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Incantation Esprit Captain
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 Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:08 pm
 Paper airplanes, while fun to play with, tend to be weak, and easily broken. Not this little airplane though! He seems to be getting stronger and stronger... and bigger! Shye is growing up so fast, and with this growth, he's starting to develop some strange "abilities". What ability is starting to blossom and how does Shye react? Is he confused? Or completely comfortable with it? He is, after all, a child. (Please be aware that these abilities are very limited and not easily controlled. As a child they will be noticeable, but not as extreme as they will be as he ages. Please also choose only one ability to focus on. He will have one main ability and up to three sub-abilities as he gets to teen and youth.) 
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:08 pm
You Still Can't Fly, Dumbass
January 11, 2007 "Hey. Hey, Deffffffffffffffff?"
Deph sighed loudly and dramatically, but otherwise stayed silent. He was perched on a cheap lamp that he suspected Smerdle had scrounged from the garbage, but he couldn't think about that. Much. At least it was far away from Shye's grubby hands. The boy's questions could still reach him, however, and Shye was full of them.
"Whassa? Pink. Ele-phant." Shye enunciated the words like he had suddenly gained the tongue and lips of a prize-winning orator. Deph wondered if the kid was having a stroke, but quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps he just liked the sounds the words made. It was a tidy solution, one that didn't involve flying off to tell Smerdle her son was seizing to death.
"I don't know," Deph answered. Shye had watched this stupid flying elephant movie so many times that if he didn't understand what a pink elephant was, Deph sure wasn't going to be the one to tell him. They sat in silence for a full three minutes before the toddler spoke again.
"Deph?"
"Mmm?"
"Can you teach me to fly?"
Deph's fists clenched and his brow furrowed with annoyance. No, he could not teach Stupid Shye how to fly. Paper wings. Real little boy. No. Magic. Of any kind! He looked down into Shye's pleading eyes and raised his fist and his voice...
"No!"
...and then he saw Smerdle out of the corner of his eye, standing in the doorway, watching. Whether she knew it or not, she was the key to his ability to stay in his current form which, while it wasn't ideal, it wasn't a ******** parrot-body either. She shot him a disparaging glance and rubbed her fingers together in the universal sign for 'naughty' before spreading her hands in a silent request for him to continue.
Fine.
"No, not... today. Sorry. I'm tired and... it's cold out." Deph cocked his head and glared at Smerdle from under lowered lids. "You should ask your mother to take you to the zoo," he continued, loud enough for Smerdle to hear. "Watch the hawks and owls and things. They make excellent examples." Deph smirked.
Shye narrowed his eyes and looked from Deph to Smerdle several times before sighing. Something was going on with the grownups, but he didn't understand quite what it was, nor did he really care. Still, Deph had a good point. "Ma?" he asked, orange eyes settling on Smerdle. "Can we go to the zoo?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:09 pm
Shye and Gabrielle
January 23, 2007 If there was some universal list of 'Top 100 Things You Wouldn't Expect to See on the Streets of Gaia,' a toddler sitting alone on the curb outside of a voodoo shop might have been somewhere around 87. It was only when you added a surly-looking little man to the equation that the sight jumped into the top fifty. The man was a mottled dark gray from head to toe, the only exception being the bright purple rings that encircled his disappointed eyes. He also had a large pair of feathered wings, currently spread over the toddler's head, the same head that the little man was perched on top of. There were some who would have surely ranked the duo in the top ten, but Shye and Deph were oblivious to that fact.
"Sing!" Shye demanded, flapping his own wings through the chilly air.
Deph rolled his eyes and sighed, almost losing his balance at the boy's enthusiasm. "Why don't you," he replied. His voice was low, and more monotonous than usual.
"'kay!" the toddler said. He launched into an out-of-tune chorus of Happy Birthday, attracting concerned stares from passing adults and smiles of glee from their children.
