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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:21 pm
Night was really the best time for both of them. It wasn't as though Todd couldn't function in the daylight- he wasn't some B-Movie vampire that melted or combusted in sunlight. He just seemed more active and energetic at night, as did Cris (though for the necromancer, it was a matter of sleep cycle as opposed to inherent nature). Though really...the boy seemed to have boundless energy no matter what time it was. Which was evident to anyone watching Cris try and keep the boy under control and reigned in on his child-leash the zombie boy was tethered too.
The sun was just starting to sink down in the sky, throwing a wonderfully lit mix of pinks, reds and approaching purples of twilight across the sky. Cris had always like the sunsets and sunrises...it was an advantage of having such weird sleep hours, being able to expirience them both most nights. He felt a little sad that the kid would never see this pretty nature junk but...well, Todd seemed hardly melancholy that he was missing such a key sense. The necromancer watched the boy tug at his lead, flailing his small cane around ahead of him as he walked, chew toy clutched in the other.
"Alright kiddo, ease up...we're just about at the park." he said as they crossed the parking lot and approached the green.
"Lemme go! Wanna pway! Wanna go swing!" he whined, pulling against the harness. "Go, go, gooooo!"
The man sighed heavily, grappling a bit with the squirmy boy as he tried to get the tethering off. "Hey, hey, easy!"
He couldn't help but feel like he was talking to a dog as opposed to a kid. It...probably didn't help that the boy's chewie toy was...well, a dog toy. In Cris' defense, though, Todd tended to rip through child teething toys entirely too fast. At least the animal ones held up better, were non-toxic and the enticing beef flavor kept the boy more interested. Better a dog toy than someone's arm. Those teeth hurt.
Once he got the harness off, he took the boy's hand, leading him to the swings. "Alright, let's go swing a bit, huh? That sound good?"
"Swing, swing...oh, I wike the swings!" he said in a sing song voice, plodding along with his caretaker and clambering up readily.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:09 pm
Having a father that was indisposed meant that Leyla was able to pay (the word pay here meaning that the infant would promise she would not make the person taking her to the park her next meal) older siblings to take her places she had never been. Today wasn't one of those days. Today she had instead dragged her older brother Howl to the park.
The infant had only recently learned to walk, and was relying heavily on the much older boy, so perhaps dragged wasn't the best word. "There will be people there, brother Howl," Leyla informed him. "Daddy wishes me to socialize with children my age."
The teenage wizard accompanying her could only shake his head. He didn't think it was likely a parent would want their children socializing with an infant who spoke so well--and was so clearly of fae blood. "I don't know, Lei. Not many kids are going to be out this late, it's about bedtime--" he hesitated, noting an adult and a toddler near the swings. Was that boy on a leash? Honestly. People needed to learn to control their kids, not attempt to train them like dogs.
He was then appeased when the man removed the lead. "Leyla, I don't want you--" he started, but the infant had already taken off. She hadn't gotten far.
Stumbling and toddling, Leyla was making her way over to the swings. She almost fell quite a few times, but she would use her wings to help her get back up onto her feet. Useful things, they were. "Hello," she said, looking up at Cris with bright, yellow eyes. "My name is Leyla Sidhe." She studied Todd, and then smiled at him, revealing tiny, but pointed, fangs. "Nice to meet you. May I inquire as to what your names are?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:03 pm
It wasn't that Cris liked leashing the boy- in fact he thought that it was utterly retarded to see a normal child on a tether like that. It was just... that it was necessary at times. At least he wasn't putting the muzzle that the kid had come with on- or that's what he told himself, anyways.
He seemed content to push the boy on the swing now, smiling a bit as the boy squealed happily as he swung back and forth, back and forth. Cris never saw himself as a family man or a father- not yet, anyways- but...well, being trusted to care for something had changed those perceptions, little by little.
When the other strange child approach, Cris tipped his head down to look at her. Strange things didn't bother the pink-haired man, really. He raised the dead for a living and dealt with rogue preternatural oogie-boogies on the side so very little these days phased him or really intimidated him. At worst, his expirience told him to be on his guard a bit.
