Technically, it was his decision, but he didn’t have it in him to give orders these days.
Tali’s silver eyes went wide at Leolin’s proclamation as a racer. The truth was, he had a very limited concept of what racing actually was, but apparently it was very dangerous. It must be dangerous, because Leolin said so.
“What happened?” he asked, in total awe of the big gryphon. “Uncle Aeron has scars. He says he gets them from fights. He and Sekhmet fight a lot, he says.” If beaks could wrinkle, Tali’s would have. “Do you and the lady gryphon you know fight a lot?”
Although very young, Tali already had the shrewd idea that getting together with a female gryphon led to a lot of fights.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:55 pm
"Mal's coming?!" Whirling around, the woman looked blatently surprised at the news of this. "What's he comin' here for?" The idea of dinner was, proverbially, thrown out the window.
Laughing softly, Leolin shook his head. "That's because Uncle Aeron is a T-W-I-T." Stretching out fully in the sun, the griffin stared lazily at Tali from it's side-ways position on the lawn. "I'm sure you'll get to meet Kedri someday soon. She's as kind as she is beautiful."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:29 pm
Rem blinked in surprise at Laura’s explosive reaction to the news. While he knew that Mal and Laura got along like a house on fire (while he had never been inside of a burning house, he felt the phrase was adequate) he didn’t know that this would be the result of a simple invitation.
“Umm… he might be coming over. He said that he might stop by before traveling. He’s going to be away for a few weeks, so I thought it would be nice to see him one last time. I don’t think he’s bringing Aeron along, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Aeron and Leolin got along about as well as Laura and Mal, only the humans didn’t have huge long talons and sharp beaks made for rending flesh.
Tali tilted his head to one side cutely as he tried to figure out what ‘T-W-I-T’ spelled. Eventually, he gave it up and assumed it was something good because, clearly, no one would call Uncle Aeron anything bad. He was fun to be around!
“Are you my uncle too?” he asked innocently. “I’d like to have more uncles. And maybe even aunts.” Apparently, Tali thought that relatives were something that he could collect, like cards or particularly shiny rocks.
ooc| For that plot you were thinking of... were you thinking of doing it here? That'd be hilarious. :3
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:58 pm
"Wonderful..." Laura muttered before giving a deep sigh. "On second thought, leave the wasps to me, I'll give Malcolm a real goin' away present."
Though she didn't really mean it, Laura started towards the kitchen to fix the meal. Best not to let the rabbit go to waste, and hopefully the dogs hadn't destroyed what little meat was on a wild hare.
Leolin wasn't so much bothered by Aeron any longer, despite Rem's worry. Back at the Shindig he didn't have the reassurances he had now; Kedri was his mate! Aeron couldn't take that from him. Not that the griffin was even paying attention to what the humans were saying.
Fluffy chest bouncing with a chuckle, Leolin smiled lazily at the chick. "Of course! We live under the same roof after all. And that means you do have an aunt." The humans didn't even know yet, but Kedri would be nesting soon. Maybe by then they'd figure it out? "Hopefully you'll have little cousins as well... but not for a little while."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:22 pm
Huh. The news of a visit from Mal didn’t normally have this effect. Sure, Laura would complain about it, but she wouldn’t threaten Mal with wasps. Although she might poison his tea if given half a chance… Rem made a mental note to take care of the tea if Mal actually did end up coming around.
He would have followed Laura inside, but someone had to stay and watch Tali… oh… wait. He blinked and smiled a little as the silvery fluffball started chasing after Laura, tackling her feet with excitement. Might as well follow them too, if only to see what the Hell was wrong with Laura.
Rem wasn’t a genius with things like this, but even he could see something was wrong. “Umm… is something wrong, Laura?”
Tali was only vaguely listening. As soon as he heard that he did indeed have a new uncle and an aunt, he danced around in a circle, chasing his own tail. And cousins!! He wasn’t sure what cousins were, but it was a fun word. Cousincousincousincousincousin! He finally noticed Laura’s feet and he rocketed after them, deciding that they looked like much better prey than any bugs he had seen. Grr…
He would get those feet eventually!
