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3/20/05 - Narrative

There was something on the table. Tybalt couldn't see exactly what it was, being confined to the floor and all, but he noticed even from across the kitchen that whatever it was was shiny. The sunlight filtering in from a conveniently placed window assured him of that, and served to tease him--Tybalt certainly had a fondness for shiny objects. He crossed his down-covered arms over his chest, tilted his head to the side, and began to think of the best possible way to obtain said shiny, or at least find out what it was.

Flying was certainly out of the question. While he was birdlike in form, he was far too heavy for his wings to lift him off the ground at their current size. He didn't know how to fly, in any case. Getting someone else to get it for him was also unlikely. No one was in the kitchen, which was a rare occurence, and he hadn't seen anyone on his way to the room. Even if he had gotten someone to get it down for him, he probably wouldn't have been allowed to keep it. This left him with one option: somehow scaling the chairs and climbing up onto the table, where his shiny prize awaited him.

He crawled determinedly to the table, sapphire eyes fixed on the overlarge obstacle. His wings were tucked tightly against his small body, and his long tailfeathers nearly obscured his protruding talons. Tybalt slowed as he approached the nearest chair, and his gaze grew speculative. He stopped behind it, peering at it from all angles. The back of the chair was made up of squarish, vertical columns of wood, with one running down the center to connect to the seat; this wouldn't do at all. The sides, however, each had a horizontal bar, forming an almost ladder-like shape. This was much better. After manuevering himself up to his knees beside the side of the chair, he took his hat off and placed it gently beside him, enough out of the way that he wouldn't accidentally damage it should he lose his balance and fall down.

Tybalt firmly gripped the wooden slat connecting the legs of the chair, holding on for dear life as he scrabbled to get his clawed feet beneath him. After a moment of aimless flailing, he found himself standing, his hands now gripping a chair leg. He repositioned his hands further up on the chair and carefully raised a foot to the bar. His birdlike claws easily gripped it, and he didn't hesitate before doing the same with his other. His multi-colored wings splayed widely, helping him keep his balance.

This proved to be a problem, however, because now the chair was unbalanced. It tilted to the side slightly, threatening to tip over. Tybalt's eyes widened, and rather than taking the safe route and stepping back down, his arms shot out, grabbed the vertical bar on the back of the chair, and he pulled himself into the seat. He felt a surge of triumph as the chair righted itself once more. He stood once more, and turned to face the table. Now, he could clearly see the motivation for his little quest.



With a triumphant grin, Tybalt leaned across the table towards it...only to find that he was far too short to reach it from his current position. He refused to let this hinder his progress, however, and wiggle-squirmed his way onto the smooth wooden surface. In his exuberance, he accidentally knocked the chair he had used to drag himself atop the table over, and it clattered noisily to the hardwood floor. This was all secondary to Tybalt, however, now that his treasure was literally in reach. He eagerly snatched up the pendant, triumph scrawled all over his features, as Inle walked into the kitchen, having been drawn by the chair's fall. She grinned as Tybalt ignored her, so focused was he on his shiny new object.

"What ya got there, kiddo?" she asked, startling him out of his reverie. Immediately, his features took on a hard cast, and he clutched the necklace closer to himself.

"Mine!" The word was nearly growled. "I get up here and get, I find, is MY trezure now." He scowled at his surrogate mother, who merely regarded him with amusement and held up a placating hand.

"So it seems, Captain, and what a fine trinket it is. Shall I put it on you?" She fought hard to keep the laughter from her voice, nearly failing on more than one occasion.

Tybalt gave her a dubious look, regarding her silently for a moment before thrusting his arm out towards her. With a gentle smile, Inle took the necklace from him, undid the clasp, and rehooked it around his neck. She let go of the bauble, and Tybalt watched it as it swung from its new residence around his neck. His stony face cracked, and he smiled, happy and proud of his accomplishment. He looked up at Inle, eyes shining. "Mama, I climb up and get trezure!"

Inle chuckled indulgently, bending to retrieve Tybalt's hat from the floor before placing it upon him and scooping him into her arms. Immediately, he gripped two fistfuls of her shirt and snuggled closer, yawning widely. That was quite enough adventure for him...for now.

3/26/05 - PD with Vidya

"Ar'we there yet, Mommie?"

Vidya asked for what seemed like the billionth time since they had left Enoh's house. The nymph child bad been bugging her mother to go visit the "Cap'n" ever since they left the shop after the two had met, and finally Enoh had caved, grabbing the address that Inle had given her to take Vidya over there.

"Yeah, this it is Sweetie! Its the same as the address here...so it must be it, right?"

"Yay! Viddy go to tha door!"

Without waiting for a response, Vidya went running for the doorway, her new staff in hand. She had so much to tell Tybalt already, and she couldn't wait for another adventure! Once she reached the doorway, Vidya paused...what was it you were s'posed to do now? Oh yeah. Knock!

Giggling, she knocked on the door, rocking from her heels to the balls of her feet as she waited for a response.

"You little brat, I'm so tying your feet together once I find you," Inle grumbled as she wandered through the halls of her ever-shifting house. She was on the prowl for Tybalt, who had gotten into her jewelery box yet again, leaving it and the rest of her room an utter mess. She was diverted from her chase as the call of "Door!" rang throughout the house; who said it, she didn't know. With a roll of her eyes and a muttered threat of payback, she headed for it.

She opened the door, blinking as she saw who was on the other side. "Oh. Uh, hi Enoh, Vidya. What brings you two around here?"

Tybalt popped out from behind a long coat that was hanging on the doorknob of the hall closet, not a handful of yards away from Inle, obviously happy about the company. "Viddy!" he cried, running awkwardly to the door, still not used to the whole walking thing yet.

"Cap'n! Hiya! Whattcha doin' behind tha coat?"

Vidya smiled politely to Inle before scooting inside, completely forgetting her manners in that respect. She had scooted up towards Tybalt, holding out her blue staff with both of her small hands. The shaft was a shining royal blue, metal vines holding a blue gem at the top of the staff; one similar to the gem on Vidya's forehead.

"Lookie what Mommie got me! S'kinda like a wheapon, yes?"

Enoh rolled her eyes towards Vidya as she completely disregarded any form of manners before rampaging into the house. Shaking her head, the shapeshifter turned her attention to Inle.

"Hello there...sorry if we're interupting anything! Vidya pretty much talked my ear off to get me to bring her here."

"I's hidin from Mama," he said matter-of-factly, aware of Inle's presence in front of him but appearing not to care. Tybalt peered curiously at Vidya's staff, looking it over from end to end. "Issa stick? Stick's notta sword, but close 'nough I 'spose. I told Mama I needsed a sword and she said no, not yet. Lots." Only then did Tybalt acknowledge his mother's presence, glaring darkly at her before turning his attention back to his first mate.

