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Post by Kasatsu on Nov 25, 2007 9:41:54 GMT -5
At the pup’s small yippy tale of what his mother had planned for him a shiver went up his spine which he quickly masked. He might not feel comfortable with what kept being mentioned by the family but he firmly reminded himself that it was none of his business – especially if it did not involve him, even if he was close enough to the family to be considered family.
“I am sure that your mother knows more about if you would like being there or not. From wot I have gathered on the place from the stories I have heard, it does not seem like a place I would want to live.”
As he finished saying the last comment he took a moment to really take in the room. The pale yellow walls reminded him of a faded sunset. The chew-toys amused him, reminding him of times that he had yelled at his friend because the pup had gotten bored and found one of the rodent’s toys a little too eye-catching. He was not really surprised to see that the bone sculpture trend followed from main living area to his friend’s room, though he found the fact that they were hidden behind glass amusing. His mother probably feared that he would take one as a chew toy, he thought to himself.
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 25, 2007 9:57:10 GMT -5
Mick nodded his head a little, then shrugged and grinned. "Maybe so, but it'd still be a neat place to visit, don't you think? I've heard the stories too, all those tales of dark magic and shamans and bone worship, and they're just kind of neat! Can you imagine actually meeting a shaman? I bet Mom's never even met one before, except maybe her dad was one, or someone far back in the family or something like that, to teach her how to do some of the stuff she does. She says these're all from the bones of people, but I think she just told me that when I was little to scare me into not chewing them." He snorted, staring at the figurines in the glass case. None of them bore teeth marks, but it had been a near thing sometimes.
"But anyway, did you need to go and do other stuff? I don't want to kick you out or anything, but if you have stuff to do then I guess we shouldn't do too much yet and just have to stop and interrupt it all. Dinner's usually ready sometime around seven or eight since it takes a little longer for Mom to do things now. She's got a human form, so I don't know why she doesn't use it except when she works with her bones. It's kind of a waste, isn't it?"
He shrugged and picked up a rope toy that looked well-mauled, thrashing it around for a few seconds to release some energy before tossing it with his mouth to smack against the wall.
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Post by Kasatsu on Nov 25, 2007 10:18:30 GMT -5
Shivering from the cold, the mouse was once again uncomfortably huddled in his cloak, fighting off the chill. His Tove was wrapped around his horns, also hating the situation that they were in. He had decided like Mick had offered, to take the chance provided to report in to his brother, agreeing to be back at the house in time for supper.
His elder brother had not been happy, like he had expected, about his not be staying with the family though when he had put his foot down his brother had finally, though very reluctantly, backed off and had given him permission to stay at Mick’s house as long as he came by and visited. He was hoping that he would not regret his choice.
He had been amazed to see that he now had a nephew though. Who would have thought it? Shaking his head at the bizarre thought, he continued on his way back to his friend’s house. It sure is getting dark quickly he thought to himself.
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 25, 2007 10:28:54 GMT -5
The door to the house next to Mick's opened as Aderlass passed, one of the children peeking out before an adult pushed past and approached the mouse quickly. The woman was a mouse herself, a Morganberry touched by blues along with her brilliant sunset colors. She coughed and tried to get Aderlass's attention, scurrying close and stopping perhaps ten feet away on her snowy yard.
"Excuse me?" she called out, looking a mix between nervous and curious. "Sir, excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice that you're frequenting the house next door to mine. Don't think me rude, please, but are you here for any particular reason? What with the timing, it just seems... well, my husband and I think it's a little unusual and we just had to ask. Please excuse our forwardness."
From the window of her house, several small noses peered out, pushing the curtains aside just enough to peek at their mother and the stranger. They were the children who had been chased away by Mick's amused enthusiasm earlier.
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Post by Kasatsu on Nov 25, 2007 10:41:30 GMT -5
Hearing someone calling out seeking his attention he stopped, turning about to face the female who was leaving the safety of the house next door to Mick’s for the chilly air.
“. . . are you here for any particular reason?” she asked him.
He blinked in confusion not sure what they were talking about. His timing? His timing for what? he wondered confused. Something also boded that something was not all right around here. Not that the family seemed overly stressed about something, just something was odd in the air.
“I am here to see my family,” he nodded back towards where he had come. “I just happen to be here visiting an old friend. Is there anything wrong with that?”
He was not offended by their forwardness but he found it odd. Eyeing the children who were pressed against the window observing what was happening through he glass, he turned his attention back to the female.
“Wot do you mean by ‘the timing’?” he asked, wondering what it was that these people might now that he did not.
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 25, 2007 10:52:37 GMT -5
She sat on her haunches and twitched at her whiskers nervously, paws moving up to groom at them in what looked like an absent-minded habit. She didn't look frightened in any way, but she was certainly nervous. And a little more curious now.
