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 Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:49 am
"Well...Yeah, I guesh. I sssuppossse I should go back home now." Rae shrugged and managed a weak smile. Turning to go, she paused (wobbily) and turned back. "I don't thinnk I everr got your name! I'm Rae!"
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 8:32 am
"Okay, but be careful!" Chuu replied, although Rae lived just next door. "My name? It's Chuu! Nice to meet you! Maybe we'll see each other again soon!" Genuine smile, but when aren't her smiles real?
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:09 am
"Yeah," Rae said as a loud thump, followed by a resounding crash, came from next door. "Yeah, I'll be careful." Rae managed a weak smile, then wobbled her way towards the door. "I expect I'll be ssseeing you sssoon, then." She gaved a half hearted wave and swung around the corner to her door.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:54 am
The mousegirl giggled as Rae said her goodbyes. " Okay! See you around~!" she said as the drunken raver stumbled out of the door. What a strange way to end one's evening! What would be in store for them next? " Rae seems like an interesting person, doesn't she?" Chuu said to Mirorim. " Rae seems like an interesting person, doesn't she?" the mirrorchild replied. :End Roleplay with Maliska~
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Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:30 pm
~Significant Leaves:
Crinch-crunch. Crackle, crunch-crinch. Crunch-crackle...
The sound of browned leaves disintegrating underfoot would always be a delight for young Chuu- as she tromped about sidewalk and road, she would always go out of her way to step on even a single leaf with her little white boots. All the while she giggled and frolicked and generally made a scene. Autumn was her one of her favorite times of the year: soon winter would come and there would be snow, and then spring would come and there would be wonderful flowers and light rain, and then it would be summer with the long days and evenings filled with insect calls, and then it would be autumn again! There was something great to be had in every day of the year, really.
Mirorim sat with his back to a tree, fiddling with his cat's cradle as he always did when he was in an idle state. He had seen enough of the world at this point to feel tiny wisps of frustration. There were all these... words... that he had heard and imitated, but none yet that he really knew.
The treeborn girl noticed that the toddler seemed strangely sallow- she thought that a trip outside might cheer him up, but even a demonstration on how fun falling leaves were seemed to do little for his mood. Her ears drooped in adorable concern and she sat by Mirorim, letting her presence become comfortable for a few seconds before speaking to her adopted little brother.
"Mirorim, what's the matter?"
Oh, how he wished that he could say what the problem was, but he didn't know how. Even the basics of facial expression seemed to elude him, and it was therefore quite a development when salty liquid began to leak slowly out of his normally unexpressive magenta eyes.
"Ohhh... you don't know how to say what's bothering you, do you?" Chuu replied, hoping that she was right so she could help. Wrapping her arms around the doll-like toddler in a tight hug, she added, "I'll try and help you as much as I can, okay? You'll get it. I know that you can learn fast!"
"You'll get it," Mirorim repeated.
The mousegirl could feel Mirorim's determination, and was sure that he chose that particular thing to repeat in order to assure himself that he could do it. She ended the embrace and backed away slightly, sitting across Mirorim and facing him. "Okay!" she said with her usual energy. "Let's try to learn at least one new thing every day! And since you've already said your name before, let's start with..." She caught a falling leaf in her hand and held it up to the mirrorchild.
Mirorim looked at the leaf.
"Leaf," Chuu explained.
"Leaf," Mirorim repeated, almost immediately.
The treeborn chuckled softly. "No... try saying it in your own voice. I heard you use it when I first met you... 'Leaf' isn't just a word, it's what this is."
"Ee... L-leeeeaf. Leaf," a whispery, almost submissive little voice said. So... this... was leaf! Like... he was Mirorim!
Chuu applauded with glee and handed the the reddened piece of tree to the toddler. "That's so wonderful! Keep this to remember what you learned. Let's go get some hot cocoa to celebrate!"
Mirorim didn't let the leaf out of his sight for the rest of the day.
:End~
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:32 pm
~Anything Gold Can Stay... with a Little Magic:A pair of magenta eyes stared out of the window and into the rainy gloom outside. A dark hand clutched the stem of a faded orange leaf that was beginning to curl around the edges from lack of moisture. It had been a few weeks since Mirorim had received this leaf, and he hadn't let it out of his sight since.
Throughout those few weeks, he had learned many words- perhaps not as quickly as a normal child his age would, but any progress was enough to thrill his adoptive sister.
Chuu was watching Mirorim look out the window with a calm smile as she picked up crumbs off of the floor from their breakfast. Her eyes happened to wander to the leaf... it seemed that soon it would crumble and fall apart. The treeborn knew that her little brother was very attached to this leaf, and knew that she should act to preserve this object that coaxed Mirorim's first word out of him. It would take magic that she hadn't used in a very long time, but she was sure that it would be possible.
