|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:50 am
 Dress Up
Malachite blinked his pale blue eyes at her. "Dress up?" he echoed.
The jivvin barked at him, bounding off towards the laundry room with the boy following behind her. He watched as the dog-like creature pounced a basket full of clean laundry and began pulling out several articles of clothing.
"Help!" she yipped, tail wagging as she held up a brightly colored shirt in her teeth, balancing on her back legs in a begging position.
"Ohh," Malachite said, realizing that she needed him to help her put clothes on. He took the shirt between his hands, managing to help her get it on over her head and her legs in the arm holes. The front of the shirt had a picture of a dog and the word "Inu" written below it. "Cute," he said, smiling softly.
Alfie wiggled happily, grabbing another shirt between her teeth from the pile on the floor. "You!"
"Me?" he took the black tank top with blue-green trim that she held out to him, eyeing it critically before setting it down and tugging his own white shirt over his head. He pulled the tank top on, noticing that it was much too big for him, especially in the chest area.
Alfie giggled, tugging out another article of clothing -- a green skirt-like garment. "You!" she repeated, intent upon getting her new brother to participate.
Malachite blinked at the skirt, taking it between his hands. He didn''t really want to strip in front of a girl, so he kept his pants on and stepped into it, pulling the garment up to his waist. Again, it was much too big for him, but as he turned to get a good look at himself, he thought that the outfit didn''t look half-bad.
Alfie''s ears perked up and Adrian stepped into the laundry room a moment later, another basket of dirty laundry in hand. He smiled at the two, asking calmly, "What are you two doing?"
"Dress up!" Alfie chirped.
"Dress up," Malachite said shyly, as if he wasn''t sure of this concept.
"So I see," the smile turned into a grin as Adrian set his basket down, gathering up a few of the clean clothes Alfie had thrown onto the floor. "Somehow, I don''t think Kaleb and Hana will be too forgiving if they find out you''ve been wearing their clothes," he said.
Alfie''s ears drooped and Malachite eyed the tank top and the Inu shirt they were wearing. He''d thought that they''d looked vaguely familiar...
"If you two want to play dress up, I''m sure at least one of the other bedrooms has a trunk of old stuff you could play with," Adrian said, not wanting to discourage them.
"Okay!" Alfie perked up again, trying to wrestle the shirt off of her head.
Adrian bent over and helped her out of it before turning to Malachite and eyeing the kilt around his waist. "I think that''s one of my kilts," he said, reaching out to rub the fabric between his fingers. Malachite looked a little surprised at the notion of his guardian wearing skirts, but Adrian apparently didn''t notice, adding, "It looks cute on you, even with the pants underneath."
"Eh," Malachite ducked his head, hiding his face under a cascade of hair, shyly. "Thanks..."
"You''re welcome," Adrian smiled, ruffling the hair on top of the boy''s head before standing up straight, going back to his laundry. "Try the room next to the bathroom," he said over his shoulder.
"''Kay!" Alfie bounced off towards the stairs, and Malachite stepped out of the kilt, handing it to Adrian quickly before chasing after her.
Sure enough, inside the bedroom next to the bathroom in the east wing was an old trunk in a corner. Malachite kneeled in front of it, popping open the latches and lifting the cover as Alfie watched eagerly beside him. They found several old dresses and blouses and a couple of hats. Malachite placed a flowery hat on Alfie''s head and giggled as it covered her eyes.
He dug around the chest until he felt a box sitting on the bottom of it. He pulled it out, brushing a layer of dust away and noticing that the box had latches on it to keep it closed. He opened it carefully, revealing a silver necklace with several dark green stones set into it.
"Pretty~!" Alfie said, eyeing it for a moment before diverting her attention to the other things they''d pulled from the trunk.
Malachite ran a finger along the necklace, fascinated. He wondered what kind of stones they were, and if anyone would mind if he kept the necklace for himself. He frowned softly at that thought. Adrian would probably let him keep it, but what if it wasn''t his? Would the lady who owned the house mind? Did she even remember the treasure that had been left at the bottom of an old chest in one of her abandoned rooms?
He closed the box, setting it in his lap, intent upon asking Adrian about it later. The two continued playing dress up for a little while longer, though he participated distractedly, still wondering about the necklace.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:52 am
Shopping Trip (( Are there cars and/or Wal*Marts in Gaia? Well, if everyone can live in a mansion, Adrian's going to have a car and go to Wal*Mart, darnit. ))
"Oh, look at those," Malachite said, pointing with the hand that had a yellow smiley-face sticker stuck to it.
Adrian looked in the direction he was pointing and smiled as he eyed the rack of girls skirts, remembering how cute Mal had looked the other day in his kilt. "Yeah, aren't those pretty," he said, leaning on his cart and fingering the list of things they needed at the mansion. "You want to go have a closer look?"
Malachite frowned softly, shaking his head and hiding under his hair, an act which was becoming a noticeable habit. "Can't, anyway," he said gloomily, "they're only for girls."
"Who says?" Adrian asked calmly.
Malachite peeked out from under his hair. "The sign?" he said, pointing to the one hanging from the ceiling, declaring the area to be the "Girls Clothing Department."
Adrian shrugged. "So? It's just a sign. It doesn't dictate who can and can't look at clothing."
The boy stared, mouth opening and closing, trying to find an argument against his guardian's logic.
"Babe," Adrian said with a sigh, bending down and resting his weight on one knee so he could look the boy in the eye, "they're just clothes. They're not that important to have people get upset over whether or not a boy wears girls clothes or a girl wears boys clothes. If you really want to go look at those clothes over there, I'm not going to stop you. And I'm not going to let anyone else stop you, either."
"What if someone says something?" Malachite asked quietly, trying to look anywhere but at Adrian.
"I don't care what they say to me," Adrian insisted, reaching out and taking the boy's hand, "but if they say anything hurtful to you, you let me know and I'll deal with it, okay?"
Malachite looked skeptical, eyes still darting off to the side.
Adrian tugged at his hand again, rubbing his thumb against the smiley-face sticker as he tried to get the boy to look at him. "Okay?"
Finally, those pale aqua eyes met Adrian's deep blue ones. "Okay," Malachite replied softly with a nod. Adrian stood to his feet and Malachite gripped his hand. "But I don't want to look around alone," he added quickly, afraid his guardian would leave him there.
Adrian smiled. "Alright," he said, "we can look for a few minutes. Then we'll see about tackling this list, okay?"
The boy nodded, leading Adrian by the hand towards the racks of clothing. That's all they are, he repeated to himself, just clothes...
On their way past the pharmacy area and personal hygiene products, Malachite stopped short, blinking at one of the displays. "What's this?" he asked, holding up an item surrounded by plastic.
Adrian took it from him, studying it. "It's something you use to braid hair with," he explained, showing him the pictures. "See, you put your hair in these little loops on the wand and press this button and it braids it for you."
"Oh," Malachite said in wonder, eyeing his own hair and trying to picture what it would look like with a little braid in it.
"Look, it even comes with little beads that you can clip into your hair when you're done braiding it," Adrian pointed out. He saw how the boy was staring at the package and grinned, tossing it into the cart.
Malachite squeaked in alarm. "Ah! No!"
"No?" Adrian asked, blinking at him innocently.
"Y-You've spent too much on me already!" Malachite protested, eyeing the clothes Adrian had had him try on earlier. They'd picked out several shirts, a couple of pairs of shorts, a pair of black pants, and a green and black striped skirt.