Inle turned partially and returned his glare, sticking her tongue out for good measure. Very mature, she was. "Damn right you're not getting a sword. You do enough damage without sharp, pointy objects, you little brat." It took her less than an instant to recompose herself as she turned back to her guest. "Nah, the only thing you interrupted was Tybalt getting in trouble again. But he'll get his later. You two are always welcome!" she said with a nod and a smile, stepping away from the door to allow Enoh entrance.

"Hidin' from your Mommie? Whysat?"

Vidya tilted her head a bit in a curious manner.

"Naah. Momma said Viddy's too little to hava sword...but Viddy can HIT people with staff!"

Moving the staff to her left hand, Vidya threw her right arm into the air, obviously quite proud of that fact. Had she done so already? Of course she had. Then again, that one time was by accident only.

Enoh couldn't help but laugh, stepping through the doorway as she was allowed entrance. The shapeshifter eyed the two Tales before looking back towards Inle.

"I took Vidya out weapons shopping just to entertain her. She'd pointed out a lot of swords...and worse, Swallows...but when I told her she was too little, she settled for that staff of hers. We found it at a magic shop! He's in trouble, eh? Haha...oh, I'm sure you'll get him back! Its a mothers job, you know."

She laughed once more, shaking her head. Enoh had quite a bit of adopted children, so she took pride in getting each of them back for pulling any sort of stunt on her.

Tybalt puffed himself up proudly, baring his teeth in a proud smile. "I was lootin' Mama's trezure chest, 'n she got mad 'n yelly so I ran 'way. 'F I had a sword, though, I c'd've jus' scared 'er off with it." This last bit was said loudly, for Inle's benefit.

Inle growled at him. "I might be too tempted to use it on YOU, you turkey."

Tybalt growled at her in return. "I's notta turkey! I's a PIRATE!"

"You're about to be dinner if you don't get out of here, TURKEY. Take your friend elsewhere before I give into the urge to pluck you!"

Tybalt blew a giant raspberry at her, but turned and ran down the hall, shouting "Come on, b'fore th' monsser gets us! We's gonna needs a CANNON to fight this one!" over his shoulder.

Composing herself once more, Inle turned back to Enoh. "It IS a mother's job, at that. I should demand a raise," she said wryly.

"Oh! Neat!"

Vidya giggled, turning her head from Inle to Tybalt as one or the other spoke. This was fun! Waving goodbye to her mother and Inle, Vidya ran after Tybalt, dragging her staff behind her.

"Eee....Mons'er! But Wheres we gonna gett'a cannon?"

Enoh turned towards Inle, laughing heartilly at the exchange. Oh, it'd been a long time since she faught like that with any of her kids...not since Teivel decided to be a rebel. Her laughter died into a knowing smile.

"Ah yes...Perhaps you should ask for a raise. But I think I get my pay when I see Vidya sleeping. BEST part about having a kid, right there."

"I 'unno, I don' think we've gots cannons here!" He pondered this for a moment, then abruptly changed course. "I know where's we can gets weapons, though!" He cackled maniacally, his feet making clickclickclick noises as his claws tapped on the floor.

Inle chuckled. Finally, a kindred spirit! "I think the best part about having a kid is having them grow up. Then you can have them do chores you'd rather not do. Free slave labor, right there." She was joking, mostly. Maybe.

"Oh yeah? What kinda wheapons! Sounds'like fun!"

Vidya was giggling again as she followed after him; after all, she'd never been in here before! It was all so new...like another adventure! Hanging around Tybalt had proven to be completely awesome once more.

"Oh, and there's that too. Luckily for me...I have two employees. A Gunman and a Swordsman. The Swordsman avoids my house like the plague, but the Gunman is a wonderful babysitter! And of course there's my two oldest...twin Reindeer-like Humanoids. Not only do they do chores, but they babysit too!"

Enoh laughed...poor Vincent was always roped into watching any one of her younger children at any given point in time...and he STILL came to the house. Give that man a medal!

"But if you want a break, you could always drop someone off at my house for a bit. Its really no trouble, and I know how often we mothers need a break!"

"All kindsa weapons!" Tybalt replied with manic glee. Finally, he stopped at the threshold of a doorway, the room currently in the farthest reaches of the house. Inside the room was a couch that had obviously seen better days. It hardly looked like a couch at all, it was so dilapidated and cut up. Parts of it looked to be burned, while other parts were soaked with water. Small blades stuck out of a corner of an armrest.

Populating the room were sprockets of all shapes and colors, although they were all roughly the same size. They whirled aimlessly around the room, as if each was dancing to its own internal tune. Their tinny, high-pitched voices rang out at once, each seeming to be talking to itself, creating a multitude of undefinable sounds.

"Hey, thanks! I may take you up on that someday. Luckily, I've only got two infants left. The others are all a little older, and they don't give me half as much trouble as those two. They watch the kids, too, when I can't deal with them. I'm done with kids, though, for now. No more. For a long, long while, if ever again." So says the woman who went to the store for a pen and returned with a kid.

Vidya peered over Tybalt's shoulder as he stopped, the nymph-child peering into the room. Of course, all of the sprockets had caught her attention, mainly due to them being rather shiney. Her white eyes widened, upon watching them - and probably worse, listening to them - as they moved and chattered.

"Oh WOW! They'r'Pretty, Cap'n! Loud too! They's wheapons?"

She had turned her white gaze to him curiously.

"Oh, no problem at all! I'll have to give you my address before we leave then! My only real infant is Vidya right now...though I do have two...err...objects...that are unborn as of yet, so that will most definately change."

Honestly, Enoh aquired her children in the strangest manner. One was an egg with wings, and the other was a gem.

At the sound of Vidya's voice, all sound and motion in the room abruptly stopped, only to resume a moment later...only this time, the multitude of sprockets zipped towards the pair, surrounding them, their voices now having a purpose.

Who you?!

What you want?

Go away!

Come and play!

Let us out!

Supercalifragilistic--

"SHUT UP!" Tybalt roared over the din, feathers ruffled, and the sprockets did just that. They hovered nervously in midair, confused by this small creature that ordered them about. "We needs some of yous," he said, calming a bit.

We get to leave?

Play?

Have fun?

--Expiali

"SHUT UP!" Tybalt roared once more. "Not all. Jus' a few. Come closer, so we c'n reach." At this, the sprocket cloud hovered lower, putting themselves within easy reach of the children. Tybalt nodded approvingly at this before turning to Vidya. "Pick some sprockers fer weapons. They c'n shoot their ele...eler...the thingy they are. Like..." he paused, looking around before pointing. "Fire," he said, pointing to the fire sprocket. It detached itself from the group and came closer.

Meanwhile, Inle tilted her head to the side. "Objects? That's a new one. And yes, please do. Having Tybalt visit someone else would be great. He needs to learn proper conduct around others...or something."

