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 Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:24 pm
Leon Aristipossos had finally worked out a give-and-take arrangement with his infant daughter, after:
1. Far too many incidents where she had disappeared and Quixana had tried to wade in after to save her;
2. Far too many incidents where, upon coming back, Quixana's tiny sister had delivered him a dead fish/a live fish/a sailor/a corpse.
Anemone wouldn't give her water up, and neither would Terror, taking her part; so, on the warm sandy shores of Lake Bass'ken on a lovely autumn's day, with the fishermen standing hip-deep with their gumboots catching fish, Leon had hammered a pole into the soft earth and given Anemone a very long leash. She had squealed at the harness; she loathed clothes, hated them desperately, but had in the end decided that something tied to her ankle was okay and had deeply enjoyed being launched into the water.
Leon sat with a sandwich, watching the end of the rope and the stick bend and curve as Annie investigated things, hoping desperately that any fish murder she committed she would keep to herself.
He shielded his eyes from the sun as he caught sight of somebody familiar; he gave Ice a short, curt wave, his version of a friendly hello.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:27 pm
Ice waved back, shifting Walter on her hip slightly as she headed to the familiar man.
"Are you fishing? That's what we came to do!" She called to him, ignoring the way that Oblivion slowed down with every step closer to the lake. The poor daemon hated water, but Walter seemed to love it. He was already wearing his neon orange floaty vest and waving his hands in excitement at the sight of the big blue wet thing.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:33 pm
"... I haven't fished since I was a kid," the other man answered, looking faintly nostalgic for that. "Sometimes we give Xana a piece of string and a paper clip. - Would've brought him today, but Cressida was taking him to the doctor."
With a sniffle. As was her wont; Cressida could be fairly adorably overprotective, especially given two children under her unholy command now. At least it gave him a talking point. Leon ran a hand through his hair and looked at Walter seriously. "You fish a lot?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:36 pm
"Not at all." Ice said as she hooked a rope to Walter's wrist and put him down. "But I haven't slept in months now, and I figure if he's busy trying to swim I might get a chance."
Walter crawled toward the water, staring down at his own reflection happily. He cocked his head to the right, then to the left, then reached down and touched the reflection to see what happened. He let out a delighted giggle as it splashed just like his pool water. And what was better was that this water moved on its own!
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:43 pm
Leon considered warning both of them about Anemone, but decided that they would inevitably find out on their own. "We've been taking Xana for lessons, too. Thought we might as well." And, the ultimate show of friendship: "... would you like a sandwich?"
The lake was clear and clean and, indeed, showed Walter's reflection in its gently lapping waters. There were no interruptions, ... just then.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:49 pm
"Sure!" Ice said as she sat down. "C'mon, Oblivion, I swear you won't get wet if you get just a little closer."
The daemon gave her a dirty look, obviously not believing her, but moving just a few squeaks closer nonetheless.
Walter started talking to his reflection, babbling happily before making faces at himself. Water was such fun! He had no idea why Oblivion has such a grudge against it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:58 pm
Leon passed her a sandwich, and watched Walter placidly for the inevitable. It was hard to see if you hadn't seen it happen again and again; a couple of bubbles rose to the surface where Walter was examining his reflection, and then, too curious as ever, the water was broken by Anemone's face surfacing to examine Walter's. It would have been a double for the painting by Waterhouse with the sea-nymphs dragging the young man down to a watery grave, except that Terror was curled up on Annie's pale little head.
"Sometimes I wish she was more like Oblivion," Leon said obliquely.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:00 pm
"She?" Ice repeated.
Walter let out a gasp, then broke into wild giggles at the sight of the girl and her daemon, almost falling over with his laughter. That had been so cool!!
Oblivion's tail twitched in irritation as her forgotten did something yet again strange.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:03 pm
"New arrival," said Leon.
Anemone cocked her head at this new arrival, as Terror slipped off her head and curled around her neck. After examining Walter's face for quite some time and obviously approving of him being in the water, she pursed her lips and let a long thin stream of water hit him directly in the forehead to say hello. Then she disappeared again.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:07 pm
Walter blinked and wiped at the water before shoving his head under completely to see where she had gone. The only problem was that he had a heck of a time keeping it under the water thanks to his floaty vest, which kept trying to make him bob. And the water got up his nose. He pulled out, snorting in irritation and looking around above water.
She was fun! He wanted to play with her!
"I see." Ice said with a hint of a grin as she took a bite of her sandwich. "She's quite the swimmer, isn't she?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:13 pm
"Yes," the other man said, and looked towards the stick he had planted again. It was still bending with the force of Anemone's movements. "Gills."
Another thin stream of water hit Walter's head, and this time, Annie surfaced more completely; she lay back in the water and laughed hysterically, giggling her silvery little giggle, as Terror went fsssss to join in with his mistress' mirth. Obviously, this was a game that she knew and liked.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:18 pm
Walter blinked and blew, trying to copy her movement but unable to without water. A tiny, airy whistle escaped his lips and he frowned, trying harder to do it.
This time he whistled almost fully, much to his surprise. But it distracted him from the water shooting, making him try it again. "FWEEEET!"
Oblivion snorted, her ears irritated by the sound.
"Really?" Ice asked. "Like Xana has a tail? Honestly all Walter has are two different color eyes..."
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:21 pm
"And fins," Leon said, with a touch of gloom. "All over... I envy just eyes."
Anemone pursed her lips at him, trying to come up with the same sound, but only managing puffs of air as she attempted the same tweet. All she managed was her fssssss sound, which she did with alacrity just to prove that she could still do something.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:37 pm
Walter laughed and clapped in appreciation of her noise.
"Ahhh, but fins can't be too bad! I mean, Oblivion likes to eat all my tools, and the gate... and lamp posts..." She listed off. "At least fins don't cost as much!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:45 pm
Annie made it again, and was obviously pleased with the attention. She ducked down into the water and - after a few moments - returned with some shells in her mouth, which she spat into her hands and offered to Walter.
Leon cast a look over at Oblivion. "... she won't wear clothes." (It seemed pretty light in comparison to eating lamp posts.)
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