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 Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:58 am
...:6.19.06:...
12345Winter wouldn't have minded the idea of another child in the house if it hadn't been for Raven's penchant for bringing more and more in. This one especially, based on the picture-- she looked like trouble. Yes, for once, Raven had actually gone out and found a GIRL to bring home. And not just any girl-- no, no... this blonde, blue-eyed, tempestuous charmer happened to be BLUE, of all things.
12345It wasn't that Winter had a problem with abnormal skin colored humans... it was just that it seemed a little... strange that Raven would pick such a girl, given her tendency towards the norm as of late. Then again, maybe not. Raven tended to dote on those who had any sort of little tinge of difference-- and this time the tinge was quite noticable. Raven also tended to find those who she could subconsciously live vicariously through, or so Winter believed at least, and some of the other 'family' members seemed to agree.
12345Oh well. It was high time Mekt had someone else around to talk to, at any rate. Besides Raven and those 'ghosts' Arch insisted were around. The boy was quite determined and could do wonders on his own, but socially he simply wasn't going anywhere, due to the fact that there was nowhere to go if one lived essentially alone.
12345"Raven, are you sure about this?" Winter sighed into the phone. "I don't want you up and abandoning one of your kids--"
12345"I'm not going to abandon them!" Raven protested in a huff. "I just thought it would be nice to expand the home here..."
12345"You mean to say that you're getting worried about Mekt because he's been playing with ghosts."
12345"...that, and I didn't want to leave her at the mansion. She's just... too vibrant not to take her home!"
12345"You make it sound like you've just picked up a pet or something, Raven."
12345Raven glared at the phone. "Winter, I thought you'd support me in this--"
12345"I'm not saying I don't. After all, I think you're a much better caretaker than say, Arch, but... I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Girls are harder to deal with than boys, especially once they become teenagers--"
12345"I think I know that, Winter, I was a teenage girl, you know."
12345"You are a teenage girl, you mean," Winter reminded her carefully.
12345"You should talk to her, Winter! You'd love her-- Hera's wonderful. She's--" Raven cut herself off sheepishly when she realized Hera was staring at her in silence from the other side of the room, "-- right here. Maybe you should talk to her now!"
12345"Wait, Raven--"
12345Before Winter could protest overmuch, the phone had been handed over to Hera as Raven bounced back to the other side of the room. "...hello?" Hera asked, mildly startled at Raven's exuberance and intensity.
12345"...you must be Hera," Winter sighed. "I'm Winter, one of Raven's friends. It's a pleasure."
12345"Sorry for Raven's over-enthusiasm," Hera apologized with a glance at the girl on the couch. "She's told me a lot about you. And Mekt. And the rest of you."
12345"Has she now?" Somehow that wasn't surprising, but Winter still managed to choke on the idea that this girl who she'd never met in person probably knew a lot more about Winter than the average person.
12345"She has. But don't worry-- I keep secrets," Hera reassured Winter casually. "Anyway, I don't want to keep you, so... yeah. Hopefully we can meet sometime."
12345Hopefully? Sometime? ...this was a strange girl. A very strange girl. Even stranger than the average kid Raven brought home, and that was certainly saying something. "Ah... yes. Would you mind letting me speak to Raven again?"
12345Hera shrugged even though she knew Winter couldn't see her. "Sure," the girl shrugged, blowing a few stray strands out of her face. Handing the phone back to Raven, Hera slipped off to go find something to do around here.
12345Watching Hera leave, Raven cautiously picked up the phone to her ear. "...well?"
12345"...she can stay."
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:25 pm
...::6.27.06::...
12345Okay, so her first few days here had been interesting. The troublesome ghost who'd been bothering Mekt, as Raven'd introduced him as, had been quiet, coming to watch Hera now and then but not doing any harm. The boy himself, he'd been hiding from Hera ever since she'd saved him from the spirit-- maybe he just had a problem with dealing with people. Wouldn't be the first, certainly not the last.
12345But this place... it seem steeped in some sort of spell, something that kept Hera from ever getting bored. Part of it, of course, had to be attributed to the fact that this was a new environment, and thus there was a multitude of new experiences to try, but...
12345And then there was Raven. Raven and her seemingly endless horde of 'friends' who kept stopping by. The girl was strange-- seemed to carry a large number of secrets she didn't always remember. How odd was that? Completely and utterly.
12345Then again, who was Hera to judge her? Perhaps she should give the girl a chance to prove herself. After all, Raven had offered her a home outside of the mansion, a place to try to make her mark on society, rather than just stay there and bide her time and wait. Raven's friends weren't that odd-- other than that Arch character who reminded Hera uncomfortably of a cat waiting to pounce on her prey. Winter was overly protective of Raven-- quite obviously the mother hen of the group. The others who'd come in just for short bits of time to meet Hera... they hadn't stood out very much yet. Then again, they hadn't been around long yet. Who knew what could happen in a few days?
12345...Hera could only hope she wasn't being overly optimistic about this strange new environment and the people who were living here.
12345After all, the boy seemed odd. The caretaker seemed a bit crazy. There were ghosts wandering around, tormenting people-- but all in all, Hera wasn't discontent here. Not in the least. In fact, this was one of the most interesting places she'd had the opportunity to visit.
12345Maybe that was the problem. Hera had to wonder about this place-- and whether this would be more than a visit. She hoped it would be, and with the same train of thought, she hoped it wouldn't be. If this was only a visit to Miss Raven's and she'd be returning to the mansion, then Hera could enjoy every moment here. If this was going to be a long term stay... well, that might be... well, what was the word? Boring?
12345No. Not boring, but... it might make her complacent. Without the thrill of never knowing what came next, without the freedom that being at the mansion had given her... the worst case scenario was that it would turn her into someone who was easily dealt with-- might make her soft. But at the same time, it might be nice to have a place to rest. A place to take her ease for a bit.
