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 Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:37 pm
Reserved for roleplay with Tango and Desdemona.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:39 pm
Reserved for roleplay between Elissa and Calanthe.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:39 pm
 Calanthe meets Prudence and Company. (Shiloh, Davey and Daisy)Aced Desire What a DAY!
She wasn't exhausted, but she was definitely not used to all this .. well, change. Calanthe had a new guardian, she bumped into Man-- Tango and his little sister, Desdemona and then she had been brought to her place of living; a hotel room with two double beds, a bathroom and a little kitchenette.
Elissa had been tired, so Callie said she was just going to go for a walk around the park. Of course, Elissa had already taken on that motherly instinct and insisted she went along, but Callie wanted to be alone. Just to ponder over what exactly had all happened to her.
Of course, she didn't do much thinking. Off in a daze, she strolled around the pond .. clearly in her happy place. Rabid Ice Weasel
It really was a beautiful day, considering the generally strange weather in May. Shiloh had taken baby Davey and his daughter(?) to the park for a picnic, which may or may not have secretly been an excuse to take a break from today's harvest. Daisy lay beside her infant friend on the blanket they had brought, and Prudence sat by the edge of the pond, considering dipping her feet in.
Shiloh had reached into their basket to retrieve a bottle of water, and when he looked up, he saw the little girl approaching. He thought it strange to see a child out all alone and could make out no vigilant parent in the distance. Seeing as to how dangerous some places could be, he waved and smiled to the girl.
"Hullo, Darlin'."
Prudence turned her head to see who her father was addressing. She didn't smile, but simply observed.
Aced Desire Callie looked around when she had heard the man's voice. It was only then she had noticed the small family sitting near the pond. Raising her hand, Callie went to wave but stopped. Elissa had told her not to talk to strangers .. but she technically isn't her mother, so ... "Hi!"
Giving a toothy grin, she debated on whether or not to approach them or keep on her stroll. They looked like a fairly friendly bunch, but she was still skeptical. Whoa. Her eyes wandered to the girl sitting near the pond .. and Callie thought Elissa needed a tan?! Hah! Rabid Ice Weasel
"What're you doin' out here all alone?" Shiloh asked, taking a sip from his bottle and waving for the girl to join them. He would prefer the child at least be safe with them rather than wandering with some sort of dangerous stranger. Daisy's tail thudded wildly against the blanket, and David turned to watch it.
All the while, Pru just watched. She blinked a few times, looked slightly to one side, and then looked back to raise her hand in greeting. She still wasn't used to meeting strangers.
Aced Desire It didn't take long for Callie to decide that they seemed safe enough and besides, she hadn't met many people yet and she really didn't care if Elissa said to avoid strangers or not. Not like she'd ever get kidnapped, PFFT!
Before answering, she waved to the girl. Maybe she was shy? Or just didn't talk. OR! Maybe her dad told her not to talk to strangers and she actually listens!
Calanthe drew her attention back to the man and son and shrugged, she wandered over, "I just wanted to go for a walk. It's nice out!" Callie took a seat near the man and his child. Glancing over, she noticed the dog wagging her tail happily, "Hi!" She giggled, petting the dog, "What's its name?!"
Wait -- what was that smell? It smelt .. really pretty. Like a nice, feminine perfume .. and it smelt like it was coming from the girl, "I like your perfume; it smells really pretty." Rabid Ice Weasel
"That's Daisy," Shiloh said proudly, "Yenno, it's not really good to be w--" But he was cut off by the child's sudden outburst. Prudence tilted her head slightly, not entirely understanding, and then stood. Well...not stood, exactly. In the short time Pru had lived with Shiloh, he had not once seen her feet touch the ground. The only reason he knew she has any was her night gown did not cover them.
"It is not perfume," Pru said easily, softly. Her voice carried an eerie double-tone.
"I simply am this way. So are you."
Aced Desire Calanthe smiled and patted the dog, "Hullo, Daisy!"
This is when she heard the girl speak. Wait .. the girl .. and someone else? Looking up, Callie noticed that it was just the one girl .. and her feet were not even touching the ground. Whoa. But before she could response to the whole floating bit, the last sentence the girl had said clicked.
"We're both -- oh." At this point, Callie had remembered her meeting with Vanyel back with her old guardian, Lara. Lara and Vanyel's mother were talking about how both of the children smelt like this one specific scent all the time .. and then something about a store? Callie hadn't been listening much, to be perfectly honest. She just really wanted some fairy floss.
About to ask about the store, she stopped herself, "I never did get your name. I'm Calanthe - but call me Callie!"
Maybe she shouldn't ask about the store. Rabid Ice Weasel
Daisy rolled over to demand belly rubs. Davey obliged.
Prudence wrinkled her nose slightly at the demand for a nickname. She was not really one to call anyone by anything but their full name, unless perhaps they were close friends. She had just met this girl.
Oh, well. Father had told her to be polite.
"Callie. My name is Prudence. Pru." She did not, however, mind others calling her by a nickname.
Aced Desire Calanthe gave a quizical look when the girl wrinkled her nose, but brushed it off. She could never dwell on things for very long. "Prudence? That's a nice name." She paused.
Should she ask? Yeah.
"Pru .. why do we smell how we do? Like, all the time I mean." She stopped and directed this next part to Shiloh, "Did we come from a store? I remember before, my old mom was talking to someone else's mom about a store. 'Course, I only wanted candy floss then to leave, so I didn't really pay any attention. I only heard her ask about it." Rabid Ice Weasel
Shiloh was not one to deny anyone knowledge they asked for. He nodded and smiled, patting Callie on the shoulder as Pru came to sit on the blanket with them.
"Yep. Y'go inta a shop an' buy some scented oil, but when it burns away, y'end up with a kid from the oil. A bit startlin', if I do say so myself." Prudence gave a little smile at that and, as minuscule as it was, it meant something. She was indeed quite happy that her father (she had begun to accept him as that) had kept her, regardless of how she had come into his life.
"I assume y'smell like the oil y'came'outta. Pru does. Lemmee guess. You were...coconut. Coconut and sum'm else?"
