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Vavalion's Entrance - RP transcript with Kanth and Loki.


His wrist ached.

He practically collapsed in the doorway, breathing heavily as he shook ice shards from his winter coat, throwing it off with vigor as it caught on the coat hanger, and leaning against the wall.

The house was quiet. Loki's eyes narrowed as his ears folded back a small bit, not really trusting the environment.

Of course, it didn't help that he was holding a formerly crying baby in his arms, and glowered at it, staying silent for a moment.

"HEY! Anyone home?!"

Io had recently made a habit of falling asleep on the couch reading after Constantine had gone to bed. It was something of a bad habit, and made her back hurt on occasion, and it was kinda cold downstairs at night, but she did it anyway.

"SNRK Huhwha?" She jumped awake as the unfamiliar male voice rang out, her copy of Neverwhere that had been lying open on her face jumping with her and proceeding to hit her in the head before falling to the floor with a dull thud. "Aw snap, lost my place..."

The child in Loki's arms shrunk away from him as he glowered, clinging tightly to the pale cloth wrapped about him. He looked almost ready to cry again, upset by Loki's rough and annoyed demeanor.

"I guess no one's here." Loki sulked, setting his lantern against the wall, letting it hang from his curled staff. He shrugged off the pouch hanging around his waist, and unhooked the large book he carried before wandering into the kitchen, moving the kid to his other arm, with his hurt wrist.

Not that he'd show any pain, mind you.

"Don't say I never did you nothin'." Loki grumbled half to himself, rummaging through the fridge before balking at the ingredients. "What, did she go low fat for some odd reason? These are nasty." He stared.

He suddenly realized something. He was hungry.

So he reached up and yanked on the first thing on the person holding him that he could reach.

"Mmmmgbuh?" Rubbing her eyes, Io heard the sounds move into the kitchen and followed, adjusting her glasses as she entered the room.

"OW!" Loki yelled, wincing as the goggles were pulled down along with a large clump of hair. "Be a little more gentle, will you? Jeez." Letting go of the door, he gently forced the kid's hand out of his goggles and hair, letting out a slow hiss.

"I'm trying to find something, but you're not helping!" Giving up, he grit his teeth and shoved past stuff in the cupboard, finding a can of fruit. "About damn time." It was one of those easy to open cans, which he brought up to his teeth and managed to open with one hand, setting the now open can on the counter.

"I imagine you'll want one, huh." He frowned.

"Mmmm..." Io blinked, watching him. "You're a new face... is that my stash of mandarin oranges?"

Actually, he'd lost interest in the food and was now staring at the few strands of hair he'd managed to pull out, grabbing at them experimentally and shaking his hand as they stuck to it. He seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Huh?" Loki paused, glaring at the kid again, before sighing. A glance was given to Io as he eyed her up and down, quite wary of her. "You one of th'strays that Kanth picked up? If ya are, you should know that anything in this house is fair game."

Grabbing a fork, he stabbed a small orange and held it up for the kid to eat. "Here," He muttered gruffly.

"Stray nothin'. She and I are on equal ground. But by your response there I'm guessing you're another of her 'strays...' I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed with just Constantine around." Io tilted her head curiously, walking around to peer at the child he had with him.

"Who's the kid? He seems a bit scaly to be yours." She gave a small chuckle and a smile as she looked him over.

He pouted at Loki and scrunched away from the orange slice, then glanced at Io and seemed to brighten a bit, giving her a pleading look and waving his arms towards her.

"Heh. I don't think he likes you much."

"Figures." Setting down the fork, he glowered at the kid. "I dunno who he is, but he finally shut up enough to stop crying."

"Hmph, you're probably scaring him. Give him here..." Io lifted the child from Loki's arms, a bit startled as he instantly clung tightly to her, something under his overly abundant sheet of clothing wrapping around her arm. "Whoa! Kid's got a tail!"

"Whatever," Loki muttered, looking like he was... sulking? It wasn't like he was getting used to the kid, no way no how! Grabbing the can on the counter, he picked up the fork again and shoved the orange into his mouth, chewing slowly as he leaned against the counter, his thoughts overwhelming him. The last battle he had been in hadn't been kind.

Idly, he glanced down at his stomach, at the still-fresh scar.

Io shifted the child around to rest comfortably in her arms, brushing her thumb curiously over the scaly appendage wrapped about her wrist. He watched her as she did so, looking a bit... apprehensive? Io blinked, wondering if such a young child was even capable of an emotion that complex before giving him a kind smile.

