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 Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:59 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:01 pm
Maxx D A tea-stained envelope arrives at your door, sealed with a stamp that certainly has an 'M', but its second letter can't seem to make up its mind whether to be a 'D' or a 'H'. In any case, it's the contents that are of concern: MD/H Dear Elda, The place is tremendously boring without you. We've decided we can't possibly have you back without returning the gold (we bought new china) - besides, we asked Time to be our third guest and he will not go away. I'm sick of actually washing dishes so I would like you to have him back. He claims we haven't entertained him enough (it's true, we are quite boring now, as I have said) so could you be so kind as to send us a limerick about you and how you've been doing? I assume that where you are is so absurd now that it'll be sufficient to get Time back to work. Signed, Mad D/Hatter. PS: Whenever you're ready with your brilliant literature do read it aloud in the main thread. You realise that you're not going to grow until this deed is done - who asks kids to write poetry - but you also realise that doing it early will not speed up your growth any sooner. Nevertheless, like the laundry, it is a deed that must be done. “I don’t doubt it is!” Elda sniffed, reading over the Hatter’s letter with an air only suitable for the Queen’s Favorite Mallet (or so the flamingo liked to think). The child had not yet stopped to entertain or even wonder how the letter had made it outside her bedroom door and not via postbox, like normal post is wont to do—she simply accepted the inherent ability Wonderland had in showing up wherever Wonderland so pleased, modern rules and conventions be damned!
And it was from the Hatter, which was Enough Said on the sudden appearance of the note.
Rolling onto her back, head lolling over the edge of the bed, Elda took a moment to press the letter to her nose. Something in the scent of its familiarity, a mixture of tea and spice, curiosities and marvel, made the pit of her stomach ache. Yet the moment she took it away, she frowned at the stains and smudges like a mother would frown upon finding the kitchen in complete disarray and her naughty child in the midst of it. Really!
“Can’t even tell the letters apart – what terrible form! Oh well, I suppose I should write back to them. It’s the polite thing to do!”
If only it had been a letter from the Queen herself – Elda took a moment to heave a melodramatic sigh like the women did in the old black and whites she was so fond of – the flamingo would have more than pleased as punch. But, even if the Hatter hadn’t invited her to a tea party in Ages, he did sound bored and regretful. And so Elda hopped from her bed and to the low lacquered tea table her mother had given to her as a gift, taking a seat with a certain flourish she knew she would never even attempt if in the company of the Queen.
After all, she was but a mallet – they didn’t flourish! Dearest Hatter, Hare, and Tea!
I’m here with the Mouse and Jabberwocky--
I quite like the break
from always having to shake
off hog-quills like droves of sand fleas!
Your form looks terribly silly!
- Elda With a pleased nod at her own ingenuity, Elda folded up her note and wrote the Hatter's initials in big, loopy (and childishly unsteady) letters upon its back before setting it at the base of her bedroom door. It would find its way home, just as it had found its way yonder. Wonderland was funny that way.
Her singular worry she found, as she climbed back into her bed, was whether or not Hatter would actually heed her advice and practice his handwriting posthaste! Egads!
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:14 pm
sprout and bean.
status: on-going, started o8.1o.o9"When it came to finding a babysitter, Sukku’s own family was the last group of people she looked at for candidates." Elda spends the day with her favorite pretty lady, Banyan~
[click for more!]
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:40 pm
my favorite martian alien.
status: on-going, started o8.12.o9"No, I'm not. Actually Elda, I am an alien." Mama, mama, can I keep him~ ?Quote: The raven-haired man-alien grunted shortly as he sent the ball flying with a harsh kick. Bored with the inside of HQ, he'd gone outside with his faithful and equally pointy companion to mess around and roughhouse. The spiked creature screeched as he went after the ball, pouncing on it and gnawing viciously before turning to snarl at the approaching Cobalt, knowing the other wanted it back. Cobalt tackled Youhei without any hesitation in order to wrestle the toy from his pet's toothy mouth, growling in an amused fashion. It was good to work off a little energy, especially after the stunt that retarded raccoon had pulled the other night. Thinking about it still got him peeved, and he didn't care that the other hyte had apologized. He shoved Youhei roughly, and tossed the ball up into a nearby tree, waiting to see what the zeenoh would do."Just hang around nearby and I promise I'll be there in a half an hour," Elda's mother had told her. And, looking at the clock now, the flamingo realized that had been a good hour ago. She tried her best not to blame her mother for being late; she knew and understood that the news station had a tendency of holding her after hours (against her will, Mama often added). But the always punctual Elda couldn't help herself from being just a mite melodramatic over her mother's absence. There had been no one to play with today and now she was late in going home, where there would be even MORE no one to play with.
Well! She’d just walk home herself to save Mama the trouble, good riddance!
Huffing and stomping a foot (despite there being no one around to see her righteous fury!), Elda stuffed a spare few crackers into the little daisy clutch Banyan had gotten her and stormed outside in a way she imagined was wonderfully dramatic (though it only succeeded in being loud, what with banging doors and the like). Elda had yet to nail dramaticism correctly.Youhei was about halfway up the tree when the door slammed, distracting the monstrous creature long enough to slide back down. Cobalt was also alerted by the loud slam, and he looked back, wondering who was leaving. His answer arrived shortly, and a great crocodile grin came to his face as he saw the little pink youngster emerge onto the HQ walkway, forgetting about Youhei as he turned to call out to her.
"Hello Elda!" he said, tail lashing at the ground behind his feet. "What are you up to?" he asked, and drew nearer. The xenomorph absolutely adored the little pink youngster, and it seemed that it had been a while since he'd seen her. A brief feeling of disappointment crossed him over the fact that she'd been inside, and he hadn't been aware. So much time wasted. But, not to despair. They were here now...but what was this?
