Welcome to Gaia! ::

~Response to growth~

Osso continued to stare at his hands while he arched a brow. The sensation he felt just a second before still tingled down in his toes a bit. What had it been? He wasn't sure. Head turned towards his mother and a sudden surprised, "ah!" was given when his face met his guardian's fuzzy black ear.

"Ow! Osso, don't yell in-OHMIGAWD!" cried the werewolf as she had turned her head and was eye to eye socket with her son who just minutes before was NOT that tall.

"Moooommm..." Osso said with a worried tone. The boy had become stupified and hadn't even noticed that his toes touched the ground and that he was much heavier than before....But the chair suddenly did.

The old wooden seat creaked, wobbled, then one leg gave out and the pair fell sideways and onto the old carpeting in a tangled heap.

"Oww...." the Mishap muttered in an irritated voice as he rubbed his head. He layed sprawled across his guardian's middle, unaware of her tapping on his shoulder until she smacked him hard on the forearm. "OW!-oh.." he said and soon scrambled off to allow her to breath.

"Jeezus, finally!" gasped the woman as she sat up. Wine hued eyes were now able to finally study her child as he sat crossed legged while hand still rubbing one side of his head where it had made contact with some box that was sitting on the ground.

"Osso....I..I..." she started to semi stutter and eyebrows rose when she noticed everything.

"Hm?"

Azumi blinked and shook her head. Regaining her "composer" and putting a stop to her stuttering ness, she said, "you grew," in a rather prompt fashion. A smile crept one her face as she watched for his reaction.

She didn't have to wait long.

"I WHAT?!" Osso sprung up to his feet and ran out of the office, up the hall, and into the bathroom where a whoop and holler echoed through the house.

This made the Noir laugh where she sat as eyes watched the doorway. The thudding of bare feet signaled that he was one his way back and soon his head popped in front of the open doorway.

"Do this mean I get to learn how to drive?"

Now that made Azumi burst out with such a loud cackle that it made all the pets downstairs stirr and perk their ears. "HAHAHA-No."

~Mommaa....There's something looking at me....~

"Moooommaaa....."

Azumi stirred in her bed covers before letting groggy eyes be forced open. Wolf ears were alert even though her mind was still in a fog. Had she heard something?

"Moooommaa!"

Sitting up now she became slightly more awake. Osso hadn't called her "momma" since he had grown and the unsure fear in his voice was definatley apparent. "What?" she called into the hall way.

"There's something looking at me..."

"There's WHAT?" the werewolf was now fully out of bed and already hurrying up the dark hall.

Osso continued to peer down at the two amber glowing orbs that seemed to peep up over the comforter at the base of the bed. He couldn't see anything else thanks to the moon being hidden behind clouds and it still being 2 in the morning.

The lights suddenly flicked on in the bedroom and a surprised gasp caught the Mishap's attention. Hollow sockets quickly darted over towards the door way where his guardian stood. Her eyes were wide, tail frizzed, and ears to alert that he was sure they couldn't get any closer foreward.

By following her gaze he too became shocked. There, peeping up over the corner of his bed, he saw the top half of an orange haired baby with bright amber eyes and fuzzy spotted ears. "What, um...Mom?"

The small child teetered on the large pile of toys and clothing that stood at the base of the bed. She had already turned her head away from Osso and was staring unblinkingly at Azumi. Head cocked to the side in a confused fashion that lacked fear.

Wine hued eyes of the werewolf stared right back as she took in every detail of the child. Her orange hair, her tawny black spotted ears, the black lines that ran from the inner corner of her eyes, the markings on her cheeks and hands, and the huge twitching tail that gave away some identity.

Looking to Osso she gave a "one minute" sign and was soon down and across the hall and into her office.

"You're leaving me alone with-Oh," the boy didn't even have time to finish saying his sentence before Azumi was back.

"Remember that tuft of cheetah fur I was given while in Africa?"

"Yeah.."

"Well that's it," Azumi poitned towards the child who was now seated on the pile of clothes and such.

Osso widend his eyes and crept silently over towards the end of his bed. He was the one who was now peeping over the edge, but was still met with those huge amber eyes. They blinked up at him in a curious way, but before Osso could do anything the child was scooped up by Azumi.

The Mishap watched the two who seemed to just stare at each other for the longest time. None of them made a sound and the only movement from the two was when they blinked and that their tails flicked side to side ever so slightly.

"What are you going to name her?" he asked simply to break the silence that was starting to become dull.

"Huh? Oh..." Azumi looked up and then back down at the cheetah girl. "Kanti...that sound good?" She said allowed. the question was to both of her charges and each one gave their approval by a smile and a mindless burble.

Kanti

~Time to swim~
Meeting Thylassa and Gullien

Page 2-?

~Meeting Pyren~
Azumi
Osso
Kanti
Shane
Pyren

Done

~Packing away secrets.~

"" Came the french words from the older Noir.

Azumi looked up from the current brown box she had been packing books and papers in and eyed the leather-bound, rather large and heavy looking, photo alblum in the woman's hands. "" Her words were cold and already showed ribbons of annoyance. She already could tell where this conversation was going to lead to and she didn't want part in it. These were the times she didn't enjoy the other Noir's company and regreted inviting her to come help with the move.

A look of dismay came over Ariane's face as she watched her daughter just go back to packing. ""

A sharp sideways look was given from the blonde before she dragged the sharpie across the box's side.

""

""

""

Wine eyes rolled in some annoyance. "" A dusty hand was extended to her mother for the alblum, an empty box now at her side.

Ariane flopped it into her daughter's hand, her own wine hued orbs watching her ever so closely.

