|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:14:36 GMT -5
Since appiration was rough when you had no idea where you were going, they had gotten an appiration side-a-long by the family lawyer to the nearest space and then Vincent and Keela used brooms the rest of the way, it being early in the morning anyway. Warmly dressed, and with warming charms as well, Vincent made sure she was right behind him as they soared up in the sky and gained altitude flying side by side across the early morning sky. It was a good half hour's flight at top speed and they challenged each other in speed, laughing at each other's moves till Vincent pointed ahead of them.
Lowering in altitude he avoided the small farm on the left end just in the corner and approached the cove on the other side, the only one she could see. After landing on the deserted sand, he said "Don't get off quite yet, I just wanted to give you some sites. The muggles are in the farm that way" he pointed "on the far end, but their sheep are all over. On the other end down this way" he pointed at the next corner "the muggle government has a lighthouse which I generally avoid. Sometimes people will come over by boat for a picnic here on the beach, but the water can get pretty dangerous so it's not very often and usually only summer. Ready?" As she moved over to his broom by earlier request, tying her broom onto the harness which held their bags under his, he kept his broom settled until she patted him on the shoulder and gripped him around the waist.
Releasing the lawyer's owl to let him know they had made it, he lifted off and flew towards the cliff pointing out the stone steps in the cliff face leading to the top. Not a huge island, but it would be, literally, his. As the skimmed above the sheep heads which ignored them, clearly used to brooms, Vincent pointed out the old ruins on the third point of the island which was their destination. Landing nearby, they divided up the bags and brooms as he he answered her clear question. "It's about two hundred fifty acres, takes nearly two minutes to fly from one end to the other." He nodded at her look. "Yep, the whole thing is ours. We just rent to the muggles and do whatever. And now you see why we play a lot of Quidditch here," he laughed and led the way to the old arch.
Holding up a hand he said "Here, I'll show you the best part. See, look through the arch and there is nothing there, right?" Once she looked he stepped up with his stuff and stepped into the arch disappearing in thin air, setting the bag down inside, then stepping back again out of no where. "Only family and those brought here y them can step through. Nice huh?" Taking her hand (and stealing another kiss with a wink) he led her through holding her hand and this time she could see the large field surrounding a large manor house covered with old roots. As they crossed the field to the door he said "Don't forget inside we're going to see Abraham. We'll go find mom first and see where she wants to put you, okay?" Stepping into the wood paneled hall, a white figure in far more detail then she had seen in the RoR.
"Morning, Abraham, where's mom?" The ghost bowed with a sweep as a door appeared behind him where before there had been nothing. In the Dining room, master Vincent... Vincent motioned to Keela and said "Abraham, this is Keela Summerby. She is my personal guest at the invitation of my mother. Please let her have kids access, okay?" The retainer bowed again as he motioned for her to follow him and carried his bags and broom through the door. Nice to meet you, Miss Summerby... In the room beyond was a short hall and Vincent put his things down to one side of a door motioning for her to do the same. "Now that he accepts you the house opens up more." Slipping his hand in hers he led the way down the hall passing several doorways leading into older and newer style rooms for sitting, dens, living spaces a gust might see. Turning into the last door she got her first glimpse of Lindsey Moon.
The brightly red haired woman had the table half cleared (which meant the table cloth had been pulled down in staged so everything was piled up as if between little hills) with a mini city of wood blocks were being laid out by an enthusiastic eight year old boy and Darius, watched by younger girl known as Anne who lifted a hand at the entrance of the Vin and Keela. In her arms was a barely toddler watching with great fascination (with tiger stripped hair) whose attention was totally caught up by Vincent going down into a squat in front of her, arms going out immediately. Here Vin, take Zah a second, she said handing her off and standing. Lindsey Moon didn't look old enough to have eight kids, but even a twelve year old would have envied the energy she seemed to have. Bouncing off her seat as soon as Vincent had the toddler in his arms (she gasping and hugging his neck) she jumped forward and gave Keela a spontaneous hug.
It was clear that Vincent's height was from his mother's side as she didn't come up to five foot seven even. "Sheesh, Vin, you didn't tell me she was so tall! Nice to meet ya, go throw your stuff in Vin's room and take a walk around, see the place." She smelled of lavender mint, a curious but very pleasant smell and spoke without letting go of Keela. "Sati? Ann, cuff Sati. Sati?" Anne reached around Darius whose hands were full and lightly smacked her little brother on the head who looked up, seemingly used to it. "Go change shirts. Darius?" Sati's shirt still had jam from his toast around the collar. "Go make sure he doesn't get worse. Anne, let Char know we got company so she'll put some clothes on." Vincent during all the confusion of orders and kids scattering came over and held up the toddler and introduced her "Zahara, this is Keela, Keela, this is Zahara, mom's little fishing weight." That got him a cheerful cuff as well as Lin took the baby back, but the laughter in her eyes was infectious. "Cheeky kids. Keep him in line, Keela, these boys are a mess at his age. I gotta wizzy thing tomorrow, they just owled."
Vincent looked annoyed and so did Lindsey. "Mom! Tell them to shove off!" Shaking her head she said already walking towards the far end of the table "Can't. Defense claimed a ghost witness. Got to go track her down and get a statement. Alice will be here for breakfast, Char's in charge. You keep the guest in trouble," making a face as she pulled her wand out of a glass which had apple juice in it she wiped it off on the tablecloth as the baby played with her necklace. "Fine, that's a mess. Gotta go far?" he said sliding his hand around Keela's waist to pull her closer. As she stepped into the kitchen stairs beyond she yelled back "Portugal! Anne, where's my wizzy robe!" A voice from down another hall yelled back from farther away "UNDER THE EGGS MA!" Cussing was heard unidentifiable from beyond the stairs as Vin motioned they should go to the hall now.
Safely in the hall hearing footsteps running up a stair case somewhere mixed with little boy giggles Vincent picked up his bags and laughing said "Welcome to my life, Keela" with a smile in his eyes. He stepped forward and pulled her up against him dropping the bags as two ghosts passed through the wall on either side of them with one giving a wave as something about 'horseless carriages were being banned from streets during the circuses' was heard form the other before they went into the next wall.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:18:08 GMT -5
Keela had awakened that morning early, even for her. Anxious about the trip and what awaited her, she hadn't slept as soundly as she might have wished. Still, excitement overrode everything else as she'd shrunken her stuff to pocket size and gone downstairs to meet everyone. Her mother had warmed to Vin, and though her father still seemed slightly less than pleased with the idea of her going to stay a few days with her serious boyfriend, he'd hugged her tightly before she'd left, and managed to crack a genuine smile as he told her he loved her and to be careful. Cern, for his part, seemed torn between being protective and being relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about her walking in on he and Lilli for the rest of break. He'd given her a hug, and whispered that she could owl him if she needed him for anything. The look in his eyes as she'd pulled away had been meaningful, and though his concern was unnecessary, it still made her feel loved, and she appreciated him. By the time she'd hugged and kissed everyone who cared to be hugged and kissed, dealt with some very leading comments from both her aunts about the importance of quality time and declared herself ready to meet with his family's lawyer, it was pushing eight in the morning.
She still hadn't gotten used to apparition, but they'd managed the first leg of the trip unscathed. Still, she strongly preferred the last part, when she'd finally be able to take a room the last half hour or so. If she hadn't known to expect it, the fairly deserted island would have startled her. But of course, she remembered from their date and what he'd told her, that she couldn't have seen it anyway. She scanned the horizon, saw the farm, as he led her over it, and couldn't help worrying briefly if it might startle someone to see two teenagers on broomsticks soaring overhead. She'd have to ask him about it later, right now she was busy showing off for him in ways that would make even her mother nervous. They'd been equal parts touring and showing off the entire trip, and she was having a blast flying with him. As she landed, she took in the view, all natural greens and the white of clean, barely touched sand. It was something to see. As she listened to his account of what lay around them, she couldn't resist asking. "How do you avoid the muggles seeing...well, everything? Does the cloaking thing cover the entire island?" That would be awesome, and something to suggest to mum and dad when she got back.
After they'd taken off again, her settled in behind him, she could truly enjoy the view without having to focus on anything technical. Granted, his closeness was a distraction, but her desire to see and sense everything around her took precedence, at least for the moment. Despite how much they both enjoyed flying, they didn't do so together often. Maybe because they both enjoyed being in control of their own brooms. She glanced in every direction, trying to take in everything at once. When he pointed out the ruins, she made a note to explore them later, maybe she'd put his Christmas present to use. The thought reminded her that he still had something to give her, something that had required privacy, the waiting was driving her crazy, but she hadn't pushed him. Despite having grown up in a fairly wealthy family, she was still awed by the concept. "The whole island?" she clarified. The photographer in her exulted in so much opportunity.
