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 Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:53 am
Angie Meets Her First Changeling...
The ball is set in motion for her own...
He was no longer stumbling through brush in a blind fight to get away from the terror that had snuck up upon him as he'd taken his first trip outside in two days since he'd visited Skye's house. Instead he was pushing his way through the branches, wondering where he'd gone to. He didn't recognize the woods or the area, which made the small colt pout as he was usually very adept at not getting lost at all. Hearing a 'shhhhhhhhh' noise that made his heart jump he glanced over his shoulder at the ground, his feet kicking up in an automated responce against any dangers that might be sneaking up on him.
He didn't get a chance to see if there was a snake there, though his heart was pounding in his chest, as he stumbled down a small hill, hooves digging into the soil as he struggled to find footing before stopping suddenly on an even area. A road. Blinking, a little shocked, he looked up and down the road, wondering how close any roads came to WinK's property and which way would take him back.
Angie was wandering down a random road, as was her nature. Never could she stand in one place too long, or travel down the same road more than twice in a row. So it was no surprise to find the fox-girl wandering down a road that she'd never been down before. Upon her shoulder was a purple kitling, Ryuuen, and beside her walked a small menagerie. A puri, Seiteki, slowly meandered by her side, skittering out from the large feet of a ninau that followed close behind. How Angie'd come upon this road could be anyone's guess, but what she was doing with such a group of rag-tag misfits was just as much of a guess.
The ninau, Justin, shied a bit as he heard hooves clamber up on the road. Angie also heard, and perked her ears up, glancing in the general direction of the noise. "Hello! Is anyone there!" She called out, squinting slightly to see the figure in the distance. picking up speed in her walking, Ang hurried closer to see if whoever it was. Who knows what kind of friends you could find in a place like this.
Keelan looked up and down the road, his ears, slightly more atuned than that of a normal human's (not that he was a normal human, but people often mistook his human half to have human limitations), and quickly spotted the rag-tag group. His interest perked immediately even though WinK had warned him to be weary of strangers the woman and her surrounding affections didn't seem harmful. Just in case though, he didn't move towards them, he let them move to him, hooves braced to run if he needed to. He might be small, but for a centaur he was fast. Hopefully fast enough if they were foe and not friend.
"Keelan," he said, sounding a little hopeless and lost. He wrinkled his nose -a bad habit picked up from WinK- and made sure that when he spoke next his voice sounded firm, even if he didn't realize his body language spoke volumes of how weary he was. "My name is Keelan." He was a fel, not some regular centaur. There was no reason to be shamed into being scared, but he was. Years of being told who he was when he was much younger churned against regular fears that every child possesed, he only had to chose which to listen to.
Jogging up to Keelan, Angie paused, turning around to see her companions wandering as slowly as they had been. Lazy fellows they were. Turning back to the figure, she glanced him over. A centaur. She'd seen some before, even housed one herself as a companion. But never had she seen one quite like him. He looked rather young, but quite handome. Perking an ear, she heard a word from him. Then more. Ahh! He was talking with her! Oh.. right. Mentally bonking herself upside the head, Angie nodded and spoke.
"Hello Keelan! My name's Angie. And this," she pointed to the kitling on her shoulder. "Is Ryuuen, and those two are Justin and Seiteki, repectively. Sei's the short one." Chuckling softly, she glanced around, wondering where this little centaur had come from. "Nice day for a walk, don't you think?"
Keelan looked up at Angie, blinking as he felt himself relaxing. Following her gaze he looked at the animals who accompanied her and nodded as she said their names, mouthing them as to try and remember in case he ever ran into her again. She seemed like a friendly person, and not someone that WinK would want him to run from.
His body relaxed and one of his hands absently tugged on his dark blue vest with gray beading on it. There were a few rips in it, as he'd been running through the woods and had collected a few scrapes and bruises from wayward branches. "Phsla, Miss Angie," he said in greeting. "Walking? You're just walking?" he asked, blinking up at her with gray eyes. "I am searching ... walk?" he asked before remembering to ask the correct way, the way WinK had taught him. "May I walk with you?" It would be nice to have someone to walk with him in case a snake appeared. Hopefully she wasn't afraid of snakes either.
Keen eyes caught sight of the ragged vest, with new found rips, but she didn't say anything. "Searching? May I ask for what you're searching? And of course you may walk with me. I like having company with me, especially company that's as polite as you are, Keelan." Pointedly she glanced in Seiteki's direction, who harrumphed and flapped his tail around agitatedly. He refused to talk now, mainly because Angie'd been talking about him with that last little speech.
Justin gently nosed the young centaur, whickering in greeting. Being the gentle plodding old ninau he was, there was no malice or harm in his greeting. Ambling ahead of them, the ninau glanced across the road for some yummy clover and honeysuckle in which to snack on. Angie chuckled at her old friend's actions. "He likes you Keelan. That's more than a good sign, though I'd be afraid he'd want to stay with you now." Laughing, Angie shook her head. The ninau liked everyone, and often tried to go home with them, if only because they'd given him a treat, or smelled like something he wanted to follow.
Keelan's cheeks turned a slight pink color, but unless you paid close mind you would barely notice the slight flush at her mention in his polite mannerisms. Perhaps WinK was right, manners were a good thing. "Home," he said sheepishly. "Searching for home." He glanced at Sei who had made an aggitated noise and flicked his stump of a tail that was steadily growing as long as the hair on his head, still pulled back and tied, was.
Being nudged by the Ninau he smiled and rubbed behind an ear, reading Justin's body language and his contented nature. Horses and horse-like creatures were easy for him to figure out since he was nearly one himself, he felt at home with Justin and the ninau just made Angie's presense much more consolling. "He's happy with you," he said softly as he watched the ninau munch on the clovers he'd just ripped through as he'd come sliding down the hill.
"Home? Oh my....you must be lost! That's not good... However it's not the worst thing in the world either. I'm constantly lost." Giggling, the fox-girl couldn't help but wave her arm around to point out the scenery. "I'm not quite sure where I am right now, but with Justin here, all I need to do is tell him home, and he'll find us a way. But that's only in a last ditch effort. I'm getting pretty good about finding my way around after I've been lost. But I understand how you must feel."
Angie grinned at Keelen's words. Always good to hear that her companions were happy to be with her. She wouldn't venture to try to understand how the young centaur knew, but was glad for the reassurance anyhow. "I'm glad of that..."
Keelan listened to Angie speak and a smile spread out across his face, greatful to have her be the one he happened across while lost. "Do you get lost often?" he asked. It sounded as if she did it on purpose. Who would want to get lost on purpose? It seemed silly, but if you liked to explore... Keelan wasn't sure if he liked to explore yet or not. The scrapes weren't plesant but meeting Angie certainly was turning out to be.
"He's happy," Keelan said, nodding, glancing at Justin again with a smile. Listening to Angie talk something perked in his mind. "You've been to many places, maybe you've been to WinK's house?" he asked, his voice hopeful. If Angie knew WinK, or had at least been to his lands, maybe he could find his way back.
It was now Angie's turn to blush slightly. "Yes, I do tend to get lost a lot. Sometimes its intentional, others it's not. But I make the best of it, regardless of if I meant to or not." Chuckling, she continued, slowly down the road. "Right now, I've gotten myself sorta lost...intentionally. I was sick of walking down the same road, saw this other road forking off mine, and took it. Which isn't a bad thing because I came upon some rather wonderful company."
Swishing her tail happily, Angie thought for a moment on Keelan's question. "Hmm.. WinK...WinK... I believe I know him, but don't think I've been to his place yet, unfortunately. I wish I could help you there...." She shook her head gravely. There'd been many places she'd been, many friends homes she'd visited, but she hadn't gotten to WinK's yet. "Tell me about this place, maybe if you describe it, I can help point you in that general direction." It was the least she could do, to help point him in a relative direction, if she could...
Keelan smiled at Angie, starting to regain his coltish hyper nature back as he got more and more comfortable with the woman and her companions. Wandering as Angie did almost sounded fun after he listened to how she described it. He wondered if anything could sound tempting if put into the right light and swished his tail as Angie asked him to describe WinK's land.
"Well ... there's a two story house with a small brick wall out front," he started out, tugging on his tied-back hair absently as he thought. "Aurora's two gardens are in the back, one with roses, one waiting to be planted. Oh! And pools for the Nereids!" he added, thinking quickly now, his young face puckering slightly. "And an orchard with apple trees and ... other ... trees." He wrinkled his nose, looking up at Angie, upset that he didn't know what other trees grew there. He just liked the apple ones. Would that be enough, or would she not know of what he spoke?
"Nereids! I believe that's how I met WinK. I don't know him very well though. I'll have to remedy that, now that I've met you." Angie chuckled and glanced around for anything that might look...well... WinK-land-ish. "I have a pair of lovely nereid beauties myself." Hmm an orchard.... "Sounds awfully pretty out there Keelan, you're a lucky boy!" Angie grinned, continuing their walk down the road. "It just so happens, there's a road up here, if I remember right, that leads down towards what appears to be some orchards... Not sure who they belong to, but there's a chance they might be WinK's. I did some wandering around here a while back, up to where the crossroads ahead are. If you follow that road down, there's a good chance you might end up home, or closer, at least..." Her ears flicked, straining to listen for the laughter of nerieds at play. It wouldn't be that easy, she knew it, but it was worth trying anyhow.
Keelan strode along the path next to her, craning his head up to look at her as he walked, his hooves thumping firmly and confidently against the road. "WinK's Nereids are very nice ... except for Covet," he said, blinking as he thought of the tattooed Nereid. She had a habit of being quite rude and very petty. "But the others are quite nice," he added with a smile, thinking of Mari and Angela and the others.
Listening to her description of the roads he payed close attention and tried not to let his mind wander as a butterfly fluttered across the path. "An orchard?" he questioned aloud, mainly for himself. "That might be home!" he said excitedly, his small hooves skittering across the path as he grinned. "Will you come with me, or must you go on your own way?" Her company was welcome, but Keelan learned long ago that adults had things to do with their own time.
Glancing at the position of the sun, Angie shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you, I've promised someone I'd be home soon. I wish I could though." Smiling down at her young companion, Angie chuckled. "However, I will have to come and visit you some time. Maybe take you for some walks, if WinK gives us permission. How's that sound, Keelan?" Angie flicked her tail as they walked, glad that she might be able to point the young one in the right direction. She always loved to help others, be it just a friendly hug, or helping them when they needed it. Ryuuen fiddled with her hair, reminding her of her other companions.
Glancing behind her, Angie caught sight of Seiteki bouncing playfully around another butterfly, while Justin had gotten down on his back and was rolling around in the grass by the road. It appeared that everyone was having a grand time on this walk, more so than she'd originally expected. Laughing, the fox-girl turned her attention back to the hyper colt.
Keelan's tail gave a sad swish but he smiled softly and nodded, understanding. "I would like that very much, Miss Angie," he said carefully, trying to remember the proper words to say. "And thank you for all of your help!" he added as they neared the cross roads. He looked down the direction he was told to go and sighed, wondering how long it would take him to get home.
Glancing back at the pets as she did he smiled, happy that at least Angie had a companion to walk with. Hopefully it wouldn't take him that long to find his way home. He'd give anything to have Sunshine meow at him and pester his chasing butterflies, or Bas to come and make sure he didn't get into trouble, even if he did bark a lot. "Thank you again!" he said as he trotted quickly down the road away from Angie and her friends.
