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7/31/05 - RP Recap (Incomplete)

"Stoooopppit, squishee!" Donny squealed, trying to flutter away from his father as the man continually fussed over the newly unbandaged wing. Nio reached out into the air to try and snag his rogue son one more time, before taking a deep breath and giving up.

"Donny, it wouldn't hurt to let me check it one last time before all your friends come over, would it?"

"Yes it would!" Donny whined, holding the tips of his wings protectively as he landed on top of a bookcase and perched there precariously. "No more poking Donny!" He proclaimed, staring down at his father contemptuously. "Donny demands it!"

"Oh, for crying out- .. 'demands'? Since when is that word in your commonly used vocabulary, Donny?"

Nio was partially joking - there was no way he could know all of the words Donny had learned since he had been found, but he was more right than he realized - because demand was a word Donny had never learned from any other tale, or otherwise.

No, he'd picked that one up himself.

"Daddy demands that you come down from there." Nio warned, in a voice that Donny respected just a little more than normal. The little winged boy frowned and fluttered towards his father tentatively, halting in mid-air and backing up with a glare.

"No more poking."

"All right, all right, fine. No more poking. Just tell me if your wing starts to hurt anytime, promise?"

This was a demand Donny could easily accept - after all, it was squishee's job to care for him. It was only right that he be informed when Donny was uncomfortable. Donny nodded fervently and flew into his father's awaiting arms, which scooped the boy up and walked back into the kitchen, where a colorful blur was zooming in circles, scattering flour and chocolate chips everywhere.

Nio pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He'd just finished dealing with one winged terror, only to have to deal with another. "Asra, I said you could make cookies, I didn't say you could make a mess."

The blur of color didn't halter, but a voice bubbled from it. "Don't worry dad, I'll clean it all up when I'm done~!" The boy sung out, and a tuft of flour suddenly puffed in Nio's face. He winced at the white puff that now covered the middle of his face, and backed away slowly.

"I just hope Orestae taught him how to cook.." Nio mumbled to himself, though Donny heard it and giggled in response.

"Mommie, are they here yet?"

"No sweetie...just be patient, okay? They'll be here soon!"

"Okay." Vidya stated almost sadly, staring at the clock. The Author and Tale pair had been in the living room for some time now, and this was a conversation that came up once every ten minutes for the past half hour...and in between those little bits of conversation, Vidya would stare up at her brother and her father, giggling in glee over the entire situation. Enoh could completely understand why Vidya would keep asking this...but that didn't mean it wasn't annoying.

Slowly, it was starting to get very, very annoying.

Vidya yawned a bit, hugging the dragon plush, Kalani, close to her for the first time in probably two months. Lately, the plush had been grounded to her closet, but only recently had she decided to let him out...on the condition he was nice to her, of course. Lamely, the tale looked around the room, and then back towards Enoh. The shapeshifter knew exactly what was going to be said...and in turn, cast a 'god...save me!' glance at Nio as he and Adonis disappeared into the kitchen.

"Mooom...." The voice that was now in the room surprised Enoh, in all honesty. She'd been expecting Vidya's bubbling, curious voice...but instead got one of a distressed, and very pregnant doe. "The kitchen's a mess..." Mieke whined out her words. To the doe, the Kitchen was her own little place...and she always kept it in absolute perfect shape...Even moreso now that she was pregnant (and close to the due date, too!). Needless to say, Asra's mess was upsetting her.

"Aww...Don't worry about it sweetie. Asra will clean it up! I promise. Don't fret over it, alright...?" Enoh had stood, stepping over to her distressed daughter and giving her a reassuring hug. "And They'll be here soon, Sea Monster."

"Okay." With her question answered before she could even ask, she only happily lapsed into patient silence, swinging her legs against the couch's base and humming to the little plushie she held.

"I'm surprised they're letting you anywhere near their kids after the s**t you pulled at the wedding," Inle mumbled as she and Tybalt finally arrived at their destination. The phone call and invitation to sleep over had been a shock--she hadn't expected to hear from Enoh and Nio after Tybalt had gotten Adonis drunk at their wedding.

"Yeah, that was pretty funny," Tybalt replied with a laugh that immediately died under Inle's withering glare. He easily fended off the dark, chubby hand that reached for him, courtesy of the bright, silent boy Inle had named Calumet. "Why's 'e along anyway?" Tybalt grumbled; Calumet seemed to have formed an attachment to him, presumably due to his brightly-colored plumage, but the fondness only went one way.

"Because he wouldn't stop crying. He's not dumb, he knew you were leaving, if only overnight. You're his favorite sibling, and he doesn't want to be without you. It's almost cute. I can't wait for him to learn better." Calumet, his plan to touch his pretty-colored brother thwarted, merely sighed silently and relaxed in Inle's grasp, his head thudding harmlessly against her shoulder. Rainbow-colored eyes peeked out through mostly dark hair as he stared at Tybalt, enraptured by his colors.

"Yeah, well I don't like 'im. 'E's too clingy."

Inle rolled her eyes. "Clingy. Right. Just knock on the door already." Tybalt did so, and they waited. "Some rules for tonight: you will not swear where Enoh and Nio can hear you, you will not get ANYONE drunk, including yourself, you will not start a fight, verbal or otherwise, with anyone, and you WILL NOT leave the house with your little friends, unless Enoh and/or Nio are with you. Clear?"

Tybalt rolled his eyes and once more fended off Calumet's hand. "Whatever."

Her small backpack and sleeping bag thrown over her shoulder, Lyris frowned deeply as she stepped out of the family van in front of Donny's house. She was nervous. She had happily jumped at the chance to get out of the house and even see Donny, but she hadn't met any of the others that were going to be there..not for more than a second anyway.

Lyris glanced up at her mother as the young woman took her small daughter's hand in her own, guiding her up to the door.

"Remember to behave yourself, Rissa," Kira started. "I know being around Donny gets you hyper, but try not to break anything or make a mess."

"I won't," Lyris said flatly, her eyes cast to the ground.

"And if you want to come home, you know the number. Just ask to use the phone."

"I won't."

"You won't what?"

"Want to come home. So it's not something I have to worry about. Can you just go already?" Lyris grumbled, tugging her hand away from Kira and crossing them over her chest as she made her own way to the door.

Donny heard the door knock first, and he perked, bending around to get a good look at where Vidya was. He grinned predatorily - he knew his sister was going to try and get to the door before him.. but oh, it wasn't going to happen. He had a plan. He was prepared.

Well no, he wasn't prepared, he just figured he could fly faster than she could toddle. And he was right, too. He zipped out of his father's grasp and within seconds he was whizzing towards the door. It seemed as if he was definitely going to win, although he didn't take the time to turn and check if Vidya was really going for the door or not. That would waste precious seconds, seconds he could spent flying through the air faster than a speeding-

THUNK.

...bullet. Said bullet had just slammed into the door headfirst, as he hadn't given himself time to stop. This left him to fall on his bum, rubbing his nose.

But that would not deter him! Ohno. He would still open that door. He reached up and caught the handle with his chubby little hand, and tugged..

..but nothing happened.

