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 Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 6:52 pm
 A soft, quiet yawn came from Spawn's throat, breaking the serene atmosphere of this placid, silent meadow. Well, it wasn't quite a meadow, but it was a field of grass with several large boulders poking their heads up from beneath. Knots of red cloth twisted and swirled about him as he stood from his resting place, hopping easily from the ground to the top of one of the smooth stones.
"I don't think I've ever been so bored..." he muttered quietly aloud, glowing eyes roving quickly over the landscape, "Not even a simple thug to beat up around here... damn." He sighed heavily, tails wrapping about his side as he sat. The day couldn't have been better- the sun was shining brightly, not a cloud to be seen, and yet here he was, sitting in a field with nothing to do. Not to mention his black fur was quickly warming from the attention he received from the sun. Nothing compared to being thrust into hell's fires, but it was an annoying detail to say the least.
"I wish there was just something to do..." he grumbled, blinking slowly once or twice, cloak morphing into abstract shapes as he did so, "Something to pass the time..."
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:44 pm
 Finally, the snow had dissipated; perpetual white had melted away and was replaced by sunlight, whose rays kissed at her delicate face tenderly whilst she wandered about on quiet paws. A meadow. And she took her time to admire the green that surrounded her. She ventured about the rocks with vigorous delight before her honey-tinted eyes rested upon several colors that were out of place. Charcoal and crimson - blatantly displayed before her as she pulled her weight upon the rock. A cant of her head before she spoke, notably hesitant, "Hello there, stranger. Care for a cup of tea...?" A pause. What, exactly, was she talking about? She had no tea. Perhaps it was just a greeting-habit she had become accustomed to when she was working at the teahouse. But that mattered little now, she needed to correct herself.
"Are you... traveling as well?" She quirked her brow curiously, her tails flicking thoughtfully behind her. "Imagine that! Two wayward travelers stuck on the same rock. Well - I doubt your stuck, that is; but me? Whew - it was trouble enough getting up here; I don't even want to think about getting down. But the view is nice - and that's what I came for in the first place; so I imagine I'll be okay for awhile." What was she doing? He seemed dangerous enough. She supposed it was just a lack of conversation throughout winter. She certainly missed conversing. It seemed like an eternity since she had last spoken to anyone. But he was definitely suspicious - someone she would question even walking near on a typical day. But this was not a typical day. She was lonely, and insane - and she needed someone to talk to. A moment, however, of silence as she got a better look at his face. It was obvious, Fuu decided, that she was in fact crazy. How could she be so careless as to approach anybody so large and shady without a bodyguard?
Stupid, stupid, stupid...
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Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:56 pm
The hellspawn was stirred lightly from his thoughts, glowing emerald eyes turning a bit to gaze upon the new arrival to this place. He eyed her silently for a moment, pondering whether to leave or not. The swirling crimson mass around him defensively sharpened into dangerous points, relaxing after a moment or two. He almost stood and walked silently away, but he stopped himself mid-thought. After all, what had the young woman done to him? She was friendly enough, after all, so it was likely that she wasn't a minion of Maelbolgia, sent to bring him back to Hell. Wait, did she just ask if he wanted tea? The statement highly confused him, but Spawn chose to disregard it as a slip of tongue. No one in their right mind would have fresh tea all the way out here... would they?
"Traveling... you could say that." he replied, voice deep and calm. In reality, he wasn't quite sure where he was traveling to, but he was moving from place to place nonetheless. A small smirk crossed his face as the girl babbled on some more, amused at her upbeat personality. He didn't know quite how long he'd be able to stand her if she kept this up, but for a little while, at least, he could manage.
"What brings you out here, then?" he inquired after she fell silent, voice quieter than he had realized, "Surely a girl like yourself would be more suited to a stay in a comfortable town than out here in the mountains..." He didn't like the way that sentence sounded as the words came out of his mouth; he wasn't hitting on her, he had only known her for thirty seconds; but he was more than curious as to why she was all the way out here.
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Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 9:06 pm
"And I just happen to be 'out here' because I'm not so helpless as I seem, bucko. I can stand my own, thank you very much. And when I can't take care of myself, I woo someone with my immense beauty to take care of me instead..." It was as much a lie as her 'discovery'; she wooed no one with her looks; mostly because she lacked the entire breast factor. Something Mugen had told her several times.
Over and over and over again.
