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 Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 6:06 am
//open file makana005.doc
Journal Entry 005
Getting ready for the move has been insane. I'm eternally grateful that we have a while before we have to panic about it, but between preparing for that, and trying to make arrangements for the wedding, I've been in a daze. As it stands now, Shiro and I seem to be settled on a quiet civil ceremony - my idea. The very thought of a demon getting married in a church boggles the mind, so I thought it best not to tempt fate. I'll be getting the girls pretty dresses, so that they can still be my... bridesmaids? Flower girls? Whatever purpose they serve, I want them to be part of it.
About a week ago, Makana came to ask me if she could have a pet. She was protecting that little overalls pocket of hers rather carefully, so I suspect whatever Pixa she's chosen must be tucked away in there. If I had to place a guess, I'd say she probably ended up picking an albino or perhaps a moggy. She could envision Makana with a tiny little pixacat, one of the ones who loved being quietly cuddled. This wll definitely be a good step for her, I think. Whichever pixa she chose will guide her in just how to properly care for one, I think.
I think next time we stop by the bookstore, I'll pick out a book for her on raising pets.
Time to go for now - gotta get the girls fed before we head out to look at dresses and pick up more boxes. This wedding and move will be the death of me yet.
close file makana005.doc
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 6:07 am
It had been far too long since Trio had set foot near the small building she'd first met Jaden at. And really, she was feeling rather guilty about it, as she watched the two girls look around. Annora seemed to know where she was, to a point - she went to the door and knocked lightly, big eyes peering up curiously before deciding that clearly, no one was coming to the door and she should just go play in the yard. Makana, whose attention span was slightly longer than Annora's gnat-span, remained before the door for another ten seconds or so before catching sight of a butterfly flitting around some spring flowers nearby. Immediately, her ears perked up, and she crept closer, tail swishing behind her.
And Trio, who had brought them both in the hopes that getting away from some of the packing and insanity might do good, decided to flop down in the grass, a bundle of dark blue fur draping against one leg with chilling comfort.
This was...actually...unfortunetly... the first time Fern had ventured to the place where that card had indicated. Liusaidh was cuddled against her mothers chest comfortably, beaming up at her with a baby smile. Fingers knotted with spiderwebs flexed against Ferns white shirt, red hair peeking over her shoulder at the upcoming building and the....people? outside of it.
The kids didn't look too much like human (or even faerie or dragon) kids.
Fern paused a few yards from the playing kiddlets and the sprawled out woman, chewing at her lower lip worriedly. "....uhm. Excuse me? I'm looking for a place where I got...this one.."
All the time, her mind was racing with thoughts of: ....holy mother, was that little girl a cat?
Kyrianna made her way up to the cottage, her silver hair pulled back in a loose pony tail to keep her two daughters from attempting to make her go bald. Eirwen was currently strapped to the front and Eires was sitting on her shoulder, autumn wings twitching every now and then.
"Home." the little girl demanded, brushing her blonde hair away from her face as she tugged on Kyri's. She didn't WANT to be outside - she wanted to be at home. At least at home she could bother Eirwen without Kyri so much as noticing.
Eirwen, it seemed, was squirming rather uncomfortably in the baby sling. Her blue eyes were clouded with annoyance, and the frost child was definitely in a bad mood if her fists pounding at Kyri's chest showed anything.
"Eires, Eirwen, stop it," the feline's voice rang out as she stopped, seeing the group of people outside. More people this time, thankfully.
And nobody bumped into her! A miracle.
"Hello?" she asked softly, shifting Eirwen in the sling so the cool air could hit her more directly then the heat from her body. It seemed to calm the girl down and her eyes closed.
Coldness was good.
Well, perhaps Etain looked like a fairy... And in all actuality, she was a sylph.
She was also flying full-tilt towards Trio, happy to see her mother, but when she saw Fern, she stopped short before darting back behind her father as Shiromaru walked into the yard. The water demon paused where he was, then broke out into a huge grin, unable to keep from laughing aloud.
Trio blinked, looking up at all the newcomers. Either they had radar, or she'd just come at a good time. She figured on the latter for all but one, smirking as she waved at her fiance. But it was Fern she turned to, eyes sharp as she gentled her smile. Clearly, this one was new to parenting a Changeling...
"Hi. I'm Trio," she offered brightly, getting to her feet and sticking out her hand.
Not far away, Makana's ears swiveled, the sound of a rather feline voice catching HER attention. The sound made her feel odd in the pit of her stomach, and before she could credit it, the normally shy abyssinian was heading over to stand just at Kyrianna's side, peering up at the woman.
Oh s**t. People. Lots of people. The former mercenary jumped just slightly, blinking and tightening her grip on her new - her only - child. "I'm Fern..." Her voice was slightly low, shifting Liusaidh to one hip so she could shake Trios hand firmly.
That's what humans did on Gaia, right? Fern thought so... She hoped so. Otherwise she just seriously ******** up.
"Uhm.. this is Liusaidh."
The little redheaded girl beamed at Trio, fingers flexing in a faint unfurling motion. She knew how to wave! Wave meant hi!
Kyrianna smiled down at the little girl, "Well, hello there!" it wasn't too often the woman saw a full cat anthro - hell, it was rare (strange enough) that she even met another person who had feline features. Then again, she didn't exactly go out much.
She was perfectly content to stay holed up in her house or work. At least with work she got to play with people's minds.
In the most professional sense of the word.
Eires spread her wings and fluttered down, sitting down on her shoulder. She was prettier than her mother was, and besides, she would be further away from her "older" sister. Considering Eires was very tiny (A fairy, after all!) she could do so without hurting Makana any, "Hi!" she giggled, giving a small bounce as she tickled the girl's ear, "Eir..Eir...es!"
She was still getting the hang of talking.
Eirwen, however, was quite amused at the sight of everyone - especially the little red headed girl. So many new people! She wanted OUT of the carrier, darn it! Giving another squirm and a firm squeal, she lashed out at Kyri again.
"Argh, fine you little terror, I'll let you out, okay?" she quickly pulled the girl out of the carrier, unbuckled it, and let it fall to the ground. It was uncomfortable anyway, "Where to, huh?"
Eirwen giggled as the cool air rushed over her almost completely naked body, "Googah!"
"I don't know what Googah means..." she sighed, "Anyone know what Googah means?"
At least she wasn't crying this time.
"Not in my baby dictionary yet, sorry," Shiro offered cheerfully as he joined the group.
Etain, ever shy in front of strangers, stayed behind -- she couldn't get into trouble around here. Unless, of course, there was... "Annora!"
The little siren had been cheerfully playing by herself, utterly oblivious to the others for the moment, but before her name had completely cleared Etain's mouth, she'd jerked around, scrambling to her feet to run at Shiro and Etain.
"Last I checked, it meant ground... sky... food... change... it's a very versatile word," Trio said, seeming to pay little attention to Fern's handshake beyond returning it. "Hey there, cutie," she added, turning back to the child at hand. "Aren't you beautiful?"
Makana held VERY still as the fairy settled down on her shoulder, one hand going to the front of her coveralls to shelter the pocket on her chest even as wide golden eyes watched Eires. "Eir Es?" she tried softly, ears nearly flat against her skull.
As he looked between the others, Sankouri quickly decided the two who would likely need the most herding were the siren and her tag-along sylph. Knowing Trio was busy, he padded over, green eyes as cold as his fur.
Cutie? Oh. She meant Liusaidh. Thank the gods. Fern didn't want to deal with her jealous lover more then one or twice in a lifetime.
She smiled faintly, fingertips tugging at the wavy red hair of the banshees head. Liusaidh knew very little other then when she talked, her mommas got upset... so she didn't gurgle or babble as babies were prone to doing. Instead, she smiled ("It's not just gas, Fern! She's smiling!") at the Trio, fingertips moving to grab at her.
"Are.. uhm... Do you know what she is?"
Eires gave a small nod of her head. She didn't know many words, and her name was the hardest of them all to day. Eye-Reese. Eyyyyeeee - Reeeeese. She could still remember Kyrianna saying it over and over again. Still, she insisted on pronouncing it "Iris"
It was easier, darnit! "You?"
Kyrianna made a face, "Mmph, well, I'll take it as 'ground' right now," she muttered, setting Eirwen on the soft grass - which made the baby giggle as she flopped backwards against the blades which were slightly wet, "Thank you."
Leaving the frost child to do what she would, Kyri stepped over to the cluster of adults, "I'm Kyrianna, the frost imp over there is Eirwen...I swear, my house is an igloo. The fairy currently on the sweet little girl's shoulder is my second daughter, Eires. Autumn." she tilted her head.
"I'm waiting for Spring and Summer to show up on my doorstep, to be honest...And to answer your question, I uh...I think she's a Changeling. If you got a card with directions here, anyway..."
Eires looked over to her sister who was currently rolling around in the grass and sniffed, "Sis. Strange."
Eirwen ignored the Autumn fairy and simply picked a piece of grass, raising it to her mouth to chew.
Kyri glanced over, "Uhm, I'm rather new to this. Grass shouldn't be eaten, right?"
No, Kyri, it shouldn't. Stupid question.
"Depends on whether or not you have a centaur-type child, I suppose. I'm Shiromaru," the demon offered, nodding to Fern and Kyrianna. "It's nice to meet you all."
Etain sank down to the ground, then closed the last few paces between herself and Annora, hugging the other girl gleefully. If Annora was there, then everything was okay!
...Maybe they'd be needing Sankouri's assistance in keeping them out of trouble, after all.
Trio chuckled wryly at the question, shaking her head even as she let Liusaidh's fingers wrap around one of her own. "Not a clue," she informed Fern cheerfully. Jaden would know, but as he didn't seem to be around, she figured it was best not to hazard any guesses. "What does she like?"
Annora wrapped her arms around Etain in a brief, hard hug before pulling away and grabbing Etain's hand, tugging the sylph off without saying hi to the adults. She'd found a nest of ants not far away, and the small hill definitely deserved attention.
Sankouri started to follow them, but at the sound of the word frost, his head came up, and he peered toward the small child on the ground. Hesitating only a moment, he padded over, sniffing at her curiously.
"Not a clue?" Fern almost deflated at that remark, watching as her daughter started to gum at one of Trios fingers with a giggle.
Giggles didn't seem to kill things..but o utright laughter, blathering and the like...that did. The grown woman was terrified it would happen here, hurting one of the kids or something. "She.. well. She likes chewing things like fingers." Fern shrugged, "And wool. She likes being covered by thick stuff."
Kyrianna bowed her head lightly, "A pleasure to meet you, Shiromaru. She wasn't good with meeting new people outside the office, but so far so good. She hadn't made a complete fool of herself.
Though the way she looked, she'd be the last person you'd expect to have children. Peircings, black trench coat, slightly darker expression.
Eirwen looked up to the creature which came up to her and giggled softly as he sniffed. That tickled! The frost fairy reached out, grabbing some of the thing's fur carefully (not enough to hurt! She just wanted to pet!) and smiled gleefully. He was cold! And fluffy! and CUTE!
Where could SHE get one of these?
Comparatively speaking, Shiromaru didn't look like one's usual idea of a father, either -- dyed, long hair; short shorts; boots; earrings... He looked more candypunk than anything else.
At least for today.
A grin was shot at Kyrianna, then Shiro's attention was diverted to Fern and her comments. "Some babies do. And is she teething right now? That might explain her gnawing habits. But I have no idea what she might be, either... though if we can get an answer from inside the house at some point, someone in there might know."
Etain floated over the ant hill a few inches, poking at the ants with a fingertip and giggling when they crawled over her hand. "Big ants," she announced, sagely. "What are we gonna do with'm?"
"Watch 'em," Annora said, pitching her voice to be soft. In deference to the fact that they couldn't actually SEE inside the anthill, she grabbed a stick and poked a hole in it. "See?"
Trio was normal looking enough - a warm blue sweater that bared enough of her midriff to leave people wondering what the point of it might be and grey slacks with black boots were entirely too plain compared to Shiro. She wore some jewelry, including a glowing necklace that seemed designed to capture the attention of anyone with crow-syndrome. "So far, you've described about ninety percent of the kids out there. Anything special, like a super-strong voice or anything?" she asked gently, unconsciously looking over at the quiet siren before returning her attention to the adorable girl.
Sankouri's eyes narrowed as his fur was grabbed, and he blinked when he realized it wasn't being yanked. Curious about this entirely too courteous child, he settled down near her, curling his body still sniffing at her.
Makana had finally moved, edging away from the feline to go press against Shiromaru's side, her arms wrapping around his leg. That voice made her feel almost sad...
"Uhm...she kills things when she talks." Her voice was hesitiant, "I think she does, anyway. When she blabbers or anything...things fall down dead outside or nearby." Fern shrugged quietly, watching the girl and her daughter.
Liusaidh, tired of finger, released Trio and shoved her fist into her wide little mouth. She sucked at her fingers and spiderwebs, giggling once more.
Eirwen gave a happy little squeal as the cold creature curled around her, using her arms to maneuver herself so her head was on his body and her little fingers could pat at his fur. Of course, the movement caused her longish white and blue hair to fall over her eyes, which temporarily blinded her.
With another squeal, this time a little shocked, she shook her head in an attempt to fix the problem. Unfortunately, it made it worse.
"Googah!" she whimpered, shaking her head again. The hair was annoying!
Eires, however, remained on Makana's shoulder and looked up at the man she was currently clinging to with bright green eyes. Oh! He looked interesting! Fluttering her wings she left the feline's shoulder and took residence on Shiromaru's, giggling.
"Hi!" she greeted, cheerfully.
Automatically, Shiro set a comforting hand to Makana's just-vacated shoulder, keeping her close; his attention, however, settled on Eires, golden eyes blinking at green before he broke out in another grin. "Hey there," he offered cheerfully. "How are you, little one?"
Etain leaned in further, then started to pat at the ant hill herself, forgoing a stick in favor of her hands. "How many d'you think are down there?"
Immediately, Trio's cheerful smile faded into a concerned look. "May I hold her?" she asked, reaching toward Liusaidh. "She's not a siren, I know that much. Annora doesn't kill with her voice, though it sometimes hurts... And definitely not a sylph," she murmured, more to herself than Fern.
"Don't touch!" Annora said, forgetting to keep her voice soft as she reached out and grabbed Etain's hands, flicking away a couple of ants and shuddering. "They're mean..." She tugged the sylph back, eyes immediately going back to the ants trying to rebuild their hill.
Makana pressed close to Shiro, eyes once more peering up at Kyrianna shyly, and her ears slowly coming forward. Daddy was safe. He'd make her feel better...
Sankouri, on the other hand, looked bemused, leaning in to lick the hair away from Eirwen's face with a long, wet tongue before nuzzling her neck gently. It was rare he was cuddled with this much! Most people didn't like the cool he exuded.
Fern hesitated before offering the girl towards teh other woman. "It's not like she bites or screams really loudly.. SHe's shut up a lot since we first got her."
Liusaidh continued to suckle at her hands, making a soft little noise and snuggling into the other woman.
"What's a siren? A sylph?"
Eires was acknowledged! That made the little fairy glow with pleasure, "Otay! You? I Iris!" she giggled and bounced on his shoulder slightly, her little arms hugging onto his ear.
Since she was too small too do much else.
Kyrianna laughed at the Autumn fairy, "Her name is Eires, not Iris, and she's very hyperactive."
Eires stuck out her tongue, little wings beating furiously.
"You know I love you." Kyrianna paused a little bit and turned to look at Fern, "Things die when she speaks?" she bit her lip a little bit, "My grandmother used to tell me ghost stories when I was little. They say that the Banshee's voice rang out when people were supposed to die. Is that a possibility, do you think? It's a little different but..."
Eirwen settled down immediately once her hair was removed from her face, clear blue eyes gazing adoringly at the creature. It was her hero! "Fuff!" she giggled and pet at him again, little nails scritching the best they could.
The little frost fae loved the cold. In fact, their entire house was the temperature of an igloo due to the fact if it got any warmer, she'd cry. Not that she couldn't HANDLE the heat. She just didn't like it. It made her uncomfortable. "Fuff!" she repeated.
Apparently, it was her word for "Fluffy."
Laughing softly, Shiro offered his fingertip up to Eires, as if to try and shake Eires' hand with it. "Eires, huh? I'm Shiro." The demon kept one hand still on Makana's shoulder, glad to feel her relaxing a little. "Etain, over there, with the wings? Etain's a sylph, an air elemental, essentially. Etain also apparently needs to learn about the dangers of ants," he added, groaning quietly.
Etain squeaked when her hands were tugged away, her eyes going wide. "Ants are mean?" she echoed, confused and stunned. "They're little... How're they mean? What do they do?"
"I... dunno," Annora said, dropping back into the quiet voice that was so unusual for her. "Kikuei says they're mean." She frowned at that - she'd never known the Ieldi to lie to her, but confronted with the question...
Settling Liusaidh into her arms, Trio frowned quietly, bouncing her a little. "Banshee? I ran into some stories of those when I was looking up sirens... er, my daughter over there, the blue one? She's a siren. We're being careful what she learns," she added wryly, nuzzling Liusaidh's hair. It was hard to believe someone so small and beautiful could be so dangerous...
Makana ducked more behind Shiro as Kyri talked, beginning to frown faintly. Daddy wasn't taking her somewhere to cuddle. That was odd. Daddy liked to cuddle with her, after all...
Sankouri remained silent, letting Eirwen tug and pull and play with his fur with the overly-long patience of one who'd been around TONS of children. She'd settle, once she got used to him...
"...a banshee?" Fern frowned, racking her brain for the few things she knew about legends or fay other then herself - she was from a few worlds to the left and five dimensions over, after all...
"Aren't they supposed to be harbringers of death?" Eyebrows arch quietly, shifting a bit, unconciously, from foot to foot. "So I have a screamer of death on my hands? Siren? Wait, didn't they..." Oh, remembering.
The redhead giggled madly and nuzzled back to Trio, "Gyaba?" Her voice was small, a whisper even - it was a beautiful little tone...until she heard the shift thud of something falling from a tree. It was a small sound - probably just a beetle - but it was large enough make her listen.
That was a familier sound...so her mouth clamped down, pushing her hand into her mouth once more.
Eires shook his hand with both of her tiny ones, "Nice!" she nodded sagely before settling down, her head buried against his ear. He was nice. MUCH nicer than Arta was.
The little frost baby yawned cutely and looked at the creature as she continued to pet it, gently, softly. She was getting sleepy from all the excitement - and sleeping was her favorite past time. Mostly because she got tired so easily.
"Fuff," she murmured tiredly, eyes drooping closed.
Hmmm... Shiro considered Eires, then Makana, then stepped back a couple feet, sat down, and settled Makana in his lap for some snuggletime. Clearly that's what the little girl was wanting, if she was still hiding behind him like that.
"Annora... You're being weird," Etain noted solemnly, looking up at her sister. "Why are you so quiet?"
Annora frowned at Etain, brows drawing together. She was NOT being weird. Just because she didn't want to hurt any more... Before she could finish the thought, she turned, hunching down near the ants and poking at the hill again.
Trio nodded to Fern. "Yeah, Banshees' wails are supposed to foretell death, isn't that right?" she asked Kyrianna, glancing over at her. "And sirens were the ones that lured sailors to their deaths, yes," she added, voice ever so slightly flat. "We're working to make sure Annora understands that's wrong." As she was whispered to, Trio turned back, looking down at Liusaidh sadly. "Looks like things are gonna be frustrating for you for a while, sweetie..."
That was MUCH better. Makana scrambled onto Shiro's lap, hooking a claw into his shirt as she nestled and began purring. Daddy was holding her - she liked it when he did that. He knew where to scritch to calm her nerves. Eyes drifting shut, she tugged on her paw, giving up after a moment as her claw held tightly to Shiro's shirt.
Sankouri came as close to smirking as a Zurui was capable of, setting his three cold tails over Eirwen's body in an odd parody of a blanket. This was a nice change, and the snuggling was beginning to make him dozy too.
"Huh." Fern blinked and turned her head to watch Annora with amusement on her face. "Well... it looks like you're doing a good job. Usually girls like that aren't so cute and well-adjusted.."
Liusaidh blinked back, beaming at the other with a soft giggle. Her smile was filled with toothless gums and one slobbery hand.. that was offered up to Trio as a gift.
Eirwen finally gave in to the pull of sleep, her little head nuzzling the Zurui as she shifted, got comfortable, and was still once again.
"Well, there's a bunch of us around reminding her that she's loved and adorable..." Trio paused, then rolled her eyes and grinned. "And vain. Definitely vain," she added, whith a chuckle. She eyed the drool-covered hand being offered up to her, thought wistfully of baby wipes, and then reached out, taking it. "You're pretty, too, little one..."
"Vain can be good." Fern smiled at the other woman getting along so well with her daughter. "She's going to be raised spoiled.. My lover thinks she's a gift from the Goddess or something. She looks like her mother."
Liusaidh looked delighted, fingers wriggling with a giggle, body shifting to cuddle closer. Gray eyes blinked to her mother, shoulders rolling before she started to doze.
"Oooooh. Good luck with her then," Trio laughed, then glanced at the others around. "Listen, why don't we go get a coffee. Doesn't look like Jaden's gonna answer any time soon." She handed Liusaidh back to Fern, then whistled to the kids and Sankouri, herding them toward the road. "There's a nice little hole-in-the-wall down the road a mile or so. Best coffee around."
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 8:15 am
Schuldig had been back from his travels for a few days - or perhaps it had been as long as a week? He'd had a LOT of work to do to settle back in again, making sure his various pets and charges were all right and settled in in their old home once again.
In any case, the Nereids were happily playing in their pool, guarding a large bluish purple egg he'd acquired on his return to Gaia, the rest of the various pets were all back in their old rooms and spaces and comfortable once again, and his mind turned to his friends that he'd sorely missed over the months he'd been gone.
With a jaunty grin on his face, he headed down the street to Trio's house, walking up to the door and knocking.
The boy who opened the door was familiar, if a bit shocked when he saw Schuldig on the other side. "Hello," Az said brightly, waving Schuldig in. "It's been a while. Can I get you anything?"
Schuldig laughed and ruffled Az' hair. "Just a Trio if she's in," he said cheerfully as he stepped inside the house.
Shiromaru had been in the kitchen, filling a glass of juice, but when he heard an old, familiar voice, he set the glass aside very carefully, then stepped out into the living room, staring up at his old friend. "...Schu...?"
Well, that was unexpected. So Trio already had guests? Schuldig turned at the familiar voice and grinned widely. "Hey Shiro," he said, moving towards him and reaching up to tug lightly at a lock of bi-coloured hair. "Long time no see!"
"Hey, yourself," Shiro echoed, a slow smile curling his lips. He seemed awkwardly happy to see the man, torn between nervous and pleased. "It's been... a really long time. Uh... Trio's out back, with Makana. C'mon, I'll walk with you."
"Sure, okay," Schuldig replied easily, wondering at the reason for Shiro's mood. He turned to follow the other man. "Everything all right?" he added, resisting a lingering urge to just pick it out of Shiro's head. He hadn't done that sort of thing in a long time.
"Yeah... Yeah, it's fine." Shiro led Schu out the back door, over to where Trio and Makana were. "Trio? We have some company..."
Trio glanced up from the book she'd been reading, then blinked and smiled widely as she rose, dropping the book into the deck chair she'd vacated without bothering to mark her place. "Schu?" she asked, eyes wide as she made her way to the two men.
A small red catgirl sat with her back to all of them, hunched over a small square of "flowerbed" and murmuring to herself.
Schuldig beamed at Trio when he saw her, and only someone who knew him extremely well might notice the slight hesitation as he moved towards her, his arms going out to enfold her in a hug. "There's my girl..." he said. "It's great to see you again, Trio."
Shiro hesitated, then hung back, retreating over to where Makana was. This reunion was for Trio and Schu, after all.
Trio snorted, hugging Schuldig back hard before stepping back. "You've been quite a stranger. When'd you get in?" she asked, though her eyes shifted to Shiro watching him carefully for a moment before waving Schuldig over to the chairs. "Come sit and talk to us..."
"About a week ago, I guess?" Schuldig said, a little shamefacedly. "I would have come by sooner, but do you KNOW the trouble it is moving thirty-odd pets - not to mention another few dozen pixas - back into a home? It's been a bit wild, to say the least."
He glanced at Shiro as well, wondering what the hell was going on, and strolled casually towards the chairs. "So what news do you guys have for me? Anything happen while I was gone?"
Trio considered for a moment before shrugging. "A lot of the usual. You know me and puppy-dog eyes. Annora's older now - you ought to see her, she's so cute - and that's my girl Makana," she said, too much maternal pride in her voice for it to be off-hand. "As for the rest... I'm doing a bit of planning to move, myself. Shiro and I will be moving not far down the road after we're married."
There. It was said.
It was said so casually that Schuldig almost missed it. He blinked at Trio for a moment, and then his eyes widened with shock and surprise as he glanced from Trio to Shiro and back. "Well...hey!" he exclaimed happily. "Hey that's great, I'm so happy for you two!"
None of his congratulations seemed feigned, though inwardly his chest squeezed a bit. He'd lost her fair and square, though, and it wasn't as though he wasn't happy.
Well, at least it was said now, and Schu seemed to be taking it well. Stroking Makana's hair, Shiro rose again and made his way over to Trio and Schu, offering a little smile up to Schuldig. "Thank you," he said softly. "I was... worried about how you might react."
Trio smiled, relaxing into the seat. She kept quiet, fingering the locket she wore as she waited for Schuldig to answer.
Schuldig gave Shiro an 'are you stupid?' look, then reached up and ruffled the demon's hair affectionately. "Well, I don't see why," he said, rolling his eyes. "I want you both to be happy, and I'm glad to see that my wish is coming true."
Shiro grinned, letting himself relax enough that he could haul Schuldig into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you," he murmured. "You should come see the new house, the construction will be done soon."
Trio chuckled, watching the two for a long minute. "So does this mean you won't be a total stranger?" she asked quietly, once Shiro was done. But her smile took any sting from her words.
As she spoke, the little catgirl finished in the dirt and rose, padding over to stand near Shiro, sniffing carefully at Schuldig's pants.
"I'd like that," Schuldig said to Shiro, then glanced at Trio with his arms still loosely wound around Shiromaru. "Of course not," he said brightly. "I'm here to stay, at least for a while. You'll have to beat me off with a stick."
Shiro smiled over at Trio happily, then grinned at Makana. "Sweetie, this is Schuldig, an old friend of your mother's and mine."
