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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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 Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:03 pm
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:04 pm
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:06 pm
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:07 pm
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:09 pm
Streetschooling: Homeschooling for the Homeless
"I'm serious, Damien, I don't think this is a good idea." Cat struggled half-heartedly as the small spawn who frequently showed up at his doorstep gently tugged him towards the ramshackle apartment he called home. It had only been by the grace of God that Cat hadn't had to meet up with Fifth again, considering how many times he dropped the child off, and he had hoped to never have to. Unfortunately for him, that didn't seem like it would work. Cat's heart stuck stubbornly in his throat. He couldn't bear to imagine the awkwardness.
However, for once [of course!], Damien wasn't letting up. His tail swung slowly back and forth, a sure sign that he was beginning to get agitated, and he turned to face Cat with wide eyes. "But, p-peese, Cat? I dun fink I could get Gabby to come all da way t' your house wifout lyin' to 'im, 'nd dat's bad t' do." He nodded firmly, as if that was the end of the discussion, and began tugging again. Cat sighed and let himself be led off, although his nervousness didn't abate in the slightest. He couldn't see this ending well...
As he was pulled throughout the overpopulated apartment, Cat was thrilled that no one seemed to recognize him. He did wince, however, when Damien led him to his 'room' and called out "Gabby! Look, I bwought a teechee home! He's g'nna teech us t' read 'n' fings, 'cause he said it weren't no pwoblem 'n' it's imp-impertant fer us - wull, reely you - t' read 'n' fings!"
Gabriel was busy. That much was for certain, his patience in full-swing as he studied his instructor's hands and cards carefully, looking for the sleight where he changed things up, tail flicking around behind him. Once again, however, he'd been duped, his normally-calm exterior marred by a soft snarl. He didn't enjoy being bested, even if it was by someone who knew the streets -and the cards- much better than he did. And, y'know, who'd been around much longer than he had.
A deep laugh fell from the happy leopard's throat and he smiled at the boy, stepping around to the other side of their little makeshift table. Moving behind the small hybrid, he took those green-tipped hands in his own, moving them with the cards as he revealed and explained his trick, a soft purr rumbling forth from his throat. When the door opened suddenly, the elder one jumped up, instinctively growling before he caught sight of who it was, sighing softly.
"Well, I s'pose we'll be continuin' this lesson another day then," the large cat said as he gathered his cards in furred hands, only for Gabriel to grab hold of them with a pout.
"Nuh-uh, ithokay!! I din' invite 'em ennywayth!!" he stated unhappily toward Damien and Cat, both his wings and his ears flattening against his head, a slight glare to his red eyes. "I dun' wan'na learn t'read, Damien. You should'a athked me before jutht guething that I would wan'na jutht 'cauthe you do. I wath havin' fun learnin' how t'do cardy thingth. Go learn to read yourthelf."
Cat was surprised by the sudden outburst from Damien's brother, but even more surprised when Damien bowed his head in shame. The hippogriff watched with mixed feelings as the Humility spawn bowed his head low, practically trembling with shame. Damien apologized to the floor. "S-S-Sowwy, Gabby... I-I fought you'd w-wike to learn 't... I'll just weave you 'n' 'im awone, 'nd- 'nd I'll try notta be a stoopid dumb selfy-face no mowe." After sharply swatting away Cat's attempt at a reassuring hand, Damien marched back out of the apartment, convinced that he was just being an annoyance to his brother. Cat followed hesitantly, wondering if he should speak to Fifth about how close that leopard was getting to his son...
- - -
"Q R S, T U V, dub-ya X wai'n'zee," Damien recited dully, looking at the ground with his arms behind his back. Throughout his solo lesson, the boy had been the model of quiet studiousness, working steadily through every task Cat set to him. However, the more he succeeded, the angrier he seemed to become at his own success, his tail thrashing more and more. He didn't think that it was right that he was getting these things so easily. He was supposed to be stupid! It was made even more confusing by the fact that this probably meant he was going to be better at this than Gabriel, which was a big no-no, but at the same time, Gabriel didn't want to learn how, so it was probably just stupid to him, so would it matter...? GAH! He put his head in his hands. All this confusion was making his head hurt.
