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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:55 am
Storm
Sotiris suffers through a small fit of rage over the departure of his father.The little godling stalked wordlessly into his room. He wanted several things, but he knew they weren’t things that could simply be handed to him. One of those things could be provided easily enough; he wanted to be alone.
He slammed the door shut that led to the aoidei quarters and locked it with shaking hands. He sent the main entrance to his room hurtling into the doorjamb with such force that it rattled the walls. The door that led to his brother’s room he shut gently, and it clicked shut silently.
Then he screamed.
He tore his hands through his hair wildly and hurled the nearest item within reach (which was thankfully one of his pillows) and threw it at the wall he shared with the aoidei. He screeched and carried on with himself, continuously throwing things at the wall until he ran out of energy and things he might throw without breaking. He was quite certain someone would come running at the first sign that he might’ve broken something made of glass or metal.
A tentative knock came at his door and he shrieked.
He stalked towards the door and flung it open with a look upon his face that many thought only his father might be capable of.
"WHAT?" he demanded before his features softened slightly. There before him sat his puppy. He made a quiet whining noise in the back of his throat that made him seem more like the puppy and all but threw himself at her.
He buried his face in her thick fur and hugged her about her neck. He drew away only to allow her the rest of the way inside so that his door could be shut so that no one else could intrude. He closed his eyes, and vaguely he noted the sensation of being picked up and carried off to bed, but by whom he wasn't certain.
Shima peered down at her ward and stroked his hair gently before shifting back into the form he was most familiar with.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:57 am
Calm
Guardian finds his composure and seeks out a distraction.He awoke slowly. He was nested comfortably beneath several blankets and he blearily squinted at his surroundings. He was definitely in his room. His eyes widened slightly and a look of distaste crossed his features briefly. His room was a mess. He sighed heavily and buried his face against one of his pillows.
He had only himself to blame for the mess, thanks to his temper tantrum. He groaned and dragged a blanket up over his head. How annoying. Now he was going to have to clean it all up! Briefly he contemplated asking one of the aoidei to help him, but then thoughts of Priya came to mind. She’d just spout off some nonsense about how he didn’t listen and one day she’d find a way to make him behave.
Pfft. He’d show her. Stupid cat-lady.
He stretched and dragged himself out of bed with a cantankerous look upon his face. Maybe Kios would help clean up the mess..? He frowned that that thought. No. That would not do. He was just going to have to suck it up and put everything away himself.
He did so slowly. He did not take pleasure from the various locks he had in place to protect what few things he had. Putting his pillows back into place was easy enough; he simply threw them back into the mound that served as his bed. Once finished he dived back into the middle of his nest and squirmed until he was comfortable.
What to do with his day now…
He could potentially go visit his mother, but he did not feel up to that. Seeing her would just remind him of who was now missing from his everyday life. He low whine escaped him at that thought, and he rolled over onto his stomach with a growl before punching a pillow with one fist.
He sighed and exhaled raggedly. That wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He’d just make a mess again, exhaust himself, fall asleep, and otherwise waste a perfectly good day for es’ploring.
Perhaps he would go look at something new. He did very much like things that were new, and admittedly, he liked learning about stuff. Most of the time the things he learned were only bits he picked up on his own here and there. He preferred it that way, but sometimes he thought perhaps he ought to follow his brother to the library and sit with Knowledge for a while.
He had a hard time imagining himself sitting still that long staring at a book. He pulled a face and once more trudged his way out of bed. He snatched up his pouch and silently treaded outside his door. He shut it silently as he possibly could and then made a bee-line for the front door. He did not want company, and he did not want to be bothered by some silly aoide trying to stop him.
He relaxed once he managed to reach the stairs that led away from his family’s quarters entirely. He paused at the stop stair as he decided where it was he wanted to go. To be honest, he wasn’t certain. He hadn’t exactly explored the Pantheon top to bottom – surely there were more things to see! – but outside was tempting. So tempting.
Mom did so worry about him when he was gone. He wished she’d stop that. He had his puppy, and even though he was gone, his father had ghosts that trailed after them. He knew because he had overheard a conversation regarding someone named ‘Annie.’ That, and sometimes he could feel them. He couldn’t see them, but he was sometimes plagued by the feeling of being followed when he knew very well he was alone.
He did not know much about her other than the fact that she was dead. Supposedly she was a kitten of some sort..? His face screwed up in confusion. It really didn’t make much sense to him. He decided that perhaps he’d ask his brother. He could not see them, but he could hear them just fine.
He paused again in the middle of the stairwell. He had that feeling again. It always caused the fine hairs on the back of his neck to stand upright. It didn’t bother him so much, but sometimes it was annoying. Had his very thoughts brought their presence upon him? Given his current foul mood, it certainly did not help matters any.
Sotiris trekked the rest of the way down the stairwell with an irritable grumble. “Go away, ghosts,” he ordered. Pity he could not boss them around the way his father did. They listened to him about as well as his parent’s aoidei did.
He stalked out of the Pantheon in a bit of a rush in a futile attempt the trail of cold that seemed to so intent on following him about. Really? Was this really necessary? He sighed heavily and trudged outside down a trail towards one of the tea houses. He had seen them from afar, but had not yet had the opportunity to see the inside of one.
He took off at a run, and reveled at the feeling of wind whipping through his hair and of earth beneath his bare feet. He stopped only when he reached the tea house and hopped his way inside with a bounce to his step. That had been fun.
As soon as he settled upon the front stairs of the house itself to eye his surroundings he felt it again. The familiar cold had followed him. He sighed and pressed his face to his hands with a quiet grumble. Outside the feeling wasn’t nearly so oppressive as it was in his family’s rooms. His eyes drifted closed for a moment, and he wondered faintly if it were indeed the so-called ‘kitten’ that was following him.
He lifted his head slowly. “Annie..?” he called tentatively. He didn’t think it would do him any good, but it was worth a shot. He glanced around behind him to peek into the tea house. He was at least visibly alone. That was good. There’d be no one to witness his foolishness at seemingly talking to himself. “You there..?”
The kitten in question giggled. What a silly boy! She had been watching over him specifically ever since his father had ordered her to do so. He was very energetic and had a knack for getting himself into trouble. He at least did not habitually get himself into truly dangerous situations, and when he did Shima was usually present.
She reached down in the dirt and wrote ‘hello.’ It was Akakios that knew how to read and write, but perhaps the little godling before her would figure it out?
His eyes widened as he peered at the invisible something that was scribbling in the sand. His expression went from startled, to amused, before finally settling something a bit darker and annoyed. He also quite quickly decided that he would indeed need to visit Knowledge at some point. He didn’t know what it was she had written.
“So you are following me,” he hissed.
“Ohhh… please don’t be angry with me,” she murmured even though she knew very well he couldn’t hear her. She moved to sit next to him and noted with a bit of amusement that he was bigger than her. He was growing quickly it seemed, and was also destined to be as mountainous as his father in some respects.
She smiled at the thought and idly pat him upon his back. She drew away slightly when he flinched and growled. “I’m sorry. I really am,” she told him.
His emotions were tumultuous and all over the place. He wanted to play and simply be a child, but there were heavier feelings that weighed him down: responsibility, grief, worry, anger. She frowned. Maybe she could help to sooth him.
She tugged at his hand though he did not budge. “Come inside?”
Sotiris scowled down at his hand which had become impossibly cold all of a sudden. The feeling came and went several times, and the cold presence at his side seemed to retreat somewhere behind him. He arched a brow curiously and decided to follow it inside the tea house.
It was plush inside. He liked that. He settled himself in amongst some pillows and glanced up at the ceiling. It was comfy like his room, but more open. He decided if there wasn’t a roof at all then it would be perfect. He didn’t appreciate the feeling of being caged.
Anika sighed as she moved to sit next to him. She smirked faintly at the glare he shot in her direction. She scooted to curl near him and did her very best to project a feeling of calm over him. Her empathic abilities worked still in death, but it was much harder to influence the living than it had been before. Other ghosts did not prove to be so much of a challenge. Silently she hoped that because he was Underworld’s child that it would work for him as well.
She’d witnessed his tears the evening before. The feeling had been overwhelming. The child’s stress had amplified her own worry about Lord Nergal to a point that she had to flee outside to escape the pain.
Sotiris sighed heavily, and he noticed that if he closed his eyes he could almost picture the visage of the small person that was pressed near him. There was a slight weight upon his shoulder. Was that her cheek? It was how his sister preferred to sit curled near him. He smiled slowly at the thought of her.
He found that he didn’t feel nearly so sad anymore. He was still upset, but it didn’t weight upon him so heavily. Was that the ghost’s fault, too? He wasn’t sure. He was definitely going to have to chat up his brother at some point about the mysterious invisible creature that followed him about.
For the moment he was content to remain there surrounded by the calm that the cold invisible kitten emanated. He chuckled quietly under his breath at a particular thought. “You’re too big to be just a kitten,” he told her as he squirmed against the cushions to get more comfortable.
She moved with him and laughed quietly. “Silly, I am a changeling and not just a simple kitten.” Maybe when her Lord returned she’d ask if there was a way she might be able to talk to his children for real. She never really got to have friends during her life. Perhaps now, in death, she would have that opportunity.
“You’d tell my bro if something was wrong with Dad, right?” he asked softly with a forlorn look that made Annie’s chest constrict, “That way he could tell me…”
She nodded silently and idly twirled a strand of his hair between her fingers, and smiled quietly when the boy squirmed and giggled at the sensation. “I’ll tell him. I promise.”
Sotiris wasn’t entirely certain whether or not she heard his request but faintly he did feel the tingling sensation of hands in his hair and patting his back in a soothing manner. He decided that perhaps he did not mind the ghosts so much. After all, rare was the occasion he got into a mess (or simply created one) that he would not want to boast to his father about later.
That, and this Annie seemed… helpful almost.
He smiled and bounded upright to peek around at the insides of the tea house with a bit more bounce to his step than he had moments before. After he determined he had had his fill of his new surroundings, he darted back outside with a bit more clarity and a great deal calmer than when he had arrived.
He still missed his father desperately, and he had just barely left at all. Nothing but his return would fix that, but now it didn’t bother him quite as bad as it had the evening prior.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:01 am
Shines For Mum!
Soto attempts to cheer up his mother.Reyna Crelos  Soto was still and quiet. Both things were quite odd if not a bit disturbing given the child's usual demeanor. The only movement that came from his form was that of his brightly glowing wisp-like eyes that were carefully following the elegant form of his worried mother. Occasionally he would sigh softly when she did, or his brow would furrow with worry when she happened to look upset for the briefest, flickering moment. Eventually, he became restless as he was often wont to do. Without much warning, save for the barely there sound of his feet landing upon the floor, he jumped up and ran to his mother.
He offered her the brightest of his brash grins and threw his arms about her delicate waist. Had he only been a little older, he likely would have picked her up and swung her around the way he would his beloved sister. "Mum!" he announced as he nuzzled over against her side and all but threw himself into her arms. "It be okay," he told her before repeating in a more insistent tone, "It be okay."
Zero Dream
Soto was not the only one to watch his mother's movements carefully - Kios did, as well, from where he was sitting, golden eyes going back and forth as he leaned against his sister, clearly a bit upset by the turn of events, tiny brow furrowed in a way that did not match his father or older brother, but indeed got the point across.
