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Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 07/13/2010 7:40 PM

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Sahfi enjoyed days like this; cool, spring days when the sun was shining, and she didn’t have to work. Yep, she especially enjoyed that last part. The best thing about the week was that it ended with the weekend, two days she never, ever had to work. Officially the best two days of her week. Sure, she enjoyed her job as a teacher, and she loved her kids, but dang it, she needed some ‘me’ time. This, it just so happened, was that time… Sort of.

She glanced down at the little girl beside her as they sat in the nearly empty ice cream parlor. Sahfi had volunteered to keep Claire for the day while Bijou spent some time with her quieter daughter, Raja (She tended to do this on the weekends, spending first one day with one daughter, then the other day with the other one). Sahfi thought it was a good idea, but unfortunately, when she’d voiced her opinion, she’d immediately been roped into babysitting. Not to say she didn’t absolutely love her niece to pieces, but this was where that whole ‘me time’ issue came into play.

Sahfi was a single woman, and to say she wanted to spend her free time as a babysitter (Which happened nearly every weekend now, it seemed), would be a lie. She would much rather have spent at least one night doing something she wanted to do. But she was enjoying her time with Claire; the little girl was so full of curiosity and amusement, and she could never seem to sit still. Sahfi leaned back in her chair, smiling slightly as she licked her ice cream cone. Mint and chip; her favorite.

Well, second favorite. She decided that getting ‘Jamoca’ flavored ice cream was a little too boring today, not to mention Claire kept asking why on earth she’d want ‘coffee’ on a cone. Sahfi folded her legs primly, leaning back against the window and turning her head to stare outside. Maybe next they’d go to the park.

----------

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Kai tugged on Ace’s hand, trying to get him to walk faster. It wasn’t easy to get a 6 foot five, two hundred and fifty pound man to ‘hurry up’; especially when you were only a six year old kid. Kai had absolutely no idea how Ace got stuck with babysitting duty; must’ve just been his turn. The man was like a freaking squirrel. He was constantly getting distracted and  he seemed, as Kotep called it, ‘twitchy.’ Kai glanced up over his shoulder at the Clone who so resembled his father (except a little less broad in the shoulders and chest), and giggled.

“How about ice cream?” he asked, practically bouncing on his feet. Technically, ice cream had been his plan all along when he’d convinced Ace to leave the house and go for a walk. Kai walked this way with his mother and siblings a lot, so he knew there was an ice cream parlor on the corner of the small, picturesque block. How could Ace refuse, after all? The man probably liked ice cream as much as he did, and Kai wouldn’t even give him time to protest. With a slightly devious smirk, he let go of the clone’s hand and darted forward towards the door. He smacked into the glass door with a loud crash, and quickly pushed it open, hearing the familiar tinkle of the chimes.

The place was practically deserted, and Kai rushed to the counter, bouncing excitedly; he didn’t have to stand in line, and the kindly old woman behind the counter already knew what he wanted. “The usual, Kai?” she asked sweetly, leaning over to grab a cone. Kai nodded, and turned to see if Ace had followed him; heaven forbid the last thing he wanted was for the man to get distracted by a piece of foil floating by.

[1/8]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 07/14/2010 12:57 AM


This sort of thing didn’t happen all that often, Ace mused to himself as he watched the little boy currently attached to his hand bounce along a step or two in front of him, clearly excited about something that he hadn’t decided to share just yet with his minder. Somehow, he’d been landed with the job of babysitting Kai for the day, and he could only assume that the rest of the children had likewise been divided amongst the few people who happened to have the day off. It often turned out that way, since the three kids tended to pose a bit of a challenge (to put it mildly) for any one person alone to keep track of, especially at this age, when they seemed to have enough energy to wear out an entire army and still have some left to spare.

Now, being an ‘uncle’ of sorts to the children (there seemed to have been a sudden influx of them back at base and otherwise), it was only natural that he was called upon to do his fair share of taking care of them when their worn-out parents needed a well-deserved break. It was just that Ace didn’t get landed with the job all that often. Why might that be? It wasn’t that he didn’t like kids (nothing could be farther from the truth – he was very fond of all of his brothers’ children, and they all seemed to have a lot of fun with ‘Uncle Ace’), nor that their parents didn’t trust him. He just happened to have a reputation for being…easily distracted. Now, that wasn’t entirely true; sure, it might not be all that uncommon for him to be in the middle of a conversation or doing something and be completely sidetracked on a totally unrelated tangent by something that happened to catch his attention at the time (which, more often than not, tended to be things that other people saw as being trifling or trivial, such as shiny objects), and sure, his attention span might seem rather…lacking, to some. He preferred to think of it as…not letting opportunities pass him by. It wasn’t as if it hampered his ability to do his job; there was very little that could distract him while he was doing what he was created to do, so for that reason, he hadn’t been labeled as being ‘defective’ from the get-go. Yet while he was a reliable soldier and an undyingly loyal friend, well, one could see why worried parents might be just a little apprehensive about leaving their child in his care.

Today, however, it seemed that Jaing and Amala hadn’t had much choice in the matter; everyone else seemed to be busy doing something else, and Ace just happened to be one of the few who volunteered his help. And so, here he was, willingly allowing the tiny, 5-year-old Kai to pull him down the street in his wake. Surprisingly, he’d done a good job of ignoring his impulses to chase after random things today while Kai was in his care, other than a brief encounter with a squirrel which he could have sworn was mocking him. But that was negligible. He glanced down when he felt a tug on his hand and just barely caught the mention of ‘ice cream’ before the boy took off down the street towards the nearby parlor, leaving Ace to hurry along behind him at a jog to keep him in sight. He wasn’t about to try and stop him though…partly because he himself was rather partial to the sweet treat, like most of his brothers, who had a sweet tooth to rival his own.

Finally, he caught up to his charge as he was standing in line, and while the woman behind the counter was preparing Kai’s cone, he studied the tubs of ice cream lined up neatly behind the glass pane, almost every color imaginable displayed in creamy, pastel shades. When the lady had handed Kai his cone, she turned to Ace, who replied with cheerful grin. “A chocolate cone, if you’d please,” he said happily, before ushering Kai off to choose a table while he paid for the ice creams.


---


Just barely visible over the top of the table in the seat next to Sahfi was a shock of bright, creamy blond hair, pulled back into two little pigtails with pink ribbons. Although obscured from view by the booth which was clearly meant for clientele somewhat bigger than the likes of her, Claire was dressed much in the same fashion as her hair in a pretty pink summer dress which she had proudly picked out for herself the last time she was out shopping with her mother. At the tender age of four (and a half and three days, she might add), her little face was almost completely hidden by the generous scoop of ice cream on the cone that she was currently savoring – strawberry, of course. She loved the weekends, because she got to spend time with her two favorite people in the world, her mother, and her ‘Auntie Sahfi’. Of course, she never went anywhere with Ik’aad, the Polar Fenref currently lying calmly in the seat between her and the aisle, and that looked like anything but a ‘baby’. However, as intimidating as the spike-collared creature appeared, he was as meek and compliant as a doll in Claire’s hands, although woe to the stranger who thought they could even come close to touching a hair on her head without the Fenref voicing his opinion on it, and who would back it up with action, if necessary.

Nonetheless, there didn’t seem to be any threat, if Ik’aad’s bored expression was anything to judge by, even as a new pair of customers, a boy with a rather large man in tow, entered the quiet parlor. Despite the Fenref’s lack of interest though, Claire’s curious gaze immediately trained itself on the larger of the two figures. She would recognize that face anywhere, because that face also happened to be her daddy’s face. However, she knew that it wasn’t her father who’d just walked into the ice cream store, because he’d told her specifically that he’d had to work this weekend. The boy didn’t look familiar either, but the little girl’s attention was currently drawn by the Clone (she had the notion in her head that since they all looked alike, they must all know each other as well), and reaching over, she tugged gently on her aunt’s sleeve. “Auntie Sahfi, who’s that?” she asked, pointing over at the man, although she had the sense to keep her voice down, knowing full well that it was rude to point at someone when they knew you were talking about them.
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 07/14/2010 1:56 AM

Sahfi looked up just in time to see the two men (Well, one man and a boy) walk through the door. The sight of the familiar face startled her, and she blinked, glancing first at Claire, and then back to the two new occupants of the parlor. They seemed oblivious to the stares of the two girls, and Sahfi stared at the man for a brief moment, as if trying to determine who he was exactly. He looked just like Pup, but she specifically knew he was busy today. So then, who was he? Another one of his brothers? Although he looked identical to Pup in almost every way, there was something a bit different about his face; something that made him ‘himself.‘ Pup might have had that same careless look of childlike wonder and abandon, but there was something special about this one’s face. He just seemed…different.

