Welcome to Gaia! ::

First encounter!

Raleigh meets another kid and Ruriska is her usual blatant self. Shameless!

"You can't throw!" Megan squealed in protest as the frisbee swung far left.

"I tol' you!" AriyaLauna yelled back, laughing, "Sorry!"

"Like THIS," as Megan picked it up, she threw it straight toward, but far over, her guardian's head.

"I'll get iiiiit!" AriyaLauna was running half forward and half backwards to get the frisbee, in the end coming just too short to get it, "Close!" She turned around and took a moment before throwing it back, this time a little shorter, but short of it's target. Megan ran forward to get it and ended up with it bouncing off her hand.

"You're pathetic!"

"Just need practice," Ariya let that one roll, but this little girl was going to have to learn some postitivity.

"Bonding time Raleigh!"

Hands on hips Ruriska surveyed the garden like area, nodding occasionally as if seeing something that agreed to her. In fact she was just trying to put on a positive air. She was currently missing her favourite show because somebody was bored inside the apartment. She'd just bought him three Playstation 2 games, how on earth could he be bored?

"I didn't say I wanted to come here." Raleigh replied moodily, his light brown eyes straying to the other two who were currently enjoying themselves.

Ruriska shrugged. "There weren't many options. They want you in a structured and monitored environment. If I took you to some public park they would probably freak out. After all, you pretty much destroyed the agency. Charles wasn't all that happy about it."

"Well let's get this fresh air stuff over and done with.' Ruriska stretched. She probably needed some exercise anyway; sitting on your but all day wasn't a good way to keep fit. Lucky for her, her metabolism was working at an incredibly fast rate. "Let's go climb a tree, and remember no-" "-creating funny creatures unless we know how to get rid of them." Raleigh finished. "I know."

"It's a boy!" Megan suddenly yelled, letting the frisbee fall past her. AriyaLauna paused and stared at her with the most confused look, "LOOK, Miss. Ariya!" Where Megan had left off of calling her Miss Diedre and switched to Miss. Ariya wasn't certain, but that too AriyaLauna let slide. It was a fair compromise. She looked around, "Isn't he cute?"

"You're ten. He looks to be about nine..."

"I meant in a kid-sort of way," Megan gave a disgusted look, "You wouldn't think I actually like-liked him, would you?"

"I would hope you wouldn't without meeting someone!" AriyaLauna's eyes had fallen to the woman, "Wanna?"

"Yes!" Megan jumped at that, scooped up her frisbee, and rushed over toward Ruriska and her charge, "Hi-hi!" she ignored Ruriska, but grinned at the blonde-haired kid, "I'm Megan. I'm new here. Wanna play?"

AriyaLauna half-ran up as well, making it to the three just as Megan stopped talking. She smiled a bit shyly at them all, with a nod to the strangers.

"Those people are coming towards us." Raleigh mentioned, shuffling a bit in what could have been nervous-ness. He wasn't used to meeting others and having them run up wasn't something he enjoyed.

Ruriska only raised an eyebrow. "Well... there goes the bonding session I guess. Where are my-" "-You promised you'd quit!" "I am, I am! I'm weaning myself off them." Raleigh snorted and was about to reply when Megan ran up and interupted with her enthusiatic greeting.

Raleigh was shocked and he replied with his first response to her question. "No!" Ruriska burst out laughing and gave Raleigh a small push forward. "Don't be difficult kid. Go play tag or something." The boy certainly wasn't too enthusiatic.

Looking up Ruriska let her gaze move over Ariya. She looked alright, although a bit too young to be a mom. One of those teenage pregnancies maybe?

Well, I don't wanna play nothing if you're gonna be all mean," Megan started off by trying to sound defiant, her voice teetering later to sadness, and then hardening again, "Ain't very nice, are you?" She folded her arms.

"You aren't very nice, are you, _Megan_?"

"HE started it. I don't wanna play nothing anyhow," she turned around sharply, sounding rude, and AriyaLauna looked about to protest until she saw the girl's face.

"Maybe he's shy," AriyaLauna said gently, she turned Megan around, "Why not be less...loud...?"

Megan huffed disbelievingly, but after a moment took a step forward, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I havea frisbee... or we could go swing. Or something?"

"Please."

"Awh," Megan scoffed up at AriyaLauna. She wouldn't repeat that.

AriyaLauna kept her focus on Megan. Once she'd seen the critical look of Ruriska, she'd looked away. Focusing on the children ment she wouldn't have to look at the lady.

Raleigh frowned as he watched them talking about him as if he wasn't there. Shy? He glared at the girl steadily. There was nothing else to do but he didn't like the way she acted. She was so loud. The boy glanced up at his guardian but she studying her fingernails, seemingly uninterested. She obviously expected him to deal with his own problems.

