PL IC Thread IX++ //Oddsbodikins & Atomic Kittens//

[The BranRiech]

Drova managed a smile for both Jasmine and Gio as he realized he'd gone off on some kind of rant. "Y-yeah." He shook his head, looking over the journals to avoid having to make eye-contact with Jasmine. He didn't really want to face her after his little explosion, and he was still trying to form an apology in his mind.

Swiveling on the balls of his feet, the bat-boy turned around and walked a little closer to Jasmine.

"It's fine." He shrugged it off quite quickly. "I get a little . . . Hotheaded." He said, seldom-remembering the word that Yuna had used to describe him sometimes. "Do you accept my apology?" Drova's eyes looked deep into Jasmines, ignoring the small crowd that had gathered around her.

[Fvaarniimar]

When Elka mentioned there possibly being a similarly colored piece of fabric, Rmwtyliin rather pointedly held up the abovementioned blue organza... She then smiled as Elka decided that she liked Rmwtyliin's selection. "Are you getting that then? I did find the blue in the fabric we were looking at earlier." She showed Elka said blue fabric.

"Leaving soon! Make your choices final," Kwa'a half-singsonged.

"Oh." Rmwtyliin had forgotten that they had other stops to make. "I guess you better choose quickly!" She herself looked at a few more fabrics. A cute, whimsical tree-frog-print almost went into the cart before she saw that the cute tree frogs had red eyes. Her face fell; she almost wished that she could get it anyway. What was wrong with her? She wasn't supposed to want to wear red, ever. Then again, it wasn't really the red which she wanted - it was the OH-so-cute frogs. Next to those was a cloud pattern. She pulled it.

"Please cut...uh...this much of this." She spread her arms apart. Soon it and (hopefully, if she had taken that cue) Elka's fabric had been cut and were ready to purchase. Kwa'a sighed, relieved, as Rmwtyliin (and hopefully Elka) dashed up to the register and dropped in the fabric, then raised her eyebrows slightly in appreciation. She just might get some of it herself... In fact, she would do that right now. "Rmwtyliin, Elka, stay here. Start checking out. I'm getting -" She held up the cloud-printed fabric. A few moments later - "Ten meters of this, please." Shortly after that, Kwa'a returned and took over checking out. Rmwtyliin spotted some snacks. Asking for them might be kind of rude, but it reminded her... Tapping Elka's hand, she pressed a roasted pistachio into it.

"Psst. Elka. I grabbed these from the kitchen. They smell pretty good." She tried one herself, shelling it with a cracking noise. "Taste pretty good, too!"

Kwa'a handed Rmwtyllin several bags - fabric was relatively light - and Elka a bag containing the fabric or trim which she had selected. She was careful to make sure that the bag holding her beautiful red fabric was one she herself carried - not because she didn't trust Rmwtyliin to take good care of it, but because the girl probably would not want to hold something that color. (Earlier, she had dropped some variegated yarn like a hot potato. Kwa'a, investigating, had found that there were red portions in the interior.)

Shopping in the market district, it was rather inevitable that they would run into the festival. Kwa'a wasn't sure, but it looked like the place might have a better selection than Tesco's - including some cute clothing. "Rmwtyliin, may I borrow Duncan for a moment?"

Duncan did not seem to mind; she nodded assent. "Duncan, please translate among the three of us."

"Girls, how do you feel about a detour and a late lunch? They have some of the things we're shopping for here, and they seem to have some other fun things as well. Look at that girl over there!" That last was in reference to Jasmine.

Rmwtyliin spotted the teens. "Can I go talk to Kale?" To Elka, who might misunderstand and think that Rmwtyliin was sick of hanging out with her, she explained, "It is about my gift for the festival. Kale is pretty nice. So is - well, so are pretty much everyone she is with. You want to come?"

"Wait a minute, Rmwtyliin." Was that a smile tugging at the corners of Kwa'a's mouth as she grabbed her ward's sash, pulling her back? "There will be time to talk to her. And to anyone else. Right now, I need your opinion on this." They had been walking towards a booth; it held Indian apparel, which actually was not that dissimilar to Fvaarniimarn. The woman held up a nice blue dress with pink embroidery, which she thought (correctly) would bring out the girl's eyes.

Rmwtyliin tried it on over the dress which she was wearing. Kwa'a eyed it critically. "Maybe smaller." She then noticed a gold-and-brown sari and pulled it. If Rmwtyliin doesn't want this I think I'll wear it! "Anyway, we'll go to Tesco's after looking at this booth if that's what you two want..."

