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 Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:18 pm
Status: Complete Date: October 2nd, 2005 || Location: The House; Backyard || Participants: Jerava, Elena, Rasalus, Siri, Sa Jer looked out upon her backyard from the balcony off her room, feeling as though she knew a lot less about her house than she thought she did. Leaning against the railing, the elf sighed adjusted the 'skirt' she was wearing slightly, and waved her tail at Elena, who was now sitting on a beach, making sandcastles. The beach, and the swimming pool that had come with it, were the current causes of Jer's consternation, as she hadn't told the house to make one, nor had any of the other residents. Well, no one had confessed to it, and Jer was inclined to believe them. "I'm coming," she called down to the Tahnee in and around the pool, standing up and heading over to the stairs. Anli was having a grand time with this; the beach had come with a grill, and she wasn't the one cooking for a change. Paril had, somewhat surprisingly, volunteered to cook, and the reindeer Tahnee was currently waiting for the burgers to finish before starting on the steaks. As she descended the stairs Jer sighed, wondering how on earth she'd been conned into wearing such a ridiculous get up. The deep blue bikini top fit snugly, and the matching bottom had been quickly redesigned to accomedate her tail, which was currently wrapped around her waist, the spaded tip resting on her right hip. Of course, Jer wasn't going to wander about in just that, so she'd added the shimmery silver 'skirt' as an effort to maintain some dignity. She hadn't planned on going swimming anyway. Book tucked beneath an arm, Jer's feet abruptly left the cool grass and she paused once they hit the warm sand. Wiggling her toes, Jer debated over the chairs arrayed on the sand. Some were closer to the grill and patio area, while other were nearer the pool. Deciding on one halfway between the pool and the patio, Jer stretched out on it, propping her book against her tail and starting to read. Elena, meanwhile, was happily digging holes in the sand, burying Siri and Sa every so often and waiting to see how long it took the sprockets to escape. Salus was staying out of her reach, deeming such activities demeaning and beneath him. Elena didn't care, this was fun and it was better than swimming, not least because no one was willing to teach her how. Patting the top of the hole she'd buried Sa under, Elena waited for the sprocket to wiggle or dig it's way out. Soon enough, the sand started shifting, but it wasn't quite the same as the other times they'd dug themselves out. Head tilted to the side, Elena reached a hand out to grab the emerging sprocket, but stopped when Rasalus swooped down and blocked her hand. "Salus!" Elena scolded, looking very put out. "Mistress, I think something's wrong," he explained as Sa emerged, wobbling lopsidedly. A shard of glass was stuck in one of the holes around the outer edge of the sprocket, and Salus had to move quickly to avoid getting stuck on it as well. "See?" he said smugly, keeping himself between his Bond and Sa. Elena looked worried and peered at Sa cautiously. "Sa? You okay?" she asked, ignoring Rasalus' self-congratulatory tone. She didn't want mum to take away her shinies because one of them had gotten hurt. She hadn't known Sa was going to get stuck on some glass! "Why don't I take Sa over to Miss Jerava and she can take the glass out?" Salus suggested before Sa could say anything in an effort to stop Elena from having a squalling fit. Elena nodded her agreement, eyes still brimming with tears. Siri quickly dropped closer and began chiming softly, knowing that the sound of Celestial speech (sprocket speech, of course, not a Celestial language that others could learn) cheered her mistress up. Salus wiggled underneath Sa, who was resting on the ground, as flight was not an option, and gently lifted the other sprocket up into the air. Trying to keep the sprocket balanced while shaking the sand off was hard, and eventually the Fandangle gave it up as a lost cause, resolving to take a dunk in the pool to get the last bits off. "Miss Jerava?" he said in a monotonal voice, coming to a stop next to the deck chair Jer was sprawled out on. "Mmm?" Jer replied, cracking open an eyelid to peer blearily at the Fandangle. "Oh. What do you want?" she said tiredly, looking at him curiously. "And why are you horizontal?" she asked, knowing that Fandangles in the cog and widget stage preferred a vertical orientation. "Sa appears to have gotten stuck on a piece of glass," Salus replied, still in that monotone. "Since I do not possess hands," this was said accusingly, as if it was Jerava's fault the Fandangle hadn't evolved, "And I do not wish for my Mistress to attempt to remove the glass, I thought that you were the best choice to deal with the matter." Jer smirked at the last sentence; saying that must have been a serious blow to Salus' pride. "Of course," she said dryly, motioning Salus closer so she could get a look at Sa. "I'll have to take her into the lab," Jer said after a moment. "I don't exactly have the equipment here to remove that." Salus made an attempt at a bob of agreement, but quickly gave up on it as it cause Sa to move about and he didn't want to risk getting scratched, oh no. Jer reached out and grasped the sprocket by the edge not impeded by glass. Sa chirped a bit in protest, but settled once he realized Jer was going to get the shard out. "Go one back to Elena," Jer said to Salus with a dismissive wave of her free hand, using her tail to set the book down on a nearby table as she stood up. Salus didnt dignify that with a reply, taking a detour on his way back to skim along under the water to clean all the sand off before returning to Elena. "Sa's gone, so you have t'play," Elena said with a determined look in her eyes. Salus groaned internally; he'd just gotten himself clean and now his Mistress wanted to bury him in the sand! With no protest voiced, however, Elena began digging a wider hole to bury her Fandangle in. Jerava, meanwhile, was tilting Sa this way and that to get a better look at how the shard was stuck. She took no notice of hoe the sunlight seemed to fire along the shard's surface, almost holding the reflection when it wasn't directly exposed. "How did this even get in the beach?" Jer asked herself, opening the back door and heading for her lab. "I hope there's nothing else buried back there," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. Sa chirped regretfully at her as they descended a spiral staircase. Once in the lab proper, Jer made a beeline for a table with a vise attached to it. Clamping Sa into it via the free edge Jer had been holding, the elf began looking around for a pair of pliers, which she found in a drawer in the table she was using. FIrmly grasping the shard with the pliers, Jer began to gently pull on it, eliciting a squeal from Sa as the shard scraped against the interior surface of the hole it was stuck in. "Shush," Jer scolded absently. "I've almost got it -- there!" she exclaimed triumphantly, holding the shard free from Sa and setting it down on the tabletop with a chiming sound. Jer paused, the noise having taken her aback. Glass shards didn't make chiming noises. Normal ones didn't anway, so perhaps this one was special? Sa made an indignant noise at Jer, reminding the elf that the sprocket was still trapped in the vise. "Sorry about that," Jer said, releasing Sa with a quick spin of the vise's screw. Sa muttered something and floated out to relieve Rasalus from his torment at Elena's hand. Jer picked the shard up carefully and examined it, not seeing anything immediately eye-catching or different about it. "We'll keep you here under observation," Jer said whimsically, setting it back down. "I'd do something about you today, but Anli will have my hide if I spend today indoors," Jer explained, heading back up the staircase to resume her reading/napping. The shard, of course, didn't say anything, but a flash of light as Jer closed the door behind her clearly indicated that it had heard her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:31 pm
Status: Complete Date: January 5th, 2006 || Location: The House; Jerava's Office || Participants: Jerava Jerava leaned back in her chair, nearly hitting her head against the back wall of her office, bored out of her mind. All the experiments she'd been running were at the stage where they just needed to run through themselves, and barring any major problems, Jer's direct input wasn't needed. Sitting back up suddenly, which caused her hair to shoot forward slightly, the elf looked about her desk for something, anything to do. Elena was having pottery lessons with Dyran, and Jer was loath to interrupt her daughter simply because she was bored. As she thought of things to do (mostly quickly discarded), Jer idly shuffled papers and rearranged things on her desk. An orange glint caught her eye, and she curiously moved the paper that had been partially covering the source. "Ah," she breathed out, carefully picking up the glass shard Elena's sprockets had found several months ago. "I'd completely forgotten about you," Jer said, cradling it in her palm. The orange glow flickered briefly at her voice, causing her to arch an eyebrow curiously. "That's a new one." The glass flickered cheerfully, orange and red and yellow dancing along the edges. "What am I going to do with you?" No response this time, although Jer hadn't expected on in the first place. "You'd certainly make an interesting paperweight." Jer tilted her head to the side slightly and laughed softly. "Which is what you were doing until just now. I'll need to find some clear resin, don't think I have any on hand," she continued, mostly to herself and failing to notice the angry red glare from the shard still cupped in one hand. Jer stood up, setting the shard down absently, and headed out into the lab, fully intending to come back to this project once she'd located some resin and a base. Unfortunately, the organized chaos that was the House swallowed Jer up as she had to deal with crisises both big and small, ranging from a detonation outside the sprocket lab, to having to find and purchase a specific type of clay for Dyran and Elena to use. After a few days, the elf remembered the shard, but Elena demanded a shopping trip, once more postponing the shard's rebirth as a pretty paperweight.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:41 pm
Status: Complete Date: January 5th, 2006 || Location: Barton || Participants: Ioyla, Ilistala, Elena, Jerava
Especially if you were Ioyla and Ilistala Infriti, mother-daughter extraordinaire! The two were currently sitting outside a local grocery store in Barton, eating Chinese food and complaining about the cold.
