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 Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:55 pm
It'd been rather tense in the household, Aiko having again fallen into one of her depressive slumps where she could hardly get herself up to do anything. Of course, the children were unawares as to what was really going on. Unsurprisingly, Julia was blissfully unaware of her surroundings, and Shippou was too busy teaching her to spin string-tops. Paine was detached from her family as ever, off in distant lands playing ("I don't play, I train.") with her wooden sword. As for the pets, they were off sleeping in one part of the house or another, tired from the heat of late summer. The warmer weathers made them more sleepy than usual, as was to be expected. The Elric brothers staked their place on the back of the couch, and even Lucas spent most of his time in his little mantle top nest rather than following Julia around.
The only pets that weren't sleeping around, however, were Chii and Ivory. Seeing her master greatly distraught, the Heartless spent most of her time following her around, keeping on Aiko's heels and leaping into her lap whenever she sat down, which didn't seem like often. When she did, she'd stare into nothing and absently pet the flaxen colored hair that spilled across her lap when Chii settled herself down.
Nigel was... well, enough said.
Perhaps the only person that seemed uptight about the mysterious goings on was, surprisingly enough, Elysia. She would sometimes pace back and forth from room to room, Ivory hot on her trail, checking each of the inhabitants systematically. At least the children were oblivious.
Then again, so was Elysia, and that was what was driving her insane. Elysia wanted to know what was going on. It was obviously something big, and no one was telling her ANYTHING.
"Ivory and I are going out for a walk, M'lady," Elysia announced one day, arms folded and gaze set on Aiko, who was setting in her arm chair with Chii in her lap. Julia and Shippou were at her feet, playing with their tops, watched over by their loving, though spacey, mother. Doe brown eyes looked up at the Guardian, blinking a few times at the generally upset look on her face.
"Alright," she simply answered, then looked back down to watch the children playing at her feet. Elysia's nose wrinkled slightly as she glided over to Aiko and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"I know something's wrong, M'lady. You cannot fool me." And without checking Aiko's reaction, she left, Ivory lingering for a few moments to gaze at Aiko.
~~~
"You shouldn't have said that to her," Ivory said as she gazed up at Elysia, trotting along side of her. The Aeriment sighed, downcasting her eyes so she could watch her feet kick against her red skirts.
"I know this," she agreed, rubbing her shoulders with her hands to fend off the slight chill of a non-existent breeze. "But something has happened, Ivory. I just know it has. With how the Lord and Lady have been acting lately..."
Ivory's icy blue eyes looked up at her guardian. If Kaths could, Ivory would have had a look of pure pity on her face. Elysia liked to know about everything that went on with the family she had sworn to protect, and the fact that its head two members weren't saying anything as to what happened really put her out. It was then Ivory wished she, herself, knew what had been going on. Unfortunately, she didn't, despite all she saw go on around the house.
The one thing that she noticed, and knew that Elysia as well had noticed, was that Aiko didn't fuss so much at Nigel anymore. In fact, they avoided each other like the plague, as if they could have possibly been avoiding each other even more than usual. And this was quite a feat in itself, as the male was laying atop the book case even more than usual, almost as if he lost interest in the outside world.
After a moment's silence, the Kath looked up at the Aeriment.
"How much do you trust Lady?" Ivory asked in all sincerity. Dark green eyes blinked in mild confusion as she glanced down at her companion.
"I trust her more than any human."
"Then you should trust her judgment on this." She nodded. "If Lady Aiko hasn't told us, then it's not for us to know. She'll tell us when the time is right."
Sighing, Elysia looked down at her feet.
"Yet I feel as if I need to do something to cheer up M'lady. Like I should bring her back a present to cheer her up. But I have no clue what exactly to give her."
"I'm sure Lady would appreciate anything you brought back for her," Ivory said on a sigh. "Remember how much like a cat she is. She'd like something more simple, that wouldn't take up too much room in the house."
"Something shiny," Elysia said with a chuckle. "Something like..."
"A moonstone?"
Stopping, the taller looked down at the Kath with a slightly confused expression on her face.
"That was oddly specific. Where am I going to find a moonstone?"
After a moment of gazing at each other, Ivory trotted forward several yards and stopped in front of a glittering, translucent blue stone.
"Is this not a moonstone?"
~~~
"What is it?" Aiko asked, snapping out of another one of her dazes. Elysia had glided back into the room, Ivory hot on her tail, and held out the tiny stone in her hands. The tall woman smiled softly as the hanyou took it in her hand and turned it over.
"My symbol of trust for you, Lady, born in moonlight."
"It's... shiny."
Doe brown eyes glittered.
Kath and Aeriment grinned.
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Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:11 pm
It was probably easy to say that the Core had been forgotten, from an outside standpoint. Before her disappearance, Aiko would sometimes take the gem from its satiny pillow on the mantle and hold it at eyelevel and at arm's length, gazing into it as her head slowly tilted to one side. Chii would sit in her lap and mimic her owner and, by this point, counterpart.
"I can feel something... this isn't just some ordinary stone," she would say before removing one hand to pet Chii's long, flaxen hair. "Good thing Ivory and Elysia brought it to me, huh?"
"Chii?" would be the reply. Aiko would chuckle, then push Chii off her lap so she could stand up and set the Moonstone back on its pillow. She would then lean against the mantle and smile.
"There's something special about this wayward soul. It's why it found its way to me. Most wayward souls have a tendency of doing that."
And then she would be chided by Nigel for "talking to a rock."
~~~
But six months had passed since the last time it had happened. Six long months where the stone sat and glittered in the sunlight that splashed through the window. Six months in which the stone sat and watched as the hope of the inhabitants of the household started dwindling.
"Aiko's never coming back!" Nigel constantly snapped at the children when they pined for their mother, only to be scolded by Elysia, the only time when she would get angry at any other member of the household.
"She'll be back any day! She would rather die than never come back to her family!"
"And that's why she's never coming back!"
Tears would flow after such exchanges, mostly from poor Julia who wanted her mother back more than anything else in the world. Paine would never let it show how much she missed disagreeing with her guardian, and Shippou was determined to be the strong man of the house, since Nigel wasn't exactly up to the task.
The Core started collecting dust. Every now and then, Elysia would come by with a duster to brush off the mantle pieces and would gently touch the gemstone, but aside from that, it would sit...
And sit...
Until one day, it was picked up again by once soft, now battle hardened hands. Though they were callused, they still held the gentle, loving feelings as they ever had.
"I see you haven't changed, my pretty."
