|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 5, 2010 14:50:27 GMT -5
 Eldy yawned, curling her paws in a bit. Only four hours of this stakeout so far, and she was already getting bored. The Feline glared balefully at the store across the street, wondering if it was even worth it to wait here like this. Surely the employee she was supposed to be watching wouldn't leave before his shift was over? But then, if he didn't...then she was here for no reason, and that was just as bad. Eldy shifted, trying and failing to make her position crouched between the under hang of a balcony and a narrow window ledge just the tiniest bit more comfortable. She was plenty covered from view, by both the roof over her and the large, scraggly elm tree that was in front of her. But she could peer through several breaks in the boughs to get any one of several useful angles on the back of the store. If only she had something else to do that weren't so boring! " I could mayhaps assume temporary sole watch duty?" said a cultured, deep voice from her shoulder, and Eldy sighed. " No, Thaddeus, that's all right. I wouldn't want to leave you all alone like that, it wouldn't be fair," she whispered back, moving her eyes to the side to catch the glimpse of bright, faceted emerald body of the Wurm that was her familiar. " If you are certain, Master Eldryia." |
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 10, 2010 21:47:52 GMT -5
 Jak lay flat on his side in bed, panting after an hour-long seizure that left his body exhausted and his mind racing. Family. He loved them. Loved seeing them and watching them and knowing them. One of them who looked an awful lot like Xiven was in the Capital. He'd seen her with Xiven before, in a past seizure. He remembered weird things sometimes, and that was something that stuck. But he couldn't quite remember her name, if he'd ever known it. And... more importantly... he knew the place he'd seen her. He recognized it! Only three blocks away! With a small shudder and a mumble, he lurched to his feet and changed forms to a bipedal Highland canine, Jack of Hearts. It made his little Tabby-wabby happy to see their ranks match sometimes. He quickly made sure that he hadn't accidentally carried over his angler-dangler. Then he stumbled out of the room, re-adjusting to the stance, and grabbed his daughter from her game of marbles. "I've got a surpriiiiiise for you, Princess, but only if we huuuurry," he rasped by way of explanation, his daughter's squeal of delight the only answer he needed before he flung himself out the door and down the street.  |
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 10, 2010 22:02:23 GMT -5
After the hundredth time Thaddeus had insisted on calling her 'Master' even when she told him it wasn't necessary, Eldy had given up trying to correct him. Secretly, it made her feel powerful, and as a mid-Ranked Card whose sister was born a Queen that wasn't something she'd felt often. So she merely grinned in response. "But if you wanted, you could go investigate a little closer..." She nodded to the tree, barely moving her head. There was a window into the building that was at exactly the wrong angle for her to see in. But if Thad got a little closer...
The wurm bowed low. "As you command." With sinnowy, snake-like moves, he moved off her shoulder and practically flowed onto a low hanging branch, and Eldy's breath caught at the way the light bounced off his multifaceted body, despite how many times she'd seen it.
Once Thad looked pretty well settled in, Eldy shifted a bit and moved her head back and forth, trying to get rid of the crick in her neck...and she caught a flash of white and gold from the street below! She pulled herself further back into the shadows of the awning, purple eyes squinting down...
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 10, 2010 22:28:12 GMT -5
Wheezing a little from exhaustion as he hustled up the street, Jak kept a firm hold on Tabby's hand. Close... so close... and he wanted her to meet her family as the opportunity presented itself. How fair was it that he got to see them and she didn't, when she had just as much a claim on them? Not at all.
Mumbling under his breath as he passed a few buildings, he kept an eye out for the store he'd glimpsed during his downtime. She was up, high up, and right... across.. the street...
THERE! He whooped in delight and moved quickly, entering the building she crouched on. It was another store, one that sold household supplies on all three of its levels, and he needed to access one of the back windows. He moved through as quickly as he could with a child whose attention remained caught by every little thing they passed until he was leaning out a window.
Not quite the right one... but she had to be close. One of the next ones over? Near those? He craned his head around, leaning halfway out the window and trying to spot a flash of black and purple. Or green. There had been something green with her, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 11, 2010 11:04:47 GMT -5
...and blinked as she no longer could see...whatever she'd just seen. Muttering a curse under her breath and wondering why she even took this job in the first place (boredom, she reminded herself) Eldy moved forward until she was nearly on the tree again...maybe she really should just call this whole thing off. Would that make her client angry? Did she really care if it did? She could always just tell him she stayed there all day and didn't see the guy leave. Her client wasn't a Diamond and would never know she was lying. Of course....
Eldy's train of thought abruptly cut off as she locked eyes with someone leaning out a window a few bricks over. Her tail puffed up and her eyes widened, but she was caught now, and if this was the store owner about to get her in trouble...though he didn't have that vibe. And now that she looked closer, she could see he held a small child in his arms. What in the name of the Highland Hills...?
Eldy was so caught up that she barely noticed a small green form interposing himself between herself and the newcomers. Thaddeus drew himself up to his full height (a not very impressive seven inches) and leveled a green gaze on the man. "Hello. I must inform you that if you wish harm to my Master, I may be forced to take drastic action against you."
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 11, 2010 11:31:15 GMT -5
Aha, there she was! Jak grinned, lips drawing back to the fullest extent on his now-normal muzzle before moderating to conceal teeth again. No need to look like growling. Hehehe. No.
