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 Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 5:03 pm
The dim glow of the fading sun had painted the sky caramel. The white dappled clouds had spread across the sky like wild smoke, blending with the fire to generate some form of magic he could only admire with great satisfaction. Another day. Another Saturday show. Another stage, and another wait on the steps beyond the building for the bus to return with food, drink, and celebratory necessities.
Paul loved performing. He loved it more with each passing performance - and the later his shows ran, the more enthusiastic he felt himself become in the aftermath of frenzied handshakes and the occasional autograph. Nevertheless, any man required a moment of peace. He could not be Paul Revere, the stage man, every moment of his life. It was an exhausting occupation - and while he had always possessed a tremendous amount of energy, he needed his break. He needed the occasion to just be Paul Revere the man - or as the old home town would call him: Aiden Weinsel.
A noise had escaped his throat as he leaned forward from the theater's stoop. His hands had been carelessly settled into his lap; his fingers had fiddled mindlessly with the edge of his undone and drooping tie. A smile stood against his face as he occasionally glanced up to find someone walking down the stairs - strays exiting the arena and giving a wave or a nod to him as was often customary within his world. He may have gone on with joy forever at the occasional giggling girl winking his way, but his flirtatious enjoyment was destroyed by the existence of a particular young pest who had began heading his way from the top of the staircase.
With the emergence of this pest, Paul's joy had been stripped. His smile had faded. His face had grown long as he looked away, planting his face into his hands. Flirtations and pick-ups couldn't possibly work well with a kid latched under his care. At least until the bus returned and the remaining staff could take him off of his hands.
"Oi, Marc? Sit still and quit wandering." He had barked suddenly, a frustrated noise flying from his nose. "Not going to have a replay of the last time you walked off." The edge of his lip had twitched at the memory. Nervously, Paul had lowered his hands, whipping off his tie to ball up and hold in his hand. He had paused again, his eyes gawking out at the urban streets in front of him. Headlights were flashing. People were walking. Music to his ears. Maybe he'd go out later? Yeah - but, first ...
Paul had waved his ward over. With the boy's sudden appearance, a set of harsh stares had been exchanged between the two. Their lips had been pursed, irritable emotions running high between them both it seemed.
Marcello's night had been ruined, as it often was with the constant act of touring. They drove throughout the mornings and afternoons. The performed in the mid afternoons or the late evenings. There was nothing funny about it, and he had become increasingly bitter with the redundancies that existed within his life. Theater after theater. Arena after arena. It seemed the same, and he had grown bored without the act of attention and accompaniment of someone matching him in intellect and interest. There were the bus inhabitants, but adults were adults. One did not reckon with them unless they were due for nostalgic stories and half-witted lectures. That was as far as Marcello saw it.
Nevertheless, he was particularly disdainful. His heart pattered against his chest as he watched Paul with his smug confidence and happiness. Another performance gone right. Another boost for the man's beaming and over-flowing ego. Another bout of attention detracted from him for several hours as people became too busy to so much as offer him a simple drink throughout the ordeal. No. Marcello was anything but pleased with the circumstance. He wanted the bus to arrive, and he wanted to slip inside to take charge of the company he held.
... Or he wanted to leave. He wanted something to do beyond listen to Paul lecture or joke about the night. Unfortunately, wandering seemed an action lacking feasibility. He could remember getting lost, and he had no intention of repeating the action without adequate direction of where he was going. "Are you always this boring?" He had asked suddenly, fixing his prodigious green scarf. Quietly, he had nuzzled his face into it. His tiny, meticulous fingers had fished for his handkerchief.
The look to Paul's face had brought a smile to Marcello's. The confused look of shock and the narcissistic beam of energy. It was almost funny to see how confident the man was.
"Boring? Where've you been, little man?"
He had heard Paul say. Nothing more had followed as Marcello flung his scarf over his shoulder and ventured further down the theater steps to gain a closer look at the neighborhood surrounding the theater. As he supposed, it would be valuably more interesting than whatever defense or boast that Paul would discover.
"H-hey! Marc!" Paul had began to rise. With a look of disbelief, he had leaned to the left, observing as his accompaniment dispatched to the street against order. A scoff had been given as his eyes narrowed. Some rebellious and troublesome little kid. He certainly had a sharp tongue for someone so small. "Never listens..." He had sighed as he stuffed his tie into his suit's pocket. Meekly, he had smoothed back his blond hair; then he had followed in suit, not wishing to lose the young child again.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 5:41 pm
The small feathery brown wings flapped as hard as they could as the scent of flesh filled it's nostrils. It soared through the sky, as dusk started. A beak of gray brown nipped as it closed in on a group of people leaving- but it missed, yellow eyes narrowing as its name was called.
"TAPIO! NO!" Kasch shouted after the bird, running as fast as he could. While his white bat wings were trapped under his jacket he felt more like he was tripping than running. So it was no surprise the strix was so far ahead of him. He wasn't sure even how long or far he'd run, so he paused to catch his breath.
