quietsnooze's posts are in green, Reyna's in dark green, and mine in a lighter shade of green.. just in case someone missed the shop RP! This RP was compiled by Reyna...thank you!!
Summer breeze blows its way through every crack and tear in the building's walls, the trees that create the protective cloak around it rustling accordingly. It looks as if a storm has driven up most suddenly, thunder rumbling at a distance. Soon after, lightning fills the dark sky, illuminating the almost lonesome mansion.
Not long after the first rumble can be heard does the rain explode from the sky. It's as if someone had set a timer for its release. The thirsty grass soaks up this treat greedily, but any and all stray street occupants will want to seek shelter from this sort of surprise weather.
After being cooped up in her home for what seemed to be weeks on end with a grumpy house guest, Reyna was about ready to rip her hair out. Mystic was actually the one that suggested she get out of the house before she ended up doing more than smacking Athan upside the head. The only problem with that was that the Shadow hadn't ever been seperated from her before so he kept rattling around in her head filled with worry.
She ended up throwing up her mental walls hard enough that even she winced as she blocked him out. "Headache.. headache," she grumbled between clenched teeth as she pressed her hands to her temples. Hell, she didn't even know where she was going. She hopped on the first bus she could and then started walking when it stopped.
The surroundings were vaugely familiar but she realized as she glanced up towards the sky irritably with each step she took the sky grew darker and darker before all but emptying the contents on her head as lightening flashed through the sky.
"Nothing quite as relaxing as being drenched in pouring rain," she hissed under her breath as she pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head and walked a little faster to seek out some shelter from the storm.
Aki knocked gently, pinks cheek at the very idea of disturbing strangers. Strands of raindark blonde hair lay plastered against her face, dripping a bit slower than her soaked clothing.
Shivering, she raised her hand to knock once more...jumping at the sound of footsteps behind her. "Pardon! Pardon, excuse me?" Waving to the figure hurrying down the sidewalk as she twisted, jacket hood obscuring the figures face, Aki cleared her throat.
"Do you...know where I could find a phone? I'm, well..." Spreading her hands, the thin material of her shirt clinging in a most embarrassing manner, Aki shrugged. No phone, no umbrella...
Very little dignity.
Perhaps it can be attributed to the door needing a new lock, or some other force at work here, the well worn door of the mansion moans its way open. The rain drops come down in harder sprays, sometimes enough to sting a little when they hit flesh.
Indoors, the only light that's actually visible is the kitchen, situated at almost the back of the house. So in the moments between lightning flashes, darkness swallows up most objects with a lack of light source. The moon is blocked out by a thick, black cloud, not helping this situation one bit. One can only hope for enough light the next lightning flash to find their way around without bumping into things.
--
Stories and stories underfoot, Pippin clacks away on his laptop, waiting for the little alert to appear on his screen to say that his darling Ciara has signed online. One delayed crash makes it way to his ears, and he sighs loudly as all the electricity shut off, his computer included.
"Better get some candles and round up the kids," he murmurs to himself. He jumps slightly, having meant for that to stay in his head, but in this sort of darkness his voice is skewed into something scary. Overactive imagination at its best. Feeling his way along using the bookshelves, he leaves to the back in search of candles.
Reyna glanced up when she heard someone call out faintly over the boom of thunder overhead. She squinted blearily in the darkness and damned the fact that her depth perception was already hampered slightly. She idly trailed her fingers against the edge of her eye patch at that thought before continuing on her way along the sidewalk and nearly bumped into the figure that had called out to her only moments ago.
"Oh.. sorry," she murmured in a low voice that was barely audible over the storm that was raging above their heads, "It's a bit dark out with this storm. Didn't see you there." Her eye narrowed faintly when she realized that the girl looked a bit stranded without an umbrella or jacket to protect her from the rain.
Aki jumped as the door swung open, staring into the darkness with mouth agape. It was so dark within...a distant light seemed to illuminate the hall to one side. Turning back to see if the stranger had heard her, Aki froze once more.
It was gone!!
A sudden lightning flash proved her wrong...light spilling over the shoulders of the hooded figure. The face was swallowed within the blackness of the hood, two eyes catching the light in a most ominous fashion.
Far too ominous for Aki.
Stumbling backwards, filled with pounding fear, Aki caught her heel on the thresh hold and landed heavily on her bottom...just as the thunder rolled in a celestial growl overhead. For some strange reason, the words of her dear friend Raife sprang to mind.
Oh, snap!
Struggling to her feet, trying desperately to keep one eye on the silent figure in the rain, Aki fled into the house and made a beeline for the light. She had to get away! She had to find a phone, and...
...just like that, the power went out. Aki froze, suddenly realizing her situation. Alone in a strange house she hadn't been invited into, no doubt being pursued by the creepy rain shrouded silhouette...
She did the only thing she could, and curled up into a teeny tiny ball. Scaaaaary!!!
Soft ticking rises from the floorboards. It's very faint, originating from someplace on the opposite side of the grand staircase. From one perspective, it could sound very much like a bomb, while the other would perceive it as the tock of a grand clock..
Reyna's one visible eye widened in surprised when the girl darted off faster than she would have thought possible. She'd had people run from her before, but usually it was because she was being rude, mean, arrogant, or otherwise rather unpleasant. "Strange," she murmured faintly as she frowned and decided to trail after the skittish girl. Maybe something was wrong and she needed help. It would definately explain why she had looked so utterly lost.
She truly wasn't the sort of person to lend a friendly hand to just anyone. Her own paranoia typically kept those tendencies firmly squashed, but from what she'd glimpsed when the lightening flashed, the girl had headed into the abandoned looking house.
A house meant shelter and shelter meant no more rain pouring angrily down on her. She sighed and jogged up along the cracked sidewalk to dart into the house in hopes that it wasn't nearly so run down and would at least provide an escape from the nasty weather.
Aki uncurled slowly, face tilting towards the insistant sound. A....clock? But, the power was out!! It dawned on her slowly...perhaps it was only a fuse that was blown! If there was power elsewhere, perhaps there was a phone!!
Pushing bravely to her feet, arms outstretched, Aki followed the noise. She was getting closer! Patting something in the darkness before her, Aki's hands tried to figure out what it was. Damp, crinkly, nice rack...
