hermiaporterclayton-blog

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia pouted. Was Mummy deaf, or what? How many times did she have to say this f@cking word to get her to understand? Maybe now that Mummy had stopped talking for a minute she would listen. "GOR-IL-LA," Hermia practically shouted, just so the message would be loud and clear. 

Of the apes || Jane and Hermia

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia frowned. Yes that was what she was saying, but she guessed it wasn't coming out right. Mummy wasn't very good at interpreting Hermia's baby talk, so maybe it would just make things easier if the young girl spoke the way Mummy did. 

"Gor-il-la!" she repeated, dutifully. 

Of the apes || Jane and Hermia

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia could listen to Mummy talk for hours, which luckily happened on an almost daily basis. Mummy had the best voice, so Hermia could get by just by listening to Mummy have conversations with other people (the servants or Baba who was over quite a bit lately) but Hermia's favorite thing by far was when Mummy read to her. 

Hermia happily cooed over the stories and the pictures in the books. She did her best to talk to Mummy about the books they were reading, but Mummy didn't seem to understand baby language. It was frustrating. Perhaps the only way out of this conundrum would be for Hermia to learn Mummy's way of talking. At the moment Hermia wanted to hear more about the gorillas so she bounced a wee bit and said "gor, gor, gor," which clearly meant gorilla. 

Of the apes || Jane and Hermia

“…derived from a Greek word, gorillai, meaning ‘tribe of hairy women.’"  Jane wrinkled her nose at the little girl, who was perched safely on her mother’s lap as the two huddled close in Jane’s favorite armchair.  The tall fireplace before them cast a warm orange glow over mother and daughter, spilling the dark shadows of armchair and bookshelves behind them, but for Jane at least, at present there was only their little circle of light.  She chuckled.  "I am not sure that’s the name I would have given gorillas if I had discovered them!  Of course, I’m not sure I pronounced gorillai correctly either.  Maybe I said something else.  Do you think so?”  She paused to poke Hermia’s tummy.  ”After all, you and I don’t know Greek!”

It had long since become apparent to Jane that, though Hermia did listen raptly to the bedtime stories Jane had chosen specifically for her, such as those of Ms. Beatrix Potter, Hermia seemed willing to listen to nearly anything that Jane said in her presence, whether it was directed to her or not.  

Several things had come of this.  For one, Jane was a great deal more circumspect about what she discussed in front of the baby, since goodness knew Hermia had not quite begun to talk, but Jane was not sure what might eventually come out of her mouth and so could not be too cautious.  The other thing was that, reminded by Daddy that reading things aloud was a good way to memorize them, Jane had realized that she could read sundry of her own new books to her daughter before bedtime.  In her mind, it was never too early to learn about the flora and fauna of Africa - even if one could not yet speak articulately.

In this case, the book was a draft of Daddy’s treatise on gorillas, which Jane was supposed to be editing.  Clearing her throat, Jane draped her fringed shawl more securely over them both (it being a chilly sort of night, especially in a house with such spacious rooms) and went on.  ”Belonging to the super-family Hominoidea, gorillas evolved millions of years ago from an ancestor also shared by humans!  Even now, their behavior is akin to our own in unprecedented ways.  According…" she stumbled over the words, yet went on bravely.  "According to my observations…”

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia would have nodded had she been older and thus old enough to really and truly understand everything Mummy was saying. As it was, the little girl just enjoyed the attention, though she did suddenly feel a wave of sleepiness wash over her. The little girl didn't even get a chance to yawn before her head fell onto Mummy's shoulder's. Her eyes closed, and her breathing became regular as sleep overcame her. 

@ Jane and Hermia

Finally she was quiet. Not that Hermia’s crying was such a problem to him but… well, crying children wasn’t the best thing to listen to, and it was a relief to have it over for the moment. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing too much when she just looked at Jane with mucus dripping down her face. Hermia would have made a good frog, or would she be a tadpole? “Well, you never know with children, do you?” he chuckled. 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia continued her wailing until she finally (FINALLY) was in possession of her doll. She hugged the little thing to her chest tightly and then, without hesitating a moment, stuck the doll's arm right into her mouth and began to chew. It wasn't as good as the peanut butter, but it would do for the moment. She looked up at Mummy as she chewed, her eyes red from crying and a big ole' bugger coming out of her nose. 

