Completed [Traveler's Row - Orphanage] Pleasing the Youth

[Elann]

Now that she had righted herself, in between the crazy dancing she glanced to the door to see that the mistress was no longer there. Perhaps the giggles of the girls upstairs and Noah's constant laughing tempted her to come take a look. Who really knew where she went off to. It was getting toward afternoon time, perhaps it was almost time for the children to have lunch? They all continued to dance and move about goofy-like and then Elann stopped suddenly and put her hands upon her waist. They seemed to enjoy her for the most part and if any of them seemed to provoke her in any way during the dancing she would tickle them. The older boys even took part in the dancing, sort of encouraging the newer younger orphan children to play in kind. With a huff and puff Elann had finished dancing and said.

"That was fun. Now...I've been told you are studying geo-geography. So looking at me, what place would I most likely come from? Which city?" The kids knew for the most part she was a Benshira, especially the oldest, but the younglings didn't seem quite so sure on the answer so the oldest of the boys spoke up and said, "Yabebah?" he wasn't quite sure how to say it but he was close enough. Elann nodded and said slowly so they would understand, "That's right, Ya-heh-bah. I am a Benshiran. Now how many of you were born here in Syliras?" All of them raised their hands and twisted, trying to get their hands higher. "Really? All of you?" yet some may have raised their hands just to fit in. She continued saying "I have just come here and I heard some of you had been here a while and some of you have just come. I have to say..."she paused allowing drama to build up a little bit. "You guys are pretty fun!" she laughed and the kids swarmed her with patting hands.

She turned and twisted amongst them, placing her hands on various kid's heads. As she did they seemed to grasp after her arms almost to pull her down to them again. Never had she seen children so in need for affection than here. "Praise you Yahal for this day," she thought and then suggested to the children. "Hey who wants to draw me the best picture?" the kids giggled and many of them ran for the coloring tools and the paper. The oldest kids were slower it seemed and less excited about the contest, though it seemed almost as if they thought they would win. She followed the children inside to the classroom and could hear over the laughter and running of the boys what she could swear was the giggles and screams of little girls upstairs.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah’s face was ravaged with their little fingers as they tried to find shades of blush to best fit his skin tone and portray whatever exaggerated emotion they pleased. He did not plead with them as he did before, he simply accepted his fate, allowing his face to be draw on with brushes and small pencils. He personally had no idea what tools they were using or if they were even the right tools, apparently they did though. He looked at the trio of the girls that seemed to be the main practitioners of the act.

They were older girls and it could be told that they dabbled in such practices before. Their own hands and toes speckled with bright colors. He hoped he would at least look okay and not totally ridiculous but at this point he didn’t leave anything to chance.

As his face was worked and dabbed on his thoughts trailed to Elann and Aenysa; where had they gone, he wondered. With the mentioning of his missing and fellow adults, he wondered where the boy had gone with his sandy hair and playful mannerisms. He had followed him into this room and yet he could not be found amongst the small tide of bobbing heads. Was that the shuffling he heard before he was attacked by the battalion of little girls and prodding hands? He shrugged at the thought.

“Here try this one!” one of the younger girls stated from behind the trio. In front of Noah appeared a small container. One of the older girls struggled to open it and thus held it out to him, shaking the case in his face as if asking. He took it and popped the lid off in a quick motion. Inside the case was a red paste that was riddled with finger marks. It had been well used, but on who?

“What’s this for?” he asked, afraid of the answer.

“Your lips, silly,” the redheaded ringleader said with a giggle. Noah felt the horror on his face.

“You still need a bow for your hair too!”

“Oh no…”

The girls cheered in glee again and scrounged around for a bow for Noah’s curly locks of hair. He sat crossed legged and defeated, afraid to hang his head. One of the girls took the case of red paste from him and dug her little finger in it, when she raised it to his lips Noah was tempted to flee, his sharp, animalistic eyes darting from one face to another. His lips quivered as the paste was applied.

