InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I feel pretty"

Kiernan Gallagher (grumpypants) wrote in halcyon_halls,
@ 2008-07-23 17:16:00

Entry tags:

alana, easton

Week Fourteen: Wednesday
Who: Alana and Easton
Where: Corridor near Zephir house
When: Wednesday Early Evening

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was no answer. Alana's face screwed up in a frown. No one ever seemed to answer the doors she knocked on. Of course she had already tried the handle that had been the very first thing she'd done, rattling the knob until she was absolutely certain that she wasn't going to get into the room. What room was it? Alana wasn't altogether certain but that was far from the point.

The point was that she wanted in! And she wanted in NOW. before that yicky funny smelling old lady that babysat her on Wednesday's came around. Alana knew it was wrong to have run off from her again. But she'd left a crayon scrawled note that said.

GON TO DADS CLAS

That explained it all didn't it? She was off to find daddy's class. It had to be more interesting than what she'd been up to which was nothing. First Ms. Crabbypants had said she'd watched too much tv already so no Dora, then she said she didn't need anymore sweets, THEN she said that she didn't want to dress up with Alana and play fairies. What was she supposed to do then? Be quiet? NO WAY. Alana had managed to color for a few minutes... well color and hatch her plan that came to fruition when the old lady went to the bathroom like she always did. Note left, Alana scampered out of the room.

Now just to find the classroom. Alana had thought she'd known where the class was but as she kept walking and walking she was pretty sure she didn't know where it was! NO GOOD. She hadn't given up yet though, she was wearing her lucky tutu that Sam had got her for her birthday as well as the Dora the explorer t-shirt she'd bought for her at the show.

Dora would be able to find the room... so could Alana!

The sound of one of the doors she'd already tried opening up caused Alana to spin around. Tutu flying out and all. "WAAAAIIIT!" She called running toward the man that was coming out of the doorway.

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east_winds
2008-07-23 07:49 pm UTC (link)

It wasn't everyday Easton found himself being charged at by a screaming young girl dressed in a fairly impressive tutu and a t-shirt featuring what he could only guess was the infamous Dora. Of course, if she kept up at this pace, she was likely to slam right into that quickly closing door or bite it rather harshly on the freshly-waxed linoleum on the other side - neither of those seemed like a favorable way for her to spend the next minutes or so of her day. Best that he try and stop that, crying little girls were not his strong-suit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he crouched down, arms out to catch her and slow her down just a bit, even if she sent him crashing to the ground with her. A sore bum was better than Alana taking a header into the classroom behind him, wasn't it? He thought so, at least. "Where are you heading in such a hurry, dressed so nicely?" he inquired warmly as soon as Alana had come to screeching halt where he knelt. He could only imagine she was tearing around like a little tazmanian devil looking for her dad...or perhaps Sam, who else would have her running about like this?

"You remember me, don't you?" Probably best to make sure she didn't think he was some complete stranger - kids were trained to watch out for that kind of thing, weren't they? He wasn't out to terrify the poor kid, after all. "I'm Sam's boyfriend, Easton." They'd met at the dance, but that had been ages ago and who knew what kind of impression, if any, that he'd left behind, so he'd give her just a little refresher. For good measure, he held out a hand so they could shake in greeting, make it official.

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grumpypants
2008-07-24 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Alana had a couple of speeds. Fast, too fast and dig her heels in slow. At the moment as she barreled down the hallway toward the man she'd caught coming out of the doorway she desperately wanted to gain access to, she was traveling at the 'too fast' speed. How many times she'd been told to slow down she couldn't exactly count but somehow the message had never really sunk in.

Thankfully for her, the man was crouching down and his arm snagged her as she went full board into him. Keeping her feet thankfully, Alana grabbed his shirt and got her balance. She looked up and a grin immediately plastered itself to her small features. Of course she remembered him! Alana remembered everyone she met here! Well that was probably because the extent of the people she'd met was small. Her dad was really no fun!

"DUH" She said with a little giggle. "I know you Mr. Eaaaston." His name was kind of funny, at least to this six year old it was. She looked at his hand and gave it a slap, "Did you want to do one of those songs? I didn't know you knew those?!" And boy did she get excited over that fact. "Daddy doesn't know them and won't learn them but I knew this girl at this play thing that I went to and she knew a really cool one that went..." Alana held up her other hand ready to launch into it. "Lemonade cha cha cha," she started moving her hands in a modified pattycake sort of motion. Where she learned these things... who knew.

Her head cocked to the side quizzically. "Do you really know these... if so you're the coolest guy EVER." Even Sam didn't do those with her. There needed to be more kids around here!

