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 Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:48 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:25 pm
/'-.-./ Not Quite Coming to Terms. /'-.-./
Water ran and collected, soothing and coaxing and luxurious. Lavander fragrance was thick in the air, and steam as well; a slow breath would fill up every muscle, every pore, every single brain cell with the floral haze. Thoughts melted away like ice dropped in hot cocoa, dwindling and windling until all that was left was something smooth, sweet, and tempting.
There was a plastic blue clock on the wall. It told her: 7:23.
The bath was only half-full (half-empty?), but the small curtained window was already fogged into opacity. Testing the water with her fingertips, the ripples in the water torturing her bubbly reflection, Danny rested her arms against the off-white smoothness of its edge and watched the steady waterfall being drawn through the faucet.
A few candles, some bubbles, and a full-time job in order to cover the cost of the water utilities. The simple pleasures were always the best.
It was a perfect end, a perfect end, to a perfect day. Or it would have been, if Danny had only managed to have had a perfect day... but that was not so. Danny could describe the events of the past day in many ways, but perfect? No. Not unless it was something like "perfect disaster".
She wasn't really sure... what she believed right now. There were a lot of things conflicting. Common sense told her that everything- everything, EVERYTHING- it had to be a lie. Because it did not sync up with everything she knew. Reality did not mix with... the non-reality stuff. One was real, one was non-real.
And, left someone on the dashboard of her car, a distinctly non-real artifact was waiting for her. And that knowledge was freaking her out.
What the hell had been up with that lady, anyway? Not the one that gave her the stick- God, at least Danny had seen her with her own eyes and knew she was, for whatever quirks, real. That voice, the one that had locked the doors or whatever....
"... It's gotta be a hallucination. Too much work, or something."
Denial was the first stage, and Danny saw no reason to avoid it. Ignorance felt so much nicer than acceptance....
Reaching out, Danny turned the squeaky faucet to silence. There was no more sound than a double-drip falling into the filled bathtub, a few footsteps crossing over to the bathroom counter, a faint "click" from the radio- and, with enough noise to set the universe to rights and make things sane again, the sounds of Switchfoot burst out in mid-song.
Her reaction was decided and simple. There was a rational explanation for everything that happened, and all because she didn't know what it was yet didn't mean it didn't exist. Her stick was just that; a stick, and nothing more. And now, she was going to soak away her anxiety from the past day and do everything in her power to be relaxed and happy, because tomorrow she would be going back to work. The less of this day that she remembered by then, the better.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:59 pm
/'-.-./ Damn stick. /'-.-./
The next day would have brought many wonderful things, no doubt. As she stirred awake, at least, the furthest thing from Danny's mind was the confusion and craziness of the day before. It was entirely possible that, had the day only been allowed to continue in such a manner, Danny would have regained her peace of mind and, thus calm, might have just been able to accept the going-ons of the day before.
Unfortunately, as it turned out, the entire reason she woke up at 4 am in the morning was because there was a car alarm tearing up the semi-quiet air of her apartments. Her car alarm.
"HEY!" Through the groggy haze of just-woken-up-ness, Danny managed to propel herself to her bedroom window and, throwing it open, stared bleary-eyed at the scrambling form of the would-be car thief. Parked near the sidewalk, her car was in clear view- with the back window smashed, glass scattered all over the pavement.
Her mind was so filled with the disbelieving question of 'what kind of idiot would want to steal my junky car' that it took a few seconds for the implications of the broken window to be fully absorbed; namely, the imagined bill for the replacement was slow to be realized. When at last it dawned upon her that this disturbance was going to mean money coming out of her pocket....
Pale-faced, Danny gritted her teeth and grabbed her car keys off of her nightstand. Dressed in little more than flip-flops and a flimsy shirt-and-shorts pajama combination, the brown-haired girl stormed out of her apartment to the damaged vehicle, eyes flashing and teeth bared.
Naturally, the person who had tried to break into her worthless vehicle was no where to be seen. In plain view, however, the emerald-studded wand still rested on the dashboard.
Once more, it took a few seconds for Danny to put two and two together.
"... You... ********... b*****d!" Her voice cracked as it exploded with the shriek, howling with a volume loud enough to match the still-clamoring car alarm. The thief hadn't been after her car at all, he just wanted to swipe the jeweled stick she'd left in her car! They'd busted her ******** back window to try and get their hands on a ******** stick with what were no doubt fake emeralds!
Beautiful. This was just <********... idiot... b*****d...." Still grumbling under her breath, Danny fiddled with her car keys and unlocked the front door, deactivating the wail of the alarm at last. A few curious souls were peeking out of their windows, and many more voicing sleepy protests to the disturbance; ignoring all of them, Danny grabbed the stick off of the dashboard, slammed the door shut, and made to lock the door. Of course, locking the door was a pretty futile gesture, now that the entire back window was gone....
"Damn stick," Danny grumbled, stalking angrily back towards the apartment. This was getting to be positively insane... how much trouble was this stupid little hunk of wood going to cause, anyway?
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:51 am
/'-.-./ Lost in Durem. /'-.-./Airaka Airaka winded her way through the busy streets of Durem. Oh, what a great day to go attempt to find a room. Not only that, but she must have gone to the wrong town. Oh geeze, her head was beginning to hurt. Never had she been good at direction. Instead, she was quite skilled at getting lost. And her feet hurt!
She readjusted the bag on her shoulder, stuffing the head phones back further in, continuing to move through the streets. A heavy sigh came from her lips, and she silently asked the sky where she was. They sky didn't give a very good answer.
The baby ghost, that had recently aged, was floating above her arms, were were formed to make a crib like object. She had recently learned you couldn't hold the baby ghost. Further more, the baby was making her ill in the head.
Airaka was not having the best day of her life. She had argued with a teacher about how to deal with children, she hadn't been able to speak with anyone about a maternity leave, she had found out her wrist was sprained, and she was lost. Lost like a dog, damnit.
Her wrist was wrapped in an Ace bandage, and she found the elastic almost unbearable.
Airaka continued her trek through town, sapphire eyes searching for anything that could be helpful. Arrien Danny wasn't exactly having a great day herself. The reason for this was fairly simple; after being stuck for a few hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic in a car where the back windshield was smashed in thanks to a would-be thief a few days before, thus making her hopelessly late for work and on the verge of being late for her college class, Danny's junky car decided that it had had enough of this traffic bullshit and stopped obeying its master. Leaving a frustrated and, by this point, hungry girl stuck sitting on the hood of her car as she waited for a tow truck to show up and save the day- or at least keep it from getting any worse. "... This is ridiculous." It just was. Her luck had never been precisely "good", but for things to be this bad? It was horrible! It was TERRIBLE! The past week had been... just... amazingly awful. Starting with that crazy lady at the bookstore, then the car window, and now this.... All since she had gotten that damned stick. She didn't know quite how, but that thing was bad luck. And she wasn't a very superstitious person! But she had gotten nothing but trouble, trouble, and more trouble since that thing had been all but forced on her, and it seemed like things were just going to keep getting worse and worse. Fishing the emerald-studded stuck out of her backpack in order to give it a proper glare. "This is probably your fault, you know," she grumbled at it. "Why didn't that damn thief just take you?... at least then your bad luck'd be his problem, not mine...." The wand, predictably, gave the discontent girl no response. Worthless junk. Airaka Airaka's foot hit a nook in the side walk, while her eyes were peering at the places around her. Ill in the head, and ill in the pit of her stomach. She slipped forward, but was surprisingly able to keep her balance. Her moment of thankfulness when another shock came to her. The baby ghost had floated off some where.
Airaka cursed loudly, causing the eyes of many people on the street to make there way to her. She straightened up, and blushed heavily, and soon the eyes turned away, with mutters of how weird young people were, and rolls of there eyes. Airaka didn't know whether to by happy, or not, that she looked younger then 24. One had to go through to much schooling, nowadays.
The wisp had floated over the crowds, enjoying the sun, and floated about until he found what he was looking for. He had known he had sensed something, and look, there was a wand. He inched toward the woman, her wooden wand, and the car. He hovered there, on the hood of the car, turned so he could stare at the wand. Well.. it wasn't shiny.
She slinked through people, attempting to 'feel' for her baby. her eyes, instead of focused on the shops, were flickering around at rabid speeds for something that was just about invisible, if not for the wand. She wished that the sun would catch the metallic wand, and blind her like usual.
Something bumped into her arm, and she cringed, looking as if she were going to scream, when she noticed who it was. A great smile came to her face, and she pet the baby ghost, hopping about him gleefully. Then she noticed the woman on the car, and her face flew up in blush.
"Uh... Hello there?" Arrien The paled-faced Danny's answer was slow in the coming. Her immediate attention seemed to be caught with the strange, smoky creature that had, just moments before, captured her attention and drawn her out of her muttered rantings at her troublesome stick. Now, Durem was a weird city. It was one of those places where you expected to run into strange things on the street, which is why the smart people kept their gaze on the sidewalk in front of them without faltering. But this? Danny- no, NO ONE could have expected to run into something like this. To put it plainly- Danny looked as if she had seen a ghost. And she wasn't really wrong about that, either. "... He... hel........." Screw manners. "What the hell is that?!" City folk weren't especially known for their politeness, and the open stare the gawking girl was affixing on the foggy form only enhanced that stereotype. Airaka Airaka satred at the person in front of her for a second. Then her eyes moved to the stick in her hand, then to the wyvern ghost beside her, who had sent her a jubilant noise in her head. Airaka half grinned. She was already quite sure her child wasn't the most kindest of folk.
Her attention was directed back to the woman in front of her. So that is how a normal person would react to seeing a ghost. She was reminded of Kyo, from the library, and merely shrugged her shoulders.
Airaka raised the arm with the sprained write, pointing at the stick in the womans hands,
"I know it is usual for one to respond to a question with an answer, but do you mind me asking a question first? "
She didn't seem to wait for an answer. Airaka was already pretty sure of what she believed,
"That stick in your hand, you got it from a wand shop, right? From a woman with white hair, named Ianna?"
Then again, she would look truly insane if the answer was negative. Arrien So far as Danny was concerned, of course, Airaka was insane already. I mean, that little ghost... thing, it couldn't be real, right? ... But if Danny saw it... then wasn't she the insane one? "Y... you mean that crazy chick?" Oh, no. This lady must be one of the cult or whatever. A bit lately, Danny set down the stick next to her on the other side of the car, as if removing it from the other woman's sight would somehow make her go away. Despite this futile bit of subterfuge, the brown-haired girl hid nothing as she replied, "Yeah, that's where I got it. How do you know?" Danny already had a feeling what Airaka's answer was going to be, but... well, it was human nature to hope for the impossible, even if that impossibility was a rational and sane answer that didn't involve ghosts coming out of wands and becoming (shudder) babies and ruining her carefully-laid plans for school and getting her degree and a good career and maybe someday settling down when she was like, thirty and then having two kids of her own- one boy and one girl- and raising them from conception to birth to childhood to teenagedom with a loving husband that she could always trust and count on and one day growing old and fulfilled together and everything else the she wanted so badly....Airaka Okay... So this girl in front of her was actually taking it kind of bad. Airaka grinned weakly. But, of course she couldn't lie to the girl.
She reached out, and wafted the baby ghost toward the crook of her left arm, then looked back at the girl, pointing at the wand her ghost baby clutched.
"I was given a wand, like yours, by the same person. This ghost stage is, supposedly, the last stage before they actually become living, breathing beings, again."
She flashed the girl a grin, and added,
"Ianna is kind of crazy isn't she?"
Airaka's throat felt dry, and she wasn't usually the one to talk to a stranger sitting on their car. Then again, she never was the one to carry around a baby ghost, deal with magic, or actually try to get out of work. Arrien "... No. NONONONO." Leaping to her feet and standing in front of her car (leaving the wand where she set it on the hood), the girl was wide-eyed and fidgeting. Running a hand through her brown locks, Danny struggled quickly in an attempt to come to terms with this new... new reality, for God's sake! She was going to be a mother? No. Nononono. "This... this isn't funny!" Turning back to Airaka with a snarl, Danny seemed almost... dangerous. Panicked. Scared. "The joke's gone on long enough, so cut it the <********> out! Why... why are you DOING this to me?!" Airaka And now... Airaka was uncomfortable. Truth bites, man. Her were criss-crossed over her chest, grabbing her shoulders, her defensive position. Airaka was afraid of the girl. For someone who was 24, she was a chicken. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Damn childhood disease.
Her eyes reflected both anger and fear, though the anger was directed at herself. She shook her head back and forth. Was there anything that would calm the girl down? Airaka was attempting to calm both herself, and the girl down, and she wasn't doing that great a job. She didn't even know who to calm down first.
Arrien Danny stared at Airaka for a long while. Enough to let her frustration and terror to fester, soak, linger, and begin to melt away. If only a little. "... I know." Grabbing the stick off of her car's hood, she stuck the bejewelled little thing out and shook it in Airaka's face. "You take it. You believe in this s**t, right?" Danny wasn't typically so vulgar, but right now, she didn't really care so much. The thought of being a mother, of raising a child... her salary barely covered the necessities to live! She'd have to quit college, take on a full-time job... maybe even two. She'd have to sacrifice everything, EVERYTHING she had worked so hard for her entire life. Her education, wasted. Her aspirations, denied. Every white-picket-fence dream she harbored... just like that, gone. She couldn't let that happen. She just... couldn't. "You take it, and then go off and live your nice little delusional life. And I can go and live my nice little sane one. How's that sound? Good, right? So take it." She gave the stick another insistant wave. Airaka Airaka pulled her hands off her shoulders, and blinked back at Danny. She opened her mouth to say something again, but when she failed a second time, she looked as if she were going to kill herself. Throwing her hands into her pocket, she dug out her water bottle, and drenched her throat in the slightly warmed liquid. She then coughed into her hand before she finally looked ready to do anything.
"I can't. I'm so sorry, but I can't. The wand chose you. It would die without out. Do you want that? To be a murderer at your age?"
Her voice came out scratchy, weak, and quite quiet.
"And this is not s**t. I didn't truly believe it till the wand forced me to. There are others like us out there. Some of us already have had more then one child, others are going to still be able to support it. I live from pay check to pay check. I have to baby sit, and I have a couple degrees. Sometimes, life forgets about you for a while, them it notices you need something to make you happier, so it dumps a child on you."
