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 Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 1:59 pm
quietsnooze Isto's Key Event________There's something that's been lying on the top shelf in Isto's room for a long time now. He'd never paid attention to it, but ever since he got that key, he's been desperate to find out what it fits into. He finally decides to pick it up, and sure enough, it fits.Isto unrolls the scroll. It's a letter. " Dearest Isto, I hope you didn't open this prematurely. We meant for this to be opened once you were old enough to understand. If you're not.. roll this back up, hun! .. Okay, so you're still reading. We love you very much, and we always will. Your father and I cannot be part of your life physically, but we know that an amazing human will fill in our place, maybe do an even better job raising you. You are special. Every Skull Monkey is special, but you are moreso. Especially to us. Your paw is SPECIAL. We do not know how you grew up with it, but I hope you realize that its what makes you you. No one else has one. I bet you're the talk of the neighbourhood! And I'm sure some nice girl fancies you, but I hope its because of who you are, and not what you look like, of course. I hope you're getting along safely, haven't gotten yourself into *too* much trouble.. I bet you take after your father, in that case. Take care, son! We wish you best throughout the rest of your life. Hoping to see you again, Mum and Daddy " 
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:27 pm
 6.24.04 Avelena Ave places a fruit-filled Edana on the ground of the playroom before sitting down to read a new book on werewolves. Edana looks about happily, but groggily as she's been filled completely with fresh peaches and bananas. Hearing a loud noice she looks over to see Jen blowing a whistle, she'd never met here, but she seemed about as loud as herself so she smiled and yelled above the noise. "Hello!" Her voice was high pitched and as loud as she could make it. Keppit Jen: Hello... * twwwwdelelel* I'm a Jen... * twweeeeddddd!!!!* wanna see how loud it gets... * TWWWWWWeedddedWEEEEEEEEEDDDelleelleE* It gets really loud see... I like your pink... it's bright... and bright... why are you pink... what's your name... wanna try my whistle? Wanna do somemmat? What do you like to do? Avelena "Um, I'm Edana...Thanks...and I don't remember the other questions," She approached slowly, sitting a far distance away to spare herself the loud whistle. "Soooo, where did you get that noise-maker?" Keppit Jen: My mom gave it to me... she plays better than me... so far ishowed it to you... and to mom... and Edgar... and Tawn... and Super Isto... It's got twoparts to play. Mom says that means that it can play two as much sounds... and that it sounds better the more I use it... so I use it all the time... want to try it? I was going to play Super Monkey but You can look at my pipe first... and you can play Super Monkey with me too... halfling_elf Gasping and backing up quickly, Diro quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Hurrying in zig-zag lines, he quickly bashed into something else — and he was certain it wasn't the wall. Keppit Jen: DIRO!!! I don't forget you... You wanna play with me and Edana? She's pink... halfling_elf "S-Sure..." Diro gave a shaky smile at Edana. "Pleased to meet you..." He looked at Jen again. "Sorry for running into you, Jen. I shouldn't have been running around with a leaf on my head." Avelena Looking a bit surprised she moved closer, her tail now flicking about. She sat a foot or so away and looked over the odd whistle and then to a strange green infant that Jen seemed to be yelling to. "Sure! It seems interesting," she seemed a little hesitant but upon looking over the whistle found nothing unusual. Keppit Jen: Blow in it... Really hard... It's ok you ran into me Diro... I don't mind... Maybe Super Isto will teach you how to wrestle too... You could wear a leaf as your super clothes, but I cold barely tell you had a leaf on your head now... it's green too. Avelena Taking the weird object, she blew into it making hardly any noise. She then heeded the advice of Jen and blew Really hard causing a decently loud and obnoxious "tweet." She smiling proudly and returned the whistle, her tail flicking excitedly behind her. "Thank you! It's fun!" She gave a huge grin and nodded. halfling_elf "S-Super Isto? Is he okay? I-I should apologise for the light... I don't think it meant to play so rough with him." Diro mumbled off. He perked his ears up at 'wrestle', though. "What's a wrestle? ...And you couldn't?" He took the large leaf off his head and put it on the ground, examining it. "I think it looks nicer than me..." Keppit Jen: No... this leaf is a ugly green and it has a hole in it see... * he jamms a chubby little toe at it* You're a better green.. and this color * points to Diro's markings* I think orange.... Edana is pink... and I'm just brown... Jen Brown... I talked to Super Isto this morning... I gave him a get good card that I made Yesternight... Edana, did you see Super Isto here? Keppit Jen: I JUST GOT A IDEA!! * dashes off to the kitchen... Keppit can be heard protesting... Jen comes runnig back with a bunch of tin foil...* We can wear this and then go and find Super Isto... * Jen hands chunks of tin foil (aluminum sandwich wrap) around to the others and then starts to wrap tin foil around his tail...and his front right paw...* halfling_elf "T-Tin foil? Why do we need this?" Diro carefully shaped a tiny bit of the tin foil into a small band and attached it to his ear. He'd seen other people with earrings like that and he wanted to try it on. He also wrapped his wrist in tin foil, making him look like he had a band on his arm. "I-Is this okay, Jen?" Keppit Jen: 's GREAT! I like the metal ear... I bet youcan hear two as much with that metal ear! Edana... you want some??? you could make a headband... or a idunno.... make a idunno... Avelena "Hrm, Sure!" She eagerly wrapped some around her paws and made some into a little crown. She thought for a moment and then spoke rather hesitantly. "Who's Isto...and why do we need tin foil?" Keppit He's SUPER Isto.. and we're being Super Little Monkeys... and I think we should go and find Super Isto.. last time I knew him he was in the that room over there * points in the Den's direction* He likes my whistle... you can carry it Edana if you want to... smile Do you want to find SUper Isto... He can show us how to be Super Monkeys... Avelena Looking over at Ave, who seemed very content and distracted by her book, she gave a nod. She had no idea what being a "super monkey" meant, but it sounded neat, as did this Isto skull monkey. "Sure! I'll carry the whistle," she volunteered happily, her tail swishing irratically. Keppit Jen: You wanna go Diro? It might be dark in there... you gottsta be brave... Like a super monkey! halfling_elf "S-Super Monkies?" Diro didn't think he could be a 'Super Monkey'. After all, he was just... Diro. Nothing more. But, he did want to see Isto, so he got up from his position on the floor and stretched. "W-Where should we start?" Keppit Jen: Um... * fingers in his mouth looking around the room* We could sneak under the sofa and then over that, whateverthatis, and then we break down the door and bust in.... just in case it's dark and if it is... then we run... sound good? Edana... you got the metal head so you're the smartest... which way should we go to get over there? * points to the den*... You can lead us... halfling_elf "S-Sounds good..." Diro quickly got into line behind Jen. It was now or never... Keppit Jen: NOW OR NEVERRRRRRRRRRRR!!! * jen takes off across the room, tears under the sofa then over the thing he couldn't quite identify and then................ SMACK!............. right into the door he had intended to break down... and into the den door righ behind him flew Diro and Edana... the three of them lay stnned on their side of the door...* Ow... Avelena "Oww" She whimpered a bit, but rose and looked about all the same. "You sure he's in here?" halfling_elf Falling onto the ground with a not very graceful thump, Diro folled onto his stomach.
"I-I don't think that was very successfull, Jen... And I think my nose is permanently squished now." He rubbed the mentioned appendage, and got up slowly, turning around to look at the un-identifiable object.
"H-Hey... What is that?" Moofuls Isto jumped visably as three balls of fuzz knocked open the door and rolled into the den. His book fell off his lap as he sat up, fighting to hide a smile as he hobbled over to the group. He was beginning to get used to walking without his leg, though nonnetheless looking forward to getting it back. At least he wouldn't have to hobble then.. "What're you three doing here?" Keppit Jen: Lookin' for you? * looks around* is my tail still there? I dunno if I can feel it... Avelena Edana looked up at the different Skull Monkey and began to walk to his side, inspecting the leg. "It's nifty! And Shiny!" She seemed rather impressed and sat down, tail wiggling impatiently. "Are you Super-Isto?" Moofuls "Looking for me?" Isto blinks, glancing from one infant to another, eyes finally coming to rest on Edana as she speaks. "Super Isto? I...wait..." His gaze darts back to Jen, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the younger skullmonkey. "Is this a joke?" halfling_elf "W-We were looking for you, Isto." He scurried back under his leaf. "And... And I want to apolagise for the light. I don't think it knew how rough it was playing..." Keppit Jen: Mom says I don't tell good jokes... I call them by the funny part, and you're not supposed to do that... LOOK! I got a metal tail... and a metal Paw... and these are my little metal SUPER MONKEY crew... this is Pink Edana and this is DIro * whispers* he's green... like you... Avelena Edana adjusted her wristbands and stood up proudly, her tail flickering a bit. She was rather unsure what was wrong, so she reverted to the one thing that seemed to work well, and turned on a pair of big kitty-eyes. halfling_elf Diro peeked out from under his leaf. He too wasn't really sure what was going on, so he'd just stay quiet and everything might work out. Sitting on his haunches, he held the leaf up off his face, so he could see everything clearly. Moofuls Isto fell silent, glancing from one infant to another with a rather confused expression on his face. He finally settles on Diro, smiling faintly as the comment about the light. "Thanks... I think you're right. I don't think the lightning meant to hurt me. I'll be alright, though." Jen caught his attention next with the different metal..body parts, a grin flashing across his face when he recognized it as tin foil. "Wow... So, you three have decided to me metal SMs? Super monkeys...I hate to bust your bubble, kid, but I'm no super hero." Avelena "You're prettyful and shiny though! That counts for something, doesn't it?" She looked happily from Isto's arm to her wrist bands and back again. She began moving back and forth with a slightly bouncing prance to her step. Keppit Jen: I never said you was a super hero... but you're really strong and I'm gonna be strong too! I'm just practicin now... but * points a chubby finger at Isto and grins* I'm gonna be bigger soon... and then you'll have to cheer for the Big Jen! halfling_elf Diro nodded quickly. "If I see it again, I'll tell it to be more gentle with everyone." He turned his wrist this way an that, inspecting the tin foil on it. It was quite pretty.. In it's own way. Everything was, if you thought about it. Diro sighed and looked at Isto curiously. "Then are you a Isto? 'Cause I bet Isto did some pretty nice things for other people and stuff like that. Even if Isto didn't notice it." Moofuls "Prettyful and shiny? Well, I suppose, but..." He trails off and glances to Jen, chuckling softly. "I'm not -that- strong. I'll leave that up to you. Soon you'll be bigger than me, and everyone'll cheer when you walk by." His ears perk up, eyes turning curiously to Diro as the infant spoke. He fell silent, though smiled faintly, eyes somewhat clouded as he thinks. Avelena Yawning deeply Edana lay down where she was, smiling and keeping her head up so as to not miss a thing. "Yes, pretty...and shiny" Her voice trailed off in a littler yawn. Keppit Jen: *pokes Edana* HEY! that's not very supery! We should go and find you mom... that way you can go to bed with her... Avelena "Ohh," she looked up rather surprised and straightened herself up. She flicked her tail a bit and smiled. "Sorry..." Moofuls "Aye, it's late..." He yawns, gesturing vaguely towards the door. "I think I'ma turn in, too. Last night was...long." Smiling faintly to the two SMs, he shuffles towards the door, glancing back a them. "Thanks for coming talk to me. We can be more...supery tomorrow." Keppit Jen: *yawning* yes...I'm not tired but I better go find mom and Edgar... she might be looking for me... C'mon Pink Edana.... Avelena Edana prances out behind Jen, smiling over her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you Mr.Isto!" Moofuls Isto: Nice meet you, too ^_^
Moo: *Grins* C'mon, clanky. Les' go home! *Drags him off* G'night, all!  ((Piccy by Keppit n.n))
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:45 pm
6.26.04 Moofuls *Slouches in and flops on to a couch* Lenta Mauli looks up from her corner, waving a hello to Moo. Moofuls Moo blinks...than returns the wave, grinning. "'Lo Mauli. Howsit?" Lenta "Grood, grood." Mauli replies, beaming. Moofuls
"Lovely," Moo chirps, stretching out on the couch. "Any particular reason who you're acknowledging that I'm here, or just dropping in to say hi?" Lenta Scowling playfully, Mauli rolls onto her back. "Can't a girl say howdy every once in a while without getting prodded for a reason?" Moofuls "That really depends on who that girl is. In your case, no." Grinning impudently, Moo sits up on the couch, peering across the room at the skullmonkey. "So whatcha want?" Lenta "Nuffink." Mauli blinks, fluttering her eyelashes and looking completely innocent. Moofuls "I doubt that somehow..." She trails off, mock-glaring suspiciously over at Mauli. Finally she shrugs and lays back down, yawning falsely. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, I guess I'll continue with my nap." Lenta Leaping from her spot, Mauli jumps onto the couch beside Moo, growling playfully. Then, tugging on a bit of her hair, she stretches out beside the pilot. Softly, she began to question her friend. "Moo... You think... the adoption thing... Will mum get me a sibling there?" Moofuls Tucking her hair back behind her ear, Moo yawns, absently scratching lightly through Mauli's fur as she thinks. "Well...hmm, dunno. I'd actually be surprised if she didn't, Mauli. Everyone here knows how good Lenta is with SMs...and how much she's been trying to get you a sibling. She's got a better chance than most of us." Lenta "How so?" Mauli tilts her head, closing her eyes as Moo scratches her. "You and Kor and Eme and stuff... y'all are good with SMs too. Why does Lenta have a better chance?" Moofuls "Well..." She shrugs, staring up at the ceiling as she speaks. "I don't know about Kor and Em, but I haven't been around here a long as Lenta. Besides, Isto doesn't really want another sibling...or maybe he does and just won't admit it. Dunno. Em already has two SMs, one of which is still verreh young, y'know? Which is kinda the same reason as Kor; her, er, his SM is still very young, so he may want to wait." She pauses, then grins, playfully flicking Mauli on the back of her head. "An' lookit you! You turned out great, as everyone can see. Someone of the others...Isto included...are a bit..er... Well, let's just say not everyone's the best mum in the world. Lenta's one of the good ones." Lenta Slowly grinning as the comments built up, Mauli puffs out her chest. "I guess I do have a good mama... I hope she adopts another like me, then we can play and do pirate stuff! I still haven't found the treasure from..." She cut off, looking around the room. ".....nevermind." Moofuls Chuckling, Moo moves around on the couch so that her head was hanging off the seat, feet sticking up in the air. "I'm sure you'll get a sibling sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, but..eh, things'll work out, y'know? I'd like to get another, but Isto's still celebrating 'cause I didn't win the flatsale. So that'll prolly never happen..." Lenta "I.... I suppose mum wouldn't have been happy if she had won the flatsale." Mauli's face fell, her chest heaving as she fought back tears. "And, when the contest was cancelled... I thought she was gonna cry forever. But she sucked it up, and i'm proud of her for it. She had the perfect design, but.... plans go astray. Kor told her that before the contest, but Lenta didn't listen." Moofuls
Moo's smile falters slightly, hooved feet swaying precariously up in the air. "Lenta's tough, she'll be okay. I was upset about the contest too... But it could have been worse, I suppose. We still got cake, after all." She nodded, as if that settled everything, then glanced sides to Mauli, tilting her head. "But how've you been? We haven't talked in a while."Lenta "Tired." Mauli grunts out, sides still heaving, but not from the tears. "That stupid fifth stage item... It drained me. Sometimes, I get huge burning pains in my sides, and they stay for a long time." Moofuls "Ahh....well, you'll feel better soon enough, 'm sure. Until then, we'll sleep! Acia insists on staying up as late as possible, then waking everyone up at the crack of dawn. I'm as tired as you are..." Moo winks, than yawns, closing her eyes. Within seconds she was asleep...feet still straight up in the air, head hanging off of the seat.
