Wednesday Banshee
Jan. 11th, 2012 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2Sometimes you just have to know when to throw in the towel. O.o My characters have gotten the bit between their sturdy little teeth and are now running headlong in a direction (or directions) I had not expected. O_O Because of that, I have waved my white flag and ended Part 103 with the last post. We are now moving on to Part 104. I do hope this one will not be as long, for all of our sake, but mostly for Ami. Poor girl is running out of alphabet and that's totally my fault. Hope this helps. ^____^
BFB – Part 104 – Freaky
They determined that it would be good to go immediately. Heero called for a porter and got Jake, who was supervising the overnight shift. He volunteered himself for a chance to schmooz with Ctik. We finished our dinner and left the restaurant to meet Jake in the parking lot. It was still fairly early, so I decided to swing past the yarn shop on my way home while Heero and Ctik did their dirt-hunting.
I got to do the eye-roll at Jake this time. He practically fanboied all over the vampire. Heero kissed me goodbye and murmured that he would be as quick as he could manage.
He still doesn’t like to leave me on my own in town and I had a sneaking suspicion he had probably texted Wufei or Trowa to keep an eye on me. Fair enough, I suppose; not like I could get into much trouble at the yarn shop, but then I’ve had that thought before with unforeseen results.
Heero, Ctik and Jake blinked away as I started the car. A moment later my phone chirped its text warning and I glanced down to see Heero’s “We’re here.” He’s so cute when he’s being predictable.
Danielle was still open, although she was tidying up in preparation for closing.
“Duo!” she cried when I walked in. “Darling, how good to see you!” She hugged me and then stepped back to look me over. “You look wonderful, but… Are you tired?”
I laughed. Some people are just born to be parents, even if they have no children.
“I’m fine; just really busy this week,” I explained. I gave a brief account of my current assignment, leaving out the part about Ctik actually being at the Castle. We didn’t really want that to get around, although everyone at the Castle seemed to already know.
“And you need some yarn to decompress?”
“I always need yarn; you know that. But this time I’m buying for someone else.” The chat with Julie’s shrink had reminded me of my weekly yarn drops. I’d stayed mostly with the less expensive “craft” yarns since that was what Julie was most familiar with, but now I felt like sending her something more challenging.
“Well, where shall we start?” Danielle asked. “Is it for anyone I know?” I hadn’t told her about Julie and the yarn; I wasn’t sure she’d approve, but now I decided that one adult moment tonight should lead to another one.
I took a deep breath. “It’s for Julie.” She stopped walking and stared at me. I started to get nervous and my mouth took over. “I know, I know. But I just can’t hate her. She was in a really bad position and she just kind of… went crazy. I can understand that…” I trailed off at the look on her face.
“You men!” she snorted after a few seconds, rolling her eyes. Then she took my arm and hauled me over to the table and pushed me into a chair. “Sit. Stay. I’ll be right back.”
I know enough not to argue with an imperious female in her own territory, so I sat and I stayed. She was back within a minute, carrying sodas and turning the lock and the sign on the door as she passed.
“Now,” she said firmly, settling into the chair next to me. “Tell me everything.”
It’s the matriarch thing; I know it is. I told her most of it, from the bad soda right up through the doctor’s request today. It took less time than I expected, but then I had it down pretty well by now and I left out my more embarrassing moments.
“So, even though she did something terrible, I don’t think she’s a terrible person. I think she just… was just so damaged that she couldn’t see any other way out,” I finished.
Danielle just looked at me. Then she sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. “My first inclination,” she said slowly, “Is to smack you upside the head. But… dammit… You’re right. She probably was out of her mind – literally – with fear of that creep.” We sat silently for a bit, contemplating our sodas and then she shook herself and smiled. It was a little bit of a Matriarch smile and kind of scary.
“All right, then. You are staging some bizarre sort of intervention for a lost soul, involving yarn. Works for me. Tell me what you’ve been doing and where you want to go from here.”