"Fine. I'll throw the frisbee." He replied gruffly as boredom decided for him. Upon hearing her charges affirmation Ruriska clapped her hands together. "Great, now both of you bugger off but don't go too far. And you'd better not get too dirty Raleigh."

With a sigh Raleigh stepped forward while Ruriska began to wish she had a phone. A sudden possibilty had made itself known to her. Was getting a maid a possibility? She made up her mind to ring Charles about that the next chance she got.

"Yay!" Megan cheered, and skipped backwards, "Come on, s'a good place right over there to throw frisbee. Y'know how? I can teach you. What's your name? Do you got any sisters?" She prattled on now. Someone her age! Yay, yay!

AriyaLauna waved to Megan, and then sidled over to sit on the ground where they could be watched. She only half-glanced toward the woman, not wanting to be _rude_, but was feeling shy herself at the moment. She looked back down and pulled her backpack-purse around to her lap, then started to pick at the grass.

"Bloody kid wanting me to quit smoking." Ruriska groaned and resigned herself to the fact that she now had to go cold turkey. Oh well, it wouldn't be too hard. She hoped. Darn, she hoped a lot these days.

Raleigh followed Megan at a more sedate pace, already riled over the fact that she seemed to think he needed be taught how to catch a frisbee. "I don't need you to teach me anything." Annoyed he still replied to all her questions. "I don't have any sisters and my name is Raleigh."

That kid had better not get dirty. Ruriska still wasn't all that sure how to use a washing machine.

Ariya grinned a bit as she overheard Ruriska's comment. Good, then the boy was a smart one. Hopefully his mom would listen. She looked up suddenly, considering Ruriska. Or was that his mother?

"Oooh, good, I'm glad you don't. Miss. Ariya can't throw it, 'nd I was havin' to teach her. She's not very good," she grinned, "'Nd she's old!" she backed up to a place, "Ready?"

Ruriska noticed the other woman looking at her and turned to meet her gaze. After a few seconds of blatant staring she smiled and remarked. "You look pretty young to be a mum. You're either a sister or got knocked up at thirteen." Ruriska chuckled and sat down. "Of course I look pretty young as well. Pretty good for my age huh?" She'd decided to go by the guise of Raleigh's mum.

"I'm ready." Raleigh's expression lightened, as he got ready to catch.

"Oh, Megan's not mine. Well, she's my fosterchild," Ariya answered lightly, not explaining any further now that she figured Ruriska wasn't actually a guardian like she was. Unless they didn't kidnap her son. She smiled and shook her head, "I'm terrible with guessing ages. Anyway, hi. I'm AriyaLauna," she held out a hand.

"Ok!" Megan called back, throwing the frisbee toward him.

"Fosterchild? Who the hell fosters a child?" Ruri snorted. She'd already ruled Ariya out as another guardian. She didn't seem the type. Looking over to where the kids were playing she smiled. Watching Raleigh was always a delight. It was funny to think how attached she'd already become to him. "My name is Ruriska." She didn't return the shake, she was too busy watching her child.

Raleigh caught the frisbee easy enough. Living on the streets had taught him a heap of skills. With a flick of his wrsist he then threw it back, beginning to enjoy himself.

People who care," was the short answer, and Ariya was fine to sit and watch the children then. This would be one woman and child to watch, she wasn't sure at all she would want Megan hanging around a kid who's mother obviously didn't care about tact nor likely people.

"Wow, that was good!" Megan cheered, jumping for the frisbee, and being inspired, throwing it back quickly at him. Ariya couldn't take quick and high throws, could he?

Ruriska rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh." There wasn't much more she could say. Of course she could always think of something. In fact she'd been about to ask for a phone when she saw Raleigh take a hard catch. Delighted she gave a thumbs up when he looked around. "Good catch Raleigh!"

It was a little harder but he was quick to react and caught the frisbee beaming with pride. "See, I told ya I didn't need to be taught." He was enjoying this a lot more now. Throwing it back his head was held quite a bit higher, especially after looking around to see Ruriska give him a thumbs up.

Ariya let the conversation fall, and proceded to pull out a notepad and pencil from her purse to start scribbling on it.

Raleigh's next throw went right past Megan, and though she dove for it, the frisbee fell out of her reach. "You're real good!" She answered, happily, "This is fun"

She threw the frisbee back at him, and came wobbely this time as she hadn't concentrated, and to the side.



"Hey, you have you got a phone on you?" Ruriska asked suddenly, leaning back on her hands to stare up at the sky. Were they rain clouds on the horizon? Looked like it.

Raleigh didn't even try and catch that one, he just let it fall and then walked after it. Without a word he then threw it again. After a thought he spoke with a encouragement. "Good try."

"Uh, yeah," AriyaLauna automatically answered truthfully, and then looked at her warily, "What for?" she was already digging for it in her purse though.

