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 Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:44 pm
 Yashi, despite people talking about him, didn't bother to gnaw anymore, preferring to sleep rather peacefully against Youko. Patrick smiled faintly. "My whole house is filled with biters and chewers. He's one of the good ones." The dark man laughed, shifting to sit back on his arms. "At least ya manage to keep him looking cute while he gnaws peoples heads." "He's a good kid," Youko said, smiling faintly and petting Yashi's ears. "And for the record? He's speaking Japanese. I was raised in Japan, so I caught onto that pretty quickly. My daughter Omi is also fluent in the language. She was only speaking Japanese when she first learned to talk." "He DID know a few English words but he reverted back when he....grew." Patricks nose wrinkled, watching as his son uncurled slightly against Youko at the continued pettings with a little purrrrr. But...obviously, this guy had more then one kid. Yes. "How many sprogglets do you have? I mean...other then.." He gestured to the slightly abandoned wand that had so upset his son, "Whatever that is." "Two biological, two others, and the wand," He answered, smiling faintly as he mentioned his children. "My son lives with his mother, however... he and his sister about killed each other when they were kids, so we decided it was best to split them up." He continued to pet Yashima's ears lightly, watching the boy as he purred softly in his throat. "The twins you mentioned." He blinked a little, grinning at the others fond speaking of his angry kiddlets. "That's not too bad... Kids always fight... But almost killed? Ouch. Moderation is a good thing, yeah?" Definately yeah. Yashi was one of the kids who wasn't very 'moderate' in number around the White house. Yashi yawned, continuing to gnaw softly at Youkos hair in his sleep. "Definitely moderation," he replied, grinning up at Patrick and shifting his position slightly. "They were getting to the point where they were either beating the hell out of one another constantly, fighting, screaming, etc... so rather than us going nuts trying to figure out how to get them to stop when nothing was working... we decided to split them up. That's when I moved into the house across the block from Karma, so that the twins could see each other whenever they wanted, but also have a place to get away from each other." It had worked wonders, really. But the fox's face grew saddened as he looked back down to Yashima and toyed with the boy's hair. "But Raven's growing up now, and so's Omi. Raven's going to be moving out soon." "Kids grow up.." Patricks voice was soft, eyes still on Yashima. The kit had grown up so quickly since December... walking and talking and...growing up. Hell, Patrick himself wasn't even twenty...although that, right there, was a SECRET. "Kids grow up very quickly. But now..you have the wand...thing. And they scream just as loud as any other kid. don't worry. You'll feel right at home in no time." Chuckling, Youko started to get to his feet, jostling Yashima as little as possible. "Speaking of feeling at home... I should be GETTING home. It'll be dinnertime soon, and my girls will burn the kitchen down if I'm not careful." He nuzzled Yashima's cheek then, trying to convince him to let loose of the death grip. "Yashi... gomen, ikimasho. I have to go." Yashi, aware that the other was trying to pry him loose, whined in his throat. His eyes shifted, sliding open while a quiet frown twisted his lips. No nono. The fluffy one smelled right. No letting go of what smelled right. Another whine, fingers tightening... until he felt his fathers fingers slide around his midsection. That was his father. This one just purred and smelled right. he wasn't Daddy. Almost instantly, Yashima let go of Youko only to be cuddled by Patrick. Wide gold eyes continued to watch the older fox, this time sucking at his thumb and giving his other hand a flex... a tired little wave. And then, in the comfort of Patricks arms, he fell back asleep with a purr. "I think he'll throw a fit if he never sees you or your shiny wand again... So it was nice meeting you, Youko." Patrick grinned, head giving a little bow. "I'll probably be seeing a lot more of you in the future." Youko nodded, grinning. "Oh yes, you'll see me much more often," he said, moving to pick up the wand. "I promise. And maybe I'll bring something with me that might help Yashima adapt better to you not being a kitsune." He winked at Patrick then, tucking the wand into the crook of his arm and heading back towards the shop. "You two should come over for dinner sometime... my kids will love you both, I'm sure." "So you're going to bring christmas cookies?" He laughs softly, cuddling at his snoozing son and giving a little wave. "I'd return the favor of the dinner offer but... Some of my kids bite. You're welcome, if you dare! They'd probably adore you too." Chuckling, Youko waved, nodding. "I just might take you up on that. Take care, and we'll see about the Christmas Cookies." With that, he disappeared through the portal back to the shop.
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 12:21 pm
 It wasn't too difficult to get ready. Youko still had the crib and such that had been used for his own children, and was now extremely thankful to Envy for suggesting that he just store the stuff in the attic. Even though most of it had been changed into a room for Omi, there was still about a third of the open area set aside for storage. That was where he'd been all day, moving things down into his own bedroom. "Dad, you know that you'll have another room soon," Raven said, sitting cross-legged on the bed and folding baby blankets neatly. She had already started packing her things little by little, and had made the plans with Alicia to move into the tiny apartment behind the shop. "You don't have to share a room with the baby." Smiling, Youko finished shaking out the bumper and tied it around the crib. "I know," he said softly, setting a blanket in as well and stepping back to admire his handiwork. "But all of you kids slept in my room when you were tiny." One brow lifted and the foxcoon looked at him oddly. "But Kendall and I had our own room. Omi used it too, and Kaeru's in there now." One hand lifted, Youko holding up a finger. "But you all slept in my room when you were infants. None of you really liked being in there for long, you all liked being with people. You and your brother took up more of my bed than I did when you were newborns." At his daughters amused blush, Youko just snickered and continued. "Omi hated the dark... so she slept in my room quite a bit. Kaeru would have, but he needed the humidity of the bathroom. Now he's got his own room with a humidifier, so he's fine." "And so this one's going to just start out in here to make life easier?" she asked, nodding towards the crib. "Yup. Besides, there's no spare room to turn into a nursery just yet." Youko reached for the wand then, letting his fingers dance over the gnarled wood and jewels. "And I have no idea when this little one will arrive. For all we know, it could be a baby by dinner." Raven shook her head, setting aside the pile of blankets. "That would be amusing. Insta-baby." She stretched out her legs, twisting her ankles until they cracked. "Dad?" Youko paused as he set the wand into the crib, half covering it with the blanket. "Hmm?" "You're nesting." Raven had an amused look on her face as she pointed a toe towards the crib. "It's a WAND. It can't get cold, it can't move around and it doesn't need to be in a crib." Snorting, Youko left the wand right where it was. "And if it DOES turn into a baby, it'll need that blanket and a soft place to lay. I'm not taking any chances." He turned to Raven then, sticking out his tongue at her. "And it's not like kids have arrived here normally EVER." "I did." She stuck her tongue out right back, and got to her feet. "I need to go finish packing. If that baby DOES arrive by dinner, you're that much closer to needing my room." Raven winked at him, padding towards the door. Before she got there, Youko came up behind her, wrapping his daughter in a hug as his chin came to rest on her shoulder. "Don't think you're walking out that easily," he murmured, nuzzling her ear. "Your place will always be here for dinner, whether you show up or not. And you'll be keeping your keys. The door is always open to you." Raven brought a hand up to rest on his arm, nodding softly as she returned the nuzzle. "I know, Daddy," she whispered, smiling in reply. "And it's not like i"m just vanishing. You know that, right?" "So I'm being sentimental," he said, letting go and stepping back. "I'm allowed. And I'll be helping you move when you're ready," he said, walking back to the crib. Raven just smiled for a moment, watching him go. "Thanks, Daddy."