His disappearance startled her, and she laughed when he reappeared. "Neat trick", she acknowledged.There was obviously a ward up, and a powerful one. She wondered who had cast it, if it had been a member of the current family or someone from generations prior. When he took her hand she smiled, and the kiss and subsequent wink amused her. She was excited to meet the actual Abraham. She'd seen a shade of him in the RoR, but the real thing would be a new experience. She didn't have much experience talking to ghosts. Keela nodded, she'd wondered about this, whether his mother would put her in some guest room or simply stash her with Vin. As long as her parents never ever found out, she'd resolved to being fine with either. She was the guest after all, and if his mother wanted her to spend three days curled up with her boyfriend, well, etiquette demanded she agree and move on didn't it? The thought made her grin.
Keela resisted the urge to chuckle, he was so proper, a century misplaced from his tone to his wardrobe, still, she was as charmed by the real thing as she'd been by the imitation. When he bowed, she was uncertain for a moment about whether to bow back. Vincent didn't, so she refrained. This place was different from anything Keela had ever seen before. Beautiful, historical, layer upon layer or trace magic from centuries past, but still, it threw her off-balance just a bit. "Its nice to meet you too, Abraham", she assured him softly, looking thoroughly awed by it all. When he motioned she should unload her things, she took them out of her pockets and unshrunk them, unsure what she was supposed to do with them. She could always shrink them down later if needed. When he grabbed her hand, she held on maybe just a bit more tightly than normal, nerves kicking in full swing, this was the moment she'd equal parts looked forward to and dreaded since she'd first agreed to be his girlfriend.
Her first glimpse of Mrs. Moon left her thinking she couldn't have been his mother, she looked too young, full of like and exuberance, like a kid trapped in an adult body. He came by the hair honestly she'd noticed.The kitchen as they entered it was utter chaos. It reminded Keela of her own around lunch time. She waved at Darius on impulse, she knew him after all. She'd never been formally introduced to the others, and so felt somewhat shy as she smiled at the room in general. The hug threw her off balance for only a moment before she returned it. Maybe she'd over thought this too much. The woman seemed like a breath of fresh air, and Keela's smile widened into a decidedly relieved grin. Even though she'd been expecting it, it still made her blush when his mum told her she'd be sharing a room with Vincent. Still, it wasn't an offer she could (or was willing to) refuse. She'd never been considered tall before, but didn't think it polite to say so. "Y-yes ma'm", she found her voice. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Moon. Vin's told me so much about you." She wondered if the ghosts would show up on magical film, she'd never tried.
Keela glanced at each face as his mother spoke, before giving the woman in front of her a look that bordered on awe. Then she shot a look at Vincent that said quite clearly she was seriously reconsidering the notion of a big family. The youngest in the room got her attention, and her eyes softened as she smiled at the little girl. "Hello", her voice was playful and affectionate, the same one she used for her younger cousins, and occasionally for her youngest brother. "You've got to be the cutest baby I've ever seen", she glanced up at his mum and smiled. "Just don't tell my brothers and sisters I said that." She gave him a mischievous grin before she answered his mother. "I think I can manage." Something she'd have never said to her own mother, but the two women were as different the ice caps were from the desert.
She'd be gone tomorrow? Keela was torn, she'd been looking forward to getting to know his mother, not to mention she was a bit nervous at the idea of both parents being gone while the lot of them remained behind. At least Ash was gone, there'd be no one around who tried to shock her for the sake of it, she hoped. She didn't know enough about the rest of his siblings to be sure. Her choice of words at the end made Keela laugh. "Doesn't she mean out of trouble?" she whispered to Vin. Under the...what? She shot Vin an incredulous look. Five minutes in his home and she was already ready to admit he had her beat for chaos. Still it wasn't quite as overwhelming as she'd thought it'd be. It might even be fun to see the world through his eyes for a couple of days. She glanced once at the dining room, twice at the ghosts, before looking up at him wide-eyed and grinning as she whispered with laughter in her voice. "Can I keep you?"
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:20:36 GMT -5
"Well, Keela, it's an island. Few people land here except at the beach and nearly no one during three-forths of the year except the sheep. The ferry for the muggles happens once a month. Don't really need much magic. My back yard is pretty amazing." He looked thoughtful for a minute and added softly "And there are about four hidden treasures we buried as kids I still have not found again..." Ah yes well, that had been a long time ago too. "Yes, the whole island, sweetheart," he chuckled, patting the hands around his middle.
Knowing she would be curious, he answered easy enough. "It's tied in a few centuries back I don't know how. Anyone who marries in or is born in the family can pass back and forth easy." He smiled, hoping she would get why he added that in. After she spoke back politely to the ghost he smiled at her. "Abraham is, really, the house. I don't know how, but he is. The other ghosts are mostly newer from mom's time when she got them added and no, I don't know how she does it. They just come and go."
To be honest, Vincent hadn't known what his mother would do about Keela's room and he grinned as Keela blushed, knowing she had other things on mind which his siblings (except maybe Anne) wouldn't have picked up on. Laughing, Lindsey made a tsk tsk sign with her finger. "No no, Lindsey. If you get a ring on your fingers then you'll be expected to yell Mom like anyone else or you'll get missed in the crowd." Vin tried to hide his own smile as he had already been thinking about something similar. But he was very surprised by the look which she gave him as she listened to Lindsey rattling off names and orders. Was she actually considering...?
Oh they did need to talk later.
As he showed her the baby of the family, he saw a transformation he hadn't noticed before on her face as she spoke directly back to Zahara who tried to capture her nose with a grin. Not shy, no, none of them had been really. "Fortunately Zahara has good caretakers. And she is cute stuff, bold little one with that hair." Vin had the decency to look affronted when his mother pokes fun at him, but ducked before she could catch him on the head again, clearly prepared this time. He stepped behind Keela using her as a shield though his mother's eyes didn't miss it, she didn't come after him either.
"I doubt it," he whispered back, "she'd love to have another thing settled in her mind. I suspect that's why you're rooming with me." He rolled his eyes as they slipped back into the hallway. "I think I forgot to mention she is part of the Wizengamit. Damn, I guess she will get back late tomorrow then, but you'll get to meet my aunt which is awesome. Alice is cool." Picking up his bags and hers, her comment about keeping him had him stop and give her a kiss after she got the brooms. "Mova, I'm not letting go unless you use a crowbar. those hurt."
In a moment they were at a staircase going up and he said "I'm up here on second, we'll take a look around in a bit, let's stash these first." Down the hallway he dodged one ghost rolling a rock down the hall who nodded politely and kicked open a door near the end. Stepping in he put the bags on the floor and said "Well this is the first part. Close the door and I'll show you the secret part. Dad wanted me to grow up thinking heritage, but I found a way to make it my own. I have to keep it secret to keep Ash out, little bugger..." There was little in the way of personal touches in the room, though there were some.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:21:09 GMT -5
She nodded as he spoke, taken in by the magic of it all. The idea of exploring an entire island appealed greatly to her sensibilities. He spoke of treasures and her eyes widened. "Treasures? What sort of treasures?" What would a child have considered valuable enough to bury? More importantly, what would he have considered special enough? She found herself extremely curious. "Maybe I could help some day", she offered. "We could spend a day looking for them over the summer, right?" It was the first time in a while she had mentioned their future that way. It sounded like fun, spending a day treasure hunting with a boy who had been raised to be a pirate. The thought served to amuse her, her already bouyant mood bolstered. He seemed amused by her reaction, and she blushed, gazing around herself in wide-eyed fascination. She looked up at the arch, trying to discern the magic around it. She could definitely tell something was there, but that was as far as it went. She glanced back in the direction the ghost had taken. "So if I ever made him angry he could just lock me out?" She found herself more amused than bothered by the concept, "good to know." He spoke of his mother, and she smiled again. "Do you think she would tell me if I asked?" Curiosity had always been one of Keela's both best and worst qualities, and it burned in her now.
