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 Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 1:26 pm
Another day, another stroll to the park. Calanthe seemed to be having a lot of luck meeting new people here, so she figured why not bring Elissa here to meet some new people too! After all, they were both orphans so that must mean Elissa didn't have very many friends in town either.
As the two wandered the park, they came across the bench that Elissa had been first laying on when Calanthe woke her up suddenly. Elissa laughed, "Oh, memory lane."
"It hasn't been that long, fool!" Callie harshed.
Elissa giggled, "I know, I know. But I still never thought I'd fall asleep on that bench, be woken up by a girl that smelt like suntan lotion and end up taking her home and practically adopting her."
"And I ain't going anywhere, so it looks like you're stuck with me!" Callie stuck her tongue out at Elissa and she laughed, taking a seat on the bench.
The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the others walk around the pond. Some fed the ducks, some where playing frisbee.
"Let's get a dog." A good suggestion on Callie's part, however it was Elissa's turn to harsh.
"We can't have a dog in the hotel room, kid."
"OH MY GOD! It's CALLIE! We've been over th--"
"I want to feed the ducks. We should bring some bread next time."
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:03 pm
Whatever he was doing seemed to be working. She was responding positively to his attempts to be more engaging but he wondered if that was because it was beyond her will not to. But it was the results that mattered, right? She was in short, becoming more motherlike as the days went by. She went into deeper lulls of... whatever it was that happened when she would stop responding, but it didn't take much to spring her back into her 'normal' mood. Maybe that brat was right, that family wasn't so bad after all.
He tugged at her hand, running down the rugged path. "Come on, come on!"
"We'll get there when we get there!" She laughed, but instead began to race down the path, causing him to be who was being dragged along.
Finally, she settled on a bench - opposite of a woman and her child and gave a huff. "I haven't ran like that in ages." She smiled, watching Seph sit down beside her.
"Then we should get out more." He coyly grinned, his attention then wandering over to the people beside him. He looked at the girl, and then her mother - and the great time they seemed to be having. His grin dissapeared momentarily before reappearing. He bet she had it so easy.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:21 pm
The two were still bickering jokingly when they saw the other two come dashing through the path and onto the bench opposite of themselves. Elissa momentarily wondered if the woman's son was like Calanthe. There seemed to be a lot of these scented children around.
"Elissa." Callie had turned her head, to make it look like she was looking at something over her shoulder. Elissa ignored her. Callie glanced at her for a moment before trying again, "Elissa." Still nothing. Oh my god, was she deaf?! "Elissa!" Callie hissed.
"What?!" Elissa looked down at her with a stern look.
"Shh, you're making it obvious!"
"Making what obvious?" She whispered.
"See that boy over there?"
Elissa stealthy looked over, but chances were, she had just gotten caught, "Yeah, what about him?"
"He's got one arm, I think."
Duuuuude, no way! Elissa thought, looking over. He was so young! Wait .. young. She glanced down at Calanthe who was still trying to act stealth and looking over in the distance and not like she wanted to look at the boy, "He looks about your age, you know."
"So?"
"Why don't you go say hi?"
"Why don't you?!"
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 6:31 pm
Seph glanced over at the pair on the other bench, but then turned his attention back to Sara who was smiling at him. She gently touched his hair, and feeling the moon shaped hair pin she'd bought from him only days ago. That had been the only time she'd resisted his luring 'charm'. It didn't... suit him, but he liked it all the same. It was the only thing he truly had from her.
Then he heard whispers close to him, and shiftily eyed those opposite to him. As much as they tried to be sly, it was fairly obvious that they were not looking at the scenery, but rather at him. His eyes narrowed darkly, especially because their voices escalated and he could now hear everything they said.
He hated being thought of like some freak because he only had one arm. It wasn't his fault he was 'born' this way. He didn't really know if it was anyone's fault - he still wasn't quite sure of the whole process of how scent kids came to be. But that wasn't the issue - these two girls seemed so incredibly fascinated by this simple detail. He looked straight at Calenthe.
