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 Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:42 pm
It had been hell, those days they had spent on that cursed island, and though he had been happy beyond to words to find himself returned to the school alive and unharmed, he was unsure he would ever see Ammityville the same again. Certainly he was not yet willing to trust the instructors again, and there was no way in hell he was ever going on another field trip. He'd hide in his closet if he had to!
But at this moment, his thoughts were elsewhere. The stars, how he had missed them in that hell, how empty he had felt, alone. It was for that reason he had taken to sitting on the roof at night, his gaze turned skyward, watching the stars twinkle until he was too tired to keep his eyes open. If he could have flown into that night sky he would have, he would have tried to dance with the stars, to sleep in their embrace, he could not bear the thought of being separated from them again.
His chest rose and fell with a sigh, reclining on his back with his hands under his head. On the roof beside him rested his favorite book ("The Universe") and his collapsible telescope. It was a beautiful night, quiet, peaceful (though perhaps anyplace would have seemed a paradise after that island).
At least his room at been somewhat spared the rampages of his pets, at the very least it was intact and his favorite book had not been shredded. Though he was nearly bowled over and mauled upon his return, he supposed they had missed him. A soft smile, well he'd missed them too, yes, even Tanaka, monster that he was.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 7:49 pm
Riley's evenings were usually spent indoors. It was rare that she would be caught out this late, if only because she was a morning person. When she slept at all, it was to wake up before the crack of dawn, and begin her rigorous physical routine. She spent hours working her muscles to their limit, and it was a cleansing ritual. But all of that occurred in the mornings, including her run.
This evening, however, she found herself wandering the grounds with a canine in tow. Her celestial wolf was still young, and inexperienced, and it needed time to learn how to hunt on it's own. That was, after all, her main intent with the pet.
She set the wolf loose, letting the pup charge off into the woods nearby to hunt for easy prey as practice. As Riley watched the wolf disappear into the night, her mind wandered.
She didn't like where it went.
Her ear twitched slightly as she felt a presence from above, and her head tilted up to the skies to find the culprit. When she saw nothing, she turned to leave - but as her head lowered, she realized she saw something on the roof of the monster dorms. There was no mistaking that broad figure, despite how well he blended into the sky around him.
Good evening, Sheridan. Riley's voice emitted clearly into his mind.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:02 pm
He might have dozed off up there on the roof, or maybe he was simply lost in his own thoughts, eyes closed, tail flicking lightly like a sleeping cat.
Hmmm?
It was a familiar voice that pulled him from his thoughts, a voice he knew far better than he had ever expected. He supposed tragedy had a way of turning acquaintances into friends.
One eye opened, then the other, he had half expected Riley to have been on the roof as well, and for a brief moment may have even wondered how she'd gotten up there without him noticing. However a few steps toward the roof's edge and look toward the ground below told him otherwise.
"Good evening, Riley."
He raised one hand in a greeting. It had occurred to him that the polite thing to do would have been to jump down from the roof, but then again, Riley seemed more the type to try to climb up the roof instead. It was a brief inner debate that ended with him sitting on the edge of the roof instead.
"It's a beautiful night."
Not much of a conversation starter was it...
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:24 pm
Riley took a few steps closer to the roof, until she had to stop - if she went any closer, he would disappear from view. Her own hand rose, and her long fingers curled in a slow wave. Her head only had to tilt a little higher to look up at the stars when he mentioned them, since she was already looking up at him.
I suppose. I haven't been looking up at the stars lately. Where I come from, you can't see them at all. She returned her gaze to his perch on the roof, eyeing it curiously. Is it a better view up there? Is that why you're on the roof? She pursed her lips, wishing for the moment that Jericho was around to lift her up herself.
Well, she had to make do where she could. She unfurled both of her arms out, holding them up in his direction. Give me a lift?
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:40 pm
"No stars?"
Sheridan shuddered at the thought. He could not have imagined living in a world without star, surely such a place would have driven him insane (it very nearly had).
A quick glance around the roof as if he were looking for something (or checking on something he knew was there), Sheridan leapt from the roof, wings unfurled to carry him safely to the ground in a gentle glide.
"It is, though the view is much more spectacular where I am from. Still, the stars here have their own beauty."
He smiled, one arm wrapping around Riley's waist.
"Hold on."
