|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:28 pm
And so the bloom(?) sat.
It sat in its little tupperware box, on top of its thin layer of water, and no doubt absorbed its surroundings.
Puchi paced around in front of it, tapping a finger against her lip. "So!" she said finally, whirling on the litchi. "You just gonna sit there? Or are you going to do something?"
The litchi did not respond.
Puchiko snorted and stood up straight. "Not the talkative type, are you?"
Gogol giggled and skipped over to the litchi. "Puchi, you KNOW we don't talk when we're blooms!" he grinned.
"We had conversations!"
Gogol paused, remembering. "We did," he agreed.
"And you twitched a lot!"
"I did!"
"So how come this one just sits there?" Puchi asked, frowning.
"Every bloom is different, Puchi, just like every Feien is different," Nero explained patiently, looking up from the book he was reading.
"I know that." Puchi replied, rolling her eyes. "But I mean - come on! This one's just boring!"
Nero bristled slightly. "I didn't do much when I was a bloom, you know, and I don't like to think myself boring."
"It's a fruit." Arturo said, still in mild disbelief. First a salad - now a fruit? What in the world was Corvus doing?
"Everyone shut up!" Puchiko snapped, waving her hands about. "I'm thinking!"
"That's a new one."
"You shut up especially! Don't make me angry!"
Nero sighed heavily and flitted down to Gogol, who was hanging over the edge of the tupperware, stretching out a hand to poke at the litchi. "It's a pretty color," he commented, smiling at Gogol.
Gogol grinned and nodded. "It's beauti - WHOA!" With that, Gogol tumbled over the edge of the tupperware, landing roughly on his head. A snorted chuckle was heard from above as Arturo rolled his eyes and Nero leaped into the tupperware after his friend.
"Are you okay?" he yelped, helping Gogol sit up.
"Fine!" he chirped. With a wink, he bounced up to his feet and skipped over to the litchi. "We're gonna be bestest friends, Div! I just know it! You, me, and Nero - "
"And Arturo," Nero added mildly.
Gogol hesistated, but nodded. "And Artie are all gonna be like one big, happy family! And we'll look out for one another and be ninjas or something!" Beaming, he threw his arms around the litchi, wrapping it in a warm hug.
"This is disgusting, and you're mucking up the tupperware!" Puchi cried, carefully snatching the Feien from the tupperware. "No touchie!"
Gogol pouted. "But - but hugs are nice!"
"No touchie! I'm trying to create as sterile an environment as possible without killing the thing, for pete's sake!" came the reply.
Nero sighed as Gogol and him were placed back on the desk, a ways away from the litchi. He had wanted to touch it, too...
Arturo rolled his eyes again. "Sterile environment for what?"
"Experimenting, of course!" Puchi crowed, rubbing her hands together. Her eyes gleamed with a light that screamed malice.
Noticing the look, Nero shifted uncomfortably. He had escaped heavy experimentation, but Puchi had more time on her hands now and it struck him as vaguely dangerous. "Maybe you should just spend time with it instead? You know, kind of like what you did with Gogol?"
"I liked that," Gogol sighed, remembering.
Puchi paused. "Point. I don't want it coming out weird or anything." But... but SCIENCE!
"Let her do as she wants," Arturo said from above, cool as a cucumber. "It's not our bloom. She can do as she likes to it."
"Better point! Experimentation it is!"
Nero sighed. "All right, Puchi. As you wish." He gave Gogol a meaningful glance, and found it to be returned. They'd do their best to make the new Feien comfortable despite the experimentation.
"Shoo, all of you! I've got experiments to run!" Puchi yelled, waving her arms about. "Am-scray! Off! Away!"
"Gladly," Arturo drawled, flapping out of the rooom with Nero on his heels. Gogol leaped off the desk and landed on a stack of pillows, then happily skipped after them into the kitchen.
A venemous eye was turned on the hapless Div. "It begins. OH, it begins."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:36 pm
There was a problem. PUCHI COULDN'T THINK OF ANY IDEAS TO EXPERIMENT WITH. Sighing, she sat down at iTunes once more. Recently, she had acquired new music - perhaps she'd play some of that while she thought. Quote: "Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)" - Linda Eder - A vaguely Spanish, triumphant sounding showtune, sung by a woman with an amazing voice. Very noble. "Suite from Mulan" - Jerry Goldsmith - Music from Mulan - Asian sounding, very soft and gentle; sad in some parts, chipper in others. "Where's Johnny Sabatino" - dZihan & Kamien - Another vaguely Spanish song, but techno. Mostly an instrumental, very interesting and unique sound. "The Blood of Cu Chulainn" - Michael Danna - A Celtic tune, very traditional, and instrumental. A happy song, with just a touch of melancholy to the tune. Whilst playing her music, Puchi's eyes roamed the room, and fell upon her collection of sterilizing air fresheners. PERFECT! Quote: English Garden Berry (the berry wasn't specified) Pine Lemon And, uninspired, Puchi left the fruit to wallow in its water, music playing and air freshened to the point of painful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:25 am
Irisa's first trip to the shop This was the second time Nero had been to the shop in about a week.
Babysteps, he supposed.
Besides, the shop was bound to be fairly empty at this hour. Cautiously poking his head in, Nero called out a soft hello, and smiled as it echoed back to him unreturned. Much relieved, Nero hopped off the windowsill and moved to the item display, poring over the bolts of cloth.
All of them were so pretty! It'd be difficult to pick just one...A bit nervous, Irisa peered into the shop before flying into the main room. The dual-eye-colored Feien figured that it'd be pretty surprising if she just happened to run into her long-lost (or maybe and hopefully not-so-lost!) parents at this hour, but you never accomplish anything if you don't try. Speaking of which, she hoped that whatever happened, she wouldn't sit around doing nothing for too long. Since that never accomplished anything, either. Irisa wasn't much for wasting time. Waste not want not or however the saying went! And there was another Feien in the shop! And... he didn't seem very old, so Irisa didn't think that he was her father, but her fairy godmother did say that there was always so much you could learn from different people. Still, best to not rush into things. Irisa took things one step at a time. ...since she didn't have the magic ability to teleport. "Um... hello." she meekly but politely greeted to the other Feien as she landed near the item display. Hmm... he was multiple colored, too. How nice! Nero nearly jumped a foot into the air, hovering with his hand against his heart. His wide yellow gradually softened as he realized who was speaking to him, and he lightly touched down, blushing.
"I'm sorry," he laughed, pushing hair out of his face. "You startled me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here at this hour." Nero smiled warmly. He'd never seen this one before - was she new? Or maybe she wasn't new, and he just hadn't been to the shop in so long he just never knew there was a new Feien.
Sigh.
Well! A new person meant a new beginnings, and it had been so long since Nero had met someone new, and - and, maybe she was nice! Nero needed nice.
"I'm Nero," he said gently, extending a hand towards Irisa. "Are you new? And bi-colored too, at that." Half-and-half, just like him. His smile only widened."Oh! I'm so sorry!" Irisa gasped a little at Nero's surprise, her hand to her mouth. "I hope I'm not interupting anything." She then noticed his extended hand, and gladly took it. "Oh yes, right. I am Irisa. I'm rather new around here. You're the first Feien I've met. It's a pleasure to meet you, Nero! You have a wonderful bi-colorfulness!" she cheerfully bowed, hoping she was getting her greetings right. Oxygen and her tutor taught her a little bit about etiquette, but her slight nervousness made her realize that her fairy godmother was right about how she'd never know for sure until she actually got out into the world and met people for herself. Still, Nero seemed like a nice Feien. Not that Irisa knew what meeting a not-so-nice Feien was supposed to be like, though. She was nice! Nero was delighted. It had been so long since he had met a Feien he didn't feel like was using him, or hurting him, or jerking around his emotions. Had Nero less control over himself, he probably would've started thanking Irisa.