Makana crept closer, sniffing a little more closely before her ears perked, and she offered Schuldig a shy smile. "You smell like fish," she offered softly, one paw coming up to hover protectively over the front pocket of the overalls she wore. "Like 'Nora's fish tank..."
Trio snickered, eyes fond as she watched the two. "I'll be sure to keep a baseball bat by the door, just in case," she teased Schuldig, but she leaned over to catch one hand and squeeze it lightly before settling back again. "I'm glad you came by."
Schuldig squeezed the hand back, grinning, and then turned his gaze back to Makana. "Sorry about that, kiddo," he said lightly. "I, uh, opened a fish shop. You're welcome to come hang out with me there, if you promise not to eat the merchandise."
Reaching down, Shiro set an encouraging hand on Makana's shoulder. "Fish shop, huh?" he asked of Schuldig. "Maybe we should come by sometime!"
Makana hesitated, then settled down on her legs, leaning against Schuldig as she peered into her pocket at whatever treasure was inside.
"Definitely," Trio said, grinning at the sight. "Sounds like you're a busy man these days, Schu."
Schuldig laughed. "When am I not a busy man?" he asked, peering at Makana curiously and trying to divine what was in her pocket. He wasn't above taking a peek this time, telepathically.
Poking in Makana's mind drew forth an image of a tiny little gold and red-brown mushroom that seemed to move of its own volition.
"...When you sleep?" Trio tried, laughing.
"Hey, I have vivid dreams," Schuldig said, tossing a wink at Trio.
He cocked his head at Makana. "Hey, what've you got in your pocket?" he asked in a friendly tone.
Shiromaru blinked down at Makana, peering at the pocket curiously, though he said nothing.
Makana looked up at the three almost nervously, her hand cupping over the pocket as though to shield it from sight. "...Mouse," she murmured, her eyes skittering away from Schuldig and Trio to settle on Shiro. "Mouse is my friend."
"Mouse?" Schuldig echoed, smiling softly. "Is Mouse afraid of us, then?" he asked, making no move towards the child. "He doesn't want to meet us?"
Kneeling in front of Makana, Shiromaru smiled warmly. "Is Mouse shy, sweetheart? Don't worry, none of us are going to hurt him or take him away."
Makana looked uncomfortably at Trio, then hesitantly reached into her pocket, one careful hand fishing Mouse out. The little cat-eared kinoko peered up at them all, then toddled over to stand at the edge of Makana's paw, a bit of dirt falling to the ground below as it looked over.
"Mouse... is mama's," Makana whispered unhappily.
Trio blinked, looking at Shiro in surprise before moving to slide off her chair and sit on the deck below, not moving much closer to Makana. "What do you mean, sweetie?" she asked gently.
"Found him in your room," Makana admitted, her ears nearly flat against her skull as she hunched.
Schuldig lounged in his chair in silence, just watching. He'd thought there was something going on with that feline.
"Mouse is adorable," Shiro murmured, reaching out to try and gently stroke one little catlike ear. At Makana's confession, he blinked as well, then glanced over at Trio, waiting for her reaction.
Trio frowned in surprise, head tilting to one side. "You... know not to take anything from my room, right sweetie?" she asked, chewing on her lower lip. It was hard to deny that the little kinoko was clearly well-cared for... and it certainly explained the increase in how dirty Makana's clothes always were.
Makana nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. The moment the kinoko seemed to become a little TOO adventurous and try to climb off Makana's paw, the other came down, cupping just below in case he fell.
"Looks like he's bonded to you," Trio said quietly, lips pursed. "Tonight, you and I are gonna have a long talk... but since you're taking good care of him, he can stay with you," she decided.
Grinning, Schuldig nodded. "Well, that's settled, then. Any other problems I can solve while I'm here?" he asked cheekily.
Without a word, Shiromaru surreptitiously reached back and whacked Schuldig on the shin, his expression never changing.
Makana blinked, peering hesitantly up at Schuldig before smiling shyly at him, her ears still mostly flat.
Trio snorted, shaking her head. "Arrogant brat..."
"Ow!" Schuldig exclaimed, laughing and bending to rub the spot where Shiro had smacked him. "Hey, you love me that way," he added brightly.
Shiro stuck his tongue out at Schu, then grinned up at him impishly. "Pain in the butt," he accused, mindful of his language around Makana.
Makana giggled softly, curling up in Shiro's lap and tucking Mouse back into her pocket.
Trio snickered, getting back up into her seat as she relaxed. "I can see life is going to be 'interesting', with you back," she noted.
"Aww, so it was boring without me around?" Schuldig asked, winking. "I guess you must be glad to have me back, then."
Automatically, Shiro wrapped his arms around Makana, resting his chin atop the girl's head, between her ears. "Definitely glad you're back," he agreed with Schuldig, grinning.
"Glad you're back," Trio echoed Shiro. "But it wasn't boring. You think it could ever be, in this household?"
"He--heck no," Schuldig said, quickly changing what he was going to say in deference to the child. See? He was learning. He grinned and settled back in his chair. "I'm glad to be back, too," he assured them.
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 8:26 am
//open file makana006.doc
Journal Entry 006
Tonight, Makana and I had a very long talk about theft and doing the wrong thing. It was a shock to learn that when she was asking me about a pet a week or two back, she meant one of the kinoko spores growing in my room. I'd expected a pixa of some type, or possibly a Zurui. But she'd picked the spore, and has been doing a beautiful job of caring for it instinctively. And now that I know what's going on, I'll be able to keep a much better eye on how she takes care of it.
She definitely seems to realize that what she did - the taking of it - was wrong, though. She kept arguing with me, at first, about how it wasn't really stealing since I'd said she could have a pet, but I think I finally got it through her head. And she spent a good hour or so in the corner (sans Mouse), thinking about what she'd done and why. By the time she came back out, she seemed to be truly sorry. And Mouse didn't seem to like her tears much. It's little ears were bristling, and it was shaking at the sight.
We've set up a special pot of dirt in Makana's room - a large squarish-type pot, so that Mouse will have plenty of room to play. Such an odd name for her to give the little kinoko... It's hard not to giggle a bit at the name whenever I hear it.
She seems to have taken very well to Schuldig. They met today, and he was the one who ferreted out the problem with Mouse... bless his telepathy. It sounds like he'll be living nearby again, too, so I wonder if she won't want to go visit him periodically. I think, as long as Shiro doesn't mind, it would be a very good thing if she does.
At least things seem to be somewhat comfortable again.
close file makana006.doc
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 3:36 pm
The kitchen and bathroom would be packed last, the living room furniture left for the remaining members of the household; their bedrooms, however, needed to go. So it was that Shiro, Etain and Annora were in Etain's room, packing everything up for the move to the new house. Several boxes were full already, including one filled with Etain's precious chimes. Currently, Shiromaru was in the closet, folding up Etain's clothing and boxing it all, while Etain was quite carefully rolling up her few breakables, having been shown how to roll them in bubblewrap by her father.
Annora had been given the job of ensuring that all the books and music were carefully packed in a box by themselves, and had been surprisingly silent throughout the task. But her head swiveled around when they heard the front door open and close, and Trio's voice call out, "Anyone home?"
"We're in Etain's room," Shiro called back, a smile in his voice. "We're about done packing up in here already."
"MAMA!" Etain added, zipping over to her doorway so she could peer out into the hall.
Makana was holding Trio's hand, nearly clinging to her and stumbling slightly as the two walked down the hall. "Wonderful. I have news," Trio called back, waving at Etain and grinning.
Shiro blinked, then stepped out of the closet, peering at first Trio, then Makana, rather concerned. "News? Is everything okay?"
Etain had been about to pounce Trio, but when she saw Makana stumble, she flew down to the catgirl's level so she could try and take Makana's other hand.
Makana gripped Etain's hand, sniffing the air before purring deeply at the smell of her favorite sylph. They paused at the door, and Trio grinned at Shiro before looking down to Annora, who'd wrapped her arms around one of Shiro's legs to peer out. "Everything's fine. Makana's just disoriented. I told you we were going to the optometrist today, right?" she asked Shiro.
If Makana was stumbling, then Etain had to help! After all, Annora would have helped Etain in the same position, so that meant it was Etain's duty as the middle sister to help Makana, the littlest. Landing on the floor, she kept hold of Makana's hand, holding it carefully. "Won't let you fall," she informed Makana, quite seriously.
Shiromaru stroked Annora's hair when he felt the girl hug his leg, trying to be reassuring. Annora's behavior lately had left him worried -- what if the move was upsetting her? "I remember," he agreed, nodding to Trio. "How'd it go?"
"She needs glasses," Trio said succinctly, reaching down to pet Makana's hair as she watched Annora seem to relax a little from the same petting from Shiro. "I've got the prescription, and just need to head out tomorrow, once the drops they put in her eyes wear off, to get it filled. I figured in the meantime, maybe one of us could read to her," she added, smiling softly.
Makana peered at Etain, mewling softly at the way the girl's face seemed completely blurry, even up close. Her pupils were huge, the light hurting her eyes. "Go somewhere dark?" she asked, curling around Etain's arm.
"We left Mouse with Az for the moment," Trio added. "I figured it'd be a day or so before she could care for him properly."
Reaching up, Etain tried to cover Makana's eyes with her small hand. "Annora?" she called, looking back for the siren. "Makana needs somewhere dark. Come with us?"
"Good idea," Shiro agreed, then stroked Annora's hair again. "Do you want to go with your sisters?" he asked gently. "Or do you want to stay here?"
Annora hesitated, then nodded, letting go of Shiro to move to Makana's other side, planting herself between Trio and Makana. "Maybe Daddy's room? We can turn out the lights there," she said softly.
Makana nodded, liking the sound of that. "I can't see," she informed them. "Take me there."
Trio smiled, watching the three. They were really quite self-sufficient, weren't they?
Etain beamed up at Annora, pleased that the siren was coming with them, then led the way into Shiromaru's room, where it was nice and dark. The curtains were all drawn, after all, and very little light got in.
Shiromaru watched then walk off, then made his way over to Trio, sliding an arm around her waist. "It's good to see them taking care of each other."
Trio nodded, hugging Shiro warmly before tugging free. "Okay, let's get this room dealt with, hmm? Sooner we're done, the sooner we can relax."
Makana curled up on the bed, purring softly as she nestled into pillows that smelled like Mommy and Daddy. But Annora was frowning slightly. "Can't read to her," she pointed out, climbing onto the bed as well.
"So we make up a story," Etain declared, crawling up onto the bed on the other side of Makana. "We can make one up, then we don't gotta read from a book!"
Annora considered that, eyeing Etain for a moment before nodding. "You make it up," she dictated, keeping her voice soft.
Makana giggled at that, relaxing now that the light wasn't hurting her eyes so much. It was even safe to open them fully, instead of squinting all the time.
Etain blinked, then tilted her head to the side, nibbling at the end of a curl as she thought. "...I don't know where to start," she confessed after a moment. Didn't most stories start with 'once upon a time'? It was the part that came after that had her stumped.
"If it was you, what would you want to hear about?" Annora asked logically, snuggling with Makana. The feline's purrs were almost loud enough to drown her out.
Well, when it was put that way... "Once upon a time there were three princesses," Etain begain, snuggling with Makana as well as she spun out her story to the best of her childish ability.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:27 pm
Kaeru stopped in front of the shop, smiling to himself both outwardly and inwardly. This was the first time he'd been here on his own, without Youko tagging along. Honestly? He'd been certain his father would insist on coming along the first time, just to make sure everything went alright. He snorted faintly at that... it wasn't like he was a KID anymore. He wouldn't be flooding the bathroom with Legos this time.
Pushing open the door, he glanced around, thankful that at least this time he didn't have to peel out of a ton of clothes, like he had during the winter. "Hello?" he called out, glancing through the room. "Anyone home?"
Sayuri had looked up as the young man entered, tapping the edges of her fan thoughtfully against her other hand; she was sure she had seen this Fourth Waller before, only he had been alot smaller. She nodded her head towards him and smiled;
'Hello there.' she sat forward on her chair, feet crossed underneath her kimono skirts. Aini looked up from the colouring book that she was happily filling in - orange grass, and purple sky over a pink duck. She giggled at the frog boy and stood up, walking over.
'Hello.' she chirped, ears twitching. He was the biggest one of their kind she had seen!
Trio frowned, eyeing the Fourth Wall shop thoughtfully before shifting the bag she carried from one hand to the other. Makana was peering up at it with obvious recognition, her ears perked. She wasn't wearing her glasses quite yet - getting her prescription filled was their next stop, but they weren't exactly on a timetable. And since they were so close...
"C'mon, sweetie," she urged, blinking as the feline padded toward the door before Trio could even indicate which way to go. Well, Makana's vote was obvious. Chuckling wryly, Trio reached out to open the door for the girl, stepping inside after her. "Hello?"
Kaeru smiled to Sayuri, nodding politely. "Hi there," he said, then saw Aini and grinned. He remembered HER. She was the one that was amused when he'd snapped up a fly. "Hi, Aini," he said, crouching down to see what she was doing. "Awesome picture, you colour really well." He was absorbed in the picture, so didn't quite hear Trio come in right away. It wasn't until the door shut behind her and the cat girl that he turned, blinking over his shoulder.
"Hi, Miss Trio," he said, grinning. She'd be so surprised! She hadn't seen him since he'd grown.
'Thanks,' she smiled, showing the white, sharp canines that had grown bigger when she last did.
'You catch flies dont ya?' Aini, coiled her tail around, suddenly a little shyer as more people came in, woman and feline child. Sayuri looked over as well.
'Hello there,' she greeted this 'Miss Trio' warmly, noting that she too had a kid from here.
'I don't believe we have met,' she carried on as she stood.
'I'm Sayuri, this is Aini.'
'Hello..' Aini peered between her tail hairs, her large ears back a little whilst she decided whether she would like these newcomers.
Makana hesitated. That frog looked rather familiar, though quite a bit larger than the one she knew. But he knew mama, so she figured it was probably safe enough to walk toward him, stopping a few feet away. "I'm Makana," she informed the two kids solemnly. "Who're you?"
Trio, on the other hand, was grinning. "Kaeru, is that you?" she asked, shaking her head before turning to look at Sayuri. "I'm Trio. It's nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand for a handshake.
The door to the establishment opened to admit what seemed to be 2 figures at first glance, but which ended up being three. Saedare, Sajhiri's Aduthule daughter, entered holding Dodge's hand.
Dodge looked particularly excited to be here, especially as Sajhiri had been so overprotective of him and Rebecca since the disaster on Gambino Island. "Thank You, Sae!" he murmured happily, his eyes scanning about for something to ram into with his head.
Saedare smiled down at her charge and rebalanced the glasses on her nose with her free hand. "Glad to be of service, kiddo..." she quipped. Her head lurched to one side as if something was tugging on her ear.
As a matter of fact, something was. Perched on Saedare's left shoulder was a tiny male fairy with blue hair and red markings. "Are you sure Ms. Sajhiri is ok with bringing him here instead of soccer practice?"
Saedare smiled at the little Feien. "I can't see the harm in it. He didn't feel like playing soccer today, Ten," she intoned.
Dodge looked up at the pair and frowned. "The last time someone pushed me down and got my shirt dirty. It was terrible. They actually muddied my ears. I had nightmares for a week."
Kaeru puffed up proudly, the motion causing him to overbalance a bit and he sat down quickly to avoid looking completely stupid. "Yup, it's me!" he said, grinning to Trio. "I grew."
It was plain that his grasp of the obvious was still impeccable.
He smiled to Makana then, remembering the little cat girl, but only vaguely. To be honest, he'd been around her sister, Annora, more. But still, he was polite. "Hi, Makana. Dunno if you remember me or not. I'm Kaeru, Youko's son."
As the new trio entered, he swivelled his head towards the door in curiosity. He hadn't met THEM before. Well, he thought he knew the girl, but he wasn't sure. Not like that would stop him, regardless... Kaeru LOVED people, and waved to them. "Hi! C'mon in, the more the merrier!" The girl obviously wasn't from here... but the boy obviously WAS. "I'm Kaeru... and this is Makana and Aini," he said, motioning to the two girls in turn.
And yet more people. Sayuri shook the profferred hand.
'Good to meet you Trio.' when the handshake was done she folded her fan and slid it into her obi, glancing at Aini to make sure she was being as polite and smiled at Makana.
'She's a pretty little thing.' she nodded, looking at the other woman that had entered with two children. She was very sure she had met her before, briefly when the woman had turned up to collect the male child.
Aini dropped her tail, determined to look brave in front of so many people.
'Hello Ma-kana.' she sounded the word out. It was a nice word to say and she smiled.
'I'm Aini.' she looked over at the fresh newcomers, her tail tip flicking, and she looked at Sayuri, checking she was still there. As the woman was, she relaxed a little.
Makana ducked behind Kaeru at the new people, peering around him to watch them curiously, one ear tilted to listen to them even as she answered the boy she was hiding behind. "You're not Kaeru. Kaeru is smaller," she informed him solemnly. The serious words drew a choked laugh from Trio. But she twisted to look at Aini when she was done examining Dodge, leaning over to see the picture better. "You coloring?" she asked, perking a little at the thought. She liked coloring, after all!
Trio watched the newcomers, letting them get in the door before she called out, "Hi."
Saedare's head swivelled as Kaeru addressed her, and she smiled. "Well hello there! My, haven't you grown! You were just a tiny little thing when Sajhiri came to pick Dodge here up!" The Aduthule moved in and found a spot to settle on a couch.
Dodge trundled over to Kaeru, Makana, and Aini, wideeyed, his hands stuffed in his shorts pockets. He looked Kaeru up and down with an impressed look on his face. "Hi, I'm Dodge! Wow, you ARE big! Will I be that big some day, Sae?" he asked back towards his guardian.
The Feien's eyes lit up. "Well, extropolating that your size will be in proportion to this fellows based on the sizes of your respective seeming species, I'd say you'll be a bit larger than he when you grow up, Dodge," Ten rattled off in a professorial tone.
Saedare grinned. "I think that might be the case, Dodge," she agreed.
Dodge's smile brightened and he looked back to Kaeru. "You have some really cool jewelry! I have a bracelet, look!" He held out a furry arm to show off the Sapphire and gold bauble to the others.
Kaeru blinked, turning nearly completely around to look at Makana with a smirk. "I grew... just like you will someday," he said, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek a bit, the way Youko did with him. He had been told that most furry-things did that. And while it seemed a bit wierd to him (not to mention it tickled his cheek), he figured that it couldn't hurt.
As Dodge came over to them, Kaeru scooted a bit closer to Aini to make enough room for the boy to sit with them if he wanted to. "Eh, I'm not that big," he said, stretching out his legs a bit. "My dad's taller than I am, and he's short. But he said because I'm a frog, I won't get that BIG, really." Truth be told, he looked kinda scrawny... until you got past the fact that his t-shirt was two sizes too big. His limbs and body may have been slender, but the winter's worth of snowboarding, shovelling snow and just generally being on the MOVE constantly had made the teen's body a lot more toned than one would expect from a frog. While he'd never really be that large, he was far from a weakling.
"Awesome bracelet!" He said, grinning as he held up his own wrists and showed off the horn and bead jewellery. "I picked these up in a gift shop down by the beach. They don't get ruined in the water, which is cool... I have some seashell ones too, but I don't wear them all at once." He took a close look at Dodge's then, his smile widening. "See, yours is the good stuff. I'm pretty sure it cost more than a buck ninety-nine like mine did."
However, he was still proud of his jewellery. They were the first things he'd ever bought with his own money, all on his own.
Of course she had seen the woman with the little ram fellow! How muddle headed was Sayuri anyway? It was Saedare, and walked over a little, nodding at her.
'Hello there,' she smiled.
'I see your handful has gotten bigger since we last saw you.'
Aini cocked her head at the interaction between Kaeru and Makana, then bristled a little as Kaeru scooted closer, pushing the crayons to one side as she looked between Dodge and the frog teen.
'I didnt know boys liked shinies..' Aini piped up, showing her own wrist with the golden bracelet that Jacosa had given her as a gift, and which hadnt left her wrist since she had grown and Sayuri had thought her old enough to appreciate it, and look after it. She sniffed the air delicately, then settled again, her quick eyes looking from the frog to the sheep.
Makana watched the others, tucking herself close to the big boy who'd nuzzled her. He seemed safe, and he was really nice and talkative. She'd learned, fairly quickly, that when others were talkative, it meant she didn't have to be. She had no shiny things, but...
"Mama says I'm gonna have glasses soon?" she tried, making the comment sound more like a question than a statement.
Trio watched Makana settle in, and nodded, moving to dig out one of the books from her bag and settle on the couch. She didn't open it, but had it handy, just in case.
Dodge looked over everyone's trinkets, one hand unconsciously smoothing back the hair between his ears. His ears laid back against his head when he realized Aini was the sort of creature that might..gulp...eat him in the wild. Looking around for an out, he caught sight of a mirror and frowned at what he saw. "If you'll excuse me a moment, that ruffling my sister did to me in the car seems to have put a few hairs out of place."
the boy moved to the reflective glass and he began meticulously grooming himself, occasionally grumpily complaining under his breath. He occasionally glanced nervously back at the others.
Saedare smiled at Sayuri, "It is good to see you. Mother knows you, doesn't she?"
Now why'd the boy go away? Kaeru shrugged then and turned back to Makana, grinning. "Glasses, huh? My dad's got those." He leaned in then, whispering. "Yours'll look better, though. They make all kinds of cute ones for kids now, and my dad's blind as a bat without his."
His attention turned to Aini then, and the 'shiny' on her wrist as well. "That's pretty, Aini!" he said, taking her hand and looking at the bracelet. "Were you wearing it last time I saw you? I don't remember seeing it."
Then again, it was hard to remember anything other than the flooding of the bathroom when he 'bombed' the S.S. Lego in the toilet. At least he wasn't that impulsive anymore, right?
Well... he WAS still impulsive. But not like THAT anymore.
Sayuri hadnt realised she had caught the attention of Saedare and she looked up quickly, nodding and smiling;
'Oh yes, sorry,' she chuckled.
'I was so intent on writing down some things I had remembered that we needed to get.' she waved the notebook a little.
Aini blinked at Dodge, then looked at Kaeru. She thought that she would like this frog boy, he smelt sort of nice, but she wasnt sure why. She wriggled her fingers as he examined the bracelet.
'No, Mummy wouldnt let me have it until I grew.' she blinked at Makana.
'What are glasses?' she asked, curious, as she had not heard that word before now.
Makana's eyes warmed with pleasure at the compliment. Really, she was no different than anyone else - flattering words made her feel good. But it was Aini's question that got her bouncing a little. This, she knew!
"They're... um... they sit on your face, over your nose," she explained, remembering how Trio had explained it to her. "And they make you see better. But getting them is really awful. The doctor put these drops into my eyes that made them hurt and I couldn't see anything."
The torrent of words dried up as she finished her explanation, leaning against Kaeru slightly as she reached behind herself to catch her tail and toy with it.
Dodge watched the others warily in the mirror, keeping an eye on how the felines acted with the frog especially. All the cats he knew liked to pounce them. They didn't seem too aggressive, so maybe it was safe afterall. With a final straightening of his shirt, he returned to the others, standing near Kaeru, the largest target to duck behind, should anyone view him as lunch.
"Pretty bracelet," he commented to Aini. "Saedare has glasses...see?" He pointed out to his current guardian where she was talking to Sayuri.
Saedare adjusted said glasses again and unwound her scarf from her neck. "I'm Saedare, mother mentioned to me that you were some kind of guardian to Cervus' daughter?"
Oh good, the boy was back. Kaeru had gotten a bit tired of scaring other kids away, and was trying his best to behave... at least for the moment. Youko had made him PROMISE not to get any of the little ones worked up. Nodding to Aini, he also motioned to Saedare. "Yeah, those're glasses. The things she's wearing on her face. They help her see better, because her eyes have trouble on their own." It was how Youko had explained glasses to him when he was a kid...
Of course, that was after Kaeru had thought they were goggles and took off with them from Youko's nightstand. It was a good thing the fox had contacts as well, and knew the layout of the house, or it would have been far more amusing to watch him stumble around, half blind.
If the frog minded being the 'stability spot' for the two less assertive kids, he didn't show it. He was having a blast at the moment, and now knew why Raven seemed to like kids so much. They were fun!
Damn, Sayuri had glanced at the wall clock, realising that if they didnt hurry from here now, they would be having crackers and water for dinner. Which meant she would have to take Aini away, which she was never happy about.
'Yes, Tamia,' Sayuri said to Saedare, nodding in affirmation.
'Well I'm sorry to say it, but we must be going now.'
'Oh.' Aini had looked at Saedare. So those were glasses.
'I see really well,' she said proudly, smiling, and showing her little sharp teeth again. At Sayuri's words her face fell, and she reluctantly got up.
'I like you!' she pointed at Kaeru, then ran off to Sayuri's side, clutching onto her kimono and waving at everyone before they left.
Makana watched the girl leave, eyeing her outfit curiously. It looked like something some of the people at her daddy's wore... and like something Annora would like! Makana, on the other hand, was much happier in her jeans.
She reached to pat her overall's pocket instinctively, then remembered... they'd left Mouse at home, so that she could get used to looking through her glasses before she picked him up again. Frowning slightly, she tilted her head. "Do you get glasses too, Kaeru?" Apparently, she'd finally accepted that he was the boy she'd met before.
Dodge waved goodbye to Aini before his attention turned back to Kaeru. "You said you wear your jewelry in the water...what are you doing in the water? Swimming? I don't swim much."
Saedare nodded her goodbye to Sayuri and Ten finished adjusting all her various earrings so they were properly oriented. The feien would often get utterly fixated on a task. "I do wonder if perhaps someone in the fleet could fix your eyes for you, Saedare. They have all sorts of advanced technology most beings on this terribly primitive planet couldn't even imagine."
"I have a very strong imagination, Ten," she replied, quelling the urge to pinch him over his derrogatory view of Gaia. She knew the urge wasn't conscious, it was likely something from what remained of her twin's personality deep within her.
Now THIS was a conversation he could get into. "I swim," Kaeru answered, nodding with a grin as he got comfortable on the carpet. "I like to surf too. My dad just got me a surfboard for the summer, and I'm paying it off by doing chores and stuff around the house. I was heading to the beach when I stopped here, but I don't think it'll be good surfing today." He tilted his head towards the window then. "No real breeze... the ocean's too calm today."
Surfing was one of his joys... he'd started with tea trays and had graduated to a snowboard during the winter when he was a kid. He had to admit though, the beach was MUCH better.
It also hurt less when he fell.
