Coming back to London....
Aug. 11th, 2008 12:51 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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zg_shadowsThe flat smelled slightly of dust and mold. Caitlin wrinkled her slightly fastidious nose at the smell.
"It's been empty for a while," I said, and knelt down to pick up the collection of little white and brown envelopes that had piled up on the doormat. Most of them were junk, with a thin scattering of letters I probably should have read. I dumped them all in the litter bin anyway, and fiddled in my pockets for a cigarette lighter to burn them.
Caitlin took a few awkward steps into the flat.
"No...it's...it's quite nice," she said, uncertainly, and then smiled at the little butterfly mural around the door. "Oh! You painted those, didn't you?"
I grinned.
"Yes," I said. "About five years ago when I bought this place."
"You own it?" she said, and tilted her head sideways. "I never knew you owned another flat."
I shrugged.
"It was all part of London," I said.
Caitlin half smiled and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
"I guess..." she said, and then "it's not like I expected. London, I mean."
I grinned. "You've only really seen Kew," I said. "And we're still out in Richmond. I'll take you into London proper when we've got settled a bit."
I padded over to the cupboards, and poked around. There was coffee, pasta, and some powdered milk there. God knows how old it was, but it might be edible. Caitlin had knelt down by the fridge, with the mixture of plastic letters and home made magnets stuck on it.
"What's this, Mam?" she said, poking at a small piece of brightly coloured clay with a mess of sequins and feathers stuck to it. I grinned. "It's an ichyantraxicus," I said.
Catilin stared at me.
"That sounds like a disease," she said.
I padded over beside her and perched on my heels.
"It's a reptillian bird," I said. "With scales that sparkle and bright red feathers. It came from a workshop I ran on 'fantastic beasts and where to find them'. We started off with monsters from Harry Potter and then progressed from there, into the monsters that JK Rowling never knew existed."
Caitlin giggled.
"You invented this?" she said.
I shook my head.
"A little boy called Derren invented this," I said. "He was six years old, and had only ever lived in foster homes. He was mixed race, and had some quite serious health problems, so no one wanted him. But he got to come to the Kew workshops."
Caitlin tilted her head.
"I never knew this," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I shrugged.
"What was there to tell?" I said. "What mattered was that I was home, with you and your Da,"
Caitlin flinched slightly at the mention of her Dad, and I put an arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry," I said. "He'll calm down. It'll be OK."
Caitlin blinked rapidly and tried to push my hand away.
"I'll be fine," she said firmly. "I don't need to be cuddled like a baby. I'm thirteen."
I nodded and let my arm drop away, standing up and walking back to the side of the bed, with the ladder that rose up to it. I'd covered the ladder in a complicated leaf and flower design. Michael had liked that a lot. He'd watched me paint most of it, sitting cross legged on the floor, where Caitlin was now curled up. But that wasn't worth dwelling on now.
Caitlin was looking around the flat.
"It's pretty," she said, a little uncertainly. "Where do we sleep?"
I gestured up the ladder to the loft bed.
"We'll need to share," I said. "Or maybe I can make up a little bed below in the wardrobe. It's really big - it's a walk in wardobe, with a 6 ft ceiling and it's a bit bigger than a king size bed"
Caitlin's eyes lit up. "I like the idea of a den. I could make that my space. If we've got any money, maybe I could go to the fabric shop and get some left over netting or something and make curtains. Then I could turn the wardrobe into a tent."
She was smiling for the first time in days. I smiled back at her.
"We can totally do that," I said.
Caitlin smiled and got to her feet, playing with the brightly coloured braid she'd added to her hair.
"Are we going to be OK, Mam?" she said.
I made sure my voice was totally steady when I answered.
"We're going to be grand," I said. "And until your Da calms down, we're going to make a fine life for ourselves here. London is where we begin again."
"It's been empty for a while," I said, and knelt down to pick up the collection of little white and brown envelopes that had piled up on the doormat. Most of them were junk, with a thin scattering of letters I probably should have read. I dumped them all in the litter bin anyway, and fiddled in my pockets for a cigarette lighter to burn them.
Caitlin took a few awkward steps into the flat.
"No...it's...it's quite nice," she said, uncertainly, and then smiled at the little butterfly mural around the door. "Oh! You painted those, didn't you?"
I grinned.
