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 Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:41 pm
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 Lisian took his time as he headed towards the nursery. He'd just gotten done with his first patrol of the day, and had seen to it that everything was in order before this meeting. It had been planned for awhile now, but had been difficult with their clashing schedules. Either he'd be on patrol, called to a special border securing task, or other things while Shaylee always had a random task or something else going on. It was a surprise that this particular day had worked out in their favor.
Lisian visited the nursery often since they had acquired the new little one. Things within the tree had drastically changed since that day. It had felt like it was in a constant uproar with the small creature bent on making her caretaker's every day a living hell. With their hands full with just the one, it had taken a few other Flutters to jump on board to keep things running smoothly within the nursery. Lisian felt absolutely terrible, not just for causing more work for his fellow Flutters, but for being partially responsible for the child's behavior.
So, in a way that was begging of forgiveness, he had spent whatever time he could helping them out. He'd had his fair share of attempting to tame the beast of a child, but she only seemed to put up a bigger fight whenever he was around. She knew who he was and obviously blamed him for her current situation- not that he blamed her. He was the reason, but they had done a good thing. She'd come to see that, right?
Then out of no where it had stopped. The tree had fallen into the peace it had once known. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief- even Lisian. He hoped and wished that during her time as a pupa she'd soak in the peace of their world and come out a changed female. He didn't fully believe it worked like that, but he sure could hope for it- for all their sakes. Either way, this peace would only last as long as she was in this stage of life. She'd emerge soon enough and he wanted to be sure he was there to help. Especially if she attempted to hurt anyone.
He paused outside the nursery to wait on Shaylee. There was another reason he invited her to join him here other than it being a part of his daily duties, but that was to get her more familiar with many jobs. He couldn't imagine living life with no direction or sense of belonging within a community, so he hoped he could slowly help her find her calling. This was just the easier one for him to start with since it was one of the duties besides his own that he knew. Everything else would be both of them kind of jumping in head first.
He assumed he was a bit early and decided he'd go in and just have her join him once she got there. He was curious how Xiulan was doing. She obviously hadn't emerged yet since thing were still quiet. He waved at the pair tending to the nursery, before making his way to the area just for the ones that had gone into their pupa state. There were a few of them, but thanks to her bright coloration (and the fact he visited often) Xiulan wasn't hard to find. Yup, still snuggled up. That was a relief.
"Hey, Xiulan, it's me again..." He said softly. He always spoke to her when he visited, hoping that she could hear him and possibly start learning he was here to help. She never did quite get that before- if any of the scratches or bite marks were indicators of that.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:27 am
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The bright flutter indeed spent most of her time helping out with where ever she could. Some days she helped set dinner, others she cleaned, or helped garden or patrolled the local area. Anything and everything in attempt to find her niche in life. But it seemed no matter how helpful she was or how many jobs she took, none really was...her. Sometimes it was frustrating, especially when she was really good at something but simply hated it. But every day she put on a new brave face and remembered Lisians encouraging words from their pep talk. There was something out there for her, she just had to keep trying.
Oh Lisian. What a smart, sweet, handsome man he was. He made her flutter heart go...well all aflutter! One could only imagine her pure elation when he invited her to the nursery. Not too long ago she dreaded passing by with their noisy new resident, but with her all cocooned she and Lisian would have a lovely day bonding over cute little babies. With a bit of a stretch of the imagination, it could be a date!
So she washed up to rid herself of any grime, and brushed her hair and tail over a hundred times until it was so soft and gleaned. She scrubbed her teeth, wiped her ears and even hovered with her wings to get the blood pumping so they'd be even more vibrant. Okay Shay, don't you blow this. Be charming and sweet and don't do that stupid shy stuttering habit. She thought to herself as she neared the nursery. She could do this. She could totally handle this. Shaylee poked her head in, pink eyes fastening on first the male, then the chrysalis, then back to him.
"H-h-hi Lisian." Messing up already. She was hopeless.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:13 pm
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Within the darkness and warmth, something stirred.