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:36 pm
Tenoh Aiko "I still say you've completely lost your mind."The sandy-blonde haired woman in question just rolled her eyes for the upteenth time. Aiko and her none-too-thrilled roommate (though he wasn't so much of a roommate as he was a general moocher), Nigel, strolled down one of the paths that joined Durem to Barton. Dressed in unseasonably warm clothes to cover some... unsightly things, Aiko had decided to go out on a walk.
With her shiny stone.What posessed Nigel to follow her was anyone's guess. He'd tagged along behind her, reminding her of what he thought of her taking her pet rock for a walk."So, what's new?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her lips. Hands cupped around her moonstone, she held it slightly ahead of her."It's just a rock. You don't need to take it for a walk." He rolled his eyes as he looked down -- way down -- at the woman he towered over. 6'4 wasn't exactly a small height."Not true!" Aiko snapped right back, frowning. "I think there's something special about this rock.Nigel snorted in rebuttle, shoving his hands into his oversized pockets. DivineSaturn
"Ying, I think we're lost."
Ying tightened her grip on her basket, which was still sadly empty. The pair had been walking for a while, with no sight of rivers, or many trees for that matter. "But I checked the map before we left! There's got to be something nearby. That facility in Durem has to get water from somewhere!"
Bobbing nervously around Ying's head like a sparkly oversized bug, Tsavorite couldn't resist emitting a feeling of smug disagreement. She was certainly nervous about the predicament they were in, but any opportunities to make her bond nutty had to be taken.
"No one asked you," Ying hissed grumpily. Her feet were starting to hurt. They had been training before they left, and the day's activity was starting to catch up with the normally energetic girl.
Yeine shook her head. "I don't hear any running water. Maybe we should ask them for directions." She gestured at the approaching pair, then shied away. One of them looked a little creepy.
It wasn't the ideal solution, but Ying had to agree that they would be better off asking for help than wandering around. "Excuse me!" she called. "Do you know your way around here?"
Tenoh Aiko They two obviously had been arguing for a little, by the way the shorter woman with cat ears and tail was glaring at the taller. Seeing the girls, however, caused her to dramatically shift. She smiled warmly, holding the Moonstone to her chest.
"I should say so," she said, her voice hinting at a Japanese accent -- it was painfully obvious where she was from. "I live around here. Well, in Durem.""Which is distinctly not here," Nigel reminded her, giving her a side glance with crystaline blue eyes before looking back at the girls. His face didn't change from his stern and stony look. He seemed like the type of person who didn't change facial expressions that often. "But even I have to admit that she and I both know our way around.""Anyway, can we help you girls? Lost?" DivineSaturn
Ying held Yeine's hand comfortingly. While she knew the Cathar was uneasy around strangers, especially male ones, these two looked fairly trustworthy. In fact, Ying found the young man's attire interesting, and would have inquired about it were she not on a super important mission.
"Not lost, exactly. Yeine, do you have the letter?"
Nodding, Yeine reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "We're looking for a Lilicai fruit. It's supposed to grow on trees near rivers, and we thought there might be one near here, but we can't find any sign of running water or the trees."
Of course, she had wanted to bring the map with them, but Ying insisted they didn't need it. Which meant they were stuck asking oddly attired passerby for directions. Remembering her slight fear, Yeine squeezed Ying's hand tightly.
"So that's what we're looking for. Have you seen any?" Ying asked hopefully, trying to ignore her curiosity, as well as the other thing that was pulling at her mentally.
Tenoh Aiko "Well, the Durem Water Facility's just down the path a little ways more, though I'm not sure what good that'd do ya," answered the man, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder. "And there's a full river on the other side of Barton." He pointed down the path and toward Barton town."Lilicai fruit...?" Aiko blinked a few times as if trying to place the name. DivineSaturn
"Other... side?" So they weren't going in the right direction at all? "But the water in the Durem Facility's got to come from somewhere, right?" That was they way things went. Streams went into rivers which went into oceans, or something like that. All Ying really knew was that at home there was a lot of water but no rivers, just saltwater.
Yeine looked off to where the man was pointing. "Oh no... it'll take all day to backtrack like that." At the young woman's question she shrugged. "We don't know what it is, really. We just need it to help someone."
All the boring chitchat was driving Tsavorite nuts. Someone needed to stir things up. So she set about doing just that, by flying directly at Aiko. Maybe that would make things interesting, and if not, at least she'd fall over or something.
Tenoh Aiko To this, he rubbed the back of his head, closing one eye and diverting his gaze.
"Pipes underground, yeah. I think there might've been a river there at one point. Uh... d'ya know what a Reclamation facility is, kid?"Aiko tried to reach over to pinch Nigel, her little reminder that he was being rude, but didn't get there. When the creature came flying at her, she let out a squack of surprise and took two stumbling steps back. Unfortunately for her, her hold on the moonstone slipped, and she didn't have enough time to regain her footing and stick out a hand to catch the falling stone. DivineSaturn
"No," Ying admitted reluctantly. She just figured it was a place water came before it went to people's houses. "And don't call me a kid," she added. "I'm not some- SAVVY!"
As soon as the stone dropped it was as if time slowed down for Yeine. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she knew that if it fell, it would not be good. Too late to reach it in time, she still thrust a hand out in front of her.
And somehow, the rock stopped.
Panting with the effort it took to use whatever power she'd found, she motioned for someone to pick up the stone with her head.
It had been fun at first, but that annoying girl stopped that trinket from falling. And now she was going to be "punished." Tsavorite slipped into sulkiness, trying to hide in the shadows of the two strangers.
Tenoh Aiko Things were still and silent for a moment before Nigel reached forward and took the stone from the air, gave it one toss before catching it again, and glared at Aiko.
"This is what you get for taking your stupid rock for a walk.""And no one asked you to come along said walk with me in the first place!" Aiko shot back, momentarily forgetting that she was around almost complete strangers. She snatched the moonstone from Nigel and held it to her chest and looked at Yeine. "Thanks, though. I appreciate it a lot." To be honest, she wasn't sure how exactly that had happened, but then again, she didn't quite care. DivineSaturn
As soon as the rock was being held, Yeine gave a shudder and let her arm drop. How had she been able to do that? She wasn't being trained for it at all, since the academy had shut down...
"I'm just glad it's okay," Yeine breathed, flexing her fingers that had somehow gone stiff.
Yes, definitely time to make a graceful exit. Tsavorite inched behind the strangers, hoping to come around the open side without anyone being the wiser.
Unfortunately, broadcasting that plan through a bond was not the best thing to do as far as keeping it secret went. Before the fiend could get far, Ying plucked it right out of the air. "I can't take you anywhere!" she shrieked! Her purse was at her side, and she shoved the stone in it, next to the glowstone she kept there, and zipped the bag shut. The glow was relatively dim, but at least Savvy wouldn't be comfortable. "And think about what you've done."
