|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:10 am
He couldn't help but wince a little as he tended to his arm. His shoulders had rolled instinctively; his wings had fluttered from frustration as he strode down the sidewalk of the seeming ancient park. The writhing trees, illuminated only by the street lamps, had seemed to taunt him with their intimidating faces. They simply glowered at him, as if bemused by his accidental injury in scaling the fire-escape of the apartment building.
Embarrassed and bitter, Alex had come to a stop beneath a lamp. His fingers had grasped one elbow, rubbing at it with tender care as he breathed. It was growing cold, and he hadn't thought to bring a coat with him when sneaking out of the house. Then again, he hadn't thought much of anything. The cramped little apartment had been stiff; it had wreaked of unwashed dishes and clothing, and the snoring had been distinctly obnoxious. There was nothing to say of it. He was indebted and infinitely grateful to be away from the horrors of a system that he had felt forgot him. Nevertheless, he needed to be away. He needed to breathe, and to find the fresh open air which gave him his sweet security. Truly, his injury had been an accident; his forgetting his coat had been an accident. As he figured, he would simply have to make due with the matter or face running back and being caught roaming without a word.
And what had been the first thing said that morning when the apartment had first been introduced? Curfew. Bed time. Strict, strict deadlines for sleep and waking up and being indoors. Not even a day and he was stretching the rules, breaking them apart by sneaking off to enjoy the fresh air. But rules were lame anyway. He didn't need rules, and everything was perfectly fine. Nothing really bad had happened - just his scraped elbow!
Alex had smiled momentarily, swinging his arm up until his hand had rested against the light post. Carefully, he had planted his feet upon its base, hoisting himself up to give a glance to the naked branches of a few members of the trees' congregation. A fine smile had been plastered on his face. His fingers had drummed, his wings had flapped, casting up wind with almost giddy interest; then he had stopped. He had looked over his shoulder, almost paranoid at the sound of a crackle. When nothing came of it, he gave a rough breath of air. Then he had hopped down, and his walk had continued. The uncomfortable silence had followed, and soon he had been murmuring to himself. Small reassurances. Rambles of sorts and comments on the setting. Gibberish. He spoke quickly, softly, and incoherently. The last thing he needed was to get caught. There were things to be done.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:32 pm
Raven impatiently watched the clock as she mindlessly pushed the unmotorized vacuumed around the basement, humming to herself as she went along. She began tossing certain toys away in open bins, and others just off to the side as she had no idea where it was that they went, and didn't want to ask just in case Pyren or Erika decided that it would be much more fun to hang around and make a mess of everything again while she tried to tidy up for Alex. Sure it would be fun and all to play with them a little, but she didn't want Alex to step on anything pointy and plastic. It was sort of last minute, their get together, but Shane didn't seem to mind too much. He was leaving in about half an hour so there would be just enough time for she and Alex to see them off before hanging about the house by themselves. As Raven vacuumed, Rumkai rested ontop of the banister leading downstairs, safe from any flying toys or aimless vacuum.
As a matter of fact, Shane was incredibly happy that Raven was finally getting a friend over to the house; she'd been seen on occasion moping about a little the last little while and explaining that Alex was her best friend in the whole world and that she missed him. At least now the two of them would be back together for a bit, and it seemed to cheer her up immensely. He grabbed his shopping list of what it was he needed to get for everybody, and then rounded up Pyren and Erika to try and get the two of them ready at once, which was no easy feat, especially when Erika was entranced with her light apparatus, and Pyren was in Shane's room listening to his old Twisted Sister album.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 4:08 pm
His feet had pattered along the pathway as Alex made his venture. The occasional thud in the night, or flurry of voices, startled him - but he tried as he would to pay them little heed. The nit-picky tones of scolding parents attempting to keep their deadlines by hauling their young inside melded with the giddy laughter of teenage couples scattering from their seated locations on benches along the side-walk. It was a casual place, but nevertheless hectic, and the further Alex veered from the apartment, the more he remembered the tone of voice Izzy had used when specifying what ... Rules remained within his domain.
It was worth it, though. He continuously told himself that it was worth the trouble and hell that would be to pay - and, for all that it was worth, he would call the sleeping oaf once he had arrived. Perhaps, if he showered and maybe looked presentable, he'd even consider asking him to meet Raven. Maybe.
The walk was filled with idle thoughts and panicky glances; by the time he had found the country road leading along towards where he knew Raven's house was, for a phone conversation had inevitably led to such knowledge, he was nearly out of breath. His eyes were wide, and his face had become long as he ventured up towards the door, his arms wrapped tightly about him in a fierce hug.
He hadn't even thought to let himself go to knock on the door. Instead, he had simply kicked it a few times. Thud. Thud. Thud.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:20 pm
"Doooor!" Pyren called as he raced down the stairs, switching the record player off.
"Don't worry Pyren, I've got it. Get your coat from the stairs and wait there." Shane said as he moved towards the door.
"Okay. Umn, help dad?" Pyren asked impatiently.
