Banshee Saturday
Jan. 16th, 2010 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard22nd half! Kind of annoying that 17000 words is more than one post can handle, but whatever. ^____^
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.
~*~
We added a couple of things to my list, but otherwise accomplished nothing of note. Zuma offered to check for that “upheaval” that Teal mentioned, but he didn’t find anything in particular. Several small pieces mentioned “witch-hunting” and a really bizarre story talked about albino Humans being killed for some disgusting fake magic rituals, but nothing to suggest that my Dragon or my boss would be in any danger.
I went back to my yarn, hoping for some subconscious inspiration and Inazuma returned to his book. He was reading something from a Human philosopher; he says he loves comedy.
Coming up on late afternoon, a soft ‘ping’ announced an arrival and Enrique appeared in the entryway. Inazuma bounced over and engaged in a really disgusting display of affection with him. Well, disgusting to me, because my personal affection-displayer wasn’t around. A tip for everyone: no one wants to see you sucking face with your SO when they don’t have a SO handy to also suck face with.
I heaved a noisy sigh and drummed my fingers on the rattan until they came up for air. Enrique gave me a smug grin.
“Have you found a home for the vampire?” he asked.
“Not even close,” I sighed.
“Duo had a great idea for a caretaker, though,” said Inazuma. “We saw Teal and Dael in the dining hall, and Duo asked if he would think about it.”
I snorted. “Yeah. ‘Think about’, my ass. He said ‘hell no!’ He said he’d never get near a vampire. Especially not with Dael.”
“They are not the most trustworthy of creatures, Duo. Teal is a parent; his first duty is to his offspring.”
“But Ctik’s a great guy! He’s been taking care of his family for hundreds of years! He loves kids!” I cried in frustration.
Enrique clicked his tongue at me. “Now, Duo. You had an idea; it did not work out. You must move on to something else. Perhaps something can be arranged for temporary. You only have until sundown Sunday to remove him from the Castle.”
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered.
“We made a list,” offered Inazuma eagerly. “I want to meet Ctik; do you mind?”
“Mind? Of course not. I am not your master, beloved.”
“You’re both welcome to come with tonight. I want to get him a cellphone and talk about tomorrow. And find him something to… um… eat?”
“I would be very interested to meet your vampire, Duo,” said Enrique solemnly. “And I believe the proper term would be ‘drink’.” I threw a ball of yarn at him and he laughed. “What time?”
“Around 1730, in the storage cellars. I have the key.”
“That will be excellent. I need a shower after the humidity at the Clanhold.” He glanced at Zuma. “We will meet him there?”
Zuma was getting disgustingly giddy. “Absolutely!”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. Now get out of here before you make me barf.”
Enrique waggled his eyebrows at me and they vanished. Dammit, I hate when people cuddle around me when Heero’s gone. And I’m sure they hate it when Heero and I cuddle.
~*~
I was a few minutes early in the cellars; it wasn’t yet sundown. The Gnome on duty waved me through and I told it that the Elves would be along shortly. It would show them down.
I figured to unlock the door and then just wait for Ctik to wake. I sure wasn’t going to walk in on him while he was sleeping. Heero had been very firm about that being a Very Bad Idea with any vampire, regardless of how benign.
Instead, the door opened as soon as I pulled the key from the lock. It startled me and I jumped.
Ctik popped his head around the door. “Good evening, Duo. You’re early.”
“Um… So are you. I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“I’m an early riser, remember?”
“But the sun is still on the horizon…”
“I will be able to step outside as soon as the disc crosses the horizon. I usually wait a bit longer, just for good measure, but I don’t need to,” he smiled.
Huh. I had assumed early rising to mean once the sun was completely gone, not when it was still above the horizon. Something else to file away.
“That is pretty handy, then, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Most vamps don’t rise until full dark. I have about an hour head start on them,” he laughed.
“Well, great. My Elven coworkers will be joining us tonight; they’re curious about you. And protective of me when Heero is gone.” Okay, so I didn’t need to say that, but I’m trying to adjust to the fact that there will likely always be someone watching me when Heero can’t. It seems to be one of those “dragon things” that I just have to accept. “I have some things to discuss with you tonight, but I can’t stay out later than 2100. Heero is away and he’s going to call at 2200, so I want to be home for that.” I hadn’t thought of it before, but I did then. “Ctik, can you secure your resting place while you’re in it?”
“Yes, I have some magic for that purpose…”
“Locking the door is more for your protection, so would you mind just securing yourself tonight?”
“Not at all. I promise to be a good boy and I’ll be back before dawn,” he said sincerely, giving me a really good set of puppy eyes.
I almost laughed, but thought that might be rude. Instead, I bowed him into the corridor and closed the door behind him.
“We can meet Enrique and Inazuma in the portico.”
Ctik perked up. “A Spanish Elf?”
“Um… I’m not sure about Spanish… His Clanhold is in South America and I know he speaks both Spanish and Portuguese. Why?”
“I met a Spanish Elf once; she was very gracious,” he smiled. “That was before I immigrated, though; many long years ago.”
“Enrique is kind of snarky… but not in a mean way.”
Ctik gave a happy sigh. “Ah, I enjoy wit in my acquaintances. My own is rather hit and miss, but I do appreciate it in others.”
“Oh, Enrique is good at that.”
I waved to the Gnome as we left the building; it grinned at us and saluted. I sometimes wonder just what the Castle staff thinks of the rest of the employees; I seem to get an inordinate number of smirks, grins and waves from them. It’s a little worrying.
Enrique and Inazuma met us at the gates and I made introductions.
Ctik bowed deeply in that elegant old-world fashion and surprised me by speaking Spanish to Enrique. They chatted for several minutes, both of them using hands and body language. Zuma nudged me and rolled his eyes with a snicker. I got it; it was funny to see a supposedly-evil creature chattering away like a teenager. Cute, even.
Conversation finished, Ctik turned to greet Inazuma with a carefully-pronounced “Konban wa.”
Inazuma lit up like a used car lot. “You speak Japanese!”
Ctik waved a deprecating hand. “Ah, no. Only the greeting. I have not spent enough time with those of that culture; only Heero Yuy, really.”
I smirked to myself; looked like I didn’t have to worry too much about the Elves being overly-suspicious of my vampire anymore.
Oh. Crud. Did I just call him *my* vampire?!
~*~
I’d had some second thoughts about porting into town; I asked Enrique and Inazuma if they wouldn’t mind meeting us at 1900 at the steakhouse.
“That will be fine,” said Enrique. “We will do some shopping.” Inazuma beamed and I got the strong feeling that something permanent was in the offing. They’ve been doing the Magical Creature equivalent of dating for a few months.
They vanished with a wave, and Ctik sighed. “I do so wish I could travel that way. So convenient.”
“Me too,” I agreed wistfully. “I’m working on it, but my porting is just… Weird.” I led him toward the archway and through the parking lot. “That reminds me, Ctik; how do vampires travel? I’ll assume that Human fiction doesn’t necessarily know.”
“We have great speed, of course, and great strength as well as enhanced senses; those things are all true. We don’t turn into bats or wolves, though,” he smiled. “That is creative license. I can levitate, but it isn’t the same as true flying; certainly it won’t take me anywhere any faster than I could run. We are very good at camouflage, of course. Like lizards,” he smirked.
That conjured up all manner of humorous thoughts, but I kept them to myself for now.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“A cart, a pair or a four-in-hand?”
“Um…” I waved my hand at the mostly-empty parking lot. “A car? Automobile.”
“Oh. Ah. No… actually I do not have that skill.” He gave me an apologetic shrug. “I never saw a point to it… at home.”
I opened the passenger door of Heero’s car and ushered Ctik in. He looked quite surprised. When I slid under the wheel, he blinked at me.