I was unbelievably relieved by her acceptance of my weird notions of redemption. Heero and the Weres have all done the heavy sigh/eye roll thing at me since I decided that Julie was not entirely responsible for The Incident and sometimes… sometimes I wonder if there isn’t something wrong with me. Maybe it’s just my time among Humans. Maybe some of their weird sensibilities rubbed off on me. I don’t feel particularly warm and fuzzy towards all of them, of course, but maybe because I’d known Julie… Maybe she was more real to me.
“Okay,” I began. “I’ve been sending her the Lyon and Red Heart mostly and a little Bernat and Caron for a change. I got her a bunch of pattern books and all the needles and hooks she needs. Now, I’m thinking of challenging her with some more high-end stuff. Maybe a couple of the Euro magazines and some more expensive yarns… She’s pretty expert at crochet, but I’m not sure how far she’s gotten with knitting.”
“You taught her to knit, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. She taught me to crochet.”
“But you haven’t bought any patterns.”
I looked at my hands. “Not quite ready yet,” I muttered. “I pull it out and look at it… Just haven’t managed to pick up the hook yet.” So much for being fine and dandy again.
Danielle patted my hand gently. “You’ll get there; take your time.” She grinned at me. “How about I choose something tempting for you while we’re at it?”
“Okay. Make it simple, though.” I smiled back.
“Well, then, let’s check out the stock and we’ll see what we can come up with for Julie. Where is she, anyway?”
“She was at the jail, but I got a call from her shrink today. They must have moved her a while back, because she’s at Cumber State Hospital. That’s what made me think of it now; the doctor wants to see me next week. To talk about Julie.” I nudged a basket with my foot. “I guess they weren’t able to locate any family for her, so… I’m kind of the only game in town, I guess.” I sighed, embarrassed. That came out… wrong, but I didn’t know how else to say it.
“If they allow her to have hooks and needles, they must not feel she’s dangerous. That’s a plus, yes?”
True, that was an encouraging sign, I supposed.
“I thought I’d take the stuff out when I go. Make sure that it’s okay with this shrink. The cops were pretty grudging about it when I started, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt for her to have something to occupy herself.”
“Idle hands and all that hooha,” she smiled and I nodded. She paused in front of some mid-price yarns. “I recall that Julie is partial to bright colors. Do you think she’s up for making blankets or should we stick with accessories?”
“Maybe enough for one blanket to start and an assortment of others?”
“Here’s a collection of accessory patterns; it just came in. And this book is good; it’s all one ball or less. Do you want to add some novelties? Wool? Maybe not, if she’s doing charity stuff it’s better to stick with cotton or synthetics. Maybe some superwash…” She ambled around the space, tossing yarns and patterns into a basket.
I followed idly, adding a ball here or a leaflet there; a couple of hooks and a set of large needles. With Danielle doing the thinking for me, I was free to let my mind wander. It wandered right to my collection of ‘lost souls’ – Julie, Farq and Ctik. It has not escaped my notice that I seem to have adopted a trio of… well, maybe not ‘losers’, but certainly life skills challenged. Maybe Heero was right to set me up with minders when he was away – Sap knows what or whom I might bring home next. I snorted and my yarn mother glanced at me.
“Too much?” she asked, gesturing to the basket. It was full without overflowing.
“No, that’s about right, I think. Thanks; I really appreciate the help.”
She cocked her head at me and smirked. “You have a good heart, Duo. I don’t think I’d be so generous in your place, but… Just be cautious, okay? I would really hate to see what carnage that Dragon of yours could wreak, given a motive. You know?”
I had to laugh. “I know. He’s pretty intense.” She snorted at me.
“If you think this is enough, I’ll just bag it up.”
“Oh, could you keep it until next week?” I eyed the basket filled with yarn and new patterns. “I’m not sure I could stay out of it if I take it home now,” I admitted with no little embarrassment. “And I don’t need the temptation right now.”
“You’re really that busy?”
