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 Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:07 pm
A new guardian
Talner slowed his beat-up car down to read the street sign. Ah, crap. He was lost again. Cursing a rather long string of things that should not be said in front of a child under the age of 14, the man pulled the old blue car into the nearest parking lot. "Gaia is too damned confusing," he muttered as he pulled out the map again and tried to figure out just where he was.
After a few moments of trying to figure out if he was even anywhere on the map, Talner finally looked up to see where exactly he was. "The Neo-Royal Library..." the man read aloud from the sign in front of the building. "A library. Maybe the librarian can help me figure out where I'm at..."
Talner fought for a couple of minutes with the map, trying to get it to fold up once again. "Blasted things never want to fold up properly!" He muttered as he finally got the map smaller and, with envelope in hand, headed inside to figure out just where he was and how he could get to the return address on the envelope he was holding. "Peri better be damned glad to see me after all this..." The man told himself as he pulled open the door to the library.
The first thing Talner saw as he entered was a rather peeved woman sitting at a circular desk. 'She must be the librarian,' he thought, walking up to the desk. Professor Aziza looked up at the man, her patience run rather thin by those stupid children who were always hanging around the library. One little boy had apparently taken up residence there and the woman was now very tired of trying to run him off. Poor Nathaniel was now hiding not too far from the desk, bawling after the woman's latest attempt to get him to leave. That crazy Dr. Smith told her that the boy was to stay here and seemed to have an internal sensor to when she tried to run the toddler off.
"Can I help you?" The irritated woman asked Talner. Aziza was peeved now at the thought of Dr. Smith. How dare he tell her that little children could live in her library?! She glared over at the man, who seemed to be trying to comfort the boy to no avail.
Talner pulled his attention away from the little boy and to the librarian. "Uh, yes... I was hoping you could help me figure out where I am..." The man placed the map up on the counter.
"You're at the Neo-Royal Library of Alexandria," Professor Aziza sounded as if she was speaking to an idiot.
Talner glared at the woman. "I know that. I'm trying to get here..." He pointed to the return address on the envelope, then unfolded the map. "Can you show me how to get there?"
The woman barely glanced at the address. "I'm a librarian, not a tour guide. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more important things to be doing right now..." And with that, the librarian got up from her desk to make another round of the library.
Talner blinked and sighed. "Well, so much for getting help..." He muttered as he fought with the map again to get it refolded.
"Can I help you?" The male voice from behind startled Talner. The man turned to spot the older man he'd seen with the young boy now standing behind him.
"Uh, yes... I'm trying to find my brother... I've got his address, but I'm fairly new to Gaia and am unfamiliar with this part of town..." Talner stumbled a bit over his words, trying to now unfold the map again.
Dr. Smith chuckled. "So you're lost." He grinned as Talner nodded and helped the man spread the map out, looking at the address on the envelope. As Dr. Smith studied the address, Talner found himself looking over at the little boy the man had been with only moments before. "Ah, here you are..." Dr. Smith pointed to a section of the map, turning to look at Talner, who shook his head a bit and turned his attention to the man.
Dr. Smith noticed where the younger man's attention had been. He gave a soft sigh, gesturing towards the young boy. "That's Nate. He's one of a group of kids that are often around here... His guardian abandoned him, though. I'm afraid for him. The doctors we've taken him to say that he's dying; most likely of a broken heart. Poor kid. We haven't been able to find anyone to take care of him yet..." The old man broke off as he realized that Talner wasn't listening to him anymore.
In fact, the man was walking over to where Nathaniel sat, looking out the window as if he was hoping that his guardian would return. As he got closer, Talner could see that the little boy appeared to be in pain, quite a bit of it in fact. The man took a seat by the child. "Hello there... Nate, is it?"
The boy slowly turned his gaze, his hazel eyes filled with his pain and sorrow. Nathaniel didn't nod or otherwise acknowledge Talner's question. The man felt the boy tugging at his heart. Poor kid! "Hey kid... I bet it's no fun here. There's that mean woman and no toys... and you probably have to be quiet all of the time, don't ya?"
