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 Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:23 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's Diary, 10/16/05
Surprise! It's...a Doll?
Kem looked up from his review of the current political muck at the sound of a tapping on the door.
"Door's open. Come in," he called out.
The were scrabbling sounds from the door, then the handle turned and the door swung inward. A smug looking Tilia padded in.
"I open door," she announced with pride.
Her father chuckled.
"You certainly did, little one! How was the nursery?"
"I build castle with Tzir," she said, looking around slyly. "Then I knock it down with Tzir!"
Clearly, the destruction had been the highlight of the dragon's day.
And who said that children were innocent? Ah well.
"The captain came by. Apparently the crew was so excited to have you on board, they got something special for you."
Kem wasn't sure he approved or not, but it would certainly amuse the dragon for a while, while they were away from home.
Not every word Kem-daddy said made sense. But Tilia could add one and one!
"Tilia gets present?" she asked in anticipation.
Kem nodded and slid a box towards her. It was a shoebox with the words FUZZY SLIPPER SHOP printed on the top.
Tilia tore the lid off to reveal...a slipper.
She knew the concept of putting such things on your feet of course...so that's what she did. The dragon wasn't expecting what happened next.
The slipper opened it's eyes, blinked, and hissed at Tilia's cold and scaly foot.
Tilia shrieked in joy and startlement. Oh! What fun! A living shoe-thing! No...it wasn't just a shoe-thing...it was a doll. Tilia's doll.
"Is Pupa," she told Kem.
The halfblood blinked. He still wasn't sure how the slipper had come to life. This was getting kind of freakish, and it was clear the slipper must have come from Gaia.
That, and Tilia's uncanny grasp of Latin was really starting to creep him out. But...one more thing.
"Tilia...that's a boy slipper."
The dragon cocked her head.
"So?"
Kem shook his head.
Pupa hissed/yowled his displeasure.
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:27 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's Diary, 10/21/05
The temporary home.
Kem saluted his Master's back, picked up Tilia and Pupa, and left. His Master would not be rushed or swayed...and he always had good reasons for everything.
As they retreated back up the stairs, Tilia came out of her awkwardness enough to ask questions.
"What a 'Master?' Who he? Why he want know my name?"
Frankly, he scared her. And she wanted to know why.
"My Master is a kind man, Tilia. You have nothing to be afraid of," Kem told her distractedly. They were back on the first under-level, or the first floor beneath the ground. Most of these rooms actually had windows though, so they weren't completely below ground.
They came to a door and stopped. Kem put Tilia on the floor as he fished around in his satchel for something. Withdrawing a key, he unlocked the room and ushered the dragon inside.
Tilia scooted in and stopped. This room...didn't look too different from home. Warm wood floor, a small kitchenette, a bathroom (this one tiled in light blue), soft green walls...and a fireplace!
Eagerly the dragon hopped over to the warmth of the fire that had been laid in preparation for their arrival.
Kem too was pleased. The extra bed had turned out to be a child's sofa, and so perfectly sized for Tilia, and the fire had been laid.
"I hope you like it, Tilia."
Pupa liked it a lot. He'd been dropped as Tilia raced to the fire. But...he felt odd. There was a strange sensation that came over him.
When the blurring fog cleared, there stood a kitten where the slipper had been. It had to be Pupa, for it had his markings.
Hissing to himself, Pupa went and curled up by the fire.
Tilia looked up at Kem.
"Not nice as home. Nice for now," she responded, then returned her attention to warming herself. It had been rather cold the father they'd gotten below ground.
Kem smiled. So far things had worked out well. But he hadn't gotten to the meat of things yet. The halfblood prayed that things wouldn't go too badly.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:27 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 10/21/05
"As I watch the sun start to rise/From my seat five miles in the sky..."
Lyrics from "My Heart is in the East" by Dan Nichols
It was good to be home, Kem thought, as he followed the girl through the village and to the manor gates. There the girl saluted him hastily and ran off to her chores.
The gate guard recognized him on sight, and soon let him in, dragon and slipper as well. He made some pointed remarks to Kem about adoption papers and that Lady Rrissilia wanted to see him in the library.
Kem snorted and ignored the guard as he entered the grounds. His Master always came first.
Up until now, Tilia had been quiet, silenced by what she was seeing all around her...like some fantasy story come to life!
"Where we going, Kem-daddy? Why we here?" she pestered him.
Through the first door, down the second hallway, take these stairs down to the next level...
"You're going to meet my teacher, little one. We're in this big house because we were invited," he responded, abstractly aware that this wasn't quite what Tilia meant.