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 1:26 pm
Kaeru was muttering to himself as he moved up the stairs towards his father's room. "Fold the laundry," he snarled, making a mimicry of Youko's voice. "Go put it away." He snorted then, glaring down the stairs. "IT'S NOT EVEN MY STUFF!" he yelled, earning himself a threat from below of grounding if he didn't just do what he was told. "It's not like the baby can put its own stuff away yet, Kaeru, it's not even HERE yet!" Youko was matching his son's glare from the bottom of the stairs. "Then why are we washing its clothes NOW?" he whined, stomping one webbed foot against the carpet. "Shouldn't we wait until they're dirty or something?" The fox's ears folded back and he crossed his arms over his chest. "They've been sitting in the attic, some of them since Omi was a baby, they needed washed before I'd even think about putting them on a new baby. Now go put them away!" "But I'm CRIPPLED!" Kaeru whined, holding up his cast-covered arm. Or trying to, while balancing the pile of onesies. "Not yet, but you will be if you don't MOVE." Youko was nearing the end of his patience by this point. "Need I remind you that you want me to buy you a surfboard. If you're too crippled to put away a few pieces of clothing, then apparently you're too crippled to go surfing this summer." "But.." Kaeru started, feeling his advantage quickly shrinking. "ONE..." That did it. When dad started counting, that was the countdown to a butt-swatting if you didn't start doing whatever it was you were supposed to do. "If you spent HALF as much energy on chores as you do on trying to get out of them, you'd be DONE by now!" Kaeru snarled inwardly as he stomped into Youko's room, dropping the pile of onesies on the bed and glancing over to the crib. "This is all YOUR fault," he muttered, glaring daggers at the wand that lay amidst the blankets. This was no fun. He couldn't even blame the kid yet because it wasn't HERE. Once the onesies were put away in the drawers, he moved to the crib and leaned against the railing. "You'd better be a boy," he murmured, narrowing his eyes faintly at the purple gem that seemed to wink at him. "Because I'm not putting up with this crap for another stupid sister." The frog blinked then, fixing his gaze on the gem. It HAD winked at him! "DAAAAAAAD!" he called out over his shoulder, catching sight of movement just as he spoke. "DAD!!" He stared at the wand, and the thin trail of violet that seemed to come up from the gem and hover just above the wand. He could barely see it, but with him being this close, it was a bit easier. "Oh neat!" he whispered to himself, reaching out a finger and poking at the mist. "For the love of the gods, is it THAT difficult to put away clothes??" Youko had made it to the room and was half expecting to find clothes everywhere. "What the..." "DAD! Look!" Kaeru was nearly wriggling in place, pointing to the wand and the wisp over it. "It moves!" "What are you talking... about?" Youko's words trailed off as he came over and took a close look as well, seeing the mist for himself. "Well I'll bedamned." It wasn't a baby... but it was a beginning. He reached out one clawed finger, smiling as the mist seemed to wrap itself around the offered digit for a moment. He couldn't feel anything from it, but he could at least SEE it. "I think that's your new sibling," he whispered, winding an arm around Kaeru as they stood there. Kaeru just frowned, tilting his head to the side. "Somehow," he said, unamused. "I thought it would be bigger."
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 1:57 pm
Dear Diary -
Well, things took an unexpected turn today. I spent most of this weekend moving things from the attic into my room so that the baby would have a place once it arrived. When I was told that a child would come from this wand, I think I took that a bit more literally than I should have. We have a new arrival... but it's far from a child yet. In fact, unless you squint really hard and LOOK, you can't see it at all.
Kaeru was the first to find it, after arguing with me about putting away clothes. There was a tiny wisp of purple floating above the end of the wand, seeming to be coming from the large gem at one end. It's unusual, to say the least, to have mist in the crib... and it seems that even the slightest breeze affects it, so I've turned off the ceiling fan for now. I'll deal with just having the little nightstand fan on for a while, if needed. I'm not going to risk blowing the poor thing away, or I'll likley never find it again. Even knowing that it's there, sometimes I have to REALLY look to see it.
I wonder if it's aware of us now? It seemed to wrap around my finger a bit earlier, and I know that Kaeru spent a good hour just talking to it.
Here's hoping it's a boy, or he's going to be really upset.
Youko
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 6:03 pm
Indu sighed as she approached the familiar door in a certain wand shoppe, her twins in their familiar places in her baby carrier. Levis in the front, and Malum in the back. She'd parked her motorcycle outside, and had the helmet under one arm as she twisted the knob, walked through, and was... ... Right next to the front desk in the GotP HQ. Not immediantly spotting anyone, not that she was looking, the tall redhead set her helmet on the desk, and strolled farther in, quickly unstrapping Malum and depositing him on the floor before he could demand that she do so. He was getting worse, the older he got. He'd gone from growling, to pushing, to biting Levis, to biting random strangers that were foolish enough to put a body part within his grip. Levis, on the other hand, was still shy, but coming out of her shell, and was showing a bright curiousity to match her brother's more destructive one. "Mal, don't chew the furniture." A giggle from Levis made Indu smile, as she took her time removing the darkly aligned girl from her own holding pouch. Dixie strolled down the street, a determined expression on her oddly-colored face. Lately she had found herself around this neighborhood a lot, and it was starting to be more than a little annoying. There it was. The Wand Shoppe. If she was going to be preoccupied with this place to the point of showing up here every time she was alone, the former criminal was going to do something about it. The little stick in her back pocket warmed slightly and she grabbed at it, bringing it around so she could address it properly. "None of that," she said, watching the tiny grapes swing with the motion of her hand. She kept the wand in her grasp as she pushed open the door and headed inside. Empty. That Ianna woman had said she was welcome in the back, so Dixie pressed on. She seemed to recall some video games back there. "Hello?" she called out before opening the door. She stepped into Headquarters, scooting off to one side to avoid the baby on the floor. "Hi. I didn't think anyone would be here." It seemed that everyone was arriving. Youko had slipped into the shop as well, finally letting out the breath he'd been holding and slipped the Ziploc baggie off the end of the wand he held. Once he'd determined that the wisp was even THERE, he'd noted how it seemed to sway in the breeze. With the wind having kicked up that day, there was no WAY he'd take it out of the house with some kind of protection. It was Raven who'd suggested the baggie. And after Youko got done protesting in horror, she'd wrapped the baggie around the wand and unceremoniously shoved him out the door. It had worked, and the wind hadn't phased the little wisp of mist at all. Then again, the baggie hadn't phased it either and it seemed perfectly content in there. Now, however, he could leave the baggie aside and shoved it into his pocket as he moved towards the entryway to the headquarters itself. "Anyone home?" he called as he stepped through, toeing his shoes off at the entrance and leaving them aside. "Ianna?" Ianna was fretting. Coailiann had been asleep for a good few days in her room, and she had absolutely no idea why. She'd never dealt with growths beyond toddler before, so...She had absolutely no clue what was really going on. Walking rather quickly down the hall, Ianna stopped and looked around the headquarters. Rather full today, it was, "Well hello there," she greeted, feigning cheerfulness. "How are all of you today?" The silver haired woman moved to her desk, pulling herself upwards to perch on the dark wood of it, waiting for the many answers she was sure to receive. Lethe had been all over the city looking for one tiny shop and was, needless to say, not having the luckiest of times with it. Maybe if they were at all marked clearly... How hard would it have been to have a picture of old, ancient things on the storefront? Honestly, did they expect that everyone could read? Was this young-person discrimination? The young Fa'e peered cautiously into the Wand Shoppe, barely over the threshold. Well, it seemed like the right sort of place -- dusty and dirty with weird looking things everywhere. Noting that there was certainly no lack of activity here, Lethe decided it was safe and finally stepped inside, immediately scuffling off to one side to be partly out of the way and partly not immediately noticeable. Odd. Everybody seemed to have a stick of some sort -- except for the person with the babies, of course (unless she was hiding her stick somewhere else.) Even the walls were lined with equally shiny and colorful sticks; was it a requirement to have one before coming in? Would anyone notice that she didn't have one? Malum was startled by the woman entering behind him, and he didn't like the feeling. Even as the boy's green eyes narrowed, Indu spotted