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 Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:40 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:24 am
[ Reserved for coming home]
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:27 am
 "And so this is Laurel, your new little sister," said Kel-chan gaily, setting down the green-haired babe beside a mystified Althalus. "Why don't you go say hello?" She got up from her crouching position and went to sit on the sofa, half an eye on her two children and half on her book.
Althalus stared suspiciously at the cooing baby. Who was this? An usurper of his place as the youngest? Stealth curled her tail a little tighter round his throat, black eyes glittering as she observed the Painted Soul, who was currently chewing her finger.
Good/bad thing?
Know not...
Find out maybe.
The small boy stepped a little closer before sitting down opposite the tree-babe. He smiled brightly; no sense in making enemies unless he had to! He allowed his lizard-daemon to run lightly down his arm and drape herself carelessly across his wrist, front legs around it and head on the back of his hand. He raised said hand up a bit, stretching it forward towards Laurel.
"Al'thus me. An' see Stealth too. You Laur'?"
The baby looked up a little incomprehensibly. She transferred the chewing of the finger to the chewing of a lock of grass-green hair that dangled in front of her face, and allowed the toddler a curious smile before waving her arm excitedly at the little creature she perceived on his hand.
"La, la!" She cried excitedly, leaning forward on her hands and knees to get a closer look. Stealth flinched back a little, but held her ground. There was no way she would let those flailing fingers touch her; but at least there was curiousity about her. Althalus however pulled his hand back a little, trying to make a stern face.
"No touch, Laur'!"
Laurel didn't understand, but giggled merrily at the shiny bronze creature who finally darted back to the boy's shoulder. Such pretty! Unnoticed for a moment, she shook her head vigourously before sitting back on her bottom. A golden leaf drifted out of her hair, and floated to a stop beside her knee.
Althalus' sharp eyes didn't miss the leaf. That would be something to put aside in his pretties stash! He didn't actually keep that many of the things he picked up; to him, it was the getting of them, not the keeping. But there were a few things that he kept underneath his cot as specials, mainly golden things. A coin from under the sofa, an earring from the street, a sparkly feather from someone's jacket...
As if suddenly noticing where the Forgotten was looking, Laurel glanced down at her knee. Seeing the gilded leaf, she picked it up with a small sad noise, trying to fix it back in her hair with the others. But chubby baby fingers are no good at fastening; it escaped her grasp once more and floated away. The tree-babe's face began to crumple up; the leaf wouldn't go back!
Seeing her about to cry, Althalus hastily reviewed his plan. She seemed nice enough, no need to put her on the list of 'bad people'... not just yet anyway. In Althalus' world, there were people who could be trusted and people who could not. But this little person was too little to be a threat to him. He reached out clumsily to pat her shoulder, concern in his brown eyes.
"Don' cry Laur'l, see look, leaf!" With his slightly bigger body he was able to reach right sideways and snag the golden delicate thing, waving it in her face. The baby stopped snuffling and looked up, emerald eyes bright.
"La!" She said happily, the tears vanishing instantly. But no amount of fiddling with her hair would make the leaf reattach. Laurel harrumphed slightly, and then had an idea. She proffered the leaf to her big brother, eyes wide. She couldn't use it; perhaps he wanted it!
Althalus took the leaf carefully, grinning at the little girl. Hey, he didn't get to appropriate it himself, but now she had given it to him. His mouth opened in a gappy smile where he still had some teeth to come through.
"T'ankyou Laur'!" He said, holding the golden leaf before him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:40 am
Small fists, twitching. Eyelashes half-fluttering open, a small sigh in her sleep.
Laurel was dreaming.
