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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:35 pm
 Where: Edges of the New Hemisect suburbs When: Early evening. What: Zeffer, while enjoying a rain shower, runs into Sarcel at a park, and proceeds to pester his fellow blueblood.
He'd wandered through the suburban areas until he'd come to a little park, with a few wide grassy places and sidewalks, and various colorful trees and bushes planted here and there. Zeffer ran around and goofed off at first, leaping into puddles and sliding unceremoniously across the slippery tracts of grass, laughing his a** off in the process. No one else was around, so why not? He took to exploring the backmost areas of the place, which seemed to be crowded with trees.
Eventually the pathways became overgrown and unkempt, until he came to a charming little pond with an island in the middle, ontop of which several fat featherbeasts were huddled. He stopped to investigate, and buried his hands in his pockets to watch the creatures, who unfolded their long necks to peer at him with muted curiosity. There'd been no one around that he'd seen, so he stooped to choose a few flat stones, and began to absentmindedly skip them across the surface of the water, making sure not to aim at the island or its inhabitants.
He indulged himself with a quiet, thoughtful moment as he skipped the stones. Not much time had passed since the tournament, and the memories of it were still fresh in his mind. There was so much to do now that he'd had a sample of fighting. Training with Arcus held so much more interest for him now. But why did he want to improve? Hadn't he done well enough? Arcus was always spouting things about being strong, surviving, getting to the top. Zeffer was willing to work, but not so much that it got in the way of having fun, much to his lusus' eternal dismay.
This didn't last long. The blueblood's attention span was far too short, so he started to make his way around the little body of water until a loud 'brrr-ap' caught his attention, followed by a splash. It took him a moment to realize what he'd done, before he caught sight of the little creature in the water. He'd scared a little frog, and he laughed in amusement. Were there frogs around here? That surprised him a bit, that they would live so close to the city, but the spot was perfect. He was more than used to seeing frogs, since he lived on the lake. They had a tendency to group around the edges sometimes, and on occasion he liked to chase them. They were a challenging thing to catch, and a curiosity on their own. He picked up a stick and began to poke around in the reeds a bit more. Maybe he could get a nice big fat one to bring home to Arcus.
"Come on, swim this way~" he murmured, stooping and reaching with the stick to try and herd the one that had jumped into the water back to shore. No such luck, of course, because it dove down and out of sight, away from the nasty, toothy blue and black thing that was trying to capture it. Zeffer made a face. There'd be bigger ones than that, anyway.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:48 pm
Oh god this is huge sorry
Sarcel hated the wet season.
Okay, well, she didn't hate. It wasn't so much the rain; the rain was actually pretty nice! A few showers easily broke up the monotony of her mundane lifestyle, so it was nice in a way! The only issue that made her detest the weather so much was the mindset of her ever over-bearing lusus. The little chinchilla was a neat freak; a huuuuuge neat freak at that! What with the constant cleaning and dusting (Which, on that note, she'd been doing a lot more of lately; it was making her allergies go nuts), and also just the general paranoia of filth in general. No, Sarcel didn't have a problem with the rain, but her lusus did, and not because of the water, or the rain, or the thunder or the lighting, (Although she didn't care much for the aforementioned things in any sense).
No, she disliked it for the mud. The mud! Any time Sarce tried to go anywhere, her lusus always gave her the damnedest of times, and why? Because she would inevitable trek mud back into the house, and get it all over her shoes, and her pant legs, and probably everywhere else at that. So no, Sarce didn't dislike the rain, just the mood it put that chinchilla in. Dust could be cleaned up easily, but, she had to admit, mud wasn't easily cleanable for the chinchilla; she'd get messy in the process, and god forbid.
Needless to say, there were perks to the wet weather. It was a very silly, very small, very insignificant part of her life, but Sarcel really enjoyed frogs. There was no real rhyme nor reason! She found the things darling and adorable. The loud obnoxious croaks were hilarious to her, and the general bizarre anatomy of them made her giddy, the way a kid would at the sight of a baby dogbeast or something. So to speak, she enjoyed going out in the 'eye' of the storm, when there were clouds of precipitation to be seen all around, but a general peaceful, if not somewhat eerie manner that gave no drops. A break, as if the rain itself was tired and just getting ready for round 2, and all the rounds after that.
