from-the-notebook

[from-the-notebook]

Adora was no stranger to hospitals. Granted, she didn't live there like some of the kids had to, but she was there enough that most knew her family already. To have someone ask what brought them here clearly meant someone new... which was exciting. At least, it distracted her from the pain her arm.

"Siblings, bring me here today." She sighed. Her siblings knew to be careful and most of the time, it was okay because she knew how to give herself the factor she needed. but ... with two brothers and a sister sharing a space with her... accidents happened.

"Adora..." her father warned, though it was more of a chuckle than a warning.

"We were playing at the park... only I landed wrong and my arm looked weird.... Which isn't good for most kids but I have Hemophilia, type B." She explained with what could only be described as a world-weary sigh... despite her eight years. "We did an infusion before coming here, but Papa said we may need to see if it's sprained or broken."

@from-the-notebook, from Alyssa

Alyssa looked to the child in the bed before looking to the adult. It was rare that she was called out of her department, especially to take up space in the ER. Simple enough fix once they made sure she was well enough to be transferred.

A smile forced its way onto her face, an attempt to make it look natural. No matter the situation, always smile. Makes you look personable. "Hello," she started. "What brings you in today?"

[from-the-notebook]

“Kringle … “ the only Kringle Olivia knew of was that it was one of the names associated with Santa. At twelve, she was fairly certain that it was scientifically impossible for one person to go around the whole world…. Plus what about the kids who didn’t celebrate Christmas… there was the three wise men, or a mouse or even a witch who delivered toys like Santa did to different countries. Besides… the gifts rich kids got from “Santa” were always better than less fortunate kids… and it didn’t seem very jolly to favor children…. Olivia didn’t mind too much when Santa had forgotten her a few times… she was lucky enough already to get her grandmother’s letter each year. Except maybe once when she was very small… She’d burst into tears as Sara unwrapped the doll they’d both been staring at on the American Girl website. Aunt Catherine had held her then, and kissed her head.

I’m sorry Sweetheart, I guess we’ll have to try very hard for Santa next year, won’t we? She’d said, not even minding that Olivia had gotten tears on her nice Christmas pajamas. Now, Olivia supposed they had only had the money for one doll, and since Sara was older… she could’ve taken better care of such an expensive toy than she could’ve at that age.

Of course, those thoughts were before a woman claiming to be Santa had magically made a candy cane appear into her hand. Olivia stared at it, turning it over in her gloved hand. Then she stared at the woman.

“…. You know my name…?” She hadn’t said it, and even then only Nishi called her Livy,… Aunt Catherine used either her name or Sweetheart. Uncle Rick wasn’t the affectionate type… which meant only one thing. “Santa?”

When the girl said she should go back inside, Noelle nodded. "Oh, my name's Noelle Kringle." But the moment she heard her say they were making gingerbread cookies, she made a face. "Personally, I would prefer chocolate chip cookies, but I suppose gingerbread is fine. If nothing else, it'll make a nice treat for the reindeer if we don't get many carrots." It only occurred to her that she probably should not have said that once it was out of her mouth. Oh well, most kids don't remember meeting a Santa once they're an adult, anyway.

She kneeled down beside Olivia and held out her hand. In her hand appeared a candy cane, complete with a cute little bow that said "Merry Christmas" on it. "Here you go, Livy. And don't let your family tell you you can't have it. It's yours."

[from-the-notebook]

“They can make the scary stuff less scary… sometimes when something is too big and scary, the brain needs help to feel safe again… that’s where the mind doctor comes in.”

“You’re welcome,” Asteria chuckled at her reaction, pleased she liked the gift. Such a small girl… such a brave and lucky girl to have pulled through. She would need to be brave for the long road ahead. Briefly, the former warrior was reminded of when she had been in a similar position. Shivering with fever on a cave floor. Gentle hands had helped her then, gentle hands would help this little one now.

“I know things must be very frustrating and confusing right now, but you’re safe… you’re safe with me, little Lottie.”

Charlotte frowned in confusion as she heard the woman say that the mind doctor might be able to help. "If the doctors can't get a good... DNA test, they said, then how would the mind doctor help?" It wasn't calling the doctors here bad, although when she was in her worse moods, that thought definitely came to her, but she had already proven to be a bit of a medical mystery. She was getting use to not having answers about herself... whether or not she liked it.