Rack?!!? Meeping in absolute horror, Aki's eyes dialated abruptly as lightning flashed and sent a spray of light through the window...illuminating the creepy figure from the street. She had been followed!!
Willing herself not to faint, Aki scratched the back of her head nervously. "I...hi! I um...say, do you hear that?" Giggling unevenly, Aki tried to scoot around the terrifying...um...woman, and make her way towards the noise. Any distraction in a storm!
The door swings shut.. hopefully, due to the wind. And now, the partially broken lock jams in such a way that it shuts the door more firmly than it's been since Pippin moved in. Crazy, really.
Insulated from the rain, the ticking seems to strengthen slowly.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Until it changes to an unbearable volume, as if the device - whether clock or explosives - is right in the victim's ear.
Reyna arched a brow at the girl that she suddenly found herself face to face with. She wasn't exactly fond of having her personal space invaded, but she decided not to comment when the girl skittishly made her away around her. She was a bit odd, but she knew she hardly had room to talk when it came to quirks.
"Yeah," she replied, "I can hear that.. I'd have to be deaf not too." She squinted in the darkeness of the house before stumbling on what might have been a loose floor board. She hissed and cursed under her breath before nearly bumping into the other woman.
"Uh.. sorry," the silver haired woman murmured before straightening back up and idly running a hand through her short hair.
Gasping at the noise, Aki spun...gazing in wonder at the woman before her. It was so dark, she could barely see the reflected light shine through the cropped silver hair. It wasn't a monster after all!!!
Sighing in relief, Aki jumped as the other woman stumbled...reaching out instinctively to try to aid her. "Are you okay? I'm sorry...about before. I'm just a little jumpy."
Creeping a bit closer to where she'd originally heard the sound, squinting against the racket, Aki paused. This was it! She should be there...but, she couldn't see a thing!! It occured to her that she was still being rude...a casual apology wouldn't change that.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm...Aki!"
Something crunches underfoot, a sickening sound of breaking glass. Unrecognizable as to what the object is anymore, shards of glass are scattered around the area circling the two victims.
Following this is the scraping similar to nails on a chalkboard. The previous ticking, faded as it is, seems much more inviting than these awful noises.
Ahead, built into the grand staircase's backside, is a half-sized door, perhaps one meant for storage. It flies open with such force that the door swing and cracks against the wall, the noise mixing in with these persistant noises. The small door swings as if something originating from inside is blowing it, bursting it open..
And from this chute comes the only light. It seems to be candlelight, from the look of it, with no traceable source. A ladder awaits inside.
"Couldn't tell," she smirked faintly, "I'm Reyna." Normally when she smirked like that she simply looked smug, sort of like the a cat who had just caught the canary. In the darkness of the house it was more eerie looking than anything else. The expression faded quickly at all the strange noises that suddenly assaulted her senses in an irritating way.
Reyna gazed at the open door suspciously before easing toward it to peer down towards that flickering light that sent shadows skittering across the wall in a way that likely would have been unnerving if she weren't so used to seeing such a thing in her home on a regular basis.
"Well, Aki," she started as she poked her head inside the door and glanced down at the ladder, "Want to explore a little?" She chuckled faintly under her breath and didn't wait for a response as she climbed down the latter.
"Ex...plore?!" The next words on her lips were 'No! Not really!' but the strange woman was already departing. Chewing her lip, still shuddering from the deluge of scary noises, Aki swallowed heavily. Either she followed...
...or she stayed here all alone.
"Wait! I'm coming!! Reyna?" Whispering as loud as she could, Aki hurried towards the door, squinting in the light as she gazed down the ladder. Her stomach turned at the thought of exploring a strangers basement, but it was that or...
Another roll of thunder made up her mind. Modesty to the wind, she hurried down the ladder...skirt flouncing. "What do you see? Are there spiders?!"
Oh how she hated spiders.
Despite quite a few cobwebs, and the occasional squeaking rat, nothing can be seen or heard.. til they hit the bottom. The ladder runs out three quarters of the way, so it's a fair bit of a jump.. but the bottom is light, and the top dark. Not to mention that the door slams itself shut at the top, a lock sliding across and into place. Funny, was there a lock there before..?
The only way is down.
This way leads to the rear of the Library, where most of the more crisp books can be found. It, too, is dark, and the light that seemed to be candlelight disappears as soon as the victim touches the flooring. Instead, a faintly lit Library greets them, small and dim candles [protected in cases, of course, wouldn't want any book fires..] lighting random shelves.
"Uh.. I see," she looked up before glancing back down when she realized what exactly she could see. Somehow she figured the other girl wouldn't appreciate her looking up her skirt. "Well.. I see more lights.. looks like a library down here."
Reyna frowned when she half stepped down expecting another wrong on the latter. She glanced idly back over her shoulder before jumping down to land in a slight crouch. "You're going to have to jump," she called up to Aki, "The latter uh.. ends suddenly."
She gazed up at the woman on the latter and smirked again, though the expression wasn't nearly so creepy as it was before now that she was in better lighting. "Want me to catch you?" she teased as she stood there with her hands on her hips and watched the girl cling to the latter in her skirt. It was just sheer luck that she'd stuck to her jeans and t-shirts for the past couple of days.
Making her way down the ladder, totally oblivious to her show, Aki shook her head. "No, I'll make it! Thank you!!" Offering a nervous smile, Aki waited till the woman stepped back...jumping after a moments pause.
Landing awkwardly, skirt floofing out around her, Aki pulled herself straight once more. "Ouch. I guess I...wait. Where are we?!" Eyes going wide as she stared, Aki drifted to Reyna...unconsciously hiding just behind the other woman.
"There are candles burning! Someone must have been here recently! Perhaps we should go, but..." Glancing back, Aki sighed. They'd have to drag a table over to reach the ladder again!!
"But...perhaps we're out of luck. I wonder who could own so many books!!"
Walking forward slowly, glancing back to make sure Reyna wasn't far, Aki peered closer at the rows and rows of tomes. It was mindbending...literally. This many books shouldn't have been able to fit under the old building!!
Nostalgia washed across her as she blew gently at a layer of old dust, barely disturbing it. It reminded her so of the archives in the Temple...but that was long ago, and this was now.