"That's a beautiful name," he commented cheerfully, giving her hand a light shake before pulling his hand away. "And it's truly a pleasure to meet you. I'm honored to be your first! Hopefully I won't disappoint."
Nero laughed then, glad to feel himself returning to his usual ease at conversation.
"My brother and sister are both bicolored too - but not like I am, all half-and-half. I think you're the first I've seen like that, aside from me," he added brightly. It felt good not to be so different anymore. And she had long black hair, and a yellow eye, like him! This was exciting.Nero was indeed a very nice Feien. Irisa wondered if all the other Feien were like him. ...well, she wasn't exactly like him since she herself probably wouldn't be able to bring herself to show as much eagerness as him, but so far, it was two for two when it came to niceness as far as she could tell. How... nice! "Why, thank you." Irisa smiled. Well, she didn't know what it'd take for her to be 'dissappointed', but she certainly wasn't that way at this moment, so she tactfully added, "I'm thankful that you are my first. You seem like a very nice person." She put her hands behind her back, thinking about Nero's comments. "Oh, it must be really nice to know your brothers and sisters..." Irisa began, before withdrawing quickly. No... as nice as Nero seemed, she just... didn't feel right dragging down the conversation with her own problems of not being able to find her family. "Have you been around for a long time, Nero?" she asked curiously. Nero blinked. He had not expected Irisa to comment like that.
... Was it possible that she was a Feien who had resulted from a breeding? He hadn't heard news of a couple breeding, but he'd been away for so long...
They just kept having more and more in common!
Nero smiled and nervously tucked some hair behind his ear. "Truthfully? I see my brother and sister very rarely. They're with different bonds, and we're quite estranged. It's sad, but with everybody in a different house, it's difficult to arrange meetings." he explained as gently as possible. Irisa would learn this in time, just as Nero did. But it never hurt to have a heads up.
Realizing how depressing that sounded, he quickly added, "But just because you can't see them too often doesn't mean they don't love and care for you! Absence only makes the heart grow fonder, did you know that?" He lightly pat Irisa's shoulder and straightened. "And I'm several months old."
Wow. MONTHS old. That was somewhat depressing.Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Hmm, it sounded like something you could get from a book, but something you could only truly know once you've experienced it for yourself. Irisa decided that she liked Nero. He was a second generation Feien much like herself, was nice, and bi-colored. What was the term for a meeting like this? Fate? Luck? Maybe both? "I see..." she nodded. "I haven't experienced it for myself, but I think I understand. It seems dissappointing, but also really nice to have a family bond like that. I hope I can share a similar bond if I meet my own siblings someday. ...or my parents." She smiled. Although admittingly, it might have been sincere. She didn't know. On one hand, her caretaker did not know who her parents were. But on the other, she was only born for a few days, so there was still plenty of time for her to find her family and at least get to know them. "Several months?" Irisa remarked, rather admiring. "You must have had a lot of experiences!" "Oh, you will! I promise, either your familiy will come to you, or you'll go to them, or something - but you'll met. I'll even help you, if you want." Nero replied, nodding fervently.
He paused, considering what he just said, then grinned. "We can be detectives or something silly like that. Look at the roster and see who you look like most, hmm? I wish I knew more Feien - I can't help much in that aspect." And t here was also the fact that Irisa might've been even more like him, and bear little resemblence to either parent. Still, optimisim was a good thing! And this poor girl, fresh from the bloom... He wouldn't let her be disappointed.
Nero was pulled from his reverie by her words. "Experiences?" he echoed, rather stupidly. After a moment her words sank in, and Nero gave a slight nod. "Yep. I've got lots." Most of them bad."Oh, wonderful!" Irisa cheerfully remarked. "If it's okay with you, I'd be very obliged if I could hear about them, sometime." Not that Irisa wanted to force Nero to tell her anything (she didn't think she'd be so open with anyone, herself), but from all those scientific rantings her caretaker made, information seemed key to everything. ...that and again, she rather liked Nero, already. But even since she was born, she found that there were always things to do. No wonder why Oxygen was always busy with something. So she turned her attention towards that particular task. "But looking through the roster seems like a wonderful idea. Thanks for the help, Nero." Irisa continued with a nod. "Since I've managed to find out that my elements are both cold and earth, that should help narrow things down a lot! Maybe we can start trying to figure out who they are, right now!" She wondered if there was a roster list in the shop. "Cold and earth? Nero mused, pursing his lips. Who did he know that were cold and earth Feien?
Shalafi was a cold Feien - or ice, or something. Calico was an earth Feien.
Nero gave an involuntary shudder. Thank god Irisa looked nothing like either of them.
"We can certainly try!" he said finally, straightening with a girn. His yellow eyes gleamed with excitement. "And I bet you we'll find them, too! It's all a matter of patience." Nodnod. Chances were they wouldn't find them on the first try.
Elegantly, Nero dropped from the countertop and flitted to the bulletin board. "There HAS to be something here about breedings," he muttered, looking it over.Patience was something that Irisa hadn't had much experience with. ...mainly because it was hard to experience patience when you were just born so you didn't even have any time to be patient about anything. Still, Irisa hoped she would find her parents soon, although she had to admit that Nero's 'silly' suggestion about playing detective for a while seemed like fun. So she happily followed Nero to the bulletin board and began reading it over. "Wow, I never knew there were so many Feien..." Irisa remarked. "I haven't been able to find much information on breeding. I wonder if ice or water can create cold." The question did, however, bring a thought to her mind. "Speaking of which, what's your element, Nero?" Irisa asked with a curious smile. "I'm memory," Nero replid, shrugging. "My mother was time, and my father was metal. Both my brother and sister are memory, too."
Of course, none of them had magic strong enough to make use of their powers - which looked dangerous to begin with. Perhaps it was better that way.
"And there used to be more, you know. We're only the SUMMONED Feien. Before us, Feien simply bloomed from plants without a Summoner." Nero offered Irisa a smile as he explained. "Those Feien are called Ancients - my father is among them. To save his life, the Summoner bonded him to Puchiko. They don't get along very well, though."
Laughing, Nero found the bit on breeding and skimmed it over, searching for the names of couples who had bred. Unfortunately the list didn't include already-bred couples, but he soon found a topic named "BREEDING SLOTS."
"I think I found it!" he chirped, hovering as he read.
Only then did he realize that the name at the top was erased, leaving only smudges. All he could make out was a "T" That hardly helped!"Really!?" Irisa had been eagerly paying heavy attention to Nero's telling her about the history of the Feien when he made his discovery, so she eagerly flew over by Nero's side, and soon figured out what he meant. With this detective research and this latest idea, she realized that behind Nero's friendliness, he was really smart. This was great, because Irisa herself loved putting her mind to tasks (or at least, so far she did), even if she wasn't a genius as far as her tutor could tell from her math lesson (Just 'smart' according to her tutor). Still, thanks to Nero making the first step, figuring out where a detective would go from there wasn't too hard. "It looks like a T..." Irisa stated, though she imagined Nero already realized that. "I suppose all we have to do now is look for earth or cold Feien that have names that begin with T, right?" She wondered why the name was erased. Perhaps this went deeper than both of them realized, and there were dark things afoot! ...nah. "Who knows how many there are, though?" Nero muttered, biting his finger in thought. It was an odd habit of his - but he often found that it helped him concentrate better, zero in on something.
Unfortunately, Nero was drawing a blank. For a memory Feien, he certainly didn't remember much.
