Earako & lithle's Log

[lithle]

Origins

The day was cold as the loss of a loved one; each breath Michael took froze his throat, almost making him cough. He lit a cigarette, like holding fire could chase away the winter weather, and thoughts of the night before.

So close. He hated close. Kevin, like Kyle before him. Blood-- on his hands, in his hair, turning black to an even darker shade. Kevin fading as he watched and prayed that the ambulance would hurry. Lights and sirens. They'd scattered like light through a prism, leaving Kevin there for the paramedics to find.

He was alive. Michael had been able to discover that much. Hooked up to machines, but expected to recover. They hadn't lost him. Though-- they would. He'd been through it before. Kevin wouldn't come back to them, not after such a close brush. Lost to fear, like Kyle. Like other friends.

"Hello, Michael." The voice was deep, unfamiliar. Michael spun, as if attacked, though he kept his weapons hidden. There were some things that simply weren't done in the middle of a busy Gaian street. He took in details while looking for signs of weaponry. The man was tall, with a wild mane of brown hair and the rough stubble of a beard to be. Heavy set, but in a powerful way, like a body builder that hadn't been working out enough. He was taller than Michael's five foot eleven, somewhere just over six feet.

But-- he didn't move like a fighter. And Michael was willing to bet on him being unarmed. He relaxed, minutely, fell out of his defensive stance but still glared. The man wanted something. Strangers always did. Michael waited, without speaking.

"Not going to ask how I know your name?" The man laughed, and the sound was rough, throaty.

Michael just stared, managing his own slight smile. The taste of cigarette smoke was soothing.

"Of course not. Why would Michael, the leader of Tred for four years now, admit to being caught off guard? We know all about you, and your little vigilante mission. Where angels-- and cops for that matter-- fear to Tred. That's what it's about, right?"

Michael stopped walking. They'd reached his destination anyway, his favorite local coffee shop 'Lost Here'. Pointedly, Michael walked over to one of the outdoor tables, and settled in a chair. The man took the hint, and sat across from him.

"I don't know what you're expecting to win here." Michael did the best to keep his voice calm, hands settling lightly on the table. The man didn't honestly think he could scare him, did he? "The police know of our existence and look the other way, for the most part. So reporting me would be pointless."

The words weren't quite a lie, though not exactly true either. The police did give Tred a certain amount of space. But they would arrest him, given the chance.

"We don't wanna arrest you Michael. If anything, we want you to work for us." The man sat back in his chair, as if completely at ease in the strange situation they'd found themselves in. It felt like the day had somehow gotten colder, Michael could see his own breath, each long controlled exhale creating a long trail of fog.

"Tred isn't a pack of hired dogs." He sat up, bristling at the implication. They did what they needed to. They didn't hunt at the behest of some nebulous 'we'.

"You Michael. We want YOU to work for us. Not Tred. Please try and keep up." He slid a slip of paper across the table, and Michael could see the address written on it. A quick gust of wind snatched the slip, and only quick reflexes kept it from disappearing in the breeze. Without looking at it, he slipped it into the pocket of his leather jacket. "Show up there, tomorrow."

"And if I don't?" He asked, voice as chilled as the day, remote as the sun that hid far beyond the clouds.

"You were lying earlier, I think. And Tred would be lost, without its leader." He pushed himself to his feet, lumbering into a standing position and straightening his labcoat, "I'm trying to help you, in a way. There's nothing to ground you, and every hero needs his maiden. You protect an abstract. We're offering something real."

Michael was left, sitting alone at the table, shivering, willing to show that weakness now that the man had left. He knew he should head inside, but found himself trapped by the man's words. He thought of blood, of Kevin, and wondered if anything could be more real than that. And yet--. His fingers brushed over the slip of paper, tracing the torn edges.

Maybe he'd just check it out.  

[lithle]

He'd had minimal time to childproof his home, the apartment admittedly a bachlor pad. Michael had never had much time for lovers, and the woman he might have had time for-- well, Lithle didn't like boys, did she?

Besides, he had Tred, and Tred was all the family a man could ever need. Wild, loyal, real. Except, now he had a kid. Of sorts. The explination at D-corp had been long and rather complex, but it'd come down to the simple. He was adopting a kid.