"You look a bit...agitated!" he said as he reached the walkway, placing his hands into his coat pockets. He was still adorned in his pirate gear, though he'd layed his hat and eyepatch on the grass, to avoid having them squashed or shredded. "What's wrong my little pink friend?" he questioned, brows furrowing. Elda had already gone through all the ways one hails a taxi once she was outside - she was a pro, you see, after all the old films she had watched, most of which included Lady Experiencing Unjust Treatment Syndrome, which usually caused said lady to walk out and Angrily Hail a Cab. It was half a minute of standing on the sidewalk with her little, clawed hand thrust into the air before she noticed not many taxis passed by the HQ. In fact, not one car trundled by and none sounded down the road.
She dropped her hand, abashed. It only made the fact that her mother was going to be terribly late all the more obvious. Elda cleared her eyes with a flurry of blinks. Big girls didn't cry. Big girls didn't cry!
The flamingo started forward with a bit of a squawk when her name was called, turning on a little sandled foot to face the voice. She gave a cry of delight, clapping her hands and darting forward, leaving her upset behind-- for the moment. Why, glee was a much nicer feeling anyhow!
"Cobalt, Cobalt!" she chirruped, throwing her arms around the Xenomorph. It was just as difficult to hug a person with their hands in their pockets as it was hugging a person on a moped! "I've been so lonely and Mama was supposed to pick me up, but that was ages and ages ago, so I waited and waited some more, but she still hasn't come so then I decided, I decided all by myself, well! I'm a big girl so I'm gonna take a cab home! But then no cabs came by here, and I don't think they do ever! really, so I decided that I'd walk home! And wouldn't Mama be shamed an' surprised! She'd say, 'Well, I'm sorry, baby! How terrible I've been!' and I'd say 'It's okay, Mama!' and then the end!"
Elda took a deep breath, "So I'm walking home!"Cobalt had to watch this little display, and could not help but be horrifically amused by it. There she was, standing by that desolate road to try and hail the taxi that was never going to come. It was adorable and sad all at once, and when she ran over to hug him, he pulled his hands from his pockets and set them down onto her shoulders instead, giving them what he hoped was a gentle, comforting squeeze.
He blinked a little as she explained her tale, taking in every detail of it with fascination, brows furrowing slightly over the fact that her mother was late. Humans, and almost anyone, really, could be that way, and he was glad he didn't have to rely on others to get around. But it didn't seem right at all for the little flamingo to be going home all on her own. Her motives amused him as well. He enjoyed shaming his own human as often as possible too.
"Walking home, huh? What a smart idea. Do you live far?" he asked, tail flicking. By then, Youhei had loped up, plopping to his haunches and peering at the little pink girl who he'd never met before, glancing up at Cobalt every so often to see if the other would come back and play more.Elda clung to Cobalt, holding on as tightly as her wiry arms would allow as if to say 'You stay HERE!' One couldn't blame her for her sudden need for a friend; she had been by herself most of the day, after all. She was suffering from borderline separation anxiety! Without untangling herself from the piratical Hyte, she perched her chin on his side to look up at him. Her shoulders bobbed up in a shrug, wings fluttering, seconding her uncertainty.
"I dunno! Aekea-- is that far away? It doesn't seem like it when I come here, but it seems ages when Mama has to pick me up. I know it's that way!" She sacrificed a single finger from her death grip on Cobalt's coat to point down the street. With an owlish blink, she glanced back up at him curiously, "Are you waiting for your Mama too? Mamas! Honestly, always late~ egads!"
Hearing footsteps (or strange paw falls) and knowing for certain that the either of them were not, in fact, walking, Elda turned to look for the culprit, jumping when she spied Youhei.
"Oh, hallo! Who're you?" she asked brusquely, wings instinctively shrinking against her back. Elda did her best to pretend bravery; it had an awful lot of teeth, didn't it? It looked nothing like her Xiaodan!He left his black claws on her shoulders, allowing her to cling. He felt a bit bad, he hadn't even really realized she had been in there. He'd obviously missed when she had gone it. Frustrating! But no matter...he would make it up to her now. He peered down at her, and reached to poke lightly at one of those feathery pink appendages, overwhelmed by the cuteness of them. She was like a little pink angel.
"Ooh. It's not so far." At her question, he gave a wry grin, and couldn't hold back a chuckle. "No, I am not. I don't really need her to get around." he replied. "Elda, why don't I tag along with you? I'm just so lonely right now, and maybe you could use someone to talk to on your way." he offered, forgetting about Youhei, until the beast stepped up to them.
Youhei gaped his jaws, and let out a series of clicks, sounding almost like a dolphin. Cobalt swatted him, and clicked back with an underlying growl. "This is Youhei. He's going to go back to our home now, but he says hello." Cobalt smirked, and caressed the creature's head before it stood and moved away. A ripple fled through the downy feathers on both wings, though only one was touched, before settling down again, moving like they were two separate, sentient appendages and not Elda's own. She wiggled her nose, mumbling 'that tickles!' while squinting her eyes.
Cobalt's suggestion made the girl gasp with delight-- she hadn't heard such a brilliant idea in a long, long while!
"Oh, oh, oh! Would you really? Mama would be so pleased!" she gushed, practically glowing. "And then you could meet her and Danny and Oswald, but he's a crabby-puss! and you can see my house and my room and I got a new tea set and a record!"
Oh, yes! It all sounded so picturesque in her mind. Her mother wouldn't be at all taken aback by the fact Elda's quasi-babysitter was veritable monster with all sorts of sharp, not-so-child-friendly points! No, in the flamingo's rose-tinted world, it would all work out beautifully and Mama would just LOVE Cobalt! Her tail wiggled with delight.
"Hallo, Youhei~" Elda trilled after giggling thoroughly over her own excitement and the strange clicking display. It sounded like that doggy-trainer thing her mother had tried using on Xiaodan once (an unfruitful display if ever!).
"He can get home by himself?" she asked, dubious. Elda stared at the creature, "What a good boy, then! It was very nice meeting you, puppy~"Cobalt grinned briefly at the reaction. Soft little things. He did love feathers, and gave a soft apology as he withdrew his hand. It was such a joy to have a friend like her who didn't mind getting so close...it wasn't something he admitted often but Cobalt enjoyed contact, a thing that only one person had previously been willing to give him. Forcing it got somewhat old.