Ah! And there was the green thing, too. He stared at it for a moment, surprised that it talked, and Tabby's eyes widened into saucers from her perch half on the window ledge.
"I don't wish harm to aaanyone," the Highland canine wheezed, and then laughed a little. "I just want to talk! Not often we get family in this part of the city. Noooot exactly the, ah, 'best' area. Not the worst. But. Yeah. Heheh. Hello! We've never met, but you're my aunt. And hers. Say hiiii to your aunt, Tabby."
Trusting her Mommy's judgement of family implicitly, Tabby grinned her most eager grin and waves one little biped hand enthusiastically. "Hello, Auntie! I'm sorry I don't know your name, but Mommy didn't tell me. Hi anyway! I'm Tabby. Who's your friend? He looks so pretty."
All of this while half leaning out an upper story window.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 11, 2010 12:00:31 GMT -5
Eldy forced herself to relax, making her fur settled back down to its normal state, though her eyes were still a bit too wide as she eyed them warily. The fact that Thaddeus had rushed to her defense made something in her very warm. He really was the best familiar she could ask for, and she'd have to make sure to tell him so, later. "....Family? Aunt?" She eyed the stranger skeptically, though his child...his child WAS part Torque, and she did have Highlanders in her family. Did Pravus have other children she didn't know about?
"I've never seen you before," she said cautiously. "Either of you." She looked at the child again, more fully, and was struck with horrible familiarity, though she couldn't put a finger on it. She looked so much like...like...someone. Someone she knew well. So she had no reason to disbelieve them, then... "I'm Eldryia," she offered, hoping their names, were they to give them in return, would spark a memory in her. "And this is Thaddeus, my familiar." She curled her paw around the little Wurm in a gesture that was both possessive and affectionate, avoiding his spikes with the ease of practice.
Thaddeus bowed slightly to the two. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said in his strangely deep voice. "Any friend of my Master is a friend of mine." Unless they were a Spade or a Club, but these two were very obviously Hearts, and their bright red markings put him at ease. He leaned into Eldy's paw, soaking up the approval like a sponge.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 11, 2010 12:22:55 GMT -5
Aww, she was taking this really well! Jak couldn't have been more pleased, with their window perch or her surprise or the pretty green familiar to distract Tabby from the height. Which she wasn't really scared of anyway. So yay!
"I have an ability that lets me knooow who's my family," Jak said with another wide, wide grin. Very much truth! "And that ability showed me that you live... sorta... with Hearts. You dooo know Xiven. She's your siiiister. And so you're Tabby's aunt. But I forgot your name. I'm soooorry." And as he said this, he leaned over to give his daughter's head a quick, affectionate link.
The girl's expression changed from delight to an absolutely ecstatic squeal! "You know my Daddy?! So we're related really close! That's great! I never met an Aunt before, only my Uncles. What's she like? I never got to meet her before! I've never been out of the city! Moooommy, thank you!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 11, 2010 12:45:07 GMT -5
Eldy stared at the man, trying desperately to process what he was telling her. He had an ability that let him know who was family, and he knew where she lived...it sounded like he was spying on her, which got her hackles up. -She- was supposed to be the spy, and the thought of someone being able to spy on her, and without even being in the same place, was not a very pleasant one. And apparently the girl's father was Xiven. No wonder she struck a familiar chord.
"I...see. Yes, your Daddy is my sister." And a slut. Geeeez. How many kids did she have now? Eldy wondered if Xiven even knew about this one. There was still something funny in the story, something that didn't quite add up, but she wasn't sure what it was. Her gaze slid back to the strange man. "Eldy," she repeated. "And I'm afraid I don't know your names." Her tail lashed a bit, and by now she'd rather forgotten about her mission from before. The child's excited question was glanced over, sadly, by the Feline's mind, which was still whirling with confusion.
Thaddeus sat silently, for the moment, watching the proceedings with a casual air, but of course he'd be more than ready to leap to Eldy's defense if these two turned out to be more of a threat than they appeared.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 11, 2010 12:57:31 GMT -5
Oh. Huh. Yeah, she'd said that before. Eldryia was a bit more of a mouthful than Eldy. Tabby would probably like that better. Neither of them were having the best name memory, were they? Probably the surprise of the whole thing. And he hadn't given his name yet, because... well... that was always sort of an awkward dance. Every time somebody asked for his name, he had to decide whether or not to give them his real one. That could be dangerous. But... family...
"She's Tabby," he repeated, looking down at the excited girl. "And... uh. Weeell... I'm Jak."
Tabby's head craned up in surprise, and then back to her aunt. "Oh, wow. You got Mommy's real name. You must be special, Aunt Eldy. So your sister is my Daddy. But my Daddy is also Mommy's great-Aunt. So you're Mommy's great-Aunt, too, and you're my great-great Aunt? Too? Maybe?" Being raised how she was, she knew family connections reasonably well. Sometimes things got a bit fuzzy the further you traveled away, though. Her desire for family simply made it important for her to establish these facts right off the bat.
"Something like that," Jak agreed with a shrug and a nod. It all connected well in his head. "Sooo. Uh. I have to ask. D'you take after your mother on the whole ceiling-thing? Ooooor... just today? On a building?"
|
|