She ended with a fit of coughing. It was unusual for her to talk that much. It hurt, damnit. Arrien "... But... but a child won't make me happy!" Wailing childishly, Danny slumped her shoulders and drooped her head, staring at the stick in her hands. "I have... I have another year of college before I get my bachelor's. Once I get that, I can get a job. A decent job, not the crappy one I pull down at the rink. And then I'll get my master's. And I want... I want... I can't have a baby! I can't!" How did this happen, really? This wand had chosen her? Why? Why did it want her? There were so many people out there, and surely many of them didn't have lives for it to ruin. Why her?It was very slow for her to escape her self-pity. She was barely into her twenties, after all; being self-absorbed was what people at her age did, just as surely as the sun was supposed to shine and the clouds were supposed to rain. But even amid all of her turmoil and worries and what really amounted to nothing short of a nervous breakdown, she was able to snap out of her freak-out long enough to stammer to the coughing woman- "A-are you okay?" Arrien It might be an uplifting speech for Airaka, but Danny just seemed more and more trapped. At least this time it wasn't in a fearful, must-escape-certain-doom sort of way; the girl seemed more and more resigned to what must obviously be her fate. She didn't want the child, but.... "... And it's really... no one else can take it, can they? I have to?" Her voice was flat and sullen, testing the last wall of her new prison as it was built around her. She didn't want to be a mother, and God only knew how she would be able to handle it. But... her hands were tied, it seemed. If there was no other way for this child to come to life-- Murderer, was what Airaka said she'd be. The same sort of murderer, no doubt, as the woman that went to the abortion clinic. Or maybe even worse; the wand had chosen her, after all, and that implied intellect of some sort. Was it aware? Had it heard every word she'd said, felt the barbs from everything she'd blamed it for? A part of her cried out in protested logic. She was feeling guilty over a stick now! She might as well shed a tear for a log burnt on a fireplace, or a glass shattered on the floor! And yet... if it was real. If it was going to become one of those... floating baby things, like the little thing by Airaka's side... she couldn't reject it. She couldn't turn her back on something in need like that... could she? "... What's its name?" Her gaze was locked again on the ghosty child, her dark eyes still lacking emotion and life as she contemplated what she saw as the end of her future. Airaka Airaka shook her head slowly, and sighed heavily. She believed the battle was over. Maybe Danny actually was going to accept the fact that she was a mother. Which would hopefully be a good thing. Unless the girl panicked again... well... then it wouldn't.
She watched Danny, and felt a 'pang' in her heart as she looked into the girls eyes. But then the name question came up, and Airaka blushed. She wouldn't say what the kids called him this time. Naw... She'd tell a half truth.
"He doesn't have a name yet. I think the child is going to decide for it's self you know. Maybe the name he chooses will be a hint to his past. Which would be great. It's taken me a while to slowly find out things about him. I mean, I only learned he was a 'he' a couple weeks ago."
The 'he' they were talking about, now very happy they were talking about him in general floated to Airaka's shoulder. Arrien "... He's... kind of cute, I guess." It was a bit of a stretch for Danny to say that- after all, just looking at the little thing was a reminder of what lay in store for her- but... well, there wasn't really any point in dragging it out too much, she guessed. At some point in the past few minutes (what point, precisely, she wasn't sure), she'd given up her resistance and fallen head-over-heels into this crazy little group of ghost-believers. She was going to have a kid now, and she needed to accept that. Whether she liked it or not. Glancing back down at the stick... wand... baby... at the pointy thing in her hand, Danny was struck by a sudden thought. "... Sex ed was a damn lie, wasn't it?" she groused, jokingly so. "Hell if I didn't use protection and all that, and now look at me!" The exclamation was punctuated by raising the wand back into clear view. She managed to keep a straight face for only a few seconds before breaking into nervous giggles. "I guess... what'll be, 'll be, right? No reason to stress over it before... before it happens." She smiled at Airaka and looked for some sort of approval from the other woman, seeming almost a bit pathetic in her need for reassurance. Airaka Airaka giggled along with Danny, but it was more to attempt to make the girl feel better about the issue. She often helped teach sex-ed, must be because she is the counselor.
Airaka gave her a reassuring grin, and a nod.
"Yes. Everything'll be fine. And if you ever have any problems, you could ask me, or even try the head quarters. You know, the place where Ianna gave you the wand. Others who have wands, babies, or wisps, sometimes hang out there. Most of them, that I've met that is, are really kind."
She took in a largish breath, unfortunately inhaling car fumes, causing her to cough slightly, before she could continue.
"I'm thinking of going there tomorrow." Arrien The girl was silent for a long moment as she thought this over, then finally spoke up in a rather small voice- "D.. d'you think you could take me there sometime? I-I mean, I was there once, but... it wasn't really a pleasant visit, and...." The more she talked, the more sheepish she felt. What kind of an idiot must she be coming off as? "... Well, if you ever want to, anyway, I'd appreciate it... I'm still pretty... it's just a bit much to absorb, you know?" A bit. Hah. But still... Danny could handle this. She was a self-sufficent, mature individual, right? She lived on her own in this nasty world, in the heart of the city. There was no reason she couldn't adjust to a few new complications in her life. A kid- even a magical one... she could deal with it. Somehow. Maybe. Airaka "Of course I'll take you. I think that's a great idea, if you don't mind me saying. Then, if there is someone I don't know there, you can protect me, okay?"
Airaka let out a childish laugh, and then gave her a confident grin.
"I know it's much to take in all at once, while your sitting on your car, and some random person shows up with a ghost child. I'd be quite freaked as well. But I also know that you can handle it. "
Airaka uncapped the water bottle again, and took another sip. Every so often, Airaka thought, being a counselor had it's quirks. Arrien Danny echoed the laughter with a half-sincere smile. At least someone seemed to have confidence in this matter; in fact, it was a damn good thing someone did. It was entirely possible that Danny might go slipping off the deep end if she didn't think that Airaka, at least, was in control of things. The conversation was cut abruptly short as a wiry man wearing a pair of stained and dirtied jeans commanded Danny's attention by knocking loudly on the hood of the car. "Sorry t'interrupt dere, ladies," he spoke with a heavy accent, words slightly muffled by a thick and curly red beard, "but I gots a call t'tow away a vehicle. This is th'one, ain't it?" He picked idly away at a scab on the back of his right hand while he waited for his answer. "Oh! Oh, yeah, this is the right one." A bit awkward now, Danny scuttled onto the sidewalk. Giving Airaka a momentary look of apology, she turned back to the tow man. "Do I, uhm, need to fill out any papers or give proof of insurance or what...?" "Nah, we'll jest take it t' a fixup shop and they'll get it right as rain fer ya. Y'got a ride home, I'm guessin'?" The man gave Danny a questioning look, which she answered with a shrug. "I'll... get a taxi. Thanks." "Yer welcome. All right, Chuck, hook it up!" This last part was bellowed to another, greasier-looking man, who proceeded to affix a cable to the back bumper. The two men got back into their truck and began to haul the car away, Danny watching after them with a sigh. Hopefully, insurance would cover most of the troubles... and hopefully, there wouldn't be too many troubles for it to cover. Airaka Airaka bowed her head at the man, and waited for Danny and him to finish their conversation. She turned to danny and gave her a weak grin,
"I'd offer you a ride home but I don't have a car. I kind of like it better that way."
Airaka was a tree-hugger, and cars meant pollution, which meant harm to the enviroment, thus no car for her. She traded her water bottle for a note pad and pen from her pocket, and scralled her cell phone number on it, then held it out for Danny.
"Oh, I'm Airaka, by the way. That's my cell, you can call anytime. If you get the machine, though, that most likely means I'm working, and just leave a message. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. "
She put the pad and pen back in her bag, before looking back up at the girl and giving her a warm smile. Arrien Taking the paper gingerly, Danny examined the writing heatedly for a few moments- almost as if she were attempting to memorize it on the spot- before carefully folding the paper, once down and once across, then tucking it away in her pants pocket. "Danny," she introduced herself, sticking one trim-nailed hand out for a formal greeting. "And thank you... I have the feeling that I'm gonna need all the help I can get with this thing." All the help I can get, and probably more.Airaka Airaka took the hand, and shook it gently, before releasing, and drawing her hand back, almost as if she was afraid. But the smile she shot at Danny was enought to make any doubt.
"It's a pleasure, Danny."
She looked down the street, before back at Danny.
"If you don't mind me prying, where were you going before your car broke down? Just home?"
Airaka readjusted the bag on her shoulder, the lowered her hands to her stomach, injured hand resting on the other one.
Arrien "School, actually...." the girl smiled a bit weakly. "But no point to that anymore, so I guess I'm heading home now." She was so late for class already, there was no way she could make it before it ended. Her professor probably wouldn't be too mad, though; heck, she would be surprised to find out that he had noticed she wasn't even there. He tended to be a bit absent-minded, especially when he was teaching classes as large as the one she was in. "Say, what about you? Were you going somewhere?" Airaka must have been doing something when she had come across Danny, after all; it was only polite to inquire what it was. Airaka Airaka nodded her head understandingly, although she had had never been the one to miss classes. She must have distracted Danny for too long. The crimson-haired woman felt guilty.
"I was looking for a store to buy furniture in. I'm going to need to buy the boy a whole new room. For when he become ... more real. I haven't really found a store yet, though."
Airaka grinned weakly, and raised her eyes to flicker around the area to find the type of the store she was searching for. Her search came up a faliure. Arrien "Oh, really?" Danny became suddenly animated; she might not know much about wands and babies and things like that, but when it came to shopping in her home town, she was well-prepared! "Well, I happen to know a couple places that might have what you're looking for... baby furniture, right? There was some place announcing a sale on the radio that ought to be around until Sunday, I think it's down by Victoria and 28th. The bus number 15 ought to go right by it if you catch it heading downtown!" All it took was the mention of shopping, and Danny was nothing but enthusiasm and optimism... but, hey. A girl had to have her hobbies, and shopping wasn't one she got to indulge in often since she'd moved out on her own. It was hard for her not to get excited when it came to wielding the knowledge of her expertise. Airaka Airaka gave Danny the most thankful smile ever.
"Alright, thanks. Danny, you've been much help. Honest."
She motioned at the baby ghost for him to move closer, but the baby ghost. With a playful glower toward the baby ghost, she turned back to Danny with a playful grin.
"Oh he'll be a wonderful baby." she said sarcastically.
He burbled emtionfully in her head, causing Airaka to raise a unbandaged hand to her ear, then bring back down with a slightly blush.
Arrien "Is there really such a thing?" Danny questioned, possibly joking- really, given her attitude on babies, she might have said that in all seriousness. It was hard to tell from the look on her face. She dismissed the matter with a shrug, however, and returned to a happy smile. "Well... I really, uh, ought to be going. You've got things to do, and I can at least use today to catch up on some homework...." Not that she really thought she'd be able to concentrate on homework, mind, but the conversation seemed to have run its course and there was no sense in dragging out out. Nodding her head gratefully to Airaka, she finished up with a friendly, "I'll give you a call sometime! See you around!" Airaka "Alright. I have to go find some furniture before he randomly grows again, and I break my other arm," Airaka said with a laugh, "See you!"
She gave Danny a friendly wave, and started down the street, the wyvern ghost child floating in front of her, waving his wand. Airaka'd have to keep her eyes searching for the bus, and those streets, or maybe even some place to sit and eat something. She made a notch in her memory books that she was to take Danny to the head quaters sooner rather then later, before devoting her full attention to her search for baby furniture, hopefully either yellow, red, or white in colour.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:17 pm
/'-.-./ LiveJournal of ic3pr1nce55ch1ck /'-.-./ Quote: Sunday, April 9th, 2006
5:17 PM
Things have grown sane again, somehow. I mean, don't ask me how, but everything's just... right, for the first time since I ran into that crazy lady down at that one bookstore.
The insurance company came through to fix up my vehicle- it's supposed to be back in good repair sometime tomorrow or the day after- and I've got a loaner from a friend who's gone out of town until then. My insurance rates are probably going to skyrocket a little, but hell, I can cover it.
I got yelled at a little by one of my professors on Friday because I didn't do my homework in the right format. Screw him, though.
I think I'm gonna try to ask my boss for a raise tomorrow. I'm gonna need the money if... well, you know.
In other aspects, life has been normal, and almost eeriely peaceful. My neighbors haven't been blaring their music like they usually do, and the flowers outside my apartment have been blooming even though they're out of season. The kids keep trying to come and pick the flowers all the time, though- why can't they stick to daisies or whatever? I don't want the ground outside my patio to be nothing but headless stalks... gonk I have to keep shooing them away, and then they call me names and flip me the bird. Are all kids like this nowaday, or what?
Is my stick-kid gonna grow up like that?
... I wonder how many of you think I'm crazy. I'm almost scared to ask. Then again, it could be funny if I did....
Nah.
Current Mood: 3nodding mellow
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:15 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 1:30 am
/'-.-./ A Good Spring Day. /'-.-./
It was funny. Danny had been kicking and screaming the entire way with this wand thing- blah blah blah don't wanna be a mom, blah blah blah can't take the time from college, blah blah blah can't afford a kid, blah blah, don't believe it anyway. And yet, after whining and dragging her feet and moaning and finally reluctantly beginning to believe until it all concluded at last with that unmistakable proof that appeared during her workday... well, let's just say that Danny had finally come to see things in another light.
"Can't deliver until next week?!" The outraged squak of disbelief troubled the air in the apartment, causing the little wisp that moved in slow circles around the area of its wand to hesitate in its movements. The wand was currently busy acting as a paperweight for a flimsy store catalogue; drifting over the bright and happy pictures of baby nurseries and related paraphenalia, the little ghost-baby seemed to be floating over one picture in particular, of a foresty-themed nursery with lots of leafy wallpaper, a wooden crib, and more friendly animal stuffed animals than you could count.
And Danny, gripping the handset of a phone, couldn't get it here until next week.
"Look, isn't there some express delivery deal? Something?... Look, guy, I got a baby here already, and I need a room for it!" Okay, so, technically, the ghost wasn't a kid. It was just a wispy thing that barely even seemed to be in existence. But... damn it, if Danny was gonna have a kid, she was going to do it right! That meant, at the very least, having a room set up for the thing, regardless of whether it actually needed toys and cribs and things yet or not... or whether or not it seemed just as happy to spend the night on her bedstand as on her own bed.
Kneading her forehead with frustration, Danny just vented a long, displeased sigh. "FINE. Next week, then. What day?... Tuesday? Got it. Right, and deliver it to the storage place. Yeah, you have a nice day, too." Dropping the reciever back on the jack and replacing her credit card in her purse, the girl took a moment for a nice, deep, cleansing breath, then turned her attention back to the little wisp.
"Okay, they said they'd bring it by next week," she informed it. The wisp gave no sign if it had heard her, but just kept turning slowing in circles. Danny was getting used to that by now- the little smoky thing was always going around and around and around, almost enough that Danny had to worry if something was wrong with it....
But hell. What could be wrong with it? It wasn't like it had been dropped on its head or anything! Unless it was always walking in circles once it became real, she wasn't going to let it bother her too much.
"Well, then...." Picking the wand up lightly and cradling it (she couldn't bring herself to hold it like a wand anymore, not now that it was a baby), she closed the catalogue and started towards the patio. "What do you say we go outside for a bit, Green?"
That was the best name she'd been able to give the thing so far- "Green". It wasn't that she was uncreative or couldn't think of a better name, but just... she didn't want to give it a name until she knew an appropriate one. She didn't even know if the thing was a boy or girl, after all! Nicknames were fine for now.
Sliding the glass door open and stepping through, Danny looked with a smile out over the sea of bright white and pink flowers that were in full bloom outside her patio. Spring had most certainly come, and all over flowers were beginning to bud and grow, inviting bees and birds and any number of other creatures. A reddish pot of carrot seeds on Danny's patio were beginning to sprout as well, along with the small herb pots and hanging vines she kept to spruce up the place; it must be a good year for plants, she conjectured happily. Normally, her plants didn't grow so well- she wasn't exactly a green thumb, after all, and was known to neglect her plants in favor of other things on a fairly regular basis. But despite this, everything was growing beautifully- by the time her little wisp became a baby, it would all probably be in full bloom.