-------------zzzzzzzzzzzz
Sunlight streamed across the endless field, grasses swaying lightly in the zephyr that twirled across the plain. A low rise swelled up in the middle of the field, the little hill allowing a view across the verdant acres to the casual observer. And on top of the hill... a tree. A huge tree, oak of some sort, but with purely unique leaves dancing on the ends of the branches. The sunlight dappled down onto the fresh grass, leaf-shadows marking the floor with patches of coolness. And she was there, curled up against the trunk of the welcoming tree, bark warm and rough against her skin. Laurel smiled delightedly, and clapped her hands together lightly, feeling a supreme contentment as the wind pushed her green curls against her cheek.
Sitting upright with some difficulty, she peered wide-eyed at the scene around her. One small chubby hand was pressed against the bark still, and sunlight played across her face. Why did this feel like ? Her little head turned, allowing a golden leaf to flutter out of her hair. Staring upwards into the branches, she watched with no surprise as an identical leaf spiraled down out of the branches above, green becoming gilded with sunshine gold as it fluttered lazily to rest in her hair once more.
"Laaaa," mouthed the baby, sticking her spare fist automatically into her mouth. The other still rested on the tree trunk, as if she needed its support and strength.
Laurel does need me
I need thee
Thee and I are one
And I will die without thee
As thou might die when I go
Branch sap leaf bark
Rejoice in the sunshine!
zzzzzzzzzzz---------------
The baby's eyes snapped open, round in the darkness. And she felt something hard and small in her palm, soft shoots just breaking out of the shell they were encased in. A sprouting seed, an acorn through to sapling. Laurel smiled softly, and drifted back to sleep.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:40 pm
Around the corner came two slightly oversized boots, inside these boots was Ilusen. A pair of headphones rested upon her head, in fact she was never seen without them. And despite many a warning of future deafness they were turned up loud as usual.
She scrambled in her pocket for the piece of paper where she had scribbled down the address she had gotten from The PS gallery. Yes, this was the right place, thank god. She swung open the gate and trotted up the garden path, suddenly starting to feel rather shy.. "Maybe i should just leave it on the doorstep.. im sure she'll find it" Ilu thought to herself deciding just that she swung her satchel around from her back and took out a brightly wrapped giftbox she placed it upon the doorstep then turned on her heel and headed back down the path. Shooting back as she forgot to leave the note she had written.  (clickit!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v719/Raitta/snuggletush/Ilusentag.pngnote Hey Kel! im so happy to see that Laurel has finally arrived! I was doing some shopping and thought of you and your little girl, so i thought i drop a gift off for her, may she enjoy it
Luv Ilusen xxx
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:39 am
 Laurel was fretting, which was an unusual occurance. Her Astra sister sitting beside her on the sofa looked over with a small frown; what was wrong? The Painted Soul was often overlooked in her noisy family; usually so quiet, sitting serenly in her own little world and smiling at everyone. But not today.
It was about mid-morning, and the househols was scattered about; Kel and Althalus had gone to the FD House to visit the little boy's friends, Daniel was out doing something wolfy (who knows where he went half the time?); Alex was in an odd mood and had shut herself up in the room she shared with Auriga and had turned her music right up, and Ralph was outside like he had been since before breakfast, working out in the garden.
Auriga and Laurel were in the lounge. Callisto was snoozing on the seat on one side of the Astra girl, the small Rishlan almost dead to the world, ribbons and tail drooping. Auriga was wearing a skirt, denim today, as usual; she hated wearing trousers, as they showed up her lack of leg even more. She was sitting with it curled underneath her today, perhaps unconsciously echoing her sister, but finding it a comfortable enough position in which to read her book. Laurel however was wearing one of her brown and gold dresses as normal, sitting on the sofa and burbling quietly as she tried to reach her toes, which were unusually encased in green tights. Laurel had only experienced summer; the little dresses she wore were more than enough for the heat, but now it was the end of summer, and you could tell that the evenings were getting much cooler.
"Maybe that's why you're upset," the Astra said, putting aside her book about the Northern Lights and gathering her little sister into her lap. She had begun to properly cry now, pressing her tearstained face into her purple sweatshirt and clutching inefficitvely with a balled up face, green curls the only thing visible of her head. "Hush, hush baby. What's that you've got there?"
