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Crow gave another excited titter. "I've seen the sun about twice this month, once at dawn, and when I was out on the terrace with Len,' she said, still dreaming of sunburns and solar glare.

Lenore struggled to sound out Deimos' name, feeling a flare of frustration at her inability to speak it properly.

"Dei," she said finally, giving up on the full version. "Dei Dei Dei Dei!" with a cry of delight, Len recited the name over and over, enjoying a renewed sense of heightened self esteem as she spoke. Pointing to herself, she played with the syllables for a few moment before gurgling out "Lennnn."

She made a prolonged "nnnn" sound, before pointing back to Deimos and repeating his shortened name.

And, pointing surreptitiously at Crow, she cheerfully screeched, "Dammit!"

(This being Crow's curse of choice, and having allowed Len to hear it far too many times for it not to be learned, whether or not the child knew what it meant.)

((Good night! ))

Crow blushed deeply and gave a nervous giggle, mentalling noting to tape her mouth shut around Lenore if she was in a cursing mood. "You have my undying gratitude, honestly," She said.

(( I'll finish this up tomorrow - I'm too tired to right now...))

((uber delayed response, gonk ))

"I'll bring some stuff for the kids to eat - Len's in love with this beef mash stuff that comes in a can. I'm not sure if Deimos would like it, but Len refuses to eat anything but that and mashed peas with milk." Crow glanced over at Mishaps, and made a sound of surprise as she saw the tail feather entwined in Deimos' hair.

Looking Len over, she noticed that the feather tail was one short, and a small fleck of blood on Lenores fingers.

"Lenore Ligeia Adyamaur, did you pull that feather out?" she asked the giggling child in half-earnest accusation. Lenore giggled louder and waved her bladed arms in response. Rolling her eyes, Crow tucked the happy girl back in her carrying box and hoisted her up.

"Well, Len's due for a diaper change right about now, so I'll catch you tomorrow out at the terrace, maybe noonish?" Crow said as she halfway waltzed out the door, thoughts preoccupied with the sun.

Lenore settled into her box, content and impressed with herself. She had mastered her instincts of protection, allowed herself to interact with Deimos, and made him a friend in the process, and had begun to speak another word besides "Maromi". A good day's work, all in all.

__The Dining Room
Foot steps were muffled by carpet as a pair of worn converse shoes traipsed over it and in to the large kitchen. Azumi hadn’t even noticed where she had walked herself or the fact that the room was already occupied. Her mind was set on trying to once more get the bawling babe in her arms to calm and stop his racket. Black wolf ears were pressed so close against her head they looked like fluffy hair ornaments and her shoulder was damp from Osso's tears.

Still without noticing anyone was in the same room as her, the werewolf made a bee-line to the fridge when its glory caught her eye and she yanked the door from its suction. A cold air wafted up from the open fridge and greeted the exhausted woman, but her duty was not done yet. Grabbing a bottle filled with a white liquid she gingerly held it and placed it into the child's open mouth before even closing the refrigerator door.

As soon as the bottle was placed, tiny hands seemed to stick to the sides of the bottle and once more peace was restored. With the door closed and peace, Azumi now took the time to gaze around the kitchen, but was startled out of her wits when she saw she wasn’t alone, “oh!” She gasped and took a step backwards before wine hued eyes could absorb who the other people where. When she saw it was another guardian and mishap, a sudden wave of stupidity rushed through her as she started to stumble her words a bit as she apologized, "I'm so sorry! I..I didn't know anytum....I mean anyone, was here and....and.... God, you gave me a fright!" The last words came out in a funny little chuckle as she straightened up a bit.

Juggling Osso a bit, the half werewolf was able to get one hand free and give a small wave and shy smile to this other woman. "'Ello, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Azumi and this," she shifted the babe once more, "is Osso." She blinked once or twice before gazing around for a second.

What to say, what to say....It was during this quick and mad search that she spotted, or rather heard, the other little Mishap in a highchair. "So you're a guardian to?" It was only after she said it that Azumi realized that Crow obviously was, "sorry, obviously you are," she gave another little sheepish laugh before speaking again," I'm a new guardian, I've only had this little one for about a week or less, how about you?" Black pointed canine ears perked up a little to catch any other noises around her, the fluffy and equally black tail wrapping a little around her left leg.

Until the word "bone" was yelled by the other child, Osso hadn't even cared to notice the others around him and his guardian. He had been contently sucking on the bottle with closed eyes, but when the small voice reached his ears, a new thing had captured his attention.

Flicking up an eyelid, a hollow black space gazed around till his sight came upon the small baby some feet away. It was the first time he had seen anyone his own size and now both lids were open and two black holes peered out from behind the bottle. Now being fully awake and curious Osso looked very similar to Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas, a movie he had watched part of with his motherly figure. Pushing the bottle away as his interest in it had faded, the child was able to squirm and position himself so that he was almost just perching in a sitting position in Azumi's arms. Pale blonde strands of fine hair hung in his face as just continued to look at this other little being.