"In a minute, in a minute." Shane said, finally opening the door and greeting Alex. "Hi there! I guess you're Alex huh? Well come on in, it's gotten chilly out there...and oh woah where's your coat? You've got to be freezing." Shane ushered Alex inside and closed the door, hoping the house was warm enough to thaw the poor boy.
"We were just about to head out, but Raven's downstairs waiting for you," Shane pointed at the ajar basement door. "There's a fireplace down there too if you want to make yourself warmer, and you can help yourself to any food in the kitchen if you're hungry. I think we might have some cold pizza or something left."
"Helloooo!" Pyren waved both at Alex and at Shane.
"Okay Pyren, let's get your coat on." Shane said, moving over to the boy and helping him with his purple jacket, while still keeping an eye on Alex in case he needed anything.
Downstairs, Raven heard familiar noises and Pyren's shouting. She quickly picked up the pace of her cleaning now. She was almost done, but she probably looked a wreck and smelled like a shampooed vacuum cleaner.
Rumkai decided to make himself a little more useful and since Raven wasn't going to go upstairs to greet Alex, he decided to fly up and perch on Alex's shoulder to let him know that he was at the right place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:51 pm
Alex had stood in a fidgeting manner. His arms had wriggled about him, vigorously attempting to warm the exposed flesh. The cold had not been something he had concerned himself with when he had left, and as the night air entered a state of frigid wonder, he could only begin to hobble and criticize his not grabbing one of the coats from the closet and renovating it for his wings.
His teeth had chattered but a moment before the creak of the door had captured his attention. Alex's heart had pattered against his chest; like a deviant caught in the act of something questionable, his head had snapped to look up, greeted not by Raven, but the face of a man he could not recall having ever seen in his life. Instinct had taken over, and Alex had felt a portion of him shrink. He did not like strangers. No, and the defenses which inhabited such a harbored disdain had only made him shrug his shoulders before yelping as he was rushed inside to escape the cold.
"Yeah; I'm Alex." He had stated, swinging his arms somewhat and giving a nervous glance around. His head had been turned, tilted off to the side in what appeared to be a vain attempt to avoid eye contact.
"... I don't have a coat." The words had come slowly, almost distantly at the thought before he shook his head and snorted. "I don't need one, it's alright, really!" Again he had paused, but this time a glimmer had seemed to catch his eye. He had actually looked to Shane, shuffling somewhat before taking his directions.
Something caught him, however, and he had whirled only briefly to yell: "Thanks for the offer." - as he could recall some form of a negative response in the back of his mind to having not said thank you before.
Regardless, it was soon gone, and Alex had nearly tripped down the stairs as he leapt, skipping every other step while inhaling deep breaths. She's down here., he had reminded himself, and a smile had crossed his face.
"Raven?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:05 pm
Her name had barely escaped Alex's mouth and Rumkai had barely escaped Alex's shoulder before Raven had leaped upon him and was holding him closer to her and longer than she had ever done in all the time they had known each other. He was freezing. She didn't care. She smelled like dusty shampoo. She didn't care. She'd lost two families and was in the hospital for god only knew how long. She didn't care. She and Alex were back together and that's all that mattered in the whole world. Raven couldn't help it, she was so happy that she began to cry. She was so happy that she even twirrled the two of them further into the room. Sure, it was corny, she didn't care. She just wanted to hold Alex for as long as she possibly could until her arms got tired.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:25 pm
The house was indefinitely warmer than the outside had been, with the chill thrown out by the walls. As Alex had hurried down the stairs, only bothering to give the occasional glance over his shoulder, he could only grin to some sort of delight that there was warmth. Again, the coat. He would have to remember to grab one of the coats when he went home, surely it was going to get colder outside --- He stopped, shaking off the drivel as he had turned his head back around.
It had happened quickly - and within hardly a moment's instance, Alex had felt a pair of arms about him. He may have jumped, but the quickness of it all had caught him off-guard, enough so that the initial disturbance didn't matter. He knew who those arms belonged to anyway, and when he had collected himself after the joyous celebration, he could only smile and join in.
He was happy to see her, and there was no doubt within his mind that he had missed her. And there she was. He forgot about the coats and cold and the man at the door and the house; he simply returned the hug, snug but not tight. She smelt terrible, but he could only imagine what she was doing. Had she been doing something? What was that smell?
He had contemplated asking - even trying to make her laugh about it - but as quickly as joy had set in, tears had set in, and he had watched her cry those tears of joy as they twirled around haphazardly. She was crying; he may have cried too, but all he wanted to do was keep spinning in that circle for a little bit and listen to the celebration.
"Raven!" He'd exclaimed; there was a feeling of something there - laughter, maybe, or ... Something. It felt good, that was what he knew. "Agh, it's great to see you!" He had practically shouted the words, attempting to push her a short distance as if he wanted to get a good look at her. After all, it had been some time.
"You smell like carpet or something!" He had added, one wing twitching somewhat. "Nice, I mean. Nice!" He had stared, somewhat mystified. It seemed like it'd never happen - but there she was. Solid. "What've you been doing down here?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:37 pm
"Shut up, this stupid vacuum doesn't work!" Raven said with a laugh, not even realizing that she was saying anything and buried her head into Alex's shoulder, trying to keep herself from laughing. "Just, don't say anything."