No response from the boy. In fact, Nate turned and started to ignore Talner, looking out the window again. The man, however, was not going to give up that easily. He wasn't exactly sure why he was determined to get a response out of the boy, but he was not going to give up easily. "Whatcha looking at?" Talner asked, peering out the window, his head beside the small head.
Nate finally whispered something, something so soft that Talner didn't quite catch it. "What did you say?"
The boy repeated it a bit louder. "Momma..."
Talner looked outside the window. "Momma? You're waiting for her to come back?"
Nate nodded once. His momma was coming back. He just knew it. She had just forgotten to pick him up after class... Even if that old man said he couldn't get ahold of her... She was coming back. She had to be coming back.
Talner watched as a single tear made its way down the boy's cheek. Tenderly, he reached out to brush it away. And with that one gentle touch, Nate burst into tears. "There, there..." The man drew the child into his arms, letting the boy cry himself out against his chest.
After a few minutes, Nate's crying slowed to some sniffling and Talner glanced down at the boy. The man wiped the tears from Nathaniel's face with his thumb. After a moment's silence, Nate whispered to the man, "My momma's not coming back... is she?"
Talner didn't have the heart to confirm that. "I... I'm not sure, Nate... But... you know what?"
Nate sniffled. "What?"
"If you want to.... you could come home with me... At least until they can find your momma. Would you like that? It would be better than staying here in this library."
Nathaniel backed away from the man, drawing closer to the window and pulling his legs in close to his body, shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no.... Momma is coming back. She be sad if I not here..."
Talner didn't move. "I could leave them my phone number. Then, when your momma does come back... they can call me and I'll bring you right back."
Nate continued to shake his head. "No, no, no..."
Talner sighed and got up, going back to where Dr. Smith still stood at the desk. "You were saying earlier...?" The older man quickly pointed out to Talner where he was and where the address he was heading to was on the map. "Thank you," the younger man said, folding the map up and putting map and envelope in his pocket.
Talner glanced over to where the young boy was still looking out the window. He sighed and walked over, holding out his hand. "Hey. Wanna get some ice cream?"
Nate looked a bit startled. "But... Momma..."
The man pointed out the window. "See? There's a shop right across the street. We can go there and get some ice cream and you'd still be able to watch for your mom."
The boy hesitated for a minute and Talner, feeling that the boy was close to giving in, just remained quiet. "O...kay...." Nate finally stated, grabbing Talner's hand. "Can I get chocolate?"
Talner grinned. "Sure thing, little buddy. Anything you want." Nate managed a small smile as the two walked hand-in-hand across the street to the ice cream shop, where Talner ordered two chocolate cones.
The pair sat at one of the tables outside while they ate their treat. Nate licked slowly at his cone, thinking. "Why?" The boy finally asked the man.
Talner paused for a moment. "I...'m not sure. You just looked so sad and I felt that I had to do whatever I could to make you feel better..." He shrugged.
"But... why?"
Talner shrugged again. "I just didn't like seeing you sad, little buddy." The man reached for a napkin to wipe his mouth. "If you've finished your ice cream, I'll walk you back over to the library."
Nate looked down at his feet for a moment. "Did... did you mean it?"
Talner's eyebrows furrowed. "Mean what?"
"What you said... earlier... That I could go... home with you.... Until Momma comes back..." The boy managed, speaking softly.
Talner smiled. "Every word of it, little buddy."
Nate looked up at the man. "I... I think I'd like that..."
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:31 pm
Back at the library...
Talner hadn't expected to be back at the library so soon, but Nathaniel had wanted to go back, to make sure his mother hadn't come back while he'd been gone. So now the man was leafing through a couple of books, trying to avoid the glares that Professor Aziza kept throwing his way.
Finally, with a sigh, the man stood up. "Come on, little buddy. You've seen that she isn't here. They have my phone number and they promised to call me the moment your mother shows up."
Nathaniel didn't stir. Talner scratched his head for a moment. "Hey! Wanna go to the park?" No answer. "The zoo?" No answer. "Ice cream..?" Nate turned to look at the man, then gave a single nod. "Okay, ice cream it is." He held out his hand and the two walked across the street to the ice cream shop.
After their cones, Talner looked at the boy. "You know... I don't really have that many toys at home... what about you come with me to the toy store and you can pick out some toys?"
