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 Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:55 pm
Brad had finally given in to the ball of energy he had named Jahzara, taking her out of his thoroughly ravaged home and to a place far less likely to be destroyed so easily - namely, the park.
The shaggy-haired man sat on a bench, watching his charge with his lips pursed around a mostly chewed toothpick, indigo eyes weary of the playful child. He'd like to say that she was growing so fast, but he would have to mean it literally; she'd grown in leaps and bounds, from speaking and even walking in a matter of days. Jahzara could articulate a few broken sentences and even chase him around his loft (much to his shock and dismay), so he didn't see how it would hurt for her to run off some of that spunk and maybe make a friend or two on the way.
Jahzara, in the mean time, was beside herself with unabashed glee. She had mostly abandoned the sandbox in favor of a large and sturdy tree, running her fingers over is as though she would knead it with her yet-to-grow claws. She waddled around the base and cooed at the great height, looking over with tangerine eyes to the only person she'd seen that tall - her father. A chubby fist took to the air, waving as though she hadn't seen him in a long time, complete with a grin that showed her few teeth and enthusiasm to boot.
Brad, for the most part, humored her with a half-hearted wave. Good lord, he wished he had half that energy.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:15 pm
Sable, having a few hours off one afternoon, decided to take his darling son out to the park. When Leviathan was left at home with his brothers, he was often plopped in front of a movie (one not appropriate for him, at that), given his coloring book, or given a board game he didn't actually know how to play. Rook never took the boy outside to play. A toddler could not be cooped up inside all the time like that.
Leviathan was absolutely thrilled with the idea. Given, the boy announced he liked the docks much better, but the park didn't seem to displease him. As soon as Sable set him down in the nice, soft grass, the boy was off like a shot, going as fast as his little legs would take him. He quickly flocked to the sandbox, reminded of the beach. There were, however, no waves, pirates or big boats, so it clearly wasn't the same thing...which was disappointing, really. Sighing, the boy looked around for something else to do, when he spotted another child.
He quickly made his way over, making sure he was in front of the other child before yelling "ARRRR" and waving rather wildly.
Meanwhile, Sable was trying -keyword, trying- to keep up with his son. He'd almost lost track of the small child when he screamed his greeting. Sable rubbed his face, groaning as he looked around for a guardian. Apparently, his kid now associated a tail and ears with being a pirate. Great.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:30 pm
Jahzara spun around at the 'arrrr' greeting, crying back with jubilation, "ARRRR!" She had no idea what it meant or why it was being yelled at her, but hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time! The girl threw her chubby fists into the air, swishing her tail around just as wildly as though it was a perfectly acceptable greeting between children. Really, the girl didn't mind at all that the boy was different from her; at least he wanted to say Hi, even if it was in a strange and silly manner! She pointed a round finger at the boy and announced happily, "Cute!"
The guardian in question hadn't done so much as leap off of the bench as the other toddler charged his daughter and 'arrrr'd at her. He did manage to raise an eyebrow, flicking the toothpick from his mouth and reaching into his button-up shirt pocket to grab another. His mild gaze fell upon who he assumed was the father of the new boy - he could only assume by the exhasperated look the man wore. It was one he often felt himself displaying when Jahzara was out of hand.
Brad looked between the boy and his father, noting that the boy himself looked...very much like his daughter, in terms that they didn't look normal in the least. He couldn't help but entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, he was looking at another unfortunate father of those crazy cabbages. Maybe he was way off, but it was enough to finally get him off his butt to saunter over to the other man.
Running a hand through his shaggy mane, offering a clean-cut smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he drawled, "Mornin'."
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:59 am
Leviathan cackled with delight when the girl responded correctly. She knew better than Melchy did! He wasn't sure why she called him cute, though, that's what his daddy and his daddy's friend called him. (Not Juno, though. Juno didn't seem like that kind of person.) "Hiiiii!" he cooed happily, watching her tail with fascination. "I Levi!" he announced, puffing up proudly. He couldn't pronounce his full name yet, but Levi seemed to suit him just fine. "Who you?" he asked, tipping his head to once side.
