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 Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:01 pm
Mysterious New Arrival "May!"
Amyla stifled a groan, burying her face further into her pillow. It was far too early on a Sunday morning, and there was just no way her mate was summoning her out of bed now. I'm not awake. I'm still peacefully sleeping, and Aiodhan is just yelling my name in my dreams, and-
"I know you're awake, angel! Get up! You'd better come see this!"
Knowing she would get no peace until she investigated the source of this disturbance, the woman rolled over and tossed back the covers, uttering a few harmless curses at Aiodhan's insistence. One glance at her bedside clock told her she'd slept only an hour since Caleb's morning feeding. Perfect. It looked like she was getting no more rest for the day.
Somehow, her feet found their way into her slippers, and she tossed her bathrobe over her pajamas as she meandered toward the door. Between her bedroom door and the stairs, she intercepted her infant son who had escaped his crib and was crawling (or rather, squirming) quite eagerly across the floor. Unable to help herself, Amyla grinned as she scooped up the wriggling, cooing boy. "Yeah, good morning to you too, little brat," she muttered affectionately, her frustration at Aiodhan momentarily forgotten as Caleb gave her a cheeky grin.
"May?" Aiodhan's voice drifted up at her, sounding more irritated now.
"I'm up! Give me a sec!" she grumbled, right back to being frustrated as she navigated the stairs, using one hand to free her bathrobe collar from Caleb's jaws. She needed to find his chewtoy before he bit her ear. He hadn't done it in awhile, but she wouldn't put it past him, devilish little beast that he was.
Arriving in the entryway of their home, she spotted Aiodhan standing there, looking rather stunned. In one hand, he held a vase-like thing, complete with a metal stand. The other hand held a folded piece of paper covered in writing. A letter, she guessed.
"They made you a guardian," he said, giving her an utterly bemused look. "They sent you a jar."
Shocked at first, Amyla quickly crossed over to him and took the letter to read it for herself. Dear Ms. Raikes, We have reviewed your application... blah blah blah... made you a guardian of a fae. Please care for it well... place a gift in the jar... how the hell did I get accepted? the woman wondered in absolute bewilderment, half-reading the letter and half-pondering over the jar... vase... whatever-it-was.
Caleb, thoroughly entranced by this shiny new object, reached out to poke it, startling both Aiodhan and Amyla from their respective thought processes.
"Ah ah ah! Nice try, small fry, but that's not a plaything!" Amyla declared, swapping burdens with Aiodhan so that she held the vase and he held their squirming child. "Where are the rest of the miscreants?" she asked as she carried the vase toward the living room, leaving a bewildered Aiodhan in her wake.
"Errr... asleep. Now what're we supposed to do with it?" Aiodhan asked curiously, watching her settle the vase on the fireplace mantle. "And don't you think Erin will break that?"
"She can't climb up here, and we're supposed to give it a gift," Amla replied, standing back to admire the jar in its new surroundings. Gift... yes, it needed a gift. What to give it, though? Clothing? Food? Jewelry?
Her mate wandered closer to take a closer look for himself, and at that moment, Caleb decided the issue for them.
His favorite game was 'clean-up', where all of the toys were dropped into one bin to keep them out of the way. And since there was one other thing, a tiny carving no bigger than his fist, on the mantle within his reach, it needed to go into the jar in order for th e game to be cleaned. The young boy swiped the little carving and promptly dropped it in the vase, squealing happily as it made a tiny 'clink' sound when it hit the bottom. Yes! He had won! He had cleaned up the entire fireplace mantle!
"Caleb!" his parents yelled at once, Amyla instantly reaching her hand into the jar to pull it out. For her efforts, her hand got a healthy and rather painful jolt of electricity, and she yanked it right back out, rubbing the sore spot and eyeing the carving in the jar.
It was a Celtic carving she'd picked up some weeks before at an antique shop. It had been a purchase purely on a whim. The tiny carving was of a cat gargoyle, and as Amyla had been paying for it, the storeowner (an old woman with rather creepy eyes) had told her the story of the cat faeries in old Ireland. Slightly unnerved as she was by the story, she felt drawn to the carving and had brought it home. Now she had to watch as it sat there in the jar, a gift to attract a fae. All she could do was hope that it didn't attract one of those old cat faeries...
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:26 pm
I would write 'Dear Diary', but that sounds rather ridiculous.
In any case, I need to keep on journalling to keep tabs on the progress of our house's new arrival. As soon as I get used to writing in one new journal, another is added. Excellent. I just keep getting busier and busier, don't I?
Well, to put the details into permanent record, I received a vase/jar from Project 030. It seems I've been selected to be a guardian of one of these fae-creatures, which I'm not really all that knowledgeable about. I'll need to do more research. Kari can help me with that. She's the research-genius in the family.
I do know we're supposed to offer them a gift by dropping it in the jar. I was pondering on what to offer when Caleb (little brat!) tossed my Celtic carving in, apparently thinking that we were playing the clean-up game. I tried to get it out and got zapped for my efforts. Splendid. Oh well. All I can do is hope that we don't attract one of the Danaan. Don't get me wrong; they're interesting beasts, the old Celtic cat faeries. Somehow, though, I wonder how a cat faerie would get along with Caleb, who is part-tiger, part-dragon, part-human. Curious mix, yes, which makes him rather difficult to live with. Still, I wish he and this fae could grow up as siblings, but I'm almost afraid of what would happen if we got another cat-thing. Mass chaos could ensue. Oh dear.
Anyway, I'm out of time, and Caleb is whining for his bottle. I'm spoiling him rotten; I just know it.
~Amyla
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:20 pm
Shy to Amyla Good thing the jar is somewhere safe. The next time your eyes are drawn to it, you realize it's full of... something. Try as you might though, your hand is met with resistence, as if it is some kind of rock that has solidified inside the jar. Don't try to break it-- the awful sound of nails on scratchboard fill your ears. Ick.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:18 pm
Rock Steady Home, sweet home... Amyla purred silently as she kicked the front door closed behind her. There was nothing like coming home to a quiet house after a longer-than-expected shift at work. Car accidents and an outbreak of the flu (thankfully, a rather mild strain of it) had kept the ER jumping for hours, and Amyla was glad to finally be home. She needed the break; she was tired. Kicking off her shoes and hanging her coat and purse on the coat rack, she was just beginning her trek toward the kitchen when her daughter greeted her at the edge of the living room.
"I no do'it!" Erin sang out cheerfully at her mother, skittering across the tile flooring in her bare feet. Upon reaching her mother, the catgirl's feet promptly slipped out from beneath her, and she sat down-- hard-- at her mother's feet. "Owwie..." she grumbled before using her mother's leg to lever herself back onto her feet, straightening out her improperly fluffed tail.
"Careful!" Amyla said gently, helping the young girl back onto her feet. The child seemed to have picked up her father's walking difficulties. Splendid. "What didn't you do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. If Erin was mentioning a problem, she was, ironically, usually the one who caused it. And knowing the girl's sadistic tendencies, the woman was more than a little concerned.
Realizing that she could possibly escape accusation for the newest odd development in the household, Erin assumed an utterly innocent expression. "Nuffing!" the toddler said cheerfully, wilting very little beneath Amyla's reproving look. "Daddy did'it."
"Uh huh." Completely unconvinced, Amyla got a firm grip on Erin's hand and headed for the family room, guessing by the loud giggles and whispers that the majority of her family was in that specific room. She mulled over the possibilities. Caleb walking? Nieva announcing that she was pregnant? Kari grown up? Aiodhan bringing home a new pet?
She was incorrect on all counts. Instead, her family was gathered 'round the coffee table where Aiodhan had deposited her fae-jar. Frowning a bit at the bemused looks she was given by the rest of the house's inhabitants, she gave a bewildered shrug. "What now?"
Aiodhan, a squealing and giggling Caleb on his lap, pointed at the jar. "It looks a bit weird," he said hesitantly, eyeing the silent and supposedly inanimate object before him.
"We came home from the park, and it was doing this weird glowing thing," Kari supplied, waving a three-fingered hand in the jar's direction. "It feels like a rock too."
Quietly releasing Erin's hand, Amyla strolled over and knelt by the coffee table, absentmindedly patting Caleb's cheek when the infant leaned closer to grab at her hair. The faer-jar-thing was indeed glowing, and there was something in it. It was a gray-colored, solid-looking something too, which aroused her curiosity the most. A carving had produced this?? Curious, she put a hand inside and encountered a great deal of resistance to her hand's presence. Interesting.
Wondering if perhaps it was just a shell of some kind, Amyla tapped it lightly, seeing if it would crack at all beneath the gentle force. She was rewarded with a high-pitched squeaking and scraping sound that made her clap both hands over her ears.