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," Adrian waved him off. "I'm allowed to spoil my own kids."
Malachite still looked vaguely upset, but let the issue drop.
"You wanna go look at the toys while I get the rest of these things?" his guardian asked, pushing the cart down the aisle.
"I guess," Malachite replied, "but don't buy me anything else!"
Adrian chuckled and grinned. "We'll see," he said mischievously.
Malachite had wandered up and down the toy aisles for several minutes, waiting for Adrian to come and find him. He'd tried playing with some of the electronic games that were on display, but their batteries had long since run out due to other children leaving them on all day long. He'd eyed the board games and the Lego sets, nothing really catching his eye. He'd walked past the shelves full of bright pink boxes, intent on avoiding them, before stopping to think. If clothes were just clothes... weren't toys just toys?
With this new philosophy in mind, he slowly shuffled down the aisle of "girl" toys, blinking up at the many, many dolls and the play sets and accessories lining the shelves. He'd stopped in front of a shelf full of "Bratz" dolls, blinking at the "Bratz Boyz" peering out of their boxes at him. He turned to glance at the dolls he'd just passed; most of them were female, though there were a couple of "Ken" dolls sitting on the shelves.
If girls can have girl dolls, why can't boys have boy dolls? he wondered. He remembered seeing the "J.I. Joe" figures in another aisle, but they weren't as cool as the "Bratz Boyz," in his opinion. He wondered why people would want boys to play with things that represented war, rather than things that advertised hanging out and having fun. It all seemed very silly to his young mind.
He continued on his way down the aisle, stopping short at a man dressed in dark, tattered clothing standing in his path. Malachite blinked up at him. "Excuse me," he said softly, trying to move past him.
"Hey," the man just stepped in front of him again, causing Malachite to step back nervously. "I was watching you stare at those dolls over there," the man sneered, revealing rows of yellowed teeth. The smile vaguely reminded Malachite of the sharks in Finding Nemo.
Malachite took another step back, eyes darting to either side quickly. He didn't like this man. He didn't like him at all.
"Would you like one?" the man asked, plucking one of the boxes from the shelf with a gnarled hand, holding it out to Malachite.
The boy shook his head. "No, thank you," he said flatly, not meeting the man's eyes.
"Aww, I wouldn't mind buying it for you, if you really want it," the man continued, stepping forward. "I've got some more dolls and toys at home that I don't really want anymore. If you want them, they're yours."
"No, thank you," Malachite repeated, taking another step back and gasping as his back hit a carpet-covered ceiling support in the aisle.
The man leaned forward, his face inches away from the boy's. "Are you sure?" he asked, his foul breath causing Malachite to hold his own. "My house isn't too far from here. We could just make a quick trip there and back."
Malachite shook his head, eyes wide with fear.
"Come on," the man goaded, reaching out to take the boy's hand, "I really like you, and would really like for you to come take these toys off my hands."
Malachite clutched his arms to his chest with his hands curled up under his chin. He was trapped against the shelf and the support, trying not to cry and wondering why, oh, why wasn't Adrian back yet?
The man placed the doll back onto the shelf, grabbing one of the boy's wrists and tugging him forward. "Let's go," he commanded, the sugary sweetness gone from his voice.
"No!" Malachite finally screamed, trying to pull away him.
The man glanced around, worried that some concerned citizen would find him out, and started speaking loudly, beginning to drag Malachite down the aisle, "If you can't behave yourself, then we're going home."
"No!" the boy screamed again, struggling against him with tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. "Let me go!"
What happened next was too quick for either of them to see. Malachite found himself on the ground, shivering and crying to himself, while the man was pinned against the support with a very angry looking guardian holding him there by the throat, their faces close together.
"Don't. you. ever threaten my kid," Adrian growled lowly, tightening his grip.
The man choked, reaching for the hand around his throat.
A hard punch to the man's solar plexus left the man dazed and gasping for breath, his hands falling limp at his sides. Adrian stepped back, letting him slump to the floor before giving the man a quick kick to the groin, taking satisfaction in the man's pained gasps.
Malachite trembled, watching his guardian warily. The fire in Adrian's eyes hadn't abated when the violet-haired man quickly reached down and gathered Malachite in his arms, setting him on top of the cart. Adrian stalked towards the checkout lines without another word. He paid the bill and loaded up his cart with plastic bags full of items, almost ignoring the associate who pointed out how Malachite was too big to sit in the cart correctly.
He turned his glare on her and said stoically, "Keep the ******** ***** out of your store and maybe I'll feel better about letting him walk on his own two feet."
Stunned into silence, the employee watched as Adrian pushed the cart out of the store.
It wasn't until they'd reached the mansion that Adrian let out a very heavy sigh, the tension draining out of him. Malachite had been too terrified of him to say anything since the incident, and continued to watch his guardian nervously, cringing in the backseat.
Adrian got out of the car, opening the door to the backseat and climbing in next to Malachite, undoing the boy's seat belt before wrapping him in his arms, pulling the boy into his lap and holding him.
After a moment, Malachite returned the embrace, clinging to him and sobbing into his chest. This was the Adrian he knew, the one that made him feel safe.
"I'm sorry," Adrian whispered into his hair, the malice in his voice from earlier completely gone, "I shouldn't have left you alone for so long."
"I-It's okay," Malachite stammered, wiping his eyes in Adrian's shirt, "you... didn't know."
Adrian sighed, pulling away. Malachite looked up at him and saw how sad and tired the man's face was. His eyes were red, too. "It's not okay," Adrian said softly, running his fingers through Malachite's hair, "I don't want anything to happen to you. You're one of my kids, now. You're my gem, Malachite." He rested his forehead against Malachite's, giving the boy a quick smooch on the nose.
Malachite felt a wash of pride flow through him at his guardian's words, leaving him feeling warm and fuzzy inside. It felt good to be loved like this. "You... scared me," he admitted suddenly.
"I know," Adrian said, still stroking the green locks between his fingers, "when I get angry like that, I even scare myself." He half-smiled, adding, "I don't get that angry very often, so it has the tendency to take everyone by surprise."
Malachite nodded, whole-heartedly believing him.
"Are you ready to go in, now?" Adrian asked. At Malachite's nod, he gave the boy another hard hug before setting him back down on the seat and climbing out of the car.
Malachite followed behind him, gathering up some of the light-weight bags to take inside. The warm and fuzzy feeling didn't leave him for the remainder of the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:53 am
Breakfast Malachite - August 8th, 2005 Adrian says I should keep up with my journal. He says he's horrible at taking care of all the other journals for my brothers and sisters and he doesn't want me to get into the habit.
I met a boy named Tristin a few days ago. He's nice, but he doesn't know what "fondling" means. I asked him what it was, but he couldn't really give me an answer. I asked Adrian and he just looked at me funny and told me to look it up.
Shopping was both fun and scary at the same time. Adrian let me look at the girls clothes, which was kinda weird. And he kept putting things in the cart when he noticed I liked them. He must've spent a lot of money just on clothes!
And then there was this guy in the toy department that wanted me to go to his house with him, but he smelled bad and was really scary. Almost as scary as when Adrian came and found me with him. He was very upset and swore at the lady at the cash register. But he was okay when we got home. I like it when he's protective of me, but I don't like it when he looks so angry. He doesn't want anything bad to happen to me, and he makes me feel safe and happy.
Later, we went and hung out with some people Adrian knows, and also saw Tristin again. I guess what's when the whole "fondling" thing came up that I mentioned earlier. He said he could "fondle me up." Very strange.