Megan went and grabbed the next frisbee, grinning at Raleigh. He was nice. Maybe if there were no other girls she could be his friend. Boys weren't her first choice, they were icky, but he was her age at least. She took more time with this throw, again making a long-go with the frisbee.

Ruriska decided she'd answer truthfully enough. Well, sort of. "I need to ring the evil overseer to see if I can hire someone to clean my rather large apartment. I'm too lazy to do it myself." She looked towards the purse, trying to remember the phone-number. In fact she'd memorized it, she just couldn't quite recall the last number. Was it five?

Raleigh smiled and caught the frisbee. Friend? That was too strong a word. He never considered someone a friend. It was too risky.

"Uh, ok," AriyaLauna handed over the phone, "For a little bit, I suppose. It's not from this calling area. Busy, then?"

Megan bounced up and down, "Wanna go play on the monkeybars? Can you do flips on 'em and stuff?"

"Thanks." Ruriska took the phone and dialled. After three turns she hoped she'd got it right. That old woman hadn't been too happy at being called.

"I've never done flips before." Raleigh answered truthfully, following towards the playground. "Are they hard?"



Charles currently sat in a meeting. An important meeting, nonetheless. But the moment his cellphone went off, he jumped to his feet and made a run for the hallway, receiving bewilderd looks from his coworkers. He didn't really care. The ringing of this phone meant that one of the guardians was calling. Whether it was important or not, he needed to answer as soon as possible.

He made sure to keep his breathing and voice neutral. "Charles."

Ruriska cast one look at Ariya, but then shook her head and moved her gaze to where Raleigh was playing with that other kid. As soon as she heard Charles' voice she let out an 'Ah-ha!'. Finally she'd gotten the number right and she damn proud about herself.

"Heya Charles." Ruriska grinned and lay back in the grass, hooking one arm behind her head. "I have a little problem." He may not see it in the same light but cleaning that huge apartment was definately a problem of hers.


He held back a sigh and a groan as he gripped his head. "Miss James. What is the matter?"

He leaned against the wall and prayed to whatever God out there that this would be quick and very painless.

"I have a little problem." Ruriska smiled but kept her voice dead serious. Too bad she couldn't see his face.

Let's be blunt shall we? "I want a maid." No beating around the bush for her, plus this call was probably costing a lot. Oh wait.. this wasn't her mobie now was it. No problem then.

Charles blinked. "Wait, what? A maid?" he let out a wry chuckle. "No way. Absolutely no way. You've managed to take care of yourself and you can continue to do so." Oh, how he wished he could see her face to see the look of annoyment on it.


"Awww... I hate the vacumn cleaner." Ruriska groaned. From the chuckle she could tell Charles was enjoying making her clean up her own mess. "Ok. Well, since I'd expected you to say no I've thought up some very convincing arguements. Wanna hear them?"

Charles inwardly groaned but made sure to keep his voice neutral. After all, it was kind of amusing. "Well, shoot." He wondered what he would eat for dinner.

"You're actually going to listen then? You're going soft Charles." Chuckling she tried to think up a good reason on the spot. "Ok first, me and the washing machine don't get along. Getting a maid is pretty cheap compared to the cost of the flood I'm going to make while trying to get that bloody thing working."

Charles grinned. "We have plumbers in our service anyway, so that doesn't matter. Next?"

"Darn." Ruriska's mind ran through a few possible and not-possible arguements she could come up with. The one she next decided on was more for amusement then anything else. "Ok... since, I, in a mother role obviously can't be the pretty female sex object Raleigh needs, a cute young maid will give my darling child all the information he needs for future life. How's that?"

Charles now laughed out loud. "Oh my God! Ruriska! What kind of a mother type are you anyway?!" he was still chuckling as he asked the next question. "Have you got anymore arguments? Since so far I don't think that educating Raleigh on how to have sex while he's eleven is all too convincing. If you know what I mean."

"Hey! It wasn't my idea to adopt a kid. Hmph. I'm a good mother type. You just wait and see Raleigh grow up to be... I dunno, whatever he wants." She was trying not to laugh. His reaction had been pretty much she'd expected. "Gee, I thought that was a good arguement. Hmmm, I could come up with at least a dozen more sex orientated ones but how about I just go with, I don't like cleaning? Yep, honesty is my policy."

Charles was still chuckling when someone poked his head out of the door. "Um... sir, we really need to get started again." Charles made a motion with his hand as he talked to Ruriska. "Well, that's really just too bad for you. I guess you'll have to clean everything yourself, it'll also teach Raleigh a lesson of responsibility and isn't that what you want to be? Responsible?" He didn't even wait for Ruriska's answer but continued on. "I have to go now. Goodbye." he pressed a button and the connection was broken. He made sure to save the number in his memory and made sure the right name was attached.

