Grandma, What Big Fangs You Have! [Vyn]

[Harpsdesire]

Twelve year old Joel bounced happily down the cobblestone street, dodging noisy sputtering motor cars and puddles (both of mud from the recent rain, and other, more suspicious liquids). The post-storm air smelled fresh, as if it had not yet been touched by the realm's usual odors of chemicals and smoke. The sky was still overcast, but that did nothing to dampen Joel's high spirits. Ever the optimist, Joel quietly voiced his thoughts out loud to himself, "This is going to be an awesome day."

The boy was pleased to be going to visit his older relative, and pleased to be going on his own. Some cards would probably think it irresponsible to let a child walk alone through a realm where little ones were often known to go missing, ending up the victims of crazy experiments by even crazier scientists, but Joel could hold his own. He was unusually large for his age, and now that he had begun to grow into his long legs and big paws, he had the strength and agility to match. Still, he was a child, and as instructed by his parents, he went straight to Ophelia's home without wandering off or talking to any strangers. It was tempting, though. All the stores he passed looked so interesting... with some difficulty, Joel convinced himself that stopping to look at Cool Stuff would only make the trip to Ophelia's take longer.

This was a very exciting day even without any extra adventures, and the boy wasn't about to do anything that might jeopardize this chance to spend more time with his grandmother (and further his research at the same time). You would think it was Christmas from the grin on his face when the modest house finally came in sight.

Joel bounded up to the front door and knocked enthusiastically, hoping Ophelia could hear him from her laboratory below the house. "Gramma, it's me!" He called cheerfully, excitement evident in his young voice.

[Vyn]

Ophelia was presently curled up in one of the plush armchairs in her sitting room. The house was surprisingly, and rather pleasantly, silent this afternoon. It was a rare occasion when all of the children were out of the house but somehow it had been managed and, blissfully, Ophelia had been given just enough time to page through one of the more recent scientific journals before her young guest arrived.

Joel's knocking was very quickly heard and Ophelia quickly slid to her feet and set the journal aside to be finished later. From what she'd heard from Solo, dear little Joel had a love of Biochemistry much like herself though Joel's pursuit was primarily in exoskeleton and the natural growth of armor. Impressive, very impressive. Ophelia was excited to finally spend an afternoon with the boy.

The door opened smoothly and the bipedal Deer grinned down at her grandson. "Hello Joel, glad you made it alright." Wow... He really did look like Rindal, didn't he? Solo was rather impressive himself, so it was certain that Joel would mirror his father (and Uncle) in many ways. ...Perhaps he'd let her take a tiny blood sample between family? ...Ah, but that was for later. She was Gramma right now and would be Scientist later. "Come on in, would you like something to drink?"

[Harpsdesire]

"Hiiii, gramma!" Joel's greeting, with a quick, awkward hug around Ophelia's waist, was the very picture of shy affection in a pre-adolescent boy. He hadn't spent enormous amounts of time with his grandparent, so he wasn't completely comfortable with her, but he idolized her both as a beloved relative and an accomplished scientist. She had her biped form too, something he dearly wanted, as hands would make his more delicate experiments exponentially easier. He smiled broadly back up at her.

"Sure. What drinks do you have?" Joel was anything but a picky eater, and his appetite was becoming rather incredible as he entered his teens and geared up have a growth spurt. He followed the woman into the house and shut the door carefully behind him, making sure not to slam it. He sometimes did that at home by mistake or if he wasn't paying attention. Once at school he had shut the door hard enough to make a decorative plaque fall off the classroom wall and break. His teacher had looked angry, but Joel wasn't punished-- Mr. Fitzle said he 'didn't know his own strength', whatever that meant, and made Joel promise to be more careful with doors henceforth. His teacher was another card he looked up to, and he had taken the words to heart.

Joel would happily do anything for those he looked up to, and his grandmother was no exception. He wanted so much to learn from her, and to make her proud.

[Vyn]

Ophelia grinned at her grandson's shy affection. They were so sweet at this age, not quite corrupted by rebellious adolescence. She returned the hug and gave him a gentle pat on the head before beckoning him to follow her into the kitchen.

She pulled out two cups, ensuring she had one suited for paws, and then retrieved a tea pot to set some tea on for herself. As the water began to boil, she searched through the icebox. "I have water, of course, and... ah, here we are: Juice -- apple, orange, or lemonade." She turned to the boy, waiting for his response. "I also have tea that I'm making, if you like that sort of thing."

Once Joel had chosen his drink and Ophe's tea had finished steeping, the Doe lead her young guest out into the sitting room. It was a quaint little place, albeit a little under decorated, but the furniture was comfortable enough. Making herself comfortable, Ophe sipped her tea.

"How have your studies been coming along, dear? I hear you're interested in exoskeletons."

[Harpsdesire]

Joel happily followed his grandmother and watched her set up for tea. "Lemonade, please." Ophelia was family, but the boy still knew he was to be on his best manners and behavior when at his grandmother's house. His parents had reminded him of that before he left, although it was hardly needed.

"Thanks." He settled carefully into the chair with his cup and tasted the drink, which was pleasantly sweet and tart. He's face lit up a bit when the topic of his specialty (or more aptly termed, his obsession) came up. "Oh yes. I think it's going well. I get pretty good grades in most of my classes, and I had an internship with a doctor... well, she canceled it, but I don't think it's because of anything I did..." Perhaps that wasn't the best choice of topics. Joel only realized after the fact that his disappointment at the early death of his job with Dr. Price could easily be construed as guilt at being fired.

The truth was, he wasn't sure exactly why she had cut his time in her lab short. She had started acting strange, or at any rate stranger, and abruptly informed him that his assistance would no longer be required. It was rather a blow to Joel, who had just been starting to make progress once again in his experiments as a result of her grudging mentor-ship.