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 Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:59 pm
Life had been quite dull for the Carnegie brothers. The past few weeks had been nothing but a bore, really.
What fun was losing your favorite punching bag?
Oh, no, they would never think of Valeriu like that - but the fact was that he was hilarious to tease. They'd never had a more entertaining victim! They could beat on him, day and night - kick down his door, and all he would do is blush and bicker and yell in outrage until it looked like he might die of humiliation.
Seamus and Murphy loved it. He was like a little brother to them - a little brother that the rambunctious and terrible twins could rib and taunt as much as they pleased. They'd claimed him from the first day - when he had been but a boy, a ten-year-old trying to fit into a man's workplace.
From the first day, they'd made his life hell.
All in good fun, of course.
But then things had gotten stranger; their little kitten had wandered off for months on end, and returned inexplicably older. He wouldn't say a word on the subject, and they learned not to ask. But they were curious.
And when the Carnegie brothers were curious about you, they latched onto you like a steel trap. That boy disappeared far too often, and before they knew it...
Well, they really were kicking down his door.
But today was a Monday, another boring Monday -- until Valeriu strolled in, inexplicably sans cast after only a week.
"Why, you see that, Seamus?"
"See what, Murphy?"
Murphy turned to his brother, the lanky young adult thumbing his chin thoughtfully.
"The prince has returned. Walking on his own two feet, don't'cha know."
"Strange," they chimed. But then again, Valeriu was always strange.
They had barely begun their sharklike homing in on their prey before he had been whisked away by the foreman, however - the glee briefly leaving their faces until they discovered the mites that had been left behind near the trailer, where the women did their accounting and business work.
Now, Seamus and Murphy had siblings of their own. Three younger, precious, bratty, females, and one older sister that-shall-not-be-named. She'd tormented them in their innocent youth, she had, and they shuddered to think of her.
It was a vicious circle.
But now, now -- Valeriu himself might not be there, but he'd left two younger girls behind him. Sydni, and a new little bug.
And where there were girls, there was gossip. And where there was gossip - well, more ways to drive Valeriu into an early grave.
They ambled over to introduce themselves.
"Good day, ladies!"
"Fine day, indeed."
"Well, not quite-"
"Haven't I told you not to nit, Seamus?"
"And haven't I told you not to tell me not to nit-"
"Anyway!"
"Git."
"We're the Carnegie brothers," Murphy continued over his brother, "I'm Murphy, and that ugly mug over there is Seamus. We're friends of Valeriu's." He smiled, winningly.
Friends. That wasn't quite the term to call them, but it worked.
"I know Sydni, but you're a new face, little lass. What's your name?" Seamus slung himself down into one of the fold-out chairs reserved for the trailer workers, earning himself a dark glare from the matron in charge of looking after the girls.
"You boys better not be trying to harass that poor child again," she warned.
They smiled back like a twin pair of angels.
"Never, marm!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:31 pm
She hadn’t been paying attention, and all of the sudden there were men there, talking to her. Men-- She was seeing doubles!! If her hand hadn’t been carefully holding Sydni’s (She had to be in charge with Varu gone,) she might have smacked herself.
But there really were doubles! They must be twins, she reasoned, as they went about with their small talk as if seeing identical twins was no big deal at all. So they were the Carnegie Brothers, eh? She knew they each had names… But she also knew that she had no hope of telling the two apart, let alone remembering which name was assigned to which twin. She’d have to get creative.
“I’m Tepin.” She admitted, her free hand pointing to herself as if it might make her introduction any easier on them.
Her attention snapped to the matron-- what? Harassment? They seemed so nice though! Syd certainly didn’t seem to have any problems with them. So, going off of her better judgment of trusting anything related to the Jaklovszky family, she would ignore the poor woman’s warnings and trust them.
For now. If they turned out to be jerks, she’d just let them have it.
“Shouldn’t you guys be… I dunno… Working…?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:40 pm
"Work?" Seamus mused, looking up at his standing brother in puzzlement before back at the girl.
"That thing where we lift the heavy things and do lots of hard stuff, Seamus," his brother patiently reminded him.
"You mean that time in between wrapping rope around the prince? Or tying bows around his tail? Or slipping ice down the back of his shirt to watch him dance so pretty?"
"Yeah, that time."
"Oh," he mused some more. "I guess we should be, eh?"
"The foreman seems to think so." And sure enough, the man was glaring at them from across the lot.
"The foreman seems to think a lot of things," he acknowledged.
"I have got a brilliant idea," Murphy announced, pulling Seamus out of the chair and including Tepin in their conspiring.
"I think our definitions of brilliant differ, Murphy-"
"How about we show Tepin, this sweet little lass, around the prince's domain?" Murphy proposed, voice dropping down to a whisper and darting a glance over to the suspicious looking matron, grinning all the way. "What do you say, Tepin?"