"Hey there, kid...got a good way of talking about you." he remarked. "I'm Cris and this here is Todd. Nice to meet you."
Todd had been wrapped up in the swings for a bit- or rather the action of swinging, enjoying the sailing motion and the wind against his face. It felt like...he was flying! It was a great feeling, like when his Da would pick him up and swing him around. It was almost like the feeling right before he fell too...only without the owie bump after.
Though, at the scent of a new person approaching, Todd's head swiveled in Leyla's direction and his nostrils flared a bit. Oh, a new person! And they smelled so...interesting!
Feeling the swing start to slow, Todd twisted out of the seat and half-jumped, half-flopped clumsily to the ground. He scrabbled upright, dusting himself off, mumbling 'ow, ow owie' under his breath- but yet seeming relatively undamaged and uninjured all the same.
He waddled to the girl, tilting his head from side to side and sniffing the air. "Heggo, heggo...'m Todd...you smell niiiiiice." he said, circling her.
Cris winced as Todd took a nosedive off the swing, but let go a sigh of relief when the boy scrabbled upright and toddled off. That boy...seemed like nothing fazed him at times. He watched the two carefully through the interaction, though. Todd shouldn't be too bitey- Cris always made sure to feed the child before taking him out (reduced the risk of the boy chasing and biting other children)- but it was better safe than sorry when you had a small zombie around.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:29 pm
“I speak so well because my father is fae. My daddy is an elf. Both races are known for their talented tongues. I suppose I inherited both genes.” She couldn’t imagine speaking any other way. Why did adults always make a big deal over it? They thought it was cute, that it meant she was intelligent. Leyla didn’t think so. There were many other things she had yet to learn. “I have not yet mastered walking, however.” Her legs simply would not obey what her mind wanted them to do. She didn’t have enough muscle tone to be able to walk far without support, but being the determined infant she was, she often attempted to do so, only to get tired, or fall onto her behind and fuss. “I am forgetting my manners. Hello, Todd. Hello, Cris.”
Todd was far more interesting than his father. Leyla had never seen anyone quite like him--or smelt anything like him, either. The scents she picked up on him reminded her of her mother, Stasia. Oh well, he didn’t smell as if he’d taste very good. His blood didn’t have the right properties to it, she supposed. She’d only met very few people in her young life who had the blood type she desired; Vate, her father, and her older brothers.
“Hello Todd,” Leyla repeated, studying the older boy. “You…don’t. It is nice to meet you, however. My name is Leyla. Would you like to play with me?”
Howl groaned. Their father had set rules down for them when babysitting Leyla, and he had clearly broken each one. He had allowed her to speak to strangers. He hadn’t kept his eyes on her at all times (hey, those girls across the street from the park were pretty, and well, he just couldn’t help staring!), he was allowing her to play with a child whose parents he hadn’t spoken to first, to make sure they were decent, non-abusive, irresponsible-the list went on to include several negative qualities-people. “Leyla, you know what Dad says about strangers.”
The teal skinned infant looked back at her older brother, wrinkling her nose. “’No speaking to strangers. If a stranger offers you candy, run away screaming except on Halloween. If they invite you into their c--'” she began, quoting their father with ease, hands behind her back.
“And what are you doing?” Howl interrupted.
Leyla stuck her tongue out at him. “Daddy said I could socialize. Everyone’s a stranger, until I make friends with them. One day, I’ll make friends with everyone, so there won’t be any strangers.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:19 pm
He gave a nod as the child explained her skills in articulation. The young necromancer didn't have much expirience with too many non-human races (though he had some familiarity with the fae, given his dealings with the supernatural and all). It was less of an 'oh how frickin' adorable' thing for him than it was a point of interest- as evidenced by his raised brows.
...although it was a little cute. But that was only a secondary thought.
