[T] Chailyn's Tome | Page 3 | Tomes | Guild Forums

anemosagkelos

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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 8:29 pm

To Feel Special
Hi tome. I am lurnin' to rite. Mommie and Linn are teaching me to rite. It hard to lurn with Linn, she correks my spelling. Mommie shows me where I maid misstakes and shows me how different letter combanations make different sounds. I rite ok but need mor pracktis. I can write the alphabet ok and after I learn print Linn is gonna teach me cursive.

So, Kali and Linn tried to tell me a story. I fell sleep fast. It was ok. I don't member it. Kali said I could tell her a story one day. I don't know how to tell a story.

Mommie is coffing again. She says she's catching a cold. She has been coffing the last few days. Linn and Kali say Mommie will be ok. Then we can go to the park. Dully doesn't want to go out because it getting colder. Mie tried talking Dully into going to the park, I wonder if I'm cute like Miette.

I kind of want to go see Aido, Donny, Lance, and Vidya. Donny, Lance, and Vidya all have wings though. Aido's older so she spashal special on her own. I feel out of place. I wish I had wings, or was special. Mommie says I am special but...I don't feel special. I want to stick out...but...I think I'm plain. I tried to tell Linn but she said I didn't make cents. I don't know what money has to do with my feelings though. Silly sister.

Daddie and Mommie say weel we'll haf to go hallowin Halloween shopping. I don't know what it is but they say it be fun. I wonder if there will be a...what did Linn call it...a partee? Yeah, thas it. A party at the shop!

Luff,
Chai

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 12:02 am

The Coming of Fright Night
Chailyn had fallen asleep in Kali's bed. The shadow elf smiling as she continued reading through her book. She was intrigued by the tales inside the book and had read a few to Chailyn without a second thought. She didn't see anything wrong with the book, True Irish Ghost Stories. The G has a skeleton learning out decked in green and smoking a long pipe. She found it amusing and thought the little girl would find it the same. She didn't know what was about to happen inside the child's mind.

Anemone hung from the ceiling swaying back and forth ever so gently. The wooden planks that made up the floor did little to obstruct the rain from drenching the body. A slow breeze was flitting through the public gallows which made it all the more eerie. Her hands were bound in front of her resting against her stomach. The flowing skirt of her dress covered her bare feet making her look somewhat childish. She was bleeding from her nose though there were stains of red along her back. It appeared as though something with bloody hands had been pawing at her back.

A howl snet a shiver down Chailyn's spine as she turned coming face to face with a wolf. It's nose pressed against hers, yellow eyes full of feral instinct to rip her apart. She couldn't see it's teeth and opened her mouth to gasp, falling backwards. She should've hit the ground with a thud but found herself falling through emptiness. She tried to scream in confusion but found her voice was gone.

She did land, hitting the wooden planks with a soft plea of pain. She sat up finding herself sitting on the gallows and as her eyes looked up she noticed a hand coming towards her. She felt it cover her mouth as a black silk blindfold was tied around her eyes.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Chailyns screams woke up Kali, sitting up to see what was going on.

Anemone stirred in her sleep. She turned her head towards Michael, mumbling softly. It took her a moment to realize someone was screaming, her eyes fluttering opening. She sat up letting the sleep slip away before standing up.

"Michael, somethings wrong," she said rushing out of their room. She was confused hearing that it was Chailyn but it was coming from upstairs. She stood a moment before heading upstairs and going to her left towards Kali and Miette's room.

"Chai?" Anemone asked as she entered the room. She sat down on Kali's bed picking up the toddler in her arms. "It's ok, shh," she cooed gently.

Michael was a lighter sleeper at that moment, and when the first scream echoed in the air his eyelids flew open. He remained where he was until he recognized whose voice it was, registering it as Chai's cry, calling for her parents. He felt Ane stir and stand, rushing out. Before she had reached the door to the room, Michael pushed himself off the bed and stood, following close behind.

When they reached Chai's room, Michael watched from the doorframe as Ane took her daughter in her arms and comforted her. Sensing no real danger to the situation, he entered the room and sat down on the floor beside the bed, looking up at the two just above him. He smiled faintly, one side of his lips turned up just a bit higher than the other, and rose his hand up over his head to reach out and brush the back of his fingertips against whoever he could reach - be it Ane's hand or Chai's arm, or both.

"What was wrong?"

"Mommy ok?" Chai asked looking up to see her mother. Her cries softened feeling Michael's hand brush over her arm. She relaxed realizing it had been a bad dream. "Bad dream," she whispered nuzzling against Ane.

Kali looked on, realizing why Chailyn had bolted awake. She blushed softly collecting the book from the side table. "Dad...Mom...I know why Chai had a nightmare..." the elf whispered crawling over to them. She offered the book pointing at the title.

"Ghost stories? Kali..." Ane gave a soft smile shaking her head. "Chai's too young for those, Kali. I know you didn't mean to give her nightmares."

Looking at Michael, Ane gave another smile. She felt bad for waking him, even if it had been Chai's scream.

Michael lifted his head up to get a glimpse at Kali, but couldn't read the title of the book. He pushed himself off the floor and moved to sit at the foot of the bed, holding his hand out for the book.

"May I see it?"

If it was given to him, he would hold it in one hand and flip through the pages idly with the other. "Ghost stories, is it?" He murmured with a faint undertone of amusement in his voice. "Interesting choice of literature, Kali."

He handed the book back to her with a half-smile, amused for some reason. Ghost stories were something Michael could only imagine scared people - he had enough experience with ghosts, and could never understand fearing them.

"Ah, do not fret Chai. These stories are merely fiction, and I can promise you that ghosts are not the foul creatures these stories make them out to be. None will ever hurt you, and I shall also assume that as long as you live, you shall never have an experience with one. You are safe here, and most especially in your mother's arms."

Michael still had little experience with parenting, and was unsure that his words would do little to help the situation, but they were all he had to offer.

Chailyn turned to look at Michael reaching out and cooing. The nightmare had started to fade and she smiled at her father. "I better now. Thank you Daddy," the toddler whispered as Anemone placed her in Michael's lap. She nuzzled up against him taking a deep breath as she fell asleep.

"We're all safe here," Ane added picking up Kali and leaning her head against Michael's shoulder.

"They're funny to read. Ghosts aren't mean or bad." Kali whispered to the angel with a smile. She was sure that he was right and though she was sorry Chailyn had had a nightmare she was sure she could make it up to the toddler. "I won't read Chai them anymore."

"That's a good idea, Kali." Ane told the elf. Only Kali would think ghost stories were funny.

Kali wasn't the only one to think them funny, however. In fact, from what Michael had seen skimming through it's pages, the book that gave Chai nightmares would likely be quite an amusing read for him, just as it was for Kali. It was simply a mindset prevalant to him - that the mortal world found excitement and entertainment in describing spirits and other lifeless beings as grotesque or even dangerous entities.

There was only one kind of being he knew of that fell under that category, but even the creatures of hell were nothing to fear for him.

"Well, then all is well. I should think all of your dreams, little one, should be pleasant and cherished. To have the vivid imagination of a child would make me presume that your dreams are like colorful and breathtaking paintings, filled with movement and joy. I suppose that imagination is just what may cause a bad dream to feel so real, or scare so thoroughly."

He pulled the child close and hugged her in one arm, using the other to press a finger against her nose childishly. "Now that you are awake, perhaps I should tell you both a story to return your imaginations to their former glory, so that both your dreams are once more filled with lovely, colorful images. What do you think?"

"I think that would be a wonderful idea, Michael." Anemone said with a smile. She shifted the small elf so that Kali was left sitting between the two of them. She thought for a moment about waking up the slumbering Miette but decided to let the mouse sleep.

"Yes, we'd like a story," Kali added. She liked how her father talked, how he made everything seem beautiful even if she did have a taste for some of the darker stories of life.

Chailyn smiled in her father's arms. She gave a nod in agreement giving a gurgle as if to say she approved of the idea of getting a bedtime story. Although she was already drifting off, she was still paying attention.

Michael smiled serenely down at his family, and settled himself in. "Well then, I shall have to think of a wonderful story, to enchant you all." He reached out for Ane's hand, and brought it up to his lips, kissing it softly before looking up and collecting his thoughts.

"Ah," He murmured, and smiled softly. "There was a story I heard once, from a child no bigger than yourself, Kali. I thought it was a beautiful one myself, but perhaps that is because I had not heard as many stories then. Still.. I shall tell it to you."

"Once upon a time, in some far away and unnamed land, there was a kingdom, as there always is in stories such as these. Within the kingdom lived an honorable king, a clever queen, and a wretched man who served the queen as her wisest and oldest mage. There was nothing peculiar about this scenario, and as to be expected, the queen soon gave birth to the first of her children."

He rested his hand on Kali's hair, and brushed it softly. "It was a baby girl, so precious that she stole her father's heart. The child grew, and was always found at her father's feet, or in his arms. This, of course, made the queen jealous. So jealous, in fact, that her cleverness turned to bitterness, and her heart grew cold with hate."

His eyes flickered to Chailyn, smiling softly. The end of this story was up to her, for she was already close to sleep, and only her dreams would tell her what would fare. For Kali, however, he continued.

"The Queen gave her child to the mage, and told him to find a way to hide her from the kingdom, and keep her presence unknown. She did not want the child dead, for she still loved her own flesh and blood enough that she could not bear the thought. Still, she wished that the little one did not exist, and the mage granted her wish. He took the child away, and it was never to be seen again."

He frowned softly, and hugged Kali with one arm. "The King soon died of heartbreak, and the Queen shortly followed. The kingdom had fallen due to a bout of jealousy, as kingdoms often do."

His frown dissolved, and he tapped the girl's nose. "But do not fret. Let us move onward, many years later. The past was nothing but stories told by bards who roamed the lands, but they did not reach as far as we shall. For deep in the forests there was a little hut, and in the hut lived a small, poor family. A mother," He smiled gently at Ane. "A father, and a little boy, no bigger than you or Miette. They had no contact with the outside world, and took care of themselves. They were happy in their own little world, or so they thought."

Here he paused, and stretched his arms back. "Now how would you have felt, living such a life, barred from the rest of the world my dear child?"

Anemone smiled as Michael kissed her hand looking at Chailyn and Kali. Even if they didn't look the same they were a family and it made her heart glow with warmth. It was wonderful to have a family and she wouldn't have traded any of it.

Chailyn began to drift easily into sleep as she rested in her father's arms. "Daddy...," she murmured softly a smile spreading over her lips. She gave a giggle as the story began listening with what little attention she had left. She heard enough to set a blissful dream.

A king and queen, who had already taken shape in her mind as her father and mother. She smiled more seeing her parents standing together, a baby in her mother's arms just as if she had been the queen in the story. Soft melodies filled her ears as she giggled dancing around the room. She didn't even notice the others dancing along with her, only the smile of her baby brother or sister.

Kali, fully awake, hung on her father's words. She listened intently unsure what to think of the Queen who would give her daughter away. She'd read many stories but never one that had a mother giving her child away so willingly. Was there really such people in the world? Had her father not continued on, she would've dwelled more on the thought.

How would you have felt... echoed for a moment in her mind. She thought over what he had said. She honestly didn't like going out much but that was because she rarely seemed to meet anyone interesting, or that liked her. She didn't have time to let the thought sadden her thankfully.

"I wouldn't like that much. I'd love living somewhere quiet with Mom and you, but I'd feel alone. Is that bad?" she asked looking up at her father. She wasn't sure if that was a good answer or not. She really didn't know what to think.

"No," Michael murmured softly with a smile. "That's not bad at all. And that's exactly how this little boy felt. He loved his mother and father very much, and he loved his house, and the forest surrounding it, and all the creatures within. But none of it made him long for human interaction any less. He wished for a companion, a friend that could speak with him, and play with him, and tell him what wonders the outside world held. Sadly, no friend ever came."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Michael shuddered involuntarily. A sense of dread filled him, but he pushed it aside and chalked it up to an impending thunderstorm. His feathers ruffled back into place beside him, and he continued.

"One day, the little boy took a walk out in the woods, as he was oft to do. He found solace in the woodland creatures, but still considered himself alone.He came across a beautiful sunflower nestled alone in a meadow. It grew tall and sturdy, swaying gently in the breeze. It looked as though it had been growing there for several years, yet was so out of place. The boy instantly fell in love with it, and rested in the meadow beside the flower, telling it his childish secrets.

Every day the boy returned to the meadow, and wiled away the hours with his precious flower. Every day he returned, his heart saddened to have left it alone in the cold and dark night. Yet one day.. he had an idea.

'I will take you home with me, flower.' He said to it that very day. 'And you and I will never be alone again.'

And so the boy cut the thick stem high, and took home the sunflower blossom, cradled lovingly in his arms. He settled the flower in a glass of water, and every morning he awoke to see it's shining face smiling down at him. Every night it was the last thing his tired eyes saw before closing as he lost himself to dreams."

He took a deep breath, and smiled down at Kali. "Can you imagine what happened next?"

Kali smiled finding that her thought hadn't been bad. She always had a small fear of saying or thinking the wrong thing. She didn't want to do anything that would make her parents love her less. She loved them so much but she feared they wouldn't love her if she did something wrong.

She felt a hint of sadness that a friend never came for the boy. She wondered if she had wandered by if he would like her as a friend. If she had been the only one to wander by she thought he would be grateful for anyone who came by.

A flower? She'd never thought of talking to a plant. She didn't imagine it would be a very good friend, it couldn't talk back. It couldn't do much of anything. It couldn't wipe away tears or hug the boy.

"It didn't wilt, did it?" Kali asked gently. There was a childish fear in her eyes. A fear that the boy would find his only friend gone. It was a fear brought on by compassion, something the little elf didn't have much experience with. She just didn't usually understand how others felt about things but she understood this.