“Is this yours?”
“Not even!” I laughed. “It belongs to Heero; for when he can’t or won’t fly. He taught me to drive last year and I’m allowed to use it whenever I like.” I started the engine and fastened my seatbelt. “I get a real kick out of it; I can totally understand why Humans get so attached to their cars.”
“Mmmm… It smells like cowhide,” he said, inhaling deeply. “I could live on this.”
“Then I’m happy to oblige. Do you have a cell phone?”
“No. I have never needed one. At home… well,” he shook his head slightly. “I am not ‘at home’ any longer.”
Great; now I’d made him unhappy.
“Ctik, I made a list of things we need to talk about. The first thing is to get you a cell phone and the second thing is to ask if you’re mad at Gisela and the kids.”
“Mad?” He looked confused. “I have no reason to be angry with them; they had no control over Miles.
“That’s what I thought, but Gisela is concerned. She’s been blaming herself for not seeing through Miles’ crap.”
“Oh no! She must not do that! I have no animosity toward Gisela or the children! I- I love them!” he cried.
Perfect. “Then we will get you a cell phone and you can tell her than yourself. I don’t think she’ll believe it from me.”
“Indeed I must,” he muttered distractedly. “I did not even think about her reaction to all this. She must think I am an ungrateful fool!”
“She doesn’t, Ctik; really she doesn’t.” I hadn’t wanted to upset him like this; just clarify the situation. “We’ll get you a phone and you can either call her tonight or you can use my phone to call her. I don’t know if new phones come with charged batteries…” Damn, there was another of those unplanned-for side tracks.
I patted his knee, gaining his attention. “I’m going to see her tomorrow,” I began and he lit up. “I talked to her today, about your stuff at the house.”
He looked confused for a moment. “My… ‘stuff’?”
“Your furniture; personal things. Gisela said you have a suite in the house…?”
“Oh. Yes, I have – had – a portion of the upper floor as a sitting room… My library…”
I flexed my hands on the steering wheel. “I had the idea – or maybe Inazuma had it; not really sure now – that even if I haven’t found a place for you to live yet, that it would probably be good to at least move your possessions into storage, so that we know they’re safe in the meantime. Gisela is looking for a place herself and she said she’d be more than happy to help with that. One of my coworkers, Trowa Barton, is of a Clan that runs a house-moving business. They have the moving vans and a storage warehouse and they work for both the Magical and the Human communities. We’ve arranged a meeting with a representative for tomorrow and I’m going to have all of your stuff stored for the time being. Is that okay?” I asked cautiously.
“I confess…” he began slowly. “I had not even thought of my possessions. Of course, there are things that mean a great deal to me; heirlooms, paintings, some pieces of furniture… I would be sad to lose those things, as I am sad to see my home becoming… an amusement park… but regardless of their sentimental value, they are still just ‘things’. I value more my family.” He paused, then added, “Except Miles.”
That made me laugh out loud and Ctik chuckled along with me.
“I’m glad to hear it! We’re going to do a walk-through with the Pumas and get everything set up and have all your stuff put into storage. The Clanhold is about six hours’ drive from here, so it’ll be simpler to put your hands on everything when we find you a place.”
“That will be wonderful. How is that going, by the way? Should I modify my wants?”
I didn’t particularly look forward to telling him that I hadn’t found anything yet; hadn’t even come close, but I did it anyway.
“No luck so far,” I sighed. “I’m going to talk to the Magical estate agents tomorrow also. Nothing in the Human listings has been even remotely suitable.”
“I don’t need anything palatial,” he said softly, rather wistfully even. “Just… not too close to other dwellings. And with room for a crypt. Somewhere… safe,” he sighed.
I hadn’t really noticed how worn he looked. Not in the same way as a Human or Magical Creature would look tired, but thin; stretched, if that makes any sense. He might be sleeping in a safe place now, but he clearly wasn’t resting. I really needed to step up the search and also find an interim solution, just in case it took longer.
“Ctik, do you need to… um… feed?”
He smirked at me and I felt the pull of his charm. I’ll bet he didn’t need to force himself on anyone; those hazel eyes were pretty compelling all on their own. Not to mention that he was a rather attractive man. No wonder a Wizard had been “fond” of him.
“After you and Heero left me last night, I was able to make some arrangements. The management of the restaurant was quite happy to put aside a supply of blood for me for a small consideration. Animal blood isn’t quite the same as human blood, but it is certainly sustaining. And the bartender at a small tavern down the road was very willing to offer… um… dessert?” He grinned at me. “You see, I am not totally helpless. I have never been in such a cheerfully mixed community before; it is enlightening as well as energizing,” he said brightly. “I understand that Lord Q cannot allow me to stay here, but I will ask if I may visit from time to time.”
In a weird way, that relieved my mind; that he would want to spend time here, even if he couldn’t live here. Teal says I have some sort of clan-building instinct, wanting to gather people around me. He finds it amusing. I think he forgets sometimes, that I was not a wanderer by choice, but by necessity.
~*~
I parked in the lot next to the cellphone provider that Heero used. My phone is also on his account, so I figured they wouldn’t try to screw us. Not if I invoked the magic words “I’ll speak to Heero Yuy…” Amazing what those words will accomplish with certain businesses in town.
I could also drop “Wizard Q” for almost the same effect. People begin to sweat when Q is mentioned, but they begin to sweat *and* turn pale when Heero is referred to. And yes; of course it’s petty to do that, but sometimes you just have to bring out the big guns with sales people and complaint desks.
The cellphone salesman was eager and pushy and did a good job of confusing the hell out of both of us. He must have been new, because he didn’t react when I mentioned Heero’s name, much to my annoyance. A passing staff member did, though, and within a minute the store manager was elbowing the new guy out of the way and grinning at me like a nervous Cheshire cat.
It took a couple of minutes of pleasantries regarding the health of and our satisfaction with my phone and Heero’s before I was finally able to explain what Ctik needed. The original sales-bot hovered looking annoyed, but he wasn’t stupid enough to argue with his boss. The sale went smoothly after that; Ctik picked out a simple phone, allowing that he would like to get comfortable with the technology before diving into the world of photos, texting and internet capability. We were able to set up the account and the automatic payments without any drama, and as an afterthought I asked them to link it temporarily with Heero’s account, just so that I could make sure Ctik wasn’t being charged for any extraneous crap. Even fear of Heero and Q doesn’t guarantee total honesty.
Per my unanticipated battery concern, Ctik’s phone would need to charge to be usable. I plugged it into the car charger and then dialed Gisela’s number on my phone and handed it to Ctik with a smile. I left him with the car and my phone and let him have the privacy to get sentimental with his family. I spent twenty minutes walking around the mall, gathering some more ideas in the process. I was on my way back to the car, when Ctik met me. He looked much happier as he returned my phone.
“Thank you, Duo. My worries and Gisela’s are greatly relieved now.”
“Great! I was pretty sure you could work out anything with a little conversation.”
He sighed and flashed that killer grin. “Michael tells me you asked about the gargoyles.”
“Well, I don’t figure an amusement park needs to have genuine antique stone gargoyles, and you might feel like displaying them yourself some day.”
“I just might do that, if the property allows for it,” he agreed. “They would be out of place on one of these modern buildings, but perhaps in a garden. Or perhaps a museum somewhere would like a few.”
“Ooooh…! Good idea!” I laughed. I’d had another idea while cruising the mall. “Ctik, I don’t want to get too personal here…”
“Oh, please; feel free to get as personal as you like,” he shot back archly. “Mmm… Perhaps not *that* personal.”
Yeah, Heero might not approve of “*that* personal”.
“Uh, yeah. What I was wondering… Do you have any other clothing with you? Or is this it?”
He looked down at himself and sighed. “This is it, I am afraid. I did not have time to pack. Am I looking unkempt?”
