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 Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:09 pm
Who: Vivi, Shepard, and Lucia
When: Late evening.
Where: A well-lit family park in Gambino
Weather: Unseasonably cool, threatening rain.
*
"You," Shepard said with some amusement, reclining at his spot atop the jungle gym and affixing Vivi with a Look. "Seem to be laboring under the misapprehension that we're about to be performing for someone again. What're you doing?"
The night was cool and a little damp, but the moon was shining a muffled brightness through the cloud cover, and the air was sweet with the smell of recent rain. A few couples and stragglers still walked arm in arm along the pathways of this well-loved Gambino park, but Vivi and Shepard had diverted from the concrete paths to sit instead at the empty playground.
They'd sat at the benches, and fed the ducks at the pond, and now, having climbed and conquered the tallest jungle gym in the place, Shepard was looking down at Vivi -- who hung upside down from that self-same jungle gym by her ankles.
"I am practicing. The Shepard -- does he never plan for the future?" the Frenchwoman looked up at him from her position disapprovingly, her cheeks red and her hair swaying freely under the pull of gravity. With minimal effort, the acrobat swung herself to another bar and climbed the inside of the jungle gym, clinging to the underside like a spider. "Who is to say I shall never join another cirus?"
"Right." snorted the Aussie with a laugh, looking through the bars at the woman just under him. "Next time we come out here, remind me to bring your costumes, yeh?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:46 pm
Lucia pushed the hair out of her eyes with one hand. Meeting with Zeke had been good for her. She was going out more on her own. She had walked along the beach. She had visited the graveyard and Nana Lucia’s grave – though she adamantly ignored the spirits. Now she was visiting the park where she had played with Pasha. Floating along the sidewalk, she blushed a little as she glanced towards the park and saw an amorous couple embracing a little less well hidden than they should be.
The playground was ahead, she noted, turning quickly away from the make-out session. Her wings flapped slowly as she leisurely pushed herself along the sidewalk. The kitten’s ears still hung low on her head, but she appeared normal. It was her emotions that still needed some help. That would come, she thought, as Zul had told her.
The frei floated over the grass, dragging her buckle into the sandy area. She had a large black zip-up hoodie around her body with the hood up just to her ears, which poked out around the black cotton. She shivered slightly, and spied the swings, right across from the jungle gym where a few kids or something were playing.
Ignoring the pair, she floated to the far left swing and settled into it. Using her wings to propel her, the Kitten began swinging fairly high. Only when the apex of her swing placed her at a similar height did she take more notice of the two strangers. While one – the normal one – was perched on top of it, the other was acting like a monkey, hanging upside down and twisting every which way. Maybe it was too early for her to be out. The looneys were still around.
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:13 am
"Is there nothing that you could be practicing instead of watching me?" Vivi was laughing as she twirled about rather impressively on the jungle gym, crooking one knee over one metal rod and then flipping up and over the highest bars to land, crouching, on its apex. She dipped her head in a little mock bow to her pretend audience, and then looked up at her companion with a smirk. "Your turn, I think?"
"Wha-- there's nothing I can build here." The Aussie cracked a helpless smile, straightening from his position. "Besides, why would I want to stop watching? If you fall, I've gotta be ready."
"When do I fall?" Vivi shot back with feigned haughtiness, her eyes twinkling brightly with impish amusement. "Come now. Does the Shepard not have his cards? I am certain you have quite forgotten all of your lovely tricks that Mssr. DuPont taught you."
"Probably," admitted Shepard bluntly, throwing his mind back to the last time he'd practiced any sleight of hand. A month, maybe two? It wasn't so completely disastrous. He looked at Vivi without budging, fully expecting the woman to give him some reprieve, but when she remained there, perched easily like a bird atop a giant metal nest and giving him a long, unblinking stare, he threw up his hands in defeat. "What, you really want me to show you some tricks you've seen a thousand times?"
"A hundred thousand, perhaps." corrected the woman. "And yes."
"Geezus..." the Aussie snorted to himself, shaking his hand woefully at his companion. Knowing when he was beaten, he slowly slid his long body through the bars, hanging on just long enough to call out: "I've got something that'll work in my backpack."
"Go forth~" Vivi waved him off, leaning back on her arms to watch him as he padded away.
