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 Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:09 am
Kara Winters As if Nina was going to make it easy, she may sleep a lot (for she needed all the energy she could get), but when she was awake it was never ending.
"Oo... butterflies, I wonder why they're call butterflies, they don't look like butter and they don't taste like butter."
Anyone want to know how she knew they didn't taste like butter? Elrohir Aldrich Daeron thought about it for a second, then said solemnly, "Ada says it's cos they dist fritter by but nobody likes says fritterby so they says bitterfry."
He laughed. "I thinked it good!" Kara Winters "Well they sure aren't bitter, but they might make good fritters," Nina replied playing on Daron's lisps that he had.
Granted she probably knew he was just trying to pronouce them the best he could, but she was just weird like that.
"Ever had a fritter?" Elrohir Aldrich Daeron shook his head and his thick black hair bounced around wildly. "Nope," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. "Wha's'r thems?" Kara Winters "Why they are food covered with beaten eggs, flours, sugar and other yummy stuff thrown into hot oil, it's very mean, but very tasty," Nina replied.
That would have just made Triton roll his eyes, since the Neko probably has made fritters before.
"Apples are particuarlly targeted for the fritter treatment." Elrohir Aldrich Daeron stuck out his tongue. "I eate' a frower onct," he said, spitting. "It taste' yickers. Blah. Eggses is good though, nummy on er plates wif stuffs on 'em."
He bounced happily, and his eyes lit up. "I likes eatin' cookries!" he giggled. "Cookries is nummy! D'roo likes cookries?" Kara Winters "No," Nina replied, "And cookies don't like me. So we're even on that one."
Nina looked a bit thougthful.
"But grass likes me." Elrohir Aldrich He looked down at the ground, then back at the Kirin.
"Why drass likes you?" he questioned curiously. "I didn' knowed drass c'd likes thingses." Kara Winters "Maybe it's because I'm part horse, that's why it likes me otherwise it wouldn't taste good, because if something doesn't taste good, it's because it doesn't like you, but if it likes you it tastes good. That's why good medicine never tastes good, because it's like a good doctor that doesn't get along with people." Elnara Aldrich Elnara rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. If their chatter was kept to this level, at least it would be bearable. She glanced over at Triton. "Hey, while we're here ... was there anything you wanted to see? Anything I might have ever mentioned that might have interested you?" Elrohir Aldrich Daeron was confused, and his tiny eyebrows furrowed together in a manner that most people found irresistibly cute.
"Whassa doct'r?" he asked. "I never heered of one'r them before." Kara Winters "They're people who play golf when actually they look after the people who's legs don't work and the little white blobs in their bodies won't do the work, because they're beaten back by evil little things that eat red blobs messily." Triton Winters Triton looked up thoughtfully, "I can't think of anything you really mentioned, we didn't get to talk a lot about places, just mainly events and everyday life to be honest."
But he supposed he would know once they got to a city for longer than a few hours. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron was completely confused now. "Doc'rs 'r evil?" he asked. "Give you bad blobs?" Elnara Aldrich Elnara watched Triton thoughtfully. Finally, she said, "I should take you to Rainbow Valley ... You would probably like that." She looked at the forest ahead of them. "If it's still the same as it used to be."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:15 am
Kara Winters "Oh no no no..... they only seem evil, but really they help fight the bad blobs, because that's what they're paid to do, but they seem so scary that people think they're evil." Elrohir Aldrich "Like'm my Nako!" he giggled gleefully. "S'ee's fights 'em bads but peoples is scairdy her."
And that reminded him of something else.
"Titan-tôl, you gonner be my Neko?" he asked. "Cos all the other kids gots 'em but I do'n." Triton Winters "Err..." Triton looked over at Daeron, "Do you know what a Neko is? I don't think all your friends own Nekos Daeron, unless you mean they own cats." Elnara Aldrich Elnara groaned. "I should have told you a long time ago," she apologized. "Er ... Neko is the elvish word for grandfather." She blushed. "He kept saying you were a cat-man when you were asleep, so I told him that you're a Neko ... and then Nina woke up and I didn't really get to explain it fully." Elrohir Aldrich Daeron nodded. "The cat-man saved me! He's gonna be my Neko!" He laughed. Triton Winters "Aren't grandfathers generally well... older.. oh wait... nevermind," Triton shook his head, his mother was a grandmother, that didn't work, "Anyhow.... Daeron, Neko is my people's word for cat, but it can also mean cat-people." Elrohir Aldrich Daeron was silenced. He sat still for the first time since Elnara had put him up on the horse, and his eyes grew shiny as if he were about to cry.
"You do'n like me," he said pitifully, his pointy chin wobbling uncertainly. "You do'n wannit be wif me." Elnara Aldrich Elnara hugged him. "That's not true," she said immediately. "It's just ... not just anyone can be your Neko. It has to be your Ada's Ada, or your Nana's Ada." Kara Winters "Not to mention grandfather's are old...." Nina pipped up suddenly chattering again, "And Triton isn't old, nope nope. Though my grandparents are very old. Yes indeed, since I have Nature and Sky for grandparents yes indeed." Elrohir Aldrich "B'Ada do'n gots a Ada!" he protested. "Onee gots a Nana! But I wan's a Neko dist like alla otha kidses!" Kara Winters "Well... if you got what if Triton was your Ada's Ada?" Nina asked innocently, "Wouldn't that make him your Neko then?" Triton Winters "Nina!" Triton nearly choked, wanting to so muzzle her at the moment. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron thought about this and looked at Triton. "Did you wented to a hallway?" he asked. "Cos that's wha' my Ada says. Ada says his Ada wented to a hallway fer til he comes back." Elnara Aldrich That was the second time he had mentioned that ... "The Halls of Mandos," she murmured to herself. Kara Winters "He went through a lot of hallways," Nina replied, "Ever since he was a little kid, there was the inn hallway, the school hallway, the nowhere hallway, the not actually there hallway."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:20 pm
Elrohir Aldrich Daeron's mouth split in a wide grin. "You are my Neko!" he laughed. Elnara Aldrich "No, no, no, no, no!" Elnara cried. "He's not! Those are different hallways, Daeron! Not the one where your Neko went!" Triton Winters "Nina... .shut up now otherwise I am going to dump you into the nearest stream," Triton warned.
Even though he knew he couldn't because then someone was going to have to explain where Nina went. As annoying as the riddle sprouting Kirin was, Kara adored her. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron looked up at Elnara, but since she was behind him he put his head back so far he was looking at her upside down.