Not yet awake, only responding to the feeling of being cramped and confined, combined with voices from outside, the being within began to shift. Waking was slow, the being felt drowsy as if having slept too long. Yet, also a growing hunger caused her to stir. She could move little yet, but remained half-asleep in her confining prison.
It was tempting to remain asleep...it was warm here...and would be comfortable if it hadn't gotten so cramped recently. The feeling of being confined in a space too small, plus the growing hunger in her belly were starting to win out over the temptation to keep sleeping. Pushed towards waking, she began to stir more within the cocoon, though little sign of that showed outside.
...wait, did it just move?
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 6:57 am
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He patted the cocoon Xiu had wrapped herself in. A few of the others that had gone into their pupa state with her had come out slowly within the last few days. He wondered how long till the rest of them would emerge, and especially this little one. A part of him was worried about that, worried how she'd turn out. He hoped it would turn out for the best for her, and for the community. On the other side of things, she might be able to put up an ever worse fight-
He shook his head of the negative thoughts as he heard someone approaching. He turned around with a smile, recognizing the sound of Shay's gait. Thanks to his position he'd become acutely aware to sounds, almost unknowingly training himself to recognize his treemate's steps. It helped him when he had to sort through a ton of different sounds while on patrol. “Hi there, Shaylee.” he greeted politely. She always seemed so nervous around him though they had known each other all their lives. He wondered if he really gave off such a scary presence. He didn't mean to.
“Come here.” he motioned for her to take his spot in front of Xiu. “Put your hand on her. You might feel her shifting gently around in there. A few of the others have already emerged, meaning it wont be long for the rest of these. It's so great to see so much life coming out of this place.” He was practically beaming as he spoke, like a new father of some sort. He was just proud of the way they had all managed to turn back around after their huge loss. It was about time they all stopped moping and got excited about life again!
He watched her closely, trying to watch her reaction to the life inside of it. He was wondering if she'd be able to make a connection here or not. He wasn't expecting a miracle- that she'd suddenly find her place. He was hoping that perhaps it would spark an interest. If it didn't, he had plenty of other ideas and knew of many other needs their small community had. He'd make sure she would find her place and be a contributing member. Speaking of which, was she glowing? Something seemed different... had she gotten a haircut maybe?
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:35 am
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The voices continued outside, disturbing the sleeping creature within. The confining space, the hunger, the voices...all worked together to drag the occupant from her peaceful slumber. A much more noticeable shift this time was restricted by the cocoon. It strained against the motion, but she was not deterred, instead putting more effort into her struggles to wake and be free. Sleep...she'd slept enough. She wanted to be awake and free.
Freedom.
A particularly vigorous twist caused some of the silk of the cocoon to tear, allowing light to begin seeping in through the damaged strands. Light! Freedom! Her struggles became more pronounced, more violent now that freedom was so close! Seeking the opening, she clawed at it with her hands, tearing and ripping. She was so eager in her efforts that when the hole abruptly widened with a ripping noise, she tumbled forth into freedom...and onto the floor.
But that didn't matter, because she was free!
At least, that's what her sleepy mind told her. Of course, as she stared at the wooden floor beneath her hands, the truth of her situation came rushing back to her. She wasn't free. She was just a prisoner in a larger prison. She wasn't back home with Mom...or her siblings...or her other family...she was stuck here with these weirdos. It had all been just a dream...
NO! She slapped her palm against the floor in a fit of childish frustration. Darn it! She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she had failed to realize anything was odd about landing on the floor on her hands and knees until she started to sit back.
Looking down, her dark eyes widened in shock at her thighs...she shifted to the side, noting the long legs ending in hooves beneath. In a panic, she scrambled backwards, almost as if she believed she could escape herself...no...she looked like...one of those...those...
She looked up further, realizing she wasn't alone. The panic in her eyes quickly turned to rage, fixating on Shaylee and Lisian beyond. "YOU!" Her voice cracked, whether from emotion or disuse was unclear. She pointed an accusatory finger at the pair while withdrawing as far from the two of them as she could. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 11:00 am
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Lisian laughed and rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly, “Uh, yeah, this is her. Sorry about that...” his voice slowly trailed off. Word had gotten around about how he and the Queen had 'saved' a lost seed, and how she'd been labeled as a 'bad seed'. It was partly his fault that so much unrest had filled their home.