And that was just how it was tonight. Puddles had lined the sidewalks on her way out of town, and now she trekked through the soft mushy soil. She wasn't wearing her regular checkerboard shoes, however, because she didn't want to get them very dirty (They were her favorite pair!), instead she decided to put to use her most recent gift; the boots Sir had so... 'graciously' granted her. She felt a little awkward wearing them, they were definitely just a smidgen big for her, but also the fact that the laces reflected a much more blue color then her blood! She hoped no one would notice, but thankfully no one really paid her feet much attention, because she wasn't one to garner much attention in the first place.
But that was all pointless and meaningless and she was getting distracted here! No, she was here for frogs. She was venturing out to see the frogs! She had snuck away from her lusus when the little scamp was dusting and cleaning like she always was, so it wasn't hard really, and she knew that in this weather she wouldn't be pursued. In all actuality, she probably wouldn't of been pursued anyway; the chinchilla knew she was making more frequent trips to Busthind now, so she didn't put it past the white fluffball that it automatically assumed that's where she was heading most of the time now.
Aaaannnnyway, the point was she was looking for frogs, and nothing more. She knew the perfect place, really; a small quiet place on the outskirts of the city. It was a dinky little park, cute and quaint. There was a walkway there once, but no one hardly takes care of the place anymore, and as much as she liked it, it was too much of a hassle even for her to bother with. Still, she enjoyed it all the same. It was nice, and had a nice community of frogs and featherbeasts and all sorts of other things~
And she was going to mess with the little things, because it was amusing.
Or at least she was going too! Upon arriving at her final destination, she spotted a... familiar face. Of course, how could she forget? Well, she forgot a lot of things- namely names- but there was something about blue bloods, mohawks, and boots that now made her permanently commit things to memory. Zeffer was his name, right? She was pretty certain!... squinting her eyes in the darkness; she was sure it was the same guy from the tournament.
...The tournament, not something she wanted to remember right now. She made a bitter face, and for a second it felt like her healed leg throbbed, even though it was purely psychological, but there'd always be the scar. The emotional one... and the physical one, too.
He had seemed like a pretty nice guy, though, that was why she was so put off. She came to a standstill, and halted, stopped in her tracks, not moving, stone legs and a frozen disposition; what to do now? She didn't want to let anything ruin her frog expiation, but she surely wasn't going to just... approach him, would she? No, that would require far more social skills then she had the time to practice for. Or would it?
She could go home now, but that seemed a little out of the question. She didn't want to go home so soon! That would seem like waste of everyone's time.
...She'd have to get over her crippling social anxiety someday, maybe it'd be better to start with a troll she had met before, even if only so briefly. She cleared her throat, quite loudly, as if intentional (mostly because it was), although it made her feel awfully awkward. Her feet moved mechanically, taking steps forwar- oh what the hell was he doing?
"H-Hey! That's not how you catch frogs, you know." She said in a miniature outburst. Now that she wasn't around the likes of Sir, or exhausted by the tournament, she was a lot like her old usual self. Stuff up from perpetual dust allergies, voice wavering because she had no idea how to speak to people...
"What're you e-even doin'? Pokin' it what that stick." She said, Hate to break it t-t-too ya', but you gotta go in after 'em if you really w-want 'em.
She finally caught up, looking into the placid pond and the few occasional ripples from the ever present ecosystem. "...You're tha-that guy from the tournament, huh?" it was more of a statement then a question, shuffling her feet just a little bit. She was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable, but hey, if she stood up to that yellowblood before, interacting with others should be a breeze, right?
Okay... maybe not. But no one's perfect at anything! It takes work.
Oh, except running. She was pretty perfect at that.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:31 pm
Zeffer had been so preoccupied with poking at the water that he hadn't even seen Sarcel come up, and with the rain, the sounds she was making as she moved weren't all very noticable either. So, when she cleared her throat, he jumped a little, slightly startled, and nearly tipped forward into the pond. He caught himself easily enough, and couldn't help but laugh at what might have been. Did it matter, anyway? He was practically already soaked, despite his rain clothes. It always happened, no matter what. He immediately jerked his head back to see who it was, and got quite the surprise.
