[The Welcome Home] Fool's gold (Stitch)

by **Callisto** on September 25th, 2010, 9:15 am

oocLate summer 510AV

It was early morning and the sky was beginning to show the telltale signs of a bright and comforting day. Syna never failed in that respect, and Callisto was grateful. Rarely did she sleep, and more rarely did she stay in one place for long. She had been in Syliras for the majority of the season, and the Ethaefal had found herself unsure of what to do next to appease her constant sense of boredom. Searching for books was out of the question, for the selection of items here were close to none in what she wished to research, and when it came to entertainment, they were most, if not all, quite stagnant for her.

Not several weeks ago she had come across a Nuit of remarkable history, and from her she had learned of a building for orphans that was also the headquarters of what she deemed a great fighter. In the recent days, Callisto found herself lacking in that respect. Fighting was not a real term she enjoyed using in pleasant conversation, and indeed, she was a woman of refinery. Regal and fit for a Queen. Fighting was not in her vocabulary. Dueling seemed far more appropriate, or perhaps, sparring. Either way, her curiosity willed her legs forward in the hopes of discovering this establishment, and after several pit stops and many many questions to various denizens of the city, the Ethaefal found herself on the front steps of the Welcome Home.

A golden hand shot out and rapped the door softly, waiting for the familiar sound of footsteps rushing toward her. Callisto wasn’t one to enjoy the company of children. During her stay she had been bombarded with questions, prodded and poked and trailed after for many hours of the day, despite the fact that she shouldn’t have been the only Ethaefal to grace the high walls of the city. And of course she was not! It was not so much that she grew impatient with them, she merely expected the worst.

Thus the elaborately dressed daughter of Syna stood, awaiting the pleasure of meeting whoever dwelled inside.

by **Stitch** on September 28th, 2010, 8:34 pm

"Hold on a minute!" The high-pitched yelp came from right on the other side of the door, the voice having a bit of a ragged edge to it. Whoever it was sounded as if he was working out, and it was likely the workout that was causing him to be a bit late in opening the door. A few seconds passed, and the door would quickly be slammed open. It was rather rude, and rather startling, if one wasn't ready for it. It wouldn't be apparent who had opened the door, not at first. Only whenever the beautiful maiden looked down, would she notice the rather short little boy in the doorway. A mop of black curls were set atop his head, and dark black eyes examined her curiously. He was lightly tanned, shirtless, and only in a pair of black britches. He was a rather cute little thing, and the adorable factor was only increased by the exaggerated gasps that exploded from his mouth. He was huffing and puffing, but putting a lot of effort into it. Why was he doing that?

"Whew. Just finished a rough work-out. It was pretty hard. But I gotta keep the muscles in shape, or so Stitch says." The boy huffed and puffed some more, his voice oddly cocky and loud, as if he wanted to make sure that Callisto heard every confident word. He flexed out his chest a bit, being overly casual about it, trying to make it look innocent when he was actually trying to make sure the girl noticed. He leaned against the doorway, propping a shoulder to the wood, giving quite the false yawn. Was he feigning boredom, as if he didn't want her to think he was interested? Where did this little lad get his flirting tips from? And furthermore, he looked as if he was about ten or eleven. Where in the world had he matured this quickly, and why in the world had he matured in this particular way?

His interest in her was apparent. Even whenever he was yawning out of "boredom", his eyes were locked on her. They had paused on her face for a second, but they were now wandering... elsewhere. The curve of her hips had entranced him at first, apparently his hormones ran fluidly through his veins. But even that had soon lost his interest, for it had been her bosom that had really caught his attention. He was now staring at it openly, and a small grin had spread across his lips. Apparently the person who had taught him how to flirt hadn't really taught him any manners.

Dark eyes flickered up to glance at her, and he fully grinned, cocking his head. "I am guessing you came to see Stitch-" Damien lowered his voice, mumbling under his breath. "...Because he always gets the pretty visitors..." Damien quickly brightened up, as if the mumbling hadn't ever happened. "...but he isn't here. He was just running the girls to their singing practice, so he should be back soon. Want to wrestle?" Wow, he was forward. And he was looking at her chest again.