12345And this was a place where she could make new memories. A place where she could relax and--
12345...what was that?!
12345Mekt? Outside? What the hell...? This bore further investigation, since the boy seemed to be heading for the woods. The boy glanced around nervously, whispering something far too quiet for Hera to hear before moving back to the house.
12345...strange boy...
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Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:35 am
...::6.28.06::...
12345The chill of the night woke Hera from her sleep-- the tingling down her spine confirmed what she thought. Something was wrong. Something supernatural was wrong. Very, very wrong. This probably had something to do with Mekt and his apparent penchant for getting into trouble with wraiths, but if that was the case, he might need help again. Which meant, of course, that Hera should go see what was up.
12345No hesitation, no question. Even though she barely knew Mekt, there was right and wrong, good and bad, and the obvious right thing to do was the help the kid. After all, they were siblings, in a manner of speaking, right? Maybe one day they'd actually be friends-- or actually talk, rather than run into each other on a semi-daily basis to chat about the nothings one usually spoke of with siblings.
12345Or maybe this would just continue until one or both of them gave up and started spilling their life story. Not that there would be much to tell on Hera's end-- she hadn't been up to much in her life. Ever. She was looking for adventure and not finding it--
12345That was beside the point. Enough thought. Time for some action.
12345Slipping through the halls barefoot, Hera fought back starting at the sudden appearance of Mekt practically flying into her. The good news was that the boy wasn't particularly heavy-- probably due to the amount of time he spent alone, not eating. Then again, albinos couldn't exactly go outside, could they? Of course not. The bad news was that he'd just come barreling into her like the proverbial bat out of hell.
12345Eyes wide, Mekt stared at the girl for a moment before recognizing her. He knew he must smell like chemicals, must be shaking, but for some reason she wasn't hitting him away. How odd. He didn't quite understand this girl-- she seemed so... taken with acting out. But right now... right now he was grateful for the presence of another person-- any person with a pulse.
12345Well. What d'ya know. It was Mekt getting into trouble again. It just figured. "C'mon, my room," Hera murmured as she pulled Mekt roughly-easily along. They needed to get somewhere safe so she could demand an explanation of her 'brother' as to why the wraith seemed so attracted to him. It didn't make any sense. Other than the fact that Mekt appeared to be one of the crazy scientist-goth-types, there was no reason for the wraith to want him-- unless he'd summoned her. If that was the case, then they'd better start looking for help from somewhere... someone else. Unfortunately, Hera couldn't think of any good necromancers or exorcists off the top of her head. Those professions had become somewhat disliked and less popular after the whole witch hunt business had gone down in Salem all those years ago. Pity. They could still be useful from time to time.
12345"I can take care of--"
12345"I said, my room." She wanted this taken care of now, rather than in several weeks after Mekt had a chance to sort out what he should say. If she found out his side of the story now, it would be raw, uncoached, and thus very close to the truth, if not the actual. At least, that was Hera's theory. The theory could be flawed of course-- she'd never been one for such careful ventures-- but it would at least give her something to go off of. She couldn't keep beating back the wraith forever. She had to know what she was up against, and more importantly, why she was up against it.
12345Maybe they should talk to Raven. The girl seemed to be capable at dealing with most things-- or having contacts to deal with most things-- so it would make sense that she would possibly know a necromancer or someone like that. Someone who could better gauge the feelings of a bitter, angry, vindictive, sensual wraith. Hera's own training in the dark arts was rudimentary at best-- hers was more field based than anything else. She didn't know much about it, just what she'd experienced. Ghosts. Wraiths. They existed. Not everyone could see them. There wasn't necessarily a reason for them, they just... were.
12345And this one appeared to be wanting to spend a little too much quality, private time with Mekt. This was going to be a long night...
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 3:58 am
...:: 7.3.06 ::...
12345Hera could handle the crazy school idea. She could handle the crazy Raven-shopping idea. She could even handle the sitting still for hours in a place where they don't let you do anything but think-idea. What she wasn't sure she could handle was the thought of having to look out for her siblings on top of everything else.
12345Renjyo was sweet, but she was just a kid, and as crazy-weird as she seemed, she couldn't handle putting up with the rest of society. She'd go more bonkers than she already was. And Mekt, he couldn't even handle a lustful ghost! How the hell was he going to handle human girls if they acted like that? He was all theory, no practical knowledge.
12345As for Hera herself... well, she wasn't really worried about herself. After all, she could kick someone's a** if they tried to move too fast with her. But she couldn't be in multiple places at once, couldn't be there for Mekt and Renjyo at the same time. That was what was beginning to scare her.
12345Oddly enough, Hera found herself somewhat attached to the crazy siblings she'd been handed. Mekt played dark mastermind, but he really had no idea what he was doing, and so it was cute in a kind of adorkable way. Renjyo was, without a doubt, the more malevolent of the two, but she was also just a kid. Hera had no grudge against the girl, though Renjyo seemed to carry one against her...
They were an odd trio, to be sure. They needed a balancing force, but that was what Raven did, right? There was something of a... truce right now, but...
12345What was Hera worrying about? There were things to be done, trees to be climbed, people to be seen, houses to be explored... and yet, here she was, sitting in her room, wondering what the bloody hell was to be done about her odd siblings. She needed a life. At the mansion, she hadn't had to worry about all these things, instead she'd just kept busy through her own devices. Here, she was faced with the possibility of responsibility, and she... liked that. A lot. A lot more than she should, perhaps, given that she was so young.
12345Well... maybe she worried because Raven didn't. Much. Raven seemed to spaz out, then promptly forget about what she'd been spazzing about, which possibly accounted for Hera's need to take care of her siblings. After all, it seemed to mean that someone needed to take charge, and Renjyo was too young, and Mekt too... too... Mekt.
