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 Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 12:30 pm
It was in that sort of trendy part of town that lured Anna and Casia to the old record store every day for a week, now. Anna'd stumbled upon it by accident, and instantly fell in love with it's dust-collecting albums by unknown groups from the 60's, as well as a few very rare LP singles tucked away in the towering shelves. They were among the few people that entered the store, but everyone else either looked a little too eclectic for Casia's tastes, or they were just old.
"Anna," the siren whined for the upteenth time, tugging on her guardian's black mod jacket impatiently. "I wanna go to the Liberty Center. C'mooooooon!"
The art student sighed, setting down the bright album cover. "We were there all last week and Monday! Besides, we're in a music store, and you like music, don't you?" She couldn't argue there; Casia's musical tastes were slowly becoming Anna's, yet she was independent enough to choose a few out-of-the-ordinary genres to listen to.
"B-but, I want to see my friends, like Chris and Nataya and.... um...." she started, before pausing to wrack her brain. Who else did she know that could be considered a friend? Harper was gone now, yet he remained a very dear friend in her heart. Anna watched the little girl become silent, and smiled, taking her hand. "Here, let's go get something to eat, y'dig?"
"Yeah, I guess that's boss," Casia said, shrugging a bit. "E-er, I mean that's okay!"
So the two strolled out of the store, not really expecting anything out of the ordinary. Despite being in a neighborhood filled with music stores, cafés, book stores, scooter stores, a mechanic's shop that would paint an indie band's name on your car, and a pet store that specialized in exotic pets such as quails and fire ants.
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:57 pm
"You have a bird."
"C'mon, Cap'n! Somethin' big an' dangerous! C'nya imagine me wif'a snake?"
"I can. And I don't like the idea. Snakes are not seafaring creatures. You have a bird."
"Bu' Susan's a bird! She's so girly!"
"Melchizedek........."
Melchy almost cackled when he saw that Katrina had pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and was frowning like she was about to turn around. Melchy halfway wished she would. It would've meant he had won, even if he couldn't get a python like he wanted. In reality, he adored Susan, even if she was a pink-and-green parrot. The sun conure was affectionate, if not brilliant.
In reality, the boy didn't even want a python that badly. But Katrina had said no, and therefore...
He was a cat. He wanted it if he couldn't have it.
"C'mon, Cap'n, let's go check ou' th'book store, then," he said, suddenly switching tactics and actually laughing aloud when he threw Katrina off enough that she wrinkled her nose in puzzlement. A sharp smack on the back of the head rewarded that, but Katrina did it absently and without any real feeling to it. He squalled by force of habit and then dashed off in the direction of the store, almost missing the flash of bright hair and wings that popped bright in his memory.
"Ey! You thar!" He waved frantically at Casia. "Casia, right? 'S'Melchy!" he called from across the street, hoping he didn't make himself look like like an idiot. But there was only one person in the world who looked like that; he was sure of it. Katrina, he noticed, ahd followed his gaze and was looking with mild concern at Anna. If he remembered correctly, they had not necessarily gotten along so well.
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:19 pm
The siren nearly jumped when she heard her name called, and looked over to see Melchy and Katrina. Out of habit, she ran and hid behind Anna, who looked just as confused as the captain did. Nevertheless, she waved in a friendly manner, before looking over her shoulder at the shy girl.
"They're the pirates we met at the café and Harper's funeral, remember?" she chuckled, easing the girl out from behind her. This jogged her memory, and Casia nodded furiously, before giving a weak wave to the cat boy, and a sheepish smile to his guardian. Before she could put her hand down, however, Anna had already scooped it up and was dragging her along the crosswalk towards them. Oh dear, she wasn't sure what to say to Melchy!
"How's it hangin', cool Kat?" Anna greeted, before nodding down to Melchy. "Little cool cat? Casia and I were just buggin' out of the scene when we heard your little pirate call us! Right, Cassy?" She looked to the siren, who nodded shyly; she didn't mind being called Cassy, but in front of others it was embarrassing! "A-Anna and I were looking at r-records," she said quietly, before her eyes lit up. Tugging on her guardian's jacket to pull her down, she whispered into the art student's ear for a few moments, before Anna laughed and smiled. "Don't tell me, tell them!" The siren's cheeks turned red, before she shyly looked at the pirates' shoes, as though she were affected by stagefright. "Th-there's a song Anna played for me a wh-while back where George Harrison sings about wanting to be a pirate, a-and I thought of you two while I heard it."