Angie smiled and waved to her newfound friend. "Safe journies, Keelan, and I hope you make it home soon!" Angie paused at the crossroads, watching the little centaur trot away. "Think he'll be okay, Justin?" Turning to her companion who'd lazily wandered over to rest his head on her shoulder, she reached up to stroke his velvety nose. Her answer was the usual reassuring soft whicker he gave her whenever she asked such questions. "Alright then. Lets head on home..."
"You do realize I'm still mad at you for that comment a while back.." Piped up the puri from behind her. "Mmhm. Wouldn't dream of forgetting. Really..." Angie chuckled and headed in the opposite direction of Keelan, bounding down the road ahead of her friends. A stunned Ryuuen quickly clung to her neck, trying in every way possible not to fall off. It was quite the sight, to whomever might be watching...
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 9:45 am
Angie's Strange Encounter...
And a new object in her possession...
It wasn't long before the fox-girl tired out and stood in the middle of the road, panting and waiting up for the lazy ninau and puri. A very wide-eyed kit sat upon her shoulders, windblown and quite a-daze from the sudden quickened pace she'd taken. Her ears flicked in the slight breeze around her, picking up the sounds of her companions, and other wild creatures carrying on about their lives around them. Angie leant don and placed her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.
"You know... You wouldn't have that problem if you went for a run once in a while." She glared at the smart-alec puri without a word, silently scolding him. If she coulda talked at that moment, she woulda told him where to stuff it, but lack of breath had a say in that one at the moment. The fluffy creature smirked in return however, knowing that, above all, he was right, and second of all, she couldn't say anything in her current condition, which directed stemmed from him being right. God how Angie hated when he was right.
Shaking her head, Ang walked on ahead, after making sure Justin would be catching up as well. The silly ninau was munching on grasses and clovers and not really caring about the pace the others took. He'd get there... He'd find his way home, so he wasn't worried in the least. Angie gently leaned her head against Ryuuen, the kitling on her shoulder, and closed her eyes. The sun was starting to go down, it'd been a while since she'd last seen that little centaur boy. "I hope he makes it home safely, before it starts to get really dark..." The fox-girl mused out-loud as she wandered ahead. It then dawned on her what she was supposed to be doing right now. "CRAP! I was supposed to meet 'Neeka and Talina!" Glancing at her watch, Angie gasped. "OVER AN HOUR AGO!! Oh they're going to be so mad at me!"
"I coulda told you that, but you insisted on playing around still. So I figured you could use a lesson in time management." Came the curt reply from, guess who, Seiteki. "Oh hush up, you old goat. I swear, you're getting snippier and snippier in your old age..." Angie shook her head and hurried towards a clearing nearby, hoping it was the one she'd promised to meet the two at, and hoping they were still there waiting for her. "Oh dear, oh my I hope they're still there...."
And, of course, as luck would have it - they weren't there. Either it wasn't the right clearing, or they'd given up ages ago and gone back home. Or, with her current streak of luck, both. "Rats! I swear, I need to keep an appointment log with me at all times, and a beeping watch to remind me where I'm supposed to be at all times. They'll never let me live this down, I know it!" Sighing, the girl wandered over to a fallen tree stump and sat on it, her ears sagging a bit. For once, Seiteki seemed to lose the smart-arsed attitude and cuddled up next to her. "I'm sure they'll understand, don't worry."
Angie sighed and pet the young puri absent-mindedly, oblivious to the purring noises he made. He wasn't always the grumpy thing everyone assumed him to be. He had a soft side, but he hardly let it show. Seiteki was the "tough guy" so to speak. "I suppose you're right. They'll be a little mad, but they know me well enough to know that I don't mean to forget. I just do." The puri lifted his head to nod in agreement. "We all know, and understand." Angie smiled and began to stand up, but something caught her eye. Something that hadn't been beside her a moment ago...
"What's this?" Angie picked up a gnarled wooden stick, and turned it over, examining it carefully. Sei and Ryu both leaned in to check it out as well, with Sei wrinkling his nose at it. "It smells funny. Like a creature...but not one I know." The feline creature tilted his head to look at Angie quizzically. "Hmm... you're right. A creature, or person. Not sure which. I smell... fur on it." Turning around on the stump as she laid the stick in her lap, the fox-girl looked around for the culprit who would leave such an interesting find laying around near her, of all people. But the meadow was silent. "He-hello? Is anyone there? I think you dropped your -"
"Stick? Nope. Don't think I did. This stick would be yours I think." The voice paused, the continued. "Yes, yes I do believe it's yours. Now what shall you do with it, fox-child?" Angie whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. But there was no one there. "Who goes there? Who are you!" She looked back down at the wand, blinking slightly at it as her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "It's mine? But how... certainly someone is missing this pretty thing. I wouldn't know the first thing to do with it."
"Ahh but you will, you will! Ne'er underestimate the power of the mind! You'll know what to do, yes you will! A place to observe but with distance to spare, remember these words or you'll be pulling your hair!" the voice giggled. Giggled? Well at least it sounded like it giggled... An almost maniacal laugh. "Why do you speak in such riddles that I cannot understand?" Angie retorted, still not understanding what all this meant. "In time you'll see, dear girl, in time you'll see. Just remember these words and the answer will be clear as day. Forget them, and you'll be stuck wondering, with nothing to show for your efforts." With that, the voice faded off into the distance.
"WAIT! WAIT! I don't understand!!" But Angie was too late. Whoever it was, was gone, leaving her with this wand and a whole lot of unanswered questions. "How on earth am I going to explain this to myself, let alone anyone else...?" Turning to Seiteki and Ryuuen, she tilted her head. "You guys saw and heard all that, right? I'm not going crazy am I?" The pair nodded their heads, speechless. Not that Ryu ever spoke or anything. She glanced over to her final companion, the ninau, who seemed completely oblivious to the whole thing. "I suppose.. We'd better get back home, make sure Rene and Talina are home, then figure out what to do about this stick..." As she spoke, it almost seemed like the crystal on the end of the wand glittered at her, but she knew it was just the sun playing tricks.
"Sounds good... That was freaky though. I wonder who that was..." Seiteki mused quietly, trying to make sense of it in his own head, so he could be smart-arsed about it later when Angie was trying to piece it all together. The things he did to keep his sanity these days. Angie stood up and brushed the dirt off of her rump and tail before heading back towards home. "We'll figure it out. For now, let's just get home..."
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 12:14 pm
Forgotten But Not Gone....
The wand is temporarily forgotten outside...
"A place to observe, but with distance to spare. Remember these words or you'll be pulling your hair."
Those words run in Angie's head still, mysterious and cryptic. What did the hidden person mean by those words? Holding onto the wand in her left hand, as her right gently stroked the wood beneath it, Ang tried to figure the puzzle out. The fox-girl was sitting outside her home, beneath a particularly comfortable shade-tree. Seiteki was nearby, and watching her carefully, appearing to be unconcerned about the whole ordeal. However he was just as puzzled by it all, as she was.
Setting the gnarled stick down, Angie stood up, brushing her butt off before she paced the ground beneath the tree. "He or she, though it sounded more like a he to me, meant something by it, or else they wouldn't have said it. So I need to figure the riddle out, before it'll all make sense to me." Seiteki perked his head up, rolling his eyes in her direction. "And you just now figured that out, miss genius?" Angie glared at the puri in response. "No! But for your information, I wasn't talking to you! I was merely going over it all outloud. That's all."
The fox-girl sighed, shaking her head. This riddle was not going to answer itself....though she wished it would. Things would be so much more simple if it did. "Did you go and apologize to Reneeka and Talina, Angie?" Seiteki reminded the foxgirl of her previous need to right the past wrongs. "OH SHOOT! No, I'm going right now though!" Accidentally forgetting about the crystal wand, Angie streaked for the house, with Seiteki bounding after her. With all the heckling Sei gave her, he sure was forgetful in his own right. Even he forgot about the wand as he bounded off to see how much trouble Angie'd be in after this particular trip.
It wouldn't be until late that night, when everyone was tucked in, and most were sleeping, that the snippity puri would remember the strange object. And even then, the prospect of going outside to snag it up didn't seem too appealing to him. Who knew what might be out there, lurking around, waiting for someone like him to try and get it. No, he'd stay right here, at the foot of Angie's bed and wait for morning to remind her of her "folly" and remind her to go get it.
Meanwhile, Angie was blissfully asleep, dreaming of chocolate or something just as yummy as she softly snored. Was she concerned about the wand? Nope. She'd forgotten about it still. But that didn't mean much. By morning she'd be frantically searching for it, hoping that no one had disturbed it from the last place she'd seen it... wherever that was...
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:49 am
No one had disturbed the delicate wand... however, someone had indeed noticed it. Tiny footprints circled it here and there, then vanished off into the trees once more.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 1:11 pm
Found! You Have Visitors!?
A visitor has come and gone, but who? And why?
A creature of habit and extreme excitability when she realized she'd forgotten something, Angie was no different this morning. From the moment she woke up, the fox-girl scurried around her house, frantically looking for the missing wand. "Now where did I last have it?" Wondering out-loud sometimes helped her to remember where she'd misplaced things. "I came home, dropped stuff on the porch...namely Ryuuen. That's where it must be..." A quick dash later and she was tearing apart the little porch, looking for the object in question.
But it wasn't there. "I coulda sworn I set it down there..." Angie sat down on the steps, frusterated. Why was it, she always seemed to lose the wrong things at the wrong time? Now not only was her checkbook missing, but the wand she'd been entrusted with was as well. Wasn't that just a great thing? Sighing, the girl propped her elbows on her knees, then her chin in her hands and began grumbling incoherently.
"Why don't you check under the tree? You do, of course, remember sitting under it when you got home, right?" Out came the sarcastic reply from behind her, the usual suspect in sarcasm sauntering out of the house like he knew exactly what he was doing. Truth was, however, that Seiteki was just as worried, or curious as it may be, to see what'd happened to the wand, if anything at all. He, however, was the only one to remember where the object was though.
"AHH!!! I remember now!" Angie brushed the sarcasm in Sei's voice as simply morning grumpiness, and rushed out towards the big tree in her front yard. There, the wand sat, untouched from when she'd laid it down the night before. Yet something made the fox-girl stop short and stare, which caused Sei, who'd been following close behind, to crash into her. Both tumbled to the ground in a heap, just far enough away from the stick to not disturb the tracks in the dirt around it. Such tiny prints they were, and proof that someone had been around during the night. But who? Ears perking up, Ang listened around them. Maybe whatever made these footprints were still nearby.
However, nothing out of the ordinary brushed across her hearing. No new, unfamiliar noises to be heard this morning. Her strange invisible visitors had come and gone long ago... Angie sighed and rolled over, laying on her belly with her arms crossed in front of her, her chin resting on the backs of her hands. "What do you think Sei? What kind of visitors might we have had last night? What creature would leave such small tracks anyway?" Her eyes followed the tracks back into the trees, from the direction she could only guess they'd come from last night. "You don't suppose it was that voice we heard yesterday, do you?"
"Oh come now.... I doubt someone with that...tone and volume to their voice would make such small footprints. Think logically for once, please?" The puri rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, though he wouldn't admit he'd been wondering the same thing himself. "It was probably some passerby who happened to see a pretty object on the ground. Though why they wouldn't take it is beyond me. Maybe they're smarter than you are and recognise it as being trouble." That comment recieved a glare from Angie, which silenced the feline creature. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying..."