The strix took it as a sign that he could grab a nibble without alerting the boy and zoomed in for the first thing he saw- Marcello. His beak snapping furiously until he was suddenly grabbed around the neck and yanked back.
"No so fast, stupid bird." Adam grumbled, descending to the ground. He'd awoken a little earlier than usual but he wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. Or maybe he should've, but then he'd have to fight with his 'daughter' again. His moonstone eyes looked down at the boy- "Sorry squirt," he muttered as Kasch trotted up and took the strix from him.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his tone much more compassionate than Adam's. "My pet is a little- excited tonight. I hope he didn't bite you or anything," he added.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:07 pm
Marcello had been almost blissfully unaware of the danger until he had given a glance. The snapping beak had caught him off guard, and, with a troubled look, he had taken a few clumsy steps. His feet had twisted as he tripped over his scarf, falling back against side-walk with a loud 'oof'. Whatever had been coming at him, it had not been secure - and Marcello was not the bravest of boys. He was bold. He was stupid at times - but there was a difference between his brand of pride and that which may have led him to suffice the situation with the strix.
His chest had heaved at the sight of the thing held and contained. The danger seemed to have vanished, yet that had not stopped the surprise to have barreled into Marcello's little brain. His mouth had fallen agape as his eyes flickered between the two individuals to have emerged. Their words had been distant, yet clear enough for him to process.
Sluggishly, he had began to regain his composure. His hands had brushed off his coat and fixed his scarf as he stood himself up. At the remarkable height of three-and-five, he was scarcely impressive, though he stood with a straight posture and a beam no gentleman could mimic. His eyes had become suited to a stern and adult-like mannerism, and his lips had seemed to twist to a grimaced smirk. For a moment he had regarded Adam before giving a gruff snort over the idea of being called squirt; then he had shifted focus entirely to eye the little strix and the alternative stranger to have emerged. Not a thank you had been given to either, though he had seemed somewhat more willing to respond politely and with a sense of dignity. It was clear he wanted to forget the ordeal of fear and falling down.
"I'm fine." He had shrugged his shoulders. A faint smile had been given as he observed the thing that had attempted to attack him. "What is that?"
"Marcello!" Paul had snapped. His feet had pattered wildly against the ground as he jogged, coming to a stop at the sight of the group. His hands had been set against his knees as he moved to catch his breath from the bit of panic that had developed. He had seen enough to know that there had been a problem. The crew would have killed him if anything happened to the kid; he would have been furious with himself if anything had happened to the kid.
A hand had been held up as Paul began to straighten. A sheepish look had been given to the strangers as he had reached to grab hold of Marcello, almost in seeming protectivity. The action had stopped when Marcello had looked to him, though. That same fire and disdain echoing not to be touched or pestered.
"Paul, I'm fine." He had stated to clue the man in before folding his arms across his chest and returning to Kasch to await that desired answer of what the little 'pet' was.
Paul, however, had not seemed adamant. He had set a hand over his eyes, rubbing at his temples before murmuring a low curse. With a heaving sigh, he had looked to Adam. Gratitude certainly was in order. The man's quick hand had saved Paul's skin from a lecture that would have cost him his ears, and likely his stomach, in the end. "T-thanks. Thanks. That thing ain't dangerous, is it?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:31 pm
Adam watched the two somewhat curiously before giving a smirk, "Of course it's dangerous." He stopped before giving a smart aleck reply. He supposed now wasn't the right time to be his normal self and so he adopted a slightly nicer stance.
"It's a strix. I'm afraid I haven't quite been able to train him to leave people alone, especially when he gets excited," Kasch stated sadly. He gave a look of pity and shame to the bird before introducing himself. "I'm Kasch and this is my dad, Adam."
"Guardian." Adam mumbled softly under his breath, just loud enough that the others might hear him without tipping off Kasch. The boy could be a little sensitive when he caught wind of the word guardian, rather than father. And whild Adam didn't care to be liked by the strangers, he didn't feel like upsetting the kid.
Kasch fidgeted, his wings itching to be let out but unable to do anything while holding onto Tapio. It gave him a nervous, deer in the headlights look. Then again he was afraid they'd want to kill the strix or something.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:18 pm
Paul had felt his stomach twist in an agonizing manner at the confirmation of danger. The incident would have to be kept a secret. There wasn't a chance in the world that he wanted to risk a lecture or being reprimanded for poor child care. He wasn't a parent, but it still hurt to imagine it. He didn't want to be anything like that crazed man he'd run into who had been lugging the twit like her were dead cargo.
With a flittering look, Paul had glanced over his shoulders at the staircase before giving Adam another look. "Good you stopped it. My hide would have been tanned; that kid's like a puppy for my crew."
Marcello had appeared to jump at the statement, making a noise of disapproval. Quietly, he had placed his handkerchief to his face, hiding the brief look of vexation. He was not in the mood for the foolery and silly statements. If he could have it his way, Paul would be absent.