"Here, let me have a look at you," Nero said suddenly, whirling towards Irisa and scrutinizing her face in the dark. Parts of her... SEEMED familiar, but he just couldn't place his finger on it, and it was frustrating. Sighing, Nero touched down lightly on the counter nearest the board.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a very good detective, I'm afraid. I will find your parents though, I promise!""Hmm... there are a lot." Irisa remarked matter of factly, while looking at the roster. Deep down, she was slightly saddened at the monumental task ahead, but she didn't want to give that off. Actually, she felt a bit awkward already with all the cheerfulness she displayed around Nero, but that was because his own friendliness was contagious and the cheerfulness really sincere. She wanted to get this accomplished. She didn't want to leave unfinished. But... it was late and she was getting a bit sleepy, and her caretaker (...bond, but he called himself a caretaker) would be arriving soon. "Thank you, Nero." Irisa smiled at Nero's promise. "I guess it's really late. My bond and my fairy godmother probably wouldn't be very happy if I stayed up so late on my first night out. But I really believe that we can find them now, thanks to your help!" Sure enough, at that moment, the lights of a car and it's honking noises could be heard outside. "Oh! There he is. Goodbye, Nero! Thank you so much! I hope I can see you again!" Irisa waved as she took to the air.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:19 pm
Quote: I had a stroke of brilliance. Whilst shopping for groceries, I noticed a new item placed upon the juice shelves. Well... technically I didn't. You see, Gogol was residing, hidden, the brim of my cap, and nearly scared the wits out of me when he suddenly shrieked "LITCHI!" "Gogol, quiet!" I snapped, trying to look like I WASN'T talking to my hat. I got weird looks anyway. Clumsily, Gogol crawled down to hang by his knees on the brim of my hat and whisper in my ear. "Div is a litchi, right? So let's get her some litchi juice and see how she likes it!" I blinked. It actually was a pretty good idea, when I thought about it. Besides, could it hurt? Litchi juice had always tasted good, anyway; I used to drink it as a kid. Smirking, I discreetly reached up to tuck Gogol back in my cap and push hair behind my ear. In silent reply, I took the litchi juice off the shelf and placed it in my cart. The hat let out a "Whoop!" of approval. Upon arriving back at the labs, I carefully cleaned out the litchi's tupperware home and poured just a smidgen in. The litchi seemed to respond, but I truthfully couldn't tell whether it was good or not. Since there was plenty of juice left, I decided to pour some for myself. I was about to take a large swig of the savory liquid when - BAM! The glass slipped from my fingers and landed with a crash on the floor. Sighing, I stooped to pick up the glass and throw it out, wincing as I cut my finger in the process. "s**t," I muttered, sticking it in my mouth. Nearby, I noticed the litchi starting to quiver. That was... odd. Maybe the noise upset it? Or... I took my finger from my mouth. The litchi shook harder. Confused, I dangled my finger above the litchi. A single drop of red slowly rolled down my finger and landed upon the pink surface of the "bloom." It gave a shiver of what I can only guess was ecstasy. Frowning, I stuffed my finger back into my mouth, sucking it thoughtfully. "Did I get a vampire Feien? That's just ******** up." Sighing, I collected a bit of blood and added it to the litchi juice, then sat down and recorded the reactions. Why couldn't I EVER get the normal ones?!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:37 pm
The house was fairly quiet.
Gogol was off practicing his handstands against a wall, Nero was seated crosslegged on top of the pages of a well-thumbed book, and Arturo was silently going through his every day fencing exercises. Puchiko was downstairs in her lab, and so far, there were no explosions.
For once, it looked like the labs MIGHT have a normal day.
Gogol groaned and stopped his gymnastics, flopping on to his back. "I'm bored!" he wailed.
"Entertain yourself. You're breaking my concentration."
Nero sighed and immediately sought out the happy medium. "Would you like to play charades, Gogol?" he offered, smiling.
"Charades?" echoed the light Feien. He merrily skipped over to Nero and sat down on the passage Nero was reading.
Nero nodded, laughing softly. "Charades. It's a game where you have to act something out but you can't say anything."
Gogol blinked. "I don't think I understand." he said, giggling quietly. He didn't want Arturo to snap at him again.
"I'll go first, and you'll learn as we play." Nero decided. He stood up and instantly began attempting to mime a person fishing.
"Oh! Oh! I know - you're purple!"
Nero hesitated. Purple? What in the - ah, well. "Very good, Gogol. You're a natural at this game." he said, smiling.
"YAY!"
"I warned you once already, and I won't warn you again," Arturo muttered, yellow eyes sliding over to glare at Gogol.
"Sorry!" Gogol squeaked, diving to hide behind Nero. Since he was larger, however, it was rather unsuccessful.
Nero sighed and pat Gogol lightly on the head. "I'm going to go to the kitchen and check on Div. You stay here and work on your charades, all right?"
"Okay!" Gogol replied in a loud stage whisper, then began flailing about. He WAS a natural at this charades thing!
Laughing, Nero jumped off the book and made his way towards the kitchen. After a moment, he located the tupperware upon the tupperware and landed next to it.
"Hello Div! I hope you're doing well this afternoon - "
Nero trailed off as he glanced into the interior of the tupperware.
The fruit was there, but in two halves, with the skin ripped and torn in the center. A hole was present in both halves, just barely large enough to house a pit.
Or a Feien.
Where - where was she? Had someone cut the fruit to eat it and destroyed the poor Feien within? Oh dear, oh dear, this was terribleterribleterrible! He had to call for help!
"Art -"
A small, bright red hand clamped itself down on Nero's mouth, smothering the noise.
"Don't you DARE ruin my entrance!"
Nero let out a muffled scream and attempted to wriggle free of the stranger's grasp. Finally, he resorted to biting the fingers digging into his cheek.
"Oh! You b*****d!" yelped the stranger, jerking her hand back. "Look! Look what you've done! My beautiful, beautiful hand - you've hurt it! How DARE you!"
Nero whirled, yellow eyes wide. "What in the world are you going on about?!" he cried, completely disoriented.
And then he realized who he was talking to.
Bits of litchi fruit still clung to the Feien's outrageous hair, bi-colored like his but MUCH shorter, with pieces of hair sticking up and down and in every direction. Orange and purple eyes stared suspiciously at him, and a horn - strangely shaped, not like the ones he'd seen before - sat squarely in the middle of her forehead. Between her legs, he could make out a thick, poweful looking tail, complete with spikes.
Needless to say, Nero's first reaction was fear. His eyes went wide and he pressed, frightened, against the wall. He didn't want to get hurt anymore!
Div looked at Nero, considering. Her insect wings rested flat against her back - she had not tried to use them yet, and had been sitting around for the past hour, trying to figure out how to make the absolute PERFECT entrance and then this stupid THING had to completely ruin it all!
Div stamped her foot down on the counter in anger. "You stupid, stupid b*****d! You ruined EVERYTHING! I hate you!"
"I'm sorry?" Nero whimpered, still confused.
The muscles in Div's jaw ceased twitching and a wistful smile soon crossed her face. "I forgive you. Just DON'T get in my way again. It won't be pretty."
"Okay." Nero agreed. He had long since learned his lesson about bullies: don't give them anything to be angry about.
"BUT YOU HURT MY HAND, YOU CRUEL, EVIL PERSON!"
Nero's heart began to beat quicker. Not only was he afraid of this new Feien's anger, but he had hurt her! Oh dear, oh dear, he'd been awful! Nevermind the fact that she had pounced and scared the living daylights out of him, he had been the one to hurt her! "I'm sorry!" he squeaked, scurrying forward to inspect her hand.
Div smirked to herself, but quickly wiped it off her face, instead looking wounded and hurt. "How COULD you? I just emerged! You're terrible!"