“Ridiculously so,” I muttered. “This job is time-sensitive and my time is running out.”
“Anything I could help you with? Not that I’ve ever met a real vampire...” Like everyone else, Danielle seemed inordinately interested in meeting a dangerous predator. Humans… They are such bizarre creatures.
“Maybe after it’s over,” I smiled. I adore Danielle, but I already had a whole castle panting after Ctik. Wasn’t sure I could handle another devotee.
BFB – Part 104 – Freaky
They determined that it would be good to go immediately. Heero called for a porter and got Jake, who was supervising the overnight shift. He volunteered himself for a chance to schmooz with Ctik. We finished our dinner and left the restaurant to meet Jake in the parking lot. It was still fairly early, so I decided to swing past the yarn shop on my way home while Heero and Ctik did their dirt-hunting.
I got to do the eye-roll at Jake this time. He practically fanboied all over the vampire. Heero kissed me goodbye and murmured that he would be as quick as he could manage.
He still doesn’t like to leave me on my own in town and I had a sneaking suspicion he had probably texted Wufei or Trowa to keep an eye on me. Fair enough, I suppose; not like I could get into much trouble at the yarn shop, but then I’ve had that thought before with unforeseen results.
Heero, Ctik and Jake blinked away as I started the car. A moment later my phone chirped its text warning and I glanced down to see Heero’s “We’re here.” He’s so cute when he’s being predictable.
Danielle was still open, although she was tidying up in preparation for closing.
“Duo!” she cried when I walked in. “Darling, how good to see you!” She hugged me and then stepped back to look me over. “You look wonderful, but… Are you tired?”
I laughed. Some people are just born to be parents, even if they have no children.
“I’m fine; just really busy this week,” I explained. I gave a brief account of my current assignment, leaving out the part about Ctik actually being at the Castle. We didn’t really want that to get around, although everyone at the Castle seemed to already know.
“And you need some yarn to decompress?”
“I always need yarn; you know that. But this time I’m buying for someone else.” The chat with Julie’s shrink had reminded me of my weekly yarn drops. I’d stayed mostly with the less expensive “craft” yarns since that was what Julie was most familiar with, but now I felt like sending her something more challenging.
“Well, where shall we start?” Danielle asked. “Is it for anyone I know?” I hadn’t told her about Julie and the yarn; I wasn’t sure she’d approve, but now I decided that one adult moment tonight should lead to another one.
I took a deep breath. “It’s for Julie.” She stopped walking and stared at me. I started to get nervous and my mouth took over. “I know, I know. But I just can’t hate her. She was in a really bad position and she just kind of… went crazy. I can understand that…” I trailed off at the look on her face.
“You men!” she snorted after a few seconds, rolling her eyes. Then she took my arm and hauled me over to the table and pushed me into a chair. “Sit. Stay. I’ll be right back.”
I know enough not to argue with an imperious female in her own territory, so I sat and I stayed. She was back within a minute, carrying sodas and turning the lock and the sign on the door as she passed.
“Now,” she said firmly, settling into the chair next to me. “Tell me everything.”
It’s the matriarch thing; I know it is. I told her most of it, from the bad soda right up through the doctor’s request today. It took less time than I expected, but then I had it down pretty well by now and I left out my more embarrassing moments.
“So, even though she did something terrible, I don’t think she’s a terrible person. I think she just… was just so damaged that she couldn’t see any other way out,” I finished.
Danielle just looked at me. Then she sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. “My first inclination,” she said slowly, “Is to smack you upside the head. But… dammit… You’re right. She probably was out of her mind – literally – with fear of that creep.” We sat silently for a bit, contemplating our sodas and then she shook herself and smiled. It was a little bit of a Matriarch smile and kind of scary.
“All right, then. You are staging some bizarre sort of intervention for a lost soul, involving yarn. Works for me. Tell me what you’ve been doing and where you want to go from here.”