It was one of those days where you just wanted to get out and do stuff, and that was why Rome was carting Gabrielle around in the ghastly stroller. Freak was perched atop Gab's head and the little baby was propped up in the carriage, wide eyes drinking in the surroundings.
Rome was one of those people who shot the youngster a wary glance, slowing as she passed the duo. Gabrielle, on the other hand, seemed to be entranced by the little boy with the large wings. She clapped her chubby hands in glee, babbling muddled nonsense at the other youngster.
Freak chirped in his usual pissy tone as he watched the goings on.
Shye might not have noticed Gabrielle if she hadn't had a bird on her head. That far eclipsed the little man on his head, and even though he was quite jealous, he instantly forgave the other child because he was certain he must have adopted the style first. He stood up, fairly quickly for a little kid, and approached Gabrielle's stroller with a wide smile on his face.
Deph promptly abandoned his perch, flitting over to the door of the shop Smerdle had abandoned them outside of. The former parrot desperately wished he was large enough to get inside on his own, but all the wishes in the world wouldn't change the fact that he was muscle deficient.
"Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey," Shye chanted softly, as if that would somehow make the little girl understand him. "Your b-ird is cool." He emphasized the B to show just how cool the bird was, and pointed at its head, still smiling happily.
Gabrielle gurgled excitedly, bouncing up and down on her bediapered bum while bracing herself on the stroller. Rome, at this point, kind of phased out, allowing Gabs to socialize with the kid.
Gabrielle's excited bouncing nearly dislodged Freak from her head, his twiggy legs grasping the baby's curly mop of hair as best he could. Obviously unhappy with the situation, he started letting out unearthly howls. Gabrielle ignored him for once. Leaning over the edge of the stroller, she was hell-bent on his hair. It was so pretty and fluffy looking and she wanted nothing more than to grab on to it and shove it in her eager mouth.
Freak was going for blood, and when the kid pointed at him, he snapped his beak together menacingly. Well, as menacing as a little brown fluff of pissant could be.
Remembering his friend Ziya and their bitey experience with a certain crazy dog, Shye pulled his finger back and scowled at the snappy bird.
"What?" he asked, turning his attention back to the girl. He had figured out that grabby hands meant she wanted something, because still did the same thing sometimes, but he couldn't fathom what could be so interesting about his head that she would risk a whopping two-foot fall to get at it. He leaned over cautiously, trying to get within Gabrielle's reach while also keeping away from Freak. "Hi," he said, when he had gotten close enough to fully invade her space.
Ahh, love. Gabrielle coo'd softly at Shye while gripping his hair full-boar. With drool a-flingin' she tried to bury her face in his pretty tuft of snowy-rainbow hair and sighed happily. That would be nice. It looked so soft and it was a safe bet that it would feel nice between her chubby fingers. It almost looked like her birdieeee's hair but it was much nicer and didn't complain as much as birdy did.
Speaking of birdy, Freak took the opportunity to carry out his murderous plan. His head-crest flattened against his head and he attempted to aim a few well-placed pecks at the boy's head.
Rome was busy peering at something in a window nearby, oblivious as to what was going on with the kids.
Shye had never had anyone try to gum his hair before. It was weird, but he held still because she sounded happy. "Nice baby," he said, reaching out to pat her on the arm.
He wasn't anticipating the sneak attack from above. Nearly all of Freak's pecks landed, dotting Shye's head with little specks of blood. He pulled away from Gabrielle's grooming session and screeched, "OW OW OW," his lower lip wavering and his face squishing up in pain. Somehow he managed not to cry. "Your bird is not cool no more!" Shye rubbed at his head and eyed Freak warily.
Gabrielle was a bit baffled by what was happening. The boy had such lovely hair, why would he start yelling at her? It took her a moment to realize what was happening and with a small baby-huff she narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her face. Her lower lip pooched out and her chubby hands clenched in the sort of rage only an infant can feel. Freak perched triumphantly on her head, feathers fluffed in pride. He was clueless as to the wrath that Gabs was about to bestow upon him.
"NO!"