Then he heard their laughs and compliments. “You look so pretty!” said one. “Adorable!” shouted another and this, oddly enough, caused a confidence to surge in his being. It was all fun and games, right? Plus it could be wiped off before he left, there was no permanent harm being done, so why did Noah feel so humiliated? It was a silly feeling in this context and so he laughed along.

When their hands came to a stop, lowering from his face he assumed he was done and stood. A bright yellow bow was placed in his hair, lazily hanging off of one of his curls as it strained to maintain its shape against the weight. All the girls stood with him and brought their fingers to their chins in playful contemplation. “Something’s missing,” one of them said, looking to the others for confirmation. They agreed.

“A dress!” one of the little ones shouted. The girls shouted in glee once again and fled out of the play room into the hall, disappearing behind the set of doors. When they returned they came back with their own dresses for Noah to try.

“This one, this one!” they all insisted waving their dresses around. They jumped up and down rapidly, surely causing a ruckus.

“Okay, okay.” Noah raised his hands in an attempt to calm them before settling on a pink dress to match his bow. When he finally figured out how to put the thing on he heard Aenysa’s voice call up the stairs to them all.

“Lunch is soon, girls, clean up and come on down, please,” she called. It became apparent that she was in the kitchen the entire time. Where was Elann though?

The girls shared sad looks as their fun had been interrupted. Then one of them had a bright idea and tugged at Noah’s dress. “Come on, we have to show Miss Aenysa how pretty you look!” Then they squealed into giggles and Noah frowned.

“Okay…” he said, hesitantly following them out of the room and down the stairs. Two girls held his hands and the pack of them beamed, proud of their work.

“Oh my,” Aenysa said, eyes wide as she looked at Noah. She then laughed, throwing her head back and shaking all over. She was laughing so hard, Noah was afraid she’d faint.

“Look how pretty he is!” the girls insisted.

[Elann]

.

The children hurried along and the boys stomped through. Just from their single journey she could see the trail of dust, dirt, and grass coming in with them. She fell behind and as she continued into the classroom she could see by the time she had gotten there most of them had their utensils and were already drawing. There were some who had cute looks on their faces as they thought of what to draw. She strolled through the room and looked into the kitchen where Aenysa was. "Did you need any help?", she asked.

Aenysa laughed and said, "No, you are helping right now." She had heard some of the boys screaming as they ran in about what they were going to draw and so she deduced her next statement. With a prodding tone she said, "You should go draw a picture too".

Elann was impressed with Aenysa and was surprised that she knew everything pretty much that was going on in the household. She went into the room and sat at a desk that was far too small for her, but in her small frame she managed to fit. In hand she managed to grasp some utensils and some paper. She started drawing a Tsana, one of the strange beasts that roamed the desert where she lived. It had the snout of a gharial, a body like a bull, and the feet of a lion. The manipulation of the djed they had guessed caused this beast, but who knew for sure. She did her best to draw it and when it was done she noticed how quiet it had gotten in the room. The sound of girls giggling and talking in the distance was very evident even at this distance through a closed door.

When Miss Aenysa spoke up to announce that they should all come get some food, she first said to the boys, "Okay, lunch is almost ready boys, you show Elann your drawings or what you have so far." She then went back to the kitchen where she could more properly call up to the girls in a loud voice, beckoning them through the very floorboards that were between the kitchen and Noah.

Elann stood up and held onto her drawing as she moved to the front of the class. "Okay let me see them." The boys brought up their various drawings and set them on the teachers desk in front of Elann. After a bit of delay in looking at them she held one up, it was a picture of a lighthouse and an ocean. It was crude at best, but she could at least tell what it was. Some drawings were so horribly skewed that she thought they might be battle scenes or just scribbles. It was hard to say. She saw the young brown haired boy come forward and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Winner!" she reached down and patted him.