Sahfi didn’t seem to realize she’d been staring for a good few minutes before she realized her ice cream was now dripping down her fingers. Her eyes snapped back to it, and she withheld the curse that would have surely slipped past her lips. As a teacher, she’d gotten quite good at cutting off those curses halfway; still, it didn’t stop the loud: “Son of a-” to escape as she watched, in slow motion, as a giant glob of ice cream dripped from the cone to her new dress. A giant green splotch now marred the front of her clothes, and she growled. “Sorry, Claire-bear,” she said, turning to smile at her niece. “I have no idea who they are…Dang, I’m going to grab some napkins.” She sighed heavily. Don’t go anywhere,” she warned, quickly getting up from her seat.

Maybe it was a subconscious excuse to get closer and see who he really was, or maybe karma just hated her and enjoyed tormenting her with melted ice cream, Sahfi wasn’t sure. All she knew was she needed napkins and possibly a new change of clothes. Stupid green ice cream. She carefully skirted the boy who was with the Clone, but unfortunately, the man was blocking the way to the napkins. Sahfi mentally huffed; of course he would, why not? That would make it too easy for her if she didn’t have to do some fancy maneuvering to get around him. “Excuse me,” she said sweetly, reaching around his side to grab a fistful of napkins.

Of course, when she moved to pull away, she couldn’t just make a clean break; her elbow smacked into his gut, and she squeaked, nearly leaping away from him and crashing face first into the glass pane. If it hadn’t been for her quick reflexes, she probably would have. She caught her breath, her eyes widening as she glanced back up at him. “I am so, so, soooo sorry,” she said, her cheeks tinting red. Why was getting a few napkins such a freaking ordeal? Why couldn’t she have just gotten some napkins, and walked back to the table? Because karma hated her, that’s why.

----------------

Kai, on the other hand, was quite happy to receive his cone form the ice cream lady. He cradled it close, practically ignoring the strange woman that nearly tripped over him and bowled into ‘uncle Ace.’ Turning, Kai practically skipped down the aisle, his gaze dead set on his ice cream. Of course, if he’d been paying even a speck of attention to where he was going, he might’ve seen the Fenref lying in the middle of his path. Of course, he didn’t, and Kai, being Kai, tripped over the large canine and would’ve ended up flat on his face in a puddle of ice cream if he hadn’t caught himself on the table. He held his ice cream above his head, looking aghast that he’d very nearly lost it over some stupid dog.

Kai didn’t particularly like animals, especially with Runi’s love of bringing home strays and crowding up the house, so he wasn’t very happy when he turned with a glower to the owner of said Fenref. “Hey, you can’t have pets in here!” he said in an accusatory tone. “That’s dangerous. You know what? I could’ve died! I could’ve fallen and died, you know? Then I would be dead, and you‘d be in trouble!” Drama-queen. He suddenly seemed to remember his ice cream cone, and, true to his five year old state of mind, he quickly forgot his grievance.

He walked around the table, and around the Fenref, and pulled himself up into Sahfi’s vacated chair, putting his elbows up on the table, barely able to see over the side. “My name is Kai‘tome,” he said pleasantly, suddenly very happy now that he had his ice cream and wasn’t in ‘mortal peril.’ “Muh friends call me Kai. You wanna be my friend?” Simple, child-like, and definitely a five year old mentality; he just accused her of trying to kill him, then asked if she wanted to be his friend.

[2/9]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 07/16/2010 11:28 AM

Normally, Ace didn’t get many opportunities to get out of base, and even when he did, it was generally only for another mission, or something along those lines. So, he was planning on thoroughly enjoying his one day of freedom, and what better way to do that than to follow the lead of a child? After all, they had a good idea of what was fun to do and where, had boundless amounts of energy, and their imaginations seemed to have no limit at all, whatsoever. Kai had already proven himself with what Ace personally saw as being a brilliant idea; visiting the ice cream parlor. If that wasn’t a top-notch idea, then he certainly didn’t know what was.

Standing in line, Ace’s attention was entirely focused on the ice cream alone, and one could almost see him bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation as the lady behind the counter slooowly scooped the creamy brown treat out of the tub (well, it wasn’t actually that slow; the anticipation was just starting to get to him). Thanks to that fact, he was almost entirely unaware that he and Kai were not the only people currently occupying the parlor, and that there were two others, who were currently scrutinizing him just about as hard as he was concentrating on his ice cream. He hardly even heard the sweet “Excuse me” as someone quickly reached around him, clearly not wanting to make a scene as the hand latched onto a small wad of napkins, then just as quickly darted away again.

Now, it probably would have gone completely under the radar had it happened the way the young woman had wanted it to, and she likely would have gone on her way without as much as a word or glance from Ace, who was still single-mindedly focused on the cone and ice cream scoop in the server’s hands. However, it just so happened that being elbowed in the gut was one of those slightly more noticeable things. That managed to elicit a startled ‘oof’ from the man, mostly just because he’d been caught completely by surprise. Having the wind almost knocked out of him was certainly not one of the things that he’d been expecting today at all, and at first, his instinct was to think that he was being attacked, but that idea was dispelled almost as quickly as it had come when he turned to look at his ‘assailant’.

Ace’s arms shot out reflexively to steady the young woman, but it seemed that she didn’t really need his assistance, and he withdrew once again. Now that neither he nor she was in any apparent danger, he finally took a moment to more closely study his unintentional ‘attacker’, his surprisingly light blue eyes studying her curiously. To say that she was pretty would have been an understatement, in his book, but then again, who was he to judge? He hadn’t met but so many women in his short life, and interacted with even fewer. The only ones he ever spoke to on rare occasions were those back at base, most of whom were his brothers’ girlfriends/fiancées/wives. However, whereas any of his brothers might have been flustered or embarrassed in this situation, Ace just happened to be one of those cheerful, happy-go-lucky kind of people who was more inclined to be friendly than self-conscious.

“It’s alright, no harm done, see?” he said by way of reply, his face lighting up with a wide, reassuring grin as he poked himself in the stomach to demonstrate that he wasn’t about to fall apart just because of a little bump. “Are you alright, ma’am?” he queried, peering at her as if somewhat worried that she might collapse or something along those lines. After all, he wasn’t exactly sure how women functioned, so his concern wasn’t completely unfounded. However, it quickly became evident that she wasn’t about to disintegrate or anything, and just as quickly, Ace’s mind was off on a tangent, his ice cream (amazingly) momentarily forgotten in favor of this pretty, if flustered, stranger. “It’s pretty impressive that you managed to blindside me there,” he went on with a good-natured chuckle. “It’s a good thing you’re not a Seppie, otherwise you could probably take down the whole army single-handedly.” He paused for a moment, suddenly looking thoughtful and slightly suspicious as he scrutinized her again. “You’re not, are you?” Altogether though, the effect was more comical than intimidating; after all, out of armor and off of the battlefield, it was hard to imagine someone like Ace being scary by any stretch of the imagination.

---


Ik’aad was the first to notice the approach of the little boy, and even then, only because he was practically kicked as Kai nearly tripped over him. The little canine leapt to its feet with a short growl of annoyance, bristling slightly at the clumsiness of the five-year-old. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Claire protested in reply, finally diverting her attention away from her ice cream for long enough to see the irate newcomer and the decidedly grumpy Fenref. “He was there first, so if you died, then it would be your own fault,” she retorted, pigtails bouncing as she frowned back at the older child.

