Welcome to Gaia! ::

Welcome Home, Babies
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
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The house was modestly classy, a decently large two story place with a well done front yard and a underground pool in the back. It was painted a white color, with mint green accents, and had a double garage, as well as a long, curving walkway to the front porch. The porch had railing and two rocking chairs, all in natural wood color.

The jag was already in the garage. At the moment he was driving a black minivan that would fit a decent sized family. In the back seat, strapped into child boosters, were the two cabbages. Their things were already at the house as well. All Dyer had left to move in was the family.

He pulled into the driveway, parking in front of the garage and undoing his safety belt. "Here we are," he told Creola. "Our new home."

"Oh wow," Creola replied, looking up at the house. This was the first time she had seen it. As soon as they got to Gaia, Dyer wanted to pick up the 'kids'. She still found it odd that the kids here came from cabbages...

At the moment, her form was closer to her true shape. Her ears had a slight point to them, and her eyes were a deep purple while her black hair had a green stripe in it as well.

The house was very, very nice! It surprised her, even if it shouldn't. He was a lawyer. She got out of the mini van when he stopped, going to the back to get their babies out.

He went to the other side, since there was a door on both sides of the van, and pulled out the other cabbage, patting it fondly as he looked the house over with a hint of satisfaction. "Not bad, huh?" he asked. "I had a few of my contacts here find it. It's just been rebuilt." The cabbages were lighter than he had expected them to be, and he was reluctantly acknowledging that they might not be starmakers, after all.

But still, he thought as he headed up the walkway to the porch, it would be interesting to see what came out. "The kitchen is fully equipped, as well," he told her. "With everything I've been told a true cook needs."

"Yeah? Think they got enough spices for me to cook with? And hot sauce," she replied, almost evilly. She remembered the first time she cook for him. Her gumbo set his tongue on fire.

She cradled her own cabbage in her arms. Oddly, it didn't feel that foolish to her now, as it had been before. "But Ah'm not gonna make anything that had cabbage in it," she then added as an after thought.

"The woman at the adoption agency place said that they weren't really cabbages," he said patiently, digging out the key he had gotten that morning. "They're computers that look like cabbages. An artificial womb." He unlocked the door and motioned her in. "I apologize for not carrying you over the threshold."

"Ha, Ah'm still mad at ya," she told him, stepping into the house before he passed the other cabbage to her and decided to do it anyway. "'N Ah know they're not really cabbages, but still. It'll make me feel odd."

Then she stopped in the living room, looking around again. Oh this place was niiicce. And furnished. He had been working on this project for a while now. "So, which room's mine?"

"There's two rooms connected by a bathroom on each floor," he said. "I figured we would take the first floor and let the kids have the second, when they're older. I think for now, though, we should share one room and have the cabbages in the next, until they've become children."

Which meant that they would be having a room together. Maybe. She could probably sleep in a room with the cabbages, or a cabbage, and he had the other!

So, she said nothing more about that, and went for the kitchen. "So, while you're off workin, Ah'll be home, takin care of babies 'n cookin, right?"

"There's a daycare provided if you'd rather get a job," he said. "Or if you want to start up some sort of hobby, or in-home job I won't stop you."

"Ah think Ah'll stay home with the kids," she told him with a little smirk. The cabbage was held almost lovingly in her arms. "'N teach them how ta make spicy foods, for their daddy." Now she was being mean, or so she hoped.

"So, we'll have plenty ta do while you're off workin."

"I'm sure," he said dryly. "Ah, that reminds me, it should be here," he said as he turned and headed further into the house. The kitchen was to the left and two rooms side by side were to the right, with the front room right in front of them.

He walked through the front room, heading for a small room past the kitchen. He disappeared inside for a few moments before coming back out with a small box. "I would have bought you one of these," he said as he put the cabbage on the front room couch and sat down, opening the box. "But it cost the same amount as your bail."

She headed over to see what in the world he was up too. That other room he walked into, she guessed, was his office. But what did he get that would cost that much?

"So, what ya get?" she asked him, sitting next to his cabbage while setting her own on her lap.

He pulled off the top of the box, revealing a small doll that looked like a fairy, but was dressed for Mardi Gras in a green and purple checkered suit. "This is Apache Rose," he said blandly before pushing the ON button.

"Apache Rose?" she repeated. Then she saw the little 'toy' and gasp. "That.. is cute!" She loved the outfit and she was really cute!

Now she was jealous.

Big purple eyes opened slowly, blinking twice as she looked around curiously. Her pink hair was done in braids and stood up in wild loops over her head. She looked wildly cute, and it was obvious she realized it as she broke into a grin. "'Ello, everyone!"

"Hi there!" Creola replied, leaning down to the little thing. This, of course, meant she was also leaning closer to Dyer. She looked up at him curiously. "You got this A.I. to help you out with work, didn't you?"

"I am a--" She paused, looking thoughtful for a long moment. She smiled then. "I'm a lawyer!" she announced, doing a little dance.

"No, you're a lawyer's assistant," Dyer told her with a sigh.

"Am I cute?" she asked him with heavily painted eyes fluttering flirtingly. "Oh, oh, gigantic vegetables!" she said, just as quickly distracted by the sight of the cabbages. "Tasty!"

"But they aren't to be eaten!" Creola told her. "These cabbages are children. Or will be children."

She couldn't help by grin. Dyer got a wild little AI. It was probably going to drive him nuts! Good, because he deserved that!

Her eyes grew wide. "They're babies??" she asked in awe. She landed on the cabbage, then laid down on it, hugging it happily. "Hello baby! I'm Apache Rose!"

Dyer looked quite comfortable with this, surprisingly enough. There was a little smile playing on his lips. In order to get her he had filled out several personality questions, after all. It was surprising what personality types he got along with.

Creola was oblivious to this as her attention was on the babies and the AI. "Yes, they are babies, both of them. And someday, they'll turn into children, but for right now, they're in the cabbage, growing."

"Oooh, ok! You grow good now!" she said to the cabbage before flying with those curly butterfly wings of hers to the other one. She hugged it, as well. "Now let's go to work!" she said, turning to Dyer.

"First we have to get the house set up," he said calmly. "Then we go to work."

"Okay!"

"And set things up for the babies," Creola added. "There should be a sunny spot ta put them in, so that they get a bit of that."

Then she wanted to explore the house, and see the kitchen. Everything! She never had a house before! But it didn't mean she forgave Dyer.

"I'll fill the spray bottles," Dyer said agreeably.

"And I'll sing for the babies!" Apache said happily. "What are their names?"

Creola looked down at the cabbage still in her lap. One hand ran over it for a moment as she thought. "Kashmira. Kashmira and Rhye," she replied with a grin.

"If it happens to be a boy we'll name him Kashmir," Dyer agreed as he got back from the kitchen. "Rhye can be used for either."

"Hello Kashmira and Rhye!" Apache said happily. "Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah yeah," Creola replied, grinning shamelessly at Dyer. "'N if it's not, your gonna be out numbered in this house hold." A fact she found amusing.

"I think I'll be able to handle it," he said calmly. "Now, let's get the cabbages in the sun. Perhaps by the pool out back?"

"Mmm, Alright, but Ah don't wanna leave them out there too long. They might not be real cabbages, but I don't want critters thinkin they are," Creola said, getting to her feet with her cabbage in hand. She waited for Dyer to get the other one before she followed him to the pool.