A lady named Catzi was painting her nails and I thought it was pretty. Another lady named Kitty gave me some nail polish to keep and Catzi painted my nails for me. It looks really cool.
Uhmmm... I guess that's it.
The only thing they hadn't bought the day before were new shoes, which didn't really matter to Malachite who preferred to run around barefoot.
His arrival into the dining room caused his guardian and "siblings" to glance up from their meal.
"Morning, gorgeous," Adrian greeted him, smiling warmly and holding his arm out for a hug.
Malachite quickly obliged, embracing his guardian and receiving a kiss on the forehead. He made his way to his seat and began serving himself, though the neon green nail polish on his fingers didn't go unnoticed by several of those around him. After he'd filled his plate with small helpings of everything, he realized that Hana was staring at him from across the table and he blinked at her owlishly.
"It's missing something," Hana stated flatly.
"What is?" Malachite asked quietly.
"The outfit," she replied with a wave of her hand. She abruptly stood up from her seat and left the room, returning a few minutes later with dozens of rubber bracelets in several different colors. "Here," she said, handing them to Malachite, "pick out whatever colors you want and give the rest back to me."
"That's very generous of you, Hana," Adrian said with a soft smile, concentrating on his breakfast since he knew she probably didn't want his praise.
"Thank you," Malachite whispered, choosing several black, blue, and green bracelets and handing them back to her. A couple of the green bracelets were flat and had star patterns, as opposed to being completely round, which he found cool. He quickly slipped the bracelets on over his wrist and beamed happily.
"Hn," Hana grunted, returning to her seat, "don't mention it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 11:12 am
Of Crystals, Comic Books, and Corruption Malachite - August 14th, 2005 Tristin is odd. He's nice, but he's odd. He wants me to do things with him that Mr. Nothing and Adrian do together. That scares me for some reason. They're all... mushy. I don't want to be mushy.
He gave me a skull with horns in its head and glowing eyes. It's kind of cool... even though I don't much like dead things. I gave him some sapphires in return, two that matched his eyes and one that matched his hair.
I've been poking around in the library downstairs a lot lately. There are a lot of books on rocks and crystals. The necklace I found has malachite stones in it, like my name. Adrian said I could keep it for now, but I should wear it only for special ocassions so it won't get hurt. I decided to just keep the quartz on my shelf, instead of making it into a necklace. My shelves are full of rocks and crystals and things I've found. Adrian even took me to a special store where they sell crystals and gems. I didn't tell him about giving Tristin the sapphires. I think they were expensive. Oops.
Uhm. Books. There were also a lot of comic books, and Adrian said Miss Kanth likes to collect them and read them. He picked a few out for me and Kaleb argued that he was turning me into a girl and that I should read manga with more action and stuff in them. Adrian said no, I'm too young for stuff like that. Oh, well. Beyblade and Tokyo Mew Mew are kind of cool. It gives me something to do. Adrian - August 14th, 2005 I swear, Malachite is going to grow up too quickly if people don't stop trying to corrupt him. The manga isn't so bad; I'm not going to freak out too badly if I find him reading Gravitation or something not too... violent or sexual. But really, Nothing needs to stop thinking of involving him in our relations together, at least at this age. I won't stand for it. Tristin, I can't very well control, but I don't think he really knows what is involved in smex and such. At least, I hope not. Christ.
And I am not turning him into a girl! He just happens to like skirts and nail polish and braiding his hair. He picked Tokyo Mew Mew out by himself because he thought the catgirls were cute. He really does have a mind of his own, and he's doing his best to figure out the mysteries of the world, and why it's silly that boys can't play with/read/wear girls stuff. It makes me so proud of him that he won't grow up like so many children in our society.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 5:30 am
Philophobia, Kinetophobia, Agoraphobia *curls up on a couch, feeling quite sore and tired, and not up to putting up with certain things today... so he brought Malachite along with him*
Malachite: *cuddles up beside him, wide awake but with little to do but read the manga he brought with him*
Malachite: *turns a page in his manga, pulling a box of Junior Mints seemingly out of no where and opening it, popping one of the candies into his mouth*LuminaKitsune: *walks over and holds out a box of Nerds* Want some? smile Malachite: *looks up from his book, blinking at the box of candy* o.o ... Okay. *sets the book down and holds out his hands, since he isn't sure he wants the whole box and wants to try some of the candy, first*Lumina: *pours some into his hand and withdraws the box* Try it. They're good! Malachite: *stares down at the colorful little candies in his hands before taking a couple of the same color and putting them into his mouth, crunching down on them* o.o ... *shrugs, taking another pinch, eating them slowly*Lumina: Good? smile Malachite: *nods, but looks unsure* ... it's colored sugar... Lumina: It also has a bit of tart in the middle and flavoring. I, myself, prefer crab. *breaks open a crab leg* Mmmm.... *eats meat*<3 Malachite: *shrugs and goes back to his manga, munching on the last of the Nerds*Mr. Nothing: *grumble-whines and plods in, rubbing at my eyes* You! All of you! I'mma eat you... Tristin: *walks in and wanders over to a couch, curling up on it and using his penguin as a pillow* ...I'm with him. I'm hungry. *perks up* Really? surprised
Malachite: *looks up again, shoving his manga behind Adrian* o.o ... *shakes box of Junior Mints at Tristin* Want some? They're good... *snickers and wanders over, laying on you* Ah... Jus' the bunny I was hopin' for. You're my first candidate for eating. *nibbles at an ear* Tristin: Ah... *sits up, leaning to see what's being offered to him* Sure, I guess... *nods quickly, hopping off the couch and plopping down beside Mal* *squeaks, submitting to the nibbling* ^^; Don't squish the baby. *motions to Malachite beside him*
Malachite: *lets himself fall off the edge of the couch, putting distance between him and Adrian and Mr. Nothing* >.>;;; *shakes out a couple of the chocolate-covered, liquid mint candies and offers them to Tristin**lifts his head, blinking at Mal* Aww... Forgot 'bout him. *nods and ruffles Mal's hair before nuzzling at Adrian's ear, licking at it quickly* Cutie, he is... *Snicker* Should see about pulling him in with us when he grows a bit... Tristin: *watches Mal slide off the couch, following beside closely* Hmm... *blinks at the candies for a moment before shrugging and popping one into his mouth* Eh... *munches the candy, peeking over the edge of the couch* Ooh... Nothing's talking about you. Malachite: *ducks a bit as his hair is ruffled* Yes, I know... ._.;; Do you like them? *motions to the candies, pulling out one for himself and placing it in his mouth, letting the chocolate melt away*Tristin: *chuckles and reaches over, ruffling Mal's hair* Ah... *munches on the one he had let met away* It's okay. Won't complain about free candy. Malachite: *ducks away again, wondering why people keep touching his hair today* o.O; *frowns softly, shrugging as he swallows his candy* I like them... better than colored sugar. *points to Lumina's abandoned box of Nerds nearby*Tristin: Ah... *drags the box of nerds over, munching on a few* Yeah. Tis better than these... Well, I guess those aren't too bad. *nodding, he yawned quietly* ... *leans against Malachite, resting his head on his shoulder* Hmph. Still like your hair, y'know. Malachite: *nods in agreement, blinking as the boy rests against him, turning slightly pink at the compliment* Thank you. I like your hair, too. >.