Welcome to Gaia! ::

Say You Will
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
----------------------------------------------------------
Chris was swinging his bag over his shoulder when Rory caught him. He had just finished his last class for the day and was planning on going home and getting some gaming in. Thanks to the earring he didn't have to worry about breaking the controller, after all. And he had just gotten a new game for his Wii.

He looked at her, wondering if she wanted something to do with the superhero idea. He didn't want to be a superhero. Wasn't it enough that he got strange looks every time he walked down the hall?

"So, Wisp is looking for ideas for our super-suits--" Rory said, oblivious to the gaming-needs of Chris. She already knew he was being all grumpy about the super hero thing, but it was for play! And the whole idea seemed fun to her.

He grunted, slipping his other arm in the bag strap and starting to walk out of the room. "I dun wanna," he muttered.

"You don't wanna?" she asked, blinking at him. Then she trotted off after him. "What do you mean you don't wanna?"

"I don't wanna do it," he said patiently. "She's got another wild hair, an' she's gonna wind up getting herself killed cuz all she can do is make a little rainbow whip which can't even break a plate, and all you can do is run into walls."

For that, Rory glared at him. "I'm getting better with the running, and she's going to get better at the rainbow whip. That's why we're -training-," she told him. "Because we're not yet good enough, but we will be!"

His so matter-of-fact way of putting things suddenly irritated her, for some reason.

"Really," he said. "Just because of that 'training' you think you two will be good heroes?" he asked. His voice seemed older with this question, as did his eyes. "What happens if they have guns?"

"We are going to be trained better, I got Antony to teach us how to defend ourselves," she replied, feeling the need to defend herself against the older voices of Chris. It.. felt like a challenge. Had she been younger, she might have backed off.

Besides, they hadn't talked about the gun thing yet. So, she wasn't going to answer.

"Look, I might be bullet proof," he said, turning to look her in the eye. "But I doubt you are, and I know for a fact that Wisp ain't. Think about that."

"Well," she said slowly, after a moment. There was no way she was going to give it up. Not easily. Her shoulders were squared and her hands held on to the straps of her backpack that was over her shoulders. "For one, I wasn't thinking we were going to do anything that involved people with guns," she told him honestly.

"For two, being young superheros doesn't mean we gotta do -that- dangerous of things. That'll also give us time to think about what to do with guns. I could probably out zig a bullet---" And Wisp? What would Wisp do? That was a good question. One she was obviously thinking on.

"Y'wanna come over? I got a new Wii game," he said. He didn't know if she was a gamer, though. He wasn't, really, but Wii was fun. And it would get her off the superhero kick, right?

Her shoulders slumped as she looked at him for a moment. No, she wasn't much of a gamer, herself, and playing with him would be fun. But.... She shook her head.

"No, I have other plans for this afternoon," she told him. "Maybe some other time." She hesitated to move for a moment. What was the superhero trio without Chris? Then she frowned slightly to herself. They could have an all girl team, if Chris didn't want to play.

"If you don't wanna, you don't have to come and being the strong man with a hit of a jerk. Irelia can handle the jerk thing. But it would be more fun with you," she added before turning from him to walk off.

He scowled, chasing after her. "Don't be stupid!" he said. "Someone's got to keep you two from getting yourself killed!" he snapped. "I want you to give it up!"

"I don't want too," she told him, head held high in the air as she walked. She needed this, she realized. She needed to do the superhero thing. It gave her a -goal-, it meant that her controlling her running was for more than just.. well, controlling her running. It was to -do- something with her speed. It was a purpose.

"And if you don't want us to kill ourselves, then you should stay!" she added. Of course he'd think that, she thought a bit irritably.

"I know that already!" he said. "Don't you think I've realized that? But it'd be a hell of a lot easier on me if you both stopped now." She was mad at him. This was the first time Rory had ever been really mad at him...

He didn't like it.

She shook her head again, looking back at him. Now that he wasn't going to leave the group, she felt better. Still irritated, but not as much so. "We don't wanna," she told him again. Then gave him a little smile.

"Besides, when Wisp really likes an idea, you know it's difficult to get her away from it. So, let's be superheros. It'll be fun!" she reassured him. Or at least attempted too. But she wasn't just going to up and leave Wisp, either! The other girl had -just- returned!

"Sure, you say that now," he muttered. "I don't believe it for a moment. And I sure as hell ain't wearing tights, got that?"

Now she really did grin at him. It was one of her beaming grins that lit up her who face. "Oh come on, you know you want to be cool and wear spandex with us!" she teased him. Like they could find enough spandex to even fit him!

"Sure I do," he muttered. "It's right on top of my list of things to do." He paused, sitting down in the hall and tugging his bag off. "Uncle Shade gave me a cd to listen to..."

It had the word "Hellspawn" written across the front.

Rory tilted her head, then walked towards him as he was sitting down. Now he was up to something. "Hellspawn?" she read, seeing the cd. It looked different from any other cd she had seen. So, that meant it had to be a different type of music.

Maybe? She looked up at him curiously. "Is it good?"

"I haven't listened to it," he admitted, looking at the cd as well. "But..." He opened it, showing the CD. The face on the disk looked a lot like what his could turn into when he got older. "Look."

Her jaw dropped as she realized the likeness. It was like Chris, only older and bigger. And much meaner looking. It didn't scare her, oddly. Probably because she knew and liked Chris a whole lot. But it did shock her.

Her sea green eyes darted back to him. "That.. that looks like you! Well... only and meaner lookin and not -exactly- like you... But--"

He nodded. "I dunno if it was just drawn or if... if he's really in the band," he admitted slowly. "I think I'm gonna listen to it tonight."

"I think that's a good idea," Rory said, smiling at him again. "Tell me what it's like? And you can probably look up the band on the net. Then you should be able to tell."

Though it was odd to see someone else like Chris...

He nodded, still looking at the CD for a moment before he closed the case and slipped it back into his bag. "Yeah," he said. "I'll do that."

But what if it was a singer like him? Then what would he do? It wasn't as if he had ever seen someone that looked like him before! It was--it was embarrassing, he guessed. Weird, definitely.

"I'll come over later to play with you," Rory then promised, smiling and un-angry at him again. Then she bounced on her toes, wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Have fun!" she told him, and started to head off again.

He was flushed purple for some reason as he stared after her. Then he shook it off and headed for his dad so they could go home together.

Welcome to Gaia
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
*stupid tidbits: pages - 10(just barely); word count - 3844
----------------------------------------------------------
They were packed for an expedition. Food, water, supplies, weapons, everything they would need on a foreign planet was in a bag tied with a rope and slung over Tock's shoulder. Jake carried one as well. It was as if they expected to be stuck somewhere barren and empty. But then again, Tock had always said to be prepared for everything.

