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 Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:52 am
[--E N T R Y . O N E--]
.acquisition of the lantern. Lying across the cream fur rug that lay across the wooden floor of the sitting room, the young girl watched in interest as the spider clambered across the varnished floor and towards the safety of the shadows around the fireplace - given the weather, she had taken to noting just how many of these rather unusual creatures had taken refuge inside. She supposed that in ways it demonstrated their intelligence for it was inside that even their food sources fled to and survived.
"Hmph." She mused, lifting a finger to twirl it through a tendril of her hair as she kicked her sock covered feet up behind her. Her lips pursed and she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of bordem as she turned her gaze towards the rain drops that now fell in torrents outside their window and took to tapping rather frequently upon the misty pane.
"Locksey..." She began as she turned her gaze towards the lithe form of the man reclined upon the couch withi his eyes trained upon the book on his lap, he had scarcely moved for hours unless it were to turn a page and even then it had been a fleeting moment of activity - she really didn't know how he did it, books had never been her thing but they seemed to keep him occupied for hours upon end.
"Yes?" He replied without looking up, turning the page as he did so which served only to annoy the little girl as she considered the action to be rather rude regardless of whether or not he was paying attention to her - she had always been told to look at someone when they were talking to you but Locksey never did, ever.
"I am bored." She announced, sitting up upon the rug to fully observe the man who scarcely reacted to what she had said; rather, he turned his gaze towards her and raised a brow...alas, at least there was a glint of amusement in his eye as he found her claims rather endearing.
"Well then," He marked the page and slowly closed the book he had been reading as he turned to face her and leant forwards ever so slightly so that the ebony strands of hair toppled messily into his eyes, even now he seemed to smile as if preparing to humour the younger girl, "What would you have us do?" He enquired curiously, glancing towards the table so that he might set the book down before returning his attentions to the blond-haired child.
"Um." Caught off guard she stretched out her fingertips to toy with the soft fur strands of the carpet and avoided his gaze, it was only after much deliberation that she decided upon a course of action and flashed a delighted smile at the prospect of actually doing something that was of interest to her, "Why don't we go for a walk!" She chirped at last, rising to her feet so that the bottom of her dress slipped down from where it had been folded to her knees and covered her unshoed feet once more - Locksey's eyebrow simply raised higher in response to this question but instead of declining...well, he was incapable of declining as it was.
"Alright." He murmured, shooting a glance towards the rain outside before making his way towards the closet where the coats and umbrellas lurked, "It is advisable to wrap up warmly, did you have anywhere particular in mind?" He added, slipping on his own coat which consisted more of a 'cape' that only extended to the elbow as well as his top hat. This done he sought out the black umbrella that he often used in severe weathers - as young as he might have been, he still viewed warmth and comfort as important.
Delighted still at the prospect of some activity, the tiny girl scurried towards the closet and with a mild stretch she reached her own coat and slipped it on, leaning down briefly to slip on her shoes before at last adding her gloves. That done she glanced up at Locksey who appeared to be looking at her pointily, she at last relented and picked up the little pale blue umbrella of her own.
"Can we visit the Chinese Market while we are out?" She enquired, stepping through the door as it was opened and then offering her hand expectantly towards Locksey who took it once he had locked the door and had opened up his umbrella, luckily she had done the same without having to be reminded and both were able to walk along at a sufficiently steady pace.
"I am sure we can, have you something to get?" He replied, glancing down towards the girl who flashed one of her more wistful smiles in response and then looked ahead again - ah, the realisation hit him and it was no longer a case of bordem that enveloped her, it was a sense of purpose. He had to note that she often mistook the two, she became agitated whenever something or someone required her and then appeared to have a craving to head to a certain location...she never realised this herself but then she was young.
"I want a lantern." She said suddenly, her gaze still forward as they made steady progress towards the centre of town and the location of the market, "A pretty green one." She added, causing him to raise a brow at how specific she was becoming.
"A paper one?" He offered up, causing her to nod as he let the subject drop for they were nearing the market place and he could already feel the tugging of her tiny hand in his as if in an attempt to get him to walk faster - he did so.
Trailing around stalls had never been his favourite past time but as the tiny girl continued to examine each stall carefully he noted that her playful gaze had turned into a fixed stare. Evidently by some strange manner she had been called again and was now determined to uncover what it was that had given her such a task - it was only when she reached on of the final stalls that her eyes caught sight of a set of hanging lanterns...and one of them was green.
"Ah." He murmured under his breath as the girl released his hand and scurried towards the stall where she proceeded to bounce up and down while she motioned continuously to the green lantern with her umbrella.
"I want that one!" She chirped, her eyes shining and cheeks flushed as she triumphantly leapt about the stall (much to the confusion of the owner). Locksey could only nod apologetically and after a few moments he released a sigh and pointed towards the limegreen lamp which held a steady glow despite having...nothing inside it? Despite his confusion he refrained from letting this show and simply cleared his throat.
"You want that one for your daughter, Sir?" The old woman on the stall enquired causing Locksey to start and look rather confused at the word 'daughter', contrary to belief he was not her daughter but was the friend of her brother who had simply left her with him after finding it far too hard to cope with her apparent gift.
"I - sorry?" He blinked a few times as Saevem continued to motion towards the lantern repeatedly and then cleared his throat, "Yes, yes that lantern will do." He confirmed as the woman stretched upwards to grasp it and then lowered it to the hands of the awaiting Saevem who cuddled it close with one arm to protect it from the rain, "Might I ask where you get these lanterns?" He enquired in a rather peculiar manner as he glanced at the others which did not appear to look quite the same.
"Varying stores." The woman confessed and gave a light chuckle, almost a mysterious one as she glanced towards Saevem who was now once again settled at Locksey's side looking rather content and satisfied, "That one came from one of those hidden in the back alleys - very special methinks or else it wouldn't be hidden in a back alley!" She announced, releasing a croak of a laugh to which Locksey replied with an uncomfortable smile.
"Yes." He replied simply, almost dolefully as he extended his hand to offer the necessary gold to the woman who took it as though a ravenous vulture, "Anywhere else, Saevem?" He asked softly, lowering himself down to her height so that he could see her face.
"No, I'm really cold." She murmured, her lips puckering as a typical child's would when she had suddenly lost the adrenaline which she had fed upon previously, as if to make matters worse she even extended the hand with her umbrella in request to be picked up...it was times like these when he thanked her mentally for being small and light.
"Let's go home then." He mused, wrapping his free arm around her and lifting his umbrella a little higher so that she would still be covered as she was carried home. Needless to say the return journey was significantly quicker and once they had at last returned home and had warmed up she seemed to have recovered enough to at last make another remark.
"Can we hang it in my room?"
"I'm sure we can." He looked up from his book again and smiled at the girl who still had the lantern on her lap.