Auriga pried curiously at the baby's fingers, causing her sister to look up suddenly and stare roundeyed at her. Laurel could not decide whether to let her look or to gladly give it, because there was wrong with it...
The chubby baby hand was no match for the teenager's gentle fingers, however, and Auriga blinked. An acorn of some kind was clenched in the girl's hand, but not like one she had ever seen. It was a warm, golden brown in colour, and as she turned it over she could see the shell was splitting slightly and the beginnings of shoots peeked out. Very very odd.
"Where did you get this, sweetling?" Laurel looked up at her wordless with big eyes.
"Ralph!!" Auriga raised her voice to a yell and directing it towards the window. A minute later she turned her head to look at the patio door as it slid open. About a month ago now Kel had had one end of the wall between the pet's room and the living room knocked down, to make the room bigger and to be able to get straight to the garden. And Ralph's head peered round the door now, blue eyes still startling in that deep brown face.
"You called, milady?" He said wryly.
"Come and look at this." In a way the Astra was a little sad that she could not just jump up herself and go to the garden; but yelling would have to do. She wrinkled her nose minutely as the Earth Raimin came further in; there was absolutely nothing to show, but she did wish he would put some clothes on now and then.
"Look what Laurel was holding," she said, going to stretch out her hand and finding a baby one clinging to the side of it steadfastly. It seemed Laurel did not want her acorn going out of grabbing range. Ralph blinked as he bent over to have a closer look.
"An acorn, or a seed," he said curiously. "And sprouting already?" He turned to address himself solemnly to the baby, although she obviously couldn't understand him. "Young lady, this needs to be planted if it wants to live." He winked at Auriga, who let her hand tip gently to make the seed roll toward's Laurel, who grabbed it firmly again. "Coming?"
The Astra gladly handed him the baby and scrabbled down the front of the sofa to find her applewood crutch on the floor. Ralph waited patiently as she hefted it up and adjusted her grip; he knew better than to offer any help. Auriga levered herself up and then swung lightly alongside the Raimin and his snuffling burden and out into the garden.
The garden had been a haven over the summer, every one of Kel's family enjoying the sunshine and getting out as much as possible. Auriga was perfectly happy to curl up outside with a book instead of playing videogames, especially in the sunshine, and the babies loved playing outside. Ralph had been careful in it's upkeep, and Auriga nodded approvingly as she looked around the neat flowerbeds and at the patch of earth where at last that ground ivy had been removed.
"Had a busy morning, Ralph? This looks nice," she said conversationally as they headed towards that bare patch. The Raimin flashed her a grin as he knelt down and placed Laurel carefully down beside him. The Astra joined them as Ralph studied the patch with a slight frown, looking about the garden.
"This is a tree, if I'm not mistaken. And I think if I put it to the side here it should be far enough from the tyre swing tree and the apple tree. If not I guess we can replant it once it's a sapling." Auriga nodded, her face blank but nevertheless trusting the Raimin knew what he was doing. He leant forward and began scraping a shallow depression with long fingers, creating a little hole. He then solemnly held his hand out. Laurel, her tears vanished now that she was in the garden, squealed happily and clapped one hand against the ground before dropping her acorn into his palm. Ralph held it delicately before placing it neatly in the centre of the hole and scooping a couple of handfuls of earth back over to cover it.
"Now for some water!" he sid, jumping to his feet and heading to the shed. Auriga grinned at Laurel, who had firmly pushed herself forwards and now crawled almost ontop of where the acorn was, patting the earth down as she had seen Ralph do. For some reason she could still feel that dream acorn down there, nestling under the earth and waiting with anticipation to grow. The treebabe laughed again and turned shining eyes to her sister.
This was Laurel's tree now, a part of her.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 8:28 am
October 1st Kel stood hesitantly at the front of the large building. She hadn't been back there since she'd found her little girl...
