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 Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:31 am
Beauty and the b***h
December 22, 2007 Alek's sisters/aunts/great-grandmothers have grown.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:34 am
Madeline Squared (Alek, Madeline, Madeline)
December 22, 2007 "Keep up, can-eater," Madeline huffed as she strode down the block, Aleksandr more than a few paces behind her. All she had wanted was to get out of the house, to stop feeling Jack's condescending stares on her back and Dixie's disappointed ones. Alek was the only one she knew she could still boss around, especially in her new, larger body, so there they were, walking down the street toward where Madi vaguely remembered that woman, Raven's, house was. That Ryvan girl had been a... sparkplug, to put it politely. Maybe she would be home. Madeline grinned.
"You're passing it," Alek said. Madeline turned around and her smile melted into a glare that she directed at Alek's finger as it pointed to the house she had just been in front of. "I should knock," he added.
Madeline nodded and followed Alek to the front door, trying to keep her hands from throttling him as he rang the bell.
Ryvan was indeed home, and bored. Her mother and Bella were making cookies in the kitchen and neither her or Madeline wanted to help make them and so they were left to find something else to do which left both girls doing nothing.
Raven however was the one to answer the door, a flour covered Bella walking behind her. "Hello Alek, and you're Madeline aren't you?"
"Hey," Alek said, a smile on his face despite his sister?...aunt?...great grandmother? and her sour expression behind him. "Is Ryvan home?" Although he was far from old enough to be wandering the streets by himself, he thought he was playing the assertive card rather well. Maybe she wouldn't ask where Archie or Dixie were. "Hey, Bella," he added. His jealousy toward the other child had dissipated almost completely over the past few months once he had realized there were more important things in life than his grandfather's constant affection.
Madeline nodded again, choosing to say nothing instead of some insincere sentiment she didn't feel.
Raven nodded. "Yep she's upstairs in her room. Let me know when you guys are leaving, I don't want you walking alone." She smiled at Madeline. "You gonna go play with them or do you want to see Ryvan's other sister?"
Bella grinned. "Hi Alek, we are making cookies!"
"Cool!" he said to Bella as he jogged past her and started up the stairs. "Yup, I'll let you know," Alek said over his shoulder to Raven.
Madeline's brow furrowed. There was another one? How many kids did this woman need? The twin prospects of playing with Alek or baking cookies with Jack's b*****d daughter didn't thrill her, so she said, "Sure. Where is she?"
Raven smiled and pointed towards the livingroom. "She's just in there, let me know if you girls need anything I'll be in the kitchen."
"Okay." Madeline walked where she was directed, speaking before she was fully in the room. "Hey, is anyone in here?"
Madeline looked up from her spot on the couch, the tv was off and she was curled into the cushy arm. Spider legs curled over her body somewhat, almost protective in stance. "I'm in here."
The orange-haired girl peered around the doorframe, brightening when she saw the spider girl on the couch. At least this one seemed interesting. "Hey, I'm Madeline," she said. "Do you mind if I come in?"
"Sure." Madeline smiled a bit. "My name is Madeline too." The girl didn't seem too bad yet, she actually seemed pretty nice.
"Really? Funny." The criminal smirked. "Well I guess you don't want me to make up a new name for you so we won't have the same one, right?" Unless... Should she? Eh, why not? "You can call me Danon if you'd like. For later, you know, when you're writing in your journal about how you met this super-nice girl today and you have to write 'Madeline' like a million times and you just go and confuse yourself later when you think you're writing about you." Madeline crossed the room and plopped down on the sofa, the cushions letting out a whoosh of air as a result of her landing. "So, where'd you get those extra legs? Can you climb walls with 'em?"
"Danon, sounds nice." The girl was definatley nice, she liked her. "I was born with them, no I can't climb walls, they suck, only good for making people stare at me and call me names behind my back. I hate them."