"You all did so well...You should hang these up later with Miss Aenysa. I will leave you mine so you can keep it here with you. It's a picture of a Tsana. Maybe your teacher can tell you about them." At that moment it seemed like there was a rush of wind, but no, it was louder than that. It was wood creaking on a massive scale and the sound that sounded like wind was the rush of fabric from the girls (and Noah's) dresses. She moved to the doorway of the entrance so she could see where they met in the kitchen and she could hear Aeynsa die laughing. Curious she poked her head around the corner and couldn't help but laugh out in a full body laugh before covering her mouth toward Noah. She had an adoring look on her face as her laugh ended and her cheeks were rosy. The boys hearing the commotion all came running to see what it was and there was a whole other group of laughter near Elann. The boys were more pointers and laughers than the girls with their giggles, but the effect was the same. Here was Elann with nary a scratch or ill effect to her, and poor Noah was used, abused, and...well...transformed. "Oh Noah, you poor man."

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah felt his face flush with red as the boys began their uproarious -- if not obnoxious -- laughter. They pointed and threw their head backs much in the same manner of Aenysa. His tilted his head and frowned a bit, embarrased greatly. Then one of the girls beside him piped up. “Leave him alone!”

“Yeah!” shouted another.

“He’s a pretty princess!” another said.

This made the man smile and his embarrassment flew away. He knew he looked ridiculous, the dress he was wearing barely coming to his waist and it raised whenever he moved. His bow hung at an awkward angle too, but he didn’t care. He put his hands on his hips, stood up straight, and turned to face the boys. “Yeah, I’m a pretty princess!” he exclaimed, with a teeth baring grin. He then shot a look to Elann and raised a brow. “Were you laughing too?” he questioned her in an angry jest. “I’m the prettiest princess of them all. You should be jealous.” He continued his assault playfully with a smile and a swaying sass. His little army of girls cheered for him.

“Now, now,” Aenysa said, waving her hands to calm the situation. “Come help me set the table for lunch. We need to set it for our guests, too. Don’t forget them,” she added, herding the children through the sitting room and into the great room and then into the kitchen. Noah waited behind, wanting to fetch his pack from upstairs. He hadn’t forgotten the muffins he had swiped from Matilda’s plate and now came the time for them to serve their purpose.

The last shuffles of little feet could be heard leaving the sitting room now and he let his eyes drift to Elann. “I look ridiculous,” he admitted when the children were out of earshot. Still he smiled, enjoying the situation entirely.

[Elann]

.

Elann could not help herself from smiling, even as the frown crossed Noah's face at the boys taunting him. She let out a whole bodied laugh again at what the other girl said. He was a pretty princess. She doubted that she would even allow the girls to do that to her. He seemed to be gaining confidence and that made Elann feel better and she laughed with little giggles that harmoniously matched the girls in theirs. The fact was that he looked ridiculous and when he gave her that toothy grin she held her hand to her mouth tightly.

His question to her made her double over laughing and she with all the energy she could muster, she managed to right herself and said, "No no, not me." A bit of seriousness crossed her face and she nodded to affirm her position. It was obviously in jest as she was probably along with Aenysa one of the most loud laughers there. In truth she felt weak in the knees from laughing. This seriousness could not be maintained and she was forced to pull back around the corner so he could not see her silent shaking laughter. She could hear Aenysa say that they needed to set the table for their guests and she calmed herself in the sight of the boys who lingered around her. As they filtered out and left her she lovingly patted their heads and then turned the corner again to be in the view of Noah. She met his eyes and when he said that he looked ridiculous she put her hands on her hips and moved slowly over to him with swinging playful kicks as she hopped gracefully forward. She was elated and had not had such fun probably ever in her life she thought. Her creamy tan-colored cheeks were flush with the blood and it made it look like she wore makeup to improve her quality.

"I think I got the better part all of this with the boys."

Aenysa nodded in agreement and gave a firm "mhmm!" as she came back into the room to grab some of the food for children. Elann shuffled up next to Noah playfully and reached out to tug at his little pink dress. She was surprised it fit as well as it did. She looked up to his face and studied it. There was a look of pity on her face as she reached up to dab at the make-up on his lips and rub it in between her fingers. "I suppose that's what happens when you wander off." She then reached up to tug ever so lightly at his bow, not daring to remove it from where it rested for the sake of humor. "They got you very, very good." she backed away out of his space and then spun to speak to Aenysa.

