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 Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 2:11 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:08 am
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:19 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:43 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:11 pm
  Sunrise down the block.
December 2nd, 2007
So. Been a while since I've written, and a lot's happened. Not to me, though. Ana's been through the runner. She's learned about hate - that ******** brat Adrian, if I ever meet him I'll slug him - sharing one's musical tastes, negotiating for dogs, and finding out she's no good at confrontations. My girl's growing up, I suppose. I kinda wish she'd stay innocent to everything and not end up bitter like I am, but I'm bitter and angsty since I'm an art student and it just goes with the territory. I DID give Ana a talking-to about wandering away from the house when I'm not home, but I don't think she was listening very hard. I wasn't scolding very hard, anyway. I just hope she doesn't get kidnapped by crazy drifters.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:15 pm
December 2nd, 2007
Dear Diary,
Lots of things have happened in the past couple months! Evie found the bumblebee I sneaked into the house and had a 's**t fit' <---(what's that mean, anyway?) since she thought it was a regular bee. I yelled at her for scaring poor Georgie, and anyway he just flew out the window and got away. I miss my bumblebee!
I met a lot of new people, too. There was Orpheus in the park - he didn't like my music. I'm not sure if I like him or not. And then there was Arius and Merrick, oh, I like them! Arius had a dog! I wish Evie would let me have a puppy, but then again Oscar might eat him and then where would I be.
...I think Oscar's planning to kill me in my sleep. I need to watch out for him.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:22 am
Maturity Prompt (Required To Teach Teen Stage) Learning how to be responsible is an important part of growing up. In order for your scent to mature into a teen, they need to prove that they are capable of taking responsibility for themselves and/or others. That said, your scent comes home one day with an amazing story that shows how responsible they are. They have rescued a cat, saved up enough money to buy themselves something nice, or saved the world from an evil wizard that tried to divide by zero. Whether it was ultimately to serve themselves or others, your scent's tale will show traits of maturity that will let them blossom into angry, hormone-driven monsters that act nothing like the sweet children that you fondly remember having. Be as creative as you'd like with their story, and remember:RESPONSIBLITY, DO YOU HAS IT?!
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:43 pm
__Part 16
{growth quest}
It had been a long, hard day. Ana prodded the bandages swathing her wrist, feeling nothing but pride. She had done a Good Thing. And Evie was proud of her. Between the two, the girl was fairly radiating joy. Sitting on her bed, sucking on the lollipop the doctor had given her, Ana reflected pensively on the events of the afternoon, leaning against Evie.
"You're a bold little brat, you know that?" Evie asked, hugging the girl.
"So I've been told," Ana said wryly.
"You wanna tell me the story again, so I get it this time around?"
Ana smiled a private smile, and nodded.
"Well, it started this morning..."
---
Six hours previously
"Oscar, wait! Oooh, oh man, Evie'll kill me-"
Anastasia bolted after Oscar, returning briefly to close and lock the front door before taking off hell-for-leather in pursuit of Evie's evil-tempered, far too fast for a clubfooted cat.
"Wait, wait! Come on! OSCAR!"
The tawny, one eyed devil of a feline gave a contemptuous yowl, climbing nimbly up a tree and swinging onto a neighbor's low slung roof.
Ana let out a dirty curse in her anger, tearing at her hair.
"You...you JERK!" she sputtered, fuming. Drat that cat! Drat him to heck and back again! She turned on her heel and stormed back to the house to get the usual Oscar Bait of tuna fish and ham, rifling through cupboards and the fridge moodily.
"Don't see why she likes that thing so much," the child who loved all creatures, be they cute and fluffy or venomous and carapaced. "Can't stand the bugger."
After searching outside holding a stinking plate of ham and tuna for the better part of an hour, Ana was feeling particularly irritable and had taken to just wandering at random. Surely, she reasoned with herself as she walked through the park, surely Oscar would get bored and come home on his own sooner or later. He usually did. When she had finished with the park, she moved on to wandering the sidewalks. No Oscar. Oh, darn.
It was early afternoon now, and all the kids had been sprung from school. Ana watched the little cliques and knots of children of assorted ages going about their business, hiding bad graded papers in convenient trash cans and gutters, talking, playing...she felt a little pang of loneliness and hugged her arms tight around herself.
"Tommy! Throw it here!"
"Jeez, fine. Catch it this time, though, cripe."
Ana looked up curiously. A couple older boys were looking irritably at a younger boy - presumably Tommy's younger brother, by the look of it - holding a baseball and getting ready to pitch it. Tommy tossed it halfheartedly, rolling his eyes as the smaller boy missed it and had to run after it. This pattern repeated quite a few times, with Tommy getting more and more irritable with his little brother.
"Mikey, the point of playing ball is that you CATCH IT, not CHASE IT," Tommy said coldly to the boy after the tenth such toss-and-chase. "Go bug someone else, we're goin' to the park-"
"Tommy, please, let me play," Mikey said, begging. "I wanna play!"
One of Tommy's friends nudged him in the shoulder and whispered in his ear, making the older boy nod and grin.
"Alright. But only if you can do a running catch. A long one," he said to his brother, polishing the ball on his shirt tail. Mikey nodded hard.
"I can do it!" he said eagerly.
Ana frowned, watching the exchange. Tommy didn't seem to like his brother very much, did he.
"Alright," Tommy said, winding his arm back and flexing his fingers, adjusting his grip on the ball. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"FETCH, BOY! FETCH!"
The other boys burst out laughing as Tommy threw the baseball hard, making it arch across the street. Mikey gasped and bolted after it into the road, eyes fixed upward, hands outstretched.
"Hahahahaaa! Hahaha-oh. OH. MIKEY, GET OUTTA THE ROAD-"
A truck.
A big truck.
Speeding.
And the little boy, still running, his eyes fixed on the ball...
Anastasia didn't even think.
"LOOK OUT!"
Everything was suddenly a bright, loud blur as Ana ran out into the street and tackled Mikey. The truck swerved as the driver finally spotted the two small-for-their age figures, running into the curb and smashing into a street sign. The cars behind the truck screeched to a halt, and there was the ugly crunch as people rearended one another. Ana and Mikey rolled half-under a parked car on the other side of the street, Tommy and his friends squealing and shouting in horror.
"Aaaah! Ow, ow, please, my arm, aghhh...." Ana said hoarsely, though she was still clutching Mikey to her with her unhurt arm. "Oh...oh, that was silly of me..."
"God! Those kids okay?"
"I dunno...hey, sweetheart, it's okay, you can let go-"
"Are they hurt?"
"The girl mighta broke her arm- hey, kid, it's okay, he's alright-"
Her arm was broken? Ana looked at her wrist in pained curiousity. Well. Maybe that was why it hurt so much. She hoped Evie wouldn't be angry...