“Where do cousins come from?” he asked curiously, still trying to tackle Laura’s feet.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:37 pm
Leolin lifted his head and blinked in surprise at Tali bounding away. "Oi!" He called, staring at the chick. "If you want me to tell you, then come on back!" He laughed softly, shaking his head at the endless energy of a small chick.
"...I saw my brother-in-law while bringing Leolin home," Laura said after a short pause, not looking very pleased. "He didn't seem to believe me when I said I was a maid dressed, well, like this. Thankfully this is Nyhali's, so it's still women's clothing." Yes, she was beating around the bush, but she didn't much like the thought of what was to happen.
"He wanted to come here, and I was so flustered I told him how to." She glanced back to Rem, looking in obvious unease. "He's a knight whose rather hard nosed about rules and regulations. I don't think he'll take well to Mal in the slightest."
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:56 pm
Normally, the mere mention of Nyhali’s name would have made Rem blush. The mention of her clothes---especially if they weren’t on her at the moment, which her second-hand clothes most certainly weren’t---he would have been unable to form intelligent sentences for an hour or so. But, right now, more important things were on his mind.
Let’s see… Mal plus knight who worships rules and regulations… that was a perfect equation for disaster.
“I… umm… well…” he tried to say something, and failed spectacularly. After a moment of silence, he took another brave stab at conversation. “Your brother-in-law is a knight?”
Now that he came to think of it, he never really talked to Laura about his hopes and dreams of being a knight. Of course, that had been years ago. But a knight? In his house? With Mal?! That would destroy any chances he had of even being spoken of in certain circles.
“Could always just ask Mal not to come…” he said slowly.
“Ah well, most people don’t like me much. Don’t see what difference one more person would make,” Mal said from the doorway. “Mornin’! ‘S a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“… When did you get here?”
“Been here all mornin’. See, I like followin’ you from room to room. ‘S fun. I like seein’ how long it takes you to notice me.” Mal’s grin grew wider, as if this was his idea of a good time. “By the way, I especially love your dancin’ before you take a bath. Five stars. But, fantastic dancin’ all aside, I suppose I should scurry off. Remmy here has dreamed of bein’ a knight ever since he was a little muzzy, Laura,” he explained.
Rem’s hands went up to massage his temples. “Mal… I realize I may not like the answer, but how do you know that?”
“’S written in your journal, ain’t it? Here’s a hint, Rem; if you don’t want someone to know somethin’, don’t write it down.”
Meanwhile, at the other end of the house, a flurry of barks and howls announced that there was someone at the front door. The dogs always announced new arrivals.
So much for getting Mal out of here quickly…
Tali paused and looked back at Leolin. Well, Laura had already gone inside, so he supposed it wasn’t worth it trying to get her feet right now… but, he would get them later! She had to come back outside eventually…
Panting softly, the little gryphon collapsed next to Leolin and spread his wings in imitation of his elder. “Where do cousins come from?” he repeated, his head tilted to one side.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:41 pm
The most unlady-like of words escaped Laura as Mal snuck up on them, and it wasn't a second later the woman whirrled 'round. It seemed all the reasons she disliked Mal came flooding back to solidify into the scowl on the maid's face.
"Malcolm, what the hell are you doing sneaking about?" She snapped before the idea of Rem dancing before a bath- naked as a jay bird- left Laura red faced with shock Mal would say such a thing. Inwardly cursing her imagination, Laura tried to shake the image of a nude Rem from her mind's eye.
Then the dogs started, and the same unlady-like word escaped Laura again. "I-I have to get changed.... Rem, can you greet Tomas? Thank you!" Slightly frantic, she took hold of the shorter man's arm at the elbow and pulled him further into the house before the carriage door could open.
A very plain coach rolled to a stop before the Quillan manor. It wasn't a family owned carriage, it was a hired taxi from within Xuan. Opening the door from inside the coach was a tall, well built man with stringy black hair stepped out. It was combed neatly back out of his face and hung behind him to his shoulderblades.
His clothes, though pressed and certainly well kempt, were not of high quality that most Lords took for granted. The only think that looked valuable on his person was a double sided sword sheathed at his hip. He paused a moment to inquire about the fee and paid the man driving before checking the plaque at the front gate for Rem's family seal.