Laurel burbled softly, cradled on her mother's hip and fingers intertwining round the gold necklace ensconsed around her neck. Green curls covered her eyes in a messy way; the little girl's hair was normally pretty ordered, but every so often would stubbornly resist the comb, twining around as if alive. Green eyes smiled as Laurel giggled. She knew where she was!
Kel-chan unconsciously smiled at the soft giggle, and sighed before striding up to the door.
"Hello?""HELLO!" The door creaked open. If one looked down far enough, one would see the blonde baby Cole smiling through the doorcrack, his chubby hands doing his best to open it fully. When the task was completed, a full view of the gallery was revealed. It was mostly empty, a bottle of Windex on the TV stand, and dust rags scattered here and there. It was apparent Marissa had just finished cleaning. In fact, the aforementioned herself was asleep on the couch, unawares of her son running rampant.
Upon closer inspection, one also might catch the sight of a diaper and a tunic laying in one corner of the room. Cole was naked again.The redhead blinked at the loud greeting. And the small boy from whom the greeting issued, and his lack of clothes.
"Um, hello," she said cautiously, peering further round the door to see if she could spy an adult. Wait, wasn't that Marissa over there? THat must mean... Cole. She thought, anyway. "Can I come in, Cole?"
As her mother leant forward, Laurel giggled and let herself fall even further forward, one hand gripping Kel's shirt and the other flailing down at the other Painted Soul. He looked funny! "Of curse welcome home, and your day was HOW?" he said proudly, mimicking as he had heard Marissa say to Jamie so many times. Her ran into the room to grant passage. Grinning, he giggled up at the other baby. He hadn't met her, before! How exciting. He laughed and reached up, not quite able to reach her fingertips. "Mama!" he cried. "We asoooh haf ten people, MAMA!" His grasp of sentences was still lacking. But his screaming was effective. Marissa woke with a start, lifting her face, which was creased with hatch-crossing from being pressed into the couch, her hair askew. "Hm? Baby what did you.." she started, then noted other people. Ohmygod, she thought, Kel's here. And I was sleeping. And Cole's...naked. Her face fell. Kel couldn't help laughing at the outrageous sentences the toddler was coming out with. Even if he was a bit lacking in the clothes department... she noticed Marissa sit up sleepily and then freeze.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to barge in, but Cole opened the door," the redhead offered as explanation, still with a broad smile on her face as she shifted Laurel on her hip. What was the child doing, leaning so far over? Saying hello to Cole, it seemed. She walked a bit further in and set down the treebabe on the carpet at her feet.
"And my day was lovely, thankyou Cole," she replied corteously.Marissa sat up with some effort. "Oh...it's no problem, really, he just has this nasty habit of going about naked, and he really shouldn't be openeing the door.." She got up and wearily picked up his clothes, walking over to sit by him on the carpet. Foot by foot, arm by arm, she dressed him again. "Cole, I've told you before, keep your clothes on. And that was a no-no, opening the door. Strangers might be out there, Cole. Never ever open the door without mama, okay?" She finished and stood. "Well anyway, how are you, Kel?" She smiled.
Cole pouted a bit during the lecture and the dressing, but once all was over and done with, he was too distracted with the baby in front of him to remember that he was miffed. "Hello!" he said again, "It is my house here and a big big BIG pink house, too!" He explained seriously. "Pi?" Laurel mimicked softly, clapping her hands together. The funny one had clothes on now. Maybe he was cold. She stared at him with big round eyes, trying to piece together what he was gesturing about.
"I'm fine, just feeling a little guilty that I haven't brought this young lady here very often," Kel replied easily. "You? I heard there's been another Soul released recently too..." Cole nodded. "Pink!" He smiled, using his favorite, and very first, word. "Like candy flowers houses dogs." He nodded again, like a bobble head.
