Where's the Kid?. (Closed to Alvakar)

[Crystal Suncrest]

It doesn't take much to get lost when the world is so big, and when you are less than a foot tall, it's even easier, add to that the fact that Crystal never saw the outside world and the fact that she had no map and it is easily understandable why she got lost so often. Today, though, she knew exactly where she was in the library of in the city of Ettermire.

She had overheard that it was a wealth of information, and she really didn't know much about the outside world, so she decided to get a bit booksmart. It had taken her a long time for her to find the place. She got sidetracked seven times and lost twelve times. After repeatedly having to ask for directions,though, she finally had arrived.

It was a huge building, but she knew what she wanted, she wanted to read up on the different cultures of the world and how they varied. It didn't take much looking for her her to find the book either, but it was late, and as she struggled to get the huge book down, the librarian came by.

"This library is closing up in two minutes, Missy. Perhaps you should return tomorrow. I'll help you get that book down then." The librarian said before pushing the book back into the shelf so it didn't send the whole shelf crashing down. Crystal was heartbroken. If only she was a little better oriented she would have had some reading time.

Only magical lanterns placed here and there lit the streets as Crystal flew at top speed through them in search of an Inn. After a while, she found herself at the entrance to the library yet again. She tried again, this time her flight abrubtly as she crashed head first into a trashcan in an alleyway with a loud clang.

"Ow..." Crystal said, deciding that she'd be better off not trying to find an inn again, not like she could, her head was still spinning from the crash.

"I guess I'll have to crash here for the night" Crystal said to herself, soon realizing the irony of the way she phrased it.

[Alvakar]

Ankhas was Ettermire's largest collection of cultural information and relics. Aside from books, the massive library had dozens of displays of ancient texts, remnants of old civilizations, pieces of fallen creatures that once roamed the land. Rows of chocolate bookshelves surrounded an area of tables where Laziv sat, head rested against a hand, eyes moving slowly over lines of text.

"Diamond veins found in the mountains of She'vai were a prominent part of Ettermire's early development..." he mumbled, half unaware of what he was reading.

Minutes flowed past until he was only one of a few people remaining, and the young teen happened to look up and see the librarian beckoning him with a stern finger. Wiping the weariness from his eyes, Laziv closed his book and gathered his things.

The way home was not terribly long, but Laziv would be walking for a half hour. It wasn't his idea to go the library, but his father had insisted, fearing Laziv's study habits were disrupted at home. He didn't like it, but Laziv couldn't deny that for once, he had got some studying done.

Walking by a familiar alley, Laziv paused when his peripheral vision caught something. "Whoa!" he declared aloud, briskly walking over to a strange creature that lay on the ground. Perhaps more curious than he should have been, Laziv reached down to try and pick up the thing and inspect it.

[Crystal Suncrest]

Crystal opened her eyes and looked up at the green eyed kid who just picked her up. He was a tall dark skinned kid. Of course anybody was tall compared to her. Crystal tried to stand up for a closer look at the kid, but was so dizzy from the crash that she nearly fell off his hand. She decided not to try that again.

Crystal really wanted to make a good first impression after that, and she kept trying to figure out what to say in her head, but nothing came to her, so instead she just put on a smile and remembered that someone once told her that honesty was the best policy. This sounded like a good piece of advice to her, so she decided to give it a shot.

"Um... Mister? I just crashed into that trash can over there and I'm still a bit disoriented from it, as I'm sure you just saw. I'm tired, but at this rate, I'm going to have to sleep here for the night. You wouldn't happen to know of a place I could stay, would you?" Crystal asked, being as honest as she could.

"My name is Crystal Suncrest, by the way." She added as an afterthought

I don't mind light bunnying by the way, just as long as it is only light bunnying. I'll let you know if I don't like how my character was bunnied, but you've been on althanas so long, I don't I don't suspect I'll have to do that.:p

[Alvakar]

Laziv's eyes opened wide as the fairy began to talk, her tiny mouth forming words he understood completely. His mouth agape, the teen watched the creature's wings move unconsciously as she perched atop his open palm.