"Who calls you names? Your sister has a ******** tail." Madeline coughed into her hand, shrugging apologetically. She supposed it wasn't the b*****d's fault her father was a traitorous s**t. But then again, Madeline herself was being sent away in order to keep this 'family' happy. Why should she care what sort of venom she injected into it before she left? "Sorry, I've known some people with tails who can't be trusted is all. I guess I'm just as bad as the ones making fun of you, judging before I get to know someone." There, fixed. She leaned back into the cushions. "Next time someone says something, hiss at 'em or scream that they're hurting you, even if they aren't." Danon had been affected by people crying wolf his whole life. It was time for a little payback, even if he would never see its effects. "Or if you don't do that, at least turn it around on them. Everyone's got something that makes them feel bad about themselves, you've just got to find it."
She looked up at the girl next to her on the couch and grinned, she wished that she could talk like this girl, Bella was a brat that got everyones attention so she really could care less about what the girl, Danon, had to say about her. Madeline looked back down she smiled a little bit and snorted, she'd never have the courage to actually do anything to someone. And besides the majority of people she didn't get to hear say anything, she just knew that they did. She uncurled a bit fidgeting with the layers of her skirt, it was hot and uncomfortable but it was dark and it was nice and no one was trying to force her into bright flowery colors anymore.
Madeline sighed, pulling her hair back away from her face. She didn't think she would ever develop useful girly habits like carrying around a rubber band for situations like this. "So what do you do around here? We played DDR last time, and now there's cookie baking? I guess you're too little to go out places. I am too," she chuckled.
Madeline shrugged "I do... not much." It was the truth there really wasn't much to do around the Arrikanez household at the moment. "We could watch a movie or something? What do you want to do?" She didn't really want to do either but she was bored.
"Well, we don't have to do anything. We could just talk about stuff." It was fun having a captive and willing audience, one that didn't sneer or tell her she was worthless just because someone they loved more had told them so. "Like why weren't you here the last time when I was?" Madeline wasn't quite aware of the habit most Gaians had of picking up parentless children, even though she knew Alek wasn't Dixie's natural son.
Madeline if it was possible curled in even further into the couch. "I wasn't here yet then. I was... somewhere." Madeline never talked about Eden or her family before that, she just didn't "I haven't been here that long."
"Hmm." Something she had said had upset the spider girl and that wouldn't do. Perhaps a minor subject change was in order. "I came from space in a tiny little ship with my sister," the girl said. "My family doesn't like me much, but I'm hoping when they send me away I can meet some nicer people." People who didn't know what she had done and would never find out. People who listened without question. Danon had always found it easy to make friends, it was keeping them that was difficult.
Madeline smiled sadly at the other girl "my other family didn't like me very much either, I don't know about this family but..." 'I don't see how they could' was silent hanging in the air between them a moment "Its sad that you have to go away though, you seem nice."
"I'm happy to leave," the other Madeline said. She didn't comment on whether or not she was nice. That remained to be seen. "I'm sure I'll be home for holidays," she added. "We can hang out or something." Of course, it would likely have to be in secret, like this visit was, but that would be easy enough to arrange.
Madeline noddded, hanging out later sounded very nice.
The criminal crossed her arms and sighed. "So you said you can't climb walls, right? Do you know anyone who can do magic?" Madeline was insatiably curious about the powers that seemed to be an everyday occurence around here. "I wish I could learn."
"Ryvan wants to learn magic, and Raven says she might be able to help her. But I can't do any." The whispered 'I wish I could' was almost silent.
"Yeah, Alek can do some when he plays songs and stuff. I don't think he knows what he's doing though. Woke Ja... Archie out of a dead sleep once, barely playing anything at all. I wonder if we can learn. We should try." Gaining some sort of magic would finally make the past year worth the pain in the a** it had been.
She smiled a bit. "That would be nice." It really would maybe they could learn how to do all sorts of different things.
