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 Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:20 am
There was a hum lodged within Asher's throat as he staggered along behind Jonathan. His tail swayed with rhythmic content and curiosity as the world about him grew bright and interesting. Lights flashed over the tops of booths, bells clattered, and whistles sounded as people chattered; it was the noise of a carnival. It was unique, and all the same, it was fascinating enough to cause Asher's head to turn as the occasional person or attraction passed them by. There were juggling clowns, and animal balloons scattered. The sweet stench of cotton candy filled the air, followed by corn dogs, and popcorn, and a variety of cheap snacks that seemed as if they were only appropriate for such a fast-paced setting. There were many things to explore within the colorful world, and that made it all the more difficult to continue trailing along as Jonathan vainly searched for a particular someone.
He wasn't certain why they had gone. He could remember something about the phone ringing within the apartment. Jonathan had given a few brief responses into it, huffing and seething in mild defense, but never saying more than the occasional yes, no, I don't like clowns, I don't care if they swallow fire, answers. In the end, whoever had been on the other end of the phone won the battle, and Asher was content enough with that. The stuffy old apartment grew dull, and there was a part of him that had been craving the idea of mingling about a crowded area filled with games and fire-eating clowns. It was an amusing idea, and Jonathan's method of reaction to mild confusion and frustration made watching him lose an argument somewhat endearing. He needed to loosen up, and Asher had it in mind that the so-called carnival would be the ideal place to begin oiling his keeper's rusted sense of fun.
"Who are we looking for?" Asher had asked as his head shifted to look over his shoulders. There was a bottle game, with people throwing baseballs far into the distance to win a cheap prize.
"Danni," Jonathan had stated, pausing after a few moments. "You don't know her."
"You mean Danielle?"
The two had exchanged curious looks before Asher had given something of a devious smile. "You said her name twice on the thing you talk into. Danielle, Danielle, Danielle. Ooooh~ Danielle!" The small boy's tail had flickered as he turned heel to walk away in a funny stride. He seemed to stagger within his walk, evidently confused by the matter. Walking didn't seem to be a strong suit - but the confidence and vigor behind his teasing words certainly seemed older than his demeanor would allot.
"H-hey! Hey! Don't just walk off like that!" Jonathan had called after him, reaching out an arm to pull him back.
Asher had skipped a step, looking over his shoulder with a knowing face. "I'm going to knock the bottles over. They're not doing it right." His eyes had become stone-set. He was determined to handle the matter once in for all. How hard could knocking over a pyramid of flimsy glass bottles be? It was a gamble in regards to the aim, but he was not one for petty cynicism. He was a child at heart and mind, and he would knock the bottles over, even if he had to use force.
"It's rigged!" Jonathan had breathed. "We have to ---"
"I'm doing it." Asher had stuck out his tongue for a moment. "It'll only take a second, promise!" With that statement, his features had softened. He had puffed out his chest and had reached to grab Jonathan, tugging at him until he had moved voluntarily.
Asher smiled. He brightened, and he laughed enthusiastically. Because Jonathan had done precisely what Asher found amusing. The man had pulled at his rather out-stretched ears, and had ground his teeth. He made the funny face, and he had surrendered.
Asher - 1. Jon - 0.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:41 am
Dalal's had been busily occupied with the masses of people, the smell which emitted from several booths and all the pretty toys which were given out to people for quite some time now. She was having a really fun time and she wished somebody would have gone with her to see what kind of awesome place this was. But most of the people she knew didn't seem to have time.
Well, at least one her roommates - Lizzi - didn't want to go. "You know, Dalal", the mantis girl remembered the words:"This is definately NOT a good place for a child to go to. These persons are often underpaid and all the family members of this fire breathing and juggling persons..." Dalal hadn't remembered anything after that, because her mind had decided that she indeed wanted to go to the carnival. Everyone at school had talked about it and thus it was necessary to go and see what it was all about.
When Lizzi had been at work she had sneaked into Frank's room as he was most busily playing one of his videogames. And of course he had simply nodded yes at her question if she was allowed to go. He didn't really care about her security, Dalal was sure, but right now she was pleased that he wasn't.
Her thoughts were interupted by the noise of shattering bottles. She turned towards the booth and her eyes grow wide as she saw the top prize. It was a cheap imitation of a Barbie car, but Dalal desired it right away. Gwendolyn, her doll, could suffer from severe car crashes over and over again.
Suddenly she heard an unfamiliar voice close by. "I'm doing it." A cat boy had stated. Dalal frowned. She wanted to do it, not such a stupid male kid coming out of nowhere. It didn't came to her mind that he probably wanted to have one of the other top prizes. The mantis girl was furious.
