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 Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:41 pm
Layton and Darnell entered the daycare center. The baby looked around at his surroundings as he clung to Darnell. This place wasn't familiar, and the baby was slightly frightened. Darnell glanced at her son and smiled slightly. "Don't you worry, honey. You just stay here for a few minutes while Mommy goes to work." Layton just cast his eyes up to his mother and clung even harder. "Nuh-uh..." Darnell sighed, exasperated, and gently but firmly removed the baby from her arms. "Now, Layton, you be good for Mommy and stay here, all right? I won't be long." She placed Layton on the carpet, waved to him, then went out the door.
Layton crawled around, checking out the perimeters. There were a few other babies like him a small ways away from him, and there were a few toddlers playing in another corner. Layton wasn't very interested in them. But what he did see was a small teddy bear lying discarded in the middle of the floor. He grinned and slowly took some dark shadows from an unattended potted plant and formed them into an arm-like structure, which was sort of like shaping Play-Doh. Layton then reached the arm out and grabbed the bear. He smiled and carefully brought the shadow arm back in. When he caught hold of the bear, he let the shadow dissipate and hugged the plush tight. Layton did not see the stares he got from some of the other children, but he did not care. he got the bear and that's all that mattered.
But as excited as he was, Layton couldn't help thinking that one of the bigger kids was going to take his bear. He threw the closest to a glare that he could at the nearest toddler and quickly crawled into a small corner, where he drew himself into the shadows of the wall. No one could find him here....
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:00 am
This car-riding, thus far, was frustrating to the little nix, who did nothing more the entire time than stare longingly at the bag of candy and every few seconds look up at his father with watery teal eyes, point to the candy, and ask, "Nums...?"
Peony gritted his teeth as he drove, having to physically concentrate to keep from snapping at his young son. Although he normally was, if anything, amused by Echo, right now he was just being irritating. But then, it seemed everything was irritating when Paradise was overseas, fighting in a war he had no business being in of his own volition. Just thinking about it made Peony angry, which showed as he turned a corner sharper than was technically safe. "No, Echo. Not yet. You'll get nums soon though, okay?"
Echo squealed, grabbing the edges of his carseat, when his father snapped around the corner, eyes wide. He looked back toward the dark coloured male sadly, wiggling a bit and groping for the candy anyway. It had been sooooo long since he'd had sweets, or so it felt. But that was probably because, usually, he had Paradise's chocolate chip pancakes to tide him over until later in the day, but that didn't happen this time, and he'd been wondering why his dad was so upset, his 'mom' was so... gone, and, above all, why all of his meals since all this started happening had been pizza!!
After a few more minutes of hectic driving, Peony pulled into the parking lot of the daycare center and took Echo inside, holding both the child and the bag of candy. Approaching the woman who seemed to be in charge, he set Echo on the floor and just about shoved the bag of candy in her arms. "This is what Echo calls 'nums'. Give it to him when he asks for it." That vital piece of information given, he bent down and ruffled Echo's hair, giving him a small, weary smile. "You're gonna stay here while Daddy goes to work, okay Echo? Uncle Matthew and I will pick you up and take you home after, alright? That lady has nums, so ask her when you want them, alright?" He kissed the top of Echo's head. "Love you, Echo."
Echo whimpered softly, understanding about half of the words said by his father, piecing them together to realize that he was going to be left here. Regardless, he hugged onto Peony's leg, letting go with the last words coming from him. "Love'u, too, Ny-ny," he said wistfully, staring after the winged Eilian before looking back at the rest of the children. Finally, he snuck into the play area, only to curl up under his ghostie costume in the darkest corner of the room that he could find.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:37 am
Layton held the stuffed bear close to him in the shadows, convinced that the plush would be coming home with him. He smiled at it, and decided to call it "Teddums." Even though Layton was happy with his new companion, he could see that the bear was not completely hidden in the gloom as he was. Peering out from the darkness, the baby watched all of the other toddlers and kids his age with contempt. They certainly weren't going to take his bear. But just as a precaution, Layton scooted over to a darker abandoned corner and watched and waited.
In the darkness, Layton looked around at the other children. All of them were playing some game or building something out of blocks... All boring stuff, Layton thought. Were there no fun games here? Layton sighed and held the bear closer, shifting out of the shadows for a second or two. Staying hidden there was exhausting work, and the little boy was tuckered out. He sat down in the corner, playing with Teddums' arms, when Layton turned and saw another kid like him being left here. Layton looked at the baby curiously, having never seen someone like that before. The baby's dad looked different, and Layton didn't really like him, but the new kid looked fun. "Play game, eh? Mmhmm..." Layton nodded to himself. Maybe this child could be fun to play with.