It certainly didn't help when Cat, thinking that Damien thought he wasn't doing well enough, patted him on the back and smiled gently. "Wow, that was really good, Damien. You're a really fast learn-"
He was cut off as Damien, once again, smacked Cat's hand away, this time not bothering to move his claws out of the way. Cat drew his hand back and hissed in pain, watching as Damien bared his teeth at him. "NUH-UH! Damien's no good at NUFIN'! Least, nufin' impertant, so shuddup." With that, the spawn rose huffily and marched towards the couch, which he promptly curled up on. Cat wisely decided to leave the conversation at that, although he resolved to contact Fifth soon about putting Damien into school. It would be a great shame to let a mind like that rot away in the city's underbelly, even if Damien himself wouldn't - couldn't - see it that way.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:10 pm
Cauterization: Fixing Self-harmers Since... Now?
Fifth was occupied having fun with Gabriel for once by the time Damien returned from Cat's house the day following the attempted lesson. Of course, Fifth didn't know that was where he had been, but he could guess. He just wasn't going to bring it up or deal with it because Cat remained one of the people in this world that Fifth Avenue couldn't even stand to think about.
"Daminen!!" Gabriel exclaimed when the door was opened to reveal his twin brother, wriggling around on top of his dad's shoulders, who chuckled softly and let the boy down, at which point he promptly latched himself onto Damien, tears already staining his tan face. "I'm tho, tho, THO thorry that I wath tho mean the other day!!"
Of course, given the fact that he'd injured Cat, Damien still wasn't feeling very good about himself when he was returned home. Therefore, he was in no mood to be hugged or, heaven forbid, apologized to (not like that wasn't normal, but still)! With a slight snarl, he batted away Gabriel's embrace, unable to keep from taking out his frustrations on his over-enthusiastic brother. "Stoopid! No sowwies fer me, I shood be sayin' sowwy t' you! I was bein' th' dumb one, so I should sowwy!"
Another snarl came through bared teeth as he realized how rude he was being, especially when Gabby was trying to be so nice. Without thinking, the claws came out, and another deep gash was added onto the multitude already present. Damien then made to go to his room, his fists in his hair. Why was he so... so... AUGH.
Gabriel's eyes got wide when his brother lashed out at him, squeaking and falling to the floor, tearing up even further as he crawled over to his father, clinging tightly to Fifth's leg and burying his head against the man's fluff, sobbing loudly [as he was prone to do]. Fifth, unfortunately, was distracted by Damien instead, particularly a certain habit that the humility boy had developed as of recently. A slight glare to his features, he reached out and grabbed Damien by the collar, tugging him back effortlessly.
"Damien, I have to tell you something. This whole self-harming business does NOT fly with me," he said easily, pointing with a taloned finger at one of the scars on Damien's arm. "And considering that you've already gotten away with it for such a long time, and seem to have done quite a number on yourself this time, it's about time for me to at least make sure that they're going to heal properly. Come. Sit." He led his son to a chair, not even paying attention to Gabriel as the light toddler was simply dragged along by one of Fifth's paws.
Damien winced at the sound of Gabriel's screeching, and was mildly surprised that Fifth, or anyone, didn't immediately try to soothe him. Normally the residents of the apartment were willing to do anything to get him to calm down when he got... shrill. This surprise was enough to make him stop walking, which gave Fifth the opportunity to nab him. The spawn scooted backwards with a squeak, and turned to face his guardian sullenly.
His head tipped gently to the side as Fifth spoke, and his brow furrowed in confusion. Damien was unable to understand why anyone would be upset about him hurting himself; it was the best way for him to pay for the bad things that he always did. And what did Fifth mean by 'not fly'...? Scars didn't fly... Damien got a little lost in this musing, and when he came back to Earth, he squeaked and began to wriggle, although not as obnoxiously as Gabriel. Something about Fifth's tone didn't bode well for him.
