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 Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 6:03 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 11:32 am
Aftermath The woman paced, child held securely in her arms as she strode back and fourth through the dim-lit front hallway of the mansion, the pain in her ankle not enough to keep her from moving step step step, as if in some futile attempt to keep up physically with the furious pace of her mind. At the woman's heels dashed the creature she knew was called a daemon, a wooly little mix between a ferret and a cat. As Tweek made her way down the hall with the child, he hopped after her as if pulled by an invisible leash, grumbling to himself irritably, and occasional nipping at the woman's ankles. The little girl in Tweek's arms would look back and coo every now and then, extending an arm towards him, but ultimately Tweek was too caught in her thoughts to respond and scoop the daemon up. A child. A real Forgotten child. She'd actually become a guardian. It seemed impossible! Could it really be true?"Shh, baby," The woman hummed as the little girl babbled a string of sounds towards the trailing creature once again. She slowed her steps, coming to a stop at a long seat propped up against the wall and placing the babe on the bench. The daemon promptly hopped up onto the fair-haired girl's lap, clacking out a stream of annoyance at the guardian in front of him before settling down, losing himself in the folds of the soft green shawl. "Ahnoo," The child churred to her friend, placing her hand on his head. Tweek seated herself on the floor, cross-legged in front of them so that she was eye-level with the tiny girl. Gently, she unfolded the piece of paper she had taken from the little girl's grasp back in the magnificent library and read it over once again. "But at the same moment she understood, and a light of infinite happiness came into her eyes. She knew and had no doubt that he loved her beyond everything and that at last the moment had come. They wanted to speak, but could not; tears stood in their eyes. They were both pale and thin; but those sick pale faces were bright with the dawn of a new future, of a full resurrection into a new life. They were renewed by love; the heart of each held infinite sources of life for the heart of the other.""So this little guy's named after one of these words, hmm?" Tweek asked the child in front of her rhetorically as she recalled a contingent of the daemons she'd heard sometime in the past. "I wonder which one?" Her brow wrinkled as she glanced at the little creature who stared back indignantly with pupil-less eyes. "Light?" She tried. "Bright?" The daemon just blinked at her drolly. Noticing Tweek's fixation with her daemon, Sonya waved an arm at the little creature and babbled helpfully. "Bah, naa... nood." "Nude?" Tweek raised a brow, winching her lip before chuckling slightly. "I don't think that word's in here, love." "Ahnoo," The child looked up at her with her large blue eyes. "'A new,' huh?" The woman scanned the passage one more time. "Well--Oh! You mean 'Renewed?'" The daemon cocked his head attentively, flitting his wings in response. Tweek grinned tiredly. "I guess so. Renewed it is, then." Arching her back, the woman glanced out the window into the black canvas of night, the sight of which made her even less eager to leave the House. Although she worried about encroaching on someone else's property, she felt compelled to linger. She knew what the daemon was called now, but it didn't seem right to leave without a name for the child. A name. When naming pets she simply reached out in all directions, gathered a slew of impulsive options, and used those to build off in new directions until she found one she felt was suitable enough. That's how she'd chosen the name Horus for her old main coon cat. But this was different. This was a child. Her daughter. She didn't want to go searching. She wanted the name to find her.Still perched in front of Tweek, the little girl closed her eyes in a tired yawn rubbing at her face with one small hand, prompting Tweek to check her watch. It was past midnight. Gently, the woman scooped up child and daemon--for Renewed seemed to be sleepy enough that he no longer cared if he was handled--and made her way to the main door. She hesitated only a moment before making the decision to leave in the morning. The warmth of the kitchen drew her back inside the hallway and she sat the pair in her arms down, making her way to Stalker Hall where she remembered seeing a couple blankets before. Gathering the knitted cloths together, she headed back toward the kitchen, hoping the little sleepover wouldn't be too obtrusive to the house's owners.
