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 Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:45 pm
It was a relief to Rebecca to have Jamie a bit more independent. He had been pretty self-sefficient as a toddler, to be true, but it was a whole different ball pack with him taking on the age of a child in his physical and mental maturity. She didn't have to keep as close an eye on him anymore, though protective instincts kept him from ignoring him. She might say she didn't favor children, but the fact of the matter was that Becca had grown attatched to her two charges. But she'd never admit it.
The cafe' was busy on weekends, but usually in a different way then during the week. Customers came in at later hours, usually in groups as opposed to the lone man or woman on the way to work. She had said the kids could play today, but Jamie had insisted he wanted to help. She wondered vaguely if it was because he actually wanted to or if he wanted a break from that...thing he was trying to make. Apparently it was frustrating him a little of late. Regardless, she welcomed the help.
As two customers left Jamie stepped out from behind the counter, wearing a little white apron over his clothes as he was required to do when working around food, "Goodbye!" He then went over and took a hold of the abondoned mugs before going back behind the counter to stick them in the sink.
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:15 pm
It was a rather blustery morning, but fortunately Anna had a smart sense of style. The guardian and her siren child (who'd grown from a toddler only 2 days ago) had planned on heading to the Liberty Center today, but seeing as it was pretty chilly out, the art student had taken the liberty (no pun) of making a pit stop.
They entered the café shop with red noses and blushing cheeks, fingers half-numb and toes half-frozen, probably. Casia felt a bit embarrassed to be wearing an overcoat in 50 degree weather, but once they'd gotten inside, she was thankful she had it on over her wings. There were people here, and she felt a bit nervous.
Anna, meanwhile, tore off her overcoat and adjusted her gray tweed peacoat, before smiling down at Casia. "You'll warm up in a bit, Cassy, but let's take off your scarf, alright?" The little siren nodded and undid the fluffy yellow scarf, handing it to her guardian as she surveyed the shop. It looked rather pleasant, and it definitely was warm. She slowly walked up to the counter, staring up at the large menu (assuming there was one). What did all those words mean?
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:24 pm
The door slammed open in a gust of wind, and the first of three stormy-faced cafegoers stomped in and immediately headed to a properly secluded corner where he could sulk, ears flattened against his his head and tail puffed out like a bottlebrush. He was followed more slowly but no more sedately by a pair of adults, both looking absolutely furious and arguing with each other in hushed voices.
"Absolutely not, I'll not 'ave 'im on m'ship," the first, a grizzled man in probably his late forties, was saying, voice low and accented in something that seemed a mix of Cockney British and highland Scottish.
"He's a child, Hawkiss, and he's not your responsibility anymore than the Ghost is your ship," the second, a woman who looked to be forty-something and had probably started out quite pretty (and not lost all of it yet) answered, striking blue eyes narrowed dangerously. She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes.
"The blasted things brings bad luck, Cap'n!" the man insisted, putting his hands on his hips and scowling. The woman sniffed, tossed her head, and completely ignored him for the time-being, choosing instead to study the menu.
Melchizedek, in the meantime, had decided to pretend he wasn't with them and instead was scouting the area. His bright chartreuse gaze eventually settled on the strange child with sun-bright hair, and his ears stood up slightly with interest. Tail flicking once, he began to approach her slowly, almost sidling, as if he wasn't going toward her at all.
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:27 pm
Becca had ducked back into the storeroom to fetch some more coffee grounds, so Jamie had taken it upon himself to man the counter in her absence. He only just could see over it, his hair much more visable then his face. But, hey, counters were always super high in coffee places. It's like they were trying to be childproof or something.
"Can I get you something?" he chimed politely, looking at Casia with his round blue eyes and offering a warm smile, "The hot chocolate's really good when it's cold."
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:47 pm
Both Casia and Anna jumped as the door slammed open, causing the siren girl to run to Anna in fear. Her guardian blinked in bewilderment to see.. p-pirates? Both girls watched as the older man and woman argued over something that was apparently bad luck, but even they couldn't decipher what it was through all the pirate talk.
