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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 3:37 pm
Duncan and Mordekai kept quiet as Aina filled with awe as Claire spoke, hands clutching against her heart, expression brightening, waning, then brightening again with her words. The mention of bad news elicited a worried look toward Aaron from both men, but with no desire to intrude, they followed in his footsteps and simply observed, idly picking at the food on their plates. At the mention of Claire's Raevan-- her baby Raevan!-- Aina gasped, delighted; Duncan and Mordekai eased a tad.
"Your baby Raevan is from Russia, Miss Claire?" Aina leaned forward, pushing her plate of pomegranate seeds aside to do so, being far too excited to eat-- which, for the Frei, was a rare occasion. Good news despite, Aina was as keen to worry as she was excitable, and when Claire offered but a weak smile with something so fantastic, she frowned, quieting; she didn't forget about Ivy's mention of a lot of good, some bad, but she couldn't fathom what.
With her mind so occupied on Claire's Raevan-to-be, Aina tried to put two and two together. "Is your baby's soul all okay an' stuff, Miss Claire? It's okay if it's a little broken," the Frei tried to reassure her-- her two guardians frowned.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:39 pm
"Thanks, Aina, I think the soul will be okay." The earnestness of Aina's questions pulled a laugh from Claire's lips, the little dear was so concerned for the yet-to-be Raevan that some of her heaviness eased. She paused to actually take a bite from the soda bread. "I just wish sometimes that meeting the leshy would have ended more happily but.. it is what it is. I'll make it up to him whenever the Raevan is born." The 'he' slipped out unnoticed, and Claire breathed a small sigh, willing the bad memories back. Arina had told her that the leshy had chosen to come home with her, and she had to believe that was true, as the alternate was too horrible for her to bear. "I hope when he or she is born, you'll come to play with them." Her smile reached her eyes now, genuinely pleased. Aaron and Ivy seemed to breathe out the breaths they did not know they were holding as the slight tension they felt from Claire passed, and Aaron immediately jumped in.
"I'm sure Aina will be a good big sis!" he added emphatically. "You probably have all kinds of things you can teach 'em." He grinned, spooning more shepherd's pie into his mouth and clearing his plate, and when he and Ivy locked gazes and he sheepishly held up the plate for more, she sighed and dished him up.
"Pause to savor it, will ya," Ivy grumbled, softened by a smirk, and Aaron chuckled with shoulders slightly slumped in embarrassment.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 1:16 am
Aina pouted as Claire spoke, pensive as she tilted the side of her plate. Claire's reassurance was enough to help the Frei's worry to quickly fade, and the pomegranate nodded, a small smile pulling at her features. "It's okay... you're gonna be a really good mommy, Miss Claire," Aina brightened, "And we can play all the time! We can invite Auntie's Raevan when she's born, too!"
The small Frei beamed with extraordinary pride at Aaron's comment, chest puffed up as she glowed-- laughing, Mordekai couldn't help but ruffle her hair, encouraging her to eat by pushing her plate just slightly more in front of her again. "You're real excited about that, huh?"
"Mhm! I can learn 'em how to make flower crowns and feed the ducks when the pond is fuller! Oh-- and!" her wings fluttered as she leaned forward, inquisitive, "What's a leshy, Miss Claire? Is it a fruit?" she asked, hands touching the ends of her antlers, which were growing taller as the year neared the autumn.
Duncan chuckled as Ivy searched Aaron another serving. "There's also more than plenty for thirds." Aina's inquiry caused him to laugh further, but he felt it best to leave the explanation to Claire, and took a sip of water.
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:52 am
"Don't tell 'im that, Duncan, he'll eat you out of house and home," Ivy whispered loudly, but not with ill intent as she passed the plate over to Aaron.
"I beg your pardon, dear mother, I resemble that remark," he huffed dramatically before taking an over-the-top bite of his shepherd's pie. Claire, for her part, was busy blushing at Aina's compliments and turned her gaze downward, unable to stop her smile. The little girl was so complimentary towards her! Aaron paused in his thoughtful chewing to watch her while she studied her salad with decided interest. However, her attention was piqued again by the mention of Aina's "auntie" and the fact that they, too had a Raevan on the way.
"Oh, your Auntie is also a guardian, Aina?" Her eyebrows brushed her bangs in curiosity.
