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Post by Lucca on Feb 14, 2010 22:28:43 GMT -5
Arkady watched as Castiel walked over to talk with someone, resisting the urge to follow. His paws moved a bit, walking in place, a very slight rhythm to match her rapid pace. But the kitchen was rather noisy, and even though he strained his little ears, he couldn't make out any of the conversation. So despite himself, he perked hopefully as the girl returned, though his posture slumped once again as she shook her head.
The small coyote whimpered, feeling his failures today like a heavy weight sitting on his shoulders, crushing him until all he wanted was to curl up in a corner and pretend it never happened. But that...that wouldn't help his sister at all, and would make him a lousy brother. He needed to find her. So he sucked in a breath and held his head high again.
"Thanks for asking, Castiel," Arkady said, and then turned to Conall, thinking hard. "I...the library, maybe?...if she wanted to find a new book?" This wasn't very likely, since usually their Mom or their tutors brought them new books, and the twins were still just barely able to read. But it was worth a shot, right?
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Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 16, 2010 13:35:19 GMT -5
It was impossible for Conall to miss the way the boy was acting. However he wasn't the best when it came to comforting people. The only thing he could come up with was the suggestion that he voice upon Castiel's return. There was no point in panicking over a lost sibling when the palace was so huge. Unless she was kidnapped. That didn't seem to be the case.
Castiel nodded at her thank you. A smile crossed her face. There was no point in getting depressed over all of it. They still had plenty of places to search, and if worse came to worse she could always ask Daddy about it, right? Daddy knew everything that happened in the palace, she could always find Arkady's sister!
"The library sounds like a good place! Let's go!" She said cheerfully as she headed to the door. She didn't want to run into her poisonous sibling, and the longer she stayed here the longer she had that chance.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 16, 2010 14:12:23 GMT -5
Arkady tried to smile at Conall, but it came out a little flat and so he dropped the facade, just waiting to see what Cas would say. Somehow, she seemed to have a magical quality to her that just plain made people feel better. It was an odd effect and Ark would need to try and figure it out later, but for now, all he knew was that hope sprung up in him again as soon as that cheerful voice agreed with his suggestion, and what had been an uncertain and unlikely scenario in his head seemed like it was actually going to work when said in such a confident voice.
He followed, taking up a familiar position to her right and slightly behind, always the faithful guard, and keeping an eye out for any cooks that may not see them and trip or drop something on them as they left the room.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 16, 2010 14:26:23 GMT -5
Castiel was the time to be unaware of any danger beyond the fact that her sibling was poison. Siblings actually. She had learned early on that Yarrows and Bogs didn't mix. Mommy and Daddy had made sure to explain that several times. So she didn't seem to notice that he was guarding her, just that he was with her as they walked.
Conall trailed a bit as he continued to look at the kitchen. No one really did notice them, so who would notice one child. At least the library was always less crowded, that was something rather cheerful. Maybe he could try to get a new book to read by himself?
It was quite a walk from the kitchen to the library, which gave them a chance for actual conversation. Castiel, of course, took advantage of this to find out a little bit more from her playmates. "What do you guys like reading? And what does your sister like Arkady?"
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Post by Lucca on Feb 16, 2010 20:23:56 GMT -5
Though he appeared to be completely focused on Castiel, Arkady actually kept one ear back, paying attention to Conall's footfalls...and growing worried as he seemed to fall behind again a bit, trailing as they left the kitchen. Why did the boy always do that? Maybe, he thought, he doesn't have any siblings to protect him...this thought made the boy very sad for his new...friend, for that's what he had firmly decided these two other children were. Even the weird one that looked like he needed several good scrubbing baths and whose voice was weird and sounded like silk felt or cheesecake tasted.
Though not usually one for much conversation, Ark was happy enough to talk if someone else was leading the discussion. And it helped bring his mind off the fact that his sister was still missing. "Well, usually picture books, since we're still learning a bit. Especially ones about Solandria Glacier. It's where we're from. Except we've never been there," the Coyote replied, frowning slightly. And trying not to think about...his other parent. His Father, who died in giving birth to them...even at this young age, he already wasn't as innocent as many other children of the evils of the world.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 17, 2010 10:50:51 GMT -5
Castiel was a fan of books. Even if she couldn't read some of the more advanced ones, she often begged her parents to read them to her. Even if she didn't get some of them, she still enjoyed it. However, picture books were something that she could grasp on her own. And she had probably at least covered half of the ones in the library. She remembered the picture book on the Glacier and some of the other regions. "I've read that book! The Glacier looks like a really scary place to be alone."