Sighing as the memory faded, Aki lifted her gaze...peering father into the back. "There is more light that way!" Her feet were already moving. Perhaps, if this was a library, they would have an old phone!! The thought of making a call faded abruptly as her gaze crossed one old book in particular. Lips parting, Aki took another step towards it...hands curling and uncurling as she restrained her urge to reach forward.
It was so old!!
The outside of Aki's book is rough, as if skin of the book's own. The pages are slightly yellowed, but softer to the touch than most paper is. There is something on the front cover, but the writing is so broken that the word or words cannot be made out.
Reyna's book also has a rough feel, though much more jagged around the edges. The weight of the book, seemingly thin, is very curious. The pages are crisp and almost too white for such an old-looking book. The spine of the book is colder than the cover and pages.
Pippin lights the last of the candles, surveying the Library proudly. There! Improvisation! And he proves not to be an idiot with so many candles around so many books. With every child tucked in and asleep, he assumes there's no one around to knock or even need the candles, them being there for his own personal comfort. Tucking away the matches, he slouches down into his chair, only to catch shadowy movement in the corner of his eye.
Assuming this to be Petra and her daemon, Pippin raises again, silently sighing and making his way around the long way to investigate.
Reyna trailed along through the library with Aki before pausing before a curious looking book. She felt drawn to it, though it didn't really surprise her. She loved books and had quite an expansive collection of her own that she regularly mulled through.
"I wish my library was this large," she murmured faintly as she reached out to touch the book, fingertips idly gliding along the spine as she squinted at it interestedly. "Strange," she whispered under her breath as she noted that the spine felt sort of cool to the touch. She picked up the book and opened it to inspect its contents before glancing up when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming from nearby.
Nodding absently, Aki continued to stare at the book that had so captured her attention. She felt bad for intruding, but...
Well. Books were meant to be read, right? Reaching forward slowly, Aki's fingers closed around the spine...a shiver chasing through her. It was such a curious texture...not at all what she'd expected!!
Flipping into the book at random, Aki squinted at the words...reading them carefully as her fingers stroked against the edge of the page. So soft...
Abruptly she realized Reyna wasn't looking at the book, but staring steadily in another direction. Clutching the precious book to her chest as the footsteps reached her ears, Aki gasped in horror.
"I...think we should leave!!"
Most likely, it was too late.
"Ohhh.. ohnoes.."
Pippin pulls off his glasses, rubbing both eyes as he approaches even closer to the not one, but two shadows. Great. Grown up people, like himself.
"B-but, I locked the door!" he insists with a groan, shaking his head. "Both of you'll need to come with me.. you're not in any trouble, but you really need to know the severity of what you just did.."
Rubbing his sunglasses off on his shirt, he gestures to a slightly lopsided table across the clearing. "If you'll just set those books down on the table, I can take you to my office so we can talk in better light."
The weariness and slight concern in his voice give truth and genuinity to his words, instead of making him out to be some sort of creep who lures women to his library for his own purposes. No, in his office there are cribs, not some sort of seditives.
The silver haired woman eyed the man curiously before setting the book down. He said they weren't in trouble but what had they done that was so severe that they had to be herded into his office? She frowned at that thought but followed along after glancing back towards the book that lay open on the table where she'd left it.
"Uhm.. we just came down here because it was storming really bad," Reyna offered as she headed into the office with Aki. She reluctantly took a seat in one of the chairs before the man's desk before shuffling around the baby cribs to do so.
Really, she'd prefer to remain standing and not have her back to the door, but she did barge into the man's home and library without permission.
Aki shuffled in next...trying twice to set down the book before a successful attempt. Her vision was starting to tunnel...following almost blindly, white as a sheet, she sat beside Reyna and nodded mutely.
This wasn't going well, the poor elf was scared stiff. Centuries of experience behind her, and she still hadn't ditched the absolute feeling of mortification that struck whenever she screwed up.
How sad.
Trying to clear her throat, willing herself to stay upright, Aki clutched her tummy with both hands. Not now. Please not now.
Come morning, she'd most likely be a headline.
The thought didn't help much. Aki began to turn a bit green.
Pippin brushes messy lime hair out of his eyes, looking over the two women. "I hope you two are prepared for guardianship," he begins, finding it fitting.
"The books you opened.. for some reason, heck if we know why, they are manifested into children, those of which are in the case of that person who opened the book." He gestures wearily with a hand, smiling crookedly. "You two are the latest, er.. victims."
Setting down his sunglasses, he nudges his head in the direction of the door. "They're probably out there now. They have a piece of paper that we believe holds information important to the individual child, so keep that safe someplace. They also have a soul-connected animal.. daemon, if you will. Named after a word, and usually a quite fitting one."
He turns around, running a hand over one of the makeshift and temporary cribs. "Mine's in here," he explains softly, his tone changing affectionately. He raises his silver eyes to first Reyna, then Aki. "It's dark, so I'll come with you - I always like to see the children after they've first arrived."
He opens the office door, holding it open for the ladies.
Guardianship..? Reyna resisted the urge to groan in irritation at that word. She knew what that meant. It meant someone or something else she was going to have to look after and be responsible for. It was also how she ended up with Mystic. At the thought of him she felt him gently tugging at their bond as though begging for her to open her mind back up to him.
'Shh.. later. In the middle of something.. er.. important,' she told him before blocking him out once more to keep him from assaulting her with an entire barrage of questions. He was always so curious and nosey! Though really at this point she realized she truly didn't have any room to talk considering she'd wound up in someone else's library and opened a book she most definately shouldn't have.
She glanced idly towards the lime haired man and waited for him to shut the door of his office before following along after him.
Color returning slowly, Aki looked up with hopeful eyes. Babies?! She loved babies! Well, perhaps not so much babies themselves, but family was the most precious thing she could ever hope for. Especially considering all the trials they'd been through lately...
Rising with a bounce, much more eager than when she'd entered, Aki offered the young man a smile. "I'm Aki, by the way. Thank you for being so kind."
It was a weight off her shoulders to know he wasn't mad. After all, breaking and entering was rarely so rewarding!! Following in the steps of her newfound companions, Aki peered breathlessly forward...
Pippin grins widely. "The name's Pippin. My wife and I own the place," he explains on the walk over, glad to talk lightheartedly. Children, after all, can be very exciting, though with a quick look at the other new guardian, Pippin assumes she's less than thrilled.
