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 Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:40 am
Calder scowled down at the little five foot tree he'd finally caved in and decorated for Christmas. Mostly for Taki's sake. The boy deserved a normal holiday. Right? Right. So here it was. He'd been fine when it was just a tree; the old rituals had decorated trees, it was just the insistence upon the whole shebang. The gaudy angels and bulbs and lights... Calder had managed through it by telling himself that it was for Taki.
Meanwhile, the little cat boy seemed happy as a clam, munching on some cookies they'd gotten from one of the neighbors, his tail swishing happily to and fro. Calder hadn't bothered dressing up for the small gift exchange he and Asher had planned, and rather than being cheerful in the face of the sparse decorations, he seemed more like he was brooding, waiting for the doorbell to ring.
"Don't eat too many of those. You'll ruin your dinner." Calder started towards their small kitchen, managing not to trip over the ginger tabby that had so recently come into their home, and yet had already claimed the entire apartment as hers. She purred as she hopped up into the chair beside Taki, ignoring Calder as he poked around the various pots to check on the food.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:24 am
Asher had been pretty oblivious to this whole "Christmas" thing, though Irelia guided him through it. Back where Asher had come from, they had a similar tradition, but it was unlike this commercialized splendor that seemed to make everyone crazed with want.
Though as Asher thought about it, he realized that even his celebration was untrue to what little faith he had, for large opulent balls did nothing to feed and clothe the needy as the spirit of his celebration demanded. Thus, Asher felt bad, and helped Irelia pick out presents for all her friends, and even those they didn't know yet, just in case. If they didn't give them away by Christmas, he would donate them to someone... needy.
Though Asher wasn't sure exactly whom they would contact, as everyone he knew was well off (save for that odd family that lived in a dirty shack but Asher firmly believed they liked the squalor). The matter wasn't pressing, and besides, they were to visit Calder.
Oh, and Taki.
Asher arranged his hair artfully, and Irelia sniggered at him as she exited the shower.
"You look gorgeous dad. Leave it alone," Irelia walked in to her own room, and shut the door quietly.
Turning on some Christmas music, she quietly hummed to herself as she wove multitudes of ribbons in her hair, adding small golden bells as well. Though it would seem odd to anyone who had not seen it, Irelia was a master of her unruly locks and knew of ways to make her hair seem not her own. Though there were some disasters, of course.
Irelia shimmied in to her dress as her dad knocked on the door, and she grabbed her too small, and therefore silly, purse. Handing Irelia Taki and Calder's presents, Asher herded Irelia out of the door, his hands full of a potato dish he had made, even though Calder had told him he would take care of everything.
Irelia knocked on the door, her face aglow. Asher smiled happily.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:29 am
Calder stirred at the pot he was prodding at one last time, and started for the door, but after letting out a joyful squeal, Taki scurried to the door and pulled it open, beaming up at Irelia and Asher.
"Happy Christmas!" he declared as Calder moved up behind him, patting him on the head.
"Come on in. Dinner's not quite ready." The Sidhe smiled, and let Taki take care of the rest of the ushering in as he glanced down at Irelia, only then noticing the gifts. "Ah, if you'd like, you can set those over on the table, I suppose..."
"They go under the tree!" Taki protested, tugging insistently at Calder's sleeve. "Not on the table."
"Ah, of course, how could I forget," Calder said quietly, sounding gloomier than he'd been... Well, ever. "Then under the tree, I suppose." He glanced up at Asher and his smile brightened a little. "Can I get you a glass of wine, or something?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:01 pm
Asher smiled at Calder, and accepted the offer of wine. Noticing Calder's less than happy face, Asher silently pondered what could be making his friend so unhappy in this season of peace and well being. Asher silently swore to himself that he would get it out of him, but he knew he couldn't pressure Calder too much. Or too little, the man seemed to be an impenetrable brick wall sometimes.
Irelia rushed over to the tree and laid her presents under it, and sat on the ground by the tree.
"Ohhh, your tree is pretty Taki! Our tree is well... Not very Tree-ish,"Irelia said with a frown.
Asher was unused to having large plants in his home ("they belong outside!") and would only let Irelia get the tiniest tree, which sat in a christmas pot on their counter. It wasn't very festive, but at least it was something.
"Hey Taki, what did you ask-," Irelia stopped herself, and stated her question differently, "What do you want for Christmas?"
Irelia knew that Santa wasn't real, but she wasn't sure if Taki did, and she didn't want to ruin this secret for him.