"Aw, don't be shy, you're an adorable little serpent." She gave his wispy, pale hair a brief ruffle, and he seemed to relax a bit, putting a fist to his mouth and chewing on it. "Heh, I bet you're hungry..."

Io looked over towards Loki and gave him a disapproving frown for having stolen the mandarin oranges. "We better have something else suitable for a baby... knowing Kanth, I can't imagine we wouldn't." She walked over to a cupboard and shifted the child to one hand, rummaging around with the other.

"Actually, she does. They're not very good, though." Loki wrinkled his nose and pointed at a far cupboard, near the dining table.

Io raised a questioning eyebrow at him before giving a nod of thanks and moving to that cupboard, grinning as she found a myriad of baby food. "Deus ex machina... gotta love the real-life version of it." She pulled a few jars out, setting them on the table.

Making a face at her, Loki moved to leave. "Enjoy the brat." He glared at the thing before moving out of the kitchen, taking his armful of stuff that he had deposited in the living room, and making his way elsewhere.

Io gave him a glance as he left, getting out a small bowl and managing to find a plastic kid's spoon to feed the kid with. "Huh, you're welcome..." Glancing back, she saw that the boy had managed to grab the jar of chicken and rice, looking at her expectantly.

"Hm, you want that, huh? Guess I can't say no to that..." She took the jar and began preparing the food, heating it up a bit for him.

Stopping and glaring at the kid again, Loki hovered in the doorway before giving a snort, the flames in his lantern dancing dangerously, almost teasing the baby Legend as he went by.

"Kids."

It wasn't that hard to locate the high chair either - the one that looked fairly well-used. "I've gotta ask Kanth just how many kids she's taken care of one of these days..." Io muttered to herself as she set the boy in the chair, gently coaxing him to reluctantly unwind his tail from her arm.

"'Kay, here's your chicken..." She fed him happily, and without too much of a mess, though she might have to explain the rice lodged into the space between the wall and the trim later.

Soon enough, she'd finished, and started quietly cleaning up, washing the boy's face after putting the dishes in the sink. He gave a small yawn as she picked him up again.

"Yeah, I'm tired too. Not all that talkative, are ya?" She poked his nose playfully, chuckling as he tried to peer cross-eyed at her finger. "Can you say my name? I'm Io."

"Ooooo..." he attempted softly, looking up at her.

"Not bad! See there, talking isn't so hard... we'll have to work on your vocabulary now won't we!" She grinned and gave a small squeal of glee - it had been ages since she'd read aloud to someone! To her, that was the best, if not only way to teach the wonderful ways of the English language to a child.

"C'mon, I'll see if I can find an extra bed or something for you upstairs..." She headed up to her room, through the library stairwell that was currently not hidden behind moving bookshelves.

After having adjusted his book around his waist again, as well as the straps, Loki (leaving his pouch of herbs - as well as the snoring familiar) spied after them, keeping very quiet, his ears ever keen on listening to their conversation.

Just what were those two up to...?

Well, obviously, Io was being all motherly (if in a slightly dorky manner) and taking quite a liking to the quiet little guy.

She quickly went up the stairs, passing through the large double-doors that had once been sealed and into the first room on the right. "Here's my room... huh. Don't really have a crib or anything though..." She set him carefully down on the bed and looked about, frowning.

Her room had lots and lots of toys, most of which were the plastic variety with lots of little parts. Obviously she couldn't really keep a young child in here.

"Heh." Came Loki's smug grin, as he leaned against the doorway and stared at her, obviously quite pleased at her predicament. "Nothing suitable for a baby, huh...." Loki snarked at her, arching his back as he tilted his staff down, the lantern swinging very slightly.

Io frowned, turning to face him. "Why, does Kanth have stuff for that hidden away somewhere too?"

The child stared at Loki's lantern, entranced, watching it swing carefully back and forth.

"What, you don't know where everything is?" He paused, his smartass grin spreading. "You're the stray..."

Io snorted, indignant. "I am NOT. I've known this house for longer than probably anyone else here... it's just that she's the one who's been living in it. I can't help it if she keeps stuff in weird places!"

"Touchy." His eyes held amusement.

"Heh, says Mr. Grumpwad." She snickered, reaching out and pushing his goggles down.

"So were you about to impart your words of wisdom unto me or what?"

"Gck!" Annoyed, he shoved them back up, taking his time to adjust them the way he wanted, and let them stay there with a satisfying snap.