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 11:36 am
A Chance Encounter:
Not Quite The Garden Club ShortGreen "Courage, please." Sighing, Cressida drew the new stroller to a stop, kicked down the brake, and again bent to unwind the leash from her ankles and the back axel. The lion cub immediately padded over and looked up with sad golden eyes. "I know you don't like the idea of being on a lease and, believe me, if we were back on our island, you wouldn't have to put up with it but..." The delicate brunette paused in her surgery and reached out to pull the tawny creature into a hug before kissing her head and then gently shoving her away. "I have a feeling that people might get a bit upset over seeing a lion running about free as she pleases." With a faint noise of triumph, she loosed the final knot and stood again. Reaching into the stroller, she ruffled a glaring Quixana's hair. "And don't you look at me like that, mister," she laughed. "I can't put her in with you either. She'd tear up the padding and there's barely enough room for you in there, anway." Xana turned his face away and, squirming, rolled over to bury his discontented noises in the cushion while his rear end pointed skywards, tail flicking in annoyance. This only made his new mother laugh again under her breath and gently grab for it. At her touch, he squeaked and abruptly sat upright again, turning to look at her, bottom lip stuck out. That just melted her and she quickly moved around to the front of the navy blue contraption ("He's a boy, my lady. Of course, it's blue.") and reached in to draw him close for a kiss on the forehead. "Papa got the wrong size, didn't he, darling?" she murmured. "We'll go out shopping and you and Courage can pick out a new one and we'll make sure she can ride in it, too. Okay?" Not expecting an answer and not getting one, Cressida moved back to her position at the handles and kicked the break off, checking the loop of leash around the bar. "Okay, darlings," she announced. "The address Puchiko gave me should be right around..." She looked around and abruptly trailed off into a beam. Ah, there it was. Seeming acres of green, towering trees, weeds run riot, the orange-colored building stretching up in the midst as if it had grown there as well. "Perfect." She pointed and then began pushing the stroller again. "So this is where you two came from," she murmured. "It does look like something out of a storybook, doesn't it? An ancient forest with a gingerbread house, even. What do you think?" Reaching the edge of a path, off to the side of the house and safely out of view of the street, she dragged the stroller onto the grass and put the brake back on. Then she bent to loose Courage before snatching Quixana from the stroller. "And up we go, little adventurers," she grinned. "Let's explore a bit, shall we?" Quixana looked down at Courage. Courage looked back up at him. They nodded together slowly. Then, imperious, Quixana pointed further back into the yard. That was where he wanted to go. Cressida giggled, landed a noisy kiss on his cheek, and obediently began picking her way through the whispering grass, feeling it tickle her bare legs. "Yes, your gracious majesty. As you say." Oh, how she hoped to find others to talk to and ask questions! Tweek What a night! After being assaulted by an over-eager crocodile-hunter, being chased through a jungle, spraining her ankle, falling off a cliff, landing in a library of all places, and discovering a child to take care of, all in such a short period of time, Tweek had been in a state of shock the prior evening. After the whole episode, she'd lingered with child and daemon in her arms at the door of the mansion, but looking out into the pitchy colored night and still feeling the dull throb in her ankle, she figured both she and her new wards would be better off spending the night in the house than making the long walk back to her apartment. The kitchen had still been warm, and she'd found a few haphazard blankets back in stalker hall, enough to make a comfortable nest for herself and the child when compiled with some soft tablecloths from the kitchen. She'd gently removed the excerpt from the little girl's hand and read it over and over while the child slipped into a peaceful slumber, guarded watchfully by the strange ermine-like creature at her side. Sonya. The name had come to Tweek just as she was drifting off to sleep, slipping into her mind like a creature from a distant land. Seamlessly, it entwined itself with the picture of that fragile little girl in front of her and she knew, right then, that she would never let the child-- her child, go. --- Morning came quickly, stretching its muted gold warmth in crisscrosses across the sky until the sun was shining brightly overhead, illuminating the lawn like a polished green stone. Tweek woke to find Sonya at her side, wide blue eyes focused on the soft brown animal in her lap as she pet it clumsily with one tiny hand, while the other one rested halfway in her mouth. Renewed twitched his gauzy wings lazily, glancing up at Tweek with inky black eyes as she rose and glanced out the window into the bright day outside. Someone else was on the lawn! Tweek wrinkled her brow thoughtfully at the slender dark-haired woman, honing in on the child she carried with her and--was that a lion? Her eyes darted back to Renewed, quickly registering the connection. Another daemon. Which meant another guardian! A smile of relief flitting across her face, the pale woman quickly pulled her black curls into array and adjusted her thick glasses, gently scooping Sonya and Renewed up in her arms. Propping the baby girl on her hip, Tweek opened the large front door, stepping