Div wasn't bleeding or anything, and Nero didn't think he bit her that hard. "Y-you seem to be okay," he muttered meekly.
Div's eyes flashed angrily. "Okay? OKAY?! I'll tell you if I'm bloody okay! You bit me, you b*****d! You should feel ashamed!"
Nero's yellow eyes grew to the size of saucers. "C-can I make it up to you?" he whimpered, desperate to redeem himself in the bi-colored eyes of the new Feien. He didn't want to start things off on the wrong foot!
It took all of Div's willpower to stop the smirk from reappearing. "Carry me to where the others are. And address me as Queen Div from now on."
Nero raised an eyebrow. One moment: Queen Div? Carrying? What was he, her slave? She was bigger than him, to boot...
"I don't really think I can," he said, laughing nervously.
Squealing with rage, Div raised her hand angrily. Nero yelped and flinched, eyes squeezed shut as he waited for her hand to fall. When he opened his eyes, his field of vision was instantly filled by five bright red fingers.
"Do you SEE the damage you've done!? You owe me! This is the least you can do for attacking me!"
Nero's breath quickened. She hadn't hit him, but... she was insane! How could he deal with this?!
"But you're bigger than me and I'm not very strong," he explained, as patiently as he could.
Div opened her mouth to reply, but soon enough her sensitive ears picked up the sound of wings - another Feien?
Arturo flapped into the room, rapier dangling loosely from his fingers. "I heard shouting." he said patiently, then his eyes moved towards Div.
Being an Ancient, Arturo was used to seeing Feien with mutations, so Div's appearance hardly struck him as odd. But her expression was enough to merit an eyebrow raising.
"MY ENTRANCE!" Div wailed, scrambling away from Nero. It was completely DESTROYED! Tattered, ruined, broken!
She had to start over! Desperately, she climbed back into the tupperware and slipped back into the litchi. A new beginning, and an amazing entrance! That's exactly what she needed!
"... What is she doing?" Arturo asked as Div grabbed the top part of her litchi and began attempting to reattach it.
Nero was so confused by this point he could cry. "I have no idea." he said dumbly, sitting down.
"Shut up! SHUT UP! You're ruining my entrance, you bastards!"
Just another normal day in the labs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:16 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:00 am
It appears that our newest arrival might possibly be certifiable.
Wonderful.
At least Nero's getting plenty of excercise running errands for her. He seems to be her "page", as she calls him. My heart goes out to him, as most of the tasks she asks of him are rather humiliating; but still, I must admit, some of them are rather humurous. You should see his face when he says "Queen Div."
If Div goes too far, I'll make her stop. It is not Feien instinct to be fatherly -- since we originally had no fathers - but I feel that Ares expects that of me, and since I live with Nero perhaps it is only right. Still, she seems pretty harmless for now. And it's nice to see Nero going out and about.
Ares... needless to say, I miss her. It has been too long since I last saw her. I suppose we have what humans would call a "long-distance relationship" and it certainly makes things complicated. Every day I feel more and more that my place in her heart has been reduced from "lover" simply to "mate." Of course, this is simply paranoia. I doubt Ares feels that way.
Or hope. Whatever.
Either way, I intend to visit her, since she seems disinclined to visit me. Not that I can blame here; the labs are a zoo. I like to get out of here as much as possible.
Perhaps I should return to the shop, also. See what's going on. Now that Corvus has returned, I must resume my duties of collecting information.
Corvus has certainly changed - he enhanced himself with a gemstone. Perhaps his new physical appearance isn't astonishing, but he tells me his magic prowess had near doubled. Having that much magic must be frightening, and Corvus himself doesn't know what to do with it. I'm sure he'll figure something out, and I must admit, I'm rather curious as to what it is.
Puchi bought a gemstone not too long ago, you know.
She placed it in Gogol's keeping, and Gogol shines it every morning. But I have taken to observing it myself, and trying to figure out some of it traits.
Sadly, I've been fairly unsucessful.
I can't help but wonder what sort of lifeform it contained, and how I could use that power to enhance myself.
I suppose it all boils down to whether I want to be enhanced or not.
I admit: I miss my magic. What if this Ancient had magic strong enough to restore my magic back to what it once was? Then again, that's an awfully trite reason to enhance yourself with a gemstone.
Corvus did it for power. Is that any better?
I shall contemplate this further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 12:27 pm
Splat, splatter, mush...
Tosten was painting. What a surprise, right? He had decided to head off to the feien shop today, because Calico was at home and he was icky! Besides, maybe a friend'll come by the shop instead!
Anyway, he had come armed. Along the way he had picked a few mushrooms to pass his time - tiny baby ones, easiest for a feien to drag along for the distance of the flight. Along with him, tied with a few strings to keep together, he brought small vials filled with home paint. They were special paint though...
So there he was, painting mushrooms on the counter. He had taken some of the store paint to make up for his lack of colors, dabbling in his special paint as well. Which really didn't seem all that special at the moment, just line green and orange. Nekota said they would glow-in-the-dark though! So he kept dedicated to the task.
"Damn you, pageboy! You said that there would be people! How DARE you lie to me!"
"I said nothing of the sort." was the mild reply.
"Yes, but you insinuated as much! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Here I am, flying - WITH MY OWN TWO WINGS - to the shop in order to meet my subjects, and there aren't even any present! You shall receive punishment for your misdeeds, I assure you." In a huff, Div flittered into the shop, wings buzzing noisily behind her. No matter. Even without people to fawn over her, she might be able to find some useful items.
Nero, looking worn and miserable, followed behind her, wings barely fluttering enough to keep him aloft. It wasn't that he was tired - Nero seemed to have endless stamina - it was just... well... Div was being Div. Sometimes she was tolerable, but when she got all bossy, it was ridiculous. There was only so much a Feien could take, even one as patient as Nero. Still, he was her "obedient pageboy." And he would follow orders; for now.
Still, he was worried about this whole punishment affair. Did she really mean it? Just as Nero felt nervous butterflies flapping about in his stomch, Nero's eyes fell on a shock of white hair and blue markings.
He was saved! Another Feien.
Div gave Nero a pointed look. She had, apparently, spotted the other Feien also. Nero heaved a great sigh and announced, "Her royal Majesty, Queen Div, has entered the shop."
With such a noisy voice, it was hard not to catch ear of the arrivals though all he was sure he was hearing was senseless chatter. Mismatched eyes lifted from his mushroom painting task, staring wonderingly at the pair as they drew closer, a familiar voice ringing out from a familiar feien.
"Nero!!" He squealed in delight, waving excitedly. Goodness, how long had it been since he saw Ares' son? It felt like forever and a day. Only once he had greeted him it occurred to him both what he had said and that he had the company of an amazingly colorful feien with him.
Very, very colorful. And Tosten loved colorful. His eyes positively lit up at the sight of her, bouncing the 'supposed' adult to his feet as he fanned newly recovered wings in his excitement. "Queen?"
"Tosten!" Nero chirped, recognizing the Feien. That brought a smile to his face. It had been so long since Nero had seen him last - Gogol would be envious that Nero had seen Tosten and that he hadn't. Ah, well. It was good to know the Feien was doing well, and Gogol would be pleased to receive the news.
Before Nero could say anything further, however, Div decided to address her subject directly. "Indeed, I am your mighty and beautiful queen!" she cried, arms crossed over her chest. A prim eyebrow was raised at Tosten. "Dare you say otherwise, peasant? For if you do, you shall FEEL MY WRATH DESCEND UPON THEE!"
Nero smiled thinly. "Tosten, this is Div."