"Don't waste your money, I bet you CAN'T do it. I'm much bigger and a girl and I will definately win the top prize!" She told him. It wasn't unusual for Dalal to simply state her opinion in front of strangers. TV persons did that all the time and nobody had told her to act differently yet.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:17 pm
The crackle of the bottles in the background as the occasional person knocked one or two down echoed for a brief moment, lingering like a phantom calling. Jonathan had been preoccupied by it, remembering the numerous lessons about carnivals. The games were rigged; that was what his father had always said, and Jon had always listened to his father.
Of course, he could think of a number of others who would beg to differ and call him a conspiracy theorist. As he had cleared his throat, he had fixed the tie about his collar and straightened his jacket, and it was then that a rather shrill hiss had caught his attention and caused his head to snap in the direction of Asher. Another voice and figure had seemed to enter the scene, and before he could think of how to respond and tug Asher away, the boy had done something all of Jonathan's company seemed to do: he answered a challenge.
"How do you know?" Asher had given a wry grin, his teeth showing for a moment at the quirk of his lip. His freckled face had seemed to scrunch with defiance. He had softened after a few moments of recoil. His tail had curled, slipping until it nearly had touched the ground. His ears had fallen back somewhat, only flickering with the occasional shift of his glance until he had focused intently on Dalal. A strange little girl he did not know, but there was an instinct for a tom-cat involving dominance. He wouldn't be caught submissively because someone had issued a challenge on the grounds of being bigger than he was. He was going to knock the bottles down. All of them! "Wanna make a bet that I can't?" His hairs had stood up earnestly as he shuffled a bit, taking a number of steps as if to look Dalal more firmly in the eye.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:18 am
It took Dalal some effort not to step back as Asher stood up so earnestly. Although she had come to live with male beings surrounding her she still felt uncomfortable if somebody decided to get firm. Still, she couldn't show any kind of weakness to him. He seemed to be a strong one, not as easy as some of the others she had met.
Dalal smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Somehow the question had evoked something in her, something awfully familiar as if she had heard somebody else before saying exactly that sentence and...
Suddenly the girl noticed that she still had to answer. "Alright, let's bet. What will I get if I win?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:07 am
Asher had hummed curiously, his body straightening and loosening with the progression of thought. He was uncertain what would make a valid exchange for a bet. Somewhere within the back of his mind, there was an idea, but it was vague, and of little more help than providing a track to follow. The sound of clinking change on the counter from one of the other customers had jarred him, however.
"I'll say you're better than me." He had given a firm nod. "And ... Something up there?" His fingers had been held up towards the prize wall. The array of toys were a colorful flurry beckoning to be called; but they belonged to the game, not to the bet, which he hardly seemed to contemplate upon making the decision that he'd give something up there if he failed to do what he said he would do.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:36 am
Dalal wrinkled her nose and nodded slightly. "Ok, if I win, you will have to say that I'm far better than you three times and mean it! And I get the Barbie car."
The mantis girl grinned at the thought. She was sure that she was right, no doubt. She could already see him saying sorry and calling her awesome. This would serve him right for wanting to steal her most-wanted toy! She could already see herself playing at home all day long. The car could be showed to Ranza and she would be pretty impressed and she could tell the story about beating the cat boy over and over again to everyone who wanted to hear it.
"Umm...and IF I should loose - which will never ever happen - I will also say that you're better than me."
Fear deal. It would cost Dalal much more effort to state this in public. He was younger AND a boy, so it was obvious a hard thing to say.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:29 pm
The edge of Asher's lip had twitched. It was a strike against his pride to admit that anyone, particularly a rather self-confident stranger, was better than him. It was a feeling of which he was not accustomed - it was a discomfort, a feeling of threat that circled about his mind tirelessly. It had to be done, however, and he would not back down.
"Deal!" He had declared within an instant before spitting onto his hand and holding it out to Dalal with boyish determination. "Shake on it. If you shake on it, you can't back out!" His face had become stone etched and firm. It was as if he believed he were sealing a monumental deal, or facing execution. Yet, he spoke with a hum, and his fingers wriggled with intensity and giddy vigor as the air stung the warm spot where saliva sat, dripping.
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Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:06 pm
It appeared that Dalal had finally another strong mind to oppose her. She felt a bit dizzy, because usually she wasn't confronted like that. With horror in her eyes she stared at the wet saliva spot in the cat boy's hand and wondered if she should just quit. But wouldn't he think that she was one of those crying, weak girls...
No way! Dalal quickly grabbed Asher's hand, shook it and then let go of it as quickly as possible. "I don't back out." She stated and wiped her hands several times on her jacket. Awful, awful, she had to ask Lizzy to wash it right away once she got him with the toy car.