So instead, he reached up with both hands, and began the slow pull of the door. Of course, it would slowly open, creepily slow in fact, though Tybalt and Lyris wouldn't be able to see Donny behind the door tugging on it. Worse yet, Donny had become so intent on opening the door, that now he left it wide open for Vidya to greet the guests first.

Plan thwarted. ):

Of course she was going to try! As soon as she heard the door, she gasped happily and nearly fell off the couch in her attempt to get off of it. Luckily, she managed to stay on her feet...but the real test was getting to the door and to their friends before her brother! As soon as she started to dart to the door, the sun-like flash of Adonis went zooming past her...

...and immediately hit the door.

Okay, there Vidya lost it. She lapsed into a fit of giggles, obviously finding Adonis to be the funniest thing on the planet right now. Still, she managed to toddle towards the door.

"Thankee, Donny!" She managed to call out through her giggles as he opened the door for her. She didn't look at their guests yet, as tempting as it was. Instead, she ignored them completely and walked around the door, tugging Adonis into the open doorframe when she returned, both of her arms around one of his. He tried so hard, it wasn't fair for her to take advantage of the situation!

NOW she looked up at their guests. If it were possible, she brightened. "Hiya Cap'n! Hiya Cap'n Momma!" Letting go of Adonis, she waved to them before giving Tybalt's legs a hug, as that was the only thing she could reach right now. She them peered at the other little girl there. "Hiya! Me seen you a'fore, right?! Viddy remembers! Pretty red hair." She nodded, as if confirming what she recalled from memory. "N'Pretty girl's Mommie, yes? HI!"

Enoh appeared shortly after in the doorway, her fingertips pressed against her lips, trying to restrain herself from an outburst of laughter similar to Vidya's. "Hi. Thanks for coming...No really, I mean it. I think Vidya was going to explode if you didn't show up soon." She giggled, shaking her head. "Ah...if you have any questions ot just want to check up, don't hesitate to call, okay?" For some reason, she felt the need to let them know they were allowed to...obviously.

Inle and Tybalt shared a look of confused surprise at the sound of Donny flying headlong into the door. She raised her eyebrows at him and he shrugged, feathers ruffling and smoothing. He immediately relaxed as the door opened and their hosts arrived, however. It had been far too long since he had last seen his young crewmates, and as annoying as Donny could be, he certainly missed Vidya. His wings and tailfeathers spread as she attacked his legs, enabling him to keep his balance. With a chuckle, he reached down and patted her head.

"'Hoy there, Vidya, 'Donis. 'S been far too long, eh?" He added with a rogueish grin and a tip of his hat to Enoh, "And a good evenin' t' you too, ma'am."

Inle almost burst out laughing. "Ma'am, wow, he must REALLY be trying to suck up!" This earned her a glare from Tybalt, and if she noticed it, she didn't appear to care. "I don't think I'll need to call. If Tybalt wants to come home, he knows the way. If he gets out of hand, well...you've still got my number, right?" Inle mentally sweatdropped. She wasn't sure if the relationship between her and the shapeshifter had changed at all due to the incident at the wedding.

Calumet stared silently down at the blue girl. Why didn't Tybalt mind her touching him? He stretched his hand towards his older brother once more, only to have it brushed away by a still-unfurled wing. Well this...this just wasn't fair! Frustration was beginning to set in, and the toddler pouted as tears welled up in his large, multi-colored eyes. The heaving of his tiny shoulders was Inle's first indication that he was crying again, and with a sympathetic noise, she held him closer. His hands covered his face as he tried to bury himself in Inle's shoulder, and his small frame was wracked with silent sobs. "Aww, Cal...Tybalt, come say good-bye to your brother!"

"Bye, brat!" Tybalt called out cheerily, glad to be away from the silent leech if only for a day.

Lyris smiled and nodded to Viddy as she took another step towards the door, looking around hopefully for Donny. Her attention was distracted, though, by the toddler next to her and the actions of his so called brother in front of her.

"That wasn't very nice," Lyris stated to Tybalt's back.

"And it's not your place to point out when someone is being rude," Kira stated before smiling at Enoh. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Lyris is...rather independent."

"Yeah, so go on and get already," Lyris grumbled, sending her mother a sharp glare.

"Who's being rude now?" Kira asked, glaring right back before turning her back on Lyris and storming towards the car.

Donny was suddenly pulled forward, letting the door stay open of it's own regard. He mentally chastised himself for letting his sister get there before him, though as always Vidya remained the better person by letting them greet their friends together. His face lit up when he saw the two, letting Vidya slide off to cling to the Cap'n while he toddled over to watch Lyris and her mother. His bright smile faded for a moment in place of a worried frown, and when Kira turned away, Donny reached out and took Lyris' hand to tug on it.

"Lyris.. not happy? What's wrong with Lyris momma?" He asked quietly, very (uncharacteristically) worried about the situation.

From the kitchen came a clatter, and Asra stopped zooming in circles, finally brushing the flour off his dark skin. He had just slipped the cookies in the oven and begun to clean himself off when he realized that everyone had headed to the doorway to greet the guests.

"Children!" He squealed happily, and hovered towards the door, fluttering his fairy wings in a buzz as he looked out to all of the children and parents. Oh, he was so glad he had come~!

His eyes fell on Calumet, drifted off, and then returned sharply. There they remained, and widened, and stared. He was silent for a full minute, from pure shock. Slowly, a smile broke on his face, and he dropped to his feet, padding over to Inle and the boy in his arms. He looked up at her, his face the picture of innocence.

"Hello. My name is Asrafel!" His eyes couldn't help but drift back to Calumet for a moment, before returning to Inle. "May I ask your names, as well?"

Lyris smiled at Donny, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "She doesn't like that I can take care of myself so young. It's ok. She'll be fine by tomorrow," She said, moving and curling her arms around Donny. "I missed you."

In all honesty, Enoh was speechless by the...rather polite greeting by Tybalt.

Shaking her head, she pushed all those worried, lingering thoughts aside. He'd be good now, right? Right. Smiling once more, Enoh winked playfully at Inle. "Well, there're no monsters in the house That'll eat them. Well, Teivel might bark, but hey, thats expected." Really, the shapeshifter didn't put the blame on Inle for what happened. It wasn't her fault after all...it just so happened she had a pure pirate as a son. BUT...Since Vidya would have hated her if she refused to have Tybalt over, she decided to give him a second chance. "I think I've still got the traps up, come to think of it..."

"NU! No trapping tha Cap'n!" Vidya protested, giving her mother one of those infamous pleading looks. Enoh, of course, avoided eye contact with her daughter. Vidya's attention went back to Tybalt then, and she let go of his legs to grab his hand, leading him inside. "In, in!"

"Ah...Bye then! Nice to see you!" Enoh called out, having noticed a little to late that Kira was storming off. The shapeshifter had stepped aside to let Vidya through, and was thusly robbed of seeing the other woman leave. "Well then...I guess we shold all come inside? It'd make chatting more comfortable." She giggled softly, her words cut off partially by Asra's appearance.