"No." Truthfully, Loki had been trying to intentionally piss her off, but clearly THAT hadn't worked.

Io was notoriously difficult to piss off, happy-go-lucky as she was.

"Then I suppose I'll look myself. Watch the little guy for me for a sec?" She flashed him a bright smile, amusement glittering in her own eyes.

Eyes opening wide, Loki sputtered to protest.

"Aww, thanks. You're sweet." She patted him on the head and brushed past him, glancing about the many sealed doors that lined the hallway. "Hmmm..."

Giving her a death-glare as she went by, Loki growled at the kid as he remained at the doorway.

"I loathe you."

The child gave him a rather distasteful look back, shrinking behind one of Io's plush toys that she kept on the bed.

"So... like... go to sleep, or something." Walking over, he leaned over the boy, his lantern hanging down just enough for the kid to reach.

He stared up at the lantern, seeming to forget about Loki for the moment. His mouth formed into a little "o" as he reached up towards it, gripping it curiously.

Loki was about to jerk the lantern away from the kid, but upon further inspection, he realized that the flames didn't hurt at all, even when the kid's hands pressed against the glass, making finger-smudges. (He'd have to clean that later.)

In fact, the more he stared, the more the flames were edging away, flickering moreso than they had just a few moments before, as if afraid of coming in contact with the kid period.

He peered into the lantern, enthralled, his wide reptilian eyes seeming to follow the ebb and flow of each flicker. But then he seemed to realize something, and his face fell as he reluctantly shrunk away from the flames, looking almost hurt.

The lantern began to become white-hot, and it wasn't very long before it seemed to rattle, making Loki's eyes narrow as he jerked it back.

As soon as it was out of reaching distance of the child, the lantern grew quiet again, soon dimming to its normal hue.

"What the..." Looking at the lantern, Loki glared at it for a moment, before glaring back at the kid. "Th'hell?"

He hid behind the stuffed polar bear again, looking a bit scared.

"Watch your language around the kid, if you don't mind," Io commented, coming up behind Loki and yanking on one of his wings. "I couldn't find anything... what happened?"

"Ow! Dammit, let go! Nothing happened!" Jerking his wing out of her grasp, Loki was far too intent on glaring at his lantern to bother with anything else, and left out the door, his steps all too keen.

It was raining outside.

Io sighed, rolling her eyes and moving back to the bed. "Okay, he's leaving, but I still don't know what I'm gonna do about you... c'mere." He clambored into her arms again and rested heavily against her chest, his eyes drooping.

"Yeah... you're ready for bed all right... hmmm." Pondering, she went out into the hallway with him. Constantine's room, the one with the wood and wrought-iron door that looked like someone had tried to cross a cemetary gate with a barn door, was right next to hers. All the other doors up and down the hall were blearily the same, yet somehow subtley different...

And now that she looked, the one across the hall was just a bit different than she remembered. It was a heavy cedar door with white marble carvings of serpents and gears along the trim, securely locked with a copper bolt. Frowning, she walked up to it, running a hand along the carvings curiously.

"I don't remember seeing this before... huh?" The door abruptly unlocked with a loud click, swinging open with a soft creak. Blinking, Io stepped inside the room.

It was simply furnished, but obviously set up for a young child. There was a cream colored carpet, soft grey tones on the walls broken by wispy, warm pastels, a nightlight in the corner, and most importantly, a white crib complete with blankets and pillow.

"...well then," Io said. a bit surprised. "Problem solved, I guess..."

Just outside the door, hidden from view, Loki listened, still staring at his lantern.

The lantern flickered teasingly. He'd cure THAT problem soon enough.

"Here you go, little guy..." She set him down carefully in the crib, putting the blanket over him before making sure that the rails were safely all the way up. He snuggled up, his breath evening as he already began to drift off.

"Heh... I'll be up bright and early tomorrow for sure to check on you," Io said, smiling and going to pull the curtains closed and turn the nightlight on. She left the door open so she could hear if he needed anything as she left the room, pondering to herself.

"Wonder if Kanth's gonna be annoyed at another mouth to feed."

Another night, another session of storytime for the kids. It was perhaps the only part of caring for them that didn't seem alien to Io.

They'd just finished, and Constantine, being the oldest, was helping her get everyone to bed. He picked up the serpent child last, hefting the sleepy bundle of scales into his arms as Io yawned and rolled her neck about to get the cricks out.