The rest of the family was only a fraction of a second behind her in covering their ears, all cringing at the noise. "Sounds like nails on a chalkboard!" Aiodhan yelped above the noise and Erin and Caleb's squalls. "What the heck is that??"
The noise eventually ceased, and the family eased their hands from their ears with the exception of Caleb, who was too obstinate to remove his hands from his ears. "Well, maybe we just shouldn't touch it," Amyla remarked as she stood and picked up the jar, carrying it back over to the mantle to keep it out of Erin's reach. "It obviously doesn't like that anyway."
Behind her, Aiodhan let out a snigger. "Gee... what gave you that idea?"
Ignoring that comment, Amyla scooped Caleb out of her mate's arms and covered the boy's face in kisses until he pulled his hands from his ears to swat at her hair, noise forgotten as he giggled happily up at his mother. "That's really odd, though. I wonder what's in it," she mused more to herself than Aiodhan, watching the jar from across the room.
"A rock-fae," Aiodhan suggested, ducking the swat that Amyla aimed at his head. "I'll go make dinner!" he added quickly, shepherding the curious offspring from the room and leaving Amyla to wonder what the hell she had gotten herself into.
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:45 pm
Well, there's nothing quite like a mystery to grab the family's attention. We had a little sit-down today after dinner to discuss the fact that we were soon to be getting a new family member, and the conversation wandered from there. After we got over Kari's initial whining about having another sibling, we all started to ponder over what fae could possibly have been attracted to my carving. I just had to write down some of the most interesting responses.
Erin, who has a very limited understanding of magic (and the world around her in general), said that she thought a fly got stuck in there when we poured cement in after it. The glowing bit is the fly flapping his wings really hard. Rather simple explanation, but she's only a little kid.
Nieva and Kari decided that we had attracted a mischevious male rock-fae who would drive us crazy by making loud noises. A good explanation, but I'm not sure if that's even in the ballpark. It explains it, yes, but why would they automatically think male? I personally vote that our fae-friend will be female, but there is no convincing my two elder children. Obstinate brats. And I mean that affectionately.
Aiodhan and I both think it is a Celtic faerie. You know, one of the earth-spirits that the old Celts believed in? Considering all of the old stone architecture and castle ruins in Ireland (we bought a book about it. Earth has remarkably interesting myths and legends and deities!), it makes sense to me that it would manifest as stone. Aiodhan is leaning toward male as well, but I'm still saying female since I'm just convinced like that. I'm probably wrong, but that's fine. I like being wrong every now and then. It's a good reminder that I'm human.
My watch alarm just went off, meaning it's time for Caleb's next feeding. I'd better get to him before he starts wailing.
Amyla
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:48 pm
Memo to self: Never allow Erin to have a hard object.
She somehow managed to get a pair of scissors off the counter (if she is learning to climb, whatever-god-there-is, save us all!) and then climbed up onto the mantle to try to break the vase. It took me a good five minutes to figure out where all of the noise was coming from, and by that time, Caleb was screeching at the top of his lungs as well. I guess his hearing is pretty sensitive. He has always appeared to be somewhat deaf, what with not listening and all. Apparently it was an act of his.
Regardless, Erin did not succeed in even minorly chipping the vase, to my great relief. I'm going to need to get a leash or something for her since Kari will not mind her at all. Ugh... preteens.
Anyway, I spent a few minutes talking to the vase and apologizing (just for my own conscience. As if it REALLY did any good...). I feel a bit better now, and Caleb has stopped whimpering. He really seems to like petting the vase too. In fact, he is far gentler with it than even Kari, despite the fact that he barely has enough in the way of gross motor skills to pick the thing up.
I'm going to hide it in our master bedroom from now on. Erin was thoroughly chastised for her behavior, so hopefully, she won't go looking for it. Something tells me she will, though, just to be difficult.
Amyla
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Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:11 pm
Appointment with Shy Amyla was rarely, if ever, indecisive, but it had taken her the better part of an hour to convince herself to come to the clinic for an appointment. After all, she knew it would be smart to learn a bit more about the jar-thing before it turned into something... strange. She had several children, but they had hatched from eggs or been born as 'normal' mammalian creatures were. This jar-thing was a very new sort of experience and not one that she had any knowledge of.
Due to the fact that most of her large family was asleep and Aiodhan was too tired from work to accompany her, she entered the clinic alone, her brown hair neatly styled into one long braid that hung down her back. The oddly glowing jar was carried carefully in her arms, the suspicious-looking solid gray mass still inside.
Beth stared somewhat suspiciously at the glass. Okay. Was this one of those tricks again, where the jar actually wasn't glowing but she was supposed to think it was, and let the fan through into Shy's office? Ugh. She hoped not.
"Can I help you?" she asked pleasantly. One new guardian had just left, and only two had been recently spotted, so... "Amyla?"
Well, if it wasn't Amyla, Beth would know that this was another fanatic stalker.
Amyla nodded politely at the woman, gesturing with her free hand at the odd jar. "Yes, I'm Amyla. Errr... when I got this jar, I was given notice to come here for 'periodic appointments' or something of that nature," she said, a bit lost with the whole process.
She felt mildly foolish, walking into this place with a jar filled with an odd rock-like material that made nails-on-a-chalkboard noises when disturbed. She probably looked rather odd too, though if this woman had been here for long and seen other guardians, she couldn't look all that strange... could she?
Beth relaxed. So she was a proper guardian! Thank goodness. Her smile deepened as she nodded her head. Shy should probably still be in his office...
"Amyla, my name is Beth. I'm Shy's secretary. Now, why don't you come with me, and you talk to the head honcho about all of this?" she pressed a botton to let Shy know that she was bringing another guest, and walked around the desk.
"If you have any questions." she started. "You can ask him. If you have any questions about _him_, you can ask me." she beamed.
"Nice to meet you, Beth. Sorry if I walked in without a scheduled appointment, but I'm a bit new to this whole... process," she confessed, giving a rather embarassed shrug. "And thank you. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions."
She had to grin at the way the woman stated the last bit. Questions about Shy, eh? He must be an odd sort, then. Well, if she could live with a human-dragon crossbreed, a unicorn anthro, and a sadistic catgirl, she could handle just about anything this man could throw at her... hopefully.
Beth laughed. "To tell you the truth, almost no one actually makes an appointment." She decided not to let Amyla know about Shy's stalking surveillance ... yet. She didn't approve of it, but it made her job a whole lot easier. "Please, follow me."
Down a short corrider to a lift, Beth stopped, pressing the 'up' button and peering at the jar. "I was a bit wary at first." she admitted. "I've never seen it look so solid before."
Feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't the only one to drop by uninvited, Amyla breathed a sigh of relief and followed Beth down the corridor. Maybe this appointment wouldn't be too bad. She could learn a little, maybe find a way to stop the noises whenever someone 'threatened' the jar.
Beth's comment made her nervous again. "Uhh... they don't normally look solid. Excellent," she sighed, glancing down at the jar herself. "Maybe it was the gift I gave it. Are we not supposed to give it stone carvings?"
"A stone carving, huh?" Beth asked, and shrugged. "I've seen staplers placed inside the jars, so..." with a smirk, she shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it." inside the elevator and to the -- wait a minute, 30th floor? Well. Whatever.
"If there is, he'll figure it out." she added.
What a great mood uplifter.
"Well, it was sort of an accident. My son didn't understand the significance, so he tossed the carving in," Amyla confessed as they entered the elevator and ascended to the 30th floor. Staplers? A carving was not as strange as that, she supposed.
"Ah. Well, I hope he can," she added, eyeing the jar in her hand with new interest. She sincerely hoped that nothing was wrong. Her gift couldn't have been that incorrect, could it?
It was a short trip down another hallway, to the last door. Beth knocked twice, waited a couple of seconds (and was met by an odd rushing sound, as if someone was clearing the room) and then opened the door.
"Shy?" she asked.
"I'm here." came a muffled voice.
Beth turned, sliding a glance towards Amyla before peeking in. 'We've got a guest."
"Bring her in!" came the voice, followed by a slight curse.
Hesitant, the blonde woman opened the door, and closed her eyes. "Shy..." she muttered.
The room was inappropriate. Brocade curtains, thick carpets and a old medival Louis the XIV set of chairs engraved in gold and stitched with royal flowers. It seemed more like a sitting room out of old Victorian postcards, but here it was, large windows looking out towards intricade gardens and...
A man. A scientist, standing in the middle of the room and holding onto a wriggling black and white form.
"Hello." he said rather breathlessly. "My name is Shy. Welcome to the 030."
Amyla's eyes danced with unconcealed mirth at the curse and other various sounds coming from the room. She raised an eyebrow at Beth's expression before catching a glimpse of the room herself. She managed to keep from laughing, though she did have to grin at the elaborately oldfashioned decor. Yes, this was an odd sort of man, indeed.
