InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "YOUR HORSE BIT ME IN THE BUTT!"

Henry Stillman (henri_with_a_y) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2009-12-23 19:11:00

Entry tags:

henry stillman, the boy (gabriel)

Who: Henry & Gabriel (and probably Luke and Anne around somewhere)
Where: Anne's place in Key West
When: RIGHT NOW!
What: Being kids on the day before Christmas Eve.

It hadn't taken Henry much doing at all to convince Petit that he'd be fine going to Anne's himself, and he hadn't even had to resort to puppyface, since Anne was fine with it too when Petit called over to make sure. So armed with the LeBeau family gifts for their Captain, and a basket of stuff that he'd thrown together for Gabriel, Henry was on his way.

He arrived the same way he usually did, stepping out of the shadows between the fridge and the pantry, shaking himself as if he'd just come in from the rain, "Olly olly oxen free!" He crowed, grinning, "I made it!"

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roadtothecoast
2009-12-24 03:27 am UTC (link)

Gabriel and his papa had only been back at the house a few minutes. Gabriel was trying to decide if he wanted to eat a little snack before Henry dropped by, or not. He started, when the boy stepped out of the shadows, and behind him Luke surged to his feet, ready to attack.

"Papa. It's Henry!" Gabriel said, sternly. Luke mumbled something, and took his seat at the table once more. Gabriel shook his head and put a hand out to Henry. "Can I help you with some of that stuff?" he asked. Despite his bleak life before, Gabriel had manners.

He was grinning, unable to contain his excitement. Finally. Another kid, a boy who seemed to be roughly the same age as he was. He thought he must have died and gone to heaven.

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henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 03:36 am UTC (link)

Anne had been about to say the same thing, but just smiled crookedly when Gabriel beat her to it.

Henry just beamed, handing over the basket, "Here, this one's for you." The basket had a scarf and gloves, as well as a handheld game system and the games to go with it, along with the usual assortment of holiday goodies.

He turned to Anne then, finishing pulling himself out of the shadow, it seemed to want to hold onto him, "And where should I put yours Cap'n?" Anne laughed, "You know where the tree is kiddo." She shooed them both towards the hall, she'd just brought a tree in earlier that day, set it up in the back bedroom since that's the room that had the highest ceiling.

Henry grinned again, catching Gabriel's arm, "C'mon! Bet she hasn't even put any lights on or anything."

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roadtothecoast
2009-12-24 03:44 am UTC (link)

"You did this for me?" Gabriel tried looking in the basket while Henry pulled him to the back room, but he couldn't quite manage. once they got to the room, though, he was pawing through the things in the basket. "I don't have anything for you." He stopped, hands among the games, and looked up at his new friend.

He could hear his papa talking to Anne back in the kitchen, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. He didn't like the feeling of not having anything to give Henry in return, especially when he had given Gabriel so much, even if he didn't really know what half of it was. he'd find out, soon enough.

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henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 03:49 am UTC (link)

He shrugged, flipping the lightswitch in the room, "That's okay, that's what Christmas is about, giving stuff to people who need it more than you do. Well, and to celebrate J's birthday, but that's actually in May, about the same time as my friend Cassie's, I don't know how people got it wrong in the first place, but whatever."

Anne had, in fact, gotten the lights on the tree, and the tinsel. Henry set the box for Anne under the tree, nodding once, "Okay, so, I don't want to go on rambling about stuff you already know about, so what's something you don't know about, we'll start there."

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roadtothecoast
2009-12-24 03:59 am UTC (link)

Gabriel set the box aside. He'd just have to figure out something to give to Henry, before he went back home.

"I don't even know where to start, I want to know everything. I've never been to school, but Papa said he'll take me after the holiday. Never had much of a holiday either, not even a tree. I want to know about Santa and the reindeer. And the elves and everything." His voice was getting higher, the more he talked, the more excited he got.

"And all those things you mentioned, like ice skating and ice fishing and freeze tag and everything."