A single powerful beat of his wings, and his feet were off the ground (holy cosmos she was heavier than he had expected), tail lashing back and forth like a serpent swimming through water, propelling himself and Riley skyward, toward the roof.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:48 am
The atmosphere in the vicinity of my home is covered in a haze. Toxic chemicals, mostly - but we can't see the sky past it, no. The shudder was well received, because her home was nothing pretty to look at. The barren wasteland was not high on anyone's vacation priorities. Also, I can't see the stars the way you do. My eyes don't register darkness. Even now, her glowing white orbs were showing her everything in a strange odd, blue light. Being able to see in the dark had a few drawbacks. Not many, though.
Riley didn't seem very put out by being carried up into the air. This was because she was used to being carried into the air. Having your own personal dragon as a best friend had it's advantages. Riley's feet barely touched the roof, when she turned her head down from looking at the sky, and her eyes crescented at the dragon. Thanks. She murmured, finding her footing carefully.
Do you do this often? Hang out on the roof, I mean. She took a few cautious steps, before finding a spot she felt was structurally safe and settling down on it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:01 pm
If the light, sure-footed step with which he landed on the roof was any indication, Sheridan was no stranger to sitting on the roof. It seemed he had spent a lot of time on the roof lately.
His tail twitched, listening curiously to Riley's words. Perhaps recent events had made him forget just how different they all really were, they had all seemed absolutely equal in that wretched place. But no, they were not equal, they were different, their homes, their families, their dreams, likes, dislikes. They all really were a hodge-podge of different, a motley crew as it were. Sheridan rather liked it that way, it meant there was that much more learn, that many more questions to ask.
"Where I am from, there is never a night without the stars, not even the clouds can block them out."
He looked up as he spoke, a soft smile on his face. The stars truly did make him happy, but more than that, they reminded him that he was alive.
"I...suppose I do, at least recently."
Elsewhere on the roof, hidden in shadows, there may or may not have been a dog-sized creature, stalking. What was it stalking? Oh ho ho, wouldn't you like to know.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:10 pm
That sounds beautiful. I'm sure your home is a wondrous place. Riley murmured, with only a hint of jealousy and regret in her voice. What made you come here, if I may be so bold to ask? She knew it wasn't hard for her to take up her hive's offer to send her away to the school on her mission, but if Sheridan lived in such a beautiful place, it must have been hard to leave.
She peered up at the sky, and saw an expanse of blue - which she knew wasn't how the sky really looked. She could even see the indications of light, twinkling faintly in the light blue, but it was nothing special.
What do they look like? She asked, in a strangely quiet voice. The stars, I mean. What do they look like, in the dark? I wish we could have seen the sky when we were on that island. Our abilities were inhibited.. I was able to comprehend darkness, there. I would have liked to have looked up and seen the stars.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 3:28 pm
"My parents felt I should learn things I couldn't learn at home."
Specifically how to fight and defend himself instead of only burying himself in his books. A cosmic dragon that was -too- interested in learning, ha, how was that even possible. Not that it mattered, there was more to learn here than he had imagined, and he supposed he had returned from the island with a stronger appreciation for physical skills. Lesson learned, maybe some good had come from the island after all.
*stalking*
Sheridan was silent for a time, hand resting on his chin thoughtfully as he sat on the roof next to Riley. The stars, how could he describe them to one who could not see them? How could he express their beauty in mere words? Sight, it was such a unique trait, defying explanation, how did what describe what must be seen to understand?
*stalkstalk*
He opened his mouth several times, each time realizing the words he had thought of could not express the beauty of the night sky above. He had even started to flip through his book for a picture before he realized she probably could not understand that in the darkness either. And then it hit him...
"The stars look like me."
Or rather he looked like the stars. And while he was certain he was far less brilliant than the starry sky, it was at least a comparison he thought could convey what they looked like.
*stalk, closer, closer*
It was then that he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye, the familiar form of a predator, or rather a very mischievous pet.
"Tanaka, NO!" Bad kitty!
Too late! The hel-lion had already found his target, jaws closing around the purple 'creature' that had been the subject of his stalkings (ie one of Riley's tentacles). Eh hehehe, GOT YOU!
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:17 am
His reasoning was a common one. Riley was sure a lot of the students had been sent to this school to learn the skills which they lacked. That wasn't exactly her reason, but it was most definitely a common one. And it was the one she used whenever anyone asked about her, as well. She nodded slightly, and patiently waited for him to come to some explanation on the stars.
At first, Riley eyed Sheridan for a moment. It took her all of one second to realize he was saying his coloring was a depiction of stars. Unfortunately, in Riley's eyes Sheridan was simply a swatch of different shades of blue right now. What she needed was to see him in day.