Polly was bouncing in the lead, turning around half the time to explain something else about the place she had come from, which neither of the teens really understood, but listened to anyway. Tock had a dangerous looking grin on his face and Jake, for once, looked excited. He was finally going to see if he could disappear.

"Hey!" Austin said as they passed a few feet from the treehouse. He had been out gathering berries with Chloe and Kaeden. "I challenge you!"

"And I'm helping!" Kaeden said, coming up to his side, and mimic the point pose. The sudden 'Hey' had gotten his attention and since he had snuck off with Austin again, the other boy wasn't to far away from him at all.

He ignored Polly. He had decided some time ago that he should just ignore the annoying, bossy, girl and focus in on helping Austin. Then he noted the bags and everything. "Hey, where ya goin?" They looked like they were about to explore someplace.

Chloe had realized that the boys had, once more, ditched her and was heading in the direction she heard voices. Voices that were probably her wayward boys getting themselves into trouble again. But if they were being 'held hostage' again by Jake, she wanted to see it. That had been entertaining.

"We're not taking challenges right now," Tock said patiently. "That's not till Saturday. Today's Sunday."

"Technically this would be a challenge day, Cap'n," Jake said lowly.

"But we're going somewhere, so it'll haveta wait until next weekend," Tock said. "Go back to the tree house."

"Yeah!" Polly said. "Go pick your noses!"

"I want to go too!" Austin said, even if he had no clue where they were going.

"Me too!" Kaeden said, his blue eyes shining as he looked at the bags. Going to explore a place sounded interesting to him! He was coming to realize that he liked exploring new place.

Again, he ignored Polly.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked, coming up to them. She nudged up the woven, somewhat ratty, hat that was on her head. Then she noticed that Tock and Jake were prepared to travel some where. Some where far, by the looks of it. Had to be a big treasure hunt.

"And where are we going?" she then asked. Austin would definitely want to go, if it was a treasure hunt. Kaeden, she had noticed, would want to go, just for the sake of going.

"That ain't any of your business," Jake said, scowling at her darkly. This was his adventure, dammit! He didn't want outsiders, especially hut brats getting in the way! "Now take the two brats and go back to whatever it was you were do--"

He grunted as Austin launched himself at him, grabbing onto his thigh and wrapping his legs around his calf. "I'm going!" Austin declared.

"We're going ahead," Tock said as Polly grabbed his hand, pulling as hard as she could.

Chloe gave Jake a slit eyed look. Going would mean they wouldn't have gathered food to store, for the day. But there was plenty in the baskets, back at the hut. She just hoped they'd come back sometime soonish.

Then smirked. "Well, it looks like the boys have already decided. We're going," she told Jake, then started to follow Tock. Just to piss Jake off. "You can come, if you want."

Kaeden looked up at Chloe, jaw dropped. She.. she was going to let them go? And go with them? Chloe just.. well, she didn't -do- things like that! That... was so totally COOL! He grinned toothily, sprinting to catch up. "Come on, Austin!"

"You can carry me," Austin told Jake, just to rub it in. He started climbing Jake's pant leg, making the pirate mutter something dark and pick him up reluctantly. These pants were too likely to rip as it was. Last thing he wanted was to be left bare-assed in front of Chloe and who know who else.

Aock let Polly lead him, moving his hand slightly in the direction she was supposed to go if she veered off course. She had launched into a story about a building where one could stuff white stuff into the backs of dead animals. That confused the hell out of him.

Who would want to?

"It's right ahead, Cap'n," Jake called as they reached the spot.

There were times when Chloe was so, so proud of her boys. Them torturing Jake was one of those moments. Then she decided to focus in on where they were headed. It seemed as if Tock knew, and the air about this trip was that it wasn't a far walk... but if it wasn't a far walk, then what was with the supplies?

Her berry basket was still on her shoulders as well. "Hey Tock, where we goin, anyway?" And what the heck was Polly talking about.

Kaeden had decided the girl had lost it. She was talking stupid things. Would want to stuff white stuff into dead animals? That was just... ick! Stupid girl. He glanced back to check on his best bud, though. At least they were coming!

"We've got no idea," Tock said over his shoulder as he tugged Polly behind him and lifted a hand to where the two men had disappeared. "So you should turn back now, while you still have the chance."

His hand disappeared. "Found it," he said before stepping through.

"Whooooaaa...." Austin said, his eyes huge as Tock and Polly disappeared. "Think there's treasure in there?"

Chloe stopped, jaw dropped as she saw Tock and polly vanish. "Wha--"

Then to her horror, Kaeden went right on through, looking more curious than afraid. "There might be!" he called over his shoulder to Austin, before vanishing.

"Kaeden!" Chloe yelled, knowing that now she would -have- to follow them. And hope she could get back, for Ahja's shake. She hesitantly started for the opening now, seriously not looking confident.

Jake walked through, still holding Austin. He stopped as soon as he did, seeing the strangest sight in his life. They were surrounded by rock and people. The people were bustling left and right, all in a hurry to get somewhere.

And there, standing in front of him, his back to the other man, was Tock. The Captain looked a bit shocked and confused, but not enough so that he didn't turn around. "We need to mark this spot," he told Jake, digging in his bag. He pulled out his rock ax and headed for the wall they had stepped through.

Chloe had stepped through as well and heard Tock, then saw what he was doing. Her mind processed quickly that he was going to make the wall - which was stone, with an ax. "Woah, woah! Hold up there, Tock. I don't think hitting this.. stone thing will do much," she told him, then swung her berry basket off her shoulder. "We'll make it with berries, okay?" she said, fully planning on smashing the berries on the wall. It would make it.

Kaeden was speechless as he looked around. There were people EVERYWHERE. More people than he had ever seen in his LIFE. And there were no trees like he was used too. It was all stone. People lived in stone?

Down the way a bit, a preteen was setting out of a store. Aurora looked around for the next place to go when she spotted someone that was bright orange-red and very familiar. She gave a gasp, then shouted. "POLLY!"

Polly jerked, her eyes getting huge as she realized who it was. Without a thought she started to run across the street. "RORRRRYYYY!!!" she screamed, only to get grabbed by Tock as a car rushed past.

"What in the hell do you think you were doing?" Tock demanded, turning her so he could glare at her. She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry Daddy," she said. "But it's Rory! It's Rory!!" she shouted, pointing wildly. "Hi Rory!! This is Daddy! He's like gator boy!" she yelled, now waving wildly at her friend as Tock tucked her under his arm.

"Berries is fine," Jake muttered, still looking around in wonder.