"Sounds like you're gonna have your hands full there, missy," Ivy added cheerfully, resting her folded arms on the edge of the table to lean over and smile at Aina. "Bein' a big sister to two Raevans and all, but I'm sure you can handle it." She redirected her grin towards Duncan and Mordekai. "Looks like a lot of playdates just filled your calendar, you two, better prepare yourselves." She followed with a short bark of laughter, perhaps a little more loudly than was usually appropriate for dinner conversation but Ivy was feeling very amiable at the talk of families and future friends. The agreeable mood carried over easily to the younger married couple as well, and Claire finished a few bites of her salad, pausing to think as she did so on Aina's query.
"A leshy is..." Another pause. "Well, like a forest guardian. They watch over forests and the animals that live there, and if they're healthy, that means the forest is doing well too." She smiled. "They look like old men, but they're as big as trees! But sometimes they can shrink down to the size of a blade of grass. The one I met had a big beard that was full of moss, and giant legs that looked like tree trunks." She found that sharing the leshy in this way was less painful - there was no revisiting of his death as there had been a beat before, but merely just the leshy himself. "He was very nice, I'm sure you would have liked him, Aina."
"I'm sure I woulda too, I mean the guy used my voice to talk to you," Aaron added between mouthfuls.
"Only after he stopped using Dad's," Claire corrected, and she felt a soft pang in her chest. In order to drive away the impending bad thoughts, she returned her focus to Aina. "He could also speak with other people's voices. It was.. very interesting." It felt better to be diplomatic about it rather than come out and admit how unnerving it had been at first.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 4:26 pm
At Ivy’s warning, Duncan grinned wide; chuckling, he pushed the pot of shepherd’s pie toward Aaron; there was still plenty left. “Oh, I’d like to see him try. We have enough food here to feed the whole neighborhood - it’s a shame to let it go to waste on three souls alone, wouldn’t you say?”
“You tell ‘em,” Mordekai leaned his chair back to glance out toward the garden, then the kitchen. “We’ll pack y’all up with somethin’ to go if you let us, no joke.”
Aina - as she was wont to do most dinners - pulled her plate closer as the adults spoke, head tilted down just slightly as she counted out the remaining pomegranate arils. She picked one up to chew on, and with a wide smile, she nodded at Claire. “Mhm!” she held her hands over her mouth as she swallowed down the pomegranate aril, and her rune pulsed appreciatively. “Auntie Leigh got her bottles on Christmas! They’re really pretty… her baby looks just like the ocean!”
“If you’ve ever been to The Shy Violet - it’s a tchotchke store in central Barton,” Duncan added, beaming with pride, “The owner there, Leigh Brighton, she’s a very close family friend of ours - we were ecstatic. We were even blessed with a smile from my younger son-in-law.” He glanced toward Mordekai with a laugh, and the blond paused between drinking a small sip of water to chuckle at the thought.
The pomegranate was all contentment at Ivy’s comment - she wiggled in her seat before quietly eating her pomegranate arils again, uncertain of what to say. A spark lit in her at the mention of playdates, though, and she dropped the aril in her hand to tug at Mordekai’s sleeve, nodding enthusiastically - he ruffled the Raevan’s hair in return. And as Claire’s explanation began, the Clarke household grew quiet as their eating stopped, all eyes on her.
Aina’s own baby blues grew wide as her thoughts filled with different images of the leshy - an old man, bearded, tree-like - first, she imagined a wizard in the forest, then one of Duncan’s many older friends. A gentle old tree in a sweatervest and glasses, feeding pigeons and playing chess - the very idea sent her into a fit of giggles, but the leshy’s great power drew a genuine gasp of awe from the girl.
“That’s-- that’s really cool…! Um....”
When Aina thought on the leshy again, she grew quiet. After coming to her realization, she gave a certain nod to Claire and looked up at Mordekai.
“We have a leshy friend in our garden, too!”
Mordekai and Duncan were almost stunned in their silence, Mordekai midway between finally serving himself a slice of shepherd’s pie while Duncan took a drink of water. Slowly, Mordekai set the shepherd’s pie back in its pot.
“Wh-- what, baby girl? You’re sayin’ we have one back there?” Mordekai pointed toward the garden just a few steps away.
