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 Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:53 pm
II» [PRP] Phase Shift [child]
III» [PRP] Plum Princess [child]
IV» solo [child]
V» [PRP] Novelature [child]
VI» solo [child]
VII» [ORP] Kitchen Wizards [child]
VIII» [ORP] Horrible Animatronic Reindeer [child]
IX» [PRP] Deck the Halls [child]
X» solo [child]
XI» [ORP] Number Crunching [child]
XII» solo [child]
XIII» solo [child]
XIV» [ORP] Welcome to the Party [child]
---- Supplements: [PRP] A Gift for Carlisle [child];
---- [PRP] A Gift for Kaeden [child]
XV» [PRP] The Squire and the Clock-Child [child]
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:06 pm
[PRP] Phase Shift
With Galleai
Complete
Bad dreams, good company.
Read it here!
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:07 pm
[PRP] Plum Princess
With Nataya
Complete
Art class is torment on a good day, but luckily there are girls to talk to! You'd think Carlisle was a womanizer, with all these girls he likes.
Read it here!
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:32 pm
He didn't quite understand why. After all, his name had come from the same tradition as Bella's maiden name (lille de Verdelet, it was, the same as his mother's). The only explanation he got was 'it's the right thing to do'.
So he did it. It felt weird, signing the papers put in front of him that would officially change "Mephisto" to his surname, dropping 'dul de Elixabete' entirely. Almost, he decided, like someone wanted to cut his mother out of his life, and Aunt Bella was simply the medium for it.
No. That couldn't be.
Once the deed was done and change notices sent to the Liberty Center to alter his school files, he and his aunt went to go buy new clothes (for the season), attempt to cut his hair to a decent, boyish length (for the season), and to the eye doctor's (just because; his vision remained perfect, 15/20). Then they met a man at a pancake house in an affluent section of Aekea.
"Good God," said the man, who had golden hair that hung straight down to his chin. Something about him- the wild angles of his face, the strange bloody red shade of his eyes, the way he moved (jerky and insect-like)- set off alarms in the back of Carlisle's head. This guy was dangerous. "Bellatrix, are you breeding with that man again?"
Rather than answer the question, Aunt Bella replied, "That's rich, coming from you."
Scoffing, he said, "I'm still your father." Then he turned to Carlisle, and where the light caught his skin a green sheen could be seen. "And your grandfather." Bending down so he would be at the boy's level, he continued, "My name is Verdelet Zeremonien."
"That's not a 'dul de' name," Carlisle said without thinking.
The man laughed, a thin cutting sound. "Of course not. I wasn't born, I was made. Just as you were- therefore, the 'dul de' structure is not appropriate for me or you." He looked up at Bella, something nasty in his expression. "Were you to marry within the culture, of course, things would be very different. But you weren't born of man and woman, if what I have heard is correct. So it's only right that you have your own surname- Mephisto will suffice."
At that moment, the hostess came over to announce that their table was ready. Only small talk occurred- (How are you was answered with How are you, Bellatrix which got the response of Stop doing that)- until their orders were placed. Carlisle was rather put out that the man had gone through the trouble of deciding what all three of them wanted and had actually ordered it too, without asking. It must have shown on his face, for Aunt Bella- sitting across from the two males- nudged his foot under the table. When he looked up at her, she pursed her lips and shook her head. He looked down at the table, feeling rather ashamed of himself.
The waiter returned and placed three mugs in front of them- black coffee for Verdelet and Aunt Bella. He had hot cocoa with little shavings of chocolate on the top. Finally Bella broke the silence like he'd once seen Shigeo break an expensive brandy snifter: "You wanted me to do this all today, why? The name could have waited, you a**!"
"I want to have him to stay with me for the season," said Verdelet, examining the coffee with a weird cant to one of his eyebrows. "Do you think this coffee smells off?" He tilted the cup towards the bright flourescent lights.
Aunt Bella was too busy gaping to answer. "Stay with you," she spluttered, both hands splayed across the cherry wood counter top. "He has school, he has friends. Have you even asked Lixxie? Or Carlisle?"
With a shrug: "Don't call Elixabete by that foul nickname. As for the boy: He'll have fun. Gambino is a good place-"
"-for whores-" said his aunt furiously.