12345Then again, things were looking up. Raven had promised them a party for this 'Independence Day' holiday, complete with one of those old musicals their 'mom' loved so much. It promised be interesting, if only for a load of laughs. Raven's musicals were weird, and they generally ended up having any seriousness taken out of them by Mekt's random comments about how illogical the entire premises were.
12345Hera was looking forward to this. They'd all have a great time together, and then things would go back to normal. Whatever normal was for around here...
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:20 am
...:: 7.4.06 ::...
12345"All right, everyone! We're going on a trip!
12345Four pairs of eyes turned to stare at Raven's absolutely insane statement.
12345"...what...?" Raven blinked, glancing around between the four kids who each were giving her a look of disbelief. "...you don't want to go on a trip, children?"
12345"...does it mean that much to you?" Rekka spoke first of the children. Glancing at the rest of his siblings nervously, the little JRocker sighed. "I mean, it's not that big of a deal..."
12345"Does this trip involve copious amounts of sunlight?" Mekt put in, eyes never leaving Raven.
12345"Some, not too much," Raven admitted, "so no. Not copious amounts..."
12345"Does this trip involve copious amounts of 'bonding time'?" Mekt asked.
12345"Hey, it's not like I'm torturing you guys!" Raven protested. "Maybe--"
12345"I think we should go." Hera glanced at her 'brother', silencing any further questions he might have. "It could be fun. And even if it's not, it apparently means something to Mom, so we should go."
12345"Renjyo thinks so too~ heart Renjyo thinks we should go with Mommy and have lots of fun with everyone together!" the little girl piped up, bouncing over to give Raven a tight hug.
12345Well, it was settled then. The five of them got in Raven's car-- with some pushing and protesting about who got to sit where-- the final result being that Mekt, being the oldest, got to sit up front with Raven, while the other three piled into the back.
12345They drove for what seemed, to some of the kids, like hours. In fact, it was only half an hour or so, until they got to the park. It was nearing sunset-- it had taken that long to actually get everyone ready to go, since Mekt demanded he be allowed to wear his trenchcoat, even though it was getting hot out, Renjyo wanted to wear her hair with the red ribbon instead of the blue, Rekka had stolen one of Renjyo's dresses... and Hera... actually, Hera hadn't had any clothing problems. She'd been lounging outside by the car since the decision had been made to leave.
12345The multitude of cars already parked made for an interesting attempt to get a space with Renjyo calling out every time she spotted one and Raven attempting to get there. It didn't take long before they finally connected and a space opened that Raven could easily pull into. Running out of time, Raven scooped up Renjyo and Rekka, motioning for the pair of older children to follow on foot as she locked the car and checked for the wand in her purse. Damn. Things happened too fast.
12345--and there! Just as the family got to the beach and spread out blankets to sit on, the fireworks show started to the sound of a band beginning to play. Glorious fire-flowers danced in the sky over hundreds of families on the beach, all listening to the patriotic tunes being brought to full flourish. The glowing sky seemed to shimmer with the energy of fire and absolute gorgeous wonder. Raven's wand was glowing, but that wasn't an issue, right? Right. Of course...
12345They were all a family, and they were all together. That was what it was about.
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 2:23 am
...:: 7.4.06 ::...
12345Hera grimaced as she climbed the outside tree. She had enjoyed last night, but spending so much time motionless had left her feeling somewhat... bored? No, that was Renjyo's word, creepy kid that she was. More... antsy than anything else. She felt more... frustrated. Cooped up. A little bit... cabin-fever-esque. After all, it had been at least an hour of motionless... watching.
12345Not that it hadn't been stunning. It had just been... long. The fireworks had been magnificent, just... long. And Hera's patience didn't stand for that long amount of time. She needed to move, to keep busy, to spend time focusing on not being caught up in any one thing, rather being consumed by everything...
12345They'd almost felt like a real family though. They'd watched the show together like a family, been amazed together, laughed, even held each other. It had been... somewhat marvelous, in a suspiciously odd kind of way. Even though they didn't all get along, last night had been... spectacular. It really made Hera feel as if they had a chance as a real, flesh and blood family, one which might be able to withstand the test of time and--
12345...and those were ghosts. Crap. More?
12345Three ghosts floated towards her, all so similar looking-- and smirking. Laughing. Acting as if they owned the yard. How creepy could they get?
12345Creepier apparently. The three ghosts circled the girl, smiling viciously at her. "Well, well, well, what have we here? A little girl come to play with us?"
12345"No-- she smells of our Mekt-boy," the redhead murmured. "She's not here to play with us, I think she's going to drag us back."
12345Ghosts. How she loathed ghosts. How she... yeah. Loathed ghosts. They were just creepy-- shouldn't exist. They were part of a dead past that shouldn't be brought up again because as long as the past existed in a semi-tangible form, you couldn't move onto the future. Without moving on, there was nothing-- you became just like another ghost-- static. Immovable. Less than alive-- because as long as you were alive, you were moving. Changing. Growing. Just like a person was supposed to.
12345"I don't think the darling girl likes us very much," the violet-haired ghost laughed. "She seems to want to try to scare us away with her little fists."
12345Hera knew she had more than fists. She'd read enough of Raven's books to know at least a little theoretical violet against the supernatural.
12345"Don't worry, dear-- we're not here to hurt anyone. Just to check in on Mekt-boy, see how he's doing. Wonder if he misses us, we've been gone since before you came here. We've missed him a great deal."
12345Which meant these were Mekt's... well, they were either his tormentors or the closest things he'd had to friends before he got siblings. Just wonderful. Things kept getting better and better, didn't they? It was almost as if they were actually trying to make sure Hera wouldn't just not be bored, she'd go nuts trying to keep up with all the little details that kept springing up out of nothing.
12345"I think she doesn't want us playing with Mekt. But we saw him first; he's ours-- not some prissy little girl's," the redhead smirked.
