[Sloan]

s l o a n

The sun was so beautiful.

The way it tended to the Earth, ensured the plants were energized and healthy, the way it warmed the waters, and the effort it put into making things brighter. Easier to see. Sloan loved the sun and loved it much more so after learning it was responsible for melting all of the frigid snow. The slush was fun and it created mud, which was the perfect medium for her self-made rock paintings.

She dipped her paw carefully into the slush-mud combination beside her, spreading it abstractly across the rock. Paying close attention to the texture she was creating as well as the way she molded the lines together. But it was missing something. Red eyes stared quizzically at her creation, tilting her head slowly as if trying to make the idea shift within her. 

Oh, yes! COLOR.

Although the mud was fun, it lacked the vibrancy she craved. She needed blue or red, … or green! Any would do, really. But how would she get it? Sloan stood to her mud-stained feet, staring across the pond until she landed on a blob of steel grey and a muted blue. Perfect combination of colors, just what she needed!

Bounding forward, Sloan splashed across the cold pond and climbed among the turret of stones until she could reach the colors she was after. Reaching higher, she attempted to grab the color with her two front paws, grabbing whatever she could manage before she lost her footing. Backwards she fell, tumbling into the pond and landing swiftly on her bottom. When she looked to her paws, she saw that she grabbed some blue and grey… fur?

Curiously, she looked up the tower of stones. What had she done?! She was going to be in trouble, for sure. “Oh, please, don’t be angry with me! I was just trying to find some colors to complete my painting, would you like to see?”

[Cian]

It was his turn to slip away from his family today, with K standing a dutiful watch, Cian was able to slip away form his mothers tired eyes, and into the world of unknowing.  Well, only slightly unknowing, he'd been out and about before, with K, and a weird girl, but now he was by himself and he felt more alive then before.  He wasn't sure if it was the being alone part, or the maybe getting into trouble without anyone finding out part, but either way, he felt great.  As soon as his legs breached the den, they took off, taking them as fast as they could go in the opposite direction.  The cool breeze swept through his fur, the cooler weather would be disappearing soon, and would change into warm, spring weather.  Of course Cian had no idea what any of the seasons were yet, he just cared if it was nice enough to get out and do stuff.  

Last time he was out, he remembered a pond, and some rocks to climb, maybe even jump off the rocks into the pond.  He'd even show off to K, if he practiced enough, maybe do some flips, make him jealous.  The thought put a smile on his face as he scrambled up the rocks, the small babbling brook leading into the pond covering any small scapes of sound as nails hit the rock.  It took the small blue pup a bit of time, but he managed to reach the top.  Taking a moment to take in his accomplishment, he stood on the top, his chest puffed out, and his tail held high, he took in a deep breath to announce his accomplishment, but all that managed to escape him was a loud yelp, as something yanked fur out of his butt.  His butt scooted underneath his as he twisted to see what the hell had just grabbed his ass.  

He peered over the edge of the rock to see a white someone, sitting in the shallow water below him.  Playing it off as though he hadn't just been scared that Cruella De Vil hadn't just tried to pull a 101 Dalmations on him, he called down to her.  "Oy! What're you playin' at ay? Yannow that belonged to me bum, an' in turn belonged to me! You can't just go around yanking butt hair from people!"  

 “Oh, please, don’t be angry with me! I was just trying to find some colors to complete my painting, would you like to see?”

Painting?  He cocked his head slightly, "What the heck are ye painting with me butt hair?" He asked, intrigued, it couldn't be good, she used his butt hair after all.  "Sure,"  Cian said, as he left from the rock, landing with a splash next to the white girl, "I'll look at yer butthair painting.  I'm Cian by the way."  He smiled at her, excited to see his butthair being used.  

"You know, if ya wanted ta use me hair, you coulda jus' asked, I'da been glad ta offer ya some a me hairs."  

[Sloan]

s l o a n

Soaked, and covered in some of her medium of choice, Sloan looked up curiously and watched Cian unravel in shock and confusion. Then, he seemed intrigued himself. But Sloan didn't dare to interrupt, she didn't want him to stop talking. With her wide eyes, she stared at her new spectator in all his foreign glory. "Wow!! What a voice, where do you have to live to make such a noise?" Sloan's eyes didn't leave Cian, like he was putting on a show of his own, following his moves as he bounced into the pool beside her, laughing as he splashed.

