Thursday Banshee
Sep. 17th, 2009 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2This is kind of fun - popping these things up at random. I can almost pretend I planned to do this. ^___~
BFB - Part 102 - Good Vamp Hunting
Inazuma went into cheer-up-Duo mode back in my room. He found an animated DVD in his other-space, so we watched that. It was fun, in a Human-inspired magical sort of way. During the film, I discovered that Inazuma reads and speaks Japanese.
“Why did I not know this before?” I demanded when he translated the subtitles into something totally alien from what the English voices were saying.
He looked startled. “Um… I thought you did know. My Clan goes back to Japan; they migrated to Hawaii before the European Humans discovered the islands. Matriarch demands that we all keep up with the old language.”
I stared at him. “So, you understand Heero when he’s muttering in Japanese?”
“Well… Kind of. He doesn’t really speak Japanese; it’s kind of a mixture of Japanese, Chinese and… maybe Latin? Something European. I can catch single words and sometimes a phrase or saying, but not to converse with him.” He shuddered. “I wouldn’t dare; I don’t think he knows that I even understand that much.”
Well, damn.
“You know, I’m going to make a list and start asking questions, just to see what all I *don’t* know,” I grumbled. He patted my arm.
“It’s not that special, really. I don’t understand Wufei at all, but Heero seems to.”
Heero understands everyone; I consider that to be another of those dragon things.
I bumped my shoulder against his. “I’m just looking for a reason to be grumpy; sorry.”
“Maybe if you arranged for Teal to actually meet Ctik? He might be willing to consider it then.”
“More likely he’d rip my ears off for trying,” I muttered sourly. Such a perfect, ideal solution crashing and burning in front of my eyes. Crud.
My phone rang then and I checked the ID, even though I knew it wouldn’t be Heero. Gisela, it was. I dragged out my cheerful side.
“Hello Gisela. Good news?” I asked hopefully. Even though I have no place *for* Ctik’s stuff yet, it would be good to at least *have* his stuff somewhere convenient.
“Hi Duo! Thank you so much for putting me in touch with the Pumas! They are just wonderful! They’re going to send a team out tomorrow to estimate what’s needed to move Ctik’s things and they are also giving me a fabulous deal on our move.”
“That’s great! Oh! I just thought of something… Heero said that the house originally had gargoyles installed in Europe, but that Ctik didn’t install them when he rebuilt it here. He thought they should be in the basement or cellar, maybe? Would you know if they still exist? It doesn’t seem right to me that they should go to an amusement park.”
“I think I know the things you mean… The house has a basement and then a cellar below that… There are a lot of things stored down there; I’ll make a note to have the Pumas check on moving that stuff too. Hm… I haven’t been down there in four or five years; I think it’s all Ctik’s, unless Miles hid something down there. Just a moment.”
She covered the phone, but I could still hear her muffled words. “Michael! Have you ever been down in Ctik’s storage cellar? Are there gargoyles down there?”
She came back a moment later. “Michael says there were at least a dozen stone gargoyles in the cellar the last time he checked. He says he used to climb on them,” she said dryly. “He’s going to run down now and look to see if they’re still there. Miles being what he is…”
“Unfortunately,” I agreed. I wouldn’t put it past that scoundrel to have sold the things off to cover his trading debts. I don’t know a lot about the Human attraction to old stuff, but I know it exists and there are people willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for ancient crap.
We chatted for a few minutes about her house-hunting efforts. She said she was considering a condo, since Breeze would be going off to college soon – one way or another, she muttered darkly – and then Michael in a few years. She sounded less than happy with the options available, so I had to ask.
“Oh, it’s just that I’m so accustomed to this place; to having such large rooms and so much open space… Everything we looked at yesterday seems so… cramped. And choppy. All these odd little pop-outs and dead spaces. I may end up having to sell most of the furniture or store it. Probably store it; I’ll have to divide things with Miles, but I am damn sure getting back the value of those college accounts,” she declared grimly.
“And well you should. No way should he get away with stealing from the kids.”
“You know,” she said with no little pride, “Michael and Breeze have both been online since Saturday looking up information for scholarships and grants, just in case. And they both told me that state university will be just fine for both of them. I didn’t think they were leaning toward any of the Ivy League schools, but it’s sweet of them to reassure me.”
“You’ve got pretty solid kids, Gisela. Clearly, they take after you more than Miles.” I had no idea what an Ivy League was and since it wasn’t in the kids’ plans, I don’t suppose I needed to know.
“Yes, I do. I hope they’ll stay that way. Okay, here’s Michael; he wants to tell you himself.”
Michael came on the line an instant later. “Hey Duo! Have you found Ctik a house yet?”
“Not yet, but we’re looking. It’s my official project for the duration. So, how are we sitting on those gargoyles?”
“They’re all still there! I was thinking that Dad might have snuck a few out, but nope; all present and accounted for. Along with a whole lot of other stone stuff, too. Statues and stuff like that.”
“Cool. How big are these things? And how many are there?”