Unable to refuse a command as he was, Damien sat down in the chair with a good amount of fear present. His tail flicked warily back and forth, and he nibbled at his lip as he looked up at his guardian, then down at the bawling toddler. A hesitant claw indicated Gabriel. "N-N-Nn-nn... 'S fine, Fif, dey'll heal all fine... Sh-, uh, G-Gabby's rully upset, he prol'ly needs Fif's hewp more den Damien..." With that, Damien attempted to slide out of the chair unnoticed and make it back to the safety of the bedroom. He did not like being a bigger priority than Gabriel, not one bit.
"Too bad. It's a little late to take these back and considering where you live, I'm not trusting them not to get infected. So sit still," he snapped when the boy tried to move, tightly grabbing onto his arm and pushing him into the couch a little forcefully. He licked his thumb gently, heating the saliva before hissing softly. That wouldn't work. He thought for a moment, then shifted to forcing the fiery heat into his pointer finger's talon.
"You see, there's a good way of fixing cuts and the like that makes pretty sure that they won't get infected. Like a band-aid, but cheaper for people like us, who can't afford those. It's called cauterizing, and what you do, is you seal the skin shut, usually with a red hot piece of metal. But luckily for you, your daddy can do this without a piece of metal because he can manipulate fire," he explained, tearing off a piece of his shirt, bundling it up and stuffing it in Damien's mouth.
"Bite," was his last statement before he pressed the steaming nail into the most recent of Damien's wounds, holding his breath against the foul smell of burning flesh.
Damien knew that he was somehow in trouble when Fifth once again snapped at him, and he immediately stopped trying to edge away. His claws dug into the fabric of the couch as he flinched against his guardian's voice, not to mention Gabriel's. His eyes were already screwed shut, and his tail cowered behind him like a scared dog's. The boy was convinced he was going to be yelled at for punishing himself in such a way, even though that still made no sense to him. How else was he supposed to pay for all his bad deeds...?
To his surprise, Fifth didn't yell. However, what he did do was, in some way, much worse. Damien managed to get a small squeak of frightened protest out before the t-shirt scrap was shoved into his mouth, and his eyes widened in fear as the heated talon drew closer. This was bad, this was bad, this was bad...
When it touched, the boy squealed as loud as he could. His sharp teeth quickly cut through the fabric, so his only consolation was his free hand practically tearing apart the couch. Given the myriad of other rips, Damien didn't think that Fifth would care so much about the poor couch. His tail thrashed against the back of the couch, tearing up the poor thing more, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as his wings flapped furiously. He eventually opened his eyes and stared pleadingly at Fifth, small whimpering noises coming from around the cloth. This hurt more than anything else that had ever happened to him, and all he wanted was for it to stop. It was a mistake coming home...
Once the wound seemed to be sealed shut, Fifth removed his talon from it, wiping the blood on the couch only to hear the material hiss and whine at the heat. Green eyes glanced back up to Damien's tragic face and he gave a gentle sigh, kissing the foul-tasting area quickly in his pathetic attempt at showing that he still did love his son, even if he seemed like the arrogant gang leader that he was when he wasn't trying to be a father.
"I still love you, Damien. I just need to make sure you stay healthy and if you're going to do this to yourself, I'm going to make sure that each and every one of them is cleaned. I'm sorry it hurts," Fifth stated, sounding, if anything, sympathetic to his son's pain, but not as though he was going to back down. With that, he moved onto the next and the next, until all of Damien's wounds had been sealed up and Gabriel had cried himself to sleep at his feet.
Damien flinched when Fifth kissed his burn, headwings pressed flat to his head, as if they refused to hear his guardian's apology. His eyes flicked up to meet Fifth's green ones, showing little but pure resentment. His cuts had been clean before, all perfect little straight lines. Now they looked even worse than before, all burned and boil-y and gross. Besides, he couldn't stop himself from thinking, who knows what kind of grossness was on his guardian's claws before he starting sticking them places?
