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 Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:45 pm
Dear Journal,
I tend to write my journals by volumes or chapters. I'm not sure why except...that I can usually relate past events to a bigger event. So, I suppose I should start by saying this is the first entry I have written since my mother's death. One would think after such a tragic event I'd want to be more descriptive with my feelings. But it didn't work out that way. The last entry in my former journal was the news of her death.
A lot has happened since then. My family has had quite a time coping. Our mother was the glue that held us all together. She always told us that she wouldn't always be there, but she wanted us to remain strong anyway. But she expressed hopes of a sister for the five of us-and a daughter for our father- perhaps to inspire us as she did. Who would have thought she'd grow ill and both she and the baby would die? She wasn't young, so I suppose it's not abnormal but...none of us saw it coming.
Father said nothing to us after her death. He just went back to work. He was already a high-ranking defence soldier, he didn't have to be in the field but...when she was gone he insisted on being put on assignment elsewhere. We all recieved notice he had been killed in duty about 2 weeks later. Despite what Runeh and Mikael might have said, Father was a good, strong, dedicated man. He must have lost so much of his will with Mother's death.
At this point I thought, perhaps we'd all fall apart. All of us were torn by how she was gone, if not by Father's death not long after. But I think all of us were thinking the same thing-we needed to stick together. We were all that was left and we had to make it stick, even if our glue wasn't there anymore.
Like my father, I wasn't on active duty either, though I was also part of the mility. After Mother's death, however, I moved myself to work in a squad and absorbed myself in my job. I'm not sure what it was, but somehow working to defend others helped me ease my grief. But it wasn't such an odd move. My brothers were the ones who veered off completely from where their lives were going to come and pull together.
Runeh and Mikael had paired up after graduation and started doing odd jobs here and there (some of which I question how legal it was). They never wanted to commit to anything hard, always looking for a quick buck. But one day, while I was in one of the training field I saw them both come in. Aparently they had registered and were now part of the Defense Corps of Gaia as well.
Liam was a little stranger. He had always been a business man, in a sense. He had risen quickly in a successful company in the past years and had a lot of power within its walls. Then one day I see him in the technology department of the Defense Corps. He had left his job, at least offically, in his company. He claimed he still had some hold there and wasn't stupid enough to just up and leave and let it fall down the drain (for he claimed much of its success was due to him).
So that was the fourth of us that decided to stay close and strong. But Kai was the one who surprised my the most and who's change of future still grieves me. Kai is a peaceful sort and never liked violence. He couldn't even handle the playful tussles we had as children. His dream had been, for many years, to become a doctor and travel to needy areas and tend those without money for medical attention. And I see him moving his bags into the Defense Corps apartments. Upon my inquiries he simply smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, I won't be fighting...I'm just a medic, you see. So I'll still be helping people." And more seriously, with such a sad look he murmured, "Victor, we're all that's left. We have to stay together. If we were to forsake each other...what would Mother think?"
We're all comitted to staying together. But I still wonder...without the common ground that was our mother, how will we fair? We're brothers, it'll always be family first, but how strong can we truly be? Fate is testing us. And I'm thinking we're still missing something valuable.
Mother had hopes for us having a sister. She's gone and that is no longer possible genetically but...I think, perhaps, we should let her wish come true. I shall talk to Kai and see if he'll help me look into some adoption agencies.
This is a new beginning. We'll see where it leads us.
-Vic
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:47 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:23 am
(( Self-RP ))
"You really think they'll agree to do this, Vic?" Kai asked in a voice coated with uncertainty as he peered around his grocery bage at his older brother. They had just returned from getting information to support their new idea. And poor Kai worried that Mikael, Runeh, and Liam would reject it. And without their support, it was all waste. They'd never be able to pull it off.
"They will," Victor replied simply, his voice calm and warm. He knew Kai tended to over think things. But he knew how things would go. That was why he had everything prepared beforehand. He paused before the door that lead to the twins' apartment and reached out to turn the knob without so much as a knock. Once the door cracked open laughter and cat-calls became audable and they were quite loud. Aparently Mikael and Runeh had company.