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:47 pm
 6.27.04 I haven't written anything for a while for a few different reasons, one of which being that my metal paw was removed. Not that it matters much, as I'm left-handed (as the term goes), but it's still a valid excuse. Why was my paw gone? I'll get back to that. I suppose the best place to begin would be...with Shiro. You know, Mauli's boyfriend? He ran away again and no one seemed too worried about finding him. Even Mauli. That really surprised me, but I think she may have just been preoccupied because Lenta made her wear her fifth stage pirate hat. So... I finally went and looked for him. It wasn't too hard. He hadn't gotten as far as I thought he'd be, plus I think he was injured a bit. Either way, I caught up with him easily. Abut that time it started to rain... And this wasn't just a little spring shower. No, this was a full out, extremely powerful thunderstorm. So we headed home. Shiro didn't complain at all. I think he may have just run away for the attention, 'because he went back without a word, and spoke to himself more than me. When we finally went home, he went inside and I..decided to stay out. There was nothing for me in there anyway. I went and sat out by the lake for a while, completely ignoring the rain and wind..the thunder and lightning... Until a large bolt right in the middle of the lake knocked some sense in to me. The lake, and HQ, are situated in one large clearing, around which is the forest. And HQ was quite a bit away from the lake. I was the tallest thing within oh, say, thirty feet all around....and my paw is metal. Just when this occured to me...I was struck. Lightning...really, really hurts. I strongly advise you to avoid it as much as ossible. It felt like...Dunno, like I was splitting in two...but at the same time, I was on fire. In fire. Completely surrounded by heat and flames... It was weird. And what was scariest about it was that it only lasted about a second; it just felt like a lot longer. I thought it would never stop...and when it finally did, I blacked out. I don't know much of what happened after that... Moo said that two of the younger SMs, Jen and Diro, had been looking out the window and seen the lightning hit me, though they didn't know what it hit at the time. They went to look, and found me...and alerted everyone inside. They got me inside and took care of the burns, called the ambulance and such.. I spent the night in the hospital. I don't think I'm supposed to know, but I overheard the doctor telling Moo that if those two SMs hadn't found me... I probably wouldn't have survived the night. I'll have to thank them for it when they're old enough to understand... All in all, it could have been much worse. Aside from countless burns, my only real injury was a broken shoulder. I'm still not sure how that happened. Em mentioned something to Moo about a surge on the lake..and a wave crashing down on me and Diro. Diro only escaped being swept into the lake by clinging to my metal arm until the wave passed. Moo thinks the wave might have batted him around, and that may have broken my shoulder. But we're not sure. We just know it was broken. The doctor said it would heal without trouble...though it would take a long time, and... Well, he took off my arm. He...completely removed my metal arm, claiming that my shoulder would heal better without the extra strain on it. So since then I've been hobbling around on three legs... It's not that bad, but very frustrating. I couldn't run, or sometimes even walk, without tripping, and was completely useless when it came to helping anyone with anything. For example, today Aiden (Roxy's SM) wanted me to come exploring with him and Calli (QS's newest SM) to protect them if something happened. I had to turn him down... Not only would it be hard for me to keep up, but I can't fight anything on three legs. It's alright, though. This evening, Moo finally relented and took me to a Healer. Healer's are good, because they use magic to heal wounds that would normally take weeks, or months, or even years! The Healer fixed my shoulder in about three seconds, then spent the last 45 minutes of our meeting trying to figure out how to reattach my arm. Finally, (with Moo's help) she got it, and we went back to HQ. I tell you, you don't realize how lucky you are until you have to do without something. I always hated my arm... It always set me aside from the other Skull Monkeys. Made me different. And I didn't like that, because I always thought... I thought they'd make fun of me for it. I thought they'd treat me differently. And I'll admit, they have to an extent, but that was partially my fault... I distanced myself from them, because I was afraid to face them. But I've realized no one cares at all that I'm different. No one thinks it's strange that one of my legs is fake; on the contrary, most of them think it's really neat. I learned all this in a few different ways... One of them was simple experiance. I just never admitted it to myself, 'cause I didn't want to be wrong. But I was, and now I don't care in the slightest. Another way was...well, Jen. Diro too, but mostly Jen. Not to brag or anything, but after that thing with the lightning... the little brown SM kinda... Well, he calls me 'Super Isto' and thinks I'm the biggest, strongest, greatest SM ever to walk the planet. Get the point? It was cute... He, Diro, and another young SM named Edana all wrapped tin foil on different parts of their body. Apparently having metal limbs is a new fad. It was very flattering but...kinda scary. The last... I found a letter. I didn't just get it in the mail or anything like that... but I found it on a shelf in my room. I think Moo put it on that shelf for a reason... I haven't been able to reach it until I grew up, and only noticed the scroll the other day. Anyway, the letter was from my parents... Not Moo, but my real parents. The Skull Monkey ones, blood relatives and all that. I've never really thought about them... but then, I don't suppose most of the SMs do. We all grow up with foster parents from the time we're pebbles, so we never really have a chance to meet our real ones... But that's not what the letter was about. The letter was written by my mum... It basically said that same thing I've already said. That my paw made me special, but in a good way. It wasn't added on to me because I lacked something...but it was a part of me from birth. It's always been with me. And It's part of me. Others may treat me differently but...but it's not in a bad way, as I once thought it was. They respect me, I think, and while I may not be close friends with anyone (except Mauli), it's not like I don't have any friends in the world. I have plenty of friends! And I have a family... A bit, unusual family, but a family nonetheless. And I'm happy here. I'm truely...happy. Very happy...but not completely. Today Mauli changed into her fifth stage...and she really likes it. Not that I blame her in the least. She looks...amazing. So she's staying fifth stage... I've heard rumors that Shiro will be changing soon as well. At least they can be fifth stage together... It's occured to me that most of my friends my age will eventually become fifth stage. many of them already have items, they just haven't used them yet. I...don't have one. So I'm stuck like this.. I like being a Skull Monkey, but.... Well, nevermind. It was a false hope anyway. I should have given up long ago...
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:51 pm
6.27.04 halfling_elf Looking around and not being able to find Lenta, Di sighed. Looked like he would have to revert to plan B... Looking around curiously, Diro looked for Isto.
"A-Are you here, Isto? Me and Jen need your help..." Moofuls Isto's ears perk up as he hears his name, glancing around for the source of the voice. He slides off of the couch when he recognizes Diro, yawning and walking over. "Aye, I'm here. What d'you need me to help with?" Keppit Jen decides that jumping up and down on the sofa might take his mind off the wating.... he tried this a few times and then remebered Keppit telling him to think.. and he did... yup... jumping on the furniture would most deffinitly get him in trouble... so he sat down ad stared to play his pipe... it took him a little while to untangle it from his adventure gear... but once he was playing it... only about half the notes were bad... the rest weren't good... but rather ....ok... halfling_elf Diro grinned shyly up at Isto.
"Me and Jen found a hole in the floor yesterday and we need someone to make sure we don't get stuck and stuff like that. Can you help us? It's in the den." Moofuls Isto peers curiously down at the little green skullmonkey, grinning faintly as he listens, finally nodding. "I'd be happy to help. You just need me to keep watch?" halfling_elf "Y-Yup! And pull us out if we get stuck. That's all." Diro grinned sheepishly at Isto, then headed for the den. He was so excited! What would they find? Moofuls Chuckling, he follows after Diro, waving to Jen as he enters the den. He pads over to the couch, sitting beside it and glancing around. "Where's the hole...?" Keppit Jen jumps down off the sofa... if his pipe hadn't been on a string around his neck then it would have been dashed to the floor in his haste... "it's under here!! under here... but I don't think Super Isto can fit... I'm glad you came though... I gotsta light here... Who's going first.. you or me? You go first... It's your secret place... but not really a secret here..." halfling_elf Diro grinned. "I-It's underneath the couch. Hopefully my pawprint from yesterday is still on it, and we can just go straight down." Di grinned at Jen. "Ready to go?" Lenta Mauli scowls, trotting into the den. "Bloody lady-man, forgetting to tell me about the hunt... oi! Kiddos, Mauli's here!" Then, laughing, she kneels down by Diro and Jen. "Oho. Quite a hole there." With a poof, she changes into her adult form, leaning forward to get a better look. Keppit Jen looks up at Mauli... "you're Mauli? I'm a jen... this is green Diro... Ok Diro... Let's go... you go first... Unles you want me to go... but it'syour find... " halfling_elf Diro grinned at Mauli and Jen.
"I'll go first. But first..." Grabbing some rope from Jen's supplies, Diro wrapped it twice around himself and tied it, making sure that there was a large amount of rope left. He handed the end of the rope to Mauli. "Just in case. H.E. won't let me go down there if I don't put it on." Saluting Mauli, Di hurried under the couch. He eventually found the plank with the paw print, and he lifted it up. Taking a spoon he had took from the kitchen, he propped the plank on it so it wouldn't fall and snuck into the dark hole. Keppit Jen watched Diro dissapear slowly into the hole... he was worried... but only a little... " WHAT DO YOU SEE?" thenhe realised that he didn't have to yell... he could still see the Green of Diro's leaf... he turned to Mauli... "thanks for helping us..." then he turned and lept into the hole... landing on something soft and furry... " AAAAAAGGHH! A MONSTER!" Lenta "Monster?!" Mauli spazzes, sticking her head into the hole. "Where? Where?!" halfling_elf "Nothing!" Di called back to Jen. Then he was suddenly knocked to the ground by a fuzzy thing from above and heard it scream 'AAAAAAGGHH! A MONSTER!' Trying to get up with Jen on his back, Diro grinned.
"Jen, Jen, it's me. Diro. You're on my back though — could you please get off?" He thought for a moment, then quickly added "And do you have any flashlights? We probably won't be able to see that well down here..." Keppit Jen stopped yelling and just looked at Diro... " Well.... um.... STOP FEELING LIKE A MONSTER... ok? " he stopped to catch his witts... "Flashlight? Like this one?" He pulls a novelty flashlight off of his adventure belts... "HEY! MAULI!! WE MADE IT! WE'RE GOING TO GO MORE IN NOW... OK?................................" he turned the light on Diro... who looked like a little green monster to Jen... "I brought one for you too... " he hands Diro a novelty light like his... halfling_elf Diro blinked at Jen. "How does someone stop feeling like a monster?" He grinned and took the flashlight, turning it on. "Thanks! Now lets go see what we find!" He flicked the flashlight on and put it in his mouth so he could walk on all fours. Trudging foreward, Di pointed the flashlight towards everything. Except the floor. Before Diro knew it, he suddenly pitched foreward into another hole, landing with a hard thunk. "Owwwwwww..." He said inbetween the flashlight. "Look out Jen! There's a hole in the floor again!" Keppit Jen thought he heard Mauli saying something... he turned his head in her direction and tried to listen... but he didn't want to get too behind Diro so he kept walking... "Jen Lookout" Jen was so in the monster frame of mind that he started to run towards Diro... "There's a hole in the floor again..." too late... Jen was falling though the second hole... he had a split second to hope that this time he wouldn't land on Diro... halfling_elf Diro looked up to see Jen falling down the hole. Gulping, he shuffled in the direction where he though Jen would land. When Jen landed on him, he 'oomph'ed, falling to the ground again.
"You okay Jen?" He got up and dusted himself off, breathing a few seconds so he could get his breathe back from breaking Jen's fall. Keppit Jen was breathing heavily... he'd taken the fall hard... and so had porr Diro... " I'll be good... wait to breathe again............ you know... I'm tired of bashing into you..." He looks around... " where are we now??... probably the base-mant... I dunno what that is... but Edgar tells me that the new house has one and it's under the kitchen... " halfling_elf Diro grinned. "The feeling's sentimental." He looked around with Jen. "Maybe it is the basement... There's another tunnel over there. Should we check it out? It looks like it goes up again." He pointed the flashlight towards the hole... Keppit "yeah.... lets go... but together this time... and slowly." Jen and Diro went down the tunnel... it smelled like dust and dirt... jen's flashlight started to flicker and get gave it a few smacks to return it to it's original brightnes... which still wasn't much... they kept walking and Jen stubbed his toe on something... halfling_elf Diro walked beside Jen until he stubbed his toe on something.
"What is it?" He looked down at the thing Jen tripped over. "Is that a... Root?" He looked closely at it. "Yup, that's a root. So that means we're under a tree?" He looked around. "That's pretty neat..." Keppit "I'm not sure we should be under a tree... but I can't think of anything bad that mom might say...keep going? do you see a light? " halfling_elf "Well, I can't think of any reason that's bad with being under a tree..." He looked straight ahead. "I don't see a light, but lets keep going. I'm sure we'll find something eventually..." Keppit "OK... " They kept walking... Diro was right... there was no light... there was no anything... the tunnel seeed to go on and on and on... what would a Super Monkey do in this situation? What would SUper Isto do? Diro seemed excited but Jen was starting to think that the tunnel would go on and on and on... forever... and he was getting hungry too... " Diro... you wnat a cracker? I've got two.. " halfling_elf Diro blinked at Jen. "No, I'm alright. I ate before we left..." Stopping in the tunnel, Diro sat down to rest for a bit. "It seems kind of endless though, don't it? I mean, it doesn't seem like we're going anywhere..." Shaking his head, he didn't see the dark looming shape behind him and walking up the way they came... Keppit Jen sat very very still... slack jawed and eyes wide... Diro didn't see it.. but Jen did... big, black, looming.... time to run... he jumped up... wait... he ran the last time... and he yelled out... and he was too scared to help... "Diro lookout!!!... WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?!? I'MATALKINGTOYAA!!!!!" halfling_elf Diro turned around slowly, looking at the thing. It was a rat. A BIG rat. He got up slowly and walked backwards. Jen was yelling at it, and it looked enraged... Not good.
"Jen, at the count of three, we'll turn tail and run. It looks pretty bulky, so we can probably out-run it. Ready?" He was still backing up from the rat. It was waddling closer, although it was doing it quite slowly... Keppit "It's a rat... and it's blocking us... I think you're right... we have to run... but it's blocking the way we came... at the count of three... I won't leave you and you won't leave me... ok? one... two... " halfling_elf "Three!" Diro turned around and ran as fast as he could, making sure that Jen was with him the entire time. The rat screeched at them and waddled with it's short stubby legs, snapping at them whenever it got close. Diro was terrified. He did NOT want to get eaten by a rat, and he didn't want to worry H.E. and everyone else. Suddenly he felt a giant tug on his waist and he was pulled back violently. The rope...! Looking back, he saw that the rat had stepped on it. It was obviously unintentional, but the rat waddled closer and closer towards the struggling Skull Monkey... Keppit Jen wassuddenly jerked to a stop... he had been holding Diro's hand and not even knowing it... THE ROPE!!!! Jen turned and tried to untie the rope... Diro needed to stop pulling... he was pulling it tighter and Jen couldn't get it undone... "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPP!!!!!! SUPER ISSSSSTOOOOOOOO!!!!! MAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUULLLLLIIIIIIII!!!!! TAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNNNNN"!!!! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!M!!!!!!!!!!" halfling_elf They were going to get eaten. Diro was positive of it. They were going to be eaten alive by a giant rat that was so stupid it probably had yogurt for a brain... He stiffened and stopped wrestling with the rope. He didn't want to die. Far from it. But the rat was almost there...
"Jen, I'm going to do something extremely stupid, but don't follow me!" He yanked the rope from Jen's grasp and launched himself at the rat. It gave him a toothy grin and opened it's mouth, ready to munch on Skull Monkey for dinner. Diro twisted himself at the last moment and the rat snapped on the one thing it didn't want — the rope. Diro grabbed onto the thing's side and climbed onto it's back, gripping on with all of his might while the thing flailed to get him off it's back.
"Jen! Run! I'll catch up with you!" Moofuls
Isto had been sitting beside the couch since the two young SMs disappeared into the hole, eyes never leaving the rope, watching to be sure it remained tight. But when the rope grew slack..he immediately tensed, grabbing hold of the end of the rope and giving it a quick pull. Nothing. Limp as ever. They could be anywhere down there.... Who knows where the hole went?!
He glances quickly around the den to be sure no one else was there, then did the first thing that came to mind... Shoving the couch aside, he plunges his metal paw into the hole in the floor, splintering the wood around it and wrenching up the floorboard. He continued to tear up the floor until the hold was just about big enough to fit him, then slipped through, following the rope to the next hole and digging through that as well. The floor crumbled beneath him and he fell, landing roughly on his side in the room below.