A small cough of her own, to interrupt such insignificant contemplation. Her honey-colored eyes looked hesitantly into his dazzling green ones before she spoke, somewhat quietly, "Besides - the comfortable town is a little spendy, y'know? I don't really have that kind of money." It was pretty evident; sleeping beneath the stars was something she disliked greatly; but it was something she often did as a traveler, and she had slowly been accepting it, perhaps even enjoying it more and more in the nights that passed with her slumbering outdoors. It was almost funny; no, it was funny how much she had changed since she had been on her own.
"So, dearest wayfaring stranger - what, may I ask, is your name? Unless, of course, you expect me to call you 'Dearest Wayfaring Stranger' throughout this entire conversation. But I suppose I could do that. Oh, idea - maybe I could call you 'DWS' for short. That sounds spiffy, doesn't it? And you just call me Coquette: The Amazing and Beautiful Queen."
She offered the male a coy smile. Oh, the jokes she could think of for that cape; that swirling, crimson-red catastrophe he wore upon his fur. Some lessons in the department of fashion were most definitely in order. But those could wait; they could most definitely wait.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 6:10 pm
Oh? An introduction? The hell spawn was surprised- he hadn't expected the young woman to actually stay for more than a short "hey, another traveler, hello". Fuu, was it? The name was fairly easy to remember, at the least. He didn't know why he actually cared about who she was; it was likely the long period of winter's isolation had something to do with it, though.
Following the short introduction, a long string of conversation from her followed. Had he mistakenly offended her? Ah, no matter. She had quite the character- he himself wasn't used to bright and cheery personalities, much less someone else striking up a conversation with him. He just didn't get that kind of attention. The most he usually got was something along the lines of terrified screams. His eyes looked to her. "Woo someone to protect you?" a soft, amused laugh came from his throat. "I've never heard of something like that before." Pausing, broad smirk covered his face. Tell me, does it work?"
His brow quirked at her quiet statement that followed. Ah, so that's how it was. Indeed, the trifles of real-world things like money and possessions often bothered him. You couldn't get anywhere in life without one or the other. He himself had never really minded being outdoors and under the stars. In his past life, having the time to stop and even look at the sky was something that he just didn't have. Now that he was free to roam as he pleased, he could get used to this lifestyle. The only thing he missed was his family from his previous days. What he wouldn't give to have that same feeling again...
He shook the thought quickly from his head, silently reprimanding himself for spacing out in the company of another. His ear twitched a bit, back into focus.
Dearest wayfaring stranger? The thought made him laugh a bit. "Oh, I don't know... 'Fuu' is a lot easier to say than 'Coquette: The Amazing and Beautiful Queen'. And I believe you would have to earn that before I began to call you by it." A charming smile crossed his face, cloak curling itself about him and relaxing its swirling activities. "I no longer answer to the name I used to have. It may not be a true name, but most here just call me... Spawn."
Compared to hers, his own name was quite strange indeed. He supposed it was fitting, though- being spit out from hell had its own trappings to go with it, after all.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:34 pm
She frowned upon his telling her that she needed to earn the title she had made for herself. What a pain. If she had made it for herself, it shouldn't be so difficult. She shouldn't have to earn it. But maybe he just thought her actual name was more beautiful than the name she had created. She couldn't blame him; her birth name was, in fact, a spectacular and beautiful one.
Then came his name, and she quirked her brow curiously. A questioning look before her eyes flicked to the rock below her; then she spoke, somewhat softly, "That's a weird name." Blunt and straight to the point; and she honestly questioned her own mannerisms. She really wasn't very polite. She would have to apologize. "I'm sorry! How rude of me. I mean - it is a weird name, but I have no right to say it is to you - just think it..." She frowned, "Or - quite actually I have no right to judge your name at all."
She was as terrible at apologies as she was at being polite.
"You know what? Forget I said anything at all. It's a pleasure to meet you, Spawn." And it was. This, she decided, as she offered him a gentle smile. "Though I really do wonder why your parents would name you that; I guess my name is equally strange..." She cackled, "Okay - no it isn't, but..." Christ, she was doing it again. "Never mind, never mind..." She stuttered embarrassedly, her eyes averting childishly.
"Maybe we should just talk about something else entirely, huh? After all, names are just names - and just because some of us are destined to have... wow, the weather is great today."
... Smooth, Fuu - very smooth.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:38 pm
Though he somewhat doubted that her way of manipulating others really worked, the hell spawn decided that it was best just to go along with it- it was an amusing thought, after all. Wait, did she say in love?
"Oh, I'm sure I will be." he replied, rolling his eyes. It was difficult to see, however, considering that he lacked a visible pupil. "If your charming abilities are as vast as you claim, I'll down in a matter of minutes." He grinned broadly, head cocking slightly to the side. She was sharp, he could tell- more than just a random ditz who couldn't tell left from right. That alone was one of the reasons that kept him from just walking away- she had character.