Madeline bounced to her feet as quickly as she had sat earlier and began pacing. "I hope the school they're sending me to has a library," she said. "I don't know the first thing about my inner eye or grounding myself or calling my animal spirit or whatever." She stopped and looked at the other girl. "Do spiders like you? Like more than other kids?"
Madeline shrugged, spiders were kind of wary of her but for the most part indifferent.
The criminal dropped to the floor, reaching in the side of her shoe and pulling out a pen. "Can you write down the address here?" she asked, thrusting out her foot, the white canvas part of her sneaker facing up. "I don't want to have to ask Alek."
Madeline looked at the other girl for a moment and then nodded, taking the pen and writing the adress that Raven had drilled into her head on Danon's shoe. "There you go Danon."
Madi looked at the words on her shoe, her expression pleased. "Thanks," she said. "I'll get you mine when I know what it is." Madeline pushed herself back to her feet and sat next to the spider girl on the couch. She sighed. "I'm bored." She looked over at Madeline. "Not your fault. I just get bored easily."
Madeline nodded. "I'm usually bored, but there isn't anything to do." The girl sighed, "Sorry," and fell silent again, fingers toying with the lace on her dress. She was beginning to hate it because it felt almost smothering, but she didn't really know how to ask for different clothes, and she didn't want to be forced into flowery clothes like her former guardian had tried to make her.
Glancing down at her own baggy jeans and button-down shirt, Madeline said, "That dress is... nice. Itchy, it looks like. Did you pick it out?"
Madeline nodded. "Yeah." She sounded far from pleased at this "It is itchy... and hot."
"Didn't... what's her name... Raven get you some that weren't so formal-looking? I'm sure she would, just ask her. I'll even ask her." The woman might have found nothing odd about sleeping with some worthless piece of cloying, felt-covered s**t, but at least she seemed to be a decent parent. Madeline reached out and poked at the lace on the other girl's dress. "'Cause you can't be wearing that all the time, like a doll."
Madeline blushed, the girl didn't like her clothing? Did she really look like a doll? She sighed and snuggled a bit closer into the couch as if it would protect her from the other girls disapproval.
Thankfully, the blush changed the spider-girl's pale skin enough to be readily noticed or Madeline never would have. "What?" She forced herself to think back to the things that had just come out of her mouth. "Well, you can't! What if you wanted to... I don't know... run around or something?" Talking to girls of any age had been so much easier when she had been a guy. Now everything she said wasn't manly, it was bitchy. "Sorry," she muttered, letting out a sigh of her own and leaning back against the base of the couch.
Madeline shrugged. "I'm sorry. I just.." She shrugged.
"Don't worry about it." Madi pushed her way back up the couch until she was sitting normally. "I won't say anything else about your clothes." She drew breath to speak, but whatever she was going to say was stalled by Alek entering the room.
"Is she... bothering you?" he asked the spider girl.
Madeline looked up at the boy. It was Ryvan's friend; she thought his name was Alek. "No, she isn't bothering me at all." And go away, we were having a nice time. But of course she was too timid to say that last part out loud, only in her head. She looked at the other Madeline. "It's okay, you were right anyway, maybe I'll ask."
"Madi, we should go," Alek said, with a certain amount of self-righteousness. "It's dark out."
The criminal shrugged, possibly in response to both of the other people in the room. Turning to Alek, she said, "Ooo, what happens at night, loser?" She looked at the window. "Fine." Madeline stood and brushed at the back of her pants. "Gotta go," she said to the other Madeline. "I'll let you know where I am when I move. I really want to talk about what we talked about some more," she said. Gaining some sort of magical ability, even if it was only a couple of near-useless spells, was certain to make her life a lot more bearable, especially when she was away at school.
Madeline nodded "I'll write you, I promise."
Alek shot Madeline a suspicious look. 'Talk about what they talked about?' What did that mean? Instead of asking, he just nodded and led the way out of the room, Madeline plodding along behind.