"You saved me," Mikey said, thunderstruck. "That truck would've splatted me."
"Probably," Ana agreed, and let Mikey go. Suddenly there were many adults all crowded around, and someone was asking her where her mother was, and that it was a good idea to go to the hospital.
"I don't want to make a fuss," Ana insisted.
---
"...and then I got the call at school, telling them my girl had been run over by a truck.
"I didn't get run over! I just sprayed my wrist."
"Sprained, sweetie. Sprained."
Ana grinned like a Cheshire cat, and giggled as Evie ruffled her hair.
"Don't ever do something like that again, Anastasia, or I'll just have to smack ya," Evie said, hugging the girl for the hundredth time.
Ana just rolled her eyes, and snuggled up against Evie. After a moment's consideration, she looked up and blushed faint rosy-green.
"...would this be a good time to mention I accidentally let Oscar out again?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:50 pm
__Part 17
"Why can't I go out?"
"Because it's a school night."
"I don't go to school."
"I do. And I'm not gonna wait up half the night while you go dancing at one'a those friggin' raves. They do drugs there."
Ana gave out a rough sigh of frustration, pulling her hood down over her face.
"MA. The don't do drugs there. And I'm not the type that even does drugs. Not even to experiment. It's not that big a deal."
Evie shook her head adamantly, peering sternly over her glasses.
"I said no, and I mean it, Ana."
Anastasia flushed, and her hands radiated glowstick-green.
"DARN IT MA YOU'RE SUCH A STICK!"
And with that she jumped off the couch and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Evie sighed. Ever since Ana had grown from sweet little girl to...well, let's face facts, lovely young woman, things had been remarkably like a relationship between frustrated daughter and overprotective parent.
"Good god, I've turned into my mother," she sighed, flopping on the couch disconsolately. Oscar meowed, though whether from sympathy or spiteful amusement Evie couldn't tell.
Ana's door opened a crack.
"Mom?"
"Mm?"
"You're...you're not a stick. I didn't mean to call you names. That was mean of me."
Evie smiled. Well, at least that part of Ana was still unchanged.
"It's alright hon, I know you didn't mean it."
"Friends?"
"Friends."
"Okay. So does that mean-"
"No."
"But Maaaa..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:10 pm
__Part 18
Evie was sitting on a curb, minding her own business and reading a faux-independently published street rag that stated boldly it was the only reliable indie news source in the city. She flicked through the pages idly, wondering how an indie paper could call itself such and still have beer ads and staff columns. Feeling a bit of an impostor herself for reading it, she rolled it up and threw it nonchalantly over her shoulder. It hit a passing woman in the leg, and when she stormed up to Evie to yell Evie simply snapped her picture.
"Why did you do that," the woman said, blinking away the black dots induced by the camera's flash.
"Because I want to remember your face so I remember to come for your children," Evie said mildly. The woman turned a fascinating pasty color and walked speedily away. Evie snorted, and deleted the picture from the file.
Samuel noted the bizarre behavior and gave a polite chuckle, hand over his mouth. What an interesting character...
The man approached slowly, posture straight, hands clasped behind his back.
"Hello the'a, mind if I sit down?"
Evie craned her head and looked at the new guy. Didn't look like he was the type to yell about being hit with substandard literature.
"Knock yourself out," she said, snapping his picture unapologetically and budging over to make room on the curb. "As long as you're not that guy from the coffee shop. Because you're not getting that newspaper back, I just threw it at that woman. And she stole it."
Samuel laughed again, but openly this time. He sat beside the girl, elbows on his bent knees, smiling to her. He didn't mind the picture. Some of his followers believed that pictures were stealing souls...but knowing the scientific explanation shot that all to Hell.
"No, that was not my newspaper."
Looking rather pleased with herself that she'd gotten a laugh out of him, Evie took a few pictures of passing cars and pedestrians.
"Good. You weren't missing anything, anyway."
"Hey, did you just take my picture?"
"Yes."
"Well....don't."
"Y'gonna come over here and make me?"
The pimply boy gave Evie a look that was meant to be mean, then floundered as she gave him a deadpan.
"No."
"Good. Scat."
Evie grinned, polishing her glasses on her sleeve and glancing at her visitor.
"And that," she said in a teacherly sort of voice, "Is how you amuse yourself on a Tuesday night when there's ******** nothing else to do. I'm Evie, by the by."
The obscenities could have been left out, in Samuel's mind, but this Evie girl was still quite interesting. He never would venture to take random strangers' pictures.
"I am Samuel Devereaux. Pleased to meet you." He held his hand out to her, smiling.
Evie shook Samuel's hand briskly with a grin.
"Likewise, likewise," she said. He was rather cute, this one. "So, Samuel Devereaux, what's a guy like you doing in a horrid, unsavory place like this?"
Technically it was the wealthy street with all the nice expensive designer shops and pretentious book and food stores. But that was beside the point, really.
Instead of shaking, Samuel raised her hand to kiss it. That was the proper way, wasn't it?
"This horrid, unsavory place is three blocks from my home, and I had not wandered here before today," he said and shrugged. He wasn't sure why, but it was the truth.
Evie couldn't help it. She blushed. Not every day that there was a scrap of proof that chivalry wasn't a fetid decomposed corpse yet.
"My sympathies then," she said, giving him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Bless you, you must see this breed'a people every day, you poor thing."
She looked around, unimpressed with her glitzy surroundings.
"I just wandered here 'cause they're fumigating my apartment building and my k-er. My roommate lost my cat again. Her turn to look for him, the little demon-creature."
Samuel just smiled. Blushes were common among women. Why, he wondered?
"Not quite," he replied, "The worst kind I come upon as psuedo-witches and fake hippies. I run a shop out of my front room. It seems to draw in entirely dishonest people."
Evie gave Samuel a look that tried to be sly but only looked amused.
"Your clientèle depends entirely on what you sell," she said peaceably. "Fer instance, I knew a guy sold cats by the roadside. The cops busted him and took his cats away. Tragedy, really."
She paused a moment, tapping a finger to her lips thoughtfully.
"One had to wonder where he got the cats, though."
"Roadside...cats?" Samuel asked, arching an eyebrow. Hmm...strange!
"I sell...herbal remedies. Spell books. Potions. Fetishes. People pretend to know so very much about things the do not understand."
Evie couldn't help the surprised expression that spread across her face. Spell books? Wait, what?
"So you're..." ********, what was the word she was looking for. "Wicker?"
No. No, that wasn't it.
"Wait, no. Uh. Wic...wic-something."
Samuel's head fell slightly and he shook his head, still keeping his smile. How ironic. That was precisely what he had been talking about.
"Hardly. I am Hoodoo. My mother is a Mambo, and my father a Houngan."
