Welcome to Gaia! ::

On the Naming of Flowers
Players: Trinityblue, ShortGreen
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Rhye looked down at her note book once again and chewed on her bottom lip. Normally these sort of things were easy for her. It shouldn't be this difficult, however, this report she had to do was... awkward! It was on plants, and she just didn't know where to start!

So, here was the little luck dragon, wondering around a botanical garden, trying to figure out where she wanted to start. The good thing about the place was that it was warm and green. No longer in winter, even if spring outside was coming.
Before long, the young girl paused. It felt as if she were being watched. She turned around quickly to look behind her. Nothing. Except... There was a strange arrangement of trees and bushes back there and she could hear the sound of a small, decorative waterfall. A few flashes of color interrupted the greenery - flowers. Maybe something that could help her!

As she reached the pathway into the grotto, she suddenly understood why she had felt watched; Delilah ba Lindo stood beside a tree, its long drooping branches half-hiding her. Her hand was set firmly against the trunk, fingers almost obscured by the riot of flowered vines covering the bark. She studied the intruder with a tilt of her head, brilliant blue eyes intent and measuring. Slowly, she drew her hand away from the tree. The flowers shivered, leaves rustling. "Hello," she offered quietly. "Are you looking for something?"

Rhye was frozen in place for a moment, just looking at her and gripping the poor notebook in her hands. She was.. beautiful! Slowly she got her wits about her by blinking her red eyes. "Oh, um, hi? I'm Rhye and I have this report to do on plants and I thought this would be a good place to come too andgeeyou'repretty--" she started to blurt out as her mind kicked into gear.

"Er, are you here often?" she finally asked.

Rhye's spill of words caused a slow, indulgent smile to grow on the older girl's face and she stepped away from the tree, gingerly picking her way around a flower bed. "Mm-hm. With winter outside, this is the nicest place to be." Delilah extended her hand, the wrist a bit limp. "I'm Delilah and thank you for the compliment. I think the flowers help me."

"Uh, yeah," Rhye replied as her cheeks went pink and purple under the scales. She took the hand offered in a light shake. "But at least spring is coming, right? But it doesn't help when you have a report to do on plants. You know a lot about them?" she asked curiously.

Delilah smiled, eyes laughing now at some obscure inside joke, but she nodded willingly. "I do. I know a lot about plants. I guess you could say they're my passion." She took a step backwards and made a vague hand motion. Rhye noticed there was a carved stone bench further into the glade. "Why don't you come in and tell me what you need to know? Maybe I can help you."

Rhye looked at the bench and took the offer to sit down. Seeing how Delilah carefully moved through the plants compelled her to do the same. The luck dragon, and in all her good fortune, carefully moved through the placed, navigating her way to the beach. With one hand, she folded up her skirt under her and took a seat.

"Well, I don't really know where to start. We're supposed to pick a plant or two to do a report on. Like, compare them? Or see what kinda benefits they have to us," she explained. "It was... rather open ended."

"Oh. That is really open-ended." Delilah giggled and joined the younger girl on the bench. In a duplicate motion, she neatly gathered her own deep green skirt around her before sitting. "Well, what kind of things do you like most? Colors or scents? Medicine, food, decoration? Plants can do anything... Well, anything except walk around. On their own, that is." Again with the appearance of some secret joke.

"They can't talk either," Rhye put in, tilting her head at the humour in Del's voice. But she didn't even think to ask. Instead, she thought on the questions given to her. "Well, I don't want to do it on food, that's to common. But I dunno about medicine, or scents. One of those two could be interesting! Can you tell me anything more?" She started to make notes, her fluffy tail swishing happily as she was -finally- getting somewhere in this stupid report.

"I don't know where to begin." Delilah smiled again and shook her head. "There's so much out there. I mean, medicines alone go on forever. Scents... Well, those are easier, I suppose. Here." Neatly, she reached up and plucked the large, blooming hibiscus from her hair and held it out to Rhye. "What do you think of this smell?"

Rhye leaned forward, taking a few deep breathes of the scent. Then she pulled back with a thoughtful look on her face. Usually she'd think about things before speaking. "It.. well, it reminds me of summer," she commented. Little ideas of things that she could do with this started to enter into her mind.

