"Mother.. Ah, yes! Now I know what made me want to show you. She was a Star Goddess, yes? I could feel her presence even deep underground."
"Yeah, they call her Starsong. Well, she's not as much responsible for the stars now. But she still has the name. Now she's a minor goddess of music and healing. Apparently being responsible for the stars wasn't particularly conducive to having time to raise a family. So now my mom and dad do troubleshooting for Yggdrasil."
"Deep underground, huh? That's interesting. I wonder how..."
Her words trailed off as she stopped to consider all of the implications of that statement.
The images of laughter appearing between Ruji's wings are quite cheerful.
"It makes more sense if you don't think about it."
She giggled.
"Well, a lot of things make more sense if you don't think about them." :)
"Like how an entire constellation is really a living creature that decided to settle with a family living in an inner world while in the form of a winged kitten? Granted, I've moved on to the form of a full-grown cat now..."
Ruji's eyes flash in the night at he glances back at the Club.
"So many things seem to be happening today. It's a wonder things make sense at all."
"You're right. I, of all people, should know better."
"A star cat. Now that's something I had never even thought of. It's an honor to make your acquaintance, sir."
"And in my experience, every day is full of so many happenings that nothing makes sense."
"Oh no, trust me, the honor is mine. It's not everyday I find someone I can show my first home to."
He smiles, all mischievous and cat-like.
"Of course, it's not every day(or night in this case) that I am asked to do something. I usually just laze around and hunt mice."
She laughed.
"Yes, and all I do is babysit. It's downright amazing how little I manage to do,"she added, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Of course you understand entirely," she added with a mischievous grin.
"Of course. So much time in the day and so little to do with it." He images with an exaggerated cat-yawn.
"You could always trying hunting mice."
"Thanks, but no. I've already caused enough death and destruction."
"And I know this is just the intermission. The rest of the dance is coming. Eventually. Just not now."
"Really? I was under the impression that you didn't know." He images, surprised. "Perhaps they were not sneaky enough..."
"Huh? Didn't know what?"
"I went off on one of my weird analogies that don't make any sense again, didn't I?"
She sighed.
"My powers are bound, not gone. Something that has weird side effects apparently."
"Ah, what you said makes more sense then. Nevermind." He images with a purr.
After a while, Ruji glances back at the Club, then hops up onto Arielle's shoulders.
"Look at the sky again, and watch the patterns the stars make as they move.."
Eyes glowing, Ruji looks up at the stars. They begin to move, slowly at first, than much faster. Watching closely, ancient stories can be seen..
Alaina awakes in her master suite, covered in silken sheets. She yawns and winces, a million pinprickles racing down her lean form. She looks about and notices something strange. Her bedroom is dusty, as if it hasn't been cleaned in months. Cobwebs descend from the ceiling like pale strands of Spanish moss. A vase of brittle dried flowers sit at her bedside. The silent form of Acme sits quietly in one corner.
"Huh?"
Garble senses a disturbance. He pulls out his pillow, and sees somebody substituted a rock. Wondering who has the original item now, the goblin sighs and goes back to sleep.
Arielle reluctantly pulls her attention away from the stars and stretches out stiff muscles.
"Wow. How long have I been standing here?"
about as long as Ive been sitting
Arielle reluctantly pulls her attention away from the stars and stretches out stiff muscles.
"Wow. How long have I been standing here?"
Ruji stretches like only a cat can: in an extremely exagerrated way.
"Ooh.. let's see, thirty 'pages' in the star stories turns into.. 30 days. I honestly didn't expect them to take so long getting this 'real apology' ready.." He starts walking back toward the Club, passing a package on the way. "You might want to put it on before you walk back in. Your boyfrined would be sad if you weren't wearing the present he got you for this occasion."
"Taron owes me a halibut for this..."
Arielle walked over to the package curiously and opened it, her eyes going wide as she saw the contents. She pulled it out of the box and gently ran her hands over the soft, swishy material. It was beautiful. Like a piece of sky in dress form. She carried it carefully over to a cabana and changed, admiring the way the skirts swirled around her ankles.
She went back into the club, smiling brightly as she looked for Canis to thank him for the gift.
LK kicks away from the wall he's leaning against and strides over with a nervous smile. He stops a few feet away to just look at Arielle.
"You look as exquisite as always."
LK kicks away from the wall he's leaning against and strides over with a nervous smile. He stops a few feet away to just look at Arielle.
"You look as exquisite as always."
She smiled and spun around for him.
"Why thank you. And thank you for the dress. It's beautiful. Like a piece of sky."She stepped towards him and lightly kissed his cheek.
"It's a very thoughtful present."
Face reddening ever so slightly, LK returns the kiss.
"It had to be. I can't pull something like this off every time I pull a prank that isn't appreciated."
"You got that right." Ruji images as he strolls by with a full-grown halibut in his mouth.
"Okay.." LK says as he watches the spectacle. "Anyway, I've got something to ask you." He gestures to the dance floor and the crowd around it. "Since this is as much a reunion as an apology, what dance would you like to start with and would you like to lead?"
"You're going to dance with me? But you hate dancing..."
She hugged him. "Thank you."
"Hmmm....normally I'm not picky about what I dance to, but maybe we should start with something slow. Easier to follow the steps that way."
"A bit traditional too." He says as he takes her hand in his own. "Starting out slow and speeding up as we go along will make the dancing more memorable."