Pass the suit of purple armor, down this set of stairs to the end...
Pupa's eyes flicked around. He didn't hiss, too absorbed in staring at everything.
Finally he came to the door. It was plain wood, and had a simple circle carved on its face. Kem knocked, then entered. There, in the sitting room, was an old, old man.
Kem set Tilia down on the floor and formally saluted the man.
"Master."
The old man, whom Kem called Master, watched the dragon scurry around behind his apprentices legs. He looked up. His face was lined and wrinkled, his skin pale from lack of sunlight. His voice, when he spoke, was soft and whispery...though debate ranged as to whether it had always been that way or not.
"Kem. You prosper. I am glad." He turned to Tilia.
"Little one...what is your name?"
Tilia couldn't have said why, but the old man made her feel very embarrassed. As soon as Kem set her down, she struggled against her embarrassment/fear and the gravity to crawl behind her father's legs. At least he was between her and the old man.
But though his voice was soft and gentle, she couldn't find her voice.
Kem nodded to his master and nudged Tilia with his tail. She wouldn't talk. He sighed. It really figured.
"This is my daughter, Tilia."
The old man nodded. "She is truly your daughter in mannerisms. I am hearkened back to when I first saw you, in a group of servants to be examined." He trailed off in memory. Then he brought himself back to the present.
"You and I will talk in two days. You and Rrissilia will talk tomorrow. For now, your room has been aired out and an extra bed brought for the little one."
With that, he stood up and disappeared through a door at the other end of the room.
Kem saluted his Master's back, picked up Tilia and Pupa, and left. His Master would not be rushed or swayed...and he always had good reasons for everything.
As they retreated back up the stairs, Tilia came out of her awkwardness enough to ask questions.
"What a 'Master?' Who he? Why he want know my name?"
Frankly, he scared her. And she wanted to know why.
"My Master is a kind man, Tilia. You have nothing to be afraid of," Kem told her distractedly. They were back on the first under-level, or the first floor beneath the ground. Most of these rooms actually had windows though, so they weren't completely below ground.
They came to a door and stopped. Kem put Tilia on the floor as he fished around in his satchel for something. Withdrawing a key, he unlocked the room and ushered the dragon inside.
Tilia scooted in and stopped. This room...didn't look too different from home. Warm wood floor, a small kitchenette, a bathroom (this one tiled in light blue), soft green walls...and a fireplace!
Eagerly the dragon hopped over to the warmth of the fire that had been laid in preparation for their arrival.
Kem too was pleased. The extra bed had turned out to be a child's sofa, and so perfectly sized for Tilia, and the fire had been laid.
"I hope you like it, Tilia."
Pupa liked it a lot. He'd been dropped as Tilia raced to the fire. But...he felt odd. There was a strange sensation that came over him.
When the blurring fog cleared, there stood a kitten where the slipper had been. It had to be Pupa, for it had his markings.
Hissing to himself, Pupa went and curled up by the fire.
Tilia looked up at Kem.
"Not nice as home. Nice for now," she responded, then returned her attention to warming herself. It had been rather cold the father they'd gotten below ground.
Kem smiled. So far things had worked out well. But he hadn't gotten to the meat of things yet. The halfblood prayed that things wouldn't go too badly.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:30 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 11/5/05
Tilia's days.
While Kem-daddy spent most of his day out of the rooms, Tilia spent most of hers inside of them. The colors of the furniture and the walls was similar enough to make the dragon feel comfortable, without being home.
She spent a great deal of time chasing Pupa around. There was never any worry that they'd knock anything over...the things that were fragile had barriers around them to protect them.
Neither of them ever saw the people who left food. It was always done when they were in another room, or while they slept. Either way, good, plain food was there three times a day.
When they slept, there was always a roaring fire to curl up by, though Tilia did have a nest of pillows and blankets in a different room, which she never used.
It was a simple life, but lonely. There were only so many ways to torture the Tilia-box...which never tore or broke or anything. There were only so many times that Pupa would screech and hiss at her before just curling up and going to sleep somewhere she couldn't reach.
That was when she would go to the back window/door of the room and stare at the little garden. It was overgrown and clearly hadn't been tended to in a long while, but there was something to comfort Tilia in the wildflowers growing next to fragile, sheltered flowers she'd never seen before.
And when even the garden bored her, Tilia wished to go home. But Kem-daddy was never around when she wanted to tell him so.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:32 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 11/13/05
...Red sky at night, sailors' delight.
