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 Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 11:47 pm
 Valerian loved being home from school on weekends. It was like hitting a huge pause button on all the things he was forced to do. Sitting still and listening just wasn't his thing, you know? The same thing with homework and answering questions. All of that school business was so boring and bothersome. Those kind of things didn't exist at home. He could curl up on the couch, watch TV, and eat his weight in potato chips without any need to raise his hand and prove his intelligence. Hell, he could burp and laugh as loud as he wanted to, too. No teacher could storm into his house and change that. Weekends were strictly for detox.
Of course, even if he had the living room to himself most of the time, he still had to deal with his siblings rushing in and out. Dahlia espescially liked to stand in front of the tv and growl about something that he wasn't doing right. He wondered how someone could be so angry while doing their favorite thing, but he supposed that was her way of expressing it. For him, emotions were simple. If he was mad, he kicked a rock and moped. If he was happy, he ginned and laughed. For Dahlia, everything seemed to be the opposite. In fact, he could never really figure her emotions out. All he could do was nod, sigh, and hope she figured it out herself.
"Come on, Dahlia! Let me watch TV in peace!" He whined, sitting up to see over Dahlia's giant poofy head. "Don't you have anything better to do than bother me? Go away!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:14 pm
 As much as Dahlia enjoyed being home as much as her brother did, she couldn't find the time to relax. There were so many other things to do than lay around on the couch and watch TV all day, why didn't Valerian understand that? She didn't care what he was watching, it could be cartoons or an educational documentary, there was a whole world outside that he was missing. He could be playing hopscotch, drawing with chalk, and doing just about anything else than being a couch potato! Oh, how she wished she could drag him outside without her daddy getting upset with her! He always thought she was being too rough with him! She wouldn't have to be rough if he'd just listen to her!
"No, I'm your big sister, and I'm telling you to go outside and play!" She exclaimed, pointing toward the TV. "This thing is going to rot your brain away! How long have you been watching it? Four hours? Six hours?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:28 pm
Valerian let out an incredibly long sigh and wiggled up against the wall. He'd been on the couch for exactly thirty minutes and probably missed the best part of the show by dealing with his sister. What exactly made her so annoying? It couldn't have been her genetics. He was pretty sure Lavi and Likais weren't this stuck up and rude. ... It was probably because she was cursed or something.
"... You know what, Dahlia?" He heaved, reaching for the remote. "Fine. I'll go outside and play."
He sighed again as he slipped off the couch and wandered toward the front door. However, at the last second, he turned and balled up his fists.
"You're the worst sister ever!" He growled. "I wish you'd just... Disappear!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 7:58 pm
Dahlia puffed her cheeks out as Valerian continued to ignore her, only to watch him sigh and turn the television off. He'd never been that apt to listen to her before, which only meant that he was about to stir up trouble, and she would be there to stop him! Her eyes followed him as he crossed the room like a hawk and widened as he balled his fists and growled. What did he just say to her? Her mouth twisted and her brows furrowed. How dare he say something so cruel! Her fists balled into knots at her sides.
"Take that back, Valerian!" She exclaimed, rushing forward a few paces. "I'm the best sister in the world for putting up with you! That's what daddy says all the time when we go to see the counselor!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:10 pm
Valerian eyed Dahlia carefully as she approached and reached, hesitantly, for the door handle behind him. He knew that daddy was taking a rest in his room right now and that he could sprint in to safety if Dahlia got to violent for him to handle. However, she'd yet to make any outward attempts to grab him, so he was probably safe for now. Plus, he really didn't want to disturb daddy right now, anyway. He'd only gone to rest for an hour now and he looked really tired. Valerian really wanted him to rest.
"Daddy never said that!" He argued, waving his hands. "He said that you've been doing a good job watching us, but he never said you were the best!"
He paused, his eyes darting toward the ground and his lips pursing.
"And it's me who has to put up with you, not the other way around!" He muttered.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:21 pm
Dahlia's expression grew further sinister the more Valerian protested. As far as she knew, he was making up every word just to make her feel bad. But she was onto him, he couldn't fool her! She was the best thing that ever happened to him, her daddy had said so, and that was it! Valerian was a liar, a stupid, rotten, little liar!