"And can we look for that store in the back alleys...?" To that he hesitated and then gave a very slight nod, if her curiosity wasn't satiated she could get quite moody and on occasions she could get rather ill (some spirits were highly vendictive).
"Thank you..." She murmured gently, to which he nodded again.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:34 am
[--E N T R Y . T W O--]
.the backalleys. "No, we can't have her there or else I won't see her glow!" Saevem chirped as Locksey held the 'lantern' beside the window, following her complaint however he moved it round until it was hung in the shadowed corner just above her bed to which she seemed to agree with via a nod of appreciation at his handywork - he was amazed he could even fit it in their through all the windchimes and charms that seemed to hang from her ceiling.
"Wait - what do you mean 'her'?" He enquired curiously, lowering his hands and coming to sit on the bed as he planted his gaze upon the blond girl who was fiddling with one of the white ribbons that wrapped around her waist and formed a bow at the back of her dress. For a time she didn't answer but at last she did give a wry smile and cleared her throat in the most delicate manner she could.
"It's a her, the thing I can feel inside it is a girl..." She confessed, continuing to make eye contact with her surrogate brother who simply viewed her in a bemused manner (as he always did) for quite some time, "I want to find out what she really is, where she came from so we have to find that store!" Needless to say her passion for the chase was certainly there and after a few moments Locksey knew that he would have to take the lantern down again.
"Does 'she' have a name at all?" He enquired as he stood up again and took the lantern down from it's hook.
"I called her Brigade, or 'Bri' for short seeing as no one ever uses their full name anymore." She chirped and then quirked a brow of her own as she took the lantern when it was offered, "We're going now?"
"I would assume so, I have an appointment later on today so I think it would be more logical to hunt for the store now and if necessary, return again later - but I suggest you bring that lamp -"
"Lantern."
"Lantern." He corrected himself with a smile as he began to descend the stairwell, noting the patter of smaller feet behind him as the eight year old followed him down. "Then, perhaps if they are not around later we can find someone else within said store who knows what this lamp -"
"Lantern."
"Lantern is." He corrected himself again and shook his head, quite frankly he couldn't tell the difference but he would correct himself if it was necessary and for a perfectionist like her it was rather necessary, he could only thank he gods that it was not raining as he slipped on his cape coat and top hat once more...it meant he could bring his cane.
It took very little time for the little girl to ready herself as well, gloves and coat slipped on accordingly over her dress with her 'lantern' carefully grasped in her right hand...she always left the left hand free so it could be held, she considered it one of the most important things to do every time she went out.
"Where do we even start?" She asked as her brother took her hand and proceeded down the street at a leisurely pace, swinging his cane backwards and forwards ever so often before tapping it against the ground with each set of steps he took. Unfortunately she was not quite so lucky and was forced to walk ever so quickly due to her height but she supposed in ways, he was walking so slowly for her benefit anyway.
"Well, we start at where the fair was held yesterday and work from there, the back alleys around that area are always highly obscure, I think it would be the ideal location to begin." He mused and added more silently to himself; 'that and your gifts should lead you to the source as it is'. That said, both continued on the selected route and towards the fair however this time Locksey's yes were pinned on the dark alleyways behind as he waited for the often present tugging of his hand.
...And sure enough it came as he was pulled in the direction of another alleyway and the one that Little Sae seemed to think was appropriate.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:22 pm
[--E N T R Y . T H R E E--]
.meeting marri and yuiri. .saevem.
The door of the store opened slowly, the jangle of the bells above it summoning the entrance of two figures into the obscure building. One tall and the other small, they stood for a time observing their surroundings before at last taking the opportunity to make themselves slightly more comfortable in a number of ways.
The tallest, who appeared to be male calmly lifted the top hat from his head and leant down briefly to lower the hood of the smaller one who was undoutably female. The two, when placed together seemed to resemble yin and yang, one clad in black and the other in white yet what was of the most interest was the lime green lantern clasped in the hands of the young girl.
"Hello?" She called out timidly, her azure blue gaze wide and inquisitive as she sought out someone or something that might offer her some form of greeting in the otherwise deserted store, "Is there anyone here?" She continued, glancing briefly towards the man who was now observing the lanterns upon the stands with a hint of curiosity in his amber eyes...
.marri.
The bells chimed out once more as another person entered the shop. Having entered, the young woman turned to shut the door behind her. Her pale, off-white hair swayed gently as she moved, the long ends wrapped in several chunks by golden ribbons. Held firmly in her right hand was a pinkish purple lantern, which cast a faint glow on her legs where it rested. One might even say it resembled the color of her eyes, although they were more towards the red scale of pinks than purple.
Facing forward, she took in the surroundings of the shop, including its two occupants. She bowed slightly in greeting, both hands coming to rest on her lantern.
"Good evening," she said, pushing one wrapped chunk of hair back over her shoulder from where it had fallen.
.saevem.
As polite as the gentleman was, this journey was not considered important by him and thus he could only provide a nod towards the woman as the tiny blond girl crept up to his side once more and observed the recent entry. Needless to say, the wide blue eyes started up at the adult with a mixture of curiosity and strangely enough, set determination.
"Ayah, greetings!" She offered at last, swaying from left to right in a shy manner as she tightened her grasp on the lime green lantern in her right hand. Her other hand, seemed to stretch backwards slightly to toy with the white ribbons of her dress and it was only after a few moments that she flashed a wistful smile to the pallid woman.
Following this greeting, she couldn't help but lower her gaze towards the lantern in the woman's hands that seemed to resonate with the same peculiar aura that her own did however unlike hers it seemed to hold an entirely different entity - perhaps she would know the origin of these creations?
"You have one too!" She observed in her typical manner, being only eight years old had that effect on a person.
.marri.
Marrigan, despite her inhibitions at interacting with strangers, felt herself soften a bit. Normally such small talk would irritate her, but after all, she was just a young girl. She couldn't help thinking of her own younger sister at home with fondness at the sight of this little lady.
Sighing at her own sentimentality, she held out her lantern for scrutiny. Its glow cast a strange sheen over the pale skin of her hands. She regarded the girl's own lantern with a cautious curiosity, as she had only encountered her own at its original aquirement.
"That is correct," she replied. "I have not seen another like it since. Yours is quite lovely."
.saevem.
"Oh!" Saevem's smile brightened as she glanced down at the lamp in her hand, it still glowed as faintly and yet as steadily as before despite the presence of so many other lanterns within the room, "I got it yesterday, Locksey bought it for me at a stall on the Chinese market!" She confessed as she made her way slowly towards the woman, her silk shoed feet pattering against the ground softly.
"The woman at the stall said it came from here and it wasn't like any of the other lanterns on the stall, it's really strange -" She continued and held the lantern up so that it could be observed by the woman more clearly, her azure blue gaze developing a peculiar aquamarine hue as the limelight cast down upon her.