"Hello, Shy. I'm Amyla, and I believe you're the one responsible for sending me this," she said with a gesture at the jar in her hands, stepping forward into the room. "Oh, thank you, Beth, for showing me up here," she added, turning back for a moment to nod at the woman before returning her attention to Shy and his... captive. "Having difficulties?"
"Amyla, it's good to see you." Holding into the wriggling form, he frowned when it tried to bite him again. "We lost them, for a while. A new pet I needed to develop. Put them in a cage in my office, but they got loose. Bite through the wiring." there was a mixture of pride and astonishment at this, and he waved his hand towards the chairs. "Please, sit down."
He focused on the odd stone like texture of the jar, tilting his head as he frowned. "Tell me, do you think it glows, a little bit? As it reacted in any way to your presence, to touch, to music?"
Amyla grinned, watching the pet struggle to get free. "I see. I get the feeling they don't like to be caged. My son, Caleb, would get along well with them. He bites through everything and is our family escape artist." At the invitation, Amyla paused a moment to examine the chairs and selected the least elaborate, not used to formality or fanciness.
At the series of questions, she paused for a moment, glancing down at the jar in her hands. "Hmmm... well, sometimes it looks like it might be glowing a bit. Most of the time, it looks just like this, like a rock. It feels rather like a rock too, and it doesn't react much to my touch or Caleb's. It makes noise when anyone else touches it, especially my daugher Erin, and it's a horrible noise that won't stop for several minutes. It sounds much like nails on a chalkboard, and it hurts everyone's ears something awful."
"It's just being stubborn." Shy answered, frowning. "Bites through..." for a moment there was frank amusement on his face as he tilted his head. What an odd family member! Perhaps he wasn't completely human?
Holding the creature against the front of his jacket and using the other hand to reach for a plate full of small cake bites, Shy paused, deftly manuvering the furry animal onto the plate.
"Obedience... I thought I had worked out the genetic string required for that characteristic, but it seems I was wrong."
"Nails on a chalk board?" Shy winced. That did sound absolutely horrendous. "I've seen jars that would sent out electric shocks when their guardian would try to touch it.. I suppose it is somewhat the same."
Somewhat the worse really, but he didn't want to alarm her yet.
"Just being stubborn?" Amyla queried, raising an eyebrow at the furry thing's struggles. And she had thought her children were difficult... "I didn't know it was a specific set of genes required for obedience. I always thought it was good training. Maybe that's why my kids won't listen."
She did note the amusement on his face at her mention of Caleb. "Oh, he's about one-quarter dragon, inherited from his father. We've had to take... interesting measures to keep him from chewing through the bars on his crib."
Eyeing the jar in her lap, she sighed. It figured that she would get such a bizarre creature. "Yes, nails on a chalkboard is really the only way to describe it. High-pitched screeching noise that grates on the eardrums." Other guardians received similar treatment from their jars? Oh, good! Maybe she wasn't such an oddball. "Errrr... well, I guess it's good it hasn't tried physical harm. Is there any reason why it makes noise, or is it just that different of an individual?"
Patting it firmly on the back, the furry thing stopped, a little bit disgusted that the big man had groped it's rump. Finally with a slight blink, Shy removed his hand.
It was a little, fluffy thing, having the appearance of a zebra but... fluffier. Much fluffier. Like a hamster.
"One quarter dragon?" Shy asked, delighted. "I've already spoken to one guardian with a dragon. It would be nice to meet Caleb. I am a genetic scientist, you see. I create creatures starting with a few cells-- it would be nice to add dragon DNA to my colleciton."
Quickly he changed the subject again, nodding. "The fae react differently. In this form, sometimes they behave the same way they will when reincarnated-- so you can say this is their personality coming through. But I have met fae who are completely different. Static and mean but absolute passivists. Some of my colleagues believe that this is their past personality. Although... the noise..." Shy shrugged again. "Maybe it is a way of letting you know that they are alive? I suppose stone carvings could make... screeching noises."
"Yes, his father, Aiodhan, is a half-breed," Amyla replied, watching the fluffy critter's struggles cease. What was it? Hamster? Rabbit? Fluffball? "He's a bit skittish about needles, test tubes... hospital things in general, but you might be able to talk him into giving you a DNA sample."
Relaxing a bit into her chair, she accepted the change of subject without a problem. She was here to learn about the fae, after all. "Hmmm... well, it was a carving of a- wait... when did I tell you it was a carving I offered?" she frowned, not remembering mentioning it to him. She had talked to Beth about it, yes... but not Shy.
Oh dear. Deciding that it wasn't the best time to tell Amyla that had always put up surveillance with the new guardians (you never knew what they would put inside the jar as a joke...) he blinked, turning his head in one direction.
Shy was a terrible liar.
"A stone carving..." he mused outloud. "I wonder what kind of fae will emerge from that one...
Amyla was less than amused. Either he had purposely eavesdropped on hers and Beth's conversation (which she doubted, if he was struggling with the fluffball-thing), or he was watching her house. Neither idea made her very happy at all, and if looks could kill, Shy would have been something far worse than dead. Still, if she wanted to get anymore information out of him, perhaps pushing the issue wasn't best. "Yes, my family has been wondering that as well, and I won't bore you with the many... interesting... theories they've come up with."
Shifting a bit in her chair, she glanced down at the jar once more, questions flooding her mind. "Anyway, how exactly do the fae manifest themselves? Are they like human infants, unable to talk or walk or eat solid foods? Or are they sort of miniature adults?"
"Like human children, really. Nine to twelve years old?" he said quickly. Ouch. Now what was wrong with her? She couldn't be upset by something he had set or had done?
... nah. It must be personal problems.
"The pressure created inside the glass will lead to a healthy child being... born. They are almost never hurt in the process, and from that moment they can talk, eat solid food, attend school, and the like. But it's usually advised to keep things slow and let them ease into things. They are born slightly smaller than normal children-- the human ones? But they grow quickly, and soon you shouldn't be able to see a difference in size..." Shy frowned, trying to rack his mind as to what was needed to be said. "They don't get sick. They might have before, but I've fixed that. They can get injuries, and those can get infected- but no flus, or colds. I think it's something with the DNA that makes it difficult for viruses to make the transition."
"They have no memories of their past life. It's in childhood they develope their powers, and while they might have dreams of unfamliar places... it's really the gift that unlocks the memories."
He smiled. Yes. That was it.
Well, at least she knew what to expect. Still frowning a bit, Amyla mulled over the information in silence for a few minutes before responding. "Hmmm... I guess then healthwise, they'll be a bit easier than the average child. No illnesses... able to talk, walk, and eat right from the start."
Gift? Powers? Somehow, she didn't remember that being part of the earlier description, but with as stretched as her mind was, she had likely forgotten those small details. "What kind of gifts and powers do they have? And how intelligent are they when they're... errr... born?"
Shy shrugged. Dangit. Maybe it really was about time he had a pamphlet printed out... 'Information on how to care for your child', or something like that.
"They're about as intelligent as a 9 or 13 year old child. Some of them though, are slightly different. It all depends. We've had children who speak with eloquence beyond their years, and also those who are more like toddlers. As for gifts and powers... for now, rest assured- your child will be perfectly normal. They develope one main gift that makes itself known in a couple of months, or even years. Usually only when in the company of other fae."
Shy frowned. He didn't understand that. Maybe it was a chemistry thing...
It made sense to Amyla thus far, except for Shy's creepy knowledge of the gift. Either way, at least she knew what she was dealing with now, which was a great deal of comfort. After her other four offspring, a fae couldn't possibly throw her a total curve ball... could it?
"All right. I think I can manage that, so long as I get him or her in with like company. Thank you very much for your help," she said quite sincerely, glad to know a child would be manifesting from the jar. And here she had been expecting a baby; she supposed she should be grateful it wasn't another infant. Caleb and another baby? She would have gone crazy within a week. "Is there anything else I need to know, about the fae or how to raise them?"
Shy shrugged. His look blatantly said, 'why are you asking me? What am I supposed to know about raising a child?' Clearly deciding that maybe this was too much information, a look of civil cordiality slipped over.
"Nothing that jumps to mind." he said slowly, nodding his head. He smiled. "I am glad we have had this visit." he said simply. Getting up, he hesitated.
Wait. Was she leaving, or was this some kind of mind game?
Judging by the look she received, Amyla guessed that Shy was more than a little put off by her questions. Trying not to look too annoyed, she settled for nodding politely for the moment. Well, he could have included more information in the letter he sent! Or he could have given her a brochure or an instruction sheet or something to help her out. He was the one who had helped bring back these things; how was she supposed to know how to raise such an odd child without a little bit of information?
Taking the hint that he was getting more than a bit fed up with her (good! He was getting on her nerves too), she moved to stand as well, the jar still cradled carefully in her arms. "I'm glad as well. I learned quite a bit. I take it you're eager to get back to chasing your little... experiments around?" she replied with equal politeness, one eyebrow raised. Aiodhan needed to meet this man, she decided. She would give a few vital body parts just to see the two of them try to have a civil conversation.