Layton kept his eyes locked on the little baby, and all the time he was wondering why he was wearing a costume when Halloween had passed. But that thought soon dissipated as the baby came closer and closer to where Layton was. The boy's eyes widened and he quickly slipped into the shadows of the little corner. Layton watched the ghost-looking boy curl up only a few feet away from him. He looked at the boy curiously... and then realized that he left the teddy bear on the carpet, and it was now beside the ghost boy. "Nuh-uh..." he said quietly to himself, shaking his head, and he slowly reached one hand out of the shadows from where he hid towards the plush, hoping that he wouldn't attract the attention of the other child.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:03 pm
Bright teal eyes glanced around from beneath the costume while Echo fidgeted with the cloth a bit. He was looking for something in particular, which was -bar none- the best thing that he'd discovered so far. Even better than nums. That was an instrument, particularly the piano [given it was the only one he'd found]. He didn't know where these things resided, but he well knew that he'd found one in Uncle Matthew's house, so why wouldn't there be one here?
It was at that point that a small hand emerged from the shadows beside him, and those same teal eyes, the only part of him visible from under the sheets, widened drastically. Staring at the hand, he looked down at the bear that was beside him before squeaking, grabbing it, and throwing it at the monstrous bodiless hand that was groping toward him from the spooky shadows.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:48 pm
Layton gritted his teeth as he reached for the bear while trying not to frighten the little ghost-boy. He strained as the bear turned out to be just out of reach. His eyes widened as this truth reared its head, and he looked at the boy, who was not looking his way. But then, the ghost-boy grabbed the bear, which Layton could not have. "Nuh-uh," he cried aloud as the plush was thrown at his revealed arm. It did not hurt, but it startled Layton nonetheless.
When the bear hit, he quickly recoiled his arm back into the shadows and squeaked. Layton looked at where the plush hit, then at the bear, then at the new boy. His eyes lowered and he released himself from the gloom and lunged for the bear. "No! My Teddums!" He didn't care about the new boy now. That was not true, actually: he cared that the ghost boy didn't get his bear before him. He frowned and went for the bear even faster, the plush now the most important thing in the world.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:47 pm
Echo jumped when the supposedly magically animated arm [or something like that] let out a shout, eyes widening even further. What was this thing and why was it so... angry? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that it was now retracted back into the shadows the shadows from where it had emerged. Wiggling a bit nervously, he crept forward on his hands and knees -or at least tried to, with his costume getting in the way- before reaching into the darkness hesitantly.
It was in that moment that the other child suddenly darted out from the shadowy depths, causing Echo to squeal and tumble backward, falling out from underneath his costume, temporarily exposing his minimally clothed self before he yanked the ghost sheet back over his head. When he got back up, he teared up at the slight throbbing pain from falling over so heavily. Pushing himself up to his feet, he toddled over to the woman whom his father had said had the nums, and reached his hand up, sniffling softly. "Nums...?"
With unwrapped candybar in-hand, he wobbled over to where the other had tackled 'his' teddybear, and sat down with a thud, nomming gently on the edge of the piece of candy while he watched him with big teal eyes. "Yo'w meanee."
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:57 pm
Layton grabbed a tight hold on the teddy bear and clutched it tightly. No matter what, nothing was as important as the bear. Nothing at all. But then Layton looked to the ghost-kid, who despite being mostly hidden, looked genuinely frightened. Layton looked at the bear, then looked to the child, then back to the bear.
When he looked back to the kid, he didn't see him in the corner with him, but over at the strange lady at the counter. When the child returned, he had a piece of candy in his hand. Layton stared at it greedily, then looked to the child and pointed. "Candies? C'n I have sum?"
But when Layton heard what the child said next, he was confused? "I'ma meanee? Nuh-uh! I jus' want'd my Teddums!" He smiled somewhat cheekily. "I c'n hide reel good, huh? You didn' ev'n see me over thewre!" Layton pointed to the corner where he was hiding. He then turned back to the ghost-boy, who Layton regarded as kind of strange, but he brushed it aside. "M'name's Layt'n. Wha's youwr's?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:08 pm
Echo blinked as the boy asked for one of his candies, big eyes looking down to the remainder of candy bar before holding up one finger in a 'one second' way, the same way that his guardian did when he didn't want Echo to say anything for a bit. "Se'c**," he stated, popping the rest of the candy into his mouth and toddling over to the woman again, reaching up one hand with the same request. With an exasperated roll of her eyes, she retrieved the candy bag and gave him another. "Tankee choo~" he said happily, wobbling back to Layton and handing him half of the Kit-Kat, before flopping onto his bum.
Echo made a face that showed he had a sudden epiphany about this child's intentions, and smiled a bit. "'Tay, 'tay," he replied in understanding, nodding a few times in a serious way, the same way Peony did. After all, he would have acted the same way if he'd found an instrument in the daycare. He nodded in confirmation at how well the other could hide, impressed by his wide vocabulary. Pointing at himself over the sheet, he took a moment to recall what he was called before exclaiming happily: "Echo!!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:27 pm
Layton cocked his head as the little ghost boy made a "shush" gesture like his mamma sometimes did. He then watched the boy go over to the lady and grab some more candy. Layton eyed the treat greedily and happily retrieved it when the boy sat down again. The candy looked delicious, so Layton dug into it. He had never had this kind of candy before, and it was as tasty as it looked. Layton smiled as he devoured the candy and he looked triumphant when he finished it, the remnants of the chocolate spread across his face.