@ Jane and Hermia

Naveen couldn’t hear a word Jane said over her daughter’s cries, so the young prince just smiled encouragingly as he accompanied her upstairs. Or, as encouraging as you could when a one year old was screaming in your ear. This was one of the biggest reasons he did not want children at the moment, not that he and Tiana had time for them at the moment anyway. That and the fact that Naveen was terrified of what kind of a father he would be when he could barely take care of himself… Bless Jane for dealing with all of this, and all by herself too. Naveen could hardly guess what he would have done if he had been put through the same situation, but he knew for a fact he wouldn’t take it quite so well as Jane had. 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

If there was one thing Hermia loved, it was bouncing. While Mummy carried her upstairs, she found it pleasantly surprising that Mummy bounced her up and down. If Hermia wasn't so interested in being a nuisance at the moment, she would have calmed down and stopped crying. As it was, she was determined to continue crying until she saw her doll. 

@ Jane and Hermia

The parlor seemed like a good idea. Sitting for so long on the floor was making him sore. Well, more sore than he already was. Fixing up the sugar mill with Tiana was doing a number on his back. As he stood, Naveen did his best to hide the stiffness in his muscles because he was a very silly man and didn’t want to show any more weakness than he had to. Unless Tiana was around, of course, because she would give him a kiss to make him feel better. 

He winced slightly as Hermia continued to cry. Naveen tried to make some funny faces at her to see if that would make her stop, but she didn’t seem to think they were all that funny. “I am sure most parents do not know what they are doing,” he told Jane, his voice rising in volume to be heard over Hermia. “But at least you are here, and at least you love her. I think that is what matters most.” 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia didn't care that she was being childish. She was a child. Crying is what she was supposed to do!! Horatio was the one who should get in trouble for being such a meanie. It wasn't fair! Nothing was fair!! Why couldn't everyone just do what she wanted them to do?! She cried harder, even though Mummy's kiss did make her feel better, and she secretly perked up at the mention of her doll. However, because she was still cranky, she decided she would keep crying until she could actually hold the doll in her hands. Until then, she would make everyone miserable. 

@ Jane and Hermia

“I cannot speak for Shang, of course, but receiving letters always makes me feel better.” He poked her shoulder lightly in a not so subtle hint for her to write him more often. “But you are wonderful with words, Jane. I am sure you can come up with something wonderful to write to him. One of my old tutors used to tell me…” here Naveen sat up straighter and spoke with a heavy German accent. “Study the English for their words, and the Germans for their music.” He chuckled. “Everything else he could have cared less about. But the point still stands. It must be in you somewhere, yes? You just have to reach down and find it.” 

He lowered his gaze as Jane spoke, fiddling with his fingers. “That sounds like my parents,” he murmured. Deep down he really did love them, but even so it had never seemed like the feeling was mutual. The King and Queen seemed to have time for everything in the world, except for him. It seemed they had learned their lesson and spent considerable more time with Ahmed and it never ceased to make him less jealous. Even now as a grown man he still found himself looking for their attention and approval, but seldom receiving it. He tried to hide it, but it really did hurt him. “You know, Jane?” Naveen turned his head and gave her a light smile. “Hermia is lucky to have a mother like you.” As if on queue, Hermia suddenly let out a ear numbing scream. And I am lucky not to be a father. Yet, he thought. 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Pick a Heroine: Jane Porter

Jane is an intelligent and beautiful young woman. She is shown to be somewhat talkative, yet charming as well as proper. Jane is also shown to have a love for art. She is not afraid to venture into the jungle to draw the wildlife and see different species of animals. Her love for apes is what brought her to the jungle along with her father, Archimedes Q. Porter. She had no idea that she would run into a wild man named Tarzan and that she too, would stay living in the jungle. Jane is a beautiful woman whose not afraid to stand up for herself (as seen with Clayton). She speaks her mind and is passionate in everything she does. She’s pure perfection.

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia wiggled and jiggled now that she was back in Mummy's lap, and subsequently far from the tail she so wanted to pull. She reached her little hands out to Horatio and wiggled her fingers, encouraging him to come over to her. The kitten, however, was not going to have it. It seemed he was tired of 'babysitting' for the girl and so with a flick of his tail he wandered out of the kitchen in search of something to play with that wasn't going to pull on any parts of him. 

This didn't please Hermia one bit. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears. Then she began to cry. 

@ Jane and Hermia

“Oh but you must, Jane!” Naveen protested, rubbing his arm slightly where she had shoved him. “If you are to woo this general, and bring him out of the melancholy state he always seems to be in, don’t you think a love poem would be the perfect way to do so? It would be terribly romantic.” He chuckled a little, but his smile quickly faded at the mention of his parents. 

“It is… difficult to explain. My parents love Tiana, and I think they are very happy that I have finally settled down, as they say. But,” he sighed, “I do not think they truly believe my marriage will last. They cannot understand that I am not the man I once was, and my father refuses to believe otherwise until I show him definite proof. Isn’t getting married and helping my wife build a restaurant enough?” He sighed again. “To them, I can do nothing right.” Before he could go on feeling sorry for himself, Naveen’s eyes drifted to Hermia and the kitten who was clearly not so pleased to have his tail pulled. “Uh… Jane?” 

