|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:21 pm
"What exactly are we supposed to do to take care of these... children?" Haze asked softly, keeping her voice low so as not to have the Mishaps hear her.
Retta copied Shavira and seated herself down, careful not to sit on her tail and the teacup. She hasn't quite figured out what the teacup meant or why it seemed permanently fused to her, but it didn't bother her all that much.
She reached out for Leen, feeling rather proud to have given him a name she could actually pronounce. "'Rens! Re'a, Leen, Sha'i, Chu-lo-rees an' ssssnay'es 'rens!!" she declared happily, her ears wiggling.
At that moment a small red puff bounded in from the corner to rest on top of Retta's head.
"Chu-reem-son!" the sheep mishap bleated, pointing to the puff.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:50 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:50 pm
Haze cautiously eyed the note that someone had slipped under her door. It would be rude of her to simply stand up and read the letter. Still, she was rather curious as to what the note contained and whether it was another guardian answer her request to socialize.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 6:14 am
Not noticing the note...and too surprised to go back to her tea, KiiMeLwi stared at Haze, almost unblinking. "Uhh..." She shook her head, trying to snap out of her shock. She wasn't expecting that...hmmm. "Well..." She took another moment to think.
"Do what you think is best for them?" She suggested, now staring at her tea in thought. "Help them when they have problems, comfort them when they're sad, love them always..." She nodded slowly, still thinking. "I've never thought about what I've HAD to do....I've just done it..." She addmited, raising her head again, giving a smile.
Shavira hadn't actually noticed the teacup before then. Peering at it, full of curiousity, she noticed it was attached. Thinking of her mothers practical addiction to tea, she thought..."Retta like tea?"
Shavira grinned even wider (if its physically possible by now...) and nodded viciously. "All friends!" She petted first the two snakes heads, her head, then Retta's, enjoying herself greatly. Friends were ALWAYS fun. The snakes felt her excitement and wriggled around and about, quite happily.
Shavi gave a gasp when the puff came into view. "Hi!" She giggled hysterically. "Cute!" She declared nodded at him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:48 am
"That sounds like such an awful lot of work..." Haze wrinkled her nose at the things Kii enumerated. "Do you suppose it would it be appropriate to hire a 'nanny' of sorts whenever I need to take a break?" Haze asked, even if it was inappropriate she would still go ahead with her plan. She would just have to make sure no one in the HQ would know about it, that's all.
And if there's one thing Haze was talented in, it was keeping the right secrets.
Retta bleated in a proud manner at being called friends and beamed at how Shavira found Crimson cute.
"'Ee?" she echoed, not quite sure what that substance was or was it a person? She had only been given milk, water and fruit juice to drink as per Huni's instruction.
The puff nervously eyed the snakes and stayed on its owner's head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:51 pm
KiiMeLwi's ears flapped briefly, and she felt herself twitch with them. "Yeah, I'd have to say it is a lot of work..." She took a sip of tea. Mmm. Tea. "But it's all worthwhile."
Thinking for another moment and taking another gulp, ignoring the searing heat that burned its way down (she was used to it), Kii ear-flapped again. "Like....like a babysitter? I...don't see why not. I mean, I have to go to work plenty of times and leave Shavira in another's care. I have been taking time off of work to spend more time with her though."
KiiMeLwi almost asked why Haze was questioning her about these things...but decided against it.
A small finger pointed at her Mama and Retta's Mama. "Tea!" She confirmed. "Drink! It's hot. Kinda icky. Juice better." She licked her lips.
Moving her hand from Retta's head, she now petted Crimson. "Shavi saw one of you b'fore. Cute." She repeated.
The snakes, fully aware of Crimson's presence, all stared straight back at the puff. Some of them, like Leen or Chloris, merely found him interesting. Others, like a snake on Shavira's left side, found him fun to glare at, and even possibly make feel uncomfortable. If Shavira had been unused to her snakes, she would have realized she should not have been able to simply know what they felt...but...since she didnt...well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 12:57 am
"Oh marvelous, for a moment I had thought we would penalized for employing another to care for our charges." Haze breathed in relief, it would be so much easier for her to raise Retta now. "Have you met many of the other guardians and the children in their care?"
Crimson puffed a little in delight as Shavira stroked him but he bristled at the glaring snake and promptly hopped down, behind Retta.