"I could teach you how to defend yourself." With those incredibly forward words, he then winked. A really big, cheesy wink. Was he really ten?

by **Callisto** on October 4th, 2010, 4:42 am

When the door had creaked open, Callisto honestly hadn’t expected a boy so young to greet her. Yes, she had deduced from the gossip she had received that this was an orphanage for the lonely and destitute children of Syliras, but by Syna, she didn’t want to deal with any of them! So when the dark haired boy greeted her with his version flirting, she rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. Poor child, he seemed so attention-deprived he had to seek it from someone such as herself. What has the world come to when adolescent boys went looking for a piece of ass?

“Oh, and how well-toned you are,” Callisto teased, “You must work out quite a bit, what do you do, sweep the floor all day then take your frequent naps?” When she noticed his eyes wander below, she didn’t seem to care, although when they locked onto her breasts, Callisto had half the mind to slap him right up off the ground. Instead, the Ethaefal bent low, her slightly provocative attire hanging low enough to reveal a part of her cleavage. Was she testing him? Perhaps, but there was a charming smile playing on her lips as she spoke, “You’d be wise to tear your eyes from places they shouldn’t linger, child. You wouldn’t want something tragic to happen to them, now would you?”

“Yes I came to see the one named Stitch.” She straightened up once more, flicking a crimson lock over her shoulder. When he mentioned that he was off on some business she stifled the urge to sigh. Only when he mentioned his suggestion did she gave a slight laugh. “Wrestling is such a primitive term. Must we wrestle? Could we not, say, duel, instead?” She grinned deviously as Damien mentioned “teaching” her how to defend herself. What a silly boy. “I’ll humor you then. Teach me what you know, oh Master. No weapons?” She slipped her Suvai on the ground, then slipped off the sari overshirt that might hinder her, revealing underneath, a white strip of cloth tightened around her chest and thin white leggings. “Shall we?”

by **Stitch** on October 5th, 2010, 4:35 am

If he knew she was teasing, he didn't let on. In fact, when she gave him the rather sarcastic compliment, his chest actually puffed up a bit. He gave her a rather nice grin, actually blushing, rubbing at the back of his head. "Well, Stitch says naps are good to keep up a warrior's strength, and sweeping is good for arm muscles. School is good for the mind, and every warrior has to have a smart mind. He lets me do most of the hard chores around the Home too; because like the sweeping, it will help keep my strength up." He held out an arm and bent it, flexing the muscle, then pointing at the small bulge that appeared. The young boy grinned at the muscle, which he obviously found impressive, then turned to gauge Callisto's reaction. Instead, he was met with a rather generous look of cleavage, to which his mouth quickly dropped open at. It was definitely the largest eyeful he had ever gotten, and he was quite impressed with it. Was she flirting with him? He couldn't move his eyes away in order to glance into hers, and see if this was all for real. He was lucky that he even heard her words, that was how much of a daze her breasts had put the young, puberty-stricken boy in.

Oh dear, he wasn't actually supposed to be looking.

Coughing, he snapped his eyes up, glancing into her own and then quickly to the side. He coughed again, even more red rising to his cheeks, the child having to force his gaze back to hers to even remotely appear courageous. He wasn't going to let this girl talk this way, especially not to him! In a defiant, yet slightly shaky voice, he quickly formed some snappish words. "Don't talk around that, not around here, miss. Something tragic happened to his eyes, you know." The words would be slightly cryptic, if she wasn't aware of Stitch's situation. Had the lady Jilitse filled the beautiful Callisto in on how Stitch was, and how he was currently handling life? He crossed his arms, trying to keep up his little act of being the tough guy. She eventually returned to the topic of wrestling though, and his ears perked up as he refocused his attentions on her. He assumed a bit of a confused look as she spoke of dueling, and how primitive he was for using the rather rough "wrestling" term. His eyes quickly lit up as he saw her weapons though, and heard her speak of not using them.

