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 Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:31 pm
It had been supposed to be a 'girl's night out' at the Nest, with Hera taking charge, herding the other girls towards the movie theatre. Eri was (kind of) the oldest, so she was the one driving, but Hera, with the much more dominant personality, directed the endeavor. The drive itself progressed mostly uneventfully, except for the bickering over who would sit where, with it finally being decided that Kiku would sit in the back between Imelda's car-seat and Erianthe's demanded seat. Renjyo and Eleanor were pushed to the center of the van, with Hera taking shotgun as appointed navigator. It wasn't that bad, Hera reflected as they drove in mostly silence-- it had only taken them two hours to get into the car and settled. Not bad at all.
Surprisingly enough, the choice of movie hadn't been too difficult either. That was the part which truly surprised Hera, since she'd estimated another hour of bickering before they mutually agreed on the movie. Undoubtedly that was the doing of Kiku's dazed nature over the past few months, Erianthe and Imelda's near worship of Erimentha, and the fact that Renjyo and Eleanor were easily overruled in these cases.
"All right! So, Music and Lyrics it is!" Hera proclaimed, inwardly grimacing. This was one of those lovey-dovey movies that the girl would just gag over, but what choice did she have? The other kids had all agreed. Who was she to be the downer at this point?
Imelda whined as she clung to Eri, not liking the dark of the theatre as they entered. Too dark for the little orchid girl, she didn't like the dark... but there were pretty sounds and Eri's pearl earrings glowed in the dark. That made it a little better as they were led deeper into the theatre, to where they all sat in a nice row, a slight scuffle for who got to sit where taking up the bulk of the previews.
Was this what it was going to be like when she had her own little child? Eri wondered as she indulged Imelda, letting the baby sit on her lap. This kind of closeness, this way they all laughed, related so well to each other-- would this be what it was like? Would her child fit in with the cousins as well as they all fit together? What if she or he didn't? Would that-- no thinking now. Movie.
Erianthe smirked slightly to herself as they sat in the dark, her tail swooshing about in anticipation of what was coming. The lights were off and now they would watch and then they would play! Girl's night out had its wonderful moments. It was why Erianthe knew she could always count on her cousins to play with. They loved being tricked or at least responded well-- oooooh! MUSIC.
Quiet, Kiku watched the movie, not really paying attention. Too much had been happening recently. There had been a rush of pieces of information, Aunt Arch, who carried that strange sense like her Teacher, though the Lady claimed to not know Kiku... and then, of course, Eri, who seemed to be older, but she'd only just come into the family... Kiku didn't understand all of it. Perhaps she wasn't meant to. Either way, it seemed odd, and it kept her from considering things the way she normally would. She had to lose herself in the movie.
This movie really had been Renjyo's choice-- though she'd never admit that to Hera, since big mean older sister would probably have chosen a different one. She'd let Eri know which one she'd wanted to see and watched her cousin skillfully convince everyone to listen because everyone listened to Eri because she was the new one and the sweet one and didn't live with them, which made it easier on everyone. But Renjyo had heard the music and she wanted to hear more and more and more because that was the way that you learned about the music. It was different kind of music, pretty costumes than the rock from Japan Renjyo had consumed herself with recently, but not bad. Good, even... good to learn more about music.
Eleanor watched in silence, not really understanding. She'd only agreed to come along on this outing because... well, frankly, it was more interesting than staying at home with the adults and males. And besides, movies were interesting-- a way to observe that which was real which had become false which was being portrayed as something real. She could appreciate the irony in all of it, the way no one really did or said what they meant, all from a script someone had dreamed up to try to express something which didn't really exist.
After the movie, Eri took the girls to get ice cream, wondering when, really, they would be able to head back to the house. After all, things were happening now, and Eri was somewhat anxious to get back to her precious cabbage plant, even if it meant cutting short her time with her cousins. Ah well. Best to go with what was happening here, letting the girls have their fun, right? Besides, they were on their way soon enough, back to the house, back towards the rest of the family.
Something was different about Eri now, and Immy didn't like it. She didn't want her Eri to not pay attention, to be distracted enough to make it so Immy felt left out. Eri was the only one who really would play with Immy, and the fact that Eri wasn't being her usual self made the little Vale unhappy. It wasn't fair, wasn't right. Things weren't supposed to be done this way. It wasn't the way she was used to. It made Immy want to scream, but Eri had responded badly to screams in the past. Unhappily, the little girl shifted in Eri's arms, sucking on the spoonful of ice cream she'd been given.