"Ah, but my clever child, I am sad to say it did. Flowers were not meant to live for long in vases of water, and so one morning the boy awoke to find his precious flower bowing it's head toward him. He thought nothing of it that day, but every day she seemed to droop just a little farther. One morning when he awoke, the petals of her once brilliantly yellow face were turning brown, and brittle. A few of them had even fallen to the ground."

He watched the girl cautiously, hoping the story hadn't taken too dark a turn for her. It only got worse before it got any better.

"The boy could not accept this tragedy. He left his house that day, for the first time since he had first plucked the flower. He ran deep into the woods, and spent the day crying against the wet grass after a rainstorm."

Thunder rolled behind him ominously, and the strange sense of dread returned. It was an interesting theatrical addition to his storytelling, but something told him it wasn't natural. Something wasn't right.

"Ah.. where was I.. oh yes. The day passed, and the boy's mother came to clean his room. She saw the wilted, dying flower in a vase, and looked at it in disapproval.

'Why would he keep such a filthy thing in his room?' She wondered to herself, and plucked the dying flower from it's makeshift vase, to throw it outside.

When the boy returned to his home, you can imagine how shocked he was to find his flower lying dead on the grass in front of it. He scooped it up gingerly in his hands, and brought it back inside.

'Why have you done this?' He asked his mother, who in turn asked him why he was bringing that dead thing back into the house. He did not answer. Instead, he brought it back to his room, and put it between two books to flatten it. Once he completed this task, he put it behind a sheet of glass, and framed it up on his wall.

'There now flower, I will have you forever.' He spoke to the framed blossom, looking up at it triumphantly."

He stopped there, almost as if teasing her into believing the story was over. He looked down at Kali with a soft, sad smile. "Do you think the boy and the flower were happy then?"

Anemone felt a shiver run down her spine at the second sound of thunder. It seemed odd that a storm seemed to have come from nowhere. Nature was a mischievious thing though, so she had no reason to think more of it. She turned her attention back to the story Michael was telling.

Kali gave a light frown at finding that the flower had wilted. She was sure that something good must happen though. She didn't notice the smile on her mother's face, for Anemone found it sweet that the elf was showing such compassion for the boy in the story.

"I don't think he'll be happy for long. I wish I could be his friend," she said softly. A faint blush covered her cheeks as she realized what she had said. She waited to hear someone laugh at her, but hearing none she smiled as the blush faded.

Anemone looked at the slumbering Chailyn, standing up and looking at the toddler. "Let me put her down in Kali's bed," she suggested motioning that it would allow Kali to climb into her father's lap. She smiled lifting the child from his arms and kissing her on the forehead.

She pulled the covers back slipping the child down so that her head rested on the pillows. She covered her up before sitting back down beside Michael resting her head on his shoulder as Kali climbed into his lap.

As his family resettled around him, Michael almost forgot to finish the story. It was a cherished comfort, having those he loved so close to him, so safe. He put one arm around Ane, and with the other held Kali in place. This was his family now.. one that he would protect with his life.

A streak of lightning filled the room with a blink of light for a moment, and he waited for the impending roll of thunder before saying another word. One.. two.. three.. he had counted to fifteen before hearing it, and smiled in comfort. That meant it was far away, and he shouldn't have to worry about it at all.

So why was he?

"I believe he would have been very glad to have you as a friend, Kali. And you are correct. Every morning he would wake up, and see his precious flower there to greet him. Every night the vision of her behind glass was the last thing he saw. While this made him temporarily happy, he soon realized that he had trapped her in solitude, just as he felt trapped in his own home. As heartbreaking as it was, he resolved to free his flower, and bring her back to the earth from which she came.

He brought the frame down from the wall, and gently removed the flower from behind it. He took his flower, and walked deep into the forest until he found the meadow where he first found her. There, he dug a hole deep enough to put her to rest, and laid her in that very spot. He resetted the dirt over his flower, and then fell against the mound, and cried there for the whole day.

It was years after that day before he found it in his heart to return to the place where he had buried his dearest friend. He was no longer a boy, but now a young man, and yet still he had found no comfort in the solace of his home. He returned to find not a mound of dirt, but a sunflower, grown as big and tall as himself, and twice as beautiful as the first one he had found.

He was so happy for his sunflower, that he kissed it's petals, and left it where it stood.

'I was wrong to have tried to take you for my own, my precious flower. This is your home, this is where you belong. No longer will I grow jealous of the time the dark of night spends with you while I am gone and sleeping. I will visit you every day, and leave you here to flourish for eternity, even long after I am gone.'

But his words, and his kiss, would not allow such a thing. For as soon as he'd finished saying them, the sunflower shimmered and disappeared."

He stopped here, for nothing more than a dramatic pause. He was obviously enjoying his time as storyteller, and hated to see it come to a close.

"The boy cried out 'Oh no, I've killed it again!' But he had not. In it's place, a girl stood, with hair as bright as a sunflower yellow bloom, and eyes as green as the stalk that had held it up.

She reached out to try and comfort him, but he pulled back, stunned at the transformation. Was he dreaming? Was he dead? Perhaps this was an angel, come to take him away from his parents to the afterlife so soon!"

He smiled knowingly down at Ane after this part, obviously adding it for it's own little personal irony.

"But the girl went on to explain. 'I am not a ghost,' she said. 'You have merely freed me from the curse I have lived under for many years. Your selfless act, and the wish of nothing more than my happiness, it has freed me from my bond after all this time.'

And so the boy had freed the princess from a curse engineered to ensure her happiness, even after being banished from her own family. He took her home to meet his own family, and they quickly accepted her as one of their own. It was not so long after, that the boy married his beautiful flower, and they had children of their own. With a family all his own, the boy, now a man, was never alone again.

The story was over, but he hesitated to say a phrase as cliche as 'The End' to announce it. Instead, he simply waited in silence for a response.

"That was a beautiful story, love," Anemone whispered in response. She had thought to say more but a sniffle caught her attention and she looked to see a tear in Kali's eye. She'd never seen the elf cry.

"That was wonderful. I'm glad he put the flower back and that it was the princess," Kali said with a smile. She had started to say something else but had stopped herself. She didn't want to say something silly, like how she wondered if she could find a friend. She didn't want to admit that she got lonely even with all her siblings. She loved them but they didn't know her it seemed.

"I am glad you both like it. I think, however, that it is time we leave you to your own storymaking, within your dreams."

It was his own subtle way of saying it was bedtime, but partially because he felt so agitated and tense, that he felt sleep would do him some good. He bent down and kissed Kali's forehead, before freeing her from his grip.

"And you, mommy? Are your dreams calling to you as well, just as mine are?"

Again, a subtle way of hoping that he would not be alone when he retired to his room.

"Yes, I think so. Sleep well, Kali, and sweet dreams," Anemone told the elf kissing her on the forehead as she hopped down and climbed into bed next to Chailyn. She smiled at her parents before closing her eyes.

"Good night, Daddy, Mommy. I love you," Kali whispered rolling over to drape her arm over Chailyn. The elf looked as if she was using her sister for a life-size stuffed animal.

"We love you, too," Ane said standing up and taking Michael's hand in her own. "Dreams sound nice and sleep is calling to us both."

Michael allowed Ane to lead him out of the room, and return to their own. In truth, he wasn't sleepy - he was simply anxious. Something about the thunderstorm was bothering him, but he couldn't understand why. The only solace he could think of was in Ane's arms, and when they returned to the room and closed the door, he sought it.

He curled his arms around her slowly and pulled her to him. "Are you.. really tired?" He asked, because above all he had to be polite. Her needs were always first and foremost.

Secretly, he hoped she would say no.

"No, I just didn't want them to think they were the only ones going to bed," Ane replied with a smile. They were going to bed and while dreaming was always nice, being awake with Michael was more wonderful than dreaming could ever be.

She relished the night when they could be alone together. Whether they simply slept, talked, or chose to do something else. It was always perfect and they didn't have to worry about neglecting the children.

anemosagkelos

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anemosagkelos

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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:56 pm

Halloween Hunting
October first was slightly chilly as leaves had started to change to the warm colors of autumn. It wasn't the warmest idea to climb out of bed and Anemone had decided to stay in bed just a little longer. She was going to take the children shopping for Halloween costumes. Although it was sure to be a zoo and that was just thinking of the ones she'd be taking along.

Aislinn had been sad lately. She had been withdrawn, ignoring Miette and Kali. She was tired of books, of reading, of everything. She had been asked a few times if she wanted to go visit Faye or Lani, even Ruka, but she had shook her head no. She had found little to smile about and it was worrying her siblings. Instead she had slept more than usual. Today, she had awoken early to go costume shopping with her siblings and mother. She wasn't sure she wanted a costume.

"Linn, are you done yet?" Miette asked knocking on the door. The mouse sighed leaning against the bathroom door. "Please? I just need to brush my teeth!" she whined softly.

"Yes, I'm done," the cherub replied with a sigh. She opened the door letting her sister in. She'd pulled her hair back into a ponytail for once, drowning in her oversized pink sweater.

"Thank you." Miette chirped happily. She smiled at her sister who was already shuffling through her dresser.

"Has anyone seen my book?" Kali asked trudging down the hall. She'd already put on her coat and was ready to go, if she could find her book. She'd been looking at it yesterday but she couldn't find it now.

"You left it in the play room, Kali. Can you go see if Prem and Cyrus are awake? Dulcea asked peering into Aislinn and Miette's room. She pulled at her hair putting it in a ponytail. Her dog ears flattened for a moment as she fixed her pigtails. She smiled fixing her purple t-shirt and looking down at her overalls.

"All right." Kali agreed relunctantly.

Cillian had been awake for an hour or so. He was typing on his computer, his braille keyboard clicking as he hit each key. His headphones told him which key he had hit and pronounced words he formed so he knew if he'd made a mistake. He'd already dressed in a simple t-shirt and baggy jeans, his tennis shoes resting on the bed and his coat on the doorknob. He didn't know what he wanted to be for Halloween but he'd go. It was hard to be angry living with Michael and Anemone.

It was a little after noon when the kids followed by Dulcea, Cillian, and Anemone walked into Barton. Hopefully there wouldn't be a crowd looking for costumes. Although Barton was just the first stop, since it was closest. If they were lucky, all of them would find costumes. Although Anemone wasn't looking for one, she was focusing on the children today.

"Does anyone have an idea of what they want to be?" Anemone asked them. She smiled looking down at Miette, who had lingered back so she could take hold of her mother's hand. Chailyn had followed suit, taking hold of Ane's other hand. Oddly enough, Rosalind was holding onto Kali's hand while Cyrus held onto Prem's hand. Aislinn was sort of pouting as she trudged along. Even Cillian was holding onto Dulcea, though he was just barely touching her jacket so that he didn't go straight when they turned.

"Wings, I want wings!" Chailyn stated giving a grin. She wanted to have wings for Halloween. That was her only thought on a costume that entered her mind. She knew she wouldn't be able to fly at least, she didn't think she'd be able to but that was ok.

"I'm not going to be anything pink and pretty, like a princess or a fairy. I'm definately not going to be an angel." Kali stated with a triumphant nod of her head.

"No one's going to make you dress up as something you don't want to," Anemone told the elf with a smile. She looked around before leading the group into a store full of costumes. Eight had invited Ane to go shopping for their own costumes at a later date, so her attention was in full focus on the children. This would be fun, or complete chaos. "Dulcea is going to help Chailyn, Miette, and Kali. Prem, Rosalind, and Cyrus, I want you three to stick together while I help Cillian and Aislinn."

"Come you three, the kids costumes are over here," Dulcea stated taking hold of Kali and Miette's hands while Chailyn walked in front. She didn't have a clue what she wanted to be so she didn't mind helping the youngest three first. She looked at the three focusing on Chailyn first since she knew the girl wanted something with wings.

"What color do you like?"

"I like all colors." Chailyn stated peering up at Dulcea. Her purple eyes looked for an answer from the dog tahnee, one Dully hadn't quite figured out yet.

Browsing over the costumes, Dulcea was pulled to one in particular. It was a rather bright pink outfit with wings. The pants and wings seemed to have a hint of a flame design on them. Tiny pink horns were attached to a thin headband of clear plastic that could easily be hidden in any girl's hair. "How about this Pink Diva, Chai?" she asked the toddler slipping it off the rack.

Chailyn looked at it tilting her head as she thought. It had wings. It was pretty. It was bright, almost shiny. Donny would approve and she was sure Lance would, too.

"Yes! Almost shiny, friends like shiny and both have wings!"

"Come on, Chai. Kali will help you try it on." Dulcea said handing the costume to Kali and leading the three to the dressing rooms. She didn't want to let the little ones wait outside, slightly afraid that they'd wander off and get lost or something.

"I'm glad I don't have to wear it, so pink..." Kali murmured to herself. She helped her little sister into the stall and after a moment, Chailyn walked out with a smile. She twirled around in her costume, stumbling slightly as she fell into Kali knocking the elf against the dressing room door. "Maybe you should wear different shoes..."

"Chai pretty pink, almost shiny!" the toddler annouced proudly. She grinned ignoring Kali's comment as she attempted to twirl around again. She stumbled slightly but managed to stand standing giving another grin. "I go show Mommy!" she exclaimed suddenly rushing off to find her mother.

"Chailyn! You can't run off by yourself!" Kali shouted out. As soon as she noticed the toddler hadn't paid any attention she rushed off after her.

"They make such a great pair," Dulcea murmured picking up Miette. "Thankfully, you didn't rush off after them."