Vidya squeaked as the cloud of sprockets came close to them, the nymph covering her head with her arms. Some pirate she was! Flinching as Tybalt yelled, she eventually lifted her head so she could see, and then slowly lowered her arms back down to her sides. Her eyes then went towards Tybalt as he showed her what to do...and hey, if Tybalt could do it, so could she!

"Ohtay..."

She mumbled as if it were just a passing thought, the girl looking around the sprocket army around them. Naturally the blue hued ones caught her attention...but then again so did those with hints of orange in them. Having made her decision, she pointed at a couple of the sprockets around them.

"Viddy can't choose 'tween Wah'er, Ice, Storm n'So-lar.."

Enoh chuckled, searching through her coat pockets, as well as her side bag, for anything that might be of use to write an address down.

"Tybalt seems to be doing okay with Vidya...Perhaps meeting more people would help him, too?"

She glanced up at Inle, before finding what she was looking for. Tugging out a piece of paper and a pen, Enoh wrote down her home address, giving it a good once-over before handing it to Inle.

"Ah...there. Better do it now before I forget!"

Inle chuckled, taking the paper, glancing at it, and stuffing it in her pocket as she spoke. "I'm not sure if he can HANDLE other people. It shocked the hell out of me that he was able to get along so well with Vidya, after his horrible experiences with...some of the other Tales. Truth be told, he's a bit much even for me, sometimes. He's just got too much spunk for one kid, and it's great that Vidya can deal with that." As if only then realizing her manners, she straightened. "Sorry, just realized we're standing at the door. Would you like something to drink?"

Tybalt seemed not to notice Vidya's moment of unease, and looked over her selections for a moment before nodding. "We takes 'em all. Stone 'n Blade, too. Ever'one else go 'way!" The chosen sprockets bobbed happily, glad to be given something to do. Tybalt turned back to Vidya, smiling reassuringly. "See? These're weapons enough t'fight th' Mamamonsser!"

"Then I guess that means he's either got some form of friendliness to him...either that or Viddy just gained his favor on one of his good days. Vidya is a very energetic girl herself...I think they're the type that'll play until they pass out. Which is great that they're friends...let them tire eachother out."

Enoh chuckled, shaking her head a bit. Both were entirely possible, and the latter was something that sounded like music to the shapeshifter's ears. Said ears did twitch however, at the mention of drinks. She's also forgotten that they were standing in the doorway. Smiling a bit, she nodded.

"Sure...Might I ask what you have?"

"But...I dun wanna hurt me Mommie..."

She mumbled a bit to herself, her chosen sprockets bobbing and dancing around her. Vidya giggled at the antics of the sprockets before looking over at Tybalt again.

"Hey, y'think sprockers'll help us getta ship?"

Tybalt's smirk was only slightly evil. "We don' haveta hurt YOUR Mama. Jus' mine." The Blade sprocket cackled at that, rotating in midair and making a sound much like a very small chainsaw. Tybalt perked up at the mention of a ship, glancing around at the sprockets that surrounded them both. "Yeah! Sprockers can, but we'll needs lots 'n lots 'n LOTS of 'em!"

"I think her whole sea-likeness sealed the deal. He seems to love the sea...it only makes sense, being a pirate and all. That, and she didn't play with his feathers. He hates that, and I imagine it isn't too comfortable anyway." She nodded as if she had some idea what she was talking about. "Oh, we've got water, juice, milk, soda...and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol," she said with a rueful chuckle.

Vidya didn't much like the idea of hurting anyone's mother. She leaned her head to the side, considering every other option they could take. She was a rather smart girl, and she knew that there had to be something else to do right now...doing what he wanted in this case seemed a very had idea...so that was going to be the extremely last resort.

Getting an idea, Vidya reached up and poked at the water sprocket that hovered close to her.

"Viddy has an i-d-er! If we hurted your Mommie, we gets into lotsa trouble, yes? Why dun we find a speshul cave or summin to hide in? So your Mommie and mine Mommie not find us!"

It made sense though...every pirate needed a cave to stash their loot, right? They were only starter pirates right now, and they didn't have anything but Vidya's staff and some shinies.

"Oh, that makes sense to. I'd imagine that was why he was so on guard when Vidya hugged him."

Enoh thought about it for a bit, and then her thoughts were brought back to Inle, who was listing off the available drinks.

"Hm...I think Water'll do for now, thank you!"

Tybalt seemed to ponder this a moment, feathers ruffling and smoothing idly as he thought. Getting in trouble from the Mamamonster wouldn't be a good thing, but it was so much fun, regardless! He didn't want his first mate to get in trouble though--that might hinder their adventuring time. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"We c'do tha', I 'spose," he said slowly, his mind already going through the possibilities. Wasn't there a closet somewhere they could hide in? Something big, where no one ever checked? It was then that Tybalt remembered Inle's mention of the basement, and her warning never to go down there. "I know where t'go! Follow me!" he ordered, then took off running, the sprockets trailing behind him.

Inle nodded and led the way to the kitchen. "Come to think of it, I think Vidya's the only person other than me who's been brave enough to hug the little monster." Although her words were somewhat insulting, a tone of affection lingered in her voice.

Vidya was overjoyed at the fact that they weren't going to go after his mother...yet. Clapping her small blue hands together.

"Okay! R'ght behind yah, Cap'n!"

She giggled softly, before taking off after Tybalt. The sprockets she had chosen squeaking before flying after her. Well, they weren't going to go after Inle anymore, so this meant more adventures! Adventures = Fun.

Enoh grinned proudly, following after Inle. She had picked up the insult, but the tone in the woman's voice made her disregard it.

"I think Vidya knew that is she was careful, she wouldn't get hurt like Olivia did. She's a remarkably smart child, even though she can't seem to speak properly."

The shapeshifter tapped her fingertips to her lips.

"Though I also think that if he bit her...or worse...she probably wouldn't have even tried to hug him."

"I don't think any child can speak perfectly at that age," Inle said as she walked into the kitchen, making a beeline for the cupboards. She pulled out a clear plastic cup, its circumference decorated with fish, and walked over to the sink. After turning it on, she called over her shoulder, "And Tybalt's not a biter, thankfully. A hitter, a kicker, and a scratcher yes, but not a biter." She finished filling the glass and turned back to Enoh, holding it out to her. "And Vidya IS smart, and imaginative to boot. She picked up on the whole pirating thing pretty easily, I noticed."

Meanwhile, Tybalt's pace slowed to a walk as he approached the door to the basement, which was close enough to the kitchen that he didn't want to risk making too much noise. He silently shushed the sprockets, which were still ecstatic about their new playmates.