"Of course I will, I'd love it if you let me come." he said, grinning. He hadn't wanted to patronize her by insisting that he accompany her, and this little ploy had worked beautifully. She was such a daring little girl anyway, and he didn't want her to come by any possible harm on the journey home. The only other alternative was to convince her to stay, but why destroy that spunky determination she had?
Youhei hissed, and bobbed his head to her, before turning, trotting off, and quickly gaining speed, seeming to know exactly where he was going. He was quite intelligent, and Cobalt could actually communicate with him through series of vocal sounds, and even some body language.
"Yes, he very well can. He is a good boy." Cobalt grinned, hissing softly as he watched his friend vanish down the street. "Well. Shall we start off for your home, then?"She watched until Youhei became but a blip on the horizon, disappearing when the distance finally swallowed him whole. Elda plucked herself from Cobalt's middle and took one of his much larger clawed hands in both of her own, tugging at his arm, fully prepared to be a seeing-eye-flamingo (never mind the fact that he was fully capable of sight himself)!
"Yes, let's!" she said with a bob of a nod as she pulled him down the sidewalk. She relented after a time, finding that skipping was much more fun than trying to drag an already yielding companion... that had the advantage of being much heavier than she anyway. When skipping became a bore, which it soon did, she hugged onto Cobalt's arm instead.
"Have you ever been to Aekea, Cobalt? It's not very pretty, though it has a lot of neat places to play even though Mama doesn't let me. She says it's too dangerous and icky with lots of spills, whatever those are! Doesn't really smell good there either."
Elda frowned, lips pouting. What if Cobalt hated it terribly and dropped her off on the edge of town? She hugged tighter onto his arm.
It wouldn't take long at all for him to be out of sight, and Cobalt grinned as she grabbed his hand, allowing her to, and chuckling softly, holding back for a moment. "No, wait, I have to get something first." he said, and turned to dart across the grass, snatching up his hat and patch, pocketing the latter and plopping the hat onto his head before hurrying back to let her tug him along once again.
He watched her skip about, sauntering alongside her, content to match her pace. He gave a little laugh as she hugged onto him after she grew bored with it, and tilted his head at her question. "I have. It's not a very clean place, to be sure, but it is interesting enough. It's an inudstrial area sort of, I suppose." he mused, rrather liking the area himself. Kami lived northwest of Barton, on a very large, wide open property, and while he'd grown to enjoy the openness, there was still something about a dirty, cramped city that he loved. So many places to hide, to lay traps. "Hugo one of my, um, brothers! He sleeps with lots of air purifiers in his room, but he hasn't been home for a while," she said, trailing off with a crinkle of her nose. Home was lonely for Elda at times; she never had a constant playmate - well, that she could speak to. Hugo was much too old and cranky for playing (and he was never home), Poulain was always off in Durem, and Oswald, the house cat who was fully capable of speaking (much like another certain Cat!), only ever said cruel things to her. Knowing, or at least suspecting Cobalt wasn't going to abandon her like her family unintentionally did, made Elda sigh with relief. She jumped up, accidentally jerking the Xenomorph's shoulder, and apologized with a squeak.
"Industrial-- I like that much better than 'polluted.' Mama calls it a hellhole-- what's that mean, do you know?" Keeping her arms looped around Cobalt's, she fished through her purse for a cracker, which she promptly stuffed into her mouth. There would be crumbs in her clutch, no doubt. She pulled out another and held it up in offering to the older Hyte.
"Where do you live?""It's not a bad idea. Some people just can't take the bad air quality." He said with a little grin. He was sure the level of pollution in that city was akin to smoking cigarette packs, but it didn't bother him any. Cobalt wondered quietly if the girl had ANYONE at all to play with...it certainly didn't seem it. The poor little thing! Someone like her needed a companion to talk with, really. He hated the thought of her feeling loneliness. The jerk on his shoulder snapped him out of the dour thoughts, and he chuckled softly, not minding in the least.
"That means she must not like it very much, because that word isn't a complimentary one." he replied easily, nodding. "Thank you." he said, taking the cracker with his large hand and bringing it up to his mouth to nibble on it in an almost dainty fashion.
"I live with my human in a rather large house northwest of Barton. It's a big property...she keeps a lot of animals. You ought to come visit sometime.""She has pictures from another house, but I dunno what happened to it. It looks much bigger than my house!" Because said house was really an apartment!
Elda tilted her head back to squint up at the sky, which was beginning to look much cloudier than it had this morning. Or maybe it was smog, sometimes she couldn't tell. Aekea usually had a film of smog coiled over it most days unless a good rain remembered the town existed and showed it some mercy. Hopefully it wouldn't start raining on the way home! Elda hummed a few snatches of a song, as if it'd keep the rain at bay.
"Could I really?" Elda stared up at Cobalt, wide-eyed and waiting for another affirmative-- to make sure he hadn't forgotten just in case (because it was possible for a person to forget after saying so!). She grasped his hand and swung it. "What kind of pets? Oh, it'd be so fun! I don't get to go to many people's houses often! I've never been to Clement's or Yorick's even, and I'm awful good friends with them!""Mmmm...I bet she moved before you came along. Have you ever asked her about it?" he asked, curious. He didn't think there were such things as houses in towns like Akea and Durem...it was just too tightly packed. It was all townhouses and apartments all stacked ontop of one another. He noticed her looking up, and cast a glance upwards himself, eyes shimmering at the look of the dark sky. He rather enjoyed it, as he enjoyed most gloomy things.
"Of course you could. It'd be a lot of fun, I'd love to let you meet a few of my...'siblings', too." he grinned wryly. The house was really more like a zoo, but that didn't keep a host of people similar to hytes from living their, including his eccentric human. "Oh, all sorts...horses, cats, some dinosaurs, a few weird birds...if your mother says it's alright, of course." he added on, wondering what she would be like.