"I'm good girl," Miette said winking at her older sister. "I want to have a fan to play with and wear something shiny," the mouse added. She looked around as they followed in pursuit of Kali and Chailyn just to make sure they found Anemone without trouble. Her eyes fell upon a jade and black dress. She couldn't really see the silver dragon on it though she loved how the back was longer than the front. She smiled brightly seeing the black fan and chopsticks included with it. She pointed at it calling out to the dog tahnee. "I like that! I can be Cyber Gaysha yes?"

"I think that would look cute on you," Dulcea replied heading over and picking it up. She glanced up to see Chailyn and Kali talked to Ane, who smiled back at the dog tahnee.

Prem, Rossalind, and Cyrus weren't having as much luck. None of them had figured out what they wanted to be. Rosalind hated almost every costume she saw, she just didn't think any of them were her. Although she was having enough trouble trying to figure out who she was on every other day of the year. She was confused. She wanted to be pretty and she didn't know what else.

Prem couldn't find anything he liked. He knew Zorro would be too obvious as a choice, even Don Diego would be. He didn't want to be anything silly. He wanted to be something strong and hopefully impress Emma.

Cyrus was sure he'd just stumble upon something. He wasn't sure he was going to go Trick or Treating. He would've rather slept the night away. He didn't care too much for candy. He just didn't seem to have a sweet tooth. It was too bad he couldn't go as a catnap.

The three continued looking around. Each of them pulling costumes off the rack to look before putting them back. None of them seemed to like a single thing they looked at, which was much the opposite of Aislinn who was wandering around near Ane having a horrible time trying to just pick one. A princess, angel, and fairy were all out she'd decided. She didn't want to be a demon or devil or witch though. She thought about being a cheerleader but shook her head. She had to find something more unique, well for her. It didn't matter if lots of other people wore it as long as it was different from her normal attire.

"I can't choose. I'm really not sure what to be," the cherub sighed frowning. She didn't know what to do. Her wings seemed to wilt slightly as she returned to stand by her mother. She had to find something.

"Couldn't you find anything?" Ane asked Aislinn kneeling down so she could see eye to eye with the cherub.

"No. Maybe I'll stay home..."

"You'll find something, Aislinn. I'll help you," she replied pulling the cherub into her arms and standing up. She took hold of Cillian's hand wanting to keep him close so he didn't end up getting knocked over by anyone or walking into a rack of clothes.

Holding onto the two wondering what costumes would be perfect for them. Cillian definately needed something so he could maintain some of his attitude but Aislinn needed something completely different. What did a cherub dress up as when she didn't like fairy tales?

It was almost an hour later when the group of children were all set holding their own costumes. It'd taken each one a different amount of time to find something perfect. By the time they'd all found something, tried it on, decided they liked it and wanted to get it, everyone was exhausted.

Aislinn had decided to go as a geisha girl which fit her rather well. She'd decided against wearing a wig though, thinking her brown hair made it a more appealing costume. While Cillian had taken a much dark route, deciding to go as a vampire with an attitude.

Cyrus had decided to go as a Roman Guard which accented Dulcea's costume as a Roman Empress.

Kali had found a costume that seemed more like her than most, Wednesday Addams, though Ane had been a bit relunctant to let her get the skull with candle accessory. Although Rosalind's Cheerleader was a bit of a shock. The fox had been indecisive between another cheerleader costume and the one she chose, but Kali had nudged her to pick the darker one.

Of the group, Prem's was the most obvious. He'd chosen to be a ninja. Something no one was surprised by. It still gave him a bith of growth as Zorro was no ninja.

"Time to go home, show Daddy!" Chailyn stated with a grin. She was excited to show her father and eventually Donny and Lance, maybe she'd get to show Aido and Vidya, too.

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:17 pm

Showing Some Skin
Alright...so Ane would be coming over soon...and then Eight would take her Halloween costume shopping with her. The halfling had reminded everyone that Pandora, Liam and Reynee were in charge as they always were while she was gone, and had taken a quick shower and changed. She decided to wear a new red shirt Liam from Aekea had convinced her to buy, claiming her boyfriend would love the 'boost to the breat size.' She enjoyed smacking him for the comment.

"Hm...what time is it..." Eight mused, glancing up at a clock on the wall and stretching her arms up over her head. Where was her new backpack? Oh there it was, right next to her...

"Now to come up with a way to get her out of that shell she's crammed herself in while I wait..."

Anemone made her way to Eight's house. She'd dressed casually in a somewhat loose fitting tank top and jeans. She was wrapped in a light jacket and for once had pulled her long brown hair back. She had a tendency to hide and it was her first idea in most group situations.

She was lost in thought and hadn't even noticed she had arrived. She blinked a few times blushing softly before raising her hand on knocking on the door. She was feeling nervous, she hadn't seen Eight for awhile. She hadn't really seen anyone and she was glad to spend some time with a friend.

"I hope I didn't make her wait too long," she whispered to herself. It'd taken her a little bit longer to walk here than she'd thought. She liked walking to places, unlike most who drove cars around. It gave her more time to think, even if she did think too much at times.

Eight was up instantly when she heard the door, throwing her pack over her shoulder and opening the door with a smile. "Hey, Ane~!" The halfling chirped, hugging the girl and letting her inside. "...Did you walk all the way here?" Barton to Gambino?! Wow! Ane must have gotten a really good work out from that. Eight would never let herself walk that far without some other mode of transportation, perhaps a bike or something...but walking?

In her head Eight was still plotting. She'd find a sexy costume for Ane...she'd find one for herself as well, but she'd get something to cover it up. Yes, then on Halloween she'd just have to drag Ane party-hopping so she'd be more social. She was beautiful! Why didn't she show off to the world every now and then? "You want a drink or something?"

"My house isn't that far from the port," Ane said with a smile walking inside after returning the halfling hug. She rather had enjoyed the exercise, it was a peaceful day outside. "It was a nice walk."

She had no idea that Eight was plotting anything. If she had she might've rethought going costume shopping with her friend. Although she wouldn't have known what the girl was plotting. She would never think of being coaxed into getting a costume that was sexy. Perhaps that was a good thing, since Eight would never be suspected of such ideas. "A glass of tea would be nice. If that's ok," she replied.

"Oh! I see! Well then, let's rest your feet for a bit then head out, okay?" Eight closed the door behind them with a smile, leading Ane into the kitchen and immediately setting to searching the cupboards for wherever Pan had put the tea. "You'd think I'd know my way around my own kitchen...but Pan has completely reorganized this place, it's not even my domain anymore." She didn't sound bitter or upset, in face Eight was giggling as she said this; Pandora was crazy about keeping this place in order, it was funny sometimes.

It took some time, but Eight finally found the tea...and there was a lot of it. "What kind of tea do you like? We seem to have some of what appears to be every kind, not sure how though..." Pandora must have done some serious tea shopping...but nobody in this house drank tea...how sweet of her to think ahead. The halfling pulled herself up and sat down on the counter, glancing over at Ane with an innocent smile. Eight could do some digging while they were here. "So what kind of costume do you think you want...?"

Ane followed Eight into the kitchen watching as she searched through the cupboards. She gave a small laugh. "Does Pandora like to cook then? Or just enjoy rearranging everything on you?" she asked. She watched as her friend searched, trying to imagine any one of her children cooking. She was sure that would be a mess.

Once Eight had found the tea, she made her way over looking at the different types of tea. She knew there were different types but she'd never actually considered which one she liked best. "Hmm, this sounds good." She picked up a jar of tea mix, no special flavors though there was the option of adding sugar, something she almost always did.

"I'm not actually sure. I really wouldn't feel comfortable being something like a princess or angel. There's no way I could pull off anything revealing, I'd probably hide. It is Halloween though, the whole idea is to be something or someone else," she said. She was leaning against the counter, holding the tea mix container as she talked. "What about you?"

The half demon nodded. "Cooks, cleans, locks me out of my house so I socialize...yup, she'd make any husband happy." Eight laughed, watching Ane quietly before she bent over to open the cupboard at her feet and fish around for the tea kettle. "Speaking of lovers, how're things with you and Michael? Going perfectly, I suspect?"

Eight listened quietly as Ane mused on what she wanted...hm. No princess, no angel...nothing revealing? Sorry dear, Eight wasn't going to go with the no revealing. "Aw, I don't think that's true! You could so pull off something revealing! The whole point of a Halloween costume is to go nuts and wear something you normally wouldn't!" Eight chirped, grinning and resting her head against one of the counters as she leaned over and filled the tea kettle with water. What would she wear? "Hm..it'd have to be something sexy for Alex...but something I can still wear in front of my family...I've always wanted to try be a harem girl...but I want something with a cape..." Eight tapped at her chin, hopping off the counter as she explained her ideal costume and putting the kettle on the counter; it was one of those electric ones that you just plugged in and it heated itself up, which made it so much easier on Eight so she didn't have to worry about temperature or burning any kettles. "What about..um...no, not a devil...Michael wouldn't like that, would he?"

"I'm sure she would," Ane started. She smiled giving a nod of agreement. Eight's next question caught her a bit off guard, a blush flaring up on her cheeks. She'd never heard someone use the term lover for Michael and herself and it made her feel almost light headed. "What? Oh, umm, yes. I mean, not...," she was already flustered and flushed leaving her unable to finish her sentence.

She took a deep breath giving herself a moment. "Things are wonderful with Michael and me. I just wouldn't really use that word for us...I mean it's not that..." The blush on her cheeks flared up against, her tongue twisted into confusion. She was digging a hole for herself and with heat flushing over her, she had to take another breath.

Recovering somewhat, she decided to forget she'd ever started to answer the first question. She gave a thought at Eight's description of a costume. "A harem girl? I'm sure that would be alluring and you'd look wonderful." She was sure she wouldn't look wonderful in a costume such as that of a harem girl. It would remind her of Chailyn too much and she'd already forgotten what the halfling had said about her being able to pull off something revealing. Perhaps that was for the best.

"No, I don't think the devil would be a good choice. I'm sure there are other things I could be."

Eight raised a brow at Ane's answer, giggling softly. "Well...you're lovers, aren't you? You love each other, don't you?" Eight poked at the pot, glancing up at her friend to see the blush on her cheeks. Aw, that was so cute! She must have really loved Michael a lot. The halfling slid down to sit on the floor with a smile, looking up at Ane. The pot soon began to whistle obnoxiously, and Eight scrambled back up to her feet to grab a teacup and unplug the appliance. That whistling was so annoying!

Offering the cup to Ane, Eight smirked softly and hopped back up on the counter. "You'd look great in a harem girl costume too, dear. Look at that figure~! Not a bit of pudge to worry about!" Eight poked playfully at Ane's stomach, crossing her legs and leaning back on a counter behind her. "How about...um...a pirate? Wait, there might be too many of those. We need you to stand out this year! Be the belle of the ball, so to speak." Unless they could find a totally different pirate costume no one else had.

"Yes, we love each other. I love him with all my heart," she said the last part more softly than she meant. She didn't blush at her words, it didn't fluster her to say that. She could've easily said that anyone as it reminded her that he loved her.

The whistling of the pot distracted her from her thoughts pulling her back to where she was. She gave a smile at Eight as she was offered a cup and took it in her hands, taking a sip after blowing into the glass to cool the tea. She gave a blush at her friend's comment giggling as she was poked in the stomach.

"They say confidence makes someone alluring, not the body. Although I'm not sure I would look as good as you," she replied with a nod.

She wasn't worried about her body, she just wasn't very confident in her looks unless she was with Michael. In which case, she felt she could've looked like anything and it wouldn't deter his love for her. In public, she felt so much more self-confident. She always saw someone and instantly felt silly or foolish.

Her mind drifted for a moment. It reminded her so much of growing up. She had always felt inferior to her little sister. That had been so long ago it seemed, she'd not dwell on that now. Life had been different then and she much preferred it here with her children and Michael.

"A pirate? I don't know if I'd make a convincing pirate. I'm not so sure I'd make a convincing belle, although I'm sure I could hide in a southern belle's dress more easily," she mused outloud. She gave a smile almost sure Eight would reject that idea.

Eight smiled. "Well then that's all that matters, isn't it?" As long as they loved each other, who cared what term was used? ...Except for harlot or something, that wasn't an appropriate term.

The girl blinked and glanced at Ane at her next statement about confidence, chewing on the inside of her cheek. That was what Ane needed...a huge boost of confidence...so it'd be perfect if Eight dragged her to a party, hid her own costume from view, and let everyone compliment Ane! It was perfect! Sure there would obviously be a flaw or two...but no plan was actually perfect; that was what backup plans were for.

Eight ran a hand up through her hair and giggled. "And my daughter Selene wouldn't make a very convincing major. Halloween's supposed to be fun! ...No, no~! You're not hiding, dear Ane!" Eight demanded, picking up her pandy pack and grinning again. She could be a southern belle if it didn't have all the ruffles, but Eight was going to make sure Ane wore something sexy on Halloween to please not only herself...but maybe even Michael too.

"Yes, that's all that matters," Ane agreed taking a sip from her tea. She looked at Eight giving a smile.

She had no idea that talking about confidence had given the halfling even more of an idea of what to do. She wouldn't have encouraged the idea if she knew about it, though she wouldn't have had a clue about how to discourage the plan. In fact, in her mind it wouldn't matter what she wore as she figured she'd probably find someway to blend into the background. She'd never really stood out...at least, she didn't think she did.

"Although I'm sure Selene would look cute as an army major," Ane added. "All right, I guess no hiding for Halloween." She was a little relunctant to agree to it but she didn't think Eight would let her leave the house without doing so.

Clearing her throat, she remembered that Aislinn had asked about Faye. "How has Faye been? Aislinn wanted me to ask. I think Linn's been a bit lonely lately," she confessed giving a light sigh. She almost felt bad that the cherub hadn't been invited along to play with Faye while they were gone or something.