"I bet there’s LOADS of treasure 'ere," Austin said, awed.

Kaeden had to agree. "I bet there's lots of everything here. And food," he said, once again showing that he thought with his stomach. He was a growing boy, after all!

Chloe did her berry thing in a hurry, and hoped it wouldn't rain before they returned here.

Rory almost used her speed to save Polly, but saw that the big man saved her friend. Once the road was clear for a moment, she ran across the street. Never mind she became a blur. The blur ended with her right next to Polly. Rory had the other girl in a hug. "It's so good to see you! I was so worried! So was Chris! We were all kinds of worried! He even went to the place to -find- you!" she rattled on.

Ze'zee huffed slightly, seeing her girl with strangers. Then, once on the other side of the road, she realized why: Polly. As the girls were greeting each other, she looked to the teens to see who Polly got herself involved with. One was a very big, dark skinned man. The other looked like a walking gator. Not that she thought too much about this. She was a walking reptile. There were two other kids, and a Hippo girl, as well.

But after Polly's first parental problem, she wanted to make sure the little girl was someplace good now.

"Oye," Tock said before Polly could launch into one of her explanations that made no sense. "Introduce me."

"Oh," Polly said, having forgotten he was there. "This is Captain Daddy Tock!" she said. "He's the captain of the Jolly Rodger and he can do all sorts of cool things! And he doesn't care if I catch on fire, or anything!" she was a little older and talked better, not that she realized this. She was also a lot tanner.

"And I'm Jake," Jake said. "Her uncle."

"Ewww, not another girrrlll," Austin muttered, glaring at Rory because she was the wrong gender.

Rory, true to being a girl and therefore supporting girls (especially friends from people she didn't know) stuck her tongue out at Austin.

"Aurora!" her mom scolded lightly. She received a sheepish grin and just shook her head.

"I'm Rory," the girl introduced herself, needlessly, to the big gator boy. He looked so much like the stuffed toy, that she thought the toy became real! "This is my mama, Ze'zee," she continued on. Then looked at the other three people.

"I'm Chloe," the hippo lady said. She had her hand holding on to the tip of another boy. He looked fascinated in the other things around him, frankly. "This is Kaeden, and that's Austin," she continued, gesturing to the two boys.

Tock looked at Ze, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "So you two knew Polly before she came to me?" he asked.

"Yeah! Rory was in school with me! But now she's older," Polly said, pouting at that fact. "How come you grew without me?" she demanded. "Is Chris even bigger, too?"

"Where's the treasure?" Austin demanded of Jake, figuring all the girl talk was a waste of time.

"And how would I know?" Jake asked back. "I've never been here."

"Hey Austin! Get down here," Kaeden said, looking up at his bud. "I wanna go exploring! We could probably find you a treasure around here some where!"

"Oh no, you boy's are not going to wander around her without the rest of us," Chloe warned them. Last thing she wanted to do was get lost. At the moment, Polly knew someone here. That someone knew how to navigate this place.

"He did! He's huge now!" Rory said, grinning sheepishly. "And I just grew! Over night, like! And I can run really fast now! You can catch on fire?" she asked, amazed. "Oh you've missed soooo much! You have -got- to meet Wisp! And--"

"I knew her. What I really want to know, though, is where is she staying now? Rory and Chris haven't been able to find out, and we've been worried," Ze'zee said evenly. More talk of treasure, just like Polly. They must be in a place she really fit in. And the little girl looked really happy, and healthy. She was relieved for that.

Ah, c'mere," he said to Ze, motioning her over to the wall. "Touch here," he said, holding his hand up to the wall then moving it forward. It disappeared. "You can look through if you want."

"It's an island with lots of trees and mermaids and pirates! I'm a pirate!" Polly said gleefully. "That's where they send all the bad kids to! It's fun!"

"Bad kids?" Rory asked, puzzled. A hand shot out, taking her mom's hand. She didn't want her mom to, well, vanish, without her! "But Polly's not a bad girl!" she protested this. Then tilted her head. "You said it's fun, though? And you can catch on fire, and no one will mind!" Which seemed to be good. "And people don't get mad at you for taking shinies?"

Ze'zee paused for a moment, but was game to try. His hand did vanish, after all. And with Rory gabbing on to her, she did peek her head into the vanishing point. And saw jungle.

If anyone else who didn't know saw thing, they'd see a lady without a head on one end, and just a floating head on the other end. She pulled her head out. "Alright," she told Tock. Then grinned. "Welcome to Gaia. I suppose Rory and I should show you guys around?"

Mentally she noted the place, and where it was located. Berries or not, she should know.

"Actually," Tock said. "Lovely lady, I want to ask a favor of you. Two of them, actually."

He put Polly down, motioning for Ze to step aside with him. "I want to know where her mom lives. The one that came before me. And I'd like you to take care of Polly for a little while. A couple of hours at most. She's homesick for her friends."

"Tock," Ze said, looking at him leveledly. "Even if I told you were that.. woman," the way she said that suggest that she wasn't at all happy with Gwen, "lives, I don't think you could find it."

Chloe was listening with half an ear and frowned, stepping over, leaving Jake to watch the boys for a moment. "Oh no ya don't," she said, having seen that grin earlier. "Tock, ya ain't gonna--"

"You didn't see her when she first got to the island," Tock told Chloe. "She was in tears. She kept thinking I was going to take her back." He cracked his knuckles, a loud, popping sound that sounded a bit ominous. "The b***h has to pay."

"Daddy?" Polly asked from behind, tugging on his shirt. "I want you to meet Chris, too!"

Well, that did change things, if you asked Chloe. So that was another reason why Tock was so attached to the little girl. Then another head poked itsself to Chloe's other side and tugged on her shirt.

"Hey, let's go some place. I'm gettin bored here!" Kaeden said. He wanted to move more than an arm's length away!

"It seems to me," Ze said, unable to help a little grin on her face. "That you have to meet some people before.... letting her know that Polly's in good hands." Ze'zee didn't like Gwen, and didn't want to have anything else to do with the lady. But just saying... hello.... wasn't a bad thing, now was it?

"Let's go to Chris's!" Rory added, right behind Polly. But she couldn't help it. A hand ran over Tock's tail. She wanted to know what he felt like!

Tock blinked, looking down at Rory blankly. "What?" he asked. "That's your mom, right?" he asked, pointing at Ze. "You should know what scales feel like."

"It's different," Polly said, shaking her head. "She's smooth and you're all bumpy."

"Ah," Tock said. "Makes sense. I guess."

Jake was trying to get Austin off of him. "You aren't a hostage this time," he muttered, tugging at the kid. "Walk by yourself."

"I can see better from here."