"I know what you were saying and it wasn't needed, necessary, or asked for, in that case," retorted Angie in a similarly sarcastic fashion to his own. Crawling forward slightly, the girl lightly brushed her fingertips over the tracks as she mused softly to herself. "I wonder what they looked like...who they were...and what they wanted... Think they'll be back tonight?" It was as she said that, that the words of the mysterious stranger came back to her. 'A place to observe, but with distance to spare. Remember these words or you'll be pulling your hair.' Instantly Ang sat up and stared at Seiteki. "That's what he meant! To leave it outside and watch it!" Her reaction simply got a puzzled headtilt from the puri. "Remember what the voice said? The riddle I couldn't figure out? He meant to leave it outside and watch it. If it isn't outside... nothing will happen?" The girl paused, frowning in thought. "But what's going to happen? I don't quite get that...."
"Well, if that's what he meant, then maybe we should get away from the stick, so that whatever is supposed to happen, can." The puri did make sense, so Angie nodded as she stood up. A glance down at the object and tiny tracks around it, then the girl drug her heels as she wandered back to her home. "Think it'll be alright there?" She questioned her companion, seeing as he was so much smarter than she. Seiteki nodded, "If it was alright last night, I assume it'll be fine through another night or ten. So don't worry... whatever happens, will happen, right?"
"I suppose so. Let's get something to eat though. All that rushing around looking for it has made me rather hungry." Seiteki couldn't argue with that, especially after his stomach rumbled in response to her suggestion. "Works for me. Though, you aren't going to burn breakfast this time, are you?" A smirk appeared across his muzzle as the fox-girl grumbled and stalked off ahead of him. Always had to keep her on her toes, you know.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 9:22 pm
New Friends and New Adventures
Angie meets Sayuri and Catta and forms new questions about her 'stick.'
Sayuri tried to untangle Catta from her hair. The lemur-babe had skittered up onto her head at the sight of the people on the streets and was now trying to scalp her with her tiny fingers, as she approached the quaint cottage sitting amongst the trees.
'Catta please.' Sayuri muttered, untangling more hair from the girls fingers.
'That really does hurt!'
Angie was out exploring, as per her usual activities. This time, however, she was quite alone. No need for "protection" when you're only a little ways away from home, right? Her mind kept flickering to the wand, and what would happen with it. She'd been watching it for a few days now, but no signs of new prints, or that it had been disturbed in any way, but that didn't discourage her. She just knew, if she waited long enough, the answer would come to her.
"Just wish that voice had been a bit less...riddling," the fox-girl mumbled, not realizing where she was wandering to. Rather close to the cottage in question, Angie paused as she thought she heard another voice nearby. Raising her voice slightly, she called out to them. "Hallo there! Anyone around?"
Sayuri finally succeeded in untangling Catta when a voice sounded. The lemur squeaked, shut her eyes and curled into a tight ball with her tail wrapped around her in Sayuri's arms. She walked towards the direction of the voice.
'Hello?' she said then saw the woman.
'Hi there.'
Angie waved brightly, tilting her head slightly as she noticed the furry squeaky ball in the woman's arms. "Quite the bundle you've got there." Chuckling softly, the fox-girl's ear flicked around, listening about her. "Nice day for a walk, isn't it?" Her tail wagged happily as she neared the other woman. "My name's Angie. Do you live around here?" She wasn't naturally such a chatterbox, but today seemed to be an exception. Maybe it was the over abundance in sugar she'd eaten earlier...
'It is a nice day. Or it was till Catta took fright and tried to pull my hair out,' she rubbed her scalp ruefully.
Catta's eyes opened again and she peered out at the woman from under her furry tail.
'I'm Sayuri. I live out of Barton.'
Angie smiled in response. "She's quite pretty." The girl peered back at Catta, as her ears pricked forward curiously. "Nice to meet you Sayuri! I live just over..." Turning around, the fox-girl pointed off towards a clump of trees in the distance behind her. "Over there!" then she turned back to Sayuri and Catta. "What brings you two out this way? I hope I didn't distract you from something important..." She was always worried about whether she was bugging people or not..
'Thanks.' she smiled.
'She's usually sweet but too many people frighten her right now.'
Catta uncurled her long tail fully, blinking with round eyes at the strange woman. She chittered a greeting at her, an ear flicking.
'Oh no. We were just out getting some fresh air. I was also going to see if i could locate that Satyr again.' she chuckled.
'The one that gave me the Lady's Chatelaine. The one that vanished and was replaced by this little bundle.'
Angie's ear flicked again. Was she hearing this woman right? A satyr had given her an object and disappeared? Hmm.... "Funny. I was given charge of a rather pretty object recently. I wonder if the results will be similar?.." She mused quietly for a moment before nodding. "I haven't seen any satyr's around... But that doesn't mean one isn't around here. Maybe I can help you look? Though I suspect I'm not much help at all." Chuckling, Angie peered back at Catta, grinning at the chittering. "You needn't worry little one. I'm about as fearsome as a feather, or so people tell me.
'Its hard to tell I guess. I really didnt expect to receive Catta.' she laughed.
'I guess we can look inside the cottage?' she shrugged.
Catta squirmed in Sayuri's arms then launched herself at Angie, scrabbling onto her shoulder.
'Umm..' Sayuri giggled.
The fox-girl was a little surprised at the furry bundle launching at her, but experience with Ryuuen held her still until the creature was settled. "Well you're quite friendly when you want to be." Laughing, Ang nodded to Sayuri. "It's as good a start as any!" She was eager to find this satyr, now, and find out what she could, if there was anything to find out in the first place. Curiosity killed the cat, no one ever said what it did to the fox.
Catta peered at the large, twitching fox ears, grabbing one with her hands and nibbling lightly to see if it was edible.
'Catta!' Sayuri scolded, turning around and catching the lemur-babe. She waggled her finger.
'Let Angie's ear go.'
Angie squeaked, a rather odd sound, as Catta nibbled on her ear. "OH that tickles!" Wiggling the 'offended' ear, Angie couldn't help but continue to giggle. Her ears were sensitive, but not overly sensitive. Such actions would tickle but not harm. "She's alright, really. It just...-giggle- tickles. That's -giggle- all." Reaching up, Angie pat Catta gently on the head, while looking around. "So... which...way was this cottage again?" A sheepish grin spread upon the fox-girl's face, as she hadn't actually seen the building yet.
'Well okay,' Sayuri said, slightly mollified.
'Umm this way I think,' she pointed to a break in the tree-line. She was sure she had seen a stone chimney poking up as she approached the wooded area. Catta looked inside the ear, satisfied that it wasnt edible and chittered inside it.
Looking off towards the direction Sayuri pointed in, Angie thought she saw the place in question. "Ahhh, alrighty!" Flicking her ear in response to Catta's chittering, Angie headed off towards the cottage. Boy, she hoped Sayuri didn't think her scatterbrained, though such an assumption would be quite the truth. She chuckled softly to herself at that thought.
Catta hung onto Angies ear as she moved, and Sayuri followed, watching the lemur babe like a hawk. She didnt want Catta to get caught up in Angie's hair. That would hurt.
'I wonder if anyone will be inside?' she wondered outloud as they tramped across the grass and between the trees towards the small building.
"I wonder who might be here. I never realized this was here before... Then too, I just moved in not that long ago..." Angie's musings were out loud, though she'd meant for it to be thoughts only. The clinging lemur was nearly forgotten as the wand resurfaced in her mind, all the questions and wonders she had about it still unanswered. Would this satyr in question be the one to answer them, or would she still be as clueless as ever?
Catta groomed Angie's ear, chittering softly and ceaselessly as the two women walked along.
'I'm not sure. If it is the satyr - well maybe he can tell me something about Catta.' she said.
Angie nodded, unsure of what to make of this whole deal. The closer they came to this cottage, the more nervous she got. But why was that? Fear of the unknown, more than likely. Angie always did have a nervous streak when she was entering a situation she'd never been in before.
Reaching up, Angie remembered Catta once more, stroking the little girl as they walked. To hear the soft chittering in her ear helped calm the fox-girl, easing her anxiety.
Sayuri stopped at the cottage door, listening for any sounds of movement before knocking on the wood.
'I hope someone is in.' she listened again waiting. Catta grabbed the stroking hand and checked that for a banana as well.
Unfortunately for Catta, Angie didn't have a banana. All she had was a shiny ring on her finger. Though, as curious as the little one seemed, that'd probably be just as interesting.
Angie stood back, allowing Sayuri to knock on the door. No reason for her to be close to the door when she wasn't the one knocking. "Yeah, hopefully we didn't catch whoever at a bad time..."
Catta turned the ring around, then tried to chew on it. Finding it non-tasty and hard she carried on twisting it, squeaking happily whenever the light caught it.
Angie chuckled at the antics of the little one. Of course, the ring wouldn't taste good. If anything, it probably faintly tasted of soap, as the fox-girl had gotten done with dishes not long before she headed off for a walk.
The ring, having 3 heart-shaped rubies inset in it, as well as a pair of tiny diamonds on either side of the hearts, sparkled and shimmered a deep pink in the sunlight. "Pretty isn't it? A special someone gave that ring to me..." Angie smiled, remembering days long past. Oh those were the days...
'A special someone? Are you no longer with that person?' Sayuri asked curiously. Then she looked apologetic.
'If its okay to ask about it of course.'
Catta tapped the ring with the tip of finger, chattering to herself again.
"It's alright to ask, I don't mind." Angie smiled at Sayuri before glancing at the ring again. "I'm still with him, though he's far away right now. I keep holding onto the hope that he'll return to me someday. I know he will, just not sure when is all." Reaching up to scratch between Catta's ears, she looked back up towards the cottage door, her eyes sparkling as she thought upon her love.
She nodded;
'Well I'm sure he will,' she smiled at Angie, and Catta stretched her back, arching it and making happy little noises. Sayuri looked at the cottage.
'Doesnt seem like anyones in, and I guess it would be rude to just enter.' she said.
"Mmm. I think you're right. I do wish we could've talked to someone, but everyone's so busy these days, it's quite understandable. It was more then worth the try though, right? For me, I got to meet you and this adorable little one..." Pausing only slightly in her words, Angie's fingertip poked Catta's nose gently. "So my walk was more eventful than I expected it to be!"
Catta went cross-eyed as she tried to look at the finger poking her nose. She squeaked softly at it and grabbed it with a little hand.
'True,' Sayuri smiled.
'Catta does seem to have taken a shine to you. Or she thinks you taste nice..' she giggled.
Laughing, Angie couldn't help but shake her head at the little one. "I'm glad that she finds me enjoyable.... for whatever reasons. She's quite the character herself. You're quite lucky, Sayuri." Turning back towards the direction they came from, Angie tilted her head slightly. "You two are welcome to visit my home whenever you like. I don't often have visitors, at least, not that I know of..." Frowning a moment, the fox-girl thought about how much time she actually spent at home, and how many comes someone could've come over without her knowing. "As much as I'm out, my luck would be that everyone's given up coming over to see me, since I'm rarely home. But! You're still welcome to come by whenever you like. We'd love to have more people around."
'Well I'm sure we'll take you up on your offer sometime soon,' she held her hand out and Catta jumped along her arm to her shoulder.
'Its time for this little girls nap I think. It was very nice to meet you.' she smiled.
"Indeed.. it is getting kind of late in the day isn't it... And I do have some laundry to take care of..." Angie mused to herself before turning towards home. "It was definately a pleasure to meet you two. Have a safe trip home!" And with that, Angie bounded off towards her own house, having remembered some rather unpleasant housework that needed to be attended to.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 9:23 pm
Do You Make It A Habit to Talk to In-antimate Objects?
Angie talks to her 'stick' and strange noises in the middle of the night. What could it be?