Frown or laugh? Ruriska did a mixture of both as she listened but frown one out pretty soon as Charles darted away to his meeting. "Aww, you b*****d. You hung up on me!" She would have called back, just to get the last word in but Raleigh was currently climbing up to a precarious perch on the playground. "Get off there Raleigh!"

Megan had been showing Raleigh how to do flips on the monkey bars, and when Ruriska shouted out, she flipped over so she was hanging by her knees, "Awh, your mom's a sissy. Ain't gonna get hurt."

Ariya had been quietly listening to the conversation, frowning a bit as it went on, though maybe a little amusement lit her eyes, "Do you often call your husband up just to pick on him?" She tilted her head and held her hand out for the cellphone, she wasn't all too sure she wanted Ruriska with that much longer.

At Ruriska's shout Raleigh slid down of the monkey bars to a lower rung. If it made her happy then he'd do it. But then Megan's words put him in a bit of a huff. "She is not!" If anyone was going to insult Ruri it would be him, not this... this... girl!

Husband? Ruriska nearly laughed but retrained herself for the moment. This was prceless. "Oh yeah, we both get a real kick out of it. Keeps the relationship interesting." Then she did laugh, handing over the cellphone while she cackled a little insanely.

Megan shrugged, "Acts like it." She pulled herself up and jumped down, "'Course Ariya is too." Megan cast a distainful glance to the adults, "Surprised she don't yell about gettin' dirty.... Wanna built stuff in the sand?"

AriyaLauna took the cellphone and put it back in her purse, smiling a little, but not understanding Ruriska at all, "So you just recently adopted your son? I haven't been taking care of Megan very long either."

"Hmph." Jumping down to the ground Raleigh watched Megan with a scorful glare. He wasn't happy but he still nodded when she asked about the sand. Shrugging his shoulders he stalked over to the sandpit and began stabbing at it with a stick. "Ruri said not to play in the sand because cats s**t in it." Raleigh muttered to himself, nose wrinkling in distaste.

"What? Oh, you where listening to the conversation were you." Ruriska sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yeah, couple of weeks or go or something." A light shrug of her shoulders as she turned to glance sideways at Ariya. "So... you didn't get pregnant at thirteen?"

Megan grinned, "You cussed!" then nodded, completely ignoring Raleigh's discontent, "And they do, and ants make nests in it. And big, evil snakes are in it, but I don'care!" She grinned at Raleigh, "Wanna make a big, evil snake? I can bring water over 'n' make it easier."

Ariya looked at the ground, avoiding Ruriska's look, "Impossible. I STILL think boys have cooties... No, Megan's an unearned blessing," she shook her head, "Or pain, depending. Is yours having a hard time adjusting? How do handle it?"

"Okay." His voice was dull and unenthusiastic, especially because the thought of cat s**t kept popping up in his mind. Gingerly he knelt down and touched the sand, molding it into a dome like shape to get the hang of it. "Where are you going to get the water?" He asked while making a line in the sand with his index finger.

"What!?" How old was this woman? "I'm going to hope you were joking about that." She watched Ariya with an incredulous look on her face. "Geez, cooties. You're missing out on a hell of a lot of fun." Ruriska coughed and laughed. "Well anyway, me and Raleigh fight heaps but he knows I care. Its not like I have anything to compete against, from what I know his last mother was a b***h." A frown marred her features. "What I'd give to be able to spend one day in a room with that woman." A moment later a smile replaced her scowl. "Fancy meeting another woman with an adopted kid huh? Fun."

"There's a fountain over there, 'n' I can put the water in my shoes to bring it over," Megan looked at Raleigh, registering his distaste, "Well, we ain't GOTTA if you don't wanna... YOU have somethin' better to do?"

AriyaLauna was blushing a little at Ruriska's statements, "Well-it's just that...Eh... It's not like..." she shook her head, clearing her thoughts, "I'm one of those people who believe it's not right until after marriage. Cooties makes a nice defense line, and it works."

She looked out to where the kids were, "I suppose there's more adoption going on than it seems like. Megan is always crying for her mother or father. Always comparing me to something else... It feels like a losing battle, I don't know... Well, anyway..." she shook her head. She'd just met this woman, and wasn't particularly sure it'd be wise to confide in someone like Ruriska, so she cut it off, pulling some grass out of the ground.

"I don't want to put water in my shoes!" Raleigh complained loudly. "Let's just go climb a tree or something, this sand sucks." He'd been trying not to act childish but he just couldn't manage it anymore, so he stood up and stomped towards the nearest tree. "Are you coming?" He was going to be led around like a dog on a leash anymore.

"Oh, you're one of those." Ruriska quirked an eyebrow. "I never could understand that chastity stuff. After all, what guy likes a virgin? They haven't got a clue about anything." In the matter of sex Ruri happened to be more blunt than usually, which made most people uncomfortable. She could only imagine the effect if would have on this girl.