"We don't want to be a burden to you and the children at all. Please. We will stay a little bit longer, but please, don't feed us. That food is for them." she nodded, affirming her position unless Noah had something to say on the matter.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah kept his piece, deciding that Elann was in the right here. Despite how silly he looked, he spoke. “Elann’s right. We’ll be alright, we brought our own snacks,” he said with a smile to Aenysa. He looked to Elann, hoping that she did bring her own food. If she didn’t, he’d share the muffins he brought now that they were reserved for him -- and her if needed -- and not the children any longer.

“Are you sure?” Aenysa asked, hands clasped in one another. Noah nodded to her. “Bless your hearts,” she said before turning to check on the children’s progress.

He looked to Elann now. She stood with nary a scratch on her being. How could it be that the girls roughed him up more than the boys did she? It was unfair if anything. “Maybe I should play with the boys next time, yeah?” He leaned against a wall and smoothed out his dress, the thing was bunching up his shirt and was becoming quite uncomfortable. He wondered how the girls would feel if he took it off but enough was enough. He eased out of the thing, pulling it over his head and it brung his own shirt with it -- revealing his stomach some -- before it came off. He smoothed out his clothing, pulling his shirt down. He held the dress by its straps in one hand and wiped at his face with the other. It smudged his make up, surely, but all he cared about now was getting it off.

He looked to Elann for help. She was a woman after all and perhaps she dabbled in such wicked arts. Though, it didn’t appear so. Her face seemed to be unmolested by powder, paste, and pencil marks. She seemed quite natural and Noah couldn’t help but notice the effect that laughing had left on it. When she had approached him, he noticed the natural flush in her cheeks, unassisted by blush or another. “Help,” he said quietly, smudging it more. “I can't get it off.”

The man brought on a face of feigned sadness, pouting his lips and contorting his face to display absolute defeat. “How do people do this every day?” he asked her, looking at his now mess of a hand.

[Elann]

.

Elann watched his eyes as he considered what to do. She nodded and thought to herself, "What a mess. I love his bow. That is the best part." It was so nice of her to feel this after such a long trip, the drama with the contending families back in Yahebah, and being for the most part alone in her apartment and life. This gave her purpose and a fulfilling feeling in her heart aside from what her worship to Yahal brought her.

She nodded at his words about playing with boys and considered that would be wise. As he seemed to try to get the dress off she moved back next to him to be helpful but he seemed to take it off so quickly his shirt almost went with it. It was nothing special to her to see his stomach, most boys in her tribe didn't even wear shirts many days. What was surprising was how white he was in comparison to them. She reached up and took the dress from his hands and tucked it under her bad hand when he looked to her for help. She wasn't sure what type of makeup they used as she wasn't super well knowledgeable about it either.

She had seen the beautiful Eypharians and how they used it. He was far from that thankfully. Noah was seemingly trying to wipe it off with his hands and ended up spreading his makeup everywhere, especially the lipstick. There was a big streak up the side of his face and she batted at his hands that were fussing with it. "Stop it." She almost sounded motherly and dragged him to the kitchen counter where a vial of oil was. She poured a tiny bit on a cloths edge and then began wiping at him should he let her.

She responded to him while Aenysa busied herself finishing with the bowls of fruit and such things for the children. "Well when us girls wear it we don't usually wear this much...and we take it off carefully." She hummed to herself quietly as she cleaned his face. A couple times Noah would have noticed her blink in shock, take in a deep breath, and put more oil on the rag. They really slathered it on it seems and he just let them. Soon enough though his face was nice and clean and he even smelling like a real Benshiran man.

She then turned to set the dress on the counter carefully and then began to wash out the cloth in the sink. "Did you want to go sit with the kids?" She wasn't trying to get rid of him but thought someone should keep them company. She shot a glance to Aenysa and said, "I'll help you carry some things out okay?" She washed the cloth on the washboard that was there.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah put his hands to his sides at her insistence. Her voice was stern, different from her usual chirp and chip. She resembled his mother in that fashion, always telling him to put things down when he had no business with it. He listened obediently, assuming that she knew best. While she examined his face a bit his eyes drifted to her injured hand, the one that was preoccupied with the dress. He wanted to ask what happened but was dragged into the kitchen, she leading the way and tugging him along by his arm.