Tybalt spared a haughtily raised brow and a curled lip towards the mouthy little toddler--a Tale like himself, he could tell--but deigned not to acknowledge her further. There were better things to focus on, like Enoh's shocked expression. He could've laughed at her speechlessness, but that would've given away his false cordiality. Instead, he smiled winningly, allowing himself to be pulled into the house by his first mate. "Aw, traps?" he continued, a note of innocence in his voice. "Do I really warrant such treatment?" Anything to avoid getting yelled at for the wedding debacle, he supposed; he had already gotten an earful about it from Inle.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind if something ate Tybalt. I just hope whatever it is doesn't choke on the feathers." She laughed as the bird subtly flipped her the bird and was about to step inside when she noticed the NAKED boy at her side. Almost instinctively, she clutched Cal tighter; there was a NAKED boy standing right next to them! She didn't count those ribbons as clothes. "Er," she started, rather eloquently, "I'm Inle, and this is Calumet. The walking, talking pillow over there is Tybalt."

At the sound of his name, Calumet looked up, tears still running down his cheeks. He looked at Inle, noticed she was looking elsewhere, and turned his head to see what made her eyes so big. His own grew big as well as he took in the ribbon-laden form of Asrafel. The boy was so colorful, just like Tybalt! With a silent grunt, Cal stretched a chocolate-colored hand towards the boy's ribbons. If he had noticed the same prickle of recognition that Asra had, he didn't show it.

It wasn't a surprise that Calu didn't seem to feel what Asra did. After all, Lillian had always told him he was special. Of course that usually followed with an insult, but he knew that underlying those scalding words was something deeper, more important. It was that same something that helped him to realize just how special Calumet was, just by being near him.

"Inle, and Calumet. How lovely~" He murmured, obviously not really interested in Tybalt. He was Asra's younger siblings playmates, and as such would be treated nicely, but Asrafel's attention now focused on the little one in Inle's arms.. and on Inle herself. He looked up at her with a sharp gaze, and a creepily innocent smile.

"Say, Calumet seems to enjoy Tybalt's company. There are enough kids staying at this sleepover as it is, why not let Calumet come as well? I work at a daycare center so I know all about kids just like him."

Just like him was an understatement.

Donny, on the other hand, was blissfully ignorant to his older brother's antics. He was currently snuggling the daylights out of Lyris and making some sort of childish purring noise of content.

"Yes of course you did! And Donny missed Lyris, too much! Tha's why you guys stay over, and we'll have cookies and Lyris stays forever!"

"Until tomorrow that is." Nio corrected, finally joining his wife at the door. He wrapped an arm loosely around Enoh's waist, just barely managing to catch Donny's words.

".. Yah. Forever until tomorrow."

He gave a half-smirk of a greeting to Inle, followed by a wave. "Nice to see you again Inle. And.. where'd Kira go? I didn't even get a chance to say hello.."

"Forever sounds nice... But Kira will probably come and drag me home if I don't go willingly. And I told her to go away," Lyris said, leaning against Donny as she looked up at Nio. "She's been in a foul mood anyway. She wouldn't have been any fun."

"Yes, You do." Enoh replied rather flatly, and being quite blunt about it. She watched Vidya guide him inside, sighing softly...'please let this night go by without incident' she thought to herself. Blinking, she looked back at Inle...and then started grinning once more. "Well...I'll be sure to adopt a bird-eating monster. Maybe a crocodile." She kept her voice lowered, so Vidya wouldn't hear her and complain. The shapeshifter giggled at Inle's reaction towards Asrafel...she'd already gotten used to it, after all. She leaned happily against her husband once he appeared next to her, the arm closest to his side pressing against her own stomach so that her hand rested upon his own. "Hiya."

"YAY Forever!" Vidya called out happily, parroting her brother. She didn't mind if they stayed forever, either! It'd be easier to be a First Mate if you didn't have to go home after a few hours. Enoh had been surprised that the small girl even heard Adonis, as she was on the far side of the living room, pointing towards the doorway that led to the basement. She explaining only happily to Tybalt that there were no monsters down there like there were at his house...just a grouchy 'old deer' (She quite enjoyed annoying the stag by calling him old, since he usually threatened to throw her in the pool. She was still waiting for that to happen, actually). Nevertheless, she assured him that it was just as interesting. "Teitei's got lotsa neat things." She finally finished, nodding only to confirm what she'd been babbering on about.

Eventually, Vidya turned and waved both of her arms over her head, trying to catch the attention of Adonis and Lyris. "Innn...C'mon Donny! Lets show Tha Cap'n and Pretty Lyris around tha house! ...Lets build a tent outside!" Her last sentence had absolutely nothing to do with showing them around the house, but ah...thats Vidya for you. Alright, so she was a little more than excited to have friends over for the night...

Just a little.

Tybalt couldn't help but mock-pout, a bit disappointed that Enoh wasn't taking to his charms. She was quickly forgotten as his first mate began speaking, and he listened avidly. "Neat things, y' say? Hmm...what kinda neat things?" A plot was already forming in his mind. He'd have to take the kids with him, though; surely this deer-creature wouldn't harm him if there was a chance of harming the little ones, right?

Inle's head turned from the very NAKED, creepy, ribbon-clothed boy at her side to her friends. "Likewise, Nio. I hope you've got your valuables locked up." And your liqour, she thought to herself. "And Enoh, make sure you tie his feet together first. Those claws of his are something else." She had seen the cracks in the basement floor after Tybalt and Vidya's adventure and couldn't help but wonder. If they were that strong as a toddler, how much more of a punch did they pack now that he was bigger?

Calumet's squirming dragged her attention back to nudie-boy. There was something not quite right about this kid... "I dunno, shouldn't you ask your parents fi--" Anything else she might have said was cut off as Calumet clapped his free hand over her mouth, his waving one joining it there shortly. The tacit toddler looked up at her with a pleading expression, eyes still puffy from his crying fit. His lower lip was still pooched out, and the way his hair fell over his face made him look more than a little pathetic. With a sigh, Inle play-gnawed his fingers, earning her a silent giggle. After spitting out Cal's fingers, which he immediately wiped upon her shirt, she turned back to the naked boy. "I suppose, as long as Enoh and Nio don't mind."

Donny petted Lyris' hair, still a bit worried about her and her mother. "If you say so.." He murmured unsurely, but the worry was soon taken away as his attention swerved to Vidya and her many little plans. He took her words literally, and scrunged his nose up at the idea of walking the pair around the actual house. As in, the outside walls. It made no sense - and there was shrubbery that he had just recently decided he HATED WITH A PASSION!

A tent, however, sounded like a fine idea. "Do we even have a tent?" He inquired, taking Lyris' hand and leading her off towards the other two.

Nio kissed the top of his wife's head and rested his chin there, his eyes following the little parade of children as they meandered through the house. They turned back to Inle just in time to hear his and Enoh's names, and smirked softly. "Are you kidding? If we minded kids in our house, I doubt we'd have allowed this. The more the merrier. Besides, Asra takes care of kids for a living. So.. with him around, I'm kind of hoping we actually have too much to worry about."