He glanced at his older brother silently before he went, deep in thought. This was not right... this was not right at all. He did not like this. There had to be something they could do, right ?
And if someone was to know, it would be Soto, of course. Maybe mommy needed a puppy... ?She was pacing again. The goddess had not even noticed it, just like the other times this day. It seemed that as long as she could keep herself busy, to keep her mind focused on something, anything but her future husband and the fact that there are yet been no news, all was well.
But the second she had nothing to do, nothing to truly focus on... she simply started up again.
It was the grip on her waist that stopped her, one hand moving to run though her eldest's hairs before she moved to sit so he could reach toward her face if he wished. It... was better than pacing, she figured.
Her children seemed to all be taking it much better than she did. They were the ones handling it right, of course. Then why couldn't she do the same ? She tried... but it was hard to just let go.
Though... She knew all too well that she had to. "I know, my dear. You're right." She offered with a smile - strained but genuine. "Mommy knows all that in her head, but it's like her heart does not... I am sorry, my dear."
Reyna Crelos  Little Guardian huffed a bit and waived his hand in a nonchalant way as though to indicate to his mother that she was indeed being silly without outright telling her she was being silly. "No being sorry, Mum. Why sorry? No need for," he murmured sweetly as he leaned into her hands and wiggled closer to her. He hummed quietly under his breath some aimless tune before reaching to pet at her hair in return. It seemed like a good idea. It certainly lent him comfort when he was upset and making pouty faces like his mum.
His humming turned into an odd, half disjointed mumbling sort of song. He was not nearly so musically inclined as his brother, or even his sister, but it hardly seemed to matter that he come up with words. His mother would know what he meant just fine. "Would find you shines," he sing-songed in a loving voice, "Too make you smile."
Zero Dream  "I am indeed being very silly." It seemed the goddess had guessed, even thought he had not said so outright - one hand traveled upward to pluck the pins that held her hair in place, sending it falling down, blue and purple strands shifting much like small waves. every time she did but the smallest movement.
"But who needs shinies to smile... She joined in, smile more genuine and clearly touched by Guardian's care. "When the greatest treasures surround me daily ?" The goddess trailed a finger on his cheek, lightly.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris continued to hum happily, infinitely pleased with himself that his mother had taken up his song and made it that much better. He reached for her soft waves of hair and began to gently plate tiny braids into his hair. He had become rather adept at it from watching his father do the same to both his mother and Chrys' hair -- but Lady Music did not shriek at the prospect of having her hair braided.
"Would bring you shines," he murmured again, trying to follow her far more elegant tune, "For smiles and laughs. So mother might shine prettifulll-y."
Thabara  Crys remained snuggled against her younger brother for most of the time, but she was listening closely. Nothing escaped her sharp senses – their mother's restles pacing, the faind sounds the goddess' robes and golden strings caused as they rustled across the floor, the silmutaneous sighs she and Sotiris heaved …
It had been hard to not notice their mother's growing distress, even for her. Least of all for her, perhaps, for there was a certain air about the goddess of music, faint, but familiar. The air of loss. As if she was afraid that daddy might never come back.
The young Grief frowned. That seemed ridiculous. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't imagine anything that would keep their parents parted for long. Sometimes daddy was busy, which meant he stayed away for a few days. And to make a place for all the many dead people just meant he would be very busy, possibly turning days into weeks. Maybe she could ask aunt Cosine to figure out how long he'd be gone.
Zero Dream Echo did her best to stay as still as possible, in order not to hinder her son's careful work if she could avoid doing so. She had no idea he knew how to braid... well, he had not picked that from her, that much was certain. Her own skill with hair left much to be desired, it would seem.
"I would shine for you, beautiful and true, my dear." She hummed in return. "Smile and laugh for you. With you. Will you one day show me the best-guarded wonders of this world, little Guardian ? For perhaps the best treasures are sweet memories..."Seeing his mother happy once more - even though he could still feel her sadness, her worry rooted deep inside of her heart, persistent, pulsing, almost as if calling to him - seemed to settle the youngest child somewhat, though he did not leave his sister's side for the moment. It was Soto's moment, not his. At least not yet. He was glad, more than anything, that he could make their mother forget her anxieties, if only for one moment.
"S'not right." He whispered into his sister's sensitive ear. She would know what he meant - she felt it too, this feeling, would she not ? She always did. They often felt similar things at the same time, though differently.
Mommy was supposed to smile, to laugh, to sing, to dance, to play... not to be worried about things she ought not to be worried about. Even he had stopped doing so and accepted the occurrence as something that had needed to happen, and that things would one day settle and that all would be well.
Then why couldn't she ? Adults... could be so silly.
Thabara Crys' fingers shifted to intertwine with those of her younger brother's, as if she had sensed some of what was going through his mind, and she nodded. Sad songs and sighs, these were for her and her brother, not for their mother. Maybe if they brought her gifts, like their father had, that would cheer her up? For now, however, Soto's disharmonic sing-song seemed to do the job just right.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris chuckled quietly as he nuzzled over against his mother as he listened to her beautiful voice sing. His eyes drifted half closed in his contentment. "Of course would find treasure and shines for you!" he declared outright, "For ever and ever find things for my mum."
He turned to face her with an air of seriousness and a smirk on his face as he held her face between his hands, fingertips threading through her long locks at her temples. "Will find you a treasure. For cheering." He kissed her forehead and skittered away with a skip to his step, tail wagging in his excitement as he went to fetch the small satchel he had claimed as his own.
It was time for some es'ploring!
Zero Dream And Echo did little to stop him, a smile on her face as she watched her eldest skitter off. After all, she had talked over this for quite a length of time with the three of them - they could go as they wished, on their own, as long as they did not leave the pantheon. She knew very well that nothing too bad could happen to them here, under Creation's watchful eyes. They were allowed to go beyond that only if they had someone accompanying them, and if she heard wind of this not being respected... then there would be consequences. She had not spoken of just what, but she had seemed rather serious. Lacrymosa and Akakios, she fully expected to listen, but Sotiris... was another matter.
But she had a trump card for that.That trump card, in fact, was laying against the wall beside the door and, by all appearances, taking a nap, though the familiar sound of the footsteps of her young master made one black, smoke-trailing ear perk up, and by the time Sotiris would exit, Shima would be sitting, tail wagging and greeting him with a wuff.
Where were they going today ?
Reyna Crelos The little godling had enough presence of mind to pause near the door and pet Shima atop her head fondly. It would require effort, but he figured he could probably escape her if he put his mind to it. Given the circumstances, however, he wasn't exactly intent on causing his mother any sort of worry. She was already distraught enough. He wasn't about to add to it; at least not while he was in her presence and blatantly within both plain sight and hearing range.
"Okay, Mum," he declared, tail still wagging behind him with pent up excitement, "Will be back with Puppy to bring you shines." He darted forward quickly to hug his sister and kiss her cheek before whispering quietly, "Will bring you things, too, Sis." He pat Kios' atop his head and nodded towards him with a sort of knowing glance. While his youngest sibling got on his nerves with his constant cuteness, he at least knew they were on the same page. Plus, he made for an excellent cohort.
"Come on Shima-puppy," he murmured with a grin as he skipped out the door before taking off at a run while cackling with glee. "Race youuuuu~uuu," his voice echoed down the hallway back to his mother and siblings.
Zero Dream "Be careful, now." Echo said with a smile.Kios only nodded in answer to his elder brother. They were, indeed, on the same page on this one. Something needed to be done to cheer their mother up again... and Lament was not especially good at cheering. It was simply not in his base nature.
But Soto would find something. He was sure of it. He and Crys could stay here and watch over mommy.Shima's smoky tail kept on wagging, the shapeshifter acting much more like a puppy than the large shadow-beast she looked to be in reality, awaiting to see where her young master wished to go today.
When the green godling suddenly went into a run, she was quick the rush behind him, carefully maneuvering around the door frame and stairs without colliding into anything, though it looked like she was intentionally keeping him ahead.
Reyna Crelos Soto ran with a reckless abandon that could only be described as utterly joyous. He sang in his off kilter manner as he did so. What it was he sang hardly seemed to matter so long as he did, that way his mom would know that this was all for her. He would be happy and joyous so that it might infect her, too! It worked for Sis. She was always infinitely happier if he were demandingly cheerful.
He came to a quick halt, skidding only slightly as his bare feet slid on the cool tile of the floor as he paused before one of the large arched doorways. He glanced backwards towards Shima and then back to the door which led outside of the pantheon entirely. "Can be going outside, Puppy," he insisted, "To find shines. Very 'portant, you know."
With that he stepped outside with an insistent, proud look with his head held high as though he dared anyone to keep him indoors and stop him from completing his quest.
Zero Dream The 'puppy' did little to stop him, in fact, she followed along with her little master with the air of the perfect guard dog, ears sharply upward and watching out for any sound that would be considered out of place. After all, she had been told that it was allright for her to allow it as long as she did not leave his presence.
It was rather obvious that anyone who tried to mess with the green godling would have to deal with her first.
Reyna Crelos Little Guardian skittered out the door at a mad dash, giggling with glee as he did so. He pounced the ground on all fours and rolled around in the dirt and grass happily. Outside was soooo much better than inside! He laughed, amused by his own antics before he hopped up and began running once again.
He rather liked the feeling of the wind rushing past him. He didn’t stop running until he suddenly found himself at the edge of a small pond. He bent down close to the edge and gasped as he caught sight of his reflection. Was it a mirror? He had not ever really seen a large body of water that was so still and smooth.
He chuckled quietly as a frog hopped past him and splashed into the water. That looked like fun! He jumped in after the frog without thinking. At first he was just remained in the shallows, but then his curiosity got the best of him and he drifted out farther.
With a yelp, he sank under the water, wisp-eyes blazing in sudden distress. What was he supposed to do? He hadn’t ever swam before!
Zero Dream If Shima had not seen much worse than that, she would have likely panicked. But she had dealt with demons and much worse matters of tense situation and danger in her time as a mercenary than a silly god-pup that apparently no one had thought it might be a good idea to teach how to swim.
These gods, sometime... they sure overlooked the practical.
Panic she did not, but that did not change that the shapeshifter was there with a literal flash, teeth sinking into the leather of the loincloth the child wore, in lack of any other easy grap that would not hurt him in the process, and dragged him back to the surface, and out of the lake, letting him down on the shore and shaking water off her fur much like a dog would have, her eyes apparently caught mid-way in between mild amusement seriousness, as if she was asking 'Well, what have we learned today ?'
Reyna Crelos Sotiris sat upon the shore and coughed up a bit of the water with a mild look of disgust. He fell quiet for a moment and glanced around him a look that was somewhat akin to awe. He jumped up and threw his arms up in the air with a shout.
“Let’s do that AGAIN!” he declared, cackling with glee as he dove past Shima and right into the water.
He had noticed that if he kicked his legs just so he could propel himself through the water, and if he held his breath no water got into his lungs. He popped his head up out of the water and laughed merrily, gargling a bit of the water as he did so.
He held his breath again and let himself sink back under the water, quite content for the time being to flail about in the water mindlessly.
Zero Dream ...Heh.
Pups.
The shadow beast padded toward the shore again, keeping a close eye on her ward. He seemed to be picking it up on his own... smart pup. The shapeshifter seemed content with watching for a moment, but eventually she leaped back into the water herself. It had been a long time since she had seen water so clear... it was nearly impossible to resist to urge to flail in it much like the child did. Perhaps he could learn to dog-paddle as he saw her do so ?