He watched her touch it, perking up at her words. Well, this seemed to be going well! Maybe she was making a connection here, or just going along with it. Either way, it was making him happy he could be a part of it. Maybe he should help these new arrivals find their places as well, part time of course. Before he could let that thought continue, “Right? I can't say I really remember any of it. Just being super hungry after. Still, it's amazing the things we have to go through life to get to where we are.”
Lisian's eyes shot wide open as the cocoon began to wriggle under Shaylee''s hand. He grabbed her and pulled her back away from it. It went from moving to violently being torn apart. His heart sunk as if this was an omen as to how the being inside must be feeling. He'd seen a few come forth from their cocoons, but certainly none like this. He was starting to feel a little bit sick.
He held out a hand towards Lillian and Paradise to halt their advance. Usually he'd step back and let them help usher the little ones in, but it was already too late here. She was coming and the last thing she needed was a huge group surrounding her. That could be more frightening or disorienting. So he held his ground with Shaylee and waited for her to finish her task.
She was free, but she didn't seem happy about it. He flinched when she slapped the ground. Yeah, she seemed just as angry as ever, “Xiulan...” Lisian began but immediately stopped when the young one started taking a look over herself. The emotions that were passing over her face were unreadable, but he was getting a bad feeling-
Yep, there it was. The yelling. He clenched his jaw trying to keep himself from being disappointed. No one changed over night like that. It wouldn't take a cocoon nap to change the female, it would take her coming to terms with her life here, which obviously wasn't happening. He took a step forward, but she just moved back from him. He shot Shaylee a helpless look before looking back at Xiulan.
“We... We didn't do anything. It's the natural process for our species. We all went through it, they're going through it as well.” he motioned towards the cocoons above her head. “We'd never dream of doing anything to you. We just want you to understand us, understand where you came from...”
He looked back at Shaylee, "She must be starving. Will you run and grab her something?" He kind of hoped it would be a peace offering. Like he had said before, all he could remember was extreme hunger. Perhaps she'd eat and let him gather his thoughts on how to handle this new situation...
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:03 am
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It seemed that just moments after she put her hand to the cucoon, it started moving even more. She looked a little puzzled, the thought of her coming out briefly popping into her head before Lisian yanked her back. "L-lisian?" She whispered as her eyes grew wide. Though she didn't work in the nursery like Lillian and Paradise -so had no real knowledge of how it looked- she was pretty sure most didn't rip their shell open like a ripe fruit.
It wasn't long at all with her determined struggle until she plopped onto the floor. "Congratulations, you're so pretty!" Shaylee couldn't help but gush, having enough excitement for the both of them at her transformation. And then came the yelling. She winced at the volume as the young teen shouted. She remembered the yelling. Even from all the way in her room the newcomer could be heard. "N-n-nothing!" Though she was at a loss for words to explain further, the blue male thankfully took it up the challenge. Truthfully it would be more his place than anyone, as he was the one who rescued her.
"Oh, yes. Of course. Right." Shaylee nodded quickly, turning to leave immediately. "I'll be right back. Sorry. Congratulations again." And then she was off, scurrying past Paradise and Lillian to make haste to see the cook.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:35 pm
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She was breathing hard, partially from the exertion of breaking free of the cocoon after sleeping for so long; partially from the adrenaline flooding her system. What...what had happened? Xiulan glared at the male, her kidnapper, daring use her name... "Natural for you, maybe," she shot back immediately, grumbling to herself.
She shifted her glare to the female briefly; she didn't recognize this one, at least not by name. Not that she bothered to learn many of their names or care to. Hmmph. Pretty? Congratulations? Why? Because...I look like one of....one of them now? She swallowed hard, feeling panic well up, tightening her throat...
A brief flash of a glaring, striped face flashed across her mind's eye.