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:31 pm
Melchy grinned when the girl recognized him and laughed, looking curiously at Katrina. She nodded, but before Melchy could dash over and coax the girl out of hiding (Jeez, people around here seemed to do a lot of hiding behind other people’s legs! He wondered what was up with all the girls recently) Anna had dragged her over. He gave the guardian a bright smile before tilting his head and grinning at Casia.
“Hey, siren-girl,” he drawled. His ears perked up at the mention of records. Recorded music wasn’t something frequent in his household: Katrina could play passable guitar and excellent flute, and a couple of the other pirates knew how to play a variety of instruments, so they’d hold impromptu sing-alongs, but he didn’t often get to hear other people’s music. It always interested him when he did. “What sorta music?” he asked, but Casia was busy whispering to Anna. When the girl explained it to him, he laughed. “Hey, cool! Cap’n was readin’ th’Odyssey t’me, an’ it mentions sirens. Yer a whole lot better than that lot, though,” he said, flashing a daring wink. After a moment, he looked at Katrina, who was inspecting Anna quietly. She had waved, but she seemed more interested in watching. “Hey, if it’s okay with Cap’n an’ yer mum, y’wanna come t’the petstore wi’meh? Wanted’a lookit th’snakes,” he drawled. “An’ maybe some of th’parrots. I think mine might needa buddy.”
“She most certainly does not,” Katrina said, but it was absently. She seemed delighted that Melchy was making what appeared to be a friend...of some sort. She liked him being independent. Meant she didn’t have to deal with him. Melchy just looked at Anna and then Casia.
“So what d’ye say?”
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:58 pm
"Ummmm... it's kind of like country music, George Harrison's, but he sounded a bit like John Lennon, too." Anna seemed to beam with pride at her child's explanation; she'd taught Casia almost all she knew about the Beatles, and the child had absorbed the information like a sponge. If it weren't for the musical aspect, the siren probably would have been far less interested.
Melchy's wink only reddened Casia's cheeks even more, yet a small smile signaled that she felt flattered. At the mention of the pet store, she blinked with curiosity. She'd been in one of those only once, and it was kind of scary and furry. She'd seen the scary reptiles, including the corn snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, and pythons. She would've declined, except this pet store specialized in uncommon pets, making it all the more inviting to explore. The siren glanced up at Katrina and shook her head lightly. "I'd like to go, if it's alright with Anna," she said shyly, and looked to her guardian. The woman actually seemed uneasy about this on the inside; her and a pirate boy alone in a pet store. She could only imagine the havoc in her mind: pets set loose, cages and equipment broken, windows smashed, cash registers emptied (they were pirates, after all!), etc.
"Provided you two don't steal, break, or set anything free, it's alright with me." With that, she folded her arms and glanced at the two as though she were a high ruler that had just stated their rules. "Solid?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:29 pm
Melchy's attitude when Anna assumed the worst was one of gravely offended dignity. Putting his ears back and his nose in the air and flicking his tail disdainfully, he looked at the hippie out of the corner of his eye. "It never does to assume the worst of someone," he said solemnly, a hint of an English accent in his vowels. Katrina smacked herself in the forehead; the boy was imitating her. And for a horrible reason. Grimacing, she smacked him sharply across the back of the head, earning an offended yowl.
"Get, you," she said, shooing him away. "I'm going to go get a coffee over there." She pointed. "Come get me when you're done. And don't get in trouble or I'll flay you." Melchy nodded seriously, expression one that would suggest it had happened before. Katrina shook her head and was unable to mask a smile. The boy was playing her. So it was cleverer than she had realized. Shaking her head, she ruffled his hair, saluted Anna, and turned. Melchy laughed as she went, grinned at Anna, and dropped a short bow.
"I promise, on me honor, not t'do 'nythin' y'wouldn' approve of," he said, putting a hand over his heart and then smiling at Casia. "An' I won' let 'nythin' happen to yer girl, either. I'll be a perfec' gen'lem'n." As if to illustrate his point, he dipped a deep bow to Casia and offered her his arm, the perfect picture of eighteenth century dignity. It was unorthodox, perhaps, but it seemed solid enough.
"So," he said to Casia after they started to the store. "Ye have 'ny pets?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:22 pm
Anna shook her head, chuckling at the boy's antics. Still, he seemed to act kindly to Casia, and decided she'd be alright in his paws.. er, hands, even if he could be a bit of a handful himself. She took a seat next to Katrina, smiling widely. "Melchy seems to get along surprisingly well with Casia," she noted, watching the two walk down the street.