It made him worry very vaguely, would the woman be worried? He didn't care a whole lot, because he could certainly keep his cool, but he was also afraid of being barred from being in contact with Elda anymore.Elda shook her head, flip bouncing, "Mm-mm! I've asked Oswald, he's our kitty! but he's never told me much other than lots of naughty things. I know I have other siblings, but I haven't met many of them."
All in all, the flamingo didn't appear too affected by being a sort of only child. She had long since learned that in order to have any fun, you had to make it yourself... if people wanted to join in, well! The more the merrier!
Her brows furrowed, hands pulling away to prop on her hips in disbelief at the mention of dinosaurs. She knew Gaia was capable of many things, but pet dinosaurs? However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, what was a Jabberwock but a bit of dragon and dinosaur and nonsense thrown together? Wonderland was far stranger, for sure, though Gaia did come close.
"I'm sure she will!" she reassured, walking backwards to face the Xenomorph. Her mother was used to the bizarre-- she was bizarre herself, after all! She had yet to see the more hypocritical side of the woman. Alas, poor Elda!
"Hey, Cobalt..." The flamingo trailed off and squinted at her companion, leaning to the side to peer at his tail. She'd obviously thought about the question before (or it's possible answer, rather), but had never chanced to ask. "Are you a dinosaur?" "Naughty things! What a bad cat." Cobalt said with a chuckle. "That's too bad. I'm actually the same way, some members of my human family have just moved far away." he said, grinning. It was fine with him, because the house was crowded enough as it was. He supposed that she had adapted to being alone from her disposition and sunny outlook on things, and it made him grin. It meant they were both good at working with what they had, and he prided himself on doing the same, being versatile.
He laughed as he observed her and her incredulous expression, shrugging a shoulder. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true...she got several of them in the same way we've come about...messing with DNA and all that." he explained, smirking widely. There were plenty of weird things that were possible in gaia, to be sure. He himself was a testament to that.
"Are you now? We'll see soon I suppose." he said, peering down the road they were walking down. He certainly hoped she would understand, but had the feeling that it would be the opposite. Maybe though, she would be interesting and curious like Elda was. That's how Kami was...she delighted in the strange, as well as the dangerous.
"No, I'm not. Actually Elda, I am an alien." he said, grinning down at her wickedly.She beamed up at Cobalt when he mentioned that they were the same (in one sense, anyway, but her mind translated it as Completely the Same). No wonder he was one of her most favorites! Elda had to pat herself on the back for that: she sure knew how to pick friends!
DNA? Elda knew very little of what happened behind the lab doors that had gotten her from there to here, or what sort of gene-spliced cocktail was thrown together to get something that was distinctly her. She had never bothered to ask her mother or any of the other Hytes... or to care, really. It all sounded so boring and academic, like something Clement would like! Still-- her head tilted in a very bird-like fashion (it helped her think much better when her brain went this way!) and just as she was preparing to prompt the Xenomorph on the miracle of babies - for it was a curiosity many children had, surely! - he claimed he was an alien.
Now, call her sheltered-- Wonderland didn't HAVE aliens!
Elda gave him a look she had stolen from her mother - which she thought a fine, lady's-sort-of-face! - though she lacked much of the skepticism Su used to bolster the disbelief she always had at hand. The flamingo's was more of a 'Are you sure?' and 'Oh, how neat!' Giving Cobalt a once-over, Elda scampered around him to collect evidence of his claim, noting the sharp tail and the strange spines she had always thought would have made an excellent sort of jungle-gym. She had always figured him to be something of a Jabberwock really.
She grabbed onto his hand again and with an air that dared he prove her wrong, she asked, "So what's space like then if you’re an alien and all?"The expression that came over Elda's face made him laugh again softly. "Hard to believe, I know. Some have described me as dragon-like so far, or reptillian. All possibilities of course, but all incorrect." he flicked his tail lightly as she circled him, almost to show it off, glancing back at her with a grin.
"Unfortunately, that's a question I cannot rightfully answer." he replied ruefully, though his eyes had a strange look in them. "Though I have never been there I know much of my kind. It is an inborn knowledge...I don't know how it works. They don't really exist in space, persay, but they are definitely not native to Earth, or Gaia, for that matter." he mused wistfully, gazing ahead. She was the first person she had ever told this to, even though Kami was already somewhat aware of the fact. What he hadn't described, however, were the dreams he often had. But that would come later, perhaps, as he didn't want to scare her off so early on. Elda would realize one day that what she felt in that moment was sympathy. Child she may have been, but the yearning in Cobalt's expression had not eluded her; it felt oddly familiar. She often dreamt of Wonderland, of talking flowers and mock-turtles, cheshire smiles and checkerboard lands. And then she would wake up confused, wondering just which had been the dream or if in waking, she had begun dreaming. Her brow wrinkled; she swung Cobalt's hand to reassure him. Maybe even herself.
"Don't be sad," she said, staring up at him. She didn't know what else to call it. "Maybe one day... one day you'll get abducted!"
Elda threw her free hand into the air, "And then they'll say 'Time to probe!' and you can be like 'Hey, guys, it's me!' and then they'll be like 'Well, thought we lost you at the mall! Welcome home!'"
She pouted then, looking put out, "But then you'll tell them that you have to come back after your vacation, 'cause I'd miss you awful lots if you were in space all the time. Promise you'd come back, okay?"
It really was a strange subject for the xenomorph. He sometimes did not know what to think of the dreams, sometimes. At times the atmospheres of said dreams sometimes contrasted one another greatly, and it confused him greatly. He grinned toothily, and closed his hand gently around hers as she swung it, hissing. Her words, however, were what really made him smile, and eventually burst out laughing in sheer amusement and affection at her attempt to cheer him up.