Asra's eyes lit up at Nio's acceptance. He looked back up at Inle and Calumet with unabashed glee. "It's settled then! Come on Calumet, let's go~!" He held his arms out for the boy.

Lyris smiled softly, letting herself be lead along by Donny. It was just nice to be in someplace other than the walls she had grown bored of over the past few months. Slowly, her mind drifted back to the conversation at her, "Tent? What's a tent?" She asked, blinking at Donny.

"Like...! ..Er..Uh...Well...'Dunno..." She admitted, giggling sheepishly as she drew her attention to the floor at her feet...somehow, her toes were so very interesting to her right now. Well, not as interesting as his feet. She stared at them for a moment, as if wondering if he'd had those bird claws all along. "Oh, s'right..." she murmured to herself, recalling that he did, in fact, have those same claws when he was her size...he did break the floor with them once!

Wait, what were they talking about again?

Vidya stared at the door for a moment, and then looked back up at her much taller Captain, beaming once more. "But Teitei tells me ta NOT go down there!" She nodded, as if that made sense. "Why he tell Viddy to NOT go s'mewhere if its borin'?" He could be hiding TREASURE, after all! She was rather proud of this connection.

Luckily for her, Enoh didn't here this part. Mieke however, did infact hear Vidya, but the doe said nothing...and tried her hardest to hide a mischevious giggle. The doe ended up waddling upstairs, going to her room...this was one of the few times she wished she weren't pregnant...she would have happily escorted the children into Teivel's 'dungeon'.

Turning back to Adonis, Vidya shook her head. "Prolly not! Tha's why we gotta BUILD one!" It was a rather genius plan to her. "Viddy made tent outta blankits n'chairs once!" She was rather proud of that, too. She looked as though she were about to answer Lyris, but since Lyris was looking at Adonis for the answer...she decided to say nothing.

"Will do!" Enoh replied, her tone just dripping with amusement. "Maybe I have something from my days of working with a Militia company that might help." She mused to herself, strangely wondering if she did have something strong enough to hold Tybalt's feet in check. She too recalled the marks in the floor from the toddler's claws...things like that only get more powerful with age.

"Eh...One more kid won't matter..." Without realizing it, Enoh's statement was rather ironic...and it was probably the same thing she said before adopting each of the children that now littered the house.

"Hey...should we tell her we already have tents?" She questioned Nio, looking over her shoulder at the group of Tales.

"Well," Tybalt said, mischief rife in his voice, "guess we'll jest have t' find out fer ourselves, won't we? And don't ye worry 'bout this "Teitei," I can more'n take care've 'im." The parroty pirate fluffed with confidence and pride. No dagger? No sword? No problem! Besides, how threatening could a guy named "Teitei" really be?

"Here's hoping," Inle replied to the shifter, "I'd rather not have to strip search him before he comes home." Speaking of stripping, the NAKED boy seemed very intent on Calumet. Why? Was it really just because he liked kids? Veiled purple eyes flicked between the toddler and the child. "Well...alright. Just be careful with him. When his tattoos start glowing, you should probably close your eyes. Trust me, you'll be better off." Carefully, she handed the still squirming Calumet to Asrafel.

Cal seemed to take to the older boy immediately, one hand steadying itself on the older boy's shoulder while the other flailed. The bigger boy was SO colorful! Wings, hair, ribbons...Cal was at a loss as to what to go for first! "Oh, you should probably check on him often. He may cry a lot, but he never makes a sound while doing it. Fact is, he's never made a sound at all." The toddler's previous tears were forgotten as his chubby hand finally made a beeline for Asrafel's hair.

Donny looked from Enoh to Lyris, before raising his hands up high to explain.

"It's a big thing like this where you sleep on the floor." He held his arms up like a triangle, with some difficulty due to his chubby arms. His explanation was typical of how a toddler might try to explain something, bare and minimum, and just barely understandable.

He dropped his hands and looked around for a blanket. "Will we make one out of that now?"

Nio murmured softly and nodded, leaning in to leave a quick kiss on Enoh's neck before pulling away. "I think it might be a good idea. I don't want to think about what they would try to make a tent out of this time. I'll go get it for them." After all, what good were fathers if not for pitching tents and telling scary stories? <3

Asrafel didn't mind one bit that Calumet's little fingers embedded into his hair and started pulling. He was far too interested in the fact that he'd found.. another. He grinned up at Inle, and gave her a quick wave. "We'll see you soon then! I'll take good care of Calumet." And with that he turned around and bounced the boy in his arms, heading over toward the group of children.

Lyris nodded a bit at the explaination. She didn't quite understand, but she wasn't about to say so.

"Teivel.." Vidya decided to give his full name, for more emphasis on what she was about to say. "s'very tall. Taller n'you, Cap'n! Little taller than Daddy, too!" She pointed over towards Nio. "So...Viddy'll help caption him!" She didn't quite catch her mistake...not yet, anyway.

"Yes, thatsa tent! I dunno...What c'n we build tent with...uhm... Vidya pondered over this, looking around the room for something...anything they could build with. Something different than blankets and chairs.

"Sorry to spoil your fun sweetie, but we have tents...Your Daddy's going to go get them. You don't need to build one anymore, alright?" All she got in response was an almost disappointed groan from Vidya. "...But you can help Daddy pitch it, if you want....!" Nice save, Enoh. Turning back to Inle, the shifter smiled weakly. "She's evil, Inle...evil...!"

"Pitch tha tent? Not s'posed ta THROW it! S'posed ta BUILD it!" Obviously, Vidya thought the idea was crazy...not to mention stupid.

Honestly, what was Enoh thinking?

Tybalt glanced over at Nio, judging his height. Taller than that, eh? Hmm... "Right then. You 'old 'is legs t'gether 'n I'll punch 'im in the kidneys." See, Tybalt was totally capable of teamwork! With his crew, anyway; he wouldn't have allowed anyone else to help him, regardless of how curious he was of Teivel's basement. Enoh and Vidya's words barely made it through his rapidly-plotting mind, and he looked up. "Tents? Why'd we sleep outside when there's plenty've room in 'ere?" Clearly, Tybalt was not a camping person.

"Oh, all little girls are, Enoh! That's why I'm glad I've mostly got boys!" Inle said with a half-sympathetic chuckle. At least Tybalt had grown out of the stage where he could look cute and get away with everything. Now all she had to worry about was Calumet. Speaking of her youngest, she tossed a wary glance his way and found him happily sitting in Asrafel's arms. She just hoped he didn't pull any of those ribbons off...

Calumet's squeal of joy was little more than an exhalation of air. This was fun! This boy was brightly colored and didn't mind being touched, and soon he forgot all about his infatuation with Tybalt. He released Asra's hair after a moment--it was so soft, like the fur of some of the pets that wandered around the House--and reached an arm towards the older boy's wings. He was far too short to reach it, but that didn't seem to stop him from trying.

Nio came back with one of the larger tents (he didn't think the kids wanted to split up, so might as well bring one to fit them all) and plopped it down on the sofa.

"I'm assuming you guys aren't going to bed anytime soon though, so how about one of you just tell me when you want me to pitch the tent for you?" Nio offered to the group of little midgets (and some not so little- at this thought he gave Tybalt a wary glance) and flopped down on the couch beside the large rolled up tent he'd just put down.