In an instant he was on his feet again, eyes soon adjusting to the darkness and locking on the rope. Smiling grimly, he took off running, following it through the tunnel...Keppit wihtour thinking Jen turned and launched himself at the rat's feet... he began bitting and scratching.. the last thing he wanted to do was fight a rat... the last thing... we'll be ok.. we'll be ok... we'll be ok... he just kept bitting and scratching and getting mouthfuls of dirty rat fur... Diro was doign to same... and Jen knew that if Diro ran.. he would run... bite and scratch bite and scratch... halfling_elf Diro scratched and bit the rat, trying to hit something important so it would stop. It was either him and Jen or the rat. And the rat was out of luck. His paws and mouth were soon covered in blood. He hated the taste, just wanted to wash his mouth out and wash for the rest of his life, but he couldn't stop. He knew that Jen was at a worse position than him and was probably getting scratched up pretty badly, so he knew that he musn't stop. The rat screamed and bashed against the walls of the tunnel, making Diro bash against them as well. But he held on. He finally scratched somewhere deep, and the rat started to weaken... Keppit Jen kept getting steped on.. but he was used to it... Edgar the zoolie was always steppingon him... then the rat started to slow down... then it stopped... gurgled and fell over.. Diro had bitten it on the ack of the neck at the same time that Jen had bitten it on the front... Jen just sat and looked at a blood soaked Diro... " I think I need a hug..." halfling_elf Diro looked at the dead rat, and looked at Jen. "I think we both need a hug, Jen..." He slowly crawled over to his friend and they sat there, too tired to move, let alone talk. Diro was crying silently, almost feeling ready to puke. We killed it... He was just about to burst into tears, when he heard it. A squeak. Then another squeak. And a hiss. He turned slowly around, praying that his mind was playing tricks on his abused self as punishment. He was out of luck. Three rats, not as big as the one they had killed but big enough, and were blocking there path home. All of them were advancing, looking at the two Skull Monkies like a buffet had shown up. Neither of them had enough energy to run of fight. Diro closed his eyes quickly, hoping they'd kill him quickly. We're going to die... Keppit Jen gripped iro with all his might.. Then he saw him... "Super Isto is here" he whispered it... he didn't really believe it... he just turned his head and burried his face in Diro's fur... the same that Diro was doing to him... He was glad that he could think of Super Isto right before the rats got him... he wished that Super Isto was really there........ halfling_elf Diro heard Jen whisper something. One word sounded a lot like 'Isto'... He heard the rats coming closer and closer... He shut his eyes tighter. It's been a good life... Moofuls From behind the rats, another shape emerged through the darkness, this one about double the size of the largest of the three. Isto was careful to remain as silent as possible, thankful that the earth floor deadened any sound from his paw. His eyes dart from one rat to another, than to the two SMs resting a short distance away from the dead rat. Lifting a paw o his mouth, he motions them to stay silent, edging forward towards the largest rat--the one in the middle. Snarling, he suddenly rushes forward, diving at the rat and biting on to the back of it's neck, using his side to his advantageand pinning it down. He jerks his head harshly to the side and a loud snap rings through the tunnel; the rat's neck had broken. Leaving the dying creature, he wheels around, backing towards the two SMs, eyes following the two remaining rats. Keppit Jen held fast and turned his little head... he watched his vision of Super Isto beat up the rats... he figured that he and Diro were already dead... Super Isto was even cooler in his head... too bad he wasn't really here... he could beat up these rats... too bad... halfling_elf Diro heard the echoed snap and jumped in shock. Isto was there, standing in front of them and protecting them from the two rats. Two..? Then Diro realised what the snapping must have been. So that was two out of four rats dead... Diro suddenly felt very sick.
The rats, on the other hand, were going hectic. Their companion was dead, and they certainly did not want to end up with the same fate as it. So, being the cowards there were, they turned tail and ran off as far and as fast as their legs could carry them, squealing in terror the whole way. Moofuls Isto relaxed only when he was sure the rats had gone, sighing wearily and turning to face the two younger SMs. He sits just before them, giving each a light nudge and managing a faint, if somewhat worried, smile. "Hey...you two alright? That rat didn't hurt you too bad...did it?" Keppit "I wish you were real... and that I was real... " looks to Diro... "and that you were real too... and I wish we'd never come down here... " halfling_elf Diro looked at Isto and gave him a small nod. Turning his head to Jen, he coughed slightly to get his attention.
"Jen.. We're alive... See?" He put his paw against Jen's shoulder. Then, slowly getting up, he walked over to Isto's forleg and hugged it with all his might. "I wanna go home, Isto.." He whimpered, and started to cry again. "I wanna go home." Keppit "Take me too! ..."tears welling up.... " don't wanna stay here... " Moofuls "We're going home... You're safe now, I promise." Sighing softly, mostly in relief at finding both infants relatively unharmed, Isto pulls then into a tight embrace, releasing them after a moment and nodding to his back. "Both of you climb on. You're not heavy; I can carry you until we get back to HQ. Then you'll have to try to climb the rope alone.." Keppit "Ok..."Jen climbed up onto Isto's back... and stopped his little brain from thinking too hard about anything.... he just wanted to get back to his mom... she would e worried about him... and Super Isto could get him there.. halfling_elf Diro wearily crawled onto Isto's back. He was so tired he could barely move... But he knew that he wouldn't be getting a good nights sleep. Not for a long time. Those rats would haunt his dreams for a long time. Moofuls Once he was sure both SMs were situated, he slowly rises to his feet, padding quietly off back the way he had come, eyes peeled for any sign that the rats may return. He doubted the would, but all the same... He walks just above the rope, glancing down occasionally to make sure it was still there, following it back to HQ.... Keppit Jen was glad to finally be safe... nothing could hurt them now... halfling_elf Diro almost fell off Isto's back several times. He wanted to sleep.. But he wanted out of this cave and he wanted to be clean again. Sleep could wait until those two tasks were finished. Moofuls
Soon Isto reached the spot where the rope went up...up into the ceiling. Grimacing slightly, he glances back to the two SMs riding on his back, than chuckles. "Hold on tight." Grabbing hold of the rope, he begins to climb up, hoping the infants would heed his words and actually hold on. He knew they were tired...but they were almost home. Even closer, now. He climbs through the first whole and moves along the tunnel to the second, making it up through that one in a much shorter amount of time. They were back.Keppit Jen clung to Isto's back and held tight until they reached the HQ again... he had a hard time letting go... Wait till his mom saw him... how much time would he have to tell her that 90% of the blood he was coated with wasn't even his... not long... that was for sure... he'd manage though... "Thankyou Super Isto... Diro, no more adventures for today,ok? Maybe tomorrow... " Moofuls
Chuckling softly, Isto shoves the couch back over the hole, figuring he'd deal with it in the morning. Yawning, he ruffles Jen's headfur, then turns and quietly pads towards the door of the den. "Go to bed, kid..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:52 pm
 June 28th, 2004 I have a lot to write about...but I'm not really in the mood, so this will be short. Last night Isto rescued two of the younger SMs, Jen and Diro, from a bunch of rats in a tunnel that they found. This brought to like just how much Isto has done... I never really thought about it before, I guess. I always thought of him as sorta quiet, a bit of a wimp, really. But he's not! I mean, sure, he can be quiet, and shy, and doesn't really seem like the big defender type, but he IS! And it's great, because he's good at it! Not only is he a bit bigger than many of the SMs, but his paw is a great advantage in a fight. And he knows how to use it. So far, Isto has: --Helped fight off a fox. --Rescued Mauli, Shiro, and Tobias from an evil shadow thing. --Had the mercy to let the shadow thing live. --Found Shiro and brought him home. --Survived a lightning strike. --Rescued Jen and Diro from a bunch of rats. And the list is still growing! Those are just big things, anyway. There are plenty more little ones, especially around my house. Just something to think about....
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:56 pm
7.17.04 Moofuls The door flies open and Isto strolls in, humming loudly to himself. He was quite obviously in a good mood, and...who could blame him? He was HOME! After 18 DAYS! That was like...half a life to a skull monkey! But he was back! And he saw...Jen! Hehehe... Falling silent, Isto made directly for the younger SM, padding almost silently towards him before pouncing. "HIYA JEN!" Keppit Jen: * trampled by a much larger SM...* gettoff! * pushes at Isto and actually makes him rock a little* I'm gonna roll you iffin you don't gerroff me! Moofuls
Isto simply snickers, sitting on top of Jen all but ignoring his comment. "Nah, it's comfy here. You grew!! Congrats, you actually managed to move me a bit." Keppit Jen: I'm not bigger! * grins* you musta shrunk! now gerroff! or else I'll a bitta your tail... I'm not joking! Moofuls
"Aye, that's it I shrunk from overwork." Chuckling, Isto steps off of the younger SM, sitting at his sides with a grin. "How've you been?"Keppit Jen: How've I been? I'm bigger and smarter and I can beat the snot of of Ed now. And I found a frog... have you ever seen a frog? it was green and I thought all frogs were green until I found a second frog and it was brown... then I found a nuther frog and it wasn't really green or really brown but kind of a mix... a inbetween i think... anyway... they don't make good anything really... and mom says that I;m forbidden to touch frogs from now on... at least until I can properly work a mop and a scrapper spatula........... .................................................................... ..................................................................... Do I look bigger to you? Moofuls Isto listens in relative silence as Jen rambles on about his experiments with frogs, fighting to stiffle his laughter (and just barely succeeding). "Well, I spent the first half of my trip lounging around in the middle of no where, and the second half rebuilding a roof. I'm even stronger now than before..." He trails off and winks before continuing. "'Course y'look bigger. An' you've got your skull now! But I could still beat th' crud out of you with both paws tied behind my back." Keppit Jen: Yeh... probabababaly... I'll get good though... I'll keep a practicin on Ed and then I'll come back her and beat the snot outta you... I'll wrestle the green offa ya!.... yup... that's what I'll do... You'll be yellow then, once I'm the biggest, and everyone'll say... * puts on a deep voice which really isn't all that deep* "See him... he used to be green Isto... yup... the one they usta call super Isto... now we just call him yellow... cause that's his colour... inside and out..." * back to normal voice* and then they'll all look at you and shake their heads and tut like this... *he tuts* You like that... It's a pretty good impression of my mom * whispers* she doesn't like to see me doing it... Moofuls "And on that day you will become Super Jen! And I will be reduced to 'Yellow'..... Terrible pity. I don't want to be a horrible coward. Maybe I'll be an evil genius instead." Chuckling softly, Isto glances around the room, commenting idly as if the answer didn't matter. "Have you seen Mauli lately?" Keppit Jen: no... why? ya looking for her? I just get here... you know right before YOU SQUISHED ME!!!! I haven't seen her. Moofuls "I just haven't seen her in a while is all," he mumbles evasively, turning back to Jen and fixing a grin on his face. "Ah, you wimp. You're not hurt, nor squished. If I wanted to squish you, y'd be flat." Keppit Jen: * narrows his eyes and points at Isto* I'm notta wimp... and you can't flatten me. no matter how hard you try to squish me! Moofuls Snickering, Isto moves into a crouch, eyes narrowed and grinning dangerously. "Oh really now?" Keppit Jen moves into a responding crouch... Yeah... But watch my skull... mom'll kill me if I crack it. Moofuls "Will do, no cracks." Without another words, Isto rushes forward, dodging to the side only inches from Jen and pouncing at him from behind. Keppit Jen tried not to get pounced on but Isto got his entire hind end leaving only Jen's head and arms sticking out... ARGH!!! jen started rolling back and forth... back and forth... Trying to get Isto off him... jen thought about bitting... no, he could do this by himself... Moofuls Isto cracks up laughing when Jen starts rolling around, kicking against the ground with his hind legs during one of the moment when he was on top. The kick sends him further on to Jen, and after another roll he puts all of his weight on to the younger SM, attempting to pin him. Keppit Jen tries to kick his way out of a pin but can't seem to get any purchase and only suceeds in giving Isto more of himself to sit on... Finally Jen gives in and sits still... Isto doesn't move....Jen: Oh good, I killed you... only I meant to do it when you weren't sitting on me... if'n you don't gerroff soon i'm a gonna suffa-kate.... Moofuls Stiffling giggles (Yes, giggles), Isto goes completely limp atop the younger SM, eyes closing. "Nope, I can't move. You've killed me. Guess you'll have to die too." Keppit Jen turns his head and looks up at Isto.... " I wonder....do you rust?" Jen starts to lick Isto's paw... Moofuls Grimacing, Isto pulls his paw away, rolling off of Jen. "Harr harr harr... No idea, to tell you the truth. I keep good care of this paw." He winks, then grins, nodding outside. "I did learn a few tricks while I was gone though. Remember when I was struck by lightning?" Keppit Jen: Sure I remember... what's the trick... huh? C'mon. Moofuls Grinning knowingly, Isto stands and pads towards the door, pausing as he reaches it to glaces outside. Sure enough, as often with the HQ, a storm was quickly building, and already rain was falling out over the forest. Remaining silent, he strides outside, heading for the lake. Keppit Jen: Um.. Isto... I don't think... * jen starts to follow... stops... starts... stops again... * Isto ... I'm not sure... Moofuls Isto pauses in step and glances back towards Jen, then turns and sits, facing him. "Nothing bad is going to happen. We can stay here though, if you'd rather. I'll show you some other time." Keppit Jen: NO... I wanna see... I just don't wanna get in trouble... or you to get hurt. Moofuls "Ahh...." Isto falls silent, thinking....then shrugs slightly, padding back towards the door. "Well, maybe we shouldn't, then. I didn't get hurt last time, but... I'm not sure Keppit would appreciate me showing you." Keppit Jen: You gotta do it if it's not gonna hurt you... I wont' tell mom... is it really cool? really neat? Is it your metal paw that does it? Can you shoot lit-ning? Moofuls "Nope, not tonight." The metal-pawed skull monkey trots calmly past Jen towards the door, shaking his head. "Maybe when you're older. It's not that great, anyway." Keppit Jen looks crestfallen "oh... ok then.... you going home?" Moofuls Isto pauses in the doorway and glances back to Jen, smile faltering slightly. "Ahh, c'mon, cheer up. This storm's going to pass soon anyway. We may not have time for me to show you. I'll show you next chance I've got, k?" He again pauses, shrugging before continuing. "Not just yet, but soon. I have to unpack some stuff." Moofuls Isto chuckles softly, shrugging. "Nah, don't worry about it. S'all at the House, anyway, and I doubt Keppit'd let you come over tonight. Mebbe sometime soon you can come over for a bit? You'd like the House. S'not where Moo lives, but s' sort of this...multidiminsional thingy. Hard to explain. Anyway, you'd like it." Keppit Jen: "yeah!" I'll ask her tonight and see if she says anythign close to yes..... .................... so ... whatcha doing now?" Moofuls Isto begins to reply, then falls silent, ears perking towards a sound inside. He grimaces, then grins, winking to Jen and turning back towards the woods. "Now I'm leaving before Moo catches me. See ya tomorrow, Jen!" Keppit "Um... ok! Bye Isto." Jen watches Isto run to the woods... then he turns and wanders back into the HQ...
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:59 pm
7.19.04 Moofuls Isto was out by the lake, tossing one stone after another out across the water, only to see a faint splash as it fell near the opposite shore. ((He's got a good arm ^_~ Pure metal xD)) Throwing things, he'd discovered, was a good way to get rid of pent up fury. And Isto was furious. Rock throwing wasn't helping much today.
And another rock...and another rock... Isto dug around the rocks at the lake's edge, finally picking up a small brown pebble, unusually smooth and flat. With a flick of his wrist he sent it out over the lake, counting as it bounced across the surface. Four times. Isto sat, scowlng through the thick darkness surrounding the lake. Jumping to his feet, he picks up another, larger stone. Letting out a roar of frustration, he flung it out into the darkness, listening for the splash that never came. Instead, a dull crash echoed from the opposite shore. Good throw.
