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 Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:35 pm
 (RP took place May 11th, 200 cool
{RP took place a Word Processor}
 The television flickered and flared to life as Maili punched the button on the front of it. “I hope you like this Dio. I recorded it for you; there have been a lot of educational shows on the universe lately. With how much you liked the books I figured you might enjoy this too.” The green Medusa moved over to the couch and settled on it next to the little shadow boy. The fiend stared at the screen as it started, a camera moving through the depths of space, showing novas and interstellar clouds. The calm deep mans voice started it’s narration about the wonders of the Macrocosm, explaining about expansion and chemical make-ups of the stars. Dio was spellbound by the program, which was exactly what Maili was hoping for. It was getting late but she had heard the door not to long ago. The medusa’s job was to keep the kid distracted and off the roof long enough for a big surprise. So she settled down and wrapped an arm around the little fiend and listened to the almost sleep inducing monotonic narration. His hand moved over and took one of Maili’s, and it still startled her a bit to hear a voice when he couldn’t actually speak. ’The stars are more then that though, they are more then just gasses and metal. I know they are.’Maili couldn’t help a smile, and she squeezed his hand with hers, “Dio, if a Scientist were to look at y… well not you maybe but at me for example. They would tell you what my chemical makeup is, how my body works. But they can’t explain my soul, they can’t explain the magic that makes me who I am. Scientists try to rationalize life.” This gave little Dio pause, and he looked really thoughtful. ’I guess that makes sense. I know that Stars are more then just the gasses, metals and molecules. So that means we are like stars that way, right?’“Yes, that’s exactly right. Poets have said that man is made up of stardust.” Maili mused quietly, “I sometimes think that I prefer the way poets and dreamers think. It’s nice to think of ourselves as something more exotic isn’t it?” The little shadow just curled into her side and nodded, his eyes locked on the television. He didn’t agree with the narrator, but he did like being able to see what their telescopes showed him. It was like being on a tour of the galaxy. He didn’t notice when Merci came in and tapped Maili on the shoulder. The quiet conversation they had was just more background noise, as Dio was completely fixated on the screen in front of him. Suddenly the wonders of space disappeared, and Maili squeezed his hand, “I think that’s enough of that, Merci and I have a surprise for you.” Dio’s head turned and his eye traveled between the two smiling women. ’But it wasn’t over yet. It was just getting good.’ Merci grinned “You can watch it tomorrow when it’s to bright outside for you to go out. Right now however, it’s getting dark. We didn’t think you would want to miss the real stars on the Walk.” Dio blinked and stared at the window, the failing sun shone an angry red. The dying light was streaking into the room with what strength it still had, darkness would soon prevail. Maili stood up and pulled the fiend with her as she slithered for the door, following the fox woman. He could feel the air of excitement, and it was contagious. He found himself moving in front of Maili and trying to pull her faster up the stairs. ’Are you going to read me a story?’Merci laughed and glanced back at Dio as she pulled the stairs down to get up to the walk, “I’ll read you stories if you want. But I have a feeling tonight you’re going to be a little to busy for any story Maili or I could come up with.” She disappeared up the stairs and Dio followed her into the cooling air of sunset. The walk looked the same it always had, except there was a bulky shape under a sheet dominating one part of the usually uncluttered walkway. “Alright Dio, come here and open your present” He was totally confused, but he moved over and pulled the sheet off of the bulky object. Underneath laid a shiny brand new telescope. He was stunned into speechlessness, and finally after a few moments Maili’s quiet voice spoke “Don’t you like it? We got it for you so you could look at the stars more closely.” Merci looked a little crestfallen. Obviously the girls were expecting a more jubilant reaction. Dio ran his hand over it, and he bent his head over the lens to look through it. It was marvelous, It was like he was right up there in the sky, instead of trapped on the roof of this house. A tear formed in his eye and he looked up at Merci, and then Maili. ’Thank you, so much.’ Even his voice seemed a little choked up. He moved to hug Merci and pulled Maili in too. The three of them huddled together as Dio composed himself. He turned back to the telescope and bent over it, to see the stars. Merci and Maili exchanged a happy look, and they watched him for a few moments before slinking back down the stairs. It was obvious that he was going to be preoccupied for the rest of the night. And for Dio, the stars danced. 
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:45 pm
 (RP took place March 14th, 200 cool
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci walked up outside Twilight Designs and she heaved a heavy sigh, "Dio are you sure you want me to wait outside?" The guardian was feeling a little anxious, she rarely really left him alone all that often since Seraph swiped him. It had almost killed him, and had been very painful for her. She stood uneasily on the sidewalk, her tail swinging back and forth violently, another indicator of her mood. Dio could tell that his Merci wasn't happy letting him go alone into the shop. The stress was radiating off of her in waves that the little shadow was trying desperately to ignore. He had questions, and he would only feel self conscious if there were more people listening then there absolutely had to be. 'I am sure, and I will be safe with you out here. I trust you.' He put more cheer into the last sentence, hoping that she would just let him do what he came to do. 'With you out here no one could hurt me.'Merci sighed and nodded a little bit, she stepped to the side and leaned against the wall. In her short leather skirt, knee high leather boots and matching jacket, it wouldn't be a surprise if someone pulled over and asked her how much she was charging. She didn't care honestly what people thought of her, it was how she was comfortable and thats all that mattered. Dio was relieved when she caved, and he wasted no time phasing through the wall to the shop before she could change her mind. The dim lighting of the shop was a relief to even the overcast day they were having outside, and it made him sigh to himself in relief.
He hovered closer to the counter and peered curiously about for the person he was hoping to speak to.Reyna Crelos "Hey kiddo," Reyna spoke up as she headed towards the front of the shop from the back room, "What are you doin' here by yourself?" She smirked faintly and reached to ruffle his hair playfully. Merci` Dio couldn't help closing his eye and leaning his head into Reyna's hand. He liked her, a lot. 'I was looking for the Athan man, is he here?' His voice was quiet as he looked up at Reyna. His left hand was fiddling with the long sleeve that fell totally over his right hand, 'I, I have some questions I need to ask him.' He was really embarrassed, he hoped she wasn't going to stick around for this little talk. It was bad enough as it was. Reyna Crelos She grinned and settled herself behind her desk as she watched the small boy fidget. He was darling! Not to mention reminded her of when Mystic was that little. She sighed quietly and rested her chin in one hand. "He's in the back room sorting through packages." Merci` Dio nodded and looked toward the back room. He huffed in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He threw Reyna a quick look and quickly thought a 'Thank you very much, Miss Reyna...' before he phased through the wall toward the back room.
The little shadow was nervous, but he swore to himself that he wasn't going to back down, he was determined to talk to someone. Athan was the only person he could think of to ask about all this. After all, Merci said she got him from here.
He peeked around some boxes and called out quietly 'Hello? Mister Athan?' AthanShade Athan was sitting on a the couch that was towards the middle of the room. An assortment of boxes were stacked high all over the place, but otherwise the room itself was pristine. He glanced up from the small gems he was toiling over and offered Dio a small smile. "Well hello, there. Seems you've grown since last we met," he replied quietly. Merci` The little fiend froze and looked around for a moment, having a sudden attack of terror that was completely unfounded. Athan wasn't going to hurt him, he knew that, but for some reason he was worried about doing something that would make him angry. Dio fiddled more with his long sleeve and he floated toward him slowly. 'Mister Athan, I wanted to ask you something. If your busy, I can come back later.'
He held his breath, and watched the man on the couch. This was really important to him, he wanted to know what it was that tugged at him and worried at his mind. Athan just had to know. AthanShade He glanced over at Dio with a faint, bemused smirk. "Come here, child," he stated in a calm, low voice as he motioned for him to come and sit next to him there on the couch, "I am not so busy that I cannot answer a question." Merci` Dio moved over and settled next to Athan on the couch, his tail and hair shifting colors only slightly as he settled down. His hair hid half his face, but it didn't do much to hide the fact that he was nervous. His fingers picket at the hem of his long sleeve. 'I want to ask you about me, why I feel..' He paused and tried to look for the words.
How do you explain something you don't understand yourself? He didn't know how to classify his longing, his need, and fascination. Every night he curled up on the roof of Merci's home, and he stared up at the sky.
Finally he started again 'I don't know why when I look at the sky, I feel like there is something more. I just can't figure it all out.' He couldn't keep the frustration out of his tone and it shone in the one burgundy eye that stared up at Athan. AthanShade Athan listened to what the little Shadow had to say and considered his words carefully. He remained silent for a long moment before he put down the small trinkets and gems he was sorting through. "I'm not so certain that what you feel is so uncommon," he replied as he leaned back against the couch and folded his hands in his lap as he contemplated Dio's confession. "The heavens have long since served as a fascination to many," he went on, "Is it the stars themselves or is it something else that worries your mind?" Merci` Dio thought about it for a moment. The stars were an endless source of entertainment to him, he could stare at them and the forms of constellations would seem to leap out at him. 'The.. The feelings I get, I feel so..' he couldn't explain. Obviously he was fighting to find the right words. He was smart, he read a lot, but nothing in his vocabulary seemed to fit. 'Lost...' he finally settled on lost.
But even that wasn't all. 'There is more, I feel it when I look up. I feel them up here.' Dio tapped the side of his multi-hued head. 'I don't understand why. Am I the only one like this? What am I looking for? Merci said she got me here, you have to know.' The fiend looked at him with something like defiance.
He just had to know, because if Athan didn't know, then Dio didn't know what more he should do. AthanShade Athan frowned and turned slightly to face the child. "You can actually feel them? Their presence?" he asked as he squinted over at Dio in thought. He turned away, frown still present on his face as he mulled over the potential possibilities. "I am afraid I do not have a clear cut answer for you, Dio," he informed him, "But that is not to say an answer cannot be found. I travel through many worlds, you see, and also have in my possession an expansive library." He offered the boy a smile and reached to pet him atop his head gingerly. "Surely an answer may be found with a little research." Merci` The disappointment that there wasn't an easy answer was almost overwhelming. Dio looked down and his voice took on an edge of unhappiness as he replied to Athan 'Yes, I feel them. I close my eyes and I can see the stars. I dream about them...' it was obvious the boy was searching for a way to explain something he didn't fully understand himself, 'being in me, and me in them.
He looked up at Athan and his hair fell to one side, showing both eyes for just a moment. Dio looked lost, and like he was searching for something or someone that could help him feel stable again. 'Merci says they are just dreams, they don't feel like that. She tries, so hard. She got lets me stay on the roof so I can look at them all the time. Merci wants to help me, but I don't know.. what I need help with.'
Dio tilted his head back down and fiddled with the long sleeve of his clothing. 'If.. you think a book can help me, I will read it. I have read all the ones Merci could find for me already.'
He had tried forgetting about the pull he felt, and during the daylight hours it was easier. He played like normal boys do, tortured the medusa, but it was getting harder to ignore. Dio just wanted to understand. AthanShade Athan seemed to smirk somewhat. "I have in my possession books that most have never heard of -- scrolls and old tomes most could never fathom existed." His smirk melted way to a real smile. Dio, with his quest for knowledge and understanding, had managed to endear himself to him. "I will retrieve for you the Moonlight Scrolls of the Alisari. They were written by an ancient race that worshiped the stars," he went on as he attempted to reassure the child. "They are written in an archaic language, but I have translated most of it into a number of languages. I will share my findings with you, little Dio." Merci` Relief washed over him, Dio had just known that Athan would be able to help him. The frustration of moments ago seemed to disappear and hope took it's place. He stopped fiddling with his sleeve and clasped his hands in his lap. 'Thank you so much. I knew that you would know something. You never told me though, am I the only one like this?'
The little shadow curled his tail up, the shining silver ring through the end of it shone in the dim light. He was finally content with the fact that he would know more soon enough, and maybe the feelings of confusion would melt away. He shifted closer to Athan and rested his head against the man's arm. AthanShade Athan reached and placed a comforting arm about the child's shoulders much the way a father would to a son or daughter who was in need of comfort. "I am not certain," he replied in a warm, honest tone of voice, "Though I do know Mystic has an affinity for the stars. I am not certain it is the same as yours." He trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. "Perhaps you should speak with him as well," he suggested, "He is the eldest of your brethren and is also familiar with magicks. And as of late has taken to studying both the realm of dreams and that of the heavens above." Merci` The fiend shut his eyes and listened to Athan. He liked Mystic, both times he had seen the older shadow had been good memories for him. It was interesting that their desires lay so close together, Dio hadn't known that Mystic might have had information that would help him. 'Thank you, I like Mystic. He's really nice to me, he's usually here right? Do you think I could talk to him now?'
Dio was anxious, and was still a child. His patience was not as everlasting as it probably should have been. He knew Merci was still waiting outside, but right now that didn't matter. The little shadow was getting answers, and thats was what he wanted. He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice, 'When can I get the scrolls?' AthanShade He chuckled quietly at the child's excitement. "He is not here currently and is likely at home watching over his little sister," he answered, "I will send the scrolls to you tomorrow and should arrive to you before the morningstar has laid itself to rest for the duration of the day." Merci` Dio was completely thrilled, he hugged Athan quickly around the ribs before he let to and moved off the couch away from him. 'I'm going to tell Merci. I knew you would know, I just knew.' He was so happy, his hair veiled most of his face but the emotion was clear in his one visible eye. The little boy waved at Athan before he phased through the wall again to go tell his guardian the good news.
He swooped close to Reyna on his way out and gave her a quick snuggle on his way out of the shop. 'Thank you Miss Reyna!' He chirped as he let go of her and cruised right out to tell his Merci the good news. Reyna Crelos Reyna snickered quietly under her breath as she watched the child flee the shop in a flurry of excitement. She shook her head, amused, and returned to her work, a small smile lingering on her face.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:23 pm
 (RP took place May 11th, 200 cool
{RP took place a Word Processor}
Merci cackled to herself and Dio came careening down the stairs and threw the door open. The action reminded her of kids screaming outside when they heard the tune of the ice cream truck going down the street. She knew he was looking for the scrolls that Athan had promised him, and like any child he was not the most patient creature in the world. Merci had found the scrolls that morning, after she had toddled out to get the newspaper. She’d brought them inside and taken care to put the hand written notes in sleeves for the boy so they didn’t get worn out at his reading. The scrolls were another matter though. They were not something she could easily protect, so she was going to sit Dio down and have a talk with him about responsibility. The Guardian was sure he knew how to take care of things, the telescope looked as new as the day she had bundled the damned thing up the stairs. These however were something far more precious and much less replaceable then a piece of machinery. The woman propped herself up in the doorway and watched with some amusement as the little shadow methodically searched for his prize. "Dio, I think I have what you want over here." His head jerked up at the sound of his guardian's voice. Of course she had them! They would have been delivered while he was avoiding the sunlight, and his Merci wouldn't let them sit on the porch! Dio wheeled around and sailed through the wall next to the front door, stopping just a breath away from her, the eye not hidden by his hair sparkling with excitement. 'You have them? Where are they? Are the notes with them? Did you read them? Are they really that old? Can I see them now? His unsleeved arm moved up in front of him, reaching toward her, the hand opening and closing in a time honored fashion that meant simply "Gimmie". Merci stepped back out of the way, on the coffee table she had arranged the scrolls and notebook that now contained all of the notes compiled on the ancient documents. "They are all yours my little Star, just remember that they are old and if handled to roughly you could damage them." The parchment was still rolled up and tied, "In fact you might not have to handle them to much, most of what they contain is noted in the notes that came with them. That is what's in the notebook. I would prefer you let me put the actual scrolls somewhere safe, until you read over the notes." She watched Dio dart right through the couch and stop in front of her display. His eye was dancing back and forth, and it was obvious that he was excited beyond words and completely awestruck. Merci moved over next to him and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder, "Dio, I am going to take the scrolls and put them in the china cabinet alright? You can have them when you need them. It's best to have them protected right?"
The touch on his shoulder broke him from his revere, his eye moved over to her face and he bobbed his head once in response. 'Alright, when I wanna look at them though I can have them right? I wanna see them under the stars. I want to see if I can understand them.' He didn't even really wait for an answer before he was scooping up the notebook in his arm, the sleeved one dangling uselessly. He hugged his burden to his chest and spun around Merci once, his tail wrapping around her. 'Thank you!'She laughed a little bit, "Don't thank me, thank Athan. He brought them, all I did was put them in protective sleeves and slap them in a three ringed binder. I do have rules though Dio, when your going to take them out they are going to a protective tube, and you aren't to take them from the cabinet unless I know your going to. They have to go right back in when your finished with them as well. Agreed?" Honestly she wasn't sure he heard a word she said. Dio nodded like he agreed but he was all eyes for his new prize. "Alright alright, go on, just remember your chores!" Merci was talking to thin air, He was so excited he didn't even wait for her to finish talking before he was darting through the doorway. Her ears flattened out and she picked up the actual scrolls, walking over to one of the antique china cabinets that held some of the older and more expensive items in the house. Carefully she shifted things around, and made a place for the scrolls to sit safely. Somehow she had a feeling that Vance was going to be quite happy about this turn of events. The chances of seeing Dio for the next few days was slim to none. He would be buried in those papers for days.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:31 pm
 (RP took place March 22nd, 200 cool
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci followed Dio down the street toward Twilight Designs. Her long red hair was tied up in a sloppy bun and her fox ears were flattened back against her head. She loved the little fiend, but she had noticed lately that he seemed to be on a mission. Despite her love for him, and her constant support, he seemed to be content keeping his personal crusade a secret from her for now. Merci's knee high boots clacked along the sidewalk as she followed the silently floating child in front of her. "Dio, slow down. I know your anxious love but I can only walk so fast." Dio slowed down and started floating next to his guardian. The storefronts along this stretch were interesting, and he wished he had time to explore everything. He really didn't though, he was on a mission today. Merci was taking him down to the shop to see if Mystic was available, Dio had things he wanted to show the older shadow and talk to him about. Athan had been as good as his word and the scrolls along with a pile of notes had been delivered to the old Victorian he stayed in with his family.
The scrolls and all the notes were tucked into a shoulder bag that his Guardian was lugging after him. Dio hadn't really listened when Merci had told him that he should probably study it carefully before he went and talked to Mystic.
Ooooo. The fiends attention was snagged by a large Geode in a store window not far down from where Twilight Designs was on the street, and Dio froze in midair.Merci heaved a long sigh and smiled a little bit. No matter how much the little boy tried, she doubted he would ever really change. Zero Dream Zero had finally decided that it was time to go back where it all began. If she was stuck with.... well, Red, in lack of any other name, she might as well learn to take care of... well... him ? her ? it ? What gender did a rock have ? The emotional pattern seemed male to her, but who the hell knew. She didn't quite think like a lovely flower of femalehood herself. Maybe it was why the gem had chosen her. Anyway, answers would be pretty good right now. That, and she's gotten paid a rather hefty sum, and there was a necklace or two inside Twillight Designs with her name on it... She was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and worn-down, battered old jeans. The sweater did a good work at keeping her warm, and her legs... well did not need so much thought on that regard. The glow of her cyan eyes was becoming more and more apparent as darkness started to settle in. And so was Red "waking up", so to speak. Merci` Merci reached over and pulled at the long sleeve that fell over Dio's entire arm. "You were the one that wanted to go down here and see if Mystic was there remember? Now is not the time to get distracted. It's getting late and Seraph is going to be upset if he has to hold dinner for to long." She tried to turn him away from the window but the shadow had other plans.
His concentration was broken, not by the pull on the arm but by the feeling of familiarity. Dio wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was distracting. His hair fell over his face and he turned his burgundy eyes away from the shop. Something else was out there.Merci's hand was still attached to his arm when Dio floated down the walkway toward Zero. At first the woman wasn't sure what was going on, and then she saw a faint glow in the dimming light. Her hand tightened on his sleeve and she tried to slow him down so she could get her bearings and decide if there was any danger.
Dio was having none of that, he phased through her fingers. Curiosity bringing him and his Guardian right in front of Zero. He recognized her from before, but he hadn't really checked her out last time.
She was way cooler then he had given her credit for.Zero Dream Zero was lost in her thoughts, and so did not really see either of them coming. Add to this Red's projections and the cyborg was all but lost from the world until she came face to face with Dio and backed away slightly, startled. She had a pretty good night vision, and her eyes went from fiend to guardian, and so forth, for a moment. And for that moment she was blissfully lost until she returned to reality. She'd seen those two somewhere... Wait, the shop, they where there when this all happened. "Oh." She blinked. "Im sorry, I didn't mean..." She shook her head a bit. "...We met at that place, didn't we ? I didn't quite get your names, I believe..." She sounded a bit distracted still, because the second she almost crashed into Dio, Red had all but gone into overdrive. The gem slipped out of her shadow, twirled around her for a moment, then went right for him, hovering in front of Dio's face and projecting so much curiosity that Zero had issues focusing. Merci` Merci smiled a little bit and nodded to Zero, "Yeah, it can be a little disconcerting when you get one of those stones. I had the hardest time adjusting to my Dio." She paused for a moment and then rolled her eyes, "Please excuse my manners. My name is Merci, I'm kinda in charge of this little nightmare." She gestured with her free hand to Dio. "Though how much I am really in control, is a mystery even to me. This is Dio, least thats what we call him. They don't really come with a name." She could see that Zero was having a hard time and she reached out gently to touch the other woman's shoulder. "Would you like to find somewhere to sit down?" Dio was at first totally fascinated by the fact that Zero's eyes were glowing. He wanted to get really close and look, but suddenly the familiar feeling got stronger. The Fiend paused and radiated confusion until he saw the little wisp. Something in him remembered.
He had been in so much pain, he had been dying. Horror melted through him and he lifted both hands to cup around the small wisp, the long sleeve falling back over just his fingertips as he seemed to pull Red closer to his chest. Dio shut his eyes and he bowed his head, obviously trying to sort through the mix of emotions that he hadn't been prepared for. Zero Dream "That might be a good idea." Zero trailed off, then shook her head again. "Im sorry, it's just... he's really loud." Perhaps the other woman knew exactly what she was talking about. "He takes so much brainspace that it's hard to focus. Im Zero and... Well, if they don't have names, I shouldn't feel bad about calling him Red then ?" She pondered this over, then looked around. "...Oh man, where did he go ?" The projection had gained some blissful distance, and he couldn't be far, she just didn't see it. The stone pressed lightly against his chest, the tendrils of shadow stretching slightly to curl around him. Red knew this other, he decided, but did not know from where, or how or why. He focused on Dio and tried to project calmness on the other, since he seemed so unsettled all of sudden. He knew this other, and somehow he was precious. He would protect him too. Merci` Merci glanced over at Dio and her brow furrowed. She could feel the confusion, and the pain and it concerned her. He was happy just moments before, what the hell could have switched his mood so fast? "Alright, come on I think there is some sort of Deli that has outside seating. Even if they aren't open we can steal the chairs for a moment." She took a hesitant step and then continued down the sidewalk, trusting Dio to follow her. Dio felt the shadows from the wisp and his eye opened to look down. 'I'm sorry, I don't know whats wrong with me.' He didn't notice that his Guardian was moving off, 'Your, Red is it? Is right here.' His voice spoke in Zero's mind. The fiend's hands moved enough to show the little red stone clasped against him.
He felt safe for some strange reason. His mind knew that there wasn't anything this little wisp could do to protect him, but it didn't stop the feeling of utter calm that seemed to cling to him.