Evie, whose experience with the unknown pertained mostly to how to interact with others and meet up with them a second time, just nodded.
"Ah," she said, hoping she didn't sound like an idiot but knowing she did anyway. "My dad's Jewish. Ma's a Catholic, but we don't hold it against her."
Samuel chuckled and nodded.
"We all believe in the same God. We are not so different as people think." He leaned back then, staring dreamily at the sky for a moment as he thought.
"Hoodoo is...Protestant meets Wiccan, and God forgive me for saying that. People generally think shrunken heads, voodoo dolls...that is not Hoodoo. That is Voodoo. Dark magic."
Evie listened in pure fascination. She'd never really realized.
"Never said I believed in anythin'," she said, playing with the camera's lens cap. "I get by alright not droppin' to my knees and asking for things that'll probably never come anyway."
Shrugging, dismissing her own mild atheism, she leaned back and laid on the sidewalk. It was clean enough that she didn't worry about getting used condoms or gum in her hair.
"You must get sick'a all the people asking you for dolls to curse their ex-boyfriends and bosses," she said after a beat. "I know I would."
Samuel just snorted, something strange and dark crossing his face.
"Oh, no. I sell those too."
Not noticing the expression that went along with the words, Evie just made an assenting noise.
"To each their own," she said.
Samuel shook his head, as if to clear it. He found both sides of te religion quite interesting, after all.
"All that aside, I was out candle-shopping today, being s effeminate and sensitive as I am," he snorted.
Evie laughed aloud, startling a woman who was stepping over her head. Sitting up and dragging the woman's skirt along with her, she waited patiently until she was untangled and yelled at before answering.
"You certainly look the type, darling," she said wryly. "Where'd ya go? There's a nice sorta tchotchke shop down the way that sells that kinda junk. Orchids and lace'n s**t. That and that alien mothership, too. That's where Ana-"
Evie cut herself off immediately, flushing and looking straight ahead. Damn it, why couldn't she just quit while she was ahead. Now Samuel was sure to think she was nuts.
"No, it was a...small shop. Only candles and oils. I was run by a very kind young woman," Samuel shrugged. He thought nothing of Evie that he hadn't minutes before.
Uh oh.
"Oil, huh?" Evie said, trying to sound mildly interested but inwardly panicking. The aliens. Samuel had crossed paths with the aliens. "Uhmm....didja...pick anything up?"
Samuel reached into his bag and withdrew a phial of light pink oil labeled 'BUBBLEGUM'.
"I did indeed," he smirked, slightly embarrassed at his choice.
Evie gulped audibly.
"Uh."
Well, at least it wasn't Musk of Flesh-Eating Mutant With Five Eyes.
"Did...did this nice young lady tell you about how her products..."
How could one explain this, really.
"...have a fifty-fifty shot at being. Um. Magic fetus oil?"
Samuel's face fell. He understood Evie's strange choice of words by now...but...fetus-juice? Were these some kind of recalled products?
"I am not quite sure what you mean."
Evie steepled her fingers and tried to think of a way to explain.
"Well. There's something with the oil that...err. ********. This was proving difficult. Looking at Samuel frankly, Evie just cut to the chase.
"Your oil may be magic. And if you light it, you might get a kid. I don't have a roommate. I have an Anastasia, and she popped out of my oil burner."
She swallowed hard, blushing outrageously.
"She's from the kiwi scent."
Well, that certainly didn't sound at all ludicrous or crazy.
The oil was lifted and held to the light. There was nothing within...nothing even resembling a fetus.
...granted, Louis had had a child emerge from a cocktail in college.
"I am not entirely sure I would like a child."
"Then don't light it," Evie said. "Because they don't let you return 'em, and it's highly likely you'll get attached and then they grow up and raid your closet and lose your cat on a daily basis."
Giving the oil a suspicious look, she shrugged.
" 'course, maybe it's just oil. Maybe, could be."
"You tempt me," Samuel said softly, "and I am not entirely sure as of what to do. Perhaps, should I decide to light it, you could come and be a sort of...moral support? You and your...kiwi child."
It said something for Evie's composure that she was not completely undone by the combination of Samuel's charm, accent and easily-misunderstood proposition. She took a moment, then gave her usual wry grin and nodded.
"I will certainly ride to your rescue, if need be," she said. "Ana'd probably like another kid to play with."
Even though, in truth, Anastasia wasn't a child anymore, but that had done nothing to change her state of mind. More than once she'd been told off by angry mothers for playing with their children and giving them candy.
"That sounds wonderful," Samuel nodded and smiled. He puled a business card from his pocket and offered it over.
"You can reach me at this number. Where may I reach you?"
Pocketing the card and making a mental note to never lose it on pain of self-inflicted head injuries involving a wall, Evie scribbled her phone number and address on an old receipt.
"Feel free to call me anyway. I've got the social life of a gnat, I'm usually available," she said dryly.
Hm! Strange.
"I just may take you up on that offer. You seem to be quite a kind young woman." With a smile, Samuel stood and kissed Evie's hand once more.
"Until we meet again?"
Evie's composure gained a crack or two, but she managed not to let it show.
"Until then, darling," she said, snapping another photo.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:53 pm
__Part 19
"-so then the lady behind the counter, she said to me, 'Miss, I know you mean well, but gerbils and cockatiels aren't meant to be friends'. Can you believe that, Ma?"
Evie snorted, giving a half-hearted sort of shrug.
"Darlin', rodents and the rest of creation don't mix. I don't know how you get these ideas into your head sometimes."
Anastasia mimicked the shrug, twirling a thatch of hair around her finger absently.
"It seemed like a great idea at the time," she said earnestly. "They would've looked so cute together. Hey, where we goin', anyway?"
Evie shrugged again.
"Anywhere. Not much to do otherwise, is there?"
"Not from what I can tell."
So the pair walked on, Ana waving cheerily at those that stared at her and Evie flipping them off. Eventually they came upon the residential neighborhoods, and wandered through the streets.
"Hey, Ma? I needta go to the bathroom."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. Let's go in there."
Ana pointed unerringly to a house with a sign in front of it. Evie arched an annoyed brow at her, then glanced at the sign.
"Boutix Devereaux."
Devereaux...
HELLO.
"Yes. Yes, let's go into that one."
Immediately within the room was a large Persian rug, old and worn but extremely well-kept. On either side of the room were high shelves of fetishes, gris gris bags, statues, dolls, potions, all sorts of hoodoo paraphernalia. On the far right were the books, and just before them were the cases for the more precious, breakable items whereon sat the cash box.
Three women, all of varying degrees of strange and only one with a beau, were perusing the shelves, and one wandered into the kitchen, noticed that it was not a part of the shop, and scurried right out. Samuel was currently bent over the display case in front with a woman in faux-Renaissance garb, explaining the use of the human skull within, and why it cost so very much.
