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 Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:14 pm
There was silence for a moment (broken only by Vanna's whimpering), before Lorelei said, "... Yes. You may. You should be helping everybody, though..." There was only a tinge of bitterness, of anger in her voice. Mostly, it was sadness. She had been the one to bring the faeries, with her music... and her daughter had been injured, taking precious time away from the rescue of the other children.
Inside Ivy-Twined, Lorelei was kneeling by the bed, washing out Vanna's wound gently with a cloth. It wasn't that bad - just a deep cut, that was all. Nothing had been damaged permanently.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:29 am
"I know," Silver almost mumbled, looking back over her shoulder at the group before fully entering the wagon, "but Aisrhan has something she needs to say to Vanna."
Aisrhan made no effort to hide the look of contempt on her face. "Do I have to?" she grumbled under her breath.
"Yes, you do, young lady," Silver almost snarled.
Aisrhan flinched before her mother's anger and slithered forward, just behind Lorelei, still in view of the purple skinned Fortunette. "I'm... I'm sorry, Vanna" she said quietly, not caring that it didn't truly sound sincere.
"And?" Silver prompted.
"I'm sorry I bit you. I shouldn't have done it. Y...You were just trying to help," she muttered.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:43 am
Vanna stared at Ais, quieting down for a moment. Part of her wanted to accept the apology, hug the girl with open arms and put it all behind her.
But the other part, her animal nature, balked at such a thought. Ais had bit her, and had wanted to bite her. Just because... just because.... ... she'd done something good?
Vanna crossed her arms, pouting and refusing to look at Ais.
Lorelei sighed, setting down the cloth and reaching up to cup Vanna's chin gently. Vanna tugged away. "Vanna, it was a misunderstanding. Tell Ais that it's okay."
"No." Vanna shook her head, third eye dull, back feathers twitching. "No."
Lorelei looked up helplessly at Silver. This was going nowhere - just because they were forcing their daughters to say the words...
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:27 am
Silver sighed also, but Aisrhan's jaw dropped. She didn't know why, but she had expected Vanna to just give in and get over it, to be her stupid, happy little self again. "I said I was sorry!"
"Aisrhan, that's enough."
"But Mom, she-!"
"I said, that's enough!"
Aisrhan shut her mouth.
Silver turned to Vanna. "You don't have to forgive her just yet, sweetie. She knows what she did was wrong and she is going to be in trouble for a very long time for it." Silver felt horrible. She could only hope that Lorelei didn't feel that she was responsible for this mess. She didn't want to lose a friend because her daughter had a temper.
"Aisrhan, wait outside, please."
"But mom!"
"Wait outside," Silver said firmly.
"Yes ma'am." Aisrhan angrily slithered out the door and sat on the bottom step of Lorelei's wagon.
"Lor... I'm so sorry this happened. Aisrhan had a dream that she was supposed to find the stones - and she did, but she believed that also meant she was supposed to give them to the tree. She doesn't realize how vague these things can be... She got jealous and attacked Vanna... She didn't tell me about it. I... I didn't know... " Silver looked down at the floor.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:55 am
Lorelei went back to tending to Vanna's foot after a long, sad look at Ais, beginning to bandage the cut.
"Prophecies, huh?" she murmured, after a moment. "I've been so scared of Tempranillo - not for my sake, but for Vanna's. There was a prophechy that she'll be... betrayed. And now all I can think about is... if Aleysius didn't tell me of this, how terrible is the future?
"Or... do I have it all wrong? Was this such a random act that even Aleysius couldn't know of it? Or was it so meant to happen that I couldn't be told? I don't know." Lorelei tied up the bandage, sitting back on her heels and sighing. "I was beginning to think being a mother was easy, I suppose. I... didn't really realize how trying it can be. It's more than sitting around and playing silly games, isn't it? It's..." Lorelei shrugged, looking up at Silver.
"It's fine," she said, rising and putting a hand on the other woman's shoulder.
Vanna was staring at her mother, tears in her little defiant eyes.
"... Silver, you should go back outside. Deal with your daughter, go help the others - whatever it is you have to do. I... I think Vanna needs some time alone. I need some time alone."
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:04 am
Silver frowned. "I understand, Lor." She reached over and hugged Lorelei. "Um... if you ever just want to talk... you know where to find me."
Silver took one last apologetic look at Vanna and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her.
"Let's go, Aisrhan."
((will post more later. It's off to work with meh. xp Nyargh. ))
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:13 am
((Wow, I adore the way you guys handled that. It's... really, really fantastic. XD I'm actually glad it happened that way. 3nodding
And Maeko- go back and find a post for Ane... where there's a fae speaking to her where she is. ^_^))
The tree was not taken aback by what seemed to be a random, violent act- it had seen animals fight and consume one another... practically every day of its life. The only surprise was that the gypsies were so in a flutter about it, and that the two were pulled apart so summarily. It watched in fascination as their mothers hauled the children away- and only then, did the ancient tree respond to Marissa's questions.