“Not unkempt; no. Just sort of… um…”
“Scruffy?”
“Well… yeah. Not bad, though. You wouldn’t get barred from any of the casual places, but some of the more up-scale establishments…” I shrugged apologetically.
“And I am slowly collecting grime,” he added with a wry smile. “What would you recommend?”
“Maybe just some new jeans and shirts? I can arrange for the Castle laundry to clean these.” I felt like I was channeling one of those TV makeover programs. Ctik didn’t need making over, though, just some options.
“That seems a very good idea. I wonder,” he began slowly. “Do you think I could beg the use of the Castle baths one of these nights? I realize Lord Q might insist that I have a chaperone…”
“Dirt not sticking to vampires is another creative license, right?”
“I am afraid so,” he shrugged.
“I’ll ask him when he gets back tomorrow. I don’t see why it can’t be worked out.”
“Thank you. There is only so much one can do with paper towels and a lavatory sink.”
“Been there, done that,” I agreed. “Would rather not do it again.”
In the men’s department of one of the clothing stores we picked out two pairs of jeans and two woven shirts, plus a package of socks. I wasn’t even going to ask if vampires wore underwear. After leaving the store, I suggested a stop at one of the magical shops for a bottomless bag. It would make sense for any other purchases he might make. We found a tidy little pouch that would hold all his clothing purchases and leave room for plenty more. Ctik flirted with the cashier, as well; a 30-something Witch with neon purple hair and a bubbly giggle.
He also asked if there were any boot makers in town and I had to think for a moment. My Banshee-style boots come from a shop in Ireland, recommended by Teal, and my sneakers are whatever is on sale, but I do have a pair of cowboy boots; a gift from Trowa and Wufei for my birthday.
“There are some non-magical stores that carry boots. I assume you mean real leather?”
He stared at me. “Boots are made of something other than leather?”
“Oh, yeah. Lots of synthetic materials out there these days.”
He shuddered slightly. “No, thank you. I prefer genuine animal hide. They do still use that?”
“Absolutely.” I set a course for the nearest Boot World shop.
Ctik walked out twenty minutes later wearing a really spiffy pair of Tony Lama boots. He was absolutely charmed by the notion of footwear made of ostrich and couldn’t look at anything else. I offered him the name of the cobbler in Ireland for the future, but he allowed as how ready-made was more than acceptable. He kept staring down at the new boots as we crossed the parking lot.
“I had never even heard of an ostrich a hundred years ago,” he said thoughtfully. “The very notion of a man-sized flightless bird would have been fantastic when I was young. Something from a Greek legend.” He suddenly laughed. “Do you know, I have wanted for years to visit Australia. I would like to meet a platypus!”
“Huh. I wouldn’t mind meeting one myself,” I smiled. “Have you been to zoos? I know they keep daylight hours, but some have night tours during the summer.”
“I have… availed myself of the opportunities to observe the nocturnal animals on occasion. The children have been helpful with photographs and films and now the computers allow almost constant viewing.” He fastened his seatbelt without prompting. “It’s not the same as being able to touch them, though. I have always loved animals.”
Hmm… Maybe I could manage for him to have a cat or a dog as well as a Human companion.
~*~
We met Enrique and Inazuma at the restaurant at seven and were immediately seated at a table near the kitchen. The hostess passed out menus, but Ctik laid his down unopened. The Elves ordered beer and I asked for ice tea, since I was driving. Ctik smiled at the server who took the drink orders and said simply “The usual.”
“Please,” he said to us, “Order whatever you like; my treat. It is not often that I am fortunate enough to dine with Magical Creatures. Most of my friends and companions over the years have, by necessity, been Human.”
“Do you not associate with other vampires?” asked Inazuma after the orders had been taken and our drinks – including Ctik’s tall dark glass of blood – had arrived.
“Vampires are generally solitary predators. We do not mate with each other and we tend to be competitive and territorial. A vampire’s range is usually large enough to support only one in comfort. It doesn’t do to have too many vamps in one area; the Humans tend to notice,” he said with a shrug. “Many of us – those who do not aspire to turn Humans – make alliances or business arrangements with select Humans for a steady supply of blood. The more powerful may accumulate a kind of entourage, but then they must shelter and support them.” He smiled. “That would be an unnecessary headache for most vampires. The juvenile vamps and the Human hangers-on are really more trouble than they are worth.”
Enrique laughed. “You have groupies and fangirls! I would never have expected that.”
“But look at the popularity of vampires in fiction,” I reminded him. “Humans are crazy for that stuff.” He tilted his head in acknowledgement, smiling.
Ctik sighed, smiling ruefully. “I am continually amazed at the variety of vampires Humans have created. Books, films, television… even the games for the computer. And everyone wants to believe that we do exist.”
“What’s the usual reaction?” asked Zuma curiously. “When you tell someone, I mean?”
“Sometimes fascination, sometimes fear; usually skepticism.” He swirled his drink. “If they don’t believe, that’s fine. I don’t go about biting people indiscriminately. I like to know where they’ve been first.”
“Don’t we all,” murmured Enrique with a smirk. Inazuma poked him discreetly in the ribs.
~*~
The Elves seemed to have really hit it off with Ctik. Granted, Enrique may have been acting as a genial watchdog, but it was a pleasant evening. I passed on dessert, since I needed to get back for Heero’s call, but the others decided to stay a while longer.
Ctik walked me to the car – he truly is very “old world” – and thanked me again for the cellphone and the shopping trip.
“I didn’t do any more than point things out,” I demurred gently. “You did all the choosing and paying-for.”
“Regardless,” he smiled, “I appreciate your time in all of this. It is taking me time to gather my wits and begin making plans and I am very grateful for your help and Heero Yuy’s indulgence during this period. It means a great deal to me to have a surrogate family to lean on, even briefly.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked so genteelly for accomplishing so little. I felt bad that I hadn’t gotten further in my search and I resolved to try a lot harder.
“Ordinarily, I would say something about it being my job, but… I like you, personally, and I think what Miles did to you sucks. You seem like a very nice guy to me. Your family thinks you’re a good guy and I tend to want the best for the good people in the world. I’ll find you a place by Saturday, if I have to conjure one out of sawdust and tree sap!”
“And I believe you can do it!” he laughed. “I have one further favor to beg of you…”
“Ask away.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a folded piece of paper. “Gisela explained about the children’s college account. I know she will make an effort to force Miles to replace the money, but in the meantime… would you give this to her? She is not to try to shoulder this burden alone; tell her I insist.”
He handed me a check written in a graceful script, made out to Gisela, for $50,000. I may still be somewhat vague about money, but I know that the more zeros in front of the decimal, the larger the amount is.
“I want to pay all the moving costs, for her and the children as well as my own; you can arrange that with the Pumas?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said firmly. “And I will make sure Gisela doesn’t go all independent.”
“Thank you, Duo. She has always been a fine woman; Vivian and I both thought so from our first meeting. We also thought Miles was nowhere near good enough.” He raised one eyebrow. “But who can argue with young love?”
I tucked the check into my other space and hugged him. “You’re a stand-up guy, Ctik. I’ll see you tomorrow; your phone will be ready to use by then.”
“Give Heero Yuy my regards, and my thanks.”
~*~
I was pretty pleased with myself, I have to admit. I’d arranged for Ctik to be responsible for his own security, gotten him a phone, a conversation with Gisela – and the check to deliver, which I was sure she would protest – some fresh clothing and a couple more acquaintances. Inazuma was clearly charmed by the gentlemanly vampire and Enrique had shown no hostility. He’s quite a bit older than we are, though, so I expect he can take care of himself against most any aggressive Creature, and Ctik is far from aggressive.