Mid-experimental-twirl, the girl shook her head. "What do you think, Elka?" Blue was not her favorite color, but it did have some positive associations. Besides, brown/purple/green/pink was getting rather old. It would be nice to add a little variety...If only she had thought to grab a blue ribbon! There were some blue items in their Zinko's bags, however; the cloud-print fabric, for instance. Those would do.

[The Carlisle]

Kale watched in fascination as her groceries disappeared into Gio's pockets. "So cool..." She said, her eyes glimmering. Powers always fascinated her. And knowing Gio had some made her feel a bit more close to her. Even though she doubt she could control plants, she had solidarity in the fact that they were in the same boat. Which... Is why this election is so important.

Getting off that thought for a moment, Kale distracted herself by looking around. Gio mentioned they had enough money for trinkets. Kale herself had plenty, so it wasn't an issue for her. Maybe she could get a gift for them? Naw... She didn't know what to give them...

She wandered with them, looking at various things. Sun glasses never interested her, nor the selection of hats. Well, there was a sun hat.. But there was also bracelets that looked cute. Oooh! And home made jewelry! There was a pretty soapstone carved ring! How did people do that?

After looking for a bit, she decided on a shell necklace. It was adorned with scallop shells and fragments of various colored shells. And it was pretty inexpensive (for her) too. She put it on and skipped over to Gio, who was looking at books. "Whatcha looking at?" She said, staring at the book in her hand. She wondered what kind of story it was.

[Torsiedelle]

Jasmine's little group was still waiting, but first...

"Of course I accept your apology!", She said. "It was a minor mistake on my part as well, and I can understand your offense, or maybe not, but it doesn't matter now, right? It's better to make up and put such squabbles behind us, yes?", She nodded. Not only was she accepting the apology, but making a point for the kids as well.

"I see you were with the other girls, Giovenith and Tora? I wouldn't want to leave them hanging, unless you're not into diaries?", She asked. "Oh, but look at this, kids!", She picked up a board, a thick, sturdy one. "I bet you'd have a hard time cracking this one, right?"

She leaned towards Drova. "Well, I'll let you be on your way to hang out with your friends, but first, may you please hold both ends of this board? I promise you won't get hurt, I've got experience, and if you do get hurt? I'll have to find a way to repay you. It's a deal?"

[Mincaldenteans]

Nothing in the universe was quite as wonderful as a baby animal, in Neste's opinion. Tavana had inadvertantly brightened the construct's morning. She dissolved into a melodious transport of delight, flinging her arms out and firmly wrapping her hands around the targling.

"Saucisse de Toulouse!" she lifted him into the air and held him there a moment while he voided his bladder onto her clean floor, then drew him tightly to her chest. "I'll call him Toulouse! Oh, thank you, Tavana. This means the world to me! I need to thank Mezran, too." In fact, it almost made up for being kidnapped. Almost, but not quite.

"Please, won't you stay for tea? We have a lot of blends, but we have one that sort of reminds me of one of the strong, warm beverage I drank in your halls. It's called Lipton, and it comes in a bag. I'll just be a moment getting it."

Toulouse was shown the back garden where he could forage and destroy to his heart's delight. She kept the door cracked and pulled a spare blanket from her nest for him to use. Five minutes later and the piddle was mopped up, and a tray waited them on the low coffee table. Neste noted the Klingon's aversion to sitting on her furniture, but rather than encroach upon some cultural taboo, she simply pulled throw pillows from the couch for them to use as floor cushions.

"How are you settling in?" she asked as she cheerfully poured out a cup for her guest and passed it over. "I think the hardest part of my arrival here was the culture shock. I was accustomed to living amongst humans, but not to living apart from my own species. It was unsettling, and annoying, and I found my initial curiosity soon replaced by a longing to hear my own language spoken. I began to miss the scents and sounds, and caught myself peering around corners in hopes of stumbling upon some small thing which would stir my memories to life again. And I'm rambling! So sorry!"

She set the pot down and pushed a plate of construct biscuits towards the woman. They were hunger-ending things, sweetened by nectar from the plants that had once thrived beyond the pantry door, and loaded with protein. "If I knew you were coming, I would have bought some live eels," she tilted her head and sighed. "I'm afraid nothing I have on hand could possibly come close to the good food you served us. You deserve a meal worthy of your status as a warrior."