Ana scurried in, doing the potty-dance while waiting politely for the little store's owner to finish speaking to the lady in the pretty outfit. Oooh, the ruffles...if Ana hadn't been so fond of her rave clothes, she would wear ruffles and poofy things every day.
Evie hung back, examining a shelf of fetishes with a half-sort of attention, eyeing Samuel out of the corner of her eye. When she realized what she was doing, she snorted and shook her head, leaning in closer to inspect the fetishes.
A monkey skull with beaded cheeks stared indignantly back, as if it knew of some kind of hidden secrets.
Samuel didn't seem to be anywhere near speaking to this strange woman.
"No, ma'am. I cannot accept one hundred. Ten thousand. That is final."
"A hundred is all I have!"
"That is unfortunate, but I think that you're underestimating the power of this object..."
Letting out a little whimper, Ana tapped Samuel timidly on the shoulder.
"I'm very sorry to interrupt your talk about the nice magic skull, but I really need a restroom," she said hurriedly. "Mom told me not to get that Bladder Burster from the convenience store, but it was a gallon of soda for two dollars and I was really thirsty and pleeeeease may I use your bathroom?"
The sound of Evie's hand clapping onto her forehead reverberated through the room.
Samuel just straightened and stretched his back.
"I've fallen for that ruse myself. Go down that small hallway. It is directly on your left. I must ask that you do not explore further though." He turned back to the strange woman, but she had apparently lost interest and was going for a lavender-stuffed voodoo doll. Ah, scene kids with no studies.
Samuel simply stretched again and began back into the main part of the room, soon spotting a girl he recognized. He approached Evie from behind, placing a light hand on her shoulder.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked, smiling.
"Yessir thank you you're nice and I like yoooou~" Ana chirped as she skittered into the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a sharp snap.
"Maybe," Evie drawled, looking over her shoulder with a grin. "Just browsin' around at the moment. Though..."
With a practiced flick of her wrist, Evie retrieved her camera from her pocket and snapped a quick photo. Looking at the screen, she smiled and put it back.
"Though, that'll suffice for now."
Evie, looking pleased that she'd made Samuel laugh, gave a careless shrug.
"Shrine? Tch! My shrines involve DNA samples. We'll work up to that point, my dear. These are just so I can have something nice on my fridge."
Glancing at the bathroom door, wondering just how accurate the Bladder Buster name actually was, she shook her head.
"We were just wanderin', truth be told. I was planning on a visit, never fear. We just arrived ahead of schedule. But now that we're here..."
Evie glanced around, then back at Samuel.
"I have no other plans for the rest of my life. I think I can hang out a while," she said with a grin.
Samuel just smiled back at her.
"That sounds wonderful. As soon as these last few customers make their purchases, I can close up shop for a while." He paused then, looked toward the bathroom, and then back to Evie.
"So she is your roommate, then?"
"Closin' up just for lil' old me? Samuel, you flatterer," Evie said with a laugh. She glanced at the bathroom door and sighed. "Heh. Yeah, that's Anastasia. She's...."
With a brief shake of her head, she grinned and turned back to the fetishes.
"I'll let her explain herself. I never do it justice."
At that moment Ana burst out of the bathroom, looking heartily relieved with a literal glow to her - her hands were lit up like cheap Christmas ornaments.
"I am never," she announced to the room, "going to drink that much soda in one sitting ever again. I was goin' pee for like five minutes."
"Ana..."
Ana winced.
"I did the too much information thing again, didn't I."
"Kinda, yeah."
"I'm not one to put friendship behind busin--" Samuel had begun, but Ana just as soon burst through the doors. Thankfully, he was used to Evie's special kind of charm already, so Ana's was not that far of a stretch. The man simply laughed again and held a hand out to Ana.
"Hello. I'm Samuel. Anastasia, I presume?"
Ana beamed and shook Samuel's hand with both of hers.
"You're the nice bathroom guy! Nice to meet you, I'm Anastasia Daphne Meyer and that's my mom over there, she's not old or anything but she's still my mom."
"Why'd you tell him your middle name, too?"
Ana looked surprised.
"Because I like it!"
"Ah. Makes total sense."
Samuel gave a polite grin and, as soon as he could find availability, he steadied one of Ana's hands and kissed the top before dropping them both. He then turned back to Evie with an arched brow.
"Roommate, hm?”
Ana blushed an odd rosy green, looking at her hands and back at Samuel. He was charming.
Evie polished her glasses on her sleeve with a noncommittal shrug.
"Roommates help pay th' rent," she said. "This one, she just lives in my house and eats my food."
"I eat it 'cause I'm the only one that makes it."
"Hey, I microwave things!"
Ana gave a snort.
"Like the egg? You remember the egg? I remember the egg."
"Don't bring up the egg."
"I will SO bring up the egg."
Samuel just shook his head.
"That is not quite what I meant by my comment, but alright. Now, please excuse me."
The women had lined up at the counter now and were looking huffy and impatient. Samuel rushed to the cash box, checked them all out, wrote receipts, and let them leave. When they were finally gone, he produced a key from his pocket and turned the sign on the door to 'CLOSED' while locking it.
"You can get out, but not back in," he informed softly and put the keys back in his pocket.
"I'm not perceptive," Evie said mildly. "You expect an intellectual response, you're gonna have to go slower. Brain's stuck in second gear. Right Ana?"
"It's tragic, really," Anastasia said, shaking her head and pretend to wipe away a tear. "Untreatable, y'know. Maybe terminal."
"Yeah, yeah....fascinatin' crowd you attract," Evie said. "I was disappointed by the lack of fairy wings, though."
"I wish I had fairy wings."
"No. Just...no."
Ana made a face, and nudged Samuel with an elbow.
"She's just jealous because she knows I'd look better wearing them," she said in a stage whisper.
Not noticing the flinch, Ana nodded hard enough to send her hood flying off.
"Fruit please! I like any kinda fruit, except for raisins. They're mummified grapes and that's really, really gross."
"Nothing for me," Evie said. "I had a student lunch, I'm good."
"She means beef jerky and one'a those energy shot drinks," Ana said, wrinkling her nose. "She'll have fruit too. And some water. Um. Please."
"Water? Feh. Never touch the stuff."
Samuel nodded and smiled to Ana, but shook his head upon looking at Evie.
"I insist. Are you sure you don't want some tea? A proper meal? I don't mind."
"Well..."
Evie considered the offer. Ana was a decent enough cook, once you scraped off the burnt bits or the remaining frost from the freezer. But a real meal...
"Yeah, okay. I s'pose I could use actual food in my system for a change. You're a doll."
Ana beamed, then looked at Evie in confusion.