>; *has no sense of romanticism or relationships; stop giving him that look*Tristin: Meh... *gives a slight tug at his hair* Mine's too dark. The green's quite good, though. *nodding, he turned slightly to play with a bit of Mal's hair* Malachite: *lets him play with his hair* I don't think it's too dark...Tristin: Yeah well, yours is much prettier. I do like how bright it is. *chuckles* And it's nicely long. Quite nice to play with. Malachite: *is rubbed at again* @.@; *hunches over, trying to get out of Nothing's reach, and shakes out a couple more candies to suck on* I have a wand at home that braids your hair for you... it's fun. *tugs out a braid hidden behind his ear, letting it fall against his face*Tristin: *chuckles as Mal hunches low, picking out one of the candies to suck on* Ah, I bet it is. *Smiles slightly, playing with the braid* Hmm... You should put a few more in. It doesn't look too bad, with your hair. *nods, scooting around to Mal's front* Malachite: *sits back up again after a moment, finishing the last of his candies after giving Tristin a couple more* I only like having a few in at a time. We tried doing braids through the whole thing and it looked funny. Tristin: *catches his name being said again and perks up slightly, trying to pay attention to the two behind him and Malachite while sucking on the last few candies* Hmm... Well, I'll have to see it all braided. But yeah, think only a few would look best for you. *starts sifting through Mal's hair, checking for any other braids* Malachite: *shakes his head a bit at the contact, loosening the hair, but no other braids appear* What are you doing...?Tristin: *still listening to the two groups, he chuckles as Mal shook his head* Trying to see if you have any other braids. Can't have just one, can you? *nodding, he tried to glance up at the two on the couch discreetly, catching Nothing as he glances down at him, causing him to turn back quickly and rather indiscreetly* Malachite: *blinks* Yes, I can... *also glances up at the couch at Tristin's slight spaz, blinking up at Nothing before turning back to Tristin*Tristin: Ah, well... *tugs at the braid again* I've never seen anyone with just one before. Hmm... Don't think my hair's long enough for a braid, do you? Malachite: *tilts his head as his braid gets tugged at* ... *reaches up to finger Tristin's hair* Could probably do little braids... maybe something like cornrows... unless you grew it out. Tristin: *perks up as Nothing mentions Xyre, turning to him* I wasn't hitting on him! I was just saying he was pretty... And you know he is. *nods, stucking his tongue out quickly before turning to Mal again* Ah... I don't know whether I'd look good with it grown out. But I really doubt cornrows would look nice. Emo wanders in, smiling down at Aponi, whose holding a fluffy sheep plushie (Pictured in Journal, xD) close to his chest while his other hand is holding tightly onto Emo's. She leans down to kiss him on the cheek and he walks off to go see the familiar Mr. Nothing.
Aponi: +Gazes at Nothing, smiling+Tristin: *looks up from Mal, smiling at the child* Oh, Aponi! *pats the spot beside him* Sit down. We can critique your hair, too. Malachite: *shrugs* Maybe not. I don't know much about doing hair. *looks up as Tristin calls out to another boy, eyeing him quickly before looking down at his empty box of candy, fiddling with it shyly*Tristin: Well... Maybe I'll see how it looks once it grows out. I think it's a bit too thick to really be nice, though. *chuckles as he watches Mal start fiddling with his candy. Looking up to Aponi, he put an arm around Mal, smiling* Ah, right... Must introduce this guy. This one is Malachite. *grinning, he rested his head on Mal's shoulder* Tis my boyfriend. Malachite: *blinks as Tristin wraps an arm around him, stares as Tristin lays his head on his shoulder, and outright squawks as Tristin announces him being his boyfriend* Wha-what?! *turns around, giving Adrian a panicked look* A~drian~ T__T
*rests a hand over his face* -.-;;;;Tristin: *pouts at Mal's apparent dislike for the idea, turning back to see Adrian's reaction and whining* C'mon~... You're the guy I've bothered most. *pouting still, he blinked at Mal* Sure you don't want to be...? Uh... *coughs softly* Sorry, bud. *Chuckling, he leaned down, flicked Trist's ear, and whispered to him* Don't bother Adrian's kid... Haven't you figured out he's too touchy for it? Tristin: o.O ...No... *blinku* *still has his face hidden under his hand* Nothing, your child is hitting on my baby... again. -.-;;;;
Malachite: *looks at Tristin with that same wide-eyed, shocked expression, babbling nonsensically* Bu... me... I... you... eh... *gives up and hides his face in his hair again* Myaaahhhh~ .__.;;;; Aponi: The child smiled even wider at Nothing, waving timidly, before turning to Tristin and oblidging his offer. "Critique...my hair?" He looked up at his flat white locks, quite pleased with his hair as it was, and plopped beside Tristin with a content, yet confused, look upon his face. He then gave a look to Malachite...green hair! Neon green hair! He held back the urge to comment on the pretty color. *laughs softly, smiling* Eh... Sorry, bunny. *tugs at Tristin's ear softly* Stop it... Tristin: *squeaking as Nothing tugged at his ear, he leaned away quickly, slipping free. Rubbing his ear into Mal's shoulder, he glanced up at his supposed boyfriend* Very good! *tugging him closer, he grinned* You're mine, then. *nod* Nice buddy... ... *glares at Tristin, sighing* He doesn't listen to me... Malachite: *looks up at the new boy again, only to find him staring at him; he whimpers, tugging more hair infront of his face to hide himself* Wha... buh... *whines at Tristin's rubbing and tugging* Tristin: *chuckling as the new boy stares at Malachite, Tristin tightens his hold on him further* Aww... What's wrong, sweet? Hmm... *blinks at Aponi for a moment* Dare sat ona beanbag chair in a corner contemplating his situation. first he was stuck with way to many kiddlet second orion and trinket were nowhere to be found. third M'hall appeared to have dissapeared. Finally fourth and most annoyign he was stuck babysittign the creepy little new kid umbra had bruogh home. Tybalt began walkign about the room sprinkling multicoloured confetti on everyoen and murmering in greek. Aponi: The boy noticed how close Malachite and Tristin were, and imedeatly felt a tingle of blush hit his cheeks, he held back a laugh. Having a boyfriend at such a young age, how odd. He smiled and was about to speak, but then noticed a glittering of powder and colorful squares were thrown upon him, and gave a confused look about the glittery scene, seeing that Tybalt was to blame. He gave the stranger a looking over, and gave a friendly smile. Malachite: I... it... staring... boyfriend... confetti... buh... *spaz-flails for a moment before returning his hands to his face, hiding from the world and all its insanity* Tybalt grinned enigmatically then scaned the room.His gaze landed on malachite whom he promptly went over to and pulled to the ground and bgean tracing. As he drew aroudn him with several differnt coloured peices of chalk he whispered " move out of this outline before i say you can and the results will not be good" Malachite: *lays there, petrified, trying not to cry* A...dri...an...
*frowns* Would you people stop scaring my poor baby? Christ. *sits up so that he can keep a better eye on Tybalt* I really do hate to rush art... but will you be done soon?"if he would stop freakign out and chgaing the colours of his aura is might go quicker" Tybalt responded annoyed. it wasn't his fault noone understood him. Nor his fault that Mal was so skittish. Thuogh those with his colour aura usually were. He continued to draw fora few moment then began shading in crooning to the fightened child in spanish hopig to sooth him. Dare raised and eyebrow and shrugged, his job was to wtach the kid not to interfere with the little tyrants acts of artistic terorism.The kid would make and intrestign dom when he was olderif it werent for the fact that dare doubted anyoen would go near him. well anyoen other than samsara and his twin. Whimpering softly, Malachite looked up, trying to find Adrian without moving his head. He didn't understand what the boy was saying about auras, but he hoped that if he stayed still and calmed down that he wouldn't anger the boy further. The singing was pleasant, at least.