Tavana found it odd to have such soft items laid on the floor, it wasn't an aversion to comfort, Klingon women appreciated it more but they understood the reasons for discomfort. It kept them alert, but it also kept them perpetually grumpy. She wondered if that was the reason why her people drank so much. Not wanting to offend her host, Tavana sat on the cushion, it was very soft and the Klingon visibly showed a slight grimaced at it (though somewhere deep inside her appreciated it). The tea was poured, a dark brownish blend that was mildly sharp to her olfactory senses.

"You apologize too much, NesT'E, is this a habit of you or your people?" Tavana asked directly though bereft of her usual sharp edge and criticizing manner. The construct had so far apologized twice in a very short amount of time. Tavana found that odd; this was her home, her sanctuary, if anyone should be apologizing it was Tavana to have intruded upon her host and a targling who wasn't potty trained (though what targ was?). Her people made no apology for the simplest of matters, they were bold and expected the same from anyone else. Only larger matters were taken into consideration and those mistakes were often paid in blood. The Klingon didn't air of this, knowing she came from a different culture and NesT'E was no different in that respect. Instead Tavana accepted the offered tea and sipped it, the flavor was bold but subtle and left little to linger in her taste buds. She set the cup down and gave a stern nod, "You are gracious host, for that you mustn't apologize for anything. You offer what you have, the same can be said if the situation were reversed."

"It is disconcerting," Tavana replied to the construct's question after a moment. She shifted about her cushion to get a harder spot but found none. How did people sit on this and not find it worrisome? Choosing to ignore her growing vulnerability in the luring embrace of the enticing pillow, Tavana continued, "Everything here is fragile, a wrong step or a wrong turn and it's as though I would break something. I do not know how Mezran has adapted to this so easily, but I've been reading his database and it seems he was trained to be at least... aware of other people's different natures.

"But we are Klingon," Tavana said with wry smile showing her crooked jagged teeth, "'soft' has never been a practice we understood or implemented."

She picked up the biscuit, it looked... cooked. Tavana didn't frown, though her slightly perked eyebrows showed her curiosity to it. She knew it enough to know it was a kind of bread, but it was almost too delicate by the touch of her calloused fingers. The flakes of its broke away and Tavana settled the biscuit down before she made a mess of it. A stick substance coated her fingers and she risked a furtive swipe of it with her tongue. She said nothing to the sweet flavor, although she liked it, "Are you the only one of your kind here? At least I have that big oaf for company, and perhaps someday we will visit Qo'Nos again, but you... You have no one else?"

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, Purna chortled inside Minerva's head. It was true, even if said in jest in a movie. Nobody ever expected to land in Bielefeld. They did, and that was that. You could either roll with it and hope it didn't punch too hard, or run into the wilderness like some screaming banshee. Either way, you were still stuck in Bielefeld.

"I'll tackle the easy one first," Minerva set her cup aside. "The cutout is a communication device. Not everyone has telephones, and those devices can be tapped anyway. Further, not everyone with a phone has a signal inside their apartment. The cutout is meant to alert you in an emergency. It speaks, and can relay a message back to the sender. All communications pass through a switchboard of sorts. Rather complicated, but there you have it."

She tapped a finger on her cup's rim as she considered their expressed concerns. "You shouldn't be expected to involve your Guild in the political scene here," she acquiesced. "It's nightmarish to begin with, and there are so many things shifting that even I can't keep up with it these days, and I've kept up with it for two years already. But-"

The finger stopped moving as she carefully framed her words. "I can't vouch for any of the others, nor my pantheon, regarding repayment. I have no right to speak for the Conservators, nor the Observatory, nor any of the other groups. The Resistance itself is just a loose collection of these organizations, plus a few freedom fighters. My pantheon pulled out of here completely, and thus my Lads and I are here on our own, volunteering to serve as individuals rather than as cultists. If our god summons, we go, regardless of current or future events. We're tethered to it by the daemons we house within us. The War God will honor pacts made, but the God of Perfection (and Lust) is fickle and can be rather incessant when she summons."

Minerva sighed. It was simply unfair. She hadn't any right to ask the Guild to risk anything. On the other hand, the Guild had every right to know what was transpiring in the world outside their door.