He moved off after Merci, hands still clasped around the little stone. 'Come on,' he spoke to Zero again, 'Don't wanna be left behind.'Zero Dream Well, that was still startling. Hearing someone speak right in her mind was still a bit new ans scary for her. "Okay, can you watch over him, then ?" "Yeah, we can, and if they are open, ill buy you a drink for the trouble." The cyborg shrugged. "I thought I would get to the shop before Red woke up, but... Yeah that didn't quite happen. It's a bit... overprotective, I guess Dio is his next "victim". Usually it's me." She said with a laugh Red remained near Dio, quite happy with his current position it seemed, and allowed himself to be carted off to follow the two women. Merci` Merci smiled and glanced over at Zero, "you get used to that too, they seem to be able to project thoughts to anyone they want to hear them. I suppose not having a mouth is kinda detrimental to talking." She grinned and came to a stop in front of a nice Deli, the lights were still on, and around the awnings were white Christmas lights. She pulled a chair out for Zero and helped her sit down. The kitsune was worried, the blue haired lady seemed a little overwhelmed. Dio floated to a stop next to them and dropped himself into a seat. He lifted Red to right in front of his face and and brushed his bangs behind his ear. Both burgundy eyes focused on Red and they crunched up in something like a smile. His index finger stroked across the surface of the stone and teased the shadows. 'Hello little one....'Zero Dream Zero gladly sat down, and allowed her bearings to straighten a bit. "I suppose so, really. I just wish it didn't, well... do so so strongly. I get confused sometimes." She managed a smile. "It knows it affect me and... oh, to hell, the stone seems like an he to me. He tries to tone it down, I can tell, but it doesn't really work when he's excited." She couldn't help but glance at Dio and the gem. Nothing or no-one yet had gotten the little ruby to react _that_ strongly. Red let Dio touch the smooth surface for a moment, tendrils curling around the other's fingers playfully before sliding just out of grasp. He could tease too , he seemed to think, as he projected amusement to the other. At least the worrying feelings that had come from the other seemed to be mostly gone. Merci` Merci nodded a bit, "From what I figured out, you wanna keep them close. When your separated it really hurts them and is really uncomfortable for you. You get an emotional overload sometimes, Dio has done it a few times. We went to visit Reyna, who helps out in the jewelry store. You got him in Twilight Designs right? I am assume since thats where Dio's from. Anyway outside of her house is a swamp like area, and Dio freaked." She looked over to the two of them too and sighed quietly. "They seem to like each other mm?" Dio's bangs fell back over his eye as he watched the stone. 'My name is Dio.' He was speaking to the stone, but Merci and Zero were not restricted from his voice. He sounded like a tenor, and his voice was calm with an edge of laughter. He let the little wisp escape him, he could have made a grab for him, but he decided it was more fun not to.
The older Fiend was totally fascinated, and it showed. He was not paying attention to the guardians at all as he played with Red.Zero Dream "Yeah, well... Red tried to chase Uno out of the house when he first saw her. I think she confused him." Zero couldn't help but laugh. "She is kind of like my twin, but not. It's odd. He didn't freak, but he realized he couldn't quite go far without me along. Kinda annoyed him really. I've got it at Twilight Designs, yes... I went there to cheer up a friend, and we both walked out with... well. Them. I figured if I went back there, someone might give me some answers as to what im supposed to do now... At least more than what little I've been given." "Well, it's good at he's focusing mostly on Dio for now, gives me a breather so to speak." When a waitress came, Zero sent the kistune a glance. "Do you want something to drink ?" Red seemed equally amused, as he closed in the distance in between them and curled his tendrils against the older one's hand one more. There was definitively a familiarity in this one, and the little stone didn't seem to question it further. He couldn't truly answer, but he did project interest. Merci` Merci curled her tail around her waist and settled back against the chair she sat down in. Her knee high boots creaked as she shifted to look at the waitress. "I'd like a coffee if I could, thanks." She ignored the looks the woman gave the shadows and turned her attention back to Zero. "There really should be some sort of class they give to us when they are little like yours. Once they get bigger they are kind of a pain. Mine I think is a little less, it's just his overt amount of curiosity that seems to get him into trouble. From what I understand some of them can be down right mischievous. Good luck with your Red."
Dio lowered his head and put it against the table, gravity pulling his bangs against the table. He used his free hand and ushered the little shadow in front of his face. 'I think I know you. I don't know where, but I think I know what your saying.' His voice was low as he seemed to whisper to the little wisp. 'Your so strong.' The last was said with wonder as he stared at Red.Zero Dream "Ill'd like a coffee also." She said, and the waitress went off to carry on their order. "Gee, sounds like hours of fun in perspective ! He's already a pain right now, then surely I am doomed ?" Zero continued, visibly a bit amused in despite it all. "I think im getting used to it. Slowly. He used to keep me up all night but he seems to have realized I get bitchy when I don't get my sleep." Red all but beamed at the compliment, and twirled upon himself. He projected as much familiarity as possible, as if to say that, yes, he too felt like he knew this other. Quickly followed by confusion, expressing that he had no idea how either. Merci` Merci grinned at the other woman and she tilted her head, "Yeah, doom on a small scale. Overall though I think I got lucky. Dio seems more intent on the sky then he does in causing me trouble. Thank goodness. My little one was weak when I got him, something about his energy had been almost destroyed. I think he was pretty close to dead when I showed up. Desperation attachment more then anything." Dio moved his eyes up to Merci and the fact he disapproved of her self criticism was evident 'You saved my life, and I love you. Isn't that enough?' He had to deal with the hell he got from the medusa, he wouldn't let Merci say that she wasn't his choice. 'It wasn't necessity, you were the right person for me.' His eyes moved back to Red and he sighed quietly, 'Your lady seems nice.' Merci's eyes moved over to her little fiend, "Sorry Dio I didn't mean it that way." Her attention returned to Zero, "It really does get easier when they can communicate their wants. A lot like babies are easier to take care of when you understand the baby talk." Zero Dream "I've dealt with doom before... kind of." Zero still looked amused, and took a sip of her coffee once the two of them where served, listening to kitsune and fiend. Didn't seem like a desperation bond in the least to her, but she found it better not to intervene. "Yeah, it does sound like it. Then he can bombard me with words instead of feelings." Oh dear. Well, the stone did not react to being called an he, so she couldn't help but think she was spot on. Red expressed agreement to that, and rolled along the table in hope to amuse the little fiend. Merci` Merci nods a little bit and she picks up the steaming mug with one hand and cradles it with the other. "Yeah, and watch the fact they can go through walls and whatnot. It can make for some awkward situations if your not careful." She couldn't help but grin as she took a sip of the straight black java. Caffeine was most definitely her friend. "Sorry I keep going on. You look like Red might be a bit of a handful, you know if you wanna talk about anything I'd be happy to listen. I dunno how much advice I could give." Dio watched the little wisp rolling around and he couldn't help chuckling to himself. Red was amazingly fun to be around, and Dio already liked him a lot. Part of him hoped he could be for Red, what Mystic had been for him. A sort of mentor and stable older presence to look up to. 'Your going to make yourself dizzy, then you won't be able to float straight.' The smile was still very much evident in his voice.Zero Dream "That is pretty good advice, really. Going through walls ?" The blue-haired woman pondered this over. "...Yeah... Im in trouble. Not once. twice. There's another where I live." Twice the upcoming fun in perspective. Red projected amusement at that, and darted up, and did prove himself to be unable to float straight, still twirling a bit before landing on Dio's head for a "breather". Merci` Merci looked interested, "You have people who live with you too? I have to say the three that stay with me haven't exactly made things easier. Do you mind if I ask you personal questions?" It dawned on Merci that some people simply don't like to share information unless it is volunteered. Prying into Zero's life might not exactly be welcomed. The kitsune was however very interested in the guardian of the little wisp that had her Dio so enraptured. Not that he wasn't usually friendly, but his fascination usually wore off. The fiend scooped Red back up in his hands and brought the stone up to his cheek. He rubbed it against his cheek for a moment and then turned to look at him. His hair sparkled in the lights of the Deli, and looked like stars dancing across his brow. 'I tried to warn you.' Amusement was still very evident in the voice, 'You should try to be nicer to your Guardian though. Your very strong for being so small. You might hurt someone.'Zero Dream "It's all good. I live with a friend of mine right now, one of her daughters, and my adopted kids. My friend also got herself bonded to a stone - I took her in the shop to try to cheer her up, she's had... quite a rough patch in her life, kind of the reason why she is staying with me right now. She loves jewelry, so I thought about letting her chose something as a gift... Needless to say I kinda screwed up." Zero let out a sigh. "I don't think she's mad, but we haven't found the time to sit down and talk recently..." Red projected something that felt suspiciously like a pout. He wasn't doing all this on purpose, no no ! He did not like it when the blue lady was hurt. But he couldn't quite control himself, or at the very least had issues doing so. He was trying, through ! Merci` Merci nodded and sighed quietly, "I think I remember that, Dio was a little overzealous in his curiosity. I am sure he didn't make things any better." She shot a look at her charge, who was still preoccupied with the small stone. "I'm still trying to figure out what to do, my daughter will be coming home soon. Fiona wanted to go see the world and is now getting ready to return to the nest. If you ever feel like you need to get out and get a breather, I'll give you my number. With three snakes and Fiona in the house I think I'll be needing to get out a bit more often then I have been." Dio perked and looked at Merci talking to Zero, he didn't know who this Fiona was but he was kind of excited to find out. He let his hand drop to rest against the table with Red in it. He looked back down at the wisp and shook his head, 'I couldn't do much when I was little like you. I was... weak.' Dio said the last word on a sigh, he didn't like to think about it.Zero Dream "Your daughter ? Adopted or ?" Now it was Zero's turn to get a little deeper into private life matters. All of her children where adopted, and she couldn't help but be a little envious of others who actually had children that where truly theirs. "It's all fine with me - I can give you my cellphone number. Those two are probably gonna want to meet again at any rate..." Red remained a bit quieter for a moment, listening to the other and finally perked a bit. He would make sure Dio was okay, then ! Merci` Merci shook her head, "Adopted. She's an elfin lady, while I most certainly am not. I'm unfortunately unattached at the moment. The lady I am usually shacked up with it goodness knows where. Your a cyborg right? So is Cinderfae. though she doesn't have anything that shows quite like your lovely eyes." The fox lady grinned at Zero. Dio shook his head and moved over to sit next to Merci, cuddling against her side. He felt cold when he thought about things that happened to him before. He had almost faded completely away so many times he didn't like to remember. He held Red close to his chest again, like a security blanket.Zero Dream Zero seemed a bit startled again, but eventually broke into a grin. "Well, you've got to be the first person who's hit the nail on the head on the first try." She answered, looking a bit amused. At least that's what she was now... She couldn't help but bat her eyelashes. "My lovely eyes tend to creep people out, to be honest, but it's hard to see that they glow if it isn't dark. I am... unattached also, I guess. I've never had a lover." Of course, this got her mind on that one track she was trying to blissfully ignore. Red had been projecting calm to soothe Dio once more, but suddenly emited a whole lot of amusement. Oh, -he- knew much better than THAT ! Ever since they had bonded Zero had almost had a one-track mind, track going toward a lovely elven woman... The cyborg had to resist shooting a glare that could have frozen hell at the little stone. Merci` Merci nodded, "I didn't know what else would make eyes glow quite like that. Cinder and I have been together some years, though she comes and goes quite a bit. After watching some of the things that woman can do with her body, honestly nothing creeps me out anymore. That and I live with snake people." She took another long pull off her cup and shook her head, the amusement hit her all at once and she looked a little shocked. Her green eyes moved to look at Dio. The fiend just held up his hand, 'No it wasn't me. The little one is very strong.' he explained to Merci. Though both the amusement and the calm had done a lot to pull his mind away from where it had been. He was honestly amazed that Red was such a bundle of energy.Zero Dream "See how he can completely break my brain in tiny bits now ?" The cyborg didn't even bat an eye at Red's little display. At least with many people around it wasn't quite as.... brain-whacking. And Red was currently a smug little b*****d, apparently very proud to have derailed the conversation. Merci` The guardian shook her head and looked back to Zero. "You definitely have it harder then I did. Dio could barely do anything when he was small, he moved slowly and he didn't project much. Mostly you could just tell by what he did how he was feeling. I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel sorry for you." Merci couldn't help the sloppy grin.
Dio looked down at Red, 'You really should try to control yourself. You will drive your lady crazy.' He did however sound amused, some of the emotion still boiling over from the overload that Red created.Zero Dream "I figure it will get better once he can talk. Words being shoved in my head somehow would feel like invading than feelings being showed in my brain. If that makes any sense ?" The woman pondered out loud, taking another sip of coffee. "He has... good days and bad days, I guess. When he's calm he isn't so loud." Needless to say Red wasn't calm right now. The friend inside the stone gave another "pout". He was trying !!!! Just... not right at the moment. Merci` Merci finished off her coffee and put the cup down on the table. Her arms stretched up over her head and she offered Zero a smile. "I bet, well good luck with the little monster." The last was said teasingly, "He'll bring more joy to your life then you know." Her hand disappeared inside of her jacket and she fished out her wallet. Merci paid for the coffees and bummed a pen off the waitress to write down her number. "Gimmie a call sometime alright? I better get home before my snakes rip the place to pieces." she paused a moment and then sincerely, "Thank you, I really needed to talk to someone." Dio sensed that this was going to be goodbye, and he rubbed his cheek against the stone. 'We are going to be leaving little one, thank you.' what he was thanking him for exactly wasn't said. The shadow moved his hand and released Red from his grasp near Zero, 'Remember your Lady needs her peace.' His voice was soft as he rose from the chair, his mulit colored tail swinging free in the air.Merci followed suit, and stood up. "I got your coffee, don't worry about it. The shop stays open late you still might catch someone down there if you hurry." She pushed her chair in and waved as she rounded the table, starting to wander down the street, Dio in tow. Zero Dream Zero had been about to pay, but was beaten by the kistune. Oh well, she'd pay next time. She took the paper and pocketed it. "I think I am just gonna go home, I am getting a bit tired thanks to the little monster." She grinned. Ohhhh, the name was so gonna stick. "Thanks for your patience, and your answers, it's really going to help I think. It's all fine, she knew the feeling." Red "pouted" once more but after a quick rub on Dio's cheek he darted off and melded with his guardian's shadow once more.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:37 pm
 (RP took place May 11th, 200 cool
{RP took place a Word Processor}
The problem was Dio's mind was definitely not as peaceful.
The little shadow was curled up in the corner of the room, picking at his sleeve with a fervor that seemed out of place for the normally calm and curious creature. He had not found the peace he hoped for in the late night hours. To top it off he hadn't made his normal trip up to the Widows Walk as he had every night since he became a child.
He'd found himself plagued with thoughts of the red wisp. Dio knew him from somewhere, but the memories surrounding that part of his existence were fuzzy. It was almost as if he had forced himself to forget, because getting close gripped him in sheer terror. His sleeve was suffering for his attentions, but his wandering mind was not focused on his physical surroundings.
The familiarity he felt had been calming, cheerful, and happy. Why did it come with this feeling of dread floating just out of sight? Why did he always have to ask so many questions? Why couldn't he just be satisfied with his life, and leave the unknown alone?
He was not afraid of the wisp, but something horrible had happened that was associated with it. It was a fear he wasn't prepared to face again. Why should he anyway? If something bad happened, it would be better to simply forget. Lock it away where it couldn't hurt him anymore.
Dio's head moved in the darkness to look toward his guardian. He loved her, and she would protect him from any harm. He decided then to put the feelings of dread behind him, the feelings of fear and weakness. His guardian would protect him, she had up until now. He knew he owed her his life, but that was exactly it.
He owed her this new life. A brand new life that could start over right now. It would, it would be new, and shiny, and special. Dio didn't need to remember the past, because obviously it had hurt, it scared him.
The small shadow moved from where he was to curl up next to his guardian in her bed. Dio lifted her arm and put it around him, burying himself into her. The little red wisp had made him feel comforted, and so he wouldn't question it. His Merci and the little wisp would be his friends, and that was all he needed to know.
The past could stay where it was.
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 11:15 pm
 (RP took place March 22nd, 200 cool
{RP took place the Guild}
Merci` Dio had poured over the papers, read and reread them and gotten no where. He just didn't understand what a lot of it meant. He wanted to, but the only thing he could think of was turning to Mystic. He was older, wiser, and so nice to the little fiend he sorta though of Mystic as a big brother.
Mystic would know what it all meant.
He had pestered Merci the first overcast day he could find. Begging her to take him to the shop or to Reyna's home. Finally she had relented and bundled up in a sweat shirt and baggy scrub pants. Dio didn't care what she wore, all he cared about was she was going to take him to talk to Mystic!
Instead of the usual hour plus walk they enjoyed he got shoved into the car. His shoulder satchel was full of the precious scrolls and the notes Athan had sent along with it. His arms where wrapped tightly around it until the SUV pulled to a stop in front of the shop.
The water was careening down the gutters down the street, and Dio barely heard his guardian cussing when she slogged through the weather into Twilight Designs. Dio followed her through the door and hovered inside the doorway, scanning to see if Reyna or Mystic was behind the counter today. Reyna Crelos Reyna glanced up from a bracelet she was piecing together and smile at Dio. "If you're looking for Athan today," she replied as she went back to her work, "He's out of the shop today dealing with vendors." She offered a Merci a sympathetic smile. "There's coffee and tea in the back room," the demon offered, "You're more than welcome to it." Merci` Merci shot Reyna a very thankful look. "Today, you are a god send." She tried to strip off everything that would drip as the traipsed through, she made a small pile next to the door. Her ears were flattened back against her head, an indicator of how unhappy she was to be out in this kind of weather. The hair on her tail was a little clumpy with water, even though she shook it out. She disappeared into the back to get something warm to drink. Dio hovered for just another moment before he approached the counter. 'Miss Reyna? Is Mystic here? I really need to ask him some questions.' The little fiend moved over to the jewelry displays and put down the shoulder bag with his most prized possession.Reyna Crelos "He's in the back room reading," Reyna replied smoothly as she glanced up at the child with an amused look on her face, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you interrupted." True to her word, Mystic was lounging cross-legged on the couch with an assortment of books surrounding him. He idly glanced towards Merci, but ultimately paid her no mind and continued on with his scribbling notes and flipping through tattered old pages. Merci` Merci got a steaming cup of coffee and took a long swig. Her eyes shut in sheer bliss. The woman turned around and leaned against the table, she didn't make much noise beyond that. She was simply happy to cuddle her warm cup until Dio was happy enough he wouldn't pester her the rest of the day. Dio moved close and gave Reyna a one armed hug before he phased through the wall in the back room to molest Mystic. He didn't pay any mind to the fact that Mystic seemed to be busy, he invited himself to settle on the couch and poke the older shadow in the shoulder. 'I need you ask you something. I know your busy but it's important.' His burgundy eye shone behind the veil of bright multi colored hair.
The satchel was settled in his lap comfortably. Dio had both hands wrapped around the strap attached to the bag.Reyna Crelos The elder shadow idly glanced towards the child that had settled near his side. 'You may ask,' he answered. He said nothing further, but by no means indicated that he was too busy or otherwise disinclined to answer. He did, however, appear rather distracted. Merci` Dio watched him for a second and then he looked down and opened the flap on his bag. 'I asked Athan why I feel the way I do when I look up at night. He couldn't tell me, but he said that these would help.' He pulled the scrolls out, which were very carefully wrapped. Surprising for a child but true. The papers were in a binder, that Merci might have helped him put together. He unwrapped the scrolls and showed them to Mystic.
I want to know why I feel the way I do, but I don't know what these say. It's confusing and I don't understand.' He was obviously upset that he didn't get it.Merci watched the two of them interact from over the rim of her coffee mug. She was content to allow them to continue unmolested. The guardian was willing to push this along if it looked like it was going to go long. She was tired, and she was cranky at having to go out so late in this weather. Reyna Crelos Mystic arched a brow curiously before his eyes widened in shock. Those were scrolls. They were artifacts, and Athan had just handed them over to a child?! The color seemed to drain away from his face to a degree and he clenched one fist as he did his best to contain his irritation. At the same time there was something else inside of him, a voice he thought he had locked away for good some time ago, that was absolutely enraged. It clawed at the inside of him and he truly felt as though something within his very being was being shredded apart. It was enough that it warranted a bit of concern thrown his way via his bond. He simply remained silent for a long moment before offering a bit of reassurance to Reyna so she wouldn't come running to see what was the matter. He seemed to clear his throat as he once more found his voice and turned towards Dio. '... I don't quite understand what it is you're asking of me.'Merci` Merci didn't see anything outwardly wrong, she just stayed where she was leaning back against the table. The bottoms of her scrub pants were soaked, and as she tapped her foot the fabric muffled the sound. Dio tilted his head and he rubbed his hand over his face. 'I dunno how to explain it properly. I look up and the stars, they call to me somehow. I feel them in here,' his unsleeved hand moved down to put his hand against his chest. 'They are more then just lights, I just don't know what it means.' The frustration was back in his voice as he looked at Mystic. He wanted to know more, and Athan had said that Mystic could help.
'Please, help me?'Reyna Crelos He remained silent, brow furrowed in lines of confusion. His shoulders rose and fell as though he had just drawn in a deep breath. His bright eyes closed and dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks. '... have you ever asked them?'Mystic's eyes filtered back open slowly and he shifted so that he was facing Dio entirely. 'Have you ever asked the stars themselves?' he asked again before reaching for the scrolls. They were seemingly blank save for a few random illustrations and markings. '.. and these are meant to be read beneath moonlight. They will not be visible during the day at all.'He reached for the notes that Dio had organized and instinctively recognized Athan's careful, script-like writing. It was how he wrote. He frowned for a moment before pouring over the notes, somewhat desperate for the knowledge himself. He knew himself to be a dreamwalker, but dreams and related magicks were obscure, not to mention difficult to find any sort of legitimate information on. The closest he'd come to had been that of the stars and other notes on metaphysical properties -- most of which was utterly useless to him. 'Next time the stars are bright and the moon is full,' Mystic informed him, 'Ask them why. They may answer for you, but you must listen carefully... it would also help if you had stardust.. perhaps even a Lemurian seed crystal, though they are rare. Your luck may be better with rutilated quartz, though be certain it is filled with gold rutiles, not black tourmaline.'Merci` He stared at Mystic dumbfounded. It was so simple, and so easy. He hadn't thought of asking the stars, he's always felt that they could maybe talk to him but not sure how. He looked down at his hands and suddenly felt really silly, 'I tried to read them, but I didn't understand much of it. I wanted to so much.' his voice fell silent and he pulled the wrapping for the scrolls out flat over his lap. 'Thank you for your help, Athan said you would help me if I asked.'
He lifted his head back up from what he was doing and looked at Mystic. He was so much older then he was, so much smarter. Dio felt dwarfed for some reason, not physically, though he was much smaller. He curled his tail up around him and the hope that he would finally understand all this seemed to filter out of him.
Dio looked back up at Mystic, 'Do.. you want to read them?' he gestured at the scrolls. Reyna Crelos Mystic hesitated for another long moment. He wanted to, of course, but Athan had gifted them upon Dio. He would not feel right taking them. Though you would feel vindicated, and it would serve the b*****d right. His eyes narrowed and he pressed a hand to his face. Those thoughts... he could not stop them. He felt sick inside, and quietly hoped that they would stop on their own. Last time had not been good. Last time his temper, that voice, had pushed Reyna's buttons enough to trigger her more base tendencies, and well.. look where they were now. She was stuck in between her human form and true self. And it's alllllll your faaa~aault.'I... perhaps another time. Perhaps you and your Merci can come over of an evening and stay the night so that we might view the scrolls themselves. Together,' he suggested. Merci` Dio fidgeted with his sleeve and nodded slowly at Mystic's words. He knew the older shadow would likely understand the scrolls and what was in them much better then he had. Some of the words he had never heard before, or he didn't remember it. 'I would really like that.' His visible eye roved up from his sleeve to look at his Guardian, still watching carefully. 'We can go right Merci?' The hope in his voice was evident.The woman flicked an ear toward Dio, even though there was no sound to hear. His voice spoke in her head, so the gesture was more habit then anything else. "Can we what? Go over there and spend the night with Mystic?" Merci heaved a deep sigh and nodded, "Sure I guess so. Probably not tonight though. I'll go talk to Reyna and arrange to do it sometime soon though." She wasn't stupid, she knew that as long as Dio was fixated on something the house was relatively quiet. The empty coffee cup was placed on the table as Merci paced out of the back room to go make arrangements with Reyna. The burgundy eye moved to look up at Mystic and he held out his hand for the scrolls again. He was very careful with them, they were a gift and really old. He knew that if he did something stupid they couldn't be replaced. 'Do you talk to the stars too?' Dio still wanted to know if he was alone, if he was the only one that felt the way he did. Reyna Crelos 'I have not readily tried, but I suppose it isn't a bad idea. I've not many options, and that is an avenue I've not explored as of yet,' Mystic replied quietly. His anger had cooled for the time being but it was still there, boiling beneath the surface. 'I am a dreamwalker, little Dio... not a stargazer, though the two go hand in hand at times,' he explained in a voice that had gone low, and soft in his reverie. Merci` Dio was feeling a little braver, his fingers stopped plucking at his sleeve and he gave Mystic a sidelong glance. A dreamwalker sounded interesting, and his natural curiousity got the better of him, 'What is a dreamwalker? Can you see other peoples dreams? Do they have to be asleep? What about daydreams do they count?' If the Stars and Dreams were connected somehow, maybe understanding Mystic's abilities would help him understand his own obsession.