The business with Savvy's misbehavior had been so much to deal with that Ying didn't even notice much of the direct result, instead disciplining her bonded. "I'm sorry," she finally said, bowing to Aiko. "She's got a bit of a mean streak. Is everything okay?"
Tenoh Aiko Being Japanese herself, Aiko returned the bow.
"No, everything's fine. Me and my 'stupid rock.'" She gave Nigel a glare.Nigel just rolled his eyes and folded his arms. DivineSaturn
Nigel's indifference made Yeine uneasy again, and she edged behind Ying, massaging her stiff hand. She was still too surprised to be of much use, so she decided to let Ying handle the talking. She was better at it anyway.
"No such thing as a stupid rock," Ying commented. "Even Savvy's not stupid, just annoying."
The stone was pretty though. Ying always lost herself in the beauty of gemstones, and this one was a gorgeous iridescent one that reminded her of Rinsei a little. Before she knew what she was doing, the teen put one hand one the stone.
A jolt raced up Ying's hand, and she withdrew it quickly. "A core!?"
Tenoh Aiko Aiko blinked at Ying's sudden exclimation.
"Nani...?"Nigel, however, noticed the other girl's uneasyness and shock at what he assumed was herself. Hey may have been an a**, at his usual, but he wasn't completely mean. He tried a (small) smile.
"I'm Nigel, by the way." He nodded at Aiko. "She's Aiko." DivineSaturn
"It- it's nice to meet you, Mister Nigel, Miss Aiko." Yeine recognized one of Ying's trances when she saw one and knew that the Jumi would be staring at the rock for a while. So she took it upon herself to accept the introductions. "My name is Yeine, and my friend is Ying."
Even at the mention of her name, Ying did not look up. Instead she stared at the moonstone. How did she not feel it earlier? Worry, probably, and haste, and then her anxiety over Tsavorite's behavior. All of that had clouded her senses, so that she actually had to touch the gem in order to feel its potential.
"It's a core. How come you're taking it with you? It's not ready yet."
Tenoh Aiko Aiko sent a look at Nigel, one that said 'see, it's not just a rock... obviously.' Then she looked back at Ying.
"G-gomen... I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about."Nigel nodded at Yeine, then looked at the exchange between Aiko and Ying with a sigh.
"There'll be no living with her now," he muttered. Not that there ever really was to begin with. DivineSaturn
"I'm... sorry?" Knowing that was an inadequate apology, Yeine nudged Ying in the side. "Ying, you're talking like everyone understands."
What was hard to understand? Ying sighed, then took a deep breath. "You do know this is a core, right? A Jumi core? Or have you not been to Etansel yet?"
If she hadn't... well, that would be a bad thing.
Tenoh Aiko Aiko shook her head.
"No... I'm sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about. One of mine found this and brought it home for me.""Because she likes shiny things." He glanced down at Yiene. "It's not your fault."Aiko just sweatdropped and rubbed the back of her head, holding the core in her left hand.
"What's a Juu-mi?" DivineSaturn
Ying sweatdropped back. The woman didn't even know what a Jumi was, and she had a core? That spelled trouble. Hopefully she would take the news well. "Um... well, I'm a Jumi. We're a kind of people." She had never explained what she was to anyone else, so her wording was clumsy. "That rock you have is a Jumi core. All Jumi have cores- this is mine."
Pulling at her collar, Ying revealed a bit of her chest. There was a rock embedded in the middle, magenta-hued and perfectly round. It sparkled in the brief sunlight before the shirt covered it again.
"Basically, that stone is going to become a child. And soon, I think. It's not glowing yet, but it's only a matter of time."
Tenoh Aiko Aiko nodded as she listened, then let her eyes grow wide, fully showing that they were slitted like a cat's.
"Nani, yo?" She almost squeeled, unable to help the fact that she slipped into her native tongue. "Hontou des'ka?""Another in the house?" Nigel sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose where he could have sworn a headache would form. "Fantastic..." DivineSaturn
"I'm sorry," Ying whispered, not knowing what else to say. She had done her duty and informed the pair of the true nature their gemstone was hiding. And she did her best to do it gently. Of course, she had hoped that they would take it well, but one of them didn't seem to be, and the other was in shock.
Yeine fidgeted nervously. "It's not bad. I've met a couple, and they're very nice. And Ying's the best friend I ever had," she added defensively.
Smiling gratefully at Yeine, Ying was still worried. What if the woman didn't want to keep the core? What would she tell Crystal?
Tenoh Aiko "Another child... NIGEL!" Aiko turned to Nigel, grabbing the strings on his corset and pulling him toward her. "You know what this means?"Nigel blinked, staring at her with big blue eyes.
"Another mouth to feed?""I'M GUNNA BE A MOMMY... AGAIN!" Face breaking into absolute joy, she squeeled with happiness. Letting go of Nigel, she held the Core up, letting it sparkle in the afternoon sun. "I wonder if it's a boy or a girl? Either way, I'm sure they'll be pretty." DivineSaturn
Ying held her breath during Aiko's initial outburst. She assumed that the woman would say something along the lines of what Nigel guessed, but apparently she was wrong. As Aiko spoke again, she exhaled slowly.
"You mean... you're okay with this? Really? I'm so glad!"
Being okay meant no abandoned cores and no having to explain to Crystal. And she wasn't only okay, but excited, and that was even better!
"If the child is like Ying, then he or she probably won't eat much," Yeine said in an attempt to comfort Nigel. "I worry about her sometimes."
"Yeine!" It was the Jumi's turn to elbow her friend. Still, all things considered, things were working out rather well.
Tenoh Aiko Nigel shook his head and sighed again.
"Even if the child ate like a horse, this woman would find a way to keep it.""Of course I would. I mean, how could I abandon something?" Aiko closed one eye and looked through the translucent moonstone at Ying. "So... is there any special way I should be taking care of this until it turns into a child?" DivineSaturn
"Thank heavens," Ying breathed. It worked out marvelously after all. "Just make sure it doesn't crack or break. When it starts glowing, you'll have to take it to see Crystal. It might not glow actually... I met one that played music. But you'll know when the child is ready to emerge."
Surprisingly Ying was enjoying her tutoring role. "To get to her, you'll have to go through the big tree in Barton's field. You'll know it when you see it."
Yeine looked at the sky and frowned. "Ying?"
"And make sure you watch it, it's not good if it glows too long." Ying stopped and looked at Yeine, a little cross. "What?"
