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Gathering the Ingredients: The First Condition

Tomas Morato, a long strip of road lined with restaurants, cafes and a bank or two. Each block boasted a unique culinary preference, be it Italian, Spanish, American, Japanese, Chinese and of course the local Filipino restaurants. Ever since the city mayor's latest attempt of beautification, parking became such a b***h. Not to mention the sudden lack of street signs made differentiating the street of Scout Delgado from Scout Dizon one hell of a headache.

So much so that a shiney, black BMW could be seen constantly going in and out of the sidestreets that led to the residencial area of Tomas Morato. The sight of the expensive vehicle doesn't mean that only the lower middle class to the lower class citizens of the Philippines dined at Tomas Morato. Granted, it wasn't Eastwood, Libis, but it was still popular, and heavy traffic was a common sight. But let us get back to the car, and more importantly the people riding in said car.

Seated on cream leather seats was a woman in her golden years with morena skin and silver hair cropped short. Her dark, amethyst eyes were wide and round, but the glances she made at the streets the chauffer drove them through revealed her severe nature. The woman wasn't the employer of the chauffer since she was an employee herself.

It was the little girl, bouncing up and down on the seats in excitement, who was the boss. Her ebony hair tied in bigtails as they bobbed in time to the little girl's motions.

"Yaya, are we almost there?" she asked, her hazel eyes shining in delight. She had never been anywhere other than Glorietta or the private village of Forbes Park. Tomas Morato was a new adventure for her! Especially since this was no mere joy ride, she was on a quest.

"I don't know, let's ask Toning," the nanny suggested, "Uy, Toning, have you found Scout Tuazon yet?

"Not yet, Lourdes," he answered brightly, though he cursed the mayor under his breath for removing all the street signs.

"Lilly, sit still, you'll bump your head or something," Lourdes warned, though she knew full well her charged wouldn't listen to her advice.

"There is it, yaya!! It's the bakeshoppe tita Nina told me about!" Lilly exclaimed as she pointed at a gate with a hand-painted sign that read "Sweets & Delights."

Toning carefully maneuvered the bmw through the small sidestreet in order to drop off his passengers directly in front of the gate. He unlocked the doors and waited for Lourdes to escort Lilly into the house before he went off to park the car.

"Keep your phone out of silent mode this time around," Lourdes reminded him with a hint of scolding.

The two females went past the unlocked gate of the home-turned-bakeshoppe and were greeted by a woman dressed in an over-sized, flour-covered apron. Her hair was the shade of pink cotton candy (An ugly choice of dye, Lourdes thought), as were her eyes (Tacky, very tacky, the nanny sneered inwardly). Her only saving grace would be that she had the same, morena skin tone as Lourdes, if only a little lighter.

"Can I help you?" the woman smiled, wiping away the sticky dough that clung to her hands onto her apron.

"Yes, your..." Lourdes paused, giving the woman and her house a once-over, "Shop was recommended by Nina Cruz."

"Yeah! Tita Nina said your cakes are the best!" Lilly added, jumping up and down enthusiastically.

"Why thank you both! Please, do come in, wait inside while I finish up the cookies I was making," the woman beamed as she ushured them into the house.

The nanny and the child entered, both unsure of how to react at the sight of the house's interior. Lourdes had expected a sala with cheap, monoblock furnitures, a few artificial plants, tacky lamps and a small television set in the corner. Lilly had expected a foyer with marble floors, oak tables with a porcelain vase filled with fresh flowers, and two winding staircases that led to the different wings of the house.

The nanny and the child did not expect a large, refrigerated display case filled with all sorts of confectionary treats to be standing just a few feet from the door. It house chocolate and strawberry eclaires, honey glazed cream puffs, milk truffles, blueberry cheesecakes, and an extraordinarily long brazo de Mercedes to name a few.

Lourdes couldn't help but eye the luscious yema balls that glittered from the crystalline sugar they were coated with. The nanny always did love yema balls. Lilly was too busy staring at the triple layer chocolate fudge cake and how the marshmallow toppings resembled a bunny rabbit.