Madeline sighed and watched as her new friend left following Ryvan's friend. And that made up her mind, she didn't think that she liked this boy very much.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:36 am
I Didn't Do It (Madeline, Francine, Coma Alek)
December 23, 2007 It took Madeline several long seconds to realize where she was when Francine shook her awake. Yesterday morning, when the twins had woken up larger, Madeline had volunteered to sleep on the couch, to alleviate the inevitable strain on a bedroom that was already too small for the three toddlers that had previously resided there. Since this house wouldn't be her home for long anyway, she had given up the room to Francine and little Aleksandr. Madeline blinked stupidly at her sister before stretching and croaking, "What?"
"It's Alek. He won't wake up. I told him it was Christmas Eve Eve and everything!"
Madeline looked at Francine's nervous expression and giant, sincere blue eyes and sighed. "Well, ********." It wasn't as if Madeline particularly cared about the welfare of Dixie's son, but she had already gotten an earful after taking Alek out yesterday without telling anyone. "I'm coming." She kicked her legs out of her blanket and swung her feet onto the floor, leaving Franny to scramble out of the way, lest she be lightly trampled by a one-girl stampede. Down the hall they went, Francine wringing her hands and trying to give helpful advice on comatose children, Madeline shushing her at every step the pair took.
The satyr was breathing - something flighty Francine could have easily overlooked - but it was obvious after a few shakes and a bit of one-sided name calling that he wasn't waking up on his own.
"Go get Dixie," Madeline instructed. "I'll be on the couch." As far away from the shitstorm as possible.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:42 am
Kid Quest Part One - Off to Auntie's House We Go (Alek, the past) Today was a very important day at the palace of Krivich. Servants bustled about, bringing furs and silver and wine to and from the main hall. Truth be told, the 'palace' was a huge twisting series of caves halfway buried in a great, gray rock, and the 'servants' were simply any Krivichi who weren't members of the upper class, but the idea was the same. They might not have known the first daughter personally, but everyone celebrated for her.
Aleksandr awoke in an empty stretch of hallway, the skin of his scalp asleep where his visible horn had been uncomfortably pressed into the cold, stone floor beneath him. He looked around, expecting to find that he'd fallen off of his bed or that Madi had played some sort of practical joke. When he saw that neither was the case, that he had instead just woken up in some strange, dimly lit hall, Alek jumped to his feet and his heart began to race.
Before he could consciously decide what to do, Alek heard voices and footsteps coming his way. He looked left and right for somewhere... anywhere to hide, but he came up woefully short. He looked down. Go, Diego, Go PJ bottoms. No weapons. Weapons? He closed his eyes against the strangely foreign thought and kept them shut as the approaching footsteps grew louder and louder and louder and... softer and softer? Alek's eyes opened slowly and he turned toward the sound as it faded. Two strangely dressed men continued past him, carrying a torch between them that flooded the hall with bright yellow light.
He pressed his palms to his seemingly solid chest. How had that happened? Surely the men had noticed him?
Alek stood very still for a while, pondering what to do next. Eventually the chill of the stone on his bare feet and further lack of movement around him brought him out of his thoughts. He inched toward the wall, holding a hand out in front of his body. His breath slowed to a faint whisper as he approached, but when his arm effortlessly disappeared into the wall up to the elbow, Alek knew that this was a dream. The men hadn't stopped because they hadn't seen him.
Feeling slightly better about the whole situation, Alek started after them, forced to shuffle forward slowly, afraid that if he went too fast he would end up bounding through a wall or maybe even the floor. The men had surely had enough time to get far enough away that he wouldn't find them, but maybe there was something else to see along this path.
The hallway brightened as Alek kept moving, and it wasn't long before he heard movement ahead. Risking a headlong tumble into a phantom wall, the little boy sped up, anxious to get to something more fun. What he found was perhaps the most beautiful place he had ever seen.
in progress...