12345"She's no prissy little girl-- she's a little tiger, don't you think, Disa? Look at her glare-- I think she wants to hurt us!"
12345Hera closed her eyes. She had to concentrate. These... things couldn't be allowed to stay loose and possibly endanger her siblings. Even if they were Mekt's... acquaintances, they were still ghosts, still things that shouldn't exist, couldn't exist if things were going to be right for a change. Only one chance for this...
12345"What'cha trying now, little gi--"
12345Exorcism.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:20 am
...:: 7.16.06 ::...
12345Okay, so the exorcism hadn't exactly worked. In fact, it had gone... pretty badly. The ghosts had left unscathed, laughing at Hera's efforts, but...
12345It had taught her something new. She could plan ahead, be ready for the next time they showed their vapory figures around the edges of the Nest, trying to sneak back inside. She could prepare.
12345...and then she showed up.
12345It shouldn't be thought that Hera was jealous of Kiku. That wasn't it at all. Hera didn't care that Kiku was pretty, that she attracted the attention of just about everyone who walked by her with her petite frame and her moonstone eyes, her wise way of speech. No, it was that she had this way of turning Mekt, who'd seemed so logical if not steady, into a mumbling fool.
12345Apparently the boy had started puberty or something. It was a pity-- it was making him foolish. And that, Hera resented. She resented the fact that her brother-- because she'd come to think of him as such, her 'older' brother who needed looking after because he was so caught up in his own little world-- was being subtly manipulated into someone she barely recognized.
12345And before Hera could bring her concerns up with Raven, their caretaker/maternal figure left again on a little trip. Or something. Work. She was barely around anymore-- and that was distressing, given that there were ghosts and changes happening that Hera knew she wasn't yet suited to deal with.
12345At least Jem didn't seem to be bothering Mekt quite so much right now. It could be thought that she was probably just biding her time until they all let their guard down before molesting Mekt, but... for some reason, Hera would rather think that the ghost had just lost interest in the boy and keep an eye out for anything to negate that belief.
12345Things were changing, and not necessarily in a positive way. And now there were two more music-making children in the house. Like Rekka but not, an electric violinist and a keyboardist, each with their own little... well, who was Hera to judge others for their quirks?
12345Their sweet little family was getting bigger and bigger. Hera knew Winter was concerned about it-- before Raven had left, the two had gotten into a discussion about moving some people to "the other house", wherever that was. Whoever was going to be moved-- it wasn't clear who they were talking about-- would be moving soon though.
12345Hera supposed it would be the music makers. After all, they seemed to be... different than the rest of them. When it had just been the little lolita, Rekka, and his cat, it had been one thing. Now that there were three, it might be time to get them another place where they could sit with their instruments and play around all day long. Some place where they wouldn't be tripping over Mekt's books and where Rekka wouldn't be stealing Renjyo's dresses, getitng the little girl all upset. Some place where they wouldn't be...
12345...why was she even so concerned with it all? She was too young to worry so much about it. She'd let Raven and Winter figure it out. If they didn't do it in a week, she'd take care of it.
12345That was the way Hera worked.
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 1:37 am
...:: 8.3.06 ::...
"Mother?" Hera called quietly into the room Raven had closeted herself in since coming home with the rock. "We need to talk-- I have some questions for you."
Questions. That was only to be expected. Raven glanced up from where she'd been combing through a book, the wand and the rock still nearby. "Yes, Hera?"
Raven didn't look well-- tired. Exhausted really. Had she been sleeping? Eating? No one had seen their caretaker-- no one had thought to question. But looking at her, Hera wondered-- perhaps she should keep a better eye on her guardian. Raven didn't seem prone to taking particularly good care of herself. "...first off, are you all right?"
Laughter. "Of course, Hera. What's on your mind?" Raven rose from her seat, moving to the bed, motioning for Hera to come and sit with her-- reluctantly leaving her wand and her rock behind.
A lie-- there was something wrong, but not something Raven wanted to talk about, probably. People had a tendency to do that-- Raven, luckily for Hera, had never chosen not to say anything to her children because of their age-- at least, to Hera's knowledge. "How long's Nasir going to stay here?"
Further laughter. "You know, you're the second person to ask me that. I just got off the phone with Winter-- she had much the same response to him that you do, love. Is he really so hard to get along with-- don't answer that, I already know the answer," Raven shook her head. "I know, he's difficult. But he's your brother in a sense, so don't be too hard on him."
"That's not an answer," Hera refrained from rolling her eyes only because it was Raven.
"Not too long," Raven smiled slightly. "He's just staying here till he can find a place on his own-- though we'll have family dinners, of course. Nasir's at that age where he needs his space."
And even if he didn't, Hera knew for a fact that the majority of the kids at the Nest wouldn't be sorry to kick Nasir out. "So... a week? More?"
"I don't know. The market's hard to predict."
And Raven wouldn't force Nasir out until he was ready and all set up. Even after he found a place to live, who knew how long it would take before he actually moved in? It was hard to say. But even so, Hera thought she understood. You want to protect those you care for. Raven had an unusually large capacity to care for people who didn't do anything. She even cared about people she hadn't met, simply due to the circumstances she considered. How foolish-- foolish but understandable. Caring.
Hera sighed and smiled slightly. "Okay then. Just don't mind if I hurt him a little while he's here."
Laughing again, Raven shook her head. "Just play nice, sweetheart. Just play nice."
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:30 pm
...:: 9.1.06 ::...
Hera stared at her reflection in the mirror somewhat aghast at what she saw. All right, so she wasn’t really aghast, just... surprised. She hadn’t realized that she’d gotten so scraped up from all her escapades outdoors recently. She needed a less painful hobby it seemed-- or at least one which wouldn’t give her quite as many cuts and bruises. It looked like she’d been in several fights, even though that really wasn’t the case and she’d actually just been out climbing trees and such.