Aced Desire "Whoa." She was oil before?! That was so .. so .. cool! And she was a little relieved that she didn't get a 'birds and the bees' talk, whatever that was. She had heard it on TV once; a kid asked where he had come from and then did not seem too happy about getting that talk.
"So .. did all of my --", she paused, "People I've met that smell come from there, too? Like, not stinky smell because they didn't shower. I mean, smelling like us."
When Shiloh inquired about her smell, she excitedly answered, "Vanilla!" She smirked - abscent-mindedly playing with the vanilla flower in her hair, "People tell me they think of the beach when I'm around. I guess I smell like suntan lotion." Rabid Ice Weasel
"I guess ya rightly do," Shiloh said with a little nod. Hm. So that's where he'd smelled it before! They always did say that smell was the sense more powerfully connected to memory...
"Oil indeed," Prudence said softly and tilted her head. This girl was strange. Very happy. Almost self-centered? Not very ladylike at all.
Aced Desire Callie nodded, smiling, "I don't mind it, though. Apparently, the beach is a nice place to be. Never been there, of course." She shrugged, petting Daisy's belly abscent-mindedly. She wouldn't mind having a dog. Maybe she'd ask Elissa about it when she got home.
Looking up at Pru, she gave her a quizical look, "What's your scent then? All I know is that it smells pretty." Rabid Ice Weasel
Prudence looked to Shiloh, still unsure of quite what her scent was.
"Apparition," he replied. What a strange thing for a scent to be! "Good enough that I went to a...non-magical shop an' bought a non-magical candle."
Prudence gave another little fleeting smile, and then turned to Callie again.
"The beach is beautiful. I do not think Father has ever brought me, but I know that it is beautiful. I remember that it is beautiful."
Aced Desire "Apparition ..." Calanthe had never heard of it before, "Is that some kind of magic too, then?" She smiled; she had such a plain scent now that she thought of it.
Beautiful ... Callie cocked her head slightly to the side, "If you've never been there, how do you remember?" She paused. To her, her smell was plain, but if it reminded someone of something beautiful then maybe it wasn't so bad, "Why don't you go there then?" Calanthe turned to Shiloh, "You should take them! I think Daisy would have fun at the beach. Apparently, Elissa said there are special beaches for dogs. She used to take her dog there."
Calanthe had a new goal now. To make Elissa bring her to the beach. She wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Rabid Ice Weasel
"It means a ghost. The soul of a dead person," Pru said flatly, her mouth becoming a straight line. Hm. Frankly, she didn't know why she remembered a place she had never been to, but she did, and that was that.
"Some day we will," Shiloh smiled, "Daisy's been, an' Davey's been, but Pru showed up durin' harvest, so there's no much free time now."
Aced Desire A dead person?
Calanthe stopped a moment to think that over. Her scent was apparition, she remembered a place she's never been too, she can float. Was she --? No! Prudence couldn't be a ghost! Callie smirked silently to herself .. What a ridiculous idea.
Smiling at Shiloh, her curiousity was sparked .. again, "Harvest?! Are you a farmer or' somethin'?!" Callie had never been on an actual farm before, but she knew somethings about it. Like how farmers grow their own food and have lots of animals, too! Rabid Ice Weasel
"Yes'm," Shiloh smiled, "Fruits n' veggies only. I don' eat meat, so I don' sell it." Daisy's tail thumped, and Davey giggled as he tried to catch it. Prudence just watched, her hands and legs suddenly going invisible and only fading into the adjoining limbs.
Aced Desire Calanthe smirked, "That's cool! But you don't even have any animals as pets or anything?" Pause, "Other than Daisy of course!" She gave the dog another quick pat before something caught her eye.
"Pru-- whoa. What happened to your hands and legs?!" Rabid Ice Weasel
Pru looked down at her limbs and shrugged. She'd felt like it. Did she need to explain herself? No.
"Aaah...no. No cows or anythin'. They cost too much. Got a horse, though."
Aced Desire Calanthe was still looking at Pru's lack of hands while Shiloh had answered her question, but stopped and looked at him after a moment, "Awesome! Horses are really neat."
At this moment, a massive shiver went up Callie's spine as she noticed a slightly drop in temperature. Maybe it was just her that seemed to notice it, but it made her wonder something.
"Do you know what time it is?" She had directed this question, obviously, towards Shiloh. Calanthe didn't know how long she had been gone; maybe Elissa was starting to get worried. Rabid Ice Weasel
Shiloh looked to the watch on his wrist and tilted his head. It had taken until now for him to realize that he had put it on upside-down this morning.
"It's about 5, miss. I do believe you should be headin' home soon." He knew that he would be worried if Pru was out this late, so close to dinner time. In fact, he planned to wait until the little girl had left before leaving himself. He hadn't realized the time either!
Aced Desire Calanthe threw her head back, closed her eyes and sighed, "I was supposed to be back at five!" Getting up, she dusted herself off lightly - adjusting her dress that Elissa had cleaned the second they got into the hotel.
Callie smiled at the family, "Well, it was nice chatting with you! But I'd better go or Elissa'll get mad." She rolled her eyes. About to turn to walk away, she had realized she knew all of their names except for Shiloh's, "Yanno, I don't even think I caught your name!" She had heard him call the child Davey and the dog Daisy; Prudence had told her her name, but she didn't remember him ever saying it. Rabid Ice Weasel
"I'm Mister Auburn, missy. Now you go hurry on home, and be safe!"
Shiloh was already standing, packing up his things while Daisy waited for something to drop.
Aced Desire Calanthe smiled and nodded, "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Auburn!" Looking down at Davey and Daisy she grinned, "You two, of course!" She turned around and looked at Prudence, "And you too, Pru! Maybe I'll see you guys again sometime."
And with that, she turned around and began to make her way home.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:41 pm
Reserved for Calanthe's journal entry.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:42 pm
Reserved for roleplay with Nagendra.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:43 pm
Calanthe and Elissa meet Seph and Sara. Aced Desire Another day, another stroll to the park. Calanthe seemed to be having a lot of luck meeting new people here, so she figured why not bring Elissa here to meet some new people too! After all, they were both orphans so that must mean Elissa didn't have very many friends in town either.