He curled his tail underneath himself, the charm hanging from the ring twinkling in the light. 'Do you have to use stones too? Like the one you told me to have with me when I tried to talk to the stars? Ooo, do Dreams talk to you?' He turned completely to look at Mystic and his eye twinkled with his childish curiousity. 'Will you show me when Merci and I come over?' Reyna Crelos His brow lifted in surprise at the sudden overwhelming amount of questions the child had, but really it served more to amuse him than annoy. His expression softened somewhat as he tilted his head to the side and regarded Dio with a quiet seriousness. '.. I... haven't gotten all the details of it worked out entirely. I'm still learning, much like yourself,' he offered in explanation, 'Generally, I can see people's dreams when they sleep as though they are my own. Daydreams aren't quite the same.' He paused for a moment, lost in thought before focusing once more on Dio. 'Sometimes I use stones. Crystals are more or less just a good way to focus your energy. It's what they do. Dreams do not speak to me so much as creatures within them do -- especially nightmares.'His expression seemed to shift further away from the anger and lingering darkness from only moments before and headed towards more of an actual smile. 'I could show you.. or at least try to..? I've only intentionally ventured into a person's dreams.. well.. twice.'Merci` Dio was suddenly very excited and he reached over and grabbed onto Mystic's arm, 'You could show me? That would be so amazing if you could. Will you show me now? I don't think I can fall asleep now, will you do it when I come over? Thats a lot of things to do in one night, but there are many hours when it's dark mm?' He slowly let go of Mystic to push the long bangs to the side, so he could look at him without the veil over one eye. He was obviously entirely to thrilled with the prospect of getting to see something like this firsthand.
He paused, and then the barrage of questions started again, 'Can you change what people are having dreams about? Can you talk to the person having the dream? What if you wanted to see what someone was dreaming, do you have to be in the same room with them, Or can you do it from far away? Is it hard? Does it make you tired?" Dio finally stopped and he blinked a couple times. Merci usually laughed when he started asking questions, but she told him that he could really bother someone if he wasn't careful. Truth is he didn't really care if he bothered them, he wanted to know. Occasionally that want would evolve into a need, like it had with the stars. He ducked his head and the hair fell back over his face as he stifled the urge to ask more. 'Merci says I pry, I dunno what that means really. Prying means your trying to pull something open, and I'm not doing anything like that.' Reyna Crelos Mystic chuckled quietly, utterly amused by Dio's excitement. 'No, I don't think I could show you now, little one,' he replied with a faint laugh, 'We can try when you come over, as I would need you to be asleep. Only thing I could show you in the Waking World is perhaps summoning a nightmare beast and that could, well, easily backfire.'He could hardly contain his own amusement when the little shadow continued with his barrage of questions. 'I can only alter the landscape of a dream, not so much the content and that.. is very difficult to influence. I am not so good at it yet. I do not necessarily have to be in the same room,' Mystic answered as he attempted to keep up with all the child's questions, 'It helps though, and makes it easier. It is fairly difficult, I suppose? I think it is more so because I am unpracticed. It is a talent that is still new to me.'He paused for a moment before glancing over towards Dio and idly reached to fluff his hair. 'It is rather exhausting, because while my body appears to be sleeping while in the Dream Realm, my consciousness is still awake, it's just... elsewhere.' He seemed to smile again as he absently twined his fingers through Dio's multi-hued hair. 'I think she means you ask a lot of questions. I do not mind, though.'Merci` The burgundy eye rolled back up to look at Mystic, and he practically beamed at the older shadow. He really didn't seem to mind all the questions. Dio had forgotten entirely that he had come to ask questions about his own abilities. Obsession took a backseat to childish curiosity, 'You can make nightmares come to life? Whose nightmare? Mine? Your's? Is it the same beasty every time or does that change too? Do you do those kinds of things often? Do you think I could learn to do something like that? What about stars do you think I could to do something like that with them? Walk through them or something like you do with dreams? He tilted his head into Mystic's hand. It felt good to get his hair played with, and it just seemed to add to his glee. Reyna Crelos Mystic sighed, though not at all from exasperation. He had a feeling that Dio could go on like this for hours, or at least until his curiosity had reached it's limit. 'Well,' he began as he attempted to come up with an answer for him, 'I don't so much.. summon them, really, as I trap them from other people's dreams and lock them away. If I can. Some of them are too strong for me to do so. They're already alive, and.. it's anyone who is being plagued by one. I'm sure we can figure out your abilities in due time.'He fell quiet for a moment and seemed to lazily smirk. 'Walking with the stars,' his head fell back against the couch and gazed up at the ceiling which was painted just like the heavens above, 'That .. would be pleasant.'Merci` Dio nodded and he leaned against Mystic, his voice seemed oddly serene despite his obvious glee just moments before. 'When I look up at the stars, I can feel them somehow. Then I close my eyes, and I can call them in my mind. It feels like I am part of them, or maybe they are a part of me. I can see them around me, maybe thats sort of like walking with them? You think so? I don't think I can do all the neat things you can.'
The little shadow shut his eyes and squeezed Mystic's arm, 'I hope we can come over soon. It'll be nice to get away from Vance, he's mean.' Dio seemed perfectly happy to stay there, attached to the other fiend's arm forever. Reyna Crelos The elder shadow's shoulders rose and fell with a phantom sigh as he wrapped an arm around Dio's shoulders in a brotherly fashion. 'I'm sure we can,' he answered quietly before snickering quietly as he continued to pet at the child's hair, 'Vance is that much of a pest, eh?'Merci` He snuggled under Mystic's arm and grumbed quietly, 'Yes, He's so mean to me. He calls me a parasite, soul sucking monster, a whole bunch of nasty things. He thinks I am going to kill Merci and move on to one of them. I won't kill her, I love her.' Dio started fussing with his sleeve again, it was a nervous habit. 'What about your snake person, he seemed nice. I bet he doesn't call you names and stuff right? He didn't like me, I could tell.'
He looked down at the notebook and the scrolls still laid out and he pulled the notebook full of Athan's notes over. He opened it up, and idly turned the pages. Dio looked for something else to focus on, he didn't like thinking about Vance, or the fact that they didn't seem to like him very much. 'Only Maili is nice to me, she reads me stories and takes me up on the roof to look at the stars. She's the green one.' His fingers smoothed over one of the pages, Merci had tucked them all into sleeves so they would be protected. Reyna Crelos 'Charles.. er.. well... Die as he prefers to be called,' Mystic spoke up as he glanced over the pages Dio flipped through, 'Is.. okay. But he's rather odd and kinda... flamboyant, so to speak. I think he liked you just fine, he just doesn't deal well with strangers at first.'He quietly radiated a sort of contentment to the child. 'He just isn't used to you yet. Perhaps you'll have to bring your Maili with you, she can have tea with Ch -- Die.' Mystic fell silent for a long while, eyes sifting closed somewhat. He was always rather drowsy, something he correlated back to his abilities and ties to the Dream Realm. 'You're not a monster, Dio. Far from it. He sounds like the beast to me.' Merci` Dio's fingers grazed one of the pages, it had some of the more confusing portions of what he was trying to understand. 'Do you think that your Reyna would be alright with all of us coming over? I like Miss Reyna, she's sweet.' He really did like Reyna, but Dio liked everyone. Athan, Mystic, Die, he even liked Vance in his own way. 'What if I am a monster? In all the story books that Maili reads to me people have mothers and fathers, I don't have any. I do lots of things no one else can do, like going through walls.'
He glanced up at Mystic and he leaned over to get a good look at his face. 'Are you tired? Am I keeping you up? Am I boring you and making you sleepy? I bet we aren't monsters cause we don't try to eat people. That means we aren't right? Monsters eat people, like in Little Red Riding Hood.' Reyna Crelos 'We are not monsters,' Mystic insisted as he squeezed Dio's shoulder lightly, 'We are creatures of a different nature altogether. A different race, hence our abilities and traits. Merci is your family as well as your Maili. Family is a term that is not meant to be strictly conventional, Little Star.'He offered the child reassurance, and his eyes shone brightly in his earnest attempt to comfort him. 'I do not think Reyna would mind,' he began again. Idly he tugged at his bond, and the demon reaffirmed that yes, it was okay. At the same moment a faint giggling could be heard from the front end of the shop. Sweet? Reyna? How darling! Mystic shoved her thoughts away from his own and once more focused his attentions upon Dio. 'I am often drowsy, though it is no fault of your own. It comes with the territory, so to speak.' Merci` He did feel better, Mystic would know if he was a monster. After all he and Mystic were the same, not exactly the same but close enough. 'What about you? Aren't you my family too? We're the same thing right, doesn't that mean we're family? He turned that burgundy eye up to look at the older Shadow, and there was a bit of hope. Dio didn't know why but knowing that he had an older brother would make him feel better. 'I would like you to be my family, because your so smart. You'll help me with the scrolls, and understanding myself.'
His fingers started fussing with the him on the long sleeve that totally covered his arm. 'That would mean Miss Reyna would be like an aunt right? I would like an Aunt Reyna, she makes me smile.' Reyna Crelos 'We could be?' he offered, both amused and endeared by the very prospect, 'I do not think Reyna would protest to such a thing, either.' He beamed a sort of warm, contentment that easily replaced the broiling anger that still lingered there in the back of his mind. Merci` Merci poked her head back into the back room and gave Dio a very meaningful look. "The storm isn't getting any better, and we are going to need to go home soon alright?" Her hair was still a bit damp and it was obviously affecting her mood. Dio heaved what could be considered a sigh and shut the notebook in his lap. He didn't wanna go, he was happy where he was, but he knew that Merci was impatient to be gone. 'Alright, I'm coming.'Merci nodded once and withdrew from the back room, allowing Dio to pack up in peace. He pulled the scrolls over and gently rewrapped them so they wouldn't get wet outside. 'Thank you for talking to me Mystic. I feel alot better. I'm going to try and talk to the stars tonight. Oh, you don't happen to have one of those,' He rolled his eye up in thought, 'Stones you mentioned before? I can't remember what it was called.' If Mystic didn't have one it meant that he was going to have to go looking for one later.Reyna Crelos The elder shadow remained silent for a long moment, eyes squinted slightly in thought before he stood. 'I should think so,' he replied. What sort of jewelry store would they be if they hadn't a simple piece of rutilated quartz? The Lemurian seed crystal, well, that was infinitely more rare and truth be told, he was looking for one himself. He floated through the wall and appeared just behind Reyna. He settled his hands upon her shoulders and leaned in close to her. '... I don't suppose you might have a piece of quartz for your precious... nephew..?' he murmured, half teasing, half serious. "As a matter of fact," she answered, voice dripping with just a touch of sarcasm but laced with sweetness in regards to Dio, "I do." She pulled open one of the drawers to her desk and retrieved a box that had even more drawers and compartments, each containing different types of stones. "What sort of quartz?" she asked simply. 'Rutilated. Gold.'The demon smiled and retrieved a stone that while not huge, was by no means tiny. "Will this do?" Merci` The little shadow gathered up his stuff and restowed it in the satchel, he didn't know where Mystic went but he followed slowly. He glided through the door to the back room and made his way over to the counter to watch curiously as Reyna poked around the box. When she liberated the piece of quartz his visable eye widened considerably. 'For me? I can have this? Thank you so much!' He squealed in joy and threw himself on Reyna, giving her a huge hug.Merci watched somewhat bemused. "Dio, honey. You might wanna let Reyna go. We need to make tracks, the wind is picking up and I wanna get home and snug before it gets to cold out." She gestured toward the door, trying to usher her ward out. Dio nuzzled the side of her face in the imitation of a kiss before he gave Mystic the same enthusiastic treatment. When Merci cleared her throat he backed up and waved to them cheerfully, stone grasped in his hand like something infinately precious. 'Thank you. Thank you both for everything.' He swooped through the door that his Guardian held open for him, happy humming disappearing with him into the rain.Merci grinned at Reyna, "Thanks for humoring him." She waved behind her as she headed out into the storm, smiling. Reyna Crelos The demon appeared slightly taken aback by the sudden rush of attention and sweet adoration from the child, but took it in stride. It was impossible to lash out at him, not when his intentions were so pure. "Take care, kiddo," she replied with a grin as she waved goodbye to both Fiend and guardian. Mystic waved as well, content for the time being yet still troubled to a degree. He turned to Reyna, face virtually expressionless. 'I don't suppose you know when Athan comes in next, hm?'"Careful," she hissed, "I'd suffer for it as well if ... anything happened." He fell silent and drifted to lean against her side. There was a truth to her words, but the issue at hand still needed to be addressed and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to confront Athan.
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 11:16 pm
 (RP took place April 5th, 200 cool
{RP took place the Guild}
Merci` Merci walked over the fresh grass, it was honestly a very beautiful day. Her hair was free of it's usual braid and was blowing freely in the light breeze. Both of her hands were wrapped around the handle of a very heavy picnic basket. She held it in front of her as she strolled through the shadows of the trees, as it was more comfortable for the little shadow trailing after her. The Guardian had decided that Dio needed to get out of the house, she knew that if the little pain got his way he would be buried in books and live on the roof. She couldn't very well let him be antisocial, so she had put in a call to Zero and asked if they could meet for a quick bite. Most people didn't really react well to the odd floating creature behind her, so she decided a fairly quiet corner of the local park might be a good idea. There were tall beech trees, and spindly globe willows abundant in this part of the park, so it was easier for their wards to be comfortable. Dio was using the blanket she brought to sit on as a cover as he hurried between patches of shadow. They stopped in the clearing Merci had designated for their outing, and she turned to Dio after putting the basket on the emerald green grass. "Alright, can you spread out the blanket while I start getting everything set up? They should be here soon." Dio skirted the edges of the shadow, staying in the semi darkness. 'Yes, I suppose so. Why won't you tell me whose coming?' He spread out the blanket and had to catch it twice before he figured out it needed to be weighted down on the corners with rocks. Merci just smiled at him and winked, "Don't worry Dio, I'm sure it's going to be a pleasant surprise... trust me okay?" Zero Dream Merci was lucky on one aspect - if she had called all but one day earlier, Zero would probably still have been too sore to accept the proposition. But now she was feeling a bit better, and, well... Red had overheard and probably wouldn't have let her saw no anyway. Her multiple bandages where clearly visible along her arms and on her cheek, but there was no way in hell she was shoving herself into a sweater with that kind of weather - she would die on the spot. The woman walked down to the park a tad slower than usual, Red hidden in her shadow and grumbling about the sun as she tried to locate the red-haired woman and her fiend. Merci` Merci watched Dio lay out the blanket and when she was satisfied she dumped the basket on it. Seraph was an excellent cook, which was good because she was not. Most likely her cooking would have compounded Zero's problems with a good stomach pumping. She straighted and smiled at Dio, "They should be here soon, calm down mm?" Dio was a bundle of nerves, he loved people, but he didn't like not knowing who was coming. What if it was someone mean like Vance? Though he hadn't ever really met anyone as mean as the poker playing Medusa, he wasn't keen on being out of the loop.
It wasn't long however before he saw the blue haired lady from before and...
Goodness was that the little wisp? It couldn't be, could it? But it was with the blue haired lady he remembered from before.
Confusion set in, and suddenly Dio was feeling even more nervous, and extremely shy. He darted behind Merci, trying to hide himself behind her.Merci blinked and looked over her shoulder at the little shadow, curled up against her back. "Stop that your being silly..." She whispered to him before she turned her head back toward the two headed toward them. "Hey! Zero! Over here!" Merci raised a hand and waved it over her head to make herself more visible. Oh this was going to be so much more fun then she had thought. Zero Dream The little wisp wasn't so little anymore, wasn't he ? Zero perked slightly and headed in the direction where the two had chosen. A nice shady spot, as she had expected. At least she wouldn't have put up with Red's bitching through the whole picnic. "Hey there ! Hopefully I am not too late ?" Red seemed to oddly mimic his guardian on a smaller scale - he only had one bandage, looped around his midsection where his hips would be starting had he had legs.
It was a good thing he didn't have legs. They looked so bothersome. And slow. Definitively slow. In fact he zoomed ahead of Zero easily, peeking to Merci's side at Dio. "Hey there !"Merci` Merci grinned and moved aside, so the two shadows could talk without her in the way. Oh she knew she was being a little mean, but Dio needed friends. He'd seemed so happy with Red when he was a stone floating around that him being larger shouldn't have made that much of a difference after all. "Wow, lookit that. He's so big now! Congratulations, it's easier now isn't it?" She couldn't help a smirk at Zero as she walked around Dio and flopped down on the checkered blanket she had absconded from the hall closet. Dio gasped and was suddenly face to face with Red. His one burgundy eye got big, and round. He was big, and braided, and... hurt? What had happened? Was he okay? Suddenly questions were rolling out of Dio faster then anyone could have answered them. 'What did that to you!? Did something hurt you? Why do you have bandages on? Were you bleeding? Can you bleed? When did you get so big? How long have you been like this? Why is your lady like that? Is she hurt too?'
He just couldn't help the curiousity, and they only stopped long enough for him to pause and get his bearings.Zero Dream "I don't know, when he was a stone, he didn't wreck portals." Zero gave a soft snort, moving to sit on the blanket. "But it... is at least easier on my poor rattled brain, I believe." Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Okay. Red all but blankstared at the onslaught on questions that even HIM couldn't keep up with. He'd also blinked once or twice in a confused manner that was completely priceless and made Zero regret not bringing a camera.
"Im fine, really. Z and me and Mystic got into a fight with those two huge stupid tin can things. And we kicked a**. They like, shot light stuff at me and even THAT did not keep me down, it was totally epic." He gloated a little. Totally owned them. It's not bleeding, and it scared all awesome-like." He pulled at the bandage and let it fall off. The hole that was there was gone, and he pointed at a darker, star-patched area right at his side that seemed a bit uneven with the rest of him. "Is that just badass or what ?!"Merci` Dio blinked and he stopped talking all at once. His visible eye moved to look at the scar and he seemed totally confused. Then, after a moment of silence, the questions started again. 'Your happy you got hurt? Why? Didn't it hurt? What kind of tin can things?' The little shadow moved off to the side and got closer to have a look at the scar. Merci couldn't help a small smile, "You look, well, like you've seen better days. You okay?" Even though she was talking to Zero, her eyes were locked on the two boys. It was true that Dio seemed to like everyone, but he seemed to be more content around Red. Something that gave her a rest. His constant stressing over his studies was enough to put the Fox on edge. She was going to have to arrange these little meet and greets more often. Zero Dream "Of course not, getting that light thing inside me sucked hard. But the fight was totally awesome ! I dunno what the hell they where about, really, they just came out of nowhere, like... huge metal men but that can't think or do anything on their own, at least that was what Z said. She called them... Robots, I think ? They where odd. And stupid. Definitively stupid." Red announced, doing his best to still his ever-sliding tail to allow Dio a good look. "We kicked their a** then went home. That'll teach them not to mess with me." He all but beamed."I've been worse, honestly. Basically the little monster over there decided we where going portal hopping with Mystic and... Well... We got in trouble. It could have been a whole lot worse than it turned out, honestly." She knew that all too well. It had been a good thing no one had recognized her, else they wouldn't have come out of it alive. Merci` Merci just shook her head and pulled her knees up to sit indian style, she opened the basket and started pulling out food. "Sounds less then fun. Glad you came out of it alive, honestly things like that are why I'm usually a homebody. Dio's been changing that slowly, thats why I called. They seem to get along mm?" The woman's green eyes slid over to Zero as she was laying out the dishes Seraph made. "I didn't know what you guys liked, so Seraph kinda went nuts and made a little of a lot." Dio blinked and reached out to touch the scar. He looked kinda, well, scaly. Like the snake people he lived with. He wanted to touch him and see if he felt like Maili. 'You have scales? Are you like the Medusa? Can you turn people to stone by looking at them? You don't wear a blindfold like they do, but that doesn't mean anything. You went with Mystic? Did you go into someone's dreams? What do you mean you had a light thing stuck inside you? What kind of light thing?' Slowly he stopped asking questions and traced the evidence of the wound with his fingers, 'I'm glad your okay...' He said the last very quietly, as his unhidden eye rolled up to look at Red's face.Zero Dream "I can't seem to stay out of trouble, it seems." Zero let out a small laugh. "Apparently my presence ended up derailing the portal and sent us to my home world. I must admit... I am kind of glad it did. There was something that I needed to see for myself, and I've finally gotten to see it. The people here are very suspicious of things that they don't know off, so the fiends made them freak out. And I am not all that picky, I think ! It does look like they get along, but Red tends to get along with anyone, until he breaks their stuff that is. Apparently he has some quite of super strength going that he doesn't quite... control." My, wasn't Dio a little question machine ? With anyone else Red would probably have gotten bored, but Dio ? Dio needed to know all he wished to know about his awesome first brawl ! "Hm-m. I really like my scales. I don't think I can turn people to stone... Not that I've really tried." Red pondered this for a moment. Nahhh, probably not. "Mystic can go into people's dreams ? That's pretty cool, but we went to another world. And it's kind of hard to explain. Kind of like getting the sun stuck into you." Red made a face. "It really did hurt very badly, but I took it, cause im awesome like that !"
Red paused for a moment, pondering this as Dio traced the shape of the star scar. At least the area was mostly numb, as if his nerves down there where shot. "Ill't take way more than that to really hurt me. You don't have to worry. He finally said, his voice soft.Merci` Dio straighted up and looked Red in the face. His sleeved arm didn't move very much, he did everything with his right hand. The shadow reached and and grabbed Red by the arm and drug him over closer to the blanket. 'Wow, I can't believe you did all that. I've never done anything so, well, dangerous.' He sounded a bit sheepish before he started again, 'You wanna play a game?' Merci grinned and passed Zero and empty plate, "Dig in, I figured we'd need something to do while the boys did.. well.. whatever it is boys will do." He grimaced. "I wish I had known you guys were so beaten up. I'd have waited a few more days to do this." Zero Dream "And it's best that way." Had he really said that ? Red couldn't help himself and reached to touch Dio's hairs. He was so -tiny-. "Hm, I don't know many games... You might have to explain it to me. What do you want to play ?""We're not so bad, really. Im the worse one, I believe. Mystic didn't seem all that wounded, mostly tired. Red took that laser wound but that was it. I was kind of tossed around a bit, but I had to keep the second bot off them somehow. They're mostly burns and surface cuts so... It looks way worse than it actually is. Don't worry, I would have let you know if I was too bad off." She said with a smile as she reached for one of the plate. "I sure hope I don't get to do that again anytime soon..." Merci` The shadow beamed at Red. 'I dunno, I don't know many games. I've never gotten to really play with anyone before. I only really know Mystic, you and the pretty shadow lady Citrine. I only met her once though. Mostly I read. I read about some games though, like, Hide and Seek, or Tag. I've never played them before, so I guess maybe it isn't a good idea.' Dio turned to look at the Guardians for a moment, before he focused his attention back on Red. He was still confused by the other shadow, he still didn't understand fully why he felt like he had known him for so very long.