Makana listened. She didn't swim, really, and hated the lessons Trio kept insisting she get. Water made her fur feel funny, and it was a terrible pain to groom afterward. Baths were bad enough! But... "Annora swims," she offered. "She swims really good."
Trio snorted at that. Annora didn't really swim all that well, but the fact that the siren could breathe underwater meant that it certainly seemed like she was skilled.
"Surfing! I saw that on TV once! That looked like fun! I bet you could get going really REALLY fast, then dive off and headbutt someone so hard they'd forget what day it is!" The little ram was practically bouncing with the thought of bashing his head into someone else's.
Saedare tried not to laugh, muffling a giggle behind her hand. She cleared her throat and noted to the youngsters "You should see my mother's walls."
Reaching up to run a hand through his hair, Kaeru chuckled softly. "I dunno about that," he said, trying to figure out where the fun was in knocking oneself stupid like that. "All your attention has to be on what you're doing, or you'll fall off. When that happens, you've gotta be quick or you'll get water up your nose." Well, he didn't have to worry about that, because he could breathe water just as easily as he did air... but he was pretty sure the little sheep wouldn't have that ability.
"Besides... if you headbutted someone really hard when they're in the water, they could drown. That wouldn't be too fun."
Makana sat nearby, eyeing Dodge with growing trepidation. Headbutting? That sounded... painful. She didn't speak up again, knowing that the boys were involved in their conversation. And really, it was kinda fun to listen without having to think of what she could add... especially about something like swimming!
After a few minutes, she reached out, picking up the crayons Aini had left behind and getting a piece of construction paper from a nearby desk before starting to color.
Dodge blinked up at Kaeru. "Why would they drown? Do all these people around here have soft heads or something? Momma tells me other people can't butt heads like I do. But it's no fun if you can't butt someone else's head! There's no skill in headbutting an inmani-... nimani--- a not person object!"
"Inanimate..." Saedare offered quietly.
"Yeah that!" Dodge added. His eyes flitted to watch the girl coloring. Pretty colors. Oooooh. Pretty = Good.
"Not everyone's got a hard head, kiddo," Kaeru said, snickering faintly. "You're perfect for headbutting things, because you've got all that thick bone and horns growing in up there. But most people don't have that. You could really hurt someone if you tried something like that." He understood a bit about 'substitutions', having had to make do with snow for months, but this was a bit more serious.
"Inanimate objects might not be much fun... but it's better than really hurting someone, isn't it?" He hoped the boy would agree anyway. Having a headbutt-crazy ram around wouldn't be too comfy for those he targetted.
Makana looked up at the words, head tilting slightly. That sounded an awful like the way her mama had talked to her about stealing a few days ago...
"It sounds like it'd hurt me," she offered Dodge shyly.
The little ram nibbled on his lower lip and looked distraught. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sometimes it's not all that fun to be different, without anyone like you around." He shoved his hands back into his pockets and studied the tops of his sneakers a long moment. "Is it hard for you two, too?"
Saedare swallowed hard and watched her sibling with tears welling. She knew all about being different. But she had never also been alone. There had always been Saevire, and even absorbed, she felt her twin's presence.
Ten whispered in her ear "He needs a pick me up. Might I suggest ice cream on our way home?"
Saedare nodded to the Feien.
Nodding, Kaeru looked a bit more somber. "Yeah," he answered, shrugging a bit. "I mean... I"m a frog. Go figure. And I get yelled at if I eat a fly. I mean... it's INSTINCT, you know? Just like you have the instinct to butt things on the head." He winked then, grinning. "But it's not all bad. I swim better than anyone I know. I bet you've got something you do better than anyone else, too."
He turned then, looking to see where the quiet kitty had gone, and his eyes lit up as he saw Makana colouring. "Pretty picture, Makana!" he said, reaching to ruffle the kitten's ears gently. It was good that she was occupying herself... he didn't want her to feel left out.
At the gentle ruffling, Makana started to purr softly, smiling up at Kaeru. After a moment, she transferred her smile to Dodge. He seemed so upset at the thought. "Annora's really loud all the time," she noted. "And Etain can fly. I can't fly, and I don't like loud noises, but I can take care of Mouse really well." She puffed up with pride. "And I'm getting good at reading! Can you read?" The words were clearly aimed at Dodge this time, her focus firmly on him, though she continued to purr quietly.
Dodge smiled at Makana. "Yes! A little, Saedare has been teaching me! I'm not great at it, but I can spell my name now!" Of course it didn't hurt that he could just copy it off the side of his mother's truck either.
He looked over to Kaeru. "I can climb really really good, and jump really high. Mom says I scare her to death with all the climbing and jumping. She gets real nervous. But it's so much fun!"
Grinning, Kaeru laid himself out on the floor, pillowing his head in his arms. "See? That's a good skill to have! And I bet it's a lot safer than headbutting people, especially for them. I bet you're really good at climbing, considering that you're a sheep." Everyone had their talents, of that he was convinced. "And if you're that good at climbing, maybe I can teach you to surf when you're older. A big part of it is being able to keep your balance on the board."
Makana finished up the picture she'd been coloring, and handed it solemnly to Kaeru. The only resemblance that the stick figure bore to the frog was color, and even that wasn't very close, but she was very certain that he'd know it was him.
"C'mon, sweetie," Trio said, getting up after a moment and grinning. "It's time to go see about your glasses. Say bye to the boys."
"Bye," she murmured, leaning in to nuzzle at Kaeru before offering Dodge another smile. And then she was hurrying over to the door, leaving Trio to catch up.
"That'd be cool, Kaeru! I'd like to learn!" the ram beamed. Dodge waved to Makana with a smile, his ears twitching a little. He murmured to Kaeru, "She's pretty..." before his silvery fur tinted pinkish around his cheeks with a blush. "Now I really want to headbutt something."
Saedare jawdropped at Dodge's words, thinking him much too young to find girls pretty. But it was spring, and she realized it was the season for banging heads over pretty females for sheep. She got up and almost toppled Ten off her shoulder in her haste.
"Wow look at the time! We better head out Dodge, if we're going to get ice cream on the way home!" she said cheerily, if hastily.
"ICE CREAM!" Dodge exclaimed happily. "It was nice meeting you Kaeru! Hope to see you again soon. And Makana and Aini too!" He dashed out with his sister.
Snickering, Kaeru got to his feet, brushing himself off and watching the two younger kids go. "Later guys," he said, Dodge's words sticking in his mind. Well THAT would explain part of the whole headbutting thing, wouldn't it? Makana would probably curl up into a blushing ball of 'eep' if she'd heard that, and Kaeru found himself unable to stop giggling at the thought.
Maybe he'd tell her about that... when she was older.
He moved to the door then, grinning as he noted the fact that the wind had kicked up while he was in there. Maybe there WOULD be waves today, after all. That thought in mind, he shut the door behind him and headed off towards the beach.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 3:00 pm
The setting sun found Shiromaru in the living room of the new house, settled in a rocking chair he'd pulled out of storage. The wand was settled in a sort of sling over one shoulder, close where the demon could keep an eye on it -- Ianna had said it would start Doing Things, after all -- and the rabbit infant was in his arms, sleeping peacefully, its ears hanging out over the blanket.
Now, all Shiro could do was wait for Trio to get home with the girls.
"Shiro," Trio called out, as the door opened. "You home? We brought dinner!"
Instead of calling back, for fear of waking the baby, Shiromaru stood carefully and made his way over to the front door. "Right here," he offered quietly, once he was close to the others.
"Papa!" Etain zoomed up to see him, then stopped in mid-air, wings buzzing. "...Papa has a baby."
"Has a...hmm?" Trio blinked, looking up from where she'd been supervising Annora toeing off her shoes. "...Shiro? Is that...?"
"Karma called me," Shiro confirmed with a megawatt grin. "Told me to come pick him up. I haven't even named him yet, I have some ideas, but I wanted to see what you thought. And he's not the only one -- this wand will be summoning an infant at some point, a goddess, apparently. I got... pulled to the shop today where they were." The baby in his arms blinked awake at the talking, and blinked big blue eyes up at Trio.
Annora padded forward, eyeing the baby and wand with faint wariness. Was she going to have to share her parents with even MORE kids now? One hand slipped into Etain's, squeezing lightly.
Makana, on the other hand, moved forward toward the rabbit and sniffed delicately at him, a paw coming up to adjust her new glasses. "He smells nice," she admitted, peering up at Shiro with a shy smile.
Trio chuckled. "You look happy," she noted, leaning in around the various children to kiss him on the cheek.
Shiro carefully extricated a hand, stroking Makana's hair. "And you look nice," he informed her, grinning. "Those glasses are a good fit." Trio's kiss and comment were met with a kiss in kind. "Of course I'm happy. I'm over the moon, to be honest. You know I've always wanted a big family."
But just how big? Finally planting her feet on the ground, Etain squeezed Annora's hand in return, cuddling close to her sister. Things were getting crowded.
"Can I hold him?" Makana asked immediately, beaming now. Compliments were nice, but the bunny looked nicer...
Trio chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm glad Az offered to move in with us and help watch over things. Too many more, and things will get crazy. Er, not that they aren't already. Well, girls? Say hello to your new brother," Trio added, nudging Annora.
Annora withdrew slightly, tugging Etain with her. "Hi," she murmured, obedient and soft.
Etain willingly moved with Annora, though her 'Hello' was a bit louder than Annora's -- but not by much.
"Things are already crazy," Shiro agreed. "Makana, if you want to get settled on the sofa, I'll let you hold him over there, okay? He's had a long day, so he might sleep a lot for a while."
Makana nodded, her smile staying bright as she moved to curl up on the couch and arrange herself in what she thought would be a comfortable position for the baby. Already, though she didn't realize it, a faint purr was coming from her.
"Can I go play?" Annora asked abruptly, just as Makana opened her mouth to tell Shiro she was ready.
Trio blinked at the near-demand from her siren. "...Annora?" she asked, and Annora looked over at Trio, her eyes big and wary. "Are you okay?"
"I just wanna go play," Annora informed them firmly.
Shiromaru paused when Annora made her request, taken aback at the tone in her voice. Blinking, he looked up at Trio, brows furrowed. This one was Trio's call, he decided, then moved quietly over to the sofa so he could arrange the baby carefully in Makana's arms.
"...I wanna play too," Etain decided after a moment, still holding on to Annora's hand. She wasn't letting go of her big sister for anything!
Trio frowned at the two, looking up to Shiro before sighing. Clearly, he hadn't been any more oblivious than she was... which meant she wasn't just imagining it. "You can play in Etain's room," she informed them both, before looking up at Shiro and raising an eyebrow, her head tilting slightly toward the other side of the room.
Makana frowned faintly at the two, but the expression was gone in moments, as the soft weight of Nico settled into her arms. "Thank you..."
Etain tugged at Annora's hand before letting go and flying off to her room. At least it was mostly set up now!
Shiro nodded softly back at Trio, then arranged the rabbit infant's ears before kissing Makana's forehead. "Just be gentle with him," he murmured. "He likes having the bridge of his nose rubbed." That said, he made his way over to Trio, a worried look stealing over him.
Makana nodded, curling up tightly around the baby and purring softly. He was so tiny, and soft...
Trio waited until Shiro was with her, her eyes on Makana. When she spoke, her voice was pitched very low. "You're worried too?"
"Yes," the demon agreed, very quietly. "I am. She's been acting off for a while, and now this... It's just not like her."
"It's been ever since that day she came into Az and I sobbing, and wouldn't tell us why," Trio said, frowning and sitting down. "And she's still not talking."
Shiro followed after, sitting in the chair next to Trio's. "Should we push, or wait a bit longer to see if she tells us?"
"She still seems very close to Etain. I've... I've been kinda hoping that maybe she's talking to Etain if she's not talking to us," Trio admitted.
"I'll talk to Etain, see if Annora's said anything to her," Shiro decided with a soft sigh. "I miss the old Annora, you know?"
Trio nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "I'd suggest you talk to her, but she hasn't seemed particularly like curling up with you lately any more than she has with me... has she?"
"No," Shiro confirmed, frustratedly. "No, she hasn't. I'll talk to Etain, and if she hasn't said anything to Etain, then... we'll figure something out from there, I think. Okay?"
Trio nodded, reaching out to take Shiro's hand. "It'll work out. She's got two loving parents, plus Etain who practically worships her. She'll be okay, you know."
Shiro laced his fingers through Trio's, smiling a little over at her. "I know... I just worry. Annora's pretty special to me, that's all. But I know she'll be okay."
Trio lifted the hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles before looking over at where Makana was still curled up contentedly. "So... what's the bunny's name?"
"Actually, I had an idea for a name, but I didn't want to settle on one unless we agreed on it," Shiro confessed, his thumb running over the side of Trio's hand. "I was thinking about Nicodemus."
"Why Nicodemus?" Trio asked curiously, squeezing lightly.
Shiro shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's just a name I've always loved. I know it means 'victory of the people,' and it's Greek, but beyond that... I don't know, it just seems to fit."
Trio nodded, saying the name again softly. "Nick, hmm? Or Nicky?"
"Nico," Shiro decided quietly. "I think 'Nico'..."
"Like Necco wafers?" Trio teased softly, grinning at Shiro.
That earned a blank look from Shiromaru. "Necco wafers? What are those?"
"I'll get you some when I go to the store next," Trio promised, snickering softly. "So... tell me about this wand?"
Excitedly, Shiro pulled the wand from the sling he had it in. "Ianna said children come from wands like these. I met one, actually. Apparently, they emerge first as ghosts, then completely solidify, or something like that."
Trio blinked, holding out a hand to see if Shiro would let her hold the wand. "Not the strangest story I've heard," she admitted. "But getting up there, definitely."
Shiro willingly passed the wand over to Trio. "I know, it's pretty strange, but considering some of the things I've heard and seen..."
"Yeah, I know..." Trio admitted easily. "Like stones that summon strange animalistic humanoids and save them from a plague?"
The demon couldn't help but grin. "Speaking of strange animalistic humanoids, Hun Min said that his offer still stood to watch the kids whenever we needed a break."
"No," Trio corrected. "That's a BLESSED animalistic humanoid."
Shiro's grin grew impish. "Considering he talks to his deities and can summon monsters and miracles, I'd say he's pretty blessed, yes."
Trio chuckled, rising and handing back the wand. "C'mon... you'd better see if Makana's ever gonna give him up, and I wanna check on the girls."
Shiro carefully tucked the wand away, making sure the tea ball couldn't swing free, then leaned over and stole a kiss from Trio before rising. "Makana, sweetie, mind if I take Nico back?"
Makana hesitated, eyeing Shiro almost sadly before looking down at the sleeping rabbit. "His name is Nico?"
"Nicodemus Kalyan Maxwell-Chang," Shiro confirmed. "But Nico for short. Don't worry, you'll get to hold him all the time!"
Makana perked up a little at that, leaning in to lick Nico's cheek gently. "Promise?"
Nico opened his eyes, blinked sleepily up at Makana, then reached up to pat at her cheek. She was soft, and that was nice to touch.
Shiromaru grinned down at the pair. "I promise. It'll be really good if he has a big sister to look up to, too -- think you'll be willing to help us take care of him?"
Makana nodded vigorously, beaming down at Nico. "He patted me," she told Shiro softly, as though the demon had somehow missed it.
"I saw," Shiro agreed, and reached out to lift Nico carefully out of Makana's arms. "He likes you."
Makana clung to him for a moment, then sighed, letting him go. "I like him, too," she said quietly, reaching to pet one long ear.
Nico waved one arm at Makana cheerfully, then snuggled into his father's arms. "That's good to hear," Shiro murmured, his grin softening to a smile.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:25 am
Things were nearing completion on the house -- all the outside painting and nearly all the inside painting was done, the roof was finished, and there were fewer and fewer things to finish every day. On that list was the personalization of Nicodemus' room, something recently tacked on when the infant had joined their family, but Shiro knew it wouldn't take much to finish that.
Today, however, they had another project.
Lugging home bags of quickcrete, pretty rocks and colored spheres of glass, and several molds, the demon made his way out to the backyard and plopped everything down next to the small pond before turning around and going right back inside. "Trio? Love? Where are you at?"
"In the library," Trio called. "Almost done with this box." The library was the one room Aziraphale had absolutely insisted on. It linked to his room, and he'd taken pains to ensure it was on the large size, citing what good it would do each of the children, but with an oddly greedy look in the angel's eyes as he spoke.
"Here, let me help you with that." Shiro entered the library and reached down to help put the books away. "I brought home a project," he offered with a warm smile. "It'll take everyone to do it. I have all the supplies outside."
"Hmm?" Trio blinked, peering curiously at Shiro. "What've you got up your sleeve?"
Shiro just grinned, shaking his head. "You'll see, once we get this box done. Where are Az and Kiku? We'll need them too."
Trio paused at that, turning to peer at Shiro. She was used to him thinking about the ieldi, but... "Az too?" she asked softly.
"Aziraphale's part of our family too," Shiro pointed out, looking up at Trio in turn. "And this is a family thing."
"I... didn't expect you to think of him like that," Trio admitted quietly, smiling.
Leaning over, Shiro kissed Trio lightly. "Of course I do. How could I not? As far as I'm concerned, he's been part of this family from the beginning."
Trio kissed Shiro back, then tucked the last of the books into the shelf. "Okay, love. What are we doing?"
"Making handprint stones and putting them in the garden," Shiro explained cheerfully. "I got enough for everyone."
Trio blinked at him before her eyes lit up. "Can you round up the girls and Nico while I go get Kikuei?" she asked softly.
"Of course!" The demon turned and headed out of the room, scooping up Nicodemus before peeking into the girls' rooms. "Etain? Annora? Makana? Come on, sweethearts, we have a project for you outside."
Makana was the first to arrive, cupping Mouse in her hands as she looked around. "What project?" she demanded, bouncing a little before setting the kinoko down on a nearby earth-filled urn.
Shiro grinned, tweaking Makana's ear gently as Nico waved his hands down at the kitten-girl. "I'll tell you once we're all out there," he promised.
Etain was the next to arrive, wings buzzing as she flitted over curiously. "Papa? What're we doing?"
"You'll see once we get outside," Shiro explained.
Annora was soon after, carrying a notebook and pen. "What's going on?" she asked, looking at the others for a moment before moving to stand under Etain. "It's not time for the show yet."
Shiromaru resettled Nico in his arms. "Show?" he echoed, curiously. "And we all need to go outside. We have a project to do." Leading the way, he headed outside, stopping next to the quickcrete bags.
"But we're not ready yet," Annora started to say, then paused, peering curiously at the bags. "What's that?"
"I'll explain it when your mother gets out with Aziraphale and Kikuei," Shiro promised, and settled Nicodemus down on the grass next to him. "It'll be fun, don't worry!"
Etain blinked at her father, then touched ground so she could take Annora's hand. If Papa said it would be fun, then surely it would be!
Annora wasn't quite so ready to change mind tracks just yet. "Daddy? Can you make it rain?" she asked instead, grinning to Etain.
Makana glanced over and perked up as she saw Nico set down. Scooping Mouse up and tucking him into her pocket, she moved to sit down next to Nico, petting him.
"We're here," Trio called, stepping outside. Kikuei was right beside her, holding her hand with a hesitant look on her face, while Aziraphale trailed behind them.
Nico brightened when he recognized Makana's smell, his hands patting along the part of her arm that he could reach.
Shiro peered at Etain and Annora in confusion, one eyebrow raised. "Yes, I can," he confirmed. That was an odd question. He decided to ask later, however, instead opening up the molds so the others could see them. "Everyone gets to make a stone and put their handprints and name on it, and decorate it with smaller stones. When they're all dry, they'll be put in the garden."
That made Annora abandon the show for the moment, her eyes lighting up. "And people will see our hands?"
"Yes," Shiro confirmed, waving Annora over. "Why don't you do the first one? Here, I'll show you how." He picked up a bucket, dropoping in a bit of the quickcrete powder and adding water, mixing it.
Annora hunched over the bucket, peering inside curiously. As she watched, Aziraphale set one hand on Trio's shoulder, leaning in to murmur something in her ear. She smiled brightly at it, nodding to Az while Kikuei moved forward, releasing her hand to stop next to Annora.
Makana seemed less interested, her attention firmly on Nico.
Nico's attention was on Makana in return, trying to grab onto and grip Makana's hand.
Once the quickcrete was mixed, Shiromaru poured a bit into the mold, then nodded to Annora. "Now, press your hands into the mold," he directed, "and leave them there for a few seconds before pulling them back out." Etain was at Annora's shoulder by that point, on the other side from Kikuei, watching intently.
"Both hands?" Annora asked, pressing them both in before he could answer. "Tell me when. Can I decorate it with shiny stones? What is this stuff anyway?" she asked in quick succession.
"'This stuff' is called quickcrete," Shiro explained. "Go ahead and pull your hands out now. And I got the stones so that you could decorate it and add your name. Etain, Kiku, why don't you two try it?" Carefully, he filled two more molds, offering them to the sylph and the ieldi. Etain glanced up at Annora, then knelt and pressed her hands into the quickcrete, nose crinkling comically at the feel of it.
Kikuei was a bit more hesitant, glancing over at Nico and Makana. "Are you sure you want me to do this, too?" he asked Shiro softly.
Shiromaru smiled gently up at Kikuei. "I told you," he murmured. "You're part of our family."
Kikuei nodded, kneeling down and pressing his hands into his own mold. "...Trio said she wanted me here." Hesitant eyes lifted to Shiro's. He didn't offer anything more, but he suspected Shiro understood nonetheless.
He did, and the water demon beamed up at Kikuei. "I'm glad. Makana?" he called, raising his voice slightly. "Why don't you come over and make one? Nico will still be there when you're done."
"Is Nico making one, too?" Makana asked, not letting go of the little rabbit.
"He'll need you to help him," Shiro noted, making his way over so he could lift up Nicodemus. "Why don't you show him how to put his hands in?"
Makana lit up, nodding and moving to her own mold. "Nico?" she asked, swishing her tail in front of him to catch his attention.
Nico's gaze fixed on Makana, tilting his head up so he could sniff the air a bit better, then reached up towards Makana.
"Nico, do this," she said, planting both paws firmly in the quickcrete.
Grinning to himself, Shiro carefully put a mold close to Nico, then helped him press his little paws into the quickcrete. "There we are," he said quietly. "Now your handprints will all be in the garden." Looking up, he waved Trio and Az over. "Your turns!"
"Our tu... wait, what?" Trio blinked, eyeing the quickcrete a little more warily now that she realized her OWN hands were going in it as well.
Aziraphale took one look at her and laughed, catching her arm and drawing her to them. "Come now. It won't be so bad."
"Oh, yes, your turn," Shiro caroled, grinning with delight at her expression. "Come on, you."
Etain was already decorating hers, with her name at the top and lots of pretty bits and baubles pressed into the quickcrete around her handprints.
Annora had hesitated, but seeing Etain start decorating hers, Annora went to work as well, gathering what she could find that she liked from the bits Shiro had brought. A moment later, she grinned and carefully drew a clumsy fish and butterfly on either side.
Etain beamed up at Annora, then patted the last colored glass sphere into her stone before connecting the musical notes. There was already a bird feather pressed straight into the left side.
"What's the feather for?" Annora asked, while her mother tugged lightly at Az's grip. Trio was laughing, as was the angel.
"Birds fly, too," Etain pointed out cheerfully. "An' Kikuei's kind of a bird. Kind of."
Shiro took a moment to make his own stone, pressing his hands into it before following Annora's and Etain's examples, sketching in a single wing to one side of his name. "There we are, there's mine... Trio, Az, come on, you two! Trio, I'll tickle you if you don't!"
"But that's so simple," Trio argued, looking over his shoulder. "Look at how impressive the girls' are. You're not done yet, mister!"
"I'll add more if you come make yours," Shiro caroled, grinning.
Trio blushed, peering at the quickcrete. "Okay... what do I do?" she asked quietly.
Shiromaru daubed in a few other images, then added a few flower petals. "Pour the quickcrete into a mold," he directed with a smile, "then press your hands into it and leave them in it for a few moments so it'll set nicely. Then add your name."
"Why one wing?" she asked, as she did as he directed. As Annora finished, she made her way toward her mom, peering over into the mold.
"You need shinies, mama."
"You're right, sweetheart -- your mama needs lots of shinies. Why not this one?" Shiro offered a polished piece of rose quartz. He didn't answer Trio's question, not certain of the answer himself.
Trio blinked, hesitating over the crystal. "Is that... the way I seem to you?" she asked, faintly curious.
Uncertain of just what Trio meant, Shiro merely blinked at her, nonplussed. "What do you mean?"
"Like I need a lot of... shinies," Trio murmured, hesitating uncomfortably. "Am I shallow?" she finally finished.
Shiromaru stared at Trio, then reached out, cupping the woman's cheek. "You, love, are the furthest thing from shallow. The only reason your stone needs lots of shiny things is to try to measure up to your personality, because you're wonderful."
Trio blinked, blushing as she leaned into the touch. "Thank you," she whispered, a moment before Annora offered up HER opinion of it.
"Shinies are pretty," she explained patiently, already sticking a few glittering stones into Trio's block. "They light up when it's sunny!"
Shiro grinned up at Trio, then laughed delightedly as he watched Annora decorating her mother's stone. "Annora's right, you know."
Trio blinked down at her daughter, then smiled softly before looking up at Etain and Makana. "What about you two? Wanna help?" she asked, scrubbing at a bit of the rock that had solidified on her cheek after Shiro's touch.
Makana hesitated, glancing at Etain shyly. She was older...
Etain looked over at Makana, then offered a hand to the catgirl with a cheerful little grin. "C'mon," she chirruped.
Makana beamed, taking the hand and moving to the stone. "Can I put in something red?" she asked.
Trio chuckled. "Of course, sweetie..."
Etain added a green stone of her own, smiled happily up at her mother, then added a stone to Shiro's stone as well. There, everything was perfect now.
Makana followed with a red stone for each, and Annora yelped, adding a blue stone to Shiro's. "Water," she chirped, wrapping her arms around Shiro's.
Trio glanced over all three faces, then looked up at Shiro smiling. "Looks like I'm not the only one with shinies."
"Looks like," Shiro agreed, laughing softly. Moments later, he added a yellow stone and a feather to each stone in honor of Nicodemus and Kikuei, then glanced up at Az to see if there was anything the angel would like to add.
Az hesitated, then moved forward, looking at Shiromaru. "May I?" he asked softly, warmth in his eyes.
Shiro nodded to Aziraphale, nodding gently. "Of course."