As the two wandered the park, they came across the bench that Elissa had been first laying on when Calanthe woke her up suddenly. Elissa laughed, "Oh, memory lane."
"It hasn't been that long, fool!" Callie harshed.
Elissa giggled, "I know, I know. But I still never thought I'd fall asleep on that bench, be woken up by a girl that smelt like suntan lotion and end up taking her home and practically adopting her."
"And I ain't going anywhere, so it looks like you're stuck with me!" Callie stuck her tongue out at Elissa and she laughed, taking a seat on the bench.
The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the others walk around the pond. Some fed the ducks, some where playing frisbee.
"Let's get a dog." A good suggestion on Callie's part, however it was Elissa's turn to harsh.
"We can't have a dog in the hotel room, kid."
"OH MY GOD! It's CALLIE! We've been over th--"
"I want to feed the ducks. We should bring some bread next time." fairie lore Whatever he was doing seemed to be working. She was responding positively to his attempts to be more engaging but he wondered if that was because it was beyond her will not to. But it was the results that mattered, right? She was in short, becoming more motherlike as the days went by. She went into deeper lulls of... whatever it was that happened when she would stop responding, but it didn't take much to spring her back into her 'normal' mood. Maybe that brat was right, that family wasn't so bad after all.
He tugged at her hand, running down the rugged path. "Come on, come on!"
"We'll get there when we get there!" She laughed, but instead began to race down the path, causing him to be who was being dragged along.
Finally, she settled on a bench - opposite of a woman and her child and gave a huff. "I haven't ran like that in ages." She smiled, watching Seph sit down beside her.
"Then we should get out more." He coyly grinned, his attention then wandering over to the people beside him. He looked at the girl, and then her mother - and the great time they seemed to be having. His grin dissapeared momentarily before reappearing. He bet she had it so easy. Aced Desire The two were still bickering jokingly when they saw the other two come dashing through the path and onto the bench opposite of themselves. Elissa momentarily wondered if the woman's son was like Calanthe. There seemed to be a lot of these scented children around.
"Elissa." Callie had turned her head, to make it look like she was looking at something over her shoulder. Elissa ignored her. Callie glanced at her for a moment before trying again, "Elissa." Still nothing. Oh my god, was she deaf?! "Elissa!" Callie hissed.
"What?!" Elissa looked down at her with a stern look.
"Shh, you're making it obvious!"
"Making what obvious?" She whispered.
"See that boy over there?"
Elissa stealthy looked over, but chances were, she had just gotten caught, "Yeah, what about him?"
"He's got one arm, I think."
Duuuuude, no way! Elissa thought, looking over. He was so young! Wait .. young. She glanced down at Calanthe who was still trying to act stealth and looking over in the distance and not like she wanted to look at the boy, "He looks about your age, you know."
"So?"
"Why don't you go say hi?"
"Why don't you?!" fairie lore Seph glanced over at the pair on the other bench, but then turned his attention back to Sara who was smiling at him. She gently touched his hair, and feeling the moon shaped hair pin she'd bought from him only days ago. That had been the only time she'd resisted his luring 'charm'. It didn't... suit him, but he liked it all the same. It was the only thing he truly had from her.
Then he heard whispers close to him, and shiftily eyed those opposite to him. As much as they tried to be sly, it was fairly obvious that they were not looking at the scenery, but rather at him. His eyes narrowed darkly, especially because their voices escalated and he could now hear everything they said.
He hated being thought of like some freak because he only had one arm. It wasn't his fault he was 'born' this way. He didn't really know if it was anyone's fault - he still wasn't quite sure of the whole process of how scent kids came to be. But that wasn't the issue - these two girls seemed so incredibly fascinated by this simple detail. He looked straight at Calenthe.
"Hello." He said in the coldest voice he could muster.
Sara, however, did not reprimand him, but merely stood watching Calenthe.
Aced Desire They both stopped and Calanthe looked up at Elissa. Still in a whisper, she panicked, "Do you think he heard us!?" Elissa nodded and Calanthe's eyes panicked for a brief moment, before she cooled.
"Go apologize, you a**. He obviously heard."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll do it after." Calanthe got up from the bench and slowly skipped over to them, "Hullo! I'm Calanthe - call me Callie." She extended her hand for it to be shooken, "I apologize for .. erm .. staring earlier. I probably shouldn't have. I mean, I met someone with horns and a tail the other day, and one girl that could float! Shouldn't be a shocker at all." She gave a goofy smile and looked back at Elissa for reassurance.
Headpalm. This girl is terrible at apologies.
Elissa got up and walked over beside Callie; placing a hand on her shoulder, "Hi, I'm Elissa." She extended her hand to Sara, "I'm sorry about that, it was very rude of us. I hope you'll accept our apologies." The last remark was directed towards Seph. fairie lore It irritated him even more that he wasn't being directly confronted, but they were continuing to talk amongst themselves. He would cross his arms if he could, but with his current state it would only look awkward. So he settled for giving her a subtle glare.
He watched her walk over, his icy demeanor still there. He may have not had both arms but he was not deaf. His eyes flickered at her hand, but did not take it. He would not show respect to someone who wouldn't give him any. "Seph." He said sharply, as if it wasn't a name but an insult. "It's nice to know I'm the same category as someone who is inhuman and someone who..." Oh, what the word? He'd read about it from a book on Sara's shelf. "... displays paranormal abilities." He then watched the other woman approach, and wondered if she'd be more courteous.
Sara looked at Elissa, and her blank look turned to a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Sara." She said and shook her hand. "It's fine. Isn't it Seph?" She said and ruffled his hair playfully, earning an utterly confused look from him.
Had he just sold her out in a matter of seconds? He had been rudely insulted and she was...? How was this possible?
She then looked at Callie. "You have a wonderful little girl." She smiled brightly. Aced Desire Elissa smiled at Sara, "Thank you!" She didn't feel like explaining that she had only taken Calanthe, not too long ago, as .. well, a daughter, she supposed. Glancing at Seph, then back to Sara, she continued, "Your young man is a very handsome one! Regardless of whether or not he's got one arm." She gave Seph a geniune smile, "May I ask what had happened? If you don't want to speak about it, that's fine. Curiousity got the best of both myself and Calanthe, it seems." She stopped.
