Quiet Country People

[Falcon]

"That would be lovely, thank you very much. No one's ever offered to do that for me before."

Henry was a bit surprised to hear that, just as surprised as he was to catch her flush. Usually when he offered his sermon notes they were refused. People tended to be offended and believe he was suggesting they were incapable of paying attention, or showing up to service on time. That had never been Henry's intention. he simply wanted to make sure that the members of his congregation were getting what they needed from him, not being left out. Now, to not only have his notes accepted, but accepted gratefully, well it gave him no little pleasure. As Miss. Eliza ducked her head to play with the cat Henry felt the back of his neck grow decidedly warm.

The feeling caught him a bit off guard. Here he was so busy putting up walls and keeping himself out of any matrimonial type of scrape, that at the first girl who wasn't being pushed at him, well he had to admit to himself that he was just the tiniest bit curious as to what sort of girl she was. Her ready acceptance of his notes indicated that they at least shared the same faith, and as not only a Parson, but a man who greatly revered and loved his God, that was an important aspect to him in any relationship. Even an innocent friendship.

A moment later Henry's attention was diverted by the arrival of Miss. Maria.
"Hello, everyone," she stated and Henry noted the fact that she ignored Mrs. Kingsley. "I didn't realize we had a guest. It's good to see you again, parson."

"Good morning Miss. Kingsley. I hope you are well."
Henry stood when she entered and sat down again when it would be considered polite to do so. His manners, by nature of his upbringing, were more refined than many these people would find about the country, but he preferred to be thought odd for being polite than not.

"Maria, dear, you've stayed abed awfully late today. Are you feeling well?"
"Mr. Weston has been kind enough to bring us some gifts to help us settle in. And a cat."
"His name's David,"

And her choice of a name for the cat he found no less surprising. David, widely called a man after God's own heart. Not because he was perfect. Oh David had been far from perfect. He had been proud and arrogant, a coward at times, lecherous, anger driven, overly passionate . . . but David had also be repentant.
Repentant, humble, willing to admit when he was wrong. Henry felt a pang of guilt when he realized that he should be paying more attention to that story. Of late his attitude towards the people around him had been, well not what it should be to say the least. To have the kitten named thus, well every time Henry saw it he would remember that namesake and take the lesson to heart.

"You know, Allen and Leanne are at the Wywolfe Estate and my husband is away in Roma for a few days. Business called, apparently. Why don't you all go down and see them? Dwyn can ride with you all, and I'm sure I can trust our parson to be a gentleman with my daughters since he is a man of God, after all. Eliza, will you go ask Dwyn to go with all of you?"

Miss. Eliza left the to collect this new person Henry had yet to meet, and as he had no objection to accompanying the girls, indeed he had planned to spend the day getting acquainted with the family and arranged his calendar accordingly, he handed the women into the carriage before joining them himself.
He spent the ride pointing out as much as he could to his new friends, naming the people they passed and rattling off the little history of the area he knew and only once was he completely stumped when Eliza spotted two distant figures walking along.

"I wonder who they are," Eliza had asked.
"The tall figure looks like Mr. Callahan Peerce," he started to answer. "I am not well acquainted with him at all, but as I understand it he's been a great comfort to Window Hart in her - illness. The other . . ." Henry craned his neck for a better look. "From this distance I cannot be sure, but that may be one of the Stonewall girls. That's odd. I was not aware they were acquainted, but then the family is rarely seen, if ever, so I must confess I should be more surprised as seeing her out and about at all."

There were a number of things that gave Henry pause at seeing the odd pair, Callahan's reputation being one of them, but as the girl seemed to be perfectly happy by her posture and the way Henry could barely see she was skipping about, he decided to keep matters to himself and not worry anyone. Besides, for all he knew Mr. Peerce was related to the Stonewalls and everything about the arrangement was good and proper.

As they traveled Henry had to admit their carriage was making very good time.

 

[IceChateau777]

Dwynwyn took the time in reading to the crazy Paisley. She often nodded her head and played with the wooden dolls. Dwyn was a petite figure, and she did not expect much of a flashy appearance. Just as the light of day would expect, Dwyn's red hair was cut at the nape.

Suddenly, Paisley screeched, "WIN! WINNIE! A PIG! A PIG WITH A HAT!" The blond haired girl bounced on her butt.

Dwyn was caught off guard, and glared at Paisley. "Paisley, dear... Please be careful... Try not to-,"

The girl sprang from her spot, jumping up and down. "A piggy in a hat! Funny, funny, funny!" The girl had a Yorkshire dialect, which sounded rather broken and assymetrical with her words. Though Paisley was merely eight, she had the brain of a four year old. Hailing from a dysfunctional family, Paisley failed to get the proper etiquette necessary for proper living.

And now, it was the luck of the Ir-errr... Scots! Dwynwyn had to take care of the people of the Brighton house, which included poor little Paisley.

And before the woman could even address more, she heard Mrs. Kingsley's voice.
"Dwyn, we're going to the Wywolfe Estate. Will you come with us?" Dwyn looked at Paisley, who was so eager to come with.

Her thick, Scottish dialect sounded like music to a man's ears. "Ah, just a minute. I have to... Get dressed!" It was a mere diversion; Paisley was the one to get dressed. With a cold hiss, she directed Paisley, "Hurry on; get dressed."