Eight smirked. "Heh, she'll look cute, sure...but she can't play the part of an army major. Selene is as quiet as a mouse...no pun intended, I assure you." She snickered softly and shook her head, one wing perking up at the mention of her own daughter. Faye? The halfling grinned and shrugged. "She's been good, getting her new sister Shauna adjusted...we visited Enoh not too long ago, so she met Viddy...I'm sure she'll want to see Linn again, just a second." She hopped off the counter and walked to the door of the kitchen, poking her head out to see if that was Faye's chattering she heard.

"And..and...I want cookies on it! Lotsa cookies! And cherries! Yeah! What's ice cream with no cherrieeeeeeeeeeeeeees!" Faye squealed loudly when Eight suddenly jumped out from around the corner and grabbed her out of the air, wrestling against her mother's tickle torture with loud laughter. Pandora blinked and stared at her mother, quietly backing away before she could be caught as well. Faye struggled for what seemed like forever, but stopped dead when she caught sight of Ane. "...IS 'LINN HERE?!" Faye gasped, looking around hopefully. Eight laughed softly.

"There's your full and complete answer, Ane."

The cherub frowned when there was no Aislinn for her to greet, skipping through the air to hover by Ane and wave. "Hiiii Miss Aneee~!"

"Hello, Faye. I didn't bring Linn with me, I'm sorry," she apologized to the cherub giving a small frown. She hadn't really asked if Faye would be home and want Linn to come over. "I could see if she wants to come over," she added looking to Eight, "if it's all right with your mother."

She was a bit relunctant, afraid Aislinn might still be in a bad mood and not want to see her friend. She didn't want Faye to take it hard if that was the case. Of course, she was getting ahead of herself. She didn't know if Faye would want her to ask the cherub or if it would be ok with Eight.

Eight leaned against the door frame while watching the exchange, pursing her lips at the sight of Faye's wings drooping and her arms hanging low. Aislinn wasn't here...? Faye immediately brightened up at Ane's suggestion, clapping her hands together under her chin and turning to her own mother. "OhMommypleasepleaseplease? I wanna see Linnnnnnn!" Eight blinked, smiling softly and gesturing to a phone hanging on the wall near Ane.

"If she wants to come over...then Pan can watch the two of them while we go shopping? I'm sure she'd love to...and if it'd make these two crazy cherubs happy." Truth be told, Faye had been moping ever since the last time she saw Aislinn. She hadn't seen Lani in forever and then she kept being a horrible friend and forgetting to bug Eight to call Ane and see if Aislinn wanted to come over! The brunette cherub felt so guilty, it broke Eight's heart to watch her sitting and staring at the phone as if trying to use telepathy to make it ring...as energetic as she was, there were times where she was just too lonely to ask anything.

Anemone smiled at Faye, nodding as she walked over to the phone. She picked it up cradling as she dialed the phone number. She placed the receiver next to her ear as it rang.

"Kali? Do you think you could pop Aislinn over to Eight's?" She paused waiting for a reply. "Of course." Ane had opened her mouth to say more when the phone clicked and she heard the dial tone. "I think she forgot something..." she murmured to herself, she'd have to remind Kali about phone manners later.

She turned to tell the cherub her friend would be over soon. "Aislinn will be here soon," she started.

"Should I have waited?" Aislinn asked appearing behind Ane's leg. She peered around her mother as the woman gave a jump of surprise. The cherub giggled slightly until her mother looked down at her. "It was Kali's idea. She thought we should scare you."

"And you know I don't like that. One of these days, you'll give me a heart attack," she murmured to herself shaking her head. She closed her eyes putting a hand on Aislinn's head. "Have fun, ok?" she added kneeling down and giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Aislinn nodded obediently, glancing over at Faye and waving at her friend. She hadn't seen her friend in so long, her stomach was twisting in knots. She was nervous her friend wouldn't remember her, although that made no sense. She must've remembered her. She was being silly. "Hi Faye!" she called out after letting out a slow breath.

Faye squealed loudly and bounced around the kitchen, doing little happy spins ever now and then. She stopped when she heard Ane tell them Aislinn would be there soon. Yes! Finally she could see her friend! "Oh! Oh! When'll she be here?" The cherub skipped merrily around the kitchen, in circles around her motherm then around Ane, then freezing in place when she heard a familiar voice. Faye blinked and turned around, squealing happily and throwing her arms around Aislinn in the tightest hug ever. "Aisliiiiiiinnnnnnnn! ImissedyouI'msorryIhaven'tseenyouI'mreallyreallysorrypleasedon'tbemaaaaad!" She refused to let go of her friend, although she did loosen her grip a little so the other cherub could breathe.

Eight smiled softly at the sight, looking from the two cherubs to Ane. "They look set...want to go shopping now? I'm sure Faye would be more interested in stay here and playing with Aislinn than costume shopping with the two of us." She couldn't trust Faye with the secret of her costume anyway, the cherub would end up accidentally telling Alex or something...and it was a little too old for two young children to join them.

Aislinn giggled as her friend hugged her. She eagerly joined in the hug, her nervous feelings and loneliness demolished. "I missed you too and I could never be mad at you!" she stated with a grin. She was debating about never letting her friend go but then they'd have a terrible time trying to play.

"I think so. Aislinn already got her costume so, I don't think she'd want a repeat of that," Anemone told Eight with a smile. She hadn't seen her friend for awhile and thought it'd be easier to catch up if they didn't have to keep an eye on the cherubs. As sweet as the two were, there was always a chance of mischieviousness once they were together, especially with Lani or Ruka around. "Have fun you two and don't worry, we'll give you plenty of time to play," she added winking at Eight. That would probably make the two eager to find lots to do while they were gone.

"Yay!" Aislinn squealed at her mother's last comment. They could play all day together to make up for not seeing each other. With winter coming it might get harder to see each other and Aislinn was sure to make up for that now, if it happened to be the case.

Faye beamed happily at Aislinn's words, grabbing her hand and dragging her away to go play. Had Aislinn ever been to her house before...? No! She hadn't! This was a new experience! This excited Faye even more, fluttering her wings and hugging her friends. "We can go play in my room. Have fun Mommyyyyyy~! And Miss Aneeeee~!" She waved to the two women before leading Aislinn upstairs to her room.

Eight smiled and watched the two, picking up her Pandy Pack again. "I haven't taken them shopping yet, I will eventually, but I want to give them some time to think about their costumes." She chirped, smiling brightly and winking back at her friend. "They'll be occupied for hours! Probably won't even realize we're gone or miss us!" Eight joked with a feigned sniffle, wiping at her eyes dramatically before walking to the door with her Ane. "Come, dearest Ane~! We have been delayed long enough!" Such a drama queen!

Aislinn grinned at Faye as the cherub grabbed her hand. She giggled turning her head as she waved at Eight and her mother. She quickly turned her attention back to her friend, happily being dragged around. "Bye, Eight and Mom!" she called back though she wasn't really paying any attention to the two adults. All her attention was on having fun with Faye.

"I suppose I don't have to worry about her today. It looks like she'll be having fun," Ane said with a smile. She gave a giggle at Eight's fake sniffle as she walked to the door. "Of course, highness. The children took so much of our time to shop," she joked coming out of her shell just enough to feel comfortable with the comment.

Eight nodded, locking the door behind her as the two of them left to wander Gambino in search of costumes. "Did you ever decide on a costume? Or are you just going to pick one you like best while we're shopping? ...Oh hey! Let's try this one!" Now Eight! What did Desdemona teach you? Don't jump to the first thing you see! It could be a bad choice!

...

Well, obviously Eight didn't listen to that. Although this place looked rather exotic when it came to its halloween costumes. "Ooh...how about this?" The halfling grabbed Ane's hand and dragged her across the store to a fairy costume that'd grabbed her attention from all the way on the other side of a store. "Do you like that?"

Anemone shook her head. "No, I can't seem to think of anything. I'd like to have some fun but..." she never did finish her sentence. She followed Eight into the store looking over it and smiled as she looked at some of the floor length dresses they had for costumes. This would probably have been the type of outfit she would have chosen had she been with Eight, who wanted her to try sometime more daring.

She had opened her mouth to say something about the fabric of a dress, her fingers running against the silk as she passed. Before she could say anything, she was dragged across the store giving a soft, almost inaudible protest.

"Thank gods, you're not like a demi-goddess," she murmured giving a soft laugh. She looked at the costume taking it off the rack and just placing it in front of her to give herself an idea of how it'd look. "I don't know. A fairy seems kind of childish...doesn't it?" she wasn't really sure.

"Well then! We'll just have to find something now..." She chirped, looking around the store again when Ane said a fairy was a bit childish; she had a point, Eight never saw adult fairies anymore...unless they were dark or skimpy...

The comment about her not being a demi-goddess finally registered in her head after awhile, letting go of Ane with an apologetic smile. "Why? I didn't hurt you or anything, right? I'm so sorry if I did!" Eight was being honest about that, checking Ane's arm to make sure it was still connected to the woman's body before a familiar sight caught her eye.

...

A French Maid! Eight smirked and nudged Ane toward the costume, leaning over and putting her head on the woman's shoulder when she turned to see it. "How about that~?" It was hard to tell if she was joking this time or not.

She was almost relieved that Eight agreed, or seemed to. She didn't think a skimpy fairty would make it seem more adult, the concept of a fairy seemed more like something a child would pull off with ease. She wasn't sure what would be a good costume for her.

"No, you didn't hurt me," Ane replied softly giving a smile. She looked at the halfing as Eight checked her arm and gave a soft laugh. "I was just caught off guard is all."

Her wide blue eyes starred at the costume, her mouth falling open as she gaped. She gave a shake of her head trying to find the words to describe her thoughts, if she could think coherently. "I...uh...oh...it's..." she started, unable to finish her string of words.

It took her a moment to regain her mind, so to speak. She took a deep breath shaking her head again. "Somehow, I think a French Maid is for someone much more flirty and free in spirit," she decided giving an apologetic look.

Oh, good! Ane was perfectly fine! Eight felt better already! Giving a relieved sigh at the thought, the girl hugged her friend tightly.

Hm? Was Ane that shy that she couldn't think up words at the sight of a French Maid costume? Eight snickered softly and walked over to the costume, holding it up in front of herself and looking down. "But Halloween's all about being something you're not! ...I'll be honest and say I own one of these!" She admitted, blushing softly and hanging the costume back up on the rack. Only...hers was made for one purpose, and it wasn't Halloween. The half demon glanced back at Ane and winked. "Michael might have liked it~!"

Hm? What was that? Eight blinked at the sight of a stuffed Panda...that was a little out of context...but then again, it had a halo and a ballerina's tiara. "Aw, that's adorable~! It looks like the perfect toy for a little ballerina, doesn't it? A shame none of my girl's are ballerinas..." Off topic, but hey! This was Eight!

She returned Eight's hug, letting the shock about the costume fade away. She wasn't used to this time's fantasies. She knew it was linked to the idea of a servant, but it made her feeling uneasy and slightly disgusted. There were too many memories that threatened to resurface.

"It's supposed to be fun, too. This...wouldn't be fun," she murmured looking at Eight. There was a begging in her eyes that the halfling would drop this idea for a costume though it soften slightly. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." She gave a slight smirk at the idea of parading Eight around in such a costume.

Anemone looked over at the panda giving a smile and nodding. "It is adorable, reminds me of Chailyn. She's just started ballet lessons," she said not really thinking. The ballerina circlet just made her think of the tale's recent ballet capades.

...Hey wait! "Whaaat? It doesn't? ...Well just don't let Lani know, 'kay? She'd kill me." Eight tilted her head to the side and raised her arm up like she was hanging herself, laughing and shaking her head. The half demon picked the toy off the shelf, hugging it gently and smiling.

"Chailyn? She one of your daughters? Cute! ...I'll get this for her, then. It's a gift~!" Eight chirped, holding the bear carefully and looking around again. Hm, they both needed costumes. The halfling's headwings suddenly perked up and she hurried across the store to a rack with a belly dancer costume, picking it up and holding it up against her with one arm. Perfect! And the price wasn't too bad! Well, that was half of their trip done.

...Now for the hard part.

"So, Ane~! See anything you like? That doesn't go against the rule of showing some skin? Want to get out of the turtle shell! You could be...no, no, queens don't show enough skin!"

Anemone gave a laugh at Eight's reply. She nodded as a sign that she wouldn't tell Alania about it. "She just might if she found about that," she whispered giving a smile.

"Yes, I'll have to introduce you to her sometime. She's a sweetheart and I'm sure she'll love it," she replied. She knew the tale would love it to pieces. She smiled as Eight rushed across the store and took hold of a belly dancer outfit. She was glad the demon raccoon wasn't going to try and push that costume on her. She didn't know she would wind up with a more revealing outfit.

She looked at the various costumes around her, not sure that she knew what to pick. She tilted her head looking over at the halfling. "I'm not sure I know what I like costume wise. She looked at herself before turning her attention back to the various outfits she could choose.

Jokingly, she picked out a costume and holding it over herself. "Maybe I should get this one?" she said sarcastically. She gave a smirk at the pirate costume, the black and white short top catching her attention. She wondered if one could use a safety pin to hide some cleavage and maybe find something to go over it, especially since the bottom was practically just black panties.

Eight nodded, smiling and hanging the costume over her arm to make it easier to carry both the things she was buying. The halfling followed Ane around the store like a shadow, picking certain eyecatching costumes up off the racks to see if it looked worthy of Ane...half of them didn't, and a few she knew she would never get on the woman.

Maybe they'd have to check another store somewhere else? Eight couldn't find anything! There was a sexy wench outfit over there...but it wouldn't look good on Ane at all! Sigh. Costume shopping really was harder when you had no idea what you were looking for...well...she did...but Ane wouldn't like any of the costumes Eight was finding.