The reply was a letter waved in Ying's face. "We need to find that fruit, remember?"
Remembering her quest, the Jumi paled abruptly. "Oh, right. We need to find that fruit. It's very very very important."
Tenoh Aiko "Crack or break? Good thing this one has the Force, then," Nigel told Aiko as he jerked his head in Yiene's direction, using a sort of a 'you should thank her, you know' tone of voice."Ah! That's right! Domo arigatou!" Aiko bowed deeply in front of Yiene. As she popped back up, she held the moonstone against her chest and smiled broadly. "I promise to take good care of it." DivineSaturn
So it really was the Force! Yeine blushed and bowed in return. "I'm just glad I was able to help," she said.
"I'm sure you will," Ying smiled. "And I'm also sure we'll see eachother again soon."
She tugged at Yeine's arm, and the two started heading off back where they'd come from. Ying waved over her shoulder, then started to run. They had to find that fruit as soon as possible!
Tenoh Aiko "Ja ne~..." sang Aiko as she lifted one hand to wave goodbye to the girls. As they left, she quickly turned around, slapping Nigel with the tips of her hair."Ow," he said, then took a few jogging steps to catch up to Aiko, who had taken off at a steady trot. "The walk's over, then?""Oh, of course," she responded, not able to take her eyes from the Core. "I need to go home and plan."This made Nigel stop in his tracks for a moment as he dared to ask, "Plan for what?""To find a bigger house! Nigel, we're moving!"An exasperated sigh and a giggle lifted above the trees.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:00 pm
"Alright, family meeting!" Aiko's voice carried far into the house and roused the entire place. It seemed to almost explode in children and other various animals. Julia and Shippou dashed into the mudroom from the living room, where they'd been watching TV. Lucas followed by holding onto Julia's tail. The next ones to arrive were the cats and the Kath, who had been in the kitchen. Paine had followed with Ortensia in tow, since the little garden girl had first refused to come inside, but when Aiko bellowed for a family meeting, then there would be a family meeting. Chii was there as well, but she had already climbed up Aiko to piggyback as soon as she started coming up the walk. Elysia was the last to follow, coming downstairs from, well, whatever she was doing.
"What is the matter, m'Lady?" Elysia asked, rather worried at what ever could be the matter. Nigel, who had a particular scowl on his face, closed the door with a shake of his head.
"You're not going to believe this..."
~~~
"The Tenoh family is hereby officially moving."
It'd taken some doing, but Aiko soon had the entire family around the table. The three smaller animals, Lucas, Edward, and Alphonse sat on the table while the rest climbed into the chairs. Ortensia, since she didn't have a normal place at the table, was in Aiko's lap. The hanyou had her arms around the garden girl, cupping the Core in her hands.
A shocked silence descended on the family for a moment after Aiko had made her big announcement, then all of the sudden burst into excited chatter. Rapping her knuckles on the table, demanding silence, Aiko cleared her throat. Ortensia jumped at the noise.
"But why, what the heck happened between when you left to go on a walk and now?" Paine asked, obviously confused.
"What happened," Julia repeated.
"See this here?" Aiko held her hands out, showing the family the rock in her hands. Julia leaned forward to touch the rock briefly before jumping back, expecting it to do something. Aiko only chuckled. "I've learned that this is a Jumi core. Now, b'fore you ask what it is, I'll explain." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Well, this is gunna turn into a kid."
"Really?" several asked at the same time. Aiko nodded.
"Yup. So here's what's going to happen." She set the core on the table, where thankfully, it didn't roll. "This house is hardly big enough for us. And we're going to have to move."
"But I like this house," Shippou piped up. Aiko reached forward to pat his head, momentarily crushing poor Ortensia against the table.
"Yeah, but we can't live here anymore. It's just too small. If we're going to have any new additions to the family, we're going to have to get a bigger place."
It was quiet for a moment before Elysia started snickering before she laughed out loud. It was rare when the "guardian angel" of the house broke into laughter like this, as she was usually very quiet and reserved.
"What're you laughing at?" asked Shippou, thinking she was laughing at her. Elysia waved her hand, sensing Shippou's distraught.
"Nono, I'm not laughing at you, dear." She composed herself and sat straight in her chair. "M'Lady, you know why we brought that home?"
"Because I was in a bad mood for a long period of time?"
"That, but the reason why we specifically got that?"
"...Yeeeeah?"
"Because we figured it was small and wouldn't take up much room."
Nigel scoffed. The rest just laughed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:01 pm
(( Reserved: "Christmas in July" ))
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:01 pm
Since discovering that her pretty right wasn't just a rock, Aiko had taken it upon herself to take as good of care of it as possible, by fashioning a holder out of jewelry wire and hooking it to a though leather string, wearing it as a necklace. That way, her baby would always be with her, and she'd be certain it wouldn't crack or break. With the household rather hectic as it was with the family cleaning up and getting ready to move, one could never be too sure that she wouldn't accidentally knock it off of something. And since Christmas in July, Salamandar had followed Aiko around, constantly bickering with her about keeping it safe. "It's FINE," Aiko barked one day at the fire spirit that flittered around her shoulders. "The Core can't be broken if I'm keeping a constant eye on it." Salamandar would just huff and flutter around her more. "But I'm not thrilled with how irresponsible you can be!""Then you need to stop hanging around Nigel."~~~ It'd been like any other day, really. Aiko had gotten up at her usual time, gotten the rest of the family up, played with the children, helped Elysia pick up the house some, tried to get Nigel to help around the house, made the meals, and sat her children down to watch TV. Aiko, as her her usual, was wearing her Jumi Core necklace, despite looking odd wearing a huge stone that took two hands to cup. Then again, when ever did she care what she looked like, really? It was only about nine o'clock, and she was starting to doze off in the middle of the program when she heard Salamandar, who was sitting on her shoulder, shriek. Startled, Aiko shot straight up. "What, what is it?""The Core!" Salamandar said, his eyes huge as he started unwrapping himself from around the stone in question. "It's..."Sure enough, the core was glowing with a very faint blue light. Aiko's eyes followed Salamandar's suit and grew huge.  "Glowing!" Aiko quickly grabbed the string of the necklace, holding it aloft and examining its radiance as it swung back and forth. "Must have just started, too," noted the fire spirit as he lifted himself off her shoulder. The rest of the family had grown silent as they stared at what was going on. "It's very faint now." He hovered next to Aiko and the gem, steadily growing annoyed at Aiko's lack of movement. "Well, don't just sit there, idiot! We gotta get moving!" He flew toward the entrance to the mudroom and stopped, staring at the rather dazed Aiko who stared back. "Where are we going?""To Etansel!"After saying goodbyes and excited "good lucks", a very excited Aiko and Salamandar vaulted from the front door, the hanyou falling to all fours and bounding; she traveled faster this way, and she most definitely was in a hurry. About half way there, Aiko's voice could be heard from here to the Isle de Gambino. "Uwaaaaaa, we haven't moved yet!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:21 am
Tenoh Aiko Aiko had a rather long run from Durem to Barton, but it was something she was willing to do. Bounding on all fours in long leaps (as seems to be true demon fashion), she was there in minutes flat.