((I just realized Irelia totally would not buy in to santa, or the tooth fairy. But she does have a fear of the Sasquatch, because she met a man that totally believed that they were real...Irelia shouldn't be allowed around crazy people))
Irelia
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:22 pm
"I wanted to get a TV! And movies! Papa said that we'd go get one together. Oh oh! Irelia! Did you get to see my kitty yet?!" Taki was practically bouncing he was so excited.
Calder broke out the bottle of wine, pouring both himself and Asher a glass. "So... How have your holidays been? Taki's certainly having the time of his life. His first big holiday, and all. I don't believe you've been over since he found his little surprise by the dumpsters... Found a kitten." The small orange cat in question was rubbing up against his legs, leaving ginger-hued hairs all over his black slacks. Calder scowled, but before he could shoo the cat away, Taki was scooping her up and taking off towards the tree again.
"Look! Her name is Abby." The cat squirmed in Taki's arms, so he let her go, but she didn't scamper off like most cats might, rubbing up against Taki's legs. "She's really nice, I saved her cause she was living under the trashcans behind the building." Taki nodded definitively, and then as his usual ADD self, went off on another tangeant. "What did you ask for?"
((XD; Calder probably wouldn't tell Taki about Santa or all that 'nonsense' because he's old-school... haha >3>;; I bet he would know some of those old pagan "gods" that demanded sacrifice :D;;))
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:04 pm
((Don't tell Irelia, she would totally be a sacrificial lamb... I sooo need to do some solo RPs with Asher since the story he was originally from makes no sense so i might be adding him to my MASSIVE ebony black story of doom that Irelia is actually from))
Irelia squealed at the little kitty and threw out her arms to Taki.
"Oh, can i hold her, please?"
Irelia LOVED cats. She was crazy about them, but Irelia wasn't very mature when it came to taking care of things and Asher wouldn't get her one, especially when he saw the price tags on the ones in stores. She killed all her goldfish because she forgot to feed them and so Asher told her that when she grew up a little she would have to prove to him that she was responsible enough to care for another creature.
At the moment, she was not.
Irelia shrugged at Taki's question.
"I dunno, just seemed like something to ask. I asked my dad for sparkly earrings but I don't know if he'll let me get my ears pierced."
Asher took the glass of wine, and sipped it quietly.
"Holidays are going well, Irelia seems to be always off on some adventure or another, and its been very quiet around the apartment without her. Since schools out, I've had a lot of time to get back to my art, but I feel that I almost miss all the craziness and I haven't actually done a lot."
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:24 pm
Taki grinned widely, and scooped Abby up again, though she let out a protesting mew. Taki mewled lightly back at her, and then held her out to let Irelia hold the cat. "Sparkly earrings? I like sparkly things. I bet he'd let you if you asked nice. Papa always lets me do things if I'm nice about it." Okay maybe not always. But most of the time.
"Well, that is probably because you don't have papers to grade," Calder said, chuckling quietly. "Taki won't leave for more than a few hours unless he has that cat with him. I think he talks to it..." His brows creased and he looked over towards the kids and the cat. "Anyway, it's been surprisingly quiet in these parts as well. The boy doesn't get out much, I'm afraid, and when he does, he stays near home, but he sits and reads for hours."
((man, I should totally have Taki go through a 'cat' stage when he gets to be a teenager, where he disappears for like days at a time haha >3>;; I could see it happening.))
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:45 pm
Asher chuckled.
"Most of the time, I have no idea where Irelia is. I feel like a bad father sometimes, but Irelia can pretty much take care of herself, and nothing that she has done has made me think that I should keep her close to me. She does make bad decisions, but not about important things. Its not like someone could lure her away with false pretenses, since she can see right through them, and she's strong as an ox," Asher sighed.
"I just hope nothing happens that prevents this freedom that she has come to enjoy and expect. Irelia's quite talkative, and bossy, but only in bursts. She might be quiet all day, but natter my ear off suddenly and then disappear once more."
Asher finished his wine and set it on the counter, and leaned closer to Calder.
"We could conspire to get Irelia to take Taki with her. Its not that she doesn't want to, but her mind is a whirlwind of activity and she probably doesn't even think upon it that often. She hates being left behind, but will leave others behind.
"Hmmm, dad get's suspicious if I act overly nice, but he does get me things if I tell him why I need them. But sparkly earrings don't have a purpose other than being sparkley." Irelia grinned, and stroked the cat lightly, smiling at her purring, "I got a TV when I listed the reasons why it would benefit dad. But I was nice about it too."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:57 am
Calder listened with a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. It was Calder's turn to chuckle at Asher's suggestion, though. "Yes, I imagine that might be good for both of them. Taki needs to get out and meet people... And I imagine that would teach Irelia to think about others a little more, instead of herself all the time."