His face remained neutral as she dabbed the oil onto a cloth. He watched with a curiosity, eyes widening a bit as if to get a better picture. It wasn’t as if he could see the makeup come off his face but with her persistent prodding of the towel against his skin, he felt the heaviness of it begin to slowly lift from his face. He felt the oil now taking its place. Noah watched her mouth as she spoke, her lips forming the words while holding back her accent. Even though it still remained in twinges, lingering on some words more than others, the accent gave her a charm, he remembered and he much liked the way it sounded, coming from her at least. She was the only sample that he had and thus could not compare it to another Benshira. He tried to remember if Oriah had an accent like Elann but couldn’t. It had been so long since he had spoken to his other Benshiran acquaintance.

Noah felt his heart sink a bit when even Elann looked taken back by the amount of makeup on his face. She rushed to put more oil on the rag and went about brushing his face with it. He hoped it had been working after all the trouble she was going through. With her closeness in proximity he took the opportunity to smell her again, wiggling his nose as he did so. Her scent hadn’t faded much since his last time being graced by it. He wondered where it came from, seemingly mesmerized by the thought of it. Was it her hair? Clothing? Did she apply a perfume before leaving her home? He tried to remember if her home smelled the same way or if it had a memorable smell at all. Apparently it did not because he couldn’t fetch a memory of it.

Aenysa came into the room now and flashed them a small smile before fetching a tray and taking into the dining room where the children’s teasing and laughter could be heard. When Elann set the rag down Noah assumed she was done. He brought his clean hand to his face and stroked the fingers on his cheek. He then brought it to his eyes to determine it was oil and not make up on his fingers. Then he brought it to his nose and inhaled. It held a scent that he couldn’t identify yet he decided he liked it and left it be.

His eyes flicked towards Elann as she spoke. Aenysa was back in the kitchen now to gather up any plates and utensils that the children may have missed. Elann had asked Noah if he wanted to keep the kids company and offered to help Aenysa. At her offer, Noah looked at her injured hand and made a face. “I can help Aenysa,” he said in a quiet tone and nodded towards her hand. “The kids seem to like you more anyhow,” he finished with a smile before turning and walking towards Aenysa. “Let me help,” he insisted. She nodded to him and handed him a stack of small saucers.

“These are for the desserts,” she said. He nodded and headed into the dining room, flashing a small tooth bearing smile to Elann before disappearing into the room.

[Elann]

.

There was an awful lot of makeup on his face and she ended up with it all in the corner of the rag. It wasn't going to be too hard to clean, especially since it had oil on it so soon. Once washed out Aenysa could use some soap to wash it out. She wasn't done though as Noah's face was covered with oil. She grabbed a dry rag and indicated to him to bend his face toward her with her uninjured hand. If he bent forward she would wipe if off for him, rubbing in some of the oil and removing the excess. Giving him a final nod she indicated she was done.

Elann furrowed a brow though at his insistence to help in place of her. He nodded to her hand as a reason and Elann somewhat moved it away from his sight. Though it was still somewhat plain to see, it was clear she didn't like it's presence being a hindrance to her help; even if she was still in a happy mood. It just had a light wrapping about her wrist and her thumb where her burn once was but it looked professionally treated. She was a stubborn woman when it came to helping out and said in a playful, and yet regretful tone, "Fine..." She put down the rag with a bit of force to emphasize her playfulness and shuffled sadly out to find where all the children had gone to.

Leaving the kitchen she found herself in a strange looking room. It looked as if there were chalkboards, pictures everywhere, blocks, and various toys, yet in the middle of it was a smaller than average well built table with a series of small chairs surrounding it. The little children sat there at it and some were talking to each other and some were patiently waiting. The older kids were bossing around the younger kids and she found the whole dynamic to be quite interesting.