"Yes...yes, perhaps they will. Wouldn't that be something?" he said with a chuckle, giving her much smaller hand a tiny squeeze. "Oh yes, of course I'd return...I can't imagine how boring things would be without my friends around." Especially her, he meant to say, but he didn't want it to sound weird. Truth was she was the best thing to happen in some time. He didn't know anyone else who liked to mess around like she did, or dress up, or make water balloons.Had it not been so overcast, the sun would have found a main contender in Elda; how she glowed at the sound of Cobalt's laugh! The flamingo hugged his arm, her little bow lips curled up into the happiest smile she had worn yet.
"Good!" she quipped when she managed to find her voice and speak around her joy. It was all she said for a good, long spell (for she suddenly forgot speech altogether it seemed!), falling into humming Over the Rainbow as they continued their trek to Aekea.
It wasn't long until the scenic route to Aekea began to deteriorate, the horizon dotted by the silhouettes of tall buildings that stood against the sky like broken, metal teeth. The drone of factory life spilled west of the town, sounding like the tired voices of arguing parents, tones low to keep the children from hearing. Smog stretched low through the air. Even for all of the ugly peculiarities of Aekea, Elda visibly brightened, especially when a wide, wooden bridge broke the ground and rose up from the dirt path. The city limits were practically a stone’s throw away.
“Almost home!” she trilled. With a flutter of her baby wings, Elda pulled from Cobalt and ran as fast as her little legs would allow, footfalls sounding a hollow, wooden ‘tup, tup!’ as she ascended the bridge.
“Race you to Aekea~” she called over her shoulder with a mischievous little laugh.He drew a similar pleasure from seeing his young friend smile, grinning sharply and enjoying her clinginess. He didn't know what he'd do if he were forced to be away from her or most of the other hytes, and it was a promise he thought would be easy to keep. They'd never come anyway...real xenomorphs were far too stupid to use space craft.
He fell into a quiet as well, content to simply walk with her, and listen to her sweet little song and enjoy the ever-darkening scenery as they made their way to Aekea. He blinked a littlke when she suddenly pulled away, watching her race off and starting to speed up a bit himself.
"Hey!" he laughed wickedly as she declared a race, taking off after her. "Little sneak, giving yourself a head start!" he called, working to catch up.Elda pumped her short legs as hard as she could, wings flapping in a fruitless attempt to offer her more leverage. Alas! they did nothing but hinder really, and it didn't help that she was not only little, but a little girl. How unfair! It wouldn't be long before Cobalt caught up with her!
She raced past hardware store windows and appliance repair shops, darting past men standing beneath their awnings, watching for the rain or smoking on break. Elda wind milled her arms several times through clouds of cigarette smoke and tapped ash, still laughing. Oh, but it made her ache to laugh! As her energy waned - despite being as energetic as she was, her tiny lungs could only take so much! - her legs slowed and trembled like shaken jell-o. Elda eventually skid to a stop at the end of the block (mostly because a big, red blinking hand told her to, the fiend!), and holding her breath for a moment, she held out her arms, flapping as though she were an air pump and gasped loudly to gather all of her breath again.
The flamingo wheezed against the air, coughed. The sky spit a drop or two, now three, four-- drops of water against her cheeks which she wiped away with a slap of her hand.
"Uh-oh...."Cobalt chuckled, and suddenly began to slow a little, staying a short distance behind her, having to laugh himself at the cute display of her fluttering wings. If only they were large enough to enable flight, then she truly would be able to outrun him. Or outfly, rather.
He followed after her, glancing about the area in order to memorize the way so that he might find his way again alone, should he be invited back again. His tail lashed behind him as he jogged after her, his eyes settling on her again as he ignored the various people on the street and keeping an eye on the little flamingo.
"Oooh, you're just too fast for me!" he said as he finally caught up, panting a little, but not winded. He prided himself on keeping in shape, but it amused him to 'let her win', so to say. "You alright?" he asked as she coughed, patting her back, before the sight of droplets on the sidewalk caused him to shift his gaze upwards.
"Uh oh...looks like we might not beat the rain." he observed, and looked ahead, waiting for the walk signal to turn on. Damn Aekea and its busy traffic!"Uh huh!" was all Cobalt would manage to pat out of Elda as she caught her second wind. Her wings trembled briefly, tail wiggling to shake off the scarce raindrops that had fallen on it. "I thought you were s'posed to be fast!" She giggled, hands clapping, thoroughly enjoying her triumph.
Even tired, Elda never ceased to move, rocking forward and back on her feet as she waited patiently for the light to change. The sprinkling increased in a brief curtain, spattering across the street and darkening the asphalt; it drew the scent of wet pavement from the cement. Elda would have leaned down to sniff at the sidewalk except the darn hand flashed walk, and grabbing Cobalt's hand - which she drew over her head, pretending it was big enough to be an umbrella - the flamingo marched across the street.
She stopped a moment in the middle of the crosswalk to wave at the transport truck that had stopped just at the line. Then, between hops and skips, she continued on.
"We can beat it before it gets us awfully wet!" she reassured Cobalt. "We're really close-- see! That's the building~ Mama likes living closer to the edge of town... she says it's a better escape route. Mama's funny!"
Elda pointed across the way, where the hubbub of the edge of town thinned out the farther in they went. A large, gray - and, honestly, dismal - building stood up against the gloom of Aekea. If any phrase could describe it, it was 'square, cement block.' One had to wonder if it was worth living in or only suited to be condemned. Or at least reissued as a prison."I thought so too! Must be those wings of yours, you were practically flying." he said with an amused chuckle. He glared at the sky a bit, really hoping it would hold off till they reached the apartment. It wouldn't be great if she were soaked. At least the air wasn't cold...just one of those weird summer thunderstorms that blew through sometimes. He was glad when the light finally changed, and smirked widely as Elda grabbed his hand, spreading his long fingers before ruffling her hair softly.
He stopped, blinked, and wave with his free hand as well, before stepping quickly after his friend. "I hope so. Looks like it's gonna come down any moment now." he said with a grin, smoothing a hand back over his head, looking in the direction she was pointing. He winced as a drop plopped onto his forehead, and he squinted at the horribly plain looking building. Typical, for a place in Aekea, and he merely hoped that the inside would be a little bit better. Looks were deceiving, afterall. "It makes sense. You never know what might happen...it's good to be prepared." he said with a chuckle.