The basement door seemed more nondescript than any other structure in the house. It was made of plain oak and had an abandoned, unfinished feel to it. The knob had once been silver, but was now somewhat tarnished with disuse. A padlock had been positioned towards the top of the door, and was high above the reach of the two Tales. Tybalt turned and carefully plucked the Blade sprocket from the air. "You," he said in a whisper, "go float up there 'n unlock th' door fer us." With a conspirator's giggle, it floated upwards, inserting itself awkwardly in the lock.

"Ah, thats not what I meant. With her age aside, sometimes her speech can get worse than a child who is just learning how. But nevermind that!"

Enoh smiled softly. That usually only happened when Vidya was excited beyond words. The shapeshifter had read about that once...how a child's brain moved too fast for the mouth to comprehend, and therefore, speech impediments, studdering or even lack of speech completely.

"Thankfully for that, then. Like I said before...its great that they're friends, they can tire eachother out and actually sleep at night. Hah...thank you."

She smiled, accepting the glass of water, and taking a small sip of it before speaking once more.

"I think her picking up on the pirating thing started when she watched one of the Pirate movies I own. She seemed to like that movie an awful lot, and when she connected Tybalt with a pirate, she figured adventures were close at hand. The rest is just a child's imagination! Tybalt seems full of it, imagination I mean, as well...He also seems very smart, and sometimes I noticed that he can act older then his age."

Vidya had seen Tybalt slow down, and to avoid a collision with him, she too slowed down and walked slower. She also tried to make herself quieter, since she could hear their mothers speaking in the not too distant kitchen. The blue child turned, and pressed her finger against her lips to silence the sprockets around her, though she had to clasp her hands over her lips to surpress one of her giggles. This was too much fun, she couldn't help it!

Since Tybalt was busy with the sprockets,Vidya set to watch out for their Mothers, other animals, or even monsters and pirates. Nobody was gonna take their hiding place away from them!

Inle nodded slowly, leaning back against the counter. "He seems more like an old man than an infant, sometimes. He's certainly as grumpy as one, to be sure. I worry sometimes that he's too serious, but then he pulls s**t like he did tonight and it reminds me that he's got his own definition of 'fun.' Tybalt's a very...different child. Where he's serious, Vidya's outgoing and fun. I think that's one of the reasons why they get along so well."

It took a moment, but the sprocket was able to unlock the only thing that stood between the pirates and their hiding place. It seemed to get stuck, however, and squeaked as it tried to free itself. It shook the lock back and forth, and it was only by a stroke of luck that it managed to get itself, still in the lock's clutches, free of the metal that held the door shut. It seemed to scream in a high-pitched voice as it fell to the ground, its own meager weight overpowered by that of the heavy lock. Tybalt's eyes widened and he immediately reached a hand out, catching it as it fell--

--only to have the flesh of his palm punctured by the sharp teeth of the sprocket. His eyes widened further and he clenched his jaw tightly to stifle his cry; it wouldn't do to have their plans revealed when they were so close to victory, and he'd be damned if he showed weakness in front of his first mate. Tybalt took a deep breath and removed the lock-laden sprocket with his free hand before similarly removing the sprocket from the lock. He placed the latter on the ground, beside small droplets of blood that had dripped from his injury. The sprocket began thanking him and apologizing to him alternately, and Tybalt shook his head. "Shuddup, sprocker. You've done 'nough." With that, he reached up with his good hand and turned the doorknob, pushing open the troublesome plank of wood as the knob turned to allow them entrance.


"The world works best with balance, or so I understand."

Enoh eyed the cup of water she held in her hand. It was true though, what Inle had said. The shapeshifter had noticed it too...and it was also the same visa-versa...or so she would wager. She really hadn't seen Vidya very serious yet, only a few rare times, and even then they were momentary.

The high pitched scream of the sprocket rang in her kitsune ears, though extensions flattening instantly against the sides of her head, as if to block out the noise. The shapeshifter flinched openly, nearly dropping her glass of water from the shock of the noise. Luckily, the scream faded quickly, leaving Enoh in a relatively dizzy state. Setting her water down on the counter, she pressed the palm of her right hand against her forehead.

"Ugh...what the hell...?"

She hadn't connected the scream to the Tale infants, though.

Vidya pressed her hands against her ears as the sprocket screamed, looking over her shoulder just in time to see Tybalt get hurt by the blades on the device. Her white eyes widened, the blue child swaying a bit as if she were about to faint. She'd never seen real blood before, and it made her rather queasy.

Shaking her head free of the dizzy feeling, Vidya lowered her hands. A PIRATE can't be afraid of blood! Thats unheard of! She knew better than to ask Tybalt if he was okay, though any glance at her expression would be clearer than words; the nymph was worried about him. Instead, the girl sidestepped a bit, so she could see over Tybalt a little better, and into the darkness of the basement.

"Wow, s'at tha cave?"

Inle's head canted to the side, brows furrowing in concern for her guest. She frowned a bit, confused; she didn't have the same hearing capabilities as Enoh, and hadn't heard a thing. "Are you alright? The water didn't go bad again, did it?"

"Yah," Tybalt whispered, nodding before plucking the fire sprocket right out of the air. "You give us a light so we c'n see, k?" he ordered, releasing the sprocket. Silently, it entered the darkness, seeming to disappear for a moment before seeming to set itself on fire. The light it created was just enough to see by. The first several stairs of the old, rickety staircase were visible, along with the dust-covered railing. The stairs seemed to descend into black nothingness, but time would tell what lie at the bottom of them. Carefully, Tybalt started down the stairs, beckoning for Vidya to follow with his good hand.


"I...I think so. Something was screeching...but its gone now. Damn that hurt...! But no, the water's perfectly fine."

She flinched once more, rubbing at her still lowered ears.

Vidya was about to bring up her gem again, but the words died on her lips as the fire sprocket made itself into a floating torch. The Tale shrugged visibly...the light of her gem would only be enough for her right now anyway.

She had already began to follow after him, even before he made the beckoning motion. One of her hands rested on the dusty railing, having gained a habit to use a railing when descending a staircase, if one was available.

She then leaned her head to the side, focusing her eyes on the back of Tybalt's head.

"Why does yer Momma lock up tha door?"

Screeching? That was a new one, to her anyway. Inle mentally went through the creatures that inhabited her home, trying to think of any that would make such a noise. Most of her animals could screech, true enough, but something like that? Her mind immediately went to the sprockets, but they made sounds for no reason all the time. Shrugging, she dismissed it. "Sorry about that. The creatures that probably made it...well, they're weird to say the least. You need some tylenol, or something?"

Tybalt's hands were fisted at his sides, at the ready just in case they were attacked. His wings were splayed for balance, ensuring that he wouldn't go toppling head-first down into the dark depths of the basement. "Dunno," he replied. "She says there's a seecert lab down 'ere, 'n monssers, but we c'n take on monssers easy 'nough." His tone was confident, and finally, the sprocket's glow illuminated the cracked concrete floor of the basement.