"Runeh. Mikael. Your friends are leaving," Victor said simply. He didn't even phraise it as a question. He walked into the room as if it was, in fact, his place and not theres. He didn't even flinch at the roudy rise of complaints that rose from the twins' guests.
"You heard him! Get the ******** out!" Mikael yelled, his laughter from their cardgame gone as the threw a pillow smack into one of his friend's heads. With grumples, curses, and a wonderful hand gesture the men left, leaving Victor to face Runeh with curiously raised brows and Mikael with a serious frown. Kai took this moment to slip in meekly and bring his bags to the ajoined kitchen.
"What's the deal, Vic? We were in the middle of somethin'!" Mikael said with a sour look. He might side with is brother over someone else any day, but that didn't mean he was going to cut Victor any slack. He had been winning, man! And there were bets, too. He didn't even notice his twin slip the money off the table and into his pocket now that the game was through.
"We're having a family meeting," Victor said simply, moving over to stand in front of the small table where the twins sat. He turned his head a little to see Liam coming in, silence as a ghost as always, and remained where he was. "Take a seat, mm? We've got something important to talk about."
Liam did so without so much as a word and Kai slipped into another chair with a worrysome look. Victor refused to sit, standing straight up with his hands behind his back. He was all business. He knew how to handle this sort of situation, but that didn't make it easy. "I've been thinking quite a bit about Mother's wish," he said finally, introducing the subject somewhat and looking at the reactions of each of his brothers.
Kai gave an understanding look with his open eyes, while Liam sat as unmoved as a stone. Runeh's grin disappeared to a blank face while Mikael turned a shade of red. The younger twin blurted, "What ******** wish? I certainly don't recall there being anything she told us to do before she died! You can't just go make something up, Vic!"
"Forgive me if my memory doesn't fail me like yours, Mikael," Victor said simply, his voice gently but stern. "No, there was something. She talked about it often, actually. Perhaps too often for you to pick up on it. She was always saying how she wished for us to have a sister."
"She's dead, Victor," Runeh said pointedly, his eyes sharp, "Where are you going with his? We obviously can't have a sister any longer. Father's dead too." Not that he, or any of the other brothers, would have accepted a step mother.
"Let me explain," Victor said, facing them all fully his eyes burning with a controled passion. "She always said how she wanted us to have a sister. This is probably because she saw that we always worked better together when we had a person to tie us together. Now she's gone and who do we have? No one. We're missing someone, like a part of our lives are missing. I know you feeling it too. We need a sister. We need to adopt."
Kai nodded in agreement, though he had already known the plan to begin with. Liam was watching with careful, critical eyes while the twins exchanged glances. "You want a brat?" Mikael asked, looking at his eldest brother with sceptically. But that seriousness alone showed he was practically in agreement already, as was his twin.
"Not all children are brats, Mikael, that's not a good way to describe them," he said with a warning frown, "I've talked to someone who told me of a good adoption agency...I would sign all the legal documents under my name and Kai and I would take care of her for the most part. But we all have to help in this if she is to be our sister. Right?" Now he finally looked at Liam. If Liam had any objections then it was all over. Unlike the other brothers, he was a man of logic. He could not be swayed by sweet words.
Liam met Victor's gaze calmly, his eyes as soft as they could become for a man such as himself. "It matters not to me," he murmured. This meant, in his mind, the options were balanced. It would work if they wanted to do it and they'd be fine if they didn't. This was, in a sense, a stamp of approval.
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll head out tomorrow and see what I can do," Victor said with a nod. And without another word he stood up, Kai following right behind. They left, Liam as well not much later, and the brothers returned to the day. For now, things were unchanged. But change would be coming and it was time they readied themselves for it.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 5:59 pm
Dear Journal,
Success all depends on perspective. To one person an action might seem a great victory, while to another it could perhaps seem inferior or quite the failure. But I must say that I feel I have been awarded with great success of late. From my previous entry I was able to gather information upon adoption agencies, due to the help of a kind stranger. From there I went on to convince my brothers that adopting a sister was, in fact, the right thing to do. It went better then I expected, fore I had been worried mainly about Liam. His reason is one you cannot argue with and had he been against it there would have been no hope.