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:50 am
Kid Quest Part Two - My, What A Big... Horn You Have (Alek, "Alek," Princess, the past) princess meeting
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:51 am
Kid Quest Part Three - Run Away, Run Away, Run Away (Alek, "Alek," An Angry Mob, the past) running, ker-splat
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:52 am
Un-comaed (Alek, Dixie)
December 25, 2007 Alek started awake, sitting up and gasping at the pull of the IV in the crook of his arm. He had never actually been in a hospital before, but he had seen enough movies and episodes of ER to figure out where he was. He turned toward the dim light illuminating the room and saw his mother slumped in a chair, sleeping. What had happened to him? The last thing he had known was frantic running, a long breathless chase that his goaty gait wasn't made for. Had he been killed? Was that what had brought him to Gaia?
The initial shock of waking in a strange empty room over, Alek turned to the dull aching in his limbs. He raised his hands and spread his fingers in front of his face. They were longer, more fit to play the instruments he had only tinkered with until now. His arms were longer too, and when he pushed his blanket to the floor, he saw that his legs were as well. For the briefest moment, Alek mourned the disappearance of the... tiny cuteness he had lost while he was asleep, and before he had realized what was happening, his body smoothly shrank to half its new size and back again. It wasn't the same sort of toddler smallness that would get him his way with a well-timed pout or a strategic welling of tears, but this new magic certainly promised to be useful.
With a careful quietness, paying special attention to the bag of clear fluid attached to his arm, Alek swung his feet off of the bed and put a bit of weight on them in preparation to stand. His tail shook with unconscious excitement over the fact that his toes almost touched the floor on their own, without him hanging halfway off of the bed or having a stool there to cheat with. He was shaky, but managed to rise to his feet with little fuss. Alek looked around from his new vantage point with great curiosity. He couldn't make an accurate comparison, not having been conscious in this room when he had been brought in, but the mere sight of the new height of the lightswitches now mesmerized the boy.
"Alek?"
The satyr spun on his heel, the sudden disruption of his changed center of gravity proving to be too much to quickly recover from. He stumbled and would have fallen if his mother hadn't jumped to her feet to catch him. This being the closest thing to a proper hug Dixie had ever seen fit to give her son, Alek took advantage and flung his arms around her thin torso. It might have made a charming family portrait if the criminal hadn't looked like a deer in headlights. "What happened to me?" Alek asked.
"Not sure," Dixie answered, peeling him off of her and pushing him back to arm's length, a much safer distance. "You look good," she added in an attempt to take the haphephobic sting away. She sat him on the edge of the bed and dropped down next to him, her tail curling over the opposite side. "Just try to keep the birds and bees talk far in the distant future, okay?"
"The what and the what?"
"Exactly."
Alek leaned back on his arms, suddenly exhausted. The memories were fuzzy, but he seemed to remember there was a lot of work to this growing thing. "Oh!" he said, sitting up straight again, the exclamation giving way to a brief yawn. "You mean sex!" His face twisted into a comic display of disgust. "I know all about sex and I won't be having any, guaranteed."
Dixie laughed then, a full-throated guffaw the likes of which Alek was pretty sure he had never heard come out of her before. "Okay, yeah, that sounds good." She wiped her eyes then turned and looked at him for what seemed like a very long time. "I'm glad you're all right," she said finally. "I was... worried."
Blind to Dixie's surprising moment of motherly affection, Alek bounced a couple of times on the unyielding mattress and asked, "Can we go home soon?"
"Yes, definitely." Dixie rose to her feet. "I'll find someone to check you out and give us permission to leave. It's the middle of the night, but I'm sure there are taxis somewhere." She took a few paces to the door and turned around. "Archie will be happy to see you're alive. He almost kicked Madeline out of the house a few weeks early."
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 4:56 pm
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 10:10 am
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 10:13 am
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 10:15 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:04 am
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:17 pm
Like Weeds
November 9, 2008
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