"There are ways we can help you," she added. "We Lads can not openly fight, but we're very good at gathering information. We can also fiddle with time, to an extent, and this might be beneficial to you. And if Anais is at risk while her magic covers the clinic, then we can provide forces to lessen the chance of greater exposure, if such a thing will benefit her."

"Anais' risk comes from her binding ritual that taps into her life force, any exposure or threat externally wouldn't change her situation much. The price is paid, as I understand it, so we keep moving on until the entity she summoned is sent back," Alexia replied. She gave a brief glance to the ritualist who remained quiet for the moment.

Just like home, Alexia thought. So many other factions and groups, and her guild was no different; just one of many seeking to fill their own agenda. But the possibility of making alliances to confront the char couldn't be passed up. "You can't speak for the others, that's fair enough. I suppose the only way I can gain the others' trust would be to work with them. But my guild is technologically primitive, our cultural differences are expansive to say the least, but our martial and magic capabilities are formidable. The first meeting Resident there was mention about magic being particularly vulnerable to detection and we're filled with it."

Alexia sighed and pushed her seat out, the wardroom wasn't big and it was only a few strides before she stood at the window with her arms crossed. She'd be risking what was left of her guild, her family, to an enemy that hadn't so much as shown its face yet. How could they hope to fight something they couldn't see? Wasn't placing herself, Anais and Cherry in line not good enough? No, came the immediate answer, there would be war and limited assistance was just deferred cowardice in Alexia's eyes. She wouldn't give her half-best against the charr, she knew, and the rest here needed committed people.

"I'll talk to the others," the monk said finally. She turned around to face Minerva and her friend. "They were receptive into helping initially but I've remained cautious, unsure how to help without exposing ourselves, the clinic being the only exception, and I'm sure the rest will spring to the chance of making themselves useful. I admit, I'm not keen on risking the rest of my guild, but I like it even less sitting about as the world around us changes for the worse."

[The BranRiech]

"But of course." Drova nodded curtly. He didn't intend to interrupt Jasmine's whole show she was planning on putting on for the crowd she'd attracted, but he was right in the middle of it at this point, and Jasmine seemed to want him to even participate a little. While he didn't trust strangers too much in general considering anyone could consider him a threat, he felt oddly compelled to go along with it.

"And yes, well . . . My sister would much rather enjoy writing down her feelings in a book." He chuckled as he gripped both ends of the board for Jasmine. He knew she was going to attempt to break it, and considering how she was talking to the kids, she must be quite adept at it.

"And please, I'm not worried at all." He smiled.

[Charlia]

"Awww, it's okay Drova," th teen god comforted with a smile. "People make mistakes about me a lot too. Hey look!"

Up ahead was a tall stand surrounded by smaller, cardboard stands filled with displayed books. Some of them were meant for reading, but there were journals too, of all sorts of variety. Some cheap and girlish, some intricately designed and classy, some surprisingly high tech with their locking systems. It held that familiar dry paper smell, a scent of mini academia.

"Looks perfect!" Giovenith went up and gently took one book with.gold etching. "Oooo, like out of a fantasy story!"

Charlotte had finished her song, and came over, buying one of the more high-tech journals. My writings should stay private. But the girl from earlier hadn't left, clearly wanting another song, which Charlotte provided, as usual. This one, she felt especially able to identify with--and why not? It's almost as if I wrote it...

[Torsiedelle]

"Yes, excellent then!"

Her gaze met Drova's for a moment. This girl was serious, and in nearly an instant her jovial demeanor had been replaced with concentration. She stood still, her hands put together while she cracked her knuckles and popped her neck, and pinpointed exactly where she'd hit the board. She planned to kick it, but would she do a regular old kick, or something different?

"Are you ready, partner?"

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Yes, I help her with adjusting to this more chaotic world so to speak. Though off the books as a favor, but It is rude to go into the gritty details." Arthur explained and watched Brit take her first drink, without flopping around the bar like a fish. Hollow's ability to change at will intrigued his curiosity, although he lacked the biological expertise to fully understand it.

---

Jonathan approached the voting booth, as he had citizenship. Although he didn't entirely trust Itum, he put a little faith that the cyborg would have the best interests of the community in mind. He hoped the newcomer had a sense of justice for all their sakes and it wasn't all show.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

"I think we'll go with that, then." Elka picked up the blue bit of fabric and wagged her tail slightly. She jumped, hearing Kwa'a speak, realizing they were short on time. Elka got her fabric cut and followed close behind the two, watching as Kwa'a ran off to get some more of the cloud-printed stuff.