"-and it'll be a glamorous experience for him. I can pull strings to make it a legal matter, if you like, daughter."
She stewed for a moment, gritting her teeth. "You have any number of children. Pick your heir from them!"
"They're all fascinated by humans and as likely to marry outside the culture as you. And I'm getting on in years." Carlisle found himself snorting at that one. The man looked like he was barely in his forties, still in his prime as it were. He got the sense that the man was a lot older than he looked, though. "I'm sure he'll like the time off from school, anyway." Yeah, Carlisle found himself agreeing, he hated school.
Giving her nephew an apologetic look, Bella said, "You don't even know what Carlisle is. Why if he's some kind of cherubim?"
Verdelet shook his head. "He's as much a cherubim as you are. Much more likely he's one of us."
"Do you want to bet on it, though?"
"I'm not going," said Carlisle suddenly as the two adults swung their heads around to look at him. "I have to do the Secret Santa, it was like a promise, you know?" His aunt nudged his foot again, but he kept going. "I was too little to do the secret santa last year. I really want to do it this year and I'm already signed up. How can I be secret if I have to deliver the stuff to their house?" And besides, as much as he hated to say it- "I'm really bad at school, though. I can't miss a whole month!"
For a moment, he hoped that they were listening to him, really listening, and then Verdelet turned back to Aunt Bella and said, "He will stay out the season with me."
"He will not," said Bella, and they were off again.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:06 pm
[PRP] Novelature
With Delilah
Complete
Damn you, Harry Potter. Damn you to hell. (Decent summary pending.)
Read it here!
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:50 pm
Only there was some kind of commotion, and Carlisle found himself watching a man in a white jacket escorting his friend away. Another man, tall with red-brown hair slicked back, stood with his arms crossed on the front porch, looking a little disapproving but mostly sad. Off to the side were a red-haired woman with glasses and a little winged girl. It was the man he walked up to, though.
"S'cuze me, sir," he said, planting himself in front of the man. "Where is Mrs. Moss going?"
The man smiled a little. "To the funny farm," he responded, sitting on the step when Josephine was tucked away into the white van. "She's very sick."
Carlisle blinked. "When will she be back?"
"Never," he said after a pause. "Why're you asking, anyway?"
He shrugged. "She was my friend. Why do you get to do all this stuff, mister?"
Straightening his neat black vest, the man rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "I'm her son," he said, "Rose."
Carlisle's mouth, he was sure, formed a perfect O at that. "You're one of her boys! Why did you leave her? If she's sick, didn't she need you?" He didn't understand this. If his mama got sick, he'd drop everything for her right away and go take care of her. How could this man know his mom was sick and not do anything? His derision must have shown clearly in his face because Rose's small smile became a frown.
"She was not a nice lady," he muttered, tugging on one of the lapels of his collar. "Me 'n Dahlia 'n Delphine dunno what Dad ever saw in her."
"What do you mean," demanded Carlisle. "She was nice, just crazy, and she missed you guys so much!"
Rose frowned and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, pulled the left side away. There was a burn scar there, the flesh shiny and a raw red. "She did that to me," he said flatly. "Yeah, she could be really nice. A great mom, sometimes. But then she'd get like that." He fixed his shirt, popped the collar against the wind. "After she burned me, Dahlia and me left."
Carlisle paused for a second, all his righteous anger gone. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "I didn't know. It's just... She missed you, a lot."
"Probably she did. Well..." Rose tucked his chin into his chest and muttered something about a woman named Dahlia. "You've got new neighbors, then." He nodded towards the two girls standing awkwardly on the dead brown grass of the yard. "Ladies," he said in an ingratiating fashion, beckoning them over. "May I introduce you to your new neighbor... I don't think I ever got your name."
A little shocked, Carlisle wondered why this man seemed to be so intelligent suddenly. "Carlisle Mephisto," he said, sketching a half-bow to the two females.
"Carlisle Mephisto. And, Carlisle, this lovely redhead here is Eight de Cartier, and her ward Elizabeth Wickwright, who will be taking up residence at 15 Black Way as of today."