Taking a deep breath of the various floral scents, Danny couldn't help but realize that Green had stopped going in circles. Rather, it seemed to be stretching out towards the pot of carrot seeds, almost like it was reaching out for it. "Heh- so you like this stuff? All right, Green." Walking over, Danny plunked the wisp-less end of the wand into the dirt so that it was sticking straight out of the pot, the little wisp drifting over the top of the sprouts. "You like that?"
There was no answer from the misty babe, of course- but Danny had a strong feeling that it would have been a "yes".
Watching the wisp hovering over the pot, Danny smiled to herself and sat at a bright blue garden chair on the patio, stretching out and watching the breeze play with the grasstips and flower blossoms.
It was a good day.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 9:12 pm
/'-.-./ Walk in the Park. /'-.-./
Off work, class cancelled.
Danny was sure that there was something about that last part that should annoy her. After all, she had to scrape and earn every dime she spent on her college classes; when the professor decided to take an impromptu vacation to see some grandkid compete in some tournament- as important as family supposedly was- it was a kick in the a** for all the students that had to work eight-hour days at minimum wage for the right to have a seat in their lectures.
But right now, "off work, class cancelled" was one of the most beautiful phrases she could imagine.
The Von Helson Memorial Park was one of the newer and more pretty places in the city, established right next to where the renowned sisters had once lorded over Durem's upper class. No doubt, had they still been around, the park would have been closed off for the enjoyment of more exclusive clientele. However, that not being the case... its gates were open for the enjoyment of anyone who cared to take a stroll through.
And that was exactly what Danny, sack lunch in her backpack and the tip of the wand (with attached green ghostling) clearly visible from one of its pockets, intended to do. It wasn't any great mystery that her wisp enjoyed the nature settings- I mean, given the design of its wand, you'd have to be blind and dumb not to puzzle that little bit out!-, and Danny wasn't adverse to spending an afternoon away from the usual buzz and fuss of the surrounding city, either. So, it was the perfect excuse for the both of them to have a nice, quiet day to themselves.
No doubt, had they still been around, people like Patrick and his two sons would've been kicked out as quickly as they tried to move inside.
The dark man had agreed to take Akilah and Yashima out that day - Akilah wanted to play in the grass, with his new miniature soccer ball and Yashi simple enjoyed being outside in the serenity of nature. The little fox-thing was a outdoorsy sort, honestly preferring to toddle about with his geisha doll and his wand outside then to just sit in the house and let himself rot away.
For the special occasion, though, his doll had been brushed and prettied up and was being clutched to the little foxes body as tight as the plush toy would allow. Akilah, being a nut of a meerkat, darted around his fathers legs and towards the lush green grass. Small claws that were his feet dug into the ground, arms around the soccer ball.
he was off in his own little world. Spectacular.
Patrick sighed, shaking his head while somehow managing to keep a grip on yashima AND the picnic basket. "Hun, can't you walk? You're a big boy, now."
Yashima frowned at his father, small, stubborn head shaking, "Obutai~" He pouted before a little....wisp caught his eye. His head swiveled, clawing and crawling over his sires shoulder to squeal at the woman and the wisp. "Watage~"
Trying to select a good spot in the grass to settle down for some much-deserved lunch, Danny was just settling onto a pretty little spot beneath a icy green-leafed weeping willow, the branches of which were all neatly trimmed so as to fall just above the top of the head for anyone walking beneath it. Slinging her backpack and carefully setting it onto the ground, she pulled the wand out of its pocket and planted the bottom tip carefully in the ground, sticking straight up so that the green wisp was floating well above the manicured grass.
Before she sat down alongside the wand, though, Danny caught a few errand sounds. Kids at play, was her automatic assumption, but that didn't prevent her from taking a glance in the direction of the noise.
And see the strangest kid that she could have ever imagined.
The human girl couldn't do much more than stare wonderously at the ears and tail of the little fox-boy; Gaia might have magical creatures aplenty, but Durem at least wasn't a place where you saw too many non-humans. And Danny had seen a couple, of course, but... there was something a bit different about seeing some black cat lady that you had to be polite to because you were on the job, and finding some tailed toddler when you were just trying to have a nice day off. Especially when that kid seemed just as fascinated about something over in your direction as he was fascinating to you.
Of course, it took Danny only a few seconds to realize how rude she was being. Cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, she managed a sheepish smile and a small wave in the boy's direction, not entirely sure what he was so interested in looking at.
At least she hadn't seen the meerkat anthro streaking by with his soccer ball. He was currently climbing up the tree anyway, fluffy tail waving down below the greenary.
Yashima stared right back, ears erect on his little head, thick lashes blinking quickly. Patrick didn't notice anything, as he was busy trying to pry his son off of his shoulders and head, laughing and shaking his head. "Yashima! Stop! What are you doing!?"
"WATAGE!" The little boy insisted, tail fluffing up and waving all the more. he gave a little squeak as his father turned to face the other human (he was humanOID himself), blinking a few times. He was rather odd to look at as well, with piercings all over his face and...well, he was wearing a large shirt. No need to go into the 'beer belly' under it. Just a wee bit disturbing to even him, thanks. "Tousan, watage!"
"Yes, yes, another wand thing." Patricks voice was a murmur, eyes narrowing curiously at her. One hand, the one with the basket at teh crook of his elbow, rose up to wave back when his son couldn't. "What's that?"
He called the last part out to danny, jerking his chin slightly over to the wand on the ground next to her.
What's that? A bit dumbly so, Danny following the imaginary line between Patrick's eyes and the green wisp who, despite the interesting situation developing around it, was doing nothing more than floating its usual lazy circles around the tip of its wand. Returning her gaze back to the man with a very "you mean that?" sort of inquisition to her eyes, she didn't immediately answer as she got her full measure of the situation. Finally figuring that, yes, he was probably looking for an answer to his question, she quickly cobbled together some semblence of an answer.
"Oh... uh, that's... that's Green." Her voice was stammering a bit, but that wasn't really so surprising given her general insecurity with matters involved her child-to-be. After a heartbeat, she must have decided some elaboration was in order, because she continued on to say, "It's, uh, my stick-thing."
So very eloquent, this one was.
Poor Danny. Poor, poor Danny. Without much of a thought of anything else, Patrick made his way over, sitting just outside of her blanket. He wouldn't bother someone elses lunch or time but..Yashi was insistant.
The fox kit scrambled from his fathers shoulder to the ground, clutching his little geisha plushie closer. Toddling footsteps prepared himself to face Danny, head curiously peeking at her. "Watage." He nodded seriously, pointing at the wand-thing. "Shoujo? Watage. Yashi-kitsune~" The toddler pointed to himself, only to be ruffled by his father.
He pouted.
Patrick sighed. "Sorry. I don't mean to invade but.. yashi is an insistant little brat. Sorry. That's a Ghost-kid?"
Somewhat thrown off by trying to make English sense of Japanese words, it was a bit of a challenge for the woman to keep her eyes from locking curiously on the strange-looking toddler. Danny was a polite girl, however, and even if she wasn't always the most well-mannered, she wasn't going to ignore the person who she could actually understand and converse with in favor of ogling the looks of some kid.
"Oh- yeah! Yeah, it is," she hastily confirmed. After a moment of thought, she amended- "The stick, I mean, not your, uh... Yashi, you called him?"
Wow. I'm tripping over my own tongue, here....
"How did you know?" Her voice a bit more confident as she tried to get a controlling hand in the conversation, she affixed her gaze with a bit of an awkward sort of determination on Patrick, trying not to let her eyes slip back down to stare at the fox child.
"Yashi!" The kitsune boy pronounced proudly, pointing to himself with a giggle. "Yah-shee." He said the word slowly, as if to prove he knew what it was to actually speak understandably to a woman who spoke English.
"He was a stick thing, once." Patrick grinned, trying to tug his son back but Yashima... well, he squirmed free. The boy toddled past Danny, straight to the wand, and plopped his little butt down. Fingertips moved to the twisted wood, petting at it gently.
"He turned into a baby and now he can walk and talk."
"Dawdie!" This was another voice from the trees, the anthro child peeking his head out. "Dawdie, the tree is hiiiiiiigh! Keela's gonna climb to the toooop!" Giggling more, he disappeared back into the trees. Patrick winced.
Danny's eyes went wide. "You mean, you got him from that--" don't say crazy lady, don't say crazy lady "-- crazy lady down at the book shop place, too?"
Whoops.
"T-that is, that lady. Uhm. Ianna, right?" Trying to backpedal over a mistake that big wasn't easy, but damn if Danny wasn't going to try. Was it her fault if her mental image of the lady was still as some crazy cult leader that had locked her in the shop because she didn't want to take the wand? "She, uh... seemed nice."
Danny didn't lie so well, in case there was any doubt. She seemed well aware of that fact, too, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably right up until the point that a fortunate distraction appeared in the treetops.
"... Is, uh... that one yours, too, then?"
"Yep! I got him from the crazy lady at the wand shop. Ianna. She's a friend of mine." His grin was warm, if crooked, watching as his son crawled around and ******** things up for people. Another shrug and he glanced up to where Akilah had disappeared to.
".....yep. Got him from a shop too." Patrick sounded rather sheepish, glancing up at the disappeared boy. "And he's a meerkat - named Akilah. Sorry. We're not... really normal. Welcome to Gaia?"
Yashima beamed, petting at teh wand and peering to the girl. His face twisted into a frown when finally recognizing her, and she shrugged himself back. "Nn. Shoujo."
Danny chuckled once or twice, trying to stop acting so stiff and a bit more friendly. Patrick certainly seemed to be a nice enough person- if a bit odd, of course- and there was no reason that she ought to be acting so... unsettled around him.
"... It's kind of funny." Danny seemed exasperated and amused all at the same time. "When I was a kid, my momma always told me that babies came from the stork. Then, I grow up and find out that's a stupid joke, all that biology stuff, yeah. But now, it seems like babies all get bought at supermarkets. Strange times."
Glancing back down at Yashima, Danny tilted her head in confusion. "Soujo? What the heck is a soujo?" She seemed to be asking Patrick more than the kit-boy; after all, the fox hadn't spoken a word of English yet, it wasn't shaping up to seem like he knew it.
"I don't have a damned clue." He blinked right back at the girl, nose wirnkling up slightly. "Kids come from storks, shops, objects... Whatever you want. My mother told me babies came from people but she never said...like...like this."
His hand waved dismissively and paused as Yashima studied the wand once more. Then he sighed, and stroked it. "Onna." The poor boy seemed resigned. At least this wasn't an ultra-active little feeling of femininity he felt from her, not like Kay...he only liked Kay because she snuggled him anyway.
"What's your name, anyway? I'm Patrick White."
"Oh... Danny! Danny Kingston," she introduced herself, offering out a customary handshake. "And that's, uh... Green." A pause as she glanced down at the wand, who Yashima seemed to be getting a little bit, uh... intimate, with? "... I'm gonna give it a better name once I know what the heck it is, I swear."
Green, for its part, had barely changed its activities for Yashi's presence. It seemed very content to just wisp around in slow circles, enjoying the park for all its nature and plants. It might have just been Danny's imagination, though, but it seemed like Green was doing a little bit of a wiggle that it didn't usually do. Maybe that was just how it tended to greet people... or, more likely, she was just reading too much into things.
"So... Yashi was the same as Green, at some point?"
"Not a problem with the name.. Yashi didn't have a name until I figured out what gender he was." He laughed, head shaking, "And that took until he turned into a baby! No one could tell what he really was."
Patrick grinned a little, shoulders rising into a shrug. "He's a Ghost baby. He used to be a fox messanger for a god and he went from wisp," The dark man nodded towards the girls wand, "To something bigger - more tangible and then to a baby. They're cute little ******** waved back! With two fingers anyway.
"He was?" Hearing Yashima's origins brought a look of incredulity to Danny's face, even more so then even Patrick's thoughtless swearing in front of his own children. Looking down at the kit, Danny seemed wonderous as she watched him and her little wand-ghost interact. "... How did you find out? Did he know about it, or...?"
Perhaps encouraged by the returned communication, Green stopped its circling at last in order to draw itself upright, stretching up as tall as it coud reach to try and get Yashima face-to-, uh, wisp-face.
"Ianna told me he was a messanger of Inari. Inari happens to be a favorite god of mine." He grinned a little bit at that, shoulders rising into a shrug. "He doesn't know anything about it, as far as I know... He's like any other little kid, really."
Yashima giggled and leaned down a little. He was careful not to inhale the little thing, tail curling around his legs softly. "Tousan, fukafuka."
"Right, Yashi." He had no clue what he son was saying. "Ianna said they all died tragically or horribly or something... I don't think I WANT him to know."
... Isn't Inari a kind of sushi?
"They did?" Ianna had filled her in on all this stuff, no doubt, but Danny... well, she wasn't generally a good listener, anyway. She had barely managed to process such important details as "wand becomes a kid"... hell, just the "wand is magic" thing had nearly sent her through a nervous breakdown. The small stuff had escaped her attention, and now... well, hindsight was always 20/20, and Danny was really wishing that she had gotten some sort of brochure or whatever with her wand.
"Huh. I wonder what Green is supposed to have been, then." Something nature-based, obviously, but other than that... well, who knew? If Yashi was a messenger for a god, maybe Green was a gardener. ... Okay, probably not.
Yashi drew just close enough that the little wisp seemed to think it could touch him; reaching out an arm-tendril with slow purpose, Green brushed the ghostly appendage across the fox boy's cheek. Not, of course, that this had any affect. Green wasn't precisely physical, after all, and things like "touching" weren't possible for it. Pulling back again, the ghostling returned back to its usual activities- circling around its wand unhurriedly, as if pacing the edges of its domain.
"According to Ianna," He repeated, shoulders rising into a helpless shrug. "All the kids I've seen so far seem rather cheerful - except for the little satanic kid with angel wings - and they don't seem to remember their past lives at all. If it was really that horrible, I wouldn't want to remember it, would you?"
He grinned, shoulders rising in a shrug. Patrick could see a few bits of curiousity on her face and laughed, head tilting back. One hand rose up, resting on his stomach for a long moment. "Really, if you have any questions, I'll try to help you out with it. It's not too hard to figure out, but it's always nice to have help."
Yashima wrinkled his nose, letting the girl pat his cheek. "Shoujo.." His voice was a murmur again, giving her wand a fond pat before drawing back. "Tousan, shoujo ga~"
Glancing down at the fox-kid again- why doesn't he speak English, anyway? His father obviously does... wonder where he could have picked up all the- whatever language....- Danny gave the child a friendly smile before returning her attention back to Patrick. "Really? I figure, I'm gonna need all the help I can get figuring things out, so... I really appreciate the offer!"
She had always thought that she had enough to figure out with school and college without adding a kid to the mix- let alone a magical kid that had died some horrible death. The support that she was getting from the other people with these wands was almost shocking, but at the same time... well, was it so surprising? They'd all been standing right where she was at some point, so the fact that they wanted to help wasn't so unexpected. Still, Danny was thankful for the support. She hadn't expected to find so many people willing to lend her a hand.