The little boy paused for a moment, glancing over at the library. Talner remained silent and was rewarded with a single nod from Nate. The man grinned. "Alright!"
The two got into Talner's car and were off to the nearest toy store. Once inside, Nathaniel seemed to cheer up. The boy was off and down the aisles before Talner could barely step into the store. The man grinned as Nate waved him over to look at this toy, then was running off to look at another. So much energy... Talner thought, walking after the boy.
Eventually, they left the store, Nate happily toting a bag full of toy cars and trucks. Talner was just happy to see Nate actually smiling a bit. The pair drove home, where the boy ran up the stairs to play with the cars in his room.
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:05 pm
Journal Entry: 01/29/07
That girl was one freaky kid. I'll be honest. She scared me. First off, she tells me that I'm not Nathaniel's guardian, even though the kid's been living with me for a while now. Then she tells me that I don't understand the responsibilities of being a guardian. Serves her right to have passed out after what she did.
Though I could feel the bond connect between Nate and me. The boy seems happier now and he says that he's not in pain anymore. I've actually seen him smile a couple of times now. He's still hurt, emotionally, though... I've seen him stare off into space a couple of times and get a bit teary-eyed. It'll take time for those wounds to heal, but I'm trying my best to help the kid.
-Talner Coleman
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:45 pm
Brotherly Love.... Coleman Family Reunion
An AIM RP Quote: T'rin Coleman, youngest of the Coleman brothers was happily in his own little world. Both terrifying older brothers had stayed on Earth and the man had avoided giving his new address away. The man sipped his coffee calmly, enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning cafe. Quote: Talner, using the address from Peri's Christmas card, had found out his twin's phone number. Having contacted his twin, Talner told the man that he had recently moved to Gaia and would love to see his brother. Peri had been excited, having not heard from his twin in some time and agreed to meet. Perilas suggested a coffee shop, stating that his apartment was out in the middle of nowhere and he needed to go to town anyways.
So now Talner and his newly adopted son Nathaniel were walking into the coffee shop, the man glancing around for his twin brother. He didn't have much time to scan the people sitting at the various tables as Peri walked in only moments behind his twin. The two men greeted each other with a laugh and a hug, then introduced their sons. The men told the two boys to find an empty table while they ordered coffee for themselves and some milk for the kids. Nate let Nibal lead him to a table close to where some man sat by himself. The table had had a chair stolen from it at some point by a larger group and had only three chairs. The frog boy rested a hand on one of the empty chairs at the table that T'rin was sitting at. "You using this chair?" Quote: Looking up at the question, T'rin shook his head with a smile at the kids. "Go right ahead you two. Take all the chairs you need," he said, not taking a second look at the two. The birds were singing the sky was blue.. There was only the slightly terrifying waitress who hovered predatorially in the background. The man closed his eyes with a happy smile. Quote: "Thank you, Mister." Nibal said, dragging the chair over to the table and sat down with Nate. The two boys sat in awkward silence, waiting for their fathers to return. Finaly, the frog boy noticed that Peri was scanning the tables for the boys. Nibal waved his arm, "Over here, P'las!"
The two men weaved their way through the tables to where Nate and Nibal were sitting. "Here you go, little buddy," Talner said, setting a glass of milk before Nate.
Peri was about to sit when the man at the table next to them caught his attention. With a large grin on his face, he set Nibal's milk and his coffee down and nudged Talner. When his twin looked up, Peri pointed at T'rin.
With identical evil grins upon their faces, the twins snuck around behind T'rin, then each gave him a wet willie. Quote: A loud rather girlie screech startled the birds in the sky and broke the beautiful blue sky into dark dripping shards. Wriggling free from his brothers, T'rin clapped his hands over his ears with a whimper. "Nononononononononooooo......" Bonelessly the man slid off his chair and onto the ground. He was cursed! Cursed! Most people eventually came to love their siblings. T'rin had only grown more horrified and terrified as he had grown older. And traumatized... Quote: Laughing and giving each other high-fives, the twins took the other two chairs at the table, grinning from ear to ear. "Look, Peri. It seems our dear little brother has been found."
"Aye, Tal. I bet Mom would be happy to know that we finally found our long lost sibling."