“Um… I didn’t take a tape with me, but the gargoyles are all big; bigger than your dragon-guy. Some of them are standing and some are kind of crouched, but even those are huge. Maybe that’s why they’re still there; Dad couldn’t figure how to get them out of the cellar!” He laughed and I laughed too. I could picture Miles skulking around measuring gargoyles and passages and being confounded by the numbers. Serves the fuckwit right. “And there are seventeen gargoyles, as far as I could count. There might be some smaller ones, but the big ones are lined up in the front. Those are the ones I used to play on. Lots better than a rocking horse.”
I’ll bet. Who wouldn’t want to ride a gargoyle?
“Hey Duo? Mom says there are moving guys coming tomorrow; are you going to come, too? Maybe? I can show you around the basement and the cellars,” he offered hopefully.
Hm. Heero would be home sometime tomorrow, but this was business and should take precedence. “I just might. I will be seeing Ctik tonight, so I’ll see if he would like me to. He is my project,” I smirked.
“That’d be cool!”
“Yeah, it would.” I’d kind of like to get a look at these gargoyles myself; to see just how much they do look like Wyverns. “Let me talk to your mom again, so I can get the details.”
He handed the phone off to his mother and I could hear him yelling in the background, “Duo’s coming tomorrow!”
“Sorry,” said Gisela wryly. “He’s been talking about you all weekend. You made an impression.”
“Wow. And I’m just a simple country Banshee,” I laughed.
“Oh, you may be a country Banshee, but there’s nothing simple about you,” she asserted. “I don’t imagine much gets past you.”
Given a few moments from my recent past, that embarrassed me. I’m not as on top of things sometimes as I like to think I am, but it was kind of her to think so.
“In any case,” she continued, “I thank you so much for helping us all. Will you really have time to come tomorrow?”
“I think so. Ctik is my project, so I doubt anyone will object. As I told Michael, I’ll be seeing Ctik tonight and will let him know what’s going on, so if he has any instructions or requests, I’ll bring them with. What time are the Pumas coming?”
“Ten o’clock my time. They said they like to get an early start.”
“That’ll be perfect for me also.” Early enough that I wouldn’t expect Heero and Q to be back yet anyway. And if I catch a port early enough, I won’t have to face Wufei with my sudden lack of hair until after I’ve had a Starbucks. Yeah, perfect timing.
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I turned to my friend.
“So… Zuma… You wanna go to New York with me?”
“Can we go to a matinee on Broadway?”
“State, not city.”
“Poo. Yeah, sure; if it’s okay with Tiffany.”
“Cool!” I called the port room and arranged a port for the next morning and then we went back to perusing the magical and online listings of homes for sale. And getting next to nowhere.
You know, if I were looking for a studio apartment, the listings would all be for massive country estates.
BFB - Part 102 - Good Vamp Hunting
Inazuma went into cheer-up-Duo mode back in my room. He found an animated DVD in his other-space, so we watched that. It was fun, in a Human-inspired magical sort of way. During the film, I discovered that Inazuma reads and speaks Japanese.
“Why did I not know this before?” I demanded when he translated the subtitles into something totally alien from what the English voices were saying.
He looked startled. “Um… I thought you did know. My Clan goes back to Japan; they migrated to Hawaii before the European Humans discovered the islands. Matriarch demands that we all keep up with the old language.”
I stared at him. “So, you understand Heero when he’s muttering in Japanese?”
“Well… Kind of. He doesn’t really speak Japanese; it’s kind of a mixture of Japanese, Chinese and… maybe Latin? Something European. I can catch single words and sometimes a phrase or saying, but not to converse with him.” He shuddered. “I wouldn’t dare; I don’t think he knows that I even understand that much.”
Well, damn.
“You know, I’m going to make a list and start asking questions, just to see what all I *don’t* know,” I grumbled. He patted my arm.
“It’s not that special, really. I don’t understand Wufei at all, but Heero seems to.”
Heero understands everyone; I consider that to be another of those dragon things.
I bumped my shoulder against his. “I’m just looking for a reason to be grumpy; sorry.”
“Maybe if you arranged for Teal to actually meet Ctik? He might be willing to consider it then.”
“More likely he’d rip my ears off for trying,” I muttered sourly. Such a perfect, ideal solution crashing and burning in front of my eyes. Crud.
My phone rang then and I checked the ID, even though I knew it wouldn’t be Heero. Gisela, it was. I dragged out my cheerful side.
“Hello Gisela. Good news?” I asked hopefully. Even though I have no place *for* Ctik’s stuff yet, it would be good to at least *have* his stuff somewhere convenient.
“Hi Duo! Thank you so much for putting me in touch with the Pumas! They are just wonderful! They’re going to send a team out tomorrow to estimate what’s needed to move Ctik’s things and they are also giving me a fabulous deal on our move.”
“That’s great! Oh! I just thought of something… Heero said that the house originally had gargoyles installed in Europe, but that Ctik didn’t install them when he rebuilt it here. He thought they should be in the basement or cellar, maybe? Would you know if they still exist? It doesn’t seem right to me that they should go to an amusement park.”