I parked carefully in Heero’s preferred space under the shed roof and jogged across the lot and the commons and up the stairs to my room. I made quick work of my shower – damn, but having shorter hair is great – and was comfortably ensconced on my bed with a soda and my cellphone by ten till.
The expectation of phone sex was actually secondary to my desire to tell Heero all that I had accomplished since noon. Yeah, I really want him to be proud of me. It would kill me to think anyone talked behind his back about his lame choice in Chosens.
When 2200 arrived, it wasn’t my cellphone that rang, but the brazier in the corner that flared. That was unexpected; you really don’t want to do anything as intimate as distance sex through the fire; it’s not private from anyone with the knowledge or power to hack in. I know, cellphones aren’t secure either, but no one’s watching through a cell hack.
I scrambled off the bed and across the room to tap the copper bowl. I’m not saying I was worried, but a little confused? Oh, yeah.
The flames parted and Heero’s image appeared. I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“Angel…” he said wearily.
“Heero! What’s wrong? What happened?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “We had a… an incident. We won’t be home until late tomorrow. I’m sorry; I’m not…”
Up to phone sex? Well, duh!
“Never mind that! Tell me!”
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “First, we are both unharmed. Q is monumentally pissed – not at me, though maybe he should be – with everything and everyone else.”
“Okay, that’s good. That neither of you are hurt, I mean.” Crap. Was he going to make me dig it out, fact by fact? I’d reach through those flames and smack him if he did. “But what happened?!”
“I told you about the ‘festivities’? It consisted of a banquet of local delicacies and traditional entertainment; dancing, music, the usual.” He wasn’t looking at me, which is not like Heero at all. He tends to fix the object of his conversation with a stare that could melt steel; this shifty-eyed stuff was not in his repertoire. Not at all. I started to get scared.
“Yeah, you mentioned that…”
“Part of the festivities included a blood sacrifice.”
Damn. I know that goes on in some places with some religions; chickens or goats, I guess. Heero wouldn’t look so rattled for a chicken, though.
“Heero…”
He wasn’t looking at me, but past me, as if he was seeing it again in his head.
“They brought out a- not a child, but a young person, male, I think.” Oh shit. Oh fucking shit. I bit down on my lip, knowing what was coming. “The headman was going on about honor and demons… and he took up the carving knife and just… slit his throat. A Human sacrifice! In front of *us*!” he growled, outraged. “I reacted badly,” he grumbled after a moment. “I ripped his bloody damn barbaric head off.” He brought his hands to his face again. I could barely breathe. “I am supposed to be expecting the unexpected with these idiots, but I… reacted automatically. I am… ashamed of myself.”
“Oh, fuck… Heero… Don’t do that… What’s wrong with them?! Of course you would react instinctively!” I snarled.
“But I am supposed to be better than instinct,” he argued wearily. “I am a Dragon; a Wyvern. Our standards are higher, our expectations more exacting.” He groaned; a sound he’s never made before. I wanted to crawl through the fire – or call a porter – and get to him. Heero Yuy is not supposed to look so despondent. It’s… it’s unnatural, dammit!
“You stop that, Heero Yuy! I will not have you beating yourself up over the psycho actions of a bunch of lunatic Humans! I’m coming there!” I turned to grab some clothes and Heero reacted.
“You will *not*!” he snapped. “You have a job to do and you will stay right there and do it!”
Okay, that sounded a lot more like my Wyvern.
“Then you give me a damn good reason why I can’t come!” I snapped right back.
He gave me an offended look that softened and melted into another sigh. “Because Q is in the process of chewing the asses off the entire African office? Because I have to stay until this is sorted out? Because I want to spend a quiet night with you before I have to report to my Clan council?”
“You what? The Clan? You mean Giniro?” My heart sank.
“I do. I have talked to her and Q has talked to her, but I still have to appear. She is Not Amused at the moment.”
Ah, shit. Now Heero was in trouble with his Clan. Dammit! He is never doing this again without me! I opened my mouth to tell him that when another voice came from behind him.
“Duo! You can discuss this affair later. This is not a secure fire.” Q’s head popped into the corner of the flames. Can a person look both homicidal and eager while not being a serial killer? Q managed it. “Report on your assignment.”
Crap. I’d forgotten about that. I suppose it would be better to hear the whole craptacular story in person; at least then I could get my hands on my Dragon. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Okay. Sorry, Q”
“Give us something else to contemplate, Banshee. Have you housed the vampire yet?”
Encouraged by Heero’s tired smirk and a wryly waggled eyebrow, I took it from this morning. I explained that Inazuma was helping and Q nodded his agreement. I went over our list and ticked off the things we had accomplished. I brought up the plan to visit New York to deal with the Pumas and see to shipping Ctik’s goods. Finally, I had to admit I hadn’t found a place for the vamp yet. Heero frowned, but Q called from somewhere behind Heero that I should call the Magical real estate agents. Heero nodded along and then said that Tiffany knew a couple of agents; they handled the sale of her condo.
“Thanks, Q; Heero. I thought of that, but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Are you sure it’s okay for us to go tomorrow? Shouldn’t we be in the office…?”
“We won’t be back until late; possibly after sundown,” Q assured me. “This is your job, so there’s no reason to change your plans.”
I could argue that, but I didn’t want to make Heero feel any worse. He needed me to stiffen up and be a professional, not start whining like a sulky Human. Q left the room and Heero relaxed a bit.
“I miss you,” he said softly. “I am sorry to disappoint you. This is not the way I intended to spend our call.”
“I know. It’s okay; you’ve had a crappy day.” He smiled for me and I felt better. “It can’t have been… um… I mean, seeing someone killed like that…”
“I know I threaten to rip off heads, but I’ve never actually done it,” he muttered. “Certainly not like this… I’ve killed, of course, but not a Human, not like this,” he repeated and shook his head slightly. “Never mind. Talk to me about your day. I’ve heard the over-view, now tell me the details,” he commanded. So I did.
Told him about Farq and Teal and the gargoyles and vampire groupies. I told him about telling Ms Cranky Badger to make sure Farq was in his less stinky form from now on and he agreed and said he'd back me up on that one. I even got him to laugh a few times. When I finally ran down, he gave me a look, and even knowing that the fire image wasn’t real, I leaned in. He held up his hand and I laid mine against that image. We both sighed heavily and I giggled.
“I love you,” he murmured.
I smiled and got as close as my inner demons would let me. “Backatcha, big guy.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You know it.”
The fire fell and went out, taking his image with it.
I flopped across my bed and growled out a heartfelt, “Fuck!” I so wanted to go where they were and take out my irritation on whoever was left of those lousy excuses for Human beings! Sap dammit! I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, that’s for sure. I dragged myself upright and went in search of my usual insomnia cure: yarn.
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.
~*~
We added a couple of things to my list, but otherwise accomplished nothing of note. Zuma offered to check for that “upheaval” that Teal mentioned, but he didn’t find anything in particular. Several small pieces mentioned “witch-hunting” and a really bizarre story talked about albino Humans being killed for some disgusting fake magic rituals, but nothing to suggest that my Dragon or my boss would be in any danger.
I went back to my yarn, hoping for some subconscious inspiration and Inazuma returned to his book. He was reading something from a Human philosopher; he says he loves comedy.
Coming up on late afternoon, a soft ‘ping’ announced an arrival and Enrique appeared in the entryway. Inazuma bounced over and engaged in a really disgusting display of affection with him. Well, disgusting to me, because my personal affection-displayer wasn’t around. A tip for everyone: no one wants to see you sucking face with your SO when they don’t have a SO handy to also suck face with.
I heaved a noisy sigh and drummed my fingers on the rattan until they came up for air. Enrique gave me a smug grin.
“Have you found a home for the vampire?” he asked.
“Not even close,” I sighed.
