InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Have you eaten yet?"

Henriette Stillman (not_that_henri) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2010-07-30 22:17:00

Entry tags:

cassidy turner, henriette stillman, soren skwigelf

Who: Henn and later Soren & Cass
Where: Henn's most favoritest Black Sand Desert & Shadow Hatchery
When: Friday thru Saturday
Warnings: Probably not

Henn knew what she was in for, more or less, Petit had given her the whole story, made sure she knew how it had happened when she’d done it however long ago. Which was why she knew how to prepare, at least as best as she could prepare for something like this. She had just finished making breakfast for her still-sleeping husbands, when Kitten went into high alert. She sighed, shaking her head and leaving the pancakes in the oven to keep them warm, scribbling a quick note on the kitchen whiteboard: “If I’m not back this time tomorrow, come find me, you know where.” And she’d drawn a squiggly heart around it, just because she could, before slipping into the Backstage.

Everything was different, the air was more charged, the usual low-key music of the place was just a little higher strung, it was enough to put her on edge, pulse skidding erratically, heart in her throat, chest tight, trying to calm herself down before she emerged into the black sand desert, knowing instinctively that was where she was supposed to be. Kitten wound himself around her ankles, back and forth like an anxious cat, enough that she finally had to pick him up and drape him over the back of her neck. She could feel the power vibrating through the ground, singing along her nerves, making her smile even though she was feeling keyed up and hyper-aware.

It didn’t take her long to pinpoint the right spot, but it wasn’t time yet, she knew that much, and so she slipped Backstage again, easing herself back and forth from one to the other so that she knew she could hold the middle ground when the time came, keep it open for the littles who wouldn’t be able to find a way without a guide. Once she knew she could do it, she just had to wait. Kitten utterly refused to leave her side the whole time. She watched the sun rise, causing the sand to sparkle, she slipped Backstage again when it started getting too warm, she knew better than to risk dehydrating herself while she waited, and the always-temperate not-temperature Backstage was far more comfortable. She emerged again when the sun went down, basking in the warmth of the sand, stretching out on it like it was a particularly fluffy blanket, not minding where it stuck to her skin in places, making it look like she had scales.

It was time, she could tell even before Kitten perked suddenly, she just smiled, unfolding to her feet and stroking his back gently, taking a moment to gather herself, let herself be the focus point of the surge of energy she could already feel rising. She used the depth of her own shadow to hold open the edges of the world between the solid sand and the Backstage, letting her eyes slide closed, the erratic pulse, heart-in-her-throat, oh-my-god-I’m-too-excited-to-breathe feeling came back, crashing over her in a wave, followed by the tickle of millions of tiny feet, rushing out across her in a surge, skittering across the sand, part of the sand. There were just so many and she couldn’t keep track, each of them fluttering against her for a moment to leech off a little energy or a little joy or a little of both so that by the time it was over and the rift between the desert and the Backstage finally drifted closed again, the last of the new Shadows flickering off on its merry way, Henn just sagged, smiling faintly and sighing in contentment as she curled up on a drift of sand, head resting on folded arms, exhausted enough that she didn’t even notice when Kitten slipped away to go get her a rescue party.

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twiceloved
2010-07-31 05:31 am UTC (link)

Soren was napping on the couch. He had his hands sprawled out to his sides, legs tangled in a blanket. He smiled a little when he felt the tickle of Shadow feet on his face. He figured it was Snuggles. But when Snuggles clung to his face, he could also feel moth wings fluttering on his cheeks.

Blinking, he opened his eyes. "Kitten?" He looked around for Henn, biting his lip when he didn't find her. Crap. They needed to go get her.

"Cass! We have to go get Hennhenn!"

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1stbornextreme
2010-07-31 05:39 am UTC (link)

"Is it rescue party time already?" Laughed Cass, who had been oddly amped, himself. He bounced down the stairs and picked up Kitten, hugging him slightly before draping him over his shoulders. "Let me get my sandals on." He slipped on a pair of flip-flops before going back over to Soren, putting his hand in the younger man's.

He knew how to get into the Backstage, with Kitten's help, and once they slipped into one of the darker areas of their living room, Kitten led the way, and Cass followed exactly. He suddenly knew where they were heading, "Black sands! Of course it's there." He laughed, "Henn loves that place."

