|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:12 pm
It had been a good weekend, but now it was Sunday afternoon and most efficient people were gearing up for the new work-week. Unfortunately, in the list of what Harper's family was... efficient came in just above 'traditional.' What's more, now that Harper had been out and 'seen the world' at the liberty center, the group of ex rock stars made it painfully clear to anyone interested that there was a standing invitation for parties at their apartment, and that anyone was welcome to babysit Harper anytime.
Of course, people rarely came! And now, stuck out in the grassy courtyard of the posh apartment complex, Harper sat beneath a tree with a frown fixed on his face. He was bored, and nobody was letting him play with the shiny instruments his daddies just received; the ones his mother had been bright red in the face and wailing over nonstop the past 48 hours. Instead, he was stuck out here with Eliot, who after checking to make sure the child wasn't dead, grinned to himself and walked toward a nearby apartment labeled '207'.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:49 pm
Katrina had always known it would happen, ever since she put into shore. Landlubbers were nowhere near as lenient as seagoers when it came to property damage…something pirates all knew. Even pirates, though, would have evicted Katrina when it came to Melchizedek. Katrina hadn’t known you could charge the kind of money she had been charged for the damage Melchy caused to pillows and sofas.
So she and her crew—who were, apparently, ‘disturbing patrons’ in the hotel bar by singing shanties and ballads—had been dumped unceremoniously onto the street. And it fell upon their captain and her first mate to find them adequate lodging.
She had arrived at the complex, seen the ‘room-for-rent’ sign, and someone had told her that ‘208’ was vacant. So here she was, with Hawkiss and—because he wouldn’t listen to anyone else, though he barely listened to Katrina—Melchizedek.
“Two-oh-eight, two-oh-eight…” Katrina muttered as the three entered the courtyard. She was holding Melchizedek, and Hawkiss was sulking, nursing a dozen long scratches on his face, arms, and hands. The child was looking around with an expression of aloof boredom, tail twitching. His face lifted, eyes widening slightly, as he caught sight of something alive. He squirmed, making a soft, indignant noise.
“Two-fifteen here, Cap’n,” Hawkiss said. “Two-oh-eight o’er there, prolly.” Katrina followed the direction he was pointing, put down the struggling child before she dropped him, and took his hand. Melchy strained, but Katrina held him firm, dragging him toward apartment 208, and, by association, number 207.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:04 pm
"Why do you have to go see your friend now?" Complained Riley in a very loud, scathing voice. When Mikael went to visit his friends she was always subjected to the most boring time ever, since she was normally shut up in some room and told to "wait there" for a couple of hours. Not that it was ever Mikael's choice to bring her to these outings...if he could shove her off on a different brother he would with an open heart and a smile.
But today everyone was busy and Runeh was mysteriously "missing", which was common for his twin, so Mikael had to drag her along. "Because I promised," he lied, grinning at the idea of seeing Bambi again. Really seeing her, getting a nice long look. He went over to room 207, a man with a mission.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:11 pm
Eliot had been somewhat oblivious ever since getting to the door he had approached. He was staring at a pastel pink note pinned to the front door, complete with red heart and cherub stationary and a foul rainy spring perfumed scent.
"Sorry baby, I had to go out.
Guess what?
I'M PREGNANT! I'm going to the doctors now! Then I'm going to my mothers, so I can tell her all about you and THE BABY!
Call you soon!
-Yours FOREVER
xoxoxo Bambi."
Strange, Eliot took on an almost blue skin tone. He took two steps backwards and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhhh, Harper, we need to go.." He called absentmindedly behind him.
Harper, meanwhile, was busy watching that very odd group of pirates and cat-boy walking close to them. He had his eyes fixed on the little boy, sizing him up to see if he was a worthy playmate. Then, quickly, the vaguely familiar bird girl was here! Finally, a party was starting! He jumped to his feet and waved vigorously at both groups, calling out "Hello!" and jumping up and down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:20 pm
Riley's ears twitched and she whirled to see the large group of people and a small, familiar figure. She grinned, her mood rising up through the roof. Haha! No drafty living rooms for her, no sir! "Hey binkie boy!" she called with a wild wave, obviously eager to get away from her elder brother. She abandoned him without a second thought, going over to see Harper and the other strangers.
Mikael had gone over to the door of 207, not even bothering to notice Eliot. He stared at the note, his face twisting in disgust, "Ahhh, geez! Pregnant women are impossible to do anything with! Guess I'm going bar hopping again tonight." His tone suggested that this situation was rather common with him. But he hardly seemed the type that would answer any "calls" from Bambi from this point on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:38 pm
Eliot stared at Mikael, color suddenly rushing back into his face. He started laughing, throwing his hands over his face he shook his head slowly, "Aww man, am I glad to see you." He said happily, going to pat Mikael' on the shoulder as if they were long time buddies.