out onto the shaded porch. "Hello!" She called to the other woman. "Hello, there," Tweek laughed as she made her way down the steps, alight with a flurry of relief and exuberance. "Goodness, hello!" She waved with her free hand, aware of her repetitive greeting, but too glad to care. Eager not to make an impression of a babbling madwoman, she paused a good couple yards away from the others and quickly composed herself. "You must be a guardian too..." She said softly as her eyes swept over the trio in front of her. Sonya, her hand still in her mouth, blinked slowly and let out a soft, almost pensive sounding murmur as she took in the boy and lioness before her. Perched on the young Forgotten's shoulder, Renewed flitted his wings warily at the sight of the cat, the hairs on his bushy tail standing up one by one in consternation. ShortGreen Cressida had at first startled at the abrupt greeting but, by the time the bespectacled woman had arrived, baby balanced on her hip and a small furry creature on baby's shoulder, she was answering the hellos with her own open, happy smile. "And a good morning to you," she answered, somehow managing a dainty little curtsy despite carrying her own baby on her hip. She held out her free hand. "My name is Cressida. Your daughter is gorgeous." As if those were two sentences that had a perfectly logical reason to fit together. Tweek "Hello, Cressida! And thank you." She grinned, flushing slightly at the compliment. As if sensing the fact that the other was talking about her, Sonya tilted her head up toward the conversation, her mouth falling slightly open, giving her a wondering expression that dissolved into a gentle smile when Tweek rocked her in her arms slightly. "Your son is very handsome as well." Tweek said warmly, admiring the little boy in front of her. "And what a daemon he has!" She marveled at the authentic little lioness. And she'd thought the little furball on her daughter's shoulder would be a hassle. "I'm Tulla. Tulla Lee. Friends call me Tweek," The woman introduced herself, bowing her head slightly in an absently formal gesture. "And this is Sonya." She motioned to the girl in her arms. "I hate to impose--It's just, I found Sonya just last night after a bit of a traumatic experience and this is all very new to me--" She let out a nervous chuckle. "I was hoping to find someone to talk to and I guess when I saw you I just pounced. Sorry about that..." Renewed ducked under his ward's soft green shawl, traveling along the bridge of Sonya's small back to her other shoulder where he peeked out again with an inquisitive look, his head draped in fabric, a faint glow emitting all around him. Who were these creatures, indeed? He made a soft chuttering noise to himself. ShortGreen "Oh." Cressida sighed and shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I won't be any help." The smile sparkled through, though, and she moved to close the distance between the other woman and her. "You see, I was just gifted myself," she explained. "Quixana and Courage here just joined my family yesterday and I came here for more information myself. I don't want to keep bothering Puchiko." Seeing the question in Tweek's eyes, Cressida hurried to elaborate. "She is the one who actually found them in the book. But she is very busy and they are so," here she paused as Quixana began to squirm. "Pardon me. One moment." Gracefully, she crouched down and set the infant on the soft grass. Courage immediately loped to the child's side and nuzzled into his shoulder. Reaching out, he grabbed two handfuls of her fur and buried his face in her sun-warmed side for a moment. Cressida remained in position, watching them with shining eyes, clearly beyond hope when it came to loving her new children. It was only when Quixana detached from Courage and began busily uprooting bits of grass and solemnly throwing them in the air that she laughed, breaking the spell, and stood again. "Pardon me," she said again and this time she gave a delicate little curtsey with it. "I'm very new to motherhood and it's amazing." Her smile was luminous. "But, yes, Puchiko has entrusted me with their care now. As of yesterday, I'm... Well, I'm their mother." Cressida held out a small, perfectly manicured hand towards Sonya. She held it there as if waiting for the child to decide what to do next. Quixana paused in his grass-throwing to tilt his head up and study the other child with solemn, dark eyes. Then he reached out to tug on Courage's ear and pointed upwards. There. Another baby and, there, another creature. He squinted, round face scrunching up as he tried to better see the creature on Sonya's shoulder. Tweek After the other clarified her momentary confusion, Tweek shrugged her shoulders with a congenial smile. "Well, hey. We're in the same boat, then. We'll just have to learn together." "Of course," She said as Cressida excused herself. Her eyes wandering to the pair on the grass as the other woman bent down to them, Tweek felt an uncharacteristically wide smile span her face. Those two certainly were adorable. And the look on Cressida's face was profound. This was motherhood. Cressida seemed to have taken it on so faultlessly that Tweek felt her heart swell watching her bask in her children's presence. Sonya made an interested chirping noise in response to the little boy's boisterous activities with the clumps of grass, and Tweek put her hand to her mouth and chuckled. "Then we have even more in common." The woman said warmly in response to the other as Sonya wiggled in her arms restlessly. When Cressida extended her hand, the little girl first looked stymied, but she reached out with her own small palms, burbling a pleased sound as she latched