"Well, I shouldn't be the first to see them," he announces, backing up slightly. "Go on ahead. Just remember where you put yours, wouldn't want a mix up!"
The silver haired woman wasn't nearly so excited as Aki seemed to be, though very little ever seemed to thrill her. She had the overwhelming tendency to blow everything off as being little interest to her, though truly it was just an easy way to hide away what she really felt.
"My name is Reyna," she offered to Pippin as they walked along before pausing briefly when the lime haired man urged them to go forward towards their books. She glanced uneasily between the two other people there before walking towards the table where she had placed the book. Her mood shifted from irritation to more open curiosity.
What had she gotten herself into now, exactly..?
Aki's mood was more than simple curiosity. This was better than Christmas!! Hurrying forward, she gave Reyna's arm a quick squeeze before peeking around the corner. Would there really be a child? Her heart would be broken it if was all a cruel joke. Besides, she'd seen stranger things...
Peering slowly, careful not to startle whatever she might see, Aki's hands curled around the edge. Where was the book?! In it's place...
...was something else entirely. Breath catching in her throat, Aki took a single step closer...straining to see in the dim light. Whatever it was, it was much bigger than a book.
A smile brightened her face slowly.
The first baby, Aki Ana's little girl from her roughly skinned book, muffles a yawn and rests her head back against her large daemon, who seems to be bending the table under his weight.
"She turned her fingers even more frantically and the winding mechanism clicked faster and faster. Then her thumb snapped past her forefinger as the knob lost its friction and revolved too easily. It fell loose and empty and turned backwards as well as forwards. She'd broken it. In vain, she shook and tapped the metal case, opened it up, jiggled it and held it to her ear in desperate hope. But the watch was dead."
Desperate, as he's named, curls his trunk around her soft cheek, shuffling his feet as the table groans accordingly. The excerpt paper is tucked neatly into the material at the baby's ankle.
Next to this pair is Reyna's, much more awake than Aki's. Rocks swivel and swirl around her outstretched hand in whirling patterns, while her quick little ghostly flame daemon zips energetically around her.
"A heavy explosion rocked the quiet morning, deafening to the ear. The walls of the tunnel crumbled. Rock fragments flew everywhere. The blast blew white smoke out of the tunnel and her along with it. When she landed she could hear the screams, and instantly she knew what her fate was decided to be."
The girl stops, her rocks hovering midair, eyes wide and reflecting what little light is flickering in the darkened Library. Shoving a finger to her mouth, the rocks fall and clatter against the wood surface of the table, slightly startling Desperate. Reyna's child's daemon, Fragments, gives the elephant daemon a bubbly, excited look before zipping around his Forgotten again. This girl's excerpt is under her leaning hand, lightly crumpled but otherwise intact.
Pippin blinks rapidly. That elephant had better not break the table.. He watches, slightly startled. None of the others showed immediate powers, and none had a daemon quite so.. heavy.
Aki walked forward slowly, offering one hand for the Daemon to smell. His trunk uncurled gracefully, reaching towards Aki's hand with a youthful eagerness. Her smile spread as the tip of the trunk snuffled and prodded against her palm...surprisingly, the smile was echoed by the tiny girl resting against his side.
Aki dropped her hand, tilting her head at the baby girl. The little one tilted her head also, sleepy eyes smiling. Carefully, Aki reached forward...stretching her hands towards the child. After a moment of doubtful staring, the girl reached back...making grabby hands at Aki.
"Hello, little one!" The tiny girl fit perfectly into her arms, the watch around her neck sliding heavily to one side as Aki shifted her. The elephant trumpeted noisily, stomping one foot on the already shuddering table. Aki winced, stepping back to make room.
"Hello to you both!! You, however, are not so little!" The elephant paid her little mind as it stepped down daintily onto the nearest chair...grunting as the chair shattered under it. Picking himself up, trunk held high, Desperate shook the kindling from his thick skin and picked his way from the wreckage.
The baby in her arms giggled. "Ooh, well if that's funny, you're in for a treat! There is way more stuff to break at my house!" Shifting the child to her other arm, balancing the weight on her hip, Aki peeked down at the tiny babe. "You're going to need a name, aren't you? Well..."
Glancing from babe to beast, Aki smiled slowly...remembering her ancient mythology. "How about...Nisha? That's a pretty name, isn't it!"
Nisha opened her mouth, staring up at Aki with a look of utter shock before cramming all four fingers of her left hand directly in. Mumbling happily as she chewed, Nisha's eyes closed slowly. Nap time wasn't over yet!!
Slipping the scrap of paper from the yellow wrap, trying not to disturb the sleepy child, Aki smoothed it out as best she could.
"She turned her fingers even more frantically and the winding mechanism clicked faster and faster. Then her thumb snapped past her forefinger as the knob lost its friction and revolved too easily. It fell loose and empty and turned backwards as well as forwards. She'd broken it. In vain, she shook and tapped the metal case, opened it up, jiggled it and held it to her ear in desperate hope. But the watch was dead."
Reading it over slowly, Aki also tried to recall Pippin's words. The elephant...this was Nisha's Daemon! It was named after one of these words, wasn't it?
The elephant flapped its ears as it stared up at her...truck questing upwards to poke Nisha in the side. The girl opened one eye and giggled, fingers slipping from her mouth to push the trunk away. Aki couldn't help but laugh...he only wanted attention!
"And you can be...Desperate. I'm Aki, little ones. Welcome to the family."
Lifting her gaze to Reyna, Aki's eyes creased with a smile. Looks like the other woman had her hands full as well! Slipping Reyna one of her name cards, golden ink displaying Aki's name, contact information, and a tiny little portrait, she stepped back with a smile.
And nearly tripped.
Desperate was right there, nestled up behind her and peering at the other pair curiously. Flapping his ears once more, he trumpeted a greeting at Fragments...lifting one foot in a friendly stomp. Aki winced as the books rattled on the shelves. She reached over to scratch Desperate atop his head, laughing nervously.
"I should get him out of here before he brings the whole place down. I'm still not sure what just happened, but...if you'd like to get ahold of me, perhaps we can share some free therapy."
One last smile, and Aki turned to nod at Pippin. He seemed to know an elephant friendly exit, so Aki followed without delay...turning to see if Reyna followed. Nisha was sound asleep again...drool dripping from her tiny fingers as her arm flopped over her side.