Az reached out, murmuring something. As his finger left each stone in turn, a faint pulse of light settled into it before fading. When he was done, he turned happy eyes to Shiro. "They're blessed."
"Thank you," Shiromaru murmured, reaching up to touch Az's arm lightly. "That means a lot to me. And you need to make yours! Then we'll have everyone's done, and can get them in place."
Az smiled quietly. "They'll offer some mild protection here," he noted. "And to all who live in your home." Rolling up his sleeves, he presented his hands to Shiro. "Lead the way."
Quite contentedly, Shiromaru showed him how to pour the mold and add his prints and name, smiling happily all the while. Everything seemed perfect, lately... They truly were blessed.
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Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:23 am
Summer was definitely approaching, and the park was a nice, cool place to take the girls. Trio had opted to take Makana and Annora out today, wanting to encourage a bit of bonding on the part of the two girls entrusted to her, but the plan had rather backfired. Makana was tucked over in a small flowerplot, letting Mouse explore as she watched the little mushroom creature to ensure he was safe. Annora, on the other hand, was swinging on the nearby playset, pumping her legs to see how high she could go. The only thing that Trio could think as she watched the siren was "Flying Fish."
Well, Naien was certainly glad for the nice weather. She'd had more than enough of winter, especially considering that as far up in the mountains as she lived, the last of the snow had only surrendered to the summer warmth a few weeks ago. Even still, the difference in temperature between her mountain cottage and Barton proper was startling, and she'd found the need to shed her spring jacket not halfway to town.
That had been over an hour ago, and she was now about halfway finished her shopping, the chore that had brought her to town in the first place. After pulling the crumpled shopping list from her pocket and looking it over, she continued on her way, taking a known shortcut through a rather nice little park. There must have been someone else there, as she could hear girlish giggles, and the creaking of an old swing set, but she was too absorbed in trying to calculate if she had enough money to finish her errands, and just what would be easiest to steal if she didn't.
Unfortunately, this meant that she failed to notice the rather large rock in her path. The rickety old red wagon she pulled behind her hit it squarely, jarring violently and flinging her groceries every which way. She whipped around and cursed, scrambling to salvage her bags and pile them back on the wagon.
She must have made quite a sight to the small family already in the park.
Hearing the curse, Trio looked up and blinked, getting up to help the poor woman. "Are you okay?" she asked, moving to start gathering up what had been in one of the bags.
Nai was momentarily startled by the other woman's sudden appearance, but she shook it off in favor of a grateful smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. No worries." She laughed, and continued picking up her slightly battered groceries. She was suddenly glad she hadn't bought eggs.
There was a rather large pile of blankets also in the wagon, that hadn't been dislodged. Nai shuffled them around to make room for the groceries without thinking much, plopping the crumpled bags in behind them. She stood, brushing her hands off on her skirt, and turned to thank the blond woman for her help.
The blankets moved.
Trio blinked, then knelt near the wagon, looking at the blankets curiously. "I think someone might've snuck in," she suggested, grinning and waving away the thanks.
Naien shot the other woman a puzzled look, and turned to follow her gaze. She froze suddenly as she remembered something, eyes wide. "Oh s**t."
Kneeling beside the blond, she started shuffling through and peering underneath the blankets. "Oi! Oi, you alive in there!?"
A pair of large, deep green eyes blinked slowly at her from beneath a fringe of white-gold hair.
"...Yeah, you're fine." She let the blankets fall as she stood, mostly hiding the wagon's occupant from view once again, and turned back to the other woman. "...Sorry about that..."
Trio blinked, frowning at Naien curiously. "Is... everything okay?" she asked, smiling softly at the large green eyes. "Who are you?" she added softly, her eyes lingering for a moment before skirting back to Naien.
She chuckled and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm, err... Not used to having a passenger..." She too turned her gaze to the blanket-swathed child, sheepish grin morphing into a mild scowl, though she didn't really seem to be focusing on the baby. "Some cheap b*****d swiped my bracelet and left her on my doorstep. I'm going to check for missing children reports while I'm in town, and maybe I can find something." She sighed, and averted her eyes to the ground.
"Swiped your bracelet?" Trio blinked, sitting down for a moment before calling out, "Annora!"
The little siren glanced up, slowing herself by kicking up the sand at her feet before hopping off and running over. While Trio waited, she leaned back, peering into the blanket curiously. "I had something like that happen once... with a harp a man gave me from nearby."
She glanced up briefly at the blue girl, 'Annora', she presumed, ran over, then glanced back down at the earth. The blond woman's next words made her look up, however, arching an eyebrow. "You don't say." She paused for a moment, as if debating her next words. "...This bracelet, it was a Christmas gift. I don't know who bought it for me, but it must have cost a small fortune. There was no tag or anything, just this card."
Here she reached into a pocket and pulled out a very battered business card. She smoothed out the creases carefully, noting absently that the words were almost rubbed off in some places. It was obvious that this card was handled frequently. She held her hand out to let the other woman see the card, but made no move to actually let it go. "I'm assuming that it's the store the bracelet was bought from. If I had more time today, I'd have gone to ask them who bought it, but it'll have to wait for another trip. I don't like walking home in the dark."
Trio peered at the card, then chuckled warmly, nodding and drawing Annora over as the siren approached. "Annora, I'd like you to meet... um...," she started, then realized she hadn't yet gotten the woman's name. "These two. This is my daughter, Annora." She paused for a moment before saying, with good humor, "She was left in my care by someone who took my harp. It was their sign that I was the right person for her."
Nai blinked. "Oh, um, name's Naien. Nice to meet you." She remained silent for several minutes after that, as she processed the information the blond had given her. She didn't look convinced. "...So, you're telling me that there's someone out there, who takes stuff from people, then leaves 'em babies? You'll have to forgive me for thinking that's bull." She didn't sound angry at all, or scornful. Simply matter-of-fact.
The green-eyed little baby, after just a little wiggling, managed to free a pudgy little arm from the confines of the blankets and started sucking on her thumb, blinking quietly at the small group now assembled beside the wagon.
Annora didn't really get the whole conversation, but she did know she was being watched. With a grin, she sat down beside the wagon, starting to sing softly to the little girl.
"Actually, no, not precisely," Trio countered, with a good-natured smile. "Makana, come closer, please," she added in a raised voice, watching as the little kitten gathered up her friend and moved closer before continuing. "I forget what exactly Jaden told me, but it's something about helping these kids. Their parents can't really take care of them anymore. Not that they can't feed them or clothe them, but they can't give them the home they need to survive. Something like that. So they look for signs that someone is going to be the right parent. Annora's parents found the old harp that Jaden gave me and realized that she could live at my house safely. She has a sister, Etain, whose parents found a pendant and did much the same thing to Shinobu. But Shinobu moved away, so Etain was given over to the care of my fiance."
Naien blinked, turning to stare intently at the ground as she processed this information. She remained that way for a rather long time, and her scowl only deepened as the minutes passed. Eventually, her brow furrowed and she muttered something, almost to low to be heard. "Someone's a moron then. I'm no mother..."
Oblivious to the gravity of the conversation going on not two feet away, the green-eyed child soon became aware that she was now the focus of one of the people. She blinked up at the older girl, still sucking on her thumb, and made a tiny, near-inaudible baby-giggle as Annora began to sing.
Trio reached out, patting the woman's arm. "Don't underestimate yourself. You never know what you're capable of until you try," she counselled, holding one arm open as Makana moved to settle on Trio's lap shyly.
Annora beamed at the giggle, her voice better even just for the short time she'd already been studying singing. Certainly she was able to keep completely on key with 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', at least.
The scowl remained firmly in place as Nai folded her legs under her, and in one fluid motion plopped down cross-legged next to the wagon and children, hands falling in her lap. "You don't get it." She glanced sideways at Annora, flicking a fuzzy russet ear in her direction. She seemed a sweet kid, and so did the cat-looking one. The blond certainly seemed to be a fine mother. Turning her gaze away from the children, she sighed and shut her eyes.
Well, it was doubtful if the tiny baby would have cared if she were a touch off-key. With another wiggle, she managed to free the other arm, and cautiously reached out as if to poke the singing girl.
Annora laughed, holding up one hand for the baby to catch. She'd played this game before, and recently, with her new little brother! When the song was done, she called Makana over quietly, pointing the girl out. "Lookit..."
Makana smiled shyly, reaching out a paw to delicately stroke the girl's hair. "Hi," she said, her voice a soft mewl.
Trio tilted her head. "So tell me what I don't get," she suggested, her smile fading into a more sympathetic look. "You don't think you'll be able to take care of her?"
Naien clenched her fists tightly and her scowl morphed into a snarl, a flash of sharp canines showing abover her lip. "Of course I can't! I have no money, no job, and I live damn near in the middle of nowhere!" She hadn't met Trio's eyes, instead casting her gaze down to the opposite side. She growled and cursed under her breath. "I don't even remember my mother, how in the hell could I be one to some kid!?" She took several deep breaths, and seemed to get a hold of herself. Her ears drooped, and she looked rather ashamed. "...Sorry about that. You don't need to hear my life's problems."
The girl let out her soft giggle again, and grasped onto one of Annora's fingers. As Makana touched her hair, she tried in vain to see the older girl's hand, resulting in her going adorably cross-eyed.
Trio blinked, her smile fading entirely as she nodded. "It's okay. Sometimes it needs to come out," she said softly. She hesitated, then tilted her head, not looking in the least afraid of the frustrated woman. "Haven't had any luck finding a job at one of the shops?"
Makana giggled softly, and Mouse peeked over the top of her pocket to also see the pretty girl.
"Etain'd like her," Annora decided, telling Makana.
Naien blinked as well, looking slightly confused, then she remembered just what she'd said in her anger. "...I guess I wasn't quite truthful just now. I wasn't really thinking the words through." Here she paused again, before continuing reluctantly. "I have a job, if you could call it that. But... It's really not the kind of thing to set as an example for a kid."
The girl really had no idea what the sisters were saying, but that one word had sounded rather interesting. She removed her hand from her mouth and made a soft little babbling noise, then reaching both hands (one rather slobbery) out towards the bigger girls.
Trio looked curious, glancing over at the kids before looking back at Naien. "What job is it you have?" she asked softly, pushing a little in the hopes of figuring out what to say to help.
Annora tilted her head, hesitantly taking the more slobbery hand, while Makana shrank away from it. But with that one taken, the younger girl was able to take the other. "You're pretty," Annora smiled softly.
Naien looked a little startled by the question, but answered anyways. "I'm a thief." She paused after that, glancing at the older woman with an eyebrow raised. "You're not a cop, are you?"
The little girl looked overjoyed, and giggled again, just a bit louder than before, and took as firm a grip as she could manage on the offered fingers.
"Not a cop. I run a couple of shops in Barton, that's all," she said, looking thoughtful. "You steal for someone else, or just for yourself?" she asked, keeping her voice soft.
"She's strong," Annora said abruptly, her voice loud enough to be heard by the two women. "What's her name?"
She nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. She glanced at the blond woman again, this time slightly more closely. Most people didn't have such a gracious response to discovering her profession. "Just for myself, and a couple pets." She stopped to consider just how much to say. "Only small stuff, sometimes groceries when I can't nick anyone's wallet. Don't worry about yours though," She added, almost as an afterthought. "I do have some honor. You helped me pick up my groceries, after all." She glanced over her shoulder at the three children at Annora's first statement, but the second made her pause for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face. "...I don't know. There was no note left with her."
...And it didn't look like she herself would be much help in that department, as she cooed and tugged gently on the captured fingers.
Trio smiled softly, nodding. What help could she offer that wouldn't be automatically turned down for pride? Was there even a worry of pride? She'd barely met the woman, after all. Instead, she simply said, "I'm not worried. Someone trusts you."
"Mama named me," Annora said, reaching out to tickle the little girl's cheek. "And Makana."
She simply snorted. "Then I return to my earlier statement: Someone's a moron." She glanced back at Annora again as the blue girl spoke, and this time when she replied she looked almost... sad? "I guess you'll have to find her mother then, to ask."
"You're her mama now," Annora smiled, ever helpful.
Trio's lips quirked, and she looked quickly away, not wanting her to see the amusement. "Look... do you happen to have a number or something?"
Naien sighed, and looked back at Trio. "She is your daughter, isn't she," she said flatly, turning away as well, to hide the smile that threatened to emerge. "Eh, there's a landline up to my place, but it's patchy at best. You can have the number anyways though." She started patting at her pockets, pulling a pencil from one. "Have a piece of paper? I don't think I've got any."
The little girl burbled softly, releasing Annora's hand in order to stuff her thumb back in her mouth.
Trio frowned, patting her own pockets for a few moments before shaking her head. "No... I don't usually carry much on me when I take the girls out," she admitted. As she was telling Naien that, however, Makana jumped up, moving to a tree and scratching at some of the bark until a nice piece came off.
"I'd say to contact Jaden... he's the one who gave me my harp... but he's been...," how to put it "...under the weather lately. I thought I could go by there at some point soon and get him to call you and talk to you?"
"Mama, mama. Use this to write on," Makana said, coming back with the bark.
She listened in silence to the small explanation, then thought for a minute. "This 'Jaden', is this his card?" She waved the crumpled business card that was still gripped between her fingers for emphasis. "I was going to go sometime this week and ask who bought that bracelet. If he's sick though, there's not much point, eh?"
She glanced up as Makana returned, and was rather impressed by the girl's ingenuity. She pulled the lid from the pen with her teeth, and held a hand out towards the cat. "Lemme just jot down my number anyways."
Annora was also looking rather impressed, one hand reaching up to pet the little baby's hair. After a moment, she started to sing again, waiting just long enough for Makana to get close.
Trio nodded. "Yeah, that's his card. He'll be able to explain a lot better than me, once he's feeling better..."
After doodling in a corner of the bark, to make sure the pen still worked, Nai scribbled down the number in legible-ish writing, handing it off to Trio. "There. Like I said though, it's less than reliable some days" She tucked the pen back into her pocket. "So, this Jaden guy'll know what's going on." It wasn't really a question. "What's wrong with him anyways? Got the flu?"
The child giggled around her mouthful of thumb as Annora resumed singing, reaching out again.
Trio recalled the way Jaden had looked at her, and the talk she still wanted to have with Naukhel, to figure things out, and shook her head. "Not that. Something else. I don't really know what, though."
"I like you," Annora informed the kid, when the song was over. "I'm gonna sing for you again."
She got the distinct feeling that there was something the blond woman wasn't telling her, but decided to leave it be. "Eh, well, hope he gets better soon."
She, of course, had no idea what Annora was saying, nor did she have any way of communicating that she rather liked the older girl as well, so she mutely reached out for the siren's hands again with a burble.
Annora squeezed the tiny hands solemnly, then looked up at Naien. "Can she come play sometime soon? I want Etain to see her... and I want her to meet my baby brother."
Makana giggled softly at that, leaning back to snuggle against Trio as she purred. She was happy with that idea, too.
Trio chuckled, looking up at Naien curiously.
Naien was a little startled by the question, and let it show on her face. "...Sure. I guess that's fine." She paused to think. "I'll have to look after her at least until I can talk to this Jaden guy. Anyways, you guys could take better care of her for a day than I could." She scratched absently at one of her ears, and glanced over at Trio. "How long, do you think, until he's feeling better?"
"Not sure. I've barely seen any of him all winter," Trio admitted. "So there's really no telling. Shiro might have a better idea." Then again, she wasn't really keen on telling Shiro exactly what had happened.
"If you ever need us to babysit for a while, that's fine..."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Well, let me know if I can do anything to help. I'm going to have a crapload of questions for him, after all..." She turned her gaze back to Annora and her little green-eyed charge, and had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. "They're pretty cute." This time she did smile. "I'll probably take you up on that."
That was the spirit. "Don't wait too long to name her. It's good for them to have names," Trio advised softly, rising from the ground. "Can we help you anywhere? We're headed home soon."
"Awww, maaaamaaa~," Annora whined softly, and Makana pouted, but Trio seemed oblivious to it.
Naien opted not to dignify that with an answer.
She shook her head, rising as well. "No, that's okay. I still have to finish my shopping anyways. Thanks for the offer though." She absently swept the dust from her skirt and boots, and looked to make sure her groceries would stay in the wagon this time. Almost as an afterthought, she shifted the blankets around the tiny baby so none would fall off.
The little girl burbled at the movement, attempting to latch onto Nai's fingers instead.
"C'mon, girls," Trio said, herding the two girls toward a nearby car. "It was nice to meet you, Naien. I'll give you a call soon to arrange a time for the kids to get together again." The words were blithe, as though she fully expected Naien to end up caring for the little pale girl long-term. "Have a good day!"
She waved to the departing family, stooping to reach for the wagon's handle with her other hand. "G'bye. Nice meeting you too." With that, she too turned and left to complete her shopping, with a good deal more on her mind than when she'd come.
Why did answers always have to being more questions?
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Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:35 am
Quinn had gotten so caught up in the day to day trials and tribulations of life that she had neglected taking the boys out for a day of fun for some time. Belen was growing quickly, as amphibians are apt to do, so now, he and Moss were of a size with one another, though the canine boy was just approaching his toddling years. Vowing today would be the day that she and the boys would have a bit of fun together, Quinn called Trio and asked her if she might like to bring her girls out to play with the boys. Belen spoke of Makana often -- quite taken with her after just one meeting and he would make his purr-noise whenever he spoke of her.
Loading the boys into their double stroller, Quinn ambled down the sidewalk to the previously arranged meeting place -- a park with a big, wooden play fort, slides, swings, teeter totters, the works! Placing Moss down in the sandbox where she could keep an eye on him, she freed Belen to scramble about at will, warning him not to go to the spash pad or the wading pool without permission and supervision. He did have a penchant to run off when water was concerned.
Trio and the girls arrived about ten minutes later, Trio stepping out of the car and moving to unhook the girls from their respective carseats. "Hey there," she called, once the two toddlers were scrambling their way onto the playground, leaving her to pad behind a little more slowly. She hadn't changed much, but for a bit of jewelry (two silver rings on her left hand and a pretty green pendant that nestled just in the center of her chest.) "How goes?"
Annora was beaming, already humming something not too far offkey and bouncing her way to the sandbox. Makana, on the other hand, was slower, seemingly captivated by something in her pocket rather than by her surroundings.
Quinn waved as the trio approached, laughing as she thought of Trio in a trio. She dug about in her capacious diaper bag for a bottle of water and proffered the beverage before responding, "Not too bad. We've been stuck in the house for too long. Glad that I could finally get the boys out. Belen has been speaking of Makana non-stop since they met, so hopefully this will make him happy! And you know how Moss loves his girls! I'm going to have my hands full with that one..." She reached out and took Trio's hand in hers, running a thumb gently over the rings and lifting an eyebrow, "Got something you want to share?"
Moss gave Annora a drooling grin as the siren approached him. His love for all things female was boundless and this little girl could sing too, another of his favorite things. Waggling a sand shovel at her, he called out, "Sit! Sit!"
Belen eyed Makana with interest, gesturing her to join him and purring for all he was worth.
The smile that answered that sly little question blinded about as well as the sun, and Trio sat back. "We got back not long ago. You remember Shiromaru, right?" she asked, her right fingers moving to toy with the rings. They still felt so strange, having both on her hand at once.
Annora snickered, moving to flop down in the sand. "Building something?" she asked, reaching out to scoop up a handful of sand and she sprinkled it over one leg.
Makana blinked at the purr, finally looking up and pausing. He looked awfully familiar, but he was so big, and what she was thinking of had been a tiny little thing. But he could purr, and that was a good thing! With a shy look, she moved closer, cupping her hand carefully over her coveralls pocket.
"Of course I remember! How could I forget?! The two of you were such life savers when Moss first arrived. I think there might be a shrine to you somewhere in the depths of my house." She chuckled a bit at that and indicated the necklace, "Did Mr. Cassanova get you that too? If he's got extra money lying around, I wouldn't mind a few shinies." Her grin began to challenge Trio's for hugeness.
Moss considered Annora's question carefully, for it hadn't occured to him to build anything. Watching her sprinkle sand on her leg, he got an idea and scooped a big shovelfull on her other leg, "House. You house."
Belen cocked his head to the side, magenta gills flopping. "Whatcha got?" He reached behind him on the play fort and grabbed his water bottle, using it to moisten his skin and gills.
Trio laughed, leaning back a little. "If he got you one, you and I would have to go rounds," she teased, sticking out her tongue. "I'm afraid we're too busy putting money aside for schools and such to worry about many more shinies, but it is traditional to have a ring when you get married."
"I'm not a house!" Annora said, laughing and shaking her head at Moss. She watched him pile the sand on, curious about what he was doing all the same. "I'm a silly girl!"
Makana blinked. He was definitely different from the tiny thing she remembered. He could talk! Carefully, she withdrew a tiny, rust-colored kinoko and held it in her palm. "This is Mouse," she said softly, adjusting the glasses she wore a little.
"I suppose you're right... but just keep me in mind, you know, if you have some homeless shinies." She laughed at that and took a swig from her own water.
Moss' forehead wrinkled as he searched for the proper word, "House for you. Yes. Silly girl house." He nodded and smiled and shoveled on a bit more sand.
While no longer tiny, Belen wasnt very big either. He stepped forward slowly, so as not to scare the creature and gazed at it, eyes level with Makana's palm. "Pretty," he cooed quietly. And after a pause, "What's it eat?" He had developed language all at once, so it still took him a bit to come up with what he wanted to say sometimes. Quinn had to enforce that he not resort to grunts just to ensure his speech was maintained.
Trio grinned, lifting her face to the sun. "I'll definitely keep you in mind," she promised, feeling the faint pulsing warmth of the green pendant. Homeless shinies. That was a remarkably good name for them...
Annora reached out, patting Moss' head lightly before nodding. "Silly opera girl house," she decided, and as soon as he was done with one leg, she began to carefully decorate it with musical notes. "What about your house?"
Makana hesitated, then held out Mouse a little more toward him, one pawpad gently petting the mushroom-creature's top. "He eats candy. And dirt. Mama said he eats dirt, too."
Leaning back on the bench, Quinn watched the kids play, happy that she was finally able to get them out of the house and basking a bit in the warmth comming from Trio's happiness.
"Moss house?" He cocked his head, puppy ears rising and he pointed the way they had arrived. "Moss house there!" He crawled closer to her and made an awkward attempt to snuggle into her. He liked being close to girls. "What opp-rah?"
"Mom has candy! MOM!" He bellowed, the sound comming out much louder than one would have thought possible. Quinn's ears perked at the sound and she sat bolt upright, scanning about for the emergency.
"What?! Belen? Are you ok?!" She called, as he scampered up. Seeing no obvious injury, she quietly and not very seriously debated giving him one in retribution for the fright.
"Can I have candy? Not for me, for Mouse. You can rub it in the dirt if you want. He's like those things in the garden... with the big hats..."
"Big hats...?" Quinn thought a moment before realizing he meant the mushroom people. Digging into her pocket, she produced a handful of hard candies of various flavors and handed them to the little axolotl. "You may have one too, if you would like. And share with the others, if they want some too."
Belen ran in his lurching way back to Makana, proffering the candy the entire way.
Makana's ears flattened as Belen shouted, and she twisted, curling a protective arm around Mouse as her tail puffed to twice its normal size. The sound had shocked her, and when he went loping off, she carefully uncurled, tucking Mouse in her pocket with a worried look. Her ears were still flat, and tail still poofed when he returned, and as he ran toward her, she took a few hesitant steps back, huge gold eyes simply watching him.
Trio, too, had been startled with the loud yell, but a quick check on both the girls and their two playmates had calmed her, and she settled back against the bench, toying with the green crystal as she willed her heart to calm. Silly to get so shaken up over such a little thing. "What'd he want?"
"Opera's when someone sings and they're really good and can sing a long long time and they break things with their voice," Annora explained, awkward arms coming up to snuggle back. Most of her own siblings weren't quite such cuddlebugs, except maybe for Etain.
Belen slowed and his chin tucked down, finally gathering the visual cues of discomfort that Makana was presenting. "I just wanted to get him some candy. You don't have to be all poofy... Mom says that if kitties are poofy that means they are scared. You are a kitty, right?" He wiggled the candy out, trying to entice her, making teenie purrs.
"Just some candy... and perhaps to give us heart attacks..." She rolled her eyes. "You are so lucky to have girls."
"Ooooo!" Moss sang shrilly, left eye squinting as he tried to sing higher and longer. Finally, he burst out into a pant, tongue lolling in a particularly doggie way. "Moss no opp-rah good. 'Nor good? 'Nor sing Moss."
Makana hesitated, then crept forward, protecting Mouse the whole while. "You got loud," she accused softly, but her ears were beginning to creep forward, and her tail wasn't lashing quite so hard anymore.
Trio raised an eyebrow at that, snorting. "If you don't think they can be hellions... think again," she informed Quinny.
Annora hesitated, wrinkling her nose at the shrill sound. Once Moss was done, she stood up, drawing in a deep breath as her new teacher had taught her and remembering that high wasn't always good, especially if she didn't want to break something. So she settled for about a half-octave lower than Moss, using all her skill to make her voice ring out clearly through the playground.
"...I rest my case," Trio murmured, when they could hear again.
Belen's voice dropped even lower, barely audible, especially over the racket Annora was making. "I wont get loud no more. We got them things in the garden, so I wont hurt it. Promise. Want to feed it? I got candy." He tossed the candy a bit in his hands so it bounced and glinted in the afternoon light.
Quinn chuckled as Moss laughed and clapped. "Moss like! Moss like! AGAIN!"
Makana relaxed as Belen's voice dropped. She was used to Annora's din, though she hated it, and moved a little farther away, to where there was a bit of dirt peeking out of the grass. "Over here. Sit down first," she directed, kneeling and lifting Mouse carefully out of her pocket.
Annora drew a breath to sing the note again, and was stopped with a "No!" from Trio. "Honey, why don't you sing one of your other songs," Trio added, when Annora looked upset. "Itsy Bitsy Spider?"
That brightened her right back up, and she began to sing, flopping down into the sand once more.
Belen skiddered over and sat, plopping because he couldnt use his hands. He really wanted to go play in the water, but he wasnt sure Makana would like that.
"What Spider? Teach Moss Spider?!"
Makana gently set Mouse down in the dirt, watching for a moment as it wriggled and leaned forward, falling into an odd little somersault when it overbalanced. She righted it patiently, ears perked for any hint that they weren't safe. And only once Mouse had calmed a bit did she reach out a hand for a piece of candy. "Red candy," she directed. "He likes red."
Annora blinked. Teach? Was that like when Anni was teaching her? Puffing out her chest with self-importance, she lifted one finger. "First, stand up."