“Mhm!” Aina nodded again, and Mordekai glanced uncertainly toward the remaining adults.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:39 pm
"Really?" Claire laced her fingers together and rested her chin atop them, smiling fondly as Duncan and Aina told her about the mysterious aunt she had asked about. She was only vaguely familiar with Barton, having stopped over a few times when still working with the Royce & Harris law firm as well as on leisure trips. With such a glowing review from both guardian and Raevan, however, Claire found herself picking out weekends she might enjoy another drive up to Barton proper to visit this shop. "That sounds wonderful. I will have to stop by sometime, with such a great recommendation, after all." The thought of an ocean-like Frei sounded very fairy tale, her idle daydreams turning to her soon-to-be forest Raevan - admittedly it did sound very magical. Aaron and Ivy likewise listened to Claire's exchange while finishing up their plates (Aaron with remarkable speed, even with a questioning glance from his mother-in-law, so well adept to giving the 'slow down' stare to children and grandchildren alike); he had been trying to picture what the leshy actually looked like from the sparse information Claire had given him (her description to the tiny Frei being a rehash of what he had been told), smiling through his mouthful at Aina's giggles. He was highly considering Duncan's offers of leftovers, generous enough itself, and Ivy opened her mouth to say something when Aina's realization stunned the three of them into motionlessness.
The fork almost tumbled out of Claire's shocked fingers and she did a quick grab to catch it before it clattered to the plate. Clearly Mordekai and Duncan were just as surprised at the news as they were, and Ivy swallowed her bite of food quickly, setting her fork down gently when Mordekai glanced to the three of them. They exchanged looks between themselves and Ivy motioned first.
"Well, it's a big world out there.. and no doubt that there are leshies in places outside of Russia, doesn't seem plausible that that would be it." Her gaze flickered to Aina when she spoke next. "I take it you've met 'em?" Aaron looked uncertainly to Claire, who was still gripping the fork with slightly trembling fingers, and he surreptitiously rested a hand on her knee under the table in a soothing manner. She, like her mother, set the fork down as carefully as she could and took a moment to battle with her conflicting emotions. The thought of meeting another leshy almost seemed too soon; but maybe... maybe she could get a better idea of what she could do for the one she had known... what would speak most to him as a gesture of apology? Her own hands moved under the table, one gripping her free knee and the other resting on top of Aaron's hand, which he took and squeezed reassuringly.
"Would you, sometime, be able to show me... ?" she asked, quietly, carefully... but with a glimmer of excitement alight in her eyes.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:53 pm
Duncan leaned away from his meal to straighten his posture, perplexed, while Mordekai leaned forward to cover his mouth with quiet nervousness as he glanced between the two women and Aina. The shift in mood in her two guardians didn’t go unnoticed by Aina, with her mouth curled into a curious frown, but she was quick on the draw to reply to Ivy. ”Uhuh! I’ve met ‘em…”
She was certain of it! At least - enough to know she wasn’t lying, but perhaps it was less of a meeting as she’d boasted. She slumped in her seat, staring at lap and fiddling with her sleeves while she thought over it - but before she could make an addendum, Claire spoke. Her request spooked Aina, at first, and she hid her mouth with her sleeves - but with how excited Claire looked, it was difficult to speak up against it.
”U-um--” despite her uncertainty, Aina nodded, pushing past her doubts with a small smile and a nod. ”Mhm! B-but--” she froze, the words refusing to tumble out of her.
”When were you able to meet this leshy, Aina? Were you out in the forest by yourself?” Duncan asked, which didn’t help ease Aina out of her stage fright. The older guardian was clearly concerned; they rarely left the pomegranate home alone for more than a few hours at a time, after all, and the idea of her wandering out into the forest unattended was enough to stir up his fears.
”U-um-- no! I-- I was walkin’ out in the forest with papa,” Aina amended, arms pressed against the table. Her answer only perplexed Duncan further, though, and as he leaned against his seat he glanced toward Mordekai, who returned the glance with upturned brows as the hand over his mouth slid back against the table.
”Oh-- man, I really-- don’t remember seein’ anyone like a leshy out there wid’you, Aina,” he turned in his seat to watch the garden more fully - Aina’s answer relieved him in knowing that she was safe, but it was another story completely for the supposed leshy in the forest. ”But that forest back there ain’t been doin’ great for a long time, an’ if it’s all like Claire says...” the blond grew silent.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 12:03 am
Claire, too, fidgeted as Aina became more uncertain of herself, and the exchange between Duncan and Mordekai did little to ease her own anxiousness. She felt a twinge of guilt for putting the Frei on the spot like that, but with gaze dropped to the table, she was sorting out what to do. If the forest was dying, the Clarke-Kantor's leshy might be as well. Her thoughts continued their frenzied pacing in her head and she chewed her lip. Was there anything they could do for Aina's leshy, or for their forest? She redirected her gaze to look out the window into the darkened garden, trying so hard to pluck one thought from her scattered brain. Her hands clenched together on top of Aaron's under the table.