Memories of the island had suddenly become useful, after all.
Riley closed her eyes, while still facing Sheridan. She had no idea something was coming for her tentacles, as she flipped through a few memories at lightning speed, until she came upon the one that had Sheridan standing in front of her. She paused, and studied the patterns on his wings and body.
That is very beautiful. I can see I miss a lot by not being able to-AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Something was on her tentacle. Riley did not react well to her tentacles being touched, but there were certain factors amplifying this particular overreaction.
One. She hadn't expected it, because her eyes were closed.
Two. The island had still left her raw and easy to spook.
Riley stumbled to her feet, scrambling to get away from whatever it was that was attacking her, when she lost her footing and began to drop backwards. She felt on her rear, but her back was to the edge of the roof, and momentum kept her falling until there was no more roof to fall on.
And then there was just air.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:07 pm
Sheridan had instinctively reached out to catch his cat, to disentangle the little monster from Riley's tentacles. Did he -really- have to be such a monster all the time, couldn't he just once enjoy a night without worrying about the beast eating his books or attacking someone? Sigh, stupid question. Sometimes he wondered why he kept the monster around, like now for example.
"Tanaka, let go!"
Nothing doing, this was HIS prize and he was not letting go!
A grumble, one hand catching the cat around the waist, hoisting him off his feet, the other attempting to pry stubborn jaws open. Come on, let go, let go, let--oh jack...
It might have been comical, the cat's eyes widening as he realized his 'prey' was in fact dragging him off the roof, claws digging in, grasping at whatever he could to keep himself from being dragged over the edge.
Sheridan dove for the edge, one hand reaching out to catch Riley, the other to catch his cat. Oh jack please don't let him miss!
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:39 pm
Oh, Sheridan caught Riley all right.
Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the kind of catch one might hope for.
Riley swung slightly from the edge, her eyes peering through a window as she passed by it. And again. And again.
No one was in the room, all she could see was a desk with some papers strewn about it. The legs of the table were of particular interest, but perhaps that was just because of her perception when viewing them while hanging upside down.
Ah, you can bring me back up anytime now. Riley murmured in a frighteningly calm and neutral voice.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:44 pm
*hissssss!*
Sharp kitty claws dug into whatever he could reach, which unfortunately for the dragon happened to be his arm, then his shoulder, THEN HIS FACE ARRGGGG!!!
"GET OFFA ME! OW OW OW!"
In a spectacular flail, one hand firmly grasped around Riley's ankle, the other trying desperately to pry the cat off his face, Sheridan fell backward, landing on the roof with a rather sound thud. He would have felt bad for whoever had the room directly below them, that is if he hadn't been more occupied with keeping his cat from clawing his face!
"Tanaka! Get off me!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:38 am
A figure walked by the window. Was that a student? A teacher? She couldn't tell from this angle. She waved gently. She briefly contemplated if her tentacles could reach all the way to the window, which would leave her with the option of grabbing a hold and climbing in - but a quick estimation had her deciding against it. Instead, her tentacles all latched onto the edge of the roof, trying to help pull herself up. When Sheridan fell backward, while holding on to Riley's ankle, the force of the pull added to Riley's own tentacle grip - and it had her body vaulting upward, until her lower half was back on the roof - landing quite roughly on her stomach.
She let out a grunt, before lying there for a moment. Then all of her tentacles wrapped up quickly into buns, before she flipped over and sat up.
There was something on Sheridan's face. Was it eating his face? It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen something like that.
Ah, she began, but silenced as she realized Sheridan could probably handle himself.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:29 pm
Eating his face? No, however it was clinging in desperation to what it thought it's best chance of NOT FALLING OFF THE ROOF was.
It was fortunately that Riley had already pulled herself back onto the roof, for it was then that Sheridan had let go of her ankle, both hands now reaching for the puffed up cat clinging to him for dear life. Finally with one hand on the cat's scruff and the other on it's waist, Sheridan managed to pry the creature off him.
Oh the glare he shot his cat, if only looks could kill, a glare that was immediately return with a stuck out tongue which was then followed by the best innocent face ever.
"Sometimes I wonder why I keep you around."
*purrr*
Sheridan grumbled, now holding his cat in his arms (whether he liked it or not!) lest he get into more mischief. Luckily for Sheridan his scales were thick, leaving him with only one scratch under his eye instead of a completely mauled face. A sigh, now sitting on the roof, Sheridan turned to RIley with an apologetic look.
"Sorry about that, sometimes he can be a real monster."
Only sometimes?
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