But it didn't matter, they were going to be friends.Merci couldn't help a grimace as she served herself up some potato salad and fried chicken. "Maybe we should get out more. Honestly Dio is so wrapped up in his damned books he hasn't really gotten to experience many things. I don't think he's ever even seen a fight let alone been in one. Might be good to show him the ropes a bit. He's just so tiny." Zero Dream "Hmmm, well, we can try and see ? What's hide and seek like ?" The name seemed like explanation enough, but who knew ? Humans sometime came up with the weirdest concepts. Like giant tin people that shot light."Oh, ill trade you. Any day." Zero said with a laugh. "Red drives me completely nuts sometimes. Im surprised he is so calm - I expected him to be darting around by now..." Merci` Dio shrugged a bit and looked around, 'Well from what I understand, someone hides, while the other one looks for them. You have so long to find them before you lose, but win or lose you take turns hiding and trying to find each other. I dunno if it's that fun, I've never really done it before. Then Tag is chasing each other around trying to touch the other, then you take turns chasing each other around.' Dio actually reached up and rubbed the back of his head with his unsleeved arm, 'I dunno I'm not used to playing, I probably won't be very good at either of them.' He sounded a bit sheepish and ended up staring at the ground instead of Red, he would be so embarrassed if he ended up being terrible at this.Merci couldn't help a huge grin at Zero, "You know a part of me wishes that Dio were probably a bit more active then he is. All in all though I think I'm one of the lucky ones. He's quiet and actually rather sweet. From what I understand some of them can be real terrors." She scooped a bite in her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Red has to be a handful, but your both welcome over at my place any time. Specially if Dio's mellow rubs off" Zero Dream To be completely honest, none of the two ideas seemed to attract Red much. This "tag" thing was so tiny, but perhaps in a rare glimpse of actual thinking, he was pretty sure he'd end up hurting Dio in some way - he was so tiny... And Dio was not one that he wanted to do any rough play with really.
"Maybe we should just talk then. My tail does still hurts a bit." Which wasn't completely a lie - there was still some sensitivity, but nothing that really hindered him. He flopped on the sheet much like a sunbathing snake, only with no sun involved. He could find another way to entertain the little black fiend then... Oh !
"What kind of books do you like to read ?""...Well it does seem to work a hair." Zero pondered out loud, as she watched the boys converse. She took a bite from an ham sandwich. "Oh, he's one hell of an handful, it is completely crazy." Merci` Dio's eyes lit up and he moved to curl up on the blanket near Red, the piercing in his tail flickering as it passed through one of the tiny rays of light that managed to get through the trees. 'I read books about the stars. You know, planets, suns, moons, Nebula, and everything in between. I stay up at night, and I lay on the roof of our home, and I watch them. I'm getting close to being able to talk to them I think. Mystic is helping me with it.' Obviously the shadow was excited about the topic, as he leaned closer to Red as he spoke and his eye sparkled.Merci smirked watching the two childlike shadows. She lowered her voice so she wouldn't disturb them. "How is your friend doing? The one with you when you got Red?" One of Merci's ears cocked toward Zero so she would be able to hear the woman respond, even if she spoke quietly. It was just amazingly facinating to Merci, that the two of them seemed to get along so well even though they were like black and white... Zero Dream "Talking to stars ?" Red's eyebrows darted up in slight surprise. "I didn't even know people could do that ! That's totally awesome ! I wonder what they have to say..."
Red liked stars, and often settled to watch them at night, as his guardian slept, he found them pretty and they always seemed to calm him a bit, but he'd never thought they could talk. "I wonder how someone talks to them. I mean, they're pretty far, do you have to keep screaming and wake up everyone in the process ?"
....That sounded fun !"I havn't been able to talk to her. She's... had a rather nasty breakup, you see, before all this mess. I don't know what to do... I hate seeing her that way, but what if this is her way to deal. I... I brought her a necklace at the shop when I went there with Red, but... Im not... quite sure how or when to give it to her." The woman's cheeks reddned slightly at the thought. "...I've never really given gifts before... Well, you know, gifts for something other than birthdays and christmas and all that." Merci` Dio shook his head and Inched closer to Red, 'I don't yell, well, not normally. It's more like I can feel them inside here.' His right hand rose to touch his chest, just under where the black stone was embedded in his body. 'Mysic said I should be able to talk to them, and gave me a stone that will help me. It's really pretty, him and Auntie Reyna gave it to me. It's a crystal with gold stuff in it. If I close my eyes really tight I should be able to hear them. I haven't tried it yet, I was to scared.'Merci mixed her chicken and potato salad together, before she scooped up another bite. " I see, I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject. As far as gifts go, it's usually best if you wrap it in something pretty, and take her out somewhere nice. Like maybe dinner, or just a walk in the park. I dunno, Cinder always used to just have things delivered to me, but thats cause she's always off doing whatever it is she does up there." She gestures rather vaguely at the sky. Zero Dream "You want to, right ? Then you should try it. Fear should never stop you from doing something you really want to do." Red canted his head to the side, sending his braids into a wave-like motion. They where so extremely close, almost touching, which normally would have counted as a severe intrusion of Red's personal bubble, but... oddly, with Dio he didn't mind. "Fear only exists to be won over so one comes out stronger in the end. Otherwise it's useless.""Well, I don't want it to look like.... you know." Damnit, was she getting redder ? ********. "...Because it's not like that. Really, it's not." It sounded more like Zero was trying to convince herself. And failing pretty hard. Merci` Dio nodded and eyed Red, and then laid down next to him and curled up into his side, trying to avoid the scarred area. He had no concept of personal space, and he turned so he could look up at the sky. His brightly colored hair still covered half his face as he looked up at the clouds. 'I dunno why it scares me so much, It just does. Like I could get lost or something. What if I can't figure out what their saying? I dunno, you think I should just try it? Do it and see what happens?'Merci couldn't help an the soft "Aww" as Dio practically snuggled Red. She turned to look at Zero and arched her brows. "I'm embarrassing you aren't I? If your doing it as a friend, just give it to her. Tell her you want her to feel better, and you're willing to be there for her. Honesty I find usually helps." She offers Zero a smile. Zero Dream "Yeah. That's what im saying." Red shifted slightly so that Dio could curl a bit more naturally. "If you can't figure out what they are saying, then it just means that you will need to learn. But if you never try it, how will you know ? And if anyone somehow thinks it's funny, ill go and beat them up.""...I guess that could work, really. I just need to work up the nerve. I don't want to hurt her more than she's been, and almost all my attempts so far seemed to have messed up. I really do feel horrible. I don't even know if her stone already did it's thing, or what..." Merci` Dio couldn't help feeling happy and safe, his burgundy eye slid closed as he rested where he was. 'You don't get scared very much? I guess not, not if you can fight with metal and light things. I don't even know how to fight. Honestly he kinda wished he did, cause there had been a few times he would have liked to pop Vance a good one in the nose. 'What is it that you do? Mystic can use dreams, and I can read stars. What is it you can do?' Dio cracked his eye and rolled his head so he could watch Red while he talked.Merci used her fork to emphasize words while she talked, "You know I bet with the stone she would really like the support. I know I would have killed for a friend that could understand what I was going through when Dio was new in my life. I had so many questions and wasn't entirely sure what to do with them. Luckily we muddled through alright." Softly she smiled at Zero, "And don't worry, if you like her you'll find a way to let her know." Zero Dream Im not quite sure what I do. Im pretty strong I guess, but beyond that ? He still hadn't gotten to ask Mystic what had happened back there. If he'd honestly passed out from the pain like a little wuss (which he honestly hoped was not the case), how come he'd been so tired once he woke up ? No, there had to be something else. Something more.
...I don't really know yet. He admitted."I thought so, but... I can't seem to catch her. I don't know if she's avoiding me, or what..." She sighed. "....I just... I don't know anything anymore it seems. I thought I had a good grasp on myself finally, but I was wrong." Zero stared downward at the blanket as if it was the most interesting thing ever. Merci` Dio reached over and wrapped his hand around Red's bicep. It was very obvious that his left arm, which was covered entirely in the long sleeve, didn't do much of anything. 'How strong are you? Could you lift... Merci?' He looked entirely intrigued by the prospect of Red's strength. 'I bet you could be one of those strong men, like they have in the circus. I watched something on TV about them once, it was really neat. Cept your not as big as they are, I mean your bigger then me, but your still littler then those guys were.'Merci smiled at Zero and she poured her a drink, offering it to her. "Sorry all we had was orange juice. I hope you don't mind it. I haven't done grocery shopping in a little while cause Dio gets me into trouble." Her tail twitched quietly behind her as she poured herself a glass as well. "Emotions aren't supposed to be in control. I think thats part of what makes us all, well, human. Though I'm part fox demon and your part machine we still have some bits of us that are still human. We're still on the roller coaster of life. Hang in there, it'll get better." She raised her glass to Zero and took sip before she glanced back down at the boys. The redhead leaned over and dropped her voice to a bare whisper, "On an off note, those two are adorable. Your Red might be a handful, but Dio seems to have him snuggled into a standstill." Zero Dream Red blinked at that, and looked the woman over. Hmmm... "...Maybe ? I haven't tried to lift someone, but I kind of broke one of Athan's supposedly break-proof glass. On accident." Wasn't all THAT breaking proof now was it, if all he had to do was push on it to make it crack ? Honestly. "Heh. Looks can be deceiving... Being able to use the element of surprise is a good thing sometimes.""I guess so... And orange juice is fine, I love it." She took a sip, and tried to calm herself down, else she keep on going and work herself to tears, or something equally as silly. "Yeah, they are. They're totally different, yet... I gotta admit it amazes me a little." Merci` Dio couldn't help a tone of amusement, 'I suppose it would be. I hope your not going to be getting yourself in any more dangerous situations. You might end up with more then just a little scar.' The scar wasn't all that little, but Dio was trying to play it off to make himself feel better. He was a little confused as to why he felt so strongly for Red, but question it or not the feeling was there. The thought of him getting seriously hurt concerned him, and he lowered his eye so that Red couldn't see that worry in his eye as he was thinking about it. Merci settled back and sat in silence for a few moments, watching the children. "Sorry I'm Chatty Kathy over here, I just don't get to talk to that many people. Kinda tied to the house." Zero Dream "Hey, I told you not to worry, didn't I ?" Red peered up at him, like a curious cat. "Beside, I can't get hurt too badly, if I do, ill never be able to know what the stars told you !" He was trying to be comforting, really, and probably failing."It's all good, really, I know the feeling." The blue haired woman said with a grin. "I don't get to know a whole lot of people, myself." Merci` Dio looked up at Red, and he nodded a little bit before he snuggled closer and hugged the other boy. Honestly he just felt better closer to him. 'I was just being silly. I know you would be okay. Anyway you have the blue lady to look out for you too right? That and Mystic, he's so smart he wouldn't let anything happen either.' It didn't dawn on Dio that he might be a little to close or crossing any sort of personal boundary line.Merci leaned forward and propped her elbow on her knee while she sipped at her cup and gnawed on a chicken leg, "What do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking?" Zero Dream "Heheh... More like I watch over her." The red shadow announced, smugly. He didn't seem to mind having the other boy so close. Anyone else would have probably gotten their faces clawed off, but Dio...
Dio was different. It only made his brain hurt if he tried to figure out the how or why, so he did not even try. "I work from home, thank god, or he would probably have gotten me fired by now." She rolled her eyes and took a sip from her drink. "I do a bit of graphic design. And programming, among other things." Other things meaning freelance hacking, but really. One did not go down that direction in a public area. Merci` 'Hey, you don't live with the snake people like Mystic and I do, do you?' At this point Dio was curious if Medusa were everywhere, he didn't see them a lot when Merci and he went out to run errands, but that didn't mean anything. Partly the little shadow was wondering because of the scales on Red, maybe the snake people rubbed off on him?Merci nodded, "I do repairs and modifications to most kinds of weaponry. I used to work in public relations but I got out of that field." It was a nice way of saying she retired from killing people for a living. Honestly illegal activities were not exactly picnic conversation. Zero Dream "Nope. I've never seen any of them, actually." Red shrugged. There are lots of people where I live, but no snake people. There's one guy that's some kind of reptile, but he's not a snake, and he only drops be every now and then. There's this chick who's a bird, no joke, beak and all. And she did this fire-thing, which Red had learnt in the least pleasant way possible. And then there's the blonde who's kinda like Z and his screaming brat. And his mom. The blonde's mom, not the screaming brat's.
Really, this was getting complicated."I used to do something like that, I guess. Before I came here." Only she usually took down machines, not people. "I don't see myself getting back into that. Too many people depend on me now." Merci` Dio didn't realize so many people could be in one place. 'I live with Merci, and three snake people. They are Vance, who I don't like at all, he calls me all sorts of mean things. Seraph, who is kinda nice sometimes, but he doesn't feel anything at all I think. Maili is the other one, and I like her, she's nice and reads to me, and she looks at the stars with me sometimes too. Do you like your family?'Merci couldn't help a smirk, she toasted Zero, "Retirements great huh? I get you on the dependent thing though. I really do, I have three medusa and Dio. No to mention my Fiona. You work from home huh? Net based or do you have a storefront?" Zero Dream "The blonde is like that. Kinds of makes you wonder if he does feel anything sometimes. Ill'd say he's getting better at it, but eh. He shrugged again, lightly this time. "I... don't really interact with them much. I have Z and that's enough, really. Some of them are a bit of a pain.""It's all net-based. I don't think I would have much luck with a storefront, I am... not really a people person." Or patient with idiots. She reached for one of the chicken legs and started to gnaw on it. Merci` Dio pulled away from Red, 'Don't you want other people? Friends? Like.. me? or Mysic? Aren't you a little lonely? I know I get lonely sometimes and I have Maili and Merci.' When he moves his hair sparkles a little bit in the shadow.Merci nodded quietly and crossed her legs, sitting indian style. "I have a small storefront. I would be more then happy to put some advertisements for you in there if you would want to. Help your business a little bit." Zero Dream "It's not the same thing." Red shook his head, sending his braids flying like a wave. "They're not like you, or like Mystic. If that's even making sense." He sprawled on the grass, just like a lazy snake, glowing eyes on Dio. It was the truth - he did not feel like he had to keep himself guarded around either shadows. "I didn't mean that I didn't need friends, I just don't... really consider them friends. Not like you or Mystic, anyway.""That'll be pretty nice, my business has been getting a bit slower lately. Ill find ways to return the favor." She said with a cheerful grin. Merci` Dio's eye followed Red's movements, and he thought about it for a minute. Maybe Red thought of them the way he thought of Seraph. Seraph was not a friend, but not really an enemy either. He was neutral, but Dio didn't really trust him with his feelings or anything like he did with Maili and Mali. 'I think of you as a friend though. I know we just met, but even when you were littler,' the fiend held up his fingers so they measured about the size of red when he was a Wisp, 'I liked you. Maybe you and your blue lady could come over sometime and I could show you my telescope!' Dio was actually quite excited about the idea. He was after all going to stay with Mystic for a night, why couldn't Red come over and see his telescope?Merci heaved a sigh when she heard what the boys were talking about and looked over at Zero, "I hope you don't have problems with me, because it seems like we're going to spend a lot of time together." She couldn't help a rueful grin, "And as far as the business goes, if you have fliers or something I would be happy to put them out. Otherwise I can make something up for you and put it out. Zero Dream "...I think of you as a friend, too."Red glanced upward, a tad amused by Dio's finger motion. He was never that small. "...A telewhat now ?"Zero, for her part, laughed. "Seems like they've taken upon themselves to organize our free time, hm ? And I am pretty sure I have buisness cards, somewhere, I just... need to find them." Her room was, after all, a warzone. Merci` Dio rolled and floated up so he could mime what the telescope looked like, 'It's a big thing like this and you look through a piece of glass called a lens. When you do it shows you things really far away, and you can see stars that you couldn't without it. It's amazing, I really love it. You'll have to come see it. 'Merci brushed her hands on the blanket and started putting lids on the food. "Thanks for coming out here Zero. I appreciate it a lot. I think you've been out here more then long enough now though. With the way you and Red look you should get home and put your feet up. I guess I should invite you over though when your feeling a bit less under the weather though. Seraph will make sure your in the lap of luxury. He loves guests. So you think you could give me a call when you have some free time?" Zero Dream That really sound neat. Red nodded, some childish wonder slipping though. Ill'd love to see it, one day.Zero nodded. "Yes... We should probably get going." While the little fiend would never admit it, Zero could clearly tell what he was starting to be a bit tired. Being a nocturnal creature did not help him much there. Merci` Merci got up and pulled the basket off the blanket on the ground. "Dio, it's time to say goodbye to your friend. We need to let them get some rest." She waited while Zero got up before she folded up the blanket and tucked it in the big picnic basket. "Thank you for brining him out. Dio really enjoyed himself." She addressed Zero as she worked. Dio huffed out a sigh and looked at Red, he didn't want him to leave and he inched closer and hugged Red's arm. 'I don't wanna go, but I guess we have to. I hope you can come over soon.' He really meant every word, and he sounded exceptionally sullen. A sharp look from Merci made him let go of Red and move over to float next to his guardian. Merci offered them both a smile. "You get some rest and let those wounds heal properly alright?" Zero Dream Red sent a glare to Zero, but the blue woman remained unphazed. He sighed. "Ill see you, then...""Will do." Zero smirked. "Both of you take care, now." Merci` Merci shooed Dio down along the path they had come in on. The little fiend kept looking over his shoulder back at Red for as long as he could before the other shadow disappeared into the landscape. "Don't worry Dio, I'm sure you'll see him again alright?" 'I know, but I really like him. He makes me feel very, um, er, well safe.'Merci grinned and shooed him into the SUV. "Get in there and don't forget to thank Seraph for the food." Dio just nodded, and settled in the passenger seat. He watched out the window, staring at the park for as long as he could. Deep down he hoped he got to see Red again very very soon.
