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 Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 6:21 pm
Raya quietly carted her large blue stroller into Barton’s Community Library, surveying her surroundings suspiciously. To outsiders, she looked like the average teenage mother with a son who had no obvious resemblance to her, but little did they know that Fray had much more spectacular roots. Fray, the small and contented baby curled up within the stroller, was happily snuggled up atop his furry daemon, Lavender. She had charitably let her back be used as a pillow for her forgotten, as she was in one of her better moods.
The library resembled one that looked like it belonged in a prestigious university. Bookshelves upon bookshelves lined the walls of the edifice, each section with a large banner over it with a picture of a world-known scholar and some quote. Of course, the library didn’t impress Raya much, as she had glimpsed at something with much more grandeur during her discovery of Fray and Lavender. Of course, no other such library could compare.
Regardless, the young teen with dyed hair had carted her young charge to the place in order to get some studying done. Her home life, living with two newlyweds, had been a little hectic as of late so she decided that she would give the kind couple housing her a few hours alone for once. She sat down at one of the tables and parked Fray’s stroller facing her. The eerie silence of the library was making Fray obviously uncomfortable, as the almost-napping baby squirmed in his seat. Knowing how Fray constantly needed some ambient noise, Raya sighed and lifted a few textbooks out of her bag and began humming a song.
“Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah,” she whispered quietly, desperately hoping no one else would hear. Hey, it was the first song that came to mind.
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Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 11:07 pm
It wasn't uncommon for Eriol to be found in a library. He was born in one, his "daughter" was born in one, and between the two incidents he'd lived among books at home and afar. Still, there was always something that one library lacked, which sent him off in search of further resources. The Library of Ever After had a seemingly inexhaustible fiction section, and Gambino's local library was a hodgepodge of unusual books, but both locations lacked a good reference section. So for the first time he climbed the stairs to the Barton Community Library, eyeing it critically.
Since there was no one able to watch Viviana at home, the infant was once again tucked into her bassinet, covered with a thin yellow blanket. Next to her was what onlookers might have mistaken for an oversized stuffed toy of some kind, in the semblance of a whale. They would have been surprised, however, to see the whale move, thrashing his tail and blowing a small spout of water. Viviana didn't mind this, in fact she giggled gaily and splashed the water with her hands.
Headphones blasted music through Eriol's skull, making the teen blissfully unaware of any disturbance. Any attempts to shush him or Viviana went unnoticed. Instead he looked around nonchalantly for a place to sit. A reading table would be preferred to a chair, considering the books he was looking for. One that wasn't too crowded, but a certain kind of company wouldn't be unappreciated...
And there it was. An uncrowded table with one cute looking girl, unaccompanied. Grinning slightly, Eriol walked over, swinging the bassinet lightly. Only when he got closer did he realize his error- the girl wasn't completely alone, as evidenced by the stroller next to her. His smile faded, but it was still a decent seat. Placing Viviana down in an adjacent seat, he walked around towards the girl, hoping for a favor.
"Hey," he started softly, earphones around his neck. Then he paused. Was she singing? Probably not, it was a library after all. "Hey, wouldja mind watchin 'er for a sec? Gotta get a couple books."
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:36 pm
Raya looked up curiously at the young man with the bassinet parked next to the table. She quirked a befuddled eyebrow, but smiled welcomingly to the handsome teen. He couldn’t have been two years older than herself, but Raya still found the thought of a single male teenage father a little unsettling. Regardless, she gladly accepted the offer.
“No problem,” Raya said, lifting a hand and averting her attention back to her textbook. It wasn’t until Fray whistled uncomfortably that she looked up again. Fray, who was tired and only slightly grumpy a minute ago, was rolling himself around and trying to look out of his carriage The wooden whistle firmly attached between his lips let out a small chirp as he exhaled sharply.
“What are you looking at, Fray?” Raya asked, grumbling to herself. She scooted out of her chair a little grudgingly and attended to her little boy. Lavender was clawing at Fray’s shirt, attempting to stay on the child despite his fidgeting. “Fine, here, I’ll just carry you.” She whispered, looking around at the disturbed library goers who seemed to glare from behind their books. “So much for getting some studying done.” The teen sighed, carrying Fray over her shoulder. Lavender was quite proud of herself, as she had managed to stay hidden in Fray’s scarf quite well.
