Another Day..., Sydney.

[Sydney Fulke]

Sydney picked up her bowl, barely touched, and walked to the sink. Dumping the left overs down the drain she looked sideways at her brother on the counter next to her. "Yea, we should do that sometime."

She turned and rested her back on the sink, looking down at the plainly tiled floor. She started fumbling with the fringe of her shirt. "Or we could invent something brillant that no one ever thought of, make tons of money, move up to the top level, and then donate to those who arn't as fortunate."

She looked over/up at Zaak with jokingly hopeful eyes. Sometimes it was fun to be completely ridiculus and unrealistic. She smiled at him, they were oddly close for a brother and sister. They were supposed to hate and resent each other or something, right?

She kissed him on the cheek and steped away. "I do understand." She paused. "I do. It makes sense...I just, I don't know. I want the best for you." She didn't really explain what she was talking about, he knew.

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak knew his sister wanted the best for him.

What puzzled Zaak was, what WAS best for him? What was so great about an education? You could make loads of money doing other things, just as easily. You just needed the brains and the fortitude to follow it through.

Reaching out he flashed her his trademark, mischevious grin that oozed his easy confidence.

Then, the youth ruffled Sydney's hair and left he kitchen.

"If you need me I'll be in my room!" He said, before dashing up the stairs and skirting around the corner, un-nessisarily getting the dog excited. From where Syd was, she'd shortly hear a thud of two bodies hitting the deck.

Zaak was wrestling with the mutt again.

[Sydney Fulke]

She laughed quietly to herself hearing the sound of the two wrestling, a common event in their house. She finished up the dishes, washing and drying. She then followed the same path Zaak had taken onto the porch, bringing a bowl with her.

She appeared in the doorway, leaning on the frame. She just watched quietly as the two attacked one another. They were using all animal instincts. Clawing, growling, and rolling around. Zaak went right down to the dog’s level so easily.

“Should I start leaving your food in a bowl by the door as well?” She asked, placing a big pink dog bowl filled to the brim on the ground.

The dog quickly abandoned all fighting attempts and bounded at the bowl, more fiercely attacking the food then she had Zaak. “Sorry to have broken that up.” She said lightly laughing. She turned smoothly from where she had stood and reentered the house. She leisurely walked to the living room, grabbing a book along the way.

When she reached the living room she threw a lit match into the fireplace and proceeded to the big, squishy chair in the corner. She had found the chair years ago in a consignment shop, it was old and ratty but she loved it all the same. Once thoroughly sunken in she opened up her latest book, some wizarding fantasy, and began reading.

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak wrestling the pooch was a sight to behold in itself. He actually bit at the dog's shoulders, catching fur and skin in his own teeth, while she did the same with his clothes. It wasn't nasty trying to rip the skin off each other biting - it was just playful chomps. Hands and paws wound up in each other's faces and up each other's noses, the growling and occasional barks coming from Zaak easily mistakable for those coming from the dog.

They rolled and bumped and pawed and played, and then the dog was distracted by her dinner and bounded off, gobbling it down in a mad rush. Eating, in fact, in the same way Zaak had eaten his stew. With a hungry vigor.

Pushing himself onto his elbows (for Zaak was sprawled belly up on the floor) he flashed a grin at his sister, and merely barked in reply.

As she moved off, the boy, like a dog, got up and followed her, waiting for her to settle down in her chair before flumping down at her feet, head resting on her knee and eyes fixing onto the book.

"Whatcha reading?" He quipped, barely letting her get a sentence into the novel. "And will ya read it ta me?"

[Sydney Fulke]

Sydney looked down underneath her book, to see her teenage brother resting on her knee. "Fantasy. You know that's always the answer, but you always ask." She said smiling. It was an old novel she had dug up in an old store. It was practically falling apart, no binding left at all. But it's what she could afford. Besides the writing of hundreds of years ago could be, and often was, better than anything modern.

She stirred in the seat a bit so that he now rested on the cushion, not her. Next came their dog, it was a party now. The dog, food still caught in her fur around the mouth, was convinced she was a small little pooch. In stark contrast to her quite large size. So she tried to squeeze herself in between Zaak on the chair, resting her head on Sydney. I just got one of you off! She thought as the dog drooled over her legs.

"Lovely. You two never give up do you?" She said patting them each on the head with a hand. "Ok. I give in."