 

[SilverKiramoto]

Maria smiled as she watched Eliza, and way her glances toward the young parson were shy and sweet in nature. Absent-mindedly, she stroked delicate fingers across little David's spine, making him arch his back, before Eliza was to run off to locate Dwyn. Maria was so amused by the situation, she didn't think twice about the nursemaid joining them for this excursion, though she disliked the woman most of all. Didn't show near enough concern for the youngest Kingsley in the least, driving Maria mad with worry every time they were alone together. But today, she didn't mind it, her thoughts far too absorbed with the possibility of a future involving a Mrs. Weston.

She thanked Henry when he helped the girls in to the carriage, but for most of the ride, her gaze focused entirely on Henry and her dear sister, the gears whirring in her mind. Both seemed rather shy with one another, with delicate smiles blossoming here and there, whether they realized they were doing it or not. Maria was certainly confident that the beginning of affections were forming, and she couldn't be happier. Eliza was never meant to marry in to wealth, not with their high expectations of birthing a son to continue important lineages, no, she may not survive childbirth at all, not with such pressure looming over her head. No, she needed someone with a gentler touch, someone who wouldn't be so worried about continuing his name, if at all, and the good parson seemed to fit the bill. He was of humble means, was very kind and polite, and not bad to look at, either. It was almost too good to be true.

Which, of course, was why Maria would still keep an eye on the both of them. Just in case.

When Eliza spoke up, Maria was pulled from her thoughts, to poke her head out of the window. A young man, and some excited looking little girl. Callahan, Mr. Weston mentioned, and a girl from a little seen family. The Stonewalls. Maria had to admit, she was a touch curious about the pair, if only because of the perplexed tone in which Henry spoke, but another glance at Callahan dashed those thoughts right away. He seemed...too rough for Maria's liking. He'd only be trouble, if one came in association with him, Maria was certain of that simply by the way he carried himself. Maria felt sorry for the girl whom was so desperately attempting to capture his attention, but figured it wasn't any of her business, and as they began to pass the two by, she spared them only a few moments more of a glance, before pulling back to settle comfortably in the carriage.

"So, Mr. Weston," Maria spoke up, offering him a smile. "I hope I'm not rude in asking, but how long did you say you've lived in the country, again? You're quite familiar with the inhabitants, it would seem, though I suppose a good parson should be. Nevertheless, I am curious."

 

[Mundane Monster]

Pippa through up her hands and drove her foot hard into his shin before dashing away in the direction of the tracks. "You're a stupid brute of a man, Callahan!" She shrieked over her shoulder as she ran away. "YOU AREN'T WORTHY OF THAT GLORIOUS HAIR!" Boys were so stupid! What had she even been thinking? This wasn't like her at all! Fawning over a man like some--brainless idiot! He couldn't even remember her name for goodness sakes! He was a dolt that wasn't worth the inner turmoil that he was causing her.

"StupidstupidstupidSTUPIIIID!" She cried as she ran, her angry chanting ending in a scream of rage. She kicked a clod of dirt in front of her, the force sending up a cloud of dirt and grass. She glanced around then, finding herself alone and standing in the middle of the dirt path. There were no more tracks to follow so she kept walking. She would return home later when she had composed herself.

 

[Midian]

Eliza craned her neck to watch Pippa stalk away from the man, a smile flicking in her thin lips. The child had spirit, and while normally Eliza would look askance at a young girl walking with a man of such an obviously rough disposition, she found that she didn't worry about Pippa. What had the two been so interested in, though? Up ahead they had seemed to be looking at something on the ground before the tiff, but what could have possibly been so interesting on the ground, of all places?

Suddenly David leapt out of her lap in an attempt to get over the side of the carriage and Eliza immediately grabbed him, nearly falling out of the carriage herself. Rather than be alarmed about smearing her face all over the stony ground, Eliza cried:
"What curious footprints! They just disappear!" as her legs thrashed comically and one slipper dangled from her toes. Once she was re-seated like a lady she tapped David on the nose and scolded him tenderly before eagerly recounting what she had seen.
"We should see if the others have seen anything like them. How strange," she murmured, holding David to her chest. As they headed towards the Wywolfe Estate, they came across quite a few sturdy, large wagons carrying trunks upon trunks stamped with shipping labels from France. Most of them were covered with tarps except for one, which was entirely covered and driven by a surly and silent man who did not even look at the party. Another wagon contained a very pretty French woman who Eliza waved to as they passed.
"Excuse me, are you moving in here?"

Eliza thought right away that she liked the French woman very, very much and smiled at Dwyn as they rode on, leaving her to her master's business.
"Look, there's someone else with a lovely accent. I wonder what this Mssr. Lovelace is going to be like? He must be rich, did you see how fine all of those trunks were? I hope he will be a more interesting neighbor than some of our others."

It was without further incident that they arrived at the Wywolfe Estate and found Leanne, Allen, and Archie out trying to plant the acorn. Well, moreso Allen and Leanne. Archie seemed preoccupied with being neurotic, but at least he was outside and not screaming like last time. Eliza found that to be a vast improvement; screaming boys were quite annoying in her book. She held onto Dwyn's arm and David as she disembarked from the carriage and walked over to the twins.
"Why on earth are you two trying to plant that? Mr. Weston is going to show us around the countryside a bit, and we saw the strangest tracks out on the road back there. They just disappeared! I thought we should see if we can pick them up again."