"Summer. Good." Officiously, Delilah leaned in to tuck the flower behind Rhye's ear. She sat back to observe it and then moved in again to adjust the positioning of the bright bloom. "That's what flowers do with their scents. They make you think of things and remember things. That's how they can talk. Do you understand?"

"Now I see what you mean!" Rhye said, red eyes brightening. "And it's also given me an idea. To do a report on that sort of thing. Maybe I would go to a flower shop, and get different ones and have people smell them, and tell me what they remind them of? A report of the language of flower!"

It was obvious she was getting more excited about this boring project now. One hand went up, lightly touching the flower now in her hair. She didn't expect that!

"That's very creative." Delilah smiled encouragingly. She reached up to absently push her bangs from her face and the turn of her head displayed a new flower already appeared in her hair, bright and vibrant. "I bet you could find information on memories and scents in the library. Here..." She moved her hand to indicate all of the gardens. "We have the flowers."

"Well, I didn't want to pick them. But if they're here, then I don't have too, and there are plenty of people here!" Rhye replied. Then beamed up at Del. "Thank you so much!" Then she stopped, looking at the flower already growing to replace to one that was taken from Del's hair.

"Um, why is there another one? I didn't notice that you had two flowers in your hair," she asked curiously.

Delilah smiled and the look was very cat-in-the-cream. "Magic," she whispered solemnly.

"Oooh," Rhye replied. That made all the sense in the world to her. "So, you're like a plant lady? Or a flower one. That's why you're so pretty and why you know so much about plants?" To her, that all made sense.

"I guess you could say that." Delilah leaned in and whispered, "I did come from a cabbage, you know. Maybe that's the secret." Clearly, she didn't realize that Rhye was also from the Center; an oversight made easy by their lack of shared classes and activities.

"Actually," Rhye said, going to inform the older girl. "I came from one too. So did my sister and we're twins. But we don't have plant powers." She grinned, apparently finding this amusing.

"Ah. I see." Delilah straightened and tilted her head, regarding Rhye thoughtfully. She grinned suddenly. "And what powers do you have then?"

"Well, um," Rhye fidgeted slightly, uncertain she should even tell. Now it was Delilah's turn to feel as though someone, or something, was looking at her. There was an odd looking snake arm band on the luck dragon. One with a pair of little ruby eyes. "I sorta kinda have good luck with things?"

Though Delilah gave no indication that she was aware of the snake-eyes, she mentally was filing the reaction away. Her faint smile never left her face. "Luck is useful," she offered. "I think you have hard work, too, though." She motioned to the notebook in the younger girl's arms and nodded. "Unless you believe it's lucky you found me."

"Well, it is. And that you helped me. And that I didn't trip and crush all the flowers," she answered, "Or I didn't get mud on my dress, or fall in the water..." she frowned, remembering her experience with her sister's bad-luck armling. That.. had been horrible. She shook her head, making her silvery hair and the flower swish around a bit.

"Anyway, yes, it was lucky that I found you! But I do work at things, like school," she replied, looking at her note book now.

"And working at things is the best way to win sometimes." Delilah smiled encouragingly and shifted slightly in her seat. Then she stood and held out her hands to indicate the plants around them. "The gardeners are always working here in the gardens," she explained. "They take care of all of the plants and flowers here until everything is blooming and perfect. Even in the dead of winter." She turned a slow pirouette and it was clear to Rhye how much the older girl loved her surroundings. "Everything is alive here."

Well, her good luck was different than that, really. Good things seemed to last longer for her - like quarter rides and games turned out better for her as well, even games of chance. But, she wasn't going to say anything about that. Instead, she smiled, watching Del. "You really do love it here, huh? Do your parents work here?" she asked curiously.

Delilah laughed and shook her head. "My mama? No. She works at Twilight Designs. They make the prettiest jewelry there and Mystic is so chivalrous." She left unsaid, perhaps pushing it firmly from her mind, how the shop also gave her a very unwanted "little sister." She looked back at Rhye. "I don't know what Uncle Kiet does. I think he just tries to stay out of trouble. They used to be pirates, though. Maybe he still does that in secret. What about your parents? What are they like?"