"My uncle," she looked at Seph, "has only one arm, as well. And he managed to overcome all odds and became a boss at the mine site he actually losed his arm in! He makes such a ridiculous amount of money and is extremely successful." She refrained from adding in the cliché of making the best of what you've got; hopefully he wouldn't let the lack of an arm get him down. So young, so much potential.
Oh, that little .. Calanthe smiled and oh boy, did it ever look fake, "Well Seph," she hissed, "I'm sorry that I've never met someone with only one arm. I smell like a freakin' coconut all the damn time so I must be a freak too then. Looks like we're all in the same category!" Wow .. definitely fiesty.
"Callie!" Elissa hissed; giving her a warning look. Turning her attention back to both Sara and Seph, she laughed weakly, "Ah, I apologize. She's quite the fiesty little one, that's for sure." fairie lore Sara looked at Callie once more which brightened up her smile. She continued to smile until came the mention of Seph having one arm. Well, she was still smiling, albeit a little crookedly. Seph froze for just a moment at being directly asked about it. What was he supposed to say? Most kids didn't just appear - let alone appear with only one arm. He stood idle, his eyes narrowing to a glare and not saying a word. He didn't even want to lie about it, even though he likely could have spun an adequate story.
They both listened to Elissa's story, but Seph was at best unimpressed and Sara seemed to continue to have that sad, crooked smile on her face. He just didn't want to hear about it... Couldn't they just ignore he was missing an arm? He bit back a snarky comment, knowing his quarrel wasn't with her, but with the other girl.
Seph returned his attention to Calenthe, who certainly didn't seem happy - he could see through the smile. Always smell like a coconut? Was she a scent kid as well? He inhaled the air, and against all odds it did smell like coconut. His lips curled into a smile. "Yes, I suppose we're all freaks." His own scent, subtle as it was at first, took a little of coaxing to go into the air. He was trying to harness it to control when it was used, but it was hard to tell when he had actually done it right - Sara was the only one so far whom had been affected it, well, other then that server. His scent gravitated into the air - one that had a rather numbing effect, that by the time you noticed the scent you had your senses handicapped.
Sara gave a nod at Elissa, and her normal smile returned and laughed as well. "So is Seph."
He stared oddly at her. Was his scent not... working? Aced Desire Pointless. Elissa thought. They had both turned sour at the mention of his one arm. It was there; you can't just ignore it. Elissa didn't think it was a big deal at all, but apparently they young one was having a hard time coping with it. She didn't blame him, but she was trying to make light of the situation. If bystanders were more educated, they wouldn't even notice his lack of a limb. Then again, Elissa was very aware Calanthe hadn't ever been exposed to this before. To her it was new, and now it landed them in an awkward situation.
Both Elissa and Calanthe stopped once again; could he be a scent as well? Inhaling, there was a very slight musk lingering in the air, "Oh, what's that? Smells like a musk of some sort." But then the smell seemed to disappear .. Elissa glanced at Seph, giving a quizical look, but decided not to ask.
"You're like me, aren't you? Did you come out of nowhere, looking how you do now? Guess what, buddy. If that's the case, we're one in the same." Calanthe turned around; not wanting to further speak to the boy that was irritating her, but she stopped and turned around, "We came from a store .. from oils. In case you were wondering." The latter remark was a snappy one, although it wasn't really necessary. The point got across without the attitude and tone. fairie lore He hated this disability - not because of the physical handicap, but because of the social one. One glance from people walking past him would lead to a pitied, saddened look. As if nothing else about him mattered. He was a kid with one arm, that was as much depth as there was to him, or at least that's what they thought. It wasn't a big deal, why did people have to point it out or zone in on it?
Seph carefully watched Elissa as she took in the scent, but made no comment on it. Musk. What was that? He noted the word anyway, since he really had no idea what type of scent he had come from.
Seph rolled his eyes, and realized that perhaps she wasn't that great a listener either. "That is what I said, didn't I? We're all freaks." He made sure to stress that word, that she was as bad off as he was - perhaps she wasn't missing an arm, but she wasn't normal. The next comment didn't shake him - he'd already been through the shock already. Instead, he gave a smirk. "That's right, isn't it? Whomever decided to buy you didn't even want a child, but just a mere oil burner. You're not what they wanted." Aced Desire That was it. Calanthe's last nerve had been stepped on and she was fuming. A slur of curse words ran through her mind as she wished bad and hateful things upon Seph - again, all in her mind. She couldn't have an outburst. She had to resist, but was it ever hard for her.
That last comment was the one that hit the hardest, and if she wasn't trying to fight back her tears, she would have tried to rip his other arm off. Of course, this wasn't in her nature. She was fiesty, but not psychoic or dangerous. But why did she want to hurt him now?
"Guess that would explain why my mother abandoned me, huh?" The snarky tone remained, but her voice was shaking. She looked up at Elissa, apologetic. They both knew Elissa wasn't her mother, but she was the closest thing she had to one.
Now Calanthe knew why she wanted to hurt him. Because she hurt. fairie lore It was hard not to notice that the comment hadn't struck her hard, harder then he'd perhaps originally intended. But she had brought it upon herself. Was he supposed to feel pity that she couldn't take the same kind of comments that she herself had dished out? The look on her face... Something seemed off about it.
Seph remembered his last encounter that hadn't turned out well, with that bubblegum boy. He could see the scene replaying in his head. From his icy comments he had learned that the boy's parents had been killed. He listened closely to what Callie said, and found himself surprised - even though his demeanor didn't budge. He didn't know whether to say anything more. It would be a cheap blow. It was like kicking someone when they were down. As he stood there wondering what to say, his thoughts were interrupted -
"Your... Your mother abandoned you?" Sara said in as shooken a voice as Callie had previously. She seemed absolutely distraught by the very idea that the little girl had been on her own. Aced Desire Calanthe had a glare set on her face. She wouldn't let him win; she wouldn't let those tears fall. She was better then that. Callie had been through it; finding a home, then losing it. Now, she found another one and there were no more reasons to cry. Nope, she wouldn't cry. Not today. Not because of him.