"It has something inside it but I don't know what..." She took a breath and seemed to bob up and down as she exchanged her weight from her heels to her toes at random intervals as though agitated at having to stand still for so long despite herself, "That's why I'm here - do you know what they do?" She enquired curiously.
.marri.
"I'm afraid I have not been made privy to that knowledge," Marrigan confessed, bringing one hand to her chin in a thoughtful gesture, as the other hand holding the lanter dropped into a resting place against her legs. "I also first encountered it in a market stall, and later returned to purchase it."
Examining the girl's words more closely, she realized that she had mentioned something else.
"There is...something inside? I had felt that it is not an ordinary light, but as to its purpose or origin I am unaware," she admitted, glancing down at her new, and possibly favorite possession. Looking at both lamps, she had to say that they were truly something special.
"They are something quite wondeful, I believe," she concluded, "They shine so brightly without any help at all."
.saevem.
The child was an odd one indeed, partial only to the colour white and with a somewhat 'angelic' opinion she was said to be rather unusual and perhaps even otherwordly despite assurances that she was very much human. If anyone should enquire, Locksey would simpyl refer to it as her 'gift' for she, as a medium was capable of sensing auras or at least ethereal essences that were otherwise not quite there or easily seen by those that might surround them.
Despite this gift however, she was still young and thus unskilled and prying any information out of whatever being or artefact that lay within. It was deeply frustrating and when it was revealed to her that Marri did not appear to know the exact origins or other answers she sought, she could only look vaguely disappointed.
"Oh." She murmured as she recovered from the revelation that she would receive no information in relation to its exact origins just yet, "Well then -" She fell short of finishing her sentence and briefly examined the pink lantern with mild fascination, her eyes seeming to widen again as at the back of her mind that familiar tingling sensation arose - it was alive as well!
"They are very special indeed, does it have a name?" She enquired curiously as she extended a white gloved hand towards the woman, "I am Saevem by the way and that's Locksey." She added as she nodded towards the gentleman and then lifted her lanturn, "And this is Brigade."
.marri.
"I have named her Yuiri, after my older sister," Marrigan said, extending one hand to lightly touch Saevem's palm. "I felt it strange at first that I should think it almost immediately female, but now it does not seem so foreign."
Thinking back, she could not recall any information given about the lantern, other than its origin in this place. Its salesperson had hinted as to its special nature, but solid facts were few and far between. She cursed her excitement at having aquired such an artistic marvel that had prompted her to leave in such a hurry.
Realizing that she hadn't introduced herself, only her lantern, she gave herself a mental slap at her lapse.
"My name is Marrigan Knight. It is a pleasure to make your aquaintance."
.saevem.
Saevem nodded, all that the girl referred to was a similar feeling in which she had experienced, granted hers had been ever so slightly different for she had been led and had communicated with the entity within the lantern in a different way but the attachment towards it (despite being surprisingly quick in development) had been the same.
"It's nice to know that another senses a somewhat feminine aura surrounding their lantern," She confessed, pausing briefly as she caught a glance at one of the stands and the ornate label upon it, "Lanturn." She corrected sheepishly, her blond locks tumbling across her face as she bowed her head and glanced at her lamp again.
"Are you a mythical knight?" She asked suddenly, as though someones surname might relate them to an occupation if it was spelt or pronounced in the same manner as the spoken job, mature as she could sometimes be she was also terribly naive but what would one expect for an eight year old yet this naivity always served to make the gentleman who appeared her guardian, smile.
.marri.
Marrigan closed her eyes, remembering some of the old stories her father had told her as a child. Legends of the knights of old, and their heroic deeds. A slight smile graced her lips as an image of a brave man in armor, riding a white horse flashed to mind. Perhaps, her next painting...
Coming back to reality with a swift shake of the head, Marrigan chuckled slightly.
"I, myself, am not a knight, as enchanting as it would be," she replied wistfully, her childhood daydreams bobbing to the surface of her mind. Yuiri and herself had played knight and princess often. She had almost always been the knight, much to her delight. "But many, many years ago, there were knights in our family. According to our family logs, it is their presence in our bloodline which decided our family name."
.saevem.
"Oooh," A murmur of appreciation came from the young girl and she seemed to stroke at the paper lanturn subconciously. her fingertips brushed over the delicate surface as she savoured the warmth that emanated from within and after a few moments she provided a light and wistful smile towards the words of Marri.
Being so young herself, her imagination was frequently filled with such things...especially when she spoke to the spirits who sometimes came from ages long before her time and thus, were familiar with the reality both bitter and joyous of this occupation...regardless, any form of story regarding the chivalrous knight (or any chivalrous gentleman for that matter) always interested her.
"Did that mean they rescued damsels and served noble lords?" She asked curiously, completely misunderstanding the concept of 'damsel' as so many did. Behind her, Locksey grimaced for a brief moment before shaking his head and dismissing this thought - in time she would learn and no longer be misguided by such misconceptions...she was too young to have her illusions shattered just yet.
.marri.
"I am sure that they did many brave and wonderful deeds," Marrigan said, her mind sifting through the old tales. Granted, they were most likely glorified, with all the unsavory or dishonorable mentions taken out, yet they still existed, and must have had some basis in fact. Despite all attempts at the contrary, Marri was truly a romantic at heart. Not to mention the fact that some still immature part of her soul did not wish to believe that the stories her father had told were untrue.
"From what I have heard, they performed many noble deeds in the name of good," Marrigan stated, personally believing this to be a very ambiguous and subjective statement, but having no other way to put it. She cupped her free hand around her lanturn, feeling the warmth seep between her fingers.
.saevem.
"Like what?" Now that the girl had suitably grasped her attention the young child was more than happy to make herself comfortable on a nearby bench with her gaze trained upon her while her fingertips continued to caress at the lime green lanturn now resting upon her lap - even with all the jostling its light didn't fade and for that she had to thank it...sometimes she was almost afraid that it would suddenly go out and the aura within would extinguish itself!
"Knight of the Round table tales or something else?" She persisted, eyes bright and wide through a sense of curiosity as she leant forward a little over the lanturn and made herself a little more comfortable. It was in this position that she often listen to tales, leant forward to show interest and yet comfortable despite how her posture might make her mentor cringe...it was by no means good for her back to say the least but once again he appeared to be abstaining from any commentary on the subject.
"Oh! Maybe slaying dragons and rescuing kingdoms from seiges too!" She chirped excitedly.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:35 am
[--E N T R Y . F O U R--]
.meeting eri and mocha. .eri.
Eri came in, whistling a happy tune; her lantern swinging on the belt she wore around her waist. The girl's outfit was...odd... A strange cross between a kimono and a victorian dress. Though it was very pretty it also seemed rather hard to move around in. But it obviously didn't bother Eri at all, or perhaps she had just become used to it was all. "I wonder if anyone's around?" she questioned; her lantern flickering in response.