Calder was still holding his wine glass, but his other hand moved seemingly of its own volition to catch a few strands of stray hair around Asher's face, letting it flow over his fingers, tricolored eyes watching it. "I feel as though I should say something, but I have no idea what to say..." he murmured, and then the oven timers went off, and the Sidhe stood, setting his wine glass aside, and hurrying over to the stove. "Looks like dinner's about ready."
Taki frowned slightly, trying to think of a possible reason for sparkly earrings. "Because uhm. I don't know..." He frowned, and his ears drooped a little, and he reached out to scratch the cat's head, then meandered off to climb up onto the couch, swinging his legs off of it. "Papa's been in a really bad mood lately," he said quietly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Calder wasn't listening in. No, his papa was rushing about the kitchen; no worries about listening in from that one. "I don't think he likes Christmas very much. But... I think he likes the snow and stuff."
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:34 am
"I noticed that, but I didn't want to say anything. I'm not supposed to intrude on other's secrets because that makes me nosy but your Daddy is like... seething underneath his happy face. Something about Christmas bugs him, but I don't really understand why," Irelia sighed and crossed her legs, hugging them to herself, "besides, he is really hard to read. He closes him mind to everyone, not only me, and no matter how much i try to read him, i slip off and forget what I was trying to do. Maybe my daddy can figure it out, he's closer to your dad than me."
Irelia stood up, and wiped off her dress.
"Dad, can Taki and I go watch TV in our living room? Rudolph is on,"
Without waiting for an answer, Irelia took Taki's hand and rushed out of the room. Asshe passed, Asher, she whispered something to him.
Ashe hadn't heard it very well, as Calder was clunking away in the kitchen, but it sounded like Ask him why he's angry
Asher didn't think that Calder was angry but he knew that Irelia wouldn't lie to him about Calder. Asher was deeply embarrassed to be getting relationship advice from his daughter, but she wasn't so Asher thought it ok.
"Calder..." Asher trialed off. Perhaps it wasn't the best time as dinner was almost ready.
"The kids went to watch a Christmas special. Should I call them back, for dinner? Irelia rushed out without asking if it would be alright."
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:20 pm
Taki shrugged, and petted his kitten, who seemed content to curl up beside them. "Really? I didn't know he could do stuff like that... But I'm not... I can't read minds. And papa says I have an animal instinct, but I dunno if he meant that was a good thing or not--" he was still rambling when Irelia stood up, green eyes following her curiously. "Wha?" was all he got out before Irelia was tugging him off, and he waved bye-bye to Mister Asher.
"Hmm?" Calder set down the casserole dish he'd pulled out of the oven on the counter. "Oh, no, I checked the ham and it needs to cook for a little while longer. Probably long enough for them to watch..." He glanced out towards the door, then shrugged faintly. "Whatever it is they're watching. I should really get the boy a television so that he doesn't have to come pester you all the time. He asked for one."
The Sidhe certainly didn't seem angry, just as Asher had percieved. Of course, even his flawless court-mask couldn't fool the girl that read minds. He seemed distracted by the cooking, and he swiped a finger through the mashed potatoes that had been contained in the casserole dish. "Besides, it would all need to cool down anyway." He moved to sit next to Asher, leaning casually on the counter.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:05 am
Asher really didn't want to bring up the question of what was bothering Calder based on "my daughter thinks..." or anything close to that. In case Irelia was mistaken, as Calder seemed happy as he puttered around the kitchen. But there was something nagging at the back of Asher's mind, as if he had figured something out but couldn't wuite put his finger on it. Leaning close to Calder, Asher examined his face.
"I don't know what it is, Calder, but are you feeling alright? There's something... off and please, if its just that you are using different moisturizer, please put me in my place! But something is nagging at me, and I can't let it go,"
Irelia settled down in front of the small television set in the living room, dragging two pillows over. Turning on the TV, it took awhile for her to find the holiday special but she did find it. But she ignored the jolly man in the red suit, and instead turned to Taki.
"Hey, i didn't want to say this in front of our dad's but did you want to go out with me tommorow-" Irelia blushed, and restarted, "I mean, uh, come with me to the park? I've been trying to get in to this derelict part of the forest, it seems pretty old, but I can't reach, and you're taller than me..."