Hugging the girl closer, Aki hurried desperate forward with one foot...wincing as the Daemon rocked the library with his distinctive call.
It was going to be a long ride home, but Aki couldn't be happier.
Not long after the first rumble can be heard does the rain explode from the sky. It's as if someone had set a timer for its release. The thirsty grass soaks up this treat greedily, but any and all stray street occupants will want to seek shelter from this sort of surprise weather.
After being cooped up in her home for what seemed to be weeks on end with a grumpy house guest, Reyna was about ready to rip her hair out. Mystic was actually the one that suggested she get out of the house before she ended up doing more than smacking Athan upside the head. The only problem with that was that the Shadow hadn't ever been seperated from her before so he kept rattling around in her head filled with worry.
She ended up throwing up her mental walls hard enough that even she winced as she blocked him out. "Headache.. headache," she grumbled between clenched teeth as she pressed her hands to her temples. Hell, she didn't even know where she was going. She hopped on the first bus she could and then started walking when it stopped.
The surroundings were vaugely familiar but she realized as she glanced up towards the sky irritably with each step she took the sky grew darker and darker before all but emptying the contents on her head as lightening flashed through the sky.
"Nothing quite as relaxing as being drenched in pouring rain," she hissed under her breath as she pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head and walked a little faster to seek out some shelter from the storm.
Aki knocked gently, pinks cheek at the very idea of disturbing strangers. Strands of raindark blonde hair lay plastered against her face, dripping a bit slower than her soaked clothing.
Shivering, she raised her hand to knock once more...jumping at the sound of footsteps behind her. "Pardon! Pardon, excuse me?" Waving to the figure hurrying down the sidewalk as she twisted, jacket hood obscuring the figures face, Aki cleared her throat.
"Do you...know where I could find a phone? I'm, well..." Spreading her hands, the thin material of her shirt clinging in a most embarrassing manner, Aki shrugged. No phone, no umbrella...
Very little dignity.
Perhaps it can be attributed to the door needing a new lock, or some other force at work here, the well worn door of the mansion moans its way open. The rain drops come down in harder sprays, sometimes enough to sting a little when they hit flesh.
Indoors, the only light that's actually visible is the kitchen, situated at almost the back of the house. So in the moments between lightning flashes, darkness swallows up most objects with a lack of light source. The moon is blocked out by a thick, black cloud, not helping this situation one bit. One can only hope for enough light the next lightning flash to find their way around without bumping into things.
--
Stories and stories underfoot, Pippin clacks away on his laptop, waiting for the little alert to appear on his screen to say that his darling Ciara has signed online. One delayed crash makes it way to his ears, and he sighs loudly as all the electricity shut off, his computer included.
"Better get some candles and round up the kids," he murmurs to himself. He jumps slightly, having meant for that to stay in his head, but in this sort of darkness his voice is skewed into something scary. Overactive imagination at its best. Feeling his way along using the bookshelves, he leaves to the back in search of candles.
Reyna glanced up when she heard someone call out faintly over the boom of thunder overhead. She squinted blearily in the darkness and damned the fact that her depth perception was already hampered slightly. She idly trailed her fingers against the edge of her eye patch at that thought before continuing on her way along the sidewalk and nearly bumped into the figure that had called out to her only moments ago.
"Oh.. sorry," she murmured in a low voice that was barely audible over the storm that was raging above their heads, "It's a bit dark out with this storm. Didn't see you there." Her eye narrowed faintly when she realized that the girl looked a bit stranded without an umbrella or jacket to protect her from the rain.
Aki jumped as the door swung open, staring into the darkness with mouth agape. It was so dark within...a distant light seemed to illuminate the hall to one side. Turning back to see if the stranger had heard her, Aki froze once more.
It was gone!!
A sudden lightning flash proved her wrong...light spilling over the shoulders of the hooded figure. The face was swallowed within the blackness of the hood, two eyes catching the light in a most ominous fashion.
Far too ominous for Aki.
Stumbling backwards, filled with pounding fear, Aki caught her heel on the thresh hold and landed heavily on her bottom...just as the thunder rolled in a celestial growl overhead. For some strange reason, the words of her dear friend Raife sprang to mind.
Oh, snap!
Struggling to her feet, trying desperately to keep one eye on the silent figure in the rain, Aki fled into the house and made a beeline for the light. She had to get away! She had to find a phone, and...
...just like that, the power went out. Aki froze, suddenly realizing her situation. Alone in a strange house she hadn't been invited into, no doubt being pursued by the creepy rain shrouded silhouette...
She did the only thing she could, and curled up into a teeny tiny ball. Scaaaaary!!!
Soft ticking rises from the floorboards. It's very faint, originating from someplace on the opposite side of the grand staircase. From one perspective, it could sound very much like a bomb, while the other would perceive it as the tock of a grand clock..
Reyna's one visible eye widened in surprised when the girl darted off faster than she would have thought possible. She'd had people run from her before, but usually it was because she was being rude, mean, arrogant, or otherwise rather unpleasant. "Strange," she murmured faintly as she frowned and decided to trail after the skittish girl. Maybe something was wrong and she needed help. It would definately explain why she had looked so utterly lost.
She truly wasn't the sort of person to lend a friendly hand to just anyone. Her own paranoia typically kept those tendencies firmly squashed, but from what she'd glimpsed when the lightening flashed, the girl had headed into the abandoned looking house.
A house meant shelter and shelter meant no more rain pouring angrily down on her. She sighed and jogged up along the cracked sidewalk to dart into the house in hopes that it wasn't nearly so run down and would at least provide an escape from the nasty weather.
Aki uncurled slowly, face tilting towards the insistant sound. A....clock? But, the power was out!! It dawned on her slowly...perhaps it was only a fuse that was blown! If there was power elsewhere, perhaps there was a phone!!
Pushing bravely to her feet, arms outstretched, Aki followed the noise. She was getting closer! Patting something in the darkness before her, Aki's hands tried to figure out what it was. Damp, crinkly, nice rack...
Rack?!!? Meeping in absolute horror, Aki's eyes dialated abruptly as lightning flashed and sent a spray of light through the window...illuminating the creepy figure from the street. She had been followed!!
