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 Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:26 am
Find it in the Yellow Pages! "Paperwork sucks!" Reyna declared irritably as she shoved the pile of papers that was stacked up in front of her to the side and sulked faintly at it. So. So irritating. She knew if she said anything to Athan about it he'd just tell her what he'd told her before -- that it's a necessary evil.
She sighed and rested her chin in one hand as she idly reached for the stack of papers once more to try and sort through it so that it made at least some sort of sense. Didn't Athan know that she was an artist and not a file clerk? She came up with designs, and creative ideas! Filing and math were totally out of the question.
There had been dozens of ads for jewelry stores in the Yellow Pages. After flipping through them for a few minutes, baffled, Ying had done the only thing she could- pick the prettiest ad. That narrowed it down a great deal, and she had finally settled on Twilight Designs, a store with a neat looking ad right in the middle of the page. It was easy to get to as well, and a mere half-hour later she arrived at the door.
"Nice place," she commented to no one in particular. Clutching a small tissue-wrapped bundle in her fist, she eased the door open. "Hello?"
Reyna glanced up when the chime to the door rang, signaling to her that she now had a customer to preoccupy her time with rather than dull, boring paperwork. She decided that she was rather thankful that someone had decided to stop by whereas she normally preferred to have as little to do as possible with most customers, but they honestly didn't have that many, just a few regulars.
"Hello there," the silver haired woman smiled, "Looking for anything in particular?" She scooted off her stool behind the desk and moved to approach the young woman.
It seemed that she had chosen well. Nice ad, nice shop, and nice shop people. Of course, the quality of the work was most important. But so far, Ying was duly impressed. And DS had told her she wouldn't find anything good in the Yellow Pages!
Her gaze fell on the jewelry cases, but then she remembered what she was there for. "Actually... I was wondering if you did repairs." She unfolded the small bundle, revealing a oval-shaped green stone about the size of her thumb, along with a couple pieced of twisted silver metal and a broken pin closure.
"Do you think you can fix it, miss?"
"Hmm. Fixing things isn't really my specialty when it comes to jewelry," Reyna pondered out loud as she gently took the piece of jewelry from the girl. She studied it carefully before handing it back to the girl with a charming smile, "Wait right here and let me go and ask if Athan can help."
She smiled again before turning away to head into the back room where Athan was sitting on the couch going through a stack of papers that dwarfed her own. "Hey," she began as she moved to plop unceremoniously down next to him.
Athan glanced up slowly, eyes narrowed in quiet suspicion. "Don't tell me you've already finished sorting that stack of papers I gave you," he grumbled out, fairly certain that the woman had come up with some sort of excuse to shirk off her duties.
"No! That's not why I came in here to pester you," she protested, "There's a customer outside that has a.. er.. a brooch or something like that and it's broken. Can you take a look at it and see if you can fix it?"
Athan's eyes widened slightly at that and his expression softened. "Sure," he replied and decided to ignore how Reyna rolled her eyes at him. He smoothed out his robes and headed into the front room to greet the young lady waiting there with a warm smile.
Ying nodded. She was fine with waiting if it meant getting her pin fixed. Besides... as the woman left the room, she darted over to one of the cases. Gemstones had always entranced her. Perhaps it had to do with her race's natural connection to them, but every time she was around any type of gems she felt at home. Of course, each stone was different, but they all exuded a warm feeling, at least to her. Grinning, her fingers ran over the glass, trying to feel each piece. They were all so lovely... perhaps if there was something inexpensive, she could buy something and pay for repairs.
Perhaps it was the light in the stones, but more likely it was her own tendency to daydream that led her thoughts away from the real world, nothing (and no one) in it noticable anymore.
"It's a lovely piece isn't it? Genuine amethyst," Athan replied smoothly as he lightly tapped the glass. He smiled faintly and remained quiet for a moment as he bent to idly study the piece. It was one of the newer designs he'd aquired, and at the moment one of his favorites.
"You have something that's in need of repair?" he asked as he stood upright and idly glanced towards the small brooch that the girl held in her hands.
... Ooops.
"I'm sorry- I mean, yes, it is beautiful. And yes, I do have something that needs fixing. Sir." Blushing from embarrassment- Ying hated being caught in Lala Land- she held the pile of broken parts in front of her. "My brother broke it, you see. It was a gift, and I've grown attatched to it. Is it fixable?"
An idea came to her, and her eyes sparkled. "I don't suppose you know what kind of stone it is, sir? It's green, but it doesn't feel like an emerald."
Athan pondered over that question for a moment as he took the broken piece of jewelry from her. "My guess," he began slowly, "Would be that it's a garnet of some sort, though garnets with this green a hue are rare. Perhaps a green sapphire or a piece of tourmaline?"
He fell silent for a moment as he quietly studied the brooch and took note of what would need to be repaired. "Hm.. whatever stone it is, it's quite lovely, and I do believe I can fix this for you," he announced with a small smile.
Even before the price was discussed, the man would find himself rewarded with a sparkling smile. "Really? Oh, I hadn't thought of tourmaline... but really, you can fix it? Sir?"
Thoughts of her wearing the repaired amulet, along with a long pink dress, dancing with some tall handsome shadow filled her mind. It took her nearly a minute to remember that she was still in the store, that the pin was still broken, and that she was standing in front of a nice, if a bit oddly dressed, salesperson.
"Right. How much do you think it will cost, sir?" She slipped her hand into her pocket, fingering the money she had tucked away. If it wasn't too pricey, she might be able to afford a small piece from the shop.
"Well.. we usually don't take in repairs," Athan replied as he continued to eye the brooch, "This time, I'll do it for free." He smiled over at the girl charmingly before moving towards the desk where Reyna sat, half-pretending to be doing her paperwork. He went through one of the drawers before pulling out a small box to place the brooch in for safe-keeping for the time being.
Reyna pushed a small form across the desk towards the girl and handed her a pen. "We'll need a little info to contact you once the repairs are finished," she informed her.
"Yes," Athan continued on where Reyna left off, "It might take a few days, but I assure you your brooch will be as good as new."
"R-really?" Just fixing it was good enough news, but for free? No charge, on the house, absolutely free? That was more than she could have ever hoped for. That settled it, next time she had to look anything up in the Yellow Pages, she was going by the prettiest ad.
Ying quickly filled in her contact information for the woman, trying to stifle her elation. But when she was finished, she couldn't contain it anymore. "Oh thank you, thank you so much sir!" Giggling, she hugged the salesman tightly. "Thank you!"
A moment later she unwound herself, unaware of any breach of protocol. "Is there anything else you need from me?"
"That's it," Athan chuckled quietly, vaugely amused that the girl had actually hugged him. That was definately... well, it didn't really matter what it was. It was obvious the girl was utterly delighted with the fact that her brooch would be fixed.
"We'll call you once it's all fixed up," Reyna replied as she eyed the form quickly to make sure all the necessary information was there and that there was a phone number to call once repairs were complete. "So.. we'll be seeing you here in the next couple of days," the silver haired woman smiled as she idly watched Athan retreat out of the front of the shop and back into the back room.
"Of course. A couple days. Thank you so much- it really means a lot to me." Ying made a mental note to make sure the phone stayed intact until then- the phones in her house had an odd tendency to break. Still, that didn't matter much. Come to think of it, she might even have to thank Xue for breaking her brooch. The shop was pretty neat, and she'd be back for a new piece sometime soon, oh yes.
Chirping a final "thank you," the Jumi skipped out the door, the jangling bells putting extra oomph in her step. If only all days went this well!
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:00 am
Tricks, Treats, and Tsavorite- The Halloween Party Reyna hurried along with various bags and boxes in her arms as she headed towards Twilight Designs. How she managed to balance it all without dropping something was quite a feat and involved more than a little juggling on her part. Thankfully, Athan was already at the shop so he could open the door for her. "By the gods, this stuff gets heavy after a while," the woman complained, mostly because she could and it always seemed to grate on Athan's nerves some even if he didn't show it often. "I thought Mystic would be with you to help," the man replied in the calm, cool tone he seemed to regard everyone with. He lessened the woman's burden by taking a few of the boxes away from her to set atop one of the glass cases which had been covered with a decorative black satin table cloth for the occasion. "Nah. I though we already had most of the supplies for the party," she answered conversationally, "And he's watching Sam for me at the moment." "So he's not coming?" "He should be, and he's bringing Sam with him," Reyna went on, "but Samara has to take a nap or she's less than pleasant to be around, and I doubt anyone wants to listen to a screaming baby while attempting to have fun during the party." Athan snickered faintly at that. He muttered under his breath how she ought to try taking naps more often herself. Not but an instant after the words had left his mouth he found himself ducking to keep from being hit in the face with a roll of black crepe paper. He'd definately forgotten about how her new form enhanced her senses somewhat and allowed her to hear all those little remarks he had the tendency to make. He managed to catch the roll of paper just before it hit the floor, and smirked faintly in a way that caught the woman slightly off guard. He held up the paper as though to throw it before pausing when he took in the woman's attire. "What are you wearing?" he chuckled quietly as he eyed the demon thoughtfully. "I'm a pirate," Reyna huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. She had her hair partially tied back with a red bandana and had tied in various small trinkets and beads into her hair as well. The knee high, lace up boots looked more like something she wore on an every day basis, but it went well with the breeches, lace-up shirt, and accompanying corset. The eyepatch she always wore even blended into the outfit quite well. "Riiiight." "I am!" she insisted, "It is a costume party. What the hell are you supposed to be? The ********? I totally should've bought you a fake scythe or something when I was at the party supply store." Athan simply rolled his eyes at that comment and cut the conversation short when he moved to pin the end of the crepe paper to the ceiling with the aid of a latter. He smirked over at the woman again who was eyeing him a bit suspiciously, arms still crossed from his earlier comments. "Catch!" he called as he through the crepe paper towards her. Reyna bared her now sharp fangs at him, irritated that he'd managed to catch her slightly off guard but it didn't keep her from catching the paper. She caught his drift easily enough as she moved to go pin it to the other side of the ceiling to toss back towards him. It was a little like playing a game, and it went on for quite some time until the ceiling was a spider web of black streamers. Tombstones made of gray foam tastefully added to the graveyard-like decor. Some even boasted names of several of the guardians, and Reyna had made a point of writing Athan's name on one as well. Everything was set and ready to go for the party that would be starting within the next half hour or so. All that was left to do was to set out food and refreshments. Reyna smiled with a sort of satisfied look on her face before it melted away into a slight frown as she gazed over at Athan who was scowling at the rug. "It's entirely innaccurate!" the man declared a bit hotly when he realized the woman was staring at him staring at the rug. The rug itself was a charming shade of blood red that Reyna herself had picked out. It was trimmed in a lovely black and silver fringe and depicted, in rather elegant scrollwork, a pentagram cast in a circle. She'd forgotten how the man had the tendency to pitch a mild fit when he came across items that had "fake" runes and circles on them. She sighed with a huff and rolled her eyes. "Athan," she replied as calmly as she could muster, "Would you rather it be accurate and have one of our party-goers transfigured or potentially transported to another dimension? Or would you rather it be inaccurate, them not notice, and simply have a good time?" Athan frowned and for a moment Reyna thought that he might resort to sulking over the matter like a small child, but Athan being Athan, wouldn't dare resort to such tactics. "Point taken," he grumbled. He sighed irritably before retreating to the backroom briefly to return with a large, festive looking basket that was filled with what appeared to be ceramic eggs. "What are those?" "Party favors," he replied simply as he set the basket next to all the other free goodies they were handing out. Reyna's visible eye widened slightly when she ventured closer to peek at the contents of the basket. All the eggs were intricately detailed in some unique way that highly appealed to her aesthetic senses, but her attention kept being drawn to a small red one that had tiny little black horns. Without a second thought she snatched up the little egg. "This one is so mine," she declared as she pocketed the small trinket somewhere in the red sash that was tied about her waist. "You would want that one," Athan admonished with a smirk that Reyna chose to blatantly ignore, unmindful of the fact that technically she was taking something that Athan was handing out as a gift to strangers. That alone should have sent off alarm bells but the fact that it was oh so shiny over ruled any logic her mind would have supplied her with. Unfortunately, all her mind told her was that the egg was hers, hers, hers, and no one could touch it. That thought aside her mind was also preoccupied with making sure everything was ready for the party -- meaning she had to keep Athan from nitpicking at every little detail. First it was the rug, next it would surely be some of the party favors she'd bought at the store, or even the foam cups, and quite possibly the mini black cauldron she'd bought and filled with candy. Idly, she glanced at her watch and then grinned. It was time for the party to get started! Elysia trod carefully through the slowly arriving darkness, nervously looking over her shoulder for anyone