The pair didn't notice the numerous tables that seated two people scattered around the living room. Nor did they notice how the wooden floor shone as if it had just been freshly varnished and polished. Nor did they notice that the interior was airconditioned and had soft, jazz music playing in the background. It took the arrival of the Bakeshoppe owner to shake them out of their trancelike state.

"Thank you both for waiting, I'm sorry I took so long. To make up for it, you both can have anything you want from today's selection."

Lilly wasted no time in pointing out the cake she had been staring at, but it took a little persuasion before Lourdes accepted the yema balls. The pink haired woman handed them their choices in a small box with the words "Sweets & Delights" printed on the lid in gold letters.

"Now, what was it you were looking for?"

"Tita Nina said you could make Bibingka Galapong that tasted way better than Ferino's and that it could also make whoever eats it fall in love with someone," Lilly explained as she already began to eat the cake with her bare hands. Lourdes clucked her tongue and hastilly took the box away from her charge.

"Lilly, that's disgusting! Don't use your hands, they're dirty," Lourdes scolded.

"Oh it's alright, children will be children," the pink haired woman laughed and offered Lilly her apron to wipe her hands on. "And as for that bibingka, I'm afraid I'm fresh out of those. But what would you want one for? A little boyfriend perhaps?"

Lilly's eyes turned into saucers as her cheeks crimsoned, "Of course not! Boys are gross! This is for my mommy and daddy... see, they're fighting a lot more than usual and I was hoping that you could make them fall in love again with that bibingka."

"Oh. If that's the case, then you don't want the bibingka, you want the puto bumbong," the woman responded solemnly.

Lourdes quirked a brow in disbelief, she couldn't believe any food, no matter how good it was, could make people fall in love with each other. 'What's that? Gayuma?' she mentally snorted.

"I can make a dozen of them for your parents, but you need to give me some things before I can make it."

"If it's a piece of clothing they gave me, I have a hanky they both bought for me," Lilly volunteered.

"Oh, no, sweetie, that's not what I need for this recipe. Here, what you have to give me is on this list."

And she hands the child a sheet of paper.



Lilly took the list and read it over several times before she folded it into her pocket.

"Now, remember, it has to be exactly what's on the list, or else it won't turn out right."

"And how much is this going to cost?" Lourdes asked, ready to leave if the woman with the oddly-colored hair gave an unreasonable price.

"Oh, just four kilos of rice flour, the Gold Medallion kind, and a jar of ube jam." was the response.

"Okay, that's a little weird but if you say so," Lourdes shrugged, "Come on Lilly, it's getting late. We'd better get home."

"Yay! I can eat the cake now!" Lilly cheered as they headed outside where Toning was waiting in the car.


Once at home, Lilly set about to gathering the ingredients the Bakeshoppe owner had assigned her to find.

"A signature from daddy? Oh that's easy! Daddy's got lots and lots of papers he signs all the time. I'll just go and get one of them photocopied. Hmm, lesse what's next. A gift that mommy got? I know! Tito Carlo gave her a bag last Christmas, she never uses it so I'll get that. And the last item is one of my toys. I don't wanna give her Mr. Fluffbuttons, she can have that ugly pink duck that doesn't even quack. Yay! I'm done!"

Of course, the child's collection did not go unsupervised by Lourdes, the nanny had tried to discourage Lilly but the little girl would not hear of it. She was determined to help patch things up between her parents, and if she had to get the 'ingredients' by tricking people or taking it without their permission, then so be it. Eventually she had gathered all three, the document she had was from an old contract her father signed that he was about to shred. Lilly had asked if she could have some of his paper stuff to draw and color with. The bag was acquired by asking her mom if she could have it to play dress up. Her mother gladly let her play with it, even telling her not to bother returning it. And finally, she dug up the pink duck from the pile of toys she never played with.

"Here they are!" Lilly declared as she presented the three items to the pink haired woman.

"And here is your payment," Lourdes added and handed over the jar of ube jam and the four kilo sack of rice flour.