.saevem.
Contrary to belief, there was someone around in the form of a young girl who seemed to have seated herself upon one of the couches near the lantern stands. Upon her lap rested a lime green lamp and although she stroked at the delicate paper attached the the thin wires her gaze was trained elsewhere - primarily upon the lantern stands opposite her and the glow that emanated from each in turn...pretty to say the least.
Despite the question voiced by Eri however, the young girl (who only appeared to be a child) failed to respond and without her guardian (the peculiar man) there she also failed to see how rude this lack or response was - needless to say Locksey would have cringed.
.eri.
After doing a double-take at the couch; noticing that there was in fact someone sitting there, Eri stopped and made a B line in their direction. "Um hello there. I see you have a lantern too." She smiled sweetly, and waved in greeting. "My name is Eri. And who might you be?"
.saevem.
The girl jumped as her thoughts were interrupted and taking a few seconds to regain her composure she loosened her grip on her lantern and looked up towards the now named 'Eri'. The pleasant face and welcoming manner in which she was greeted with however soon served to eleviate her tension and she released a smile of her own.
"Me?" She paused again briefly to readjust her grasp on the lanturn and turned her azure gaze up towards Eri with a hint of interest, "Saevem, Saevem Aversham." She offered and then canted her head to the side, "You have a lanturn too?"
.eri.
"Saevem, that's a pretty name." She liked it, it had a nice ring to it. "Saevem Aversham. I'll remember that. Yes, I bought my lanturn here. I was on my way home from my first mission, when I came across this wondrous and fascinating place. You know, I really like it here, the atmosphere in this shop. It's enchanting."
.saevem.
"Ah, Locksey let me buy mine from a stall." She confessed as she sat back and observed the girl a little more, needless to say the young girl was always leaning back and glancing upwards because everyone was suitably taller than her - it was rather depressing in that respect, "I really wanted it so he got it for me but the stall owner told us it came from here - said it was special." She gave a nod of satisfaction having summarised the manner in which she had attained the pretty trinket.
"I called it Brigade, Bri for short...does yours have a name?" She asked with an ounce more curiosity than before, now that she had finally met another owner (the second, such luck) she was intent on finding out more about her lanturn.
"Oh, and do you know what's inside them?"
.eri.
"Well, I've decided to call mine Mocha."
At this, the lantern seemed to be flickering happily; a bouncey happy glow.
"And the woman I spoke to, the one I bought the lantern from, her name was Hakari. She told me these lanterns housed the souls of the dead. I was quite excited by this fact. She showed me one ya know? A manifested spirit. She said its name was Toshi I believe. It was so very pretty. I hope to be able to grant Mocha's wish. I feel as though he has one, and I aim to find out what it is. After all, it's my job, and I love helping people."
She smiled at the little girl, un-hooking her belt loop, and removing the brown lantern. She set it on the table, and took a seat across from it, in an armchair. "Have you ever seen one? A lantern spirit?" Eri questioned, absent-mindedly twirling her hair around her fingers as she spoke.
.saevem.
So that was why she had been called by the lantern, for a few moments the tiny girl stared down at the glowing lime green lanturn and seemed to assess the 'slumbering' entity inside it - it was a spirit and thus by default she had evidently been called to it during it's more 'active' moments...that could have even been the reason for how she knew to name and commune with it.
"No, I fear I have never met a manifested spirit." She confessed in a soft tone, grimacing briefly as though remotely disappointed at missing out on such an experience but at least now she had had one of her questions answered - now she knew what it was.
"How do you help it to emerge?" She asked at last, a thought arising in her mind that pointed towards this 'Eri' knowing the answer.
.eri.
"Um...well I'm not sure exactly. I think....if you talk to it. And maybe...spend a lot of time with it, it will emerge eventually. And then I heard it can absorb other lanturns. But that's all I really know. What I found out from Hakari was vague. But perhaps if we meet with her or her son Sinn, maybe they can tell us more about what we want to know..." she paused as if thinking the whole thing over. "What do you think?"
.saevem.
Ah, well she did have to accept that an owner couldn't know everything about a lanturn and thus she simply gave a nod and took note of the advice in which she was indirectly given by the girl - her words were sound despite being long but this continual reference to 'Hakari' could only cause Saevem to assume that this mysterious woman and her son 'Sinn' were the owners or at least joint owners of the obscure store.
"I think what you suggest is reasonable." She mused finally, canting her head to the side as she stroked at her lanturn again and subconciously wondered what on earth there was to talk about with a lanturn...she supposed she could converse with it and ask about it's past life when it was most active but this -
"They absorb other souls?" She enquired almost worridly for this had never been a desirable feature in her opinion.
.eri.
"Well...something like that. Sounds a bit odd don't you think? .....Mixing souls? I wonder how one goes about doing such a thing, and the effects it would in turn have on the souls themselves..." She leaned back in the chair, sinking into it's large cushions. "I hope it doesn't hurt them in any way. But I got the impression that the soul would only gain charactersitics of the one it was given....if that makes any sense. Eheh." ^^; She wasn't really sure if her babbling was registering, even in her own mind. "Mmm....Perhaps I think too much for my own good. Some things just 'are'."
.saevem.
Odd? Well that was certainly one word for it but given her past experiences she had to admit that she was terrified with the prospect of any soul merging with another - the consequences from what she had seen were vast and they weren't often pretty so how could anything like this be condoned...unless of course there was a safer way.
"Perhaps it helps them to manifest...?" She offered up in a rather quiet manner, really she had no idea for she was not well skilled in her art or so the rumours went, "Either way I would prefer to find out more about such things before even allowing Brigade to be near them..." She pursed her lips at the prospect of a merging set of souls and shuddered, one day the spirit could be nice and then volatile...she didn't like it at all.
"I had always thought it hurt them, how would they like to have one personality and then another the very next day...?" She asked uncertainly.
.eri.
"Well, my worst fear then would be psychological damage. Strain on both souls....hm...I'm not entirely sure. I'd probably have to research it some. It's been awhile since I looked into this 'field'. She seemed to be refering to it as if 'soul-merging' were a job of some sort. "My specialty isn't really in this area. But I do like to study. Maybe one day I'll find something out. I could always check with Yggdrasil....." she laughed lightly at the thought of that being the title given to the computer system she was using. "Anyway...maybe the shopkeepers will show up, and be able to answer more of our questions at some point. At least I hope." She gave a cheery grin as though the entire idea behind these lanturns enlightened her. For happy wasn't an emotion she showed very often.
.saevem.
So even the strange woman agreed with her, it was most disturbing and she couldn't help but turn her gaze towards her lanturn again. For a brief instance that familiar 'maternal' instinct overcame her and she was more sure than ever that should such things cause harm (like she assumed) then she wouldn't let it happen unless Brigade asked and was certain that she wanted it...