After the meeting Kai and I went right into the process of finding a child to fit into our family. We went to the recomended center, called "Dr. Akari's Lab". There we could either adopt a cabbage, which would then "hatch" into a child at a later time, or adopt a child that had already been born. I could tell Kai favored the first option, but I insisted on the second. It was the only way to tell who would fit. Who could bring us together and become truly part of the family.
There were many children there. Some appeared normal, like any human walking around on gaia. Others, however, were strange with mixtures of DNA of animals and plants. Some even resembled myths. We went around to play with many of the young girls there, no matter how they looked, and tried to find someone that clicked.
After a while I finally found someone.
It was a small girl of a very light frame. She had golden hair and striking silver eyes that seemed to know exactly what you were thinking-or perhaps looked as if they were picking apart your mind to find out. She was, as I could easily see, part bird of some kind, fore she had a feathery texture to her skin, a small plumed tail, and "wings" for ears. But it wasn't her looks that captured me.
She sat upon the floor with a stack of rough wooden blocks. She had her lip curled in a tight frown, her eyes focused on the toys before her. Determination was written all over her face and I could sense her stubbornness. She stacked the blocks carefully, one after another. Upon reaching the last three blocks of her tower the structure collapsed, causing her to cry in frustration and start again.
I asked the kind women of the white cloth how long she had been doing that. She replied simply that the girl had been at it for nearly two hours.
Two hours! It was not her attention span that amazed me but in fact her spirit. To be that devoted, that confident, that determined at such a young age was impressive. And somehow I knew there could be no one else. She was who we needed and who we'd take home.
I immediately signed the adoption papers, giving her the name "Riley". I remember it being one of the possible names Mother had been thinking of for her own daughter. Upon bringing her home she seemed to pass with the our other siblings. It was probably because she didn't seem nervous by the change of scenery or by the new people. In fact, she was quite interested and actively interacted with all of us. Yes, even Liam.
We have done well adjusting since then. Though the poor girl is currently wearing baby clothes for boys due to my folly at sending Mikael and Runeh out shopping for her supplies. They ended up coming home with more items for themselves then for her. And what they did have for her were trucks, actionfigures, and whatever else that seemed to apeal to the child within each twin. We'll have to get her more suitables clothes and toys later after we've finished settling and gotten our pay once again.
Until another day.
-Vic
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 4:45 pm
(( Self Rp ))
Kai had always wanted to work in the medical field in order to help others. Such an occupation, as he had always known, came with the burden of always knowing more then you wanted to. Especially when it came to loved ones. And to have both his purpose stripped away and the weight of that extra information was a little too much for him to bare today. He felt useless.
It was but two days after Victor and he had brought Riley home. Everything had seemed normal. She had been running around their small apartment that morning and had managed to climb all over the funature...and fall off. Being the worry-wort that he was Kai had done a quick check up to make sure she was ok, despite her protests. And found a few things he didn't like. The first of being her heart rate was far too fast to be healthy...it was almost as if she had been having a heart attack.
He had fretted and insisted to his elder brother on calling 911. There was something seriously wrong with the girl, if his training had anything to say about it. But Victor had been skeptical. A little concern was healthy, but he hadn't agreed that it required such drastic action. For Riley showed no signs of being troubled by her strange heart-beat.
So instead he suggested calling in someone that was medically sound in animals-for was not Riley part sparrow? Kai had, reluctantly, agreed that perhaps her bird DNA had something to do with it. And he had just the person to call. Back at school he had had a friend who was going into sucha field: Arianna.
She had agreed, thank god, to come and see Riley immediately.
Which had left poor Kai to bite his lip and pace around the apartment, trying to keep busy. Victor was good at staying calm or at least pretending to be, but Kia was not. And it showed.