Wine gaze caught the open-mouthed stare as she got that a lot, but never in her life had it really bothered her so she just decided to answer the unasked question,"half Noir Werewolf, at your service," she said with a small giggle that progressed to a slightly louder one when she looked over at the soggy end of the table.

When her gaze returned to Crow was when she decided to reply to the last statments made. "Oh, I actually don't live here, or well...I do, but I don't. Um...You see, I own Cabin like house about fifty miles outside of Durem in the moutains. I still have the room here, but I really only came today to pick up some laundry from last night, that is until this little one started screaming his head off....Again." Azumi looked down at her charge with a fond expression," but dinner with someone to talk to seems perfectly in order.

With that the werewolf walked the few feet to a chair close to Lenore, but out of the mass splosh of peas and milk.

Osso giggled and waved a chubby little arm when he was close enough to this talkative young one. He was still in a sit perch but now on his mother's lap as she had sat down at one of the wooden chairs. Hollow eyes scanned the smaller being, taking in her black hair and gray skin, but it was the blades on her arms that gave him a small thrill. Their shiney surfaces and silver color made him want to examin them more than anything, the dangers or such sharp objects not known in his mind.

Azumi's eyes widend a bit when she was offered the tea. "Ooo, I'd love some thanks!" she could already smell it's minty aroma and it tickled her for the oddest of reasons; tea was her favorite drink-green tea at the top of the list and soon followed by mint. With the scent, her fluffy black tail swayed lightly from behind her and she shifted a bit in her chair to get more comforable with the lump on her lap which was Osso.

"I try not to get too attached to homes at times, but I ended up doing so with two of my residents and now I don't want to leave the one in the mountains. It's a bit sticky and a pain when I have to drive all the way down here, but the car ride makes Osso fall fast asleep and let me tell you, that kid can make anyone go insane with his crying," she chuckled once more and lightly ruffled the slightly long, pale blonde locks on her charge's head.

Osso cocked his head to the right when he was pointed at. Too young to understand most things, he could only get that this other's name was Len and that she was saying "bone"...But why was she pointing at him. The babe's mind spun and sifted through all the words he slightly understood...Ah ha! He got it now. Len wanted to know HIS name, but how couldhe tell her?

Osso had yet to learn how to talk and the best he could do was make odd little noises that represented words. Mimicking the pointing gesture, he pointed a chubby finger at the other and said,"nnnnnnnn." After he made the sound, he screwed up his face. No, that wasn't right, so he tried to say it again but still only managed to say,"nnnnnnnnnnn." With a hard sigh he gave up and decided to try and give his own name,"ooo...oooos...Os!" He stated happily though the mindless 'word' sounded more like 'O'-ss.

The bone child was about to try and say Len's name once more, but when he saw that she had extended a bladed arm, he shut right up. Because of Azumi's arm that was put lightly across his middle, Osso leaned forward as far as he could and stretched out both arms. With chubby, bone marked hands, he made silly little grabby motions. Finger tips were mere milimeters from the shiney blades and his face became slightly screwed up with frustration.

>< Must go now, I'll try to get on tonight, but I'll be back tomarrow to continue. Bye!

Azumi nodded in agreement as she sipped her own tea, careful to keep the substance out of the grabby hands of Osso. "Yes...It's a good thing we're semi used to each other now. Now more completely sleepless nights, but because I lack a crib he sleeps next to me in my bed and I often wake up to find the little guy with both hands clinging to one of my ears. How he moves himself onto the pillow is still a mystery to me," she smiled to herself and twitched a black pointed hark.

The bone child blinked a few times as Len drew back her arm and the shinies. A small sniffle crossed his nose as if he was about to start crying again, but when this new person spoke once more his sadness was practically forgotten. Following Lenore's pointing hand, he looked behind him and at his mother and then back to Len. Tilting his head once more the babe tried to figure out a way to tell her who his 'mother' was. A few silent moments passed and after some hard thinking on Osso's part, all he could do was shake his head in response.

Feeling a little silly and sorry for not being able to answer this possible future playmate's question, Osso quickly looked around for something to show Len. It was out of the corner of a hollow socket that her caught sight of his guardian's swaying tail. It was moving and swishing much closer to him now and by leaning as far over to the left as he could manage, and after a moment of grabbing at thin air, his bone tattooed hand came up triumphantly with a fluffy black thing clenched in his palm.

Azumi didn't even notice that her tail had been captured, Osso's grip wasn't really that hard and the werewolf rarely payed attention to where she swished the thing...Maybe that's why she always ended up paying for broken items in stores.

With the now limp tail in one tiny hand, Osso let out a shrill giggle and presented the ebon fluff to Len.