However, the boy’s annoyance dissipated almost as quickly as it had come, and as he hopped into the seat beside her, now apparently intent on being friends, the brief tiff was almost instantaneously forgotten in favor of returning to her ice cream and the possibility of making a new friend. Claire, however, seem a little more reserved than he on the latter of the two. “Iunno,” she replied, somewhat dubiously. “My mommy said to ‘never talk to strangers’, especially men.” She glanced at him for a moment, head tilted curiously to one side as she studied him with that ‘little kid innocence’. “But I guess you’re not really a ‘men’ since you’re a boy, and a’cause you told me your name, you’re not really a stranger either.” She frowned thoughtfully, then reached over her chair to grab Ik’aad (somewhat roughly, in that four-year-old sort of way) and bundle him into her arms. The Fenref almost immediately turned as limp and docile as doll in her hands, flopping into her lap meekly at he studied the boy. “Whadda you think, Ik’aad?” she asked him, as if clearly expecting a spoken answer. The canine only growled half-heartedly in reply; he wasn’t all too happy with the newcomer personally (being tripped-over didn’t help), but he knew that it was what little children did, and had since learned to take it all in stride.

Claire, on the other hand, seemed happy to misconstrue (or perhaps completely ignore) his opinion, and looked up at Kai once again with a happy grin. “He says ‘yes’,” she replied, as if translating for her ‘pet’. “My name’s Claire, and my friends call me Claire.” She paused thoughtfully for a moment. “My mommy, daddy, and Auntie Sahfi call me Claire-bear though…” The train of thought was gone almost as quickly as it had come, and once again, she grinned at her new ‘friend’, happy to divide her attention between him and the ice cream cone in her hand.
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 07/17/2010 3:19 AM

Sahfi could feel her cheeks burning in mortification; she’d only wanted to get a few napkins to get the glob of ice cream off her dress, and she’d nearly assaulted a poor, innocent ice-cream lover. She felt like the world’s biggest idiot. Only someone like her could turn the simple act of grabbing a handful of napkins into a dangerous occupation. Not to mention the fact that a) she’d just elbowed a commando in the gut, and b) he was like, twelve feet taller than her! Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. He was more like a foot and a half taller, but who was counting, right? So, maybe all commandos were like Pup…? Heaven forbid he was anything like Punch, or she’d be dead right now. And if he was like Ride…Well, she could expect to be hit on, and then asked on a ‘date.’

She mentally snorted, rolling her eyes; yeah, she’d take Punch over Ride any day. That man was creepy. Sahfi seemed to suddenly realize that she was staring up at Ace with a slightly bewildered, open-mouthed expression. Her brows knit together, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, looking somewhat stunned. Granted, she’d just plowed into a cold metal ice cream container, but that was beside the point. She shouldn’t have been this befuddled. But she was embarrassed, and felt like an idiot. Not to mention the fact that she was still trying to figure out what kind of guy he was; she’d rather not be punched into oblivion or something right now because he thought she was trying to ‘attack him or maim him’ or something of the like.

“I’m, uh…Fine.” She passed an uncertain glance to the woman behind the counter, who was smiling wickedly as if she’d just heard a rather juicy bit of gossip. Sahfi wondered how quickly this stupid little encounter would be spread around and then exaggerated; she wondered how many days it would take for the story to turn from ‘bumping into someone’ to ‘full out assault, and the police were involved too.’ Sahfi seemed to realize he was still talking, and tore her gaze from the smiling woman, back to Ace. She gulped down the reflexive urge to squeak and run away, not seeming to notice that the ice cream she still held in her hand was currently melting all over the place and dribbling down the cone onto the floor. A very important fact, I tell you, because it will come into play later.

Sahfi looked flustered, quelling the blush that rose once more to her cheeks, only this time, she was somewhat indignant. “I most certainly am not a 'Seppie,' thanks,” she practically hissed, drawing herself up to her full height (Which was not very impressive) and using her best ‘authoritative voice.’ It worked with first graders, so why not with this guy, right? “I’m going to head back to my table now,” she said, as if it really mattered. Her brows were drawn together, and she frowned. Sorry about that,” she repeated, though it wasn’t as kind as it had been the first time. Sahfi turned to go, and she probably would’ve been able to walk away safely with what dignity she managed to still have in tact, if not for the puddle of melted ice cream in front of her.

The moment her foot hit it, it slid out from under her, and she flew forward, the cone flying from her hands and landing somewhere behind her. Sahfi was vaguely aware of the elderly woman behind the counter smiling like a Cheshire cat as she happily strolled to the other side of the store (Presumably to let the scene play out and watch from a safe distance). The next thing she knew, she had collided with the very person she’d ‘assaulted’ only a moment before; the last thing that went through her mind as she silently wished he’d just kill her now and get it over with, was that she was really starting to hate mint and chip ice cream.

----------

Kai peered over the top of the table with wide, intelligent eyes, watching Ik’aad closely as if it would speak up and protest against him being Claire’s friend. When both she and the canine approved, Kai swung his legs and happily licked his ice cream, until he seemed to realize something; Me’ven? How come your doggy has a Mandalorian name, huh?” He pointed at himself, and frowned. “My name is Mando’a too. But you’re not Mandalorian. Nuh-uh. And Buir said only a few people know Mando’a. So how come you know it?” He tilted his head quizzically, slapping both arms onto the table and leaning as far over as he could, while still maintaining a firm grip on his ice cream cone. No way he was letting that thing go.

He didn’t even seem to notice or care about the commotion behind him; Kai was a five year old boy. He had more important things on his mind than worrying about Ace and Sahfi. Like, how come Superman can fly when he puts a cape on, but when Kai tried it, he ended up with a broken arm and an angry mother? Why did his play-doh dry out when he didn’t put it away? How come Runi always cried when he pulled off the heads of her dolls? You know, really important, philosophical things. Well, those things and why this girl, who’d he just met, had used Mando’a to name her dog.

“And how come you named him ‘baby’?” If she knew Mando’a, maybe he could test it.Tion'jor? He doesn’t look like no baby I’ve ever seen. He looks like a doggy. That’s weird.” he took a large bite of his cone, having finished off most of his ice cream. “Shoulfa namged himf sumfin diff’rnt,” he said, spraying small pieces of cone everywhere as he tried to talk around his mouthful of food. “Somethin’ that wasn’t so funny,” he said, swallowing the mouthful of cone and grinning.

[3/10]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 07/18/2010 2:48 AM

The woman’s expressions were decidedly different from those of his brothers, and despite what little he knew of womankind, Ace was surprised to find that her moods were much easier to read as they weren’t as subtle as those he was used to being around. What amazed him though was simply how quickly she could change gears, one moment embarrassed, then in the blink of an eye, indignant. She didn’t even give him the opportunity to catch up with the sudden change in disposition before she turned on a heel to stomp off, leaving a rather bewildered Ace in her wake. Was it something that he’d said? Maybe it was just a female characteristic; he hadn’t personally been around enough of them to know, but if it was, he couldn’t see how his brothers could keep up with the unexpected attitude changes.

It took him a few seconds to figure out exactly what he just happened, but by the time he had formulated a somewhat coherent answer, the young woman had already started away from him. Ace frowned mildly at the shock of dark hair as it bobbed indignantly away from him, but all of a sudden, it inexplicably seemed to come rushing back once again, to his great surprise. It turned out that she had actually slipped on a small puddle of melted ice cream at her feet, and the reason why the back of her head was rushing towards him was…well…because it was. For the second time in the span of about two minutes, Ace’s arms shot out on instinct to keep her from falling face-first into something, except this time, he actually caught her as she barreled into him.

To be entirely truthful, the strange, mood-swingy woman rather intimidated him, both because he was somewhat afraid of her wrath (she had sounded a little less than friendly just a moment ago), and simply due to the fact that she was a woman. She could as well have been an entirely different species, for all he knew. However, he did his best to quell his own misgivings as he glanced down at the woman in his arms, pausing for a moment before realizing that holding on to her for this long was probably starting to make her uncomfortable. Somewhat hastily, he righted her once more, making sure that she was firmly on her feet before letting go, as if worried that she might unexpectedly topple over again while he wasn’t watching.