"You'll have to say hi to everyone as the night goes on."
She raises an eyebrow as he leads her onto the dance floor.
"Everyone? I take it this party is well attended tonight?"
"Like I said, I can't pull something like this off all the time." He makes a gesture behind his back to the DJ and smiles as the music starts to play. "I can only think of one event that I would actively try to outdo myself on, but for now, we dance!"
[Ear ticks up]
[Trot Trot ]
.
.
.
[Sniff]
She gasped in surprise as her usually clumsy on the dance floor boyfriend spun her around in time to the music.
"You learned how to dance!" she gasped, surprised and laughing with sheer delight.
She gasped in surprise as her usually clumsy on the dance floor boyfriend spun her around in time to the music.
"You learned how to dance!" she gasped, surprised and laughing with sheer delight.
Whatever they are talking about, they all seem to be in agreement. A few moments later and Taron taps LK's forehead.
She gasped in surprise as her usually clumsy on the dance floor boyfriend spun her around in time to the music.
"You learned how to dance!" she gasped, surprised and laughing with sheer delight.
"I didn't spend a month of torture not being able to talk to for nothing!" He says as he dips her. "Having to wear these shoes didn't help either."
[Trot Trot ]
She gasped in surprise as her usually clumsy on the dance floor boyfriend spun her around in time to the music.
"You learned how to dance!" she gasped, surprised and laughing with sheer delight.
"I didn't spend a month of torture not being able to talk to for nothing!" He says as he dips her. "Having to wear these shoes didn't help either."
[Trot Trot ]
"Hey Rune, how have you been?" Taron says as he stands nexts to the celestial wolf. He kneels to pat Rune on his head, scratching behind his ears. "If you're here, how far away is Dad?"
"Hey Rune, how have you been?" Taron says as he stands nexts to the celestial wolf. "So if you're here, how far away is Dad?"
Sniffs Taron's hands for evidence of steak, then cold-noses him when he doesn't offer up the promised goods. It is mean to tease, after all... ;)
Taron sighs.
"Okay, okay! Do you want it raw, rare, medium, or well-done?"
Taron sighs.
"Okay, okay! Do you want it raw, rare, medium, or well-done?"
His ears swivel forward and come to swift attention when Taron says "rare"and "medium." He then goes over and sets himself down on a lawnchair by the pool. :)
"Medium rare then." Taron says as he goes into the kitchens to cook a steak over an open psi-flame. He comes back a few minutes later carrying what appears to be a porterhouse steak. He sets it down in front of Rune and relaxes in an adjacent lawn chair.
"Okay, how much time do Kam and I have to prepare for my family's, or at least my dad's, arrival?"
She gasped in surprise as her usually clumsy on the dance floor boyfriend spun her around in time to the music.
"You learned how to dance!" she gasped, surprised and laughing with sheer delight.
"I didn't spend a month of torture not being able to talk to for nothing!" He says as he dips her. "Having to wear these shoes didn't help either."
"It really took that long? You did that for me?" she said, tearing up just a little. "That's the sweetest most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me."
Her smile was radiant as she twirled away and then back towards him.
"It really took that long? You did that for me?" she said, tearing up just a little. "That's the sweetest most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me."
Her smile was radiant as she twirled away and then back towards him.
"This?" He says as they dance. "No, getting the shinies so you could have your mother beats this by a long shot. I did that because I had a crush on you and wanted to, not because I dumped ice water on you and wanted to apologize."
"Which reminds me, you only get wet when you want to, so why did the ice water even work?" He asks with a grin.
"It really took that long? You did that for me?" she said, tearing up just a little. "That's the sweetest most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me."
Her smile was radiant as she twirled away and then back towards him.
"This?" He says as they dance. "No, getting the shinies so you could have your mother beats this by a long shot. I did that because I had a crush on you and wanted to, not because I dumped ice water on you and wanted to apologize."
"Which reminds me, you only get wet when you want to, so why did the ice water even work?" He asks with a grin.
"Okay, fair point, but I didn't really think of that as doing something for me. I always thought of it as helping my mom. But when you put it that way, you're absolutely right."
She grimaced. "As for the ice water....you really haven't figured it out? The not getting wet thing...I have to be concentrating on it for even a fraction of a second first. I really didn't see it coming. At all."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's a good thing for you that I love you or you'd have really had a fight on your hands then."
"Medium rare then." Taron says as he goes into the kitchens to cook a steak over an open psi-flame. He comes back a few minutes later carrying what appears to be a porterhouse steak. He sets it down in front of Rune and relaxes in an adjacent lawn chair.
"Okay, how much time do Kam and I have to prepare for my family's, or at least my dad's, arrival?"
Rune sniffs around the plate, as if trying to find something.
"I guess we don't know each other entirely yet, huh? That's a great thing, keeps us from being boring." He says as the music slows. "And it wouldn't have been a fight, it would have been a 'don't get hit by Arielle'. It would take some powerful enchantments to make me fight you." He whispers the last part softly, barely loud enough to be heard over the song.
Rune sniffs around the plate, as if trying to find something.
Taron wiggles a finger at the lupine from the heaves.
"Tsk tsk. You didn't think I'd give you the steak sauce with the steak, did you?" He holds up a bottle of very good Agarthian steak sauce. "You get the rest of the treat when you do the trick."
"Or perhaps you have thumbs now and need a fork?"