She opened the book up again to the front flap, quickly reading it over once again to remind herself of the summary. "It's about a girl, about 14 years old. She was the most popular girl in school and had the cutest boyfriend and everything all girls desire. Miss perfect. She always had a knack at reading into people very well, she thought she was just perceptive and a good listener. But she eventually discovers, no doubt through great tests and trials, that she's really a witch. A witch who is specially gifted at reading minds. So she finds herself, hones her skills etc. etc. And I'd guess realizes her whole perfect life was just a sham. One of those self-discovery, life altering experiences novels."

By the time she finished her rant the dog had retreated to lay in front of the fire place. Zaak still sat at her feet though, "Still interested?"

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak didn't like self discovery. He crinkled his nose and shook his head. "I'll pass on this one. No explosions and no really gutsy fantasy stuff." He smiled and pushed up from the floor, padding over to where the dog was and lying flat out with her, peering out the window from where he lay.

It was pouring with rain. And he wanted to go outside. Bastard weather.

Eyes looked to his sister. He prefered books of david gemmell type, where the relucant, yet skilled, anti-hero type person killed lots of people and felt bad about it, but in the end it was all for the good of the country, rather than any concepts of good and evil.

Eyes looked away. Most of the time he irrtated Syd until she read to him, since reading himself he found a slow, frustrating, difficult process. Never mind. Slipping his eyes closed he lay quietly, the dog wandering over and laying her head on his stomach, before dozing off.

It was the only time when they were quiet.

When they were bored.

[Sydney Fulke]

A slight smile came across her face as Zaak retreated, "thought so." She knew by now which books he would and wouldn't listen to. This was so not his cup of tea.

She watched momentarily as he laid down and then she resumed her book, boy and dog free (and drool free, her favorite bit).

After getting a few chapters in the book was starting to lose it's charm, too predictable. The herione was undoubtably about to fall for the corky, un-cool kid in school cause he understood her and her new plight. The popular boyfriend would have a sudden explosion of feelings blah blah blah...she took a break from reading.

Zaak and the dog both lay still with their eyes closed. The dog was probably sleeping, Zaak on the other hand probably wasn't. So she tip toed over to them. And screamed into Zaak's face.

His eyes shot open, she stood up straight again. "I'm bored. This books lame." He wasn't the only immature one...well at least not all the time. Syd had her moments.

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak had heard Sydney moving. He was always aware of his situation, his surroundings, perhaps maybe because of his hyperactivity, or maybe just because he was a naturally alert kind of person. Still, Sydney screaming at him was something he didn't expect, so he shot bolt upright and nearly head butted his sister in surprised.

The dog woke with a start and began to bark wildely, the youth himself reaching out to grab his sister by the lapel of her shirt and drag her down.

It was time for a wrestling match, and Sydney had no-one to blame but herself. "You cow!" Zaak exclaimed, rolling to his knees as he pulled Sydney down onto the carpeted floor.

"I could've had a heart attack! Grrrr..." A playful growl and he made to pull her hair.

Zaak had always played rough. It wasn't that he couldn't be gentle handed, but when he play fought, he play FOUGHT. If you get my meaning. He didn't go easy of Syd just cos she was a girl.

[Sydney Fulke]

What's sad is that Sydney should know better by now. But either she just hadn't thought it through or really didn't care that Zaak was going to attack her. She was bored after all.

So she was pulled to the floor and pushed onto her back. He had her pinned down. though younger he was light years stronger than Sydney could even hope of being.

"Oh a heart attack?" she struggled with him a bit. "That would have been -ugh- a shame."

She managed to wedge her leg up between them and kneed him in the stomach. He didn't pull off, it was Zaak after all, but he moved enough that she could gain a bit of leverage and slip one arm from his grasp.

With her free hand she did what any girl would do, not punch of course, but hit and slapped and scratched at his back and neck.

"Ughhh." She screamed. "Stop with the hair pulling! It's attached -gah- and I like it that way!"

[Zaak Fulke]

The knee in his stomach expelled air with an undignified "ooof" sound, but the youth recovered quickly once his sister had escaped his grasp and started scratching and hitting his neck. He pulled her hair somemore before letting go, and the pushing his hand into her face to cover her eyes.

Of course, his other hand still had her pinned down, and the dog was getting so excited with all the fighting she'd grabbed Zaak's foot and was attempting to pull his sock off.

It was quite an interesting picture.

"Argh if you don't-..." Syd's fingers briefly invaded his ear with a scratch, "Want to..." The youth tried to insert a finger up Syd's nose, other hand reaching around for her throat to start playfully strangling her. "Play it rough...." Pulled his leg back from the dog and lost a sock, the canine careening in to an old wooden chair and knocking it over.

"Then don't start it!"