It wasn't until he accepted her apology and her invitation to see the painting that she remembered she was abusing her own masterpiece. "Oh, yes.. Over here!" With a clumsy turn, she waded through the shallow water to the opposite end of the bank where her rock-painting was waiting for it's finishing touches. Looking back at Cian, grinning proudly as she made gestures to showcase her abstraction. "Cian, my new friend. Here it is! Just need to add my finishing touches -" Methodically, she placed the butt hair she'd borrowed. ".. and Voila! Your hair makes it perfect, thanks bunches!"

She sat and waited eagerly for him to comment, prematurely realizing she'd forgotten to introduce herself. "OH! I'm Sloan, I did all of this on my very own!" The Dr. Seuss enthusiast grinned, allowing time for Cian to effortlessly create music out of his mouth. 

[Cian]

Something about the water made him feel at ease, even if he was now at the mercy of some new girl that had stolen hair off his butt.  Even as shallow as it was, he enjoyed the coolness on his paws, and the way it sounded as they both waded through it.  He purposefully splashed a little more as he stood, listening to Sloan and her weird way of talking.

"Wow!! What a voice, where do you have to live to make such a noise?  Oh yes - Over here"

He cocked his head, raising a brow, " I could ask you da same thing, ya speak in a real funny way yerself, lass"  Cian said, taking a paw and splashing water on her as they walked.  "How come ya talk that way anyway?  Do ya have to, or do ya just want to?"  He asked, genuinely because he wanted to know, where'd she learn to make the words sound the same, and why se even spoke like that anyway. He made it a purpose to make as much noise as possible on their way to her painting, and when she'd lead him to it.  He watched as she put his butt hair on there, and apparently, that was it.  It was done.  

"Cian, my new friend. Here it is! Just need to add my finishing touches .. and Voila! Your hair makes it perfect, thanks bunches!"

"I- Uh... It looks..."  He cocked his head to one side, and then to the other, squinting his eyes, "- A bit like shite too if ya ask me, like when Kukulkan eats some bad rabbit- that what comes out his other end."  He said, smiling, obviously no artistic value inches conclusion, not quite knowing that he could be hurting his new friends feelings, but with how he grew up, didn't really know how to bite his tongue.  

"OH! I'm Sloan, I did all of this on my very own!"

"Well ah Sloan issit?  Good job makin' a shite painting, very realistic if ye ask me."  He grinned, thinking he was giving the biggest compliment, because of course it was. 

If the painting was supposed to be of shite of course.  

[Sloan]

s l o a n

Head began to tilt as Cian went on to say that the way she spoke was funny. What, the rhyme? It wasn't funny it was poetic. Not very many people could speak the way she does, and she felt a little saddened that her new friend didn't appreciate it. Maybe it was just because he didn't understand. She could help him understand!!! "Oh, no. It's not funny, it's rhyming. I don't have to, but I do when there's good... timing." She smiled proudly, if she found that there wasn't enough fans of her rhyming technique she'd have to stop. What sense was there to make pretty things if no one was going to appreciate it? She'd pout about that later.

As Cian took in her finished masterpiece, she gauged his expression carefully. There wasn't a lot she was getting out of him, which maybe meant the message of the piece wasn't clear. That was fine. That was alright. When he started to speak again, she stood closely, hanging off of his every word. Waiting to hear BRILLIANT! or ASTOUNDING! But he said it was a shite. What was a shite? She went to ask, but then he described it as something that came out of the other end of his brother after he ate. "Oh... Cian..." Her voice dropped, confused and sad. She looked back towards her boulder art. "Are you... Are you saying my boulder looks like A POOP?" No, no, no, no that can't be right. Maybe he just doesn't understand. She could help him!!!

She stood close again, grabbing his face between two paws and bringing it closer to the painting, staring at the art alongside him"You see, Cian? This is abstract, it's not supposed to look like anything. Especially not A POOP! It's just supposed to... be." Once she concluded her very clear explanation, she turned to slowly meet Cian's gaze. Looking for the spark of realization, and waiting for him to shout again... BRILLIANT!!! ASTOUNDING!