She pulled the contents from the bag. She wasn't really sure what type of creature it was suppose to be, but it was so cute. Not to mention beyond soft. A smile came across her face. "Thank you!"

[from-the-notebook]

"Well, you'll need to see a mind doctor at some point." Asteria explained. "Not because you're faking anything- the nurse shouldn't have said that. but because they may be able to help."

"The doctors think you'll be ready to go soon. Until then, I'll be here to see you and talk to your team. I'll bring some things to keep you entertained until you're ready to come home." The child's honesty was something to worry about... though it made sense given how young she was and what she'd likely been through that some cognitive functions may have been impacted aside from her memory. Most children at her age were at least a little wary of strangers... children even younger were. Okay... so she was having trouble sensing danger and perspective-taking. They could work on that.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" She chuckled when a soft lavender rabbit face popped out from the folds of tissue paper.

"I thought you would be the mind doctor." She finally looked up to the woman again and closed the coloring book. "I heard one of the nurses last night say I was faking because I knew my first name. So I figured you were were to see if I was lying."

She was almost ready to leave? Good. She was dreadfully bored here, and her leg was making it difficult to play with any other kid that came through. The computers were nice enough, but she didn't really know what she was doing on them. "Last I heard, they were waiting until I got a little stronger with my leg to send me to a home... unless the police find more things to ask me that I can't answer."

Charlotte straightened slightly as she saw her place a bag on her bed. "A friend? You fit someone in the bag?" Curiosity took the better of her and she reached for the bag, opening it up.

[from-the-notebook]

Asteria suspected that was a lie. She could see small subtle signs of frustration but she elected to keep that to herself for the moment. There was bound to be plenty of that going forward. Especially since, as was typical... no one had bothered to explain anything to the poor girl. Where were the Social Worker or the Child Life Specialist when they were needed? ... Overworked probably, now that she thought about it.

"No, Charlotte... I'm not the mind doctor." She sighed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind the child's ear. ".My name is Esther Shields, I'm your foster mother.... that means I'll be looking after you for as long as you need me." If there was a family out there, Asteria hoped they'd be reunited. If not.... then she hoped they could rest easy knowing their little girl was safe. "The doctors say you'll be ready to leave soon... Until then, I thought you might like a friend."

She set the gift bag onto the bed.. far enough away that the child didn't have to accept it, but close enough that if she wanted to.. she could reach for it.

Charlotte shrugged when she heard the girl ask how she was feeling. "I'm doing okay." She wasn't really sure how to answer that question. They didn't really want an honest question with that, did they? They didn't really want to hear about how she was frustrated with herself for not remembering her family or even her last name, of how she was still limping, how she was still trying to figure out why the smiley face on the picture scared her so much... No, she was likely asking about physically. And, physically, she was doing about as well as she had been doing the last time she was asked by a nurse.

"Are you the mind doctor?" she asked after a few seconds. She had overheard one of the nurses mentioning bringing in someone to see if she was faking not knowing anything about herself but her name.

[from-the-notebook]

This one was a special case, that's what Asteria had been told A little girl with no memories other than her name was already unusual but .. a child who'd been attacked in such a brutal way... She needed a safe environment for the long road ahead.

It was only centuries of practice that kept her demeanor calm. While, she'd seen far worse in her time, it still broke her heart.. it infuriated her that someone would've done this to a child. Still, the woman took a breath, a serene smile playing on her lips as she moved further into the room. The gift bag she carried swung slightly at her side. For some reason, when she'd seen the girl's photo, a plush lavender bunny had come to mind. It would have to do, with such short notice.

"Hello, Sweetheart." She said gently, kneeling by her bedside. "... How are you feeling?"

@from-the-notebook, spun the wheel and got Charlotte Jane,

Charlotte had been in this hospital room for what felt like forever. First, it was because she had been so ill that the doctors didn't know if she would survive. Then, it was the stab wound in the leg. She was still limping from that. But, what was keeping her from going... well, anywhere other than a hospital bed, was that she didn't remember enough for them to identify her family. She remembered that her name was Charlotte, but past that... The only real clue was that any time she saw a picture of a smiley face, she freaked out, but the doctors didn't tell her what that meant.

She looked up from her coloring book when she heard the door open, expecting to see a doctor coming in for more tests. Instead, there was a... a woman she hadn't seen before. She knew all the kid doctors by face now. So... who was this person? Was she her mom? Did she have a mom? Did it make her a bad daughter that she couldn't remember if she had a mom? "Hello," she said quietly, looking back down to the page she was coloring.