Shy smiled, a little bit relieved.
One of these days, he would get used to dealing with people.
"I am. I need to find the other ones before they run off on me... they breed extremely quickly, you know. The last time, I had to let them loose in the woods out back."
He didn't want to think about their fate.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Amyla. Please, don't hesitate to call..." he handed her his card with his cellphone number written on the back. "And we'll keep in touch."
Amyla fought hard to keep back a smile at a mental image of Shy chasing the fluffballs around the building, including up and down the elevator. "They're almost like rabbits? I'm glad none of my kids has brought one of those home for a pet," she remarked, thinking that she would have an utter breakdown if she had rabbits breeding in her house.
"Thank you, and I'll let you know if anything goes very... oddly," she added, gratefully accepting the card and storing it in her purse. Hmmm... if she ever thought he was spying on her house, she could possibly bribe Erin into making a few prank calls. Yes, this was very good. "I think I can find my way out. Good luck with your... err.... hunting!" she grinned, making her way toward the door.
Hmmm... maybe he should have offered to give her the one he was holding onto? Deciding that this would be the best course of action _next time_, he nodded his head, walking behind her to the door.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Amyla." he said.
And then promptly shut it.
There.
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Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 8:03 pm
Quote: One day, you hear a crash coming from where the jar used to be. Surprised at what might had caused it to fall over (and also a little bit worried about anyone getting caught under it) you run in, trying to make sure that...
well, no bodies were injured.
Except you're met with something else.
The glass jar had broken, but there is no sign of the stone like structure anywhere. Instead, perched high on the bookshelf is a little girl, watching you with startled eyes. Hey, how did I get up here?
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:10 pm
The World Turned Upside Down Crash!
Startled from her checking of Kari's homework, Amyla's pen fairly flew from her hand and across the table, half-jumping from her chair. What was that?! She kept very few breakables in the house, and all of those were out of reach or locked up, due to Erin's newfound climbing trick. In fact, the only breakable thing in the house at the moment was...
... the jar.
She knocked her chair over in her haste to get to it, nearly slipping on the tile floor at the bottom of the stairs and tripping several times on her way up. Stupid, stupid, stupid! she cursed herself. She should have put the jar farther out of Erin's reach. Farther out of Kari's reach for that matter. The Ancient girl had taken a distinct dislike to the jar and its... future manifestation, which Amyla could neither understand nor seem to fix. Ah well... she'd worry about that when the fae appeared. For now, she would just be relieved if none of her children had been injured when it fell.
What shocked her most as she ran toward her bedroom, though, was the lack of crying. Had it fallen on one of the girls, they would have cried. Or if it had fallen near them, they would have at least yelled... or something of that nature. But there was nothing... just silence. Somehow, that frightened her more.
To her great relief, no one was hurt. In fact, no one was even in sight. The only thing she saw was an extensive amount of broken glass, scattered all about the floor around her bookshelf beside her dresser. Frowning a bit, Amyla glanced at all of the glass, trying to find the stone-thing that had resided in the jar before its... breakage. But it wasn't there. There was no trace of it in sight.
A small noise made her look up, and she was shocked to find that she was indeed not alone.
A little girl was seated on top of the bookshelf, crouched as if ready to pounce. Wide blue eyes stared down at Amyla with an expression of utter shock and confusion, pointed ears twitching every now and then. Her hair was a deep and lustrous dark brown, and Amyla was surprised to see that she was wearing something like a dress... though it was a bit short.
"Well... hello there," Amyla said, smiling up at the girl despite her surprise. This, then, must be the fae. She had come from the jar, and now she was a real child... sitting on top of an eight-foot bookshelf. "Errr... I suppose you want to get down."
The girl simply stared with wide, startled eyes. She swayed just a bit, though it looked to Amyla that she was simply finding a better grip, not off balance. In fact, she looked perfectly at home crouched up there, despite the fact that she looked confused as to how she had gotten up there.
"All right... I'll get you down. Just... ummmm.... Aiodhan!" she called as loudly as she could, though not too loud so as to startle the girl. The last thing she wanted was the poor thing falling right off the bookcase and landing in the glass, and Amyla wasn't entirely sure she could catch the girl in midair. She was strong but not quite that fast. "Aiodhan!"
She heard the rustling of draconic wings and the happy coos of Caleb as the dragon-man approached, but the girl apparently wasn't intent on waiting to be taken down. Amyla spared a moment to glance at the doorway to her bedroom, and when she glanced back at the bookshelf, the girl was already halfway down, calmly using the shelves to navigate her way to the ground. At the last shelf, she executed a neat leap from there to Amyla's side, safely away from the broken glass. Once there, she stood up and stared at Amyla, dark-haired head cocked to one side.
Amyla was in utter shock. "Ummm... hello! I guess you're not afraid of heights," she commented, watching the little girl shift her weight from foot to foot.
The girl was silent for a moment and shook her head, brushing a thin braid away from her face. "Who're you?" she asked suddenly, eyes wide and watchful.
"Amyla. Or... Mom, to you," Amyla replied, watching the girl's eyes narrow as she processed that. "And what are we going to call you?" she asked as she knelt down to be on the girl's level. When she received a diffident shrug, she supplied the answer. "Iolanthe Kayce. We'll call you Kayce."
The girl nodded in agreement with this. "Why up there?" she queried abruptly, pointing with one pale hand up at the bookshelf.
"Ohhh... well, I was afraid Erin would... not be nice, if you were closer to the ground," Amyla tried rather lamely to explain as Aiodhan came up to join them, a squirming Caleb in his arms.
The little girl hissed unhappily and glared up at Aiodhan, drawing her shoulders back and throwing out her chest in an unmistakable gesture of defensiveness. "Who're you?" she asked warily, eyeing the strange man.
Aiodhan stopped. "Ummm... I'm... uhh.... you can call me Dad. And this is Caleb," he said slowly, gesturing at the happily cooing dragon-boy in his arms.
Kayce calmed a bit, still giving Aiodhan a wary look. Caleb, however, she seemed very interested in, even going so far as to offer him a wave of a hand. That was as far as introductions went before Erin came storming into the room, whatever she was about to say coming out as a howl when she spied this newcomer.
Order promptly fled, and chaos ensued as Kayce hissed at Erin and Erin tried to tackle Kayce. Erin stood not a single chance of winning against the bigger girl, but she fought like a demon anyway. Amyla and Aiodhan just tried to separate them, Amyla thinking all the while how things would just never be the same.
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:16 pm
Towers and Princesses
(or 'Treehouses and Cat-girls') "Heeeeeeeylp meeeee! Heeeeeylp me!"
Trying hard not to laugh at the scene playing out in her backyard, Amyla relaxed a bit into the porch rocking chair, Caleb cuddled up against her chest as she rocked slowly back and forth. With the snow melted and the trees beginning to grow back their leaves, the backyard had become a much prettier (not to mention safer) place to play. And playing was exactly what the three female children of the house were doing.
As oldest of the three and the ringleader, Kari naturally had picked the game. For once, the preteen was not acting as though it was below her level to play with Kayce and Erin. In fact, she rather seemed to be enjoying herself. She was playing the big, ugly, mean dragon, storming around the base of the oak tree that held the treehouse, a project of Aiodhan's from the previous summer. Kari the Dragon was guarding said treehouse, in which sat the lovely princess.
Well, perhaps she was lovely, but Erin was also rather loud. Very imaginative and firmly embedded in the game, she was wailing rather loudly for help from her heroic princess sister. Seated on the treehouse floor, a horse blanket wrapped about her like a cape and a cardboard crown on her head, Erin looked and acted the part perfectly.
Meanwhile, the heroine was attempting to steal past the evil dragon. Kayce was decked out in plain black leggings and a T-shirt. Having reluctantly shed her dressy outfit, the fae girl had almost immediately taken to the casual wear that Amyla suggested for at-home time. Unfortunately, Kayce had taken much too happily to casual wear and could now rarely be forced back into other clothes. In fact, Amyla had never managed to get her to wear something besides jeans or leggings and a T-shirt of sorts. It wasn't that the fae fought and screamed. She just stood there and silently refused to change.
At the moment, she was pacing slow, easy circles around the tree and its 'guard,' the evil Kari-the-Dragon. She was half-hunched, her steps long and graceful.
Kari uttered a mock-growl to combat Kayce's silence, firmly planting herself between the fae and the ladder up to the tree house. She hunched her shoulders a bit, green tail flailing about behind her. "Grrrr... get away, stupid girl! You will never rescue the princess! Hahaha!" she crowed in an obviously false deep voice, smirking heavily as Kayce stopped her pacing and stared.