“Duo had a great idea for a caretaker, though,” said Inazuma. “We saw Teal and Dael in the dining hall, and Duo asked if he would think about it.”
I snorted. “Yeah. ‘Think about’, my ass. He said ‘hell no!’ He said he’d never get near a vampire. Especially not with Dael.”
“They are not the most trustworthy of creatures, Duo. Teal is a parent; his first duty is to his offspring.”
“But Ctik’s a great guy! He’s been taking care of his family for hundreds of years! He loves kids!” I cried in frustration.
Enrique clicked his tongue at me. “Now, Duo. You had an idea; it did not work out. You must move on to something else. Perhaps something can be arranged for temporary. You only have until sundown Sunday to remove him from the Castle.”
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered.
“We made a list,” offered Inazuma eagerly. “I want to meet Ctik; do you mind?”
“Mind? Of course not. I am not your master, beloved.”
“You’re both welcome to come with tonight. I want to get him a cellphone and talk about tomorrow. And find him something to… um… eat?”
“I would be very interested to meet your vampire, Duo,” said Enrique solemnly. “And I believe the proper term would be ‘drink’.” I threw a ball of yarn at him and he laughed. “What time?”
“Around 1730, in the storage cellars. I have the key.”
“That will be excellent. I need a shower after the humidity at the Clanhold.” He glanced at Zuma. “We will meet him there?”
Zuma was getting disgustingly giddy. “Absolutely!”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. Now get out of here before you make me barf.”
Enrique waggled his eyebrows at me and they vanished. Dammit, I hate when people cuddle around me when Heero’s gone. And I’m sure they hate it when Heero and I cuddle.
~*~
I was a few minutes early in the cellars; it wasn’t yet sundown. The Gnome on duty waved me through and I told it that the Elves would be along shortly. It would show them down.
I figured to unlock the door and then just wait for Ctik to wake. I sure wasn’t going to walk in on him while he was sleeping. Heero had been very firm about that being a Very Bad Idea with any vampire, regardless of how benign.
Instead, the door opened as soon as I pulled the key from the lock. It startled me and I jumped.
Ctik popped his head around the door. “Good evening, Duo. You’re early.”
“Um… So are you. I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“I’m an early riser, remember?”
“But the sun is still on the horizon…”
“I will be able to step outside as soon as the disc crosses the horizon. I usually wait a bit longer, just for good measure, but I don’t need to,” he smiled.
Huh. I had assumed early rising to mean once the sun was completely gone, not when it was still above the horizon. Something else to file away.
“That is pretty handy, then, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Most vamps don’t rise until full dark. I have about an hour head start on them,” he laughed.
“Well, great. My Elven coworkers will be joining us tonight; they’re curious about you. And protective of me when Heero is gone.” Okay, so I didn’t need to say that, but I’m trying to adjust to the fact that there will likely always be someone watching me when Heero can’t. It seems to be one of those “dragon things” that I just have to accept. “I have some things to discuss with you tonight, but I can’t stay out later than 2100. Heero is away and he’s going to call at 2200, so I want to be home for that.” I hadn’t thought of it before, but I did then. “Ctik, can you secure your resting place while you’re in it?”
“Yes, I have some magic for that purpose…”
“Locking the door is more for your protection, so would you mind just securing yourself tonight?”
“Not at all. I promise to be a good boy and I’ll be back before dawn,” he said sincerely, giving me a really good set of puppy eyes.
I almost laughed, but thought that might be rude. Instead, I bowed him into the corridor and closed the door behind him.
“We can meet Enrique and Inazuma in the portico.”
Ctik perked up. “A Spanish Elf?”
“Um… I’m not sure about Spanish… His Clanhold is in South America and I know he speaks both Spanish and Portuguese. Why?”
“I met a Spanish Elf once; she was very gracious,” he smiled. “That was before I immigrated, though; many long years ago.”
“Enrique is kind of snarky… but not in a mean way.”
Ctik gave a happy sigh. “Ah, I enjoy wit in my acquaintances. My own is rather hit and miss, but I do appreciate it in others.”
“Oh, Enrique is good at that.”
I waved to the Gnome as we left the building; it grinned at us and saluted. I sometimes wonder just what the Castle staff thinks of the rest of the employees; I seem to get an inordinate number of smirks, grins and waves from them. It’s a little worrying.
Enrique and Inazuma met us at the gates and I made introductions.
Ctik bowed deeply in that elegant old-world fashion and surprised me by speaking Spanish to Enrique. They chatted for several minutes, both of them using hands and body language. Zuma nudged me and rolled his eyes with a snicker. I got it; it was funny to see a supposedly-evil creature chattering away like a teenager. Cute, even.
Conversation finished, Ctik turned to greet Inazuma with a carefully-pronounced “Konban wa.”
Inazuma lit up like a used car lot. “You speak Japanese!”
Ctik waved a deprecating hand. “Ah, no. Only the greeting. I have not spent enough time with those of that culture; only Heero Yuy, really.”
I smirked to myself; looked like I didn’t have to worry too much about the Elves being overly-suspicious of my vampire anymore.
Oh. Crud. Did I just call him *my* vampire?!
~*~
I’d had some second thoughts about porting into town; I asked Enrique and Inazuma if they wouldn’t mind meeting us at 1900 at the steakhouse.
“That will be fine,” said Enrique. “We will do some shopping.” Inazuma beamed and I got the strong feeling that something permanent was in the offing. They’ve been doing the Magical Creature equivalent of dating for a few months.
They vanished with a wave, and Ctik sighed. “I do so wish I could travel that way. So convenient.”
“Me too,” I agreed wistfully. “I’m working on it, but my porting is just… Weird.” I led him toward the archway and through the parking lot. “That reminds me, Ctik; how do vampires travel? I’ll assume that Human fiction doesn’t necessarily know.”
“We have great speed, of course, and great strength as well as enhanced senses; those things are all true. We don’t turn into bats or wolves, though,” he smiled. “That is creative license. I can levitate, but it isn’t the same as true flying; certainly it won’t take me anywhere any faster than I could run. We are very good at camouflage, of course. Like lizards,” he smirked.
That conjured up all manner of humorous thoughts, but I kept them to myself for now.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“A cart, a pair or a four-in-hand?”
“Um…” I waved my hand at the mostly-empty parking lot. “A car? Automobile.”
“Oh. Ah. No… actually I do not have that skill.” He gave me an apologetic shrug. “I never saw a point to it… at home.”
I opened the passenger door of Heero’s car and ushered Ctik in. He looked quite surprised. When I slid under the wheel, he blinked at me.
“Is this yours?”
“Not even!” I laughed. “It belongs to Heero; for when he can’t or won’t fly. He taught me to drive last year and I’m allowed to use it whenever I like.” I started the engine and fastened my seatbelt. “I get a real kick out of it; I can totally understand why Humans get so attached to their cars.”
“Mmmm… It smells like cowhide,” he said, inhaling deeply. “I could live on this.”
“Then I’m happy to oblige. Do you have a cell phone?”
“No. I have never needed one. At home… well,” he shook his head slightly. “I am not ‘at home’ any longer.”
Great; now I’d made him unhappy.
“Ctik, I made a list of things we need to talk about. The first thing is to get you a cell phone and the second thing is to ask if you’re mad at Gisela and the kids.”
“Mad?” He looked confused. “I have no reason to be angry with them; they had no control over Miles.
“That’s what I thought, but Gisela is concerned. She’s been blaming herself for not seeing through Miles’ crap.”
“Oh no! She must not do that! I have no animosity toward Gisela or the children! I- I love them!” he cried.
Perfect. “Then we will get you a cell phone and you can tell her than yourself. I don’t think she’ll believe it from me.”
“Indeed I must,” he muttered distractedly. “I did not even think about her reaction to all this. She must think I am an ungrateful fool!”