Rory, having been caught, blushed. "Mama's smooth, you're not. You're different," she agreed. Of course, this also confirmed that Tock wasn't a walking, talking, stuffed toy. He was flesh. Somehow, she was just a little disappointed.

Jake protests got Chloe's attention, and she grinned wickedly at him. Seeing him pestered was still fun.

Then Kaeden ran up to him too. "Hey, hey! I wanna see from up there!" he called, starting to try and climb Jake too. Way this was going, he might just be pants on the streets.

"So, to Chris' then?" Ze asked, willing to take them. The vindictive side of herself did want to torment Gwen, but the nicer side just screamed that was wrong. Besides, Missy should talk him out of it.

"Alright," Tock said. "For now."

"Yay!!" Polly said, hugging Rory spontaneously. "I bet he's humongous!" she said, dancing and still clinging to her friend. "Is he? Is he?"

Jake groaned and picked up the other boy, reluctantly. "You know Chloe's not THAT much shorter than me," he said. "Why don't you two ride on her, instead?"

"So... what is this place called, anyway?" Tock asked, looking around and making mental notes of where they were. He had a good sense of direction, he needed it on the island, but this was hectic.

"Well, the planet is Gaia, this city is called Durem. Shopping district," Ze'zee told him as she walked. she also knew it would be bit of a walk to get to Chris'.... Ah well. "Wanna ride on a bus to get to Polly's friends'?" she then asked him.

"Cuz Chloe's a lady," Kaeden told him, having picked something like that up from Polly. Maybe, he didn't remember, frankly, and he didn't care. "You're bigger though! You can do it!" He patted the man on the head, then started to look around.

Chloe grinned at Jake evilly now, walking along as well.

"Chris is huge!" Rory told her friend again, empathizing this with holding her hands out. "And strong! And we've started a superhero group with Wisp! Who you have to meet. She's cool too! And Chris just found out he's a vegetarian - which means he doesn't eat cows and stuff. Fish doesn't count, though," she explained. "And he's been making fun of me!"

"He has??" Polly demanded, her eyes narrowing. "That big bully! I make him stop!"

Tock snorted, realizing something abruptly. "So... you're an adult, right?" he asked the lizard lady. He was taller than her, and broader, but she had a certain air to her that said she was full grown. "What's it like?"

"You are enjoying this way too much," Jake complained as Austin stared at all the sights and sounds around him. "You carry them, they're your kids!"

"They like using you as a free ride. Who am I to stop that?" Chloe replied which a chucking in her voice. Kaden was tapping on Austin's arm now and then, pointing at things that he found interesting. Usually it wound up being the same thing the other boy was looking at.

"Actually," Ze replied, having to stop and think about that question. "Being an adult is... well, I suppose it's like being younger, but you have more responsibilities. And it can be much calmer," she told him, knowing she wasn't doing a good job at explaining. "I don't really know. For my race, I have a long way to go before I even hit my prime."

"Well, he teases me for fallin on my face, and running into walls, when I was running. And he doesn't wanna do the superhero thing either!" Rory said, explaining things. Then she grinned. "You can probably join if you wanted too!" She didn't know what happened with Wisp and her first hero outting, either. To her, it was still a game.

"Oh really," he said. "Y'know, I'm one of the oldest on the island. So I've always wondered what it would be like to meet an older woman." He hadn't, but damned if he would tell her that. "You don't mind younger guys, do you? I tend to grow fast."

"Daddy!" Polly said, tugging on his tail. "Quit flirting with Rory's mommy!"

"Who taught you that word?" Tock asked her.

"You did. You say that Jake and Chloe are always flirting, remember?"

"I do not flirt with her!" Jake protested loudly.

"That goes double for me!" Chloe said, protesting the flirting as well and glaring at Tock for even suggesting it.

Ze'zee laughed at that, unable to help herself. It was funny! Frankly she had never tought of that sort of thing since she left Zard. Rory was far more important to her, right now.

"No flirting with my mama!" Rory added, giving a little defiant glare up at Tock.

He grinned at Rory, shamelessly. "Then I'll flirt with you, shall I?" he teased.

"DAAADDDDYY!!" Polly yelled, her irritation clear in her voice. He started to laugh, enjoying this trip more because she was back to her cheerful self than anything else.

The Deakons weren't at home. There was a little sign on the door that said they were at the beach party and wouldn't be back until late.

Austin looked at Jake. "So now what?" he asked bluntly.

"How am I supposed to know?" Jake asked.

"A beach party?" Ze'zee said. "Huh. Then we'll just go to the beach!" she said, sounding happy about fact. She had been meaning to take Rory to the beach, just hadn't been able took.

Rory looked a bit more shocked. "That's.. today?!" she asked, reading the sign again. How could she have forgotten??

"You knew about this?" Ze asked her girl.

"I forgot," Rory admitted, with a shrug.

Kaeden looked at Rory, who was no where near as annoying as Polly, then at Chloe. "Hey Chloe! Can we go too?" he asked.

Chloe shrugged. "If that's where Ze'zee wants to take us," she said. Though she was a bit tired of all this walking. Sure she walked around back in the jungle, but she never was willing to walk to the beach... And this place was bigger than their island.

"Then we're going to the beach and to see Chris!" Polly announced. And that, as far as she was concerned, was that.

She's Mine Now
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
----------------------------------------------------------
It was near the middle of the beach party, after Tock had chatted with Chris for a while when he approached Ze again. He had a slight smirk on his face, and for all appearances it seemed he was going to try his hand at flirting again. But then he spoke.

"I need your help," he said. "I want to make it quick, too," he added as he glanced over at Polly, who was having the time of her life. "Can you take me over to her... 'mommy's'?"

"You mean Gwen's?" Ze asked, momentarily surprised by his request. Then she frowned slightly. During this beach trip, she had simply been getting some sun. It was nice to just sit out on the beach and watch the kids have fun.

But now she was curious as too why he wanted to see Polly's previous guardian. "How come?" she asked, a little suspicious.

"Oh, no reason," he lied. "I just want to have a little chat with her. Ask if she has any of Polly's stuff, still. Clothes are hard to find where we come from."

"With as tattered as your things were, that doesn't surprise me," she drawled, then got up out of her chair. He was up to something, she could sense that. Thus it was best not to let him go alone. "Alright, but about the kids?"

"Chris is with her," he said, glancing back at the boy. "When I was his age I was running an entire ship full of kids. He can handle a few little girls. But that's why I want to make it fast."

He shoved his hands into his swimming trunk pockets, obviously intending on going just as he was.