that might be following her. She'd had a strange feeling all day that someone was watching her, but she didn't know who it might be. She'd never had these premonitions before, and was a bit wary of all people out trick-or-treating. She wouldn't know if anyone was out to get her until it was too late. Almost tripping over her long dress, she finally stumbled onto the front walkway of Twilight Designs, happy to have finally arrived. This year she had reverted back to childhood when thinking about what to dress up as, and decided on a fairy princess. After all, she was already half fae, so the fairy part was easy. Her princess dress on the other hand, was not as easy to wear. The bodice of the dark purple velvet, silver-lined gown was laced up tightly, and she could barely breathe. The tops of her breasts were practically popping out of the dress, and though she felt a bit self-conscious, she told herself that it was for show only. She balanced a tiara on her silver updo, and in her hand, she carried a silver wand, tipped with an amethyst crystal. She was pleased with her costume, and was curious what everyone else at the party would be wearing. Halloween had always been one of her favorite holidays, up until her recent bout of holiday paranoia. As always, Labbie was hovering just inches above Elysia's naked right shoulder. It had been in a cheerful mood all night, and hadn't reacted to Elysia's nervousness at all. The wisp bounced up and down in time with Elysia's gait, and gave off very happy vibes. The wisp had also dressed up for Halloween. Well, as much as a wisp could, Elysia supposed. She'd gotten the idea to dress Labbie like a butterfly, and after showing the wisp some pictures in a book, Labbie had crafted itself a pair of butterfly wings from it's shadowy tendrils. It'd also been trying to make it's wispy wings flutter like butterfly wings, and so far, it'd been quite successful. If someone had seen the wisp from afar, Elysia was sure that they'd think it was a real butterfly with exotic colors and patterns. Pushing open the door to the shop, Elysia picked up the hem of her dress and crossed the threshold into the warmth of the jewelry store. Looking around, she saw that the place had been decorated. Labbie instantly began "flapping" it's wings, and flying around the shop, curiously inspecting all of the nooks and crannies. The wisp had only been there one or two times since Elysia had gotten it, and she could tell that it was more than curious about the shop. "Hello! Happy Halloween!" Elysia exclaimed, seeing Reyna and Athan off to the right. "How are you all today?" "So, what are you supposed to be?" Aislin asked, arching a brow. "You still haven't told me." She herself was wearing a dark blue old fashioned dress, knee long, with a white - but blood stained - apron, and some rather gothic looking black boots. She was wearing only a single necklace today, with an omega shaped pendant. In the apron's pocket she had tugged away the biggest kitchen knife she had been able to find. "Shinigami," the boy walking next to her replied with a cheerful smile. "A death angel," he added upon Aislin's slightly confused look. He felt rather comfortable in the dark, asian looking robes he was wearing. The feathered black wings on his back were fake, but the scythe he had shouldered was most certainly not. He'd to be careful with that.. Azel was trailing only a few steps behind him, always staying within Luthe's shadow, but careful to keep his distance to Aislin - he had learned his lesson as it seemed. Since it was kinda hard to dress up a floating gem it had ended up in the classic halloween costume - a ghostie. A handkerchief had been sacrificed for this, two tiny holes cut in, and splattered with some red color to make it look a tad more creepy than silly. At least Azel seemed to like it, the Wisp had been very excited all evening. "I still can't believe that you are supposed to be Alice," Luthe commented with a glance at the woman next to him. "I've read the books, and I remember her to look.. a tad more harmless." "Well, it's Alice a few years later," Aislin replied with a wicked grin, and pushed the door open. She still wasn't sure if it had been a good idea to let herself being talked into coming along, but now that she was here, she was determined to have fun. Ravija had come by the shop once or twice before, always browsing, never buying. It wasn't that the items in there were too expensive--they weren't, really, not with the salary the Moorgahaines paid them--it's just that she never found anything she really liked. But a party... no resisting that! She had decided to dress in the minimum clothing possible. Clothing was always itchy and never felt right, but Halloween seemed to be the opportunity to dress up (or wear as little as possible). She'd decided she was going to be a belly dancer. Besides, she could use the costume year round! The gauzy purple-pink pants she'd had made matched the purple-ish drapes she already had coming out of her chest. They were occasionally useful, but she'd never seen anyone with a cloth-like substance naturally growing out of there. Her wrists were adorned with half a dozen bangles made of a thin golden metal that chimed when she moved her arms just so, and Ravija had taken to doing that costantly as she walked down the street. The flashed of light and color matched the sash she wore around her waist, with hundreds of small metallic discs sewn to it; it was tied artfully over one hip, and the cloth-of-gold danced with a life of its own with every step and errant breeze. Dressing up was fun. Ravija half-skipped, half-walked up to the store that had been advertising a party the last time she was in. The door had just swung shut after someone in a blue floofy dress had gone in, and she opened it up about a half-minute later with a cheery "Happy Halloween, everyone." So what if she probably didn't know anyone here? Reyna waved and smiled warmly at the first guests that arrived, quite impressed by the costumes everyone showed up in. She'd been a bit worried she'd end up being the only one dressed up when Athan showed up in only his typical black robes. Then again, that was to be expected from him. She had a hard time imagining him in anything but those robes. "Wow.. not even Mystic was that creative on Halloween when he was a wisp last year," the silver haired woman commented as she idly pointed towards Labbie. She looked like a butterfly! And she blended in so well with Elysia's costume. "We ought to be handing out prizes for stuff like that!" Athan thoughtfully mused over that thought for a moment. "Hm. It might be arranged. We shall see," he stated quietly before moving away to greet the other guests as they arrived. "Good evening, Aislin. Luthe," he replied as the two came through the door. Leave it to a demon and a woman as charming as Aislin to be carrying actual weapons. He idly glanced over in Reyna's direction as the woman continued to chat with Elysia. If he wasn't mistaken there was a dagger of some sort that accompanied her outfit. At least she hadn't brought in a sword. "Happy Halloween," Athan replied to Ravija as she skipped through the door as well. He'd seen her a hand full of times browsing through the shop. It rather pleased him that customers who frequented the shop were showing up as well as guardians. Elysia smiled at the warm greeting she'd gotten from Reyna. She'd always been a bit cautious of the woman, seeing as how she did sort of get duped into taking a wisp home from the woman's shop with her, but she'd come to like the silver-haired woman, and was glad to see her. "Well, don't you look like a sea rogue! Arrrrghh!" She said jokingly, swinging her arm back and forth like she was a pirate. "Nice outfit. I'm impressed. Your eyepatch meshes so nicely..." Nodding to Athan, she gave him a warm greeting as well. "Happy Halloween. Nice to see you again," she said, giving him a once over. "And let me guess what you are for Halloween...Athan? Am I right?" She was chiding him, but it was all in good fun. Giving a laugh, she smiled at him, and watched as he left to attend to the other guests who had come in behind her. None of them looked familiar, and she decided she'd introduce herself, and Labbie, in a little while. "Yeah," she answered, nodding toward Labbie. "It did a really good job with the costume! I was impressed when I was watching it flutter around. It's been practicing all day!" Labbie fluttered toward Reyna, circling once around her head, and then landing right on top, looking pleased with itself. "It seems to like you too. I get a lot of positive, nurturing emotions from it. Let's just hope that when it grows, those will be it's preferred emotions...I'm not sure how I'd fare with something more...violent." Maybe it was the macabre nature of the holiday, but Elysia was having a hard time forgetting about the ominous feeling outside. Instead of dwelling on it though, she decided that maybe she'd have a good time while she could. "Got anything to drink around here?" she asked as Labbie fluttered back over to her shoulder, wanting to be close to her bond as possible. "Something...strong maybe?" She smiled. Yeah. Liquor would definitely loosen her up a bit...make her forget about what might be lurking outside the shop's doors. "Happy happy Halloween," Ravija said warmly, fluffing her feathered tail. That was one of the problems with pants: her tail never quite felt comfortable. "It seems I haven't missed too much of the party." Walking (and jingling) over, she examined him for any sign of a costume. "You look... approximately the same as ever. How have things been here?" Reyna smirked faintly. She was rather proud of her costume. The best part was she had most of the clothes already, it was just a matter of putting it together in a fitting way. "Athan is the grim reaper for Halloween," Reyna threw in as she tossed her long hair out of her face, "But everyday is Halloween for Athan." She snickered faintly and absently decided that she really ought to have bought that fake plastic scythe she'd seen at the party supply store. It would've been hilarious! "Yeah. Positive, nurturing emotions are definately better than being slammed with random bouts of violence," she replied as she eyed the little wisp that flittered about, "But as for something to drink, there's fruit punch in the big bowl over there and we converted the table next to it into a mini bar. Help yourself to whatever you like!" Athan paid Reyna and Elysia's teasing comments no mind. He had no interest in sparking the playful banter into something more in the middle of their company party. Thankfully he knew the demon was well aware of what she could get away with and what would be considered entirely unprofessional. "And you look.. lovely as ever," Athan replied as he peered curiously at the woman, "What was your name again? I don't believe we've been formally introduced.." "I thought that since I hadn't bought anything yet, I shouldn't burden you with even the hint of a suggestion you should remember my name," she said with a smile. "It's Ravija. It's very nice to be introduced to you." She nodded to him, the bells she'd woven into her hair tinkling quietly "I make it a point to get to know those who take interest in my shop," he answered simply, "My name is Athan." Idly he gestured towards the silver haired woman that was still chatting away with Elysia, "The woman dressed as a pirate is my business partner." "Athan, hello." Aislin smiled warmly, even though she still ought to be mad at the man - afterall, thanks to him her household got 'blessed' with that darned Fiend. She couldn't help it, something about him was just.. just.. Whatever it was, she just couldn't handle it. ~ It's called 'charm'.. ~ Luthe's thoughts wispered amusedly in her mind, while nodding at Athan. ~ You really need to guard your thoughts better, woman. ~ With a giggle the boy jumped out of her reach before she could get the idea to actually use that knife she had brought along. Azel in the meantime had discovered the basket with the ceramic eggs.. Athan smiled over at Aislin with a nod of his head and a small wave. At least the woman was in better spirits this time than she had the last time he'd seen her. He smiled despite how that thought unnerved him and brushed it aside. His smile faltered somewhat, however, when Mystic walked through the door with Sam giggling and squirming in his arms. He hadn't realized he'd grown. He thought about saying something to him but decided against it when the Fiend brusquely walked past him and headed directly towards Reyna to hand off the baby to her mother. "A fun, if questionable, choice, considering the implications for your business practices," Ravija replied with a smile. It was not an accusation, just something she thought amusing. "I do enjoy your shop, and it has a lot of very beautiful pieces, but unfortunately none of them really seem to speak to me, if that makes sense." She gestured futily with one hand, making her bangles bounce musically against one another. Athan chuckled quietly at that. What an astute young woman! She had an interesting aura as well, she fairly radiated power. She hardly seemed the sort to be that powerful, but he knew better than to judge by appearences. "Hmm.. I see. Well if you are ever looking for .. something in particular, or have a design in mind, Reyna can craft it for you. She's quite skilled when it comes to that sort of thing," he replied, "The next time you drop by the shop do ask her to see some of her sketches, won't you?" With a quiet 'clack' the first of the ceramic eggs fell to the floor - and much to the Fiend's chagrin it stayed whole. The Wisp floated down and angrily lashed at the egg with one of it's shadowy tendrils. It rolled two or three feet over the floor, but it still stayed whole. Usually things broke when they fell down, very useful, because you got to see what was inside. Well, maybe the next one would break? If he'd carry it up a bit, so that the fall was longer? Mystic, rather tired of watching over Sam after having to wrestle her into her little panda costume, floated over towards where Azel was, curious as to what the little wisp was up to. He let himself go somewhat transparent as he moved through the air effortlessly. If anyone asked what he was dressed up as, he would simply reply that he was a ghost, or a figment of their imagination. He beamed quietly at that thought before returning to his solid form. He bent down where the wisp was and picked up the ceramic egg that was on the floor. 'Pity. These won't break,' he murmured in his ever-quiet telepathic speech. Athan glanced suspiciously towards Mystic. The Fiend was an adult -- surely he wouldn't be causing mischief with that wisp. He'd grown out of creating chaos long ago... or so he had thought. "Perhaps you're right," he replied with a smile, thoughts temporarly drawn away from both Fiends, "It is rather ... fun to come across things at a whim. It's a little like discovering a treasure of some sort." Azel stopped with his efforts to pull the next egg over the rim of the basket to glance at the older Fiend. His own telepathy hadn't developed yet, but he did catch the bit about 'not breaking'. He sent the mental equivalent of a frown to Mystic, and then tried his best to project an image of the similar egg his guardian had found a few days ago, and - very excited now - the pretty purple pendant it had 'hatched' into. Mystic's bright violet eyes glittered in amusement at the images the little wisp did it's best to project. 