Following Ariya gaze Ruriska chuckled as she watched Raleigh. Such a funny kid. "I wouldn't expect much. At this age they wont accept anyone except their real parents and anyone who tries to take that role gets the backlash of their all over the place emotions." Shrugging Ruriska began to tear at the grass out of boredom. "The way I see it, scream right back and wait for the peace of older years. Eventually they'll settle down and realize you did what was best for them." Speaking in a rare moment of insight Ruri could admit to herself that she truly relished the fights she had with her 'son'. After all, it mean she acknowledged her presence.

"Ok!" Megan bounced up happily, then frowned down at the skirt she was wearing. Snorting, she went to the other side of the tree where the guardians wouldn't be able to see her and pulled it up so she could climb the tree properly, "Bet I can go faster than you! Ready?"

AriyaLauna blushed even more, "If that's all they care about, I don't want them." She fidgeted, shifting her weight from one side to another and then back again, putting her writing supplies back in her purse, and brushing sand off her skirt, "World shouldn't go 'round on that."

"She's only ten," and there was some despair in AriyaLauna's voice, "Not even a teenager. I can't fight back with her. I won't teach her how to fight." She pulled up a clump of weeds, squishing them in one hand in silent frustration.

"No you can't. I'll beat you." Raleigh was never one to back down from a challenge. After walking around the tree to find the perfect place to climb he took a grip on one of the branches. "Ready, set..." He waited for her to say the final word that would send him hurtling up the tree.

"Have you watched the tv lately? From those adds I'd say sex does make the world go round." With a snort Ruriska stopped tearing at the grass. "A relationship doesn't have to revolve around it but it is an added bonus. You're a 'love comes first' person, I'm a 'no strings attached' person. It's just for fun really. Although I'm not as bad as you're obviously thinking I am. I haven't been in any type of relationship at all for the past year... haven't had a job either." Ruriska blinked and then laughed, immediately correcting her mistakes. "Besides being married of course. Hehe. Jeez, the bastards always working. Rarely at home. No fun for me."

Feeling a little bit more skittish and stupid Ruriska addressed the next issue. "Ten? Looks to me like she's already learnt how to fight. Being meek is just going to teach her that she can push people around. But I'll leave that for you to figure out."

"GO!" Megan trilled happily, and jumped to shimmy up the tree. It hurt more, on bare legs, and she was definitely slower than usual, "Stupid skirts," she grumbled as she reached for a branch and pulled herself up, "S'a nice tree!"

AriyaLauna gave Ruriska a searching look, suddenly beginning to wonder if the woman was even married to this Charles-fellow. She wondered if... Well, no... That was silly. She shrugged as she did so though, feeling as if the woman was trying simply to shock her, "I don't own a television." she answered back evenly, really to get back and try getting a surprised reaction out of her.

AriyaLauna sighed, and when she spoke in response to the children, she'd lowered her voice to a barely audible level, "I know... but I also just don't know..." Maybe at the end of the month she'd just tell Charles she couldn't handle this.

Unhampered by skirts or loose clothing Raleigh pulled himself into the tree with ease. His eyes shone with fervour. There was nothing like a challenge to prove himself worthy to get him going. This boy was the type that, without a type of purpose or challenge, he would be lost and confused. It was a nice tree but he could agree with her later, there was no time to speak when you were busy winning.

"YOU WHAT!?" Ruriska had been sure Ariya had been about to stumble over her deception but any thought of that was put aside by this sudden revelation. "Are you living in the stone age? Ok, ok. Forget it. Jeez, you are one weird lady." She was still shaking her head minutes later. "No tv. Weird. Yeah..." Getting a grip on herself Ruri looked sideways at Ariya, a grin forming. "Well you're going to have to know at some point. You walking along like a blindman right now."

"L'go!" Megan began fighting with a tree branch at one point over her skirt. Eventually a rip was heard, and a huff, then she was climbing back up the tree, "Pants I need my pants." she mumbled, looking up to where Raleigh was. He really was a good climber, and would certainly be getting to the top before she did this time around. She gritted her teeth, hating to lose, but it wasn't HER fault...

AriyaLauna was grinning at Ruriska's reaction, that enough to lift her spirits out of the pits they'd run to. She let that part of the conversation drop, "Not blind. Just figuring things out. It'll turn out alright. I know it will.... It has to...."

"Yeah well, good luck with that." Ruriska said, clearly disinterested. She stood up and brushed all the grass that she'd collected during their talk off, then stretched and looked for where her son was. This conversation was obviously at an end for her now. Ariya wasn't exactly the most interesting person to talk too and if she hurried she might be able to catch the end of her movie. That would take her mind off the lack of cigarettes for a little while. "Raleigh! Hurry up, let's go."


