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 Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:36 am
Elias cocked his head at the older boy, he didn't think Haze would mind if they didn't get her anything at all. But if Althalus thought they ought to then they would. So long as it was reasonable.
As the stroller stopped, Elias peered up at the stall's contents. They were all so brilliant and sparkly. At the question he clapped and gurgled in delight. "Ya! Ya!" He reached upward at the shiney objects, fingers clenching and unclenching at thin air.
Is? Habi cawed, Habi try! Habi try! She declared, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration. She wanted pretty pink paws and bright yellow wings. But of course when she opened her eyes, she saw she was still the same. Her wings and tail drooped in disappointment, Is no easy for Habi... she whimpered to Stealth, her cobweb tail brushing dust and dirt all over the floor.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:54 am
Maybe you should keep practising, huh? said Stealth solemnly, though she did feel slightly guilty. She was sure it was just a special her thing anyway.
"Hmm. Let me go ask and see how much we have to spend, huh?" He pushed the stroller over to the stall. Having the kid with him was going to make a perfect alibi...
"Hey, mister, how much is that one?" He asked, eyes wide and his tone dropping a little more childlike as he pointed at a necklace, silver with a pendant stone in sunset colours of gold and red and purple. Leaning down he smiled at Elias, tone bright and agreeable and purely for the merchant's benefit.
"Mother would love something like that for her birthday, wouldn't she?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:48 pm
Elias was a little confused by Althalus' words. Mother? Weren't they getting something for Haze? Unless the older Forgotten meant they were getting something for his mother as well. And what was a birthday? The infant cooed, his tone almost questioning Althalus of what he meant.
Of course, the merchant might interpret the infant's reaction as doubt on the quality of the his wares. Then again, it might just be gas as most adults would assume.
Uninhabited began to preen herself with her beak, Mmmkay, Habi pwaktis. She paused, What pwaktis mean? she cawed, wide eyes staring up at Stealth.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:00 am
"Oh, you think so?" Althalus affected astonishment, and then smiled back at the merchant. "Our mother loves those colours though..."
"It's too much for you, kid," replied the seller with a kind smile. What a nice pair of siblings, to be so earnest about this present. "Maybe next time."
"Aw man, really?" Althalus looked disappointed, and then sighed. "Come on then, Elias, we'll go find something else." And he turned away with the stroller, shoulders slumped slightly, and soon managed to make them disappear in the crowd.
Stopping in a doorway a little way off, the disappointed mask evaporating, Althalus grinned. He crouched down by the stroller, and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"And that's how you get a nice close look at all the shinies, see? But we're not going to get the one we asked after. We'll get Miss Haze a bracelet, the one that was on the edge of the stall. You think she'd like?"
Stealth wriggled down Althalus shoulder to perch in the crook of his elbow, skin changing colour once again to match her surroundings.
Practise means try again tomorrow, and if it still doesn't work try again after that, k? She tried not to sound officious, well too much so anyway.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:42 am
Elias was now thoroughly confused. If they weren't going to get the necklace, why did he ask about it in the first place? He scratched his head, chubby fingers running through his dark hair as he struggled to make sense of Althalus' intentions. Were all older Forgottens this complicated?
The bracelet on the edge of the stall? Elias couldn't remember which one it was, he had been a little too focused on the necklace. But maybe Haze would like it, if she didn't mind slathering her face with gunk every night, sure she'd be able to appreciate a bracelet.
A trusting smile graced the infant's lips as he nodded, "Ya."
Uninhabited cocked her head as she listened intently to the wise daemon. She cawed brightly, cobweb tail once more raised. Kay! Tomorrow I try again! She was sure to get it right one of these days. Stealth like shinies? she asked, recalling Prison who seemed to have a penchant for shiney objects.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:54 am
Everyone likes shinies. But you know, sometimes the coolest things aren't shiny at all, did you know that? Stealth nodded solemnly, before scrabbling further down her bondmate's arm and hiding inside his sleeve in preparation.
"Great! You know what? I'll be back in a minute, and then we'll be done." Althalus straightened up with a bounce in his step, carefully pulling off his bandana and attempting to flatten down the flyway wisps of his hair into something that looked different. Pocketing it he smiled, and nodded to Elias.
"You and Habi can keep watch, okay?"
Leaving a baby and a stroller alone for less than a minute was fine, right? The daemon would certainly set up a loud enough racket if anything bad happened. He didn't actually have any wish to irresponsible in this case, and with a faint frown Althalus shook his head, before darting back into the crowd. Left, right, under this lady's arm..... he approached the stall at just the right angle, keeping himself hidden behind a lady who was leaning over the wares and talking animatedly to the owner. Darting out one arm underneath her one, his narrow fingers brushed against the silver links of the bracelet on the edge, glinting on the black cloth. And in a moment it was in his hand, and in his pocket, and he was away, circling in a different direction from the one he had came, trying to keep his heartbeat from sounding so loud. He'd done this how many times, and he still felt this way? Resisting the urge to giggle nervously, he wove back in a roundabout fashion back towards Elias and Habi.
With a cheery wave to the baby he caught one hand to the stroller, starting to move it on again as he used his other hand to jam his bandana back on his head again.
"All done!" He almost sang in a low voice as they moved away.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:56 pm
Elias craned his neck as far as it would go, and still he couldn't see where Althalus was. The older Forgotten moved too quickly and too stealthily for him and Habi to see. The infant tugged at the straps again, harder, more forceful. A snap and a crack later, the stroller had caved in on itself, sending the infant tumbling to the ground.
The fall didn't hurt, nor did it surprise him too much. It had been what? The fourth stroller that had broken? He whimpered as he inspected the ruined contraption, while he didn't being in it, he knew it would just be replaced within a day or two.
With the rust covering the metal bars and the worn, frayed patches of the seat-cover you'd have thought the stroller had been left outside for years. Uninhabited squawked and flapped her wings in distress, No hurt? No hurt? she asked her bonded.
Elias shook his head and hugged Habi tightly to him. The only on his mind was what was Althalus going to say when he saw this?
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