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 Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 5:10 pm
Hikari's fist pounded with a the front door of the house she expected to belong to Chao. Coordinates of said house were unsure, and she had spent most of the morning, with Diae in tow, hopping from house to house and neighborhood to neighborhood. The Tale simply stood, still dazed from being dragged out of his crib earlier than what was the norm to explore all day for the correct adress of one Chao Luaier. Sleep clouded his eyes and he had no choice but to sink down onto the doorstep in fatigue.
"Mum, what're we do'n?" Diae asked while rubbing an eye with the ever present rag doll. Eain felt limp within the boy's hands. Today had definately been a long day.
"We're going to see a friend of mine," Hikari said in a bright and sing-song tone before dropping to a murderous hiss, "I left at least 11 messages on that woman's phone without a word."
Diae cringed before he occupied himself with flicking the thread of Eain's hair. Yet it wasn't long before the activity proved dull.
Hikari glanced down at Diae before adjusting the objects under her arm. Diae's tome and a news paper, which may turn into a slightly violent weapon, were two of the items among the bundle.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:09 pm
Chao eyed the flashing light of her answering machine with trepidition. Weeks ago she'd taken it apart and removed several of what she thought were probably uncrutial parts.
True to form she'd been right (because, honestly, she was always right and now Rico owed her a meal whenever he got back for doubting her. HA.) but now the silly thing was saying she had fifteen messages.
Before she could decide between listening to all of them or simply wiping the machine there was a knock at the door and, without a glance back, she wandered away from the blinking light and the machine itself to the door.
"Hello?" she called when she was close enough to the door to, in all probablity, be heard. Unless whoever was at the door was hard at hearing.
Just incase they were she glanced to the door view, blinking as Hikari came into curved focus.
"Hikari?" pursing her lips in curiousity she opened the door and peered at her friend and... what was this? An unfamilar child? "And who's this?" she asked, smiling at the little blond boy.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:38 pm
Hikari's faced dropped at the question posed for her. So her friend had lacked the ability to check the answering machine on a regular basis. Hikari fumbled with the slipping grip of tome and news paper. The former dropped while Hikari placidly tapped her friend's forehead with the rolled news paper.
"If we could learn to check answering machines then maybe we would have an inkling?" Hikari said monotonously, clearly neither amused nor disappointed. A situation such as this was to be expected from a Chao, as the family she had only briefly met (Aido as a very young child, yet Chesh made his appearances not so fleeting). Hikari glanced down at the blond boy in question before patting swirls of spiky locks.
Diae looked up at Chao, a hint of confusion littering his face and almost an air of fear? Crystalline blue eyes glanced over to something rather fluffy and protruding from the side of Chao's arm and immediately grabbed Diae's attention. Wings meant flight in some null formation of logic to the Tale and he immediately took a liking to the foreign woman.
"Mmm." Diae made a noise, holding out his hands to the other woman with a pleading look in his eyes. The pavement was getting ever so warm and he was too lazy to act like the semi-articulate and fully mobile child he was. Playing cute, adorable and unseemly young always was easier.
"Diae, honey," Hikari said with the softest tone of scolding possible, "use your words with Auntie Chao."
"Auni Chao." Diae formulated and smiled brightly, still holding his former position of wanting to be picked up.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:02 pm
"Ow!" Chao yelped at the sharp thwack, her wings poofing outwards and sending a few stray pieces of feather to the ground.
"I'm sorry, the answering machine has been on the fritz lately," she grumbled, pouting and rubbing at the sore spot on her forehead.
Her eyes slid to Diae and she smiled warmly, wings calming to furl at her back as her maternal insticts kicked in. Leaning down she picked up the little boy gently and lifted him up so he could wrap his arms around her neck, "hello, Diae was it?" she looked at Hikari over the Tale's shoulder, "want to come in and explain about who knocked you up to result in this little one?" she asked with a perfectly staight face and an arched eyebrow.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:12 pm
Hikari swooped down to pick up Diae's pale yellow tome, and reluctently put it back under her arm before she could cause any serious head damage to her friend with it.
A sly smile reached her lips as she came with a comeback.
"You mean you don't remember that night? Oh I'm so shocked," She said in an overly dramatic falcetto before dropping back into a normal and more formal tone, "Joking, actu-" Hikari was cut off by Diae squeaking into action.
The small boy pointed to himself with a small voice, a chubby forefinger poking the lense of his goggles.
