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 Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 4:51 pm
It was Monday, of course, and the morning had been bustling with activity. First a child (who's gender had eluded Talula and Alistair to the point of disturbance and confusion) emerged, and the heshe was brought into the compound.
But the transmitter's had been on the fray, Alistair couldn't contact Vin's guardian right away.
Just when things were looking up and the transmitters were about fixed, another child emerged - this time a definite little girl, who still seemed a little strange. Finally, the 'calls' via red lights were sent out to the two children's guardians, and all that needed to be done now was wait for their caretakers to return.
The two children were shuffled into the child-proof welcome office, and Talula had intended to sit with them and get to know them. But, as fate would have it, she was called a way, and the two children were left alone in the brightly colored office.
Complete with cartoon propaganda, a few stuffed animals, pictures of Noire, Talula, Harper, Alistair and a few of the other 'older' children, it was still a relatively boring place.
Meanwhile, Alistair waited impatiently for the guardian's arrivals, the paperwork for each respective child already filled out.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:18 pm
Ve wasn't sure where ve was or why ve was there. All ve knew was that the colours and sounds and textures were remarkably loud.
Ve had spend a bewildering morning standing and staring at Alistair as he did whatever it was he had done, and ve hadn't understood what was happening. Ve wondered frequently where the two soft voices ve had come to know where. Apparently, they had abandoned ver to fend for verself.
And then another child had been brought into the office. Ve hadn't been able to keep verself from staring. The girl was beautiful. Ve hadn't known that humans could be that lovely.
Ve had kept ver distance, and left it at that. Any words at all would have been answered with single words, but there hadn't been time for words yet. And ve hoped there wouldn't be, vis vocabulary was instinctually limited towards what ve was slowly coming to realize were vis superiors.
~~~
Xaga's day had been incredibly normal, if sad: helping Suuri pack all her belongings into four garbage bags, talking to the transmitter, packing Suuri's books and tech manuals into her suitcase, talking to the transmitter, making a few phone calls, talking to the transmitter, and begging Suuri to tell her whether or not she and her old girlfriend were getting back together.
The fourth time Xaga went to talk to the transmitter, something was wrong.
"It's red."
"What does that mean?"
"Uh..."
"s**t, did we break it?"
And then the pair had crammed themselves into Suuri's already over-full and ancient Chevrolet and driven to the compound.
They squeezed through the door neck-and-neck, Xaga's spiky purple hair a beacon matched by Suuri's silky white. Suuri held back then, while Xaga inspected the foyer of the building.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:32 pm
Ariadne sat on the floor away from the other child, trying to get her head clear. It was so... strange. There were sounds and-- it was bright on her eyes. Almost blindingly so. Slowly, she reached up to pull the scarf on her head over her eyes, shadowing her face. That helped a bit, but it was still so... light. It flowed everywhere.
The other child (a boy? a girl?) didn't even attempt to approach her. In fact, the child was watching her in a way that seemed almost... subservient. It felt unnatural to her and she slowly opened herself to the other's emotions, feeling the strange jumble of hesitance, confusion, and much else. This child would not speak first. If she wanted any chance of untangling this mess of emotions, she'd have to initiate it. That was curious. She hadn't been around long, but she knew that she didn't usually speak first.
"Ex-" she cleared her through, surprised by the soft, melodic voice that had come out. "Excuse me, what are you?"
Dr. Fabian marched down the hallway at his usual brisk pace, keeping a look out for whoever he was supposed to meet. The transmitter had turned from the golden colour to red quite suddenly in the middle of one of his appointments. He hadn't noticed until the patient asked if it was an alarm.
Not for the first time, he wondered briefly what the child--His Terra-- would be like. A girl or a boy? And would he or she know how to speak? What would the little one enjoy? And the psychology behind it-- would the child act like a human?
It would be... interesting.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:50 pm
Ariadne surprised ver.
Vin nearly jumped out of vis skin when the other girl spoke to ver. Falling into an instant crouch, putting vis back in the corner, ve stared, wide-eyed at Ariadne. The colour and brightness of the girl, beauty amplified by unfamiliarity and the pain of new emergence, were glaring and hurt vis eyes.
The question took a moment to register. "This one?" The words seemed to flow from vis mouth unaided. Ve knew vis name, but ve also knew not to use it in the presence of a real, full person, a Breeder. Or...Breeder-to-be. "This one is nothing of consequence."
Vis speech fell into a pattern coded in vis genes, odd to vis lips but at the same time familiar.