Shepard huffed as he ducked through the outside bars of the jungle gym and stepped out into the playground. Where had he left his bag, anyway? He paused, trying to remember. They had come from the direction of the water fountains, and they'd gone by the swings... oh, that was right, the swings! He'd put it down there. Nothing to steal in it, anyhow, so it wasn't as if he'd been too worried. Any thief might get half a baguette, some cheese, business cards... maybe a handful of change for his trouble. And while he did think Vermillion's baguettes were worth stealing, it wasn't heading his anxiety list for that particular evening.
He was almost next to the swingset when he realized quite suddenly that it was moving. Shepard slowed his walk as he approached the structure, angling himself so that it might be clear he was moving toward a different object than the actual swings themselves.
"'Ello," he called, just in case. The last thing he needed was to look like a creeper on a playground after dark. Huh... whoever was on the swingset looked like a girl. Blast it all to hell, couldn't Vivi had gotten the damn bag?
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 4:14 pm
She was making a point not to listen to the conversation. Lucia didn’t have to try to hard, though, she was lost in thoughts of her own. She didn’t know what to do about everything she had done. There would be no way to bring back those humans. But it didn’t seem like she killed her friends. If she was lucky, they might still be willing to remain friends with her.
Footsteps. The soft sand and woodchips that littered the ground weren’t quiet enough for her to be unable to hear the approach of someone. She was on edge, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the metal chains tightly. Was it Brian?
“Ello.”
Was that Ty? She thought, turning her head. It certainly wasn’t Brian, she knew that from his voice. The accent sounded familiar – just like Yuurei’s half-brother. Had they come home early? The frei was confused.
Her purple eyes were as vibrant and bright as if it was noon, shining as the minimal light reflected against them. Her rune’s glow was lighting up a small area below her as she looked into the dark, seeing clearly in the dim light.
”Ty?” she asked, looking around for her guardian. The blonde, she quickly realized, was not there. She had never met nor seen any images of Yuu’s brother, but when she had spoken with them, just a few weeks ago, Ty had mentioned that it would be a little while still, but that he would be coming home with Yuurei.
The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that this man’s accent was different. So she was once again on the defensive. ”Who are you?” she asked cautiously, slipping off the swing at the apex of her swing, almost even with the top bar of the set. Her wings spread as the Kitten’s ribbon slowly spread downward, drawn into a thin circle with the pull of gravity.
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:32 pm
"Ty...?" Shepard repeated initially, slowing his tread as he reached his bag. His footsteps slowed further to a stop as he took stock of the girl speaking to him -- gothy, to be sure, with eyes that shone like a cat's in the darkness... and... ears that looked rather feline as well. He blinked.
"No, I'm..." the Australian began, but his voice fell mute as the girl floated off the swing and hung fast in the air, her torso melting off into a ribbon that swirled around -- around something bright, not that Shepard knew what the hell it was. Holy crap, his mind stammered unhelpfully. A real, live, floating chap. Bloke. Girl. Augh, focus!
"My name is Shepard Ryan." His voice sounded stale and robotic as his mind quietly rebooted into working order once more. He cleared his throat, leaning down to heft up his backpack and show the other. "I -- Just -- here for the bag. Sorry to disturb."
"Mademoiselle," Vivi's voice floated over from the jungle gym. From her spot at the top of the structure, it was rather hard to miss the lovely glowing feline. She hopped down from her spot and quickly made her way over to the pair. A Raevan! They were all so different, the ones she had met. Cordelia with her handsome beauty and impulsive moods; Riverner with his sharp-toothed attractiveness and titanium confidence... and then this one, this hauntingly lovely creature tinged on all sides with sadness. "... are you well? Is your guardian nearby?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:20 pm
His parroting of her guardian’s brother’s name further solidified the idea that he was not the man she first supposed him to be. As he took in her appearance – something the frei was used to – the Kitten remained by the top of the swings. Then Lucia floated downward slowly as he his backpack. ”Hello Shepard Ryan,” she said with a smile. He seemed overwhelmed with her half-body, so she didn’t want to further overwhelm him. ”I’m Lucia.” She settled back on the swing just as Vivi called out. She was just examining the copper-color hair of the man speaking to her when a dark-haired Frenchwoman who looked quite a bit like herself came over.
The Kitten frowned slightly. The woman seemed pushy. Who was she to suppose Lucia would share her condition with her? The frei’s eyes narrowed further when she asked about Yuurei.