'These are meant to be party favors, I think. Perhaps you could convince your bonded to take another home,' he answered before glancing up to scan the room for who he thought might be linked to the little purple stone. His gaze settled on a figure with dark wings and dark clothing. What was he supposed to be? Self-consciously he tugged on his cloak and curled it tighter about him despite how the fabric had the tendency to move of its own accord. "Life is its own treasure, I think," she replied. "And it seems your shop is full of many kinds of wealth. I never cease to be amazed at what this world attracts." Ravija shook her head, the small discs in her hair shaking against one another. "It's as if every being on every world decided Gaia would be a great vacation spot." Athan smiled at that. There was a simple truth to her words that he definately understood. Life was a treasure. A brief, unreadable look washed over his face at that thought. He looked almost lost, but the look passed quickly enough and he regained his composure with little to no effort. "Quite true," he replied warmly, "It's one of the reasons why I decided to place my shop here on Gaia. It's an excellent place for a business considering all the people who come through." She chuckled. "There are as many reasons as the creatures who exist here reasons, but at least you know yours." Ravija lost herself for a second and a half, then her eyes refocused, and she smiled at Athan. "But listen to me talk. I can't hog your attention for the whole party. Which, from the look of it," she scanned the milling people--and other beings--in the room, "will be getting lively. Perhaps I'll get to talk to you later?" The Wisp paused for a moment, then he zipped off to his guardian. Luthe had been coccupied with the sweets in the mini cauldron, when he felt a slight tug on his cloak and looked down. Azel, of course. He picked up the feeling of excitement from the little one, and images of.. an egg? Not another one? Rolling his eyes he followed the small fiend through the room, and indeed, there it was, a basket full of ceramic eggs, similar to the one he had found a few days ago. "So, you want me to bring some of them home, yes?" Affirmation. Then a mental image followed, the whole basket neatly placed into one of the kitchen cupboards. Luthenep chuckled. "No, I'm most certainly not taking all of them. Don't be so greedy!" He took three of the eggs and then glanced up to Mystic, a bit uncertain. "We are allowed to take these, right?" He asked, just to make sure. He couldn't help but stare - was this what a fully grown Shadow Fiend looked like? "Perhaps," Athan smirked faintly as he took his leave from the interesting young woman and briefly disappeared into the back room. He shot Mystic a warning glance, but the Fiend simply scowled and paid him no attention. He knew how to behave! But he also knew what he could get away with when the man wasn't looking. A smug sort of look crossed his features before he glanced towards Luthe. 'Ah.. Yes. These are meant for the guests as party favors,' he replied quietly as he idly fidgeted with his cloak. He'd grown, but sometimes old habits died hard. He still felt a bit uncertain around strangers, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before. Luthe carefully stored the eggs away into the depths of his cloak. "So.. You are a Fiend too, right? You are the first, erh, grown up one I've seen so far." The boy frowned. It just had occured to him that Azel would be fully grown sooner or later while he was still stuck as a kid. "And that cloak looks cool," he added, eying it in awe. 'Yes,' he answered, 'I am a Fiend. I'm bonded to Reyna.' He pointed over towards the silver haired woman dressed as a pirate that held a squirming, wriggling baby in her arms. He idly tugged at his bond to her and she waved with a faint smile towards the two of them. 'Thanks,' Mystic replied, beaming quietly at the compliment, 'It's.. something I created from a spell out of this piece of elemental silver.' He tapped the coin that appeared as the clasp to the cloak, causing the black fabric to ebb and flow back towards the coin as though it were deteriorating. He held up the silver coin with a sort of smug look on his face. 'It's pretty cool. The fabric absorbs sunlight.'Even though she had been in her costume for several hours, Ying twirled happily in front of a dark Durem window. It really was the perfect dress- not too frilly or fancy, like some princess dresses she had seen, but elegant and classy. Instead of a crown she had decided on a black satin top hat, tied with a pink bow that matched her dress. Ying looks very pretty. Blushing a little, Ying nodded. "Thanks. You too." He really did look nice, she thought, in his black-and-green tailcoat and trousers. Everyone had done partner costumes this year, so Ying and Xue decided to go as a prince and princess, with a bit of a gothic twist. Everyone had said they looked beautiful. They were even wearing her favorite colors, pink and green. She could just envision them at a candlelit ball, with red velvet curtains and a marble floor... Should Ying and Xue stop at this store? "Um." Blinking away her daydreams, the Jumi stared at a familiar door. "Oh, the jewelry store! Sure!" Maybe they'd have her brooch repaired! It would be the perfect addition to Xue's costume... even if he was the one that broke it. And even if it wasn't ready, she could at least drop in and say hi... and get some candy to boot. His candy-filled bag swinging on his arm, Xue charged forwards and opened the door. Trick or treat! "Trick or treat," Ying echoed, looking around. Were they having a party? How neat! 'Athan tought it to me,' Mystic replied as he tapped the silver again to send the fabric wisping back into place the way it had been once before, but this time he left the hood down, 'I can try to teach it to you sometime. I'll just need another piece of a silver.' He was rather pleased that someone else thought his cloak was cool, too. It made him proud of what he had accomplished. It also reminded him that he wanted to learn more magic, but he had a feeling that lessons with Athan again probably wasn't a good idea. The man in question came bustling out of the back room with another small basket of candies to set out on the table on the other side of the room. He smiled as he sat the basket of sweets down and moved to greet Ying. "Happy Halloween," he said warmly, "Glad to see you came to the party. Please, help yourself to the refreshments we have provided." Party? Xue didn't know there was a party. Can he come too? "Don't ask me," Ying hissed, leaving the boy to ravage the candy bowl. She self-consciously brushed her hands over her dress, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles, and looked shyly up at the man who addressed her. "Actually, I was just taking my brother trick-or-treating. But if there's a party, I'd love to stay... if that's alright, that is." Xue turned his head towards the party, a half-eaten chocolate bar sticking out of his mouth. Once he ealized it was there he shoved it all the way into his mouth, oozing contentment, and a bit of confusion. Can Xue stay too? Pretty please with sugar and cherries on top? It was hard to deny his cuteness, but Ying kept her expression fairly calm. After all, she wanted these people to take her seriously. If they thought she was just some kid, they might not let her stay. And the party looked so inviting too. "I love your costume," she continued, making idle chit-chat while sweeping a couple pieces of candy into her bag. "Grim Reaper, right?" "You're more than welcome to stay and enjoy the party," Athan replied, quickly deciding to forgo responding to the bit about his 'costume.' He didn't want to say something rude to the girl and scare her off afterall. She was a customer! "Ying, wasn't it? I do believe I nearly have your brooch repaired. Just a few minor details to adjust and it shall be as good as new," he informed her with a smile, "You should be hearing from us within the next couple of days most likely." Fantastic, she could stay! Of course, the fact that her pin wasn't ready was a bit disappointing, if expected. Then again, perhaps Xue didn't have to have that exact accent to make his costume even more splendid. They were in a jewelry store, after all... "Is the shop open for business this evening? You see..." Ying lowered her voice. "I was hoping to find something that matched his costume. I'm afraid I was rather mean to him earlier, and I'd like to show some trust in him by lending him something." An outright gift would be nice, of course, but the gesture of trusting him with something special of hers would restore more of his faith. And that was the point, after all. She needn't have worried about her volume, as Xue was far too busy looking around. So many sparklies! Neechan and Sneaky would love this place. Maybe he could take them sometime, and then they would all be happy. His gaze then fell on the basket of party favors, and he gave a mental squeal of delight, running back to Ying and the man. Can Xue have one? Or two or three or five?
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:03 am
Tricks, Treats, and Tsavorite- The Halloween Party, continued! "Technically, business is closed down for the evening for the party, but.." Athan trailed off with a smile, "I'll make an exception for you." He took the girl by the arm in a gentlemanly fashion and lead her towards the backroom where all the fancy jewelry was currently being stored. "Since your brooch is still unavailable to you, and all." Athan stepped through the door into the backroom that looked terribly empty despite his claims that all the jewelry was being stored there. He raised one hand to call forth the spell he had laid there earlier. Several tables appeared with the jewelry set out neatly atop them with little labels with letters and numbers that desginated which case they were to be returned to once the party was done and over with. "Feel free to browse through anything you see here," he smiled before stepping away to head back into the front room to hover near the door lest the girl should need some assistance. Clearly it payed to dress. Ying made a mental note to thank her friend Mes for that tip later, but for now, it was time to shop! "Really? Thanks so much..." Sweeping a curtsey, she turned with a flourish of skirt and bustled in. It was a good thing Xue was still distracted by the candy and favors, since he probably wouldn't be able to keep his hands off the pieces. Even she was having a hard time keeping calm. She brushed a hand over a few stones, feeling the cool fire that seemed to be inside all of them. Despite the dim light they all shone, reflecting the small luminesence back onto her palms. Except one. It looked normal enough, a plain squat square. An emerald cut, she remembered from one of her books. The stone itself vaguely resembled an emerald, but it didn't feel like one at all. More familiar somehow, though that wasn't comforting. It was shiny, sure... yet it didn't catch the light the same way the other stones did. Luckily the shopkeeper was still nearby. "Excuse me sir," she queried, "but what's this one?" Athan stepped back into the backroom and allowed the door to shut behind him. His bright green eyes widened slightly at the sight of the stone she was referring to. He hadn't remember putting that there! Bloody things! They were about as bad as those damnable eggs.. always escaping and the like. He cleared his throat and tilted his head to the side. "I.. do believe that's a small piece of tsavorite," he replied slowly, eyes never leaving the stone. He hoped perhaps the stone had simply been misplaced by accident, but he knew that little bit of logic was faulty. All of those stones were stored safely away in a small safe located in another dimension. ...but he had shoved all of the jewelry that was laid out on the tables into another pocket of that same dimension. Still, it didn't make much sense to him how and why the thing was there and the very thought was headache inducing, but what was more alarming still was that the thing wasn't just a stone anymore. Dark wisps appeared around the stone, seemingly sucking in all the light around it. Without warning the little stone zipped up off the table and beneath the edges of Ying's skirts to escape the light in the room. "Ohh no." He hadn't planned on that. Normally he took a sort of morbid delight in inflicting Fiends upon people, but Ying was a sweet young girl. She hardly deserved to deal with the chaos that a Fiend could create. "Tsavorite." Was that a sapphire? No, a garnet. That would probably explain why it felt a little familiar, though it clearly wasn't the same as she was. Unless raspberries suddenly turned green. Still, it was awfully pretty. And a bit dark, perfect for a dark prince. As she thought that it grew darker still, as if reading her mind. There wasn't much time to reflect on that possibility- she shrieked loudly as the stone vanished from its spot on the table, and there was a cold touch against her leg. Her first impulse was to turn around and smack whoever had lifted her skirt, but there was no one there. Bewildered, she spun around, unable to find any cause for alarm except the persistent presence around her legs. "What... what's going on?" Arms full of chocolates and a few egg-shaped objects, Xue wandered towards the room. Is Ying okay? "My dear, I am terribly sorry," Athan began in explanation of what exactly had happened and what was hiding in her skirts. "That.. stone isn't.. well.. it is a stone, but it's also something called a Shadow Fiend. I'm not entirely certain how it managed to awaken, but.. it seems to have chosen you as it's guardian," he went on. "Long story short, that stone has a soul trapped within it." Athan paused and pressed a hand to one temple as though to ease the throbbing pain there that was rapidly forming into a migraine. "I suppose.. an easier way to explain this might be to simply show you. There are two other Fiends here. Mystic Topaz and Sugilite," Athan stated with a wave of his hand towards the door, "Mystic is bonded to Reyna. You've met her before.." The concept sounded a bit familiar at least. Without realizing, her hand reached to her chest, brushing the stone there. "Are they... cores?" Most of what was flying around was indecipherable to Xue- stones awakening, guardians, trapped souls. But one feeling he picked up on quickly. New friends? Ying attention was elsewhere, and she anxiously shifted in place. "Does it have to... must it stay down there?" Really, that was just too much. "In a way.. I suppose you might call them that," Athan replied as he headed out towards the main room and motioned for the girl to follow, "And.. er.. it's.. hiding beneath your skirts because it's dark there. Fiends are creatures of darkness and therefore aren't very fond of light." He headed directly towards where Luthe and Mystic were standing, something that unnerved the Fiend somewhat. Initially he thought he were in trouble or something like that, but he relaxed somewhat when he picked up on a new presence -- a new wisp. 'Hello,' he replied with a small wave towards Ying. ... okay, that was NOT a Jumi. This was all a bit overwhelming. There was some freaky floating rock under her dress because it was afraid of the light. Something called a Fiend? And then she was face to face with something... taller. "He-hello," Ying stuttered nervously. Xue had no such inhibitions, though he did remember to hold his hand out for a proper handshake. HELLO! Mystic chuckled quietly and shook the boy's hand. He shot the girl a sort of concerned look. She looked a bit shaken, but then again, she had just been bonded to a wisp. Reyna's reaction had been rather calm, at least initially, but his guardian was just that way when it came to stressful situations. Usually. 