Riley sat confined to a high-chair in order to restrict her movements. "DOWN!" she insisted for the 39th time in the last 10 minutes. She didn't understand why the grownups wouldn't let her move around and had put her in this stupd thing. She wasn't even given anything to eat! Last time she recalled, this seat was for food only. She swayed back and forth fiercely, as if pure determination could free her from the trap she was in.
Luckily for her she didn't have to wait much longer.
Fore a knock finally rang out against the door signaling Ari's arrival. Kai jumped like a startled rabbit and then let out a breath of relief knowing who it was. He hurried to the door, pulling it open with graditude shining in his eyes as he looked upon the short brown-and-white haired woman, "Thank you Ari. I appreciate you coming so quickly."
Ari offered a warm, friendly smile, stepping past her old friend and setting her bag of medical supplies off to the side. "It's no big deal. Nikie was there, so I was able to come without worrying about the kids," she assured him. She then went over to the restless toddler, holding out gentle and welcoming hands. "Come on, hon, lets see whats going on, mm?" she cooed sweetly as she took Riley under the arms and lifted her from her temporary prsion. Riley met this with a cry of joy only to realize soon after that she wasn't being released.
Instead Ari placed her on the couch, looking over her shoulder to see Kai bringing over her bag. "Ah, thank you," she murmured appreciatively before pulling some standard instruments from her pack. She went through standard check-up procedures from that point, Kai hovering worriedly near by. The fact that Ari made no specific comments on Riley's health as she went did nothing for the poor man's nerves.
Finally Ari turned about to face him, folding her arms across her midsection. At this point victor stood and drifted over to hear the news. Kai did his best to stand still, his eyes pleading to God that it wasn't the worst. This seemed to get Ari started. She shook her head, putting a cool hand on his arm as she smiled, "Relax. She's perfectly fine."
Kai felt a weight lift from his body as he let out a sigh of relief. "There are a few things I'd like to tell you about, however," Ari said, prodding him back into paying attention.
The subject in question, however, quickly slipped down from the couch and raced off as fast as she could. She wasn't letting those grown-ups get her again, nuh uh! She quickly dived behind a chair, bunking out to watch the enemy activity from safty.
"She may be fine, but she's certainly not under what you'd consider normal standards," Ari informed them with little notice to the "missing" child, "Her avian DNA has affected her body greatly, so her standards are quite different. Her heart rate, for example, is supposed to be twice that of a normal child her age. Now...most of the rest of what I have to tell you is mainly assumption, since I don't have the proper equipment and machines here to test it for sure, but it's all very possible. It is likely that her metabolism is abnormally fast. This will mean she has more energy-as I'm sure you've observed-but it also means she'll have to eat more regularly in order to maintain a healthy body weight. I'd suggest 5-6 times a day. Another thing you've probably noticed is she's extremely light-I'd say this is because her bones are hallow. I don't know that for certain but...it'd be better to assume so then to ignore it. It means you must be sure to give her pleanty of calcium in her diet. Females are known for having low calcium naturally at times anyway, let alone having hallow bones."
She let out a breath, seeming relieved to finally finish her report. She offered a weary smile, "She should be ok. None of this is really someone that would affect her life too much...just keep in mind my diet suggestions."
Victor nodded his head respectfully, giving her a gentle, grateful look, "Thank you so much. You've been a big help."
Ari laughed, waving the compliment off, flustered, "No! Really, it was nothing. If you have any other problems feel free to give me a call." She then left with a friendly wave, shutting the door carefully behind her.
Victor and Kai both turned their gaze to the small sparrow-girl hiding behind the kitchen table. Vic smiled at his brother and then turned to his sister, "Well, maybe it's time for a bit of extra lunch then, hmm?" Looks like the start of the new diet was in order.
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 4:02 pm
(( Self Rp ))
God.
Did his head always feel like it was going to pop ******** hang-over.
Mikael rolled over on the couch, trying to keep his aching eyes shut. Man, he wished his heart would stop beating so loudly. Or...hard or whatever. He could feel every throbbing beat. Ugh. This was what he got for going out drinking. He had never exactly been the type in which you could use the word "responsible" or "moderation" within a sentence. Nope. And normally he didn't give a s**t. It was only when it was actually painful did he think maybe it wasn't such a good idea.