Willing herself not to faint, Aki scratched the back of her head nervously. "I...hi! I um...say, do you hear that?" Giggling unevenly, Aki tried to scoot around the terrifying...um...woman, and make her way towards the noise. Any distraction in a storm!
The door swings shut.. hopefully, due to the wind. And now, the partially broken lock jams in such a way that it shuts the door more firmly than it's been since Pippin moved in. Crazy, really.
Insulated from the rain, the ticking seems to strengthen slowly.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Until it changes to an unbearable volume, as if the device - whether clock or explosives - is right in the victim's ear.
Reyna arched a brow at the girl that she suddenly found herself face to face with. She wasn't exactly fond of having her personal space invaded, but she decided not to comment when the girl skittishly made her away around her. She was a bit odd, but she knew she hardly had room to talk when it came to quirks.
"Yeah," she replied, "I can hear that.. I'd have to be deaf not too." She squinted in the darkeness of the house before stumbling on what might have been a loose floor board. She hissed and cursed under her breath before nearly bumping into the other woman.
"Uh.. sorry," the silver haired woman murmured before straightening back up and idly running a hand through her short hair.
Gasping at the noise, Aki spun...gazing in wonder at the woman before her. It was so dark, she could barely see the reflected light shine through the cropped silver hair. It wasn't a monster after all!!!
Sighing in relief, Aki jumped as the other woman stumbled...reaching out instinctively to try to aid her. "Are you okay? I'm sorry...about before. I'm just a little jumpy."
Creeping a bit closer to where she'd originally heard the sound, squinting against the racket, Aki paused. This was it! She should be there...but, she couldn't see a thing!! It occured to her that she was still being rude...a casual apology wouldn't change that.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm...Aki!"
Something crunches underfoot, a sickening sound of breaking glass. Unrecognizable as to what the object is anymore, shards of glass are scattered around the area circling the two victims.
Following this is the scraping similar to nails on a chalkboard. The previous ticking, faded as it is, seems much more inviting than these awful noises.
Ahead, built into the grand staircase's backside, is a half-sized door, perhaps one meant for storage. It flies open with such force that the door swing and cracks against the wall, the noise mixing in with these persistant noises. The small door swings as if something originating from inside is blowing it, bursting it open..
And from this chute comes the only light. It seems to be candlelight, from the look of it, with no traceable source. A ladder awaits inside.
"Couldn't tell," she smirked faintly, "I'm Reyna." Normally when she smirked like that she simply looked smug, sort of like the a cat who had just caught the canary. In the darkness of the house it was more eerie looking than anything else. The expression faded quickly at all the strange noises that suddenly assaulted her senses in an irritating way.
Reyna gazed at the open door suspciously before easing toward it to peer down towards that flickering light that sent shadows skittering across the wall in a way that likely would have been unnerving if she weren't so used to seeing such a thing in her home on a regular basis.
"Well, Aki," she started as she poked her head inside the door and glanced down at the ladder, "Want to explore a little?" She chuckled faintly under her breath and didn't wait for a response as she climbed down the latter.
"Ex...plore?!" The next words on her lips were 'No! Not really!' but the strange woman was already departing. Chewing her lip, still shuddering from the deluge of scary noises, Aki swallowed heavily. Either she followed...
...or she stayed here all alone.
"Wait! I'm coming!! Reyna?" Whispering as loud as she could, Aki hurried towards the door, squinting in the light as she gazed down the ladder. Her stomach turned at the thought of exploring a strangers basement, but it was that or...
Another roll of thunder made up her mind. Modesty to the wind, she hurried down the ladder...skirt flouncing. "What do you see? Are there spiders?!"
Oh how she hated spiders.
Despite quite a few cobwebs, and the occasional squeaking rat, nothing can be seen or heard.. til they hit the bottom. The ladder runs out three quarters of the way, so it's a fair bit of a jump.. but the bottom is light, and the top dark. Not to mention that the door slams itself shut at the top, a lock sliding across and into place. Funny, was there a lock there before..?
The only way is down.
This way leads to the rear of the Library, where most of the more crisp books can be found. It, too, is dark, and the light that seemed to be candlelight disappears as soon as the victim touches the flooring. Instead, a faintly lit Library greets them, small and dim candles [protected in cases, of course, wouldn't want any book fires..] lighting random shelves.
"Uh.. I see," she looked up before glancing back down when she realized what exactly she could see. Somehow she figured the other girl wouldn't appreciate her looking up her skirt. "Well.. I see more lights.. looks like a library down here."
Reyna frowned when she half stepped down expecting another wrong on the latter. She glanced idly back over her shoulder before jumping down to land in a slight crouch. "You're going to have to jump," she called up to Aki, "The latter uh.. ends suddenly."
She gazed up at the woman on the latter and smirked again, though the expression wasn't nearly so creepy as it was before now that she was in better lighting. "Want me to catch you?" she teased as she stood there with her hands on her hips and watched the girl cling to the latter in her skirt. It was just sheer luck that she'd stuck to her jeans and t-shirts for the past couple of days.
Making her way down the ladder, totally oblivious to her show, Aki shook her head. "No, I'll make it! Thank you!!" Offering a nervous smile, Aki waited till the woman stepped back...jumping after a moments pause.
Landing awkwardly, skirt floofing out around her, Aki pulled herself straight once more. "Ouch. I guess I...wait. Where are we?!" Eyes going wide as she stared, Aki drifted to Reyna...unconsciously hiding just behind the other woman.
"There are candles burning! Someone must have been here recently! Perhaps we should go, but..." Glancing back, Aki sighed. They'd have to drag a table over to reach the ladder again!!
"But...perhaps we're out of luck. I wonder who could own so many books!!"
Walking forward slowly, glancing back to make sure Reyna wasn't far, Aki peered closer at the rows and rows of tomes. It was mindbending...literally. This many books shouldn't have been able to fit under the old building!!
Nostalgia washed across her as she blew gently at a layer of old dust, barely disturbing it. It reminded her so of the archives in the Temple...but that was long ago, and this was now.
Sighing as the memory faded, Aki lifted her gaze...peering father into the back. "There is more light that way!" Her feet were already moving. Perhaps, if this was a library, they would have an old phone!! The thought of making a call faded abruptly as her gaze crossed one old book in particular. Lips parting, Aki took another step towards it...hands curling and uncurling as she restrained her urge to reach forward.