Adrian leaned over so that he was in Mal's line of sight, but not in Tybalt's way. "You'll be okay, hun," he reassured him. "Once he's done, you can come up and sit with me." Samsara snuck quietly into the room creeping into Malichite's line of vision but well out of Adrian's sight a smirk gracing his lips "yes do stay ever so still, else he might bite off an ear for his next project.." Tybalt nodded " the drippign blood would make an excelleant connect the dots outline. He calmly filled inthe rest of the outline cathign eahc bend inthe aura and the bluring of the colours. out of his pants pocets he pulled a small pair of craft sicssors and cut a few locks of the boys hair. one he placed in his pocket the other he calmly glued aroudn the drawing lookign the boy in the eyes he smiled " pray those noones ever erases this for fear that you very soul is erased with it" Malachite whimpered at the sight of the dark-colored boy, recognizing him from a few weeks before. His stomach clenched in fear at the words of both boys and he shut his eyes, hoping this all would be done soon.
Adrian opened his mouth to protest as Malachite's hair was cut, then shut it, glowering at the child. "Finish up," he snapped.Tybalt stood and moved away " you may rise but don't smudge the picture". He eyed Adrian with annoyance "I am not harmign him i am meremly attemptign to understand him. Besides leanrignt o fear young will teahc us all to be brave when we are older for we have logn since met our limits of cowardice." Dare blinked, since when was this kid the philosopher of thehouse that was his job. Sitting up carefully, Malachite looked down at the outline, too scared of what would happen if he damaged it to move.
Unable to think of a good argument against the boy's philosophy, Adrian removed himself from the couch, standing and straddling the outline on the floor. He reached down and lifted Malachite up by the arm pits, clutching him to his chest protectively as he stepped over the outline, stalking past Tybalt and heading over towards one of the other couches, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Since it seemed that they weren't about to be attacked from the shadows anytime soon, Adrian sat on the couch, settling Malachite in his lap. He frowned at the places where the green hair didn't match in length, gathering the locks together and draping them over the boy's shoulder. Fearful, pale blue eyes met his brifely before Malachite wrapped his arms around his guardian's neck and clung to him, crying soundlessly against his chest. Adrian rubbed at the boy's back, trying to soothe him.
The visit to the shop had proven to be too much for him, once again.
"Time to go home," he murmured, picking Malachite up in his arms again and heading for the exit, not bothering to look back even as the door slammed shut behind them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:26 am
A Journal Entry from Adrian Adrian - August 16, 2005 Well, yesterday was, thankfully, better than the day before. Malley ended up becoming part of one of Tybalt's little art pieces on the floor of the shop. He'd already been wound up because of Tristin's declaration of the two of them being boyfriends. Poor kiddo, he just doesn't know what to make of the idea. Anyway, Tybalt really shook him up, and it was the last straw. I almost couldn't get Mal to come back to the shop with me yesterday.
Kitty had managed to get Malachite to calm down and be distracted for a moment by painting his nails purple. They're quite pretty, but I think I need to invest in some nail polish remover for when they get chipped to pieces and aren't as pretty. Tristin had mercy on him when he came into the shop and saw Mal clinging to me. There's also this new boy, Aponi, who seems very sweet. He let Malachite borrow his stuffed sheep plushie, which he clung to while I got up to stretch my legs. Next thing I knew, Tybalt had walked into the shop, so I stood by and watched to make sure he didn't do anything to upset my baby further. I could tell Mal was upset, but Tybalt was fairly courteous, giving him a jar of molding clay and a quiet apology. He even got Mal to shake his hand. All through this, Tristin and Aponi watched the two of them, and Tristin seemed about ready to bite the boy if he did anything to Mal. I told him that it was okay, though, and he backed down the tinyest bit. It was kind of cute.
We ended up leaving right around then. I took Malachite to get his hair fixed (Tybalt had cut off a couple sections of it), and the lady was very nice and did her best to level it off without cutting it too short. She cooed over his hair color the entire time, though she didn't believe me when I said it was natural. His hair is still long in the front and it gets a little bit shorter towards the back. It's hard to describe it, and it's hard to find any pictures close to what it looks like. It's kind of like this, only green, with longer, uneven bangs, and hair almost down to his shoulders in the front:
He cried, poor baby. He didn't want his hair cut at all, but I told him that it would grow out, and it wouldn't look as strange as it did. He can still put braids in the front, at least.
After that sad experience, we stopped in at a Claires store because he got distracted by all the pretty things inside. We basically just wandered around a bit, though he did pick out a set of makeup (the horror!) that he liked. It's not too vivid, so I suppose...
He spotted some chokers on the wall and said he wanted one like mine. I told him maybe when he was older. He's of course too young and naive to know why I wear mine all the time. I'll explain it to him someday.
I think that's about all I have to report for now. Let's hope today remains fairly uneventful.
Oh, right, I did forget one thing. We watched Pirates of the Carribean last night. It scared him at first, what with the skeletons and everything. He did manage to watch the whole thing and enjoyed it, and afterwards, I popped in the second disk and showed him the clip of how they made all the skeletons. I think he understands now that the skeletons weren't real.
Now, if he'd stop singing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," over and over again, we'd be all set...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 6:37 am
Chicken Little Wasn't Green (( I don't feel like doing the usual. Have an unusual entry. ))
"So..."
"... a needle pulling thread?"
"What? Er, no..." A shake of green hair. "You... did you see what happened?"
"You mean when Tristin kissed you?" a soft smirk.
A nod in reply.
"Yes. You stopped breathing, but the sky didn't fall in on you and the world didn't end."
"Oh... yeah. I guess it didn't..."
"What are you going to do? Anything?"
"No... I don't know what I can do..."
"Do you like him?"
"As a friend, yeah. I just... don't know about this whole... boyfriend business."
"I know," a reassuring pat, "you're still young. You shouldn't have to worry about such things just yet. But I wouldn't worry. He's a nice kid. A little strange, but not nearly as bad as some of the other boys."
Another nod. "Aponi's nice, too."
"Yeah, I suppose he is. I haven't seen him enough to really know what to think of him."
Silence for a few moments.
"So... do you think... Tristin would like it if..."
"... if?"
"... if I... k..." Choking on the word.
"Kissed him?"
"Eh," an embarassed look, "yeah..."
"Yes," another smile, "I'm sure he'd like that very much. Don't be afraid to..." a pause, and a soft frown. A hope that he won't regret saying this, "to explore. Just don't let him push you farther than you're comfortable with. Tell him 'no,' forcefully, if he's doing something you aren't sure about."
A nod. "Okay... Love you."
"Love you, too, sweetheart."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 6:28 am
"My Last Breath" At some point after the infamous "incident at Wal*Mart," Adrian had picked up a CD/Radio/Cassette player and a few CDs for Malachite. Kaleb had let the boy listen to some of his music, which was mostly hard rock or "pop" songs, but Malachite hadn't been too impressed with it.
The one CD Adrian knew he liked in particular was Evanescence's album, "Fallen." So he'd bought the boy his own brand new copy of the CD, since Adrian's had the tendency to skip. Malachite had been absolutely thrilled with these new gifts, clinging to his guardian and thanking him profusely before toddling off with the new CD player in its box and the CDs stacked on top.