"QUEEN DIV! And let the peasant introduce himself, page!" Sharp purple and orange eyes focused on Tosten, studying him with an aloof air. The subject in question appeared to be a painter of sorts. How utterly... useless. Div would have to put him to good, hard labor.
Tosten smiled ever so happily, grinning like a positive fool through out her noisy threat of wrath. He tilted his head and absorbed the situation thoughtfully. A queen, wow! Like in the fairy-tales in the picture books and movies he loved! But she wasn't really nice, was she...? Those queens were soft spoken and gentle. Not screaming about wrath.
A queen was a queen, right? Maybe there was a tragic, exciting story to why she's angry and she needs her handsome prince to save her! Or handsome king...? Anyway. He more then happily went along with it. If there was one thing he knew about, it was courtly manners. Somewhat.
"Wow, a Queen! It's a pleasure to make your aq.. aqua... um... its a pleasure to meet you, My Lady!" He issued his best of bows as he saw the Prince do on those disney cartoons. "My name is Tosten." Though he thought Nero's greeting was perfectly suitable, she hadn't seemed pleased. Besides, now he felt like the hero in all those stories! He could be like.. like the prince in Snow white! Or, or.. or Sleeping Beauty! Or...
Div pursed her lips to the side. Hmm. The whole "my Lady" was quite nice. Div hadn't thought of that before.
She could use this one...
"Tosten," Div said slowly, allowing it to roll off her tongue. "Are you the one Gogol says smells like toast?"
"Gogol says hi, by the way," Nero chipped in. Div gave him a glare that immediately shut him up.
"I've heard many things about you, Tosten," Div said contemplatively, rubbing her chin. It was decided, then! A bright red finger was pointed squarely at Tosten as Div hovered above him. "You! You are to be my Royal Advisor! Consider yourself blessed to be in my favor, Master Tosten."
... Why did he have to be the page and Tosten got to be the advisor? Ah, well. "Welcome to the family, Tosten," Nero said with as much cheer as he could muster.
"His state is above yours, page! You shall address him as MASTER Tosten."
"Master Tosten," Nero corrected, attempting to hide his smile.
osten smiled at mention of Gogol and interrupted eagerly, "Tell him I say hi too! Cause I do -- pardon?"
Now Div gained a clueless sort of look and his spirits for the game decreased slightly. That wasn't in the fairy-tales... unless it was the bad guy. He didn't like that at all. "I don't want to be Master Tosten." He replied quietly.
Div looked furious. "YOU DARE TURN DOWN MY GIFT?! Such insolence will NOT be tolerated from a royal advisor! You! You are now demoted to my minion!" raged the red Feien.
"Does that mean I can go?" Nero asked hopefully.
"I SHALL TOLERATE NO MORE INSOLENCE FROM YOU EITHER, PAGE! Silence!"
Nero obediently shut up.
Tosten was awfully confused now. So no more blessing? Um... His ears wilted slightly and up came a hand, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced at Nero, hoping the younger feien would explain what was going on... no help there, however.
"I'm, uh... sorry?" He mumbled to Div a little blankly.
Div pursed her lips, then smiled, white teeth bright white against the red color of her skin. "I forgive you. But just this once, and only because I'm a kind queen! Further rudeness will not be tolerated."
Wings beginning to tire (she had only just learned to use them a day ago, after all) Div decided it would be best to land and inspect her new minion further. Stepping uncomfortably close to Tosten, she circled around him, "hmm"ing as she went.
Finally, she pat him curtly on the shoulder. "Yes, you'll do nicely. Your first job as my minion is to fetch me supplies from the case!" Div ordered, pointing at it. Of course, it was easy enough for Div to do it herself, but why would she when she had minions to do it for her?
"I want paints! And cloth! And fetch me some paper and a quill, why you're at it. Do so promptly and I will reward your good work!"
Tosten blinked at Div ever so puzzledly. Again, like a lost puppy, he looked to Nero for guidence. Well... forgiving him was good, he hadn't meant to make her mad (though he would still not let her make people call him Master, he didn't want to be above his own friends!). Besides, she asked for easy things.
"Kay." He chirped make more cheerfully again and stepped back to lit into the air, fluttering away so to dart into the display case with a heave of a sliding door. Paints he didn't need to get, at least he assumed he didn't since she was already surrounded by paints that he had taken out for himself.
A pretty red cloth was decided, it kind of matched some of her seemingly random colorings. Paper and quill (red, because he wanted to match the cloth like it mattered) were taken up too as he fluttered back out with the belongings. An easier task for him, being of adult size and all.
"Is red all right, My Lady?" He inquired when he settled, happily falling back into fairy-tale role... even if she wasn't a very nice queen. "It matches your red, see? - Which is a very, very beautiful red, My Lady! You're one of the prettiest feien I've ever seen."
So colorful! Goodness he loved her colors, markings, and general... weirdness. Not that he'd call it that to her face.
Had Div not already been red, she'd probably be blushing. "Thank you, good sir!" she replied huffily, taking the items from Tosten. "I'm well aware of my beauty, but a queen will always appreciate a compliment. You have done very well, and I am pleased."
"That means you get a reward!" Nero said, excited. He was curious as to what Div would give him for his good work.
Bi-colored eyes glared at Nero. "I'm GETTING to that," she snapped, then turned back to Tosten. "In light of your good work and your excellent taste in the appearance of Feien, I grant you a new title! Thou art Lord Tosten! And with a title must come lands..." Div glanced about, looking for the perfect area of the shop to give to Tosten. Finally, she pointed to the edge of the counter. "And that area is now yours! Feel free to tax the residents as you will, so long as I get a share of the profits."
Nero decided it wouldn't help things to point out that no one lived there. "Congrats, Tosten!" he said, smiling.
Oh dear, Tosten was confused again. He had brought it because she asked, why was he getting called weird names again? He wasn't so sure what tax meant and made note to ask someone else later.
"Ah, uh... thank you!" He replied, absolutely perplexed. So he just smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, figuring either way she was happy and was giving him something so best be polite. He still didn't really figure out what it was he just got though... oh well!
Div's wings buzzed with pride. Such a nice minion! Much better than Nero, who sulked everywhere he went. Though his expression seemed to be slightly confused - how strange.
"I shall call upon you later," Div decided, taking to the air. "You are now my most loyal servant! Before I leave, you must pledge eternal loyalty to me. Please do so at once."
Tosten looked up wonderingly when she lit into the air, puzzling over that. Call upon him...? That was a curious phrase right there. Did that make them friends? Oh, goody! But pledge...?
Again he glanced at Nero, helplessly. Well it was just a game, right? And maybe she was a Queen, and that'd make him special. He wasn't so sure how pledging went though so he just echoed her timidly, "Um... I pledge my.. eternal loyalty to, uh... Queen Div?"
Why not? If that was what she made friends do then okay.
"WONDERFUL!" Div cried, clapping her hands together. "Consider yourself permanently in my service. I shall summon you when I need you, so keep yourself prepared, as I need a great many things."
Nero, inwardly, was cringing. This couldn't be good. Div making another slave out of someone was probably NOT something that he should just sit around and watch. But he was afraid to challenge her, lest he "invoke her wrath."
"You have done well and I am impressed! However, your next task shall be much harder, to prove that you are worthy to serve me, Lord Tosten! And with that, I bid you adieu! Come, Nero." Sniffing haughtily, Div buzzed out of the shop, Nero reluctantly following at her heels. He threw a smile at Tosten over his shoulder and waved, then both he and Div were gone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 4:44 pm
RP from the shop: Puchiko "What do you mean you can't carry me any further?! This outrageous! You are my MINION - you do as I tell you!""B-b-but -""HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME, PAGEBOY!"With a groan, Nero strumbled on to the windowsill, Div piggybacking on top of him, despite being the larger and the stronger of the two Feien. Exhausted, Nero collaped into a panting heap on the sill, while Div just rolled her eyes and lightly stepped off him.