“Are you…uh…still alright?” he asked once she was out of peril, watching her carefully. From what he’d seen today, women were apparently much more difficult to take care and ensure the safety of than five-year-old boys. Speaking of which, he spared a quick glance over at Kai to make sure that he was alright; it seemed the kid was quite adept at making new acquaintances, if the little girl he was currently conversing with was anything to judge by. Currently though, Ace happened to have slightly more demanding issues on hand, namely keeping an eye on what he had come to see as his new charge, at least for the time while she was within his sight. He felt as if it were his obligation to keep her from hurting herself, which in the time that he had known her, seemed like something she was quite prone to doing.

“Well, I’m glad that you’re not a Seperatist,” he said simply, as if eager to get the subject cleared up. “I really wouldn’t want to hurt you after all. Plus, you should take it as a compliment. It’s not often that anyone catches a commando by surprise.” He grinned cheerfully, hoping that she would forgive him for apparently having offended her. Ace didn’t like having people dislike him, and generally made an effort, whether consciously or not, to keep people happy, especially when they were around him. There was far too much unhappiness and strife in the world and in his occupation as it was and the only time he had the opportunity to escape from it all was when he was off-duty. Other people might have seen his enthusiastic demeanor as being somewhat…over-the-top, but in reality, it was just an eager joie de vivre which most people lacked, or otherwise held back.

---


Having a Mandalorian for a father, Claire obviously came to acquire some knowledge of the language and culture, but having spent the first few years of her life being raised by her mother alone, she had always been more comfortable with Common. However, she had soaked up every bit of the new language that Pup taught her, and although she wasn’t necessarily fluent in it, she could understand it relatively well and speak a little. Nonetheless, she knew a challenge when she heard one, and when her new friend started speaking in Mando’a, she had to make sure that he knew she was just as good at it as he was. Jorcu, she replied, daring him to challenge her choice of name for her pet. “And who says I’m not a Mandalorian? My buir is, and he’s training me to be one.” Her little voice was stubborn as she spoke, a small frown furrowing her little brow as she watched Kai. “I can already talk it a little, and daddy promised that he’ll teach me how to use a blaster when I’m old enough.” There was a hint of smugness in her tone as she spoke, although the facts were stretched, if only slightly so. She’d never exactly been promised that she would learn how to use a blaster, but she was certain that he would teach her. After all, all good Mandos could shoot a blaster, right?

“I named him Ik’aat a’cause he’s my baby,” she replied simply, one little hand still fisted in the Fenref’s fur possessively as the little canine watched on passively. This time though, it was her turn to turn the line of questioning on him. “And why did your mommy and daddy name you ‘food’? Iunno, but if I had to pick one, I would rather be a baby than to be a food.” With that said, she went back to stolidly licking her strawberry-pink cone, glancing up occasionally as she waited for an answer.
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 07/18/2010 3:22 AM

Sahfi was really ready to just curl into a ball and die of mortification. She already knew her cheeks were bright red, and she was a little worried about the pace her heart had taken; if she kept up this apparently instant clumsiness, she was going to have a heart attack. The man’s arms felt solid and comfortable around her, but she knew they served a very important purpose; keeping her from smacking face first into the floor and becoming familiar with the pretty tile of the ice cream parlor. Thank heaven he had quick reflexes.

She let out a sigh of relief, and then seemed to realize he was still holding her. Her blush intensified as much as her embarrassment did, and she silently cursed her traitorous cheeks for giving it away. “Uh, um,” she stuttered, managing to right herself and smooth out her dress, patting her hair in a flustered manner as she quickly pulled away from him. “Y-yeah,” she said, all the bluster and indignation gone from before. Now all that was left was a feeling of mortification and stupidity. She was such an idiot; so much for the ‘walk away in a huff’ effect. She’d pretty much ruined any good or intimidating image she’d been trying to carve, and had probably left the impression that she was a clumsy idiot.

“I’m fine…Again. Thank you. Er…” She stared at her hand, making a rather disgusted face at the sight of all the now melted ice cream and the soggy cone. She took a few steps away (Mindful of the ice cream on the floor) and chucked it in the garbage can, before returning awkwardly to stand in front of Ace. “Sorry…Again. I don’t seem to be doing a very good job of being anything other than a clumsy idiot today. I swear I’m not that bad.” She felt a little bad for being so offended before; she should have expected a question like that, in all honesty. He was a Clone, and it was his job to make sure she wasn’t a bad person.

In fact, Pup had asked her a similar question when he’d first met her, until she’d leveled him with her best ‘angry teacher stare’ and told him that if he ever asked again, she’d make sure to shove his armor where the sun didn’t shine. Needless to say, he didn’t ask again. “I’m afraid I was the one who hurt you, inadvertently, at least. Sorry about before.” She rubbed her arm nervously, then cringed when she felt the sticky ice cream smear across her arm. “Oh, yuck…” she muttered, before her gaze quickly jumped back to Ace.

“I really hate being asked that question, and your honestly not the first to ask me that.” She smiled timidly, as if forgetting she could level a man with a single glare. Probably a good thing at the moment. “Er…So…you’re a commando…” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “I know a few commandos myself. Um…My sister is dating one…from, uh, Theta squad…” Was this appropriate conversation fodder? She doubted it, but when she was nervous, she would say anything.

---------------

Kai chuckled, now having nothing to occupy him; he’d long since munched through the rest of his ice cream cone. “‘Because’ ain’t an answer,” he said sagely, raising a chubby little finger to point. “And he‘s not your baby. Your not the same species. He’s a Fenref, you’re a human. Silly.” He smiled, swinging his legs and looking about the shop. It was familiar to him; Amala took the kids here often, although only when they’d been good. Kai always made sure to eat all his vegetables, so his momma would take him to the ice cream parlor for being a good boy.

“My buir has been teachin’ me and my brother and sister to be Mandos since we were born,” he said simply. “I already know how to shoot a blaster.” He smiled proudly, lifting his head and pointing at himself. “My ba’buir promised me he’d teach me how to use his three-sided knife.” He seemed quite happy to be taught to use weapons. What an odd little boy. His face suddenly fell, and he snorted indignantly, folding his arms over his chest in a rather huffy, pouty manner.

“A’cause when I was a baby, ba’vodu Mereel said I ‘really loved food,’ a’so they named me that. Ba’vodu Mereel has a weird sense of humor; he thought it was funny. That’s why I tell everyone to call me ‘Kai.’ I don’ like being called ‘food’ all the time. My momma only uses my full name when she’s mad. Daddy laughs when she does though…But he’s not home a lot, and I don’t make momma mad as much as Runi and Kotep do.” He shook his little head. “I’m a good boy. What about you? Is your daddy home a lot? Where do you live?”

[4/11]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 07/19/2010 2:00 PM

Once again, Ace was surprised by just how quickly this young woman could change gears; apparently now, she was no longer as upset with him as she’d been a moment before. While he was still learning to keep up with her indecisive moods, it was definitely an improvement. At least, it was certainly better than having her fix that cold, indignant glare on him which turned his insides cold in an instant. Despite how small, kind, and somewhat shy this woman appeared to be, she could definitely turn on the heat when she had the mind to. Ace thanked the Manda that he’d actually managed to catch her when she’d fallen; he could only imagine what situation he’d be in at this moment had he not.

As she spoke, he couldn’t help but chuckle, albeit he kept it mostly to himself; there was just something strangely endearing about her embarrassed blush and flustered words. It generally wasn’t something that a person was exposed to all that often when they spent their entire lives in the army, surrounded by unusually solemn, almost emotionless people. “Well, as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters,” he chirped cheerfully, not seeming put off at all by the recent occurrences. Chuckling at the defense of her currently-absent gracefulness, he replied, “I believe you. My brothers tell me that I’m the clumsy, bumbling, overenthusiastic di’kut of the squad, but they only say it in jest…mostly. I guess there is a grain of truth in that.” He shrugged offhandedly, not seeming phased by the fact at all. “Well, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind sticking around while you’re here to make sure that nothing of the sort happens again…or at least make sure that it doesn’t leave any lasting marks.” Ace grinned reassuringly at her. He’d be here a while anyways, seeing as Kai was currently rather preoccupied as well, and knowing that child, he could keep talking for the next hour or two straight, no sweat, especially after making a new friend.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he reassured his companion in regards to the ‘elbow-in-the-gut incident’. “I’ve been outnumbered, shot at, blown up; you name it, it’s happened to me. So really, do you think that a little nudge like that is going to make me fall apart or something?” He chuckled again, this time in a manner which he hoped was reassuring. A moment later, he noticed that the young woman still had ice cream all over herself, and that it must be rather uncomfortable to be standing around in that sort of sticky mess. Turning briefly, he grabbed a handful of napkins from the counter behind him, then offered them to her.