"No 'ee." Retta shook her head, Haze had never given her the chance to drink from those pretty cups, or the chance to drink the odd substances in them for that matter. "'Ee no yummee?" she bleated, ears wiggling in curiosity. Icky was a word she hadn't heard of before, but from the tone Shavi was using, she guessed it mean tea wasn't all that good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:26 pm
"Mmm..." Was all Kii could think of to...mumble at first. "Well, I've met a few. More and more seem to be coming in lately." She was a bit surprised at Haze's attitude...but she wasn't very used to people anyway, so she wasn't shocked. Kii finished off her tea quick quickly and patted her hand with a napkin she had yanked out of her pocket. Always be prepared for Tea, she always said.
A mere second or two later, Kii felt the vibrations and heard the beeping of her newest pager. Caught completely by surprise, she shot upwards, ears sticking straight outwards, and grabbed at it, trying hard to find the button to quiet it. Dropping it once, then twice, she finally managed to look and see who would be searching for her. Ears drooping as she recognized the dreaded number of her boss, she tucked the pager away. "Hmph. Looks like a girls work is never done. I swear, if the man just needs coffee, I'll kill someone. Well, it looks like I'll be having to cut this playdate thing short...I'm sorry! Perhaps we can meet up again someday."
Shavira shrugged her little shoulders quickly. "Shavira thinks tea is...interesting. Not very yummy, not very bad." She laughed. "Shavi uses sugar if she has to drink tea. Lots of it." She looked up, noticing her Mama walking towards them. She waved. "Hi Mama! Retta name Leen!" She paused, looking at her mother more closely. "Shavi has to go, doesn't Shavi?" She asked, more quietly. She hated having to leave her friends. But she knew Mama had work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:19 am
Haze managed to keep herself from appearing anxious about her guests' departure,
"I suppose, if that's for the best." she nods, keeping her composure and ushers the guardian and her Mishap out.
"Bid them farewell, Retta." Haze instructed before closing the door after the pair.
"'Eyrwell." The Mishap bleated in disappointment, pouting as her new friend left. She didn't quite understand why they had to go all of a sudden, did Haze do something to make Shavi's person go? She narrowed her brown eyes at her guardian in suspicion.
Haze was not oblivious to how Retta was staring at her, "I will tolerate your expression for now. But in the future, if I ever catch you glaring at me like that for no apparent reason, there will be consequences. And believe me, they will be of the unpleasant kind." Haze stated nonchalantly as she bent to retrieve the letter.
"Well, this is curious indeed, it seems they are aware of what happens to us. I am rather disturbed and interested with this knowledge. Now let's see to it we solve your little problem."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:27 am
Bad Hair Day Away!
Haze re-read the letter she received during the playdate between Shavira and Retta. Her brows knitted together in apprehension and she pursed her lips. The Silarian woman was accustomed to dealing with difficult manes, recalling the time when Huni had hair as long as hers. She had managed to settle the unruly locks with a specialy formulated conditioner she had her brother's servant cook up.
It would have been so much easier for Haze if it were just Retta's hair. But even the brightly colored wool-fixtures on her arms were being affected. Wool was not hair, though technically it was, but to the red-head wool fell under the garment label. And while Haze shopped for tons of garments, she had no clue what to do to maintain them.
"That has always been Rae's task." she whined.
From her crib, the sheep mishap swished her tail from side to side. Retta blinked and bleated, her ears wiggling at the sound of her guardian's complaints. She scratched at her hair, half-groaning and half-crying as her fingers caught on a knot that had formed.
"Hayse!" Retta bleated, tugging at her hand and ending up hurting herself in the process. She began to cry in frustration, she wanted to free herself but it hurt! "Haaaaaaayssssssse!!!" she wailed.
The Silarian woman winced at the lung capacity of her charge, and turned to see what was the matter.
"You got your hand stuck again?" she frowned, obviously displeased. "Then what this letter is saying is true, it's not just a coincidence. But how on Silar am I to remedy this situation when I know nothing about wool!?" she hissed, carefully trying to untangle Retta's fingers from her hair. She wasn't about to cut it, the last thing she needs is to be rendered unconscious while holding a pointed object.
"Maybe Huni will know what to do." she muttered. Once she managed to free Retta's fingers, she headed to her room through the portal that connected the Mishap's bedroom to Huni's house. Sticking her head out of her room, she began to bellow out for her employee.
Silence greeted her.
"Of all the times for her to be out!" Haze snarled, slamming the door loudly. "Who'll help me now?"