Keela's burning face made her slightly shy, but she met his mother's eyes anyway. At first, she wondered what she'd said wrong, but not for long. "Sorry Mrs--Lindsey", she felt both out of sorts and perfectly at ease at once. Odd feeling that. She was beginning to see what Vin had meant about his mother, she was many things at once, and all of them fascinating to Keela. The comment about rings made her smile, but the fact that it had come from his mother threw her off kilter. She remembered what he'd said about his mum's situation, and knowing that, she made more sense. Keela didn't think she'd ever seen so many of his siblings in the same room at once. She knew most of them at least in passing because of school, but they were rarely all so close together. The sheer number of voices was boggling. Delighted as she'd always been with small children, Keela's focus shifted to the little one, and she grinned, tapping the younger girl's nose gently in response. "That's not for you silly one, you have one of your own, see?" To Vin, when he had pulled her focus away, she answered: "I bet she does, though how no one gets lost in this place is a mystery to me." Seeing his youngest sister had brought out something oddly maternal in Keela. She'd always loved children, had always enjoyed caring for her siblings, but age had apparently brought with it a new notion of family, and of wanting her own some day. That was unexpected, and more than a little startling.
Keela glanced at him, wide-eyed. Surely his mother wouldn't want him settled before he'd even finished school? But then, given her circumstances, Keela thought it might have been possible. She glanced back at Lindsey, looking equal parts bewildered and disappointed, ah well, she'd have the last day to try and bond with his mum, she could focus on the rest of the family tomorrow. She smiled at Vin, "well, I don't know about settling down", she warned him softly, "but I'm defintely up for some practice." She wasn't sure how many cousins he had, and she made a note to make a list of their names as she learned them. While she doubted she'd be expected to remember them all, it would be nice if she could. "Its going to be fun trying to keep everyone straight in my head", she admitted. "How many cousins do you have exactly?" He mentioned a crowbar, and she gave him a confused look. "Vin, what's a crowbar?"
She followed him up to his room, trying to take in every sight and sound as they went. She sat her stuff down near the door. She'd decided to leave Beethoven behind until she knew what to expect. After their conversation about large cats, she wasn't sure it was safe for one Beethoven's size.She glanced around his room, dumbfounded. It seemed so...unlike him. There were touches here and there, but for the most part it reminded her very much of her room at Gran's when she'd been alive. She fell in love with it instantly, and so was a bit distracted when he mentioned a second part. After a few moments, she turned, and obligingly shut the door behind her softly. "All right, what's the big secret, love?"
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:21:38 GMT -5
er father had kept her busy from day one when they got home for Christmas break this year. This was the year it was just the twins who got to go to Egypt for the entire break save for Christmas day and the few days after. They were to be there on family holidays but none other so they were leaving just a few short days after that holiday. They were going to be learning about the family business just like her father and aunt had at the same time. Seth and her were going to complete the family ties and continue with the training under Osiris. They were also going to be put in front of their grandfather, Sati, this year with their previous lessons. A scary thought.
As Ashlyn ran around her room throwing her clothing into one of the three trunks in the room she mumbled herself her list. "Shoes, check. Leggings, check. Pants, ew, check. Skirts, check. Shirts, check. Dresses? Shite." Ashlyn cursed to herself and jumped back into her closet to grab the a few remaining short dresses as well as one elegant long one that she had just for this occasion. It was a shimmering gold dress that she thought matched her tanned skin quite perfectly so she chose it. "Why in lords name do I need to pack so much stuff...?" She mumbled, she liked having a lot of clothes but what she didn't like was that none of it was the sexy things she usually packed. It was all dressy stuff and cute little dresses for her grandfather, fuck that, she hated it.
When she finally finished packing all of her things she sat on the top most trunk and crossed one leg over the other. She blew her hair out of her eyes and leaned a her elbow on her knee with her chin in her hand. "Merlin... I should've asked Onyx over for Christmas when I had the chance. Damnit, I could've done such things to him while he was here. Mum nev-- okay maybe she would've but dad... not so much." She huffed to herself, making a scrunched face at the thought, he would've just been amazing to have. She could've just closed her door and had him all to herself in the bed, off the bed, in the closet, on the floor, on the desk... well, you get the point.
"Oh well darnit." She mumbled before hopping back up and going over to the last things she needed to pack. Some potions bottles that her father had her take so she could put them in her own things.
How in merlins name was she going to fit these?
She picked one up and looked at the label, bat wings, what did he want with bat wings? Ashlyns curiousity quirked and she opened the top to look into the deep purple bottle but what she found was not bat wings. It was a liquid that had the smell of rotten eggs which made her toss it away from herself quickly. It smashed on the desk and upon hitting the air turned into a yellow fog like substance. Ashlyn put her hand over her mouth and yelled, "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Her voice screeched out the door and into the hallway.
She backed up before the fog could totally wrap around her and ran towards the door. When she got there she looked behind her and nothing was there, no fog, no bottle, nothing...
She dropped her hand from her mouth and tilted her head, "What... in Seth's name...?" She mumbled, and as she was about to step forward again she noticed her hair in her face. This hair was not purple, not the bright purple she'd had it at for a several days, it was yellow... rotten yellow.
Her lips twitched up into a short laugh, then a gasp, then another screech. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT IN SETHS FUDGING NAME IS THIS? MY HAIR DOESN'T TURN COLORS WITH JUST ANYTHING! I HAAVE TO DO IT MYSELF! MUM!!!!" Ashlyn continued to screech before knocking into the hallway, whoever she ran down was not her fault, she just kept going.
When she skidded into the kitchen where she figured all the commotion would be she slammed her hands on the table forcing everything to jump and skitter. "MUM LOOK WHAT HE DID TO MY HAIR!!! DAD IS GOING THROUGH SOME SORT OF FUDGING PRANKING CRISIS! MY. HAIR. IS. YELLOW!" She screeched, her whole body breathing deeply, she was going to kill her father.
Whether it be with some sort of prank, his hair was already pink, or something else much more disturbing.
In that second that she finally looked around she noticed the shocked faces of some of her siblings, then they slowly started to cackle with laughter. "Oh shush it you brats... how about when dad changes YOUR color to something else?! Hm!? At least I can change mine back!" She bit, but before she could spit something else out she heard a giggle, a deeper one and she flipped around.
She came face to face with her father who was giggling like a child sitting on one of the counters. "Well now, doesn't that color just look pretty on you." He chuckled again with a wink.
Ashlyns left eye twitched, "DAD! WHAT THE HELL?! COME ON! I'm going to put some pretty nice crawlies in your underwear you pink haired nutcase!" She hissed.
Osiris just let out a laugh and then whistled like he was innocent, "I've done nothing. Are you packed?"
Ashlyn bit back a retort and nodded. "Yes, father." She mumbled, a smirk reappearing on her lips. He hated being called father. It was dad, daddy, or Osiris.
The mans once innocent face turned down with his eyebrow quirked, "Father now is it?" He uttered before hopping off his counter and ambling over to his wife. "Two can play at this game Ashlyn Nefertiti." He murmured before slipping his arms around his wifes waist and winked. He slid his arm around her completely, "Kids, you might want to look away." He chuckled before placing a kiss on her neck. He was doing this purely for the amusement of his kids faces which had almost immediately turned green, or, well, turned around.
Even Ashlyn flipped around and hissed, "EW DAD! MUM!" She growled, slapping a hand over Sati's face.
Osiris let out a laugh and tugged at Lindsey to turn around towards him so he could give her a real kiss.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:22:21 GMT -5
He thought about her question and tilted his head. "Um. Kid's stuff. though I think there might have been some napkin rings and a few of mom's necklaces in some of them." He blushed slightly. "Yeah, um, some things just have not been found again. We didn't make good maps. We could try I guess..." Maybe with magic they might stand more chance these days. As to ghosts... "He's far more patient with me than I would have been, I know that. And no, I think she sees that as her special secret." And watching his mother tell his girlfriend about what to call her, well, her face was priceless. He would remember that.
Keela clearly liked babies. Vincent's smile grew larger.
"Oh that's easy. It's in the levels that mom set with Abraham. Kids at different ages can only access a limited number of rooms. till I was five I never saw the dens or the formal rooms. I didn't find the dungeons till I was eight, cause she had them closed of. Only the adults get access to everything. I have the most I think I can have right now except for Char whose past legal. You can access that with me cause you are my guest to the house, but by yourself there would only have access to some things." Then she made a comment about cousins and his eyes nearly crossed. "Um. I'll have to get a book out to answer that one. it gets confused when we get to dad's side. Remind me later to look for you."
He laughed; she was supposed to have more muggle experience then he did. "Crowbar is a tool muggles use for prying two things apart by leverage. Like getting a door off a locked car or stones in a wall apart sometimes."