Ze didn't really see the point on going to change either. Gwen was probably going to have a heartattack from this! "Alright, I'll take you. But first let me tell Rory so she doesn't get worried, or anything," she told him. Rory was getting big, but the last thing she wanted to do was run off without the girl knowing.

She went for the stage where the three were then. "Rory! Come'ere a moment!" Frankly she was surprised to see the girl getting off the stage. She sang? That was a surprise!

"Yes?" Rory asked, after jogging up to her mom.

"Tock wants to meet Gwen, so we're heading there for a moment. You and Polly can stay here with Chris."

Polly followed, her eyes widening as she overheard what Ze said. She looked over at her Dad, wondering why he was leaving her to go see her Mom, then back at Ze.

"But--"

"It's just to see if she has any of your things, still," Ze said quickly, seeing that look on her face. "We'll be back quickly enough! Unless... you want to come with us?"

"I'll go with you, Polly, so it'll be okay," Rory told the younger girl, holding out a hand reassuringly to her.

Tock walked over, standing still taller than Polly even though she was on the stage. "Hey," he said, nudging her jaw with his forefinger so she was looking up at him. "You wanted to see your friends, right?"

She nodded. "I do!" she said with a bright smile.

"Then stick here and talk with everyone, alright? I'll be back in just a little while."

Ze smiled at this, approving of him greatly. He was good with Polly and her klepto ways were obviously fine with him. That made her glade, actually, that the little girl who had so much trouble with her 'mommy' had finally got herself a very good 'daddy'.

"See? Now, we'll be back soon," Ze told them with a smile, feeling better.

"Okay, we'll be here!" Rory replied. She liked being at the beach. It was alot of fun!

Polly waved as Tock and Ze walked away, then looked at Rory before hopping off of the stage. "Let's follow them," she said shamelessly. "Cuz Daddy's my friend, too!"

Chris jerked from where he had been looking at the book of songs. "Wait a moment--"

"Let's go! Let's go!" Polly said. "Before they get lost!"

"Then we'll have to run to make it back before them," Rory agreed with a wicked little grin. She liked this idea! "Besides, the karaoke thing is doing well on it's own, we can go!" she agreed.

Then she looked Chris. "You wanna come?" she asked him, already starting to follow the adults.

He sighed. "Not really," he muttered even as he got to his feet. He almost jumped as Polly hopped onto his back, riding him like a pony. "Polly!" he said. "I'm not a horse!"

"Am I too heavy?" Polly asked with a pout.

"It's not that--"

"It'll be faster if she's on your back, Chris," Rory told him, secertly wishing she could just clamber onto his back. She never did get a chance too!

"Fine," he muttered. "Before we lose them," he added as he took off. He had a smooth gate that made Polly giggle like a little girl and urge him to go faster. It was like being treated like a pet, he thought with a sigh. But then again, this was Polly.

Polly always had been one to ignore polite things and do whatever she wanted to.

Which was probably why Rory never did get to use him as a ride. She was polite to him, unless she was mad at him - or whatever. But right now, she was doing a 'spot' run. She would run on ahead, see where the adults were, then wait for Chris and Polly to catch up. Then she would do it again.

The did this all the way to the house.

Since it was a weekend Gwen was working in the garden out front. She didn't notice anyone was there until someone cleared their throat from behind her, and she turned.

For a moment she stared at the gator man in pure shock. "Is there something I can do for you?" she finally asked, standing. It didn't do much, because she was still a good foot shorter than he was.

"Yeah," he said with an evil grin. "You can make up for making my little girl cry."

Her face paled and she took a step back. "Wh--what?"

"Tock, that's not a good way to approch people here," Ze'zee said, touching him on the shoulder. Then she looked to Gwen with a little smile on her face.

"Gwen, this Tock. He's Polly's new guardian," Ze'zee introduced. Then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "He just wants to see if any of Polly's things are still here. Like her clothes and the like."

"Oh, um, well, no," Gwen admitted. "I gave all of her things to the--to the nursery, and I'm very happy that she's found a new home," she said a bit too quickly. "She was just so... so wild."

"You think she was wild?" Tock asked with a dangerous smile. "You have no idea just what wild is, now do you?" He took a step forward, forcing her to take a step back and trip over her flowers.

"Tock, enough," Ze said, using her mother's voice. That voice that just warned you not to do anything else. Not that Tock would really know this, but well, it was habit for her, being a mom and everything!

"There's no point in there. And you are much better for Polly, anyway. Be thankful that you were able to get her," Ze continued. "Now, if you want new clothes for her, we can go shopping later. Rory loves to shop, after all."

Rory was peeking though a bush across the street. "Oh... he looks mad!" she whispered to her friends.

"It ain't enough," Tock snapped, finally looking at Ze. "You don't know what she did to my little girl. She still cries because of it--"

"Daddy!" Polly bellowed, racing over to him and wrapped her arms around his leg. "Daddy stop it!"

"P--Polly?" Gwen asked. "You--you look good."

Ze was just about to bop Tock on the head. He should try to beat the crap (or scare it) out of Gwen! Yes, she was a bad, a very bad, mother but that didn't mean beat her up for it! Gwen did right by knowing when it was too much and didn't continue to make little Polly suffer.

Then Polly appeared. Why Ze was relieved, she didn't know. But if he was good at calming down Polly, then it was likely she could do the same.

"Polly was a bad girl," Polly announced proudly. Everyone looked at her. "Polly was a bad girl for Mommy, and Mommy was a bad mommy for Polly."

"But--" Gwen started out.

"But this is my Daddy," Polly said, stepping away from Tock and pointing up at him. "He's a bad boy, too," she added. "But I don't mind. He's a good Daddy for Polly."

Out of the mouths of babes. Ze'zee couldn't help the little smile on her face as she stroked Polly's feathered hair. "Polly? You just want Ms Gwen to know you're okay, right?" she asked the little girl.

olly nodded, smiling gratefully up at Ze. "Uh huh," she said before looking at Gwen. "Bye bye," she said, tugging at Tock's arm.

Tock looked down, sighing loudly. "Alright. Let's go. You two, as well," he added to where Chris and Rory were trying to hide.

Rory looked sheepish as she came out of the bushes. It was difficult to hid with Chris and his bigness. She received a stern look from her mother.

Ze looked back to Gwen. "Sorry about the trouble. Enjoy your day!" she told the other lady, then went off with the others. Did she enjoy that? Guiltily yes, she did.

As Tock turned his tail snapped, leaving a dent a good four inches deep in her garden, but Polly didn't even seem to notice. She was busy forcing him to carry her.

Gwen did. She looked as if she was about to faint.

"Tock!" Ze scolded him again, smacking him up the shoulder. Not that he would notice. His hide was too thick. Then she just sighed and looked to Rory and Chris. "Now what are you two doing here?" she asked them.