She stared at the dark-haired woman a second too long without replying. ”I’m fine. And my guardian is on holiday. I don’t really see how it’s the right thing for you to ask. Where is your guardian?” The frei raised an eyebrow before turning back to smile at Ty. Then she immediately regretted her rudeness as the image of the homeless woman with the knife sticking out of her chest flashed in her mind.
”S-sorry,” she said quietly, her eyes casting downward.
Taking a breath she looked back at Vivi. ”I’m staying with some friends, but I’ve been staying up late and didn’t want to wake them. Have you met other raevans?”
The woman knew she had a guardian. So it would be a safe assumption that she had met others.
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:51 pm
Vivi blinked and Shepard raised his eyebrows, both partly surprised and partly impressed at the cat Frei's boldness. After meeting Cordelia, Vivi had expected all Freis to have a similar child-like attitude, but it certainly didn't take much to see that tis Raevan was not at all childlike in her demeanor. Shepard, on the other hand, had no such expectations. He simply cracked a faint grin at the kitten and kept silent for the time being.
But when her face changed, her regret nearly palpable on the air, Vivi blinked again, uncertain of how to respond. A runaway? was her first thought, but with nothing more to base it on -- and the clear message that any meddling would not be welcome -- the Frenchwoman decided not to push her luck.
"Lucia, that's Vivi." Shepard introduced with a quick wave of his hand, breaking the silence.
"My -- own guardian seems to have taken the night off," Vivi said with a wry sort of laugh. "Forgive me, I have met another Frei and she was -- much younger, so I assumed that perhaps you were accompanied. That Frei, her name is Cordelia...?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:44 pm
Lucia smiled sadly, at the mention of her friend – well maybe former friend. ”Delia is much younger than me, but even she goes out on her own sometimes.” Her thoughts flicked briefly to an old library, a hesitant voice, and the hot flames about to lick the face of the dark beauty whose neck she was gripping.
She brought herself back to the moment, by spreading her wings and beginning to swing again. ”She’s a friend of mine.” She wouldn’t go into the whole situation, but her voice did soften on the word friend.
Subject change, she thought. ”How were you hanging like that?” she asked, referring back to Vivi’s dangling. The Kitten didn’t know if Yuurei knew about that hanging, let alone would be able to do it. She wouldn’t be able to do it without legs,; she didn’t think she would want to even with them, but it certainly didn’t look comfortable.
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Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 9:28 pm
Perhaps... not a runaway, Vivi's mind murmured, the sadness on the Raevan's face altering her judgement. Perhaps this bewitching, sorrowful looking Raevan merely meant instead to come here and clear her mind, to sit alone in the cool spring night time. But who was to say?
With a faint smile, Vivi took the swing beside Lucia, but instead of sitting, she stood on the seat, wrapping her arms around the chilled metal of the chains. She tested her weight, moving the swing very slowly in its arc, and then she pulled her legs slowly up, bending her knees and 'sitting' in the air. "It cannot be so impressive to one who can float," Vivi said conversationally. "But I used to hang like that for a living."
"Used to be in a circus," Shepard explained, happy to have found his voice and mental faculties again. He had finished rummaging in his bag and now stood, hands in his pockets, grinning a roguish, boyish sort of grin over at Lucia. He ambled slowly over, taking a deck of cards out of his pocket and thumbing idly through them. "Don't suppose the lovely young lady would be interested in picking a card?"
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 11:27 pm
The frei’s eyes seemed to have a light behind them as Lucia looked at Vivi. Her face was thoughtful as she was trying not to think about Delia, or about not being with Zul or a friend for the first time since she was possessed. She watched as the dark-haired woman stepped lithely onto the seat of the neighboring swing. The bendable plastic made a sharp arch under the weight of the woman she noticed. Lucia wasn’t really sitting on the swing at all, just resting her almost weightless ribbon on it and floating above the swing, gripping the chains.
As the woman sat in midair using only her arm strength, a brief smile lay on her face. Though she had never been, she had read stories about the circus and their gymnasts, but had never met anyone who used to be a player. ”That’s a really fun sounding job. But I bet I wouldn’t be able to do that. There’s nothing amazing about a girl with wings flying.” She smiled, spreading her wings out sharply and beat them solidly once to rock the swing.