Upon returning home, Angie quickly headed towards the tree that shaded her treasure. A quick glance around revealed that it was indeed still where she'd left it. "Glad to know you don't have the ability to grow legs and walk away on me." Shaking her head, the fox-girl knelt down momentarily to let her fingers glide across the gnarled wood, marvelling at the smoothness of it. Once she'd reached the crystal, her fingers gently stroked it, longing to pick it up and twirl it around, to allow the dying sunlight to reflect within the cyrstal. But she hesitated to move the object from it's current resting place. There was no telling what might, or might not happen if she moved it.
Glancing down at the dirt, Angie scrutinized the tiny footprints that were only barely evident by now, the breeze having blown most of the traces away during the day. What on earth could have made such prints, she wondered. What was it that the voice had gotten her into, when he entrusted her with the care of this stick? Certainly she was in for a world of trouble... She usually was when strange things like this happened. Curling her tail around her waist, Angie sighed. "I'd love to spend more time out here, trying to figure you out, stick, but the longer I stay out here, the darker it gets, and the more my stomach complains." As if to emphasize her words, her belly growled louder than she possibly could have. "Erm.... point proven. I'll.... come out and check tomorrow, in the morning." gently fingering the wood one more time before she stood up, the fox-girl, turned and headed towards her little home, a yawn slipping from her.
*********************************************************
Later on that night, as the whole house slumbered, a loud snap awakened the fox-girl from her dreams. Sitting up-right in her bed, Angie's thoughts immediately went to the stick. "Someone must be out there!" Without bothering to grab a coat, Angie dashed outside. Barefeet and all, she quickly padded across the yard to the tree where her stick resided. Much to her surprise, it hadn't been touched. Nothing was unsettled around it, and the last set of prints that trod here were her own. So what was that noise she'd heard? Turning around, Angie wrapped her arms around her body, as much of a comfort gesture as it was a try at warming up. Even if it had been 80 some degrees the previous day, the nights were still awfully chilly. Her storm gray eyes traced everything in her sight, memorizing where it was now, and where she remembered everything having been previously. Nothing seemed out of place... but still, there was that noise that remained unaccounted for.
As she slowly walked around the house, looking for the source of the noise, another snap was heard, echoing through the trees that surrounded her home on almost all sides. Quickly she turned around, growling softly to herself. "Who's out there! Show yourself, or be gone!" A brave outburst from a normally timid girl, but she was worried, and afraid. The forest around her settled down, appearing to heed her words and fall back to slumber. Her ninau, Justin, raised his head slightly, rolling an eye towards her before closing it again. He didn't seem worried, so why was she? Or had she been the only one to hear the noise? That thought rolled around Ang's mind as she slowly wandered back towards her front door. Whatever it was, it had stopped now, or seemed to anyway. "Well, I suppose there's nothing more to do than to go to bed...." Turning back towards the tree once, the fox-girl shook her head. "I must be nuts.... worried about a simple stick...Oiy vey..." Without a word more she returned inside and headed back to bed, cursing the chilly nights and her own stupidity of not grabbing a coat. She curled back up under her covers and closed her eyes, but it would be almost a full hour before she returned to sleep, worried that another noise would happen at any moment...
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 9:24 pm
Another Strange Occurance... But Noone Knows!
Angie ponders the past and is blissfully unaware of yet another strange happening. What's going on!?
The next morning, the fox-girl awoke, much later than normal. The sun was high overhead when she kicked back the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. Rubbing her eyes, Angie yawned, then stood up, pulling her flannel blanket around herself as she wandered towards the kitchen. Pouring herself a glass of milk, she turned around to see nearly a dozen eyes staring at her. "What? Did I forget a secret meeting of some sort?" Tilting her head to the side, the fox-girl's ears flopped over lazily. Her tail was perked, though only slightly, but what could you expect from someone still only half asleep?
"Did you hear noises last night?" Piped up the puri from the back of the pack. Angie sighed and nodded her head, setting her mug upon the counter once more. "Yes I did, and to answer any other questions before they're asked, no, I did not find out what they were. If I did, I'd tell you. However, it's a mystery that shall remain as such for now." Propping a hand upon her hip, she leaned against the counter and looked at her observers. "Any other questions?" The others seemed to shake their head. "Alrighty then. I realize I'm up rather late compared to most days, so I apologize ahead of time for having everyone fed by now. Any requests on brunch? Pancakes.....French toast. Cereal?" A few for each answer.... Figures. Umm..... how about a comprimise.... Pancakes for some, cereal for others, and fend for yourself if you don't like either of those choices? How's that grab ya?" Amused by a couple of minor playful grumbles, Angie set out to gathering the griddle and a mixing bowl to begin making the said battery cakes.
*********************************************************
Later on that afternoon, Angie sat underneath her tree, beside the crystal wand. A book lay in her lap, open to the page she'd been reading, but her eyes were closed and the poor fox was sound asleep. Close by, the puri and his new companion, a woofie named Juliet, also slumbered peacefully. It seemed that nap-time had come to the clearing. However, not everything was asleep. Around them the snapping from the previous night returned, deep cracks resounding in the trees around them. However the sleepers awoke not. It was anyone's guess who, or what was making these sounds, but it appeared that this time no one would hear...
*********************************************************
Darkness had set for many hours before Angie finally got back to her bed. She'd taken a walk after nap-time, to help clear her mind. It wasn't so much that she was disturbed by current events as she was just trying to keep afloat in certain areas. And with the clear sunlight and fresh air the walk provided, the fox-girl had returned refreshed and ready for another go-round. Now, as she sat on her bed, her back against the headboard, pillows cushioning her, she talked quietly with Seiteki about the strange happenings that had gone on the night previous. Neither were aware similar things had happened earlier.
"What do you think it was, Angie? I mean, certainly you must have an idea, whether it's right or wrong." Seiteki tilted his head, glancing out towards the window with his light amber eyes searching the night for any clues. "I hadn't given it much thought," she lied, unable to form a good answer. Shaking her head, Ang wrapped her arms around herself. "It seemed like I was the only one who heard the noises. Justin was there, but he didn't seem to be spooked or bothered by them. That's the strange part." The puri tilted his head at this information, pondering. "Indeed, that is rather strange. But then too, who's to say the old stallion isn't deaf by now?" Rolling his eyes, Sei chuckled to himself. He knew better, but loved teasing the old ninau about it, simply because he could. "Hush brat. You know damn well he's not deaf. I just... I don't know what to say. I don't know what it was, but it was spooky none the less. I was scared, but.... not scared, at the same time." Glancing at Seiteki, the fox-girl tilted her head to the other side. "Does that make any sense?"
Seiteki shrugged and padded towards the edge of the bed, pausing before he hopped down. "Let's not worry about it for now, alright? We'll just see if it happens again, and if it doesn't, that's all well and good. If it does, we'll deal with it then, alright? For now, it's not worth losing sleep over. Go to sleep, you need it." Yawning, the puri sauntered off towards the pillow he shared with Juliet, without waiting for a reply from his 'owner.' "Mmmph." Was about all Angie could say before sliding down and rolling over, pulling the covers over her shoulder. "Yeah.... it's not worth.... losing sleep over..." Closing her eyes, it wasn't long before the exhausted girl was sleeping soundly.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 9:35 am
What in the WORLD!?!?!
Stress causes Angie to forget about her 'stick', but when she remembers it, it's gone! Where could it have gone?
The next morning, the fox-girl found herself bustling around, trying to get things cleaned up and looking a bit more presentable than they already were. One never knew when unexpected company would pop in, and good impressions were always a must with her. Slipping to the spare bedroom, Angie quickly tidied up, made the bed as some of the household had deemed it a good place to sleep that night. After vacuuming up as best she could, she shuffled to her own room, trying hard to get things done so she could consider herself accomplished and DONE, for once. The young fox-girl had a severe problem with forgetting to finsh what she started, and didn't want the cleaning to be a repeat of that.
Forgotten were the strange occurances from the previous days, neglected was the wand that lay in the dirt surrounding the shade tree. And it wasn't that Angie was TRYING to forget these things, she just couldn't pack so many things in her mind at once. There were hungry critters to be fed, creatures to be let out so they could do their business, messes to clean up, laundry to be done, it was an infinate amount of tasks to be done and so little time in which to do them. And if, by some miracle, she accomplished all the tasks within the morning, Angie would be wondering why it was so easy.
"Juliet darling, can I get you to round up all the pixas and make sure everyone's accounted for?" The fox-girl's request was gasped out breathlessly as she continued to whisk around the home, this time picking up stray pieces of laundry scattered by the mischievous lot of tiny cats, dogs and mice that swarmed around together. The woofie femme tilted her head at the request, wondering how on earth she was supposed to find all 80+ of them, but she'd have to do her best. Juliet nodded in reply and padded off to do what was asked of her.
Angie skittered to her bedroom, dropping the load of laundry on the floor, and began sorting it. Darks, lights.. towels, and sheets, each in their own little pile, and *ahem* delicates in their own pile separate from it altogether. As she lifted the last towel, the fox-girl gasped, seeing a pair of pixa collies staring back up at her indignantly.
"ACK! Omgosh, Jitsumi, Toshi! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you guys were under there." Gently, the girl plucked the pair up, setting them gently upon her bedspread.
"We weren't UNDER there. You scooped us up with the clothes! We've been trying to get your attention ever since!" Jitsumi shook a paw at her owner, as Toshi flopped over on his back, his eyes crossed and paws flopping in the air, playing dead.
"Oh gosh I'm so sorry guys, I didn't mean to! Forgive me?" Begging her tiny pals, Angie glanced back behind her. "Juliet I found a pair for you!" In explaination to the two on her bed, Angie offered "I've got Juliet rounding everyone up, to try and make sure no one's lost, like you two might've been if I'd never sorted the clothes out, and to make sure everyone stays out of trouble. A lot of the others were scattering laundry and I'm doing my best to make the house presentable...." A sheepish grin played across the red-head's face as she whispered to the collies. "I'll make it up to you guys later, alright?" She was delighted to see them nod happily at that. "Alright, that's settled," picking them up, Angie set them back on the ground by the hallway. "Go find Juliet and help her round up the others, will you? I appreciate it Jit, Tosh!"
No sooner had the pixas scampered away than Angie heard a lound crash coming from outside. "Oh man... Not again. Come on guys..." Shaking her head, the redheaded fox-girl dropped the clothes in her arms and dashed outside. Not far behind her was a good majority of the household, as curious about what it was as Angie. When they all got outside however, it was as if nothing had happened. No guilty faces popped up around a house corner, no telltale visual aids lended understanding to the noise. It was as if nothing had happened at all. "Strange..." But it was shrugged off as Angie wandered back into the house to finish her housework. There'd be plenty of time to figure out the problem later, but now she needed to finish cleaning up before anything else happened. "Alright alright, whatever it was, the show's over. Lets get back to cleaning up, alright?" Grumbles and groans met her words, but everyone turned around and headed back to their "workstations" to finish their own chores that they needed to do. As she wandered back in and shut the door, Angie couldn't help but glance in the direction of the shade tree, having a weird feeling about it all. It looked as though the wand had been moved, but it was hard to tell for sure. "Eh, I'll check on it later..."