"C-can I rest?" he gasped, too tired to even twitch.Div sighed. "I suppose," she conceded, then glanced around her surroundings.
Well, hello. New peasants!
"Good evening, my subjects! Come and introduce yourself to - ""... Do I really have to say it?"
The look Div gave him answered his question.
"Queen Div." Nero said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.Div smiled sweetly, though it soon turned into a snarl. "INTRODUCE YOURSELF THUSLY OR SUFFER MY WRATH." Neko Girl Tahki's attention quickly turned to the familiar voice on the other end of the windowsill. Ooooo, someone she hadn't seen in a really long time! Quickly, the cold feien fluttered over to Nero, picked him up, and hugged him tightly.
"NERO!!" she cried perhaps a little too loudly. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been? What are you doing these days? Who's this with you? Is she your girlfriend? How's Gogol?" Puchiko Nero, being a bit weary, merely blinked at Tahki while her list of questions piled higher and higher. After a moment, he smiled. "I've been very well, Miss Tahki, and only getting better."
Per se, anyway.
"These days, I'm doing a lot of reading! And Gogol's been just lovely, he's practicing his handbalancing once more, which is a ton of fun to watch. And this is Div - ""QUEEN DIV!" Div shrieked, then pointed a finger at Tahki. "You! How DARE you address my page before you address your queen! I am unpleased!"Nero sighed and offered Tahki a small smile. "Just play along," he whispered into her drooping ear. Neko Girl Tahki blinked a few times as she stared long and hard at Div. Oh, she had a tail like Ares! But...spikey... And a horn like Tosten! ...But, also spikey. And...she was awfully red. ...Perhaps staring wasn't a good idea.
"She makes my head hurt..." she whined softly, dropping Nero to rub her eyes. "Queen? No, Ares is a queen! ...I think. I don't really know, but I've decided she is one and I'm her knight!"
What a knight she was. Puchiko Div froze, mouth hanging half-open from being stopped in the middle of a tirade, mismatched eyes bulging.
Suddenly, she straightened. Her tail twitched back and forth between her legs dangerously.
"Excuse me?" she asked softly. "I don't think I heard you correctly, peasant. You dare insinuate that I am not your true queen?"Ares was a queen?
That was news to Nero.
Did that make him a prince? And... was his father a king? How odd. Nero took it for fiction, rather than truth, and gave Div a soothing smile. "There can be more than queen, Div. After all, there are lots of Feien." he said."I am THE ONLY QUEEN DIV!" roared the red Feien. Neko Girl Tahki's ears perked up slightly. "Yes, the only Queen Div," she agreed, nodding her head. "And Ares is the only Queen Ares!" Puchiko "I AM THE ONLY QUEEN OF THE FEIEN!" screamed Div, flecks of spit flying out of her mouth. Her wings buzzed into action and she zoomed up to hover face to face with Tahki, eyes wide with rage.
"I shall have you KILLED FOR TREASON if you speak any more slander!"Nero, always slow on his feet, gradually buzzed his way over to Div. "Calm down," he soothed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's only a game.""A game!? A GAME?!" Div shrilled, turning her fury on Nero. "A game?! I am queen! I was born a queen, I shall die a queen, for I AM QUEEN." Skin shining an even brighter red, Div whirled back around to face Tahki, fists clenched at her side.
"Take. It. Back. And admit that I am the only queen," she spat.Nero's yellow eyes grew fearful. "Di - er, Queen Div, please, this is rather ridiculous.""I shall not tolerate any further complaints for you, page! Leave me, or I shall strike you!" she hissed.The color drained away from Nero's cheeks, but he stayed where he was, ready to protect Tahki if need be. Neko Girl Red. All Tahki could see was red. Her fist clenched tightly by her side as she suddenly remembered the last person to talk to her in such a tone of voice: Corvus. She was entitled to her opinions, no matter what anyone said, and just because she gave up some things easily didn't mean she had to give up all things. Ares was like a mother to her... And being royal in her eyes, it was like honor to Tahki.
"I won't admit anything," Tahki finally said after taking in a deep breath and releasing it. She loosened her fist, managing a smile. "It's not really good to be selfish, Miss Div. Nor is violence anything good. Maybe if you were nicer, you may end up being a queen somebody and have many people look up to you? However, right now, I can't imagine anyone wanting to do so because of how badly you seem to treat them. A real queen has to give respect in order to earn it herself." Puchiko "I am queen," Div whispered, voice suddenly becoming honey-coated and sweet. "Being a queen has nothing to do with having people look up to you - that's nonsense and naivity. To be a queen is to wield power. Power that I HAVE."
Her tone changed, becoming cold, haughty, and threatening. "I am not Miss Div. I am Queen Div. Treason shall not be tolerated. Accept your place as my inferior and my subject and be thankful I don't sign a warrant for your execution right on the spot." she sniffed."Really, Div, you're going too far!" protested Nero."I told you already: no more!" Div shrieked, and promptly slapped him across the face.Nero went quiet once more. It didn't hurt, but he was afraid to press the issue further. Neko Girl Tahki winced slightly as Div slapped Nero across the face, her fingers flinching as she restrained herself from getting angrier. After a moment, she lifted her hand to gently place it on the shorter feien's shoulder, drawing him closer to her for a moment. She could run with no problem if she had to... And she'd want Nero to come with her. She couldn't tolerate her friends getting hurt, especially not a son of Ares.
"I only serve Ares," she said rather sternly, even for herself. Puchiko "BLASPHEMY!" Div screamed, a vein popping out on her forehead. "You shall regret the day you crossed Queen Div, mighty queen of the Feien! This Ares you speak of is nothing but an imposter, a pretender to the throne! She shall pay for her crimes!"Enraged, Nero wrenched himself from Tahki's grasp. "That's my mother you're talking about!" he shouted back. Nero was a laidback, obedient sort - but he couldn't stand to hear Ares insulted like that.
Blushing, Nero looked at Tahki apologetically. He hadn't meant to pull away from her like that, he was just so angry... he hoped she'd understand.Div's lips slowly uncurled out of their snarl. She seemed calmer now, comforted by the fact that she had succeeded in upsetting at least ONE person, and she tossed her hair lightly. "Hmph. You're lucky I'm feeling generous today. Say thank you, page.""Thank you," Nero murmured, the words slipping out like poison.Div tactfully decided to ignore Nero's tone and turned away from then to glance at Raylan. He had yet to introduce himself.
How rude.
"What a bunch of fools my subjects are," she sighed, crossing her arms on her chest. Neko Girl Tahki frowned a little bit and her ears drooped more than usual. At least she didn't hurt him again. However, she did feel the need to report this to Ares when she got home...
"Can I tell her?" she asked softly to the shorter feien, hoping Div wouldn't hear. She leaned down and rested her knees against the windowsill. "Can I tell Ares?"Raylan's ears twitched slightly as he didn't turn from Raphael, his green eyes giving the oddly colored feien a sidelong glance. It was in his nature to be friendly and polite, but what could one do about someone who didn't deserve it? "To be honest, I don't see any of your claimed subjects, and surely they aren't fools," he blinked, not quite understanding. "Do you always make such a ruckus?" Magiale Raphael turned around to glance at Div, his eyes wide again. He didn't like the word fool, but talking to this less than kind feien was going to be hard. "E-excuse me..." he started shyly, his words directed towards Raylan. "W-what are s-subjects..?" Asking questions was always easier. Puchiko Nero shook his head. "She - she's new. Give her time to adjust, I'm sure she's fine, we're always a bit odd when we first emerge." he replied, smiling patiently."You are all my subjects," Div replied sweetly, though her eyes flashed with a hostile light. "And you should be very thankful to serve a queen as wonderful and beautiful as I. Introduce yourself, boy, and I shall see if you are suitable for my court. I like the look of you."