“Oh…well in that case, it is duly noted, and I promise that it won’t happen again, miss.” What she had to say next though was a little more intriguing. So, she actually personally knew other Clones? He tilted his head slightly to one side curiously as he studied her face carefully. “I’ve heard of their squad before in passing, but we’ve never worked together during a mission, as far as I know. Perhaps you know their names?” He paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something, which he soon quickly voiced. “By the way, on that topic, I’m Ace, RC-1562.” He grinned happily, proffering a hand to shake, now that he knew pretty certainly that she wasn’t about to try and blow his guts out or something along those lines. “And you are…?”

---


Claire managed a sigh while at the same time, succeeding in not forsaking the attention she was currently paying her ice cream cone. “Well, duh,” she replied matter-of-factly, as if it were every day that someone named their pet something that they blatantly were not. “I know he’s not an actual baby, but I’m like his mommy because I’m his family. He don’t have any other mommy, you know?” She cuddled the aforementioned Fenref around the neck one-armedly, his head just above the top of the table and his little forepaws clicking on the polished surface. The expression on his furry face was a picture of patience, as if this sort of thing happened on a regular basis.

“Oooh, you must be very growed-up if your buir already taught you how to shoot a blaster.” Claire seemed appropriately impressed by her new friend’s prowess. Rightfully, she was very excited about learning the ways of the Mandalorians, but being the girl that she was and having been raised by her non-Mando mother alone for the first few years of her life, she was, quite understandably, somewhat more interested in clothes and dolls and other ‘girly’ things. Nonetheless, she was a credit (and absolutely devoted) to her newfound daddy, and was eager to learn everything that he had to teach her.

Claire blinked at Kai curiously at the mention of his namesake. “Wait, did you say ‘ba’vodu Mereel’? Hey, he’s my uncle too! I don’t know him very well ‘cause I never got to meet him, but my buir told me all about him.” She paused thoughtfully, trying to scrape up everything he remembered on the topic. “My mommy doesn’t like him much though…she thinks he needs an ‘serious attitude adjustment’. Whatever that means.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “My daddy works a lot, so I don’t get to see him as much as I want to. He works in the army, so he can’t really help it, but…” She trailed off, looking a little glum. “But shhhh…it’s a secret. I wasn’t s’posed to tell you that.” It was true, she had been instructed not to go around telling people who her parents were, more specifically, who her father was. What she didn’t know was that she wasn’t technically supposed to exist; after all, people like her father weren’t supposed to have relationships, let alone families.
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 07/19/2010 8:26 PM

Dear heavens, this man had the most upbeat attitude of anyone she’d ever met. He reminded her a lot of the kids at school; they could switch moods like no one’s business, but most of the time, they were cheerful, bubbly little souls. This man was no different. Sahfi studied him carefully, watching very little line or crease in his face as he spoke, before she seemed to realize that he’d just technically committed himself to hanging around with her and her niece. “Oh no,” she said, another flustered blush rising to her cheeks. Great; he thought she was a bumbling idiot who literally needed looking after. He probably felt like, if he left her alone, he’d end yup with a broken arm or something. How humiliating.

Sahfi quickly quelled her rising embarrassment in favor of replying, deciding she should finish her sentence before he thought something was wrong with her mind as well. “I, uh, couldn’t ask you to do that. I’m fine, really. You don’t need to stick around if you don’t want to.” She felt bad for making him feel as if he had to stay. His talk of being shot at disturbed her, and a frown crossed her face, before she was quickly distracted by his name. “My name is Sahfi,” she said, still a little ‘thrown’ by the events of the past few minutes. She almost seemed as if she was in a daze, but quickly shook it off in favor of taking the proffered napkins to try and get some of the ice cream off her hands.

“Yuck…” she muttered, before her eyes quickly darted back up to Ace. “Thanks…Uh…Right, Theta…Um…Punch, Shadow, Ride, Nomad, Torch, Pup and Duke…” She blinked, then a scowl crossed her face as she remembered something. “Although Ride is very, very unpleasant. He’s just like Mereel; all hands. For super intelligent people, they have no idea what 'dont touch' means.” She grumbled to herself, before seeming to realize what she said.

“Oh uh…never mind.” She glanced over her shoulder, and smiled when she noticed that Kai had seemed to take a liking to Claire; the two were talking up a storm. “Is that your son?” she asked curiously. He was the spitting image of a clone, despite the bronzed hair and orange eyes. Sahfi wasn't entirely aware that clones weren't technically allowed to have families; she'd been neglected to be told yet. “He’s adorable…”

-------

“I’m really growed up,” Kai said proudly. “When my daddy goes away to fight, he tells Kotep and I that were the men of the house. We look after my momma and sister.” Jaing was often gone, although he took as much time off as he dared. He would often go on ‘top secret missions’ and, in reality, visit his family. Kai always looked forward to his father’s visits. Jaing would bring some weird, exotic toy or a new weapon for them to have (Although he kept them locked away and told them they couldn’t use them unless he was around and until they were older) and it always made his momma really happy.

“I’m also learnin’ to farm!” he said excitedly. Well, yes, technically, he was. While his father did have a farm where they grew their own crops and had a few animals, it wasn’t really a ‘money-making’ farm. Mostly, it was done so that Jaing had something to do, and they didn’t have to spend money on food. “I planted tomatoes with my buir a couple of weeks ago. And I learned how to milk the cows and gather eggs when I was littler. Runi and Kotep help me.” He smiled proudly, arms folded on top of the table. He blinked in surprise when she mentioned Mereel. “My momma says that about him too!” Kai exclaimed happily.

Technically, Mereel wasn’t either of their uncle’s. But every clone was still considered an ‘uncle.’ “My daddy works a lot too. He’s a warrior.” Kai had been specifically taught not to tell anyone who his father was; of course, he was never told not to tell anyone his uncle was Mereel. That was a dead giveaway. Amala would have to fix that sometime soon. “He only comes home sometimes. And we’re not ‘sposed to visit him. But momma says that’s ‘cuz his job is a secret one. She won’t tell me what it is.” He peered at her closely. “What does your buir do in the army?”

[5/12]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 07/22/2010 1:59 AM

Ace seemed perfectly content to give Sahfi all the time she needed in the world to find her feet again, both physically and mentally. For someone as ‘bouncy’ as he was, he was surprisingly patient and easygoing. It wasn’t difficult to catch on to the fact that the young woman was rather flustered at the moment, thanks to, he was assuming, her earlier little mishaps. He, however, was perfectly happy to overlook the accidents; after all, the past was the past, and such trivial matters ought not to be dwelt upon for longer than they deserved to be. Ace was one of those kinds of people who liked to ‘live in the moment’ and enjoy life as it came, one step at a time. A perfect example was the fact that he seemed to have completely forgotten about his ice cream (which the serving lady had eventually put back into the tub in favor of watching the drama unfold) due to the fact that his attention had been captured instead by the new company which he had made. After all, he could always come back again for ice cream, right? (And it was quite certain that Kai wouldn’t complain about that)

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Ace replied cheerfully as Sahfi voiced her doubts on his decision to stick around and keep an eye on her personal safety. With a brief tilt of his head, he motioned at the table that Claire and Kai were currently occupying. “It looks like he’ll be here for a while yet, so it’s really no bother…Unless you’d prefer that I leave you alone, of course. If you do, feel free to tell me. I promise not to take offense to it.” He grinned almost teasingly at his companion, although his voice clearly said that he wasn’t completely joking. If she wanted her personal space, then he wouldn’t intrude upon it if his presence wasn’t welcome. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d been asked to leave someone alone, and he could be quite certain that it wouldn’t be the last either. Nonetheless, he would take it all in stride, apparently unruffled by the dismissal.