"Hello." He said in the coldest voice he could muster.
Sara, however, did not reprimand him, but merely stood watching Calenthe.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 8:19 pm
They both stopped and Calanthe looked up at Elissa. Still in a whisper, she panicked, "Do you think he heard us!?" Elissa nodded and Calanthe's eyes panicked for a brief moment, before she cooled.
"Go apologize, you a**. He obviously heard."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll do it after." Calanthe got up from the bench and slowly skipped over to them, "Hullo! I'm Calanthe - call me Callie." She extended her hand for it to be shooken, "I apologize for .. erm .. staring earlier. I probably shouldn't have. I mean, I met someone with horns and a tail the other day, and one girl that could float! Shouldn't be a shocker at all." She gave a goofy smile and looked back at Elissa for reassurance.
Headpalm. This girl is terrible at apologies.
Elissa got up and walked over beside Callie; placing a hand on her shoulder, "Hi, I'm Elissa." She extended her hand to Sara, "I'm sorry about that, it was very rude of us. I hope you'll accept our apologies." The last remark was directed towards Seph.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:08 pm
It irritated him even more that he wasn't being directly confronted, but they were continuing to talk amongst themselves. He would cross his arms if he could, but with his current state it would only look awkward. So he settled for giving her a subtle glare.
He watched her walk over, his icy demeanor still there. He may have not had both arms but he was not deaf. His eyes flickered at her hand, but did not take it. He would not show respect to someone who wouldn't give him any. "Seph." He said sharply, as if it wasn't a name but an insult. "It's nice to know I'm the same category as someone who is inhuman and someone who..." Oh, what the word? He'd read about it from a book on Sara's shelf. "... displays paranormal abilities." He then watched the other woman approach, and wondered if she'd be more courteous.
Sara looked at Elissa, and her blank look turned to a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Sara." She said and shook her hand. "It's fine. Isn't it Seph?" She said and ruffled his hair playfully, earning an utterly confused look from him.
Had he just sold her out in a matter of seconds? He had been rudely insulted and she was...? How was this possible?
She then looked at Callie. "You have a wonderful little girl." She smiled brightly.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:55 pm
Elissa smiled at Sara, "Thank you!" She didn't feel like explaining that she had only taken Calanthe, not too long ago, as .. well, a daughter, she supposed. Glancing at Seph, then back to Sara, she continued, "Your young man is a very handsome one! Regardless of whether or not he's got one arm." She gave Seph a geniune smile, "May I ask what had happened? If you don't want to speak about it, that's fine. Curiousity got the best of both myself and Calanthe, it seems." She stopped.
"My uncle," she looked at Seph, "has only one arm, as well. And he managed to overcome all odds and became a boss at the mine site he actually losed his arm in! He makes such a ridiculous amount of money and is extremely successful." She refrained from adding in the cliché of making the best of what you've got; hopefully he wouldn't let the lack of an arm get him down. So young, so much potential.
Oh, that little .. Calanthe smiled and oh boy, did it ever look fake, "Well Seph," she hissed, "I'm sorry that I've never met someone with only one arm. I smell like a freakin' coconut all the damn time so I must be a freak too then. Looks like we're all in the same category!" Wow .. definitely fiesty.
"Callie!" Elissa hissed; giving her a warning look. Turning her attention back to both Sara and Seph, she laughed weakly, "Ah, I apologize. She's quite the fiesty little one, that's for sure."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:12 am
Sara looked at Callie once more which brightened up her smile. She continued to smile until came the mention of Seph having one arm. Well, she was still smiling, albeit a little crookedly. Seph froze for just a moment at being directly asked about it. What was he supposed to say? Most kids didn't just appear - let alone appear with only one arm. He stood idle, his eyes narrowing to a glare and not saying a word. He didn't even want to lie about it, even though he likely could have spun an adequate story.