Elka looked at the pistachio in vague familiarity. It was sort of like a peanut or a sunflower seed, only... not. She cracked it open and ate it. "Huh. Don't think I've ever had one of these before... I should try to fix that." She didn't have much time to think before getting handed a bag and following the two along once more. Elka looked over the festival. She swore she had intended to help out there, but there wasn't really anything she could think of doing for it. What, show off Reilish culture? Sure, she'll bring the AK-47 and radiation right on in. She snickered at the thought.

They soon wandered over to the booth with the Indian apparel, vaguely reminding her of a travelling Arkchil priest who stopped by her village several years back. Before he was run out of town by an angry mob throwing rocks. Here he was, spouting nonsense about how "the gods loved them" when they had just suffered an outbreak of some miserable illness. Was it the plague? She was only five at the time, not like she could be bothered to remember. She shook her head as she snapped out of the memory, and looked at Rmwtyliin's new sari, smiling in approval. "It looks very nice. Makes you look like some sort of priestly type."

[Giovenith]

"Just a nice little journal, an intricate shape..." She smiled and flipped through the pages, letting the little breeze it created flutter through her front hair pieces. "We can get some reading pieces too though! I'm going to just get a few journals too." Smiling back at the whole scene with Jasmine, Giovenith shook her head and focused on the shopping at hand, this day wouldn't last long after all. Into a small shopping basket went a book on fairy tales, one of the ornate journals, a sketch pad, and a journal with a wheel-number lock on it.

"Look at this one," the teen showed a guide on drawing plants to Kale. "Anything you'd be interested in?"

--

You know you've been stuck in another dimension long enough when the sound of clopping in the background murmur of a crowd was no longer ignorable.

It had taken a while for Willow's ears to catch onto, sort of like how you only noticed the buzzing of your air conditioning after it's already been turned off, but it was definitely there. He attributed it to his increasing sedation, as business was much slower than expected, having only sold one painting and collected general donations to a total amount of around $180--definitely not enough to make any sort of meaningful donation to those families. It was so hot too! But Willow wasn't the type to roll over crying when things didn't go his way. He was, however, the type to investigate when things seemed out of place, and that distinctive, rhythmic clicking of hooves was.

Taking a quick sweep over his set-up, the artist decided that he wouldn't be gone long enough for anyone to be able to successfully undo the wiring he had put on the displays, and the donation box could easily be slipped into his borrow hammerspace, so he figured it wouldn't be too much of a risk to wander just for a second. Carefully, Willow flew lazily along the mild crowd and followed his ears, stopping occasionally to get better direction, until he rounded a short corner and came upon the source he'd been searching for.

Ponies, or, quote on quote, "real" ponies. Not Earth ponies, merely ponies from Earth. They were tied up together and walking around in a little circle as small children rode upon their backs, and although Willow was by no means offended by this, he was, to say the least, a bit disturbed. All of the equines present sported only dull earthy tones without a single drop of any of the wide rainbow of colors that Equestrians could come in, though that was ultimately the least of his concerns. Their manes were lifeless and frumpy, clearly washed and taken care of to the minimum without any semblance of stylization or personal taste, and while Willow moved and looked around him with clear purpose and control, these did not seem to. They trudged along, dragging their legs through the mud below them, heads down low to observe the world with a dull nothingness. He heard no voices, only these high-pitched groaning noises occasionally emitting. Worse yet, adults with no cutie marks--how pitiful, how shocking, how unnatural.

He had crossed into uncanny valley.

"Momma, I wanna ride this one!" a small girl suddenly shook Willow's side, slightly waking him from his daze.

"No, no," he gently reprimanded her, taking her hand off him with a wing and causing her to run off in surprise. He was more focused on the obvious at hand.

Collecting his wits, Willow pulled his wings close and slowly made his way toward the little kiddie ride, taking tentative steps with a crouched head and stopping only to allow the children to dismount and walk past. So began a quick break to rearrange things for another ride, allowing the sapient one to approach the shuffling husks.

Willow leaned in, held his breath, and tilted his head, watching. One, two, three.

It was all a coin toss, wasn't it? Sometimes you got that Light in your eyes, other times you didn't, it all depended on the side of the universe. Do try not to be jealous.

Not a clash meant to happen in any good taste, the pony hissed and the Pony fled away, back into the world of the lucky from whence he came.