 

[Kura]

Bianca Corinne shifted in her seat as the wagon carrying her and several other large antique trunks hit a pothole in the road. To say the least, the look on her face was far less than amused. Not only had she not been allowed in the main carriage, but she had been given the task of ensuring that all of Mssr. Lovelace's things arrived on time and in one piece. It was a task that she was confident would be carried out perfectly (which was always the case), but after the wind, rain, and hours of sitting on a wood bench with little more than a thin pillow for cushion, it was a task that she was beginning to curse as the bane of her existence.

"Enfant grossier d'un Maître." (Rude child of a Master.), she mumbled, smoothing out her hair only to have a gust of wind blow it to the side once again. Before long they crossed paths with another carriage. The girl inside spoke as they began to pass, and after a few shouts in random languages and smacks across the back of the wagon driver's head, they slowly came to halt.

"Excuse me, are you moving in here?"

"Oui! Oui, Mademoiselle!" Bianca said, beaming at her. "My name ees Bianca Bernadette Corinne, and ju may call me Bibi." After years of forming her very own unique accent, Bibi had become accustomed to the odd looks she received upon first meeting people. She happily reached out to offer a handshake to the young girl, her excitement for human contact masking her surprise at the girl's yellowish tinted skin.

"Vee are moving into ze Moorehouse estat. My Master an' me, zat is. I am sure zat once we have finished moving een, 'e would be more zan 'appy to have ju over for a visit. I weel cook ju ze most tastiest of feasts!"

The wagon driver scoffed at her invite, and Bibi promptly turned and snatched his hat from his head before smacking him with it.

"Shoosh! Zere will be food when we get to 'ome." She snapped, suddenly raising her voice towards the covered carriage, "EEF WE EVEN KNOW WHERE OUR HOME EES. I AM STARTING TO THINK VE ARE LOST." With a warm smile Bibi turned back to Eliza, speaking in a normal tone once again.
"Vee must be on our way dearest, but do come by ven ve get moved in. Au revoir!"

With another smack to the back of the head, Bibi continued her ranting to the wagon's driver who only sighed and got them moving again. The covered wagon remained undisturbed, despite her fist shaking in its general direction as they faded out of sight.

 

[Banana-senpai]

Living is certainly a hard term to define, at least in this place. Allen put on a pleading look and patted her sister's shoulder. He shook his head. We're overwhelming him, he thought, looking in her eyes as if they spoke through this. Let me try and talk to him.

"Arch...y." He began, struggling a bit on the name. It felt strange on his tongue. He has never addressed a man by their first name before. "We haven't been here for long but you and your father are the most intelligent and trustworthy people we know and we need your help. Especially you, with your skills in cartography." -though Allen wasn't sure what's the connection of that- "When our questions are answered, I give you my word, we shall not ask this kind of favor from you and will leave you to your privacy if you wish."

He stepped a little closer to Archie and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please?" He added, cementing his point.

He wasn't to take no for an answer anyway. He gently but firmly ushered Archie beside him and entwined his fingers in Leanne's at the other. He took them outside and let Leanne find a nice spot to plant her acorn.

 

[Boss Megu]

Leanne Aemilia rolled her eyes at her beloved's awkward speech but was glad for the attempt. It seemed to settle their dear lad. She gave him a bright smile as they were quick to lead him away from this filthy place. She will need to remember to come back here to tidy everything. Just a little bit.

She giggled as the sun's light kissed her cheek and she breathed in deeply. She grinned brightly at her brother and released her hold on his hand, knowing full well he would follow. "Come brother, Archie dear." she called after with a cheerful giggle and stopped before a large area near the main roads. Perfect. A large open space for the dear acorn to grow strong and beautiful.

"Come assist me brother" as she knelt to dig, disregarding the dirt that was clinging to her hands. "Archie dear, do come closer."

Leanne looked up from her crouched position as she heard her dear beloved sister's voice. She looked up immediately and her face broke into a bright smile. "Eliza" she greeted rather breathlessly, her voice filled with such adoration and love.

"Why on earth are you two trying to plant that? Mr. Weston is going to show us around the countryside a bit, and we saw the strangest tracks out on the road back there. They just disappeared! I thought we should see if we can pick them up again." her sister had said. And she giggled into her hand as she allowed Archie to help her up yet again. Well, look at that, dear Archie was such a gentleman.

"The acorn simply appeared from behind dear Archie's door!" she told her sister excitedly, recounting the story of how someone kept banging on the door but no one was around but the acorn. "And that does truly sound like such a lovely adventure, Eliza!" she agreed.

She turned to her brother and they shared another one of their silent conversations. With a bright smile, she turned to Archie. "Archie dear, you MUST come with us." she told him. "You promised us that you'd tell us all you know."

She gave the parson in the carriage a passing glance. "You, Allen and I must have our own little conversation!" she whispered to him, a mischievous twinkle in her silver blue eyes. "Come!" she told him, taking his hand but after she made sure to hold Allen's hand first.