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henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 04:05 am UTC (link)

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa, okay, slow down. Everything. Right." He scratched the back of his head then, "Well, if you're going to school you could go to Taunton, that's where I go, and it's where everybody I know goes, even Ceevee, she's like, my cousin, except not really because we aren't even really related, and she should be a baby, but she's a teenager now, but whatever, this place does that sometimes, like Stef who's my best friend ever he's all HUGE now, I think he's even older than Ceevee, I mean, he always was, but ... uh, okay, now I'm confused too." That and he'd run out of breath.

He shook his head, "Ice fishing is just like regular fishing, only after the lake's all frozen over, and ice skating is just like rollerskating, just with blades instead of wheels, and freeze tag is just like regular tag, only a little different."

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roadtothecoast
2009-12-24 04:33 am UTC (link)

"I don't think Papa would want me going to school in New Orleans." Gabriel scratched his chin. "But I can ask." He'd like to go to school with Henry. At least he'd have a friend, and it might not be so scary.

He nodded at the talk of fishing and skating and playing tag. He'd never done any of that. Things like that were surreal to him, and existed only in stories his papa told him.

"What about cars and boats and trains and planes? Papa and I sometime slept in cars when it was really cold outside. Once we slept in the cab of an 8 wheeler, on a bridge. Papa was afraid all night long that the bridge was going to collapse."

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henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 06:12 am UTC (link)

"Oh, Taunton's in London, or near London, but with the portkeys you an be anywhere just like that." He snapped his fingers, "Or if you're with me or mum or Henny you can take the Backstage."

He tilted his head, "There's cars and boats and trains and planes here, Anne's got a boat, and my pops has a van, and mum's got a couple cars, mostly we just walk or take a portkey though." He laughed then, apparently at nothing, squirming, "Sparky cuttit out that tickles!"

There was a chirp from behind him, sounding rather like a rusty hinge, before Sparky emerged, perching on Henry's shoulder. The critter looked like an oversized pillbug with too many legs, and seemed to be made of shadow, almost invisible from the right angle.

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-24 06:20 am UTC (link)
	He was going to ask more about Taunton, or the cars, or something, but then the creature appeared, almost like an illusion. His papa had taught him about that, when they were in the road. "Wow! What is that?" Gabriel asked, voice as full of wonder as his expression. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	henri_with_a_y 2009-12-24 06:31 am UTC (link)
	Henry smiled, "This is Sparky, he's my Shadow, with a capital S." He shrugged, scooping the critter up off his shoulder and holding him out, "You can pet him, he don't bite or nothin'." Antennae were wiggled in Gabriel's direction, and Sparky chirped again, more like a bird and less like a hinge that time. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	roadtothecoast 2009-12-24 06:37 am UTC (link)
	Gabriel slowly put a hand out. "It's so small. How did you get it?" He didn't really understand why Henry called it his Shadow, but there was a lot about this new world Gabriel didn't understand. His fingers touched the critter, and his hand jerked back, uncertain. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 06:43 am UTC (link)

Sparky made a forlorn little noise, waving a few of his right legs, mostly to prove that he really was harmless. Henry shrugged, "He was there when I was born. And he's pretty dinky, yeah, mum's got one named Toto, looks like a crab with an extra claw, he's about twice this size, and Henny's got Kitten, what looks like Sparky all stretched out."

The Shadow was ... well, it was solid, and almost cold, but less cold and more just an absence of heat. Rolled up he was about the size of a baseball, but he was hanging limply over the side of Henry's hand at the moment, doing his best to look pitiful.

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-24 07:01 am UTC (link)
	"Can I hold him?" Gabriel asked. He was a little apprehensive still, but he would be extra careful. He was just enthralled by the creature. "I'll be real gentle." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 07:13 am UTC (link)

Henry grinned again, handing him over, "Sure, he's pretty light, actually, almost like he's not there." Which was true, Sparky had presence, but not weight, not really.