"As far as I'm aware the shop keepers are very difficult to find, they're never around when I am here." She murmured, releasing an almost disappointed sigh at the fact that she never seemed capable of catching these elusive beings...then again she always had to be dropped off and picked up by Locksey so perhaps her timing was a little off.
"How often do they appear?"
.eri.
"I'm not quit sure myself. I was only able to speak with them once, the day I bought the lanturn. I haven't seen them since. My this place is truly mysterious...." she sighed in awe and gazed around the shop once more.
She reached forward, and gently took her lanturn, placing it in her lap. She watched the light inside flicker ever-so-slightly, before growing brighter with content. "Comfortable? I hope so." Apparently speaking with supposedly in-animate, un-sentient beings was something she was clearly used to. Though this spirit would be far from un-sentient. Right now it was only deprived of speech. But that could all soon change with time.
.saevem.
She had to admit the concept of talking to an inanimate object was not foreign to her but she had certainly not done it plenty of times to get used to the concept of speaking quite casually towards something that didn't talk back - in ways she had to find this all very amusing but in other ways she found the prospect of helping a spirit to re-emerge quite daunting despite all she had encountered.
"I've found more intriguing places." The young child confessed as she readjusted the folds in her dress and admired the brown lanturn in the woman's lap, "But due to the mystery and unanswered questions revolving around this place at present it is most interesting." She paused briefly and furrowed her brown as she eyed the rather unusual woman again.
"What are you anyway, you do not give off the typical aura somebody else would..."
.eri.
"Oh me? Um well...it's kinda complicated. I'm a goddess er...demon....well.....Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell a single soul. Okay?"
.saevem.
Saevem quirked a brow at this, she'd never quite heard someone refer to themselves in such a manner but despite herself she gave a nod and offered a wistful smile of encouragement towards the woman who appeared to be rather edgey in relation to who and what she was - a little like Saevem if the girl were to be honest.
"I promise not to tell a single soul." She confirmed before eyeing her lanturn briefly and offering another uncomfortable smile, "Bar this one but I'm sure she wouldn't tell anyone if she knew it was important to keep what she knew a secret."
.eri.
"Well, I originally came to Earth from Heaven on job-transfer to grant wishes. All, except a select few, are under the impression that I was a goddess captured by an evil Lord and experimented on. I was given demon DNA, and then mutated. Now, no longer goddess, nor even half-goddess and half-demon, but a fusion of both, a hybrid if you will with a tired....and gray angel...
But in reality, I'm truly Yggdrasil, the tree of life, personified. Someone named Celestine attacked me, and now I can no longer rest peacefully. So I'm staying on Earth to watch over the Norns; they're the people I live with. I was given an angel egg and a false background story to appear as though I were one of them; for a disguise if you will. I need to keep them safe, and they in turn keep me safe." She winked.
"But they musn't know. They've only been told that I'm here to grant-wishes like other goddesses do. And so far, they've bought my story. It's working out rather nicely I think....Err" She looked toward the little girl, unsure as to how she would take it. To anybody she mostly likely would have come off as a lunatic.
.saevem.
Well, had the girl not appeared to have encountered so much in her life then she might have found the story rather hard to swallow however, due to her encounters with the spirit world and the stories those entities told she very rarely questioned the sanity of anyone unless they were attempting to kill her without providing any reasonable explanation for it.
There was just one thing that confused her, if she was a goddess then why didn't she know everything like the clerics insisted that deities did? She furrowed her brow for a few moments but quickly disregarded this thought (much to the approval of Brigade who pulsed briefly).
"What will you do if they find out?"
.eri.
"Well.....if by some means they do....and they found out who I was, I might have to erase their memories. That takes a lot of magic ya know? And then.....well I'm not sure things would be very messed up. I'd have to get permission to of course......" The thought swirling through her mind made her rather dizzy. "What a mess that'd make. And people's lives could be put in danger....If others knew....besides the Norns who I was....Well that's bad, plain and simple. So please, keep it a secret between us, and your lanturn of course." She said, leaning forward, her hands held in prayer as she made her request.
That's when the watch on her wrist let out a funny chime that seemed to fill the room. "Oh my. I'm supposed to be somewhere! I'll be late!" She scooped up her lanturn, and re-tied it to her belt. "It was nice meeting you Saevem. I hope I'll get to speak with you again. And I apologize for my sudden departure." She bowed, and quickly fled the room. Her voice could be heard as it faded into the distance. "I hope Skuld isn't upset."
.saevem.
"Farewell..." The tiny girl watched as the woman left and then eyed her lanturn again which insisted on glowing in the same manner as it had been doing so ever since she got it. She released a sigh at this and calmly savoured the warmth against her fingertips before glancing up at the chiming of the bells over the doorway - a pause and in stepped the well dressed gentleman she knew so well.
"Locksey!" She squealed as she set her lanturn upon the couch and slipped off so that she could run up and provide a suitable greeting to her surrogate brother who greeted her with a warm hug.
"Have fun?" He asked curiously as he released the young girl and allowed her to retrieve her lanturn from the bench, it seemed to appreciate this and pulsed briefly as a sign of gratitude.
"Well I found out what's inside it - I'll tell you on the way home!" She offered as she was led outside into the alleyway again and back towards the terrace houses on the urban strands of Durem.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:05 pm
[--E N T R Y . F I V E--]
.reflection. Gazing up at the lanturn now hung above her head, the young girl couldn't help but smile at all that she had done in the last few days - the lanturn had scarcely responded to any of it but every now and again she could sense a stirring within its epicentre as if some type of slumbering being was slowly but surely awakening.
Thoughts occasionally plagued her, the idea of meddling with and absorbing spirits terrified her for it was this that had resulted in her becoming ill so long ago and it was this that had also resulted in her being left in the loving hands of her surrogate brother - could she let her lanturn be subjected to that?
As if her thoughts had been heard the lanturn seemed to pulse briefly and although no words could be heard Saevem became all too aware that some form of connection or bond had slowly begun to extent between the two, she couldn't say why or how but she did indeed savour the peace it presented to her.
"Would you want it?" She asked softly, her voice scarcely above a whisper as she turned her gaze towards the lanturn, from past experience she knew that it was impossible to stop a spirit pursuing something if it really wanted it, "Would you want to absorb another soul?" She asked slowly, causing it to glow for a prolonged period of time until at last she got the feeling that in certain circumstances...Brigade might very well do that.
With a sigh, the young child turned onto her side and closed her eyes as she basked in the warm green glow of the overhanging lanturn - she would have to talk to Locksey in the morning...he could usually console or give her good advice.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:26 am
[--E N T R Y . S I X--]
.advice. "Locksey..." Glancing up from her breakfast bowl the tiny girl placed her azure gaze upon the still sleepy Locksey, he was not a morning person to say the least and scarcely glanced up to acknowledge her but he did jig his head very roughly - almost as if it would have been a grunt if it had been verbal.