Eight, the adult, seemed a little strange- she was staring at the halo behind his head with something akin to shock. She recovered herself, though, and offered him a hand to shake, which he took. "Melisane aa," she said, then looked even more puzzled when he didn't react. Sheepishly, she continued, "It's nice to meet you."
And the little white-haired girl smiled shyly up at him. Something about her pulled him the same way Josephine had- Carlisle hoped it meant that the girl needed help, not that she was crazy or abusive. She didn't speak, though.
"Nice to meet you, too," he said, letting go of Eight's hand.
Then he trooped back next door, wondering why life was unfair.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:33 pm
[ORP] Kitchen Wizards
With Ophelia, Nataya, Joshua, Lucien, Delilah, Casca, Madeliene, Kaimi
In Progress
Thanksgiving: a wonderful holiday celebrating the death of an indian tribe due to smallpox. Carlisle helps Ophelia and Prosper prepare the community potluck.
Read it here!
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:31 pm
[ORP] Horrible Animatronic Reindeer
With Casca, Antony, Ginger, Zemel, and Nataya
In Progress
There are no words. Carlisle goes for a walk in the park and learns about banana virginities and snow days.
Read it here!
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:16 pm
[PRP] Deck the Halls
With Joshua, Ginger, Zemel and Lucien
In Progress
It's kind of awkward to go to a party where you don't know anyone, but anything to get away from Shigeo, right?
Read it here!
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:54 pm
Of course he had kind of been expecting this after the third failed exam. It had made him a little hopeful, though, when it looked like no stupid-level maths class would be forming up. Stupid of him, since he did know what Murphy's Law was, thanks to Sugita. Failing the regular maths class would be much better than passing a class for retards.
Aunt Bella tapped on the door, looking quite annoyed. "I hope you're happy, dear, since Sara just woke back up," she started, not like it mattered since he knew Astaroshe was home and that she probably hadn't been dealing with the baby at all. (His uncle, of course, doted on his daughter, which was the way of the world as Carlisle knew it.) He didn't look up off the paper, thusly, and simply continued to blink away the tears. "Oh, Lisle," said Bella, pulling out a chair and sitting next to him. "What's wrong, honey? Do I need to call Lixxie?"
Seeming to take his lack of response as an answer, she crossed the kitchen to the phone and picked it up. Carlisle was grateful she hadn't looked at the letter; he slipped off the chair and then fled up the stairs to sit in his room.
His room was rather plain. The walls were a warm crimson and the trim was white. A cherry secretary's desk with matching chair, a chest-of-drawers, and a stack of tables were spread liberally around his room (his bed was, in fact, a loft bed; the chest of drawers fit into it quite neatly. It was his bed that Carlisle climbed into now, secreting himself under the patterned blue covers. Beneath the sheets, it was warm and safe; he didn't have to think about math or anything like that until there was some kind of solution. A good solution. Still, he couldn't help but cry.
What next? Would he be moved out of English, too, and Science? He did good enough in History, so they probably wouldn't outsource him to a stupid class there. It sucked enough that he had to deal with Merroth before, but if he ever met up with the other boy ever again after getting moved out of a class to take a stupider course- and Nataya, and Casca, and everyone. Carlisle knew that people wouldn't want to associate with a retard.
Probably he was overreacting. Most people were pretty nice, once you bothered to get through to them that you were nice, too. But still... It was humiliating!
Once he was all cried out, Carlisle fell asleep.
He awoke to a light touch on his head. "Carlisle," murmured his mother, so he peeked out beneath the coverlet and hoped his nose wasn't too red. Lixxie looked older- of course she did, because that was just the way Lixxie was. "C'mover here." He scooted off the bed reluctantly and sat on the floor near her feet; she tugged his desk chair over and sat.
"Good evening, mama," he mumbled, resting his temple on her knee.
"So formal," she lamented, running her fingers through his hair. He shivered and closed his eyes. When Mama wasn't around, he missed her, a lot. "Bella told me about your letter from your math teacher."