Elissa glanced down at Callie. She wanted to hold her, comfort her, but she knew that that was probably the last thing she wanted right now. She looked at Sara and nodded, "Yeah, I actually first found -- er .. met her here. I was taking a nap on that bench," she nodded to the bench they had been previously sitting at, "when she came up to me. I'm alone in this town, and so is she, so I decided to take her in." Elissa put her arm around Callie, "Not quite sure what happened to her mother, though."
The glare remained, but she broke her silence, "She was just gone." Her voice cracked, "One morning, I woke up .. nothing." But she shook her head. She wasn't going to let that bring her down. Calanthe didn't want anyone's pity. She was perfectly happy how she was now. In a hotel room with two double beds and Elissa - her new mother. Then, in the first time in the last few moments, Calanthe's smile returned - an attempt to prove that she was fine .. she knew she would be.
But she wouldn't deny it; Callie missed Lara very much .. but that alone wouldn't bring her back. She had always told herself that maybe she needed to leave; maybe it was too dangerous to bring Callie along. Either way, she knew Lara wouldn't leave her unless she really had to.
Suppose she really had to then, huh ... fairie lore Seph stood there dully looking at her, watching her expression stay to the glare she had before. He watched her fight her emotions. Hmph. So she was all talk. And he, he was supposed to back down? No. This was good for her, wasn't it? So she would become stronger. So she wouldn't be weak. She needed to learn from his example. He looked over at Sara, and saw in such a distressed state that it made him feel just a little uneasy.
Sara turned her attention to Ellissa, but her gaze would flicker back to Callie ever so often, bearing sad eyes. "I'm so sorry. I..." Her voice choked up, and with that she recieved a very bewildered look from Seph. He had never seen her evoke so much emotion. Was this a product of his 'powers' or...? He didn't understand it.
Seph was too lost in thought to keep his attention on Callie. Sara was unpredictable, or at least she was turning to be. Before he knew exactly what was going to happen, because he governed her action but now... If he completely gave her reign, would something as bad as what happened to Callie happen to him? Seph met Callie's gaze, his expression softening. Aced Desire As Seph's expression softened, Calanthe's hardened. The last thing she wanted was his pity. He had been a jerk to her and now that he knew about her past, she didn't want him to be nice to her because of it. In fact, she couldn't care any less of what he thought of her!
But her attention didn't stay at him; she looked at Sara and saw the distress in her eyes. Calanthe walked up to Sara; being tall for her age and because Sara was sitting down, Callie didn't take much effort in wrapping her arms around Sara's neck - hugging her gently, "It's okay! I'm fine now. My momma just had to leave." She let go of her embrace and laughed, "She obviously had some secret mission and it was too dangerous to bring me."
In reality, Calanthe was still a child. She had no reason to act any older than she was, so her last comment was meant to show this. She was still a kid and losing her mother hadn't ruined that for her. A part of Callie, deep deep down, was hoping that maybe this'll show Sara that she needed to stay with Seph and be a mother to him .. even though he's not her real son .. just like Calanthe hadn't been Lara's actual daughter.
Even if he is a complete a** .. fairie lore Pity. No, he wouldn't say it was quite that he was displaying. Guilt, perhaps. Insecurity, yes. But not pity. That would mean he was perhaps just as weak as she had been in that singular moment before. Watching Sara like this... it pleased him that she was becoming 'normal' - but this normality was abnormal for her.
Sara welcome the embrace, wrapping her arms around the girl and holding her tight for just a moment before letting go. But it was all too evident that she wished that she didn't have to let go. "No mother should ever have to lose her daughter." She sniffled, her somber expression not leaving.
Seph watched Sara carefully, and felt just a little more secure. Sara wasn't going to leave him. He paused for a moment, thinking. "So, as you say your mother is on temporary leave, what happens when she comes back for you? You're going to return to your life with her, right?" Aced Desire Calanthe shook her head at Sara, "No daughter should have to lose her mother either, but it happens." She smiled, "And I'm stronger because of it." A wicked glance was shot at Seph at this point. However, his question caused her glance to harden.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me." The sarcasm in Callie's voice was ridiculously obvious, "She's not coming back, you a**."
Elissa was beginning to think that Calanthe's temper was getting out of hand, but she remained silent. Her heart stopped - what was Calanthe's answer going to be?
"Even if she did come back - which, she's not - I'd stay with Elissa. She needs me more. And like you said earlier, Lara probably didn't want me. All she wanted was an oil from a scent shop." Her toothy smirk was playful, but her eyes were fierce. fairie lore "Yes... no daughter should have to go through that either." Her sniffling ceased, and she was less distraught, but seemed to be more hollow. "You shouldn't have to be this strong at an age so young... you're... probably much stronger then some adults are..." She murmured.
Seph almost rolled his eyes, but felt that the other girl at least deserved a little respect. "No? Your yourself said that : My mommy just had to leave. He mimicked in a mocking, girly tone. "So either you're a liar, or you don't know what to believe."
He was at least mildly impressed that the girl was regaining her guts - it was no fun to completely crush someone who was already on their knees. "I think you do have the hope that she will come back. That you'll know for sure you weren't just needlessly discarded, that it was something important that took her away from you. It's always an easy decision to make hypothetically. But could you really turn away your mother just like that?" His voice was calm, and soothing, nothing like the snarky tone he had before. Aced Desire Calanthe once again shook her head at Sara .. but laughed this time, smiling, "I'm strong, but only because I was forced to be." She lifted Sara's chin up gently, "If you had to be, you would be strong."
Definitely not my daughter ... Elissa shook her head. It was amazing for insightful this young girl was sometimes. The second Elissa had found her, she had been a typical child .. but she definitely had her moments and this was one of them.
So, what? Now he was doing some psychoanalysis crap on me?! Calanthe shook her head, "Obviously there'll always be that hope, but I'm not as naïve as you believe, Seph." She hissed his name, "And do you honestly think that for a second I'm going to answer that question?!"