She already hated him for forcing her to get in contact with his spit. Crossing her arms again she looked at the bottles and nodded. "Just so you know who you're going to tell that she's the best: my name's Dalal."
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:51 pm
It was fun. In a strange way, Asher actually felt contented with the matter, even amused as the girl had quickly grasped his hand for the shake. A shake sealed in spit was iron clad; that was the way his mind had processed the matter. All fine deals were sealed with ... Something. Anything, he supposed.
There was a twinkle to his eye as he watched Dalal brush away the spit from her hand. His jaw had quirked at the sound of her words. Don't back out. It was familiar. He had to admire her philosophy. "Me too."
His delight was easily taken, however. He was a short fused child, eccentric and jumpy at the drop of a word. Dalal. So, that was her name? Well, as long as they were exchanging! "Mine's ... Ah." Something funny had happened. His face had grown long as he touched his forehead. What was his name? Ah. Ah. Ah. "Asher." He had found it after a moment, his tail whipping feverishly as he spun around. The tip had flicked mockingly in her direction.
"I need money!" He had said to Jonathan, who had been watching the scene in a distraught manner. Asher had extended a hand with expectation.
Jonathan's mouth had opened for only a moment. When no words could escape, he had simply shut it, and like an injured dog expected to give up his favorite toy, he had fished out his wallet. It was clear who was the dominating force; it had hardly taken Jonathan a moment to fish out a few dollars to hand off to the boy. "One game."
Asher had smiled coyly before turning to eye Dalal. He said nothing more before trotting by her, staring up at the counter. With a hum, he had put the money in his mouth, reaching to grab the edge to try and pull himself up. It had taken him a while, but he was feline. Climbing seemed almost instinctive, and Asher had made it well enough on his own. He had shifted on the counter, sitting on his knees as he set the money down and demanded his game. The balls were his; victory would be his!
Or that was what he had told himself.
He had licked his lip, his shoulders hunching as he grasped a ball within his palm. Throw one! He had missed by a long shot. Throw two! He had missed by an even longer shot, the ball slapping the back wall and nearly sliding back into him. He was less hasty with his third, clutching it thoughtfully as he considered an aim. Luck be a lady.
He had thrown the final ball, and ... Wham. It had bounced back off of the wall as the second one had, hitting him firm on the chest and nearly knocking him off of the counter.
The bottles stood undefeated.
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:26 am
Asher. Dalal decided not to forget this name, so she could tell everyone about her victory afterwards. Although she felt a bit awkward because the cat boy was so very stubborn and seemed to be pretty confident. Hopefully she would not lose...
The mantis girl watched the scene silently tapping on the ground with her left foot once in a while. The tension inside of her was almost unbearable, but still it was really a lot of fun. Ok, the cat boy was stupid, but it was awesome to bet like this.
It somehow reminded her of something. Something was nagging in the back of her mind like an old memory which did not want to be forgotten. As she looked up at Asher throwing the first ball it was like she saw somebody else for a moment. Somebody she liked a lot. Dalal couldn't help but smile slightly.
As she heard the second ball slapping the back wall Dalal blinked and found herself back in reality. He had already missed two balls, hadn't he!
Before she could make a comment, Asher had already lost. The bottles were still standing. Dalal grinned. "Looks like you lost."
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:18 pm
Asher's mouth had fallen open once he had recovered from his momentary surprise. He had stared, wide-eyed and stunned at the bottles before him. Firm, tall, teasingly. They stood like devilish monsters shouting "needer-deeder" at him. He had missed - not once, but three times, and to the cat, it was a mark against his smooth reflection.
His shoulders had sank as he slid off the counter, neatly landing on his feet. He couldn't believe it! He had missed the bottles! How could he have missed them? He had been so confident that he could hit them! Now he had to actually turn to the snotty girl and tell her she was the greatest. That she was better than him? His blood was boiling over the sheer thought of a kissing-foot action. A deal was a deal, however, and a deal sealed with a handshake and saliva could not be taken back. That was the honorary code - or at least it was the code that had seemed correct.
Asher had quirked as he spun around on his heel to face Dalal. His jaw had given a firm jut as he huffed. His ears had flicked back, something of disappointment and outrage surrounding his freckled face. "Not yet!" He had spat out. It wasn't over. Not yet!
"You haven't knocked 'em down. You can't win unless you knock 'em down!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:10 pm
The triumph felt like a warm shower to the mantis girl. Her grin showed a mixture of disgust and superiority. For a very tiny moment her stomach again felt very strangely as she looked at Asher. Something was familiar, the situation was familiar.