"Don't apologize," he replied simply, shrugging his shoulders, "It wasn't the name my parents gave to me. You see... well, it's a long story, and I'm not sure that it would give a great first impression." A weak smile crawled across his face. He didn't really want to tell her how his name had come to pass, but if she inquired about it, he would most likely divulge the story. After all, she wasn't as much as a prissy city-type girl as he first had thought her to be.
The weather? Well, he guessed it was nice, after all. Not quite good enough for a conversation, though. It sounded too superficial to him, something that someone you didn't know would ask just to seem polite.
What was he saying? He didn't know her, after all. Why should he expect a deep, thought provoking conversation from him?
"Yes, it is," he replied anyways, going along with the small-talk, "In your home town, wherever that place is, is the weather like this?" Ugh, smooth move, Spawn. Not a very intelligent question, but the words were already out of his mouth. Seemed like both of them weren't thinking before they spoke today... what an odd coincidence.
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:24 pm
"The weather in my hometown?" She dragged the words on and on in a sing-song tone, her eyes averting thoughtfully as she recalled all the different seasons - and how they affected her mother, herself, and all else who resided in their small village. "Gawd, well - you know... the weather was... umm... changing... all the time..." It was an obvious answer; and the fact that he'd even consider asking such a question, let alone actually voicing it, showed that he was as unsure as she. That, or her assumption that she would have him whipped by the end of the day was completely accurate, and she should make millions as a fortuneteller. She decided, however, that the first option was more plausible, and continued on awkwardly: "... with the seasons... some rain here and there."
Fuu wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. What else could she say about the weather in her hometown? She hadn't been there in so long. It seemed like an eternity. Bad memories mixed with distractions. She was looking for Mugen and Jin... she had no time to worry about going to the place she once lived.
Yet she had time to converse with a shady and large Kitsu? Yes, Fuu, that made so much sense.
... Then, she had already decided it was fairly evident she made little sense.
"Oh! I remember one time, when I was little..." Her tails dropped gracefully, "There was a freak blizzard in the springtime. My mother told me not to worry about it, and that it would pass and I would see the sun again soon; but I was a child, and it seemed like forever, I hated the white and the cold so much. I thought it would never go away. I was incredibly scared of snow for such a long time." She frowned, her tongue clicking thoughtfully, "And Santa... but that's a different story entirely."
She offered Spawn the faintest grin, her honey-tinted eyes narrowed seductively, "And you, Mister Spawn? 'In your hometown, wherever that place is, is the weather like this?'" Fuu mocked childishly, her tone as deep as she could manage. Tails curled quietly with amusement, and she decided that she would not question him about his name; she would not poke and prod. It seemed like a sore topic, and she was not in the mood to comfort anyone, let alone make Spawn any more uncomfortable than she already had. If he wanted to talk about it, he would in time - Fuu decided. Perhaps not to her, a stranger - but one never knew.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:58 pm
"Yes, your hometown." he replied, voice slightly coy in tone. His ear flicked alongside his head, cranium tilting a tad to the side as he watched her in wait for a response. He listened to the answer he received, mildly amused at the normalcy of it. He hadn't expected a huge response, but it was better than; "oh, yes, the weather here is quite nice".
"I see," he stated, shifting a bit where he sat. As he moved the swirling mass of cloak jumped up again, as if startled by the motion. "So it sounds like a pretty normal place... how nice." He wasn't quite sure where to take the conversation from there- he had all the time in the world to spare, but surely she must have some important thing to do, right? After all, most young women didn't exactly spend their time wandering aimlessly about the forest. His ears swiveled to her as she spoke again, listening intently to her story. Snow? He wanted to laugh, but to him, snow was such a normal thing- it happened all the time in the city he had come from, after all. "A white-out, hmm?" he mused softly, "I've seen one or two before, they're hell to go through, but the snow after it passes is usually quite beautiful..." He almost laughed out loud again- hell to go through? He was positive that the young woman next to him knew nothing of Hell's true brutal depths.
"I lived in a large city long ago," he replied thoughtfully to her question, disregarding her mockery; his tails flicked back and forth as his cape relaxed to slowly swirl in place once more. "It was towards the north of the continent it was on, so we had snow in the winter, cold and all. The summers were always hot, though- oftentimes almost unbearably so. But it all evened out for the fall. It would be the perfect temperature, and the leaves in the park would turn shades of red and orange that were like fire falling from the trees..." he began to trail off again, lost in thought, but he quickly returned his attention to Fuu again. "But that was years ago; I haven't been back there for a long time, after all."