[from-the-notebook]

Asteria’s lips quirked into a smile as she head the playful tone in her head. Here was one of the last places she could truly be herself… among friends and the children she’d helped along their way.

“There’s exceptions to the rule. I happen to be one.” She thought, allowing a tone of playful amusement to creep in. Though the statement was true. She couldn’t always guarantee there’d be a way to notify the school ahead of time, but protocols had been put in place to work around that, given the long standing relationship between them and the Amazon. That being said, with tensions rising, the update to the visitor policy made sense.

“…you kids doing okay? I heard someone got into the school a few days ago.” Asteria frowned, her hands still separating paper plates for the pizza party that was to take place in the cafeteria- a tradition that marked her visits. With the world repeating their past mistakes…. This needed to be a safe haven, now more than ever. Let the students- the younger grades especially, be children before they were anything else.

@from-the-notebook, from Viktoriya

Viktoriya looked around the moment she felt a familiar mind enter the property. Well... that was strange. Visitors were suppose to give the office prior knowledge that they were coming, and she definitely would have noticed if someone was walking about an Amazon coming to visit.

"Visitors are required to check in twenty-four hours in advance of their visit, you know," she pushed into the woman's mind. Though the words were harsh, her tone was not. In reality, she was kind of happy to hear her again. She hadn't heard anything from the woman since that... horrid day so long ago.

[from-the-notebook]

their team is their family.

(these could be said to a muse outside of the family, or to a muse inside the family! there are no rules. currently amused by the thought of 'muses overhearing other people say 'let me finish winning' abt their game' though)

the family.

"Stop i- sto- get OFF! It's mine!"

"Give us a sec, he's/she's/they're not finished losing."

"Wait, let me finish losing to (name)."

"You know I can hear you, right?"

"Absolutely not."

"No way we're leaving you behind."

"There's no way (name) would do that."

"Yes, (name), you're very handsome/pretty and everyone should be in love with you."

"My mistake. You're handsome and pretty and everyone is in love with you."

"I'm pretty cute, though."

"Don't listen to them. These guys love me."

"We tolerate you."

"Oh, we're not friends."

"Nice of you to show up."

"Glad to see you're making yourself at home."

"Make yourself maybe a little bit less at home, huh?"

"(Name) really likes you, you know."

"I care about them. You hurt them, you answer to me."

"They're a pain in the ass. Not 'my' pain in the ass. Just a pain."

"(Name) is a good kid. Be nice to them."

"No, if (name) says we jump, we jump."

"Do you trust them?" / "You have no idea."

"Don't listen to 'em. They're just jealous."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"You like him/her/them?"

"I'll take a look."

"Sit down."

"You need someone to check you out, you're not gonna do better than (name)."

observer.

"Are you guys always like this?"

"These are the people you hang out with... on purpose?"

"So are you the 'annoying little sibling' or the 'drowned kitten' in this dynamic?"

"Seem like good people."

"These are your guys?"

"So (name)'s good for it?"

"You vouching for them?"

"I can see what you mean about them."

"If (name) told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?"

"You guys love each other."

"Oh, so you won't mind if I ask (name) their opinion, then?"

[from-the-notebook]

[from-the-notebook]

"And... now we're running..." Billie noted, as she found herself being pulled along. though a human slamming into a door did make the girl wince. "Are you sure you should- okay nevermind..."

Okay whoever this 'he' is had to be bad news if this blood covered girl was punching glass to avoid him. Briefly, she considered pulling out her wand and just sending the person to sleep... but, that would expose her as a wizard... which was bad in the mortal world. This whole, not being able to be herself thing was really inconvenient. Of course, the 'he' in question... may not even be a mortal. For all she knew, they could be running from another evil wizard.. or a dark angel, or a vampire.. or actually she should stop rambling in her thoughts before she said something stupid out loud.

"Got it..." She said... probably a bit to calmly for a girl her age in this situation. "Uh are you sure you don't need to call someone? that's a lot of blood-"

Claire paused when she heard the girl say she got into a fight with a unicorn, and she looked around, looking for something sticking out of her. Nothing. She supposed that was good. "Wolves and unicorns are very different things..." Not that she thought for a second that unicorns were real, but, for argument sake, if either was going to attack her, their attacks would look different. Not on her, perhaps, since she would heal and all that would be left is the blood left on her, but... that's not here or there at this precise moment.