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not_that_henri
2010-07-31 05:43 am UTC (link)

Henn was right where Kitten had left her, out cold and still speckled here and there with patches of what might have been sand and might have been Shadow, at least her hair wasn't going to eat anyone, so that was a plus.

She grumbled when Kitten wriggled up to cling to her shoulder, batting at her cheek and nose with his antennae. She shifted over, just a little, murmuring something that could well have been 'five more minutes'

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twiceloved
2010-07-31 05:46 am UTC (link)

Soren beamed as soon as they went Backstage. Snuggles emerged from his hair, fluffing her wings out so she almost looked like a barrette. He reached up to give her a gentle pat, walking along with Cass behind Kitten.

He blinked when she saw Henn, but as soon as he realized she was just sleeping and not hurt, he couldn't help but smile and squeeze her hand. Looking up at Cass, he figured he'd let him do the honors of waking her up.

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	1stbornextreme 2010-07-31 05:53 am UTC (link)
	Cass crouched down beside his wife and smiled sweetly, brushing off a bit of the sand, mostly out of habit of being tidy, but somewhat just to touch her and the sand together. He murmured, "Let's get you home, bright eyes." He kissed her gently before rubbing her shoulder. "Wakey wakey, hot stuff, you can't sleep in a desert, you'll be burnt hotness by midday." (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-07-31 05:59 am UTC (link)

"But it's nighttime." Was the sleepy, almost petulant, reply, followed by: "And it's comfy." She did, however, lever herself upright with a grumble and a sigh, lacing her fingers to stretch her arms, spine creaking as she did so.

Her brow furrowed when she caught sight of the perfect little half-crescents of sand, "... I have scales. Am I a mermaid?" It seemed like a logical question.

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	twiceloved 2010-07-31 06:01 am UTC (link)
	"Don't think so. But I can carry you if you want, so you don't have to walk on your flippers." He smiled, ruffling her hair. He couldn't help but giggle; her adorableness was infectious, and he flopped down on the sand to roll around with her. (Reply to this)

	1stbornextreme 2010-07-31 06:12 am UTC (link)
	Cass laughed and kissed her cheek again, shaking his head, "Come with us, little nixie, we're ready to go home, and you need to sleep somewhere less populated by nixie-hunters." He nudged her over to the opening into the Backstage that Kitten had made. "Come along, precious lady." (Reply to this)

	not_that_henri 2010-07-31 06:14 am UTC (link)
	She took a moment to sort out how limbs were supposed to work before levering herself to her feet, mostly staying upright with the help of clinging onto Soren's arm like the world's largest barnacle, "Did everybody make it out okay?" (Reply to this)

	twiceloved 2010-07-31 06:16 am UTC (link)
	After a moment of wriggling around himself, he stood up, helping to keep her stable. After a moment he simply picked her up, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. She was light, and he wasn't as weak as everyone seemed to think he was. "Make it out of where, Hennhenn?" He looked to Cass for guidance, not totally understanding what had happened. (Reply to this)

1stbornextreme
2010-07-31 06:20 am UTC (link)

Cass smiled, "Yep, they all found their way out. Good job, Henn." He knew what she was talking about, less from the cryptic half-explanations she gave him and more from the flashes of images and snippets of a third-person perspective of the event. It had been happening to him more often than not, but he hadn't said anything about it other than he'd had a weird feeling about things. He foresaw what had happened with Alexia, and he saw what would happen here. It was unnerving to say the least, but he knew this was a highly good thing.

"All the babies made it." He reassured before taking Soren by the arm, and walked them back into the Backstage, Kitten leading the way once more.

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not_that_henri
2010-07-31 06:24 am UTC (link)

She just nodded, "Mmhmm, that's good." That said she let herself relax against Soren's chest, head tucked up against his shoulder, sighing contentedly against the line of his neck.

It really wasn't a long walk, especially through the Backstage, and she was feeling better when they arrived, less completely exhausted, anyway, though still comfortably giddy and not-quite-there, "Do we have cookies?"

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	twiceloved 2010-07-31 06:36 am UTC (link)
	Soren lightly massaged Henn's back, smiling once they were home. "We do have cookies. How about I set you on the couch and bring you one?" He grinned and kissed her forehead." (Reply to this)