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 Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:28 pm
Laura couldn't help but stare at the small girl, and then her father, when the man came in. She'd never before seen anyone with dark skin before, and had to remind herself to look to her food.
At first, she'd assumed the little girl the victim of some burn accident. It was only until she saw the girl's father that Laura understood they were like that from birth. There certainly were odd people in the world; who knew they were so close to home?
"O-Oh, Leolin wouldn't harm a fly. He likes children." Laura said softly, looking to the pair of them. "Won't you have some more? We caught more than enough for just us."
"I'm sorry Keman, ladies, but I think I'd better get to bed before I fall asleep in the vegetable soup."
Looking to Nyhali, Laura's expression became sheepish. Feeling partially responsible, she had half a mind to stand up and go to bed as well to keep from being rude to her Host. "Good night Nyhali. I shall see you tomorrow before I leave, I hope?"
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 11:00 pm
Nyhali nodded. "I'm usually an early riser, so I should be up to see you off." She waved a good night to them all and headed to her room.
Keman chuckled, having noted Laura's reaction. He waited until Nyhali was out of earshot and said, "It's all right, Miss. My people aren't so common here." He flashed a brilliantly white smile Laura's way and then shifted Tika into an easier grip. The little girl was half falling asleep. "Looks like someone else needs to go to bed as well."
He stood up and bowed in a lopsided, friendly fashion. "I'll leave you ladies to clean up. And don't worry about Lady Nyhali. She takes no offense where there is none to be taken, and we try to do the same. Makes life far easier to enjoy."
He poked Tika gently. "Say goodnight, sweetling." All the little girl managed was an adorable little sleepy sound and a misdirected wave. With a chuckle Keman headed out the door to put her to bed.
Matti shook her head. "That's M'lady for ye, either keeping ev'r'one up too late or going t'bed early and making us all wonder if we should too. She only seems t'bother much with etiquette outside these walls."
She quietly finished her meal with Marta and Laura and helped clean up afterward. Then she shooed Laura toward the door. "Ye'll be needing yer sleep too, Lass, I know ye slept a bit but all th'same ye had a late night yest'rday."
Seemingly out of the blue as Laura left the room, Marta called after her, "Thank ye for the birds. They were good eating." She shot a scowl Matti's way when the younger woman started laughing and gasped something about small miracles, and studiously finished putting away the last of the dishes.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 11:06 am
Inclining her head when Keman departed, Laura couldn't help an affectionate smile at the little girl. They were so cute at that age when they weren't running people ragged.
~*~*~*~
When Supper was over, Laura was surprised to be shooed away without being asked to help with dishes, and was varitabley shocked when Marta said something kind to her. "Thank you, Ma'am." She stammered politely, not quite sure why the older woman had been nice to her all of a sudden.
However, at Matti's prodding, the woman smiled sheepishly. "I would like to be able to stay with Leolin tonight, if that's all right... It'll be the last I see him for a while. I'm used to sleeping in a barn."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 6:34 pm
Matti nodded. "Well, I don't see any harm in't. If'n ye need a pillow or blanket there's s'me spares in the front closet in th'room down the hall there." She obligingly pointed it out. "Ye enjoy yer time with that animal friend of yers. Maybe sometime ye can introduce him to Tika, the little bit's fascinated by them but her mum won't let her near even Kedri without M'lady or Keman around. I think sometimes she might've had a bad run-in with one of'm but she never speaks of it..." She shook her head and smiled brightly, shooing Laura off again. "There I go gossiping again. You have a good night, Lass."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 7:20 pm
Laughing as she was shooed, Laura nodded gratefully. "Thank you very much Matti, you're very kind." She didn't want to dirty up Matti's blankets and pillows, and Leolin's wings made nice a enough blanket.
She said her good nights and departed for the barn. Stepping carefully inside and not trying to wake her comrade. Passing Kedri's stall, Laura opened the latch to Leolin's and slipped inside. "Leolin..." She whispered, smiling as the griffin's sleepy little head lifted, and large eyes blinked open to look at her with a fledgling-like chirp.
"Hello sweet-heart." Laura cooed to Leolin, kneeling beside her griffin and giving him a warm hug. The thought ot leaving him behind came rushing back to her as she held the breat beast's head in her arms, and Laura's lip trembled sadly. She bit her lip to keep it from doing so, but it didn't help to hold back the tears that threatened to come.
Something was... very wrong. Leolin chirped quietly once more, nuzzling against his partner and crawled closer to the woman. Large soulful green eyes stared up at Laura, not understanding just what had her so upset.