****
Shane continued to round up Erika from upstairs by finding something shinier than what she was currently looking at and leading her to the stairs where he wrapped her up in a coat. It was a hassle, but in about half an hour he was finally able to get all three of them out the door.
"Raven, we're leaving now! You two be good!" Shane called and waited for a response. He didn't get one, so he shrugged and closed the door quickly before Erika realized that her room was prettier than outside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:47 pm
"Oh, it doesn't?" Alex had wrinkled his nose, tilting his head somewhat in mocking thought. The subject was soon brushed aside. In the end, it didn't matter what she smelled like; it didn't really matter what she had been doing in the basement either. One was explanatory. She had been cleaning. He certainly wasn't that dense.
But as Raven had rested her head against his shoulder, he had felt a bit of a prickle up his spine. His throat had been cleared as he patted her back. Don't say anything. It seemed like such a ridiculous request. He hadn't traveled such a distance to say nothing. Yet, he wasn't sure he minded a brief moment. It had been such a long time.
That thought only made Alex more curious. How had she been? Were they treating her well, was she okay? As he thought of such questions, Shane's declaration had rattled down the stairs. He had given it a brief glance.
Not a word. He hadn't realized he wasn't speaking, the questions running through his mind, but not quite making it to his mouth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:32 pm
It took a while after Shane had left before Raven decided to pull away from Alex. Her legs were hurting from being on her feet all day, but the basement was finally clean. All of the toys were in some form of order against the wall or in a bin. The couch and recliner were clear of chip crumbs and she even found a buck in one of the cushions. The chess set had been put on the bookshelf with the other video games, movies and old books Shane had, and the television and sound system were both quickly dusted. After staying so long in the hospital, even housework seemed fun, until Alex showed up and she wanted to mess it all up again.
Stepping back to look at him finally, Raven could see that there wasn't too much of him that had changed over the last year, Alex was still Alex in every way that she had remembered, and she felt more of herself now that he was standing there in front of her, real as could be.
"Hey Alex!" Raven said, running over to the couch and standing on it "Watch this!" There was something odd about Shane's couch that made it really comfortable when you sat down, but for some reason, the springs in it were also so strong that it was perfect for bouncing, which Raven did, until she could get high enough to barely touch the ceiling with her index finger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:56 pm
Alex had almost forgotten how tall Raven seemed to be in comparison to him. Looking at her, his head had cocked slightly to the side. He had tilted it back; an odd look plastered to his face before he was caught by a sudden action.
When his little observation had halted, he was suddenly watching the couch. The jumping. He remembered rules: stay off the couch. But it looked fun. It looked ... Really fun. "That ... That's awesome." He had breathed. He had taken a couple of steps forward, jumping on his toes a couple of times before slowing down. "Is it okay to do that, though? It won't break ..."
Did it matter? It was fun. It looked fun.
"Can you touch the ceiling like that?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:07 am
Raven stopped jumping and began springing the couch with her legs.
"I think so, I've done it before and it hasn't broken. Shane seems to be more worried about me hurting myself than the couch, so it must be strong." Raven giggled "And of course I can touch the ceiling silly!" She taunted, jumping as high as she could again barely nicking the ceiling. Occasionally, Raven would flap her arms to give herself a bit more hang-time, but neither she nor anyone else would call it flying by any means.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:06 pm
Alex had leaned. His brows had been moved in a quizzical manner as if he were inspecting the couch for something. Still, he had remained in place long enough to listen to her explanation. If it hadn't broken, it had to be a strong couch. It seemed strong enough. And if that man hadn't cared when Raven did it, he likely wouldn't care if he did it too.
That was enough reassurance for him. His wings had fluttered a bit. "...Bet I can touch more of it." He had grinned somewhat awkwardly as he made a slight dash, leaping as if to jump on the couch.
"Watch!" He had stated somewhat loudly. His chest had puffed forward with pride as he gave one jump, then another, and another, his arms flailing about at the ceiling, but never coming close. "Agh. C'mon! There, there!" His fingers had nearly come close to it, but he had eventually come back down, staggering a bit on the cushions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:15 pm
Raven had quickly gotten the idea to start jumping at a spring interval so that the bounces in the couch went back and forth like a see-saw. She found it was working a little bit, or at least enough that she was able to get three of her fingers to touch the ceiling.
"Come on Alex!" Raven encouraged "You can do it, almost there!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:28 pm
Alex had jumped again. His fingers had wriggled at the ceiling in vain and hope. A part of him was telling him to pay attention to his feet, but it was soon lost to blind ambition and a will to out-do. His knees had buckled once as he gave a vast leap, biting down on his lip as one finger barely managed to scrape the ceiling.
Then he had slipped.
"WHOA!" He had howled, laughing somewhat as he slid down against the cushion, managing to catch himself before he slid to the floor. He had sat a moment, huffing and laughing to himself. He'd touched it. "I got it! Told you I could get it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