"I'll get you some blankets and stuff then, too."

Who'sagoodlittledaddy. Nio is! Yesheis. heart

Asra was just as infatuated with Calumet as the boy was with him. He pulled his wings back, however, as they were far too thin and fragile for tiny fingers to try and pull. "Everyone, do you all know Tybalt's little brother Calumet?" He murmured, holding the boy towards them. "Did Inle introduce you to him too? I can't recall.." He murmured with a flighty air. Well, of course he couldn't recall. He wasn't there at the time.

He then looked down and realized that he didn't know the name of one of the children, and gave Lyris a pleasant little smile. "Oh, and what's your name~?"

Even Nio was sometimes a little creeped out by how friendly Asrafel was. He was looking the other way, thankfully, unhooking the ties of the tent, so no one could see the nervous but amused smirk on his face.

Lyris turned and looked at Asra, blinking a bit, "Oh, I'm Lyris," She said, smiling shyly as she shifted the weight of her backpack around her wings.

Suddenly, Luna's head peeked out of the top of her backpack, mewling happily as she lept out onto Donny's head, looking around.

"Luuunnnaaa!" Lyris exclaimed. "You were suppose to stay home..."

"Do we gotsa punch Teitei, tho?" She leaned her head to the side, looking up at her Captain again. If she wanted to end up getting thrown in the pool one of these days, Punching was NOT a way of getting there. Why didn't she just ask to be thrown in the pool? WELL...Asking doesn't make it much fun now, does it? Vidya did, however, give Tybalt a curious look when he practically complained about sleeping outside. "S'fun to sleep outside! Cap'n not like being outside? But there's'a PRETTY Lake out there! An'na pool." Okay, so maybe he didn't like being in forests, but maybe he liked being near water? She knew that she did. "Mebbe...We build tent inside, then?" Best of both worlds, wasn't it? She looked around, then up at Tybalt again, hoping that would make him as well as the other happy.

"Calumet...? Oh! He's pretty!" Vidya then giggled sheepishly. She recalled seeing the toddler when she went to the door, but in all honesty, she was too excited about seeing Tybalt and Lyris that she didn't pay much attention to him. Now, she felt rather rude. "Me likes...eyes n' tattoos. Yep yep! Very pretty." She nodded again, as if to seal what she'd just said. She waved her hand up at Calumet. "Hiya...! M'Viddy." She had to make up for lost time now, right?

"Luna?" Vidya parroted then, curiously. She'd heard the cat's mewling, but she figured it was just Cadi floating by, and thus didn't think it was out of the ordinary. She looked around for this...other kitty, finding it admist a golden nest. "Oh! Kitty! Donny's gotta kitty on his head~" She sang happily.

"Actually...We're pretty evenly matched when it comes to genders. Its actually a little scary." Enoh's own chuckle was obviously one of nervousness. "Here's to hoping she grows soon...because pouting is evil when its by a toddler like her."

The shifter followed Inle's gaze towards Arsafel and Calumet, chuckling softly. "Those Ribbon's won't come off, you know. Nothing to worry about! Calumet is adorable, however...must be strange to have a completely silent child around the house. I remember how noisy your house can be." She giggled happily this time...and hey, the house was particularily noisy that day mainly because the Pirates were provoking a chupacabra.

"Eh? Build a tent inside the house? ...Hm. Ask your father. He'll be the one pitching it for you." She gave Nio a slight grin accompanied by a wink.

Calumet struggled after the far-off wing only as long as it took him to get distracted again, which wasn't very. A wiggling ribbon caught his attention, and his hand dove towards it. It was so pretty! So pretty, in fact, that he blocked out the mention of his name, the compliments Viddy gave him, even the fluffy kitty that seemed to appear out of nowhere. After a moment of flailing, he caught the end of the captivating ribbon...and immediately stuffed it in his mouth.

Tybalt rolled his eyes at the proper introduction of his little brother. He wasn't impressed by the technicolor toddler--to him, it was just another kid to fend off in an effort to protect his precious plumage. He really couldn't blame people for lusting after him, but didn't they have any dignity? Anything at all to tell them that to admire from afar was better than trying to get up close and personal, lest they get punched in the face? Whatever. "We don't HAVE t' punch Teitei, I 'spose...but it dun't sound like 'e'd let us explore 'is room without a fight." He reached down to pat Viddy on the head, only to notice her expression at his distaste of camping. He sighed before grumbling, "No, I guess we can sleep outside..." Could it be? Was this ruthless, self-centered pirate gaining a heart? Nah, he just didn't want to deal with Vidya pouting all night.

"It's...certainly different. Good in that any tantrum he throws is silent, but bad because I never know if he's hurt or anything." Inle shrugged. "I know he's curious about a lot of things, but he never tries to explore. He's the kind of kid that's content to let things come to him, I think." An astute observation, for someone who had only known Calumet for about a week.

Asrafel thought that Vidya and Donny's friends were such little angels. Of course, he hadn't gotten to know Tybalt that well yet, but Lyris' shy smile melted his heart, and of course he already knew he'd like Calumet. His little brother and sister obviously had good taste in picking friends.

"It's nice to meet you, Lyri-ooh a kitty!" Asrafel squealed none-too-girlishly, turning Calumet to see it. "Look Calumet, a k-ooh no you don't want to eat those.." Asrafel had felt Calumet put his ribbons in his mouth before seeing it, and it made him giggle ticklishly. He pulled it out of the babies mouth quickly and pointed toward the kitty for the toddler to see.

Donny beamed up at the kitty, holding his chubby arms upward awkwardly for Luna to climb into should she choose to jump into them. "Luna! Why would pretty Lyris not want Luna to come to sleepover too?" Donny questioned curiously, when his eyes fell on Lyris.

Nio would have pitched the tent inside, despite how much moving around he'd have to do to pitch the large tent he'd picked out. But, he said nothing. He just sat there and waited for the little munchkins to work it out between each other - and sure enough, they eventually came to the conclusion that outside would be better. Nio put his feet up on the coffee table and lounged back on the couch with a smile. Now that's what I call good parenting skills.

"I wanted her to come!" Lyris pouted. "But Kira said she had to stay home. Oooo, she's going to be so mad when she shows up tomorrow, and Luna is here. I already snapped at her. She's gonna be mad..." Lyris said, gnawing on one of her thumbs. Now, just a few minutes ago, Lyris had seemed very happy that she had made her guardian mad. Man, this girl was weird.

Luna jumped into Donny's arms, snugging against him and purring happily, her eyes glittering. She was just as glad to be out of the house as Lyris was. She wasn't about to stay home when their oppurtunity came up.

"Oh...yeeeah...tha souns'like him. Maybe Tei's'not home!" Vidya seemed hopeful about this. A lot of times, Teivel just...disappears without warning. Well, maybe he tells Enoh, but Vidya certainly is never around to see this happen. Since she had yet to see the stag today, she figured he went out while she was upstairs this morning. Needless to say, Vidya looked happy as a puppy when he reached down to pat her...and if she had a tail, it would most definately be wagging.