He looked thoughtful at the mention of the different members of Theta squad, as if trying to remember each one of them personally. “Yes, I do believe I’ve heard of them, or at least a few of them,” he replied after a moment of wracking his memory. “It’s mostly word of peoples’ reputations that spread through the base…if they have reputations worth remembering, at least, whether good or bad. I’ve definitely heard of Ride and his infamy though,” he added with a small nod of agreement. A sudden though struck him right about the same time as Sahfi realized the connotations of what she’d said, and Ace, being Ace, popped a question on her, although it was all curiosity with a slight hint of embarrassment. “Should something happen again in the near future, would you prefer if I left you to your own devices?” he queried, not a trace of sarcasm or other ill-will in his tone. He was just genuinely curious as to whether or not she preferred to keep her personal space to herself.

Ace’s gaze followed hers back to the booth where the two children were currently sitting, absorbed in conversation. “Who, Kai? Oh, no, no…he’s not mine. He’s…uhhh…a nephew of mine.” There was brief, slightly awkward pause before he picked up the thread of conversation once again with what was naturally the next question. “Is she your daughter?” He didn’t even need to gesture for it to be obvious that he was addressing the tiny blond girl that Kai was currently so interested in talking to.

---


Claire made quick, neat work of polishing off the rest of her cone while Kai happily narrated away to her, her eyes wide and attentive over what was left of her ice cream. The little girl was thoroughly fascinated by the life which was apparently so different from her own, and just as she soaked up every story and piece of information Pup told her, her attention was riveted on the imaginary picture she painted in her head of a picturesque farm, complete with all sorts of ‘cute animals’. “Can I come visit your farm sometime?” she asked excitedly. “I wanna pet the cows an’ chickens an’ all the animals.” She grinned happily at the thought; being a city girl, the thought of anything that even vaguely resembled a rural lifestyle excited her, since she didn’t get exposed to it all that often.

On the subject of her father, however, she seemed a little less certain. “Ummm, my daddy fights in the army, ‘though he ‘n mommy never telled me what he does. I heard that he can kill a buncha enemies with one look though. He gives ‘em an angry look, and they all drop dead.” She nodded assuredly, clearly proud of her father’s ‘special fighting ability’. Of course, it was just the creation of her overly-active imagination, but it was fun to picture; after all, she pretty much idolized her father, as it was, so it was only natural that she imagined him having 'superpowers'. “He says that’s how he got mommy’s heart.  Sort of. Except he didn’t killeded her. But he won’t tell me where he keeps it.” In typical three-year-old fashion, she sat back and crossed her little arms over her chest in a semi-grumpy fashion, wishing that she could just figure out where her mother’s heart was apparently kept. She’d almost turned the whole house inside-out looking for it, but to no avail, and she was forced to concede to the fact that her daddy was a master at hiding things.


{Wow, Claire just completely went on a tangent with that. XD –pats her- Silleh baby. <3}
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 08/03/2010 4:28 PM

“Uh, no…If your going to be here anyway, might as well have someone to talk to, right?” Sahfi smiled nervously, still feeling like the world’s biggest idiot. In the span of about a minute, she’d run into him twice, probably insulted him, been insulted by him, and then turned into a babbling, idiot girl. She quickly turned to toss the used napkins into the garbage can. “Um…Sorry…I sort of ruined your ice cream time. Why don’t you get another one? On me…Uh, not literally, of course. But I’ll take the tab.”

She chuckled lightly, hoping she didn’t sound as stupid as she felt. At the mention of Ride once more, Sahfi scowled, remembering his very ‘handsy’ greeting just before she’d left the base today. The greeting had ended up with her storming off in a huff with Claire in tow, and a very amused Ride with a smirk and a handprint on his face. He was incorrigible and also an idiot. He’d hinted multiple times that he had his own day of leave today, and had asked to come along with Sahfi and Claire. Sahfi didn’t pu8t it past him to have followed them all the way to the ice cream parlor. Creeper.

She carefully glanced over her shoulder, as if waiting for Ride to jump out from behind a garbage can, before she shuddered. She turned back to Ace with a curious look on her face tilting her head ever so slightly. “I’m not sure what you mean by that…but I’m afraid if you ‘left me to my own devices’ in the state I’m apparently in, I’d be fall face first into a door or something in no time.” She chuckled lightly, still feeling like a nervous, babbling weirdo. She chuckled awkwardly as the silence stretched on, scuffling the toes of her shoes against the pristine parlor floor. His question startled her probably as much as hers had startled him.

“Oh, no, no!” she said immediately, holding up her hands. “She’s my niece. I’m giving her mother a well-deserved break from the twin terror…well…singular terror, maybe. Raja isn’t as bad as Claire.” She giggled sweetly, amused by her own joke, before she cleared her throat and gestured towards the ice cream lady, who was watching with a raised eyebrow. “Um…Did you want that ice cream? My treat, of course.”

---------------

“Sure!” Kai exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. “An’ I can teach you to ride th’ Cavallion my daddy keeps. He only keeps one, a’cuz he says they’re a little dangerous. But Runi really likes her, so we keep her around. Her name is Buttercup.” He swung his legs to and fro, wiggling in his seat. “Oh wow,” He said, staring at her across the table. He folded his little arms on the top of it, resting his head on them. “Your daddy sounds really scary. I don’t think my buir can do any of that, but he’s pretty scary when he gets mad. I heard my ba’buir call him and my ba’vodue ‘instant death on legs.’ I thought it was kinda funny though.” He rolled his head to one side, smiling.

“He’s got your mommy’s heart? Really? I bet my buir has my momma’s heart too. I don’t think those are the kinds of things you can find. They hide them really, really good.” He turned around and eyed Sahfi and Ace, leaning back in his chair and craning his neck to look over his shoulder. “S’at your momma? She’s pretty. If she’s not your momma, maybe she and ba’vodu Ace could get married. Then we could be bestest friends forever.” He leaned forward again, his eyes wide. “We should help them get married.” Ah, the mind of a child. So simple.

[6/13]

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 08/11/2010 3:52 AM

Ace chuckled lightly at Sahfi’s comment. “Well, it’s infinitely more interesting than trying to hold a conversation with yourself, speaking from personal experience.” He grinned good-naturedly at her, clearly happy to have her company. Despite how much he loved Kai, after spending a whole day with a five-year-old alone for a companion, it made this seem like a refreshing splash of change in his schedule. “Oh no, no. It’s no trouble at all,” he said, his cheerful mood as seemingly inextinguishable as ever as he reassured her. “At least the kids seem to be having a good time, right?” He glanced over at Kai and Claire, who were busy chatting up a storm. He wondered vaguely what they were talking about so excitedly, but he currently had a conversation of his own to keep up with, which happened to be somewhat more captivating to his attention than the children’s talk.

Despite his appearance of being somewhat ‘spacy’ and perhaps somewhat attention deficient, he was surprisingly more perceptive than people gave him credit for. He noticed Sahfi’s discomfort, although he couldn’t figure out what might be causing it. Could it be him who was making her feel shifty and uneasy? However, she seemed eager to push the conversation on, and from what he could tell, she hadn’t gotten to the point where she just wanted nothing more than to get rid of him, so he followed her lead. “Oh, I couldn’t. It would be highly ungentlemanly of me to accept when the roles should be reversed. After all, it is partially my fault that you lost your cone in the first place.” He looked greatly apologetic, not unlike a puppy that knew it had done something wrong and was begging for forgiveness. “Can I get you a new ice cream? The lady owes me mine anyways.” He shrugged lightly, gesturing towards the glass case behind him vaguely, his gaze flicking over to the watching ice cream woman questioningly.

“Well, I’m here to ensure that nothing like that happens, at least while you’re in my company.” Ace shot her a warm, reassuring smile. He was quite sure that she was capable of taking care of herself; perhaps she’d just happened to run into bad luck today. And was it just his imagination, or did her reply to his last question seem rather hasty? He half considered the idea, wondering what would make her so quickly answer a seemingly innocent question, but finding nothing, dismissed it. “It’s the same with Kai and his brother and sister. His parents need a break from all of that parenting every once in a while, and no one else seems to be quite capable of handling the whole trio by themselves. Hence, everyone gets one kid to babysit.” He chuckled. “Less drama all around.”