"Yeah, walking's a b-- pain." he said, catching himself. He still was getting used to scaling back language to be kid-appropriate. This parenting thing...it had induced a lot of changes in his life, really. "I know some adults that don't even got it down so don't worry too much. It'll come eventually. And hey, no worries about being all formal-like. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure the kiddo here feels the same." he concluded, glancing to his young ward, who was intently cirlcing and sniffing at the fae.
Ah, he hoped the boy kept it in his mouth. It was always awkward explaining and apologizing to parents when bite wounds occured. Somehow, saying "Oh, so sorry...he's a zombie and we're still working out the 'no bite' rule" didn't seem to help.
He moved around and sunk into the swing his kid abandoned, lazily swaying back and forth a bit. Maybe the two would go play a little further away and he could sneak a quick smoke in. It was a dirty habit, smoking, but his love for nicotine could give a crap. His moral sense prevented him from smoking around kids (and incidentally, the cat), though so at least he was only hurting himself with it.
It was not surprising that the zombie child was more interesting than his father was. Outwardly, he looked like a normal boy. Almost, anyways. His deep red hair starkly contrasting with pale skin and milky eyes tipped one off he wasn't entirely normal, though. He smelled as a normal child would too- no odor of decay or anything. His scent, however (and scent was very much different than smell) was...different. Again, there was no rotten odor but rather a smell of graveyard dirt, an almost musty smell. There was a quality that very clearly tipped off anyone with proper scenting skills that this was no human child...or even any living child.
Despite that, though, he still huffed a bit and planted tiny, pudgy hands on his hips when he picked up the inferrence that he did not smell good. He just had a bath! Of course he smelled good!
"Hmph! I do so smell good! I jus' hadda baff!" he said, somewhat indignant. "Maybe your sniffer is bwoked!"
The mention of play mollified him almost instantly, though, and he relaxed, looking excited and happy again. Ah, what a typical child, attention span constant bouncing here, there and everywhere!
"Pwaaaay? Oh, I'd like that!" he said. "Whatchoo wanna pway?" Despite his propensity to get cranky and bitey at times, Todd was often an agreeable boy and most usually would go along with what the other children wanted to play.
Cris laughed a bit at the other child's guardian and his nervousness. Since the child- Leyla- referred to a 'dad', he guessed this must be the babysitter.
"Hey man, don't worry. I promise I'm not a kid snatcher or cannibal or anything. Just a new dad taking his kid out to get some socialization." he called, holding his hands up in a placating gesture.
He didn't look too bad either- just an average guy who looked to be in about his mid-20's. Well, the pink hair was a bit odd, but it wasn't like he had tunnel plugs or 800 tattoos and piercings or anything. Strange, but not too strange. And though he could be a bit snarky and sarcastic at times, Cris was overall a pretty decent guy. Mellow.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 12:44 pm
"My Daddy says one day, I'll be graceful and beautiful," Leyla informed him. Adults who couldn't walk yet? That made the infant giggle. She had always known humans were unintelligent, helpless beings, even if they had decent technology. The infant's attention, however, was quickly stolen, again, by the strange boy who was circling and sniffing at her like some kind of animal. It displeased her. Honestly. Her Daddy had warned her about strange beings on Gaia, but this--this was positively vulgar! The older boy was behaving like a dog!
"You don't smell nice," Leyla told Todd, matter of factly, when she'd recovered from his vulgarity. "Only my Daddy ever smells nice, and his blood smells fresh and good. Yours doesn't." Leyla knew what she liked, and it wasn't that she knew what Todd was--it was that his blood did not have the right properties to even be remotely attractive--in an edible sense--to the young fae. Besides, the boy smelled like the basement. Musty and dirty--and she didn't like that. She wasn't sure she believed him about just having a bath. "My nose isn't broken!" She wasn't quite old enough to tell the difference between scents; Todd could have been human for all she cared.
"On the swings?" Leyla suggested, smiling at the change of subject. Her attention never veered away from the current situation as fast as other children her age, she'd noticed. Maybe it was better to go with whatever Todd liked, so she could observe him better. "We can play on the slide, as well. And the merry-go-round." She wobbled and stumbled before getting onto her hands and knees and crawling over to one of the swings. She used the rubber seat to pull herself up.