Leanne smiled happily as Allen led Eliza back to the carriage and allowed Allen to assist them both up. "Where are we headed first?" she asked curiously, her hand clasped with Allen's and gave Archie a bright comforting smile as the carriage began to move away.

She glanced back to the spot where they had planted the acorn and her eyes widened. A child...? She blinked and shook her head.

There was nothing there. Of course, how silly of her. It must have been a trick of the eye. She gave Allen a reassuring smile. "Now, about these disappearing tracks. Tell me more, Eliza." she asked, trying to remove the cold feeling she had around her.

Everything was becoming curiouser and curiouser.

 

[Falcon]

"So, Mr. Weston, I hope I'm not rude in asking, but how long did you say you've lived in the country, again? You're quite familiar with the inhabitants, it would seem, though I suppose a good parson should be. Nevertheless, I am curious."

Maria Kingsley's words drew him out of his thoughts about the odd walking couple and he laughed lightly as he answered her question. "I supposed you might say that I am the most recent inhabitant of this place aside from yourselves. It's been a little over a year since I took the parish, a year and some odd months-" but he wasn't left with much time to answer questions either, because soon enough Eliza was saying something about strange footprints as she nearly pitched herself out the window trying to keep the kitten from leaping out. Henry reached out a hand to steady her elbow a bit as she was pulled back in and listened attentively as she explained what she had seen, but only smiled. There was a great deal about this place that he still had no knowledge about and he preferred to remain silent when such was the case.

Soon they were being passed by what seemed to be a wagon train of various trunks labeled in what Henry knew to be french, labels he could read actually, but that was beside the point. He waited as Eliza spoke to the french woman out the window all the while planning the visit he knew he would have to make to that new family, or inhabitant, as well. He couldn't help but smile as she settled back and smiled at her governess as they continued on their way.

"Look, there's someone else with a lovely accent. I wonder what this Mssr. Lovelace is going to be like? He must be rich, did you see how fine all of those trunks were? I hope he will be a more interesting neighbor than some of our others."

"You take a pointed interest then," Henry couldn't help but tease a bit, "in all your neighbors affairs."

Shortly after they had reached their destination, and while Henry was out first to help the ladies out, he said very little as Eliza spoke to her siblings to invite them and Archie, who was outside for the second time in two days! along with them. It was Allen, not Henry, who handed the women back in, which was as it should be, but it was Henry who answered Leanne's first question.
"Where are we headed first?"

"I shall be more than happy to give directions to any place you wish to see," he started, " but I believe Miss. Eliza saw something of interest on our way here." He had to admit he was a little curious himself.

"Now, about these disappearing tracks. Tell me more, Eliza."

 

[Midian]

"Wouldn't I be amiss if I didn't follow the example of my parson?" Eliza teased back, smiling as they arrived at the Wywolfe Estate. More than willing to let the acorn incident go if Leanne was going to show interest in the mystery, Eliza recounted what she had seen.

"Well, we saw the tracks as we were headed here, and even though they disappeared, it looked like they'd come from the direction of town. Why don't we head back that way and see what we can find? I know they disappeared, but we could pick them up somewhere else, or at least see where they were going."

Eliza was secretly surprised her loving siblings didn't try to dissuade her from investigating the mystery. There had been far, far fewer things to entertain them than in the city, so even likely-harmless tracks were of great interest and mystery. Eliza had not forgotten that she thought the angel statue had moved, but many days later and in the light of day, she wondered if it had just been her imagination or a trick of the light. Overhead the dense, gray clouds were racing overhead, causing patterns of muted sunlight and darkness to begin to play over everything. Bibi had been pretty wet when they'd met her, perhaps there was a storm coming? That would ruin all their fun, to be sure. Eliza hoped it wouldn't rain, and so ushered everyone back into the carriage with more haste than usual. It was a good bit more cramped than it had been previously.

The gentlemen were sat across from the ladies with Mr. Weston, Allen, and Archie on one side and Maria, Leanne, and Eliza on the other with Dwyn guiding the carriage. Leanne and Allen were naturally sitting across from each other, and Eliza found herself sitting across from Archie. As the carriage began moving forward Eliza smiled at Archie.
"Look at you, outside and everything. Are you feeling well?" she teased gently, scratching David's ears as he purred and turned little circles in her lap. As they neared Brighton Manor they found they had picked up the tracks again, now headed towards Bath Island. Overhead the clouds became ominously dark and thick, turning from a silvery-grey to a dark, wrought-iron grey. There was a peal of thunder and ahead, in the direction of Bath Island, lightning struck the ground.
"Hurry Dwyn!" Eliza exclaimed, beginning to wheeze with excitement as they bumped and jolted over the road. It wasn't long before they arrived at what Leanne and Allen called the "Fairy Pond" and where the lightning had touched down. As they fanned out to see if they could find where the tracks led to, they found that they ended in a muddle near the pond, but as Allen and Leanne moved near the edge of the pond, they realized that the surface of the water was littered with dead fireflies. Only one stirred to life from a nearby reed and began drunkenly zigzagging around, leading them around behind a small thicket of trees. There they found the earth scorched by lightning and a small pile of broken bits of stone.

 

[Banana-senpai]

Cat?

There's a cat!