"So... Ianna told you that he was a god's messenger, then?" Her train of thought was fairly obvious- Ianna would know what Green was, then, wouldn't she? Thinking back on their first meeting, Danny wasn't certain that Ianna hadn't already told her, really... but she couldn't remember for the life of her what the woman might have said about her wand's past life. Rubbing the back of her neck in distraction, Danny tried to prod her brain cells into remembering the information she desired, lamenting I should have listened better all the while.
The fox kid stared back up at her curiously, ears flicking a little with a chirrup. The girlie wand was still close, and he didn't seem to mind overmuch, even though the small fox edged himself over away from her with a squeak.
Patrick grinned, shoulders rising in a shrug. "She told me he was a kitsune. A fox demon. Foxes are typically messangers of Inari, so it was a stretch, but he's done nothing to dissuade that thinking for me. But we can narrow down the ideas for her... She's obviously into green things and wood, right? Maybe she used to live in the woods."
Something that lived in the woods, Green no doubt had been. But more specific than that, Danny couldn't even begin to guess what she might have been. The girl was the sort with her feet on the ground- at least, she liked to think so- and as such, she really wasn't all that informed about the sorts of creatures that filled up legends and mythology. Sure, she knew a few good stories from her childhood, but Little Red Riding Hood didn't seem to have any place in whatever sort of fairy tale something with Green's wand must have come from. Woodsy creatures were like... like... tree-folk. Dryads. Maybe things like those tree-guys from Lord of the Rings, the ones that walked around and attacked that one tower. God, those things had seemed so stupid, though. I hope Green's not one of those....
"Yeah... I think that's probably right," she agreed simply, seeing no point in trying to elaborate upon something that she honestly just couldn't know. Yashima's strange avoidance of the wand drew her wondering mind away from the subject altogether- what was up with that kid? What, was he suddenly spooked by the ghost?
That couldn't be it, Danny was sure, so she decided to try and ask him herself. Stooping down by Yashima, she gave him a friendly and curious look as she inquired- "What's wrong? You don't like Green?"
"Shoujo." THe little fox burbled doubtfully, staring up at the girl with dazzled confusement. The green thing WAS a girl but..she didn't feel bad, like some other girlthings. But, needlyess, she WAS a girlthing.
So he pouted, fingers flexing and bouncing a little on his bum. "Shoujo ga~" He nodded once more, crawling closer to poor Danny, beaming up at her. SHE wasn't a girlthing..not really. She was a daddy, like his own.
Speaking of which, Patrick was watching his son curiously, reaching over to ruffle at the silver and gold hair. "The question is what KIND, though... I mean, messanger of Inari isn't too hard to figure out. But..like.." His hand waved vaguely. "Ah well. Can't be worse then the wevryn, right?"
It was that same word over and over again- shoujo, shoujo. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Alas, if only Danny were any sort of anime fan, she'd understand the meaning in an instant. But no; Danny was into romance novels, not manga. The Japanese word just slid through her ears without meaning, leaving her with no other recourse than to answer Yashima's grin with a friendly one of her own. She could Google the word later on, if she needed.
"Ah... right, probably." Who had a wyvern? The only other wand-parent Danny had met (other than Ianna herself) had been Airaka, and... well, honestly, she didn't know what the little ghost-thing Airaka had toted around was supposed to be. Heck, for all she knew, it was the wyvern.
Trying to mask her ignorance, Danny changed the subject quickly to something a little more in her area of conversational expertise; "So, you guys are here for a picnic?" She questioned, nodding to Patrick's basket.
A sudden bzzzzrk, bzzzzrk interjected itself into the conversation. With a start and a yelp, Danny pawed a pager out of her pocket, glancing down at it. "What?... oh, great. It's Mom. Wonder what's wrong now...." Scowling peevishly, Danny began to gather up all her things "Sorry, but I can't ignore this. They don't message me unless its really, really important... c'mon, Green. It was nice to meet the two of you!" Grabbing up the wand and sticking it into her backpack, she gave a short wave before hightailing it out of the park, in search of a pay phone.
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 7:34 pm
/'-.-./ LiveJournal of ic3pr1nce55ch1ck /'-.-./ Quote: Sunday, May 7th, 2006
7:34 PM
Mothers are a pain. All you kids in high school that whine and whine and whine, let me tell ya something; parents are just as bad when you move out. They will track you down. They will find you. They will make your life hell.
I met up with this other guy with a stick-kid; not like Airaka, but a REAL stick-kid. I mean, the kid was there, not stuck to the stick. This little fox boy who seemed to like invading Green's personal space... if smoke-things have personal space, that is. I was having this great ol' chat with his dad, Patrick, when my beeper starts going off like crazy. Looks like Mom finally got back from her vacation and got my message about her being a grandmother... you know what the first thing she said was?
"But Dan-Dan, you poor girl, I thought we had the condom talk already!"
Dear. ********. GOD. I told her in the message that it wasn't gonna be like that, but did she bother to listen? Noooo, the second she heard the word "kid" she lept to conclusions.
Oh well... she says she's got to do some sort of stuff at work, but she's going to come down soon to visit and meet her little grandkid. I don't think she really understood when I told her that it might not be... you know... human.... I just hope she doesn't freak out. For her sake and for Green's.
On the bright side... Pat's kid, Yashima, kept saying this one word whenever he was dealing with Green. Japanese. "Shojoshojoshojo". So I looked it up, and it turns out that that's the Japanese world for girl. Green could be a girl, then! hehehe... a little girl.... that'd be so cool.....
Current Mood: gonk stressed
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 9:46 pm
/'-.-./ Return to the HQ /'-.-./
Airaka leaned against in one of the desk in the shop, eyes closed tiredly. She would wait her for Danny to show, before moving into the headquarters.
Her little wyvern child sat on the desk, two of Airaka's fingers in his mouth, wand fitted between his toes. He wore jean suspenders, and a white t-shirt, holes in each for his tail and his wings. The fabric, he felt, was incredibly itchy on his scales, though the lotion had made it feel better. His dark eyes showed frustration, most likely at the fact he hadn't been able to gnaw off Airaka's hand yet.
Okay... okay, Danny-girl, you can do this. You have to do this. For the baby, right?
The storefront was in sight, but now Danny was getting cold feet. Her last visit to the Wand Shop hadn't been especially... pleasant. The door locking behind her, the no-escape policy, the weird magic stuff and... just... everything had been weird and unbelievable.
But it wasn't any more unbelievable than the green ghostling that floated along out of the wand tip poking out of her backpack, was it?
She was allowed to be nervous, sure. But when it came down to it, whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, Green was going to be a real baby one day... and Danny was going to need every resource available to her in order to keep from being overwhelmed by the challenges that would bring. So, she just had to take a breath, be brave, and....
"Uh... hey." Stepping nervously through the front door, Danny gave a small wave to Airaka.
Airaka opened her blue eyes, and returned the wave, using the hand that had been in the babies mouth.
"Hi!"
She gave Danny a warm grin, then directed her eyes to the green thing thatt had first caught her attention as Danny caused the bell to jingle.
"Oh! It wisped! That's great."
The baby had been staring at the hand as Airaka waved it, and his eyes narrowed at Airaka. He wiggled his wings oddly, one of the brushing against the hand that was holding him up upright, before letting out a wail.
Airaka stood there, shocked for a second, then stuffed her sunkissed fingers back in the boys mouth. He stopped, and started gumming the fingers again.
"Eh... So ... you ready to go in?"
Staring at Airaka's interactions with the little boy, it took a few moments for Danny to put together the obvious. The little wisp-thing that she had seen when she had met Airaka that first time, it was now....
"... Oh. This is...?" Shyness left behind at the doormat, Danny quickly approached to get a good look at the baby, face beaming along with an obligatory "he's so cuuuuute~!" compliment as she inspected the child. The scales and wings were certainly not overlooked by the mundane girl, but she didn't seem to dwell on them too long. Maybe she was starting to feel more at home around this weird unhuman stuff.
Airaka's next words drew her hastily out of baby-ogling mode, however, and more into a distant sort of dread. "Go in?... yeah... I guess so...." Danny might not have sounded entirely convincing, but she wasn't going to back away from this. It was important for her to get a hand on this sort of stuff, and she was infinitely grateful that she at least had someone with a cool head around to keep her from... well, keep her from acting like she did the last time she was here, at the very least.
Airaka blinked at Danny, slightly surprised by the comment. It caused the boy to grin up at Danny, though, waving his tail about. He pushed his foot with the wand against the woman, as Airaka pulled her finger from the boys mouth.
"Yeah. He sure is."
She pulled the baby into the correct position, one hand resting on his bottom, the other on his back. The wyrmling placed his own hand in his mouth, as Airaka moved toward the portal door.
"Alright. Lets do this."
She gave Danny one last reasurring grin, and adjusted the boy on her hip so she could open the door, then step into the portal.
Seconds later she was out in the lobby, with a shiver. She took a couple steps forward, looking back at the portal for Danny.
Eyeing the portal with distaste, Danny took a quick breath to fill up her lungs, closing her eyes a moment to relish the calming effects of the oxygen filting through her mind. Just do it, don't think about it, just do it--
Opening her eyes to the lobby a moment later, she gave Airaka a weak sort of smile. No problem. She could handle anything, no matter how crazy or disorienting it was....
"That wasn't so bad." It had taken a couple seconds to get her vocal chords working properly, but she took a couple brave steps further into the room, doing her best to seem unintimidated.
A very exhuasted and shirtless Malen was passed out on the couch and even the sound of the portal opening couldn't rouse him.Kishi who'd been playing in a baby walker when Malen was awake was taking advantage of the lack of supervision. Her attention was gotten as others entered the headquaters " Ahhheeh" she called out and struggled to propel herself towards the guardians and thier charges. There way another baby like her and it had wings too, this pleased Kishi to no end.
Airaka gave a slight chuckle,
"I so hate that portal."
She raised her eyes from the boy, who was hitting her leg with the wand, to look about the area incase anyone was here, when Kishi's call caught her attention.
"Oh!" she said, rather loudly, bringing her attention to Kishi.
"Hi Kishi!"
The red head had moved toward the baby girl, and was now kneeling down beside her. She gave the girl a playful grin, before reminding herself of Danny.
"This is Kishi. Her gaurdian is Malen, who is going out with Ianna."
Airaka nodded her head intellegently, before directing her attention back to Kishi.
"Kishi, sweetie, that girl over there is Danny. She's a friend of mine. She has a little wisp. Isn't that neat?"
She had adjusted her baby so he was sitting on her knees. He started at Kishi intently, watching her. His hand was still in his mouth, but her wasn't chewing on it as hard as before.
... How many of these wand-babies are there, anyway? Not that Danny was particularly opposed to their existence or anything, just that it was a little... shocking, there was the word. A little shocking for her to keep coming across these strange children.
They were still just children, though, and whether or not Danny was necessarily prepared for their differences, she wasn't going to let that put her off.
"Hi there!" Smiling almost a little too much, Danny stooped down and hugged her knees to give Kishi a proper greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Kishi!" Over her shoulder, the green wisp could be seen taking a peek at the winged girl, before returning to its usual slow circling around the tip of its wand.
Kishi looked about trying to focus on everyone at once particularly the wisp and winged baby as they held her interest the most. She smiled at everypne and giggled with pleasure pleased to be the center of attention for once. Making a choice Kishi reached out for the winged boy " Ammahhee." she insisted ,demanding that he be brought closer for further inspection.
The combination of people moving and voices finally roused Malen who sat up and stared at the women who were with his daughter. Internally he berated himself for falling asleep, Kishi could have been seriously hurt left unattended for long. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he smiled " Hello Airaka good to see you again and congrats on your boy growing he looks adorable." He winked at the woman and baby before turning his attention to the other whom he didn't know ." and this lovely lady is?"
The boy flicked his tail out from his side, using it to grab his wand. He then wiggled his toes at the girl, emiting a gurgle. Ha. She had chosen to pay attention to him out of everyone else. He wiggled a bit gleefully.
Airaka paused, suddeny remembering what theh girl had been in her past life. Did the girl have powers already? Although she doubted it, she was a bit resistant in moving foreward. She did though.
Her attention was directed from worrying over what Kishi could do to her baby, to Malen.
"Hello Malen. Thanks. And, that's Danny."
Airaka's soft voice was tinged with stiffness, and her grin was weaker then that which she had used earlier with Danny.
Danny seemed to fall under the category of "easily flattered". Cheeks tinging slightly, she averted her gaze and stifled a giggle before speaking up again, "Malen, right? It's nice to meet you." She didn't really mean for it to sound flirtish, but that brand of playful was exactly how it came out; remembering that Airaka had told her that MAlen was supposed to have been going out with Ianna, however, she quickly turned her attention to a more neutral topic.
"Kishi's a real cutie... she's yours, right?" She knew the answer already, of course, but what safer topic could there be than an innocent little child? "I wonder if Green'll grow up anything like her."
Kishi extended her wings and smiled at what she considered her new friend. He was another responsive child and that excited her. With Kay usually stealing all the attention and some of the others rather shy Kishi had struggled to find those who would return her enthusiasm for friend making.
Malen ignored Airaka's tone , they'd hit it off on the wrong foot long ago and apparently the woman held grudges, still their children got along well enough and malen doubted that Airaka would let her feelings about him interfere with her childs need to socialise. " it's a pleasure to meet you as well Danny and Kishi is as mine as she can be without being blood related." Suddenly an odd look passed over Malen's face " I wonder what would happen if someone was related to their wand child, wouldn't that be odd." Personally Malen figured he'd probably be honored to raise an ancestor and find it interesting to discuss what his family had been like long before he'd been born. " As for what what your child will be like it really depends on what they were."
He unfurled his own own wings, in response, and they brushed against his guardian's chest. The baby seemed a bit angered by the fact his wings had thouched the red red head, hitting his tail and the wand against the woman. She faltered but was able to keep her balance. Airaka pat the boy on the head, and he tiled his head, catching some of the fingers in his mouth. He returned his attention to Kishi, waving his tail, and golden wand, at her.
With two fingers still in her boys mouth, Airaka looked to the other two.
"I have a feeling my boy never actually met someone to mate with. I'm not to sure on how wyverns mate."
Airaka paused, thinking over the thought, before letting out a chuckle,
"It would be intresting to meet anyone related to the children. See what they think of on the matter..."
She shook her head after her voice trailed off,
"Then again, maybe not. The decendents may not be the nicest people ever."
The woman looked rather flustered with the conversation, but turned her focus to Danny, and shruged her shoulders.
"I'm sure Green will be darling, if that is what you are implying. Personality wise, we'll just have to wait till the childs a breathing baby."
"Yeah...." Patience was not Danny's best trait, but for this, it seemed... well, right, somehow, to have to wait for it. If she had been stupid and got knocked up, she'd be waiting nine months before getting a look at her baby, after all. There must be some good reason that those nine months were programmed into people (other than the obvious biological stuff)- really, Danny should be grateful she only had a short while to wait compared with that.
Slinging her backpack off and setting it on the ground a comfortable distance from the children, Danny watched Green looping around its wand, oblivious to the other wand-children or anything else going on around it. Hopefully, this odd behavior wasn't a hint of what was to come.
"... Oh! I meant to ask," she turned to Malen, "do you know how to figure out what they were in their past life or whatever? Ianna told me, I'm sure, but I wasn't really listening, so I'm in the dark about it."