-----Meanwhile-----
There were few people in the kitchen when her daughter came screaching in, but Lindsey turned and put a hand over the baby's ears anyway before she got scared of her big sister. She had her official robes laid out on the counter trying to get a stain of what she thought was cranberries out of it when her daughter began yelling about her hair. Darius and Sati had been the first to get back down and when she turned on them Lindsey spoke pointing "Okay you two, back to your building! And be careful." As her husband giggled Lindsey shook her head with a smile; Osiris loved getting his daughter with stuff mostly because of the reactions he managed. A Char came in with Anne through another door, Lindsey held up her finger to them to keep them out of it. "Ash, come here," and held out her hand to examine her hair.
Before she could move, Osiris used Lindsey as a most willing punishment in a kiss, the baby Zahara on her hip as she breathed in his goodbye kiss and embarrassed the children same time. Anne pushed Ash's hand away from her face and as soon as Osiris was done Lindsey made a tongue curl at him and smacked him on the ass. "back to it! You all were supposed to be gone already! Come here, Ash." Instead of reaching for her hair, she pulled her daughter in close as Zahara grabbed at the yellow hair. "Ash, don't let him get you. You know he lives for seeing you lose it and wouldn't want great-grandpa to see that now do we? Bide your time, remember; pick your own battlefields when it's to your advantage." Kissing her despite the yellow hair and she removed the yellow with her wand, tossing it in the trash.
"Char, go pry your brother out of his bedroom to say goodbye. Anne? Go help Ash bring her stuff down before her father tries something else." Catching Ash's arm she said "Give Zahara a kiss so she won't think you're scary. You won't see her for awhile!" Motioning her out, she glared at the robes and then went to round the other boys up.
-----Back Upstairs-----
As soon as she shut the door, Vin grinned and pulled out his wand walking over to the wardrobe. Opening both sides, he showed her it was packed with clothes of all kinds, then he shut the doors and said "Nautilus" while taping the outside. Catching up her hand he led the way inside the new space. In front was a pair of motorcycles, both obviously lovingly taken care of. The rest of the long space included lounge furniture, an office and clean up area, and at the very back she could see the edge of a bedroom. Not only did the room have that older style with a lot of steampunk stuff mixed in, on the tables and surfaces was a wide variety of bric brack from taken apart models and awards (gone to decorate one of the motorcycles) to old school books, pirate decorations and necklaces, and tools and motorcycle parts laid out in an order unfathomable except to a fan.
"It stays a mess back here, but I do manage to keep it out of the main room at least. Dad and mom both know how to get in here, but they promised not to let the younger kids know about it as long as I keep it somewhat controlled." He grinned at her, clearly hoping she was impressed at the dearth of stuff, but if anything from her own brothers she would know about organized messes, right? This was his retreat from the rest of the house, the space officially his and he was clearly proud of it. "Just wanted to show you, we can go back before anyone comes looking for me. I doubt we'd be left back here for long anyway." Leading the way he stepped back out into the main bedroom and after she stepped out it was about a second later there was a knock on the door as he shut the wardobe. Char leaned in, white crew cut hair today he saw, and said "hey Keela! Not run screaming yet? You might last then. Vin, mom says downstairs, they're getting ready to leave."
And she was gone again. Vincent shrugged "Wow, I thought they left last night! Come on, we'd better go down to watch the grand exodus."
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:22:49 GMT -5
Keela looked at him oddly, but she was still smiling. It was odd to see him uncomfortable with anything, endearing even. She couldn't remember ever seeing him blush before. "Your mum's necklaces?" She tried not to laugh. "Did she not ever miss those?" She smiled at the image of the two of them exploring the island together, but then, he was probably fairly familiar with it by this point. He spoke of Abraham, and she resisted the urge to comment, but couldn't help thinking: Patient ghost, go figure that. The sheer number of people in the room was overwhelming, much less the fact that they were all doing something different and talking at once. Maybe she could remember them all by their hair color. Lindsey and Vin were the easy ones, but then came Ash who could change both hair color and appearance at will, Anne with blue hair, Seth who hadn't appeared yet but whom she knew had green hair, Char's was white she knew and the baby would be hard to forget. She had known to expect the unexpected from Vin's warnings about his mother. Still, she and Vin had never seriously talked about marriage in detail, not yet, so hearing his mother be so direct about it was...an experience. Vin was grinning, which simultaneously amused and irritated her.
She listened, but it was difficult to keep up with everything. Kids limited to different parts of their home depending on their age. Well, that was handy. "Dungeons?" Keela's eyes widened, it should have made sense in a place like this, she just hadn't thought of it. "What do you use those for?" She noticed his reaction to her question about cousins and grinned. "I will, but I guess I should have clarified. How many of them will I be meeting tomorrow?" Not that she wasn't concerned with the rest of his family, they just weren't an immediate priority. He explained the concept of a crowbar, and she flinched. "I'd never use a crowbar on you love, hex you maybe if you made me mad enough, but never a crowbar." She actually couldn't fathom him doing anything bad enough to deserve being hexed anymore. They'd come too far, been through too much. If he'd been playing her this whole time, well, he deserved an award for the acting job. If she'd been paying attention, she'd have heard the commotion a moment before she shut his bedroom door, but she was too focused on the fact that they were now alone with four walls between them and the rest of the world.
That, and his room was amazing, which helped.
The secret area looked much more suited to Vin's taste, and it intrigued her on a different level than the original room. She glanced around, finding something to be curious about in every direction. There were pieces and parts of what Keela could only assume were various projects scattered everywhere. It was apparent he spent a good amount of time here, as though the room outside was the public view, and the inner room was what actually went on in his head. Everything looked as though it had come from a different world than Keela was used to, a different age. So, he was a pirate, engineer, pureblood, with a penchant for travel and unique bits of creative magic. What a combination that could prove to be. She moved over in the direction of the most aesthetic of the two motorcycles, the red having caught her eyes. "Do they work?" she wanted to know. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but worried she might do something or cause something that would damage it. It was obvious he cared for the two bikes very much, and Keela had never seen one up close before.
She grinned, "I can only imagine the kind of havoc Ash could wreak if she found her way in." She could imagine it, and she shuddered at the thought. Scattered as it was, it had the feel of being semi-sacred, like a sanctuary of sorts, and it interested Keela to no end. "What is all the rest of this stuff? Parts for things like the Octo? or are they all bike parts?" She had the look of someone who'd been dropped into a parallel universe and couldn't decide which question was most important. She'd have to think it through, or wait for him to tell her she supposed. He mentioned leaving, and she couldn't help the disapponted expression that crossed her face. He had a point though, and she didn't argue, merely nodded her head as she followed him out. Now that she'd seen his actual space, the front room seemed almost ironic by comparison. "That's amazing Vin, I can't believe, I mean...wow." Lost for words, she seemed to be contemplating everything she'd seen since that morning and coming up short for them.
The knock came barely a beat after they'd both come back out, and Keela wanted to laugh at the timing. He hadn't been kidding about people coming after him. Keela shook her head at Char's comment and laughed. "Not yet, I think I'll stick around actually." Might last... If she had anything to say or do about it she would, but she didn't figure on sharing that with his sister. She gave both Vin and Char a startled look. She had been under the impression the Silvers would be gone by the time they got here. Apparently, so had he. Keela nodded took his hand, squeezed, and then leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek before making her way out into the hall and back downstairs. Professor Silver with...pink hair? Was the first shock to Keela's system. Ashlyn seemed slightly put out by something, and Seth was largely quiet. Add to that the younger ones and Keela had to work not stare at the unfolding scene open-mouthed. "Merlin", she whispered next to Vin, what had she gotten herself into?
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:23:12 GMT -5
When Ashlyn finally heard a quick slap, most likely on her fathers ass, she turned around. Her mother had motioned her over before that grossfest started so now she would go. She got up very close to her mother hoping for her to say something about her hair but instead she put her head closer and whispered about not letting her father win. This comment made Ashlyns smirk turn into a hardcore grin and a nod, "I can do that. Wreaking havoc is quite easy for us. Seth will be in I just know it." She whispered, "I'll get him.". She smiled and pecked her mom on the cheek before turning to her baby sister and grabbing her.