They both listened to Elissa's story, but Seph was at best unimpressed and Sara seemed to continue to have that sad, crooked smile on her face. He just didn't want to hear about it... Couldn't they just ignore he was missing an arm? He bit back a snarky comment, knowing his quarrel wasn't with her, but with the other girl.
Seph returned his attention to Calenthe, who certainly didn't seem happy - he could see through the smile. Always smell like a coconut? Was she a scent kid as well? He inhaled the air, and against all odds it did smell like coconut. His lips curled into a smile. "Yes, I suppose we're all freaks." His own scent, subtle as it was at first, took a little of coaxing to go into the air. He was trying to harness it to control when it was used, but it was hard to tell when he had actually done it right - Sara was the only one so far whom had been affected it, well, other then that server. His scent gravitated into the air - one that had a rather numbing effect, that by the time you noticed the scent you had your senses handicapped.
Sara gave a nod at Elissa, and her normal smile returned and laughed as well. "So is Seph."
He stared oddly at her. Was his scent not... working?
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 8:28 pm
Pointless. Elissa thought. They had both turned sour at the mention of his one arm. It was there; you can't just ignore it. Elissa didn't think it was a big deal at all, but apparently they young one was having a hard time coping with it. She didn't blame him, but she was trying to make light of the situation. If bystanders were more educated, they wouldn't even notice his lack of a limb. Then again, Elissa was very aware Calanthe hadn't ever been exposed to this before. To her it was new, and now it landed them in an awkward situation.
Both Elissa and Calanthe stopped once again; could he be a scent as well? Inhaling, there was a very slight musk lingering in the air, "Oh, what's that? Smells like a musk of some sort." But then the smell seemed to disappear .. Elissa glanced at Seph, giving a quizical look, but decided not to ask.
"You're like me, aren't you? Did you come out of nowhere, looking how you do now? Guess what, buddy. If that's the case, we're one in the same." Calanthe turned around; not wanting to further speak to the boy that was irritating her, but she stopped and turned around, "We came from a store .. from oils. In case you were wondering." The latter remark was a snappy one, although it wasn't really necessary. The point got across without the attitude and tone.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 3:41 pm
He hated this disability - not because of the physical handicap, but because of the social one. One glance from people walking past him would lead to a pitied, saddened look. As if nothing else about him mattered. He was a kid with one arm, that was as much depth as there was to him, or at least that's what they thought. It wasn't a big deal, why did people have to point it out or zone in on it?
Seph carefully watched Elissa as she took in the scent, but made no comment on it. Musk. What was that? He noted the word anyway, since he really had no idea what type of scent he had come from.
Seph rolled his eyes, and realized that perhaps she wasn't that great a listener either. "That is what I said, didn't I? We're all freaks." He made sure to stress that word, that she was as bad off as he was - perhaps she wasn't missing an arm, but she wasn't normal. The next comment didn't shake him - he'd already been through the shock already. Instead, he gave a smirk. "That's right, isn't it? Whomever decided to buy you didn't even want a child, but just a mere oil burner. You're not what they wanted."
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:34 pm
That was it. Calanthe's last nerve had been stepped on and she was fuming. A slur of curse words ran through her mind as she wished bad and hateful things upon Seph - again, all in her mind. She couldn't have an outburst. She had to resist, but was it ever hard for her.
That last comment was the one that hit the hardest, and if she wasn't trying to fight back her tears, she would have tried to rip his other arm off. Of course, this wasn't in her nature. She was fiesty, but not psychoic or dangerous. But why did she want to hurt him now?
"Guess that would explain why my mother abandoned me, huh?" The snarky tone remained, but her voice was shaking. She looked up at Elissa, apologetic. They both knew Elissa wasn't her mother, but she was the closest thing she had to one.
Now Calanthe knew why she wanted to hurt him. Because she hurt.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 1:34 pm
It was hard not to notice that the comment hadn't struck her hard, harder then he'd perhaps originally intended. But she had brought it upon herself. Was he supposed to feel pity that she couldn't take the same kind of comments that she herself had dished out? The look on her face... Something seemed off about it.