~~~
Xaga wasn't paying attention when the other man strode into the building. Suuri was. The white-haired young woman smiled briefly and elbowed Xaga in the small of the back. Suuri certainly didn't know him, but Xaga had talked to these people. Maybe she did.
Xaga turned to Suuri, about to smack her across the head, and caught sight of Dr. Fabian. She tilted her head and almost smiled, but she was worried. She had broken her transmitter. Was this man the one who had called her? Would he be angry?
"Hello," she said, "do you work here? I think I broke my transmitter." She smiled sheepishly, only contriving to feel like an idiot, with her short, spiked violet hair, decidedly flat (taped) chest, and worried expression.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:19 pm
Ariadne blinked slowly as she felt a flash of something close to reverence or fear fill the other. Nothing of consequence? He... or she... has very strong emotions. She felt it echo inside of her and pushed it aside, letting the emotions curl up out of the way so that she could function without feeling so low.
It took a lot willpower. These... feelings added to her own were odd, like the clothes covering her skin. She could tell they weren't quite a part of her, but they seemed to belong. More over, she could almost taste them like some strange food on her tongue. Not that she could remember tasting anything before. Not really... so strange, this half-memory, like remembering a dream. Had she ever dreamt?
"'This one?' Have you no name? Are you a boy or a girl?" She peered at the other child with pursed lips, wanting to get to the root of it, this inferiority which emanated from the other.
"Me?" Lex Fabian watched the two women for a moment before thinking out something else to say. "You have transmitters also? Yes, well, mine turned red just half an hour past. I'm afraid I don't know much either. Perhaps we could look around together?"
Strength in numbers and all that. They were an odd pair, one with purple hair. Curious.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:03 pm
"And it's about time." Said the wonderfully cool voice of the devilishly handsome, or just pure devilish, Alistair. "Which one of you owns the heshe? That ones been here far too long... Hmm, this is going to be interesting, how are we going to tell who was intended for who?"
"The children should be able to recognize the voices!" Said a smaller one, standing behind Alistair. Such was Noire, the little girl entangled in a mess of brilliant pink and dark black scarves that glittered in a way that could only scream 'rock star.'
Alistair turned his head thoughtfully, almost saying 'good idea' before remembering whom he would of been addressing. "Yes, I suppose that will have to do it, then. Talula, my assistant, would of spent more time with the two to give you a bit of an overview but unfortunately she's... ah, been called out. So, your stuck with me. Kids are this way, but first things first, the papers... tell me, what are your professions?"
Clearly, Alistair was far too used to the drill and efficiently marched toward the three, quickly deducing Lex was not with the others. He handed him a set of papers and Xaga the others, which contained very difficult reading on confidentiality and activity agreements, finally ending with a paper to fill out personal contact information. "Sign them and we can get moving."
"I saw the first one!" Noire piped boastfully, eyeing the new guardians. "I think it's a girl!" She declared, scratching her head. "I hope so, boys are stupid."
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:25 pm
Lex smiled gently at the girl. She seemed like a lively little thing, very imaginative by her flashy clothing. "I'm a psychologist," he murmured to the man as he took the papers, looking them over slowly. It was always best to read what one was about to sign, pulling out glasses and perching them on his nose.
"Recognize the voices?" That was odd. How would a child recognize his voice without ever meeting him? It was somewhat reminiscent of a pregnant woman and a newborn. Only he had, of course, never been pregnant. "These are some rather... interesting forms. Quite secretive." He pushed his spectacles back and frowned. It was very strange and he could see about a dozen problems that could arise. However... this was the chance of a lifetime. There was something almost magnetic about it. Besides, he was used to confidentiality.
He signed a hasty signature and filled out the contact information before handing the papers back to Alistair. "Now... the children? There's no way to tell which belongs to whom?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:19 pm
Vin blinked twice, then tilted vis head, regarding the beautiful female through a screen of mouse-brown hair. She was persisting in talking to ver. Ve didn't deserve it.
"If it pleases you, this one can be called Vin," ve said softly, aware of vis own name in the same way ve was aware of vis dreadful inadequacies. This female was full, a Breeder. Infinitely more than Vin would ever be. Vin felt envy, somewhere deep inside, but it was masked by shame and fear. Oh, no...did the Breeder not know of Vin's kind? Did she not understand that Vin could never answer that second question?
"This one," ve began, stumbling slightly as ve tried to formulate an explanation. "This one is...not. Not male or female. This one has no need of such things."
~~~
Xaga seemed ready enough to relax and follow the doctor's lead when she realized that he was not from the corporation and not there to punish her. Suuri stayed back a little, watching the exchange with a guarded expression.