The little siren smiled hopefully and took his arm, feeling a bit embarrassed, but overall delighted. This would be a fun trip, going to a pet store and getting to hang out with her pirate-y friend. At his question, she shook her head. "Nuh uh. Except one time we were out in the woods and I made friends with a bird! But then I didn't see it again." She dropped her head a bit, before perking up again. "But it's alright! I've got my rabbit plush, so it's kind of like a pet. Do you have any pets, Melchy?" She figured since he was raised with pirates, he'd have something exotic like a monkey or a snake, or maybe even a tiger!
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:29 pm
Somehow, the idea of Casia "making friends with a bird" struck Melchy as something alarmingly...Disney-ish. Cap'n had done her best to isolate the boy from such "ridiculously polar ideals" (after all, she had explained to him, there was more than just "Good versus Bad" in the world), but the boy was eventually corrupted. It made him think of Snow White, and he couldn't picture Casia, who seemed pretty much a bundle of good energy, as some helpless cartoon heroine. But while the idea of Casia in a poofy dress singing with forest creatures amused him, he hid the smile and tuned in to the rest of her speech.
The question made him smile and nod. "Yeah, I got a bird," he answered. "Little sun conure, named 'er Susan. Good bird. Dun't talk like some parrots do, but whistles sometimes." He shrugged. "Wanna get somethin' else, but Cap'n..." he shrugged again. "She ain' so hot on lotsa animals. Says most of 'em don' do well on ships. She's right, but, eh."
He grinned. "Heard this place has sum pritty nifty things, tho'. See if I can't get Cap'n to change 'er mind."
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:13 pm
Casia tried to imagine what a sun conure was, and thought up an amusing image of a bird with a head in the shape of the sun, causing her to giggle to herself. "I think you're lucky you get to have a pet at all. Anna says I'm not ready for one, not even for a sea monkey!" she pouted, folding her arms.
Inside the shop were various hipsters, all peering at odd pet necessities in the aisles for their odd pets. Such items included things such as a toothbrush for one's pet snake, a massage bed for any stressed-out pet, vitamin-injected ants for an ailing anteater, and special dog treats guaranteed to make your cat or dog enjoy indie music. The siren peered at the aisles, before looking near the edge of the store where a large glass case sat with 2 incubators inside it. A sign next to it said "Snake Incubators -- Don't Touch", yet she went over anyway. Seeing as she couldn't read, Casia assumed the small eggs sitting in the incubators were going to hatch birds. "There's gonna be baby birds, soon!" she exclaimed to Melchy happily. Somehow a bird would be perfect for her! Hopefully one that had a nice singing voice, too.
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:32 pm
“Well, I bet yer mum knows ye best,” Melchy teased gently, playfully tugging the tip of one of Casia’s wings. “Cap’n says I gets a parrot ‘cos I’m a pirate. Other’n that, I dun get pets.” He shrugged again, but the store was already beckoning his partner, and he had to jog to catch up.
Melchy walked a bit more slowly in the store, stopping to casually investigate some of the more interesting animals and ignoring the supposed gaze of the other shoppers. After a moment, though, he realized his catty features and odd manner of dress were attracting significantly less attention than was typical, and he relaxed, throwing his head back and looking boldly.
A king scorpion attracted his attention, and he couldn’t help but stop and plaster his face to the tank. It wasn’t until Casia’s voice reached him that he turned to look. “Oy!” he called, trotting over. “Whazzat?” Leaning in, the boy slowly (and proudly) demonstrated the reading skill he had been developing at home. “That word there,” he pointed. “’At says ‘don’t’. Nex’ word’s prolly ‘touch.’ The big word, dunno what that is. First word, though...’at says ‘snake’.”
His eyes grew wide and he looked at Casia. “Snakes? Awrsome!”
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:14 am
Snake. Snake? .... SNAKE!!?
The little siren's eyes grew as big as dinner plates before she released an unholy scream, hitting what would be a high G on a musical scale. Casia then quickly scurried behind Melchy, clutching his arm tightly. "I-I d-d-don't l-like.... s..... snakes," she managed to chirp out of fear, her knees knocking together.
Anna was somewhat to blame for this fear of snakes. They'd watch Animal Planet, and a few times they'd watch Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin handling snakes, or watching the slippery serpent swallow something bigger than it's head. The siren had learned that snakes could unhinge their jaw to do so, which sent shivers up and down her spine each time she remembered the fact. Eugh, and their scales were so creepy to touch. They were just plain scary! "I-I wanna look at b-birds or something," she said hastily, trying to tug the boy away from the incubators.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:48 pm
Casia's scream caught Melchizedek off-guard, and he gave a short, sharp yowl in incredibly dissonant counterpoint to the strangely pure tone of the girl's shriek.