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Despite the fact that Horatio's tail was very quick flicking back and forth, it only took a few (okay maybe more than a few) tries for the little girl to latch firmly onto it. Ah ha!! Victory is mine! she thought with a sly grin. Triumphantly she tugged on his tail, causing the kitten to narrow his eyes at her. Hermia ignored this, as she was having fun being a brat. Horatio, it seemed, was not keen to let this game continue. He growled low and threateningly at the girl. 

@ Jane and Hermia

With his finger, Naveen tapped his chin. Everyone secretly romantic? And hope and all that jazz? “You know, I like that. I really do. Talking like that, I think you could be a poet, Jane. Not that I know much about poetry, but perhaps you could give it a try. Perhaps a… love poem for someone? Hmm?” Wouldn’t that be funny to watch Shang’s expression as he read a love poem written by Jane. Of course she would probably send it anonymously, which would make it all the more fun because he would know who sent it. 

“Is it now?” He asked her back, a slight twinkle in his eyes. It was strange getting such truthful compliments about something other than his looks from someone, and so he wasn’t sure exactly how to proceed. “Well, thank you. I wish my parents thought the same as you.”

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia wasn't exactly sure what dancing was, but it sounded like fun. Once she learned to talk, she was going to do her best to make sure Mummy knew that she wanted to learn to dance. In the meantime, she would just enjoy walking around. But once she was free from Mummy's grasp she didn't feel like going anywhere. Horatio watched her silently swishing his tail back and forth, and it seemed like an excellent idea to try and catch it and grab it and pull it, but he was too quick for the little girl!! Hermia grunted as she tried to capture the tail, but Horatio only swished it faster. If she wasn't so focused on the tail, she could have sworn he was laughing at her. If cats laughed, that is. 

@ Jane and Hermia

“Well Jane, it is a well known fact that I am quite romantic at heart,” he grinned her way, now in a very happy mood. Talking about Tiana always made him feel that way, though. “I know she very much wants to meet you as well. I have told her a lot about you, you know. Only good things, of course.” Heaven knows what Tiana thought about the fact that, with his experience with women combined with how close of a friend Jane was to him…. well, she seemed to be alright with it. Then again, Naveen was sure there was still some doubt in her mind about this friendship. Having the two women meet would easily solve all those problems. 

He smiled at Hermia’s giggles, slightly ashamed that he hadn’t even noticed the young girl walking around by herself. “Bona! Bona, Hermia! Now we just have to teach you to dance, and you will be all set.” 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia grinned wide, showing off her gums (and maybe a few baby teeth coming in too). Finally! Someone was paying attention to her! "Aghty," she said firmly. Of course she had walked across the kitchen by herself. She was almost one years old! Practically a grown up already! What did Mummy expect? Still, Hermia relished in the attention and was quite willing to do it again so Mummy could praise her some more. She started to wiggle and kick out of her grasp so she could show off her amazing walking skills some more. 

@ Jane and Hermia

“A war hero?” Naveen asked, impressed. Did women do that sort of thing? Apparently they did, as Jane was certainly not one to stretch the truth. Very often. This was something he was going to have to ask the general about next time they saw each other. It was a new, and different side to Shang than he had ever seen. Naveen had a difficult time picturing the general on one knee waxing poetically to a woman and telling her how much in love with her he was. Shang certainly didn’t seem the romantic type. But this was not something he wanted to tell Jane. He was here to make her feel better, after all. 

“And who are you to say that sticky toffee pudding isn’t interesting?” he challenged with a laugh. “We have no such think in Maldonia, and I can tell you from personal experience that I would trade all the sweets in Maldonia for just a bite of sticky toffee pudding.” Naveen had no intention of telling Jane that the sweets in Maldonia were all awful so it wasn’t much of a trade. “Perhaps Shang feels the same about you. If all he had known before was this Fa Mulan, and if you are so different, then you would be a breath of fresh air, yes? Different is not always so bad.” Horatio was now purring quite loudly, clearly enjoying the attention.

“I do not know if Tiana feels the same way, but I can assure you that I never compare her with all of my ex’s. Except for how much better she is, of course. All the women I used to see were princesses, or duchesses, or high society ladies. I know that there was a lot of…. discussion about my marrying someone like Tiana because she is so different from all those other women.” Discussion was putting it lightly, but Naveen pressed on. “To anyone who didn’t know better, it seemed that I had made a horrible mistake. They did not understand how after all these other ‘fashionable’ women could I love Tiana, who was more interested in making a good recipe than the latest fashion trends. But to me, that is what makes her such an interesting person. Because she is so different than anyone else.” He sighed a little and found himself chuckling. “I do not know if this makes any sense, but perhaps there is the chance that because you are so different than this Fa Mulan to Shang that he finds it absolutely wonderful.” 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

"Thank you, Mummy."