"What's wrong?" He questioned, knowing she couldn't understand him but felt compelled to ask all the same. Glancing to the stall beside him at Kedri, he lay on his side to shepard the woman to lean against him with his beak. He still didn't understand what was going on, but he did seem to know that Laura would be going away.
When Laura lay down against his side Leolin hugged her with a wing. His poor, frail little partner... He would stand guard to protect her tonight, and keep her safe until morning.
~*~*~*~
Laura awoke in the morning to Leolin hissing at a stablehand who tried to get into his stall. Feathers puffed up to make him look bigger, he didn't wish to wake her with squawking and settled for an annoyed serpantine sound.
"Leo?" Laura murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes to see what made her pillow so tense. "What's the matter?" She blinked her eyes open to spot Keman there, apparently having tried to enter Leolin's stall without the griffin's permission.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 8:32 pm
Keman chuckled from deep in his chest. "Wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was disturbing you, I take it?" He crouched down just outside the stall and studied Leolin curiously. "More of a cheetah than a lion, isn't he?" He grinned. "Not that I'm sure if you'd know of either. The cheetah is the runner, and relies on speed. Never nearly as powerful as a lion, but then the lions usually can't catch them for it to make a difference." He smiled broadly. "I think there might be a pair of each in the Royal menagerie, if it's still around, not that we'll ever see it, eh?"
He gave a low bow to Leolin. "Worry not, great creature! I bring only wake-up calls and one of my wife's breakfast rolls." He held out a wrapped bundle for inspection, careful not to move quickly or too closely to Leolin, just in case. "I even beat Lady Nyhali up this morning, but not by much. I believe she will bring out something for you to feed your friend with shortly."
~~~~~
Roused by the hissing and the soft but persistent rumble of Keman's deep voice Kedri lifted her head and chirped curiously before standing and peeking over the rail for a clearer view. Upon spotting Keman she hopped up on the rail with her forelegs and reached down to muss up his hair thoroughly with the side of her beak. The man reached up to cover his head with a hand, mock shock on his face, which elicited a wickedly amused little trill from Kedri. This was obviously an old joke between them, and in fact dated back to Kedri's juvenile days. "You can check him if you want Leolin, but the funny-man is ok. Sometimes he brings me treats when Nyhali's stuck dealing with those rediculous peacockish people."
((Added the ~ because the two colors are sorta hard to tell apart right next to eachother. XD))
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 9:15 pm
"I don't understand, he doesn't normally act like this... And no, I don't know what sort of animals you mean." Laura scratched the large griffin's mane, looking up at him in confusion. "Leolin, you silly bird, there's nothing wrong." She smiled sheepishly at Keman. "Please come meet Leolin. Really, he wouldn't hurt anyone..."
With Laura repremanding him and Kedri's reassurance, Leolin ducked his head to look up at Keman submissively. Laura hadn't been joking, he hadn't the ability to harm a human. Just being big and hissing was enough to send most off, but the last time he'd picked a fight he sorely regreted it.
"He looks funny... Like he's covered in charcoal, but I can't smell it." He said to Kedri, a low grumble to the ears of the humans. When Laura tried to get up, however, Leolin grasped hold of the woman's shirt with his beak and kept her from leaving.
"Leolin!" Laura looked back at him in shock as she was pulled to sit onto her bum. She was flabberghasted, staring in shock at her griffin before turning to Keman. "I swear I've never seen him act this way!"
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 7:07 pm
Kedri made an amused sound. "I know, I didn't know what to think at first, by my mother told me once that where he comes from it got so hot that the sun burned the people black one day, and even still their children are born that way. So I guess he doesn't smell like charcoal because he was born with it?" She tilted her head. "I never really thought about it much."
~~~~~
Keman held his hand out where Leolin could reach it to examine him if he wanted to, but didn't move it too close. "Perhaps he just needs to make sure it's safe to let me in? Even the most timid or mild of creatures can act that way if they are confronted with something they didn't expect." He kept his voice calm and his posture unthreatening. "Hello Leolin. My name is Keman. Can I please give this to Laura?" He held the roll up questioningly.
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 7:55 pm
Chirping at the man's extended hand, Leolin sniffed at it before pulling a wing around Laura tightly. Despite Kedri's kind words, he didn't much acknowledge what was said.
Turning his head, he nonchalantly began preening Laura's hair. Even though the woman began to protest. Desperate, perhaps, to do all he could to keep Laura from leaving the stall.
"Leolin!" Laura tried to shoo him away, but was smothered in the griffin's feathers as his wing hugged her against his feathered side. "Stop it! Stop it now!" Shoving Leolin's beak away from her, Laura tried to wiggle free of the wing. With some difficulty, she managed to slip free and stepped away from him. "What on earth is wrong with you?"
