Topic: Easy does it

Lirssa Sarengrave

Date: 2010-03-02 23:25 EST
"Right, Laura, you go over there and, yeah, that's good." Lirssa tilted her head looking at the tableau of children in the back yard of High Spires House. "No, Jamie, don't—" Her words were cut off in a grumble. She rolled up her sleeves and strode over to the boy with curlique horns growing from his haystack hair. "Just hold still, okay?"

"I'm trying, Lirssa, but my feet don't like to stay still for this long." As if to make a point, his little cloven hooves patty-pat-patted on the flagstones where she had them all arranged.

With a mouth-twisting consideration, Lirssa nodded. "Yeah, I know. But won't be much longer. Mr. George says I can take a picture as fast as blinking an eye with this thing."

"Are you sure it won't gobble up my spirit?" Anasta whined.

Lirssa huffed and went back to where she had set up the camera on the tripod. "I promise. I tried it on me first."

Some of the older children snickered, but only Alfie was bold enough to speak what they were thinking. "Not sure that's much of a good word for it."

The pinch of hurt sharp in her chest, Lirssa tore up a smile to beat away the teasing. "Just hold still, okay' Now everyone smile nice not like your gonna eat someone, Mandy."

"I'm hungry."

Ignoring the complaint that came out of a little fanged grin. Lirssa gave the cue to tickle the babies into laughter and snapped the picture...and two more right after just to get rid of those with the anxious grins to relax thinking she was done. "Right! That's it. Get your coats before you all turn blue."

"When will we get to see it?" Anasta hurried up, rubbing at her arms while the others got the babies inside and went about their work.

"Anasta, get your coat on."

"It's being washed. Alfie spilled grape juice on it when he ran into me the other day."

Lirssa sighed and shook her head. Alfie was more than a handful, and she wondered if he wasn't too much for the house to handle. She needed to find him some place soon. Anasta's chilly cheeks were the more immediate problem. "My coat's over there. Use that until we get inside. I gotta get all the seats and everything back and won't be needing it just yet."

Two upturned buckets had also been used for seats. Those were set back first. If all went right, she'd have the picture printed out and framed for Mrs. June and Mr. Ephram's anniversary just in time. The frame would have to be something very nice. The couple really deserved it; particularly with Alfie in the house. She hadn't been able to earn much coin at the inn of late, and the errands she ran for Miss Eless and Mr. George just kept her tithing to the foster homes on level.

She still hadn't earned enough for new motley.

"Hey, Lirssa, what?s happened to your coat?" Anasta's voice broke into her thoughts.

Lirssa had completely forgot to tell the girl not to turn it back right side out. For the past days, she had taken to wearing it inside out to hide the stains on the sleeves, tucking the coat under her mattress when she was at home to make sure it wasn't seen.

It was seen now, and there was no playing it off for Anasta who held up her arms revealing the stained and charred holes where the smack of the burning stick and its sparks had fallen. "Just got in a tough spot is all. See, no harm done to me." She grinned to the girl as she held up her arms showing no signs of damage. There had been only the tiniest blisters, and they had already gone.

"What were ya up to?"

Lirssa did not feel like telling the whole story, so instead she ushered Anasta towards the door, tacking off the coat so the inside was out once more. "You know how I tell the kids to leave the street behind, 'cause it can cause trouble?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to take my own advice."

"Oh." And they went inside.

Lirssa Sarengrave

Date: 2010-03-07 19:22 EST
"Oh, are you really gonna?" Laura asked through their communal image in the mirror. In fact, there were five faces all looking at the reflection of Lirssa examining her hair.

It was making her nervous, all those eyes. The girls' bathroom at High Spires was packed with them all shoved close around the sink. Lirssa held the two bottles of hair dye in her hand. One was promised to turn her hair black as night and the other brown as a nut. She looked at one and then the other, her mouth twisting up in consideration. "Why not' I mean, if it turns out awful, it'll grow out."

Mandy sniffed at the bottles. "They don't smell all that bad. I wouldn't do it though." Still she looked at Lirssa's reflection again, sharp eyed and fanged grin imagining the older girl with darker hair.

"I still don't know why you want to." Anasta petted the end of Lirssa's hair curling down her back. "It's so pretty now."

Lirssa didn't want to say why she wanted to. Not after all the preachifying about just being yourself to all the kids here. That someone would love them no matter what they looked like. That they didn't have to look like their parents to belong to them.

But she had seen the looks when she went walking with Miss Fionna in the Marketplace. People knew straight off that Lirssa wasn't her's. Didn't help that Miss Fionna looked not much older than her. It only got worse when Mister Ali joined them. Dark featured, smiling at each other. They belonged together, but Lirssa caught those knowing smiles and pointed looks.

"Girls?" Mrs. June called from the hall way. "What are you all doing in there?" The doorknob turned and as one, Lirssa along with them, they turned about, hands going behind their backs like a chorus waiting for their cue.

No one else had anything hidden, but they all stood just the same with Lirssa the only one concealing. It did not help to put Mrs. June off the scent of mischief. "Now, what?s going on here?"

Lirssa smiled her most charming smile, one that used to be called cute, and answered for her companions in secrecy. "Mrs. June, they're only helping me make a few decisions. Were we being too loud?"