"It'll be ready tomorrow," the woman promised and took the items from the child and the nanny. With a quick "thank you," the pair left the bakeshoppe. Had they stayed, they would have seen the pink haired woman cluck her tongue at the three things Lilly had brought.

The next day, Lilly arrived early in the morning to pick up her order.

"Please sign this, it's to prove that you received your order and be sure to read the fine print on the bottom," the owner smiled as she handed Lilly a pen and the sheet of paper that looked like a receipt. Lilly grabbed the writing material and scribbled her signature, and because she was still a minor, Lourdes countersigned as well. Neither of them read the fine print though, Lilly was in too much of a hurry to get home.

As the black BMW drove off, the bakeshoppe owner made one last look at her home-turned-shop. From beneath her apron, she took out a small, book-shaped locket.

"It was nice while it lasted, but it's time to move on," she nodded and opened the piece of jewelry. Wispy, multi-colored strands emerged from the locket and began to envelop the house, until it was completely shrouded by a rainbow mist. With a snap of her fingers, the rainbow rushed back into the locket and the woman snapped it shut. The house now looked like a karinderia rather than the bakeshoppe it had been earlier. A man smoking a cigar was tending to the aluminum pots that were filled with chicken broth and was boiling fish. Men dressed in white sandos with bare feet were seated on the make-shift benches surrounding the crude little stall that tried to pass itself off as an eating establishment.

They men eating didn't seem to notice the pink haired woman who had begun to walk towards Tomas Morato, who had nothing more than the clothes on her back and the small locket tucked beneath her apron.

The next day in one of the tabloids,"I love someone else, and it's not my spouse!" was printed in big, red letters. In another, an article wrote about how neither parents wanted custody of their daughter. And in the lifestyle section of a respectable newspaper, a feature about the trials and tribulations of a certain, well-to-do family was having ever since both the husband and wife revealed they were seeing someone else and were filing for an annulment.

Combine the Ingredients: The Second Condition

"Linny, Pae and I will be going out for the day, okay? We'll be home after dinner, so you can eat without us," Huni called out as she strapped Paestri into a pink-and-white stroller.

Paestri struggled against the straps, she wanted to be close to Huni, wanted the comforting warmth of her mama's arms. But the Legend could do little against the material that bound her to the stroller, the clasps were too far from her reach.

She pouted and whimpered, but Huni didn't seem to notice. Before the pair left the shop, Huni realized she had forgotten something.

"I'll be right back, Pae," she assured the Legend as she dashed upstairs.

Paestri was left in the stroller, her feet dangling a few inches above the ground. Her brother and his Fandangle were in the kitchen, and Paestri could hear them washing things. The sound was comforting, and the scent of cleanliness relaxed the nfant. But in the corner of her eye she thought saw something gray.

She turned her head, unsure if she wanted it to be more than just an optical illusion. She had been so focused in her search that she barely heard Huni descending the stairs. Paestri was alerted to her guardian's arrival when the stroller began to move.

"We'll go to Isle de Gambino, we haven't been there yet, have we?" Huni told her brightly as she wheeled Paestri out into the street.

The infant wasn't too interested in her surroundings at the moment, mainly because her locket was growing warm again. The heat was getting uncomfortable and Paestri struggled to take the piece of jewelry out. The moment she released it from its confines, the locket opened.

A small piece paper fell out onto her lap. On the paper were several markings, some were similar to the ones on her locket. The lines and squiggles seemed to dance all over the paper until they took on a different form:



"Man, was that a long nap or was that a long nap?"

Paestri just stared, her mouth open in shock at hearing the piece of paper speak.

"Hu... a..." Paestri stammered, not even caring whether or not Huni had heard the voice. Then again, she wasn't even thinking about her mama who was obliviously pushing the infernal vehicle Paestri was strapped into.

"So, you gonna listen to Sylvia or what?"

Minutes pass by and Paestri hasn't said a word, she hasn't even made a sound.

"Is a little respect too much to ask for? Come on, don't ignore me! It's not like I wanted to get preserved in a stupid piece of paper. I wanted a charm of my own, but nooooo, all I got was this scrap of parchment. And believe me, it's no fun being folded up like that for the past how many generations. I'm surprised I haven't disintegrated yet!"

