[Log] Eli & Larkin

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

Eli climbed a little farther up into his favorite tree before peering through the leaves. The seven-year-old let out a sigh of relief at the empty field in front of him. Good, she hadn't followed. If Larkin tried to kiss him one more time today, he was sure he was gonna to turn into a toad. Or a bug. Or- His face wrinkled up in disgust. Maybe I'll have to marry her. Ew, yuck. Cooties were bad enough.

He'd just hide up here for a little while, until he was sure she'd gotten distracted by something else.

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[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

He'd let himself relax against the trunk of the tree, humming to himself and considering asking (actually, more like putting on his best puppy face and pleading) his mom later if he could learn how to fight with a real sword, instead of the wooden one his dad had given him when he was just a baby. Of course she'd say no, again, but it couldn't hurt to keep the idea right in front of her. She'd realize what a good idea it was eventually, he was sure. Just like how aunt Ray had realized what a good idea it was to teach him how to make smoke bombs!

Giggling, Eli shifted position and swung himself off the branch, hanging by the backs of his knees. Everything looked so weird upside down. The sky with its drifting clouds, the base of the tree, the field...

The small girl with her blanket cape storming towards him...

"Ack!" Eli struggled to swing himself back up before she reached him.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Eli was very lucky. Larkin had been looking off to the side, distracted by a rustling in the grass. It seemed she hadn't seen him... but she was making a bee-line for the tree.

She knew it was his favorite tree. He'd bragged about it. Having lost track of him earlier, she thought she'd gotten here first, and she had a plan.
She fumbled with the knot in her blanket, untying it and then looping it around the trunk of the tree. There, now he'd know she'd been here and would be scared off. It was genius!

Except....

... She couldn't just go and leave her blanket behind.

She'd known that all along (not really). She'd never miss such an important detail (besides the ones Eli could probably list in every other plan she'd had).

Without losing a fraction of determination, she plopped down on the opposite side of the tree. Now if he came along the same way she had, he wouldn't see her. Of course, she wouldn't see him either, but that didn't seem particularly important.

She plucked at a few blades of grass. He'd be along any minute now...

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

Eli was frozen in his hiding spot, hugging the tree and frowning down at Larkin's head. By some miracle she hadn't caught him, but now it looked like she was gonna stay. How was he supposed to get away from her now? Maybe he could jump and run for it, he mulled. He was faster than her, after all. Mostly. Except when she tied his shoelaces together in knots. He found himself glancing down at his lucky red sneakers, just to be sure that she hadn't managed it somehow.

Nope, sneakers were okay. So...

He continued to watch her for another few moments, hoping she couldn't hear him breathing...and then his stomach rumbled. Eli almost groaned. If she looked up, he was running.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

"One... two... tree..." She was practicing her numbers by pulling up one piece of grass at a time (mom would be so proud) when she heard the tree growl.

She was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen.

It was startling enough to make her bounce away, then scurry back and grab her blanket before looking up--

"Eeeeliiiii!"

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"Um, hi?"

Yep, running would be good. Eli let go of the tree and jumped, landing hard on the ground. Ow, ow... He scrambled to his feet and took off, waving behind him.

"Bye Larkin! Gotta go eat lunch!" And find somewhere else to hide, definitely. Like maybe the magic practice room. He wasn't allowed in there, but maybe that didn't apply when he was being chased by a cootie-covered girl.

He didn't get very far, though. Not even halfway across the field, he tripped over a small hole, or a rock, or something that was no doubt conspiring against him, and fell into the tall grass. He lay there for a second, contemplating whether it was worth getting up or if he should just surrender.

Maybe surrender would get him lunch faster. Naw.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Too late.

If he hadn't hesitated, he would have easily escaped. Larkin was short even for her age (mom said she'd been born early, "just a little too eager to see the world") and running while dragging a blanket wasn't as easy as it looked.

But Eli did hesitate, and then there was a Larkin on his back.