The late afternoon sun filtered thick and honey-like through the forest, just as it had weeks ago when Kem had first brought his little family this way. This time, it was just him, Tilia, and Pupa. No guards, no escort, no luggage. They walked quickly, but still took in all the sights. Tilia roamed all over the path, investigating everything. Pupa, not strong enough for such a pace, was curled up on Kem's shoulders.
It was not the same path they'd come on, but only someone familiar with the area would be able to tell. This one was a bit less worn, and took a distinctly uphill slant in this direction.
Tilia was happier than she'd been in a long time. There were all sorts of interesting things out here, and it was completely different in most ways from the rooms she'd been cooped up in.
"Where we going, Kem-daddy?" she asked, eyes shining.
Kem smiled over at Tilia. "I'm going to show you one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," he told her. And he wasn't lying. He was excited about this as Tilia was, and it was a surprise for her.
Pupa snorted from his perch. He doubted that whatever this was would be so wonderful. But, he couldn't do more than express his displeasure at this point, so he simply began washing his paws.
Tilia trotted over to Kem's side. "Is really so beautiful?" she asked wonderingly. If Kem-daddy was excited, this must truly be marvelous!
Hearing the snort, she glared up at Pupa. "Stop. You seen?"
Pupa patently ignored Tilia and continued his washing. No, he hadn't seen, but he wasn't going to admit that.
Kem chuckled. "I think it is, but I'll let you judge for yourself. Come on now, we still have a ways to go and we don't want to miss it." He lengthened his stride in order to reach his goal in time.
The rays of sunlight striking through the trees had darkened to a golden-brown when they finally broke free of the forest. The three now stood on top of a cliff above what had been an ancient ocean of water and was now a sea of grass. Kem knew for a fact that the land beneath them was some of the most fertile to be found on the continent. But that wasn't what he'd brought them there to see.
He sat down in the dirt and gathered Tilia into his lap. He pointed straight ahead, at the orange disc of the sun sinking below the horizon. "This is the best spot I've ever found to watch the sunset," he said softly. "I wanted to share it with you."
Tilia was too enthralled to respond. She could only watch the subtle interplay of the colors on the backdrop of the sky. It was like nothing she'd ever seen, and she knew instinctively nothing could ever quite recreate it.
Even Pupa was silent, observing the setting sun create its display of colors.
Kem smiled to himself at the two and gave his full attention to the incredible sunset.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:34 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 11/23/05
The last leg of the journey.
Kem cast about, looking for a reason to refuse the request. There really wasn't any. He looked at his daughter, giving him a powerful pout. Would it really be so bad to let her stay awake for the return flight? She hadn't shown signs of possible poor reactions...
"Fine," he said, exasperated. "But Pupa still sleeps."
The cat in question gave Kem a withering look, but submitted himself to the Healer's magics and was deeply asleep at once.
Tilia chirped with joy and rushed across the small cabin to wrap herself around Kem's legs. "Thanks Kem-daddy!"
The halfblood smiled. It was so difficult to stay upset with her, especially when she wished to be charming. "You're welcome," he told her, then inspiration struck. He withdrew what had been a gift to him from an old...ally. It was a book, a journal, bound in what looked like stone. (In reality, it was probably some variant on slate, skillfully carved.) "Here," he told her, handing over the book, "this is your new journal. I know I haven't taught you much of writing, but now you can practice."
Tilia accepted the book reverently. She caressed it with her claws and examined it minutely. She looked up at her father and crooned. Such a beautiful gift! She couldn't wait to experiment!
Kem chuckled. "Just wait until we've finished accelerating to use it, okay? I'll tell you when it's safe, if you want."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:36 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 11/27/05
Home sweet home.
Kem almost had to shake his head at the strange parade he was a part of. Tilia was in a hurry to get home, because he'd taken her journal from her. The dragon had wanted to do nothing but write in it. And not even someone raised to walk on two legs could easily walk and write at the same time. Tilia, who was still experimenting, could never have done it. But of course she wouldn't have listened to his explanation. She'd have whined, stared off into space, or mouthed the words he was saying. Like any child. So he'd simply promised that she'd get it back when they got home. Thus, she was eager to get there.
Next to him stalked Pupa. The cat seemed to have reached his full growth and was as resentful as ever of Tilia. That hadn't kept him from purring at her side the entire journey.
And, of course, Kem himself. As if he was the only normal one in the family. He almost laughed at how his own mind worked. But...the trip had been productive, and made them all the more appreciative of the time they spent together at home.
"Just another block, so don't wander too far ahead, Bookwyrm," he called to Tilia.
"'Kay," Tilia called back. She hadn't liked Kem-daddy's nickname for her until he'd explained what it meant. "Bookworms" liked books; reading and writing. And "wyrms" was another name for dragons. On top of that, Kem-daddy had promised that he wouldn't call her anything she didn't like. That was good, it made her feel like a grown-up.