gently onto a slender finger for a moment. "Bah... ah?" The little girl said curiously after a minute, with an arm stretching towards the lush green carpeting of the garden, glancing over her shoulder at her guardian with those bewildered blue eyes. Tweek hesitated only briefly before setting her daughter down upon the lawn, and hoped it didn't reflect upon poor mothering skills. Yes, there was a lion down there, but it was a daemon. She'd heard rumors of other Forgotten children being paired with snakes and elephants, but never any stories of those creatures causing harm to other children. Plus, she figured if the little cat was particularly dangerous, this other woman wouldn't be letting her wander around so freely. Sonya blinked in the sunlight, absently maneuvering her shawl up over her head so that it sheltered her eyes like a hood. Curled around her neck like a scarf, Renewed looked momentarily affronted by the change in scenery, particularly by the feline in front of him, and let out a low chutter as he pressed himself closer into his Forgotten, waiting to see what would happen. "Ooo..." The little girl murmured to the boy in front of her, tilting her head slightly to the side, her toes curling experimentally in the interesting new texture of the grass. Tweek watched on, interested to see if the two would be able to socialize. "How old is Quixana?" She asked, noting that her daughter looked a bit smaller than him. ShortGreen Cressida blinked and then blushed a bit, laughing at herself. "I really haven't a clue," she admitted. "I'm not even sure if these children will grow like normal children. From things that Puchiko said, I don't believe they will." She cast her doting gaze back toward the children rolling in the grass. "After all, they came out of books just like this and I truly think they understand more than most children of their apparant age." As if to give weight to his mother's supposition, Quixana abruptly gave up on grass-throwing and rolled onto hands and knees to crawl closer to Sonya. Courage trotted after him. Reaching her side, the little boy once more sat up and stuck out a chubby hand to pat Sonya's shoulder. Then he pointed at Courage who immediately padded close and dropped onto flat front paws, head down and rump in the air. The gesture was clearly meant to be both friendly and "look at me, I'm harmless." Her tail waved almost like a dog's. Quixana beamed. "Not to mention their daemons," Cressida continued. It was hard to pull her focus back to the other woman when the children were being so adorable but it was only polite. She smiled at Tweek. "Sonya is already trying to talk, though," she pointed out. "Xana hasn't said much at all. Though he really seems to enjoy blowing bubbles." She giggled. "And you know how he feels if they come out happy or angry. My poor Leon has gotten quite a few angry bubbles already." Tweek "You're certainly right there," Tweek nodded in agreement, with another small breath of laughter. It still seemed so bizarre, this guardianship. Such a short period of time had passed since she'd discovered Sonya that she found herself constantly forgetting that not only was Sonya her daughter--not a niece, or little cousin like the other few children she'd ever watched over--but that she was in essence a magical being. Giggling at the comment about the 'angry bubbles,' Tweek glanced over the two babies on the grass once more, a lightness entering her heart. If this was how easily these children made friends, she could put at least one worry out of her mind. "Sonya's certainly vocal. She's the one who helped me figure out Renewed's name." Still perched upon Sonya's shoulder, the little pine martin registered the sound of his name with a demure turn of his head and a belittling look at Tweek before turning his attention back to his ward. "Oh!" Tweek put her hand to her mouth. "I didn't even introduce him! Sorry--This'll sound horrible, but he hasn't quite registered in my mind as an actual daemon. I keep looking at him as... I don't know, a pet?" She trailed off. "I guess he's my child too, though. Cheeky little thing..." She didn't sound exactly enthused about the prospect, but her face showed she was game to try. Sonya looked momentarily concerned as the other daemon approached, but when the little lioness fell into a playful bow, she giggled and reached out a hand, waving it as if to pet Courage's soft forehead through the air. Turning to Quixana in an open-mouthed grin of delight, she let out a pleased burble as she rolled onto all fours. "Kee!" Chuttering softly and continuously like a guinea pig, Renewed made his careful way down Sonya's arm, increasing his volume to himself whenever he almost misplaced a foot. Fluttering his translucent wings, he curled his sinuous body around Sonya's wrist as she propped herself up on the ground, fussing with his paws as he glanced at the other child and daemon suspiciously. "Ahnoo," Sonya cooed happily as she glanced back over her shoulder at him and then looked back to Quixana, almost as if trying to introduce him to the other. Her small hand lifted and brushed her daemon's silky back, surprising him and sending him into a long trilling sound of indignation. ShortGreen Hopeful and obliging, Quixana held out his hand to mimic Sonya's movement, coming within scant inches of the other child's daemon before wrinkling his nose and bursting into a sudden, sunny smile. Then, abruptly, he rolled over onto his back and flung out all four limbs spread-eagle and blew an exceptionally large bubble at the clouds above. Courage let a little purr slip and then bounded over to bury her head against her charge's stomach. The chain mail obviously made a fantastic thing