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ashley magnus is more badass than you (choseherside) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-04-24 21:50:00

Entry tags:

ashley magnus, john druitt

WHO: Ashley Magnus and John Druitt
WHAT: An Easter picnic in the park. Yes, you read that right. Jack the Ripper is being domestic.
WHEN: Early afternoon
WHERE: The park
RATING: TBD (doubt it'll be too high)
STATUS: In Progress

Although she'd never celebrated a holiday without her mom before, Ashley was still in a fairly good mood on Easter Sunday. She had slept in then played quietly with her toys for a while, eaten breakfast with her daddy and played some more. They'd talked some, with her asking whatever questions popped into her mind and him answering them much better than most other grown-ups she knew would. And finally, when lunchtime rolled around, he'd told her they were going to the park for a picnic.

Now, half an hour later, Ashley was perched happily on a swing with her daddy pushing her, giggling at the feel of the wind on her face. There was a brief thought of waiting until the swing hit a high arch then jumping but she didn't. There was also the brief thought of trying to convince her daddy to push her high enough that she flipped clear over the bars but, again, she didn't. She was trying Very Hard to be good and was determined not to give him anymore worry than she had when she'd snuck out with Jamie earlier in the week.

Of course, the best of intentions are all well and good but, when you're small, full of wonder, and have very little fear, intentions only carry you so far. So no more than two or three pushes later, with Ashley's legs working double time in an attempt to go just a bit higher, she felt an almost overwhelming urge to just... let go of the chain. Which she likely would have done, resulting in her likely taking a rather nasty tumble after flying across half the park or so, had a horse not gone galloping by at that precise moment.

Eyes going wide, Ashley sucked in a breath, let out a squeal of delight, then immediately dug her feet into the ground to stop her movement. Dashing out of the swing, she was making a beeline for the still fleeing animal, all thoughts of her daddy and her best behavior to make his holiday nicer completely forgotten. All she knew was that she wanted to catch, and ride, the horse and that's precisely what she was going to do.

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exquisiterush
2011-04-26 02:04 am UTC (link)

John had never really had the opportunity to be a father, and he knew this was his own fault. He'd made mistakes, lost control, and refused to allow his friends to help him. The result had been more than a century spent virtually alone and never knowing his daughter until she had already been an adult. And even then their time together had been cut short. Here in Colligo, he'd finally had the chance to connect with Ashley, but it wasn't quite the same. She was already a grown woman with a life of her own and no real need for him.

Having his daughter become a child had, in some ways, been a blessing. This was something he'd missed out on, and he wouldn't waste the opportunity. Hence the somewhat impromptu picnic in the park. He just wanted to spend time with his daughter and, hopefully, give her some happy memories of him. Perhaps some people would say he was giving her too much leeway but, knowing this was likely temporary, he hadn't wanted to waste his time being a disciplinarian.

There was an odd sort of peace in pushing Ashley on the swings. She was happy and giggling and it warmed his heart to watch her. Of course, then she was darting off after a horse. John stared for a moment, wondering how Helen had ever managed to keep control of their daughter. Then he took a deep breath, calming himself, and teleported a short distance in front of her. Catching her in his arms, he steadied her and looked down at her. "Now, my dear," he said. "I am quite certain if the horse is running like that, it has somewhere very important to be. And we wouldn't wish to delay it, now would we?"

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choseherside
2011-04-26 01:17 pm UTC (link)

Right. Teleportation. One of these days, Ashley was going to remember that her daddy could do that. Resisting the urge to glare at him for having used it to stop her from her goal, she instead raised up on her tiptoes and did her very, very best to try and peer around him at the direction the horse had run.

"But..." she tried anxiously, peering back up at him with wide blue eyes, "I want to ride it, daddy! It had a saddle and everything!" It never occurred to her that horses typically don't run around parks with saddles on without an owner likely being somewhere nearby. To her, it was nothing short of an Easter miracle that the animal had happened by and she wanted to take full advantage of it. Especially because, as she quickly explained, "And mommy never lets me ride any of the animals we get at home cause she says they aren't real animals and it might hurt their feelings if I ask to ride them but that's a real horse and I won't take very long, I promise!"

To Ashley, it was a very good plan. The best, even. Unfortunately, her daddy was not in agreement with this plan and, after a few more seconds of bouncing in place and trying to convince him to realize that this excitement was not normal excitement and therefore he should let her go, she finally sighed heavily and went still. "I ran off again, huh?" she asked, peering up at him with a slight frown directed more at herself and the situation than him.