"Eli! You scared me! And you ran! And you cimbed a tree! Yer mean!" She thumped his back with her fists for emphasis - though not very hard. Larkin was good about hitting (which was to say she only hit Eli too hard about once a month. It was his fault anyway. After all, he was mean.)

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"Hey, cut it out! Get off! I only ran away 'cause you slobbered all over me!"

He twisted around, trying to throw her off his back, but she clung like a leech. She wasn't even that heavy, so it should've been easy. Maybe if he just played dead?

Yeah, right.

He stopped struggling and folded his arms so he had something to thunk his face into other than the ground. His muffled voice came drifting up a moment later.

"I'm sor- Get off! I want my lunch!"

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Why was he making such a fuss? She didn't like it when people fussed. It upset her a little... even if she was still grinning because she'd caught him.

She let him go and sat up, tugging at his elbow as if to help him up. "'Kay, but you haveta share dessert."

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

Wow, did that really work? Or maybe it was because he'd started to say he was sorry. Eli grinned a bit as she climbed off, then got to his feet as she tugged at him.

"Okay, but I get the biggest piece! I'm gonna be the special Mage, remember? I'm gonna know all sorts of cool magic, and I can poke around in people's dreams and fix 'em and everything!"

Right now about the only poking he did in anybody's dreams was in his sister's, but Larkin didn't have to know that.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

While he was busy talking she tied the corner of her blanket around his wrist.

Double-knotted.

Then she gave it a good hard yank in the direction of home. "'Kay, let's go."

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

It was probably a bad thing that Eli was so busy boasting about himself that he didn't realize he'd been tied to Larkin until she yanked on him and he almost fell over again.

"Hey! What'd ya do that for, I'm not goin' anywhere!" Not right this second, anyway. But he let her drag him along, sticking his tongue out at the back of her head. Girls, jeeze.

"Y'know what?" He said suddenly, trying to undo the knot one-handed. "I think you need a boyfriend. Y'know, someone nice, and maybe with lots of money, and his own house!" Eli laughed. That pretty much ruled him out.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

"You are goin' somewhere. Yer goin' to lunch. Also yur my boyfriend," the five-year-old stated matter-of-factly.

Maybe it was the fourth-succubus in her. Larkin didn't know what a boyfriend was for except sharing cookies and kissing, but she liked both parts. She didn't know why Eli was so against it. His mom kissed him plenty, didn't she?

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but I meant- Ew, no I'm not!" His attempt to untie himself became a little frantic. How'd she manage to tie this thing so tight?

"Why don't ya go kiss Cloud or Leon or somethin'?"

He finally managed to get the first knot undone, then rolled his eyes as the front porch came into view. Well, there went that escape plan. He'd just have to find a closet after lunch, or maybe under his bed...or under Lanie's bed!

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

"I don' like Cloud or Leon. Cloud's hair's too spiky an' I think Leon's girlfriend is his sword."

She pulled harder as they neared the door, trying to retie the knot at the same time. She had no intention of letting him go free. He could eat one-handed for all she cared.

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

Grumbling, Eli stumbled along after her, letting her re-tie the knot. He'd just find scissors or something.

And then die a painful death for cutting up Larkin's blankie. Okay, maybe not.

The front door opened and his father stepped out, then paused, taking in the sight of his only son chained to Song and Josiah's angel. His laugh quickly turned into a cough.

"I was just about to go looking for the two of you, it's time to eat. Couldn't get away again, Eli?"

He was rewarded with a glare that quickly turned into a pout.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Angel indeed.

Larkin presented Jalen with one of her very sweetest smiles, holding tightly to her blanket with both hands so her captive didn't try anything.

"Hullo Mister-Eli's-dad-Jalen-Sir. What are we having for lunch?"

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"Grilled cheese or tuna fish." He rolled his eyes as he said the last. "Maybe you should untie him for lunch. He'll be on his best behavior, won't you Elijah?"

"But daaaaaaad, she says I'm her boyfriend, and she's got cooties, and I don't wanna die of cooties! I'm gonna get siiiiiiick!"

Smirking, Jalen patted his son's head and ushered the two into the house.