With a hand, Azumi wiped some of the dust and cobwebbs of the item's surface as she set it in her lap. Opening its cover, she idly flipped through the picture filled pages. "" she stated. A small smile emerged on her lips along with a rather sad expression in her eyes.

"" A spark of hope lit in the woman's face, but it was soon gone as she watched Azumi shut the alblum and lay it in the box along with a few other personal items that had been unearthed in this office excavation. A sigh was given, and seeing as the other wasn't going to talk about the current subject any longer, Ariane went back to boxing things from the bookshelf she was stationed at.

~ There's a head above you, coming from the ceiling.~


Why is there a head in my cieling?

~"Your methods don't work on me."~

Late afternoon had just showed itself upon the circus grounds and now the sunset was coming in. The lights that illuminated the tents from below were already lit, and the crowd had thinned just slightly. Music still played from the main tent, and people still came and went, chatting idly and laughing towards each other.

Osso, bored as ever, continued to kick around an abandoned carton, that once held popcorn, across the grass in between tents. Hollow sockets would catch glimpses of people moving about from time to time, but they never caught his interest. He was alone on this visit to the grounds; his mother and rest of his family had gone somewhere else around Durem. It had been fine with him, because he had thought he’d see someone he knew here, but alas… it didn’t seem to be so.

Kicking the carton under some food stand, Osso left it and walked slowly around the tents again. His mind was currently running wild with thoughts and silly little debates that he hadn’t even noticed someone coming towards him.

“You Sir! Yes, you fine lad there.”

“Huh?” Osso asked stupidly as he looked up. Hollow gaze caught sight of a rather… “Extravagantly” clothed man coming towards him from across the way, a large finger pointing at him the whole time. Osso stopped walking.

When the man reached him, Osso raised a dark brow as the man moved his arm in a rather large arch and gave him bow. Owlishly the Mishap continued to watch him as he stood properly once more and straightened his gold-threaded, maroon vest.

“Why hello there. I am Lahen'ed Ridrunnh, grand Circus Master of this fine facility set before you,” he indicated the circus and its tents with a sweep of his hand. “May I ask for your name, good sir?”

Osso hesitated. “…Osso.”

“Osso? What a good, strong name! Pleasure to meet you!” The Circus Master extended his gloved hand.

Osso didn’t take it. He only looked at it for a second before returning his hollow stare back at the man. Something wasn’t right about him; there was a feeling that automatically told the boy to be on his guard.

Lahen hesitantly withdrew his hand and let it be stuffed in a pinstriped pant’s pocket. “I see you don’t want to shake. That’s fine, my boy! So, what do you think of my circus, thus far?” More questions.

“It’s okay,” replied Osso. His voice lacked anything that could be considered nice.

Lahen didn’t seem to notice. “Only okay? Well, that’s all right! Everyone has there own views! Which reminds me, would you like a tour?”

“I’ve already seen most of it, sir, so no thank you,” Osso was becoming annoyed by the man’s pestering habits. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.

The Circus Master seemed to be becoming a little annoyed himself…and almost frantic for a second. “Oh! Well….I bet you havn’t seen the performer’s tent, right? It’s a pretty classified area.”

Osso took one hand out of his pocket and waved it as he shook his head. “I havn’t and I have no want to see it either. Now I must be going, sir.” The boy walked past Lahen, but only got so far before a large hand whirled him around by the shoulder.

“Join me.”

“Excuse me?” Osso asked. He looked up to the man with annoyed confusion.

“Join my circus.”

“No thank you.”

“It would be fun; no one to tell you what to do or when to go to bed, you get to perform magic every day and make friends. Free food and housing, what do you say? I bet it gets pretty annoying to have to listen to your parents all the time, yeah?” Lahen was speaking quickly now.

Osso just snorted, “fun? Here? Ha, I’d rather live in the HQ’s basement then here.”

The Master’s lips curled into a snarl and he drew himself closer to Osso, almost nose to nose. “You have great potential in your elements. I can teach you how to use those powers to their max! I can make you strong, you will get loads of money and fame!”

The boy’s face became calm, and almost expressionless, mocking the other’s frantic and angered emotions. “Bribery doesn’t work on me, especially when you’re trying to bribe me with things I don’t want. Besides, even if you did offer me something that’s of value to me, I wouldn’t take it. You and your circus are horrid, and the means that you’ve gotten your ‘employees’, as well as your intentions for them, are disgusting. ”

Lahen looked like he was about to explode. “How DARE you, you little punk!” In a quick movement, Lahen reached for his cane…except when he withdrew his hand from behind him, there was nothing. Dumbstruck, he looked at his empty hand and then at Osso.

The boy was idly twirling around the mahogany and silver cane, his face emotionless as ever. “Kinda hard to punish someone when they know you’re going to do it before hand.”
The Master snarled for a second, but then began laughing as if he were mad. “I misjudged you, boy. Now lets have that cane back.” he extended his hand.

“Nah,” Osso replied, still playing with the cane.

“I said give it BACK!” The man lunged for it, but Osso was already out of range.

Looking to his right, and then back at Lahen, Osso replied, this time with a sly smirk, “ the crowds are starting to gather again for the evening show. There are a loooot of magically and physically strong people here that wouldn’t have a problem tearing you or your circus down, you know especially if they heard me yell. Wouldn’t want to lose all your fame and money, yet, would you?”

“Yet? What do you mean, boy?”

“Nothing; nothing.” Osso chuckled before chucking the cane near one of the smaller tents. He backed away until he merged in with a large crowed that was heading for the main tent, leaving a very confused and angered Lahen behind.