Just when the halfling had lost all hope, and was about to ask if they should move on to another store, Ane solved their problem with one simple joke. "...Ane, darling, sweetheart, you're...a genius! You should so wear that!" She gasped, taking the costume and holding it up to Ane's body. Now to drag her to the fitting room to try it on her friend! "This is perfect! Michael might even like it~! C'mon, try it on! You'll look great!"

Ane gave a laugh, thinking her friend was simply joining in with the joke. It took her a moment to realize her friend wasn't joking at all though. A look of sheer surprise fell on her face as she looked back at the outfit. Oh no. This was not at all what she had meant to happen. If she looked paler, it was from shock.

"What? No! I couldn't possibly wear this!" she started with a gasp. She shook her head before turning to look back at the halfling. "I mean...I suppose I could try it on..." she didn't know what else she could say. She took a deep breath as she was dragged off by Eight to the dressing rooms. There was no way out of it now.

She sighed stepping into the dressing room and taking off her every day clothes. It was probably a good thing she'd chosen a black bra, a red one surely would've given Eight a crazier idea as it were. She sighed slipping the black and white striped top on. She was almost tempted to try and just wear it with her jeans but knowing her friend's persistance, that wouldn't work.

A moment later, she stepped out shifting her shoulders as she pulled at the top. She'd even opted to put on the boots that went with it as she finally fixed her hat. She gave a spin shrugging her shoulders. "Well?"

-----

After picking up Aislinn, Ane arrived home. She smiled as she was greeted by Chailyn and Miette. She knelt down and hugged the two briefly. "Eight got you a present Chailyn," she murmured pulling the ballerina panda bear out. "Her name is Kimberly."

"Kem-burr-lee!" the tale repeated with a grin. She hugged the bear to her showing it to Miette who giggled. "I write thank you to Eight!" she annouced giving her mother another hug and toddling off. She'd have to find some paper and something to write with to thank the halfling for the present. Miette followed after her sister letting Ane head to the room she shared with Michael. Setting the bag down, she had to wonder how she'd gotten herself into wearing such a costume.

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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:54 pm

October Pond
Aislinn and Chailyn were walking in front of Anemone as she checked her list. She was exhausted. Chailyn wanted to find a present for Lance, and maybe one for Vidya, and Aido. She kind of wanted to find a present for everyone she'd ever met, but for now they were looking for something for Lance. Aislinn had volunteered to help Chailyn find something and so she was tagging along.

It was Chailyn's keen purple eyes that landed on something reminding her of Lance. She stopped dead in her track raising a finger and pointing at a store. "Fish! Lance like fish!" she stated with a grin.

"We can look, ok?" Ane replied giving her a smile. She followed the two into the store looking at the different fish tanks. Various objects to decorate were lined along the shelves, castles, treasure chests, fake flora, marbles, stones, and much more seemed to hold so much character. These weren't what they were looking for though.

The three went towards the back of the shop, a series of fish tanks lining the wall. These were the smaller koi, separated into tanks bases on their type. Peering into the tanks they saw beautiful butterfly koi swimming around.

"Wow...they're beautiful..." Aislinn breathed softly. She stared at the fish in awe, finding them extraordinary. She glanced at her sister to find her staring at the fish as well.

"I like, not special enough for Lance though," the toddler said. She took hold of her mother and sister's hand pulling them away. They had to find the perfect fish for Lance. She peered around walking up to a tank full of standard green koi that had brown on their backs and fins. "Green Dragon Koi," she sounded out. It took a moment for a grin to appear on her lips. "Mommy, this one is perfect!"

Aislinn walked over first looking over the fish and nodding in approvement. "It's a beautiful fish." She hadn't met Lance and didn't know what to say about it. She looked to her mother who bent down peering into the tank.

"Now, that is perfect. It's just like Lance," she said with a big smile. She hugged Chailyn around the shoulders. "Let's find a fish bowl for him. I'm sure Dragonfly and Lance will find a better one for him."

Chailyn nodded rushing off and tagging Aislinn after her. She giggled as they went over to find a fish tank for the koi. She gave a slight frown thinking the bowls looked too small.

"Dragonfly and Lance will get a bigger one for him, Chai. So he won't live in a small one for long," Aislinn told her sister. She gave a smile her eyes straying to a statue that was in one of the fish tanks. It looked like an angel. She gingerly picked up a copy of the statue before rushing back over to Chailyn's side. "Should we decorate his home with this?" the cherub asked showing her the small statue.

Chailyn tilted her head before nodding. She was too interested in finding a fish bowl to say anything. It had to be small, but not too small. It couldn't be huge either. It had to be just the right size. She browsed looking around at the different types of tanks, though she wasn't fond of the long rectangular ones. She liked the round ones much more. She paused looking at one and pointing to it. "This one. This can be little fish's home first," she said with a nod.

With the fish bowl, fish, angel statue, food, and some large rocks to make a rock bed, the trio set off.

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:31 pm

Ghastly Good-byes
I was going to use a purple crayon to write but I found this qwill quill to use instead. Aislinn is still teaching me to write but I'm doing better. I hope that means I won't have to cross out lots of misspelled words.

Everyone is doing good well. Aislinn says I should say well, not good. I don't get it. I do know that I hate saying good-bye to friends. I don't like when I get to see someone or meet someone and then have to leave. I wish I could take them with me. I guess there their Dads and Moms wouldn't like that. If they were sprights sprites they could be small and follow me around all the time. I wish my friends could all live with me.

Maybe when I grow up, I can live in a house with all my friends. We can all live to gehther together. We could live by Daddy and Mommy! I always want to live by Daddy and Mommy. That way they are always near me. I love my Daddy and Mommy. They might miss their parents though. I wonder if all our parents could live in a house together. I guess they might want pryvasee privacy.

Dully is going to take Aislinn, Kali, and I shopping for books tomorrow or so. Cilly might come. He hates when I call him that. Dully told me I should call him that. She was making fun of him the other day, I told her it was mean. Cilly thanked me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Dully about fell over, she said he never seemed so nice befour before.

I'm not sure what else I should write. I don't know why there are so many words that sound alike but are spelled different. I mean, Linn says I write but then you have left and right. Why can't I right and have write and left? It makes my head hurt. I think I want to take a nap today. All of Linn's talking about different spellings makes me sleepy. I'm tired...I think. I only know that I want to go outside and play before it snose snows. I wonder what snow is like. I've never seen snow. I'm going to nap now.

Luff,
Chai

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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:50 pm

Gift Delivery
Chailyn lifted the fish bowl up, the brown and green pebbles capturing her attention. At the moment, Anemone was just making sure the fish had adjusted to the water temperature. She turned to take the bowl from the table but found the tale examining it. She gave a soft laugh wrapping her arms around herself as she watched.

"Time to put fish in now?" Chailyn asked with a grin.

"Yes, it's time to put the fish in now. Did you write a note?" the woman asked taking the fish bowl into her own hands. She put it down on the table by the sink. She took a pitcher and dipped it into the sink, letting the water fill it up before pouring it into the fish bowl. Once she filled up the bowl, she looked at the fish. It wasn't going to fit into a small net, not that they had one, and it wasn't likely to swim into the pitcher. She'd have to catch it, even if it was a tricky fish. "Ok, you, I have to catch you so you can go in your fish bowl," she whispered to the fish.

She let out a breath as she put her hands in the water. She tried to put a hand on each side of the fish while it swam, but found it just wouldn't settle long enough before swimming around. She rolled her eyes up trying to get one hand under, maybe she could cup it from the top easier. Her fingers brushed against his scales but before she could catch him Chailyn rushed in.

"I wrote a note!" she annouced with a grin. She smiled placing the note and gift tag on the table as she watched her mother try to catch the fish. She giggled as it squirmed out the woman's hands each time. A flip of its tail caused it to splash water at Ane's face. She gave a soft laugh as she finally caught the fish and set it free in its bowl.

"Next time, it should splash you!" Ane told the tale with a smile. She dried her hands on a nearby towel before picking the tale up in her arms. "Let's find some ribbon so we can tie your note and tag around the neck of the bowl," she started.

"Bowls have necks? Then wheres the head?"

"Well, it's called a neck because it's thin before it widens again. That's what they call the slender part of a bottle, too."

"So what's this part called?" she asked fingering the lip of the bowl.

"It's called the lip."

"So you have a lip and a neck, but no head and no mouth?" Chailyn asked confused. Who in the world thought this up? She couldn't really imagine not having a head. Nor could she really see herself headless with lips sitting on the top of her neck. "So if I was a bottle...I'd be headless, mouthless, armless and legless?" she asked tilting her head.

"Well...I guess so. It does seem a little silly," she admitted giving a laugh. "Come on, let's go take this present to your friend."

"Don't forget the ribbon," the tale added. She smiled as she was set down, following her mother as she went to find some ribbon.

After finding a ribbon and stringing it through the gift tag as well as the note, Anemone wrapped it around the neck of the fish bowl. She'd already put newspaper in the bottom of the box with some extra rocks, fish food, and the angel statue though she was thinking of letting Aislinn keep it. Picking up the fish bowl, she set it inside the box. She knew Chailyn wanted to carry it but she was afraid it would be too heavy.

"I'll carry it outside, then you can hold it and see if you can carry it. If it feels heavy, let me know so we can put it back in the box. We don't want to break the fish bowl," she said softly.

"Ok, mommy," Chailyn replied with a smile. She followed after waiting until she had let everyone know they'd be right back. Once outside, she handed the fish bowl to the tale. It wasn't heavy, so she was able to hold it easily until she walked. The water sloshed about in the bowl, splashing over the lip as she took a step. The bowl tilted from side to side ever so gently as she moved before looking back at her mother. "You carry it?" she asked.

Ane gave a smile as she took the fish bowl and placed it back in the box. Alls they had to do was walk through some of Durem to drop the box off at Dragonfly's house. She was sure it wouldn't take too long. She let out a breath as she lifted the box into her arms and they started on their journey.

Thirty or forty minutes passed before they arrived at Dragonfly's house. They looked at each other finding it hard to believe that Dragonfly lived in such a place. It was creepy, though Ane thought it had an underlying beauty that Chailyn couldn't quite see. The yard was overgrown not only with tall grass but with weeds, even wildflowers though they had begun to wither now that October was here. Ivy sprung up in front of the house growing up and though there were steps in front of the door the cement was cracked. The steps were a bit uneven but they made due, as Ane set the box down. She pressed the doorbell not sure if anyone would hear her if she knocked.

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:22 pm

A New Egg
After Chailyn had delivered Lance's gift she came home. She was tired and practically napping in her mother's arms. She murmured turning to bury her face against her mother, she didn't want the lights to wake her up. She didn't notice much as she was sat on her bed. She sighed blissfully as she found herself tucked in, rolling onto her side as her mother kissed her on the cheek.

"Chai? Chai?" Laban asked putting his nose to her face. He licked her nose, seeing as he couldn't reach any further. He continued licking her face until she stirred. "Chai, we found something at the shop for you," he started.

Jase gave a growl, finding it annoying that the girl wasn't paying attention. Fluttering his wings, he lifted himself off the egg and flew the short distance to land on Chailyn's bed. "Wake up, sleepy head!" he shouted in her mind.

Chailyn shot up with a start. What the...her eyes were blurred from sleep and she blinked. She rubbed at her eyes with her hands yawning as she turned to look at the balan. "Couldn't you wait til after naptime?" she asked with another yawn. She coughed clearing her throat as she looked down. She tilted her head to the side looking at the nest of feathers that held the egg. She opened her mouth to speak but found her thoughts to incoherent to say anything. "It's beautiful..." she whispered

"It's a she. What's her name?" Laban asked gently. He was curious, more so about what she was than what name would be chosen for her. Chailyn had said he had looked like an egg that had a halo draped over it. She hadn't said anything about feathers.

"I'll name her Taini," she murmured. She yawned again, picking the nest up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up, walking over to the bed where Laban slept at night, Jase usually curled up in the furballs scarf. Setting it down, she wrapped it in a spare blanket before trudging back to her bed and collapsing. She was dead tired.

Laban gave a snort at his owner before padding over to his bed and curling up. His tail curled around the egg as Jase fluttered over and snuggling into the balan's scarf.

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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:23 pm

Obsession
Chailyn has been rambling about how beautiful the koi she got for Lance is. It seems ever since she discovered the fish, she has found it the only subject worth talking about. I would love to let her get some real koi but at the moment, I really don't know where we could put a pond. We don't really have a backyard, it's just the beach. I never thought there would be a con to living here, but it seems Chailyn's found one.

I really don't think that inside would be a good place for a koi pond so for now it'll just have to remain a dream of hers. Perhaps I can find some koi plushies that she can have for now. I think I might ask Dragonfly if we got a fish for her, perhaps it could live with Lance's koi. I just can't think of anything. We can't likely set them free in the ocean, Chailyn would be heartbroken if she never saw them again. We can't have that. Perhaps Michael will have some ideas.

Soon I think we'll have to go to the stationary shop and see if we can find another tale for Chai to meet. She needs to meet more tales, make more friends. Not that Donny and Lance aren't wonderful, but she needs to at least meet others. I'm afraid if I don't push her just a little to meet others, she'll simply become attached to only Donny and Lance, and feel left out or worse when they are busy or playing with others. It's motherly instinct to want to protect her but I wonder how long I can do such?

Dulcea is going to take her shopping so she can learn to read books. She made a list of books that are for toddlers so she knows what to look for. I have things I need to get done around the house so Dulcea is going to accompany her and maybe take Aislinn along since she's been ranting about how she needs more books to read. I think she'll have to grow up and buy a library to please her reading habit. She's such a bookworm, my litte cherub bookworm.