Meanwhile, Sable just watched the children. Once he was sure Leviathan wasn't going to harm the little girl (and that she seemed okay with his hyper-active lobster) he could finally breath. He took a step back, giving the kids some room to mess around, or something. Leviathan got made when he thought Sable was trying to get in the way of his fun. He glanced over as someone said something.
"Oh, h-hello," he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "I a-assume y-you bel-long to h-her?" he asked, nodding to the small girl. "H-he's m-mine," he added, pointing to the small, obnoxious attempting to make friends. "Oh! W-where are m-my man-ners? I-I'm S-Sable Haz-zard," he said, offering a hand for a shake.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:43 am
"Herro Levi!" the girl purred back, quite literally. She was about to start purring in earnest, and if that happened, neither she nor Levi would be able to understand her. It didn't matter to her, of course, as purring was a sign of her contentment; even so, she did the best she could to keep her excitement concentrated on her new friend. Her round ears flicked towards Brad and Sable as she heard them talk, but her wide eyes stayed on Levi. The girl poked her thumb at her chest, puffing up with pride in turn, "I Zara your hair pretty." And just like that, she was innocently trying to get a closer look at the boy's cresting-wave hair, tail swishing lazily from side to side. She was quite easy to please.
The tall man watched the two kids, almost thinking it cute before the other man started to talk. Brad turned his head slowly, arching a brow high enough that it disappeared beneath his veil of hair. Goodness, that was a helluva stutter! He was more amused by Sable saying that he belonged to Jahzara; there was more truth in that than the man could possibly know. "Yeah. I'm hers," he confirmed languidly, uttering a soft snort of a chuckle as the girl introduced herself and complimented the boy in one breath.
"Mm?" He cocked his head to the side as the other introduced himself, extending his own calloused hand to take Sable's. Giving a firm but friendly shake, he replied, "Brad. Brad Lee. My keeper over there is Jahzara." Amusement tinged his voice, indigo gaze shifting between his spotted princess and the coffee-colored eyes of the man next to him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:27 pm
"Zara!" he chirped, making sure to store the name before focusing again. "Pretty?" he scrunched his nose. "I not pretty, hair not pretty," he scoffed. He was a boy! What would his brother say if he knew girls were calling him pretty!? His hands drifted to fluff his hair despite these thoughts, though he was quickly distracted by Jahzara's tail. Mesmerized by the way it flicked back and forth, he forgot the insult and reached for it. The thought she might not enjoy having her tail grabbed and waggled and pulled and squeezed and otherwise made into a toy. "Tail is so neeeeat!" he squealed happily, making another grab for the tail that seemed to have a life of its own.
Sable shirked, immediately intimidated by the other man. Had he offended him...already? However, he didn't seem too upset and took his hand in greeting. The scientist took a deep breath, forcing some of the tension out. "Ah! The l-loud little b-boy is Leviathan." He couldn't help but smile. As wild and obnoxious as his child was, Leviathan was his boy. He couldn't be more in love with the baby.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:48 am
"Hair is pretty!" Jazhara insisted. She remembered her father's sour expression when she had called his hair cut pretty...what was the word he used instead? "Oh...hand? Han...sum. Han-sum! Han-sum hair!" The girl giggled gleefully, quite pleased with herself. While she may not have enjoyed having her tail man-handled, she didn't really know about consequences of such things yet; oh yes, she would have to be burned before she knew about that flame. Instead, she turned her eyes to her own snaking appendage, watching it with as much interest at the boy. She had half a mind to chase it herself! Purring with the praise, she managed out a half intelligible, "Rrr, it'rrr fun."
Brad either couldn't tell what the man was thinking or simply wasn't paying attention; there was a good chance it was more of the latter than the former. "Leviathan, huh? Good name." It made him think of the mythical beast of the oceans, and judging by the distinctly watery appearance of the small boy, it seemed to fit nicely. "S'ok if he's loud, Zara - bless her heart - will match it. She...y'know...caterwuals sometimes."