“She doesn’t, Ctik; really she doesn’t.” I hadn’t wanted to upset him like this; just clarify the situation. “We’ll get you a phone and you can either call her tonight or you can use my phone to call her. I don’t know if new phones come with charged batteries…” Damn, there was another of those unplanned-for side tracks.
I patted his knee, gaining his attention. “I’m going to see her tomorrow,” I began and he lit up. “I talked to her today, about your stuff at the house.”
He looked confused for a moment. “My… ‘stuff’?”
“Your furniture; personal things. Gisela said you have a suite in the house…?”
“Oh. Yes, I have – had – a portion of the upper floor as a sitting room… My library…”
I flexed my hands on the steering wheel. “I had the idea – or maybe Inazuma had it; not really sure now – that even if I haven’t found a place for you to live yet, that it would probably be good to at least move your possessions into storage, so that we know they’re safe in the meantime. Gisela is looking for a place herself and she said she’d be more than happy to help with that. One of my coworkers, Trowa Barton, is of a Clan that runs a house-moving business. They have the moving vans and a storage warehouse and they work for both the Magical and the Human communities. We’ve arranged a meeting with a representative for tomorrow and I’m going to have all of your stuff stored for the time being. Is that okay?” I asked cautiously.
“I confess…” he began slowly. “I had not even thought of my possessions. Of course, there are things that mean a great deal to me; heirlooms, paintings, some pieces of furniture… I would be sad to lose those things, as I am sad to see my home becoming… an amusement park… but regardless of their sentimental value, they are still just ‘things’. I value more my family.” He paused, then added, “Except Miles.”
That made me laugh out loud and Ctik chuckled along with me.
“I’m glad to hear it! We’re going to do a walk-through with the Pumas and get everything set up and have all your stuff put into storage. The Clanhold is about six hours’ drive from here, so it’ll be simpler to put your hands on everything when we find you a place.”
“That will be wonderful. How is that going, by the way? Should I modify my wants?”
I didn’t particularly look forward to telling him that I hadn’t found anything yet; hadn’t even come close, but I did it anyway.
“No luck so far,” I sighed. “I’m going to talk to the Magical estate agents tomorrow also. Nothing in the Human listings has been even remotely suitable.”
“I don’t need anything palatial,” he said softly, rather wistfully even. “Just… not too close to other dwellings. And with room for a crypt. Somewhere… safe,” he sighed.
I hadn’t really noticed how worn he looked. Not in the same way as a Human or Magical Creature would look tired, but thin; stretched, if that makes any sense. He might be sleeping in a safe place now, but he clearly wasn’t resting. I really needed to step up the search and also find an interim solution, just in case it took longer.
“Ctik, do you need to… um… feed?”
He smirked at me and I felt the pull of his charm. I’ll bet he didn’t need to force himself on anyone; those hazel eyes were pretty compelling all on their own. Not to mention that he was a rather attractive man. No wonder a Wizard had been “fond” of him.
“After you and Heero left me last night, I was able to make some arrangements. The management of the restaurant was quite happy to put aside a supply of blood for me for a small consideration. Animal blood isn’t quite the same as human blood, but it is certainly sustaining. And the bartender at a small tavern down the road was very willing to offer… um… dessert?” He grinned at me. “You see, I am not totally helpless. I have never been in such a cheerfully mixed community before; it is enlightening as well as energizing,” he said brightly. “I understand that Lord Q cannot allow me to stay here, but I will ask if I may visit from time to time.”
In a weird way, that relieved my mind; that he would want to spend time here, even if he couldn’t live here. Teal says I have some sort of clan-building instinct, wanting to gather people around me. He finds it amusing. I think he forgets sometimes, that I was not a wanderer by choice, but by necessity.
~*~
I parked in the lot next to the cellphone provider that Heero used. My phone is also on his account, so I figured they wouldn’t try to screw us. Not if I invoked the magic words “I’ll speak to Heero Yuy…” Amazing what those words will accomplish with certain businesses in town.
I could also drop “Wizard Q” for almost the same effect. People begin to sweat when Q is mentioned, but they begin to sweat *and* turn pale when Heero is referred to. And yes; of course it’s petty to do that, but sometimes you just have to bring out the big guns with sales people and complaint desks.
The cellphone salesman was eager and pushy and did a good job of confusing the hell out of both of us. He must have been new, because he didn’t react when I mentioned Heero’s name, much to my annoyance. A passing staff member did, though, and within a minute the store manager was elbowing the new guy out of the way and grinning at me like a nervous Cheshire cat.
It took a couple of minutes of pleasantries regarding the health of and our satisfaction with my phone and Heero’s before I was finally able to explain what Ctik needed. The original sales-bot hovered looking annoyed, but he wasn’t stupid enough to argue with his boss. The sale went smoothly after that; Ctik picked out a simple phone, allowing that he would like to get comfortable with the technology before diving into the world of photos, texting and internet capability. We were able to set up the account and the automatic payments without any drama, and as an afterthought I asked them to link it temporarily with Heero’s account, just so that I could make sure Ctik wasn’t being charged for any extraneous crap. Even fear of Heero and Q doesn’t guarantee total honesty.
Per my unanticipated battery concern, Ctik’s phone would need to charge to be usable. I plugged it into the car charger and then dialed Gisela’s number on my phone and handed it to Ctik with a smile. I left him with the car and my phone and let him have the privacy to get sentimental with his family. I spent twenty minutes walking around the mall, gathering some more ideas in the process. I was on my way back to the car, when Ctik met me. He looked much happier as he returned my phone.
“Thank you, Duo. My worries and Gisela’s are greatly relieved now.”
“Great! I was pretty sure you could work out anything with a little conversation.”
He sighed and flashed that killer grin. “Michael tells me you asked about the gargoyles.”
“Well, I don’t figure an amusement park needs to have genuine antique stone gargoyles, and you might feel like displaying them yourself some day.”
“I just might do that, if the property allows for it,” he agreed. “They would be out of place on one of these modern buildings, but perhaps in a garden. Or perhaps a museum somewhere would like a few.”
“Ooooh…! Good idea!” I laughed. I’d had another idea while cruising the mall. “Ctik, I don’t want to get too personal here…”
“Oh, please; feel free to get as personal as you like,” he shot back archly. “Mmm… Perhaps not *that* personal.”
Yeah, Heero might not approve of “*that* personal”.
“Uh, yeah. What I was wondering… Do you have any other clothing with you? Or is this it?”
He looked down at himself and sighed. “This is it, I am afraid. I did not have time to pack. Am I looking unkempt?”
“Not unkempt; no. Just sort of… um…”
“Scruffy?”
“Well… yeah. Not bad, though. You wouldn’t get barred from any of the casual places, but some of the more up-scale establishments…” I shrugged apologetically.
“And I am slowly collecting grime,” he added with a wry smile. “What would you recommend?”
“Maybe just some new jeans and shirts? I can arrange for the Castle laundry to clean these.” I felt like I was channeling one of those TV makeover programs. Ctik didn’t need making over, though, just some options.
“That seems a very good idea. I wonder,” he began slowly. “Do you think I could beg the use of the Castle baths one of these nights? I realize Lord Q might insist that I have a chaperone…”
“Dirt not sticking to vampires is another creative license, right?”
“I am afraid so,” he shrugged.
“I’ll ask him when he gets back tomorrow. I don’t see why it can’t be worked out.”
“Thank you. There is only so much one can do with paper towels and a lavatory sink.”
“Been there, done that,” I agreed. “Would rather not do it again.”
In the men’s department of one of the clothing stores we picked out two pairs of jeans and two woven shirts, plus a package of socks. I wasn’t even going to ask if vampires wore underwear. After leaving the store, I suggested a stop at one of the magical shops for a bottomless bag. It would make sense for any other purchases he might make. We found a tidy little pouch that would hold all his clothing purchases and leave room for plenty more. Ctik flirted with the cashier, as well; a 30-something Witch with neon purple hair and a bubbly giggle.