'Never let them see your fear.'
She tightened one hand into a fist. That's right. Kane was right. Don't let them see weakness. Stay strong, Xiulan.
She remained withdrawn from Lisian, watching with interest as the female scurried away hurriedly. For a bunch of kidnappers, some of the adults were pretty timid themselves. Weird. She tried to hide any interest from showing at the mention of food, clutching her stomach as discretely as possible as the muscles tensed and she prayed it would stay silent. Instead, she focused her irritation on Lisian and what else the pair had said.
"Oh, I get it now. I didn't believe your lies," she sneered. Though her voice had dropped in volume, it had lost none of the venom. "So instead, you used your magic and did....something to me. Made me look like you too! Hmmph...tricky..." What in the Guardians' names had they done to her with their dark magic? Her new size was obvious, as were the new longer, single pair of legs.
She had yet to realize she now possessed a pair of delicate wings, slowly freeing themselves from being pressed against her back and unfolding themselves in the air.
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 8:04 am
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Lisian watched Shaylee go, hoping she'd be quick. Xiulan couldn't believe them to be evil kidnappers if they took good care of her could she? Then again, the young one seemed so unreasonable when she was little what would keep her from doing so now? He tore his eyes way from the exit Shaylee had passed through to focus again at Xiulan. After this he wasn't certain Shaylee would want to help in this position. He couldn't blame her, this wasn't the most glorious entrance into the world. Oh man had he messed this one up...
His eye brows furrowed in confusion. Magic? Was she really skewing this situation that way? He took hold of his thoughts and took in a deep breath. He needed to keep his mind straight, of course she was thinking this way. She'd just tumbled out of a confusing situation with a different body. Everything was weird to her, and she had no one here to trust. Most of the others were talked through it by their caretakers, and led to an understanding. Xiulan didn't have that here- not without them trying. She just refused their care.
“That's not what happened here, but I have a feeling you wont believe me regardless. Despite the evidence hanging above your head. It's natural, you wont feel any magic flowing through them or hanging in the air around them. Just pure self creation. You could touch them and see for yourself.” he motioned with his head towards the other cocoons, some of which were twitching. They'd be emerging soon as well. He hoped they could move Xiulan along before that happened. Nothing worse than coming back into the world confused than to have someone screaming as you enter. He silently prayed they'd hold out.
His eyes flickered to behind her as her wings began to unfold themselves. He didn't mean to let the motion distract him for the moment it did. He glanced back at her unsure how'd she react to that. If she'd thrown this kind of fit over her legs what reaction would she give to those... Where was Shaylee with the food!? They needed a distraction and a game plan!
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 8:34 am
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She was a dark brown and hot pink blur as she raced down the halls, muttering hurried apologies to the flutters she zoomed past. She traveled as fast as her legs would take her, all the while mentally berating herself on how unhelpful she was. That was why she was shoo'ed out, wasn't it? All she could do was gawk at Xiulen, so she was sent off on a menial task.
And here she thought it would be quality bonding time with Lisian. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm such a stupid flutter!
After dashing into the cooking knook, she slammed on her heels to skit to a halt, much to the wide eyes of the chef. "S-sorry! I need to borrow some food! It's urgent!" Without waiting for permission, she grabbed a large bowl and started loading it with everything she could get her little hands on. Fruits, breads, nuts, she didn't know what Xiu liked so she grabbed as many types as she could. Then right out the door again, leaving a very open mouthed flutter behind her.
Back down the halls, murmuring more apologies, blushing a deep red for being such an inconvenience.
She exploded back into the nursery, skidding her hooves down to slow her to a walk when she entered the room. Her hair that was so nicely brushed, now twisted in a tussled mess. "H-h-hi." The poor thing wasn't stutterning now from nerves, but from being out of breath. On semi wobbly legs she dropped down onto her knees a few feet from their newest member, and held the bowl out completely extended with both hands. "Phew! That was a run. Too bad that's not a job." She tried to break the obvious tension with a bit of a laugh, and flashed a genuine smile. "H-here. It's all yours."