Then again, the trees around the Nest didn’t really seem to want to be climbed, so perhaps that was the problem. Maybe she should just find things to occupy her time elsewhere. But that came with the problem of looking elsewhere, when really Hera knew that if she wandered off the Nest grounds, she was liable to worry Raven, and that really just wouldn’t do. Raven had enough s**t to deal with without Hera adding to it, at least, by the looks of things.
It was overall... quite confusing. Hera tied her hair back in a tight ponytail-- mildly annoyed by the few golden strands wafting free-- to better look at the scrapes. She hadn’t noticed before Nasir had made a cutting remark about how she should be more careful when she went out and played her little games since she ended up looking so hurt. Raven had admonished him, of course, and given Hera some ointment to take care of the worst of the cuts, but it had made Hera somewhat self-conscious-- quite a feat, if one really stopped to think about it, given how little thought Hera normally gave to her appearance, but... c’est la vie.
Everyone seemed to be going through odd changes at the Nest. Hera found herself (perhaps unfairly) blaming the mass amount of differences in Raven’s life, the way she’d taken to closeting herself away from the rest of the world. Not all the changes were good, but not all of them were bad either. It really depended on how one looked at everything. Hera knew that. She knew she shouldn’t be upset with her mother for what was happening, but it was difficult not to wonder what was going on with Raven when she was seen less and less by her charges. It didn’t seem... normal for her.
Ah well. Hera well knew that she had the ability to take care of things in her own right, the ability to move about and help out if necessary. She just was worried about Raven’s well-being, really. It didn’t seem natural, almost as if there was a force interfering with Raven’s ability to do what she wanted to do, something that didn’t sit well with Hera. It made her mind wander back to the ghosts she’d failed to get rid of-- and that wasn’t a comforting thought. Enough for now though.
Hera needed to go do something. Clear her thoughts.
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:02 pm
...:: 9.25.06 ::...
Something was wrong in this household. Something viciously wrong, something strange and newly wrong. Something that the moon screamed of. Hera had never been one for much belief in the supernatural, but there was something just felt wrong about tonight, the way the stars glinted evilly in the sky-- not that there was anything wrong with the stars themselves, just harbingers of a dark time when everything was unclear, everything couldn’t be fully understood. It would clear soon. The dawn would come soon. Wouldn’t it?
The clock struck eleven, and the little girl stared out at the sky still.
Out there, ghosts played, that much had been proven. Raven carried among her possessions a possessed stick, a rock which was certainly more than a rock, and a myriad of other items which felt, for all purposes, wrong. Just plain wrong. Felt like something was dirty, unclean-- or worse, tormented. Hera couldn’t stand for that. And yet, she couldn’t do anything about it.
Meanwhile, Nasir appeared to be getting stranger and stranger, staying out till all hours and carrying something of a discontented gleam in his eyes. It wasn’t right, something struck Hera about it as so potently absolutely malicious in the sense that were Nasir’s tensions not relieved soon, he might do something drastic which would lead to everyone involved being put into an awkward situation.
Renjyo was nothing but her usual self, giggling over Mother’s forbidden magazines, listening to random spurts of music, usually with subject matter which no child her age should be listening to-- but there was no stopping her. Even though Raven did her best to keep the little girl from that which she shouldn’t be exposed to, Renjyo had the oddest habit of finding what you didn’t want her in.
The pretty sibling, Kiku, was caught up in something, walking around in a daze most of the time now, nowhere near as observant as she had been when she first arrived at the Nest-- mostly because she seemed to be not sleeping well. At least, the dark circles under her eyes under her makeup seemed to point towards that obvious reason for her distractedness.
As for Mekt... well, he was a story in and of himself, wasn’t he? Someone who paid no attention to anything except for his science and now seemed to want to talk to girls and find out about what made them so different-- he was growing up. Tragically, he was becoming actually male instead of being just ambiguously gendered in one way or another. Hera worried about him.
As for Hera herself... she was caught between trying to take care of everyone and doing whatever she could to separate herself from her siblings who obviously didn’t want to be accorded any more attention than usual. Was it so strange that she ended up caught in confusion all the time, pulling her hair back in her newly accustomed ponytail and pulling on her old denim jeans with the holes in the knees and a simple tank top, running out to find something to do outside of the Nest.
She needed to get out more. That’s what it came down to. She needed to find someone to get her out of the house more so Raven wouldn’t worry-- wait. There were always Alana’s kids. Maybe she could head over there on her own sometime, instead of always waiting for a big group excursion. There was bound to be someone Hera might get along with, at least on some level. The only other option was to go over and find Jan, bother her and her smaller brood, or find the other Nests...
Oh well. She’d figure it out one way or another, she always had in the past. Hera had full faith in herself that she could get this done if she put her mind to it-- and she had. Because if she stayed caught up in everything here she’d go insane, thinking only of all the problems which seemed to swarm about the Nest like a hoard of hornets. After all, there was just something about this environment that felt unnatural.
“That’s it. I’m going to figure something out,” Hera muttered under her breath as she slipped out of the house again, off to find some sort of adventure. She needed to clear her head, think of something different, new, something that wouldn’t get anyone into more trouble than they were already in.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:35 pm
It had been supposed to be a 'girl's night out' at the Nest, with Hera taking charge, herding the other girls towards the movie theatre. Eri was (kind of) the oldest, so she was the one driving, but Hera, with the much more dominant personality, directed the endeavor. The drive itself progressed mostly uneventfully, except for the bickering over who would sit where, with it finally being decided that Kiku would sit in the back between Imelda's car-seat and Erianthe's demanded seat. Renjyo and Eleanor were pushed to the center of the van, with Hera taking shotgun as appointed navigator. It wasn't that bad, Hera reflected as they drove in mostly silence-- it had only taken them two hours to get into the car and settled. Not bad at all.