Quickly holding up his hands, he protested, shaking his head eagerly. "No, no. I am actually more talented with a sword than I am my fists, so weapons would be much better!" He seemed completely oblivious to most of her taunts, which could either frustrate the woman, or amuse her even further. He motioned for her to follow him down the side of the Welcome Home, through a small alleyway that led to a beautiful, fenced-in backyard. It was a bit of an odd thing to see, especially under the protective roof of the castle. Damien opened a little door in the side of the wooden fence, leading her into a yard with actual grass, toys, and a little swingset. Picking up a wooden sword on the grass, Damien turned to face her, assuming a pose that had him holding the sword straight up, tip pointing at an angle toward the sky. It was centered to his body, and he was now looking quite focused. Maybe the boy did have some training? The sword was small though, shaped like a katana, but about a foot shorter.

As he looked her over, he was starting to regret his decision not to do some hand-to-hand sparring. He had gotten excited, and forgotten she wasn't hardly wearing anything now. And he wasn't sure, but she might have been flirting with him a bit earlier, even if she had threatened him soon after! "You can use your weapons, or not. Whatever you are best with. It doesn't matter anyway. I will try and go easy though, so you can learn." He gave another one of those cocky winks, and a slight puff of his chest. He was a bit confident, eh?

Callisto, meanwhile, would soon notice that something was off. The boy was watching her, yes, but there was someone else. In a way, it felt like someone else had eyes on her. Not in a creeper kind of way, but just pure curiousity. But there wasn't anyone besides her and the boy around?

by **Callisto** on October 15th, 2010, 5:31 am

If this is what she had to do to learn from a master, so be it! Rarely did she pay attention to children for long, but this one! This one intrigued her, amused her, so much so that she was even smiling at his silly gestures to try and impress her. Was he not frightened? Put off by her aloofness, her strange appearance? She might have come to believe that she had something in her that attracted children of all sorts. Maybe it was her motherly essence, lasting centuries since her daughters had been born. Her daughters… Long dead. She tried to bury the idea in the back of her mind.

The Ethaefal hadn’t responded to Damien’s remark about Stitch’s eyes. She knew, and she was hardly ready to apologize. Instead, she bent to pick up her belongings after listening to the boy’s suggestion to use weapons instead. She followed him, barely giving the rather bland area a passing glance as she did so. Ah, toys, more children! Of course, when was she ever truly rid of them? Callisto watched as Damien picked up a wooden weapon, a sword, and engaged a stance she was not familiar with. She then raised her Suvai, to show him what he would be facing. “I think this will suffice?” She didn’t mention the poison that laced the weapon, but then she also wasn’t planning on directly attacking him with it. Preventative measures, to be sure.

“Please, if you will.” She bowed slightly after setting aside her garments. The Ethaefal, indeed, could feel the presence of another. A stranger! Or perhaps not? For the moment, her own, unnerving, citrine eyes rested on Damien, awaiting his next move or instruction.

by **Stitch** on October 29th, 2010, 2:28 pm

Damien noticed that she never apologized for her earlier snide remark, nor did he let it go. This match was almost something personal for him now, as he had took the comment to heart, and now felt he had to defend some kind of personal honor. Part of him knew that this was silly, and that she really hadn't intended for the comment to point towards Stitch. It was a bit of a stretch that Damien was connecting it the way he was, but he had. And he had informed her that he had. And now, the woman wasn't backing down. Damien clenched his teeth, his muscles tightening, his fists clenching around the handle of his sword. For the first time this morning, he was eying her with a look other than lust. He was sizing her up, looking for her strengths and weaknesses, looking for the best place to strike. She seemed lost in a thought for just a short bit, but the moment passed too fast for Damien to take advantage of. Slowly pulling his eyes off of her, he glanced around, looking for something that he might could use. He didn't want to rush her head-on. Those things looked rather sharp.

There was a ball laying in the grass.