Leaning to preen little Tali affectionately, Leolin thrummed deep in his throat as he looked over the adorable ball of fluff. "When an Aunt and Uncle love each other, they fly to the heavens and ask an angel for children." It certainly felt like it in Leolin's opinion. "After a while, the Mommy griffin will lay eggs, and little baby griffins will come from them."
When the dogs barked, Leolin looked up in surprise. Company... Wonder who that was?
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:06 pm
Rem opened his mouth to call Laura back, but she was gone too quickly, dragging Mal along with her. He looked down at his own clothes, suddenly wishing that he was wearing something more… appropriate. Despite his composed appearance, Rem was actually rather nervous about this spontaneous meeting with a knight. A knight! In his own house! The clothes he was wearing now weren’t exactly shabby or anything… it was just that Rem felt a meeting with a knight merited something more… well… appropriate.
No wonder Laura had dragged Mal out of here. With a sigh, Rem battled his way towards the front door. With all three dogs milling around the front door curiously, it was a battle. Even old Flash seemed mildly interested in what was going on outside.
Mal smirked widely at the reaction that ‘naked Rem’ had on Laura. Ohhh… he would have some fun with that later! But, not for now. This was too serious for such a thing. There could be no doubt that Malcolm was a law-defying little b*****d who enjoyed making a mockery of just about everyone, but Rem was his friend. And becoming a knight had once been a dream of his. Maybe it still was. b*****d or not, Mal wasn’t going to ruin that.
“I suppose I’ll just slip out the back door then,” he said with a shrug, freeing his arm from Laura’s hold.
Since he came from a somewhat relaxed country, it didn’t occur to him how it would look if Laura and Rem lived alone.
Tali’s eyes went wide at Leolin’s explanation. “That’s not what Uncle Aeron told me!” he said before launching into a very accurate description of what exactly went on up in the air.
“But I like yours better,” he confided once he was finished repeating word-for-word exactly what Aeron had told him before.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:38 pm
"No... If Rem accidentally says something about you or Tomas spots you there's no getting rid of you in any polite fashion." She turned to look at him, not the least bit pleased with this. "Better you act like something other than a cheeky little leprechaun and act the part of a Lord's friend."
Stopping in front of the parlor, gesturing towards it. "Why not wait in here? I'll be back in a little while with something to drink, and hopefully Rem will bring Tomas in there." Stepping away tentitively, Laura's brow furrowed worriedly. "And whatever you do... don't hit on him!" With those instructions, she headed to her room to change into a dress.
"Lord Quillan, I presume?" The knight asked calmly, deep navy blue eyes staring almost through the Lord. When he was sure of it, the knight placed his fist over his heart and gave a proper bow. "Forgive me for my unannounced visit."
Returning to stand, Tomas had yet to smile since arriving, but was in no means angry or irrtable with Rem. Rather he kept a soft tone of voice tinged with what seemed to be expectation. After all, his sister-in-law was living with a man.... he wanted to be sure she was being treated like a proper lady.
Taken aback, Leolin couldn't do much more than stare in horror at what spewed out of the little chick's mouth. "I don't know why your Uncle told you such a thing! I'll have a word with him when next I see him..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:57 pm
“Cheeky leprechaun? Your words wound me, Laura,” Mal said, clapping a hand to his chest. Once she was gone, he dropped some of the theatrics and instead roamed the parlor, occasionally poking the fascinating little knickknacks that decorated the various cabinets and tables in the room. “Cheeky leprechaun… I thought I was on my best behavior…”
Inwardly, he was a tad annoyed that she thought it was necessary to warn him not to flirt with Sir Tomas. Or maybe the annoyance was because that was exactly what he had been planning on doing. Now Laura had ruined all the fun of it! Well, best to go to Plan B and actually behave. Laura would never see that coming.
“You would be Sir Tomas?” Rem answered in what he hoped was an appropriate manner. The bow was promptly returned and he moved aside to let the knight inside. “Please, come in. Ignore the dogs; they’re very well trained…”
Well, that was sort of true. The youngest, Trillion, had bounded up to enthusiastically sniff Tomas’s feet, as if they were the most fascinating things he had ever seen. Rem moved forward quickly to snatch the puppy away before he did something stupid. The other two dogs were rather restrained for once, and simply watched the knight. Aggie’s tail wagged and it looked as if she longed to jump up on the man and lick his face, but she held herself back. Flash simply looked at him gloomily with large brown eyes.