Marissa smiled. "Oh, no worries, I know how life is," she grinned and tilted her head towards Cole and winked. "As I'm sure you've noticed.." To the last comment, she nodded. "There certainly was, he's a big boy named Donar, but I'm not quite sold on his mother..." she looked momentarily troubled, but smiled anyway. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Juice or milk for Laurel?" Kel carefully filed away that sentence, resolving that she would definitely have to meet all the other PS guardians. Hmmm... "Tea would be great. And juice for Laurel, if you can... thankyou!" A baby phrase caught her ear. Pink... dogs?
Imitating the older boy Laurel bobbed her head up and down as well, curls bouncing. "Pi laaaa...." She cooed, not noticing as yet another of the golden leaves drifted out of her hair. They were always doing that. Marissa smiled and motored into the kitchen to oblige. She grabbed apple juice from the fridge and two teabags from the cupboard. "Iced or hot?" she called, pouring the juice into a sippy cup.
Cole, unlike Laurel, became immediately entranced by the falling leaf. Not only because it was shiny and pretty, but because he did that, too! "Me too, me too!" he told her excitedly. He shook his wings excitedly, and grinned as a white feather fell to the ground next to the golden leaf. "Haha!" he laughed and grinned, revealing his smattering of baby teeth. "Not fussed, whatever you're having," Kel called through in reply, shifting her feet slightly and keeping half an eye on the two Painted Souls as she moved to sit on the sofa.
Laurel finally noticed her missing leaf on the floor, and scowled a little baby scowl. She knew now from experience that they never stuck back in... but what a pretty soft thing beside it! Something inside made her think of the small flying creatures that perched in her branches. Wait, her branches? The baby shook her head again, and then looked up at the grinning Cole, gesturing with one hand. "Raa...." The soft thing! If she leaned over, she could just stroke it with her fingertips...Delusions of grandeur struck Kit this morning.. But I'll explain that later. Her little star walked beside her, albeit a little wobbly on those not very strong legs, his chubby hand gripping onto his mothers leather coat as his concentration burst to a peak and his little legs collapsed beneath him.
Early that morning was where Kit?s ?slight? insanity kicked in, Upon his lilac locks there was a crown, admittedly made of paper but none the less it was a crown. And Kit thought that her little boy should be a prince today, as he?d been to the doctors to get his jabs. Nasty and thankless task that.
Plastered across her face was a worried smile, Luel didn?t seem to like the doctor one bit. Even less than she liked them. ?Woopseedaisy!? She said cheerfully, catching him as he fell, her arms embracing him tightly. ?Looks like Prince Lulu?s clumsy like his mum.? She chortled, scooping him up into her arms as they approached ever closer to the entrance of the Head Quarters, Luel?s eyes tearing a little as his privilege of walking was taken away from him. Iced was easiest. She hated being lazy, but it was early. Kinda. One way or another she prepared iced tea for herself and Kel annd apple juice for Laurel. She set the sippy cup by the little girl on the rug, then sat on the couch with her tea and motioned for Kel to do the same.
Cole smiled. He reached and cupped the feather in his hands, blowing gently through his fingers. He loved doing this. The feather immediately caught the air and swirled to Laurel, landing in the curly hair by her ear. He laughed.
Marissa though she heard a fimiliar voice outside. "Kit!" she cried, "Is that you?" Laurel let out a squeal of delight. A feather, in her hair! So soft... a large smile spread across her face. "Laa baa!" She clapped vigorously, and then remembered. If there was a feather there, she didn't need the leaf... She pushed the sparkly thing over towards the toddler decisively. After all, he was like Althalus, and Althalus had one of her leaves too..."No sweetcheeks, It's the gas man, I'm here to check yer boiler." Kit called through in a pitiful texan accent as she walked through the testy automatic doors, her pace quickening as they began to close on her torso. "Dangerous things.." she whispered displeased to Luel, his saucer eyes glistening as he noticed the change of surroundings and warmth that was such a contrast to outside.