"My mom makes jewerly at home to sell," Rhye said happily. "She's got a web page that Kashmira, my twin, and I helped make. Kash helps mom make the jewerly, too. Dad's a really good lawyer. And he took me to work with him too!" Apparently, she liked what her parents did. Then she tilted her head to one side, as a thought came to her. "You know, there are some pirate kids at school."

"Oh?" There was no effort to hide her disinterest in the prospect of pirate children. The mention of jewelry and law, though, had Delilah study the younger girl more carefully. "Uncle Kiet was a lawyer once. Before he became the Argo's gunner. He always says that he would rather shoot at things that can fight back. I think he's silly. Lawyers look interesting on television."

"My dad's good at it!" Rhye said again, perking up more at the interest in her dad. "And he does look neat going about it, though I've never been in the court room or anything while he was. It was their office, he has a partner. I doubt he shoots things, though," she added as an afterthought.

"Probably not or he'd be the one needing the lawyer." Delilah smiled a bit. "Are your parents going to help you on this project or..?" She trailed off, not quite offering her services, clearly waiting to see if Rhye would ask.

"Well, sort-of-but-not-really?" Rhye replied, tilting her head again. But all the same, she'd rather do it without the aid of parents. That didn't mean she'd want to do it alone, however. "But you do know this place well, would mind helping me find good spots, with different scents, for people to check out?"

Delilah smiled, reassured in the knowledge that her presence was necessary. "Not at all," she answered. Then she turned on her heel and motioned for the younger girl to follow her. "Come on. We'll get started right now." With that somewhat imperious order, the shapely teenager started out of the grove and towards a decorative bridge. The rose garden would be just the place to start...

Map Yankers
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
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The day they were supposed to go off to the island with the twins found Austin and Kaeden in a dirty hole in the wall store called "Fakir's," looking through the books in the back.

They hadn't found anything really interesting yet, but there were a few old, handwritten books hidden among the others that showed promise. Austin was hoping for a map.

They weren't the only kids at Fakir's this morning, either. Kash and their Mom were busy making up the jewelry and charms that would sell in the mall, leaving Rhye with little to do this weekend before their trip out. So, she had skipped out with some of the produces to sell.

The blue luck dragon didn't notice the boys at first either.

Kaeden looked at the book Austin had pulled. "Ya sure about this?" he asked, skunk tail twitching.

"Who's to say there aren't treasures on Gaia?" Austin asked logically. "An' there's no better place to find a map than an old book, savvy? So we find a map and see if we can't get treasure on both planets!" He flipped through the book, then held it up so the pages fluttered, to see if there was anything stuck between them.

"True, cuz the island can't be the only place," Kaeden said in agreement. There was a little smirk pulling at his lips too, one that quickly faded as he reached for another old book to open up. One of these old things had to have something in it!

Rhye's fluffy ears picked up the word 'island' and she looked over. But there were many book shelves in her way of seeing, so she started to walk towards the voices.

"Nothin'," Austin grumbled, tossing the book over his shoulder and picking up another one. "You find anything yet?" he asked, completely uncaring about how his rough handling was hurting the books.

"Nope, not a thing," Kaeden said, still looking at his for a moment longer, just in case he lost something.

The book that was tossed landed at Rhye's feet. She frowned, picking it up. "Excuse me, what are you doing?" she asked both boys.

Austin blinked, then broke into a grin. "'Ello, Rhye! You wanna give us a hand here?"

"Not if you're going to be tossing books," Rhye replied, checking the book over before stepping between the boys to put it up.

Kaeden just blinked at her. This was one of the girls Austin had talked about? he looked-- Oh, there was the band! She really did wear it all the time, huh? It was gold, too, after all. Were those rubies?

"Yep," Austin said to Kaeden, already knowing what he was thinking. "We gotta look through the books, Rhye, else how are we going to find the treasure maps?" He reached for another book, flipping through it briefly and turning it pages down to see if anything came out. "So what are you doing here?"

"Your map hunting? Thought you had one though," Rhye said, watching him to make sure he would toss another book. "But I was seeing if the owner would sell some other things in his shop."