As usual, Kayce wasn't saying a word. In fact, she actually looked rather bored with the proceedings. Amyla had a strong suspicion that she only played to pass the time, not for the real fun of it. She never seemed to be having fun. She just seemed... alert and occupied.
What happened next was so fast that Amyla missed it when she blinked, only hearing Kari's howl of outrage as Kayce somehow managed to slip by her and shimmy up the ladder to 'rescue' Erin, who by now was looking very bored. By the time their feet were back on solid ground, Kayce was wearing an undeniable smirk. "I win," she replied simply before turning on her heel and heading for the house, leaving a bemused-looking Kari and Erin in her wake.
Amyla just shook her head, gently stroking Caleb's tousled hair as the boy began to wake. She needed to find Kayce a new game to play.
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:18 pm
Double, Double, Talk and Trouble "Kayce."
"Ehhhhhhhh?"
"Kay-ayce!"
"Ehhhhhhhhrooooo?"
Amyla snorted softly as she worked on preparing dinner, a large pot of noodles bubbling away merrily on the stove. This 'speech' lesson had been going on since Amyla had stepped into the kitchen. With Aiodhan sitting in the room with them, working on bills and such, she didn't mind leaving Kayce there with Caleb, as they seemed to have a more stable relationship than with any other child in the house.
"Ka-ayce!"
"Oooohbaaaaaaaah!"
Chuckling to herself, Amyla peeked over the kitchen counter at the two children. A blanket was spread on the center of the family room floor, providing a little play area for Kayce and Caleb. Lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, Kayce was rolling a ball in Caleb's direction. With every roll, she repeated her name again. Caleb was either silent or made some incomprehensible noise and rather clumsily shoved the ball back at her, occasionally offering up a giggle.
Kayce rolled the ball at him again. "Kuh-ay-sssss!" she drawled out, pursing her lips just a bit at her brother's nonresponsiveness.
The boy, seated upright on the blanket, giggled. "Eeeeee!" He shoved the ball back at his fae sibling. "Eeeeeeetaaaaahooooh!"
The fae girl patiently rolled the back back again. "Kayce! K-A-Y-C-E!" she spelled out purposefully, exhaling a sigh when the ball was rolled back with only a happy giggle as a response.
Amyla had to smile at their exchange. Kayce, despite being completely disinterested in her siblings most of the time, had actually taking a liking to Caleb that surprised and pleased their mother to no end. The last few days had been much easier too, and Amyla had actually managed to introduce Kayce to letters and words. Not that Kayce used them, really. She didn't seem to be quite as interested in reading yet as there was so much left in the backyard and house to explore. Still, the fact that she could spell her name made Amyla feel like she had accomplished something as far as teaching went.
Tuning out her children's voices for the moment, she went back to her cooking. She was nearly finished when Aiodhan came into the kitchen and took the stirring spoon from her.
"I'll finish," he said with a broad grin on his face.
Perplexed, Amyla frowned for a moment before she heard a voice from the family room calling to her. Reluctantly allowing the dragon-man to finish the spaghetti-making, she wandered into the room to see Kayce and Caleb still lying and sitting, respectively, on the floor. As she entered, Kayce looked up at her.
"Mum... watch," she said simply before rolling the ball at her little brother. "Kayce."
"Aaaaaaays," the dragon-boy cooed, shoving the ball back.
Emboldened by the shocked expression on Amyla's face, Kayce rolled the ball to Caleb again. "Ka-ayce!"
"Aaaaaaayssss!" the boy replied, giving his sibling a cheeky grin as he rolled the ball back at her.
Kayce gave her mother a rare smile. "He said my name," she replied, blue eyes dancing happily.
Amyla eventually got over her shock and went to sit on the blanket beside her son, gently resting a hand on his tousle-haired head. "So... did you just figure it out, or were you just being stubborn before?" she asked him.
"He likes me," Kayce replied in his stead, tickling the bottom of the dragon-boy's feet. She was rewarded with a giggle and a kick. "Once he gets bigger, we'll play more."
Forcing herself to smile, Amyla felt a small pang of fear. Caleb and Kayce? A winged strong-boy and a graceful girl who could climb just about anything... dear gods, they would never run out of trouble to get into. I just hope we have a loooong time before he grows up! she thought, watching the ball be rolled back and forth. ((Cross-posted in Caleb's journal))
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Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:53 am
There are days I really wonder about Kayce. She acts so... strange. She seems to be so... aloof. She isn't really involved with the other kids' games except for the ones they play outside that involve running or climbing. She explores out in the backyard for hours at a time and then calmly comes in and sits down for dinner. She climbs trees and just sits there, staring off into nowhere. I was wondering at first if she was autistic, but Shy said that they can't get diseases or conditions. I don't know. She seems just... distant.
In any case, she does seem to like Caleb. He seems to like her as well, and they don't really play so much as just interact. It is very weird to watch them sit there and roll the ball back and forth over and over again.
One thing that I am grateful for, though, is her insistence upon cleanliness. I think if we let her, she would bathe four times a day. She insists upon her nightly bath and will wash her hands every hour or so when indoors. If she's outside, she'll go over her clothes meticulously, making sure they are free of lint or pieces of dirt. She doesn't seem to care about scraped knees, though, which she got one of the other day.
That was a different sort of experience. She just walked in the back door and announced to me that her knee was scraped. I cleaned it up, put some antiobiotic ointment and a bandaid on it. Then she said 'Thank you' and walked right back outside to climb the trees. She fusses about dirty clothes but isn't fazed in the least by wounds. That is quite a change from Erin, who couldn't care less about her clothes and howls at the smallest scratch. And speaking of Erin, she and Kayce get along about as well as a cat and a dog normally do. They'll tolerate each other for games when bored, like in their Kari-Is-Evil game, but other than that, they fight constantly. Kayce picked up a few more scratches on her face, and Erin got a split lip and a spectacular black eye. Erin was at fault, of course, but I plopped both of them in time out. Erin was furious, and Kayce looked minorly annoyed.
Anyway, I'm thinking I need to enroll her in some kind of activity outside the house to get some socializing time. I was thinking ballet class. She seems to like dancing to music, and though she is graceful, her dances are... disjointed?
Crud. Erin just started screaming. A thousand gold says that she and Kayce are fighting again.
~Amyla
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:32 pm
I can't remember ever being this busy in my life. I don't sleep well, and neither does Aiodhan. We're constantly on the run with the kids. Don't get me wrong; I love doing it. Some days, though, I wish I could call in sick or something, just to get some peace.
Kayce has added a whole new dimension of chaos to the household. She and Erin get along about as well as... well, as two competing sisters. Kayce, at least, will be too disinterested to really fight unless physically provoked. She just ignores Erin and walks away as much as she can, too intent to explore. When Erin starts a cat-fight, though.... it is wise for the rest of the household to stay away until they wear themselves out or start doing serious damage. Erin has had some impressive black eyes, split lips, and other various bruises. Kayce mainly has pulled-out hair and scratches. Kayce is a little bit of a cleaner fighter. Erin plays dirty.
In other news, though, Kayce seems to be settling in a bit better. She and Caleb absolutely adore each other. I was a bit wary of letting her hold him at first, but she is a natural as far as caring for babies. She has fed him a few times too, though I was sitting right there as she held him and gave him his bottle. Still, it is nice to see her caring for him. They're going to grow up close. They are just... alike in many ways.
Well, until Kayce can play with Caleb, we surprised her with a companion that she found much to her liking. A stable was closing down and had to get rid of its horses, one of which we thought was perfect for our fae-child. We brought the little Morgan filly home, where Kayce appropriately christened her Mistress Mayhem. We call her Missy, and she is a handful at times. She and Kayce run around in the backyard whenever the weather is appropriate (or even when it's raining, though it takes us an hour to get all the mud off Missy afterward). The other equine beings in our stable seem to tolerate the filly, and she seems to like them, despite the little pranks she likes to play. Kids will be kids, no matter what species they are. It does make me happy that Kayce will take responsibility for her and will help with the grooming and the feeding and things of that nature. It makes her aloofness, distinct dislike of physical affection, occasional snobbiness, and superior attitude easier to handle.
~Amyla
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:53 pm
Shopping Trip "Do I have to?"
Amyla was torn between a grin and an eyeroll, settling for a bit of both as she gathered up her purse and jacket, slipping her feet into her shoes. She had made an executive decision that Kayce needed some clothing. While the girl was managing decently with the clothes she wore now, Amyla wanted to get her at least a few pairs of blue jeans, some nice shirts (preferably in a color other than blue, Kayce's favorite), and just one nice dress.
The only problem had come in convincing the fae-girl that it was a necessary and required trip. Kayce avoided crowds and public places when possible, hating being crammed in amongst others and forced to go to specific places. She liked to wander, and while Amyla respected that, there was a need for the girl to be out... with people. Therefore, she had given the girl no chance to argue and simply told her to get dressed, that they were going out.