Kishi cooed softly in the boys direction, he was nice and pretty and shiny. It was particularly interesting that he had a tail, she hadn't seen anyone with a tail before so he must be special. Pointing at his tail she issued an unintelligable question.
Having no clue about the mating habits of Dragons never mind Wyverns Malen just shrugged. At Danny's Question he laughed " Sorry I wouldn't know, but I can always ask Ianna when I see her later and if you leave me some sort of contact information I can relay it to you." Malen wasn't surprised to hear Danny's story, the kind of information Ianna gave out was sort of easily swallowed up by shock.
The boy raised his albino tail infront of his eyes, flickling it in a mezmerizing pattern, back and forth. The golden wand coiled in his tail reflected off the light in the room, giving it a shiny glow and making the baby let loose a gleeful giggle.
"Ianna told me off the bat that he was had a wyverns soul. What I really want to know is how he died."
Her sapphire eyes were filled with worry as she lowered them back down to the boy whom was poised on her knees. A soft sigh came from her lips before she looked up again.
"The wands are a hint, though."
At Malen's offer, Danny practically lit up with excitement. "Really? Could you?" That was perfect! Exactly what she needed to pick up on the information she hadn't quite paid attention to the first time around. Eagerly grabbing her backpack, she rifled through it until she found a pen and a scrap of paper (looked like some old homework assignment)- tearing off the corner of the paper, she wasted no time in scribbling down her details.
Airaka's next words set her to a pause, however. "A hint to what they are, or how they died?" She'd figured out the first bit; or at least, she'd assumed the first bit. but the second bit was confusing, and a bit startling to think about. What could Green's wand be hinting to, if that were the case?
... Maybe I'm just overthinking everything. though. God, but if that couldn't be it; she was starting to feel all twitchy and jumpy from all this. Everything had just suddenly hit her, and now she wanted to know anything and everything she could about her wisp; what it was, what it would be, how it would act, what it could like, what shoe size it would have....
Forcing herself to turn the jitters down a few pegs, Danny carefully wrote down her digits and name, along with a reminder in case Malen was the forgetful sort- "Please call me if you can find out what Green's past life is, thank you!". Passing the paper scrap over to him, she flashed a grin. "Thanks a ton for your help."
Kishi's eyes widened at the sight of the glowing. Again she reached out wanting to be closer to both the wand and it's holder.
" Or is it how or why or both?" Malen murmured in response to Airaka's thought on wanting to know how her child died.Taking the slips of paper from danny he smiled " I'll ask Ianna tonight"
The wyrmling bumped his tail against the baby blocker, one of the things that was blocking im and the black winged girl from getting any closer, then closed his mouth with his guardians fingers still inside, making a bit of a gurgling noise.
Airaka blushed slightly, feeling dense due to the fact she had confused everyone with her mutterings.
"I mean, I think, the wands show what they were. Not how they died. Like his is golden, with two dragon's on it. Though his wand may be more obvious to what he was then others. Yours looks like a stick."
The red-head coughed slightly, and took a second longer to reply to Malen's question.
"Both."
"Yep, it sure does," Danny said at Airaka's description of her wand, peering back down at her ghostling. Green was still circling- a sign that nothing was amiss, she supposed.
"How would you find out about how they died, anyway? I mean... well, maybe it's better not to even ask, isn't it?" There was such a thing as knowing too much information about a child. Danny might not be a mother (yet), but speaking from the experience of one barely out of their teens- when your parents knew too much, they got worried and anxious and overprotective. That was just dealing with typical things, like grades and dating and all that. God only knew how overprotective a parent would get, knowing how their child had once died....
... Then again... better to keep them safe, right?
"... Do you think Ianna might know something about that sort of thing?" This was directed more at Malen than anything; he seemed to be the resident expert on things-Ianna-might-know.
Kishi sqwaked at the jolt and then frowned , there was no way she could get to the boy if she was stuck in the contraption. Smacking her fingers on the frame she sought her fathers attention.
Malen rolled his eyes and picked Kishi up resting her on his hip. he nodded to airaka and looked curious " Do you think it's a baby thing that make him gnaw on you or a dragon then like I dunno a strange sign of affection." Malen had not been chewed on yet byKihsi or drooled on. he had however been puked upon multiple times and considerd it a for more unpleasent experience.
To Danny he just sighed softly " We have no clue have they died as of yet and it's probably better not to dwell on it, I mean of course it may affect them now like a fear of water if they drowned but otherwise they don't know how they died when they're reborn so it's best not to burden them."
Airaka blinked down at the boy, then back to Malen, standing up herself, turning the boy so she held him underneath, and around his stomach.
"I don't know. I doubt it's a sign of affection. He gums his own hands too. It's the only time he really uses his hands, when he sticks them in his mouth. Wyvern's only had legs, I think." she stated.
The boy wiggled his tail at Kishi, a grin on his face. His mothers hands had been taken from his mouth and replaced with his own.
Airaka looked from Malen to Danny, and shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, I guess he's right."
"Doesn't that seem like a bad idea, though?" Danny asked Airaka, referring to Xtol's habit of chewing everything. "I mean, isn't that unhealthy or something?" Babies were supposed to get sick really easily, so far as she knew, which is why you always tried to keep them from doing bad things. Of course, a baby that was some sort of dragon in its past life might not be so suspectible to disease... but still, there was a certain amount of common sense that still ought to be exercised.
Note to self- get a ton of disinfectant wipes for when Green becomes a kid, Danny decided.
" babies and then children eat everything from boogers to dirt to chewing gum found on the sidewalk , they are more likely to get sick eating an undercooked burger at a fast food joint then they are by being children." having consumed the gods only knew what as a child according to his mothers Malen was a testament to that statement. he nodded at Airaka " Yeah no arms for them so he'd probably got no clue how to use them, you're probably lucky he had any motor function at all with them you could have had him needing psyical therapy for years."
Kishi flexed her wings and then reached out hoping to touch at least some part of her friend.
"father c'mere I need your help right now." a voice called desperately.
Holding Kishi Malen bowed and smiled softly " Sorry but fatherly duties call, if you aren't here when I return I hope we meet again soon." He nodded to Danny " I'll call you soon I promise." That said Malen headed towards the sound of Del's distressed voice.
The wyvern baby reached out his feet, pushing them as far forward as possible. His toes bumped againgt her fingers, before Airaka adjusted the boy who was slipping down her stomach. Airaka gained a peeved expression from the boy with that movement.
Airaka flushed a bit at Danny's comment.
"I make sure we are both really clean. When we get back from this little adventure, he's going to have another nice, long bath."
She squeezed the boy softly against her chest, then grinned back up at the two like a gleeful mother.
"Hopefully he'll soon learn that hands are more then just chew toys. For his sake and mine."
The red-head chuckled a little bit, but her eyes widened as the calal from the otehr room caught her by surprise.
"Of course. Farewell, Malen. I bet my boy would love to see Kishi again."
Her point was stressed by the wyvern's sudden crying that happened as Kishi was taken from view of his golden eyes.
Airaka turned to Danny, giving her a crooked grin, and dug through the item in her bag to attempt to calm the baby down. She pulled out a stuffed animal, placing infront of the boys face. The hippo was promptly stuffed in the wyvern's mouth, and Airaka laughed cheerfully.
"I'll have to go pick up so more amusment for the little guy." she muttered off handedly.
Stepping closer to Danny, the woman bowed her head.
"So, did you enjoy yourself? Thinking of coming back? There are many more kind people then just Malen. And I'm sure 'Green' will enjoy it as she ages."
"Thank you, and take care!" Waving after Malen and Kishi, the college girl seemed to be honestly optimistic as she picked her wand back up from where she'd set it, giving the wisp an amused and friendly grin as she listened to Airaka.
"Well, it wasn't half as bad as I was afraid it might be," Danny replied, tucking the wand back into its usual pocket in her backpack. "And even if it were.... Well, that doesn't even matter, because it wasn't. I definitely think I'll be coming back... after all, Green's gotta know there's other people like it so it doesn't get lonely, right?" It sounded as good an excuse as any, at least.
Looping the backpack over one shoulder, she took stock of the time. "Suppose that I'd better be going; I've got class in a bit, anyway. Exit's the way we came in, I'd guess?" A stupid question by most means, but this place was just crazy enough that she had to check before she went wandering off anywhere.
Airaka nodded, with a cheerful smile on her face.
"That's good! I'm sure you and Green will meet a lot of nice people here."
She nodded her head again at Danny's last question, and moved towards the portal.
"Thanks much for coming Danny. See you around?"
The red head took a deep breath, then waved at the woman, before stepping through the portal.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:42 pm
/`-.-./ A Brief Visit /`-.-./She had been awakened early that morning- five am or so- by the demanding ringtone of her bedside phone. Ignoring it three rings didn't make it go away, sadly enough; with no other course to stop the terribly loud noise that was disturbing her sleep, Danny suffered herself to grab wildly for the reciever and bring it to her face, mumbling something that might have been a greeting.
"Dan-dan, darling! I'm coming over." Came the over-enthusiastic voice on the other end of the line.
"... Mppphrmle?" Her tone must have sounded indignant, because her muddled reply prompted a scowled huff of- "Danny, are you not up yet? I've told you time and time again, a proper lady must not sleep late, or else-"
"Mmmoh. Mooom... it's...," a beat passed while Danny pried her eyes open wide enough to check the clock, "... it's five am! Why are you calling me at five am? I have work today!" Her outrage took drew no reaction from anyone save Green; the wispling, drifting around on her bedside, bobbed up in down in reaction to the agitation in Danny's voice.
"I just told you, Danny, I'm calling to let you know I'm coming over." These words carried a message dire enough to pierce through Danny's barely-conscious mind; it was five am, and her mother wanted to visit. Oh God.
Dragging her feet out from under the covers to sit on the side of the bed, she tried quickly to work out her next words through a thick tongue. "Wha... why?! Why are you coming over? When are you going to be here? WHY?"
"Because, Dan-dan," was her mother's patient reply, seeming unbothered by Danny's frantic voice, nor the noises of scrambling as the girl went running to prepare for her unexpected visitor, "that's when the delivery men are going to be coming."
Midway through hopping into the first leg of a pair of jeans, Danny froze. "... Delivery men?... Mom, why are delivery men coming to my apartment?!"
"Honestly, Danny, you need to calm down," her mother chidingly answered. "They're bringing a gift I have for your little babe- what was its name, dear?"
"Green. For now. She'll have a better name when she arrives the rest of the way," she answered reflexively, buttoning her pants as she worried away at the possibility of a gift. What would her mother be bringing? Would Green like it? Would her mother be all right with the idea that her precious granddaughter- for Danny could hear in her mother's voice, that's what Green was becoming- wasn't quite able to appreciate her affection as of yet?
"I'm sorry, Dan-dan, I don't quite understand- oh! Looks like we're almost there! We'll talk more face-to-face, dear, all right? Ciao!" And before Danny could protest or try and make sure her mother had the right impression, there was a silencing click.
Holding the phone reciever for a befuddled moment, Danny broke into a string of curses as she dropped the phone and ran for a hairbrush.
She was midway between cleaning her teeth and applying some light eyeliner when the doorbell rang; "just GREAT," was all that Danny could say, rinsing out her mouth and wiping off the unfinished makeup. Hesitating at the bedstand to eye Green, she debated whether or not to greet her mother at the door with her. It wouldn't really do to send the lady screaming off before she'd had a proper chance to prepare her, though. "Just hang tight, hun; I'm going to soften her up for you, okay?" Danny didn't precisely find agreement in the ghostling's vague response, but as she didn't find dissent either, she took that as a sign of 'good enough' and headed to greet her mother at the door.
What was waiting first for her at the doorstop, however, was a large brown package, and two men hauling it. "Danielle Kingston?" One questioned gruffly; at her small nod, he signalled to his partner, and the pair of them laboriously took the package inside, following to the letter the great number of "HANDLE WITH CARE" stickers covering its surface. After having carried it so far, however, one of them asked the obvious question at last- "Where do you want it?"
Another voice caught the question before Danny could assimilate it. "Over in the corner there, I'd think, next to the potted plant." A lady of regal dignity strode within the doorway. Her greying hair tied only exemplified her aura of self-assurance and fearlessness, tied in an elegant bun that proudly displayed each faded strand as medals of bravery for the hardships endured throughout one's life. She knew no shame, her deep brown eyes said, and regretted nothing in her life; confident, happy, and poised. Danny only wished she knew how her mother managed such perfection.
"Dan-dan!" Her eyes lit up with cheer, wrinkles gathering in the corners of her eyes as she approached her daughter with a sweet kiss on the cheek. "It's so good to see you, sweetheart; where's this Green I've heard so much about, hm?"
Panic. She had to get her mother prepared first, or else she might have a heart attack.... "Uh, Mom? I gotta tell you, Green's not, uh...."
"She's not sick, is she? Oh, poor dear! Does she need a doctor?"
No, actually, she's been dead since probably before you were born. Danny shook the thought from her head, determined not to stir up any unnecessary drama. "No, Mom, she's not sick. She's-"
"The dear must be asleep, then, hm? Oh, drat... that's just my luck. I guess I'll have to come back some other time."
Come back some other time... It was too easy. An escape, so openly proffered? If she could put off the meeting, Green could be a baby- a real baby- by the time she was introduced to her grandmother. So many awkward questions avoided... Green would no doubt look more "normal" then than she would now. Maybe even almost human; the other ghost children Danny had seen were almost human, after all, and almost might be enough to keep her mother from having any unfortunate reactions....
"Yes, yes. Some other time." It was a lie, and a one that made Danny feel strangely unsettled- but it worked. She saw the disappointment on her mother's face, overcome swiftly by purpose.
"Well, then. I'm sorry to have gotten you up so early. I'll be contacting you soon about the second half of Green's gift; please, don't be a stranger! I want to hear all about how my granddaughter is doing!" The delivery men had barely themselves exited when Danny's mother gave her another peck on the cheek and disappeared, leaving the apartment no different save for one box and a distinct feeling of discontentment. Eyeing the package, Danny decided slowly that she had just done something wrong. She wasn't sure quite what yet, but she had made a mistake in her actions.
She'd work it out later. For now... well, no sense in leaving the package unopened, was there? Taking only as long as was needed to fetch a strangely motionless Green from her bedroom and a pair of scissors from a drawer in the kitchen, Danny set about the task of opening up the large box dominating one corner of the room. Tape was sliced, cardboard was ripped; packaging was strewn across the floor, bits and pieces of it until at last the cardboard fell to the ground. What was within drew a gasp out of Danny, and even Green, seeming almost sulkish in comparison to her usual lazy self, straightened out a bit at the beautiful gift within.
"Oh, Mom." There was little more than that that Danny could manage; she knew this instrument well. Her mother had had a very successful career as a harpist for many years; in fact, the greatest of the differences between herself and her daughter could be explained easily by the time they had spent on opposite sides of the globe while the great Victoria, loved by thousands of fans, had put her life on the stage. Danny had tried the instrument as a child, and had failed at it spectacularly- not that she had ever cared to try, Danny had had her own dreams back then. But it looked as though her mother was trying to get to her granddaughter early, before any other thoughts could enter her mind. Would Green be swayed to follow in her grandmother's footsteps, then?