Poor Salamandar had one hell of a time catching up with her. Damn, if she didn't move fast when she had a purpose!Reaching the Tree that Ying had mentioned to her on their brief visit, Aiko landed in front of it, standing up straight. Turning, she looked at a rather breathless Salamandar as he hovered up to her.
"What now?" Junyi Boyan and Melody, both older, wiser, and much, much taller, seemed to be nearly buzzing with excitement. Melody had Arc by the hand, swinging their arms in time to the beat pounding from Arc's MP3 player. Boyan, on the other hand, held the glowing Chinese Writing Stone core in his hands, a playful smile on his face. It was time, was it not? Rena Ichijouji Rena hummed as she plodded towards the Mana Tree, her face buried inside a comic book. She yawned and slowly turned the page, only letting her eyes leave the book to turn and call for her daughter. "Hurry up, Crystal, it's getting quite dark out, we best hurry to Etansel.." (( Yeah yeah, don't ask why she's reading a comic book at night razz )) She spat out in a slightly angered tone. "Kyaaaaaaa~~!"
Crystal hurried towards her mother as quickly as her awkwardly long legs could carry her. Panting, she finally made it to her mother and hunched over to catch her breath.
"Gomen...you just don't give me enough time to stop and smell the flowers, literally!" She shot a dirty look up to her mother, who in turn stuck her tongue out at her. "Come on, we've got to get moving if we want to clean up Etansel a bit before the others come back ther-.." She stopped mid sentence as she saw the girl in front of the tree, a blue aura coming from in front of her. "Eh, Crystal, look there.." She pointed and steped closer. "Oh!!" Her core glimmered and she scurried over to the girl, giving her a light tap onthe shoulderand a sweet smile. "Hello!"Tenoh Aiko Aiko and Salamandar both turned around, the former obviously startled. No one but no one could sneek up on her. Perhaps Salamandar's panting and her own excitement had temporarily dulled her senses.
"Er... hello," said the cat eared and tailed woman as she lifted her hand in a rather awkward way. Did this woman know about Etansel? If not, did she think she was some weirdo for randomly standing at a tree as the sky started darkening?
Salamandar, recognizing the other Jumi, hovered around Aiko's head.
"They know about Etansel," he reassured her as if sensing her own doubts."OH~! Good, well, I have this glowing Core, you see..." She picked up her Core, showing them what she was talking about. Rena Ichijouji Crystal jumped slightly as the girl turned around on her as she was about to get her attention. She took a step back and looked the girl up and down. She seemed alright...she must be if she has a core with her!
"Ah yes.." She looked at the core, her hand running over it gently as it glimmered. "My old friend...."
Lost in her memories, Crystal just stood there for a bit, staring at the core."Oooi, Crystal! Snap out of it." Rena shouted, shaking her head as she settled down on the grass to continue reading her comic book. "Ah...gomen!" Crystal bowed to the girl and smiled. "Shall I begin the emergence...?" Tenoh Aiko Aiko froze up, her eyes growing round. The emergence! She was so excited, she could hardly move.
Salamandar, however, was greatly not amused by, once again, the hanyou's lack of movement. Hitting the back of her head with his staff, he looked down at Crystal.
"Of course we're ready." Junyi "Yup," Arc interjected before Boyan or Melody could lift a hand in agreement. Rena Ichijouji Crystal gently took the core from Aiko. "Alright..I'll just put it down here.." she said as she kneeled down and put the core in the grass at her feet.
She concentrated and closed her eyes as a tear flowed down her cheeks and onto the core.
It shined brightly, but not enough to cause a disturbance in the area. It did, however, cause the moon to shine brighter for a while.
As the glow grew smaller, it formed into the shape of a little girl sitting onthe ground.
The girl's head was tilted up towards the moon. Her tiny lips formed into a smile. Her bright eyes were fixated upwards...
"Miyu.....or...well, You're reborn now.." Crystal looked at Aiko as she stood. "You can name her now..she's yours to take care of." She backed away from the new Jumi and almost ran into Arc, Boyan, and Melody, if it werent for Arc's voice stoping her.
"Ah! Hello there little Arc!" Her core shined as she spotted the other glowing core. "A new little sibling for you!" Junyi Arc waved her hand unenthusiastically, attention focusing once again on her music. Melody could only shrug awkwardly, a shy smile on her face as she turned to Boyan, who held the core out in both hands. Rena Ichijouji Crystal grinned, taking the core from Boyan and setting it at his feet. Once again, a tear welled up in her eye, flowingdown her cheek, and onto the odd looking core. She closed her eyes as the area was filled with a weird fog. It felt like silk to the skin and flowed exactly like it too. It slowly withdrew back into the area where the core was, forming the shape of a girl. Sitting in the place of the core, tugging gently on her silk pillow, was a girl with a smirk on her face. She looked towards Crystal and nodded, then towards her family. "Wow!" Crystal exclaimed as she stood. She made her way over to her mother and watched as the new Jumi became aquanted with their family. Tenoh Aiko "Wha..." Aiko was simply amazed at the quickness that everything had happened. So fast... it happened so fast!The girl didn't exactly look coherent, but it was only to be expected. She was a little startled when a fire wisp darted in front of her face. She brought her head back and blinked her golden eyes."Hello, little Jumi," Salamandar greeted the reborn girl.She blinked again and smiled, cupping her hands around the spirit and rubbing her cheek against it.
"Hello, Salamandar."Salamandar then wiggled out of the girl's grasp and hovered up to Aiko.