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 11:17 pm
 (RP took place May 16th, 200 cool
{RP took place a Word Processor}
Dio swooped through the door into the darkened night air, dragging his guardian with him. He was so excited, they were supposed to go over to Mystic’s house tomorrow night and Merci decided she wanted to go do some shopping before they went. Seraph had provided her a list of all the groceries and other such things that he would need to restock the house and she had accepted it, figuring that since she was already going out, she might as well get it all done at the same time. She had thought it would be nice to get some nice tea for Die, since they had caused him such distress the last time they were there. Merci was following after Dio a little faster then she normally walked, and tripped over something on her front step. The shadow was caught off guard when his chosen went down, and he was jerked over before he phased out of reflex. Dio righted himself quickly and turned back to see the kitsune on her a**, a small gift wrapped box, slightly torn, under one of her legs. The fiend swooped down and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. ’This box must be what you tripped over Merci.’ He tilted it and looked at the tag. ’It says it’s for you, can I open it?’ She opened her mouth to answer but didn’t get anything out before the shadow was tearing off the brightly decorated paper. The box underneath was a boring cardboard brown, and Dio slid the lid off before passing it over to his guardian. Merci sighed “I wish you would wait for me to answer your questions before you decide to do something.” The reprimand as half hearted as she looked in the box to see what was left for her. It looked like a coiled piece of leather, and at first she was confused. She pulled it out and let it unroll as she furrowed her brows. Then she recognized it. It was a belt; black leather with studs along the length, on the hip was a fairly large piece of blue stone, shot through with wavy black lines. It was absolutely beautiful. She stood up and strung it around her waist, clasping it in place. The jewel seemed to glower in the darkness, but it went with her normal black miniskirt, knee high boots and white tank top beautifully. “What do you think? Did the note say who it was from? I wanna send them a thank you. I love it.” She was being a girl, and admiring herself in her new accessory. Dio turned the tag over in his hands and shook his head. ’Nope, doesn’t say. I bet it’s from a secret ’mirer.’ He swooped closer and put the tag in her hands so she could read it. She turned it over in her hands. The tag was a normal card, like you would get with flowers. It didn’t list a business name, or who it was from. It just had her name in elegant scrawl. Merci didn’t recognize the handwriting so she tucked the card in her bra and looked at Dio, “Well we should get our shopping done and get home alright? I wanna get some sleep tonight so I am not grouchy tomorrow at Reyna’s.” The little fiend seemed to ooze excitement at the mention of going to see Mystic and he grabbed her by the arm again and started dragging her toward the car again. *** Merci yawned when she finally slipped into bed, she was honestly exhausted. It was about two in the morning, but she had gotten everything she had set out to do finished. The sheets were cool against her body and she liked it that way. Her tail wrapped around her waist as she curled up into a ball on her side. She’d coiled the new belt and put it on her bedside table so she could look at it. It was honestly just such a beautiful unique piece of work that Merci was a little confused about who would give it to her. She wasn’t even remotely involved with anyone, and the only people she had seen recently were at Twilight Designs and here. Could it have been from Vance? A kind of ‘I’m sorry’ for all the crap I’ve pulled lately? Somehow that didn’t ring true. Vance wasn’t the ‘I’m sorry’ kinda guy. Her musings became more disjointed before her eyes fluttered completely closed, and her breathing evened out into sleep. *** Dio was bent over his telescope up on the widows walk, he was looking a bit closer at Cassiopeia, studying the patterns of stars further away then his naked eye could see. His fascination was strong, and he adjusted the sight on the telescope slowly to bring different stars into focus. The fascination ebbed slowly, so slowly the little fiend didn’t even notice, and discomfort began to replace it, until he was gripped by it. Dio lifted his head from the scope and looked around. There wasn’t anything different, and he shook his head to try and dispel the feelings before he bent back to his task. He had a sinking feeling of horror, and it made him shiver, despite the fact he wasn’t cold. Dio shut his eyes, and tried to concentrate on the source, and suddenly he knew. He just moved and phased through the floor of the walk. He ignored where he was, not even noticing he had come through into Seraph’s room. Nothing mattered; he floated quickly through walls and darkness until he stopped in Merci’s room. This was where the feeling had come from, and the room was thick with it. The sounds of Merci’s ragged breathing only made things worse. Dio pulled back the curtains and opened the window to let in some fresh air. The room was stagnant and stuffy, he hoped that it would help ease the feelings of oppression. When he turned and saw Merci in the light of the moon he hugged himself. She was covered in a light sheen of sweat. Her hair was slicked back into a braid and it was easy to see it on her forehead. The blankets and sheet were tangled around her legs, and her tail was lashing like she was angry or distressed. Her nightgown was twisted around her body, and it didn’t look like she could move easily. The shadow turned and darted through the walls. He was panicking and needed help. ’Maili! Maili wake up! Please!’ He wasn’t thinking, Dio was just reaching out to the only person he felt could help him. He stopped when he got to her room and darted toward her. He pulled her arms and kept screaming as loud as he could in her mind. ’Maili you have to help me!’ The Medusa lifted her head and pulled a hand away from him to scratch her head. Her normally wild hair was limp and hanging down her back from sleep. “What’s wrong Dio?” Her voice was a little husky and she finally freed her other hand from the little boy to push her torso upright. She was obviously tired, but at least she was awake. Dio started babbling, and Maili had to soothe him before he started to make any sense. ’It’s Merci, there’s something wrong with her. I don’t know what but I am so scared.’ His voice was thick with it. Maili just curled the boy in her arms and slithered from her stack of pillows, gliding along the floor she left her room and moved down the hallway until she could push into Merci’s room. She couldn’t help a small smile and she patted Dio’s head. “It isn’t a big deal darling. She’s just having some sort of nightmare. It’s completely normal. You just wake her up and everything will be just fine.” Dio stared at Maili, and was frantic, but baffled. Couldn’t she feel it? The feeling that something malevolent was lurking here? That there was danger? ’Wake her up, please wake her up Maili.’ The little fiend was afraid still, but not so much with Maili there. The medusa moved across the floor and used her free arm to shake the sleeping woman. Merci just moaned, but she didn’t wake up. The green woman picked up the glass of water on her bedside table; in her haste she knocked the belt off it's surface, but at the time she wasn’t really paying attention. She dumped the glass full of water on Merci’s face. The Kitsune sat up in a rush, panting, shocked, and disoriented. In her confusion she lashed out at Maili. The medusa managed to put up an arm to protect herself and Dio, and Merci’s nails scored a deep slice on her arm. Maili started hissing and cussing as she dropped the shadow and moved back, using her good arm to cradle the now damaged one. The kitsune blinked slowly as she took in the room. “What…” He voice was hoarse, like she had been yelling to much. “Maili? Oh gods did I do that? I’m sorry I thought you were going to hurt Dio.” She put a hand to her head and pulled her legs up to her chest to hold them with her other hand. “I was having the worst dream. There was this dark figure, and it was trying to swallow Dio. I couldn’t fight it, I just couldn’t. Every time I tried it would laugh. It was like fighting with a cloud. Dio was screaming, and reaching for me and I couldn’t save him.” Maili listened a bit impatiently and she interjected when she thought she could safely, “Great, wonderful. Sorry about your dream but do you think maybe we could take care of my arm before we start with the narration?” The kitsune flushed a bit and muttered an apology before she got up and pulled a first aid kit out from under the bed. Merci had them all over the house just in case of an emergency. She pushed the green woman to sit down on the bed and started looking after her cut. “I thought you were the figure trying to kill Dio. I’m sorry Maili. It kept telling me that I was next. That it wanted me to watch his soul be destroyed before mine was.” Dio had been listening from the dresser, and he felt chilled. The overwhelming sense of horror was gone, but he was still very uncomfortable. He moved from his perch and buried himself into Merci’s back. He would have to tell Mystic about this when he saw him. Something told him that this was just the beginning. On the ground, the belt lay forgotten, and the jewel gleamed in the darkness.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:03 pm
 (RP took place May 17th, 2007)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci shouldered the overnight bag as she slid out of the over sized black SUV. She'd had to trade in the old car after Vance destroyed it with his total disregard for the clutch after his last joyride. As such the ride through the swampy land had been actually fairly smooth as the large vehicles shocks handled the uneven terrain very well. Merci shot Maili a sidelong glance. Ever since they had entered the swamp, Dio had been a total wreck. He was huddled close to Maili with his head tucked down low. Her fingers stroked through his hair gently and soothingly. "He doin' alright?" The red head leaned over and ruffled his hair, "It's alright Dio, nothing is going to hurt you." Maili just stayed quiet and managed to shoulder one of the two overnight bags and hold Dio. She slithered over the ground and followed Merci's long fluid strides as she headed for Reyna's door. "He seemed alright the last time we were here." The medusa's voice was quiet and barely rose over the ambient noise of the swamp. "Actually he wasn't all that happy the last time we came either now that memory serves. He seemed to relax once we were inside though. Once he is in there we can sit him down and give him a book or something to calm his nerves." Merci replied as she lifted her hand and knocked against the door. Reyna Crelos It was Mystic who answered the door, though instead of opening it, he simply phased partially through to see who was knocking. 'Oh!' He had nearly forgotten. He skittered back inside and unlocked the door. 'Good to see you all. Please come inside.'Charles could be heard flailing about in the background, most likely in the kitchen somewhere. Mystic may have forgotten that he had company, but he certainly had not! There would be tea and cookies and cake for all! Merci` Merci grinned a bit at Mystic and sidled her way inside, dropping the bag inside the door before she turned to Maili and relieved her of the other one. "Sorry we brought so much stuff. I haven't been overnight anywhere in awhile and I think I might have slightly over packed." She shrugged a shoulder a bit ruefully. Maili slithered over to one of the couches and sat down with Dio still curled into her chest. "Little Star, all is safe now. We are not in any danger here." She moved her face down so she could put her mouth next to his ear as she whispered, "You don't want to miss time with your friends now do you?" The little fiend shook his head and turned it so his one burgundy eye peeked out from the safety of her arms. It rolled around, allowing his gaze to march over the room and take it all in. Merci couldn't help a small smile, "He's been like that since the road got rough." She addressed Mystic quietly. "Think he's just a we bit scared of something." Dio slowly pushed Maili's arms away and floated free, 'I am not.'The rather sullen look on his face contradicted the words entirely. He glided through the air and wrapped his arms around one of Mystic's 'Thank you for letting us come over!' The boy was obviously quickly forgetting the discomfort of only moments ago. 'It's going to be a big fat moon tonight so we can read the papers. Ooo and you can show me what it is you do!' The excitement was starting to kick in again.Reyna Crelos 'Indeed it is so. The full moon shall be pleasant, especially since the night is supposedly going to be clear. Not a cloud in the sky,' he answered as he playfully ruffled Dio's hair. "Oh goodness me, our guests are here!" Die cheered as he slithered out of the kitchen. Perhaps the only thing that kept him from flailing about excitedly was the tray of pastries and iced tea he held in his hands. He made his way towards the couch in the living room and set the tray down on the coffee table before both Maili and Merci. "Enjoy lovelies! And should you need anything at all, don't you hesitate to ask. I also cleaned up the guest room for you." Merci` Merci looked up at Die and she snapped her fingers. "I got something for you. Just hold on a second." She moved over to the bags and rummaged through both of them before she came up with a tin of very nice gourmet white tea. "Here Die, this is for you." The redheaded woman moved over and put it in his hands. "I know the last time we were here you were less then comfortable. I wanted to try and make up for that. So here you go." Maili reached over and picked up a teacup and saucer, settling back against the couch. "Are you going to stay and drink tea with us?" She addressed the other Medusa with a smile. "It's nice to see one of my own kind that isn't emotionless or a jerk." Dio pulled on Mystic's arm and swooped around him to gather up the notes and scrolls. And you said you would show me how you do the dream things right? I can't wait to see, I am so exicted about it. Where is Aunt Reyna? Is she here? Can I say hi to her?'Reyna Crelos "Oh goodness me, how delightful!" Die cheered happily as he promptly sat down next to Merci and all but smothered her in a hug and kissed her cheek (but was very careful not to ruin his lipstick with any smudges). "You are too sweet, and oh I'd just love to join you two for a cup of tea." He reached to pour them all a cup and handed over the steaming cups on dainty dishes before grabbing up a cup of his own. "You two are so sweet. I do so love having guests!" Mystic turned away from the scene. Charles annoyed him to no end. He realized he should likely be thankful that he was nice even if he was a bit.. much at times. He instead beamed quietly over at Dio. 'Reyna is at work currently, so maybe later when she gets home? She usually stays late to finish her projects without being harassed by customers.' He chuckled quietly at the boy's excitement. 'And I shall certainly try to show you how the 'dream things' work. But first, lets get you settled in with your things, hm?'Merci` Dio blinked up at Mystic and then in addition to the scrolls he snagged up a little bag of his own. 'I hope she gets home soon. I really like Auntie Reyna, I was excited about seeing her. More excited about you showing me the dream things, and the scrolls. Still was excited about seeing her. Oh! I have to ask you something!' Dio rambled idly as he arranged the things in his arms so he could carry it all with one hand. The sleeved arm hung at his side as if it was utterly useless. 'I have to ask you though when we're alone, it's kinda private.' He finally turned his attention away from his burden and beamed at Mystic. 'Ready!' He was obviously very excited.Merci managed to stifle the squeak that threatened it's way out of her at the unexpected glomping. She put an arm around the medusa and patted his back as he snuggled her and kissed her cheek. "Well we weren't such good guests last time. I didn't get a chance to sample your tea." Maili couldn't help but smirk at Die, but she hid it behind her teacup as she sipped the hot contents. A surprised sound escaped her, "This is really good!" It wasn't that she was expecting it to be bad tea, just average. This was definitely not average and she looked up curiously at the other medusa. "Do you do something special when you brew it?" Reyna Crelos Mystic chuckled quietly, clearly bemused by the child's enthusiasm. 'She will be home soon enough, little star.' He turned to head down the hallway and motioned for Dio to follow. He did however give a brief nod to Merci and Maili before exiting the living room entirely. "Not especially," Die replied with a bright smile as he sipped daintily at his own cup of tea, "I am rather old fashioned when it comes to my cooking and making of tea and the like. I do, however, ensure that the teas I purchase are of the finest quality. Makes for a better brew." Merci` Dio followed the older shadow away from the chattering tea party, his arm wrapped tightly around his burden. He wasn't entirely sure how to ask what he was going to ask. Maybe Mystic could use his dream stuff on Merci to make her better. She had been waking up screaming every night since she had clawed Maili. When he couldn't hear them anymore he piped up, 'You said you can go into peoples dreams, and see what they see. Could you do it to Merci? She has been having horrible nightmares about something trying to swallow me...' He trailed off and then seemed to thing of something 'She said it was like a cloud, and that I was screaming. She does it every night. I mean obviously she has to be asleep so we can read my scrolls and stuff first.' Even though he was worried about Merci, he was obviously to excited about the stars to focus on it for to long. 'I brought the Quartz you and Auntie Reyna gave me too so maybe I can talk to the stars!' Reyna Crelos 'It's a possibility,' Mystic answered before continuing with a small warning, 'My abilities are not practiced, however. I have only ever encountered the dreams of my Reyna and Athan. We will also have to wait for her to fall to sleep.' He directed the child into his room and followed him inside. There was just enough light to allow him to read comfortably and was truly more of a soft glow that was emitted from what appeared to be stars etched into his ceiling. He beamed quietly as he pointed up at the display to direct Dio's attention to it. 'Reyna painted it for me.. a mural of the stars and night sky when I was about your age. I've added to it as I have grown.. the lights I spelled myself.' Merci` Dio followed Mystic cheerfully, the happiness practically rolling off of him in waves. He was so excited to finally get a chance to test himself with someone else. Sure he practiced a bit at home, but outside advice was something he felt he desperately needed. After entering the room he laid the scrolls and bag down carefully, it wasn't until Mystic drew his attention upward that he froze in wonder.
It was one of the most beautiful man made things he had ever seen. His eye roved over the softly glowing artwork and he hugged himself with his non sleeved arm. 'I've never seen anything like it...' His voice was quiet, maybe even a touch reverent. 'Did you match it to a star chart?' His practiced eye moved over the creation, getting his bearings in relation to the real sky so he could pick out constellations. 'I want one...' Reyna Crelos 'Reyna used actual images of stars as references, so a few constellations may be accurate. The version at the shop in the backroom is accurate, though. Have you ever noticed it? Usually it's too dark for it to be seen properly. Athan needs to update his spellwork for it.'He fell quiet and drifted over towards his bed and sat wit his knees drawn up to his chest. 'Shouldn't be too much longer until it is dark. I carved runes into the ground in the garden.' Which of course Reyna had initially protested to. Had it stopped him? Not really. 'Should help with any spell casting we might need for the scrolls or your stargazing.' Merci` Dio nodded a bit as he easily traced the constellations he recognized. 'They are like old friends. You know, patterns and shapes in the chaos of space. I know there is more...' He seemed to be talking to himself and he canted his head to the side before turning his face back to Mystic, 'I haven't seen it before, but I will have to look at it when I am in next. I bet I could update it for the Athan man, I know where they all are.'
Dio drifted over next to Mystic and settled himself daintily on the bed next to him. 'You don't have to look at my Merci if you don't want to. I don't want you to be scared. I will find a way to fix her if you don't wanna help.' He moved his sleeved hand and patted Mystic with it, fingers still hidden by the fabric. Reyna Crelos The elder shadow chuckled quietly and reached to wrap an arm about Dio's shoulders in a brotherly fashion. 'I am not so worried by fear as I am by my own competency. My dreamwalking abilities are newly discovered and barely tested. I don't believe anything bad would happen, I just anticipate that it might not work out as well as either of us would like.'He paused for a moment, head tilted to the side in thought. 'There's also a chance it might not work, or Merci will ... well.. not appreciate the intrusion.'Merci` He was silent for a few moments before his multicolored head nodded. 'Okay....' He wasn't sure what else to do, she had hurt Maili. His guardian seemed to be able to manage well enough throughout the day, but it was obvious to him that the lack of restful sleep was getting to her. 'You will still help me with the scrolls and stars right?' He turned his burgundy eye up to look at the older shadow. 'I will figure out whats wrong with my Merci.' Reyna Crelos Mystic ruffled Dio's hair in an affectionate manner. 'Of course I will help,' he replied with a smile twinkling in his violet eyes. He drifted away to peer out the window. 'It is almost dark out. Do you want to go ahead and start setting things up in the garden? It shouldn't take too long. It will be waiting for the moon to rise to its fullest that will be rather tedious.'Merci` At the mention of the scrolls, all of his worry seemed to melt away from him. Excitement flooded through the little shadow and he seemed to almost vibrate with the sheer intensity of the emotion. The little creature had felt so confused by the things he felt, the whispers, the patterns. They all danced behind his eyelids when he closed them but everything was a jumble, he just knew that having Mystic there would help him straighten things out.
Dio threw his arm around the older shadow and nuzzled into him happily. The arm with the sleeve still dangling uselessly, 'I'm so glad I have a friend like you to help me. It must have been really hard for you huh? Cause your one of the oldest, you didn't have anyone older then you to help you right? Was it confusing? Was it scary? I think it would be scary... I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you to talk to, well you and the Athan man. I will go help set up. Where is it?' His voice dropped and he looked a little nervous. 'It isn't in the wet place is it? The swampy place?' Reyna Crelos Mystic chuckled good naturedly and pat the boy atop his head. 'It is... frustrating at time, but I make do. I have my Reyna to help me with things.' And the endless frustration he felt for his supposed maker. He resisted the urge to sight or otherwise carry on with himself in some melancholy fashion. He needed to focus on the task was at hand if they were to have any success with the scrolls. 'No, little brother,' he reassured him, 'The garden is in the center of the house. There's a door through the kitchen. We might also consider going up to the roof once the moon is full.'Merci` The child took stock of his belongings, making sure he had all the items he needed for the viewing of the scrolls and his attempts to make sense of the noise. He couldn't call it anything else really, whispers they were but all over each other, piled up, and speaking some gibberish he couldn't understand. It was all likely to give him a permanent headache if he didn't get it straightened out soon.
He gathered it all up and stared at Mystic for a brief moment. 'Thank you Mystic.' There was such sincerity in his voice. This meant more to him then the older shadow could really guess. Dio went into action all at once, zipping back the way they had come, down the stairs and out into the living area. He paused long enough to bob his head to the tea drinkers, 'Scuse me! I am going to set up!' He then zoomed right back out and poked around till he found it, the garden. It was really pretty actually, which Dio was unprepared for. He paused just outside of the doorway to take it all in.
He was so glad it wasn't out in the swamp, he hated them. Something about the way they smelled, and they were so... Cloying. He shivered and shoved the thoughts away, puttering around to set up for the nights fun. Reyna Crelos Mystic fell silent and idly trailed after the energetic child. His own movements were languid in comparison as he floated along and phased through the walls to reach the center garden. It was a quaint little place largely intended to house herbs and vegetables to be cooked within the kitchen. It was also one of his most favorite spots even during the day. Now at least it was cool, and swiftly growing ever darker. It would be a fine evening for reading of the scrolls. He had to admit he was somewhat curious as to what exactly they were all about. Athan had certainly never volunteered valuable information to him. He pushed his thoughts aside and focused instead upon Dio. 'Do you need help at all?' he asked with a look of bemusement as he watched the little Shadow dart back and forth as he set up his belongings. Merci` Dio had found a place to set down the armful of items he'd been carting around. He was quite impressed with their little garden, and was thankful that it didn't look the same here that it did when they drove up. Something about swamps made him extremely uncomfortable. Actually it was worse then that they made me feel truly terrified. He tried not to dwell on it as he laid out the notes about the contents of the scrolls. 'See? the Athan man gave me notes. That was what I was reading until now. But you're going to show me how to read them for myself right? I wonder if I'll be able to even if the letters show up. Maybe it's in some weird language I won't understand. That would be sad.' He rambled on a little bit as he gestured Mystic over.
The scrolls themselves were also laid out carefully. Dio reached his hand down and untied the clasp on them, in spite of his age, he treated the parchment with reverence. 'Do we have to wait for the moon to come out all the way? Is it the moonlight or the starlight that makes the things appear?' The child didn't even seem to need an answer to his questions, he kept rattling off more and more. After that last one though he turned his head to regard Mystic with his normal curious gaze. Obviously he was done asking questions for the moment and deemed now the time to listen for the answers. Reyna Crelos 'I'll show you as best I can,' Mystic told him truthfully. He wasn't certain he'd be able to read the scrolls themselves, but he was confident he'd at least be able to decipher it according to Athan's neatly written notes. 'I would however wager that they are written in a foreign language,' he warned the child with a look of bemusement as he petted him atop his head. He could almost see the child visibly pout at the very thought. 'The moon has to be out all the way, and it must be dark. That is my understanding of it,' the elder Fiend spoke as he examined the scrolls and the notes. 'See,' he pointed at the blank pieces of carefully laid out parchment, 'You can almost see the writing, but not quite.' Merci` Dio did his best to pout actually. He was grumpy with the thought that he wouldn't be able to decipher any of it. If the words weren't anything but gibberish then what was the point in having them? He could just have read the notes the Athan man had given him. There was a looming feeling of dejection. His guardian was having problems and now his scrolls weren't behaving. How dare the world hand him such horror.
When Mystic pointed to the parchment he dutifully leaned over to look. He moved his right hand up and pushed the long bang back out of the way so his hair wouldn't touch the scrolls. He thought he could see the barest outlines of... something. Dio had never been interested in the moon before particularly, and now he turned his face up to glare at the sky. Why couldn't it just rise faster? The stars were much better behaved then the silly moon. They started appearing before the sun had even gone down.
Okay yeah so you could see the moon during the day, but that didn't matter in his mind. Right now it wasn't doing what he wanted it to, and it was simply unacceptable. How could he quench his curiosity if nothing cooperated with him! 'Does it get clearer?' He asked as he looked back down at his beloved scrolls. Reyna Crelos 'Here now, don't be so put out,' Mystic admonished him with a bemused look. 'Where's the fun in figuring out the mystery of the scrolls if there is no mystery to be had?' He shook his head and pressed a hand to his face and chuckled quietly. Silly boy was so impatient! 'It will be some time before the moon has risen to it's highest point. They are called the Midnight Scrolls for a reason, yes?' he replied, 'Perhaps we ought to steal a book from Reyna's study to pass the time.' Merci` Dio turned his head to look at Mystic and he blinked slowly. He simply loved books of all shapes and sizes, though not necessarily all genres. The boy was picky, he didn't understand why people liked fiction so much. Fiction books were just craziness to him. He'd had talks with Merci about why Maili was so interested in romance novels. His guardian had told him that sometimes it's nice to forget who you are, and pretend to be someone or something else. To transport yourself to a world were fantastical things could happen. Dio thought this was madness, since fantastical things seemed to happen all the time. The only fiction Dio got down with was Maili's bedtime stories. 'What kinds of books does Auntie Reyna have? She doesn't read those sappy romance novels does she? Merci buys them by the truck load for Maili, the little dime store ones.'
The child moved closer to the house and watched Mystic. He was happy that he was going to have someone to spend the night with. Most nights Merci fell asleep about halfway through it and he had to spend hours alone. Maybe he could get the older shadow to read to him for awhile. Dio loved being read to, though that was often how Maili tricked the little shadow into sleeping during the hours he would usually be active. Reyna Crelos Mystic laughed quietly. It was a low, deep sound as he reached out to pet at Dio's hair idly as they drifted towards Reyna's hidden study. 'She is not the sort to appreciate romance in general, nevermind a book about it. Her collection of books is small, but.... interesting.' His guardian did not keep many things or personal belongings at all. Most of which she did keep with her were oddities that had some sort of strange sentimental value that she couldn't even remember what was. Her books were equally disjointed and strange. Some reeked of magic, other's where simply plain stories, but were obviously lore of some kind from another realm. 'I'm sure we can find something that will pique your curiosity,' he told Dio as he phased through a wall that came to apparent dead-end at the hallway. It brought them directly into her hidden study which she had sealed off for safe-keeping. Curious jars filled with strange things lined shelves in amongst books that were stacked up. There were also the occasional haphazard array of scrolls. 'Feel free to browse, but... be careful? Reyna is a demon after all.'Merci` Dio was in seventh heaven. He paused for a moment when he phased through the wall after Mystic, to let it all sink in. His burgundy eye moved back and forth across the room several times before he finally moved forward. There were scrolls, books, odds and ends, he wasn't sure what to look at first. The warning that Mystic provided was barely heard in the insane glee that he was feeling at the moment. He bypassed the scrolls for the moment and read the titles of the books that were there. The older shadow had been right, there wasn't a lot, but what was there was insanely interesting. His left arm, as usual, hung lifeless at his side. His right on the other hand was hovering just over the spines, tracing them in the air but not quite touching. 'Wooow.' he breathed the word out, 'I want to have a collection like this one day! These are so amazing. Can I pick anything?
Just as quickly as a breath, Dio's attention was stolen. He was inspecting a collection of jars on the shelf and reached out to touch one of them. 'What are all these? Does she have something living in here? Is that just sand? What is that I can't even tell what it's supposed to be.' The questions flowed as he moved from one jar to the next. The child probably didn't even realize he was speaking them out loud. 'I wish I could capture a star like this.' Dio blinked his eye and looked back at Mystic, slightly chagrined. 'Maybe you should pick the book out. I don't want to make Reyna upset that I touched things I shouldn't have.' Reyna Crelos Mystic moved to peek over Dio's shoulder with a look of curiosity as he rambled on endlessly about… everything. 'Uhm. I've no idea what's in the jars, really. I've never asked, and… well… to be honest, I'm not certain I want to know.' He reached over the child's head for a book that was up a bit higher than the rest. 'I like this one the best. It's a bit warped, but… what would you expect from demonic faerie tails and lore?' he chuckled. With the book in hand he moved towards the door and exited through it. He waited patiently for Dio to follow so that he might seal it back properly. Gods forbid he left it unlocked and someone like Samara got a hold of the strange things inside. Or worse, the naga of the household decided to "clean" it up. He shuddered at the thought. Reyna would make herself snake skin boots. He was certain of it. Merci` The child moved behind Mystic, though it was obvious he was reluctant to leave the room. It was truly fascinating to see that side of Reyna. He'd never thought she would be the kind of person to hold onto things, let alone such interestingly awesome things. Though now that he thought about it, maybe that was the point? His wonderful Auntie Reyna probably only kept things that were exceptional. He didn't dwell on it though, as his excitement now shifted to the book that was in Mystic's hands. Dio fixed his visible eye on Mystic and tried to sound a little pitiful, he found it was easier to get what you wanted if you sounded like you would be sad if you didn't get it. 'Are you going to read to me? Maili reads to me all the time. Does Auntie Reyna ever read to you? Or your snake person? I know all snake people aren't mean like Vance. I bet he's much easier to live with, and he seems really nice.'
The boy floated closer to Mystic as they moved through the house, reaching up with his un-sleeved hand to hold onto the older fiends arm. He wasn't familiar with the surroundings, and the place made him a little edgy. It was hard to forget that he was surrounded by a swamp, even though he couldn't see it. He knew it was there and it helped to make him more clingy then he would normally be. Reyna Crelos Mystic chuckled quietly at the barrage of questions Dio assaulted him with. His ever present curiosity was a never ending source of amusement. 'Reyna used to read to me when I was younger. Mostly I read to myself. I can read to you if you would like. I do not mind,' the elder Fiend told him as he drifted back towards the inner garden at the center of the house. He nested himself at the base of a tree not far from where Dio's equipment was set up in wait for the moon to rise so that his mysterious scrolls might be read. 'Sit here with me,' Mystic told him, 'And I shall read you a curious tale.'Merci` The little fiend could hardly contain his utter excitement. This was the best... night... EVER! All of the apprehension he was feeling ebbed away at the thought of story time. He floated over and waited for Mystic to get settled before he moved in next to him. Dio leaned against his friend and ducked his brightly colored head under the larger fiend's arm. He wanted to be able to see the book, even if it didn't have pictures. 'I bet this is going to be really good. Does it have pirates in it? Or maybe dragons and damsels in distress? Maili read me one like that, it was really good. Oooh I bet it's going to have magic in it right? Some awesome magical object that sends you on a quest. Shiny knights on white horses?' He was practically vibrating with all the excitement he was feeling. Books were the most amazing thing in the world to him, they bridged time and space, they were portals to the most amazing worlds the mind could create. The best thing about them though, was they could be shared.
