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Tweak says, "We're down to 3 times a day."

General Toot-toot Minimus, of 'Za Lord's Guard (i_heartpizza) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2011-08-07 23:15:00

Entry tags:

harry dresden, lorne, toot-toot

We the Fairies, blithe and antic, of dimensions not gigantic... [open]
The field sprite most commonly known as Toot-Toot flitted through the City mostly unseen, in spite of his growing...talent. It had been six months--had it been six months? or had it been longer?--since the last time he had heard that familiar tugging at his magical senses that was Harry's summons. Six months of silence, while he fought to keep Chicago safe for his younger, smaller, weaker companions and followers. Three whole seasons of forging new alliances in order to feed his rapidly growing 'family.'

It wasn't just vanilla mortals, or small time magic-users that were disappearing. It was the lesser fae as well; being captured and forced into servitude as they once had, before the great 'Za Lord had deigned to care for them. Oh, the crazy wizard's friends did what they could, but they had their hands full looking after their fellow humans, and it just wasn't the same.

And then it happened. A whisper, a brushing at the back of his mind. A tingle between his shoulder blades. A wish. He had to follow. He'd slipped through the veil into the never-never in a twinkling, and somehow emerged in this place between what, when, where, and who. And why? Because Harry needed him. Harry wanted him.

But now that he was here, the wishing had stopped. Was he too late? No, no, no. This was the right place. Never mind that it changed, seemingly with the lightest of light breezes, such as the one that his dragonfly wings made as he beat his way above--and sometimes below--the streets. He just needed to learn its Ways.

He would gather information at a pub--that's what he would do! Mortals liked to congregate and gossip at the pubs. And they had pizza...

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i_wizard
2011-08-08 06:56 pm UTC (link)

It had been a long time since Harry had ventured into Caritas. He was curious to see how his wards had held, and was interested in talking to the bar's owner about the Accords. If there could be Harry's usual types of enemies in the City, he would prefer to have some Accorded neutral territory around.

As he was walking, still marveling at the ease of movement his his healing, Harry felt a familiar presence around him. He tried not to get too excited, but the truth was, he'd been hoping for this particular fae to come out of the woodwork.

Harry stilled, and, with a faint brush of his will, softly said, "Toot-Toot?"

It was only the pixie's diminutive, but Harry didn't want to summon the bright fae here if he wasn't already by using his True Name. This was a quiet question, merely polite and searching.

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i_heartpizza
2011-08-08 08:34 pm UTC (link)

The little--or maybe not so little--pixie felt sensed that flicker of hope attached to his nickname, and shot toward its source like a sparkly, purple, heat-seeking missile on a sugar rush. There was no compulsion, just a query, but it didn't matter. He had to answer.

He was literally glowing when he dropped out of the sky, circling the tall wizard once, twice--nay--three times before pulling up to hover in front of him. "Harry!" Something was different, he could sense it. "You're alive!"

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	i_wizard 2011-08-08 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	Harry did a double-take when he saw the pixie. His brows shot up. Toot had come a long way from the six-inch dewdrop faerie he'd once been. Now he almost reached Harry's knee, and that was saying something. But the pixie's familiar, frantic movement brought a bright smile to Harry's face. "Hey, Toot," he said. "Yes, I'm certainly alive. How've you been doing?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_heartpizza
2011-08-08 09:30 pm UTC (link)

There was a term for what Toot was doing. It was called 'flail.' Epic flail. If his wings had beaten any faster, they might have fallen off, and he was gesticulating wildly as he attempted to explain his journey from the Chicago Never-never into this strange place. The story tumbled out in one gigantic word salad, until he finally had to pause for breath, and finally answered Harry's question.

"I've missed you, Harry." He said it as if the very human sentiment should have gone without saying. "It's just not the same without you."

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i_wizard
2011-08-08 11:27 pm UTC (link)

That simple sentiment tugged at Harry. He knew the pixie was capable of great feelings - sometimes so strong they could only feel one at a time. And to know that one of the Sidhe had felt that strongly, about him, was exceptional. "Sorry, Toot," he said, his voice a touch softer. "I didn't exactly leave under my own power. But I've missed you, too."

He offered his arm. The way the little guy was flapping his wings looked exhausting, and there was no way that Toot would fit on his hand anymore. "Come on. Let me treat you to..." What would Caritas have that the pixie would like? Harry was momentarily tempted to buy some alcohol, but the notion of a drunk Toot-toot was not one he wanted to entertain today. Or any other.

"...a soda. Ever have a soda?" It was sweet and sugary, so chances were he'd like it.

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i_heartpizza
2011-08-08 11:47 pm UTC (link)

Toot smiled, circling once more to perch on Harry's arm, legs dangling like a child. Fortunately, being fae, he was probably lighter than he would have been if he was a human toddler of similar size. He tilted his head, and peered at the wizard with wide eyes.

"Soda?" He was like a kid in a candy store. "You never pay me in soda!" His brow furrowed then. There had to be a catch. Harry was a good guy, but he rarely just treated the pixies to new novelties without expecting some kind of exchange. Not like leaving out his leftovers to be cleaned up. "Do you have a job for me?"

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i_wizard
2011-08-08 11:53 pm UTC (link)

This got a genuine chuckle from Harry. "Soda isn't payment," he explained to the fae. "It's customary for humans to have a drink together when they haven't seen a friend for some time. I would offer mead, but I seem to be out. And I thought you might like to try a soda." A Coke, of course.

Although... Harry squinted a bit at the pixie. "You are still General Toot-toot Minimus of the 'Za-Lord's Guard, are you not?" His tone was edging on playful, though. Nothing could have duplicated Toot's zeal and obsession this closely. The physical contact with him confirmed his identity further.