He hissed softly as he was hit with another fat drop, and slipped his coat off, extending his arm to sort of drape it over the kid. It was a pirate coat after all, and it was meant to withstand the weather!Oh, Elda only wished she could fly again. She dreamt about that too, but kept her lips sealed tight about those dreams-- not even her mother knew about them. She had long since convinced herself that her feet belonged on the ground and though she yearned to fly, it was a privilege she had grown out of. There was no use wishing for something she couldn't have anymore. At least she had her feet to dance, it was the closest thing a person could get to flying these days! She nodded resolutely and waved her nostalgia away, but it was felt in her wings, which stretched to their fullest extent before withdrawing against her back with a tremble.
The little flamingo obediently huddled underneath the jacket as rain began to fall with a bit more fervor, thin veils of rain falling across their path. She held onto Cobalt's pant leg and quickened her pace, peeping out from beneath the jacket - only to be nettled in the eye by a dastardly raindrop! - as they neared the small stoop in front of the nondescript building.
"Prepared for what, though?" Elda finally asked, not quite understanding an adult's worry (or in her mother's case, paranoia). She hopped up the steps ahead of Cobalt to punch in numbers on the keypad fixed beside the door. A buzzer sounded like a wheeze above them, and just as it gave them the go-ahead, lock on the door popping, a peal of thunder broke across the sky. Elda yelped, jumping, and pulled the heavy metal door open for the Xenomorph to go ahead.
"Hurry, hurry~" Cobalt hadn't really realized what she had lost after growing, though it was very obvious. He hadn't lost much when he had grown out of his baby phase, he had seen it as gaining the lovely ability to talk, as well as the fact that he was a bit less horrible to look at. He wondered for a short moment if those little wings would ever be big enough to carry her in flight again, wathcing them stretch out, and fold back. They would need to be incredibly large to carry her weight, dainty though she was.
He held the garment over her diligently, wincing again as another soft curtain hit them, actually finding it slightly refreshing. Unfortunately, in this city it was more than likely a nice shower of acid rain. All the more reason to get inside, before they were soaked with smog soup. He hopped up the stoop behind her, trying to escape the wet in the doorward, hovering behind her.
"Well, I'm not sure! Anything I suppose!" he said, and hurried in after she'd unlocked the door, reaching out to keep the door open for her so she could get in as well. He did not jump at the sound of the thunder, but his gaze did jerk up, a soft hiss escaping him as he saw a soft flash of light up in the clouds. He did adore storms, but now was not the time to observe. Once they were both inside, he pulled his coat back on, and glanced about, setting a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? Just a little thunder." he smirked."Thank you~ "
Elda stomped her feet against the stained linoleum, glad that there hadn't been any puddles to splash through; rain was nice, Aekea-rain was not. At least it was dry inside, if not incredibly airy-- and thank goodness for waterproof feathers! Her little tail wiggled drops of water away. Thunder grumbled its discontent outside and the lights illuminating the foyer of the building flickered in response. Elda stared up at them.
"I'm not scared!" she said, turning a very pronounced frown on Cobalt. She stuck her nose in the air with a pout, pushed his reassuring hand away. "I'm not scared of anything!"
Said the little girl that had not let go of the hand she had meant to brush off. Elda hugged onto his security blanket of an arm again, tugging him towards the elevator.
"We're on the last floor! There are only six floors, but there are seven buttons. The landlord says it's haunted here! See? I live in a haunted house. I'm not ever scared!"
She punched the elevator button until the stainless steel door slid open with a hiss that made her giggle and quip ‘sounds like you~ .’ Elda scampered into the box and proceeded to do the same button-punch procedure for the seventh floor-- it would only take them to the sixth, but it was still fun to do.Cobalt hissed softly as he continued to look about, drawing a hand through his hair again. Slightly damp on the surface, but not soaked, thankfully. The soft rumble of the thunder caused him to glance upward again, and he grinned lightly. It was a sound that always got a little adrenaline going for him.
"Oh, of course not. It can be startling though." he said, trying to save himself. Of course she was fearless...it would take more than a little thunder to send her running, he bet. He let himself be tugged, once again, and tilted his head as he looked down at her. "Wow, the very last one?" he asked, observing the buttons curiously.
"Have you seen any ghosts?" he asked qith a grin, intrigued by the extra button, flicking his tail as he stepped in next to her. "Kami is very afraid of ghosts sometimes. Human are such superstitious creatures sometimes, but in this place, I would not doubt their existance..." Elda hopped when the elevator jerked upwards, a ritual conducted every time she entered it. She sobered up right quick at the mention of ghosts though, and it took her all to keep herself composed-- it wouldn't do to look afraid, no sir! Looking scared was... for, well, scaredy cats! …And she was a flamingo!
"That's silly! Ghosts aren't real!" she chastised, scuffing her feet against the floor. She felt awful guilty for calling another's fear silly, especially when that other person was Cobalt's mama-- someone she had never even met. She played with the Xenomorph's fingers shyly, "'Kay, I lied. Ghosts are scary-- but only a little, okay! I never saw one. Mama gave me a nightlight, she says they scare them away 'cause they only like the dark. Don't tell anyone I said that though!"
The numbers climbed above the door, lighting up as floors slid by. The sixth light flickered and with a ding, the doors whispered open, admitting them into a damp smelling corridor. The carpet was flat, a wine red speckled with blue freckles and the walls a neutral crème (that looked in dire need of a repainting). Elda stepped out of the elevator, urging Cobalt with a tug.
"Look, look! Is it going up or down?"
Stepping back once he had exited, the doors shut again, the floor humming beneath their feet as it disappeared. Suddenly the seventh number just above the door lit up. Elda grinned up at Cobalt and waggled her eyebrows the way her mother was prone to do when she thought something was cool; only Elda's eyebrow waggle was accompanied by a tail waggle.