the change in him, and charged past Youko to grab up the baby one handed just as he tried to pounce Dixie and possibly bite her. "Dammit, Malum! No biting the people, either! Sorry about that, miss." The angelic looking child gave her a large, overly-innocent grin, malice glinting in his eyes as he was set back down on the large sofa. Indu, sighing once more and petting Levis' head, smiled wearily and answered Ianna's question, somewhat late. ".... Just fine... Ianna. We're doing just fine. How're you? And where's Miss Coailiann?" At the sound of the familiar, and well liked name, Mal and Lee looked about interestedly. Was their 'friend' here, too? Dixie backed up some more at the mention of biting babies. She held her stick out in front of her until the little angelic-looking kid was taken away. Malum, was it? She'd just stay over here. Swapping the wand to her other hand, Dixie gave a small wave to Ianna and the new arrivals, doing a double take at the sight of another stick, this one with a pale, misty wisp sticking out of it. Would hers do that too? Being motherly toward a stick was hard enough without things poking out of it. She schooled her expression into a nicer one, not wanting to seem standoffish toward this new group of weirdos she'd been thrust into. Youko was apparently used to children... and those that had the unenviable job of herding them. As Indu dove past him, he easily slid aside, clearing the way for her to latch onto her wayward son. Hopefully, his own new arrival would be a BIT less inclined towards gnawing on the patrons. "Good afternoon, Ianna," he said, bowing politely to the woman. He was about to say more, but one ear dropped slightly as he tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice dropping just enough that only Ianna could hear him. "You look stressed." Ianna's eyes locked to Indu, a small smile on her lips as she went to fetch Malum. Vaguely she wondered if a muzzle would be helpful to keep the young angelic male from turning her guardians into chew toys. Perhaps she'd suggest that. "Coailiann is..." she took a deep breath, "She's not waking up. She's been asleep for two days..." fiddling with her sweater slightly, she sighed, "I don't know...I just...I..." Yeah. Elegant. Not. "I just don't know what's going on. She's breathing okay, and she seems healthy...She just won't wake up." When she lifted her head to look at the people filled room, she raised a brow. THERE was someone she'd not seen before, "Hello, are you lost?" Completely forgetting the distress she was in, Ianna slid from the desk and started towards Lethe. "Lost?" Lethe wrinkled her nose, trying to quickly determine whether this lady meant the figurative meaning of the word or if she was just really confused. "No, I am Lethe," she decided, mentally having to admit that there really were children with some strange names out there. Best not to insult her by implying otherwise, right? "I am looking for magic things," She explained further, just in case she meant the other meaning too. She had meant to say something further about leaving if this was private, but both the mention of somebody sleeping for far too long and the fact that that baby just bit someone clearly distracted her. "Maybe she's hibernating?" She suggested idly to the other lady (even though it was clearly none of her business), eyebrows furrowing as she observed said biting baby. Did -- did that other girl taste good or something? No one seemed surprised -- was this normal? Levis now sitting beside her brother, shot Lethe a giant grin, full of welcome. The little girl -looked- demonic in nature, but was a definate sweetheart, and was working hard not to be shy. Besides, Lethe wasn't as big as the other people in the room, and she was pretty. In an odd way. Malum, a bit put-out about being so far away from anyone besides Lee, crawled to the edge of the couch, and with a thump, hit soft carpet. The little boy was on the move once more, toward... His previous target. Dixie. Indu, rolling her eyes, didn't move to intercept him, and instead turned to speak with Ianna, before realizing how rude she'd been. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon... Oh... Forgive me." Glancing around the room, she gave a self-concious smile, and brushed strands of hair from her face. "I'm Indu, and those two are Malum and Levis." That girl, that Coailiann? She'd been sleeping for two days? Again, not something Dixie wanted to have to deal with. Stupid sticks. Dixie's eyes narrowed as she saw Malum advancing toward her. She crouched on the ground and lay her wand in front of her before putting her hands behind her back. Either the baby would be distracted or he'd end up biting pant leg, either of which was fine with her. Hibernating sounded like a possibility, but Dixie didn't want to agree in case it was something more serious. She went with, "I hope Coailiann's all right," before returning Indu's introduction with one of her own. "I'm Dixie." Niceties out of the way, Dixie turned her attention back to the crawling terror. Youko frowned, remembering the bright and cheerful little girl that he'd met when he'd received his wand. "I hope she feels better soon," he whispered, remembering how Omi had grown. "Perhaps..." he paused then, not sure if he should say that or not. Finally, he decided that he should. "My daughter, Nozomi... every time she's grown, she passes into an almost comalike state. Completely unresponsive. But she comes out of it fine on her own." Smiling, he cradled the wand close to him. "Hopefully the same is happening to Coailiann." Ianna raised a brow at the young girl, "Lethe. Pretty name..Reminds me of greek mythology..." she shrugged her shoulders, "Perhaps she is, but do Sidhe hibernate?" She paused, pursing her lips a moment, "Well, there are magical things here, but unfortunately, I don't have any for sale...You may find random artifacts in the library or the gardens though..." Upon hearing Dixie and Youko, Ianna turned from Lethe, "Thank you Dixie...And I certainly hope that's all it is, Youko...She's become precious to me, believe it or not. Brattiness and all." Seemed she would be a busy woman today, "I think you should get a muzzle for Mal just in case Coailiann ends up waking and they get into another mess like last time...Besides, I don't think Dixie would enjoy becoming a chew toy..." Lethe, noticing the baby-biter's apparent sister, mirrored her grin back at her. It was only then she noticed the wings -- hunh, that was strange, even non-Fa'e could manage to get wings and she couldn't? But obviously that made the baby Very Special. She began wandering over, intending to say 'Hi!', when Ianna responded. "You know Greek?" Lethe repeated in awe, refusing to allow any other subject change. "Mythology? Can you speak it? Do you know the Underworld? ...What's a Sidhe?" Okay now she was clearly just making things up, this lady. ...And nothing for sale? Well, that could be good, right? That didn't necessarily mean there was nothing at all, just that there was nothing she had to exchange for money with to take. So maybe if she looked around hard enough... Seeing that the lady she'd been talking to had returned to talking with some other people (hmph!) whose conversation she could barely make out, Lethe shook her head and resumed her journey over to Levis, making careful adjustment to her path to swerve widely around the baby-biter. She was sure he was good at what he did but she vastly preferred her ankles without holes. Indu snorted at the image of Mal with a muzzle on his face, and rested a hip against the desk, grinning at the other woman. "He'd probably just do somethin' worse than bitin' out of spite. Or he'd like it." Dixie had discovered one of the few things Mal like to do more than hurt others, and that was to satisfy his curiousity. The boy's tiny hands closed around the pretty wand, and immediantly, he tried to find a way to separate the grapes from the wood. Maybe he was hungry. Lee turned a pink color at having the grin redirected at her, and reached out her fingers at the older girl trying to touch her as soon as she got close enough. Levis loved to be touched and held, unlike her brother. The wand didn't break, Dixie had dropped it several times already and it didn't have so much as a scratch, but she couldn't help being a little concerned. Still, she supposed wand manhandling was better than biting. "So, any luck with that?" she asked the baby, fairly sure he wouldn't understand. Dixie sat fully on the ground to rest her tired legs and kept half of her attention on Lethe and Ianna. She didn't even know what Greek was, but learning was fun and all that. Youko noted that Ianna was fairly getting swarmed, and backed away then to let the conversation continue. He took his own wand over to one of hte couches, curling up with it resting in his lap. The wisp still hung there, and if he squinted hard enough, he could see it drifting back and forth each time he exhaled. Smiling faintly, he made a mental note to ask the woman about this later, when she wasn't so busy. Mal turned narrowed green eyes to Dixie and growled under his breath, he wasn't a -dumb- baby, and understood quite a lot. The problem with Malum was that he was a clever terror. He just couldn't do much damage as an infant. A split-second later, and the grapes were in his mouth what few teeth he had gnawing at the wand. Indu rolled irritated maroon eyes to the babe and pushed away from the counter, letting out a frustrated noise and crouching to gently remove the wand and hand it to Dixie. Recieving a fierce bite on the hand for her efforts, she cursed quietly and lifted the boy, slipping him into his place on her baby