"BBBBRRRR" Kit purposely called out loudly "Kettle on please whoever?s nearest it." she wailed in such a dramatic way, she should have been an actress... "Come on sugarbuns," she murred to Luel, placing him back on the rug in the entrance hall, pulling his Fluffy Ug (TM) boots and his scarf. "Mmm, nice and toasty in here." Kit smiled and kissed Luel's forehead as she took her own coat off and walked back to the door to hang it up.
Luel say there quietly, La lune attached to his back in a sort of backpackish way this time. He burbled, looking up, alot more inquisitive now he had grown much more. He wobbled forward, into a kneeling position, pushing himself up to stand, but alas he was a little too tired for anymore walking today. Don't blame him being a bit miffed at that, it was a new trick after all.Cole squealed. He grabbed the feather from Laurel. "Ooooohhhhh," he cooed. Suddenly remembering this manners, he yelled "THANK YOO" very loudly. Smiling at the feather in her hair, he told her, "I give you give! For you! But I don't know names but for you BECAUSE." A proud, proud, baby, he was, shoulders back and smiling smugly. His sentences were so good! Kel sat up straighter as Kit entered. "Goood afternoon, Miss Kit, Mr Luel," she said, doing a good imitation of a porter. She grinned. "And Marissa's making iced tea!"
Laurel was very very happy. What a pretty thing! The boy with feathers was nice! Clapping her hands together again she squealed loudly before turning her head to the noise. New people coming through the door?
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 2:57 am
 [ From the 'Planting' RP. :3 ]
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:32 pm
Sprouting
It was colder. Laurel snuffled into her warm brown scarf before tugging at it ineffectually; it wasn't that cold yet, her mother was being over protective again. The treebabe glanced over to where Althalus and Mau were kicking a small ball about, the Forgotten yelling loudly everytime he manage to fool his leggy kitten playmate and score whatever points he'd made up. But Laurel wasn't that fussed about him at the moment.
She carefully patted the earth again at the roots of the skinny sapling that had shot up almost miraculously in the last few weeks. Laying one hand on its trunk, little fingers reaching only halfway round, she crooned wordlessly to it, grass-coloured eyes flecked with gold for a few moments as she communed with the tree itself. The baby didn't really understand what she was doing as yet; it was enough that she could be with the tree, even if the nights were getting longer, the air just a little bit sharper.
"Laurel! C'mere, baby," And the Painted Soul found herself being swept up into her mother's grasp, breaking the touch with the oak sapling. Laurel huffed slightly but then willing reached both her arms around Kelinor's neck.
"Mama..." She said softly, nuzzling into the warm material of her clothes. The little girl adored being made a fuss over, despite her quiet appearance, and smiled happily.
"Time for lunch!" The redhead shifted the treebabe onto one arm and reached the other one out to grab Althalus by the collar. "And no running any more, or you won't get any!"
Laurel, tucked up in her mother's arms, watched with large eyes as Althalus eventually agreed and they all came inside, Ralph closing the door to the garden behind them. It was a lot warmer inside, the baby conceded, once again tugging at the scarf. And now lunch was mentioned, she was very thirsty...
Kel-chan frowned a little while later as they sat round the kitchen table, Althalus and Auriga happily tucking into their sandwiches, her own still held in her hand. She'd made up some warm soup for Laurel, but the baby seemed perfectly happy, little hands both grasping the cup of water that was all she would drink. No milk for her; sweetened water was her favourite, and now it seemed she was giving up eating all together. This was the fourth meal she had had no food... but she didn't seem the worse for it, at all. Laurel wasn't skinny, or unhappy... she just liked drinking water a lot. Kel sighed and took a thoughtful bite out of her own sandwich. Perhaps they would go to the PS Headquarters and ask Jamie or Marissa just how close to the painting these children were.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:33 pm
[ Reserved for 'Autumn Leaves' <3 ]
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