Another half shout, half roar echos through the thick darkness, shortly followed by another crash of breaking branches from the other side of the lake. Breathing heavily, Isto sits just at the edge of the water, gaze falling to the gently rippling surface. Damn, he wished Mauli were back... It would sure be nice to have someone to talk to... Keppit Blu disapears in a split second... Jen takes a second to recover and then blots for the lake... Blu would already be out there... but it would take Jen a while to get there... Jen hoped that he didnae fall in the lake... then Kepp would know that he had been away... that's iff he could make it back before she found him missing...*Jen runs to the lake... He's in good shape and doesn't get out of breath at all... when he gets close he sees the strangest sight... Isto sitting at the water's edge looking out over the lake... and Blu on a sofa facing the other direction... very strange... Jen wondered if either knew that the other was there...*Jen: HEY! sailormoon72491 Blu:hello *sits back and makes the sofa fall over* ow Moofuls Through hazy thoughts, Isto faintly heard a shout, and after a moment looked towards the sound, anger fading a bit in favor of curiosity. Oh, it was Jen. Still panting softly for breath, Isto stands and silently pads away from the younger SM, stumbling blindly towards the forest. Not that he didn't like Jen, but he couldn't stand hearing 'Super Isto' tonight. sailormoon72491 Blu sits on the tipped over sofa and spots Isto "oh hello Isto didnt see you" Keppit Jen watches Isto walk away... he stands there hurt... why would Isto just walk away like that? Jen wondered what could be wrong... Maybe it was something he did... or said... maybe it was becase Jen hadn't really wanted to see Isto's trick the other night... Jen: Oh... here... I'll helpyou put the sofaup again... and this time we'll put a rock under the back leg and it won't do that again... sailormoon72491 Blu: but i cant find a rock Keppit Jen: we'll just have to go closer to the shore line... * jen walks down to the shore and sees Isto's paw prints... one is heavier than the rest... the front right one... Jen steps in them... He was small for a child, but he obviously had big feet... either that or Isto's were small... Jen glances up and sees a rock..* There's a good one... brown and flat... Moofuls Hardly twenty feet from his original position, Isto pauses in step, glancing back over his shoulder towards the two other skull monkeys. Not that he could see them. This night was far to dark... Isto's anger began to fade, replaced by a new emotion...concern. There was a strange feel to this night... Something was telling him to go back.... With his previous mood, Isto would have welcomed a fight, but common sense soon got the better of him. Sighing, he turned back to the others, walking through the darkness to them. "Evening Blu, Short Stuff. How're you both?" Keppit *jen jumps at Isto's hello... he quickly steps out of the prints and starts towards the rock he pointed out...* good.... you? Moofuls "Could be better..." He finally paused within a few feet of Jen. He had heard the brown SM's reply, thugh hadn't been able to see him at the time. Now, he could at least make out a faint outline of Jen. "But I suppose we can always be better....So maybe could be worse? Eck..." Keppit *Jen looked up... Blu had left the sofa... and it was going to have to stay there since Jen wasn't carying it back... He climbed up on the sofa and looked out over the lake* "that's a pretty sad way of saying you're fine..." Moofuls "Well, I'm not exactly fine..." Sighing, Isto pads over to the couch, hopping up onto it and turning his gaze towards the lake. "Feelin' pretty bad, actually. As I said, though, it could be worse." Keppit *Jen was shocked and turned towards Isto... a feeling of dread came over him...* "I'm sorry I didnae wanna see your trick, Isto...I just didn't want you to get lighning'd again..." Moofuls Isto blinks...then turns his eyes to the younger skull monkey, staring blankly at Jen as if quite confused by that comment. But then his face split into a grin, chuckling softly. "It's not that, Short Stuff. You didn't do anything wrong, trust me. The trick's not that great anyway. It just saves me a lot of worrying." Keppit * Jen Thought...how stupid of himto think that he could bother isto...he wasn't really that important... yet... * "what is it then? You don't have to say if you don't want to... " Moofuls "I've just had a lot on my mind..." He trails off, shrugging slightly, then glances back to Jen. The younger SM seemed sad for some reason, and Isto wasn't sure....ooohhhhhh..... "I didn't mean to offend you or anything by the comment... Really, the trick's not that great or anything. It's not really a trick. Just sort of an accident... Like me." Keppit "I don't think you were an accident... somebody made you that way on purpose...they had a good idea and that's why they made you... and they made you strong and nice and big... and green..." * jen didn't like the idea that Isto was sad... big people were supposed to have everything figured out... then they couldn't be sad because they'd know all the answers... Keppit sure acted like she knew all the answers...* Moofuls "Nah, I wasn't made this way on purpose..." Yawning softly, Isto pulls his eyes from the lake, curling up on the sofa. "I found a letter from my parents...my real parents, you know. To me... Anyway, I found it not long ago. They couldn't explain this arm either. Unique. Pah.." He shoots a glare to the metal paw... "I'd rather fit in." Keppit "I fit in and everybody ignores me... I'd rather be unique............" * Jen thinks... Keppit was very mad at him... all because....* "Mom wants me to learn how to read... I don't want to read... or to write... everyone can do that...so I don't want to." Moofuls Chuckling softly, Isto glances up, grinning faintly. "You get more attention than y'think, Jen. But don't mind that... I think, if you want to be different, you should come up with a different way. Reading is..brilliant. Books take you to whole other worlds! When you read a good book, everything and everyone just..fall away... and you don't have to think about anything again..until you put that book down." Keppit "So you like to read then..." * Jen grins* "What do you read? My favorite bookis about a elf man who gets bitten by a biting furball and then he meets thiself girl and then fight a monster for the kingdom and then he finds out that the biting furball was her pet and he'snot so sure he wants to be her friend anymore..." Moofuls "I don't believe I've read that book," Isto replies, grinning. "My favorite book's called The House of the Scorpion. It's about a clone..who doesn't really know what clones are, or what they're created for and whatnot. Very confusing. Extremely good book." Keppit " is it about genetics? I like genetics... they're interesting... I think it's neat just two frogs can have a hundred different abies and they all look different... there's a million different combinations..." Moofuls "Sorta kinda, aye." Isto straightens up, leaning against the back of the chair. "It really is about genetics, without being all about genetics. 'Cause...clones are just copies of whoever they're cloned from, you know? Sort of like how QS gets all those new pebbles... They clone 'em from mixed DNA samples, really. It's complicated..." Keppit "Sounds complicated.... what are we goingto do about this sofa? I don't want to carry it back..." Moofuls Isto blinks, then frowns slightly, glances down to the sofa. "Hmm...we are outside, aren't we?" Way to state the obvious. "Well, I'll take it back in. I may need your help getting it through the door, though. Or even carrying it back... I'm not sure how Blu managed it." Keppit "I can help... but we have to be quiet going back in... I don't want mom to know I was outside... but I think she's trying to straighten Thebo out... so... I might still be ok..." Moofuls "Quiet I can do." Winking, Isto hops down from the couch. "Just as long as I can keep from clanking, we'll be fine." Keppit Later.. smile *Jen and Isto make it safely back into the Hq... just in time for Keppit to come around the corner and see Jen siting on the newly return sofa... "c'mon she says... and Jen and Keppit and the Floppis go back to their house in the woods... *
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:56 pm
7.22.04 Lenta "Morning." Mauli calls out, flopping down beside Isto. Then, she shifts into her adult stage, laughing happily. "So... you're a fruit now, Isto? That's cool. Radon and Gold are fruits, and they rock, so you shouldn't be worried or nothing." Then, blinking, she stares up at Shiro. "Er.... Whoa." The sight of the blue hair and tail snaps her back to her senses, and she realizes who it is with a grin. Moofuls "I am very much NOT gay," Isto snaps, slumping down beside Mauli. "Moo an' Em just needed someone to torment, so they chose me. As usual." He wasn't really sure if Mauli had heard or not, as she was now staring at Shiro, but he didn't really care either way. Moofuls
Isto jumps visably with the poke, then looks up, expecting to see Jen, or Diro, or even Mauli. But this was..none of them. Actually, he wasn't sure he'd met this SM. "Err...Hi. Do I know you?"fluorescein Taking off her pillowcase like a cowboy taking off his hat in those cheesey western flicks, Mandylion smoothly replies, "No, you don't but we should be friends, no?" As it offer a peace offering, read bribe, Mandylion pulls out a candycane from her pillowcase and offers it to Itso. Lenta Mauli blinks, snapping out of her reverie. "That's not too nice...." She murmurs, rubbing at the eyeholes of her mask as she looks back to Isto. "Can't they just pick on Acia or Jack or something?" Moofuls
For a moment, Isto just stared blankly at Mandy. Looking away, he glances suspiciously around the room, as if expecting to find a dozen hidden cameras pointed at him. When there were none, he returned his eyes to Mandy, grinning faintly and accepting the candy cane. "Aye, alright then. I'm Isto. You are...?" Hearing Mauli -finally- reply, he glanced back to her, shrugging faintly. "I'm the perfect victim."Lenta "Maybe you should go to that Student Life camp..." Mauli muses, scratching one ear with a hind leg. "Mom came back, and she's all social and junk now. It's kind of... scary." Then, shrugging, she giggles and shoves Isto playfully. "Show them you're tough! No one messes with Isto the Great!"
fluorescein "My legal name's Mandylion but everyone calls me Mandy, with a 'y. And.. " she was interrupted by Mauli. Remembering Mauli as that pirate nut she squeals over to said SM and tackles.. and scores. ^^ Moofuls The shove hardly moved Isto at all. (Whee for muscles n.n) He just..swayed a bit and chuckled softly. "Isto the Great...yeah... Great seems to have deserted me." Turning back to Mandy, he began to reply, but fell silent when she pounced Mauli. Right, now he was confused. Lenta Mauli yelps, tumbling over sideways as the older SM hits her with a tackle. "Oomfh! Ow, oi, watchit! That's my good leg you're sitting on!" Then, wriggling out from under Mandy, she stares. "What's wrong with you, nyeh?!" fluorescein "fluo gave me this double shot 'pressso' at this starburst coffee joint. I got the power! I want to be a power ranger" nods a noticebly bouncy Mandylion. Lenta "Power... ranger.... oookay...." Mauli scoots away, then ducks behind Isto, shaking all over. "I'm... a pirate... i'm gonna get a ship soon... I've got a sword!" She exclaims loudly, puffing her chest out, then remembers she's hiding. Ducking her head under Isto's stomach, she whimpers. Moofuls This...was funny. In a total of twenty seconds, Isto had learned Mauli's greatest fear: Incrediably hyper clingy people. That could come in handy. Chuckling softly, he peeks down to Mauli, grinning. "You're more of a wuss than I thought, pirate." Lenta Scowling, Mauli swats at him. "I'm not a wuss... I'm just... I don't feel too good." That was a lie, but she had to keep her dignity SOMEHOW... "Besides... I, er..." Moofuls Riiiiight. Giggling, (yes, giggling) Isto leans up to avoid the swat, then reaches around and pokes Mauli's stomach. "You, er, what, hmm?" He sits up, grinning cheekily. "Wuss." Lenta "Nothing." Mauli says plainly, grinning up at him. Then, rolling over on one side, she bats at him with her back paws. "I'd say something back to you, but you've already been tormented enough today... what, with being fruity and all." To show she's joking, she winks. Moofuls Isto waves away the come-back, yawning and flopping down beside Mauli. He stretches out, chuckling dryly before replying. "S'funny. I never knew you were male, Mauli." Lenta Mauli gapes at him momentarily, then starts to laugh, rolling around on the floor. "I-Isto!" She finally gasps out, red in the face and breathing heavily. "That was... so wrong... ahaha...!" Moofuls Grinning cheekily, Isto rolls onto his back, absently scratching his side. He didn't bother to reply, just stared at the ceiling. The ceiling was a great source of inspiration for metal-pawed skull monkeys. Lenta Taking a deep breath, Mauli quiets herself, then rolls onto her feet. She sits beside Isto, staring down at him, then looking up at the ceiling. Isto, ceiling. Isto, ceiling. Isto, ceiling..? "Er... Whatcha looking at?" She asks softly, squinting up at the ceiling, as if it would give her some sort of hint. Moofuls "The ceiling," he answers simply, not even bothering to blink. "It's a very nice ceiling, don't y'think?" After a moment, he pulls his eyes away and looks to Mauli. "Now, you. I prefer you to the ceiling." Lenta A small blush appears on the cheekbones of Mauli's skull, then fades away as fast as it came. "Thanks... I think." She whispers, still staring at the ceiling. Then, she lowers her eyes, grinning at him. "Later tonight, i'ma go get a ship... I'm not gonna steal one this time, though. I'm gonna go on all sorts of adventures, finding treasure and stealing ships and being rowdy and happy..." Trailing off, she found herself staring at Isto. "Mom doesn't know. Neither does Dinero or Sykiri or anyone else." Moofuls Isto felt his grin quickly fading, but struggled to keep it in place. However, all too soon it feel away, leaving a faint frown in it's place. Stiffling a sigh, Isto rolled back to his feet, keeping his eyes averted from Mauli's as he stands. "Sounds....sounds great." He pauses, searching for something to say, then glances back up to her. "When're you going to tell them?" Lenta "Never..." She mumbles anxiously, looking down at the carpet as she fiddles with her paws. "The only one who'd care would be Mom.. And she knows i'm gonna leave sometime or another. I just wish... I wish she had someone else to take care of, y'know? Syk takes care of herself, Dinero's old enough to be alone, Billi and Gayfo ran off a few days ago... She's got no one to baby, no one to hold, no one she can watch grow." Mauli had no idea why she was pouring this out to Isto, but... it seemed he was the only friend she had now. Shiro was mad at her, Endy hated her, all the infants were closer to one another than to her.. She hadn't seen Toby in forever, and Aiden was gone with Chrissy to who knows where. She felt as if she would burst if it went without saying for much longer. "Please, Isto... Please don't tell anyone. Mom won't breathe a word if she finds i'm gone, but I don't want Dinero to find out... he'll come find me and drag me back, and Syk'll worry and stuff. I just want... someone else to know.." Moofuls And...there goes the happy. Isto felt his face falling as Mauli spoke, but this time he didn't bother to hide it. But...he wasn't just upset, he realized. He was angry. And quickly growing more so. "Right, right...I won't tell..." He spoke through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at the floor as if that would somehow solve everything. The ceiling was so much better than the floor... But anger was aimed downward. "So, after everything... You told me to stay. And now you're just leaving??" Lenta "I wanted you here with me." She speaks softly, hearing the anger in his voice. "I know.. that's selfish... But.... I really needed you to stay. And now, something in me is calling me out to the sea, and I can't ignore it. You can leave as well, if you'd like... Just know that, when I get back, i'm going to come looking for you. So be ready." After the speech, she inhales, closing her eyes to await more of his angry words. Moofuls "There'll be nothing to find," he snaps, turning away. "G'bye, pirate. Good luck." He doesn't even walk away; just sits there with his back to her, inwardly fuming. How DARE she just...leave? She'd only just gotten back... Lenta Shaking, Mauli bites back a harsh reply, then stands and exits the HQ. No fancy goodbyes, no shouts of hatred, no regrets. She just up and leaves, changing into her anthro form and heading towards the dock in the West.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:57 pm
7.22.04 Lenta "Morning." Mauli calls out, flopping down beside Isto. Then, she shifts into her adult stage, laughing happily. "So... you're a fruit now, Isto? That's cool. Radon and Gold are fruits, and they rock, so you shouldn't be worried or nothing." Then, blinking, she stares up at Shiro. "Er.... Whoa." The sight of the blue hair and tail snaps her back to her senses, and she realizes who it is with a grin. Moofuls "I am very much NOT gay," Isto snaps, slumping down beside Mauli. "Moo an' Em just needed someone to torment, so they chose me. As usual." He wasn't really sure if Mauli had heard or not, as she was now staring at Shiro, but he didn't really care either way. Moofuls
Isto jumps visably with the poke, then looks up, expecting to see Jen, or Diro, or even Mauli. But this was..none of them. Actually, he wasn't sure he'd met this SM. "Err...Hi. Do I know you?"fluorescein Taking off her pillowcase like a cowboy taking off his hat in those cheesey western flicks, Mandylion smoothly replies, "No, you don't but we should be friends, no?" As it offer a peace offering, read bribe, Mandylion pulls out a candycane from her pillowcase and offers it to Itso. Lenta Mauli blinks, snapping out of her reverie. "That's not too nice...." She murmurs, rubbing at the eyeholes of her mask as she looks back to Isto. "Can't they just pick on Acia or Jack or something?" Moofuls
For a moment, Isto just stared blankly at Mandy. Looking away, he glances suspiciously around the room, as if expecting to find a dozen hidden cameras pointed at him. When there were none, he returned his eyes to Mandy, grinning faintly and accepting the candy cane. "Aye, alright then. I'm Isto. You are...?" Hearing Mauli -finally- reply, he glanced back to her, shrugging faintly. "I'm the perfect victim."Lenta "Maybe you should go to that Student Life camp..." Mauli muses, scratching one ear with a hind leg. "Mom came back, and she's all social and junk now. It's kind of... scary." Then, shrugging, she giggles and shoves Isto playfully. "Show them you're tough! No one messes with Isto the Great!"