... Still. Whatever secret dread this might have for her, personally, was nothing compared to the generosity such a gift showed the far more important person of Green. Danny would have to call to thank her, and soon.
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 2:07 pm
/`-.-./ Obstacle /`-.-./
Green seemed to quite enjoy herself around that harp, strangely enough. Not precisely using it as a musical tool, of course; Danny would set her wand down by its base, and the little wispling would stretch out and wind itself between the strings, or follow the vine engraving on the side as high as she could reach before she was stretched out as far as she could stretch. Content, Danny imagined her right now; content with the harp.
But the moment that she took her away from the gift, the small form grew still and almost depressed. There was none of her usual pacing around the tip of the wand, a slow and steady amble, but full of energy and life all the same. Nor were there any of her small interactions with the world and people around her, insignificant but reassuring to the mother-to-be with a ghost for a child. She was simply there, and Danny wasn’t sure why she wasn’t more.
Keeping Green very close to her for all that day- it seemed like a futile gesture, really, it wasn’t as though the wisp could get into trouble if she were not there to watch it- Danny went about the day’s business in as normal a manner as she could. All throughout, though, there was something that was crying at the back of her head- idiot, idiot, you stupid idiot, don’t you see, don’t you know, don’t you understand why this is your fault? She was forced to conclude no, of course- no, she didn’t know, she didn’t understand.
Was it that she’d done something to alienate Green, that the wisp was acting quite so skittish and downtrodden?
Mopping up some dirty floors at closing time, eyes glazed over as she stared out at nothing, Danny grappled with herself, trying to find what it was she was overlooking. It had to be something….
The floors were clean by the time she had no choice but to surrender- no. No, she couldn’t find it. She knew she was at fault, she just didn’t know how. Stuffing the mop away in the supply closet and grumbling something along the lines of “pleasecloseup” to the still somewhat cooperative Julia, Danny wasted no time in clambering into her car, tucking Green safely into the passenger’s-side seat, and backing out of the parking lot and onto the road.
Silence was only to be expected- Green couldn’t precisely talk, after all. But there was something distinctly unsettling about driving home with the concept that there was someone sitting in the seat next to you, not talking to you- and knowing that someone was upset with you for some reason.
The quiet was too much for Danny to handle. She turned on the radio; some inane talk show started up, filling her ears and working away a little of her tension. But only a little.
“… Green, I have to say… it’s hard to read you right now, but… are you mad at me or something?” She questioned meekly (cowed by an insubstantial baby not even a quarter her size… sheesh!). There was to be no answer, naturally, but she couldn’t help but to leave a space open for one before continuing, “because, you know… I really don’t want to make you upset. I’m just trying to do my best in raising you, kid; it’s not really easy for me, but-“ Stopstopstop! She couldn’t talk like that! So what if it wasn’t easy for her, it was GREEN that needed the comfort right now! “-… and I know it can’t be easy for you!” Better. “But I really am trying, you know? I’m probably screwing up, but… are you getting what I’m saying?”
There was no answer; but, of course, there was no verbal answer that Green could give. Glancing away from the road, Danny took a look at what the wispling was doing-
She had pointedly turned herself in the opposite direction of her guardian.
Well, THIS was working out splendidly. Gripping the wheel a little tighter, Danny did what she could to quell her own anger. Damn it, here she was, trying to pour her heart out to some little wisp that wouldn’t even exist without her giving up all her plans, and!- and… and….
“Oh.”
That was it. That was exactly where she was messing up. Some little wisp, huh? Green thought of herself as more than that, no doubt… and there was only one person she could look to for help or agreement or anything, and Danny still wasn’t seeing her the way she needed to be seen. As a person.
Earlier today. Her mother had come over. And Danny had sent her away and lied about Green, doing what she could to let her mother believe that Green was normal and real and human. Green must have seen that and seen exactly what it was; a denial. Danny had just told Green she wasn’t good enough, and she hadn’t even realized it. And then she’d refused to realize or acknowledge it all day.
No wonder the wisp seemed so upset….
Danny pulled into the apartment parking lot and clicked the radio off, leaving the air clear of all noises save the other cars driving on the nearby road and the tiny sounds of children horsing around in the distance.
“… I’m sorry,” she began, staring straight ahead as she tried to think her next words through. This apology would take a long while to complete, now that she knew what she needed to apologize for- but there was no better way to start it off.
Strangely enough, it seemed that there was no better way to end it, either; in the silence, she could hear a sound, a small and happy one; a sigh. Startled by it, Danny turned her attention fully to the small green form beside her- right in time to see her little ghostling blossom from the wand, unhindered by prior doubts, into the vague but certain form of the baby she might one day become.
“… Green!” It was strange to feel so suddenly thrilled at another step to a baby, a real baby that would totally take over her life… but that didn’t seem quite so dire anymore. In fact, looking at the ghost’s form now, Danny found herself wishing that she wouldn’t stop growing just yet; that she’d go all the way to a baby, right here and now.
But acceptance. That was what Green needed, and what Danny had to work on; she’d learned this lesson well, now. If Green stayed as a ghost like this forever, she had to know that Danny would be there to support her, and Danny had to know it, too.
Gingerly, Danny reached out to lift Green up- only to find, quite to her amazement, that her toting was no longer necessary. The form drifted upwards of her own accord, bringing with her the wand she still seemed bound to, and maneuvered herself directly in front of Danny’s face, as if trying to get a good look at her guardian for the first time.
Baffled about what else to day, Danny could only smile and address the ghost with a soft and welcoming- “Good morning, sweetheart.” She could only guess that that was a smile that she was getting back.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:24 am
/`-.-./ The Non-Social Butterfly /`-.-./Ursah Bunny Sara Two-moons clasped Too-ya-la-kekt's wand closer as she approached the strange shop that stood outside the guardian's headquarters on her lunch hour. In recent days she had grown more accustomed to her role as the wand's guardian, and the protector of the fragile life that spiraled from its tip. She had decided, however, that it would be beneficial to her ward if she would seek out the other guardians and associate with them. Perhaps it would be good for her little warrior to develop around others who were also going through the hardships of a rebirthing. Could the wisps communicate? She didn't know, but her own seemed at least to respond to her voice. Perhaps her emotion. It certainly responded to sound. She had been lax in associating with the other guardians. If there was one thing she was not, Sara Two-moons was not a social butterfly. In fact, it could be said that the woman didn't have a single friend, certainly not more than work-aqquaintances, and absolutely no one aside from her grandfather that she felt she could trust. It may have been that Sara sought the presance of the other guardians for herself, as much for Too-ya-la-kekt. The path toward the headquarters was familiar, and Sara walked it as if in a dream, using hardly any thought at all. She considered the draw of the headquarters, now and in the past, and noted that it seemed to hold an air of the mystic about it- as if some sort of energy crackled from the atmosphere that surrounded it. She smiled to herself, feeling very much small and alive. It was then that she noticed the approach of another from a distance. She squinted her eyes in the direction of the figure that was still distant, and pressed her lips together, feeling suddenly nervous. She was afraid of social situations, afraid of doing or saying something wrong. Arrien It had been one heck of a troubling day for Danny, that was for sure. Walking into work with a green ghost bobbing around her had been... a new experience altogether. And she had thought it was interesting enough when Green was still a wispling! First, it had been normal enough- getting the lights turned on, stocking the concessions counter, and overall getting ready for the day to start. But the moment customers had come, things had gone quite awry. Somehow, what was seen as a caution-inspiring novelty when it was smaller and practically immoblie had lept to a parent's worst nightmare when it was only somewhat bigger and floating around on its own. At least, so the boss had said. Danny hadn't noticed too many worried parents herself; just a lot of kids that were very, very curious as to what the pretty green thing was that was hiding behind one of the workers at the skating rink. Either way, though, it had resulted in something that made Danny's mouth dry and set her blood racing hysterically- go home, we'll talk about this tomorrow. Sent home before lunch even came... and Danny had a feeling what the talk was going to be. Leave the ghost at home, the boss would want; what would he say if Danny didn't agree? Would she lose her job? She needed to talk to Ianna. Or she just needed help, period. If she lost her job over this ghost, how was she going to cover for the costs to raise her? Not even to think of Danny's own college costs! She couldn't drop out, that would be... unthinkable! So, here she was; going to the HQ on her very own for the first time. This place was still nerve-rattling to her, after her first visit... maybe I should have called Airaka and asked for her to come along, Danny wondered anxiously, eyeing the misty green form that tagging along at her heels. She probably should give the woman a call soon, anyway, just to let her know about Green's growth.... "Oh! Hello!" So wrapped up in these thoughts had she been, she hadn't even noticed Sara until she'd practically walked into her. Danny hastily stopped her footsteps, but the little ghostling, oblivious, kept straight on going until she was right at the unfamiliar shoes of this other woman. With a dismayed-sounding chirp, Green corrected her position to somewhere behind Danny's back, hidden from sight. Ursah Bunny The young woman approached, a streak of green bobbing about her feet. She seemed distracted to Sara Two-moons, perhaps lost in thought, and certainly a worried expression fixed itself on her face. The woman didn't look up, even as Sara watched her trying to be discreet. Her paranoia kicked in. Did the stranger approaching see her? Was she being ignored? She didn't have much time to fret, before the approaching woman nearly ran into Sara. So she wasn't avoiding her! Sara, herself, laughed in a moment of nervous relief. The green apparition skittered protectively away, behind the woman who was obviously her guardian. Sara offered a smile of greeting, though it came out timid and meek as a mouse. As if to introduce herself without saying a word at all, Sara raised the wand that she held, tipping it slightly in the stranger's direction. It seemed at least they had some common bond! Arrien "Oh! Hey, you got one of the ghost-things, too!" Leave it to Danny to speak aloud the obvious; the girl grinned, forgetting for the moment all the drama stuffed into her life. Somewhere behind her, a bit of cloudy green took a peek over her Guardian's shoulder; seeing the other wand, the ghost seemed to be somewhat reassured, at least so much as to shyly remove herself from hiding and drift around Danny's head, observing matters from that better vantage point. Confidently, the brown-haired girl offered a handshake as she introduced herself- "My name's Danny, and that there's Green. Uh... for now, anyway. I'm going to give her a better name once I know what one would be." Ursah Bunny Sara Two-moons fumbled with the wand and extended her hand, blown away momentarily by the girl's boisterous greeting. At the same time, Danny's enthusiastic greeting did much to ease the tension that Sara felt. She watched as the greenish ghost floated upward, circling Danny's head like a verdant cloud, and felt a smile rising to her lips - the entity seemed so very alive, and she longed for her own wisp to grow to such a state. "Sara Two-moons..." she said, returning the salutation. "Yes, I have a ... " -here she was about to say "ghost-thing", but decided against it- "Its a pleasure to meet you." She looked up to the ghost and spoke unsurely. "And you as well, Green." Sara noted that Danny hadn't yet come up with a permanant name for her ghost, even though it was at a more advanced state of being than her own fragile wisp. Had she been wrong to name hers so soon? Should she mention its name? She wasn't sure. "This is Too-ya-la-kekt." Sara introduced, motioning toward the blue wisp close to her breast. "I figure the name goes well for either a girl or a boy. Strong name. Grandfather approved." She smiled. "But you'd have to know my Grandfather to understand why thats a good thing, I suppose..." Arrien ... Whoa. That was... a really long name for such a small ghost-thing. But hey, at least that one had a name, right? Danny processed this for a moment, before asking in a rather timid voice, "... Is it okay if I just call it Too-ya?" The confidence from a few seconds prior was faltering, dissipating- overconfident, damn it, I need to find a NORMAL level! She scrambled to recover her composure, forcing a more natural smile. "It's a very interesting name, where is it from?" It seems like Sara would know; she seemed to have given this whole thing a lot of thought. Green, in the meantime, was growing... curious. There was only two or three ghost-children she had met since emerging from her wand, after all, and none of them had been in such a similar state to her own; they'd had their hands and feet and fingers already, it was hard to relate to them. But this little one- littler than her, if you can believe that!- well, it was like a child laying eyes for the first time on another child. It was the same as her, and it was almost like looking into a reflection to see. Cautiously, the ghost began inching around to get a better look at the wand-baby, growing more and more jumpy with each inch distancing herself from her Guardian. Ursah Bunny "It is a bit long, isn't it?" Sara said, expelling her nervousness with an honest laugh. "The name is Nez Perce - my tribe, meaning Thunder Arriving On The Plains... Too-ya, would just mean Thunder Coming. It seems appropriate." For some reason, normally quiet Sara Two-moons kept on speaking. "The great Cheif Joseph, most famous of my people was known as In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat , or Thunder Coming up Over the Land from the Water. I thought it would be an honor to his heritage to..." she realized she was rambling, and a light blush crept up her bronze cheeks. "I'm rambling... sorry." Sara apologized. The green ghost was creeping closer, and her coppery eyes lit upon the apparition. It crept forward tentatively, as if curious about her ward. Sara didn't think that this "Green" was malicious, so she experimentally drew her wand forward, slowly presenting Too-ya-la-kekt to the curious creature. The wisp at the end of the wand stretched forward as well, twisting in a quick spiral that looked something like a barrel roll to Sara, before drawing upwards and remaining still. Sara watched the interaction, intruigued. Arrien Ahh, that explained the funky name, then! "Oh, don't worry about it," she reassured the other wand-keeper with a smile, "I'm sure I've done my fair share of rambling before, it's nothing to worry about!" If Danny could forgive Sara her mistakes, after all, Sara might forgive her when she made the little social mistakes she no doubt would; it was a nice little circle that Danny liked to establish early on, whenever possible. "So... what is Too-ya, anyway? I mean, if you were listening when Ianna told you, anyway...." This question brought a bit of uncertain embarrassment to Danny's expression, not easily hidden. The ghostly girl, in the meantime, drew back an inch or two at the wisp's sudden movement; hesitating, she circled the other wand a little, trying to examine it without having to get too close. Something must have clicked with her, for quite suddenly, she was full of a sudden, excited energy. Green flicked back to her Guardian and spun around, as if trying to tell Danny of something. The only noise that the ghost could produce, though, was the barely-audible birdsong noise she'd seem to have become so accustomed to; so, launching off a few of those, she whirled back to the other wispling, caution abandoned. This wisp, she must have decided, was good. Ursah Bunny Sara Two-moons blinked in suprise as the green ghost suddenly sprang into a frenzy of what seemed to be excitement. For the moment Danny's question was forgotten, and a short laugh escaped the woman's throat. "Green" seemed so full of life and motion that her heart ached for her little warrior to grow and develop further. For a moment, Sara pondered over what she might do to ensure that Too-ya-la-kekt felt comfortable with his rebirthing, but then she recalled that she had been asked a question and was being horribly rude by not answering. "Would you look at that?" Sara commented offhandedly, as the little blue whisp continued to roll about - not with as much energy as the ghost, and certainly not with as much noise. She wondered if Too-ya-la-kekt should be making noise, but forced herself to return her attention back to Danny. "All of this has seemed too strange to be true... but I could never forget the moment that I was told this staff held within it the spirit of a Thunderbird." she continued, stroking the staff thoughtfully as she spoke. "My Grandfather told me their legend when I was small. For some time I assumed that everything he told me were just... stories." She smiled a bit lopsidedly. "I've been learning a lot to the contrary lately..." For a few brief moments Sara watched the interaction of the ghost and whisp, before she remembered herself. "How about Green?" Arrien "Ahh... to be honest, I wasn't really paying attention, so I didn't hear what she was," Danny admitted sheepishly, watching with thinly veiled amusement Green's chirped reply to Too-ya's movement. She'd never seen the ghost quite so... enthusiastic. Meeting with another wisp like her must be something really special, from her point of view.... Sidetracked momentarily from the conversation, Danny quickly steered herself back on track. "But yeah. I guess either I'm going to be surprised, or I gotta catch up with Ianna soon to ask her," she went on, doing her best to shrug off the matter as if she didn't care. In truth, her ignorance really did bother her; but what good was fretting over it, when it didn't really make any difference in how she would view Green? The ghostling, feeling quite daring now, circled the other ghost once more and, reaching out with a smoky limb, tapped Too-ya's ethreal form before chirping to herself and circling around to the other side of it- tag, would be the human word for it. Ursah Bunny The blue wisp stretched forward, as if to chase after Green, but could go no farther than the wand would allow. Swishing back and forth like a pacing tiger, Sara watched Too-ya-la-kekt in play. A smile helplessly rose on her lips - the woman was pleased to see the interaction. Suddenly the staff jerked forward, Sara's eyes widening in suprise, though it did not leave her hands. It was the first time she had felt any measure of force from the wisp, and she wasn't prepared for the show of strength. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her face suddenly worried. "Danny, is this normal?" Arrien The movement of the wand brought Danny's eyes wide, and even Green acted quite astonished by the other ghost's enthusiasm. Not once that Danny could think of had Green so much as budged her wand until she had recently grown; was she supposed to have been able to? "Ah... I don't know," Danny answered, her voice still distant in her surprise. "Green couldn't move her wand at all, but... I mean, every ghost is different, so...." Ursah Bunny The wisp seemed exhausted somehow, as if the forward nudge of the wand had drained it of all its strength. Even its color seemed somehow to appear less vibrant, and a look of worry crossed Sara's face. "I don't think you should do that yet..." she spoke softly to the blue wisp, reaching forward to touch the apparition lightly with her fingers. Danny seemed suprised at the movement, and it set Sara's mind ablaze. Was something wrong with her little warrior? Or was something right? Was this play so invigorating, that it had inspired Too-ya-la-kekt toward something that was a feat for him? Danny said that Green could move its wand after it had grown. Was Too-ya-la-kekt near growing? "I hope he hasn't hurt himself..." Sara said, meaning to keep the thought to herself but speaking it aloud. She was worried, but somehow she sensed that even though the wisp appeared to be drained, it was completely well. She sensed, somehow, a measure of proudness coming from it. And excitement. Arrien Hurt? Could the ghosts even GET hurt? They weren't even solid yet! Eyeing Green nervously, Danny considered this possibility with clear worry. Ever since the wispling had grown and began to move about on her own, Danny had given her as much of a free leash as she could, wanting to encourage the ghost's first chance at a little independance from her Guardian. But if they could be somehow injured, even if just by overexerting themselves... should Danny be taking a little more control, keeping Green a little closer to her at all times? "I didn't think that they could," Danny spoke at last, her voice a little faint from the possibility. Green, seeing her playmate suddenly so tired, decided that that was enough playtime for the moment; swooping back in, she chirped her congratulations on his great accomplishment, floating about somewhat shyly near his position. Ursah Bunny Sara Two-moons read the disquiet on Danny's face, following the girl's eyes in the direction of the green ghost. "Green looks great..." she offered comfortingly. "I think you must be taking great care of her. Him? ... um." She scratched the back of her head. "What do you think Green is? I've always assumed that Too-ya-la-kekt was a male spirit... its just an air about it, but maybe I'm wrong." She smiled slightly. "I'll be embarassed if I am." Arrien "Her. I think," Danny informed Sara, before loosening up a little and offering a smile. "If you're not sure, you ought to track down a guy named Patrick. He has this little fox-boy who talks a lot of Japanese, and he seems to be able to tell the gender of wands. At least, he was calling Green 'shojio' or whatever, Japanese word for 'girl'." If Danny thought there was some flaw in logic of trusting the judgment of a toddler that hadn't even seemed to learn any English yet, she didn't show her doubts. Ursah Bunny Since the moment Sara had walked into the wand shop, she had began the process of relearning not to doubt things that seemed doubtable... so when Danny suggested she speak with a "little fox boy", she decided she just might do that. She wasn't completely certain yet... this stage in Too-ya's life was comparable to pregnancy, and Sara wasn't yet certain if she wanted a "suprise" or not. "Thanks..." she spoke, offering a small smile. "I might do that. I'm not sure yet if I want to know." For a moment, the woman watched green with careful consideration before she spoke. "I do hope that Too-ya-la-kekt grows so well into his next state. Green seems like a... well... she does have personality, doesn't she? I hope Too-ya is as animated." Arrien "She's not usually this active, actually," Danny confessed, watching Green as the ghostling began to settle down at least. "She's actually very shy, most of the time... unless we're at home or something, she's usually attached to the back of my shoulder. I'm happy to see her acting like this." And wasn't that the truth! Maybe it was just that Green recognized one of her own in Too-ya-la-kekt that made her so much more outgoing, but whatever it is, Danny resolved to try and encourage it. She'd been pretty busy lately, but if trips to the wand shop would be what it took to help Green become more confident, she'd just have to make time for it. "But anyway- I'm sure Too-ya's gonna grow up fine," she added with a smile. "I mean, he already seems a lot more active than Green was when she was that age; all she'd do then was to circle around her wand, pacing or something." Ursah Bunny Sara nodded in recognition of the statement. "Too-ya-la-kekt has never acted this way, either... the most he's done is bob and sway around." She paused for a moment then, not sure of how to word the question. "Do you think we could arrange a few... hrm.... play dates? The two seem to like each other well enough, and all this activity seems encouraging..." Sara smiled at the girl. "I'm fairly busy, and I'm sure you are too, but it seems like it would be a good thing..." Arrien This woman was perfect and more than perfect, to know exactly what was on Danny's mind and to translate it into words and action; Green and Too-ya would no doubt appreciate the chance to get to see each other more often, after all, since they had hit it off so well. Who knew, maybe Green had just made her first friend in the other wisp? "Yes!" Blurting out the answer before she fully realized it, Danny followed it up with an embarrassed laugh before reasserting- "yes, absolutely. Can I have your phone number, then? I'll give you a call, and we can work out a good time to get together." Ursah Bunny Sara smiled brightly, almost in disbelief that everything seemed to be going along so well between the four of them. "Yes, of course... let me just.." she spoke in a near-stacatto as she began to dig around in her large purse, looking for a scrap of paper and a pen. "I think I have...something... in here..." Finally, she found an old receipt, and settled for writing with a tube of liquid eyeliner. She chuckled nervously as she painted her cell number on the back of the receipt, then clasped the tube of eyeliner, dropped it back in her purse, and handed the old receipt to Danny. "I was more or less passing by today, Danny, and I've got a meeting to go to... this is my lunch hour, not that it matters, but..." The woman smiled. "Call me! We've got to go, but I'd love to get together again..." Arrien Taking the phone number with eager fingers, Danny looked it over once before nodding her agreement and speaking a sincere promise- "I'll call you soon, then. It was very nice meeting you and Too-ya!" Worried that the impromptu ink might smudge if she folded the receipt or tucked it away in her pocket, Danny just kept it grasped between her fingers. "Green, say good-bye to Too-ya, all right? He has to go now...." With a misty sort of sigh, Green accorded her newfound friend a small chirp of farewell. She seemed very loathe to leave the other wisp's side, but with another gentle directive from her Guardian, the green almost-baby drifted away from the other wand child and returned to the side of her Guardian, watching Sara and Too-ya with a wistful disappointment.
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:35 pm
/`-.-./ Pushy, Pushy /`-.-./Arrien Life... sucks. It probably wasn't the most auspicious of observations for the future mother to be making in the presence of her ghostling- even unspoken, the brown-haired woman had found that her mood rubbed off too often on Green, and too often of late her mood was a sour one to have to share. But frankly, it was true. Life was a big sucky pile of sucky suck, at least if your name happened Danny. Of course, when "life" consisted of little more than school, work, and the commute inbetween one and the other, maybe such a poor outlook was just to be expected. The beginning of the school term meant that most of her friends were just as busy as she was, thus leaving her with nothing to do in the little free time she had. The only real company she'd had for a few weeks was Vana, and as much as she cared for the wand child... well, one really needed more than a wispy visage to fulfill that social urge. So, Danny found herself in the HQ at the Wand Shoppe, milling about aimlessly and wondering if anyone would show up at this time of day. It seemed pretty empty for the moment... maybe she was just wasting her afternoon off by hanging around here? Glancing at the green form that drifted around behind her knees, she addressed it with a sheepish grin and a suggestion of- "Maybe we ought to just head home?" Green didn't seem to be enthralled by this idea- floating a few steps away from her guardian, the ghost made a show of drifting away and poking around the HQ, as if very interested in exploring these surroundings. "Guess not," Danny forced a chuckle, tagging along after the ghost. draconianraven She hadn't ventured back to the strange place she received Yui from since getting the wand-- though a nagging voice in the back of her head demanded that she at least attempt to associate with others who might have the same type of child. Especially since now there was the wisp. Yui. Right. Names were important.
It had been so... frustrating though. Nothing seemed to be going right and-- person. Person with another floaty. But a bigger one. A green one. "Ah... hello?" Raven wished-- not for the first time-- that she had better social skills. Unfortunately, Arch had gotten most of those genes.
Archie Saturn Alek had only been a real flesh-and-blood baby for a whopping three days, and Dixie had kept him all to herself for most of that time. That was the excuse Archie used to make himself feel better when he had grabbed the sleeping satyr-boy out of his crib and taken him on an impromptu walk this afternoon. It had taken Alek several hours to fully awaken, but now he was pointing at every other thing he saw and screeching at it, like that somehow made it better.
"Eeeeee bah!" he said, pointing at the most interesting building Archie had seen all day.
The former criminal tilted his head to one side and squinted at the building. "Yeah, okay," he said. That place looked sedate enough. Arrien Oh, hey! Someone was here! It wasn't anyone Danny knew, but she was people-starved enough that right now, that didn't bother her all that much. Just having someone to talk with.... "Uh, hi!" Warmly, Danny smiled to the newcomer, taking little notice as the ever-shy Green sought refuge behind her from this unfamiliar stranger. Eyes locking in on the brightly colored wisp of Yui's wand, Danny brightened up even further- "Oh, you've got one of the ghost kids too, right? Very nice to meet you! My name's Danny, and hiding behind me somewhere is Green- uh, that's just what I call her, I'm holding off on giving her a real name until I know enough about her to make a good choice... anyway. What's your name?" She was coming off as awfully forward, she was sure... but just now, she couldn't bring herself to tone it down. I mean, dear Lord! She finally had someone to talk to! draconianraven Raven blinked once, twice-- then switch. The girl smiled genially back, fingering Yui's wand, taking it out of her purse. "Yes, I've managed to get one of them too. I'm Raven-- and this is Yui. At least, I think that's her name. It's... kind of a long story," the girl shook her head slightly. "I'm not really sure about these kids-- they're a little confusing to me, truth be told. I'm not used to object-kids. Mainly just... kid-kids."
Talking was good, theraputic for Raven. Usually. Hopefully? Maybe she'd make some friends. "You're the first person I've met, excepting that... Ianna?... who has one of these kids."
Arrien "Oh, so she's a girl?" Somehow, out of all that about kid-kids and object-kids, that tidbit seemed to be the bit that Danny really clinged to. This was great! So far, all of the other ghost children Danny and Green had met were male (with the exception of that pretty raven-haired girl, but Kishi hadn't really "met" them so much as "been in the same room as them"); and while Green seemed to do well around all her guy friends, she really did need to make a few friends her own gender, Danny expected. The next comment, though, got Danny a little more attentive. "Oh... Ianna. Yeah." The name seemed to make Danny uncomfortable, to say in the least. "She's, uh, pretty nice, I guess. I haven't really seen hide or hair of her since she decided I ought to take care of Green, so I don't really know all that much about her." draconianraven Raven nodded. "That much I'm pretty sure about-- I was looking up some information on vampires-- she's a vampire, you see... and it said that her kind of vampire is called a 'Daughter of Cacophony' and only females can be a member of that group..." ...she was talking too much again. "What about Green? What's she like?"
Better to stray off the topic of Ianna, perhaps-- that woman had been... strange... and it seemed to make Danny uncomfortable as well.
Arrien "... Vampire?" Danny was too polite to say it aloud, but her frozen expression said it all- yikes. Weren't vampires like, superevil creepy things that burned up in the sun and... did she really want Green around something that lived off of drinking human blood?! You can't believe everything you see in the movies, she told herself sternly, trying to dissuade herself of the knee-jerk reaction of horror. Could she really help it if all she really knew about this magic stuff was from Hollywood, though? It was much easier to talk about Green than to worry about Yui's hidden nature, however. "Oh, I don't really know that much about Green, actually," Danny admitted, only mildly embarrassed. She'd been mortified once to have to confess to the fact that she hadn't been listening when Ianna had told her what her wand was supposed to be- especially since it seemed such an important thing to know- but, after having to divulge her ignorance on so many occasions, it had lost a fair bit of its difficulty to speak. "She's probably somethng very nature-related; you should see how she gets around my little garden, she practically lives in the dirt whenever I let her." draconianraven Well, that was something you didn't hear everyday! "That's interesting-- I've never heard of anything like that before," Raven smiled slightly. "Nature is good though-- gentler than most. And gardens are gorgeous usually."
And of course... "And... I think I know what you're thinking about vampires. Yeah... it's kind of weird. But if she was wronged in another life, that means that there has to be something good about her to have been wronged, right? I... I'm not sure. Working it out in my head still."
Arrien I...I'm not sure. Working it out in my head still.That had been hesitation, and Danny knew that hesitation all too well. Right up until Green had come into her own as a baby ghost, Danny's life had been filled with that hesitation. It was destructive, terrible, and risky- and for once, Danny was surprised to find, she was above it and able to try and steer someone else free of it. "Uhm... Raven? If you'd... put Yui down over there. I need to chat with you over here." Jerking a thumb in the appropriate direction, Danny seemed to be quite serious- almost too much so, given her prior joviality. "Green, can you please keep Yui company while we talk?" The little ghost bounced in surprise, almost as if she'd expected she'd been forgotten. She was going to be a babysitter? (Or, uh, wisp-sitter?) Even if just for a few seconds while the keepers spoke on the other side of the room, this offer of responsibility was... interesting. Intriguing, even. Even if, as a ghost, she couldn't really do anything other than entertain her fellow wispling... this could be fun! draconianraven Strange request, but Raven wasn't averse to it. She nodded and did so, moving with Danny. "Okie...?" Archie Saturn Archie crossed the street and pulled open the door to the Wand Shoppe with one hand before quickly reaching back to support the now frantically bouncing Alek.
