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Recollection; An Apple in the park



The male flinched as he heard large crashing noises from the other room, fangs worrying over his lower lip. After a moment or so of contemplating, he finally closed his journal and pushed himself to a stand, venturing into the kitchen where he believed the noise to be from. He came across a not so unusual scene around his home; the wreckage that was once his kitchen. One hand lifted to rub at his temples and he let out a deep sigh.

"What happened here?"

Two mismatched eyes gazed up at him as he spoke, little Spiro, his Banir Kinder, was holding the leaf to his chest and had a foot planted squarely on the face of Akumu as if to keep him away. He appeared neutral about the whole situation, waving a freehand out over the kitchen (or what remained of it,)"Akumu had an accident."
Freize went and took the leaf, that was shaking about as if amused, but went completely limp as he frowned. He shook his head and looked dissaprovingly at the two, and then turned his head as Ajani entered.

"Woah... What'd I miss?"
"Hey... Mind tidying up a bit? I have work to get caught up on."
"Oh, sure. No problem."
Freize departed them, slouching forward as he shuffled back to his desk. He settled down and examined his rather limp leaf, and then set it up on his desk and pulled out his binders, momentarily reaching over to flip on his music.

The leaf seemed more than pleased, and Freize smiled to himself and went to work.

Mini-stories

Expiration Date

"This still look good?"

Ajani tilted the full, open milk carton upsidedown. Nothing came out right away. That was his answer right there. Still, as any average person would do, he oogled it some more and sniffed at the opening, earning a wary eye and a snort from Freize who was sitting at the kitchen counter, writing in his journal before they left for their trip. He never really understood journals- he got one, but never really used it. Seemed kind of pointless to him. He rummaged back through the fridge, cringing at what he found,

"Eck... The cheese is bad too... Unless it's supposed to be turning green and black."
He let out a huff,
"The hot dogs and fruit are growing white fuzz... The hell? How often do you go shopping around here?"
He didn't bother waiting for an answer, he simply went and sat beside his 'father' at the table with a disgruntled noise.
"Seriously, geez."
He pulled out a notepad and began jotting down some stuff that he needed to pick up for their camping trip.
"I worry about you, y'know that?"
Freize sighed and tilted his head forward, his leaf companion drifting on down and coming to land on the books near them.
"I mean seriously... You need to take care of yourself more. And just imagine, I'M the one saying that."
The kinder stood, scooping up all of his books from the table and jamming them in the bag that was at the seat beside him,
"So, I'm just gonna go pick up some stuff for the trip, yeah?"
He shot his guardian a smile,
"I'm sure you can hold down the fort without me for a little while."
He pulled the bagstrap over his shoulder and moved to a stand, earning a glance from Freize,
"Mmhmm."
The kinder shook his head with a smile and trudged off, snatching the keys up from the counter... For a second he thought he felt something moving around in his bag againsth is side... Bah. I must be crazy. He headed on out the door.

Ajani was heading back from the grocery store, perhaps going a little bit more than a little bit above the speed limit, settled back with a content smile. He loved driving- he wondered why they didn't let him do it more often, although to a normal person it would appear much more obvious. He cranked up his music- We Used to Be Friends by the Dandy Warhols. Not his favorite song, but something to drown out his thoughts. Although someone seemed to love the song, a leaf somehow seemed to manage to wriggle its way to the top of the bag and was making the faintest sort of noise, seeming pleased by the booming music and fast-moving car. The kinder seemed to not notice- it was late, and he was curious why they had to leave so early in the morning (as it would actually be morning when they left, who knew why they were getting ready at such late hours) therefore, he was half awake. He didn't even notice as the leaf slipped free and drifted to the floor underneath the front seat.

The weremutt was listing off every curseword known to man as he rummaged about the house, leaving a disaster in his wake. He despised losing things- especially something he bonded with. He got... Very attatched to things. The rest of the family was left baffled, simply watching as he became a weremutt-tornado, looking between eachother thoughtfully. Only Ajani trailed after the older male, trying to console him in some way..