fluorescein "My legal name's Mandylion but everyone calls me Mandy, with a 'y. And.. " she was interrupted by Mauli. Remembering Mauli as that pirate nut she squeals over to said SM and tackles.. and scores. ^^ Moofuls The shove hardly moved Isto at all. (Whee for muscles n.n) He just..swayed a bit and chuckled softly. "Isto the Great...yeah... Great seems to have deserted me." Turning back to Mandy, he began to reply, but fell silent when she pounced Mauli. Right, now he was confused. Lenta Mauli yelps, tumbling over sideways as the older SM hits her with a tackle. "Oomfh! Ow, oi, watchit! That's my good leg you're sitting on!" Then, wriggling out from under Mandy, she stares. "What's wrong with you, nyeh?!" fluorescein "fluo gave me this double shot 'pressso' at this starburst coffee joint. I got the power! I want to be a power ranger" nods a noticebly bouncy Mandylion. Lenta "Power... ranger.... oookay...." Mauli scoots away, then ducks behind Isto, shaking all over. "I'm... a pirate... i'm gonna get a ship soon... I've got a sword!" She exclaims loudly, puffing her chest out, then remembers she's hiding. Ducking her head under Isto's stomach, she whimpers. Moofuls This...was funny. In a total of twenty seconds, Isto had learned Mauli's greatest fear: Incrediably hyper clingy people. That could come in handy. Chuckling softly, he peeks down to Mauli, grinning. "You're more of a wuss than I thought, pirate." Lenta Scowling, Mauli swats at him. "I'm not a wuss... I'm just... I don't feel too good." That was a lie, but she had to keep her dignity SOMEHOW... "Besides... I, er..." Moofuls Riiiiight. Giggling, (yes, giggling) Isto leans up to avoid the swat, then reaches around and pokes Mauli's stomach. "You, er, what, hmm?" He sits up, grinning cheekily. "Wuss." Lenta "Nothing." Mauli says plainly, grinning up at him. Then, rolling over on one side, she bats at him with her back paws. "I'd say something back to you, but you've already been tormented enough today... what, with being fruity and all." To show she's joking, she winks. Moofuls Isto waves away the come-back, yawning and flopping down beside Mauli. He stretches out, chuckling dryly before replying. "S'funny. I never knew you were male, Mauli." Lenta Mauli gapes at him momentarily, then starts to laugh, rolling around on the floor. "I-Isto!" She finally gasps out, red in the face and breathing heavily. "That was... so wrong... ahaha...!" Moofuls Grinning cheekily, Isto rolls onto his back, absently scratching his side. He didn't bother to reply, just stared at the ceiling. The ceiling was a great source of inspiration for metal-pawed skull monkeys. Lenta Taking a deep breath, Mauli quiets herself, then rolls onto her feet. She sits beside Isto, staring down at him, then looking up at the ceiling. Isto, ceiling. Isto, ceiling. Isto, ceiling..? "Er... Whatcha looking at?" She asks softly, squinting up at the ceiling, as if it would give her some sort of hint. Moofuls "The ceiling," he answers simply, not even bothering to blink. "It's a very nice ceiling, don't y'think?" After a moment, he pulls his eyes away and looks to Mauli. "Now, you. I prefer you to the ceiling." Lenta A small blush appears on the cheekbones of Mauli's skull, then fades away as fast as it came. "Thanks... I think." She whispers, still staring at the ceiling. Then, she lowers her eyes, grinning at him. "Later tonight, i'ma go get a ship... I'm not gonna steal one this time, though. I'm gonna go on all sorts of adventures, finding treasure and stealing ships and being rowdy and happy..." Trailing off, she found herself staring at Isto. "Mom doesn't know. Neither does Dinero or Sykiri or anyone else." Moofuls Isto felt his grin quickly fading, but struggled to keep it in place. However, all too soon it feel away, leaving a faint frown in it's place. Stiffling a sigh, Isto rolled back to his feet, keeping his eyes averted from Mauli's as he stands. "Sounds....sounds great." He pauses, searching for something to say, then glances back up to her. "When're you going to tell them?" Lenta "Never..." She mumbles anxiously, looking down at the carpet as she fiddles with her paws. "The only one who'd care would be Mom.. And she knows i'm gonna leave sometime or another. I just wish... I wish she had someone else to take care of, y'know? Syk takes care of herself, Dinero's old enough to be alone, Billi and Gayfo ran off a few days ago... She's got no one to baby, no one to hold, no one she can watch grow." Mauli had no idea why she was pouring this out to Isto, but... it seemed he was the only friend she had now. Shiro was mad at her, Endy hated her, all the infants were closer to one another than to her.. She hadn't seen Toby in forever, and Aiden was gone with Chrissy to who knows where. She felt as if she would burst if it went without saying for much longer. "Please, Isto... Please don't tell anyone. Mom won't breathe a word if she finds i'm gone, but I don't want Dinero to find out... he'll come find me and drag me back, and Syk'll worry and stuff. I just want... someone else to know.." Moofuls And...there goes the happy. Isto felt his face falling as Mauli spoke, but this time he didn't bother to hide it. But...he wasn't just upset, he realized. He was angry. And quickly growing more so. "Right, right...I won't tell..." He spoke through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at the floor as if that would somehow solve everything. The ceiling was so much better than the floor... But anger was aimed downward. "So, after everything... You told me to stay. And now you're just leaving??" Lenta "I wanted you here with me." She speaks softly, hearing the anger in his voice. "I know.. that's selfish... But.... I really needed you to stay. And now, something in me is calling me out to the sea, and I can't ignore it. You can leave as well, if you'd like... Just know that, when I get back, i'm going to come looking for you. So be ready." After the speech, she inhales, closing her eyes to await more of his angry words. Moofuls "There'll be nothing to find," he snaps, turning away. "G'bye, pirate. Good luck." He doesn't even walk away; just sits there with his back to her, inwardly fuming. How DARE she just...leave? She'd only just gotten back... Lenta Shaking, Mauli bites back a harsh reply, then stands and exits the HQ. No fancy goodbyes, no shouts of hatred, no regrets. She just up and leaves, changing into her anthro form and heading towards the dock in the West.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 3:01 pm
7.23.04 Moofuls Isto was very good at holding grudges. Very, VERY good at holding grudges. Which is why he wasn't exactly sure why he was here... And then he remember Moo and Lenta, and kept walking. Bloody humans, can't do anything themselves... So now Isto was aimlessly wandering the docks, searching for a place where he was likely to find Mauli. He wasn't quite sure where to begin looking... What if she'd already set sail? That would be his luck....hmm... Lenta Mauli slid down a rope that was attatched to the mainsail, landing in a crouch and blowing on the ropeburns on her hands. Then, adjusting her hat, she transformed into the adult stage and headed towards the bow of the ship. None of the crew seemed startled as she paraded about on deck, wearing the pompous hat and shouting orders left and right.
"Smith, see to it that the cannons on the starboard are secure. Linna, roll out a barrel of ale for the crew, they seem to be a bit thirsty after all this preparation."
A cheer rose from the deck at the mention of ale.
Mauli grinned. She wouldn't be like the other pirates, who always pushed their crew around and ended up in the thick of a mutiny... She'd treat them right, earn their respect, and then lead them like a true leader. But something was nagging her... something in the back of her mind. Moofuls
A loud cheer rose from the deck of the ship nearest him, but Isto all but ignored it, continuing sullenly down the docks. He didn't have time to just search random ships. There were dozens of them! And Mauli had only been gone a day. She couldn't have found a ship and crew that fast, right? (XD) He'd stick to the taverns at first... Surely someone would have noticed her... Skull monkeys tend to stand out. Lenta The crew broke out the cups and began to chug ale, watched over by a pleased Mauli.
Striding to the side of the deck, Mauli placed her front paws upon it... and she would swear later she had seen a green tail dissapearing into the tavern. Right then, instinct kicked in, along with her natural curiosity. Turning back to her crew, she whispered softly to Linna and Smith.
"Don't let them set sail until I return."
With that and a nod, she darted down the plank that connected the ship to the docks, and raced towards the tavern.
Smith stood there, bewildered, then his eyes crinkled in a hidden smile. Linna, her brow furrowed, was still trying to figure out what was happening, when Smith swept her off her feat and stomped towards the ale, singing merrily. Moofuls Note to self... Taverns smelled funny. Isto did not like this tavern. True, it wasn't as bad as some of the movie taverns, but you couldn't smell movie taverns. This tavern smelled of old sailors who hadn't bathed since before their last voyage. He circled the place once, then headed straight back for the door, figuring Mauli would have picked somewhere that...smelled a bit better. Lenta Mauli, after falling over two barrels and a box in her path, finally made it to the tavern door. There, she nudged it open with her head, stepped inside... and ran straight into Isto.
"Ow! Watch where..." She trailed off, eyes wide. "I-Isto..? Where did... Why...?" Again, trailing off. She seemed to do that a lot, especially in dramatic times. Moofuls
In the process of pulling open the door, Isto was nearly barreled over by a new arrival. He steadied himself, then glanced up, biting back a reply when he recognized his assailant. At her expression, the classic deer-in-headlights stare, he chuckled softly and steered her back out the door. "Outside. This tavern smells." As the door swung closed behind them, he started to walk towards the outskirts of the docks, talking as he walked so she'd have to follow to hear. "I came to find you...if that wasn't already obvious. I missed you..." Clearing his throat, he shrugs. "You left too soon."Lenta Mauli, being steered outside by Isto, listens carefully as he speaks. Staring at the ground, she answers slowly, careful to choose her words right. "I'm sorry... I..." Then, she stops in mid-step. "Waitasecond. You missed me..? I thought you were mad at me!" Moofuls
Isto pauses a few steps ahead of her, shrugging slightly and sitting, not facing her. "I am...or was...or something... But I was only mad because you left so soon..." Sighing, he turns to face her, absently drilling a hole in the dock with one metal claw. "You do realize yesterday was the first time I'd seen you in...weeks? And I was all excited and happy 'cause you were back, and then you just...left again. Just like that."Lenta "I AM sorry." Mauli states again, staring off past him. "I had no reason to leave... it was selfish of me. I'm... i'm glad you came." Then, breathing deeply, she turns towards her ship. "I've hired them, Isto, but now... I don't know what to do." She trails off, silent for a rare moment. A thought comes to her, and she turns back, eyes sparking. "Why don't you come with us? You'd love it, Isto, i'm sure! It won't be a long voyage, and it's just to test the ship and see how the crew works together, and I know they'd love to have another SM on board, they think we're awesome!" It all comes out in a stuttery, babbling wave. Moofuls
He was afraid this would happen... For a while he was silent, staring past her to the ships docked in the harbor. He could go with her... Nothing was stopping him, really. And it wasn't as if he didn't know anything about sailing. He'd grown up with Jack, after all. But... "I...can't, Mauli. Lenta and Moo are upset enough with you gone. I can't leave them too. And...sailing's not for me. Dunno, I think life with Jack's enough to keep anyone from joining a crew. I can't go..." Pausing, he sighs, looking down. "I'll be here when you get back, though..."Lenta "I won't go, then." Mauli whispered softly, staring down at the ground. "I'll... ask Smith to take over for me. I won't leave you anymore, Isto. It just doesn't feel right." In her mind, she was screaming something else.
'The only reason I wanted to be a pirate in the beginning is because Jack is a pirate, and you always looked up to him... Maybe, just maybe, if I was a pirate too, you'd look at me differently.' Moofuls "But, you..." He trails off, frowning slightly and falling silent. He wasn't sure why he was protesting. She was going to stay! Because she didn't...want to leave...him? Well, that was unexpected. Shaking his head, he continued. "You've always wanted to be a pirate. You can't just...end that because of me. I want you to come back for... I dunno, long enough for us to catch up. And as great as it would be if you stayed.... Don't end your dream for me." Lenta "I'm not ending it." Mauli spoke firmly, her eyes twinkling behind the skull mask. "Just... putting it on hold for a bit. I'm gonna stay by you for a while, Isto." Then, turning her gaze to The Machina, she nodded, trotting towards it.
"ALL HANDS ON DECK, THIS INSTANT, OR I'LL HAVE LINNA HANG YOUR LILLY LIVERED GUTS OUT TO DRY!" Moofuls
Isto chuckles softly, fighting to hide a grin as Mauli slips effortlessly into her 'Captain' persona. He strides after her, suddenly in a much better mood, eyes falling on the magnificent ship up ahead. That was...hers? Awestruck, he trots to her side, shaking clear of his dazed expression and shooting her a somewhat teasing grin. "You did all this in a day...? Damn, you're a better Captain than I thought."Lenta "Smith and Linna helped a lot." She mumbled, then climbed onto the ship's deck, motioning for Isto to follow. Jumping up onto a barrel, she surveyed the deck, and a satisfied smile came to her face.
There, standing in a line, were all the crew members, save Linna and Smith. The two Mates were standing respectfully to the side, grinning at Mauli.
"You all know why we are here today." Mauli began, morphing to the Fifth stage as she let her back legs dangle off the side of the barrel. After finishing the transformation, she adjusted the hat on her head, then grinned. "We're pirates, eh? We're going to try out this old bucket of rust on a real adventure. Sure, she's pretty now... But how will she handle after a few months of sea salt and water fights?" Eyeing the crew for any reactions, she was pleased to see none.
Moofuls
Isto shrugged off her comment and climbed up after her, though he sat beside the barrel, hoping no one had noticed him. If Mauli was really going to leave, he didn't want a bad of pirates mad at him because he dragged away their Captain. He remained silent as Mauli addressed her crew, eyes quickly scanning over the group before turning to the pair who were obviously Smith and Linna. Well, maybe this wouldn't be -too- bad. One of them could easily take over as Captain.....aye?Lenta The crew sent up shouts of joy at Mauli's words, then fell silent as Mauli began to speak again.
"But... My friends, crewmates... I will not be with you on this journey. Yes, I have hired you, and I assure you, you will still be paid. But I must return home, at least for the moment. I am sure Smith and Linna would be happy to take over the ship, for now."
Smith and Linna nodded, but the other crew members were looking anxious. Most of them had their hands on various weapons, and some had already drawn them. Muffled whispers spun through the crowd.
Mauli gulped. "Er... I think... We should make our exit." She whispered softly to Isto, her sword drawn.
Three of the workhands began to sneak around behind the two SMs, licking the blades of their daggers and unraveling lines of rope from their belts. Smith stared at the mutineers, then his eyes flickered towards the ground, then to Linna. Moofuls Frowns appeared on many faces, angry murmurs ran through the crew...and Isto took a step back. This was just what he'd been afraid of... He glances up to Mauli at her whisper and nods slightly, backing away towards the side of the ship, turning to climb off...and coming face to face with one of the pirates. Well, not exactly face to face...he was much shorter than the pirate. But you get the idea. Lenta "Hello, poppet." The pirate behind Isto sneered, grabbing him by the scruff and tossing him to one of his friends. Another grabbed Mauli's hands ruffly, slashing a long line down her palm and then wrapping the rope around her wrists before she could act.
"Getcher filthy greasy mutineering hands offa me, scumbag!" Mauli raged, then she fell silent at Smith's glare.
"You'll watch your mouth, and the mouth of little hero over there, Ex-Cap'n. You're right, me an' Linna'll take over from here. But yew two ain't gonna go blabbin' to anyone else, see?" Smith snarled, waving his dagger under Mauli's chin, as the man with Isto began tugging another rope out of his belt.
Mauli spat in Smith's eye, and she was rewarded with a sharp rap to the back of the head. Wincing, she yelled as she was dragged off below deck, in a rage. "Mutineers and adulters have it the roughest on Judgement Day, mark my words!" Moofuls "OI!" Isto's shout of protest was lost when the pirate tossed him -TOSSED HIM- through the air to his friend. There was one good thing to be said for flying through the air; he had time to aim. As the pirate caught him -CAUGHT HIM- Isto brough his metal paw crashing down between his eyes. The pirate crumpled, and Isto bolted...but got about three paces before another pair grabbed him. The pirates didn't tie him yet, obviouslly worried that the metal paw could sever the rope. They simply followed after the one dragging Mauli, neither relenting to the struggling SM they were carrying. Isto didn't bother to shout; that was useless, better to save his breath. What had they gotten themselves in to...? Lenta Mauli scowled, struggling the whole way down through the bowels of the Machina. Everything looked neat and tidy, most likely because there wasn't much there... Mauli hadn't had time to order any supplies, so she had asked Smith and Linna to get some before they set sail. Now, they'd probably be eating bread and water until Smith found a suitable place for them to be dropped off. Hanging her head, Mauli allowed herself to be thrown into one of the dungeon cages, but when the mutineer reached for her hat, she headbutted his hands away.