"I found out something at the lanturn store, apparently the lanturns can absorb other souls from other lanturns - " She paused briefly to take another mouthful of her cereal and then readjusted herself on her seat to make herself more comfortable, "But I'm worried, Brigade seems to think it's okay but what if she changes really drastically or she gets hurt?" She enquired worridly, failing to mention her previous encounters with volatile spirits which even the half-asleep Locksey remembered well.
"I think that perhaps you should locate the store owner and ask them more details, word of another owner can only attribute to so much." Locksey pointed out in a gentle voice, flashing a loose smile as her cheeks puffed up at his lack of advice and yet the logic in his words as well - how did he do that?!
"But she's never there when I need to speak to her, it's almost as if we live in another world." She moped, resting her chin in her palm for a whileas she simply stared at her cereal and then towards the lanturn that was still glowing steadily beside the fireplace where she had set it, granted she'd set it well away from the flames but still she could almost swear the light got brighter next to the warmth.
"Then perhaps we need to try harder." Locksey continued in the same 'idle' manner as before, taking a bite of his toast and raising both eyebrows in an expression that pointed out - 'well huffing about it isn't going to fix it'...Despite her pouting, she had to agree in that respect.
"I'll tell you what," He paused himself and set his toast down on the plate, leaning forward upon the table to lift the pouting girls chin up, "We'll try again tomorrow - a number of times if we must, you are bound to meet her on at least one attempt." He pointed out and released her chin again as she seemed to smile.
"Okay - oh, did I tell you I met another lanturn owner?"
"Yes, you did - you meet quite a few of those don't you?"
"It's a nice place to go, really comforting somehow..."
.to be continued.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:55 am
[--Reserved for link entry--]
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:56 am
[--E N T R Y . E I G H T--]
.meeting eri and mocha #2. .saevem.
A click of her shoes and a ring of the bell and once again the tiny girl in the recognisable white coat and 'ye olde dress' stepped into the store. Wide eyes and otherwise full of intent to discover either her previously met friends or new ones, she observed the store itself and then released a delicate sigh - so far it appeared that none were around and thus, giving her lanern a delicate stroke, she approached one of the couches and clambered up onto it to take a seat.
Upon the couch, she set the lime green lanturn beside her and proceeded to adjusted the folds of her dress, seeming to take delight in the rainbow of colours that swam across the white materials as the lanturns on the stands seemed to twinkle and glow against her dress...it really was comforting here if not a little empty on occasions.
.eri.
Eri, having just come from a dance that she'd been forced to go to on her friend's account, came in wearing a very pretty Victorian dress. It might have been a little much for the dance, but they were the only dresses that Eri really LIKED wearing. She loved to dress up, even if others though it was odd and unecissary. She held 'Mocha' delicately in her hand as she stepped inside. Glancing around she noticed Saevem. "Ah, hello there Ms. Saevem. How are you?"
.saevem.
Oh! Her eyes widened further as she became aware of the fact that Eri had appeared in a dress very much like her own - she was overwhelmed with a sense of pride that someone would choose to wear the same style as her for once in a while and a smile immediately brightened her features following the 'bug-eyed' look.
"Eri!" She chirped merrily, offering a light wave as she adjusted her position on the couch and moved the lanturn so that the newly entered Eri could take a seat upon the couch beside her.
"How have you been?"
.eri.
Eri smiled, glad to see Saevem in a cheery mood. She walked over and sat down next to the girl on the couch, smoothing out the folds of her dress with the palm of her hand. She sat her lanturn in her lap, and turned to answer the girl. "I'm good I suppose. I had been hauled off to a dance. I'm not one for big social gatherings, but I couldn't talk my way out of this one," she chuckled. "And of course I got lectured on my choice of clothing. But it didn't bother me a bit." She gave the girl a wink. "THESE are the dresses to wear; both beautiful and elegant. The old style gives one a touch of class I think." She grinned happily. She was glad she had stopped by at the Lanturn shop after all. It brightened her spirits to be here, in more ways than one she noticed, looking at the brightly shining Mocha.^^
.rp incomplete.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 3:32 pm
[--E N T R Y . N I N E--]
.quiet reflection. It had been quite some time since she had last been to the lanturn shop, alas she was most disappointed with this but Locksey had banished her to her room and forbade her to go outside in her given condition for fear that it might deteorate. She could see his point to an extent, but there were times when she was infuriated by the sight of the same things day in and day out, there was no escape.
A sigh crept through her parted lips and her chest seemed to rattle just a little as she lay upon her bed and stared up at the dim lanturn that for a while now, had seemed to lack in lustre as if lamenting over her impending illness, as if it understood how she so dearly hated to be confined to such a space as this (regardless of how many books and puzzles Locksey had brought to her).
Nevertheless, it was in this rather ill state that she quietly reflected upon all that had happened. Her encounters with those within the store had been fleeting but she had learnt enough to be aware that spirits slept within these lanturns and could emerge, she was overwhelmed with curiosity as to what Bri would appear like, would she be dressed like her or would she be like a Djinn?
Only time would tell she supposed although she did have to admit that it was rather nice to have a pleasant spirit around her as opposed to a volatile one, she had a suspicion that even Locksey was content with the lanturn which was saying quite a lot - he hated anything spiritual and for good reason.
"Bri, you'll be nice to me when you manifest - won't you?" She whispered softly, the lanturn pulsing ever so slightly in reply.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:45 pm
[--E N T R Y . T E N--]
.frustration. It wasn't very talkative, in fact it wasn't much of anything really and she couldn't help but frown at the fact that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't connect with the lanturn at all - all it did was pulse and even then she wasn't entirely certain as to what each of these pulses meant as they weren't very different from one another, she couldn't even sense the any form of emotion from it despite the fact that she specialised in the spirits of the dead.
Releasing a sigh, she simply stared idly at the glowing lanturn and shook her head with a hint of mild frustration, she had done everything in her power to understand this inanimate object and not once had she been given any sort of response - there really wasn't any point was there? It just didn't do anything despite her being so intrigued by it subconciously.
"I wonder if you'll be like one of those little Bonsai trees when you manifest." She mused idly, "Small and boring." She mumbled grumpily, truly showing her young age and naivity now.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:34 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:56 pm
[--E N T R Y . E L E V E N--]
.a visitor. Ding Dong!
The bell in the hallway chimed and with a begrudging sigh the young girl leapt from her little armchair and 'waddled' towards the front door of the terraced house. For a while now Aversham had been out on a commission and as a result she had been left to attent to herself for a few hours with orders to open the door if someone happened to call - of course she had expected someone to call.