Talner nodded. "Yes, that would make our dear mother happy. To know that all three of her sons were in one world again."
"And our boys were be able to know both of their uncles now." Peri glanced over at Nibal and Nate. "Look boys. It's your other uncle."
Talner nudged T'rin. "Say hello to the boys, Uncle T'rin." Quote: T'rin muttered under his breath, "Mom knew where I was...." She had also known how desperately T'rin didn't want his brother's crashing at his place.. Again. Glancing at the two kids, the man grimaced slightly. So some woman was actually stupid enough to.. Well. He was being uncharitable. No doubt there was someone out there that could love his brothers... Even if it was just their mom. Reluctantly T'rin dragged his chair over to the table, plopping it between the two boys. He knew his evil twin brothers well enough to know that he was not getting out of their little 'family reunion'. "Er.. hello...." He muttered, glancing at the two boys. Please let them not take after the fathers.. Quote: Nibal looked at T'rin. "You're my uncle, too?" The frog boy was grinning almost as widely as his father, though with a lot more innocence. "Why didn't you just say so earlier?"
Peri nearly choked on his coffee. Trust a kid to be blunt like that. Grinning, he looked at T'rin. "Yeah, Uncle T'rin. Why didn't you just say so?"
Nate was watching quietly, sipping on his milk. This was all too new to him and a bit scary. But his father was there and was happy, so it couldn't be bad. Quote: Brilliant scarlet danced on T'rin's face. "Er... I'm afraid.. well... I didn't know." He squirmed uneasily. "Ah.. So.. er.. Peri....Wife?" He finally sputtered out, face flaming even more at the mere suggestion of.. Yeah. The man scooched a little closer to Nate, who was at least quiet and hence less likely to be terrifying. Quote: Perilas grinned at his little brother's apparent embarassment. "Nah, no wife. Wouldn't be fun, having to settle to just one woman for the rest of my life." The man wondered why T'rin had asked. "Oh! Nibal... you..." Peri laughed. "No, no. I was... selected... to adopt Nibal."
Nibal grinned at T'rin. "I was made in a lab. I get a dragon, too! That's why I was made. To raise a dragon. And P'las teaches at my school about dragons. He gets to take care of the dragons and everything. He showed me my dragon's egg a couple of times now. My egg is close to hatching, he said. Then I can take other classes that P'las tea-" The boy's long and excited speech was cut short by Peri clamping a gloved hand over the boy's mouth.
"Heh. He gets excited about dragons..." Peri said. "Oh, and... uh, don't touch his skin..."
Nibal sobered up at that. "My skin makes people sick..." The boy muttered. Quote: "...Oh...." The man, now uncle, dropped the hand he had been reaching out to offer to Nibal. T'rin directed his gaze to Talner almost dreading to ask. Of course, he probably should have expected that Nibal wasn't really related to Perilas. The skin should have been a dead give away. But some of the things he had found in his older brother's room. Well, there were all sorts of new species on this Gaia and as long as one was female... Or a really feminine looking guy.. As for Talner, T'rin wasn't even going to ask. More likely it was a mistake that hadn't been corrected soon enough. Quote: Talner noticed T'rin's gaze upon him now. "He's not mine." The man pointed at Nate. "I got lost and ended up at some library, so I went in to ask for directions and... well, I came out with him." The man had figured out the hard way that.. Gaia was really effed up. Quote: T'rin decided to simply nod. Gesturing Nate and Nibal closer, he whispered to the two. "I'm sorry about your misfortune. If you need to run away, I've got room." He nodded again. Quote: Both boys just blinked. "Huh?" Nibal asked. "I like P'las... Don't wanna run away..."
Nate was confused and decided to be quiet and drink his milk.