Jolting up, he gave his mother an alarmed look. "I try, really, I'm just-"
With an imperial wave, she shushed Carlisle and then held up one finger to indicate silence. "I don't think you're stupid. Sometimes we all need help. I'm disappointed, but not with you." A tiny smile, and she settled her hand back on top of his glossy black hair. "Well, I guess a little with you," she admitted without a bit of tact. "Sweetie, if you needed help, why didn't you ask? Your uncle Astaroshe programs computers. Math is his business, and he would be happy to help you!" (She had asked, though Carlisle didn't know it.)
"But I'm in the stupid class," he said.
She shrugged. "So was I, for a really long time. You'll learn, right? 'Cause you're my boy." Leaning over, Lixxie wrapped one arm around his shoulders and squeezed. "I have to go back to school, but promise you'll be good for me, okay? Do all your homework and don't even think bad things about your new class, okay? You're brave, and good, so of course there's gonna be trouble somewhere. Just make the best of it, I'm sure it'll turn out fine! And if anyone gives you a hard time, tell someone. And think about asking Astaroshe!"
Carlisle really wanted to explain that it wasn't that easy. All the studying in the world hadn't helped him thus far, why would more of it help now? It was like something was wrong with his head, or something. He couldn't read, either, but how could he tell his mama that?
"I promise," he mumbled.
Lixxie smiled and kissed his forehead. "That's my boy," she said, hugging him close.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:56 pm
[ORP] Number Crunching
With Beatrix, Austin, Polly, Cecelia, Cascati, Ophelia, Kaeden, Madeleine
Complete!
Math makes Carlisle sad. >: Then it makes him angry.
Read it here!
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:54 am
Kaeden something, Kaeden Island or something, which sounded quite silly if he thought about it, but then his surname was Mephisto so he really had no room to talk, accordin to Hei Sugita. "It says he wants a knife," translated the secretary, "And he likes swimming, finding things, and trying new things. He collects useful things, likes skunks-"
"Ew," said Carlisle uncertainly.
"-his favorite color is black, he doesn't know any authors, and he is indecisive. Judging by the handwriting, anyway," said Sugita, who would know. She dealt with people whom she often had to judge by handwriting all the time. Besides, she'd never purposely lead Carlisle to the wrong. Then she shooed him off.
Painstakingly, he began to write a list of things to give to this "Kaeden". In careful, rounded letters, he first spelled out the things he remembered Sugita saying he liked:
Swiming
Black
Nife
Stuf
He paused. This was not a very satisfactory list and he was quite sure something there was spelled wrong. Right now he was not gonna bother- he had five days of gifts to come up with, after all!
So first, he could come up with a skunk gift, right? People made lots of stuff for animals, like clothes and dolls. In fact, he himself had seen Sara with a little plush bunny not too long ago. It had been a gift from her dad, he was pretty sure. So obviously, his cousin's father would be the one to talk to.
He skulked down the stairs and into Uncle Astaroshe's study. "Uncle Astaroshe," he said, "What can I give a guy who likes skunks?"
The redheaded man looked up from his laptop, putting one hand protectively on the side of it. Whenever Carlisle touched the delicate piece of machinery, something bad happened to it. It was really just better for the two of them if the child didn't touch Astaroshe's working laptop. "A wood statue? A real skunk? A plush skunk? Why are you giving someone a skunk?"
He turned the screen to Carlisle with a carved wooden skunk statuette for sale on eBay. ($5, he observed. That was well within budget, he figured.) "'cause he wants one," said Carlisle.
"Oh, all right. I'd go with a statue, if it's a boy. Plushes are feminine, if you ask me."
Thinking about how he would never ask Astaroshe about masculine things due to the length of the man's hair, Carlisle went back to his room and wrote down his first gift for Kaeden. He tried not to misspell 'Statuette' but he knew there was probably supposed to be more than the one T. He just had no luck with words.
Well, okay, skunk statuette, that was one thing... Four more to go. He tapped his fingers on the desk. What about... Well, he could get this Kaeden kid a dagger. And the spread the gifts that go with the dagger out and that could be at least three days, right? Yeah!
Feeling quite brilliant, he added that to his list.
One more gift to go...