He also asked if there were any boot makers in town and I had to think for a moment. My Banshee-style boots come from a shop in Ireland, recommended by Teal, and my sneakers are whatever is on sale, but I do have a pair of cowboy boots; a gift from Trowa and Wufei for my birthday.
“There are some non-magical stores that carry boots. I assume you mean real leather?”
He stared at me. “Boots are made of something other than leather?”
“Oh, yeah. Lots of synthetic materials out there these days.”
He shuddered slightly. “No, thank you. I prefer genuine animal hide. They do still use that?”
“Absolutely.” I set a course for the nearest Boot World shop.
Ctik walked out twenty minutes later wearing a really spiffy pair of Tony Lama boots. He was absolutely charmed by the notion of footwear made of ostrich and couldn’t look at anything else. I offered him the name of the cobbler in Ireland for the future, but he allowed as how ready-made was more than acceptable. He kept staring down at the new boots as we crossed the parking lot.
“I had never even heard of an ostrich a hundred years ago,” he said thoughtfully. “The very notion of a man-sized flightless bird would have been fantastic when I was young. Something from a Greek legend.” He suddenly laughed. “Do you know, I have wanted for years to visit Australia. I would like to meet a platypus!”
“Huh. I wouldn’t mind meeting one myself,” I smiled. “Have you been to zoos? I know they keep daylight hours, but some have night tours during the summer.”
“I have… availed myself of the opportunities to observe the nocturnal animals on occasion. The children have been helpful with photographs and films and now the computers allow almost constant viewing.” He fastened his seatbelt without prompting. “It’s not the same as being able to touch them, though. I have always loved animals.”
Hmm… Maybe I could manage for him to have a cat or a dog as well as a Human companion.
~*~
We met Enrique and Inazuma at the restaurant at seven and were immediately seated at a table near the kitchen. The hostess passed out menus, but Ctik laid his down unopened. The Elves ordered beer and I asked for ice tea, since I was driving. Ctik smiled at the server who took the drink orders and said simply “The usual.”
“Please,” he said to us, “Order whatever you like; my treat. It is not often that I am fortunate enough to dine with Magical Creatures. Most of my friends and companions over the years have, by necessity, been Human.”
“Do you not associate with other vampires?” asked Inazuma after the orders had been taken and our drinks – including Ctik’s tall dark glass of blood – had arrived.
“Vampires are generally solitary predators. We do not mate with each other and we tend to be competitive and territorial. A vampire’s range is usually large enough to support only one in comfort. It doesn’t do to have too many vamps in one area; the Humans tend to notice,” he said with a shrug. “Many of us – those who do not aspire to turn Humans – make alliances or business arrangements with select Humans for a steady supply of blood. The more powerful may accumulate a kind of entourage, but then they must shelter and support them.” He smiled. “That would be an unnecessary headache for most vampires. The juvenile vamps and the Human hangers-on are really more trouble than they are worth.”
Enrique laughed. “You have groupies and fangirls! I would never have expected that.”
“But look at the popularity of vampires in fiction,” I reminded him. “Humans are crazy for that stuff.” He tilted his head in acknowledgement, smiling.
Ctik sighed, smiling ruefully. “I am continually amazed at the variety of vampires Humans have created. Books, films, television… even the games for the computer. And everyone wants to believe that we do exist.”
“What’s the usual reaction?” asked Zuma curiously. “When you tell someone, I mean?”
“Sometimes fascination, sometimes fear; usually skepticism.” He swirled his drink. “If they don’t believe, that’s fine. I don’t go about biting people indiscriminately. I like to know where they’ve been first.”
“Don’t we all,” murmured Enrique with a smirk. Inazuma poked him discreetly in the ribs.
~*~
The Elves seemed to have really hit it off with Ctik. Granted, Enrique may have been acting as a genial watchdog, but it was a pleasant evening. I passed on dessert, since I needed to get back for Heero’s call, but the others decided to stay a while longer.
Ctik walked me to the car – he truly is very “old world” – and thanked me again for the cellphone and the shopping trip.
“I didn’t do any more than point things out,” I demurred gently. “You did all the choosing and paying-for.”
“Regardless,” he smiled, “I appreciate your time in all of this. It is taking me time to gather my wits and begin making plans and I am very grateful for your help and Heero Yuy’s indulgence during this period. It means a great deal to me to have a surrogate family to lean on, even briefly.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked so genteelly for accomplishing so little. I felt bad that I hadn’t gotten further in my search and I resolved to try a lot harder.
“Ordinarily, I would say something about it being my job, but… I like you, personally, and I think what Miles did to you sucks. You seem like a very nice guy to me. Your family thinks you’re a good guy and I tend to want the best for the good people in the world. I’ll find you a place by Saturday, if I have to conjure one out of sawdust and tree sap!”
“And I believe you can do it!” he laughed. “I have one further favor to beg of you…”
“Ask away.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a folded piece of paper. “Gisela explained about the children’s college account. I know she will make an effort to force Miles to replace the money, but in the meantime… would you give this to her? She is not to try to shoulder this burden alone; tell her I insist.”
He handed me a check written in a graceful script, made out to Gisela, for $50,000. I may still be somewhat vague about money, but I know that the more zeros in front of the decimal, the larger the amount is.
“I want to pay all the moving costs, for her and the children as well as my own; you can arrange that with the Pumas?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said firmly. “And I will make sure Gisela doesn’t go all independent.”
“Thank you, Duo. She has always been a fine woman; Vivian and I both thought so from our first meeting. We also thought Miles was nowhere near good enough.” He raised one eyebrow. “But who can argue with young love?”
I tucked the check into my other space and hugged him. “You’re a stand-up guy, Ctik. I’ll see you tomorrow; your phone will be ready to use by then.”
“Give Heero Yuy my regards, and my thanks.”
~*~
I was pretty pleased with myself, I have to admit. I’d arranged for Ctik to be responsible for his own security, gotten him a phone, a conversation with Gisela – and the check to deliver, which I was sure she would protest – some fresh clothing and a couple more acquaintances. Inazuma was clearly charmed by the gentlemanly vampire and Enrique had shown no hostility. He’s quite a bit older than we are, though, so I expect he can take care of himself against most any aggressive Creature, and Ctik is far from aggressive.
I parked carefully in Heero’s preferred space under the shed roof and jogged across the lot and the commons and up the stairs to my room. I made quick work of my shower – damn, but having shorter hair is great – and was comfortably ensconced on my bed with a soda and my cellphone by ten till.
The expectation of phone sex was actually secondary to my desire to tell Heero all that I had accomplished since noon. Yeah, I really want him to be proud of me. It would kill me to think anyone talked behind his back about his lame choice in Chosens.
When 2200 arrived, it wasn’t my cellphone that rang, but the brazier in the corner that flared. That was unexpected; you really don’t want to do anything as intimate as distance sex through the fire; it’s not private from anyone with the knowledge or power to hack in. I know, cellphones aren’t secure either, but no one’s watching through a cell hack.
I scrambled off the bed and across the room to tap the copper bowl. I’m not saying I was worried, but a little confused? Oh, yeah.
The flames parted and Heero’s image appeared. I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“Angel…” he said wearily.
“Heero! What’s wrong? What happened?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “We had a… an incident. We won’t be home until late tomorrow. I’m sorry; I’m not…”
Up to phone sex? Well, duh!
“Never mind that! Tell me!”
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “First, we are both unharmed. Q is monumentally pissed – not at me, though maybe he should be – with everything and everyone else.”