carrier. "Dammit, Malum! Can't I take you anywhere?" His wicked grin seemed be a 'no'. Sighing as she considered this visit to the headquarters a bust, she smiled slightly at Dixie. "Sorry about that, he can be a real brat... C'mon, Lee." Strolling over, she picked up Levis, who's attention was centered now on the wisp, whom she was making grabby hands at, then kissed her on the forehead before strapping her in. "... Time to go. I'll get you some icecream when we get home." Another few seconds, and she picked up her helmet, stopping to face Ianna. "Good luck with Coailiann." Nodding a quick goodbye, she left the center, admonishing Malum under her breath the entire time. Ianna stifled a small chuckle, "Good to see you guys again," she called as they left, turning her attention back to Lethe, "I don't speak Greek, but I know a lot about mythology, including the underworld. I'm somewhat of a mythology nut.." she shrugged her shoulders and moved to sit beside Youko on the couch. "Though some would argue that I'm just a plain nut...What brings you here, this day, Youko? Dixie?" Watching the lady with the two babies leave with mild regret, Lethe went to sit on the other couch, neatly sweeping her skirts out underneath her. A nut? She clearly looked human. (Sigh, English!) Lethe managed to keep a confused expression from crossing her face as she carefully observed the HQ -- it was a lot different from Fa'e... Hmm. "I guess you're familiar with me already then!" She beamed at this before asking curiously, "Did those children who just left come from here? Are there others like them?" ..Was that wand glimmering or -- was was it doing? Hades alive, why couldn't she (a fully breathing, walking, talking creature, nonetheless!) do the same thing? It never crossed her mind, meanwhile, to either shut up or even to stop hijacking the conversation. Hey. Hey! She had been okay with the kid biting her, but not her wand! Dixie made a move to take it from him, but then Indu was there taking him away and giving her the stick back. Well, that had been easier than expected. "That's all right. Thank you," she said before smiling at the twins and their guardian. Dixie stood before pocketing the spit-covered wand. Everyone was on the couches now, so she figured she should be too. Taking a seat on the same couch as Lethe, she turned to Ianna and said, "The wand gets warm and tingly when we pass. I figured coming by would make it happy." Youko smiled to the woman with the wand, understanding completely. The whole wand thing was new to him, and this had been the only place he'd known to come. "Actually, what brings me here is this..." he said, holding up the wand. If one looked REALLY closely, one could see the little violet wisp hovering just above the end of it. It almost seemed to be watching them in return, and moving back and forth each time one of them exhaled. Ianna blinked, "Familiar with you? Don't tell me that you're the river Lethe?" Well. She hadn't been expecting THAT should it be true...Silver eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity. She'd definitely have to speak more with this little girl. "Ah...Yes...Perhaps your spirit wanted you to meet other guardians, Dixie. I'm glad you listened to it...And Youko! It wisped! Wonderful!" she beamed a little bit, troubles seeming to at least be pushed to the back of her mind. "It's one step closer to being a child...One more stage to go before it's flesh and blood." Dixie looked at the mist again. It had 'wisped.' And Ianna didn't seem concerned. She tucked this little bit of information away, glad that she would have it to fall back on when her wand turned into a tiny sauna. "It's a pretty... wisp," she said, watching it bob in the nearly nonexistant breezes. She stayed out of the river conversation, not really believing that she was seated next to a body of water. "Thank you," Youko answered, smiling softly and extending a finger so that the wisp could wrap around it like it seemed to like to do. Not that he could feel it, but it seemed to have fun with it. "One more stage, is there?" He asked, glancing to Ianna then. "Can you give me a hint as to what I'm in for? I don't know anything about this, to be honest.... I had been assuming that a baby would just come from this, so I've had the wand in a crib." He chuckled then, remembering Raven's assessment that he was obsessed. Well... maybe he was. Ianna gave a nod of her head, "Yours will do that too, Dixie. As for answers, Youko, I can give you what I know. The wand is a goddess. I think it was a goddess of Mercy and from where she was found, I believe it would have something to do with the Asian cultures. Though I am unsure which and what her name was." She paused as she shifted a bit, "The next stage the wand will shrink and the wisp will grow to the size of an infant. It will solidify and it will be clinging to the wand. Be sure not to let it be seperated. It'll fall apart and...Well, it'll most likely either be very disfigured or die all together." Dixie took out her own wand and wiped the rest of the drool off. If this thing was going to grow and move around, maybe she'd better treat it better. "A goddess might be able to do magic, right?" she asked. "Do you think mine would? Do magic, I mean." "Thank you," Youko said, cradling the wand close and looking to it. "It's good to know what to expect." He paused then, flicking his gaze to her with a brow lifted faintly. "Goddess of Mercy? At least it's Asian culture... I'm quite familiar with that. My family is in Japan, I can dig up a bit of information from them as well." He got to his feet then, bowing politely to the two of them. "And I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today. I'm sorry to pester and run, but my other children will be wondering where dinner is if I don't get home soon. And if I'm not careful, they'll wind up bar-be-queing their brother." Smiling, he went to the portal then and slid his shoes on once more. "I hope to see the both of you again soon!"
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 5:20 am
"DAD! I'm heading to work!" Raven called up the stairs, one hand reaching out to snag Kaeru as the frog tried to dart past her. "And I'm taking Kaeru to school!" Youko wasn't quite awake yet, still in a pair of sleep pants as he moved to the top of the stairs and looked down at them. "Thanks," he answered, smiling to her. He'd been up for about an hour yet with no signs of truly waking, despite the coffee he'd been sucking down like it was going out of style. This usually only meant one thing. Youko was getting sick. Whether it was out of deference or pity, his kids had taken it upon themselves to go through their morning routine without the fox, and now all three were finally OUT of the house. He decided quickly that he would love to just curl back up in bed... so that's exactly what he did, after grabbing the bedtable and his laptop and getting everything set up there. The wand, which had been in the crib, was now laying on the blankets of his bed. The television that was nestled into an armoire-style entertainment centre was turned on, the subtle drone of background noise soothing to the fox's ears. "Computer, remote, coffee, smokes." Youko went down his mental checklist. "Got it. Good." Once he was settled amidst the blankets, he started typing, looking up information on the wand. Ianna had said that it was a goddess... THAT was going to be new. He wasn't aware that he had any goddesses living in the house thusfar, despite how Raven acted. This would be something new... or it could very well wind up being just the same as any other kid. An Asian goddess of Mercy. THAT, Youko knew off the top of his head. He was pretty well versed in Japanese legend, and the first thing he thought of was Kannon, or Kanzeon, the Japanese goddess of Mercy. He also knew that the same goddess was referred to in Chinese mythology as Kuan Yin or Quan Yin. One good thing about Asian culture... everyone pretty much believed similar things, with slight variations, when it came to Buddhism. TBC
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 5:47 am
Youko was slumped back against the pillows, staring at the screen. There was so much information on Kuan Yin... and as he looked down at the wand, he smiled faintly. "Looks like you're going to be a pretty easy one to deal with, oh 'Goddess of Mercy'," he said, smiling and letting his fingers drift against the mist that was bobbing up and down from the end of the wand. From what he could tell, most of the stories of Kuan Yin were the same. A girl who had been beset upon by her father for wanting to become holy instead of succumbing to the frailties of humanity. She was kind, generous and merciful, hence the title of the Merciful Goddess. However, there was another aspect of her that he hadn't quite seen yet. "According to this, there is an anime that has you in it," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Annnnnd... I think Raven has it in her collection. You stay here, and I'll go find it." Some would say that it was silly to talk to a wand, but Youko was certain that the mist COULD hear him, and he tried his best to keep it apprised of what was going on. He'd done that with all his children, from the time they were born, and didn't see any reason to stop now. It took him perhaps ten minutes to find the discs, and he climbed the stairs back up to his room, curling into the bed. "There we go," he said, propping up the wand a bit so that the mist could 'see'. Well, if it even could see. "Maybe this will give us a bit more insight," he said, pressing 'play'. TBC
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 7:38 am