He would have been embarrassed that he was admitting this to a stranger, but given the appearance of the two children and their unphased guardians, it just seemed natural. The man crossed his arms over his chest, clamping his toothpick between his grinning teeth, amused at his daughter as she looked about ready to stalk her own tail.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:24 pm
Hansum? Well, yes, that worked much better than pretty, Leviathan decided. "Zara be pretty," he chirped, never taking mismatched eyes off her tail, "Levi be hansum." That decided, he nodded, and made a lunge for her tail. It was too swift for him, however, and soon that two-year-old attention span of his started to kick in. "We play now!" he said, grabbing Jahzara's paw and pulling her towards the nearest piece of playground equipment. It never occurred to the boy that his new playmate might not like being dragged around like a rag doll.
"I s-see," Sable replied, nodding. At least Leviathan didn't do that. He pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger. "Leviathan j-just yells and s-screams and is very easy to excite." His stutter was becoming increasingly less intrusive as he slowly realized Brad was just a normal person and was not going to jump down his throat. A strange thing for someone to realize perhaps, but Sable was slightly less than normal and generally terrified of people. It didn't matter who they were. Any stranger was greeted with a stutter. If things went well, it died down until it was gone completely. If things went downhill, well, Sable could quickly become to terrified for someone to actually understand what he was trying to get across.
Meanwhile, Leviathan had let go of the cheetah girl, still unoblivious to her feelings about the whole thing, and glanced around. "Whatcha wanna play?" he asked, hoping she answered swings or slide. Those were his favorites.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:39 pm
Jahzara was all purrs for Levi, not able to respond through the thick rumbles that emitted from her throat. It didn't matter, though, because Levi said she was pretty; he could have dragged her just about anywhere, and she would have been a willing subject. She toddled behind him, almost bow-legged, uttering a startled sound close to a mewl as her bare feet came in contact with the bare ground (which was not as enjoyable as grass).
Candy tangerine eyes blinked and shifted around the play area, looking at all the bright plastic things with mild disinterest. She was about to claim her lack of decision through a purr-ladden voice when she noticed the swings. It had...dangly things. Oooh...danglies! Jahzara seemed to briefly forget her new companion as she waddled over to the swingset, falling on her rump once before starting to haul herself onto the seat. Of course, the swing itself was not why she was interested, made obvious by that all too cunning gaze that looked up the length of chain that connected to the flimsy support.
The older man glanced over to Sable, his grin dimming to a smile that was not unkind. "Kids do that, y'know," he said with a familiar warmth, "they're just babies." Sure, they were special babies, but that didn't make them any less of a youth. He assumed all babies were alike, from animals to humans - they were all unruly, smelly, and didn't know up from down. That was enough for him to know.
"It's good for her to get to play and get it out. She needs more interaction, or I'm afraid the cat in her will win out." He chuckled at his not-so-funny joke, dropping his arms from his chest and shoving his hands into his jean pockets. Unfortunately, Brad was looking at Sable and not the mischief his daughter was about to get into.
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:37 pm
"What pretty Zara wanna play?" Leviathan asked again, having no particular favorite. His favorite was actually water, but parks didn't have water, except for the bird water, but his daddy wouldn't let him play in the bird water. Was icky, according to his daddy. Dirty. Leviathan didn't mind dirty...but daddy made is absolutely, positively clear there was to be no bird water for Leviathan...ever.
Then Jahzara made her way over to the swings without a word. Leviathan frowned. She could have at least told him she wanted to play, jeez! He didn't know how people thought. He sighed and toddled over, carefully as he trotted. He didn't like falling down. Down was a bad place to be and it scraped knees and faces and there was no way he was letting Daddy kiss booboos in the middle of a park. He stood besides Zara, watching her. He tilted his head. Why wasn't she swinging? "...wanna push?" she ventured.