"What? What is it?" Archie asked, thinking that perhaps this was the signal for another Tail Emergency of the sort that they had encountered on the changing table at the mall.
"Ee eees," Alek replied softly. He pointed at a closed door across the room. There were ee eees in there.
Archie followed Alek's stubby little finger, giving the door the tiniest of shoves in case there was someone behind it. The first things he saw were the wisp and ghost, and apparently, Alek saw them too from the way he pointed at the pair, brow furrowed. "Oh hey, ee eees," Archie said. He started to approach the two kids, not immediately noticing the women in the corner. Arrien Leading Raven a few paces away from where the ghosts could interact, Danny was picking through her words very carefully in the short time that she had to think them over. She was probably just going to come off as weird saying this, but... well, it had to be said. For Yui's sake, right? "... So, you know how these kids aren't like normal kids." It wasn't really a question- it would have been a rather stupid one to expect an answer out of, given that anyone could tell that the ghost children weren't precisely "normal". No need to rub it in. "Well, a lot because of that, I think what they need is... a little more difficult than just a normal kid. At least, with Vana, there was some very specific stuff that came up." Opening one of her hands helplessly, Danny was still struggling to put what she'd just barely learned into words. It wasn't a concept fully understood, and it certainly wasn't one easy to express. There was a word for it, sure, but it felt so wholly inadequete... but she'd paused to try and think of the right word too long already, Raven would be wondering what was taking her so long by now. Without any stalling mechanism to resort to, Danny unhappily turned to the trick of many fools that lived throughout time- she just blurted out what she thought. "They need your faith, and if you're going to raise Yui, you can't be doubting her over the vampire thing!" Green, in the meantime, had chosen to take her babysitting duties quite seriously; drifting curiously around her vividly-colored charge, the ghostling circled her in a lazy patrol, watching Yui closely to make sure the other ghost didn't get into any mischief (though what mischief Green expected Yui might find, still so young, was a mystery). So intent was she on guarding Yui, in fact, that she somehow failed to get the idea that she ought to pay attention for intruders from the outside; Archie and Alek went all but unnoticed by the bigger of the two ghosts. draconianraven Raven sighed-- she'd kind of expected someone to call her on this. "...I know. It's just... it's hard. There are certain conceptions about certain types of creatures. And... part of me was raised to think of vampires in certain ways. I know there are good parts about her. There are good parts about everyone, everything. It's just... I don't think it's right to say that everyone is all good. If you don't acknowledge that there's another side to everything, you're denying part of it. And without accepting all of her, the good and bad, isn't that a lie too?"
Questions Raven had been sitting on for quite some time. She cared about the little wisp too much to not recognize the possibility of bad. She didn't... damn. She was bad at this.
Yui curled around the statue on her wand, only vaguely aware of Green's presence. She was tired-- Raven's exploits all over the place had taken a toll on the wish. But-- wait. Something. Perking up her 'head' at the sound of people coming in, Yui wrapped tighter around her wand for safekeeping.
Archie Saturn Archie got within a couple of feet of the other kids before opening his mouth to speak. Alek beat him to it.
"B b b!" he said proudly, pulling his wand out of Archie's shirt pocket and holding it out in front of him.
"Well don't startle them," Archie teased. He looked over at the other two guardians in the room. They looked like they were having a serious discussion. Archie was pretty sure he was better off where he was. Arrien "Well... absolutely, yes! It's no more fair to ignore the troubles that Yui might face to try and force her into an angel mold," Danny replied reasonably, trying to smooth over her prior abruptness with easy agreements. "Even so...." She hesitated. Maybe she was being too pushy... was it really all right for her to be criticizing someone else on how they handled their wand? She wasn't exactly parent of the year, herself.... But on this thing, it's important enough to justify, she decided firmly. She'd learned this lesson hard enough, there was no reason to force someone else to go through the same thing. "It's one thing to accept that a child might have flaws, and another thing entirely to try and search for ones you haven't seen based on a possibility, you know? You can be cautious and prepared for what Yui might run into, but you have to have enough faith to believe that she'd be able to overcome it. That's... that's just what I think, though." B b b? What was a b b b, and why was it encroaching on her personal babysitting space?!
Imposing her wavering form between Alek and Yui, Green seemed distinctly unsettled by the big, solid form that was waving a wand around like a backstage pass at a concert. It was another ghost-thing like her, she supposed he was trying to communicate; but she'd never come across a ghost-thing that was quite so obnoxious as to barge into the middle of things like that!
There weren't so many ways for her to communicate her displeasure, though, so she merely hung in the air pointedly, making sure that Alek understood that she was the babysitter, and therefore, she was in charge.draconianraven ...but Danny didn't seem to understand what Raven was saying. She wasn't... agh. Raven should learn to keep her mouth shut. Should she bother to explain the train of thought? Danny seemed to be taking the 'moral higher ground' without really hearing Raven's side of the story, going off of a mere... damnit. Why did Raven bother?
The girl just shrugged, closing in on herself. She barely knew this girl, and already there were judgements being thrown about on both sides. Raven hadn't said that she was looking for flaws. Raven hadn't said that she was-- damnit. Why bother?
Yui shrunk back, now that Green was in between the stranger and herself. Green seemed safe enough. Back to trying to rest. Or something. Strange noises...
Archie Saturn Alek frowned and hugged his wand to his body. Well... well! That green ghost sure was bossy! He was just trying to be friendly. He looked up at Archie, and muttered something about ee eees before turning his head into his grandfather's chest.
"Um..." Archie began. "Sorry," he whispered to the ghost and wisp. It was the first time he'd seen Alek moody, and truthfully, it was kind of funny. But it wouldn't do to piss off any territorial green ghosts either. He kept an eye on the two children as he took the three steps over to one of the squishy couches and plopped down on it, turning a still-grumbling Alek away from his chest and propping him up on his lap. Arrien "... But, y'know, I've probably overstepped my bounds on this, so sorry." As if it had taken much in the way of insight to interpret Raven's silence as a clear sign that Danny had offended. Straightening her sleeves sheepishly, she spotted at last the newcomer to the room. "I'll leave you alone now... just remember what I said, okay?" Flashing an apologetic grin to Raven, Danny took a few steps back, signalling that she was done grilling the other guardian on the subject, before heading over to join back up with Green. Well, at least the man was nice, if the boy was hardly tolerable. Drifting upwards to better address Archie, a faint bird chirp answered his kind apology as he settled himself onto the couch, no doubt meant to be some sort of acceptance or explanation or otherwise sociably acceptable gesture.draconianraven You couldn't just get mad at a person when you just met them, couldn't pass judgement without first hearing their side of the story. Raven knew herself to be doing both of those, but at the same time... the other girl had made her judgements first, as petty as that sounded.
Why did she bother talking to people? Damnit, this wasn't what she'd hoped for in coming to this HQ. Best to revert to the silence, the stillness she'd once carried. Damnit. Damn, damn, and damn.
Just gather Yui and be done with this for now.
Yui glanced at the man at the apology, mildly confused before taking in Green again. Everyone made so much noise. It wasn't as if Yui could do anything about it. Nudging Green, Yui indicated the noisier ghosts questioningly.
Archie Saturn Archie smiled at the approaching girl before turning back toward the disgruntled baby in his lap. "We've got to teach you some manners," he said softly. Alek ignored him, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.
"You're welcome," Archie told Green. "He's sorry too." He was fairly sure that the ghost wouldn't accept a second-hand apology, but he was willing to give it a shot. He noticed the little wisp's confusion, but didn't read it as anything more than shyness. Between these two and Too-ya, Archie was gaining a real appreciation of how different these kids were, in appearance as well as personality. Arrien On the contrary; Green seemed very satisfied with this apology, at least insofar as she was willing to dismiss the matter and return to tending to Yui. It wouldn't do, after all, to spend so much time holding a grudge based on first impressions that she didn't take care of her responsibilities.
At the wisp's questioning gestures in the direction of the older ghost and his guardian, the ghost simply flitted a little closer and rippled a shrug. Solid people tended to be very strange, Green had found, and made little in the way of sense. But they weren't dangerous or anything, so why worry?"I see you've met Green," commented Danny casually, no doubt thinking that she'd be best off trying to start up a conversation with this new fellow than to try and talk to Raven again so soon. Given that the other woman still seemed like she was being untalkative after the whole thing, it was probably a safe call. "I'm Danny, Green's mom. Is this guy yours?" She was referring to Alek now- a good deal more friendly than her ghost child this time around, she stooped down to get the boy more at eye-level as she smiled at him. "Hi there... what's your name?" draconianraven Yui seemed to accept Green's shrug, curling back around the wand before perking up at Raven's movement towards her. Ah. Time to go? So it seemed.
Raven gently picked up the wand and replaced it in her purse where it normally stayed, close to her body where she could keep an eye on Yui. "Say good-bye, Yui-- we're heading home for right now." Maybe they'd try again some other day. After Raven learned to keep her mouth shut.
Archie Saturn "Yeah, he's interesting. Serious," Archie said. "Or is it a she? I couldn't tell what he was until my daughter insisted another baby had told her," he said, indicating Alek. Archie tried to get Alek to look up at Danny, but the baby kept his eyes fixed on his lap where he picked at his wand's handle and made soft noises at it every so often.
"Sorry about Alek," Archie said. It seemed he was just apologizing left and right today. "I'm Archie. It's nice to meet you." Arrien What's this? Yui had to leave?... well, that was a downer. Chirping a quiet farewell to the other wisp, Green found herself abruptly without purpose in the room- in other words, same old, same old. Slowly floating a short distance from where she had been watching after the vampire ghost, the little thing seemed to be scouting the room for anything else of interest. Naturally, there wasn't anything overly exciting to the ghost; just Danny, Archie, and Alek to keep her attention."Very nice to meet you, Archie!" She was perhaps a touch overenthusiastic; she wasn't overlooking Raven's departure, after all, and there was no small amount of self-directed cursing shaking around in her head right around now. With all those worries, it was more than a little relieving to have an easy distraction on which to be hyperattentive and cheery. "And I don't mind, really; I'm sure he's just a little tired or something." That was the standard excuse for babies to cop an attitude, right? Archie Saturn They had been out nearly all day. Maybe he was tired. "You're probably right," Archie said. Should he take Alek home? Archie felt sort of guilty, seeing as how the other woman had just left as well. Danny and Green would have no one to talk to! But maybe it was for the best.
Archie swiveled Alek around so he could more easily pick the baby up and received a halfhearted punch to the chest for his trouble. "I think it's time to go," Archie said, a touch of disappointment in his tone. "It was really great meeting you and Green though, and I'm sure Alek will think so too once we get home." Archie rose from the couch and headed for the door, giving Danny and Green a wave as he went.
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Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 11:34 pm
/`-.-./ Nesting Grounds: Part One /`-.-./
Danny had a one-bedroom apartment. In this one-bedroom apartment there was contained a living room, kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, a porch, a storage room- in short, not many rooms to spare. Despite the space crunch, she had one vague idea of how to work things out for Green when the time came for her to require a room of her own; in fact, it wasn't so much a "vague" idea as one yet in need of completion to make it official. The storage room was the only place that could be converted into a second bedroom- and then, not until such a time arrived as the stars and planets aligned and shone upon her home the unmistakable light of perfection, that everything could proceed smoothly as planned and as she always dreamed for them to.
Unfortunately, things rarely, if ever, seemed to move at the same speed she did. This made perfection a bit of a lofty goal to reach. Were she on the case and prepared, as in the case of ordering the furniture and necessities for her ghost girl's room, then the friend whose truck she needed to cart the furniture from the storage facility she was having it stored at was busy taking a cross-country trip to do some "soul-searching", thus rendering her with no other choice than to sit and wait until she could work things out another way. And of course, when said friend would find his soul wherever he'd left it and show up at her doorstep, boxes waiting to be unloaded- why then, the storage room that she intended for Green's room would not be emptied out just yet of all the trinkets and boxes she kept stored there. Since, naturally, she had been waiting for the "right time" to get it all taken care of, and that "right time" had not presented itself at the "right time".
It would have been nice, Danny thought additionally, if her friend had had the good sense to deliver this to her sometime during the daylight hours.
"Oh s**t. Oh, man, Sean, couldn't you have gotten this in the morning?! Agh! Hold on one second, okay? Just let me shove all the junk out of the storage room, then I'll help you get this in."
She was probably a bit of a funny sight, standing around in a rumpled nightshirt, face devoid of makeup and hair as frumpy as could be; Sean would no doubt have chuckled at her outrageous appearance (it being only 10 PM, when college kids were supposed to be rowdy and party and not be in bed like responsible adults preparing for work the next day) if not, of course, for the strange and unsettling presence of something green and ghostly that tagged along behind her, following her keeper's every move and eyeing this new intruder into her territory suspiciously.
The ghost did not linger to inspect him, however; Danny was springing off towards a different room, and with her disappearance, Green promptly remembered her usual shyness and fled after her. Barely had the ghost approached the wide-open doorway, though, than she was forced back with a startled squeak; items were practically flying from the room, scattering themselves in the middle of the living room with great abandon as Danny frantically sought to clear the room of all clutter. A few heavy boxes were shoved out rudely into the kitchen, a heavy vase relocated near Green's harp, a bucket full of Christmas lights and decorations kicked out on the porch....
Empty floor space greeted Danny at last in the storage room, marred only by a few paintings stacked in a corner. With lungs pumping from adrenaline, Danny took up the whole stack at once and dropped it off on the living room couch, sending one or two thumping to the ground as she misjudged their balance. Nothing was broken, though, so she didn't care. "All right, all right... sorry 'bout that, Sean. You couldn't have called to warn me, could you have?" She was far too eager to get to work now to be honestly grumpy, but she certainly wasn't going to let Sean think he could wake her up like this without getting any grief!
"Nah, there's no fun without a little surprise, yeah?" Smirking, the strong-armed guy jammed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate outside of the apartment. "Come on, let's get the boxes in. You think you can assemble the furniture on your own, or do you want my help?"
"After you woke me up? You'd better be planning to help, bucko," she chuckled snidely in return to his smirk. "Hold on just one sec so I can grab a robe, and we'll get to it. All right?" Naturally, Danny didn't bother to wait, but rather took his reply of "yeah, okay" for granted as she turned her back and headed into the room, Green dogging her heels.
Grabbing a long dark blue robe from where it hung on the door and pulling her arms through the sleeves, she eyed the ghostling thoughtfully. "... All right, Green, it's late and you need to rest. Sean and I are gonna try and keep it down, but you have to go to bed. You can see it in the morning, all right?"
Green froze.
Suddenly, Danny was very glad to have a kid with whom communication was such a challenge. Because even though the ghost had no solid features by which to express disdain, not true voice with which to whimper, and no way in her means to give her Guardian puppy eyes... Danny was very, very aware that the ghost was trying to beg for a reprieve.
"No, Green. Bed, now." Ha, this "parent" stuff is fun! Maintaining a stern, resolute face, Danny watched with a dour expression as the ghostling wibbled faintly and surrendered to her Guardian's will, slipping off towards the bed she and Danny shared (but tonight would be the last night of that!) Satisfied, Danny flicked the lights off on Green as the ghostling settled onto a familiar pillow on the bed. "Good night, babe. You'll see tomorrow!"
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