Feeling her behind him, he turned and put his hand on her shoulder, at a loss to do anything other than touch her shoulder. "'Ey now, snakes, they don' hurt ye, not th'kind they sell 'ere," he added. "They wouldn' sell snakes 'at hurt people in a place like this." He nodded sagely, but patted her on the shoulder anyway.
"C'mon, birds is over this way," he said, picking a generalized direction and slinking that way. His sharp ears twitched, and he focused on quiet peepings and other happy sort of noises that indicated birds. They were in the back, far away from the incubators. He followed the sounds, only to get dreadfully distracted by something he had never seen before.
Fish. Melchy's eyes grew wide as he met the murderous gaze of an arrowana a full foot long. Blinking in shock, the boy watched the massive, silvery fish flash back and forth. Quickly, he glanced around and found the entire wall covered in tanks, those full of bright little flashing scalies.
"Blow m'down," he said softly. "Never seen fishes in all 'ese sizes an' shapes."
He had seen a few bright tropical fish on the ocean, and he had seen lots of big fish, but never little neon freshwater beauties that belonged in people's tanks at home.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:58 pm
Leaving Melchy behind to stare in awe of the exotic fish, Casia explored the section of the store that made one feel as though they were in the steamy jungles of South America. Aviaries holding all sorts of bright and colorful birds lined the walls, each giving off a distinct chirp. The little siren grinned widely as they watched her walk by.
And then she came across some quieter fowl. In a spacious white cage sat a few quail, all different colors and sizes, nestled together in a little fluffy circle. They looked a bit frightened, probably because of the other birds' chirping, which caused Casia to kneel in front of them. One of them stuck out the most: it's plumage was a deep blue, while it's face was black and white, almost like a blue jay's. How adorable it'd be to have a little quail follow her around! She could put a little collar on it, and make a place for it on her bed, and give it a food and water bowl! As she fantasized about life with a quail, her eyes fell upon the price tag: "QUAILS: Bobwhite- $50 Asian Blue - $75". Seventy-five dollars for a quail?! "B-but you can't even fly!" she said to herself, huffing angrily. Who would pay that much money for a bird that wasn't really a bird?! ..... Casia would. Standing up with a dejected look on her face, she slowly wandered back to Melchy, heartbroken the pet store charged outrageous prices.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:52 am
Melchy quickly exhausted his enthrallment with the fish when he realized that all they did was flashed and flickered back and forth...back and forth................back and forth. And while they were brightly coloured, that certainly wasn’t enough to attract his interestf or more than a few minutes. Tilting his head interestedly, he kept walking in the direction Casia had gone, chirps and rustles and peeps ringing in his ears already.
The birds interested him, and his long tail started to flick gently at the tip as he watched a cage full of finches, head tilted with great interest. Extremely curious, he leaned forward and put his nose right up against the cage...
And got a little n** on the tip of it for his pains. Squalling, he hissed and spat in that way only an angry cat can, but he calmed quickly, idly grabbed his tail to smooth its bottlebrush down to its typical sleek texture, and then looked guiltily around and kept walking.
He met Casia on her way back, never quite getting to the quails. “One o’them birdies,” and he jerked his hand over his shoulder at the finches, “just gave me a right good ‘un on th’nez.” It took him a minute to register the look on the girl’s face, and he tilted his head.
“Oy, what’s up?” he asked, flicking his tail idly and putting his hands in his pockets. “Y’look so sad all th’sudden. Somethin’ bitecha?” he went on.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:21 am
She stuffed her hands into her pockets, now looking down at the floor. "There's a birdy I want, but it's too much money," she huffed, momentarily cheering up to point at the cage full of quails. "The blue one, right there, see him? He looks like a bluebird or something! Isn't that fun--" But the siren stopped mid-sentence to notice the peculiar mark on Melchy's nose. "Your nose, it's b-bleeding!" Casia cried out.
Well, it wasn't that much of a n** to cause vast amounts of blood to be lost, but a bit of the vital fluid had dripped off the pirate boy's nose to cause the little siren to notice. She immediately felt her person to see if she had a hankey with her. Aha! Pulling out the pink piece of cloth, she stood on her tiptoes to shove it right at his face. "D-don't move it around, 'kay? A-ah, what're we going to do? Th-the pet store owners might get mad at us for, uh, provocativing them!" she clumsily said.
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