Looking to smoothly change the subject, hopefully without much notice from the young woman beside him, Spawn attempted to refer back to one of her previous statements. "The snow... what made you afraid of it? Was it just because you were little, or...?" He didn't expect her to answer his inquiry completely; fear was something that most didn't want to speak about. Generally, it made people uncomfortable. He felt in his gut, however, that he was actually hoping for her to respond.
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Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 11:45 pm
It was one of the hardest things she had ever had to deal with. But then, it wasn't as terrible as some other things on the list; because when she departed, she knew that she would meet with them again.
... But it had never happened.
... But there was still time.
She sat beside Spawn hesitantly, her attention focused on the view that lay before them as opposed to the Kitsu beside her. Then her eyes flicked upon him silently, and she realized that she had ignored his inquiry about the snow. She didn't mind it, though. But it mattered not if she minded that she had ignored it... what mattered was whether or not he minded; therefore, she replied: "As for the snow, Dearest Wayfaring Stranger... A-K-A, Spawn," She put as manly an emphasis as she could on his name before continuing, "I think I was more or less scared at the fact that it seemed endless to me. It was cold, and a plain color... I was afraid that it was going to last forever, and I would be stuck in nothingness. Just white and cold. White and cold are unappealing within seconds - 'imagine spending an eternity with it', I had told myself." She smiled at him, "The silence of it - I guess I'm just a warm, colorful, talkative person by nature... I won't last for eternity - and when I was little, the snow was so different from me that it scared me? Maybe."
Spawn, Fuu reasoned quietly, was a good listener. Or perhaps she was just good at talking. "Well, there goes the details of my life story; my heart perched on my shirt, or sleeve - you wanna give me something, Fido-Spawn-Lumbdo?"
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Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:01 pm
Fuu was definitely not the typical girl; Spawn admired her audacity to merely speak of the past openly, even to one that was a complete stranger. Most her age would giggle and turn away, unwilling to divulge even the smallest tidbits of information. It was, partially for this reason, that he usually strayed far from striking up conversations with them. The young woman beside him, however, was much more open; it made for a better conversation.
Ears swiveling about, he listened intently to the story of her hometown. Years of strict training had taught him that despite his aggressive appearance, to be gentlemanly was always an asset- you made less enemies when you behaved and were polite, after all. After the hell of a life he had before, Spawn did not want to make a bunch of enemies. Last time that had happened, he had ended up between a rock and a hard place.
From his own actions, he had lost everything that was once dear to him. While he had seen his former family, they had moved on without him; whether they thought about him from day to day remained somewhat of a mystery to him. At the thought, his cape pricked up again in a sort of spiky rage, rustling about for a moment before settling down again like a normal piece of fabric. Shifting where he sat, the chains hanging from his body jingled softly; he cursed them for a moment as they interrupted the flow of the conversation, even though he was still intently listening to the story that Fuu had been telling him.
"Not particularly," Spawn replied, grinning broadly at her inquiry, "But I will, since you were so kind as to tell me about yourself." He could almost hear his heart hammering in his head; he hadn't told anyone this story before, and he wasn't sure how anyone would react to it. He took a short breath, and began to speak.
"There was a time... when I didn't look the way I do now." Ugh, what a stupid way to start. "I once lived a comfortable life; I was a secret agent, and while the work was hard and sometimes life-threatening, I did it without really caring. I was good at my job, and I knew it. People across the world knew my name. I was both feared and hated for my skill. However... men's hearts are often foul, and it wasn't long before I was struck down on a particularly dangerous mission. I awoke in Hell itself and struck a deal with the devil to lead his army for the chance to be with my former family once again. Even though I had only been there for mere hours, years had passed in the real world, and they had all gotten on with their lives. I left, vowing not to lead Maelbolgia's army... I decided to fight against them on heaven's side, however volatile my strength could be."
Pausing, he turned to Fuu with a pleading look in his eyes. "And that... is my story." He didn't want her to leave because of who he had become; though it was altogether too likely that fear would set in and she would take off. She had asked, however, and he had merely given her an explanation.
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 9:05 pm
But why? What was the point? To make himself seem crazy? That made no sense at all. And his story, unlikely though it may be, did make sense. Or at least, it did in a way.
But was it true? She did not know. She did not know whether it was true at all. What Fuu did know, however, was that she believed him. Man - or in this case, woman - is given a choice to believe in whatever they want to believe in - even if it what they are believing in is untrue entirely. This, Fuu decided, was one of those cases. She would believe Spawn, not because she was too trusting, as her bodyguards used to so often point out - rather, she would believe Spawn because she wanted to believe Spawn.