The loud shriek was directed at Freak, but the sound also gave Rome cause to turn about. "Great, her first word and it's 'no.' I should have known," she muttered, watching the kids.
Freak was obviously taken aback by Gabrielle's voice. He hopped from the top of her head to the low cover of the buggy.
Having rid herself of the nuisance, Gabs turned her attention back to Shye. She shot him her most winning smile and clapped her hands at the toddler.
Now that was impressive. Shye was the master of all sorts of persuasive behavior, but he hadn't quite gotten the hang of ordering animals around. They tended to be unpredictable at best, and apparently pecky and blood-loving at worst. He pulled his hoodie - it was yellow today - up over his head and rubbed at it, soaking the specks of blood that hadn't dried on their own into the fabric. "Sorry I was loud," he said quietly, leaning back in until he was face to face with Gabrielle again.
The door to the shop they were standing in front of opened with a tinkle of bells and Smerdle stepped out onto the sidewalk. She quirked her head at the scene in front of her before noticing Deph hovering near her shoulder.
"That baby's bird attacked your son," the man drawled.
"You were supposed to have been watching him!" Smerdle hefted her bag higher on her shoulder, but remained near the door of the shop, observing. What was a baby doing with a bird anyway?
"I was."
Smerdle rolled her eyes and tentatively approached the children and the woman with them.
Gabrielle reached forth a somewhat drool-covered hand, her intent to pat the boy on the cheek. She babbled endearingly at him, baby words sprinkled with her new favorite word. Her attention was swayed only when she heard the chiming of bells.
Rome's attention, too, was snagged by the door opening. Overhearing the conversation between the small winged man and the woman, she felt the need to kind of explain the situation.
"The bird is a pest." As if Freak heard and understood each word, he peeped at Rome, obviously still miffed at the baby from her earlier outburst.
"Oh," Smerdle said. "No big deal. I'm sure Shye was doing something to provoke it. This one," she waved a hand at Deph, "was supposed to be watching him, but I'm sure he would have let a car run over him before he did anything about it." Smerdle laughed, but the sound quickly turned into a wheeze, then a cough. It probably wasn't funny to joke about such things. "I'm Smerdle," she said brightly, "and you've already met Shye, sort of."
Shye nodded at Gabrielle. Obviously she was talking about something very important that he shouldn't interrupt. When he heard the chimes and his mother's voice, he didn't turn. He was engaged in serious business.
Rome chuckled. "Nah, he was being well-behaved." She shrugged, "I don't know what the deal with the bird is, to be honest, but he was with the baby when I found her." Even saying that sounded weird to Rome's ears. Who "finds" a baby? Rome cleared her throat and gestured towards the kids, "That's Gabrielle. She seems quite taken with Shye which is a bit strange since she's usually pretty quiet. I'm Rome, by the way, and it's nice to meet you."
Dismissing Smerdle as being unimportant, at least compared to Shye, Gabrielle held on to the poor kid's ears and smooshed her nose into his. She stared at him, unblinking, for a few moments before pulling back. She released one ear and started rummaging around in the stroller. Triumphantly she produced a small purple flower that she clutched securely in her chubby fingers. The bloom matched the ones that sprouted from her hair, and though it was a bit wrinkled, it didn't seem to be bruised. "No," she gurgled, holding out the flower for Shye to take.
"Nice to meet you too," Smerdle said. She looked at the kids, engaged in their strange bonding moment. "Shye hasn't met anyone younger than he is really. I never thought he would hold still for that much pawing." Deph poked her on the shoulder and Smerdle gestured toward her shopping bag, inviting him to check out his vicarious purchases. "I found Shye too," she added. "Actually, I found an airplane that turned into him, but whatever. It was still unexpected."