He'd tried to explain to them that he didn't lead the sort of life that allowed for fatherhood, but they weren't interested. He would 'protect' her, they said. Well, yeah, of course he would. All of Tred would. But so would a pack of wolves, if they set it up right. Hell, it was practically the same thing.

So, now they were driving home. She was a quiet creature, at least at the moment, curled up in the passanger seat, wings wrapped around her white skin like a shield. She seemed uncomfortable in the bright winter sunlight, which made some sense. Bat's were mostly nocturnal right? And she was so pale. Even some of Michael's paler friends were light sensitive. He'd pick her up a pair of sunglasses. For now... he waited for a stoplight and reached into the glove compartment.

"Earako?" The name had seemed to suit her, and she looked up with a small smile. "Put these on."

His sunglasses were overbig on her, hiding not only her eyes but half her face. But they seemed to do the trick, her posture relaxed.

"T'anks." Her voice was soft, shy gratitude offered. "Da'."

And he melted. Da'. Dad. Reaching over, her ruffled her pale hair, doing his best to still keep an eye on the road.

"Lets get you home, Kid. And then we'll get some icecream."

"Ikeam?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Yeah, Darling. Frozen sugar. You'll see."  

[lithle]

Michael busied himself with dinner while Earako sat at the kitchen table, colouring her homework. They sure didn't go easy on kids in D-corp, did they. She didn't look more than three, and staying in the lines with the coloured pencils he'd given her seemed like it was being difficult.

Maybe he would buy her crayons next time he was out. They were adjusting to each other. He still thought it weird that she insisted on sleeping upside down, but, whatever made her happy. And she did seem more comfortable that way.

"Da' 'm done!" She held her completed worksheet out to him. A good start. He'd put it on the fridge. Like his mother had never done.

 

[lithle]

Later that evening, Michael put another sheet up on the fridge, this one attempted with markers. She seemed to like them better, but he thought he prefered pencils. Pencil's didn't require baths after their use. His albino daughter was currently soaking off her very colourful experiments in early tattooing.

 

[lithle]

"Hey Kyle." Michael greeted, throwing the door open. The former Tred member turned coffee shop barista leaned casually in the doorway, grinning. In a black button up shirt and a pair of bright green strappy pants, he embodied a sort of teenage insolence despite his twenty five years.

"So, where's the baby?" Kyle asked, striding into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge. Beer in hand, he found himself a spot on the couch and collapsed in irreverant comfort.

"She's asleep, and hopefully she'll stay that way." With an indulgent smile, he ruffled the mans blue and green hair, and nodded toward the closed door down the hallway. "She knows she's got a babysitter, but I told her I'd probably be back by the time she wakes up."

"Cool." Kyle picked up the folder off the coffee table, flipping rapidly through the photographs, "New work?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know where you find the time."

"Just take care of my little girl." Straightening his coat, and rechecking the location of a couple weapons, he whistled for Arter, one of Fen's get, and his favorite of Lithle's wolf dogs. "If she wakes up, tell her I don't care if bats are nocturnal, girls sleep through the night."

"Whatever." Kyle waved him toward the door, while still perusing the folder. "And Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Safe hunting." His tone was serious, hard, and Michael found himself remembering the days before Kyle's injury, when they'd still run together. Insolent, maybe, but the man would protect Earako to the death if needed.

"Safe hunting."

---Hours Later---

"You 'ile?" Earako walked silently down the hallway, hugging her stuffed wolf to her chest. She let her wing stay open, peering at the strange man her Da' had said to expect. Colourful hair, weird pants. Yep, that's what Da' had said.

"You Earako?" The man asked in response, setting down the book he was looking at and grinning in her, "I hear your Daddy wants you sleeping."

"'m no' now." She told him, firmly, wandering the rest of the way into the living room and sitting down on the couch next to him. She wasn't afraid of Kyle. Da' had promised that he was safe. Safe as Da' was. "'m up."

"Listen mija, I'm supposed to be putting you to bed." He gave her a look that was probably supposed to be stern. But he had silver things in his eyebrows and on his lips, and it was distracting.

"S'iny." She told him, reaching up to touch one of the hoops in his eyebrows.

He laughed, and the sound was harsh, rough like Da's laugh. "Yeah, kid, I'm shiny."