Every Breath I Take...
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
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The strands of D'yer Mak'er flowed through the air as Dyer worked on his latest case in his small office. There, sitting on a comfortable looking leather couch in the corner were his two cabbages, their leaves rustling slightly with the music. It was a good night for Dyer, even though he had a massively large case coming up.

He had stolen his babies for the night to keep him company. A slight grin played on his lips as he highlighted another note.

Creola was frantic. The babies were missing and it was welly past their crib time! She had placed them where they could get plenty of the evening sun light, then went to clean up the kitchen. When she got back, they were gone!

The doors of Dyer's office flew open as she marched in. He had to know something about it! "Dyer! Where'd--"

The she spotted them on the couch and ran to it. "You brought'em in here? But it's too dark! How long 'ave they been here?" she demanded, glaring over her shoulder at him.


"No more than a few minutes," Dyer said with a sigh. "Are you going to take them away? They seem quite happy here."

As he spoke one of the cabbages started to rock slightly, but he didn't notice. His attention was on his wife.

She didn't notice either, being focused in on Dyer and his cabbage-napping ways. "Ah just might," she told him. "It's about time for them ta go ta bed for the night. They're babies, 'nd babies need ta sleep often."

He was being evil, playing them music to keep their interest. She would always play music for them when she wasn't around.

The cabbage rocked a little harder, edging dangerously towards the front of the couch. A popping sound came from it, and Dyer jerked, his eyes widening slightly. "Did you hear that?"

The second cabbage, following the first, also rocked towards the edge of the couch. The first pop was echoed by a second one.

Creola spun around on her heels, staring at the couch. Then she saw just how close both were and practically dove on her knees to the couch. The argument was forgotten.

Mere seconds before the first cabbage fell a long, furry topped tail poked out of the cabbage, wagging once, then twice, as if questioning what was going on.

Then it promptly fell over the edge of the couch, the newborn baby falling on her bottom into Creola's arms.

Creola stared at the baby and was inthralled. She... she was so cute! "Wah! Ain't ya just the cutest thing to ever come out of a veggie?" she said, hugging the child to her and cooing over her. One hand started to play with her hair, brushing it out of her red eyes.

"Dyer, come, look!" she called to him.

The second cabbage was still having it's occupant breaking out. A little foot was sticking out of it. The toes were wiggling.

Dyer finally recovered from the shock, walking over to look at the little foot sticking out of the second cabbage. "Tell me, does that one have puppy feet?" he asked, peering into the second cabbage curiously.

The little girl looked at her mommy blankly before breaking into a charming grin and promptly sticking the end of her tail in her mouth to chew on.

This was much better than a holiday presant! Creola was charmed by the little girl-- her little girl in her arms. Though Dyer's question sparked more action in her mind and she reached for a little foot to exam. "She does," she answered, looking at him.

She needed a pacifier, to stop the tail sucking.

The second cabbage finally opened and the second baby tumbled out, falling towards Dyer. Fluffy ears, tail and all.

"Whoopsy daisy," he said, scooping the second baby up before she fell. "They look like twins," he said, stating the obvious. "So... which one is Kashmira and which is Rhye?" he asked as he offered the baby his hand to play with.

The baby in Creola's hand took the tail out of her mouth and reached for Creola, wanting a hug.

Creola took the baby she had more into her own arms, hugging her to her and cuddling her. Then she stood up and gave Dyer a little glare. "When did ya pick out names? Ah've been lookin up names for 'em too," she told him, but didn't feel much like fight.

She nuzzled her face against the green twin. "She'll be Kashmira. They are so adorable! And twins!"

Rhye took the hands that was offered and started to play with it, gripping it and making little squeezes. Then she started to mouth his hand, much like how her sister was sucking on the tail.

She was the one that had picked the names, he thought a bit irritably. But he didn't say that, he was too focused on letting little Rhye chew on his hand a bit. "She's got fangs," he said, totally besotted, which was proved by how he didn't pull his hand away.

"So blue is Rhye and green is Kashmira," he said.

Kashmira let out a happy little sigh, listening to them talk. She knew those voices. Then she caught sight of her sister and held out a hand for her.

Rhye stopped her mouthing, seeing her sister reaching out for her. She reached out as well to take the hand.

That's when Creola (having forgotten that she was the one that named them) noticed it. On their arms were little bands, shaped like snakes. One gold and one a dark metallic-gray and both had little red eyes. "Oh, what do ya make of this?" she asked Dyer, moving closer so the girls could hold hands.

Now that she was closer, Rhye took Kash's hand and smiled at the other girl.

Kashmira smiled back, then rattled off some baby talk to her sister, saying hello and wasn't it a good day to be seeing things other than the inside of a cabbage. Not that it made any sense.

"Huh," Dyer said, fingering the one on Rhye's arm. "It moves, so I think it comes off..."

"Good, Ah don't want ta have'ta wash around it, when they need a bath," Creola said, adoring the babies just talking to each other.

Rhye replied, seeming to understand, in the same nonsense baby language. It was great to see something other than the cabbage and it was great to see their mommy and daddy too.

But she was getting hungry.

Kash agreed wholeheartedly and turned to tell her mommy that. Unfortunately it came out more along the lines of "Abba hygo pood."

Which again, made no sense. But she looked so serious and intent on saying that that it HAD to mean something.

"Does she need a diaper?" Dyer asked, pulling a complete blank.

"Ah have no idea," Creola replied, and proceeded to check the diaper. The babies had come with those, after all. Surprising, really.

Rhye saw that it was a misunderstanding there, and tried to tell their daddy herself. That didn't come out much clearer, but she had the same serious look.

There was nothing in the diaper. Kashmira tried again, frustrated.

"Maybe they're hungry?" Dyer asked. "Is that it, Rhye?"

Finally! Rhye beamed up at her daddy. At least they got it that time. Then she stuck her fist in her mouth and started to mouth that.

"We got baby food, right?" he asked, making the little AI on the desk look up from where she had been reading something extremely interesting.

"Yes!" Apache said cheerfully. "I'll go get it! It's in the drawer--"

"We can get it, Apache," he said. He didn't notice her pout as he headed for the kitchen.

"Ah bet you're hungry too, huh Kashmira?" Creola said, following him out.

Rhye craned her neck around to see where the other voice. It wasn't as familiar as mommy and daddy, but she knew it. Now she wanted to see who's it was.

Apache waved after them, then turned back to the paperwork, since it was her job.

"Well, Ah'm glad they're finally out of the cabbages. They'll be much more fun now," Creola commented, still cuddling Kash. This was going to be such fun!

Kash looked over Creola's shoulder and waved at the little AI, earning a smile. No doubt Apache would be sneaking into their room the moment she was let off work.

"Absolutely," Dyer said. "Who would have thought we'd get twins?" he pondered, situating Rhye on his hip a bit better. "Now let's get them fed."

The (ahahah) Secret Garden
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen, rosemilk
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The house was fun, for a few days, maybe, a week at tops, but Kashmira was the first one to sneak out the front screen door the moment her mama's back was turned, pulling her twin sister along with her.

There was more to be seen, and she knew it! She paused in the front yard, looking around for the most interesting thing she could find, her hand still firmly grasping Rhye's.

Rhye's hand equally grasped her sister's hand and she looked around. They were sneaking out, and it was great. "Where we go now?" she asked, looking back to make sure their mama wasn't looking.