"I'm Laziv!" he said in utter shock, looking about as is expecting his friends to pop out and laugh at him for falling for their silly joke. When it was apparent that this was for real, he swallowed and tried to relax. "You can stay with me at my place, for a while. I have a big dresser and you can sleep on my socks, okay? They're all clean, don't worry."

He liked the idea of having his own fairy friend, but knew his father would never support it. Alvakar was a staunch believer in Laziv having only drow friends, so whenever new options presented themselves, the youth had to suppress his desires. This was just too exciting to pass up, he decided, and began to run home, taking care not to harm his new friend.

He entered the house as silently as he could. It was a large building filled with antique weapons and Old Alerian souvenirs, a place where Alvakar felt very comfortable. The smell of roasting meat greeted them both as they entered.

"Laz?" he heard his mother call. "Is that you, dear?"

"Yeah, mom!" he called. "I'll be there in a sec, I'm gonna get changed!"

Giving his friend the 'shh' sign, Laziv climbed a set of chocolate stairs and pivoted into his room, shutting he door with his foot. It was a large, messy bedroom with clothes and books strewn about the floor, though they were mostly fiction novels and not school texts.

"Okay, this is my room. I kind of need to eat soon, but I can bring you up some, maybe."

[Crystal Suncrest]

It was easy for Crystal to see the socks on the kid's dresser, unfortunately, Laziv had only snuck her into his room before leaving. She had to make her way onto the dresser herself. That would normally be no big deal for her, but she still was getting over her dizziness and didn't dare take to the air until she exhausted all other options.

It didn't take too long before she saw that the drawers of the dresser were hanging open to some degree. Perfect for intermediate steps to the top of the dresser. As long as she only flew in short bursts, she felt she would be fine.

Crystal easily flew to the first dresser drawer, from there up to the second, and from there to the third. The problem was going to be reaching the top drawer from the third. She was going to have to fly up and around in order to make it.

Crystal attempted this, and fell flat on her butt, on the floor of the room. She stood perfectly still and looked around nervously. Had somebody heard that? She certainly hoped not. She understood that she needed to remain silent if she was to stay here, but she didn't know why.

Crystal decided to just fly straight up to the top of the dresser since the sudden fall helped to get rid of the dizziness she had been feeling earlier. Giviving it all she had, the hyperactive fairy flew straight up, then straight towards the top of the dresser, finally landing on the dresser. Crystal quickly made herself a bed out of the socks up there, only to find herself uncomfortable because of the fork she carried with her at all times. Pushing the fork out of the sock she had turned into a sleeping bag, she finally got comfortable and was about to try getting some sleep when she heard the clang of the fork hitting the ground. This was not good. She had forgotten how close she was to the edge. The pointy eared residents almost assuredly heard her weapon as it hit the floor. Unsure of what else to do, Crystal quickly got herself out of the sock and flew down to get her fork, then frantically began searching for a place to hide.

I'll leave it to you to decide if she finds a place to hide, and if so, where it is. Also, I hope I didn't go overboard on the messy room concept. If I did, just let me know.

[Alvakar]

By the time Laziv reached the bottom of the stairs, Alvakar was in the porch, removing his weapons, armor and shield at the end of a long day as an Old Alerian soldier.

Looking up, the father made eye contact and gave a slight smile, using a hand to balance himself on the door frame as he removed a boot. "Get a lot of work done today?"

Laziv gave a nervous smile, nodded, seemed as if he wanted to say more, but ultimately came down the remaining steps and swerved to make his way to the dining table. Alvakar watched him curiously, then followed when he was finally ready.

Seconds later, they were both seated at the dinner table, with the broad drow casting a curious eye upon his son. Rilya soon came out from the kitchen, a platter of meat and vegetables in her hands. She gave Alvakar a brief kiss, smiled at Laziv, and then they were prepared to eat.

"What'd you study today, Laziv?" asked Alvakar before stuffing something into his mouth.

The teen, who fiddled absentmindedly with the chocolate wood of the table, revealed his unease without realizing it. "Nothing important, really. Early economy."

"Hm."