Cocking his head, Damien moved from his position, attentions suddenly elsewhere. The ball was the only toy around for a few feet, and he didn't want it there. "Excuse me for a second. I don't want any of us slipping on this." He gestured toward the ball as he took a last step toward it, nudging it with his foot, then yanking back his leg to give it a swift kick out of the way.

Instead, with that swift swing of his limb, Callisto would find that he had actually aimed the ball right at her face. He did want to get it out of the way. But apparently the correct place to put it was right in her mouth. No matter if she dodged left, or dodged right, or if she took the blow, or if she perhaps sheared it in half... She would find Damien, charging up the rear of the ball, sword held high. He took to the air suddenly, lunging toward her, swinging his sword down in a rather powerful blow for a little kid. It was a bit messy, and it left his front completely open to whatever she might want to do to it... But the distraction idea had been good, right?

"Overhead smash!"

Oh gods, he was calling out his moves now. Was this like some super secret move he had learned from some super secret monk somewhere? Or was it Stitch who had been teaching him all this?

by **Callisto** on December 27th, 2010, 11:39 am

There was a devious smile on those lips. The sort of smile one would find rather suitable for a face such as hers. Beautiful, deceivingly so, and not in such a way that would effectively boost her pride. Perhaps Callisto was finding a hidden pleasure in teasing and disrupting the odd hormonal mindset of the boy, but she certainly seemed at ease, even when Damien had paused and seemed to contemplate what to do next.

Then almost out of the blue! A ball. He mentioned a ball! How oddly convenient. Those eyes bore into the boy’s back as he moved to address the issue, having a sense that he was up to no good. Most children were, she gathered that much from this hellish castle of a city. And it seemed that the Ethaefal had been correct. Even whilst the boy went to grab the ball, the divine lady had mustered her djed and seeped it into the very veins of her left arm. The astral limb was eased out of the sockets, hovering just before Damien had chosen to strike the ball directly at her.

And indeed, such an action on his part had caught her off guard, and it nearly hit the mark precisely on her venomous mouth had her sweeping arm not viciously smack it aside. Callisto was amused, but hardly excited at the prospect of a boy trying to disfigure her. So when he came around with his battlecry, her phantom limb shot forth and collided with his chest. A thrust that would surely had sent the adolescent flying back! The Ethaefal stood in her same position, the phantom arm hovering invisibly beside her, yet her countenance was oddly placid.

“Get up, boy, you’ve yet to punish me. I require it, do I not? I am such a horrid individual.” There was no sly smile on her lips, only her eyes watching the shadows, curious. “He must be important to you. Or such a good man to warrant such loyalty.” Was there jealousy in her tone? If so, she was trying desperately to conceal it.

by **Stitch** on January 6th, 2011, 2:06 pm

Damien didn't even see it coming. There was a shine of victory in his eyes, but that bright light flickered and vanished as the phantom limb struck. It was almost sad to see, even if the emotion would be lost on Callisto. He looked so young and delighted, so excited and full of life... And just like that, in a single blow, everything collapsed. The wind was taken from him first, and the boy actually hovered in mid-air for a split second, the phantom limb trying right as he began to soar down her. His chest looked to bend inwards just a bit, and then just that, he was smacked backwards, a cry of pain yelping out from his lips. He hit the ground with a thunk that would make one wince, his wooden sword falling from his hand, his body already curling in breathless gasps. She had knocked the wind out of him, and he was panicking. He fishtailed for a moment, trying to gulp in air, heaving himself up on one arm to give the otherwordly being a good look. Still gasping and panting, he glared at her defiantly, his eyes registering with hurt pride, and utter shock. "W-what... was that? Did you just use... magic? That is... c-c-cheating!" At that, he bent over again, gasping for air once more, having used up a lot of air to speak. By the Gods, this dueling thing hurt. Stitch wasn't as straight forward as this woman!