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Larkin skipped all the way to the table, regardless of the difficulty this might give Eli in keeping up. She was pretending not to have heard Jalen's suggestion about untying him.

"I want grilled cheese with tuna fish!" she announced to the room at large.

an unmistakable voice called from elsewhere in the house.

"Can I please have grilled cheese with tuna fish?" Larkin asked the table politely. Sometimes she thought her mother could see and hear her no matter where she was.

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"Bleh!" Was Eli's pronouncement on Larkin's sandwich request as he stumbled to a halt in front of the table before yanking out a chair one handed and dropping onto it. He made sure to sit on the opposite side that the hand was tied on. Sure, it made it harder for him, what with his arm crossed across his chest, but maybe it'd make it annoying for her, too.

"I don't care which I get, 'long as it's not like hers!"

Lanie was already sitting across from him, swinging her legs and grinning as Jalen went to make their sandwiches. She smiled at Larkin, then began to sing.

"Eli an' Larkin, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-"

Eli turned beet red and thunked his head down onto the table.

"Aw Lanie, shut up!"

[larkinciel.livejournal.com]

Larkin grinned hugely at Lanie's support. "He was in a tree! But I can't climb that tree. I tried and scraped my hand and Mama said to wait until I was this tall." She held a hand above her head. It wasn't very clear how tall she meant, as the hand wavered a little due to the effort of lifting her blanket that high without making a mess of the table. Eli was being dumb and not sitting next to her.

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"You should tie his shoes together again, then he won't be climbin' nothin'."

Lanie reached across the table and tapped her brother's head. "You need to stay on the ground and find some nice bugs to give to Larkin for your guys's wedding."

The little girl laughed as Eli's head shot up, panic on his face.

"Daaaaaaad! Lanie's tryin' to marry me off!"

The kids could hear what sounded like Jalen snickering for a second before he called back, "You'll have to talk to your mother about that, she'll want pictures."

"AUUUUGH!"

[songbird9.livejournal.com]

"Who wants pictures for what now?"

Song had appeared in the doorway, pausing to take in the scene before striding over to Jalen and the sandwich makings. The only indication of passing time was that her hair had grown long again and gained a thin streak of white near the top (thank you, motherhood). Her face had barely changed since the first fall of earth, nearly a decade ago now. The rumor was out that she'd been dabbling around in youth-preserving magic, but she had not announced any successes. Granted, after the events of a particularly nasty winter, she'd displayed a greater talent for keeping secrets...

That aside, Song's question only added evidence to her daughter's theory that she had some special way of watching... Surely otherwise she would have been able to hear Jalen as clearly as she'd heard Larkin (who had conveniently forgotten just how loudly she'd yelled her lunch order).

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

Jalen smirked, dumping the second grilled cheese on it's plate before starting on Larkin's.

"More pictures for Eli's scrapbook. He and Larkin are getting married, you know."

"I AM NOT GONNA MARRY HER!"

Eli's holler almost echoed. Jalen shrugged. "That's what he thinks. I don't suppose you want to break it to him?"

[songbird9.livejournal.com]

Song threw a cold sandwich together out of cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and (much to Larkin's delight and vindication) tuna fish.
"Oh, how lovely. I think we should hold the ceremony in the courtyard. There are already plenty of flowers there and enough room for everyone. What do you think, children?" she asked primly.

Larkin was beaming. "I think it sounds like a wonnerful idea!" She shook Eli's makeshift leash emphatically.

[2muddysneakers.livejournal.com]

"I think I'm gonna die." Eli moaned, laying his head down on the table again. "I'm never gonna get to be a great Mage or nothin' 'cause I'll be dead from Larkin cooties."

Lanie giggled, sliding off her chair to fetch her sandwich. She grabbed Eli's plate while she was at it and ran back, tapping him on the head with it.

"Sit up an' eat, or I'll marry you guys myself!"

Eli was sitting up in an instant, cramming the sandwich into his mouth one-handed. "Mmm, if's goov, das."

Jalen stared at him in mild disbelief. "Remember to chew, okay?"