|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:55 am
Silva turned to look at the boy, then grunted. "Yeah, get a move on it, boy. I think you need this even more than the girls." He added with a mutter.
Nick and Nack crawled the small rope that hung outside the window easily and quickly. Then they hopped over the windowsill and onto the hope chest, heading for the plush couch toy in the corner next to the massive section of various handmade weights. Most of the weights were as large as the juveniles themselves. Half inch thick nuts and bolts for dumbbells, thick dow rods with ball bearings for bench pressing. On the other side of the hope chest was a glitzy, overly decorated goldfish bowl, where Soho slept at night.
Soho glanced up at Marne, offering a slight smile and squeezed her hand before dropping down on the hope chest as well. Aleric and Silva soon followed. Silva motioned towards the couch with an impatient motion. "Siddown."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:39 am
If possible, Galatea's eyes went even wider as she once again obeyed Silva immediately. She looked worried and nervous and liable to jump out of her skin. Clearly, she thought there was trouble coming and, as was her nature, was sorting through recent actions to see if she had done anything to upset Mr. Silva. The sick feeling in her stomach intensified but she neatly folded her hands on her lap and did her best to watch the older feien neutrally.
Brunswick feigned unconcern and merely ran a hand through his hair before he perched on the arm of the couch. Fake it all he liked, he was interested as to where this was going. What sort of knowledge could the old man be passing on to them now? And, if he listened nicely, would it get him off his back?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:32 pm
Marne curled up on the couch next to Soho, shoulders touching the other girl-juvie's, green eyes huge as she stared openly at Silva. Agonized, she eventually burst out, "Are we in trouble?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:43 pm
Silva looked at her, then paused and leaned down slightly to listen to something Aleric whispered. He snorted and stood straight again. He didn't look at Marne, though. He looked at Gala. "Relax, darlin. You haven't done anything bad."
Nick and Nack sat down on the chest next to the couch, looking comfortable. Soho chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for Silva to go on.
"Well..." Silva said, fingering his toothpick for a moment as he looked thoughtful. "Damn me, but this is something your parents or bonds should be telling you. But hell, I've got more experience when it comes to feien. So we'll start here." He looked at them, one by one.
"I'm dangerous. I'm a hell of a lot more dangerous than you brats. And I'm almost two years old. Feien aren't like humans in a lot of ways. And the most important thing is with age comes power. Either strength or magic, or intelligence, hell it doesn't matter. But you'd do damn well to remember that."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:52 pm
Galatea nodded. She hadn't relaxed very much despite Silva's words; not that she didn't -try- but it was impossible to fully let her muscles loosen when a lecture was obviously imminent. "Yes, sir," she whispered.
Unable to help himself, Brunswick adjusted his posture to lean on an upraised hand, elbow firmly planted on a knee. This, at least, was good stuff. He glanced at Soho and Marne out the corner of his eye and then shot them a sideways grin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:02 pm
Marne's brow furrowed as she attempted to work this out. "But what if we don't ever want to grow up?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:11 pm
Silva snorted. "We're not Peter Pan, darlin. Everyone has to grow up sooner or later. Including you. But here's the point." He leaned forward, his feet braced slightly apart. Then he looked at Gala. "You were right when you said feien can't have sex. We don't have the parts, hell, we're not even mammals. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves."
"See, feien can kiss. You've figured that out already. And they can touch. But the same things that cause you to enjoy yourselves can make you hurt." Silva went on matter-of-factly. "Take my Princess, Averno. Now I'm pretty sure most of you don't know her, but she's one of the most beautiful feien around."
Aleric tried not to laugh at what was about to be said.
"But I'm almost positive she's got a trick up her sleeve that could beat the s**t out of me if she caught me with another female. It's just her style. So go back to the stronger with age thing for a moment. And apply it to your jealousy idea." He said calmly, wondering if they would follow him.