"Real food? I thought you LIKED my mushroom-tuna-stew."
"It has character, hon, not edibility."
"Hmph."
Wandering into the living room, Evie settled comfortably onto the couch.
"Ana, what're you doing?"
"Taking off my shoes, I don't want to get any dirt on his floor."
"You," Evie said, pointing an accusatory finger, "Are too damn polite for your own good."
"I'm sure he prefers a clean house," Ana said primly, sitting down beside Evie. "And I think he likes you."
"Buh?"
"He's making you food."
"So? You do that."
"...well, yeah. But-"
"Hush before you hurt yourself, dippy."
For a while, the scent and sound of popping oil and fresh vegetables pervaded the house. After a few minutes it was joined by stiff seafood...some kind of shellfish. In a half hour since the start, Samuel entered the living room with a large silver platter, three bowls, three cups and saucers, a serving bowl full of the crab and corn bisque, and a steaming teapot.
...and an apple.
"I made some for you too, Anastasia, just in case," he said as he placed the tray on the coffee table and handed up the apple before beginning to pour cups of tea.
"It's a homebrew. I hope you don't mind." Spicy and therapeutic...perfect for stressful, lonely days.
On the side table, watching with blind eyes, was Pollux, still a sad pool of oil in a small vial.
Sniffing tentatively at the soup, Ana blushed slightly and shook her head, taking the apple.
"Maybe later," she said politely.
Evie had no such qualms, and eagerly helped herself. It tasted exactly like nothing she'd ever eaten before, which wasn't surprising given her diet.
"Oh god," she said through a mouthful. "This is incredible. Marry me."
Ana giggled into her tea.
"She means to say, 'thank you'," she said to Samuel.
"That too."
Samuel just winked at Ana.
"I figured as much. More for me and your mother," he said and sered himself, sipping his tea before beginning in on his bisque.
"I do believe it's traditional for the man to propose, Miss Evie. I have to decline." And he laughed around his spoon. He ate...daintily. Carefully. Clearly. He was a well-raised gentleman.
"Killjoy," Evie said, trying not to slurp her soup. She was raised to be a normal functioning part of humanity, nothing more. Manners, according to her mother at least, were for sissies. "I'll just have to keep trying, then."
Ana just rolled her eyes, biting crisply into her apple through a mouthful of tea. Chewing thoughtfully, she brightened and proceeded to dip the apple into her teacup - carefully.
"It tastes like....apple-tea. With stuff," she said, looking pleased.
Samuel just chuckled and shook his head. Ah, children. He wanted some when the proper time came.
"I'm glad you like it."
A comfortable silence fell as Evie finished her soup and Ana her apple. Eating it to the core and crunching the seeds, Ana looked around the room, hoping for more fascinating things to see like what Mr. Samuel had in his store. Instead, she saw the oil burner.
"Hey! I came out of one of those!"
Evie choked on her soup, and thumped her chest with a fist to prevent herself from spraying masticated crab.
"Gnnghk?"
"That thing! The burner-thing, right there! Mister Samuel, you're gonna have a baby too? That's wonderful, can I babysit? I'm really good at it," Ana said excitedly, her hands glowing eyesearing neon green in her sudden excitement.
A comfortable silence fell as Evie finished her soup and Ana her apple. Eating it to the core and crunching the seeds, Ana looked around the room, hoping for more fascinating things to see like what Mr. Samuel had in his store. Instead, she saw the oil burner.
"Hey! I came out of one of those!"
Evie choked on her soup, and thumped her chest with a fist to prevent herself from spraying masticated crab.
"Gnnghk?"
"That thing! The burner-thing, right there! Mister Samuel, you're gonna have a baby too? That's wonderful, can I babysit? I'm really good at it," Ana said excitedly, her hands glowing eyesearing neon green in her sudden excitement.
"Ah. That explains why I was warned about...'fetus juice'." Complete with air quotes.
"I've already invited your mother to join me when I gather the courage to light the candle," Samuel said, "You are free to come along." A child...he'd forgotten about that. Most of his adored the thought...but what if he was a bad parent? What if it was a bad child?
"Fetus-juice?" Ana parroted, looking bemused. "It's more...magic candle oil juice. I think. Right, Ma?"
"Can't talk, eating."
Shaking her head, Ana turned her attentions back to Samuel.
"We'd love to," she said. "Evie can take pictures and I can clean up in case it makes the house explode!"
"ANA."
"What? It could, y'know. Just sayin'."
"Ding-dong."
"Please, no bickering," Samuel said and then turned back to his tea for a moment.
"You're the first friends I've made on Gaia. I would like you to be there for the...proverbial birth of any child I may have."
"Bickering? This isn't bickering," Evie said with a laugh. "This is normal conversation. Right Ana?"
Ana blew a raspberry in between sips of tea.
"Heh. And we'd love to," Evie added, trying not to slurp the last dregs of her soup. "Bein' a parent to a freaky lil' bundle'a joy can be fun, if you know the right people. I'll let you know if I find any."
Hunf. Well, everyone had their faults.
"I've learned that most children on Gaia are paranormal. I doubt one from a candle would stick out all that far."
"Well, at least it's pink, that means it's probably gonna be a cute little girl with a penchant for dresses and sparkly things," Ana said earnestly. She gave Evie a confused look when her guardian gagged.
"Ana, god, don't say such cruel things," Evie said. "Pink doesn't automatically mean girly."
"No?"
"Nah. Sometimes it means fabulous."
Laughing at Ana's uncomprehending look, Evie took a sip of tea and smiled slightly.
"I'll explain when you're older, kiddo. Anyway, concerning 'paranormal'. Betcha a dollar if it spits out a kid it's gonna be an awesome mutant. I'll help out so you don't lose your sanity."
"We'll see," Samuel said with another little sigh. He decided to not comment on the offensive stereotypes. Hm. A child...
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:53 am
__Part 20
Samuel had been staring at that damnable oil for hours. It was his day off, and he had nothing else to do...so why not see if you are or are not going to bring a child into this world? He did, of course, have a promise pre-set. He picked up his cell phone and pressed Evie's number, the only one in his Gaian contacts. He waited as it rang, setting up the oil in the center of the living room.
"Ana, phone."
"I'm in the bathroom!"
Evie flicked the page of her magazine, ignoring how Oscar kneaded her lap with unnecessary force.
"Yeah, but it's probably for you."
"Ma, bathroom."
"No one calls me."
"But you CAN answer it, it's easy. You pick the phone up off the receiver and talk into the part at the bottom. I know you're outta practice but you get the hang of it after a while."
Evie snorted and picked up the phone that was, in fact, inches away from her.
"You've got five seconds before I hang up."
Samuel's eyes widened. Oh my!
"Evie? Is...is this a wrong number?" Oh, she had gotten to poor man so very, very flustered.