"Ah, no thank you. I don't really have a headache, it was more of a sudden shock. What kind of creature was that anyway? If you don't mind my asking."

Smiling somewhat, Enoh reached over to grab her glass of water, taking another sip. Her ears were too stubborn to perk again, or so it would seem. It was almost as if they were afraid of being screeched at again.

Vidya let go of the banister and grabbed her staff with both hands at the mere mention of monsters. Okay, they were in a dark, creepy basement, were equipped with a floating torch, and had no idea what was down there. It was an ADVENTURE. An Adventure with the possibility of aquiring a hiding place! Vidya's face brightened once more, eyeing the floor as it came into view.

"Mons'ers, huh? Meybee ya can get your Mommie to getchu a wheapon now! Or Meybe you could FIND wheapon! Oh. Whoops!"

She then quieted down, remembering that they were supposed to be sneaking.

"It was a sprocket, most likely. A...little floating gear-type thing. Strange creatures, annoying as hell. I seem to have accumulated a bunch of them, though I'm not sure why or how. One of them or another's usually floating through the house." They were so much more than that, but it was hard for Inle to explain it without actually showing Enoh one.

Tybalt glanced over his shoulder at Vidya, about to tell her to keep her voice down when she realized her own mistake. "Mebbe," he agreed reluctantly, "but I don' think so." He followed the light of the sprocket, which had drifted towards towards the corner in front of the staircase. A rack of flimsy-looking metal shelving sat against the staircase wall. The two bottom shelves were occupied by jugs, their labels torn, faded, or nonexistant--Inle's photo developing chemicals. The other four shelves held small bottles, vials, and boxes containing materials that belonged to the house's former owner. Some of those held chemicals as well; others still housed all manner of metaphysical materials.

A cupboard/table-like structure jutted out from the wall in front of the staircase. It looked, to Tybalt, slightly like the cabinets he and Vidya had crawled through on their first treasure hunt. Odd-looking machines sat atop it, with trays next to them; a pair of enlargers and trays of the photochemcials stored in the shelves' jugs. They caused the whole room to smell slightly acrid. Tybalt looked over all of this with interest, not noticing the large, red eyes peering at him and his companion from the room's darkest corner...

"A sprocket? I've heard of them, actually. I didn't think they were that loud. Its almost like it was falling."

The shapeshifter mused over his one, rubbing one of her ears with her free hand. A falling sprocket was unusual, considering they could float and all that fun stuff.

Vidya looked at Tybalt only when he spoke. In truth, the items on the walls were much more interesting than any comment in response to her own question. She did pay attention though, because she respected him as her Captain.

When her white eyes found the cabinets infront of them, the small child couldn't help but giggle. She recognized those! Well, sort of. Somehow though, she doubted there would be any shinies in that cabinet. Shaking her head to her her bangs out of her face, Vidya pulled her long white and blue streaked hair over her shoulder, braiding it in a half-hearted manner so it would stay out of her way.

As she looked around the room, Vidya caught a glimpse of something strange. Something...red, and staring in their general direction. Biting her lip to bite back a whimper, Vidya backed up a few paces, considering tugging on his arm...though that idea died pretty quickly. Instead, she poked his shoulder once.

"Uhh...Cap'n...?"

"Falling? Those things?" Inle rubbed her chin, as if in thought. The sprockets WERE prone to trouble, and stranger things had happened since the horde had descended upon her home...it still smacked of something odd. "Do you think you can pinpoint where it came from?" If nothing else, it bore investigation, just in case.

Tybalt was so lost exploring this newfound cavern that it took him a moment to register that he was being addressed. Reluctantly, he pulled his gaze away from the wall. "Huh? Whassit, Videe--whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise as he too saw the red eyes of...whatever it was. The fire sprocket was still behind the pair, leaving the rest of the room outside its warm glow pitch black; the eyes had the effect of floating, and Tybalt couldn't help but stare.

The creature blinked once before its large eyes narrowed, and it shuffled in the dark. This snapped Tybalt out of his awe-struck stupor, and he frantically began looking for something to beat this new threat back with. He smiled rogueishly as he caught sight of a broom resting against the side of the metal rack and immediately dove for it. Surprisingly, he grabbed the handle around its middle rather than its base, giving him a more manageable staff-like weapon rather than a long, unwieldy sword. He turned back to the monster and rushed back to his first mate's side, brandishing this odd weapon. "Back, beesie!" he barked, all business now.

((Again, feel free to gm the "beesie." xd ))

Enoh looked around, then pointed in the general direction of the basement door. She didn't know the layout of the house, but she did know the louder sound came from that direction.

"That way, I think...Hm."

She paused, her arm slowly hovering back to her side.

"..Do you think it could've been the kids? I thought I also heard Vidya before the screeching."

Vidya squeaked as the thing's eyes narrowed. The girl considered hiding...but what kind of pirate would she be, if she didn't stand up to her fears? The only problem was...she had no idea what to do. Her white eyes still wide, and still locked on the beast, Vidya almost cried out in objection as Tybalt disappeared from her side...that wasn't fair! Needless to say, the girl sighed with relief when he re-appeared with the broom.

The broom...oh yeah!

Getting a rather stern look about her, Vidya nodded firmly and grasped her staff with both hands, holding the jeweled tip out towards the beast. With her staff and newfound courage, the Tale had no problem facing this foe.

"Yeah, g'itback! We not 'fraid of you!"

Inle couldn't help but immediately think, Crap, what did that pillow with legs get into now?! "With Tybalt's bad influence, I'm almost certain it's the kids." Her apprehension grew as she noticed which direction Enoh was pointing in. "It's worth checking out, I suppose..." she trailed off, almost afraid to see what the pair of pirates had gotten into this time. She remembered their first adventure all too well; more specifically, how long it had taken to clean the dust, dirt, and bug guts from Tybalt's feathers.

The creature's slitted eyes turned to Vidya at her bold proclamation, and Tybalt took that opportunity to jab the broom's handle into the darkness. There was a thud, and a grunt from the creature...but the handle didn't come out. Tybalt pulled back on the broom, unwilling to give up his only weapon. He threw his weight back, but failed to wrest the handle from the creature's grasp; in fact, it seemed to be pulling the handle towards itself slow inches at a time.

Tybalt's eyes narrowed in determination and he tried to dig his claws into the ground in order to get some leverage. The floor of the basement was concrete, however, and it only sent jolts running through his legs. Tybalt fought these and only dug in harder.

"No--" he growled, shaking the hat off his head as it slipped over an eye. His movements towards the shadows were slower now.

"You--" a small noise could be heard, and cracks spiderwebbed around Tybalt's feet.