It was the blueblood chick from the tournament! He was grinning immediately, standing and crossing his arms as he let her school him on proper frog-capture techniques. Why hadn't he ever thought of that? He tried not to smirk at her stutter. She looked a lot less beat-up than he remembered (which was good, he supposed), but there was that same shy demeanor. It was almost endearing, and he still wondered what made her so timid.
"I guess I never thought to do that. It seems so obvious now." he said as he let the stick fall from his hand and into the water.
"Yeah. N' your that chick from the tournament, right? Sarcel?" he smirked. He'd had to give it a bit of thought because, hey, that had been a while back. Thankfully, he hadn't met that many trolls in the tournament, so it had been easy enough to pick through what names were stored away in that mohawk'd head of his. Without another moment's hesitation, he was carefully stepping into the pond, and stood in the knee-deep water looking around for the frog that was getting away. "So ya like catching frogs too, huh?" Sarcel didn't have to say anything else, because Zeffer was happy enough to be his nosey, talkative self.
"There're frogs back home...but I don't like to mess around in the lake so much." he deadpanned for a moment. He wasn't sure whether or not any aquatic-type highbloods were living down there, currently, but he knew they -could- be, and it wasn't worth the risk to ******** around in water that might host highbloods. Most of them, especially in the Four Fronds area, were pretty damn territorial. He'd been yelled at and chased off of more lawn rings than he cared to remember, and they were not afraid to use force.
"I come here instead, sometimes. It's a really nice spot, when it's raining. But I bet you knew that. D'ya come a lot? Funny we should meet here, of all places. I thought I was the only one who liked to play in the rain." he grinned, yammering a little, as was his tendency to do so.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:09 pm
Maybe she did look at little less beat up, but really, she hardly felt it. No tired, nor sore- not anymore; but rather just the tearing ache of indignity at the fact she'd lost. Try to be a good sport and all, she got it, understood, but just how pathetic she was, loosing to a lowblood like that... well... worse could of happened. Every time she thought about it, however, her leg seemed to tense up with an uncomfortable hurt, and she was reminded of the small scar there.
Maybe it was more the fact she was scared. Once she got home, she sat down and thought; of course they'd go for her legs. She was fast- damn fast- anyone would go for her legs, and that stopped her dead cold. She tried to imagine a world without the ability to run, or walk right, gimp around, or be immobilized from the waist down entirely... and that was a scary thought. Maybe that's why she was so mad. She had no idea how to properly defend herself, really, and maybe enduring Sir's... choice methods, she'd get better at that. It'd be nice- damn nice.
But snap back to reality, and she's standing in the damp weather and this cerulean blood here was just goofing around without a care in the world. After frogs. God she wished she could be dumb and ignorant sometimes- not that she was implying this guy was dumb or ignorant, that'd be rude- but things had just been so terrible lately...
"Y-Yeah, Sar-Sarcel" she almost choked on her name. Cue the awkward fidget and slight shuffle; she'd almost sort of grown used to being Pathetic. Pathetic and nothing more; and here this guy was calling her by her real name and it sounded unfamiliar.
It must of been a mix of the fact that, while she hardly got out and socialized at all, the only person she did talk to mocked her and gave her that embarrassing title. Of course, the only time she talks and is talked back too is with that terrible name, she shouldn't be so surprised that her own real name would be so strange and foreign.
"And y-y-you're Zeffer." or something.
Trying to make conversation on it's own was hard enough. The blueblood girl walked over to the waters edge, watching as the enthusiastic storm-chaser adventured into the pond. She wasn't expecting him to actually go jump in there like that, but whatever made the guy happy; at least he wasn't prodding the damn things with sticks anymore. She normally waited for the little amphibians to venture onto land before she pounced at them; muddy, but at least she wouldn't be drenched.
"Yeah, I-I mean, I g-guess they're c-c-cute. or something.
Oh who was she kidding, they were adorable!