************************************
Much later, after everything was settled, cleaned up, and generally dealt with, the poor fox-girl sat in the desk chair, trying her hardest to relax. It was easier said than done however, as every few moments, someone was coming up to her needing something, wanting attention, or just generally pestering. Normally, Angie would find all the bothering a welcome distraction from whatever she was doing at the time, but something gnawed at the back of her mind, and kept her from fully paying attention to those who requested it. Sighing softly, the young fox-girl found herself peeking outside multiple times, though she couldn't quite figure out why. It wasn't long before Seiteki prodded Ang with his paw, canting his head to the side. "You've been awful distracted. Which, I can't say isn't normal for a scatterbrain like, you, though you're more so than normal. What's up?" Frowning, Angie rolled her eyes and stood up, heading towards the door. "I don't know. Something just doesn't seem right though. I get this feeling in the back of my mind, telling me I should check on something, but I can't remember what..." The little puri paused from following the fox-girl, pondering on her words. "Maybe you should check your stick? You haven't done that in a while..." Sei's comment was offhanded, but jump-started Angie's memory enough to get it working again. "OH!!!! The stick!" And with that, Ang dashed out the door, racing to the shade tree. It was there that she slid to a stop, mouth dropped at the sight in front of her. "It's GONE!!!!" It was a pitiful sound, even for Angie, but the wail was genuine. "OMG I must have done something wroooooooong!" Turning to Seiteki, the fox-girl glared grumpily. "It's all your fault you know. I don't know how exactly, but it is! Because I said so!" Stomping off, the redheaded fox-girl headed back towards the house, leaving a rather bewildered puri at the tree. It wasn't that he believed her outburst, so much as he was as surprised as she that the stick was gone. Nothing seemed to have disturbed the area in which the stick had lain, so what had happened? Seiteki sat on his rump, trying to piece the puzzle together....
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:49 am
A soft, almost murmured cry comes from the place the wand once rested. It's as if the child doesn't know how to make true noise yet... or perhaps is instinctively being hushed. Even when crying, she never makes much noise.
Perhaps it is in her nature to remain hidden and silent? Either way... one almost stumbles over the child before even realising she is there...
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 10:35 pm
A Baby Under My Tree
The mystery deepens as Angie finds a beautiful redhaired baby girl where the stick had been...
Seiteki, the little puri, was indeed rather puzzled about the whole situation. First, the wand turns up missing, without any clues to it's disappearance, then Angie blames him for it though she's not sure how. It was as puzzling to him as anything he'd ever known. And for once, the normally sarcastic puri was speechless, and quip-less. As he watched Angie storm out of sight, the little creature plunked down on his butt, in the same exact location of where the wand had rested, shaking his head in confusion.
It wasn't long before Juliet wandered up towards her adopted brother, pawing gently at his shoulder. "Are you alright? What happened here? Angie stormed in, muttering about something and started recleaning the house. No one can get a word in edgewise with her anymore." The woofie's normally saddened gaze turned stern as she continued. "Seiteki, did you do something to upset her?" The tone was accusatory, though not entirely meant as such.
"No, I didn't, though she says I did. The stick has disappeared, no trace of it even having been here remains. I cannot for the life of me figure it out, and it's upset her terribly." The white puri sighed and leaned against the tree with a yawn, as Juliet listened, padding around the tree to meet him face to face.
"Well then, perhaps it isn't your fault afterall-" But her sentence was cut short as some movement caught her eye. Near the tree, a smaller tree grew, most likely from the same roots of the great shade tree they rested under now. What she saw, almost made her believe that that her eyes were decieving her. "Uhh....Sei, what... would you say this is?" A meaningful glance turned to her companion, as a paw was raised in the direction of the small tree. Seiteki stood up, padding over to the tree, and the basket underneath.
A tightly woven basket, trimmed in leaves and flowers, held the most sparkling pair of blue eyes, framed by a mountain of reddish curls. The bright eyes squinted as their owner tried hard to focus upon the two intruders. Seiteki rubbed a paw to his eyes before gawking at the young babe before him, disbelieving what he saw. "Oh boy.... Stay here Juliet, I'll get Angie. I think she'll want to see this..." The young woofie nodded before curling up around the basket protectively.
*********************************************************************
Seiteki rushed in, twisting this way and that, trying to figure out where Angie was. His sharp ears told him she was in the bedroom, and that was where he raced. Nearly out of breath with excitement, his normal sarcasm diminished, the puri tugged on Angie's tail. "You...*pant pant* Have GOT to come out and *pant pant pant* see this! *pant* Juliet found something that you might *pant pant* find rather interesting." Angie blinked at the little feline-like creature, still slightly mad at him from her own fabrication of everything being his fault. "What is it you want Sei, I'm busy, can't you see?"
"No, TRUST me, you'll want to see this. Just come with me, please?" He used the puppy dog eyes, irresistable to even Angie herself. With a heaving sigh, the fox-girl nodded and set the laundry she was folding down, and followed Sei out of the bedroom, towards the front door. Out they stepped, the puri quivering in excitement, the fox-girl shaking her head in annoyance and irritation. Angie was still quite upset about the fact that the wand had disappeared, but even that couldn't remain as she stared upon what they'd brought her to see. Open mouthed, the fox-girl knelt down by the small tree, her hands gently scooping up the babe within the basket. Nervous fingers gently stroked the flaming red curly hair, and softly stroked the smooth pale cheeks. The child opened her shocking blue eyes to squint at Angie, trying to focus upon the girl's face. As Angie gently held the child close, the baby girl began to coo softly, seeming to be perfectly happy to be held and nothing more.
"I..." Angie couldn't find the words to say. It was an absolute shock, to discover the child after being so sure she'd been rejected. Seiteki, out of his normal sarcastic self, placed a paw upon his mistress' leg and nodded. "She's beautiful...."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 10:36 pm
A Baby Girl Gets a Name
What on earth do we name such a perfect little girl? Oh! I KNOW!
Upon bringing the child into the house and wrapping her up in a blanket, Angie was going through the ritualistic 'ooooing' and 'ahhhing' of the other residents of her household. Each of the pixapets had to come in and sniff the little one, to make sure she wasn't dangerous. Random pards wandered in and out, eyeing up the strangely quiet baby, and the other children in the house had to crawl up and beg to hold her. All of it was beginning to get just a little overwhelming for Angie, although she knew she should be used to this by now. "Alright, everyone please. Just take it easy. She's not going anywhere. Everyone will have a chance to look at, hold, stare or whatever, soon enough. Just please quit crowding. I don't want her to get upset alright guys?" Sighing collectively, the gathered group began to disperse to their own activities, leaving Angie, Juliet and Seiteki with the child.
"So, what are you going to call her? 'Hey kid' might not be the best idea in the world, you do realize?" The voice of responsibility and wisdom piped up from beside her, his usual sarcastic tone causing Ang to roll her eyes.
"I realize that that won't be a good name for her. Not that I ever dreamed of calling her that in the first place, Sei." Shaking her head, the short red-head curled up by the arm of the couch, cradling the little girl with one arm. "Hey Juliet, there's a book on my desk, think you can bring it to me?" With a quick nod, the woofi was out of the room to retrieve the item requested. Angie gently adjusted a small curl off of the babe's face, chuckling as she got a smile in response. It wasn't but a moment before the soft blue Woofie returned, book in tow.
"Thank you Juliet." Angie flipped the book open, Baby Names: A Guide to Finding The Perfect Name, and began flipping through pages till she reached the index, her finger running down the page as she looked through meanings. "Well, we could pick a name that means quiet." But the fox-girl wrinkled her nose at that idea.
"What about a name that means red-head? She sure has a full head of red hair." Seiteki suggested, though it was obvious Angie wasn't entirely pleased with the idea.
"No...that's not quite the name I'm looking for..." More meanings were discarded as her finger flipped through another page, her finger moving to run down over the different name meanings as she scanned over them.
"How about something that means sweet?" Juliet suggested, just as Angie's finger ran over the word sweet in the index. Quite the coincidence, but it was worth a try. Angie nodded and checked the page number before flipping through the book to find the names that meant sweet.
"Hmm... we have Alaqua, Brandie, Candy, Dulcinea, Eulalie, Kara, Kreeli, Mandisa....Manoush, Miette, Rhaxma, Sugarbum, Vevina...." The majority of those made Angie cringe at the thought of anyone naming their poor children some of those names.
"Sugarbum?!" Seiteki fell off the couch as he guffawed in laughter. "Oh that's rich. That's really rich. Someone would actually name their kid Sugarbum? Sounds like a hideous pet name you'd give your boyfriend Angie. Oh that's absolutely priceless." It was those comments that got Seiteki the death stare and thusly the puri crawled back up on the couch to chuckle softly, trying hard to hide it behind a paw, and his tail.
"I like Dulcinea, and Brandie..." Juliet pondered, peering over the edge of the book at the upside down text.
"Mmm what other meanings are there for those, I wonder." Angie pondered, reading the blurb beside the name. "Hmm...says here other variations of the name Dulcinea mean Rose, as well as sweet." Brushing a lock of hair away from the baby's forehead again, Angie whispered to the little one. "What do you think of the name Dulcinea. Do you like that?" The baby in her arms cooed softly, as if speaking her approval of the name. "Alrighty then, Dulcinea it is. Dulcinea.....Dulcinea Lynn SilverShadow."
"Why Dulcinea Lynn? Couldn't you have come up with something else?" Seiteki asked, not so sure about the name choice.
"Lynn, because it's a special name to me, Sei. Let's not get into that, alright? The name flows together anyway, and she seems to like it, so why argue with a good thing, right?"
The puri shrugged at Angie's words, nodding in agreement. "Alright, since you put it like that, it doesn't sound that bad I guess." Peeking his head over Angie's arm, the puri nuzzled Dulci's foot. "Welcome to the family Dulcinea, God knows you're gonna need all the luck you can get to survive this hoarde." He couldn't help but chuckle, knowing he was referring to the fact that the baby would be well cared for, and hard pressed for a moment to herself when she got older.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 10:40 pm
First Meetings
Dulcinea gets to meet Annora, Trio, and Shiro for the first time!
Wandering in the direction she and Sayuri had a while back, Angie made her way towards the house that she'd seen that day. A tiny bundle lay cradled within her arms, carefully held onto, as if it might break if she dropped it, and indeed it might. The wrapping was a pretty blue hawaiian print blanket, one that, if someone had been to Angie's house in any particular recency, would look suspiciously like a particular material she'd had laying around for a new shirt. Beside her padded a lean little beauty, Juliet. Ang had managed to leave the rest of the horde at home, though how that came about was nothing short of a trade secret, so to speak.
It wasn't long before she reached the house, hesitating slightly at the sound of a squealing, happy little girl. Did she have the right place, or had she stumbled upon someone's home? Shy as she was, Angie's soft call might've been mistaken for the wind, though she really hoped someone would answer. "Uh... Hello... Is umm... anyone home?" Stupid question, of course someone was home. She could she a blue flash followed by furred blurs.
Attention caught by the new person, Trio looked around, oddly grateful to be free of that all-too-serious stare. Recognizing the woman almost immediately, the blonde grinned, lifting a hand in welcome. "Angie, hi!" She rose, glancing back at the couch, but Jaden had disappeared again, and this time, she found herself a little discomfited. Moving to the door, she stepped just beyond it, eyes taking in Annora and Psaltria darting back and forth again even as Sankouri abandoned the game to come sit near the door in statuesque silence. "Who's this?" Trio asked, as soon as she'd verified her own little one was just fine.
Catching sight of Trio, Angie let out a sigh of relief. A friendly face she recognised. "Hiya Trio, been a little while!" Shifting the bundle from being cradled in one arm, to the other as carefully as possible, Angie glanced around at the life running about the area. "Looks like you've been busy." The fox-girl couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned towards Trio and gently pulled back the luau floral blanket, to expose a mop of red curly hair, and a fair skinned face peering up at the world, squinting in the brighter light of the outside. "This is Dulcinea, Dulci for short." As she spoke, the young fox-girl gently brought her free hand down to rest upon the woofie's head. "And this, is Juliet, my woofie companion." Juliet glanced up at Trio with her sadly soulful eyes, although she wasn't upset in the least.