"Colo' wif me." Grabbing his hand, she stood up, pulling him toward the kitchen. It felt like a good time to do her homework.

"Well... ok. But then you go to bed."

"Kay." She'd just take a long time to colour. "I 'ike you."

"I like you too, mija."


 

[lithle]

"Ma'kes, Da'." Earako called from the other room, and it was strange how the girls voice carried. She never seemed to get very loud, but Michael rarely missed what she was saying. Maybe it was a parenting thing. You just got tuned to your kid.

"Markers?" He asked, getting them out of the closet and walking into her room. The lighting there was very dim, just a nightlight in the shape of a dragon, glowing gently on the wall. She liked it that way, so he'd eventually taken away the lamp he'd left for her 'just in case'. Nice to have a kid who wasn't afraid of the dark.

Even if she did sleep upside down.

"Yeah. Hom'wo'k." She responded, tapping the newest of her worksheets. She looked up at him, smiling sweetly and tilting her head slightly to the side, "Ma'kes."

Sighing, he placed the box in her outstreached hand, already seeing the mess to come.

"Colour carefully, Kid." He tried to make himself sound firm. "In the lines, understood? And do one of them with your pencils."

"Yeah, Da'. Ca'ful." She promised, looking so sincere that he almost wanted to think she might be telling the truth.

"Good girl. I'll come see them when you're done."

*

And once again, she was covered in marker. Though, he had to admit, she'd done a great job of staying in the lines on her worksheet.

"Did good?" She asked, grinning up at him, her white face half obscured by the abstract blue spirals she'd added.

"Earako. What the hell--" No, he wasn't going to yell. Deep breaths. He was going to be a good parent. Not the sort that screamed all the time. "Angel, why did you draw all over yourself?"

"Tadoo. 'ike Da'. And 'ile."

Great. So it was his fault. Not even a month, and he was already a bad influence. Kneeling beside the girl, he sighed, touching her hair lightly, "Dad and Kyle got those when we were young, and stupid."

"'ile has a new on'." She objected with a child's dangerous logic.

"Kyle is still young and stupid. You, however, are too young to be stupid. Tattoos will wait until you're older. Or until I get you markers that aren't so hard to wash off. C'mon, lets get you in the bath."



 

[lithle]

A New Friend?

A storm was being birthed. The air was thick with it, heavy and humid though not yet cold. Michael stood on the porch, feeling the energy on the wind, letting it power him. Some days he just felt so damn tired.

"Da'?" Earako's voice was a surprise, he'd thought she was in her room colouring. And when she did something, it kept her whole attention, it wasn't like her to stop doing something before he pushed her toward a new activity, "Wha' you see?"

"Nothing, Kid." He responded, not entirely sure he was telling her the truth. But there was nothing he could explain. Thought, regret, confusion. The usual. Maybe he was hitting his mid-life crisis. And at only thirty. But then, living to sixty, that was a joke. "What do you see?"

"Leev." She answered, pointing to a green speck on the winds, being carried toward them.

It was a leaf, slender and rather lovely. It continued to move toward them, carried in dips and spirals, until it hit Michael squarely in the chest. Catching it, he turned it over in his fingers, suprised at how right it felt. Strange, he was more of a city person, not a nature lover.

"Da', we keep i'?" Earako asked him, reaching up to touch it.

"Sure, whatever you want, darling." He ruffled her pale, fine hair and moved back toward the house, leaf in hand. "We'll put it on the wall, or something."  

[lithle]

Found on the fridge, next to the new leaf:





 

[lithle]

You know, it seems like Earako's always been with me. I know there was a time when I didn't have her, but it seems weird. Life was different then. Less meaningful. I'm glad to have this chance, even if it means my lifes change.

Life's changed. I'm always worrying. About her, about myself. What if she gets hurt while I'm out at night? Of course, Kyle's always there, but what if doesn't notice?

What if I get hurt while I'm out at night? It's happened before. But I can't stop. I can't stop because of her, because she's the one that I'm making the world safer for. And Tred still needs me. Having a daughter doesn't change that.

She's a good girl. Maybe I have a dad's blindness, but I can't help but think she's better than most kids. Sure, she's shy, and a little disobedient. Kyle's influence. I know he's letting her stay up at nights. But she doesn't mouth off.