Soon she was pulling the Xenomorph down the hall, trying to march but succeeding only in hop-skipping because of her excitement. Oh, Mama was going to be so happy to see that she had gotten home almost by herself! Her tiny wings fluttered as she fished the door key from her clutch (holding it in the air for a moment, triumphant); she had felt so grown up when her Mama had given it to her!
After successfully opening the door, she shoved it open with a 'bang!' and a 'tadaaa!'
She was promptly tackled by a wiggling mass of reddish-orange fur by the name of Xiaodan.Cobalt leaned against the side, smirking at her little hop, placid and unphased by the jerk as he glanced up to watch the numbers. Elevators used to freak him out when he was a kid, and Kami had hated taking him anywhere near them (which thankfully wasn't often at all).
"Oh?" Cobalt grinned toothily at the speedy dismissal of his question. He had never really seen one before, so he couldn't say himself. Plenty of people seemed to believe in stuff like that, spirits too, so he could only assume that someone, somehwere, had seen them before! "I've never seen one either. But I don't think Kami has either. What if they aren't scary at all?" he pondered out loud, before brightening slightly at the mention of a nightlight. "Ooh, I have a nightlight too. Wait till you see it, I bet you'll love it...and don't worry, Elda. I won't tell a soul."
Tugged, he stepped out after her, once again peering about curiously. It was rather dull of course, so he
wasn't doing that for long, his attention quickly drawn to the elevator again as Elda questioned him.
Watching, it caused his eyes to widen, and he was immediately intrigued. "How very eerie. You've never tried staying inside of it before?" he asked, grinning wildly as a little shiver went through him. It was deliciously mysterious, and of course he couldn't help but laugh again at her waggling.
He was still peering at the doors as she tugged him away, and he pried his interest in them away for the moment. "Do you suppose your mother will be home already?" he asked, watching with a grin as she dug out, and presented her house key before jamming it in the lock. "I really hope she won't be cross if she went to HQ and found you missing." he said, jumped back as the colorful creature pounced. "Oh my, I see you have an odd pet too!" he said, peering down to get a better look.Elda wrestled with Xiaodan's weight, pulling and tugging at her hair until the wiggling creature slid off. The foo dog wasn't very big at all, but she was a lot denser than a lot of people ever assumed. Intruders would never suspect a small mass of Chinese dancer! She snuffled the flamingo's cheeks, licking here and there, her brushfire-tail knocking Elda's knees.
"Daaanny!" Elda complained, rubbing her face and shoving her palm against Xiaodan's upturned nose. The foo dog leapt back, bowing with a shake of her head. She dropped the stance with a perk of her pigtail ears and would have rounded on Cobalt had Elda not twisted her hand against the dog's scruff and dragged her (rather roughly, at that!) into the apartment.
"Mama's definitely not home else Danny woulda never done that! Her real name's Xiaodan, Banyan's mama gave her to my mama when I was just a soup tube! Maybe even before that~" she explained proudly. She fumbled for the lights in the foyer, flicking them on. 'Industrial' ended where her home began.
There was a contained disorganization to Su's home: mismatched frames of all sizes lined the coffee-stain yellow walls of the main hallway, floor rugs had been rolled across the warm hardwood floors with no method whatsoever. It was cozy, messy, homey. Elda kicked off her shoes next to the tall, wooden hall console and scooted her clutch on top of it. She paused, mouth pouted. Xiaodan minced her way towards Cobalt playfully, tail held low and ears positioned with shy friendliness.
"I've given it lots of thought, Mr. Cobalt!" Elda declared, thinking back to the elevator and expecting him to follow her wayward train of thought (despite the fact she had never answered in the first place, only pulled faces at the Xenomorph). "But what if it goes up and never comes down and I'm stuck on the seventh floor forever and ever, amen! I'd go by myself, you know, but I gotta show you the house!"
"Show who the house? My goodness, what have you brought in-- a stray?" The smoke-swirled form of a large cat rubbed against the molding as it slid into the foyer. Xiaodan's tail fled between her legs.Cobalt grinned as he observed the asian-themed canine, rather adoring her brilliantly colored fur. This was exactly the sort of creature Kami might like, he mused to himself, bending down to steal a touch down it's neck as it busied itself with showering Elda with affection. It really was cute, he thought, just like the little dancing dragons you saw on Chinese new year (from what he'd seen in pictures and on television, anyway).
He watched with a grin as she dragged the little beast back into the apartment, looking about as he followed her in, and smiling at what he saw. He liked the feel of it, the messy warmth, and it almost reminded him of his own mother's house. It matched his expectations; Elda's mother sounded rather eccentric, and he hadn't exactly been expecting a sterile, spotless living space. He would have followed Elda's example had he been wearing any shoes, and merely wiped his feet very well on the welcome mat before setting foot on the rug in the entryway.
"Xiaodan, mm? What a charming little thing she is." he almost cooed, and smirked a little. He assumed that Danny was almost what Youhei was to him, a very dear pet and friend. As she drifted over he held out one of his hands to her, making slow, deliberate movements, not wishing to startle the unfamiliar creature.
"That's a very good point, Elda. And a rather frightening thought. If you ever decided to go, I would definitely come with you." He looked up, and chuckled, his tail giving a flick. "Or at least follow you up afterwards, if you wanted to be sneaky about it." he added on, before his attention was drawn to the entrance of a rather snarky-sounding feline."Then we should do it! But still, you gotta meet Mama first, so we can't now -- just in case we disappear! Mama'd know what to do if we did, you know."
Xiaodan's tail gave a tentative wag when she heard her name sound in Cobalt's voice, and traipsed over with a dancer's step. Elda was comfortable in his presence, it seemed, and so she should be as well! However, when Oswald came in -- practically purring at that! -- the foo dog's step became harried, bolting to the Xenomorph's side.