I was unbelievably relieved by her acceptance of my weird notions of redemption. Heero and the Weres have all done the heavy sigh/eye roll thing at me since I decided that Julie was not entirely responsible for The Incident and sometimes… sometimes I wonder if there isn’t something wrong with me. Maybe it’s just my time among Humans. Maybe some of their weird sensibilities rubbed off on me. I don’t feel particularly warm and fuzzy towards all of them, of course, but maybe because I’d known Julie… Maybe she was more real to me.
“Okay,” I began. “I’ve been sending her the Lyon and Red Heart mostly and a little Bernat and Caron for a change. I got her a bunch of pattern books and all the needles and hooks she needs. Now, I’m thinking of challenging her with some more high-end stuff. Maybe a couple of the Euro magazines and some more expensive yarns… She’s pretty expert at crochet, but I’m not sure how far she’s gotten with knitting.”
“You taught her to knit, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. She taught me to crochet.”
“But you haven’t bought any patterns.”
I looked at my hands. “Not quite ready yet,” I muttered. “I pull it out and look at it… Just haven’t managed to pick up the hook yet.” So much for being fine and dandy again.
Danielle patted my hand gently. “You’ll get there; take your time.” She grinned at me. “How about I choose something tempting for you while we’re at it?”
“Okay. Make it simple, though.” I smiled back.
“Well, then, let’s check out the stock and we’ll see what we can come up with for Julie. Where is she, anyway?”
“She was at the jail, but I got a call from her shrink today. They must have moved her a while back, because she’s at Cumber State Hospital. That’s what made me think of it now; the doctor wants to see me next week. To talk about Julie.” I nudged a basket with my foot. “I guess they weren’t able to locate any family for her, so… I’m kind of the only game in town, I guess.” I sighed, embarrassed. That came out… wrong, but I didn’t know how else to say it.
“If they allow her to have hooks and needles, they must not feel she’s dangerous. That’s a plus, yes?”
True, that was an encouraging sign, I supposed.
“I thought I’d take the stuff out when I go. Make sure that it’s okay with this shrink. The cops were pretty grudging about it when I started, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt for her to have something to occupy herself.”
“Idle hands and all that hooha,” she smiled and I nodded. She paused in front of some mid-price yarns. “I recall that Julie is partial to bright colors. Do you think she’s up for making blankets or should we stick with accessories?”
“Maybe enough for one blanket to start and an assortment of others?”
“Here’s a collection of accessory patterns; it just came in. And this book is good; it’s all one ball or less. Do you want to add some novelties? Wool? Maybe not, if she’s doing charity stuff it’s better to stick with cotton or synthetics. Maybe some superwash…” She ambled around the space, tossing yarns and patterns into a basket.
I followed idly, adding a ball here or a leaflet there; a couple of hooks and a set of large needles. With Danielle doing the thinking for me, I was free to let my mind wander. It wandered right to my collection of ‘lost souls’ – Julie, Farq and Ctik. It has not escaped my notice that I seem to have adopted a trio of… well, maybe not ‘losers’, but certainly life skills challenged. Maybe Heero was right to set me up with minders when he was away – Sap knows what or whom I might bring home next. I snorted and my yarn mother glanced at me.
“Too much?” she asked, gesturing to the basket. It was full without overflowing.
“No, that’s about right, I think. Thanks; I really appreciate the help.”
She cocked her head at me and smirked. “You have a good heart, Duo. I don’t think I’d be so generous in your place, but… Just be cautious, okay? I would really hate to see what carnage that Dragon of yours could wreak, given a motive. You know?”
I had to laugh. “I know. He’s pretty intense.” She snorted at me.
“If you think this is enough, I’ll just bag it up.”
“Oh, could you keep it until next week?” I eyed the basket filled with yarn and new patterns. “I’m not sure I could stay out of it if I take it home now,” I admitted with no little embarrassment. “And I don’t need the temptation right now.”
“You’re really that busy?”
“Ridiculously so,” I muttered. “This job is time-sensitive and my time is running out.”