"Yes, 'm Diae." Yet, when his finger whirled around to the small ragdoll in his hand he was able to show pride, sticking out his chest and speaking with a true and bold voice," 'Es es Eain!"
It would have been more bold if it were not a child's voice carrying out the introduction, and a few subtle squeaky undertones.
"I would love to come in." Hikar muttered, only slightly put out that Diae was able to stop her rather obtuse opinon with a simple introduction to an inanimate object. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:23 pm
"Oh, Hikari, my love, my life, of course I remember that night, how could I forget? Sadly, I lack the proper genatalia to result in this one. Besides, he looks nothing like me, you must be thinking of another member of your harem," Chao replied with a smirk and a grin, ushering Hikari inside, before her attention was stolen back by Diae.
"Well, hello Diae and Eain! It's very nice to meet you both," the teen chirped, rubbing noses with Diae and waving a few spare fingers to greet Eain.
"Would you like something to drink? Tea perhaps?" she asked as she led the way to the kitchen.
Fai and Aido looked up from the table, the redhead grinned at his mother, catching the last of her words.
"Tea? Does that mean we're due for another snow storm?"
Aido looked up as well and smiled gently, and nodded her head in greeting to Hikari and the child her mother was holding.
"Fai, didn't you promise the neighbors down the hill you'd stop the snowstorms for a bit?" Chao asked with a slight furrow to her brow. She really hated dealing with some of the neighbors down the hill, which they never saw unless the other familes were angry at one of their members for some reason or another.
Fai muttered something that sounded like an agreement under his breath and looked rather put out.
A moment later he brightened. "Fine, I'll go think up a better weather pattern for them to enjoy," with a flash of a grin he stood up and strode out of into the hallway, presumably heading to the outside, leaving Aido or his mother to deal with his cup of pomagrant juice.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:33 pm
"Hi Auni chao!" Diae exclaimed, taking a rather strong fondness to his new proclaimed aunt, regardless of whether it was true or not. Upon seeing Aido and Fai the boy quieted and had taken to hiding behind Chao's shoulders. the red head had not bothered him as much as the other girl. Diae glanced at her with a shy frown. She didn't seem scary but the shiny bit about her headvwas broken or something. Not broken like Zillia's, but rather like a burnt out light bulb? Or that a shadow had decided to sit on it. Maybe she painted it.
" 'os that?" Diae murmured to Chao while pointing to Aido with Eain.
"Tea sounds lovely." Hikari said following Chao into the kitchen. She spared a glance at Aido and a smile spread about her face.
"Hello Aido." Hikari said waving slightly.
"You may not remember me, you were small then. But look ho-" Hikari stopped herself in mid-sentence becoming fully aware of how akin to a grandmother she sounded.
With a clearing of the throat and a flick of four fingers that reached her cheek, "Nice to see you again." She muttered.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:50 pm
Chao watched her son leave with a slightly worried expression tilting her lips before she mentally shook it off. Fai knew better than to do anything too awful.
"This is my daughter, Aido, Ai this is your Aunt Hikari, you remember her, don't you? And her son, Diae along with Eain."
"Hello, Aunt Hikari," Aido replied with a light smile, lacing her fingers together around her cup and smiling at the woman. The woman's name rung a bell but little else about her prompted any memory, save of Aemu talking about her and the shop they were setting up in Durem, which Aido herself had visited once or twice. "It's nice to see you again."
"And it's nice to meet you Diae, Eain," she dipped her head again in a quiet nod.
Chao gestured for Hikari to take a seat and Aido moved to free space but Chao motioned for her to stay, "a little human contact never hurt anyone, luv," she murmured lowly as she passed by her daughter to take her own seat.
For a moment Aido bristled slightly, the reaction barely slipping out in the form of pursed lips, the dip of her halo and a flash of bright emotion in her eyes. Her Aemu's comment had several layers to it, most of them critical and edged with worry and, frankly, she wanted none of it.
The moment was gone in less than a second and Aido was settled back in her seat, smiling warmly at their company and sipping at her drink.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:01 pm
Hikari sat, being cautious to leave Aido a suitable amount of room. Although the teen had not caught the fleeting facial message, Hikari did infact see that the other Tale had tried to move and create room. Thus not wanting to impede she sat stiffly making herself as thin as humanly possible.
Diae wriggled about to become comfortable with the new position and nibbled on a loose thread of Eain's mop head.
"Ai," Diae said softly, hiding as best he could behind the doll he possessed, " nice too." He added shortly in an imitation of Aido, trying to be polite.