That's when the thump from the floor above came. It was a subtle thing, but to Alvakar's keen ears, it was clearly heard. "What was that?" he asked aloud, eyes on his son.

Laziv was about to try and diffuse the situation, but a second thump followed a moment after. Pushing out his chair, Alvakar rose and swiftly walked to the stairs, ignoring Laziv's pleading cry. Taking them two at a time, he quickly reached the teen's room and pushed open the door. His eyes immediately scanned the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary save for a fork on the ground.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Laziv?" Alvakar asked, beginning a small search of the room.

((Go ahead and assume he finds you, yo.))

[Crystal Suncrest]

Hope you don't mind, but I sort of had to bunny Alvakar a bit. Let me know if you want it changed.

Crystal hid after realizing that she likely had no time to attempt to get the fork again, her first attempt was a failure as she flew by too high to attempt to make the grab. There really was no place to hide that she could reach before the footsteps reached the door except maybe one of the drawers, so Crystal quickly popped in the bottom one. She heard the sound of the door slamming open, and a voice of a male,probably the father or grandfather of Laziv talking to him, trying to figure out what he was hiding. Though she couldn't figure out everyplace he searched, she could make out some distinct noises. A trash can being overturned, a closet being slammed open, and the scariest noise of them all, the top drawer of the dresser being slammed shut.

It seemed this male authority figure was tearing the room apart trying to find what Laziv was hiding, and after a bit Crystal heard the next drawer close. Crystal knew that as it was, if he closed one more drawer, she'd get caught, so she examined what was in the bottom drawer. Shirts, lots of them. Crystal didn't have to think too hard before diving inside one of them, just as the drawer above her slammed close. Her hiding spot didn't last long, though, because the big meanie that was searching the room, quite literally tossed the shirt aside searching for whatever Laziv had hidden. When it hit the ground, Crystal slid right out of the collar of the shirt.

The man looked quite stern and pissed. He looked like he needed a good joke, or at least a good laugh at the moment, and Crystal was happy to try to provide, but first she needed to get herself out of this mess. Crystal thought for a bit about what excuse she could provide for being there, and finally decided on trying to warm up to the man by pretending to offer the one thing all fathers would want for their sons, an education.

"Ow... Is that any way to treat Laziv's tutor?"

[Alvakar]

Alvakar hadn't been in a fury like this for some time, especially around his family, but it had been longer still since the last time Laziv hid something from him. As he tossed the boy's clothes out of the drawer, he felt a distinct heaviness in one of the shirts, and followed it with his eyes.

"Explain!" he demanded as the fairy popped free, his eyes darting to meet Laziv's.

The teen stood shocked. How was he supposed to explain? After all, he didn't know a thing about the fairy that would serve to diffuse the situation. It didn't help that she claimed to be a tutor, something Alvakar would not fall for, regardless of how ignorant he could be.

“I met her on the way home from the library… I was so excited that I didn’t worry about how mad you’d be until we got here. She’s really nice, though!”

“Nice?” Alvakar scoffed, returning his gaze to the strange creature. “She looks like a friend of the sunny elves, the Raiaeran trash.”

“Dad!” Laziv cried. “There’s nothing wrong with me making new friends, alright? And it’s not like I bring anyone over, you know.”

“Make all the friends you like, Laziv, but boys and girls your own age, and more importantly, your own species.” Still not directing his words at the fairy, Alvakar narrowed his eyes. “Your friend can leave now.”

Enraged, the teen could only cast angry eyes at his father before looking sorrowfully at his new ally. “Fine, but I’m going with her.”

Before the shocked Alvakar could respond, Laziv bolted out of his room and down the stairs.

((Didn't leave you much opening, sorry. I imagine she can escape and meet up with Laz outside, where they can actually talk a bit.))

[Crystal Suncrest]

I had enough room to maneuver. Thanks for the concern, though. Feel free to bunny Crystal during her talk with Laziv if you need to. Just keep in mind that she is depressed and angry after being kicked out, but she is smart enough not to take that anger out on Laziv. Also, I had to do some light bunnying as far as where Crystal found Laziv. If you need it changed, just let me know.