"Umm..." She looked around, her eyes catching on the flowers that were so prominent in the yard next to them. "Pretty!" she said, tugging her sister through the yard and into Lindy's garden. She didn't know it was Lindy's garden. She had yet to understand such things as "property laws" even though her Daddy would have told her if she had asked.

Lindy's garden was very pretty; there were rosebushes and flower beds full of flowers, and steps that lead through the flower garden that were mosaics. A lot of the mosaics were of dolphins. On the very central mosaic step, there was a curled-up statue of a strange creature; it appeared to be a little boy with wings and tiny, nubbly horns, and the statue was carved to look as though the boy was asleep.

"Pretty!" Kashmira said, pointing at the flowers and the dolphins. "Pretty fish!" She raced through the garden, tugging her sister behind her as she tried to see everything. then she stopped at the sight of the statue.

"Oooooh... he sleeping?" she asked Rhye.

"Why he sleeping here?" Rhye asked, having been enjoying the gardan as well. It was so pretty! Much prettier than their yard! Then she tugged her sister towards the boy, curious about this as well.

She looked around a moment and saw no one else. Then she reached forward to tap him on the shoulder. She wanted to know why he was sleeping there!

His shoulder was cold stone; he seemed so lifelike that it was odd to not have him stretch, wake up and greet them. He simply stayed in the same spot, grey and hard and smooth. The tulips planted on either side of him nodded lightly in the breeze.

"He not waking up," Kashmira complained, touching him as well. "And he cold!" she added, looking around. He needed a blanket!

Luckily for them, there was a washing line there too, that had been set out to dry in the bright sunshine. It was filled with clothes all neatly pegged up with wooden pegs on the tall lines, but it seemed humungously out of reach.

Rhye tugged her sister towards the line of clothes and hopped up and down to get one. But they were to far away. She looked to her sister. "It to far! He need somethin warm!" she repeated.

Then got an idea and got on all fours. "Stand! You get warm thing!" she told her sister. They pulled this trick to get cookies out of the cookie jar in the kitchen.

"Sis okay??" Rhye asked, crawling the short distance to her sister. She had a shirt in her hands that got free.

"Owchie," she said, pushing herself up. She was tangled in the blanket, looking a bit pathetic from the fall. "I fell down," she said. "But I got blanky!"

"Yay!" Rhye said, helping untangle her sister. Then she hugged her and got to her feet. Then she offered her hands to help Kash up. "Then we go give to him! He cold!"

Lindy was only a little perturbed to come out of her kitchen, sleeves rolled up and with floury hands, to find two tiny girls wrapping Casca in a sheet. She put her hands on her hips and raised both of her eyebrows, trying to keep from laughing out loud and not quite managing, because both of them were pretty much adorable. She knelt down on the first flagstone, watching them work.

"Hi," she said. "What're you doing?"

"He cold!" Kashmira explained, giving the woman a toothy happy grin. "But he no wanna hold onto the blanky," she added, pouting at the sleeping boy. "If you no hold on it'll go bye bye!" she lectured him.

"He needs be warm!" Rhye added. Both little girls weren't at all worried about the stranger lady. She was trying to wrap the blanket around the stone boy, as well. "Blankie make him warm."

At this moment, Creola was hunting her little girls, calling their names.

"He's sleeping," Lindy explained to the two little girls. "He's not cold, he just turns into rock when the sun's out, okay? Don't worry about him. He doesn't feel a thing. Just don't jump on him or hurt him, guys, he might break."

Not as though they would. The little girls were cuddling him as carefully as though they were playing house and he was the baby. "Now, where did you two little pips come from, that's what I want to know."

"Over there!" Kashmira said cheerfully, pointing next door. "I Mira!" she added proudly, shoving her thumb at her chest. "Kashmira!"

She paused as she heard her mama calling, cocking her head. "Ooooh," she said, looking guilty as can be. "Rhye, we gotta hide!" she said, ducking behind the sleeping gargoyle. the only problem was she was a little too large, and her tail was wagging in the air. "We in trouble."

Lindy leant down and cheerfully picked up both little girls, one under each arm, as she ambled over to her fence. They were both heavy! "'Scuse me," she called out, "excuse me! If you've misplaced your kids, they're over here! Are you looking for two pretty adorable girls?"

Creola looked over the the voice that called out to her, then she gasped, seeing her little ones there. Well, at least they were safe. "Yes, they are actually. Ah'm sorry if they were botherin ya," she said heading over.

"We not botherin nothing!" Rhye said, looking most guilty for having snuck away. Their mama looked worried.

"We was lookin' at pretty flowers!" Kashmira added. "An' he was cold, so we got him a blanky, but his mommy say he okay!"


"Oh, it's fine, it's fine," said Lindy, and she stuck both girls up on top of the fence with her balancing them so that they wouldn't fall off. It wasn't a tall fence, anyway. "I had twin girls -- I'm used to it. They're adorable! You're my neighbour, aren't you? I'm sorry I haven't said hi yet. So, uh, I guess 'hi' now is as good as ever. I'm Lindy."

"Ah'm Creola," she replied, grinning at the most experienced mother as she reached for her too little one. "These are Kashmira 'n Rhye. And yes, we're neighbors. Ah've been meaning ta come over 'n say hello, as well."

"Mama Mama, there a stone boy sleep," Rhye said, pointing over her shoulder at where the boy was. Her hand was again holding Kash's.

"An' there's pretty fishies on the walls," Kashmira added. "And pretty flowers! And they smell good!"

The pink-haired woman laughed out loud. "Well, I'm glad someone likes my garden," she said. "You two are going to be some serious little butter-ups when you're older, aren't you? Cutest ickle suck-ups ever! I love them already. -- That's Casca," she told them. "He's my little boy. He turns the stone during the day," she told Creola meditatively, figuring this wouldn't bug her out or anything. Not considering the twins. "Or else I'd introduce."

"That's not a problem," Creola replied. On her home planet, there were such being who turned to stone during the day. "He'll wake up after sunset, wont he?"

"Then we meet him?" Rhye asked the pink haired lady. She wanted to meet the boy next door! "Me an' Mari meet him?"

"Well, Ah don't really see why not, if Ms Lindy doesn't mind. Maybe we could share dinner some time!" Creola offered. Meeting neighbors was a good thing.

"Dinner!" Kashmira chimed. "An' Casca!" That was his name, after all. Names were important!

Lindy's face shone with the gladness of somebody who had one wonderful best friend and a whole passel of children who only came over for dinner if dragged. "I'd love that," she said sincerely. "I was just putting an apple pie in the oven for dessert tonight. Y'know, you could always come over tonight, even if you just want some coffee and pie. I always make about six hundred times too much."

Of course, the leftovers could go to the students, but it was nice to have someone to eat with her. She tilted her head curiously, though: "Hey, you've known kids who've woken up after sunset, too? I mean -- I know they call him gargoyle over here but I kind of know de nada."

Creola didn't know what 'de nada' meant, but she faked her way through it. "Yes, Ah do. One my planet, we call'm gargoyles as well. They turn ta stone durin the day, an' are active durin the night."

"An' as for dinner, we'd have ta wait for Dyer to come. He's my husband," she said smoothly. On the inside, she was twitching. But a show was a show! "He should be home from work soon. But Ah'd LOVE ta come over ta eat, an' we can share recipes an' things!"

