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 Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 2:32 pm
Simon had been living with Isinai in her current form for some days now. It took some getting used to. It was sometimes awkward sharing his room with another creature, especially since she was female, and so young. Not that he had any choice.
It was odd. She appeared the size of a toddler, small and certainly young, yet she behaved as if she were much older. She had an air of... not exactly age. Simon shook his head trying to figure out what he was thinking. And then there was the silence. Isinai hadn't spoken a word since she had, for want of a better word, hatched.
Perhaps this was normal and totally acceptable for an orb creature. After all a toddler would hardly be talking at this stage. It was just that he got the feeling that she ought to be. Furthermore it wasn't simply a lack of speech, she didn't seem to make any sound at all. No laughter, no crying. She was absolutely silent. She smiled only rarely but she stayed close to him at all times. Everytime he sat down or stopped coding she would be there slipping her delicate fingers between his or grasping his leg.
The most difficult time would come when lectures started up again. He wasn't sure how she would react to being left in his room. Nor could he think of a convincing lie to tell about why he was bringing her to lectures. Life, he felt, would be much easier if he knew other people who knew something about these creatures.
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:05 am
Lectures were restarting today for Simon and he was feeling a slight sense of panic. He simply couldn't leave Isinai alone in his room. It wasn't safe, there was no food for her and supposing the cleaning or maintenance staff came in while he was out.
"What am I going to do with you?" He asked her quietly.
In reply she merely stared back at him silently. He realised that he had no idea what colour her eyes actually were, they were always hidden by her hood. She never lifted it or took it off. She seemed very attached to it.
"If only there was someone else to look after you. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to leave you here. I can't take you to lectures with me. I just can't. I hope you understand?"
She continued to stare at him but Simon thought he saw just the hint of a nod. It didn't make him feel any better but at least she seemed to understand.
Before he left he made sure he'd left on some music for her to listen to. He didn't really have anything other than goth, rock or metal but she seemed quite content with that. He also made sure his fantasy books were within easy reach for her. He wasn't sure whether she could read but whenever he did she was frequently at his side watching. Finally he left a note on the door saying "do not disturb" and hurried off to lectures.
It was extremely difficult for him to concentrate on matrices and integration when all he could think about was Isinai. He hoped she was alright. As soon as the lecturer had stopped speaking he leapt out of his seat and sprinted for the door. He was back at his room as quickly as he could be but opened the door quietly. Nothing was noticeably broken or wrong. He looked round. Isinai was asleep on his bed with her little hands clasped around a book.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:36 am
Simon was growing accustomed to having the silent little creature about. She seemed to fill a gap in his life that he hadn't really realised he had had. But he was still perplexed by her presence in his life. Why had she come to him? The message had talked of wishes but he hadn't really needed anything before she came. He couldn't think of any wish she had fulfilled for him. On the other hand he had been in a noticeably better mood since she had arrived.
He looked over to her, she was sitting on his bed, clutching a book, another epic tale of good versus evil or somesuch. She had taken a shine to his books. He had no idea if she understood the words but since there were no picture he reasoned she must.But if she could understand writing why couldn't she speak? It didn't seem to make any kind of sense.
Simon had recently purchased a few plants to cheer up his room. Lavender for the scent and a venus flytrap because they are patently the coolest plant. However when Isinai had seen the plant a look of fascination had come over what could be seen of her face. She had drifted over and lifted one hand to touch a leaf of the venus flytrap but it had shrivelled away under her fingers. The leaf seemed to simply have died from her touch. This had seemed to upset her and for the rest of the day she had hidden under his bed refusing to come out. Simon couldn't understand it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 1:10 pm
The incident with the plant seemed to have really upset Isinai. She spent the next few days curled firmly in a corner, refusing even to look at Simon. Eventually he managed to coax her out of her hiding place. He decided that the bet thing to take her mind off it would be to take her out to the park. He had no idea if orb creatures would like swings but they looked more or less like toddlers so it was worth a try.
On the way to the park they spotted a squirrel. Isinai seemed to perk up as they watched it scurry along the ground. However suddenly it darted across the road right in front of a car. Simon gasped and looked away but Isinai remained watching intently. When the car had passed Simon tried to pull her away but she began to walk towards the sad little pile that had once been a squirrel. Stepping into the road she solemnly waved her scythe just above the furry heap. Simon frowned.
"What are you doing?"
But naturally she said nothing. She wandered round the park, trailing ever so slightly behind Simon. When they got home she placed her scythe carefully in the corner and climbed up onto the bed, curled up and fell asleep.
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:45 am
Simon had been somewhat bemused by Isinai's behaviour of late. She had spent a lot of time buried in his books. He hadn't realised that she could read, although he had known that she liked to hear him read. Currently she was obsessed with his selection of cheap gothic horror novels. She shunned the science fiction in favour of anything morbid and dwelling on death. He recalled the plant incident for the umpteenth time. Perhaps it would help if he bought a new plant? It didn't help that she refused to talk to him. She couldn't explain what was wrong.
"Oh argh!"
He paced up and down his room. What could he do? It wasn't like owning a dog, or a small child, there was no one to turn to for help. The Goblin king, or whatever, had sent him this creature, apparently to help fulfil his wishes, but he had completely failed to send any sort of manual. Something along the lines of "Care and Feeding of Your Mysterious Orb Creature" would be invaluable.
Failing that Simon opted for something simple. He would buy another plant.
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:29 am
The new plant seemed to have had a positive effect. Isinai was certainly more lively, well relative to her usual state anyway. Instead of hiding away in a corner she returned to her usual habit of creeping up to him when he was working or reading and settling so that she could look over his shoulder.
He had bought a cactus this time based on the general hypothesis that it was quite difficult for a cactus to be killed. Isinai strictly avoided it. She also avoided her scythe which he now kept carefully stored in the wardrobe. Every now and again she would open the door to look at it but not touch it. She had however taken to prodding Simon every now and again in a definitely "water the plant now" sort of way.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:01 am
It had been a while since Isinai's last "incident". The plant was well and healthy and she seemed to have forgotten the whole thing. Simon certainly had. His mind was currently more occupied with the problem of resoldering parts of his "cybernetic arm". A sort of gauntlet he had made out of wires and computer case modding lights.
Isinai was, as usual curled up on his bed. She had picked up one of his books. Something dark he had no doubt. Her tastes seemed to run to gothic horror and other dark fantasy. At least these where the sorts of books she tended to read. As she habitually kept her face half covered with her hood it was often hard to tell whether she actually enjoyed anything.
Their life together seemed to have settled down into a quiet and comfortable pattern. He had to admit that it was nice to have someone to come back to after lectures and to have someone about when he was working on something. It didn't matter that she never spoke to him, that fact that she was there was some how comforting.
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