The Animals Have Come to Play (Completed) (unedited)

Tattoos

(Chapter 29: Tattoos)

"Do you think they're expecting us?" I asked rhetorically once we landed in Hawaii, seeing an excitable girl jumping up and down with a big poster board that read 'The Royals here!'. As we made our way through the crowds, I kept my eyes on the two boys to make sure we didn't get separated. I saw from the corner of my eye as Leander paused, and I saw some small child tug on his pant leg. I stepped closer, waving Cynric on. He scowled at us before doing so.

"You have tattoos all over!" the kid exclaimed to Leander. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt, displaying his full sleeves. Leander raised an eyebrow in questioning at the little human.

"Yes, I do," he said simply, his voice growing irritated. I leaned my hands onto my knees as I hunched down to the young boy's level.

"Where are your parents?" I asked kindly. The kid completely ignored me, entranced by Leander's tattoos.

"My mommy says that tattooed people are scary, and that they shouldn't show their tattoos in public because it can be disrespectful or distracting!" he spoke confidently. I bit my lip as I glanced warily over at my decorated companion. I felt dread shoot through me at the look on his face. Oh no... What is he scheming?

"Your mommy is very right. People with tattoos can do this." With that, he flashed the small boy his canines, letting a low growl slip out. The boy let out an ear piercing screech the same time I thumped Leander painfully on the back of his head. The kid took off, screaming for his mom.

"Leander! Bad dog!" I hissed out as I stood up. I noticed the kid had attracted unwanted attention from nearby bystanders. We received nasty looks as Leander rose to his full height, a nonchalant look on his face.

"I just had to. He pissed me off," Leander explained to me, shrugging his shoulders. I sighed loudly through my nose before sending him a pointed look.

"Let's go, Leander, before you find even more trouble." He sent me an innocent smile.

"I don't find trouble, trouble finds me!" We started heading back towards where the girl was jumping with her sign.

"Basically the same thing," I muttered under my breath. He sent me a sly smirk, and we found the kid at the back of the waiting crowd talking animatedly to Cynric. He had a grin on his face, and he seemed interested in what she was saying. I nudged Leander in the side.

"That's how you deal with kids!" I teased him. He grumbled in his breath, shoving his hands into his pockets as we grew closer to the two. The girl looked over Cynric's shoulder at us approaching, and I sent her excited smile before waving. The girl couldn't be any older than six.

"Hi, my name's Lucy!" she greeted us happily. Cynric shifted on his toes, so he was twisted more so towards us from his crouched position.

"Hi, Lucy! I'm Ariadne, and this is Leander," I said back to her, crouching down to her level. "But I wouldn't talk to Leander. He's a big meanie head!" I warned her, sending Leander a look. He just winked at me. I turned back to Lucy, who was attempting to send a glare towards Leander.

"So Lucy, where's your mommy or daddy?" I asked her. She pointed her hand off into the distance.

"Mommy went to the bathroom. Daddy is working somewhere in the city! I was with my nanny Helga, but she went to go get my mommy when Cynric showed up! She asked him to watch me." She nodded her head. By now, the sign had dropped to the floor, and she stood messing with the frills on her skirt. I looked at it like I was noticing it for the first time, gasping lightly.

"What a pretty skirt!" I said to her with a big smile. She giggled, twirling in it. I watched from the corner of my eye as Cynric stood up. I turned slightly to see a woman talking to Leander, and he went to join the conversation.

"Isn't it! Yellow is my favorite color!" the girl cried out ecstatically. I gave her a knowing eyebrow wiggle.

"Hey Lucy, is that your mommy over there?" I pointed towards the flustered looked middle aged brunette. Lucy's eyes lit up, and without answering my question, she bolted past me to her mother. I picked up their sign, carrying back with me as I joined the group. Lucy had jumped into her mother's arms, and she was now holding her firmly around her waist. The woman's eyes landed on me before she extended a hand.

"Hello, I'm assuming you're Ariadne? I'm Jackie Starr, Lucy's mom. I got a call in advance that you guys would be looking for me and would be showing up today in Hawaii?" she explained to us as her eyes flitted between the three of us. Another woman showed up behind Jackie, grabbing Lucy from her waist. Jackie sent the other woman an apologetic smile before whispering a thank you.

"Yes, we are here to see if you could possibly lend your services to us for a bit." Cynric purposed to the Pureblood. Her eyes searched ours for clarification.

"What for?" she asked us in a curious, but wary tone.

"You see, we need you to put a group of hunters to sleep." I started off explaining to her. Her eyes jumped back to me. "They stole my pendant, and we figured the easiest way would be to put them all to sleep and just slip in and get it." Jackie nodded her head, showing that she understood our reasoning.

"I'm willing to help you three. The only thing is, is that you'll need earplugs." She gave us a knowing smile."Luckily for you, I have some in the car. It comes in handy when your child doesn't quite know how to use her powers and when she starts singing in the car, she uses her power instead," she chortled at something she was remembering. "Knocked my husband clean out once!" She gestured for us to follow her, speaking quietly to Helga as we walked to the parking lot.

We stopped in front of a gray SUV, and Jackie opened the passenger side door, rifling through the center console as Helga strapped Lucy into the back. Jackie pulled out a bag full of neon orange earplugs, tossing it towards Cyrnic before closing her door and standing next to Lucy.

"Hey, baby, mommy's going to go away for a bit, but I'll be back soon, okay?" she spoke to her daughter. Lucy nodded, and Jackie placed a kiss on Lucy's forehead. She turned the Helga. "Tell Houston that I went to help the other Purebloods, okay?" Jackie asked Helga. Helga told the woman okay, before she closed the back SUV door and climbed into the driver's seat. Jackie turned towards us, her hands planted on her hips.

"So, where is it we are all going?" she asked curiously.

"We're going to Washington state."