Constantine glanced down at the child, and was met with a sad, distant look for a moment before the young one squeezed his eyes shut and hesitantly huddled into his arms. The Fable bit his lip and glanced away... the new kid made him uneasy.

"Mmm, I'm going to read something before bed," Io mumbled to herself, starting to pick at the books lining the library shelves. "I love kid's books, but they start giving you weird dreams after a while, you know?" She gave a soft chuckle, pausing at a certain section and peering at it in curiosity.

"I'm not much one for books..." Constantine replied absentmindedly, shifting the drifting babe about in his arms. Io just nodded - she'd noticed his eyes and mind wandering during the nightly sessions.

"I guess some don't find it a thrill," Constantine hadn't told her anything about his past yet, but she could make a few guesses. She knew what it was like to have had one too many "adventures" in reality to find such things interesting when put to words. Something within her imagination and childlike wonder just refused to let go of the possibilities. "But look, my grandfather used to own this place, and he collected tome upon tome of mythologies from all around the world. I don't even recognize some of these, and he read a lot of stories to us when we were kids..."

Io took down a large, old, rather dog-eared book and set it carefully on a nearby marble bookstand, flipping reverently through the ancient pages. "Check this one out; it's all in some old language. I can't even understand most of it..."

Admittedly slightly intrigued, Constantine stepped closer to peer over her shoulder. "A symbolic language?" he asked, eyes scanning over the almost artistic symbols scattered across the pages.

"Heh, so you HAVE been paying attention during my rants. Yeah, kinda like Japanese or something, only this looks more complex. It's similar to a few languages I can read... I recognize some of the phonetic symbols, but that's about it." Sighing, Io leaned on the stand, resting her chin in her hand. "It's probably one of the most interesting ones, too. Figures, doesn't it?"

"It must be a mortal language," Constantine mused, shaking his head. "I can't read it either."

"What, you can read immortal languages?" Io chuckled. "Is there such a thing?" She was met with Constantine's trademark slightly annoyed frown.

"Magical languages... supernatural ones. Um, most of them anyway."

"So it was probably written by humans." Io nodded. "Makes sense - most mythology and legend springs from a mixture of fact and human imagination anyway." Blinking, she glanced to the child Constantine was holding. "Kanth said he was a 'Legend...' I'm still wondering exactly what that means. He doesn't have a name either."

"You could give him one."

"I dunno, that doesn't seem... quite right to me. The way she was talking, it sounded like he should come with a name... I just haven't figured it out yet." Now she frowned, glancing back to the book as she puzzled about in her mind. "Haven't even had any pertinent dreams..." Turning a few more pages, she stopped at what appeared to be the beginning of a story or chapter. "Muh, phonetic title... let's see..."

Constantine rolled his eyes a bit. Io of the wandering mind, indeed. "I'm going to bring him to bed."

"Okay... va...va, duh, twice in a row... lee..."

The child suddenly stirred, blinking and sitting up to stare at Io from Constantine's arms.

"Vvvvvvv!"

"..huh?" Io blinked back at him, and Constantine paused on his way to the stairs. "Hey, he was saying that before, come to think of it." Io crossed her arms and tilted her head, a tiny smirk playing at the edge of her mouth. She'd thought it was just a random baby noise before, but maybe...

"Vvvvvvvvvvvv..." He pouted, obviously making an effort to turn his tongue around the syllables.

Glancing back to the book, Io made haste in her translation. "Vavalee... grah, damn, I don't remember which one this was... vavaleesa? Vavalend? ...Vavalion?" The last word rolled off her tongue with a sudden serpentine rhythm and grace that took her aback for a moment, her posture straightening as she spoke. "Sounds like some kind of... name..."

"Vvvvvvvvvv'va!" The child smiled, looking somewhat triumphant. Constantine glanced back and forth between him and Io. "Vvv'va, Vava, Vaval'un!"

"Er..." said Io, looking between him and the book somewhat incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Well... looks like you found a name at least," Constantine replied, giving her a rare smile and turning to head up the stairs as Vavalion settled back down in his arms, seeming rather satisfied.

"A name indeed..." Io shook her head and went to replace the book, but paused to put a bookmark at that page before closing it and returning it to the shelf. "I guess with a weird kid, weird coincidences should be the least of my worries. I'll have to remember to find someone who can translate that story now."

Stretching, she headed off to bed herself, giving the ancient tome one last glance before she vanished up the hidden stairwell.