"I don't know what we can do, honestly.. but maybe if we put our heads together we can figure something out." Her eyes sought out the other occupants of the table for suggestions; it seemed really foolhardy, but Aina had seemed to find her assurance that she had, indeed, seen a leshy; Mordekai's words about the forest only strengthened her resolve. "Maybe if we find him, talk to him.. it might be worth a shot." Her heart fluttered against her ribs at the thought of seeing another leshy so soon after the last time, but maybe this time, together, they could do something.
They could save this one, and save his forest.
"Perhaps a transport to a different part of the forest if need be?" Ivy leaned forward on her elbows, fingers laced. "They size-shift, don't they? So that shouldn't be a problem. But where would we take him, if he wants to go with us, that is.." She trailed off in thought, and Aaron let go of Claire's hand to fold his arms across his chest; in contrast to his mother-in-law, he leaned back in his seat.
"A rescue mission." Mother and daughter both looked at him with raised eyebrows; he raised one of his own in return. "Well, that's what it is, isn't it? We've gotta make sure this leshy is okay, don't we?" His expression did little to mask his own curiosity; after hearing so much about the leshy, there was a strong desire to see one with his own eyes. It was quickly replaced with a small, nervous frown when a concern occurred to him. "They're not dangerous, right?"
"Assuming this is an honest-to-God leshy, but.. yes, they're non-violent if you don't mean to hurt them," Ivy affirmed, before her gaze sought Duncan across the table, "and you have been here for years, right Duncan? I'm sure he'd recognize that you and your family aren't a threat to him." She gestured to the window, indicating his gardens; certainly one who cared so much for nature would leave a good impression, much like her friend Arina had.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:05 am
Staring out into the garden didn’t prove helpful for Mordekai, and he turned in his seat to return his attention to the rest of the diners, his arms folded over the table. Both men of the household were eager to listen to Claire and Ivy, feeling more clueless than they wished to in a situation like this - to imagine that their meager forest had a guardian of its own was surprising enough, but to have lived there for so many years without knowing him felt somewhat shameful.
”Yeah, we can’t jus’ leave ‘im out there alone,” Mordekai chimed in in response to Claire. He nodded in agreement to Ivy’s suggestion, and Duncan folded his hands together, thinking as he glanced toward the table.
”Yes… our neighborhood’s forest is very small, but we’re very close to Bass’ken - only a half-hour drive away. The closest park from here is very healthy, something we can speak to the leshy about, if he will have us.” At Duncan’s mention of Bass’ken, Mordekai pulled his seat back to rise and retrieve a map of the area, but the two of them gave pause with Aaron’s comment - their brows were equally as raised as Claire’s and Ivy’s.
Despite her silence, it was difficult for Aina to contain her excitement - her wings fluttered with the skip of her heartbeat. As worried as she was for the leshy - their very own forest’s leshy! - the idea of a rescue mission to save him made some courage blossom within her. She leaned closer to the table, her chin resting against the top of it as she listened to the adults more intently.
”Grandpa’s been here forever, an’ papa and him water and take care of the garden everyday, and we know the forest is dyin’ but we wanna take care of it but we don’t get enough water,” Aina burst out, before either of her guardians could speak. She straightened in her seat, her hands balled into fists, as she stared determined at Ivy. ”We let fairies live here an’ animals too, so - so we would never hurt a leshy!” she puffed up her chest, ”We gotta rescue him!”
Mordekai had been frozen in place as he watched in surprise at Aina’s little burst in confidence, a small smile growing on him - they were always so rare, and it enchanted him every time, but the situation was growing too serious for him to not move along. Aina and Duncan both knew the forest was dying, yes, but it was him that took a stroll through it nearly daily, watching the trees wilt and die where they stood everyday, though a realization gave him pause. ”Ah, leshies - they hard to find this time of day?” he glanced toward Claire, growing sheepish, ”Like I said, never seen anythin’ like one - an’ I go out to that forest ‘round now everytime I can help it.”
