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 Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:35 am
"Oh, for love of cupcakes!" Bindhi growled and tossed another wad of paper at the waste basket near the picnic table where she sat. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried (and oh, how she'd been trying!), her efforts to sketch and write out the plain weird experiences in the other ashdown so many weeks ago were simply doomed to fail.
Hardly an encouraging thought for someone who was going to school to learn how to be a journalist. Of course, she could always try to slip back over the border, but...
But.
With a sigh, she tore yet another bit of paper from her notepad and wadded it into a ball.
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:21 pm
It was a nice shady spot. Plenty of shadows to play in. Which was why when one of those bunched up pieces of paper missed it's target of the waste basket, there was a surprised squeak. It had hit something in the shadow of the basket. "Don't be throwing things at Gloom!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:36 am
"I'm not trying to throw anything at anyone," Bindhi said, eyes focused on her notebook. "I was aiming for the basket."
Only the thought that there hadn't been anyone nearby a few moments ago made her pause and look up. A slow, careful glance told her that she was still alone. But the voice had come from near the basket. Turning slightly so she could straddle the bench, she considered it. It was certainly large enough for a kid to hide behind. But who on earth would ever name their kid Gloom?
Relaxing slightly, she'd already made up her mind that someone's emo child was hiding behind the basket and her mouth quirked in a smile.
"I'm sorry if my papers hit you, Gloom. Wasn't my intention."
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:30 pm
"Y'should pay more attention," Gloom told her firmly, white eyes glinting from the shadows of the basket. They were almost unnaturally darker than they should have been. "Y'also gonna make the trees cry if y'do that all the time." A pause. "Throwing it away like that."
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:28 am
Make the trees cry? Who talked like that? The more Bindhi watched the basket, the stronger her gut feeling that there was something... off about this whole encounter. She thought she'd caught a glimmer of eyes, but they were the wrong height for a hiding kid. And... were the shadows in the one spot darker than the other shadows around?
"I'll aim for the recycling bin next time," she said, throat going dry. "Will the trees cry if the paper is reused to make other things? I even try to buy recycled paper when I can find it."
She was babbling to try and cover up nerves. If she could just see Gloom, this wouldn't be so bad. Then, the manners that had been bred into her kicked in.
"Ugh, listen to me, rattling about the kind of paper I use. Forgive me, Gloom, I forgot my manners. My name is Bindhi. Perhaps you can come over here and we can talk more? Are you lost?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:34 am
"Dunno," he replied, "it was just something Gloom heard before." A dark tail swished from the shadows, a small head peeking out briefly and looking upward. It was not a bright day, quite cloudy in fact, so maybe- He darted across the grass, pitch black fur visible, and was underneath the picnic table. "It's okay," said once he was under the table, "Gloom is shadows and people don't notice shadows." A pleased chitter escaped because that meant he was doing good! Those white eyes were more visible, just like he was. It looked as if he might have been a pine marten if the size wasn't slightly off or maybe a mink ... "M'not lost either." Paws were up on the bench, nosing towards Bindhi and sniffing. "Are y'lost?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:10 am
Stomach flopping unpleasantly as she saw Gloom for what it... he? was, Bindhi closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the shadowy mustelid was under the table and nosing about. And since it hadn't shown any interest in doing more than talking or sniffing, Bindhi forced herself into calm.
"Do you mean that literally," she asked. "I mean about being shadows. Would I feel anything if I touched you? Not that I will if you don't want me to. I'm just curious."
She jumped slightly when Gloom's paws appeared on the bench, but found herself smiling a little when asked if she was lost.
"Physically, I don't think I'm lost. Maybe emotionally. I don't really know to be honest with you. Um," she paused a moment, clearly thinking over her words. "If it isn't too forward of me, you're from the other place, aren't you?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:36 am
"Y'can." Touch him. He did not mind at all, not when people asked or they were nice. "Y'can feel me here." Still nosing closer, white eyes peering up at her when she asked about the other place. "Y'are lost, like other player characters." He chittered a little sadly before he gave a small nod of his head. "Gloom is from shadows over there, yes. Not this place like y'player characters."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:59 am
Well. She hadn't expected to get permission, but here was something interesting to think about anyway. Reaching out carefully, she gently skritched just behind Gloom's ear. Since he felt solid enough, her stomach calmed down considerably.