"Oh, well, that sounds, you know, awesome," said Lindy, "I guess I'll see you at seven, maybe? Casca'll be settled by then. Uh, I better go vaccuum my living room, I think my dust bunnies have had dust bunnies."

This was going to be fun!

Dinner Date
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen, Rosemilk
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Lindy never worried about cooking for lots of people; an ex-mother of four (plus two -- her household had always joined forces with her best friend's) she tended to make too much anyway, freeze the rest and eat it as leftovers. She had already gotten most of the preparations ready before her little stone son shed his shell and made his displeasure at awakening known; she sat on the counter and fed him a bottle as the food cooked.

"Hey, baby," she said, "social gathering! First social gathering! That's cool, am I right? I left a text on your big sister's phone but I don't know if she'll show. Mimi does not like doing the wild social whirl. But you are about to make friends with two totally adorable little girls."

She'd changed her shirt as well, and redone her hair; but it was still all casual as hell. She was a mum. Creola was a mum of twins. She would understand; they'd probably all end up sitting on the couch anyway feeding the kids and eating off their laps.

Creola had a time dressing up the girls. By the time the second one was dressed, the other had run off and gotten messy. So much of giving them matching outfits! Getting them ready to go anywhere was a real test of parenthood.

At least she had made deviled eggs to bring over. Spicey deviled eggs, that was. Only dessert was good without spice.

She was dressed casually, having not trusted herself to anything fancy. As it was, she was heading for her neighbor's door with Kash balanced on her hip. "Okay, our first family, social dinner," she said, as if having to remind herself of it.

"Dinner!" Kash said cheerfully, bouncing happily on her mother's hip. "Mac 'n cheese!"

"Have you been watching too many commercials again?" Dyer asked his second daughter, who was carried on his hip. He still wore his suit from work, but he had gotten rid of the coat and tie. His hair was messy, because the girls had suddenly decided to play with it, right before coming over. He didn't realize it was sticking up in the back, otherwise he would have fixed it already.

Lindy opened the door with her own son on her hip; Casca looked sleepily at the girls and at their parents, his own curly hair only half-brushed, since he had escaped before it could be fully brushed. He was a big baby to hold on somebody's hip, but his mother seemed to be managing. "Hi!" she said. "Come on in, I was just plating. I realised I should've asked if there's anything the girls were allergic to -- Casca, won't you say hi?"

Casca buried his face in Lindy's shoulder. Obviously not.

"Issa lem-it-ted time offer!" Rhye said, talking about a button that had 'fallen off'. She beamed up at her father, adoring as anything. "An' I want Mac'n'cheese too!"

"Awww, ya mean ya don't want any of mommy's eggs?" Creola asked Rhye teasingly.

"Mommy's eggs too!" Rhye added.

The the door opened. "Hi there, little man!" Creola replied, beaming at the shy little boy. He was a cutie. That might spell problems later! Then she looked to Lindy "Dunno about food allergies yet. They seem to take what the do well. Girls, say hello to Ms Lindy and Casca."

Rhye peered around so that she could see the boy, now that he wasn't in stone. He was more colorful now!

"Hello!" Kashmira said, smiling brightly. "We played with Daddy's hair," she said. "He looked funny!"

"And I probably still do," Dyer admitted, reaching up and running a hand over his hair. "Dyer Maker," he introduced himself. "Since you seem to know everyone else here." He offered his free hand to shake. "Sorry if these two have caused you any problems."

"Not one bit," she said, reaching out to shake, and "I'm Lindy. Come on in, I won't have you guys all standing out in the doorway like, um, doorway people."

She moved back; Casca was inspecting Rhye and Kashmira now, perhaps recognising them as small girls as he was a small boy. He still had not said anything; and usually he was chatty as all hell. Still making his ideas up. "Won't you have something to drink?" she said. "I have juice for the girls -- unless you two like milk? Ugh, they're such cutie-pies at that age, it's hard to tell them no. Casca's just as bad."

"Hello," Rhye finally greeted Casca now, still watching him too. He was little like them, after all. Then she heard what was offered and beamed at Lindy. "Juice! I want Juice," she said. Then added like an after thought: "Please."

Creola followed Lindy into the house. "Ah did manage ta make some eggs," she said. You couldn't just go to eat without bringing something. Then she gave Dyer a look. "See? Told ya they didn't do anythin' wrong."

"Of course, they can't do any wrong, isn't that right, girls?" he asked, inwardly laughing. This doting father role had taken him off guard, but he planned on enjoying it thoroughly. "Unless it involves finger paint, that is."

"But Sissy looks good in red!" Kashmira protested, having had this conversation several times. "I want juice!" she added to her sister's cry.

Lindy lead them through her house -- she liked bright colours, apparently, her decoration moving towards trendy, though they could both see a fairly recent move to get everything breakable and dangerous off the floor -- settling Casca down (he made a protesting sound) as she opened her fridge to retrieve a pitcher. There were mingling smells of baking bread and something just about done in the oven. "How about you two?" she said, scraping her hair back as she retrieved plastic cups. "I've got some coffee going; I've also got some beer in the chiller if I dig down deep enough. I'll probably need a pickaxe and a miner's lamp, but hey."

Casca looked at Rhye. Casca looked at Kashmira. Then Casca realised he was missing out. "Juice," he demanded. "Pleez."

"You just had your bottle," Lindy protested.

"Juice."

"Ice tea or water is good for me," Creola answered. She had sworn off anything like beer a long time ago. She then sat the eggs on the table before placing Rhye next to the little boy, so that they could meet more. "Would you like help with anything?"

Rhye just looked at the boy.

Kashmira was sat next to her sister and she twisted to see around her, looking at the boy. "You sleep funny," she told him. "You no move. Rhye moves lots, she kicked me last night." Even though they had insisted on sleeping in the same bed.

"Coffee is fine," Dyer said. "I would offer to help but unfortunately I'm not that... equipped in the kitchen department."

"I'm all good," the bright-haired woman said cheerfully, "if you just get the twins settled -- I put booster seats on the chairs, I figure we can just hold the little twerps in our laps if they get too much. Here you go, ladies."

The twins were given sippee cups with apple juice; Casca was also awarded with one of these, which he slurped at immediately clutched in his clawed hands. After a while he detached, looked at the girls, and said: "Puppy."

"Little girls, pumpkin," said Lindy, "they've just got fur."

"Puppy."

Rhye had attached herself to her own sippy cup. Then Casca called them puppies. Being called a puppy wasn't that bad a thing in her mind. Puppies were cute! But this called for a name-calling back.

He had wings, but not like a bird... so... "Bat," she said, finally pulling the sippee cup away from her mouth.

"Bat," Kashmira agreed. "Like the counting guy." They had taken to watching Sesame Street and it showed. She loved the Grouch best. He was green and grumpy. But green. That was the important part. She took a drink of her sippy as well, figuring the topic was complete.

"Puppies," Casca repeated stubbornly, and then -- really quite snobby -- sipped at his apple juice. He didn't really know what a bat was, but it wasn't a Casca, and he didn't like how they had agreed that he was something without asking him first. He sulked.

Rhye liked the cookie monster the best. He was blue. She was sipping away at her drink, then looked up at her mommy brought her a plate, setting it before her, then set another one before Kash.

"Here ya go, babies, and be nice to Casca," Creola told them.

"He called us puppies," Rhye pointed out.

"But aren't puppies cute?"