The woofie tilted her head, glancing towards the pard and zurui in curious fashion, while Dulci tried to swirm around inside her blanket. "I'm... still not altogether sure how this one came to be. I had a stick.... and it was under the tree, then not long after she appeared and the stick was gone. I'm still rather confused about it all, I think. Or maybe I understand it and just don't know how to explain it to myself so I realize I understand it." Poor Angie, off she went, a rambling about something she could have gone without saying.
Trio just chuckled, letting Angie ramble for a bit before nodding. "Annora's parents were drawn by an old harp Jaden entrusted to me," she explained, nodding back at the house as though he were still inside. And for all she knew, he was. She reached out, brushing her fingers through the mop of hair before glancing up at Angie. "Dulci's gorgeous. Congratulations." Shifting her voice a bit, she called out louder, "Annora! Come here, sweetie." And when the little girl didn't obey, the same words again, a touch sharper. That tone brought the girl wheeling about, and as she ran it seemed almost as though she were herded by the pard. Soon enough, the tiny form barreled into Trio's legs, the force strong enough to make the blonde stumble a bit. "Annora, meet Angie. Angie, this is Annora," Trio continued proudly.
Annora, however, had more pressing concerns. "Look! PUPPY!" she cried, pointing to the woofie.
Angie cocked her head, listening to Trio's explaination of Annora's existance in defined interest. So the wand had drawn Dulci's parents to it, and therefore they'd entrusted her with Dulci? Wow, that was some major trust there. She smiled as she watched Trio play with Dulci's hair, and grinned as the little blue flash headed back in their direction. Without thinking, Angie stepped back, keeping herself out of the way of Annora's barrelling form. "Thank you. I feel honored that I'm entrusted with her care.... Though there are times when I have to remind myself she's there. She's such a quiet little one, hardly fussy.... it's amazing, simply amazing..."
Bending down with Dulci still cradled carefully in her arms, Angie grinned at Annora. "Hello there Annora, I'm quite pleased to meet you!" As Annora squealed at Juliet, Angie couldn't help but laugh at the woofie's reaction. Juliet hadn't yet been exposed to the exuberance of a young active child, so hearing the word "Puppy" squealed out as she was pointed to was quite the shock to her. Tilting her head, the woofie padded a step closer to Annora, trying to figure the little girl out. Angie glanced over at the woofie, and the zurui and pard nearby and softly spoke to her companion. "Easy Juliet. Be careful with her." Turning to Trio as she stood up, Angie chuckled. "I'm not worried about Juliet being gentle, more that I don't want the others to think she's a threat. She's young still and not used to kiddos yet."
"Ahh," Trio nodded. "I was about to say. Annora's very used to all sorts - think about my house for a moment," Trio added with a laugh. "Annora was quiet, too. Well, mostly. Her voice is still developing, according to Jaden."
As Annora stepped closer to the woofie, Sankouri drew closer, sniffing at the new creature before settling right beside Annora, and well within reach to protect her should the woofie prove even the slightest bit dangerous. Annora, however, knew no such fear. She reached out, ruffling the top of the woofie's head happily before tugging on Trio's pants. "Puppy," she said again.
Angie nodded, chuckling. Indeed, Trio's home was full of odds and ends in the creature world. "That I do. Mine's starting to be as diverse these days. It's quite the chore to keep everyone fed and happy, but definately worth it." Keeping an eye on the woofie and the others, Angie couldn't help but laugh as Annora fluffed Juliet's fur around, and the soft mutter the creature gave in response. The sound wasn't malicous, just resigned. Rolling her eyes towards Sanokouri as if to ask how he dealt with it, Juliet allowed herself to be pet, and soon found herself enjoying it. "I think she'll be quite good with kids, don't you think?" Angie grinned, glad to know that Juliet wasn't going to freak out with the attention.
"Looks like it," came Trio's response, even as Annora threw her arms around the woofie's neck and hugged her. "She'll have plenty of practice, at least," she added, nodding to Dulci.
Shiromaru wandered up towards Angie and Trio. Behind him, as was becoming usual, were Murasaki, Izumi and Dakota, his zurui. "Trio! Annora! Angie! Hey there..."
Juliet sighed and leaned into Annora, not enough to knock the girl down but enough to gain the full benefit of the hug. "Mmm lets just hope Dulci is as good with her, as she will be with Dulci." Angie chuckled, knowing full well what kids can be like from time to time. "I have confidence in the two of them though, so I'm pleased. It's good to see you again though! I feared I was becoming a bit of a hermit these days. Been trying to get some things done around the house and haven't seen hardly any life beyond what lives with me."
Angie caught sight of Shiro and waved brightly with her free hand. "Hey! How's it going?" Doing her best not to shift the now sleeping Dulci in her arms, Angie grinned happily. "Yaaaay Naptime. Wish I could use a bit of that naptime myself." SHe couldn't help but giggle.
Trio glanced up at the newcomer, grinning. "Hi, Shiro," she called, waving a hand in greeting from where she stood.
Annora was not nearly so shy. With a whoop of delight, she went barrelling toward Shiro, slamming into his legs bodily. She threw her arms around him, crying out, "Shiro!" as though she didn't see him every few days or so. Sankouri stared at her for long seconds, then nodded, completely used to such behavior. Instead, he moved back to the door, curling up and simply watching from where he lay.
Trio turned her attention back to Angie even as she waved Shiro over to join them. "Yeah, if it weren't for Shiro and Dal, Annora would run me just as ragged. And that's without counting all the other things I have to do," she confided, tilting her head a little.
"Now there's my favorite little girl," Shiro announced, lifting Annora happily up into his arms. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" Setting Annora at his hip, he joined Trio and Angie, grinning at them. "Things are going fine," he offered to Angie. "Chaotic as usual, but fine." He leaned in and kissed Trio's cheek cheerfully after that.
All three zurui flopped down in a pile nearby, Izumi somehow managing to get one tailtip over her nose, one over Murasaki's and the last over Dakota's.
"I'm a girl," Annora agreed, nodding eagerly before resting her head against his shoulder. Her arms wove around his shoulders, not really doing anything to help support her weight as she watched the adults talk. After a moment, she decided to cut in, dragging Shiro's attention away from the mundane to tell him about her exciting new discovery. "That's a PUPPY," she proclaimed, waving one hand at Juliet.
Trio snickered, patting his shoulder in welcome.
Shiromaru immediately offered Annora a surprised face. "A puppy? Really? That's very interesting! Can you name off anything else for me?"
Annora looked at him in confusion for several seconds, then shrugged and leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes sliding down to half-mast. This was comfortable, she knew, and he'd take care of her.
Trio watched the two, then glanced back inside the house, wondering where Jaden had gone. After several moments, she glanced back to Angie. "I think that's my cue to take Annora home for her nap. We've still got a fair ways to go to get there, after all. It was good to see you. Bring Dulci by sometime!" she added, turning to Shiro and holding her arms out for Annora.
Shiromaru just held on to Annora. "I'll go with you. Let me carry her?" asked he, hopefully. Really, he was hooked on his adopted niece.
Angie smiled, seeing Annora slow down and begin to look sleepy. "Yeah, I should probably head back as well. Laying Dulci down and curling up with her sounds like a good idea right about now." Waving to Shiro, Annora and Trio, the foxgirl gently patted Juliet's head and backed away towards her home. "I'll definately do that Trio! See you later, and take care of yourselves. Good to see you again Shiro!" With that, the girl turned and gently picked her way back home to her waiting bed, tired already from being up so early and having been busy all day long so far. It had been awesome to see a familiar face, and she'd learned some interested facts along the way, so it was all in all a great trip. Maybe next time she'd learn a bit more about Dulci.
Trio waved goodbye to Angie, then peered thoughtfully at Shiro for a moment before nodding. "Hand her off to me if she becomes too heavy?" she asked. Even as she said it, Psaltria came padding up beside them both.
"Lay her between my wings if she's too heavy," she corrected, peering shyly at Shiromaru before settling in beside him.
Trio blinked, then looked back at the water demon. "What she said," she murmured, pointing to the pard. It would be an awful thing to discourage their friendship. "Shall we?" she asked, a moment before turning to head off toward home.
"Bye, Angie!" Shiro called, smiling back at her, then resettled Annora in his arms. "I will," he promised to Psaltria, nodding to her. "I'll just carry her for a little while." The zurui followed after him, padding along quietly, Murasaki once again carrying Dakota as they left the area.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 10:43 pm
Bunches of New People, and Other Changeling Children Too!Angie and Dulcinea return to the shop, and come across many other children just like Dulci!
Upon wandering around with excuse of 'Dulcinea needs a walk and some fresh air,' Angie found herself nearing the same clearing that she'd visited a couple of times already. The one that this Jaden person lived, who could tell her a bit more about the child that rested within her arms. This time, however, she actually managed to leave her house alone, save for the two tiny pixapups that nested within her tail as she walked. The two collies peeped out now and then, making sure all was right with the walk, before returning to their catnap, so to speak.
The fox-girl could hear voices all around, and brightened when she thought she heard Annora's voice over them all. As she padded closer, a smile brightened her face, certain it was the little water nymph's voice she heard. That meant Trio wasn't far away, so she wasn't alone. Snuggling her charge carefully, the baby girl gurgling and cooing softly to herself as she caught a strand of Angie's hair and rolled it between her babysoft fingers, the fox-girl adjusted the hawaiian print blanket before looking over her shoulder at the hitch-hikers in her furry tail. "Jit, Toshi, you guys still alive back there?" They nodded, and as she turned back to face those who gathered around the house, she quickly added a reminder to them. "Be careful. There's plenty of others here, if you get down, make sure you don't get squashed, ne?" Chuckling, she raised her voice to greet the others. "Hello there!" With her free hand, which had slipped from bracing her other arm, she waved brightly to the group.
Shiro didn't seem bothered in the slightest with Jaden's chin on his shoulder. He didn't seem to have many of his own personal space issues. Etain looked up at Jaden, kicking her legs and waving her arms.
Dakota let plenty of nips reach him, then suddenly twisted and bounded up into the air again, nosing at Aeriel before racing off in an attempt to coax Aeriel into a game of tag.
Aeriel zoomed off in a blur, chasing after Dakota... until her paws got in the way during a sharp turn, and she went falling head over tail into a yowling heap in the grass.
Jaden sat up immediately, looking towards the kit before realising that she wasn't hurt.. she was just startled and a bit embarrassed, and was now making a ruckus of things so that Dakota didn't run off and leave her.
Antonio glared at Annora, and shook his head firmly. "No." He replied simply. "Tickle Jaden." He pointed. "No me tickle." Antonio crossed his arms, eying her suspiciously in case she'd pounce him again. He'd be prepared this time...
Eileen shook her head, grinning over at Shiro. "No toddler is a perfect angel, love. An' if they are? They jus' 'aven't been caught yet." Her eyes twinkled michieviously. "Hell, 'alf the time even adults aren't always th'innocent of people."
Annora glared at Antonio for several seconds before rising and toddling off toward where Dakota and Aeriel were playing. She didn't like kids who wouldn't play with her...!
Trio choked on the thought, laughing and nodding to Eileen. "No kidding. The stories you end up with... you'd think telling them would scare people OUT of bringing any little ones into the family, wouldn't you?"
Antonio stared after Annora, and felt a slight twinge of guilt. He frowned at the feeling, and got up, toddling off on his own. Hmph. Stupid girls, and they're stupid tickly games. Feh. FEH!
Eileen laughed. "I know, right?" She shook her head, grinning. "A'course, people still want kids. And then they have stories to tell people who're too stupid t'listen t'old ladies advice." She watched Antonio, and frowned a little. "...Ha." She smirked. "A'think th'little boy's felt guilt." Her eyes gleamed deviously. "Finally."
