|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:02 pm
"Don't know." Iselda stared at the treat, just as clueless. It looked like.. chocolate and bread? But that couldn't be right, Anna had said that chocolate wasn't food and bread obviously was food, so..
She took a tentative bite, trying to sample the taste. "It," her eyes widened comically, "it good! Ch-co. Laaate." A look of intense concentration as she tried to form the proper word: "Choc-late and white stuff."
She showed her bitten eclair to the other girl, at a loss for how to express herself properly.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:07 pm
She picked up an eclair and examined it. "Cho-lat?" Then she, too, took a bite and her face lit up also. "Yogurt," she exclaimed, staring at both eclairs with a comedic look of disbelief at Iselda. "'Nilla! You like?" Magdelen pushed the plate between them, then giggled.
The adults didn't even know they were there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:12 pm
"Very." The toddler nodded seriously, loving the taste and texture of the treat. "Good idea." She added, feeling the need to praise Magdelen for her ingeniuty in finding them somewhere to go.
She quickly finished her eclair before taking another with her now sticky fingers.
She nibbled on the new treat, eyeing Magdelen thoughtfully. "Why you have bandage, 'nyway?" She'd been wondering about that - it'd have to be a very large booboo her new friend had, to warrant such a large bandage! But the other didn't seem hindered or bothered at all, at least not as far as her young eyes could see.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:29 pm
With a frown, she licked her fingers and then pulled hard on one of the bandages. It came off easily and revealed bruised skin- but it didn't look right. Something about the coloration just oozed that something deep in her skin was wrong. "Hurts sometimes," she said, but she tucked her arm away and wrapped the bruised skin up with an alacrity that most adults wouldn't have in the same situation.
She watched Iselda for a second, then grabbed a new snack. "Like cats," she offered, having just thought of something to say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:34 pm
Iselda frowned too, watching the skin. That looked so gross. Poor Magdelen, having to go around with that sort of thing on her all the time. So ugly!
"Still friend." She said benevolently, having quickly decided that her prettiness outweighed the nasty on her arm. "Has not-good too." she offered. It didn't feel like a not-good, but Anna said it was.
"Cats?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:07 pm
She smiled with relief, reached out and patted Iselda's hand. "You very good," she offered, rolling her shoulders. "Cats go 'meow'." Very obvious, but still. "An' they soft." Magdelen knew exactly one cat. It was a stuffed kitty her dad had given her.
"What we do now?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:14 pm
Iselda wasn't quite sure where Magdelen was going with her 'cat'-talking, but she nodded anyway.
"More sweets?" It was a good idea; they'd already eaten the first plate, but Ise would like some more and she figured Magdelen did too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:16 pm
"'Kay," said Magdelen. "Come with?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled her friend out to pop up on the wall-side of the table, figuring with the tablecloth between them they would be less noticeable. She did not reckon on the nearness of one of the adults...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:33 pm
... who so happened to be Elena de Lacroix, who was rather surprised to see her newly acquired daughter pop up from under the dessert table.
So surprised, in fact, that it took a good few seconds and a mental reminder that she was in polite society for her to regain her composure in the midst of her gaping.
"Iselda! What, pray tell, do you think you're doing?" The voice was clipped, and if the little girls had thought for a second that they'd gone undetected, the thought was gone now. "And with--" She rankled for a moment, not entirely sure how to continue.
"Iselda." She repeated, not quite as loud as before. "What is the meaning of this?"
Iselda wasn't quite sure what'd happened, but her mom sure seemed to be mad.
"Was having sweets with Magdelen." She said innocently, trying to hide her sticky hands and dirty dress from view.
"A-ha." Elena turned on the other girl, the one she'd never met before. "I take it this--" her lips curled in a sneer, "was your idea?" Elena had never been good with children, to say the least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:42 pm
Magdelen's first reaction was delighted surprise. So the adults really were real people! That was so cool. But then the lady said sharp, angry words to her friend and the smile vanished to become a rather discontented frown. Why was this lady yelling? What were she and Iselda supposed to do, sit around while the adults got all the sweets and fun stuff? No way! That was just ridiculous.