"Yes," I said. "About five years ago when I bought this place."
"You own it?" she said, and tilted her head sideways. "I never knew you owned another flat."
I shrugged.
"It was all part of London," I said.
Caitlin half smiled and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
"I guess..." she said, and then "it's not like I expected. London, I mean."
I grinned. "You've only really seen Kew," I said. "And we're still out in Richmond. I'll take you into London proper when we've got settled a bit."
I padded over to the cupboards, and poked around. There was coffee, pasta, and some powdered milk there. God knows how old it was, but it might be edible. Caitlin had knelt down by the fridge, with the mixture of plastic letters and home made magnets stuck on it.
"What's this, Mam?" she said, poking at a small piece of brightly coloured clay with a mess of sequins and feathers stuck to it. I grinned. "It's an ichyantraxicus," I said.
Catilin stared at me.
"That sounds like a disease," she said.
I padded over beside her and perched on my heels.
"It's a reptillian bird," I said. "With scales that sparkle and bright red feathers. It came from a workshop I ran on 'fantastic beasts and where to find them'. We started off with monsters from Harry Potter and then progressed from there, into the monsters that JK Rowling never knew existed."
Caitlin giggled.
"You invented this?" she said.
I shook my head.
"A little boy called Derren invented this," I said. "He was six years old, and had only ever lived in foster homes. He was mixed race, and had some quite serious health problems, so no one wanted him. But he got to come to the Kew workshops."
Caitlin tilted her head.
"I never knew this," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I shrugged.
"What was there to tell?" I said. "What mattered was that I was home, with you and your Da,"
Caitlin flinched slightly at the mention of her Dad, and I put an arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry," I said. "He'll calm down. It'll be OK."
Caitlin blinked rapidly and tried to push my hand away.
"I'll be fine," she said firmly. "I don't need to be cuddled like a baby. I'm thirteen."
I nodded and let my arm drop away, standing up and walking back to the side of the bed, with the ladder that rose up to it. I'd covered the ladder in a complicated leaf and flower design. Michael had liked that a lot. He'd watched me paint most of it, sitting cross legged on the floor, where Caitlin was now curled up. But that wasn't worth dwelling on now.
Caitlin was looking around the flat.
"It's pretty," she said, a little uncertainly. "Where do we sleep?"
I gestured up the ladder to the loft bed.
"We'll need to share," I said. "Or maybe I can make up a little bed below in the wardrobe. It's really big - it's a walk in wardobe, with a 6 ft ceiling and it's a bit bigger than a king size bed"
Caitlin's eyes lit up. "I like the idea of a den. I could make that my space. If we've got any money, maybe I could go to the fabric shop and get some left over netting or something and make curtains. Then I could turn the wardrobe into a tent."
She was smiling for the first time in days. I smiled back at her.
"We can totally do that," I said.
Caitlin smiled and got to her feet, playing with the brightly coloured braid she'd added to her hair.
"Are we going to be OK, Mam?" she said.
I made sure my voice was totally steady when I answered.
"We're going to be grand," I said. "And until your Da calms down, we're going to make a fine life for ourselves here. London is where we begin again."
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Date: 2008-08-11 12:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 01:13 pm (UTC)If only to see if we get angry Fianna and Silver Fangs in one neat rage filled fest ...
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Date: 2008-08-11 01:14 pm (UTC)So, depends how lucky you are, really...
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Date: 2008-08-11 01:16 pm (UTC)/makes note to ask Orion to teach her that Lodge of the Sun gift nowish ...
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Date: 2008-08-11 01:24 pm (UTC)1) Bianca - Chased by a lot of pissed off Italian Silver Fangs
2) Melinda - Possibly ShadowLord mafia coming after her, if not, possibly Get of Fenris coming after her/Shadow
3) Tegan & Catlin - Entire Fianna Tribe coming after her
4) Ally - Being chased by mysterious organisation that's Wyrmy to hell
Is it too late to order an InstaFortress Fetish??
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 01:52 pm (UTC)mawmore?no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 04:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 03:50 pm (UTC)Though I'd add to your list :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 10:20 pm (UTC)Hey, it'd solve the problems...
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Date: 2008-08-11 02:21 pm (UTC)I know my character sheet says I am, but it's wrong...
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Date: 2008-08-11 01:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 03:47 pm (UTC)