"You're lying! Daddy told me that I was the best!" She replied, her right foot slamming down on the floor. "You're lying, lying, lying, lying! And it's all because you think you're better than I am! You think you're bigger than I am and that you can control everything around here, but you're wrong!"
Her brows furrowed further as Valerian finished muttering, and her fists unfurled and clenched again. Oh... Was that what he really thought? She stepped forward, almost cornering him against the door.
"That's not how it is!" She bellowed, reaching out to firmly grasp his shoulder. "The bigger sibling has to deal with the annoying, rotten little siblings, and the little siblings are supposed to respect the bigger siblings!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:31 pm
The second that Dahlia started moving toward him again, Valerian's grip tightened against the door handle and prepared to throw the door open. He didn't want to chance getting punched or kicked like last time, he still had a bruise on his leg. However, the longer he looked into her eyes and watched her breathe, the more his flight or fight responses kicked in. It was clear that she wasn't going to calm down while he was in the room and that the best idea was probably to run and wake his father... But he couldn't help but try to defend himself a little more.
"I'm not rotten! You're the one that's rotten!" He cried, pressing himself further against the door. "I don't think I can control anything, either! I can't get you to go away when I want you to, so how do I have any control?"
Then, she grasped his shoulder, and he found his breath sucked into his throat. Okay, now he really needed to go get daddy, before he ended up with a bloody nose! His hand fumbled with the handle.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:45 pm
Dahlia's grip tightened further against Valerian's shoulder as he spoke, and her opposite hand balled further inward. How dare he say these things to her, his older sister! His protector, his best friend, his confidant! When would he learn that he couldn't get his way by insulting everyone? Her face contorted at the thought and she paused, only for her to catch the sound of Valerian's hand against the door handle. What was he doing? Was he trying to open a door backwards or something? Her brows furrowed.
And then it dawned on her.
"Don't you dare wake daddy! He doesn't have time for this!" She screamed, shoving Valerian away from the door. She sucked in a breath to scream again, only to pause when a rather loud cracking sound broke her focus. Her gaze went from the door to the television before finally settling on Valerian on the floor, which is when she let out a shrill screech.
"Your horn! Oh my gosh!" She gasped, kneeling to the ground. "I... I... I didn't mean to! Don't cry, uh... Uh... We can fix it! I promise!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:52 pm
Valerian could barely see through the pain radiating off of his forehead, but he knew that he needed to get as far away from his sister as possible. He shuffled toward the wall and threw his arms out protectively, before letting out a wail of his own, followed by a waterfall of tears. Hopefully someone came, if not daddy, anyone would do.
"Daddy! Lavi! Crys! Mommy!" He screamed, kicking his legs about to make more noise. "Help, help! Dahlia pushed me and broke my horn! Help!"
To his relief, there was some hurried slamming from the hall outside and he opened his eyes just as Sascha threw the door open. He had never been more relieved in his life! Daddy was awake, he was here, and he would make Dahlia go away!
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:14 pm
 Sascha's mind, once roused from his slumber, didn't fully register the argument going on down the hall as anything serious at first. However, when the screaming suddenly stopped after a loud bang and then started up again with panicked cries for him, his feet his the floor faster than he could think. He skidded down the hall, nearly tripping twice in his haste, and tossed the door open. There, curled up on the floor was Valerian and, standing over him as usual, was Dahlia with her fists still balled. He lunged to the floor and scooped Valerian up, his hands moving to smooth the child's hair back, only to notice why the boy was crying in the first place.
"Oh Nine, my poor baby!" He cried, gently running his finger along the very visible crack in Valerian's left horn. "I need to get you to a doctor! This isn't something we can put a band-aid on!"
He pulled Valerian close to his side and, carefully, smoothed his hair, before finally looking to Dahlia. Though he was sure, judging by the stunned look on her face, that she'd realized what she'd done... He wasn't convinced that she understood just how bad it was. So, as he stood and adjusted Valerian in his arms, he reached out and grabbed Dahlia's hand.
"You're coming with us. I want you to meet the doctor and have them explain to you how bad this could have been." He said, as calmly as he could muster. "... I mean, Dahlia, honey..."