"We have to get the maps somehow. They don't normally wash up," Kaeden said, putting his book back and getting another one. He didn't toss it, due to the fact this girl was here.

Austin, meanwhile, was staring at the inner cover of an old dried out book. After a second he pulled out a small blade and started prying at the inner paper, pulling it up.

"Austin!" Rhye hissed. "You can't just do that! You don't even own that book," she told him, reaching for the book. It didn't bother her that he had a knife, but that he had cut the book, something that wasn't his!

"Wait wait wait," he said quickly, waving at her hand. "This isn't the real thing, see? It's been glued into place." He finished his surgery, then peeked inside, whistling under his breath as he pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

"We've got something!" he told Kaeden as he leaned back and unfolded the sheet of paper.

"It doesn't matter!" Rhye replied, taking the book form him. she wasn't used to people vandalizing things like this. Kash got things a mess, but she couldn't help that. Bastion was twisted that way. "You still shoulda paid for it first."

Kaeden completely ignored her, going around to check out the map. "Awesome, we've got a map? Seriously?" he asked, looking over the boy's should.

Rhye, seeing how he had been ignored, gave a little huff and inspected the damage on the book.

"No..." Austin said, peering at the sheet. "It looks like a letter." He scowled, wondering what a letter would do them, then stopped as he noticed the word "treasure".

"To my love eternal," he read, starting from the beginning. "Although fate has deemed to separate us, I will forever hold you in my heart. Forgive me for abandoning you and our babe, but I leave you with a treasure that should keep you safe from harm." He flipped the page.

"To find this treasure, you must--"

Rhye held on to the book. Good-girl that she was, someone had to pay for it that that someone would have to be her, right? These two so didn't look like they were into that.

Then she listened to Austin read the letter out loud. Huh.

"See? It -is- a map!" Kaeden replied. "There's more to it, right? So, we'll follow what it says to get to wherever the treasure is."

"Yeah, but that has to be from a long time ago. This place has probably changed since then. And what if it's from somewhere else?" Rhye asked them logically.

Austin gave her a dark look, clearly disappointed by her lack of adventurer spirit. "We'll only find out by seeing, you know," he told her as he stood, pocketing the letter in one of his various pockets. "But somewhere more private, savvy? Where curious onlookers won't hear how to find it."

Then he looked both ways as if expecting someone to appear at any moment.

"Fine, alright, I'll go, but I'm taking the book so wait a moment," she said, curious despite the situation. Kash wanted treasure, after all. If she could find some, well, that would be awesome!

She went to the counter, book in hand, to pay for it. And ask about where it came from as well.

"Should we wait for her?" Kaeden asked, looking over at Austin. "That's more people to share it with, ya know."

"Aye, but while she's distracted we might get a chance at that arm bracelet she's sporting," Austin said, looking around as if to see if there was anything of interest in the shop now that they had a "map."

He would probably be back, he decided. This was definitely a place to find interesting things.

Pirate's Deed
Players: Trinityblue, Ice Queen
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He didn't stop until they reached the park, the piece of paper in his pocket, an irritated look on his face. He had been expecting treasure, dammit! And this was just a stupid sheet of paper. Not even a diamond or a ruby to be seen! He grunted as he dropped down on a bench, pulling out the sheet of paper and unfolding it.

"So what's written on the paper this time? Or is it a 'sorry, no treasure here?'" Kaeden asked, going behind the bench and pulling him self up on the back of it so he could look over Austin's shoulder.

"Maybe it's more like the next step? But that house didn't look like they had even been kids in it," Rhye said, pulling up next to the pirate boy.

He stared at it, then stared at it longer, turning it slightly as if he wasn't sure he was holding it the right way. "I don't understand half of this," he muttered finally. "Except that big, fancy word at the top," he added, showing it to them. "I'm pretty sure it says Deed."

"Let me see that," Rhye said, leaning over to get a better look.

While she was distracted with the paper, the glint of the gold got Kaeden's attention. Well, they were going to get that, right? He started to reach for it. How he was going to get it off her, he didn't know, but as his fingers neared the band she moved again.