[Cian]

c i a n //

Rhyming, he had never head of rhyming, it seemed like a really exhausting way to talk, or think to talk.  It also seemed like a real big waste of time too, but he wouldn't say that out loud, at least not yet.  Cian wrinkled his nose at the thought of having to think about having to think about talking while he talked, he had to plan out what he was going to say and that seemed like a complete waste of time to him.  Why waste time when you just say what you want and not have to think about it?  It was confusing, but then again, Sloan was definitely- different from anyone he'd met (even though she had been only one of the two he'd met outside of family, the other also being a weirdo).  

He shook his head, "No- it is most definitely funny, I dunno why you do it but if ya like it then, I guess I can learn ta like it too."  He shrugged, widening his eyes at her now for her sudden change in demeanor, she was so happy, and now she sounded sad, and she wasn't doing the weird "rhyming" anymore.  Of course he didn't think her painting looked like a poop.  "No, no, lass, thats not what I'm sayin', not just one shite-  I'm sayin' it looks like a whole lotta shite, just-  yannow, everywhere... BOOM.. SPLAT!"  He said, sitting on his hind paws and mimicking with his front paws out in front of him to give her a better picture of what explosive diarrhea looked like, apparently.  

He was caught off guard though when she grabbed his face with paws, and smooched it, waddling on two back legs closer to the painting.  His paws dangled loosely at his sides as she held him up, paws on his face, a smooshed face, with a brow raised.  ABSTRACT she said, SUPPOSED TO BE, she acclaimed, but all this did was further his suspicious that she was indeed, weird.  He met her gaze again, slowly, taking himself out of her paws.  "I dunno exactly what abstract means- but I do know that this-"  He placed his paws on the boulder, surrounding the abstract poop painting, "- is the best piece of abstract shite, I've ever seen in me life."  

And that was God's honest truth.

[Sloan]

s l o a n

"...but if ya like it, I guess I can learn ta like it too."
Sloan nodded, fair enough, she decided. If he could learn to enjoy her rhyming antics then she wouldn't cease to be poetic all together; she was thankful he was willing to give it a chance.

As for her painting... that may take a bit more convincing. Sloan looked at it thoughtfully as he declared that it was the best piece of abstract "shite" he'd ever seen. That was good, right? At least it was the best shite, not just shite. Compromising, and perhaps motivated to do better next time, Sloan nodded slowly. "Alright, alright Cian. I'll take it, the best piece of abstract shite -- is that a naughty word? -- that you've ever seen..." She thought for a moment, before continuing, "Who is your Mama, Cian? Where are you from? My mom is the queen." Her smile was smug, and not for any reason other than she thought that was a REALLY GOOD RHYME.

She plopped back on her bottom, four legs sprawled out haphazardly, and breathed in deep. Slowly, she brought her paws back together before her chest, and exhaled at once. "OhhhhhMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM." One eye opened to look at Cian, and motioned for him to mirror her stance. "Try it, Cian. It's MEDITATION. It will relax you." She whispered, as if she were disturbing anyone else from their moment of peace. "And, and tell me about yourself, friend! Tell me all about your life!!! From beginning to... end!!!" Gosh, she was getting really good at this.

[Cian]

c i a n //

He stood there with his paws up against the filthy rock, looking back at the girl, a small grin on his face.  He was very happy that he finally "understood" what Sloan was talking about with the whole abstract thing.  It meant that it looked abstractly like shite, so in other words anything that K had shoot out his ass was shite, and Cian could get behind that!  Not literally of course, but figuratively!  

"Alright, alright Cian. I'll take it, the best piece of abstract shite -- is that a naughty word? -- that you've ever seen...Who is your Mama, Cian? Where are you from? My mom is the queen." 