"..."

"Look, kid, you wanna listen or not?"

Paestri blinked, and eventually nodded, still unable to utter a word.

"Finally, I get no respect at all, not from her, nor from it, this gig was so not worth the price," the face muttered. "Alright, listen close kid, here's the skinny..."



"And so here I am... now that I've reported what I needed to report, I'll be-" the words were cut off by snoring.

Paestri stared at the face in confusion. What was that? What just happened? She tried to poke at the face, to get it to keep talking, but a gust of wind snatched the paper out of her hands.

"Aaaa!!!" she cried, reaching out as far as the stroller would let her. Once the paper disappeared from sight, all she could do was cry.

"Pae? Oh baby, what's wrong? We're already on Isle de Gambino." Huni frowned, apparently all this time they had been on the boat and had just arrived at the island.

Paestri sniffled and sobbed, unable to express herself properly. She was too distracted for the rest of the day to enjoy the trip.

Meeting Ink

Huni was finally well enough to leave the store, technically she had been well enough for weeks but she's a procrastinator and thus even her body tended to put things off. Such as telling the brain it was all better.

Paestri clung to her mama as they entered the HQ, it had been a good while since she was here last and she could remember Loki and Prana and Gyre. Breena's was a little on the fuzzy side, for one reason or another.

"Hello?" Huni called out.

A tall woman, thin and delicate looking, sits amid the cushions on the couch furthest to the back of the room. In this position, she cannot be noticed immediately from the door, intentional of her or otherwise. Frail fingers drag through the white-blonde hair of a small baby boy, a particularly disgruntled one.

Senseless babble is murmured, though from neither the woman nor the boy. Instead, a tiny rainbow creature is the cause of the strange noise, dancing oddly on her hind toes. She dances and sings as though no one is watching, her voice very baby-like, though seeming to make perfect sense to her.

Narrowing his eyes, the boy scrunches up his face in displeasure. Both the act of being petted, and the annoyance of the lizard-hamster-like creature seem to plainly annoy him. Tiny, chubby fingers twitching with anticipation, he glares brown eyes, just waiting for the chance to yank the beast's tail..

There came no response to her call. Not surprising, the HQ was usually empty whenever Huni came around, and the red head silently cursed her horrible sense of timing. Still pondering in whether or not she would stay, Huni almost gave a startled yelp when she went further inside and saw the woman.

"Oh, hello there," Huni greets awkwardly, "I've never seen you here before," she adds. 'Of course you've never seen her before, you're hardly here in the first place!' she mentally chides herself.

Icing pink eyes instantly note the bigger-than-Paestri person as well as the small-as-Paestri person. She releases a curious coo at both of them before looking upwards at Huni. Would her mama put her down or will she be holding her the entire time?

The woman stands slowly, her black dress falling around her ankles. She smoothes an invisible wrinkle before curtseying to those entering; it's only proper, of course.

"Humble greetings," she whispers, her voice carrying just far enough. There is an accent present, though its exact origin is difficult to place. She lifts her head, pale blue eyes sharply catching the light, or perhaps it was an inward flicker.. It is gone too quickly to speculate long. Her hair is in a bonnet, gloves pulled up to her elbows, and overcoat tight enough to show her figure. "Wondeful evening."

Ink completely ignores the commotion, more interested in shutting up the other half of him. The beast - Suds, as she is called, though her true name is far more complex - gives a last twirl before her tail fatefully falls into the grubby hands of a disgruntled baby Legend. Yanking hard, he does nothing else but smirk as Suds lets out the cry of an injured animal, though it seems to adopt an aspect of human pain and sorrow.

Huni copied the curtsey, albeit very awkwardly and feeling rather stupid at the same time. People who dressed the way the other woman did always seemed to make the red head feel uncivilized.

"Yes, it is. I'm Huni by the way and this is Paestri."

The infant blinked in confusion at the actions of the small-as-Paestri person. Did he do it on purpose or by accident? Surely it was the latter, it was usually the latter with Paestri and Huni and Linneas and nearly everyone she'd met.

