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 Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:29 am
Weirdly, this seemed to calm her down. Even if she couldn't be Virgo anymore, at least everyone was looking out for the Princess. Could Andeon cook? Would they let her visit the Princess up in the tower? Probably not, since she wasn't a member of the Guard anymore so the Princess probably wouldn't want to see her, ever. All of her friends probably wouldn't like her anymore now that they didn't have to like her. It was very clear that no one would like her because the second she went away they all voted to not let her be one of them anymore.
"Why is my little girl crying," asked someone beside Sue; Elke directed her gaze upwards and then smiled a little. Spoiler: It was her dad.
"Hi Papa," said Elke. "This is Sue. He's one of my friends!"
Edmund Arma was intimidating; an ex-marine, and he looked it. His clothes now didn't suggest that he'd once been in the military, but there was something about his eyes that suggested he'd seen something like this before. "All right," he said, giving Sue a look that meant time's up and you're in my chair. "It's good to meet you, Sue." He paused while he took Elke's hand; seriously, the man was a beast, how did Elke turn out so tiny? "Though I wish it had been under better circumstances. Elke, Grandma will be by to visit you tonight, she says she brought your quilt."
"Papa, you need to tell Sue how to keep spiky turtles away from Princesses," she said, evidently still stuck on that line of conversation.
He looked to Sue with raised eyebrows. "Spiky turtles?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:00 pm
Maybe it was something about the way the man held himself. Or that look he gave Sue. Something in the way he was dressed, or the way he moved. Or maybe it was just a simple matter of decency. Whatever it was, the second that Sue noticed him in the room, he found himself sitting a little straighter - and the moment that Edmund made so much as a gesture that he might want to sit, Sue had rocketed to his feet and stood aside, stiff-backed, a little bit like a recruit on the first day of boot camp.
He didn't help the image much when he replied to Edmund's greeting with a gruff little "You too, sir," either.
Fortunately, once it was clear that Edmund's attention was primarily on his daughter, Sue was able to relax - marginally. Very marginally. Especially marginal when the conversation came back to spiky turtles, and he was suddenly put back on stage.
"Well, sir, you see...." How was he going to play this? How could he play this down without it encouraging Elke to start talking about subjects that she really shouldn't be talking about while on drugs? "... We were just talking."
Rest easy, citizens! Smooth-talking Sue was on the scene, doing damage control like a pro.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:02 pm
Edmund took the chair, moved it around a bit before finally sitting. "Yeah?"
"Il dit qu'il va enfermer un de mes amis, dans une grande tour! Et ne laissez dehors jamais elle jamais, ainsi elle n'obtient pas le mal comme moi," said Elke seriously. Her eyes seemed a little out of focus, and her father's expression softened a little. He shook his head a little, a tight smile around his lips. "C'est vrai, Papa!"
Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at Sue. "I think Elke is going to take a nap," said Edmund. (Elke sighed. Loudly. Annoyedly, because seriously, she wasn't tired! Dizzy, yes! Not tired!) "Perhaps you should come back later, Sue?" Elke stared at the two men and then huffed, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. The intimidating effect was somewhat lost when she squeaked and tried to curl around her stomach. Edmund watched, wincing, and then he asked, "And what did we learn?"
Elke whimpered. "I'm sleepy?"
Edmund nodded and patted her on the head, leaned over to kiss her cheek.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:43 pm
Sue'd tried studying languages before, of course; but it was difficult to really care. Why should he have to learn ten different ways to talk to people, when he already knew how to speak to cats? And French was the worst, most nonsensical language he could imagine! So when Elke went off in her little foreign-language tirade, Sue obviously didn't understand. Not only that, but his eyes seemed to cross a little, as though he were literally watching the words as they blew right past him.
"Later... yeah. Of course, sir, I'll leave," Sue agreed, sounding perhaps a touch relieved for the excuse. He'd done his part today; visited the injured Zodiac, found out what had put her there, offered comfort... well, uhm. If there was anything comforting about Sue being his usual, mercilessly mean self, anyway. Leaning in the direction of the door, he told Elke - "I'll make sure to tell the others to visit, too. And I'll check in on Serenade while I'm at it. Get better soon, Elke." He couldn't quite keep that last bit from sounding like an order, rather than good wishes, but it didn't matter. The Zodiac Cat was already on his way out the door, leaving whatever odd impression of himself that he'd created behind.
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