"It looks like a deed to a house. Meaning that, who ever has this paper, has the house it belongs too," Rhye told him. Then she frowned again, thinking it over and unaware that someone had tried to get her armband.

"So he was leaving his girl and the kid the house, huh?" Austin said, wanting to distract her as he caught sight of what Kaeden was doing from the corner of his eye. He leaned closer to the paper, trying to read it. "Wait..." he said, something clicking in his mind. "You said there weren't any kids living there, right?"

"Yeah," Rhye said as her own conclusion was coming into place. She was oblivious as to Keaden's attempts. Atreyu was aware of this, however. "And if you found the letter telling her where the deed was, then she'd never found it. So... so someone probably took it from her."

Again, Kaeden's fingers reached for the gold on her arm, brushing against it. That was when he suddenly pulled back, biting back a yelp in pain. What the hell?? He was bit? How??

Austin glanced up, glaring at the other boy for making a sound while working. That idiot! Then he quickly tried to get Rhye's attention back. "Of course she didn't get it," he said. "It was still in the book, right? She must have never realized it was there."

Kaeden glared right back at the other boy, finger in mouth since Rhye wasn't looking. Let him try to get the armband! Eeesh, he wasn't a pickpocket. No, better to out right take it and-- The boy blinked, wondering where that thought came from.

Rhye was just about to glance at Kaeden when Austin spoke again. "Yeah, like I said. So, I guess that's the end of the trip? No big treasure or anything." But what to do with the deed now? And she couldn't help but wonder what happened to the family.

"Aye, but this," Austin said, holding up the piece of paper, "means I own that house, right? So that's the big treasure."

He didn't sound very enthused. What was he going to do with a house in the middle of land? He liked being on the ocean! He wasn't sure he could even sleep without the rocking of the boat underneath him!

"What are you going to do with that old house?" Rhye asked him, as if she knew what he had been thinking. Really, what she had thought, was that he already had a place to stay. "Unless you wanna see about getting it fixed up for later use."

Kaeden then glared at the armband. The snake head looked like it was glaring back at him. But that couldn't be, it was just a bit of gold jewerly. It couldn't move! Nor could it have bit him. There was probably some sharp piece on it-- Except for the fact there was a set of bite marks on his finger.

Whatever, let Austin do it. He was better at that sort of thing.

He frowned, still stuck on the "what do you do with an old house" question and not noticing Kaeden's problem. "Well..." he said. "I'll trade you for it," he grinned at her, waving the piece of paper in front of her as if it were something she'd want.

She lifted a brow at him skeptically. "What would -I- do with it? That old house is creepy, and I got a place to stay. What we could do, though, is see if we can find anything about who lived there, and see if anyone is still living that the house properly belongs too, and give them the deed."

He looked at her as if she were insane. "You're kidding me, right?" he said finally. "You don't just GIVE treasure away, you know! That's totally--completely against a pirate's nature! His creed!"

"I'm not a pirate, though," she told him flatly. "I went for the adventure." And to make sure he didn't throw any more books around. And it wasn't stealing now, since she got the book. Then a little smirk pulled at her lips. "You know, I bought the book that the letter was in. Doesn't that mean I own the letter and the deed anyway?"

"Wait, wait! No, we got to the letter before we got the deed thing. And we were the ones digging up the deed, so, that's ours," Kaeden replied. What they were going to do with it, it didn't know. Maybe sell it off. That seemed the best way to do it.

Austin scowled, staring at the deed thoughtfully for a long moment before he shoved it into a random pocket, kicking his feet out in front of him and slumping back against the bench back to think. With a scowl, of course.

Rhye couldn't help but snicker at this pose. It was like he was pouting because she didn't want the deed badly or anything. Mentioning that she bought the book, though, would keep him from pressing the issue.

"We could sell it off. Someone's got to want a house to fix up. And it's a house. People like houses." He had gotten so accustomed to sleeping on the ship, he didn't think he'd be able to go back now, anyway. Besides, at the Tree, they had hammocks that rocked, anyway.