"Hey, hey now.. I'm sure..."
"It was there. I swear, it was RIGHT THERE. On my head... And then the table..."
The kinder froze.
"On the table...?"
Freize paused and looked back.
"With... My books?"
An arched brow.
"Eh... Oops.. Eheheh..."

The bag was then thoroughly searched, and a family trip was taken to the store. Nothing. It was gone. While Ajani was trying to console Freize in the car, as they were now on their way for their camping spot (they had finally convinced him to let it go for now,) Hatori was busy trying to keep under control a very busy Cougar, and Spiro and Umi were sitting quietly amongst themselves with an odd black and white creature in both of their laps and a blue fuzzball on Spiro's head. Suddenly Akumu was looking over towards Ajani, ears flickering about. In seconds he was trying to squirm away from the kids' iron grip on him (no surprise there- he was way too high maintenance for car trips) and towards the older male. He reached out and lifted the critter,
"S'okay, I'll take him."
He was trying to set the wild creature into his lap when suddenly it was beneath his seat,
"Eh? Where're you going?"
He stooped forward, scooping up the creature... It squirmed about in his grasp, and dropped then a leaf when fluttered down to rest on their driver's knee.. Freize paused to look down at it for a second, and then everything was dead quiet... And then Ajani grinned sheepishly.
-------

Happily Ever After

A plastic bag couldn't possibly suit as some sort of grand place- he couldn't even close it. He was afraid the leaf would suffocate or something. That only add on to why people would possibly mistake Freize as crazy, of course. He stared over at it on the other end of his tent, Cougar settled in his lap and happily gnawing on his hand, seeming only one fourth awake... Freize only shared his tent with him and the leaf- he was big on personal space, but Cougar needed him... And so did this leaf. Oh, and he also had this strange charm he had gotten in there too, right next to the leaf..

His head turned as he noticed someone entering his tent.. It was already pretty late, and he thought everyone else had gone to sleep. After all, all of the other's lanterns were off... Spiro stood in the doorway, shifting uncertainly, a book clasped to his chest. Freize smiled warmly and motioned the child in. He was getting so big. The kinder shuffled over,
"Um... Could we do that thing we always do...?"
The weremutt arched his brows, and then nodded and moved Cougar from his lap to his side,
"Sure, c'mere."
His son came and settled infront of him now, between his legs, settling back against him, Cougar moved into Spiro's lap now. They opened the book and propped it up, a purple pen falling out. "So, how should we start it, hmm?" The 'mutt's arms went around his two children affectionately, and Spiro in return leaned further back against him,
"Well..."

And so they started doodling within the book, making stories about their drawings, and occasionally letting the baby scribble along the pages just for fun.. It was something that Spiro and Freize frequently did together- Freize had started it as a bonding activity when his kinder once was very hostile towards him and... Basically everyone. They were really opening up to eachother, it seemed. Besides, it would help develop his son's mind, hey, maybe even for both of them. It was his turn now, and he told a rather winded part of the tale, and when he looked down he found the two fast asleep.. He smiled, and then sighed softly. Perhaps he wouldn't be as alone as he thought.

He moved the two into his sleeping bag and then slipped in, little Cougar in the middle, and then reached for the lantern. He paused for a second, eyes coming to land on the leaf... He smiled slowly, and then spoke up in a hushed tone,
"Good night."
And then the lights went out.

The leaf was making its happy noise. Freize said you had to listen close to hear it- that it was the sound of happiness, that not everyone could hear it. That made them all wonder.

Actually, it was kind of a... Chirping noise, really... Hm.. Freize drifted off to sleep.
----

The Leaf Scare

Freize was lugging the fishing equipment up towards where they had settled near the river, pondering over a few things... Speaking to himself. Or the leaf on his head, rather. He let out the faintest of sighs,
"I hope they got Cougar's water wings on okay... I'd hate to lose on of you guys... You know, because when I was-"
And then there was a string of curses and some breath catching. Freize had just taken the step to make his relationship with the forest floor much more intimate, one could guess by the way he was kissing it just now.