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i_heartpizza
2011-08-09 12:27 am UTC (link)

Toot-toot thrust his face closer to Harry's, too close to focus for a soulgaze--not that such a thing was even possible if he was Sidhe. The question wasn't really something that the little man had ever pondered. He was just being silly.

"That is what you named me, 'Za-Lord," he replied gravely, nodding his head. He leaned back, his feet swinging gently, wings splayed for balance. "I am honored to share in this human custom." He eyed the wizard, mock-askance. "As long as it isn't boring."

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i_wizard
2011-08-09 03:51 am UTC (link)

This time, the laughter was aloud. Harry met the pixie's eyes without flinching, and shrugged a bit. "Sometimes it's boring," he said. "But I think you'll like it." Since the sugar in a cold Coke would have him zooming around at near the speed of sound, Harry didn't expect it to be boring at all.

He pushed open the door to Caritas, careful of the pixie on his arm. He cast a quick glance around for Lorne, and while he didn't spot the particular green-skinned empath of his choice, there were quite a few others around that made him feel a bit uneasy.

"This is neutral territory," he informed the pixie. "I expect you to behave yourself as bound by the Accords." Lorne wasn't a signitary - yet - but it was the old laws of hospitality that Harry adhered to, and would expect from his guest as well.

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	i_heartpizza 2011-08-09 04:09 am UTC (link)
	Neutral territory? The polevoi arched a brow, not missing the fact that the place did not actually fall under the accords. However, Toot-toot did consider himself bound by his lord and friend's request, and would adhere to the Code of Harry almost religiously. He nodded his head without argument. "As you wish." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_wizard
2011-08-09 05:51 pm UTC (link)

"Thank you." With that taken care of, Harry moved towards the bar and sat at a stool. He lowered his arm for the pixie to take the seat beside him, and ordered a plain Coke for each of them. He might sneak in a beer later, but first he would share a drink with Toot-toot, as promised.

"How'd you end up here?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice casual. "We're a good way from Chicago, you know."

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i_host
2011-08-09 06:54 pm UTC (link)

Lorne was busy, in the back of Caritas, going over the schedule he'd made with Logan for the waitstaff, and looking over the club's budget. Business was good--it could be better, sure, but things were solid. People were in seats, always. People came to sing and for the good greasy food. He really couldn't complain--and very rarely did.

Tonight he was decked out in a royal blue suit and purple tie, and his shoes were royal blue, too. Suede. Karaoke was about to begin for the evening, and Lorne greeted patrons here and there as he made his way over to the bar and a familiar face.

"Hey, stranger!" Lorne said, smiling broadly at Harry.

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i_heartpizza
2011-08-09 11:49 pm UTC (link)

Toot-toot perched on the bar stool, wrapping both his hands around the drink, just holding it for a while. Holding it, and smelling it, and listening to the fizz of rising bubbles--laughing as the carbonation tickled his nose. It took him a moment to wrest his concentration back to Harry's question, but eventually, he looked up, and shrugged.

"I twinkled," he quipped, ruffling his wings. "Following a hunch." He took a sip of the coca-cola, and squee'd. It was the only way to describe the sound he made. "Why didn't you ever give me soda before? You've been keeping--" His playful accusation cut off midstream when the blue- and purple-clad creature approached, the purple pixie's eyes growing even wider as he looked Lorne up and down. "I like your suit!"

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i_wizard
2011-08-10 06:03 am UTC (link)

Harry raised an eyebrow at the faerie. "You like it more than pizza?" He doubted it. The pixies loved pizza more than a heroin addict love their drug. Sanya had teased him about being a dealer, and it was an apt enough description to cause Harry a pang of guilt at the time.

He looked up, grinning, when Lorne arrived. "Hey, Lorne," he said, holding out his hand. "Good to see you again." He tipped his head at Toot. "My friend here just arrived, and I thought I'd buy him a drink. General Toot-toot Minimus, meet Lorne the Host."

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	i_host 2011-08-10 09:52 pm UTC (link)
	Lorne shook Harry's hand, and turned his attention to the new little guy he hadn't met before who was complementing him. "Thank you!" He grinned. "Any friend of Harry's..." He sat down on a free bar stool on the other side of Harry. "So when did you get in, General?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	i_heartpizza 2011-08-10 10:01 pm UTC (link)
	General. The pixie was fairly preening as he sipped his soda, trying to follow Harry's example and not gulp it down the way that he could inhale a pizza. He wasn't sure he liked it better, per se, but then, pizza and pop were two very different things. "Just now," he replied, coming up for air. " (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	i_wizard 2011-08-15 02:22 am UTC (link)
	Harry grinned. "General Minimus was a great help to me back in Chicago. He even took on a skinwalker to try and save my ass once. Big Navajo quasi-immortal demigod. I'd be dead if Toot hadn't come to my aid." Nothing like giving the little fae some due appreciation. "Hey Lorne, you don't happen to make pizza here, do you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-08-15 08:15 pm UTC (link)

"Pizza?" Lorne shook his head. "Closest thing we've got to pizza are mozarella sticks. And quesadillas. I love our line cook to bitty bits but he's all about the frying."

On the stage, a woman began to belt out a fairly decent rendition of what Lorne believed to be the single most popular Shania Twain song in existence.

"Want me to rustle up one of those for ya?"

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	i_heartpizza 2011-08-16 12:19 am UTC (link)
	Toot-toot couldn't help but sit up a little straighter, his chest puffed out a little prouder at the praise. He looked from Harry to Lorne and back again, his eyes wide. Mozzarella was good on pizza, it wouldn't be terrible on pizza. "Can we, Harry?" He glanced over at the stage, then back at the wizard. He was fully prepared to sing for his supper if he had to. (Reply to this) (Parent)