She started to skip a bit as she lead the way. Apparently she needed to do something with her feet while talking. "What about you Conall? What books do you like?"
The boy was still trailing behind as he was examining the few people that passed them by. Not a single adult was giving them a second glance, though every once and a while they cringed at the smell. When Castiel asked him the question he picked up his pace. "Oh, a lot. I guess I like history books the most though."
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Post by Lucca on Feb 17, 2010 16:14:17 GMT -5
Arkady nodded, smiling when Castiel had also read a book about his homeland! He was really rather enamored of the Glacier, and it was one of his fondest dreams to one day visit there...to see the place their Father had grown up in...in some ways, his Father -was- the Glacier to him. Strong, deadly, cold, mysterious...unreachable. Though the young pup wasn't in tune enough with his own emotions to realize it, going to the Glacier would for him be more than just seeing the place of his birth...it would be meeting his Father in the only way he still could. Somehow, by knowing about that place, his Father seemed closer than before.
"I suppose it does," he agreed with the girl, though to him, there was never a good place to be alone...without Laika, the world seemed colder to him than the coldest Glacier. "But it's supposed to be really cold, which is why I have such a thick coat of fur," Ark continued, a note of pride in his voice. But he of course quieted when the other two were talking, both ears flicking back to hear the shy Conall speaking up. Though the other boy was still lagging, a glance out of the corner of Ark's eye told him.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 21, 2010 22:49:57 GMT -5
Castiel tilted her head at Arkady's remark about having thick fur. She supposed that was a terribly useful sort of thing to have. She got cold in the winter and she had to put lots of layers of clothing on. Her sister and brother didn't have to put as many layers on. And she had heard from Linnea that her mysterious sibling she could never be around was actually like a natural heater. It seemed to her that having an animal or bipedal form was far more useful than being a human. She couldn't imagine how thick his fur was. "It must be nice not having to wear a coat in the winter," she commented as she skipped around the turn.
To Conall's reply she turned her head to look for the boy with a bright smile. He still really was lagging quite a bit. Was something bothering him? Was he worried about doing something wrong? Her nose wrinkled as she continued her march forward. She stopped thought after a few moments turning to both of the boys. "Did I... take a wrong turn?"
Conall finally caught up to the other boy to walk along side him. Even if he was a bit distanced he still was at least walking at the same pace. He stopped abruptly when the girl turned around to ask the question. Both his eyebrows arched upwards at her question. Had they been following her all this time when she didn't know where she was going? His terribly large nose wrinkled as he glanced past her. This didn't look like the right hallway.
"I think you did," he said after a moment. Now where exactly where they?
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Post by Lucca on Feb 22, 2010 0:09:09 GMT -5
Arkday smiled, once again feeling better now that they were talking about one of his favorite subjects. "Oh, I love winter! And snow, snow is awesome." It reminded him of what home must be like. "But in the summer, it's a bother sometimes. I hafta drink more water than normal and I get real hot after just a little bit of playing." He looked at her curiously, wondering what it must be like to have no fur at all. Of course, if he was like his Father...his human form (if he ever got it) would still have a lot of fur. He'd seen the pictures and heard his Mother's descriptions on the days her memories were the happy sort. He liked those days.
He stopped still as Castiel asked that, though...ears going back as he whimpered very quietly, looking around and sniffing the air urgently. The library wasn't a place he knew the way to quite as well as, say, the kitchen, as he and Laika usually didn't go there by themselves. But...something about this looked wrong, and as a strong smell and the odd sound of metal through the air let him know Conall was right beside him, he frowned in worry at the boy's quiet words. Quickly, he looked to Castiel, needing her to take the lead...he certainly couldn't find their way there...
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Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 22, 2010 12:33:51 GMT -5
Castiel did love snow. As cold as it was, it was fun to play in and make things out of. Even if she couldn't be outside for extend periods of time, she still loved the winter time. Of course the joy of winter was interrupted by her clear mistake of mucking up directions. How could they get to the library from here without back tracking? That was assuming she could even back track. She was bad at getting things straightened out once she was lost.
When Arkady looked at her she felt a little twinge of terror. She was perfectly fine with being the leader, but when she didn't have a solution that was an entirely different situation. She looked over to Conall. "You go to the library a lot right?"
Conall blinked a few extra times at the question. Was that her way of saying that he needed to take the lead? Or was she just trying not to panic? The bird on his shoulder fluttered frantically for a moment or two before he gave a small shrug. "Yes. I do. And... I know where we took a wrong turn. Just follow me," he said as is tail twitched awkwardly.
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