"She needs a name.""Ah... ah..." Aiko was still a little startled by, well, everything. She looked up at the moon, trying to think of a suitable name. "... Celina." She looked down at the girl and smiled, picking her up and holding her to her hip. "Your name's Celina.""Celi...na." Junyi Boyan was practically glowing. He gently knelt next to the girl, fatherly love seeming to come out of every part of him. "He wasn't like that for me," Arc whispered to Melody, headphones (for once) being removed from her ears. Melody once again shrugged, patting Arc's head in reassurance. Boyan's just excited, right? And we're all older and wiser, right? Right? Even if Arc COULD hear the emotions Melody projected at her, she didn't FEEL any better. And as the new girl reached out to Boyan's forehead jewel in admiration, Arc finally addressed her. "I don't like you." Rena Ichijouji Rena finally got up, closed her comic book and took Crystal's hand. "Lets get going, I think they'll be fine for now.." She dragged her daughter over to the Mana Tree and touched it gently. Crystal waved goodbye to everyone and touched the tree as well. And they were both off to Etansel to do some spring...or...summer cleaning!Tenoh Aiko It was questionable if Aiko'd noticed the other family until now. She turned and looked at them, unsure of what to say. Starting a conversation never was her coup of tea, but she could keep one going.
Watching the two complete strangers, who never introduced themselves, leave, the hanyou blinked, then with her free arm waved goodbye.
"Bye! And thanks~!""Bye bye," said Celina as she batted her fingers up and down in a wave.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:05 am
Celina seems a little more spacey than my other children. Perhaps this is because she was just reborn, so to speak? I still don't know that much about these Jumi. I'm not terribly worried, as a child is a child regardless of how they were brought (re-brought?) into the world. I will love Celina just as I love the rest of my family. However, I'll still have to look up more about these Jumi. I met one once by the name of Ying, and she didn't explain to me more about what a Jumi was aside from someone who came out of a shining stone, or a core. I also get the feeling that original owners of Jumi were chosen, and not happened upon like me with Celina. This'll also warrant more investigation. For now, I need to worry about moving.
The house is too small for the family again, and I'm not surprised. I always seem to end up coming home with another addition to the family. Nigel complains about it, but I usually just tell him that he should more or less get over it. Aside from odd-jobs about the house, I'm letting him stay here for free. I don't see what right he has to complain.
Back to Celina, though. I'm still not quite sure what to make of her or Salamandar. I guess time'll tell...
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:06 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:06 am
(( Cross-posted from Alula's journal 'cause Celina was in it. XD ))Kyrianna Busy Busy Busy. It seemed things were picking up again for Ianna and that was a good thing. The faster the wands found their guardians the faster she got to close down shop for a while and simply relax. Matilda had returned - and that meant wands resurfacing at some point. And where Matilda had gone to...It wasn't known to her. Whatever happened, Ianna didn't ask. She didn't want to know.
Currently she was writing notes on Coailiann in her own journal - and the subject of said writings was practicing her English diligently across the desk from her mother.
While Ianna wanted the findings to be done, she couldn't help liking the peacefulness of spending time with her daughter. They grew up too fast. Tenoh Aiko She wasn't sure what it was about the shop that caught her eye, but she insisted to at least poke her head in."Lady, we really shouldn't be looking in shops, and illkept ones at that," came a sweet, flowing voice from outside."I can't help it, El," came another voice, this one harboring a slight Japanese accent. "You know about me and my feelings.""But we're to be looking for a place to move. It's very important, you know. Celina can't sleep in your bed forever."Soon, the two figures were in the doorway. A smaller statured woman with sandy blonde hair and cat ears and tail peered around with doe brown eyes, hipping a small child with silver hair.The other was a semi-angelic being that looked more or less like a walking candycane, with large red wings that she did her best to press against her back and keep them out of the way.The golden eyed girl sneezed, rubbing her face against her "mother's" chest."Bless you, baby." She smoothed down the girl's hair and tapped her finger against the crescent moon mark on her head. Kyrianna Coailiann was the first to jump up, waving her hand wildly. New people! And Guardians! She could tell. She didn't know quite how she had the ability that her elder sister did...Perhaps it was because Matilda was the one who had found her, rather than her mother? Nonetheless, Coailiann knew. Not giving her mother a chance to say anything, the Sidhe gave a bounce.
"Welcome to Ghosts of the Past! You're a G--"
Abruptly, a hand clamped over her mouth, "Hello. Forgive my daughter..." and in a quieter whisper, "Tact, darling."
The Sidhe nodded her head until the hand was removed and she smiled charmingly, giving a small curtsey, "May we help you?" A flush was on her cheeks from being scolded, but that was all right - she needed color anyway. The pale haired girl with the green eyes and a pretty white dress.
Her coloreds were dirty. Tenoh Aiko The silvery haired girl jumped up in startlement and blinked down at the girl.
"Hi-lo," she answered, returning the wave.Bowing slightly (as well as she could with a small girl on her hip), the neko hanyou smiled.
"Oh, it's no problem. I have plenty in my own rabble; I understand how children can be." She hefted her own small one higher on her hip and smiled very warmly. It was obvious she was a very motherly woman. Hell, she almost literally had the word 'sucker' painted on her forehead. "Regardless, I'm just here to look..."Elysia, however, was already looking around, a very confused look on her face. She'd never been in a shop that sold wands. Very curious... Kyrianna "Ah, so you won't care that yo--" once more a hand came over Coailiann's mouth and she gave an angry look up at her mother. Obviously the sidhe was lacking patience today, or rather, she wanted to go back to spending time alone with her mother. For once, she wasn't nagging her. She liked it.
Ianna shook her head a bit, "Well, I have this lovely book over here..." Obviously Coailiann knew that a guardian had arrived - and therefore...She had to bring out the Book.
The dark leather book was brought out from behind the desk and placed carefully atop it, "Do you like books?" Tenoh Aiko Elysia frowned as she stood in front of a shelf of wands. Something... was off about all this.The woman blushed a little bit. She wasn't the best reader. While she spoke fluent English, her reading skills weren't exactly up to par. She approched the desk and tilted her head to one side.
"Books are alright, yes." She shook her head with a sigh, then looked at the cover of it. At least those words were simple enough. It said The Book of Life and Death. Her blush remained on her cheeks, however. This was a bit embarassing. Kyrianna Coailiann harumphed again and went to stand beside her mother, peering out at the two with amused green eyes. That older woman spoke strangely...Then again, so did she. In fact, the woman sounded more like her best friend than anything else. That made her okay in her book. She remained quiet for her mother.
"Could you take a look inside, please? It's very important..." Okay, she couldn't be straight up and honest. If she had told people they were parents before the touched the book, do you think they'd stick around? The wands couldn't acknowledge without the book doing so first. Then the souls would die.
The minute that the woman touched the book, an invisible wind picked up in the shop, blowing the cover open, pages rustling and blowing about until it landed on a well worn page. On the page was a very beautifully detailed sketch of a wooden wand, a pearl-like egg wrapped in wood at the tip. Below it read:
"Harpy. Wand ID 00031. A Soul has been trapped within the confines of the wand. Congratulations, you have become the next guardian to take on the task of raising it from infancy to greatness. We, Ianna and I, have the upmost faith in you to complete your task dutifully. Best of luck,
Matilda."