She pulled her away from her mother and cradled her in her arms, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "I want her until I leave. No buts." She chuckled and pulled her closer. She looked down and smiled, "Hey you cutiepie, watch this." She chuckled. Her sister made some sounds that sounded like garbled speech and watched her with large yes. Ashlyn wrinkled her nose and closed her eyes for a moment. Slowly, as if fighting a sickness, her hair faded from its rotten yellow egg color to a bright purple that shined. When she flicked her eyes open they were a bright pink that gleamed. Zahara let out a squeal of delight as it happened and grabbed onto her hair once more.
"Oh you like that now don't you?" She giggled. She poked her littles sisters nose with a smile and angled her so she was properly on her hip. The little child was still playing with Ashlyns hair, very amused, it seemed for the moment just like she always was.
Ashlyn turned her head towards the siblings who ambled into the room finally and grinned, "You lot. Where have you been? I've been bored out of my mind." She spoke with a drawl that was heavy on the accent. It seemed to sound more thick when she was at home with everyone and in her mothers accent. When her mother pointed and sent some of them up to get her things she nodded to her, "Thanks mum. Dad has made me pack so many things. This man is crazy..." She spoke.
Her father slipped back onto the counter and shrugged, "Grandfather would not be happy if you did not have all the nice clothing with you. Plus the potions I had you pack. Sati, do me a favor and stop picking your nose?" He spoke without even turning to look at him knowing full well what he was doing. The boy looked up in surprised and quickly threw his hand in his pocket sheepishly. "Darling? Is there anything you'd like me to bring you while I'm away? Or just more random little presents here and there?" He murmured softly.
Ashlyn made a face and turned around away from them to look at her siblings. "I guess I could say the same. Anything you guys want? Jewelry?" She questioned. She tilted her head up, "Seth! Where are you?!" She pipped into the house before turning back to her sister.
"I'm sorry for being so loud sweetie pie." She murmured to the baby who looked a little frightened but as soon as her hair changed colors from purple to pink she was in love again. She tugged at the loose strands around her neck and cooed. Ashlyn smiled, "There you go." She spoke softly before changing it again back to purple which coherced a beautiful laugh from the baby.
At that moment two more voices floated into the room along with two bodies, a male, Vin, and a female... Keela? A girl from school? The quidditch captain of the badgers. Ashlyn blinked rapidly for a moment trying to see if it was a joke but she quickly found out it wasn't and her lips turned into a scowl.
"Theres a normal person here over Christmas. What in merlins beard? Are you trying to scare her Vin? Is she your girlfriend or something? We don't generally bring home friends." She mumbled thinking about the time Char had brought home some guy. It was quite the experience it was.
She allowed her eyes to flick from toe to head before she let her scowl turn into a bit of a smirk. "A little bit of pranking seems in order before I leave now doesn't it Seth?" She chuckled to the boy who walked in behind them, his forest green head bobbing in a laugh.
"Oh why yes it does Ashlyn. You don't know what I have in store yet now do you?" He boomed laughing. He slipped out from behind the two people in front of him to stand next to Ashlyn an arm around her shoulder. He placed a kiss on top of his sisters forehead, Zahara, with a smile and wink. He knew how to bust anyones balls when it came to pranking so he hoped they took heed. He did like to prank with his sister and it wouldn't stop at anything simple. He'd have fun saying goodbye to everyone in the house especially a non family member. It'd be funny.
"Maybe your hair would look great in pink, you could match the family." He spoke with a grin towards Keela. "I'm Seth. I'm her twin."
Ashlyn chuckled and tilted her head, "Nice to meet you up close Keela. Hope all of this is up to your wildest dreams. Its quite crazy around here. Especially for normal people. You know, I should've invited Onyx over this break. Merlin knows he'd have of had a great time. And I would've been able to have him in my room. That's where you were now wasn't it?" She mentioned, her eyebrow quirking up.
She turned her head back to her mother, "Onyx Holland mum, he's got a great ass." She spoke with a wink.
She allowed her eyes to find her father who now sat straighter on the counter at hearing the last name Holland, and hearing it was a boy. His face seemed a bit red. "Excuse me?" He uttered.
Ashlyn chuckled, "Nothing dad. I'm surprised Vin didn't tell you about him. We've been around the castle and people know. It's no surprise. Oh... Vin? Didn't you know?" She spoke with a smile. She tilted her head in just the right position to where Vin would see an almost faded hickey, it had been especially bad right when she came home and had yet to go away. Now if only he could see her hip and/or her back better. That's when they'd notice the black and blue hickies that lined areas they shouldn't.
"So, how about those Tutshill Tornadoes? How's Aunt Alexandra?" She smiled, her voice just raised above the shouting of her younger siblings.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:23:41 GMT -5
Looking a bit sheepish he said "Um, maybe some of them. I don't think she ever missed the napkin holders. We did look for them, but we just...well it didn't work." Later she questioned him about how the house operated and he had to think a bit. "Well back originally, dungeons. Mom had them cleaned out and turned them into her office and lounge. All the ghosts are centered down there so you can end up with like thirty of them at a time down there." Crowded in more ways then one since not all of them spoke the same languages and were from different times and cultures.
"Oh! Well Aunt Alice, her husband and two kids. Not many compared to most of our gatherings. You probably will recognize Annael from the Gryffindor team." He shrugged; if she ever saw it when everyone was here she's pop eyes. On top of that was the idea that if it happened, he might not have to have cousins in his room in sleeping bags again anymore. He grinned for no reason. Hearing he was safe from crowbars just caused him to grin at her more, pleased.
Seeing her go to the gold one he laughed and felt a warmth in his chest for her stronger then before. Stepping up to her he slid his hands around her middle from behind and said in her ear "I got Dad to buy me the silver one a few years ago it was so fascinating to me. Ever since I've bought all I could on how they worked and were put together. This one," he pointed at the red and gold one without his hand leaving her waist, "Is the one I made and have tested, my dear Keela. It's the one I'm using this summer." At the idea of Ash in here Vin felt actually ashamedly nervous. "yeah it may not look it, but there is an order to where things are generally. She would ruin all that in seconds."
Not that he wanted her to have access to his pride of a motorcycle anyway.
"Some of it are for the bikes, some are for clothes, some are for different little projects. A couple I have just cause they are cool and some are tools for working on other stuff. Oh! And these are actually older, like mom's pirate gifts." There was a ton of other things, but in the limited time he had at that moment it didn't seem good to overwhelm her too much half an hour after having gotten here. "Yeah we can come back here later. Don't worry, Keela, there's time." Stepping out of the wardrobe it was clear she saw what a difference there was between the two and how much this main room was a shell of who he was. He simply nodded before Char interrupted; at least she was wearing something more then underwear for once.
----Earlier----
Letting go of Zahara for a few minutes was a relief in a way; Lin knew that Ash would be careful and it gave her a two handed approach to the robes. She was about to say something to Sati, but Osiris got him so she put both hands on the robe, muttering the spell she wanted and worked on the stain getting the worst out when she felt Osiris' hand on her. "Why spoil me, of course. Oh! And baby stuff of course," her voice dropped lower so the kids could not hear "and think about possible Keela stuff dear, best to get ahead on that too." When he gave her a look she patted her shirt about where the ring would be dangling when she wore it and she knew he understood she had an "impression." Out in the hall the whole crowd moved to see off family, Lindsey free to grab the boys from the dining room first. As trunks were loaded in the middle of the floor and she supervised the chaos, her son and his girl came in with Char.
----Present-----
Getting a kiss from his intended (at least from his perspective) they headed down in time for him to see dad had really done the pink hair. Trying not to laugh, his eyes were watching from the sidelines, holding Keela around the middle from behind and smiling at the chaos. The smile didn't last long before there were words his way from his sister. "Girlfriend, actually Ash, and I know you were told, but I think you've been distracted by someone's lips yourself it seems." Lindsey perked up her own ears about the same time Osiris reacted. Vin was quick to fill his father in. "Hotel chain son, dad, you know, has a reputation around school for bedding teenagers." Of course in her urge had forgotten that Vin had a deal with her that if she left Keela alone, he'd keep his mouth shut about her activities with clothes in front of boys.
They had no deal protecting Onyx however.
"Of course, Ash may have caught him who knows? I think only she knows the truth, but the school has another idea about it the gossip I've heard." And then above Keela's head he held up the ring not on his finger dipping it towards Keela in full view of his father and mother as well as Seth and Ash and then palmed it with a smile. That surprised her and brought a grin to Lindsey's face. Osiris' eyes didn't miss the meaning either and Seth stepped back with a whistle, suddenly interested in helping with the luggage. As Lindsey retrieved little Zahara, she came right over to where Keela and Vin stood clearly with a light in her eyes. "Here, Keela, want to sit here with me and distract the little ones?" Lindsey sat down on the bottom step, Zahara playing with her necklace till distracted by Keela's words with a little grin.