"Speaking," Evie said without interest, not realizing who it was in the other end. "Who are you and what are you selling, because chances are I don't want it."
"Who is it? Is it for me?"
"I dunno. Who's calling?"
For once, Samuel was not amused by Evie's gruff exterior. He frowned slightly and shook his head.
"Evie, it's Samuel. I told you I would call to be with me when I light the oil. I plan to quite soon."
Evie made a horrified choking sort of sound and slipped off the couch, sending Oscar flying.
"Samuel! Oh god, I'm sorry - ow, claw to the stomach - aaah jeez, I didn't mean anythin' by it-"
Hitting herself in the head forcibly, Evie blushed and cringed. God, now he would think she was a total b***h.
Ana stood in the door way and shook her head, sighing.
Samuel gave her no words of comfort, no friendly chuckle, no 'it's alright'. It certainly wasn't alright. He attempted to force these negative thoughts to the back of his mind and spoke once more.
"Would you still like to join me for the event?" His voice was short. Quick. Everything it never was.
"I'd love to," Evie said, voice tiny. "Me and Ana'll...we'll be right over."
Ana stopped grinning and gave Evie a startled look. She was actually upset about this....oh dear.
Samuel nodded.
"Good," he said tersely, "I shall prepare." And with that, he hung up. No 'goodbye'. That was a sure sign of something amiss. That said and done, Samuel sat in the Lotus position on his rug, palms facing upward o his knees, trying to calm himself. His jaw, previously set, slowly relaxed. His muscles unclenched.
There.
Smiling, the man stood and went for the living room, lining it with protective fetishes and vacuuming quickly. One's home must be spotless for guests.
Evie hung up the phone slowly, humiliation making her stomach roil and her face burn.
"Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid..."
Ana cleared her throat uncomfortably, getting hers and Evie's jackets out of the hall closet.
"Well," she said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. "Let's go, eh?"
Samuel now waited in the front room, reading through a book he had recently purchased, testing to see if he wanted more. It was ridiculous.
Perfect.
The pseudo-goths would eat it up.
Evie knocked rather timidly on the door, biting her tongue hard. The walk over had been more of a brisk run, and Ana was sitting on the front steps clutching a stitch in her side.
Samuel placed the book on a corner of the shelf and stood, straightening his shirt before opening the door. His heart fell slightly, seeing Evie, but his smile never faltered.
"Welcome. Come on." With a sweeping arm gesture he stepped back from the door, giving the young women room to enter.
Taking the smile as instant forgiveness, Ana bounced in cheerfully.
"Hello, hello," she said, beaming at Samuel.
Evie walked in more sedately, trying to ignore the knot of ice in her stomach.
"Hi," she said, smiling with genuine effort. "Thanks."
No kiss to the hand was offered, but Samuel graciously led the pair into the living room, motioning to the myriad silk pillows that would be acting as their chairs for the evening.
"Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Evie sat on a pillow, very tense and trying valiantly not to show it.
Ana sat ramrod straight on her pillow, looking excited.
Samuel lit the candle beneath the dish of oil before stepping back to sit beside Evie, staring into the oil. Oh my, perhaps a child, perhaps not...
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:49 am
__Part 21
Evie chewed at her fingernails, wondering what would happen. More between her and Samuel than the oil burner, however. There was a steady uncomfortable knot of discomfort whenever she thought about her behavior.
Ana leaned forward, all attention riveted on the burner. Oh, so exciting, so exciting!
An hour went by. Two. Samuel heard his stomach rumble deep.
"Excuse me," he said, tearing his eyes from the dwindling oil.
"Would you ladies like anything to eat or drink?"
Half-dozing, Evie jolted up with a start.
"Water," she said quickly. "Please."
Ana, who had been blinking only rarely, sat up straight and winced as stiffened muscles finally relaxed.
"An apple, maybe?"
Samuel smiled softly as he stood.
"You and your fruit," he commented lightly before heading for the kitchen. Hmm...water and an apple.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the oil began to bubble violently. It filled the dish and foamed over the sides, other bubbles rising in the air and popping there. The music grew in volume. Oh my...birth was impending!
"Fruits don't have faces," Ana called after Samuel primly. "I don't wanna eat something that looks back at me."
"That's why they chop off the heads, Ana," Evie said dryly. Or at least she started to, but the sound of music made her pause. "...what the crap is that."
"SAMUEL YER GONNA MISS IT COME QUICK!"
Samuel didn't take time to ask questions. He ran to the living room just in time to see an enormous bubble rising up out of the oil and...BAM! With an absurd popping sound, the bubble exploded, and there sat a little...well, it was a child, at least.
Covered in bubblegum-scented goo, Samuel wiped his eyes and stepped forward. It had happened.
"Hi!"
"Why, hello..."
"Ohmigaaaawd, she's so cute," Ana squeaked, spitting out a bit of goo and ignoring how unpleasantly sticky everything had gotten. "Isn't she, Mom?"
Evie, squinting without her glasses, had frozen still as a statue, the color rapidly draining out of her face as she stared at the child.
Polly giggled and turned.
"Hi Miss Evie! Hi, Lady! I like your hair!"
Samuel blinked. How in the world could he know Evie?
...wait a second.
"What is your name, child?"
"Pollux! You kin' call me Polly, though. Everyone does!"
Pollux. Polly. Holy crap. What was going on here?
"Ma, how does...Mom?"
Evie's face had gone gray, and tears were streaking down her face. She got up unsteadily, gasping for breath, and stumbled towards Pollux. She touched his face, then with a horrible choked wail she fled the room.
"What the heck?" Ana sputtered, jumping up. She skittered over to Pollux and Samuel, flushing rosy-green. "I don't know what's gotten into her, I-I'm sorry..."
Samuel just watched her go.
"I can guess..." he sighed, and then stood and ran after Evie in a very ungentlemanly way, "EVIE! PLEASE, WAIT!"
Polly, however, stayed put.
"Who're you?" he frowned, upset by both the situation and this stranger.
Evie had bolted out the door, and was running as fast as she could away from the house. She skidded to a halt when she heard Samuel however, figuring she didn't want to insult him more by ignoring him. But she skidded into an unfortunately placed telephone pole, glancing her shoulder and tumbling to the ground in a heap.
Wringing her hands, Ana tried to smile.
"My name's Anastasia," she said, kneeling down beside Pollux. "I, um...I'm Miss Evie's friend."
Samuel skidded over to her, scuffing his newly-shined shoes, and collapsed beside her.
"He was once someone you knew, yes?" he asked, gathering the young woman in his arms.
Polly just blinked.
"You called Miss Evie 'mom'! Are you her daughter? Who is that man? Am I his son?"
Evie didn't give a coherent response, just buried her face into Samuel's chest and burst into tears again.