The griffin lowered his ears and head as he looked up at her. "Don't go.... Don't leave me behind..." He whimpered, trying to get onto his feet to follow only to fall back to the ground. Muscles far too sore to lift him up.
Unable to understand just what was wrong, Laura shook her head as she looked to him. "You silly beast..." She murmured, reaching to stroke his beak. "I'm not leaving for good. You'll stay until you get better." Kissing the bird on the tip of his beak, Laura turned to look back at Keman. "I'm sorry. Please ask Tika to keep him company after we go. He's never been away from me before."
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 10:02 pm
Keman balled up one hand and placed the fist over his heart before giving Laura a bow, obviously some sort of salute. "I'll have to make sure either I or Lady Nyhali is here for the first few visits or her mother will throw a fit, but I'm sure Tika would be more than delighted."
He tossed the roll to her in a rather nanchalant way before courteously offering his arm. "Would you like me to escort you up to the house or would you rather wait here for M'lady?"
~~~~~
It took some effort on Kedri's part, but she managed to climb over the rail and into the stall with Leolin. Her landing wasn't exactly dignified, and she recieved a startled laugh from Keman, but she ignored him. "I think she's going to let you stay until you get better. Like we talked about? You know she wouldn't leave you behind, not after the way I practically had to carry her inside to get her safe the other night." She preened at Leolin reassuringly. She didn't like seeing him so upset...
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:51 am
Catching the roll, Laura glanced back at Leolin a moment. "I don't want to make my griffin any more distraught... We should probably leave."
Taking the man's arm, Laura looked to Leolin worriedly. "Take care of him Kedri. I'm counting on you!"
Leolin stood with difficulty on quivering legs even with Kedri trying to reassure him. His wings sagged, ears lowered, and the quiet crying noise he gave showed his obvious distress.
Even when he'd told Kedri he'd like to stay, he had some vague wish that Laura would still remain. There was way to know it would be this difficult to say goodbye to his partner. Taking a step forward, Leolin tried to follow after only to find Laura close the gate behind her.
The griffin leaned his head over the gate, breath coming in quick raspy gasps.
Releasing Keman's arm, Laura stroked Leolin's beak, looking sadly at those large green eyes of Leolin's. "Don't make it harder than it already is..." She said quietly, kissing the griffin on the nose. Tears welled in her eyes at seeing how desperately Leolin wanted to follow her. "Good bye Leolin, please be good."
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 7:11 am
Keman gently lay a hand on Laura's shoulder and steered her toward the exit before letting go. He didn't hold on long, seeing as he didn't want certain feathered persons too upset with him. "M'lady is likely waiting downstairs by now. We should be getting ready. And hey, sooner you take of what you must, the sooner you come back, and with extra time to visit." Keman gave one of his startlingly white smiles in an effort to reassure her of her decision.
-----
Kedri stood by Leolin's "good" side and leaned gently against him, preening once more. She was used to being away from Nyhali now, but the first few times had been distressing, to say the least. There weren't really any good words for it, so she gave support the only other way she knew.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:30 am
Bowing his head, Leolin tried his best to hold himself up with Kedri's help. "Thank you..." He said quietly to her, though looked no better at the idea of his partner going away.
His appearance left him looking as though he'd suffered some great heart ache that couldn't be healed. Sure, that wasn't the case, but the griffin felt terribley dejected.
Trying to still her tears, the woman nodded at Keman's comment but didn't see his smile. "I appreciate your efforts, Mr. Keman, but I'm afraid I'll be a bit disheartened with the absence of my partner."
Almost having forgotten the roll she'd been given, Laura nibbled on the end of it a moment without really tasting it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 3:30 pm
Kedri did her best to be reassuring and preened gently behind Leolin's ear. She didn't really know what else she could do for him right now.
~~~~~
Keman steered Laura gently up to the house and into a small, private looking side room. He pointed at a wrapped bundle on a chair. "M'lady was wondering if you'd like to take those with you. You can come to the kitchen when you've looked through them, M'lady will likely be down by then."
The wrapped bundle contained some of the old clothes Nyhali had offered the day before, some of the less obviously noble ones and clothes that could be respectably worn out and about or at work with little fuss as well. Even now Nyhali still did her share of work from time to time, so she'd always had something around she could get dirty in.
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:02 pm
((*flub post to finish current RP*
Preparations were made, Laura was sent home and told in no uncertain terms that she could come over and visit Leolin whenever she had the chance.
Leolin is being taken care of (partly by Tika, who's gotten very good at sneaking out from under mom's eye to visit Kedri)
Aaaand stuff happened and now the RP is done. >>))
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