Dio was just about ready to start talking again when he remembered that if he was talking, Mystic couldn't read to him. So he settled himself against his storyteller and locked his bright burgundy eyes on the page. He just couldn't wait to find out what the story was going to be about. -=TBC=-
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:04 pm
 (RP took place May 20th, 2007)
{RP took place in the Shop}
Merci` Merci pursed her lips and blew up, trying to get some of the hair out of her face. She'd pounded the pavement and all she had gotten was a name. The nooks masquerading as shops she had managed to get were not only completely useless to her, but unable to tell her where she might be able to retrieve this odd chemical Mystic had blurted at her before whisking out the door with her little shadow in tow. The only useful thing they had told her was that if it was available anywhere a man named Doylin would have it. What the hell kind of name was that anyway? Merci parked the hulking truck on the street and swiped the back of her arm across her forehead. It had been a hot day, and of course her air conditioning needed to be charged and hadn't managed to cool the cab enough for her liking. Twilight Designs sat across the street, the storefront seemed to be a little less inviting then it usually was. True it could have been her own imagination, knowing that two statues sat inside that should be people, but it didn't matter in the short run. The kitsune slid out of the machine and slammed the door as she stalked across the empty street. She was seriously not looking forward to telling Mystic that the whole thing had been a bust. Reyna Crelos Mystic sat behind the desk, huddled close to the statue of his guardian and to the child that was trying so desperately to put him at ease. 'This will work out,' he insisted. It was more to convince himself than to convince Dio. He believed, while he.. held onto doubt. He sighed heavily and propped his chin up in one hand. 'This has to work.' He would fade away otherwise. Merci` Dio didn't know what to do, he felt so helpless. 'Don't worry Mystic, Auntie Reyna and the Athan man will be just fine. You'll see. Merci is helping find what you need and I will too. I bet Red is going to look too. Red can do anything so I know that everything is going to work out. You have to take heart, after all Auntie Reyna will be so happy to see you when she gets better. The Athan man will probably be happy too, he's nice. Bad things just don't happen to good people.' The little shadow was patting Mystic on the shoulder and babbling comfortingly. He really was trying his best. When he heard the door he fell silent and peeked around to try and see who had come in. Merci could hear the little shadow trying desperately to keep Mystic in good cheer. It made her smile a little bit in spite of her failure. Normally in a situation like this he would just hide behind Maili or herself. It was nice to hear him actually talking openly. Mystic was one of the few that he would babble to like that. The multi hued head peeked at her and she heard the relieved sigh float through her mind. If only she had better news. "Mystic? Hey how are you holding up...?" She trailed off and put her hands behind her back, her tail flicking back and forth slowly as she gaged the older shadow's mood. Reyna Crelos Mystic had no answer for her. He turned his head away and gazed down at the floor. 'I have not begun to fade.' Perhaps he wouldn't. Perhaps he would be trapped eternally without the comfort of his guardian's shadow ever again. He sighed and shifted into his more transparent form if only because his restlessness wouldn't allow him to be comfortable sitting in a chair in a more solid state. Merci` She grimaced and her eyes darted over to Dio and back to him. "I couldn't find what you wanted. I went to two of the shops you gave me and they both gave me the same name though. I am going to find him and get what you need. Why don't you give me a list, and I'll work my way down it alright?" She knew what she was getting herself into. Days of crawling through back alley gypsy wagons and dirty little second hand stores that had hunchbacks for salesclerks. To be honest though, it didn't matter to her. Mystic was important to Dio, and Reyna had never been anything but kind to her boy. Merci knew that her little shadow would be heartbroken if anything happened to his adopted family. All of her suspicions where confirmed when she looked into Dio's big burgundy eye locked on her, so full of hope. Reyna Crelos He nodded as he scrambled for a loose piece of paper. He had already sent Red and Zero off for some of the items, but if Merci and Dio could also hunt for more items while he guarded his stone wards... all the better! He hurriedly scribbled down lists and names, descriptions, and tiny scribbly drawings. 'Here.. I.. well... I'll be here if you have questions. I appreciate the help. Really I do.'Merci` Merci took the paper and she looked it over. Some of the names didn't seem so outlandish, but she hadn't thought that a chemical would be so hard to track down either. "Alright I can do this. You gonna be okay on your own here? I kinda need to take Dio with me so I can go find this Doylin character." Dio didn't even need prompting, he peeled away from Mystic and huddled behind Merci. It felt so good to be near her again, and it broke his heart to think that Mystic couldn't feel comfort in being near his Guardian. 'We'll come back soon. Hang in there alright?'Reyna Crelos 'I will be well,' he insisted, 'I need to stay to watch over them. I left the alone far too long earlier on today.' He offered a quiet, empathic pang of reassurance to both Dio and his guardian before he settled himself once more into the chair. He needed to organize his thoughts and what supplies he had. Yes. That is what he would do to keep himself occupied. Merci` Merci hesitated before she nodded to him once and gave him a half hearted little wave. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. "Come on Dio we're more help on the move. You can read the list for me while we walk." She pushed the door open and grimaced as she was hit by the heat. It was heading into the late afternoon hours but it was still uncomfortably hot. Dio hit the bright light and cringed back into the doorway of the shop instinctively. He sunk down into Merci's shadow as she set off up the road, paper firmly in hand. He was more comfortable traveling that way during the daylight hours.Merci left her car parked, some of the shops were close and she hated wasting time finding a parking place. After all, it seemed that now time was something she couldn't afford to waste. Merci` Dio followed Mystic in silence, his own burgundy eye wide. He hadn't really known how much danger his Auntie Reyna was in, but now that he did know he felt a certain nervousness too. It was easier for him to float along and he did so next to Mystic as they entered the small darkened shop. It was much more comfortable for him here, and his body almost visibly relaxed as he floated through the shelves. He wrung his hands and brushed the long bangs out of his face so he could more easily scan the merchandise. 'Are you sure it's here Mystic? I don't see anything that looks like what you described.' The boy's voice was quiet as he spoke to the other fiend. He wanted to be a comfort for Mystic, and he desperately wanted to help Reyna and Athan. Rhiannon Everwind Cheyna stared at the small, wooden box in front of her, delicate nose crinkled just enough to show her annoyed displeasure in it. She had come here in hopes of finding something good, something of value or something she could dub 'cool', and so far she had found nada. Random odds and ends, useless trinkets, old and decaying knick-knacks... she supposed this is what she got for coming to some random antique store. Or whatever this place even was. Letting out a soft but audible growl, the young demoness tucked her wings in closer to her body and lightly padded further into the bowels of the small shop; small, tanned fingers touching things here and there as she went, trying to find something - anything, really - that would interest her, or rather, interest her brother. Cheylan was, after all, her reason for coming here, she wouldn't have ventured forth by herself for anyone but her twin, and she had recently felt an urge to acquire something unique for him. But her brother being her brother, it was hard to find something that would capture and hold his interest. Ah well, she must be getting points for trying so hard, right? Reyna Crelos 'Mm.. I'm certain,' Mystic replied, 'The shopkeeper here owns various artifacts, or so I've been told. Athan ventures here sometimes. Usually for rare minerals, which is what we're after..' He sighed, somewhat exasperated as he simply floated entirely through shelves and tables. Everything was in his way. In his haste he nearly phased through the little girl that was poking through the various wares that were on display. He paused for a moment as he peered down at her with unnaturally bright eyes. A little demon, was it? Her aura reminded him faintly of Reyna, and with that thought he did not linger a moment longer and instead went straight to the cash register where a bored looking employee stood. 'I need to speak with Kahn. It is of dire importance.'The young man's eyes widened slightly at the sight of him and Dio both. The shopkeeper typically did not appreciate being disturbed, but he was willing to make an exception in this instance for fear of what such ghostly creatures might do if refused. "I.. I'll... I'll go get her." Mystic nodded curtly and folded his arms over his chest as he drew his cloak closer about his form. Merci` Dio's brightly colored hair fell down over his eye again as he approached the counter. Normally most jewelry would be kept in a glass counter. Least that was what it was like over in Twilight designs. The place was a little musty and so he just stuck his head partially through the glass so he could see better. Things were sparkly, but beyond that didn't hold much interest. The things at Twilight Design were much better made, though the jewelry here seemed to be a little older. He pulled his head back out and glanced up at Mystic 'There are some jewelry things in here. Could some of it be in one of these things?' He pointed at the glass and gazed curiously up at the older Shadow. Rhiannon Everwind Cheyna trailed the tip of her index finger along the edge of one of the shelves, already being half-bored with what the store offered her. In ways of gifts for her brother, it wasn't a very good place to shop, she soon realized. She had seen a few things she herself might have liked to stop and look at, but even though she could probably afford just about anything in the store, she had come for her brother and refused to indulge herself in picking something up. The girl halted abruptly as a figure seemingly materialized in front of her, giving her a small start. Turning crimson, cat-like eyes up to his, she couldn't help from feel slightly uneasy, as perhaps she did when in close proximity with anyone she didn’t know. Keeping her gaze on him, she watched as he turned and went about his way, not even uttering an 'excuse me' for almost plowing right into her. How rude! She thought to herself briefly, but having better manners than most she met, she simply shrugged it off; sleek tail flicking underneath her long, dark blue skirt. Her bright eyes watched for just a moment longer, spying a smaller figure come up next to the other one, but shortly after she mimicked the stranger and turned her back on them, nearly done with surveying the shelves and feeling a bit disheartened at the thought of leaving yet another shop empty handed. Reyna Crelos The elder shadow was quickly becoming rather impatient. He huffed a bit irritably and bent down to take a peek at what it was Dio was referring to. 'Mm... no, little one. What we're actually after is a powdery sort of substance. It's apparently rather rare... to be honest I don't know how to pronounce it properly, either.' He hoped the small scrap of paper he had with the name written down would be enough. He moved to stand but paused. He felt it again. That familiar, yearning darkness. He scrubbed at the glass of the case with one hand with a look of distaste when it came away covered in grime. His eyes widened in surprise. For the moment his discontent at having been made to wait was brushed aside. 'Dio... look,' he whispered in a hushed tone as he pointed towards a clustered stone hidden away in the back. It was covered in tiny spikes and if he squinted at it just right, it almost seemed to be glowing. Merci` While Mystic was talking to him Dio was looking around. The little demoness caught his attention until the older shadow said his name. His burgundy eye moved to where he gestured, and it took him a minute to see the clump of stone. He focused on it and leaned over the counter, 'What is it doing? Is it waking up?' He remembered what Staurolite had looked like when it woke up. 'We can't leave it here, not alone.' Dio looked back up at Mystic and he was honestly anxious. Mystic was not in the mindset to really deal with anything but his Guardian at the moment. However leaving the little stone where it was would be bad. He didn't want anything to have to feel as lonely as he did, it was a bad memory for him. Reyna Crelos Mystic's brow furrowed into a frown. They really didn't have time to deal with this, and seeing as they were both reliant on their own guardians, Dio especially given his age, neither could afford to keep the stone. They had no energy to spare for the little wisp to form properly, and if it were already beginning to take on its glow that meant only one thing... He idly cast a glance back towards the little girl. Perhaps she could prove useful in that respect. He was typically adverse to handing a stone to a child, but she was no ordinary child, that much was clear. A demon would have the strength to withstand the bond regardless of age. What's more, the look of desperation Dio shot him made it painfully clear that simply leaving the stone behind was not an option. "An' what is so important ya need botherin' me..?" came a rather sassy response from an equally sassy looking woman. 'This...' Mystic replied as he handed the piece of paper to her. She looked it over and rolled her eyes. "Wanna tell me why I might go as to feelin' inclined ta give you this..? Ain't handin' it over for nothin' that for sho'.." Mystic seemed to smirk. 'I'll do you a favor and take that stone off your hands,' he murmured innocently as he pointed towards the glass case where it sat. Merci` Dio's head turned when Mystic's did, and he followed the gaze to the little demon. Hearing the other fiend starting to barter for the stone he decided to indulge his curiousity. He peeled away from Mystic and passed through the bookshelves next to her so he could get in front the girl. The colorful hair hung low over his right eye as he waved at Cheyna Hello,' His voice floated through her head as he has no mouth. 'Whats your name? Are you here shopping for something in particular? Are you a demon like Aunty Reyna?'Dio didn't even bother thinking that she might not like being assaulted with so many questions. He was honestly curious, and with the innocence of a child trusts that he is safe. He clasped his hands behind his back and trustingly watched Cheyna. Rhiannon Everwind Third store, with same result, and the defeated youngster was just about ready to call it quits and head home. Though she did see a neat mug on one of the shelves, but that would have been something for her, not her brother, and that was a no-no. At least on this trip, perhaps another time. Tucking a crimson-streaked lock of blonde hair behind a pointed ear, she turned around and was about to head to the front of the store when one of the two figures passed through the shelf to her left, coming to a standstill just before her. His initial appearance made her start, but that aside, nothing about him struck her as particularly odd or suspicious - being in a household full of random and extremely diverse beings, it was hard to faze the young demon. " Hi," Cheyna smiled, blood-hued eyes glinting curiously as he spurted out - mentally, she noted, just like one of her mother's friends - a handful of questions all at once, but the demoness wasn't one to ignore or brush anyone off, and she happily responded to all of them. " I'm Cheyna, I came in here to try and find something for my brother, but he's a really hard person to shop for, he kind of already has everything he wants..." The girl's smooth brow creased for a moment as she frowned at the thought of her brother, but the shadow quickly left her face and was replaced with a smile, " Yes, I am! Both my mom and my dad were demons, but I think they were different kinds, so I guess I'm two different types rolled into one." Her smiled widened a bit at her own comment, and she arched her slender brows, " How about you?" Reyna Crelos Khan laughed. It was a low, throaty chuckle that ended in what sounded like a purr. "That be a lofty price, sugar." Mystic leaned onto the counter and glanced down at its contents. He was somewhat thankful that Dio had skittered off, as the situation at hand had the potentially to turn ugly, and should it require a bit of spell work, he wouldn't want him in the way. Plus, he was doing an excellent job at keeping the potential host within the shop. 'Actually,' he replied as he straightened up a bit and tapped at the glass, 'I would be doing you a favor by taking this stone.'As if on cue, the glow that was pulsating around the stone burst into life and the little wisp frantically skittered about its confines, clinking against the glass as it struggled to break free. The woman's eyes widened. "You did tha' on purpose! You came here fo' that man... always comin' in for rare t'ings and want'n that damn stone." 'Ah.. Athan. You could say that is true, in a way. I prefer not to associate with him personally, but if you're wondering why he may have wanted the stone so badly.. well.. you can see why.'She hissed irritably and took a step back away from the case and muttered something in a foreign language that sounded suspiciously like a curse. She made a sign with one hand and Mystic couldn't quite make up his mind if she was trying to ward off evil or was making some sort of rude gesture. It hardly mattered to him. He just wanted the damn mineral he came for, and the rock-turned-wisp that was in the case. Once she had left he slipped through to the other side and opened the sliding door. Once realizing it had a way out, the wisp zoomed out of the case entirely and made a bee-line for Cheyna. Merci` Dio saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his face toward the wisp. It was moving at a fairly high rate of speed. A feeling of relief swept through him as he realized that things were going to be alright for the little one. He just couldn't abide the thought of someone fading away like he almost did. He did answer Cheyna while he moved, 'I'm a Shadow. I don't think I have parents so to speak but I have a Merci. She takes care of me.' He reaches a hand up to touch the stone that was embedded under the hollow of his throat. 'We start out tiny, like that.' He gestured at the little wisp and backed up a little more, happy to let the little thing accost her. 'Look a little bit like that when I was little.'Rhiannon Everwind Cheyna was about to ask what it meant to be a shadow when her newly found acquaintance turned his attention elsewhere. Flicking her gaze in the same direction as his, her slitted eyes widened and she let out a small screech as the only thing she saw was a small orange rock flying straight at her. Tucking her head down, she threw her arms up to protect her temples, believing someone had actually thrown something at her, or at someone else and missed them. After no more than a second or two of not being hit, she opened her eyes and lifted her head, hands poised just in front of her chest, and she couldn't help but frown, rosy lips parted. The stone seemed to be hovering in the air just beside her, small tendrils of a sheer, black substance - smoke, maybe? - rising from and curling about its spiked surface. " What.." Her soft voice trailed off, not entirely sure what was going on and not really focusing on the words the being next to her had said; her bewilderment was reflected within her widened, red eyes as she continued to stare at the stone. Having seen many things, a floating rock was something new to her, especially one that randomly flew at peoples' heads and then stopped, and she didn't entirely trust it, or anyone else for that matter. Telekinesis was something she was very familiar with, herself being slightly gifted with it, and she knew the stone might simply be an object for anyone in the store. Reyna Crelos 'Forgive me, dear,' Mystic spoke up from where he now leaned casually against the counter as he waited on Khan to return, 'But I dare say our little friend there needs someone to watch over him. I believe he has taken to you.' Quite literally, he tacked on mentally. He looked as though he wished to say more but was distracted by the reappearance of the shopkeeper. She scowled over at him as she gruffly tossed him a small pouch which he deftly caught in one hand. "You tell Athan that I expect proper payment, you got that, eh?" she hissed as she tried to poke him in the arm to emphasis her point only to have her hand phase entirely through him. She skittered back with a startled gasp and Mystic all but radiated a sort of smug satisfaction. '... I'll let him know.' Merci` The little shadow slipped through the air back over to Mystic's side. 'Is that it, will that help the Athan man and Auntie Reyna?' He was entirely satisfied that the wisp was taken care of, after all he had a guardian now didn't he? Dio curled under the other fiend's cloak and tried to get a good look at the pouch in his hand. 'Thank you for getting him Mytsic...'Rhiannon Everwind " What.." Again, the young demon's voice trailed off as she stared at the stone as it hovered silently, almost a little foreboding, had it not been so small and bright of a color. She didn't quite comprehend what exactly was going on - it took a liking to her? That meant it was alive, right? Was this like those things her mother always used to tell her about, the couple things her mother had gotten a hold of, or the way Rhiannon had liked to put it, shoved into her hands? Cheyna turned her head and watched the smaller one return the other's side, and a small well of abandonment opened up within her chest. Surely they weren't just going to leave her with this floating rock, were they? Turning her attention back to it, it still hovered, rivulets of that peculiar blackness running across its surface, and hesitantly, she reached out a small finger and poked one of the flat surfaces. Immediately, the black tendrils coiled and writhed over one another, clutching and twisting towards her finger, and slowly the smooth skin of her finger seemed to ripple. She recoiled her hand from it, a slight look of horror crossing her pretty face as an odd, cold feeling twisted itself into her breast, making her uneasy. " Wait! I don't think I understand." Talking more to the smaller one, not the rude one, she padded quickly after him, her hand unconsciously scrubbing her finger. She stopped a few feet from them, suddenly feeling a little shy and wary, " What... what is it? Is it dangerous? I don't think I like it very much..." Merci` Dio glanced over and he practically beamed at Cheyna. 'It's a wisp, of course HE isn't dangerous. He's going to be like me, with a little care. We need someone to help us, like my Merci, and Mystic's Reyna. You will be his guardian, cause without you he could die.' Dio moved from beneath the cloak and tilted his head at the little demon, 'Promise he isn't scary, he just likes you.' The little fiend tried to emit a soothing feeling at Cheyna, to make her feel a little more comfortable. Without her the little wisp would slowly fade away, and he didn't like the thought of that. Reyna Crelos 'Typically,' Mystic spoke up as he grabbed a firm hold of Dio to drag him away and towards the door, 'I would make it a point to stay and explain the situation, but we've a life or death situation to cope with, so to speak.'He paused a brief moment to hand the child a card which seemed to materialize out of no where which boasted a elegantly penned logo in silver ink on smooth black paper. 'You'll no doubt have further questions that will need answering. I can promise you that the stone wishes you no ill harm. To harm you would be to in turn hurt itself. Visit the shop in Durem -- Twilight Designs.'And with that, he turned to leave, all but abandoning the little demon to cope with her new ward on her own. It was not an easy decision to make, but he had other more pressing matters to attend to.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:05 pm
 (RP took place June 16th, 2007)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci pursed her lips and blew up, trying to get some of the hair out of her face. She'd pounded the pavement and all she had gotten was a name. The nooks masquerading as shops she had managed to get were not only completely useless to her, but unable to tell her where she might be able to retrieve this odd chemical Mystic had blurted at her before whisking out the door with her little shadow in tow. The only useful thing they had told her was that if it was available anywhere a man named Doylin would have it. What the hell kind of name was that anyway? Merci parked the hulking truck on the street and swiped the back of her arm across her forehead. It had been a hot day, and of course her air conditioning needed to be charged and hadn't managed to cool the cab enough for her liking. Twilight Designs sat across the street, the storefront seemed to be a little less inviting then it usually was. True it could have been her own imagination, knowing that two statues sat inside that should be people, but it didn't matter in the short run. The kitsune slid out of the machine and slammed the door as she stalked across the empty street. She was seriously not looking forward to telling Mystic that the whole thing had been a bust. Reyna Crelos Mystic sat behind the desk, huddled close to the statue of his guardian and to the child that was trying so desperately to put him at ease. 'This will work out,' he insisted. It was more to convince himself than to convince Dio. He believed, while he.. held onto doubt. He sighed heavily and propped his chin up in one hand. 'This has to work.' He would fade away otherwise. Merci` Dio didn't know what to do, he felt so helpless. 'Don't worry Mystic, Auntie Reyna and the Athan man will be just fine. You'll see. Merci is helping find what you need and I will too. I bet Red is going to look too. Red can do anything so I know that everything is going to work out. You have to take heart, after all Auntie Reyna will be so happy to see you when she gets better. The Athan man will probably be happy too, he's nice. Bad things just don't happen to good people.' The little shadow was patting Mystic on the shoulder and babbling comfortingly. He really was trying his best. When he heard the door he fell silent and peeked around to try and see who had come in. Merci could hear the little shadow trying desperately to keep Mystic in good cheer. It made her smile a little bit in spite of her failure. Normally in a situation like this he would just hide behind Maili or herself. It was nice to hear him actually talking openly. Mystic was one of the few that he would babble to like that. The multi hued head peeked at her and she heard the relieved sigh float through her mind. If only she had better news. "Mystic? Hey how are you holding up...?" She trailed off and put her hands behind her back, her tail flicking back and forth slowly as she gaged the older shadow's mood. Reyna Crelos Mystic had no answer for her. He turned his head away and gazed down at the floor. 'I have not begun to fade.' Perhaps he wouldn't. Perhaps he would be trapped eternally without the comfort of his guardian's shadow ever again. He sighed and shifted into his more transparent form if only because his restlessness wouldn't allow him to be comfortable sitting in a chair in a more solid state. Merci` She grimaced and her eyes darted over to Dio and back to him. "I couldn't find what you wanted. I went to two of the shops you gave me and they both gave me the same name though. I am going to find him and get what you need. Why don't you give me a list, and I'll work my way down it alright?" She knew what she was getting herself into. Days of crawling through back alley gypsy wagons and dirty little second hand stores that had hunchbacks for salesclerks. To be honest though, it didn't matter to her. Mystic was important to Dio, and Reyna had never been anything but kind to her boy. Merci knew that her little shadow would be heartbroken if anything happened to his adopted family. All of her suspicions where confirmed when she looked into Dio's big burgundy eye locked on her, so full of hope. Reyna Crelos He nodded as he scrambled for a loose piece of paper. He had already sent Red and Zero off for some of the items, but if Merci and Dio could also hunt for more items while he guarded his stone wards... all the better! He hurriedly scribbled down lists and names, descriptions, and tiny scribbly drawings. 'Here.. I.. well... I'll be here if you have questions. I appreciate the help. Really I do.'Merci` Merci took the paper and she looked it over. Some of the names didn't seem so outlandish, but she hadn't thought that a chemical would be so hard to track down either. "Alright I can do this. You gonna be okay on your own here? I kinda need to take Dio with me so I can go find this Doylin character." Dio didn't even need prompting, he peeled away from Mystic and huddled behind Merci. It felt so good to be near her again, and it broke his heart to think that Mystic couldn't feel comfort in being near his Guardian. 'We'll come back soon. Hang in there alright?'Reyna Crelos 'I will be well,' he insisted, 'I need to stay to watch over them. I left the alone far too long earlier on today.' He offered a quiet, empathic pang of reassurance to both Dio and his guardian before he settled himself once more into the chair. He needed to organize his thoughts and what supplies he had. Yes. That is what he would do to keep himself occupied. Merci` Merci hesitated before she nodded to him once and gave him a half hearted little wave. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. "Come on Dio we're more help on the move. You can read the list for me while we walk." She pushed the door open and grimaced as she was hit by the heat. It was heading into the late afternoon hours but it was still uncomfortably hot. Dio hit the bright light and cringed back into the doorway of the shop instinctively. He sunk down into Merci's shadow as she set off up the road, paper firmly in hand. He was more comfortable traveling that way during the daylight hours.Merci left her car parked, some of the shops were close and she hated wasting time finding a parking place. After all, it seemed that now time was something she couldn't afford to waste.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:06 pm
 (RP took place June 16th, 200 cool
{RP took place in Shop Thread}
Please click on the following link for the RP... Here
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:30 pm
 (RP took place November 28th, 2009)
{RP took place in Word Processor}
 ((Merci` :: metité borealis ~ This is actually a liquid. It has a strange, prism-like quality to it and is constantly a swirl of vibrant colors. It is stored in small quantities as it is highly volatile and acidic. Small amounts will not cause permanent physical harm, but it can be used as both a warming and numbing agent.)) The front of the building was dilapidated beyond repair. It looked like some giant creature had chewed it up, swallowed it, and then somehow blew it out of its nose. Merci blew a strand of her hair up out of her face and glared at the storefront. Half the night she had spent pounding the pavement, and after how hot it had been during the day she was starting to get generally very annoyed. Her fingers moved up and pulled the haphazard ponytail down, twisting it back up more securely. She was not about to go into this place without her game face on. She felt little hands on her arm as Dio peeked around her toward the blazing storefront. The Kitsune had never in her life run across so many places open in the dead of night, but the bread crumb trail had ended here. Doylin’s name had been tossed out there as the premiere chemist in town, if it could be made, he could make it. Despite knowing his name, none of the other helpful souls could tell her where to find this guy. Even people who claimed to do business with him on a regular basis didn’t seem to know, it seemed he contacted them through pre paid cell phones when he had stock available. Normally she would have tossed in the towel hours ago, however that didn’t seem to be an option. Every time she thought about turning her SUV home, Dio looked at her with wide, expectant eyes. Well only one eye, the other was hidden behind the curtain of hair that fell over the other half of his face, but she may have melted if both had been brought to bear. She had resorted to calling people she swore she would never speak to again, and inwardly she cringed at the memory of the conversation. ”Hey Jude…”
“Oh you’re a riot; I’ve never heard that one before.” Pause, “Merci? Well what the hell I haven’t heard from you in ages. Heard you quit the biz. Made a lot of people real mad, fact, I can think of a few that would be real interested in hearing you’re still breathing.”