Even so, she still wasn't happy that Kem-daddy had taken her journal. She wanted to write in it even now. She wasn't sure why he'd promised to not read it, but that was okay also. As long as she got it as soon as they were home...
Pupa walked boldly with his tail held high. He'd never been here before, and was being seen by strangers. He must appear so noble and regal that they would never believe that such a feminine name was his.
And then there it was. Small, but home. And with a yard suspiciously bare of leaves. It seemed Res had been busy.
Kem pulled a keyring from his pocket and unlocked the front door, pushing it open to allow Tilia and Pupa in before him.
Tilia bounded inside, excited to be home, get her journal back, and to sleep in her own nest. As she scrambled around, she ran right into Res.
"Sorry!" she called out, having learned the proper response, and looked to see if he was hurt.
"Tilia! I was not expecting you to return today!" Res exclaimed, rubbing his now-sore head. "You and Kem have packages awaiting your arrival." Then he caught sight of Pupa. "What or who is that?"
Pupa had been surveying his new domain when Res asked the question. He turned deliberately to face the Noodle Animal and hacked up a hairball right in his furry face. Feeling accomplished, Pupa sauntered out of the room to find a good place to wash himself.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:48 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 1/25/06
Putting plans into action.
Tilia winced awake as she rolled onto a wing. Overall, she'd thoroughly preferred sleeping as a dragon. It was so much easier to get comfortable, and she'd never once rolled onto her wings before. It hurt.
But it was time to wake up. The house around her was silent and Tilia meant to get out and at the very least discover if she could fly. Already she was steadier on her feet than she'd been that very morning. She still lurched about awkwardly, but she moved without falling.
Pupa narrowed his eyes as he heard movement from the dragon's room. His position on top of the living room bookshelf would enable him to observe her, should she come this way, without her noticing him.
He still wasn't happy about the man recruiting him to spy on the dragon. Though he'd admit to himself that he did enjoy spying in general. It was doing it for someone that chafed.
The shadows in the hall shifted. The dragon was coming.
Tilia moved slowly down the hall, doing her best to keep quiet. She winced inwardly and froze each time a board squeaked beneath her weight before moving on again.
Her progress was slow across the living room. And she couldn't help but feel she was being watched...but, no. Kemdaddy was nowhere in sight. Thank the powers out there for that.
Pupa sighed softly to himself as the dragon fiddled with the lock on the front door, popped it open, and slipped outside. Foolish. She'd even forgotten to close the door.
The cat snorted to himself and leaped off of the bookshelf, landing lightly on all fours and sauntering over to the door. He nudged it all the way closed, and smirked as he heard the lock reengage. If the dragon thought to return tonight with no one the wiser, she was in for a rude surprise.
Feeling rather pleased, Pupa went to wake Kem and remind him of his promise of a bowl of fish.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:31 am
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 6:06 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 5/7/06
Interlude.
Pupa studied himself in the mirror. He'd been stunned enough the other night to see Tilia in a two-foot form. He'd been shocked to the point of wanting to go back to sleep when he awoke to find himself in a two-foot form.
It wasn't ugly, at least. Just...different. He purred at his reflection, lips curving upward into a smile. Yes...he was still handsome.
Feeling on top of the world, the anthro cat sauntered out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. He was still small--barely two and a half feet tall, but already he could see advantages to opposable fingers.
Res was nodding off in the kitchen in front of the fire, bowl of ramen in one hand and book of etiquette in the other. It was lonely today, being just him and the cat for company. The pirhana noodle seal often found it comforting to reread about manners.
He heard a footstep in the hall and froze. It wasn't Kem...and it couldn't be Tilia or the cat because they walked on all fours. Wholly suspicious, Res quietly set down his book, grabbed his ramen, and headed to investigate.
He got to the doorway and--
"YOWWOWL!" Pupa cried out as the despicable seal appeared out of nowhere to block the doorway. He stepped backward, trying to regain his balance and composure.
"Why you idiot! What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded, knowing that the darn seal wouldn't understand a word he was saying.
Res also jumped back, blinking and trying to make sense of the figure in the doorway. It was only a bit bigger than him, and bore a striking resemblance to the stupid cat. And if Pupa could talk, Res could easily imagine him using the same words as this stranger.
"I was investigating to see if there was an intruder in the house!" he replied, bristling. "And who the hell do you thing you are?" the noodle animal demanded icily of the strange cat-person.
Pupa hissed and glared at Res. "There is no intruder, stupid! I live here!"