"Mikael!" came an all too familiar commanding voice. The man being adressed groaned, rolling over and sitting up reluctantly. If it hadn't been Victor he would have completely ignored such a request at this point. But one did not mess with Vic. He might be understanding, but he wasn't one to be jerked around. He was, after all, head of the family.
"Whaaaaaaaat?" Mikael moaned, sounding much like a dying animal. He certainly felt like one.
He couldn't see it, but he knew Victor was giving a very scornful look. "Uh! Mikael! You drunken b*****d!" A sigh came from his elder brother as he gained control and continued on a more serious note, sounding rather irratation but back to his composed self, "Kai, Liam, and I have been called away on an emergency assignment. You have to watch Riley. Runeh isn't back yet. When he is, he can help. I suggest putting her to bed, since obviously you can barely see a hand waved in front of your face."
The door then slammed, leaving Mikael to blink at the bright room which he really couldn't see. Finally, despite the protests from his exploding headache, he could see a little. And he grimaced at the sight. His sister stood before him dressed in a pair of shorts and a small shirt, peering up at him with curious silver eyes.
Nooo, he could not do this right now.
He threw his body back against the couch, shutting his eyes again and went back to musing over the agony he was in. Riley could take care of herself, right? She as an independent kid.
Riley stared at her older, rather perplexed. Was he dead? She had no idea why he had just collapsed like that. Reaching out a tan finger she poked him in the side. Hard.
No response.
She started on a barrage of jabs to his side, moving slowly upward as she went. Until she got to his ribs, poking through the fabric of his shirt and sharing with her blank, skeptical stare. Finally she got a reaction as he threw himself up, glaring at her with red-rimmed orbs.
"WHAT?" he demanded furiously. If Riley hadn't seen him yell every day she might have been frightened.
"Bath time," she replied, watching him expectantly. Victor had been about to give her one before he left. And she always had a bath. Every single night. Now, it wasn't the getting clean part she liked, since dirt was rather comfortable. It was the fact that she got to splash around and play with boats and such. That was pretty cool.
"Go do it yourself," Mikael grumbled, rolling over so that his back was facing her.
Riley stared for a long moment before running off, "Okay." She could do it! She could do anything she wanted to, after all. Right?! Well! Even if she couldn't, she wasn't going to let a bath get the better of her! No sir! She raced to the bathroom, and darted past the open door only to stop quickly as she entered. Wow...this bathroom was boring. A huge frown formed on her mouth, her brows furrowing in displeasure. There were no toys! And it was all gray!
If she had had some more...femanine traits she might have noticed how dirty it was instead of its dull color and lack of play-things. Instead she just went over to the tub, peering at the knob. Hmm...Big Brother Victor always turned those knobs to get the water to come out soo...she'd do that too! She reached out with her small hands, putting both upon the knob, and pushed her body forward in an attempt to turn it.
And she managed it. Though she also sent herself tumbling forward into the tub, hitting the bottom with a thumb and feeling a sharp pain shoot through her head. Ouch! She winced, whining momentarily before rolling back over and sitting up. Oh! Warm water spilled from the spout and began to fill the bath, for she had knocked the plug shut during her fall. A grin slowly spread across her face until it was wide enough to show all the teeth she had grown in, "HEHE!" She knew she could do it!
Mikael pulled an arm over his head, feeling a rushing sound echoing in his ears. Ugh...what the hell? He tried to stuff his face deeper into the sofa to drown out the noise. But it simply wouldn't go away. Funny thing about being half asleep and having a hang over was that something that seemed short was actually really long. It felt like he had struggled to stay calm for meerly a few seconds, when in reality it had been about...25 minutes. Which explained the disaster he happened to find when he forced himself to see what was going on.
And his colorful vocabulary of curses couldn't cover for what he saw.