And the best part? As Vincent met his sister's eyes he hadn't broken his end of the deal and she knew it. She still had to treat Keela with kid gloves, especially with a ring being promised. Let her chew on that while she was gone and dad was taking her apart for this hotel kid with a bad reputation...
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:25:46 GMT -5
Keela thought it might have been a good idea to read up on his family in advance. She didn't know much about the other pureblood families, it had never really mattered to her own. She'd rubbed elbows with them as a young child because of her great grandmother, but after Gran's death, things had progressed normally. It was something she now wished she'd put more time into. It would have come in handy just now. Anael Zabini, the name did bring with it a familiar face. While not exactly friends, neither were the two girls enemies. It might be nice to have an opportunity to get to know her outside of school,"I know her", she answered in affirmation. "She's a tough player, but that's about all I know." She hadn't even known the two were cousins actually, but it shouldn't have surprised her, they were all related somehow after all. "Is your aunt anything like your mum?"
She did reach out to touch it as he spoke, carefully, cautiously, she ran her fingertips over the seat, treating it as though it were made of glass and might break if she got too close or pressed too hard."Its incredible" she murmured softly. She turned to him admiration evident in her expression and voice. "You built this?" It sounded as if she wondered if such a thing were possible. But then, when she looked at the bike again, she saw it, the craftsmanship, the careful, way it had been not only built but also cared for. It was his, marred in his hand the same way one might see in pottery or painting, any artwork really. It was a masterpiece, his masterpiece, and she felt honored beyond words to see it. "Thank you, for letting me be in here, love." She turned carefully in his arms, pressed her lips to his, and pulled back smiling. "Its an art, what you do, what you've done with the room. We have more in common than I thought." The idea of Ashlyn being here, not respecting how important all this was, it bothered Keela immensely. "She won't find it, love. Who else knows that spell besides you and your parents? Who else even knows its here?"
She glanced around with new interest before meeting his eyes again. "One of these days, will you teach me which is which?" She wanted to learn, partly because she was genuinely curious and partly because she wanted to understand this part of him, wanted to share it with him if she could. Suddenly her mum giving up life in the middle of London's urban center to come and live with her father on a farm in Ireland made sense, despite all the adjustment Keela knew it had taken. Love made people willing to make uncommon sacrifices, it made her willing to learn something she would probably never truly need just because it mattered to the person she loved. It also made her irritated when he mentioned they had to go back to the public space, but she smiled in spite of herself. "I want to see the pirate stuff some day too", she prodded him. "I've never known a real pirate before", her tone was teasing and her eyes shown with a mischievous glint.
The chaos had doubled in their absence. While not particularly shy, Keela still felt it important not to draw attention at the moment. It warmed up in a completely sentimental way to have him call her his girlfriend in front of the family. Femenism be damned, it felt good to be his. Keela ducked her head, working not to grin. The whole school knew about Onyx Holland and Ashlyn Silver, especially the Prefects who had had the misfortune of walking in on them late at night. Keela fortunately had been spared thus far, but she didn't want to be drawn into this conversation unless it was absolutely necessary. She knew Vin was diverting attention, and she watched Ashlyn's face from under her lashes. She might have been slightly intimidated by the younger girl, but she felt on relatively even footing with Vin near by. Keela blanched, nothing Vin had said was false, but she couldn't help thinking he was asking for trouble. She resisted the urge to make some totally mundane comment as a distraction. 'Anyone see the Puddlemere game?' just didn't seem appropriate.
The mention of pranks got Keela's attention. "I'd be up for that" she assured Ashlyn. "I've got cousins around your age, three younger siblings, and two aunts who were Slytherins" she rattled them off. "I think I could come up with something." Seth reminded her vaguely of Cern, especially in how he seemed be with Ash. She laughed when he mentioned pink hair, unphased. "Briana, my sister, turned it purple last year on accident. Cern and I once gave each other haircuts with muggle scissors." She shook her head, "mum made us grow it back without magic as punishment." The memory still made her smile. Looking between the two of them, Keela laughed. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun, but I claim Vin, two against one just isn't fair." Keela grinned, "nice to meet you too Ashlyn", she nodded at the younger girl, only to blush a second later. "Yes, your mum told me to go get settled in, nearly got bowled over by some ghost in the hallway with a boulder of a rock too." She hoped that would serve to change the subject.
She briefly considered making a comment about Vin that would mess with Ashlyn, but wasn't sure how he'd feel about it. She settled for: "Oh I didn't know you guys were together, one of the Ravenclaw Prefects mentioned he'd run into the two of you the other night, but I thought, well, nevermind." It might not have been the smartest move, but Keela wanted to prove she could blend, and if that meant going toe to toe with his siter, well, so be it. She'd survive. Vin mentioned gossip, and she laughed. "Now Vin, we both know gossip never has even the slightest amount of truth in it", she shot him a look that was both playful and meaningful, "isn't that right? Its not as if any of them have actually seen anything." She glanced at Ashlyn quickly, challenging her.
Keela smiled, having missed the entire interaction between Vin and his family, she was beginning to feel more comfortable as she nodded at Lindsey. "Of course", she held her arms out for Zahara. "Can I?"
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:26:19 GMT -5
"Mmm. Why didn't you tell me about him Ashlyn? You usually tell me everything..."[/b] Osiris murmured tapping his chin with his finger, then he turned to Vin who began to speak more about Onyx. This made Osiris' lips tighten into a line, "I'm sure he's not all bad..." He spoke before looking at Lindsey, "Was I as bad as the rumors darling?" He questioned with a slight frown.
Ashlyn tilted her head to the side again when Vin mentioned more about Onyx and she chuckled. "I would best advise you not to touch him Vin. We wouldn't want anything to happen to this little firecracker now would we?" She murmured gently, her smile curling into something that was purely sadistic. It was a hint at its best. If Vin could figure it out now he'd be smart, if he couldn't she'd be surprised. "I quite like her. She's got spunk, she fits in. She challenges well. I'd be afraid for you and her if she didn't. She's pretty much passed the test but... when I know she can handle it Vin..." She chuckled. She didn't get her personality just from her mother she knew that, she had bits and pieces from her father and aunt. She knew how to become something she shouldn't have to and would even when her parents wouldn't advise it, of course she'd be in trouble, but when was Ashlyn not in trouble?
"When you can handle the crazy. Tell me. Then tell Vin. You'll be all in. All or nothing." She giggled. The pranks that would ensue when she agreed. Oh the fun. Oh the merry, merry fun. "I like what you've... your siblings have done. It works. I think. I think you'd have fun when you get used to it. It takes awhile but it works. Nothing dangerous. All about fun and games." She murmured, twirling.
She was speaking directly to Keela, Vin was not in this decision. It was hers and hers alone. If she could handle it.
The deal she had made with Vin only lasted so far with Keela but if he tested her she'd rip right through the deal. If the girl tested her it would only be so long before she told the girl about the deal she had made with Vin. That might not go over well.
In the midst of them talking the different family members began to assemble towards the front door which forced the three of them to move with them. Ashlyn gave Darius a wink and a one armed hugged before Sati gripped her hand and smiled, hugging her around the waist. She petted his head and crooned, "Get into lots and lots of treasure for me when I'm gone okay Sati? Also," She spoke bending down, "Get Vin and Keela for me. Find them some presents." She chuckled with a wink before standing up and hugging the females last. Charlotte and then Anne in that exact order. She patted Anne's head and gave her sister a light sucker punch to the upper arm which she returned.
Ashlyn then turned simply to the two in front of her with a smirk. "It's been great to see you Keela. I'll see you at school." She murmured. But her eyes picked up on something that Vin was doing without Keela's knowledge, she didn't budge with anything except for her eyes, which glinted. So he wanted to play that game.
Even Seth bit at his lip, whistled, and turned away to get their things. He knew he could overpower that little spectacle but he wouldn't. He'd let Ashlyn have her own battle for now. Ashlyn reached over and took a round about sucker punch to his arm. "Love you too Seth." She drawled before flipping around to the other two again.
It was those last moments of saying goodbye to the family she wouldn't see until school began again in a few weeks that Ashlyn had completely figured out her little comeback to Vin. The ring that he dangled over Keelas head had definitely made her own head spin but at the same time it made her grin. He tried to use the only thing he could to keep her from doing anything after their deal. But did he know that he wasn't the first? No, probably not. He did not know that he was not the first to give a Silver Family ring to someone from their own generation. No, not the first. She clasped one hand tightly around an object, one that would surprise even Vin.
