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 Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:24 pm
Kennard allowed himself to be tugged along, a wide and agreeable smile on his face. He had propped his axe up on one shoulder so that it didn’t drag along the ground and catch in the carpets. Now and then he hummed softly, looking about the castle curiously. He really hadn’t seen much of the place at all and he was enjoying the chance, or at least he seemed to be. Occasionally he gaze would settle somewhere, oddly vacant.
Then they reached the library. His hazel eyes opened wide with delight and he tugged his hand free of Malo’s grip. He paid as much attention to Preston as if the older male as not even there, tottering forward (and absently swiping a finger through Malo’s painting in order to steal some of the jam as he went past) towards one of the unsorted book piles.
He didn’t know how to read yet, but the books looked fascinating.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:40 pm
Malo shirked his head down as Preston stared with horror, jelly on the table and the floor and even on some of the books. The Noctowl scowled and felt his eyebrow twitch. "Malo. What have I told you about bringing food and mess in here?!"
His eyes skirted to the curious teddiursa with the sticky hands and his expression became a panicked one. "no, no, no!" He said hurriedly. "you both need to wash up before you can come back in here! you'll ruin the books!"
Preston kept his wings folded tight as to not get sticky stuff on them and rushed, grabbing Malo's arm and Kennard by the scruff of his shirt, trying to cart both of them authoritatively to the washroom
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:55 pm
He was so very close to grabbing one of the books when he was suddenly tugged back by his shirt. Kennard was used to being manhandled and he simply went limp in Preston’s grasp, carefully shifting his axe around so that it was resting in his arms. He smiled pleasantly over at Malo, figuring the Noctowl would somehow by strong enough to carry him to the washroom. He was used to be carried about by a Nidoking.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:19 pm
Preston hauled the pair. The teddiursa was heavy with the axe and Malo was being jerky and tuggy, slobbering all over his hand in effort to make him let go. But slowly and surely, one arm at a time, Preston got the pair to the washroom and almost dunked Malo in the porcelain cistern. Making sure the door was shut, he turned the water onto warm and got the infant step stools.
"Alright. Wash up." He panted, happy he had finished the map. If Malo had got tart juices all over his new drawing he'd have been enraged. He supposed he'd give them a picture book to share while he cleaned up, but first he had to deal with these messy messy hands.
"Malo, how did you get so dirty?" He asked, chiding and a bit irritated. Bubbles drifted around the bathroom.
Malo giggled in delight as dried filling, charcoal, grass, mud and spit washed down the drain.
Preston finally put him down and turned to Kennard. "Alright. You next. What's your name, anyway? And who do you belong to? I'm Preston. I run the library here."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:57 pm
When they reached the washroom, Kennard finally stood up and toddled over to watch Malo be cleaned. Now and then he would reach out to grab at the bubbles that floated past.
Anticipating the oncoming wash, the Teddiursa very carefully leant his axe against the wall. The only time he was ever going to put the weapon down was during wash time, and even then, he kept glancing back with looks of longing.
He stepped forward with a wide smile when it was his turn. “I am Kennard.” He answered proudly. “I belong to…” The bear thought about that for a moment. What did his guardian always say? “I belong to the axe, justice for the queen in blood.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:02 pm
Malo burst into giggles at what Kennard said. "What a stupid name!" he laughed. "Hello, my name is the axe, justice for the queen in blood!" He was holding himself until Preston snapped at him to pipe down and that he was making a racket. Instead, Malo drifted over to the axe and began to examine it, not touching it.
"I meant who takes care of you. But I can suppose now that you're in with the royal guard. That's exciting." Preston helped dollop soap on the little one's hands and washed them with his careful, middle aged hands. He was so steady with his fingers. "Its nice to meet you, Kennard. You're just as dirty as Malo is."
Finally, they were both clean and Preston walked them back into the library. "Malo, do you want to read a story with your new friend while I.../sigh/ Clean up?"
Malo eagerly nodded his head, then looked to Kennard. "Want to read with me?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:14 pm
“My name is Kennard.” The Teddiursa corrected, not reacting to Malo’s derisive tone with anything more than a smile. “I said that. You weren’t listening.”
“Mhm.” Who did take care of him? “Lots of people.” He allowed Preston to wash his hands, gaze following a few bubbles as they floated past his nose. “I was in the kitchen and then the garden.” The bear said, as if that explained why he had gotten so dirty.
On the trip back the library, he was quiet and simply happy to be holding his axe again. He moved up alongside Malo, tugging gently on the others shirt. “Yes.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:07 pm
Passing some shelves of thinner books, Preston pulled one down and passed it to Malo. "Now...do try to be quiet and stay out of the way." The Noctowl got out a rag and began to clean the sticky mess off the walls and floor. Seeing the dried pictures, he smiled and put them on his desk, shaking his head at how terrible they were.
Malo lead the way to a small corner, covered in pillows and a big blanket, beside a warm fire. He flopped down and patted a spot beside him welcomingly. "This book is called..." He looked at the cover. There were some birds on the front. "Flying friends." He opened to the first page and showed Kennard the beautiful owl babies all fighting over who would get to fly first. "ONCE THERE WERE THREE UGLY OWLS. THEY WERE SO UGLY THAT NO-ONE LOVED THEM. AND THEIR DADDY WAS UPSET WITH THEM. AND THESE OWLS FOUGHT OVER WHO WAS THE PRETTIEST."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:04 pm
Kennard plopped down beside Malo, snuggling down into the pillows and pulling the blanket up over his legs. Sometimes the guards read things to him, but they weren’t all that interesting. Just lists of who was in the jail and what their punishment was likely to be.
Squishing up alongside the Litwick, he leaned in so he could look at the page. “Oooh…” The drawings were so petty. The little owls looked like they could jump off the page. Not at all like his earlier attempt in the garden.
“… but they’re not ugly at all.” He protested as Malo ‘read’ the story. “I will love them!”
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:11 pm
Malo smiled and continued to read the book until the sun was low in the horizon, making up more ridiculous stories for each picture until the story was about the owls all dying from liver disease and the amassed hatred. Oh but then they lived again because of Kennard's love for them.
But Malo was sleepy and after a time, he leaned against Kennard and fell asleep leaning on him, the book between them.
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