She's dedicated, I think that's what I like about her. Once my little girl sets herself a task, she finishes it. Like her worksheets, or even her marker tattoos. She doesn't move onto something new until she's done with what she's doing. Most kids are more easily distracted than that.

And she's sweet. She doesn't like to see others sad or hurt. I worry about that actually. She might just be a little too soft hearted for her own good. She gets her feelings hurt much to easily. But I'm hoping she'll grow a thicker skin. She's only a little girl after all.

Oh, and she seems to be a pretty quick learner. Or, anyway, she asks a lot of questions. Yesterday, when filling out her worksheets, she spelled wet all by herself. And when she saw that the zebra wasn't labeled, she asked me what it was and how to spell it. Her writing can use some work, but again, she's little. And her colouring has become much neater.  

[lithle]

Earako slipped quietly into the kitchen, trying very hard not to alert her Da' to her movements. If he saw her covered in marker again... well... he'd be mad. But it was so fun! Sneak... sneak... sneak she thought to herself, making her way to the fridge.

She always put her homework there, so she wouldn't forget it in the morning. And she'd done all ten numbers (not to mention her arms and legs) in very pretty marker!

 

[Arafel]

A child is expected to know certain things at certain ages.
In order to obtain rights to their Dragon(egg), they must prove they can meet these requirements.

The following sheet is for your child to fill out, with mild help from their guardian, then sent back to D-corp. (PM ot the mule)

Also any changes, even minor such as haircuts, should be reported to the D-corp to be logged and filed.

Thankyou,
The Boss.

 

[lithle]

Michael reread the message a few times, to make sure he understood it correctly. So soon she'd be ready for a dragon, huh? Children sure did grow quickly. But then... she seemed to speak more clearly every day. And she was certainly a smart little brat. Maybe she was ready.

"Hey Kid? Get in here!" He called, glancing over the bar that seperated the living room and the kitchen to find the little albino child playing with legos on the floor. She was intent, as ever. Would that focus help her in handling a dragon? She was so small...

"Da'?" She asked, continuing to build... whatever it was that she was building.

"Move your butt, darling. You've got homework." He slapped the counter top a few times, creating a fast, impatient rhythm. Being able to focus was good, of course, but it meant a battle anytime he tried to pull her away from an object of focus.

He watched as she carefully settled one last block, pushing herself to her feet and walking into the kitchen. Just barely able to see over the ledge of the counter, she stood on tip toe, trying to see what he was looking at.

"It's a form for you to fill out. You've got to answer a few questions." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he steered the little girl over to the kitchen table, grabbing a pencil en route. "Alright, here you go." He said, handing her the sheet and pulling a chair over so he could sit next to her.

"Homewo'k?" She asked, furrowing her brow a bit while she studied the form. "Doesn' look 'ike homewo'k."

"Nah-aa-mm-ee..."

"Silent e, Kid."

"Na-ay-mm. Name!" She giggled a bit, proud of herself for working it out by herself. "You showeded me how to spell i', Da'. E-A-R-A-K-O." After stating each letter, she carefully copied them onto the paper. It was the word she was most familiar with.

"Good job, Beauty. What's next?"

"Aa-gee-ee... ay-gee? Egg?" She chirped, in her usual whispery tones, looking toward Michael for explination.

"No, Age. The G makes a J sound."

"Why?" She asked, frowning at him a bit.

"Just how it works, I guess. Weird language." He shrugged, hoping that she wouldn't fixate on the point as she sometimes did.

"Fou'." She said instead, forming the number she'd been practicing not too long ago on the worksheet. "The nex' one is long." She pouted, setting the pencil down pointedly.

"Well... the first word is favorite. You have to sound the second word out though."

"Cuh-ah-ul-ah-er. Color?" She growled the final R, making up for the fact that she often dropped the letter when speaking casually. It wasn't that she couldn't say it, Michael observed. She'd just gotten lazy. They'd have to work on that. "Favo'ite Colo'?"

"Favorite Color." He responded, trying to sound firm. "Say it right."

"Favorite Color." She echoed, once again growling a bit on the R sounds. Still, it was a step in the right directing. "B'ack. B-A-K."

"Wait, Kid. B-L-A-C-K. And your favorite color is black?"

She nodded enthusiastically pointing at the starry sky out the kitchen window. "Black. 'ike nigh' time. No 'ight."