So the treeborn slowly stood up and gently approached the boy at the window. Mirorim turned his head around to face Chuu and pointed out the window, his facial expression changing slightly to a questioning one. "Sky... water?" he asked after a moment or two of trying to string the right words together.
"It is water that comes from the sky... but it's called rain!" Chuu answered with her usual smile.
"Sky water... rain." the mirrorchild processed. "Like... rain."
The treeborn giggled. "I like the rain, too! Oh... can I see your leaf for a little bit?" She gently took the leaf out of Ror's hand when he extended it, and walked back towards the middle of the room.
Mirorim looked a little worried. "Take... leaf?" he asked as if it would be gone forever.
"No, you'll get it right back, good as new!" Chuu answered. "I promise." She let the leaf drift to the floor and sat down herself. As the tree scrap hit the ground with a brittle scrape, the treeborn extended her hands and pointed her fingertips toward the leaf. Her eyes closed halfway in concentration as she became more attuned to the slightly chaotic magic that was present in Gaia.
Mirorim watched Chuu's spellworking begin from his spot by the window. Slowly, wispy golden threads of light began to appear between Chuu's fingertips and the leaf, flowing around the air before resting on the brittle orange shape. The leaf gradually became swathed in a pale gold color as its ends uncurled, crackling slightly. It had been preserved in a coating that would result in jewelry dealers and gold collectors chasing after the treeborn if they were aware that she was out there and capable of something like this.
Chuu wasn't quite finished, though. Her hands began to trace around an imaginary circle, coaxing the remaining threads of light to do the same. This motion caused small pale gold baubles to appear one by one in a circle- starting at the leaf, connecting together and ending in a simple hooklike clasp so the whole thing could be worn by someone without it falling off of their neck. Her task complete, the treeborn picked up the necklace and walked back towards the mirrorchild.
The boy was reluctant to touch it at first. But he felt no hostility (as always) from his adoptive sister, and therefore allowed his finger to trace the veins that could still be seen on the gold-coated leaf. Chuu then helped her little brother clasp it around his neck.
"There... now your leaf can last forever, and you'll never forget what you learned," the treeborn said softly with a smile.
"Forever..." Mirorim repeated.
 :End~
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:58 pm
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:02 pm
Ror and I went to a chocolate store, and made some new friends. One of them came out of a piece of glass, just like Mirorim! They might have gotten into a little trouble, but it was still a wonderful time!
Chocolates. Stala... big fire?
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:22 pm
~They're Contagious:And so it was that Chuu continued to gradually chip away at the wall that seemed to separate Mirorim from the rest of the world. At this point in time, he was asking as many questions as ever, but also seemed to enjoy paying attention to detail, from the flecks of rust on a metal railing to intricate patterns on a ceremonial dress.
Details were enjoyed so much, in fact, that after Chuu got some drawing supplies to see what he could do in the artistic field, he began to draw uncannily accurate copies of his surroundings. As of now they were but outlines, but what the image was supposed to be was always loud and clear. The subject of his drawings seemed to change constantly. One thing that was more or less constant was the fact that they were more often than not closeups of something- folds on a piece of clothing; a small clump of grass sitting in the mud; fingers and toes; patterns on a worn handkerchief.
On one particular evening, they had gone out to the busiest part of Gambino's port as one of Chuu's deeper lessons- observe people and the emotions that they display in the constant rush of life. She thought it would be a good idea to bring along Ror's sketchbook and some pencils, and so it was.
Late at night, when they returned home, Ror's book was filled with drawings of random people- all of them without faces.
This was something that was obviously open to many interpretations. Maybe the mirrorchild simply didn't like faces. Maybe he had a phobia.
Maybe he didn't feel like he should draw something he didn't understand.
Chuu was again marvelled by the soul that had been put under her care. How innocent must one be to even be shielded from such a thing as emotion? It was yet another thing that the treeborn was thrilled to teach.
But how?
It would be an interesting procedure, but it would be done.
---
The next morning, Ror woke up from a dreamless sleep to find Chuu smiling at him, like always. "Are you ready to learn something new?" she asked cheerfully.
The mirrorchild nodded. "Learn."
"Alright! Hold still..."
Mirorim obeyed, and a dark cloth was wrapped in front of his eyes. He felt Chuu's hand close around his, and let himself be led outside. A wooden paintbrush was placed in his hand, and he was sat down in front of a large piece of paper.
"The paint bucket is on your right, and the paper is right in front of you. I want you to draw without taking the blindfold off, okay?"