"That's what you get for picking random fights with random ladies, Damen." The voice reveberated from the little alleyway the two duelists had just come from, light and musical, upbeat and amused. "No offense to you, milady. This one hopes that the young lad didn't cause you too much trouble? He has a weak spot for women, you see." Around the corner Stitch came, a young girl in each of his hands. Fentya was in one, a tall (for a child) and slim girl with dark hair and dark eyes, staring rather coldly at the Ethaefal that had just struck at her orphan friend. Trista, meanwhile, a short little girl with a head full of blond curls, had already ripped from Stitch's hand and gone running to Callisto. Stopping just short of her, she grinned up, offering the otherworldly creature a rather cute little grin. "You're pretty. Stitch can't really tell, because he is a stupid boy. But I can!" She giggled and ran off, vanishing within the back door of the Orphanage.

Stitch sighed, shaking his head, a small smile on his face. He was quite obviously blind, with several white medical wraps bound around his head. The tone of his voice and the softness of his skin gave him a somewhat gentle look, but the muscles that his short-sleeved shirt revealed were quite toned. It was an odd combination, really. One got a distinct feeling of love and joy from him too, as if the man felt everything was right in the world. Or some equally optimistic outlook. Even when walking over to his protege, he managed to find a way to make light of the situation. "What did this one tell you about looking at women? This one bets you angered the poor Miss. You need to learn some manners, boy. This one hopes that she managed to pound some into you. You run along. This one will take it from here. From what this one can guess, milady probably wanted this one in the first place. Not a young lad like yourself."

Fentya tromped over, and grabbed Damen by the wrist. Taking a deep breath, she yanked hard, and actually started to drag the poor boy across the ground, heading toward the back door of the Orphanage. He let out a bothered squawk, frantically stumbling his way to his feet, trying to fight off Fentya and get back to Stitch. "I can handle her, Stitch! She just cheated!" Stitch paused, cocking his head at Damen, the smile twitching a bit. "Cheating? In a fight? Let that be a lesson to you, then. There is no such thing. Get inside. If this one has trouble, this one will be sure and call you for back-up." Stitch's voice was still light and gentle, but there was a definite bit of firmness to it. Damen stared for a moment longer, than cast Callisto a glare, mumbling under his breath as he stomped back into the Orphanage. "Fine, fine, fine..." Stitch chuckled a bit at the grumbling, then turned to the lady, his blind eyes pointed straight at her. She would feel that gaze again, the very one she had felt earlier on in the little duel. Was it him who had been watching? But from where? Or were his abilities that far advanced that he could sense and see Auras, even from a distance? Or perhaps he had just been pretty close behind her to begin with. Who knew?

"This one can guess at the story. You came looking for this one, and you ran into the young lord instead? This one apologizes for his actions. There is no excuse." Stitch gave her a short bow, directing a rather beaming smile at her. His upbeat mood would either prove infectious, or just get annoying. Those were usually the two moods it put people in. Standing up straight, Stitch flexed his neck back and forth, stretching a bit, shaking out his arms and legs as he hopped from side to side. "You wish to spar? Or do you wish to learn? Or perhaps both at once, milady?"

He finished up his stretching quite quickly, and stepped toward her, confidently closing the space until there were less than two or three steps between them. Taking a deep breath, he held out a hand, offering it to her for a shake. "Go easy on this one?"

Now the blind man was getting coy with her. That, and he had very pointedly ignored her phantom arm. Also, the handshake he offered... He was offering it to the limb that should be there, but wasn't. What was his game?

by **Callisto** on January 15th, 2011, 6:08 am

“Cheating?” Callisto said incredulously. It was a mixture of amusement and irritation that tainted her words, and yet she seemed to pause as the presence of the blind man made himself known. She turned at the sound of the new arrival… or the one who finally deemed it appropriate to make his appearance and watched silently the transaction between the boy and himself.

“I suppose after that little ‘duel’ he is not quite as fond of me anymore,” She responded quietly. Callisto’s eyes passed over the two young girls, but disregarded the glare of the one named Fentya. Trista, however, made her smile; a genuine smile, a feat unto itself.