"I've never heard of a strix, but he looks hard to train." He had lowered his handkerchief, smiling coyly before pointing a finger in Paul's direction. "That's a Paul. He's hard to train too." His eyes had become situated; they were cool, distant, and oddly settled into their own circumstance. "I'm Marcello."
"Oh, but they call him Marquis de l'Enfant, because he thinks he's the leader of children." Paul had spat, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was never going to grow comfortable with the snarky remarks and introductions. He had to hand it to the kid - he knew how to crawl under his skin.
The other little boy, however? He seemed like a genuinely nice kid. Why couldn't he have been saddled with one like that? He had smiled faintly, giving a nod at the fine introductions. He felt his own twinge of gratitude, but there wasn't a thing further to be said about the subject. He had been about to grasp Marcello and chatter a quiet 'nice meeting you' when that voice had rang within his ears.
"I like animals." Marcello had smiled, looking the strix over with curiosity. "We can't have any because there isn't enough space - Paul's head is too fat." He had laughed lightly. His mannerisms and demeanor seemed uncharacteristic at a glance from those who knew him personally. It had certainly caught Paul off guard. "What's his name?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:32 am
Adam watched the two, finding it interesting the way they interacted. It almost seemed at one moment that Marcello should've been the father and Paul the child. Then it seemed more like they were brothers who couldn't stand one another because their mother fawned over Marcello and berated Paul.
As much as he disliked the idea of being a father and as much as he denied letting Kasch call him that, he was fond of the kid. He had other people who could call names but Kasch was so sweet and honest, even Adam couldn't help liking him. Though he wasn't at the point of loving him like a son.
"...have they ever seen a puppy?" Adam asked, rather sarcastically. As far as he could tell the quick witted Marcello was no puppy. Maybe a cat- to some degree, but no puppy. He wondered just what kind of crew Paul was in.
"He's like an owl except he likes to eat-" Kasch paused, fidgeting with how to say it, "well, flesh and blood. I've gotten him to eat meat mostly now but- he's a bit stubborn." He sighed, wrapping his arm around the bird and patting him with his hand. He pondered silently, watching the strix for a moment before giggling at the comment about Paul's head, though he knew he shouldn't. Still, he gave a sheepish smile at Paul in apology before turning back to Marcello. "His name is Tapio. He was someone from myths- god of animals, forests, and hunting. And since he," he pointed to the bird, "is an animal and likes the forest and hunting, it seemed to fit."
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:23 pm
"I ask the same question every day." Paul had grinned crookedly. One of his hands had feverishly rubbed the back of his scalp as he exchanged nervous looks with the stairs where he had been. His lips had twisted momentarily in his thoughts. "Kid ain't no puppy, but you'd figure he was with how they coo." He had grunted lightly, folding his arms at the idea of his head being fat. The bit of laughter from the other boy wasn't exactly one for his esteem, but he would have his victory in good time.
He did know where Marcello slept, after all.
Marcello had made a noise, only sparing one look to Paul as if to dictate he should leave. There was an undesired appeal to the idea of being talked to as if he were a dog, a trophy, or a trouble. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't the one causing trouble.
Breathing into his handkerchief, Marcello had turned away. His shoulders had shuffled a little; his face had returned to that seemingly maintained focus. In certainty, he had decided that Kasch and Tapio were thoroughly more interesting than another quarrel with Paul. There was something foreign and intriguing to the idea of an owl which ate flesh, however unorthodox that seemed to sound.
"Really? Flesh and blood?" He had settled his precious belonging into his pocket, insuring its security with the utmost of care. Quietly, he had tilted his head. "I've never heard of Tapio - but that does fit! It's easy to say too." His smile had broadened somewhat as his nimble little fingers had found his scarf. "Where'd you get him?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:13 pm
"He tried to eat my dad-" Kasch started sheepishly. He looked at the bird and then to Adam.
"I was going to kill the plague but he thought it'd be a great pet," Adam snorted softly. Who in their right mind thought a flesh and blood eating bird was a good pet? Apparently the only person in the world had ended up as his son. He shook his head, his braided hair loosing and letting shorter bangs fall into his face.
"He's not bad, really. He's a good bird," Kasch defended. He looked at the strix, giving a chirp which didn't seem to have any purpose except a kid trying to talk to a bird. He gave a shrug looking back at Marcello. "I don't think he really like my dad though...not sure he really likes anyone."
Adam mumbled under his breath, "Oh but he'd like to eat everyone." He surveyed the strix cautiously for a moment before returning his gaze to Paul, his moonstone gray eyes gleaming. "So what kind of crew are you in that they think a kid is a puppy? I know public opinion is that puppies are cute and loyal- and that's not the picture of either. No offense kid," he added as a mental note so Kasch wouldn't be angry and hopefully Marcello wouldn't be either. He didn't feel much like fighting with kids tonight.
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