However, at his rather uncharacteristic submission, Vidya's happy-puppy expression turned into a rather skeptical one, staring up at him. Okay, NOW she felt bad. Her sidewings lowered a little bit, feeling rather guilty about having made her Captain submit to something he obviously didn't like...but mind you, this wasn't the first time she'd managed to do this. Vidya paused a moment, looking at the ground now in an attempt to figure out what to do.

"...S'up ta you, Cap'n...We sleep inside if you want." She said slowly, after her pause. Obviously the other two tales didn't care where they slept, so naturally, it was up to her and Tybalt...and of course Tybalt outranked her, so it was up to him, in her eyes.

Her white gaze was slowly moved back over to Lyris, and then to the kitty her brother now held. "Why's'yer Momma gonna be mad about the kitty not being a'home?" She inquired curiously...it was rather odd.

"You win some, you lose some, I guess..." The shapeshifter breathed out softly, considering what her friend had said. It made sense of course, and there were some days where Enoh wished her kids were silent like Calumet. "Ah well...Oh, before I forget...is there any time you wanted Calumet and your Tur...err...Pirate...back home?" She snickered softly, scratching lightly at the back of her neck.

Nooo, not more color deprivation! Calumet was about ready to protest--brightly, if not loudly--before his short attention span was captivated by the kitty. Aww, it was CUTE! And it looked so cuddly, and fluffy, and Cal just wanted to squeeze it into tiny, tiny pieces. Inle had always tried to keep him away from small animals due to his very "hands-on" nature, but this one wasn't hers. Immediately, Calumet reached for it, chubby hands opening and closing in a customary "gimme please" motion.

Little did Vidya know that there were a LOT of things Tybalt would do for her that he would do for absolutely no one else. Was he about to admit that? Did he even recognize the fact? No, and no. He was about to reply to his first mate when the ribbon adorned naked boy--wait, NAKED boy? Why was he NAKED?--made a show of pointing out both the cat and his little brother. With a moue of distaste, he replied, "I don't give a s**t where we sleep, s'long as ye keep those two--" here he pointed to Calumet and Asrafel, "far, far away from me."

"Language, Tybalt," Inle reminded the surly pirate.

"Piss off," he mumbled in response.

Inle rolled her eyes as she turned back to Enoh. "Does never work for you?"

Donny giggled at the snuggling kitty. "Donny glad Luna came too." He coo'd at the kitty, before finally paying attention to the conversation at hand. He had an opinion, he had just not paid attention enough to realize what they were talking about. All at once he felt his opinion should be known. It was, after all, most important.

"Donny want to sleep OUTSIDE!" He chimed upward at Tybalt, grinning broadly. If they couldn't make a decision, then he would! He would sleep out of the tent and watch the stars all night.

Asrafel was a little insulted by Tybalt's remark, but he soon began to realize that he might have made a misjudgement on his part concerning just how polite this friend of his siblings was. Telling his own mother to piss off, really! He returned his attentions to Calumet, watching him make grabby hands for the kitty. He did nothing to help or hinder this. If the kitty trusted Calumet, it would come to him.

Luna cooed, nuzzling Donny's cheek affectionately before noticing Calumet out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, she turned to watch him, her silvery blue eyes dancing with curiousity before she gave a toothy, uncatlike grin and mewled, jumping out of Donny's arms and sauntering over towards the little boy.

Lyris glanced over at Vidya and shrugged, "Kira always gets mad when I don't do what she says. She says it's getting to hectic for her to take care of so many kids without any help and us not listening doesn't do her any favors," Lyris repeated the lecture she had heard once or twice in the past month.

Vidya looked, needless to say, a little startled by Tybalt's response. She stared up at him with wide eyes, her arms curling to hug tightly against her small form. Quickly, the toddler looked away, turning her gaze towards Asrafel and Calumet...and wondered why it was Tybalt was so...well, she wondered why he disliked them. Then again, the baby DID grab at a lot of things...maybe he tried to pull her Captain's feathers? Vidya recalled what Olivia had told her about Tybalt and his feathers. "Okay, Cap'n.." She replied a little meekly.

"Then...we sleep outside." She murmured softly in response to Adonis, though she was halfly directing her statement back towards her father. So then it was settled, yes? They were sleeping outside. Vidya felt a sort of happy feeling at this...though she felt kinda guilty about it still.

"Really? Viddy helps Momma n' 'Eke do stuff! Liiike...cookin', or...foldin' stuff or mopping! S'fun...! She fondly remembered the time she got to use the Swifer to clean up a mess in the kitchen. Vidya had so much fun with it she even ended up swiffering the windows.

"If you want, I can have Tybalt have a little 'accident'." Enoh mused a bit, tapping her fingertips against her lips. "Y'know, the kind where people go missing and don't come back." She hide her amused snicker now, and of course, she made a mental note to never, ever let Vidya repeat anything he said. "Being his Author, its entirely up to you...But I DO have very effective methods at my disposal." At this, she turned to her friend and gave her without doubt the largest, Absolute Zero smile ever.

Hooray, the walking ball of squeezable goodness was coming closer! Calumet seemed to squee silently, waving his arms in the air. His feet twitched a bit as well--he wanted to get down to see the kitty! His tattoos seemed to glow a bit in his excitement, and if one were paying attention they might notice that the colors of his eyes seemed to swirl.

Scarlet feathers ruffled and smoothed like a sea of grain in the wind, and a single wing extended slightly to curl around Vidya although its owner didn't seem to notice the girl's distress. Any problems he had with Calumet came from their home life, and his immediate dislike of Asrafel came from the Shattered boy's lack of clothes; Tybalt would rather have fabric between them in the event that they accidentally touch. Cold eyes narrowed at the shapeshifter's words and he scowled openly at her, all attempts at geniality towards his first mate's mother gone. "Missing," he grumbled, "I'll make YOU go missing. Missing at th' bottom of th' ocean."

Inle chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "As easy as things might be without Tybalt around, you've got to admit he adds a bit of excitement." She had noticed the parrot's growing upset, and appealing to his large ego was always a good way to calm him down.

When Luna hopped out of his arms to meet Calumet, Donny took the opportunity to give Lyris a sudden and unexpected hug, before pulling away and toddling toward the couch. He used a moment's gust of wind created by his wings to hop over the couch and land squarely on his reclining father's lap. The man let out a rush of air at the sudden weight, and groaned slightly, eyeing his son with one eye open.

"OUTSIDE!"

"Yes, Donny. Outside. The tent will be ready before you guys are ready for bed."

"OUTSIDE NOW."

Donny had become increasingly bossy the past few days, and it no longer retained it's charming cuteness. His father picked him up and turned on the couch, planting him back on his feet behind it without a word. Donny turned and glared at his father's wordless response, but all he managed to get a glimpse of what a chock of purple hair from the back of his head.

When Donny turned to look up at his friends once more, the flash of indignance was gone from his eyes, and he was as sweet as ever. He reached out and petted Lyris' hair affectionately, before looking up at Tybalt with a grin as if nothing had happened.