"Oh... dear." Youko looked down at the wand with newfound trepidation at the wand laying far-too-innocently next to him. He'd watched quite a few episodes of the anime, and was now convinced that this wand was going to be less-peaceful than he'd first imagined. The portrayal of Kanzeon in the series was NOT what he'd been expecting... instead of being kind, caring and compassionate, she was chaotic, prideful, antagonistic and brash. Now he wasn't sure WHAT to expect, and was staring at the wand as if it were going to suddenly pounce on him. The wisp, meanwhile was still just floating there, barely seen against the dark green of the comforter. It didn't seem to be phased one way or another by the viewing of the show, and Youko wasn't certain if it could see or hear it at all. "If it can, I'm likely screwed..." Youko said, ears falling back a bit. "You aren't going to take that whole thing to heart are you?" he asked, toying with the wisp idly. "Here's hoping you take afer the more traditional aspect of it..." He prayed, anyway. There were a few other things that were attributed to the 'stylized' version of Kuan Yin that made his blood run cold. Like the fact that the 'goddess' had no gender. "That would explain Yashi's reaction," he murmured to himself, eyes narrowing a bit at the wisp. "Gods help me, I think I'm in for it with you."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 5:15 pm
After ringing the doorbell, Youko stood there for a few minutes, staring down at the wisped wand as he moved from one foot to the other. He'd tried going to the shop... but hadn't found anyone there. The only other person he knew who MIGHT have been able to shed some light on this was Patrick... and the little kitsune in his care. That's what brought him here now, and he anxiously waited at the door, hoping that someone was home. WHo answered the door wasn't Patrick, however. It was a small boy, slight of build and only looking about ten in age. His hair was orange, red and gold, sticking up in all different directions and there were a pair of black and white wings flaring from his back. Red eyes narrowed dangerously once he saw it was a fox-thing outside and his low, slightly nasal voice was harsh. "Yashima is ours. Go away." And slammed the door shut in Youkos face. Distantly, deep in the house, one could hear Patrick calling out an inquiry over the guest. "Well, that was unexpected," he said, half to the wand and half to the door that was in front of him... and now shut again. Reaching, he hit the doorbell again, ready to interrupt and hopefully NOT nearly wind up with a flattened nose again. What could one say in defense? Iamel was possesive over his siblings. The door was yanked open, the gaurdian of death about to belt out loud obscenities he learned from his best friend when he heard Patrick call out to the odd man. Iamel froze. "Shiniee! I thought this was--" "Another wand Gaurdian," Patrick interrupted his son, moving into view with a three-eyed, ebony colored baby clinging to his neck and back. One reptilian tail could be seen wrapped around his upper arm and Yashima was clinging to his leg... He was good with kids. Lots of infants. "Iamel, this is Youko. Youko, this is my oldest, Iamel. I hope he wasn't too rude." "I just thought he was gonna try to take Yashi away." The bird gave Youko a shrewd look before hopping back, lower lip pushing out into a pout. "S'all." "He reminds me of my daughter when she was younger," Youko said, chuckling. "I had my 'I'm not here to take him' speech all ready too." He smiled to Iamel and bowed politely to him. "It's good to meet you, Iamel," he said, then turned to Patrick with an almost helpless expression. "Can I come in? I'm having a bit of a revelation about this wand and I want to make sure I'm not going crazy." He held up the wand then, the tiny wisp hovering there, just above the gemstone. "Hey, it wisped!" Patricks voice was rather pleased at that, pushing the door further open to let Youko come in. "Don't mind the mess.. We're trying to expand it a little bit, but it's still a little cramped." The child on his shoulder burrowed against his fathers throat, growling in the depths of his own. Yashi, however, detatched himself from Patricks ankle to wave shyly up at Youko as the wand and it's father moved inside. "And...the kids run amuck here. So if you see a random satyr or bird or something.. uh. Well. They belong here, I guess." "No worries, you should have seen our place when we moved. It was a disaster for WEEKS." Youko grinned, toeing off his shoes at the door out of habit and smiled down at Yashima. "Ohayo..." he said, crouching down so that he was eye height with the boy and leaned forward to nuzzle his ears gently. "How are you doing today, Yashi?" At the mention of the wand, Youko nodded then, looking a bit more troubled. "I'm beginning to think that your assessment of Yashi's discomfort with this thing wasn't too far off. I've been doing a bit of research on what I believe this wand represents." "Mordread's trying to get me to move again, but I refuse. We came here right after we got Lahela - it's too soon to move again and too many kids to keep track of." He shook his head lightly, grinning a bit. Yashi squealed happily at the attention, leaning in to wind his arms around Youkos neck, nosing against his cheek. His small tail fluffed and wound around the older things arm. "Kee," He blurbled out in his limited English skills - he was trying! See? "Which assesment? That it might be both? What do you think it is, th--OW, Kian! No biting!" Dark hands took his clutching son from his own neck, wincing a little. "What kind of being?" Standing up again, Youko wrapped his arm under Yashi's rump and lifted the boy into one arm as he held the wand with his other hand. "Yeah... that it might be both. You see, Ianna told me that this one was a goddess of Mercy... and that her wand was found in the South China Sea." As he spoke, Youko sidestepped a running toddler and moved to find a seat in a vacant area. "Well, it wasn't too hard to find out what that meant... most Asian cultures follow Buddhism or Shinto. In Japan and China... as well as parts of India, the gods are all the same, they just have different variations on the name depending on where they're from." He lay the wand down then, staring at it with his ears back slightly. "The Goddess of Mercy is Kuan Yin, in China... Kannon in Japan. She's also known as Kanzeon Bosatsu." He glanced up to Patrick, worried. "She's also not entirely a 'she', and she's not quite as 'merciful' as some people think. At least not in the SENSE that most people think of mercy." The fox squeaked just a little bit, head tilting to peer at his father along with clutching to the right-smelling adult who was holding him. At the comment of religions, though, his ears perked a little, small frame giving only the briefests of shifts. Patrick put Kian on the floor, letting the child crawl off on his own while the other kids ran rampant. The worry in his guests voice made the dark man glance up, head cocking to the side. "So she's kind of a he and she has the justice that only a few can comprehende as such?" Pierced eyebrows arched at that. "Well.... I mean, this is their second chance at life, right? Maybe she won't be running around with a katana or..whatever," His hand waved, "Killing people. Maybe she'll like poetry. Some Poe here and there." That brought a laugh from Youko. "No, no, nothing like that... she wasn't violent at all. She just had... well, a strange sense of humour and a rather wierd concept of what gods should and shouldn't do." He glanced to Yashi then, one hand reaching to ruffle the boy's ears slightly. "She WAS merciful... but generally caused quite a bit of chaos on her own. Then would sit back and watch how people dealt with said chaos." He looked up to Patrick, one ear pricked up while the other sort of lopped to the side. "I think I'm going to be in for an amusing time with this kid." "Well, the world can't move without chaos, eh?" He grinned, watching the two kitsunes snuggle and the such. Yashima was always a cuddly creature, but he almost poofed up twice his size when the older being was there. "s**t. I've been a horrendous host. Want anything to eat or drink? We have everything from steak to veggies to bugs. We're a ...diverse household." "STOP IT AKILAH!" Just as warned, a satyr girl streaked past, green hair flying, with her meerkat brother on her heels, firing at her with nerf balls. The meerkat was cackling. Patrick simply rubbed his temples, head shaking slightly. "....yeah. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" Waving one hand, Youko scooted his feet out of the way so that the girl and the chasing meerkat didn't trip over him. "I'm good on eats, actually... but if you had some iced tea, I wouldn't object?" He smiled then, nuzzling Yashi's hair and enjoying the closeness of the other kitsune. "Oh! I remembered my promise too... I brought something that might help you with Yashi." He fished around in his pocket then, bringing up a small glass vial and handing it to Patrick. "Open it and sniff." The contents of the bottle seemed to be some kind of oil, a light wafting of cinnamon and musk coming up from it when it was opened. "That's the closest I could come to what our 'scent' is like. And while it's not exact, it might just help with how you two interact." "Iced tea? Gotcha." He stretched a little bit, moving to stand a bit straighter with a sigh. It huuuurt to stand sometime, especially since he'd gotten used to sitting at a computer for so long. That's when he got told to 'sniff' something. Usuall, when someone offered him a forgein substance and ordered to sniff, he backed off and refused to... but Youko gave him a reason WHY he would. The male took the vial, popping it open to sniff at the open vial. Yashimas nose wrinkled up before sniff, sniff, sniffling at the air, leaning away from Youko and towards the bottle his father was holding in his hands. What was that? "Nani?" One hand detatched from Youko, making grabbing motions towards the vial. "Might not want to let him get hold of it or he'll likely wind up covered in it," Youko chuckled, shifting Yashi slightly so that he couldn't reach the vial. "That," he said, bumping his nose against Yashi's, "is for your to-san." He turned back to Patrick, smiling. "It's an oil, so that should last you a good long while. Just get a drop of it on your finger and rub it on either side of your throat, and on your wrists. The scent isn't overwhelming, and you'll likely not smell it at all after a few minutes. But HE will. Our sense of smell is pretty keen." Yashima whined softly, nose wriggling against Youkos own. His hand moved from grabbing at the vial to winding in Youkos hair and once more chewing at the strands. If the big thing said no, then it was no. Right? Right. "Allright.." The vial was capped and the humanoid smiled at the older kitsune, head giving a little bow. "Thanks, Youko. It...really means something. I. Uh." Patrick was NOT good with gratitude. "...lemme get you that tea." He scurried off. The fox-kit giggled softly, "Tousan sih-hee." "Yep, to-san's silly," Youko said, grinning and curling up a bit on the couch with his tail wrapped around Yashima. At least he knew now that the boy DID understand English, even if he barely spoke it. So he made up his mind to do what he'd done with Nozomi at this age. Immerse the kid in English, so that he'd learn both languages. "Did you see the wisp?" he asked, pointing to the wand that was resting on the couch beside him. It seemed to be watching them, and one could almost see it blinking in curiosity. "I have it over there because I don't know if you'll still be upset by it or not. But now I think I know why you didn't like it." He tried to explain then, smiling. "It's a boy AND a girl," he said. "Not twins... it's one person, but both boy and girl." Yashi floofed up his tail even further as he cuddled against the older fox and those fluffy fluffy tails! Such fluffity comfort! Fingers flexed in the fur, purring down in his throat. The wisp, however, was on the recieving end of a suspicious glare. It wasn't a BOY so it was automatically on his s**t-list. Only Lee and Neveah had been approved on sight. "Hai," He finally grumbled, pulling up Youkos tail to his nose as if to hide from the wisp. "....mou?" He didn't get THAT part. Two little fingers poked out from the fluff, wriggling independantly before curling together (or as much as chubby toddler fingers could be). "Hai?" "Hai," Youko answered, nodding softly. He held up two fingers then. "Two things..." and then he wound them around each other, like Yashi was doing. "One person." He hoped he was being clear in this... at least clear enough for a toddler to understand. Maybe if the boy knew Japanese... and knew it instinctively enough to speak it despite not being around the language... maybe other cultural memories would have remained as well. "Kannon," he said, pointing to the wisp that hovered in the air, waving back and forth idly. "Kanzeon." Both names, both known in Japanese culture. It was a luck shot, he knew, but it was worth a try. Kanzeon? It struck a chord in him - a woman in power, something fearful, something so very very very strong. All the furr on Yashis body stood up straight, like a cats, and his ears moved to lay flat on his skull. The small boy hissed roughly, small frame twisted, moving away from Youko in the wand. It wasn't like he could do more then run..he wasn't strong and...and...and... That's when the toddler started to wail. Hoo boy. Youko's ears pinned back then and he moved to scoop up Yashima. "Oh hells... I'm sorry, kitling..." He nuzzled against Yashi then, bringing a rumbling purr to his throat as he tucked the boy's head under his chin protectively. "Guess you understood that..." Youko just hoped that Patrick didn't beat his a** when he came back in, for making his kid cry. He wrapped himself around the boy, much as he'd done the last time Yashima had gotten upset. "I promise... I won't bring the wand around anymore, okay?" "I-iyaaaaaa..." His voice was a hiccup and a wail, clutching onto Youko, face burrowing into his chest. Anything else he might've said was muffled, as Youkos clothing was in the way. Patrick came back into the room with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses...along with a little sippie cup for Yashi. "Is he okay? Yashi? What happened?" Yashi just hiccuped, curling closer to Youko. Youko looked up at Patrick with his ears folded back and a look of "OMG I'm sorry" on his face as he pointed one finger towards the wand. He mouthed the word 'sorry', his tail still wrapped tightly around Yashi as he purred to try and soothe the boy. He would explain fully later... preferably when Yashi wasn't in the room to get upset by his words. "What is he doing NOW?" Iamel fumed, stomping back into the living room, past his father and heading straight to Youko. Patrick jumped slightly at the bird storming past, moving to put the pitcher and glass on the table. "Iamel, don't be mean. Yashi just started crying again, like with you and Akilah." Patricks voice was soothing, moving to scoop up Yashi when Iamel held out his arms. "Let ME take him." The boy frowned still, staring up at Youko. Patrick really didn't have the heart to tell his son to STFU and go away. "I won't make him cry. He doesn't LIKE something in here." "There are a lot of things kids don't like," Youko answered, barely giving the boy a second glance as he moved to scoop up the vial he'd given to Patrick earlier. He got a bit of the oil on his finger and motioned Patrick to lift his chin as he put a bit of it on the man's skin. Hopefully it would help to soothe Yashi. "And your aggitation isn't helping matters any, Iamel." Youko's voice shifted slightly in that moment, going from 'soothing' for Yashi's sake... to 'parent' as he spoke to the bird-like boy. Iamel sputtered in his anger at the other older man ordering him around - he wasn't Shiniee or Catbitch! That meant he wasn't a parental figure and HE DIDN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO HIM. Except Patrick WAS. Red eyes narrowed and the little bird growled, wings flaring out a little in that aggitation that really wasn't helping the tearful little fox-baby. Patrick tilted his chin upwards a little, nose wrinkling a wee bit at the feel of the slick moisture and the odd smell he wasn't quite used to. It wasn't bad just... different. "Iamel, I've told you not to be rude to guests." His voice was soft when speaking to the child and Iamel fell silent. "Yashi gets upset sometimes. So does everyone else. We aren't beating him and Youko isn't being mean to him. Yashi adores him. Deal with it." Youko's fingers moved through Yashi's hair, brushing against his ears gently. "I'm not hurting him, Iamel... I said something that upset him, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't intend it that way." He started to purr softly, even though he wasn't holding Yashi anymore and moved to scoop up the wand. "I'm going to set this up here for now," he said, placing wisp and wand on a bookshelf that was up out of Yashi's sight. Sighing helplessly, Youko looked to Patrick. "I hope they get along better once the baby's here... I'd kinda hate to not be able to see you guys anymore." He'd grown attached to the little kitsune boy... and his father by proxy. Irate siblings aside, not much scared or startled Youko anymore. Yashi was slowly but surely calming down, hiccuping and nuzzling into his father...Sniff sniff sniff. What? He blinked a few times, fingers flexing in the older, dark mans shirt with a little curious churr and an experimental head nudge to the chin. Decorated fingers stroked through the little kits hair as well, giving Youko a faint smile. "Don't worry... I think he'll be better once the kid's here. He just gets confused sometimes over the fact that just because someone IS something - like a girl, for instance - doesn't mean they're bad. He'll deal with it.." "What did you say?" Iamel finally huffed out, tone grudgingly curious. He HAD to know.. Sitting down again on the couch, Youko put himself at eye level with Iamel. "I'm not going to repeat it, because I don't want to upset him again. But what I told him was the name of the spirit in that wand I have up there." He pointed to the wand he'd just placed on the bookshelf. "I think it triggered a memory in him. He's Japanese, like I am, and he recognised the name. I don't really think it scared him... but toddlers sometimes can't get out what they're feeling in words, because they just don't know the words to say." He smiled faintly then, betting that Iamel did the same when he was little. "When they don't know how to say what they need to, it frustrates them... and they do the only thing they know how to do. They cry." Iamel just glared back at Youko, arms folding roughly over his skinny chest as the older man spoke. "It's probably what killed him." His voice was blunt, jaw setting just a bit. "He doesn't like girls. It was probably the girl that killed him." "Iamel!" Patricks tone was firm and almost icey. While he hadn't risen his voice much while the two were talking, it made his son pause his little tantrum. "Don't." The boy hesitated before hopping back, lips pursing tightly over his teeth. But he listened, running a hand through his fluffy sun-colored hair. Shaking his head, Youko kept his gaze on Iamel. "But