He groaned and pushed himself up into a sit, stacking up all of his equipment and wishing he weren't the clumbsy oaf that he was..
"What a tri-"
He froze suddenly, and then moved a hand to grope at his hair.
"Dammit!"
His leaf was gone! He glanced about the forest floor, and felt a sick feeling rise in his stomach... He looked over the scattered little blankets of leaves and made a disgruntled noise.

It was perhaps because Freize had been gone for two hours that they headed back and found him searching through the leaves scattered about the floor, and were beginning to question them when he silence them with a quiet growl... Everyone went silent, and Freize's brows furrowed... There it was, a noise! It was different though... Like... A low... Like... A hiss almost, really... He got down, his sudden dog ears scanning hopefully for the source of that noise.. He scrapped about, and then sat back with a happy smile,
"I found you..."
He set the leaf ontop of his head.
"You didn't think I'd forget about my favorite leaf, did you?"
And then he moved to a stand and turned to everyone with a weak smile,
"Well, ready to go?"
And they all went fishing.

There was that happy sound. That... Chirp-clucking... Whatever it was.

Freize knew he wasn't crazy... There was something different about this leaf. He knew it. There was too much evidence to say anything against that theory.. This would be interesting.
---

Harder and Harder to Breathe

Freize was sick as hell.

Nobody was quite sure what happened, but now the weremutt felt as if he were under quaruntine or something.. Everyone was so busy, and the only time he ever saw a living being was when he was fed.

But it had gotten worse. He had a really bad fever, and he was having trouble breathing. His doctor 'son' Hatori seemed to know what to do, but didn't have many supplies to work with and was trying his hardest... And unless they wanted Ajani to drive, they'd have to wait it out. Which they were doing. They were waiting.

Besides, Freize's immune system is more advanced than a normal human's anyways, right? Nothing to worry about, Ajani reassured them.

The 'mutt's eyes cracked open, and he felt as if he were burning in hell.. He groaned and then drew in a deep breath. He was all... Sweaty... And sore, and tired, and he was having trouble breathing and... He turned his head as a hissing sound came from near him, his brows arching slightly.

He had to wait awhile in order to gather strength, but then shifted and reached on over, pulling over his disgruntled leaf and setting it on his chest. "Don't worry... I... I'll be okay..." He let his eyes flutter to a close.. "Re... Reall... Really, don't worry..." He drew in a few wheezed breaths.. His leaf didn't seem convinced..

He managed a smile, "Hey... At... Atleast I'm n... Not alone..?" He was happy to hear a pleased noise at that.

He was beginning to understand this leaf better.

The young blonde Eden girl carried the orange flowerpot alone this time and stared at the several house number until she seemed to find the right one. Her face lightened up as she placed the orange one in front of the door and also pulled a small letter out of her bag. Quickly she walked away again with a content smile.




[ Please roleplay the planting scene to make your leaf develop ]

How Now Brown Cow
It had been a long while since the male had potted his little companion, and the day after that little leaf found itself stuck into the dirt, an almost constant hissing noise curled through the house. No matter how much Freize tried to persuade the leaf that being potted was for the best, that irritated noise never stopped. For a long. Long. Time.

And it was driving everyone crazy.

The weremutt was one day idly dousing his green friend in some water from he sink, and the hissing grew louder. Freize growled under his breath, pulled back the pot, and set it gruffly on the windowsil in the kitchen. He glowered at it, and was met by somehow louder hissing. The 'mutt's eye twitched, and he ground his teeth together. "STOP THAT. CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY!?" Many cursewords followed, about half of them made up.

The hissing stopped.