"Thank you. If we were both, ah, over there would you feel this solid? And... player characters? Really?"
She'd decided not to question Gloom too closely about his statement of her being lost. The sad chitter had worried her. No, it was much easier to focus on his use of 'player character'.
"Wait a second," she paused in her skritching as a thought struck her. "I thought that folk from over there couldn't cross over here? Does it hurt you to be over here? If it does, I can try to help get you back to your home, maybe?"
She let out a self-depreciating laugh.
"I don't really know what I'm doing."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:45 pm
"Gloom would feel like shadows," he replied simply, a low rumble escaping at the scritches. Gloom pressed more into her hand for more of them, mindful of not being too much in the light. His eyes had slid shut but he opened them back up, both of them perfectly white and focused on her. "Really really." Which may have come out as rly rly because somehow there was a difference. Gloom was still purring as her fingers scritched, definitely more interested in that but then- He blinked, tail slowly until it was stilled. "It doesn't hurt," his voice was quiet, "and Gloom isn't-" A nervous chitter escaped, the rumble of a purr stopped. Trying to reassure her now instead of continuing. "It's okay, y'trying to help. Y'good."
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 3:28 am
Okay, she had to admit that petting a critter from the other ashdown was pretty great. She particularly liked the purring noises. Did normal mustelids purr? She tried to remember various zoo trips and had decided that they didn't. So this was most likely a Gloom thing.
Bindhi let herself fall into a bit of a trance, simply accepting his words until the purring stopped and he sounded... nervous? What on earth would make someone from over there nervous? But he also said that being on this side of things wasn't hurting him.
Still, now that she was actually thinking about it, if he was shadows... Cocking an eye up at the sky, Bindhi came to a decision and laughed a little as her eyes twinkled with deep-down mischief.
"One sec, I'm coming down," she said as she carefully slid under the table, careful to position herself where her body could block some of the sunlight even as she bent her tall frame into something more compact.. "It's been a long time since I played table fort, so I'm a bit out of practice. And I'm not good. Just ask my mom sometime. She'll tell you I'm the worst daughter in the history of daughtering."
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 9:11 am
Down on his level, under the table, and closer, Bindhi would find herself with a lap full of Gloom. Personal space was not a concept he had. Especially when he was wriggling around to get comfortable in her lap. He should have been heavier in her lap but he wasn't, even if he had a solid presence. "Is okay," he told her again, "y'good now. A good daughterer." A moment later, wide white eyes were looking up at her. "I like playing here. There's more stuff."
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Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 8:19 am
Waiting until Gloom had apparently made himself comfortable, Bindhi resumed petting the odd little creature, a smile playing about her lips.
"Well thank you for that," she said. "I do try, but I think she and I have very different ideas about what makes someone good."
It was weird, she thought. Gloom was definitely solid. Her fingers told her that much. But his weight barely registered. Shadows, she thought with a slight shiver. Though, she had to admit she was much less spooked now. Even with those white eyes of his looking up at her. She was adjusting to the weirdness rather well, all things considered.
"D'you come to this side to play often? What kind of games do you like? And what do you mean, stuff? Like, stuff to play with, look at, eat?"
Okay, maybe asking him about eating hadn't been a good idea. Because part of her brain started wondering what shadows ate. And hoping the answer wasn't something like brains or souls.
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 12:42 am
Gloom seemed to get shifty-eyed, white eyes looking around everywhere before he spoke again (as if he expected something to pop out). "All the time," he said finally, voice not quite coming from his mouth so much as from within, just like the rumble of a purr that started back up. "... and everything! Gloom likes it over here." There was an excited chitter at the mention of eat. "There are things called tastykakes! Gloom was given one by a friend to eat after we played! It was very good!"
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