(The children who seemed quite happy to be under the care of the governess stayed blissfully ignored by Magdelen and seemed to have quite forgotten her attack earlier, other than to stare round-eyed at the two girls.)
"Yeah," she said defiantly, continuing with "What, there no windows in your house??" which made no sense, and she had more to say but she didn't get to continue scolding at Elena because her father seemed to have appeared out of no where with a very angry look on his face.
Luka looked over the situation, at the sticky yogurt on his daughter's face and hands, then over at Iselda. Shaking himself for a moment, he took a deep breath to calm himself and then asked, "Magdelen, what are you doing?"
Instantly her ivory eyes became big and tearful, and she hung her head in shame. It must have been bad if her daddy was mad at her! "...playing," she said in a very small voice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:56 pm
"With me." Iselda glared at the strange man, and then at her mother for good order's sake. "We play nice. Friends." She glared again and added for emphasis: "Good."
"Honestly, Iselda, you should know better." Elena was frowning, catching herself in the act (frowning made you wrinkle before time!), and frowning again.
"I'm sorry for my daughter's behaviour, Mr..?" She trailed off, not quite as quick to reprimand Magdelen once there was an adult likely to defend her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:06 pm
The dark-haired man smiled at Iselda quite condescendingly. "I know it's good, er, Iselda?..." Then he returned his attention to his white-haired daughter and opened his mouth to lecture, though there was a tender look in his amber eyes that showed it wasn't going to be a harsh one. But Elena spoke, and being a polite man, he answered. "Luka Wesley, ma'am. You're... Elena de Lacroix, aren't you? Nice to meet you. And I'm sure they're both equally at fault..."
Magdelen used this time to give Iselda what might have been a very significant look, if she hadn't still looked so close to tears. "Good friends," she repeated, smiling a little. Daddy couldn't be mad at her, right? It was all just a funny misunderstanding!!
"Magdelen," said Luka, his attention drawn back to the two of them. "If you wanted sweets, you only had to ask. I would have gotten you some on the way home."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:14 pm
Iselda was quickly starting to dislike this man who obviously did not like her very much and was making her friend sad.
"Sweets not important. Friends important." She delivered this with an equally condescending look, perfectly copied from Luka himself. No way she'd let some meanie upstage her like this!
Elena attempted something that might have been a smile. "Yes, I'm sure they were.."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:21 pm
Luka was quite flabbergasted and had to school himself into not arguing with a baby. "I suppose that it's time for me to head home," he said to himself, leaning over the table (and muttering a curse when his necklace dropped into some punch, but hey, at least it wasn't his pocket watch. He'd left that at home) to snag his daughter. Magdelen promptly wailed in protest, reaching out both hands for her friend. No way! This was not cool!
"Dah-ee," she cried, screwing up her tiny face.
"Time to go, Magda," he sighed, patting her back. "Miss Lacroix, I'm very sorry for Magdelen's actions and do hope to see you at the next gathering," said Luka formally, bobbing his head respectfully.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:30 pm
Iselda made a likewise indication to grab onto her friend, but Elena had been sneaky and snuck up on the girl while she was busy glaring at Luka, grabbing onto the toddler and holding tight once she started squirming. "Nngh, no!"
"Certainly Mister Wesley, I hope my errant daughter hasn't troubled you too much." She inclined her head as well. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe we should be off. Iselda, stop that now."
The little girl went limp with defeat in her mother's arms, but still looked at Magdelen with resolution in her eyes. "Later."
Elena rolled her eyes and hefted the girl up before swiftly walking out of there, cursing her daughter's disobedience. The disgrace of such a spectacle would surely haunt her for weeks to come!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