Kae then glanced at Rhye again, as if trying to figure out how to get that band once more, when he noticed something else: Rhye had other things on her. Bracelets and little rings that were shinny as well. They may not have been like the armband, but they might be worth something.

"We'll figure it out later," Austin said suddenly, grabbing Rhye's hand and looking her in the eyes. "You did good, helping us out," he told her earnestly, meaning every word of it.

That move just hand Rhye blinking. Then she gave him a sheepish smile, hearing the praise in his voice. "Um, thanks. Well, it was interesting, and fun. So, no problem! But I should be heading back home now," she told the boys, starting to pull her hand away.

"Yeah, we should, too," he admitted, keeping her eyes focused on his as he let go of her hand slowly, then shoved his hands into his pockets. "C'mon, Kaeden, let's get back to the ship. The Cap'n's probably wondering where we are."

Then he walked away, the ring her sister had made her for an early Easter present stuck in his pocket and slipping easily onto his little pinky. Once he was far enough away he even brought it out to admire it.

"She's so easy."

Arts & Crafts Fair: Projects!

The Bippo Campaign
(Bippo Plot part II)
Players: Ice Queen, Trinityblue
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Rhye ran though the woods, pushing past the branches that scratched at her. She stumbled over roots, but didn't fall. As long as she didn't get lost in the woods, it would be fine, and she could get there quickly.

Then she saw the clearing with the fire, just beyond the bushes and broke through. "Mom! Dad! Kash fell, and she's hurt, and hurry!" she blurted out.

Creola froze where she was, going to prepare dinner, when Rhye came running in. "What??"

Dyer dropped what he was doing and raced in the direction that Rhye had come from. He didn't bother with the shocked period, it took too long. "Kash!" he bellowed. "Kash, where are you?"

The shouting woke Kash up and for a moment she forgot where she was and how she had gotten there, then she realized that something was climbing up her arm. She jumped, shoving at it wildly.

Creola went for the first aid supplies immediately while Dyer went after their daughter.

Rhye rand with her dad. "Near the stream, we fell!" she told him following after him as he had longer legs. She didn't even warn him about the guard.

"Kash!" he bellowed again. "How was she hurt?" he asked his other daughter. "Did her pupils get big? Did she faint?"

"I'm here, Dad!" Kash shouted back, finally getting the creepy crawly off of her.

"She hurt her ankle," Rhye said, then shouted: "We're almost there, Kash! Hold on! Dad, you be careful too." Last thing they needed were two people injured. They got to the edge, and she let her dad go first.

He slid down into the hole, then stopped as the Bippo let out a warning growl. "Kash?" he said quietly. "I want you to back away from that thing really slowly--"

"He's fine, Dad! He's been keeping me company--"

"That's Bippo, he's fine," Rhye said, climbing down now as well. "He's nice, and he's been protecting Kash." She went to her sister's side, reaching out to pet Bippo. "It's okay, that's our dad."

It still didn't look very happy, even as Kash pulled away from him. "Dad, I think I sprained my ankle," she told him.

"I knew I should have gone to medical school instead of law," Dyer muttered, forgetting about the creature to scoop his daughter into his arms gently. "Let's get you--" He almost jumped as Bippo moved to lunge at him.

Rhye grabbed Bippo and held him to her. "Bippo! Dad's gotta carry her out," the she started for the little cliff they fell down in. Obviously taking the thing with her.

"Wait, wait, wait, that's a wild animal, honey, it needs to stay here, among its own kind," Dyer said as he struggled up the cliff with his little girl in his arms. Not that he thought there were more of the strange little monsters, but he didn't like the idea of her bringing it along!

"Bippo saved me, Dad," Kash said. "He's a good boy. And someone abandoned him."

"He's friendly. He let us pet him, and he's been taking care of her," Rhye told their dad, having to hold on to Bippo with one arm and climb with the other arm. It wasn't so easy. "I didn't wanna leave Kash alone, but with Bippo here to protect her.."

He hated to deny his girls anything, but seriously, the little monster was creepy! "Let's--" he paused, searching for a way to wiggle out of it. "Let's ask your mother."

"He's lonesome out here, Daddy!" Kash said.