Well, Ioyla was complaining; Ilistala was having the time of her life!
"Stala want a 'neggroll?" Ioyla offered her small child an eggroll that had been stabbed with a chopstick. She stuck out the tip of her tongue and wiggled the eggroll for her daughter's amusement.
"'Negroll!" Stala squealed, tearing the food off the chopstick. She smashed the food all over her pudgy hands, then licked whatever remains off. She did this with great gusto!
"That was...real cute, kid," Ioyla squeaked, gulping and feeling suddenly not so hungry. Mushed up eggroll? nothx.Again with the shopping. Jerava had gotten Elena some books the last time they were out, but the girl demanded more. Jer idly wondered where her daughter had gone, and who this stranger was now leading her down a path in Barton. Elena stopped suddenly, and Jer ran into the girl. "Why'd you stop?" she asked the toddler, who was staring at the flame haired child with tatoos all over her arms. "Lena, darling, it's not polite to stare," Jer repriminded the girl, bundled up in a blue coat, while Jer wore her simple white jacket, her tail flicked into a pocket to keep the tip warm. "Mum, she has wings," Elena replied in an awe filled voice. "Yes, she does," Jer said shortly, not wanting to stay outside any longer than necessary. Ioyla continued to sit and munch on her food in quiet bliss. She, unlike the people behind and around her, was not wearing a jacket; her trademark gremlin hat was probably the thickest article of clothing she was wearing, but Ioyla really didn't feel like getting a coat. Call her lazy, call her stubborn, just don't call her practical!
She might have gone on eating and teasing Stala without even turning around, but Ioyla suddenly felt like she was...being watched. Her heightened senses perked up, her flesh pebbled over, and she turned quickly, dropping the chopsticks into the carton of food, expecting the worse: someone coming to hurt or snatch her and Ilistala.
But it was only a young woman and a toddler.
"Jeeze lady, you scared the s**t outta me!" Ioyla stood up to pat her chest, and she felt the rapid beat of her heart under her hand. The demon girl bent down to pick Ilistala up off the ground, who was positively filthy with smashed eggroll.
she cried again, gurgling and squealing again.
"My apologies," Jer said with a half bow. "My daughter," she said with hardly a trace of hesitation considering how Elena was not biologically related to her, "seems quite entranced with her wings," she continued with a flick of her hand towards Ilistala. "I'm sorry if we've disturbed you," the elf finished with a questioning lilt to her voice. Elena had started to walk closer, and Jer's spaded tail snaked out of a pocket to snag the toddler about the waist.
"Muuuum," Elena whined, turning to face Jer. "I was just going to look," she continued petulantly.
"Of course you were," Jer murmured quietly, pushing a strand of hair behind her long, pointed ears. "But you can look from here." The elf cocked her head at Ioyla. "Unless you don't mind if we come closer?" she asked, ignoring the stream of profanity coming from the toddler's mouth. Jer certainly wasn't one to criticize or censor another's parenting. There really was no right way to raise a child, although there were plenty of people who not only thought so, but would try and push their parenting method on anyone and everyone within metaphorical shouting distance. Such idle speculation was a way to pass the short interval between Jer's question and Ioyla's answer.
Ioyla straightened her hat and hoisted Stala up a bit further. Well then. The little grabby child thinger sure seemed interested in Ilistala! Ioyla shrugged as she casually lowered the toddler to the ground. "Nope, don't mind oooone bit, lady. Yous two can take s'long as ya want." The demon took a step back while Ilistala stumbled forward; she was still a toddler, and therefor, her walking skills were still limited.
"Biaaaa! Chaaaaaaaaaaa!" she shrieked, spinning for both Jer and Elena's amusement. Her tiny leathery wings flapped out behind her, and when she was done, the child promptly sat down. Her cheeks were apple-red, and her wild orange hair was absolutely insane, now. "Chachacha~."
Ioyla merely watched Ilistala with mixed amusement and annoyance. She really wasn't a fit mother; but who gave a ********! The point was, was that she was going to do her damn best at raising Ilistala! So what if her first word was an obscenity! If Stala were to ask, Ioyla would say it was mama, or something dumb like that. Ioyla was the personification of mature.
"...anyways, hi! I'm Ioyla, but you can call me Yola if ya want!" She stuck out a scrawny hand toward Jer, grinning her dorky grin and expecting nothing but hospitality.
"Be nice," Jer murmured to Elena, releasing the child from the grip of her tail. Elena, who had been a toddler for quite some time and therefore had better motor skills than Stala, walked confidently over to the other girl.
"Pretty wings," Elena said quietly, mostly ignoring what Stala was saying since it didn't make sense to her. The girl blinked in thought. Oh dear. What if those were all the words Stala knew? Only one way to find out. "What're those?" she asked, indicating Stala's tatoos. "They look nice too."
Jer took Ioyla's hand, her manicured nails and obviously well cared for skin a sharp contrast to the other woman. "A pleasure to meet you," Jer said, not quite as cheerfully as Ioyla, but definently not hostile or upset. "I'm Jerava, or Jer, and the little one is Elena." Releasing her hand after an appropriate interval, Jer sat down on the bench next to Ioyla, avoiding the mess that Stala had created, as well as the remains of the meal.
Ioyla noticed the difference between the two women's...spending abilities perhaps moreso than Jerava. She let her hand slowly slide away, deep into the warm confines of her pocket. Jeeze...no more extra-large box of Cocoa Crispies--they surely could start saving money! She took a seat next to Jer, side-stepping fallen beef-fried rice and eggrolls. So elegant...!
"Oh, yeah, Jer, okay! Cool." The young demon locked her fingers together and held them at the back of her neck, leaning back, absolutely relaxed, despite the cold weather. "Lookit er go, Jer," she suddenly pointed out.
Ilistala was entirely perplexed by Elena's questions. What were what? Her marky thingies? "Nanana?" the toddler questioned, toddling closer to Elena. She lifted a chubby, eggroll-smeared arm into the older child's face, apparently giving her a better look at her markings. They had been there since the moment she was born--well, exploded, really--so they were completely normal to her. If anything, people without markings were weird! Especially mommy, who didn't have anything cool to show off besides her little nub things in her hair. "Bazzabazza!" she babbled, moving her arm farther into Elena's face.
"Oh, God, c'mon Stala..." Ioyla muttered, making a move to get up. But not yet...the sun was so warm! Maybe if Elena and/or Jerava had a problem with her, then Ioyla would remove Stala...
Jer didn't seem discomfited by the disparities between her and Ioyla, stretching her legs out and crossing them at the ankle. "Walking, second only to talking when it comes to terrorizing and scaring parents," Jer said dryly, watching as Stala came closer to Elena.
Elena wrinkled her nose slightly as Stala's arm came closer to her face. Taking a quick step backwards to avoid having eggroll smeared over her, Elena nodded. "Yes, those." Elena's hair flared brightly for a moment, the star like markings normally hidden among the deep blue of her hair glowing even though it was still light outside. The girl was aware of this event and blushed furiously, even the tips of her pointed ears, much like her mother's, turning a bright red. She still hadn't come to terms about her hair, used to it only glowing when it was dark, at which point she was usually in bed with no one to see.
The young mother continued to be confounded by Stala. She sat back farther in the bench, if that was possible, and linked her fingers together at her stomach. Her legs went entirely rigid, the toes of her boots pointing at the sky. "You said it, sister," she mumbled, shifting positions only once to get the crook of her neck resting on the back of the bench. It really wasn't that comfortable, but Ioyla liked the way this position made her look taller. Ioyla would risk serious back and neck problems for a few more inches any day.