The yowling didn't stop, however, and Jaden sighed, getting to his feet. He moved to scoop up the ball of fuzz, smiling to Shiro, Eileen and Trio. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like... but I think someone's had enough play and is regretting getting woken up too early." He cuddled Aeriel in his arms, the kit making soft whimpering noises as she tried to burrow against him. "I shall see you another time. I'm going to take this one inside and see if she can't find a comfy spot to sleep in." With a bow, he turned and walked into the house.
Dakota pouted as his playmate was taken away, then huffed and trotted off to join Shiro and the group. Murasaki was already there, curled up at Shiromaru's back. "We'll see you later, Jaden," offered Shiro to the satyr, then grinned over at Eileen. "Yeah, I know. We'll see how much of an angel she is when she gets older."
Trio eyed Shiro with fond amusement, then nodded to Eileen. "I can think of a few who didn't listen right here. ...Myself included," she added wryly, waving Angie to come sit with the rest of the new parents. "Angie! Get over here and say hi to everyone. Show off Dulci, I wanna see how she's changed."
Jaelle eyed Jaden, watching him head into the house carefully before deciding that perhaps, just PERHAPS, he really was the right guardian for one of her kits. Maybe.
Annora was drying out, and she HATED that feeling. Running over to Shiro, she tugged on the water demon's sleeve. "Make water!"
"Annora!" Trio snapped, her directions to Angie abruptly derailed. "HOW do we ask for things?!"
"May I please have a water?" Annora said, her voice slightly singsong.
Eileen smiled a bit, and started rising. "Should go see how his conscience is wagin' war on his mind." She got up. "I'll see you lot later." E's grin turned to each of them in turn. "An' feel free t'stop by our house whenever."
She turned, and started walking. Then she turned, grinning. "S'by'a lake just ou'side'a Aekea. Can' miss it." With that, she disappeared after Antonio. After getting Antonio to talk to her, Eileen picked the baby up, starting off home with the boy.
Shiromaru blinked down at Annora, then raised an eyebrow. "And what sort of water are you wanting?" Angie got a wave and a grin, as did the retreating Eileen, then his attention settled on Annora again.
Angie grinned and almost bounced to Trio's side, plopping down rather unladylike and jostling Dulci, though she managed to keep the little one from jiggling around too much. Pulling back the blanket, she exposed Dulcinea to the world, allowing the little girl to turn her head and catch sight of the colors around her. From experience, she knew that the little girl couldn't see people or shapes very well, but could distinguish light from dark, and some colors as well.
In response, Dulcinea reached out her hand to catch the first thing she could grab. Angie smiled and ran her finger across the silky cheek, delighted when she got a big smile in response.
Inle had meant to come out here sooner, ever since Medea had left a nice-sized hole in her living room wall, to ask Jaden...well, how a baby so small could leave so big a hole. Things had come up, however, and she had forgotten all about the cottage in west Barton Field until recently. Medea had been growing antsy, and Inle hoped that interaction with her own kind would calm her down. Such was the reason for her visit today.
Combat boots, she decided, weren't the best walking shoes. They were the only ones she had, however, so she would just have to grin--or grimace, as was her usual expression--and bear it. It didn't help that she nearly tripped over Theora's large body, as the Sentinel was walking nearly on top of her. It was after one such stumble that she scowled down at the large feline, holding Medea a bit tighter as if to ensure that she didn't drop her.
"Why are you here, anyway?" It had been months, and she still hadn't grown used to Theora's almost constant presence.
I am her guardian. I go where she goes.
Inle's scowl grew deeper. "I am her guardian. You're just her...her pet. Her clingy, overprotective pet." To add to the immature statement, Inle stuck her tongue out at her. Theora merely looked up at her, pupiless blue eyes making Inle look forward once more.
Medea, meanwhile, rested happily against Inle's shoulder, the body of her favorite toy, a white kitty plushie, squished between her body and Inle's. The tail was grasped in her hands instead of in her mouth, a radical change from the norm, and multicolored eyes peeked out from a fringe of dark hair over Inle's shoulder. Every so often her tailtip would wriggle, causing Inle to shift her a bit; it was much different holding Medea, who had no legs, than holding a child who had a pair.
Inle forgot all about her issues with the cat as they approached the cottage, and she slowed at the sight of so many bodies in front of it. She was an antisocial creature by nature, and fought the instinct to run away; this visit was for Medea, and she would just have to deal with it. Beside her, Theora growled softly, pressing closer to Inle, nearly bowling the small woman over.
"Shut up and get over it," Inle muttered down at her, surprised when Theora stopped.
"Water ball!" Annora beamed, eyes sparkling at Shiro as he responded.
Trio chuckled, waving farewell to Eileen before turning to admire Dulci. One hand lifted, offering up a finger to the little girl. "God, she's gorgeous," she murmured softly, eyes sparkling.
"Right, then." Shiro settled Etain carefully atop his folded legs, then held his hands out, forming a ball of water between them for Annora. "There..."
Annora squealed in delight, her voice unnaturally sharp to the rest there. She reached out, poking the ball gleefully before using it to splash Shiro with little regard for Dulcinea or Etain.
Trio missed that move, having lifted her eyes toward the newcomer, but in the middle of her greeting she turned, glaring at Annora. "Play nice," she snapped, and Annora froze, her indigo eyes huge and shimmery. Trio waited a few tense seconds, then turned back to Inle, offering a wave and a smile. "Come join us!"
Sensitive ears flicked slightly as Annora squealed, and vulpine reactions set into motion at the first few spurts of water landed her way. Quickly, Angie pulled up the blanket over Dulci so she wouldn't get wet, and further shielded the baby with her tail. She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the siren's antics, as they nearly mirrored what she'd done as a little kid. Her soft laughter quieted as Trio corrected Annora, as it was better not to be laughing at a child's reprimand. Glancing up to Inle, the fox-girl's eyes widened and she waved brightly, remembering Inle from previous encounters. "Hey there!"
Now, Shiro and Etain hadn't been forgotten by Angie at this point, she just hadn't had the chance to say hi yet. After greeting Inle, the fox-girl peered over into Shiro's lap, with a curious "Who've we got here?"
Medea blinked at Annora's squeal, wondering where the sound had come from--she couldn't see all the people camped out in front of the cabin in her position, and she tried to squirm upwards to get a better view. It didn't work of course, but that hardly mattered as Inle shifted Medea in her arms, cradling her against her chest as if to use her as a buffer against the group.
Oh, this was MUCH better! Medea could see everything now, and the sight of so many people made her echo Annora's squeal. She made grabby hands at the group, her beloved toy forgotten, slipping down to rest in the crook of Inle's elbow. Inle smiled grimly down at her adopted daughter, moving towards the group almost reluctantly.
Medea's hands waved in the air as they got closer, and in her excitement, her snakelike fangs started to come down. One might notice, if they looked very closely, that there were a few cuts, both fresh and healing, on the baby's lower lip. The fangs that had emerged that fateful night were still new to Medea, and she had trouble keeping them retracted. They emerged when she was agitated or excited, and she hadn't yet learned that teeth + lip = bad. They extended further as Inle got closer and her eyes caught on Annora. "Eeeeeyah!" she squealed, arms flailing towards the toddler. She wanted to get down, but Inle only held her tighter.
"Um...hi," Inle said hesitantly.
Annora peered up at the newcomers, her reprimand forgotten in the face of such distractions. She stared at Medea for a moment, then turned back to Shiro. "It's a baby," she crowed. Trio winced - that particular phrase was becoming old fast.
"I don't think we've met before," Trio said, rising and holding a friendly hand out toward Inle. "I'm Trio, and this is Annora." She rested a hand against Annora's silvery hair, and the girl pulled away, turning to bat playfully at the water ball once more.
Inle flashed a quick smile at Angie, remembering her only vaguely. She recalled the Boundless Estate, and the kitchen they were in and...something about waffles? But the rest of their time together eluded her. Still, it was nice to see a somewhat-familiar face. Shifting Medea and the kitty toy in her arms, she awkwardly shook Trio's hand. "I wouldn't be surprised, I don't get out much. My name is Inle, and this is Medea." She grinned down at Annora. "And yes, she is a baby."
"Brebaaaaa!" Medea agreed. Down, down, down, down...why was she not down yet? She didn't want to be held, she wanted to be down amongst the people!
"Annora," Shiromaru said, his voice firm and quietly disapproving. "Do not splash Etain." He didn't care about himself, he could dry off instantly -- which he did, and Etain too -- but Etain was squalling, and Shiro lifted her up, holding her gently. "It's okay, sweetheart," he murmured, trying to calm down Etain.
After a moment, he nodded to Inle, then offered Angie a distracted smile. "This is Etain, my daughter."
Annora knew that tone. Her face immediately schooled into a contrite, solemn look, the faintest hint of tears shimmering in her eyes as she abandoned the water ball to step to Shiromaru's side. "The baby's crying?" she asked, tugging on his sleeve, and her own voice sounded so very heart-broken.
Trio shook her head, then smiled. "Come sit down. It's good to meet more parents."
At the squalling, and squealing and soaking going on around them, two tiny faces poked out of Angie's tail, glancing around to see what the fuss was all about. The two collie pixas clambered up from Angie's tail and rested in the crook of her arm as she held the little dryad baby, settling themselves there so they could look around and 'protect' their 'charge'. Dulci, upon catching sight of furry brown blobs nearby, began to grope around with her fist, trying to catch one of them. However she managed to get a fistful of Angie's haltertop, which threatened to shift in a most unladylike manner. Gasping, Angie quickly loosened the fist, her face about as red as the shirt she wore, right as Shiro explained whom he had in his lap.
"Awww she's adorable. Congradulations Shiro! She's quite beautiful!"
 
"Thanks," Shiro offered to Angie, grinning, then eyed Dulci. "Looks like you have a handful, yourself."
And then Annora makes that face. "Yes, Etain's crying," he confirmed. "She doesn't like being splashed like that. She's not like you and me, she likes to be around wind instead."
Inle nodded, realizing only then that the other three adults must be parents; it should have been obvious, as they were all holding kids. With a sigh at her own slowness, she sat herself close to Angie, as if the woman's vague familiarity would save her from that which was unfamiliar. Theora laid next to her, pressed against her side, and Inle shifted Medea once more to sit in her lap. She balanced her carefully--Medea didn't have legs to sit on--and it was slow going with as squirmy as she was.
Inle glanced over at Angie. "I take it this one didn't come from a test tube," she quipped with a grin.
Zero hadn't been in there since... well... ever. Hell, more of the events surrounding Shiku's arrival was still a misty blackhole in her mind, and the only idea she had was the small buisness card that came with the sextant.
Now that her moving had went trough, she had time to dwelge into this further.
With the small genie following right beside her, and ratter happy that they where taking a walk during night for once, she peered into the building only to see that there was ALOT of people here. In fact, she would have backtracked, if Shiku hadn't taken the matter into his tiny hand and slipped trough, forcing Zero to follow him.
Annora cuddled up againt Shiro in what might have been guilt... or could've been jealousy. She began to sing in a soft voice, her words surer now than they had been even a week ago. Her vocal skills were improving steadily, and quickly. The song was soothing, the lullaby soft and gentle. It took a moment to realize that she didn't know all the words.
Trio, glancing around, was content to remain quiet for the moment, still soothing Jaelle from the earlier frustration of giving up her kit to Jaden.