"They pee in the carpet," Kashmira said. She had watched the animal channel before. "We don't."

"Because you wear diapers," Dyer said patiently. "But you're learning to be big girls, aren't you?"

Kashmira suddenly paid a lot more attention to her food.

The adults chatted amicably about boring adult things -- Casca didn't bother even attempting to pay attention to whatever they were chatting about -- scooping his food into his mouth with his claws and scoffing it down until his mother started wrestling with him to use the baby spoon. Eventually, pouting, he wielded the baby spoon in his big clawed hands, and he stared opposite the table at Rhye and then at Kashmira intently as they all ate.

Unable to help it, he reached out to Rhye, who was sitting the closest as she'd been placed next to Creola; he reached out and patted the fur of her ear, unable to help it. Maybe that was what a puppy felt like.

"No grabbing," Lindy told him.

Rhye had taken this eating time to show off just how well she could eat with a spoon, since the boy was using his hands. Even if some of it went around her mouth, she was still a good eater with the spoon.

Then the boy reached for her, and she blinked at this. "No touchie," she told him with a tail flick and moved her head further away.

"No touchie my sister," Kash ordered, her eyes narrowed on the boy. She could fight with her sister all she wanted but when it came to someone else bugging her, she jumped to her defense. "Less you let us touch wings," she added. She wanted to touch those, after all!

"That's being selfish," Lindy told her son, and he looked mulish and blushed at being told off. He hated that. Normally Lindy was easygoing; but she was stern about niceness. "If you're going to grab at somebody's ears, Cassie, then you can let them touch your wings. What's wrong? You always let Mimi touch your wings." (Mimi was Casca's older sister. They loathed each other. He would let her touch anything; he was just in the process of ignoring her.)

He frowned at this. Eventually, finding no way to get around it, he grudgingly said "'Kay." One small wing was extended from where it had been sitting cloaking his shoulder; they made a rustle a bit like an umbrella being opened.

Rhye's face lite up s the wing came to her. She liked the idea of touching the wing in trade and since it was a trade, she didn't mind the touchie now. One hand went out, petting his wing.

"Be gentle," Creola reminded her daughters.

"Yes, mommy," Rhye said, petting the wing gently. Then she took her hand away and presented an ear to him. "Now you can touchie."

Kashmira leaned forward as far as she could to touch the wing as well. "Ooooh," she said. "Feels funny!" Then she pulled back to let him pet her sister's ear. She knew how the ear felt, she had her own, after all. "Sissy furry."

The wing-patting did -- he admitted -- felt good, so he made a noise of approval as he reached out to play with Rhye's and then Kashmira's ears just in case they felt different. Seeing that the kids had finished up most of their supper and were totally distracted, Lindy lifted up her son and beckoned to the other girls to a rug just in front of the table where their parents would see them -- it had a couple of Casca's toys scattered around and was probably better for playing.

Tired with ears once they were all on the rug, Casca reached out and patted at Rhye's tail. That was a lot more furry. "Amn't furry," he said, looking back at his wings.

"Your wings are soft. Soft is nice!" Rhye reassured him as they were all brought to the ground to play. She looked at his tail then and noted how it wasn't furry either. Then she looked at the toys. "Your toys? Can we play?"

"Beep beep!" Kashmira said, already having grabbed a toy truck and started playing. "Beep beep! Brrrroooooommmm!"

Casca had grabbed a slightly clawed-at Barbie doll (he had inherited a lot of his older sister's things) and placed her right in front of the Jeep, possibly as a sacrifice to get run over. "Grrrrrr!" he said, only it was a real actual little growl right at the back of his throat.

Rhye we impressed by the growl, and she smiled, picking up another toy, another car. "Veerrooommm," she said, moving her car to help her sister against the 'monster'.

"SCREE!" Kashmira said, slamming the truck into the barbie doll with a malicious little laugh.

"Well," Dyer said dryly. "At least they seem to understand each other well."

"I thought it'd help break down gender roles if I gave him Barbies," Lindy said sadly, watching Casca drop the Barbie doll as though she had been mortally wounded and making biff bam noises. "He just makes horrible things happen to them."

The Wolf
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
----------------------------------------------------------

"The end," Creola said softly and closed the story book she hand in her hands. It was well into the night, and her two little ones were tucked on into their bed. Every night, just before bed, she would read them a story.

Now that the story was done, it was time for them to sleep. She pulled the blankets up over the girls. "Now, the two of ya sleep sweetly," she told them softly.

"'m not--" and Kashmira was sound asleep, happily drifting into sleepy land.

When she got there she looked around at the woods that surrounded her, oddly not surprised in the least, and promptly sat down on a fallen log, her red hood shoved back so she could see in all directions. She was waiting for her sister.

Rhye was sneaking up behind her sister, her own red hood still on her head. It blocked some of her view, but she didn't really need to be looking around right now. She was sneaking!

Her hands went over her sister's eyes.

"WOLF!" Kash bellowed, jumping to her feet and screaming like the little girl she was. "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!!"

"Where??" Rhye said, taking off after her sister. Her hands had come off the eyes when Kash started to run.

"You scared me!" Kash said, attempting to tackle her sister in revenge. "You meanie! I thought you was the wolf!"

Rhye got tackled down, falling backwards with a giggle now. "I notta wolf!" she replied, snickering.

"That's why I mad!" Kash told her, sitting back. "So where's the wolf?" she asked, looking around curiously. "He gonna eat our granny!" Then she paused. "Do we got a granny?" she asked Rhye curiously.

"I wants a granny!" Rhye said as she sat up finally. "Granny's a supposta be fun! 'Nd give you things all the time, 'nd stuff like that. So, we can't let the wolf get her!"

"Yeah!" Kash agreed. "No bad wolf gonna get our granny!" she said, waving a fist in the air. Then she stopped. "Let's catch him," she said, a bit evilly. "An--an' make him not bad!"

"Make him not bad?" Rhye questioned. "-Can- we make the wolf not bad? The wolf is always bad! Like in the piggy story, he bad! And he huffs and puffs!"

"We c'n beat him up an' tell him Daddy gonna sooooe him!" She didn't know what "soooe" meant, really, but people got really nervous when they heard the word, so it would probably work! "An' then we can make him our puppy!"

"We no beat up the wolf! That mean!" Rhye said. She didn't like the idea of beating something up to make it nice. "But we can tell him th't daddy'll sooooe him! 'Nd make him our puppy!"

"But he need beated up," Kash said seriously, nodding. "An' where the basket?" she added, looking around. "Is bait!"

"No! Nono!" Rhye said, looking around for the basket. She spotted it on the grass, next to some flowers and went running for it. If she could get it before Kash, then they wouldn't bait the wolf! She didn't want him beat up! But she did want a puppy.

A huge furry hand picked the basket up before she could, and the gigantic wolf man picked up the flap, peering inside curiously. "'ello, luvs," he said with a faint accent. "Did ye bring me treats?"

Kash stared up... and up... and up at him, her red eyes huge with a mix of awe and shock. THIS was the wolf? No wonder he could eat an entire granny! He was Ginormous!

Rhye crashed on the ground, since the basket was gone, and looked up, and up... and up at the ginormous wolf-man. Her jaw dropped as she just stared at him in shock. Then she scrambled to her feet, backing up to where Kash was.

"Put that down!" she told the wolf, braver now that she was next to her sister. "It no for you!"