'I'm Mystic. And you are?' he asked politely. Xue is Xue! Taking a deep breath helped clear her senses. Eyes open again, she held her own hand out to Mystic. "My name is Ying. It's nice to meet you. Um." The next part was tricky. "If you don't mind my asking... what exactly are you?" Hopefully that wasn't too rude. Just in case, her mind started running through apologies. Elysia headed toward the table of drinks, anxious to see what they had...Helping herself to a glass of bright red punch, she swallowed it down quickly, noticing it's definite lack of alcohol. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. 'It's probably best not to get hammered around people I don't know. I may make an a** of myself.' She poured herself another cup, and turned to scan the crowd for people she knew. Every time she came into the shop, the only people who were there were Reyna and Athan. She'd never met any of the other bonded, let alone any other Fiends. Elysia wasn't great with social situations. She was shy in large groups, and it made for a difficult time at a party. That's why she drank at parties. It gave her the necessary social lubrication, so that she could be her normal outgoing self. But it was okay. She'd start a conversation with someone...She'd just have to decide who. Labbie, on the other hand, had gotten excited when it saw the other Fiends floating around. Fluttering her wispy shadow-wings, she glided toward each Fiend, hovering around them, taking note of all of their features. The wisp was definitely curious about others like it, and Elysia could tell that it was looking for friends. Once it had gotten enough of the other wisps, Labbie noticed the now-grown Mystic, and fluttered over to him, landing on his shoulder. The stone took on a bright glow, and pulsed a couple of times, before returning to its normal state. The wisp seemed content on Mystic's shoulder, and it gave off warm, welcoming vibes. Elysia watched Labbie from the other side of the room, curious as to what it'd do. It seemed particularly fond of the adult Fiend, and she was interested in why it had picked him to land on. Labbie had rarely left her shoulder, and it seemed that the wisp was comfortable here. Perhaps it was the fact that other wisps were around, but Elysia was glad the wisp was enjoying the party. At least someone was outgoing enough to make new friends... Luthenep made a mental note to search the attic for a silver coin like that.. He'd avoided going up there ever since he'd been bounded to Azel. He didn't want the Fiend to figure out where Aislin kept her really interesting and precious stuff, since he wreaked so much havoc in the shop already. But on the other hand.. He'd watched as Mystic went all transparent and floaty and that. There was no way he'd be able to keep Azel out of the attic forever. And he really wanted a cloak like that.. He watched curiously as Ying approached Mystic, his ears twitching slightly when she asked about what exactly he was. Yeah, he'd like to know that too - the explanation Athan had given him about the Wisp that was bonded to him had been rather brief, and he'd never had a chance to talk to that man again ever since then. Things.. had come up. There was a painful twinge in his heart when he thought of what had happened to Laure.. He felt something cool and smooth touch his right hand, and a gentle mental nudge trying to soothe his sadness. He looked down and gave his wisp a timid smile, closing his hand around it for a moment. 'It's alright,' he mentally wispered to Azel. Mystic's violet eyes widened slightly at the directness of that question, but he wasn't at all offended or upset by it. He half expected it from people he didn't know. 'I'm.. well. I'm a shadow.. a creature of darkness. If I understand Athan correctly, I'm.. mostly a shadow of whom I used to be a long time ago,' he attempted to explain, stumbling a bit on his words. He wasn't entirely sure what he was himself so explaining it was rather difficult. He just... was. He glanced over towards his guardian who shot him a bemused look at the crowd of wisps and curious guardians he'd gathered. Honestly, she was rather impressed that the Fiend was handling the stress of being surrounded by so many people so well. He had the overwhelming tendency to flee from situations like that. 'I'm sorry I can't explain better than that,' he apologized, 'It's a bit.. difficult to put to words.' Idly he glanced towards the little wisp at his shoulder. He was always amused by the little stones, fascinated by how they flittered about as nothing more than a shiny stone surrounded in darkness. Aislin glanced over to the little group as well, Mystic specifically, and frowned. She didn't know for sure, but a feeling in her guts told her he was a Shadow Fiend as well. And if he was, she was in trouble. "Too big to lock into a jar.." she muttered under her breath and helped herself to some snacks. The fact that he'd been, transparent? Well, not entirely physical when he moved through the room earlier, had not escaped her. Maybe it was time to take out an insurance - or to check if her address list of exorcists was still up-to-date.. Somewhat bored she looked around, hoping to see a familiar face or two. "I... I see. Thank you." Ying's words tumbled out slowly and clumsily, like untrained acrobats. The bulk of her brainpower was focused on trying to make sense of things. At least the concept of gemstones coming to life was familiar, but from the way it sounded that wasn't quite it. More of a half-life. Still, that really wouldn't make much of a difference, would it? Of course not. And Mystic seemed perfectly nice. So besides the fact that the wisp was still hovering around her legs, making her most uncomfortable, things would be fine. Good humor restored, she smiled to the group. Everything would be fine! The explanation, while fascinating, was mostly incomprehensible to Xue. Mister Floaty was cool looking, but his feelings were so complicated! Unwrapping another chocolate bar, he wandered away from the group. Maybe he could find more shiny-shinies... While Ravija wandered around the shop with a dance in her step, the door opened again. A black-haired girl barely under five feet tall entered the room with a thump-jingle. She had a pure white peplos edged in gold on, secured at her shoulders with large golden brooches etched with a serpent coiled in a spiral. Her sash was a rich blue also trimmed in gold that matched the gem that winked from her left upper arm. The staff she carried that made the thump and jingle was... unconventional. The main body of the staff consisted of fragile looking joined loops with metal rings hanging from some of those loops; they clashed with a pleasing sound when disturbed. Around it, twined in such a way to not disturb the rings' movement, was a metallic green snake with sparkling gems for eyes. The staff itself was more than a foot taller than the girl that carried it, but she seemed to handle it effortlessly. Memi managed to look regal for all of ten seconds for bursted into a run... toward Luthe. "I didn't know you'd be here, Luthe! Hi!" Her sash billowed out behind her like a sail, attached as it was to her shoulders and waist. Luthenep blinked, utterly surprised. Now that was someone he'd not expected to see here. But.. Well, that she lived in the same house as some God of Light, didn't necessarily mean that she despised shadows and darkness. Plus, she'd been really nice and helped searching for Azel.. "Memi, hi!" he said. "Didn't expect to see you here. I.. I'm sorry that I ran away so suddenly last time. I think I forgot to thank you." His cheeks flushed with embarassment. Azel floated close to his Bonded's shoulder, curious who managed to make his Guardian feel so awkward. He remembered Memi only vaguely, but he instantly liked those golden brooches she was wearing now. "Well, you're welcome," Memi said chipperly, setting the staff down with a quiet jingle. "I just came by because I saw people coming in in costume, and since it doesn't seem to be invite only, I'm staying." She grinned and waved at the little ghostie, then turned back to Luthe. "Who are you dressed up as?" "A Shinigami - a Death Angel," he replied with a fanged grin and pointed to a dark corner of the room. "I left my scythe over there, since I didn't want to accidentally hurt someone. And you?" Curiously the boy eyed her costume. He really liked those broo- Waitasec. 'Stop that', he mentally hissed at the Wisp. It had happened before, the Fiend's desires influencing his own.. Athan moved to stand near Reyna who merely smirked broadly around her cup of punch. "Don't tell me. You gave that girl a wisp. You're a cruel man," she teased. "I didn't give it to her. It awoke on its own," he grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest and scowled faintly before a small quirk of a smile appeared on his face when the woman choked on her drink at that response. "What the hell!" she hissed in a low, quiet voice as though to not draw too much attention to their conversation. "That's like.. what.. twice now that that's happened?" Reyna scowled in much the same way Athan was before heaving a heavy sigh. Normally she wouldn't care, but Athan wasn't the sort to just lose control of things like that. Something weird was up and she wanted to know what it was before things spiraled out of control. Last time that happened it hadn't be pleasant -- not that Athan could control the fact that Doran was a complete nut case hell-bent on destruction, but it was still a rather unpleasant fact. "Don't worry about it for now. I'll figure out what it is soon enough," he murmured quietly, "For now.. let's just make sure everyone is enjoying the party." Reyna nodded at that and sipped at her punch with a sort of moody look that was only a little less like a scowl. "Panacea, goddess of medicine," Memi said, giggling. "Harmodius said I could try on some of his collection, and it felt right." She twirled, being somewhat careful not to whack anyone with her staff. "Besides, I can actually run around in it." Freedom of movement was always a plus, though she was being extra careful not to ruin his antiques. Luthenep raised a brow. "You dressed up as the Goddess in your gem?" That was odd. "But it suits you. Azel likes it too - especially the golden parts." He chuckled, but suddenly went serious again. "Which reminds me.. That Goddess of yours, if she's the Goddess of Medicine, does that mean she's really good at healing?" Aislin in the meanwhile had finally found the mini bar and poured herself a glass of.. whatever it was. It smelled good, but a first careful sip told her this was not something that should be used for a drinking game. Curiously she peered over to Luthenep. It was strange seeing him in a group like that, since he wasn't exactly the social kind. But then again he seemed to make a hell lot of friends lately. And the girl he was talking to right now.. Aislin's eyes slightly widened and she craned her neck to get a better view at the costume the girl was wearing. "Thank you~! You do the dark look well," she replied. "And.. um... lemme check." HeyYou're certainly rude today.Are you good at healing?It isn't as though I can wave my hand and cause wounds to seal up. I rely on knowledge and skills, not pure magic, to do what I do. Relying overmuch on magic can have deleterious effects.Um?Panacea sighed. Bad stuff happens."She says she uses skill, not magic," Memi reported. "So it's not a 'poof, you're healed' type thing. Someone's hurt? I made Asclepius a Healing element. Well, sonic too." Memi remained blissfully unaware of Aislin's attention. Wren was late, fashionably late at that, but the odds of him caring were very slim. In fact, he might've had an amused grin on his face because Hawk was berating him for running late ( and any time that Hawk was trying to get on to him was a source of amusement ) but that would've been a little out of character. Adjusting his hood and robes and then making sure all the spells were in place to ensure his costume was perfect, he let out a pleased sigh. '... you'll tell me what death's like, won't you?' Hawk said, blind eyes speaking their displeasure behind the mask that covered the upper half of his face. He himself hadn't really dressed up ( and he never would have if he hadn't found something he liked ), but he wore a delicate looking mask on his face that resembled a hawk. The feathers were changed to colors to better suite him and he was rather happy with the mask. It couldn't, however, distract him from the fact that Wren was obviously bent on causing trouble. He was tempted to stop focusing all the excess energy into the quartz pendant carefully held in his hand and use it to zap Wren, but it wouldn't do a thing. "You've met him," Wren countered smoothly, smiling over his shoulder as he approached Twilight Designs, "so you definitely know what death's like." 'One day, demon, one day.' Hawk ignored him and went on ahead towards the shop. He wasn't really looking forward to anything besides talking with Athan. "You all ways say that, lovely," sensing Wren's smirking face in front of him caught him off guard and he paused before glowering blindly. The man shrugged his shoulders and went on ahead. "Was just going to get the door for you." With a small gesture, the door to the shop opened up and Hawk scowled at him before slipping on ahead. He knew, had Seen, that Wren was going to make an entrance. The demon wouldn't be satisfied with anything else. As Wren entered, it was obvious that shadows were cloaking him. From every angle it was hard to see his face, as it was entirely shadowed. The only thing that seemed to emit light was the faint green glow of his eyes. Even then the area still seemed a bit darker as the shadows shifted and moved as if there was wind blowing where there wasn't. After entering, he closed the door behind him, adjusted his robes as if they weren't in the right position, and then nudged a dredlock behind an ear that had fallen out of the band that held his hair back. His face was devoid of any expression and he was truly getting into character at the moment. Playing Mister Death wasn't going to be easy! Besides, he wasn't going to let up until Athan saw him and even then, it was questionable. First, however, he had to get away from the front door. "Someone's hurt, yeah." The boy shifted around uneasily, pretty sure that said 'someone' wouldn't appreciate at all having his name or condition mentioned to anyone. "It happened ages ago though, but it was a God that hurt him, so the wound never healed properly - even after that Deity faded away. So I thought maybe it needs another God to take care of that inju-" He broke off mid-sentence, an odd mixture of amusement, curiosity and a frown on his face. "Ais, what exactly do you think you are doing?" "Huh?" Aislin blinked. So much for tip-toeing closer unnoticed. "I, erh, just wanted to take a peek at that costume, but didn't want to disturb your conversation, so I.. sneaked." She gave Memi an innocent sweet smile which was an odd contrast to her blood stained costume. "Just wanted to get a closer look at your costume.." Her voice trailed off as she noticed the door being opened and closed again. She raised on her toes to get a look at who entered, and only moments later she was desperately trying to stifle a laughing fit. Reyna was contemplating snagging something a bit harder than the punch to drink, and idly wondered what the effects would be on her new form. She didn't have much time to contemplate that, though. She turned when she felt a familiar presence, and caught her first glimpse of Wren's costume. Whatever scowl might've been on her face melted away to complete amusement -- he was dressed as Athan! By the gods, that man was a genius. She snickered at that and made her way over towards him. "If we were having a costume contest, you'd have my vote hands down," she laughed. Athan, on the other hand, wasn't at all amused. He stood with his arms crossed and a rather irritated look on his face. He could deal with being called 'Mr. Death.' Fine. He could cope with everyone assuming he was dressed as the Grim Reaper for Halloween. Fine. But this was unacceptable! Wren was openly mocking him at this point, but then again, he reminded himself, when wasn't he? There was a brief cursory glance over those present and there were few he knew, if any at all besides the obvious ones, but it was hard to miss Reyna's presence coming closer to him and there was a small quirk of his lips once he saw her and he heard her speak. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Reyna," he said to her, briefly raising an eyebrow in question. Costume contest? What on earth was she going on about? This was how he dressed all the time! ( Wren would happily enjoy those that were trying to contain their laughter, just ... not show it. Trying to stay in character here! ) However, his attention slipped away from Reyna for a moment towards Athan and his eyes narrowed slightly. Obviously, someone was trying to mock him! Look at how he was dressed! He scowled faintly and muttered, to Reyna though not obviously so, "Who does he think he is?" ... why yes, Athan, he did mean you. Trying to slip further away from his guardian, still not quite sure he was on good terms with him again -- if he had ever been in the first place -- Hawk contemplated throwing the hawk mask at Wren. Except that would've ruined a finely made object and pleased the demon, so it was unacceptable. It was easy to feel the presence of Mystic as well as a few other wisps that he had never met. There were also some stranger presences, among the guests, tickling his senses, but he ignored them. So far, he had Seen no threat tonight -- well, nothing that could not be handled, but he was hoping ... Still, he was winding his way through everything towards Athan ( or trying to before he somehow got waylaid, as he had a feeling it was possible ). If had lips, an apologetic smile might've been on them. Some times you simply could not warn people about. Well," Memi said thoughtfully.... It may not work as well as you might hope. I don't even have a body of my own, yet. She sounded less than happy about that. Memi paused and refocused on Luthe. "She says don't expect much, at least until she's a little stronger. Panacea doesn't seem mad that I just volunteered her for something. Panacea didn't share her thoughts with her host, but those who knew her power had returned were few and far between. Any demonstration was an opportunity. "Okay." Memi didn't seem at all cognizant of any sort of deception, and whirled in place again, the rings on her staff making their noise. "Do you like it? I borrowed it from a friend." Reyna snickered faintly under her breath and shot a bemused look towards the 'real' Athan. He didn't look pleased, but in all honesty she had yet to see him respond to anything in a positive light. Not really, anyway. He definately wasn't appreciative of her and Wren's constant teasing him -- but that didn't mean she was about to stop. Ohhhh no. It was her sweet revenge for withholding important information from the get go about what he was roping her into. She opened her mouth to say something else to Wren before she heard a faint, familiar cry. Sam! Poor thing! She'd left her in the backroom in her babypen a few minutes ago and had all but forgotten. "I'll be right back," she said instead of the barb about Athan she had come up with, "But help yourself to all the goodies we've got laid out, hm?" She shot him a fanged grin and darted off towards the back room in quick strides to comfort her little girl. She paused briefly to lay a comforting hand on Mystic's shoulder. She felt his mood shift to something a bit darker when Hawk had drifted in with his guardian. He had been amused by Wren's attire, but there was definately some tension between him and the other Fiend -- not to mention Athan. Mister Death himself glared as Reyna walked past him but his expression softened about the edges when he caught sight of Hawk heading his way. He offered him a smile and pushed off the wall he was leaning against to greet him. "Good evening, Hawk. Glad to see you made it to the party," he replied, making absolutely no mention of his guardian. He'd ignore him for the entire evening if need be. "That is an interesting mask you have," he went on with a faint smirk, "Quite fitting I should think." "He's not feeling too well right now. He's been taking care of a lot of gods recently, and no one's taking care of him," she said, sounding at once sympathetic and irritated with Harmodius. "He has a whole lot of this stuff, and it's all really old, but I'm being really careful with it." Memi smiled up at her. "You like it?" "Mh-hm," Aislin nodded, though somewhat puzzled. What kind of person took care of gods? A priest perhaps? "Could you let me take a look at one of those brooches? They look really pretty, and I happen to like snakes." She just had to know if they were genuine.. "And, erh, do you think your friend might be interested in selling some of that really old stuff he has?" Her glance darted over to Luthe, but if he knew something, he didn't show it. "Probably not," Memi said. "And sure, you can look at them, I like snakes too. But it's holding my dress up, so I can't really take it off, sorry. You can still look, though." She smiled at Aislin. "Luthe, if he wants help, we'll see what we can do. I dunno if we can even do anything, though." "Ah, erh, sure. I didn't think of that, sorry." Aislin smiled apologetically. "Yeah, sure - because greed makes you blind," Luthe said with an amused grin. He winked at Memi. "You should see the treasures she keeps up in the attic - a dragon's hoard is nothingagainst it. Actually.." He leaned forward and wispered into Memi's ear. "She's so greedy for treasures that I'm convinced she must have been a dragon in her last life." "Luthenep!" Giggling the boy dived out of Aislin's reach when she tried to swat him, hiding behind Memi. Aislin rolled her eyes. "Really, I'm not that bad, I just.. want to see they were genuine, because I deal with antiques." "Suuuuuure... Just that you never sell anything." Luthe laughed. "Memi, don't let her get her hands on those brooches, you might never see them again. And.. Erh, thanks for that offer - both of you. Even if you can't do anything." "Well, I can't let her have them, they're not mine," Memi said reasonably. "But she can look at them." She brushed her hair off her shoulders; even though she was supposed to look Greek, she couldn't do her hair very well, so she'd just left it down. "And you're welcome. Just come by anytime. I promise I won't introduce you to Illumin unless you ask." She grinned and winked at Luthenep. I'd appreciate that," Luthe said with a sheepish smile. "If he's your friend he's probably a nice guy, but Azel and I are both of the Shadows. And the person I'd like to introduce to you is as well. Light.. just isn't good for us." He looked at Aislin, his eyes meeting hers, his glance oddly serious. Uh-oh, there he goes again.. Aislin bent down to examine the golden brooch, pretending to not notice that reproachful look. Hm, looks like it's the real thing. No way to tell it for sure under these condition though. But I wonder what other treasures that friend of hers keeps.."Thank you," she smiled at Memi. "If Luthe visits you, remind him to leave a card of our shop - just for the case your friend does want to sell something." She gave the brooches a last longing glance. "Well, I'll go have a look what that fake Athan is up to - it was nice meeting you." "He... I dunno, but I like him," Memi said with a shrug. She let Aislin look at the brooches, feeling vaguely uncomfortable. "I'll try. It was nice meeting you too," she told the woman, and as she walked off, Memi leaned toward Luthe and whispered, "She's a little creepy, isn't she? I really don't think Harmodius will sell any of it." "Creepy is an understatement sometimes.. Though it may be my fault she became like that." He sighed. "It's a long story, and I don't feel like telling it now. Or telling it at all." His gaze followed after his pact partner until her blue dress was no longer visible in the crowd. He had the strangest feeling seeing her vanish like that, like she had been swallowed up by some creepy monster. And it was hard to resist the urge to run after to see if she was still here. He shifted uneasily - he had to talk to Sesostris, maybe he'd know what to do.. And he had to tell him of Memi - or rather Panacea - anyway. "People rarely sell her something since she's usually way to agressive about it. You always get the impression she's trying to threaten them into selling," he said to Memi. "So, erh, do you want to look around a bit? There's a basket with pretty ceramic eggs as a party favor. They seem to be unbreakable - Azel tried - but actually we found a similar one earlier this week which did break. And it had a very pretty necklace inside. So you might want to take some." "Have you tried telling her that? It can't be good for business if she can't buy new stuff and won't sell old stuff. Though I guess that's not really a business at all..." She shrugged. "I guess she likes it that way." "Eggs? That hatch necklaces? Neat! It'd be kinda greedy to take some for everyone back at the shop--with the new people and all, and I haven't met everyone yet." She looked thoughtful. "Are they over near the food? I didn't really want to go near there because these are pretty important to Harmodius..." Memi giggled a little. "Probably shouldn't've taken them out of the shop without his permission anyway, but I didn't want to bug him anymore than I did already." "Oh, I did try - but she's really more about hoarding than actually having bussiness.. Like a dragon sitting on it's treasure, really." The thought of an Aislin-Dragon sitting on a heap of treasure made him giggle. "Well, I'm not sure if these eggs will hatch into necklaces as well.." He pointed at the basket. "But they look really pretty as they are. Maybe you could ask Reyna, or Athan, if they'd allow you to take some extras for your friends. I'm sure that wont be a problem." Honestly, he couldn't imagine anyone saying 'no' to that cheerful girl. "And the food's over there. Hm, I could try and spell your dress spill-proof? I'm good with protection spells, and that would only be a variation of it." "Well, I don't want to take too many. I'll just leave a note in the shop when I get back, though I was thinking of going to the library... not in this though." Memi smiled, thinking of going to the library in costume. In antique costume. Living history and written history in the same building. She giggled. "Yeah, that'd be silly." "Oh, it is Halloween after all.." Luthenep winked. "Maybe you should try, just to see the stupid faces of the people working there - it might be fun." He stretched, a bit. Those fake wings weren't heavy at all, but damn, they did get uncomfortable after a while. "I for one will go 'haunting' once it's dark outside, and try to scare the living daylights out of some people," he grinned. With Azel coming along it probably would be more fun than usual. "That might be fun, but I think I'm going to change to be safe," Memi said. "Though I might trick or treat a bit to get some free candy." She giggled. "After you've finished being scary, you can come by the shop if you want and I'll make you cupcakes. Do you eat?" A valid question. Harmodius usually didn't. "I don't need to, not normal food at least. But.. I like sweet stuff. Usually I eat souls." It was said cheerfully, but the next moment he was inwardly cursing his own stupidity. Dammit, how could he that have let slipped?! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Just because Laure had simply accepted it without freaking it didn't mean everyone else would suddenly do the same! He tried to calm himself. Maybe.. maybe she thought he'd just made a joke. "Well, no sampling," Memi said with a grin. "I'm on someone else's menu." Jokes were good. Jokes helped with the coping. "It's too bad, since I'm about as sweet as they come." She chuckled and shrugged. "Pancake offer's still open." Whew.. "Sure, I'll take you up on that whenever I have the time. As long as Illumin stays up in his room."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:08 am
Tricks, Treats, and Tsavorite- The Halloween Party, continued! Ying usually had very little trouble talking to other people. Most of them were nice, and the ones that weren't just needed some help. Perhaps it was the other conversations going on around her, perhaps the lingering discomfort from having a floating rock fluttering under her dress, but she backed away from the large group of people. This was a bit much to take. On the other hand, Xue was feeling rejected. No one had talked to him all night! Frowning, he walked into the center of the room, and in the midst of everyone projected a friendly, but loud, greeting. HELLOOOOOOOOO! Reyna came bustling back into the room with Sam in her arms fully-dressed in a little panda suit. She'd been a bit worried that she'd get to hot in the outfit, but she seemed to be doing just fine. She stopped short of heading back towards Wren when she heard Xue's rather loud greeting. She snickered under her breath in amusement. Any other time she likely would have been annoyed by how loud the boy was, but Wren's costume definately lifted her spirits. "Hello there," she replied with a smile as she idly shuffled Sam in her arms who gurgled something unintelligible and waved with one hand before giggling when her daemon, Fragments, zipped into the room. The little ghost-like creature did a circle around the entire room before diving back down towards the floor to skitter about Reyna's feet. Hawk barely even paid attention to Mystic, though the younger fiend threw a knowing look briefly towards him, but otherwise left him be. After all, tonight it wasn't worth picking at him. 'To you too, Athan,' Hawk replied back, finally letting some of his irritation fade away now that he did not have to focus on Wren. It was obvious Athan was trying to do that and ... well. He could endeavor to do so too. 'I figured I might as well come, though ... I didn't quite expect you here.' There was a glint of humor in those eyes of his. 'I wonder if Reyna had to blackmail or bribe you into coming.' He was just teasing of course. As obviously, in the end, Athan would only come if he wanted too. Raising a hand to mask, Hawk let his fingers brush against some of the feathers. He might have smirked if he had had lips. 