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 Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:56 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:20 am
I bought a Banya bird today. A trader showed up unexpectedly, and had four Banyas to sell. All of them were beautiful--the golden Fortune Banya especially--but I was attracted to the Sea Loam Banya. He's mostly a sea-blue colour, and his wings and tail darken to purple and then brighten to sea-foam green. He has purple and green around his eyes and on his crest as well.
Ro and I named him Taog. It means a poet or a philosopher.
We continue to move up into the mountains. Some of the infants aren't handling this so well. I lived in the mountains for the better part of my life--these very mountains, in fact. We will not be going through Arabesque, I don't think, but I do recognize the name of this stop. We used to trade with Seinheph, I believe. At any rate, I'm excited that we're in the mountains again, and I'll be happy to loan out my trunk of furs to any of our caravan.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:36 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:43 pm
 Menelie Caroline, lounging in Mountain Air with Rojiza and her new Banya, Taog, notices Rojiza looking forlorn. Again.
"Rojiza, cari�a," says Caroline sympathetically, "Porque tu es tan desesperada?"
Receiving no answer from her beloved daughter except for a simple head shake, Caroline sighs. She spies the soft pink shell sitting on her night-table (goodness knows why it hadn't been put away yet). "Come," she says, standing. "We owe Lorelei and Vanna a visit, mm? She did give us that lovely shell, after all." She notes with satisfaction Rojiza's small brightening at mention of the shell. She'd refused to horde it because it was too beautiful and fragile.
"Let's go," she says, standing. "We'll be back soon, Taog," she says, stroking the bird's beautiful crest. Taog doesn't twitter happily, just sits in his cage looking stoic. Caroline sticks her tongue out at him. "Fancy-feathers," she says in a childish mocking tone, which elicits a giggle from Rojiza.
They step out of Mountain Air and shut the door nice and firmly. Rojiza knickers affectionately at Cornelius and pats his neck, earning a bray of contentment.
After finding the door to Lorelei's wagon, Rojiza knocks softly. Elysia Kavanagh Lorelei nearly dropped her quill, startled. Setting the journal aside to dry and capping her ink-pot, she stood and made her way over to the door. The room was still dusty and needed a good cleaning, but recording the day's events had seemed more important at the time.
Now she felt like a bad hostess.
Biting her lip, she opened the door. "Oh, hello!" she said, smiling at Caroline and then Rojiza. Vanna echoed her mother with a happy chirping, flying over to Lor and landing on her shoulder.
Aleysius, tired, barely twitched a feather.
"What brings you here?" Menelie "We felt we owed you a visit, after that lovely shell you left for us," she says. "We also haven't been properly introduced. My name is Caroline. Caroline Rainiera. This," she says, putting an arm around Rojiza, "Is Rojiza." She frowns as Rojiza shakes her head with a small smile. She holds up two fingers a short distance apart. "Oh," amends Caroline. "She says it's just Ro." Ro nods with satisfaction. Menelie "We felt we owed you a visit, after that lovely shell you left for us," she says. "We also haven't been properly introduced. My name is Caroline. Caroline Rainiera. This," she says, putting an arm around Rojiza, "Is Rojiza." She frowns as Rojiza shakes her head with a small smile. She holds up two fingers a short distance apart. "Oh," amends Caroline. "She says it's just Ro." Ro nods with satisfaction. Elysia Kavanagh "Lorelei Serin," she offered, smiling. "The bird on my shoulder is Vanna. And the sleepy-head back there is Aleysius." Lorelei laughed. "My family seems to be growing quickly these days...
"At any rate, it's very nice to meet the both of you! I'm afraid I haven't settled in much yet, so I can't play hostess all too well..." Menelie "Och, no worries," Caroline assures her. "We're just happy to be meetin' ye."Rojiza peers at Vanna with a small smile. She reaches out to stroke her royal purple head. Elysia Kavanagh "Perhaps we should stay outside, though. It's very dusty in there." Lorelei hurried down from the wagon. Vanna stayed behind, twittering and fluttering up to sit on Ro's shoulder. Menelie "Of course," says Caroline. "Such a lovely day it is--shame to spend it settin' inside." She smiles at Ro and Vanna. She scouts out a place to sit--not much among the rock.Rojiza giggles, happy with her new friend. Elysia Kavanagh Lorelei sat down delicately in the spot they chose, carefully arranging her skirts. The mark of a rather sheltered girl. She may have lived with the caravan for months, but the years of her childhood couldn't quite be erased.