"Where Neko wented then?" he asked. Elnara Aldrich He went to the Halls of Mandos," she replied shortly. "Which is completely different from a hallway." As cute as Daeron was, looking at her like that, she didn't want to talk about the Halls of Mandos. Not to someone who wouldn't take it seriously, who wouldn't understand what it was all about even if she explained it. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron tilted his head back even further (however impossible it seemed) and poked her chin since it was closer and easier to reach than her nose.
"You sad ag'in." Triton Winters Triton blinked, watching Elnara, was this hall something bad he wondered. Granted he was busy shoving Nina back into the bag before she could say anything else stupid or insane. Elrohir Aldrich "Wha's'r hall?" Daeron asked, sitting up again and twisting around til he was facing Elnara properly. "'Sat a good place for Neko to went?" Elnara Aldrich Elnara put her forehead against his and smiled a very sad smile. "I'm afraid you're a bit too young to understand," she told him. After all, how much would he understand about life and the state between lives? "Let's just say that your Neko is in the same place as my Ada," she said finally, sitting up straight once more. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron crossed his arms stubbornly. "I wannit know wha's'r Hall!" he pouted. He looked up at her with his big brown eyes, pleading silently. Elnara Aldrich Elnara felt her resolve weakening as she looked down into his eyes which seemed to her like windows into his soul. Someone has to have taught him that, she thought to herself. No kid pouts that well without being taught ...She looked over to Triton. It was a new concept, maybe he wanted to know about it anyways. Triton Winters He thought for a while putting the little bits and pieces together.
"Is the hall..." he asked, "Something like... life after death, to lack a better term, because I do believe you said people are reborn." Elnara Aldrich "Well, not ... per se," she said slowly. "It's ... the state between lives. Because our souls are connected to this world, we can't leave it, even in death. Instead, we travel to the Halls of Mandos ... not our physical bodies, but more than just our souls ... and after a time we are reborn." She shrugged. "The more ... evil an elf is in their lifetime, the longer they have to stay there. Not being punished - unless you count separation from everyone you know as punishment - just ... being." She wondered if perhaps she had been there once before: if so she would remember someday; if not, well, she just might end up there someday. As much as she would rather not. Triton Winters "Ah...." Triton nodded "I see now.... I understand kind of what you mean... those in the East are the same way, only there is no place to go. The spirits just wander about the earth, it's said if they do good deeds then their waiting time is shorten. Some, even reach a semi deity status because of what they were during and after their life." Elnara Aldrich "Ah," she said, "then it's not such a foreign idea after all." She allowed herself a half smile. "At any rate, that's where my father - and apparently Daeron's grandfather - are," she continued. "As well as probably millions of others."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:24 pm
Elrohir Aldrich Daeron squirmed uneasily. He hadn't understood a word she had said, he only knew that her Ada and his Neko were in the same place somewhere, possibly having fun, and he couldn't go see them.
"Nara-thêl, wannit play a game?" he asked. Elnara Aldrich She thought about that for a second. "Ah ... howabout ... no?" she suggested. "Sorry, my head hurts." She neglected to mention that he happened to be half the cause of it. "Why don't you play with Triton?" Triton Winters Triton raised a brow, but he didn't really mind, though he couldn't imagine what the kid wanted to play. Especially since they were travelling. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron giggled. "Titan-tôl! Game!" he squealed, clapping his hands. "Nara-thêl says game!" Triton Winters "Okay okay..." Triton nodded, "What kind of game do you want to play?"
He looked curiously at Daeron to see what he had in mind. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron's reply was immediate and enthusiastic. "Kick-ball!" he squealed happily, his eyes lit with excitement. Triton Winters "Uhm..." Triton looked at Elnara, they were still travelling, "How are we going to play kick-ball if we're still travelling... and don't have a ball?"
He had to ask that and as much as Nina talked about sleeping balls he didn't think she would want to be kicked. Elnara Aldrich Elnara shrugged and smiled as if to say, I entertained him all morning, it's your turn now.Elrohir Aldrich Daeron frowned. No kickball. "Sticks!" he shouted. "Play sticks!" Triton Winters "What are... sticks?" Triton asked uncertain, he had never heard of the game, but then again he figured there were a lot of games he had never heard of. Elnara Aldrich "Another non-traveling game," Elnara interrupted. "And honestly I can't think of any games that are possible to play while traveling. So unless you know of some" -she said this with sincere hope- "you might want to start thinking of a story to tell." Elrohir Aldrich Daeron was delighted with the idea. "You game!" he agreed. "Wha's a you game?" Kara Winters "I know! I know!" Nina's head popped out of the bag again like a jack in the box, "We can play a song game! It would take a long long time to finish and it's lots of fun!"
Her eyes were bright with life (or mischeif). Elrohir Aldrich Daeron clapped again. "Sing song! Sing song!" he giggled. "Sing me song, Cor'n'elf! Sing me!" Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed. Coronhelf ... now there was a cute nickname!
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:28 pm
Kara Winters Nina took a deep breath and started to sing on top of her lungs the one of the two songs Triton never ever wanted to hear in his lifetime.
"Ninty-nine bottles of beer on the wall ninty-nine bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around ninty-eight bottles of beer on the wall.... ninty-eight...." Elrohir Aldrich Daeron listened carefully, trying to pick up on the words. It was a fun song! Kara Winters "Ninety-seven bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-seven bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around ninty-seven bottles of beer on the wall!"
Someone stop her... please, at least anyone who had a right mind or sanity would say so.
"Ninty-six bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-six bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around ninty-six bottles of beer on the wall." Elrohir Aldrich "Bottle of beer on a wall!" Daeron joined in (he didn't know how to count forwards, let alone backwards!) "Bottle of beer!" Elnara Aldrich Elnara groaned and put her head in her hands once more. "Tell me it stops long before they're drunk," she begged. "Please, please tell me ..." Kara Winters "Ninty-five bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-five bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, ninty-five bottles of beer on the wall."
Now that she thought of it, how could bottles stay on the wall, if she wasn't in the middle of singing the song she would ask.
"Ninty-four bottles of beer on the wall, ninty-four bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, ninty-four bottles of beer on the wall!"
Granted this was just so much more fun.
"Ninty-three bottles of beer on the wall, ninty-three bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around ninty-three bottles of beer on the wall!" Elrohir Aldrich "Losta bottles a beer onna wall!" Daeron chimed in. "Losta bottles a beer! Takem down pass'em roun'! Even mo' bottles a beer onna wall!" Triton Winters "Well..." Triton replied, "Traditionally yes, they get too drunk to reach to no bottles of beer on the wall, however, these days that song is sung on long long trips... by little children wanting to drive the driver up the wall and down again." Kara Winters "Ninty-two bottles of beer on the wall, ninty-two bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around ninty-one bottles of beer on the wall!"