Something weird was happening with the family tonight. It wasn't the same as it usually was, with their rampant running about playing tag in the dark. Eri felt weird, Kiku was being a cloudhead the way she'd been since Aunty Arch showed up at the Nest for the first time with Eri in tow, Renjyo was being quiet for once, seeming to digest the movie, Eleanor was never any fun, Hera was being bossy like usual, and Immy was just a baby, so Erianthe felt more than a little frustrated. She wanted to go somewhere, do something. Break into the zoo and see all the animals, something heroic! Something that took courage! But no one else seemed to have that drive tonight, which was a disappointment. 'Anthe was still too young to do this sort of thing on her own. So she just sulked a little, eating her double chocolate chocolate mint ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate fudge sauce and wanting everythings to go back to the way they were supposed to be.
Maybe it was just that the movie had been strange, but Hera could feel the tension in her sisters and her cousin. Things weren't going well. "All right, time to head home, I think," Hera finally decided, the blue girl pushing a strand of hair back, annoyed that it had fallen free of her high ponytail. "Besides, it's getting cold, and since no one really thought to bring a jacket," a pointed look at Renjyo and Erianthe, the two who were beginning to shiver slightly, "we should get back before people get sick and Mom gets mad at us. All right?"
Hera was always so bossy! But Renjyo shrugged, finishing up her vanilla ice cream and tossing it away. She'd gotten all dressed up for tonight, and she wasn't even getting to show it off? Oh well. The movie had been fun, with songs about sweet people and strange loves and people who were saying things they didn't mean and doing things they didn't say. People people.
"You probably want to wash off your makeup before we get back," Eleanor murmured to Renjyo. None of the other girls had really noticed the child's attempt at makeup-- a half-decent attempt, in Renjyo's defense. "Mother won't be pleased to know you've been in her collection again.
Renjyo rolled her eyes as she wiped it off, part of her glad Eleanor remembered to remind her. Mother had already gotten angry at her once for that same thing-- Renjyo wasn't really ready to repeat that.
Standing as well, Kiku moved to the car, gently helping herd everyone else along. The night had been spoiled before it had even begun, hadn't it? Something strange was infecting the girls of this family, and Kiku had yet to discover what it was...
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:47 am
Gathering the information from Winter had been surprisingly easy, given that the girl seemed to not care much about where her information went. Perhaps it was the arrival of Winter's ward, that mysterious youth who spoke only when he chose to do so, only saying what he felt needed to be said to explain the situation, never mentioning his own opinions. Or perhaps Winter just really didn't care. Who knew?
Raven, however, was another story altogether.
"Raven--"
"Do you think I'm not still upset with you?" Raven asked quietly as she watched Imelda play with her cousin and her sisters. The little girl was growing up quite well-- she'd have to put her findings together in a comprehensive report later when her sister wasn't making her so upset.
"That's not the point, Rav--" Arch began before taking a deep breath. "Look. You'll benefit from this too. I made sure of that. You're curious about what's going on, what's happening, why these children exist, and with the history that this boy could give us, it'll give us a clearer idea of what's happening," she tried to use a bit of logic against her sister. Arch wasn't good at manipulating her sisters. Others, yes, but not her sisters. She couldn't use her magic on her sisters.
Hera glanced back at her mother and her aunt, considering the situation. Unofficially, Hera was in charge right now, but that didn't mean she shouldn't pay attention to the interaction going on over there as well, especially given the tension that had risen between Mother and Aunt Arch recently. These things... they didn't bode well. Then again, nothing seemed to bode well these days, especially not with-- "ERIANTHE!" Hera chided, turning to her sister, catching the lemur by her tail. "You can't push J around like that!"
"She started it!" Erianthe protested, jerking her tail away from Hera. Bossy kid thought she could tell everyone else off, just because she'd been around longer. Like that meant anything. Erianthe didn't listen to people she didn't want to, and she seldom felt the want to listen to Hera.
"She's littler than you--"
"So? Mel's just as big as J, but you let her push J around?"
"Imelda's not pushing her for real, just tugging at her," Hera glared at Erianthe, wondering why the redhead had to be such a brat. "You know she does that--"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Imelda stamped her foot, glaring at her sisters.
"Be quiet, Mel, I'm talking to Hera--"
"--about me!"
Oblivious to the bickering girls, Raven sighed softly as she let Arch's words slip in. There was truth there, there were pieces to what Arch said which resonated within Raven on many levels... she couldn't deny that. And yet, she didn't want to admit her sister was right either. How could she condone what Arch had done? Teaming up with those who'd torn apart a soul into three pieces to give them each to a child they'd created? "...and why are you so eager to help him?"
"Because..." Arch paused, unsure of how much she could tell Raven. There were things she shouldn't... but then again, not telling her sisters was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. "...I stole his dream. Accidentally," she added hastily at Raven's horrified look, knowing her sister's sharp mind would understand what she meant. Erimentha, Arch's daughter-- the dream forced into flesh, stolen from the dreamscape.