It had only taken the boy a few minutes to get the player out of its box and set up on his bedside table. It wasn't particularly big; it was round with speakers built into the system, so it didn't take up a whole lot of room. It was a blueish, purplish color with silver buttons and speaker covers.
Removing the plastic wrapping over the CD was a bit more of a challenge. Malachite was in a bit of a sulk over his chipped nails by the time he'd finally freed the CD and popped it inside the player.
A few days later, Adrian had determined that Malachite had memorized the words to all of the songs.
How did he know this?
The lilting melody floating out of Malachite's room was a dead give away.
He stopped at the door and listened for a few moments, smiling to himself. Malachite really did have a sweet voice, when he chose to use it. The boy had always been shy and quiet, expressing his emotions mainly through facial expressions. Adrian could tell that he'd gained a little more self-confidence in his interactions with Tristin and Aponi, and also through his singing. The first couple of days, when Adrian had managed to hear it, Malachite's voice had been soft and halting, stumbling a bit over the words, careful to hit the right pitches.
It would pay off someday, Adrian decided as he continued on his way. If singing helped the boy to gain confidence in himself and his own voice, then that would be the greatest thing that could come of it.
"I'll miss the winter,
A world of fragile things.
Look for me in the white forest
Hiding in a hollow tree.
Come find me...
I know you hear me,
I can taste it in your tears.
Holding my last breath,
Safe inside myself.
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured lies?
It ends here tonight..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:30 pm
First Day of School Blues ( A week or so ago... )There had been a mistake in the enrollment process that left Malachite going to a different school than the rest of his kiddlet friends. This had upset both him and Adrian, since that had been the entire point of making him go to public school. There were a few guardians that had chosen to home school their boys and Adrian had been perfectly willing to consider that as an option, except for the fact that it would be isolating for Malachite.
'Twas the first day of school and all through the mansion, Adrian and most of his kids were in a tizzy, trying to get ready as quickly as possible.
Malachite had managed to get himself ready for school on his own. He'd picked out his outfit and taken a bath the night before, he woke up early to duck into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before anyone else. Adrian had hung a mirror in Malachite's bedroom, so he could do his hair without hogging the bathroom.
He sat on his bed, fidgeting impatiently as he waited to leave. He smoothed down his skirt self-consciously, and gave his reflection in the mirror a critical look. He'd worn a dark violet, sleeveless shirt with a new green plaid skirt, similar to Adrian's kilt. He'd also worn a pair of his purple and black striped knee-high socks with a new pair of simple black boots that reached the middle of his legs and zipped up the sides. Hana had been gracious enough to let him borrow some more of her blue and black rubber bracelets and to help him apply a little bit of make up to his face.
At some point during their final run of school shopping, Adrian had found a butterfly charm with blue stones set into it and had placed it on a piece of black cord and given it to Malachite to wear. He'd also found some small bottles of nail polish and matching mini-tubes of lip gloss for cheap, and had bought one of each color for Malachite to try. Malachite had painted his fingernails and glossed his lips with a pale blue color.
The outfit was completed with a small braid beside each of his ears, dotted with blue and violet beads. The braids helped to hide the tiny peridot earrings he'd received when, on a whim, Adrian had decided to let Malachite get his ears pierced at the mall.
Malachite nibbled at the inside of his lip anxiously, butterflies whirling inside his stomach. He had no idea what to expect at this school. Everyone had encouraged him to go and find new friends who shared his love of reading, but he'd hoped that he'd be going to school with at least one person he knew. He also didn't know what to expect from the teachers, such as how nice they were, or how much homework they'd give. All of these thoughts and concerns served to make him increasingly nervous as they finally headed for the school.
A half-hour later found Adrian and Malachite standing outside of a large building made of dark-red brick. The building itself was intimidating enough without having to dodge the dozens of other parents and children milling about the entrance way.
"It won't be that bad," Adrian said, trying to be reassuring as he was jostled by one careless shoulder. He shepherded Malachite into the building, and after a quick stop at the office, they finally made it to his homeroom where the teacher was standing outside the door. She was quite tall and thin, with frizzy strawberry blonde hair that reached below her shoulders.
"Good morning!" she said cheerily, holding her hand out to Adrian who shook it. She gave Malachite a disarming smile. "I'm Miss Mailloux. Who is this lovely young lady?"
The "lovely young lady" blinked up at her from where he was standing behind Adrian's leg. His guardian chuckled softly, smiling awkwardly. "This young man is my son, Malachite. I'm Adrian Karlet, his guardian," he explained, reaching around to give Malachite a nudge out into the open.
Miss Mailloux's smile faltered for an instant at Adrian's correction and she extended her hand to Malachite. "I'm sorry," she said, "you just seemed so..." She trailed off before regaining her composure and smile. "Well, anyway, welcome to my class, Malachite."
Malachite shook her hand half-heartedly, feeling sick to his stomach.
"Alright, well," Adrian interjected, bending down to give Malachite a hug, "I guess you're in good hands here. Try to have a good day, okay? I love you."
"Love you, too," Malachite managed to whisper, clinging to him before Adrian let go, his guardian giving him a tired smile and a wave before disappearing into the throng of people.
"Let me show you to your desk," Miss Mailloux said, smile seeming more forced than kind.
As she led him into the classroom, Malachite had a feeling that, despite Adrian's plea, it was not going to be a good day.
It was just after lunch that Adrian had received the call to return to the school as soon as possible.
As he drove as quickly as possible without breaking the speed limit, he wondered sarcastically just how many people he'd have to kill today.
He made it to the brick building and marched up the front steps, heading directly to the office where he was met by Mrs. Anderson, the school secretary and underling of the coincidentally absent principal.
"Well, I'm afraid there's been an incident," she explained haltingly when Adrian demanded to know what had happened.
"Incident?" Adrian repeated, the tone of his voice promising dire things should the response be undesirable.
"Yes," the woman continued, "I was concerned this morning when I first saw Malachite come in. His choice of clothing is a little... different than that of most boys his age."
Adrian's blue eyes darkened as he snapped, "And?"
"Unfortunately, some of the other boys decided to confront him about it," she finished quietly. "Not only boys his age, but some of the older students took note of his peculiar appearance, as well, during recess."
"Confront as in verbal or physical?" he asked, voice rising.
"A little of both," she replied tiredly, "Though it seems that most of the physical violence was started by the older children."
Adrian turned away from her, fists clenching and unclenching. He took several deep breaths, lips forming a thin line. "And you and the teachers didn't stop them?"
"We have many children to watch over, Mr. Karlet," Mrs. Anderson responded, looking down her nose at him. "Though what happened to Malachite is regrettable, there is little that we could have done to stop it until it had reached our attention."
"Did he fight back?" Adrian asked, suddenly going quiet.
"No," she said, pursing her lips, "not that we're aware of."
"Then none of this was his fault, then," he reasoned. "Have the other students been dealt with?"
"Some of their parents have already been in contact with us, and we will address them face-to-face," she explained. "But I'm more concerned about what caused the incident to begin with."
"They made fun of his clothes, apparently," Adrian said, not seeing where she was going with this.
"Yes," Mrs. Anderson said, clearing her throat, "it has been determined that Malachite's choice of clothing was a violation of our dress code."
Adrian felt enraged at that statement. "Show me," he said, voice deadly level, "where in your dress code it says that boys cannot wear skirts."