"You mean... like in the wedding thing?" Soho asked with a slight frown. "Like they would do more than just yell?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:17 pm
"But... But I don't want to ever get married." Galatea bit down on her lip and soon she was rubbing at the inside of her wrist. "But I want to grow up. If we grow up..." She paused and then took a deep breath. "Forgive me," she whispered. "I'm rambling. What I mean to say is, loyalty is important and, um, affection is good and I am glad you have a very nice female companion..."
"A hot girlfriend," Brunswick interrupted solemnly. His purple eyes danced with mischief, though, undimmed at the near-frantic look of disapproval that Galatea shot him at his interruption.
"As I was saying, I want to grow up but I don't wish to marry and I've only ever kissed Miss Marne and that was all her doing and..." She looked at Silva with big, comically tragic eyes. "Can't you just teach me how to be stronger without talking about... Touching in that manner?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:23 pm
Marne, however, was struggling with a concept that was totally alien to her. She had no idea why this Averno would be mad if Silva touched somebody else. Of course, people yelled if you did it, but it was just for show and then you all got along just fine. If two people together was a good thing, wasn't three better? Or four, even so? "I don't get it," she said plaintively. "I don't get it at all. What's wrong with loving lots of people? Soho wasn't mad when I kissed Brunswick. Were you, Sohie? I mean, you could've kissed B right after, that's sharing."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:31 pm
Soho hesitated. She HAD gotten a little irritated...
"Don't lie, darlin. You're as possessive as I am in your own way." Silva said calmly. She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip.
"I don't... um..." She paused again. "I got a little irritated." She admitted. "And if I knew him a little better I might have been really irritated and--"
Aleric spoke up. "A relationship is more than physical touching." He said calmly. "It should be based on trust and love. If someone regularly get distracted, or goes behind their mate's back, then he or she is very difficult to trust. And difficult to love." He said gently.
Silva looked at Gala. "Strength isn't the only important thing, darlin. Not that it's not one of the top five, but you're going to run into this sort of thing sooner or later. But this shouldn't take much longer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:37 pm
"Of course. I'm sorry for interrupting." Galatea looked down at her little fingers moving over her wrist. "I'm listening."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:42 pm
What they were saying was starting to penetrate the parts of Marne's head that weren't busy singing showtunes or thinking about the next episode of Passions. "Wait, so... So you were jealous?" she said slowly, feeling oddly charmed by the concept. "Of me? Or Brunswick? Because - if it was me - I mean, if you were jealous of me kissing him, I mean - Soho, I, I mean, I love you, I've never felt about anyone like I feel about you, I won't kiss anyone if you don't want me to and we can even do that monogamy thing Dee talks about but I really do love you. I'll stop kissing everyone. I guess Al and Silv know what they're talking about, considering they're like a million years old."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:47 pm
"But Marne wouldn't be Marne if she didn't kiss everyone she met." Soho said blankly. "I just thought Brunswick was cute and punkish!" She said. Nope, no jealousy over Marne there! The very idea of being jealous over Marne was a foreign concept.
Silva waited for a moment, letting this sink into Marne's head for a moment. Then Nick spoke.
"You really think you've been around long enough to know what love is?" He asked thoughtfully, looking over at Marne. "I mean... how old are you, anyway?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:52 pm
Marne counted on her fingers. "Nine months, two weeks, six days and... forty-five minutes!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:02 pm
"That's a good age," Brunswick chimed in with a smile at Marne. "Besides actual age doesn't always mean anything." He shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his head. The seriousness of everyone was getting to him and he was tired of it. "My bond's something like thirty but I wouldn't exactly call -him- an adult. Probably shouldn't be in any relationships either but that doesn't stop the girls. You just have to trust people, right, old man?" He turned to deliver his most adorable and charming grin to Marne and Soho, ignoring Galatea because, for some reason, she was giving him a headache now, somehow becoming less cute the longer he was with her. It wasn't her ice box idiot personality either. Huh. Something to figure out later. "You're good girls, right, gorgeous and beautiful?" he asked. "You wouldn't hurt me or each other, yeah?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