Kayce had at first looked thoughtful, as if weighing her options and trying to figure out a way out of this excursion. When she saw Amyla put her shoes on, though, she had abandoned her thinking for the direction question of, 'Do I have to?' Eloquent as she could be, when she wanted to say something, the fae-girl just said it.
When Amyla did not immediately reply, Kayce pursed her lips and gave Amyla a very critical look. "Where are we going?" she asked, though she made slow moves to put on her coat and shoes.
"Out," Amyla replied with a half-smile, waiting patiently until the fae had finished tying her shoes and then shooed her out the door. "You'll see when we get there."
Kayce looked wary but did not argue until they reached the store. Then, as soon as she was out of the car, the fae-girl dug her heels into the ground and refused to budge. "Nope."
Amyla smiled sweetly, putting one hand firmly on the girl's back and shoving her toward the doors. "Yep."
It seemed for a moment as though the girl would fight back, but to Amyla's great pleasure, she gave in, though looking quite reluctant. They actually managed to get into the girls' section and start looking through clothes racks before the first issue came up.
"Do I have to get a skirt?" Kayce asked, looking absolutely horrified as she held up a pink skirt. The fae-girl poked it with her free hand, the shiny pink-ness of it seeming utterly revolting to her biased tastes.
Amyla resisted the urge to snigger. "No, no skirts. We will get you some jeans and shirts, though," she said, not mentioning the dress for now. "How about this?" she asked, holding up a pastel pink shirt.
Kayce's eyes widened. "No!" she said instantly, not even having to think about it for a moment. She disappeared behind another rack and reappeared a moment later, a dark green V-neck shirt in one hand. "I like this one."
An hour later, Amyla and Kayce were both at least partially satisfied. They had spent the better part of the hour arguing and had had to compromise on several of the shirts. The jeans had been easy, but they had settled on four shirts: two blue, one green, and a beautiful scarlet one that Kayce had reluctantly agreed to. After trying it on (it had been Amyla's idea, of course), the faegirl had admitted it looked quite nice. Kayce was not naturally vain, but the shirt did appeal to her since it looked so pretty.
Then Amyla dropped the bombshell.
"All right, just a dress left, and then we're good to go!"
Kayce froze in the middle of the aisle, eyes wide. "Dress?" she repeated after a moment, looking very unhappy about this new development. Dress? Amyla had never mentioned a dress! Why did she need a girly outfit?!
"Yes, dress. You need at least one nice dress to wear out," Amyla countered, strolling over to several of the racks full of dresses to look for a suitable one. Too short... too long... too low-cut (what was THAT doing in the girls' section?!)... too complicated... "How about yellow?" she suggested with a mischevious grin, nearly laughing at the look of revulsion on Kayce's face. Putting that dress away, she searched through for another, more Kayce-like one.
Kayce, meanwhile, was pondering over her options. In this instance, cooperation (however humiliating) would yield the result of escaping this shopping trip sooner. Further obstinance would likely lead to more shopping, perhaps for shoes or even skirts. Kayce had no desire to get a dress but even less desire to stay here longer. Therefore, she sighed and decided to cooperate. It wasn't as if she would have to try too many dresses on.
Amyla had already pulled two possibilities from amongst the many available, both in shades of green. She had just spied a knee-length scarlet dress that might be acceptable when Kayce appeared at her elbow with her own suggestion. The woman sighed. "Blue again??"
Indeed, Kayce's choice of dress was blue. It was a dark navy blue and would run right down to the girl's ankles when worn. It had no sleeves, and odd translucent sashes ran from the top of the shoulder straight down the back, one for each shoulder.
Though not liking the idea of another piece of blue clothing, Amyla had to agree it looked nice. Another compromise was made, and all four dresses were tried. Both females agreed, with little argument, the blue was best.
Amyla took their purchases to the counter and paid for them, Kayce ambling along beside her. It wasn't until they had left the store that they spoke again, and it was Kayce who broke the silence.
"It wasn't so bad," Kayce acquiesced, ignoring the triumphant look Amyla wore as a result. She didn't care. She had escaped with no awful outfits and no bright colors. Life was good.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:57 pm
Medical Evaluation environment: very hot weather. dry, so the sun pierces skin and leaves it feeling parched. the aircon in the reception desk is not working either, and the elevator is being renovated. SO. Stairs! XD
status: Beth is prancing around in appropriate clothes and keeps sucking on ice to keep herself cool. Wait... has she stacked dry ice around her desk? It seems so.
Shy: is taking it quite well. He seems happy enough.
Tempers on a hot day are normally quite short, and this particularly warm day yielded no exception to the rule. Kayce, disliking the hot and dry, had been loathe to leave the air-conditioned house for any reason whatsoever. In fact, she had nearly thrown her first temper tantrum ever at the thought of venturing out into such an unforgiving environment. In the end, though, Amyla had put her foot down, and the fae had given in, sullenly following her mother out.
Actually, Amyla had resorted to a bit of bribery as well. She had brought Caleb along, the infant dragon-boy half-asleep on her shoulder. Kayce adored her little brother, and all of the affection she could have given to each other family member was bestowed singly on him. Well, the fae did show some affection towards Amyla as well, but not nearly as much as she gave to the little boy.
Amyla hated the heat as well. She would much rather have stayed where it was cool, but she knew that Kayce needed this medical evaluation. She had even taken the day off of work in order to get it done, though she seemed to have picked a very lousy day for it.
Therefore, it was a quietly exasperated Amyla and thoroughly sullen Kayce that arrived at the facility, Caleb still muttering baby nonsense against his mother's shoulder. Upon spying Beth's familiar face, Amyla had to smile, despite the sweltering heat. "Back again, though I think the weather was better the last time I visited."
The self fanning was done with some amount of exaggeration-- but not too much. Sighing, the woman rubbed her body over the cool respite given by marble counters.
"You think Shy would bring in some portable aircons? No. He thinks it makes the place look unprofessional." rubbing her brows, she peeked over with some interest at the little girl. "You've got a cute one, Amyla." she stated, smiling.
Too much she wasn't in the mood to oogle children.
"Lift is bust too, sorry. But I told Shy to stay on the first floor-- it's not too far, and he should be there." Should, because the man hated any form of exercise. "I'll let him know you're coming."
She smirked.
Maybe work would get Shy to tone down a bit too. Who knew hot weather could get a man so hyper?
"I think comfort is a bit more important than professionalism on a day like this," Amyla replied, more than a little warm herself. She had to smile at Beth's comment, shifting Caleb's weight on her hip. "Thank you, Beth. I think she is quite good-looking too."
Kayce tried not to look too revolted. Cute? Cute was for babies, like the sleepy Caleb. Cute was not for dignified young girls. Still, she managed a polite nod and half-smile for the woman, though the smile looked a bit strained. "I'm Kayce."
Amyla breathed a quiet sigh of relief. No fireworks from the fae-girl yet. That was good. "All right. Amyla versus Shy, round two... coming right up." She glanced about, not much remembering her way around from last time. "Errr... would you mind pointing me in the proper direction? I'm afraid I don't remember the layout of this place."
Beth smirked. Reaching for a sheer version of the lab coat, she shrugged it over cut off shorts and a tank top, getting up. "Let me go with you... I think it's about time I stepped out of this hell hole." grimacing, she nodded her head.
It was a short trip, to the right, and to a pair of intricate stairs. "They belonged to the old house, before Shy... renovated." she smirked again. "He's vain enough that he kept them for their grandeur."
Which said something about the man. "First door to the left, and me... I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can bribe the technitions."
Amyla grinned. "Thanks. I'm a bit directionally-challenged," she added, following the woman through the hall. "I don't blame you for not wanting to sit around. Is there a basement here? That might be cooler than up here." She was just grateful she was pregnant during the fall and winter and not during this heat wave. She wouldn't have survived long.
Kayce trailed along behind Amyla, looking rather disgruntled about having to be present. She would have loved to stay at home, in the air-conditioning, working on her reading a bit more. The trip would have been much easier were Caleb awake to play with, but the infant boy had long-since gone into dreamland and was showing no signs of looking to stir soon. Darn. She could have used the distraction.
Amyla had to chuckle as they went to the stairs. "A man? Vain?! Impossible! I remember his taste in decor from last time, and these seem to fit right in," she remarked, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Beth. Good luck!" she said whole-heartedly, knowing very well how it was to be stuck in an overheated building all day. Gesturing with her free hand to Kayce, she made her way to the first door on the left, raising a hand to knock on it.
Shy stopped from where he had been trying to add more syrup to his iced tea. It seemed his drink had reached the limit, really. Any more and it would taste like syrup, and not like tea at all.
Pity.
"The door is open." he called out.
