An unexpected meeting [Done]

[Kiki]

Dilis crept carefully down the street. I don't know how I always manage to do this... lost again, this time IN Capital CityShe'd been in the city so many times that for her, it should be a piece of cake to get around... but.. somehow she'd ended up in an odd district. She was trying to get back to the shop Hatter had brought her, Loreta, and Elyse to but somehow had made a wrong turn.

There were so many buildings around her, they all looked the same as well. To her they looked like.. well, almost like apartments. She had considered going up to one of them to ask where she was but.. typical Dilis, she was a bit frightened. She decided however to swallow her fear and do it.

She walked up to the door and scratched at it, hoping anyone was home. She was so nervous, her paws were sweating... I hope this person is nice at least...

[Dark]

Minh was in the middle of making a quick escape in lieu of helping around the house. Over their evening cup of coffee that night before, Mnem has remarked not-so-casually in conversation that they really should get around to cleaning the apartment. Would tomorrow work? Minh had been certain to set her alarm to go off an hour before when she knew Mnem had even a possibility of getting up, and started down the four flights of stairs as quick as she could.

That there was actually was someone at the front door was rather surprising, and she stopped abruptly to keep from colliding with the smaller feline. There weren't many who voluntarily wandered the area surrounding their apartment, as most of the buildings were in ill-repair, if not condemned, and the people who chose to inhabit such a place were generally an unsavory lot.

"Uh....hi?"

[Kiki]

As she scratched at the door, someone seemed to be coming out. It really kind of startled her so all Dilis could do was to look up at the stranger. She seemed cute in her green goggles and matching green tie and so some of Dilis' apprehension went away. Though she looked the odd sort, she didn't seem to be dangerous to Dilis in any way.

"Uh... hello, I was wondering if you could tell me where I was? I am terribly lost and I do not recognize anything at all. I was trying to get to the magic district to purchase an item and I seemed to have gone a bit too far. If you know how to get back at all, that would be terribly helpful."

She took a breathe and paused to wait for an reply. look at those eyes... they're piercing me it would seem. This persons eyes were indeed intense. They were a bright green about the same color as her goggles and Dilis was pleased.

[Dark]

((Meeeew. Dang, sorry I forgot to post a pic. I'd copied it and everything, but I didn't want to add it until I met my word count. XD;)

Minh blinked, slightly taken back by the uncertain little Avington that had stumbled upon her doorstep. Avington's were a bit of a curiosity--beautiful creatures plagued by unthinkable secrets. Really, they seemed a bit like a more sunny version of those who originated in Torquehelm.

She remembered her manners, though, and smiled, "Oh, no problem. You're in the warehouse distract, actually. The outer fringe, really--this was housing for the workers, back in the day."

Swinging the door open wider, her ears twitched at a faint not-echo of sound from upstairs. It sounded like the monsters, and their tyrannic ruler Auntie-Mnem were stirring.

Minh had two choices--take off now without explaining to Mnem and face the consequences later, or take the small feline up for tea or something before leaving to prove she wasn't skirting chores. She chose the good-Samaritan route.

"Would you like to come up for some tea? It's a bit of a mess, but once I get the kids settled I'd be happy to show you the way. The magic district can be a little tricky to find."

[Kiki]

Warehouse District, huh? Father hadn't even mentioned this part of town to her. That was definitely a bad sign, it meant she had basically gone terribly far out of her way. This person seemed distracted, Dilis hoped she wasn't keeping her from something. It may have been silly of her to worry but worrying was just her way.

"Yes of course I will have tea with you. Oh I understand, I am usually the one that has to clean the house. I know how dirty things can get and how quick. You have kids? How lovely, I adore kids." Dilis smiled.

She didn't get to go out and play with the ones she lived near so the prospect of doing so today made Dilis happy. She desperately loved kids, she wanted so badly to have some of her own someday. Dilis snapped out of her thoughts and realized she hadn't really made a definite answer to Minh.

"Well let us make haste the- Oh dear, where are my manners. If I am coming into your home, you should atleast know my name. My name is Dilis" She smiled sweetly.

[Dark]

Minh smiled, at little amused by the feline's polite manner. The kid was sweet, in the overly sweet way only straight sugar could be; it was endearing. Such a change from the little hellions that resided up stairs. Minh just hoped the shock wouldn't be too much for the poor dear.

"Nice to meet you Dilis. I'm Minh. Minh Thi D'Allesio." She wasn't normally in the habit of using her full name when introducing herself , but the situation seemed to demand a sort of formality.

She swung the door open wider to allow admittance, and headed for the stairs, "It's the fourth floor. I hope you don't mind a bit of a climb--the elevator is a death trap."

They'd just reached the landing when the front door eased open and the shadowed outline of her oldest slunk out. Sneaking out again, it would appear. She didn't really mind, as long as he didn't get caught, but she did have a certain roll to play.

"And where do you think you're going this early in the morning, young man?"



