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 Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:03 pm
Cindy was glad that Kurios had more of an open mind toward the subjects of good and evil, but the second he made it clear to her that Ryo was nowhere near her, a new expression was revealed. Now, to understand this expression, you would have to know that Cindy is a logical girl. And if something isn't logical, it will either confuse her... Or piss her the ******** off. This time, it was the ladder.
"Wait, wait, wait." Her tone was much more serious. "You mean to tell me that he invited me over here with no intention of seeing me?" Her eyes burned with hatred, but her face was more quizzical now. "And he just told you to deal with it?" She thought about this to herself. You could tell she was speaking to herself by the way her brows would raise and eyes would narrow.
Then something expected happened. She smiled. Oh, but this was no warm-hearted smile that would make a child stop crying. This was a plotting smile. An evil smile. "Well. I s'pose I'll have to thank him for that."
Aesop wasn't surprised by her reaction to his tiny house. He carefully sat across from her, looking at the different boxes with the colored beads. He'd never seen anything like them before. When she handed him the string, he looked down at it inquisitively, then back up at her. He seemed to notice her earlier unfinished project. So, you just put the strange objects on the string? It seemed simple enough. "I think so." He picked out a red bead and placed it on the string. "Like this?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:53 pm
She, hadn’t know? Oh crud, what trouble had he just left Ryo in now. Payback his mind told him. For leaving you with her in the first place. Still, even with his thoughts, that smile which crept along Cindy’s lips was enough to make a chill run down his spine. He didn’t want to be on whatever side of list Ryo was now on. “Well yes. It’s not the first time things like this have happened. I thought you would know that from why he hadn’t got the egg with you that day. Did he not explain…?”
Her words had defiantly sounded familiar, him running off and telling Kurios to deal with it. That was exactly what had happened with Kashya, though he felt almost glad he had. While Kurios was not suited for children just yet, Ryo would have been much worse off.
Kashya nodded at the success of her playmate. He could indeed work things out, much more clever than she had anticipated. She picked up a few more beads for her own chain, and threaded them onto the string. “You can use any of the beads if you like,” obviously not being a selfish child. “and take some home with you too,” That way when she saw him again, he might have made something new, and she very much wanted to see what sort of thing he would make.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:56 pm
"... Explain what?" She had a feeling that whatever he was about to tell her would fuel the already large bonfire in her mind. She sat her tophat beside her chair, fingers interlocking on her lap. "Please, tell me."
Aesop was happy that he'd gotten it right the first time. Not that it was a complicated concept, he just didn't want to look like a fool in front of his new acquaintance. "Oh, thank you." He smiled and nodded. She was shy, but very kind. Something about her... She reminded him of Julien. It wasn't their appearance or personality. It was something else. Something much deeper. His eyes peered around at the different colored beads. His little fingers picked up a few more red and black ones. Cindy liked these colors.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:20 pm
Kurios felt cautious, not because it was a very personal matter to him, but because she seemed so intense about the subject. “Ryo didn’t want Kashya,” he replied calmly. “He was out meeting girls one night and said some woman gave him the egg. “He came home, and gave the egg to me without a second thought. I don’t think he actually intended to bring her home, he was jus to…stunned over whatever had happened, to get rid of her before he arrived here. He said if I didn’t care much for looking after it, he could just find someone who did, or he would ‘get rid of it’. I didn’t even want to think what ‘get rid of it’ might mean for the thing, so I just took her in. I don’t think Ryo’s actually recognised that she was in the egg just yet,” He finished. This was typical Ryo behaviour, and thus the norm for him. But actually retelling what happened to Cindy did make him start to think just how bad his actions where.
As suspected, he had reached for the black beads next, which was why she had placed them close to him. “Cindy looks like she’s really nice,” she said, trying to think up conversation, personally, she enjoyed things to be quiet, but thought it might be rude to ignore Aesop. Kashya flicked her eyes between what Aesop was doing, and her own work. Not because she was making sure he was doing things right, just simply to observe. He was more talkative than she would normally be, but he seemed to like this activity, and she was curios to learn more about him.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:46 pm
As Cindy listened to the story, she felt mixed emotions. She wasn't as mad as she was a second ago. 'Get rid of it' kept repeating in her head. Like a verse to a song you can't get out of your mind. A hand went to her forehead, rubbing it softly after the story was over. "I don't get it." Were the first words out of her mouth. "This may not seem as big of an insult as it really is, but he reminds me of my step-sister." She spoke before she realized what she was saying, but after she thought about it, she realized how true it was. "Selfish to the end. Thought about no one but herself and never offered a word of thanks to my parents when they picked her up off the street. She just expected it as her birthright."