The twins rolled their eyes at their little brother. "Just ignore him, little buddies." Talner told the boys. "Uncle T'rin likes to be funny sometimes, even if he's the only one that thinks it's funny." Quote: And your dad's like to think their funny when all their doing is causing pain and humiliation." T'rin retorted quickly. "Or if they happen to have a 'guest' rare though that is," he added after a moment. He would actually enjoy telling them how many 'offers' of dates, marriages, oh and that woman who asked to have his babies. T'rin shuddered. At least now he could steer them towards his brothers instead of having them try again, and again. What was it with woman wanting those who wanted nothing to do with them? T'rin scooted his chair back a step, cautiously watching his brothers. Could he leave yet? Quote: The boys wondered about the first part and Nate continued to wonder about the second part. Nibal, however, blushed at the second part. Luckily, P'las didn't notice, because he and Talner were hooking their feet about T'rin's chair legs to pull him back to the table.
"Leaving so soon?" Peri asked.
"You've hardly talked with your nephews. They've never met their Uncle T'rin and who knows when they'll see him again since he tends to run away and not tell his brothers where he is..." Talner added. Quote: Gulp. Guess not. "Er.. Yes..." Crap. The man searched his mind frantically for something or other to talk to the boys about. What did he like to do when he was their age? Hide from his brothers. Not exactly something the two could relate to. "Umm... What do you two like to read?" T'rin grimaced. "Other than about dragons," he clarified. Quote: Nibal started to open his mouth, then frowned at the addtion. "All the books that P'las has are about dragons..." Then he added, "But one of my teachers when I was littler read us some books in class..."
Nate softly spoke up. "I like cars..." Quote: "Cars?" T'rin grabbed on that, ignoring his brother's. They could play catch up all they wanted. "What kinds of cars? I used to like firetrucks, and wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." A short lived desire way back when he was about three but T'rin wasn't about to admit that. Trying to draw Nibal into the conversation, he turned to ask the boy. "What about you, Nibal? Do you have a favorite type of car?" Quote: Nate grinned, a small grin, but it was there. "I like all cars. Trucks are fun too. Firetrucks make noises. And police cars and ambalanshes too. Noises are fun."
Nibal smiled. "Fast cars! I like racing cars!"
The two fathers just sat back. If T'rin wanted to ignore them, that was fine. They'd just make sure that he stayed here for a while. And that he didn't leave Gaia.... Quote: T'rin nodded sagely, going along with the conversation. "Fast cars huh.. I do too. The fast cars that make really loud noises. Too bad they don't let adults drive as fast as we want." The man squirmed a little, brain blanking. Cars.. noises... uh.... uhhh... He nearly broke down and looked to Talner for help. But no! Not after that humiliating display of childishness they had greeted him with. Tally ho! -Or something- "So.. Cars... Do you guys like to go to the park?" Quote: Nibal frowned. "Eh... park's okay. But there's lots of people there and I have to be careful they don't touch me by accident..." He preferred being at home or in P'las' office where he could take off some of the stiffling clothing that he had to wear in public.
Nate looked at T'rin. "What's a park?"
Talner's jaw nearly dropped at that question. "Your... mommy... never took you to a park??"
Nate shrugged. "Don't think so...." Talner was baffled. Quote: "You should go!" T'rin spoke up quickly, trying to think of if there was another world he could move to while they were gone. "There are a couple of really good ones around here. Even one with a small water park." No, he didn't know from experience, not at all! Quote: Nathaniel looked at his uncle. "Really? Would you come, too?"
Talner grinned at his little brother. "I'm sure Uncle T'rin would love to join us at the park sometime. Isn't that right?"
Nibal cheered up about the water park. He liked the pool. "Can we go too, P'las?" He almost cheered aloud when Peri nodded agreement. Quote: Foiled by those meddling kids! T'rin didn't really have the heart to dissapoint the boys, or the will to stand up to his brothers. "Of course," he complied with a strained smile on his face. "But another day it will have to be. I need to get going.." T'rin started to push out his chair, unsure if he would be let loose into the wild without a tracker. Scratch this coffee place off his list of places.. Quote: Nate frowned. "You're leaving?" Having had a bad past with people leaving him, tears began to well up in his eyes. "You will go to the park with us, right?"
Talner put an arm around the boy. "If Uncle T'rin says he will, then he will." The man threw daggers at his brother as if to say 'You'd better or you will experience lots of pain.'.