"Y-you have a cat." Allen said in surprise as he settled in the carriage. His comment was overlapped by Leanne and Eliza discussing tracks, but he continued to look at the cat, then at Eliza, then at Mr. Weston and then at Maria. "This...cat. Are you-does mother know? Is it alright for you to have a cat? Goodness the fur."

Allen sighed. Mr. Weston is a trustworthy man, he has established that. And Dwyn was here too. But he felt responsible for his sisters all the same. The worry in his face and tone was undeniable. He followed Eliza's gaze out of the window. "We must be back for supper or mother will be worried." He doesn't mind being out late if he was with only Leanne, but with all three curious sisters, the mysteries of the odd town will absorb all their attention. He knew it was useless to tell them to go back home at this point. He simply had to keep a keen eye on them. "It's getting dark, it might rain." He added, more to himself than to the rest.

He turned to look at Archie as Eliza spoke to him. Allen was wondering the very same thing. He realized he'd be responsible for Archie as well, now. He had been the one to practically drag him out. He stopped his quick train of thoughts and realized the root of his worry was a strange feeling that something bad was to happen. Perhaps it was the darkening sky or just the eerie atmosphere that lazily draped the town. He was feeling responsible for his sisters and Archie on something that hasn't even happened. He tightened his hold on Leanne's hand which he didn't realize he was holding-that happens often. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind.

You're such a worrywart. He could almost hear Leanne say through her smile. It was a cross between a teasing look and a reassuring expression.

At the Fairy Pond, Allen was hesitant to let the others roam around it. First, since the strange incident the last night, he's doubted that it was magical in a good way. A lad who endeavors to become a doctor surely mustn't believe in such nonsense as it would be called, but Allen thinks there are certain things that are just beyond the scope of science. Fairy Pond was magical to him and Leanne. It had a peaceful and enchanting charm. To Allen, that very much suits his charming twin. Other than that, seems no one ever came here. They didn't own it, but it felt close to their heart. Like an intimately shared secret. Like the Lily Place back then.

But something caught his eye and a glance to Leanne told him she noticed the same thing simultaneously. Aside from the pond looking very much devastated, losing its magical touch and reducing it to a scene of destruction. He walked to the pond and was horrified by the dead fireflies strewn all over the pond like a giant puddle of bugs. His grip subconsciously tightened on Leanne's hand again as the lone surviving firefly flew off. They followed and the sight was morbidly shocking.

"What...what is this?" Allen managed. He let go of his sister's hand and squat down to examine the remains of rock and burnt earth. He got up quickly and instinctively told his sisters, "Watch your step."

 

[Falcon]

"This...cat. Are you-does mother know? Is it alright for you to have a cat? Goodness the fur."

"If you stay in the country long you will soon come to realize the necessity of keeping a cat on your property." Henry advised the young Mr. Kingsley and they rolled down the road. "I keep one myself."

Though Henry was surprised when Archie joined them in the carriage he was no more surprised at seeing the boy outside, or what awaited them at the pond.
He had visited the pond on more than one occasion, usually in the early morning when he needed a place to think away from the hustle and bustle of the town and he felt that his usual thinking place was too predictable. There was a rock off to one side where he would sit sometimes and watch the sun rise as he conversed with God. Henry said conversed because he always felt the Lord heard him, even if the answer was one he didn't like.
And though getting up in time to make the walk all the way out there meant he was up very early indeed, Henry didn't mind. Sometimes a man just needed to go someplace where he couldn't be found for awhile.

There had always been a sort of peace and serenity about the place. A sort of quiet solitude he couldn't often find, even though he lived a bachelor. With a sigh he moved to sit on the rock as the others moved about and found the dead fireflies.
"I do not this I shall ever see the sun rise from here the same way again." he said softly as his eyes caught what they were looking at and fixed on the lone bug flying away. Well, it was hardly his favorite haunt, just the the one with the longest walk. He could still enjoy the early morning peace from the meadow atop of Taylor's hill, his usual place, and the early light there had a certain joy about it . . .

He moved from his seat as the firefly passed him, following it to the thicket. When he saw what lay there he gave a cry of enlightenment.
"Ah Hah!" he called to rest of the group. "Look here."

A moment later Allen was there to examine the place as well, cautioning his sisters to be careful.
"What...what is this?"

"Lightning struck." Henry answered. "The heat from the strike must have fried your poor insect friends. It's lucky none of us were here when it happened. Perhaps we'd better return you all home before the storm truly rolls in."

 

[Boss Megu]

Leanne Aemilia looked at her brother as he began to panic over a cat, and noticed he had instantly taken her hand. She smiled at him, but he was too busy being such a worrywart. Allen was such a Mr. Worrywart. Turning her attention back to Eliza. who was beside her and her smile froze. Oh. She truly did have a cat.

...a cat...

She pulled her hand away from her brothers and carefully petted the furry, fluffy kitten. A FLURRY Kitten! Leanne chuckled to herself, nodding at the random word she had made up. She would have to share it with her brother later and turned to the poor dear lad across Eliza and vowed to tell him the little word she created as well.

She reached out to touch him but their carriage halted to a stop and she quickly turned to the window to see where they were. With a small gasp, she met her brother's eyes and allowed him to assist her up. She walked around, slightly fearful of the area. The last time they were here.

Well...