"It proved to be distracting for the other students," she replied just as evenly. "And not only was he wearing a skirt, but several of the children noticed the make up he was wearing, which is also unusual for a boy to be seen wearing."
The guardian glared at her silently for several moments before he finally asked, "Where is my son?"
"Malachite is with the school nurse," she replied, appearing startled when the man got up and marched out the door. "Mr. Karlet!"
Adrian stormed off towards where he'd seen the nurse's office earlier, pushing open the door. The sight of his boy - his gem, his beautiful child - made his heart drop.
Malachite sat huddled in a chair in the corner, shaking with fine tremors. His lip had obviously been split open, and there were darkening bruises around his eye, jaw, and along his arms. His clothes were torn and the braids that hung beside his face were clear of beads and falling apart.
The boy didn't look up as Adrian entered the room; only the indignant cry of Mrs. Anderson following behind him caught his attention. He gasped softly when he realized Adrian was standing in front of him, but the look on his guardian's face made him shy away, curling in on himself.
This reaction startled Adrian, who moved forward, kneeling beside Mal's chair. "Malley? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"Y-you're," Malachite paused, sniffling as he tried to hold back tears, "you're angry..."
"Yes," Adrian said quietly, placing his hand on Malachite's knee, "I'm very angry. But I'm not angry with you. This wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was," the boy argued with a soft sob, "I shouldn't have dressed like this, and now they're r-ruined." He ran his hand over a long tear in his skirt, choking on his tears.
"Babe, it's alright," his guardian said, standing and picking Malachite up so that he could sit in the chair with the boy in his lap, wrapping his arms around him protectively. "We can buy you new clothes. That's not what I'm angry about. I'm angry that this happened at all." He ran his fingers through Malachite's hair, brushing it away from the boy's face. "You were supposed to be safe here," he said, giving the secretary a pointed glare.
Mrs. Anderson fumed silently.
"T-they said... I can't wear my skirts to school anymore," Malachite said, burying his face against Adrian's chest.
"Who said?"
"The teachers."
Adrian's glare turned fiercer. "They can't do that."
"Yes, Mr. Karlet, we can," the woman said haughtily. "We've already discussed how it's a breach of the school dress code."
"And I still say you should show me where it says that boys can't wear skirts!" Adrian snapped again, causing Malachite to tremble in his arms.
A muscle in the woman's jaw twitched. "Mr. Karlet, I really must ask for you to be reasonable."
"And I really must ask for you to stop being intolerant!" Adrian shot back, picking Malachite up as he stood from his seat. "I want him transferred to another school," he said quietly, but with no less anger behind it.
"Mr. Karlet--"
"I won't give you another chance to let this happen to him again; I'm taking him out of your school," Adrian said, tone rising to the same level as it had before.
After a little more shouting and threats, Malachite was finally transferred to the school he should've gone to in the first place. Adrian marched during the middle of Miss Mailloux's class and quickly grabbed Malachite's purple and black backpack before leading the boy out of the building and driving off, tires squealing behind them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:50 pm
Aftermath Adrian - September 2nd, 2005 It's been over a week since the screw up with Malachite's school. Physically, he's healed up nicely, though the bruises have faded to a yellow-green color. The ones on his face, he's more than eager to hide using makeup. Poor babe...
I don't know how the hell the poor thing could get screwed over in a matter of hours without anyone noticing. From what he told me, not even the girls really wanted to get near him - like he had some sort of disease or something. It's horrible. If I'd known what kind of a school it was, I would never have let him go.
Bastards. Treating my child like he's abnormal. "Distracting," my a**.
Grumble grumble.
Emotionally, I wouldn't say he's completely healed, but he's getting better. This new school is a lot more tolerant, and he's managed to make a few acquaintences. Tristin and Aponi have done their best to cheer him up, for which I'm thankful for. Even Kaleb and Hana seemed pretty concerned when I brought him home. He didn't come out of his room that night.
He seems to like his new teachers and the staff better, and the school isn't nearly so big, dark, and scary as the other. So, I'm glad we were able to get that straightened around. His likes are becoming too ingrained to make him start changing how he dresses, now. I had planned from the start not to "make" him dress a certain way, but to let him choose what he liked. He just happened to like skirts and pretty things.
Behavior, I'm more picky with. I will not tolerate a disruptive child. But Malachite's been so well behaved since the day I brought him home, that I doubt I'll have to worry about that... at least, not until he hits adolescence. Oi.
Oh, and this is something I've found interesting. I could almost swear that his hair has grown back to the same length as before, when it's only been a couple of weeks since his run in with Tybalt. It's strange, and reminds me of how Harry Potter's aunt and uncle tried to cut his hair, only to have it grow back within days. I'm kind of, sort of wondering if Mal's got a bit of magic in him. I mean, I consider him magical, in a way that all parents/guardians should feel about their kids. But you know what I mean. I really wouldn't be surprised, what with some of the children that leave DT's mansion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:43 am
Permission to Rough House Malachite was walking down the hallway when he heard voices coming from Kaleb's room. He stopped and listened, recognizing the voices as Adrian and Kaleb's.
"He's just a little boy," Adrian was saying, "he needs someone to look up to, and you could be good for him."
"I don't have time to baby-sit him," Kaleb grumbled.
"I could make time for you."
This was met with a belabored sigh.
"You don't even have to spend that much time with him. A half-hour every once in a while, that's all I ask."
"I don't even know what to do with him."
"Teach him DDR or something. He's big enough now that you could play-fight with him without him getting hurt too badly."
"I guess."
"You're a smart boy," Adrian said, stepping towards the door, "you'll figure something out."
Malachite attempted to duck into his bedroom so that no one would think he'd been eavesdropping. However, he had forgotten one very important thing.
His bedroom door was closed.
He squeaked in pain and held a hand to his shoulder as he bounced off the door. He blinked up at Malachite sheepishly.
"Are you alright?" Adrian asked, amused.
Malachite nodded, staring at the floor as Kaleb peeked outside. "What happened?" the teen asked, eyeing the kiddlet.
"I ran into the door," Malachite mumbled.
Kaleb gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah," he said, letting the word hang in the air. He recovered, stepping into the hall and poking Malachite in the nose. "You need help, and you need it now," he announced, grabbing the boy's wrist and tugging him downstairs to the training room.
Malachite squeaked, following along behind him while Adrian chuckled, watching them leave.
"Now, learning to defend yourself should help improve your coordination," Kaleb explained. He and Malachite stood facing each other. "And not only do you need better coordination, you need a backbone."
Malachite nodded, unashamed by this statement.
"Alright--"
They both looked up as the door opened, revealing Hana, the fiery tiger-girl, standing there. She waltzed into the room, approaching them. "Karlet said you could use my help," she said, hands on her hips.
Kaleb stiffened, eyes smoldering. "I can handle this."
"Oh, yeah?" she asked, getting close enough to give Kaleb a light punch to the shoulder.
Kaleb returned the punch, which Hana easily blocked. "Yeah," he replied, "but if you want to help demonstrate how not to defend yourself, then..."
Malachite took several steps back, watching as the confrontation quickly dissolved into a fist-fight between the two. Though Kaleb was stronger, Hana was faster. Hana also had another advantage over the teen: Kaleb didn't like hitting girls. Whenever he landed a punch, it was never at his full strength.
After several minutes of this, the two broke away, assuming fighting stances.