He stared down at them, wondering exactly how he had gotten this job, then stared some more. They were SO CUTE. He lunged forward, his arms grabbing to haul them both up.

Kash yelped as she was hauled into a gigantic hug, struggling before giggling wildly. The fur was ticklish! "Leggo! Is not time for that!" she protested, trying to push away from him.

Kash's yelp was echoed by Rhye's and she squirmed in the wolf's arms, giggling as well. "Stop stop! You's not supposta dooo this!" she said, still giggling due to the fur.

"Okay, okay," he said, sneaking a kiss on the cheek for both of them, or trying to, at least, before putting them down again. "Now," he said. "We're 'ere for--" He looked around, then down at his pair of raggedy jeans and shirtless chest. Then he looked at them again, taking in the red hoods this time. "Lil' Red Ridin' 'oods?" he offered.

"Uh huh!" Kash said. "An' you're the big bad wolf!"

"And we ain't gonna let you get our granny!" Rhye added, satisfied now that the wolf was going back to his role. Even if he wasn't scary now.

He grinned, leaning over and looking them straight in the eyes. "Ye aren't, are ye?" he asked teasingly, still inwardly cheerful at how cute his new customers were. "An' j'st 'ow will ye be stoppin' me?"

"We're gonna beat you up!" Kash announced boldly. "An' Daddy's gonna sooooe you!"

He wanted to hug them again!

"'Nd then, we're gonna make you are pet!" Rhye added just as boldly. "Pet's can't harm people, so our granny will be safe!" It was a well known fact that pets were good and did nothing but good things for their people.

Ahhh, he liked this job, he thought happily. Course the whole pet thing would have bothered him if they had been older, but as it was, they barely looked five. "A'ight," he said. "But firs' ye gotta go skippin' thru the forest like good lil' girls, ok?" He waved them off. "An' I'll meet ye at the cabin."

"'Kay, but no eating our granny! That's bad," Rhye told him seriously, hands on her hips and waving a finger at him. Then she reached for the basket with one hand and Kash's hand with her other.

He laughed and disappeared into the trees around them, as if he had never been there to begin with.

Kash took her hand, then looked around for the path, figuring they might as well start for Granny's house as well.

Rhye gave a little huff before smiling. "We gotta pet now! So, let's go," she said, looking around for the path as well. It was there, splitting the trees in a simple little path that both of them could walk. She started in that direction.

Kash was silent for a moment before speaking. "But this only dream," she said with a sigh. "Pet in dream not real pet."

"But.. Maybe we ask daddy for pet. Daddy'll get us -anything-," Rhye said as she thought it over. "I like wolf, though."

"Uh huh," Kash said. "I like Wolf!" Then she stopped. "We gotta save Granny!" she said, and broke into a run, heading as fast as her little legs could take her down the path and to the cozy little house that had a Christmas tree in the front yard.

"Granny!" Rhye said in a little gasp, taking off after her sister. She made it to the house as well, and went for the door, pushing it open.

There was a gigantic form in the bed, covered up in blankets and wearing a gigantic poofy hat. If that was someone's granny, they'd have to be a giant. Kash stared up at the wolf in the bed, then turned to her sister, shrugging. "Is too late."

Rhye gave the most hurt look that ever existed in the world of dreams. "Woooollllffff!" she complained, trying to climb onto the bed. "You didn't do you?! You didn't eat Granny, right?"

"J'st who is this 'Wolf' ye talkin' bout?" Wolf asked in a horridly bad falsetto. "I'm yer dear ole' granny!"

"Miiraaaa," Rhye whined to her sister, looking back at her.

"SHHHH," Kash whispered far too loudly as she looked around for something to beat him up with. She waved one hand, encouraging her sister to go along with it and emptied all of the food in the basket onto the ground with a look of pure concentration on her face.

Sooo freakin' adorable... He waited patiently for them to decide on what they would do, distracted by the one emptying the basket. What in the world was she doing?

Rhye watched her a moment before climbing off the bed and going to where her sister was. Then started to help out, anyway she could.

"No no no," she said, shoving at her sister. "You distract him!" she said, shooing her back to the wolf in the bed. "Distract him!"

Wolf choked on a laugh, trying not to let it out. They were tooooo cute!

"Oooohhhh," Rhye said, going back to the wolf on the bed and climbing up on him. She looked at him for a moment, then decided on something. There was only one way to distracted a wolf in a granny's bed, when you were little red. "Granny, what big eyes you have!"

He died. He couldn't help it, he started to roar with laughter, barely managing to get his lines out. "The bet--the betta ta--" He gasped, laughing harder. "Ta' see ye with, ma' dear."

She gave him a pouty look, hands going on her hips again. "You're not supposed to be laughing," she muttered, then went on. "Granny, what big ears you have!"

He couldn't help but snicker, trying to stop for her sake. "The--the betta ta' hear ye with, me love," he told her, grinning like an idiot. So cute!

And Kash had gotten distracted. She was eating a cookie that had been in the basket happily.

Rhye didn't know what Kash was supposed to do, she didn't even know what her sister had been planning. Now she was just going on with the distraction. "And granny, what big teeth you have!"

It has hard to miss those, with all of his laughing.

"They're nice an' shiny, too, doncha think?" he asked, completely distracted. "Me dentist loves me," he added with a nod.

Rhye leaned closer, totally distracted as he didn't repeat the correct lines. "They are!" she said, looking at the teeth. Then she looked back at her sister to tell her, only to see her eating a cookie. "Cookies! I want one!" she said, started to abandoned Wolf for the cookies.

Kash looked guilty as could be, and swallowed the last before grabbing the basket and racing for the bed. "BASSSSSKETTTTT ATTTAAAACCCKKKK!!!" she bellowed as she climbed onto the bed and started whacking poor Wolf on the head. "Spit out the Granny!!" she said, bonking him again and again. He lifted both hands to try and ward her off, but somewhat failed because he was laughing again.

"I didn' et her!" he finally cried. "She's in the closet!"

"She is?" Rhye said and raced off the bed now to the closet. She got on her tip toes, reaching up for the door handle before opening it up. "Granny? You in here??" she called.

Out came a lady that looked a lot like their mommy, only she was older and much more granny like. Like they had seeing in pictures. "Oh my, it's about time I was able to get out."

"Hi Granny!" Kash chimed up, still beating poor Wolf over the head with the basket. It was fun!

Wolf sighed, giving up. She seemed intent on this part of the game, after all.

"Miira! Stop beating up on Wolf! We've got Granny!" Rhye said, taking the old lady's hand and leading her over. Once she stopped at the bed, she started picking up cookies and handed one to granny, and one to the wolf, keeping herself one.

"Thanks honey," Wolf said, taking the basket away from Kash and shoving the cookie in her mouth. She was promptly distracted. "But it looks like time fer ye two to be wakin' now."

And Kash did, only to find herself chewing on her hand.

Rhye held on to the dream as long as she could, and reluctantly woke up. She pouted. "That was fun. I wanna do it again," she said tiredly to her sister.

"I--" Kash said as she climbed out of bed. "Want a cookie."

"Me too. You didn't let me get cookie," Rhye said, climbing out of bed as well now to follow her sister.