Nevertheless, as she reached up and pulled the door open a slight bit to look out onto the doorstep she was rather startled to see the robed gentleman or what she thought was a gentleman but couldn't really tell due to the hood over his head...all she knew was that he had a very pretty black staff with a purple orb on the top.
"Yes?" She murmured in a hushed voice as she glanced the gentleman up and down; his hooded head seemed to shift towards her.
"I received a letter from Aversham." He was well spoken and took the time to structure his reply in a way she would understand even if she did feel he was belittling her, "He wished for me to come post-haste, he also said that you would be aware of my coming?" He paused briefly as the young girl stared at him in confusion before recognition dawned on her.
"Oh, you're the wierd mage thing!" She piped up as she pulled the door open further so that he might walk in, needless to say he was not impressed by the 'mage-thing' but said nothing as he stepped inside and lugged the large case in after him.
"Yes, although I would prefer it if you called me Kasaru." He pointed out finally as he rested his staff against the door frame and lowered his hood, a nod of appreciation soon made as she shut the door behind him.
"Oooh." She murmured in appreciation as she mused over his pale and almost cadaverous looks before wandering back towards the lounge, "Well I'm Saevem, but everyone calls me Sae!" She added and flashed a smile.
"Yes, I am aware of that." He confirmed as he joined her in the lounge and glanced briefly over the furnishings before taking a seat, it was nothing like home but Aversham had said that he would be provided with the necessary comforts until he found a suitable place of his own.
"Can I call you Kas?" She asked tentatively, causing him to raise a brow which she promptly took for a 'no'.
"Only if you are very, very nice to me." He mused finally as he glanced towards her lanturn and arched a brow, "And only one person was ever granted that permission." He added as if to emphasise the difficulty before he trailed into silence and canted his head to the side.
"Aversham will be home soon, oh - and this is Brigade!" She announced merrily as she motioned to the lanturn.
"You gave a lanturn a name?"
"It's a long story."
"I have time."
.to be continued.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:07 am
[--E N T R Y . T W E L V E--]
.explanation.
"So the lanturn is alive." He didn't ask a questio but simply offered a statement as though it wasn't the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Even his eyes had dulled slightly given her lack of information regarding it and it was only after the sight of her crestfallen features that he shook his head and released a sigh.
"I apologise young one but I become terribly disappointed when I cannot satiate my hunger for knowledge, I am not saying that it is not a startling find and nor am I placing blame on you -" He took a breath and cleared his throat, choosing to ignore the fact that he was actually consoling someone for once in his life...but he always did have a soft spot for children (even if he wouldn't admit it).
"It is just unfortunate that you could not find out more." He pointed out at last and released a chuckle as he glanced towards the lamp and arched a delicate brow. He had no doubt that if she had been able to provide him with more information then it would have held his interest.
"There are loads more!" Saevem chirped up suddenly, her eyes brightening as she sat up in her chair and grinned as though she were a lunatic from an insane asylum when really she had justhad a sudden brainwave, her eyes even seemed to twinkle when he turned his attention to her.
"There's a lanturn store, where it came from and they all sit on racks!" She announced with another grin before leaning forward a little as though about to tell a secret, "I could take you if you like? Aversham doesn't mind if I go when I have company." She cooed and canted her head to the side at the prospect of having someone accompany her outside, Aversham had been so busy lately!
"Perhaps I shall take you up on that offer." The mage mused thoughtfully with a smile.
.to be continued.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 3:05 pm
[--R P . S E S S I O N --]
.m.
Walking languidly into the shop, Nagir fingered the edge of the bandage around his upper arm absentmindedly. His pale blonde hair hung down his back in an extremely messily done braid, at the bottom of which appeared to be a very tattered black ribbon. Hanging from his arm was the lanturn formerly seen in the possession of Marrigan, whose appearance was also remarkably similar his.
Looking around curiously, he had to admit that Marrigan had picked quite a good place to have an interest.
"So then, what should we do now?" He wondered aloud.
.epine.
"So, do you have an aversion to the light or is the hood just a fashion statement?" Saevem enquired as the mage held open the door with her staff and she slipped into the now familiar store, her gaze trailing across the area before she at last turned round just in time to watch the mage close the door behind him with a small click.
"A bit of both." He offered coolly before turning his attentions to the rooms and the lanterns upon the racks - so this was the place she had spoken of before...he knew exactly why Locksey would have refused to come, the poor photographer would have found it frightfully boring.
"Ooh, but then girl's won't see your pretty face!" Saevem giggled delightedly as she walked further in until at last she fixed her gaze upon Nagir, or rather the lantern in which he held which was frightfully familiar to her - hadn't that belonged to Marrigan?
"Who are you...?" She asked uncertaintly as the mage drew up behind her and rested his weight on his staff, his gaze still fixed elsewhere.
.m.
Turning around at the unfamiliar voice, Nagir smiled confidently. Bowing flamboyantly, one arm held high in the air, he hoped that he was making a memorable impression.
"You may call me Nagir, little lady," he said, rising from his pose. "It's not my full name, but it sure as hell is easier to pronounce."
Looking at the unusual duo, he could feel a sort of tension, but wasn't really concerned. After all, he wasn't that much of a threat, now was he?
.epine.
"That's not your lamp." Saevem pointed out stiffly as she glanced at the delicate glowing lantern within his grasp and then glanced towards her shoulder where she caught a glimpe of the black velvet robes out of the corner of her eye - she always felt suitably more comfortable when she knew an adult was there to take care of her; she truly was just a little girl after all.
"It's Marrigan's." She continued as she turned her gaze back round to Nagir and failed to return his greeting. She wasn't always wary of strangers but the sudden arrival of this man with a friend's lantern didn't feel particularly right to her.
She could hardly ask Kasaru for an explanation either, he'd only just gotten here and seemed to be taking a mental note of the various lanterns hanging from the racks in his mind.
.m.
"Ah, this?" He said, lifting the lanturn in his hand. So, this girl had apparently met Marrigan, though he didn't have any memory of the event.
"Well, I'm kinda a babysitter of sorts, I guess," Nagir pondered aloud, trying to think of a plausible explanation. "Marrigan and I are, well, technically related, so...we share a lot of things."
Including a body, but he wasn't going to say that. Especially in front of such a young kid. Not to mention the fact that he didn't want her inquiring after Marri, who didn't even know he existed. Yet.
.epine.
Her brow furrowed and for a time she remained exactly where she was, it was only when she became aware that Kasaru was stirring beside her that she shook her head, this man still didn't feel right to her for some reason...he gave off a funny aura and although she couldn't place it, it made her uneasy.
"Kasaru..." She murmured as she tugged at his sleeve with her free hand until his hooded gaze turned upon her briefly and then towards the flamboyant man with the lantern. He knew she was uneasy but he was hardly capable of placing anything himself when he had only just gotten here, it would take him time.
"Questions are always the source of answers." He replied wisely as he readjusted his grasp upon his staff and flashed a small smile. Her expression relaxed even if her grasp on her own lantern didn't...