“Oh come on Jude, you wouldn’t tell on me right? I got a family now, kids you know. Fact that’s kinda the reason I’m calling.”
“I ain’t babysitting for you sweetheart. Kids make me want to shoot things. Who the hell had a kid with you anyway? You’re kinda weird lookin, you know with the tail and ears going on.”
“Jude, focus.”
“Right, okay so you’re calling cause you need something I’m guessing?”
“Yeah, a huge favor. I’m calling in Mumbai.”
“Whoa… that’s a huge favor. Like, I think that’s the biggest favor I owe you even. This has gotta be good. I’m listening”
“All I need is a location to go with a name. Well that and I need you to keep your fat mouth shut about the fact I called.”
“Aah, alright. I think I can do that. Who you need found?”
“His name is Doylin. Chemist from what I understand. Real secret chemist. Mixes up things that you wouldn’t find in your local drug store, or even your local run of the mill military base. I need this information, like, three days ago. Lives are at stake and the whole biz.”
“Right, Okay Merci. We’re square on Mumbai, and I’ll make a few calls. Talk to you in a couple hours.”That phone call had lead her to where she was sitting right now. Outside of a store that edged on the industrial district, smashed up between two very large, very concrete looking warehouses. This was not the kind of place a tourist or casual shopper would find and wander into. This was definitely the type of place one found only if they had referrals, or were very very persistent. Merci was both. Dio clung to her arm and pressed himself firmly into her back as she walked up to the front of this place and tried to push the door open. It was either locked or rusted shut, and looking at the place she was honestly not sure which. Merci squared her shoulders and was about to try and shoulder her way through the portal when a tinny voice erupted from a nearby speaker “State your business.” It scared the beejeezus out of her and she whirled around to face the direction the voice came from. It took her a moment for her eyes to fall on the off white plastic speaker box, she easily traced the wires from it up to a video camera that definitely didn’t look like it belonged the building she was standing in front of. Her opinion of the man went up a few notches, but, it didn’t help her annoyance. “I’m here to talk about an acquisition.” Criminals by nature were very greedy, and very cautious. He probably wouldn’t like to know that she knew his name; this guy seemed to go to great lengths to keep himself hidden and quiet. “Acquisition you say? Show me the money. Just hold it up where the camera can get a good look.” Figured he would want to see hard cash. Merci as a rule didn’t carry large sums of money. She did however, carry diamonds. It was a habit from when she herself used to bank on the wrong side of the law. They were smaller, less traceable, and easier to carry high denominations. The Kitsune’s hand snaked into the inside of her leather jacket and pulled from it, a sizable pouch. She poured the clear gems into her hand and held it so the eyes on the other side of the camera could see. Dio peered around Merci at the camera and his head tilted to the side. He’d seen things like this on TV. The red light blinking on it meant that it was working, and for some reason the fact that someone could see them but not the other way around, bothered him. The voice exploded once more from the box, in a mixture of voice and static “Who is that with you? You didn’t come alone? Everyone knows to come here alone. Go away; I don’t do business with people that break the rules.” With that the static died, however the light on the camera kept blinking. Merci glanced at Dio and then at the door. “Lovely this may very well depend on you.” Dio clung to Merci’s arm and in a small voice replied ’I don’t want to leave you. I don’t like that voice, they aren’t very nice.’She smiled in spite of herself, “I know, he sounds horrible. You want to save Reyna and Athan, then you’re going to have to be brave. You are going to have to go through that wall and open that door for me. You can do that right? After that you can hide behind me again. But to make them better, I have to get in there.” He didn’t answer for a moment, and stayed where he was. The speaker remained silent, not a sound coming from it, but the camera was still on. Dio knew that Merci was right; she had been searching for this Mit-something-or-other. Slowly he peeled away from her, and with a hesitant backward glance at her, he phased right through the wall. The inside looked totally different from the outside, and Dio paused for a moment to get his bearings and digest the strangeness of it.
Posh? That seemed like the right word, it looked a lot like the house he lived in. The room he was in right now looked like a parlor of sorts, thick heavy Persian rug, overstuffed leather chairs, polished cherry wood coffee table. The wall was wallpapered in gold and red, there was extensive crown molding and perfectly shined hardwood floors. It didn't look like it was the same building at all.
The shadow jumped when Merci rapped on the door behind him. He swung into action, turning back toward the door he manually undid the locks holding it shut. Wires went from each latch up toward the ceiling, and Dio assumed they had something to do with the Camera Man.Merci pushed the door open quickly when she heard the locks slide out of place. She had a moment where she was hit with the same oddity as Dio, but it didn't surprise her as much. Doylin, it seemed, was a man that enjoyed his fame and fortune to the fullest. Sometimes Narcissistic greedy bastards were the easiest to deal with. Her green eyes moved across the room quickly noting several exits, two doors leading to the left and right, and a set of stairs leading up. Merci reached out and brushed fingers over Dio’s arm quickly, trying to be reassuring. She didn’t like him being here, because she wasn’t sure how well armed this Doylin character was. “Before we go any further, I want you to promise me something Dio.” The little fiend turned his head toward her as he floated a bit further into the room, his ghostlike tail trailing behind him as he moved. ’Okay?’ His voice held some trepidation, but he was open to her question.“If something goes wrong here, I want you to run. Men like this can be violent; I don’t want you to get hurt. You make like mist and just fade through the walls alright?” She wouldn’t move any further unless she knew he would be safe. Merci didn’t see any point in saving Reyna and Athan if it meant Dio had to get hurt. As much as she liked the demoness, she was not going to trade her charge’s wellbeing for theirs. Dio swooped back over and gave Merci a one armed hug, ’Everything will be fine, don’t worry about me. Let’s get this stuff so we can go home!’ He took her hand and tugged her after him gently.Merci took a deep breath and followed him; somehow she would have to content herself that his concession was enough. He pulled her toward the stairs and she gave him a questioning look. “Why up?” She didn’t get a verbal answer, instead Dio let go of her and zipped over to the door. He pointed to the wires on the locks and the fact they went right up through the ceiling. For some reason she felt a little surge of pride that he had been so observant. She knew that those wires could run anywhere in the house from inside the wall, but she decided that upstairs was as good a place to start as any. Her footsteps were silent against the wooden floor, the worn out combat boots sliding across the wood as she took the stairs. She really wished she’d had her pistols with her, it wasn’t often she did things like this without Wahrheit and Ruhe. They just seemed like overkill to bring into a, hopefully, peaceful business meeting. She wasn’t off to the best start however, usually peaceful didn't start with a little B & E. She crested the top of the stairs and crouched, sliding a hand down her own leg to free one of the throwing daggers she kept there. Alright so arming herself wasn’t probably wise, but she was feeling edgy. Having something sharp in her hands would make her feel better. Opulent was the word that popped into her mind as she got a look at the upstairs hallway. It was like the bottom floor, but Merci was starting to suspect that the wallpaper was flecked with actual gold. The texture was wrong for it to be paint, or simply part of the wallpaper. Merci flicked an ear and held completely still where she was, part of what had made her so good at her old profession was that she did have excellent hearing. Kitsune had heightened senses, and she could hear the slight movements of someone shifting in a chair at the far end of the hallway she was about to enter. Her voice was very quiet when she motioned Dio over, “I know I shouldn’t ask you to do this. You are incorporeal and can fly, see if there are any cameras or guns for me would you? I don’t really want to get shot today.” Dio watched her move and he simply floated along behind her. It seemed like a lot of work to simply stay quiet. He was suddenly very happy he didn’t have to try and walk like that, floating seemed so much easier. At her request he stopped trying to have a solid form and allowed himself to phase completely. He cruised forward and entered the hallway, nothing more than smoke on the breeze. The red blinking light caught his attention from the end of the hallway and he spoke up, ’There is another camera, like the one outside. It’s blinking too that means he’s watching right? I don’t see anything else.’ No sooner had the words exited his mouth however then bullets ricocheted down the hallway, imbedding themselves into the wall near him. Dio made a very girly noise of terror and immediately zipped back behind Merci to hide.Merci heaved a sigh, a very irritated sigh. This was not how she wanted to spend her night. She was tired, cranky, her feet hurt, she had dried sweat on her scalp, and she wanted a bath. All of those things added up to massive stress, and a stressed out woman was not someone you wanted to be shooting at. Even worse to shoot at a stressed out woman’s child. Merci came around that corner and she threw the knife she had in her hand, it whizzed through the air and buried itself in the camera lens. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, she ended up scrambling back into the stairwell as bullets started wildly showering the corridor. She drug herself into the relative safety that was offered by the corner, but before she could get entirely out of harm’s way her foot jerked. She curled up and stretched out her leg to see what had happened and she growled. A stray bullet managed to go through the heel of her shoe horizontally. Merci knew she would need new boots, and breaking in a pair of combat boots was hell. The sole of the boot was slightly pulled away from the impact, and she sat for a few minutes and stared through the heel of her boot, from one side clean to the other. The thought that it could have been her leg made her start to see red. This was entirely out of hand, it wasn’t like they were coming to steal anything! Merci waiting until the bullets stopped and she got up. Between Dio being shot at, and the damage to her boots, Merci was pissed off. “Dio, stay here.” Her voice was clipped, and deeper than normal. Lifting her leg she pulled out another couple throwing daggers, and launched herself into the hallway. She was counting on him having exhausted his ammo with the wild shooting earlier, well, that and the fact he was now blind and couldn’t see her explode into the hallway. He could probably hear her coming because of the half flapping sole slapping like a flip flop down the hallway. Bullets, again, tore down the corridor, later on she would try and convince herself she faced all this for Reyna and Athan, but the truth was he just plain pissed her off and she wanted to sock him in the mouth. Hesitation was not in her at the moment and she barreled into the doorway that was straight ahead of her at the end of the hall, throwing her entire body weight against it. She would have been six kinds of screwed if the door had been armored, but like all narcissistic bastards in the world, he must have believed no one would get through the front door. It went down like tissue paper, falling flat back into the room that housed the nervous system of the house. The sounds of bullets ceased immediately from behind her, and she stared at an amazingly handsome, if somewhat shocked, young man. Merci glared at him from where she was crouched on the door, blades still naked in her hands and anger dancing in her eyes. Behind her Dio peeked through the now open doorway, his multicolored hair distinctly visible against the chaos that had been, only moments before, gorgeously decorated house. “I said,” She straightened from her crouched position as she spoke, “That I was here for an acquisition. I will not be denied. Now, you get the ******** up out of that chair, and you get me what I want.” Doylin was a slender, geeky guy. Glasses perched on the end of his nose, and they glowed in the backlight provided by the wall of monitors behind him. Brown fluffy hair was a veritable nest on his head, though it didn’t look like it was from poor hygiene. There was something in his hazel eyes though, and it made Merci want to smile. He was a little bit afraid of her right now. “Ah, right. Acquisition you say. W… what sort?” His voice was deeper then she expected, and seemed out of place on such a dorky looking guy. Dio’s eye widened, he felt something from Merci he hadn’t really ever felt before. She wanted to hurt this man, and he knew it would be really bad if she did. He moved very quickly and planted himself between his guardian and the man that might be able to help them. ’Don’t! He’s the man with the Mit-stuff! We need him, Reyna and Athan need him!’
The fiend turned his back on Merci and looked Doylin right in the face, ’We need a rainbow in a jar. He flew back around Merci and plucked the worn paper from her pocket with the name of the chemical, delivering it promptly over to the chemist. ’That one, we need it bad.’The geeky guy stared in disbelief at Dio, and he glanced over at Merci. “What, is that?” “Watch it, you’re on thin ice as it is. You know you shot my boot!” She lifted up the damaged boot, and the weight of the heel showed were the sole pulled away from the leatherwork. Dio shot her a look and she controlled herself. “Doesn’t matter what he is, I need some Metité Borealis. I am not taking no for an answer. I know who you are, where you live and what you do. I have to have it in the next couple days. I have payment for your services. I think that’s all you need to know. “ The man paled as he looked at Merci, “That’s not easy or cheap. Some of the stuff I need to mix that might take days, or months to find even! I don’t think I can have it for you in a couple days. Two months maybe.” Dio looked back at his guardian with alarm evident in his face and voice. ’Mystic won’t last that long.’Those eyes again, she was a sucker for those eyes. “You have three days Doylin. I will be back in three days. I will be better armed, and I promise, even if you can keep me out, you can’t keep him out.” She jerked a thumb at Dio, “and he’ll let me in. Make it happen, I will pay you whatever you want for it.” He fell backwards into his chair and nodded slowly. Doylin swallowed and his adams apple bobbed with the gesture. “Okay okay fine, it won’t be cheap, but I’ll make it happen.” Dio let out a happy sound and sailed around the man, twirling his office chair as he did so, in effect spinning him like a top. ’Thank you so much!’Merci smirked as she watched Dio. In the end, it was all worth it to see him so happy. She backed up and jerked her head, “come on love, let’s get out of here. Three days Doylin.” They left the way they came, though the décor now more closely matched the outside of the building. Merci closed the door and had Dio relock it, the last thing she needed now was someone to walk in after her and screw up the chances of her getting what she wanted. She climbed into the SUV and pulled off the boots, throwing them in the far back. Honestly this stupid stuff had better be worth all the trouble. ~~~ Three days later the SUV pulled up in front of the same building, and out front was a small package that was labeled “To the Crazy Lady and her Ghost, Don't worry about payment, Just Leave!”. Inside was a rainbow liquid unlike anything she had seen before. She just hoped she hadn’t gotten it too late.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:31 pm
 (RP took place June 15th, 200 cool
{RP took place in Shop Thread}
Please click on the following link for the RP...Here
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:32 pm
 (RP took place July 5th, 200 cool
{RP took place in Guild}
Merci` Dio sat and watched his chosen Guardian pace up and down the upstairs hallway. He had no idea what was going on but late last night this little thing bleeped, and she hadn't held still since. He was floating in the doorway to her bedroom, out of her way. 'Why did you shine the faucet in the bathroom, and why are you walking back and forth like that?' Dio's voice was quiet as he addressed Merci, he didn't want to startle her to much.The woman stopped in her tracks and muttered "Oh hells." Under her breath. How was she going to explain Dio to Cinder? She brushed her hands over her cotton white tank top and fussed with her black leather skirt she almost always wore. "I polished the faucet because I don't want Cinder to think I've let the place go. I mean I know she knows I'm a bit of a slob but when she gets here she is going to probably want a real bath, and I want it to be shiny." Even to her it sounded lame, but it was pretty much the truth. "And I'm walking so I don't fidget. Now please be nice to Cinder. She means an awful lot to me and I don't want you to do the sorts of things to her you do to Vance and Seraph."
Dio waved his unsleeved arm, 'I'll be good, will you tell me about her now?' But before he could get any sort of answer the sound of an engine seemed to get louder and then stop. In a flurry of red hair his guardian bolted down the stairs to get the door. Cinderfae Cinder brought the warhammer down without bothering to use the various landing checklists required by the Empire believed to heighten flying safety. Then again the Empire and the war, Cinder helped fight against them was very far away. It might have been safer but the pilot was in a hurry so a bit of Draconian doctrine was being pushed aside. "Mycroft how do we look for actual touchdown?"The disembodied rather refined british voice of her AI came over the speakers, "The patch of land near the residence is suitable and landing will not destory anything substantial." Even as Mycroft's words came to her Cinder could tell he was making the nessecary calculations for landing. The neural jack in the back of her neck allowed her greater access to the workings of her ship to a point she could almost feel it. "Alright settle us down, I'm ready to go see by girl."The landing ended with a rather uneventful bump as the ship settled into place. Cinder stood and threw the braid she kept her long red hair in over her shoulder. Throwing her jacket over her shoulders she headed out of the pit of the plane. Her grey blue eyes concentrated on the exit out of the ship she made her way almost hurriedly toward it...though she forced herself to make it a hurried walk instead of a jog. Near the door that would lead to the ramp off the ship someone was already waiting for Cinder. Standing at around four feet tall was a creature that looked distinctively feline; fur the color of ginger covered the creature. Although catlike the creature stood on it's hind legs looking much like a human would and four arms in addition to it's legs came out of it's torso. Cinder grinned and looked to the feline creature, "ready Peeps? I have a feeling your going to want off the ship."With a soft sound that did strangely sound like a noise a chick would make Peeps answered, "I am ready to meet your heart mate." Chuckling Cinder palmed the door that would open to the ramp, "I have lots to talk to her about...I bet she will like you though."Cinder walks down the ramp of the ship a small device on her hip blinking slightly showing Mycroft's interest in the area and the ginger colored creature moving behind her. Cinder grinned when she saw the red hair and Merci's ears in the distance starting out to a run to sweep the other woman up in her arms. ((Referance pictures for Peeps. -1--2-))Merci` Merci shoved through the door and covered her eyes to shield herself from the slight breeze that the ship brought with it. Her fox-like ears flattening down against her head to protect them from the last sounds of the Warhammer settling into place. "She's back!" She squealed as she took off at a run toward the hulking mass of metal. It was hard not to see Cinder against it, red hair and pale skin. Merci threw herself at the other woman with a gleeful little shriek "Your back! I am so glad your back! I missed you so much!" She buried her face against the taller woman and heaved in a breath, getting the smell of her again. Dio peeked out the door and flinched back, the sun was still fairly strong in the sky and it made him extremely uncomfortable. For a few moments his curiosity warred with his self preservation, and curiosity won. He zipped through the wall and grabbed one of the throws from over the back of the couch to use as a makeshift cloak. He wanted to see damnit!
With it securely over his head and body he floated back through the door and made his way over to the shadows cast by the Warhammer. Merci seemed to be very attached to this other woman he had never seen before, and feelings of jealousy started bubbling up inside of him. Who was this?! He looked like a moving shadow from under the blanket, his dark coloring lending to that conclusion. The only flash of color was his wildly colored hair and the flash of metal from the tail that peeked out of the bottom of his camouflage.Cinderfae Cinder chuckled and swung the smaller woman up in her arms giving her a rather good snuggling all things considered. She grinned hugging Merci close a moment. A part of her relaxed as she did, a small part of her that she normally wouldn't even allow to exist had been worried; worried that Merci would have moved on. That she would have an entirely different life and there wouldn't be room for an old space pirate in it. "I missed you so much," Cinder took a moment to look Merci over and murmered into her foxy ears as she did, "your still as lovely as I remember."As the two women took a moment for various snuggling and greetings Peeps wandered down the ramp of the ship, canting his little head to the side curiously looking the area over. He was certain that the two were engauging in some mating ritual even if it didn't make overly much sense to him. After all it was unlikely they could actually mate, the Priman's thoughts were cut short as his keen eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a floating blanket with a shadow under it. Inching forward suspiciously the Priman used a bit of grass as cover his eyes somewhat wide as he watched. Sniffing the air he tried to catch scent of the shadow creature, the Priman narrowed his eyes the creature didn't smell persay a bit musty but it seemed more like old energy. Peeps crouched down, his front set of arms kneading the ground in a rather catlike manner as one would do before getting ready to pounce, his legs curling under getting ready for a jump and his tail flickering in the air. Amber eyes focused on the moving blanket he coiled his muscles. Cinder pulled back in time to see Peeps ready to jump, a look of confusion on her face. "That's Peeps, I'm not sure what he is doing..." Cinder hadn't caught sight of Dio and his blanket shelter as of yet. Merci` Merci beamed up at Cinder and snuggled back, it was so nice to have her back. There was a feeling of being safe, of belonging that seemed to grip her when she was near her love. The fact she was safe and relatively in one piece was a bonus. Cinder, much like her friend Zero, had mechanical parts. She would have to poke and prod later to find out if there were any more of them then there were before. Dio totally didn't notice Peeps, he was actually considering gluing Cinder's braid to her forehead. Merci had asked him not to do anything prankish, but she hadn't said anything about being downright mean. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could make her mad and make her go before she disrupted his little world.Merci's eyes followed Cinder's as she mentioned Peeps, and she saw one of the oddest things she'd ever seen. She didn't notice Dio right away either because honestly she had never seen a six limbed monkey thing before and it was curious. "What is a Peeps?" She asked in a whisper, "Is that it's name or what it is?" Cinderfae Cinder chuckled at the question and grinned slightly, leaning slightly she kissed Merci's forehead. Not bothering to whisper she spoke to Merci in a normal tone of voice. "Peeps is what I'm calling him, he's a Priman. Bit genatically enhanced one actually. Only called himself a string of numbers before I called him Peeps." Cinder loosened her arm slightly watching the Priman for a moment. Peeps continued to focus on it's prey - or rather the blanket with the shadowy thing under it. His ears twitched slightly as if picking up the sound but his eyes settled on the brief motions under the blanket. Tail twitching too he was getting ready to pounce. Cinder's gazed settled on Peeps a moment and she frowned slightly, "Peeps, what are you doing?" Being directly spoken to did catch the Priman's attention long enough for him to speak though he didn't take his eyes off Dio, "Cinder, the shadows are watching..." only after Dio's comment did Cinder's eyes finally go to the blanket. Tilting her head slightly she murmered to Merci. "I'm not sure what that is...but does it belong to you? Because I think Peeps is going to jump on it in a moment."Merci` Merci looked up and finally let go of Cinder, "Dio, you shouldn't be out here in the light like this. Go back inside we'll be in. Get Maili to have Seraph start cooking." She sounded a bit perturbed and glanced back over to Cinder, "Yeah thats another thing we're going to have to talk about. Thats my Black Star Diopside, or Dio for short. It's kind of a long story." Dio stiffened at the long version of his name and unhappiness rolled off him in waves. Hearing what they were saying the blanket moved back away from Peeps. 'I am not a thing you need to talk about! Merci's mine and you can't have her. I won't share her, I won't!' He didn't run away, or hide, but he pushed the hood of his makeshift cover back to display his brightly colored, sparkling hair. It fell over his face hiding one of his two eyes. Over his visible eye a vertical star was easily seen on his skin. His burgundy eye was burning with a bit of possessive anger. At the hollow of his throat what looked like a black stone with a star, much like the one over his eye, on it was embedded in his form.