'It is and I do like it, even if a bit ironic.'Wren had merely nodded his head towards Reyna once she departed, wandering about the room ( though going no closer to Athan for now ) and did start to inspect the various things laid out. It wasn't much fun when Athan was bent on ignoring him as well as his own fiend, but he could care less. He had his plans and ... oh, he knew what he was going to do. He'd get Athan's attention later. After all, revenge was going to be his! And then he promptly blinked, his attention all most going to Reyna and Sam who were returning, but then to Xue who had ... so loudly called for everyone's attention. Wren arched an eyebrow, not quite use to such an abrupt greeting -- not like that at least. There was a brief surge of emotion that Wren felt and he glanced towards Hawk. The fiend wasn't too pleased by the sudden greeting. He glared at Xue for a moment before shaking his head with displeasure and turning his attention back to Athan. Wren rolled his eyes. Hard to believe Hawk was bonded with him and had such a grumpy personality at times. No wonder he got along with Athan. A faint smile quirked at Athan's mouth. "No," he replied, "No blackmail this time. She's already called in what favors I owe her, so I'd say I'm relatively safe from that sort of thing for the time being." If he wanted to get technical, Reyna now owed him for his saving her life, but there wasn't anything he wanted to request of the demon. He knew better. Favors and deals with demons were never a good idea even if you were under the impression that you had the upper hand. "As the owner of this shop, I felt it necessary to be here," he went on as he trailed over towards one of the tables of refreshments to get himself a cup of tea, careful to avoid Wren as he did so, "Even if social functions aren't exactly my forte', but I figured Reyna could handle most of it if need be." He realized that leaving Reyna in charge of a party was a bit ironic considering how reclusive she was, but despite her temperment she was good at pretending so all was well. Hawk might've smiled a bit if he could, his attention focused where Athan had been for a moment, before he followed after the man. He had a sneaking suspicion of something and while his powers were not quite as frequent lately, he never doubted his gut feelings. 'When it's a demon, them using up all favors is something worth celebrating.' He tilted his head slightly, fingers coming up reflexively to his mask to adjust it briefly. Hawk's Eye was listening to Athan, but it looked like he was staring off at the wall. His attention was on his guardian, on Wren who was no longer paying attention to the empathic boy but rather Athan. "... might as well be now," Wren murmured to himself, fingers deftly plucking up a candy from a nearby bowl. With Athan relatively close by, he would prove to be an easy target. Eyes glowing brighter for a moment, he raised his hand and took aim to throw the candy. Was it childish what he was doing? Yes, yes it was. The point of it, however, was that it was fun. And what was a Halloween party without a little mischief? Hawk let out a mental hiss, a sudden image flooding his mind. Athan was busy getting his drink still and he suddenly pressed towards the man, his hand coming down to rest on his shoulder. Unintentionally, the slow playing image slipped along the bond Hawk shared with Athan. It was Wren taking aim and pulling his arm back and then pitching it forward to let the candy loose and fly in the air towards Athan's head. Except it wasn't going to hit Athan's head, because just as it got close enough, Hawk caught it in his outstreched hand that had dropped the quartz pendant down to dangle from it's cord. '... Wren,' he said in an agitated tone, 'cut it out.' And then the Fiend clasped the candy in his hand, the quartz no longer there to take the charge, and let it take on some of the excess energy he contained. Before it burst from the strain of energy he pressed into it, he threw it right back at his bonded. Hawk wasn't able to watch it fly with his own eyes, but he saw it through his bonded's eyes as it came closer. He felt that sense of disbelief from Wren as the candy shattered right before his face, covering him in a sticky red mess of what had been contained within the piece of candy and the small shards of the outer shell that had keeped the liquid on the inside. He just did not see as his bonded's hand clenched around several more pieces of candy. Athan's bright green eyes widened in a brief look of shock at the vision that flashed by his eyes before he realized that it was actually happening. He ducked out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit with the candies that the demon hurled towards his general vicinity. It was actually Mystic who had the misfortune of being pegged with some of the candy that went flying through the air. His brow furrowed in a dark scowl as his gaze settled on Hawk, who was standing where he was fairly certain the candy had come from. He phased into a more transparent form and through a handful of candies from the table he was standing near towards the other Fiend. Mass chaos had officially been unleashed, and ironically, it wasn't a Fiend who had started it -- a rare occurance at Twilight Designs. Hawk moved back to avoid the candies that Wren carelessly threw towards Athan, but were obviously heading towards more than one target. Glad that he didn't get hit, he wasn't expecting to get pegged from the back and he whirled around -- glaring from person to person that he sensed until a static image popped into his mind. Mystic. '... nitwit,' he nearly growled at him, a trait picked up from Wren, and then ducked out of the way as his bonded threw more candies. They went sailing passed when he ducked down and, though most wouldn't think it out of place, reached out to see if he could feel Athan's shoulder. He could sense him, but for the moment his senses were a little frazzled with the rapidly flying candies that were being thrown through the air. "Bugger," Wren muttered, pausing before he even threw another thing of candies. He ... hadn't meant to hit Mystic and he hadn't gotten Athan -- or even Hawk for that matter. "... oh well," he grinned, picking up a candy and bouncing it up and down in his hand. This time, he was aiming to miss and his target? Reyna. "So, Reyna," he called teasingly to his friend, humor obvious in his eyes, "are you a regular pirate or a pirate elf?" He meant no harm, really! ( And had no room to talk, considering his own ears, but shh. ) Athan frowned as suddenly there was candy and other foodstuffs flying through the air. This was not how he had hoped the party would progress, nor could it possibly be good for business. He glanced towards Hawk who looked a bit out of sorts, but it was no wonder why. He couldn't see the chaos that was unfolding around him. He reached to grab him by the hand and led him towards the backroom where it was relatively "safe" from the all out food fight that was in progress. "It would probably be a good idea to stay here until it stops," he told him quietly, eyes glowing faintly in the darkness of the room. He cracked open the door just in time to see Reyna snatch up a handful of something to throw at Wren, while yelling at something about it being revenge for the comment about her ears. He sighed and pressed a hand to his face. This was not good. 'Very good idea,' Hawk murmured, unsure how chaotic the party now was, though he could -- when Athan opened the door -- hear an undignified squawk from his guardian who likely got pelted again. Slipping a bit further away from the door, just in case anything came in by accident, he raised a hand up to make sure that his mask was not out of place. Satisfied, he let his hand slip back down and twisted his hand so that the quartz pendant could be caught and held in it. 'This is not how I imagined the party would be.' Shaking his head, Hawk could only blame his bonded. The demon was a loon and speaking of said loon, Wren had taken a break from throwing things to try and brush the candy and other things off of his robes. So much for staying in character and dressing up as Athan for Halloween. Big bust! Oh well, the look on Athan's face had been priceless ... As soon as food had started flying, Memi had immediately made a panicked sound not unlike a squeak and run from the party, trying not to get anything on her borrowed (antiquities) costume. She didn't know how much she would be dead if she ruined this, but she wasn't going to find out! Food fight? What was this!? Elysia ducked behind the table with the punchbowl, not wanting to get hit with anything. Why is it that a perfectly dignified party had to break out into a food fight? Labbie fluttered back from Mystic's shoulder to land on Elysia's once again, and Elysia could feel the wisp's displeasure from the chaos that had broken out in the shop. Elysia felt that it was time to depart, and though she hadn't talked to anyone much, that was okay...She was never the best in large social situations. Labbie, on the other hand, seemed to have had a good time, mingling with the other wisps and with Mystic. Elysia was now even more curious about what the wisp would look like once it had grown up a bit...Now that she'd seen Mystic as an adult, she was excited to find out more about Labbie. Suddenly, as Elysia was about to crawl out from behind the table and head for the exit, a flash of pain went through her head, and she passed out on the floor, into the same dream that she'd had just a few weeks ago... Labbie looked a bit jumpy as Elysia passed out, and as soon as the silver-haired woman's head hit the floor, the wisp reformed it's wings into wispy strands of shadow, and pulled itself over to her, firmly attaching itself to her forehead... Reyna giggled quietly as Sam tried to turn around in her arms to get a better look at what was going on around her. Her mother had her cradled protectively against her chest. She was fairly certain the little girl would not be at all appreciative of being pegged with candy or whatever else that was flying through the air around them. The child laughed along with her mother, clearly tickled by the massive mess that the shop had been turned into. Athan, however, was not at all pleased. He stood in the door way of the back room and glowered at the mess that Wren had caused with the help of Reyna. "You two do realize you'll be the ones cleaning this up, correct?" Athan grated out, displeasure clearly written across his face. The silverhaired woman smirked faintly and shot a glance towards Wren who was trying to clean up his robes. Without warning she grabbed a handful of candies and hurled them at Athan, but for frowning with a bit of disappointment when the man dodged the projectiles by slamming the door shut. "... oh hell, I missed him," Wren said, looking up in time to see the door slam shut and the candies hit it. He looked over to Reyna and have a shrug of his shoulders. "You know, two demons cleaning things up shouldn't take that long." Smirking, he walked over towards Reyna and Sam. His fingers wiggled at the little girl and once he was close enough, he started to whisper in a conspiring tone. "I have an idea. Got any red markers? Or ... red paint? Red something to write with?" Wren really did manage to look entirely too much like Athan in his costume, but it was easy to tell that the mischievous look in those glowing green eyes was all his own. 'Don't think that'd put a dent in anything,' Hawk said, as he heard the door slam shut. His fingers were once again curled in Athan's robes, a firm attachment to something that was steady in his surroundings. He did not know if he wanted to go back out there -- even if the food fight died down. ... unless it was to go back out and do something to Mystic, now there was an idea. Mystic moved towards Reyna and plucked Sam out of her arms when he realized that his guardian was really too preoccupied being mischievous with Wren to carefully watch the little girl as she usually did. Chaos never failed to erupt when those to went at it. "I've got a red sharpie in my desk drawer," she murmured before skittering over towards her desk to lift up the table clothe strewn over it to rummage through one of the drawers. She held out the marker with a triumphant smirk to Wren. "...what's it for?" she asked, head tilting to the side. "Go go Powerrrr Rangers!" The bellow of a voice gives not enough of a warning before Pippin's official entrance. Exploding through the doorway with tremendous force, he leaps into a stance right there, his arms raised and knees bent in a way to add unintentioned hilarity. It certainly does not help that the man is clad in a spandex Green Power Ranger costume. Taking off his helmet, Pippin beams brilliantly at the general occupants of the room before inviting himself further inside. At his heels, previously hidden, or at least unnoticed due to their father's commotion, are the Adu known as Mythos and Chronicles. Both sport outrageous, overstuffed pumpkin costumes. Quite ironically, the faces "carved" into their pumpkins are opposite those of the wearer. Wrapped in its protective leathery cloth, Mythos has the Smokey Quartz well hidden, at least for now. "Hi, hey, HELLO!" Pippin cheerfully greets everyone and anyone, shutting the door distractedly. The overly hyper charisma has to be explained by some sort of drink he had prior to his arrival, though this is shady territory for the man. "Hope we haven't missed too much of the fun, HEEEE!" Reyna stopped midstep and burst out laughing at the Pippin. She'd only met him the once when she first got Sam, and the situation had been rather grave. She wasn't accustomed to the man's quirks at all (but she had heard stories from Wren). She stifled her giggles behind one hand before offering the man a fanged grin. "Hello there," she murmured as she moved forward to greet him but paused when something crunched beneath her boots. Candy. There were peices of candy all of the place along with various other food stuffs that had been flung through the air not but a few moments ago. "Been a while," she went on after shuffling her feet a bit to rid the soles of her shoes of the sticky goo that was on the bottom even though it would likely do her little good. "Because," Wren said as Reyna got the red marker, "we're going to be decorating --" The demon that was no longer a demon, but actually dressed as Athan let out a particularly un-Athan like squeal and practically pounced on his boys night out buddy. "Pip!" Pause. "... wow, um. Yeah. Look good in spandex." Wren blinked and shook his head before he turned his attention back to Reyna, though he gave a side long glance to the two children that had come along with Pippin. One of them, he knew, held something that at least one person in the building would not want to see. "Anyway, um ... Reyna?" The demon slid right back up to his friend to whisper in her ear, shaking his leg a little to get candy bits off of him, "With that marker, we're going to go decorate Athan's gravestone in hearts. I think it's quite fitting. To, you know, let him know how we feel about him." The silver haired woman snickered under her breath and grinned. "I'm sure he'll appreciate the sentiment," she replied with barely contained mirth. She continued to laugh quietly to herself despite her best efforts as they snuck over to where the gravestones were lined up and went about decorating Athan's with bubbly red hearts. Mystic watched, vaugely amused by his guardian's antics. If he weren't holding Sam he'd likely join in, but currently the babe was proving to be quite an armful. She gurgled odd little noises as though she were trying to speak and flailed out towards Fragments who was perched on the Shadow's shoulder. He had a feeling she was getting tired of her stuffy, however cute, panda suit and would soon be needing to be put to bed. Athan decided that it was safe enough to emerge from the backroom once more. He noted that his shop was indeed a mess, and was fairly thankful the floors were not carpeted seeing as their was sticky candy everywhere. It crunched in a rather unpleasant manner with every step he took and he was rather thankful his robes were spelled against such messes or he'd have a terrible time washing his clothes. The irritated look on his face darkened even more when he caught sight of the two demons. "You two are so cleaning this mess up," he grated out between clenched teeth. "So, so great ..." Wren broke out in a grin and helped with the decorating of Athan's gravestone. It looked so cute now! So obviously representing of their love for Athan. Though love, in this case, surely meant how much they got a kick out of irritating and bothering him. "... cleaning what?" The words were innocently spoken and Wren lifted his head to stare at Athan as if he had no clue what he was talking about. Worse was that he really could pull off the look. Hawk slipped back in as Athan then, a hand resting on the man's sleeve and a scowl on his face as he heard his guardian's tone of voice. The demon just ... couldn't let things go normally. At least, when it came to Athan he couldn't. 