Stala blinked, twice, when Elena seemed to radiate a weird blue glow. Oh, how cool! She clapped and stamped her feet in joy, little leathery wings beating at the air in unison with her feet. "Gurrrrgh!" she chirped, and reached out to touch Elena's ears, then hair, with gentle awe. She held out her arm again, hell-bent on showing off her tattoos again, even if the little elf-girl had already seen them. Hey, it's the thought that counts!
Jer blinked at the reply, but didn't say anthing in response to being called sister. It was meant to be friendly, and Jer would accept such appelations in the spirit in which they were intended. She couldn't help but chuckle as Elena, who as quite fastidious about her appearance, was patted over by the other girl, getting eggroll bits dropped on her hair.
Elena, for her part, held herself still while Stala felt her ears and hair, already knowing that she was going to take a bath as soon as she got back home. Feeling slightly adventerous - and she was already messy - Elena reached out a hand to touch Stala's tattoos, not sure what to expect when her seeking fingers met the other's arm. "Can I tocuh your wings too? Elena asked curiously. A few of the Tahnee around the house had feathery wings, which were soft and fluffy, but Elena hadn't had a chance to really see anyone with wings like Stala's.
Ioyla accepted the silence with a grin. This Jer lady seemed confused by Ioyla's attitude, and perhaps she was right to be confused. The two women were entirely different, Ioyla being spunky and down-to-earth, and Jer, apparently, much more sophisticated than the young demon. Yet they shared the same common bond, a bond that would, one day, bring them, and others, together: a Shattered child to look after. But Ioyla wouldn't know this. She didn't know much, after all.
"So how come you're livin here? I mean, y'know, no 'fense to you or anythin! You just look too, uh...what's the word I'm thinkin of? Uh...too...well-bred for little ol' Gaia. You know?" Ioyla was honetly interested in Jer's affair, despite how nosey she got. She was still stretched out over the bench, but one eye was cracked open to watch the two children, making sure Ilistala didn't start anything crazy. Like a fire.
Elena would notice that, as she touched Stala, her skin would be extra warm, no credit to the cold weather. The tattoos, however, were much, much hotter than her flesh--perhaps they meant something...
"Nahnah," she chirruped, shivering at Elena's touch. As if understanding the request the little elf girl put in, Ilistala turned her back to the small crowd, and her wings flapped gently in the air. "Baaaah!"
"Ah," Jer said on an exhaled breath. "I don't actually. Live in Gaia," she added. "It's a tad bit complicated, and even more technical, but in simplest terms my house exists outside of Gaia. I simply have doors that come here." Jer was about to explain further, and had even raised her arms to sketch out what she was talking about, but stopped herself. "Like I said. It's a bit complicated," the elf said with a laugh, lowering her arms to rest against the back of the bench. "Besides," Jer continued, flipping her tail so it looped over her knees, "There are parts of Gaia where I'd be considered too 'low class'." The last was said with a derisive snort, indicating what Jer thought about such matters, as well as neatly avoiding any mention of how, exactly, she had come to Gaia.
Pale fingers met slightly darker skin as Elena made contact, the Tale's eyes widening slightly. How incredibly odd - Stala was warm, even though the wind was blowing and making everything cold. And the tattoos! Elena quickly pulled her hand away, since she didn't want to be burned, if that was even possible. Good thing too - suddenly there were wings in her face. "Thank you," Elena said politely, once again reaching her hand out to gently stroke a finger along the leathery wings. The girl smiled - the wings were soft, not like feathery ones, but still nice.
Ioyla sat quietly and twiddled her thumbs while Jer (sort of) explained herself. She blinked when the topic of her own level of class came up. "Too low class? Jer, you gotta be pullin my leg or somethin! You've got nice hands, and--and nice clothes and all that good stuff!" Ioyla lept to her feet, ignoring the popping of her knees, and pulled on the sleeve of her shirt. "If I was you, I'd g'on over to those there parts of Gaia that think I'm low class and give em a good boot in the balls!" She wildly swung her foot out, nearly kicking Ilistala in the face. "Like that."
Finished with her strange outburst, Ioyla climbed atop the bench. She stood straight up, one arm bent on her side, the other curved at her head with her hand shielding her eyes from the bright sun. Looking not unlike an experienced Safari explorer, she scanned the grounds in front of her, finally pointing to a random part in the west. "Me and Stala live ov'r there, in Aekea, right." She faultered. "Well, at least...I think it's Aekea. Let's just call it Aekea The Second."
Meanwhile, Ilistala, not noticing nearly being knocked flat on her back by her mother, did a little dance while Elena touched her wings. She giggled when her fingers slid over the leathery appendages. That tickled! Ilistala would giggle again, then turn back around to give a little toddler eggroll-infested kiss on Elena's cheek. She swiveled her arms out a bit, mimicking an airplane, and gleefully blew raspberries in the other child's direction.
Ilistala suddenly lept to her feet and zoomed off at her mommy, still playing airplane. She climbed upon the bench to sit in Ioyla's lap, where she plucked at her shirt, cooing and babbling to herself. Ioyla grunted and moved to pet Stala's hair, smiling gently.
"Well, no one said they were right," Jer murmured in reply. "Although," she said with an arched eyebrow and a mischevious smile, "Wouldn't that just prove that I am too low class for them?" she asked, the tip of her tail twitching slightly, as if with repressed laughter. "No matter," the elf continued, waving a hand idly, "I don't want anything to do with that kind of stuff anyway. Too much of a bother."
Jer craned her neck to look up at Ioyla, following the woman's pointing finger. "Ah. I work in Aekea," Jer added in an effort to extend the conversation. "Secretarial work," she elaborated slightly, really really not wanting to discuss much about her job - people had been killed there and the shop was now rather creepy feeling. Truthfully, Jer hadn't been to work in quite a long time, and wasn't really inclined to go back anytime soon.
Having pulled her fingers back right before Stala turned around, Elena was nonetheless surprised by the kiss, although the eggroll addition was...interesting, to say the least. Yes, definently bath time when the Tale got home. Elena's head canted to the side as Ilistala began making noises and running around - the elf child had never really done anything like that, probably because she takes life a little too seriously. Following at a more sedate and dignified state, Elena climbed up on the bench as well, Jer's tail tucking itself around her waist, with the girl's head resting on her mum's side.
Heaving a shrug at Jer's observation of who's better than who, Ioyla twisted her legs to sit indian-style, a more comfortable position for the toddler in her lap. She stroked Stala's head, soothing the younger one, who appeared absolutely exhausted. Hey, it was hard work entertaining! "Oh, cool, you work there? I don't got a job, but I'm bound to get one soon! I'll work at...at, I dunno. Maybe Liam's shop. He's handsome nuff, you think?" She flashed a dorky grin. "'Course, I don't think I'd do that great there. I'm too, uh...what's the word I'm lookin for? Not lazy, but...leen...leen'ent!"
Ilistala hiccuped at Ioyla's outburst. The demon shushed her child, shifting once more to cradle her. "Ma?" Stala murmured, wiggling her body to a more comfortable position in her mother's arms. "Maaa..."
"Thass right, baby, I'm your ma." Ioyla smiled and kissed the top of Stala's head, somewhat oblivious to the fact that Jer and Elena were around and not really caring. Ioyla loved her baby, no matter what, although the events that were to take place in the chocolate shop in Gambino would leave Ioyla feeling not only love for her child, but fear. Lifting her head, Ioyla turned to Jer and Elena, jerking her head to the little one. "How old are you, darlin?" she asked, smiling again.
Jer flipped her hand back and forth in a sort of gesture. "I think my current job is going to end fairly soon," she said somewhat sadly. While the Forge had gotten a little creepy and bizarre, Jer still had fond memories of the place, as well as all the people she'd met while working there. The elf listened to the other woman talk about her own search for a job, and then nodded. "Lenient, perhaps?" she corrected gently. "I'm sure you'll find a job somwhere; Gaia is full of shops that need help."
Elena had closed her eyes, although she wasn't sleeping. Just lightly dozing, and Ioyla's question caused her to move her head away from her mum's side to peer at the demon in thought. She kicked her feet against the bench as her mind went over all the things her mum had mentioned about her appearance from a book after Jerava had answered a question. "I think I'm," Elena began, counting on her fingers to arrive at the correct number, "Eight months old," she said proudly, not aware that she looked nothing like an eight month old should. Then again, things were rather odd here in Gaia, at least regarding normal aging rules.
While Elena told Ioyla her age, pins and needles assualted the latter's legs, which had been folded up underneath Ilistala. Ioyla grimaced and moved her child to rest against the back of the bench, her head lolling on her shoulder. She began rubbing and stretching her legs, speaking all the while.