When the cauterizing was finally over with, Damien walked silently back to his room, tail still stuck between his legs. His arms were stuck out at awkward angles due to the pain, which he tried his darnedest to ignore as he sat on the bed. As the boy sat and hurt quietly, he recalled the bitter thoughts towards Fifth he had had. He brought his claw to his arm on pure impulse, only to be deterred by the pain that seemed to cover the entire limb. A quiet whine came from his lips as he shook for a second, unable to cope with the idea that he couldn't let his anger at himself out. But then, after about a minute's deliberation, he drew up his shirt and made a small but deep incision near his sternum, where he was sure that Fifth would never see. He allowed himself a very tiny smile. There. Everything could still be okay.
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:11 pm
What'th thith? What'th thith?! There'th thomething very great!! What... What's on my shirt... HEY, WHO THE HELL?!
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:12 pm
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:13 pm
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:14 pm
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:15 pm
2: What is the Virtue or Vice of the creature? Or was the one your studying a Neutral? Or is it Reshmi who doesn't fall into any of those categories? The Virtue Humility
3: What made you pick this person? Was it because you were more curious about them? Or was it something else? i have no desire to learn about my sinful genetics at this time.
4: From the photo do you see anything right away that reminds you of you? Yes.
5: Name at least one thing you have in common with the one that your studying up on today. Golden headwings, though Cestoloria's look bigger. Brown hair, though his is darker. Green eyes, though i only have one. Pale skin, though I have stripes across mine.
6: From the reference material do you find that it sounds as though you have anything in common with this creature that isn't something physical? Yes.
7: If you answered yes, what is it you have in common with the one your studying up on today other then physical traits? Our humble natures, i would assume.
8: What is it that you find the most interesting the one your studying today be it something physical or perhaps a skill that they might have? Cestlororia's ability to float. i did not know that Humility spawn could do that.
9: If you had one question you could ask of this person what might it be? How does one float, and would you lower yourself to teaching me?
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:55 pm
Friday, October 1st, 2010
Damien Avenue
7:57 EST Dear Journal,
xxx Hello. My name is damien. My friend Cat told me to write what I think in this notebook, but I don't think what I have to say has much importance. However, I should write something or I wouldn't be using this book correctly, so I shall write about my school.
xxx The school I go to is big. When I went with Cat to get signed up, I counted over thirty kids. I asked Cat, and he said there were over two hundred. I don't know all the numbers inbetween, but it sounds like a lot. In my classroom there are thirty-two kids. The desks are small and wooden, with a gap to keep our papers and books. We are arranged in tables of four, eight spread around the room. My table is in the back corner, which I like. I sit with Marcus Anderson, Claire Benson, and Samantha Bradford. The girls are nice, but Marcus is mean. Claire, who talks to me a lot, says that he's just jealous because I have a tail. No one else in my class has a tail, or claws, or wings. They're all human. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I want to be human too.
xxx My teacher is a woman. Her name is Abagail Lewis, but we're only supposed to call her Mrs. Lewis. I don't think she knows I know her first name. She is nice to me, but I don't really like her. She makes special circumstances for me, or it feels that way. When I told Cat about it, he said that the word for that was pity. I don't want Abagail Lewis' pity. I think that Marcus does, though. If he is jealous like Claire says, it would make sense. I don't think Claire is jealous of me, which makes more sense than Marcus' jealousy. I certainly don't want to be the odd, freaky kid in class. If I could, I would give Marcus my tail and my claws. Gabriel and Fifth like my headwings, though, so I'd have to keep them. My fangs too, to help protect them. Claire also likes my wings. She gave me a dinosaur clip that she said I could maybe use to decorate my wings. She put it in after asking, and we agreed that it looked nice, but I think I'm going to give it to Gabriel anyway. He likes dinosaurs more than me.