"I g-guess it's pr-pretty coinci-coincidental, yeah... I-I mean... y-yeah I guess I-I come 'ere a-a lot... nnn... n-not as m-much as I u-used too, th-though..."
And she just stuttered on like that for a bit, fumbling with her words, stuttering, as it was her tendency to do so.
"I-I guess the r-r-rain it p-pretty fun, t-though, ye-yeah..."
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:37 pm
For Zeffer, there was no shameful ache or lingering bitterness after having lost the tournament he'd come so close to winning. The only crappy part had been Snakedad's apparent disappointment, which burned the blueblood a bit; what more did Arcus want from him? They'd had a little bit of a tiff, but had long since made up. His lusus had only been trying to be supportive, he supposed, and it was only natural that the massive reptile would be upset after such a close call.
"Heheh! Yeah, that's me. You remembered." He sounded more pleased than anything, since their meeting then had been so very brief. He couldn't hep but laugh, and he cast a few sidelong glances at her on the bank. She seemed so vulnerable, even her stuttering was enough to make him grin. Made him feel kind of weird, to be honest. Did he think it was cute? Before he could further ponder whether it was that or perhaps some strange form of pity, his eyes caught movement, and he lunged quickly, making a sizable splash.
"I got it, I got it--augh!! s**t!" he cackled as he made a veritable fool of himself, floundering in the water before finally getting a good hold on his most unfortunate (and very slippery) prey, which let out a high-pitched croak of distress. "Man, it's a big one!" He slogged his way back to the bank to present Sarcel with the prize, wearing a big sharky grin. It was a good sized frog, light green and covered in little yellow spots. It wriggled and kicked as it tried to escape.
"Uhh-huh...yeah. They are kinda cute, huh?" his grin darkened. His reasons for chasing the poor things (or any small creature, really) tended toward the more predatory, but he rarely hurt them. He held it out for her to see, if she wanted, and continued to talk.
"That sucks, why not? To be honest, I'm glad I found someone out here, because it can get just a little boring, coming alone. My lusus comes, sometimes...but they can be real buzzkills." he snickered. He looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing from the frog and up to her face, studying it quietly for a moment.
"What else do you like to do?" He waited for her answer, which he fully expected to be like the others had been, stuttered, unsure. He fully intended to drag her into a game of some sort, but figured he might as well try and be nice about it. She seemed like the type that was easy to run off.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:43 am
The perk in his voice was almost... unnerving to Sarce. Maybe it was from being in Sir's presence so much, but she'd grown use to the monotone gruff of his voice or the load indignant yells that often came up, most of the time with no forewarning or reason at all. Needless to say, it took a reminder or two that other people actually had voices with emotion that wasn't anger, as foreign as the idea was.
But she wondered why this troll in particular was so rambunctious and full of smiles and such. She paused to give a glance at her muddy shoes, half heatedly toggling the idea of how to respond. She was awful at conversing, really, and this was kind of awful! A moment more and she would of shuffled around, prodding the ground with the toe of her boot, about to cross her arms when the blueblood suddenly lunged for something and she jumped, easily startled!
She had half a mind to run right there, but then Zeffer arrived on shore again, a prize clutched in his hands of a rather obnoxiously plump frog (Hey I hear that croak! Don't hurt it!)
But then he keeps talking and holds the damn thing out, and she finds herself staring at it for a while before making any action. It sure was cute; the fat ones were always the cutest! After a bit of internal debate, the introverted girl reached out, clutched the thing awkwardly- but gently, mind you- and took it up for herself to look over while listening to the other's dialect ramble on.
"What else do you like to do?"
She sort of fell still for a moment, but then kind of looked from the frog, to her shoes, to the frog and finally, finally back up at the one that was talking to her. She had a problem looking at the person she was speaking with, to be honest. It was rude to stare and god forbid she accidentally make eye contact with Sir, like with their first encounter. Needless to say, it was not very... pleasant.
But hey, he was talking to her. If he really wanted to know, was she really going to just not say anything? Taking her eyes off his foreboding mohawk, she looked back down at the pitiful little frog, who had finally seemed to have given up it's methods of trying to escape, and now laid stationary in her hands like a plump little water balloon, minus the occasional croak.