Harper grinned, he turned his focus to Riley. Wait, what? Binkie? Dude, he lost that thing weeks ago. Okay, so, he missed it, but that wasn't the point. "No binkie!!" He protested quickly, but he didn't seem to care much. He started running as fast as his little legs would allow to meet her half way, grinning. "I'm Harper!" He explained, even going so far as to give a slight flourish as he said it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:40 pm
Melchy hadn’t expected the child he had been watching to watch him back, and he laughed with delight as Harper made a noise and motion toward him. Taking advantage of Katrina’s temporary distraction looking at room numbers, he jerked out of her grip and padded over to where the boy stood. Hawkiss groaned and made as if to go after Melchy, but Katrina shook her head.
“He won’t get far.” And she continued along the rooms until she found 208. She paused for a moment, glancing over at the stricken-looking man standing at 207.
She opened her mouth to ask a question but was interrupted by Riley’s guardian’s voice. His comment made her eyes narrow and she glanced sidelong at the two men standing in front of Bambi’s currently empty apartment. Hawkiss coughed softly and turned away to watch the children.
Melchy had stopped at a reasonable distance from both Harper and Riley. He recognized Riley slightly, though not Harper, from the incident in the costume shop, but other than that…they were strangers. Blinking a few times and solemnly chewing on one claw, he opened and closed his hand in a wave to both.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:51 pm
Mikael paused, looking very suspiciously at Eliot. He hadn't recalled seeing his man before, else he would have wondered if he owed him money. He was dense, like his sister, and it didn't occur to him that Eliot might be worried that the note was for him. Instead he had a sudden jolt of nervousness. He had a strong fear men who well...liked men. And having a strange guy seem to happy to see him didn't settle his discomfort. "What?" he blurted, frowning deeply.
"Yeah, I remember," Riley nodded. She was usually pretty good with names. She just couldn't help calling him by the first thing she remembered. She grinned, giving a mock salute, "The name's Riley." She then turned her head slightly, blinking silver eyes at the younger boy who had waved to them. He reminded her for a moment of Taki, except he didn't have all the orange and whites in his hair and tail. "Hey," she said with a friendly gesture to Melchy, not seeming bothered that both the boys were younger then her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:59 pm
Eliot snorted again, his amusement lasting. "Dude, if you don't know, I won't tell you," he said coyly, turning his head off to the side he cocked a smiled, "but either way, know that I will be grateful for you till the day I- err.." It was then the bass player noticed Katrina and that lovely look in her eyes. "I'm..err.. hi there. Going to rent the apartment?" he asked while taking another two steps away from both Katrina and Mikael.
Harper stopped suddenly when he reached the appropriate closeness, but the sudden halt caused him to trip a little. He managed to catch his balance however and turned to look at Melch, "Hi! I'm Harper! No binkie." he explained, giving Riley a pointed look. A moment later, examining her ears, Harper's face lit up. "YOU HAVE WINGS TOO!!" he screamed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:28 pm
Katrina watched Eliot and Mikael, still wearing an expression of extreme disapproval. Men were pigs. When Eliot spoke to her, Katrina’s frown deepened. Her hand went to the sword that hung at her side, something that would be no more than a typical warning in a pirate, without taking into account that confrontation with deadly weapons was probably not something that happened to these men daily.
Eliot’s question, of course, warranted some sort of an answer. “Considering it,” she answered lightly, her voice almost pleasant in frightening contrast to her expression. She winced at Harper’s shriek.
Melchy, on the other hand, seemed amused when the boy screamed. “Hullo,” he said brightly after Harper had his say, smiling at both children in turn. His tail twitched slightly as he looked at both Riley and Harper; genetically, they were technically his prey. He got the feeling that Riley, who was much bigger than him, would disagree…time for a subject change. “I’m Melch…Melchizedek.” He pronounced the name carefully, still stumbling over the syllables. It was an unwieldy name; something Katrina hadn’t noticed. “Melchy,” he added with an emphatic nod.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:35 pm
"Why you-!" He growled at Eliot, obviously not liking being left in the dark. He shifted his attention to the pirate reluctantly. Mikael, however, was more then used to weaponry, threats, and violence. He was a military man, after all. He leaned back, obviously not caring if Katrina decided to wave that thing around or not. Though he did look a little put off. He had come to have some fun only to find out that his "friend" was no longer as such and then he was confronted by a woman who was equally as boring. He liked them helpless, after all. "Hmph."