Reyna Crelos “Hee! This is fun!!” Sotiris declared brightly as he kicked his legs and splashed about in the water. He paddled his legs and feet like Shima, amused that he could do it too. All was going well until something shiny caught his eye. He shrieked like a little banshee and dived back down under the water to see if he could find what had glinted so brightly in the sun.
He floated there in the water and glanced around, irritated that he could not see it again. He swam back up to the surface and coughed when a wave of water filled his mouth. He sputtered with indignation before latching onto Shima.
“Puppy!” he managed between breaths, “Saw a shine down, down below. Can help find it?"
Zero Dream Yes, it was a smart little pup she had been tasked to guard. The young Guardian learned rather quickly... fact that could most likely be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you asked.
The large, black beast cocked her head in the direction of her young charge as he spoke, and dove under the water, form shimmering and lengthening into one of some kind of eel, more suited with quick swimming under the water - and, more importantly, better water vision.
It took a few loops around the pond for a sparkle caught her eye, and she gave a whip of her tail, hopefully revealing what was hidden beneath.
Reyna Crelos Soto dived back under the water to paddle after his eel-puppy clumsily. He wanted to squeal when he saw the shine again, but now knew better than to do so as it would invite water into his mouth and lungs. While it caused him no true harm it was a rather unpleasant sensation.
He kicked his legs as hard as he could to push himself further down before finally managing to snatch up the brightly glinting thing he had seen. He pushed himself up off the floor of the pond which sent him rocketing up quickly. He made a triumphant noise as he bobbed up to the surface and cheered happily.
"Has the shine!" he declared before crawling back to the beach to examine it more closely.
Zero Dream There. That seemed to have done it just fine. Shima let herself drift back to the surface before returning to her previous, more canine-like form, and dog-paddled after the young Guardian, rather curious herself as to what had him to excited. Even though, to be honest... most things had the young boy excited rather easily.
Reyna Crelos He crawled his way back ashore once the water gave way to the shallow bank. He flopped over onto the sandy embankment with a huff and gazed up at the blank sky. He laid there for a few long moments with a contented look on his face before rolling over onto his stomach to peer at the treasure in his hand.
It appeared to have once been a delicate bracelet, though the metal was tarnished. It was hard to say exactly what color the metal was, but it was still pretty. He gazed down at it for a long moment before glancing over at Shima. "Need to fix it, Puppy," he declared before jumping up to his feet.
He shook out the water from his hair and tail like a dog before taking off at a run once again. "Come on!" he cheered, "Need to find help to fix Mom's shine!"
Zero Dream Shima said nothing, as she usually did, but she followed her young charge, though at a more demure pace. What kind of trouble would the little pup get himself too, this time... ?
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:13 am
A Secret Gift
Sotiris decides to hide the shine for safe keeping.Sotiris brought his new shine back to the Pantheon, and made a dash to his room. He left a wet, slightly muddy trail of foot prints from the front door of his family's quarters all the way to his room without a care. He dared any of the aoide to scold him. He was on a mission of sorts, and felt that they had no room to interfere with his brilliant plans.
He frowned a bit at that thought and glanced down at the tarnished jewelry in his hand. He had been focused on repairing it to give to his mother straight away, but now that he had stopped to think about it, he wasn't sure how.
The frown on his face darkened still. He would have to find another shine for his mother. This one, he decided, was better set aside for another time. He was going to figure out how to polish and repair the clasp or find someone who could do so for him. He just wasn't certain who could do that for him.
"Puppy," he murmured with a twinge of disappointment, "Am to keep safe for later. Need to go find another shine."
Shima didn't reply. She rarely did unless the occasion truly merited a response, and instead sat patiently near his side.
He grumbled and buried his face against her thick fur for a moment. "Want to make mum shines," he lamented with a muffled grumble. He sighed and withdrew himself from his puppy and peered over at the nearest wall.
He certainly wouldn't want any of the aoide to get a hold of his new prized possession on accident. They might think it was trash and have it thrown out. The thought shot a thrill of panic through him and he skittered quickly to the wall and opened up one of the many drawers.
Sotiris turned briefly to eye Shima. "Am putting here for safe keeping, okay?"
He dropped the bracelet into the drawer and slammed it shut. "No one can open but me. Help keep safe, Puppy."
Shima woofed a quiet noise of agreement to appease her ward.
"Is to be a secret surprise," Sotiris announced before moving to flop over into his bed, utterly uncaring of the fact that he was still wet from swimming in the pond. "Those are the best kinds of surprises. Well, when they're good. A shine for Mum is good kind."
He sighed quietly and allowed his eyes to drift shut. The stresses of his father being gone, and his constant activity was wearing him down slowly. It was time for a nap.
"Pupppppyyy," he grumbled as he snuggled down into his blankets and patted the spot next to him to indicate that she ought to come lay down next to him.
Shima made an amused noise and moved to settle down at the foot of the bed to watch over the now sleeping child. It amused her to no end how the boy would spend all of his energy going, going, going until he couldn't any further.
Such a silly pup.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:18 am
And So She Left
After being summoned by his mother, Sotiris learns that she is leaving, too.Zero Dream She waited.
This had the potential to go very easily, or very badly, and she had no idea which one of them it would be. Still, she felt like she owed her children at least this - an explanation. They deserved to know what she was doing, and why. They should not have to wonder just why their mother left and why she had not told them anything - she feared that going though the world tree would take quite a long time, more than she had thought this journey of hers would take if her previous two attempts had worked out. She had figured that they would have taken a few days, tops.
But this could most likely take weeks. Months. She had no idea how to navigate the world tree. The only thing she knew was the direction she needed to go in. Down.
Her children deserved to know how much she trusted them, as well. To leave them with only a few adults to watch over them as needed.
She forced inside the sigh that threatned to come out, and called for them - her voice easily travercing the walls and reaching out the whole place, even as she sat in the middle of the garden, to reach them. She did it now, less she lose her courage to do so if she dared to wait.
Her biggest fear was that they might resent her. Hate her. The goddess was not sure if she could deal with the three of the most precious ones in her life hating her.
Thabara It did not take long for the first to heed her call to breathlessly arrive on the doorstep to the atrium. It only seemed natural to assume it would be either Kios or Lacrymosa, as both of them had obviously inherited their mother's excellent sense of hearing. The same probably went for Soto, but with him it was more of a matter if he actually wanted to hear.
"Mommmm~!" the little blue-skinned goddess shouted, zooming towards her mother at a speed which made it almost impossible to believe she was actually blind. But this was home and she literally knew the location of even the smallest pebble. Unless Soto moved things around again.
"Look, I'm wet!" she exclaimed happily, wrapping her thin arms around her mother's legs. And, indeed, she was – her dress being soaked completely, and droplets of water dripping from the clingy strands of her hair. If it wasn't for her ridiculously happy grin, she would look like The Ghost Of A Drowned Girl incarnate.
Reyna Crelos  Soto's little face screwed up in a scowl befitting that of his father as he stomped towards his home. He had just nearly caught the lizard he had been stalking all morning when he heard his mother's call. Normally he would have simply ignored her outright, but there was a sense of urgency to her voice he did not feel inclined to ignore. That, and there was the overwhelming concern he felt for her currently.
His father's absence had worn on her terribly, and he did not like to think of it. He was almost irritated with his father that he had left her alone for so long. He would certainly give him an earful about how he felt about that once his father returned. And he would return! Even if it meant he had to stomp his way all the way to... whever he was! Yeah!
With that thought he marched into the atrium and towards where his mother and sister had already gathered. His stormy expression softened a bit at the sight of both of them, but he still held tightly to his foreboding mood. He'd weather bad news better that way, or so he had convinced himself.
Zero Dream Oddly enough, beside being one of the closest children, Akakios was the last to make it there. He had been writing, as he often did, and simply refused to go before he was done with his sentence. Once that had been done, however, the child slid his quill back in the inkpot and let himself slide down his hair to his feet, padding his way to where his mother had called for them. He likewise did not seem very warm about the idea, as if some kind of sixth sense was telling him something was about to happen. The godling made his way though silently, however, and waited, leaning against one of the pillars there, his expression blank as it mostly was, betraying little of his inner doubts."I can feel that." She had avoided the word 'see' on purpose, scooping her daughter to rest her on her lap in spite of the water dripping on the floor. As if a little wetness would stop her for loving on her daughter... and it was probably the best place the young one could be at. She could not see her take what she had to say very nicely at all.
Her two sons followed soon enough, Sotiris looking rather somber and Akakios much like his usual, though there was something in his eyes that she could not quite identify or recognize. It would be easy for her to ignore what she had to say now, and simply enjoy their presence, but... she owed them that much. It would only bring more pain to all of them if she fled now.
"Thank you." One hand reached to ruffle her eldest's hair with obvious affection. "I will not keep the lot of you away long, but... I need to tell you about some things, my darling. About your father... and what will come now. You three know what a promise is, yes ?"
Thabara "Like a pinky swear," Crys said sagely, snuggling comfortably against her mother's form. She loved sitting on mommy's lap, it was always so warm and comfortable. "Or ..." She frowned, trying to remember. "'Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.'" She smiled proudly. "Grace taught me, that's what you say if you are really, really serious about a promise."
Reyna Crelos Soto folded his arms over his chest and gazed over at his mother levelly. He grew very still, and very quiet as he waited intently for his mother to speak. It was the equivalent to watching a storm brew in the distance. Keeping still and quiet was never his forte but this was obviously important. He could fairly sense it in the air that surrounded his mother.
A small frown tugged at his dark lips before they twitched slightly with the beginnings of smirk. "Promises things that you don’t break,” he said with a knowing look as he surreptitiously glanced over towards his little brother for a brief moment.
"Things that make trouble if you break,” he went on. "Especially if’a soul breaks promises with Da~aad,” he sing-songed.
Zero Dream "S'something you say only if you truly intend to keep it." Akakios' glance met his brother's for a moment, but he was back to looking at his mother a split second afterward, his expression never betraying just exactly that had been about, save for a small glimmer of mischief in his eyes. That is, if their mother had even seen the twin gesture at all. Though, that glimmer very quickly faded and was replaced by the same look as before. He, perhaps, more than his two siblings, most likely knew exactly what it was about. "s'about daddy... isn't it ?"Echo could not help but smile a bit at the explanations her children gave her, though she settled again at her youngest's question. "That is right. Well, I have made a promise of my own, to your father." She was not trying to dumb it down for them. They did not need it. She knew that much. "He left to remake his realm... And neither of us, not even him, knew exactly what would truly happen, and how long it would take. He has told me he would send word if he could, but..." Her glance settled on Akakios, who nodded silently. "There has not been anything. What I have promised was, that if he did not send word to me, in one way or another, that all was well... That I would go myself and see what had happened." She stopped there, alternating in between hoping for the best and fearing the worst.
Thabara "So," Crys pursed her lips, trying to figure out things for herself. "We're going to find dad?" If he had become lost, and that was what it sounded like, the more people to search for him the better. So it was just natural for her to assume that she and her siblings would tag along.
Reyna Crelos Soto watched his mother’s expression closely after Crys spoke up. His frown intensified. No, that did not seem to be the case. Mother would not look nearly so worried were that the case. He ducked his head and stared down at his feet. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. He didn’t think that he was going to like what he was about to hear.