Annoyed, he pushed past the seal into the kitchen and busied himself in looking for lox. He remembered that there was still some left...if he could just find which shelf of the fridge it was on...
Res blinked. So it was Pupa! But how? Why? And how come he still had to be such a stuck up cat!?
"Well excu-u-use me! I didn't expect the pet cat to randomly decide to get up and walk around on two legs!" he spat, and crossed his arms, fuming. Stupid cat. Couldn't even let him in on the little surprise...
Ah-hah! Pupa pulled the lox out of the fridge and kicked the door shut. Lovely things, opposable thumbs. He deftly extended a claw and sliced the plastic open.
"Well I didn't 'decide' to get up and walk on two feet. I didn't have a choice," he sniffed, and examined the lox. Looked good, smelled good, tasted divine. The cat was in heaven, he decided, munching down on the treat.
Res snorted and returned to his spot by the fire, savagely chomping his noodles. Instead of reading his book though, he kept an untrusting eye on Pupa. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Pupa couldn't have cared less what the seal did. What mattered right now was that he had the best lox he'd ever eaten in his lap and opposable thumbs. Life was good, and damn if he wasn't going to enjoy every moment of it!
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:11 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 7/16/06
Interlude.
Somehow, Kem wasn't surprised to see the rest of the family waiting when he got home.
"I guess you guys are wondering how it went," he said, half to himself, as he stumbled into the kitchen.
The Noodle animal wrinkled his nose as Kem walked past. "You reek," he commented pointedly. "You stink like the refuse bins." The undertone in Res' voice said quite clearly what he thought of that.
Pupa shook his head at the uppity seal and padded into the kitchen after Kem. "Will she help? Will Tilia be home soon?" he asked, voice betraying his anxiety for the dragon.
The halfblood smiled at the pair. Each a pain in his own way, together the two were a supportive net he could lean on. Tilia was lucky to have them...
The teapot fell from his hand as inspiration struck.
"Ay!" Res dived after the pot and managed to catch it before it hit the floor and made a mess. However, his fur wasn't that thick...
"Aiyee!" he cried, running around frantically, trying to find a hotplate.
Pupa sniffed at his companions antics. Such a childish display! Deftly, the cat grabbed the pot by the handle and took it out of Res' fins/hands. He pointedly handed it back to Kem.
"I assume you have an explanation? Since I know you don't take pleasure in watching Seal-boy twitch..."
A bemused halfblood took the pot back from Pupa and set it on the hotplate. "I do, actually." He surveyed the pair, so very different except in their sheer loyalty. "I think we might be able to communicate with Tilia. Now, listen up, especially you, Pupa. I think you might like this a lot..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:08 pm
Transcribed from Tilia's diary, 9/2/06
Lights, atmostphere, action!
Tilia shook her head. She'd never understand some people. But for now...there were people she loved waiting for her.
She came to her own door, Kem's door. Hesitantly, she knocked twice and waited.
Tonight it was Pupa's turn to answer the door, and he was not at all pleased about being woken from his catnap. The anthro groaned and stalked over to the door, throwing it wide open.
At first he didn't know what he was looking at. But then it hit him and he remembered the night she'd run away. The cat threw himself into Tilia's arms and cuddled there, purring happily.
The dragon was, to say the least, a bit surprised by both Pupa's new appearance and his attitude. She would have said that pigs would fly before the moody cat would ever show any affection towards anybody.
But, she decided as she stroked his soft fur, she was happy to be wrong in this case.
"I missed you too," she whispered, burying her face in his fur.
Pupa continued purring, leaning into her strokes and licking her face. "Of course you did," he informed her, between licks.
The dragon giggled at that. He sounded just like she would've imagined! It was rather amusing.
The cat decided to ignore the chuckling and continue demonstrating how much he'd missed his owner.
"I'm glad you're home at last." a familiar voice hailed the returned dragon from the hallway.
Tilia raised a tear-streaked face out of Pupa's fur and stared. Suddenly limp arms dropped the cat to the floor. Stiff legs moved her feet one step, another, until she was running through the house to wrap her arms around her father, her Kemdaddy, and she was crying again, and he was crying, and he was hugging her, and it hurt her wings a little, and he wasn't letting go, but she wasn't, and she was so happy to finally be home and safe and loved.
Kem hugged his daughter tightly and listened to her babbling excuses and explanations through her tears.
"It's okay," he told her. "I love you, you're home, and that's all that matters."
Pupa sniffed as he closed the front door. He didn't blame either of them, really, but she didn't have to drop him like that!
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:51 pm
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