She also wondered if anyone had ever finished the beer song before from ninty-nine. Well she would find out soon enough.
"Ninty-one bottles of beer on the wall, ninty-one bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, ninty bottles of beer on the wall!"
It was kind of mindless, she could let her mind wander while singing, which wasn't often a good sign.
"Ninty bottles of beer on the wall, ninty bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, eight-nine bottles of beer on the wall!"
Well on the bright side she was nearly done ten, so that meant another 89 beers to go.
"Eighty-nine bottles of beer on the wall, eighty nine bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around eight-seven bottles of beer on the wall!" Elnara Aldrich Elnara groaned. "And that's exactly what they're doing now!" Suddenly she spied something on the ground, and she pulled her horse to a stop. Elrohir Aldrich "Bottles a beer onna wall! Bottles a beer! Gimme one, share wif'oo, nuvver bottle a beer onna wall!"
Daeron had never had so much fun with one song. Kara Winters "Eight-eight bottles of beer on the wall! Eighty-eight bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around, eighty-seven bottles of beer on the wall."
At this point even the higher deity or Nina's speech fairies would beg her to stop.
"Eighty-seven bottles of beer on the wall, eighty-seven bottles of beer! Take one down and pas it around, eight-six bottles of beer on the wall." Triton Winters "Elnara?" Triton stopped and looked at her, what was she looking at?
His ears were pressed flat against his skull, this was gettign irrtating. Elnara Aldrich Elnara slid down and plucked a few leaves off a small bush. "Look!" she cried. "Peppermint leaves!" She remounted her horse. "Want some, Daeron?" she asked loudly, struggling to be heard over the noise of the "song". She winked at Triton. "I'd offer some to Nina but I don't think she's big enough to handle this much sugar." Kara Winters Nina perked up, "Where? Where?"
She waggled her tail.
"Peppermint leaves likes me a lot! Where?"
She sniffed for them.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:32 pm
Elrohir Aldrich Daeron was ecstatic. "Mint!" he squealed, and grabbed one of the leaves from Elnara's hand. He stuffed it in his mouth and started to chew.
"Nummy nummy!" he giggled. "Cor'n'elf ha' some too!" Triton Winters Triton raised a brow, wondering what exactly did Elnara have in her hand and if it really did taste like peppermint leaves. Elnara Aldrich Elnara pretended to hesitate. "Well, I guess one leaf wouldn't hurt," she said slowly. She held out one of the leaves to Nina and hoped that the Kirin wouldn't be able to tell the difference. In all truth, the only way to tell the difference between the plants was by looking near the roots ... they tasted, smelled, and looked pretty much the same. Kara Winters Nina nipped the leaf pulling it with her inside of the bag and munched on it.
"Yummy yummy in my tummy minty tiny peppery leaves," she sang from inside the bag. Elrohir Aldrich Daeron yawned. "Nara-thêl," he said quietly, "I's seepy. C'n I ha' a blankie?"
He leaned back against her stomach. Elnara Aldrich She smiled and put her arms around him. "Of course you can, little guy," she said softly. She ran her fingers through his hair. "Of course you can." Elrohir Aldrich His eyes closed slowly, and the next thing anyone knew, he was snoring softly. Kara Winters "Yummy.... mummy.... mur....... mur......" the wiggling in the bag slowly stopped and if Triton strained his ears carefully he could hear her slightly snorting inside the bag.
At least that was one less thing to worry about. Elnara Aldrich Elnara sighed with relief and tucked the remaining leaves into her bag. "Hope she doesn't throw a fit when she wakes up," she grinned over at Triton. "Because that might be the one thing that could be more annoying than that song." Triton Winters "It depends on how much she realizes it was the leaf," Triton replied, "For all she knows it just comes with the stage, I mean she's been going non stop since she woke up."
He carefully covered the bag. Elnara Aldrich Elnara grinned. "Good." She was silent for a few moments, then she said: "I wonder how long they'll sleep ... I've never given it to anyone straight before ... and never a dose that large ..." She shrugged. "Til morning at the latest, unless they still sleep after it wears off." Triton Winters "For the kid yea, for her I don't know, once she sleeps she could sleep for a day or more," Triton replied, "That's just the way she is, since she's still growing." Elnara Aldrich "And you have no idea how happy that makes me," she added drily. She laughed. "Well, one thing you won't be able to say after this is that it's boring here! Even if you did bring half the exciting stuff with you." She giggled. Triton Winters Triton chuckled at that thought, "Yes well... Nina would be the last of the 'pets' I would think of taking with me. I don't know how she got like that, just one day she hatched and started sprouting off nonsense which got worse as she learnt more things to fuel her dabbles with." Elnara Aldrich "Then I hate to see her by the time she gets back home," Elnara quipped. "She's only going to be fueled more by what she sees here ... unless we find a way to keep her sedated for most of the time." She smiled wistfully. If only it were possible.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:37 pm
Triton Winters "No, I think she does that well enough on her own, unless it's culture references then yes we would be in a lot of trouble," Triton grinned.
He shook his head.
"Mom adores her though, then again she adores all the pets and children." Elnara Aldrich "I kind of figured that," Elnara agreed, nodding, "because if she didn't I don't think she would keep adopting." She paused thoughtfully. "I do wonder, though, exactly how much time she's spent with Nina in one-on-one conversation, and if she was able to retain her sanity." Triton Winters "I think Nina chats while Mom is doing something and after the tenth kid you learn to tune out at least enough to retain some of your sanity," he offered as an answer, "Besides if you don't try to understand it's kind of amusing." Elnara Aldrich She raised one eyebrow. "That would be like me speaking to you in Sindar," she commented. "A little pointless, wouldn't you agree?" Triton Winters "Yes and no... in terms of understanding yes it would be pointless, but every once in a while she says something that half decently makes sense and then some. She just likes turning things on their heads, if she were human I'd suspect she would have liked Alice in Wonderland." Elnara Aldrich Elnara blinked. "What's that?" she asked curiously, all irritation faded from her voice. Triton Winters "It's a storybook, a children's story of a little girl who one day follows a rabbit down a rabbithole into a dffierent world called Wonderland," Triton explained, "Nothing is what it seems nor does it make any sense, and while it may seem all nonsense if you know historically about the coutnry and the time it was written in, it's actually a subtle critic on the society that only adults reading the stories to the children would get." Elnara Aldrich She blinked. "The only books we have, really, are history books ... or at least, historical books. Stories are told orally ... I don't think I've ever seen a story in a book." Triton Winters "No? We have a lot of stories, some if it anthologies of other small stories, legends written down, children stories and stories that are very long and if you are a fast reader takes you a day to get through," Triton murmured, "And there are stories that are completely drawn with only a few words for speech and narrative. Those ones are interesting." Elnara Aldrich She smiled. "Well." She sighed. "It seems there are a lot of things that I didn't have time to learn about in your world." Triton Winters "That would take years Elnara," Triton replied, "Would you be happy to spend years in my world to learn all that stuff? Not to say it would be a bad thing, but...." he looked up at the sky, "You must be happy to be home finally." Elnara Aldrich She nodded and smiled. "I am," she admitted. "I'm very happy to be home again. But ... the concept of years to an immortal - I truly do have all the time in the world to learn whatsoever I like ... perhaps I could return someday and learn some more." Triton Winters "True..." Triton nodded in agreement, "I never thought of it like that, it is possible. You're quite interested aren't you?"