Raleigh was pretty much at the top but then. "Raleigh!" With a hiss of annoyance he stopped in his climb, turning abruptly and nearly slipping from the branch. He cursed and clung onto another branch until he got his footing. A sour look was on his face as he began to climb down. "I have to go." He told Megan as he passed her. Hurrying up to Raleigh the two then left with haste.

To be continued...

Let's go get a cat!

The beginning of a lifelong rivalry.

A not so merry day, with the rain pelting down in buckets. There was positively no point in being out on a day like this yet Ruri had woken up bright and chipper, so unlike her usual self that Raleigh hadn't been able to yet breakfast, and had announced that she couldn't stay indoors another moment when feeling so great and so Raleigh had been bundled into the newly aquired car and driven away at high speed.

Raleigh's guardian wasn't a good driver on the best of days. There was a reason for her loosing her licence and she was demonstrating it now.

"Where are we going?" The young boy gasped.

"It's a suprise!"

"A good suprise?"

"Of course!"

-----------

They came to a screeching halt in front of a large white building, with a sign out of front saying' Animal shelter' in big bold letters.

Ruriska spun around in her seat to look at Raleigh. "I thought we might get a companion. A cat mind you." A wide smile graced her features and Raleigh couldn't help replying with a grin of his own.

The idea had occured to her suddenly on a rainy night, Raleigh was in bed with that bear he refused to acknowledge at any other time and thought she had no clue about, and she was curled up on the couch watching Akira for the hundreth time. Once could never be sure how a kid walking through a city and blowing things up turned into the sudden desire to own a cat but it did and with joy in her heart Ruriska had written a memo on her hand, finished the movie and jumped into bed.

Waking up she'd been so incredibly happy it must have seemed as if she was on drugs. That would rationalize the reason why Raleigh was looking at her so funny.

-----

"Just choose whichever one you want."

"Thanks." Ruriska flashed the young man a winning smile. Not bad looking that one. She might just take him home.

"Ruri!"

"Coming, coming."

There was so many different kinds of cats, Raleigh didn't know where to start. He kept darting from one cage to the other with wide eyes and the enthusiasm of youth. Ruriska followed at a more sedated pace, carefully appraising each fluffy bundle she passed by.

2 hours later...

"What about this one?"

"Too ugly."

"Oh, this one's cute!"

"Too fluffy."

"How about this one?!"

"It meows too much. Listen to it."

"Are you two finished in there?"

"No."

"Ok then."

It seemed that choosing the right cat was harder then it had first appeared.

"I'm getting hungry." Whined a sour faced Raleigh. "Just pick the stupid cat so we can-"

"This one! It's perfect." Dragging her charge over to the cage Ruriska exclaimed over the silky smooth kitten that was curled up on a blanket. To Raleigh it seemed rather... un-impressive.

"Er... are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

The small cream coloured kitten turned its head around to look at them and yawned, little pink tongue running against already sharp little teeth. It's ears flickered, the tips light brown like half the tail, its two front paws and the mask on of its face. As they watched it waddled up to the cage door and sat waiting. It knew it was going home.

"Aww, my Samurai is a smart baby. Yes he is, yes he is."

"Samurai?" "

"Yep, he's so smart. My little baby."

"And how do you know it's a he?"



------

"It's a male burmese." David smiled at the woman before him somewhat nervously. The way she was looking at him made him feel like a horse up for auction. It would htve been flattering if he could get over his initial uneasy feeling. But he jusr couldn't seem to manage it. Plus with the kid staring at him like that.... well. "Just sign these documents and give him a name."

"His name is Samurai." Ruriska replied as she picked up the pen and signed her name.

Raleigh only continued to stare at the man with narrowed eyes.

"Er, I'll just get you a carry-"

"No need. I'll carry him. Oh yeah, this is my number and yes Raleigh is my son, get over it. I just look good for my age. A mature woman is a bonus."

"Eh... oh... okay..."

"Come on kid." She scooped up the kitten. It mewled once then fell silent, snuggling up against his new owners chest.

Raleigh glared at it and it glared back.

"Can I call it Freak?"

((The following is a news broadcast. You can choose to ignore this or happen to see it. The broadcasting started at 6 PM on CNN with vague stories. The actual statement, what will be shown below, starts at ten PM.))

The newsreader looked into the camera. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, we've been reporting to you for the past four hours now about the triple murder in the center of Metropolis. There was a Villain concerned, Solarduct who murdered three children. One of the children was believed to be a Super. We now go live to Maria Beckingtail, who's at the spot."

He turned to the side, to a screen appearing "Maria, what is the updated sitation?"

"Well Bill, only five minutes ago, a government agent has given a press statement which we will show you now."

The image flicked to show Charles standing in front of the crowd. He raised his hand and everything became silent. He cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Today, at september 23rd, 5 PM a terrible tragedy occured here in Metropolis.