"I'm still getting used to being able to walk in the sunlight whenever I wish, to be honest," she confided, laughing a little.
Vanna chirped at her mother admonishingly, as if telling her to get off that subject. Then the little bird turned her attention back to Ro, dancing a little on the girl's shoulder and singing. Menelie Ro giggles and remains standing, seeking a place to frolick--it'd be a while again before they found a forest with secret places and good hiding spots. For now, though, outcroppings of rock would have to do for her games."What do you mean?" asks Caroline. "Didn't you ever get to go play in the fields after harvest? Or lie in the meadow with your face toward the sun?" Caroline herself had never done these activities as a child--living in the mountains was not so good for agriculture. Her family had been entertainers, but the majority of the village had been in either mining or trade. The human miners in Arabesque weren't half so good as the dwarven ones higher up, but they took in a good profit from ones distrustful of magical creatures. Elysia Kavanagh "Hardly. I'm from a traditional family of wealth and power in Port Tempranillo. I was kept inside all of my life, except for parties and infrequent visits to the Market with my mother. When I ran away with Shamira was the first time I'd ever set foot on wild grass or walked through wild forests. It takes some getting used to, to be sure."
Vanna flew off of Ro's shoulder, looping and fluttering up among the rocks, playfully. Menelie Rojiza scrambles after Vanna, it being a matter of pride that she can catch anyone and anything."Ah," says Caroline, finally understanding. "We never had much in the way of riches, ye ken, but we were well-off enough, my family and I. Entertainers, the lot of us. Mam� was a dancer, like me, and Da was the best fiddle player ye ever heard. My sisters sang beautifully--harmony an' all. Matthew had his drum and could dance reasonably well, and Stephen had his tambor." She grins, showing rather neat teeth. "I'll be teachin' wee Ro to dance soon enough--soon as she's a wee bit more comfortable on those new legs." She nods toward Ro, scrambling awkwardly around as childrend do. Elysia Kavanagh Lorelei laughed pleasantly, watching the two as well. "Vanna will one day become a child like Rojiza, yes? When she does, I suppose I'll teach her embroidery, languages, and perhaps how to play the harp... it's pretty much all I know how to do. Well, ballroom dancing, of course, and being unhead and unseen, but those two things probably won't sit well with a girl of freedom."
Lorelei stretched, looking around. "I wonder what she'll be like..."
Vanna chirped happily, twittering and calling back as if laughing. Letting Rojiza nearly catch her, she suddenly shot straight up, twisted in mid-air, and headed back towards the two women, coasting on a thermal rising from the sun-warmed rocks. Menelie Caroline smiles. "I know a couple languages myself...Rojiza already understands them. My Gaelic is....a bit out of practice, though." She smiles at the girls. "Aye, one day Vanna will be a bonnie wee lass. Just like one day my little Rojiza will speak." She sighs lightly, then smiles brightly at Lorelei, casting all gloominess aside.Ro squeaks in dismay and chases her back down the rocks towards their mothers. Elysia Kavanagh "Why doesn't she speak?" Lor asked, conversationally. She'd noticed that about the girl but had attributed it to shyness.
Vanna alighted on her mother's shoulder, flapping her wings at Ro mockingly. Can't catch me! Menelie "I don't know," says Caroline, shrugging. "She wants to, I know that. She just....cannot."Rojiza, undaunted, leaps for Vanna and ends up tackling Lorelei in the process. She giggles shyly and scrambles off of her. Elysia Kavanagh "Aaah!" Lorelei yelped, falling onto her back at the flying tackle. As Ro jumped off, Lor pushed herself back up, rubbing the back of her head. "Owww... that hurt," she mumbled, biting her lip. "Reminder : never be tackled when sitting on a rocky hill."
Vanna squeaked as well, fluttering up and off hurriedly, 'staggering' in the air. Menelie "Rojiza!" exclaims Caroline. "Tell her you're sorry."Sheepishly Ro curtsies and runs off again. Elysia Kavanagh Laughing shakily, Lor settled herself again. "It's fine, really. Just... not used to things like that, yes?" Another laugh. "Oh well."
