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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 4:09 am
Linneas breathed in the crisp winter air of the park. Snow had piled up recently and up reached his knees, but despite the cold and how wet his pants were, Linneas felt calm. There was something so peaceful about the death-like stillness of the park at this time of day. Most of the kids were in school, and there were few people present.
He trudged along aimlessly, forgetting himself for a moment to just savor the tranquility. He didn't go out often enough, but he felt bound to watch over the shop despite having his mother around.
Obligated, are we?
Linneas was no longer unnerved by the voice, by Lynn as he recently figured out. The cold made it easier for Linneas to ignore the voice and to just lose himself in the silence.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 6:49 am
Nalira liked the bus. There was a strange, sort of comfort in anonymity. No one cared about you, except as a ticket buyer or potential seatmate. She could lean against the window, listen to the grumpy old men and mothers with children and try not to think about where she was going.
But a thought did cross her. She hadn't been home for a while now. Home is where your heart is, after all, and at the risk of sounding cliche, Nalira could admit that her heart had been torn out of Gaia a long, long time ago. Now all it held was bad memories and bad habits.
Well, it held one more thing. It held the reason why she was on this bus in the first place. It held a park - a park she came to every morning to think. Not about anything in particular, mind you, just whatever came to her mind. She thought about friends and family and life, anything.
Nalira felt the bus pull to a stop and immediately stood, stumbling over the woman beside her (who seemed to have more shopping bags than she would have thought humanly possible). She left quickly, only stopping to grab her cane. As much as she liked the bus, sometimes it was just a little too claustraphobic.
After a few moments, Nalira was able to seat herself beneath an ashen tree, her chin resting on her knees and her knees resting against her chest. It was still snowing and Nalira felt wet, and cold, and she could feel the itchy rumblings of another cough spreading through her chest. She turned her head to the side and coughed, quiet as she could manage, before burying her head in her arms.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:57 am
Linneas continued to trudge through the snow, watching the mist his breath turned into as he exhaled. He thought he was alone, until he noticed a girl beneath an ashen tree. He didn't recognize her in any way, he just wondered what she was trying to do.
He approached her, hands still buried in his coat pockets.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 4:18 am
Nalira rose her head, frowning. His scent seemed familliar, but not familliar enough for her to remember who he was. She slowly wrapped her arms around her body, thinking carefully about how to respond. When she finally spoke, she did so slowly and deliberately, as if weighing down every word.
"I'm quite alright. A little tired, perhaps." She replied, leaning her head back. "I suppose I must look something awful, I haven't slept for a few days." She shifted uncomfortably, raising a hand to rub her neck. Those who knew her would know she often rubbed her neck in spots of awkwardness or bother.
"So, what are you doing out on a day like this?" She mumbled dully, tilting her head in his direction, assuming he hadn't moved. It was usually pretty silent at this time of day, so it was natural for her to be a little curious as to why he was out and about.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:40 am
Linneas cocked his head to the side, "You don't look awful, maybe a little stressed, but not awful." He smiled and remained standing. "I guess I'm not doing anything, just taking a walk." he shrugged, truth be told he wanted to get away from the shop. Just for a little while before he gets pulled back into his responsibilities.
"You?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:44 am
"Reflecting." She replied, almost a little too quickly. She blinked a few times, standing and straightening herself out, pulling a small white object from her pocket. She pulled on the end half-heartedly, extending it's contents to reveal a thin, white cane. She steadied herself eaily, flashing him a polite smile.
"I enjoy walking myself, actually. Not as much as I use to, but it's good to just.. get away from things." She tugged on the end of her sleeves, grasping them with her hands, shuddering as a cool breeze came through the area. She flicked her hair to one side, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, leaning against her cane.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:36 pm
Linneas' eyes widened in surprise at the cane, he hadn't realized the young girl he was speaking with was blind. Crimsoning in embarrassment as he scratched his cheek, Linneas felt the situation had turned awkward.
"Errr, are you heading back already?" It was the only thing he could think of to ask.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 10:09 pm
Nalira shrugged, sighing gently. She turned on the spot, placing the cane infront of her body, looking over her shoulder and waving her hand for him to follow.