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east_winds
2008-07-26 12:48 pm UTC (link)

Thankfully, while she might have been nearly flying down the hallway towards him, Easton managed to stop Alana without sending them both sprawling out across the middle of the walkway - they probably should have been, giving that there was nearly steam coming off of her little shoes, but they managed to avoid completely embarrassment for the moment. He could only guess, given the smile that lit up her face once she glanced up at him, that she must have remembered who he was - also a good thing. Holding a terrified, screaming child was probably not the best way to go about things.

"Mr. Easton?" he laughed, grinning at the little girl, "I think that's a bit fancy for us. Should I call you Miss Alana, then?" He was joking, teasing her with a warm smile. He might not have been particularly fond of her father, but that wasn't a fact he intended to hold against Alana. After all, it wasn't as if one had the prime opportunity to select their parents. Besides, she hadn't done anything to upset him and she was rather adorable. Who knew he actually had a side that children seemed to actually....enjoy?

She didn't quite respond to the handshake as he'd intended and now it was his turn to be confused. Alana, being the helpful little thing she was, cleared up exactly what she meant a moment later, bursting out into a little song and dance right there for him. "I'm afraid I don't know any of those, no, but you seem quite good. In fact, you might be the best that I've ever seen." And how many had he seen? Alright, definitely not the point. "I suppose that means I can't be the coolest guy ever, eh?" Darn. He was really looking forward to that title too.

"So, Miss Alana," he grinned, "what exactly are you doing tearing about these hallways like a madwoman?"

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grumpypants
2008-08-03 01:37 pm UTC (link)

"Yep! Mr. Easton. Daddy always says I should call people that. I think it's kind of funny sounding buuut with your name I like it!" She decided with a definitive nod of her head. She kind of just liked saying his name. Eaaaston, Eastooooon. It was fun and if he spent enough time with her he'd probably get to hear every variation of his name. Lucky guy. Alana's nose wrinkled up with a laugh. "Miss Alana! Funny! Okay you can call me that." She decided as she bounced around on the balls of her feet.

Alana had done her best to get him into the whole hand slapping song thing. There had to be a better name for those but she was six, she just knew the songs and the motions. And even then half the time she made up her own words. "You don't! Well you should learn them. OH!" She exclaimed as the idea dawned on her. "I should teach them to Sam then she could teach you. She's really good at all that stuff. Well she's really good at everything!" She amended her statement with a laugh. "THEN you can be the coolest guy ever." There that covered all the bases.

"Uh..." Alana did look a little sheepish when he asked what she was doing tearing around the hallways. "Uh... nothing." She finally said. "Just looking for stuff." She wasn't the best liar on the planet. Far from it. "What room is that?" She pointed at the door that he'd just come out of.

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east_winds
2008-08-05 09:01 am UTC (link)

Easton couldn't help but chuckle lightly - she was quite the little ball of energy, that seemed to be rather undeniable given the way she was bouncing abount. "Alright then, Miss Alana, you teach Sam all of those hand claps of yours and we'll see if I can master them. You're very, very good though, I don't think I'll ever be quite as good at them as you are." But if it gave him a shot at being the coolest guy ever, well then he would most certainly have to try. Who didn't want to carry about that title with them? Surely every little bit would help him win it over.

That little sheepish look that flitted across her face said quite a bit. "I'm guessing you've slipped away from a nanny, am I right?" he dropped down to one knee before her, putting them at nearly the same height. "And you've ventured off over here even though your dad has told you not too, yeah?" That certainly seemed to be what she was up to. He'd been a kid at one point as well, the little secrets of youth were not completely lost on him. "Looking for things, huh?" he glanced back at the door he'd exited, "Well, you've located the Abstract Sciences room. I had to pick up something I'd forgotten earlier."

"So, Miss Alana," Easton's attention returned to the little troublemaker before him, "what exactly is it that you were searching for? Perhaps I can help you track it down before your dad finds out you've run off on your sitter. We wouldn't want you getting in trouble, now would we? It can be our little secret," he held out a hand, playfully, so they could shake to seal it, "Deal?"

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grumpypants
2008-08-05 01:30 pm UTC (link)

Wasn't that what being six years old was all about? Unending amounts of energy to drive older people crazy? With Alana that was pretty much the case, though such moments of energy were almost always followed by the whiny about to crash stage that everyone just looooved. Luckily or unluckily for Easton, Alana was definitely still in the energy stage. It wasn't quite close enough to her bedtime for the whining to set in. "I will, it'll be lots of fun teaching Sam all of 'em and I'll maaake sure that she shows 'em to you!" Have fun with that one Easton. who didn't want to spend time with their significant other practicing a little 'down by the banks'.