To be honest, Calanthe didn't know what she'd do. She loved Elissa, but Lara was her mother. All she hoped for was that she would never have to face the decision .. ever. fairie lore Her eyes began to tear up, and she gave a crooked smile - but she was smiling nonetheless. Seph was happy to see her smile, because it was seldom that she did. At least, smiled on her own free will. "If only it were that easy." She laughed nervously.
He wasn't purposely trying to do harm, at least he supposed he wasn't. He had so little interaction with others that this was the only way he knew how to be. It was the other's fault if they simply could take it. Like that bubblegum boy who had left in a huff. Hmph. He listened carefully to her words and already had a response lined up to when she finished her last word.
"So you are a liar and don't know what to do. You said before that she wasn't coming back, meaning that you had no hope in such a thing. Now you say you do. As for my second question... you so proudly stated that would pick... Elissa over your mother, but now you won't answer me. No, you can't answer me. Because even you don't know what your own answer would be." Aced Desire Calanthe scoffed, giving Seph a disgusted look, "Call me a liar, call me a freak. At least I have both my arms and a positive outlook on my 'tragic flaw'!" She raised both arms and used two fingers to make quotation marks on the last words.
Elissa could feel the tension. You could cut it with a knife ... But, regardless of who Calanthe would choose, Elissa knew she'd have to deal. If she chose her, fantastic! If she chose Lara, then so be it. She was her mother originally, anyways.
"And you know everything?" A fist on her hip, she stared straight into Seph's eyes, "Put yourself in my shoes. It doesn't matter whether or not she comes back, what matters is the situation. What happened? Why did she leave? Will she leave again? Does Lara need me? Or does Elissa need me more?"
Shaking her head, she broke her gaze, "You're absolutely ridiculous, you know that?" fairie lore What an attempt at a cheap blow. But her rage, her spite prevented him from feeling the full impact. "I commend you for regarding that you do in fact both arms while I do not." He replied, rolling his eyes. "My preferred outlook on my 'tragic flaw'..." He forcibly made airquotes just like she did, just to mock her. "...is dealing with it, instead of denying it. Mine may be skin deep and a little harder to hide, but I'm aware it's not going to go away."
He met Calinthe's gaze and gaze and gave a slow exhale, seeing this girl wasn't quite done with letting her rage out. "I have never said I did." But he wish he did now everything, that everything would be predictable. Sara... was unpredictable. And it frightened him a little. "So you'll be taking it case by case. So whoever needs you more, you'll go with them? What if Lara is a wreck and pins for you? Then you'll go with her, leaving Elissa behind?" His voice was ever smooth and silky. It was curiousity that was driving him, not the objective to harm her. But she didn't see that.
Sara seemed to sitting there idly, looking down at her lap, not saying a word. Then again, it didn't even seem like she was listening.
Seph shook his head as well. "Ridiculous, how? Because I'm right? Call me what you will, but that will not wash away the truth in my words." Aced Desire Calanthe rolled her eyes, "Well, I didn't deny the fact my mother left me, either, but I'm also dealing with it and this is my way of doing so. It's called living my life normally." Her rage was not subsiding with this boy and she had a feeling that if she lost control for even one second, she'd make an attempt at physically hurting the boy because her emotional blows seemed to have little to no effect on him.
Subconsciously, Elissa put a hand to her stomach. But she didn't feel sick .. well, that sick anyways.
Calanthe looked up at Elissa, then back to Seph, "Lara had another child. Elissa doesn't have anyone, so if you're going to pick apart that situation, then I'd pick Elissa." She stopped. A thought had crossed her mind, but she shook it off and proceeded to answer Seph, "Who are you to ask me who I'd choose? You've never been put in that type of situation. Then again, neither have I. I don't know who I'd choose - I'd just know if the situation ever came up." And hopefully it never has to ...
Elissa looked at Sara, cocking her head to the side a little, "You okay?" It was said in more of a hushed voice and was completely directed towards Sara - not intended for the children to hear, but they probably would considering they were right there.
"Oh, what? The truth that you hide behind a mask?" Her voice hit a higher pitch at the end, "You put on a tough exterior, but it's so obvious that you're hiding behind and from your insecurities."
"Get over it." fairie lore "And what, I'm not living my life normally? I go out in public - I don't hole myself up at home and sit there wondering what the world outside is like." He didn't like not having one arm, but denying himself a life was not something he was going to do. He'd already had to live a pathetic immaterial state with no control, and he wasn't going to willingly subject himself to that.
What Calanthe didn't realize was that he was helping her. But she was too wound up in anger to see that. But if she didn't notice it then he wasn't going to point it out for her. "And then who are you to try and undermine what I may be going through? As I can see, I see you with two perfectly good arms." A mild rant. He was getting a little annoyed with her. "So there you go. We've figured out what your course of action would be. Aren't you happy you had this conversation with me?" He said with a smile on his face.
Sara looked up as Elissa spoke and gave a meek nod. The movement caught Seph's attention for just a moment, his expression changing to distress before turning his attention back to Callie and his calm demeanor returned.
Inside he felt his stomach wretch and turn, but outside it was as nothing had happened. "Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." He said in a sing song voice, openly mocking Callie and her attempts to demean him. It hurt him, it did. But to show that emotion would mean he was just as weak as her, and he wouldn't allow that. Because he had to be strong for both himself and Sara. Aced Desire "I never said you don't live your life normally." Once again, Calanthe rolled her eyes, "But why don't you live it a little more optimistically? Maybe then it'd be easier to notice you only have one arm." Callie was the type of person to see through things like that if she got to know the person. But because Seph was and does piss her off, it was simply an easy target for insults and come backs.
Gritting her teeth, she exhauled, "Two perfectly good arms with a broken past. But I'm not letting that stop me now, am I?" Leaning closer to him, she touched his shoulder nearest the nub of an arm, "You can't change a broken past or a lost arm, but you can make the best out of it." Calanthe hissed this; she would show no soft emotion for this boy, "To be honest, no." She wasn't glad that they had had this conversation. She knew what she would do and she also knew what had happened in her past. So, not only did this boy just waste her time and breath, but he made her relive her past .. and that's not something she had wanted to do.
Concern crossed Elissa's eyes. It was obvious there was something wrong, but she wouldn't push the subject.