Hadyn's body stiffened, and he muffled a groan of frustration. So much for slipping away into the anonymity of the city.

[Kiki]

What a strange name, it was a mouthful to say the least. "Well Minh, it's lovely to meet you as well" Dilis walked through the door Minh had held for her and looked up. Yes, four floors was a ways but she could handle it.

"It's no problem really, I'm used to climbing stairs from my home." As they reached the top, she saw someone stepping out of the door. As they got closer, Minh chastised the figure. It became more apparent this was one of the children Minh had spoken of. Oh dear, sneaking out... she knew a little too much about that already. But... what Father didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Besides, she had planned on being obedient and do as he asked when he did... what was the harm if she wanted to go explore a little beforehand.

Slipping out of her thoughts she turned to Minh, "Is this one of your children, Minh?" Normally she was not so nosy but sometimes she just got so curious...

[Dark]

Minh nodded in response to Dilis' question, eying the youngster carefully. She didn't mind Hadyn wandered off on his own, but she couldn't help but worry about him sometimes. He was restless, and aimless. And those unhappy feelings usually culminated in some sort of explosion.

"Hadyn, this is Dilis. Dilis, Hadyn. Were you going to the market like your aunt asked?" She smiled conspiratorially, and slipped him a coin. Maybe he'd stumble across something semi-productive to do; or at least destroy something a little farther afield. She wasn't sure how much more demolition the apartment could take.

Hadyn didn't smile, but he got a wicked little gleam in his eye that told her all she needed to know. He nodded in diffidence to Dilis, and took off down the hall in that long, languid trot of his.

She opened the door, "Shall we?"

((Bee, Sera, and Ku-chan are going to do a brief guest appearance, so if you just want to wait a few posts for them to get those typed out, Dilis can meet all the babehs before we continue on our way. :3))

[Bee]

Helena's keen people-sense had swung into overdrive. There was someone at the door, with Auntie Minh, and Helena wanted to meet whoever it was. Sales ladies, girl scouts, and the creepy people who tried to hand her books and tell her that she too could be saved if only she accepted--something or other. No gentleman or lady caller was safe. People who spent their entire careers insistently trying to get into people's houses and yap at them suddenly found themselves very keen to leave, actually. Which was terribly sad, because Helena would talk for hours and hours and hours with all her new friends. And they never came back.

Which was why Mommy always sent Helena to the door when the salespeople came along. But this time it would be different. She would make a new, lasting friend. It would be glorious.

So she bounded down the stairs, squeaking excitedly, and shoved herself in next to Auntie Minh.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, to the new kitty with the antlers. "My name is Helena! You're here for tea? I can help! I can join you. What's your name? I like pastries. Mommy makes them. Do you like them? I can get them for you."



Eir, drawn as usual to the sound of Helena's racket and the prospect of berating her for being a loud irritant, slinked out of his hiding place, where he was busy teasing a bander's foot towards and away from one of his mother's more carnivorous plants. It had only lost two toes so far. He didn't see what the little runt was so upset about. It was lucky he hadn't decided to shove it down the garbage disposal.

"Helena," he said, eyes narrowed. "What are you on about?"

Then he saw her. A visitor. Eir liked visitors. They were fun to mess with. He was never allowed to properly dispose of them--Mother usually just sent Helena after them, which worked as well but wasn't nearly so fun--but perhaps he could find some way to get rid of this one. She looked...timid.

[Bee]

Iphis had been busy helping Elyse tend to plants when he heard voices and Helena throwing herself down the stairs to greet the voices, and his curiosity was piqued. Especially when the word "tea" was mentioned. He liked tea, and he liked having it with people. He had recently taken to getting into Mommy's recipes and making tasty little tea party snacks, so he and Elyse would have something to do in their downtime, and the prospect of a tea party made him happy.

He put down his little watering can. "We should go down and see what's happening," he told Elyse. He arranged a few items that had gotten tossed around, assured Clara that they would be back shortly to fetch her if there was in fact a tea party, and headed down the stairs. It appeared they would have a guest, too. She looked nice. Iphis waved cheerily.



Mnem was in not so good a mood. She had finished her own self-assigned chores and had been quite contently reading a book on obscure poisons when the ruckus began, and she knew that once that happened, nothing short of her Jack's ability or the grisly death of nearly everyone in the house would restore the peace and quiet. She slammed the book shut, and then slammed it down on a nearby coffee table for good measure. She thought she heard Minh, too, which meant she was shirking her chores.

She screwed her face up into the glowering, imperious expression of disdain and distaste that she usually extended to her children and semi-children, and made her way into the noise. They had a guest, now, too. Wonderful. Just darling. As Eir was fond of saying, they had awoken a terrible evil that felt no pity and could scream like a banshee, and their end was upon them.

"Greetings," she told the feline whom Minh had apparently invited in. "Welcome to our humble abode. I hope you've enjoyed seeing everyone, because they shall be dead shortly."