The woman allows a small smile to leak, amused by the urge of the other to be as formal as she prefers to be. Brushing a dirty blonde curl from her face, she presses her fingers together habitually. "You may call me Ann," she continues fluidly, with not much variation in her voice. She only barely glances over her shoulder at the noise, not seeming all too surprised.

Ink finally lets go of Suds' tail, grunting a laugh as she tumbles, just barely able to pull herself into a ball before crashing into a lamp. It wobbles, but her weight is barely enough to cause it to fall from its position. She unfurls, feet in the air and head against the ground, dizzy and ready to cry out of confusion.

The boy snorts, turning his head to the side to look directly at Paestri. It's as if he knows exactly where she is to know where to narrow his eyes, as if to convey a warning to this new visitor that he's a force to be reckoned with.

A small smile makes its way onto Huni's lips, which is eventually replaced by a look of confusion. The little creature had been thrown at a lamp, and yet the woman seemed like it was a normal occurance.

"Is it alright?" she asks, unsure if she was stepping out of bounds by voicing her thoughts.

Paestri squeaked as Suds fell to the ground, her eyes wide in a mixture of disbelief and worry for the little multi-colored thing. When her gaze met Ink's, the dark skinned Legend shrank into Huni. The glare of this big-as-Paestri person was different from Loki's, and it scared her.

Ann blinks her pale eyes as if to share the confusion before her lips curl back into a natural, eased smile. "She will be fine," is her assuring reply, nodding in affirmation with a few seconds of a glance at the rainbow creature. "How foolish of me to have forgotten. This babe is named Kevin -"

Ink breaks his glare to wrinkle his nose, shuddering visibly at the mere mention of that name. Never! That is not his name! His lower lip shoots out temporarily, eyebrows pushing down in a pouty-glare.

".. and his companion is Sudopholierghoiestur."

The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but everything seems to come very naturally to the woman. She presses her long and thin fingers together again, finally paying attention to Paestri. "Am I to assume your child is of the same decent as Kevin? I believe that is the purpose of this building, after all, to house the children until they are fit for their use?"

However absurd it might sound to think the Headquarters are more of a boarding home than a gathering place, it doesn't at all sound to be so odd of an idea coming from this woman. First, it is her voice that leaves an unease, one against telling "Ann" otherwise. And then, of course, is the likelihood of such a noble woman winding up with a child who.. doesn't at all resemble the same air of elegance.

Suds falls over, her feet thuddling into the ground as she does an unwarrented cartwheel.

"That's certainly a mouthful..." Huni chuckled at the familiar's name. She couldn't even begin to pronounce it, let alone remeber it.

"Am I to assume your child is of the same decent as Kevin? I believe that is the purpose of this building, after all, to house the children until they are fit for their use?"

Use? The red head blinked at what Ann said, but Huni was never one to 'rock the boat' and instead meekly smiled.

"Well, yes, Paestri is a Legend, but I didn't find her here, although I was on my way here when I did find her. Was Kevin here in the HQ when you discovered him?"

By now, Paestri wanted to see if Suds was alright. Even though the bigger-than-Paestri person didn't seem too concerned, the same could not be said about the female infant. Although Ink's expression still made her a bit apprehensive about even drawing his attention. She wondered if she had done something to warrant it, but couldn't figure out what.

There is an apprehensive hesitiation, but the woman answers without a fuss. "Yes," she lies with a 'sincere' smile, one perfected from plenty of years of practice. "I had wished to speak to someone in charge, to further indulge myself in the direction of his lifestyle. You would not happen to know who is in charge of this household, would you?"

White-blond hair falling slowly across his eyes, Ink blinks involuntarily, his eyes noticably opening onto a shade of dark orange. He strains his eyes trying to glare his best at the pink girl, as if warning her not to cross into his territory. His right hand falls on the beads of his charm, a cross with a rough circular hole in the middle.

Running his thumb into this space, Ink sinks into his cloak, orange feathers brushing up against his face. He closes his eyes to enjoy the soft brushing against his cheeks, opening his eyes in slits as a last warning to Paestri. Now, they are a brilliant red, quite fitting for them to settle on in this moment.