Calanthe stopped and glared at him. Not only was she going to sing that earlier - but stopped herself because the rage had overwhelmed the "sing-song" desire - but she hated being mocked. She felt her hand tense into a fist, but she stopped herself from doing anything she could possibly later regret.
"I'd punch you in the arm, but that's like hitting a kid with glasses in the face. Low and unfair."
Due to her rage, both her come backs and insults were beginning to take on a less thought out and witty, and more violent nature. fairie lore "I prefer to be a realist then have the idea that everything is going to turn out right in the end. If you want to live in a fairy tale land, than go for it." He refuted, seeing she was completely targetting his lack of an arm. He was proud of that - it meant that the only thing she could try and knock him down with was that.
"And I'm not letting the fact that I have one arm stop me." His body tensed up when she touched his shoulder, his eyes almost narrowing to a glare. But he didn't step back. "I would think that we both are, are we not?" Her catty actions didn't phase him.
It wasn't hard to see she was struggling with the rage - and seeing her hand ball up into a fist she was also trying to simmer her violent actions. But he wasn't afraid of being physically hurt. Really, what more did he have to lose? He was already down to one arm. What, was she going to take one of his eyes out? And anyway, her punching him would be mean that the had definitively won.
"Low and unfair? I'm impressed you even seem to comprehend those concepts, since up until now you didn't seem to." He was going to call her out it, no doubt about it. Aced Desire "Who says that everything won't turn out right in the end, eh?" She huffed and was starting to get tired of how damn negative he was being, "I wasn't aware that a fairy tale land included a lost mother and talking to an insecure boy. Pretty sure there are no knights in shining armour in this fairy tale, my friend." Her allowed the sarcasm to drip off her last word. No way in hell would she consider this boy a friend.
"Well, at least agree on one thing then." Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. How did this even start?!
I should tear off his other arm. See how he likes having no arms then!
Elissa looked down at Calanthe and mumbled, "Breath ..." She could see that Callie was beginning to lose her temper with him. Fiesty .. definitely fiesty.
"Oh? I'm sorry! Did I hit below the belt at some point in this conversation? Hah, I didn't even realize." She rolled her eyes, "Low blows and unfairness; I'm simply fighting fire with fire." And then she remembered how this all started.
"I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, at first. I'd be a bit sour too if I saw someone staring at me because I didn't have an arm. But at least I had the decency to apologize for it! Excuse me if I've never seen a boy my age without a limb! Maybe if you would get over it, then --"
Elissa clenched her teeth loudly and Calanthe stopped. fairie lore "Like I said, I'm a realist. It's entirely possible things will, but I'm not betting on it." It was almost amazing how much she had changed from the first few moments he had met her. What words could do the mental psyche. "Well, it sure sounds like the start of a fairy tale. And not every story needs a knight." Friend. That word didn't mean anything to him. He didn't know what a friend was.
"That we do." He said in a calm voice, allowing her to roll her eyes at him. She was annoyed. He got it. And now she had to vent it.
But it didn't stop him from getting annoyed at her, yet again. What an insolent girl. No matter, he had to keep his cool - her losing her temper meant that he had won, or was winning away. "At least my remarks are justified. You call me insecure but there had been nary a sign of anything of the sort. Perhaps you really are living in a fairy land - you can just make facts appear out of thin air." Fire with fire - perhaps. But he had the flamethrower while she was harmed with a lighter. She could light him up all you want but there would be hardly any visible marks.
"Is that what you gave me? I could hardly tell. You were hissing insults to me after my first remark." He laughed, seeing no need in being merciful. And then she halted. He shot a glare at Elissa for interrupting before looking back at Callie. "Say it. Whatever it is you're going to say." Aced Desire "Well, if this were my fairy tale, there would be a knight." Not even for her, either. She wanted a knight for Elissa. Someone to protect her, care for her. Calanthe was beginning to worry about Elissa .. she put on a strong face, but Callie could tell she was hurting .. still hurting.
"I call you insecure, because that's what started this whole mess. I came to apologize to you for staring at your lack of arm, but you had to keep your mask on and refuse to accept my apology." Calanthe wasn't as strong as Seph, but she wasn't stupid either. There's no way he wouldn't be insecure about something of that length, and it's not like she blamed him for it either.
It happened pretty fast then. Callie slapped him across the face, fuming. She didn't care if he won or not, "Don't you dare look at Elissa like that!" And she stopped. Calanthe hadn't realized it, but she lost control, "If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's someone disrespecting my mother like that .."
Elissa looked down at Callie, Mother ... She didn't even think twice that her young girl had just slapped someone else.
Calanthe refused to finish her previous thought, "I apologize for slapping you." It was a forced apology, a meaningless one, but she knew that Elissa would have wanted her to do it.
It was then Elissa clicked back to reality, "Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, Seph! Sara!" She acknowledged both; addressing Sara, because Calanthe was her responsibility .. her mother. fairie lore "Sorry princess, but we don't always get what we want, do we?" He grinned. A knight in shining armor. If only he was that. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't... he was... harming Sara, not protecting her. But he wasn't trying to. Why did he have to be given a power if he wasn't supposed to use it? But things were better now... he had seen Sara smile, hadn't he?
He merely shook his head. "I refused your apology because you could hardly even call it that. It was a mini ramble of your past history with another set of freaks. You were giving me a biography not an apology." he hardly even got to finish his sentence before he felt a searing pain on his cheek. Had she...?
He stood silent as she spoke, the pain almost instantly dissapearing. He had only felt it for a moment and then it had gone. Nothing. That's what he felt. He almost wanted to touch the spot where he had been hit just to fortify that he had ever been hit in the first place.
Another apology. That's what brought him back to reality. "You don't mean it." He said simply, almost giving a shrug. "I bet you would probably do it again." But nonetheless, he felt like he had won. She had lost her temper, and given into her emotions. He barely even looked at Elissa as she spoke but instead at Sara. She was looking at him strangely, as if mentally distancing himself from him. He made an attempt to hold her hand but the first moment of physical contact she recoiled her hand.
She turned her attention to Elisssa and shook her head. "It's fine." Aced Desire Princess?! Does he want me to slap him again?!