"DON'T!" he yelled, and immediately stopped moving. There was a louder crack--it seemed his claws had penetrated the surface of the concrete, and he was anchored by it. There was another crack, and the broom handle came out of the shadows--what was left of it, anyway. Just over a half foot of it was gone, appearing to have been bitten off. Tybalt lost his balance and fell on his feathered rump, his claws remaining embedded in the floor.

The creature growled.


"Well...bad influence or not, Vidya's still having fun. As long as she doesn't start smashing things at home, I think I can let them play."

Enoh laughed softly, shaking her head. Vidya was a good kid...and she was adventurous anyway, even when she wasn't with Tybalt. The shapeshifter was also half joking on the smashing items thing, though...Vidya had already broken a few lamps, but Enoh had wanted to smash them herself, so she didn't mind too much.

She turned, waiting for Inle to lead the way...after all, this wasn't her own house.

Vidya squeaked as the red eyes were focused on her, her own eyes darting towards Tybalt when he jabbed at the creature. The nymph watched her Captain struggle, looking between him and the red-eyed monster lurking in the shadows...there had to be something she could do! But what?

Blinking blankly, Vidya slowly began to creep into the shadows, backing out of the light that came from the sprocket. Remembering her gem, Vidya covered the decoration with one of her hands so it wouldn't give away her position, keeping the creature's glowing red eyes in her sight. She remembered the game called "tag" that she was told about. Somebody hides, and the others seek, right? Their situation seemed to fit right now...and besides, Tybalt needed help!

Once she was close enough to hear the creatures breathing, Vidya uncovered her gem to grasp her staff boldly in two hands, the faint light of her decoration glowing like moonlight on the water's surface...and then Vidya hesitated.

As Tybalt uttered his second growled word, Vidya was brought back to her senses, shaking her head and lifting the staff over her head. By the time Tybalt had finished yelling, there was another sound. A smaller, less violent sound that came inbetween the two cracking noises...the sound of a dull thud.

Since the creature had been focused on Tybalt, Vidya had no problem smacking the thing's body...well, at least thats what she hoped she did. Her actions were confirmed by the creature's growl, the beast recovering from the smack to slowly drag its red eyes towards her.

Snatching her staff against her again, Vidya backed up a few steps so she wasn't as close to the creature, suddenly feeling very brave.

"You sta'way from the Cap'n, yah oogly beesie!"

Inle headed out of the kitchen, thankful that there were a minimum of halls to wander down. What she was not thankful for, however, was the open door leading down to the one restricted place in the house. The basement door was wide open, the padlock that had held it shut sitting beside it. The heavy piece of metal appeared to be scratched, and Inle idly wondered what had happened to it. It was then that she heard Vidya's voice.

Meanwhile, Tybalt struggled to stand, though it was difficult with his claws embedded into the floor as they were. He finally boosted himself up with what was left of the broom handle, but his claws refused to open. The red eyes were slowly advancing towards Vidya, as if the creature sought to pin her between itself and the wall.

In frustration, Tybalt looked around for something to help him out of the literal hole he was in, only to find the group of sprockets hovering excitedly in a corner of the room. "Don' jus' stan' there, attack th' monsser!" he commanded. The sprockets entered the fray, and the monster was pelted with elemental debris, diverting its attention for a moment.

The storm sprocket had just been swatted out of the air when suddenly, the room brightened, and Tybalt, the monster, and the sprockets stopped what they had been doing and looked to the top of the stairs. There stood Inle, one hand on the lightswitch, murder in her eyes. Tybalt, who had finally managed to get a foot free, muttered an "uh oh."

4/28/05 - Narrative

Tybalt's feet continued to ache long after his guests were gone, and well into the night. He flexed his talons as he lay in bed, the mild pain leaving him teetering on the brink between sleep and wakefulness. Finally, drowsiness outweighed discomfort, and he managed to fall asleep...and into the realm of dreams.

------------------------------

Tybalt was older in his dream, adrift on a murky sea in a familiar ship. He stood at the helm of his ship--and somehow, he knew it WAS his ship--and watched the sun set fire to the sea. It had been a long day, an average day, a day full of blessed relaxation after weeks of stress and pain. The set of Tybalt's features showed that he was clearly deep in thought.

He and his crew's last raid had not gone well. Tybalt had lost men, and the cost to hire new crewmen had heavily outweighed the plunder gained. He knew his men were upset and confused; their captain wasn't acting himself, as if he had something on his mind. They were right on that account, if nothing else.

In Tybalt's dream, he was uncomfortable in his body, and he wasn't quite sure why. It was foreign to him, and he lacked the grace and agility he knew he once had. There were whispers of him growing old, growing soft, and they angered him.

One whisper hit his ear directly, a comment made from one crewman to another as they passed a captain who appeared not to be paying attention, who had seemed to be oblivious to his surroundings for weeks now.

"'E's no longer a man now, 'e's a monster, 'n not fit t'lead."

Tybalt had been paying attention, and his thoughtful eyes turned hard and cold. Almost without thinking, he whirled on unfamiliar feet, his hand balled into a fist. It caught the passing man on the jaw, and he stumbled back, tripping over a length of rope and falling to his back. The man looked up at him, startled, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He lay as he fell, arms and legs akimbo, eyes widening as Tybalt walked towards him almost lazily. He swallowed visibly as Tybalt stopped at his side, the captain peering down at him almost casually, although his body was tense with contained rage.

"A monster, am I?" he asked slowly, not looking up as his men stopped what they were doing and peered at them, distracted from their tasks. Tybalt's wings were tucked tightly to his back, the smoothness of his feathers not belying the rage that was slowly building within him.

"N-n-no, Cap'n!" the man on the ground stammered, finally moving in an effort to scramble backwards. It proved useless, however, as Tybalt brought a taloned foot down on the man's chest, effectively pinning him to the spot. "C-Cap'n, please, I didn'--"

"SHUT UP!" Tybalt roared, his talons tightening around the man's upper torso, effectively stifling his protests. He looked up at his crew, eyes full of righteous fury, and not a one of them met them with their own; each looked away as Tybalt's gaze fell upon them, not willing, even now, to challenge their captain. Tybalt sneered, his talons tightening upon the man's chest, not appearing to care as the crewman wheezed at the pressure.

"A monster I may be," Tybalt started lowly, "but I AM yer Captain, an' I'll remain as such until one of you bloody maggots sees fit to say otherwise!" His tone had risen in volume and intensity; even in this form his men feared him, and this soothed his rage a bit. His claws had tightened further upon the man's chest, and rivulets of blood ran around his talons where they had punctured flesh. The captive man looked up at him, fear in his eyes. Tybalt ignored his obvious pain.

"If there be a single man aboard this ship who thinks 'e's got it in 'im t' dispose of me, let him speak now!" His men wisely kept their gazes upon the deck, and all was quiet save for the sound of the sea...and the groan of a man's ribcage being squeezed far too tightly.