As Shepard walked up to her the frei spread her wings to stop her movement. When offered the cards, the frei got a mischievous look on her face. Her eyes shined as she reached out her thin fingers and examined the deck. Not the top card. Nor the bottom. Her eyes glanced over the top of the deck. Reaching a hand down, Lucia pulled out a card, looked at it and held it to her chest, a small smile on her face.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 3:23 pm
"It was a fun job. Seeing and making things that make people smile, day in, day out. But you're wrong about one thing -- a girl with wings actually is enough of an amazing thing by herself. " Shepard drawled, shuffling the remaining cards with impressive quickness, then fanning them out, face-down, in front of the Raevan. He half-smiled at her, his expression not shy but perhaps a little self-depreciating, as though he wasn't quite confident of his capability to pull the trick off. "Do you have yer card memorized? Put it back in here, face down, anywhere y'like."
Vivi watched the display with amusement; she knew what was coming but said nothing, letting her weight back down onto the swing seat and beginning to sway slowly.
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 7:34 pm
The frei smiled, almost shyly as the man implied she was amazing. Technically it was a hypothetical, but a girl with wings is amazing – she was a girl with wings. Lucia fanned out her wings, showing them off a bit. Her purple eyes watched as Shepard played with his cards and lay them out before her.
She looked up at Vivi, making sure that the woman wouldn’t be able to see the card either before pulling it up in front of her face. A tight smile spread on her face as she slid the card back down to her chest.
Tossing her dark hair over her shoulder she examined the deck again. Not the top. Not the bottom. Those places were too easy to see. Lucia slipped the card onto one hand and sandwiched it between her two hands. There – she noted. There was a part where a few cards were a little overlapped more than the others. She slowly and carefully slipped the card within those ranks, watching every movement he made very closely.
”I remember my card. Now what?” She was curious. How would he recover it from the deck?
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 9:08 pm
Vivi remained silent, gaining some momentum in her swings as Shepard closed the deck of cards and then began to shuffle them -- first slowly, but then the speed of his shuffles grew faster and faster. He flipped through the cards with his hands wide apart as if it were an accordion, looking up at the Frei briefly with a smile, and then focusing back on his work.
"Y'know, this is damn hard --- usually when I do this trick I have a table --" he said through clenched teeth, and a few cards fell from his grasp onto the ground. "Damn! Let's hope none of those were it -- alright, hm --" he fumbled some more, more cards falling from his grasp. "Aw, damn." He said defeatedly as the rest of the cards fell away, fluttering softly in the air to land onto his feet. He looked down at them with some disappointment, and then up at the kitten Frei. "Looks like I don't have this trick down yet at all."
He paused, looking down at his palm to the one card that had managed to remain in his grasp as the others fell. "Unless, of course..."
Shepard flipped the card over to show Lucia with an easy, rakish smile, all his insecurity falling away.
It was her card.
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:43 pm
The kitten watched his movements silently. She smiled slightly as his movements got faster. With the first drop of cards, Lucia closed her eyes briefly and began to doubt. Was this guy serious? As he dropped more cards her eyebrows raised and she beat her wings slightly, just watching his movements. "I guess you do need more practice" the frei said.
However, when Shepard flipped the card in his hand, the frei's mouth dropped open. There was a woman on it and a black Q in two corners. A spade was next to it. Queen of Spade was the card she had drawn. And it was in his hand.
"Oh my god!" she cried out, clearly impressed. "That's great!" the Kitten grinned tossing her hair over her shoulder. She wouldn't ask how he knew – or how he managed to keep just her card in his hand. She didn't want to know because that would ruin it. The frei clapped her hands together briefly in some appreciative applause.
"I can do tricks too," she said quietly. "I can disappear and reappear in any place I want. I—uhh—don't really want to do that stuff right now though. But maybe sometime I'll show you." The frei smiled sweetly, and looked up at the sky briefly.
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Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:20 am
"That," remarked Shepard with a faint smile as he bent to collect the fallen deck, "is a much cooler trick than dropping a pack of cards."
"I should have to agree, although I am quite a fan of the cards, myself," lilted Vivi from her moving arc, peering down at the other two as she continued to swing. She bent her knees and pushed into the next swing, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she focused intently on her motion -- and then, at the top of its arc, she dropped backward off of the swing, flipping cleanly as she fell, and landing solidly on her feet. She turned back around to face Lucia with a little laugh, adding: "Alas, but I believe your trick would be more impressive than any flip, either! When you are in the mood again, I do hope you shall show it to us."
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