"Harpies are females, right?"
Tenoh Aiko Aiko wasn't sure what to make of this book, but she reached for it and set her hand on the cover, pulling her hand back quickly as the breeze played with her hair. Celina shivered and burried her face into her mother's chest, almost crawling about to hide within the confines of her out-of-season-jacket.Elysia rushed over to the desk and, before Aiko could ask, read the note aloud for her, as she was sure she'd ask in just a moment.When Elysia was done, Aiko blinked and shook her head as she tried to make sense.
"Does this mean what I think it means?"Elysia sunk a little bit. Unbelievable. Whenever her Lady got "a feeling", she almost always ended up coming home with an new addition to their large, quickly growing family.
"If you're thinking you're about to become the mother of another child, then I think so, m'Lady." She turned to the other and slowly nodded. "Yes, Harpies are female. They're winged women from Greek lore, said to have served the gods in dealing punishments." Kyrianna "YEP!" Coailiann said, skittering around the desk and away from her mother before the woman could clamp her mouth again, "You got one of me! Well...Sort of..." she paused a moment to look back at her mother, who nodded. Apparently she could explain if she wanted to.
"We're...We have a second life. We died, but we were brought back. We don't know how or why, though. I mean..I saw pictures and memories and..." she trailed off, fighting back a shudder, "Yeah. We're magic." Tenoh Aiko Magic. It was one of the things that caused her a great deal of harm during the War. Little did they know that this woman had several scars hidden by clothing that were caused by magic imbuned claws and fangs, or even blasts of demon magic itself. It was the reason why she was dressed so unseasonably.
But she couldn't help but look down at the girl and smile a bit. She thought she started to understand a little quicker than others perhaps would. The girl she held in her arms had come out of a gemstone, the gemstone of which was still embedded in the middle of the girl's chest.
"You... your spirits were put inside of these wands after you died?" she asked, setting her pointer finger on the elaborate sketch, making sure she'd added two and two correctly. Kyrianna This was the part Coailiann was unsure of and Ianna took over, stroking her daughter's hair lightly as she came around the desk.
"Sort of. Some of them were, some of them weren't. After The War...Between the People of Thought and People of Dreams.." she wondered how many truly had heard of the war? Had they done that good a job of keeping the happening concealed? "Matilda, my daughter, was betrayed. She was called a witch and burned at the stake. But before that, she cast a spell to bring her back to life to make changes. She trapped herself in her wand and I was the one who woke her. She cast the spell, a more general one, to capture net the souls of magic folk who had died before and during the war in a wrong or painful death. They were trapped in wands after the spell, since they had been trapped in Limbo...unable to move on." Tenoh Aiko "And then are given a second chance." Aiko breathed slowly and deeply, staring down at the page that Elysia had read aloud. "So, there's a wand somewhere that looks like this, with a Harpy trapped inside...?" Kyrianna Ianna nodded and reached behind the desk, picking up the rough wooden wand and handing it over to her. The moment the wood made contact with flesh, it flashed a bright white light and pulsated like a warm beating heart before it faded into nothingness once more.
"You're acknowledged. You're tied to her, now." Tenoh Aiko As she held the wand, she gazed down on it. It felt... alive. She didn't have a choice in the matter, but then again, she would never turn down another living creature when it needed her help. Aiko's heart was simply too big for her to do something like that.Celina, unable to help herself, poked at the feathers that dangled from it and ran her hand along the wood."Careful," Aiko warned, bouncing the girl to get her hand away from the wand. "I don't want you getting a splinter." She looked up at the woman in front of her, thinking of what to ask next. So many questions, so little time. "How would I take care of her?"Elysia was a little antsy, and shifted her weight. They needed to go and continue looking for a new house, especially since Aiko seemed to be picking up strays left and right. Kyrianna "Right now, you just stay with her. Try not to leave the wand alone for too long, if you can. Show her that you accept her. She'll wisp then slowly solidify. Don't let her get blown away, or she'll die a final death. After she solidifies, she'll become a baby. Once she feels safe."
It was all the advice that Ianna could give, in all honesty, and she was already starting towards the headquarters door.
"Here, follow me. I'll show you where the other guardians come and where Coailiann and I live."
her head, "No, the wand was just acknowledging you. There will be two more stages after the wand before the child emerges completely. A wisp and a baby ghost. These are the most fragile times for the child so make sure you don't let them get sucked up by something..."
She paused a moment, "It's time to show you the headquarters. Follow me."
The woman stood from her seat and moved to the door to the right of the desk. When opened, it looked completely dark as if it lead to nowhere. She stepped through, obviously expecting the woman to follow.
As they entered the main lobby Via the portal connecting the shoppe and the headquarters, the first thing noticable was the vast...largeness...of it. The high ceilings, edged with gold, the large chandeliers dripping with crystals, the smooth white tile-floors, colorful rugs, and beautiful paintings.
To the left was a large recreational area complete with a large flat-screen television, several rows of various games, movies, video game systems and books. There was a basket of toys in the corner, full of plushies, dolls, cards and various other objects which would appeal to most ages. Included in the area were several comfy looking couches and plush chairs just made for sitting, lounging or bouncing in. It seemed to be heaven on a fluffy carpet. It even had a foos-ball table and an air-hockey table....and for the slightly more food-minded GoTP, a mini fridge always full.
To the right was a large elaborate counter, which seemed to have a force-field of some sort around it, keeping anyone who was not Ianna or Matilda from going behind it. On the counter lay a roster with the names of all the Ghostly children and their guardians, and an appointment book.
From there, it branched off into halls with rows and rows of rooms. Some were storage, some were guest rooms, some were bathrooms, and one very large and ornate door to the end of the hall led to the gardens.
"Well, this is it."
Coailiann followed in after her, quietly. Tenoh Aiko Take the wand everywhere with you. Don't let the whisp blow away, wait until it becomes a child. Right.
"Oh, well, thank you," she said as she was offered to be shown the headquarters.Well, it certainly didn't look like the shop held all of this. The three females were in complete awe as they crossed the portal into the headquarters. "Didn't look this big from the outside.""Most certainly not," Elysia agreed as she took to wandering around, exploring things. "It's very big here."Celina's eyes grew slightly round as she spied what children were so adpt to spying. Toys! Squirming and letting out a whine, she let her mother know that she wanted town. She wanted to play with the toys!"What's wrong, baby?" She looked at her daughter, then followed her gaze to the box. Looking back at the woman, she tilted her head towards the box in question. "Would you mind if she went to play?" Kyrianna "Not at all, that's what they're there for...." Ianna answered, sitting herself down on her desk and looking at the three in the headquarters, "The place doesn't look big because it isn't. We're not in Gaia any more right now."