The blush further deepened as Shiro eyed Dulcinea. "That she is, although there's times when I wonder if she's dropped off the face of the earth, she's so quiet and self entertained..." Turning to Inle, Angie grinned, the embarassment of nearly showing her assets to everyone n the clearing forgotten momentarily. Eyeing the little naga up and down, Ang could only assess that this little one was also a fey, such as the rest of them. She was bowled over by Inle's comment, but quickly replied with a laugh. "Actually, she came from a stick." Then, to make it a bit more clear, she added, "A wand, to be more precise. With a crystal at the tip."
Raising her head, she caught sight of another person wandering in, and couldn't help but wave a greeting to her as well. "Hello there!" My, wasn't Angie friendly today? Dulcinea gurgled and nabbed a fistful of hair along with Angie's shirt this time, seeming to grin in absolute deviousness as she did so. This time, however, the fox-girl moved with the shirt, leaning forward a little bit to keep herself decent and proper. A quick, but audible mumble to herself quickly followed. "Someone remind me NOT to wear shirts like this anymore...." This brought a delighted snicker from the pixa-collies in her arms as well, as Jitsumi and Toshi found this whole situation quite hilarous.
Shiku went straight to Annora, attracted by her voice, and coiled his tail to sit in mid-air, clapping in hand when the siren was done with her song.
Zero almost jumped, but regained her composture.
"Hey !" She smilled. "Uh... what's going on ?"
Shiro shifted slightly and moved Etain, offering his lap to Annora. As Annora sang, Etain started to calm down, her squalling quieting until she was cooing again, gently; Shiromaru relaxed at that, smiling to himself. He wasn't ignoring anyone else, he was just focused on the two girls.
Inle chuckled at Angie's predicament, politely looking away. Her gaze fell on the singing girl and the floating boy--hey, he was just as legless as Medea--and wondered just what manner of species all these children were. She knew they were Changelings, as Jaden had told her on her last visit, but they certainly didn't all look the same. Most interesting...
Medea's squirming stopped as Annora's singing started, and she watched the girl with wide eyes. She relaxed in Inle's grasp, no longer trying to get free, and her fangs retracted completely. Inle looked down at her curiously, surprised by the sudden cease to her struggles, and smiled, brushing locks of dark hair out of the baby's face.
Trio caught their various reactions and leaned toward Inle, though her eyes were watching Annora carefully. "My daughter... is a siren," she explained, wondering if she'd need any further words. Or if, in retrospect, Inle or Medea might react as Keelan had, with immediate condemnation. Steeling herself for just such a response, she kept her gaze on Annora. Shiro would protect her - he knew of her heritage already. She was more concerned with making sure that the sirens' darker nature didn't show up until she could find out for certain whether it was genetic or learned.
Inle's head tilted upwards towards Trio, confusion obvious on her face. She was not well-versed in the knowledge of mythological creatures, and she had only heard the term "siren" tossed around in reference to pirate tales. She didn't really know the story behind them, and even if she had, well...she lived with worse. "She's got a beautiful voice," Inle said quietly, not wanting to disturb the child's melody.
Shiku stopped clapping after a bit, and gave Annora his cuteless little smile, and an hand wave. She was blue, just like him !
Zero just decided to sit on the couch and watch. Shiku looked like he wanted to stay for now...
Annora looked around at all the people listening in wonder, coming back to herself. This was... incredible. Preening more than a little, she reached out, poking Shiku playfully before snuggling back against Shiro's chest. "Baby's sleeping," she informed everyone, in a stage whisper, without even looking at Etain.
Trio nodded to her, then grinned up at Zero. "Hello there, stranger!"
"Hey !" Zero smilled, then scatched the side of her head. "Uh... what's going on ?"
Shiku blinked, then uncurled his tail, reaching to poke her back with an extremely low giggle, as if he was aware to not wake up the other baby.
At the sound of Annora's singing, Dulci quickly let go of the shirt and slowly turned her head in the direction of the soft voice. It seemed as though she were weaving and swaying to the music, a thoughtful look to her face. But were such things possible at such a young age? Only Dulci knew...
Smiling at the enrapture of the other children, including her own to the music sung by Annora, the fox-girl couldn't help but chuckle. "She's like the pied piper of Barton West Field. I think these little mites would follow her anywhere as long as she kept singing like that."
Well, Etain wasn't sleeping, but she was resting quietly, hand curled around a lock of Shiro's hair again. Shiro watched Annora with fond exhasperation, keeping quiet.
Trio nodded, though she didn't smile at the comparison, or the compliments. That was for Annora, who completely missed the 'pied piper' comment since she didn't know the story. "She's very good, isn't she," Trio said instead, her words less a question than a musing. Shaking herself out of it, she turned to Zero once more. "Just a parental pow-wow, since we're all here. Pull up some grass?"
"Heh." She flicked a braid away from her face. She tried her best not to look as lost as she was in reality.
"I think Shiku likes her." She said, a bit amused.
A soft furry silver ear flicked lazily as Angie peered over at Etain, smiling in genuine fondness for the picture that was presented before her eyes. Both father and daughter seemed quite content with each other, as much as herself with Dulci, if not more. A fond glance down at her own child nearly brought tears to her eyes. It wasn't often that Dulci fell asleep so angelically, though she was quiet it often took quiet a while for her eyes to finally feather shut. But, even in the brightness of the day, the babe was sleeping as soundly as anything.
It was hard to believe she'd gotten so attached, so quickly, but here Angie was, sitting with a child upon her lap, and she couldn't think of how a single day could go by without this sweet little angel with her. "Looks like someone has indeed drifted off to dream land..." Mused the fox quietly, as the pixas that had been sitting in the crook of her arm gently stood and crept down to the ground, as to keep from waking the little one.
Shiro, however, pulled himself up, cuddling Etain. "I need to get her home and get her fed. I'll see you all later, okay?" He flashed a broad grin at the others, then started off, Murasaki and Dakota following after him.
"Take care, Shiro. I'll see you tomorrow," Trio called, waving at her friend before dragging Annora onto her own lap. The movement displaced Jaelle, and the demonic Zurui padded off with a growl to gather up her little kit.
Annora protested the movement, grabbing at Shiku's wrist before she could get totally out of Shiku's reach, and dragging him along.
Shiku gave a tiny, suprised meep, but allowed himself to be dragged off nonetheless, peering at Trio with wide, curious eyes. Was she the blue girl's mommy ?
It was probabely odd that Shiku didn't seem tired at all... Hell, he was perfectly awake, and quite the little ball of energy, floating idely in the range he could cover, with Annora holding him and all.
Waving to Shiro on his way out, Angie gently rocked back and forth with Dulcinea in her arms, soothing the girl further into a pleasant sleep. Her eyes flitted over the two children in Trio's lap, chuckling softly. It definately felt good to be in company of others experiencing the same as herself. Having children quite literally dropped into their lives to raise as best they could. A comfortable feeling to be surrounded with such wonderful company, she mused. A soft whimper brought her back to herself, as Jitsumi pawed gently at her knee. "Go ahead sweetie, but don't go far, okay?" The pair of collies bounded off into the grass, bored with the humans around and wanting to explore their surroundings for a little bit.
Annora seemed pleased when Shiku didn't try to pull away, and after a moment, she looked over to where Grimya was finding crickets to pounce. "C'mon!" she said abruptly, scrambling off of Trio's lap and tugging Shiku toward the Zurui kit. "Let's play puppy!"
Trio chuckled, flopping back onto the grass with a sigh when Annora was off again. She trusted in her Zurui to keep the girl safe. "It's a good day, isn't it?" she asked, of no one in particular.
Shiku blinked, and looked at her. He didn't mind being tugged around too much... was less tiring than floating around. "Pway pwuppy ?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah.. yeah it is." Zero answered. She had managed to get something extremely overdue today, so...
Tilting her head to glance at Trio, the question was mulled over for a moment before she answered. "Yeah, I think it really is a good day." Chuckling softly to herself, the foxgirl sighed softly. She was beginning to tire, which wasn't normal for herself at all. Normally, even at this hour, she'd be bouncy, talkative and quite....foxy, for lack of a better way of saying it. But anyone who'd noticed her lately would notice she'd been quiet, seeming to mull over things more so than usual. Maybe she was just growing up..
Snuggling Dulcinea close to her, the fox-girl swayed softly to a song in her head that had popped in at the mention of it being a good day.
Annora giggled, dropping down to all fours after releasing Shiku's wrist and barking up at him playfully. "I'm a puppy!" she said, yelping when Grimya took the words to heart and pounced at her.
She was a puppy ? How odd. Was he a puppy, too ?
Trough. Shiku started wagging his tail and yipped as best as he could, puncing Annora as well. He had more experiences with kitties, but hey. Couldn't be too different, right ?
The pixas in Angie's care perked up at the sound of yelping, and bounded back from whatever direction they'd headed off in, curious as to what the commotion was about. Angie watched them, mindful of where they were to make sure they didn't get smooshed, though she guessed both children were probably used to small creatures by now.
Jitsumi held back, while her counterpart, Toshijirou bounded around Grimya, trying to get the zurui's attention. Tilting her head, the little female pixa, Jitsumi, blinked at her mate's actions, not to sure he was the same Toshi she'd fallen in love with. He was normally quite reserved, but now he was acting more like a puppy. "Trying to flirt with another girl? I see how it is Tosh. Make 'Sumi jealous whydon'tcha?" Angie teased, having come out of her languid stupour for now.
Trio rose after a moment, scooping up Grimya and tucking her over one arm. "C'mon, Annora. Someone's getting sleepy, and I think it's me," she quipped, before looking back at Angie and Zero. "It was good to see you both again. Please come by sometime! I'd love to chat with you. And bring your little ones." On that comment, she looked directly at Zero. "Annora needs more friends."
Her Zurui padded close, the dark blue one approaching Shiku and gently attempting to herd the boy back to his mother.
Angie glanced to Trio as she got up and started to leave, but it registered slowly. By the time she realized what was going on, she snapped out of it just in time. "OH! Ahh! Yes, definately good to see you again hun. We'll be by sometime soon, count on it." Smiling, the fox-girl scooped up her own menagerie, via her tail, and waved to both Zero and Trio. "I think I'd better get home too. So many chores to do, and so little time... You guys do know you're welcome at my home at any time, I only live a fairly short distance from here, as it turns out." With that, the fox-girl waved brightly and turned towards home. Her departure was more abrupt than she'd liked it to have been but she just wasn't feeling herself this day. Snuggling the little dryad baby to her chest, the fox-girl quickly skittered out of sight, sighing softly to herself, and hoping they wouldn't mind that she left as quickly as she did..
Zero nodded, understanding as she recovered the genie from the zurui.
"We need to get going too..." She hummed a bit. She should have been home hours ago...
With that in mind, she was gone as well.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 9:30 am
~*QUEST TIME*~ Being a dryad, little Dulci has a strange affinity to plants... and pretty much anything else that grows. In order for her to grow up properly, she should have as much exposure to them as possible. During the winter, however, this can sometimes be difficult.
Your task to help Dulci grow is to make her living space more habitable for a dryad.
1. Find 10 different plants or growing things to put in her room, to let her be close to the life she draws her energy from.
2. Time to redecorate!! While living in a greenhouse would be nice, chances are that it's not appropriate for a toddler. Find a way to decorate Dulci's room so that it LOOKS like her natural habitat. (You can use pics found on the internet, or draw your own! Or have someone draw your vision for you. :3 )
3. Write 2 RP posts... 1 for the fun part, the shopping! And 1 for the actual redecorating.
4. Write 1 'Dear Diary' post... from Angie's viewpoint of watching Dulci's reaction to her new room.
Good luck!
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