"You'll get your own hard hat!"
"And that way, we won't have to do that work thing."
"Too right, brother."
"Well?" they chimed, a Cheshire grin on both their faces that promised fun, mischief, and escape from the matron while Valeriu was busy being an adult.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:01 pm
Her mouth quickly grew into a wide grin-- The thought of exploring sounded pretty swell when compared sitting with Sydni under the supervision of some cranky old lady.
“Yea! Let’s do it!” Her voice was a hushed whisper full of excitement-- She’d get to act like an adult and maybe she’d get to spend time with Varu while searching over his kingdom. Somehow, hearing them talk about him that way made sense-- He called her a princess because he was so used to being called a prince.
B-But.. Weren’t the prince and princess supposed to hook up in the-- NO! No! Her face turned bright red before she sent a guilty look at Sydni.
Sorry, Comrade! I have bigger and better things waiting for me.
Her whispering continued, she wasn’t safe just yet-- “But aren’t you guys going to get in trouble?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:42 pm
They looked at each other, slyly.
"You only get in trouble-" one began.
"-if you get caught," the other finished.
Seconds later, they whisked her away - out of the matron's sight, who'd turned her back on those twin devils for only a moment. Sydni was left in her all-too-competent care, playing happily with her toys.
But Tepin - Tepin was theirs for the time being.
"First rule of the site: wear a hard hat at all times!" Murphy announced, plunking the smallest hat he could find onto Tepin's head. It was loose, wobbled a bit (a lot), but it fit (in his eyes). "This place is full of danger, little lass. You'll never know when a bag of dirt will fall upon you!"
"Valeriu had no idea," Seamus remembered with a smile. "But yes, safety first!"
"Second rule of the site: stick with us, and you'll never go hungry again!"
"I think I've heard that from somewhere before-"
"Déjà vu, Seamus," Murphy reminded his brother as they sidled past the cubbies filled with lunch boxes. Their targets seemed to be premeditated, and soon enough they were handing Tepin her own little tin box.
"Thirdly-"
"-and most importantly-"
"-if you see the prince-"
"-you must bow!" they chorused, faces serious.
It never failed to get Valeriu flustered.
"Now -- to the catwalks!"
The grounds themselves were entertaining - plenty of dirt and hoses to make a mudsport out of a day, and plenty of machinery to drive and terrorize innocent workers with.
But the best part, and the easiest way to find Valeriu, was to go up.
"You see, Tepin," Murphy began again as they led her to the elevator, "all that the light touches belongs to the prince."
"I could swear I've heard this before, Murphy-"
"Déjà vu, Seamus."
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:08 pm
Her smile mimicked theirs, this was more fun than she thought it would be. Whatever the matron had said about harassment must have been nonsense! These twins (Whichever one was which) seemed plenty nice! All you had to do was go with the flow, it seemed, and you would be spared from anything they could dish out.
Hardhat in place (She would work hard holding it with both hands to be sure of that), she grinned up. This was pretty entertaining and--
And she would be getting a lunch! Hopefully this one wouldn’t be filled to the brim with healthy food like the one she had gotten from her caretaker. She had to remove a hand from keeping her hardhat in place to hold the lunch, though the other still clutched to the hat's brim to avoid any injuries.
She did not want to be crushed to death by a bag of dirt, that was for certain.
Nodding (Hardhat wobbling furiously despite her attempts to hold it in place), she followed, her tiny frame fitting easily into the elevator. It was a bright shade of red with many bars to keep (mischievous) people from reaching out and hurting themselves. She had never seen one like it before-- How did they move something so big once the building was done?
But… Wow! It was bigger than she thought, as the elevator rose. People turned as small as ants! Was this Varu’s building? Maybe his family was really rich, or something. Maybe this building was going to be his new house! No inklings that these boys could be lying had even crossed her mind-- they had to be nice, they had already done so much to let her have fun at work!!
“So, So!” Her cloudy eyes looked up at them in a mixture of excitement and glee, she had been captured completely by them, “Is this going to be his new house when it’s done?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:23 pm
"Yes," Murphy answered.
"No," Seamus cut in.
They exchanged looks, in which Murphy firmly told Seamus to shut his trap and let the magic happen.
"Well, sort of," the twin said, dropping his voice down to a hush-hush level and taking on the words of a well-traveled, wise minstrel. Or so he liked to tell himself. "You see, he's an exiled prince!"
"Banished from his lands," Seamus interjected, grinning and leaning against the elevator as they slowly rose higher and higher, stuffing his hands in his overall pockets. "Terribly sad story."
"Terribly so."
"You wouldn't want to hear it," Murphy sighed.
"Oh no, of course not, it is so tear-jerking-"
"-I cried the first time, do you remember?"
"I didn't cry."
"Don't be a prat. You know you sobbed like a babe."