Layton regarded the ghost boy once more, and smiled when confirmation was reached. "Uh-huh! Tank oo for th' candies, yeah." He looked back wistfully at Teddums and grabbed him, holding the plush close. Layton then turned back to the ghost boy, who said his name was... Echo? "Echo... Thas' a weird name, uh-huh. Bu' it's cool, too!" Layton smiled, then turned sly and whispered to Echo. "Yoo wan see me do a twrick?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:42 pm
Echo puffed out his cheeks beneath the costume when his name was called weird, a criticism in his book, particularly because of how Peony had raised him. Anything 'weird' wasn't good, at least that's how other people viewed it, which meant that you had to think like them and know that it was an insult so you could defend your honour. Echo had learned all of this from watching his darker-coloured guardian attack people in the office. It was terrifying, but it still taught him lots.
"No' we-ard name..." he mumbled unhappily, wiggling just a bit. He was alright with it being called cool, though. After all, kids older than him would yell it in parking garages and other things, so that made it better. Less people said Layton than Echo, after all. He blinked it confusion at the question, tipping his head to the side then nodding a couple times. "'Tay."
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:08 am
Layton looked at Echo curiously. He had never seen a ghost boy before, even if it was just a costume, and he was very... interesting. And weird. But cool-looking, too. And his name was cool, too. And.... Layton peered at the boy, ignoring personal space for a second. Echo's eyes were a very pretty shade of blue. Layton leaned back away from Echo and smiled. "You gots pwetty eyes!" Then he remembered his "trick," and he grinned and scooted to the corner.
"Okay, hewre's the twick!" Layton turned around to face Echo, smiled cunningly, and allowed his body to disappear into the shadows of the dark, abandoned corner. Once in the gloom, he slightly shifted himself so that only part of his face was not submerged. "Tah-dah!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:42 pm
Echo squeaked cutely at the intrusion of his privacy, wobbling backward and falling over a bit, pouting through his sheet at Layton for knocking him over with his closeness. At the comment of his eyes being pretty, though, he giggled cutely and wiggled a bit under that sheet of his. "Tank-oo Laeeton."
When the trick was mentioned, he sat up on his knees once again to lean forward excitedly, grinning under the sheet and wiggling himself a bit. When the boy disappeared, Echo blinked and leaned forward, squealing again and jumping back completely when the boy partially exposed himself. He bounced where he landed and clapped his hands together excitedly. "I LIKE DAT TWICK!!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:13 pm
Layton smiled and giggled as he saw the reaction of his new friend. He was rather proud of his special "trick," and he was more than willing to show the ghostie-boy some more of his ability. The toddler shifted himself again and twisted his way out of the shadows completely and grinned at Echo. "I can do mowre stuffs like dat, too! Watch dis!" He stood upright and toddled awkwardly over to the side of the big desk where the strange lady was sitting at.
Layton watched to make sure that the lady wouldn't see him by her big desk. Then, when she was turned away, Layton found a good large piece of shadow and rubbed his hands together, much like the other kids in the daycare were doing with the Play-Doh. As he did this motion, part of the shadow of the desk rolled into his hands until it formed into a semi-solid shape. When he had it at a good size, Layton peered back up to make sure the lady wasn't looking. When she turned away again, Layton reached the shadow arm up and grabbed two small candies from the bowl on the lady's desk. Layton smiled greedily and quickly brought the two treats back down. He handed one to Echo. "Hewre you go!" Layton smiled at the ghostie boy. "Can you do any twicks?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:03 pm
Echo turned around in place to lay on his belly and watch what Layton was doing while he kicked his legs in the air, entranced by the shadow manipulation. He wished, briefly, that he was able to do something that useful, but he liked his fancy magics, too. His magic was prettier and sounded better and made him feel older and more growed-up and 'complete' in a way he didn't even know how to explain.
Echo thieved the candy away with a 'tankoo' and peeled its wrapper off, leaving it at the woman's feet and chewing on the treat. He nodded rapidly when the question of his own tricks came out. "Uh-huh, I tan! Need inst-ee-ment, dough," he said around the candy, looking around the room sadly, wishing Mattoo's pinano would fall from the sky or something similar. "Pinano ow hawp ow sometin'."
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:04 pm
Layton looked at the ghostie-boy curiously. An... inst-ee-ment? What was that? The little toddler sat on his bum, thoughtfully chewing his bit of candy while he searched his mind. Did Mama ever talk about inst-ee-ments? And what were they? He looked back up at Echo when he started talking about "pinanos." Layton's eyes lit up. "Ooooh! I know what pinanos awre! Thew're big n' black n' shiny, wight?" Layton smiled and giggled.
"I don' t'ink they gots anyt'in' like dat hewre, but..." Layton got up and walked over to the pile of toys across the room and excavated for what he was looking for until he found it: a tiny rainbow colored play xylophone with a small mallet attached. Layton cheerily brought the toy over to Echo and sat down with it. "Hewre!"
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