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:03 pm
Carlisle felt like he had been washed, scrubbed, shampooed and brushed until all of his skin had fallen off. It was all so that no one would think Aunt Bella (and, by extension, his mother) didn't take care of him and raise him right, or something. His aunt had been muttering that sort of thing while laying out outfits. And even before that, as they shopped for outfits in the first place. You apparently couldn't wear the same outfit more than once during a season. He rubbed his baby-smooth fingers together; at least they were still stained. Maybe if she'd tried sandpaper, he thought dismally, it might have worked. Last night, he'd gone to bed bright red, like a lobster. Of course, overnight, his skin had paled back to its normal pale peach shade, and now that he was finally awake his black hair was even more glossy than before.
He stood stiffly with his back to a tall white pillar, watching the dancers and socializers with slightly unfocused eyes. Dinner had been long. Some sadist, somewhere, had seated him between two adult women who had spent the entire meal talking like he was stupid. Which he was, don't think he didn't know it, but still he didn't like being talked down to. They'd touched his hair. After making a few good attempts to start an actual conversation and getting bulldozed into another round of fawning compliments, Carlisle had given up. He'd just crossed his arms and borne it out- only because his aunt had sent him a dagger's glare every time he went to slouch under the table. Seriously. It was almost eleven by the time dinner finished, and he still had a stack of homework to do. It went from the floor to the top of his shins. There was no way he could possibly complete all of it, not without extensive help from Sugita-san. And a severe lack of sleep. Right now it was almost one in the morning and he was falling very asleep. Every few seconds, his eyes would droop closed and he had to jerk himself back to awareness. If there was one thing he tried to remember... it was that Aunt Bella had said not to trust any of the people here if he could help it.
Well, except her, obviously. He'd walked in with Aunt Bella.
Still... it was so late. And he was so tired. He crossed his arms over his chest again and moved to a different part of the pillar, where the marble still froze against his jacket.
His shoulder touched something.
With a somewhat panicked cry, he jumped away. Apparently the person he'd brushed against found it funny, because there was a strange, breathy laugh as he fell to the ground. "Ow," he muttered, bright red as he stared at the ground to avoid meeting the person's eyes.
"Here, let me help you." The person's voice rasped against Carlisle's nerves. Sure, he'd let whoever it was help him up. When he grew wings. And claws! He looked up to say exactly that, but the words died on his lips. "What is it?" It was a girl, short black hair falling all in her face, gray eyes just like his sparkling a little in the light. Her face was familiar, because it was just like his. Unsettlingly so, in fact. It was like looking into a mirror. Automatically, for a reason he didn't quite understand, he looked down to her hand and was relieved to see no black stain.
"Er," he said, "Thank you?" Taking her hand, Carlisle let himself be pulled to his feet.
The girl smiled. Her dress was an exotic confection of watered silk in gray-blue. "My name's Erinne," she said, "Sorry if I startled you. Is it the face?" Is this really how he looked when other people saw him? Did he smile like that? He couldn't tell.
"A little," he said honestly. "I'm sorry you're stuck with it."
A laugh. "No, I'm not stuck. I'm a shapeshifter." With that, her features shifted and changed; it was like watching a thick paste bubble. The bones in her face audibly cracked as they rearranged themselves. Her black locks fell out and grew back in a burnished gold, with a bit more curl than his. It was disgusting. "This is my face." She splayed fingers against the curve of her jaw. "Yeah, it's gross." Erinne looked embarrassed; her hand fell against the side of her neck and she looked away. Her real face had a classic Roman profile, straight patrician nose that looked a little out of place.
He blushed again. "I'm sorry. Just, I haven't..."
Erinne laughed again, but quietly. No one turned to look, but then, it wasn't like anyone had been curious when he'd jumped back and tripped himself. He laughed too, embarrassed. "Not many people have. Anyway."
"I'm Carlisle," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Carlisle," said Erinne. "You wanna let go of my hand?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:14 pm
[ORP] Welcome to the Party (Xmas 08 )
With a lot of people
Complete!
Carlisle hangs out with friends and hands out some gifts. It's hardcoar.
Read it here!
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:19 pm
[PRP] The Squire and the Clock-Child
With Medea Todde
In Progress
After the Twelfth Night Gala, Carlisle relates the experience of being Erina's 'First Escort' to a girl he barely knows.
Read it here!
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