"Oh yeah? Eight months, huh? Stala here's bout, mm...June...July..." Ioyla stopped working over her legs to count on her fingers, turning her head to the sky to concentrate better, although she never really concentrated that well at all. "I think she's bout, uh, seven months old! But she looks so much older, huh! I tell you, this Gaia place sure is freaky. There must be somthin in the water!"
Ioyla leaned back to stretch majestically: Pulling back her arms, exposing a portion of her belly; screwing her eyes shut and seeing dark spots once she opened them; yawning so loud and so deep, her ears would pop. She looked almost like a lion on the Kenyan plains. Ilistala sleepily crawled back to her mother's lap, where she twisted and wormed her way back into her previous position.
"Ohh, s'a sleepy haid~," Ioyla coo'd, poking Stala's cheek and receiving a grumpy whine in return. "We should prob'bly get goin. I guess Stala is ready for her nap. Aren'tcha, baby! Yeeeah, you aaare." Ioyla peeled herself off the bench, clutching Ilistala to her breast.
"Nice meetin ya, Jer. You too, Elena! With your pretty blue hair'n ears. Such a little cutie pie." The demon held out her hand for Jer to give a farewell handshake, grinning and in an all-together good mood.
Elena peered at Stala curiously. The girl certainly didn't seem to be almost as old as her, and yet, she was. How odd.
"That's the most probable explanation I've heard," Jer said dryly in response. About to continue, the elf clamped her jaw shut in an effort to restrain her sympathetic reation to Ioyla's yawn; a wasted effort, Jer did, however, keep herself from the jawcracking yawn Ioyla's had inspired.
"G'bye Stala," Elena said softly, her own eyes beginning to drift shut. Before she could snuggle closer to her mum, Jer dug in a pocket of her jacket, pulling out a business card to slip in the other woman's hand as they shook.
"Has our phone number and P.O. box on it," Jer explained, shaking Elena gently to keep her from falling alseep. "In the event you'd ever want to contact us," she continued with a smile to keep any sting out of the comment. Standing up, once she was certain Elena wouldnt fall over, Jer picked the girl up, settling her lightly on her hip, tail tucked around Elena's waist for extra security. "A pleasure to meet you both."
Ioyla balanced Ilistala against her chest with one hand like a pro, using the other to warmly shake Jer's hand. She took the business card from the elf's grasp, turning it over in her fingers to study the name and number. Wow, a business card! How professional! Made Ioyla want to get a slice of paper with her phone number on it, too.
"Okeydokey, Jer!" she chiurrped, sliding the card behind her ear for safe-keeping, "I'll give ya a ring some time! Maybe Elena and Stala'll wanna play, yeah?" She smiled and tipped Jer a pleasent bow, mindful of keeping a hand on the back of Stala's head to keep it from rolling all over the place. She blew the groggy Elena a kiss, giggling and turning to shuffle back home, where the two would sleep the afternoon away, full on Chinese food and a new friend.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:04 pm
A paperweight? Down here? Inside? After it had tasted the blessed warmth of the sun? The being that had pulled the shard out of it's prison must have been absurd. It did not want to stay down here in a stuffy laboratory as a paperweight! It crackled in annoyance, but did little more as it sat there.
It knew the taste of sunlight, and it would have it once more. All that was needed now, was patience.
The shard settled back down and stilled, waiting silently for it's moment in the sun.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:29 pm
After meeting Stala and Ioyla, life around the House kept up it's frantic pace, allowing Jerava very few moments of uninterrupted free time. Arranging for a few hours for the day with various household members, Jer headed down into her lab to finally get a paperweight made. Something about the glass shard nagged at her insistently enough to keep the idea in the forefront of her thoughts, and it was with a sigh of relief that she closed the door of her office behind her, heading out into the lab proper. A keypad on the wall next to the door appeared and the elf entered a few numbers and commands into it's interface, turning around to face her work space with a grin.
The commands she'd entered had shifted the location of her laboratory to one outdoors, and the tables and computers were carefully made to blend into the scenery, with trees formed out of circuitry and large, oddly smooth, rock formations in place of her counters. Placing the shard down on one of the nearest tables/rocks, Jer slipped a pair of safety goggles on and began to heat the resin she was going to use as a base for the paperweight.
Before she could begin pouring it into a mold, however, a monitor floated up next to her and displayed a picture of Elena trying to get into the library. Rasalus was nowhere to be seen, but the elf had a sneaking suspicion that he was somehow behind this. Not that she minded Elena wanting to read - it's just that the library has books that should not be allowed into anyone's hands, let alone a toddler's. Jer dashed out of the lab, her tail flicking back to turn the machine off, shard glinting in the sunlight of the relocated room.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:39 pm
The sudden feel of the warmth once more stirred the spirit in the soul. It took no time in bursting forth, melting the shard away in a little puff of fire much like a phoenix would during rebirth. On the table where the shard once lay, now sat a small girl, head turned upward to soak in the sun. 
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:39 pm
Status: Complete Date: January 8th, 2006 || Location: The House; Jerava's Lab || Participants: Jerava, Anarya In the end, Elena hadn't been trying to get into the library to cause mischief; Rasalus had been in there finding a book for her and had taken too long to get back, causing the Tale to go looking for him. Jer sighed and flipped the lights back on in her office, sitting down on the couch for a moment to regain her composure. Elena was a trial most days, and when Rasalus was involved, the diffuculties only escalated. She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment, doing a few meditative exercises the elf had picked up a very long time ago. Mind and thoughts sorted out, Jer stood up from the couch and headed out the door into her lab, which was still set as the outdoors. When the door closed behind her, the office's cube shape shimmered and disappeared, to be replaced with a small stone house. With a wry smile, the elf turned to face her workbench, intent on making the glass shard into a paperweight. To her surprise, a child was sitting on the workbench, feet dangling dangerously close to the hot resin Jer had been heating earlier. "Careful there!" Jer called out, worry overriding her wonder at where this girl had come from. With a few long strides, the elf turned the machine off, and stared at flame winged child now sitting on her table. "Where did you come from?" she asked, her only experience with magically appearing children being Elena, who had come from a large book. Which was not in evidence...Much like the glass shard that had been here before she left. "Sun!" was the reply, given in a cheerful and bright tone, darkly tanned finger pointint up to the sky. "I don't think you came from the sun," Jer said slowly, having looked about for the glass. "Do you have a name?" "Sun!""Sun, hm? Can't be calling you that in English, it would be too confusing," Jer replied with a wink, unsettled by this new arrival, but her nearly two years on Gaia had done much to numb her towards such occurances. "How about Arya?" The child stuck her tounge out and grabbed her tail in one hand, eliciting another moment of shock for Jer. Phoenix wings, and a snake tail. Elena was going to have a fit. "Anarya?" was the next suggestion, the woman having modified her original idea only slightly. "Kay!" the newly named Anarya said as Jer picked her up, settling the girl against one hip. "Shall we go meet your new sister?" "Yes!" Jer sighed internally and headed up the spiral staircase to the main part of the House, wondering where Elena had gotten to now. Hopefully the girls would get along, and maybe they could avoid meeting until lunch, when the Tale was more inclined to behave in a civilized fashion.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:40 pm