Surprisingly enough, the choice of movie hadn't been too difficult either. That was the part which truly surprised Hera, since she'd estimated another hour of bickering before they mutually agreed on the movie. Undoubtedly that was the doing of Kiku's dazed nature over the past few months, Erianthe and Imelda's near worship of Erimentha, and the fact that Renjyo and Eleanor were easily overruled in these cases.
"All right! So, Music and Lyrics it is!" Hera proclaimed, inwardly grimacing. This was one of those lovey-dovey movies that the girl would just gag over, but what choice did she have? The other kids had all agreed. Who was she to be the downer at this point?
Imelda whined as she clung to Eri, not liking the dark of the theatre as they entered. Too dark for the little orchid girl, she didn't like the dark... but there were pretty sounds and Eri's pearl earrings glowed in the dark. That made it a little better as they were led deeper into the theatre, to where they all sat in a nice row, a slight scuffle for who got to sit where taking up the bulk of the previews.
Was this what it was going to be like when she had her own little child? Eri wondered as she indulged Imelda, letting the baby sit on her lap. This kind of closeness, this way they all laughed, related so well to each other-- would this be what it was like? Would her child fit in with the cousins as well as they all fit together? What if she or he didn't? Would that-- no thinking now. Movie.
Erianthe smirked slightly to herself as they sat in the dark, her tail swooshing about in anticipation of what was coming. The lights were off and now they would watch and then they would play! Girl's night out had its wonderful moments. It was why Erianthe knew she could always count on her cousins to play with. They loved being tricked or at least responded well-- oooooh! MUSIC.
Quiet, Kiku watched the movie, not really paying attention. Too much had been happening recently. There had been a rush of pieces of information, Aunt Arch, who carried that strange sense like her Teacher, though the Lady claimed to not know Kiku... and then, of course, Eri, who seemed to be older, but she'd only just come into the family... Kiku didn't understand all of it. Perhaps she wasn't meant to. Either way, it seemed odd, and it kept her from considering things the way she normally would. She had to lose herself in the movie.
This movie really had been Renjyo's choice-- though she'd never admit that to Hera, since big mean older sister would probably have chosen a different one. She'd let Eri know which one she'd wanted to see and watched her cousin skillfully convince everyone to listen because everyone listened to Eri because she was the new one and the sweet one and didn't live with them, which made it easier on everyone. But Renjyo had heard the music and she wanted to hear more and more and more because that was the way that you learned about the music. It was different kind of music, pretty costumes than the rock from Japan Renjyo had consumed herself with recently, but not bad. Good, even... good to learn more about music.
Eleanor watched in silence, not really understanding. She'd only agreed to come along on this outing because... well, frankly, it was more interesting than staying at home with the adults and males. And besides, movies were interesting-- a way to observe that which was real which had become false which was being portrayed as something real. She could appreciate the irony in all of it, the way no one really did or said what they meant, all from a script someone had dreamed up to try to express something which didn't really exist.
After the movie, Eri took the girls to get ice cream, wondering when, really, they would be able to head back to the house. After all, things were happening now, and Eri was somewhat anxious to get back to her precious cabbage plant, even if it meant cutting short her time with her cousins. Ah well. Best to go with what was happening here, letting the girls have their fun, right? Besides, they were on their way soon enough, back to the house, back towards the rest of the family.
Something was different about Eri now, and Immy didn't like it. She didn't want her Eri to not pay attention, to be distracted enough to make it so Immy felt left out. Eri was the only one who really would play with Immy, and the fact that Eri wasn't being her usual self made the little Vale unhappy. It wasn't fair, wasn't right. Things weren't supposed to be done this way. It wasn't the way she was used to. It made Immy want to scream, but Eri had responded badly to screams in the past. Unhappily, the little girl shifted in Eri's arms, sucking on the spoonful of ice cream she'd been given.
Something weird was happening with the family tonight. It wasn't the same as it usually was, with their rampant running about playing tag in the dark. Eri felt weird, Kiku was being a cloudhead the way she'd been since Aunty Arch showed up at the Nest for the first time with Eri in tow, Renjyo was being quiet for once, seeming to digest the movie, Eleanor was never any fun, Hera was being bossy like usual, and Immy was just a baby, so Erianthe felt more than a little frustrated. She wanted to go somewhere, do something. Break into the zoo and see all the animals, something heroic! Something that took courage! But no one else seemed to have that drive tonight, which was a disappointment. 'Anthe was still too young to do this sort of thing on her own. So she just sulked a little, eating her double chocolate chocolate mint ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate fudge sauce and wanting everythings to go back to the way they were supposed to be.
Maybe it was just that the movie had been strange, but Hera could feel the tension in her sisters and her cousin. Things weren't going well. "All right, time to head home, I think," Hera finally decided, the blue girl pushing a strand of hair back, annoyed that it had fallen free of her high ponytail. "Besides, it's getting cold, and since no one really thought to bring a jacket," a pointed look at Renjyo and Erianthe, the two who were beginning to shiver slightly, "we should get back before people get sick and Mom gets mad at us. All right?"
Hera was always so bossy! But Renjyo shrugged, finishing up her vanilla ice cream and tossing it away. She'd gotten all dressed up for tonight, and she wasn't even getting to show it off? Oh well. The movie had been fun, with songs about sweet people and strange loves and people who were saying things they didn't mean and doing things they didn't say. People people.
"You probably want to wash off your makeup before we get back," Eleanor murmured to Renjyo. None of the other girls had really noticed the child's attempt at makeup-- a half-decent attempt, in Renjyo's defense. "Mother won't be pleased to know you've been in her collection again.
Renjyo rolled her eyes as she wiped it off, part of her glad Eleanor remembered to remind her. Mother had already gotten angry at her once for that same thing-- Renjyo wasn't really ready to repeat that.
Standing as well, Kiku moved to the car, gently helping herd everyone else along. The night had been spoiled before it had even begun, hadn't it? Something strange was infecting the girls of this family, and Kiku had yet to discover what it was...