Asrafel watched the tattoos glowing and heeded the warning, setting Calumet down at his feet and crouching to watch him. The cat seemed to like him, so there wouldn't be a problem, right?

Lyris couldn't help but watch Donny with an odd interest. He certainly did know what he wanted. That was a good thing. Of course, that brief hint of adult level thought vanished as Donny started to stroke her hair. She cooed, closing her eyes, "Donny is so nice to Lyris."

Luna paused, watching Calumet with interest. The tattoos on his arm were glowing. That seemed a bit odd, but still quite interesting. Slowly, she padded forward again, grinning up at Calumet and propping her paws up on his leg, mewling happily.

Vidya let out a startled cry as a few down-coloured feathers suddenly came into her pheripheral vision, the tale's instant reaction was to cling to the nearest possible object...which just so happened to be Tybalt's leg...and of course she clung to it to save her life. That wasn't fair, coming into her blind side! She stared in wide-eyed terror at his wing...that is, until she realized it was his wing. Vidya stared at it for a little while longer, and then slowly let her death grip on her Captain's leg lessen, to the eventual point of letting go.

She didn't even hear Tybalt's threat towards her mother, thanks to her startle. Instead, she gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry...Viddy not payin' 'tention...scared Viddy, yes..."

"Momma? We go outside? Pwease?" Alright, lets forget that he'd scared the wits out of her...lets do something else instead! Vidya was always much better at Donny when it came to being civil about things.

Enoh had been about to move towards her daughter upon hearing her cry out...however, once the shapeshifter noticed which side of Vidya Tybalt's wing had moved around, she understood why the blue tale cried out like she did. She visibly relaxed about it. "Yeah...I have to admit that, Inle. Always a surprise with that boy." She hadn't meant for Tybalt to hear her, but once she was certain that he had, she too tried to calm him down...subtley, though.

"Go outside? For what, sweetie? Are you gonna help Daddy build the tent?"

"Well...nuu...Viddy means, if Daddy WANTS help, we help...but...Viddy wantsta show tha Cap'n n' Lyris tha lake!" She seemed eager about it...but then again, the lake was one of Vidya's favourite places. It had WATER in it!

"Eh...Well...If its alright with your Father and Inle here...I have no problem with it. Oh..." The shapeshifter started, looking away from the kids completely...just in time to see a white-headed, lithe youth come walking down the stairs. "And as long as Teivel goes with you."

The Stag groaned with dislike at this idea...obviously, he regretted coming down the stairs. However, he knew he wouldn't be getting out of this if the other two agreed, so he merely grumbled his response, his golden eyes narrowed. "Fine."

Tybalt looked down sharply, ire forgotten at his first mate's distress. Almost without thinking, he reached down to stroke her hair in a comforting manner, not seeming to mind the momentary death grip she had on his leg. "Sorry 'bout that, forgot yer ah...situation." The wing retracted, folding tightly to his back as if to prevent startling Vidya further. His hand remained atop her head, the red a startling contrast to the blue--yet another indication of the many differences between them, physical and otherwise. He looked up at the mention of Teivel, sapphire eyes watching this newcomer critically. THIS was Teivel? Pah. He didn't look like much of a threat. Looting his "dungeon" would be a cakewalk.

Calumet clapped his hands happily, tattoos glowing brighter with happiness. As the kitty reached him, he immediately grabbed for it, awkwardly bringing it to his chest in a hard, awkward hug. The toddler hadn't yet learned the difference between delicate animals and hardier humans. With a happy wriggle, he rubbed his glowing cheek against the kitty's head.

"Oh, I don't mind if they go outside. Just...well, Tybalt can't swim. Between those feet and his wings, he'd sink like a rock--oh, Cal, be careful with the kitty, it's not yours!" And damned if she was gonna pay any vet bills if he somehow managed to injure it.

"That's okay, neither can Donny. His wings would soak up the water and he would drown." Nio replied to Inle's comment because he had stood up after the decision had been made, and carried the tent toward the door. He leaned down to sneak a kiss from Enoh's lips before lugging the mega-tent toward the back door to go set it up.

It was a fact Donny didn't like to think about, simply because he loved the water - and he loved to swim in the shallow pools he was allowed in. But the lake.. all he could do was skim the surface while flying. That was kind of fun, though. And at least he'd have Tybalt who couldn't swim either! He looked at Lyris, nodding in agreement with her statement before asking her, "Does Lyris swim? The lake is pretty."

"I swam once," Lyris said, biting down on her pointer finger of one of her hands. Though, she didn't think to mention that Trollax had been holding her up that once.

Luna simply purred. She was a stable cat, not about to be squished by a massive hug. She leaned up, licking at Calumet's cheek, nuzzling her head against him as she purred some more. This little boy was much more affectionate than Lyris was her most of the time. Well, anymore, at least. Luna liked the attention.

Still, Vidya looked rather sheepish from her mistake. "S'okay...n'Viddy's sorry too!" Of course, she was again referring it the death grip she had on him. With that done, she turned and stared at Teivel, her expression rather blank for but a moment. HE had to go with them....YAY! Vidya's face fit up again, and she clapped her hands together infront of her. "Yay! Den we go swimmin'! Err...to ta lake. Viddy'll go swimmin'!" Of course, she knew well enough to not stray too far...for many reasons...and this was mainly why Enoh was alright with it. The tale was a smart girl, and now that she had friends to go with her and Teivel to watch them, she'd be doubly careful to not go in too far.

Vidya waved at her Captain while edging towards Lyris...if they were going swimming, they needed somethings! "Lyris have bathin' suit? Me has some tha're too big...maybe you fit inta them? Wanna try, anyway?" She leaned her head to the side. Of course, she had no swimsuits for boys...but Lyris she could probably have something for, if the girl wanted it.

Luckily, she missed seeing Nio steal a kiss from Enoh. Lately, Vidya had been having way too much fun teasing her parents by "Eww"ing at them whenever she saw them kiss. Enoh had been about to respond to Inle when Nio stole the kiss...but when she was about to return it, he'd already started lugging the tent away! Bugger. Oh, She'd get him back for that one...

Smirking, she watched Nio leave before turning back towards Inle. "He can't swim? Really? Well...I guess that makes sense. I'd wager swimming with claws would be difficult...but either way, she's hell bent on showing the lake to him..." The shapeshifter chuckled, brushing silver strands of her hair from her face.

Teivel, on the other hand, didn't look as pleased with the idea as Vidya did. Instead, he walked around Tybalt, giving the down-covered boy a narrowed eyed glance as he went. Geez, Vidya attracted strange friends...Sighing a bit, he opened the door that Tybalt was half-blocking and went downstairs, going to change into his swimtrunks, just incase. "God I hate this..." He murmured under his breath.

Tybalt's eyes narrowed at the much taller Teivel, his wings rising slowly, feathers ruffling to make himself look bigger. He took silent measure of the Tahnee before deciding that yes, he could beat him in a fight, especially with his crewmates' help. Before the night was out, the treasures of Teivel's cave would be his. Theirs. Whatever.