Slowly, her eyes became softer. "Her kids grew up to be nothing but trash on the surface of this earth. Because she never taught them how to do otherwise. She was too busy tending to her own wants." When she realized that she was rambling, she shook her head as if to wake up. "Either way. I'm not gonna give you some s**t about 'you need to talk to him'. Lord knows you probably have. And it's none of my business to begin with."
"Just make sure he knows I don't want to see him again."
Aesop looked up at her as he complimented his 'mother'. "Oh, she is. She lets me read all her books and watch this thing called 'television'. And then we go out to restaurants for food..." He stopped and blinked. He'd gotten carried away. He placed more beads on the string before he started speaking again. "Kurios seems nice as well. And I don't just say that just to throw a compliment back."
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:11 am
“I’ll make sure he gets the message for you,” Kurios assured. “But at least I’m here when Ryo’s not and I like to think I’m doing well with her. May I ask what Aesop is like?”
“You’re chain is coming along well,” Kashya commenting, hearing as they sunk onto the thread. “Kurios tried very hard to spend time with me, and I like him for that among other things,” She said in reply. “What sort of books do you read?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:48 am
"I think Kashya couldn't be in better hands." It was an honest compliment. Kurios seemed like the kind of guy she would've hung out with in high school. Quiet, and unpopular because of that fact. But popularity only meant you knew who's a** to kiss and who's to kick. He didn't seem like a liar, or some womanizing pig (like some people). But a good friend to have when things got bad. Most likely why Ryo leeched off of him. "Aesop? Well, lets see..." She was appreciative of the subject change. Because while she'd had found many things in common with Ryo, Kurios had made the huge differences apparent tonight.
"He loves reading." That had to be the first thing said, because she couldn't get that boy out of a book half the time. "He's read all of my books. Storybooks... Which I've had since I was a child. I was never good at getting rid of the things I cherished as a child..." A little fact she figured she'd toss in. "My strategy guides for games, music books, tarot books. Even my comic books." She wasn't afraid to admit she had comic books. "When he's not reading, we'll watch some TV, play some games, look up whatever comes to mind on the internet... And every once in awhile we go for a drive." She sighed. "There's not much I can do right now. I have a job that doesn't pay the best, and I'm living by myself... Well, besides Aesop." Oh, how she didn't want to think she was a bad Mother or something like that. She was doing her best under the circumstances.
"Oh, thank you." Aesop said and gave a nod as he caught her compliment. As he listened to her speak about Kurios, he thought that her words were about right... But he'd sorta wished to find out something he didn't know. Perhaps the more they spoke, the more she'd feel apt to talk about things. "Oh, I've read many books. There was this one Mother gave me when I was born. It was a storybook on animals personified. It's simple, but very enjoyable." It was obvious that the way his eyes sparkled, he was very much into words above experiences. "And there are these books that you read backwards with pretty pictures. Supposively that's the way they read in Japan..." He was referring to Cindy's stash of Manga, of course. She had more of that than anything. "And then there are books on animals... And these weird cards that predict the future." This time he was talking about the tarot cards. "There's actually a story that goes along with the major arcana. About The Fool's journey..." As he spoke, he continued putting beads on his string, until he felt he'd finished. It was mostly red and black, with two white beads at either end, matching him quite well.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:52 am
Kurios knew how to identify an inside rather than outside person as easily as he could tell day and night. Cindy was someone who liked the indoors, and he much like people in that mind set. Though he admitted he wasn’t a collector of child hood items. As Kurios grew up and moved houses, he found it was much easier to pack when you left little things like childhood memorabilia out of the boxes.
“He seems like a good child then,” Kurios concluded. “It must be nice for him, growing up around books. Good thing you have some. Have you considered getting him some more advanced things? Classics and the like. He may not like them, but old English texts are something I get the feeling he won’t be exposed to until someone else introduces it to him first,” Kurios himself wasn’t very versed in the works of Shakespeare, Jane Austin and the like, but if the boy was willing to read anything, than one of those books could defiantly expand his vocabulary. “You could rent out the movie version of them as well if you wanted to go that far,”
Kashya had of course, never heard of tarot cards, and found the idea of predicting the future with such device an interesting thought indeed. “Why do they call him ‘The fool’?” she said, implying to the cards. “Does it explain that in the story?