She grabbed the girl's hand and she slammed into the door. Won't budge. Damn it. She looked around, and she could see a shadow of a man in the cap just starting to come from the corner she had run from. It was a glass door, it wouldn't be hard to break.

Moving the girl out of the glass radius, Claire made a fist and punched through the glass near where the lock was. She could feel glass shards impale itself into her hand, but she didn't allow herself a moment to react. Instead, she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Mind the glass, but be fast. He's not... you don't want to be anywhere near him."

[from-the-notebook]

Billie wasn't sure how she got so lost... one minute, she was with her aunt.. the next she got seperated in the crowd. Not the first time the thirteen year old had found herself alone. In fact, she was quite used to that. Getting practically trampled was not, however. Instantly, Billie checked her sleeve, breathing a sigh of relief when she finds her wand still safely tucked inside.

"Woah..." her eyes widened, upon seeing the state the cheerleader was in. She was still fairly new to the mortal world, but even she knew that much blood... wasn't normal "You look like you had a run in with a unicorn- I mean a wolf… but not werewolves cause… those aren't real." Still, she followed the blonde without a second thought. Something told her that Justin would absolutely freak if she got involved in whatever the girl had come out of.

@from-the-notebook, sun the Muse Wheel and got Claire Bennett back from the ashes!

Claire was... well, terrified. Tonight was suppose to be the Homecoming game and, tomorrow, the dance, and... Jackie was dead in the locker room, and Claire ran for it. The man who could throw Jackie to the wall with his finger and... cut her head open... she couldn't help but think it was actually her he was after.

She ran through the halls, looking for the nearest one to get out, and she ran straight into someone, ending up on the ground from the sheer intent of getting to the door. Pain in her arm. Looking down, she saw it, she hand landed hard on her arm and her elbow was... currently facing the other direction. Lovely. With a wince, she grabbed her arm forcefully and pushed her arm back into position. With that, she stood up, moving both arms as if nothing had ever happened.

She looked back the way she came, then to the girl. She considered just leaving the girl in the dust, but no... no, she would never forgive herself if she was the cause of two deaths tonight. She'd already have to deal with Jackie's death later. "Look... I'm sorry I ran into you, but we need to get out of here. Now." Surely, the girl would realize Claire was covered in blood... right?

[from-the-notebook]

Ugh, men and their dramatics. Circe sighed, mostly to keep herself from laughing. "Have you considered, that stopping those children of yours from killing each other, isn't your burden alone?"

"Sibling spats is something older than even our parents... perhaps even our grandparents. Sometimes, as in the case with Ares and Artemis, their rifts aren't yours to mend." That was the trouble with Zeus... well, one of many troubles with Zeus, in Circe's humble but correct opinion. "You and Hera can guide them, can pull strings.. send then on their paths, but that's exactly what they are, cousin... their paths. If those two fix their relationship, it will be because they've put in the work to do so... not fatherly intervention."

"Ah, Uncle Cronus, the ever looming lunatic." Even among the Titan-blood there was no love lost between themselves and the madman- hungry for power as that side of the family was. "That is troubling..."

"Yet it seems that when the world isn't in danger, and there's no threat to neutralize, my daily activities seem to be stopping those children of mine from killing each other,r and yet it always seems to be Ares who's the main culprit, as you can tell, still trying to mend things between him and Artemis but that's a daunting task on its own," Zeus explained.

He looked over to Circe. "Other than that, I'm pretty good, you know, when I'm not concerned with the imminent threat of my father."

[from-the-notebook]

“I love looking at the decorations too.” Olivia grinned. People were always so creative with how they put stuff up... At least, the ones who didn't hire professionals like her aunt. The girl sometimes wondered what it would be like to decorate the house, or even the tree, as a family... she wondered if her parents would've done so together with her had they not died when she was a toddler.

"I'm sorry, I really should go back inside Miss..." She said, with a polite little nod. "Mrs. Brown is letting me make gingerbread cookies for Santa." Well, for when Santa visited the old woman's granddaughters. Unless they were the sugar and gluten free kind, treats like that were frowned upon in the O'toole house. Even then, her aunt was often too worn out to bake the healthy ones, and Olivia wasn't allowed to do so on her own.

it's just so... messy, dear. was usually her Aunt's response. If it was Sara or Justin I know they'd be able to clean up properly.. but you... Sweetheart, you know you're just too clumsy... maybe you'll grow out of it when you're older.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your walk." Olivia called as she made her way back up Mrs. Brown's walk. She was about to bake despite her current limitations, she'd played in the snow, and spoke to a ... really nice lady. That was three good things the holidays had brought her. Soon, there'd be a present under the tree for her, and her grandmother's annual letter to look forward to.

