Rory McCallum (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crowschild) wrote2014-05-28 06:17 pm
crowschild) wrote2014-05-28 06:17 pm
Entry tags:
Call #2
Rory knew it was going to be a bad phone call as soon as the other person on the line picked up. Bright and perky Ceilidh said, “Thorn Hall, this is Ceilidh. How may I help you kill people today?”
Despite the dread, Rory had to smile at his niece’s greeting. “Hi -”
“SPACE PONY!!! HAVE YOU GOTTEN MY SPACE PONY YET!?!?!! SPAAAACEEE POONNY!!!!!” Ceilidh yelled into the phone. “HI UNCLE RORY!!! I WANT MY SPAAACE PONY!!!”
“No, I haven’t gotten you your space pony yet. I haven’t found one.”
“Aww… but you’ve been there forever! How could you not have found one yet?!”
“I’ve only been here a few weeks.”
“Like I said FORREEEEVEEER!!!” She paused. “Oh. Hi Mama!! It’s uncle Rory and he hasn’t gotten me my SPAAACEE PONY!!! yet.”
Leaning against the wall, he waited for Siobhan to wrest the phone away from Ceilidh. It ended with the quiet implication that if she didn’t behave maybe uncle Rory won’t want to get her a SPAAACEE PONNNYY!!!!
“Rory! How are you doing?”
“I’m doing okay! Things have been randomly interesting here. Much more interesting than I thought they would be.”
“Oh, what happened?”
“Well, for starters, I stepped on a rake and hit myself in the face.”
Immediately in the background Ceilidh shouted, GRAAAAACEEE!!! RORY STEPPED ON A RAKE AND HIT HIMSELF IN THE FAAAACEEE!!!!”
Then Rory heard some running and a quiet give me that before Grace came on the line, “You didn't break your moneymaker, did you?”
“Make him send a picture! Make him send a picture!”
Hurt, Rory grumbled, “I have more assets than my face, you know.”
“So you say, so you say,” Grace said with sisterly disbelief, “ What happened? How did you run into a rake?”
“So. This ... thing happened... it involved some guy's flying eel familiar but magic vanished. I didn't realize it at first until I stubbed my toe.”
“Magic vanished? That's fucked up.”
Rory started to agree with her but then Grace continued. “But in your case, hilarious. Was everyone else all right?”
“Hilarious? It wasn't hilarious! I'm all bumped and bruised all over the place!”
“Now you know how us unlucky people feel.” Grace sad, “But you're okay?”
“I'm fine. I got some stitches in my arm after getting Squirt out of the tree. Most people were okay. A couple of people went a bit... off. One person died. I think she's an undead of some sort.”
“That sounds... chaotic. Did she come back to life? And poor Squirt, he must have been so confused.”
“ It was. One guy got stuck in the middle of a transformation spell, halfway between hart and human. Squirt was horribly confused. Couldn't figure out how come he couldn't get anywhere.
Chloe: Grace: Yikes. Did it get sorted out?”
“ I'm not sure how though. I don't care much. I'm not walking into things any more. How did you stand it?”
“By screaming at everything and locking myself in my room once a week, don't you remember?” Grace said, annoyed.
“I think I was deaf half the time,” Rory said, slightly annoyed at the memories.
Laughing, Grace said, “Yeah, that's quite reasonable”
“... Or playing translator.”
“When am I getting my space pony?” Ceilidh asked loud enough for Rory to hear, even if she wasn’t yelling. She didn’t seem to have volume control. “And Annie and Rose want space ponies too. Nori wants a ju-ju bird.”
The voices went muffled as Grace put her hand over the receiver, “Space ponies require significant interstellar trade agreements. Rory hasn't gotten those yet. Now scat.”
He heard a pitiful whining noise and then running.
Once she was gone, Grace said, “We should probably discuss the difference between fantasy and reality with her again. Unless space actually has ponies?”