Vanna turned, trying to escape... but flew right into Ro's hands! Oh no! Menelie Rojiza giggles and catches her neatly. She pets Vanna's head."Ye'll have yer hands full soon enough, once wee Vanna becomes a babe," says Caroline comfortingly. Elysia Kavanagh "Probably, yes." Lor stood up, smiling and holding her hand out for Vanna. Vanna freed herself and fluttered over.
"Well, I'd best get back to cleaning the wagon and making it liveable. I think I'll leave the ivy, though - it gives the wagon a nice touch." She curtsied. "It was very nice meeting the two of you!" Menelie "'Twas a pleasure meeting ye both, Lorelei," says Caroline, standing and dropping a friendly curtsy. "Perhaps we'll meet again, eh?"Rojiza nods. She'd like that very much. She waggles her fingers in goodbye to Vanna, and she and her mother head back to Mountain Air.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:38 pm
Taog, ever the stoic, barely sang a note... until many hours after Caroline had acquired him. Then, just as she was putting her wagon away to join the others in the village... he sang two lines of a cryptic message, before piping up once more.
"Sportze! Listen closely for the Sportze-
It will bring her closer to her Grand Happiness."
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:22 am
As Caroline was hanging Taog's cage up for the night, he chirruped his mysterious message. She frowns at him when she finishes gawking. "Sportze?" she inquires, knowing full well he wouldn't answer. "What in blazes is a Sportze?" Her only reply is a short ruffling of feathers and adjustement of wings. "Bloody bird," she mutters.Rojiza had heard it too. She smiles at the beautiful Banya. She still wonders what Sportze meant, and figured that the 'her' referred to was herself. She feels a sense of respect for Taog--if he'd given an easily-interpreted message, there would be no accomplishment in heeding its advice.
She watches Caroline go puttering off, packing a haversack, she goes up to the cage and looks into Taog's deep blue eyes. Good bird, she thinks strongly in his direction. I like you.
Taog cocks his head at Ro. He then chirps contentedly, making Rojiza smile and her spirits lift.
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 5:23 pm
The young rabbit girl sat on the floor of the wagon, painting some goose eggs. Once they were dry and she was content with their appearance, she placed them in white cloth bags that her mother made. Opening the door, she snuck out into the night and secretly delivered each egg. drawn and colored by kojiro <3
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Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:27 pm
Rojiza, with her sharp little ears, hears a noise at the door, as she opens it, she sees nothing but a little white tail scurrying away. She looks down at the doorstep, and catches the smooth, round object just as it's about to roll its way off of the wagon. Bemused, she takes it inside and looks at it--it's green with a small acorn painted on it. Smiling, she places it in the hanging basket she'd made to hold the most precious of her collected things.
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 8:09 pm
Part One: She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain."Now Rojiza," says Caroline. "We're off to visit my family. It's a large family, so don't get frightened if ye're poked at. I seem to remember them being rather sheltered--never having left home, except for my parents. They won't have seen annathing like you before," she says, tweaking her nose playfully. "It's about an hour's ride 'round the mountain to Arabesque. I thought we'd take wee Cornelius here out for a bit of a stroll, eh?" she says smilingly. "Majesty can come too, if he so pleases, though I suspect the mountain rocks'd be a bit much for his bonnie cloven hooves.Rojiza finds a bubble of excitement welling in her heart. To meet Mama's family! How wonderful that would be... She recalls her mother telling her stories before bed as an infant about her and her brothers and sisters. She smiles and helps Caroline ready their packs and their steed.Caroline thinks about her sisters and brothers, her parents, and her nieces and nephews. She wonders how they'll react to her having a daughter, but no husband. Da always had worried about her finding a decent husband...
When they finish getting ready to go, Caroline helps Rojiza up onto the friendly mule and then mounts herself, making small clucking noises to guide Cornelius down the mountain path barely wide enough for a wagon. Thankfully, they didn't bring theirs so the mule's burden is much lighter. Caroline hums a little tune while they ride, keeping Cornelius content and herself and Ro from getting too terribly bored.