to scratch an itch again and she purred again louder. Quixana moved a hand and wrapped chubby fingers around one of her ears and tugged. Obediently, she lifted her head so that her chin rested across his stomach and they both turned to look expectantly at Sonya and Renewed. Cressida giggled. "Gods only know what they're doing now," she whispered to the other woman. "It's like a dog show or something. Do you know if they can touch each other's daemons or not? I'm quite sure that Courage wouldn't mind if Sonya petted her. She's so very sweet. She even lets Leon cuddle her." A rueful look crossed her pretty face then and she giggled again. "Though I'm going to have to get her a scratching post. That's another reason we're out so early, you see. Courage... Well, she kind of took her poor little claws to one of Leon's Louis XIVth chairs and..." The smile went completely sheepish - that of a little girl who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "He doesn't know yet. Have you had any house-training issues yet?" Tweek Already flustered with Sonya, Renewed hardly had time to react to the movement of the boy's hand as it swung close to him. He shivered as he felt a ripple of air on his fur where the hand nearly grazed him, and withdrew slightly into the shawl instinctually. Sonya's eyes widened slightly at the inexplicable tingle of energy sent across their bond, but she laughed pleasantly at the sensation as a child might laugh after the surprise of being licked by a dog. Not yet well-versed in any kind of daemon etiquette Tweek bit her lip at Renewed's motions. "He's just antisocial, is all." She concluded apologetically. "He doesn't even seem to like me." She harumphed quietly as she wondered to herself what unseen force had lead her to such an irritable animal. Presumably, though, that force was the same one that had let her to Sonya, so she couldn't exactly complain. Sonya churred quietly to herself as Quixana and Courage plopped themselves down on the grass. "Bah, she?" She murmured querulously. When she was met by the waiting gazes of Courage and Quixana, she hesitated a moment, then clumsily gathered up a wiggly Renewed in her arms and crawled a step closer on her knees, bright eyes fleeting momentarily to the sky, mirroring the boy's actions, searching for something of interest. Her shawl slid haphazardly off her shoulders at her movement, and she put her sky gazing on hold to gather it up around herself again with a soft sigh. Tweek furrowed her brow at the daemon comment. "I'm not sure..." The woman shrugged. "I should think so. But I just haven't had enough experience to say. I know nothing bad happens when I touch Renewed--although he's usually not happy about it. But then again, he's usually not happy about anything." She shook her head. "She, on the other hand, is utterly adorable!" The woman said of Courage, grinning and feeling her insides turn to goo at the delightful lion cub's antics. "Oh no..." She inhaled at the mention of the antique, her brow arching up in a sympathetic grimace of a smile. "Gosh, that's another thing I failed to think about. Baby-proofing the house! Sonya hasn't actually been home yet. We kind of camped out here in the kitchen last night." She put a hand up to her forehead, suddenly remembering a ferret she'd had as a child and drawing a connection to her daughter's daemon. "Uhg, I suppose Renewed will probably want to musk everything. I wonder if there's a way to prevent that..." ShortGreen "Oh, there ought to be." Cressida's expression radiated sympathy and she reached out to pat the other woman's shoulder warmly. "I think the little creatures are quite intelligent, too. So... Maybe if you asked nicely?" She glanced over at the babies and their animals and a smile grew on her face, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I have this terrible feeling that there was a definite reason behind the mess they made in the room. It was a bit... Methodical, you know? The Limoges, the curtains, the chair. But when I came in and found them at it, Xana was holding an old, old copy of Antigone as gently as if he were actually reading it." She giggled. A stray gust of wind disarranged her hair and she reached up to push the heavy mahogany-colored waves back with both hands, shaking it out automatically. Then she shrugged and motioned towards the children. "So baby-proofing is a necessity but so is realizing that they're blastedly clever. I think. I hope. It's how I'm going at it, anyway." She smiled crookedly. "Though our apartment still needs a lot of baby-proofing yet. Xana and Courage were rather unexpected additions." Meanwhile, the "unexpected additions" seemed to be exerting their considerable charm in the direction of the little blonde and her twitchy companion. Quixana beamed and, suddenly, pushed Courage's head from his stomach so he could roll over onto his stomach. With a faint noise, he pushed himself up on all fours again and then toppled over to land on his backside, sitting up with a little self-satisfied smirk. As if he had just managed a spectacular trick. Courage rolled her shoulders in a remarkably human-like shrug and flopped back down on the sun-warmed grass, watching indulgently. Cocking his head to one side, Quixana gripped the metal mesh of his vest with both hands and lifted it away from his body enough that he had room to shake it. It made a tiny jingly noise. Then he dropped it and pointed at Sonya's shawl. The meaning was clear in a simple way - Is that yours or your guardian's? He barely even seemed to register Renewed's distaste, focusing solely on Sonya's face and expressions. Tweek The little girl gave a tinkling laugh at Quixana's antics, smiling in amusement