Of the pair, it was she who noticed Alistair first, before he spoke. She reached out to touch Xaga on the shoulder, but Alistair broke the silence. Suuri listened, frowning slightly and tilting her head to one side. Xaga jumped a foot and whirled to face the handsome (unfortunately lost on both Xaga and Suuri) man and his...daughter? The child, anyway.
"Children?" Xaga said, and she relaxed completely. "So I didn't break anything?"
Suuri stepped in as Alistair handed off the paperwork, snatching it out of Xaga's hands and inspecting it. Xaga smoothly removed it once Suuri had decided she didn't understand anyway. She looked over the paperwork with the skilled eye of a practiced accountant.
"Technical writer," Suuri said absently, "although the child won't be mine. I'm just a close friend."
"Accountant," Xaga answered, flipping the sheaf of papers shut and frowning at Alistair. "If the children have become accustomed to voices, they'll certainly know the difference between a man and two women." Producing a pen from the waistband of her jeans (another bizarre byproduct of her day job) she smoothly filled in all the information she deemed appropriate. "Where are they?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:09 pm
"Truly? Another doctor?" Alistair asked Lex, sounding something that could of passed for impressed but was in fact merely excited. His gaze shifted back to the two women and he gave a slight shrug, "Well, I suppose your sorts are needed in this world, too. Sort of like the mindless worker ants feeding the queen-"
"They are in that room!" Noire abruptly declared, pointing at the welcoming office. She began marching off toward it in a way reminiscent of the leader in a marching band, but Alistair caught one of her scarves and yanked it back. It resulted in a very leash-like affect, complete with Noire growling and the small oddly shaped wings on her back fluffing out as each feather tensed. "I HATE YOU ALISTAIR!"
"Yes, of course you little hellspawn. Now go get Talula while I introduce the guardians." Alistair commanded, then moving to take the pair and doctor in to meet their kids. "Introduce yourselves, I imagine the children will know who they belong to before you do."
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:14 pm
"You have no reason to be envious of me, Vin... or to feel so down-trodden." She looked at the... other... and smiled gently. "I would like to be your friend. No one is my inferior." How can one be neither male nor female?
Lex shook his head at the man's apparent lack of tact. "Yes, I'm a psychiatrist, as I said. An accountant?" He peered at the woman with her spiked hair. "Good with numbers, then. Not what one would expect, but interesting nonetheless."
He watched as Alistair dismissed the girl-- were those wings? Were they real or a costume piece? They seemed to move independently, but that could be merely a complex illusion or technology. He turned away and focused on those before him, not even really hearing the instructions to introduce himself as he peered at the ... girls?
One was undoubtedly a girl, swathed in white cloth and squinting lovely honey eyes that nearly glowed under a scarf. She looked like a doll with all that pale golden hair. The other was... awkward, not male or female at first impression... or third, for that matter. Cute in a sort of in-between, confused way, though. He looked back and forth between the girl whose eyes seemed to glow, so delicate in appearance, and the genderless child, wondering which was his.
Ariadne knew immediately that neither of the girls belonged with her. She smiled gently at Vin and stood slowly on her feet, still unused to walking and doing so by instinct only. The man, then. He looks like the sort... She stepped up to him and peered up, her smile staying as he bent down so that she didn't have to stretch to speak to him.
"Hello," he said.
"Yes, you're the one." She reached out one small hand to him which he took immediately. "I'm Ariadne."
"Dr. Fabian-- ah, Lex."
"You're very curious, Lex. And kind." He was also startled by her proclamation. The feeling of him inside her mind was a soothing force and somehow she knew he would keep her safe. That made her smile widen.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:46 pm
Alistair stood just outside the office on the side of the door, not caring to watch any exchange of sentiment that might go on. Instead, he promptly waited for his papers to be returned to him. "No obvious powers between them, at least not that I've seen." He commented off hand, combing a piece of his hair back.
In a mad rush, Noire had darted up some stairs and in a loud clamor was dragging down and orange and blonde haired woman who looked quite confused but cheerful none the less.
"ALRIGHT, TALULA IS HERE, SHE'LL MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T MEANIES!" Noire screamed, trying to make it back into the office with Talula in tow before any interesting stuff could happen.
Talula, meanwhile, conducted herself as well as she could - but her first interest was for the children, neither of whom she'd been able to spend much time with. Squeezing into the office, she smiled once at Lex and Ariadne before shifting her attention to Vin and the two women expectantly.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:12 pm
Vin didn't say anything, simply curled up more upon verself and pretended that ve was invisible. Undoubtedly, Ariadne would recognize her mistake soon. It must be that she was newly-emerged, that she was talking to ver. Ve was so preoccupied with vis own thoughts that ve didn't even notice that Ari seemed to be reading vis mind.