She was shocked as he didn't kneal down or apologised. In contrast he was yelling at her. Dalal became furious. He was a loser, he was in no way allowed to talk to her like that. Furthermore, he was a BOY.
"That wasn't the deal!" Dalal exclaimed and glanced at the boy's guardian who had been so silence. Nah, she couldn't expect that one to play the judge. He obviously wasn't intelligent or something.
Dalal was most reluctant to listen to the cat boy at all. She had won, he deserved the punishment. But a throbbing ache in her head reminded her of something called gamer's honour. If she backed out now, she would be a coward.
"A deal's a deal. But...I can show you how to do it. Though, YOU need to pay the game."
Hah, he probably didn't have any money and she didn't have to throw the ball anyway. Awesome idea, Dalal, awesome. The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:53 am
Jonathan had set a hand over his eyes the moment the little spat had seemed to continue. It was an irritant not unfamilliar, but that was not what had caused his back to hunch, or his shoulders to sink. The game involved money - the likes of which he needed in some cases, particularly in the area of food and rent. He had felt himself quirk at the sheer idea of another monetary game - and even moreso at the idea of an escalating conflict.
Asher was a wild boy. The sheer gleam hidden behind a hiss wreaked of firm principle. It was enough to make Jonathan squirm to see feline eyes glowering; thus he had lowered his hand.
"That wasn't part of the deal." He had cleared his throat after Dalal's exclamation. She was in the right - or he wasgoing to be siding with her if only to try and save the trouble.
"It was so!" Asher had kicked the ground angrily. "Traitor, traitor, traitor!" His little body had shaken in a tantrum as he looked between Dalal and Jonathan. He wasn't going to lose without a fair game. If she couldn't do it either, there was no way he was going to say that she was better than him. Never. Not in a million years.
"It's part of the deal now. If she can't do it, then she's not better at all." He had puffed out his chest, standing neatly onto his toes as if trying to be taller. "I'm not saying she's any better than me if she can't do it."
With that declaration, he had thrust out a hand to Jonathan. The two had stood in silence for a moment, exchanging those distinctive looks ... And Jonathan caved, mumbling something as he handed the boy a bit more money.
"Here!" Asher had grinned crookedly as he held the bills out to Dalal. His hands were shaking anxiously. "Prove you can do it."
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:30 pm
Dalal gasped as the grown-up was on her side. On the one hand it was really a good thing, because that actually meant that she had said something sensible. On the other hand...who wanted to join in with grown-ups?
So at first she was kind of relieved as the man gave in and handed Asher the money. Though, as she noticed that she was forced to actually do something now her knees started to feel shaky. Oh my, why did she have to be so self-secure?
Anyway, her doubts didn't show as she picked the bills out of Asher's hand making sure that she didn't touch him. "I will. You will see."
Dalal paid for the game and although she was bigger than Asher she also had to step on a nearby box to be able to throw over the counter.
While one of her hands was clinging to the counter the other one picked up the ball. "Come on, come on..." She had never played such games before, usually nobody ever did sports with her and she was grateful for that. Her mantis behind was really hard to control, but right now she would have needed the aiming skills.
Of course the first ball didn't hit. Dalal glared at the bottles. No, she couldn't lose her honour like that.
But the second ball also failed and didn't even come in reach of the bottles. The girl hissed and growled, but didn't dare to look back at Asher who was probably celebrating already.
Then she threw the third ball. It appeared to be aimed just right. Yes, yes, she would definitely hit the bottles! Unfortunately, the ball hit the wall right beside the bottles and nothing happened.
Dalal stood in silence. Damn.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:50 pm
Asher had felt his heart begin to slow with each moment to pass. He was fearful of the idea that she might succeed. She might one-up him - and then where would he be? His attempt to dodge the bullet and escape with his dignity would have been meaningless, if not embarrassing. Ball after ball, he listened carefully to the thuds against the wall. His ears had flickered until it had finally ended and he had stiffened.
His shoulders had raised, and his eyes had flared with condescension. "I knew you couldn't do it! I knew it, knew it, knew it!" Asher had howled at the top of his lungs. "And so I'm not saying it - it's pointless to admit to something that just isn't true. You're not better than me at all." He had stuck out his tongue stupidly, pulling against the side of his cheeks.
"Asher!" Jonathan had seized him, seemingly fed up with the little antic the two children had put on. He had looked toward Dalal as if uncertain whether or not he needed to apologize for the matter. "That's enough; you played the game, we're going."
"But I'm not finished!" Asher had tried to turn around to free his collar. After a few moments, he had stopped to gawk at Dalal with an analytical look. There was something beaming within him - contentment, excitement, challenge. "You gotta say I was right and you were wrong."
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