He wondered how that would affect things here, if an elf like Elnara were to take back things from Gaia. There was an odd wondering. Elnara Aldrich "Absolutely," she agreed. "Learning about different cultures is one of my favourite things ... But on top of that, I'd want to visit the people I met there. Check up on the school and the cafe ... see how things go without me to take care of it for you, since you're gone so much." She giggled, then paused. "Speaking of which ... what is going on with the cafe now that you're gone?" Triton Winters "I bribed Trisha to look after it," Triton explained, "And kind of convinced her she could get inspiration by being there... don't ask me how that was possible. I Just did.... it helps she does have a lot of spare time on her hands."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:41 pm
Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed. "Trisha ... running the cafe," she murmured, an amused expression on her face. "Well, I guess you'll find out what shape the cafe will be in when you get back." Suddenly she spotted something out of the corner of her eye and plucked a few leaves off a plant that she was passing. She smiled and held one out to Triton. "Peppermint?" she offered. "This is the real stuff. No need to worry about falling asleep." She giggled and winked. Triton Winters Triton plucked a leaf or two out of her hands, "Dare I ask how you know this? I was under the impression you didn't do much herbal rememies, though I know I should know better until told otherwise."
He chewed the end of one curious. Elnara Aldrich Elnara blushed. "To be honest," she admitted, "I don't even know what they other plant is called ... I call it the Pepperment Sleeper Plant. Just one day, earlier on in my travels, I saw this plant that I thought was peppermint ... ate I think three leaves ... and woke up without any idea where I was or what day it was!" She laughed. "I found some people and talked with them, and it was then I realized that I had slept for three days solid. I made a point of finding out the difference between the two plants, and since then I've used it a few times to get rid of some ... problems." She grinned mischievously. Triton Winters "You're an imp," he chuckled at her, "I see... that makes sense now. Did you ever find out the real name of the plant?" Triton asked. Elnara Aldrich She shook her head. "Never. Everyone I showed it to just said that it was peppermint. Although they never wanted to take any of it from me." She giggled. "Wouldn't that be fun." She shrugged. "But ... I do know most of the other plant names, it was one of the things we were taught when we were young. After all, quite often the ability to name plants and their properties could save lives ..." Triton Winters Triton laughed, "I think they would no better than to take it from you Elnara, if you keep pulling pranks like that, but I'm sure you couldn't pull it off with someone who actually made a study out of plants." Elnara Aldrich "Oh, probably," she agreed with a grin. "But then, the people I offered it to weren't newly-hatched Kirins or little kids, either. I wouldn't try to trick anyone who I even suspected knew better." Triton Winters "Did you?" Triton asked before clarifying, "Give people that sleepy peppermint as a prank?"
Somehow he could see it as something Feng would have done, or heaven help them if someone got on Masako's bad side something she would have done. Elnara Aldrich She shook her head. "No. I only offered it to those people to prove to them that it wasn't Peppermint, no matter how much they resembled each other. The only time I've actually tricked someone into taking it ..." She grinned. "Worked. About half an hour ago." Triton Winters He shook his head and grinned, "If it were some of the people I know we would be in trouble, it's too easy to stuff something like that in a desert without people knowing."
The school probably had a few pranksters too that one would have to be careful about. Elnara Aldrich She smiled bemusedly. "Well then perhaps I'd better not give you any to take home," she said. "Unless you wanted to give some to Cindy ... I'm sure she would like to study it ... she really seems to like plants. Herbs." She tilted her head curiously. "I wonder if it is an herb ..." she mused. Triton Winters "It's quite possible, though I never did learn the difference between a simple plant and a herb," Triton admitted with a shrug, "But yes.... Cindy and Mom would take a great deal of interest in such a plant, it certainly works faster than Mom's sleepy potion." Elnara Aldrich "Yes, well, keep in mind that they are small, and that they did eat rather a lot," Elnara pointed out. She paused thoughtfully. "Although ... I can't remember anything between eating the leaf and waking up either ..." She shrugged. "Maybe it does work that fast on anyone." Triton Winters "Maybe... kind of makes you wonder how potent it really is doesn't it?" Triton replied curious to think about it, even though it would never be in his area of interest.
But it was still a thought worth considering. Elnara Aldrich "I am a little curious," she admitted, "But not so curious that I'm going to administer it to myself in different sized doses just to see how long it makes me sleep." Suddenly she remembered something. "Er ... when we get to the Borderlands," she began, "we won't be able to pretend that you're from Laurefalas ... my cousins there are the ones who have been there."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:52 pm
Triton Winters "Don't worry," Triton replied, "If no one asks, I don't tell, and if they ask... I just tell as much as I need to without sounding like I'm insane," he paused, "Granted I don't know how insane I would sound once people found out I'm not elf nor human." Elnara Aldrich Elnara grimaced. "And after Daeron's reaction ... I don't think telling them you're a Neko is really an option ... maybe we'll just stick with Rourori ... or whatever it is." She giggled. Triton Winters "At least that doesn't have any other meanings to anyone," Triton chuckled, "Though it's going to be a lot of explaining for a while," he mused, "Well we'll deal with it once we get there after all. It can't be any stranger than what they've seen anyhow." Elnara Aldrich "Eh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," she replied. "After all, strange is a relative term ... I'm sure there are things here that would be strange to you but that are perfectly normal to everyone here. And, to be blunt, there's never been anyone like you here before. At least, not to my knowledge." She started munching on a peppermint leaf and smiled as its minty flavour filled her mouth. Triton Winters "Not even out of someone's head?" Triton joked, "Seriously though, we'll deal, at least no one can think you're lying. Having a cat person riding a griffin it's too outrageous to be a lie."