Retta was thoroughly relieved to have her hand free and was now trying to find a new gesture that didn't involve touching her hair. Or the warmers on her wrists and ankles. Or her tail.
Haze returned to Retta's room, and began to pace. "If you were a canine, your fur problem would be solved by bathing you with special grooming products. But it's WOOL! Wool! For Yrast's sake, I hardly wear fur, let alone wool! This is a task I am unable to handle on my own-" she suddenly turns to Retta, "And if you ever breathe a word about this to Huni I shall disown you." she warned.
"But for now," Haze suddenly scooped the infant into her arms and deposited her onto her stroller. "We are going to visit Silar again. And hopefully, Arson still away on business and Rae'll be there to help us."
The pair ventured back to Silar, arriving directly in Haze's room located in Wyndre Manor. It was an exact duplicate of the room in Huni's house, the only difference being the Manthian-skin rug covering the entire floor. The red-head yanked viciously on a cord, signaling a servant was being summoned. Shortly after, the padding of feet could be heard and the door opened to reveal a waifishly thin man. His short, silver hair was sleeked back with animal oils, and he was dressed in simple clothing.
"Mistress Haze, you rang?" he bowed.
"Has my brother returned from Kalnor?" Haze asked, standing in front of Retta, blocking her from the servant's view.
"Not yet, Mistress." he shook his head, eyes downcast.
"Excellent, send for Rae." Haze instructed, grateful that Retta remained silent until the servant had gone. "I hope you recall Rae, the blonde servant of my brother's. She was with us when we first came here." she reminded her charge.
Retta made an unpleasant face as she recalled their first visit, were they going to buy more itchy dresses? She squirmed in the stroller, her tail wrapping tightly around the bars between the wheels.
Soon there came a knock, and at Haze's instruction Rae entered. "Mistress? You called for me?"
"Yes, my charge has been having difficulties with her mane. Do you have anything that might aleviate the problem? A salve of sorts, perhaps?"
Rae blinked, confused at the red-head's request. "Begging your pardon, Mistress, but aren't you more adept at dealing with hair than I am?"
"Don't be stupid, of course I am! Retta's mane is taking on the properties of wool. And since you are far more experienced in washing garments and maintaining their quality, I assume you have some special brew that keeps them that way."
Rae canted her head slightly before approaching the infant strapped into the stroller. "Hello, Retta. Remember me?" she smiled gently, reaching out to stroke the Mishap's hair. Her slender fingers ran down to the warmers on her ankles and wrists and she nodded in understanding.
"Ah, I understand what you mean now. I'll be back shortly." she excused herself to fetch something for Haze.
"Rae has yet to disappoint me, but she cannot know that. Remember Retta, appearances and impressions are everything. If you can keep people from knowing how you truly feel, you remain in control." Haze explained with a smirk.
Retta observed the ongoings between her guardian and the blonde woman. She managed to understand just what it was that Haze meant and decided that the red-head would prove more valuable than just a source of funds and food.
The blonde servant returned soon enough with a bottle. Handing it to Haze, Rae begins to explain what it is.
"This has lavender extract and other herbal essences. I use this for the most delicate of clothings, it shouldn't be harmful for Retta, since I wash most of the clothes with my bare hands." She displayed her hands to show that they remain scar and stain free. "Just add a few drops into the water when you bathe her. It should help make her wooly hair more managable. And don't use those combs and brushes you use on your hair. Use a wide mane-groomer instead."
"So much work, I'm beginning to re-evaluate the worth of being this child's guardian." Haze frowned, folding her arms across her chest. She sincerely felt inconvenienced, but she had to admit she was learning of so many new things. She wasn't about to say these thoughts aloud, not after her lecture.
Retta reached out for the bottle, hearing her name mentioned during the explanation. "Maaaaaaiiiiiiiiyyyyn!!!!" she declared.
"This will do, you are dismissed Rae. I shall be leaving now, be sure to inform the staff that I haven't been to the manor since I left months ago." And without another word, she wheeled themselves back to Gaia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 6:58 am
Testing Things Out
They had just arrived from Silar when Retta soon found herself back in the crib. She frowned, wanting more time to be free from the oppressive bars. But when Haze just left her, she realized there was little she could do but play with Crimson.
Soon, Haze returned, holding an odd looking brush. Retta was scooped up and they headed towards the doorway connecting her room with Huni's house. The mishap's eyes widened, because her tummy wasn't rumbling this meant only one thing: BATH TIME.