see... the wand isn't a girl," he said. It was the truth, after all. He seemed to have infinite patience with children, at least when they weren't being rude to him. "Now... I don't think you should be talking like that," he said, glancing to Yashima. "Unless you want him to get upset again. And I'd really rather not see that happen. We're trying to calm him down... why are you trying so hard to scare him?" Iamel was silent for a long second and even Patrick was quiet, eyes on his son, letting him respond for himself... He was curious! The birds cheeks puffed up momentarily before he burst out with what, exactly, was on his mind, "You are NOT taking my Shiniee! I already had to deal with Catbitch and I don't need YOU coming in here and taking him too! He's MINE! He's MORDREADS! You leave him ALONE!" With that, the child turned on his heels and high-tailed it out, leaving a dumbfounded father and sniffling brother in his wake. "...did he just insuiate... Does he think...? What?!" Youko blinked for a moment, staring after the boy... then just started laughing as he sagged back against the couch. He couldn't BREATHE for a few minutes, and finally just looked up at Patrick in amusement as he tried to catch his breath. "I think... your son thinks I'm trying to steal you," he said, grinning from ear to pointed ear. "Maybe after I leave you could tell him that I'm already very happily mated, and don't intend to cheat on my beloved. That, and I doubt you're one to dabble on the side, either." Youko was still laughing, despite his efforts to keep a straight face as he watched Patrick for his reaction. "I think my son is crazy!" He managed to sputter out, sinking down to the carpeted floor, cuddling Yashima close to him. The fox-kit had managed to calm down a great deal once the oil was dabbed on, clinging to his biggest teddy bear to date - his fathers. "Yeaaaah... I'll be sure to tell him... I mean, I haven't even LOOKED at someone since I met Mordread... He's.." His head shakes a little, nose wrinkling up. "Yeah. I'll tell him. He'll probably apologize later of his own free will." Yashi peeked out from over his dads shoulder back at the other fox, blinking a little. Confusion! One hand waved dismissively. "He's a kid," Youko said, smiling softly. "They speak without thinking at times, and he just said what was on his mind. Can't fault him for that... it's better than him stewing about it." The fox got up then, stretching and moving to ruffle Yashima's ears lightly. "I think I should go for now. Thank you for listening to me rant," he said, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I upset Yashima." "He's a craaaaayze kid, but.." He shrugs a little, smiling faintly, "But he's mine. Y'know? A little blunt - and I am SO sorry for that - but he was my first. I can't just..be snarky at him." Yashima churred, tail fluffing and leaning into the others hand, nibbling at his fingers. "Kee~" One hand moved to clutch at Youkos fingers before drawing back, beaming at the other kitsunes. "It's been nice seeing you again, Youko... Hopefully, we can do this again, without either children screaming. Sound good?" He grinned crookedly, head tilting to the side. "Don't worry about it. Weird things set him off." "Yeah, you can be snarky," Youko said, winking at him and reaching for the wand. "Otherwise it'll be worse when he gets older. Trust me on this one..." He held the wand in his hands, sighing faintly. "This one's going to be my youngest. All the rest are grown and a couple are leaving. It'll be good to have another little one in the house, no matter what happens." He looked to Patrick then, smiling. "And we'll definitely do this again. Next time, come to my place if you want. It's pretty quiet now that the kids are older. If you'd come when the twins were younger, you'd have thought World War III was happening under my roof." He moved to the door then, slipping his shoes back on and making sure the wisp was still attached to the wand. "I'll make dinner or something. My mother taught me how to cook when I was little and I'll bet Yashima would like some REAL Japanese food." He leaned in to nuzzle the boy's ears again quickly, a purr coming from his throat. "And he can run around in the backyard. I've got a koi pond out there that seems to fascinate children." "He's usually just hyper.." He grinned at the other and shrugged, stroking at Yashis white and golden hair. The fox kit purred, nuzzling at his father and then - was that another nuzzle?! - leaned quickly into Youko before the adult moved away. Yashi gave a delighted little squeal, bouncing a little before snuggling back to his father, nose pressed right against the small bit where the first application of that vial-oil had been placed. Mmm. Good smell. "That sounds like fun, Youko. I bet he'll be absolutely tickled to be there. A place saturated with fox smell! He'll never want to leave." Patrick laughed, head tilting back a little. "And don't worry about the wisp too much..just don't vacuum it. It's easier to take care of when it gets bigger." Snickering, Youko nodded. "There's a family of foxes that live in the woods near my house. They come into the yard all the time because I feed them." He settled the wand into the crook of his arm, glancing down to it. "From what Ianna told me, the next stage won't make me so paranoid. I keep thinking that if I sneeze near it, it'll be gone." He poked at the wisp, which seemed to enjoy the contact, despite the fact that Youko couldn't feel any response from it. "You two are welcome anytime. And I do mean anytime. If you ever need someone to watch him, I'm there too. My oldest will love him... the only other kitsune she's ever been around besides me was her brother. And I think Yashi's MUCH better behaved than Kendall was at this age." He bowed to them then, grinning at Yashi before heading out the door. "Thanks for dealing with my neuroses today." "Baby ghost is easier then both the wisp and the baby stage." he grinned, shrugging and watching him, fingers raising to wave slightly. "Not an issue! Everyone's paranoid. Hell, I'm STILL paranoid and he's been here since January." "An-oo-ry!" Yashi agreed cheerfully, bobbing his head with a little giggle. "Mata na!" "Mata na, kitling," Youko said, smiling as he slipped out the door. He gave a final wave to them as he headed down the walk towards his car. It was a good visit, even if he HAD made Yashi cry. For a second time. As he got in the car, he sighed down at the wand. "I really hope you guys DO get along..."
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 12:42 pm
It seemed that the fox was wary when he stepped into the HQ, glancing around as if looking for someone. He had the wisped wand resting in the crook of his arm, but after the last two times of meeting with Yashima, he was half hoping the kitsune boy wasn't in attendance. He had been deeply upset by the wand, and Youko didn't want the boy to start hating HIM because of it. It seemed that he was safe for the moment, however, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he took off his shoes and then moved into the 'living room' area, curling up on the couch. Well, she hadn't done this in a while. Opening the door, a blue-haired young woman entered Headquarters rather cautiously, for once without any companions whatsoever. Or perhaps that wasn't quite right - a long, elegant wand was tucked carefully in her belt, wrapped with cloth to protect it. She hadn't gone out without the kids in quite a while. For that matter, she hadn't gone out with just one of her 'item' children since - jeez, since Mirelle and Kirika were first given to her, over a year ago. Smiling, she glanced around, wondering who might be here. "Hello?" Youko's ears pricked up a bit at the call, and he turned to glance over his shoulder towards the sound. "Hello!" he called back, smiling. "I think we're the only ones here at the moment. I'm in the livingroom." He set the wand across his lap, carefully watching the little wisp as it hovered and seemed to sway back and forth with each breath he took and exhaled. Rune grinned, moving forward into the room. Careful fingers unhooked the leather strap holding her wand in place at her hip, and she settled herself in an armchair, placing it gently on her knees. Green eyes danced behind blue-framed glasses. "Hello. I'm Rune." She touched the round ball of the wand on her lap, face flashing fondly. "And this is Shane." "I'm Youko," he replied, grinning as he scooted a bit on the couch to curl up closer to the chair where the woman was. "And this is... ummm..." he looked down at the wand with a guilty expression, watching the wisp that seemed to be watching him in return. "Well... I hadn't really thought about a name yet. I guess I'm waiting to see what comes from the wand." He turned back to Rune then with a sheepish smile. "We're... not quite sure if it's a boy or girl yet." Or both, he thought idly, remembering the revelations he'd discovered when researching the wand. Rune laughed. "I understand that." She assured the kitsune, looking amused and a bit sheepish in her own right. "We THINK Shane is a boy, but if not - it'll be short for Shalayne. One thing I love about unisex names." Glancing at the wisp, she seemed unabashedly curious. "Do they all wisp like that?" She asked. "I only talked with - Ianna, I think her name was - Ianna for a few minutes, so I have no idea how these little guys grow." "Now there's an idea..." he said, smiling. "Maybe I'll start looking for unisex names." At the question, he held out the wand towards Rune, watching the wisp float back and forth, still attached to the gem in the wand. "As far as I know, they all do this. It was a bit of a surprise, I