xxx To get into school, I had to lie a lot. We had to pretend that Cat was my daddy and I lived with him and didn't have a brother. Cat said that it was so people who work for the government (that means people who make sure no one breaks the rules; I asked Adam H. this morning, since he knows a lot of words) don't take Gabriel and me away from Fifth because he can't always feed us or give us clean clothes or baths. I don't like all the lying, but I like school. And I don't want to be taken away. I think Fifth should get points for trying, because he's always trying real hard to keep us safe. It's not his fault he has no money.
xxx I do like school a lot, though. We learn a lot of interesting hings like reading and math. I think I like math the best. It makes the most sense, since there is only one right answer and always a way to get it. Claire doesn't like it for the same reasons, which I think is funny. She's always asking me to help her during class, and sometimes Samantha and even Marcus do, too. I like helping them, but I get angry when they say I'm better than them. Because I'm not. My brain just gets math fast. Claire is really nice and Samantha always beats the boys at sports and Marcus tells good stories; why am I 'better' than them if they can do all that? I'm only good-ish at math; one thing, which no one else likes. So I don't think I'm very better.
xxx Cat seemed really happy when I told him I wanted to go to school. I think he really wants me to be there and learn a lot, because he's a good person usually and he told a lot of lies to get me into school. He's part of the reason I try real hard, even if I want to go home. I wish Gabriel wanted to come to school with me, but he doesn't like it. I think he wants to be an outlaw like Fifth, and I know that Fifth didn't go to school. But I don't want to be an outlaw. I want o be a nice, clean, smart person like Cat, and you hace to go to school to learn that. I hope school teaches me how to be a good person.
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:36 am
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:34 am
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:35 am
KssssssshhhrrrrrrRRRRRRR...
"Gabriel you j-"
RRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrzzzzzzzzzzip!
"There."
Pfft. Pfft.
"There, I think it's working now. Go ahead."
Sshff. CracklesnapCRASH.
"Be careful with that!!"
"Well, thorry!! Whaddya want me to do with it, anywayth?"
"Just... just talk into it. Like a journal, but this way you don't have to write anything down. Just... please don't argue with me, the Facility requires you to do it."
"Fine."
Kkkkkkkkkk...
"'Kay, he'th gone, I gueth... but thith ith thtill thtupid. I don' really wan'na have a journal, 'thpecially one that'th recorded. Daddy alwayth talkth about recording being a bad thing, ethpecially cameras. He doethn't like them the motht becauthe they get him in trouble with the polithe and then he hath to 'cauthe a thene' and he doethn't like doing that, either.
"I don't think Daddy liketh Cat, either. I thertainly don't, not at all. He'th thtupid and annoying, and he'th altho the reathon that Damien goeth to thchool now. I mean, I gueth that'th good, but it maketh me thad, too, 'cauthe I mith having Damien here during the day. I have to go do other thingth all by mythelf. I mean, not like I can't do that, 'cauthe I can do it fine, I jutht like it better when I have Damien there to protect me and thtuff, becauthe he'th really good at it. Like the other day when I thaw that kid from the market at the jewelry thtore, when I wath getting Ilyrotha her pretty pendant.
"Ohright, Ilyrotha!! I should tell you- well, me, I gueth. Or the Fathility. Thtupid plathe... anywayth, Ilyrotha.
"She'th the prettietht girl in the entire world, and I love her very much. Well... I gueth I do. I want to be around her all the time -even if she'th angry a lot- and every time I thee thomething pretty that I think she would like, I can't help trying to get it for her, 'cauthe it would make her happy and that would make me happy. I like doing that for Damien, too, but that'th jutht 'cauthe he liketh weird thtuff, and I don't have anyone elthe to think about when I thee it.
"Umm... what elthe...
"I dun'no, journal. Tape recorder. That'th what I'll call you now. You're not journal, you're Tape Recorder. I'll call you TR for short.
"But I don't think that there'th anything elthe I really wan'na talk about. I gueth I have to keep you tho I don't have to go to Cat'th houthe a lot. Bye for now, Tape Recorder!!"
Click. Kssssssh...
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