Shye grinned and carefully took the little flower from Gabrielle's hand. "Cool." He cradled it in his palm, fingers making a tiny cage around the blossom so it wouldn't blow away. He rummaged around in his pockets with his free hand, but only came away with a crusty old piece of candy. "Ma!" he said, turning so he wouldn't scream in the baby's face. "You gotta buy..." he looked at Gabrielle appraisingly, "...Stick Head somethin' later. Like a toy, 'kay?" He had plenty of toys of his own, but none he was willing to give away, even in return for a cool flower that had grown out of somebody's skull. "Thanks," he said quietly.
Gabrielle merely babbled gleefully at the other child, oblivious to the conversation between the adults. With a spitty gurgle she tapped Shye on the cheek with a chubby hand, obviously adoring the boy.
"An airplane, huh?" Rome murmured, glancing at the be-winged boy skeptically. "Funny world we live in, innit." She couldn't help puffing up with pride at the way Gabrielle was acting, "She's a pretty peaceful kid. The horns and the hooves add a little bit of weirdness to the whole thing, but what can you do." She chuckled, "I gotta admit, the flowers kind of freak me out."
Shye flinched back at the tap for a moment, but quickly smiled at Gabrielle and said, "Beep!" like some sort of broken alarm clock. It seemed like an appropriate response.
"Yeah. Funny." Smerdle looked down as Deph pulled at her elbow, the expression on his face indicating that he wanted to get back home sooner rather than later. "In a minute," she answered before turning back to Rome. "The flowers... come out of her? I thought they were just some sort of decoration. Well, whether she grows flowers or not, she's still adorable. Shye's just wiggly and full of dumb questions." She smiled. "I guess kids are like that though." She had never really taken the time to wonder about children until she had one of her own.
...and then they lived happily ever after.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:10 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:11 pm
Operation 2D: The Quest - No Bones?
March 16, 2007 After Shye's disappointing discovery that no amount of falcon-watching was going to help him become airborne, he had suddenly and alarmingly turned all of his focus to an obsession with the circus. The big top had elephants - which Shye still believed could take off whenever they chose - plus all sorts of other fun things, like clowns and trapezes and guys who ate fire. Smerdle wouldn't let him watch Carnivale even though, duh, there was an itty-bitty circus tent on the box, but he had already spent hours in front of Dumbo, so he had some fairly good ideas for a circus of his own. He would be the ringleader. Yeah.
Deph found the spirit's newest fascination to be quite amusing, so despite Smerdle's disinterest in smelly, enclosed tents, the little gray man made it his mission to get Shye to the circus. Conveniently enough, it only took about a week before Deph opened the paper to the Arts & Leisure section and found a full-page explosion of garish color. The circus was in town.
***
"Where is everybody?" Shye whined. His rainbow afro wig itched and his red foam nose was starting to get musty. The parking lot was nearly deserted, and the people he could see trudged from place to place like walking corpses. "Is this the zombie circus?" Shye asked, bouncing optimistically.
"Yeah," Deph said, floating over to land in Shye's fake hair. "All those guys are... dead." He quickly took off again as Smerdle's rolled up newspaper arced toward him, hitting Shye instead. It was only one sheet - the circus ad, in fact - but the little boy still turned and scowled at his mother.
"Sorry," Smerdle said sheepishly. "Anyway, I wanted to get here early in case there were any cancellations. So we could... sit closer." She didn't mention that cancellation tickets were going to be the only way to get in, due to the fact that they didn't have any tickets at all. "We could play Hide and Seek or something while we wait?"
Shye looked around for a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh. "There's nothing to hide behind here, Ma." He pulled off his wig and held it out to Smerdle to hold. "Can I go look around? Over there?" He pointed off toward some obviously off-limits tents. At least they would keep him occupied.
"Yeah. Just don't die." Smerdle took the wig and plucked the nose off of Shye's face. As the boy skipped away, clutching his toy elephant Lavar, Smerdle gave Deph a meaningful glance and the little man returned it with a quizzical glare and a shrug.
When Shye was out of earshot, Deph huffed, "What?"
"Idiot." Smerdle pointed after her son. "Watch. Him."