She tapped a finger thoughtfully against her lip and studied him from afar. Neko Girl Raylan tapped a finger against his chin for a moment as he thought, crossing his other arm cross his chest. Subjects... Well, they were topics, for one. Weren't they items, as well? No, that was object. Oh! Now he remembered! "Subjects are people that...serve under another, I think," he replied, nodding a little bit. Neko Girl Tahki's eyes drifted back to Div before looking to Nero again. "Do we act that bad?" she asked curiously.Raylan blinked a few times, lowering his hand to rest on his arm. But...no one's as pretty as Mama Ares... he thought to himself, raising a brow. "My name is Raylan," he said, instinctively smiling a little bit. Puchiko Div slowly floated around him, surveying his three ponytails, the shape of his wings, and his height.
Finally, she came to rest in front of him, eyes full of approval. "You are to be my lord!" Div declared, hands on her hips. "Consider yourself blessed to be in my favor, my Lord Raylan!""It's just a phase." Nero said confidently, and went about playing his role once more. "What does your lord do?" he asked."Why, marry the queen, of course!" Neko Girl Raylan twitched slightly, not quite expecting that. Looking over toward his mother, he was as a loss as she merely shrugged and looked a bit helpless. His green eyes, however, fell down to Nero as he approached, remembering how he'd stated Ares to be his mother. That made him related to Merrimack, right? After a moment, his bi-colored wings folded down over his shoulders much in the fashion that Ares' did, drapped like a cape of sorts. Looking to Div, he smiled his usual smile. "Forgive me for saying, but I'm not quite sure what this marry thing you're speaking of is," he said apologetically. "And, while being a Lord certainly sounds fun, I'm not sure I could be such a thing, whatever it is." Puchiko "To marry me means you are completely devoted to me - as you should be already since I am your queen, but even more so. You will be my comfort when the burdens of queenhood become too much for me, and shall do so with one thousand kisses!"
With that, Div pucked her lips towards Raylan and shut her eyes."Perhaps you're a bit too young for that," Nero said gently, pulling Div back some."HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KEEP ME FROM MY LORD!" Div screeched, eyes snapping open with rage.Nero had to think fast. "Ah - b-but your lord is not yet ready to receive your favor! He needs to be prepared!"Div hesitated at that.
Hmm. Point. He did smell a bit... odd.
"Fine." she agreed, scowling. "You may take him off to prepare him."Rolling his eyes but smiling to himself nonetheless, Nero flitted over to Raylan and extended a delicate hand. "I'm Nero. Er - Div's page.""QUEEN DIV!" Neko Girl Raylan took a step back when Div puckered her lips. Kisses... Wasn't that chocolate? No no, wait. It was something people did when they loved each other, wasn't it? He felt a bit of relief as her attention was drawn away for a moment, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. His smile returned when Nero stuck out his hand. "My name is Raylan, in case you hadn't heard. A pleasure to meet you," he said politely, grasping the other's hand and giving one firm shake before letting go. "Mama Ares said she had two other children... I have to say, though, and I mean no offence when I say this, but you're a lot shorter than your brother." Puchiko ... Mama Ares?
Nero was confused. Why would this new Feien A) know Ares and B) refer to her as "Mama Ares"?
Had Arturo and Ares breeded again? That would certainly explain his father's prolonged absence. Was this his brother? Admittedly, he didn't resemble Ares or Arturo very much; but then again, neither did he.
"Merri's an adult," Nero explained slowly, still puzzling things out. "I'm a juvenile, like yourself."
Truth be told, Raylan was also quite a bit taller than Nero. Sigh.
This couldn't have been another of Ares and Arturo's children. It made no sense. Arturo would've said something.
"Have you met my mother, then?" Nero asked, smiling.Div, on the other hand, was getting bored.
And when she got bored, she got desperate.
"You!" she cried, pointing at Tahki. "Entertain me." Neko Girl "Of course!" he smiled, blushing slightly as he thought about the black and blue feien. "Mama Ares helped Mama take care of me. She's going to kind of be my teacher, since Mama doesn't do too well with meditating." It all made sense to him for a moment, until he realized that Nero seemed rather confused. That's right... The others had told him that not many feien knew Tahki and Talon had bred. "Mama's over there, actually. You seem to know her quite well." Tahki's ears perked up a little as she was spoken to, glancing to the left and right before pointing at herself.
"Me?" she questioned, standing up. "Um...what do you want me to do?"Puchiko "Dance." Div ordered, eyes narrowed and ears shut against any protests. "Dance until I tell you to stop!"Nero blinked. "Tahki is your mother?" he asked, blinking between the two. Well... there WERE similarities, he supposed. Nero smiled. "Another Feien resulting from a breeding! I met a very sweet one the other day - her name was Irisa. Actually, she sort of looked... like you..."
Nero trailed off, finally noticing how disturbingly similar they were.
Irisa must've been Raylan's sister! Oh, really, they were such a pretty, nice family then. That was wonderful! Nero was proud for Tahki. Neko Girl Now THAT she could do.
"Okay!" Tahki happily agreed as she began to spin and twirl about on the windowsill, doing her best not to trip and fall."Irisa? I don't believe I've met her," he confirmed after thinking about the name. "In fact, you're the forth feien I've outside of my home." Neko Girl Now THAT she could do.
"Okay!" Tahki happily agreed as she began to spin and twirl about on the windowsill, doing her best not to trip and fall."Irisa? I don't believe I've met her," he confirmed after thinking about the name. "In fact, you're the forth feien I've outside of my home." Puchiko "Don't dance like you want to!" Div cried, exasperated. It wasn't any fun forcing people to do her will when they WANTED to do it!
Unless it was Tosten, who was good at wanting to do it and called her "my lady" and didn't deny her queenhood."Irisa? I... think she might be your sister. I'm sure you'll meet her soon. You'll really like her, she's lovely!" Nero gigled, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. "She was looking for her family. I bet she'll be very happy to meet you." Neko Girl Tahki giggled as she continued to dance, rather oblivious to Div's protest."Sister?" Raylan questioned, perking up a little bit. "I heard that I had siblings, but Mama wasn't able to get out of the house until today. A sister... Is she really nice? I hope so, I'm really excited to get to meet Papa and whoever is staying with him. Uh...Kookaberra, I think Globin told me. So that makes two sisters! Gosh, I wonder what the forth is? I hope that one's a brother, because it might be a little strange being the only brother." Puchiko "She's very nice! And very pretty, just like you. I liked her a lot." Nero said, smiling and nodding. "And if it's any comfort, Ruya is the only daughter? And - ""YOU CALL THAT DANCING?! YOU DISGUST ME! LEAVE ME AT ONCE!" Div shrieked, then grabbed Nero by the hand.
"We are going HOME! This place is filled with fools and I shall not tolerate them further!"
And with that, Div buzzed off, Nero in tow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:54 am
Reserved for Nero's Growing Thing whee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:27 pm
Quote: Nero has grown.
I... have some regrets with Nero. At first I started off too fatherly even by my own opinion, and when I tried a hands off approach I regretted the lack of time I spent with my son.
Lose/lose with Nero, I suppose.
The concept of "family" does not apply well to Feien. Back at the Feien colony in Conneticut, there WAS a concept of family - the entire colony. No one was biologically related to you - there were, technically, no parents, brothers, or sisters. I entered this whole "father" role whilst trying to keep that in mind, in the hopes that one day, Feien life will revert back to that.