"Er, well.. I wasn't about to let Polly go by herself!" Rory said, still looking sheepish.

Chris looked sheepish, but there was a wicked little gleam in his eyes. The way Tock had handled that had been awesome! He hadn't even touched the woman, but he had scared the s**t out of her. And he hadn't even had to break something!

"I couldn't let them go alone," he said a bit belatedly.

"Uh huh..." Ze said, shaking her head. There was just something amusing about that. "Now, let's go back to the beach. Rory, later you, Polly and I can go shopping for her a few more clothes."

Mercifully she was excluding the guys from this.

"Here," Tock said, pulling a small leather bag out of his pocket and handing it to her. "This should cover some clothes for her. What she's got is too small, anyway."

"We'll get her something that might last out where you live," Ze said, checking out what was in the bag. Then she choked at the sight of the jewels in it. Oh she was going to have to get those converted...

"Start with the gold," he told her. "I'd like the jewels back if possible."

"Nuh uh!" Polly said. "That bag's for me! So the jewels are mine now!"

"I didn't say that," Tock said. "I said she could use it to get you some stuff--"

"Which makes it mine!" she said joyfully, her tail flickering back and forth happily.

"Actually, wouldn't that make it mine, if he gave it to me?" Ze asked playfully, enjoying this. "He did give it to me, after all."

Rory snickered, seeing her mom tease them. Then she looked to Chris. "Um, can I ride on you now?" she asked him, finally daring to do this. Of course she had to ask, though!

He sighed. "Fine," he said. "But only till we get to the beach. I don't want to do pony rides for every kid that gets the urge."

"Yes!" Rory cheered and climbed onto his back. "And you're not a pony. It just looked like fun. Wisp and Polly do this too you, and I wanted to try, just once."

"Wisp only used me as a slide," Chris told her as he started walking. "It's different from being used as a ride."

"You get used to it," Tock said, now carrying Polly on his shoulders, his hands loosely holding her feet.

"Wisp only used me as a slide," Chris told her as he started walking. "It's different from being used as a ride."

Ze'zee couldn't help it. She started to laugh.

Another Confrontation?
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
----------------------------------------------------------
Aurora was still worried about her two best friends. She had talked to Wisp, to find out what was going on with her, and found out some things about Chris, as well. There was some adventure that she had missed out on that had guns, shootings and Chris getting mad.

Frankly, she wanted this whole situation solved as quickly as possible. She missed hanging out with both of them at the same time! And the look on Wisp's sad little face! It was horrible! It needed to be fixed! Best friends weren't allowed to be upset for so long!

That was why she was hunting down Chris during school. Not that it was difficult to find him.... "Hey Chris? Can I talk to you a moment?" she asked him in her sweet little voice that was laced with worry.

While waiting for his dad to finish work, Chris had wound up on the playground, hanging upside down from a pole as he read a comic book. He looked up from his reading as he heard her call.

"We don't got a band meeting," he said. "Not yet, at least."

"That's okay, cuz I don't wanna talk about the band," she told him, standing in front of him while he hung upside down. Just because of they were in the band together didn't mean she only wanted to see him about that! "It's about Wisp."

He scowled. "I don't want to talk about Wisp," he muttered, swinging slightly as he went back to reading his comic book.

"Well, I don't care if you want too or not. I'm tired of you two fighting, and I talked to her! She's all sad, Chris! Really sad!" she told him, reaching out to take his comic. He'd try and ignore her with that thing!

"She was shot in the HEAD Rory," he said harshly. "I don't know what happened, the gun exploded or something, but she could have DIED and it woulda been her own fault if she had!"

Rory's eyes went huge at that and she paled slightly. Wisp was shot? Shot but not hit! How, she didn't know, but the fact someone was willing to shoot a kid was.. well, horrible!

"But-but she said it didn't work!" she fumbled around for the words. "I mean, I don't want her shot at either! I don't want any of us shot at and all!" Then she stopped, collecting her thoughts and taking a deep breath. "I don't think she realizes that the gun actually went off and that she was lucky."

"I don't know how it worked, but I saw him pull the trigger. I'm not going to watch that again," Chris said. "She can do whatever the heck she wants, but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to stick with the band idea."

"She thinks you hate her, ya know," she told him softly. Then she sighed, crouching down so she was so much more lower on the ground and hugged her knees. "I don't want her shot either, but I can't abandon her."

"I don't hate her," Chris said. "But she keeps dumping us," he went on. "First she grows up before we do, then she runs off for months on end, and now, as soon as she gets back, she's dragging us into some crazy idea that involves guns and scary guys that make me want to hurt them."

He looked at her. "I know what I'm gonna be like when I'm bigger, Rory."

"How? That cd with the guy that looks like a bigger you?" she asked him, looking up at him again. She had her own sad face on, though it was mixed with irritation. The idea that Chris would hurt someone was just plan silly! Chris wouldn't hurt someone on purpose!

"The music... it reminded me of stuff," Chris said. "Like it was in the back of my head. And I was a lot bigger in the memory. A lot bigger," he repeated. "Like the size of a mac truck. And I'm twice as strong now as when I was a baby, Rory. If I keep getting stronger with age--"

She gave a little sigh, realizing that Chris still wasn't over his strength problem. Not that she saw it as a problem. He was Chris and that meant that he was kind, and didn't hurt people even if he wanted too.

But she stood up again reaching out this time to rub his hairless head. "So.. you're going to get bigger and stronger, huh?" she asked him needlessly. Those memories he was talking about didn't make any sense to her. "But you're not going to change being you Chris. You're not Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, or anything. It's not like you to just go up and do bad things."

He looked at her, his gold eyes shining slightly unnaturally. "I almost did once," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to do it again."

She reguarded him closely now, not pulling away from him or even stopping the petting on his head. Now she saw more of the problem. "You're not a monster, Chris," she told him softly, more seriously now. "It's good that you didn't hurt them, even if you got close to it," she added. Her idea of Chris was now altered more.

Then she smiled at him. "And I understand, so, I wont ask you do to the superhero thing. I'll go with her, so she doesn't get into trouble. You know she's going to do it one way or another. But you really shoulda not been so mean to her about the band. You might coulda used it to distract her away from the hero thing."

He flushed slightly, suddenly realizing that she was petting his head. "Um, Rory?" he asked. "I need your help with somethin..."

"As long as it doesn't involve me singing, okay!" she told him with a smile. The realization that she was going to have a lot of work on her hands hasn't yet hit. But she wasn't going to leave Wisp.

"I should say... I'm sorry," he muttered, looking away from her. "But I'm not, really. But I should be, so--"

"So....?" she prompted him, finally pulling her hand away from his head when he turned it away from her.