She shivered slightly as she pulled Allen along and beckoned the nervous Archie to follow. She noticed something peculiar and sharing a look with her beloved, they moved to the pond as a unit. There was something strange, eery about the pond. Something was pulling her towards it, but for the life of her, Leanne couldn't name it. It was the same feeling she felt at Archie's room, the surreal urge to assure the "person" on the other side. But this feeling was different, it was more...darker.

She shivered as they approached. It was not the most pleasant urge.

Once the pond was in sight, she gasped. The poor beautiful light bugs, floating along dead. One sole firefly flew away and she couldn't find in her to smile. A single survivor on this natural massacre. She never even noticed he had released her hand.

Such a horrible course of events. She listened to the parson speak and was quite inclined to agree. But as she opened her mouth to speak, her brother taken her hand and began to clean her hands. She blinked in shock. She never noticed they were soiled!

Looking down, Leanne gave a moan of despair. Her lovely dress had patches of dirt and grass on it! While it wasn't quite disastrous, the mere fact she had allowed these filth to stay on her dress! FILTH!

Such horrible, horrible filth!

She gave her brother a small smile in thanks, one he seemed to return.

She turned to Eliza and Maria, more to Maria. Seeing her narrowed gaze at them, she pulled her hands away quickly, taking the handkerchief with her. It wouldn't do. She urged him to step closer to their sisters as she stayed with Archie, cleaning her hands.

She took a look at the cloth she held and blinked. How quickly the filth transferred.

Seeing her sister's heated look, she looked back to the fairy pond. She sighed, giving Archie a sad small smile.

Leanne never felt so dirty in her life. Her gaze went to her brother's back and smiled wryly.

"We best leave" she spoke to her siblings, and Archie, "We can always come back another day." she added, more for Eliza's sake really. Leanne knew her youngest sister would be most vocal about this. She gave another heavy breath.

The day started out so beautifully too.

 

[Dip]

Everything had shifted so very fast-- well, undoubtedly because Leanne continued to call him dear, but that was beside the point. The point was that, yes, he was a long way from home, and yes, he knew nothing of the sort about these foreigners. First they pull him from his important work, then they drag him outside. Which was very much against his will!! AND, on top of it all, they pushed him into a crowded cart to see a lone insect! How very disconcerning. He was irate! Oh, the gull of those people! He hadn't stopped shaking since he left the damned basement.

He trembled with a cacophony of anger, frustration, and quite possible fear. It must have set off something, because poor Lyall woke up and gently rustled in his pocket. "Oh!" He started, trying hard to get the frustration out of his voice. "We came all the way here for not?" Well, it was a long way going to him, because he's never once left his proximity. "Some adventure, I'd make of it. Now, I do believe I've wasted my time quite well, thank you, but I would very much appreciate to be heading along now." He demanded, gently.

Archie missed his hearth. He missed his fire and his blankets and he missed his maps. Oh! How lost he realized he was, without his precious maps!! A new wave of anxiety washed over him, and he could feel the seeds sprouting, much like that seed that had ended up curiously on his threshold. But, when he noticed the anxiety washing over him, he also noticed something odd: the peculiar lump in his shirt pocket had lone moved. He looked down at his feet, and saw the creature scurrying away faster Archie could lift a pencil.

"Oh dear," Archie muttered, walking swiftly towards his mouse. His swift walking turned into something more, when he heard a soft thump in the grass, and saw a pair of paws. Oh dear, he thought loudly. His swift stride turned into something more like a worried run. Then, it was a damn near chaise. Oh, this was going to be absolute hell. He ran around, after the can, and after the mouse, aswell. It really was a game of cat-and-mouse!

-----------------

So suppose Callahan was hurting in his leg. Suppose that he did want to crush the little pest before she damn near broke his leg. But, suppose he missed being that young and wild at heart. When he was younger, he thought a cape would enable him to fly. No one told him that he'd break both of his legs, but no one told him it wouldn't, either. Maybe it was just something in the air, or maybe it was just him missing his youth, but he didn't hesitate to walk, or so, limp after her.

He didn't rush it because he didn't necessarily want to do it, but something told him to. And hell, if he got caught with the organs, he might as well dump them with the kid. Kind hearted he might be, but he was still an ass. He walked over after a few paces, and soon, he was some short distance behind her.

"Hmm... Well, I do suppose an adventure could be in order.... " He mused out loud. "But, bloody hell, stop kickin' me, would you? It'd be great if I could feel my damned leg, you know. "

Callahan had a feeling this was going to be bad.

 

[Mundane Monster]

Pippa glared at the man, turning her back to him and crossing her arms. "Whatever." She snapped, but she was secretly happy that he had changed his mind. But that didn't mean he was worth her affections again. Boys were complete and utter idiots, Pippa thought and made sure to ingrain that nugget of wisdom into her brain. She wouldn't make the mistake of falling for such a brute again. Really, it was his hair that she had fallen in love with in the first place! The fact that he had a nice face had helped but it was his hair that was the real cherry on top of the sundae. Speaking of the hair...

"I only half forgive you for your blatant rudeness and flippant attitude. But I'll whole forgive you if you give me a lock of your hair." She stated, holding her hand out and waiting for him to drop a thick lock into her waiting palm.