---


“Oh, wow. Your daddy lets you ride big horsies? You must be really growed-up. My daddy only lets me ride the little ponies, and only when we’re at the fair or something.” Her pink eyes were wide with that typical, childlike wonder as she marveled at her new friend’s wide range of abilities (which, as a four-year-old, she found utterly fascinating). “My buir can be really scary sometimes when he wants to be, but most of the time he’s really nice, at least to me ‘n my mommy ‘n my sister.” She sighed somewhat wistfully, a strange look for a child so young. “I just wish he could be home more often. Mommy says it’s his work that keeps him out all the time. I miss him.” Her little lower lip jutted out for a moment as she thought of her father’s absence, but to no surprise, Kai’s chattering soon drew her back out of her momentary dejection.

“No, she’s not my mommy. She’s my Auntie Sahfi.” However, at the mention of marriage and best friends, her eyes immediately lit up, and one could almost hear the gears working in her mind. “I like that idea,” she asserted decisively. “My mommy’s always with buir, so sometimes Auntie Sahfi gets left alone, and I don’t think she wants to be alone. If they get married, then we’ll be heroes!” she exclaimed delightfully, bouncing happily in her seat as she swung her legs. “But first, we’ll need a plan about how we’re going to get them married.”
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 11/14/2010 8:45 PM

“You and me both,” Sahfi said with a wobbly smile. “But hey, when you’ve got a captive audience, and as long as you aren’t answering your own questions, there’s nothing wrong with talking to yourself, in my opinion.” She giggled lightly, and followed his gaze to the children. Kai and Claire seemed to be getting along wonderfully. That was a relief; by this time, most of the other kids had run away screaming from her niece’s Fenref, but Kai didn’t seem to mind, and both Fenref and girl actually seemed to like the little guy. Thank goodness. One embarrassment was enough for one day. When Sahfi turned back to Ace, she was not only surprised by his statement, but somewhat embarrassed by his kind, and chivalrous behavior. Why oh why couldn’t she find a guy like that to settle down with?

The men she tended to date were usually self-absorbed jerks…or Ride, but she’d never date him even if he was the last man on earth. Not to say he wasn’t nice, but he was just kind of…well, hands-y. It was kind of creepy and annoying all at the same time. She spent half her day when she had time off avoiding his advances. Thank heavens for Pup and his ‘diplomatic reasoning.’ A.K.A., shoving a blaster at his brother and telling him that if he didn’t leave his sister-in-law along, he’d be breathing through a hole in his throat. Ride never took the threats seriously, but he knew when to back off. He was a nice guy and all, just not her type. Nope, definitely not her type. “Don’t be silly,” Sahfi said at last, realizing she’d been staring at him for a good few minutes while her mind ran away with her. She felt her traitorous cheeks begun to flush, and turned quickly to the woman behind the counter. “Uh, if you would be so kind as to give him his, and a scoop of vanilla for me, I’ll pay fort it.”

She shoved the money at the lady so quickly, the woman had a hard time keeping it in her hands. Sahfi felt her cheeks darken and mentally groaned; why couldn’t she just be smooth and NOT clumsy for once in her life? Everything she did seemed to make her look more and more like an idiot, and she was certain before the day was over, Ace would either think she was completely incompetent, or a worthless, idiotic klutz. “Trust me, I don’t think you could keep me from being clumsy even if you wanted to,” she chuckled, not lifting her gaze lest he see how red her cheeks had become. The woman behind the counter was eyeing her wryly, and handed her the new cone of vanilla, while reaching for the chocolate and plopping it onto a cone for Ace as well. Sahfi wished she could just crawl into a hole and live there for the rest of her life. Sahfi sighed and took the cone, before peeking over at Ace from the corner of her eye.

“I can’t imagine how anyone could handle so many kids. Goodness, it’d hard enough teaching a class full of them for four or five hours; I can’t picture keeping them all day everyday. Uh…Shall we sit down?” she asked hastily, padding over and away from Ace to take a seat in a chair only a table away from the kids. Their conversation looked very serious, and Claire was always going on and on about how she was a ‘big girl’ to her parents; Sahfi figured the two would feel better if they didn’t have grown-ups eavesdropping on their conversation. So she concentrated on willing herself not to look so darn embarrassed, and to eat her ice cream before it melted.



Kai waved his hand like it was nothing. “Psh, yep. All the time. ‘Course, he says I can’t ride ‘em or anything unless he’s around. They’re too big for me to handle all by myself. Momma says I shouldn’t even be round them, but buir thinks it’s good that I learn to take care of the animals.” He smiled proudly, beaming over at her across the table. He looked up as Sahfi hurried by, shooting her a somewhat curious and scrutinizing look, before his gaze once more settled on Claire. “My buir is away a lot too. He says he has to go on special missions and fight the bad guys to keep us safe. Maybe that’s what your buir does too. My daddy wears armor and carries blasters and he’s not afraid of nothing’. Him and my ba’vodue all fight in the war.” He seemed sad for a minute, before, as children are wont to do, he forgot his woes and instantly focused on something else. “I dunno,” he said thoughtfully, looking over Claire’s shoulder at Sahfi, then back over his at Ace. “Maybe we could lock them in the closet? My buir always says he’s going to do that to ba’vodu Mereel and ‘some nice girl’ so he’ll ‘finally settle down.’ But I don’t see any closets. Do you?” He paused, scratching his short mop of unruly bronzed hair. “Got any ideas?”




Just then, idea number 1 came strolling down the sidewalk. Ride had been given the day off, much like the rest of Theta squad had. While Pup was off with his girl (And Nomad and Punch were as well, while Snuggles and Duke argued over some idiotic western involving John Wayne) Ride had decided to get out and explore the town a little more. He’d been hoping to finds a nice girl to spend the day with, but his luck seemed to be out of reach for the day. He’d spent half of his time strolling around the park and shops, looking at this and that and wondering if he should buy some kind of jewelry thing for Sahfi to see if maybe that’d change her mind about him. Girls liked jewelry, right? He grumbled to himself; ever since he’d met her, she’d done nothing but reject him and push him away.

Ride was most definitely not used to that, he was used to getting whatever, and whomever he wanted, and to him, Sahfi should be no exception. She was just a plain-Jane school teacher, with nothing extraordinary about her at all. But Ride couldn’t resist chasing after her; it was probably all the rejection she kept shoving in his face and his desire to get what he wanted when he wanted it. It wasn’t as if he really liked her or wanted anything long-term; he just wanted her. That was who and what Ride was all about. He never stayed in one place for long, and never settled for one relationship for long, if the flings he had could even be called relationships. And speaking of relationships…it just so happened that he was striding past a particular little ice cream shop, that now housed a particular person who he had a particular interest in. Ride backpedaled as he passed the window, catching a glimpse of Sahfi and…who on earth was that? Ride scowled.

He knew the man by face, because Ride himself had the very same one. But he didn’t know who he was, or what squad he was with, not from just his looks alone. Time to get to the bottom of this. Clothed in a dark leather jacket, dark pants and boots, and sporting striking orange streaks in his dark hair, Ride was certainly a sight as he strode through the door of the shop and to the table where Sahfi currently sat. He pulled out one of the extra seat, flipped it around, and plopped himself down on it, arms folded across the back. “Hey there, gorgeous. Fancy meeting you here.” He ignored her gasp of surprise and then her groan of annoyance as she let her head fall into her hands. “Aw, come on, don’t be like that. I came all this way just to see you!” He reached out to take her free hand, smirking confidently as he did so. Sahfi growled and tried to pull her hand away, but to no avail.

“Get lost, Ride. Can’t you see I’m busy?” she asked darkly, indicating Ace and Claire with a flick of her head. Ride ignored her, but focused a scorching gaze on Ace, eyes narrowed. “I can see your busy. Who’s the half-wit? Someone I should know?” Sahfi growled menacingly, opening her mouth to defend Ace, when Ride spoke again. “Hey there, vod. Mind explaining who you are and what you think your doing here?”