“There are some horses here, but they look like real ordinary horses. And some mechanical looking horses too, but I don't think they'll let me take one home with me. Kale would drool over them.” Rory smiled at the thought of one of his older nephews itching to get his hand on the mechanical horses, “I was hoping to find a toy pony ... properly space looking.”
“You could paint one.”
“I could! Yeah. I'm planning to come visit for the day so I'll get those before I do. Maybe then she'll shut up.”
“So mote it be.”
“What did Nori want?”
“A Ju-Ju Bird, I don't even know what that is.”
He frowned, “Neither do I. Right. Well. I'll try and find something colorful and bird like safe for two year olds.”
“She'll probably forget about it, but if you're getting the other four something you have to get her something too. She's definitely entered the 'they have a thing, I want it' phase.”
“Of course she has. Simon's easy at least. He wanted a space gun.”
Laughing, Grace said, “Of course he did. We have about six different drawings of space guns on the fridge right now!”
“How many space ponies?”
“I think Ceilidh's sleeping on a second mattress made entirely out of space pony drawings.”
“Oh gods,” Rory said, laughing, “I’m sure Siobhan’s thrilled. I’ll try and get her some music as placation gesture.”
“She'll like that, she's been writing a lot.”
“Yeah? Anything good?”
“You can ask her if you want.”
“Nah, She'll just get annoyed with me.”
“Curses, my clever ploy failed!”
“I'd rather you be annoyed with me.”
“Well, feel comforted, because I'm always annoyed with you.”
“Thank you. I knew something would be wrong if you weren’t.”
“I kind of miss knowing you have my back, though, jerk.”
The wistfulness in her voice made Rory feel guilty about coming out to New Dodge. But he swallowed it down. “ Me too. You can dunk me in the well when I come visiting.”
“ I absolutely will.”
“Good! I look forward to it.”
Sighing, Grace said, “I have to go prune the rose maze.”
“Be happy your luck has evened out!” he said, because she had a lot of problems in the maze when they were younger and the wind blew from the west.
“I am, I am. Call back soon, asshole.”
“Love you too!”
And then she hung up and Rory was alone again.
Despite the dread, Rory had to smile at his niece’s greeting. “Hi -”
“SPACE PONY!!! HAVE YOU GOTTEN MY SPACE PONY YET!?!?!! SPAAAACEEE POONNY!!!!!” Ceilidh yelled into the phone. “HI UNCLE RORY!!! I WANT MY SPAAACE PONY!!!”
“No, I haven’t gotten you your space pony yet. I haven’t found one.”
“Aww… but you’ve been there forever! How could you not have found one yet?!”
“I’ve only been here a few weeks.”
“Like I said FORREEEEVEEER!!!” She paused. “Oh. Hi Mama!! It’s uncle Rory and he hasn’t gotten me my SPAAACEE PONY!!! yet.”
Leaning against the wall, he waited for Siobhan to wrest the phone away from Ceilidh. It ended with the quiet implication that if she didn’t behave maybe uncle Rory won’t want to get her a SPAAACEE PONNNYY!!!!
“Rory! How are you doing?”
“I’m doing okay! Things have been randomly interesting here. Much more interesting than I thought they would be.”
“Oh, what happened?”
“Well, for starters, I stepped on a rake and hit myself in the face.”
Immediately in the background Ceilidh shouted, GRAAAAACEEE!!! RORY STEPPED ON A RAKE AND HIT HIMSELF IN THE FAAAACEEE!!!!”
Then Rory heard some running and a quiet give me that before Grace came on the line, “You didn't break your moneymaker, did you?”
“Make him send a picture! Make him send a picture!”
Hurt, Rory grumbled, “I have more assets than my face, you know.”
“So you say, so you say,” Grace said with sisterly disbelief, “ What happened? How did you run into a rake?”
“So. This ... thing happened... it involved some guy's flying eel familiar but magic vanished. I didn't realize it at first until I stubbed my toe.”