"Er.. never mind them, Casia, you can go get some hot cocoa, alright?" Anna handed her a few crumpled dollar bills. "And don't forget to say 'please' and 'thank you', y'dig?" The art student grinned jokingly.
" 'Kay," she replied with a smile, and clutched on to the money tightly as she slowly ventured to the counter.
Unaware of the cat-boy walking towards her, Casia directed her attention on Jamie. She shifted around, unsure of what to get. She couldn't really read what the words said, aside from 'with' and 'and'. She looked down at the floor, both shy and dismayed, until the other little boy offered a suggestion. Hot chocolate? She certainly liked drinking hot cocoa. The siren's amber eyes lit up and she nodded excitedly.
"Yeah!.. U-um.. please.." she exclaimed, before her voice died down to just above a whisper. It was strange how even if she yelled or whispered, her voice was still like a songbird's. Not at all like a typical child's voice, whiny and glass-shattering.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:34 pm
"But Cap'n, look 't'what happened las' time wi' th'boy! We was shipwrecked three months with blasted Devils Advocate!" the man was insisting, throwing up his hands and glaring fiercely at the back of the woman's head.
Captain Katrina Chandler, who was still decidedly ignoring her first mate, watched the woman who was watching them. She gave her a brief once-over, deciding that she was about a thousand years too young to have an opinion that mattered (Katrina had nothing against youth, but mostly because she didn't care enough to bother) and promptly turned her attention on the girl and boy on opposite sides of the counter.
The boy's hair was certainly...tall. She was more interested by the small girl with the bright hair and...wings? Oh, really....Katrina shook her head, hiding a smile behind her hand. So she seemed to have found another cabbage child. When Casia spoke, both Katrina and the older man blinked. "Blow me down," the man murmured. "T'ain't true, Cap'n!" He seemed completely mystified.
Katrina sighed, not willing to accept anything just yet. "I doubt it, Hawkiss," she answered.
Meanwhile, Melchizedek had been creeping steadily closer to Casia, his expression bright curiosity marred only slightly by just-as-bright mischief. Flicking his tail like a cat hunting butterflies, he sidled up behind her and leaned close to speak into her ear. "Ye've got wings," he said brightly in a voice stuck somewhere between a kitten's squeak and a purr, "are ye a birdie?"
Then he got distracted by the hair behind the counter and stood on tiptoe. "Hey, whatchu doin' on 'at side?" he asked, flicking his ears and scooting in front of Casia, leaping up and trying to climb the counter. "Ye're too young t'be on 'at side!"
And Katrina smacked herself in the forehead, realizing that bringing Melchizedek anywhere was a truly stupid idea.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:20 pm
Jamie watched the seemly shy girl curiosly. He noticed her wings briefly, but didn't say anything. Instead he waiting to see if she wanted to get anything or if she needed help. Lots of people asked for help around here when they looked like that. Maybe she was more nervous then indecisive though? He'd find out.
When she said she wanted a hot chocolate he smiled sweetly, "Big, or small, or in-between cup?"
He blinked as suddenly a strange boy was up on the counter! He eyed him carefully, taking one step back and tilting his head slightly. "Don't do that," he said firmly, though his voice was still very friendly, "Not allowed on the counter." He then pulled at his apron, "I help momma work, see? I'm allowed back here."
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:00 pm
"EEP!" Casia yelped, nearly leaping out of her skin. How could she not have sensed him until he spoke? And how did he know she had wings?! "N-no, I don't..." she stammered, before looking over her shoulders to see the tips of her plumage sticking out from the bottom of her coat. She swallowed hard, before watching as he walked past her to confront Jamie.
"I-I'm not a bird!" she huffed, walking after the cat boy. Wasn't it obvious she was a siren?! Honestly, if he was really a pirate, he'd be able to recognize the fact that her voice was, in her opinion, quite nice. "I.. just... I just sing like a bird.." She fiddled with the buttons on her coat shyly, before the boy with the tall hair asked her what size cup she wanted? "U-uh... um..." she started, before looking at the money in her clenched hand. She slammed the money down on the counter, her cheeks beginning to turn red. "Th-this much!"