"Um Xaria's in charge of the HQ, at least I think she is..." a blank, almost vacant look takes over Huni's eyes as her brows knit together to confirm wheter this bit of knowledge is true or false. "Yes, she is!" the red head brightens.

"Although I don't know where she is at the moment."

Paestri doesn't glare back, discomfort evident on her face as a hand makes its way to the pendant hidden behind her dress. She clutches it through the fabric, trying draw some measure of calm from the piece of jewelry.

Ever since she had those dreams, Paestri had been a little wary of her surroundings. Now it seems she had to be wary of the people in it as well. This made the Legend sad.

"That is fine!" Ann assures Huni, nodding as emphasis. She quickly memorizes the name for a later date. "Thank you for your help. Would your child like to meet Kevin?" She remains blissfully ignorant of the baby's discontent for the entire situation.

Ink makes a soft sound, the pendant sliding out of his fingers and swings out of sight beneath his clothing. He pulls himself onto his knees just in time to have the ground fall out underneath his legs.

Encircling him with her thin arms, Ann lifts Kevin up near her side, though nowhere near where he can touch her. She doesn't seem to need confirmation from Huni. Ink squirms immediately in protest, doing his best to free himself from the dreadful situation. Being held means people touching him. And that, he concludes, is a horrid thought!

Ann seems unaffected by the struggling, maintaining her hold on him despite the lack of muscle on her arms. When he finally tires himself out, she holds him under the shoulders a foot in front of Paestri's face.

NOT good at ALL. Ink glares something fierce, trying to free his arms in order to utilize them in a fight, if need be. He kicks his bare feet, a low growl rumbling from his chest, doing his best to make himself seem as frightening as possible. Maybe then the girl will cry! It's best when they cry.

"Uh, Kevin's a lively one I see..." Huni remarks with a smile, instinctively pulling Paestri a little bit away from the other Legend's struggling feet.

Paestri whimpered at the sudden lack of proximity between her and Ink and her grip on Huni tightens. Her brows come together, eyes pleading at Ink to cease his frightening actions. She meant him no harm and by now she had forgotten about Suds and was more concerned about herself.

Frowning, Ink manages to pull his arms close enough to awkwardly cross them. The woman accomidates, holding him in a laid back manner still not touching her coat or dress. She doesn't seem to qualify for those "motherly instincts."

Ink narrows his eyes, flaring a dark green colour directed completely at Paestri. No one else matters right now, only to strike fear in this powerpuff of a Legend, at least in Ink's opinion. He slides his top arm off the other, making sure she can see his fist as he makes one. It rests at his side, but there is an unmistakable expression for Paestri to get his message.

Behind the action, Suds comes to, rubbing her eyes with her tiny paws. Her head throbs and she cannot remember why.. nor can she remember why she decided on taking a nap on the floor. There are many other places that are more comfy than the silly floor! Brightening up with a smile, she toddles slowly over to the nearest chair, looking directly up at the challenge that awaits her.

Without taking a moment to think, the lizard-hamster leaps up the material, falling back down almost immediately. No claws to help climb! Her eyes fill with tears of disappointment.

Huni seems a little concerned about Ink and Paestri, but doesn't make much of it as they are both just infants. Wonder does spark in the red head upon seeing the color of Ink's eyes change.

"Does his eyes change colors often?" she asks Ann.

At this point, all Paestri could think of doing is to cover her eyes. Maybe if she doesn't see him, he'll go away...

Ann nods, the exposed blonde curl bobbing alongside her cheek. "They do not have a set colour, actually. From what I can tell, they change at their own will."

Suds shakes off her head, antenna quivering. This cannot do! Backing up, she lowers her head, trying for a running start. When her paws make contact with the couch's side, she is thrown backwards even farther than when she fell, tumbling into Ann's heel.

In this moment of distraction, Ann takes a step forward. With this brief but sweetly timed opportunity, Ink lands a punch across Paestri's upper arm, round knuckles making most of the impact. The woman takes a larger step back, preoccupied with not stepping on and crushing the dazed creature at her feet.