Belen dug about in his pile of candy, popping a green one in his own mouth while handing a red one over to Makana. "Here ya go!"
Moss stood tentatively. The sand was difficult to manuever in, but he wanted to learn. "Spider!"
Makana beamed, carefully unwrapping the red candy before handing it to the little mushroom creature. The wrapper went into her back pocket, well away from where it could contaminate his dirt in her chest pocket, and she grinned widely at Belen. "He has a big pot of dirt at home, and some flowers. Mama says that I can get him a couple more soon."
Annora frowned. Wait... what came next? Oh yes. "Take a deeeeeeeeeep breath," she said, then noisily sucked in a breath herself.
"We gots lots of flowers in the garden... you could probably have some." He sucked in deeply, preparing to bellow for his mother, before remembering that he had promised to be quiet. Instead, he lumbered over to where he had left his water, and gave himself a good dousing before returning to sit next to Makana. "We can ask her later," he added, sagely.
Moss' chest puffed out in his effort to suck in enough air. His little hands were in fists, held out to steady himself and his cheeks were puffed out as well.
"Daddy grows lots and lots of flowers all over the place," Makana murmured, though as she thought about it, she couldn't really remember her father doing much gardening. "They're on trees and really pretty. They're pink," she added, then paused, peering at Belen. "Do you like pink?"
Annora finally stopped, letting all the air out again before drawing another, much calmer breath and beginning. "Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee itsy bitsy spider...," she sang, then trailed off, waiting for him to sing it, too.
Belen flopped his glaringly pink gills and smiled, "YUP! Do you want a candy? Or... or..." he looked about himself, trying to find something to give her. She was just as great as he remembered. He had enjoyed standing on her nose, but he was a little too big now. Spotting clover in the grass, he picked a few of the flowers deftly and began weaving them like Quinn showed him. He held up the little crown proudly, face falling as his gift crumbled. He tossed the flowers, grumbling, "You didn't want a stupid flower crown anyway..."
Moss exhaled loudly, trying to copy everything Annora did. He then inhaled and sang, "DAAAAAAA ITTY BITTY SPIDERRRRRR" looking at her expectantly.
Makana blinked at the Belen's scramble, watching him curiously for several long minutes before reaching out and taking one of the flowers he'd tossed. "Thank you," she said softly, offering a shy smile as she stuck it just beside one large ear. Wasn't Annora usually the one everyone was fawning over? And Etain, and now Nico, not that she could blame them with Nico because he was so cute and tiny and fluffy. But this was an entirely new experience for her, and self-consciously, she lifted her hand to readjust her glasses once more. "How'd you make them connect?"
Annora beamed. Here she was, a brand new teacher, and already he'd learned the first line! Wouldn't Anni be proud? "Went up the waterpout," she continued, and only the fact that she'd repeated the song over and over until Trio was fair cringing over on the bench already ensured that she pronounced things as well as she did. What was a missed letter here and there?
Belen blushed a fuchia to match his gills as Makana retrieved a flower and placed it behind her ear. Suddenly shy, he played with his hands and explained under his breath, "You just kinda wind um... but I'm not good at it..." His gills drooped a bit, his voice dropping off.
"WENT UP DA WATERPOUT!" Moss sang loudly, perhaps too loudly to be actual singing, but he was having fun. Ear perking, he dropped his voice and asked, "What waterpout?"
"Show me?" Makana asked, glancing over to ensure that Mouse was happily sucking on a corner of the candy. "I wanna learn."
Annora drew herself up to explain, then blinked, one finger lifted in the air as she realized she hadn't the first clue what a waterpout was. Or a waterspout, for that matter. "MAMA!!!!" she called instead, at the top of her lungs.
Trio, rather than panicking, just got a resigned look on her face and pushed herself up. "My turn," she noted, as she made her way to her daughter. "What is it, sweetie?"
"What's a waterpout?" Annora demanded, then looked at Moss to see if he had any other questions while Trio was there.
Belen's flush went even deeper, if that was possible, but he picked out a few clover and tried to show her. "You have to make sure that the stems are long and then you hold them like this," he held the flowers so that their stems were pointing in the same direction and they were offset, one flower head about half way down the stem of the other. "And then you wind them up so they stick together and then just keep adding flowers til they go in a circle and connect... Its kinda hard."
"Why water sad? Why pout?" Moss added, nodding with exhuberance.
Makana nodded, trying to manipulate the flowers. But paws that were oh-so-delicate when caring for Mouse weren't very good at winding flower stems. She wilted as she continually messed up, looking up at him with huge, sad eyes. "I'm not as good at it as you are," she murmured.
"Not waterpout, waterspout," Trio corrected. "It's a place built into the ground where water comes out when you turn on the faucet."
Wanting some way to make it better for her, Belen reached out and tried to help, too young to blush when his hands touched hers. "Maybe if you use your claws more..." he offered, unsure but wanting her to smile again.
"WATERS! Bell Bell like waters! 'Nor want swim?"
Makana watched him, eventually just handing them over. "I'll get daddy to really teach me," she decided. "So that I can make you a crown next time, okay?" Her smile was shy but warm.
"Swimming?! Let's go, where is it?" Annora demanded, bouncing on her tiptoes. Nevermind that she didn't have a suit. Who cared if she went naked? It was WATER.
A smile. He sighed and doffed his shirt, wrapping the flowers gently within its folds. It was suprising that he had kept the thing on this long. His gills perked back up and flowed in the breeze. "Do you... do you like water? Its ok if you dont, I was just wondering..."
"MAMA! MAMA! WATER!" Moss called, toddling as quickly as he could to Quinn. "'Nor want waters. We 'plash now?" Moss knew that somewhere here was a big colorful area that squirted you and shot water about if you hopped around on it. He loved it.
Quinn looked over to Trio, wanting her opinion on the activity.
Trio looked mostly resigned, shaking her head. "I think Makana and I are likely outnumbered," she murmured to Quinny. "Is there water around?"
Annora was right on Moss' heels, bouncing and humming cheerfully. Wait'll she told Etain about THIS!
Makana wrinkled her nose at the thought of water, gathering Mouse and his candy up. "No. It feels funny on my fur," she explained, grooming a bit of candy-sticky from said fur before getting up. "Annora's loud today."
Belen stood quickly, "Where are you going? Did I do something wrong?" He held the shirt wrapped bundle carefully, not wanting to spoil the flowers it held.
"There's a splash pad down the hill. Its more sanitary than the wadding pool. Bell, honey. Do you want to go to the splash pad?"
Belen replied curtly, "No thank you. It feels funny on my skin." No matter that she had caught him mid douse. He was determined to make Makana like him again.
Makana blinked at him, tilting her head. "You like water, don't you? Like Annora does," she pointed out the girl who was already bouncing and tugging their mom toward the water. "Aren't you going with them?" She didn't seem particularly upset. Just completely confused.
"Not if you dont want to. I want to play with you. I can always swim at home later. But you're special." Again, his voice lowered as he spoke, the last word comming out in a shy little whisper. He was too young to be twitterpated by her, but old enough to know he liked her a whole lot.
Makana blinked, this clearly being a foreign concept to her. "I am?" she asked, head tilting curiously. "But Annora's going to swim. And she can sing." There wasn't much bitterness in the words. More than that, really, she seemed very matter of fact, as though these two things should mean that of course Annora got more attention than she did.
"So can the radio... and Mom and lots of other people. And like I said, I can swim everytime. You're the only other person I know that can purr, though. You taught me. I remember. And I bet Annora doesn't have a cool mushroom person. And I bet she wouldnt even try to make a flower crown." He nodded, being matter of fact himself.
Makana was smiling very shyly at him now, gold eyes alight with pleasure at the words. Though... she did have to correct one thing. "Annora would love flower crowns," she said. "She'd make them all the time for Etain." The rest, however... "Maybe... I can put my feet in while you play?" There. That was what her mom called a compor...compre... good way of working things out.
"Only if you want to... But since we're with Moss, we'll probably just go to the spash pad. So you dont even really have to get wet and you can still play. Just dont jump on the colored parts or stuff squirts... though, if you watch real close, you can hop on certain spots and squirt someone far away from you. That's kinda fun." He was purring now, in his funny way, the sound odd comming from an amphibian and a little nasal since he lacked the proper mechanism. "We can play something different too. I dont mind. I want to do what you want to do."
"Can you show me how to squirt other people?" That sounded like a great way to actually play with her sister the way her sister liked, for once! Ears now perked again, Makana moved to follow the others, reaching out to catch Belen's hand. "I like your purr."
Quinn called back to Belen, "You sure, crabby pants?" Their was a smile on her face, so she knew he would know she was joking. Seeing the boy following, hand and hand with Makana, which she quickly pointed out to Trio with a grin, she scooped up Moss and made her way down the hill. She set the emerald boy on the padded part, in a big blue square. "Play nice, sweetie."
Belen was quick to entwine his fingers with Makana's, offering a, "Thanks!" followed by a, "Wow! You're soft!" before skipping after the others. "The trick is to watch for a bit. I'll run all around and you can see where the water comes out. Sometimes, it comes out close by and sometimes far away depending where you are. So you watch me and then you can see where to go!"
Makana nodded, moving to sit nearby after depositing Mouse with Trio. She'd fished his leather pouch out of her pocket, so that he could have his dirt and everything, but on impulse went to scoop up a pawful of water to wet the dirt with again, so that it was nice and moist for him. "There," she said, then sat down, watching Belen with sharp eyes.
Annora was already running through like a madwoman, shrieking and bouncing with laughter. Clearly, this place was her cup of tea!
Moss tottered after Annora, squeeing and barking with delight as the water from her jumps hit him.
Belen began very methodically going about the pad -- starting in one corner, hopping to see what happened and then moving a few feet to one side or the other, depending on where he was in his expirament, so Makana could see what happened with each pounce. He laughed if his pounces caused the others to get wet and shook his gills when a particularly big stream soaked him. "Whenever you're ready!" He called. "I'll block you from the water, if we make a mistake." It was a valiant offer, even if he did only come to her chest.
The thought that he perhaps couldn't block her didn't even occur. Her father was a water demon, after all, and could do such things as easily as breathing. Makana moved after him, careful but not particularly skittish now. "Where to first?" she asked, reaching for his hand again.
"That orange square should squirt right by where Annora is now. You jump and I'll jump after you to block you if the water comes. You'll have to crouch though... cause I'm not very tall." He clasped her hand and made his way around the pad to where the direct route to the orange square would be. Calling, "Moss! Get Annora!" so that she would be in the right place and giggling a little as his canine brother clasped Annora around the ankles, barking happily; he moved his arm to kind of toss Makana forward and prepared to leap in her wake.
Makana yelped, laughing as she landed squarely on the orange square and watching Annora get drenched. Her siren sister loved it, clapping and demanding it happen again as Makana immediately crouched down.
Annora got her wish as a moment later Belen landed next to Makana, bent over her protectively. He laughed and exclaimed, "Again!"
"Again, again," Annora called out, bouncing and flinging her wet hair wildly. Makana hesitated, then obliged her sister by leaping straight up, eyes dancing. This was what play was, and she was, after all, still a child!
Laughing wildly, Belen left her side momentarily to run over to Annora, concious to run over on the grass so as not to accidently get Makana wet. "Get me too!"
Makana nodded, jumping up and down repeatedly now and watching the other kids laughing. This was nice, she decided, too cheerful to be selfconscious. Maybe they could do something like this at home, too.
"Do you want to try it, Makana? That little one over there," he indicated to the left where a little spout was stuck on a spring comming from a pipe, "that one just does a teenie amount of water, like when it sprinkles. You dont have to, but it might feel good. Its kinda hot out." Belen went back over to where she was, offering a wet and slightly slimy hand. "I'll go with you..."
Makana shook her head vehemently. "I can make it splash on you, though...?" she countered, hesitating over taking his hand.
A tell-tale chiming echoed through the park and Belen's gills quivered with excitement. "ICE CREAM! Do you like ice cream?! I'll buy you one!" All thoughts of trying to expand Makana's horizons were dropped. This was ice cream!
Ice cream. That was something the kitten ADORED, and she darted off toward the sound quickly, completely forgetting where she was. A moment later, she was doused as she hit the very large spray of water, and she froze under it, yowling miserably before stepping out. Once out of the water, her fur clung to her, making her body look a great deal more angular and very oddly shaped. The tears in her eyes were obvious, even as she stood there soaking wet. And Trio rose, tucking Mouse into her own pocket and carefully keeping her lips from twitching as she made her way to her miserable daughter.
Belen was crestfallen as the water hit Makana. He had failed. Utterly and completely. Tears whelled in his own eyes, falling to mix with the water from the splash pad. He had promised to keep her safe....
Quinn made her way over to him kneeling so she would be on a level with him, ignoring for now the trickle of water streaming down her back. "Its ok, Bel. You didnt know..."
Annora, utterly clueless about just why her sister was so upset at being drenched on such a hot day, merely sat and watched, waiting for the drama to unfold.
Makana, on the other hand, crept out of the pad, ears flat against her skull. She shook herself off as best she could, her fur not really meant to be so drenched, and ended up looking like a poofy little rust-colored hedgehog. The ice cream truck was coming closer, but she no longer seemed to care, instead choosing the sunniest spot she could manage and curling up in it.
"Come on, honey. Let's go over there. I've got water in my underpants." She meant the last to illicit a smile, but even that did nothing to improve the axolotl's mood. He followed Quinn, the silence only broken by his sniffles and Moss'' occasional confused barks.
"She's never gonna like me now, Ma. Never in a million trillion bajillion years..." He sat not far from where Makana was, looking at her wistfully.
Trio watched the two for a long moment, then patted Makana on the back before getting up and moving to kneel just behind Quinny, leaning in between them and murmuring, "You know, her favorite thing when she's sad is a story. I wonder if someone might go tell her one..." Impish eyes grinned up at Quinny for a moment before she pulled back.
Quinn returned the look, dreams of the cuteness that was sure to insue dancing patterns behind her eyes. "Bel-bel. I've got an idea, babe. Who tells Moss stories that make him smile better than anyone else?"
"Me..." the boy blubbered.
"Well, a certain birdie told me that Makana loves a story when she is sad. Maybe you could tell her one?"
Belen looked up at her, still feeling dejected, but willing to try anything at this point. Quinn thumbed away his tears and kissed his forehead as the boy regained his feet and ambled over to Makana. "I knew this Farmer once. His name was Farmer Brown and he had a big problem. He had these cows and the cows, they weren't like normal cows. They liked to type."
He sat down near her, waiting to see if she gave him an indication to continue.
Two golden eyes peered up at him from a very miserable face. "Type?" she murmured.
Trio leaned into Quinny. "I'll get the kids some ice cream. Tell me what Belen will eat?"
Quinn leaned back, "It would take less time if I told you what he wouldn't eat. Grape popsicle for him and lime for Moss, please." She handed a $5 out to Trio to cover the cost.
Encouraged, he continued, "Yeah. See, they found this old type writer in the barn and from then on, all the Farmer could hear was 'Click Clack MOO! Click Clack MOO!" He did the moo's with exhuberance. They were his favorite part.
Trio saluted, waving Annora over to help her carry everything back.
A shy smile touched Makana's lips as she listened, uncurling a little bit. "Did he hate it?"
"You bet! One day, he went to the barn to get the milk and he found a note. It said:
"Dear Farmer Brown:
The barn is cold at night. We would like electric blankets.
Signed: The Cows"
"Well this, of course, was very upsetting and the Farmer refused. The next day he went down to the barn and found another note. Do you know what it said?"
Moss crawled into Quinn's lap and sucked his thumb, which he thankfully went for as much as breasts now. This was one of his favorites.
"No," Makana admitted, rolling to her back so that she could watch him more easily. Besides, her front also needed to dry.
"It said: Dear Farmer Brown, There is no milk today. We are on strike. Signed: the cows. Farmer Brown was REALLY mad now. He wrote is own letter back to the cows telling them that they were cows, they would give him milk and they didnt need electric blankets. That's when the cows got the chickens to help too."
"What did the chickens do?" Makana asked curiously, beginning to purr ever so quietly as the story and sun's warmth both settled her.
"The chickens helped the cows write another letter and this time they both asked for electric blankets and the chickens wouldnt lay eggs and the cows wouldnt give milk until they got their blankets. Farmer Brown was tearing out his hair. Cows gave milk! Chickens layed eggs! What was he to do?"
"Why didn't he just give them the blankets?" Makana asked, eyes closing.
"Why indeed." Belen replied sagely. "After several days of no milk or eggs, Farmer Brown wrote the cows and chickens a letter. He told them that he would bring them blankets if they got rid of the typewriter and gave milk and eggs again. The cows and chickens thought this over, decided it was a good idea, and wrote a letter back saying that they would send the typewriter down with the ducks.
Everything was set, the Farmer delivered the blankets, got his milk and eggs and waited for the ducks to deliver the typewriter. They never came."
Makana blinked, eyes opening again. "Why not?" she asked, not even noticing Trio's return.
"The next morning, the Farmer was awakened by a strange sound and a note at the front door.
Dear Farmer Brown: The pond is boring. We would like a diving board. Signed: The Ducks" Belen prepared himself for his favorite part, "CLICK CLACK QUACK CLICK CLACK QUACK!" Moss joined in at the end, for he had been waiting for this part and the boys curled in fits of laughter.
By now, even Makana was giggling, sitting up at Trio's nudging as she was handed a small bowl of vanilla ice cream. "I like that," she laughed, repeating the final phrase after a few moments.
Annora, who'd come in at the tail end, just looked at the others oddly, sucking on a rainbow popsicle.
It seems that the story worked on everyone, for indeed, even Belen's spirits were brighter. Quinn, however, was noticing the pinkness that usually just inhabited his gills had started to move down to his flesh and indeed, was creeping about hers as well. "Looks like its time to get home, boys. Sunburn is a nasty nasty afliction. Tell the girls bye and we can play again another day."
Moss happily barked "BYE BYE BYE" over and over. Belen waved good-bye to Annora, but took his time with Makana, trying to make it perfect. He had only just got her smiling again.
Makana, clueless about his intentions, waved goodbye, still lapping at her ice cream. "Teach me the story next time," she added, with a bright smile, while Annora ruffled Moss' hair.
Trio grinned, moving to sit in the shade while Annora played on the splash pad more and Makana sunned. Today had been quite a bit of fun.
Belen followed Quinn and Moss to where the stroller waited but on a last thought, ran back and kissed Makana on the nose before smiling and calling, "Goodbye" over his shoulder as he skipped back to Quinn and was put in the stroller. The trio left the park, a very hot, but happy bunch.
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Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:49 am
Nicodemus was crying.
It wasn't just the usual 'I want a snuggle' crying, no, this was full-out squalling of the 'my mouth hurts I want a carrot and a snuggle and some attention and I want someone to make it all better RIGHT NOW' type, the type that Shiromaru was in absolutely no condition to deal with. The demon was huddled up in bed with a splitting migraine, having just taken medication in the hopes that something could be done to take the seeming axe out of his forehead. Trio wasn't around, at least he couldn't seem to sense her nearby, so rather unwillingly, he raised his voice. "Makana? Sweetheart, can you go see what Nico needs?"
Makana barely heard Shiro over the squalling, but she got up, setting aside her book and gathering up Mouse from where he'd been sitting on her lap sucking on a peppermint. The peppermint stuck to her paw for a moment, but she finally got him and it into her pocket and made her way to her father's bedroom. "Daddy? You wanted me?" she asked, licking at the sticky fur as her other hand lifted to adjust her glasses.
"Hey..." Shiro smiled weakly up at Makana, though his gaze was fond. "I have a bad migraine, sweetie, and just listening to Nico's making it worse. Is there any way you could go find out what he needs? He quiets down for you so quickly..."
Makana nodded slowly, head tilting. "I can try," she promised, hesitating a moment before offering Shiro a smile and turning to head to Nico's room. She hesitated in the doorway, then stepped inside to move to Nico. "Hi," she murmured, reaching out to pet his chest softly. "What's wrong?" she murmured, looking worried.
Nico stopped his wailing, his arms waving as he leaned against the edge of his crib. "Muh," he said insistently, a little sniffle capping the sound. He wasn't too heavy to be picked up, blast it!
Makana hesitated, then scooped Mouse out of her pocket, placing him and his peppermint in a nearby potted plant before reaching out to wrap her arms around Nico. It was extremely awkward, lifting him out of the crib, even with the stool nearby that she always used, and when it was done, she struggled a bit before sitting down on the floor, Nico in her lap. "What's wrong?"
The little rabbit sniffled a bit as he cuddled up on Makana's lap, one carrot-stained hand reaching up to pat at her cheek. How to express that his mouth hurt? There were all these sharp bits poking through the backs of his gums and everything hurt! He wanted one of his frozen carrots. Too young to make more advanced associations, he simply settled for anxiously patting her cheek, then his, clumsily.
Makana wasn't doing much better. She didn't really remember the pain of teething, so she settled for petting his fur gently and stroking his back slowly as she started purring for him.
Well, that helped a little, and Nico settled close to Makana as he listened to that soothing purring. It wasn't enough, but if he couldn't figure out how to make her understand that he hurt --
Another figure entered the room, and this one bore the treasured frozen carrot, which was presented unto Nico with a small smile. "When he's squalling like that," Hun Min explained gently to Makana, "it means he's teething badly and needs something to gnaw on and numb his mouth."
Makana blinked up at the Juusanshi, smiling shyly at him and snuggling Nico a little closer. "Can I come to you for another carrot when he's done?" she asked softly, afraid to start Nico up again. In the plant, Mouse looked up, then scooted forward, toppling out of it to head to Hun Min's feet, wondering if the newcomer had any new candy to nibble.
He did, and it was a gumdrop that was presented to Mouse, for the Juusanshi could smell the peppermint on the little creature. "There you go," Hun Min murmured, then the tiger offered Makana a warm smile. "Of course you can. If you don't see me in the kitchen, though, just ask Etain to fly up and get one of the carrots out of the freezer."
Nicodemus, for his own part, was perfectly content. He had a carrot, he had Makana, and he wasn't in that stupid crib any longer. Life was good!
Makana smiled wider. "She can do that?" she asked, scooting back into a nest of pillows in one corner.
"She's gotten them before," Hun Min pointed out. "So she knows where to get them if I'm not around."
Makana nodded, grinning softly. "Daddy says he quiets down for me quickly," she noted, settling against the wall with pillows to cushion her and hauling Nico fully into her lap. "Do you think he likes me?"
"Muh," Nico said gleefully, snuggling into Makana's lap as he proceeded to shred the carrot inch by inch. So what if he got bits everywhere?
Hun Min grinned at that, then nodded to Makana. "It's obvious he does. You're his favorite sister."
"I am?" she beamed, nuzzling Nico a moment before starting to groom one cheek clean of carrot bits. They tasted a little weird, but she wanted him clean.
Nico blinked in blatant confusion as Makana tried to groom his cheek, then cooed and patted at her before trying to reciprocate. Laughing, Hun Min backed out of the room, intending to leave the two be while he attended to various chores around the house.
Mouse had dragged his new gumdrop back to his plant, and was sitting under it, happily nibbling away at the gooey treat.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 4:54 pm
Zero visibely had an idea in mind, as she walked along the street, a piece of paper in hand. On it was scribbeled an address, in a barely readable handwriting. It seemed that the woman herself had problems reading her own handwriting, as she squinted.
Ronen followed not too far behind, clutching his messenger bag, as if scared to lose it. His mother had insisted he come, but he wasn't quite sure why.
Eventually, Zero stopped in front of an house. "Well, I think that's it."
"Are you sure ?" Ronen asked, standing on his tip-toes to double-check the words and numbers on paper. It wasn't that he didn't trust his mother, it was more that her handwriting was infamous for causing all kind of embarassing mixups.
"Im pretty sure." The reploid admitted, squinting. "...Ronen, is that a 0 or a 6... ?"
The little steggo sighed. "Mom... I think ill be the one to note down the address next time."
"Agreed." The blue haired woman mentionned her son closer as she headed torward the door and knocked.
The boy who answered the door hovered at some indeterminate age between youth and adult, with a head of blond hair and a smile somehow brighter. He paused a moment, peering at the two with no sign of surprise at seeing a stegosaurus on his doorstep before tilting his head. "May I help you?" he asked, as the smell of freshly-baked cookies wafted out the door.
Ronen visibely was trying to make himself as tiny as possible once the door opened, halfaway hidden behind Zero's legs and clutching his bag. The only move that Zero did to counter this was scoot a bit to the right almost on reflex - after all, he couldn't hide behind her all the time.
"Excuse me, but is Trio around ?"
Oh, please let it be the right address...
"Oh, of course!" the boy brightened visibly, stepping back to wave them inside. "She's in the back yard," he added, looking thoughtfully at Ronen once more before asking, "May I bring either of you anything to drink?"
Oh, whew !
"Im fine, thank you." She nodded, walking inside with Ronen following. It took a few seconds before the boy realised Zero would not speak for him. "Would it be possible to get some juice, please ?"
"Of course," the blond said brightly, smiling at Ronen with warmth. "Apple or orange?" Choices upon choices, it seemed.
Ronen seemed to ponder for a moment, before finally answering. "Apple, please."
He nodded, pointing to a door down the hall. "That's the back door. There are a few small creatures about, so please be careful where you step. I'll be out with drinks momentarily." Clearly, he fancied himself something of a butler.
Zero nodded, gentely taking Ronen's hand and making her way, mindful of where she set foot. Ronen was doing much the same - with how many pixas lived into his mother's house, he had learned to watch his steps a long time ago.
The back yard was fairly clear, all things considered. There were sounds of splashing from the side yard, and Trio rested on the deck, a book in one hand as she read under the shade of a huge tree with a veritable tree mansion nested in its branches. There were steps curling around the trunk of the tree, rather than a ladder. In the corner of a flowerbed, a rust-colored feline, larger than normal housecats and clearly somewhat humanoid in nature, seemed to be stalking something tiny moving in the dirt.
Zero and Ronen made their way to the backyard sillently, and the woman smilled a bit at the sight of Trio reading. She made her way and knelt in front of the blonde, trying not to startle her. "Hey, Trio !"
Ronen watched this for a moment, but then seemed to take more interest to the feline. While a bit too shy to approach her - what if she laughed at him like most other children did ? - but he peeked, visibely trying to distingish what she was trying to follow.
Trio blinked, looking up before recognizing her friend. "Zero! Hey there," she said, setting the book aside and leaning over to hug Zero. "Did Az let you in?" It was only after the question that she caught sight of Ronen, and blinked once more in surprise, peering at Ronen curiously. "Is... he?..." she asked, a bit hesitant with the gender, "with you?"