Feeling oddly caught in the headlights like a deer, Ana nodded.
"I guess I am," she said. "And that guy was Samuel. So, yeah. He lit the oil thing, so yes, you're his son. I guess that's how it works."
Samuel stiffened and cleared his throat. Oh, jeez.
"That is a yes..."
Polly just smiled.
"Cool!" he said, flinging himself at Ana and clinging, "We're friends now, okay?!"
Curling into a ball of misery, Evie finally drew away and hid her face, humiliated.
Caught by surprise, Ana toppled over. She burst out laughing and hugged the boy back.
"You got it, Polly."
Samuel placed a finger beneath Evie's chin and lifted it.
"It is natural to grieve. Do not be embarrassed. Come, I will make you something." He stood then, holding his hand down to Evie.
Polly snuggled and closed his eyes, nose wrinkling.
"Good."
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Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:48 pm
__Part 22
"C'mon, now. It's not so bad, see? Going outside is good. Say it with me."
"Mnn."
"You'll thank me some day," Ana said patiently, forcing Evie along as they walked. "See? We'll go get groceries, and dry cleaning, and maybe even cat food. Isn't it exciting?"
"Mm."
Ana sighed. Well, at least the grunts meant she wasn't completely catatonic.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Polly squealed excitedly, "Higher, Daddy, higher!"
"Try Creole!" Samuel shouted, giving his son another hard push on the swing.
"Ummm..."
"Plii..."
"Plis elve!" Polly shouted and giggled.
"Bon djòb!" Samuel laughed and yelled happily as he gave Pollux an absurdly fast push. The boy went so high the chains of his swing jumped.
Yes, this was a good day!
Evie blinked and looked towards the source of the happy noise, pinpointing it to a familiar house across the street. Her stomach knotted for a moment, then she sighed and shook her head. Over a year, and she still couldn't let go. She would've kept walking, but Ana caught her arm.
"Look," she said patiently. "It's Samuel and Pollux. We're going to go over and say hi. Yes?"
"No."
"Good! C'mon!"
And so Ana dragged Evie across the street, waving merrily.
"HIIIII~"
Polly squealed and waved, forgetting the chains for a moment and almost toppling backward before retaining his grip.
"Ana! Ana, push me! Pouse mwen!"
Samuel stepped out of the way of the swings and approached Evie, forgoing his usual hand-kiss for an informal hug. She looked like she needed one.
"Would you like to come inside?"
"Coming, coming!" Ana chirped, scooting behind Pollux and obliging with a good hard push.
Caught off-guard by the hug, Evie's reaction was a little belated.
"Uhm. Oh! Yeah, yeah, I'd love to. 'kay."
One could tell she hadn't spoken beyond one-syllabic sentences in a while.
Polly squealed and kicked his feet as he tried to pump. Yaaay, friends!
"You look like you need some comfort," Samuel said softly, leading Evie to the living room.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Y'know, I almost went over the top bar once," Ana said. "But then I kinda flew off the swing and landed on this guy. Then he started yellin' at me, which is understandable since I kinda squished him, but then Ma saw and she punched him."
She paused, thinking over the incident.
"As it turns out, haven't been on a swing since."
Evie gave a mute nod, feeling a little bit embarrassed but trying not to show it. She couldn't exactly come out and say "Sorry for bursting into tears and clinging onto you like a toddler throwing a fit".
"Then swing with me!" Polly cheered, "I can pump okay. You should swing too!" Really, wat kind of life was a swingless one?!
Samuel smiled softly and touched Evie's cheek affectionately before going to the kitchen and returning with a cup of hot leftover tea, brewed for lunch.
"Here," he said, handing over the dainty china cup, "I am not sure how much of my religion you have experienced in life...I can assume very little...but there are certain rituals created to calm and soothe the mind. If you would be interested..."
Ana sat on the other swing obligingly, trying to get comfortable. She was in truth a bit too big for the swings, but at least she wouldn't snap the chains.
Evie sipped at the tea tentatively, and gave another nod.
"Okay," she said, voice rather tiny.
Polly giggled, reaching out for Ana's hand. It wasn't swinging together unless they were touching!
Samuel gave Evie's hair another little pat.
"Are you sure? It is a simple ritual, but perhaps not the most modest." His father had developed it, after all, combining modern and ancient practices. It worked, sure, but only under certain circumstances.
Swinging a bit, Ana held Polly's hand and gave him a grin. Gads, he was cute. And, she reflected a bit sadly, a better dress. She loved that skirt.
"Pfft. Modesty isn't an issue," Evie said with an echo of her dry humor, smiling slightly. "You're talkin' to someone who walked in nothin' but skin through the girl's locker room for a five dollar bet."
Ah, the stupidity of youth.
Polly just giggled and kicked his feet. He liked having friends, even if they were big friends.
"Good," Samuel smiled, "Finish your tea and meet me in the bedroom. It is down the hall and on the right." With a curt little bow, he headed there himself.
Evie obediently chugged the rest of her tea, setting the cup down delicately and wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Bedroom. His bedroom. She hadn't been in a boy's room since sophomore year in high school with Matt Gale, and he had felt her up. She'd punched out one of his teeth.
"Oh boy."
Evie got up and wandered down the hall, wondering if she should knock.
The room was dim and a line of candles lit the outer rim of a hand-woven blanket. Samuel stood behind, dressed in more traditional garb, a knee-length brown skirt and totally barefoot. It wasn't necessary, but it always helped with the whole mod. He might as well give Evie a show while performing the ritual.
"Please," he said, motioning to the blanket, "Lay down. On your belly, please. Head on the pillow."
Said pillow as stuffed with dried lavender, a common calming agent.
Looking more curious than timid now, Evie took off her glasses and stowed them in her pocket, lying down obligingly and resting her head on the pillow. The smell of the lavender made her want to sneeze, but she stifled it and the sensation passed.
"Now remove your clothing," Samuel nodded. Nakey times! He figured to remove them while on your stomach was easier...less embarrassing. Nothing showed then.
Ignoring the brief blush that heated her cheeks, patiently reminding herself of her dumb-a** high school days, Evie stripped and piled her clothing neatly to one side.
She was awfully glad she'd remembered to shave her legs.
Samuel smiled.
"Good, good. Now close your eyes." He picked something that clicked up from his short dresser. Hmmm...
Feeling a little vulnerable, Evie gulped and closed her eyes. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.
Oh, stoppit. He's not gonna do anything to hurt me, quitcherbitchin'.
There was a sudden clacking just in front of Evie's nose and Samuel spoke again.
"When I tell you to open your eyes, please do. You will see a small pile of bones. Look at it until you see something. Do you understand?"
A cursory pause and then:
"Open your eyes."