It was so old!!
The outside of Aki's book is rough, as if skin of the book's own. The pages are slightly yellowed, but softer to the touch than most paper is. There is something on the front cover, but the writing is so broken that the word or words cannot be made out.
Reyna's book also has a rough feel, though much more jagged around the edges. The weight of the book, seemingly thin, is very curious. The pages are crisp and almost too white for such an old-looking book. The spine of the book is colder than the cover and pages.
Pippin lights the last of the candles, surveying the Library proudly. There! Improvisation! And he proves not to be an idiot with so many candles around so many books. With every child tucked in and asleep, he assumes there's no one around to knock or even need the candles, them being there for his own personal comfort. Tucking away the matches, he slouches down into his chair, only to catch shadowy movement in the corner of his eye.
Assuming this to be Petra and her daemon, Pippin raises again, silently sighing and making his way around the long way to investigate.
Reyna trailed along through the library with Aki before pausing before a curious looking book. She felt drawn to it, though it didn't really surprise her. She loved books and had quite an expansive collection of her own that she regularly mulled through.
"I wish my library was this large," she murmured faintly as she reached out to touch the book, fingertips idly gliding along the spine as she squinted at it interestedly. "Strange," she whispered under her breath as she noted that the spine felt sort of cool to the touch. She picked up the book and opened it to inspect its contents before glancing up when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming from nearby.
Nodding absently, Aki continued to stare at the book that had so captured her attention. She felt bad for intruding, but...
Well. Books were meant to be read, right? Reaching forward slowly, Aki's fingers closed around the spine...a shiver chasing through her. It was such a curious texture...not at all what she'd expected!!
Flipping into the book at random, Aki squinted at the words...reading them carefully as her fingers stroked against the edge of the page. So soft...
Abruptly she realized Reyna wasn't looking at the book, but staring steadily in another direction. Clutching the precious book to her chest as the footsteps reached her ears, Aki gasped in horror.
"I...think we should leave!!"
Most likely, it was too late.
"Ohhh.. ohnoes.."
Pippin pulls off his glasses, rubbing both eyes as he approaches even closer to the not one, but two shadows. Great. Grown up people, like himself.
"B-but, I locked the door!" he insists with a groan, shaking his head. "Both of you'll need to come with me.. you're not in any trouble, but you really need to know the severity of what you just did.."
Rubbing his sunglasses off on his shirt, he gestures to a slightly lopsided table across the clearing. "If you'll just set those books down on the table, I can take you to my office so we can talk in better light."
The weariness and slight concern in his voice give truth and genuinity to his words, instead of making him out to be some sort of creep who lures women to his library for his own purposes. No, in his office there are cribs, not some sort of seditives.
The silver haired woman eyed the man curiously before setting the book down. He said they weren't in trouble but what had they done that was so severe that they had to be herded into his office? She frowned at that thought but followed along after glancing back towards the book that lay open on the table where she'd left it.
"Uhm.. we just came down here because it was storming really bad," Reyna offered as she headed into the office with Aki. She reluctantly took a seat in one of the chairs before the man's desk before shuffling around the baby cribs to do so.
Really, she'd prefer to remain standing and not have her back to the door, but she did barge into the man's home and library without permission.
Aki shuffled in next...trying twice to set down the book before a successful attempt. Her vision was starting to tunnel...following almost blindly, white as a sheet, she sat beside Reyna and nodded mutely.
This wasn't going well, the poor elf was scared stiff. Centuries of experience behind her, and she still hadn't ditched the absolute feeling of mortification that struck whenever she screwed up.
How sad.
Trying to clear her throat, willing herself to stay upright, Aki clutched her tummy with both hands. Not now. Please not now.
Come morning, she'd most likely be a headline.
The thought didn't help much. Aki began to turn a bit green.
Pippin brushes messy lime hair out of his eyes, looking over the two women. "I hope you two are prepared for guardianship," he begins, finding it fitting.
"The books you opened.. for some reason, heck if we know why, they are manifested into children, those of which are in the case of that person who opened the book." He gestures wearily with a hand, smiling crookedly. "You two are the latest, er.. victims."
Setting down his sunglasses, he nudges his head in the direction of the door. "They're probably out there now. They have a piece of paper that we believe holds information important to the individual child, so keep that safe someplace. They also have a soul-connected animal.. daemon, if you will. Named after a word, and usually a quite fitting one."
He turns around, running a hand over one of the makeshift and temporary cribs. "Mine's in here," he explains softly, his tone changing affectionately. He raises his silver eyes to first Reyna, then Aki. "It's dark, so I'll come with you - I always like to see the children after they've first arrived."
He opens the office door, holding it open for the ladies.
Guardianship..? Reyna resisted the urge to groan in irritation at that word. She knew what that meant. It meant someone or something else she was going to have to look after and be responsible for. It was also how she ended up with Mystic. At the thought of him she felt him gently tugging at their bond as though begging for her to open her mind back up to him.
'Shh.. later. In the middle of something.. er.. important,' she told him before blocking him out once more to keep him from assaulting her with an entire barrage of questions. He was always so curious and nosey! Though really at this point she realized she truly didn't have any room to talk considering she'd wound up in someone else's library and opened a book she most definately shouldn't have.
She glanced idly towards the lime haired man and waited for him to shut the door of his office before following along after him.
Color returning slowly, Aki looked up with hopeful eyes. Babies?! She loved babies! Well, perhaps not so much babies themselves, but family was the most precious thing she could ever hope for. Especially considering all the trials they'd been through lately...
Rising with a bounce, much more eager than when she'd entered, Aki offered the young man a smile. "I'm Aki, by the way. Thank you for being so kind."
It was a weight off her shoulders to know he wasn't mad. After all, breaking and entering was rarely so rewarding!! Following in the steps of her newfound companions, Aki peered breathlessly forward...
Pippin grins widely. "The name's Pippin. My wife and I own the place," he explains on the walk over, glad to talk lightheartedly. Children, after all, can be very exciting, though with a quick look at the other new guardian, Pippin assumes she's less than thrilled.
"Well, I shouldn't be the first to see them," he announces, backing up slightly. "Go on ahead. Just remember where you put yours, wouldn't want a mix up!"