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:47 am
Gathering the information from Winter had been surprisingly easy, given that the girl seemed to not care much about where her information went. Perhaps it was the arrival of Winter's ward, that mysterious youth who spoke only when he chose to do so, only saying what he felt needed to be said to explain the situation, never mentioning his own opinions. Or perhaps Winter just really didn't care. Who knew?
Raven, however, was another story altogether.
"Raven--"
"Do you think I'm not still upset with you?" Raven asked quietly as she watched Imelda play with her cousin and her sisters. The little girl was growing up quite well-- she'd have to put her findings together in a comprehensive report later when her sister wasn't making her so upset.
"That's not the point, Rav--" Arch began before taking a deep breath. "Look. You'll benefit from this too. I made sure of that. You're curious about what's going on, what's happening, why these children exist, and with the history that this boy could give us, it'll give us a clearer idea of what's happening," she tried to use a bit of logic against her sister. Arch wasn't good at manipulating her sisters. Others, yes, but not her sisters. She couldn't use her magic on her sisters.
Hera glanced back at her mother and her aunt, considering the situation. Unofficially, Hera was in charge right now, but that didn't mean she shouldn't pay attention to the interaction going on over there as well, especially given the tension that had risen between Mother and Aunt Arch recently. These things... they didn't bode well. Then again, nothing seemed to bode well these days, especially not with-- "ERIANTHE!" Hera chided, turning to her sister, catching the lemur by her tail. "You can't push J around like that!"
"She started it!" Erianthe protested, jerking her tail away from Hera. Bossy kid thought she could tell everyone else off, just because she'd been around longer. Like that meant anything. Erianthe didn't listen to people she didn't want to, and she seldom felt the want to listen to Hera.
"She's littler than you--"
"So? Mel's just as big as J, but you let her push J around?"
"Imelda's not pushing her for real, just tugging at her," Hera glared at Erianthe, wondering why the redhead had to be such a brat. "You know she does that--"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Imelda stamped her foot, glaring at her sisters.
"Be quiet, Mel, I'm talking to Hera--"
"--about me!"
Oblivious to the bickering girls, Raven sighed softly as she let Arch's words slip in. There was truth there, there were pieces to what Arch said which resonated within Raven on many levels... she couldn't deny that. And yet, she didn't want to admit her sister was right either. How could she condone what Arch had done? Teaming up with those who'd torn apart a soul into three pieces to give them each to a child they'd created? "...and why are you so eager to help him?"
"Because..." Arch paused, unsure of how much she could tell Raven. There were things she shouldn't... but then again, not telling her sisters was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. "...I stole his dream. Accidentally," she added hastily at Raven's horrified look, knowing her sister's sharp mind would understand what she meant. Erimentha, Arch's daughter-- the dream forced into flesh, stolen from the dreamscape.
"...it seems like we don't have a choice--"
Jerusha screamed, pain shooting through her young body-- or, more accurately, shooting from her finger through her hand, seeming to spread through her body. Hurthurthurthurthurt-- she couldn't think, could only stand there, trying to figure out what hurt, why, how to make it stop.
Whirling about, away from Raven, Arch's golden eyes shot open in surprise-- what was-- Jerusha--
First to the scene was Hera though, catching her young cousin's hands before she managed to hurt herself more, holding them steady long enough to see the little yellow and black bug fall to the ground, weakly crawling away. A bee. Unsurprising, given that they were in the backyard, but why was Jerusha screaming so mu-- ooh. Stung, hm? But Hera had never dealt with that--
Scared into silence, Imelda stared at her cousin like the girl had grown an extra head or two, shrinking back. Such a loud scream coming from her cousin-- had she been hurt by their playing? They'd only been playing, but... "J, stop it!" she whispered fiercely to the angel. "You're making too much noise! What's wrong?!"
Dimly, she heard her cousin speaking, telling her to be quiet, Hera's voice calling for Mommy and Aunty Raven, but... "Hurts," she whimpered softly in Hera's grasp, shivering slightly, though she'd stopped screaming at the touch of another person. Cousin. Hera. Hera fixed things. But Mommy...
If she'd ever needed more proof that her baby cousin was just a little baby, this was it. Erianthe grimaced at the screaming until it stopped, daring to creep closer only after she was sure that J would be silent. What had happened? Bug on the ground-- bug. Yellow bug. Bee? Probably. There were a bunch of those around the house...
Thank heavens for small favors. Hera seemed to have calmed J down enough for Arch to take the girl, considering her fingers. Where was-- there. "Hold still, Jeru-sweetheart," Arch crooned before using her long nails to delicately scrape the stinger out of the wound.
Hurthurthurt-- less hurt, but still... "Mommy, hurt," Jerusha whined, big blue eyes filled with genuine tears. She wasn't used to this feeling, and she'd only too recently begun to experience sensations, meaning that everything felt overly sensitized. "Make it stop..."
But Arch didn't know how to heal. It just wasn't in her-- she was better at killing than healing, better at taking life in the midst of pleasure than enriching it. "Shh, sweetheart..."
Gently catching the little girl's hand, taking it from her sister, Raven drew a symbol, hiding it from the gathered bunch, wrapping it around her niece's finger. "Just quiet now, Jerusha. Hopefully this will keep it from hurting more. Erianthe, go get a bandage and an ice pack, please," Raven instructed the redhead, waiting until she'd gone before looking at her two blondes. "Hera, Immy, please get me my salves and some Benadryl from the kitchen, all right?" she directed them, waiting until they'd gone off before giving her sister a pointed look.
~This is why we shouldn't argue when the children are around. We get distracted,~ she thought into Arch's mind, calling upon the seldom-used bond between them.