Riley stood near the door, water lapping against her feet as she stared at the overflowing bath tub. Obviously she hadn't realized that she had to turn off the water once it got high enough. That or she hadn't been able to turn it back again. Either way, the room was a mess and water was beginning to soak into the carpet just outside the door.
"Ah s**t!" Mikael growled as she pushed past his puzzled sister, slamming his hand on the knob and twisting with frantic vigor until the water finally stopped flowing. And for a moment the only sounds were a few drops in the bath and Mikael's panting. And then he rounded on her like a bull, nostrels flaring, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Riley blinked at him, completely unafraid of his anger. She looked as if he had asked the most retarded question in the world. "Taking a bath," she said simply, as if it was a very charitable act to tell him what he should have known already.
"You weren't supposed to actually do it!" Mikael fumed in exasperation. Trust Riley to take his comment literally! But then...she was still little. But damn it! Was she infused with a spirit of destruction or something? It sure felt like it. And he hated cleaning. He reached in, mumbling under his breath, and pulled the plug. The water slowly began to drain way, leaving a guzzling sound in its wake. Once the water level had gone down half way he lifted Riley and set her down with fierce control into the tub. "Stay here! Have your dumb bath!"
Then he got to work, racing around and putting down towels and once he ran out of those, pieces of clothing, on the floor to absorb the liquid. Bah. He knew he was going to get complaints from whoever lived below. And while he didn't care about them, he did care about them coming to bother him. He didn't really want to deal with anyone right now. He sat upon the toliet, resting his chin in his palms as he stared at Riley with discontent who was floating around in the water.
Riley was booored. There were no toys in here. She hadn't complained yet because Mikael had been mad. Not that she wasn't used to him being mad, but...it wouldn't get her toys. But now that he seemed to be sulking it was time to cheer things up a bit and have fun! So, she tried to start the first "game" that came to mind.
She slammed her hands before her, splashing the bath-water all over Mikael.
Mikael jerked back slightly, sputtering was the water got in his face. She did not just do that! But his dripping bangs and wet shirt were enough proof that she had. And he wasn't going to let her get away with it. So he leaned forward and thrust a wave of water back at her, furious! And so a splashing war insued but, surprisingly enough, what began as a match of firey wills turned into a joke filled with laughter from both the young sparrow girl and her brother.
But eventually they had to stop, lest they flood the entire room again. So Mikael drained the last of the water, figuring Riley was clean enough, and took her out of the tub placing her on one of the wet towels. He paused, realizing he was probably supposed to put her in PJs or something. Uh...didn't Victor leave a diper bag or something? He left her there, shuffling through the apartment until he was able to locate the thing and dig out a rather frilly pink nightdress sort of thing.
When had they gotten this? Last time he checked Riley had more reasonable clothes (aka boy clothes). Apparently Kai had objected and gone shopping again. Whatever. As long as it got her dressed, right? So he walked back to the bathroom, holding out the dress to Riley simply and saying, "Put this on."
Riley stared at him as if, perhaps, he was trying to make a joke. Or maybe he had started speaking another language and she hadn't noticed. For she had no idea what that ugly thing he was holding up in his hand was. And there was nooooo way she was going to wear it. When he continued to wave the thing at her she folded her arms, jutted out her lower lip and stated fiercely, "NO!"
Mikael frowned, feeling his temple throb. Uh! He'd had enough! "You're going to put this on right now!" he growled at her, reaching out to snatch her and stuff her head through the bottom of he had to. Of course, Mikael had forgotten how quick Riley was...and he wasn't exactly Mr. Reflex with his head still grinding at his nerves. So the sparrow child ducked between his legs and shot out into the apartment, fleeing the frilly dress as fast as she could.
And so began the game of cat and...er...bird. Mikael hounded Riley all over the place, trying to stuff her into the blasted pajamas much to the little girl's anger and dismay. Both were stubborn and both were furious so it made the whole event rather heated. But after a half hour of running and climbing and lunging Mikael couldn't take anymore. Not with how ill he had been feeling in the first place.