***
Deph had intended to keep an eye on Shye, really he had, but as it turned out, looking at flowers and clouds was infinitely more entertaining than looking at a weird, winged midget. Deph imagined kids Shye's age were fairly springy anyway. What could go wrong?
It was thinking like this that made the screaming all the more shocking when it began.
"Shye?" Deph looked around. Those hysterical shrieks sure sounded like the kid... but where were they coming from? He flitted around wildly for a moment before deciding it was getting him nowhere and skidding to a stop with a thought. Deph listened as best as he could before picking a direction and darting off in it. The screaming seemed to be getting louder. Good.
He rounded a corner, fully expecting to see Shye bleeding from every orifice and possibly more. Instead, the little boy was kneeling in front of a short, thin-slatted fence, his body blocking his hand from view. From Deph's perspective, it seemed as though Shye was tugging on something on the other side of the fence, probably that toy he carried everywhere. He flew closer.
"What're you doing, ki... OH GOD! What the hell did you do?" Deph shrieked, clasping his hand over his mouth. The kid was tugging on something all right, but that 'something' was his own hand, and the wrist it was attached to was flat and wavering, like a sheet of paper. He looked up at Deph's exclamation, and stopped tugging and crying as if someone had flicked a switch. The boy's forearm was just a plain old arm, but that narrow slab of skin connecting it to his hand... Deph shuddered. "I'm going to go get your mother."
***
Smerdle quickly followed Deph, expecting the worst. She probably should have known better. When she finally laid eyes on Shye, he was sitting on the dusty ground, rubbing his wrist, a lopsided Lavar propped up beside him. The spirit's face was streaked with tears, but otherwise he seemed fine, despite his supposed ordeal.
"Mama, can we go home?"
Smerdle shot Deph a disgusted look, then leaned over and offered Shye her hand. He hesitated for a moment before rising on his own and starting back toward the parking lot.
"What about Lavar?"
"Leave 'im."
Smerdle looked back and forth between her son and the stuffed elephant he had left behind several times before sighing and picking up the toy. He might not want it now, but Shye was sure to throw a tantrum if he suddenly needed an audience with Lavar and she couldn't deliver.
Silently, the three plodded back through the parking lot, to the bus stop, and home.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:03 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:32 pm
Little Boy Storage
September 2, 2007 During the portion of the afternoon Shye had spent crying in the back room of Staples - the Staples down the block from the apartment he had, until recently, shared with his mother and Deph - the boy had quickly honed the ability to shed silent tears.
This new talent came in particularly handy during his four-hour sob-fest, since the pimply-faced stock boys seemed to somehow anticipate his every sniffle. He'd almost been caught twice before he came to understand that wiping one's nose on one's sleeve and breathing through one's mouth were much more effective ways to clear mucus than sniffing and snorting and nearly choking.
Normally, he wouldn't be crying at all. Shye was the happiest boy he knew, but he hadn't seen Smerdle or her strange parroty familiar-man for two days now and he was beginning to worry. Truthfully, he had begun to worry the morning he had woken up to find them missing, but having eaten nothing but potato chips since they disappeared on top of accidentally locking himself out of his apartment that morning had proven to be two halves of the straw that broke the airplane's back.
Shye couldn't cry forever, however, and soon he had fallen asleep atop a large pile of giant sheets of posterboard. He awoke, not to the sounds of human voices, but to the whir of machinery. Nearby machinery. It was dark now, the stock room lights turned low for the night. Shye opened his orange eyes and was confronted, not by a robot, as he might have assumed, but with a wall of white, bearing down. He let out a surprised peep and scrambled into a seated position, but the hole he had used to get where he was had been blocked and the heavy stack of paper was approaching fast.
He might have started crying again, but it appeared Shye was out of tears. The boy flattened his frame as much as he could naturally, and then... kept going. In an unconscious act of desperation, Shye's entire body became as flat as his wrist had at the circus earlier that year. The robotic forklift released its load, and the little spirit saw nothing but darkness for a very long time.
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