"Don't you.. hey! Hands off!" She snarled, lunging at him, but the mutineer had already taken her pirate hat and shut the cage door in her face. Then, the mutineer opened it to allow his companion to throw Isto in.
"No worries, miss." The pirate sneered, leaning his head in through the bars and scowling. "Captain Smith'll take gooood care of it."
"I bet he will." She growled softly, then tried transforming into the adult stage... but it didn't work. Her eyes widened, and she tried again... but no luck. Heart and mind racing, she looked around the room, searching for some sort of device or machine that was keeping her from transforming, but there was none. Why couldn't she change? Why?? Moofuls Isto continued to struggle throughout his thrip through the ship, ceasing only when he heard the short conversation between Mauli and the mutineer. Moments later her was thrown roughly into the cell, landing heavily a short distance from Mauli. He climbed to his feet just as the door slammed shut once again, glaring daggers through the bars to the three pirates. The mutineers only laughed, checked to be sure the door was locked, then headed back out on deck, leaving the two SMs to their prison.
Once they were gone, Isto padded to the side of the cell, eyes the bars trapping them. He failed to notice Mauli's dismay at being unable to change, because he'd just took for granted that she could. He was busy trying to find a way out. "It figures, doesn't it? Now you see why I don't like pirates. Not including you, of course." Lenta Mauli could only let out a small sob, her shoulders shaking as she bit back tears while trying to answer. "I didn't mean for this to happen... I treated them so well... Isto, I... I can't change." Her eyes fell as she began to wriggle her hands, trying hard to remove the ropes from them. But the mutineer's trick had worked... Mauli's blood from the cut had dried through the ropes, making it painful for her to move them at all. Moofuls Isto winces slightly when he hears the...sob. Mauli was crying? Mauli couldn't cry! Not right now, at least... Turning away from the bars, he pads over to her, awkwardly nuzzling her shoulder before stepping behind her. Isto'd never been very good at comforting. "Don't cry, Mauli... Pirates are just like that. If Jack had been out there, you can be sure he would have done the same as them... You're different from most." He falls silent, frowning down at the blood coated rope, moving a paw to still her hands. "Hold still, I'll get it off." Metal paws, kept sharp, were as effective as any daggers. In a matter of seconds Isto had sliced through the rope, watching it fall to the floor. "That cut looks bad.." Lenta "Tysh dras!" Mauli snarled through the bars, rubbing her wrists. "Thanks... And that's not what I was talking about. I can't change... I can't transform back to the adult stage. If I could, I'd pick the lock or something... Will your metal claws fit into the lock?" Fiddling with the padlock on the cage door, she sighed. Moofuls Isto blinked, confused, stunned. "You can't...? But, that doesn't make any since! You can't be stuck anthro..." Trailing off, he glances to the lock, padding over to it. He reaches through the bars with his metal paw, fumbling for a moment before slipping a claw into the lock, twisting it around for a bit. When nothing happens, he removes his paw and sits just behind the lock, glancing back to Mauli. "How old is this cell, d'you think?" Lenta "About.. I dunno, ten or twenty years. Give or take a few hundred." Mauli rapped her knuckles on the bars, deliberatly staring away from Isto. If she had looked at him, and his astonishment, she would have broken down into tears... and that wasn't very fitting for a pirate, let alone an ex pirate. Moofuls "Ah, perfect." Standing, Isto raises his metal paw, pulls back, and...punches clean through the lock. The bolt lands on the floor a few feet away, and Isto withdraws his paw from the newly formed hole, nudging the door slightly. It swung open. Glancing back to Mauli, Isto grins. "Hurry up. Someone's likely to have heard that." Lenta Mauli stares at the hole where the lock once was, then a slow grin spreads over her face. Stepping out, she holds the cage door open for Isto, then shuts it silently when he has exited.
"Oi, c'n we drill a hole in the bottom of the boat? Or toss a few people overboard? Or do SOMETHING to pay them back?" She whispered, her mind concentrated on changing back to her adult stage. Moofuls Isto chuckles softly at her expression and pads out after her, waiting a short distance away as she shuts the door. A slow grin forms on his face at her suggestions, turning and striding briskly for the door. "Sinking this ship'd be easy enough. An' I'm sure we could beat up a few mutineers on our way out. Smith, for one." Lenta "Yes... Smith is first on my hitlist." Mauli scowled, punching a fist into her open palm. "And once this is all over... we can go home." Following Isto, she suddenly stops. "Wait a second. Are you suggesting my ship is weak?"
Moofuls He blinks, than laughs, shaking his head. Leading the way out, he glances around to make sure the pirates were still on deck, then begins widing his way towards the storage rooms he knew were at the bottom of the ship. "Not at all. But I just punched through a metal door. Wood's no problem." Lenta A soft scowl was all that met Isto's answer, and Mauli continued to follow him, her chest and stomach heaving with silent giggles. Wait'll mom and Sykiri heard about THIS! They would completely trip! Moofuls Isto just grinned in reply to her scowl, falling silent as they wound their way deeper into the ship. They reached the bottom without incident, and Isto began to wind his way through crates and boxes, scratching a few marks on the floor as he did so. "Be ready to run. After the first few holes, she'll fill up fast." Lenta Mauli sighed, holding one hand over her heart as she watched Isto scratch the boat. Then... that hand became furry, and she was back in her adult stage. Grinning under the mask, she nudged him, and began to scratch alongside him, though it didnt work as well because she didn't have huge metal talons. Moofuls When they reached the bow of the ship, Isto turned to survey their work, glancing around the storage room. Six large Xs were marked at various points, strategically located where the water would continue to enter, even after the ship's bottum rested on the ocean floor. He glances to Mauli, and smiles faintly, nodding back the way they'd come. "Start running." With that said, he rams his paw down into the deck, sea water pouring inside through the first of the holes. Lenta Turning, Mauli fled, racing up on deck and past bewildered looking crewmembers. She slid to a stop on the plank connecting the ship to the dock, then turned once more to wait for Isto. Moofuls Isto immediately pulled his paw free and moved to the next X. Then the next. And next. The room was flooding fast, and by the time Isto was on the last X, he was almost swimming. He plunges his paw down through the floor, but the water slows it, and this hole is created much smaller than the others. He pulls his paw up, but it sticks, trapped by the two-small hole and unable to pry it out for the water lifting him. Lenta Mauli winced, watching as the boat began to sink. Then, seeing that Isto had not come up, she began to fret. Where was he? Had some crew member captured him again?
The deck began to rock under the crew's feet, and they fled, each to their own spot near the side as they scrambled to unhook the lifeboats that were stayed on each side. Moofuls Taking a deep breath, Isto ducked beneath the water, pulling himself down to stand on the floor. He kicks for the surface in an attempt to free his paw, but merely flips awkwardly in place. Sticking his head out of the water, he takes another deep breath before ducking down towards the floor one again, clawing at the floorboards with his normal paw. Lenta Mauli paces on the board, then finally snarls, racing back up on deck and going below. The boat was almost under water, and Isto STILL hadn't come up. No WAY was she just gonna leave him there!
"ISTO! COME OUT!" She coughs, paddling awkwardly towards the doors, which were now close to bursting with the water pressure. Then, Isto comes back up, and she sighs, relieved. "Isto! What's wrong?" Moofuls The water was deepening.. he judged he had time for one more breath before he wouldn't be able to reach any longer. So he surface, floating awkwardly on his side as he breathed. His ears perked towards the doorway when he heard Mauli's voice, yelling towards her. "My paw's stuck in the bottom!" Too high...the water was getting too high... Isto took a deep breath, then dove back for the bottom, returning to trying to free his paw. Lenta Mauli nodded, then took a deep breath, ducking under the water. Then, kicking off from the wall, she jettisoned straight for the door Isto's paw was stuck in, shutting her eyes tightly as she waited for the impact.
The crew had now fled to different lifeboats, including Smith and Linna, who were furious that their new ship was being destroyed. Moofuls Mauli's shoulder caught Isto near his elbow, jolting his paw, as well as the rest of his body, backwards. That jolt was enough, however; when Isto swam back to his position above his paw, the hole had widened slightly. After a short amount of wiggling, he was able to pull it free, and immediately kicked for the surface. Once he'd breathed deeply, he struck out for the doorway and staircase, eyes searching the water for Mauli. Lenta Mauli took a deep breath as well after knocking Isto free, then kicked off once more, following him out the doorway and up the staircase. Reaching the top, she burst through the water, climbing up onto the deck of the ship. Shaking her fur free of water, she turned, looking for Isto. "We can catch a ride on one of the planks to shore." She explained, bounding over to an empty barrel and flipping the top off of it. Moofuls The near-drowning seemed to have effected Isto much more than it did Mauli. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't even remotely tired, he was just shocked. Isto did NOT like deep water. Solid metal paws were NOT good for swimming. And now he had to ride back to shore on a plank...? Whimper. He absently shook his fur dry and walked after her, nodding faintly and glancing around for a plank or board or...anything that wouldn't sink. Lenta "In here, Isto." Mauli motioned towards the barrel, then tipped it on its side, scanning the deck for something to fill it with. Aha! Some plastic. She raced over to it, dragging the thin sheets over to the barrel. Then, folding them to fit the barrel, she nudged each piece in as well as she could. "Plastic and wood floats... You'll be ok until you get to shore." Moofuls Isto glanced up when he heard 'In here', frowning faintly at the sight of the barrel. he was going to ride back to shore...in a barrel? But the barrel obviously wouldn't sink! And not sinking was good! He smiles faintly in thanks to Mauli and walks over to the barrel, pausing just beside it. "What if I float the wrong way?" Lenta "You won't. The waves lap towards the shore, and so will you... You'll float on top, so the barrel won't hit the undercurrent." She paced around it, shaking a bit of water from her back paw. The deck was slowly beginning to go underwater... And Mauli frowned, her eyes filled with emotion behind the mask. Mid.Night Shiro continued to glance out towards sea until he saw two familiar figures, but he couldn't place his finger on it. "What the bloody hell?" He said to himself once again. Shiro was about to take a closer look until someone tackled him.
"Got him!" Ol' Ben shouted pinning Shiro to the ground, beaming in triumph.
"Arrgh!!" Shiro shouted. "Get off me!!" He shouted even louder than before. "I said get off!" Shiro yelled.
"Now, now lad." Ol' Ben said trying to get to Shiro. "Jus' calm down and I'll take yer back to 'Liz." He said placing Shiro over his shoulder, over powering him.
"What the bloody hell?!!" Shiro shouted. "Let go of me!!" He shouted trying to get someone's attention. "LET GO!!!" Shiro yelled. Moofuls Nodding slightly, Isto pushed the barrel back up and crouched to jump on top, then paused, glancing to Mauli and sighing. "I'm sorry about your ship... How're you getting back to shore?" A shout from the dock caught his attention, and he glanced towards it, sure he could see...Shiro? But what was Shiro doing here? Looking for Mauli. "Shiro's on the dock." Lenta "I'll find a way..." Mauli trailed off, sniffing as a wave crashed over the deck, masking the sound. Then, the shout caught her attention as well, and her head snapped towards... Shiro!?
"Why's he here?! I thought he was getting a house!" She scaled up the mast by instinct, balancing delicately on top and staring towards the docks.
"I can't believe it..." Then, a crash, and the mast began to sink into the deck. Water crashed up around it, flooding the deck until the water was knee deep. "Isto! Quick, get on the barrel and get to shore! We'll save Shiro once we're there!" Moofuls Isto was already climbing ontop the barrel when Mauli yelled at him. The rising water soon lifted it, and he dug his claws into the wood, crouching low as the barrel swayed back and forth. Once he felt remotely safe, he glanced up the mast to Mauli, yelling. "How're you getting back??" Mid.Night "Ben!!" Shiro shouted angrily. "Let me go!!" Shiro shouted banging his fists against his back. "Don't make me hurt you!" Shiro warned him hastily.
"Now, now. Calm down lad!" Ol' Ben chuckled. "You can't hurt lil' ol' me." Ol' Ben chuckled again.
"Grr.." Shiro said angrily squirming around in his grasp. "Let me go you stupid--!!!" He shouted before being knocked out.
"Finally.. Something shut him up." Ol' Ben said after hitting his pressure point knocking him out. Lenta Mauli didn't answer. Instead, she dug her claws into the wood of the mast, rocking back and forth. It broke in the center, toppling into the water... And Mauli clung on for dear life. The water gently lapped against both the mast and the barrel, and Mauli spun in her spot, staring sadly as The Machina found its final resting place at the bottom of the ocean. Rubbing at her eyes, she turned once more, paddling awkwardly with one paw as she maintained her balance with the other three. Moofuls As The Machina dissapeared beneath the waves, Isto, sighing softly, turned his eyes towards the dock. Grimacing faintly, he crouched unsteadily on the barrel and began to paddle towards the shore--using his left, normal paw. He watched as Shiro went limp, and found himself vaguely wondering if Shiro had met up with one of the pirates from Mauli's ex-crew. It certainly looked that way. Lenta Seeing as how the boat had been docked right by the... er... docks... it hadn't gotten very far before Isto destroyed it. So in a matter of minutes, the end of the mast hit the shore and Mauli raced up onto land. Now, her mind was racing... Wait for Isto and help him off, or go help Shiro? She literally paced on shore, whining softly as she went towards Shiro, then whimpering as she turned back to Isto. Which way, which way? Shiro! Shiro needed help. Isto knew how to get onto shore, right..? Right? With a final whimper, she turned and raced towards Shiro and Ol' Ben, leaping from a few feet away and barreling towards Ben. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Mid.Night Ol' Ben turned around and saw a girl running towards him screaming like a wild banshee. "Aye, Lassie!" Ol' Ben shouted right after she tackled him to the ground, dropping Shiro.
"Ow.." Shiro murmered waking up. "That is the second time someone did that in one day!!" He shouted running towards Ol' Ben hitting him upside the head. He looked up and saw Mauli. "What are you doing here?!" Shiro shouted surprised.
"Lad! Get your arse over here! Liz won't be happy to hear you getting violent!" Ol' Ben shouted grabbing Shiro by the collar. Moofuls Isto's barrel bumped shore moments after Mauli ran off. After leaping clear of the water (deep water bad o.<), Isto ran after Mauli, slowing to a walk when he came within sight of Shiro and the man. He certainly didn't -look- like a pirate, but... No, by the way he was talking he wasn't. Shiro and Mauli weren't in any danger. Isto pads up behind Ben, tapping him on the back. "He's with us, sir. Sorry for any trouble." Let Mauli talk with Shiro. She was better at it. Lenta Mauli snarled, swiftly changing into her Fifth stage and wagging a finger under Ben's nose. "Oooh... Ooh! Just wait.. Oh! Oooh!" She was so angry at his treatment of Shiro that she couldn't even speak correctly. "He is NOT a BLOODY DOG! He is a PERSON, just like us, and he does NOT to deserve to be dragged around by a collar and treated like a common ANIMAL! Is that underSTOOD, mister whoeveryouare?!" Her whole body was shaking, until she finally calmed down, glaring angrily at the space between Ben's head and the sky above it. Mid.Night Ol' Ben looked at the girl, shocked. "Now, now, Lass." Ol' Ben said trying to calm her down. "I'm just takin' care of here, Shiro. He ran away while my daughter was trying to take care o him." Ol' Ben said. "Shiro didn't wun to come back, we need to take care of his arm." Ol' Ben said casually.
"I already told you!" Shiro shouted at Ol' Ben. "My arm is just fine!" Shiro shouted pointed to his arm, which was covered in blood.