"That's what they all say," Howl said, narrowing blue eyes at Cris. Of course someone who kidnapped children would deny being a kidnapper. He couldn't sense any sort of particular magic about the man; but it was obvious he had some. After all, what ordinary human would have pink hair? Pink hair... That reminded him of a robot he'd met in Kiri's shop. Maybe this man worked for Kiri, as well? Maybe he was actually a robot. One of those creepy, mind-reading robots. "I'm Howl," he added, running a hand throuhg his hair. "Leyla's older brother." Now that he thought about it, Todd did seem vaguely familar... As if he'd seen the boy somewhere before, but he couldn't think of where, or when.
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 5:03 pm
Cris gave a curt nod, still swaying lightly back-and-forth in the swing. If she was fae, she was bound to end up graceful and dexterous...well, he thought so, based on his limited expirience with the Fair Folk. "Yeah, probably....give it time." he said, gesturing vaguely.
He held back a chuckle at the girl's flabbergasted look as Todd circled her curiously. He knew that look and that body language...most people tended to react like that- gobsmacked. Gobsmacked or wary, anyways. Occasionally bemused. He didn't bother much to discourage the boy, though, as long as he kept teeth to himself. Hey, he was a kid...let him act weird while he could.
He laughed at Howl, glancing to the guardian again. "Yeah, I guess a creeper wouldn't go around saying 'oh yeah, totally gonna kidnap, feel up, and kill your kid', huh? They all act innocent." Still, the very idea of he himself being someone of danger made him laugh. Well, okay. Maybe he was a little dangerous, what with the necromancy and all, but he made a decent effort to keep his powers in-check and used responsibly. Grandma didn't raise no fool. "But hey, guess I can't change your mind, huh? All I can do is give you my scout's honor I'm cool. And hey, people don't just adopt a kid out to anyone, you know...even if they did do the proceedings in a cave." And yet...he'd still seen stranger things happen.
Todd seemed not to pick up on the other's unease- he couldn't see her expression or body language so he was none-the-wiser. "Yeah well...you don't smell nice too!" he huffed back. She actually did smell pretty good...but he wasn't going to tell her that!
He toddled to the swing readily, moving towards where he'd heard his father's voice moment earlier. Da was by the swings, after all! "I wike swings! Ooooh, an' the swide! You got good pway ideas!" Of course, she could have listed any form of play and he'd have thought it was brilliant. Todd...he didn't have many friends so playing with others was exciting, no matter what they played!
Groping about, Todd eventually found an empty swing, clambering up clumsily, eventually perching and kicking his legs in a futile attempt."Daaaa, push! Push!" he called, sniffing the air and twisting his face in his guardian's general direction.
Cris laughed and pushed himself up, moving to give his young ward a few pushes. "You need a push too, kid?" he asked, looking at Leyla. She could barely walk, so he wasn't sure she was coordinated enough to pump her legs effectively...
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:22 pm
"You know Darcy?" Howl asked, more curious than suspicious now. She was the only person he knew that dealt with adoptions and other things in a cave. He didn't know whether that made him more suspicious or not. "Darcy's the one who brought me to this world," he said, with a slight frown. "Not very fond of her. But if you know her, I suppose it's safe." He hoped Darcy wouldn't give children to serial killers.
"I smell pretty!" Leyla informed Todd, sticking her tongue out at him from where she stood, hanging on the seat of the swing for support. "Howl!" she called to her older brother. "Pick me up." She gave him her best, bossy tone. Coming from a small infant like Leyla, the fact that the teenager obeyed was rather comical. He lifted her carefully up and placed her into the swing.
"Thank you," she said, before glancing at Cris. "Will you push me, please? It would be very nice of you."
Howl was focused on Todd. He frowned slightly, as if puzzled. "I think I know you," he mused aloud.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:53 pm
He looked at the teen, raising brows (which, unlike his hair, were not dyed pink and betrayed his true hair color- blonde). "So you're one of those kids too, huh?" he murmured.