"Ah, nice to see you too." Hikari said before popping Diae's tome on the table, hoping this would relieve her of explaining Diae's arrival. Chao was not dense according to Hikari's knowledge and had to recall the symbolism in the tome. No?
"I'm sorry to pester you," Hikari sarted fiddling about with her shirt hem, "But I need talk...and maybe some advice?" Hikari finished, giving Chao a meaningful nod towards Diae.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:15 pm
Chao blinked at the Tome, eerily similar to the one that had arrived with Aido, oh so long ago. Except for the different name and color, of course.
"It's not pestering at all, though the newspaper was perhaps a bit far. And talking and advice are wonderful things, I shall do my best to provide both. Want to go chat by our lonesomes in the living room?" she asked, standing again.
Aido glanced at the Tome and blinked. Why, wasn't that a familar looking book....
So Diae was a Tale as well then? The though resulted in a small mesh of emotions that seemed to add up to slight curiosity and a tang of kinship, not that she voiced any of it.
She gave up on her drink and played with the hem of her scarf, lacing her finger through the tassels. The Tale watched as her mother stood again- and rather abruptly put Diae on her lap. She immediately abandoned her scarf in favor of balancing the younger Tale.
"Aido, would you watch Diae?" Chao asked with an innocent smile as she grabbed Hikari's arm and prodded her towards the living room.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:50 pm
Hikari gave a small wave to the Tales before follow Chao into the living room with hopes of straightening a few things out.
Diae sat stiffly in Aido's lap not sure whether he should sit and stay or leave the girl with her lap vacant as it was moments before. His dangling feet and odd angle left him with no choice. Finding it impossible to move off the girl's lap he remained where he was in a scared silence.
He had nothing against Aido personally, but for some reason he felt oddly uncomfortable. A shy personality though he may have, Diae found it rather easy to gaze over to the knit work of Aido's scarf. He playfully picked at the closest tassle.
He became engrossed with the shade of violet blue that the material held and thought he should say something to complement it. Mum had always said that people like complements.
Still keeping the juvial act in place he lifted the scarf in his hand slightly and pointed with Eain.
" 'Es pretty." He gurgled, wide eyes and a small smile.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:02 pm
Aido let out a soft sigh as her mother and Aunt left, but smiled a little once she could no longer see them, feeling a little lighter and, oddly enough, better without her mother around. The tense atmosphere around the young Shadow Mancer evaporated, as did the subtle guarded look around her eyes.
There was something very freeing about being around someone who didn't know a lick about you.
Looking down the elder Tale smiled slightly, "thanks Diae," taking hold of the other side of her scarf she smoothed her fingers over the intimately familar fabric then gently bopped his nose with one of the tassels, "you can relax a little, you know. I won't hurt you," she commented gently, voice soothing as she noted the boy's continued rigid stance in her lap.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:18 pm
Diae squirmed at Aido's open appreciation for his comment and giggled upon feeling the strands of tassles on his cheeks. The younger Tale picked up the other end and attempted to bat at Aido's nose in return yet he only managed a few swipes at a cheek and a chin.
Diae relaxed quickly and fluffed the tassles of the scarf, enjoying the feel of the material through his fingers. He looked down at Eain noting the dolls hair to be of a similar material to that of the scarf.
"Can you make things?" Diae asked in a small voice, "I wanna learn how to make more Eains." He muttered as an after thought.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:25 pm
Aido smiled, glad to feel Diae relax, then laughed warmly as he bat at her cheeks and chin.
Aido looked to Eain, gently touching the doll, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at making things," at least, not in the way that Diae probably wanted help with, and she could barely 'make things' in her own way now anyway. "Only patching stuff, and m'not the best at that either," she admitted with a slight shrug of near-embarassement.
She shifted her gaze back to the doll curiously, "but you didn't make Eain yourself?" she paused, teasing at one of the tassels of her scarf again as she mulled something over, "then did Eain come with you? Like my scarf did with me."
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:33 pm
Diae let a sad pout form on his face before Aido's question rang in his ears. He fingered with the small scarf around Eain's neck and then nodded sharply.
" Yes! Eain was here when I woke up!" He smiled, "Your scarf was there when you woke up?"
He thought a bit more, his small brow furrowing in thought.
"Aunie Chao there too?" He asked. " 'Cause, mu was there when I opened my eyes."
The boy kicked his feet in the air slightly before stilling himself and waiting for Aido's response.
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