Zero Dream The youngest seemed like he was about to say something... but stopped himself before the words would come out, looking over at his brother with a slight frown on his face. Apparently, they were thinking much the same thing... Soto was very easy to read, most of the time at least, though at the moment he found nothing amusing about it... Even though there was something attractive about the buildup of what he knew would happen, even if at the same time, he disliked it.
He couldn't help but wonder if everything that happened so far, and everything that could happen in the future... had been worth it. His mother's worry and sadness, beautiful and ethereal, and now her... departure.Echo was, indeed, very easy to read. It was probably a good thing that her daughter could not see her expression at the moment, almost as if she'd been tugging at her heart directly. But her long silence, as her mind raced for the words to smooth this over as well as possible, most likely betrayed her.
"It.. is not that simple, my dear." She started. "This... will likely take a some time, to get to where he is. And it is likely very dangerous. If I took the three of you along... and something happened..." She shook her head. "I would never forgive myself. Until I know it is safe..." If only it had not been for the matter of that possible danger, of that unknown... The goddess would have likely took them along. But would they understand that their safety was, for her, more important than anything else in the world, even if they would recent her for it ?
Thabara Crys couldn't see her mother's face, but that wasn't necessary. She could feel how her body tensed under her touch, hear how there suddenly was a discord in the soft hum of her wings, long before she said anything.
Mom was indeed going to look for dad, but she was going without them.
Mom was leaving.
Her mind latched onto something else she'd said, and she sat up abruptly, pale blue fingers digging into her mother's gown to hold onto it. "What," she said, a slight quiver in her voice already, "if something happens to you?"
Reyna Crelos "Dad would not allow that," Sotiris insisted firmly as he crossed his arms. His tone left no room for arguement. He believed it to be utterly true without question. If something terrible had happened to their father, wouldn't it be Lament and Grief who would be the first to know?
He did not speak those words aloud for fear of causing further upset. He also knew that it would not stop their mother from leaving. Just because their father was not dead or dying did not mean he did not need help. He desperately wished to go with her, to protect her, but his siblings would need a Guardian far more than his mother did.
Zero Dream It simply seemed so much easier to be silent right now than to attempt to interject with anything - right now, it seemed no one was paying attention to him, and that was a very good thing, he thought, with his face frowning in a mix of thought and upset. He was not happy with this turn of events, of course he was not, but he could see how it was needed. If only for their mother rather than them - she would never truly settle unless she knew what had happened.
To tell the truth, even he started to be a little worried by now, though he was certain there was a perfectly good and logical explanation somewhere. However... he simply could not think of it at the moment. It was not like he could have missed a message, that much he was certain - the ghosts knew how to easily get his attention before, so why could that have changed any ?The goddess had been about to speak when she was interrupted, oddly enough, by her eldest. It took her by surprise, to see him defend her decision, but she said nothing of it other than a thankful glance, instead running fingers though the dull locks of her daughter's hair to calm her. "Beside, you are needed here." She said, softly. Weither or not the little girl truly realized it... she was. She had seen it at the funeral, and time and time again - perhaps even more than she was. It had been company with the little girl that had managed to dull the pain in Allysia's heart, as well as so many others. And there was Caleb, and Grace... "I will need someone to keep track of things for me. Could you... ?" Perhaps... Perhaps giving her something else to focus on would dull the pain.
She doubted it, but she could not think of anything else that did not simply involve glossing over the details, or outright lying. She refused to do that.
Thabara Crys wasn't one for logical explanations, but Soto's words at least caused her to abruptly press her lips closed to a thin, determined line. It was her 'I'm-not-going-to-cry' face, though she still looked as if on the verge of tears.
"What things?" she finally asked hesitantly, her voice still decidedly shaky. She didn't feel at all as if she was needed. And she most certainly didn't want her mother to leave! Part, because she worried for her, and part for her very own selfish reasons. No one was as calming, warm and comforting as mommy, so whose bed was she supposed to climb into when she woke up at night now, feeling all alone?
Reyna Crelos Soto's face fell into worried lines at his sister's sudden distress. He didn't want his mother to leave. He felt plenty of sorrow over his father's departure. He could only imagine his sister's grief being that it was her very domain. He edged towards her and placed a hand upon her shoulder before idly twisting a lock of her hair in his hand.
"I need you, Sis," he declared with a serious look that was horribly reminiscent of his father's own stern features, "And much more people need you still." There were still others that came by day after day that needed both his siblings. He knew it to be true, because when he was out exploring he saw them firsthand.
He wrapped his arms about her shoulders and leaned his cheek atop her head. "No worries," he said as sunnily as he could muster, "I'll keep you safe, Sis. Kios, too."
Guardian. That was his domain.
Zero Dream *I need you, too." Lament said without any hesitation, though he stayed right where he was, left the physical shows of affection for his brother to give, He would do the same later. He did not doubt, for any moment, that his sister knew of the depth of his affection for her, if only by the intonation of his words alone. He came closer, though, and slipped his hand into her's, laying his head against his mother's legs as she sat. "Creation, too. And Allysia." He had not been there, but he had heard - heard that his sister was her, wailing in the architect's lap as she did the same, sharing in the half-elf's grief.
He had been very proud.
Other words did not come, so he fell silent. Silent, but present. Crys would know he was still here. The sound of his breathing. The touch of their joined fingers. He would always be here if either of his siblings needed him like this. Always.Echo watched, in silence, as the scene around her unfolded, and said nothing until both boys were done. And then... it did not seem like there was anything else to add.
They would do well in her absence. They would pull though. She could see it now, very clearly, and she could at least be sure of that.
"My followers will require guidance while I am gone." She said, voice soft, combing though Crys' hair with slender fingers as she often did. Crys was the principal candidate for many reasons, though she kept those to herself, and moved her hand to pat her Eldest on the head.
'Only you will hear the things your brother will miss.' Her lips only barely moved, and her voice was so low that only Crys could make out what she was saying. 'Take good care of them, my dear.'.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:23 am
Lotus Lady
A new aoide shows up and decides to follow Sotiris about.Mandara treaded quietly down the halls of the Pantheon with a contented look. She had finally awoken to once more serve her goddess. To say the very least, she was utterly thrilled, which was evident in her jubilant expression. She sighed happily as she finally came to stop in front of the door to which she had determined belonged to Music and her betrothed, Underworld. What an interesting match that was!
She brushed those thoughts aside and waited patiently at the door after knocking. No one answered for some time which did not phase her any. Her only surprise was that after a few moments the door creaked open slowly seemingly of its own accord.
“Hello?” she called sweetly, “I came in search of the Lady Music..? I am servant to her and wish to resume my place as such, should she will it so.”
She attempted to peek through the crack but did not immediately see anyone that may have opened the door until she looked down. An odd green flame hovered there in the doorway. And then it blinked at her. Her head tilted to the side in curiosity, and she kneeled down so that she could get a closer look.
“Ohhh,” she murmured softly, “Hello there.” That was no flame! It appeared to be an eye, and it obviously belonged to a small child. She smiled warmly. “I am Mandara. What is your name?” He very much had the presence of a god, but oh he was so little and utterly adorable! She wanted to pick him up and hug him tightly with her many arms.
Sotiris stared over at the strange lady. She was very pretty, and he did very much like her fancy long hair, but why did she need so many arms? Such things would likely be very helpful for climbing he decided, but it seemed to otherwise simply be a hindrance to have so many limbs.
“Am Sotiris,” he told her matter of factly before opening up the door a few inches more so that he could get a better look at her. “You’re Momma’s aoide?”
Mandara’s eyes widened in surprise and it took every shred of willpower she had to keep from squealing. Music had a child? Oh could her grand day become any better? She clasped her many hands before her as though to give a quick prayer of thanks before finally moving to stand once again. Children were such a joy and a blessing!
“Yes,” she replied, voice full of pride and wonderment as she looked over the handsome young boy before her, “I am an aoide of your mother’s court. Is she available for me to speak with?”
“No,” he replied simply and shut the door.
For a brief glimmer of a moment the aoide frowned before she once again knocked at the door. “Young Master,” she called, “Would you please open this door so that I may speak with you at least?”
The door creaked open a hair’s breadth. All that was visible of the child were the flames of one eye. He remained silent and simply waited to see what it was she wanted.
She smiled brightly and leaned down so that she was closer to his level. “May I please come inside so that we may speak?”
A look of annoyance crossed Sotiris’ face and he sighed heavily. Was this really necessary? Truly the last thing he needed in his life was yet another aoide to complicate things. Another had already shown up recently, but at least the zombie (and eww he was glad this one wasn’t half rotten) had taken to his brother and more or less let him be.
He opened the door for her and watched her carefully as she made her way inside. He wasn’t certain what it was she wanted to speak to him about, but he hoped she made it quick. He had Very Important plans for his afternoon after spending some time with his brother and sister.
Mandara moved to sit near the edge of the small fountain that was centered in the first room and smiled brilliantly as one of her hands dipped into the clear water. “Won’t you sit with me for a moment, young Master?”
Sotiris frowned as he shut the door and absently shot a rather dark, stormy look her way before trudging his way over towards the fountain. He sat a careful distance away from her. His annoyance grew even more when she simply remained sunny and cheerful despite his best efforts to act petulant. Could she not see that he did not desire her presence at all? What about him screamed ‘Hi! please be friends!’ – unless of course he was shouting at someone, ‘Hi! Please be friends!’?
And for the record, he was most certainly not demanding that of her.
The aoide simply beamed over at him quietly. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but Sotiris rather quickly cut her off before she had the opportunity to gush at him.
“Mom is not here right now,” he told her with a lofty sort of air as he pinned her with a look befitting of Underworld’s first born, “She went to help Dad.”
Mandara nodded quietly to show that she was listening before clasping her hands before her with an aghast look upon her face. Poor child! No wonder he seemed rather cranky! Both his parents were gone and he had been left all alone. She reached for him to offer comfort but he deftly skittered away.
He knew it! He just knew she was going to try and grab him with one of her many hands! He scowled over at her, and much to his dismay, it seemed to do him little good.
She scooped him up and tried to cradle him close despite his constant squirming and wiggling. He did so hate being small! “Let me go lady!” he hissed, “Do not like!”
“Now, now,” she murmured gently as she rocked him and petted at his hair, “It’ll be okay little one.”
Sotiris growled. If she called him little or young one more time he was going to pitch a fit like none other the Reborn world had ever seen. “PUT ME DOWN!” he all but screeched, “NOW.”
Her eyes widened and she sat him down carefully. What a temper he had! She pet him lightly atop his head despite herself. “Oh please forgive me, young master –”
“Do NOT call me THAT!” he shouted before crossing his arms over his chest. He did his best to glare over at her menacingly, but it truly came off more of a pout than anything. His baby face was his ultimate downfall.
Mandara paused and twisted one set of her hands in front of her nervously before clearing her throat. This did not seem to be going so well. “Well, what would you prefer I call you…?” Oh it seemed so odd to not address him with some sort of formality.
The godling fell silent for a moment as he contemplated his response. He did prefer to be called Soto, but he quickly decided that that name was reserved for people he cared about. He did not at all have an inkling of feeling for this silly aoide of his mother’s.
“Lord Sotiris or Master Sotiris,” he told her with a smug sort of look upon his face. These were the titles his father usually held, and as his offspring he quickly decided that he too would prefer to be addressed as such by aoidei, mortals, and other such beings who were not gods.