Ashlyn reached Vin and placed a hand on his arm in a goodbye, no hugs or kisses would be exchanged, it wasn't who she was with him. Not right now anyway. He knew it was on. Then she turned to Keela and grinned, "Don't let the snake get away my dear." She whispered softly before slipping both arms around her. "Just watch this." She whispered again so that only Keela could hear her. When she pulled away her smirk was still curled up at the corners of her lips and she turned to go back to the front door where everyone was gathering outside. Her hands clasped now behind her back.
She turned her head back to look at Vin and she tilted her head, "Hey Vin? Does this look familiar?" She murmured with a giggle, her clasped fingers slowly unfurled and out came a golden chain. The chain was slipped fully down her hand but was held at the very top by her thumb. The chain was bare. There was no snake ring adorning it.
The ring was gone.
Her ring was gone.
Before she let anyone else see the chain she whipped her hand around, the chain swinging back into her palm. "See you at school Vin." She murmured as she turned her head completely back with a smile.
If Vin couldn't guess at this point that Onyx had her ring than she'd have to show him at school. The ring meant safety. They were both playing with fire.
If that didn't un-nerve him she didn't know what would and it would be worth it if it did.
As she touched base outside where her father was Seth stepped back inside and began talking again, quickly, she smirked. If Vin didn't know to run now he had some interesting things about to happen. No footsteps.
A crash. A pop.
The smell of rotten eggs.
"HAHAHA! ENJOY THE YELLOW HAIR MY SIBLING AND SIBLINGS GIRLFRIEND! and mom...!!" He cackled, Seth had used the same potion her father had used on her.
She smirked. It was good to be her.
She stepped up to her mother who had taken Zahara a little while ago and gave her a hug and kiss. Then she landed a kiss on Zahara's head, "Little one, check this out." She spoke with a wink before changing her hair again. It settled in another color for a few seconds before transitioning to her purple again. "I'll show you again in a while. Love you." She whispered before placing a quick kiss on her cheek and turning around to the walk way, crossing her arms over her chest. Yellow child or not she was cute.
Seth came stumbling out laughing and leaned on Ashlyn. "God I love this. Hey, what did you show Vin in there?" He questioned. Ashlyn looked at him and shrugged, "Nothing Seth. Nothing.".
At the same time of the cackling Osiris peeked into the door and put a hand over his mouth. "Darling... We must change this girls hair back. I'm sure she won't like yellow." He tried not to laugh as he looked at the two people standing next to Seth, who was grinning stupidly, "Keela, love? I apologize for Seth." He murmured.
Osiris stepped inside slowly, almost cautiously, making sure the fog was gone. It was. So was the glass again, he grinned, Seth had made it right. "Sorry again. I've taught my children a good way to prank. No evidence. Um, darling?" He murmured again before giving Vin his hand to shake and Keela a tender but quick hug around the shoulders. "My darling wife will take care of this but I must whisk these children away before they cause more trouble. I also need to speak with my daughter. I hope you understand. Vin, take care of her. Even though she seems to be able to do it on her own." He spoke with a wink.
Then he turned from them, taking Seth's upper arm and Ashlyn's before heading out the door. Their trunks had been shrunk and placed into his pocket before they blinked. Nowthey were apparating to their destination once they step over the threshold--blink, snap, blink--gone.
All Ashlyn had to think about now was whether or not Vin would say anything.
How would he react?
The snake had left her hands.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:26:49 GMT -5
She asked about Aunt Alice and he wondered how to explain it. "Well, Aunt Alice is the other side of mom. She's calm, dark haired, quiet, and sometimes comes across as cold. From what I understand mom was the one who kept her from being too unsocial and more alive and aunt Alice kept her under some control and made her think. Or something like that. Together they make up one person sometimes, it's kind a wild." And it was different, hard to explain. He'd never felt cold from Alice, but she was so much more, well, centered then any of his mom's kids. Shaking his head he just didn't know another way to explain it. But seeing her appreciate the motorbike made his pride swell again; it was a large part of his life outside of Hogwarts.
"Seeing you appreciate it makes me feel really good! I've worked a lot of magic in it so far and it adjusts better then any muggle version would, but the details have been a real sweat-producer. I'm going to love seeing how you react when you ride it the first time." Hearing her thanking him for showing her this caused a smile too, even more so. "Keela, I've been telling you once you saw the house you'd understand more. Well, this is me in a large way as confused as it might seem overall. So yes, I will be happy to long as we exchange showing, one for one."
He kissed her back just as much, enjoying a personal moment before they left in hopes of more later.
In the hall, Vincent was heartily glad he had warned her about Ash and told her stories. It seemed she was more off her rocker then normally, something he would talk with Char about later and then maybe mom. "No dear, you were worse. Thank goodness..." Keela did okay, holding her own, not striking too bad back either, but Ash seemed to go off on some tangent about practical jokes. Vin frowned at Ashe about her comment abut leaving Onyx alone; he never had threatened. "I never said -- whatever." He rolled his eyes; that had always been Char's thing and not his. He kind of wished that they had left last night, but with mom next to Keela, he stepped forward and gave his dad a hug goodbye before he nodded at Seth before he moved off. Lindsey nodded at Keela and let her hold Zahara who reached for Keela's hair. She was probably growing up to recognize family by hair colors the way things went here which amused Vin.
But then the craziest of the family did something bizarre and pulled out her necklace to dangle it at Vin and then he saw it. Or didn't see it. Eyes narrowing, he realized that Ash was gleeful because she had already added a member to the family without telling her parents as Vincent had just done. Whoo-boy, she really had gone off her rocker! Making a "Damn-you-are-dumb" look as she went out the door when the sudden cloud of potion stuff happened he stepped fast next to Keela, realizing suddenly that it couldn't be too bad as it was next to Lindsey and the baby. Who was kind of off limits in the practical joke field in the family. "Osiris, give Seth a good smack for doing that next to Zahara, might have scared her, love." She glanced at Keela's now very different hair and chuckled as Osiris apologized for Seth. "We're good, go before they do something else," giving her husband a very intense and personal kiss causing most of the kids to turn away and Char to start sending them off.
"Darius and Seti, blocks now please, Anne, come on let's get the table cleaned up for mom." Vin, Accio-ing a small mirror, handed it to Keela saying "Wow, now that's different," as Lin shook the glitter out of her hair and then brushed Zahara's who laughed at the shiny, "Not bad, you look like you fit right in." He grinned and kissed her cheek before saying to his mom "Now that the craziness is over I'm going to finish showing her around. Want us to keep up with Zahara for a bit? She can be our chaperone..." Lindsey cackled and made a shooing motion, heading inside to make sure the girls didn't put the things on the robes...
Glancing at her he said "hey, sorry about Ash, she's weirder then normal today. You okay?" He helped her stand, distracting Zahara as he did so so she wouldn't feel scared about unfamiliar movement and then whispered to her "Hey Zah, I think I might have to get a few hairs from Keela to save under charm cause it's so pretty! Would you like that?" Attention, of course, was always good from any baby's point of view. And with a little luck Keela might decide she liked the idea of having a baby around quite a bit...
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:27:58 GMT -5
Keela snorted, then tried to cover. In an odd way Vin's mum and dad reminded her of her own parents. They obviously loved each other very much, and were good at rolling with the punches of living with several small children. Realizing that Vin was clueless to what his sister was actually telling her, the two girls shared a look. "I don't do anything half-way", she assured the younger girl. "I promise you'll be...one of the first to know." After Vin and her own family of course. She got the impression Ashlyn Silver could be either a strong ally or a bitter enemy, and she wanted to find some common ground with the the younger girl. With a meaningful glance in Vin's direction, she lowered her voice, her words meant for Ashlyn alone. "When I'm ready..." she'd purposely said when and not if. "I'll tell you." She smiled at Ashlyn. "Its been an adventure Ashlyn, good to see you too. You guys have fun." She laughed at Ash's choice of words. "Not a chance", she promised softly, returning the hug with some surprise but not less genuine warmth.