"Tha's what I thought," Tybalt growled.

There was a loud, wet crunch, a spray of blood, and the man's chest was destroyed, Tybalt's talons having squeezed it into oblivion. The men looked up as one, horrified at the sight. The middle of the man's torso was gone, leaving him in two pieces. Tybalt's claws were still clenched, shards of bone and strips of flesh held securely within them, and his foot was dyed red with blood. Slowly, his foot relaxed, and he placed it on the deck beside the man's body. He bent to lift the corpse's head by the hair, the neck, shoulders and arms still intact and attached. This grisly talisman he showed to the crew, taking a sick enjoyment in watching many of them cross themselves. They looked at him with eyes full of fear.

"Let this be a warning to ye all. Any man who dares t' make light of my...condition, a passing mutter, a whispered word, an' they'll end up just the same." A moment of utter silence passed. "IS THAT CLEAR?!"

"Aye, Cap'n!" the crew shouted as one, fear of their captain spurring them to respond.

"Good," Tybalt growled, dropping the corpse. It hit the deck with a wet thud, which went unnoticed by Tybalt as he turned to watch the sun set once more.

If he could not hold their loyalty with respect, he would do it with fear.

------------------------------------------

Back in the real world, Tybalt jerked into wakefulness. Although he knew he should be worried about his gruesome dream, he found himself slightly irritated, as if he shared his dream-self's rage. He yawned and stretched, slowly drifting back to sleep.

Tybalt was too tired to notice that his feet no longer hurt.

4/30/05 - Narrative

Tybalt awoke one morning to a tinny, high-pitched sound. It seemed the giggles and words of tiny metallic beings had permeated his private space...and they were gonna pay for waking him up. Blearily, Tybalt rubbed his tired eyes and rolled out of bed, only to see the group of offending sprockets hovering over his hoard. Angrily, he stomped towards them, waving his arms as if to smack them out of the air.

"Piss off, spockers!" he yelled angrily. The hoard whooped and swirled around him and his treasure for a moment before tactically retreating out the door. Tybalt watched them go with an irritated noise; this wasn't the first time this had happened. He really needed a better place to stow his loot, but where? It had to be somewhere no one but himself would be able to find it, somewhere no one else would think to look.

The pondering pirate spent that morning searching the house for potential hiding spaces, only to come up short. There was someone or something everywhere he looked, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before someone stumbled upon it. The house was no good, it seemed, and he had no choice but to venture out of it.

Tybalt slipped outside the backdoor--Inle had been watching him more closely than ever since the basement incident--and began searching for viable spots. The bushes were no good, as anything hidden in them would be hard to get to later; he really didn't want to have to crawl through the prickly leaves and twigs just to get at his stash. Burying it somewhere in the open was less than good, as a raised spot in an otherwise flat yard just screamed "BURIED TREASURE LIES HERE!" Tybalt was quickly running out of options, and was about to make his way back home when he saw it: the perfect hiding space! It lie beneath the large roots of an old tree, a gap between them and the earth. It was fairly large--he could fit in it if he really tried--and out of the way. He would be able to hide his booty in there, then cover it with loose dirt. The tree was easy to find, as well: it stood alone some distance from the house, and he was fairly certain no one would think to look there. His decision made, he went back to his room, a plan in mind.

An hour later found him back at the tree, dragging an old, poorly made treasure chest with him. It was large enough that it would hold his ever-growing collection of shinies, but still small enough that it would fit comfortably in the ground beneath the tree. All of the things he held dear were in there, save the bracelet he had received from Khia on Easter and the raven's claw pendant around his neck, neither of which left his person. He had found the chest in a corner in Inle's room; he almost hoped she wouldn't miss it, not like it mattered anyway. Tybalt spent quite some time digging the hole deeper, bringing the dirt out into the open rather than just pushing it to the side. Once he was content with the hole's depth, he shoved the chest in there before hiding it behind the dirt. He eyed his handiwork proudly, brushing dirt onto his pants. Take THAT, spockers, he thought to himself as he walked back towards the house, his spirits soaring.

4/19/05 - Narrative, Crossposted here.

"TYBALT!" Inle's voice could be heard throughout the house. It was no secret, by now, that she was looking for the theiving little pirate, and had been since she had awoken to find the bracelet gone. She knew that the Tall Tale had something to do with its disappearance; it wasn't a mother's instinct, merely common sense.

Inle was not the only one who had common sense. Tybalt had escaped the easily-searchable confines of the house the first time he heard Inle call for him, but not after snagging some food, which he put in a pillowcase. He knew that his mother would be looking for him for quite awhile, and he'd be damned if he entered that house again for anything at all.

Tybalt made a beeline for his treasure tree, thinking it the best place to hide; the branches had filled with leaves in the weeks since true spring began, and would provide excellent cover. An instinctive check of his trove showed nothing out of place, although the bracelet wasn't exactly where he had left it...and what were those tracks? The pirate knelt in the grass for a moment, looking at them intently; he was no tracker, and had no idea what had made them, but whatever it was looked to be big. Before he had time to speculate further, he heard Inle's voice once more, and caught a flash of her form as she ran past a large window that overlooked the yard. Deciding that escaping with his life, or at least with all of his feathers intact, was more important than anything else, he quickly scrambled up the tree. His strong, taloned feet made for an easy climb, in spite of the cumbersome, food-filled pillowcase.

-------------------------------------

Day turned into night, and Inle found herself exhausted. As the hours passed, Inle's search had turned from the bracelet to her still-missing son; the bracelet she could do without, Tybalt would prove much harder to replace. The frazzled woman had searched every nook and cranny in the building and found neither. She hadn't counted on Tybalt going outside, as the pirate usually took delight in finding new hiding places within the house itself. Eventually, however, she admitted to herself that he had to be outside. There wasn't anywhere else he could be, right?

The lack of light made Inle's search all the more difficult. Although the backyard was large--the house sat alone, surrounded by acres of not a whole lot--there were very few trees. Few trees meant fewer hiding places for Tybalt, and Inle finally happened upon the treasure tree. The opening was not visible to Inle from the direction she was approaching in, so she didn't see the gap in the earth, or more importantly what the gap contained. What she did see, however, as she looked up into the leafy boughs, was Tybalt, who was asleep sprawled across a pair of sturdy branches. The sack of food sat in the crook of a branch near him, and looked to be nearly empty.

Inle smiled and sighed in relief. The purpose for her search was all but forgotten; her son was safe, and that was all that mattered. She considered waking the pirate for a moment before dismissing the thought. He looked so cute up there, and his escape might prove to be good for his already stellar self-confidence.