Still everything is well. I think Aislinn would like to have sometime with Vidya and Faye, and especially Lani, who she hasn't seen for some time. I think she's been just a bit more lonely. Hopefully Halloween will bring out all her friends and she can have fun playing with them. Maybe it'll help Chailyn make more friends as well, even if they aren't koi.

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:25 pm

Books Galore
"You already have Moby d**k, Aislinn," Dulcea retorted rolling her eyes at the cherub. She shook her head for the fourth time. She kept coming back with new versions of books she already had. It was driving the dog tahnee nuts. If the cherub had her way, she'd end up bringing home duplicates of every book she had.

Chailyn was doing a better job. She was sitting on a circular rug looking at a few of the books that Dulcea and one of the employees had found. She was currently dividing them into two piles, ones that she liked and the other ones that she didn't care for. She was having a ball opening and closing the pop-up books, laughing joyful as the pieces came up off the page.

"How about this one?" Aislinn asked handing Dulcea a different book. The dog accepted the book lifting it up as she looked at the cover. She opened it looking to read the first page to get an idea of what the book was about and if it was appropriate for the cherub.

The employee that had helped Dulcea find books for the tale, cleared her throat pointing at the book. She flipped it ahead a few pages before letting the dog read more. Dulcea's face paled slightly as she read, her throat becoming dry. "No, absolutely not." She handed to the book to the employee thanking her softly before looking at Aislinn.

"I don't think Wicked is at all appropriate for you!"

"There is the musical version, it's much more kid friendly," the employee commented giving a smile.

"I'm not a kid. I've read Jane Eyre, Moby d**k, and so much more." Aislinn pouted angry at being called a kid or being referred to a kid friendly book. She sighed shaking her head as she went off to look for something else. She couldn't come book shopping and not go home without a book. She had to find something.

"Dully, I like these!" Chailyn called out. She grinned pointing at a stack of books, twelve books to be precise. None of them were very expensive so Dulcea consented for the most part. She wasn't sure Ane had meant for the tale a whole stack of books, just one or two. She gave a shrug smiling at Chailyn. She was sure with twelve books the tale would learn to read soon.

"Dully! How about this one? Please?" the cherub asked. The employee was still near by and looked at the book nodding. "See, she says it's ok!" she added happily. She grinned brightly winning the dog tahnee over.

"All right. You can get that one," Dully stated giving a smile. She picked up the books Chailyn had picked out, thankful they were all somewhat small in size and not heavy. With Chailyn holding onto Aislinn the group headed to the checkout.

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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:15 pm

What Doesn't Grow
Chailyn peered around the corner of her door, her purple eyes scanning the hallway. She gave a giggle, her cinnamon hair dancing as it feel freely down her back. She tiptoed out of her room, her overalls dragging on the floor. They were a bit big for her but she didn't mind as it gave her more freedom to move around, plus it'd be much easily to sneak these clothes in the wash. She wasn't supposed to go outside in the cold weather, she wasn't supposed to go outside alone either.

She didn't think it was that cold out and she wasn't going far. She was just going to check on something on the side of the house. She wouldn't be gone long either. She was still hesitant to move any further, afraid someone would pop out of nowhere and her plan would be dashed. It wasn't much of a plan at all. She was simply going to go outside to check on the secret seeds she had planted.

A week earlier...

The fan whirred to life, the light fumbling on, as the start button was pushed. The timer counted down from two and a half minutes as Chailyn stared bright eyed through the door. She jumped slightly as the first pop sounded, a giggle bubbling out from her lips. She'd never seen popcorn before found it amusing so far. For once she thought she understood why they called it popcorn, because it popped. She didn't really understand why it wasn't just called pop or why people called soda, pop or soda pop.

The sudden beep brought her back to attention as she noticed the popcorn was done. She grinned as the popcorn bag was taken out watching as Anemone shook it gently. She held the bag over the bowl that was on the counter, pinching opposite corners of the bag. She pulled gently letting the steam rise from the bag before dumping it into the bowl. She gave a smile at Kali, handing it down to her before picking Chailyn up and following the elf to the family room.

Placing Chailyn on the couch next to Kali, Ane sat down as Miette hit the play button. They were watching Mary Poppins and had decided a snack would be nice. Miette had suggested popcorn and Kali had agreed, as Aislinn was more interested in munching on carrot sticks to care.

"Wait until it cools, you don't want to burn your fingers," Anemone told Chailyn with a smile. The tale gave a shake of her head as she looked at the television but only saw clouds. She gave a slight pout before turning her attention to the popcorn again. She looked at the kernels that hadn't popped, picking one up in her fingers before tugging on Kali's sleeve.

"What's this?" she whispered softly to her older sister.

"It's a kernel, like a seed," Kali murmured. She gave a weak smile to the tale before looking back at the screen. She wasn't really a fan of Mary Poppins, though she liked how the woman seemed to have everyone just slightly wound around her finger.

Chailyn looked at the seed, discreetly picking up another, before examining them both in the palm of her right hand. She'd never seen a popcorn tree, if there was such thing as one. It seemed like there should be one, didn't all seeds sprout plants of sorts? So it had to be a real thing.

A personal popcorn tree would be neat. She wondered if the popcorn grew separately or if it grew in bags, that people simply picked off. She ignored the movie, wondering how she was going to plant them. She didn't want to ask for help. She'd read in a book that you had to dig a hole, put the seed in, then cover it up, and after watering it just make sure it got sunlight. She was sure she could manage that on her own.

Now...

She'd be able to sneak out long enough to plant the seeds she'd collected. Only about twenty seeds had been collected from the popcorn bowl before Kali came to see what was taking her so long. She'd been lucky to have pockets and stuffed the seeds inside, she didn't want Kali to laugh at her. The elf would probably think it was a silly idea and of course the tale didn't know how much trouble Kali could've saved her from. She gave a smile.

Coming around the side of the house, she looked down at the ground. Just dirt. She frowned, a pout forming on her lips. She was sad that there was nothing, no growth at all from the seeds she'd planted. Why hadn't they grown? She'd done exactly as the book said. What else was there to do?

Chailyn didn't even notice the tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled once or twice before turning and running back to the front. She pushed open the doors, only to collide with Anemone.

"Chai! Where were you?" she started. She paused noticing the tears and frowned picking the tale up in her arms, "What's wrong?"

"Seeds no grow," the tale murmured through tears. She sniffled, her body shaking gently as she cried. She nuzzled her head into her mother's neck, not sure what else to say, not wanting to talk at all. It didn't help that her throat was beginning to hurt. She'd forgotten that crying often made it hard to talk, made it hard to breathe through the throat.

"Shh, it's ok. Why don't we go look?"

The tale shook her head but Ane had the majority. She gave a soft smile as she walked outside waiting for the tale to relent and agree with her. It didn't take long before Chailyn pointed to the right giving her mother a path to follow.

"Now, where are these seeds?" the woman asked setting Chailyn down. The child pointed to the ground, only dirt rested there and it took Anemone a moment to dig down to the seeds her daughter spoke of. "Popcorn?" she asked. She tried not to laugh, knowing it would hurt the tale's feelings and was successful at first. She gave a slight laugh before cutting it short and smiled. "Popcorn seeds don't grow plants, sweetie."

Chailyn looked up at her mother with wide eyes. "I thought all seeds grew?" she questioned.

"Not all seeds, but I'll tell you what. Why don't we go inside and you can draw a popcorn tree and then when spring comes we'll plant some flowers by your window. Ok?"

With a nod, Anemone picked her daughter up and escorted her inside. She took her up to the playroom setting her down at a small table. She rested a pad of paper down and handed her a box of crayons that had been on the floor. Chailyn sniffled wiping the dried tears from her face as she pulled out a crayon and began to draw.

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:23 pm

Gather Round For Storytime
Chailyn sat in the middle of her bed surrounded by Cynder, Jase, Laban, and Stripes. Her plushies, Corbett and Nightmare, were sitting beside her as Taini's egg rested in her lap. The tale cleared her throat as she looked at the flimsy paper book she held in her hands. She smiled almost ready to practice reading her book outloud and it wasn't just any book, but one she had written herself.

The only thing preventing her from practicing was the chattering that Stripes was doing. He was eyeing Jase, his jaw moving up and down in a very jerky motion. Cynder moved to rest in predator position, her jaw beginning to chatter as well. With a shake of her head, Chailyn moved the egg from her lap and put her hand on Stripes' back. She waited til her feet were both on the ground before picking him up under his front arms. She walked over to the corner and put him down in the play pen that served as Laban, Jase, and Taini's bed and safety zone from the cats. She repeated the process with Cynder sticking her tongue out at the felines.

"If you don't behave, you have to sit over here," she stated before turning around. She climbed up onto her bed decided that Laban and Jase would be a good group to practice for. She wanted to surprise her parents by reading it to them before bedtime.

She cleared her throat turning the book so they could see the cover she'd drawn. "The Popcorn Tree by me!" She gave a proud smile before turning the book so she could read. She opened the cover looking at the first page. "It was Saturday and Mommy made popcorn. It was my first time to eat popcorn during a movie. I found popcorn seeds in the bowl and picked them out. I thought I could do something with them," she read to the three turning it around so they could see the picture. She'd drawn a bowl with popcorn and popcorn seeds in it, giving them an idea of what the popcorn seeds looked liked.

"Page two..."

"You don't have to say the page numbers," Laban thought to her with a smile. A deep gurgle sounded from his throught as if trying to mimic a feline's purr of contentment. The tale laughed scratching under his chin as she continued on.

"I collected the seeds in my hands. Then I hid them in my pockets. All through the movie I thought. I couldn't think of what to do with the seeds. I wanted to do something wonderful. But what? I didn't know." The picture was of Chailyn shrugging her shoulders, a question mark floating above her head. "I saw a pretty tree in the movie. That is when I got my idea. I would plant the seeds. I would grow a popcorn tree."

Chailyn turned the page, letting Jase spy just spy how many more page there were to the story. "We'll be here all night..." the balite thought to Laban.

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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:50 pm

Parkland Escapades
Aislinn dragged Chailyn along by her hand as Anemone followed the two. She smiled as the two rushed off to jump on the swings, like mother like daughter. She'd suggested taking the tale to the park in hopes that Aislinn might cheer up more since she seemed a little dismal.

"You have to pump your legs to get the swing moving!" the cherub told the tale, demonstrating as she kicked her legs out.

Chailyn mimicked her older sister throwing her legs out only to lose her shoes as they flew off in different directions. She pouted before going back to trying to pump her legs, leaving Anemone to go after the toddler's shoes.

Vidya's headwings twitched upon hearing someone move into the park...someone whose voice she recognized from so long ago. Curious, Vidya crawled around the tree she'd been sitting behind, so she could see into the actual park itself, mainly the swing set. Even from this distance, she couldn't get a good enough view of the trio, so she staggered to her feet and quickly made her way to the playing area, slowly starting to recognize the trio from very brief meetings on previous occasions. The tale smiled, and made a move to call out to them to make sure they were who she thought they were...

...Only to have a toddler's shoe smack her square in the chest. Giving a startled cry, Vidya flailed a bit and not-so-gracefully evaded falling right backwards, though both of her hands went up to cross over her chest in an 'X' Fashion. It seemed natural that Vidya wouldn't be able to see the shoe...it invaded her sight from her left, and her crazy depth perception at this point in time made it near impossible for her to not only judge the shoe, but to evade it at the same time. For some reason though, that kind of hurt... "Ouch..!" She whimpered out at first, though the pain was lost to the humor she found in the situation, so naturally her whimper turned into giggles as she picked up the shoe before Anemone could get to it.

"Oh! Here you go." Vidya politely chirped, handing the stray shoe to Anemone once the tale noticed her collecting the shoes. "Oooh...You're Ane, right? Nice to see you again!" The blue girl peered around the woman to look at the swings, her white eyes widening in pleasant surprise.

"Hello! Wow she's got powerful legs...aheh...Oh! 'LINN! Heeee...and Pretty Chai's here too! I'm so lucky!" Vidya gasped out happily upon first seeing Aislinn on the swings...how could she forget that girl? The cherub had given her a present! The other tale she'd met for about two seconds one time...but she remembered the name her brother gave the girl, so it all worked out in the end. "Heeeeello!"

Anemone smiled at seeing Vidya, though her smile faltered for a moment. She was much taller than the last time she'd seen the blue tale. Her smiled returned after the shock wore off. "Vidya? You're much taller than the last time I saw you! You're beautiful," the woman told her with a smile. She gratefully took the shoe before she walked back towards Chailyn. She slipped the shoes onto the toddler just before Chai slipped down.

"Viddy?" Chailyn questioned. She was bigger. She was still blue and had headwings. She was bigger though. Toddling over to the older tale she gave a smile, giving a shy wave.

"Vidya!?" Aislinn asked staring in shock. Her blue eyes watched the tale wondering if she was seeing things before slipping off the swing. Her wings fluttered slightly as she smoothed her pink dress. She let out a breath still uncertain of what to think. She hadn't seen Vidya forever and now the girl was more her height though she looked a little taller. Finally, sure that she was indeed seeing her friend she decided she should greet her. She gave a squeal of delight rushing over to her long lost friend. "You're...so pretty!" she complimented giving out another squeal of delight.

"Linn loud," Chailyn murmured, her eyes widening slightly to accent the last word. The cherub blushed a soft pink as she excused herself.

"I haven't seen you for so long, I was just so excited," Aislinn explained giving a sheepish smile.

Vidya couldn't help the proud grin that came to her lips once Ane complimented her. "Thank you, Miss Ane!" From the beautiful comment, a soft, purple blush tained her cheeks, though it was barely noticable right now. As the other two girls both called her name and stared at her, the now taller tale only happily pointed at herself. "Yep, thats me! Its so nice to see yo---Kyaaa...You guuuys.." Again with the pretty comment! Giggling girlishly, she brought up her hands to press against her purple cheeks from her blush, willing them to go away. As much as she loved compliments, too many of them made her blush now, surprisingly enough. "Hee...thank you a lot, 'Linn!" Vidya stepped back a bit, looking at her friends. "You're both still so pretty, too!" She complimented, and meant it.