Evie opened her eyes, and noted the bones. Mm. Very bone-like. Pushing aside her usual skepticisms, she focused on the pile and tried very hard to 'see something'.
It wasn't really working quite yet.
Well, that was understandable, as nothing had begun yet. Slowly, Samuel's voice rose in a low, monotonous chanting. The only word that seemed to repeat was "Rada", the loa that represents emotional stability and warmth. It was this same loa's veve that Samuel began to drip onto Evie's back with a steady flow of hot wax. To her, though, it would certainly only seem warm...
Evie gave a tiny jolt at the unexpected warmth, then forced herself to stillness again. Focusing on the bone pile, she waited for something to happen. Would they start floating or something? Hmm.
The chanting continued and, once the wax had been hardened, Samuel placed his hand, fingers splayed, in the center circle. Ah, this really was a true test of his studies.
Enjoying the touch more than she felt she had a right to, Evie kept on staring at the bones, waiting patiently.
And then...
"Mph!"
The sound was quickly stifled before the entire squeak could come out. Evie blinked rapidly, trying to make sure it wasn't just some...oh, she didn't know. Trick of the light, maybe?
She did not just see what she thought she did. After all, Samuel was behind her, clearly she was daydreaming when she should've been-
Oh, waitwait. There it was again.
I'm such a dweeb.
And yet, it made her feel better, didn't it? Silly little heart-flutter aside.
Enjoying the touch more than she felt she had a right to, Evie kept on staring at the bones, waiting patiently.
And then...
"Mph!"
The sound was quickly stifled before the entire squeak could come out. Evie blinked rapidly, trying to make sure it wasn't just some...oh, she didn't know. Trick of the light, maybe?
She did not just see what she thought she did. After all, Samuel was behind her, clearly she was daydreaming when she should've been-
Oh, waitwait. There it was again.
I'm such a dweeb.
And yet, it made her feel better, didn't it? Silly little heart-flutter aside.
Samuel smiled and tilted his head slightly. Oh, good.
"You see something? What is it?" To him, it was still just a little pile of fowl bones.
Crap. Gotta lie, gotta lie-
"Well," she said, trying to think of a good lie and not coming up with anything. "It's...um..."
The odd little vision stayed firmly in place, and she didn't try to blink it away.
"You," she said, voice very tiny.
Samuel smiled and his hand moved rather inappropriately to give Evie's back a tiny rub. Tsk tsk!
"And what am I doing?" It was honest curiosity, really. Knowing that you yourself brought comfort to a friend was all well and good...but knowing why would be much better.
Evie was infinitely glad that her little romp with the mystical hadn't turned out to be a cheap metaphysical porno.
"Noticing that I exist," she said, feeling rather embarrassed.
Specifically, looking and smiling at her. It was uplifting and comfortably silly at the same time.
Samuel smiled and grabbed the edge of the veve on Evie's back, peeling it gently from her back and breaking whatever spell there had been upon her. He retrieved the bones, put them away, and turned the lights back to their full luminosity.
"If that is all it takes, why conduct any rituals at all?" he asked as he changed back into his pants and folded his ritual garb, putting it back in the dresser.
"DADDY!" came the sudden cry from the hallway, "DADDY! DADDYYYY!"
Samuel sighed and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him to allow Evie some privacy. Polly had his hands out in front of him as if they were covered in some kind of terrible flesh-eating bacteria.
"Daddy, I'm dirty," he frowned.
Samuel chuckled and hefted Polly up, bringing him to the bathroom and turning on the water for him to wash his hands in. Oh, children.
Evie dressed quickly, astonished with herself. She didn't usually do the 'happy' thing anyway, but she certainly hadn't imagined it'd be Samuel she'd see.
"Though, I'm feelin' better," she muttered to herself under her breath, feeling pleased. So she could still feel things aside from irritation and misery. Good to know.
Ana, still confused why Polly had freaked out over a little bit of dirt - really, what fun was there in being clean all the time - stood just outside the open door, wondering if it was okay to go in uninvited. Pollux had sort of run away before she could ask.
As Samuel left the bathroom, he caught sight of Ana in the door. For a moment, he was frightened. She hadn't come in...was the brick dust repelling her?
...and then he laughed at himself.
"Come in, dear. You are always welcome."
Polly just whimpered and whined as he washed his hands a good five times.
Beaming, Ana stepped inside.
"It's always polite to ask," she said. "But there wasn't anyone around so I figured I'd wait.
Evie wandered out of Samuel's bedroom, adjusting her glasses and smoothing her hair. She caught Ana's puzzled look and just grinned, which made the teen even more confused.
"Did you bump your head?"
"Hush your sassing before I slap it out of your mouth."
Ana gave a relieved laugh.
"Oh, good. For a second you looked happy, god forbid."
Evie grinned again and stuck out her tongue insolently.
"Well, consider yourself on a constant basis of invitation," Samuel said as Polly wandered out to cling to his leg, "I do not get many pleasant visitors, and so will keep you around as much as possible."
"Daddy, can Ana come swing again?"
"Of course, if she has the time."
Blushing rosy green with pleasure, Ana scuffed at the floor modestly with a boot.
"Aw, you're so nice, Mister Samuel," she said. At Polly's request she nodded.
"Sure can! Buuut, we gotta go get Oscar from the vet soon."
"He's not going to be unhooking his claws from that dog's face anytime soon," Evie said dryly. "And they're gonna have to take some time sewing that bit of ear back on."
"Who's, the poodle or Oscar's?"
"Aw hell, the whole thing was such a mess I don't even know. We're probably gonna end up with some kinda poodle-cat hybrid."
"Polly, why don't you walk Ana out to the sidewalk? Show her your art," Samuel asked, smiling, "Miss Evie and I just have one more thing to discuss."
Polly grinned and grabbed Ana's hand.
"I drew a bunny. He's pink."
Watching as Ana and Polly left discussing the all-important topic of bunnies, Evie sighed and shook her head.
"I need to introduce that girl to horror movies and junk food. All that clean livin's gonna do her in."
Looking up at Samuel, she cleared her throat a little awkwardly, going slightly pink.
"So. Um."
Samuel just smiled and, in one swift movement, wrapped an arm around Evie's shoulders and pulled her closer, kissing her briefly. When he pulled away grinning, his arm stayed.
"If me smiling is all it takes to make you feel better, please, just stop by," he offered. Oh my.
Evie gaped, eyes stretched wide. Had he? With her? Had that been on purpose? She thought it was, but couldn't be sure. Her luck surely wouldn't allow for such things.
"Count on it," she said, voice wavering. Well. That had been about as expected as a flying pig.
Samuel just sighed slightly.
"Now, go. Remove your furry friend from that poor canine's skull...and please, do not over-think my gesture."
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Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 10:39 am
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