This insane request made the mirrorchild freeze in alarm. How was he supposed to draw when he couldn't see?
"You need to relax, Ror!" Chuu said with a slight giggle. "Relax and put down the first thing that comes to your mind." She was standing right beside her little brother, hands clasped behind her back and with a patient smile on her face.
Mirorim's mind was blank.
A feather landed on his head.
A stray cat meowed. Chuu engaged in conversation with a stranger, as she oft did.
The smell of baking bread reached Ror's senses.
Still, his mind was blank of ideas.
In the distance, a young couple laughed together. Someone dropped a stray coin on he ground. The cat meowed again.
Mirorim's hand twitched.
The young couple walked past, laughing and joking. Chuu picked up the cat and it began purring contentedly. The young couple walked past, and the female cried with delight after being reunited with her cat after weeks of thinking it gone forever. A couple of birds whizzed past, leaving behind another feather.
Mirorim's hand began to move across the paper.
The young couple were happy to be together. The cat was relaxed and glad to be back with its owner. Chuu was delighted that she could help them find Mr. Chubbles. The birds had a nervous kind of glee about them.
Mirorim continued to move his hand across the paper, and then something happened.
His lips curved upward into an unmistakable smile.
Another piece of the mirror had been put in place. :End~
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:18 pm
~More than What it Seemed:The mirrorchild had slowly but surely began to grasp one of the more important concepts of life: emotion.
It was still more often than not that his facial expression remained neutral- perhaps he would always be like that- but there were also increasingly frequent moments when a smile would break his monotonous features, or frustration would scrunch his nose and narrow his eyes as something he was trying to draw went out of his line of vision.
Surely Chuu would have many cheering stories about these experiences in the future, but that is not the focus of this particular little story.
This is the telling of a more... physical change, though it may have ties to mental and emotional development.
It was time again for Mirorim to take a bath, and as Chuu called him to do so, he complacently walked into the bathroom with his awkward, jerky marionette-walk. Perhaps this was an advantage of his emotional neutrality towards many things; usually children around his age would get overly fussy and resisting over the very mention of the word "bath".
Chuu immediately thought that something was a little different when Ror entered the bathroom, but she felt no ill from it and thus waved it off in her mind. Upon pulling off his shirt, the "different" became more apparent.
The treeborn pondered if the mask could really be classified as a "mask" anymore- the white material had ceased existing on just his face, and had moved down his neck and capped his shoulder. It stopped neatly halfway across his features, as always.
"Oh, my..." She felt the mask-that-was-no-longer-really-a-mask (Ror flinched a bit at the touch), and noted that it still felt smooth, like skin. The other side down to his left shoulder, however, had taken on that hard, papery texture the same as the left side of his face was. A quick examination of the magical sort didn't turn up anything malicious... so, although baffled, Chuu decided that it was nothing harmful.
And so the bath continued as planned, though with curiosity and slight frustration churning in the back of the treeborn's mind.
After all, it was her experience that something like this didn't happen for no reason. :End~
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:23 am
...A palpitation of the heart... no, a fluttering of the spirit itself. An entity not meant to linger, still here after all this time. The very surface of reality seems to ripple underneath the feet. It's getting harder to hold on with each passing day- though it still doesn't take much effort, someday in the future this being would be blown away to touch a new world.
Chuu Willowchild had been in Gaia for quite a while indeed. Sure, she had been in places for longer... it all depended on why she was sent to a certain place. In her travels she had served as a peacemaker, a lifesaver, a guiding hand, a brief appearance, a dream... even what could be called a god, once upon a time.
But never before had she felt the ties of family to someone. And for once in her existence, she has feelings that could be considered selfish- she wants to stay and care for her adopted brother.
Perhaps, though, this is what she is meant to do anyway? The increasing difficulty to continue to- well, exist is the best word- here may just be one of countless arcane messages she's gotten.
Or perhaps a familiar force and an unfamiliar force are battling for her (existence) in this world? Two vital missions tied into one life.
Such thoughts don't matter, though. Not now. This entity would stay here and reach out to this child to the best of her ability- though now it's clear that once everything that can be taught is taught, she'll have to leave.
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 8:09 am
It is odd, really, how the smallest, most insignificant-seeming things can have the most profound effect on people. The slightest touch, glancing at just the right time to see a stranger smile before he leaves and you never see him again, a small pulse of sun before the clouds cover it up again.
Tiny colored beads on a cat's cradle.