“I think I know the things you mean… The house has a basement and then a cellar below that… There are a lot of things stored down there; I’ll make a note to have the Pumas check on moving that stuff too. Hm… I haven’t been down there in four or five years; I think it’s all Ctik’s, unless Miles hid something down there. Just a moment.”
She covered the phone, but I could still hear her muffled words. “Michael! Have you ever been down in Ctik’s storage cellar? Are there gargoyles down there?”
She came back a moment later. “Michael says there were at least a dozen stone gargoyles in the cellar the last time he checked. He says he used to climb on them,” she said dryly. “He’s going to run down now and look to see if they’re still there. Miles being what he is…”
“Unfortunately,” I agreed. I wouldn’t put it past that scoundrel to have sold the things off to cover his trading debts. I don’t know a lot about the Human attraction to old stuff, but I know it exists and there are people willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for ancient crap.
We chatted for a few minutes about her house-hunting efforts. She said she was considering a condo, since Breeze would be going off to college soon – one way or another, she muttered darkly – and then Michael in a few years. She sounded less than happy with the options available, so I had to ask.
“Oh, it’s just that I’m so accustomed to this place; to having such large rooms and so much open space… Everything we looked at yesterday seems so… cramped. And choppy. All these odd little pop-outs and dead spaces. I may end up having to sell most of the furniture or store it. Probably store it; I’ll have to divide things with Miles, but I am damn sure getting back the value of those college accounts,” she declared grimly.
“And well you should. No way should he get away with stealing from the kids.”
“You know,” she said with no little pride, “Michael and Breeze have both been online since Saturday looking up information for scholarships and grants, just in case. And they both told me that state university will be just fine for both of them. I didn’t think they were leaning toward any of the Ivy League schools, but it’s sweet of them to reassure me.”
“You’ve got pretty solid kids, Gisela. Clearly, they take after you more than Miles.” I had no idea what an Ivy League was and since it wasn’t in the kids’ plans, I don’t suppose I needed to know.
“Yes, I do. I hope they’ll stay that way. Okay, here’s Michael; he wants to tell you himself.”
Michael came on the line an instant later. “Hey Duo! Have you found Ctik a house yet?”
“Not yet, but we’re looking. It’s my official project for the duration. So, how are we sitting on those gargoyles?”
“They’re all still there! I was thinking that Dad might have snuck a few out, but nope; all present and accounted for. Along with a whole lot of other stone stuff, too. Statues and stuff like that.”
“Cool. How big are these things? And how many are there?”
“Um… I didn’t take a tape with me, but the gargoyles are all big; bigger than your dragon-guy. Some of them are standing and some are kind of crouched, but even those are huge. Maybe that’s why they’re still there; Dad couldn’t figure how to get them out of the cellar!” He laughed and I laughed too. I could picture Miles skulking around measuring gargoyles and passages and being confounded by the numbers. Serves the fuckwit right. “And there are seventeen gargoyles, as far as I could count. There might be some smaller ones, but the big ones are lined up in the front. Those are the ones I used to play on. Lots better than a rocking horse.”
I’ll bet. Who wouldn’t want to ride a gargoyle?
“Hey Duo? Mom says there are moving guys coming tomorrow; are you going to come, too? Maybe? I can show you around the basement and the cellars,” he offered hopefully.
Hm. Heero would be home sometime tomorrow, but this was business and should take precedence. “I just might. I will be seeing Ctik tonight, so I’ll see if he would like me to. He is my project,” I smirked.
“That’d be cool!”
“Yeah, it would.” I’d kind of like to get a look at these gargoyles myself; to see just how much they do look like Wyverns. “Let me talk to your mom again, so I can get the details.”
He handed the phone off to his mother and I could hear him yelling in the background, “Duo’s coming tomorrow!”
“Sorry,” said Gisela wryly. “He’s been talking about you all weekend. You made an impression.”
“Wow. And I’m just a simple country Banshee,” I laughed.
“Oh, you may be a country Banshee, but there’s nothing simple about you,” she asserted. “I don’t imagine much gets past you.”
Given a few moments from my recent past, that embarrassed me. I’m not as on top of things sometimes as I like to think I am, but it was kind of her to think so.
“In any case,” she continued, “I thank you so much for helping us all. Will you really have time to come tomorrow?”
“I think so. Ctik is my project, so I doubt anyone will object. As I told Michael, I’ll be seeing Ctik tonight and will let him know what’s going on, so if he has any instructions or requests, I’ll bring them with. What time are the Pumas coming?”
“Ten o’clock my time. They said they like to get an early start.”
“That’ll be perfect for me also.” Early enough that I wouldn’t expect Heero and Q to be back yet anyway. And if I catch a port early enough, I won’t have to face Wufei with my sudden lack of hair until after I’ve had a Starbucks. Yeah, perfect timing.
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I turned to my friend.
“So… Zuma… You wanna go to New York with me?”
“Can we go to a matinee on Broadway?”
“State, not city.”
“Poo. Yeah, sure; if it’s okay with Tiffany.”
“Cool!” I called the port room and arranged a port for the next morning and then we went back to perusing the magical and online listings of homes for sale. And getting next to nowhere.
You know, if I were looking for a studio apartment, the listings would all be for massive country estates.