"Uh huh. But we'll ask mom too," Rhye said, still carrying Bippo with her. The whole fear of him was gone. Sure he was odd looking, but he was good. He took care of her sister.

They got back to the camp site with a harried looking mother waiting on them. When she saw Dyer returning with Kash in his arms, she ran over. "Kash! Oh honey, what happened??" she asked, starting to coo the hurt girl. She didn't notice Bippo.

"I hurt my ankle when we fell into the dry riverbed," Kash said, wincing as she remembered the problem. "Mom, can we have a pet? We'll promise to take care of it!"

"Wha?"

"Bippo!" Rhye said, still holding their wanna-be-pet. She shifted the hold so that her mother could see him better. "We found him. He's tame. He protected Kash, and saved her," she explained.

Creola looked at the thing in shock. He was positively creepy looking! And they wanted to keep him? "What did your father say?"

"He said to ask you," Kash said, sensing victory.

"I had more important things on my mind," Dyer said in his own defense as he placed Kash on the nearest chair and crouched down in front of her to take her tennis shoe off and inspect her ankle. "I think it's just a sprain," he told her. "We'll wrap it up and elevate it. Honey, do we have any ice?" he asked Creola.

"Yes, it's all with the cooler. I had it all gathered up," she said. On the cooler was also a first aid kit, sitting and waiting. She looked again at Rhye and the Bippo thing. "He helped Kash, right?" she asked, giving it a reluctant look and started to reach forward. It horrified her! But..

"Yes, he protected and saved her," Rhye said again, sensing victory as well.

"Well, okay.."

Bippo let out a little purring sound, offering his head.

"It must like females only," Dyer muttered. "Cuz I swore it wanted to take a bite out of me."

Creola petted it, hearing it give an odd purring sound. It creeped her out, but if Dyer didn't want it, then the girls could keep it. "Alright, you can keep him. You two just have to take care of him, feed him," she said, then went towards Kash.

Rhye grinned, walking over as well, still carrying Bippo.

"We will!" Kash said brightly, happily. Dyer gave his wife a dirty look, figuring she was doing this just to torment him. But it wasn't as if he could take back his word now.

"But he should sleep outside," he said. "We'll get him a doghouse when we get home."

"But he doesn't have much fur!" Kash protested. "He might get cold!"

"We'll give plenty of soft pillows and old blankets for him. He'll probably make a mess in the house. You did find him out side, so he's probably not house broken," Creola said. She had given Dyer a wicked little look, as if confirming his thoughts.

"What if we house break him?" Rhye asked, going to hand Bippo to her sister to cuddle while she sat there.

"We'll discuss that when we get home," Dyer said. He made a dark expression over their faces at his wife, then sighed. "Now let's eat something. We might have to take Kash into town in the morning if her ankle's too bad."

"Okay, hot dogs then?" Creola said, calmer now that one of her daughters wasn't hurt as badly as she feared. The cooler and a pillow were over, so that she could prop up her foot. Rhye had dragged a chair next to her sister to sit as well.

"Please!" Rhye said. "And for Bippo, too!"

"And for Bippo," Creola sighed.

Dyer sighed, swearing that he was going to get even with is wife for this one, for sure. Then he got out the hot dogs.

There's No Such Thing: Kashmira meets Ylaine in the Lucky Charm and realizes that they don't particularly see eye to eye.

Beach House part 2
Players: Ice Queen, Trinityblue
----------------------------
Breakfast came and went, along with several compliments from their father, but as soon as they insisted on going swimsuit shopping, he insisted on going with them with a dark expression on his face. The trouble of being the father of two gorgeous teen twins had finally came to his notice.

There was no way in hell he was going to let randy teenage boys near them.

Creola noticed this look on his face and his whole reasoning. The girls were so going to attract boys once they were back in school. Or anywhere, really. And their lack of assets didn't seem to matter. They were only teenagers.

"You know you don't have to come, right? We do have Bippo," Creola said. The thing still freaked her out, but it was a good guard for the girls, that much was for certain.

Dyer's expression darkened and he looked down at Bippo. Bippo had the same exact expression on his face. They didn't like one another one bit.