He looked to Valerian and then down to Dahlia again, as if considering if saying anything more would be a good idea, and sighed.
"... You may have given him a permanent injury, or worse. He could have ended up with a concussion." He continued, taking another breath in. "... Anyway, let's not waste time! I'll... Probably need to call Candy! Oh, Nine, oh Nine!"
He rushed toward the hallway again and retrieved his phone, before ushering Dahlia along. He wasn't sure where Laviticus was, but if he couldn't find him, there would be a note for him in the kitchen. Right now, all he wanted to do was get Valerian to someone who could take care of his injury!
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:31 pm
Dahlia watched her father as he burst into the room and scooped Valerian off the floor with wide eyes. However, even if she was able to clearly see what was going on, all of the panic around her made everything hard to process. All she did was push him! She didn't mean to break his horn, honest! She kept sucking in a breath to speak as Sascha spoke, only to be hushed each time by the words he said. Was it really that serious? Did Valerian really have to go to the doctor right away? A lump rose in her throat.
"B-but daddy, what about Lav-" She choked as she was ushered out of the house and toward the bicycles left outside. Her father, too busy trying to figure out how to carry Valerian and ride his bicycle at the same time, hushed her before she could finish her sentence and grasped her hand again. From there, it was a whirlwind of running, waiting, and horseless carriage rides before the trio arrived at the doctor's office.
Once situated in the waiting room, she was told to wait until she was called in by the nurse and watched her father carry Valerian behind the door. It was still very hard for her to process everything as the next hour went by, and when she was finally allowed back to join her father and brother, she still had a very pensive look on her face. As crazy as it sounded, none of this felt... Real to her. It was almost like she was in a dream...
"... How are you doing, Valerian?" She asked as she was lead into the room he was in. "Did they fix your horn?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:40 pm
Valerian, who had been left alone in the room after having his horn casted, instinctively leaned away from his sister as she approached. However, at the question of his horn, he couldn't help but grimace and point straight to the cast wrapped around the once cracked area. Yeah, it was fixed, but it wouldn't be better for another week or two. The doctors had explained that fact pretty clearly. He let out a huff and wiggled his legs up to his chest. All he wanted to do was go home and forget that any of this had happened...
"Daddy?" He called, glancing down to Dahlia as he did so. "Can we go home now? I want to take a nap..."
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:53 pm
At the calling of Valerian, Sascha wandered back into the room from the hall outside. He'd been talking with the doctor and the nurses for the last ten minutes about what had happened and how he was going to handle everything when he went home, which had taken a visible toll on his demeanor. He couldn't believe that he had to assure the doctors that everything was alright at home, that this had only been a one time thing, and that all of his children were safe to continue living with him. He was also surprised that he was able to keep his wits about himself the entire time and not dissolve into a shaking mess. If there was anything positive that he could take from this adventure, it was that he could handle emergencies better than he did before he became a father of four.
"Yes, we can go home now." He said, clasping his hands together and looking down to Dahlia. "... Isn't there something you'd like to say to your brother before we go, though?"
He cleared his throat and made a subtle pleading motion, hoping that his daughter would get the message and apologize.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:59 pm
Dahlia turned to Sascha as he came in and tilted her head as he motioned for her to apologize. Did she really have to? Everything was better now, wasn't it? He had a cast on his head and didn't look like he was in pain anymore, so why did she need to apologize? She folded her arms and pouted, only to jump as her father cleared his throat again. Okay, okay, she'd apologize! Sheesh!
"I'm sorry I pushed you when you weren't listening to me, Valerian." She said, her eyes flashing to Sascha for approval. "... And I'm sorry that your horn broke. I hope it feels better soon."
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:07 pm
Valerian clenched his fists as Dahlia, more or less, apologized, and shot a look up to his father to show his disapproval. Seriously, if he accepted something as phony as that as an apology for this than there was something really wrong going on here. Still, he supposed he had to say something in return, but what? He didn't want to forgive Dahlia so quickly, he couldn't do that. After all, this time, she'd broken his horn! How was he supposed to forgive her? He pouted.
"... Apology accepted, I guess." He sighed, exasperated. "Now can we go? I don't want to sit here anymore!"
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