Peri quickly scribbled something down on a napkin. "Here. Call me. Tomorrow." His tone clearly stated that T'rin had better do what he asked. Quote: Defeat. "Er.. uh......." Gingerly the man took the napkin, half expecting it to filled with pepper or something. Surely Peri wouldn't have become responsible in his er... young age. Stuffing it into a pocket he shot a pained look at both his brothers before sighing and nodding. "I'll call...." Mentally the man began to rehearse his funeral arrangements. With that he wandered off, not even remembering to get his coffee. Quote: The twins grinned at one another as their little brother left. Having finished their coffees, the men looked at the two boys. Peri spoke up. "I guess I'll call you about going to the park."
Talner nodded. "Sounds good to me. It was nice to see you again."
"You too." And with that, the two families left for their own homes.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:59 pm
Talner's house is burning down...
Nathaniel had not been feeling all that well when he woke up that morning. He'd felt hot, really hot. Now the boy was sleepily managing the stairs. "Daddy...?" The boy softly called out, trying to find the man. He rubbed at his eyes as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Daddy...?"
Talner had almost resisted being called 'Daddy', but couldn't face the thought of Nate's sad face, so had given in. Now the man was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "In the kitchen, little buddy," he called out as he heard Nate's questioning call.
Nate turned left and sleepily walked on into the kitchen. "Daddy... I feel hot..."
Talner turned to glance at the boy and nearly cried aloud. There were burned footprints on the linoleum where Nathaniel had walked through the kitchen to where he stood now, the area about his feet turning black and bubbling. Still, the man went over and put his hand to the kid's forehead to see if he had a fever.
"Ouch!" Talner couldn't bite back that remark as he waved his hand about in the air, trying to cool it, and running over to the sink to run it under some water. He could see blisters forming from where his hand had briefly made contact with Nate.
Glancing back at the boy, Tal noticed that the boy's pajamas were scorched as well. So much for being flame-retardent, the man thought as he dig through a drawer.
Nathaniel watched as his father pulled out a handful of oven mitts from the drawer and started putting them on. Once all five or so were on, the man offered the protected hand to the boy. "C'mon, little buddy... We're going to go see that lady at the library again..."
Nate took his parent's hand, feeling wierd for the fact that he couldn't really feel a hand under that much protection. The two walked towards the front door, Talner noticing that there were burned marks on the carpet as well. I'm not looking forward to seeing his bedroom...
Once outside, Talner started to head for his car, then stopped. Nate would just burn the seats and he didn't want to have to replace even more stuff! "Wait right here, little buddy. I'm going to call someone to drive us there..."
About ten minutes later, a taxi appeared at their house. Talner opened the back door and had Nate hop in before going around to sit on the other side. He'd positioned the kid behind the driver, hoping that the driver wouldn't spot the damage for some time that way. "Neo-Royal Library of Alexandria," Talner told the driver, who had to request an address before zipping off.
Talner paid the man upon their arrival, tipping him a bit more generously than he normally would've and quickly ushered Nate out of the cab and on into the library. The man winced as smoke started to curl from under his kid's feet as they made their way over to Professor Aziza's desk. "Excuse me... where could we find Nara?"
The woman behind the desk glanced up, and immediately spotted the blackened marks upon her floor. She glared at the man before her before pointing down the hallway. "Don't touch anything!" She told the little boy who was leaving a large blackened area on the floor before her desk.
Talner quickly scurried down the hallway that the woman had pointed to, gently tugging on Nathaniel's arm to make him move faster. "C'mon little buddy... We're gonna go see Nara."
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:41 pm
Journal Entry: 06/18/07
Well, Nate seems to be learning how to control his ability a bit better, though he refuses to take off that fireman's outfit that Nara gave to him. Poor kid. He couldn't play with any of his toys for the longest time because they'd melt or burst into flames whenever he got near. Even with that outfit on, it was hard because some heat would get out after a bit.
I'm tired of washing that thing all of the time because he'll hardly take it off. I wish he'd wear other clothes....
-Talner
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:59 pm
Journal Entry: 10/16/07
Daddy took me shopping for clothes the other day, but I didn't want to get any new clothes. He kept trying to pick stuff out, but I knew that I would just burn it all up. Even if my fireman suit is getting small... at least it doesn't burn up. Daddy still bought me some clothes and insists that I wear them, but I won't. They're too nice to be burned...