Lenta "He can take care of himself." Mauli's tone was like a hiss, filled with venom. Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing, as her hand strayed to her sword(which she had completely forgotten about until now) "And he may leave if he wishes. He's a grown man, not your daughter's pet." She practically spat the last word, eyes glittering dangerously. Mid.Night Shiro got up and dusted himself off before helping Ol' Ben up. "Sorry about hitting you upside the head, but thanks for giving me a temporary home and a job." Shiro said thankfully. "Tell Elizabeth thanks for her help too." Shiro said once again.
"Ah, It's s'right." Ol' Ben said standing up. "Have a safe trip, a'right, lad. You too lassy." Ol' Ben said before walking back towards his house. "Bye, now." He said waving.
"Alright then." Shiro said placing a hand on his arm gripping it tightly. "Well.. I'm going to go back to SM HQ.. Gotta ask Night for more cash.. Since I was-- Err.. Nothing." Shiro said. Lenta "You ok? Besides your arm, I mean." Mauli tilts her head, looking at Shiro. Concern twinkled in her eyes. "He or his wacky daughter didn't do anything to you... Did they?" Her eyes flickered from Isto to Shiro, then back to Isto, clamping her legs together so they would stop shaking. It had not been a good day... For either of the three. Mid.Night Shiro gripped his arm tighter. "Yeah... They didn't do anything.." Shiro said calmly. "You should go check to see if Isto's okay.." Shiro said nonchalantly. He took of his shirt and tied it tightly around his arm. Moofuls "I'm perfectly fine," Isto, who was still within hearing range, replies, even though the comment was not directed towards him. "Though it seems like you, once again, are injured. Go figure." Turning away, Isto left the pair, wandering quietly down the dock and back in the general direction of the HQ. Mauli had said she would return, and she obviously wanted to talk to Shiro, so he needn't stay. Lenta Mauli sighed, looking once more from Isto to Shiro, then transformed into her adult stage and walked off towards HQ, taking a different path than Isto. They'd all make it home, some way or another... But it seems like the angsty three were, once again, filled with angst. "Be careful, Shiro." Was all she said, as a warning for him not to get mugged or knocked out again until after he had been home for quite some time.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 3:52 pm
08.07.04 Moofuls "Lesse, and what else... Avoid Jack in the mornings, but other than that you're good. And HQ's usually not bad. The are a few SMs who I find annoying, but.... you seem a bit more patient than me." Fighting a grin, and not succeeding, Isto leads the way over to a free couch. He hops onto it then turns to face his newly adopted brother, thinking over everything he'd just said. HQ was easy enough, and he'd already warned of the few things at home... Had he forgotten anything?
Banda easily leaped up after his...older younger sibling (He was technically older, even though Isto was an adult.), then climbed even further to curl up on top of the couch, 'listening' closely to everything Isto said. He'd become rather good at reading mouths, but..this was often difficult for other SMs because of the skulls. Still, he was managing. He might miss a word here or there, but he knew what the metal pawed SM was talking about... So far so good n.n Lenta Remy turned, staring silently over at Isto and Banda. Then, acting completely normal, he saunters over to the couch and jumps back up onto Lenta's lap. He stayed there, listening intently to the metal-pawed SM and his brother, blinking underneath the mask. Moofuls Well, Isto couldn't be a perfect big brother all the time. His job done he'd... gone home. He'd already promised Acia he'd help fix the hovercraft. (Moo had wrecked it while Acia was still a plushie, and never got around to fixing it.) But Banda has chosen to stay. He hadn't been to HQ in a looooooong time, so he needed to catch up on things. Already he was seeing SMs he didn't recognize. Well...this was awkward. Lenta Remy could only sit and watch, his eyes fixed on Banda. Something was nagging in the back of his mind... And he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Maybe he had seen this SM before, and his brain wouldn't let him forget it; or maybe Banda just reminded him of someone he had once known, or maybe a description he had read in a book before. In any case, he was silent, mind racing behind the mask. Moofuls Once sufficiently bored, Banda scurries down off the couch, glancing once around the room before wandering towards the door. Maybe he'd be able to find something to do out there. It was a nice day, after all. Better to be out enjoying the sun then sitting on a couch doing nothing. Lenta "Where're you going?" Remy asked, jumping down from Lenta's lap and following Banda towards the door. Mum said it was dangerous outside... Why was the child SM going there? Moofuls
Completely ignoring the blue SM, not purposely might I add, Banda continued towards the door, pausing just long enough to nudge it open. It was -his- fault he didn't notice Remy. It's just hard to notice anyone if he or she is behind you and you can't hear them.Emelyn Em practically had to drag Tam into the Hq. She was upset with her mother for making her apologize to Tawn that morning- she still thought dropping water balloons on him from the attic was a funny idea, and that no real harm had come from it. But Em was determined to wipe the disregard for others from her daughter, and'd had a long, involved talk with the girl- which resulted in the present near-tantrum. "Alright," Em finally said. "Go sit on the couch. You can get up when you stop pouting." Tam puffed up visibly, but she nodded and made her way over. It was then that Em saw Moo, standing with Banda, and motioned for Tawn (who was just coming in behind her) to follow her over. "Moo!" She called, in greeting. Lenta Remy let a soft sigh pass his lips, then he kept walking, standing purposefully beside the door. "Excuse me, kid... Did you not hear me?" Moofuls
Moo had caught up with Banda just as her newly adopted child was slipping out the door, and promptly scooped him into her arms, laughing softly and pulling the door closed behind her. Once she was sure she had his attention (meaning her was looking at her face), she spoke, slow enough that he could read her lips. "I don't want you going outside alone. It's unsafe to begin with, and something could sneak up on you..."
Banda agreed without complaint, shooting a glance to the now closed door before returning his attention to Moo. "I, ah, I'll wait fah Isto ta get back, then, 'kay? He's comin' back, ah.. lateh, though, righ'?"
Nodding in agreement, Moo began to answer but feel silent as Em's greeting reached her ears. She waves a hello, then, winking to Banda, sets him back on the floor before returning her attention to the other SM carethingy. "Hallo Em! Howsit?"
Only after Moo had set him down did Banda realize someone had been following him. He was still very close to the door, after all, and Remy was right there and..saying something. And he'd missed half of it. "Sorry, ah, couldja repeat that, please? I can't hear an', ah, I missed parta what ya said..." Emelyn Em wanted to say hello to Banda, but noticed that he was trying to understand what Remy was saying, so she focued back towards Moo. "Moo!" She came up and, without warning, threw her arms about the fellow goggle-wearing girl's neck. "Congratulations!! Oh, he's a wonderful little boy." Tawn, who was at her heels, smiled. "Yeah, congratulations, Ms. Moo." "Does he speak SMSL?" Em asked. ..."It looks like he can read lips." Lenta It was only then that Remy realized little Banda couldn't hear... And he automatically felt a pain of guilt. "I just wanted to know where you were going, but it is obvious that you cannot go anywhere any more..." He spoke slowly, making sure to pronounce each thing fully. "My name is Remy, by the way. Who are you?" Moofuls The hug caught Moo completely off guard, but she just laughed and returned it, grinning. "Thankies! He really is... And he and Isto get along surprisingly well." After sending Tawn and wave and wink of thanks, she returns her attention to Em, nodding slightly. "Aye, he can do both. S'a good thing, too, 'cause I'm terribly with any sign language... But he's really good at reading lips, for humans and SMs at least. He's still working no understanding some of our family members."
"I was jus' gonna go out by tha lake, bu' then Moo said, ah, I shouldn' on m' own. S', ah, dangerous, ya know," Banda happily replied, completely unconcerned with his hearing problem. He was used to it by now, any way. "S' nice ta meetcha. I'm Banda." Emelyn "Oh that's wonderful! He shouldn't have too hard a time adjusting to everything. I know everyone will try to make him welcome. ...So, is he sharing a room with Isto, or does he have one of his own?" Lenta "Maybe we could go out one day... Me, you and your brother, and maybe some other SMs that wish to go. We would be safe then, right?" Remy tilts his head, then sits. It was sorta-kinda obvious that he didn't know that he had a sibling, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Maybe i'm just adding stuff here for filler... But you'll never know. >D Moofuls "Right now they're sharing. Our house is terribly crowded... We're actually about to move out." It was hard to tell if Moo seemed depressed ore excited by this. "Wegs is going to keep the farm house, and my family and I are gonna move into the Jivvin House out in the woods. S'much larger. More room for all... 'twill me nice, methinks."
After replaying Remy's words in his head to be sure he'd seen them right, Banda nods enthusiastically, grinning. "Yah, betcha we would! Isto's, ah, gonna take me when he gets, ah, back from home. He went to, ah, help....help... Acia, with a 'spearmint." Right, so he'd gotten a word mixed up. Close enough ^_^ Lenta "That would be awesome! I bet we could find some red-backed salmon in that old lake if we looked..." Remy stumbled over some of the words, trying hard to keep talking slow, but it was starting to hurt his head. Moofuls
Red..backed.... Yes, well, he had absolutely no idea what a red...back..Sand man, maybe? He'd heard of the sand man. Ah well, this Remy was obviously crazy. So, smiling nonetheless, Banda nodded. "Betcha we could! I haven', ah, haven' been in tha forest b'fore, so I, ah, dunno whas in there. Have you?"Lenta
Remy opened his mouth to speak, but that was the moment Mauli chose to burst through the HQ door.
"I'm hooooooome!" Mauli announced loudly, spreading her arms.
Lenta just grinned, crossing her legs and eyeing Mauli from where she was sitting. She wondered just how long it'd take before Mauli figured it out...
"Psh." Remy snorted softly, standing and looking Mauli in the eye. "Could you try being a bit quieter? There are some here that might be sleeping, even though you cannot see." He spoke slowly, eyes narrowing.
Mauli blinked, rubbing the back of her neck. "Er...? Well! Soh-hoh-rey, Mister Grumpy Pants. Girl can't even have any fun without some huffy know-it-all biting off my ears..." She grinned, then walked past Banda and Remy, sitting down by Lenta. "Mum, we've gotta kick Dinero's little whiney moving-people's-remains butt when we get home... Can you guess what he did?!
"I have NO idea." Lenta giggled.
Remy started. "Did you just call her mum?!"
"Yes..." Mauli eyed Remy from her seat. ".....because that's her name."
"B-but..." Remy looked from Mauli to Lenta, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. Finally, his gaze settled on Lenta. "B-but you told me to call you mother!"
"Well, I told Mauli that too... It just... kinda changed over time." Lenta was shaking from laughter, and the shaking grew even worse as Mauli spoke again.
"What do you mean, call you mother? She's not your mom..." Then, Mauli stood, waving her hands around above her head. "SHE'S NOT YOUR MOOOOOOOOOOM!"Moofuls
Well, that was...interesting. Because of swiftly changing angle, Badna had missed...absolutely everything that was said. But expressions were nearly as good as words at time, and this was one of them. He even doubled over in giggles at the sight of Mauli's horrified expression and arm waving.
Luckily, Isto chose this moment to return as well, entering from one of the other rooms and cracking up laughing at the same sight that had Banda giggling. After calming down somewhat, he ambles over to Banda, tapping his brother on the shoulder to get his attention. "We have t'go for a bit, says Moo. Later I'll take ya out in the forest, kay?" Then, waving a greeting and good-bye to Mauli, Isto leads the way out, Banda waving to Remy before following. Lenta The two SMs waved at the same time, then turned and shot each other venemous glares, both turning away and crossing their arms/paws over their chests.
Lenta burst into peals of laughter, the sight of the two acting like twins - of all things! - sending her hidden giggles flying. Finally, composing herself, she grinned. "I adopted Remy last night, Mauli... You were in the forest, so I couldn't tell you."
"Ad... dopted...?" Mauli blinked, turning back and staring at the back of Remy's head. Then, she transformed into her adult stage, nostrils twitching.
"And Remy, I raised Mauli from a pebble... She's your legal sister now."
Remy turned as well, then stared at Mauli, the sight of her as an adult shocking him. "So... I've got Enciel and Mauli now...?"
"Well, that's the thing..." Lenta stared at the ground. "I didn't adopt Enciel. You can still see her, Remy... She just won't be living with us."
Remy shook slightly, then nodded, curling up in his spot by the door and staring dully at the wall.
Mauli shook as well. It was all a giant shock, for the both of them... She padded over to Remy's side, lying down beside him and placing her head on his back, almost as if she was trying to comfort him.
The older SM made no move to shove her off, but only continued staring, a small sigh exiting his nostrils. This would take some getting used to....
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 4:31 pm
08.08.04 Moofuls Well, Isto had vanished again, but that was alright! Because it was daytime! And daytime meant he'd come back, and they could go out into the forest! So Banda was sitting on a couch..waiting...reading... He didn't have much else to do. Could be worse, though. At least this book was good. Lenta Remy and Mauli had spent the night at the HQ, each wandering off to their own comfortable spots and falling asleep. Now, the elder had awoken, with a rather loud snort and a tumble off the couch. Wincing, Remy pulled himself off the floor, rubbing one arm with a paw and grumbling softly.
"Stupid couch cushion... MAULIIIIIII!"
Mauli woke, startled, and bumped her head against the ceiling as she stood straight up on the top of the fireplace.
"I'm up, i'm... ow!" She rubbed her head, then jumped down, shaking and padding over to Remy.
"Whatcha need, bro?"
Remy stared at the ground for a moment, then nodded towards the kitchen.
"Smell that?"
"Mhmmm..." Mauli inhaled, sighing happily as the smell of freshly-cooked bacon floated through the playroom.
"Well, you're a pirate... Right?" Remy asked, looking from Mauli to the kitchen.
"Yup." Mauli answered, then added a yawn.
"Think you could shimmy up to the stove and relieve the frying pan of it vittle burden?"
A slow grin spread over Mauli's face.
"Aye... I think that'd be rather nice of us." Then, Mauli paraded into the kitchen, followed by a chuckling Remy. Moofuls Bored... bored.... bored... bored... Glancing up from his book, Banda yawns, freezing when he recognizes the two SMs slipping into the kitchen. Setting his book aside, he jumps off the couch and trots after them, hardly noticing the smell of bacon. Mmm, bacon. "Remy! Heeeeeeeeey Remy!" Lenta Remy pauses in his strut through the kitchen, then turns, grinning at the sight of Banda. "Hey, kiddo! Want some bacon? Mauli's gonna get it for us!" Moofuls "Nah, no thanks." Banda slows to a walk as he nears the older...yonger...older SMs. "Mauli..." He frowns slightly, then brightens up, grinning. "I've heard of her! She's friends with my brother! He's, ah, he's takin' me into tha forest today. Wanna come?" Lenta
Remy nods, sitting down in front of Banda. "I'll ask Mauli to come along as well... She goes into the forest a lot, mostly to think, but sometimes she just takes walks there for fun. I bet she could show us a lot of neat, hidden places!"Moofuls "Awright!" he replies, nodding happily. "Now we just haveta wait fah Isto ta get back. He should be, ah, back soon. He was here earlier." Lenta "Would you like to paint until he gets back?" Remy asked, tilting his head. Last night, he had found a painting set in Lenta's closet, and Lenta had awoken to a beautiful artistic painting on her ceiling, consisting of swirled mucky colors and little stickers Remy had attatched to make it seem better. Needless to say, it had been washed off... But Remy was rather proud of how he had gotten the paint to stay on the ceiling without dripping. Moofuls
For a moment Banda fell silent, gazing off into space as if he hadn't even heard Remy, which he hadn't, but...well, you know what I mean. Snapping back to reality, he nods, grinning brightly. "I'd love to!! I like painting! Do you have watercolors?"
Humming idly to himself, Isto slips through the door into HQ, following the smell of cooking bacon towards the kitchen. Bacon was good. Not as good as giant pretzels, but pretty close. He pauses in step when he sees the group already gathered there, then edges around them, continuing towards the stove. Lenta "Yeah! We've got water colors, and that powder paint that has to be mixed, and then it gets all thick..." Remy babbled, then nodded. "We've gotta paint on the table, though, so we won't get paint all over the floor."
"Isto!" Mauli yelped, spotting her metal-legged friend, then leapt from the counter to the floor and bounced towards him. "Isto Isto Isto guess what Isto?!" Moofuls "Watercolors are the best kind," Banda replies knowingly. "That's fine. It's, ah, prolly better if we do that anyway. Don' want Moo gettin' mad if I get paint everywhere."