Perhaps Feien life will never revert back to the way it was, though.
Anyway. Nero's very handsome these days. He's tall - taller than I expected, though not taller than me, as he said Merri is - and it's almost as if his hair has grown wilder. He too seems to enjoy being an adult. I'm glad for him, yet I've noticed he's stopped addressing me as "father."
For the best, I think. I'm not the father type. I breed because I feel it is my responsibility as a Feien - we are a dying race. Why should I not try to increase our population? If I have the means to do so, I believe I should.
A gem sits on the windowsill. It's rather pretty, and every day I try to analyze its attributes, to see if I can learn anything of the Feien within. Sadly, I have deduced little. It's hard to infer things when you know absolutely nothing of the Feien within.
... Ancients. Supposedly, another Council member has come to associate himself with the shop. His reputation precedes him, as I do recognize the name, yet I know little of him.
And I still must meet Julius. To be in the company of such a great Feien - even I feel slightly humbled.
My thoughts are wandering. Perhaps I should go outside.
Soon enough, he was outside, and had settled down on the branch of the tree, arm resting on his knee. The moon was huge and swollen in the sky, hanging low and partially obscured by the leaves.
Sighing, Arturo hung his head, digging his fingers into the bark of the tree. He missed his old life. This new one - too many things tying him down, his freedom gone, Ares and Nero and so many other things to worry about -
When had he become so... unlike himself?
He missed bitterly admonishing younger Feien. And being called "the old man" by the juveniles, who fell silent with the trademark twitch of his ear, the one that signaled that no whispers remained secret to him. And then their horrified expressions as he whirled round, determined to show them that the "old man" could still headlock impudent young Feien and show them to give some proper respect via noogies.
Arturo was a Feien who understood responsibility. For all his faults, Arturo was loyal to extremes. Yet even that virture seemed to be fraying at the edges as Arturo considered leaving, and never coming back.
But, ah - he probably couldn't leave his bond for long, could he?
Perhaps he shouldn't have argued with Fate and died, like the rest of his kind had. Who knew? Maybe he would've been reincarnated. Unlikely, but always a possibility.
Standng up, Arturo moved to the trunk of the tree and felt about in the darkness for the now familiar hole in its surface. Upon finding it, he stuck his hands in and pulled out a small, smooth gem, and sat down with it on his lap.
The only gem that had gone unburied and had travelled with him, hidden between the pages of his only other belonging, his fencing book.
"Hi Cat," he muttered, and pat the smooth surface of the gem. "Sorry I couldn't find a place better for you than a tree. At least it's scenic, and you always liked plants."
The gem didn't respond. Arturo placed it on his lap and smirked ruefully.
"Thought you might like the moon tonight. I know you used to laugh and say you were a 'day Feien', whatever that may be, but in my educated opinion, you seemed happier at night. Quieter then, but when one is content, conversation is superfluous."
Arturo glanced up through the leaves of the trees. Cloudless night. In the rather remote area of the forest that the labs presided over, there was little light. Just a horizon crowded with stars.
"Anyway, that was it," Arturo said, shaking his head. He stood back up, gem pressed against his chest, and placed it back inside the trunk. A wistful, dark smile crossed his features. "I'll come back later."
With that, Arturo dove off the branch and winged his way through the forest. Light and aerobic, he made good time, and soon appeared at the Feien shop. At this hour it was completely unpopulated, but that was fine. Arturo didn't want to talk to Feien, save one.
He wanted to have a conversation with the Summoner.
And with that in mind, Arturo flapped through the portal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 3:30 pm
Arith finally settled a parcel on Nero's step, happy to have finished with her deliveries. Ringing the doorbell, she and Nerpin finally took the treck home.The Note Reads: Hey Nero!
I promised I'd bring around a nice bloom from my garden when it was finally ready - so here it is. I hope you do enjoy it ^^.
Sincerly,
Arith 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:23 pm
"Hmm? Nero, I think you've got a delivery or somethin',"
Looking down at Gogol from his perch on the bookshelf, Nero smiled. "A package? Who from?"
Gogol furrowed his brow, scrutinizing the name on the note. "S-s-sincerely... Arith! Who's Sincerely?" he asked, turning towards Nero.
Nero laughed and fluttered down, pushing his hair back over his shoulder. "It's Arith who sent it, Nero, not 'sincerely.' Sincerely is what you end a letter with," he corrected mildly. Landing on top of the parcel, he carefully untied the ribbon and opened the flaps to the box.
Inside was a white, delicate looking flower. The dual-colored Feien clapped his hands together, grinning. "Oh! She remembered!" he chirped, carefully gathering the bloom into his arms.
Nearby, Div snoted. "Is there a Feien inside?" she asked, eyeing it skeptically.
Nero jumped, not realizing she had come, then forced his heart to settle. Smiling, he turned towards Div. "No, there isn't a Feien. It's a gift from Arith - you met her, remember? Either way, she said she had a garden and I asked for a flower, and she brought me one!"
Div cleared her throat and eyed Nero pointedly.
Nero grimaced. "Oh, um - my Queen," he muttered, bobbing into a slight bow. Div waved a hand at him dismissively and Nero took to the air, flower carefully in tow. He'd had Puchi set a vase near the window earlier, and now he only needed water and to put the flower in. Setting the flower down in the glass, he left to get a waterbottle, and soon returned, filling the glass up part-way.
There! Lovely!
Nearby, Div stroked her chin in thought. Nero was fond of flowers, hmm? And Div DID need someone to attend the royal gardens - the whole area was a COMPLETE mess.
Hmm.
"Nero! Come!" she barked.
Nero sighed and, giving the leaves of the flower a slight pat, whirled round and obediently headed towards Div. "Yes, my queen?" he asked, giving another tiny bow.
"I've decided to make thee Royal Groundskeeper!"
Nero's yellow eyes lit up. "So you mean I'm not a page anymore?" he chirped.
Div scoffed. "Don't be stupid. You're BOTH." she snapped.
With a sigh, Nero's shoulders sagged.
Ah, well. He was moving up in Div's world of make-believe - sort of.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:12 pm
Quote: Word is ANOTHER Ancient has arrived. They're just popping up everywhere, aren't they? I wonder where this one is from. I know little about her, I just saw a note mentioning that another had been found. Are they found? I don't think this one is a council member, but I can think of few other ways for an Ancient to suddenly show up. Unless it was a gemstone reincarnation. But that's not allowed, is it? Anyway, life in the labs is boring. Extremely so. Nero's talking about visiting Julius and discussing a few things with him - discuss what gods only know - and I must admit, it's got me thinking: perhaps I should pay him a visit myself. I intended to a long time ago, when Yeande first mentioned him, but things got in the way. Now, hardly anything goes on. I'm not worried about things getting in the way anymore; I've nothing to get IN my way.
Arturo sighed and pulled away from the keyboard, stretching his arms up over his head. Typing was never a bad thing; jumping from key to key was surprisingly good exercise, and Arturo was a big supporter of keeping fit.
((TBC, XD.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 7:19 pm
Rose very carefully left a tiny wrapped parcel on Puchi's doorstep, festive wrapping paper and clingfilm so that the elements wouldn't get it; a card lay over the top of the parcel. Giggling in a particularly inane way native only to Rose, she rang the doorbell, and then hurriedly left. The Note Puchi, I'm so sorry that I've neglected everyone for Christmas and things, I was just so busy - up to my eyebrows! I've been doing a little bit of knitting to make up for it all, and here's Div's present from me and Casca. (He did the beading!) Tell Nero he'll get his once I finish the stripes - they're painfully wee and complicated! Lots of love, Rose Inside: 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
