005 ~*~ Of blood, sweat, and tears

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[ Toast was in the toaster, so it was time to fetch the mail! Meiling skipped out, humming tunelessly as she opened the box and pulled out... oh, that's quite a few letters. This was exciting!

She enters the house again, deposits what isn't for herself or Patchy on the coffee table, and then ascends the stairs. ] Miss Patchouli, we have mail! And breakfast will be done soon~

[ No, she didn't read the address or anything, and just slipped her not!daughter's letter under her door before making her way back into the main bedroom to get dressed. She mumbles to herself as she digs through the closet. ] --that's weird.

[ Meiling then calls back into the hall. ] Has anyone seen my cap? I know I can't wear it to work, but I like to have it on around the house!

((OOC: Action is closed to house-mates, but feel free to put any phone threads in here if you want!))

Comments

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[ She's there because she's tired. That distance is nothing to walk, but running? Not the smartest thing. Meiling uses the fence to brace herself with one arm, the other dragging the end of the hoe and planting it on the ground for support.

She wants to cry out. Wants to shout and scream and warn off anyone who so much as looks in the direction of this house, but no... there's no need to panic the girl.

A few more moments are spent catching her breath before she crosses the yard and bangs very loudly on the door. ] Miss Flandre! [ Pant, pant. ] It's me! Meiling! ... open the door, please!

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[Flandre chitters a bit in surprise, opening the window a bit more and leaning out of it above and a little to the left of the front door.]

Is it time for school again, Meiling?

[Her sense of time was a bit on the odd side.]

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[ It took her a second to consider the source of the call, before she stepped back and looked up to the window. ] Ah, no! No school today. So... I thought you could come over a day early to stay with ... Miss Patchouli and I...

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[Flandre doesn't hesitate, at least.]

Okay, Meiling!

[...aaaand she starts to tumble out the window.

Before she remembers the no-flying thing, which makes her squawk and grab the windowsill, though a bit too late. Flandre stays on the sill at least, squeaking all the while.

Though, it wasn't terribly far away from the ground, given that she was dangling completely out of the window now, she was still dangling out the window.

Sorry about the heart attack, Meiling.]

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[ Just when her pulse had begun to calm down it, again, threatened to burst out of her chest.

An exact transcript of her thoughts: "asklfjhsfjk;"-- ] FLANDRE! [ It was too late to shout that warning, though, as she was already out of the window. Meiling knew she only had two choices. She quickly drove the end of the stick into the dirt and then ran to stand under the window, arms out. ]

L-let yourself go, but carefully! I'll catch you! [ Oh god oh god if she gets hurt Meiling is never going to live this down. ]

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[Flandre recovers...sort of quickly. She makes an only slightly-uncertain chitter, looking down at Meiling over her shoulder. The little not-quite-vampire wasn't exactly afraid of heights (that would be an exceptionally bad trait for a flying creature to have) but goodness that was surprising.]

...okay, Meiling.

[Flandre lets go with one hand, and then, slowly, the other. It wouldn't do to have a squishy dream, no sir.]

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[ Time stops -- or at least slowed down a bit -- as the first hand lets go. And then the second.

Meiling is nothing if not prepared, however (as catching Flandre seems to be a common activity in Mayfield) and slips her arms under the smaller one's body easily, bending at the knees to help absorb the momentum.

Once she's secure, she holds her close to her chest, still breathing hard. ] You... god... [ This is not a good morning for her emotions. ] Never do that again. Please...

...it took me a minute to figure out what was going on in that icon

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[There wasn't even much of a bump; just Meiling's arms and a hug and she stopped falling. Flandre quite liked the hug, though. All strong and tight and she wanted to snuggle into it and rest her head on Meiling's shoulder...

...though her voice made Flandre pause. And blink, and notice how much Meiling's chest was heaving, and hear the exact tone of her voice that made Flandre wilt and her hands fold and curl up inoffensively on her chest.]

...I'm sorry, Meiling.

[Her voice is much quieter, this time; quickly trailing off into a mumbling murmur.]

I need to color the rest. /sigh

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[ A little calmer, she reached up to stroke the back of Flandre's head. She doesn't deserve to scold her for anything, but that just scared the wits right out of her. Story of her life, apparently. ] It's fine. You're not hurt at all, right?

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[Flandre arched her neck and leaned her head back a little bit into Meiling's hand, mumbling quietly. She closed her eyes most of the way, appreciatively.]

Mhn-mnh. [That was supposed to be a negative.] Not at all.

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Good. [ She spoke that softly, quite glad for the affirmation. Meiling then turns to watch the street, eyes vigilant for anyone who happened to be out-and-about that wasn't an obvious drone. Pleased at the lack of obvious threats, she sighs a little. ] We should get going. I don't want to leave Miss Patchouli alone for--

I mean. We don't want to keep her waiting, right? [ A strained smile. Good recovery? ]

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[After a moment, Flandre follows Meiling's gaze up and down and all over the street, though she sees nothing beyond the dream-people that didn't act like people. She chirps.]

Are we going to the house?

[Flandre didn't seem to notice, relaxing further into her guardian's arms.]

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Yep! [ She stepped over to the weapon and kind of stared at it a moment. Hrm. How is she going to carry that and Flandre at the same time? ]

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...what's that, Meiling?

[While relaxed, Flandre was still following Meiling's gaze, right down to the ground. She chitters again, perplexed.]

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A garden hoe! [ Turned makeshift spear, only without the single pointy tip. She leans so she tuck the shaft under one arm, and then pluck it from its place a few inches in the ground without having to let go of Flandre. ] Or, it was... I'll have to fix it or get a new one.

Gardening stores DO have some rather terrifying weapons

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[Flandre leaaaaans away from the thing as far as she can go (which isn't very far at all) as if to get a better look at it. She tilts her head a bit too.]

Isn't it supposed to be crooked?

This is true

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[ She starts to walk, now, away from the house. ] Nope! That's why I need to fix it. It, uh... got stuck on a rock and when I pulled it bent all out of shape.

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[Flandre squeaks. She's impressed!]

Meiling is strong!

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[ At that, she grins and puffs out her chest a bit. ] That's right! There's nothing about this I can't fix. [ Even though she's not just talking about the tool. ]

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[Flandre wiggles a bit in response! And giggles more than a bit, though only just.

Then she remembers something.]

Meiling, I forgot my shoes.

[Her clawless little toes wiggle in emphasis.]

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[ There is a small pause between her steps, but she does not cease her momentum for long. ] It's okay. We'll just have to play inside and be extra careful, okay? [ Where they're going, they won't NEED shoes. ]

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[Flandre blinks.]

Won't I get little green things on me, Meiling?

[She means grass.]

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[ A bit of a laugh. ] Not if you stay up here! [ She puts a little bounce in her step for emphasis. ]

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[This time Flandre squeals, ducking her chin a bit and kicking her feet.

Well, okay then. This was a nice place to be, anyway; not the dream, exactly, but in Meiling's arms. Like it always was; a good place, a safe one.

The little vampire rests her cheek on the gate guard's chest, face turned up and smiling at her.]

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[ Meiling giggles, careful not to let go of Flandre for anything. She's still trying to stay focused on the surroundings, and prone to falling into silence as they continue on at such a hurried pace. ]