Status: Complete Date: January 8th, 2006 | Location: The House | Participants: Jerava, Elena, Anarya Unfortunately for Jerava's plans, Elena met the pair at the top of the stairs, hand on the door to open it. "Who's that?" Elena asked, eyes narrowed unhappily. "And who is she going home with?" Jer sighed. "This is Anarya. And she's not 'going home' with anyone. She's staying here." "No," Elena replied firmly, stamping her foot. "I don't want a sister, so take her back.""Sister!" Arya chirped, causing Elena's glare to be transferred to the little girl full force. As the older girl's gaze flicked over Arya, taking in all the little details - wings, tail, ears, hair - Anarya did the same, albeit with a lack of judgement. "No. Not sister," came the reply, dripping with anger and venom. "You have to go back to wherever you came from, I'm not sharing Mum!" Elena finished suddenly, her voice going high pitched as she flung herself at Jer's leg, hugging it tightly. "She was mine first!""Sister okay?" Arya asked as Elena sobbed lightly into Jer's pant leg. "She'll be fine," Jer said with a sigh, resting a hand on the top of Elena's head. "Eventually." Elena sniffled louder, causing Jer to wrap her tail around the girl's waist and lift her up. "Hey, stop that," Jer said soothingly, settling Elena against her hip to balance out Arya. "It'll be alright." This only caused the older girl to sob louder and bury her face against her mother's side. "Don't wanna share," she said, voce muffled. Arya wisely stayed silent, although her tail wrapped itself possessively around Jer's wrist. "You share me now, with Laure," Jer pointed out, trying to get Elena to think about this rationally. "'S different," the Tale insisted, although her sniffling had mostly stopped. "Laure's not little." Elena pulled her head back from Jer's side and looked up at the elf sadly. "Wasn't I good enough?" Jer sighed and started walking, easily balancing the two girls against herself. "Is that what this is? You think I'm replacing you?" Elena nodded jerkily, unwilling to trust her voice as tears started welling up in her eyes again. Arya leaned forward to stare at the other girl, her own eyes wide and sad looking. "Oh, darling, I could never replace you." "Dif'fent," Arya chirped reassuringly, not really sure what was going on, but the sister person needed to be happy, not sad. "Yes you are," Jer said, tapping her fingers gently against Arya's leg. "Elena," she continued, looking back over to the Tale, "You don't have to like her. I imagine life would be easier if you did, but no one ever said we had to like our siblings. All I ask is that you try to get along with her, okay?" "Kay," Elena muttered sulkily. "I'm your mum, yes, but I'm a lot of things to other people. You'll just have to get used to sharing me. Now, why don't you run along and find Anli? Let her know we're going to need another place at the table tonight," Jer said, setting Elena down. "I'm going to get Anarya settled in my room for now." "Kay," the girl replied, still sulking and upset, although she did feel slightly better; Jer had said she didn't have to get along with Arya. Setting off down the hallway, Elena headed for the kitchen where Anli was sure to be found. "Well. Let's go get some stuff for you then, mm?" "Kay!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:41 pm
Status: Complete Date: January 9th, 2006 || Location: Barton Field || Participants: Jerava, Anarya, Lonan Jer sat on a blanket spread on the grass in a park located somewhere near Barton. Anarya was currently lying spread-eagle on the grass, wiggling her toes against the sun warmed plants, soaking up the sun as if she too were a plant. Her tail was lying on top of her stomach, slitted eyes closed, enjoying the moment of peace and quiet. The elven woman was reading a book, only moderately paying attention to her surroundings. Since Anarya wasnt inclined to move, unlike her older sibling Elena, Jer felt free to devote her attention to other things. All in all, it was quite the peaceful family outing. Well, partial family. Jer had decided that she needed some time alone, but Arya and Elena didn't always get along, so Jer had taken the quieter of the pair along with her. There was a soft -click. click. click.- coming from a nearby paved path. If one paid close enough attention a soft rustling and barely0there footsteps could be heard as well. The sun was warm for a change in the winter. Around the Hollow the snow stillingered. Then again this was a warmer part of the world. He didn't bother to rush, every movement deliberate and planned, yet seeming totally relaxed. Turning his face towards the sun breifly most would call him an idiot for not blocking his eyes from the glare. But what was the point in that anyway? Jer's ear twitched at the clicking noise coming from the path behind her. Arya was, of course, oblivious to things that weren't the sun, or otherwise directly affecting her. The elf turned her head towards the noise and chuckled to herself. Good thing Elena wasn't here - the girl had become quite envious of people with wings, and boy, did he have wings. "Hello," Jer called out cheerfully. So she didn't know him. So what? Today was much too nice a day to be worrying about such trivial matters. There was a soft russle of feathers and the clicking started gian, every time the tip of the staff hit the ground. He stopped a few feet away, not wanting to encroach. A woman and her daughter it seemed. And the daughter had an air that spoke of familiarity through strangeness. Another like Asra or Elle? "Hello."Anarya opened her eyes and wiggled her toes at the sound of another voice. "Hello," she chirped in mimicry. Turning her golden eyes to Lonan, she smiled widely. He had wings like her! Well, not exactly like hers, his weren't brightly colored like her hair, and they didn't appear to have wisps of feathers coming off them either. The girl stood up carefully, her tail hissing in protest as she toddled over to the teenager. Jerava started to stand up, unsure of how he would react to the toddler coming close. "Arya," Jer said in a tone of amused exasperation. So far, she'd attempted to hug and make friends with everyone she'd met - which was, to be fair, only those in Jer's household, so she hadn't been rebuffed at all. Though his eyes didn't, couldn't, track her movement that didn't mean he didn't know where she was. "You're a small thing, aren't you?" He tollerantly crouched down so he was on the same level as she. He coudl tell she was a bright one, not necessarily in intelligence yet, but in demeanor. It was like standing near a younger sun. He waited for her to come over, completely calm and still. The slight breeze made red-tipped black wings rustle softly as he simply waited for her to come over and 'greet' the new person. "Small," Arya said in agreement as she came closer. Reaching Lonan, she held her arms out as if for a hug, then without waiting for a response from Lonan, wrapped her arms around his leg, wings flaring slightly to keep her balance. A wave of heat seemed to come off them, making the chilly spring day warmer until it faded away. Jer wanted to smack her hand against her forehead, but sqaushed the impulse. "Sorry about that," the elven woman said, finally standing up. "She just seems to want to hug everyone." Jer nodded at the child, a strand of hair falling over her shoulder. "That's Anarya, or Arya, and I'm Jerava." He just stayed where he was, tollerantly letting her hug his leg. "That's quite all right. I have no aversion to little ones." One hand reached out, a bit cautiously. "Arya, would you come closer please? I cannot see." He put it out there against his normal trend since she seemed to want contact and he didn't want to hurt her feelings when he couldn't respond like one with sight. It wouldn't do to scare a child. Jer sighed gratefully at Lonan's response and watched as Arya obediently released the other's leg to place her head under his hand. Her little hands reached up to grasp his, the dark tan of her skin showing up in stark contrast to his paler hue. "Here," the girl said cheerfully, patting Lonan's hand gently, as if to confirm to him that she was indeed there. His hand lowered, gently tracing the child's face. "Yes, you are inded 'here'. And a very spritely little thing you are." Though he did not smile his tone was kept soft and comforting. He moved to sit lotus style on the ground, letting Arya come closer should she like. Jer sat back down, picking her book back up, although still paying attention to Arya and Lonan. The girl smiled broadly as he gently ran his fingers over her face, releasing his hand to do so. When he sat down, she moved closer, stumbling forward to land in his lap. Wings flared behind her a little too late to catch her balance, but the wisps of fired feathers still fell harmlessly on the ground, disappearing in a small flash of light. "Okay?" she asked, wanting to make sure she hadn't accidentally hurt him in her fall. The teen plucked her up and settled her safely on his lap. "Yes, I'm fine." He took one of her hands and held it near his face for her to touch. His other hand, gently traced her cheek again, arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her up. "This is how I say hello."Arya giggled softly and splayed her hand on Lonan's face, then moved it in imitation of his own motion. "Hello," she echoed solemnly, her hand leaving behind a trail of warmth on his face. "Same?" she asked suddenly, without much clue as to what she meant by that. "Same? We are both from the same kind of beginning. But no, we're different. You are bright and warm. I'm a cool shadow." He felt comfortable with the simple talk of the child. One dark wing came down, nestling dark feathers around her. Arya cocked her head to the side as Lonan spoke, gravely absorbing the differences between them. "N'same," she said, patting at the wing that had settled down around her and fluttering her own in response. "Same," she continued, reaching a hand out to splay against Lonan's chest. "That's right." He offered a small pat to her wing for her efforts. A bit quiet, but with a definate sharp mind in the making. Though he didn't smile the tension went from hsi face, leaving it a bit softer than one might expect from him. Gentle hands rubbed her back between her wings. The warmth she radiated was a bit like a small sun. Arya's wings fluttered a bit at the touch, but settled quickly, leaving them flared to better offer Lonan access to Arya's back. "'S good," she said, yawning a bit as the rubbing made her sleepy. Her tail yawned as well, showing off pointed yellow fangs before it closed it's mouth and curled around Arya's waist. "Go ahead and nap little one." He was still, calm and quiet. he rather liked this child with her simple understanding and acceptance. Jer continued to read, the sound of a page flipping occasionally the only real noise in the park, other than the distant sounds of children playing and the assorted bird chirps coming from the trees. Arya was nearly asleep when the peaceful tranquility was shattered by the sound of a telepgone ringing. Jer looked mildly embarrased by the sudden