“Very well then, Lord Sotiris,” Mandara replied slowly with a gracious bow. She did not see reason to cause a fuss or protest at the child’s request. He was a god in his own right and was due the respect that holding such esteem warranted.
An awkward silence spanned between them as Sotiris stared her down with his strange, fire-lit eyes. Finally, he spoke up, annoyed, “What did you wish to speak to me about?”
“Oh!” she began with a start, “I was going to ask you why it is I could not speak with Lady Music, but you have already answered that question, youn — Master Sotiris. May I request that I remain here until her return?”
Sotiris again fell silent before finally replying, “You may.” He sighed and then pointed over towards one of the doors that led off to the other rooms. “Aoidei room is over there,” he told her. He then proceeded to stalk off with a huff. Stupid aoidei. Like they needed another one within their halls. He idly wondered if he could convince his mother to send her away.
He paused midstep and turned on his heel. He stared at Mandara with a look akin both to horror and disgust. “Why are you following me?”
“Might I also offer help to you..?” she asked tentatively in a hopeful voice.
He resisted the urge to growl. She was nice. He would give her that much, but he lacked patience for her. He did not wish to have servants save for his puppy whom he chose himself. Even then, she was more friend and companion to him than servant.
It was then that a thought struck him and a sly smirk tugged at his dark lips. “Can you make cookies?” he asked her in as sweet a voice he could muster.
Mandara blinked a bit owlishly over at him as she considered his request. “Why, I believe I can, though it has been quite some time since I have attempted to bake or cook much of anything...”
“Great!” Sotiris all but chirped as his demeanor shifted entirely. No longer was he dark and brooding, but now filled with anticipation. Cookie making skills would certainly be a redeeming quality. He might even grow to like her a little bit if she made him some. Maybe.
He reached for one of her many hands and dragged her off towards the kitchen. “Wait here,” he told her with a serious expression before darting out of the room. He ran, cackling with laughter, before returning with a small pouch. He placed it upon the counter and then turned to Mandara expectantly.
“Can make me some cookies, please?” he asked.
The aoide smiled brightly and reached to pet him atop his head. He was so cute! “I shall certainly try my best, Master Sotiris,” she replied as she began going through cabinets and retrieving ingredients and various utensils. She hummed quietly under her breath as she worked. “What kind of cookies would you prefer?”
Silence was the only answer she received which caused a tiny frown to tug at her lips. “Master?” she called over her shoulder. Perhaps he had not heard her? She turned to face him only to find that he had gone. She blinked a bit owlishly at the spot he had been standing in before she turned her back.
What a sneaky little boy! She shook her head and chuckled quietly to herself. Oh well. Perhaps she could lure him back if she succeeded in baking him sweets.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:28 am
The Grand "Rescue" of the PuppyKitten Cobalt
A familiar kitten becomes Soto's new prized possession he intends to gift to his father.Sotiris had decided that he very much liked being outside rather than cooped up inside. There were far more things to explore and to see and look at than inside of the Pantheon – unless of course he decided to knock on doors to see who else lived within the halls other than his own family. Perhaps another day he’d do that.
For now he was quite content to wallow about in the grass by himself and maybe climb a tree or two. He had discovered he was very good at that, though sometimes the bark scraped up his hands a bit. It didn’t bother him much, as the little scrapes went away quickly enough.
He then decided that tree climbing sounded like an excellent past time. He smiled happily and skipped his way outside of the great arching doors of the Pantheon and quickly made his way to the nearest tree. He laughed as he hopped and jumped up to try and reach a suitable branch to pull himself up. Upon finally reaching the branch he’d chosen he dangled there for a moment legs swinging as he giggled, amused by himself.
With a grunt and a little effort he managed to pull himself up and then continued to climb. He stopped only when he determined that the limbs up any higher were too flimsy to hold his weight. He scooted himself back against the base of the tree’s trunk and straddled one of the larger limbs.
As he sat there Sotiris decided that if it weren’t for the fact that falling from such heights would be rather unpleasant, taking a nap in a tree might be rather nice. Perhaps he could figure out how to build a nest like the birds he sometimes came across. He grinned at that thought. Wouldn’t that be fun! He would have to ask his siblings what they thought of that.
He gazed out at the scenery from his perch for a while, simply admiring the view before a small frown twitched at his lips. He could hear something or someone running. He moved to stand on his limb gingerly, carefully listening to any tell tale creaking from the tree lest he fall, and looked towards the source of the sound. He saw two things moving very swiftly down the path that led towards the Pantheon. The larger of the two reminded him of his Shima, but why would she be chasing down a fluffy white thing?
His head tilted to the side as he watched. They were coming closer, and he was fairly certain that if he jumped down and hid they’d run right past him so he could better see what was going on. He sat back down carefully and scooted himself along the large branch before reaching for another.
“Woah!” he yelped as he nearly slipped. He was thankfully dexterous enough to have latched onto the very next branch. He dangled there for a moment before regaining his focus as he eased himself to the next limb.
He jumped the rest of the way down and quickly hid himself behind the nearest bushes that still had a decent vantage point of the path. He had made it down just in time it seemed. He could very clearly make out the sounds of the two creatures running. One definitely sounded like Shima.
Sotiris’ brow furrowed in worried lines as he sat as still and as quiet as he could. The smaller creature seemed to be slowing down and it paused a few feet away from his hiding spot, panting heavily. It collapsed in a small heap to the ground and met the child’s gaze for a moment before its blue eyes closed.
A feeling of terror filled him as he listened to the footfalls of the other beast that seemed to echo ever closer. He could hear it snarling now, and he sucked in a quiet breath. A feeling of cold settled over him and he shivered. He knew what was going to happen to the smaller creature. It was going to be eaten.
He whined quietly and darted out of the bushes in a swift movement and scooped up the small creature. He gave a panicked shout as he took off running. He could hear the other creature behind him. It sounded big, and now that he had stolen it’s meal, it sounded angry. It was definitely not his Shima!
At that thought he shrieked for her as he ran up the trail and made a bee line for the Pantheon. If he could get there he and his new found creature would be safe. There would be others there that could make the bad puppy go away. In the interim he simply continued his shouting.
“SHIIIIIMMMAAA!” he yelled, voice high-pitched with fear and worry as he darted inside the Pantheon with the small beast clutched tightly to his chest. “SHIMA PUPPY NEED HELP!”
Frustrated tears began to stream down his face. In his upset he couldn’t tell if he was being followed still so he hid himself behind the nearest closed door he could find. His safe place turned out to be a closet, and he huddled there whimpering quietly as he held onto the creature he had saved.
He stifled his quiet sobs after a moment and carefully released his death grip he had on the small beast. What was it? He blinked down at it owlishly and pet it’s soft hair gently. It was very, very soft indeed. Much softer than Shima’s hair. Its eyes were still closed, and he fretted quietly over it. Had it died anyway? Had he killed it on accident?
That thought along caused him to hiccup and cry once more. “You b-be okay Soft-soft,” he cried as he pet at it’s fur.
Blue eyes blinked open at him slowly and a quiet meow escaped Soto’s new found Soft-soft.
“S-see?” he told it as he continued to gently pet its hair, “Told you it be o-kay.”
He gave another startled shriek as the door knob to his closet turned. He forced his will towards the door to keep it shut, and closed his eyes as he focused. The door knob stopped and his door remained fully closed for a long moment. He inhaled sharply before exhaling in relief when he heard a familiar snuffling at the bottom of the door accompanied by a quiet whine.
“Shima puppy?” he called tentatively. The whining grew louder and he cracked the door just enough so that he could peek outside. “SHIMA PUPPY!” he declared brightly before launching himself out of the door to hug her about the neck. “Was a scary beastie outside,” he insisted in a rushed, urgent voice, “Was going to get me AND eat this.”
He held up his Soft-soft for Shima to view. His face fell from pleasant and excitable to dark and stormy when Shima growled low in her throat at the sight of the creature her young master held. Sotiris held his creature protectively against his chest and growled back at the changeling.
“No!” he told her, “Be nice to my Soft-soft. Is a present for Dad.”
Shima settled back on her haunches and gave a soft bark that almost sounded like laughter. Oh wouldn’t that be fitting. If she was correct, and she was rather certain she was, then Nergal would be all too pleased to have Cobalt within his grasp. She gave a quiet huff as she trailed after Sotiris as he babbled endlessly about his misadventure, the tree he nearly tumbled from, and the large beast that had been chasing them both.
She had a feeling she knew this beast, and that its intention had been to drive the cat changeling into the Pantheon rather than make Cobalt her lunch. She would stalk after it, once she was certain her wayward charge was safe within his family’s rooms, and follow its scent to make absolutely certain.
As often as Sotiris liked to go outside, it would be best to make sure it was indeed Isabella and not some errant beast.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:30 am
Watch Over This, K?
The "puppy" seems to fear Soto, so he gives her to his sister for safe-keeping.Reyna Crelos Cobalt awoke slowly. The first thing that came to her was that she was in pain. She carefully stretched her limbs. No. She was not wounded, just sore, not to mention exhausted. Her next realization was that she was hungry, but that was a pain she had come to know very well. She inhaled and exhaled slowly before gathering her strength about her so that she might open her eyes and push herself upright. Her bright blue eyes opened first and seemed easy enough. Keeping them open and focused was another task. She moved on to try and set herself upright. In doing so she quickly realized several things. Not only was she incredibly weak, but she was still stuck in the form of a cat. It wasn’t even her more impressive form that she might use to defend herself. No. She was stuck as a dainty, Siamese house cat. She yowled in protest to this before going very still as her senses picked up on the sights and scents of all the things around her. The scent was odd, but at the same time familiar. She couldn’t quite place it. She padded around in the nest of pillows she had been settled in. The room she was in was rather large, and there did not seem to be any windows. If she could have, she would have frowned. There were two doors, but neither of which she’d be able to open with her delicate paws. Given how woozy just looking around the room made her, shifting to her human form was certainly out of the question. She gave a quiet huff, and settled herself back down onto the pillows. It was at least a relatively comfortable spot to be held captive. At that thought a flood of memories hit her. Where was Izzy? She had been battling the woman tooth and nail ever since Bael’s fortress had begun to crumble. Madness had set in. There had been a frenzied fight for who would take his place. She never got to see who won thanks to the other changeling. She sighed and allowed her eyes to sift close before her muscles tensed when that strangely familiar scent grew stronger rather suddenly and the air around her moved. She wasn’t alone. Her eyes opened slowly. The hair on her neck raised and her ears laid back flat, and despite her best efforts, a quiet growl grew from her throat. Sotiris stared down at the Soft-soft. It had slept for a long time. He had worried that it had died several times, but he repeatedly checked to make sure it was still breathing by leaning his cheek against her side. If he could feel her little chest rise and fall and her heart was still beating, he knew all was well. He pouted a bit at the growling noise. “ No unhappy noises, Soft-soft,” he told her, “ I saved you. Be nice.” He fell silent for a moment and stared at her intently with his strange, fire-lit eyes. He turned his gaze towards his little sister and smiled brightly at her. “ I think Dad will like her. Don’t you?”