Sable shrugged. "I have two others, a-and they w-were nothing l-like he is." Rook was always very solemn and quiet. He was never interested in playing, all he wanted to do was play quietly by himself or read a book. Saint craved constant company, but not much beyond that. He was usually more interested in the other children and not terribly rambunctious.
Sable turned to watch Zara and Levi, tilting his head. Did that mean Levi might act like more of a lobster than a boy? Oh dear. "At l-least she plays w-well with others," he said, shrugging. He remembered he had been particularly nervous to let his child play with other kids. Rook taught bad habits.
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:08 pm
Jahzara's purrs were slowly dwindling as she stared up the chain, her slitted pupils completely dilated, swallowing the orange of her eyes. She turned that black stare to Levi, blinking at him in confusion as if it were the first time she'd seen him. Slowly, the expanded pupil was returning to normal, and the girl sat on her rump in the seat. "Push?" she asked curiously, not quite understanding. "No climb?"
"No climbing!" Brad called to his daughter in a strict baritone, giving her a disapproving frown. Making certain she stayed seated, the man turned his attention back to Sable, a faint smile on his lips. "Sorry about that," he remarked, "she does like to climb - you should see what's left of my blinds - and using chains to do so would have been a real pain." For whom, he didn't imply, but he'd make sure to keep an eye on his little rebel of a child. He was grateful that Levi had distracted her, since he wasn't exactly paying the best amount of attention.
The girl blinked wide-eyed at her father as he frowned at her, ducking her hair and coming her hair over her eyes in a child like attempt at hiding. She looked seriously through the spotted stands at Levi, intoning as though he had been the one scolded rather than her, "No climb." Jahzara's ears perked despite her guise, her 'I'm in trouble' look quickly melting away in favor of curiosity. "What for push?"
Returning on what Sable had said, Brad lifted a lofty brow. "Two kids? You? You're a pup yourself," the older man remarked good naturedly, twirling the toothpick in his mouth. "I hope they're good to you, kids can age a man." Why he made the remark, he didn't know. It's not like he had any kids to go by...if anything, the lack of his daughter in his life had aged him twice as fast, even if he didn't look it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:59 pm
Well of course he wasn't going to climb the swing! Leviathan snorted indignantly. Why would Zara (and her dad, for that matter) possibly think he wanted to climb up the swing? It was high up there, and Levi didn't think he liked high. His father's shoulders was as high was he ever wanted to go, thank you very much. The sky was entirely too much to ask. He snorted again and shook his head. "So can swing, stoooopid!" he explained, mimicking one of those words his older brothers weren't allowed to use around him. (And therefore, he simply had to use it.)
Sable winced as Levi called Jahzara stupid and he gave Brad one of his most guilty looks. "H-he doesn't m-mean i-it," he quickly justified. "H-he does-sn't know w-wh-hat th-that means," he added meekly. Bad words was a big problem. He left Rook and Saint home with Leviathan while he was at work and there was no one to keep them from teaching the child bad words. Levi probably didn't even know they were bad.
Leviathan, ever oblivious, walked around under he was standing behind his friend. "Wanna push?" he asked again, completely ignorant of the fact he'd have quite a hard time pushing as he was so small. (Oh well. That's what daddies are for!) "Go real fast!" he added, nodding. Fast was fun. Fast was quicker than walking and thus, it must be as fast as a speeding car!
Sable nodded slowly, nervous gaze flitting all over the place. "Th-they aren-n't m-mine," he tried to explain. "Th-they j-just got d-dumped with m-me a-and I-I couldn't j-just dump th-them." He shrugged. That would have been the smart thing, for sure, but he just couldn't do it. He was too kind. "Th-they're m-much o-older." Hopefully Brad would understand the complications that came with that. Sable wasn't in a condition for too much talking.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 2:32 pm
Brad chuckled deeply, giving a rough shrug of his shoulders at the word. "They're kids Sable. They're bound to drive us up a wall at one point or another." That aside, he knew Jahzara didn't know what it meant, and that she was pretty good about not repeating things she didn't understand. The baby was, for all intents and purposes, quite vain in that respect. "I'm hardly insulted...and Zara doesn't know any better. No harm done."