He dropped himself off the rock, and shook his head at the ridiculous notion that he could be using a naughty word. "O' course it's not a naughty word, I always hear Ma using it, so it can't be naughty."  Because thats how it worked right?  If adults like Ma and Pa used it, he was obviously allowed to use it to.  At the second question Cian stuck his chest out real far, and lifted his head, Sloan wasn't all the special. She wasn't the only one who is child of a queen.  "My Ma is a Queen too you know?"  He asked, looking smug, plopping down on his butt, and lifting a leg to scratch behind his ear, "She is a PIRATE Queen, so that makes me a pirate prince, which makes you a-  uh-" He thought for a moment as to what Ma used as a word for friend, but there was only one he could remember. "-  That means your a booty- or  uh, me booty, or some kinda booty."  He said smiling matter-of-factly, before his smile turned into a wince of confusion. 

"OhhhhhMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM."

"What're you doing?"

"Try it, Cian. It's MEDITATION. It will relax you.  And, and tell me about yourself, friend! Tell me all about your life!!! From beginning to... end!!!" 

He looked at Sloan, his head cocked to the side, " I don' wanna be relaxed, if I'm relaxed how can I be on guard in case someone decides to sneak up on me?"  He asked, suddenly looking around for others, that obviously weren't there.  "Besides' what yer doin' looks a bit painful, an I don' wanna get stuck like that forevah."  

[Sloan]

s l o a n

Oh, Sloan had many questions now. Curiosity got the best of her in that way, for every new thing she learned about Cian her mind began to turn. A pirate queen? What was she doing here? Oh, no... Was she going to share Gemini with Mother? Was Cian going to be her brother?! Ohhhhhhh, no. And then... why was she a booty? She didn't like this, not at all. She had to set the record straight, she had to figure out exactly what Cian meant, and she had to validate that she was not a BUTT.

"Oooooooh, A PIRATE? What is that?" She leaned in close to her sea-blue friend, eyes doubling in size. "Why is she here!! Where is your home?" She stepped away now, pacing in thought before finally stopping abruptly to face Cian once more, this time from a moral distance. She stared at him accusingly, "And why do I gotta be a BUTT!? I'm a princess, not a butt." That's a fact.

Feeling her energy becoming unhinged, Sloan did her best to relax again. She returned to her meditation position, closing her eyes to exhale and inhale at a steady, even pace. When he denied her invitation to meditate, she shrugged it off. No worries, it wasn't for everyone, right? But she was caught off guard by Cian's worry of being ambushed. Sloan giggled, "Nothing can get us here, Cian! We are safe as long as we stay inside the wall. Who are you worried about getting you? Do you have enemies?" And, at once, she realized she had forgotten to rhyme. Desperately trying to think of how to conclude her question to maintain her dignity. ".. Uh, relax... it's the best... remedy." SMOOTH.

[Cian]

c i a n //

It gave Cian some sort of raw power to declare that his ma was a Queen, especially the look on Sloan's face.  Of course he was proud of his ma, who wouldn't be?  Surely Sloan was proud of her ma too, it wasn't everyday a prince and a princess form kingdoms far, far away from each other got to meet, he couldn't understand why she was so upset by this notion.  

And then came the questions, OF COURSE.

"Oooooooh, A PIRATE? What is that? Why is she here!! Where is your home?"

How could she not know what a Pirate was! She lived by the sea for crying out loud! It was almost an insult to the pirate prince.. almost, he'd teach her what one was.  Even though he really didn't know what they were himself, ma talked about them all the time so- he'd just take all the things Ma said and put a little spin on them.  "Pirates are tha' best, at EVERYTHIN'!" He said, whispering out the last part, before exploding into an array of acrobatics, jumping around and doing some small parkour moves.  "Pirates..."  He said jumping off a small rock, "..are the worlds bes' fighters.."  He gasped out as he did spin move around Sloan, to get to the next rock, ".. AND! The bes' stealers, we go aroun' stealing from the big bad meanies, and either keep it to ourselves, or give it to someone we think deserves it!"  He said as he stopped again right in front of Sloan. "Ma said that we're also the best romancers.. what evah that means.."  He winked,   "So... if I stole somethin' shiny... I'd give it to you, Sloan!"  He said between breaths, a smirk on his face, "Ma is here because she's outrunning' some bad people she made angry by savin my da."  His face fell a tad, "Da ain' doin' so well.."

"And why do I gotta be a BUTT!? I'm a princess, not a butt."