The room was large, rounded. Similar to his office really, except it resembled an old Japanese styled room, tatami floors, areas for people to take their shoes off, and a little table with deep cushions scattered around the edges. The view was pretty-- and somehow, the heat was more bearable. Fans worked, circling lazily like vultures waiting for the first victim.
And Shy was sitting in the middle of it all, carefully stirring syrup into the pitcher of almost frozen tea.
Upon hearing the familiar voice call out, Amyla pushed the door open, Kayce close on her heels. She probably should have been surprised by the design of the room, but after the stairs and the Victorian room, she just wasn't shocked. "Hello, Shy. Enjoying your drink?" she asked with a faint smile, eyeing the pitcher he was stirring.
For her part, Kayce made no move to go past the doorway. The architecture was strange, the man was weird, and this place had far too many walls. Hadn't they ever heard of windows or rooms that could be open to the outside? The lure of the heat relief eventually overcame wariness, and the fae took one step into the room before stopping, not at all inclined to come closer
Shy smiled. "Amyla!" he said, getting up in a smooth motioned, he motioned for them to come in. "Please. Leave your shoes at the edge, and make yourself comfortable. It's more comfy than it looks." he assured them.
Distantly, something caused the windchime to sing. But there was no wind?
"And you must be a new arrival?" Shy leaned down. He watched her, green eyes assessing as he smiled. "Beautiful." he murmured.
Sometimes he amazed himself, really.
Anything was more comfortable than standing upright in the heat, so Amyla wasted no time in leaving her shoes near the doorway and making her way toward the cushions. She had barely taken two steps before a sharp n** on the ear told her that her infant was awake and looking for entertainment. Perfect.
Kayce barely noticed her brother awakening, but her sharp ears did pick up the distant windchime. She blinked once and then copied her mother's movements, leaving her shoes near the door and moving slowly toward the strange man. At his question, she nodded once, her respect for him going up a notch as he appropriately fed her tiny streak of vanity. Yes, 'beautiful' was a great deal better than 'cute.' This man, she could possibly tolerate. "I'm Kayce. You're the one in charge here," she said, not as a question but as a simple statement. The decrease in temperature improved her temperament a great deal.
The little baby made enough movement that Shy tried to think of a way that the child might be entertained... later. His eyes were arrested by the new fae, one of many really.
One of so many.
"I am." he said solemnly, moving back to his own cushion. "Iced tea?" he asked them both. "It's slightly on the sweet side."
Slightly. The man could speak.
"My name is Shy, Kayce. I lead the 030 project. Do you know why you are here today?
Amyla settled on her own cushion, handing Caleb his teething ring. She was correct in assuming he would be occupied; he commenced gnawing without hesitation, thereby sparing her ear anymore bites. "No, thank you. I'm fine," she replied to Shy's question, watching Kayce's reaction carefully. It wouldn't do for the young fae to be afraid, after all.
Luckily, Kayce wasn't the least bit fearful. "No, thank you. I don't like too much sugar," she said calmly, wrinkling up her nose just a bit. She took a seat on the cushion next to her mother, watching Shy very closely. "Mum said I was here for... something like a check-up. You want to see how I'm doing." Actually, she had expected something more like a doctor's visit, like the one her sibling had had not too long before. But, if he didn't want to look in her mouth and bang her knee with a hammer, that was perfectly fine by her.
"Would you like something else, perhaps?" there was a tea set somewhere. Hmm. Maybe when the tutors arrived, they would be able to sort this out.
"Yes Kayce, that's exactly it. And more. You see, today you'll meet two very important people. They will be your tutors until you become an adult. They will be the ones to run your tests, help you through any fae related trouble and teach you when you develop your powers." he beamed. Oh, this was going to be fantastic, really.
"You'll be able to come to me, of course. But your fae should be here... soon." Shy frowned. This was the first time the Seelie fae would be involved as tutors... and he was a little bit apprehensive.
"Do you have any questions, before they arrive?" he gestured to Amyla.
Amyla shook her head. No, she wasn't very thirsty. Actually, she was just starting to get a bit nervous. In fact, she got more than a bit nervous when Shy brought up powers. Oh no.... powers?! She didn't remember that being mentioned before.
Kayce, on the other hand, actually looked interested. No, she looked excited. Tutors, powers, lessons... yes, this did sound intriguing. "What sort of troubles do fae have? And what sort of powers?" she asked curiously, not knowing much about her own kind except for what Amyla had been able to tell her. Actually, she really hadn't cared before. Now she was interested.
Surprised that Kayce was taking the initiative, Amyla gave Shy a faint smile and a shrug. Let the fae ask the questions; this was her future they were talking about. She had a question or two, but that could wait for a time when Kayce wasn't in the room.
Shy smiled, delighted that this girl could speak. Some were so sulky and quiet, or took such an aggressive attitude that Shy was too scared to get comfortable in his own skin.
"Anything, everything. No two fae have the same power, but it can get really similar. You have the basic elementals, contralling wind and earth, you have those who control memories, time. We have two healers, one for midwivery, the other for more general aspects." he stopped to smile. "It's quite diverse, really. The fae at the 030 appear stronger then that of the courts. There are twenty of you now, twenty fae raised and reared the way you are being reared." he shrugged. "And your gift? It all depends on yourself."
Seeing that Kayce and Shy could communicate, Amyla relaxed a bit, not quite as leery of this whole situation. Kayce was normally not so vocal, but apparently, she approved of Shy enough that she would grace him with conversation. Or... she was just that interested that she didn't care who she got answers from so long as she got them. Whichever reason was true, Kayce was communicating with another being, and that made Amyla happy.
Kayce paused a moment to digest this. Twenty fae just like her, being raised in non-fae homes. There must have been a reason for this, for having them raised in this fashion. Many of the terms he used were unfamiliar too. Courts and elementals... they were foreign ideas that she had no grasp of. Maybe her tutors would explain in greater detail. "You're not a fae, though, are you?" she asked suddenly, realizing she wanted to know.
What a smart observation! "I'm human." Shy said. "I'm a scientist who helped with the project, because I believed that the fae had died out." But both were saved from a somewhat complicated discussion by the arrival of two figures.
They stepped in through a side door, dressed in crisp white robes. One was male, pale skin that seemed to glow the gentle hue of tempered sun, a yellow shade barely contained to soften its blow on the eyes. Darker hair, a shade of warm brown that was surprisingly human. And eyes that mismatched sky, one of a sunny blue and another of clouded white. He smiled, stepping forewords.
"Lucas." he said, nodding his head.
The woman was just as tall, just as formidable. She seemed to be composed of music, for while she looked almost ordinary with pale creamy skin and long, fine hair the color of sakura blossoms, every movement, every nuance seemed to lead to a sound. She inclined her head with the sigh of women, and when she smiled, it was with the babbling of a brook.
"Chaos." she said, smiling a wry smile touched by a treading of grass. Her eyes were hidden behind gleaming shades, but it didn't matter.
"Your... tutors." Shy said, at a loss.
Amyla had expected, at the most exotic, some fae-like beings with pointed ears and a strange power or two. She was not expecting the two beings that walked in the door.
Kayce, however, was less bothered by their odd appearances, though she did squint a bit in Lucas' direction. Did he have to be quite that bright? At least he wasn't being condescending... yet. The woman, though, seemed to look and sound at the same time. She did have a fitting name: Chaos. Kayce, a bit obsessively neat, did not like chaos. Chaos, mayhem, and disorder just did not fit into her life. The fae-girl had a distinct feeling that she and her female tutor may not get along.
Amyla, still quite surprised, managed a polite nod at the two fae. "Hello. I'm Amyla, Kayce's guardian."
Kayce was less tactful. "Are you wearing the glasses because of him?" she asked Chaos, gesturing with her chin in Lucas' direction.
Lucas nodded politely, but his attention was soon snatched away. And while Chaos was more polite, smiling, both were cool towards Amyla. But that was expected. She was... human, after all. What did she know?
Nothing.
At the question, Chaos smiled. She didn't take off her shades, but she lifted her brow in a smile. "He can tone it down, you know. But he wants to show off." a string instrument, and when she leaned forewords, a flapping of bird wings. Quiet noises, but hard to ignore. "I wear them because I have to." she said simply. And this time, a crackle of fire.
Shy smiled. "They'll look over your evaluation, Kayce. It's a private, fae affair... so your mother and I will be waiting here." he turned to Amyla. "They will treat her very well." he assured her.
Just in case.
Amyla raised an eyebrow at the two faes' aloof attitude toward her, but she refrained from commenting. Obviously they didn't think very highly of her, but she supposed she should have expected that. Kayce could be just as apathetic about people when she was of the mind to be.