"Wings?" Riley questioned, looking rather puzzled. "Nah I don't!" she murmured, waving her arms as if to demonstrate how very unwinglike they were. She then looked at Melchy and grinned, "Nice ta meet ya." It was a good thing he had shortened his name. She would have butchered the full version.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:41 pm
Guns? No. Small pocket daggers to shank people with? Naaah. A flippin sword? Everyone on this plane was insane! Giving an audible 'woah!' Eliot jumped backwards and caught his arms up infront of his chest, "YO I'M AN ARTIST! Look lady, if your Bambi's sister or something, theres easier ways to handle this," he promptly pointed at Mik, "he's the dad." He nervously cleared his throat and glanced back to Harper, only to become more alarmed when he noticed all the other kids. "Uh.. dude, you really get around, don't you?"
Harper grinned at Melchy, "MELCHEEZEEDEYK!" He clapped his hands for his own applause and then passed a frown to Riley, "Do too," he told her matter of factly while pointing at her head. "Lil' wings, like me!" he elaborated, pointing at his feet. Okay, so, his' were much less impressive than the girls but they were there regardless. "WE BE FRIENDS NOW, OKAY?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:26 pm
Katrina did nothing more with the sword, gauging Mikael’s response with grudging respect; she hadn’t seen someone not treat such a warning with at fear in years. She briefly considered challenging him to a duel just to regain the honor that he had stripped by not fearing her, but Eliot’s response more than made up for any apathy on the other man’s part. She smiled slyly at the man, and her first mate sniggered, not taking his gaze from the trio of children. “’Tis no more than a warning, lad. Don’t get your panties in a knot.” Her frown returned at the mention of Bambi. “I’m no sister to a woman that dishonorable. Simply,” and without thinking, she unsheathed the sword and gestured at the door, “a prospective tenant.” Glancing at her blade and sheathing it again, she looked the pair up and down. Harper’s scream brought her attention back to the children. “Whose is whose?” she asked lazily. “The cat is mine.”
All the talk of wings was making Melchy feel a little left out, although the fact that neither child had a tail made him feel a little bit better. He giggled when Harper screamed his name, and couldn’t resisting shrieking back at him. “HAARPEER!!”
He wasn’t sure who Harper was talking to when he shouted about being friends, but he shot a look at Riley, willing—for the moment—to follow her lead. Her ears intrigued him. The cat-boy’s ears twitched and his tail flicked slightly as he thought traditional cat thoughts.
“Birdies!” he said brightly and rather spontaneously, pointing at the pair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:46 pm
Mikael finally seemed to catch on as to why the other guy had been so pleased to see him. "You another 'friend' of Bambi's? Don't go shoving the father thing on me then! The brat might be yours. Not that it matters either way...I'm not going to be seeing it," he couldn't help but laugh after his comment though, finding the other man's reaction to the blade hilarious. What a chicken! Even Kai didn't flinch around weaponry, and he was a pansy. At least in his mind. He turned his head to look a the children for the first time in a while. He murmured, "Well, the squirt there, the girl, is my sister."
Riley's "ears" twitched right then as she tried to see where he was pointing. Then she seemed to see them, finally, not that they were hard to miss. "Nah, they just look like wings," she said in a matter-of-fact fashion, "I can't fly with 'em." Man she wished she could though. Flying would be so cool.
"Friends? Sure thing," she agreed with an easy smile. She then jumped a little at Melchy's shout, her tail feathers fanning out for a moment. She then peered at him skeptically, "Well yeah, but...you're a kitty. Why we gotta lable animals?" Kai had told her before she shared a sparrow's DNA, but that didn't make her a real one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:54 pm
Eliot coulden't care less what people though of him when it came to stuff like this; he'd be the last one laughing, because he would be the only one alive at this rate! He shook his head at the others disapprovingly, "Waving swords around, sorta 18th century, ain't it hunny?" He asked while looking back at the kids. "Well, mine's the cute one," he shrugged, then faked a cough again, "Er, I mean, the well dressed one. Yeah buddy, not likely, I never slept with her!" Eliot said while giving Mik an almost taunting grin; he was too caught up in this sword stuff to get too cheeky just yet.
"They wings," Harper assured, rolling his eyes, "don't lie."
He looked at Melchy and grinned when his name was called, giving the other boy a brief applause as well. Eventually, he turned in the other direction and pointed up at an apartment on the second floor. "My house! We go play! We friends, we 'band', we get to play with 'struments!" He clapped his hands again and squealed with glee, proving his true intention this time around was to rile up band mates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