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 11/22/2010 4:21 AM

At Sahfi’s comment, Ace laughed aloud in open delight. In that sense, he seemed almost child-like in personality; unlike most other people who grew more and more guarded about their emotions with the years, he had no reservations when it came to putting his sentiments out for the rest of the world to see. “Agreed,” he replied, grinning from ear to ear. “You’d be hard pressed to find as understanding and sympathetic of a listener, that’s for sure.” His bright, innocent teal gaze was curious as he returned Sahfi’s look. She was certainly different from most of the people that he’d come across in his short life; if he’d told anyone else that he sometimes talked to himself just for the heck of it (and no, he didn’t do it because he was crazy – it actually helped him sort out his thoughts), he was sure they would have proclaimed him legally crazy and promptly left him in the company of his lonesome.

However, this diminutive young woman seemed to accept him just the way he was, a fact that was both new to him and oddly endearing. If nothing else, it certainly increased his respect for her as a person and automatically placed her on his subconscious list of ‘nice people’. Her proclaimed clumsiness was completely overlooked in his book; if anything, it just gave him an excuse to stick around to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t put herself in any serious trouble, not that he doubted her ability to watch out for herself. She just seemed like the kind of person who deserved to have someone looking out for her. After all, as he knew from past experience, people like her were few and far between, so he felt that she ought to be shielded from the things and people that would hurt her.

When Sahfi demanded to pay for the ice-cream, Ace chuckled and put his hands up in mock surrender, backing up a step to let her by and give the money to the shop owner. Although he didn’t want her paying for his cone, he knew a lost battle when he saw one, and since she apparently felt so strongly about this, he wasn’t going to fight her on it. However, it further served to make him feel like he was obliged to repay her one way or another. The least he could do was to provide her with a little company, however little that might be worth, and ensure her well-being as long as she was in his presence. At her next words, he smiled lightly. “Well, I’ll just pick you up when you fall then,” he replied simply, although he meant what he said quite literally. He seemed oblivious to her hot blush, but gave her her space as they waited for the lady behind the counter to serve them their cones. “That certainly sounds like quite a feat, if you ask me. I’m sure the children love you though; your niece does at least, without doubt.”

Sahfi had gone to find a table and Ace was waiting on the ice-cream lady to finish putting the touches on his cone when the little bell attached above the entrance jingled as the door swung open to admit a newcomer to the store. Naturally, the first thing he noticed was the fact that the man had the same face as himself, but he wasn’t anyone that he recognized personally. He watched intently as the orange-haired Clone made a beeline for Sahfi; apparently the two knew each other, if the familiarity was anything to judge by. Ace thought that Sahfi looked slightly uncomfortable, but seeing as the other man had ahold of her hand and she hadn’t withdrawn it, he figured he was probably mistaken. Nonetheless, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this newcomer was trouble, and was instinctively on guard.

After retrieving his ice-cream from the woman, he made his way over to the table which occupied Sahfi and her companion. Ace could almost feel the hostility radiating from the other man; something about him made Ace mistrustful of his intentions, so for the moment, he simply chose to ignore the pointed (and decidedly rude) question and addressed Sahfi instead. “Is this a friend of yours?” he inquired mildly, speaking as if Ride wasn’t even there. “Is he bothering you?” Because goodness knew that he would take care of that issue for her in a heartbeat if she so wished.

---

Claire swung her little legs absentmindedly as her attention remained riveted on Kai, listening intently to every word he said, clearly quite enthralled and impressed with the  older boy and his apparent ‘growed-upness’. It was a foundation for a strong friendship; the little Kai got to boast his heart out and his captive audience drank it all in and responded with the appropriate amount of awe. Even the Polar Fenref sitting in the seat next to Claire didn’t seem to have a problem with the boy, although he usually got antsy around newcomers, and generally welcomed them with a a growl and gentle but firm warning nip. It was for that reason that most people were terrified of his presence, children especially. “Hey, that’s what my daddy does too!” she replied, sounding thoroughly surprised. “Maybe our daddies know each other. That would be so cool!” She giggled, clearly delighted with the idea.

Her face grew serious again as she considered what Kai said next. “Hmmm, I don’t see any closets here…but why do they need a closet? It doesn’t make any sense.” A look of solemn contemplation was etched on her little face as she thought hard about the dilemma. “I think that s’long as they hold hands, they’ll be married. We just gotta get them to do that somehow. I heard my mommy talking about ‘pubs’ before…do you know what they are? I think they make people get married too…but I don't think they're very good. Mommy doesn't like them at all.” Clearly, the little girl had very little exposure to romance at this young age, but to her credit, she had deduced more from what she’d picked up here and there than most other children of her tender age had. Perhaps something unexpected would come out of it.
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Re: Oooh, Shiny! [P, Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 08/13/2011 7:39 PM

Ride’s gaze followed Ace with all the friendliness of an angry coyote. And he almost looked, for all the world, like said animal as well. He hadn’t released his hold on Sahfi’s hand, though she made vain attempts to pull it form his grasp. His grip remained firm. His angry stare clearly told the other clone that he wasn’t welcome, and that this one was his. “Uh, I suppose you could say that,” Sahfi said hurriedly, succeeding in finally extricating her hand from Ride’s grasp, only to find his arm around her shoulders instead. “Sort of. He’s kind of…he’s, uh, the squad mate of a good friend of mine.” She turned and pressed a hand to his chest, vainly trying to put some space between her and the persistent man.

“Don’t be rude, Ride. That was mean. Ace is a very nice man, and he doesn’t deserve to be talked to like-” But Ride was still watching Ace with a curiously annoyed stare. “I’m not being rude,” he said quickly, cutting her off before she could get any further. “Just wondering why he thinks it’s all right for him to sit at a table with you.” Sahfi huffed, sounding annoyed, ands continued trying to pry Ride’s arm from her shoulders, but to no avail. Her ice cream cone had been completely abandoned; she no longer wanted it now that she had a second nuisance to deal with.

She glanced over her shoulder to be sure Claire was still in her seat, before continuing to try to extricate herself from ride’s unwanted grasp. “You are being rude. Dear heaven, what are you, a vice? Can you let me go please?” Ride merely leaned forward, ignoring Sahfi and her feeble attempts to remove his arm from her shoulders. The possessive way he pressed her gently to his side made it clear he had no desire for Ace’s presence, or any intention of leaving them alone together. “If you ask me, he’s the one being rude. Come, come, now, vod. I asked you a question. Seems like awfully bad manners not to answers. So I’ll repeat…Mind explaining who you are and what you think your doing here? You don’t have any business hanging around her. So why don’t you make like a tree and leave, hm?”

He jerked his thumb at the door, smirking darkly, his eyes narrowed in silent triumph. “There’s the door. Why not take your kid and make a brilliant little exit?” Sahfi growled indignantly. “Ride, that’s-” But she was cut off again as Ride shook his head. “Relax. I’ll handle the half-wit. No worries.” He smirked across at Ace, as if daring him to say or do something to provoke him further.

-----------

Luckily, Kai was not privy to what Ride was saying. If he had been, he’d have been righteously indignant and angry on Ace’s behalf. No one talked to Ace like that and got away with it. Kai folded his hands sagely, nodding as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. “Maybe. My buir says there is only one war, and all his brothers fight in it. He don’t gots more than five real brothers, but he calls ever’body like him a ‘brother.’ I have a brother too. His name is Kotep. Do you gotta a brother?” Then, true to his nature, his mind shifted and kicked into a different gear. He looked over Claire’s shoulder, and frowned darkly.

“How come that man gots his arm around your aunt? Are they married?” He suddenly looked at Claire with a grief stricken look of horror. “Oh no! What if they’re married already? How are we going to get Ace and your aunt to get married if she already is? We don’t gots no pub, but maybe if we get rid of that guy, they can get married.” He paused thoughtfully. “Who is he? Your aunt doesn’t look happy to see him. How’re we gonna get rid of him?”


Last bumped by MillietheWarrior on 08/13/2011 7:39 PM.

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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