~~~
Xaga looked startled at Alistair's words, and Suuri looked downright offended, but the girl-child cut in loudly and distracted both of them. Xaga approached the room first, watching Lex enter before stepping in herself. Suuri followed shortly after. They both glanced at the girl speaking with Lex, a beautiful thing, and exchanged a surprised smile before looking at what was, apparently, theirs.
It was...not what they expected. Neither obviously male nor obviously female, it seemed to combine the gentle aspects of both into something vaguely femenine but most obviously not a girl.
~~~
Vin watched as Ari was distracted by the arrival of an adult Breeder, and returned to vis own inner brooding. Ve didn't expect the pair who stepped in next.
Vin's initial impression of bright violet hair, a flat chest, and a femenine smile caused vis hopes to soar. Another, proper Nonbreeder had found ver! Ve would be returned to vis proper status. But vis face fell when ve realized that Xaga was in the company of another young woman, this one a Breeder. They must both be Breeders, then. Odd, but...not unexpected. Vin was there to serve.
Ve stepped forward hesitantly, glancing at Xaga and Suuri and then at Talula. Another Breeder. But the first two were vis, of that ve was certain.
"This one is called Vin," ve said softly.
"Vin..." Xaga smiled. "I am Xaga, and this is Suuri."
Vin nodded. "This one will serve well, no doubt," ve murmured.
Xaga raised her eyebrows and looked at Suuri, who shrugged. They both looked at Talula.
"Why is the kid acting like some sort of slave?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:13 pm
Lex handed back the papers, his eyes glued to the tiny form before him. He hardly noticed when the rather loud girl-- Noire-- entered again with another woman. The child, Aridane, his Terra... she was watching him and he felt some kind of tug, almost as though an intangible connection were forming at the moment, locking the pair of them together.
Slowly, he stretched out his hand to her. When she took it, something inside his heart clenched.
He'd never particularly wanted to be a father, figuring that his time was better spent on work, saving the world one mind at a time. His job was a precious one. He was too calculating and matter-of-fact to raise a child, anyway. They were such fragile creatures, their psyches frail. And yet...
Yet something in him felt the urge to protect this girl. There was a sense of belonging as his large-palmed adult male hands (complete with the rather masculine college ring from his years at university) closed around her tiny little porcelain hand.
He looked up at Alistair, "Ah... thank you. Am I-- do I go now?"
She could feel him in her mind, buzzing pleasantly in one corner, a stronger force than any of the others she'd encountered. Something in her felt that it was only right that a member of her familly (Family... what an odd word. Is he my family now?) would have a stronger bond.
She could feel his confusion and wonder and affection. That last was strange, almost golden and sweet. It had sparked when they'd touched. And the confusion had gotten stronger. Instinctually, she guessed that part of the confuion was at his affection for her. If it was truly for her.
Emotions were slightly confusing to figure out, more of a web than a string.
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:14 pm
Talula frowned deeply, bending down to get at eye level with Vin. "I don't know... hello, sweetheart - how are you doing? Are you scared? You want something to play with, a doll, maybe?" She offered, looking hopeful. She had discovered these were the times she resented being deaf most - to hear herself, hear the tone in others, she never realized how much you could tell from a person just by their voice.
Alistair nodded solemnly at Lex. "Yep, that's that. Bring her back; I do believe we will be organizing meetings soon, for the parents and the kids. I trust I have all the proper information, now?" He asked, thumbing through the paperwork. "Yes. Alright. If you don't have anymore questions?"
"BYE!" Noire beamed, waving at Lex and Ariadne. "GOOD YOU AREN'T A MEANIE OR I'D FRY YOUR BRAIN OUT!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:46 am
Vin cringed as the strange-haired and strange-voiced breeder leaned down and spoke to ver, trying to edge slowly behind Xaga's legs. Xaga stepped neatly out of the way, putting a hand on the androgyne's shoulder for comfort.
"I...this one..." Vin stammered, then simply fell silent. Xaga looked down at ver and then glanced up at Talula.
"I'm sure that would make...her...feel better," she said with a smile.
Suuri gently removed the paperwork from Xaga and brought it over to the man who had given it to them in the first place, handing over the thick sheaf with a slight frown. She had already decided that she did not, at all, like Alistair. Which would be interesting, considering that she would undoubtedly run into the man more and more as time went on.
Vin jumped and cringed more when Noire screeched, clinging to Xaga's leg. Ve didn't like the noise and overwhelming presence of Breeders, didn't like it at all.
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