The Villain Solarduct has attacked the First Kidz play area and murdered three children. These children were eleven years old."

He paused as the muttering started and raised his hand again. "The guardian of one of the children was murdered by Solarduct too, at approximately 4 PM today too. I will take a few questions now."

Charles pointed at someone off screen and the voice of Maria could be heard. "Thank you sir." she cleared her throat, "Several witnesses that have been released have testified that the boy that was attacked was a Super, that he tried to defend himself by shooting something at Solarduct, but that it was too weak. Is this true?"

Charles nodded. "Yes, that is correct. The child was following a training course with the government. His powers were not yet developed enough to take on Solarduct so it was to no avail."

Charles pointed to someone else off the screen. "So does that mean that the government, or the NSA, I suppose, is currently training more children to be Supers one day?"

Charles shook his head "I am not allowed to comment on anything regarding work with the government. Next question please."

Maria called out again "So what's the government going to do next? Are they going to apprehend Solarduct and bring him to justice? Are you not afraid for a thing like Neuron City to be happening again?"

There was a very slight twitch of Charles' eyebrow. "We have been trying for quite some time now to apprehend Solarduct, but this is not easy. The current Supers that are in commission are overworked and have been in several confrontations with Solarduct, but have not yet won. We are working on this matter, but I'm afraid to say there's no promise or guarantee we can make for the future. We feel we have set up a suffice defense to prevent Neuron City from ever happening agan. Thank you. No further questions."

The image changed back to Maria. "There you have it Bill. The government is training children to become the next Supers, but Solarduct is hunting them all down! The government agent wouldn't comment on anything else, but it is suspected that there are more of these children. Perhaps they are living among us, they could be your neighbour! What I would feel necessairy to point out, is that, if you disover your neighbour to be a Super, do NOT reveal this to anyone else. They are the heroes of the future, and when they are all murdered, what hope will there be for us? This was Maria Beckingtail for CNN, live at the crimescene."

The image faded out, and Bill got full view again. He was silent. "Well, that's... surprising. All information can be found on our site, which is updated hourly. We wil be right back after these commercial breaks. I am Bill Notnil. Goodnight."

((Oh, if interrupted in your RP, continue to claim posts which you need. Contact the mule, I will delete this post and repost it. ))

[Training]

Step 1 Basic control.

Step 1 is the most important of all Steps. During Step 1, the upcoming Super will learn how to deal with and control their powers. This Step might take a very long time to develop, but once finished, should prove extremely useful. Basic control is followed up by Advanced control.

Basic control means that the Super has such a degree of control, that his powers will not be unleashed randomly. He should be able to depend on it, call upon it when necessairy and should not have unregulated outbursts of power of any kind.