"Sorry." She sighed once more, kicked at the ground a bit, then suddenly seemed to remember that they had not been at the park simply to chase the horse. "Can we have our picnic now? Please?" she asked excitedly. And once more, Ashley was back to bouncing in place in excitement, although this time for a much different reason.

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exquisiterush
2011-04-26 01:50 pm UTC (link)

"Well, your mother is quite right about that," John said with a small, fond smile. "Abnormals are not the same as animals and it might upset them if you tried to ride them." He paused. "As for that horse, the fact that it is missing its rider makes me think it might not be the sort of horse you ought to ride." Still he didn't want to disappoint his daughter and, after a moment's thought he nodded. "There is, however, a stable near here. I suppose we could stop by there tomorrow and see if they will allow you to ride one of the horses. How does that sound?"

He smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder, nodding his head. "That you did, my dear girl," he said, "but it appears that it simply a part of your nature. It is all right. You aren't in any trouble. Just be careful. I would not want anything to happen to you."

He grinned. "That, my dear," he said, "sounds like a capital plan." He held out his hand and, once she had taken it, teleported the pair of them back over to where he had left the supplies for their picnic. He wanted Ashley to experience the teleporting, if only because it might be entertaining for the girl. Reaching into the basket, he pulled out a blanket and held it up for his daughter to see. "Why don't you help me lay this out," he said, "and then we can eat."

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choseherside
2011-04-26 03:46 pm UTC (link)

Ashley giggled when he teleported them back to their picnic spot. She liked teleporting. It was definitely a lot easier than walking, though she still liked running a whole lot too. She nodded at his suggestion she help with the blanket, grabbing one end while chatting away happily.

"I bet you're real good at tag," she stated in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Henry's real good at tag too. And hide and seek. Mommy says we can't play hide and seek inside anymore though..." She trailed off, shifting a bit in place with a clear look that all but screamed there was most likely a story involved there that ended with Helen quite displeased with both Ashley and Henry.

Shaking her head a little to dispel the thought, she finished laying out her side of the blanket then smiled brightly again. "But we play it outside lots and lots and sometimes mommy plays too when she's not too busy with work." Ashley's nose wrinkled a bit at this last part. It was clear exactly what she felt about that particular subject.

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exquisiterush
2011-04-28 03:12 am UTC (link)

"I am very good at tag," John agreed with a laugh. The truth was that he had never really played tag, not since he'd injected the source blood and gained this ability. He had played as a child with his siblings, chasing one another about. "In fact, I am excellent at tag. But your mother told me I couldn't use my ability any more because it's cheating."

He quirked an eyebrow at the other part of the statement, looking down at her with interest. "Oh?" he asked. "And why is that? I'm certain there is a story behind this, and I am quite interested to hear it." He could only imagine the sort of trouble the children had managed to find, playing hide and seek within the Sanctuary.

The blanket was laid out and he opened the basket to take out sandwiches and fruit and lemonade. All the staples of a spring picnic. "I bet Helen enjoys playing with you," he said, his voice going soft and fond as he spoke of Helen. No matter what, he would always love her. "She always had a playful side back at Oxford. I imagine she dislikes having her time eaten up by work as much as you do."

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choseherside
2011-05-06 03:18 am UTC (link)

Ashley plopped down on the blanket once it was set out, smoothing the parts around her that bunched up as she sat. She sat still for a few seconds before deciding to switch her position to her knees, only to change her mind a few seconds after that and go back to sitting on her rear. It seemed as though she wasn't paying a bit of attention but she very much was, a fact made clear when she peered over at her daddy and stated in a matter of fact tone, "Her work's real 'portant." She paused, nose crinkling this time at displeasure at how she'd said the word, and tried again. "Important." She scratched the end of her nose before wriggling back to her knees once more.

"But she takes us on walks sometimes and we get to carry big sticks to poke at stuff if we want. But we are not 'lowed to play hide and seek until we get back." Ashley paused, hesitating as she stared down at the things he'd packed for them to eat. It was mostly to avoid looking directly at him, her nerves obvious as she shifted a little in place.

Finally, she admitted to her lap, "And no hide and seek inside again after Henry sneaked inside a big box and whatever was living there wanted him to go and scared him so I pushed it into another box then we shut it real good..." She peered up at John through her eyelashes, smiling hesitantly.

"Then we forgot to tell mommy," she gnawed on the edge of her lip. "For almost two whole days. So she said no more hide and seek inside."

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