"So... go shopping with me," he muttered. "And I'll get her something, I guess. Mom says presents help with that sorta stuff."

Rory's face brightened up greatly with that suggestion. "Okay! I'd like that! And afterwards, if you want, we can go back to your house and play games on your Wii," she suggested to him. He had invited her over for that, after all.

"Yeah," he said as he dropped down from the pole. "Alright. I got a new game, too. It's called Mario Party. It's pretty fun. You wanna go now? Or do you haveta tell your mom first?"

"Um, I'll have to tell my mom, but I'm sure she wont mind if I go home with you, if that's okay with your parents, and all," she told him, thinking about it quickly. "I'll be missing violin practice..."

"We can do it tomorrow," he said quickly. "I'm not in any hurry, or anything."

"But you still should apologize," she told him, hands going on her hips. Then she smiled again at him. "But okay, we can go tomorrow! It's more warning for our parents, after all."

"Alright," he said. "We'll go tomorrow."

I'm Sorry... Kinda
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen, Rosemilk
----------------------------------------------------------
It took him half the day to get the guts up to do this, Chris thought as he casually crossed in front of the tree where Wisp was sitting all alone, eating her lunch. His wrist flicked and a small bag landed on her lap. It was one of those shiny ones that moms got for their kids to use as gift wrapping.

Hanging from the handle was a little note that said in broad black marker writing, "I'm Sorry." He wasn't, really, he told himself, but he was supposed to do it.

Wisp had stiffened immediately, pausing in the middle of eating some raisins, obviously not knowing whether him flicking things at her was a call to war or otherwise; he hadn't paid any attention to her before, as though she'd been living on the surface of the moon, and her gut immediately clenched up in tangles as he finally made his approach.

Her hands fumbled with the little bag; when she opened it, there was a keychain there, of a yellow bunny rabbit. Yellow, pretty much her favourite colour (if she had a favourite colour) bunny rabbits, one of her favourite animals (if she had a favourite animal).

The box was immediately dropped from nerveless fingers as she stood up, upsetting raisins, bag and all, and there were two bright spots of colour in her cheeks: for a moment it seemed as though Wisp was going to yell at him. Then she simply launched herself at him bodily and buried her face in his midsection, trying to stretch her fairly small arms to get around him, which never really worked.

Aurora had been watching this from the sides, happy that Chris finally made his move. Even if he didn't look sorry for it! It was quite clear to anyone that Wisp needed it.

And it was boring without the other girl around. Wisp made a lot of things fun. Now, hopefully they could just get along again! The idea of Wisp not wanting to do anything dangerous was so out of the question, though.

Since he was still walking it wound up with Wisp riding him like a pony, clinging to his waist like that. "Oh c'mon already," he muttered. "It ain't that big a deal."

He was flushing purple, though, because it WAS really that big a deal. He had missed her, and just as soon as she got back they had started fighting! It wasn't good!

"It is that big a deal," said Wisp, muffled, into him, and if she had been a little younger she would have cried; her shoulders were shaking a little but the feeling passed, glad instead, face still buried and terribly terribly relieved. Incoherently, she added: "Please please please please please don't leave me ever again. I won't leave you either if you don't leave me."

Rory watched this, crossing her arms with a smug little smile on her face. See? This was a good idea! Chris had just been hardheaded about it! Why did boys get stupid sometimes? Why?

She wasn't going to speak till it was done, however.

He sighed. "Alright, already, I won't, okay?" he asked. "You can stop riding me now. Did you... did you like the patch?" he asked just a tiny bit shyly. He looked around for Rory, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

"Patch?" It was only then that Wisp finally looked up and detached from Chris; she ran back to get the little bag, clutching the bunny keychain in her finger, rifling through the bag to get it. When she did, she immediately ran back to stand beside Chris again, obviously fearing that if she left him too long he would go away. She looked up at Rory and smiled radiantly; she was bouncing from foot to foot, laughing in delight. "You really got these for me? Was it Rory's idea? Thank you!"

"Chris picked it out! And the keychain was his idea too," Rory said proudly. She had wanted him to get her a stuffed animal, but Wisp was happy. That was fine!

She walked to the two now that they were done.

"Yeah, but..." Chris sighed. "You can join the band if you want. I dunno what you'll do, though, cuz we've got the instruments taken care of. But I guess you could help Jamie with the lights and stuff or something?"

"I can do fliers," said Wisp immediately, who had been thinking it up secretly with heart pangs ever since she'd found out about the band. "You know, like advertising? And I can paint the posters, and the CD covers, if you guys get CDs."

Life was suddenly good again.

"See? That is a good idea! We'll just check the spelling and stuff," Rory said, grinning at Chris. Finally their little trio was all back together! She just wasn't sure how Chris and Jace would deal with the likely bright colors Wisp would have used.

"Just remember we're ROCK, not POP, got it?" Chris asked dryly.

"Hey, I do rock!" Wisp said defensively, immediately mimicking an air guitar. "I do rave, too, and trance, because I heard it at a game Antony was playing and it's awesome -- " but seeing Rory's and Chris' expressions: "but rock, rock's cool too."

Rory laughed and hugged her colorful friend. "Good! This is going to be so much more fun with you in the band, now, too!" She then beamed at Chris. He did so well!

"Yeah, yeah," Chris said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "And we need R.H.E. shirts, too... like a logo, or something I guess. But no rainbows."

"No rainbows," said Wisp. "Got it."

They could have maneating bats if they wanted them.

Camp Out
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ze'zee had to go to another concert out of town, which left Aurora in the care of the Deakon again. Not that she minded in the slightest. It was always great going over there. But this time, some one, some where, had decided on camping. Rory was extremely excited about this too. Her first camping trip!

They were out in the middle of the woods with tents set up for the knight and Chris' dad making a fire. Missy was going to make dinner over the fire - or on the propane grill that was brought.

Camp was fully set up, so -- "I'm going down to the river!" she called, throwing a towel over her shoulders. The two piece swim suit she had was already on.

"I'll go with her," Chris said, chasing after her with his towel over his shoulders. He stopped and glanced at his parents. "That okay?"

"I can handle a couple of tents, Chris," Tyler said dryly, amused by how good his kid had come out. "Go have some fun. Don't forget to check for snakes before Rory gets in, alright?"

"Will do, Dad."

Rory was blissfully unaware that the river could have snakes in it. She wasn't even running to the river, so Chris could easily catch up with her. "That was the last tent, wasn't it?" she asked, having help with setting up things too. "We could bring back some fire wood too!"