"You've put me in the mood for walking." She smiled, clicking her tongue. "Mum is back in the Stationary shop - ah, not sure if you've heard of that, but anyway - I wanted to get out and about for a bit. I was starting to feel claustrophobic." She finished, tilting her head.
"So, are you coming?" She grinned, leaning on her cane impatiently.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:36 am
Linneas cocked his head to the side, did the girl just say Stationery Shop? Maybe the girl's mother was a potential author? It was possible since some of the Tales arrived when he was out with Paestri. And it was also possible that the girl was talking about a different store altogether.
"Yeah, I'm coming." He called out and followed, "I live in the second floor of a Stationery store." he stated off-handedly.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:39 am
Nalira hesitated, looking over her shoulder. Did he say he lived in the Stationary Store? The only people she knew who lived in the Stationary store were Huni and ..
".. Linneas? Not, it couldn't be, could it? Is that you?" She asked, excitement evident in her voice. She haden't seen, nor heard of him since she was an infant. She turned around quickly, flashing him a toothey grin.
"I haven't seen you since I was in wolf pajamas .. Oh, but it is good to see - well .. be with you again." She finished after stumbling over her words and trailing off near the end. She shuffled her feet gently, fiddeling nervously with her cane as a sudden realization dawned on her. What if it wasn't Linneas and she'd just made a total idiot out of herself? Maybe someone else lived there now .. afterall, it had been a long time since she'd actually stayed to chat.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:55 pm
Linneas' brows furrowed in confusion, how did this girl know his- wait did she just say wolf pajamas? Gold eyes widened as realization dawned on him.
"Nala?" he gawked, "It's really you! Oh wow, I haven't seen you since yeah, that time!" he gasped. Without warning, he scooped her up into a hug, laughing like the child he used to be. "How have you been? I mean, what happened to you and wow I never thought we'd meet again like this!" he grinned, "Hey, I know this little cafe nearby that I go to after I take a walk in the park, would you like to stop by there before heading back?" he suggested.
Nala was one of the only Tales he had met when he was young, he regretted not being able to meet the others. He saw them in passing but he never really got to speak to them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:48 am
Nalira fell into the embrace, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Smiling, she squeezing him in return, lingering there for a few moments before moving back, ballancing herself with her cane and flicking her hair from her face. She registered his statement and nodded, her eyes lighting up.
"I'd love to! Oh, It'll be great to catch up." She flashed him a toothey grin, clapping her hands together happily. Naturally, she was rather excited to meet her old friend again - she had started to doubt that she would again. Oh, but she was happy she had.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:29 am
Linneas grinned in delight when Nalira agreed, he would have linked his arm around hers but thought the better of it. He was glad that the younger Tale didn't seem angry about the hug but he began to worry if her overstepped some boundaries.
'Never assume, boy.'
Linneas held the crook of Nalira's arm and began to lead her to the cafe.
"How have you been lately?" he asked.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:30 pm
Nalira smiled thankfully in his direction as he took hold of her arm. She would never have asked him to do so, but it was much easier for her to make her way around without stumbling.
"I've been .." Horrible, actually. My mother was taken away by wolves as a lure for them to capture and attempt to kill me. Then, for some strange reason, I lost my vision. Not to mention the death threats I got through the mail. Oh, and my hair is now blonde and cut boyishly short. " .. Great. And yourself?" She grinned, nudging him gently.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:08 am
Linneas didn't quite believe Nalira's answer, but he figured if she didn't want to tell him, he had no right to demand anything. After all, they hadn't seen each other since they were both infants. When it was his turn to answer, he pondered briefly on his response.
"Well, I got a new sister, and Ning's changed twice since you last saw her." He cringed upon realizing he just said "saw", quickly he continued to talk, hoping he hadn't offended her. "I've managed to learn how to defend myself somewhat, and-"
"-Lynn has been preparing me for my penance."
The young man paused, Lynn had just spoken through him without his consent or knowing how it had happened. It would have sounded like Linneas' voice, but with a twinge of coldness.
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