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 Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:47 pm
The wand shoppe had been quiet for some time. Despite the fact that the woman had gone on millions (exaggerate much?) of expeditions to obtain the wands sitting behind her desk, no guardians had come to claim them.
Coailiann was getting antsy herself. Usually people came within a week, and it had been quite a while. Ianna was busy dusting the wand shop due to Coailiann complaining that she could barely breathe while the sidhe child sat behind the desk and practiced her letters.
English sucked.
One of the large clocks in the shop chimed noon and Ianna sighed. Maybe today someone would claim one of the souls.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:55 pm
Generally, Raven was far too busy with her life and her children to stop anywhere besides that on her schedule. Generally, she spent her time picking out what she needed to do next and thus never spent time focusing on the little things she needed to get done. And yet, for some reason, she found herself drawn to this strange place she had never seen before, stepping inside, listening to the sound of the door closing behind her.
...a little out of the way shop of some sort? Well... perhaps there would be something here the children would like. Mekt was always interested in new finds, whether they be natural or supernatural, given his minor obsession with learning about everything.
Two figures in the room-- one small, a child, sitting there... the other a woman who seemed to be taking care of the shop. What exactly had she stumbled into? A little... shop. A strange place. Moving towards the child, Raven hoped she could get some answers-- for example, what exactly all those wands on the shelves were for.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:05 pm
Coailiann, who had taken over for her elder sister in sensing who was who's guardian beamed as Raven entered the shop and went towards the desk. The sidhe's head lifted from her current work and green eyes met the woman's, a glitter inside them.
"Hello! Welcome to...Ghosts of the Past!"
Ianna turned her head to look at her daughter, who gave her a nod. The silver haired woman breathed a sigh of relief and put the duster down, wiping her hands on her sweats. She didn't look like the shop owner, rather, she looked more like a cleaning lady with dust all over the place.
"Thank you, Kay. Finish your letters, aye?" she sent a smile to her daughter before returning her attention to Raven.
"May I help you?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:08 pm
...'Ghosts of the Past'. If that wasn't one of the queerest names for a-- no, Raven took that thought out before it was finished. Definitely not one of the queerest names for a shop, given some of the ones she'd come across... "I'm not actually sure," the girl murmured quietly. "I was just passing through-- thought I might take a look inside?"
Truth be told, Raven didn't know why she'd stepped inside the shop. Wands? Not really her thing. Magic and such-- those were things left for Arch. But this felt... right, somehow. Eerily right, being here...
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:17 pm
"Then perhaps you can help me. Coailiann, darling, take your letters to the lobby, okay?"
Looking slightly put out, Coailiann gathered up her pencil, paper, and work book and sighed, "Yes, momma."
The little girl disappeared behind the door to the right of the desk and Ianna slid behind it easily, pulling out a leather bound book and a wand that had a golden statue wrapped around it.
"Can you take a look at the book and tell me what you think?" she raised a brow, a smile on her lips.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:22 pm
Raven blinked, her eyes trained on the wand for a long moment before really hearing Ianna's question. Such a sensual, gorgeous-- focus, Raven, focus. Don't be rude, just focus on the book.
The girl smiled and glanced at the book, moving to open it, a bit confused as to what the heck was going on. But that wand-- no. Book. Book, Raven. "What exactly did you want me to look at...?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:43 pm
"Just the first page will be fine," Ianna answered, leaning back in her stool and almost falling off in the process. She made a messy attempt to save grace and managed to stay upright. That in itself was a miracle considering her accident prone self.
The minute Raven touched the book the cover flew open, an invisible wind winding through the pages and blowing them rapidly open until it landed, quite suddenly, on a well-worn page. On the page was a very life-like sketch of the wand on her desk. Under the picture read:
"Vampire. Wand ID 00029. 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."
"It's a...Well, I don't know what the gender is, but you're a mother nonetheless."
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:47 pm
"...a mother? A vampire? A soul trapped within a wand? I'm afraid I don't quite... understand..." Raven tried to consider this. This was Gaia. Things happened that didn't make sense when you first approached them. Theoretically, if this wasn't some great hoax, there would be the soul of a vampire within this wand. Trapped there-- relying on Raven to get him? her? it? out and take care of it.
...and yet somehow, Raven wasn't entirely surprised. These things happened. At least... yes, they happened, sometimes. Sometimes when you least expected them. "...it's mine? To take care of?" The beautiful wand she'd been trying not to stare at... she could take it home? To care for?
...stranger things had happened...
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:49 pm
"Yes, it's yours. You see, these children lived before but died a horrible death. Wrongful. They get a second chance at life, here, because of their guardians. Nobody knows why they choose who they do, but the soul chooses the guardian."
Ianna looked to the wand, "My daughter? The little girl that just went out here grumbling? She's one of them. A sidhe. Go ahead, pick the wand up."
As she touched it, the wand would give the briefest flash of light and a pulsating warmth before both faded and the wand went back to normal. Raven had been acknowledged.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:54 pm
A horrible, wrongful death? ...how... awful. A second chance, a gift given-- but why? What-- these questions would be answered some other time, Raven was sure...
When Raven reached out to pick the wand up, the light and warmth startled her, but didn't really surprise her. After all, these things were... such a gorgeous wand. Beauty, sensuality, and sorrow, raw emotion-- vampire, yes. A carving on the wood, a-- kanji? What the-- samurai. A samurai? A samurai vampire? Those existed?
...stop being bigoted. The wand was lovely-- and even if it was a vampire within, things would turn out all right. "...how do I care for it?" Raven asked quietly, her eyes not leaving the wand.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:56 pm
"When the child inside feels accepted, acknowledged, safe and wanted it will emerge as first a wisp and then a baby ghost. These are the most delicate stages of life. Be careful with them and...Try not to suck them up in a vaccuum. Other than that, you just need to learn about the spirit and try to be prepared to take on a flesh and blood child."
It was all the advice Ianna could really give.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:01 pm
"A vaccuum-- oh. Wisp. Small, fragile, fog-like?" Raven considered this for a moment before nodding. "...all right then. I'll do my best? Is there... how many others are there?" she thought to ask, still holding the wand gently, possessively.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:06 pm
Ianna thought for a moment, mentally counting the wands, "Uhm...Not quite sure on the exact number," she answered, "But...Maybe fourty? I'll show you the headquarters. It's where my daughters and I live, and where the guardians come to bring their children and meet eachother."
She stood from the stool and walked to the door, pulling it open and walking through. She had apparently abandoned the paper portal (or lost it) in favor of the door.
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.
Coailiann was currently sitting at her mother's desk, glaring daggers at her work book. Obviously she wasn't learning very well.
"Welcome to Headquarters," Ianna murmured, "Yo--"
"You're welcome here any time!"
"Quite right, Coailiann."
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:13 pm
Raven found herself smiling in spite of herself. "...thank you," she murmured, gently rubbing her fingers across the scratched kanji on the wand. "...thank you very much. I think I'm going to like it here."
And a vampire would too, Raven felt sure. For all that vampires didn't tend to get along well with Kin, things would work themselves out one way or another.
--ack. Winter, at home alone, with the children. She should be getting back-- "...I'll come back as soon as I can. For now, I should probably go rescue my sister from my other kids," Raven smiled.
With the slightest bow, the girl left, clutching the wand tightly to her chest.
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