Uh-oh. Caught! Alana knew it. While she excelled in sneaking away, she didn't exactly excel hiding the fact that she had. That might come with age and so help Kiernan when she got to her teenage years. "Nanny!" Her nose wrinkled up with laughter. "OH babysitter... maybe." she finally admitted sheepishly scuffing her mary jane clad foot on the ground. Her head pulled up when he finally mentioned what room she had found. "The absta-wha?" Now that didn't make any sense. What kind of room was THAT?!

"Hmpf..." The fact that it wasn't her dad's room not that she knew the name of the room she was looking for but she was certain it wasn't that earned a pout from Alana. A killer little girl pout. If that could be channeled into a weapon of mass destruction we wouldn't need nuclear weapons. "My daddy isn't in that room is he?" She couldn't help but ask the question even if she was pretty sure she knew the answer. "That'.. who I'm looking for. Can you help me Mr. Easton? Please!" Cue more pouting.

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east_winds
2008-08-06 08:37 am UTC (link)

Easton laughed for a moment, clearly amused by the thought that, yes, he might one day have to go through a whole gauntlet of hand claps with little Miss Alana. Given the level of energy she was already displaying, he wasn't quite sure he'd have enough to keep up with her anyhow. "You make sure you go and teach Sam every single one of those, alright? I'll quiz her later to make sure she paid attention to her lessons." Someone had to make sure Sam took those hand claps seriously, after all.

It would have been impossible, or so he thought, for anyone to be upset with Alana when that look flitted across her little face once she realized she'd been caught. Busted, indeed. "Don't you think your...babysitter might be a bit worried about you? She might think something has gone off and happened to you." He couldn't blame her for running of on what was surely a dull evening with the nanny, but it probably wasn't the best idea for her to make too much of a habit out of it. "Abstract science," he repeated, a bit slower this time, so she might have a better chance to understand.

"Your daddy isn't in that room, no," he assured her, rather thrilled with that himself. He truly had no desire to wander around, seeking out Kiernan, but he couldn't exactly deny Alana the help she asked for. It was likely that she'd just wander off on her own to find her father or sneak away from her nanny again, should Easton take her back. "Of course, Miss Alana," he stood, taking her little hand in his, "let's go off and find your da now, should we?" The things he did to be nice nearly killed him, sometimes.

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grumpypants
2008-08-06 04:13 pm UTC (link)

You bet your sweet patootie he'd have to go through with all of those! Well if Alana had her way he would. "I will I'll teach her every single one I know! And you can give her stickers when she gets them right." And that was more than a promise when it came to Alana, she'd make certain it happened... provided that something even more exciting caught her attention but with the prospect of getting two adults to sing all those songs with her, it was going to be pretty hard to find something to top it. Maybe if he wanted to play a lot of hopscotch... hmmm...

Alana at least had the manners to look sheepish. Not that it stopped her considering this wasn't the first time she'd run off from a sitter. Oops? "Yeah... she might be. But she's boring and kind of smells funny. Like my grandma did. Blech." The face even went with the words. Alana was in the overly sweet smelling stage, filled with obnoxious tinkerbell perfumes and the like. "But she's uh... kind of used to it too. Don't tell my dad alright. PLEEEASE!" Alana looked up at him with big brown pleading eyes. She even lifted her finger up for the most solemn of all vows... the pinky swear.

When Easton repeated the room it didn't exactly do much to help her understand. Abstract Science... what the heck was that!? But the bummer of it all was that her dad wasn't in there. What room was he in?! This was way too frustrating. Alana beamed up at Easton as he agreed to help her find her elusive father. She grabbed his hand and hung on, swinging their hands as they walked. "Thank you! So you're Sam's boyfriend?" She wrinkled her nose up a little at the words. "Does that mean you hold hands and kiss and stuff." Her nose wrinkled up a bit more because that was still kind of icky. Though not as icky as Aidan thought it was.

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east_winds
2008-08-08 08:33 am UTC (link)

It seemed future lessons in handclaps were something to look forward to then. He just couldn't wait, truly, it would be the most thrilling moments of his life, he was sure. "I'm sure Sam would love to learn your hand claps...and the stickers will make her day," he grinned, pretty sure that the stickers actually might evolve into some embarrassing token left behind for him when she was through. Well now he just had to find out! This could truly open a whole new world for him, after all.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious dislike for the whole babysitting situation. Luckily, he'd always had an elder sister who got stuck with such tasks, but he could imagine the lack of fun one might have with a nanny too old to actually involve themselves in any little moments of fun. "Hmmm...." he pretended to consider this little favor she was asking of him, then reached out to hook his pinky through hers, giving it a light shake, "it'll be our little secret, this time. Next time, I'll have to tell your da. Deal?" That sounded fair. After all, what were the chances of her stumbling across him again the next time she snuck away?

