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 Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:54 pm
"Sounds good to me," she agreed, smiling.
Vanna fluttered off of Lorelei's shoulder, landing on Annjette's and snuggling up in the girl's hair.
Lorelei took the lead, guiding the little group into the city proper.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:12 pm
Voltaire nodded and walked with Lor letting her lead them into the city proper. He didn't seem to mind that at all.
Annjette of course walked with them smiling at Vanna as the small-bird snuggled up into her hair. She didn't mind at all, "Nothing to hide from here, and I'll protect you!" How a small waddling swan-girl could manage to protect her friend is unknown, but if need be Annjette would throw whatever she could pick up at the offending party to at least stall them a while.
Voltaire glanced around as they entered the city. He wasn't particularly daunted by it as much as he was simply impressed, "Where to first my friend?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:15 pm
Vanna chirped and snuggled closer, fluffing her feathers and tickling Annjette in the process.
"... I... don't know," Lor confessed, ducking her head and laughing sheepishly. "I'm not used to exploring. You choose?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:28 pm
Voltaire laughed a bit and pointed down a random street that branched off from where they stood, "Does that appeal to you? I haven't a clue what is down that way, but people have taken to wandering there." He was a patient man.
Annjette giggled softly as Vanna's feathers tickled her, "Papa, this place is has many people... They all live here?"
Voltaire looked down at Annjette whom was sticking close without needing him to remind her ... for now, "Some do 'Jette, and some don't. Some are like us and just here for a short visit..."
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:31 pm
"That way looks good to me," Lorelei said, pleasantly. Time with Voltaire was helping her put the ghostly encounter out of her mind. Out of sight, out of mind, as it were.
Vanna seemed to be a little less relaxed, settling down in her hiding place in Annjette's dark curls, tense and nervous.
"I wonder how long we'll stay here," Lor commented after a moment's walking.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 11:40 pm
Caroline parks her wagon, as it were, and lets Majesty roam with Cornelius and the other wagon animals. She hangs Taog's cage outside of the wagon, promising to check up on him every few hours. Turning to Rojiza, she asks, "Well, shall we pack ourselves a sack and find a room to stay in?" She nods to herself. "Make sure ye pack a coin skirt and your tambourine. We may be dancin' for our supper."
Rojiza nods enthusiastically. She puts things in a knapsack, including her coin skirt, tambourine, a few unimportant things from her horde that she thinks she might be able to trade for more shinies, and her nightdress.
"Now then," continues Caroline, "Perhaps tomorrow we'll find someone to wander 'round town with. 'Tisn't often we stop inside a town, you know. Who knows what we'll find?" She slings her own haversack over her shoulder. "Let's see about that room now. I'm exhausted."
Nodding her agreement again, Rojiza follows her mother out of the wagon. She runs a finger over Taog's crest in goodbye. While he says nothing to her--his voice evidently expended from his earlier fortune-telling--he does n** her finger affectionately. She smiles privately. He hadn't done that for Mother.
Good-night, Taog, she mouths, trusting that her meaning will be heard. Her only response is Taog's soft feathers ruffling and his settling down for the night.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:38 am
Heather being her own loner like self had been lurking amoung the caravans listening to what was going on. The idea of going into a village frightened her a little, but there would be no harm in it, right?
Amkia was all up for going into the village, he was flitting around giving away where the young girl was hiding. He knew she didn't want to be found but the chripy bird wanted her to go with someone, not go on her own for once. He was only circling her, flying round and round singing a soft song, something he loved to do.
"Amkia!" She whispered harshly, oh what was the point. He never listened to her! He was always dreaming and off in his own world, strange bird, strange, strange bird! She sat on a rock and just watched him, once he had finished then they might be able to move on.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:55 am
"Do I have to sleep in the same room?" Pierre complained, dropping his pack on one of the mattresses that had been laid on the floor. His face puckered in displeasure as he glared up at his mother.
It was times like this that Emelyn wanted very much to return her son's nasty look- give him a taste of his own, bitter medicine. But she knew she had to overcome the urge- no need both of them being trapped inside a bubble of gloom.
"Yes, you do. Everyone else is sleeping in the same room with their mother, why would it kill you to do the same?"
The hedgehog boy shrugged his shoulders and took a defensive pose- something that fit his nature. "I 'unno. It's just... I've been good, recently haven't I? You don't need to keep an eye on me."
'Good' was a matter of opinion- and perspective. But, it was true that the boy hadn't set the wagon wheels on fire- hadn't tortured the other children or smacked at the oxen with his toy swords. He'd even played well with Vanna the other day on the riverbank. So Emelyn took a deep sigh, and considered.