[Tsuyoi Tekikoku]

"No, no, I won't mind at all. A man needs his wallet.", Said Katya with a smile and a casual flick of her hand. "And besides, that will give me and Edge here some time alone to talk. If you need your wallet, I won’t mind, Sir."

“Mhm, ill like some time alone just to chat with Katya..It’s been a while sense we seen each other, so its best that we get some time to catch up on left” Edge smirked and had her tail tap Katya’s side before quickly returning to its master and played innocent. “It’ll also give me some time to catch up on a year’s worth of teasing~” She started to chuckle a lot, before it turned into full blown laughter.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii picked up two, more dignified diaries, both with dark brown spines. One was a deep, blood red, and the other was navy blue.

"I like these ones.", She commented. "So, what else besides books?"

...........

She kept on standing. The crowd was silent, and some of the boys were wondering when the girl would move, when-

Jasmine, who stood several feet in front of Drova, shot forward and kicked her leg high above her head, and, with a mighty downward swing, sent her foot smashing down on the board; it splintered and split right in half. When it was done, Jasmine sat low to the ground, propped up on one hand and foot,while the others rested in the air. It wasn't an extremely elegant style, but it still looked pretty, and also quite strong.

The crowd began to applause. Jasmine felt accomplished. She never got to do kicks like that, but they were super cool.

......

Katya blushed, for once in forever. "It's been more than a year, but yes, I'd love to catch up with you some.", She said. She felt the tail poke, which made her smile. It was kind of childish. Wait, why should she care? She was only twenty-one, and it wasn't like she was some wise old lady. She leaned over and bumped into her old friend on purpose.

[Charlia]

She kept on standing. The crowd was silent, and some of the boys were wondering when the girl would move, when-

Jasmine, who stood several feet in front of Drova, shot forward and kicked her leg high above her head, and, with a mighty downward swing, sent her foot smashing down on the board; it splintered and split right in half. When it was done, Jasmine sat low to the ground, propped up on one hand and foot,while the others rested in the air. It wasn't an extremely elegant style, but it still looked pretty, and also quite strong.

The crowd began to applause. Jasmine felt accomplished. She never got to do kicks like that, but they were super cool.

Charlotte smiled, clapping along with the rest. "That was amazing. Sometimes I wish I could do things like that, but... I don't really have any physical skills. Well, I do, but they're not exactly... what people would want to see." She turned away, feeling vulnerable and insecure. Who would want to see a ghost? They'd just run away from me. Because I... I am the monster parents tell their children about at night. The freak. The horror story, the campfire tale, the creature that gives young children nightmares! I don't belong in this world, I'll never belong in this world! I... I... She dashed off, crying, the loneliness and pain overwhelming her.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Let's go with chronological order," he finally stated after pondering the issue for a moment, rubbing his chin and resisting the urge to get up and pace, lest he be seen as rude after his little outburst, "If things went south I want to know when and whether there was an opportunity, given my limited knowledge of the bill, to salvage the evening. From how things sound, you weren't too impressed. And I apologize if my performance was lackluster - but like I said, I wasn't briefed on any of the bill's contents nor on specifics concerning Bielefield's political climate. I did my best going in blind."

Amanda was a bit surprised that Septimus took notice of Sandy's unorthodox opinion-polling methods. Despite his claims to enlightened rule, Amanda wondered if Septimus and his former cronies simply asked the head of their secret police to tell them what the people thought, and if that wasn't meeting their desires, had him adjust the people's attitudes appropriately.

"Your performance was a mixed bag: the best parts were inspired, but the worst parts--" Amanda shook her head sadly "-- we'll need to do better next time. But from the top..."

"Are robes customary for politicians in the Confederation? I'm guessing they are. Here, if people associate them with politics at all, they're associated with the judiciary rather than the legislature. In the Market District, nobody will care, but citizens elsewhere in the city and other members of the parliament might think they're odd. You may want to consider more typical men's fashions -- suit and tie, for instance -- but that's up to you. Standing out may serve just as well."

"The body of your speech was a solid stump speech, much better historically informed than most political speeches these days, and certainly effective at rallying your political base, but lacking the rhetorical magic that makes a Lincoln or a Churchill. But if you had nothing to work with, that was probably the best you could do."