"...it seems like we don't have a choice--"
Jerusha screamed, pain shooting through her young body-- or, more accurately, shooting from her finger through her hand, seeming to spread through her body. Hurthurthurthurthurt-- she couldn't think, could only stand there, trying to figure out what hurt, why, how to make it stop.
Whirling about, away from Raven, Arch's golden eyes shot open in surprise-- what was-- Jerusha--
First to the scene was Hera though, catching her young cousin's hands before she managed to hurt herself more, holding them steady long enough to see the little yellow and black bug fall to the ground, weakly crawling away. A bee. Unsurprising, given that they were in the backyard, but why was Jerusha screaming so mu-- ooh. Stung, hm? But Hera had never dealt with that--
Scared into silence, Imelda stared at her cousin like the girl had grown an extra head or two, shrinking back. Such a loud scream coming from her cousin-- had she been hurt by their playing? They'd only been playing, but... "J, stop it!" she whispered fiercely to the angel. "You're making too much noise! What's wrong?!"
Dimly, she heard her cousin speaking, telling her to be quiet, Hera's voice calling for Mommy and Aunty Raven, but... "Hurts," she whimpered softly in Hera's grasp, shivering slightly, though she'd stopped screaming at the touch of another person. Cousin. Hera. Hera fixed things. But Mommy...
If she'd ever needed more proof that her baby cousin was just a little baby, this was it. Erianthe grimaced at the screaming until it stopped, daring to creep closer only after she was sure that J would be silent. What had happened? Bug on the ground-- bug. Yellow bug. Bee? Probably. There were a bunch of those around the house...
Thank heavens for small favors. Hera seemed to have calmed J down enough for Arch to take the girl, considering her fingers. Where was-- there. "Hold still, Jeru-sweetheart," Arch crooned before using her long nails to delicately scrape the stinger out of the wound.
Hurthurthurt-- less hurt, but still... "Mommy, hurt," Jerusha whined, big blue eyes filled with genuine tears. She wasn't used to this feeling, and she'd only too recently begun to experience sensations, meaning that everything felt overly sensitized. "Make it stop..."
But Arch didn't know how to heal. It just wasn't in her-- she was better at killing than healing, better at taking life in the midst of pleasure than enriching it. "Shh, sweetheart..."
Gently catching the little girl's hand, taking it from her sister, Raven drew a symbol, hiding it from the gathered bunch, wrapping it around her niece's finger. "Just quiet now, Jerusha. Hopefully this will keep it from hurting more. Erianthe, go get a bandage and an ice pack, please," Raven instructed the redhead, waiting until she'd gone before looking at her two blondes. "Hera, Immy, please get me my salves and some Benadryl from the kitchen, all right?" she directed them, waiting until they'd gone off before giving her sister a pointed look.
~This is why we shouldn't argue when the children are around. We get distracted,~ she thought into Arch's mind, calling upon the seldom-used bond between them.
...this was what happened. Raven knew so much more about caring for children, she had healing salves, she knew techniques Arch ignored. She fixed things. Arch... well, she was trying. Nodding slightly to Raven's comment, Arch gently wiped away Jerusha's tears, kissing her on the forehead. "Shh, sweetheart. It'll be all right soon."
Something was happening. Aunty's hand was warm, so warm-- warm enough to dull the pain, though Jerusha could still feel a strange thumping in her finger, a pulsing beat. Sniffling a little, Jerusha tried to put her mind elsewhere, somewhere that didn't hurt anymore.
Immy carried the Benadryl back, watching Hera clutch the bag. Her sister was worried-- that much Imelda could tell very easily. What was going on? Imelda didn't really understand-- after all, J had gotten hurt, and then... then what? Mommy was trying to make it better? But could she? She'd made other people's hurts better, but J's was different, it was because of a little bug...
Bandage. Ice pack. And the little lemur girl didn't want to argue with her sisters anymore, handing the objects over to Raven as Hera and Imelda gave their offerings as well, watching in silence as Raven bandaged up Jerusha. This was something of a familiar scene for Erianthe-- given how often she got herself in scrapes-- but it was strange seeing it from the outside, seeing her cousin hurt. Did this happen because she'd been distracting-- no. This was Hera's fault. She was supposed to take care of J.
"There you go, J. Good as new," Raven released the angel, nodding to Arch. "I think that's enough playing for one day."
~I'll get you what you need.~
Nodding to her sister and scooping Jerusha up, Arch and the little angel bid the girls farewell and headed home. Enough adventuring for now.
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