Already the café's air was turning more lively, as Anna watched the children interacting. That cat-boy was a bit loud, and his caretakers looked as though they were lip flapping about something pirate-y. Time to make an introduction! She got up and strolled over to Katrina and Hawkiss, one hand on her hip, the other shoved in between the two. All sorts of bangles and rings with bright, mod colors seemed to stick out more than anything else on her person.
"Hello!" she greeted them, with a smile that looked half-obnoxious, half-friendly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:21 pm
Melchy scowled at Jamie when the boy told him to get off the counter but did so nonetheless, stuffing his hands in his pockets but immediately brightening up when he realized that he had thoroughly startled Casia and that she was protesting as to what he had called her.
'Ye ain' a birdie, but ye gots the feathers," he drawled. "So what's 'at make ye, eh?" He looked her over with a bright, feline smile, then looked at Jamie. "Th'cocoa's good, y'say?" he asked, digging into his pocket and producing a five dollar bill (stolen, no doubt, from Katrina when she wasn't looking). "I'd like a bit, too, if y'will," he said, in something that actually sounded like an attempt at politeness.
Katrina and Hawkiss both stopped dead and looked at the young woman as she thrust her hand between them. There was a moment of tense silence, and both of them stepped back to better look at Anna. Katrina continued to dismiss her as too young to be intelligent, and Hawkiss simply looked her over in the traditional manner of a male pirate, and decided she was pretty.
"Pleased t'meet ye," he said pleasantly, reaching up to tip an imaginary hat (his own was not currently on his head). Katrina rolled her eyes, punched him hard in the arm, and dropped a neat bow to Anna while Hawkiss was scowling at her and swearing under his breath.
"Good afternoon," she said lightly. "Captin Katrina Chandler and mate Frederick Hawkiss, at your service."
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:59 pm
(Damn, sorry I've been gone for so long, guys, a whole bunch of crap happened these past 2 weeks. x3x; )
At his inquiries, Casia shuffled her feet around, automatically looking down at the ground in a shy manner.
"S... siren," she mumbled. Even if people didn't know what a siren, she was still embarrassed to admit she was indeed one, destined to grow up and lure seamen away with her beautiful voice and face, and then kill them and repeat the process. As long as Anna was watching over her, though, they'd probably be songs from The Beatles and Herman's Hermits. "I'm, um.. I'm Casia."
Speaking of her, she was currently watching the two with amusement, before realizing they didn't just dress like pirates, they were pirates! "This is so boss," she said aloud, before shaking Katrina's hand with a grin. "I'm Annabel, and boy, I thought I was decked out today! You've got some pretty cherry gear, your threads are totally gone, man!" She then looked over to Hawkiss, still beaming. "At first I thought you were her old man, but I screwed up! Sometimes I'm thicker than a fiver malt." Anna shrugged her shoulders in a carefree way, and glanced over at the children chattering away. "So you watch over the feline kid, hm? He seems like one gone cat, like no one tells him what to do. Is he a kook, seeing as he's a cat? Or maybe he's a gremmy if one of you knows how to ride a wave!"
It was as though she was speaking another language.
(EDIT: Omfg. xD;;; Sorry Ary! I skipped you, my bad. ;o; *is a dolt*)
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:34 am
(( XD Could you guys at least let me know when you skip me? Even though Jamie isn't doing as much exciting stuff. ))
Jamie took the bills from each of them, ringing up the orders separately. The boy was actually much faster with the cash-resister then his mother ways and soon a thin piece of paper zipped out of the top, followed by another. He tore them off and placed each on the counter, giving one to each of the kids. He also opened the drawer and pulled out Melchy's change. He had always been pretty good at math, so this was easy stuff.