The sensation of Ink's fist connecting with her arm instantly caused Paestri to release a cry of surprise and pain. It wasn't like bumping her arm against her crib, it was different, not to mention she got a taste of something that greatly disturbed her.

And in a few seconds later, she begins to cry.

Paestri's sudden outburst took Huni by surprise, the Legend had always been such a quiet little baby, except when she fell or hit herself. But she had not noticed Ink land the punch as she had been preoccupied with Ann.

"Oh, oh Paestri, what's wrong sweetie?" she asked, adjusting her hold so that the baby could rest her head on her shoulder.

Ink can't help himself but smirk, finally curling his arms around the one Ann uses to hold him. She had just scooped Suds into her other hand when Paestri's wail could first be heard, and she stands up faster because of it, just as confused as Huni is as to the cause of the tears.

"What is wrong with her?" she asks oddly, her voice almost lost with the amount of noise. Resting Suds with Ink, she cradles the pair with both her arms. Ink fakes fatigue, shutting his eyes and nuzzling up against the rough coat material. Ann turns her pale eyes to the baby Legend and companion, looking back up at Huni.

"I am sorry," she apologizes, bowing her head. "I think it is time I leave, for Kevin seems to chose now as his time for sleep. It was very nice becoming acquainted with you, Ms. Huni."

Heading for the door, she sends one last puzzled look over her shoulder at Paestri, perhaps taking a mental picture of the now crying baby Legend. Shutting the door behind her, the three instantly disappear once out of sight.

Seeing as Paestri was becoming more upset by the minute Huni was about to take her leave when Ann bade goodbye. Wordlessly she nodded in response and continued to coo to Paestri.

"There, there, what's wrong with my baby girl? Are you hungry? Sleepy? Why you crying, hmm?" she murmured as she stroked Paestri's back while they headed for home.

Paestri did not like the feeling of being hit, but it was the taste of Ink that truly made the Legend wail. She wasn't going to stop until she was sure she was as far away from Ink as possible.

Serve When Cool: The Third Condition

Paestr's exploration of the house has been increasing. Rather than contenting herself to the confinements of her room, the kitchen and the shop front, she had begun to take a look around elsewhere. While her house was no mansion, it had spare rooms, storage rooms, and most of all the Study beside the shop front.

The Study was a special place, she was certain of it, because it seemed everytime a bigger-than-Paestri person went in, they come back out with an as-big-as-Paestri person! She had been fascinated by the room and wanted to see what was inside and if she could get in, would she find another as-big-as-Paestri person in there as well?

She would have to figure out how to get in there, though. She wasn't big enough to reach the doorknob, and it didn't seem likely that she could just push the door open as it swung outwards. She was seated in front of the Study's door when lo and behold, it creaked open?

Blinking for a few moments, she crawled in to explore. Once inside, it was quite evident she was disappointed by the interior of the room. She had half expected some bubbling cauldron, or puffy clouds that rained as-big-as-Paestri persons, or some other fantastic-looking thing. Instead all she saw were books, books and more books. Oh and a large table under the only bulb in the room.

She was about to turn around and head back out when the door slammed shut behind her. She nearly leapt out of her skin in surprise, and the hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end. What was going on here? Pudgy fists began to pound on the door, hoping that someone on the other side would be able to hear her and free her from the dusty room. It took a few minutes for Paestri to stop and begin to cry.

Hush now child, hush. Came a voice from no where. It was gentle, kind, and very unlike the wispy voice Paestri had been hearing in her dreams.

I just wanted some company and I also wanted to take a look at that locket of yours.

"Wai?" Paestri asked, surprised that she understood what the voice wanted.

Paestri felt unseen fingers slide into her collar to pull her locket out. And though she grabbed the piece of jewelry and held on, she found it slipping from her grasp.

"Noooooo!!!!" she wailed, becoming very upset. There were few things that upset the pink Legend, and having her locket taken from her was one of them.

I won't take long, I promise. In the meantime, you can watch a story.