He looked out to watch the scenery go past Tao seemed to have gotten use to the walking, at least she hadn't done anything insane yet. Elnara Aldrich "Yes, well, Tao is at least somewhat explainable," Elnara pointed out. "We do have griffins here ... she's so small compared to them that everyone will probably assume she's only a kit ... which would make her more tameable." She looked up at him thoughtfully. "You, on the other hand ... yes, you are something completely unheard of. Unimagined. But at the same time ..." she giggled. "So fun." Triton Winters "Well true," Triton replied petting Tao, he couldn't imagine her being any bigger, she was already quite big, "Me? Fun?" he chuckled a bit, "No.. fun would be my stranger siblings two you've had the pleasure as having for neighbours in the dorms." Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed heartily, not worried that Daeron or Nina would wake up: they were good and doped, they would sleep through anything. "Yeah," she agreed, "Feng and Ryu are hilarious. But still, it's not the same ... after all, they can't make a festival for me, or bake for me." She giggled. "I don't know, I guess maybe it's because you were the one who first accepted me into Gaia and helped me to understand it ..." Triton Winters "Well if you had met them first they would have accepted you.. in fact Feng would have asked if she could keep you," Triton laughed a bit, "But in the face of that I guess I can understand."
He shook his head in wonderment.
"There are others who would have done the same..." he said softly. Elnara Aldrich "I'm sure there are others who would have," Elnara agreed. "But my point is, it was you, however fate would have chanced it. It's not about what people are like, or who they are, it's all about first impressions and who you meet first." She paused and frowned. "Am I making sense?" Triton Winters Triton nodded, "Yes, I know, I understand that part. First impressions are pretty important after all."
He teased abit.
"Don't worry, you're not talking riddles like Nina." Elnara Aldrich "Ahh!" she squealed, then laughed. "If I ever start talking like that," she said, "do everyone a favour - dope me." She laughed again, then added, "Please!" Triton Winters Triton laughed again thinking it was funny that would be her reaction, "Hey, Nina is the mild one in the family, better annoying than creepy."
He chuckled a bit more.
"Don't worry, I think it would take a lot before you would talk like that." Elnara Aldrich "Yes well 'a lot' just might be what we end up with, traveling for this long with Nina and Daeron," she pointed out. "Especially if Daeron starts copying her on purpose." She looked behind them into the distance. "I suppose we've come too far now to go back and stock up on that plant," she mused. Triton Winters "Well like I said, hopefully Nina will sleep a lot on her own anyhow," Trition replied, "She usually does until she's woken up. So we should be good unless she grows in which we might be in a for a bit of trouble."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:59 pm
Elnara Aldrich "Oh?" Elnara raised one eyebrow questioningly. "Does she grow in stages like you?" To herself, she murmured, "Odd ... nothing like that here ..." Triton Winters "Well not exactly," Triton replied, "Really there is no change between now and later only evenually she won't have to sleep anymore.. well she'll have to sleep, but not days at a time, and yes growths tend to be very common, but I think it's where Mom hangs out a lot that has something to do with it." Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed. "Dare I ask?" In reality she was curious - but there were only so many questions that were her business. Triton Winters Triton chuckled, "Mia and Helen are the two most creepiest people in the family, and it's not like they mean to. They mean well really, they love the family and will do anything to protect the others.. which is actually how they became kind of creepy in the first place."
He looked at her in a pitful manner.
"They learnt the art of threatening." Elnara Aldrich She half-grinned, amused. "And I take it that this isn't the same type of threatening that I do, by which I mean to say that I may shapeshift into some huge creature and hold the person I mean to threaten by their head between my jaws?" She paused and thought for a moment. "I haven't met Helen or Mia yet ..." Kara Winters "Yes but your threat is very obvious, they're very very subtle which is what makes it scary," Triton replied, "And they're looks don't help much, and they know it."
He shook his head a bit.
"Mia and Helen are the sixth and eight children I think... somewhere around there I believe." Elnara Aldrich Elnara smiled and nodded. "Easy to lose track when there are so many," she agreed. "Especially when they come so quickly ... At least with my brothers, there was a long wait between them all!" She giggled. Triton Winters "Well at first it was just that Mom could not say no," Triton admitted, "And then afterwards it became the thing that she attrached children. My youngest brother, she was called to pick him up. Pretty much chosen." Elnara Aldrich "Well, I guess that says something about her," Elnara said with a smile. "Says she's a loving person - and trustworthy. That's a rare trait sometimes. At least she takes in children ... rather than leave them." She grew silent. Elrohir Aldrich A hummingbird flitted down from a nearby tree and hummed for a few seconds beside the elf-girl's ear; then it zoomed over to the cat-man and circled his head. Finally, it sped off back into the forest and disappeared. Elnara Aldrich Elnara smiled as she watched the hummingbird darting away. That was one of the things she had missed in Gaia: the friendliness of the animals. Well, most animals. There were some that she was glad weren't friendly ... Triton Winters "Strange to see something like that far away from a large group of flowers," Triton commented softly watching it fly away, "It uses up so much energy to fly...." Elnara Aldrich Elnara smiled. "I'm sure there are flowers nearby," she told him. "Somewhere ..." But something about his comment made her think more deeply about the tiny bird. They were very rare this far north ... "But then, sometimes they can fly for days without eating," she murmured thoughtfully. "When they migrate over the ocean ..." Triton Winters "True...." Triton replied, "It's possible, though I dont' know the season around here, so I'm afraid I can't help you on that one."
He looked around, and to think they had weeks more of travelling, this was going to be a very long trip.