sound, quickly fishing her cell phone out of a pocket. "Yes?" she said, listening to the person on the other end while her tail flicked from side to side idly. Arya stirred at the sound, crinkling her nose in distaste at her mother's cellphone. "Bad noise," she scolded it. Lonan's only comment to the sound was a soft whuff that could have been a supressed laugh from Anarya's statement. Carefully gathering the small child he stood up and walked over to the woman. "This is your's?" "On occasion," Jer replied dryly, flipping the cell phone closed and standing up. "Mum," Arya said to Lonan, pointing at Jer. Looking around, Arya seemed a bit confused. "No mum?" she asked him. She'd never been out of the house without her mum, and she didn't know people were allowed to do that. "No. No mum for me." He gave her a small squeeze of a hug before setlting the little girl in her mother's arms. "No worries. I can take care of myself." A gentle hand brushed back the wild hair. "Byebye?" Arya asked, twisting in Jer's arms to peer up at her, then looking back at Lonan. "Seems that way," Jer replied, running a finger down the girl's cheek. "Bye bye," Arya said again, cooing happily as he smoothed her hair back, although she did look a little sad that they were leaving. Jer's book had already disappeared into a pocket, and her tail was gathering the blanket up. Once it was finished, the blanket ended up draped across one of Jer's arms, safely out of reach of Arya's firey wings. "A pleasure to meet you," Jer said with a lopsided smile, although he wouldn't be able to see it. After a moment, the elf moved past him, finding the path so she could head home. "Goodbye for now, Arya." He offered a polite bow to the girl's mother as he heard them walk away. Stange couple. But the child was very sweet. Ruminating over the meeting he continued on his way to one of the trees to sit and think as he always did.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:42 pm
Click the journal to view Jerava's journal as a thread. Warning: it is image intensive, which is why I put the images here as links instead.Page OnePage Two
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:00 am
Status: Complete Date: January 20th, 2006 | Location: The House | Participants: Laure, Uriel, Rasalus, Jerava, Anarya Why were all arrivals unobtrusive and quiet? Wasn't there a security system in place to detect all arrivals? If that was the case, Laure grumbled to herself while rapidly cycling through camera feeds, why had things been showing up with no warning whatsoever? And if they were going to continue to do that, why did she have to sit here and watch the cameras? To be fair, she probably didn't have to actually sit here and watch them, what with the wireless network integration Jerava had installed specifically for Laure and Rasalus. Speaking of that bother, what was he doing outside? A glimpse of a floating cog shape outside the front door caught Laure's attention and she cycled back to that camera. The last time she'd checked, the other Fandangle had been in Elena's room, doing something or other; Laure hadn't cared enough to figure out what they'd been doing. Thoughts reacted faster than hands, and so in short order the silvered Fandangle found herself looking at a split screen view of the camera feeds for Elena's room and the front door. To her surprise, Rasalus was still in Elena's room, hovering over the girl's shoulder as she worked on something on the computer. Laure zoomed in the image of the unknown Fandangle, wondering how she could have ever mistaken it for Rasalus. Where he was shades of darker blues, unlike Laure who was and always had been lighter blues and silver, this Fandangle was more warmly colored, reds, golds, and oranges a bright contrast to any of the Fandangles in the House. It wasn't Arronax, Azel's Fandangle, who was purples and reds and generally matched the cooler color scheme. Maybe... "Arilin?" Laure said in a whisper, querying the system vocally. A picture of Nimaina's Fandangle flashed onto yet another screen, maintaining the watch upon both the front door and Elena's room. Laure compared the two, and while there were similarities, they weren't the same. "Huh," she said, leaning back in her chair briefly before standing up, causing the chair to snap upright. Laure headed for the front door to directly question this new Fandangle. A short walk later and Laure had the door open and was examining the stranger, who was doing the same to her. "You are not my Bond," it said firmly after a moment of analysis as it attempted to come inside. "That's good," Laure said dryly. "Do you know who that is?""Will know when I see," it replied, the tone of voice as flat and mechanical as Rasalus and Laure's had been until they'd been programmed with personalities. "Mmm, of course," Laure paused, a thought crossing her mind. "We'd heard that the Forge had been closed and the press shut down," she continued hesitantly. The newcomer bobbed assent. "How then did you come to exist?""Was made before. Stayed in storage, waited for Bond. Bond didn't show up." A note of loss and longing entered it's voice here, one Laure was sympathetic too. Jerava had been there when Laure had first awoken, although technically it had been the second bonding between them, but she was all too familiar with the sense of disconnect from her Bonded. "Went looking in the computer for Bonded. Found her, is here.""But you said you didn't know who your Bonded was," Laure pointed out, hating to disappoint a fellow Fandangle, but wanting to be sure it was in the right place. The stranger froze completely at the question, long enough that Laure started to get worried. "Files corrupted. Missing data. Only saw picture," came the reply, finally, as Laure hesitantly began to reach a hand towards the other. Laure's eyes flickered worriedly; the family hadn't been aware of the extent of the damage to the Forge after whatever had happened to shut it down. Apparently, it had been extensive enough to damage the databases, which Laure knew would extremely bother Jerava. "Fair enough," Laure said with a troubled sigh. "Come on in. I think I have a pretty good idea who your Bond is." The strange Fandangle followed the Armature inside like a puppy, eager to find its Bonded at last. two queries and a message later, Jerava, Anarya, and oddly enough Rasalus were assembled in Jer's office, where Laure and the new Fandangle met them. "My Bond!" came the joyful cry as the stranger practically launched itself at Anarya, who looked rather bewildered, but happy. Laure, on the other hand, looked rather smug, since this meant her guess had been correct. "Another one?" Rasalus complained, whirling about mid air to face the rather silent Jerava. "Last one," she said quietly, tapping her fingers against the edge of the desk she was leaning on. "The Forge is, for all intents and purposes, gone. I managed to special order Uriel, as well as some of the programming items, but other than that, there is no more." For a moment, the elf looked inexpressibly old, as if the loss of the Forge was something added onto an already immense history of such things. "Most of what I ordered is for Uriel, but the two of you are welcome to what's left." "Thank you," came Rasalus' reply, for once heartfelt and sincere, lacking the normal sarcasm. "My Mistress will not be pleased with this," he offered hesitantly, for once more sensitive to Jerava's feelings than Elena's. "There isn't much that she has been pleased by, recently," Laure said when Jer made no indication she was going to respond. Rasalus bristled, and was about to offer a scathing rejoinder when Anarya spoke. "Mine, momma?" she asked, pushing Uriel away slightly to peer curiously and worriedly at Jerava. "Not Lena's?""No, Uriel is yours," Jer affirmed in the silence that followed the girl's question. "Elena already has Rasalus." "Thank you momma!" Arya cried happily, pulling Uriel close once more. Rasalus and Laure exchanged a look, as they had both noticed Uriel accepting the name Jerava had given, when it was customary for the owner to do the naming. "You're welcome," Jer said absently, manicured nails once more tapping on the edge of her desk. "I think we'll wait to program Uriel," she said abruptly, focusing her attention on the elder Fandangles. "There are some things I want to look up in the manuals before I do that." Laure and Rasalus exchanged another look, but neither said anything to contradict or question the course of action. "Laure, please take Anarya up to her room. Rasalus, you should probably rejoin Elena." Rasalus bobbed agreement, but didn't move to leave the office until after Laure, Anarya, and Uriel were out the door. "Was there something else?" Jer asked softly, having moved up behind her eldest daughter's familiar so quietly he hadn't heard her move. "No, nothing," he said after a moment. Coward, hissed a voice only Rasalus could hear, causing him to flinch. "If you say so," Jer responded calmly, moving to sit at her desk. "I'm sure Elena is waiting for you rather impatiently," she continued, not looking up from the papers she now held in one hand. Rasalus said nothing in reply, floating out the door quickly, feeling deeply and profoundly disturbed.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:30 pm