"Here you go, give me a second," he said, before turning and grabbing two cups. He listened attentively to their conversation as he made the drinks using just the right amount of mixes, cream, hot water, and syrup.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:41 pm
Melchy's eyebrows shot up at Casia's species. He had heard stories of sirens; what pirate hadn't? Beautiful females who lured sailors to their deaths...creatures of dreams who quickly became beasts of nightmares. Instinctively, he shrank momentarily back from her, then shook from tip to tail and snorted. "Th'name's Melchizedek, they calls me Melchy," he said, then turned to receive his change and receipt. Counting it carefully and then pushing it into his pocket, he watched the boy with interest. The machines behind the counter fascinated him, in all honesty.
One ear was on Casia and both eyes were on Jamie, certainly, but one ear was most definitely on Cap'n and Hawkiss.
Katrina watched Anna with a distinct expression, somewhere between arrogance, disgust, amusement, and absolute confusion. It wasn't that she didn't know the lingo (as much as she hated to admit it, she had grown up on land, and the era that had produced such monstrosities as flower power was that of her childhood) but more that she didn't think anyone less than half her age should be allowed to speak it. After all, the girl was what? College student, maybe. Much too young to be playing at being a hippy, certainly.
Hawkiss, however, looked puzzled. He had missed the era by about a decade, having already been sailing ships at that point. His expression went blank, and then he shook his head violently. "Ye'll have t'repeat yerself a bit more normally, Miss Annabelle," he said, glancing over at Melchizedek for a moment and deciding that yes, she had spoken about him at some point. Other than that...he was lost.
Katrina, in a fit of perverse pleasure, let him wallow.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:29 pm
Melchy. The name reminded her of something squishy, and, deciding that was funny, giggled to herself. Taking the receipt, she stared hard at it, trying to understand what the words meant. She huffed again, and looked to the cat boy sheepishly. "Can you read what this says?" she asked shyly, holding out the slip of paper.
"Ah, don't have a cow, Hawkiss. Do you mind if I call you Hawkiss? Any way, I thought that compared to Casia, all other cabbage children grew normally, but apparently they all grow pretty quickly!" she laughed, shrugging her shoulders again. She then turned to Katrina, her face suddenly looking very serious. "So... are you three really.. y'know, pirates?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:53 am
"It says what you got, how much you paid, and the change I gave you," Jamie mentioned helpfully. It said other things too, but those were the ones he didn't understand. But then again...he also didn't handle the register often. Momma liked to do that herself, at least as long as the machine wasn't having any problems. She wasn't very good with anything technical, really. But that was ok with him, because it meant he could work on things for her.
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:58 pm
Looking at the paper, Melchy put on a passable show of frowning thoughtfully. Unfortunately, his skills were barely decent, and he wasn't a hundred percent sure what anything said. "Looks like lotsa numbers," he mumbled. "Dunno 'bout any o'th'rest of it."
Glancing up when Jamie spoke and explained, he looked at it interestedly, and curiously. "So it does all th'countin' and addin' up for ye?" he asked. Hawkiss, in true pirate fashion, had already begun teaching Melchy about money and sums, but the boy hated it. It was hard.
Looking at the machine, he investigated it. "So that made th'paper, aye?" he said. "So that thing does yer countin' an yer sums, and holds th'money?"
Pirates were so backward when it came to things of that nature.
Hawkiss frowned at the girl but couldn't get a word out before Katrina breezed in and started speaking. "They all grow very quickly, and Hawkiss is certainly best called 'Hawkiss.' He prefers it to Frederick, don't you, love?" Her expression suggested one of absolute wickedness, and Hawkiss was barely suppressing his rage at the idea that Katrina was abusing her power so blatantly.
But the question he could jump in and answer before Katrina, and save some face. "Aye, miss Anna, we're th'real thing. In th'flesh, ye might say," he said, and got a gentle cuff in the back of the head from his captain. Which meant that he stumbled forward, surprised, before turning to glare at Katrina, who was smiling blandly and looking in another direction.
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