Carpooling... Er, Walking
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen, Rosemilk
*Compiled by Rose
----------------------------------------------------------
Mornings were the worst for Casca. After all, they hardly qualified as mornings -- he felt much too active to sleep during the night, and so he'd already started to hit the coffee when he thought his mother wasn't looking to try to get himself ready for what felt like to him the most aching part of the night. He got to leave school early, and had a calling card for as many naps as he felt like, which he abused, but it was still undeniably awful. He felt stiff and uncomfortable in the wake of sunrise -- the long, dreary morning hours until schooltime felt forever and forever.

And then Lindy had gotten the call that the two girls next door were ready to go to school. He'd been on one of his sleeping jags -- no time to make the apple-pie congratulations visiting round that his mother had made -- but he supposed that Kashmira and Rhye wouldn't be any different to how they were as annoying little twin girls. They would simply be larger annoying little twin girls, though there was always the hope that with growth they'd gotten more interesting than before.

He waited outside their house at quarter to eight, backpack slung across his back, yawning hugely as he rapped at the door. His mother had already left. He wanted another coffee. He wanted three more coffees. His wings shivered, cloaked around his shoulders, but he plastered on an impenetrably fake smile.

"I got it!" Rhye called from the other side of the door. The morning had been spent preparing for school. Their mommy had fussed over them greatly, preparing them for the day off. Both girls were dressed up.

She opened up the door, looking at Casca blankly for a moment. "Morning."

"Casca! Good morning," Creola said, finishing up on Kashmira's hair which was refusing to settle. "The girls are just about ready."

"It's fine, Ma," Kash said, batting at her mother's hands. "It never does what it's supposed to, it's not going to start now." She had a punkish outfit on, complete with catholic schoolgirl skirt and choker. She looked at Casca blankly for a moment before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her jacket and taking a bite of her poptart. They had breakfast already, but she was addicted to the things.

"So... School," she said, not sounding too enthused.

Casca's eyes were crinkled up with sleep, but they still hadn't sharply missed the main fact: that the two twins were still very pretty little girls, which counted for something. His tail lashed at the ground as he called out, "Morning, Ms. Creola," and, "You're looking beautiful today, Ms. Creola."

Fully aware of his sucking-up, he gave Kashmira a slow, lazy grin, looking at her from top to bottom. "Well, don't you clean up nice and easy," he said. The same examination was given to Rhye. Adequate, he thought inwardly. "Let's get a move on, ma petit souers."

He yawned again, splitting his mouth. "Mum says if I fall asleep on the road," he added, not sounding too concerned, "just try to prop me up and pinch me. Be gentle."

"Pinching's not supposed to be easy if it's to wake you up," Rhye said, getting on her own jacket and grabbing her school bag. She was dressed up in a skirt and blouse, not punkish like her sister. And her hair was longer. She wasn't as addicted to pop tarts as her sister. She like toaster strudels better.

"Well, Ah can try," Creola said, shaking her head. "Now, you two 'ave fun at school! Don't be worried or anythin, 'nd go to the nurse to call me if ya don't feel good, 'nd--"

"We'll be okay, Mom," Rhye said.

"I don't know, I'm not feelin' so good," Kash said shamelessly. "I think I need to go back to bed. For like... another two hours or so. Then I might do some gaming--"

Casca's arm was immediately slung around the girl's shoulders. Because they had all played fairly constantly throughout their childhood, it was the kindly, brotherly grasp of Someone Who Cared, or at least it might have if it hadn't been Cascati. He touched her lightly on the nose with one claw. "Nice try, small fry," he drawled. "Bye, Mrs. Creola."

He reached up with his tail to slip the door closed behind all three of them, and he yawned again hugely before uncurling his arm around Kash and instead patting her on her silvery head. "Well now," he said, "I guess it's easy to tell you apart... now." (Another yawn had paused the sentence.)

"Yeah, not getting away with that," Rhye smirked, then sighed. looking out at the sidewalk. "So, now we go to school?"

Strangely, she was just a little bit excited about this. It was probably because it was some place new. It would more than likely end soon, anyway.

"We could skip," Kash said cheerfully. Then she paused, having a thought. "Wait! We'll get to see Chris again!" she said to her sister, grinning widely. "Awesome! Let's go to school, Casca!" She started forward, almost running. Then she stopped.

"Where was it again?"

"Just keep going up the street," said their next-door-neighbour, "and wake me up when we get to the traffic lights."

He sighed again, deeply, eyes half-closing as they all started along the pavement. "And you can't skip," he said, "they call your parents. Forge a note in advance, dear hearts."

"Forge a note, huh? When we wanna skip? Wouldn't they notice that, though?" Rhye asked, walking along. She was keeping an eye on Casca, in case he just stopped walking or something while he sleep-walked them to school.

"If Casca can do it, we can," Kash said rashly. "Hey, what else is at school?" she asked him. "Is it all stupid book learning, or is there somethin' fun to do, too? Like art classes?"

"No," said the gargoyle boy, letting the twins sort of propel him along. His eyes were entirely closed now, hands in his pockets as he walked along in the crisp morning air. He had already squinted at the light. It looked odd and slightly unnatural to see him out during the day. "It's boredom followed by more boredom, with all the seniors making you pick up their things in-between trying to make out. Except that I, my dears, get to get out of it whenever I want because I have a doctor's note about having... to... sleep."

"...." Now that wasn't fair at all! Being able to sleep when ever you wanted. Though he had been in stone and sleeping during the day, when he was small like them. Frankly she didn't see what was wrong with reading. She liked reading. "The older students make you pick up things?" she asked, though. "Why? Can't they pick up things?"

"Casca's getting bullied," Kash said tauntingly. "Who can be surprised?" She turned, heading straight again since he hadn't said she was going in the wrong direction. Then she yawned. "So no art classes?" she asked. "At all?

"Sure, there are art classes," he said, obviously not caring about the accusation of bullying, just smiling vaguely -- "but I sleep through them."

His head nodded down at the traffic lights, and he proceeded to apparently sleep on top of Rhye's head. He drooped with his tail dragging down, eyes closed, breathing easy and even. A stray curl slipped and fell out over the smaller girl's head. His wings insulated him against the chill: obviously Casca was pretty comfortable.

"Hey hey! You're not supposed to sleep on my head!" Rhye protested this action, trying to pull away, not even noticing his comfort or the curl that was now on her head. Why did he have to be taller? It was rude! Her tail even gave a whack at him, to get him awake.

Kash turned, just as the car hit the only puddle in miles around, splashing her with dirty water. "Aww, maaaan," she moaned. "My new clothes!" Stuff like this ALWAYS happened to her!

"Well, we could go back," said the apparently-asleep Casca, head still leant on Rhye's even with the tail-hitting and the squirming, horribly moving even to keep his comfortable position. "But my mum would just dress you in cute little smocks with frilly sleeves. Do you like cute little smocks with frilly sleeves? I suppose Rhye does, ma cherie."

"Nope," Rhye said, mentally telling herself she'd have to find out what a 'smock' was. The sleeves didn't sound bad, however. Then she looked at her sister, apparently having given up for now on getting Casca off. "Wanna go back home? And get you something new to wear?"

"No," Kash said darkly. "Knowing my luck it'll just happen again if I do. I'll try to clean it up when I get to school." For some reason her eyes were drawn to the golden arm bracelet that her sister was wearing.

"Of course, little mud blossom," said Casca, and he proceeded to fall asleep on Rhye's head again. He somehow sleptwalk there over the road as the traffic light turned green, and slept there the whole walk down the road, his legs carrying him somehow. His tail dragged every so often.