"What do you do on long trips like this?" he asked. Elnara Aldrich "According to the elves we met, it's Quellë ..." she informed him. "In your language it would be called Fading. The weeks between autumn and winter ..." She fell into a thoughtful silence for a few moments, then said, "I suppose that the flowers will be fading here soon ... Good thing it's only the beginning of Quellë; if it were late in the month and we were this far north we'd be freezing our tails off ... no pun intended." She said this last bit as an afterthought and blushed slightly. She thought about his second question. What did she do on long trips? Well, she didn't really make trips, she just wandered ... but what had she done for those five years? Walked aimlessly ... hunted ... struggled to survive while searching for her mother ... She had been accompanied only by her thoughts then. There had been no Triton to speak with, no Daeron to take care of, no Nina to drive her mad ... cute though she was. But what had she done? The time had blurred together into one massive memory that was pretty much the same everywhere ... ... well there was that one time when she had tracked down, slaughtered, and devoured those humans ... but she supposed that that event didn't count. It wasn't a regular event on her travels - thank the Valar. She had practiced with her blades, as much as she could without expending necessary energy. Strange, now that she thought of it, she hadn't had a bow ... all of her hunting had been done with her blades. And snares. But then she was brought back to Triton's question. What had she done on her journeys to divert her attention from the distance she had to travel? Her attention was attracted to the sound of moving water up ahead. Still several miles yet ... but that was definitely the Crystal River. Finally she came up with an answer to Triton's question. It may not be what he was looking for, but it was the only honest answer she could give him. "I watched for landmarks," she said, looking back at Triton. "I wondered how many times I had passed the same area and not found my mother. I thought about my family and wondered how they were. I concentrated on my destination. I worried for my safety. I questioned what my next meal would be. What would be the next danger I would face? Who would I meet next? Where would I end up eventually? Would I ever find my mother?" She paused a moment, then added, her eyes lowered, "Would I ever trust again?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:10 pm
Triton Winters "Being alone does that huh?" Triton asked, "I guess they're right being alone with your thoughts does drive a person a bit mad...." he paused at the thought, "But you're not alone anymore, and you won't be alone when there is danger, so..... you have one less thing to worry about." Elnara Aldrich She smiled thankfully. "It's actually a little strange, traveling with someone else," she admitted. "But in a good way. I didn't realize until I found the cafe just how lonely I had been ... how I missed company of any sort, despite what I associated with ... people." Her voice grew quiet. Then she shook her head and looked straight ahead. "But thanks to you and Yukito," she said softly, "I think I may have finally begun to heal." Triton Winters "That's what friends are for," Triton replied, "As cliche as the saying might be, and Yukito is included on that one because he can nearly make friends out of anyone even if they don't want him. As annoying a that might be to some people." Elnara Aldrich She smiled gently. "Well, I'm glad of it," she said softly. "I'm glad I met you and your family. You actually helped me to realize that if I can't see my mother again, I should at least be with my family ... so that I don't miss my entire life." But what would the end of her wanderings be like? "Er ... will you stick around for a little while before you go back home?" she asked hesitantly. "It's just ... I don't know how to act around my family anymore ... especially since none of them know that I'm a shapeshifter ... and I'd feel better if you were there to help me again." She smiled. "Even with Nina." Triton Winters "I don't mind," Triton replied, "I'm already going to be here for a long time, while it'll be a short time to everyone else, it's not going to hurt to be here longer."
He nodded a bit.
"They're your family though, it'll be fine." Elnara Aldrich She nodded, but she was still hesitant. "Everyone keeps saying the same thing," she said slowly. She sighed. "I just hope you're right ..." She looked back at him and smiled. "But thanks." The sound of the water was getting nearer now; it would only be another hour or so before they reached it. The sky was beginning to darken and turn shades of red and orange already as the sun lowered toward the horizon. Triton Winters Triton smiled a bit, "I know... but those other people are probably my family too... and well... as I've learnt the hard way my sibilings and I have it good, so at times to see another family act differently is strange to us. We can't imagine another way, a less.... comforting way."
He looked up at the sky, the sun was setting already? It was hard to believe almost, but it was. Elnara Aldrich "It's not that I'm afraid they'll be less comforting," she corrected him, "just that I don't know them anymore ... and it's been eleven years for them. They will have changed a lot more than I did." She looked down at Daeron as he slept and put one hand on his shoulder. "I want to be able to be myself around them," she said quietly. "Like I was in Gaia. Able to shapeshift without worrying about being feared or distrusted. Able to tell them anything without worrying about them judging me. Able to tell them my thoughts, my opinions, without worrying about them thinking I'm strange ..." She hesitated. "Which ... they will, now that I've been to Gaia and know about so many more things, such different ways of life." Triton Winters "Most would say you're more savvy about the world," Triton replied, "But yea, I get what you mean. Even people back home sometimes think we're a bit odd, but it's rude to tell anyone that and you just normally let it go," he smiled a bit, "Though on the other hand you'll have stories to tell...." Elnara Aldrich She giggled. "That's true!" Her mind flashed through the stories she might be able to recount ... if she was believed. The strange types of creatures and people she had met ... technology ... electricity ... the types of foods ... the ideals ... interracial relations ... Triton Winters "And who knows we'll find even more stories before we get there," Triton replied as an after thought, "I think it's already been interesting, but then again I'm looking at this as a Neko in a new world." Elnara Aldrich "It's been interesting," she agreed, "though I'm sure Nina and Daeron have something to do with it. I've never met so many people in two days before, not even this close to the city." Which begged the question, how many more would they meet? Triton Winters "Well.... they made things interesting..." Triton murmured, "I wonder if we'll run into those two elves when we first arrived... they were a bit... uhm... well strange I think." Elnara Aldrich "I think the word you're searching for is flakey," she said drily. "Don't worry, most elves aren't like that. But I suppose that their reaction could have been expected ... a little ... after all, how many people don't know what year it is? Or what season?" She raised one eyebrow. Kara Winters "True..." Triton replied slowly, "But I think most would have questioned a pair like us. I don't know, but if that place were my home I'd be a bit worried, especially since well.... in Gaia you expect the unexpected, but there are places were things just don't happen to the extreme as it does in the cities."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:15 pm
Elnara Aldrich "A pair like us?" she repeated. She turned to him, and her expression was puzzled. "What do you mean? I'm nothing speacial, and you were cloaked and hooded, so they wouldn't have thought anything about that ..." She trailed off. "Oh ... you mean the whole, you greeting them like a woman?" She giggled. Triton Winters "Well that and wouldn't you find me suspious just a bit?" Triton asked blushing a bit, "Hooded people... are people with something to hide, I'm not exception to that obviously." Elnara Aldrich "Suspicious? No ... Wary mabye," she answered. "It's normal for people to travel like that ... it's safer in a way, because it makes others wary of attacking, if they might be so inclined." Elrohir Aldrich A tall figure in a dark cloak passed them with barely a glance and disappeared into the shadows of the forest without a sound. Elnara Aldrich Elnara jerked her thumb at the figure that had just passed them. "See?" she said. "Not suspicious. Just a traveler who didn't care to be bothered by anyone else." Triton Winters "I guess...." Triton replied, "I guess I didn't think about it that way, normally most people who enter the inn hooded have something going on... well minus that one man who wanted to stay by the fire... since he couldn't see to begin with." Elnara Aldrich "I think my mother used to be blind," Elnara said absently. "For ... ten years, something like that." She paused. "I've been gone from here for longer than that ... for my family," she mused. She sighed. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to adjust to this whole time warp thing." Triton Winters "It'll be strange," Triton agreed, "But things will be fine, it just takes a bit of wrapping your head around. At least you don't age anymore, so no one can tell, if you were human people would question." Elnara Aldrich "Perhaps," she agreed. "Though technically I do still have one year of possible growth left." She raised one eyebrow at the thought. "Wouldn't that be interesting." Triton Winters Triton rolled his eyes good naturally, "Great.... even taller.... you make my mage brothers look like toddlers you do. I didn't think anyone could best the twins." Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed. "Well, I am considered short for my kind," she reminded him. "Though I'm not likely to grow any taller ... just ... more ... mature." She felt herself blushing and was glad that the sun had almost disappeared. Triton Winters "So you grow in spurts?" Triton asked, it was a curious thing to him partly because he did... as annoying as it was, and fortunatley or hopefully he wouldn't anymore. Elnara Aldrich "Er ... sort of," she said. How was she going to explain this without confusing elvish growth with the spurts of growth that seemed so common in his world? "We grow generally at a steady rate, height-wise," she explained. "At certain ages ... like early teenhood ... we grow faster. And ... differently." She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Was there any non-embarrassing way to explain this? "Er ... I guess the best way to say this is ..." She paused. Was there a best way? She went on, "... guys grow more ... er. manly ... and women ... grow more womanly." Well, that wasn't so bad ... but had she made it clear? she wondered. She hoped so. Sincerely hoped so. Triton Winters Triton chuckled a bit, "Growing out of the akward moments we call teenhood.... I think I get it... I was an akward teen."