as he tumbled over on his back once again. She scooted a little closer to where Courage lay, still about a foot away, and similarly slid down onto her own stomach, laying her chin on her arms as Renewed clambered atop her back for a better view of the show. "They can read Antigone at this age?" Tweek exclaimed, "No," She recovered, realizing she'd misinterpreted slightly. "I guess that would be too much, even for them." The woman smiled sheepishly, and an almost wistful look crossed her face at Cressida's next words. "Sonya was pretty unexpected herself. It's strange, I'd heard about this house before and I was always fascinated by the stories... but I never thought in a million years I'd actually have a story of my own. Now that I have them I realize more then ever how utterly ignorant I am." She fretted, scratching at her cheek with a finger as she looked down at the children. "I'm sorry," Glancing back up to the other woman, she chuckled gently. "I just need to toughen up a little. I'm certainly not in a position to complain." At the boy's inquiring motion, Sonya shook her head with an "Mmm," winding the soft shawl further around her body so that it covered her form like a teepee, her head becoming a strange chimney. She had caught the meaning of Quixana's unspoken question and had suddenly realized how uncomfortable the thought of the shawl belonging to anyone else made her. From her possessive motions, her answer would be clear. Remembering the pleasant jingle of the chain mail, the little girl reached out a tentative hand toward the gleaming metal, and let it hang in the air before retracting it shyly, apparently having second thoughts about invading his space. Her eyes caught on the sun flickering off the metal band on the boy's hand and she made a soft noise of contemplation, wondering what it might signify. Renewed flitted his wings to create a slight breeze on his back. Hot. He complained to Sonya sulkily, more in primitive pictures and feelings than in words. You are not hot? He extended to Courage, widening his search for commiseration, for he could tell his ward was too busy focusing on the other Forgotten to give him much attention ShortGreen At the creature's thoughts, Courage turned her tawny gaze towards Renewed and yawned hugely. Nice sunshine. Good for growing. Happy. Somehow, almost impossibly, she shared thought of far-reaching plains, waving golden grasses, sunshine far brighter than what was currently causing Cressida to idly fan herself with one hand. She purred and stretched out more in the grass. One of Quixana's hands left his shirt at her reaction and absently patted her great furry head. Then he wriggled closer to Sonya, grinding some perfectly lovely grass stains into his pants in the process. The hand still clutching his chain mail shook it once more for her benefit. Then he held the hand out as if to display the heavy metal gauntlet for her benefit. Tilting his head, he beamed, blinking slowly. The growing warmth made him look sleepy, heavy-eyed and dusky brown. A fly landed on his shoulder and he wrinkled his nose, his tail automatically swishing up and forward to send the insect scrambling. Xana shook his wrist at Sonya again, waiting. "I'm sure you're going to do just simply wonderfully," Cressida replied reassuringly. "You obviously think the little darling hung the moon. Or at least a few stars. Not that I can blame you. She is beyond beautiful. Those eyes!" As if mimicking her son, the brunette held out her hand to Tweek and smiled sweetly. "We should let them play together more. Make playdates or something." Her smile became hopeful and almost shattering in the sweet naivete. "Would you mind? I would very much like to have a friend to talk to about children. Someone to trade stories and tips with. Would you?" Tweek A picture of a blazing Savannah dissolved into Renewed's mind, and he blinked rapidly, ducking his head in response to the brilliant vision that was so clear that for a moment he thought he was there rather then out on the lawn of the house. Once he recovered, he made a gruff sounding "Hnn" noise, but his tone was more pensive than dismissive for a change. He took a moment to transmit his own preferred scenery to Courage, dark moonlit forests of deep greens and blues with silvery beams of snow glistening on the boughs of strong-smelling evergreen trees. The cold was his element. "Oh, Miss Cressida, that would be wonderful!" Tweek exclaimed as she grasped the woman's extended hand with her own two, a grin surfacing on her pallid face. "Just talking to you now for such a brief period of time has already made me feel so much better! And I'd love to arrange more play dates. Sonya could really use a friend like Quixana. Look at him, he's being so patient with her..." She turned her eyes back to the children. As if on cue, Sonya let out a gasp as Xana's tail flickered right before her eyes. She had previously simply figured the brush of long hairs was simply another adornment of some sort, similar to the chain male and the shining gauntlet around the boy's arm. Seeing it move, she became fascinated with it. "Ha nah, nahbah ya!" She exclaimed in animated surprise, her eyes wide as saucers with incredulity. She took his gleaming, metal-covered wrist in both her small hands as he extended it, her fingers exploring the smooth warm metal as her eyes wandered distractedly to the tail at his side again. Still holding onto the gauntlet absently with one hand, she pointed at his tail and questioned, "Noo?" Her large blue eyes wandered back to his, her mouth still in an inquisitive O-shape. ShortGreen Smile welcoming, Quixana flicked his tail again for his new friend and then broke down in giggles. Pulling