Daddy keeps threatening to not wash my fireman suit, but I don't think he really means it. If only we could find a bigger one... or more of them so he wouldn't have to wash it all of the time...
-Nate
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:56 pm
When the zipper breaks... all hell breaks loose
After having Nate wear that silly fireman's uniform for so long, the two had settled into a routine. Talner would wash it while Nathaniel took his bath so that it was at least clean before the kid went to bed. Talner frowned. Even though Nate was well into his teenage years, the kid still acted like he was five. The man was beginning to wonder if the kid suffered from some sort of mental disability. After all, the boy still took baths with bubbles and boats floating away in the water. Shoot, when Talner had been that age, he'd already been out of the V club for well over a year.
Still, each of Talner's attempts to get the boy to wear some real clothes were fruitless. The boy needed another class. The last one had helped him some and he'd learned a bit of control over his ability, but the kid seemed to have problems still. As long as Nate didn't get upset or nervous, the heat radiating out from his body was tolerable to most people around him. Talner could even touch the boy without getting blisters or more than a slight heat rash from prolonged exposure.
But it was not enough. Talner knew nothing about magic or abilities or anything unrelated to physical pleasure. But surely he could reach that freaky girl at the museum and have her arrange for Nate another class. The man pondered over it as he carried the clean(er) outfit up for Nate. The clothes were showing signs of their prolonged wear. Some stains just did not come out and the seams were beginning to rip from being strained constantly.
Talner wandered back downstairs to try and find the phone number. As he was digging through a pile of papers, he heard Nate suddenly burst into tears and begin to wail. Wondering what could've happened, the man raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, to arrive and see that Nate was holding a piece of the zipper from the shirt he'd managed to somehow get on. "Daddy! It broke!!"
That was it. Talner was going to find that number and get someone to teach this boy how to control his powers so he could wear normal clothes again! The kid needed to grow up and Talner was seriously considering calling a therapist as well. "I'll see if I can fix it, Nate... but it's really getting too small for you."
Nate began to cry again. "But I'll burn anything else!!"
Talner sighed. He must find that number!
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 2:18 pm
Practice makes... burnt grass?
Nate's second class hadn't gone that well. The teacher was mean and had scared the poor boy more than helped. Talner was rather furious about the whole ordeal, but he'd hoped that maybe she would be able to still help. However, Gwyn had refused to take the boy in a class again until he learned "at least the basics!". Which was why they'd stopped in the main area of the library on the way out.
Talner had wandered about for a while before giving in and asking Aziza where he could find books on meditation. Nate was too scared of burning them to read them, but Talner checked them out. He figured he could at least read the books and summarize it for Nate later.
When they got home, Nate mumbled something about trying to practice some more. Scared for his furniture (flame-retardant was such a lie!), Talner shooed the boy out to the backyard to practice. As the comet boy headed out back, the man settled into a chair to read through the books.
With a major headache only minutes later, Talner could understand why Nate was having problems. This stuff was confusing! Plus, he'd tried it himself. Bad idea. It seemed that the harder you tried not to think of stuff, the more stuff that popped into your head. With a sigh, Talner set the books aside to read later. He glanced out the back and spotted Nate in a circle of very dry and yellowed grass.
This was going to be rough.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:48 am
If at first you don't succeed...
Talner sighed as he glanced out into the backyard, where Nate was currently standing about ten feet away from an empty soda can. As much as the man appreciated the help that Halycon had given the boy, this excessive practicing got old.
Nate held up his hand again, the smooth round stone cupped within it. He'd managed to talk his dad into buying it for him, which he was glad for. It was something he could use to focus upon without melting it or burning it. He only wished it would change colors with heat or something, but this was better than nothing.
Sighing, the boy focused upon the rock once again. He tried to imagine all the heat around his body going to it. After several moments, he grasped the rock tightly in his hand and thrust his arm forward, imagining that he was projecting all that heat forward.
There was a soft sizzle as the can melted and Nate stared at it in shock for a moment. He'd been practicing for several days now and this was the first time he'd hit the can! The boy let out a delighted yelp and jumped up and down for a moment. Why couldn't he have done something like this in his class?