“Magic vanished? That's fucked up.”
Rory started to agree with her but then Grace continued. “But in your case, hilarious. Was everyone else all right?”
“Hilarious? It wasn't hilarious! I'm all bumped and bruised all over the place!”
“Now you know how us unlucky people feel.” Grace sad, “But you're okay?”
“I'm fine. I got some stitches in my arm after getting Squirt out of the tree. Most people were okay. A couple of people went a bit... off. One person died. I think she's an undead of some sort.”
“That sounds... chaotic. Did she come back to life? And poor Squirt, he must have been so confused.”
“ It was. One guy got stuck in the middle of a transformation spell, halfway between hart and human. Squirt was horribly confused. Couldn't figure out how come he couldn't get anywhere.
Chloe: Grace: Yikes. Did it get sorted out?”
“ I'm not sure how though. I don't care much. I'm not walking into things any more. How did you stand it?”
“By screaming at everything and locking myself in my room once a week, don't you remember?” Grace said, annoyed.
“I think I was deaf half the time,” Rory said, slightly annoyed at the memories.
Laughing, Grace said, “Yeah, that's quite reasonable”
“... Or playing translator.”
“When am I getting my space pony?” Ceilidh asked loud enough for Rory to hear, even if she wasn’t yelling. She didn’t seem to have volume control. “And Annie and Rose want space ponies too. Nori wants a ju-ju bird.”
The voices went muffled as Grace put her hand over the receiver, “Space ponies require significant interstellar trade agreements. Rory hasn't gotten those yet. Now scat.”
He heard a pitiful whining noise and then running.
Once she was gone, Grace said, “We should probably discuss the difference between fantasy and reality with her again. Unless space actually has ponies?”
“There are some horses here, but they look like real ordinary horses. And some mechanical looking horses too, but I don't think they'll let me take one home with me. Kale would drool over them.” Rory smiled at the thought of one of his older nephews itching to get his hand on the mechanical horses, “I was hoping to find a toy pony ... properly space looking.”
“You could paint one.”
“I could! Yeah. I'm planning to come visit for the day so I'll get those before I do. Maybe then she'll shut up.”
“So mote it be.”
“What did Nori want?”
“A Ju-Ju Bird, I don't even know what that is.”
He frowned, “Neither do I. Right. Well. I'll try and find something colorful and bird like safe for two year olds.”
“She'll probably forget about it, but if you're getting the other four something you have to get her something too. She's definitely entered the 'they have a thing, I want it' phase.”
“Of course she has. Simon's easy at least. He wanted a space gun.”
Laughing, Grace said, “Of course he did. We have about six different drawings of space guns on the fridge right now!”
“How many space ponies?”
“I think Ceilidh's sleeping on a second mattress made entirely out of space pony drawings.”
“Oh gods,” Rory said, laughing, “I’m sure Siobhan’s thrilled. I’ll try and get her some music as placation gesture.”
“She'll like that, she's been writing a lot.”
“Yeah? Anything good?”
“You can ask her if you want.”
“Nah, She'll just get annoyed with me.”
“Curses, my clever ploy failed!”
“I'd rather you be annoyed with me.”
“Well, feel comforted, because I'm always annoyed with you.”
“Thank you. I knew something would be wrong if you weren’t.”
“I kind of miss knowing you have my back, though, jerk.”
The wistfulness in her voice made Rory feel guilty about coming out to New Dodge. But he swallowed it down. “ Me too. You can dunk me in the well when I come visiting.”
“ I absolutely will.”
“Good! I look forward to it.”
Sighing, Grace said, “I have to go prune the rose maze.”
“Be happy your luck has evened out!” he said, because she had a lot of problems in the maze when they were younger and the wind blew from the west.
“I am, I am. Call back soon, asshole.”
“Love you too!”
And then she hung up and Rory was alone again.