”Does a leshy ever wish to be found?” Duncan asked in turn, glancing instead to Ivy. In an ideal world, they could begin the search during daylight, but it was clear the matter was urgent - if the leshy was not in danger of near death, he feared the possibility of the spirit being in pain. Aina watched as the adults spoke; tense as she was, she did not know what to ask or say on the matter - she only knew they all had someone they needed to save. A brother of Claire's baby to be.
The Frei looked wanly back at the sliding doors, rune pulsing with her adrenaline.
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:12 am
Ivy was motivated into action around the time that Mordekai was, and she watched him start to rise from the table only to pause. That seemed to be all it took for another idea to pop into her head. "Lemme call my friend, Arina - she's the one who worked with Claire's leshy before we went out. She might know a thing or two since she's from Russia, she'll be able to tell us what's what." Her head vanished from sight for a moment when she ducked under the table to fish through her bag, but she retrieved her cellphone and, in holding it up, also rose from her place at the table. "S'cuse me a moment." Her fingers were already fishing through her contacts when she entered the hallway to make her call, and both Aaron and Claire watched her go until Mordekai and Duncan's comments drew their attention back. Claire leaned forward over the table and rested her face behind laced fingers, eyes scanning the cooling dishes in front of them as though seeking her answer there.
"Ma might be able to get a little more from Arina, but..." She paused to close her eyes and unscramble her thoughts. "Usually, from what Arina used to tell us, they won't show themselves sometimes - they're a solitary bunch outside of family groups, but they will talk to you. Ma's never seen our leshy but he has spoken to her. He and Arina worked together to keep their part of the forest safe and healthy so she had seen him many times." Her memories were a messy blur now that time was of the essence, and her eyes squeezed shut a little more firmly, eyebrows knit together in thought. "He came to me... I don't really know why, but I do know how."
"How?" Aaron echoed as he, too, leaned forward on the table, bracing himself with his forearms.
"He used Dad's voice to talk to me, and he did the same with Ma. Arina thinks he spoke to me because he was lonely, but.. they use your memories to talk to you." Her eyes opened again and her chin came to rest in one palm. "Maybe the stronger the memories you have of certain people, the easier it is for them. They're a little mischievous when they're fully healthy so sometimes they'll use that to lead travelers off the beaten path. That's how I found mine." She was going off of only a handful of experiences but it seemed like a solid-enough place to start; she could only hope Ivy's phone call with Arina would put them further on the mark. "I'd think, though, if the situation is dire enough, they reach out, otherwise Arina would not have been able to do as much as she did for the park." Claire's gaze met Duncan and Mordekai's across the table and gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I don't have much more to offer there but.. when his time had come, he did not even try to hide himself. I would think your leshy wouldn't be much different." Aaron's hands linked together and he twiddled his anxious thumbs, trying to sort it out himself.
"So this means he might appear to us, he might not, right?" He received a slow nod in return and he flashed a puzzled frown at the table. "But strong memories might coax 'em out?"
"It's what worked for me." She was tempted to look over her shoulder towards where Ivy had disappeared to, but the muffled sounds of her animated phone conversation assured them that she was doing what she could. However, given how many people were present, that was another thing to consider. "We might have to take it in teams. I think too many people might scare him off."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:04 pm
Mordekai leaned forward, his palms against the table to support himself. Both Duncan and Mordekai listened intently to Ivy, but when she left to speak to Arina, Duncan stood soon afterwards, walking past Mordekai to tap him assuringly on the shoulder. "I'll go find the maps." The blond nodded and watched briefly as Duncan moved along at an eager pace while stepping upstairs - there was a chest in the hallway in front of Duncan’s ling room that held a majority of the maps he’d collected. Mordekai relaxed back into his seat, and Aina clung to his shirt on reflex, hiding her face against his sleeve. She was determined, but she was also quite nervous.
As Claire explained, Mordekai’s uncertainties did nothing but grow; strong memories were what carried him through the forest most evenings, and there was nothing but silence and the occasional sound of animals that greeted him there. He scooped the Frei up into his arms for comfort, kissing her on the top of her head. He wore the concern clearly on his face, brows upturned, though he made some attempt to smile as he kept Aina close - "Leshy's never pulled anythin' on us, gotta think if he's been sick a while..."
"Mm-mm," Aina said, shaking her head with such vigor that the leaves on her branches shook. "Miss Claire said the leshy would tell us if he was sick!"
Mordekai wore a weary smile. "Ah... I know, baby girl," he replied, still uncertain.