"FINE! Go around naked for all I care!" he bellowed before flopping on the couch. He turned his back on her and refused to say another word. One ought to wonder if he was a child too.
Riley watched from her hiding place behind a small table just opposite him. She had her face set with determination, her muscles tense in case she had to bolt again. For she honestly expected him to jump up at any moment and come chasing after her once more. Mikael had always been so strong! But he didn't move for a long time and after a while she heard an odd sound. Snores!
She let out a breath, before smiling a little. Silly brother! He must have been tired! Deeming it safe she crawled over to the sofa and pulled herself up next to Mikael. Curling beside him she closed her eyes. Maybe sleeping was a good idea. And before she knew it she was snoozing heavily, just like her big brother.
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:04 pm
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:06 pm
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:07 pm
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 6:13 pm
(( Self-RP ))
Five men in the military was hardly a stable environment for a child. It was hardly stable for living alone either. So Liam had decided, with Victor's approval, that Riley needed a few things to be constant within her life. So every other day Liam made certain to meet with Riley to be sure she got a bit of an eductation, much to her dismay. The twins certainly weren't going to teach her anything worth while. And while he knew Kai and Victor were capable enough, he wanted to make this concrete. When she started school she needed to be used to some kind of pattern. She might be little, but the sooner she got used to having some sort of routine the better.
It was that time again and Liam had been ordered by his higher-ups to compose a stratagy report within the hour. Papers, reports, articles, and the like were stacked neatly in front and beside him as he sat at a small, round table. But instead of choosing to blow off his younger sister, he had logically come to the conclusion that it was easy enough to do his report and keep her busy. After all, their sessions were often 2 or so hours long. And his skill with composing a plan was usually quick. It had to be, with as high ranking as he was. So he had Riley practicing her letters while he got through this piece of work.
Riley, of course, wasn't all too please about this. Her little visits with Liam were endlessly boring. He always had her sit still and just...do boring stuff! Her frustrated, pouty face including furrowed brows and swollen lower lip was painted clearly on, but it never had any affect on her older brother. She glared at her pencil, trying to hold it in her small, stubby toddler fingers and make the required "s" shape for the 6th time. She was getting really fed up with this.
She began to twist in her seat, and then kicked her feet about. When none of that seemed to improve the situation she started tapping her pencil until it...well, broke. Exasperated she threw her head down on the table, "Ehhhhh." She might only be a toddler, but she showed very little promise for performing well in school in the future.
Liam didn't even look up from the diagram he was drawing. But that didn't mean he hadn't taken notice of Riley's restlessness. It was quite normal, actually. She seemed to get like this almost every time. Instead of ignoring her or letting her down he tried to get her mind occupied and keep her content. "Have anything you need to ask, Riley?" He had, multiple times, told her that if she ever needed something explained he would gladly do so. But he only reminded her in case she forgot, which she seemed to often. He didn't require her to ask questions. It was entirely up to her.
Riley blinked, lifting her head off the table a little. Oh yeah...there were some things that she didn't quite get. And Liam was so smart! He'd surely know! She leaned forward, her interest caught again as she forgot about the tedious alphabet she was supposed to learn. "What's gambling?" she chirped expectantly. Runeh and Mikael kept talking about it and she didn't know what it was.
Liam continued to lightly draw his pen along the paper in front of him, listening with his head tilted ever so slightly in her direction. Gambling? Well, that was Mikael and Runeh's doing, surely. "It's when two or more people play a game, each saying they'll give up money if they loose and recieve money if they win." He didn't beat around the bush, or try to make up something so that she wouldn't know about it. He was practical, and that was just how things were.
Riley seemed to think a little over what he said. Laim knew everything, so he had to be right. Hm. So that's why Mikael and Runeh always did it. It'd be cool to earn money all the time by winning. She won lots of games and never got money. How strange! She twisted a little in her seat, thinking of another question. It was a bit like trivia, except that she wanted the right answer.
Finally she found something else to ask. "What's s**t mean?" she questioned bluntly, her silver eyes curious and showing no knowledge of what the word represented.