Watch a story? Shouldn't the voice have said listen to a story? Paestri found out that the voice really meant watch a story as the large Tome suddenly slid off the table and splayed open right in front of her. There were odd twitches from the Tome before the letters written on the pages hopped off the paper and onto the dusty bear-skin rug Paestri was sitting on. Fascinated, Paestri watched the letters twist and stretch as they took on a new form.

*****************************

Miniature figures of people paced back and forth as behind them the rest of the words took on the shapes of furniture, walls, backdrops. The letters solidified, took on different hues and eventually became miniature replicas of a busy street along Glorietta.

There was one prominent figure amidst the rest of the hustling and bustling miniatures. It was male and while his clothes were not impressive (it didn't seem to have the "I'm-so-expensive-no-one-can-afford-this" air that majority of the people possessed), he had a certain quality that made you take notice of him. It could have been the honest, eager smile on his face; flashing a set of pearly white teeth. It could have been the way he stood, neither cocky nor self-conscious. Or it could have been the deep longing in his dark brown eyes.

Yes, there certainly was something about this lad that caused several people (male and female) to do a double take. Unless, of course, you were the subject of the young man's gaze.

Seated under the awnings of a trendy cafe was a young woman. She held in one hand a thick text book, in the other a bright yellow marker. There was nothing remarkable about the young woman. Certainly she had hair so dark you'd thought the night had been spun into her locks. Her skin was like cream, with a small sprinkle of cinnamon-hued freckles across the bridge of her nose. She wasn't attired in anything fancy, a simple tank top that clung rather than strained against the swell of her breasts.

Yes, there was nothing extraordinary about her at all. She and the young lad would make a very lovely couple.

A Very Brief Encounter

"Hello, is anyone here?" Huni called, it wasn't the most original of greetings, but hey, she had been tired the past few days. Huni believed she was entitled to being unoriginal.

Paestri was a little wary of being here, she was hoping certain Legends were around, and was also hoping one particular Legend wasn't. Paestri still shuddered whenever she remembered Ink.

Kimiko walked into the building, Mayu strapped to her back. Noticing Huni, she waved. "Hey, havn't seen you before. Of course, I havn't been here in a while either . . " She mumbled to herself, then unstrapped Mayu and placed her down on the couch.

Mayu yawned, crawling over to the pillows. She picked out one with an interesting color, and began chewing on it.

"Oh, I've never seen you either," Huni chuckled, "The name's Huni, and this is Paestri," she introduced as she lowered the infant to the couch near Mayu.

Paestri cocked her head to the side, wondering if this small-as-Paestri person was really hungry or if the pillows were tasty.

"Ah, sorry, that was rude of me, wasn't it? My name's Kimiko, and this is Mayu." She nodded to the child, who was having a rather grand time chewing on a throw pillow. "I'm sorry, I just space out and start talking to myself sometimes." She explained, and gave a smile.

Mayu looked up from her pillow-chewing antics, and gurgled. A new victim?

"No worries, that happens to me sometimes too," Huni assured, "Is Mayu a Legend too?"

Paestri blinked at Mayu as she cocked her head to the side, she wasn't ready to approach her, the memory of her encounter with Ink (known as Kevin) still unnerved her.

"Hu?" she worded.

The girl nodded and replied, "Yes, she is a Legend."

Mayu blinked back at Paestri, gurgling again. "Guuu," she said cautiously, not having much contact with other people. She then looked down at the slightly soggy throw pillow, and placed it to the side neatly.

"Cool, Pae's a Legend too, I think..." Huni chuckled, "At least that's what I've understood. How did you come across Mayu, if you don't mind my asking."

"Paystli," the infant garbled as she pointed to herself, "Hu?" she followed by pointing at Mayu.

A vibration coming from Huni's pockets alerts the red head that she is needed back home. With a quick apology to Kimiko and Mayu, Huni and Paestri leaves the HQ.

a flutter of wings and a turn of the wind leave something under your doorstep:

Noche Buena Preparations



Huni yawned and stretched as she snuggled into bed, she'd accomplish her task tomorrow morning. Right now, she just wanted to sleep.