"Be nice, Cat!" Elda reprimanded, curling her nose. She waggled her finger at the winged feline, who regarded her with a bored, jeweled gaze. In truth, the flamingo had always been a bit wary of the cat-- he seemed only to enjoy Mama's presence, came and went as he pleased. She had never really been allowed to pet him, which suited her just fine; the curled, black claws protruding from his dainty paws, thin as they were, were formidable enough. He stared at her for an unblinking minute before his gaze shifted to Cobalt.
"Your mother will be most displeased with a monster in her house, child," he purred, though his mouth never moved. He sat at the entry to Sukku's 'room,' tail curling around his paws. "Her daughters have a penchant for beasts, don't they? You'd think she'd become accustomed to it by now."
Elda's little mouth pursed and rolled her eyes (in a way she thought very grown up!), but said nothing. What if Mama DIDN'T like Cobalt? She... did have an icky temper when she wanted to (she had heard her argue with Hugo sometimes, not pretty!). Chewing on her inner cheek, she shrugged.
"C'mon, Cobalt! You should see my room! It's the best!" She grabbed the Xenomorph's arm and tugged at it, looking thoroughly distracted. Xiaodan wiggled out from between them and loped down the hall, knowing exactly where to go."Oh, of course. Mothers always know what to do in those kinds of situations." he said with a sage nod, still a tiny bit apprehensive about meeting the woman. Part of him knew that no matter how tolerant she might be, she was going to disapprove in some shape or form. He was, afterall, a great big thing trying to hang out with a charismatic pink youngster.
The alien blinked as the colorful thing rushed over to him, and he brushed a consoling claw through her festively colored fur. He almost inquired what the matter was, when he turned his eyes to see the cat saunter in. Cats certainly seemed to have a way with bossing dogs around. His head tilted as he watched Elda scold him, even though the feline had not yet uttered a word. He wasn't surprised when it replied, though, since talking animals were a most common sight in Gaia.
"A monster, me!? How could you even come to such a conclusion!" Cobalt smirked a fangy smirk, and laughed jokingly. "What an unhospitable little creature you are, but I suppose it's somewhat true." the alien mused, continuing to scritch Xiaodan as he observed Elda's dimunitive housemate. He didn't particularly like cats. Too judgemental, and always leaving their fur on your clothes.
Feeling the tug on his arm, he allowed her to lead him away, snickering softly. "Yes, show me, I bet it is! Is it pink, like you?" he asked, turning his head, eager to see, now that she had mentioned it.
Oswald stretched, turning away from the duo with a flick of his tail and disappearing into the clutter of the living room, “Do be careful, child. Your mother has a great dislike for those so like herself.”
The hall was like the foyer, walls speckled with more mismatched frames set to look like winding paths into the apartment. Elda flicked the lights on as she went, a peal of thunder sounding over head. Her tiny hand squeezed Cobalt’s in a moment of fright, but the little girl played it off like she was reassuring her tall friend.
“You’re not a monster, Cobalt! I hope you didn’t listen to that mean puss,” she said. She motioned here and there with her free hand, “The kitchen is over there. Hugo almost burned it down once, Mama said, that’s how bad he is at cooking. Mama sleeps in the living room on the couch—it turns into a bed! She just bought another one of the apartments just next door, she told me, and she’s gonna knock out the walls for a big tank. She didn’t tell me what for, though! I hope for fishes. Fishes are delicious!”
The little flamingo babbled genially, casting the Xenomorph a mischievous smile upon hearing his question, “Maybe!”
Xiaodan loped over to a door fitted with a starlet’s dressing room star, Elda’s name in loopy print across its glittery face. Its TOO glittery face. She had made it herself, clearly. The flamingo stopped and spun around, holding her arms out across the doorway.
“What you’re about to see…” she began ominously, brows furrowed with childish seriousness. “…no other person – well, except Mama! but that doesn’t count! – has seen before. Behold!”
Elda shoved the door to her room open, Danny wiggling in before her, “My room!”
The flamingo’s room was a little girl’s dream and every mother’s nightmare. A wooden canopy bed with a white canopy sat against the wall to the left, a wall that was painted with vertical purple and peridot stripes. The far wall, where a black bookcase sat, was a dark violet, plastic glow-in-the-dark stars sticking around the window and its drawn curtains; the wall across from that, a bright, vivid green. There was a tiny tea-table stacked with books (Peter Pan, a worn volume of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and – bizarrely enough – a pop-up book of Alice in Wonderland), records, and a mismatched tea set. The only wall that didn’t match was the one where her white-washed wardrobe sat. That wall was as pink as the feathers on her little wings, a thin black stripe running horizontally across, off-center. The room was small, cluttered with stuffed animals (the one on her bedspread a giant, bauble-eyed tarantula) and dolls, and the bed looked a little rumpled….
But Elda didn’t mind—she beamed proudly into the warzone of her room, “Tada~”
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:27 pm
Quote: In the meantime, a letter comes flying back for the flamingo as well, though annoyingly crumpled and completely open. And there it is, from MD/H, who says: " Dear Elda,
Your poem was apparently amusing; Time says he particularly liked the last line but I'm not sure he meant the last one or the last last one. In any case you're not the right shape for malleting anymore so don't worry about that - and I do not like the last last line of your poem, by the way, you can certainly iosfkdajl ank sji your haughty ways!
Signed,
Mad D/Hatter." No matter how one looks at that particular sentence of his note, one just can't figure out what it says due to his garbled handwriting. But in a fashion, Elda is off the hook.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:54 pm
Medical Department of HyTech Dear Yorick, It has come to our attention that you are growing direly out of your stitches. It seems that your neck has been healing nicely and in our estimation, it is time to remove the stitches for complete recovery. Don't worry, it'll be fun! Be sure to show up at the lab on the 2nd storey when we call for you. PS: You can bring some others for moral support, if you'd like. Regards, Ur Doctur.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:34 pm
yorick['s stitches] come undone.
status: complete, started 11.3o.o9 "It'd been easy for him to sleep. He even got out of his bed of pillows and piled blankets with a smile. It wasn't until his fire-laden eyes found the note he'd taped to his door that his mirth drooped and his shoulders tensed."
[click for more!]
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