While she didn't dislike taking a bath in general, Haze wasn't the most gentle of scrubbers. Shampoo once got into her eyes, but that hasn't happened again ever since she let out that particular bleat. She remembered the bottle and assumed it was a new shampoo. She hoped it smells nice, Retta found some of the scents that Haze liked were too old for her.
Bath time passed in relative silence, and Retta came to find the odd substance smelled lovely. A shame it didn't taste as good. After the brisk and rather rough towelling off, the mishap realized what came next: Brushing.
She began to crawl away, the few strands that remained wet dripping all over the bathroom floor. She was caught easily, and while she was about to bleat, she felt something new stroking her hair. She felt hair begin to knot and tangle up like before, only not as much. It still hurt to have Haze yank and tug, but Retta noticed she didn't encounter the knots as much. Curiously, she ran her own fingers through the wooly portions of her body and found, to her delight, that her fingers didn't get caught!
She bleated her joy and surprisingly nuzzled against Haze. "Yay!" she cried happily, her tail wagging.
Haze sighed in relief, it worked! It really worked! The old knots were still there, but that couldn't be helped. She figured if she washed Retta enough times with the fabric softener, the texture would stay relatively tangle-free. Thank Yrast, that was over!
She blinked upon feeling Retta nuzzling against her and for a brief moment, she understood just what all the other guardians were talking about all the work being worth it.
There was a warm, fuzzy glow in her. But she realized that no one in the Wyndre household was to know of this.
"Because it's just the two of us, Retta, we may share our feelings with each other. But if there is anyone else present, we revert to our original state of relationships, do you understand?"
Retta cocked her head to the side. Haze was so confusing sometimes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 7:24 am
Retta suddenly started to feel odd. Her wool felt warmer than usual. A lot warmer!
That sensation quickly started to spread over her whole body, and when it was nearly unberable... it faded!
But she felt different. It took a while to notice but she realizes her hears were muck longer than before, as well as the wool on her arms and legs. And her tail was stronger than before, finally able to lift her more normal sized teacup without trouble
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:15 am
Changes
Retta blinked in surprise as she lifted her hands to her face. Her fingers were longer, the woolen rainbow warmers were fluffier, and her tail was stronger. She raised her tail to look at the teacup
attatched and saw that it too had become larger.
"Wat happen?" she bleated to Haze, brown eyes wide in curiosity.
Haze wasn't all too sure herself, did all children grow this fast? Or was it only those born in Gaia? The speed infants aged was certainly astounding by Silarian standards.
"You've... aged. Yrast help me, you've grown!" she squealed, quite beside herself in a mixture of awe and shock.
"I grow?" Retta repeated, realizing she had better command of her words. She was not as articulate as Haze, she was after all a mere toddler. But she could move better, and she showed this by tiptoeing and giving a little twirl. She wobbled slightly and caught onto Haze for balance.
"I grow!" she declared brightly.
"Indeed you have..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:28 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:35 pm
Cousin Noi grew too?
Retta yawned sleepily as she was ushered from her room to the dining table. She no longer sat in the high chair, but she wasn't allowed to sit on the regular chairs either. Her chair had been adjusted so that despite her stature, the table would be level to her chest. At first she thought she was seeing things when she saw there were two chairs of the same nature.
After rubbing the cobwebs of sleep from her eyes, she realized there there were indeed two chairs. Who's chair was that?
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" came a loud squeal from upstairs. A crash, followed by manic laughter eventually brought a very familiar figure into the dining area.
"Noi, please..." Keith's voice begged from upstairs, "Wait for me..."
Retta stared at the somewhat larger figure of her cousin Metanoia. She had grown too. The mishap inwardly frowned at this, was the Painted Soul trying to steal her growth?
"Retta?" Noi blinked in surprise, "RETTAAAAAA!!!!" the yin-yang girl cheered in delight before she launched herself at the Mishap. "We grow together? Yayayayaaaaa!!!!!" she laughed, pinning her cousin to the ground.
"By Yrast, get off my charge!" Haze yelled, viciously yanking Noi up and off Kalderetta.
"Haze don't be so rough." Huni sternly declared as she pried Haze's fingers off the Soul. "Noi sweetie, why don't you sit down like a big girl and we'll have breakfast."
Retta took in the sight of her older cousin as well as the animosity radiating from Huni. She hadn't seen her aunt like this before, it was very disturbing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