Once she was satisfyed that her blush wasn't as dark purple, she lowered her hands and hugged the girls, one after another; her own way of proving how happy she was to see them, and how happy she was that they thought she was pretty. "I missed you! How've you all been?" She obviously didn't care that Aislinn had been loud; Vidya herself was known for being a little loud sometimes, so it obviously didn't bother her as much.

Anemone smiled as Chailyn and Aislinn rushed over, sitting down on one of the free swings. She gave a soft laugh closing her eyes for a moment to think. She moved a hand, brushing her hair from her face. She was glad to see that both her girls were happy to see the tale. She gave a grin towards them, almost dreading and yet excited for the day her girls grew up. It seemed that the air grew colder and she rubbed her hands together, her light denim jeans seeming to hold no warmth now. If only her angel had come with her.

"You're going to be taller than me, soon. In fact, I think you are!" Aislinn joked giving a grin. She smiled brightly returning the hug before wrapping an arm around the tale's shoulders. She tucked her feathery wing against her friend's back finding it almost troublesome these days.

"We've been good. Linn misses her friends, I need..." Chailyn paused tapping her nose lightly. What was that word? "meet more friends!" She gave a grin proud of herself for remembering the word, they always seemed to be hiding on the tip of her tongue when she spoke.

Chailyn looked over Vidya, tilting her head to the side. She couldn't really figure out how to mimick Aislinn, she felt short and little compared to the two. She gave a gentle pout falling into a giggle once her sister picked her up. "We missed Viddy! We love Viddy!" she started. She leaned over to whisper into Vidya's ear, "And Donny!"

Vidya waved to Ane as she left the group, though her attention was instantly back on Aislinn, from the mere comment of her height. "Maybe! I'm almost as tall as my Cap'n, too!" She had to admit; she liked being taller now. The girl made a squeeing noise as she was hugged in return, and her white eyes moved back down towards Chailyn, listening to the girl speak. Needless to say, Vidya was amazed.

"Wow Pretty Chai, You speak better than I could when I was a toddler too!" Then again, Vidya was a terrible speaker when she was younger. She was amazed people actually understood her! But Chai was amazing at speaking. Grinning happily for the girl, Vidya gave her another hug once she was more at her level, thanks to Linn picking her up. "I miss my friends too...But I'm starting to see everyone again, So I'm so happy!" Vidya chirped out her words, laughing in glee (and a bit of embarassment) as Chailyn said they missed her and loved her...and her tone got a little higher when her brother was mentioned. Playfully, she lowered her voice too, whispering back into Chai's ear.

"Yep, We love Donny too!" A little louder now, Vidya addressed both girls. "I missed you both too! Lets go play something!" Now that she had some friends here, she might as well make the most of it, nyeh?

Aislinn smiled seeing her mother wave to the group before turning her attention back to Vidya and Chailyn. She hadn't met the Cap'n that the tale spoke up and for a moment almost retreated from the conversation, she bit her lower lip her eyes dulling momentarily but she snapped out of it. "Captain? Are you a sailor or a pirate?" the cherub asked curiously.

"Aislinn and mother teach me," Chailyn started. She barely heard her sister correct her as her thoughts pushed on. She practiced diligently when it came to speaking, always using her plushies or pets to help her. She had a growing need to be understood for the moment and was glad that she could speak well, even more so with Vidya's compliment. "Of course, we do!" she replied with a grin.

"Yes, let's play something!" the cherub joined in. She dropped the slight feeling of being left out behind her. She grinned gently just waiting for her mind to think of a game to play. Tag would be unfair and Hide 'n' Seek made her a bit nervous. She was afraid they'd run off without her or something. The thought made her blush, she was silly to think of that.

"What can we play..." her mind suddenly blanked. "Oh my, we can't play tag."

Vidya leaned her head to the side a bit. "I'm a pirate!" She stated happily two seconds later, puffing up at her status. "I'm Captain Tybalt's First Mate!" But they didn't have a ship yet, Boo. Still, she giggled. So far, she absolutely loved being a pirate. It was so much fun!

"Oooh...well Linn and your Momma are doing a really, really good job!" Vidya coo'd once more, tweaking Chailyn's brown hair affectionately. She held out her arms, offering to take Chai from Aislinn as the cherub thought. As always, she generally didn't mind what they played; all that mattered was that she was around people.

"Tag's out." She concurred, nodding her head a bit. It would most definately be fair...and she wasn't sure if they should play tag. She still wasn't comfortable with playing it, since she nearly broke Jiro's nose last time she played it. So with those two games out of the way, what COULD they play?

"Uhm...We could spin in circles and see who gets dizzy first...or we could...uh...Plaay...Oh! 'What time is it Mr Wolf'! I saw some kids playing it once, it looks like fun! Its kind of like tag...only...not?"

Aislinn tilted her head wondering who Tybalt was. She knew Chailyn hadn't met any pirates or the Captain. She wondered if Chailyn would be asked to join his crew, when or if they ever met. Perhaps Vidya would introduce the two or something, some other time. "Chailyn would probably have to go before she'd be a good crew member," the cherub mused outloud giving a nod.

Chailyn gave a smile, cooing with Viddy as her sister handed her over. As much as she liked doing things on her own, she loved to be held. She loved the warmth that came from the person. "Yes, they are. Momma and Linn do wonderful job," she added to show how much she appreciated it. She preferred speaking to writing, that's where it got hard.

"I've never heard of that game. How do you play? Is it like 'Red Light, Green Light'?" the cherub said. She had to admit she didn't know a lot of games. It was easier to play board games inside, especially since there were small children in the family so they couldn't run or play as long as the older children.

"It's day...who Mr. Wolf?" she asked not completely understanding that it was the game title. She gave a smile though finding it funny. She thought someone was dressed as a wolf, or maybe there was a wolf dressed as one of them.

"I really don't know if he's trying to get more members or not." Vidya admitted, her voice dropping to a curious musing tone. "But I'll ask next time I see him!" She reassured her friends as she shifted Chai in her arms, to make both of them easier. It was so much fun holding a toddler! This was the first time she actually got to hold someone that was a little closer to her body size when she was that small.

"Its kinda like Red Light, Green Light...Only one person plays the wolf and keeps their back to the others, and then the others ask 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?' and when the wolf replied...oh lets say 'Three O'clock!', the others would have to take three steps forewards. When the person playing the wolf thinks their close enough, he or she calls out 'Lunchtime!' when asked what time it is, and then has to chase them. The first one caught is the next wolf!" It was amazing Vidya had committed that to memory, simply by briefly watching a few neighbourhood kids play it from her windowsill when she was younger. It looked like fun, and now that there were girls here to play with, she thought it'd be nice to give it a try. "Oh, but I should've asked if Chai could count..."

"Eh? Oh! Nono, Its just a game title, Chai! Someone pretends to be a wolf, but there really isn't one!" She reassured the girl, once more playfully tweaking those brown locks.

Aislinn gave a laugh at Chailyn's musing. Oh now that would be a sight. A wolf dressed as a person coming to play. She gave another laugh before nodding. It would be a good idea to ask if he wanted more members. She hadn't meant to imply that he did or didn't, just that a toddler would have trouble keeping up. She couldn't really see her sister as a pirate, she seemed more concerned about defining a relationship with those she saw. She couldn't really explain it, there was something about the tale that made her wonder what ticked inside her head and heart.

"She can count. She can count up to..." she paused thinking to herself.

"Twenty-five!" the tale replied smiling at Vidya. She nodded as she realized that it was just a game of pretend. That made more sense. It sounded like fun, too. "Who wolf first?" she asked. She was sure that it wouldn't be her. They wouldn't make a toddler go first.

"It sounds like fun. Since you know the game best, how about you be the first wolf? That way you can demonstrate how we play it," the cherub suggested. She gave a smile looking at her sister in Vidya's arms.

"Wow, Twenty-Five? Great job Chai!" Vidya happily complimented the girl, and it was obvious that she would have clapped if it weren't for the toddler in her arms. "Good question..." She glanced at Aislinn, as if leaving it up to the Cherub. Aislinn was the older of the three girls after all! She'd know what to do!

"Me? ...Okay, I'll be the wolf then!" See, she was right! Linn knew what to do, and it made sense! Giggling, Vidya Set Chailyn on the ground again, then looked around, running over to grab a couple sticks that had fallen from the surrounding trees. Laying two of them in a straight line, Vidya pointed down. "How about this is the start..." With that, she dashed off, stopping about seven feet away from the other two girls, and made a large square out of the remaining sticks. "And this'll be the safe zone! If you can get here, the wolf can't catch you!" She called back to the girls. Then, satisfyed with the playing field, Vidya stood facing the safe zone, her back to Aislinn and Chai.

"Okay, whenever you're ready!"

Aislinn smiled as Vidya agreed. She wasn't going to have Chailyn be the wolf first, that was just asking for the little girl to make up a whole new game. She found it was always best to give her an example to follow.

"It's best to give her an example, otherwise she'll make up a new game while she goes along," the cherub whispered to Vidya. She smiled taking Chailyn's hand and escorting her to the starting line as the blue tale set two sticks down.

"Ready! Yes!" Chailyn called out smiling. She looked up at Aislinn and in unison the two began. Before the tale could reply, "Should it be Ms. Wolf?" She tilted her head to the side giving a sheepish grin. She blushed lightly.

"Ok, Ms. Wolf it is then." The cherub agreed. It was a good point, even if it really didn't have anything to do with the game. "What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" she started with Chailyn echoing her.

Vidya giggled giddily as Linn whispered to her, nodding her head a bit in agreement. But at the same time...making up games was one of the highlights of toddlerhood! Naturally, Vidya waited until they were ready before she turned her back on them, clasping her hands behind her back and waiting for their calls.

Another giggle escaped her lips when they called her Ms wolf instead of Mister. But at the same time, that made more sense...she wasn't a boy! When asked what time it was, she quietly considered it, and after making her choice, she called out, though never once turned to look at them. "Five o'clock!"

Chailyn was the first to act. Being a toddler, she had a slight advantage since her feet was smaller. She began taking small steps counting to herself as she did. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five!" she called out proudly.

Aislinn followed suit, though her steps were slightly larger. She gave a laugh counting outloud as she walked. "One step, two step, three step, four. Five!" she shouted so that Vidya could hear her.

Now that they had both taken five steps, they looked at one another and nodded. "What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" they called out, though Chailyn was louder. They waited for a response, though Chailyn looked over her shoulder to wave at her mother.

Anemone waved back happily slipping out a small notebook from her bag. She pulled the pen out from the spiral and began to write in her neat cursive. She'd transfer it to Chailyn's tome when they got home.

Vidya swung her hands to clasp them before her now, entwining her fingers and hiding them within her haori sleeves to keep them from freezing...it was starting to get cold out. The girl giggled as she heard the two approach, their voices getting a little louder the nearer they came to her.

"Uh...Four! Four O'clock!" Vidya called out to the empty space in front of her. In the same manner as before, she waited until they were finished before shouting out the next round of numbers. After the four, Vidya called out three, one, one, and finally...

"LUNCH TIME!" Crying out happily, she spun around and after taking a second to orient herself (spinning around made her lost stability for a moment, due to her disability), Vidya moved to chase the person closest to her; Aislinn. Screw protecting the safe spot, chasing people was more fun!

Aislinn and Chailyn giggled playfully as they took small steps after each time Vidya called out. The cherub was more giggly than the toddler as they neared the blue adolescent. She laughed gently as she watched her friend closely. She wasn't planning on getting caught, no way and no how. At least that how she had it planned in her head.

Chailyn on the other hand didn't care. She was having too much fun taking the tiniest steps possible so that she ended up resting a good length behind her older sister. If there was an unfair advantage, she had it. "You'll never catch us, Ms. Wolf!" she shouted out playfully.

"You'll give our location away!" Aislinn replied with a giggle. Oh who was she kidding? She was giving her own location away. Facing forward, she began to ask the familiar question. "What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" she called out, turning to look at Chai and make a funny face. The tale's laughter caught all of her attention making her stumbled slightly when she heard it was lunchtime. "Yipes!"

Aislinn's wings fluttered as she flew back away from Vidya, glancing up as she landed on her feet. She dashed to Chailyn, who stood laughing gleefully for the moment, turning to squat behind her.

"I'm not a shield!" Chailyn cried out slipping out and rushing towards the safety box. She giggled darting towards Vidya. With a gasp, she realized she was heading towards the wolf and she dropped to her knees crawling through in hopes to reach the safety.

The cherub stared at her sister, doubling over in laughter. She couldn't believe Chailyn's actions and it made her laugh harder. A toddler crawling through the wolf's legs.

"We'll see about that!" Vidya had called playfully over her shoulder in response to Chailyn's playful shout, giggling all the while. Once lunch time was called, Vidya had been SO close to catching Aislinn off guard! But as it stood, the cherub had an unfair advantage (was Vidya the only one WITHOUT one?), and slipped out of arms length by means of flight. Vidya then stopped, and decided to go with the traditional means of catching someone; protecting the safe point from wandering sheep!

The antics of the sisters caused the girl to laugh heartilly...they reminded her so much of her family! Especially Mieke...well, BEFORE the doe got pregnant. When Chailyn rushed towards her, the tale planted her feet and crouched slightly, waiting for the younger tale to come within arms reach. She'd get a sheep, if it were the last thing she ever did!

Vidya's expression dropped from glee to a double-take as Chailyn dropped on hands and knees, and tried to evade her by crawling through her legs. The white-eyed tale looked down and blinked, and once the girl was close enough, she closed her stance and caught Chai between her ankles and shins, giggling. "Caught you!" She managed to call out through the laughter.