'And I'm suppose to be the child here,' he grumbled. Never mind he was certain that Wren was bound to have tried something else while Athan and himself were in the back room. About thirty minutes later, Labbie detached herself from Elysia's forehead, and hovered over her, flapping her 'wings' slowly and calmly...The dreams were Labbie's creations of course. And, they weren't just normal dreams...they were prophetic dreams. Soon, they would come true, and Elysia would be shocked to see her own child living her dreams. The wisp sent her bonded calming feelings, hoping that it would keep her sane upon awakening. Labbie landed on Elysia's chest, and waited. She would wake up soon enough, and the wisp wanted to be there to help her...if she could. After what seemed like hours, Elysia's eyelids began to flutter, and slowly her lids opened. She was staring at the ceiling, feeling a bit...sticky. Getting her bearings, she pushed herself up, and saw Labbie, fluttering there in front of her. Though she should have had some extreme emotions upon waking, she felt a calm wash over her. She knew it was the wisp. Picking pieces of candy off of her velvet dress, she finally stood up, looking disheveled, her hair tangled with sugary candy, and her dress wrinkled and dirty. Labbie just hovered over her shoulder, waiting for what would happen next. Rubbing her temples, Elysia spoke up, not really caring who was around. "I...I think I need to go home. Nice party though guys." She paused, and gave the rest of the party-goers a wave. "Wait, where did all this candy come from?" She sighed and picked yet another hard candy out of her hair. "Nevermind...maybe I don't need to know. I'll see you all later." And then, she walked toward the door, pushing it open to let in the cool autumn air. Her headache wasn't quite gone yet, but she thought that perhaps the walk home would help. Giving a last wave to those inside, she stepped out into the night, heading back to the beach house. Before the door slammed shut, Labbie slipped through the crack, her butterfly wings disappearing, becoming wisps once again. When Athan entered the room again, Luthenep quickly let the handful of candy he had just been ready to throw drop into one of his pockets. It was probably better to not be caught in the act, he was a guest after all. But.. he had enjoyed himself immensely, Azel as well. But now it seemed like more and more of the guests were leaving.. He made a few steps into the middle of the room, looking around for Aislin to see if she wanted to stick around somewhat longer, or was ready to leave as well. Where the hell was she? Hawk slipped forward, moving away from Athan ( a brief glance back, as if he could look at him once more ), before he continued moving. He paused near Luthenep and Azel, just as he sensed his presence, and then slipped around him with a quietly murmured word of 'excuse me'. His target was, actually, Reyna. He knew she still had that red marker and he promptly snagged it out of her hand. 'You're finished, aren't you?' he asked, but did not really leave room for her to respond. It took him a moment or two, but he eventually ascertained which gravestone was Wren's and promptly went to work altering the date on the gravestone and putting in a proper one before he moved on to Reyna's ( and then to the rest of the gravestones after that ). Wren tilted his head to look over his shoulder and watched Hawk for a moment, watched the numbers written down neatly, and then scowled. "... that is so not right, Hawk." Wren was, of course, ignored. Reyna looked startled for about a split second when Hawk snatched the marker away from her. She moved to peer at her own gravestone and tilted her head to the side as she stared at the dates Hawk had written on the foam surface. "Huh. Always thought I'd die a lot sooner than that," she pondered out loud before shrugging and turning away. She had intended to go snatch Sam away from Mystic but she stopped promptly after one step when Athan cut her off. He scowled down at her, arms folded over his chest. "Clean up this mess. Now," he grumbled in a low, slightly threatening voice. It seemed he was actually beginning to lose his temper, something that was quite a rare occurance. Then again, everyday wasn't quite Halloween at Twilight Designs, and Wren was dressed up as the fuming man. And not just dressed up. He went the whole nine yards. Glamour. Realistic robes. For a while he was even "in character" so to speak. The silver haired woman scowled back up at him. She'd give him that. She'd let him be irritated for a bit. "Fine," she hissed, "Not like I'd leave you to pick up this mess anyway." 'Shows what you know,' Hawk muttered back at Reyna, briefly pausing to twirl the marker in his hand before continuing on with his work. Besides, it gave him the time to work out the dates that needed to be written down. He had to concentrate some, not everything just came to him. Wren's eyes flared a brighter green for a moment, briefly the true blue of his eye color peeking through before the glamour shifted back into place. "Whatever," he finally muttered, whether it was at Hawk or Athan was unknown. "I'll help, Reyna." A look was briefly given to Athan to dare him to say something in response to him saying he'd help. He helped make the mess, he'd clean it up as well. Of course, first he wanted to snack on while he cleaned and he moved to pick up what looked to be a pumpkin lollipop. He could've swore, however, that they had been eggs previously. Undoing the wrapper, he popped into his mouth and started to suck on it. Then he blinked and pulled it out of his mouth. "Hey! These taste like souls!" A brief pause. "Yummy!" And it was promptly popped right back into his mouth while he went about figuring out where to start cleaning ( while he slid some of the lollipops into his pockets for later comsumption; they weren't real souls, but they'd hit the spot when he got a craving ). Reyna thought for a moment about saying something snide and rude to Hawk for that biting little comment, but decided against it. She wasn't bonded to him, and in general, crossing a Seer was not a good idea. Even if said Seer was merely a child that was far wiser than his years. She frowned and kept her comments to herself before glancing towards Wren. "Seriously?" she asked, a bit wide-eyed. Kickass! She skittered towards him and peered into the basket. There was an assortment of black candles and the orange suckers that Wren had tried. The other things that had hatched from the unclaimed eggs had seemingly escaped, but considering how those particular eggs disappeared at random, she wasn't surprised. "I grabbed one of these earlier," she murmured as she sifted through her pockets and then her sash tied at her waist to find the little horned, red egg, curious to see if it had hatched. She sulked a bit when she discovered it hadn't. Hawk was back to semi-ignoring people again anyway as he felt his way along to the next grave stone. Another date had all ready formed in his head and he was well on his way to writing it down in red marker after he crossed out the other information on the thing. Accuracy was key, after all. "Yeah, seriously," Wren mumbled around the sucker. "Didn't expect something so tasty ..." He looked over the other items briefly before looking towards Reyna as she peered at the horned egg. "That's interesting," he murmured, looking at it for a moment before dismissing it. It wasn't that interesting -- just a little demonic. "Wonder about the one I found." Shuffling about in the hidden pockets in his robes, he reached for what should've been a bloody egg, but came out as a pendant with a blade and rubies. "Huh. Didn't expect that. "Right." He said after a moment of staring at the necklace before slipping it back into his pocket. "Cleaning?" Reyna started suddenly when Wren mentioned their needing to be cleaning. "Uh.. yeah," she murmured as she hid away the egg once more with a visible amount of effort. It was so pretty, and shiny, and red! She liked that color. And it was shiny. And.. she needed to go get the mop and bucket out of the closet in the hallway that led out to the alleyway rather than coveting the shinyshiny egg she'd snatched earlier. 'I'm going to take Sam home,' Mystic replied as she headed for the back room. Sam was half asleep in his arms with her little face buried against the Shadow's neck. He swayed slightly to rock her as he rubbed her back to keep her comfortable. She'd gotten rather grouchy towards the end of the party. "Alrighty," Reyna replied with a smile, "I'll see you at home then." She sighed faintly as she watched Mystic leave with her little girl before heading off to get the cleaning supplies they'd need to clean up the front end of the shop. Athan was tempted to leave. The comfort of his own home was infinately better than hanging around the shop with the two demons lurking about, but he wanted to make sure things were cleaned. It wasn't so much that he doubted Reyna (and begrudgingly Wren) but he was in an irritable enough mood to stay out of spite. He glanced over towards Hawk who was still writing dates on the tombstones. He chuckled quietly under his breath and thought for a moment to tell him that what he was doing wasn't particularly nice, but he did find it to be rather amusing.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:39 am
The Morning After
Ying opened her eyes. Something wasn't right, she mused groggily. It wasn't just the bits of candy in her hair that she had been too tired to wash out the night before. Or the fact that her room was unusually messy. Both of which would have bothered her more had she been focused.
The room was dark. Usually she kept the curtains open, letting the sun wake her. But they were pulled shut, not even letting a crack of light through. Frowning, she turned to face the glowing alarm clock next to her bed. "TEN O'CLOCK!?"
There was a small movement near Ying's pink wardrobe, where she had dumped her costume the previous night. A few rustles of fabric, but nothing overtly noticable.
More clothes went flying as the Jumi started tearing her room apart. "How did I oversleep? I was supposed to go to a movie with Yeinie today, oh no!"
Finding the dress boring, the rustles moved to the top hat. Perfect. Exuding bits of smugness, a small shadow slipped inside.
Grabbing the first clothes she could find- a shirt and skirt, both in a snazzy shade of purple- Ying hurriedly dressed herself in front of the full-length mirror in the corner. Her candy coated hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, which was later straightened while she scrutinized the image in front of her.
It took a lot of effort, but little by little the top hat removed itself from the chair it was sitting on, floating higher and higher in the air, supposedly of its own accord.
"There." Finally satisfied with her appearance, Ying turned away from the mirror. Something was in her way, how annoying. She started to scold, but her eyes widened before the first word left her parted lips. Her top hat was floating. In mid-air.
Floating object + haunted house = GHOST
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream broke Tsavorite's concentration, but it didn't matter. She had already gotten the reaction she hoped for. The hat dropped to the floor, but not before a small wisp had zoomed out from under it, practically glowing with pleasure.
Some parts of the previous night had gone forgotten. Tears on her cheeks, Ying stamped her foot on the floor. "That was... so not nice! Now come on, we're going to a movie now."
Indecisive, the gem hung in the air, shadows surrounding it flicking back and forth.
"You should like it there," she continued, eyes narrow. "It's dark. Lots of screaming people."
That was enough for Tsavorite. She sped forwards, tucking herself neatly into Ying's purse. It was dark inside, but she wasn't stupid enough to stay unguarded for long.
Drawing her purse shut, Ying sighed. "You know, we're going to have to get along. So please, behave, okay?"
This girl thought that asking her to be nice would have an effect?
Oh, this would be fun.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:25 am
Lights On, Lights Off
The bed almost resembled a cocoon with all the blankets piled on top of it. Snuggled inside was Ying, still wearing her bathrobe. It had no right to be that cold before Christmas, she thought with a shiver. Her usual two sheets, fleece blanket, and down quilt had been topped with a thick afghan and a "borrowed" robe. And even then, she was barely warm enough.
A small stack of magazines kept her company. The one she was reading was as pink as everything else in her room, and detailed the winter's fashion outlook. Every so often Ying would let out a sigh of delight, or a squeal of excitement. "That skirt would look so nice with my lace blouse..."
It was intolerable. Tsavorite would have put her hands over her ears if she had any body parts to begin with. The fact that she didn't was even worse; there was no escape for the shrieks and happiness coming from her bond. She couldn't even leave, as much as she would have liked to.
The objects next to the girl, those were her source of pleasure. But they were too large and too slippery for her to remove. Even if she could get under one, it would fall right away and alert her bond to any plots. No, there had to be another way.
And there was. It was so simple, really.
Ying started as the lights flicked off. "Okaasan?" she asked nervously, looking around. There was no one there.
The truth was easy enough to spot. The light switch was down, and the stone that had taken to haunting her- literally in some cases- was conspicuously absent. "Very funny, Tsavorite. Now turn it back on please."
Back on? She had to be kidding. Not only did that get rid of the annoying noises, but the lights were off. Tsavorite wondered why she hadn't thought of that earlier. It was exponentially more comfortable.
"Fine." Ying grumbled, pulling her mountain of blankets around herself as she stumbled out of bed. "I'll turn them back on myself. And don't turn them off again."
Of course, if she asked politely, the fiend would stay away from the light switch. Not.
And of course, she waited until Ying had positioned herself comfortably in bed once more before pushing the switch down.
Angry looks didn't suit Ying, but she was becoming more and more experienced with them. "I asked you not to do that, Savvy."
Tsavorite merely bobbed innocently above the bed. If her bond thought a cute nickname was the way to curb her tricks, she had much to learn.
And of course, as soon as Ying turned the lights back on, and was back in bed, she turned the lights off once more.
"Fine. You want to play rough, Savvy. I won't join you in that."
Aha! The green gem twirled in midair, gloating. She won!
"However," Ying continued as she rummaged in her nightstand, "I won't let myself be pushed around either."