Inle politely looked away as man and wife kissed, turning to watch Calumet carefully. Some of the more quick-tempered animals in the h

9/20/05 - Narrative

The day had been a long one for the parroty pirate captain. He had been comandeered early in the morning to help babysit his younger siblings while Inle had been gone, called away at the crack of dawn to a shoot in Durem. Tybalt was always irritable in the morning, but to have to watch a trio of brats with only a fairy--"I'm not a fairy, I'm a Hayeta!" Conti had often screamed at him--to help him made him downright cranky. It was bad enough that he had to watch them, but to have her breathing down his neck all the time was almost more than he could bear. He did have to admit that it was funny when Medea tried to stuff the miniature Conti into her mouth, however.

He was free now, however, from rugrats and fairies alike. Inle had come home--had been home for a little while, if the fairly relaxed grin she wore upon entering the playroom had been any indication.

"Tybalt!" she said just in time to stop the pissed-off pirate from smacking the four-armed fairy right out of the air.

"What?" he snarled, his hand frozen in midair, feathers fluffed. Conti took that opportunity to dart towards Inle, landing on her shoulder. Ha, that bird-brained brat couldn't get her NOW.

"Get outta here," Inle replied, jerking her thumb towards the doorway. "I'll take care of the kids. I don't need you snapping...go take a nap or something," she suggested as Ciaran, Medea, and Calumet made identical faces of dismay. They didn't want their brightly-colored brother to leave!

"Gladly." With that, Tybalt stomped out of the playroom, up the stairs, and into the safe haven of his room, shutting the door none-too-gently behind himself. He removed his ever-present hat, moving to place it on a hook set into the wall when something on his bed sparkled in the dying light filtering through his window. Sapphire eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he moved towards the bed after putting his hat up. The object he found upon it made his eyes widen in surprise.



Tybalt reached for it slowly, as though it were a mere illusion that would dispel should he approach it too fast, and slowly ran his fingers over the polished wooden hilt. He spent a long moment marveling over the fine craftsmanship--even with as unexperienced as he was with weapons, he could tell this was a well-made piece--and watched the sunlight dance over the graceful sweep of the blade. The light made the designs inscribed upon it seem alive, and after a long moment, he picked the long dagger up.

He sighed, the day's tension leaving him as he found that the hilt fit his hand perfectly, with enough room for him to grow into it. It was surprisingly light, seeming to weigh less than it ought to. After a moment of awed staring, he slashed at the air once, twice. The blade whistled through it as if it sought to cut right through it. It brought a smile to Tybalt's face; where his Author had found such a blade he didn't know, nor did he care. All that mattered was that this masterpiece of metal and wood was his now, his first bit of live steel.

As if by some long-dormant instinct he put his thumb against the blade. He was surprised at how little pressure he had to apply before skin split and blood welled against the pristine metal. The blade was sharp--he was certain he could split hairs upon it, if he tried. He watched, his own eyes looking back at him, as a lone drop of blood rolled across the face of the blade.

"Let my blood be th' first ye taste," he muttered without thinking. A second voice seemed to be whispering with his; this one was deeper, gruffer, and as he watched his eyes in the blood-stained blade, they seemed to change. They were still his, but harder and narrowed, filled with rage, malice, hatred.

"Well," came an unknown voice from behind Tybalt, "'S nice t' see yer not gone yet."

More plottage, that I will get to eventually (maybe), promise (perhaps).

It was only chance that brought someone by the door at the moment Viddy knocked. Normally everyone hung out in their respective rooms upstairs, but Inle had been on her way to the kitchen for a sandwich when she heard the knocking. She paused in the hallway, thinking about ignoring it completely. She wasn't up for company--when was she ever?--but she decided to open the door anyway. After all, it probably wasn't for her anyway, and if it just so happened to be a door-to-door salesmen, well...there were enough large animals populating the house that it would no longer present a problem. That thought firmly in mind, she padded in sock-clad feet to the door, unlocking the myriad of locks before throwing it open.

The sight before her made her eyebrows raise sharply. "Vidya?" she asked pointlessly. Of COURSE it was Vidya, only...bigger! Well, this certainly was an...unexpected sight. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the random growth spurts most Gaian children seemed to go through. It just wasn't natural...but then, most things in Gaia weren't.

"Uh, Tybalt's around back," she said after a moment, waving Vidya in. "I assume that's who you're here to see. Just keep going towards the back until you hit the windows. The door's to the right of them." Inle smirked as she eyed the newly-grown Tale; wouldn't Tybalt be surprised!

On the contrary, Tybalt was busy--busy for him, anyway. He was sitting cross-legged on the deck, the light of the sun turning his plumage into feathery jewels. A broken bottle was sitting beside him, though the shards of broken glass were swept into a neat pile to the side of that. A large pad of paper, a pencil, and an eraser sat on his other side. His head, hatless for once, was bent over something in his lap. His hands fiddled with a small wooden ship, turning it over and over in his hands. Occasionally he would set it down to draw something on the paper--what he had on it so far looked like a rough sketch of a ship.

He didn't look up at Vidya's approach, so focused was he on the ship in his hands. "Whaddya want?" he called absently. He didn't recognize the voice as Vidya's. He was so used to the younger Tale's high-pitched squeak of a voice that the deeper tone just didn't register.

Tybalt squawked in surprise, sounding very much like the parrot he looked like, before vaulting to his feet. His progress was hindered only slightly by Vidya's weight--shock and instinct lent him strength, in this case. Surprise quickly gave way to anger, and he growled as he snapped his wings backwards, hoping to beat his unknown attacker off of him. The urge to grab the dagger strapped to his waist and counterattack was strong, but the urge to not have Inle yell at him for stabbing someone was stronger.

Instead, he grabbed at his attacker's hands, trying to at least get them from around his neck. What nerve, to think they could attack him from behind! There was so much cloth in the way that Tybalt wound up yanking at that instead...and revealed a blue forearm.

Wait a minute...blue?! "What th' bloody hell...Vidya?!"

Tybalt flailed as he tried to support Vidya's full weight, wings diverting from assaulting Vidya in order to correct his balance. That was easier than actually supporting the other Tale--he was built for speed, not strength, though flight had certainly helped toughen his back muscles. His clawed feet planted themselves apart, sharp talons digging into the planks of the deck. Just as he had gotten himself balanced, wings hanging at odd angles away from his back, Vidya's weight was gone, throwing him off once more. He caught himself before he stumbled and gawked at his new and improved first mate.

She was...taller! And her hair was longer, and she no longer held the hint of baby pudge...and still shades of blue and white, of course, he expected that would never change. What was she wearing? But that wasn't important, he supposed. His friend GREW! Now they could go on actual adventures, without such physical limitations such as stature and stamina to bother them! And less parental involvement, which was good because he wasn't too fond of Enoh (he could take or leave Nio). Wow, she was pretty...Tybalt shook his head, clearing it of such useless thoughts.

"I c'n see that..." Tybalt said, fighting to keep the awe and excitement from his voice. "Ye look...bigger!" Very smooth, Tybalt. "Ye didn' scare me, 'n I'm not soft," he said, feathers ruffling, though they smoothed almost immediately. He was too happy to feel affronted by anything she said. "When did this happen?"