What if she didn't like any of the food that she brought?
...What if she messed her hair up for no reason?!
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:06 pm
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Lisian was right about one thing at least: Xiulan wasn't believing a single word coming out of his mouth. Heck if she was going to go touch one of those things! It might make her even more disfigured! Who knew what she would turn into this time?!? Heck no, she'd stay right here, huddled against this wall with as much distance between them as possible. Darn weirdos and their creepy dark magic, kidnapping and transforming poor innocent kids--
That was when the flustered female burst back into the room and practically skidded across the floor. Well, that was...entertaining. She seemed a mess, panting and her hair in complete disarray. She sounded near panic, judging by the stuttering and breathlessness in her voice. Heh...not the most intimidating of kidnappers; not at all.
Xiulan's stomach muscles clenched tightly at the sight of the food. Oh, Guardians, she was hungry...but should she take it? She didn't want to seem too eager, or like she needed it; she didn't want to be indebted to these people or give them a position of strength or power in their arguments.
On the other hand, she was really, really hungry.
Forcing herself to seem calm and move slowly, she reached out and started sorting through the food in the bowl. Not that she was particularly picky as hungry as she was. She did however, push aside the bread for now, picking from the fruit and vegetables first. She wasn't particularly impressed with the flutter bakers thus far, but they couldn't screw up the growing things too bad, right? Man, no one here even compared to what she was used to. Fresh breads and baked goods were always abundant back home. She mumbled to herself in thought as she settled for an armful of fruit and veggies, leaning back against the wall to begin eating.
"Hmmph, does no one know how to bake a decent scone in this place?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 3:05 pm
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Lisian's tense shoulders relaxed when Shay burst into the room again. Oh, good! There she was! He took a moment to blink at her, what had happened? She looked like she'd gotten into a fight with the cook or something! He felt a bit bad that he had had a hand in that, but at least it looked like she had won and had a great assortment of food! "Thank you so much, Shay! Hope you're ok..." he trailed off not sure how to ask about her appearance.
He gave a sigh of relief when the young one seemed to calm down when the food appeared. She hadn't noticed her wings or continue to threaten them. This was going the right way, right? He watched her pick through the food, a bit surprised she was taking her time. Was she really that picky? Or just not hungry? He knew he hadn't cared what he had shoved in his mouth when he had emerged...
Lisian raised an eye brow at her. Scone? He glanced back at Shay to see if she recognized the word at all. He wondered what kind of meal that was. It was apparently something to be desired if the young one still recalled it and had a taste for it. This sparked an idea for him, “They do need a lot of help.” he agreed with her.
“They could use your help. We all could. We're all dependent on one another for us and this colony to survive. We need you.” As the words left his mouth he realized how true it was for both of the females near him. They were both so desperately needed within the community, if only he could help both of them find their places.
He searched her eyes for a moment before straightening himself up. She'd calm down enough that he supposed he was done here. There was nothing else he could do for her, she had to do it for herself. If she never believed him and never chose to trust and love her family here it was her own loss. He couldn't imagine going through life like that...
He nodded at the seed tenders as he turned away from Xiu and the nursery without another word. He took a moment to turn back towards Shaylee once he'd left, “Thanks for your help. I'm sorry that didn't go quite how I imagined it.” He gave her a helpless shrug. He'd hoped he could inspire her towards a position within the tree. They all needed to contribute, but the special thing about that was finding that one thing that fit you perfectly. “I'd better get back to my own duties. If you think of anything else you know where to find me. ” He tossed her a smile before raising a hand to her in parting.
He turned and headed down the halls towards the outside world feeling a bit defeated. Things hadn't changed with either of the Flutters and he was running out of ideas. He supposed he'd make a note of it to bring up in his report to Queen Belwen. They weren't really within his realm of work, but since he'd decided to take on the case he knew he could use some advice, especially from her. She was just as concerned...
Until then, he decided, he'd let it go. He had to focus on his work ahead.
Tartara Seabreeze Y'all can make your replies or end it there. Whatever you want XD
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