She cracked a smile, wondering what kind of reaction that would warrent. Tenoh Aiko Aiko was setting Celina down when she heard the statement and whirled back around, sandy brown hair whirling almost perfectly with her.
"Eeeeuh, hontou ni? Atashi-tachi doko ka?" If it wasn't aparent before that this woman was Japanese, it was now. She had a bad habit of slipping into her native tongue when she was startled.Elysia sighed and walked up behind Aiko, setting a hand on her shoulder.
"What Lady here is trying to say is where are we?" It was a question asked without too much worry. Elysia was, after all, a winged creature and could easily get back home with Aiko and Celina in tow. However, she doubted this would be needed, as it was obvious this woman and her child would need to get back somehow as well.Celina, as children have a habit of doing, dashed over to the toybox and happily dug in, not much hearing what was going on. Then again, she had only heard her 'mother' say something in Japanese, and the girl hadn't learned the language. Yet. Kyrianna "My daughter created a pocket realm. It's only entrances, that I know if, are in this room. One for my daughter, and one is the one we just walked through. Don't worry," she assured at the look on Aiko's face, "It's easy to work through, people do it all the time. But it's...safe this way."
She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the child playing with the toys, a smile on her lips, "Reminds me of Coailiann when she was young."
Coailiann perked, "Mmm?"
"Nothing, dear." Tenoh Aiko Celina had found a puzzle that probably toteled about twenty pieces all together, and had poured them on the floor and started putting it together.Elysia nodded. That explained it then.Not understanding much about pocket realms, Aiko grinned over at the newer (couldn't say newest anymore!) addition to her family.
"This is the fourth time I've been through this. I have a rather large family of my own." She was silent for amoment, remembering her other children when they were that small. They grow up so fast... "Oh, where are my manners?" She turned back to Ianna and bowed very traditionally. "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Tenoh Aiko. This is Elysia, my 'Guardian Angel', and the little one over there is Celina. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."Elysia, though not Japanese, bowed the same way. She'd learned a lot in her past year and a half living with the woman.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she translated. Kyrianna "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ianna, that's Coailiann...Or Kay, either one." Ianna nodded towards the sidhe girl now occupied on the couch with one of her disney movies. The sidhe raised her hand, gave a wave, and went back to watching Mickey Mouse.
"I don't have too big a family. I have four children, two by my...Well, boyfriend?" she looked confused for a moment, "Anyway, they're his. Coailiann and her eldest sister, Matilda by...wands." Tenoh Aiko She nodded slightly, then chuckled.
"I know all there is to know about large families. In fact, with the addition of Celina, we've outgrown our house.""And not to be rude," Elysia said as she cleared her throat, "but we need to continue house hunting." She shook her finger. "No more side tracks that end up with more family members!""Ara ara." Aiko slapped her forehead. "It's very hot outside." Of course, she wasn't dressing the part, as she was wearing a rather bulky jacket and long pants.Celina quickly put the puzzle together and smiled at the picture of the pony that seemed to smile back, then blinked up and started watching the Disney movie. Kyrianna "You can get some bottles of water from the little fridge if you'd like. It was nice meeting you and perhaps you'll return. Little one needs to interact with those of her kind, after all."
Ianna indicated to the mini fridge before sliding off the desk and walking towards the couch. Tenoh Aiko "Much appreciated, and of course I'll be back." Aiko nodded as she crossed the floor to the fridge, retrieving a cool bottled water. She stared at it for a moment.
'Those her kind'... Well, this certainly will be interesting.
Parenthood always was.
"Come on, Celina, we need to go."Celina looked up at Aiko and pouted a little, but luckily, she was one of the more obedient children, and she cleaned up the puzzle mess before dashing over to her mother, who scooped her up into her arms."It's been nice meeting you. Both of you." Elysia nodded at Ianna. Kyrianna "Bye!" Coailiann said, obviously uninterested in the leaving people and focused on the video that was playing on the large television screen. Ianna rolled her eyes at her child's rudeness and made a mental note to talk to her about it later.
"Be safe. You exit the same way you entered. Tenoh Aiko "Thank you." The hanyou smiled warmly as she walked toward the portal, wand in one of her hands that held Celina upright."Good bye," Celina said, waving her tiny hand.Aiko looked at her and closed one eye.
"And in Japanese?""Ja ne, because sayonara is for a very very long goodbye.""Good girl. Ja, Ianna."Elysia smiled her own farwell as she followed her Lady with a sigh. Nigel will be thrilled to learn that Aiko had come home with yet another addition to the family.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:55 pm
Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to pull out the tempera paints for the children, but Julia and Celina had seemed pretty content by it. Nigel scoffed at the mess and left, saying something about having places to go and people to see. Aiko didn't care much. She just smiled at the smaller of her children scribbling paints over pieces of paper.
After too long, the girls had grown tired. Julia had ended up with more or less a multicolored scribble on paper. ("Pretty!" was the only word she said when she was asked about it), but Celina ended up with a little more. Aiko caught her trying to hang up an almost dripping wet painted picture onto the refrigerator when she caught the little one's wrist and held it up.
"What are you tryin' to do?" asked the mother as she picked up the piece of paper and smiled at it. Celina blinked up at her with big golden eyes.
"I painted you and Nigel and Elysia and Julia and Lyra and Korli and Shippou and Paine and Chii."
Ruffling her pretty silver hair, Aiko took the pictures and set them on the window sill where they would try in the sun.
"We'll hang them after they're dry, okay?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:57 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:02 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:04 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:06 pm
"See, they look wonderful!" Aiko took a step back and picked up Celina so she could easily see the refrigerator, which was now covered in square sheets of paper. Celina giggled and hugged her mother tight, then was called into the other room by Julia.
The guardian, however, hung back for a moment to gaze at her fridge, which was filling up with various pictures and A+ homework papers. It was one of the things that made her heart feel as if it were going to burst.
"... my wings are the wrong color," came a soft voice from next to her. Aiko glanced to her right to find Elysia gazing at the paintings as well. Aiko laughed and shrugged.
"Aara, they're not all perfect." Indeed, Celina hadn't drawn the scar across the bridge of Aiko's nose, but she drew the little black marks on her jaw. Also, Lyra was missing his tail.
"Oh, of course. But they're still lovely."
Nodding, Aiko turned around, too happy and full of motherly pride to be discouraged by anything...
Until she saw the mess on the table.
"... crap."
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