He looked femmy when he was a teen, so he kind of had a rough idea of it. Elnara Aldrich She breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Yes," she nodded in agreement. "I'm still not as adult as my grandmother - age aside. But in a year or so, I would be." She giggled. "Though it seems I'm doomed to be short forever."
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:06 pm
Triton Winters "Short for your race maybe but I'm sure you can at least still reach plently of things," Triton replied, "Or so Mom would complain, because she lacks height, though not as much as Cindy." Elnara Aldrich "Well if you think about it," she mused, "taller people means taller rooms, which means taller shelves ... things are kept higher up here than in Gaia. So really, I have as much trouble reaching things as shorter people in Gaia do." Triton Winters "Good point," Triton chuckled a bit at the thought, "Well, we can be short together... at least Mom isn't here, she's short even by human standards could you imagine her here?" Elnara Aldrich Elnara laughed heartily. "That woulc be interesting," she said with a giggle. "They'd likely treat her like a child ... which would be interesting, considering how many children of her own that she has!" Suddenly they were out of the trees. The river lay before them, noisy and wide. The water was flowing quickly, and the current appeared strong. "We'd better wait til tomorrow to cross," she said, stopping her horse. "It would be suicide in the dark." Triton Winters "Oh I wouldnt' be surprised, if you didn't know any better people would say she is one of the students at the school, she's not that old after all," Triton replied, "Then again the headmaster looks quite young, but he's twice Mom's age."
He dismounted from Tao who was tittering now that she no longer had to walk. She seemed to be quite good about it, but now she wanted some to eat and pecked the waters thinking there might be fish. Elnara Aldrich Elnara smiled. She slid down from her horse carefully, making sure that she had a hold of Daeron so that he wouldn't fall. She laid him on the ground and covered him with her cloak, then started brushing down the horse. She saw Tao at the riverside and nervously said, "I hope she's fast ... there are snappers in there, and if she's too slow she might get bitten." Thankfully they stayed in the river most of the time ... Triton Winters "I don't know how fast she is... I mean I know, but only in comparance to other griffins like her," Triton replied, "Even if I were to drag her away, she's stubborn about food she'll try and keep on trying until she finds a better reason not to."
He began to rummage through his bag keeping an eye on Tao. Elnara Aldrich She nodded and rubbed the horse's neck, then patted it. "Well, I hope she's careful." She checked on Daeron once more, then pulled out her blanket and threw it around her shoulders. "We're going to have to start hunting for food soon," she told Triton. "Depending on our luck, we could get something right away or not for a few days, so it's best to start before we're running low on food." She started collecting wood for a fire. Triton Winters Triton nodded, "That's true, it would be a wise idea to start now," he looked aorund a bit, "That's going to be an interesting time."
Tao snapped back at the snappers, squawking a bit but not daring to step in, but she was hungry. Elnara Aldrich Elnara stacked the sticks she had collected and watched Tao. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "turtles are absolutely delicious ... if we caught a few, they'd be great to eat ... they keep well too." And suddenly she realized something else. "Their shells would be perfect bowls ... why did I never realize that before?" Triton Winters "True..." it got Triton thinking on how to make turtle soup, not that he ever tried turtle before so he wouldn't even know what they tasted like, "And you didn't think about it because you were thinking about food? Did you ever have turtle before?" Elnara Aldrich She blushed and hoped that the darkness hid it. "Yes, but I had never thought about keeping the shells ... I put them upside down in the river and watched them floating away ... it made me think of when my mother's family came to the Four Lands ..." Triton Winters "They're not from here?" Triton asked lightly before adding, "I was going to suggest to find an artisan to sell the shells to, since the shells can be made into things, but then again for all I know they could be using a specific type of turtle." Elnara Aldrich "Artisans?" she repeated. Yet another unfamiliar word. "At any rate, if we can catch a few, they're really good," she said, "and if we keep the shells, we can use them too." She raised one eyebrow and looked at him again. "And maybe find some of these artisan people you speak of." She lit the fire and sat beside it before answering his first question. "My mother's family was originally from the Southland, a few thousand years ago," she explained, "but because of some problems they - and several others - had, they left and found an island to live on. About a hundred years ago, demons started appearing and then ... I guess it was ... well, my mother was only a child then." She shook her head. "Anyways, they returned here ... they were the only surviving family. They settled in Tor Karad, Mother grew up and met Father, Ninako restored Mother's sight, and ... well, the rest is history." The troubled part, the truly troubled part. Even though she had left out the worst parts ... Triton Winters "I see..." Triton nodded for a moment, "Demons running a muck, sounds like certain places on Gaia, now those places Mom says are strange in their own way."
The history sounded too simple, to simple to be real, but what was he expecting after all? You don't tell a person everything.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:53 pm
Elnara Aldrich She shrugged. "At least the demons in Gaia are humanoid." She paused ... where had that word come from? She was sure she hadn't heard it before, but it just seemed to fit. "The demons from the island were nothing but an embodiment of evil, and those they killed ... didn't die. They also became demons and joined in the killing of their own people." One of them hadn't been left behind, though. "Remember Andy?" she said suddenly. "The demon child? Even she was safe compared to the demons that lived there." Triton Winters "True.. well they're not called demons, just monsters," Triton replied, "My Mom says that somewhere far East there is a land where there are military schools because there are a lot of monsters in that area. It was one of the places she was considering before the school was founded. It wasn't a military exactly, they were more like very highly organized mercenaries, but they dealt with protection and monster hunting mainly. Well that and they were the military for the land in that area." Elnara Aldrich "For being so young," Elnara commented curiously, "your mother seems to have traveled a lot." She laughed. "Although, I'm not exactly one to talk, I suppose." Triton Winters Triton nodded, "Yea well... she did at one point, and sometimes she still does. I mean she had to have travelled a lot otherwise I wouldn't have ended up with so many sibilings." Elnara Aldrich Elnara was surprised. "So they're not even all from the area where you live?" she asked. "Well ... I guess I just assumed that." She saw a turtle waddling past Tao towards their fire-lit campsite. "Better watch it, Tri," she warned him. "Might want to catch it ..." Triton Winters Tao chriped bending her neck to look under her legs to see the turle walk past her. Was that edible? Maybe she could eat it....