Aislinn giggled as she evaded Vidya. Sometimes it was so nice to have wings to fly with, as long as he didn't have to fly high. She wasn't quite used to flying any higher than the second floor of houses but she'd learn one day. Her attention plummeted back to the game at hand.

Chailyn's laughter faltered as she found herself stuck. She tried a few times to pull herself free but found it wasn't of much use. "Oh fudge, you caught me," she said softly giving a giggle. "I get to be the wolf now!" she called out with a grin.

"That was like the funniest thing! I can't believe she tried to crawl through your legs!" Aislinn said, walking over to the two and putting a hand on Vidya's shoulder. She was still laughing, her other hand resting over her stomach. There was a very slight ache in her side from the laughter but she ignored it almost completely.

"Ok, you can let me go now," the tale said. She tried to peer around the tale's leg. She gave a smile as she was released and stood up taking her place to be the next wolf.

"Yep, I caught you!" Vidya beamed, one proud wolf. She was still laughing as Aislinn came over, and returned the half-lean on the other girl, shaking her head. "I couldn't believe it either! I must have awesome luck." Giggling out her words, she sidestepped over Chailyn as she was reminded to, letting the girl go free. Wiping tears from her eyes, Vidya started back towards the beginning line.

Once she was ready, she waited for Aislinn to join her, before she called out in Union with the cherub girl. "What time is it, Ms. Wolf?"

"Awesome timing, too. If you'd waited any longer, she might've just gotten through," Aislinn thought aloud with a giggle. She followed Vidya back trying to stop laughing though it took her a moment. She gave a deep sigh as she let out a breath, her laughter becoming quiet. "Ok..." she whispered to herself before calling out to Chailyn.

"It's three!" the tale called out. She smiled to herself since she couldn't see them. She was going to use whatever number popped into her head. She didn't have a plan or idea about how to go through being the wolf, despite trying to pounce on the closest victim. She secretly hoped that it would be Aislinn. It'd be extra fun to pounce on her sister.

Waiting until she'd given them enough time to move, she called out again. "It's ten!"

"I thought I'd miss her too!" Vidya admitted with a giggle before looking back at the new 'wolf'. When told what time it was, Vidya softly counted each of her footsteps aloud, before asking with Aislinn once more. "....Eight, Nine, Ten! Okay" Looking over at her cherub friend with another smile, she pressed the sleeve of her haori over her mouth, to hide any giggles that would futher give away her position for now. One they were both ready, she asked once more.

"What time is it, Ms. Wolf?"

"It's..." Chailyn paused thinking to herself. She waiting before shouting out, ""It's seven!" Giving them enough time to move, she called out that it was four, then six, and finally eight. She could hear a soft giggle from Aislinn once in awhile and to her it sounded like they were close. Giving herself a moment to think, "It's LUNCHTIME!" she shouted once it was time.

Aislinn jumped slightly finding her sister's sudden voice boom loudly. The tale always talked so softly. The cherub's wings fluttered in excitement as she let out a giggle. She stood still for a moment watching as Chailyn sped towards her. She laughed as she rushed to the side.

"You'll never catch me!" she called back to her sister. She almost had the urge to turn around and catch her instead, but that wouldn't be fair. Instead she circled around stopping briefly by Vidya, almost as if she was hiding.

Vidya counted her steps as they were called out, moving seven steps forward, then four, then six, and then eight...but at the last call of the time, the lunchtime response startled her, causing the girl to squeak gleefully before darting backwards, away from the Chailyn-Wolf. She saw the younger tale move after her own sister, and it made Vidya forget about going to the safe box, just wanting to watch from where she was. Geez, those two reminded her of herself and Adonis! It was really kind of neat! Maybe all siblings acted like that...

Suddenly, she found herself startled out of her thoughts as Aislinn came speeding towards her, yelping a bit in surprise. Looking around the cherub, Vidya took a few seconds to spot Chailyn before looking over her shoulder at Aislinn. "She's gonna catch yooou if you don't ruuuun~" She giggled out, finally (and rather suddenly) making a dart towards the safe box, but intentionally going slower than she was capable of, incase the younger girl decided to change victims.

Aislinn giggled leaning on Vidya slightly as she turned to watching her sister. She was so busy watching the toddler that she didn't notice her blue friend move and found herself falling forward. It was too sudden to even flutter her wings as she fell to the ground. She still laughed as she rolled onto her back.

"Linn! Are you hurt?" Chailyn asked rushing to her sister's side. She knelt down afraid to touch the cherub, for fear she was hurt. "Linn! Say something!" she cried out. Her sister's laughter sounded more like crying in her state of fear.

"I'm fine, Chai. It's just so funny. Vidya darted away like I was the wolf!" she said giggling still. She sat up hugging her sister around the shoulders. "If you're going to lean on someone, make sure you ask them if they are going to move first," she joked as she climbed to her feet turning to wink at Vidya.

"I was scared," Chailyn murmured hugging her sister. A stone of fear lifted from her stomach, another one lifting from her shoulders. She'd felt like someone had literally punched her in the stomach, even if she didn't really know how that felt.

Vidya didn't hear Aislinn's laughter as crying, so the tale didn't think to stop until she'd plunked herself down in the safe box. By that time, Aislinn was hugging Chailyn...and it seemed the blue girl didn't hear the younger tale's worried plea through the laughter and the wind as it began to pick up. Giggling as Aislinn winked at her, she replied with a wave, and also by playfully sticking out her tongue. Yep, same old Vidya!

Somehow, Vidya caught the younger tale's expression of relief, though she'd be fooling herself if she said there still wasn't a bit of fear in the girl's eyes...and her own instantly narrowed in worry. What was wrong with Chailyn? Pushing herself to her feet, Vidya padded over towards the other two girls. "Is...everything okay?" She didn't know how else to ask; and this seemed best.

"Yes, everything's fine. I just scared Chai. She thought I might be hurt," Aislinn explained giving a smile up at Vidya. She stood up, helping the toddler to her feet. "You darted away so quickly, like I was the wolf, that I fell over. Chai was just concerned, she thought I was crying instead of laughing," she added.

"Things ok," the tale whispered nuzzling her face against Linn. She let out a breath wondering what she should do. She giggled a blush covering her face as she realized how silly it did sound.

"Well, it looks like I'm the wolf now. So are you two ready to play?" the cherub ruffled Chailyn's hair. She was ready to dart towards the safe box so that she could be the wolf and tear after them once it was lunchtime.

"Hee...Sorry about that, I just saw Chai bounding over and ran." She'd already been the wolf, so she made a point to NOT be the wolf again until everyone had a chance to scream 'lunch time!' and go running. Bending down, Vidya scooped up Chai and gave her a hug. "Oh, but it was so CUTE! You're such a nice girl to worry like that!"

She assured the blushing tale, hugging her once more before putting her down and offering the smaller girl her hand. "Lets go back to the start line, okay? Linn's the wolf now!" Vidya giggled, making her way towards the line of sticks she'd made a while ago.

"It's all right Vidya. I was just too busy laughing to pay attention or keep my balance," Aislinn replied giving a smile. She tickled Chai as Vidya picked her up before turning and rushing to the stand before the safe box. She let out a deep breath to relax herself letting her white wings flutter softly before going still.

"Thanks, Vidya. Yes, let's go back to the start line." Chailyn's blush faded as she took Vidya's hand and they started towards the start line. Once they had reached it, Chai turned to face Aislinn's back. "We're ready, Ms. Wolf!" she called out.

"Well then, you won't mind that it's four o'clock!"

"We didn't ask what time it is, silly!"

"Oops," Aislinn giggled as she blushed softly. She was a bit eager to the be the wolf.

"What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" Chailyn started waiting for Vidya's voice to echo the same question.

"It's four o'clock, my viddle vittles of tenderness!" the cherub joked.

"Haha...If you say so." Vidya giggled before she led Chailyn to the start line, letting go of the girl's hand once they got there. In all honesty, Vidya had been about to say the same thing that Chai did; telling Aislinn that they were ready. However, the little girl did it for her...and it was Vidya's turn to burst out laughing, though she slapped her hand against her lips to stifle it before she could stop it completely.

"Aahhh...Sorry 'linn...Ahem, okay! What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" She called out, an echo to Chailyn. Unable to help the small giggle when Aislinn repeated the time, Vidya took four steps infront of her, stopping when she reached the fourth. She called out for the time once more, once Chailyn was ready too.

Aislinn was thinking. She didn't want to think of a big number yet. She wanted to start off with little ones. That way by the time she called out a big number, it'd bring them right up to her. She was plotting as she tried to listen to their movements.

"It's three o'clock," she said just loud enough for them to hear. She heard a twig snap as Chailyn stepped on it, hurriedly taking the other two steps. Without giggling it was easier to hear their footsteps, the dry leaves providing a canvas for the two to paint their steps on. It gave her only a little information, their voices aiding her assumptions.

"What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" Chailyn asked giving a slight yawn. She secretly hoped that the cherub would reply "nap time" but she didn't have that luck. The older girls probably weren't tired at all and for the most part, probably wouldn't think or want to nap like the small tale.

It would probably be awhile until the tale got to sleep at all. She was only a little tired and would rub at her eyes every few moments. She gave a sigh waiting for her sister to reply.

"It's five o'clock," Aislinn stated snapping out of her thoughts. She was already uncertain of how much farther they had to come. She didn't think they were extremely far away, but enough that she'd have to call out a few more numbers.

The three girls continued playing, Chailyn and Vidya asking for the time and Aislinn replying. Finally, when lunch time was called, Vidya was unfortunate enough to be directly in Aislinn's path, and by the time she realized it, the cherub had already pounced on her.

The blue-skinned girl giggled, struggling to stay standing for the moment. "ACK! Okay! I guess that means I'm the---"

"Viddy! C'mon, its time to go home now~!" Someone called out to her. Looking around, the half-blind girl spotted Samira, the frail dog tahnee waving one arm above her head to catch her sibling's attention. Wings twitching, Vidya turned and looked appologetically at her two friends.

"Sorry...I guess I gotta go home. We'll play another time, yes?" She hugged the both of them happily, nuzzling them out of friendship. Then, with a wave to them and Anemone, The blue girl snatched up her bag and ran towards the dog that was sent to collect her.

"Byyyee! Thank you!" She waved, then disappeared around the corner.

Aislinn and Chailyn both gave subtle frowns, the toddler pouting softly as they waved good-bye to Vidya. They stood there for a moment before they walked over to their mother. She smiled at them giving a sympathetic look the two.

"Don't worry, you'll see Vidya soon. And if I know you, Chai, you'll want to go shopping to find her a present," Anemone said standing up and picking the toddler up. She shifted the girl in her arms pulling the bag onto her shoulder before taking hold of Aislinn's hand. "We should be getting home, too. Then you can tell me what you want to get Vidya," she added.

Chailyn beamed happily. Her mother knew her so well. "And I'll help," Aislinn chirped giving a smile. She'd love to help her little sister find the blue, angelic tale a gift to show how much they'd loved playing "What time is it, Ms. Wolf?" and everything else about her really.

The trio set off for home. They were going to have to figure out something special. Something just as special as what Chailyn had given Lance.

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:06 pm

Growing Pains
Today Aislinn and I took Chailyn to the park. Aislinn was planning on teaching her how to swing and play on the playground. It was a little chilly out so there wasn't really anyone there. Well we didn't see anyone there at first.

Aislinn and Chailyn got on the swings. Aislinn showed her how she had to pump her legs to move but when Chailyn kicked her legs out she lost her shoes. I found the first one and the second one was handed to me by Vidya. I hadn't seen her for so long I had to do a double take before I realized she'd grown. Nio and Enoh must be proud, she's grown up into a beautiful little girl. She still seems to be the same old Vidya though, friendly and bright as ever.

After reacquaintanting with her, Aislinn and Chailyn ran over. So I let them all get caught up while I watch from the swings. Aislinn was very excited to see her and that seemed to excite Chailyn. So they got on rather well. It was cute to see the three of them talking together. I feel excited to see how Chailyn will grow but dread it at the same time, it'll be sad not to have my little girl a toddler when she grows yet it'll be wonderful to have it experience new things. The hardships of being a parent, I suppose.

Vidya suggested they play 'What time is it, Mr. Wolf?' or as Chailyn put it, Ms. Wolf since they're girls. She seemed almost sad when she found out no one was dressed up as a wolf or a wolf hadn't dressed up as one of them. It was a cute idea but I think the actual game turned out to be more fun for her. I'm just glad it was a fair game and not something like tag. The older girls would've either had to go easy or exclude her from the game, neither which would've worked out well in the end.

Watching Chailyn, I couldn't help but wonder what she'll be like when she grows up or when she's my age. I know she'll always be a little girl to me and a sweetheart. There's something I can't place my finger on though, a feeling that she's not going to feel apart of things. The way she'll stand to the side and watch for hours like she's trying to make herself a piece of the game. It worries me a bit. She seems to get lost in thinking at times and I'm not sure if she knows what she's doing at those times. Perhaps she'll grow out of it or maybe she is just fascinated by how things work or go. It's really hard to tell. I don't think she really understand all her feelings. Just the look in her eyes, it's like something is missing and remind me of the question.

It asked why my heart was so cold, or maybe it was asking her. Still I answered or at least wrote that half of my heart was missing. I'm not sure why I wrote that, perhaps she's the one who really wrote it. She's got so many secrets inside of her, about her, surrounding her that I don't understand. She has such depth in her, I wonder if we'll ever understand her completely or if she'll ever understand herself. I'm not sure I even know what I'm thinking. I'm just writing where my mind goes not really sure where it's taking me.

anemosagkelos

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