Though he guessed that one wasn't really a kid anymore. Looked like he'd grown up quite a bit. Cris had to wonder...how long before Todd grew up? He seemed to be a little slower than some of the others to grow. Maybe it was because the boy was a zombie or something. He wasn't going to worry about it too much, though...Todd was enough trouble at this age, let alone when he got old enough to have more coordinated cognition and refined movement.
More to the point of the teen's question, Cristophe nodded. "Yeah, I know the girl...her and her brother, actually. They're the ones that assigned this one to me." he said, gesturing to Todd. "As far as safe goes, though...depends on what you mean. If you mean 'has no capacity to hurt'...I wouldn't say safe. If you mean 'has no intentions to harm' then sure. If you mean 'sane'...well, that's a toss up."
He grinned wolfishly as he gave Todd a few pushes, eliciting squeals of glee from the boy. "...kidding, by the way. That was a joke." No need to alarm the teen. Not when he was chaperoning a kid that seemed more or less okay with Todd and vice versa.
Todd loved the feel of the air against his face as he swung back and forth, back and forth. The feeling of floaty weightlessness right before he came swinging back down made his chest flutter- but in a good way! He loved it, the swinging. Made him feel free, made him feel like he was flying.
He turned his face to the side as he swung, huffing a bit. "Well...maaaaaybe a widdle." he conceded to the fae. He still wasn't going to admit she smelled pretty interesting, though. He'd be nice like Da wanted him to be...but he wasn't going to go crazy about it!
He enjoyed the gentle motion of the swing as his Da moved to carefully push the other kid on the swing, turning his face forward again and seeming genuinely pleased with this evening outing.
"Weywa..." Seems her name would be a little challenging for him to pronounce properly until he grew a bit more. "Can you see stuffs?"
It was a question he'd been asking everyone, really. He knew there was another sense that he was missing out on...that much he was aware of and had been for some time. Though he couldn't wrap his mind around what it was like to see, he somewhat understood that most other people experienced more than a black darkness, that there was something more. He heard their smell and hearing wasn't as good, though, which sounded like it kind of sucked. He was sure he'd take good hearing and smell over some random sense any day.
Still, he was a curious boy and liked to know things about the people he met.
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:36 pm
"Yeah," he said. "They brought me here as a toddler," he added as an after thought. "From another world." He paused, and frowned slightly. "Aaron, right? I like him better than Darcy. He's nicer, but definitely not very clever." Or just very gullible. Howl had never figured out which. He paused, tilting his head slightly. "Sane?" he repeated. Was Cris saying he was crazy? He doubted that... Crazy people were either too crazy to understand they were crazy, or they were crazy homicidal people that charmed others into believing they were like everyone else.
"Oh, a joke," he nodded in understanding, but honestly, he couldn't quite catch the humor in it. "Slow to grow," he commented. "Leyla too. I guess it seems a lot faster when you're the one doing the growing, but it always seems so long..." He hated waiting. "Dad's been ill since she was born last year," he added. He seemed to be opening up to the older man now that he was fairly sure Cris wasn't some kind of mass-childkiller. "I was hoping once she grew, he'd start getting better. But she hasn't."
"I always smell good," Leyla corrected Todd, almost patiently, as if she was talking to someone slow. Then she smiled. "You smell different," she said. "I don't think you'd taste very good." As Cris pushed her, she giggled with delight, her hands instinctively tightening around the chain. She wasn't yet coordinated enough to pump her legs, but she certainly did enjoy the feeling of being in the air! Her tiny wings unfurled and fluttered in the gentle winds created by the swing's movement.
She blinked at Todd's question. See stuff? Of course she could! She had never met anyone who couldn--did that question mean Todd couldn't see things like she could? She frowned in concern for the older boy. "Uh-huh," she said. "Trees and mountains and you, and your Daddy, and my brother. I see all sorts of things. Can't you see too?"
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