“Uaah!” Fray exclaimed from the side of his mouth, as the majority of it was taken up by his whistle. Raya looked to her side, hushing Fray slightly, until she caught light of what Fray actually wanted to see. His light purple eyes were focused on the young man’s bassinet. Looking to her left and right, Raya approached it attentively.
Peering into it, she gasped at the sight. It was a cute, small girl curled up in a yellow blanket with a large stuffed animal of a whale. What caught Raya’s eye, though, was the whale’s movement. This was no doubt a daemon; Raya couldn’t find another explanation. A warm smile spread over Raya’s features.
“A forgotten,” she whispered under her breath, tightening her grip on Fray as she did so.
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Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:38 pm
And that was all there was to it! Pleased as punch, Eriol winked at Raya. "Thanks a lot, miss," he murmured, patting Viviana on the head and then heading off to the nearby reference section. Moments later his headphones were back on and he was humming along with the music, ignoring the stares of a few annoyed readers. It was a free country after all!
Viviana noticed immediately when Eriol was gone, and wasn't happy with it. She sniffed, looking around slowly. At least there was someone there. She clung to Outcry nervously, while looking at the others. One was big and one was not, and the one who was not had a someone else with him.
And then she smiled. She was still upset, but there were others there, so whatever it was couldn't be that bad. And she wouldn't have been left with these people if they weren't nice. Curiosity got the better of her, and she raised one hand slowly, as if through water.
Noticing the moment her hand moved, Outcry rolled onto his stomach and eyed the pair. They seemed alright, but he didn't trust them as much as Viviana did. Instead he whistled experimentally, then let out a softer croon.
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 5:18 pm
Raya’s expressions changed from surprised, shocked, confused, and eventually ended up at overjoyed. She scooted Fray up on her body with a practiced arm, her other hand covering her gaping mouth. Her lips curled up into a wry smile; her eyes were averted back to the teenage father who had left the newly found forgotten in her temporary care. The excitement built up inside her, but she had to calm herself to make sure not to pellet him with questions as soon as he came back on his book search. Quite honestly, though, Raya was desperate to talk to another guardian her age. No doubt they had to deal with similar troubles, and she greatly needed some peer guidance and advice.
Fray was far too enamored with the sight of another Forgotten to notice his surrogate mother’s obvious distraction. He was struggling a little to see over Raya’s shoulder to get a better angle to see to curious two strangers in the bassinet. “Fwwt!” Fray chirped out of his whistle with a sharp note, receiving a few irritated looks from nearby readers. Raya adjusted sightly to give Fray the best view inside the basket. His bright eyes lightened up at Outcry’s odd noise and the boy let out a charming, bubbly laugh.
“What is your name, sweetie?” Raya asked in a whisper, obviously not expecting a response, charmed by Viviana as well. She warmly reached her hand in and poked Vivi’s outstretched palm gently.
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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:08 pm
To Outcry's surprise, his whistle was was answered with another, similar sound. He wasn't entirely sure he approved. Then again, he didn't disapprove either. It was just unsettling. In an effort to find out more, he whistled again, this time a much higher note.
If Viviana was expected to understand the question she failed pitifully, instead giggling as the woman tickled her hand. Her fingers twitched a bit, as if trying to decide whether they wanted to stay put or move. In the end they wiggled a little, as the girl let out a soft "Mwaaah."
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:18 pm
As Outcry matched Fray’s whistle with a high-pitched noise only a whale could make, Fray let out a large laugh. His whistle squeaked from the sharp exhale, and Lavender scurried out of Fray’s scarf and perched atop her Forgotten’s head darkly. Her beady black eyes scanned over the unfamiliar pair with distrust and an unjustified animosity. Then again, such behavior was very much Lavender’s normal nature.
Raya seemed just as enamored with the dark-skinned child as Fray was. When she let out her little laugh, she swore her heart melted. Her eyes shifted back to look for her green-haired guardian. When he returned, she definitely to engage him in one way or another.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:51 pm
They were laughing too! That was a good sign, at least to Viviana. Happy people were probably less likely to do something bad, like pull her hair or leave her all alone. Comforted by this, she giggled again, reaching out to the trio. The boy especially was of interest; he seemed the happiest, and Outcry seemed to like his whistle.
Whistling came from behind as well, as Eriol nodded his head to the music that streamed through his headphones. He carried a stack of thick books- enough to come up to his nose, even though there were only a handful of books in the pile. Dropping them carelessly on the thick table, he smoothed Viviana's hair. "Thanks a lot," he whispered, removing his earphones and stashing them in his pocket. "The name's Eriol. And who might you be?"