Triton turned to watch the turtle before commenting, "I think Tao wants it, but she's never seen a turtle before..... I don't think she knows what she's getting into." Elnara Aldrich Elnara raised one eyebrow and smiled bemusedly. "This could be interesting ..." she murmured. Elrohir Aldrich The turtle meandered slowly away from the river focusing only the warm spot it could sense just ahead. Triton Winters Tao nearly tripped over her own feet trying to watch the little meandering thing she hurried towards it, this would be too easy. It probably was too easy to be true, and it was.
She pecked at it, only to meet with hard shell. Elrohir Aldrich The turtle pulled in its legs and head, leaving nothing vulnerable exposed. Experience had taught it that nothing could get it this way.
It could see out the front of its shell, and it saw the world rocking up and down and side to side. Triton Winters "Kree?" Tao pawed the turtle, shell and all putting a foot onto it and pecking it from all sides trying to figure out where the creatre went to. She flapped her wings and looked at one side... and then the other side all confused like. Elrohir Aldrich It saw something just in front of its shell and instinctively thrust its head out and grabbed hold of it with its strong beak. It pinched its beak shut and held on tight, keeping its head as far back in its shell as far as it could without letting go. Triton Winters Fortunately it was her beak it grabbed a hold of, but that didn't mean Tao wasn't irrtated. She jerked her head up squawking and stamping her foot and swinging her head. All the while hissing at the offending creature.
"Tao, leave it alone," Triton yelled over to her. Elnara Aldrich Elnara watched the griffin and the turtle with an amused grin. "If she doesn't get it, I want it," she said, chuckling lightly. "After this, if she doesn't kill it, it'll be easy ... unless it ends up back in the river." Elrohir Aldrich Every change in direction jolted the turtle but it kept its beak clamped tight.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:16 pm
Triton Winters "Well the only way she's going to manage to kill that thing is if she uses her body weight to crush it... I don't think that's going to occur to her any time soon," Triton replied sighing as he watched.
She swung her head down as if trying to bang it on the hard ground, or even so she could use her foot to step on it and pry it off. She wanted it off her now! Elrohir Aldrich The turtle let go suddenly and went flying through the air. It landed on the other side of the fire, on the forest side, and rolled head over heels ... or head over shell, really ... Triton Winters Tao tittered pawing her beak like she was trying to clean it or something to that extent. Though it looked like she couldn't make up her mind if she still wanted to eat it or not. Elnara Aldrich Elnara scrambled after the turtle. "Get back here!" she squealed, tripping over her own feet in her haste. She reached it just as it stopped rolling and landed on its feet. While it still had its head sticking out and was looking around unsteadily, she grabbed its neck tightly to make sure it couldn't turn its head and bite her, then carried it back to the fire triumphantly. "Can I use one of your knives?" she asked Triton, fighting to keep her grip on the struggling turtle. Triton Winters "Sure," Triton replied reaching in from under his cloak to grab a knife, giving the handle to Elnara curiously.
He was interested to see how she was going to gut that thing, how did one pry it out of it's shell? Elnara Aldrich She took the knife and cut the turtle's throat. It stopped struggling almost immediately, and she took a small length of cord from her bag and tied it to the turtle's tail, then hung it from the nearest tree. She cleaned the blade, but rather than returning it to Triton, she put it beside her bag. "Once they're dead, the shell comes off more easily," she told him. "I don't know why. But actually, you can almost pry it off, with the right blade." Triton Winters "I see...." Triton replied after a while, he thought about commenting, but thought better of it, she needed a weapon anyhow and at least that would give her some defense. Elnara Aldrich She laughed and guessed what his look meant. "Don't worry," she assured him with a grin. "You'll get it back as soon as I'm done with the turtle." She laughed again. She would be no different with her own blades. She understood him. Triton Winters Trition smiled a bit, "Well I was also thinking you could use a weapon on you Elnara, even if I'm suppose to be your bodyguard, it is also good to have something on your person as well. Though they'd be shocked enough once you gave them a good kick...." he trailed off on that thought, they probably should get in a sparring practice on the way.
There's no point in her lacking practice just becase they were travelling.
Dear heaven he was starting to sound like a teacher. Elnara Aldrich She held out one hand, and each out of each finger a long sharp claw suddenly grew. She flipped her hand back and forth. "Enough of a weapon?" she asked with a grin. She sighed, and the claws disappeared. "It's kind of strange being here again," she admitted. "I keep forgetting that shapeshifting isn't really acceptable ..." She shook her head. "If only it were a little bit like Gaia," she muttered, "at least so people could be themselves." She picked up the knife again and twirled it around one finger, then caught it in her palm and put it back down. Triton Winters "Maybe it will...." Triton replied, "Gaia hasn't always been like that, it took centuries and centuries, and really you were wandering in the heart of Gaia's commerce, there are still places out there that aren't like that."
He smiled watching her play with the knife.
"You're just lucky." Elnara Aldrich She blinked with surprise. "Lucky?" she repeated. "How in the world do you back that up? My life has been a mess!" Triton Winters "You're alive aren't you?" Trtion looked at her, "If how that guy acted about your Mom is any indication on top of the fact you've spent five years out here... you couldn't have gotten yourself killed a dozen times over, but you're not dead, you're here. You're not broken, nor crazy, I'd say that's a pretty big feat." Elnara Aldrich "Okay, the not being broken part is debatable, but you can't say that I haven't gone crazy," she argued. "Maybe I'm getting better but it's not normal to freeze or freak out every time a relationship is mentioned or alluded to. Not to mention, that whole memory thing ..." She sighed. "I'm alive, yes," she agreed. "I'll go so far as to say I was lucky to be in Gaia and meet you and your family, to see how different people live. But that's about as far as I'll go." As for that guy ... she had forgotten about him. If it was any indication of what she could expect later on, she was tempted to turn and run for the portal right now. Triton Winters "You're talking and arguing with me," Triton pointed out, "You might find that hard to believe right now, being haunted by your memories, but... there are people who are worse than that. Some in your position would never talk again, they rather shut reality. You haven't."
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