Amanda shook her head again, frowning slightly and looking into the middle distance, seeing an image of last night. "And then Marcus tossed you a softball about Proposition 13. That could have been your moment, but well... what more is there to say? It wasn't. Fortunately, Ocho saved your bacon. If you haven't gotten a chance to thank him for that, you should. The rally really could have gone flat at that point if he hadn't done so well: nothing more demoralizes people than finding out their leaders don't know what to do. Sorry for being direct about that, but you did ask for my opinion."

"Willow then asked an astute question." Amanda's expression brightened, remembering Willow's clever set-up question, and Septimus' answer to it. "And you hit it out of the park. That was a clever appeal, well phrased and well-delivered. The two of us are of one mind about the proper approach to civil rights here: there are only residents of Bielefeld, not us and them. That's going to be my legal approach, and it's comforting to know I'll have political support for that." Amanda let that sink in: she was just as free with her praise as with her criticism, even if the latter may have been off-target.

"Most of the other questions were routine, and you gave more than adequate answers to them. You certainly do know how to speak without a prepared text, which will be a big help in the parliament. You should take a little care in asking for your constituents' names in public settings, however. It was clear from Charlotte's question that she was nervous about how the government would consider her, and getting her name in public might put her on somebody's hit list. Lord knows why she blurted out being a ghost; that might upset a lot of people."

There was a rattle of a key in the apartment door lock as Amanda finished speaking, and Amanda hastily added, "Sandy's home." As he came in carrying a bag of groceries, Amanda added one final point. "In any case, it apparently didn't matter, since the media didn't pick it up. Oh, and you were briefed about our friendly media coverage?"

Sandy put his bag down on a chair next to Amanda while he listened to her. After he was sure she was done, he warmingly greeted Septimus. "Hello, Mr. Itum! I'm Sandy Bela, glad to meet you." He came a bit closer and extended his hand for Septimus to shake.

[The BranRiech]

Drova visibly tensed up, as Jasmine's foot swung high up over their heads. His eyes followed them, dialed in to watch as her leg came crashing down onto the board he was holding with an iron grip. His grip wasn't enough to keep the board together though, and both halves split apart. He was left holding two different sections of board, though he dropped them a few seconds later, out of fear of getting a splinter.

"That was pretty awesome." Drova nodded, smiling at Jasmine. The Prince bowed to the girl slightly, and walked back off to join his friends as they kept looking at the diaries.

[Giovenith]

"Ooooo, I used to have one of these!"

Giovenith pulled a medium-sized box off one of the shelves, grinning as she held it out in front of her. It was a star constellation teaching tool: Inside and on the cover was a small, clear, plastic ball carefully painted all over with tiny dots and lines forming the constellations. At the bottom of the ball was a small hole in which could be inserted a small, skinny flashlight attached to a spinning stand, so that in a dark room the whole display would slowly spinning the shadows of the constellation paintings over your walls and ceiling like a real night sky. The set up also came with a small CD, which contained a narration that would walk the listener through all of the constellation's locations, the science of the stars forming them, and the myths and legends behind their names.

"So nice, wonderful for falling asleep," she squeed, gently placing it into her basket. I'll get it for Marcus! she thought cheerfully, remembering that first long conversation of theirs at the beach after the Christmas storm. He likes science and wonder! Ohhhhh, I hope he doesn't think it's too below his knowledge...

Other trinkets at the book stand would be typical things you'd find at a well-stocked book store: Comic books, manga, figurines, special reprints of legendary classics, gag books and gifts.

[The Carlisle]

Kale took the plant drawing book with some interest. She leafed through it, looking at the techniques to draw plants. Kale had a look of interest. She could create plants, but not draw them. And drawing wasn't something she picked up well in school. She did remember what her drawing project was, to draw a rose. It didn't turn out well but it was the only thing she could draw with interest. And thinking about it, she couldn't create plants all the time and when she did she usually forgot what they looked like. Maybe she could learn to draw them. Although, she doubted she can pick it up instantly and be perfect at it. But... maybe with practice.

She closed the book, put it under her arm, and looked through the other books at the stall. While the others were looking at other books, something about stars, Kale was looking at the fiction. One caught her eye and she picked it up. "Russian Fairy Tales," Kale said. The cover did look like something from a fairy tale. Rulers and peasants, fantastical architecture, big flowers towering in the sky. She leafed through it, looking at the colorful lettering and the fantastical pictures. Looking at the contents, there were tons of stories to read. She didn't want to leave it here. She wanted to read it!