The critter heaved a warbly sigh, antennae waving again, almost feeling Gabriel out. Henry explained: "Shadows are ... uh, kind of like aliens, I guess, they're from another dimension, and they kind of eat all the stuff that floats around us all the time, electricity and emotions and stuff that would just spill all over the place if they weren't there."

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-24 07:31 am UTC (link)
	"Like loneliness and stuff?" Gabriel asked, looking up at Henry. Sparky felt odd in his hand, and made him think of how things used to be, only he didn't feel as sad about it all. "Do you think I can get one for me?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	henri_with_a_y 2009-12-24 07:43 am UTC (link)
	He shrugged, "We can look for one, sure. There aren't as many wild ones as there are back where mum's from, apparently there's one for every person where she's from, but most people can't see them, don't even know they're there." Another shrug, flopping himself down in a chair, "I know a lot of adults can't see him, but most kids can. Dunno what's up with that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	roadtothecoast 2009-12-24 07:57 am UTC (link)
	"I bet my papa can see him." Gabriel nodded. He sat, but more slowly, because he didn't want to drop or otherwise hurt the creature in his hand. "Will you help me look for one?" he asked, once he was settled. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

henri_with_a_y
2009-12-24 08:07 am UTC (link)

"Sure." Henry said, shrugging, "I know Soren's got one, but Sor doesn't, so I don't know how they choose people or what, but really, if you're supposed to have one it'll find you, they're good at that. Don't be surprised if you wake up and it's like, sitting on your face, they do that."

Sparky was apparently through being forlorn, climbing his way up Gabriel's sleeve to perch on his shoulder, sing-song chirping the whole way.

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-25 01:26 am UTC (link)
	"Well, if that's how it happens, I don't have to look for one at all, do I?" Gabriel put his hand up, tentatively touching Sparky again. He didn't jerk back this time, but let his hand move over the creature's form. "I've never had a friend before, except my papa, and he doesn't count." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

henri_with_a_y
2009-12-25 08:49 pm UTC (link)

Henry shrugged, "I dunno, my pops is pretty cool, not like he's my best friend, because that's Stef, but he's still a friend, and my dad. I feel kind of sorry for kids who aren't friends with their parents."

Another shrug then as he twisted himself around to hang his head off the seat, upside down, "And couldn't hurt to look for your Shadow, I mean, if it's already looking for you and you start looking for it, could cut the search time in half!"

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-26 09:41 pm UTC (link)
	"That would be cool," Gabriel nodded. "Hey, we should do something fun. I mean, unless you wanted to just sit around. That's cool too." He really didn't care what they were doing, he had a friend his own age. That was monumental, for him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	henri_with_a_y 2009-12-27 01:44 am UTC (link)
	He grinned, swinging himself around upright in the chair again, "Sure, what'd you want to play? We could play guitar hero, or mariokart, or like, hide and seek or something, though that's usually better with a lot of people." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	roadtothecoast 2009-12-27 06:36 am UTC (link)
	"I don't know how to play any of those. Except hiude and seek, but we never played." Gabriel frowned. "But I'll play whatever you want to play. I want to learn all of it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

henri_with_a_y
2009-12-27 06:42 am UTC (link)

"Guitar Hero's probably the easiest." He said, sliding off his chair to go turn everything on, handing over one of the controllers as he flipped through the warnings and put the right disc in, "Okay, so this game is actually pretty simple, but we can run through a tutorial if you want, I don't know if I'll be that good at explaining."

He slung his own controller on, fussing with the strap until he got it to hang right, "The colored buttons on the neck there line up with dots sliding along the screen, and when they match up with the boxes at the bottom you strum with the flippy thing there." A shrug, "It's like guitar for people who don't know how to play guitar, but it's fun."

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	roadtothecoast 2009-12-27 06:47 am UTC (link)
	"You play, and I'll watch, first." Gabriel nodded. He moved to sit closer to the television. He was still amazed by the TV, but he tried not to let that show now. He got comfortable, holding his controller. He had no idea what to really do with it, but he was confidant he'd learn from watching Henry. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)