his hand from hers, he flopped down onto the grass once more, stomach downwards. His tail swished for a moment. Suddenly, he squealed and rolled back over, looking up at Courage accusingly. Courage merely purred and looked at her paw thoughtfully as if she had not just used the limb to batter her Forgotten's tail into submission. Quixana shot Sonya a look, grinned, and then pushed himself up so that he could launch his small form at the lion cub. With a squeal, they tumbled over each other, rolling about in the grass. Long-suffering, Courage came to a stop on her back, paws in the air as Quixana straddled her tummy. With a bubbling laugh, he then proceeded to scratch at her chest and raise a rumbling purr. "I don't think that's patience." Cressida giggled. "He's showing off for her! How adorable. He must know that she's a real little lady and ought to be treated nicely." Tweek Tweek chuckled along with Cressida, smiling at the thought. "Well, even if that's true he's being quite the little gentleman. At least towards Sonya." She tacked on wryly, watching with amusement as the boy pinned the lion cub under his weight. Sonya trilled out a giggle as boy and daemon frolicked together on the grass. She motioned to Renewed who still hung onto her shoulder, waving with an arm towards the spectacle so that he might share her good humor at the show. The Pine Martin heaved a gusty sigh and nodded in response with the weary acquiescence of a tired nanny. His bluster had certainly worn down in the drowsy morning atmosphere, but even under that his reserved nature still kept him from engaging more in socialization. The little girl shuffled her way closer to the pair she had quickly come to look upon as friends, bubbles of soft, happy laughter still surfacing every few moments until she was close enough to Xana to reach out to him once more. She caught him again with a light touch on his gauntlet and pointed to Courage shyly. Her gesture was simple enough. I like her. But the message was deeper than that. She was completely taken with the merry little lioness. At that, she rocked back again to sit once more in the cool green grass. She looked around her with a soft hum of complete contentment. The sun was a little warm, but it caught on her long eyelashes and painted pleasant gold streaks through her vision. Her eyes were filled with an outstretching blanket of green, an echo of her deep colored shawl, one of the most familiar comforts she knew. Calm feelings seeped through the link to her daemon until Renewed closed his inky eyes, cuddling against her neck in a comfortable half-slumber. ShortGreen As if picking up on Renewed's mood, both Quixana and Courage paused in their tussle and blinked owlishly at the girl and her creature. Then they released matching yawns. Rolling away from his daemon, Quixana shifted to instead curl up beside Sonya. He rested on his side, unadorned arm crooked under his head. He watched her for a moment before smiling sleepily. Then, charmingly, he blew a raspberry at her. Cressida nearly collapsed in giggles, hands over her mouth. "Oh, dear. We'll have to work on that particular mannerism," she declared. Seemingly Courage agreed and flipped herself upright, padding over to bump her head against Quixana's chidingly. At his vague pat back, she nodded in agreement. There was only a moment of hesitation before the little lioness moved to just barely brush her head against Sonya's shoulder. Then, immediately, she retreated to curl herself into a sleepy ball on Quixana's other side. Tweek As Xana blew a raspberry at her daughter, Tweek let out a low, free-spirited laugh. In response. Sonya cracked her eyes open halfway and gave a slow, amused smile, the closest equivalent to a smirk Tweek had witnessed up to then in the little girl. Something about the expression surprised her, and as Sonya closed her eyes again, she marveled to herself that Cressida was right, the two Forgotten were somehow more aware of the world than normal children. "It looks like our babies are getting sleepy," Tweek smiled. She was beginning to look slightly peaked herself as the summer sun combined with the sleep deprivation from last night. "I guess I should get Sonya home and arrange a set up for her before I get too tired." Her tone was wistful as she scooped Forgotten and daemon into her arms, for she'd thoroughly enjoyed meeting Cressida and her son. "It was wonderful meeting you, Cressida. And thanks so much for the chat. You've made me feel worlds better about Motherhood." She chuckled, gently putting her hand on the delicate woman's shoulder. "I do hope we can meet again soon." ShortGreen "We most definitely will." Cressida's answering smile was pure warmth and she lifted her hand to cover the other woman's and squeeze for an instant. Then she moved away and crouched to gather up her limp-bodied baby boy. She cuddled him close against her body, supporting his dead weight with a bit of difficulty. "Playdates for them and us, Tweek," she reassured her new friend. "It's been an honor and a pleasure meeting you all." Stretching with a yawn, Courage rose to her feet and sauntered over to stand at Cressida's ankles. She blinked sleepily at the others and then cocked her head in a semblance of goodbye. Cressida gave a final brilliant smile and nod, then she was turning on her heel and slipping the dozing baby back in his stroller. Before another word could be said, the little family had already started on their way home. Tweek had been right about sleepy babies... Quixana was unconcious by the time they hit the sidewalk and he remained that way until they arrived home and Cressida had to explain the state of the guest room to her sardonic lover.