As soon as she had found what she wanted, she flicked it on and turned it to face the fiend. A stream of white light hit Tsavorite squarely, causing a brief pain so intense Ying was hurting through her bond. She had only flashed the light in that direction for a moment, and the effects shocked her a bit. Perhaps she was too rough. Tsavorite was making her become meaner, in order to combat the constant ploys and deceptions. It wasn't something she was enjoying.
Still, she hummed softly to herself, turning the flashlight's beam on her magazines, she had finally won one.
Not for long. The gem had fallen to the floor, and was still sore from the direct light, but she was already planning her next attack.
Still, that trick with the light was good. Tsavorite had to compliment her bond. She was coming along nicely, very nicely indeed...
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 8:36 pm
[Reserved- Valentine's Day Massacre (backdated)]
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 9:15 pm
Up for Grabs, Part One (metaplot)
Ying twirled the staff in her hand in the same way she would a baton, and kicked the ground. Wisely, the ground did not retaliate. "I'm tired of figthing," Ying whined, giving a withering gaze to her sparring partner.
Shifting her grip on her own staff, the best friend, sparring partner, and cohort blinked in surprise. "We're not fighting, Ying," Yeine countered. "We're training. I want to be good when the masters come back, and you said you wanted to learn to defend yourself."
"Sure I did, Yeinie. But I didn't think it would be all we ever did. 'Sides, it's not so fair with a handicap," Ying growled.
The handicap in question fluttered by innocently. Tsavorite actually enjoyed the daily sparring sessions between her bond and the cat girl. Knowing how to fight was important, and flying in the Jumi's face at crucial times proved most entertaining, especially when the interference caused minor injury. In Savvy's mind all she was doing was providing more training, especially in dealing with unexpected distractions. The fact that it amused her greatly was just a bonus.
There was no escaping the fiend's feelings of self-satisfaction, which only made Ying more grumpy. Flinging out her frustration, the Jumi flopped on the grass, letting the sun warm her face. "C'mon, Yeinie. We need to relax. There has to be something more fun to do."
"Like what?" Yeine sat down on the ground nearby, crossing her legs neatly. The question was a reasonable one. They had already been shopping for the month, seen all the good movies out, had enough of the park to last a lifetime (even though they knew they'd be back next week), and tried every recipie in the cookbook DS had loaned them. It wasn't that the girls lacked creativity, just that they temporarily lacked actual ideas. And the longer they went without these ideas, the longer it would be before either of them came up with any.
Even Tsavorite was discouraged. Being mischievous wasn't any fun when her targets were sitting ducks. Even if she did have ideas to spur the girls into action, her bond wasn't likely to listen after the last time. Savvy almost glowed with pleasure just recalling it. Seeing the look on Ying's face when she realized the site of the "party" was in fact a broken down barn that had been abandoned for years... that was priceless. But it had cost her bond's trust, and that could cause problems...
Ying was grasping at ideas, none of them worth pursuing, when she hear Yeine's puzzled voice asking if they were expecting a message. "No," Ying called out with equal bewilderment. Unless there was an emergency at the Academy for Yeine, or at Etansel for Ying, there shouldn't be any notes for them.
Glancing at the slip of paper that had turned up on the ground between them quite unexpectedly, Yeine handed it over. "It's for you."
"For me?" More confused than ever, Ying examined the letter. It wasn't a child's note, but a proper one, folded neatly and sealed with wax. The Jumi shrugged, using one manicured nail to open the cresent of silver, and read the note.
It was an emergency indeed, but not from the Academy or Etansel. It was from Twilight Designs, and the nice people there. While she read Ying couldn't help but notice Tsavorite buzzing conspiciously next to her, brimming with apprehension. That furthered Ying's worry, and the rest of the note cinched it.
Reyna Crelos The note arrives mysteriously out of nowhere whever the guardian is at the moment. The paper is folded in thirds and sealed with a small cresent shaped piece of silver wax.
Apologies for the abruptness of this message and the slight intrusion, but time is a commodity at the moment that we cannot afford to waist. I'm sure you are already aware of the Shadow that follows you around near constantly, as I too have one and therefore are at least somewhat familiar with whom Athan is. I'm afraid at the moment he is gravely ill and is in need of an antidote to a poison which he was exposed to.
Unfortunately I haven't time to explain how or why, but I need to ask a favor of you. Can you please retrieve the following item for me? It's an ingrediant to the spell which will help to cure him. I've attached a brief description and image of it. It's very urgent, and I'd do it myself but.. well.. I can't leave Athan alone, now can I? Besides, it'll save us time if we work together.
After all, it isn't just Athan's life that is at stake here. If he dies, as do our Shadows which could also prove dangerous for our own health as guardians since our souls are bound to them and may very well follow them into death.
Thanks in advance,
ReynaLilicai fruit is actually a sort of berry that grows in the lilicai tree which happens to be one of the tallest trees known to exist. The berries are very small and are about the size of a blueberry. They are a favorite of most birds and small animals like squirrels. When you first bite into one it's sour, but then the aftertaste is sweet and cool. When crushed, they form a sort of gel that is excellent in helping to relieve burns. The downside is that the gel is very sticky and hard to wash off.
Location: The best place to find this fruit is in an open air market, or if you're really lucky you'll find one of the trees themselves for the freshest, most potent fruits. The best place to find a tree is near a river.
Spell Use: The fruit after being crushed will help relieve the pain of the burns and combat any sort of fever caused by the poison.
(( click the item's name to see the image of it! you may do whatever you please with it in reguards to chopping it up and pasting it in your journal, etc. There is also a copy of the item description in the guild. ))
"Is everything okay?" Yeine asked, voice weak with concern. Ying looked absolutely pale, and the gem that had taken to following her was hovering around in a very urgent manner.
Okay was not the word Ying would have chosen, but she managed a stiff nod. That poor Mister Athan! He had been so nice to her, fixing her brooch for free, and even offering to let her purchase something while the shop was closed. Of course, that was what led her to become bonded to the hunk of rock and shadows that took pleasure in her torment, but that hadn't been Athan's fault.
And now he was hurt, and Ying had an opportunity to repay all his kindnesses. It wasn't a choice at all, considering what could happen if she didn't do what was asked of her. There was the chance that Tsavorite could perish as well, which actually bothered Ying a small bit, as did the fact that a part of her could die along with the shadow. Ying never considered herself selfish before, but being more worried about herself than another being- even one so bothersome as Savvy- ranked as selfish in her book.
But what was she waiting for? Time was of the essence!
"Yeinie, we've suddenly got plans for today."
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:20 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:20 am
Up for Grabs, Part Three (metaplot)
Schedule Log Updating... 9AM: Rise, dress, breakfast 10AM: Begin training with Ying (day's discipline- staves) 11AM: Arrival of mysterious letter detailing Mr. Athan's sudden illness and potential side effects, along with a request for help.
11:30AM: Depart in search of Lil
Typing into the tiny palm-held computer was not an easy task even when one was fully focused. To do it while walking took lots of practice. The only time Yeine looked up was when they were nearly at Barton, and only to ask a question. "Ying, how do you spell 'Lilicai?' Is it one l, or two?"
"I have no idea," Ying answered distractedly. If they had to go on to the other side, closer to Aekea, it would eat up another huge chunk of their day. It wasn't so much that she was worried about getting back late, though she wasn't thrilled about the possibility of being out in the summer night. Rather, if they took too long, what would happen to Athan? And ultimately, perhaps Savvy and herself?
And then her eyes fell on the small cluster of booths in the center of Barton. She'd seen them on occasion before, but never really questioned it. They were probably just part of a green market or something. An open-air market... "Yeinie, that's it!" Bursting through her thin veil of anxiety, Ying's eyes widened. "The market!"
At first the Cathar was confused, but quickly the rationale dawned on her. "Of course. The letter said that the fruit grew near rivers, but we don't have to actually get one from a tree. Why didn't we do that earlier then?"
"I forgot," Ying admitted sheepishly.
Tsavorite hovered for a moment, briefly perplexed, but soon smug again. Her bond was lying. What a fascinating development this was. Maybe she had teeth after all.
Feeling this sentiment, Ying blushed a deep shade of pink. "Come on," she muttered, grabbing the floating gem and stuffing it into her pocket, which she promptly forgot to zip. "Let's check this place out."
Rather than immediately zipping out and taking her revenge, Tsavorite decided to wait. If Ying thought that she was stuck in there, she would let her guard down, leaving a perfect opportunity one way or the other.
Ying was unaware of the plans being concocted inside her pocket. All her attention was on the stands, and as she approached one her eyes immediately scanned the display for the fruit that had been shown in the picture. There was none. "Yeine, could you check the other side? We'll meet in the middle."
"Okay." It was a plan Yeine was about to suggest herself, so it didn't take much to convince her, and soon she was running across the bazaar. They seemed to have more produce, which looked promising.
Satisfied that they were working efficiently, Ying continued onto the next stall. "Excuse me," she called to the apron-clad woman managing the stall. "Do you have any Lilicai fruit?"
The woman gave a short guffaw. "We don't carry no exotics this time 'o the year, honey."
"Oh. Sorry then." Exotics? The letter hadn't described the fruit as exotic. But it was harder to come across than she thought it would be. After four more stalls she had no luck, and looking across the way it wasn't hard to tell that Yeine was in the same position. It was the same everywhere.
"Lilicai fruit? Aw no, lil' missy. Yeh won' be wantin' any of dat. Now looky 'ere, I got some good berries for yeh." "No way! We don't have any of that nasty stuff. We're a good bunch, yes we are." "Oh, I'm sorry dear. We just sold our last bit not five minutes ago."
That statement drew Ying out of her rut, and she leaned forward, eyes wide. "You mean you actually had some? Here? You know where to find it?"
The keeper of the stall looked mildly taken aback, but he smiled kindly. "Yes indeed. I'm surprised, young ones like yourselves rarely know what it is, much less inquire."
He knew what it was, where to get it, what it was used for! Ying danced in place, hopping from one foot to another. "Please, sir... could you tell me where to find some? My friend is sick, I really really need some."
"Well... as long as you keep it a secret. Else I might be out of business!" The man winked, then leaned in to whisper a location in Ying's ear. "And be careful."
"Oh, I will mister! Thank you so much!" Before she knew what she was doing Ying hugged the stallkeeper quickly, then ran across the plaza. "Yeinie! Come on, we've got to go pick some fruit!"
~Safety save
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:21 pm
Up for Grabs, Part Four (metaplot)
"A little to the left!"
Groaning a little under Ying's weight, Yeine tottered to the left, keeping her hands clenched around the Jumi's ankles. "Good?"
"I think so." Ying had one arm hooked into a branch of the tall Lilicai tree. The other was picking berries as fast as possible, and stuffing them in her pockets. The man at the bazaar had been right on with his directions, and they'd only gotten lost once on the way!
"Hurry... please." Even though she was glad that they found the tree, and were doing something really good, she couldn't stand much more. At least she had lasted a while though. If Ying was on the bottom they probably would have fallen by now.
Barely listening, Ying grabbed another handful of berries and put them in her pocket. More berries fell all around her, freed by the constant movement of the branches. Even if she didn't get enough while in the tree, there would be a bunch on the ground as well.
Tsavorite was not nearly so pleased. The miniscule pocket of space she had was becoming smaller and smaller, as the fruits crowded around her. If there was ever a time to make her escape, this was it.
She waited until Ying's hand pulled away, then pushed her way up and out of the fruity tomb, into the light. It was painful, yet unavoidable. Once she was free she hurried to the the shade the tree provided- which happened to be directly in front of Ying's face.
"You! I thought I told you to stay put!" With one hand full of berries, Ying quickly unhooked her other and took a mad swipe at the floating gem, momentarily forgetting her surroundings.
The motion caused the whole tower to sway dangerously. "Ying, be careful!" Yeine cried. But it was too late. She could feel her shoulders buckling, and tried to get out of the way.
Crashing with a thud, it was only the spongy grass that saved Ying from serious injury. She was definitely bruised, but there were no concussions or broken bones. Still, it was difficult for Ying to appreciate that. "Savvy... I oughta..."
Yeine was in little better shape, but her hands uncharacteristically went to her hair. "Oh no..."
"THE FRUIT!" Ying screeched shrilly. Not only had much of it smashed, but it had gotten all over them, coating the pair in spots of thick, gooey gel. Ying could see the words of the letter in her mind. The downside is that the gel is very sticky and hard to wash off.
It was even better than Savvy could have done if she tried. Of course, she would never admit that.
"It's... it's okay, Ying. There's some here that's still good. Let's just go." Yeine picked herself up, trying not to focus on her ruined clothes, or her sticky hair, and picked up a few of the berries that were still whole.
"Fine," Ying muttered, following suit. "But after this, if Athan survives, I may have to kill this thing myself."
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:18 pm
[Reserved- Therapy Not Included]
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:18 pm
[Reserved- Manifest Destiny]
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:19 pm
[Reserved- Trouble Brewing]
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:33 pm
[Reserved - The Masquerade]
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