Kayce was far from apathetic toward her new tutors, though. Whilst Lucas inspired some bit of curiosity in her, the fae-girl was already developing a sincere wariness of her female tutor. Chaos did have a sound reason for wearing the glasses, but the sounds she kept making were putting Kayce on edge. Did she ever stop with the odd noises? Or maybe she couldn't. Either way, the fae-girl wondered if she could talk her mother into buying her a set of earplugs before her next evaluation. The disconcerting sounds were likely to drive her calm, ordered mind into.... well, chaos.
Upon hearing that she would be leaving the room for her evaluation, Kayce reluctantly got to her feet, plucking a bit of lint off her shirt sleeve. She gave Shy a smile in return and then turned to her mother. "I'll be back soon."
Like any mother, Amyla was a bit concerned about letting them take Kayce out of her sight. All things considered, though, she figured she need not worry too much. Kayce could handle herself, and if she felt threatened, she would make it known. Also, considering Amyla had no choice in the matter, she figured it best to simply smile back and nod at Shy. "I'm sure they will," she said just a bit too cheerfully, busying herself with prying her shirt collar from Caleb's jaws.
Shy almost snickered. He had seen a variety of reactions from the new fae to their tutors, the parents to the thought of their children being away from them. It was all interesting, in it's own way. Really.
Waiting for the three to leave, he smiled, an indulgent smile. Chaos walked with the ringing of tiny bells... and while he didn't like it, she was exotic enough that he found her movements fascinating.
"Now, Amyla." he crooned, lifting his glass to his lips. "Do you have any questions, while your daughter is away?" he tilted his head. "Things you didn't want to ask in front of her?"
Parents could be a strange lot, really.
Kayce gave her mother and brother a wave and followed her tutors out, staying as far away from Chaos as she could. The instinct to plug her ears was almost overpowering, but she managed to patiently hold back... for the time being.
After settling Caleb's ring back in his mouth, Amyla turned back to Shy with one eyebrow raised, a look of long-suffering patience on her face. "Are you this condescending with every parent, or do I just inspire special treatment? No, don't answer that. I don't want to know," she said mildly, trying to smooth down her son's tousled hair.
Did she have any questions? Oh, yes, she did have a few. "Well, the first thing I'd like to know is if there are any possible problems that I should be aware of. I know every species matures differently, so do the fae have any... unusual maturation behaviors or changes?"
Shy arched a brow. He never treated another parent differently! Hmm. So this was condesending, was it? He would have to work on it. "Maturation." he frowned, trying to work it out. "The fae are like normal children. They are a little bit more advanced, faster, smarter and stronger than humans, but it doesn't really mark them out as being different. Puberty doesn't start earlier, but it is marked by the arrival of their power. That, is when they will really start to mature.
Biologically? They are the same. PMS, mood swings, menstration." he waved his hand as if the three words covered everything there was to know. "They rarely, if ever get sick. If only because their genetic dna is foreign enough that other diseases cannot transfer itself and attack their immune system. If they do get sick, it will be because something is wrong with their genetic code... which I hardly doubt, for I created them after all." well, kind of. "Or." he added.
"If it comes from the courts. But that is very, very rare." he smiled.
"How is Kayce? Personality, interest wise?"
So, essentially, they were just like any other child as far as puberty went. Mood swings, hormones... yep, that sounded about right to Amyla, who currently had a child going through that stage. Perfect. At least she would have a general idea what to expect from Kayce, minus the power thing. "The arrival of their power marks the beginning of their version of puberty... okay. I think we can handle that." They couldn't get sick either. He had mentioned that before, though he hadn't mentioned whatever that was about 'courts.' Courts? What courts?
Before she could ask, he posed his own question, so she answered in kind, still preoccupied with trying to smooth down Caleb's hair. "Kayce is doing very well. She seems fairly clever, but she doesn't make a whole lot of effort to communicate. My... err... boyfriend describes her attitude as 'aloof and apathetic.' She really just doesn't bother much with socializing unless she takes a distinct liking to a person. That's why it surprised me that she was willing to talk to you. She normally just ignores people. She does like me, though. And Caleb." Amyla smiled at that thought.
"As far as interests go... I did start teaching her how to read and do simple math, and she takes to it well enough, when she is in the mood. She mainly likes being outside and exploring, climbing trees and playing with whichever of our many pets is outside. We took over guardianship of a young horse recently, and Kayce took a liking to her as well. I guess what she is interested in really depends on her mood. There are days when she'll want to just sit in a corner and read through a book and won't even mention going outside. Then there are days when we can't drag her in."
Shy smiled, relaxing. She sounded normal, healthy. And much more easier to deal with than some of the other children. "Some of the fae are born with the innate instinct that they are better than humans." he said, inclining his head towards the door. "It is the same reason really, why the two tutors were not very... warm towards you." he smirked.
Maybe it wasn't polite, but hey. It was his lab.
"She sounds perfect." he said honestly.
Fiddling with the cup, he frowned, looking down. "Her tutors." he started. "Are... somewhat unique. Do you know of the courts?" he didn't wait for a response, instead continuing. "We've got three pairs from the two courts, an Unseelie pair, a Seelie and one mixed. The Unseelie are the..." he stopped, compressing his lips.
Well.
Varian's tutors did scare him. A little bit.
Amyla shrugged. "Well, she sometimes does act snobby and superior, but most of the time she really just does her own thing and doesn't care." Truth be told, were it not for her distinct dislike of Erin, Kayce would be the easiest child in the household. Now, as for the tutors... "Well, they and their attitudes can shove it, really. I don't care how they act toward me as long as they're good with her," Amyla added rather bluntly. After Aiodhan's former snobbiness, very little really bothered her.
Perfect? "Perfect? No, she's not perfect, not by a long shot. She is definitely easier than most of my kids, unless I have a difficult batch of offspring, but she does have her quirks. When she doesn't want to do something, there is very little you can do to convince her otherwise. Sometimes, I have to resort to bribery just to get her to cooperate. Our shopping trip required trickery and bribery to get it done, and though she came out satisfied in the end, I was about ready to pull my hair out. She is stubborn and quite prone to making quick judgments." Amyla shrugged a bit abashedly. "Unfortunately, she's usually right about her assessments of people."
She had no idea what the courts were, though the fact that there was a Seelie and an Unseelie she came to understand very quickly. "So... what exactly is the difference between the courts?"
Shy nodded, listening, taking it all in. This parent talked more than others, but he enjoyed it-- there was only so much he could figure out by spying on the parents, after all.
"The two courts." he spoke. "The Seelie and the Unseelie, are rather like the light and the shadows. Not good and bad, but... golden and dark, really." he shrugged. "Kayce's tutors are from the Seelie court, and they are ruled by a Queen. The Unseelie are darker, not edgier but..." it was hard to explain. "Different. Shadowed. In plain terms they can be seen as good and bad, but." he quirked an odd expression onto his face.
"We all know it's more confusing then that."
"The difference is who rules the courts. One is by a Queen, the other a King. Rather like two countries, and while some fae are neutral, very very few fae get away with that." he shrugged. "One day, Kayce will swear fealty to one or another, and she will be like the two you saw. Golden, or Shadowed."
He was curious himself, to see which path his fae would take.
Amyla pondered this. Not necessarily good and evil... just different. Strange. "Well, not many things are clear-cut and easy to understand. At least now I have a general idea, though. Thank you," she said, pursing her lips a bit as she considered it.
Kayce would have to swear fealty to one court or the other in due time. With two tutors from the Seelie court, she could lean that way. On the other hand, she was a bit more... shadowed in ways. Much of her was a mystery to Amyla. Sometimes, she just wondered what was going on inside the fae-girl's head. "Well, I guess I don't have to worry too much about which way she goes for now. We'll just have to wait and see." Patient as she was, Amyla still hated waiting games.
Fourty five minutes was a short time for Shy. Especially when it involved something as important as the first medical evaluation. So too soon, Lucas walked in, announced by the swish of frabic that came from Chaos' own footsteps.
"Shy." it was she who spoke, accompanied by the distance echo of a cave. "We have it." she handed one file over to Shy, one to Amyla, grass whispering with the wind.
Shy smiled, taking it from her. "This is the first copy." he said. "I keep one, you keep one. My file will always be bigger, some things are confidential, after all." he smiled.
"How was it, Kayce?" he asked. "Hopefully not painful?"
Kayce gave Shy a diffident shrug, her usual impassive expression decorating her face. "No. It was fine," she replied, sauntering back over to sit by her mother. In truth, it had not been nearly as bad as she had feared. The only thing she hadn't liked was her tutors getting inside her personal bubble. Crowding. Ick.
Amyla had to stifle a chuckle as she took the medical report from Chaos, nodding in thanks. "Shy, I don't think I want to know some of the things you put in your file," she said, reading over the offered paper. Kayce needed to focus on learning, then? Amyla had no problem with that. The only trouble was to get her to sit down long enough to actually learn. They needed to spark her interest in something. Ah well. A chore for another day, most likely a rainy day.
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