Status: Complete Date: February 17th, 2006 || Location: The House || Participants: Anarya, Jerava, Uriel Anarya sat on the couch in Jer's office, feet swinging idly back and forth above the floor. Uriel floated above her, completely ignoring everything in the room. "I was too late to do this with Rasalus," Jerava said dryly as she entered the well appointed room. "But this time I get to choose the programming." Arya looked at her mother blankly. "Never mind. Let's get started, shall we?" Crooking a finger at Uriel, who came over after a moment, Jer spilled a handful of gems on her desk. Arya pulled her legs up, hugging them to her chest, wings curled around her slightly, and watched asher mother began to choose the basics of Uriel's personality. "Why?" the girl asked, fluttering her wings nervously. "Why what?" Jer replied absently, looking up to peer at her daughter, not noticing that her glasses slid down her nose in the process. "Why do this?" Arya clarified, pointing a child thick finger at Jer's desk. "Mm. Right now, Uriel is a blank. She has no personality and no motivation beyond a need to protect and aid you. These gems," here she held up one, fire red and glowing, as an example, "will make her more interesting and useful, as well as..." Jer trailed off and sighed as Arya continued to stare at her in incomprehension. While the elf was not a fan of people talking down to children,right now she could certainly understand why they did so. "Just...trust me, okay? She'll be better when I'm done." That wasn't really a good answer either. This parenting thing was hard, especially with two such opposite children. Jer frowned slightly. "When you're older, and she is too, I'll explain everything and you can decide how to program her. Deal?" Arya nodded hesitantly, not having understood most of what Jer said, but knowing that her mother meant what she'd said about explaining everything later. "Good!" the woman said brightly, pushing her glasses up and going back to work. After about a half an hour, punctuated once by soft swearing as Jer fixed a mistake, she was done programming the desired personality traits into the bijou gems. Plucking Uriel from midair, Jer set the Fandangle on her desk, tapping lightly on the orange-red surface. "Don't move," she cautioned, arranging the gems into a geometric pattern on Uriel's body. Arya had long since fallen asleep, wings curled around her like a makeshift blanket. Jer stood and stretched, then pulled a blanket and pillow out of one of the many cabinets lining the walls. Arya's tail blinked sleepily at the elf as she tucked the pillow under her daughter's head after having settled the blanket under the flame bright wings. Arya herself murmured slightly at Jer's touch, rolling over to lie on her stomach, wings flaring out briefly before settling on her back. Jer sat next to her and idly stroked Arya's hair, waiting for an indication that the programming was complete. Jer had dozed off, as the sound of a small chime made her blink blearily and search for the source. As soon she identified it as being the alert on Uriel, the Fandangle rose into the air, rotating upright and spilling the sparkling array of gems onto the marble desk with a loud clatter. "Are you entirely certain this is what she wanted?" Uriel asked, mixed notes of disapproval and curiousity entering her now rich tenor voice. "Perhaps not," Jer replied, moving her hand down to rest on Arya's shoulder. "But it is what I wanted, and what will suffice," she concluded firmly, leaving unsaid the fact that it was far too late to change things at this point. "As you say," came the unruffled response. "You are her guardian, and I trust you to know what's best for her at this point." Jer let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with another Rasalus, always interfering and undermining her authority with Elena. It was difficult enough dealing with just Rasalus, but Aronnax was an inhabitant of the House as well, and he tended to complicate such matters. "You can get reacquainted tomorrow, I think," Jer said aftre a pause. "I got started later than I'd have liked," she continued by way of explanation, standing to pick Arya up. "Mind getting the door?" she asked the Fandangle, who obligingly floated over and attempted to open the door by way of a transmitted code. "It says I'm an unrecognized user," Uriel said in surprise. Jer had previously keyed Uriel into the House's systems, so the code should have worked. "You've changed, and the House doesn't recognize you yet," Jer explained gently, having alreadk known the House would react that way. She'd asked Uriel to open the door in order to let the Fandangle know what was going on. "I'll get that fixed up tomorrow as well, as I think someone here needs to get to bed," she continued, shifting Arya around so that they would both be more comfortable. Uriel subsided in her argument, Jerava having been successful in bringing her mandate to protect and care for her Bonded to the fore. Jer flicked her tail out and the door opened, the Fandangle and burdened elf making their way to the upper levels where Anarya's room was located.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:43 pm
/*March 17th, 2006*/
Elena grows
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:44 pm
Status: In Progress Date: || Location: Gambino Zoo || Participants: Shauna, Eight, Anarya, Aurion, Jerava, Elena, Dyran She didn't know why, but Shauna had insisted on coming to this place. Eight really had no clue why, honestly! She didn't! She saw much more interesting things at home with all the pets that came in every day, and even the other day another Mozou had poofed into their house out of another clay totem. This one they called Ai. "Hey! Look at those! They look like...weasles." Shauna blinked, leaning over the fence to get a good look at some white ferret-looking animals with black tips on their tails. Eight glanced at the sign next to her daughter, stepping up to the fence after her with her hands tucked in her pockets. "What are they?""Look to your left and you'll find out." Eight said, smiling. "Aw, look. Those two are cuddling." She cooed, tossing her head a little to get her hair away from her eyes. Shauna did what she was told and read the sign. It read: "Ermine
Common Names: Short-tailed Weasel, Stout, Royskatt
Genus: Mustela
Species: erminea
In the summer it is brown on the top and yellowish-white. The tip of the ermine's tail is black all year round. Their body is 15 inches long. The ermine is smaller than a cat (7 to 9 oz.) The ermine's body is as small as its head. If the ermine can fit its head into a hole, it can fit its whole body into it.
The males are bigger than the females. Baby ermines have to stay in the den for 30 to 45 days until they can come out.
Ermines are carnivorous. They eat small mammals, insects, and bird eggs. Ermines will eat young hares and rodents. During winter it stores its food underground." "Huh...so they're little white weasles...?""Sounds like it." Eight blinked and turned, watching Shauna run off. She'd only noticed it because the girl had decided to put her hair into one big braid with two bells at the end. Eight wanted to rip those bells to pieces. "Where're you going?""To see other animals, of course! Come on!" Shauna grinned, coming back to grab Eight's hand and drag her away to see more animals. Yes, they were at the zoo for once. It was all Shauna's idea, really. She wanted to do something new, something she didn't usually do...okay, she just wanted to see some real foxes, maybe even hold one. Jerava's ears twitched slightly as she heard bells approaching, and moved off to the side of the wide road/path that she'd been standing on. Thankfully, only Aurion, who was holding Anarya, was still with her, and the Tahnee had already moved off to the side, his hearing even better than the elf who had adopted him. Jer flicked open her pocket computer, looking at the map of the zoo, attempting to once again find the snake house, which is where Arya had wanted to go. At least, that's what her mum had assumed the girl meant by 'Snake!' when the family had arrived at the zoo earlier. "Fox," Arya said, pointing at Shauna. "Dif'ent fox," she continued as Jer quirked an eyebrow and looked - Aurion was, after all, a Tahnee fox, but where Shauna had a reddish tail and ears, he had snowy white ones, with black tips. "'Lo!" Arya cried out, waving happily. Aurion rolled his eyes slightly and shifted the girl - she'd said hi to everyone they'd come across, and been disappointed when most didn't return her greeting. Jer was more tolerent of the child's behavior; it was a far cry from Elena, who had a tendency to be overbearing and somewhat haughty when first meeting someone, although she had gotten much better about that, apparently deciding that good princesses were gracious and polite. And Elena really wanted to be a good princess. Just...a little...closer...damnit! Eight missed them again. Eight really wanted to get those bells out of Shauna's hair, and she'd been trying the whole time they'd started looking at the other animals; the thing is, every time she got close enough to grab them Shauna turned her head. Shauna's ears suddenly perked up, however, when she heard a child call out in their general direction, gasping and clapping her hands together underneath her chin. "Hi~!" Oh, what a little darling! And she even had a...was that a snake for a tail? How interesting! And this girl was such a firey little child, she had a feeling she'd be a very good friend for Ilistala. Shauna changed her route from the animals nearby to the little girl and the group she was with, smiling warmly. Eight came with her of course, ignoring how Shauna's bells jingled with every step. She would get those bells out of her hair, damnit! "'Lo fox," Arya said, waving her little arm enthusiastically. "Two foxie!" she said excitedly, wiggling in Aurion's arms, her tail curled around the Tahnee's arm in a slightly vain effort to keep the Shattered child from falling. After all, if she was going to fall, odds were her tail wasn't going to be enough to save her. "Yes, two foxes," Aurion said somewhat dryly. He'd learned early on to be tolerent of Arya's more extroverted behavior, even though he preferred not to talk to everyone who walked by. For her part, Jerava was content to watch and not speak, although she was certainly close enough to do so if the situation warrented it, or