"How are you related?" She enquired with narrowed eyes, sure they looked similar but they didn't feel the same and most relatives were remotely similar.
.m.
Nagir grimaced a bit at the question. Why was it always the hard ones? He didn't really want to lie per say, because then it'd probably come back later to bite him in the...well, ya know...
"Well, we both came from the same place, so..." He thought aloud, his voice soft with concentration, "I guess that makes us siblings!" He burst out, a wide grin appearing on his face.
.epine.
"Same place in respect of what...?" At last Kasaru popped the question that Saevem would have missed and despite the inability to see his face beneath the shadows of his cowl the tone of voice he used almsot allowed a person to imagine a glint within his eye, as though he were suitably more intelligent than one might anticipate.
Saevem meanwhile could only glance up in astonishment at Kasaru's sudden interest but in ways she was glad, adults always seemed to be able to get more answers our of one another as they tended to outsmart children like herself.
.m.
Nagir felt like squirming under the sudden attention, as now he had both of them questioning him. He was honestly beginning to wonder when they were going to bring out the big lamp and the truth serum. Fidgeting with the end of his braid, and biting the inside of his lip, he tried to think of a way to get out of this one.
"Well...I guess you could say we were born...through the activities of the same person in the same location, so wouldn't that technically make us siblings?" He hadn't really thought about their extremely odd relationship in all that much depth. To tell the truth, admitting a familial relationship with Marrigan would mean he would have to admit one to those other two, and that wasn't a leap he was really ready to make.
.epine.
"Leave it, Saevem." Kasaru ordered and shook his head despite the obvious suspicion in which he held towards the man, he felt that questioning him on his relationship with Marrigan was unwise but there were other ways of finding out what was desired every now and again...in fact, he believed she might even have the answer even as he directed her towards a seat.
"So where's Marrigan?" Saevem demanded as she flopped down onto the chair and gave a slight frown towards Kasaru who had wandered off to inspect one of the lantern's again. "Marrigan doesn't seem like a person who would just leave something like a lantern in a stranger's care!"
.m.
"Marrigan is asleep right now," Nagir said, which technically was the truth. "She hasn't been feeling well lately, due to a sleepwalking problem." Induced by yours truly, but that probably wasn't appropriate to say if he wished to salvage any reputation out of the first degree questioning session.
"So, with Marrigan unable to care for poor Yuiri here, I gladly took on the role." He placed one hand over his heart, trying to sound or look like a caring good citizen. "After all, from what I've heard, a growing lanturn needs plenty of attention and experiences!"
Not to mention the fact that he needed to get out of the apartment before he went stir crazy.
.eri.
A teenage girl, dressed in a crimson skirt and shirt combo with ruffled sleeves and a halter-top collar came wandering into the shop. Mocha was following, just after her. The door closed with a 'clack' behind them. "Oh, hello," Eri began, when she noticed their were other guests, obviously customers due to the fact that they were both holding lanturns. Mocha was very excited about this. He loved to meet new people. And there was something even familiar about the little girl. He sensed her presence before. Yes, in a way he'd 'met' her, though he was still in the lanturn that he was no carrying by his side.
"Hi there!" the little brown lantern chimed.
.epine.
Saevem stared wide eyed at the spirit for a long while before she glanced up at kasaru as if in confusion, unfortunately he was still otherwise occupied and it was only after glancing at the one who had accompanied him that she put two and two together with a bright smile.
"You must be Mocha!" She chirped at last and offered her hand to the spirit who she had never seen before, "How do you do?" She asked softly before glancing at Nagir again with a shake of her head.
"Can I see her?"
.m.
Nagir felt relieved at the entrance of the other girl, hoping that she would take some of the attention off him. He also was kind of curious as well, never having actually met a lanturn spirit before.
Hearing the girl's question, he winced.
"I really don't think that'd be a good idea, little lady," Nagir said nervously, realizing in the back of his mind that he didn't even know the girl's name. "She really shouldn't be disturbed, not that she isn't already," He said, muttering the last half of the sentence under his breath.
"And who might you be?" He said addressing the newcomers, hoping to get off the subject.
.eri
"Yup, that's me," Mocha answered, giving a wide grin. "Nice to finally meet ya-meet ya; in person ya know?"
Eri chuckled. "Oh us? Well I'm Eri, and this here is my friend Mocha. He's a lanturn spirit that I acquired here at the shop." She smiled, and patted the small boy on the head, ruffling his hair as she did so.
Mocha immediately reached up to fix his ponytail. "Yeah. And what's your name?" the spirit asked, stepping closer to the stranger out of curiousity. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another man, that he didn't recognize, but he figured everyone's attention seemed to be on this other person. Was he important? Oo; "Hmm."
.m.
"I'm Nagirram. Nagirram Knight, but you can call me Nagir, because the whole thing is just a mouthful," he said, shrugging. "It's nice to meet you. I pretty much just got here, so I don't know many people around here."
Nervously glancing over at his two inquisitors, he laughed shakily.
"I've been living with my 'sibling', Marrigan."
.epine.
"I don't believe you." Saevem murmured finally as she reached out her lanturn for Kasaru to take (which he did) and then wandered over to Nagir to observe him more closely, even now a frown was etched across her youthful features.
"Where is she? I want to see her and make sure you haven't hurt her!" She snapped and shook her head as though she had experienced some form of hurt before in her life and was not about to let it happen again - she really could be such a suspicious minx every now and again but it came with the territory...dead people were always shifty.
.m
"Damnit, I couldn't hurt Marrigan!" Nagir snarled slightly, temper flaring under stress. "Anything that happens to her happens to me as well. I might as well slam my head into a friggin' brick wall!"
Chest heaving with the exertion of his yelling, he almost immediately regretted his outburst. She was just a kid, after all, but still...
.eri.
Mocha took a step back, and then made a point to move BEHIND Eri. "He's dangerous?" he whispered, eyeing the man suspicously.
"Urrr..." the girl wasn't quite sure how to respond to that one. She didn't know the man, so it wasn't her place to say. But if Saevem didn't like him, maybe he really was a shady character. "I dunno. Who is this Marrigan exactly. You're names are really similar. Are you siblings? I know some parents love to give names that go together well like that." ^^; She asked, trying to lighten the mood.
.m.
"Marrigan is a very important 'sibling' to me who I would not harm, have no desire of harming, and technically cannot harm without causing myself severe bodily harm and probably mental trauma on top of it," Nagir said, developing a slight twitch above his left eye. He was getting the feeling that he should have never left the apartment today.
Getting an idea, he held out Yuiri for examination. The lanturn glowed gently, happily in his hand.
"Look, the lanturn has no problem with me. Therefore, I'm not a bad person, right?"
.eri.
.epine.
.m.
.eri.
.epine.
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