Thabara " I don't know?“ Crys replied, a little unsure. She found it rather hard to believe their father would like anything much. Lips pursed, she ran her fingers across the back of the small creature. A kitty, she determined quickly, after having touched upon the tail and the flattened ears, completely unfazed by the growl. She could feel how tense it was, and how emaciated. There was fur – which was indeed incredibly soft – and skin, and then bone. But little else between. " It needs food,“ she declared, rather matter-of-factly.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris turned his gaze back towards the creature. “ Food?” he murmured tentatively, “ What do you think it eats?” He didn’t require the need for food very often, and it seemed that his puppy took care of herself without needing his help. The changeling held impossibly still with wide blue eyes. Who were these strange children? The green one had the familiar scent, the other was rather unique. She also had no eyes, which upon first glance she found to be rather disturbing. Her brother’s were similarly eerie but at least he had eyes. She hissed when the boy reached to pick her up and skittered away from him as best she could. She staggered a bit and curled herself atop the girl child’s feet. It was very odd, but between the two of them she felt safer with her – that and she seemed slightly more knowledgeable than her brother in her need for sustenance. She meowed loudly and hissed as Sotiris leaned down to try and grab her again. “ Come onnnn, Soft-soft,” he complained, “ Am not hurting!”
Thabara " No cookies,“ Crys said firmly. " That's bad for animals.“ She'd learned at least this much from the people she knew, Jess, Grace, and – most importantly – Ishum. " Kitties eat … meat I think. But you don't give normal food to people who are sick, or weak.“ She crouched down to gently pet the frightened creature at her feet, hoping she wouldn't get bitten in the process. To get near a frightened animal was a bad idea, Ishum had taught her once, but also that gentle words and physical contact might soothe and calm. To be able to tell which of it was the correct action to take … Instinct, the beastmaster had said, and Experience. Crys clearly lacked the latter, so she went with the first. " Maybe it's scared of you,“ she said, " for some reason. People are scared of me, because I have no eyes, even though I'm nice.“ She stopped stroking the kitten for a moment, and instead poked her index fingers into the empty sockets where her eyes should be, wiggling them a bit for demonstration. " I wonder if chicken broth would be a good idea ...“
Reyna Crelos The changeling quickly decided that curling at the girl's feet was probably the best idea she had come up with in a good long while. She did at least seem to be much more informed than the boy. It was also perhaps her good fortune that he seemed inclined to listen to his sister. She remained still, and mostly quiet save for the occasional growl, as she was petted. Sotiris simply pouted. He had not done anything worthy of the creature's fear. Stupid Soft-soft. He sighed and stood up and took a step back away from the cat. " I think it likes you better," he declared in a quiet, but serious tone, " Can you keep it while Dad is away? I'd rather it not die before he gets back. Would be sad." He fell silent for a moment in contemplation as he peered down at the cat that stared up at him with wide, vividly blue eyes. " Let's find it some food!" he declared in an excited tone, " Maybe then it will be nice to me."
Thabara Crys simply nodded. She knew by now, that – unlike herself – others could perceive her movements, that sometimes a gesture was enough and required no further words. " It needs a place to rest first,“ she decided. " Something soft, and warm – like a nest!“ Just like the one she'd built of cushions and blankets inside the hollow trunk of her willow. " Can I keep it in my room?“ she asked, not sure if she'd be allowed. It was Soto, after all, who'd found this creature, and that basically made it his. That he intended to give it to their father didn't matter right now. Though, wouldn't her room be a little too damp, she wondered, as she thought of her ponds, the small cascading brook, and the water drip-drip-dropping from the ceiling. Her nest was warm and dry though. Ponds. The empty sockets of her 'eyes' grew wide, as she suddenly remembered something. " Fish!“ she declared excitedly. " Kitties like fish! If we can catch some, I'm sure it'll be alright!!“
Reyna Crelos “ Sure,” he replied, “ You can keep until Dad comes back. It would definitely be safe with you! And you know more about these .. softy-soft .. soft things.” Cobalt gave a quiet sigh. Perhaps it would also be her good fortune that the child that was being assigned with the task of caring for her was blind. It increased her chances to some degree that she might be able to escape once she had her strength back. She purred quietly at the thought of fresh fish. It had been a long time since she had had such things even before the collapse of Bael’s fortress. Despite herself (and her pride), her instincts as an animal took over, and she purred and rubbed her cheek against the girl’s leg, tail twitching in excitement over the prospect of real food. Sotiris also seemed thrilled at the idea of catching the changeling’s food. “ Yeah!” he shouted in excitement as he threw his arms up in the air, “ Let’s catch some fish!”
Reyna Crelos As it turned out, catching fish was easier said than done. It was a messy endeavor and the Soft-Soft kept hissing whenever she ended up splashed with water. She made such strange noises! Sotiris didn't understand this kitten thing much at all, but it seemed his sister was a much more capable caretaker for the small creature than he was. It certainly liked fish. He sat for a while with his sister and watched Soft-Soft devour what meager fish they did managed to catch. The cat seemed terribly hungry. It picked the fish clean carefully before settling over near his sister to nap. Satisfied that his father's gift was safe he moved to leave. " Okay, Sis," he told Crys as he paused briefly in her door way, " You take care of her. I'm going to go find more foods for her."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:32 am
The Elusive Soto
Cosine does her best to hunt down the little green goblin godling.midnight_medea Restless. That was the only way Cosine could describe how she was feeling. She had spent the morning with Crys and Kios, teaching them numbers and enjoying their company, though something was still worrying her. Soto … she had not seen him yet and though she knew he was not like a mortal child it did not stop her worrying. Echo had entrusted her with their safety and she would not be a very good ‘auntie’ if she did not at least check up on him once.
She stepped out into the dim world, hugging Ankou’s coat around her. It was clearly too big for her, almost reaching the floor and falling over her hands but it was warm and comforting.
There was no destination in her mind, one thing she knew about the little one was how he liked to wander, His parents and uncle had told her so. Maybe if she wandered she would run into him, if not then she would look the next day, and the next.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris was equally restless. With each day that passed with both his parental figures gone, his general unrest grew more and more. His patience dwindled, and the already short fuse to his temper seemed impossibly smaller. For that reason alone he gave in to his near constant bout of wanderlust. It simply wouldn’t do to yell at his siblings. Well, maybe he could yell at Kios. His little brother, while whiny and little (as little brothers are often wont to be), he always seemed to know that when he yelled or pitched a fit it wasn’t personal. His sister, however, was much more sensitive, and the very last thing in the world he wanted to do was to upset her. He kicked up a bit of dust outside one of the great doors of the pantheon before the sound of someone’s shuffling feet and dragging of fabric caught his attention. He already knew his room was hardly sacred – aoidei had a way of barging in all the time. Couldn’t he find a moment to himself in this huge place? Apparently not. He ducked and hid just outside the door and scurried behind one of the bushes. He had caught a brief glimpse of the figure. It was the same lady that came by to see his family sometimes. He knew only a little about her. He knew of her domain, because his siblings had been taught to count, and he also knew that his uncle liked her. A lot. He had not met her formally as of yet, and had not quite decided what to make of her. Thus, he remained hidden in the shrubbery.
midnight_medea
Cosine stepped out into the lush gardens of the new Pantheon. Where would one begin to look for a little god? The world was a big place and he was Nergal's child. Underworld himself was getting into trouble and lost often enough. She glanced around and decided that she would start with the Pantheon buildings. She did not wish to venture outside of them unless she had to.
"Soto?" She called, feeling a little silly as she did so. He was probably not even out there. There were a few mortals wandering around and a god or two in the distance. Maybe she should have brought Crys with her, she might know some hiding places. "Are you out here?" She muttered more to herself than the child.
Reyna Crelos He sat still and quiet. He found to be his good fortune that his skin was a delightful shade of emerald. It made blending in with greenery quite easy. He peered over at her curiously as she came closer into view as she stepped outside. She called his name and a pang of guilt shot through him. She almost sounded a little sad. He bit at his lower lip and gave a little sigh. He waited a few moments more before skittering near silently out from behind the bush. He edged up tentatively behind her and idly glanced back towards the doorway to the pantheon. He could still bolt back inside easy. She might not even notice. He folded his arms over his chest and silently cursed his sense of responsibility and guilt. " Am right here," he said quietly in as polite a tone as he could will himself to muster, " Do you need... help with something?"
midnight_medea
The little voice from behind made the goddess jump a little, that had been easier than she had imagined. She had been begining to wonder if she would ever get to meet the little tear away. She turned, her green eyes finding the boy of a similar colour, she smiled.
"Hello." She said, crouching to his level, the coat puffing out a little as she did so. "Well, not really. I thought it was about time we met." She held out her hand. "I'm Cosine, a friend of your parents."
Reyna Crelos " I know," he said as he reached to take her hand firmly in his for a moment. He inclined his head slightly to her and then withdrew to cross his arms over his chest. He peered over at her a bit owlishly with his wisp-like eyes. " Uncle 'Kou talks about you. And Sis. She likes counting." He stood still and quiet as he stared over at her. For a moment it was difficult to tell whether he was scowling, pouting, or if his expression was simply a combination thereof. This was usually the part where his father allowed him to wander once more (or at least go play with his siblings). She'd met him, and he had met her. That's what she had wanted. Where was his dismissal?
midnight_medea Cosine smirked a little at his reply and returned the incline of his head with one of her own. Cosine watched him for a moment as he fell into silence. A slightly uncomfortable silence, expectant almost.
"So um, you're mum asked me to keep and eye on you all." She shrugged and smiled a little helplessly. Crys and Kios had been easy to talk to. Though this one was most definitely his father's son. "If you need anything you can come and ask me. I live with your Uncle, just down the hall."
Reyna Crelos Sotiris nodded in response. This too he knew of. " I know where that is. Used to live with Uncle 'Kou," he informed her. He began to squirm a bit, mostly out of habit. He did not like staying still for too long. He paused for a moment in thought. Wait. If he needed anything he could ask? " Do you have any cookies?" he asked outright. His little face seemed to light up, and his tail wagged expectantly. He had not had cookies in some time. For whatever reason his parents thought it a bad idea to give him sugar with as rambunctious as he already was.
midnight_medea "Ah, yes, of course you did." She smirked a little watching him dance as though he would dash off at any moment ... or he really needed the bathroom.
"I do not have cookies, though I do know someone who can make them. Maybe I will have them cook up a batch incase you drop by?" She shrugged and glanced off across the gardens for the briefest moment.
"Would you like to play a game?"
Reyna Crelos His face fell when she said she did not have any cookies. He did however take note that she might procure some for him in the future from a friend. He offered her a small smile before his eyes brightened at her question. " Game?" he asked curiously, tail wagging at the prospect. " Do like games," he told her with a firm nod.
midnight_medea The goddess smiled as he said he might like to play a game.
"How about hide and seek?" She asked, shoving her hands into the pockets of the oversized coat she wore. "We could ask your brother and sister if they would like to play too?"
Reyna Crelos The child pondered the prospect of hunting down his siblings for a moment as he squinted up at the goddess before him. " Mmh... maybe," he answered slowly. He wasn't so sure how well that would work out. Mostly because he had escaped their rooms specifically so as to not to have to deal with his family or the aoidei. Did he really want to have to make his way back to their rooms? The prospect of a game was tempting...
midnight_medea Cosine smirked as he seemed to be uninterested in finding his siblings and glanced off across the gardens for a moment.