The boy ran over towards the side of the house, where he'd stored several cans in anticipation of needing them. Now he wanted to make sure he wasn't just sending heat out in all directions still... so he grabbed four cans and set them in a circle about them before stepping into the middle. They were all about the same distance from him.
The boy took a deep breath and released it before starting again. He gathered the heat once more in his hand and then thrust it forward. He was rewarded again with the sound of sizzling metal and he quickly glanced at the three cans that he hadn't aimed at.
"Whoo hoo!" Nate grinned as the other cans were still intact. He quickly set the three cans up in a row before him, putting about two feet between the cans. Now to work on refining his aim and the size of his fireball attack thing...
Nathaniel repeated his actions, still holding onto the smooth rock. He would try some other time without it, but for now, he wanted to keep it as a guide. He sent his attack forward and frowned slightly as all three cans melted. He sighed and turned to walk back towards the can storage when he swayed a bit on his feet.
Talner saw and quickly opened the back door. "You gotta take a break, Nate. Come in and rest for a bit." The man smiled at the boy. "You're making good progress though."
"But, I hit all the cans," Nate waved at the three melted cans that were the result of his last attempt.
"Now, Nate, you're doing great. You've got it down to one direction. Come in and rest a bit. Wearing yourself out won't help you get any better with this..."
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:31 am
Early one morning the household awakes to find the front window busted in and the entire downstairs destroyed. Papers are flung about, cushions ripped open. It looks as if someone had been looking for something rather diligently, despite the fact that no one seemed to have heard the intruders. However, painted on the floor in front of the stairs is a large red cross, a very telling clue.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:43 pm
What the...?
Talner was up first that morning, as usual. He was stumbling towards the kitchen when he noticed the mess. "What the...?" The house had practically been destroyed. The man rushed upstairs to see if Nate was okay, slamming the kid's door open.
Nate looked up sleepily from his bed. "What's wrong, Daddy?" He asked, noticing the man's face.
"Er... come downstairs and see..." The man's tone confused Nate, who stumbled out of bed (in his power rangers pj's) to see what was going on.
"Daddy!" The boy looked around and clung to Talner. "What...?"
Talner sighed as he spotted the symbol. It appeared to be a gang of some sort. "Let's... just get this cleaned up..."
Hours later, they were sitting at the kitchen table and Talner was on the phone. "What do you mean, you don't know any gang with that sign? It's a freakin' red cross!" He was silent for a moment. "NO! I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP! COME SEE IT IF YOU WANT-" He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment. "... They hung up on me..."
"What're we going to do now, Daddy?" Nate asked, afraid.
Talner sighed. "Nothing, I guess... We need to take those books we borrowed back to the Museaum... That lady's not going to like it that they tore one of them up..."
---
"Listen, I'm telling you that a gang broke into our house and tore the place up!" Talner was explaining (for the eighteenth time) to a very frustrated Professor Aziza.
"Look, I've heard many pathetic excuses over the years, but that one tops the charts. A gang... psh."
"It was a gang!" Talner sighed. "They even left their mark painted on the floor... a big red cross."
That made Aziza pause for a moment. "Huh... sounds like someone's trying to copy the old Templars..." She chuckled and moved on to reshelve some books, not noticing the expressions on Talner and Nate's faces.
The two men exchanged a glance. "Templars??" They rushed down the hall towards Nara's office, ignoring Aziza's shout of 'No running!'.
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:19 pm
Liking taking candy from a...
Talner sighed as Nate rushed towards a candy shop. "Look Daddy! They have candy! Lots and lots of candy!" The man sighed. Here was his son, a full grown man himself, rushing towards the candy shop like a five year old. It didn't help that Nate was carrying a large staff, a rock ball, and was dressed in a Scooby Doo shirt.
Nathaniel was inside the store before his father could catch up and was eagerly looking around. His eyes fell upon an orange stick-shaped treat. The shop owner said it was pocky, a form of candy. Nate couldn't see how that stick was candy, but decided to try it.
"But you can't eat it." ... Wait, what?! Nate just stared at the shop owner.
"What...? Why?" He got a vague answer and before too long his dad was pulling him out of the store to finish their shopping trip. The candy was left in its bag and tossed into the floor of Nate's room soon after they'd gotten home...
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