"I hope you were taking notes," Kaleb said to Malachite, watching the boy in his peripheral vision.
"Eh?" Malachite blinked.
"Now, it's your turn," Hana said with an evil grin, advancing on the kiddlet.
Malachite squeaked, taking several quick steps backwards.
Kaleb caught him around the middle from behind. "Get your fists up," he said as he swung Malachite around to face Hana.
Though Kaleb had only pledged to spend half and hour with Malachite, the two older kids spent nearly an hour showing him the basics of self-defense. Hana, being well-versed in this area, showed him, with Kaleb's reluctant help, how to disable, distract, and otherwise create a world of pain for an attacker. It wasn't until much later that Adrian peeked into the training room, watching silently for a moment before announcing that dinner was ready.
"Wait, Adrian!" Malachite cried, "Look what I can do!" Kaleb, knowing the boy wanted to demonstrate, attempted to grab Malachite around the waist again. This time, Malachite managed to twist around, his elbow aiming for Kaleb's stomach. Since this was only practice, Malachite didn't actually dig his elbow into the teen's gut, especially where Kaleb probably already had enough bruises there for one afternoon.
"Awesome," Adrian praised. "Let's hope you won't ever have to actually use that on somebody."
Malachite nodded, padding out of the training room with Hana and Kaleb following along behind him. "Can we practice more tomorrow?" he asked.
"I guess," Kaleb said, rubbing at the collection of bruises on his arm.
"Thank you, Kaleb," Adrian said, gently patting the teen on the back.
"Thank you, Kaleb!" Malachite echoed, smiling up at him.
"Eh," Kaleb took one look at Malachite's thankful expression before quickly looking away, deciding that the bruises were worth it. "Don't mention it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:46 am
(( Reserved for another Adrian journal entry, involing Malachite being sick and getting a white bunny plushie, yaddayadda, that I wrote during the guild down-time. It's stuck on paper and hasn't been typed up yet. Actually, I think I handed it in as a freewrite for my creative writing class, which was dumb of me, because the teacher hardly turns anything back in a timely fashion. And. his wife is due to have a baby anytime now. Go, me. ))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 6:21 pm
"I Love to Learn!"
(( "I love magic!" "I love you, Harry!" "Uhm..." )) Malachite - September 24, 2005 Eeeeeeeeee~
I touched -- hugged -- Raissen, ohmygod, hee.
And I met someone new, Makenna. He's cool. He let me braid his hair, and there's this red line that starts in his hair and goes past his waist.
My teachers at school are really nice, even though I missed a few days of school while I was sick. I like science class, but I don't get very good grades in it. Mr. Ferguson is trying to help me with it afterschool. He's probably the nicest of my teachers. And soooo handsome.
Kaleb's been teaching me DDR -- Dance Dance Revolution. I'm not very good at it, but he says I need to practice. He thinks my balance and coordination will get better. He and Hana have already started teaching me how to defend myself.
I really like music class, and we've started studying music from the early church, which is chant. The teacher has played some recordings that people have done of it, and they're really cool. I like it. I also like some of the other music Kaleb's been letting me listen to. I don't remember the band or singer names, but there are a few songs here and there that I like.
My ears have been hurting and itchy lately. Adrian says he thinks I'm allergic to nickel and cheap metal in earrings and other jewelry. We got a new pair of earrings that are hypoallergenic. They're still the green peridot ones, just with different metal... things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:54 pm
Adrian - October 3rd, 2005 Malachite asked me if he could take dance lessons.
I said, "Okay, sure. Go right ahead."
Then he asked if he could take belly-dancing lessons.
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from telling him "NO" out-right. I just stared at him for a moment, and he just gave me his most angelic little smile. All I could think of was how much Tristin would appreciate it if...
And then I put my head in my hands and nearly cried.
My sweet little innocent one is growing up. This terrifies me. Can't I just put him in a little protective box that keeps him from aging and becoming corrupt?
I must've taken too long to answer, because he started giving me that pout. I'd recognize it anywhere, because the little scamp learned it from me.
So, of course I gave in to it.
He's had a couple of regular dance class sessions, which he's enjoyed. The belly-dancing classes don't start until next week.
Maybe it's not too late to change his mind and get my money back...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 10:37 am
Echoes of Angels
... who won't return. Malachite bounded down the stairs one afternoon, feeling bored and wanting some company. Everyone seemed to have disappeared from the upstairs bedrooms, so that meant everyone was either downstairs or outside. He glanced around the entrance hall, frowning softly to himself until he heard a familiar voice in the kitchen. He smiled, bouncing over to the door and resting his hand against it. He pushed it open a bit, peering inside and seeing Adrian at the sink, washing dishes by hand. The radio was on, and Adrian was singing along to the chorus of a song that had begun playing. Catching Adrian singing usually caused Malachite to giggle, since his guardian couldn't carry a tune very well, and often stumbled over words.
"He's everything you want,
He's everything you need,
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be.
He says all the right things,
At exactly the right times,
But he means nothing to you,
And you don't know why."
Today, however, there was a sort of sad melancholy in his guardian's voice, and Malachite stayed where he was in the doorway, watching and listening as Adrian sang the next verse.
"You waited for someone
To put you together,
You waited for someone
To push you away.
There's always another
Wound to discover.
There's always something more
You wish he'd say..."
Adrian repeated the chorus, then hummed and mumbled through the next couple of sections, picking up strength again on the next chorus. Mal stood silently through this, even as the chorus played over again, the words different this time through.
"I am everything you want,
I am everything you need,
I am everything inside of you,
That you wish you could be.
I say all the right things
At exactly the right times,
But I mean nothing to you,
And I don't know why."
The intensity of his guardian's voice during the final chorus had taken the kiddlet aback, until he realized that Adrian's shoulders were shaking with fine tremors, his hands gripping the sides of the sink. Mal stepped forward, finally, padding towards his guardian as the song faded away and the next song came over the radio. He put an arm around Adrian's waist, causing the man to jump.
"Don't cry, 'Drian," Malachite said, snuggling against his guardian's side.
Adrian dropped the dishrag into the sink before he knelt down, wrapping his soapy arms around Malachite in a strong hug. They stayed like that for some time, Mal's little hands rubbing at his guardian's back as Adrian cried into his hair silently.
Malachite didn't understand what was happening. He'd always considered Adrian his source of strength, but this was a side of him that he'd never seen. He remembered how tired his guardian always seemed after being angry, but he'd never seen him this... sad.
Adrian finally pulled away, wiping his eyes and turning away quickly as he stood up, going back to the dishes. Malachite looked up at him with a concerned look, but Adrian just ruffled his hair gently. "Go on, kiddo," he said quietly, "I'm fine here."
"Can't I help?" Malachite asked with a pout.
"It's okay," his guardian insisted, fishing out his dish rag and not meeting the boy's eyes. "Schye-chan and Alfie are out in the backyard. Go play and fun, okay? I'll be done in a little while."
"Okay," Malachite trailed off, turning and padding out of the kitchen, his former good mood now subdued as he worried over his guardian.Adrian - October 14th, 2005 I'm such an idiot.
I didn't mean to cry in front of him; he snuck up on me. And then I couldn't resist the urge to hug him.
He's a sweetheart. I just wish I could be a better guardian for him... for all my kids. I can barely take care of myself, much less everyone else. I don't deserve ********. When did I start feeling so depressed? It's ******** stupid and I've no reason to feel this way. I'm just going to make them worry.
Pull yourself together, Karlet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