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:33 pm
Raya barely heard Eriol speak anything other than his name; her eyes were fixated on Viviana and especially that wonderfully interesting daemon of hers. Quickly she shook off her stare and brought her attention back to Eriol with a large smile on her face.
“Oh, huh? No problem. My name is—“ Sharp hushes came from surrounding readers, and Raya cringed and reminded herself to lower her voice. In a soft tone, she responded. “My name is Raya and this is Fray and Lavender.” She said, gesturing to her stroller. “Eriol, I don’t suppose you’re a Forgotten Document guardian, are you?” Raya asked without hesitation. She was excited past anything reasonable, as she often became while meeting new guardians.
Fray simply smiled and outstretched his hand to the happy girl and her big, unusual daemon. Lav nipped him gently on the back of his neck for being too friendly, but Fray ignored her. Irritated, the rat curled her tail around his neck protectively.
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 9:29 pm
Viviana leaned into Eriol's hand as he stroked her head. That felt good, but it also put her closer to the boy who was reaching out to her. She reached her hand up, but couldn't stretch it very far, and soon her elbow bent, the effort too much to keep up.
This action went unnoticed by Eriol, who had frozen at the mention of a document. A forgotten one. Wasn't that what the lime-haired creep had called Vivi? And there was the girl, with a kid and a rat that was definitely not stuffed. Wincing, the teenager rubbed his head with his gloved hand. Didn't that place have anything better to do than ensnare unsuspecting teenagers? That seemed to be all it did, what with Jason and then this girl, who looked too cute to be a mom in Eriol's mind. "That effin' house's got no shame," he muttered, not directly answering the question. "How'd it grab you?"
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:25 pm
As Fray looked at the young girl with her hands outstretched as well, and he let out a loud and bubbly giggle. He did his best to hang over the stroller that bound him in order to get closer to her, but his attempts went unanswered. Lavender peeked her dark eyes out from under his scarf and glared suspiciously at the large fish that floated near the strange girl.
Raya chuckled quietly at the memory of that old house. She was quite happy that his mentioning it confirmed her suspicions, and she was even happier that the guardian was close to her age for once. “It seems more like a dream than a memory,” she paused, trying to recall the bizarre night she had stumbled into that House. “It was St. Patty’s night and on the way home it kind of… beckoned me.” Raya recalled, strugging for the words. “Well, one thing led to another and curiosity killed the cat. Rather, it dragged me down on a hell-train with a deformed rat for a conductor and I stumbled upon this little one.” Raya whispered, gesturing to Fray. “Quite honestly, I dunno what I’d do without him now, though,” she said, ruffling Fray’s brown hair lovingly.
Fray brushed his mother’s affection off with a small chirp of his whistle. “Fweet!” He chimed, but as a few readers in the library let out a few annoyed shushes Fray went back to trying to reach that new girl.
“How did the House get you?” Raya asked, wishing to compare odd experiences. Her eyes drifted back to Vivi, though, and her eyes lit up. “And she’s entirely adorable! What’s her name?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:05 pm
Viviana also tried to reach forward, but she wasn't quite able so sit up without assistance, and srruggled in vain. Outcry wasn't much help, as he had turned to sulking again, blowing out small spouts of water every few moments that bubbled over his own liquid encasing and was absorbed.
Both the boy and Outcry could whistle. It made sense to Viviana that she could too, but when she tried all that came out was air and a little saliva. It was most disappointing, and she sat back again, discouraged.
"Ouch," Eriol muttered sympathetically. That sounded pretty bad too. The House was really some sort of monster. "I was 'sposed ta drop somethin' off there, 'cept it looked like it was floodin'. I tried ta go up the stairs, but they musta been rotted out, since I fell through. An then the water came through, an I couldn' get out..." He shuddered briefly at the memory. "The only way was through these doors, an' I found this Library, an' tha' was all."
He then turned his attention to the girl in the bassinet, who was lying exhaustedly with one hand submerged in Outcry's bubble. "Thi's Viviana. 'Cept I call 'er Vivi, sometimes. An' the whale's Outcry. I think."
The whale in question let out a deep moan, but seemed more calm than he had been a few moments ago. At least he was being introduced as well.