"Did not."
"Let's not argue facts, Seamus."
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:31 pm
Her eyes were watching in disbelief-- It was true? He really was a prince? He must be from some other city, sent here as punishment. It all made sense! His weird name, why he talked so funny, why he treated her like royalty… Heck, maybe even why he dated boys!
So he was a foreign prince… Where was he from? Why was he exiled? Why did Sydni come along? She had to know more!!
“No!!” She darted over, hands gripping on one of their overalls (She wasn’t sure which, after all), her eyes were pleading in that innocent way that only young maidens could do, “Please! Please tell me! Please…?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:55 pm
They looked at each other, and an evil grin flitted over both their faces.
"Well, a long, long time ago," Murphy intoned, "in a far, far away city, there was a royal family that ruled. A fair king, a beautiful queen--"
"And one chivalrous prince. The city was a peaceful land, filled with happy people and prospering...things," Seamus added.
"Until one day, an evil witch happened upon the city. The evil witch, because she was evil-"
"-And kind of a bint-"
"-saw the happy kingdom and raged!"
"Because she was a bint."
"She spread evil across the land, until the people rebelled, blaming the king and queen. The king's brother, who he had trusted so dearly-"
"-his heart became cruel and twisted because of the witch's words!"
"And the family was chased - their castle burned, their land destroyed."
"And the prince? He was cursed by the witch - changed into a terrifying form!"
"Because he was too chivalrous, and had sought to confront her and protect his family!"
"But in the end, they had to flee," Seamus ended, sadly. "Penniless, to this very city. To start anew."
"But even now," Murphy's voice dropped lower, looking around suspiciously, "even now, the witch chases them, wishing to end their noble line. After Princess Sydni was born, their parents had to flee, entrusting their son to stay hidden and care for her as they drew the witch's attention elsewhere!"
"So you see, the prince has to be a lonely pauper," Seamus explained, "no one can know, besides us, or else they will be in danger again."
"Terribly sad, isn't it?" Murphy sniffed, wiping at his eye.
"Poor prince, indeed."
The elevator dinged, the gates clacking as they opened to let the occupants exit.
"You have to keep it hush-hush, ai'ight? No one else can know!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:15 pm
She took in their words like candy, her expression changing with each turn in events as if there was no way for her to foresee it. Almost as if the child had been raised on a severe lack of fairy tales, the story rung true and original to her young mind.
And poor Varu! Her hands clutched tighter on the overalls before she released them, readjusting her hardhat in case of any sort of emergency.
The curse… That made no sense, but maybe that was just the story that Varu put on, trying to hide his true identity as a tormented prince as well as a man possessed by the gods. Surely, living in a strange land with a strange God in your head would be trying-- No need for others to think he was insane as well as hunted!
And that witch! She was a nasty … b-… Bint indeed, whatever that word meant! She probably did all sorts of things to hurt Varu without him noticing… Like bugs! Swarms of bugs upon him! Or his unborn children could be cursed to die, or something like that! Maybe… Maybe the witch was someone close to him, causing him trouble without him even realizing it.
…… Oh, DUH. Tepin could tell who the witch was with once glance!! It was so simple that no one would notice it, yet it was so obvious! Every action that person did hurt Varu, and yet he never did anything to drive that person away… The witch had to be Quinn in disguise…!!
“I-I‘ll keep quiet, but…” Her face was a bright red as she pulled her hat lower over her head. Tiny steps made her way out of the elevator and onto the catwalk, “D-Do you think if he found a princess who could chase the witch off… That he could rebuild his castle?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:28 pm
"We pray for it every day, little lass," Murphy sighed, taking her by the hand cordially so that she didn't get scared, so high up. The catwalk had railings, for protection, but it was pretty high.
"As his loyal vassals, we would love nothing more than for a daring, brave, and courageous young princess to defeat that evil bint!"
"Seamus, I know you're thinking of your ex-girlfriend now-"
"-I'm just saying the girl was a witch, the witch is a witch, and they're both total bints-"
"But you really must let go, chap," Murphy tsked, grinning down at Tepin and pointing at the skyline. It was a magnificent view of the city - beautiful and stunning, and empowering to see. "If the prince could rebuild his castle, he could one day make this city his kingdom. And everybody would be happy and prosperous. Don't you think that would be wonderful?"
"I wonder who could be the princess?" Seamus wondered, grinning at Murphy and nodding towards Tepin's blush. "Someone who cares a lot about the prince, no doubt."
"Oh, no doubt about that, sir."
"A happy ending in store?"
"Of course!"