"Mauli!" Whee, mimicing was fun. "Mauli Mauli Mauli whatisit Mauli?!" He grins, then frowns slightly, mock-glaring suspiciously at the pirate SM. "You didn't eat all the bacon, did you?" Lenta Nodding, Remy turned, hopping up onto a chair and then onto the table. Then, he turned back, watching Banda. Once the child was up, he'd ruin Mauli's rondevouz with Isto, so she could get them some paper and paint... Paws stunk for carrying stuff.
"S'not even done yet, silly." Mauli grinned, then pawed at Isto's head. "You're gonna be a fifth stager, 'cause you won an item! Did Moo tell you, or Banda?" Moofuls Once Remy was off the chair, Banda hopped up behind him, then climbed the final distance to the tabletop. He wasn't really sure what to do now, as they didn't have any paper or paint, so he just turns to face Remy, cocking his head to the side. "Er...what now?"
After ducking to the side to avoid her paw, Isto sits, smile fading slightly. "Oh, yeah, I heard... I've actually got the item with me." Lenta "Where?! Whereeeee!?" Mauli exclaimed, swaying from side to side as she tried desperately to find his fifth-stage item.
Taking a deep breath, Remy opened his mouth... And.... "MAULIIIIIIIIIII!" .....yelled, leaning over the side of the table.
Mauli sighed, looking up at Remy. "Yeeeeeees?"
"Could you please get me 'n Banda some paint and paper?" Remy asked softly, tilting his head.
Mauli nodded, transforming into her fifth-stage and winking at Isto. "Be right back..." And, with that, she raced out of the kitchen. Destination: The supply closet, yo. Moofuls Chuckling softly, Isto nods, watching silently as she runs off. He sighs and glances down to his metal paw, which was held closed around his fifth stage item. ...Maybe he could just toss it in the lake. Lenta At length, Mauli tramped back in, placing a stack of painting paper on the table, and a cup of brushes and water beside the stack. Then, arranging a small container of watercolor palletes between the two things, she grinned, changing back to her adult stage.
"Have fun." Then, with that, she padded back to Isto, sitting down. "So, fifth stage item... When d'you think you'll use it?"
Remy beamed, then grabbed a brush, winking at Banda. "Dig in!" Moofuls Isto didn't notice that Mauli had returned until she spoke, slowly looking up at the sound of her voice. He shrugs slightly, opening his fist and dropping the item-- a small screw-- on the floor. "I dunno. I'm not sure if I will use it, actually."
Banda hadn't been paying enough attention to know exactly what Remy said, but he knew it was something along the lines of 'Go ahead and paint!'. Glancing around the newly delivered items, he picks up a paintbrush and reaches for the watercolors, picking one color and beginning to paint. Lenta "Why not?" Mauli stared at the small screw, hunching down to get a closer look. "The fifth stage is awesome... You get opposable thumbs, and you can always change back to the adult stage whenever you want. I'm sure we could find a way to use the screw that would stay..." She then looked from Isto's paw to his skull, eyes shining, as if they were pleading.
Remy began to paint as well, his brow furrowing as he dipped the wet brush from the red color to the paper. Now to the blue... and then the yellow... and why was his brush suddenly making everything brown?! Moofuls "You don't think..." He pauses, hesitating, eyes turning back to the screw. "...it's some kind of joke? You get fifth stage items based on your personality...your interests... but mine's neither. I got a screw." He scowls, glaring down at the little piece of metal. "And a bunch of the keepers made fun of me for it. You don't think it's a joke? QS could have easily just dug around a drawer and found a screw and thought 'Let's mess with Isto's mind'. What if I try to use it and nothing ever happens...?"
Banda was thoroughly enjoying himself, switching from one color to another, frequently washing clean his brush. The picture was slowly forming..nothing. But it was rather pretty, nonetheless. Lenta "I don't think QS is that mean." Mauli shrugs. "'Sides, I think it's ingenius. And even if she is just being mean... You'll never know until you try, right? You could put it on without anyone ever knowing, cover it up with something shiny, or a glove maybe... And, in a week, if you haven't changed or felt anything, no one had to ever know you had used it."
Still, Remy's brush would only give him brown, and he was getting rather frustrated. It wasn't even a pretty brown! Just a baby-poop colored one.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 4:47 pm
08.09.04 Moofuls
The day was surprisingly nice, one of the few sunny ones that happened to grace the HQ. Isto hardly noticed. He was more concerned with the tiny screw resting on a rock near the water. Sure, it didn't look significant, but fifth stage items were a lot more then they appeared. And he still wasn't sure if he wanted to use it or not. Figures, don't it? Lemonlime Essence glanced over from her sing and dance number at Isto, raising an eyebrow slightly. She sat upstraight, moving over to him, tilting her head. "Right then .. Why are you staring at a Screw? On .. a rock?" She asked, giving him a worried glance. Moofuls It took Isto a while to realize he was being spoken to. Once he did, he glanced over to Essence and shrugged slightly, returning his eyes to the screw only moments later. "It's my fifth stage item, and I'm not sure if I want to use it or not." Lemonlime She blinked, nodding. "Oh, right. I thought they would be .. more, spectacular then that. Then again, I didn't know what to expect." She tilted her head, sighing heavily. "What you do, is really up to you." She hadn't realised she had rhymed. Lenta Mauli's attack was swift, but hardly silent. "HAAAACHA!" She shouted, leaping out from behind a patch of reeds towards Isto. She had been watching him for a few minutes now, and darnation on her head if she didn't find a way to shove that screw into that metal paw of his! Moofuls
"Most of them are," he commented in reply to her statement about his less-than-spectacular item. And then Mauli attacked. Jumping away, he ducks behind Essence, peering around her to the pirate SM. "'Lo Mauli" o.o;Lenta
"Pfft." Mauli exclaimed loudly, landing where Isto had been seconds earlier. "Fun ruiner... Oi!" Then, she sniffed the screw, wrinkling her nose. "Isto, why don't you just use it and see? It can't really hurt or nothin' to use it..."Moofuls Shrugging slightly, Isto steps out of 'hiding' wandering back to his original seat beside Mauli. "I have enough screws in my arm without a creepy magic one that'll turn me human. Besides, what if I turn out butt ugly and bald?" Lenta Mauli bit down hard on her bottom lip, struggling to control a flood of giggles. In her mind, she could picture that very Isto; fat, bald, ugly, and graced with a giant metal nose. blaugh "I'm s-sure you could alw-ways apply for p-p-p-plastic surgery!" She sputtered, then burst into peals of laughter, falling over backwards and rolling around in the grass. Moofuls "Wow, that made me feel a lot better." Scowling, Isto turns away, leaving the screw on the rock. He wanders off towards the forest, stiffling a sigh as he steps into the shadow of the trees, vaguely wondering why he ever bothered to talk to anyone at all. Lenta "Awww, Isto, c'mon, you know I was just joking!" Mauli started to head towards him, then stopped, scooping the screw up and tucking it into a miniature pocket on the inside of her hat. She'd give it to him in the forest... Fifth stage items were not things to leave lying around. Then, bouncing after him, she called out. "Wait up!" Moofuls "Why should I?" he snapped back at her, without bothering to turn around. He simply continued into the forest, leaving a trail of crushed leaves behind him. "So you can make fun of me some more?! Everyone else at HQ does! It's about time you joined 'em." Lenta "Hold on just a second!" Mauli raced after him, finally sliding to a stop in front of him. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare, sides heaving from the sudden run. "Why do you think everyone's after you, Isto?! Hmm? No one really hates you like you think they do! I wasn't laughing at you back there, y'know? I was trying to cheer you up! Don't you think I -know- just a bit more than you do about turning into a fifth stager? Hmmm?!" She spread her paws out, head lowering as she glared up at him. "I had doubts too, but daggumit, Isto, I didn't let that stop me!" Moofuls "Sure you had doubts! Everyone has doubts!" Isto didn't really care that he'd made her mad. Normally he would, but as he was furious himself it didn't seem rather important. "But you didn't have to worry about turning out as an ugly dork!" Sidestepping to avoid a tree, he stomps further into the forest, continuing with his rant as he walks. "Everyone loves you! Everyone's always loved you! So even if you had turned out that way, no one would give a damn 'cause you're Mauli and you're great! But as much as I'm teased and mocked already, can you imagine how everyone would react if I turned out... Everyone seems to think I'm some bloody freak, and nothing I do'll change that." Lenta "You're not a freak. You shouldn't care about what they say, Isto! It's not important!" She growled, stomping off after him. "Donchoo think everyone'd be suprised and happy for you, no matter WHAT you changed into? I know I would!" Her brow furrowed under her skull mask, and she stopped walking, turning her glare towards the ground. "But you know what? If you don't want to take a chance and try to make those 'hateful people' like you, that's FINE BY ME! Go ahead and be a whiny a*****e, and wallow in your pity! I care about you more than you think, but i'm not gonna stand around and try to help you if you're gonna shove me away!" With that, she tugged the screw out of her hat, chunking it as hard as she could at him, turning, and running back towards the HQ. Moofuls The screw clacked against the back of his skull, and Isto immediately paused in step, listening in silence as Mauli's footsteps faded towards the HQ. Sighing, he turned to follow, then again paused, gaze falling on the small screw resting atop the leaves. He grimaces faintly and pulls his eyes away, looking up just in time to see Mauli exit the forest. And...he suddenly wasn't mad anymore. She'd been absolutely right, and he'd just been too paranoid to realize it. And now she was mad... Fine. ...Fine.
Sitting, he lifts his metal arm, eyes searching it for a screw that seemed the right side. He soon found one that looked about right, and, using claw on his left paw, began to unscrew it. A short while later the screw fell away; Isto left it where it fell. It wasn't important anymore. Reaching for his fifth stage item, he sets it in the hole left by the screw, using his claw to screw it in. The item fit perfectly, glinting dimly in the half light of the forest. Well...that was that, then. Nodding slightly in approval, Isto stands, wandering silently back towards the HQ.
Lenta Mauli entered the HQ front door, just as Remy had taken the chocolate from Hannah. Completely ignoring the three of them, she turned and sauntered into the kitchen, acting as if nothing had happened. Moofuls A few minutes later, Isto entered as well, hesitating and glancing around for Mauli. He didn't see her, but he did notice Remy and Endy in the den. But if Endy was there, Mauli certainly wasn't. On to the kitchen! Lenta Mauli transformed into her fifth stage, pulling the fridge door open and pulling out a half-melted pint of Baskin and Robin's chocolate chip ice cream. Grabbing a spoon from a drawer, she sat on the counter, going back to her adult stage and curling up around the pint before digging in. Stupid fights, making her cut into her diet... Moofuls "Well, that's one benefit, I suppose." Smiling faintly, Isto pulls his eyes from the pirate SM curled up on the counter to glance to the fridge. "Paws aren't great for getting ice cream. Maybe in a week or so I'll be able to reach it." Lenta Mauli jumped visibly as Isto spoke, then felt herself blushing as she shoved another spoonful into her mouth. Swallowing the ice cream, she dropped the spoon into the bucket, turning her gaze to Isto. Instead of being furious, she tilted her head, and spoke softly. "You okay now...?" Moofuls Shrugging slightly, he pulls his gaze away from the fridge, turning his eyes back up to Mauli. "I'm sorry I overreacted... Things have just been... Well, nevermind." He falls momentarily silent, hesitating a moment before pointing to the new screw in his arm. "I used the item." Lenta "Congrats." Mauli nodded, picking the spoon up again. Then, she narrowed her eyes, trying to spot the screw. "Wow... C'n barely even see it." She grinned, then held out the ice cream pint. "Want some?" Moofuls
Isto stares at the ice cream pint...then shakes his head, standing. "Nah, I think...I'm just gonna head home. See ya, Mauli." He smiles faintly, then turns away, striding back to the door and slipping outside.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 5:52 pm
Tuesday, August 10th Wow...I haven't written in.... a long time. Lesse, what's new. Stupid question. Well, first things first. We have a new family member!! Yes, recently the SM adoption agency opened, and Isto and I went in for an appointment. While we were there, we were able to read through the files for the various SMs in the agency... and immediately fell for one. His name was Banda and he was a bit...different from the others, in a few ways, the most obvious of which was that he was deaf. He suffered an injury when he was an infant, and has been unable to hear ever since. Sure, that would make taking care of him a bit more difficult...but I enjoy a chalenge. And the rest of his profile was just perfect.... I knew he'd fit in well with our family. And... Well, to be quite honest, he was the only one Isto would even consider letting me adopt. Something about them both being different... I dunno, he'll probably write about it. So, we went in for our interview... and we were approved! We adopted Banda! He moved in almost immediately, and, though he's had a bit of trouble understanding some of the family members, everyone loves him. He's a bit quiet... very, very sweet, caring... He doesn't seem to mind at all that he's deaf, which I think'll be good for Isto, sulky as he is about that metal arm. Isto seems to like having a brother. Another SM in the family, I mean. He's been spending a lot of time showing Banda around and helping him get used to the house and such, and likewise Banda's been trying to teach him SMSL so they can talk more easily. I'm terrible with any form of sign language, so...that's not gonna happen for me. But Isto seems to be learning quickly. So, now Banda's part of the family. What else is new...? Oh! Isto won a fifth stage item in the recent marathon, and used it yesterday!! So, in about six days he'll be a fifth stager!!!! I'm sooooooo excited!! Apparently Mauli talked him into it. He was really reluctant about it for a number of reasons, methinks, though he refused to talk to me about it. S'alright, though, 'cause I don't have to worry about it 'cause he's gonna be fifth next week!!!!! SQUEEEEEEE!! 08.10.04 A lot has happened since I last wrote... Most of which I will not cover, as it wasn't very important. Meaning I cannot remember it. That's okay, though, because as I said, it's not important. Hmm... Well, I have a new brother, but I suppose Moo's already told you that. His name's Banda, and he's technically older than me, but he's still a child and I'm an adult. I think it has something to do with him being at the adoption agency for so long... But yeah, what else... Oh, he's deaf! He does't mind, though, and we can still talk. He does talk a bit funny, but you get used to that very quickly. He's pretty cool. Kinda quiet, likes to paint a lot. Hmm... The Fifth Stage marathon was just recently... I won. My item was a screw. Harr harr harr, hee hee hee. Yeah, I've been teased about it quite often. Please, no more. I wasn't sure if I was going to use it... So much could go wrong... I wasn't even sure if it was a real fifth stage item. It certainly didn't look like one. But Mauli got all pissed at me when I told her what I thought, and it made me feel all guilty...so I used it. Last night, actually. And I think it's working, because I've been really sore... I know Mauli didn't feel well after she used her item, so I'm assuming this is supposed to happen. Hmm...what else? I think that's it... I suppose I should start writing more often. I'll try. Don't expect every day, but... we'll see. Well....that's about it for now. Toodles.  8-10-04 Okay, this is my first ever entry, so bear with me. Umm... I guess and introduction is in order. My name's Banda. I'm new to this family. Moo adopted me not long ago, and I've been too busy to type anything until now. If this sounds a bit formal, please bear with me. I can't talk well in person, you see, because I can't hear. And I know a lot of words, but I don't like to say them in case I'm saying them horribly wrong. So... I write them. I like to write. But I like to paint even more. Especially watercolors! I painted with Remy the other day!!! Um...sorry... I really like my new family. It's REALLY, REALLY big! But that's alright, because Moo finds time for everyone. And even when she's not spending time with us, she's there if we need her, usually working on some project or other in the garage. (For example, she's spent the past week or so fixing up an old airplane so she and that glider, Acia, can go flying.) And I have a big brother! Little brother... I'm not really sure which he is. It's rather confusing. But anyway, he acts like a older brother. His name's Isto, and he has a metal paw!! He says it's cool, because me and him are apparently the 'different' SMs, and we live together. I don't think he likes his paw much, though. But I've heard he's done some really great stuff with it... He sunk a pirate ship once, Jack said. (Jack didn't seem too happy about that, 'cause Jack's a pirate.) Umm... what else? I've made another friend already, kinda. His name's Remy, and he's one of Isto's best friend's adoptive brother. Yeah, I think that's right. He's pretty cool. He's going to come out in the forest with me once Isto has time to take us. His sister, Mauli, might be coming with us. I haven't met her yet, but Isto seems to like her. I...think that's about it, so I'm going to go. It's late, and I'm tired... This house is very tiring, I've found.
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