Indeed, Jahzara was blinking at Levi as though he had started to speak a new language. She curled her chubby little legs against the seat, her mouth spreading into a grin to show her strange teeth. "What that? Sounds funny!" As though to emphasize her point, she started to giggle at Levi, in a manner one would generally reserve for when the object of said laughter had tripped or otherwise made themselves a fool. She flicked a round ear at the mention of 'fast,' wondering how the flimsy contraption could be anything but dangly. "Fast?" she replied, shaking the chain, "Real fast!" She squealed the last part, bouncing in the seat gleefully. If it was as fast as her dad liked to spin her around home like a plane, that could be fun!
"That's big of you," was all Brad said about the children being dumped. He didn't feel he had any right to talk about children being abandoned. Lifting his chin towards the children, he changed the subject, "Looks like they may be requiring assistance soon." The toothpick that rolled around his lips settled in the corner of his mouth as he grinned towards the happy girl.
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:40 pm
Leviathan was never terribly concerned with Jahzara's 'strange' looks. One of his brothers a Nobody and the other was a Heartless reborn. It didn't get too much weirder. (And one of his favorite people was Melchy - a pirate kitten, so there you have it.) "Yep, fast." The young boy nodded eagerly as though this would prove his point. "I show you!" he announced proudly, puffing his chest. Now he'd just have to push her, like his daddy always did. Except Daddy was much bigger. Levi frowned, not sure what to think. Well. Taking a few steps back, the lobster child took a running start. Well, a running-screaming start, to be totally accurate. And thus, he charged straight in to Jahzara, effectively knocking himself over and only moving the girl a few inches.
Ouch.
Meanwhile, Sable was busy trying to figure out how to quell his instant blush. What he failed to mention was, these 'kids' had been dumped on him by his boss and the current object Sable's stunted affection. He was just about to reply when Leviathan started screaming for him, right on cue. The young scientist nearly leapt out of his skin. "What's wrong, Leviathan?" he called, stutter non-existent when speaking with the boy.
"Puuuuuuuush!" Levi called, pointing at Zara. He bounced up and down as his father got up and walked over. "Puuuuush her," he instructed. "Real fast."
Sable nodded and took the chains. "Ready?" he asked the small child?
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:50 pm
Jahzara peered behind herself as she felt a strange whump on her backside and the swing teetered a bit. "Levi okay?" she inquired curiously, but he was up and yelling again so fast that all she could do was stare, flicking a round ear. That boy had a set of lungs on him! Her tail fluffed a little, not quite expecting the sudden trill from her new friend, eyes turning wide and uncertain as a strange man approached her.
The toothpick fell from Brad's laughing lips as Levi collided with Jahzara, unable to contain the startled mirth that came forth. It was probably somewhat rude of him to laugh, but he couldn't help it; it was straight out of a Disney movie, the type Jahzara liked so much. Making sure to dispose of the ruined toothpick, Brad also walked towards his daughter, smiling reassuringly at her. "This is Sable, Jazziecakes. He's going to push you, so hold on tight."
The apprehension completely left the girl, one chubby thumb hooking and pointing to herself. "Zara!" she proclaimed proudly. Candy tangerine eyes oogled up at Sable curiously a little longer (she'd never seen glasses like that!) before she took the chains obediently in her hands. "Fast!" she grinned toothily at the man, kicking her baby feet as only a baby can. She'd made another friend; this was turning out to be the best day ever! The girl giggled gleefully, tucking her tail around the seat, excited as though it were more than a mere swing. In her mind, it likely was.
Brad smiled faintly, turning his eyes to Leviathan. "Did you want a push too, or would you like to watch?" His broad shoulders shifted as he moved to the side of the swingset, keeping an eye on all three individuals involved.
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