Irelia waited for Taki's reply.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:16 am
Calder peered right back at Asher, and blinked across at the other. "Am I really being that obvious about it?" he mused vaguely, then shook his head. "I suppose it's not like some big secret." He sighed, and leaned in to place a light kiss on Asher's cheek. "Don't worry about having offended me... It's got nothing to do with you or Taki or Irelia."
He took a deep breath, and looked towards his hands, scowling. "It's got to do with Christmas. You know I came from Ireland, and all that. It's a little hard to put aside a grudge against a religion that came and usurped you and your people from their rightful places. I am, after all, what would be considered... a 'pagan god' by all rights. I'm not fond of the modern celebration, is all."
Taki glanced over towards Irelia, and blinked as he tore his attention away from the television. "Huh? Oh. Go exploring?!" He straightened, tail twitching in excitement. He didn't even seem to notice Irelia's little slip up on her wording. "I wanna go! I bet I can lift you! I helped Keres 'fore. She's really heavy. What part of the park are you talking about?" He let his voice drop conspiratorially, even though the ones most likely to object to their running off to explore were across the apartment hallway.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:40 am
"It wasn't that you were so obviously hiding something other than you just seemed less of yourself than usual," Asher tucked some fallen strands behind his ears (they just wouldn't stay back) and chuckled quietly, "I guess I watch you more closely than I thought, you're very good at keeping your thoughts hidden, though you are always there with a kind word or loving touch. Its hard to know if anything is bothering you at all, and I suppose that's a lot easier on Taki. He probably doesn't even know if you're worried or angry or sad."
Asher frowned slightly, "Unlike Taki, Irelia knows every part of my business. It's quite an open relationship, though it does make me uncomfortable at times."
Asher fiddled with the frames of his silver glasses while Calder spoke, explaining his unease of the whole Christmas spirit idea. Asher had genuinely forgot that he was a river god, only concerned with the mortal man in the here and now. Asher was silent for a few minutes, trying to choose his words wisely. He sometimes had trouble saying what he meant and talked in circles for hours until someone finally got what he meant in the first place.
"That's true, though neither of us has adopted the religious aspects of the season. Does anyone, anymore? All it is now is a time for kids to whine and get gifts from their parents, spoiling them to no end, and usually ending up yelling at their kids at the end of the day. That is probably making you feel worse because now your spiritual days are commercialized."
Asher's voice crept in to a monotone account as he realized what he was saying.
"I'm sorry, that didn't help at all, did it?"
Asher sighed, and walked over to Calder.
"I can't say I know what you're going through, as the goddess my people worshipped ended up being nothing more than a fraud, and I ended up with a child who is the closes to having those same aspects of my goddess, but frankly who would pray to Irelia? That notion is absurd," Asher threw his arms around Calder, drawing him in to a hug,"all I know is that when you fell bad, a hug from people you care about might make your day a little better."
Irelia grinned at Taki's excitement.
"It's really, really far in, almost in the forest part. Its this really old tree, and there's a lady in it. She wants me to come see her but i can't reach the branches, they're all too high."
Irelia looked down, and smoothed out her dress.
"She sounded... odd though, as if she was fading away. I found her a couple days ago, but Dad hasn't let me out of the house since, so i don't know if she's ok..."
Irelia trailed off, swiping at her eyes angrily, "I think we need to go see her now, even though its almost dark, and our dad's are sure to get mad. But I think its important!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:53 am
Taki was more perceptive than he let on; it always seemed like he was away or off doing something on his own whenever Calder was in a foul mood. So in a way, their quiet perception worked. It worked for this house, at least. Calder couldn't help but let silence fall as Asher considered his next words, and strangely enough, as not-helpful as they were, they did help...
"Actually..." Calder began, and then Asher was talking again. The sidhe didn't mind terribly, particularly since it turned into the simple expression of love and friendship; and he returned the embrace gratefully. "Thank you, Asher."
Taki nodded, eyes going wide at the mention of a mysterious spirit or lady or something in the tree. "But that's like all the witches in all the fairy tales I ever heard!" he said in a low voice, and his ears flattened a little against his head, glancing in a skittish manner towards the door. "And besides... it's cold out and it's late and... I don't think Papa would like it very much, or Mister Asher..." But Irelia was his friend and she always took him on the greatest adventures.
"But... Just this once, okay? But I hafta borrow a coat! If I go back and get mine then papa will know something's happening..." His ears were still flattened against his head; he was obviously not terribly pleased with the situation, despite the anxious excitement that fluttered at his heart. After all, if a witch ate them, what would become of Abby?!
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