if she needed to introduce herself. "Pretty fox~" Arya crowed, her wings flaring out to the side, flamed feathers dropping off and disappearing before they hit the ground. "Fox make noise," she continued, eyeing the bells curiously. "Foxie? Me?" One of those brief moments where one forgets what they are, Shauna smiled and wagged her tail a little. "Yup! Two foxies!" It was then that she realized she'd just walked over like she knew these people, suddenly blushing and putting her hands on her cheeks, the girl looked up at the woman and fox Tahnee with a sheepish smile on her lips. "Oh my! I'm sorry! I guess I wasn't exactly paying attention!" She apologized, laughing a little and rubbing the back of her head. When the little girl pointed out the bells in her hair, Shauna giggled and held the end of her hair just above the bells, leaning forward and jingling the little things in front of the little girl. "Pretty cool, huh? I'm Shauna!"Damnit! Those bells caught everyone's attention! Eight sighed and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning into one leg and tilting her head to the side. She was also just content to watch them interact. "Foxie foxie foxie," Arya said in a sing song, reaching a hand out to bat at the bells. "Arya," she declared, pointing at herself in case Shauna didn't realize who she was naming. "She's Anarya, and I'm Aurion," the Tahnee said, shifting the toddler in his arms slightly. "It's nice to meet you, miss," he added with a slight bow, careful not to tip Arya out of his arms and onto the ground. "And I'm Elena," another voice said, clear and bell like in tone. The speaker came around a bend in the path, dressed in a long navy blue skirt that brushed the ground as she walked, with a silvery t-shirt embellished with blue thread. Behind her came another Tahnee - this one a sardonic looking vampire, clearly the one assigned to escort the girl around the zoo. "Mum, the theater's closed," she said petulantly to the elf. "So I can't go watch the movie," she ended, tapping her foot imperceptably. "So go find something else to do?" Jer suggested with a lazy grin. "This is a large zoo, after all." Shauna giggled, putting her fingertips to her lips. "Little children are so cute!" She chirped, allowing the firey girl to hold the bells as long as she was careful not to pull too hard on them. "It's nice to meet you, Ary--Anarya!" She corrected herself when the Tahnee repeated the girl's name correctly. Shauna pointed at Eight. "That lady back there's my mom, Eight!" Eight's headwings twitched a little and she blinked, finding herself suddenly being mentioned out of nowhere. Oh wait...she was being introduced. The fox jumped a little when another voice spoke up, peeking around the Tahnee to find a lovely girl standing with the other woman. Wow! Were those stars in her hair?! Cool! "The aquarium?" She suggested, then looked down for a moment to check on her bells at Ana, gasping softly. "Is that a snake?" Obviously she couldn't tell it was the girl's tail. Elena wrinkled her nose; she didn't think Arya was cute at all. But maybe she'd think someone else's little sibling was cute. Or maybe not, she tended to prefer people who were able to express their adoration for her. Arya giggled and thumped the bells together, not really paying attention to whether or not she was pulling too hard. "Hihi~" she chirped at Eight, waving a hand still occupied with a bell. "Um?" Elena replied intelligently. "Sure, I guess," she continued, still unhappy that she'd missed out on seeing the movie. Dyran supressed a smile at the girl; she didn't like to think she was being mocked. "Tail!" Arya said, dropping the bells to tug her tail out for Shauna to see. "Snakeytail." Said appendage hissed in greeting, blinking it's black eyes. Shauna's ears flicked every time the bells were rung so close to her head, it was probably from irritation to the sound due to her hearing being so sensitive. Her hair was so long now that it hadn't mattered when the bells were ringing behind her back and farther from her head than they were now. Eight smiled sweetly and waved to the firey little girl. "Hi there."Elena wasn't being mocked, Shauna was merely making a suggestion on something else that the girl could do! She liked this girl's hair, it was beautiful with those...were those stars? Wow! "Wow! A tail that hisses and everything! That's so cool." Shauna held her fluffy tail and pulled it around so Ana could see some of it, smiling brightly. "I've just got a fluffy tail. It doesn't say anything.""Hihihihi~" Arya chirped at Eight, waving her tail a bit, to which it responded with an irritated hiss. Dyran was still smiling when Elena kicked him in the shins, lightly, while smiling sweetly. The vampire winced and directed a glare at the girl. "What was that for?" he hissed at her, very manfully not rubbing the sore spot. "Because you didn't think of anything else to do," she said imperiously, flipping her hair around to get it all behind her shoulders. With the motion, the stars in it sparkled to life, which was clearly visible in the shaded area she was standing in. Or under, if you took into account she was standing under a tree. "Fluffytail," Arya echoed, patting Shauna's extra appendage with her hands. "Fluffysoft!" she squealed happily, wiggling in Aurion's arms in an attempt to bury her face in the fox tail. "Careful," the Tahnee said, readjusting his hold on her. "Don't want you to fall."Shauna blinked and looked up when she heard a hiss, putting a hand over her mouth. Oh dear! That wasn't exactly nice or lady like. Her attention was drawn away from the vampire and Elena when she felt a hand on her tail, giggling and nodding. "Isn't it?" She smiled. "My mom's got one too! And my dad!" She remembered when she was small enough to hide under that tail! It was fun! When Aurion moved Ana around to hold her better, Shauna blinked. Holding children was hard for her sinc she wasn't as big as an adult...but he looked older than her! Would holding children properly always be hard? "I can hold her if you want!" She chirped, smiling. Eight blinked. Oh dear...that meant Shauna would want to spend the entire day with them...and that meant that they'd be walking soon...and those bells! "We were going to go into that giant bird habitat over there! Wanna come? Maybe we'll be able to pet some birds!" It was one of those rooms that they just let the birds fly free inside a caged environment...cage being high quality chicken-wire, of course. Elena continued to glare at Dyran, who now looked unruffled and calm, completely unbothered by her annoyance. "Mum has tail. Not fluffytail," Arya said, patting Shauna's tail happily. "She's wiggly," Aurion warned the other fox, handing Arya over to her. "And watch out for the wings," he added as Arya flapped her in midpass. "Bird!" Arya chirped, wiggling a bit. "Bird please?" she asked Aurion, before looking over at her mum. "Alright," Jer said with a nod. "Elena, why don't you come with us? Since you're so bored," the elf added with a lazy drawl towards her older daughter. "Fine," she snapped out before regaining control. "I'd be happy to come along," the girl added in a honeyed tone. Jer chuckled and pushed herself off the fence she'd been leaning on. "Where's the aviary at?" she asked, tail flicking around as she looked. "Wiggly isn't a problem!" Shauna chirped, taking Anayra when she was handed over, settling her comfortably on her hip--that was getting a bit easier now that her body was growing older and developing into a more womanly figure until it was her time again--Shauna tickled under Anarya's chin. "You just want to flap your wings and fly away, eh?" She teased with a smile. Shauna smiled when Elena agreed to come with them to see the birds, bouncing the child on her hip to hold her more comfortably. The fox girl looked around for a moment when Anarya's mother asked where the birds were, pointing with one arm at a large habitat nearby. You couldn't really hear the birds over the crowd. "There they are! C'mon let's go!" She cheered, waiting for everyone else to follow after her and hurrying along the path--she was careful of Anarya--to the aviary. Yay for birds! "That's good," Aurion added with a chuckle as Arya bounced a bit on Shauna's hip before settling down to stare around her. "Fly 'way bad," Arya said solemnly, looking at Shauna with big eyes. "No fly 'way," she added with a giggle, patting Shauna's side reassuringly. Elena rolled her eyes and heaved a melodramatic sigh before trudging over to Jerava, who was walking towards the indicated area. "Muuuum, why did we have to come to the zoo anyway?" Elena whined, dragging her feet as Dyran walked silently beside and slightly behind her. "Because getting out of the house every once in a while won't kill you," Jer replied, holding open the door so Elena could precede her into the aviary. "And in fact, might be good for you," she added, going in herself. Aurion walked near Shauna, keeping an eye on Arya, who was having fun with being at a different height, as the Tahnee fox was a bit taller than the girl now carrying her around. "Birdy," Arya said, pointing at a bird flying right next the 'netting' screening the aviary in. "Birdy like me?" she asked, attempting to look at her own wings, squirming around while doing so. Shauna smiled and playfully tapped the little girl's nose. "Flying away isn't always a bad thing." She whispered softly, hitching Ana up a little more comfortably on her hip as they walked. "In fact, I'm kinda jealous! You have pretty wings."Eight followed quietly along with the group, watching her daughter with a smile. How cute. "You're not a birdy, silly! You're a little girl! But it does kinda have your wings, doesn't it? Isn't it pretty~!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:45 pm
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