Inle couldn't climb the tree to get him, in any case, and she highly doubted that, if woken, Tybalt would come down of his own volition with the knowledge of Inle's anger at him still in his mind. And although he was alone and helpless in the tree, he would be well-protected--the family pets that roamed outside at night would ensure that. With an indulgent smile and a quickly blown kiss, Inle turned and headed back for the house, her mind at ease for the first time that day.

5/06/05 - Quest! ((Once again, TONS of love and thanks to Mere! <##33333!))

After a break for lunch and a visit to several more shops, none of which seemed to hold Tybalt's interest for very long, and it wasn't long before he started showing outward signs of boredom and impatience. Inle had to commend him--silently, of course, as it would do no one any good to stroke that already huge ego--for keeping a reign on his emotions, and, more importantly, for not destroying anything. As the pair were walking home, one with her hands full of bags, the other with feathers fluffed in agitation, Inle decided that there was one more stop they had to make, and stopped in front of a seemingly nondescript door.

"Hey," she called down to the parrot, who merely looked up at her silently, a vaguely irritated look in his eyes. "Open the door, would ya?"

The parrot's scowl deepened, and his stance widened as he looked up at Inle defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. Wanna go home now."

"Come on, Tybalt, just one more shop and then we'll head home, I promise. Besides, I think you'll like this one." The Tale rolled his eyes as if to say "Yeah, right," but moved to the door anyway, pushing it open with moderate effort, just barely missing getting beaned with a shopping bag as Inle entered before him. She carefully placed the bags near the door and caught Tybalt's shoulder just as he was about to wander off. "Not that I don't trust you not to climb the walls and destroy everything in sight, but...well, I don't trust you not to climb the walls and destroy everything in sight."

Tybalt's scowl only deepened, and his wings raised in an almost defensive stance. Inle thought, for a moment, that he might lose his temper, but to her surprise, he merely huffed irritably and stalked off. Inle chuckled, following close behind him.

His pace slowed as he approached a random isle, and he looked up at the shelves curiously. They contained all manner of raw and unfinished objects, and Tybalt quickly walked through it, finding nothing that interested him. He stopped at the mouth of the next aisle, however, seeing it lined with toy cars and trains before even entering it. "Zissa toy store er somethin'?" he asked curiously. He wasn't much for cars and trains, but they were pretty shiny...

Inle smiled down at him, content now that his flare of temper had subsided. "Close. It's a hobby shop. It's where people come to get things so they can make other things." Tybalt's head tilted to the side a bit, the universal sign of uncomprehension. Sighing, Inle bent down and hoisted him up, placing his sharp-taloned feet upon her shoulders, wincing as they dug in a bit. "See that case over there? With the little town and the little trains?"

Tybalt squinted at the display case that was proudly mounted on a wall of the store. "Aye," he said after a moment.

"Well, people build those. Collecting and building is what a hobby is, sort of." Tybalt made a noise of what might have been assent, and Inle carefully placed him back upon the floor. "Do you want to start a hobby of your own, kiddo? Something to take your mind off looting for awhile?"

The feathered Tale merely looked at her as if she had just sprouted a second head and it had said the dumbest thing ever in the history of the spoken word. "Lootin' IS me hobby. I collec's shinies." His tone was that of someone explaining long division to a math professor.

Inle merely grinned indulgently at him, unwilling to get into an argument on the validity of such a hobby. "So I've noticed. Why don't you take a look around anyway, just in case." There was something in her tone that implied she knew something he didn't, but he didn't seem to notice it and merely shrugged, walking quickly down the car aisle and around the corner to the next one. Inle followed and nearly tripped over him; he had stopped at this aisle as well, but his silence was awed rather than confused. Where the last row had held miniature cars, this one held miniature ships, of both the bottle-bound and tabletop display variety.

Tybalt's first steps into the aisle were tentative, and after a few he craned his head back and upwards to look at Inle, a questioning look upon his face. She nodded and made a shooing motion, a clear indication that it was alright if he wandered the aisle a bit. He shot her a grin and turned his attention back to the shelves of ships, taking his time looking at each before moving on. The pirate found himself a bit disappointed; the parts of the aisle he had seen all carried naval or more modern ships, and those were far from what he was looking for. He moved on undaunted, and nearly squeaked (although he would soundly deny that later) in delight as the dull-looking aircraft carriers and destroyers turned into something he was much more familiar with.

"Issa merchant ship," he said, his tone sure as he pointed to a ship with large, squarish sails. He took another step, pointed again. "Issa sloop. Sloops're too fat." Behind him, Inle chuckled. "Thassa naval snow, 'n they're bad cuz they hunt pirates." Another step down the aisle. This time he paused, not pointing. "Tha's a..." he trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut at a flash of memory.

"Y'know I'll not question yer judgement, Cap'n, but why not a brigantine? Ye'd ne'er have t'worry about th' goddamned Royal Navy then."

The captain turned to the young man speaking, an amused glint in his eyes. "D'ye know why this ship is called the Serpentine, laddie?"

The boy shook his head, a smile coming to his face. He knew his captain relished any opportunity he had to brag about his ship.

"We're on a schooner due to its narrow hull, and it's shallow on th' draft. Why would we need t'blow away the goddamned Royal Navy when we can outrun 'em? Not only that, but we've got cannons t'spare! Th' Serpentine's very serpent-like if ye think about it, lad. Quick 'n agile, with a deadly bite." He paused a moment, allowing his words to sink in. "D'ye understand now, Tybalt?"

"Aye, Cap'n," Tybalt replied, "I do."

"Tybalt? Are you alright?" Inle's voice permeated his thoughts, snapping him out of his trip down memory lane. The Tale pried his eyes open, blinking a few times as his eyes got used to the light once more. He shrugged off the hand that had landed on his shoulder, nodding.

"Aye, 'm ok," he mumbled, feeling vaguely irritated at himself. Carefully, he picked up the ship. It was plastic, designed for display purposes; Tybalt didn't care about that. All he saw was the insignia on the black sails.



"I wan' this one," he stated firmly, his tone brooking no debate. He held it closely, almost protectively to his chest.

Inle, for her part, had no intention of denying him his toy; the ship section was the very reason she had brought him here, after all. "Alright, fledgeling, but I think it's time we started home, huh?" Tybalt shook his head, fighting off a yawn. It had been a long day for the young pirate. As the pair went to pay, Tybalt spotted something in a bin, something that would go wonderfully with his new toy ship. Cradling his toy in one hand, he reached up and tugged on the hem of Inle's shirt with his other. When she looked down at him, he pointed.

"Awww, those are adorable, Tybalt! Did you want one?" She cooed uncharacteristically over his discovery.

"'N one fer Videe, too," he said, feathers ruffling happily. Inle nodded in understanding and scooped up a pair of adorable plushie eggs.



With that, they paid and made their way towards home, both tired after a long, fruitful day.