“Okay, that’s good. That neither of you are hurt, I mean.” Crap. Was he going to make me dig it out, fact by fact? I’d reach through those flames and smack him if he did. “But what happened?!”
“I told you about the ‘festivities’? It consisted of a banquet of local delicacies and traditional entertainment; dancing, music, the usual.” He wasn’t looking at me, which is not like Heero at all. He tends to fix the object of his conversation with a stare that could melt steel; this shifty-eyed stuff was not in his repertoire. Not at all. I started to get scared.
“Yeah, you mentioned that…”
“Part of the festivities included a blood sacrifice.”
Damn. I know that goes on in some places with some religions; chickens or goats, I guess. Heero wouldn’t look so rattled for a chicken, though.
“Heero…”
He wasn’t looking at me, but past me, as if he was seeing it again in his head.
“They brought out a- not a child, but a young person, male, I think.” Oh shit. Oh fucking shit. I bit down on my lip, knowing what was coming. “The headman was going on about honor and demons… and he took up the carving knife and just… slit his throat. A Human sacrifice! In front of *us*!” he growled, outraged. “I reacted badly,” he grumbled after a moment. “I ripped his bloody damn barbaric head off.” He brought his hands to his face again. I could barely breathe. “I am supposed to be expecting the unexpected with these idiots, but I… reacted automatically. I am… ashamed of myself.”
“Oh, fuck… Heero… Don’t do that… What’s wrong with them?! Of course you would react instinctively!” I snarled.
“But I am supposed to be better than instinct,” he argued wearily. “I am a Dragon; a Wyvern. Our standards are higher, our expectations more exacting.” He groaned; a sound he’s never made before. I wanted to crawl through the fire – or call a porter – and get to him. Heero Yuy is not supposed to look so despondent. It’s… it’s unnatural, dammit!
“You stop that, Heero Yuy! I will not have you beating yourself up over the psycho actions of a bunch of lunatic Humans! I’m coming there!” I turned to grab some clothes and Heero reacted.
“You will *not*!” he snapped. “You have a job to do and you will stay right there and do it!”
Okay, that sounded a lot more like my Wyvern.
“Then you give me a damn good reason why I can’t come!” I snapped right back.
He gave me an offended look that softened and melted into another sigh. “Because Q is in the process of chewing the asses off the entire African office? Because I have to stay until this is sorted out? Because I want to spend a quiet night with you before I have to report to my Clan council?”
“You what? The Clan? You mean Giniro?” My heart sank.
“I do. I have talked to her and Q has talked to her, but I still have to appear. She is Not Amused at the moment.”
Ah, shit. Now Heero was in trouble with his Clan. Dammit! He is never doing this again without me! I opened my mouth to tell him that when another voice came from behind him.
“Duo! You can discuss this affair later. This is not a secure fire.” Q’s head popped into the corner of the flames. Can a person look both homicidal and eager while not being a serial killer? Q managed it. “Report on your assignment.”
Crap. I’d forgotten about that. I suppose it would be better to hear the whole craptacular story in person; at least then I could get my hands on my Dragon. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Okay. Sorry, Q”
“Give us something else to contemplate, Banshee. Have you housed the vampire yet?”
Encouraged by Heero’s tired smirk and a wryly waggled eyebrow, I took it from this morning. I explained that Inazuma was helping and Q nodded his agreement. I went over our list and ticked off the things we had accomplished. I brought up the plan to visit New York to deal with the Pumas and see to shipping Ctik’s goods. Finally, I had to admit I hadn’t found a place for the vamp yet. Heero frowned, but Q called from somewhere behind Heero that I should call the Magical real estate agents. Heero nodded along and then said that Tiffany knew a couple of agents; they handled the sale of her condo.
“Thanks, Q; Heero. I thought of that, but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Are you sure it’s okay for us to go tomorrow? Shouldn’t we be in the office…?”
“We won’t be back until late; possibly after sundown,” Q assured me. “This is your job, so there’s no reason to change your plans.”
I could argue that, but I didn’t want to make Heero feel any worse. He needed me to stiffen up and be a professional, not start whining like a sulky Human. Q left the room and Heero relaxed a bit.
“I miss you,” he said softly. “I am sorry to disappoint you. This is not the way I intended to spend our call.”
“I know. It’s okay; you’ve had a crappy day.” He smiled for me and I felt better. “It can’t have been… um… I mean, seeing someone killed like that…”
“I know I threaten to rip off heads, but I’ve never actually done it,” he muttered. “Certainly not like this… I’ve killed, of course, but not a Human, not like this,” he repeated and shook his head slightly. “Never mind. Talk to me about your day. I’ve heard the over-view, now tell me the details,” he commanded. So I did.
Told him about Farq and Teal and the gargoyles and vampire groupies. I told him about telling Ms Cranky Badger to make sure Farq was in his less stinky form from now on and he agreed and said he'd back me up on that one. I even got him to laugh a few times. When I finally ran down, he gave me a look, and even knowing that the fire image wasn’t real, I leaned in. He held up his hand and I laid mine against that image. We both sighed heavily and I giggled.
“I love you,” he murmured.
I smiled and got as close as my inner demons would let me. “Backatcha, big guy.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You know it.”
The fire fell and went out, taking his image with it.
I flopped across my bed and growled out a heartfelt, “Fuck!” I so wanted to go where they were and take out my irritation on whoever was left of those lousy excuses for Human beings! Sap dammit! I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, that’s for sure. I dragged myself upright and went in search of my usual insomnia cure: yarn.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2010-01-16 10:26 pm (UTC)*starts camping out for next part*
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Date: 2010-01-16 11:29 pm (UTC)Make sure your tent is waterproof and securely anchored to high ground. Winds are predicted ahead of the storms at up to 70mph. O_O
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Date: 2010-01-17 01:41 pm (UTC)You guys have a storm coming? O_o
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Date: 2010-01-17 04:34 pm (UTC)So the weather warnings say. Supposedly rain all this week, starting tomorrow. And wind. ^___^ Yippee. Not only will the roads be wet and slippery, they'll be full of anything not nailed down. And maybe a few of those items, as well. >_>
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Date: 2010-01-19 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-19 02:01 am (UTC)I understand it's supposed to crap all over Arizona tonight and tomorrow... O_o Good luck, Flagstaff. >_>
Oh, hey! I finally got a chance to wear my wristwarmers. ^___^ The quick and dirty ones I made with the bulky Serenity. Nice! Gonna make some "real" ones next. Think I'll pass on the scarf or hat, though. The cold doesn't last long enough for those. ^__~
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Date: 2010-01-24 02:50 am (UTC)I had to go out today to take the truck in and get the alignment fixed (from the ditch incident), and somehow I ended up with more yarn. O.o Hobby Lobby was having a sale... >_>
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Date: 2010-01-24 03:21 am (UTC)I saw some really spiffy knitted ones in a Vogue magazine. They're made of two five-sided knitted motifs each. *.* I feels a jones coming on. But not until the horses are done. *smacks hands* Nothing new until then. ^___^
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Date: 2010-01-26 02:17 am (UTC)I just finished the second prototype slouchy hat. I hate them both, but I'm hoping the lady can use them to give me some freaking guidance as to what she WANTS, and I can get this off my plate because I'm SERIOUSLY wanting to move on to something else now...
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Date: 2010-01-26 05:28 am (UTC)I'm having similar problems with Joann's... I found the Paints yarn that I was looking for, but only 3 skeins. *huff* And that was in Temeku. Locally, they have one skein of a color I don't want. And that's the way it's been for weeks. >_< The crafty dragon is grumpy.
Sesshy81 is too lazy to log in.
Date: 2010-01-24 05:59 am (UTC)Re: Sesshy81 is too lazy to log in.
Date: 2010-01-24 03:51 pm (UTC)^____^ Working on it.