The flour on the woman's apron puffed a little when she crossed her arms beneath her ample chest. "You were bein' all too quiet, which is why I know you all are up to somethin'. Anasta, what is it?"

Clever of Mrs. June to go to the child most likely to crack under the pressure first. Anasta ducked her head and shrugged, likely unable to bring herself up to a lie. Mrs. June pinned the young girl to the spot with her gaze, though no malice was in it. It was the smile and look that coaxed bees from the hives to give up their honey.

It was going to go all to ruin if Lirssa didn't do something quick. "Mrs. June, there's nothin' going on that is your business. I don't mean that to be churlish or sassy, but just the plain truth. Now, I best be on my way before you start thinking these nice girls are being untruthful. I've asked them not to say, and they're doin' me the kindness of keepin' their word."

In the beat of one breath, Mrs. June pushed back the door and with a waggle of her hand, said, "All of you go about your business, except you young Miss Lirssa."

Sympathetic look after sympathetic look chased over shoulders back at her while the others made good their escape. Mrs. June shut the door behind them and sighed when she set her hands to her hips. "Now, I suspect what you say is true, Lirssa. You've got people who look out for you and it is their business. On top of that, you're growing up and going to be making your own decisions about things. So, I'm going to say this an this only, if you've got youngsters giving you council about it, then you might want to really think about what you're doing and why you're hiding what you're doing."

Defeated by the words, the guilt turning her mouth sour. Lirssa nodded as she was released from the bathroom by Mrs. June opening the door. When she passed by, Mrs. June plopped a kiss to her head and a gentle rub to her back. "Tell Mrs. Helston and Mr. al-Amat I said hello."

The barest nod of her head acknowledged the request. Lirssa pulled on her inside-out coat and tucked the bottles into pockets now found on the inside of the garment. Her hand rested on Dante's head and she shuffled her way to the apartment.

Lirssa Sarengrave

Date: 2010-03-31 16:22 EST
Warm weather had finally arrived. It made sitting on the steps outside the family apartment pleasant. Because of the breeze, she had snatched one of her papa's hoodies from coat rack before going back outside after returning home from lessons. Her escort home, Nicholas, had waited at the bottom of that upper most flight of stairs with his empty messenger bag in his lap.

There was an hour left before dinner, and the two teens picked up the conversation where it had paused. "Yeah, my parents pretty much stuck to their home traditions. So I wear these and not anything like jeans. Not yet." Nicholas gave a tug to his clothes. They weren't fancy, but well kept cotton pants and shirt. The cut an expert in fashion would have named as end of the 19th century European. "A whole boatload of us got swept to this place on our way to the States. Mom still talks sometimes of the old country, even though we've been here three years now."

Lirssa nodded, her fingers playing with the end of a long curl of hair. "Betcha she misses it still. She didn't sign up for this place when she went on that boat."

With a chuckle and shrug, Nicholas said, "I suppose, but we're doing all right. I mean, sure I work to help out, and my little sisters spend some of their weekends doing mending, but that's not any different from when we were in Bavaria."

"Well, except the clothes they might be mending got torn up by a werewolf."

The two shared a laugh, and then both looked out to the street below as if a werewolf might go walking by at any moment. The silence was easy. Glances back and forth blooming smiles afresh. "So, all of you all on the boat just built and moved all around each other here?"

"Mmhmm," Nicholas flopped his cap against his leg. "Pop calls it Little Bavaria, but it's just a block or two on the East side. It's not bad, but with the new baby we had to add to the house. Made things tight moneywise, so I started working about three months back. Mom frets sometimes, but haven't had a season go by when we all didn't have what we needed, you know?"

Lirssa did know. She knew now, at least. Those were worries that she had to actually think about not worrying over. People cared after her once more, and it was weird but it was that good weird like pixie lights in the hedges on spring nights.

With a deep breath, Lirssa said, "I would ask if you could stay for dinner, but I'd really need to ask my Maman and Papa first. We've had a cat and a rabbit added to our household, so week really isn't good for it. I didn't expect to see you on my way home."

"More animals" Just how many do you need?"

Lirssa felt her temper flare and defended her family, "As many as we want." Her fingers began to curl into fists, rubbing down the new and first pair of jeans her Maman helped her pick out.

"Hey, whoa there, Lir. I was just teasing." Nicholas gaped a moment, swallowing so hard Lirssa saw the bump at his throat bob. "We used to live with cows and sheep. I'm not one to complain."

"Better not." Lirssa grumped once more and then let it go. She looked back out at the street again and then to Nicholas.

"Anyway," he continued putting the newsboy cap back on his head, "I am going to need to get home, too. I don't want to miss out on my mom's sp?tzle and wurst."

Lirssa stood as he did. "Be safe walkin' home, Nicholas."

His smile caused butterflies to explode in Lirssa's stomach. "I'll see ya soon, Lir."

The sound of his footsteps on the stairs took Lirssa to an edge to peer down over the railing. He waved back up at her and she wiggled fingers in return until he was out of sight down the street. Lirssa chewed on her bottom lip, and with a star shine smile ran back inside the house. There was still homework to do before dinner.