Freize's fingers twitched at where they rested on the sides of the pot.. It was... It stopped? He almost let out a sigh of relief, but then the guilt hit him. Hard and heavy. Like bricks. And trust me, he knew what getting hit with bricks felt like.. He cringed. "Ah... Sorry.." He waited, for some reason expecting a response. He shifted uncomfortably when the leaf gave him none.

"Oh, come on... I didn't mean it... I just... Well... Got irritated..." Still nothing.. "God, c'mon... Besides, you know the pots what's best for you... Then you can have your own body and everything, and move wherever you want. Huh, how's that sound?..." He gave an exhasperated noise. Damn stubborn leaf.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, chewing at his lower lip thoughtfully for a moment... Aha! He looked over towards the now-quiet pot, "Well, how about we get you a name, huh? Since you're gonna be a kid and all... How about... Something like.... Evarobby? How's that sound?"

The leaf now made a clicking noise, seeming pleased now that it had a name. Freize grinned. "Good? Alright... Now, I've gotta go get some work done, alright? You sit here... QUIETLY. Okay?" Silence. "Okay, good."

He was heading back towards his office when he was stopped by Ajani, who beamed at him, "You got it to stop! Thank the gods. How'd you-" They cringed.

The hissing was back at full force.

Freize groaned.

The days had been passing semi-calmly, mostly because Freize had agreed to lug around that pot ever since he returned. It got Evarobby to quiet up, atleast, and what this family considered peace (but would still horrify normal people) reigned over the household once again.

It was a lazy day, and Freize was laying sprawled out in the grass infront his house, feeling the sunlight ghost through the tree limbs, warming his flesh and occasionally drawing a contented noise from the drowsy weremutt. Little Cougar was nestled on his belly, fast asleep, and as the male stroked over his 'son's' hair he figured he would soon be joining him. It was such a nice day...

The pot was perched up securely between two tree branches, and seemed quite content there for awhile... But after the leaf noticed its two family members settle into sleep it suddenly grew frantic and wriggled about in the soil, letting out a high pitched hissing noise. Freize flinched and let his eyes flutter open, squinting up towards the pot. "What is it?" He pushed himself up into a sit after a moment or so, cradling the (miraculously) still sleeping baby in one arm carefully. "Ugh, hold on. I'm coming."

He moved to a stand, going over to pluck the pot from the tree. The humming stopped. Freize smiled sleepily and then went back onto his back on the ground, Cougar settling his head on his chest, the pot set at his side.

And then, everything faded out to a hazy memory of a single peaceful afternoon.

Freize had officially decided that he should hibernate in the summer. His mixed blood always kept out cold sensations and let in a small amount of warmth. It was a pain, as his body temperature never really changed and he never really felt any sort of change, even if he were- say, walking through snow barefoot. Nothing. Or walking over hot coals. Nothing. Maybe a soothing warmth of sorts, but nothing more.

Freize liked warm. Freize liked to sleep when he felt warm. Summer was warm. Therefore, a perfect time to go into hibernation.

He yawned and stretched out at his desk, seriously lacking sleep as the bizarre idea came to him. He looked back towards the pot at his window thoughtfully, "What do you think?"

The leaf had actually stayed quiet all day- Freize was impressed- and now let out a few soft clicky-noises. "Hibernating in the summer, I mean. Think I should do it?" A few more clicky-noises.

Freize laughed and let his head loll back and his eyes drift to a close, "Yeah, you're right... Stupid idea." Of course, he had no clue what the leaf's clicking had meant. He didn't really care at this point.

Especially because the overworked male had just conked out.

Evarobby let out a displeased hiss.

In a moment as you expect it at least the leaf suddenly starts to hiss loudly. It wiggles itself out of the earth slowly and vibrates like it has been hit by electricity. What's going on ? Now it even starts to jump !

But the leaf didn't stop the jumping business and showed off some more swirls and different stunts. All the time it was shaking heavily and now it started to glow faintly.