Merci shook her head, "Dio it isn't like that. I won't be leaving you, Cinder will live with us like Maili. You liked it when Maili came to stay, you'll like this too. I promise." He didn't seem to be listening.Cinderfae Cinder looked over at the blanket and tilted her head, smiling faintly when she saw a shadowy face peeking out. Murmering to Merci` to keep it from travelling to Dio to far, "interesting things I can handle. Seen a great deal of it...peppy one too it seems." Her voice if anything sounded amused. Cinder turned to look at Dio, more curious then anything but before she had time to speak to him Peeps moved forward quickly. Bounding over the plants he was using as cover the Priman pounced over the ground rather quickly. His amber colored eyes wide as he regarded Dio closely, they flickered over the more colorful bits of his hair and even the shiney bit of metal on his tail. Reaches out with his first set of paws Peeps attempted to run a soft pawed hand over Dio's face. Cinder blinked slightly seeing Peeps dash over to Dio, "Peeps! Don't scare him!" She hadn't even had a chance to speak to the shadow creature and already it looked like he might get scared off...or molested. He seemed important to Merci` and her tone sounded very much like a mother's when speaking to him which was more then enough to make Cinder give a damn. Cinder glanced to Merci waiting for her cue on what to do next, as when it came to Dio she really had no idea what to expect. Merci` Dio turned his face down to look at the odd creature that was touching his face. After cyborgs, demons, and medusa, Dio was not shaken by a cat monkey thing. He hovered back an inch or so, before he darted out of the blanket, disappearing into Merci's shadow.The kitsune just smiled a little bit and glanced up at Cinder. "I went to a jewelry store awhile back now. Just to see what they had, and I think I walked into an argument. It seemed like an argument anyway, but it's kinda beside the point. Inside there was this.. golden beautiful creature. She came over to me and dropped something in my pocket. Later I found out it was a ring, and in that ring was a piece of Black Star Diopside." Merci pulled on Cinders arm and started heading back for the house, leaving the blanket were it was on the ground. There didn't seem to be a stir from her shadow, it looked totally normal. "That stone, I was told later by the people that owned the jewelry shop, had a soul inside. This partiuclar soul was very weak, and would die if I didn't keep it close to me. They told me that he would share my energy, and he would slowly recover. So Dio, thats his nickname, has been with me ever since. I think because of his precarious situation he is a little more possessive. So you'll have to put up with him, he's a terrible prankster. She walked back into the house, and still, her shadow remained silent and still. As if the little creature had never really been there in the first place. Cinderfae Peeps stood in place a moment his little ears drooped looking to the spot that Dio had just been in and he let out a small whine. Cinder sighed and rolled her eyes. "Go make sure Saki is fed, we don't need him sneaking off the ship and eating small animals in the area...or their owners." Cinder shooed the Priman slightly, Peeps for his part seemed to have completely forgotten the recent incident and dashed back toward the ship at full tilt. Cinder grinned and glanced to Merci, "I got new security for the ship, you might find her interesting."Cinder wrapped an arm around Merci as she started to guide her toward the house. Nodding a bit listening, her eyes flickering toward the shadow that Dio disappeared into. So another soul bound to her Merci, for some this might create a bit of jealousy but watching Dio's reaction and the way he treated Merci made such things disappear before they even appeared. It was clear the bonding was more of a parent and child then anything else. Smiling a little Cinder leaned over and give Merci's fox ear a little n**, she was just happy to be back though at some point she was going to have to tell Merci what news she had; it could wait for now she decided.
"Well if the pranking gets too bad I'll set Peeps on him, I think he'll give him a run for his money." Cinder glanced up at the house it was much as how she remembered it. It sounded like the place was getting pretty full, she'd have to see if the guesthouse was livable so they would have enough room. The Warhammer was off less then a mile from the house but a choice bit of theft on her way home landed her some pretty impressive cloaking technology that should keep it out of the eyes of the locals. "I'm just glad to be back, perhaps if he thinks he can handle it I'll talk a bit with your little shadow later." Cinder grinned glancing to Merci's shadow as she spoke a glint of mischief in her eye. Merci` Merci fell into step easily with Cinder as the two headed toward the house. It was good to have her home. There were times when Merci had dispaired of ever seeing her lifepartner again. She remembered the conversation she'd had with Zero, and telling her that she had given up on being part of a relationship. Truth was that it hurt sometimes, being left behind. However Merci knew that what Cinder did, she did for good reasons. Anyway Seraph would never do well on the Warhammer, and the kitsune certainly couldn't leave him alone down here with Vance. There wouldn't be a house to return to if the decadent medusa had their way. Merci flicked her ear at the love bite and gave the taller woman a brash grin. "You better take a bath. I shined the faucets and everything for you." She added the last a little sheepishly as he let go of Cinder and darted forward a couple steps to open the door to the smell of wood polish and lemons. The inside of the house practically sparkled and Seraph was waiting by the bottom of the stairs. His hands were parked carefully in the opposite sleeves of his white jacket. "Greetings and welcome home Cinderfae. I hope your trip was nice." The words were warm but the tone was utterly neutral. Seraph just did not have the ability to affect emotion in his voice. As soon as Merci crossed the threshold into the house, Dio peeled away from her. He seemed to materilize out of the very ground itself, and he passed through the walls in his hurry to disappear.Seraph remained stoic but voiced the obvious, "He seems displeased with the change." Merci shot Seraph a nasty look, "We're going to have to get the guest house aired and cleaned out. Cinder brought home some company that will likely drive Vance through the roof. We'll talk about who lives where over dinner alright?" Seraph inclined his head and slithered back into the kitchen from wence he came. Cinderfae Mumbling slightly at the ear n**, Cinder patted the Kitsune's bottom as she rushed off ahead. "Seems you went to an awful lot of trouble, you'll of course have to test the bath with me. Just to make sure it's up to standards," grinning faintly she watches Merci a moment before taking a look over the house. It looked nice, probably nicer then Cinder would have ever bothered to make it. Her eyes flickered to the Medusa taking a moment to study the creature before offering a slight nod at it's welcome, "thanks for the welcome," she offered a smile as well. The Medusa's were strange but with her travels she wasn't overly surprised by it's appearance, after flying out in the stars as long as she had things ceased to be surprising. Cinder's gaze flickered toward the wall where Dio disappeared to, and then back toward Meric and Seraph catching the comment and Merci's gaze. She wasn't familiar with the type of creature Dio was but he was bonded with Merci. Which meant he was important to the Kitsune and thus important to her as well; she'd have to see what could be done with settling the grounds later on. The pilot winced inwardly hearing Merci's comment about the guest house. She feared her partner wouldn't be prepared for one of the guests that hadn't arrived yet. Come on girl, no slouching away now. Scolding herself mentally she walked toward Merci and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's waist. For a moment she just held her letting out a soft sigh before speaking, "lets find somewhere to rest...and I can tell you about all the company that came with me or rather that will be arriving."Merci` Merci scented the air as she drug the taller woman toward the stairs. The citrus smells of furniture cleaner and mop solution still hung pleasantly, but over that was the wonderful aroma of Seraph's marinara sauce. Whatever he was going to serve for dinner would be scrumptious. "I got all kinds of things for you to try out by the way. Bath oils, bath salts, they have these things called bath foams? Not sure what those are yet, oooh and then there are the bubble baths. I know you don't get a lot of soaking time on the Warhammer, so I wanted you to be able to enjoy the experience now that your home." Merci let go of Cinder when they reached the top of the stairs. At the end of the hall the door was cracked and she could see the tendril of pink hair and part of a blindfold peeking through it. She raised her voice so Vance could hear her, "Vance, get your things packed. You and the other two are going to have to shift out of here and over to the guest house." Her declaration was met with an angry hiss, but the kisune didn't care. She gestured and tried to look at sultry as possible as she lured her love into the bathroom. "I know we said we would talk about who was going to live out there, but to be honest it will be easier for the three of them to nest out there I think. You don't object do you?" The porcelain gleamed and sparkled as she flicked on the lights. The old clawed bathtub dominated the room and Merci perched on the toilet to give Cinder room to move around. Cinderfae There was a bit of quick bustling, Cinder let Merci lead as she wasn't really familiar with all the creatures that had found their way to the house. The medusa was interesting looking but not that much stranger then some of the things she'd run into. At the question she gave a bit of a shrug, "I don't mind, not really familiar with 'em. If they get lonely I'll throw Saki in there. Though once she got started on stealing their shiny things there'd probably be no peace." Gesturing slightly behind her she then glances back to the Kitsune, "I'll have you come onto the ship later on so she can get your scent...and will leave you be." Saki was wonderful at surprising would be thieves, kept people safe if she knew who she wasn't allowed to try and eat. Grinning slightly Cinder watched Merci as she entered the bathroom, she'd been gone far too long and watching her partner sitting there her current ideas didn't have much to do with talking. Pulling her jacket off she hung it up behind the door before taking anything else off she moved over and leaned down cupping Merci's face as she gave her an involved and rather sound kiss. A smile came over the pirate's face and she just rested her forehead against the kitsune's for sometime; finally she pulled herself back and sat on the edge of the tub leaning to start working on getting her boots off. "I missed you, quite a bit...I know I wasn't back when I originally was suppose to be," flicking her laces she kept working on her boots as she spoke, "had a bit of business come up, not ... not normal business either. Has to do with a couple guests that are going to be showing up here in about a day."Merci` Kissing was definitely something she missed, Cinder had a way of doing it that made everything in the world seem totally small and insignificant in comparison. Merci's lips turned up in a silly grin, and she leaned over to help the other woman with her boots. "Seriously they need to make awesome footwear less complicated, and I was getting worried you weren't coming home at all. I have to admit I haven't really told anyone around here I've met recently about you. Just in case." The kitsune stopped talking then, she didn't wanna voice the fact that she thought Cinder might have been dead. They both had a certain amount of excitement in their lives, and there was always a possibility that when one left, the other wouldn't ever see them again. She cleared her throat "Are we expecting company? Should I have Seraph air out the other property? Or will they have a ship they can stay on? They do eat good old fashioned chicken and rice? Cause if I have to go out and do special shopping while Dio is throwing fits it's going to be a nightmare." Oh yeah, she was babbling. Mostly because she did that around Cinder, and secondly because her train of thought had brought up painful memories for her. She had mourned Cinder, and had been completely inconsolable up until Dio was thrown into the mix. In fact now that she thought about it that might have been why the medusa had been so hard on the little shadow. They may have seen him as a manifestation of her self destructive attitude. He glared from where he was, his head half phased through the ceiling. Ever since Merci had heard that this woman was coming home she had been a whirlwind of giddy activity, and none of it involved him. He could feel the jealousy like a knot in the middle of his body, and he didn't like it.
This... Cinderfae would have to go...Cinderfae While Merci leaned down to help her with her boots Cinder reached up and scratched the back of the kitsune's ears petting them for a moment lightly. With a sigh she made herself go on, she'd missed Merci and had half expected her to not be here when she got back to getting planetside. "We'll probably end up selling the other ship, I have a feeling the guests are going to be staying. At least one I know will be and the other...well I don't think there will be any getting rid of her."Dropping her hand down to her side she continued on, breaking the petting because part of her wondered if that was entirely fair considering the circumstances. "Well there is going to be a teenage boy arriving...I want a room in the house for him." Licking her lips slightly the pirate continued sounding more then a bit nervous as she adds in the last, "he's my son..." mixed in with the nervousness was also a bit of shock - she after all never actually gave birth but still had a child. Glancing to Merci she knew she'd likely have a long story ahead of her, "...and I never mentioned him before because I didn't know he existed until very recently."Merci` Her hands froze on the buckle she had been helping with and her ears flattened out against her head. There was no way she had heard that correctly, Cinder was partially machine after all, there was no way she still... That didn't mean that she didn't still have all the parts, Merci had just always assumed she didn't. Math, was never her greatest subject and her brain started trying to figure out if she had been gone long enough to have a child, how old that child would be. Certainly hadn't been... not for a teenager. Everything went about her brain at breakneck speeds and she didn't realize she wasn't verbalizing any of her thoughts. Slowly the deep green eyes moved up from her hands to the face of the woman she loved. "Okay, I am going to try and not freak out. If you would mind telling me how any of this is possible, that would greatly help in keeping me calm however. You've been gone awhile, but not long enough to have a teenager. I would hope that you would notice if a baby fell out of you at one point in your life, and that if you had one you would have told me before this juncture in our relationship. Of course you said you didn't know until recently, so I am assuming that... this has something to do with weirdness beyond my comprehension?" Merci sat back and crouched on the toilet, resting her body weight on the balls of her feet as she hugged her knees to her chest. This was probably extremely defensive posturing, but she had just gotten the love of her life back. This is more shock then she had been prepared for. His Guardian was upset, he could feel it through their bond. He wanted to let himself sink through the ceiling and go comfort her, but he had a feeling the nasty Cinder lady wouldn't talk if she saw him. Dio had to let her finish, because if she managed to upset his Merci enough he knew she wouldn't hesitate to kick her tall, leatherclad a** to the curb. Selfish didn't enter his mind for a moment, after all, he was the only one that his lady needed, thank you very much.Cinderfae Sighing gently Cinder watched Merci as she curled up, moving over she lifted Merci and sat her on her lap taking over the whole toilet sitting. "First off, I'm not going anywhere...and I love you very much." Wrapping her arms around her Cinder gave the kitsune a hug and for a long moment just held her, the cuddling wasn't just for Merci's reassurance but her own after all she really didn't know what to do about this whole thing either. "Let me tell you a story," loosing her arms just a little she rested back against the seat looking over to watch Merci as she began to speak again. "Long ago...almost a century now, in a galaxy not so far away on a planet called Sypos I was sixteen years old." Licking her lips slightly she considered how to continue after all she didn't want to upset the kitsune more then she already had, but in the end she decide plain talk would be best. "I was also very much in love, with a savant. A very gifted savant...now savants bond with hyperspace entities and when they hit a certain level of attunement they ascend...and become one with their entity - disappearing into hyperspace." Cinder paused attempting to keep her voice neutral, but even after all the years that had pasted she still remembered Caspian very well. "Many human savants never ascend, it can take a lifetime and then some to become attuned correctly...but not with Caspian." Sighing gently Cinder attempted to bring about her state of mind when she'd done the next part of her story...but now it seemed so long ago and so strange, "Caspian didn't want me to be left alone. Sypos is a medical planet, we went to one of the facilities, this facility was made to house the DNA of parents so they could create offspring later on. We both gave a bit of DNA a cutting from the skin..." flexing her left hand Cinder glanced down to her wrist she could almost remember the wound it left.
"To shorten it a bit...the next two years of my life turned more then a bit hectic. Caspian disappeared into the nothing of hyperspace, had some falling outs, blew up the estate of one influential bastards on Sypos and made myself a wanted woman. Got teched up a bit later on...forgot all about that bit of DNA."Sighing gently she paused watching Merci, "well it seems that bit of DNA and Caspian's wasn't destroyed ten years after being put in the bank - like it should have been...and that's where Rhys comes in." There was still much more to tell but she paused giving Merci some time to respond and ask questions. Merci` This woman talked about galaxies and planets like she travelled all over them. Which was just plain silliness, Dio watched the learning channel, Nova and all that. None of them mentioned any of this stuff, that you could just climb on a machine and fly off into space.
Though the curiousity that was such a part of him started to stir. What if you could? He started to get so excited at the thought he almost fell through the ceiling.Merci curled into Cinder and buried her face into the other woman's neck. It felt good to be close to her again, and she smelled something like she remembered. It was a bit like being attached to a greasemonkey that likes lasers, though spaceship grease didn't smell like car grease. One ear lay flat to her head and the other was half cocked to listen to Cinder's story. "So... someone stole your DNA I am assuming.. yes?" It was such a simple question but it mattered alot. Merci's body had slowly begun to relax while the pirate told her story. She could accept this, at least it wasn't some sordid affair like frozen embryos floating around in space that just needed to be dried out or something. Or... "There aren't like, dozens of frozen Cinderfae babies out there that just have to be zapped with some weird ray gun to start wreaking havok on the universe is there?" And if they were any other people, that would be a stupid question, but considering their lives... Cinderfae Chuckling a bit at the inquiry she tightened her arms again in a hug. "Well the bank was bought out by a bigger corporation, one that specialized in genetics. And they kept the DNA that had been in freeze and used it for their experimentation." A frown came to Cinder's lips as she spoke, "Rhys is the child that would have been created with mine and Caspian's DNA...but they spliced in Draconian DNA as well - so he isn't entirely human. They went other directions with some projects...not all the kids turned out as well as Rhys did." Her tone darkened slightly as she spoke betraying a hint of something that had bothered her greatly. "That facility isn't standing anymore, there shouldn't be more created by similar means." Reaching up Cinder lightly pet Merci's ears as she continued speaking, "so our guests will be Rhys and Clotho, Clotho is a Draconian. She's known me quite a while and works with a group that went after the kids." Cinder likely would have passed the job on if Clotho hadn't thrown in the trump card of her child in. In the back of her mind she still considered if this was such a good idea...Rhys could have been sent somewhere else, but the truth was her galaxy was at war and gifted or not she didn't want to have to have him grow up like that.
"So...the bath, what is this foamy stuff you were talking about? They won't be here until tomorrow so we have time to relax and get some sleep..." grinning Cinder nudged gently against Merci's ear at the last. Merci` Merci could feel her face scrunching as she tried to imagine everything Cinder laid out for her. Tubes of her life blood out there somewhere, spliced in with other things. Images of tentacle monsters with Cinder's face started dancing their way through the Kitsune's mind and she curled up a little closer to the taller woman. "Wait wait wait, before you get a bath I think you should witness the awesome thing I have learned from my little Dio." If there was one thing that child could do, it was shoot off questions at a deadly speed and accuracy. "How do you know your DNA is destroyed and not duplicated out there somewhere? Even people here now how to duplicate small amounts of DNA into a hell of a lot more. I think I heard about Draconians before but you might wanna refresh my memory. They don't have silly numbers of appendages and ooze through air ducts right? He's.. your son, so your not talking about a guest here, your talking about another permanent addition? Or is this Clotho taking him away with her when she leaves? Is she leaving? Do I need to air out the other house? I mean Fiona was going to be coming home soon, I am not sure how long she was planning on staying but we might not have enough room. I never thought I would say that, because this house is disgustingly big and until a few hours ago felt like a huge stretched out over worn sweater whose arms are so long they fall over your fingers. Now we're going to be lucky if we can pee in peace!" She paused in her strange tirade and thought about it for a moment. "I think I'm upset. In fact I am really really upset. I thought we were going to get some time together. I understand your job and everything, but I just got you back! We couldn't have a week to molest each other into states of pure bliss before all hell descended?" She didn't even pause for breath before she was berating herself, "I am not being fair, he is your son. Of course you want to have him here as soon as possible. I can't blame you, but I am allowed to voice my selfishness. I am of course going to be quite happy to meet him." Merci turned and stood up from where she was, dragging a basket full of bath supplies from the bathroom counter. The kitsune turned and fixed Cinder with a stare. "Now, you will get fizzies when I get answers." Dio's burgundy eye softened as he watched the goings on below him. She was learning things from him after all.Cinderfae It took Cinder to realize that Merci` hadn't ever seen a Draconian so referencing the race was just confusing to her. She couldn't help it when the tirade started a bit of a grin came to Cinder's face, giving Merci a chance to finish she nuzzled the other woman's neck allowing her to get up for fizzies. "Well a draconian is this..." it was so much easier to show instead of explain somethings, flipping open the device with her things she brought up a holographic image of a draconian. The bipedal creature was tall but with dragon like traits, wings, a tail, and snout. "Hm, Rhys looks normal except he has an addition of wings on his back and scales along his spine."While Merci got the fizzies going Cinder pulled her top off and continued to strip down. "Hm, and yes it does seem a lot to throw at you..." glances over at Merci and grins slightly, "and even with more around I promise to molest you a -lot- to make up for it." After finishing stripping down she stepped into the bath, "Rhys I would like in the house...for Clotho we should air out a guest house. Your right Rhys is staying...and Clotho is staying she might decide to move on a bit get a place of her own later on. The grounds are big enough that we hopefully won't end up feeling too confined." The estate had been bought once it's now dead owner had passed away, being large and rather unweildly by sheer size Cinder had been able to get a pretty good deal for it all things considered. Relaxing back in the bubbles Cinder glanced over and quirked a brow looking to Merci, "who's Fiona?"Merci` Merci settled on the ground next to the tub and leaned her body against it, so she could be close to Cinder but allow her the luxury of a warm soaking bath. She put enough fizz in the water that it almost looked like Cinder was basking in a much clearer version of champagne. The last question actually threw her off a little bit and she got a huge grin, "Oh that's right. Fiona was before I met you. Well Rhys is your son, Fiona is my daughter. Though I have no awesome story to go along with her. I was just getting.. well.. I was settling down and I realized that I was lonely and had no one to share my life with, so I found an orphanage and adopted a child. Turned out that she wasn't entirely human as I had thought, but there are so few things here that truly are. By the time I had met you, she manifested her true nature and was off to school." The kitsune trailed her fingers in the bath water and turned her green eyes up to meet Cinder's "Fiona is quite grown enough, she chose to be with her own kind for her education. I imagine she wants to visit before she starts trying to figure out what she wants to do for college. I don't expect her to stay too long. Now, I know you don't get to take long soaking baths in space. So I don't want to rush you, but I do want to subtly remind you the longer your in there the less time we get to cuddle." Dio had seen Merci naked enough times that Cinderfae removing her clothes was not stressful for the little shadow. He didn't fully understand why she felt like telling this intruder everything. His mind was already devising ways to make her feel unwelcome, after all Merci didn't have time to deal with anything other then him.Cinderfae Chuckling Cinder flickered a few drops of water toward the Kitsune, "I wouldn't call the story overly 'awesome' and really it doesn't have much to do with me." Smiling gently she stretched her legs out relaxing back in the tub, "I think I'd like to meet Fiona...and well wouldn't hurt to have more around. I don't think we'll be running out of room anytime soon - though we might start to feel like we are a hotel."Smiling a bit she watched Merci a few moments before responding again, "oh I have quite kept that in mind - the only question is if I drag you off now or if we eat that dinner I heard of before you are dragged off." Leaning up out of the bath Cinder reached to pull Merci into an involved kiss and put an end to questions of if there would be enough time for themselves. Merci` His eyes got huge and he canted his head to the side trying to figure out what was happening. That woman was eating his Merci's face! He was about to launch himself through the ceiling when he heard a sound that no kid should hear his mother type figure make.
Something between a groan and a whimper.
It made him freeze, it didn't sound like she was getting hurt. It was when the boots came off and he realized that Merci was trying to eat Cinder's face right back that he kinda freaked out.
He jerked his head right back up through the floor and confusion was dancing through his mind. Oh he was so going to have to ask Maili about what was going on.
With that the little shadow left the two women alone to search for his surrogate caregiver, to bombard her with a trillion questions. She would make him feel better, he was sure of it.
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