“Why don’t we go sit in the parlor? The dogs don’t go in there…” only because Rem generally kept the door shut. The dogs, while very sweet, had the tendency to knock things over, including Mal.
Mal perked up at the sound of Rem’s voice and threw himself into a spare chair, hurriedly making himself comfortable. And at least remotely elegant. It was difficult, since he was dressed in his normal attire of gray and brown clothes that looked out of place in the ornate setting.
“Why? Did Uncle Aeron do something wrong by telling me that?” Tali asked curiously, looking absolutely precious. “He said that some gryphons would be upset by him telling me that… he said that he figured I was old enough to know because I’m already old enough to ask!”
He puffed out his chest, feeling rather proud of himself. He was still at the age where being called ‘old enough’ for anything was a huge compliment. Getting bored with just sitting there, he poked around the garden some more, occasionally jumping at a bug. Although, remembering Leolin’s words, he avoided any that were black and yellow.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:18 pm
Making herself scarce, Laura dressed and untied her hair from the boyish stub of a pony tail. Though she did forego a corset, the woman slipped off towards the kitchen before the men reached the front door to make tea for them to drink.
Vaguely surprised when the Lord bowed to him the Knight said nothing about it. When the pup bounded over to him, the makings of a smile began tugging on his lips before Rem promptly tugged the dog away. "It's no trouble. My wife has a dalmation that's equally excitable."
With the question posed Tomas nodded in agreement. "Thank you, my Lord." He started across the lawn with the intention of following Rem when they got inside but paused momentarily when he spotted Tali. "Is that your griffin, sir?" He asked before he picked up the pace to walk towards the manor once again.
"Well... you aren't really..." Leolin didn't get farther than that before Tali darted off to search for insects. Giving an exasperated sigh, the griffin shook his head only to smile fondly at Tali. "Hey, would you like to really hunt something?" He asked curiously. It wouldn't be that hard to find a wild piglet or hare and break it's legs to give the chick something to stalk. Sure, the humans wouldn't like it... but he could always hide it for Tali to go hunt for.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:40 pm
Rem blinked at Tali as if wondering what he was doing out here. He had sworn that little Tali had followed Laura inside… but, of course, it was just as easy for the little gryphon to dash inside and outside, since Rem tended to keep the doors open.
“Yes, that’s Taliesin. He was a gift from a friend of mine. A sort of… house-warming gift, I suppose. I only moved here recently, you see.” Actually, Tali had been more of an apology, but saying that would lead to a long awkward conversation. He had to wonder if Mal was still here… He wasn’t quite sure what he ought to hope for more: that Mal was here or that he was gone. On one hand, he wanted a chance to say ‘bye’ to Mal before he set off to Albion, but on the other hand… well, he wanted to make a good impression on Sir Tomas.
“Do you have any gryphons?”
Tali stopped stalking a ladybug to listen to Leolin’s words with interest. “…This is real hunting,” he said with a sullen edge to his voice. “Just because it’s hunting for bugs doesn’t make it any less real.”
He continued to watch the stranger curiously and waddled a little bit closer to him, remaining only a few feet away. Puffing himself up, he attempted to frighten the intruder away with a series of chirps and screeches. With his fluffy wings spread wide, he looked more like a stuffed animal that had come to life rather than a threat.
By now, Mal was getting bored again. His attention span was the only thing that rivaled his height. In fact, it was probably slightly shorter.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:53 pm
"No." His curt answer spoke for itself. Obviously his sister, a peasant, could be lucky enough to own such a beast but he was not.
With the little griffin trying to intimidate him, the Knight only stopped a moment to glance down at the fluffball. The creature was certainly cute, but cute was not something the man was familiar with.
"Shall we retire to the parlor, Lord Quillan?"
Leolin scoffed at Tomas. The man would make a horrid father; he couldn't deal with young... well, anything.
Standing up and stretching, Leolin took a few steps closer to Tali and chirped to call him over. "You know those furry hares they feed you?" Leolin was guessing, having never seen what they fed the chick. "Would you like to hunt one?"
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