The silver haired woman wasn't nearly so excited as Aki seemed to be, though very little ever seemed to thrill her. She had the overwhelming tendency to blow everything off as being little interest to her, though truly it was just an easy way to hide away what she really felt.
"My name is Reyna," she offered to Pippin as they walked along before pausing briefly when the lime haired man urged them to go forward towards their books. She glanced uneasily between the two other people there before walking towards the table where she had placed the book. Her mood shifted from irritation to more open curiosity.
What had she gotten herself into now, exactly..?
Aki's mood was more than simple curiosity. This was better than Christmas!! Hurrying forward, she gave Reyna's arm a quick squeeze before peeking around the corner. Would there really be a child? Her heart would be broken it if was all a cruel joke. Besides, she'd seen stranger things...
Peering slowly, careful not to startle whatever she might see, Aki's hands curled around the edge. Where was the book?! In it's place...
...was something else entirely. Breath catching in her throat, Aki took a single step closer...straining to see in the dim light. Whatever it was, it was much bigger than a book.
A smile brightened her face slowly.
The first baby, Aki Ana's little girl from her roughly skinned book, muffles a yawn and rests her head back against her large daemon, who seems to be bending the table under his weight.
"She turned her fingers even more frantically and the winding mechanism clicked faster and faster. Then her thumb snapped past her forefinger as the knob lost its friction and revolved too easily. It fell loose and empty and turned backwards as well as forwards. She'd broken it. In vain, she shook and tapped the metal case, opened it up, jiggled it and held it to her ear in desperate hope. But the watch was dead."
Desperate, as he's named, curls his trunk around her soft cheek, shuffling his feet as the table groans accordingly. The excerpt paper is tucked neatly into the material at the baby's ankle.
Next to this pair is Reyna's, much more awake than Aki's. Rocks swivel and swirl around her outstretched hand in whirling patterns, while her quick little ghostly flame daemon zips energetically around her.
"A heavy explosion rocked the quiet morning, deafening to the ear. The walls of the tunnel crumbled. Rock fragments flew everywhere. The blast blew white smoke out of the tunnel and her along with it. When she landed she could hear the screams, and instantly she knew what her fate was decided to be."
The girl stops, her rocks hovering midair, eyes wide and reflecting what little light is flickering in the darkened Library. Shoving a finger to her mouth, the rocks fall and clatter against the wood surface of the table, slightly startling Desperate. Reyna's child's daemon, Fragments, gives the elephant daemon a bubbly, excited look before zipping around his Forgotten again. This girl's excerpt is under her leaning hand, lightly crumpled but otherwise intact.
Pippin blinks rapidly. That elephant had better not break the table.. He watches, slightly startled. None of the others showed immediate powers, and none had a daemon quite so.. heavy.
Aki walked forward slowly, offering one hand for the Daemon to smell. His trunk uncurled gracefully, reaching towards Aki's hand with a youthful eagerness. Her smile spread as the tip of the trunk snuffled and prodded against her palm...surprisingly, the smile was echoed by the tiny girl resting against his side.
Aki dropped her hand, tilting her head at the baby girl. The little one tilted her head also, sleepy eyes smiling. Carefully, Aki reached forward...stretching her hands towards the child. After a moment of doubtful staring, the girl reached back...making grabby hands at Aki.
"Hello, little one!" The tiny girl fit perfectly into her arms, the watch around her neck sliding heavily to one side as Aki shifted her. The elephant trumpeted noisily, stomping one foot on the already shuddering table. Aki winced, stepping back to make room.
"Hello to you both!! You, however, are not so little!" The elephant paid her little mind as it stepped down daintily onto the nearest chair...grunting as the chair shattered under it. Picking himself up, trunk held high, Desperate shook the kindling from his thick skin and picked his way from the wreckage.
The baby in her arms giggled. "Ooh, well if that's funny, you're in for a treat! There is way more stuff to break at my house!" Shifting the child to her other arm, balancing the weight on her hip, Aki peeked down at the tiny babe. "You're going to need a name, aren't you? Well..."
Glancing from babe to beast, Aki smiled slowly...remembering her ancient mythology. "How about...Nisha? That's a pretty name, isn't it!"
Nisha opened her mouth, staring up at Aki with a look of utter shock before cramming all four fingers of her left hand directly in. Mumbling happily as she chewed, Nisha's eyes closed slowly. Nap time wasn't over yet!!
Slipping the scrap of paper from the yellow wrap, trying not to disturb the sleepy child, Aki smoothed it out as best she could.
"She turned her fingers even more frantically and the winding mechanism clicked faster and faster. Then her thumb snapped past her forefinger as the knob lost its friction and revolved too easily. It fell loose and empty and turned backwards as well as forwards. She'd broken it. In vain, she shook and tapped the metal case, opened it up, jiggled it and held it to her ear in desperate hope. But the watch was dead."
Reading it over slowly, Aki also tried to recall Pippin's words. The elephant...this was Nisha's Daemon! It was named after one of these words, wasn't it?
The elephant flapped its ears as it stared up at her...truck questing upwards to poke Nisha in the side. The girl opened one eye and giggled, fingers slipping from her mouth to push the trunk away. Aki couldn't help but laugh...he only wanted attention!
"And you can be...Desperate. I'm Aki, little ones. Welcome to the family."
Lifting her gaze to Reyna, Aki's eyes creased with a smile. Looks like the other woman had her hands full as well! Slipping Reyna one of her name cards, golden ink displaying Aki's name, contact information, and a tiny little portrait, she stepped back with a smile.
And nearly tripped.
Desperate was right there, nestled up behind her and peering at the other pair curiously. Flapping his ears once more, he trumpeted a greeting at Fragments...lifting one foot in a friendly stomp. Aki winced as the books rattled on the shelves. She reached over to scratch Desperate atop his head, laughing nervously.
"I should get him out of here before he brings the whole place down. I'm still not sure what just happened, but...if you'd like to get ahold of me, perhaps we can share some free therapy."
One last smile, and Aki turned to nod at Pippin. He seemed to know an elephant friendly exit, so Aki followed without delay...turning to see if Reyna followed. Nisha was sound asleep again...drool dripping from her tiny fingers as her arm flopped over her side.
Hugging the girl closer, Aki hurried desperate forward with one foot...wincing as the Daemon rocked the library with his distinctive call.
It was going to be a long ride home, but Aki couldn't be happier.