It pointed one of its branches behind it in one direction, then pointed to itself, and put up five tiny tendrils of a branch. Then, it leaned down and drew a circle on the ground, and pointed at a flower that was nearby. Then it nodded. How many of the gypsies would understand that five trees away in the direction the tree had pointed- and to find the flowered fairy circle that would take them to the rest of the fae... was unknown.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:47 am
Oqaia One of the other fae that had been separated from their horde- assigned, instead, to watch these others that had been pulled away from the group, dipped down out of a tree, its little green body flitting happily around the rabbit-child. "Hello! ...My name is Jihh. What's yours?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:04 pm
|Kay, fine, Ro'll prolly get at least part of that, but I'm at a friend's house currently, and she thinks breedables are dumb. heart
Later, lovers.|
A fairy ring? Rojiza, wide-eyed, looks around for the things the tree speaks of. Well, not speaks, precisely.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:19 pm
Irina watched the scene between Vanna and Aisrhan play out, a bit horrified that the snake-girl actually bit the purple child. She knew even Kalpana was a meat-eater, and DeArca's mouse could possibly be in trouble of the badger decided she was hungry. So far though, she'd shown no sign of wanting to eat her fellow Fortunettes, and Irina was glad for that. Hopefully something like this wouldn't happen to her child--on either side of the argument.
But she also saw that the white stones had appeased the tree, and now, it was motioning to the gypsies again, trying to communicate something to them. Irina watched carefully, wondering what it's motions meant. So there were five trees, in a circle...and flowers somehow. It was located behind him in the direction he pointed.
Irina piped up again. "Some sort of ring, in the forest behind the tree--the direction it just pointed. A ring of trees perhaps, and something to do with flowers..." She wasn't as bright as Ro was, but she'd come close.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:58 am
At Valelldia’s words, ones that confirmed Mirela’s own idea, the young gypsy had headed off to the trees on side of their wagon circle with Tafari in toe. Fingers had gently swept over the bark of ancient trees, soft words of pleading whispered to them, although the search hadn’t last long for Mirela. On the opposite side of the clearing, close to Silver’s wagon, a commotion was brewing before another tree – one that seemed to waving and beckoning the gypsies closer. Hurrying swiftly to join her gypsy kin, Mirela and Tafari stayed toward the back of the group to watch the scene play out.
The pair watched on as gift after gift was offered to the tree, Mirela herself having nothing to offer, before finally an offer of shiny stones was accepted. Petitions were soon being made by Mirela’s kin, ones that sought a way to find the children that had been so rudely taken from their parent’s sides. The elation at the breakthrough was only momentary as Airshan attacked Vanna, biting the infant upon the foot. Mirela was left astonished, not seeing a reason for the sudden outburst from the snake child, Tafari too shifting uneasily at the sight. As the children and their parents returned to the wagons Mirela turned back to the tree just in time to see it motion once more.
“I agree with Irina” Mirela said quietly, although loud enough to be heard. “I think it is trying to tell us that five trees in that direction” she continued, pointing in the same direction the tree had, “we’ll find a circle of flowers”
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:46 am
Marissa bit her lip and nodded. "I concur," she said, "And for all it's worth, it's the best lead we've got. But," she added very softly, "What could a circle of flowers have to do with finding our children?" Even so, she knew not of fae ways, and trusted the great tree enough to heed and follow it's direction.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:33 am
Maeko-Hana Oqaia One of the other fae that had been separated from their horde- assigned, instead, to watch these others that had been pulled away from the group, dipped down out of a tree, its little green body flitting happily around the rabbit-child. "Hello! ...My name is Jihh. What's yours?" ((Np ^_^)) Jihh just shruggd her tiny green shoulders. "Not me, in particular. One of the others. But I'm supposed to be watching you." She flitted close to Anezka. "I'm probably not supposed to talk to you- but... I just had to see those pretty shoes. They're so beautiful. ...Like a dancer's shoes. Do you dance?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:39 am
"Then, come, we'll look for the ring of flowers. Thank you, great tree. We owe you much thanks." Valelldia gave a curt but honeyed thanks to the magical tree and then picked up her skirt and led the others, in haste, to where the tree had indicated. Surely enough, there was, in the glade of a great elm, a circle about five feet wide- sprinkled with soft white and pink flowers. Valelldia waited until the gypsies had all gathered round, and then, indicated for them to step in together. When they did- the forest melted around them into a swirl of blues and greens. More than one would likely feel sick at such a coercion of the meij and fall to the earth- but the others would see with upright eyes where the ring had taken them- to a clearing... encircled with trees that looked quite like the one they'd conversed with. And in the midst of the clearing... was a short, squat tree with an immense trunk, and branches filled with budding flowers of all shapes and sizes. Around the flowers flew the swarm of fae... and at the base... A single, multicolored candle sat, alone... and afraid. 
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:53 am
Heather followed and looked at the candle.. "The colours are that of a fox..." She didn't expect it to have anything to do with Kale, it was a candle but it did look rather fox like!
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