 

[Banana-senpai]

When Leanne nudged him to his two younger sisters, Allen approached them and held them both by one of their shoulders. "We must head home. Mayhaps we'll continue tomorrow if the weather is agreeable." He looked them both in the eyes, first Maria and then Eliza. "This place seems rather-"

Archie's footsteps caught his senses and Allen turned just in time to see Archie's back disappearing into the jumble off trees. "A-Arch...chie. Really." He turned to Leanne with a sigh.

He began to truly regret puling everyone into this. If anything happened to Archie, what was he supposed to explain to Dr. Angstrom? He felt ultimately responsible and he walked to Leanne. "I'm going to have to get him." He said, but wasn't letting go of Leanne.

He looked at her then at Maria and Eliza. "Please go to the carriage or something, the two of us will-"

He felt Leanne squeeze his hand. It was a warning squeeze. But what about? He scanned her silver blue eyes as it darted to the general direction of their sisters and went back to his. He understood.

"Alright," he said as if he and his twin had just ended an entire discussion. He gave her a brief longing look and once again let her go, taking Eliza's hand instead. "Let's all go. It's better than splitting up."

Allen with Eliza led the group into the mess of leaves and roots, telling her to watch her step and be careful every so often. "Eliza," he said quietly as he led her forward and let her go. "My apologies." He said with a nod, unaware of how vague that sounded. He hesitated. "Let's go." He said with a sad smile, gesturing for her to keep going.

But as they got in a bit further, they heard a voice-no, two- and definitely neither were Archie's. It was the messy little girl from yesterday and a man with very interesting hair. Strange.

"Hello." Allen said politely. "Did you see a man chase a mouse?"

 

[Boss Megu]

Leanne Aemilia reacted immediately when Archie left her side to chase a small creature that came from his pocket. She felt entirely so bad to have taken him on this rather boring adventure. She was about to call out to Allen but saw him beside her instantly. As he began to do his big brother role, she squeezed his hand and turned her attention to Maria who's eyes were narrowed once again.

So they went inside the thicket. Every now and then, Leanne felt something strange but ignored it. She looked away slightly. She saw something shine and reached out slightly but pulled back instantly when her finger touched something sharp.

Looking at her forefinger, she had apparently pricked her finger. Biting her lip, she pressed the finger to the handkerchief she stole from Allen. Leanne was turning into such a klutz today. She sighed and walked forward. She looked up and frowned.

"Oh dear..." she spoke, her eyes widening her eyes slightly. Leanne's silver-blue eyes looked around in slight panic.

"I may seem to have found myself lost." she said to herself. "Allen's going to kill me." she groaned as she tried to go back but found herself deeper in the thicket, getting more and more lost.

She looked back and took a step back and bumped into something, turning around she smiled brightly. "Archie dear!" she cried in joy. "I found you!"

 

[Midian]

Eliza huffed and crossed her arms, looking up at the sky. It did look bad, but not that bad, not bad enough to end their adventure so prematurely. Why, they hadn't even been to that strange town, Litchfield, yet, or met their other neighbor, Dr. Colridge. He was apparently a professor of psychology at Excelsior University, but was rarely seen anymore. Of course, the only Stonewall thatthey had met was Pippa, although that seemed to be rather normal for that family. Where had that strange man come from that they'd seen her with, anyway? Surely that couldn't be proper or safe for the girl. It was simply too early to just give up and go inside, and Eliza was about to accuse Leanne of only wanting to go home because she was dirty when David lept out of her arms and shot off in hot pursuit of Lyall.
"David!" Eliza cried, bolting after him for a few yards before having to stop and brace her hands on her knees. The wheezing sounded awful, but it didn't stop her from seizing Allen's hand and half-dragging him into the brush after Archie, David, and Lyall.

The thicket was quiet. Even their footsteps seemed muffled, every sound sucked greedily away by the foliage. Where on earth had Archie slipped away to? She couldn't even hear him or any of the menagerie they were chasing. Eliza jumped when Leanne pricked her finger, however, and pulled away from Allen to examine the glint as Leanne wrapped her finger up. The two were so absorbed in each other, as usual, that they didn't notice her poking around in the shrub. When she finally found the object, it turned out to be a a girl's hatpin with the end decoration largely destroyed; what remained appeared to be a blue butterfly made from turquoise. Could it belong to Pippa? Eliza tucked it in her own hat and dragged herself out of the bushes, or tried to. Thorns had somehow gotten around her ankle and snared her dress, tearing up both as she was helped free.
"Oh, ouch," she fussed, but waved off any notion of going back. Just ahead she could hear two voices, and perhaps they had seen Archie... But where was Leanne, now?! Eliza couldn't imagine how she had gotten away from Allen, but now they were missing TWO people.
"We need to-- get everyone to--gether," Eliza wheezed. It wasn't long before they reached the little Stonewall girl and the ruffian.
"Hello." Allen said politely. "Did you see a man chase a mouse?"
"And a-- girl that looks-- much like him?" Eliza added. God, but it felt like her corset was laced ten times too small! She leaned on a tree and pressed her hand to her chest. In an effort to distract herself, she looked up at the man with the strange, strange hair. How did one even GET their hair to do that?