Of course there might be exceptions that can still draw out a Super's power, but those are quite rare and therefore not accounted in this manual.

~~~~~~

Focusing on step 1, this training post and most likely the next few will involve Raleigh attempting to gain control over the less destructive possibilities of creation. The one dubbed 'Natural'.

More info:

'Natural'

In the creation of this type Raleigh needs a lot more concentration and effort than the 'zombie' types as he is creating from scratch. It takes a large portion of his power but once they have been brought into being they no longer tax him and his depleted stores of energy quickly replenish themselves. Thus in the long run it is a more user-friendly option. The 'natural' will then move around on its own accord, whether it listens to Raleigh's commands or not depends on his level basic control and how big it is. In this case bigger=more ferocious.

Other such considerations:

-What type of dead organic matter is being used?

Some materials are easier to shape then otheres and require less energy.
Examples...

Mud:
Being pliable and soft mud is one of the easiest materials to use.

Wood:
Harder than mud it is still relatively easy although it does need more concentration.

Rock:
At the other end of the scale we find rock. It is incredibly hard to use but if it is used the creature is one of the most powerful. While most kinds are vulnerable to fire the ones made of rock are impervious to it.

-The level of thought put into the creations.

The more intricate details Raleigh puts into his creature the more energy is used. One merely slapped together from the closest available sourse in fright or anger will nit eveb sap the young supers reserves while a carefully constructed monster using selected items will use up a fair amount of energy. Of course those who are given more thought are usually stronger and easier to control.

~Raleigh's Training~

The training room was an impressive place. Huge and high tech, with everything a super might need to make himself stronger.

In the middle of the room Ruriska dumped a number of items. She was noticeably jittery while Raleigh was doing a better job of holding his emotions in check. His guardian seemed to think some evil super as going to come barging through the door any moment.

"We are going to work on basic control. I'm not sure what is supposed to happen, so I'll just leave this stuff here and go sit on the bench over there, I don't want to be too close and get in your way... just in case." She didn't bring any attention to it but they both seemed very aware of the gun that awaited her on a nearby bench. They weren't taking any chances.

With a sigh Raleigh glanced at the pile of twigs, dead plants such as moss, mud and a couple of rocks. Time to concentrate. He knew how to do this on a deeper more instinctive level. During his time on the street he'd sometimes used it to protect himself. But now, he needed to grab that instinct and bend it to his will. Easier said then done. Taking a seat on the ground cross-legged he tried to clean his mind.

Ok... concentrate.

He had to try and picture what he wanted, what he needed. Something in Raleigh's mind seemed to shift; a feeling of pressure followed it, as if his brain was being compressed. Pictures of the items passed through his mind as he stared at them and in surprise he realized that he was selecting the ones he wanted. So this wasn't just mindless creation after all.

Strangely enough when Raleigh's gaze paused over each item he felt a twinge, indicating what he could do with it, everything seemed to be going well until he reached the rocks. They repulsed him and make him gasp for breath. He wasn't strong enough for them yet.

---

Something was happening, Ruriska could see it in Raleigh's eyes as they unfocused and he was drawn into himself. It was only with a great amount of control that she stopped herself from going over there. This recent killing had her on edge.

Nobody was immune to something like that. No matter how many times she argued with the boy she stilled loved him without abandon and the thought of some freak appearing and killing him. Her hand moved across the bench on which she sat to the gun beside her. She didn't know what type of gun it was and she only vaguely knew how to use it but it gave her a sense of security.

Of course rational thought demanded that she acknowledge the fact Solarduct wasn't about to be killed by a bullet. Kind of depressing.

---

What did he need? Something small. Quick? No. Powerful? No. Then what? Small. Like a mouse, placid and meek. That can't be done. What else? Just small.

This was so much easier to do when you weren't thinking. When you were angry and scared, when it just happened.

Breath becoming laboured he narrowed his eyes, selecting the twigs, the mud and the moss. In his mind he used the twigs for a base, surrounding it then with the mud and using the moss as a kind of skin. That was how he saw it. That's what he wanted.

The items slithered together, slow because of his lack of ability. Raleigh's brain felt like it was going to explode. It was too much. His left eyes twitched. The power kept at bay behind a wall of inexperience, it rushed through, engulfing him. Red exploded behind his eyes.

Just as suddenly as it had begun it was over, and Raleigh was caught between relief and sorrow. It felt like a balloon that's air had just been let out. Raleigh collapsed sideways in a heap, only vaguely aware of Ruriska rushing to kneel beside him, calling him, shaking his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes and took a breath she settled down. Holding him against her chest and sighed, and was then suddenly aware of the small creature in the middle of the room.

"Raleigh... Raleigh, look."

Wearily he raised his head to stare his creation. It sat crouched on the ground, a bit bigger than a mouse, the moss covering it like fur. It didn't have any features; the face was a mess of twigs and mud. Tentatively it moved across the floor, towards them, head swinging from side to side to sense its surroundings.

When it was a metre away its head darted up at Ruriska. After a few lumbering movements it launched itself off the floor, finding offence in her being so close to its creator. Sharp little jaws opening it latched itself onto Ruriska's arm. She fell backwards with a cry, trying desperately with her other hand to pry it off. But the little b*****d was strong.

"Stop! Stop flailing." Cried Raleigh, as he reached up to grab a hold of his guardian's arm. Voice falling to whisper he tried to consol his creation. "Sssh. Stop... that's enough." Tears pricked in Raleigh's eyes as it let go and dropped onto his waiting hand. It remained still as he touched it gently on its forehead. It shuddered slightly and then collapsed. With a heart wrenching cry the young super curled up in a ball, his creation returning to what it had been, a pile of twigs and mud.

Ruriska cradled her child in her arms as he mourned the loss of a part of himself.




Skill Gains: Endurance (P), Energy (PS), Control, Insight

The messenger shot an annoyed look at the letter in his hand. He wasn't sure if he liked delivering all these messages. And he had so many more addresses to go. He wondered what those governement guys were up to.

Sighing he walked over to the house and pressed the doorbell. When the door opened, he handed over the message. "Here ya go, m'am." He shuffled a bit. "I'm s'posed to be waitin' for yer answer." he stood back, awaiting the answer rather impatiently.

The letter contains the following message:


((If this message interrupts your ongoing roleplay, please continue to claim all post you need. AFTER that, PM the mule with the request to have the post removed and reposted.))

The messenger pulled another piece of paper out of his pocket and gave it to the guardian. "This is the code for the teleport system. You'll be driven to an ordinary house where you will need to ring three times to enter. Step on the platform and type this code. Make sure you've got the right code, because a wrong one may cause you to end up on the bottom of the ocean or in the middle of a vulcano." Now he chuckled darkly. "Later." He turned around and hopped of the sidewalk into his car.

The paper reads:

Safe Haven

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=992382&page=1

About that day.

Skill Gains: +1 on all