After about an hour's ride, give or take a few minutes, they find Arabesque. It's a few hours yet before nightfall on this side of the peak, so she still finds small children running around, like always, taking no caution for mounted travellers. She smiles, thinking of her days of doing just that. She expertly guides Cornelius around the children and back to the large house where she'd grown up. A large house for a large family. She dismounts and then helps Rojiza down and hitches the mule to the fence. "Dinna eat the greens," she says sternly to him. "Mama keeps them magicked against rabbits--no doubt it'd work against you." She clucks her tongue at him and scratches his head. "We'll be back in a wee bit."Part Two: My Big Fat Iberian Family.She takes Ro's hand and leads her over the gate and up the small path the the house. A few feet from the door, she's spotted. She finds herself with a dark-headed girl attached to her knees. "Well, look who it is, then!" she exclaims, temporarily letting go of Ro's hand to lift the child into the air. "You were just a wee babe when last I saw ye!" she exclaims to the giggling, freckled girl. "Where's yer Da?" she asks.
"Papa est� en casa," says the girl with a soft lisp.
"Entonces vamanos, eh?" says Caroline, hitching the girl up onto one generous hip and taking Rojiza's hand again. She walks up the steps and into the house.
Immediately she comes face-to-face with her older brother, Matthew. "Well then," she says to his gaping face, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" she inquires midly. She's shortly engulfed in a hug, listening to her brother babble about how much he's missed her. "Och, get everyone together...I dinna want to tell my story more than once. It's a long one."Rojiza can do nothing but look around. The little girl her mother now holds is adorable. She smiles and waves at her, eliciting a shy giggle. She smiles as the little girl buries her face in Caroline's shoulder. She thinks that the man who'd hugged her mother may be mama's brother, but they don't look too much alike.The family was together shortly, all gathered in the large dining room, clamouring to hear Caroline's story. Her face glows at seeing her family again. It had been too long since she'd felt the embrace of her mother, her father's prickly beard, or the light-hearted teasing of her brothers.
"I want you all to meet my daughter, Rojiza," she says to her family. "There's a bit of a story behind her birth, but I'll save that. Rojiza," she says, addressing the nervously squirming squirrel-child, "This is my family. There's Da and Mama over there, and Matthew and Rachelle and their family--wee Matthew (who isna so wee anymore) and Dawn. Over there's Elaina and Cecilia, and their families. There's Barak, that's Cis' husband, and Rand, Lane's husband. Cis' three wee ones are Asha, Andrew, and bittie Aiden, and Lane's are Richard, Leigh, and Samantha." She points to each person in turn. "That over there is Stephen, my wee baby brother, and his wife Sofia and their bonnie girl Adela, she's the one who found me today, and....a new bairn?" she asks, looking wide-eyed at the red-headed boy her brother bears.
"Yes," answers Stephen, "Ignacio."
"He's a bonnie lad," says Caroline jovially. She yawns and requests to save her own story for tomorrow, for she's dreadfully tired, and knows that Rojiza is as well. The two retire to her old bedroom, perfectly preserved incase she had come home. Too exhausted even to ask Rojiza about the day's events, Caroline changes into her bedclothes, crawls beneath the thick coverings, and falls asleep.Rojiza, however, has a bit of time to think. She hadn't imagined her mother's family would be quite so massive! They all seemed nice enough, however, especially the two blond-headed twins of Elaina's. She marvels at her scant memory of Elaina--she'd appeared to be her mother's twin, but remembers from Caroline's tellings of her that she's really ten years older. Eventually she does slip into sleep, though.Part Three: You Got Some 'Splainin' to Do.In the morning, Caroline rises to find Rojiza...absent. After a moment's panic, she gets a grip on herself and sets out to looking for the mute squirrel-girl. She peeks into various rooms before she notices the suspicious giggling coming from the nursery. She opens the door a crack and sees Ro, seated cross-legged on the floor, playing with the black-haired Adela. Smiling contentedly to herself, she meaders back into the kitchen where the adults are sleeply drifting in, murmuring hellos over ceramic mugs of coffee.
Caroline pours herself some of the aromatic brown liquid and puts a dollop of milk and a lump of sugar into it. She seats herself at the table with the rest of her family, who all look to her expectantly.
"What?" she asks. "Why are ye all lookin' at me so strange-like?" she asks, mildly amused.
"Tell us about your bairn," urges Elaina. "Ye said ye would come morn, and it's mornin' now."
"I suppose," says Caroline, pausing to let some of the hot, sweet coffee slide down her throat. She'd forgotten how good Da's coffee is. "After I left Arabesque, I went down the mountain with the wagon and only stopped in a few towns. Nothing interestin' really happened until I found a discarded acorn top, lyin' in the street. I picked it up and put it in my apron, deciding to give the wee bauble to some needy child I might meet. When I came to a town just outside the Sheulan Woods, I met a woman named Valelldia." Here she paused for effect.