I was not pricing her; I do not pretend to be a matchmaker. 

However, I was implying one day she will be married to the man who can provide the most for her. This is the purpose of marriage.

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia wiggled and wiggled, trying to get Horatio's attention. "Eugik!! Jeegick!!" she cried, meaning of course, 'Kitty look at me! Why aren't you looking at me! I'm the most important person in this room, so you should look at me!' Horatio wasn't having any of it, it seemed, but Hermia had yet to learn that cats will do whatever pleases them, and cannot be forced to so something they don't want to do. But she hadn't been paying attention to Mummy, so when her finger grazed across Hermia's foot, she giggled like crazy. Now instead of trying to wiggle to get Horatio's attention, she wiggled to try and get away from Mummy's fingers!

@ Jane and Hermia

“A hedgehog, huh?” Naveen absentmindedly stroked and scratched at the cat. “You mean… that someone is hard to get to know, but once you do know them better you see them as they truly are? And once you see this, you wonder how you never saw it before? And then…. you find that it is so very easy to love this person?” Horatio flopped down on his back and Naveen tickled the kitten’s belly. “Yes, I,” he chuckled. “I think I know this feeling.” How could he not? Wasn’t that exactly what had happened with Tiana? “Opposites are not so bad, you know. They say that opposites attract. It seems to have worked for Tiana and myself. Perhaps it will work for you and Shang as well.”

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia frowned and wiggled uselessly once Mummy grabbed her. This wasn't fair!! She pouted in Mummy's lap, not at all pleased with the recent events. Why did this always happen to her?! I never get to have any fun, she fumed. Her crankiness didn't last long, however and soon the little girl's attention was focused back on Horatio. The kitty was watching her with wide eyes and a flick of his tail. Maybe he wanted to play some more!  

@ Jane and Hermia

“Shang?!?!” Naveen drew back in alarm. “Oh I know him alright. We met in the park idkhowlongagoitwasthattheymet. I was writing a song for Tiana and he told me that my music was noise! Can you believe it! Noise!” He humphed as the memory came back to him. “And then, because I am a nice person, I take him to the circus and buy him cotton candy, which he didn’t even want!! And on top of that, he did not even like the acrobats and jugglers at the circus. How can you fancy a man like that? He is so… so serious. No fun at all.” 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Hermia scooted a chair over to the counter. The plan was all set in her tiny head. She was going to climb up this giant chair and then climb even further up onto the counter. Then she would get the peanut butter and give it to Horatio, who sat flicking his tail watching her. 

She patted him on the head twice and started to climb onto the chair. This was proving more difficult than she had imagined as Hermia wasn't quite tall enough to get a good grip on it. She wouldn't give up though. 

@ Jane and Hermia

“Jane, Jane, Jane.” Naveen tried his best not to laugh as he plopped next to her and draped an arm over her shoulder. “This sounds like love to me. And certainly nothing to be so worried about!! I think this is very healthy for you, you know? But Jane,” he continued, “if you care for this gentleman, you should tell him! He cannot read your mind. How is he to know your feelings if you do not express them to him? Umm,” Naveen stroked his chin. “Who is he, anyway? Anyone I know?” 

[hermiaporterclayton-blog]

Blah blah blah, love love love. Hermia stuck out her tongue. Mushy stuff, that's what it was. Horatio didn't seem to care about it either. Mostly it seemed that he wanted her to pet him, which she gladly did, even if it she pushed harder against him than other people did. 

Suddenly she got an idea. Hermia remembered how good the peanut butter had tasted, wouldn't Horatio want some too? (Okay, maybe this was an excuse for her to get some more). But first she had to think of a way to get up on the counter. 

@ Jane and Hermia

Naveen raised his eyebrow when Jane started to stammer. By now he had gotten used to the way she spoke, but her subject of conversation was something he certainly hadn’t been expecting. The last time they had talked about how many women he had been with was before they were friends, and that hadn’t turned out very well. 

He didn’t say anything, and just let her speak. It seemed like a good idea to just let her go with whatever it was she wanted to say. If he interrupted her, she might never say what was on her mind. 

And then when she posed that question, a sly smile found it’s way to Naveen’s lips. Oh ho hooooo. Wait until Tiana hears about this. But then he thought about her question, seriously for a moment. Could someone fall in love more than once? This was coming from a man who didn’t really believe in love in the first place until he had met Tiana. Maybe that’s all it takes; meeting the right person at the right time. “Yes,” he answered truthfully. “Why?”