Duncan returned with the map of Bass'ken soon after, walking to the kitchen counter to lay it out flat. Mordekai hopped off of his seat to trail after him. "Claire told us more 'bout the leshy, says they talk t'you wid strong memories of people. Reach out when they're in trouble."
Duncan nodded. "I managed to hear her somewhat upstairs... between the six of us, I think we have plenty of memories to share." Duncan kept the map from rolling out again with a few empty plates on the counter. "Here's the map of Bass'ken. Where should we relocate the leshy?" he asked; both men grimaced somewhat at the conclusion Aaron had come to, but Mordekai glanced between the group, brows knit as he thought. With a nod, he glanced between Claire and Aaron.
"Claire, how ‘bout we have you an' Aina leadin' the front, lookin' for the leshy, 'cause you both know what you’re lookin for-- I’ll go with." With the way Mordekai was holding onto Aina, and how Aina was clinging so tightly, it would have been difficult making her let go. Duncan nodded, glancing toward Aaron.
"Yes-- Aaron, perhaps you, Ivy, and I can follow behind. We'll comb through the surrounding area a second time."
"Yeah-- an’ we can meet up in between… how ‘bout the stream, there’s a clearin’ in between, and we got the fields at the end - an’ if there’s no findin’ him the first time, we do it all over from there.” Mordekai smile widened when he turned toward Aaron. "There’re ghost owls that’re gonna scream at you an’ everythin’. You gotta protect our folks out there, alright?”
“Oh, Mordekai, don’t scare him like that,” Duncan began; “The wildlife around here is very friendly.”
Mordekai leaned forward, voice a loud whisper - "They still scream atcha."
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 10:05 pm
Claire, too, was feeling the persistence of doubt, amplified by Mordekai's replies, but there was little time to dwell on it as Duncan returned with maps in hand and Ivy reappeared just after him, snapping her phone shut. The couple stood when they reentered and paused a moment before following Duncan.
"What did Arina have to say?" Claire asked. Ivy was putting her phone in her pocket and she nodded towards the counter, and the three of them moved to join the Clarke-Kantors clustered in the kitchen. When Duncan spread the map, Ivy shifted the plates he had put on top of it to keep the corners from curling, while they listened to his explanation. The older woman mused momentarily, hand thoughtfully over her mouth as she leaned over the map.
"Arina said that leshies usually migrate on their own when things go wrong, and they have to go pretty wrong since their magic is strong. With deforestation bein' as bad as it is nowadays, they're usually scrappin' for territory among themselves. Maybe this one was hurt in a turf war, or just not enough resources, like y'both said." She narrowed her eyes, finger tracing along the rim of the lake before she tapped it dead center. "Closer to the lake is always the best move, maybe get 'em revitalized if he's sick; the leshy can move further inland when they feel strong enough to contend with the resident one, if there is one, anyway." Plans unfolded one after another as Mordekai and Duncan both followed up Claire's proposal of taking the search in teams, and the three of them listened intently. Both of the older men knew the area well and Claire tried to bore their route into her head, nodding firmly to their assigned teams. Aaron looked warily at Mordekai at the mention of ghost owls, eyebrows raised, but at his follow-up jest he elbowed the older man.
"C'mon, man," he laughed, but the distraction had done its work and lessened the tension he felt.
"We should get coats and flashlights ready, it's gonna get dark real quick here. Some of us should carry phones just in case," Ivy added when her son-in-law's soft laughter paused. Claire nodded and headed back to the dining room to retrieve the coats hanging on the back of their chairs, heart humming with excitement and nervousness. Searching for a leshy in Barton of all places sounded so unreal.. then again, nothing about leshies felt believable at first. If they could curb tragedy, that was the important thing. She passed off her collected coats to Ivy and Aaron and shouldered into her own.
It felt better doing this together, though.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:17 pm
Despite some of the heaviness he felt with the leshy, Mordekai giggled in turn when Aaron laughed, and Aina welled with confidence enough to take a jab at Mordekai in return. “Yeah, everyone’s really friendly!” she piped up, reaching up to poke the blond on the nose - he reeled back somewhat with another peal of laughter, though the Frei still managed to poke him on the cheek. Duncan smiled up at them before returning his attention to the map, listening intently as Ivy explained.
“The farm Mordekai works at is close to here. I’ll give it a call now and ask Stephen to bring the truck over - it seems simpler than trying to coax the leshy into a small car. The drive to the lake shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”
“Ten, fifteen, if we drive fast,” Mordekai added. Aina nodded diligently at Ivy’s recommendation, wriggling away from Mordekai’s arms - he knelt down to let her go, and Aina was quick to hop away and float toward the stairs.
