Adopted by a Stray Cat (Joelle)

[Alatar Istari]

This answer surprised Joelle, "I'm Force-sensitive?" She let that sink in, "Well, that explains a lot. So, I should just go with you?" Her lisp worsened a bit, "Just let me gather a few things real quickly." Joelle climbed quickly back up to her room and gathered what few belongings she had, including a small pin that had been left in the basket she had been found in, a small stuffed bear from the hospital, and two books she really liked.

She climbed back down to the waiting couple, "I don't think we were properly introduced, I'm Joelle Dain." She smiled kindly and shyly.

[member="Hijinks"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"You can come stay with me in my palace if you'd like. I know most little girls dream of being princess's how would you like to be a princess, sweetheart?" Carliah asked, kneeling down so she was the same height as the girl. She smiled brightly at the child, offering the girl her hand. She glanced over at Jink and smiled at him as well. [member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Joelle stared. "A-A princess?" She felt like she was going to faint, "You're royalty?" She held back the urge to faint and swallowed. "That would be," she hesitated a second, "Amazing! How could I ever thank you two?" She hugged them, not caring they were total strangers, and smiling, the first real smile since, well, ever.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink grinned at the girl, and patted her cheek.

"You don't need to... You're still a kitt- I mean kid. You should be smiling more."

Then he shrugged, and continued talking, slowly unwrapping the chains from around the kids he'd stopped.

"And I'm not royalty, any more than my lovely Red Lady is a cat. I'm just a stray that lives in a tower."

[member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Joelle was beaming. "Oh, but that doesn't matter. You've come to adopt me!"
Then she watched as the kids that had once bullied her start to show their faces again as the cat started unwrapping the chains from them, and asked a simple question, "I'm assuming your going to talk to the orphanage caretaker before we leave, right?"

[member="Hijinks"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"Kitty may not be royalty but I am. If it is okay with Jink you can be my princess. Also, you have a great gift child, and if you'd like to learn more about that gift I could teach you if you'd like," Carliah offered as she hugged the little girl. She offered her a motherly smile while Jink freed the other children.

"My name is Carliah, the Mad Queen of Widek, what is your name sweetheart?" The red lady asked as she continued to smile at the girl. [member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink listened to the two talking, and finally found his legs, stepping over to the now-freed bullies. He cuffed the still-conscious one over the back of the head, and threw him through the open door, into the back of the building. He growled, low and dangerous, and the kid tried to run. Jink's hand shot out, grabbing the boy by the collar, and pulling him back, until his nose nearly touched Jink's.

"I hope you shat yourself a lot, you little cretin. If you ever see my face again, you better do more than run."

Throwing the kid again, towards the stairs this time, Jink dusted himself off and stepped back out into the yard.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Joelle Dain"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

"I'm Joelle Dain, I'm 13 and like climbing trees." She couldn't stop smiling, her big blue eyes filled with joy. She liked the lady and the cat already, "Can you teach me?" She watched a random butterfly flit through the air, "I mean, it would be great to harness the power inside me, and I'd love to learn how to." She didn't notice Jink and the kid, she was looking at the butterfly, which had settled on her arm. Her small knapsack was lying against her leg as she held very still for the butterfly

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"Of course I will teach you. Though you should know there are so me in the galaxy who would tell you that I am not someone you should be learning from. Those people are wrong though, so you've no need to worry." Carliah explained, watching the butterfly that was now resting on the child's arm. The Mad Queen laughed and looked around for Jink. She figured he had gone inside to ask about the girl after he dealt with her would be attackers. The Red Queen smiled as she turned to the girl once again.

"We'll get you some new clothes too at my palace. Do you like pretty dresses sweetheart?" Carliah asked the young girl. [member="Hijinks"] [member="Joelle Dain"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Joelle nodded and noticed that the kitty was missing. "Where'd the kitty go?" She looked around, making the butterfly flit off and return to perch on her head. She giggled and petted the butterfly, which seemed at ease on her head.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink picked up the two unconscious boys, now, and began to walk towards the general direction of where he thought the main office was. His hunch was correct, and the fat old man behind the desk of the chief caretaker cringed as he saw the cat man, with the two limp guys in his arms. Jink tilted his head at the man.

"So, you're the fine gentleman who's managed to ignore the kids, and their problems."

To the man's credit, he didn't run away screaming when Jink threw the two boys at him, and he didn't soil himself as the third bully had. He just sat there, staring in shock. Jink saluted him with a single finger, and looked back over his shoulder.

"Oh, and me and my lady are taking Miss Dain. There is clearly a better place for her than here."


[member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"I think the kitty went inside to talk to whoever is in charge about adopting you sweetie. Once he has we can all go back to my palace together, or his Tower. Either way, you'll visit both eventually." Carliah explained, offering the girl a motherly smile.She wondered when Balaya would be bringing her own children to the palace. Carliah missed her twins and now they would have someone else to play with if Joelle became a permanent or near permanent presence at Sheoth. [member="Hijinks"] [member="Joelle Dain"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

"I can't wait to see either," She let the butterfly crawl onto her hand and saw Jink walking back out of the main office, "Do you know when we'll get to see them?" She kept petting the butterfly which didn't seem to want to leave the little girl.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"As soon as Jink is ready to leave," Carliah replied, reaching for the butterfly a bit nervously. The girl's presence seemed to calm it though and it allowed Carliah to stroke one of it's wings. It was a rather beautiful creature, it's wings painted in several different colors. Carliah smiled even more when she noticed how happy it made the little girl. [member="Joelle Dain"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

She looked up at Carliah, then down at the butterfly, "I'm going to name it Amity, for it shows friendship to me and you." The butterfly must have liked its new name for it fluttered about then settled on to Joelle's head, slowly opening and closing is beautiful wings.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"] [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink walked back out of the building, watching the girl and her butterfly, and grinning at Carliah's smile. Even if the girl wasn't coming with them, the trip had been worth it to see Carliah smile. He walked up behind her, and grabbed her around the waist, his fur-like hair running over her cheek. His voice lowered to a whisper.

"'Bout time we left, I bet. Don't want that fat old man coming after me."

He reached down and ruffled Joelle's hair.

"Look at that. Not even ten minutes, and you've already made a friend."

[member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Joelle giggled, "I guess it comes naturally." Amity landed on her shoulder and tickled her with its antennae, making her laugh.

[member="Hijinks"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink raised an eyebrow at the girl's statement, interested. Was she some kind of animal empath, then? He'd heard of those. Keeping his arms still around Carliah, he looked directly at the girl's butterfly. There was nothing very unusual about it.

"Have other animals, uh, taken a shine to you before? Larger animals, I mean."

[member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

"No, usually just small ones. If a large one liked me, I wouldn't know, this area of the city is protected enough that large animals don't get close to it. The biggest one was a dog, but the other kids chased him away," she looked up at Jink, eyes filled with a question, "Why do you ask?"

(Merry Christmas, dudes!)
[member="Hijinks"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink grinned at the little girl, and tilted his head, showing his fangs.

"Well, I think we might have to take you to the zoo, and see what happens."

He didn't say anything about the possibility of Joelle being an animal empath. It was something to discuss with Carliah later, alone.

[member="Joelle Dain"] [member="Darth Vivaldi"]