Crystal couldn't help but be afraid of the imposing figure of Laziv's father. She was tempted to yell at him for being so stubborn, but she knew that would only serve to increase the father's anger. Crystal looked at the fork which was still on the floor and picked it up, making a quick dash out the door afterwards, making sure to get out of the room before the father attempted to stop her, and flying straight down the stairs and out the door before the father could even utter a word.

Crystal was extremely confused about the whole situation. She had always been about living a carefree life, until today. But she suddenly felt guilty for getting between a father and son in a way that looked to her like they'd hate each other for life.

Crystal looked around for the boy and after a bit of searching found him in the alley where they had first met. She landed on his shoulder and began to speak.

"Wow, I guess I made a bad first impression" Crystal said jokingly.

"Why do you think your father hates me, Laziv?" Crystal asked, in a depressed tone of voice.

[Alvakar]

Laziv moved with a swiftness that his father couldn't match, not that Alvakar was trying. Rilya met the warrior drow midway down the stairs, the front door having slammed shut only a moment earlier.

"What happened?" she asked, uncomfortable of Laziv being outside in the wake of Sasarai's recent attack.

Alvakar just fumed, unsure of how to answer the question.

Meanwhile, an anxious and concerned young Laziv rushed down the road, searching every which way for a sign of his friend. When he couldn't find her, he did the sensible thing and sprinted for the alleyway where they'd met, finding her there looking quite upset.

"Ah... He's a jerk," said Laziv, catching his breath. "He's got issues with anyone who isn't like us, uh, like dark elves I mean."

Laziv's frustration showed plainly on his face. "But... I don't know. He just doesn't understand right now, I guess."

Gently, the young drow sat in the dirty alley, brushing up against a shadowed wall. "What are you doing here, anyway? Where's your home?"

[Crystal Suncrest]

Crystal didn't know how to answer the question. There were quite a few reasons for this. Her parents were way too strict and overprotective, and she really didn't want to think about the fact that she hadn't even stepped out of the house until two years ago when she ran away from home. Crystal didn't want to get any more on the father's bad side by putting the idea of running away from home in the kid's head. The main reason Crystal didn't know how to answer the question was simple, though. She was lost. She had flown so far from home and was so bad at directions, she no longer knew which direction her home was in. As for the other part of the question, that was simple.

"I am interested in learning about the different races and cultures of the world. I want to be accepted no matter where I go, so I figured I should get a book from the library. Problem is, I came at closing time. As for why this library, I heard it was the biggest around and figured that it would likely be best to go here since it would be almost guaranteed that I'd find what I was looking for." Crystal said, trying to think of how to best answer the boys other question.

"Umm... That's a tough question to answer. Let's just say I don't know where my house is anymore. but you know what they say. Home is where the heart is." Crystal explained to the boy.

"So, just out of curiousity, this your first time running out on your dad?"

[Alvakar]

Laziv nodded. "Yeah. He's usually a good dad, so I do what he says I should. He's a really smart guy, sometimes. Not like now, though."

The sun had begun to go down, casting an orange glow over the dark buildings of Ettermire. The ground reflected the color from several puddles, the remains of a recent shower. Laziv didn't like this area of the city at night.

"So if you don't know where your house is, how are you going to go home? You can't sleep in the alley! I'd let you stay at my place, but you know..."

Suddenly, the teen grew stressed that he'd left his hook blades at home. They gave him some measure of comfort, now that he'd gotten used to them.

"Anyway, I'm sorry."

[Crystal Suncrest]

No need to apologize. I really don't mind too much. Just... when you asked about my home, you brought up a bad memory. Tell you what. I'll sleep here tonight. Think you could bring me a pair of socks to sleep in tomorrow? After that, maybe we can go to the library together." Crystal said, trying to let the kid know she would be alright.

It was extremely hard to get to sleep without any kind of comfortable surface to sleep on, but she somehow managed. The next day, she woke up real late, and opened her eyes, expecting to see Laziv smiling back at her. Confused, Crystal got up and rushed off toward the library, thinking that Laziv had decided to run ahead without her.