"Well, if you mean the blonde boy, then yes." She chirped, hugging back. "Ah, yes. He is. Ronen is one of my sons - I thought you might want to meet him." The reploid glanced to the side at the steggo, who was still peering. "And I was hoping he could meet one of the girls as well."
Trio grinned widely at that. "Congratulations! I'm glad you brought him over. Is he... normally that shy?" she asked, watching him watch Makana for several long moments.
"Well, yes." She answered, a bit lower. "He's... had alot of issues at school with people teasing him. I was thinking making a few friends might make him a bit more confident in himself..." The reploid sighed. "This is the first time something like that happened... I probably chose the wrong school, but I didn't want him to feel different than the other children."
Trio reached out, patting Zero's arm. "Kids are not the sweet innocents we like to believe," she murmured softly, content now that he was watching the right daughter. "They're vicious little things with their peers, really. He'll find true friends."
"I know..." Zero shook her head a bit. "He's got one or two, but he doesn't really sees them that much. Shiku's starting to get in trouble of his own trying to stick up for him."
Ronen, visibely, wasn't going to move anytime soon, eyes a bit curious as he still couldn't spot what the little cat girl was trying to find. He straightned his glasses a bit, hoping it would help.
"Makana?" Trio called out, lifting her voice to catch the feline's attention. "We've got company!" The girl jerked around, one hand lifting to adjust her glasses where they rested on her face as wide golden eyes peered at Ronen for a moment before she reached down to the dirt, gathering up a tiny creature that seemed nearly exactly the same color she was. The creature was deposited in the front pocket of her overalls as she rose, glancing warily at Trio for a moment before padding slowly toward Ronen.
Ronen seemed to almost freeze as she made her way torward him, but still found himself glancing at the odd little creature - what was this ? He's never quite seen anything like this before.
"A- Hello..." He finally let out, clutching his bag a bit nervously.
Makana paused at the voice, then smiled softly, her lips closed to prevent her teeth showing. Her ears, which had been half-flattened slowly swiveled to perk up. "H-hi," she murmured softly, scrubbing one dirty paw against the leg of her denim overalls.
Zero couldn't help but smile a bit as she watched the scene absentmindely - she seemed as shy as he was.
Ronen, in turn, smilled a bit. "My name is Ronen." He said slowly. "What's your name ?"
The gentle question earned a bit more of a smile from her, the tiniest hint of teeth visible now. "Makana," she murmured, then lifted a hand to cup just in front of her pocket. "This is Mouse."
Mouse definitively has Ronen curious, as he glanced. "Do you mind if I pet her, Makana ?" Well, it looked like an her.
Makana giggled slightly at that, lifting Mouse back out of her pocket. "Technically, it's an 'it'," she said softly, moving to stand just in front of him, with Mouse cupped in her hands. "But I've always kind of thought of it as a 'he'." Mouse, for his part, peered curiously up at Ronen before hopping slightly.
"Ahhh." He moved to gentely stroke behind it's ears. "I've never seen anything like it before. Mom has alot of pets, but nothing quite like this." He smilled. "It's very cute."
"It's called a Kinoko," Makana offered, warming more as Ronen proved he wasn't going to put her pet in any danger. "Mama has a few of them. He likes sweet things," she added, wrinkling her nose.
"Sweet things ? Like candies ?" Ronen blinked, not stopping his soft petting. It did sound a bit unusual to him.
She nodded, tapping his arm before moving to curl up on the grass, placing Mouse down between them. The little creature clearly thought that Ronen must have a treat for him, for he waddled over, bouncing slightly just at Ronen's feet.
Ronen sat beside her, letting his bag down and removing the strap from his shoulder, let it did not leave his side. Visibely, whatever was in there was very precious to him. He couldn't help but laugh a bit as Mouse started his jumping, visibely getting the idea as he opened the bag. "Let's see what I might have in there..."
Makana leaned forward a bit, obviously curious about what could be so precious, but not quite comfortable enough to come right out and ask yet.
A peek revealed some kind of book, safely tucked into a separate pocket inside the bag, and various things. Markers, lead pencils, erasers... among others. He continued to rumble through, until he found what he was looking for. "Is a gumdrop okay ?" The steggo asked, visibely not having noticed a thing.
Makana nodded, while Mouse's jumping increased dramatically at the mention. Clearly, that was a word he understood. "He likes gumdrops. They make him sticky," she smiled, shifting to try to see the title of the book curiously. She liked books!
Again, Ronen couldn't help but laugh at the little's kinoko's action. He almost looked like if he was allready on a sugar rush ! He took one gumdrop from the bag and put it back in place. holding it right in front of the little creature. "There you go~"
As far as Makana could see, the book did not seem to have a title at all, as the spine was blank. The book itself was white with a bit of shifting colors.
The kinoko 'reached' for the gumdrop with stubby little protusions that might qualify for arms, if one was being generous. Once his prize was his, he seemed to squat down, placing the gumdrop in the grass and chewing the top with an open, toothless mouth.
"What's this?" Makana asked, crawling a bit forward and reaching to point at the book with one careful claw, not coming anywhere close to touching it.
Ronen observed Mouse's actions for a moment, visibely a bit amused, until the question brought him out of his reverie, and he turned to figure out what the cat girl was asking out.
"A sketchbook." He answered. "I draw pictures in it."
Pictures? That was something NONE of her family did. "Can I see?" she asked, clearly awed by the thought.
Ronen blushed a bit. "Okay." The steggo gentely pulled the book out of it's pocket, and it became evident that the designs on the books where handmade. He plopped it on his knees, as it was a bit big, and flipped it open.
Makana moved to sit right beside him, leaning in until her arm pressed against his, so that she could get a good view. "Who's this?" she asked softly, fascinated and delighted at the first sight of the pictures.
"It's my mom." He grinned. "She's talking to your mom over there." The little steggo pointed. "The boy with her is my uncle."
Makana peered over, then clapped softly. "That's neat! I have an uncle, too," she added. "He likes cooking."
At that moment, Makana's 'uncle' appeared with two glasses, one with an amber colored liquid that must be apple juice, and the other filled with what looked to be milk. "Here you go, kids," he smiled, setting them down nearby before blinking at Mouse. "I see someone else brought a treat for him today..."
"Thank you." He answered, blushing a little bit. Not many people beside his family and his art teachers actually thoughts his drawings where neat. "My uncle can't cook at all." He laughed.
"Thank you." He have a slight bow as he took the glass. "I did, I think he likes it !"
"He loves it," Makana confirmed, grinning up at Aziraphale before taking the glass with both hands. "Thank you, Az." She settled back next to Ronen, looking at him curiously. "Can I see more?"
"Okay !" After figuring out that she wouldn't laugh at him or his drawings, he seeming much more inclined to show then, gentely turning the page. "That's Shiku, he's my big brother." He grinned. "On the other page, well, it's just a person I drew one day. I don't quite know who he is, but he came to mind."
"Mama mentioned that my sister once met someone named Shiku," Makana recalled, reaching out to touch the picture with a delicate paw. "She was telling Daddy that she ought to get them together again."
"Hmm... Then that ought to be him, since my mom and your mom know each other." He blinked. "I don't remember him telling anything about it, but then he doesn't really tell me about the people he meet."
"Annora spends most of her time with Etain," Makana nodded, not sounding particularly disappointed by the thought. "I haven't met as many people as she has," she admitted, assuming a great deal about her more outgoing sister. "I'm not as good at making friends."
"Im not really good at making friends either." He seemed pretty sad at the thought. "Most kids just laugh at me because I don't have fur or anything. Or that I don't play in sports and draw instead. Mom says it's not my fault, but im not sure."
"Annora doesn't have fur," Makana pointed out thoughtfully. "Or Etain, or Kikuei or Theda. Nico does, but he can't play sports yet. He's still a baby." She leaned back, looking up at the sky. "I don't play sports. But I can't draw. I usually read and play with Mouse."
"I like reading too." Ronen was thoughtful for a moment. "I draw what I see when im reading a book sometime." He started flipping the pages until he found what he was looking for - the pictures of a mermaid laying on rocks watching the mainland. "I drew this after I read the little mermaid, have you ever read that ?"
Makana's eyes glowed, and she leaned in. "I read it! We have it in the library for everyone to read, and I read it a little bit ago. Do you have a picture of the seafoam, too?" she asked curiously.
"Hmm... I don't think I do. Not in this book at least. I have alot of sketchbooks, but I only carry the one that still has blank sheets in it, because I can only fit one in my bag."
He seemed to ponder for a moment, but then he added. "I can try to draw it, if you want."
Makana tilted her head, curious about how he could possibly manage it. "Would you?" It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if she could go to his place to see the other sketchbooks before she remembered one of the bits of politeness her mother had ensured they all knew - 'never invite yourself to someone else's house.'
"I can try..." He laid the book flat on the grass, and flipped the pages until he found one that had nothing on it. One hand moved into the bag until he found and took out a pencil and eraser and, after staring at the blank sheet and twirling the pencil into his hand for a few seconds, began to put down very light lines on the paper.
Makana watched in fascination, and Mouse moved his gumdrop until he was chewing it just beside the paper, also watching Ronen work.
It was almost as if he was too much into his little world to notice the fact, continuing to draw the lines and going over those he wanted to keep, the paler lines able to be erased without any problem or leaving a mark behind. He stopped to take a sip from the glass of apple juice and then went back to his task.
Makana's attention occasionally shifted to Mouse, but mostly stayed on the paper, a fascinated, softly-pleased smile on her face as she watched blank paper transform into a picture. How incredible to have such a skill...
It definitively took some time, but the picture was slowly starting to look more and more complete, with darker lines and the fact that he had started to put down little details. He visibely was working very hard to make it as perfect as he could - it was the first time he was actually drawing for someone else.
Makana seemed to have a fair amount of patience, though she eventually shifted into a more comfortable position, curled up with her tailtip tapping lazily at the grass and her eyes drooping a little. Mouse, on the other hand, was easily bored, and as soon as he'd finished his treat, he went toddling off toward Trio, clearly looking for a second. Dirt clung to his stubby arms and stem, held there by the sticky sugar.
Eventually, Ronen seemed to deem it worthy, but it was not over just yet. In fact, he reached into his bag once again, making a bumch of prismacolor markers out, and, taking one, he started working on the colors, one by one, without really bothering to ink.
Zero had taken to sit against the tree beside her friend, and the arrival of the kinoko caught her attention.
"Oh, it looks like we have a little visitor." She giggeled.
Trio laughed, watching the mushroom creature come to a stop just in front of Zero and start his hopping little begging again. "It's rare Makana focuses her attention on any one thing enough to lose track of him," she said softly.
"Hmm." She sent a glance to where the kids where, then finally returned her gaze to the little creature. "He's her pet ? I've been pondering about getting a pet for Ronen. One that would be all his', I mean. He seems to like the pixas even if he's paranoid he's going to step on one." She suddently giggeled again. "What are you jumping for, cutie ?"
"He wants candy," Trio laughed. "Apparently, that's what they eat. Makana usually feeds him a peppermint or butterscotch hard candy just before bed, so that he'll stay happy in his pot all night," Trio said, chuckling. "Well, many pixas are smart enough to avoid feet, for the most part," she pointed out.
"I know, and I told him that, but I guess that it's a mix of how tiny they are, and the fact there's so many of them... And the fact my little boy would feel horrible if he even had to hurt a fly." She smilled.
"Really, uh." She glanced at the little kinoko. "And it seems like I am the hand that feed for now, uh ? Let's see..." She rummaged thought her pocket, then grinned, taking an hand out and flipping the mint candy she had found in between her fingers in order to unwarp it. "How's that for your taste buds, cutie ?"
She couldn't help but giggle, visibely finding Mouse downright adorable. "Maybe that can be done." Now, that was quite an idea... She could probably squeeze one more pixa in. Of course, she always found a way.
Trio smiled, nodding. "I have several ready for adoption here that I just haven't taken to the shop. Why don't we take a look before you leave today?" she suggested, watching as the combination of attention and warm sunlight ensured that her daughter slowly fell asleep.
"That sounds like a good idea." She nodded. Ronen visibely did not notice a thing, as he continued to color, but the little steggo himself seemed to feel a bit sleepy. It was the perfect temperature for a nap, after all.
Trio watched a while longer, then noted softly to Zero, "We might want to roust the kids if we don't want them sleeping away the afternoon..."
"Hmm... That would probably be a good thing, yes." If Ronen slept too much during the afternoon, it became virtually impossible to get him to bed at night, which wasn't something Zero liked to have to deal with on a dayly basis.
Ronen had finally finished his drawing, gave out a yawn... and then finally noticed the asleep Makana. He froze there with a priceless expression, seeming to wonder if she felt asleep because he had been taking way too long, and weither or not he should wake her up.
Trio paused for a moment, grinning at the look on Ronen's face a moment before getting an impish expression. She clicked just loud enough for him to hear, waving him over.
Ronen perked and glanced at Trio, head tilting, and eventually he slid the markers back into the bag, sliding the bag and the sketchbook next to Makana before coming over.
"Would you get her up?" Trio suggested, rising and picking up Mouse. She held out the sticky little creature for Ronen to take. "I'd like the two of you to come inside, and perhaps Makana can show you her room."
He nodded softly, gentely taking Mouse in one hand, and slowly walking back and croutching beside the cat girl, gentely shaking her with his free hand. "Makana... ? Im done the picture, and your mom wants us to come inside. Im sorry it took so long."
Makana blinked slowly awake, then peered up at him, a sleepy smile on her face. "It's done?" she asked, sounding content.
"Yeah." He smilled, taking the sketchbook and holding it open for her to see.
She moved to kneel instead of lie down, looking at it curiously for a moment before her eyes lit up. "You drew this? While I was sleeping?"
"Well, I finished it while you where sleeping." He gave a shy little smile.
"I like it," she said softly, reaching to hold the sketchbook herself. "I wish I could draw like that."
"It takes alot of practice." He said, softly. "I've been drawing for a long time." He carefully slid the sketchbook into his bag and slid the strap over his shoulder. "We should go inside... Your mom wanted us to go in."
Makana nodded, yawning wide and showing off a nice set of healthy, very sharp teeth before moving to take Mouse from him. "Are you staying for a while?" she asked, gathering up her glass and his once Mouse was in her pocket.
"I don't know." He shrugged, having no idea what time it was to begin with. He gentely slid the little kinoko back into her hands.
Makana nodded, making her way up to the deck and then inside slowly, having adjusted her glasses. They seemed to have begun to warp ever so slightly, sitting just a little crooked on her face because of the way she slept with them on.
Ronen followed, himself straightning his glasses on pure reflex, as he saw her do so.
"We could play a game, if you're going to be here a while?" she suggested, recalling the assortment of boardgames in the playroom.
"Yeah, ill'd have to ask mom, tho." He shrugged, as he followed, to let Makana get inside first. After all, it was her house, so it made sence she would go inside first.
Makana led the way to the kitchen, setting down the glasses on the counter before nodding toward the living room. "They're probably in there," she said.
Ronen nodded, still wondering why they both needed to go inside all of sudden, as he peeked into the room.
Trio smiled, holding on one hand what looked to be almost a living doll, shaped rather like Makana with dark red wings and blue and grey fur. "Ronen?" she asked, waving them both forward. "I'd like you to meet Pwyll."
Zero was in the room as well, but sillent, a little smile on her face as she watched this on.
Ronen blinked, then got closer. It looked kind of like Makana, but it was so tiny !
"Hi." He said softly, not knowing if the tiny cat-like creature would answer him or not.
Eyes small but still cool assessed Ronen for several seconds before the creature nodded to him, folding his arms over his chest. "Trio tells me you like pixas."
"Mom has alot of them." He said. "They're nice and cuddly, at least most of them are."
Makana crept up behind Ronen, curious about this turn of events as well. Pwyll rarely talked to her, though the two weren't on bad terms, by any means.
"I'm told you're very careful not to hurt them," Pwyll continued, wings fluttering slightly.
"I am. I don't want to step on one on accident, ill't hurt them." He announced. "And I don't like seeing others hurt."
That earned a sage nod from the Keeper, and he tilted his head. "It's been suggested to me that you might like a pet, rather like Makana's 'Mouse'," he added.
Ronen pondered this for a moment, before answering. "I think I would like that. Mom does have alot of pets, but none of them are really "mine"."
From her watching point, Zero just barely managed not to start laughing out loud. Oh, was that ever so TRUE.
Ronen tilted to the side comicly, giving his mother an odd glance. What was so funny ? "Okay. Thank you, Pwyll. Ill do my best, promise."
Pwyll nodded, pleased at the reaction. This was precisely what he looked for in a pixa-owner, and he lifted into the air, flying away content.
Makana blinked, watching him go before grinning at Ronen. "What sort of pixa are you going to choose?" she murmured curiously.
"I don't know." He admitted. "Probably a cat, but im not too sure which kind of cat."
Makana purred softly at the thought, her eyes bright. "I like cats," she offered, then twisted her head at a choking sound from Trio.
Zero had a similar reaction, which made Ronen raise an eyebrow, so to speak. Visibely the irony flew right over his head.
"I like cats too... They're all furry, warm and cuddely." He smilled.
Makana beamed at him, glancing at Zero. "Can I take him to show him the unclaimed pixas?" she asked, reaching for his hand with one of her paws.
Ronen let get take his hand, and gentely closed held it as well, just a wee bit embarassed if one had to judge with the tint of red that crossed his cheeks for a few seconds.
"Of course, go ahead." Zero smiled. Those two really looked like they got along fine.
Trio nodded, knowing neither of them would endanger the pixas. "Have fun, you two," she said gently, then glanced at Zero. "I think Makana's made a friend..."
"Yup." She grinned, as she watched them both go off. "I think Ronen did, too."
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:55 am
"Akilah! Stop RUNNING!" Patricks voice wasn't a yell, as one would expect from the caps, but instead a little hiss towards his hyperactive son. Somehow, he'd gotten stuck with the two polar opposites of the clan they've been pushing together - Yashi, quiet but still rather kind, and Akilah, the psycho furry demon sent from cockroach-hell. "Akilah!"
The meerkat skidded to a halt, sandles sliding a b it on the mall floor. They were out! They were about! OH YES! "But Dawdie I wanna go play a game and they have an arcade, like Mels room and I want to play! Dawdie!"
Just behind the meerkat stood a rust-red feline, two golden eyes magnified by the glasses she wore, and watching his every move. She'd taken a step back as he came close, and now simply stood, a book dangling from one hand, and the head of her kinoko peeking out of her front pocket.
"You almost ran into that little girl, Akilah." Yashims voice peeped up from behind his fathers jeans, wide golden eyes peering back at that OTHER thing with two golden eyes. "She's furry like 'Keela."
The dark man paused, blinking and peering around his short son to stare at the girl. "...hello there."
".......a little girl?" Ears pricked up a little bit at hearing that - he liked girls! They smelled nice! "Hi! Who are you? You have furr like me! None of my family has fur 'cept Yashi but that's not the same because it's just on his TAIL. What's your name?"
Trio, who'd been coming out of the nearby shop just a few paces behind her daughter, paused to watch the interaction. At the rapid-fire chatter directed toward Makana, she quirked a smile, moving out of the doorway and keeping to the background, so that she didn't interrupt.
Makana stared at Akilah for a long moment, clearly intimidated by the sudden barrage. It took a moment, and a glance up at Patrick and Yashima before she looked back to Akilah, her ears flattened. "...Makana," she finally offered, when he'd paused long enough for her to realize that the last was a question she needed to answer. "And yours?"
Patricks eyes glanced up to see Trio - must be the mother. Or someone like that. No one random would be watching the girl with a mixture of love, tolerance and amusement unless they were the parental unit in one for or another.
"Why're your ears back? Fafie and yashi do that when they're annoyed or mad or talking to me but you're not annoyed, right? Hi, Makana! I'm Akilah - or 'Cosa calls me Keelah, because it's shorter and funner and I guess 'Ah' is too much. What's that in your pocket?"
Not annoyed, and kinoko. Makana debated which to answer first, her ears easing out of the skull-flat pose. It took a moment before she shook her head. "I'm not annoyed. Just... not used to so much... um... talking?" She glanced back to Trio, relaxing a little when she saw the blonde there. Once she'd done that, she looked back at him, reaching up to take the kinoko from her pocket. "This is my kinoko. I named him Mouse."
Trio managed, after a moment, to change the chuckle she'd been near to letting escape into the soft sound of her clearing her throat, and to cover that, she stepped forward, holding one hand out to Patrick. "You must be his father," she said.
"Why? Don't you talk? Hi mouse~" One hand was waved towards teh kinoko, Akilah dipping down a bit to stare at it, golden rings in his ears waving. "My brother has a foxie thing but no one has any ke...kee...Mouse-things. Where'd you get your mouse thing?"
Patrick grinned once he heard that, moving closer as well to give her hand a firm shake. "I'm Patrick, Akilahs father, yeah. And you're the mother?"
"Kinoko. It was mama's, but she said I could have it," Makana murmured, relaxing a little more as he didn't make any moves to threaten Mouse. She glanced at Yashima, knowing well how it felt to be on the sidelines, and lifted the kinoko out of her pocket. "You wanna see too?"
"Trio," she returned, chuckling a little and glancing at the kids. "I'm her mom, yeah. It's nice to meet you."
Yashimas own ears went back slightly, shoulders hunching up before he ducked behind his father once more. With Patrick a little distracted, Akilah took his chance and followed his brother, dragging Yashi out by clutching his doll and forcibly pulling him out from behind Patrick. "This is Yashi! An' he's shy. He talks but he don't like to, cause he says that he has nothin' to say, but I think that's a lie."
The foxes cheeks flared red, head ducking a little bit. "...Why's it named mouse?"
He glanced down at the two kids but...yashima wasn't growling or angry or anything. Just so very, very shy. He needed to be helped with that. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. Uh. If you don't mind me inquiring..." One sharp chin jerked towards the kids. "...Fourth Wall?"
Makana's eyes widened when Yashima was tugged out from behind Patrick, silently thanking anyone and everyone responsible that her sisters never did that to HER. It occurred to her to wonder, a moment later, if maybe Nico would someday, and she resolved herself to teach him not to... long before he might actually do it! "I thought Mouse would be a cute name," she shrugged softly, hesitant. "He kinda acts like one, waddling around collecting things. But he collects candy more than shiny things," she added with a frown.
At the word 'candy', Mouse seemed to come alive, hopping up and down in her hands as though to signal that he wanted some.
"Exactly," Trio nodded, chuckling. "I guess it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Is that where yours is from, too?" She'd never really seen such a human-looking creature as Yashima in the Fourth Wall shop, but she definitely didn't know everything that went on there!
"He collects candy?" He smiled a little at that, fingers moving to thread into the sleeve of Akilahs shirt. Yashimas outgoing brother didn't mind the clinging - the fox was still learning to be on his own. "That's cute~ I don't have any candy but if I did I would give you some." The words were aimed at Mouse, that little smile still on his lips.
The meerkat hopped a wee bit, licking at his nose happily. "Candy~? Dawdie doesn't let me have any. I like scorpions though!"
Patrick nodded, laughing softly. "It's a little obvious. But so is 'Keelah, I suppose. He's from Fourth Wall and Yashi...well, Yashi was from a Wand Shop."
"Scorpions?" Makana asked, ignoring the slight droop Mouse affected when it realized it wouldn't be getting anything from her new friends. She tucked it back into her pocket, patting its mushroom cap for a moment before tilting her head. "Aren't they poisonous?"
Trio hesitated, then glanced around the mall. "There's a little coffee shop down the way. Would you like to sit down and chat for a bit? Let the kids get to know each other a little better?"
"Ahmma meerkitty. But I'm not a mirror - or a cat! But I can eat scorpions and beetles and they squirm and try to sting me and ah-ha! I win and they're very yummy, like candy that squirms and is hard."
"...keela, that's gross." Yashimas nose wrinkled, shivering and prancing back a step or two so he was between the parentals and his siblings.
Patrick considered before smiling at the woman, rubbing the back of his neck gently. "It sounds good to me, if you think you won't mind Akilahs chatter. He's very...enthusiastic."
Makana considered the words thoughtfully. Occasionally, she'd had the urge to eat something small and squirmy herself, but every time she considered it, she thought of Mouse and the desire left her. Though... she had found herself awfully fond of fish, and occasionally wandered into Annora's room to watch the feesh there, half-tempted to dine. "Is it very hard to catch them?" she asked curiously, then jumped as Trio tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a small kiosk with tables around it just down the hall.
"Makana needs to get used to such things," Trio decided firmly. "And it's always good to make friends. Shall we?"
"'Mel buys them for me." Akilah boasted, chest puffing up a little bit before Trio went tap-tap-tap against the cat-girls shoulder. He bounced a little in his sandles, staring up at Trio curiously. "Who're you? Are you the mommy who named a mousy?"
Patrick grinned a little bit at that, giving his two sons a wink. "So we shall~ Come on, sprogglets, time to go get a drink or something. You guys thirsty?"
"Buys?" Makana asked curiously, glancing at Yashima as though he might explain. Could it be that there was a place to purchase scorpions just like there was a place to purchase Annora's feesh?
Trio laughed. "I'm the mama," she confirmed. "Thought we could all sit down and have a drink, so you guys could get to know Makana better."
"Our brother goes to stores where they sell little things an' buys bugs and scorpions for him an' Keela." The foxes voice was small but matter-of-fact, tugging at the belt of his outfit gently. "An' they eat them."
Akilah nodded enthusiastically, hand moving to grab Patricks automatically. "To food and talkin'! There we go! ONWARD, DAWDIE!"
"Yes, Keela. Onward." Patrick laughed, swinging his son up into the air as they started walking
Makana hesitantly fell into step beside Yashima, walking in front of Trio since she knew her mother liked to keep an eye on her. "When I get treats, it's cream and tuna," she offered shyly, shrugging. "Daddy says I'll probably like sushi."
Trio chuckled at that, knowing that her daughter was likely to scarf sushi down as often as possible, once she was introduced to it.
"I like sushi~" Yashimas eyes brightened a little at the mention of food, especially food he was trying to learn how to cook. "I don' get it a lot but I like it when I get it!" The fox gave a firm nod, lifting his hand to chew gently at his thumbnail.
"'S raw fish." Akilah made a face, disgusted, from his current perch on his fathers shoulders. "Just fishy fishy fishy with no cookings and it's YUCKY."