Liam paused, actually looking up this time. There was no alarm in his expression nor annoyance. It was typical that Mikael wouldn't watch his mouth around her. He had no self control. "It means poop," Liam said logically, "But it's a bad word and most people don't take it very well, especially if it's directed at them." He wasn't going to tell her not to use it. Growing up in this family, it seemed inevitable that she get a rather bad mouth. It was her intentions that mattered and he didn't see signs of those going astray yet.
"Oh," Riley said, frowning a little as she wrinkled her nose in though. Mm...so it meant poop? Why didn't he just say poop then? How very weird. But, while it hadn't actually clearified anything, it was nice to know.
Somehow the question asking had eased her ands he no longer felt like squirming about. Instead she picked up another pencil, since there were several there, and tried her letters again.
This caught Liam's interest. He paused in his work for a moment, looking at her. "You don't like sitting still," he stated factually. He had known this all along. He waited for a moment and then asked, not really expecting an answer since he was sure he wouldn't understand, "Why are you doing so now?"
Riley actually seemed to stop and think about what he asked her. But it didn't take her long, for she grinned quickly and said with her usual energy and fire, "Well! Brother likes sitting, so I'll sit too!" Maybe what she had to do was boring and maybe she'd rather be running around but...Riley loved being with all her big brothers. And that included Liam!
Liam just looked at her for a moment before reaching out with a gentle hand and patting her on the head, a tiny smile smoothing his normally blank face. He then asked no more questions of her, going back to finish his work. They'd be ok for today. For they both seemed to, despite the huge cavernous gap of intellect, come to an understanding. And that was just fine with him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:35 am
Private RolePlay - IN PROGRESS
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:49 am
Dear Journal,
I must say that normally Liam is the most reliable one in our family. He's practical, efficient, and intellegent. But leaving Riley in his care for the day seemed to have come up with a slight mishap. According to the man himself, Riley had needed a hair cut. I hadn't really seen why, her hair was fine. He had explained that it would continue to grow longer and that none of us knew how to properly care for long hair-excluding Runeh, but he wasn't to be trusted with such a task. So he had done the obvious thing to do-cut it off.
While it doesn't look bad, it is awfully short. And of course Mikael had a fit about it when he found out. Something about cutting away what little girly qualities she had. And while that was hardly my concern on the matter, I did address Liam and told him it isn't going to happen again. We'll let her grow out her hair and by that time she would probably be able to choose the length herself.
In other news, we've been given our vacation time in two weeks. I decided perhaps we could go to some amusement parks and shows to keep us busy. We'll see exactly how many of the attractions Riley is able or willing to ride when we get there. I'm sure it'll be fun either way, though. I think it's the first true outing we've had as a family since mother died. I'm hoping for the best.
As far as Riley's education goes, I've enrolled her in the school sponsered by the Liberty Center. Up until now her education has been limited to her hours with Liam...well I shouldn't say "limited" since he's done quite a lot with her. Though I admit I'm a little worried about how things will go. She isn't one to sit still and I'm sure she'll cause mounds of trouble. And I believe she might be a little resistent to learning, but I do want her to get the best education possible. Who knows what she might want to do in the future?
For now she's content to kick around a soccer ball or run around the neighborhood. We've been showing her how to play all sorts of sports, since she seems most interested in that sort of thing. Soccer, Basket Ball, and Base Ball are the ones we've been spending the most time playing. Though I heard Runeh whispering about getting her on a skateboard, which I don't look forward too. I know she'll enjoy it, but Kai certainly won't enjoy tending to her bruises and cuts.
I've been thinking about taking her and a few friends to the lake this week. Perhaps give the other guardians a bit of a break. Besides, Riley loved company. And I figure the lake has plenty to keep the kids occupied-swimming, games, and the like. I'll see what I can arrange. Everything depends on how much training I'm instructing this week.
-Vic
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:55 am
Open Roleplay - IN PROGRESS
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:16 am
Private Roleplay - IN PROGRESS
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:17 am
Open Roleplay - IN PROGRESS
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