"Valelldia said that she could see magic in me. I discarded her words--I knew we have no magic in our blood. I remember bending over, though, and the top falling from my pocket. Val gasped and picked it up quick as lightning. She thrust it back into my hands and said to keep it, and that I must come with her.
"Now as you can imagine, I hadn't the faintest idea why the bittie toy was so important, but I heeded the woman's words anyhow. Val managed to pull together some others who she found magic objects with, and we formed a caravan. That's right--I'm in a real gypsy caravan, Da. Val called me into her wagon one night and performed a tarot reading for me and my wee acorn top. She asked me a question--something about a memory of my madre, and when I answered, the top in my hands was a wee furry squirrel!
I named her Rojiza, and periodically she'll have readings done for her and she grows nearly without warning. She's my bonnie lass, though, and I love her." Caroline smiles as she finishes her tale, waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions her family would ask about her child of circumstance.Part Four: Don't Look Back.A few days had passed since Caroline and Rojiza's arrival in Arabesque. It's now morning on the day they must return to their caravan. Last night Caroline and Stephen had danced and played the night away, just for old time's sake. She now packs up what little things she and her daughter had brought, wishing it weren't time to leave yet. A thought enters fleetingly into her head--to stay here in Arabesque and make a family. She shakes it out just as quickly. She knows she must return to Valelldia's caravan, to Voltaire and Lesh and Annjette and all the rest. She glances toward the door, hearing a small noise.Rojiza is standing there, holding a half-asleep Adela. She smiles softly at her mother and kisses the dark head of the small child."Come love," says Caroline. "Put the wee one back--it's time for us to go. Better we do without makin' much fuss."
They get their things, mount Cornelius, and are off 'round the mountain. Caroline doesn't look back, knowing that if she does she'll return immediately.
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 8:15 pm
Last night Ro and I returned from Arabesque--visiting my family. It was so nice to see them all again, especially Mama and Da. I'm so glad they've accepted Rojiza as a granddaughter, niece, and cousin. I'm glad we got to make the trip. I think it was good for Ro to get out there. She seemed to take quite the liking to wee Adela, Stephen's little lassie.
Today Lesh and I are going to teach Ro and Ani how to take care of the animals. Val needs it done, and it's a good idea anyway.
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Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:13 pm
We met a trader today. A Gelm, methinks. He was a gruff old bugger, that's for sure. He was a jewelry trader, though, and I bought such a lovely moonstone chain! I promised Ro that the next time we crossed paths with a trader I'd buy something for her if she found something she liked. It had just been so long since I'd bought myself a real bonnie trinket.
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:09 pm
Annjette and Voltaire walked up to Mountain Air. The time of day was around mid-afternoon. Voltaire took the lead and went up to the doorway of the wagon and politely knocked on it's frame. It wasn't likely anyone was indoors as today seemed to be quite a lovely day.
Annjette quietly stood behind her guardian, as if hiding herself, and she likely was in order to surprise Ro.
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:19 pm
It's Rojiza who answers the door. Caroline is a cold-weather woman, and in this warm early-summer weather she's rather beat. Rojiza had been giggling at her mother, lazing about, lying on her bed and fanning herself, whining about the heat.
Rojiza opens the door and smiles sweetly at Voltaire. She looks around for Annjette, as usually the little swangirl is nestled comfortably in Voltaire's arms. Remembering her manners, though, she opens the door wider to permit him.
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:28 pm
Voltaire didn't give away Annjette's position and merely walked in allowing her to follow him in. As soon as Ro could see Annjette the swan-girl playfully moved to tackle Rojiza in a very happy hug.
The half-elf laughed a bit at the interaction and nodded his head politely to the lazing Caroline, "The weather too warm for you?" He smiled at her."
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:48 pm
"Och, aye," responds Caroline, fanning herself. "Far too warm." She smiles, thoroughly amused at Annjette's display. "Grown into quite the bonnie lass, she 'as," she comments approvingly.
Rojiza shrieks in staccato as she's tackled by her newly-bigger friend. Her brown eyes grow large as she realizes it's Annjette who's now taller than her and far more beautiful. She hugs her friend, though, harboring almost no jealousy. Almost. She smiles at Annjette when she finally releases her.
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