Makana perked at that, looking up at Akilah. When his last statement came, her ears drooped a little, but she gamely said, "I like fish. It's yummy to me. Nico likes carrots, though, and mama said he won't like fish at all."
Trio nodded, lifting her hand to finger the locket she wore. She really needed to find a way to carry a bit of all of them like that. Perhaps a magical locket?
"Sok~ You're allowed to like fishy fishy fishy! Prolly wouldn't like no scorpions anyway, so s'ok! You can have your fishy fishy and I can have my scorpies and - ...eeeew. Carrots? Ugh!"
"I like carrots and fish," Yashi huffed slightly, sliding into the cafe they indicated and pushing the door open for them all. Patrick grinned, holding the door open after his son.
"How many do you have, Miss Trio? Just Makana?"
Makana found herself giggling softly, moving to file in before the parents. Trio followed her with a soft 'thank you' to Patrick. "He likes frozen carrots, because they help make his teeth stop hurting right now," she said, then scratched her head, thinking. "There's always lots of different things to eat in our house."
Once inside, Trio turned to Patrick. "Just Trio, please," she said, with a wave of her hand, then blinked, pausing to count. "Uh... eight," she said, then blinked, patting her stomach. "Nine if you count whoever's in here."
"Us too." Akilah beamed and wriggled from his fathers shoulders down to the ground, scurrying over to the brightly colored, clear glass display case full of stuff. "....Dawdie? What's this cafe-i-ne?"
"Nooothing you can have, Keela. Let's get you some water." Patrick grinned before he paused, arching an eyebrow at Trio. "Eight? Not all iological, right?"
Makana peered through the various items in the display case before pausing before a cheesecake slice. That sounded rather good, but Trio just shook her head, nudging her toward the counter.
"All which?" Trio asked Patrick, not recognizing the word.
"Biological. Sorry. My words sometimes slurr together - I'm catching Akilahs 'talk so fast no one can understand you' thing." He grinned, ruffling at the Meerkats hair.
"Dawdie, I want a sandwich." Akilahs nose almost pressed against the glass before his father dragged him back. "And Yashi wants some too!"
"Nuh uh.."
Maybe if they had tuna salad sandwiches... Makana lifted curious eyes to Trio, who appeared to be considering the concept. "Have you and your kids had lunch?" she asked Patrick, while Makana tapped one claw experimentally on the glass, frowning at the sound it made. "And no, not all biological. Actually, this one's going to be the only one not adopted," she added, patting her belly again.
"We were actually heading over to have some when Akilah almost ran into your daughter." His grin was crooked, glancing down at the kids. "What do you want to eat that isn't loaded with sugar, Akilah? And no bugs. We're at a mall, not Iamels room."
Akilah hesitated a little, ears flicking. "Roast beef?"
"I like roast beef!" Yashi piped, hopping a little bit.
"Then I guess we'll have lunch together," Trio nodded, peering down at Makana for a moment.
The feline glanced at the two boys hesitantly, then back at her mom for a long moment before asking, "Tuna fish? And... can Mouse have something?"
Trio nodded. "Tuna fish salad for you. Mouse can have something out of my pocket."
"Fishy fishy fishy~" Akilah chimed in, laughing and peering at the kitten, tugging at the golden hoops in his ears. "Have you ever had roast beef? You can have somma mine! It's yummy yummy in the tummy and so very nummy~"
"...what did we talk about, Keela?"
"....no rhymin' that would confuse someone." Akilah whined, leaning into Patrick. "But it IS nummy. It's roast beef!"
"I like roast beef," Makana said quietly, as Trio odered for them. "I just like tuna more. It tastes yummier to me."
"What kinda kitty are you?" Akilah was suddenly inquiring, moving to leaaan in closer to Makena. "Cause you have ears kinda like Yashi but you're prettier--"
"Hey!"
"An' you are all reddishness!"
Trio choked at that, glancing at Patrick in amusement.
Makana blinked, then leaned away hesitantly, eyes huge as she peered warily at Akilah and Yashima both. Would the foxboy mind that she'd been complimented like that? "Mama calls me a... Abismalian."
Trio blinked. Clearly, she'd have to work on that one. "Abyssinian."
While Yashi never liked being told that he wasn't as nice to look at as anyone, he just pouted a little bit, arms crossing against his chest. Akilah got the sour look - Makana just got a smile.
"Aby..Ahh...kay. 'Sat mean reddish kitty with glasses? What do glasses DO? Dawdie has a pair and - ooh! Food!"The little meerkat jumped at the food in question, tail wriggling excitedly with him.
Makana waited until Akilah was distracted, then leaned a little closer to Yashi, quietly murmuring, "I'm sorry." There was no pity in that voice, only heartfelt concern. She reached for her plate, carrying it carefully while Mouse poked his head up to examine the plate, looking for HIS treat.
"An abyssinian is a type of cat," Trio said quietly. "Most, but not all, are a rusty-red."
"Sorry for what?" He whispered b ack, eyes wide and leaning in a little bit. Unlike his hyperactive brother, he carried his plate as well where Akilah carried his food...and Patrick carried the plate. "Keelah just doesn't think before he talks."
"So now favorite cat~" Akilah declared. "Cause there's glasses and the Kana and she has glasses too! Like 'Cosa's favorite ottah and Katty fav'rite doggie."
Makana smiled at them both, settling at a table and setting her plate down. Trio had a tray with a bowl of soup and two glasses, one filled with milk and the other with water. The milk went to Makana, and she took the water for herself, tugging out a couple of small jellybeans for Mouse, who sat just at the edge of Makana's plate, gumming the first of the tiny beans. "I've never been anyone's favorite before," Makana said.
"Now you are." Akilah, fortunetly, didn't say anything else as he started chowing down, churring happily against his food item. Yashi just giggled and sipped at his own drink, settling down comfortably on the chair in the cafe.
"So what do you like to do, Makana?" Patricks voice was light and kind towards teh girl as he poked at his salad. She was shy! It was adorable!
Makana blinked, looking up at the adult who was addressing her for the first time. She hesitated, then took a bite of her sandwich, considering the question while she chewed. Only once she'd finished the bite did she answer. "I like to read. And I take good care of Mouse," she offered. "And I like to take care of Nico."
"WhooifNihu?" Akilah mumbled out before swallowing his sandwhich, wriggling in his seat. "Is he a kitty too?" His dark eyes widened. "Are there MORE red-kittys?"
Makana drooped slightly, but shook her head. "Daddy brought Nico home. He's a bunny," she said. "He's got really long, soft ears, and he chews on everything..."
"I was brought home too!" Akilah grinned, taking another large bite and chewing happily. Yashi just shook his head, leaning over to give the meerkats shoulder a pet.
"Soft things are good." The fox peeked at the little kitten girl.
[00:03] T Maxwell Chang: "Daddy brought home this wand thing, too," Makana said suddenly, grinning. "It got all wispy and the wisp likes to play with me sometimes."
[00:05] Silken Minion: Yashima paused at that, tail tip twiching just slightly before leaning a little over the table. "A wand?" His voice was small, chewing at his thumbnail once more. "Does it make noises yet?"
"Yashi? Do you think it's another Ghost-kid?"
"Uh-huh. Like mister Youko has too."*
"I haven't heard any," Makana said.
"Shiro said it would become a baby," Trio volunteered. "Ghost-kid?"
"Uh huh." It was Yashis turn to talk - it was one of the few things that got him going. Patrick simply sat back and ate his salad, eyes on his son. "Ghost-kid. We come from wands and turn into these little ghost things - I still 'member some of it. But we turn into babies... We died once."
The little fox frowned, shoulders hunching up a little. "So we come - we came back to make it right. I think?"
Makana's eyes grew wide at that. Died once? That sounded... "Awful," she whispered, reaching out to pet his back gently with her paw.
"Yashi wakes up cryin' sometimes," Akilah muttered out from around his food, swallowing a little. Patrick cleared his throat lightly - the kids didn't get the hint. But Yashi wasn't crying...he was taking it rather well.
He didn't flinch away from the girls paw either. Maybe it was because she was fluffy - he didn't see Neveah as a female as she had wings...maybe it was the same with Makana. If Trio tried to touch him, however...that might have cropped up some issues.
"Sok~ It's why we came back, right?I think? I have 'tousan and everyone."
Trio leaned forward slightly, a soft smile on her face. "I'm glad I got the chance to meet you, Yashima." No words of sympathy or condolence. Just that offering, and the hope he'd take it as it was meant.
"Me too. I like being alive." The little fox smiled shyly at her, although he leaned back further on his chair. Patricks hand rested lightly on his shoulder, causing the kid to glance up at him, and relax.
"......everyone stop being so saaaaad!" Akilahs voice pitched to a whine. "All happy now, right?"
Mouse took that moment to waddle THROUGH Makana's plate, trailing bits of tuna fish behind him as he made his way to stand before Akilah's plate, hopping in demand for more jellybeans.
Akilah leaned down, muzzle to mushroom thing, ears perked up slightly with a churr. "...ain't got no candy, plantie-poo."
Makana giggled, hesitantly reaching toward Mouse, not quite sure whether Akilah minded the little mushroom creature that smelled like fish and mayonnaise.
Trio snorted. "You've had enough for now," she told it, keeping the rest of her jelly beans in her pocket.
"Go back to your momma~ I don't have any candy." Akilah grinned, glancing up at Makana and wriggling in his seat. "Why's he like candy so much?"
"I think that's just what he eats," Makana shrugged, scooping him up before he could make his way to Yashima. "That and dirt."
Yashima wriggled his fingers over at the mushroom, blinking a little. "He can eat dirt? Things can eat dirt?"
"*I* can eat dirt!" Akilah boasted before finishing off his sandwich, licking his paws clean.
Trio snickered softly. "Plants use things in the dirt to grow healthy and strong," she explained.
"We use scorpions!" Akilah chittered out a laugh while his father checked his watch. Patrick cringed a little bit, head shaking.
"Nn... We should be off. I promised Mordread only an hour or two and it's been three...He's going to start having a heart attack or something."
"It was nice to meet you," Trio said, then hesitated, reaching into her pocket. "Let me give you my number, in case you'd ever like the kids to get together?"
"It sounds good to me." He smiled faintly, glancing at Makana, Yashima and Akilah. "It's not often he finds someone he doesn't try to bounce his ball off of or anything.."
"Can I get to see 'Kana again~?" Akilah chirruped, bouncing a little once more with a laugh. "We can eat dirt! And fishy fishy next time!"
Makana smiled hesitantly. "I can show you both Nico, too," she added, grinning as her mother wrote their number out on a scrap of paper and handed it over.
"Thanks for joining us for lunch, Patrick."
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:39 pm
Makana made her way to the door, followed by Trio, who kept an eye on her as the kitten lifted one paw to knock on the door. Mouse was settled in her front pocket, looking around curiously at all the new sights. His tiny eyes were searching intently for any sign of candy.
While the White household carried many kinds of candy, most of it was geered towards the lder children - namely, Iamel. The woodpecker-esque child liked his chocolate covered bugs and Akilah shared the enjoyment.
Yashima, luckily, was the one who answered the door. There was an ebony child clutching onto his leg, looking up at the two newcomers suspiciously. The fox, however, just flicked his tail slightly, lips quirking into a mild smile. He had changed from before but he wasn't being mean to them, at least. "Hi. You came."
Makana smiled back softly, eyes flicking around curiously. She wasn't quite sure what to say to that beyond, "Yeah," so she left it at that, waiting for him to step back and let her in. Behind her, Trio nodded to Yashima with a small smile of her own.
"Hello again."
"Is it them, Yashi?" Patricks voice carried through the house, making his son glance back. The dark man appeared, head popping around the corner, a baby on each hip. He grinned when he saw them, giving a nod. "Let them in, Yashi... Just don't step on Kian, alright?"
The fox hopped back and his smaller brother moved off akwardly, reptiliane tail swinging behind him. "Want something to eat, Makana?" She was a girl he liked - she was like Akilah, physically, mostly. That didn't m ake her a GIRL girl...that made her something not Kay. Something not scary. "I can make a sandwhich."
Makana shook her head, ears flicking about at all the different sounds. It WAS very similar to her own home, all sorts of sounds from all sorts of directions. She stood near the door, paws clasped in front of her as she watched him. "I'm not hungry, thank you."
Trio nodded in quiet approval at the manners, then grinned at Patrick. "Thanks for inviting us." She eyed the kids, then chuckled. "Your home looks kinda like ours."
"You're not? Okay." Yashima hesitated a little b it, chewing at his lower lip. He didn't know how to handle a girl as quiet as he was! "Uhm." His tousans eyes on him made his ears twitch, slightly, "Would you like to go see my room?"
Patrick was amused to the complete and utter max of his ability. His son was being Polite. He wasn't scowling, yelling, pouting or calling anyone rude names. It was, in his eyes, a minor miracle. "Really? I'll take that as a compliment... Sorry this place is a mess. Kiddlings make it hard."
Makana nodded, smiling a little. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if it was quieter there, but manners drummed into her by her mother stilled her tongue just before it tumbled out. "Yes," she said instead, as Mouse squirmed in her pocket. He smelled chocolate!
Trio grinned, waving a hand. "I understand completely. Don't apologise to me. Just be prepared for my place to look the same."
"It's this way." He nods towards one of the hallways, moving towards their slowly. "If you see little kids running around, ignore them. They just runn around... Kian's the only angry one, really. Iamel keeps them in line." The fox glanced back to her before sliding into his little bedroom. It was small, but it was his. The room was a dark blue with paper lanturns everywhere, little dolls on their shelves and a closet hanging his neatly-made clothing. Books were scattered and his journal was half-peeking from under his pillows. "....do you like dolls?"
"Trust me, I won't judge you harshly." He grinned, shoulders rising in a shrug. The white-haired panther child squealed and clutched onto the dark man. "Would you like something to drink? I was about to feed the latest spawn and...well, we have a lot to drink."
Makana nodded slowly, moving to look at the shelves curiously for a moment, before books caught her eye instead. "They're neat, like little people. But I don't see many like me," she added after a moment, with a soft shrug. "Most look more like mama." She knelt down, picking up one of the books to peer at the cover.
"Something to drink would be wonderful, thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?" Trio asked in turn, chuckling softly at the child.
"Then we can make one that looks like you." Yashima looked at her curiously, head tilting to the side. "I don' know how to sew really well yet but Gram'ma's teaching me. We can try." He paused, moving to pat at one of his geisha dolls. "Like Keelah too."
"Make sure no one tries to eat anyone else?" He suggested, moving back to the kitchen. "We have a no-caniballism rule, see, but with different species and such running around...What would you like? We have juice, coffee, water, soda...anything except cranberry juice. Allergies."
Makana looked up from the book cover in surprise, her head tilting to him. "You make them?" she asked, eyes growing wide. "Really?"
Trio snickered at that. "Yeah, we have something of a similar nature in our house. Coffee would be MOST welcome, if you have some handy. If not, water or soda will do?"
"I can try." The foxs face ducked a little bit, ears pricking upwards. "I mean... I tried making Kashi a dress and it turned out okay... and I have books on how to..try.."
"Coffee and soda is much loved when there's a screaming child demanding food or something at three AM." He agreed, manuvering to put the children in their proper high-chair placements. Tail grabbing commenced and they promptly forgot they were no longer the center of attention. "Made just an hour ago - that alright?"
Makana smiled shyly, moving to sit on a corner of his bed, the book still in hand, though she was obviously distracted from it. "I'd like that," she admitted, ears perking a little. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Uhm..." His head tilted to the side, tail twitching a little bit. "Mmm... If you want to read, you can. You don't have to help. I'll just ask you for colors and stuff and you can read and...and yeah."
Makana blinked a little more, leaning forward. "You were going to do it now?" she asked in surprise, then yelped as Mouse finally squirmed free of her pocket and hopped down into hastily lifted hands.
"Well, I have the books and I have you so... I figure why not?" His smile was a little shy, moving to the lower drawer of his dresser. "You wanted one that looks like you, right?"
Slowly she nodded, half-distracted by the little kinoko who seemed determined to go off in search of candy. "Um..."
"I don't have any in my room." The foxes voioce was distant, nose almost buried in his drawer. It was chock full of fabrics and half-done, childishly sewn products. He would sew, but he was no professional - he was just a kid, after all. "The only candy in the house is for Keela and Iamel - it's bugs."
"Mama should have something," she said, then squeaked as Mouse finally wriggled free and fell to the floor, stunned for a moment. "I don't think he'd mind bugs - he eats dirt, after all, but I wouldn't want to take their candy away."
"Iamel wouldn't care. He's like another Tousan, but shorter then me." Yashi grinned roughly, glancing over and pausing when he caught sight of Mouse. "Is he ok?"
About then, Mouse shook off the stunned moment and toddled forward, toward Yashima. Makana blinked, dropping down to follow him carefully. "He seems fine. He's not usually this squirmy, but I forgot his peppermints," she admitted, her tail waving. It almost seemed as though she was stalking him.
Yashima sat back on his heels, watching the kitten trail after Mouse like a predator. He grinned faintly, head tilting to the side and watched at the younger girl. "Peppermints a re good."
"They are," she agreed, beginning to grin. "He thinks he's on the trail of... Oh! That," she said, pointing to a brightly-colored button not far away. "It must look like candy to him."
"Oh...my button? You can have it, Mouse..." He leaned over and grabbed the button off the floor and offered it to the little mushroom creature. "If you'd like to."
The kinoko perked up, taking the button and immediately lifting it to his mouth to gnaw. Makana winced, and a moment later, the kinoko had the button back out of his mouth, examining it carefully before peering up at Yashima with a blankly confused expression.
"Sorry?" The little fox offered, leaning down to go nose-to-nose with the kinoko, tail wrapping around his leg. "I don't have any candy."
Makana watched, smiling at the display. "He can wait. He's just used to having some," she said, waiting until Yashima was done before gathering Mouse and his confusing button up to tuck back in her pocket. "Thank you for the button."
"Doesn't he get fat? Tousan got fat and he said the candy wasn't helping." He grinned a little, watching the two of him. "Sok. I like buttons. They're all different, no matter what anyone says."
"I don't know. He seems rather big for a mushroom, but he doesn't seem unhappy," Makana frowned at the thought, curling up near Yashima and looking down at her pocket. "Do you think he looks fat?"
"Not to me, nope." He studied the little mushroom hidden in Makana's pocket, head cocking a l ittle to the side. "He looks like a mushroom."
"I think that's what he's supposed to look like," Makana said. "Mama has two more, and they both look about like this, except one has a really BIG top on his head."
"My tousan eats mushrooms?" He offered as a lame way to compare himself, "But not 'live ones like Mouse. He doesn't like things that were 'live."
Makana nodded, watching him. "Mama eats them, too... but never in front of Mouse. He gets twitchy. Will you show me what you're doing?"
"I haven't done anything yet... Mouse distracted me." A faint smile and he sat back on his heels. The next book he grabbed was one about a bunch of instructions on how to..sew. What a masculine little boy he was. "What kind do you want?"
She blinked, frowning a little at him. "What kinds are there?" she asked after a moment.
"Different kinds. You and Keelah kinds, my kinds, geisha kinds... I've been trying to learn, so new kinds might help." He paused b efore handing her the book, and grinned. "Pick one?"
She blinked at the various dolls displayed, looking up at him with a slightly lost expression before settling in to peruse. The geisha were awfully pretty, but... she NEVER wore anything like that. "What are your kinds?"
"Kinda with just a tail and some ears." He shrugs, glancing up at her with a little grin. "Not too different from geisha-types or anything."
"You dress kinda like a geisha, don't you?" she asked innocently.
"Not pretty or calm enough to BE a geisha...but I try sometimes." He nods a little bit, cheeks actually flushing slightly. "And I'm not a girl... I just.. I mean." The boy faltered, chewing at the inside of his mouth, "I like being pretty sometimes."
She looked confused. "You have to be a girl to be a geisha?" she asked, peering down at the picture again. Now that he mentioned it, they DID all look kinda female. Then again, her sister Theo kinda looked like a boy, so...
"Yeah-huh. Boy geisha's don't exist. There are just pretty boys in yukata's. We get looked at weird if we wear a full out geisha kimonos." His cheeks were still red but..
Makana frowned deeply. "But that's not fair!"
The golden eyes blinked a few times at her, head tilting up and then to the side. "Not fair?"
"Mama always tells me that I can be anything I want to," Makana explained, still frowning. "So why can't you be a geisha? It's not fair."
"Cause I'm not a girl?" Yashima offered, ears flicking. "An' I haven't b een in classes for it since I was little. Like. Kian little."
Makana's ears laid flat at his reasoning. "Why would it matter if you're a girl?"
"Because....only...I..." He whined a little, reaching up to tug at his ear. "Well, I mean, girls can't...uhm...I..."
"Can't what?" Makana asked expectantly, eyebrows raising in challenge. She may be shy, but she didn't like being told she couldn't do something.
His own ears laid flat back, voice still tapered to an almost-whine, "I don't know. Touch me? I just can't be a girl."
Now looking thoroughly confused, Makana whimpered slightly. "But why do you have to be a girl to be what you want to?"
"I dunno...it' just what...what they do." He chewed at his lower lip in a slightly frustrated manner, one ear giving a faint flick. "They just are always girls. I've never heard of a boy geisha."
Well! Never heard and can't be were two entirely different things in young Makana's mind. "So you can be the first," she said, ears finally coming back up as a relieved smile settled onto her face.
She was satisfied. It was better to agree now. He smiled thinly at that, hand moving to tug at his ear again with a laugh. "Okay. I'll be the first."
She didn't quite like his smile, so she smiled back gently. "You're like me, you know," she told him.
Yashi's smiles usually weren't all that pretty. He shrugged a little and gave the girl a crooked grin. "I'm like you? How?"
"Mama says I can do anything if I really want to. You can, too. It's simple as that," she said, then tilted her head. "Can I have a different doll?"
"My tousan doesn't say that." He smiled a little bit at that, nose wirnkling. "Sure. What kind of doll do you want?"
Makana hesitated briefly. "I think Mama's right." Another pause, and then she looked at her hands. "Can I have a Yashima doll?"
"I think she might be," He agreed with her easily enough and blinked at the request. "I...well, only if I can have a makana doll."
Makana blinked, looking up at him in surprise. "You'd want one?"
Yashima smiled - it was a real smile, a rare expression from the usually grumpy fox. "Why shouldn't I?"
Not really sure how to answer without insulting herself - something her mother did NOT like to hear - Makana simply smiled back shyly. "Okay. How do you make them?"
"Like this.." The book was reopened and he flipped through a few pages, staring at the text for a minute. "We need material." He pointed to his drawer. "I have stuff in there but I couldn't find Makana-color."
"Can I look?" Makana asked, moving to the drawer.
"Uh-huh...it's just a lot of fabric scraps." He shrugged a little, flipping another page or two.
Makana knelt at the drawer, digging through the fabric curiously. Maybe she could find one that was close.
Yashi started to find his things - scissors and a thread and needle, humming under his breth happily.
It was quite a while before she emerged from the drawer, clutching a piece of rust-red fabric with a squarish pattern all over it in darker brown. "Yashima?"
He glanced up from where he was collecting yarn, head tilting to the side once more. "Yeah?"
"Would this do?" she asked, holding out the material for him to inspect. "It's kinda the color of my fur."
The fox peeked down at the fabric and his eyebrows rose upwards. "Okay~ It looks good to me. Could you find one for me?"
Makana nodded, beaming. "It's gonna make me look a little like a leopard, with square spots," she said, as she went digging through the drawer again cheerfully. Hadn't she seen some good fabric for him nearer the top?
"That's okay," Another shy little smile from him, head bowing to continue finding that elusive yard, head close to the ground. "Nthing wrong with leopards."
"They're strong," Makana said, finally setting out some fabric for Yashima. "Should I find something for your dress, too?" she asked.
"Strength is always a good thing." His voice was quieter at that... yashi knew he wasn't particularily strong amongst all of his siblings but.. he admired strength. "Sure. Make sure it's blue or purple?"
Makana nodded, digging until she came up with material of each, holding both out to him. "Is this good?" she asked, looking at him curiously.
Another glance up and he grinned, tail swishing back and forth. "They're good. Anything for your clothes?"
"Umm... maybe I can find some good reds or golds," she suggested, with a shy smile before diving back into the drawer.
"Do you like red and gold?" His voice is curious, sitting back on his heels with a smile
Makana nodded as she searched. "And browns. Mama calls them 'warm colors'. It's almost the opposite of Annora." She paused then, tilting her head before peering back at him. "I guess I'm really the opposite of her, aren't I?" she asked, as though he'd have ANY idea what she was talking about.
"Annora?" He paused a little bit, eyebrows arching curiously. "Who's Annora?"
"She's my sister," Makana said, withdrawing slightly, her eyes dropping. "She's...," she started, then trailed off, frowning. How, exactly, did one describe Annora? "She's a siren."
"Like in the books iamel reads?" He blinked a little bit, nose wrinkling up. "They didn't seem verynice. Is your sister nice?"
Makana nodded, looking surprised. "She protects Etain. That's my other sister. She's a sylph," Makana explained. "And she sings REALLY well, but she's taking lessons to get better."
"Oh." The fox blinked again and drew his knees up to his chest, chewing at his lower lip. "She sounds nice." Nodding a little bit more, his toes wriggled. "SO you have a sylph, a mommy, a siren, and a Fourth Wall kitty. Your family is interesting."
Makana grinned softly at that. "There's also Nico - he's a rabbit. And... Kikuei. He's sort of like a bird. And Bran, who's got wings, and Zi Zhi, who's this kinda wispy thing that Mom's not real sure what she'll become. And Theo. She's quiet, like me, so people kinda forget she's around."
"I like quiet." He shrugs a little bit, lips quirking into a smile. "Quiet is better thenloud."
Makana's smile softened and warmed, something in her relaxing. "It's hard for Annora to be quiet."
The fox reached over, taking the chosen scraps of fabric and they were laid down on the ground. "Then it's probably a good thing I met you at the mall that day and not her, huh?"
Did he just make a joke? The media thinks so!
Makana considered that for a long time. "I... don't know. Anyone who meets Annora seems to like her," she said, but there was definitely a hint of pleasure at the thought of being liked OVER the siren.
"Nn." He shrugged, reaching under the bed to snag a half-used bag of cotton. "Keelah would like her, if she's loud and makes nice noises. But I wouldn't."
"Never?" Makana had to ask. The thought impressed and bewildered her equally.
Yashi paused a moment, hand frozen inside the bag. "I haven't lived forever yet. But I live with 'Kilah and I don't like HIS noise yet."