She got up with the book in hand, looking to the others. "Look what I found!" Kale said, holding it out, "Its got a lot of stories and pretty pictures!"

[Torsiedelle]

Torii was quick to join Giovenith in awe. She was right up next to the globe in no time, tracing her finger along different shapes and location.

"Cygnus, Libra, Gemini, Cassiopeia, Heracles, Orion, Scorpio...I love astronomy.", She said, smiling at the little thing. "I had one of these, too. Super cool, and it really makes you want to look at a telescope. Ooo, look, Andromeda. Did you know that the Andromeda galaxy is named Andromeda because it was thought to be a part of the constellation? And Andromeda was a beautiful woman in Greek myths who was put on a rock to be eaten, before being saved by...wasn't it Heracles?"

..........

Jasmine bowed back, and waved as Drova left. He was nice...

She took a minute to show a few more moves, to entertain people, and even win herself a few dollars. Her fun was over as Charlotte ran off crying, however. "Okay, well, I'm sorry to say that I must end my demonstrations for now, fair people. It seems that a friend is in need of help, and so I must leave this area. Thank you all for coming!"

She turned and ran to follow the ghost girl.

[Charlia]

Jasmine bowed back, and waved as Drova left. He was nice...

She took a minute to show a few more moves, to entertain people, and even win herself a few dollars. Her fun was over as Charlotte ran off crying, however. "Okay, well, I'm sorry to say that I must end my demonstrations for now, fair people. It seems that a friend is in need of help, and so I must leave this area. Thank you all for coming!"

She turned and ran to follow the ghost girl.

Charlotte was on her knees, sobbing, alone in a clearing, her tears flowing down her face like a waterfall of sorrow. She felt so alone, so unwanted. I wish I could rest. But wishes don't come true, do they? Not if you wish on a star, or a wishbone, or a well, or a ladybug or a fountain or a dandelion or on the candles on a birthday cake--ha, a birthday cake. I haven't had a birthday party since I turned three, and that's not likely to change anytime soon with the way my life is going. I... I'll never rest, will I? Because I'm a coward.

[Torsiedelle]

"There she is..."

Jasmine's run slowed to a jog, then a walk, before she crouched down on the tips of her feet, behind Charlotte. She brought back her genial, too-happy smile and asked sofly:

"Charlotte?"

[Charlia]

"There she is..."

Jasmine's run slowed to a jog, then a walk, before she crouched down on the tips of her feet, behind Charlotte. She brought back her genial, too-happy smile and asked sofly:

"Charlotte?"

Charlotte blinked, wiping her eyes briefly before turning to the other girl. "Oh... hi..." Why does she keep doing that? She seems to be popular enough. Why does she seem to... to care, so much? She doesn't. The other shoe will drop soon enough. Thanks for the encouragement. "Is something wrong?" Lots, if we're talking about what's wrong with you.

[Torsiedelle]

"Well, actually...", Jasmine trailed off. She just sat there for a moment, staring back at the girl, smiling, but something was a little off about her.

She sighed and let her face relax. She took a few seconds, and then snapped back into reality. She wasn't smiling anymore. She stared down Charlotte with a serious, unamused, and apathetic expression.

"You cry too much. What's so saddening that you feel the need to mope all the time, girl?"

[Charlia]

"Well, actually...", Jasmine trailed off. She just sat there for a moment, staring back at the girl, smiling, but something was a little off about her.

She sighed and let her face relax. She took a few seconds, and then snapped back into reality. She wasn't smiling anymore. She stared down Charlotte with a serious, unamused, and apathetic expression.

"You cry too much. What's so saddening that you feel the need to mope all the time, girl?"

Charlotte sighed. "I... I'm lonely. I've lived too long. And look at me! I'm a freak! I'm the sort of creature people tell scary stories about! I give people nightmares! I'm a monster, and I'm too much of a coward to ever rest." She lowered her head.

[Torsiedelle]

"Uh-huh."

Jasmine still wasn't impressed. She stared at Charlotte, scrutinizing. "And? Doesn't mean you have to be a moping child about it.", She said. "Who the hell gets nightmares from you? You ain't scary. You also ain't much of a freak, looking at the people in this place.", She added. "But you are right about being a coward."

She sighed and scowled at Charlotte. "Look, I don't know everything about you, but I don't think you have the right to be so melodramatic. I don't like people who cry and act like the world ain't fair, either. Buck up."