Seth's words came as no surprise, she'd known something was coming. The potion would have turned Keela's hair yellow, if she had the magical hair for which it had been designed. As it stood, the magic of the potion reacted with her already charmed hair, turning it a light blue instead. She didn't realize this at first. She appreciated Professor Silver's apology, but wanted to assure him it wasn't necessary. "Its no problem Professor", she smiled at the man. She returned his hug, feeling much better over all about blending into her boyfriend's crazy family. The compliment further raised her spirits, and she beamed at him. She took note of Vin's frowning face, and though she didn't know what had happened, she reached down to take his hand, squeezing it and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Then, noting his parents were involved with each other, she raised up and kissed his lips quickly. "Relax, love. Its all in good fun right?" She had no idea the ramifications of the rest of Ashlyn's actions.
She took one look in the mirror and burst out laughing. "Well, it hasn't been this color yer." She shook her head. "Look Anne, we match!" she called to the other girl, careful not to shout because of Zahara. She spoke in a softer voice to Vin. "I did okay really?" she sounded suddenly unsure. She suddenly wanted very much to be accepted into his world, wanted to belong in it. She grinned, thinking how peaceful everything suddenly seemed, like the calm after a hurricane had blown through. She nodded emphatically at his mum. "She can come help me keep Vin on his toes", Keela agreed with a grin. She smiled a few moments later at the concern in his voice. "I"m fine love, fabulous actually. Do you think mum would freak if I left it like this?" She balanced the baby carefully on her hip as she stood, eyes alight. Since she'd helped take care of her younger siblings and her cousins after that, the posturing felt familiar as breathing. The baby made a grab for the ends of her hair, and she smiled, offering her the necklace she wore to play with instead. "She really is a cutie" Keela almost cooed. To Vin she turned and said with a completely straight face, "you understand that after that I'm thinking I may wait to have kids until I'm thirty right?"
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:28:37 GMT -5
Somehow having the chaos part of the morning over with left him feeling they had gotten off to a good start with the mess mostly over with. Well, mostly. And the way she kissed him a bit daring because his parents were busy let him know she was feeling in good spirits, a great relief to him! When she asked if she had done okay he nodded and kissed her on the forehead; "Oh definitely, I'm rather proud of you actually, I've seen others who couldn't deal with this lot so long..." He also grinned as she agreed with him about Zahara; helping out with kids would already look good with his mom and he thought she had already figured that out.
"Your mom? No, but I bet your aunts would think it hilarious somehow. I suspect the little ones would too." Hearing her coo at the baby he pondered why all women seemed to make the same sounds at little children; was it something in the race? But then she backslid some saying she was even more hesitant about kids. Not able to tell if she was joking or not, Vin laughed as he turned her steps back towards the upstairs again. "I think Ash would make most people hesitate to have children. I think mom managed because she had them close together. Each of us got to grow up watching over the ones right after us. Made us very tight knit."
Leading her up to the third floor he said "I wanted to show you the old part of the house. None of the younger kids can get up here it's kind of...saved I guess is the right word." Opening the door he led her into a pair of rooms that looked like they had been made for royalty. "Like six grands back grandmother of mine used to be a big social big wig. As you can probably tell." the two ghost boys were in the sitting room tossing a ball back and forth (ghost ball) and ignored them for the moment. "She was the last to really do big dances and such so these were left alone, kind of a way of looking back I guess."
Motioning at the two with a grin he said "Robert and Givens were the two I told you I used to play hide and go seek with. They tend to only really bond with little kids though. They mostly don't see me as much these days, but they fit this room a lot more then most." A few doors down he opened another and there was Zahara's room clearly. Opening a drawer he pulled out a rubber toy, a Balisk in pink and handed it to Zahara who immediately grabbed it with a cry of recognition. "She loves that thing, silly Zah... Next door is the nanny and then Sati is on the other side. it's a-- Hi Mrs Grands!" as he stepped into the other room, the rocking chair which was moving showed an elderly like ghost sitting in it who waved and brightened when she saw Zahara. "She's not down for a nap yet, but I'll let mom know you're here, okay?"
The older woman nodded and the rocker continued, though her feet never touched the floor it seemed thought was enough for her. Motioning Keela along he said "She never talks, but kids react to her very well. I kind of remember her talking inside my head I think more, it's hard to remember." He showed her through Sati's room which was clearly for two kids of similar ages and then back into the hall. The sound of the balisk being sucked on was loud in the hall and Vin laughed, hearing it. "Above this is the attics which are huge, but we don't usually use those except for broom practice on rainy days." He stopped in the hallway and pointed back the way they had come up where the stairs awaited. "Abraham?" The ghost appeared in the hall near them. "Can you let her see a guest room and the the landing area? We'll probably wander after that."
The ghost nodded and as they stepped to the stairs, Vincent took her arm to help with balance since she had Zahara till they got down. "He usually leaves the guest rooms out of it. We can almost house all the general cousins in separated beds, but when we get Silvers here too it gets a bit crowded. Any questions yet on stuff?" He fingered the ring in his pocket and decided he was about as ready as he was going to be.
|
|
|
Post by Shava on Mar 26, 2013 16:29:42 GMT -5
Keela laughed. She could see why some might think is family a bit overwhelming. If she hadn't grown up in a large family herself, she'd have been upstairs trying to figure out how to get into the secret space in his closet and lock herself in. Still, she understood a bit more clearly his concerns for Ash, though she suspected Seth was equally protective, and would also being watching out for her. His praise gave her a feeling of accomplishment, and she radiated it. Despite his warnings about his mother, Keela respected the woman and found her intriguing. She was about as different from Keela's own mum as one could get, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. It would definitely make the holidays interesting if things kept progressing. To Vin she offered a lightly ironic "I can't imagine why" looking pointedly in the direction the twins and their father had just gone. "Your dad's a riot though, I wouldn't have guessed that from class."
Keela grinned at the thought. "It will fade before I go home though won't it." It might seem odd if she came back with blue hair, Keela didn't normally do things like that. "I can just picture Dian, and Briana would think I'd gone nutters." The thought amused her. While she wasn't sure she could deal with the color permentantly, it was nice to try something a little different, and rolling with the punches didn't bother her. Keela wondered again how Lindsey and Professor Silver had managed with so many personalities. After meeting everyone, Vin seemed almost normal to her by comparison. She tried not to think too closely on how much her thought process had changed since she met him. Seeing he wasn't sure whether to take her seriously, she smiled. "I'm only kidding love, I wouldn't wait that long." She shook her head ruefully. "Ash though..." Keela seearched for words. "She's a trip." If they got married next winter, and waited a couple of years for travel time, Keela calculated, she'd only be in her early twenties when they settled down. She eyed Vin covertly. Well, if they ever managed to settled down. The conversation the previous day came back in a rush, and she hoped they'd get a chance to revisit the subject. The busy day hadn't given them much time to talk.
She followed him up, listening as he spoke. "Saved for what?" she asked him softly as they entered. It reminded her of Gran's and she almost laughed. "I can tell", she assured him. "It looks like my great grandmother's house." She looked around, taking it in. She remember the shades of these rooms from the room of requirement, though the ghosts had been absent. It took her a moment to notice them. Though she wasn't startled since ghosts were common at Hogwarts, it still seemed a strange thing to get used to. She wondered if the ghosts would stay no matter who lived in the house, or if they had come because of his mother. "Are these ghosts part of your mother's work? Or were they already here?" The funny thing was they didn't seem odd sitting there. It was as though Keela were looking back through time into what the room might have been for them, it was both strange and intriguing, an unnerving combination.
Keela glanced at the boys as he spoke. "Don't see you?" It sounded strange the way he'd said it. "What do you mean they don't see you?" She'd never heard of a ghost being selective that way before. On the trip to the next room, Zahara began to fuss, and Keela bounced the little girl on her hip with an inkling of where they were headed next. Vin opened the door, confirming her suspicions. The toy was cute, but Zahara's reaction to it was even moreso. Keela was so focused on the baby that she almost didn't notice the other presence in the room. She wondered if she'd ever be that comfortable with being around so many ghosts. It seemed unfathomable. Keela smiled at the ghost, though she couldn't wave. "Hello Mrs. Grands", the ghost nodded and smiled politely, but didn't speak. Vin's explanation came a moment later, and Keela glanced at the elderly looking ghost again. "Broom practice?" Keela's tone was vaguely incredulous. "They're that big?"
Abraham's reappearance was beginning to feel commonplace, and the thought amused her. She thought about it as they climbed and then began ticking them off on the landing. "Are any of these ghosts relatives of yours? Where are the cats? Are there any shortcuts anywhere?" She paused to take a breath, "and whose responsible for cleaning all these rooms?" The last part she said with a hint of humor. It seemed to her an insurmountable task, even with magic.
|
|