"V'hat are you two doing?" came the annoyed, dulcet (to the twins, of course) tones of Vale's voice drifting down from the upper catwalk above them. The teen gave the two an especial glare - for bringing Tepin to such a dangerous place, and for seemingly babbling nonsense.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:02 pm
“Woooooow~” She never knew the city was so huge! And beyond that… She had only ever seen the desert on field trips. To see it from so high up-- It was amazing! Completely mind boggling. The dull yellow land seemed to stretch on forever before meeting in a solid line with the bright blue on the sky. It did feel empowering. As if, all in one moment, she could see the entire world. It looked so little, as if she could reach out and encompass all of it.
The twin’s words were not helping. Egging her on like that-- grown men should be ashamed of themselves! She might get the wrong idea!
In fact, she did get the wrong idea. She had already decided to make Varu happy… But to restore his kingdom? That was one step above just “making him happy”. Smiling to herself, she figured that that in itself would be a good way to keep him smiling… Banishing the witch would be even better.
Because then, she also wouldn’t have to deal with his stupid bright flowers and selfish life style… And she could have Vary all to herself. It was perfe--
His voice! She looked up, one hand in Murphy’s (Seamus’s?) as the other clutched tightly at her hard hat (She didn’t want that dirt to crush her!!)
“OH!” The blush returned full power as she titled her head upwards, “I’m getting a tour!”
Which, to her mind, seemed a perfectly innocent thing to be doing. It didn’t make sense why he’d be so annoyed that his friends be taking his stray for a little tour… She wondered what the problem was.
…… Maybe he was jealous.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:17 pm
"A tour?" His look at the twins said everything - small children were not supposed to be touring construction sites. He swung down, landing on their path and straightening back out, crossing his arms at the two with a distinctly unsettled frown.
"Somehow, I do not believe that you v'ould-"
"Are you questioning our sincerity?" Murphy cut his lecture off early, pulling a sad face.
"That hurts!"
"Too right, it does. Like a stabbing pain, right in my, er-"
"Right in his liver, sir!"
"Actually, I think that was the alcohol-"
"You really shouldn't drink so much, you get so rowdy-"
"Not this again, Seamus."
"Yes, this again, Murphy!"
"No, not this again, you two," Vale interjected with a shake of his head, picking up Tepin as he was wont to do, settling her in his arms with a scowl at the twins. Thankfully he wasn't as covered in dust, so she didn't get too dirty - but then again, it was impossible to get this far without getting covered in a layer of dirt. "I don't trust her v'ith you," he muttered annoyedly, walking off down the catwalk with girl in hand.
"So charming."
"He really just covers up his true feelings," Seamus explained, grinning and giving a wink to Tepin behind Vale's back as they walked alongside.
"Oh! Don't take her back down just yet!"
"Oh, yes brother! Are you thinking-"
"-what I'm thinking?"
"The tower!" they chorused.
Vale did not look so enthused.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:29 pm
She fumbled for a moment as he scooped her up, lowering her head with a klunk as her hardhat collided with the mirror hidden beneath the man’s clothes. She was shocked-- She didn't think she'd feel anything because of the helmet-- and yet her head had been bonked against the padding!
Darn!! And she had tried so hard to bow like she was supposed to!!
But the boys seemed just as chipper as they had before in spite of her mistake, parroting each other as they spat out ideas. Ideas seemed to be a dime a dozen for these twins, always having some new way to torment the poor prince as he tried desperately to rescue his princess from the not-quite-malicious brats.
“A tower?” She mimicked them, looking up with the most pleadingly hopeful look she could muster, “I want to see a tower! Oh, please? Varu?” Her hand tugged at his shirt a few times, “Can I please go to see the tower? I promise I won’t lean over the railing!”
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:44 pm
He sighed, and frowned, and fidgeted uncomfortably - but he couldn't deny those eyes, caving and giving her a rueful smile, taking the lunch pail from her hands to hold and hugging her more securely.
"Alright. Just for a few minutes."
"Lucky girl! You'll love the tower, really."
"Prince Valeriu's not-so-secret hideaway."
"He never eats lunch with us, you know. Goes where we can't follow."
"It's pretty cruel."
By that time, Valeriu had long since started up the stairs of the catwalks, intent on leaving the idiots behind.
The tower wasn't quite a tower in the literal sense, but the twins weren't joking when they said they couldn't follow. At the top of the steps, as far as the skeletal framework extended so far, a crane jutted out. He hefted her more assuredly, holding her snugly against him as he walked sure-footedly across the length of the crane, until they reached the end, and he settled down carefully. There was just enough room to sit comfortably; like hanging in mid-air. No one else would be balanced or brave enough to walk this far.
But it was breath-taking. Here, the wind was crisp and chill, but soft; the air somehow clearer, the view more amazing, the sun warmer. It almost felt like floating, or flying, or looking down upon the world like a god.
"Ee'f you get scared, tell me, okay?" He kept a strong hold on her, seating her in his lap and setting down her (stolen) pail. She was not going to fall out of his arms for anything. She was safe. "Do you like ee't?"
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