"Well, I suppose we could play with just two. Or make cookies." She added as an afterthought. Though she had never really tried to cook, it could not be difficult though, plenty of lesser people managed. "I bet your uncle has some ingredients in the kitchen. Do you know what we would need?"
Reyna Crelos Soto's fire-lit eyes seemed to spark with his excitement as he threw his arms up in the air and quickly ran a circle around the goddess giggling all the while. " Yay! Let's make cookies! Not made them before I want to make some! Let's go! Let's go!" he cheered before coming to a brief halt before her with a wide grin. " Flowers... flour? Flower. And sugar," he told her as he tried to list off ingredients. He really wasn't sure about the rest, but he seemed more than happy to make things up as he went along. " And sweet melty black things? Egg. From a bird?"
midnight_medea Cosine laughed as he charged around her, making her feel quite dizzy.
"Flour, well I'm sure we have that, egg ... hmm maybe. Butter too oh and a little sugar." Sweet black melty things she was not so sure of but they would see. She turned her eyes down to his and echoed his grin.
"Let's go." She said, starting off back towards the accomodation.
Reyna Crelos The child cheered and leapt into the air. He acted very much like an excited pup who had just been offered a treat. So much for his bad mood! Who had time to be cranky when he was going to learn how to make his own cookies. Better yet – it wasn't one of his parents' silly aoidei that was helping him so it was far more likely that he would listen and remember. He followed Cosine back into the Pantheon, and with a bounce in his step he danced and sing-songed and generally carried on with himself like a contented fool as they made their way through the halls. " Do love cookies!" he announced happily, tail wagging as he ran down the corridors and then back again to the goddess to circle about her with a merry laugh, always careful to stay out of her way lest he trip her by accident.
RP in progress here!
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:40 am
A Present
Soto drops off a surprise for his baby sister.He had worked and slaved all day on his sister’s present. Normally he’d bring her one or two bugs at a time as he came across them on his own es’plorings, but not this time. He set out specifically in search of insects just for her. He wanted to try and cheer her up since he knew that she was sad without their mother’s presence.
He had caught little spiders, big spiders, multi-colored beetles, lady bugs, earth worms, caterpillars, and an entire strange assortment of creatures he couldn’t even give name to. All of them had been shoved into a jar.
Sotiris snuck quietly down the hall that led to his sister’s room. He moved as silently as possible in the hopes that she would not hear him. If he was lucky, she would not be in her room at all or at the very least would be asleep. He quietly opened her door and tip-toed inside. He had no need to venture all the way inside, just inside the door way would be enough.
He scoot in a little further and carefully edged around all the water. Bleh. Water. He set the jar he held down onto the floor silently as he unscrewed the lid. The silence was broken by the buzzing of wings and the scuttling of small, multi-legged creatures.
“Present~!” he whispered before screwing the top back on the lid and skittering back out of the room before he was caught.
( present image goes here )
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:41 am
Centipillars
The little godling decides to keep one of the insects for himself.He had a jar that he had convinced Mandara to find for him. She was at least useful in that respect. When he gave her a task she did everything within her abilities to complete it. She even baked him cookies in a flavor he had not ever tasted before! They were filled with cinnamon and other assorted sweet spices, and he found that he did like them very much.
He patted his cookie-filled pouch with a smug look and tucked it away into one of the many drawers in his room. He locked it up to keep them safe and strung the key on an old piece of leather that he then draped over his head to wear as a necklace.
Now that his cookies were safe, he turned his attention back to his jar.
He had filled it with bugs of all sorts, and to his annoyance some of them had started fighting and eating one another. He very much did not appreciate that as it meant he had to find more. All that remained in his jar was one lonely bug. He had snuck into his sister’s room and dumped the contents out onto her floor.
Wouldn’t she be surprised~!
Idly he tapped at the lid of the jar which caused the solitary caterpillar to fall down to the bottom. It kept hiding against the lid (which is how he missed it in the first place). He tilted his head to the side and watched it curiously. It was strange looking he decided. He also wondered what it was like to have no limbs and to have to simply inch along. He did not think it was something he particularly wished to find out by personal experience, but it was an amusing thought that kept him occupied nonetheless.
He peeked over the top of the jar through the tiny holes in the lid that Ishum had drilled through for him. The aoide had snatched up his jar from him when he’d been bug-hunting in the garden, and his immediate response had been absolute horror up until Ishum had explained that even bugs needed air to breathe. He was still convinced that the aoide had come dangerously close to ruining his jar completely, but his knowledge of bugs was at least helpful.
Tap, tap, tap. The glass clinked beneath his fingertips and the bug wriggled around on the bottom of the container.
“No escaping,” he told it firmly with a shake of one pointed finger before he picked the jar up and placed it on one of his shelves that was near to his nest of pillows and blankets. Once certain the jar was safe in its spot, he pounced the fluffy mound that served as his bed.
He squirmed and wiggled about until he was both comfortable and had a decent vantage point of the bug. He laid on his stomach and propped his chin up in his hands. He had not really ever taken the time to examine the tiny creepy crawlies he brought his sister. He just knew that she liked him, and he liked finding them.
His eyes darted away briefly when he heard a familiar snuffling at his door. “Is open, Puppy,” he called absently, “Can come inside.”
Shima nudged her way in with her nose and padded over towards him quietly. She’d not seen him in a few hours and it was getting rather late. She had tracked the boy all day long as he skittered about on his hunt for insects. She had seen him re-enter the Pantheon and his family’s halls, but she had quickly figured out what many of their household had not. When Sotiris was quiet was when he was the most trouble. She sniffed his hair, and huffed quietly with her own laughter when the boy giggled and flailed about.
“Come sit, Shima-puppy,” he said as he pat the spot next to him with one hand, “Is room enough.”
He went back to his bug viewing and elbowed her companionably. “Has a centipillar,” he told her with a smug look. He was obviously proud of himself, “Am to keep it.”
The shapeshifter gave a quiet woof of agreement. Her silly pup was indeed silly, but at least he amused himself. She silently hoped that the worm didn’t up and die within the next day or so when he was most likely to become upset.
She licked his arm to cause him to shout and giggle again which instigated a wrestling match of sorts. She let him win (for the most part), and with an amused chuckle of her own watched over him as she snuggled his way into his pillows and blankets for a nap.
“No letting anyone steal my centipillar!” he ordered as he pointed over at her half halfheartedly before letting his arm fall back down to his side limply. “Is mine,” he murmured drowsily before letting his eyes drift closed.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:43 am
OMG! PLZ SEND SUM HALP!
Sotiris comes running to his brother's aide and also receives some good news.Zero Dream His siblings were nowhere to be found.
And This... was Bad.
Not only did it mean he could not inform them of their mother's return, which was bad enough, but it also meant that he could not ask them for guidance. The Day of the Dead was soon, Melody had told him.
Daddy has promised, of course, but daddy wasn't here. Which was extremely problematic. There needed to be something to honor that promise, the child knew of such, but what... and how... This eluded him. He had never even thought about doing something the scope of this. He knew how last year's went, loosely, but how was he supposed to do something like this ?!
Lament let out a loud, frustrated wail, pacing along the gardens in a way his own father had once did, minutes before they came to be in truth.
Thabara It was Ishum who first heard the distraught outcry, when he entered, almost dropping the large bowl of fruit he was balancing in his left. He got a hold of it before it could all come down, but not quickly enough to prevent a few from rolling and bopping across the ground. The keening, he determined after a short while of careful listening, was nothing urgent. No one was hurt, he could tell that much with certainty. No, if anything, this rather had the sound of frustration to it. And it was ... "Kios?" he called out. "I accidentally dropped some fruit just now. Would you help me gathering them up? There's peaches too." There, that ought to bring him in. 'Peaches' was one of the magic words.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris’ ears perked at the shrill noise of the cry that permeated the air. It sounded distinctly familiar, so he paused and listened for a long moment. His wisp-like eyes flared brightly. “Kios,” he hissed under his breath before taking off at a dead run to where he thought the location of the wailing was coming from.“What is it, young Master?” Mandara voiced sweetly as she came to a quick stop to avoid colliding with the little godling she’d been trailing after. She looked startled when he bolted and immediately moved to follow after him. “Young Master!” she called, “Please allow me to help you!” The godling in question groaned. He would never be rid of this infernal aoide! He came once more to a stop once he reached the gardens. He growled and flailed about as the lotus woman picked him up with her many arms to again avoid colliding with him.“Young Master, do be careful!” she cautioned before setting him down and petting him atop his head lightly. Soto growled and then stalked past Ishum to find his brother. His eyes widened slightly. He didn’t appear hurt. No one was bothering him. He cast a glance back towards Ishum. At least it didn’t look like he was being bothered by an aoide or some other person. “Kiosss,” he whined, “What is wroo~oong?”
Zero Dream "Peaches ?" The lavender-haired godling perked. It seemed like the bait tactic would have worked flawlessly...
Had it not been for his older brother making his way in. And as such, like every good little brother, Akakios made his way to Sotiris for protection. "Trying to think... s'daddy's day coming, but... he promised, and he isn't here ! Gotta do something, but..."
But that was nothing. He had, indeed, very happy news to give, too. "But !" Lament gave out one of his rare grins. "Daddy sent a ghost for me. Mommy's okay, and she's coming home soon ! Dunno when, ghost didn't tell... But soon !"
Thabara Well, with a reaction that promptly, whatever had been upsetting the kid couldn't have been too bad, and Soto was apparently already taking care of it. So Ishum settled to pick up the dropped fruit by himself, one ear perked to listen in on the conversation as he usually did. At the mention of 'daddy', however, he promptly dropped once more what he had gathered so far. „You've heard back from Lord Nergal?“
Reyna Crelos Sotiris' eyes widened impossibly so. He reached forward and gripped his brother's shoulders, tail wagging in excitement he could barely contain. "DADISOKAYMOMMAISCOMINGBACK???" he yelled despite his very best efforts to remain calm.
He sucked in a sharp breath and took a step away from his brother before dancing from foot to foot. "Day of the Dead!" he shouted, "Is coming and with Momma!"
He laughed merrily and did a cartwheel before allowing himself to collapse against the floor in a fit of giggles. If he could be any happier he was quite certain he'd simply burst!Mandara for once was stricken by silence. She had never seen the child act in such a manner! She smiled brightly and clasped her many hands before her to give thanks in a quick prayer. Her Lady was returning! This was indeed excellent news, however she did not quite feel that she was going to celebrate in quite the same manner as her excitable ward.
Zero Dream While Akakios did not exactly smile often, his older brother's happiness was infectious, and one drew it's way onto his small face. "Yeah !" He chirped, answering both Ishum and his brother. "Did not tell when, though..." He reminded Sotiris again, gently, but was doubtful he would actually listen to him on that statement. She knew very well how he was, indeed.
The second spilling of the basket did not go unnoticed - gold and platina eyes trailed one rolling peach for a moment before it came close enough for him to nab it. It was when, it seemed, he actually took notice of Mandara. "...Who's that ?" He asked, clearly a little confused. He'd never seen any one with that many arms before ! Though she had pretty red hair. Even redder than the firey lady.
Thabara „Kios,“ the golden winged aoide interfered, „what exactly did the ghost tell you? Lord Nergal, did he leave any orders with you, anything he wishes to be carried out?“ The day of the dead drawing close caught him a bit by surprise – he hadn't thought this much time had passed already. It was hard to tell with no sun, no moon, nor any other celestial bodies upon the firmament. Still, last year's festivities had been well received among the mortals – they should be able to whip something up, even if it was last minute, if only word got around fast enough.