Rhye didn't like that look her sister was giving her bracelet and covered it over with a hand possessively. She kept walking with Casca on her head, still miffed about him doing this. "Ya know, Casca, I'm not going to let you do this -every- morning," she told him, even if he was asleep.

Then she wondered how much further the school was.

"Is that it?" Kash asked, pointing at a large building with kids heading inside. "Looks boring."

Suddenly Cascati pushed himself upright, ruffling out his wings a little, apparently as entirely awake as he'd been entirely asleep. "You're not wrong on that account, dear heart," he said, "only it's even more boring than it looks."

Then he sauntered off in front of them, and the message was clear: he'd walked with them to school but he wasn't with them. They were pretty much left on their own.

Jerk.

Trio Troubles
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen, rosemilk
----------------------------------------------------------

Cascati Naborn's policy of ignoring the twins had gone on for over a week. He would talk to them in the mornings, and then when school rolled around, act as though they were complete strangers and not neighbours who had grown up next to each other -- this was in opposition to Ms. Lindy, who always talked to the girls enthusiastically in the corridors and greeted them by name, and took the time out to ask them how their days were going -- as well as giving them the fun jobs sometimes, like asking them to help her carry things to the art or health rooms, which were always good for missing out on bits of school and feeling important.

Cas, on the other hand, appeared every afternoon with a disposable cup of coffee -- apparently all he did was walk into the staff room like he owned it, and if anyone asked said that he had a medical condition which meant he needed the caffeine. Casca was smooth with the teachers. He never acted ruffled, and his easy air like he was always meant to be doing what he was doing got him out of trouble. It was pretty disgusting.

He waited for them at the corner of the road, styrafoam cup in hand, looking sleepy as he ever did. His curly hair was in a short braid, and he was squinting in the afternoon light.

"Mes amis petites," he greeted them caustically when Kashmira and Rhye met with him. "And Kash, the blossoming child skank of the school, just my little joke."

She looked at him, her jaw dropping slightly, her hands moving to her hips and her tail swishing angrily. "And, exactly who are you again?" she demanded finally. "Because obviously neither of us know you, isn't that right, Rhye?" she said to her sister.

The skank thing confused her, because all she had done was chat with a couple of the boys during her last study hall. They liked some of the same comic books she did!

Rhye paused for half a moment, giving her sister a blank look. "Know who?" she asked, ever so innocently, her tail swaying slightly behind her. "There's only strangers here on this sidewalk, other than you, sis," she continued gamely.

She didn't know what skank meant yet, so she would look it up once they were home. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't nice, since this was Casca. He said things that sounded nice, but weren't always nice. The Jerk.

Besides, she liked school. It was fun!

The gargoyle boy, tail slowly swishing on the pavement, immediately threaded his free arm through Rhye's before she could protest. "Hey," he said, sounding a little wounded. "Don't do that to me, tesoro mio. Have a heart, Rhye-let. You're the nice one, right? You understand that school's complicated -- I'm asleep so much of the time, I forget to talk, yeah?"

That was also Casca: he could blow hot and cold when he wanted, and sound genuine.

"Oh, yeah?" Kash demanded, grabbing her sister's other arm and trying to tug her away. "Well, buddy, sometimes we forget to talk too, right, sis?" she demanded. "An entire week, Casca! You pretended like we didn't even exist! You're such a jerk!"

"Over a week. But we don't exist to you, except for before and after school. Not cool," said the one who was now being tugged on. She tried to get her arm away from Casca. He was the enemy. "You could have said hello during lunch, or in the hall, but nooooo."

The taller boy took a long swig of his coffee; he re-settled his wings on his shoulders with a leathery rustle. He was remarkably delicate with the styrafoam -- then again, they didn't know how long it had taken to not pierce through with his claws and have a mess of broken plastic and coffee on his hands. "Well, now," he said, "I didn't want to tell you, but frankly, I was doing it for your own good."

He shrugged eloquently. "But you two, you always jump to conclusions. All I'm doing is looking out for you. As though you were really my petit souers, the little sisters of my heart." (One hand was on his chest at this. Casca did tend to lay it on a little melodramatically thick. Better subtlety would come in time -- he wasn't bad thus far.)

Kash blinked at him. Then blinked again. Then finally said, when she had run it through her mind a good twenty times, "You are SO full of crap, Casca. How is that looking out for us??"

"Yeah, cuz it doesn't make very much sense. It's not like school is dangerous or anything," Rhye added with the same amount of irritation and befuddlement as her sister. He could so lay it on thick.

"Let me share with you a secret, girls," said Casca, unusually serious. "It's free and everything. When you are the son or daughter of a teacher, mes amis, you are immediately unpopular and, alas, kind of lame. I didn't want you to be tarred with the same brush -- it's all I can do to get Mum not to treat you like teacher's pets. It is an uphill road for me to be popular. I was waiting to inevitably become popular, but let you find your own way until then, so that when I was popular and could become your open friend you wouldn't have been harmed by being friends with a nerd. Capsiche?

"You think so badly of me," he added.

Kash blinked. "Who cares about being popular?" she finally asked. "Oh! Rhye! I drew you a picture in art class today, do you want it? I was going for a butterfly theme but then I started thinking of that song that Dad's always listening to, and how Mom always says--"

"Yes! What did you draw? I want to see," Rhye said, totally blowing off Casca's little speech. Who cared about being popular? She liked going out of the room when it was boring. Sometimes. She felt like she was missing something, so would always hurry back.

There was a sharp, brisk lashing as Casca used his tail to snap both of them lightly on the calves -- not enough to cause pain, but enough to show irritation, even as he downed the rest of his coffee. "So that's how it is," he said, sauntering ahead a few steps; the unfairness was that their tails, soft and fluffy, had not nearly as much impact as Casca's. "Both of you have the attention span of soya milk."

"That's not it," Kash said, rubbing her calf and glaring at him. "You're a jerk, and you're just not worth worrying about because you're a nerd and if you're going to ignore us, you're no longer part of our going to school and back club, right, Rhye?"

She was still at the stage where she called people stupid names, apparently. "You can just wait FOREVER for you to get popular, and we'll go back to doing fun stuff!"

"If anything, you're ignoring us because you think you'll be popular by doing so, because we're a little younger and girls," Rhye said, rubbing her calf as well. Her tail twitched irritably at it all. "And if you're gonna be that way, then fine. We don't need you. We know the way home and back now, so you can just leave."

She looped her arm in her sisters again to head off for their house, nose up in the air and ignoring the boy. Frankly, if it wasn't for Kash, she might have bought a few of those lines, not thinking it through all the way.

Cascati did not follow after them. In fact, he turned around and took a different route home, never minding the fact that both their mothers had asked each other to walk home together -- obviously, things between the three were definitely on the outs.

Kash's bottom lip trembled at that reaction. She had wanted him to say he would start talking to them in class, not walk away! "Fine!" she snapped finally. "We don't need him anyway."

Rhye hesitated too. She didn't want him to leave them either! But there he was, walking away. She held her sisters arm tighter for fear she might just run after him. Then she looked back at Kash. "What if he gets lost, though?" she asked.

"Let him," Kash said callously. "He can fly home."

"But--" Rhye stopped and sighed. Yes, she was mad at Casca, but now he was the one running off. That wasn't part of the plan! Maybe their accepting of it though, would prove that they were lame and he would talk to them.