"Hello" , she said, mainly to the girls, who for the most part sat separate form the boys. One of the boys called out for her by name and said for her to sit next to him. She somewhat doubted she could fit in those little tiny chairs, but she would give it a try. She shuffled over next to the little boy and tucked in her peach cotton dress. She then slowly sat down with an eye on the chair to judge the distance. Eventually she made it all the way down and decided she'd sit cross legged as it would be more comfortable than having her knees up against the underside of the table.

All this furniture was strange to her as she didn't really use these things except on the rare occasion in the temple. City folk had this stuff, but not her. She gave a little wave to the girls and said, "Hi my name is Elann. I came with Noah. We are going to sit with you while you eat lunch okay?" The girls nodded largely and seemed to accept her presence, liking her smile. Eventually she awaited for the others to come out with the food and she talked with the boys and girls. She asked them what their favorite animals were and what they liked best about Noah's outfit. The most common answers were probably Lions and His dress, though it was hard to tell as they all spoke at once.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

“Mister Noah come sit by us!” the redheaded ringleader shouted to him as he entered the room, a stack of small plates in his hands.

“I will,” he answered. “Let me help Miss Aenysa first, okay?”

“Okay!”

Noah navigated around the tables where the children sat. They sat at short tables surrounded by a couple chairs. It seemed as if a natural order had taken over the room as he observed older girls sitting with older girls and younger girls with younger girls. The boys were set up in much the same way, if not mixing and mingling a bit in their social hierarchy. The Kelvic thought it interesting that they managed to form such a society with each other. It proved how organized humans were in their society and it made him miss his own family’s disorganization that occured every time they grew hungry.

He remembered when he was younger in Zeltiva and went hunting with his mother. When he had first learned to fly, slowly mastering his shifted form, his mother often insisted he come with her on hunting trips. They’d take off from their home and fly through the mountains until they reached the Bronze Woods on the other side. From there she’d teach him how to spot the hares and deer fawns from the rest of the foliage on the ground. He had to admit, it was easier to find a fawn or hare in the winter with a blanket of snow on the ground, as opposed to the fall where their coats often hid them among the fallen leaves that carpeted the forest floor.

As he got older he often went on hunting trips alone whenever he found himself hungry. His mother often wished him good hunting, as did his father and siblings -- if they could be found. Hunting was something his family did alone for the most part only banding together when hunting became more of a sport and less about survival. Besides, at home they had food when they didn’t feel like shifting and traveling to the Woods. Rarely still did they sit around a table and talk about their days. It was a foreign act to the Kelvic yet it fascinated him.

As he set the plates at the tables in front of their happy little faces, he watched Elann enter into the room followed by Aenysa bringing the last of utensils and food with her. Aenysa sat down a basket of bread onto a large table reserved for what Noah assumed to be the adult guests that visited the Welcome Home. Perhaps that is where they would sit but at the insisting of a boy Elann found a seat at one of their tables. Noah came around to that table and placed a small saucer in front of each boy and finally in front of Elann herself. He then worked his way to the girls’ table where he set a saucers in front of their little happy faces too.

When he was all out of plates to give he went to the large table where the basket of bread was. He picked one up, smelled it and decided against taking a piece for himself. On the table with the basket was a large covered pot and had a heavenly aroma coming from it. He wondered if Aenysa had cooked it herself or if she had help then he wondered if Elann could cook. Noah felt a tapping on his shoulder and turned to face the source of it, Aenysa. “You can sit with the girls. I’ll serve the food from here,” she said with her smile. He nodded and put the roll of bread down and went to sit by the redheaded girl.

He came to the small chair and looked at it for a moment before deciding against even attempting to sit in the small thing. He was much too tall to sit comfortably, so he moved the chair off to the side and crouched before sitting on his shins, his knees pointed forward. The girls around him began to question where his dress and makeup went and he had to give them some excuse about how the pretty princess wanted to go home. They didn’t make a further fuss about it when Aenysa announced that she would start serving the food.