“Papa, I’ll go get coats!” she called out, much to Duncan and Mordekai’s surprise - with a soft smile, the blond stood back up, walking out toward the backyard. He slid to the garden open, glancing back at the remaining adults.
“I’ll go get the flashlights an’ spare batteries ready, y’all get your coats on. Meet out there after y’get ahold of Stephen?”
Duncan nodded, and with that Mordekai left for the shed. He quickly found Stephen’s number to call, pressing the phone to his ear.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:57 pm
Once everyone was on the move, it did not take long to organize. The truck arrived in short order, just as the party had their coats on and flashlights were on the table. Ivy peeked through the windows as it pulled up and zipped up her windbreaker, hustling over to the front door with the full intent to follow Duncan down and talk to the driver. She only hoped he was as open to this plan as the rest of the Clarke-Kantors had been.
As soon as the door was open and everyone migrated outside, Claire followed behind, flashlights in hand. The sun had set and the first few stars of the evening were peeking out in the darkening sky and Claire looked around the side of the house to the porch, her mind already on their task. She hoped, desperately, that things would go in a more positive direction than her last meeting with a leshy; her hands trembled a little but she tightened her grip on the flashlight to stop it. To quell her nerves, she redirected her attention towards Aina, kneeling down next to her.
"Remember we've got to have some strong memories going," she prompted with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think between you, me, and your papa, we can likely coax them out, so focus on something you remember really clearly, okay?"
"At least you can," Aaron said as he stepped onto the porch, bringing up his hood around his neck. "Unless the leshy's gonna react to memories of my first jump shot in high school, I dunno if I'm gonna be much help. Guess that's why I'm on the beta team." He grinned.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:07 pm
Stephen, the owner of Hartline Farms and said truck, didn’t seem to mind in the least - a fifteen minutes’ drive later and he honked his horn at the ready near Duncan’s driveway. Duncan, with Ivy, hurried along to the front to help explain the situation while the remaining four inside geared up. The man didn’t need much more explanation than the one he was given, anyway - despite the idle threats he’d made to some of the creatures nearby his farm for stealing from his property, Stephen cared deeply about all guardians of the forest.
That being said, he preferred to remain inside while Claire and company did the searching, as he was tired after a long day at work - Duncan invited him indoors to however much food he’d like, which Stephen happily took up. Stephen offered a few rote greetings to the remaining search party, then everyone headed outside.
Despite her natural acclimation to cold weather, Aina floated near Mordekai and Claire more bundled than her two guardians. She glanced down past her thick scarf to try and fiddle with the flashlight of her own (only a pocket flashlight in size), and once she found the button at the bottom, she clicked it on and off and on again toward the garden ahead with a giggle. Her wings twitched idly as she thought about moving forward - she’d never explored the forest at night before.
When Claire knelt down close to her, Aina listened intently, nodding when she understood. “Okay, Miss Claire… I’m gonna try my best,” she replied a little quietly, hugging the flashlight that was still on to her chest. After finishing the last of his minute talk with Stephen, Mordekai walked nearer to Claire and the Frei - he knelt down opposite of Claire, ruffling the pomegranate’s hair.
“Alright, our brave girl, you’ve gotta stay real close to Miss Claire an’ me, okay?”
Aina nodded.
“An’ if you get lost?” he asked, offering his hand to her - Aina held it and breathed in, speaking loudly.
“I’ve gotta roar really loud!”
“That’s right! An’ you gotta blink your lil flashlight a lot an’ Miss Claire an' papa'll come get you, alright?” when she nodded, Mordekai bounced back up and adjusted the beanie against his hair - he glanced back at the other team, with Duncan recounting their spare batteries a second time. The blond let out a laugh at Aaron’s retort. “Be careful who you say that around, Ivy an’ Duncan kick a**. Right?”
Duncan glanced up past his glasses and smiled wryly toward Aaron. He adjusted the jacket around his shoulder, straightened out his sleeves, and turned his own flashlight on. “Aaron, don’t be so down on yourself already - and you have your lovely wife just ahead,” he began, for the most part sailing past Mordekai’s teasing - “I would hope there are some strong memories or two for you there, and if there aren’t - well, I’ll leave Ivy to do the reprimanding.”
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