“It’s fine,” She said almost abruptly, as Stitch began to scold Damen, “Perhaps I said something that might have upset him. It seems to be a common occurrence among children,” She glanced toward Fentya as the girl began to drag the boy off, then settled her gaze on Stitch, finally having the welcome chance to observe her “instructor”. He was blind, and it was obvious, but Callisto had heard many approving things about the man, and his appearance certainly belied his true skill.

“A nuit, Lady Jilitse told me of your prowess, I only sought to learn from the best.” The ethaefal held up a hand, “I understand young boys can act rashly, it is no fault of his.” She smiled, “I only wish to learn. How do you see to fight if you cannot see at all? Is it magic?” Her eyes watched the raised hand of his as it pointed toward her otherwise invisible limb. She smiled, and did what one such as her would likely do in such a situation, she shook it with the phantom hand. “A pleasure, Stitch.” Her limb retracted, forcing the djed to suck it back into her joints of her arm as smoothly as possible. “I’m afraid it is I who must say ‘Go easy’. I’m afraid I have no knowledge in the unarmed… Would basics suffice?”

There was a sincerity to her tone that radiated politeness and respect. She knew what she was up against, and she wasn't about to risk a broken limb on the first day.

by **Stitch** on January 23rd, 2011, 10:38 pm

Stitch smiled, shaking his head, chuckling a little bit as her soft words. "Nay, milady. He is but a young boy. While he may be a bit miffed at you for the time, such emotions are fleeting. Children are special in that they have an abudant amount of love to share, so much so that they are unable to hold it in for long. He will be back to his perky self in no time, challenging you for a duel just so he can flex his oh-so-manly muscles." Stitch spoke as if teasing at the boy, but Callisto would also be able to sense the other emotion behind his tone. There was an incredible amount of warmth and love when he spoke of the boy, when he spoke of children in general. It seemed he really was fit for this job.

She interrupted the last part of his lecture, right as Damen was getting tugged away, and Stitch chuckled once more. Grinning widely, he called out after the vanishing lad, his tone completely full of teases this time. "See, Damen! You didn't offend the lady that much! Even if she beat you this time, it appears she may still like you enough to give you a second chance!" Damen grumbled in reply, not even putting forth the effort to produce any actual words. He was still trying to recover the breath that had been knocked out of him.

The children vanished, and Stitch was left alone with Callisto, giving him time to study her just as she would study him. The phantom arm left him feeling a bit breathless and excited, for it was a kind of magic he had never experienced before. That is why he had approached it in the way he had, really. He wanted to make sure it wasn't just a figment of his imagination, as crazy as that would make him. Every time he experienced a new type of magic, a little part of him always thought it was too wonderous to be true. He supposed that is what magic was, though. Even as Callisto spoke, even as she asked him a question, Stitch seemed to be entirely focused on the phantom limb. He had his head angled toward it, his hand wavering at it, and a little kid grin on his face. As it reached out and shook his hand, he actually giggled, dancing backwards a little bit and shaking his hand. "Wow, milady! How do you do that? Is it magic? Of course it is magic. That is pretty exciting, milady. This one can do all sort of fancy things with his hands, but he can't actually detach them from his body!" Stitch giggled again, hopping from foot to foot, shaking his hand. It buzzed lightly, and he couldn't tell if it was from the magic, or from his own excitement.

"Oh, but excuse my manners! To answer your question, yes, this one can see with magic. A form of Auristics, really. It isn't much to brag about, this one assures you." Stitch gave her a wide grin, and shook his head, clicking his tongue at her. "But this one must insist that you drop the formal tone! This one does not like it. This one is merely the owner of an Orphanage, and requires no such tone of voice. It makes this one feel odd."

Stitch forced his bouncing feet to still, and stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Basics, then. This one practices a form of self-defense that focuses around deflections and redirections. It is almost a purely defensive art, but it would likely go well with your Suvai. That is what they are called, correct? This one once had a Konti friend who lived her, and she had shown them to me once or twice. Either way, is that what you are basically wishing to learn? This one can show you the most basic stance, as well as ways to practice. If anything, you might be able to combine it with your weapons in order to increase the strength of your own personal style!"