"Well, tell you what. If you're good today when we go out into the village- and you can ask- politely- to one of the other mothers to ask them to watch over you at night and they agree- you can sleep in whichever of the three rooms you want."
With the then-happy child, the two made their way down the narrow stairs and back out into the open air, where they looked around for someone to go into the village with.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:25 am
Caroline and Rojiza had claimed one of the rooms as their own, and then made their own way down the stairs and out into the air. Caroline feels quite at home up here in the mountains among the rock and the cold.
She spots Em with Pierre and hails them with a wave. "Em!" she calls. She and Rojiza wander over to the other gypsy pair. "I dinna think Rojiza and your wee Pierre have met, have they?"
No, Rojiza thinks, And it's been nice, I expect. She doesn't at all like Pierre's gleaming eyes or the little smirk he carries about his lips. She frowns lightly at him, thinking as she does that this village needs far more trees.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:16 pm
"Caroline!" Em called back, then beamed as the dancer and her little in-training daughter got closer. "I don't think they've spent time together since they were infants," she agreed. "Pierre..." she said, prodding her son to speak to the squirrel girl.
Pierre's eyes narrowed somewhat- but his mothers promise of a reward for good behavior loomed in his spiky mind, and he nodded curtly at her.
"Hello." It was gruff, but almost... kind, for the boy.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:02 pm
Noting Ro's jaded expression, Caroline elbows her gently. "You 'eard him, Rojiza. Tell 'im hello."
Rojiza sweeps him the grandest curtsy she can manage. The coin skirt inside her knapsack clinks quietly at the movement. She smiles at Pierre, trying to be optimistic about the situation, but really. He's a boy. How fun could he be?
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:40 pm
"We have everything we need, right Mum?" Anezka looked back at the wagon, and then up at Leshya'e, "And the wagon will be ok there? And Alex? He'll be alright if we leave him there?" Shy chuckled lightly, "Everything shall be fine, dear, really...just calm yourself." With a sigh, Anezka slumped her shoulders and turned back once again to wave to Alexander.
"We'll get a room and settle down and then get some rest...unless you'd rather do something else." Shy looked back at Anezka and grabbed her hand, "Come on, love, I don't want to lose you again..." Anezka winced and shook her head, squeezing Shy's hand tightly, "I don't want that to happen again either...I...I'm not really tired right now, can we go shopping or look around or something?"
Leshya'e nodded as she and Anezka went up the stairs and to their appointed room. "Ah, seems like we're sharing a room with someone else..." She shrugged and placed her things down on the bed. Anezka placed down her satchel and then found a place to hang up Hadassah's cage. "Alright, let's go find some of the others and see how they're getting on..." Anezka nodded and took Shy's hand, the two of them heading back outside, spotting both Caroline and Emelyn along with Pierre and Rojiza.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:39 pm
Voltaire looked thoughtful as he walked with Lor down the street he had pointed out. Usually his old caravan didn't stay longer in places than maybe two or three days if not a little more sometimes depending if a carnival was going on. Thus in the end Voltaire had no real answer aside from a shrug and a comment, "Mmm, one or two days perhaps, if not more."
Annjette glanced about at the people and a few even almost bumped into her. After about the third time she moved closer to Voltaire and grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt apparently fearing that she and Vanna'd get lost. If they would get lost, though, Vanna would probably have better luck finding them than Annjette did.
Voltaire didn't look down at her and smile as that might have wounded a bit of Annjette's pride and the sense of independence she had been attempting to foster. So he just glanced down at her a moment as if to acknowledge she was there and continued looking a head.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:18 pm
Lorelei was a little more acknowledging, not being as appraised on the independence-seeking status of the little girl. She smiled, then turned her attention back to Voltaire.
"That'll be nice, sleeping outside of the wagons for a while..." There was a dark undercurrent, a second, deeper meaning to what she said. Vanna even mustered a quiet chirp in agreement.
"I heard a bit of talk - this is Silver's hometown, isn't it? It must be good for her to be home."
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:29 pm
Voltaire made no real facial expression to Lor's commentary except for furrow in his brow before it just seemed to go away. Seeming to decide that his friend will explain when ready if at all, "I suppose so. I do not know the lady very well. I only seen her around and such," he shrugged idly as he added, "and I suppose it is good for anyone to be home again. If the home holds fond memories."
Annjette smiled a little back at Lor seeming not to take it on an offending level when it came to her. Though her expression mirrored her guardian's and didn't light up for a long moment. There was definately something wrong.
...Yet what could a small girl do? Nothing so she lightened up and started to hum mostly for Vanna's sake. Trying to make it sound cheerful.
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