"I guess the lights do hurt your eyes." He watched as she printed black in imperfect letters, trying not to say anything. His little girl liked black? Wasn't she supposed to like pink bows, or something? This was Kyle's fault.

"Kyle!" Earako's enthusiastic statement echoed Michael's thoughts so exactly that he almost jumped.

"What?"

"Best Friend. Kyle." She said, tapping the sheet.

He spared a moment to notice that she pronounced words better when the words were right in front of her. But, Kyle?

"Kyle, darling? What about Indigo, or Anoki?" He asked, stressing the names in hopes that she'd pick one of them instead.

"No. Only sawed 'em once. I see Kyle lots." She tapped her pencil tip against the paper, a perfect immitation of him, and looked expectent. "Spell?"

"K-Y-L-E." He said each letter with reluctance, but said them none the less. "Alright, you can go do more leggos."

She bounced happily out of her chair, stopping to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks Da'."

He watched her, and tried not to sigh. So she was already starting to grow up, was she? She'd break his heart, someday. Leave him for a boy with smooth words and bad intentions.

But not yet. Not for awhile yet.

 

[D-corp]

Earako seems to be having the following symptoms:
Stuffy nose
Sneezing
Mild sore throat
and a light cough.
little or no fever

The worst part seems to be the earache, with her large ear's it's becoming more of a complication.

If symptoms persist contact Dcorp for a doctor appointment.  

[lithle]

Breakfast wasn't really something Michael did. Not that he didn't try his best to provide Earako a 'traditional' family lifestyle, but considering his schedule, being awake enough to cook something was pretty much out of the question. Still, he had to take her to school, and he needed to feed her so he did get up, as much as he didn't want to.

But breakfast in Michael's house meant a cup of coffee for him, and a bowl of cereal for the little bat girl. He poured milk into his daughters colourful cereal, frowning at the sugary scent. Where was she anyway? He'd called for her to get up at least ten minutes ago, and while Earako tended to drag her feet in the morning, she usually wasn't this bad. She knew better than that.

Grabbing his cup of coffee, Michael walked into Earako's dark room, "I said up, Kid!"

"Da'?" Earako's voice had a definate whimper to it, and Michael felt himself wincing. All signs pointed to her putting up a fight over school this morning. He wasn't up to it. It'd been tonight, and his mind was still stained in blood that the shower had washed away. His temper was too close to the surface for an arguement, he might snap at her. "I don' feel good."

The sharp edge of his temper faded quickly, Michael moved to his daughter's side, running his fingers lightly over her forehead and noting with relief that there was no sign of a fever. "What's wrong, Beautiful?"

She sniffled before answering him, and there was no faking the fact that she was congested. Though worried, Michael was also relieved. He wasn't sure how he'd deal with it if Earako tried to lie to him. "My ears. Da' they hurt!" Another sniffle, and she sneezed, three time in quick succession.

"C'mere." Lifting his little girl into his arms, Michael held her close for a moment, trying to remember something, anything, about caring for sick kids. Nothing came to him. He'd never been a parent, never had a real parent. What did he know? "I'm gonna... make you some tea, Kid. And if you don't feel better by tonight, we'll take you to see the doctor, okay?"

"What about school?" The pale bat child asked, pitifully.

"Not today." Setting Earako back down, Michael ruffled her hair gently. "Get some rest."  

[lithle]

U ar my jornal. So i can rit abot wat i did. Kial cam to my hos. He has a girl now. She is litl. She is bluw. Her nam is isabel. Kial askd if she cod hav my stuf that i had wen i was litl. I sad yes.

Da sad I am a rol motl. I dont no wat that is. He sad i hav to sow her i am god. So i hav to lisen. It is hard to be a rol motl. I let her colr in my boks and we plad bloks. She is nis. She sad she likd my wings. I sad i likd her skin. I wis i was bluw. I am wit. I do lik my wings. But I dont fli god. Da sad I wil lern. I hav to praktis.

Wen i get big i wil hav a dragon. Then i wil fli wif my dragon. We wil be bes frins. Lik me and Isabel. but Isabel cant fli. I wil let her rid my dragon.
I am soposd to rite my nam at the end. My nam is Earako. Da tat me to spel it.

Earako