Shaking her head by her neck, in a grip. Not enough to cut off her air ( he wasn't trying to murder his sister after all) but enough to make breathing laboured.

[Sydney Fulke]

Tears sprang to Sydney's eyes as he 'playfully' strangled her. The boy didn't know his own strength. She wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck (while making sure she kept breathing) and pushed her thumb up under his chin, right behind his jaw. Really it just tended to hurt. She hoped he would release his grip a bit. With her other hand she continued to claw at him, savagely now.

Between slightly shakey breaths she sputtered out, "Rough and..." break for breath, "CRUEL" break #2, "ARE TWO SEPARATE THINGS!"

In a fit she started kicking him as well now. The dog made her way back into the struggle. Since Zaaks back was exposed she joined in on Syd's side (not on purpose) and started scratching at his back and pulling at his clothes.

She rolled her head back so his hand wasn't directly on her neck anymore, she now couldn't see what was going on but continued to fight at whatever she could.

[Zaak Fulke]

There was a long drawn out ripping sound, and then the dog tripped over her back haunches as the wool of Zaak's jumper gave way, and left it with a gaping hole. More surprised at this than anything, Zaak (complete with scratches to his back, neck and chin) let up from his sister and backed off, hands frantically patting his now, naked, back.

"She ripped my jumper!" He exlaimed, somewhat stupidly before whimpering (dramatically) and wriggling out of it. He poked the gargantuan hole like he'd never torn his clothing before. "My Jumper!"

The dog menawhile got back to her feet, the segement of torn clothing still held in her jaws before she trotted back over, tail wagging stupidly with a daft expression on her doggy features.

Zaak threw the jumper at her. "My Jumper!"

Then turned his attention to his sister and pointed an accusatory finger. "It's all your fault!"

it was of course, all in mockery of course. Zaak knew he'd get an arse kicking for ruining another jumper when their parent's got home, but barely a day passed when Zaak didn't get an arse kicking from one OR the other of his parent's.

Normally it was a jointed effort though.

[Sydney Fulke]

Finally Zaak let up, only at the sake of his ripped clothing. But she didn't care the reason. She proped herself on her elbows (she was still laying on her back) and looked up at Zaak. He looked dumbfounded like it was incredible a dog, with claws, had ripped his jumper.

"Yes." She said confirming the obvious. "She did rip your jumper."

The dog trotted over to her and rested her head on Syd's stomach, she was tired from her hard work. "Good job girl." Syd said in a barely there whisper as she patted the pups nose.

"But it's not my fault." She continued to Zaak. "The dog did it, not me." A sneer crossed her lips. It was clear she wasn't all that sympathetic to Zaak's plight at the moment. She was more releived that she could breathe properly again. But when she saw his poor, defeated pouty expression she felt a bit bad about it. Not guilty, just felt sorry for him. He was always the one in trouble. So she gently pulled the material from the dogs grip and stood. She walked over to Zaak and put her arm around his waist, "Come on then, let's try and sew it back together before mom gets home."

[Zaak Fulke]

Even if they fixed the jumper, there still would be something for Zaak to get into trouble for. Nodding he stood up, and with him stood the dog, bounding over. Idly he patted her on the head, tossed the jumper and scrap and Sydney, before heading upstairs and into their mothers room to find the sewing kit.

Locating it under the bed he then trundled on down the stairs and presented it to his sister - Zaak couldn't sew. The delicate work just irritated him more than anything, and left him grouchy and grumpy and disilusioned.

Eyebrows lifted however, and a grin curled across his face. "So get to it woman." He said, still laying the blame for the damage on his jumper entirely on Syd. "And once yer done with the sewing get back in the kitchen and bake me a pie!"

Natually he was only mocking the chauvanistic stereoytpe, and didn't really mean it. But he ducked in anticipation of the slap that would be coming anyway.

[Sydney Fulke]

Sydney sat crossed-legged in her comfy chair with the jumper. The dog ahd really done a number on it. It wasn't quite a clean cut. It was shredded. Her best bet was a patch job instead of sewing the pieces back together.

Zaak came back down with the sewing kit just as Syd was ripping the underside of the cushion off for the extra material.

"So get to it woman. And once yer done with the sewing get back in the kitchen and bake me a pie!"

Hmmf. She took the cushion she was pulling the material from and chucked it at her brother. "You really think that's the best way to get me to help you?!" She said with her hand on her hip.

"You know mom trusts me more than you, I could easily get you grounded for ages!" She said jokingly but it wasn't an empty threat. They both knew it was true.