Reyna Crelos Sotiris paused in his celebratory merriment for a moment as he hopped up out of the floor and slung one arm around his brother’s shoulders companionably. “Is Momma’s aoide,” he whispered to him with a dry look and a sly glance that he hoped his brother understood. His siblings knew very well how he felt about aoidei in general.
Still, his excitement could not be kept at bay for very long, and he was soon once more bouncing around the room and shouting joyously as he did so. “Am to go tell everyone good news!” he shouted before darting around both Mandara and Ishum, cackling with glee as he did so.
He paused only a moment in the threshold of the doorway to point at Mandara. “YOU,” he ordered, “Stay and help Akakios.”
He darted out of the doorway and dashed through his family’s halls before anyone could stop him, still laughing and shouting as he did so.Mandara stared after him helplessly and one pair of her hands twisted together as she fretted. “Well,” she replied slowly, “Might I help you plan the festivities, Master Akakios?” She was not a servant of Underworld’s but seeing as the child before her belonged to Music, and Underworld was her Lady’s betrothed, she was more than happy to offer assistance in any way she could.
Zero Dream And indeed, Sotiris needed to say nothing else - the youngest understood, and was already cooking up some elaborate plan to free his older brother from the aoide's presence - though that seemed wasted when the green godling skittered off.
Oh well. He certainly was loud enough that others would know.
He took one bite of his fruit, expression turning pensive. "No... Just that daddy was fine, mommy was coming back, and it's soon." The boy admitted - dammit, he should have thought to ask ! "Can't ask anymore... She's gone." He admitted, a little sheepish.
He turned his attention to Mandara then - after all, if he kept her busy, she would not skitter off after his brother. He didn't mind aoidei that much - to be honest, he kind of liked the attention, and they were handy for reaching things he could not reach - and thus, offered the red-haired aoide a thoughtful glance. "Have any ideas ? Im not sure... Just that daddy promised and..." That promise was not meant to be broken. It was important, he could understand that much.
Thabara „Well,“ Ishum stretched a little, and then reached for one of the peaches himself, tossing it into the air playfully before he took a bite. „I think people rather liked how it was last year, so I don't think we need to change much. Food, drinks, sweets – death-themed would be awesome, of course – performers … I could see if I can find Poltros and the troupe he hangs out with, but I haven't seen him for quite a while now.“ No loss, he added in his thoughts. „And, as it's for the dead, and for your dad – there should be offerings, and the like. Some belly dancers, perhaps?“ he added with a mischievous grin, not wholly serious, „He might like them.“
Zero Dream "...What's a belly dancer ?" The boy hadn't really gotten it, of course, but didn't get an answer to his question. Ishum and the new multi-armed lady were quite busy talking, and it seemed he wouldn't be able to interject much else.
This apparently just had became Grown Up Stuff.
Hrmph.
Akakios did seize his opportunity to escape for now, carefully picking one peach out of the basket without the golden-winged aoide noticing a thing. He'd think of things too, and see it got done too.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:44 am
Don't Let Go
The Day of the Dead arrives.
Sotiris was never appreciative of being made to do something. In fact, it was often when he was ordered to do something that he was less likely to do it. That was not to say that he did not have an appreciation for responsibility. He did, perhaps more than most who knew him (or simply of him) realized. He was, however, still very much a child. A petulant one at that most times.
He was also stubborn. Gloriously so.
It was a trait some no doubt would attribute to his father had the little godling allowed people other than his immediate family to get to know him better. Thus far that had yet to happen. He was content to play and lurk about the Pantheon on his own, and rarely sought company outside of his siblings or servants.
Given his apparent anti-social nature, he had begrudgingly agreed to participate in the festivities for the Day of the Dead. He felt obligated to do so given whom his father was, but there was also another matter that wholly attributed to his taking part in the event despite his initial reluctance.
It was not just the Dead whom were returning.
So he stood waiting and watching, waiting and watching. He kept to himself, avoided the aoidei, but was present all the same. That was all that had been required: his attendance. He watched with glee when the figures he had been waiting for emerged out into the open. A swell of emotions built up within him as he saw his siblings greet his father.
His father. He was bigger than he remembered, and far more impressive than he could have imagined!
Sotiris' patient soon grew frayed, but he waited just a bit longer for the perfect moment. He knew his father was hardly a social creature, so when he sensed his father drifting away from the throng of living worshipers that had come to greet him he made his move.
He rushed up behind him, and despite his efforts to remain quiet, he couldn't help but finally shout once he was almost upon him, "DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD!!!"
He launched himself upon him and managed to clamber his way up along his father's impressive form to wrap his arms around his neck. He was so full of excitement and sheer happiness that the boy was shaking. He hid his face against his father's neck, stayed there for a long moment, and blatantly refused to let go.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:54 am
A Curious Cat
And so it would seem Soto's Soft-Soft isn't quite what the kidlets think she is.The small creature that Sotiris had entrusted to his sister for "safe-keeping" had forgotten herself.
Occasionally, she would dream. It would remind her of things she had done, but so fragmented were her thoughts and dreams that she could not for the life of her piece them back together again. The pieces were less like that of jigsaw puzzle and more like painful shards that had splintered away. She occasionally felt haunted by a small black and white kitten. Little did she know how much that was true.
The animal part of her brain had taken over, and that was exactly what she had become: an animal. More specifically, she had become the prim and proper plaything of Underworld and Music's only daughter.
She hunted bugs and other small creatures in Lacrymosa's murky ponds, and was delighted to be fed the occasional fish when a certain aoide made his rounds to care for the other animals. She, however, was special. Little Crys had deemed her her favorite. This pleased her immensely.
She did not, however, appreciate the attention of her child's eldest brother. Soft-soft? Please. Didn't he know that she was a cat? Silly, strange green-child. She hissed when he came near, and at the stupid mutt that followed him around.
She was content to weave herself in and between Crys' feet, purring contentedly. She was even more content to sit near her, or in her lap, to be petted.
She was happy with this all until her former life, and her self-awareness, came crashing back in what could only be described as a vicious avalanche.
Her remembering happened quite by accident. She couldn't quite recall how exactly it happened either. One moment she was contentedly sitting by the edge of one of Crys' ponds, the next she was standing on very human feet staring wide-eyed at her own reflection.
Who was she?
Her eyes and lips were dark; masked like that of the Siamese cat she had been moments before. Her hair, while in slight disarray, was long. It was far longer than it had been the last time she had seen her human-self.
Last time? When was that? Who had she been?
Who was she now?
"Cobalt."
Words seemed so foreign a thing to speak. Her mouth was dry.
Her thoughts began with a trickle, and then she was hit with wave after wave of remembrance coupled by the sudden onslaught of other peoples' thoughts. The walls that she had fought so long to build around her mind had crumbled.
She groaned at the pain of it despite herself and quickly clapped a hand to her mouth lest she give herself away. Part of her new-found sense of "self" also came with the realization that she was in a very precarious situation. Her… hers? … Her little Lacrymosa was daughter to the god she had helped to nearly destroy. And she loved her dearly.
Another, small choked noise escaped her. She felt sick. She doubled over and swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. She was stronger than this. Where was her calm and cool? She had to find that place within her again if she were to survive.
She took a single deep breath and shifted forms. There by the ponds sat only a cat.
It was not until some days later when she was quite certain that the patriarch of the household was far enough away that she would not be detected when she attempted to shift forms once again. There was also a matter of finding a time when she was not in Crys' lap or otherwise somewhere close by to the child.
She once again found herself near the edge of one of the many bog-like pools of water that "decorated" her ward's room. The change was easier, and was far less of a surprise. The only thing she found to be truly worrisome was the her tattered, ragged appearance. She was still thinner than she ought to be, and decidedly frail looking.
Carefully she tried to comb her hands back through her hair to smooth it out. It easily reached the small of her back now, and was horribly tangled. She hissed in displeasure as her fingers caught in the snags. She needed a proper brush. Her nose crinkled and another hiss escaped her. And a bath!
The thought was very appealing, but she knew better than to try to bathe in one of the pools before her. Things that the 'little greenling' brought his sister in offering lived there
She peered down at her reflection with a look of utter distaste. She was also in desperate need of new robes. Hers were mostly shreds. What was left of the once rich, vibrant blue was faded, pale, and stained with dirt and only the gods knew what else.
She fell quiet for a moment at the sound of foot steps, and once again found herself in the form of a house cat. She was not quite certain how it was that she would escape. Part of her wished very much to stay as she was. The simplicity of being the beloved pet of a little girl was alluring. Never before had she been so loved unconditionally, and despite her coldness she found herself returning back to the child time and time again. She felt strangely secure in her presence.
There was just one blatantly large problem that ruined that would-be perfect life: Lacrymosa's father.
On occasion, there was the other matter of her eldest brother, but he was easily dealt with so long as he wasn't accompanied by his 'Puppy.' She had not ever attempted to kill him. Or sell parts of him. Or torture him.
She had done none of those things to Guardian, but oh to Underworld. Such terrible things she had brought his way. It was only a matter of time before she crossed his path, and she was amazed that it had not already happened. The waiting and wondering was torture.
She had to find a way out.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:58 am
Escape
Cobalt attempts to make her escape from the Pantheon.She crept silently. Stealth had always been one of her strong points, and for that she was grateful. She needed it if she were to escape the family quarters she had unknowingly infiltrated. She sucked in a quiet breath and proceeded down the hallway.
She had left Crys while she slept. It broke her heart to leave her. She knew she would feel her missing presence to a degree no one else would. Grief tugged at her heart in what was a nearly a very literal sense.
Before her was a window. She had examined it previously, and if she was careful she would be able to creep out of it and slip into the night easily enough. It was then only a matter of not being caught by another deity within the Pantheon. She figured that would be easier said than done, but if she took to her feline form once reaching the ground her chances at avoiding that situation would increase dramatically.
Cobalt had very nearly made her escape when she heard a small, familiar noise. She froze where she stood and held her breath. A small, blue figure with dark hair gingerly snuck her way outside of the rooms the changeling had just fled.
Quietly, in a faint whisper the child said, "Here, kitty, kitty. Where did you go off to?"
Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach, and she suddenly felt cold. She glanced down with a small frown before eyeing her route of escape. She exhaled raggedly, and shut the window.
She would not be escaping. Not tonight.
The next night she tried again. She kept to her smaller form so as to avoid suspicion until she got to the window. Just as she contemplating shifting into her human form she heard a noise behind her and froze. It was not the familiar sound of her Lacrymosa, oh no.
It was Sotiris.
He snatched her up without a second thought despite how she hissed and recoiled. "Be nice, Soft-Soft," he declared with an irritated gruff, "Sis is looking for you. Why do you keep running off? Silly kitten. Sis is for watching over you until Dad gets back."
The changeling, quite petrified, ceased her fighting for now. Escape had once again proved elusive, and she soon found herself being scooted back into her goddess' quarters for "safe keeping."
She skittered away from him as soon as he set her free. She exhaled raggedly, and settled herself back into the familiar, damp, darkness that was Lacrymosa's room. At least here she felt safe despite the wayward greenling that waited outside with the dark shapeshifter at his side.
Faintly she thought she heard woofing laughter.
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