Mirorim lets them drop to the ground before him, and they scatter in an unsettlingly neat pattern. Some clatter, some roll before the string catches them and they stop, some just sit there dead right when gravity is done with its job- all of them paying little heed to the grain and bump of the floorboards. Each of them not the color of his own eyes is a reflection of the life of what can only be called kin. Some mysteriously crack sometimes only for them to be fine after a moment or a day, some become unusually shiny and reflective. A couple, even, are glowing faintly... to be exact, the fiery orange one is blazing like a fire. That one has changed.
When a mirror with a soul within reflects a mirror repaired by a caring hand, what becomes of it? Would the child that emerges from it have any substance, and if so, what would it be called?
As if to answer his own fog of misunderstanding, Mirorim holds the stringed beads loosely in one hand. A small whisper escapes from his lips:
"I watch."
And it might be the sudden glow of moonlight silvering through the window, but it seems as if his exposed half is slightly more beautiful, and his masked half slightly less. ...End
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Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:30 pm
~Strangers of All Sizes:"I'm sorry, Ror, but I really have to take care of some things! But you'll like it here, I promise!"
There are some less pleasant things in life that, as much as many wish they could, cannot be avoided. Separation is one of those little things, always causing heartache in some form or another. Being away from someone who has been shaping your life- even for just part of a day- can make each second seem like years, each minute a lifetime, each hour an eternity. Others will try and be sources of comfort or distraction, often to no avail. There is no escape from the crushing feeling that comes from being alone when one feels they shouldn't be.
It was a strange place. Colorful. Filled with the stark scents of cheap but effective cleaning implements, and the taste of juice boxes not quite cold enough to quench. The noises of children from the ages of two to eight and the moods of asleep to enraged flung themselves flatly across the stained-carpeted enclosure, in between the walls painted with bright cheerful patterns of sailboats and turtles and little pink snails, and over the littering of plastic toys and beanbag chairs. Magenta eyes gazed out with a muted loneliness at this unfamiliar landscape, and the small dark body it belonged to sat down on the thin carpet, hands splayed before him.
It was all too much to take in. He couldn't watch in here. There was already too much chaos scampering about, giggling, crying, and yelling in his head.
A tall, brunette woman reeking of hair spray approached Mirorim and spoke to him, but he couldn't find himself able to understand this unfamiliar voice in a boxed-in sea of unfamiliar voices. He limply allowed her to take his hand and lead him to "why don't you make some friends and have some fun", which turned out to be in a corner of the room littered with Lego blocks where a few youngish boys were playing with chipped and dented toy trucks. The mirrorchild gazes glassily at the other children and their miniature vehicles. The other children return the gaze, but the child doesn't seem to care, focusing his own on a long-set grape juice stain.
Finally, one of them is bold enough to approach Ror. In fact, this child is so bold, he actually takes his toy and shoves it in the Shattered's face, almost hitting the boy in the nose. "You wanna play trucks wif us?" the fellow boy asks with geniune interest.
Mirorim doesn't recoil or flinch. His eyes gaze cross-eyed at the trucks, and then meet the other boys. "Trucks?" he parrots back- literally. He doesn't feel like putting in the extra effort that comes with using his own voice.
"Wooooooow! He sounds just like you, Mike!" one of the other kids gasps.
The third has also gotten some interest, but in a different way, as he is older and therefore cooler and thus able to call the shots and make wisecracks. "I don't think he wants to play with us. He wears a necklace like a girl. He should go play dress-up with the other girls!"
"Necklace... is-"
But it's too late, the eldest child caused the other two to have a snarky boyish gigglefit. "I know! Get'im the pink Barbie car, Caleb!" the second boy says, to a fresh roar of laughter.
"Yeah! A girl needs a girl car!" Caleb agrees, and he rummages it out from the nearby toybox. "That's smart thinkin', Drew!" he decides to add, remembering a cool phrase he saw on TV. He pushes the pink plastic cootie-machine-on-wheels over to Ror, using his own much more manly monster truck as a shield from the horrible girliness. "Hey, wassyername?" he asks as an afterthought.
"My... name is... Mirorim," he manages to mumble. He doesn't like these rowdy boys and their silly little trucks. They seem to think his name is cool, though, as they crash their monster truck, Chevrolet pickup, and all-terrain Jeep into each other. He mimics those actions and those sounds Caleb, Drew, and Mike are making for a little while, but it quickly becomes dull. What's the point of it? It's a mindless game. He wishes he had something to draw with, or at least a window he could gaze out of.
Muttering an "I have to go", he picks himself off the carpet to try and find a less rowdy corner of the daycare center. None of the boys seemed to approve of girls, so it seems like maybe it would be a good idea to find an area with more girls than boys.
That isn't too hard- there's visible boundaries between where the girls play and where the boys are, despite many of the caretakers trying to encourage both genders playing together.