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:03 am
Cindy smiled at his compliment about Aesop. It was good to hear that someone approved of what she was doing. "That's probably a great idea." Why it hadn't hit her before, she didn't know. "I could get him a library card or something..." She thought out loud. She rubbed her chin, nodding at the movie suggestion as well. "What about Kashya? What's she like?" The fragile-looking girl reminded her of a porcelain doll her grandma had bought her when she was younger. So beautiful, yet so delicate.
Aesop gave a nod to her last question. "He's called The Fool because he's journeying to wherever destiny might take him. Not knowing of whatever danger might be ahead." He smiled as he recalled the story behind the Arcana. "And all the other cards in the major arcana are the people he meets and encounters he has. The card basically means a new start." Sure. It was useless information to people who didn't care. But he enjoyed knowing it. Just in case a conversation did come up about it.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:04 am
Kurios considered it a moment. He hadn’t had Kashya long, but she had been nothing but perfect in that short time. It was hard to pick a flaw out of her, he was simply curios to find out more about the young girl. “ Hushed would be a good term for her. She’s very quiet, not like many other children I know. She more content to sit and think on her own, than she is to voice them aloud or converse about them. Which is why I’m glad to have finally met Yourself and Aesop, heres hoping it’s the first step to drawing her out,” He tsked slightly, at his own folly for not making the extra effort himself to meet new people. “ Although I took her out to my store a few times and think I’ve introduced her to the idea of sewing things for herself. She’s watched me cut and draw up a few designs, and she seemed very observant. So I might see how she goes at some basic hand stitching. Under supervision of course,” He added, not wanting to seem negligent.
Kashya furrowed her brow, forgetting about her beads momentarily. So by this Arcana as Aesop said, mankind played ‘The Fool’, but in doing so it represented ’the beginning’.
“Shouldn’t he be called ‘The Valiant’ then? To keep going is to show bravery, and not knowing things only makes him seem more courageous. Progress if brought by moving into the unknown and if ‘The Fool’ had turned back, then he would have earned his name and would never have meet these other Arcana,”
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 11:45 pm
Hushed, huh? An interesting description for an interesting girl. It's strange. Most people have to grow to develop such traits. But it's like these children are already equipped with them when they're born. Maybe Aesop could do her some good... Hopefully.
She raised a brow when he mentioned his shop. "What exactly do you do for a living?" She was curious now. Was he some kind of tailor?
Aesop listened to her words, genuinely interested in what she was saying. Valiant? The Fool? "There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity." He gently placed his beads on the ground, folded his arms, and thought. "But, they also call him The Fool because he starts out with little knowledge at his disposal. Or as compared to the end of his journey."
"All of us start out as The Fool in the beginning. Only the few who choose not to put their knowledge to use earn it."
He froze at that thought, eyes widening at his own words. There was a flash of some subconscious thought or memory. A room with many, many old looking books. Stacked on top of another. Oh, how brief it was. And how it left him questioning what had just happened.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:15 am
Kurios admitted it, he was shy about naming his exact profession to others, but Cindy didn’t seem the type who would ridicule him for it like some who though him odd for it. As a Tailor, when he told people his profession they usually swung one way or another. One way, which he favoured, was that they assumed he would be good at it as a male, because most high up designers where actually male themselves. The other not so nice way, was to assume he was a flaming gay stereotype who wore pink shirts and had an earring in the right earlobe.
“I work in my own dress design and sewing shop. Make dresses do alterations, general thing like that. We’re categorised as a bridal shop though, as it’s my specialty and we work mainly in the formal attire of clothing for both men and women,” Shy, but not embarrassed. He found his work fulfilling. While it wasn’t curing cancer, making Little Miss Plane-Jane turn into the fairytale princess she always wanted to be had a good feeling. “and you?” He was curios what sort of work someone like Cindy might get. Her strange dress would make any profession without uniform out of the question. Unless people suddenly started trusting women who wore top hats and dressed as darkly as she did.