Cian's mood picked up once more, "Alright, fine, you're not a booty, your a princess."  He said, before adding, "How's about this, you be the princess, an' I'll be your pirate guard, I can protect yer paintings from people who don' like em, and you from people who don' like you!"  This way when he went out of the den, he could tell ma he had a job to do, "Not that nobody don' like ya, but yannow, jus' incase."  

"Nothing can get us here, Cian! We are safe as long as we stay inside the wall. Who are you worried about getting you? Do you have enemies? .. Uh, relax... it's the best... remedy."

"I can't ever relax, like I said, someones after ma n' da, and I can't let em get hurt, and now that I'm yer guard I can't let you get hurt either!"  He said, he had to protect his family, and now his new friend, thats what pirates did after all, right?  Pirates were good right?

Right?

[Sloan]

s l o a n

Mesmerized was an understatement. Sloan was spellbound as she watched Cian leap and twirl around her, spitting out enchanting images of how brave and heroic pirates were, how he'd even bring her something shiny! What a great friend, how lucky she was to have pulled hair from his butt, of all other butts she could have plucked! Her eyes, still magnetized with his every move, became a little softer as he explained his Da - she assumed father - wasn't doing very well. Resting a paw on her friend's shoulder, somber expression on her previously gleeful face. "Cian... I'm sorry about your dad. I have a sister who heals people, like magic." She will later have to explain to Harriette that she used her as leverage to impress Cian. "I will ask that she does her magic on him, he'll be okay!"

From her sitting position, Sloan fell forward fluidly, propping her face up between two paws as she watched Cian continue his acrobatics and promise to protect her. She was curious about his parent's story, why was anyone after them?! Pirates were the good guys. She was flattered he wanted to protect her, it made her stomach tickle, but she wanted to help, too! She wanted to make sure that his parents were safe, that they wouldn't have to run anymore, so that they could stay here. So she could trust that Cian would stay in Gemini and remain his friend. "Oh, oh! Maybe, Cian, maybe you could teach me how to fight off the bad guys, too! andand be a pirate! I want to help your family!" And make sure that you stay FOREVER.

She forgot all about her yoga, and all about her rhyming tendencies, she stood and trotted around Cian after he was finished being an olympian. "So make me a pirate, Cian! What do I do first?

[Cian]

c i a n //

Thinking of his da did put a bit of a damper on his mood, he'd only ever seen him awake once, and in that one time, he didn't even recognize him.  So when Sloan said she had a sister that had magic powers to heal, his heart leapt in his chest.  Perhaps if she could heal Da, she could help Ma too, she was always so tired, and sad.  He wondered if Sloans sister could fix sad too.  "That would be great then I could actually talk with 'im."  His voice clearly filled with a hope, and excitement, before adding in his question about his Ma.  "Do-   do you think she could help me Ma too?  She's so tired all the time, and sad- I want to see 'er happy again, she deserves it, she's the best Ma."  Of course if she could fix Da, fixing Ma would be easy too.  

Because thats how these things worked obviously- just some magic and BOOM, fixed.  The real world was so awesome like that.  

His mood dramatically improved, he laughed at Sloan's request to become a pirate too, to help his family.  It was a noble gesture, and one he was very proud to have enacted as a pirate himself.  "O' course I an help ya become a pirate, yer me mate, and mates help each other become better pirates."  Even though he had no idea what it took to be a pirate, of course there was the fighting, and he was good at that, him and Shuck wrestled all the time, and he'd learned a lot (and won a lot too, it helped being bigger).  What else was there to being a pirate?

He sat for a moment in silence, thinking, his brows scrunched together in thought.  

"I got an idea."  He said, getting gin closer to Sloan so no one else could hear, because ears were everywhere, spies were everywhere, PIRATE SPIES.  "We gotta take a thing from someone bad, someone no one likes, or is really ugly.. or you're scared o'.  That way it builds up yer courage!"  Cian said sneakily, he was getting excited with this idea, this way he could still have fun with Sloan, and hone his own pirate skills at the same time.  Ma would be so proud of him spending the pirate name, recruiting others.    

"I have jus' the ugly in mind.."