Seph remembered his last encounter that hadn't turned out well, with that bubblegum boy. He could see the scene replaying in his head. From his icy comments he had learned that the boy's parents had been killed. He listened closely to what Callie said, and found himself surprised - even though his demeanor didn't budge. He didn't know whether to say anything more. It would be a cheap blow. It was like kicking someone when they were down. As he stood there wondering what to say, his thoughts were interrupted -
"Your... Your mother abandoned you?" Sara said in as shaken a voice as Callie had previously. She seemed absolutely distraught by the very idea that the little girl had been on her own.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 6:45 pm
Calanthe had a glare set on her face. She wouldn't let him win; she wouldn't let those tears fall. She was better then that. Callie had been through it; finding a home, then losing it. Now, she found another one and there were no more reasons to cry. Nope, she wouldn't cry. Not today. Not because of him.
Elissa glanced down at Callie. She wanted to hold her, comfort her, but she knew that that was probably the last thing she wanted right now. She looked at Sara and nodded, "Yeah, I actually first found -- er .. met her here. I was taking a nap on that bench," she nodded to the bench they had been previously sitting at, "when she came up to me. I'm alone in this town, and so is she, so I decided to take her in." Elissa put her arm around Callie, "Not quite sure what happened to her mother, though."
The glare remained, but she broke her silence, "She was just gone." Her voice cracked, "One morning, I woke up .. nothing." But she shook her head. She wasn't going to let that bring her down. Calanthe didn't want anyone's pity. She was perfectly happy how she was now. In a hotel room with two double beds and Elissa - her new mother. Then, in the first time in the last few moments, Calanthe's smile returned - an attempt to prove that she was fine .. she knew she would be.
But she wouldn't deny it; Callie missed Lara very much .. but that alone wouldn't bring her back. She had always told herself that maybe she needed to leave; maybe it was too dangerous to bring Callie along. Either way, she knew Lara wouldn't leave her unless she really had to.
Suppose she really had to then, huh ...
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:16 am
Seph stood there dully looking at her, watching her expression stay to the glare she had before. He watched her fight her emotions. Hmph. So she was all talk. And he, he was supposed to back down? No. This was good for her, wasn't it? So she would become stronger. So she wouldn't be weak. She needed to learn from his example. He looked over at Sara, and saw in such a distressed state that it made him feel just a little uneasy.
Sara turned her attention to Ellissa, but her gaze would flicker back to Callie ever so often, bearing sad eyes. "I'm so sorry. I..." Her voice choked up, and with that she recieved a very bewildered look from Seph. He had never seen her evoke so much emotion. Was this a product of his 'powers' or...? He didn't understand it.
Seph was too lost in thought to keep his attention on Callie. Sara was unpredictable, or at least she was turning to be. Before he knew exactly what was going to happen, because he governed her action but now... If he completely gave her reign, would something as bad as what happened to Callie happen to him? Seph met Callie's gaze, his expression softening.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:06 pm
As Seph's expression softened, Calanthe's hardened. The last thing she wanted was his pity. He had been a jerk to her and now that he knew about her past, she didn't want him to be nice to her because of it. In fact, she couldn't care any less of what he thought of her!
But her attention didn't stay at him; she looked at Sara and saw the distress in her eyes. Calanthe walked up to Sara; being tall for her age and because Sara was sitting down, Callie didn't take much effort in wrapping her arms around Sara's neck - hugging her gently, "It's okay! I'm fine now. My momma just had to leave." She let go of her embrace and laughed, "She obviously had some secret mission and it was too dangerous to bring me."
In reality, Calanthe was still a child. She had no reason to act any older than she was, so her last comment was meant to show this. She was still a kid and losing her mother hadn't ruined that for her. A part of Callie, deep deep down, was hoping that maybe this'll show Sara that she needed to stay with Seph and be a mother to him .. even though he's not her real son .. just like Calanthe hadn't been Lara's actual daughter.
Even if he is a complete a** ..
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