Up close, it was striking to Callahan how strongly Eliza resembled a very young widow Hart.
______________________________________________________________________________

Together in the thicket, sound began to return to Leanee and Archie. At first it was just the rustling of leaves and the various and sundry sounds of wood creaking and popping, but as they passed through a particularly large bush while trying to find the group, a breathy voice seemed to murmur in their ears:
Are you lost?

On the other side of the bush they found what appeared to be a young girl with a box on her head wearing nothing else had a ragged white shift. Vines seemed to be growing out of her very skin and hanging down out of the box like hair. Before their very eyes she decayed and collapsed into a heap of soggy, rotten leaves.

 

[Boss Megu]

Leanne Aemilia held Archie's other hand as he held on to his little friend. She looked down on her own bundle and sighed. Eliza just had to a have such a naughty pet. "Bad Kitty" she whispered to the kitten and tucked it into the small basked she was carrying and turned to look at Archie. He looked so tired and dirty and quite honestly, he looked mad and little bit scared. Or that could be just her.

The silence was oddly unnerving then slowly, small sounds began to appear. It came so suddenly that they both jumped at the sound rustling leaves. Giggling in worry, she clutched his hand and gave him a small worried smile. "It'll be fine, Archie dear" she said as another small sound startled them both. "We'll be okay." Allen will find us. She thought. If he doesn't, well...

She ended that dark thought as they passed a particularly large bush and gasped. A rather breathy voice murmured in their ears as if they were just behind them. Are you lost? She pulled Archie behind her quickly, and they turned around. Her heart was pounding quite loudly and her breathing coming fast short deep breaths.

The same cold chill filled Leanne as she saw nothing but the large bush. Her eyes widened, trying to understand what had just happened. Then there it was again, that sudden strange urge to come closer. It was starting to scare her.

It felt wrong, but the urge in her was strong. She couldn't resist it. She took a small step forward. Then another, and then, yet another. As if realizing what she was trying to do, Archie tightened the grip on her hand and tugged at her hand.

Leanne looked at him with a small smile, yet again. "It's alright, Archie dear." she whispered. "Nothing will harm you. I promise."

With that, she pulled him towards the bush. As she pushed aside the branches, mindful of the sharpness, she gave another small gasp. A strange child! A child with vines growing out of her skin and a small box on her head. Before she could formulate a thought, the child suddenly started to decay at an alarming rate then collapsed into a heap of soggy, rotten leaves.

Shocked, she screamed jumping back pulling Archie with her but it seemed that he wasn't expecting that, he tripped on her and they fell into a tangled heap of each other.

The bush jumped back into place, hiding the leaves that the small child had become. Leanne noticed that the hand clutching Archie not once was released. She also oddly noticed that she was shaking but it wasn't cold. Wait.

It was. The cold drift of air washed at them and it filled her with sudden dread. Something was very wrong with this place. Her silver-blue eyes widened and she found herself suddenly very afraid.

Leanne has not been afraid in a long time. Not since that day when her mother took her away from Allen and the distance began to kill them. And now, she began to feel the same symptoms and she knew that it wasn't quite scientific but she was never as scientific as Allen. She never showed it but she believed in the supernatural. How else can she explain her gift to make things grow? Her green thumb was proof of it all.

She heard a small sound and turned to Archie and she bit back her fear. She brought the lad in this mess, she was going to get him out of it!

Leanne shakily stood up, picked up her basket and assisted Archie up and began to brush away the filth that stuck to him. With a smile, she stepped back deeming him presentable.

"Don't worry, dear" she began and took his hand again. It was best that way, so that they weren't going to get lost. "We'll get you out of here, don't you worry." She continued with another bright smile.

Deciding on a random direction, they began to walk away. But the chill that entered Leanne never left her. She knew. She just knew something more strange and odd and worse was going to happen next but she couldn't find it in herself to tell Archie that.

Leanne was a mother. Mother's knew when to keep things to themselves to keep their children happy.

Archie wasn't her son. But the same principal applies, she thinks. "Come one Archie, we'll get you home just in time for dinner, just you see." she encouraged the lad. Odd, that sounded like such an obvious lie even to her ears. "You'll be okay." she added.

With one last glance at the strange bush, they left. Leanne shivered slightly and walked away. Strange didn't begin to describe this place.

 

[Mundane Monster]

Her request for Callahans hair was interrupted when the rich new neighbors--err the half the doppelganger and Eliza, approached them. She wondered where the other lady was. And her questions was answered when they posed theirs. Well Eliza's inquiry anyway. The man's question sounded like a riddle. had she seen a man chase a mouse? Was it being chased by a cat who was chasing a farmer who was chasing his wife? Was what she wanted to say, but their faces didn't look as if they were in a joking mood.

"No. It's just us here." Pippa answered jerking her thumb towards Callahan and herself. She noticed the way Eliza was leaning against the tree, as if she were going to keel over without a moments notice. She opened her mouth to ask if she was okay and if she wanted to sit down because the dirt was quite soft--but then she saw how the older girl was staring at Callahan.

How was she staring exactly? Pippa didn't quite know. But she didn't like it. Even if she didn't want Callahan anymore with his lack of manners and wild hair...It was so very confusing! But she didn't quite want Eliza to want him either.
At that moment Pippa wanted to push the older girl into a ditch. But instead she steeled herself and turned a curious if not reserved look upon the exhausted girl. "Are you alright?" She asked.