... And because the look he was giving her was something that she had no room in the world to doubt.
"..." She remained next to him, quiet for some time. Minutes passed before she actually decided to make a remark on the story - and when the time finally came, Fuu parted smiling lips, "I see." She whispered, her tails curling indecisively. "Something like that - well, it makes being raised in poverty and losing certain people you care about... it makes it seem like so little, I suppose you could say." She had not literally been through Hell, as he had - but she had definitely been through it figuratively.
Or perhaps she was just melodramatic.
She bit her lip with uncertainty. The taste of copper - the feeling of ambiguity - but she ignored it all, and watched the scenery before her. "But you know, though - for me... things worked out the way they were supposed to. Before the teahouse burnt down, I was always so busy with work - when I finally started traveling... well - I guess you could say... I had nothing to do but lay in the grass and watch the clouds... or sit on stumps and think. I had bodyguards who, over time, I could open up to so easily." And she missed them...
... She missed them...
"Things do happen for a reason, after all - right?"
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 2:52 pm
s**t. He had known that the revealing of his somewhat skeptical past would cause some sort of tension. His eyes watched as she sat, not entirely motionless, waiting for her to say something. Anything. Even a soft "oh" would be better than this oppressive silence. What was going through her head right now?
He hadn't even realized how tense he had become until the simple words "I see" had come from her mouth. Almost heaving a sigh out loud, his muscles melted away to a more relaxed state, the tension leaving. He listened to her, and felt a pang in his heart. His own tragic past was hellish, but hers wasn't to be overshadowed by it. "No, I think that they are equal," he replied, voice quiet, "I don't think it's fair to measure someone's hardships against another's. Who are we to say which one was worse to endure?"
He caught her bite her lip out of the corner of his eye. Hopefully he hadn't startled her too much with his story... Although he didn't actually know her that well, he didn't mind her company. It was a welcome change from the scum that usually flocked to him in cities.
Her voice caught him off-guard, but he listened as intently as ever. A small sense of uncertainty began to settle in his stomach, but he ignored it; after all, she had stayed sitting here, hadn't she? He was sure that she would remain sitting alongside him for a little while, at least, and chat with him. "It's a nice feeling," he replied to her, "When you know that you don't have to be somewhere in five minutes. All the chaos of your former life kind of slips away. I miss it sometimes, but others I realize how much I was missing, running from one place to the next. I never had time to stop and watch the clouds go by..." He trailed off, emerald eyes turning towards the heavens to watch the puffy, white masses float about in a languid grace.
He didn't mind being free from that sometimes, no matter how much it hurt to say it. The way he was now, he could help those that needed it to fight their own demons.
"I'd like to think so, yes," he replied, "There's always a reason for something, even the most careless of actions."
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:58 pm
"It's unshakably true that the clouds are beautiful - but my mother was a thousand times more dazzling." The vocalization was buttery and slipped through her lips easily. Tails curled behind her thoughtfully before she realized what she had said, "Oh..." She whispered, honey-colored orbs inspecting Spawn hesitantly; she offered him a tender smile, "I should probably get going..." The tone was sincere, and she breathed in deeply before continuing, "The sun will be going down soon - and I should probably locate some shelter before then."
She frowned doubtfully, her ears flattening somewhat. "Hmm... but..." Fuu offered the male an amused look, "Lets just hope I can get down this rock in one piece..." She snickered, her claws scratching at the surface of the stone contemplatively. She recalled several times over her lack of grace - something that was often pointed out to her by the other waitresses when she broke cups or plates.
And she had done so numerous times.
Uncertainty as to whether or not she should retreat to map out some shelter after Spawn had just shared with her something so drastic - but Fuu decided, somewhat surely, that the male would understand. She also decided that she liked Spawn - quite frankly, he was poetic and a tidbit older... which was, to her, the indication of a father she had always wanted growing up. The father she had never had...
She bit her lip at the thought, her eyebrows arching determinately. She had had a father all along, quite honestly - he had just never actually been there. And when the time finally came, and she found him, he had died before her eyes. And she was just so tired of hardships - and wished the world could favor her a little bit more.
But the world was too busy.
Fuu shook her head, her nose wrinkling in thought. "It's always easier to get into something than it is to get out." She smiled, "As this boulder politely proves." And she prepared to make the trip down; unsure as to whether or not she would fall, or climb spy-like, as a chameleon.
Falling, she decided, was much more likely.
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