“Anything I could help you with? Not that I’ve ever met a real vampire...” Like everyone else, Danielle seemed inordinately interested in meeting a dangerous predator. Humans… They are such bizarre creatures.
“Maybe after it’s over,” I smiled. I adore Danielle, but I already had a whole castle panting after Ctik. Wasn’t sure I could handle another devotee.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-01-11 08:52 pm (UTC)As for Ctik's devotees... of course he has them. Don't we all love vampires?
no subject
Date: 2012-01-11 09:06 pm (UTC)Oh, yeah. Strong females definitely get his undivided attention. You never know when they might take a whack at you. ^___^
Ctik was probably a charming fellow when he was alive, too. I doubt he ever thought of himself as being 'all that and a cookie'. ^___^
no subject
Date: 2012-01-12 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-12 11:24 pm (UTC)I think it's the yarn effect... All the LYS owners I've met are very motherly - even the 25-year old. O.o They make me feel like my own yarniness isn't up to snuff. >_>
^___^
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 12:14 am (UTC)I brought my spinning wheel in one other time, just for laughs. She wound up ordering three.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 03:14 am (UTC)I love that everyone is panting after the vampire.... hilarious!
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 05:53 am (UTC)Unfortunately, I usually just buy my needles from the LYS. *sigh* Can't afford the classes or gourmet yarns right now. =P
You spin? O.o Cool! I always wanted to learn that, but never seemed to have the time and the money at the same time. ^___^ My aunt did some spinning, but she preferred to do the actual loom weaving. I always thought it would be fun to have a Pyrenees dog and spin the fur into yarn. ^___^ *snerk!*
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 05:54 am (UTC)And Ctik is such a gentleman that it would never occur to him to take advantage of that. ^___^ No wonder Heero thinks he's a rotten vamp. *snicker*
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 06:00 am (UTC)I have been spinning for years. ('81 or there abouts) Drop spindle spinning is cheap and easy. Wheel spinning is much more expensive and doesn't really provide a better yarn.
I've tried weaving but don't like it much.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 10:27 pm (UTC).... Just a thought, but maybe (I know zip about yarn shops, don't have the finger dexterity to crochet or knit.) she could up and decide just to donate some of the stuff to Duo? It's a good cause after all.
Good lines: It wandered right to my collection of ‘lost souls’ – Julie, Farq and Ctik. It has not escaped my notice that I seem to have adopted a trio of… well, maybe not ‘losers’, but certainly life skills challenged. Maybe Heero was right to set me up with minders when he was away – Sap knows what or whom I might bring home next. *snerk* Yeah I can just imagine him dragging home that damn fox someday. Although I've no idea what might drive him to do so....
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 05:59 am (UTC)I've tried the drop spindle and I really need a lot of practice time. Unless, of course, the idea is to make thick-and-thin yarn... ^___^
I've done a bit of weaving, but I prefer portable yarn. My aunt had some of those gigantic floor looms and did some huge tapestries. ^___^
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 06:03 am (UTC)Danielle may offer at some point, but Duo is acutely aware of the importance of sales for a small business. Of course, once word gets around, she may see an increase in business. ^___^
Duo has already sort of dragged the fox home -- to the Castle, if not actually to his own space within it. He's still peeved at Zeph over Farq, though. Zephyrus knows now to make himself scarce when the Banshee is peeved. ^___^
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-22 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-23 08:04 pm (UTC)Yeah... *double sigh* That's the shop I always wanted to own. ^___^ Um... Back when I could stand to deal with people, that is. ^__~
Duo's pretty well conditioned to take orders from strong women. ^___^ Especially the ones he likes.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-23 08:11 pm (UTC)I'd have to do some reworking of my mental processes to enjoy lopi yarn. ^___^ I worked with it back in the 70s and it just peeved me to no end. I'm not even sure why. O.o
no subject
Date: 2012-01-23 10:59 pm (UTC)