"Sure," he said, loping alongside her. "Wanna ride?" he asked. "You're wearin' those stupid flipflops and there's twigs and roots and stuff you could trip over."

He didn't have to ask twice. Rory hopped on to his back, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you! It was getting annoying," she grinned at his ear. "Have you ever been camping before?"

"Once or twice," he admitted as he started walking again. "You?" he asked. She was light, so he didn't much notice her weight. He wouldn't have noticed at all if he hadn't been wearing his earring.

"Only if camping out in your back yard counts," she admitted, practically bubbling with excitement. She let him take her to the river and noted the way. It was just a path that seem to lead straight to it. "What all do you do? Other than swim and cook things over the fire."

"Well you fish, and you ride in boats, and you tell stories by the fire," he said as they reached the water. "I have to get in first," he told her. "To check for snakes." He started into the water, letting her pick if she wanted to stay on or slide off and wait. For a moment his gold eyes seemed to gleam in the reflection of the water, then he grunted. "No snakes."

She took their towels and tossed them on a bush with one hand, and kicked of her flip flops before he got into the water. She was content to stay on him. "You can find snakes just like that?" she asked him in surprise. This was something new about him she didn't know!

"Actually they tend to run when I get in," he admitted. "I scare them away."

"Pfft, ah well. I'm not complaining about that!" she said and slid off him now to go swimming into the river gleefully.

He moved in further, leaning back and floating lazily, his tail twitching underwater to propel him in any direction he wanted to go. "Hey," he said. "You okay with your mom being out of town again?"

"Yep, it's fine!" she said. It was true, as well. "She hates having to go out of town and she almost didn't. I told her to go," she told him, sounding as if this wasn't a bad thing at all. Then she went under the water only to reappear next to to him. "You don't mind me stayin, do you?"

"Nah, why should I?" he asked. "You're my best bud." Then he went under, playing like he was going to tug her under.

She laughed at that, and tried to keep away from him when she felt him brush against her legs or her smaller tail.

Best bud? Was that like.. that that dreaded 'let's just be friends' thing she read about? Naaa. Chris didn't even think like that! And she wasn't going to let that bother her. Not now, anyway!

He wrapped one huge hand around her ankle, tugging at it to see if she screamed. He was like the ultimate river monster, he thought cheerfully, and a bit childishly.

She yelped, but not the kind of terrified yelp or scream that one would have. It was Chris there, after all! She then tried to get her leg away from him, laughing all the same.

He tugged her under for a second, then came up, grinning evilly, still holding her ankle.

"Chriisss! That's my ankle!" she said, grinning at him and tugging again. She didn't tug as hard as she could, however.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at it. "Gotta admit, it sure doesn't look like mine." He was teasing her shamelessly, and pulled up further, almost dunking her top half into the water.

She actually meeped with that moved, going under just a moment before coming sputtering back up. "Of course it's not yours! It's to small!" she told him, not worried at all. Anyone else who didn't know Chris might have been, however.

He let go, laughing at her before he picked her up by the waist. "Wanna fly?" he asked. "It'd be fun!"

"Yes!" she said with a grin, and a quick glance. Nothing but water to land in, after all. Camping was just AWESOME!

He tossed her, ever so gently, so she only flew a few feet upstream.

Landing in the river cut of her happy cry. Once she surfaced again, she swam back to him. "That was fun, do it again!" she told him.

He grinned and did it again, playing like that until his mother yelled for them to come to dinner. His father had gone fishing up stream and caught enough for all of them. He paused as he got out, waiting for Rory to climb on his back. In other words he was now resigned to being a pack pony.

She wrapped her towel around herself after getting out and picked up the flip flops. Then she jumped onto Chris' back again, happy to make use of her services. "Ya know, I didn't realize how hungry that made me," she commented. "And your mom is cooking fish, right?"

"Smells like it," he said. He made his way back to camp slowly, obviously thinking of something. "Hey, Rory?" he asked. "You know... there's a chance you'll grow before I do, right?"

"There is? But... aren't I younger?" she asked. There was something that had never occurred to her. Wisp grew then Chris grew and finally she grew. Wasn't that how it was going to work this time?

"It don't matter," he said, looking straight ahead. "It's cuz I'm gonna be so big. My body takes longer to grow, cuz it's doing so much of it, you know?" He wondered if that made sense to her. "And I think when I'm a teen I'm gonna be really big, you know? So a lot of work to grow to that."

"So.." she said after a moment. "You're just going to grow slow, because your body needs more time to prepare for a growth spert, right? And that means that when you're getting ready, you're going to be eating even more," she added as if that made since too.

Then she shrugged slightly. "But that'll be okay. I bet that when I'm a teen, I'll be as big as you! Maybe. But that would mean I couldn't ride..."

He snorted. "I could still carry you," he said. "But you might not want to, cuz I'll be a kid and you'll be a teenager, and you'll probly want to hang out with your teenager friends."

"Well, don't worry about that," she told him simply. "The only friend that I got that is a teenager is Antony." If one called him a friend, anyway. She obviously did.

Rory liked him though. Her mama said that he was the first other cabbage kid that she had met - but she had been in the cabbage herself at the time. "Besides, you were still my friend when you grew and I like you too much to not hang out with you. And besides that, I'm in your band, and I've worked hard to be in your band. I don't plan on giving that up."

"Yeah, okay," he said, not about to admit that he had needed that reassurance for some reason. He didn't want her to leave him. It was a scary thought. He had lost Wisp for a bit, and it was still something that gave him nightmares.

He would probably go insane if Rory left him behind.

"So, you don't have to worry about that one, Chris," she told him much softer, laying her cheek on his shoulder. Then she grinned again. "And think, if I'm a teenager and hanging around you, that makes you all the more cooler."

He laughed, shaking his head as they finally got back to the camp to eat. He waited until his parents had headed to their own tent to bring out a small box. "Um, I saw this and it made me think of you," he said, tossing her the box.

She blushed with pride that Chris actually -thought- of her and got her something. A grin was flashed at him before she opened up the box. In it was a pair of lady bug earrings, much like her necklace. Her face lit up, seeing them. "Oh wow!"

There was a sudden little gust of wind as Rory ran to him and hugged him. "Thank you!" She even kissed him on the cheek.

He blushed at the kiss, rubbing the back of his head. "It's not really anythin' special," he said. "Mom just took me shoppin' and I saw those and--"

"Says you," she told him, looking at them again. "They're great! And they go with the necklace, so I can wear them like a set," she told him honestly. Then saved him further embarrassment. "Hey, think we can make s’mores over the fire?"

His eyes lit up. "S'mores sound good to me," he said as he headed for the supplies. "Then bed," he added. "I wanna go fishing tomorrow morning."