Makana watched him for a long moment. "You're nice, though. I think she'd probably like you."
His hands moved again, pulling out some stuffing and humming under his breth again. "Maybe. People tell me I'm rude though."
"You?!" How on Gaia was THAT possible? "But you're so nice!"
"To you." WAs all he said, leaning over to peer at a sketch in the book.
"...Only to me?" Makana blinked.
"Uhm...." The foxes ears twitched again, this time in contemplation. "Well... you and Zah - he's a drow! - and Xerk... i was there when he grew.. Uhm. Tousan. You're the only girl I'm nice to."
Makana was, by nature, curious, and leaned forward a little, fabric forgotten. "Why aren't you nice to others, though? Would you be mean to my mama?"
"I mostly ignore your momma." He paused in his little trek to make the dolls, eyes going back to Makana. "I'm only mean when people are mean first."
"Mama's nice," she offered, with a soft smile. "And she cuddles well." That seemed to please the little abyssinian.
"But she's your momma," He grinned a little bit, "And I'm glad she cuddles well, but I don't have a momma. I have my tousan. I don't ignore him."
"What does that mean, anyway? What is a tousan?"
"What does momma mean?" Yashima shrugged, looking down at the cloth. "He's my momma, but a boy. So he has a different name. Tousan."
"Sounds kinda like Shiro. I call him my dad," Makana offered. "Maybe tousan is like dad?"
"That's what he said I should call Mordread." Yashi nodded a little b it, chewing at his lower lip. "But I don't know...It feels weird."
"Why?" Makana asked, finally remembering to look for the reds and golds for her own doll's clothing.
"I don't know."Another shrug - he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately - and he went back to tugging out some stuffing.
She nodded, accepting the words for what they were. "When Mama and Shiro married, we'd already gotten used to calling Shiro dad." She paused at that, recanting. "Except for Kikuei. He calls mama Trio and Shiro just Shiro."
"Iamel calls Tousan Shiniee and Mordread.....he calls Mordread a bad word." Yashi coughed a little at that, "But Tousan doesn't want to marry Mordread."
"Why does he call Mordread a bad word?" Makana blinked at the idea.
"He didn't like him when Tousan first met him. So he called him a bad name." The fox sat back on his heels, beaming at the little scritches he made on the fabric to indicate where he would cut later. "And he hasn't stopped, even though now he likes him enugh."
Makana considered that for a while, then asked curiously, "Does Mordread mind very much?"
"Not anymore." Yashima grabbed at his scissors, grinning a little, "He's gotten used to it, I guess."
Makana tried to understand that before shrugging. "I think people calling me names would make me unhappy. Mordread must be very different."
"He's weird." The fox paused, shrugging a little. "But Iamel doesn't really care what people think. He says it anyway."
Makana peered at Yashima, holding out two swatches of cloth. "Would he call me bad names?"
"I wouldn't let him. And you aren't trying to take Tousan away from him - that's what he saw Mordread as. Trying to take Tousan away."
"You wouldn't?" Makana asked softly, smiling shyly at the words. "Thank you."
"Not a problem," He smiled back, briefly, and started cutting at the fabric. "Do you want glasses on your doll?"
"Can you do that?" she asked, reaching up to adjust her own glasses slightly self-consciously.
"I can try? It just takes some really small scissors, right?" Yashi leaned over to study her glasses closer, head shaking a little with a soft laugh. "I can find fabric for that. Make them hard with some clear glue."
Enchanted at the idea, Makana pulled her glasses off, blinking owlishly for a moment before passing them to him to examine. "Does this help?"
"Can you see without them?" He blinked as well, grinning a little and leaning over to pluck a suitable colored scrap of fabric from the pile of his own.
"Not very well," she admitted, shrugging. "But I can go without for a while, if it helps."
"Neither can my Tousan. He says his shoulders are it." Yashi grinned, quickly scritching out a crude little thing on the cloth with his pen and passing the pen back.
"His shoulders?" Makana asked, not understanding the phrase.
"Mmmhmm. He takes off his glasses and can't see past his shoulders."
"Oh!" Makana laughed. "I'm not that bad. I can see to," she held her hands out and slowly drew them forward and backward for a moment before settling on a place with them fairly far stretched, "here."
"That's not too bad. At least you can still read, right?" Blinking a little, he grinned and shrugged. "The glasses are cute, anyway."
She blinked at that, then grinned back. "I like them," she admitted. "It's kinda like I'm a little different when I wear them. Like a costume."
"That's why I like the yukatas," He agreed, grabbing his thread and needle and tried, in the determined manner of children, to thread it.
The dangling string caught Makana's attention, and without thinking, she reached out to bat at it with a laugh. "Because they're a costume?"
He jumped a little at the batting, eyes widened. "I forgot... you're a kitten." The fox grinned, taking some string and dangling it before her, making it wriggle a little more. "Yes. because it hides me."
Makana purred softly, eyes alight as she tried to catch the string, a wide smile on her face. "I can see you," she said distractedly, not looking at HIM in the slightest with all the fun string about.
He smiled faintly, keeping the string dangling, just out of reach of the kitten. "I'm not hiding right now. One day, though, I'll hide all the time. I like it."
That stilled her, and she looked at him with hesitant eyes. "Even from me?"
Yashima just grinned, "I thought you could see me?"
She eyed him almost warily. "But you said you weren't hiding."
"Well, then.." The fox leaned over to straighten her glasses, just a little, lips quirking into a smile. "If you promise to stay a girl I won't be afraid of, I promise to let you see me."
Makana froze at his approach, staying still while he fixed her glasses. After listening carefully to his offer, she thought for a silent minute before extending one paw, her claws showing. "Do these scare you?"
The boy grinned. His teeth were getting sharper then they had been previously...his nails were growing out too. "I live with a hyperactive meerkat and a bloodthirsty alien, Makana. Unless you were angry enough at me to smack me with those out, then no. I'm not."
"I'd never!" she protested, horrified at the thought.
Yashi grinned again, the expression crooked on his pretty face. "Exactly.u"
"So... if I never do that, you won't be scared of me?" she asked, to make sure she understood.
"Why do you think I'd be scared of you?" He frowned a little bit.
"Because you said that as long as I didn't scare you, you wouldn't hide from me," Makana pointed out.
"...oh." He blinked at that, sitting back on his heels. Small shoulders rose up in a shrug when he thought about that and Yashi tugged at the hem of his yukata. "Girls scare me."
"Why?" Makana asked, reaching out to gather up the thread he'd dropped.
"I don't know." Yashi didn't even notice the fallen string; he had been concentrating more on his own thoughts. "You know where the hairs rise in the back of your neck and you just... you want to pull away and hide somewhere?"
Makana nodded, peering at the string rather than him. "I usually stay in the library when that happens."
"I usually just hide." His smile was faint, but it was a smile anyway.
"But I don't make your hairs do that, right?" she asked quietly.
"Nope." The fox tilted his head b ack with a slight laugh. "It's why I said I wouldn't hide."
She relaxed at that, nodding a little. "I'll try hard to make sure I don't ever scare you," she promised.
Yashima smiled at her faintly befre he finally moved back to the cuttings and the not-quite-made-dolls. "I know."
Makana watched him for a moment, then moved to sit beside him so she could watch without being in the way. "You're my friend," she noted softly.
That had caught him by surprise. The fox glanced up, face written into an expression of confusion before he offered a shy smile in return. "And you're mine." A pause, "Right?"
She nodded happily, a faint purr still coming from her. "Right," she agreed firmly.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:15 pm
Blue meandered down the beach, poking at rocks with his toes. He'd realized about halfway here that he didn't actually know where Kher lived, and anyway, his brother and the big mer lived underwater, and Blue couldn't just visit there, because Kher might have gills, but he didn't. He'd kept going, though, because Merlyn was loud and Reverie had pulled his tail (by accident, but it had hurt) and Dad had this faint veneer of worry on his face when he looked at Blue, like he thought Blue was still sick. Ambyr hadn't said anything when Blue announced he was going to visit Kher, just dutifully, quietly followed him. He imagined that she had a smug expression on her narrow, foxy muzzle, and did not look, because she did not want to see it.
Looking ahead, instead of behind, he could catch sight of a small figure on the sand where the water didn't reach, sitting and lifting a handful before letting it spill out. The wind blew it away from the kid as she did so, giving the faint impression of a cloud.
Blue paused uncertainly as he saw the figure. Did he really want to see anyone at all? But if she'd seen him, it would be rude ... Slowly, he padded towards the girl, ears half down, leaving a trail of pawpads across the sand. The Zurui behind him sat down in the sand at a discreet distance, watching her young charge but giving him a measure of privacy to talk in, if he so desired. He had been so touchy lately, she reflected.
The feline's ears perked at the sound of shifting sand, and she looked up, the rest of the sand falling from her paw in an abrupt mass. Two gold eyes locked on him as he approached.
Blue sat down about five feet away - if she wanted to ignore him, she could. He picked up a shell and began scooping out a little hollow in front of him, but his eyes flicked to his left constantly to study the feline girl. She looked sort of like Merlyn, with her cat-features, but she had feet like he did. He caught her gaze by accident, and offered her a quiet, diluted kind of smile.
Slowly, very hesitantly, she smiled back, obviously watching him still. It was several silent moments before she finally chose to break the silence, though, her hand absently playing with the sand. "I'm Makana."
"I'm Blue," Blue replied. Another few moments of silence trickled past, and then he said, feeling some kind of vague urge to explain himself, "I was going to go visit my brother, but I don't know where he is." He poked a rock into the hollw he'd dug and started to scrape sand in on top of it.
"My family came to the beach for the day," Makana offered in return, curious. "They're that way." A vague wave toward the right, and then she tilted her head. "Isn't he waiting for you?"
Blue shook his head. "I didn't tell him I was gonna come," he explained sheepishly.
"Why not?" Makana asked softly, sand forgotten as she watched Blue curiously now.
"Cause he doesn't have a phone." Blue finished burying the rock and poked the shell into the sand over it. "I just wanted to come down and not be in the house," he confessed.
So far, Makana had found only one reason she could see not to be in a house. "It's too noisy?" she asked, creeping closer to peer at what he was doing.
"Uh huh. And Rev pulled my tail." Blue positioned another shell beside the first, then surrounded it with a little piece of seaweed.
"Pulled your tail?" Makana asked, reaching back to gather her own tail closer to her in horror. "Why?!"
"I don't think he meant to." Blue tucked his tail a little closer to his legs automatically, remembering the sharp pain bringing sudden tears to his eyes. "But it hurt." He poked sulkily at the seaweed.
She settled next to him, having apparently decided he was safe enough to sit by. "Did he say he was sorry?"
"He's not big enough." Blue glanced at Makana. "He's still little. ... I could talk when I was born, though," he added.
"I didn't," Makana said quietly. "Mama says I mewed a lot." She frowned. "Are you okay now?"
Blue nodded. "It doesn't hurt anymore." He slid a look at Makana curiously. "Who's your mama?"
"Her name's Trio. She doesn't look like me," she added, reaching out with one claw to draw an awkward, hesitant design under the seaweed he'd placed. "But she loves me."
"My dad doesn't look like me either," Blue said, surprised out of his sulk by the last sentence - did that need to be said?
"Who's your dad?" she asked curiously, moving to draw a happy face in front of herself. She added two triangular ears to the top, and long whiskers from each cheek.
"His name is Prolixity. He's my Author." Blue watched her draw, curiously, then started his own happy face, with pointed ears, and small wings below it.
"Author? Authors write books," Makana said, confused.
"Uh huh. I'm a Tall Tale," Blue said, as if that explained everything. "What are you?" He tilted his head curiously at her.
Makana frowned, considering the question before saying hesitantly, "I'm an Abyssinian." A Tall Tale... "Does your dad write about you, then?"
"Uh uh, I have my own tome, and nobody else can write in it." Blue glanced shyly at Makana, then added a tail to her drawing.
She blinked at the addition, then giggled softly. "What happens if someone else does write in it?" It probably wasn't any stranger than having a siren and sylph for sisters, but the feline was fascinated.
Blue blinked. "I don't know." He shuddered, a visceral horror filtering through to clutch at his gut at the idea. "But I think it would be bad."
Eyes going wide at the reaction, Makana reached out to lay one paw on his arm. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you scared!"
Blue made himself smile a little. "It's okay. Nobody ever asked me that." He poked at the sand. "I should ask Khia, he's older. Maybe he'll know. He's a Tale too, his dad is my dad's friend," he added, by way of exlanation.
Makana frowned at him worriedly for a moment, then twisted, searching out a pretty shell. When she found one that she felt suited, she turned to hand it to him, as a silent apology.
Blue took the shell gravely, accepting the gesture as intended. "It's pretty," he said, and tucked it carefully into his pocket.
Determined to make things better, Makana thought before asking, "Since your dad's an author, do you like to read?"
Blue's ears perked up. "I love reading," he nodded. "I'll go to the Library some day. Do you like to read?"
Makana nodded, grinning. "We have a library in our house. I spend lots of time there. You can come to it, if you like?"
"Yeah! Um, if it's okay with your mama and my dad," Blue nodded. "I don't want to get in trouble, or you either."
"Mama likes people coming over," Makana assured him, relaxing. At least now he didn't seem so afraid anymore. And it didn't sound like he was angry at her. "I'm sure she'd say yes."
"We can ask," Blue nodded. "Want to build a sandcastle?"
Makana hesitated, then nodded. "Will you show me how?" she asked, not really wanting to admit she'd never gone NEAR the wet sand before.
"Uh huh." Blue paused a moment. " ... Do you have a bucket? We don't have to use one, but we can make bigger turrets if you do."
"I think Annora and Etain are using it," Makana said, tilting her head. "What are turrets?"
"Like towers," Blue explained. "Who are Annora and Etain?" He stood and started padding down towards the damper sand, glancing back to be sure she was coming with him.
She followed tentatively, toes stepping delicately on the wet sand as her nose wrinkled. "My sisters. They're with my mama. But they get loud, so I like to go off by myself."
Blue found a spot out of the reach of the waves, but with damp enough sand to pack nicely, and crouched down to start scraping sand into a pile. "My brothers are loud," he offered. "The little ones, anyway."
Makana nodded, kneeling down to follow his moves. "My sisters are my age. My littlest brothers and sisters are the loudest, though."
Blue shaped the pile into a rough shape, and started packing sand onto the sides to start making it look more like a castle. "I have two big brothers and two little brothers," he offered.
"I have... lots," Makana muttered, gathering up a handful and pushing it into one side. She blinked when half of it crumbled back to the ground. "And mama's gonna have another. Her belly's big."
"You need to get the wetter sand from down deeper," Blue pointed out. "Are you gonna have a little sister or a little brother?"
"I don't know. Mama hasn't told me yet." She considered the idea, eyeing the deeper sand and her paws before sighing and digging deeper to get it. So much sand in her fur... It felt awful! "I think I'd rather another boy," she added after a moment.
Blue tilted an ear at her. "How come?" He poked holes in the side of the structure for doors.
"Brothers are nicer. And quieter," she added, with a sheepish grin.
"Merlyn's loud," Blue said thoughtfully. "Here, put some sand here, that way the towers will be even."
Makana nodded, shifting to do as he directed, and considering his words. "Well, I guess Nico can be loud," she allowed. "But Annora was REALLY loud. I like boys more."
Blue nodded thoughtfully. "I have a sister, but she's all grown up and lives far away and she doesn't come home much," he said thoughtfully. "So I don't really know her. So I only know what brothers are like."
She was getting used to the sand in her fur, and now that the feeling was more familiar, she didn't mind it QUITE so much, though she was careful not to think of the bath she'd have to take afterward. It never occurred to her how similar it was to digging around in Mouse's pot. "What's her name?"
"Ieta. She's really small. Kind of like a fairy. She teaches at a school for little tiny people." Blue formed a ramp up to one of the turrets out of sand.
"A fairy? Some of those live at mama's old house," Makana noted, sitting back to watch him. "You're good at this," she added after a moment, more than a little impressed.
"She has fur and little feathery wings," Blue said. "What kind of fairies are at your mama's house?" He smiled shyly at her. "Thank you. ... It needs a moat," he added.
"What's a moat?" Makana asked, wondering if that was maybe something she could do. "Mama says they're pixies. They're small, and all fluttery and stuff. But they don't come close to me."
"Are they intelligent?" Blue asked curiously. "Some of the pets in our house are, and some of them aren't." He started to dig out a moat around the castle. "For the water to go in," he explained. "It's to protect the castle from invaders."
She watched for a moment, then tilted her head and moved to do the other side. "I think they are. Mama says they're afraid I'll eat them. But I don't eat small people. Just meat and fish." As though there was some difference.
"It's not polite to eat things that think," Blue nodded.
Makana nodded, agreeing with that thought. "It's not. Besides... they're usually nice."
"Uh huh. Some of our pets are as smart as I am." Blue sat back and studied the castle, putting one ear back in thought. "I'm not sure why they're pets, but they say so too, so I guess it's okay."
Makana crawled around to sit beside him, examining it curiously. A thought occurred to her, and she grinned suddenly, rising to her feet. "It needs decoration!"
"Uh huh. What kind?" Blue pushed himself up to his feet and shook vigorously, sending a cloud of half-dried sand everywhere.
Thankfully, Makana was far enough away to be spared getting the cloud into her own fur. "Mama has a picture of a castle with banners down the sides. Can we use these?" she asked, picking up a strand of seaweed.
"Oh, that's cool!" Blue spotted a tangle of seaweed at the edge of the waves. "I'll go get more."
Makana nodded, following his gaze and shivering slightly before taking the strand she'd found over to hang on one side of the front.
Blue trotted back with an armful of gleamingly wet seaweed and dropped it to one side of the castle, then crouched down to pick out decorative pieces to use for banners. "Is that enough?"
"I think so," Makana nodded, watching him with a smile before moving to take the pieces and hang them oh-so-carefully along the sides. "What sorts of pets are at your home?"
"Lots and lots. Dragons and cats and dogs and lots of sorts that I can't always remember their names. Ambyr is mine, though," Blue said proudly.
"Who's Ambyr?" Makana asked curiously, grinning a little.
"She's a Zurui. I got her at the easter egg hunt," Blue said proudly. "Dad couldn't come because Merlyn was sick, but Kher brought me and I found an egg."
Makana perked at that. She knew Zurui! She LIKED them. "Mama has lots of zurui all around. One of them is always with her, and another one watches over the little babies when they're playing," she told him. "Mouse is my pet."
"Ambyr came with me," Blue informed Makana. "Dad said I could go by myself only if she came with." He twisted around to look down the beach for the gold and blue Zurui.
Makana looked up, twisting around to search as well. "Mouse stayed at home in his pot. Sand doesn't agree with him."
"In his pot?" Blue blinked in confusion. Ambyr had sat up when she saw that her charge was looking for her; she angled her ears towards the two children inquiringly. Blue waved to her to let her know that all was still well, and she flopped her tail in the sand and lay back down.
"She's pretty," Makana murmured, beaming at the lovely gold on the zurui. "Mouse is a mushroom... thing. A kinoko. He eats sweets and lives in a pot in my room. It's a big square pot so he'll have lots of space to play," she added, holding her arms apart to show him just HOW big.
"I'll tell her you said, she'll like it," Blue smiled. "Is Mouse a plant?" he asked, blinking, one hand holding a forgotten piece of seaweed in midair as he tried to imagine a living mushroom.
She considered for a moment. "I... don't know," she finally admitted. "He looks JUST like a mushroom. A big one. But... he's alive."
"That's neat," Blue said. "Can I see sometime?"
Makana grinned, nodding. "Maybe you can come over, and Ambyr can come play with Ailis."
"Can Rena come too?" Blue draped the seaweed over the wall of the sandcastle. "She's littler than Ambyr."
"Of course," Makana nodded. "What's she?" She smiled happily at this, not quite sure when she'd finally relaxed in full, but knowing she was no longer worried that he might be loud or anything.
"She's a Zurui too. Khia got her for me." Blue nodded. "She's got blue fur, kind of like me, but brighter."
Makana grinned. "She can definitely come. Ailis' favorite thing in the world are zurui kits."
"Oh, Rena's not a kit," Blue corrected solemnly. "Just littler. Ambyr is fatter and taller." - It was probably a good thing that the gold Zurui hadn't quite heard that.
"Oh. Well, Ailis will still like her," Makana offered. "There's only one zurui in the world he doesn't like."
"How come?" Blue flicked his ears forward, interested.
"Mama says it's because they're opposites. I think it's cause she's always biting him, though," Makana said sagely. "If someone was always biting you, you wouldn't like her, right?"
"I wouldn't," Blue said, making a face at the thought. "I don't like getting bitten. Mocha bit me once, but that was because I accidentally put a book down on her tail ... "
"Who's Mocha?" Makana asked. So many names...
"Dad's Dragonfly. She's pretty, but she's not very smart." Blue nodded.
"Oh," Makana nodded, envisioning a tiny insect. "Ailis and Jaelle - that's the one who always bites him - are always fighting, but she lives in mama's old house, so they aren't around each other so much anymore."
"Did you move?" Blue poked at his shirt, which was sandy and wet and slightly slimy from the seaweed. He made a face and flopped down on his belly in the sand, figuring that he couldn't really get much dirtier now.
Makana stared at him for a long moment, then settled rather delicately into the drier sand not far away. "When mama got married to dad, we moved to a house just for all of us. He brought his kids, and mama brought us, and now we're all one family."
"That's neat," Blue opined. "Dad just made our house bigger when Reverie's daddy moved in."
"Reverie's daddy?" Makana asked, tilting her head. "Can I see your house sometime?"
"Uh huh. His name is Abishai, and he has wings," Blue said, looking briefly starry-eyed about that fact. "You should come over," he agreed. "You can see my room and Rena and maybe we can go out to the dragon stable."
Whoa... "Dragons?" she asked, eyes wide. "You have dragons?"
"Uh huh. There are lots!" Blue made a wild gesture to indicate large size. "They're big, and they live in their own stable at the bottom of the garden by the forest, because there are too many of them to be in the house, and they're really too big anyway. Some of them are nice and let me sit on their shoulders. But they can't take me flying, because their shoulder scales are too delicate, a saddle would hurt them," he informed Makana.
"Ohhhh," Makana said softly, watching him with wide, fascinated eyes. Dragons sounded so cool. "What color are they?"
"Lots and lots of different colors," Blue said, warming to his subject. "There are new kinds all the time, and there are two that aren't any named kind, because they came from eggs that were a mix of different kinds."
"What do you mean?" Makana asked, closing her eyes as she tried to envision it. "What sorts of kinds mix to make nothing particular?"
"Like - Dad's Marble dragon had eggs with a Cobweb dragon, and the babies aren't Marble or Cobweb, they're both." Blue explained.
Makana blinked and grinned. "What do they look like? Speckled with lines?"
"One of them is all grey with webby bits, and the other one is bluey marbley white with blue webby bits," Blue nodded.
"They sound neat. Are they nice?"
"The bluey grey one is nice but the grey one will try and bite you if you get too close," Blue said.
She nodded at that, looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "Do they ever fly?"
"Uh huh. The Symbiote doesn't, but a lot of them do. I think the Symbiote is just sort of lazy. But he's nice too." Blue's small wings moved slightly, unconsciously, as he thought of flight.
She noticed that, peering at him for a moment before leaning a little closer. "Do you fly?"
Blue shook his head. "My wings are too little. My brother says that that shouldn't matter, because physics says that people with wings shouldn't be able to fly, so people with wings usually have flying magic, but I tried and I couldn't."
"Maybe you'll be able to learn how to later?" Makana asked softly, tilting her head.
Blue stretched his wings out and flapped them twice to feel the air in his feathers, then refolded them. "I want to," he said softly.
Makana's tail tapped at the sand as she watched him for a moment, then crawled closer. "Can I see them?"
Blue obligingly lifted one wing for Makana to examine.
Makana reached out with a delicate paw to touch the eathers curiously. "Daddy has wings, but they're different from this."
Blue's wings were small, well-formed, birdlike, and clearly vestigial. His feathers were silky soft and clean, if a touch sandy right now. "What are your daddy's wings like?" he inquired.
"They're demon wings, because he's a demon," Makana explained. "Kinda like batwings, I guess."
Blue tilted an ear, puzzled. "Abishai has feathery wings, and he's a demon too," he said.
She blinked a little, tilting her head. "I thought demons all had kinda bat-looking wings, like daddy."
"Maybe there are different kinds," Blue mused, fascinated.
"Maybe," Makana nodded, grinning at him. "We could ask?"
"Okay. I will if you will," Blue answered.
"Okay! And then we can tell each other what they said. Do you suppose demons know each other?" Makana asked.
"Maybe. I bet it's like other kinds of people, some of them know each other and some don't," Blue speculated.
"That'd make sense. I don't know all the kids that came through the rift at Karma's place," Makana said thoughtfully. "I keep meeting new ones."
"I don't know all the Tales, either," Blue said. "What's the rift?"
"I'm not sure. But I was told that my parents pushed me through it and that's how I got here so that I could live with Mama and dad."
"Oh! Are you part of a story too?" Blue sat up curiously.
"A story? What do you mean?" Makana asked, confused.
"That sounds like a story," Blue said. "I'm part of a story, only I don't know what it is really yet, because I'm only just started."
"How do you be part of a story?" Makana asked softly, tilting her head. Whatever it was, it SOUNDED neat!
"Everybody has one, I think," Blue speculated. "Except most people don't have tomes to write them in, but they have them anyway. They have them by living."
"I have a journal?" Makana asked. "Mama got it for me, and she says the cover design is from Abyssinia. It was made by a friend of hers."
"Maybe that's yours, then." Blue blinked at Makana. "That's neat."
Makana grinned. "I'll show it to you when you come over? It's really pretty!"
"Okay!" Blue nodded. "I'm glad I came down to the beach, I like you," he added.
Makana nodded. "I'm glad, too! I like you, too," she assured him, then looked over at their castle. "Playing with you's fun."
"I should go home before dinner. ... I'll ask my dads if you can come over and see my room and meet the dragons," Blue promised solemnly.
"Okay," she nodded, then blinked, pausing. "Um... my Mama's Trio, and my daddy's Shiro. In case they need to know."
"Okay." Blue repeated the names silently to himself. "My dads are Prolixity and Abishai," he told her in return.
"Okay," Makana nodded. "I'll ask Mama if you can come over, too."
Blue stood up and brushed the sand from his pants and tail. "Thank you," he said cheerfully, and bowed low. "It was really nice to meet you, Makana! I hope we can play again." With that, he turned and started back towards where Ambyr patiently waited for him.
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