"Oh, well, of course there's nothing wrong with visiting friends," she agreed. "But if you were a friend of the family... well, one would think you knew about it already. Were you their friends when they used to live here, or when they lived in the other town? Oh well, I don't suppose it matters much, since... well, since the rumors don't say it happened here and no one was able to confirm it anyway. Maybe the timing really is just coincidence. But you know the son, the yappy little dog, he's about to turn twenty-one, yes? That's the age... they say that's the age it happened before. The age of their family's curse." She ended on a whisper.
The mouse gave a shiver, partly from the cold and partly from nerves or excitement at the illicit topic or both. "Maybe it's all just a silly old rumor spread by the gossips. After all, it wasn't like her family even came from here. I know she came from the Range, that's what my mother said when the two of them moved to town all those years ago. Still, you be careful of that young one, alright? Who knows if it's true. If he'll just... snap." She shivered again and scurried back inside her house, not waiting for comments, shooing the children away from the window when she saw them.
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Post by Kasatsu on Nov 25, 2007 11:02:46 GMT -5
The mouse was all the more confused about what to make of the situation he had just been in. He watched with a confused look as the female scampered back inside, the curtains soon falling over vacant windows as she shooed her children away from the glass.
Shaking his head he gathered his wits about him once more. Snap? he thought, why would Mick snap? The pup did not have a vicious bone in his body. Yes he might get excited every now and then and get carried away, but he would never snap at someone.
Maybe she was thinking of something else. He continued on the little remainder of the path towards the house, shaking her comment off as listening to too many rumors. Goodness knows they did not do anyone any good.
Making his way up the remainder of the steps he reached for the door knob. A shiver went down his spine. He chuckled softly, though a little nervously. Shaking his head he silently told himself that he was being silly.
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 25, 2007 11:19:14 GMT -5
Mick's sharp canine ears picked up on the sound of Aderlass's approach and he rushed to the door, opening it himself with his mouth and pushing it outward with a tongue-lolling grin. "Aderlass! Great timing! Mom's just working on pulling out the bird. We don't really bother with setting a table or anything anymore. Usually she just sets my plate down on the floor and I try not to scoot it under the couch when I eat. She says I'm a lost cause."
He laughed and pulled back, the smell of cooking food wafting out through the open doorway. Definitely a bird, and when Eva carefully dragged it out by a special pulling-cloth, it looked to be a duck rather than a chicken. She looked up when she realized Aderlass had returned and smiled around the cloth in her mouth.
"Time to eat, boys!" she called out, transforming into a human to cut the turkey. Her hair was a slate gray with a faint silvery sheen and fell straight to her shoulder blades, seeming quite appropriate to the Range in her. Her skin was a creamy pale that spoke of her Hisstor, whoever, and her clothes were a loose and flowing off-white dress. Mick blinked in surprise and yipped a little. She looked over at him and smiled slightly. "We need to be careful with the carcass," she explained, beginning to carve the meat away oh-so-carefully and place it on a plate on the table. "Feel free to take some as I cut it and dig in, you two."
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Post by Kasatsu on Nov 25, 2007 11:38:13 GMT -5
The aroma of the bird made the mouse notice his hunger, his stomach rumbling in protest of not being feed. He had skipped most the meals earlier today so that he could make it back to Morganberry and his family on early.
When Miss Eva told them to go ahead and gather their food, he was more then willing to comply. However, feeling a little uncertain about how to proceed with this family’s customs he motioned for Mick to go first, following the orders the pup gave on how to do and where to find things.
Placing slices of the duck onto two plates he then carried them to the living room, placing Mick’s on the floor for him. Taking a seat on the couch he tried to wait for Mick’s mother to join them but after only a moments wait found himself too hungry to resist. In no time he found himself going back for seconds.
Maybe skipping his earlier meals had not been such a good idea.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 1, 2007 7:46:29 GMT -5
After perhaps ten minutes leaving the boys alone together, with Mick completely and utterly ignoring his friend in the ecstasy of a hot, cooked bird sitting in front of his plate, the meat dripping with its own juices, Eva limped back in as a human and placed the rest of the meat down on a large platter. She returned to feline form, sitting carefully, and snagged herself a piece with one claw before pulling more down to her son's plate. His appetite seemed endless.
"So please that you boys still enjoy my cooking," she murmured before setting to her own meal. For all that she looked to enjoy the food, she also seemed preoccupied and somewhat worried. Mick didn't notice at all, only snapping up more meat when he was 'finished' for round three. He ate loudly, whereas his mother was a quiet and almost dainty eater. She handled her food with care even in animal form.
Finishing, with Mick furiously licking his plate and making happy, full whimpering noises, she began to clean up the mess a bit and smiled slightly. "You boys take care of your plates and then do whatever you want. Make sure you get to sleep early, muffin. You have a long day of preparing ahead of you."
The canine grinned happily and licked his mom's cheek before grasping his plate with his teeth and taking it into the kitchen, nudging it up onto the counter. "I have maybe half an hour before I need to crash," he agreed, more for Aderlass's benefit than anything.
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