Kashya also put down her beads, becoming more engrossed in the conversation. It was a rather mature topic for two children who looked no older then twelve to most on lookers. If his name was based on comparison than it seemed worthy indeed. “If he is a fool in the beginning, what does he become at the end….Aesop?” she questioned, fading off at the end as Aesop seemed to falter. For a moment he seemed dazed, before returning to he was as before. She gave him a puzzled look of concern, tilting her head on the side.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:44 am
A simple eyebrow quirk was all she did at the mention of a bridal shop. Her thoughts were not automatically driven to 'omg he's queer'. He sure as hell didn't act it. Or at least, the stereotypical queer. Of course, living with another man, anyone could pull that assumption out of their hat.
But that didn't matter. In a way, it was a form of art. And no matter what it was, she could respect that. She smiled at the end of his explanation. "I'll bet you can make some beautiful dresses.." And she said that with a genuine tone. The quiet, reclusive ones. That's what category of man she stuck him in. Instead of going out and being assertive, they're more reclusive and tend to excel at what they do because there's nothing to distract them.
What.. What did she do.. Well...
"I work in retail." Was her simple answer. "You got to understand, I graduated high school a year ago. And because I didn't wait to move out of my parents house... Or even tell them where I went... College isn't an option for me at this time. I don't have the funds..." Stating that fact always depressed her a little.
"I'll... I'll be able to go someday. Until then, it gives me time to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life..."
Oh, how she hated that thought. Having to decide. "I've never been very good at making decisions."
As he snapped out of his little trance, Aesop looked up to realize he'd outwardly shown his confusion to the tricks of his mind. "Oh... Well..." He tried to recall what she'd just said. Oh right, what does he become?
"In a sense..." Wondering if this was the appropriate explanation, he paused and fiddled with the crystal around his neck.
".. He becomes like God."
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 1:19 am
Kurios didn’t think it odd at all that she might not have found her life’s calling. Very few people found it at all, let alone in their first year out of high school. As for the college, she was right about the expenses part, it was not something you could save up for in a week. Especially if she was living by herself, paying bills and feeding herself. Not including Aesop. Overall, an expensive adventure, but defiantly one worth while. But only if she knew where she was going. No use doing a scientific course if she wanted to be an English teacher.
“Not a lot of people are, and some of the people who do think they are, are even worse off,” he chuckled thinking of headstrong Ryo, who could never be wrong.
Aesop’s answer was far from what she had expected. Kashya had assumed it might be ‘wise’ or ‘experienced’ even. But god? No. She struggled to find the reasoning in how that could possibly be the outcome of the equation. Was it even plausible? “…Man becomes god?” she said, a tone of frustration in her voice. Not a Aesop, but at herself for not being able to comprehend such things. “How can that be,” Her voice rang of a wishing to know.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:31 am
"Too true." Cindy immediately agreed with him. Jumping into things was never her style. She had to think about it. And if thinking didn't help... She thought s'more. Hell, it might take her years of thinking, but she'd figure it out.
"... Things never do happen like you imagine they will when you're a child." It was sad to recall that dark truth. "I remember when I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Because I loved animals so much. I figured by this time, I'd be living the wonderful life. And I'd fall in love with the man of my dreams. And we'd have 2 dogs, some birds, maybe a cat here and there..." She laughed. "Oh yeah. And a pet Velocilraptor in the backyard."
"But. Obviously none of that happened. I'm working a minimum wage job, single, living in a one room apartment that doesn't allow pets... And obviously no backyard for the dinosaur." Another laugh after she spoke that. Though it was more of a witty one this time. "And I always thought I'd be the last in my generation to have a kid... What with all my 'loosey goosey' cousins and nieces." Funny how fate has an ironic tune as it kicks you in the crotch. Not that she minded Aesop. Though, he wasn't exactly your average kid. But if someone in her family found out that she was raising a child... Ohhhh boy.
Aesop wasn't surprised at her reaction to his words... But he couldn't find a better way to explain it. "Well. The last card in the Major Arcana is 'The World'. With all his knowledge, he journeys back to the place where everything started. He realized how stupid he'd been in the beginning and jumped off the cliff he'd almost stepped over when he started. But instead of falling, he soars up above everything. And he can see the whole world from where he is..."
"So, like I said. In a sense, he becomes God."
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