was just told that a baby would appear, and this happened instead." He remember Kaeru's exhuberant cries when the boy had discovered the wisp. "I've learned a bit more since then. Apparently there's another phase they'll go through, Ianna called it 'baby ghost', I think it was. Then it'll actually BE a baby later on." "Wow, really?" Rune glanced down in surprise at Shane's wand, which gleamed innocently back at her. "I've never had a child go through so many stages BEFORE being a baby." She grinned ruefully. "Then again, considering the madhouse at home right now, I suppose it's a good thing. Give the little guy time to get used to his big brothers and sisters." Smiling, she gently held a hand toward the little whisp, stopping short of actually touching the small thing for fear she might hurt it. "It's really quite cute." She glanced back up at Youko. "So does the little one have any siblings?" "It's okay, you can touch it," he said, smiling as he remembered his own trepidation at trying to interact with the wisp. "It seems to like the contact and tends to try and wrap around my finger. And yes, it'll have three siblings. Four technically, but my son lives with his mother. I have two daughters and a son that live with me. So there'll be NO shortage of activity in the house." Rune grinned, pleased, gently trailing her fingers over the little whisp. "I bet they were happy to have a new little sibling." Her eyes filled with wry amusement - she knew all children reacted differently with new siblings. Her own kids loved brothers and sisters - a good thing, when there were fifty of them - but some probably didn't. Well, now that she thought of it, her son Caz hadn't been too happy when Julian and Cassi first arrived, either. Snickering, Youko leaned back against the couch, ticking off on his fingers. "Let's see... Raven is giddy about it, and looking forward to it. She LOVES kids, and likes the idea of a baby in the house again, even if she's moving out. Omi could take it or leave it... she doesn't really care for kids til they get old enough to be interesting. And Kaeru's determined that this one's going to be a boy, because he's tired of having nothing but sisters." "He'd love Cody." Rune laughed, petting Shane's wand in her lap idly. "My sons are the same way - every time we get a new baby, they insist it should be a boy. Poor things are something like two sisters for every brother. The girls are just excited to have another baby - " She paused. "Well, mostly." Her older daughters weren't too great with infants, but that was more Mirelle's uncertainty than any real dislike. "Well, in a house full of teenagers, a baby will be welcome, let me tell you." He watched the wisp fondly, noting that it was trying to wind itself around Rune's fingers even as they spoke. "My two girls are going to be leaving soon... Raven's moving out and getting her own place, and Omi's going to be going to live with my parents in Japan for a while. She's got a lot of soul searching to do, and we both think she'll be able to go about it better there." Youko smiled, tilting his head to the side. "It'll be good to be needed again." Rune grinned, holding up her own little wand for the wisp's inspection as she nodded. "My two older sons are both living in the city - well, them and my older daughter. And being needed is always nice." She looked rather interested. "Your parents live in Japan?"
TBC
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 10:17 am
"For the last time, NO." Youko walked past Kaeru as the boy stood there with the vacuum cleaner in one hand and a pitiful expression on his face. "You finish your chores first, THEN you can take off to the beach." "But DAD..." the teen nearly wailed. "It's gorgeous outside! The sun's out, it's almost 90 degrees..." "And you're wasting time arguing with me," Youko pointed out. "The longer you keep THAT up, the longer it'll take you to get done." He left the room then, heading upstairs to start his own 'chores' for the day. On the way, he opened every window he came across that wasn't wide to the breeze already, inhaling the soft scent of honeysuckle that was carried on the wind from the yard. Summer was definitely HERE, and the fox was happy about it. No more freezing his tail off all day. A soft giggle sounded then, and Youko stopped, one ear pricked up and the other laying to the side. His hand was resting on the railing, and he had paused while in the process of climbing the stairs. "Kaeru? Was that you giggling?" "Why the hell would I be giggling while doing slave labour?" the boy shot back, his voice a near growl over the din of the vacuum. "Good point." Youko shook his head, having known the answer to THAT question the moment he'd spoken it. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to hear that faint of a giggle above the racket the vacuum was making. "Must've been my imagination," he murmured, ascending the stairs once more and making his way around the bannister towards his own room. He closed the door to Kaeru's rat trap of a room on the way by. That was one thing he'd instilled in the boy's head early on... chores were fine, and they were for most of the house. But Kaeru's room was his own, and if he didn't feel like cleaning it... he didn't have to. The only exception to that rule was if Youko determined that the area was a disaster site and they needed to search for survivors. That was when he heard it again. He stopped dead, narrowing his eyes. He KNEW he'd heard it that time. Youko was CERTAIN, however, that he couldn't quite tell where it was coming from. It was as if the sound had come from his own mind. "I'm going nuts," he murmured, padding into each room upstairs until he came to his own. No one was here... well, except for himself and The Grudge downstairs. "Hello?" he called softly, and then heard an answering laugh again. He spun around, eyes wide as he caught movement from the corner... and the fox went nearly white-pale. It had come from the CRIB. As he looked, a soft cloud of violet peered up over the padding of the crib, and Youko could see the now-tiny wand held in its... hands? "Oh my gods..." he murmured, walking over to the crib and staring down at the baby-shaped cloud where it bobbed back and forth of its own accord. He reached down carefully, picking up the little wand and nearly winced when he heard a happy shriek in his ears. "Seems you like the company, ne?" he asked, smiling as the ghost moved to cuddle around his neck. "Can't say I blame you. I hate being alone sometimes too." He inspected the ghost as it mvoed around, and smiled. Well, now he wouldn't have to be so blasted PARANOID about the thing. It was a lot more substantial now that it was no longer a wisp, and it actually seemed to enjoy the window-breeze. When he moved closer to the window and a gust moved over them, the baby let out a gleeful shriek, and almost seemed to dance in the wind. "Who're you talking to?" Kaeru was leaning against the door frame, looking at his father curiously. "Look!" he answered, turning and showing off the puff of violet. As his son came over to also inspect the ghost, Youko chuckled. "I think it likes us... it's been laughing and giggling ever since I got up here." "I don't hear anything," Kaeru replied, tilting his head and watching the ghost as well. "But it's cute. Can I go now?" "Vacuuming done?" "Yes..." "Your dirty clothes are in the laundry pile?" "Yes, dad." "And the counters are wiped down from lunch?" An exasperated sigh answered him. "YES... can I go now?" Nodding, Youko flattened his ears at the whoop of joy from his son as the frog raced out the door. "Five... four..." he started counting, following the clattering racket through the downstairs and ended with 'one' as the back door slammed shut. "We won't see him again til tonight," he told the ghost, deciding that now would be the perfect time to show it the rest of the house. "Shavri..." he whispered, letting the ghost wrap around his fingers. "I think that's what I'll name you."
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:03 am
Dear Diary -
My children think I'm going insane, and I'm not so certain that I'm not. I swear, I hear the baby ghost in my head. It coos, it giggles, it laughs... and I'm the only one that can actually hear it. Kaeru, Raven and Omi all have said they don't hear a thing. And while I wouldn't put it past Raven to just say that and laugh behind my back... I know that Omi would do no such thing.
I really AM the only one that can hear it, and it's hard to remember to NOT react around others. Especially out in public.
That's all I'd need is for people to start wondering if the fox needs to be locked up in the nice padded room. Hell, I'm even nervous about reacting around Envy, and he KNOWS what's going on.
Maybe I just need to put this all in perspective. I have no problem when it's just me and Shavri... I just have to watch it when I'm out in public. Looks like I'll be spending a lot more time in private.
Youko
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:37 pm
Dear Diary -
I'm going to contact Patrick soon. I had made the offer of dinner, and now that Shavri has become more substantial, I think he (or she) will like the company. I just hope that Yashima doesn't get as upset as he did before...
If he does, I honestly don't know what I'll do. I can't exactly give up Shavri, but I think I've grown rather attached to Yanisin as well. It's unusual to find another kitsune like myself... and I don't want to lose this chance.
I'll call them tomorrow.
I've also heard through the grapevine that Shiromaru has acquired a wand as well. I should go over to Trio's and see him soon.
Youko
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