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:39 am
Raya shuddered at the sound of how Eriol was sucked into the house. “I’ve always hated large amounts of water,” she whispered under her breath as she peeked over through the stroller at Vivi and Outcry. “But I suppose if it brought you these two charming ones, it can’ t be too bad.” She smiled quietly at the two. Raya lifted Fray up from out of his carriage so he could get a better look. Lavender clawed tightly to his scarf, her tail erect in the air and her eyes glancing over them suspiciously.
Fray let out another happy giggle as he stretched his hands out to Vivi once again. The girl seemed a little unhappy she was incapable of whistling, and although Fray wanted to offer his whistle to her he just… couldn’t…reach! Soon growing tired from stretching, Fray let his limp hands fall to his sides. Discouraged, Fray shrugged at Viviana sadly. As another peace offering, he grabbed Lavender gently from his scarf and held her outstretched.
Lavender hissed audibly and scratched Fray’s hands as she scurried quickly up is arm and back into his first layer of shirts. “Lavender!”Raya scolded angrily, unable to find the small rodent now. Sighing, Raya gave an embarrassed glance to Eriol.
“You must excuse her. She’s… unsociable, to say the least. This is Fray and his ill tempered counterpart is Lavender. It’s great to meet a guardian my age,” she smiled in hushed tones, scooting the now cranky Fray up on her body.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:03 pm
Not that bad? Oftentimes Eriol was inclined to think that the diminuitive duo was the worst part of the whole ordeal, if not by much. The nightmares he sometimes had of drowning were terrifying, but occasional, whereas Viviana and Outcry were constantly present, and constantly needing things. But he wasn't about to admit that to such a charming young lady, not by a long shot.
"Eh, I guess it wasn' so bad," he conceded, putting on his brave face. "An yeah, I was thinkin' that too. Actually, I met another guy, but he was a bit weird if ya ask me." To the brave face he added a smile, hopefully a charming one.
Just about ready to give up, Viviana let her hands drop into her lap and pulled at them and at her dress, trying to focus on them and not on anything else. But that quickly grew boring, and she found herself looking up again. The boy was still there, and he seemed to be reaching out to her! Brightening, she reached her hand out as well, but when his daemon snapped she quickly recoiled, holding her hand in front of her mouth.
Outcry glared at the rodent, unwilling to let it harrass them like that. While he wasn't quite as mobile as Lavender, he had his own way of getting even- namely, letting off a spurt of air and water through his blowhole. It wasn't more than a squirt from a water gun would be, but it was still wet. That would show them.
"Hey, stop that!" Eriol tried to twist the carrier so that Outcry's spash wouldn't hit anything, but that only made things worse. Drops of watter splattered across books, table, and everyone in the immediate viscinity. Especially Eriol, who looked down to discover a rather damp shirt and jeans, and droplets of water staining his jacket. "Dammit!"
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DivineSaturn Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:09 pm
“Another, huh?” Raya stroked her chin thoughtfully with an excited glint in her eye. “I didn’t figure there were many teenagers with Forgotten. It’s pretty extraordinary, actually,” She shrugged and glanced fondly at Fray who was leaning his head on Raya’s shoulder.
Fray had quickly grown irritable with Lavender’s rash behavior and groped at the inside of his own shirt to possibly retrieve his daemon. The rat scurried swiftly around the child’s torso with sharp claws, attempting to escape her other half’s grasp. The whistle firmly attached to Fray’s mouth blew in frustration, and the usually docile child wrestled awkwardly with himself. “Fwwwt!”
The brief mist that fell upon the small group cut the struggle short. Lavender peeked out from Fray’s scarf and sniffed the air curiously, but hissed at the moisture and returned to the darkness of Fray’s shirt. He, on the other hand, immediately burst into charming giggles. From his whistle emerged a very pale, purple butterfly. It flew upon the air as if weightless, fluttering dizzily from the whistle toward Viviana and Outcry. It’s appearance was very vague, as if almost fazing in and out of existence. The butterfly flew in circles in front of Vivi, only to dissipate silently into the air.
Unfortunately the small hint of magic that spurted from the Forgotten was completely missed by his guardian, as she was trying to stifle her laughter despite the angry glares the small group was receiving from almost all of the library’s inhabitants. The teenager quickly picked up her textbooks. She had decided to dismiss the idea of studying, against her better instincts.
“I don’t mean to be too forward,” she whispered near Eriol with a smile, “But do you think it would be a better idea to leave this place and go to some sort of restaurant or park? The patrons seemed rather irked at us.” Raya explained, giving apologetic smiles to everyone that threw a glare their way.
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