...this was what happened. Raven knew so much more about caring for children, she had healing salves, she knew techniques Arch ignored. She fixed things. Arch... well, she was trying. Nodding slightly to Raven's comment, Arch gently wiped away Jerusha's tears, kissing her on the forehead. "Shh, sweetheart. It'll be all right soon."
Something was happening. Aunty's hand was warm, so warm-- warm enough to dull the pain, though Jerusha could still feel a strange thumping in her finger, a pulsing beat. Sniffling a little, Jerusha tried to put her mind elsewhere, somewhere that didn't hurt anymore.
Immy carried the Benadryl back, watching Hera clutch the bag. Her sister was worried-- that much Imelda could tell very easily. What was going on? Imelda didn't really understand-- after all, J had gotten hurt, and then... then what? Mommy was trying to make it better? But could she? She'd made other people's hurts better, but J's was different, it was because of a little bug...
Bandage. Ice pack. And the little lemur girl didn't want to argue with her sisters anymore, handing the objects over to Raven as Hera and Imelda gave their offerings as well, watching in silence as Raven bandaged up Jerusha. This was something of a familiar scene for Erianthe-- given how often she got herself in scrapes-- but it was strange seeing it from the outside, seeing her cousin hurt. Did this happen because she'd been distracting-- no. This was Hera's fault. She was supposed to take care of J.
"There you go, J. Good as new," Raven released the angel, nodding to Arch. "I think that's enough playing for one day."
~I'll get you what you need.~
Nodding to her sister and scooping Jerusha up, Arch and the little angel bid the girls farewell and headed home. Enough adventuring for now.
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 2:54 pm
Taking a deep breath, Raven tried to steady herself. Things were going to be all right. Always. Things worked out for the best. In the end, what happened, happened. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. What goes around comes around. The law of Karma. The way of the world. Everything happened for a reason. She just had to keep repeating that to herself, and eventually the belief would follow, at least in theory. Everything had a purpose...
"Mother?" Hera murmured, breaking into Raven's thoughts. "Mother, are you all right?"
No. "Yes, dear," Raven managed after a moment, clutching the pendant around her neck with her right hand. In all honesty, she didn't know. The warmth of the pendant calmed her, the way it pulsed in time with the beating of her heart, as if it were trying to soothe her worries away with that gentle throbbing.
Liar, Hera thought to herself as she sat next to her mother. She wouldn't voice her opinion though, not with Mother so stressed and lost and scared. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Thank you, sweetheart, but no," Raven shook her head, taking a deep breath and trying to concentrate. What was going on with her? Things like this happened everyday-- why was she so upset by it? Glancing at the pendant, as if it could shed some light on the situation, Raven sighed softly to herself. There she went, expecting something from a necklace again... "Why don't you go check on your brothers and sisters for me, Hera?"
Gali chirped quietly, glancing at Hera about to argue. Not now, his eyes seemed to say, the little tone shaking his head gravely. Raven wasn't up to talking or dealing with her kids at all right now, and even if they wanted to help, they should realize that. Hera always did this from a spirit of good intention, but... sometimes there was something to be said for living and letting live.
Resisting the urge to argue, Hera rose and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, slipping out of the room to find her siblings. She didn't like this-- didn't like this at all. After all, Mother shouldn't be so... but she was soft-hearted. Trusting. Where her kids were mostly cynical, Raven was an optimist underneath her bold façade. Perhaps that was the problem.
Stopping in the hall to pick up the phone, Hera dialed her Aunt's number with as much alacrity as she could. Someone had to talk some sense into Mother. The most likely person, sadly, was also the one who'd argue with Raven the most-- but Arch had the benefit of understanding Raven more than Winter did.
"'llo~?"
"Cece?" Hera blinked, surprised for a moment. She hadn't realized the little girl was allowed to answer the phone-- not that anyone was likely to stop her, but... still. Strange. No one Cece's age had ever been allowed to answer the phone here.
"Hewa!" Cecelia grinned at the phone, laughing slightly. "Why oo cawwing?" she asked, considering her cousin's voice for a long moment. People in this family didn't usually talk on the phone. It wasn't the way things worked with this family. Other families, maybe, but not here. So why was Hera doing the weird thing with the phone and the dialing?
"Ah, Cece, is Aunty Arch there?" Hera shook her head after a moment, drawing herself back to the point at hand, rather than focusing on the strange fact of the little girl answering the phone.
"Aun'y iz'n hea. She wen' too take J some'ere," Cece explained after a moment, smiling sweetly even though she knew Hera couldn't see her. Hera was the voice in the phone. Not out here. But smiling was good, smiling meant happy and happy was good. Happy showed up in voices too. Which meant Hera could hear the smile, even if she wasn't seeing it.
"Oh..." Hera thought about this for a moment. Well... she couldn't very well leave the message with Cece, could she? The little girl was bound to forget or mix it up with something else-- that's just the way she was, no fault of her own. But then... this was important. "Is your Mom around?" It felt weird to call Eri a mom, but... that's who she was to Cece, wasn't she?
"Mommy sleepin'," Cece shrugged before remembering that Hera was only the voice in the phone, not here. "Not 'wake," she clarified a little. "Wan' me tell somefin?" Because Cece wanted to help! Helping was good. It made people happy when you helped them.
"No... that's all right, Cece," Hera decided after a moment. She'd have to take care of it on her own. "Just tell your Mom I called and that I'm looking forward to dinner this weekend, 'kay?"
"'Kay!" Cece grinned before hanging up the phone, watching it clatter to the floor before toddling off to see if her Mommy was still asleep.
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 4:29 am
Quote: It has been over a month since your last post.
This is not acceptable.
You have 2 days to make a post up to my standards, or Hera will be *frozen.
This Warning and its Requirements are Not Negotionable.*Frozen: When a pet is forced to remain in it's current stage indefinitely due to an owner's failure to comply with contractual obligations made and understood prior to the purchase of the pet. Additionally, the journal is locked and ownership is still retained despite the frozen state.
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