"But they won't let pets into the store," Dyer said. "It's best we leave Bippo here. Who knows what he'd try to eat?"

"But then Bippo will be lonely," Rhye said, after having put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. "We can't just leave him here."

"Well, we can take him with us. You dad can stay outside the store, and watch him," Creola offered almost wickedly.

"He'll be fine for a few hours," Dyer said. "He seemed to enjoy sleeping in the sand yesterday, right?"

"But what if he gets lost?" Kash asked, not liking the idea one bit. She hugged Bippo closer. "I'll stay here with him and Mom and Rhye can pick out my swimsuit for me."

"I'll pick out something boring," Rhye replied, hands going to her hips. The twins had different likes, after all.

"And I am the other female here...." Creola said, then sighed. "Unless you want to go without me?" She didn't reallly want to be left at home, frankly. Dyer was being unreasonable now! He could stand with Bippo while the girls picked out clothes.

Kash hugged Bippo, looking with large pleading eyes at their father. He groaned, knowing he had been cornered. "Fine," he said. "But put that red thing on him, the harness. And a muzzle."

"We aren't putting a muzzle on him!" Kash said.

"He doesn't snap at anyone!" Rhye agreed, already going for the harness.

Creola couldn't help but smile now, relieved. "Good, thank you. Once Bippo's ready, then we'll head off."

"Love is blind, I think," Dyer said a bit irritably as they got Bippo ready for a ride. How else would his adorable little girls think that that monster was the cutest thing in the world? He caught Bippo staring at him, and glared right back.

Creola rolled her eyes. "It can be, but he hasn't done anything bad. He was easy to house train, and he hasn't chewed up anything more than your shoes and a few ties," she added, amused by this fact. She patted him on the shoulder. "He just doesn't like you."

"Those," he said, "were the shoes I got for the beach."

"And they were ugly!" Kash said. "Bippo did you a favor by eating them!"

Creola grinned. "I have to agree," she said dryly. "We'll get you some new, better ones while we're shopping," she promised getting her purse. It was amazing how she had this kinda life now.

"Don't worry dad, we'll get you some good shoes," Rhye said happily, hugging her dad. Kash was hugging Bippo, after all, and their dad looked like he just needed a hug after finding out about the shoes.

"I liked those shoes," he muttered.

"You were the only one," Kash told him as she walked past, Bippo on his little leash but still in her arms. "Next time we should spray his ugly boxers with the amoeba pattern on them."

"Spray them with what?" Dyer demanded, now knowing what had happened to his shoes.

"Nooothhhiiinnnng."

Rhye walked out as well, laughing as she did. "Don't worry, dad! It'll be fiine!" Then she looked to Kash. "Ya know, I still have tye-dye left over, we could--"

Creola started laughing as well, giving Dyer's back a little shove. "Let's get going, unless you want to stay here."

He watched his two daughter's walking like women down the stairs, their fluffy tails long and enticing, and he cursed, knowing he had no choice. "I'm going," he snarled. "I'm definitely going."

Creola just sighed, walking with him as the twins chatted. "Let me guess, soon as we get home, you're going to bar their windows, aren't you? Well, you'd better not, or they'll rebel."

"They're too young to be--to be this old!" he said. "They were so cute and innocent--not that they aren't, still, but--" He sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his temple as a headache came on. "They grow up way too fast."

"Bikini or one piece?" Kash asked her sister. "It's not like we have anything to show up top."

"Depends on what we like, I think," Rhye replied, thinking about it. Bikini's would be fun! And they wouldn't have to fear about losing their top, since they weren't that big to begin with. "So, let's check both kinds out!"

Creola sighed, looking at the girls again. "Yeah, they do grow up quickly, don't they? I think parents of normal children feel that way too.."

"There's got to be a way to stop them from growing any time soon," he said suddenly. "I don't want to lose my girls within a two year span of time. And they deserve to enjoy their teen years."

"They don't seem to have a set growing time, right? I mean, Chris is a teenager and he's a starmaker, Rory too." Then Creola shrugged, not sure what else to say about it. "I'm sure they've enjoyed their child hood, and they'll enjoy their teenage time, too." But boy did they grow fast. She shook her head lightly.