"No, we don't all get what we want, but I've got everything I need." She grabbed Elissa's hand, "The necessities are more important than what we want." She glared at him, then went back to what he said prior to her slapping him, "Sorry I rambled?!" Her voice cracked out of annoyance, "We already figured out I'm more optimistic than you, so I try and make light of awkward situations. That's all I was trying to do."
She huffed. He was annoying her. It was understandable that he was such a pessimist, but Calanthe had never met someone so negative in her entire life!
Both Calanthe and Elissa noticed the recoil of Sara's hand and a part of Callie felt bad for him. She let go of Elissa's hand because she felt as though she might have been rubbing it in.
Silence.
Elissa laughed, "Well, this is awkward!" Trying to make light of the situation isn't something that just Calanthe does, apparently. fairie lore "Good for you." That was the best he could up with. The self-realization was worse then any words Calanthe could have thrown at him. Elissa loved Callie, no strings attatched. Could he really say the same for Sara? He wanted complete and total independance. And he had gotten it. But at a price. Sara... she had never quite been what he now saw to be normal, but she had tried to care. And now she didn't. He glanced back up at Callie. "Apology accepted." He grinned. "Well, you didn't do a very good job of it, did you?"
Being a pessimist was the way to go, wasn't it? After all, that way you could never be let down. At worst, your expectations were met, at best things turned out even better then you'd hoped. It was his defence mechanism.
Seph stood staring at her for a few moments, temporarily stunned. But he returned his attention to Callie, watching her let her hand go of Elissa's. He looked up to meet Callie's gaze for just a moment, his eyes washed away of all their arrogance and left with nothing but sorrow. There might have been a 'thank you' in there if she looked hard enough. He then firmly set his eyes on the dirt ground. He didn't have anything left to say.
Sara seemed calm and assured, much like Seph had been minutes earlier. The suddent burst from Elissa earned her a weird look, but she didn't say anything more. Aced Desire Could this be possible? Did a smirk actually end up on Calanthe's face, "No, apparently I didn't do a very good job." Rolling her eyes once again, she let out a quiet, weak laugh. Sure, she still really disliked this boy - bad first impression - but at least he wasn't so thick headed all the time.
Upon letting go of Elissa's hand, Callie noticed a change in Seph's expression. Was he actually showing emotion? It was here that Calanthe looked at Sara, noticing her sorrow earlier, she appeared more calm and collected now.
"Sara?" Callie placed a hand on her's, "You're stronger than you think." She grinned. That was pretty much the last thing Sara had said in the last few minutes other then 'It's fine'. Nodding her head in Seph's direction, she laughed, still looking at Sara, "And he's strong headed. So, you guys even each other out in strength! Compliment each other, actually!" She grinned.
To her, it was obvious that there was distance between the two. Emotional distance. It reminded her of the physical distance between her past mother and herself. As much as she disliked Seph, he already had to deal with having one arm. Losing or not having a mother would be too much .. and not even the worst of the scents deserved to be put through that much pain in their lifetimes. fairie lore He continued to stare at the gravel beneath him, and it was only the weak laugh that finally made him look up again momentarily. In the span of a minute he practically lost all his credibility. He had gone off criticizing her on the fact that she wouldn't know what to do if she had to choose between two mothers, but he barely even had one.
Sara gave a blink hearing her name, but her face seemed to instantly light up when when she felt Callanthe's touch. "Strong... stronger..." She smiled serenely as she looked at Callie. Seph managed to look directly at Callie, seeing that there was no point in looking weak in front of her. He returned the grin, but he still seemed a bit nervous about it. Why wasn't she taking another cheap blow at him? She had the perfect ammunition.
Was she... actually nice? "Just you like don't want pity, neither do I. Don't be nice to me because of... this." Whatever it was that was affecting Sara in a way he couldn't completely control, no matter how much he had previously tried. Aced Desire It seemed as though, in this moment, Calanthe had grown up. She had been through hell and back, losing a mother, not having a home, but finding one again. Regardless, she was still a child, but some of the things this child did and said were as if she were years older than her time.
Callie spoke to Seph, not making eye contact, "I'm not pitying you. I don't pity people that don't appreciate what they've got." She shot him a glance, then immediately it disappeared. She sighed, mumbling something about being sorry for that then she continued, "I'm not being nice to you because of .. whatever 'this' is. I'm being nice to Sara, because she's been nothing but nice to me. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're obviously not very big fans of each other."
Elissa put a hand on Callie's shoulder. I'm so proud of you, kiddo ... She thought, then grinned. Except for that last part.
Placing her other hand on Elissa's hand, Callie looked up to her and smiled. fairie lore Seph thought of himself as mature, but in reality he didn't know how to exactly quantify maturity. Never batting an eye despite how disfunctional his life was... that was maturity, wasn't it? Stopping himself from further manipulating her, that... that must be maturity.
"How do you know I don't appreciate what I've got? I'm extremely thankful to be out of that semi-conscious state." He seethed, angry not so much at Callie but more so just at his own frustration for being in the scent phase. His hardened dissapeared at the mumbling of an apology. "Fair enough." He said and gave a shrug, seeing as what had happened already had happened - there was no going back and correcting it.
He gave a blank stare as Elissa and Callie locked hands. Sara blinked, and looked at her own hand - examining it, analyzing it. And then, she did the same - she gently placed her hand on Seph's. His eyes went wide for a moment, but he stood as silent as ever. Aced Desire It was difficult to define maturity, really. There are many ways that one can come off as mature. In a sense, both Calanthe and Seph were mature - handling their own problems or flaws in a way that most their age could not.
Calanthe simply shrugged. Maybe he did appreciate what he had, but he sure didn't come off that way .. then they locked hands and a smile crossed Calanthe's face.
The silence seemed to drag on for only a moment before Elissa's stomach growled at an awkwardly loud volume, "Eh-heh. I think it's about time we get going," She looked down at her watch, "It's almost dinner time." Calanthe nodded and Elissa continued, "It was a pleasure to meet you two. Seph, Sara."
Calanthe smiled at Sara and gave Seph a smile good-bye look. Elissa wondered why she wasn't talking, but decided not to ask.
The duo turned around and began the walk back home.
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