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 11:38 am
To Market, To Market Tweek scooped up her charge from the soft grass, a tired smile settling in about her lips as Sonya made a sleepy humming noise and curled her tiny fingers in the collar of the woman's shirt, closing her large blue eyes so that just a dusting of long blond lashes remained. Renewed, who'd been coiled around Sonya's neck, made a stern clucking noise, hesitated, and then stepped tentatively onto Tweek's larger shoulder. Grasping the young girl with one hand, Tweek slowly brought her fingers up to the pine martin. "Well, hello there." She said, lightly stroking the soft fur under the daemon's neck. "Have you decided to stop being nasty?" Renewed chuttered impassively in response, reminding Tweek of the guinea pig she'd had as a child. He stayed under the light caress for a moment more, before pulling himself away, and settling down lower on her shoulder, his bushy tail curling lazily about her shoulder blade. Suddenly, Tweek felt a belated swell of emotion for the small creature. Maybe he'd never be as adorably pleasing as that Courage, but he was Sonya's--and Tweek's too by default--and she found herself submitting to a wash of maternal instinct. As exhaustion soothed the little creature's temper and he curled up into her neck, Tweek had to smile, realizing that she really did find him exasperatingly endearing. "My sleepy little babies..." The woman sighed to herself with content. "I'm afraid we have one more stop before I take you home. My house just isn't quite ready for you two. But a quick trip to market should do the trick." She kept up her dialogue, continuing to croon although she knew it was falling on deaf ears. "You try to nap on the way. I promise, as soon as you get home we'll all have a nice long sleep..." Gently rocking Sonya in her arms as she checked that Renewed was secured, the woman took a deep breath and set off in the direction. It was time to find the supplies to baby proof the house.
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:51 pm
From The Desk of Tweek Message Sent 1:27 PM from: t-rosia012@durembotony.co to: rumpelteazeme@kickstart.net Mungo-- Something incredible happened to me yesterday. I have a child. Yes, me, the woman who can hardly keep the protists alive at work. Not a plant, not a dog, but a bona fide little girl. Do you remember that House I told you about? The one where the children were rumored to come out of books? As I recall, mister, you most sternly informed me that it was a load of hogwash. Well, just the other day I felt compelled to visit stalker hall (Oh, don't scoff -- you know how I am about these kinds of stories) and was promptly lead through a maniacal kind of obstacle course, ending with me stumbling upon fabled library and finding, to my awe, my very own Forgotten Document and daemon. Now, I'm not one to say I told you so, but seriously... I told you so. I've named her Sonya and she's as beautiful as the dawn itself. Short blonde hair, big blue eyes...she has the moony bewildered look down to a T. Gods, is she precious. When I found her, she was dressed in some kind of worn blanket and a meager tunic, and she really does seem to exude an air of privation. You almost feel guilty looking at her, although she seems completely content with her humble endowments, which makes her appear even more pious. I purchased several somewhat pricey toys for her today at market but -- go figure -- it turns out she's most interested in a dilapidated octopus plushie that had been happily out of sight and out of mind until late. By the time I found her last night it was well after midnight, and I wasn't sure if it would be safe to walk home, so we kind of crashed at the house. But it turns out fortune had us in her favor -- leaving this morning we stumbled upon another guardian and Forgotten right out on the lawn! So that's how I ended up meeting a woman named Cressida and her very own charge. His name is Xana and he has a little lion as his daemon and Mungo, they were SO adorable! You have no idea! I know, I know... I never thought of myself as someone who loved kids or anything, but seeing is believing. Maternal instincts certainly have a mind of their own. And I don't mind my newest infatuation one bit! Honestly...? It is a little weird knowing my life is never going to be the same because of Sonya (heck, my dating odds are now even more astronomical due to this new 'single mom' aspect) but Mungo... I feel incredible! This isn't just random, you know? Or supposedly it isn't. The house is supposed to choose you for some reason or another -- and it picked me of all people. I feel... I dunno... honored! Oh, right. On to the actual point of this email. Now that I've explained myself, can you get me a stroller? And a crib? ASAP? (As in yesterday.) I can wire you the money or write you a check? I just don't think I'll have a chance to get all the way over to Aekea. As you know, the junky car is still very unpredictable and of course I could never leave Sonya and Renewed alone at the appartment. Oh Mungo, wait 'til I tell you about Renewed... Really, though, I know it's not a small favor and I wouldn't be asking if I loved you any less. I'm really in a pinch here. Help an old girl out? Besides, it'll give you an excuse to visit. Sonya should meet her "uncle" Mungo. Alright, let me know xoxoxo Tulla/Tweek Message Recieved 3:13 PM from: rumpelteazeme@kickstart.net to: t-rosia012@durembotony.co woa woa woa. a kid?!?! um.... tweekers I hope you know this is completely and utterly batshit. but i guess like u say seeing is believing... hahaha uh oh, someone's being vehicle retendent. niiiice. at least its good to see ur developing some facsimile of responsibility. that car is a death trap. (when are u going to cave and take my sisters honda off her hands already??) don’t worry i'll get the stroller. and the other baby PARAPHERNALIA u requested. inform my new 'niece' i'll be swinging by around six. -mungo
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 3:10 pm
Meeting 'Uncle' Mungo reserved
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 3:11 pm
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