Abstract Science was probably a bit much for her young brain to understand - sometimes it was a bit much for him to grasp. But no, her father wasn't in there and so it seemed that the room lost all interest for her. Offering to help her track down Kiernan wasn't exactly his favorite way to spend the rest of the day, but who could refuse such charming company? Easton waited until she slipped her hand into his and then the two set off on their search. He paused every once in awhile to ask if anyone had seen Kiernan recently, until Alana's questions caught his attention. "That'd...be about right, yes," he laughed lightly. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to having with a little girl.

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grumpypants
2008-08-18 06:02 pm UTC (link)

"Stickers make everyones day!" Alana announced with a very definitive nod of her head. If he didn't watch out there was going to be stickers left all over Easton's door. Provided that Alana could find it since it wasn't particularly likely that Kiernan would be showing her where it was. Nope. Not at all. "Do you want stickers Mr. Easton?" She asked suddenly turning back toward the way she'd come. "I've got LOADS back in my room. We can go get them and I can decorate your books and stuff!" That idea suddenly sounded more important than finding her dad. Well at least it did for a second, the amount of time she held an idea wasn't always so long.

Luckily... maybe, Eastons mention of next time having to tell her dad about her sneaking away from her babysitter brought her mind back to it's original purpose. Her face screwed up in a look of distaste. Kind of like when she was forced to eat mustard. Ew. "But he'll be mad and he gets grumpy and then I'll have to show him all the fun carebear stuff Sam got me and then he'll get grumpier before he gets un-grumpy!" See what a long drawnout process telling her father entailed. Easton didn't want to make her go through all that did he! Of course he didn'!

Her small hand clasped his securely. For all the turmoil of her young life she still inherently trusted adults (well ones that she'd met before) to lead her to where she asked. Her arm swung as she sort of skipped along nt to him. "That's gross Mr. Easton!" She decided vehemently as they walked along, no sign of her dad just yet. "That means you're full of cooties. Aidan says I have cooties too, but I think he's lying. Not that I dn't really think Sam has cooties either. She's the nicest person I know. Well since my mommy. She's shorter than mom though. But that's okay 'cause I'm short. So maybe it's just boys that have cooties. Yeah probably. Does Sam get shots against yours? I hate shots." And yes that was all said on just about one inhale of breath.

Where was that bloodlust classroom!

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east_winds
2008-08-19 09:32 am UTC (link)

Stickers? That seemed quite a messy little thing to be giving someone with Alana's....energy, not to mention her habit of making little bits of artwork for Sam and the like. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise him to walk out and find his door coated with little bits of Dora one of these days. "I would absolutely love some stickers, but we should probably find you da first. We wouldn't want him to get worried, thinking you've wandered off somewhere now would we?" He might not have been Kiernan's biggest fan - alright, not even close - but he wasn't mean enough to let the man think something had happened to his daughter. Easton was the good guy in all of this, he didn't intend to change that for some petty bit of revenge.

Care Bears? Where those things even still popular? He could only vaguely remember them from his own childhood. Of course, leave it to Sam to track them down. She'd probably inundated Alana with them, decorated the poor girl's room in some strange blend of them and Dora. Now there was a scary thought. If he ever had children himself, here was to hoping they were boys - he'd have no idea what to do with a little one like Alana, which really probably explained the slightly perplexed look on his face even now, leading her about the hallways.

Thankfully she was quite safe in trusting Easton, he'd never do anything to hurt someone his own age let alone some defenseless little girl. The swinging didn't go unnoticed - in fact, he stood behind her and took both of her hands so that she could take big swinging steps. He might not have had much experience with kids, but he was learning. Surely that was worth something? "Gross?" he chuckled lightly, "I'm sure you'll think a bit differently when you're older, Miss Alana." He knew they were nearing the bloodlust classroom, mentally preparing himself for what was coming even as he swung Alana on down the hallway. "Cooties?" he acted as though he was quite offended by the thought, "I am cootie free, I'll have you know. Though I think I saw one climbing up your arm earlier, I think you've been infected. Thankfully, I hear lollipops get rid of them quite quickly. We'll have to see about getting you one."

They stopped, having reached the end of the hall, and Easton raised a hand to knock on the door that held the bloodlust class. The things he endured sometimes....he was just too nice for his own good.

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