Noelle nodded. "Your friend Nishi is right. And, unlike Christmas magic, that holiday magic is something everyone can use." Christmas magic was almost exclusively in her family, but holiday magic like that... everyone had the ability to use it. One of her favorite things about the holidays, really, was that it brought people together.

A particular house. "Oh, no... no. I was just taking a walk. Looking at all the snow people, the decorations people have put out. It's the most wonderful time of year." Really, it was a beautiful day... a little warm compared to what she was use to. A crisp thirty two degrees Fahrenheit. Probably too warm to go figure skating.

[from-the-notebook]

🐝  *  ―  𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑬.  (  send 🌸 or ‘RANDOM’ for me to use a random number generator to determine which one of my muses you’ll receive a starter from.  )

[from-the-notebook]

🐝  *  ―  𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑬.  (  send 🌸 or ‘RANDOM’ for me to use a random number generator to determine which one of my muses you’ll receive a starter from.  )

[from-the-notebook]

The general sighed, guiding the girl away from the sea and back to the training yard where she was meant to be. "They were abundant long ago... that's all I wish to say on the matter. This is the third time this week that I've had to collect you. Do not let there be a fourth."

"Ria.." Antiope fought not to groan, at least until the question had changed. The amazon paused, taking a moment to lift the girl's chin so that their eyes met. "You are an Amazon in spirit, if not by blood. I've told you this before, child. All we know is that you came to us from the sea." At times the girl was a joy, she filled their days with light. Other times, it seemed almost a cruel joke from the fates... that an Asteria had found her way home to them... but not the one they'd prayed for. As the little one grew, the sting had dulled, tempered by the love they had for the child.

She loves the sea. She knows she isn't like Antiope and the other Amazons. Her bloodline lies beyond the sea. She knows the Hippocampus that plays with her belongs to her father, Poseidon.

When Asteria heard Antiope's voice, she couldn't help but groan internally—all she wanted to do was swim with the beautiful Hippocampus. "I know," she called out to Antiope. The Hippocampus nudged Asteria's back for more pets, but instead, she patted his snout and made her way to the beach. "Have you ever seen a Hippocampus before?? I have read that Poseidon created them- this one says that he was Poseidon's mighty steed."

Asteria turned to face the Hippocampus and waved at it before the creature disappeared into the water. "Antiope, is it true? I am not an Amazonian?"

[from-the-notebook]

"it's a long story... but let's make sure you're alright first and foremost." Asteria said giving Lilly's hand a squeeze before she let go to instead wrap a protective arm around her. The noise of the modern world had taken her time to get used to, and she'd seen the world change before her eyes. To go from one era to another in the blink of an eye.... no wonder the girl was frightened. On the one hand, Asteria was glad to know that Lilly hadn't been conscious the entire time of her imprisonment in stone. On the other.... this left her with a lot of explaining to do, and a long road ahead.

Asteria took the girl back to what for now was home. Location and soundproofing made it so at least the princess wouldn't need to worry about the noises outside. Granted, even this was bound to look alien to the poor thing.

"...To answer your earlier question... No, Lilly. The witch didn't age me... but, you were trapped in that statue for quite some time..." Gods help her, how did one tell a frightened child that the world they knew was gone? That their family, loved ones, their very culture had been taken from her? "Let's get some tea and food into you before we do anything else... we have a long talk ahead of us."

French? What they spoke in Francia? "That doesn't sound like French," she said, shaking her head slightly. None of this made any sense. Her head hurt the more she tried to force it to make sense. Her hand went to her head. It had already been a long day before the witch, and, if what little she could see of the sky beyond the giant's houses, it was day once more.

Her eyes darted over to the older woman when she heard her say her name was Asteria. She had been quite familiar with Asteria, and this woman was... far older than the Asteria she knew, although the resemblance otherwise would be uncanny. As if glancing into the woman's very future. "Did the witch age you?" she asked, concern lining her words

She jumped in surprise, looking in the opposite direction, as one of the metal beasts screeched right past her. But, a moment later, she looked back. Asteria was offering somewhere quieter. She released a small nod before taking the woman's hand.