The "less rowdy" part, however, proves to be more tricky. The first girl close to his age Mirorim runs into, although definitely girly in her blonde curls and little dress, is twice as loud as all three of the boys as she wails her little lungs out. One of the caretakers is quick to approach and ask what's wrong- the answer, with heaving sobs, is "HAYLEY TOOK MY COOKIEEEEE!"
Heaving a not-again sigh, the man approaches another girl not too far away. "Is this true, Hayley?"
Hayley, who shows obvious signs of childhood obesity, shakes her chocolate and crumb-stained head while still trying to swallow the evidence. No, not cute little pigtailed still-hasn't-lost-her-baby fat Hayley! She's a perfect little angel- her parents say so! But her cherub technique doesn't seem to work- the man shakes his head, declares time-out, and half-lifts, half-drags her away. Her sound-barrier-piercing shriek is enough to make everyone else in the care center (and probably the surrounding rooms) to stop in their tracks and gaze in awe at all the noise and fuss that can be caused by one pudgy little girl.
The man comes back with a fresh cookie for the blonde girl. "There we are. Why don't you go play with the nice boy over there?" he suggests, pointing to the masked mirrorchild.
With a messy tear-stained smile, the girl shuffles over to Mirorim. "Hi... I'm Katie. Do you wanna play with us?" she asks with a typical girlish flair, 'us' apparently being herself and one other timid-looking girl with a teddy bear. Despite her shyness, she still smiles and makes a little wave at the boy.
Well, they're certainly less noisy than the boys in the corner with their trucks and that Hayley girl with her wailing that would make a car siren jealous. So Mirorim obliges, sitting down on the floor next to teddy bear girl. The game that they're playing seems to amount to wearing silly hats and pouring air from plastic kettles into plastic cups and eating air from plastic plates, but it seems just bit less pointless so he mirrors the motions of the other two girls for a good while. The hat he's given is uncomfortable and blocks his eyes, so he takes it off of his head after a couple of minutes.
It's all too unfortunate that the tubby tantrummer's time-out is only a little longer than those couple of minutes. She soon comes storming back into the tea party zone where Katie, Teddy, and Ror are, picking up a hat and feather boa and parading herself around as the duchess and commanding that the other three children bow down to her.
"Stop it, Hayley! You're not the duchess!" Katie argues, face scrunched in annoyance.
"Why not? I say I'm the duchess, and you're my servants!" Hayley replies defiantly, fists at her bloated sides.
"You can't be the duchess... 'cause..." Katie starts, but "'cause you're a meanie" sounds like a weak argument even in her head.
"Because he's our king!" Teddy-girl suddenly erupts, pointing at a dumbfounded Ror. "And he took over your land!"
Hayley can only see the back of Ror's head right now, and she's also standing to his left, so she thankfully hasn't seen the child's face. That none of the other children seem to notice or care about his masklike deformity is one of those miraculous mysteries that transcend human perception. Regardless, the chubby duchess is set aflame by this remark. "No!" she shrills, causing many ears to feel like they're snapping in half. "He's not the king!" Her feet stamp in annoyance. This cherub can never be outranked!
Mirorim turns around and looks at Hayley in genuine confusion. "What is king? Why are you mad?" he asks. He doesn't feel comfortable around this girl to begin with, and it's an awful thought that he might be making her mad.
The girl's eyes widen in a gasp. "Whassat on your FACE?!" she practically screams (it seems like her only speaking volumes are "loud" and "earsplitting"). "You can't be a king with a deformed face! Take that off!"
And in a fit of rage and lack of social skills, Hayley launches herself at Ror, intent on taking the mask off. The poor mirrorchild tries to wrestle the larger girl off, but his muscle is no match for her weight, and his eyes widen and blur in pure agony as the girl's fingernails dig under the seam and begin to peel it off. A terrible something, like a nightmare exhaled, seems to fill the air of the room-- the one who gets the worst of it is the girl responsible. She falls to the carpet on her bottom, drawing her breath in ragged shakes, round squishy body half-curled. Caretakers push Mirorim and the other girls out of the way as they surround the child in concern and anxiety. She'll end up having to be taken to the hospital just next door- the diagnosis will be cardiac arrest, and her parents will be scolded by doctor after doctor for raising her with such a terrible lifestyle.
Mirorim is left sitting in the corner of the care center, staring at the floor in a sudden stupor of pure exhaustion. After a few hours of relative peace like this, his adopted sister finally returns, and he gratefully clutches Chuu as she leads him out.
For the very first time in his life, his idol and most powerful force had been wrong. ...End
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:49 am
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