She was shuffling her feet again, always over thinking what to say! "I-I..." She began hesitantly. Sometimes she has to get a little word in before she spoke, just to make sure she did in fact still have a voice capable of speech. Hey, you never know.
"...I-I guess," she started again. It wasn't so much a question of what she liked to do rather then what she was just plain good at, "... W-Well, running is f-fun. I'm p-p-pretty good at r-runnin'." she finally got out, looking a bit bashful and shameful all the while. She didn't like her stutter, she found it annoying too!
And he probably thought she was dumb because really? Running. Yeah, she liked to run. At least it was something, right? She wondered what prompted him to ask though. She thought herself to be highly uninteresting, but people seemed curious about her enough, and it was so strange! She wondered what went on with their thought process, especially this guy right here; so rambunctious and full of energy and god it finally catches up with her that this guy just jumped into a damn lake in the rain for a frog.
But the frog was pretty adorable, so it's not like that was a bad thing or anything, she supposed.
"...T-That's 'bout i-it."
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:40 pm
Zeffer met her gaze without any trouble at all, but unlike a certain other aggressive b*****d she might have known, his own shone with mischief and a sort of pushy childish playfulness. The energy he emanated was a mystery to most, perhaps even himself. They lived in such an ugly world, could he really afford to waste his time by not spending every waking moment looking for ways to have fun? For Zeffer, the answer was no, regardless of the trouble or dangers that came his way. A laugh left him as he forked the frog over to her, feeling a foolish, tiny swell of pride at his catch, thinking perhaps that it would help to ease her perpetually tense state.
While many a troll might have been a bit put off by her silent ways and short answers, Zeffer seemed completely unaffected, and remained as chipper as he'd ever been despite the long pause of silence. He was content enough to stand for a moment, rocking on his heels and enjoying the patter of the rain coming down around them, and the view they had of the sullen black clouds. He did fidget though, and never seemed to sit still, no matter what was happening. He'd glance back at the park behind them, and then back to the pond, sniffling softly and reaching up to wipe a little water from his nose.
His eyes seemed to light up as she spoke, as if he were eager to hear her answer...and really, he was. How was he gonna make more friends if he didn't try to talk to people? That was another thing Snakedad was constantly ragging on him for; to make more friends closer to his blood color. Or higher. That'd made Zeffer sniff in disapproval, because most highbloods were all too eager to boss him around. Well, here was the next best thing, a blueblood, just like him, and he'd already met her once. He waited patiently for her to finish the sentence she'd started.
"Runnin' huh? Well I guess that makes sense." He grinned, referring to the possible meaning of the symbol on her shirt. It was sort of a funny one...but what she just said sort of explained it. "Let's play tag...or have a race or somethin'. Frogs are cool, but I don't wanna tromp around a pond all night." he suggested, hoping she'd be up for a game.
"Unless...you don't think you're fast enough." he bit his lip, teasing just a little, feeling the need to dish out a challenge to ensure that she'd take the bait. It hardly seemed dumb at all...really, Zeffer did a ton of dumb s**t himself. Like jumping into ponds to catch frogs. Who knew what was going on in that thinkpan of his, really.
He bounced in place for a moment, eagerly waiting to see if she'd ascend to the idea of a game.
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:26 am
Well if it did help any, she was, in all technicalities, a higher caste. One absentminded stare at the cerulean symbol on Zeffer's shirt said so in comparison to her somewhat bluer one, not that it really mattered being that she hardly acted her caste at all. She might as well of been some scardy cat redblood.
Her lusus didn't actively push her to meet new trolls or get out of the hive. In all actuality, the little chinchilla preferred it when she stayed indoors where she could keep an eye on her, always to make sure she was clean of grime and dust and make her wash her hands 27 times or whatever crazy antics the damn thing enforced. Although it rarely actively held conversation with her, she knew it didn't like the idea of her taking the train to the mountains as often as she did, and she knew it wasn't going to be very fond of the idea of her leaving in the rain, but she had to get out, had too, the dust drove her crazy.
Aaaand here we are. Looking at the frog again, she heard the blueblood speak some more, hinting at the possibility of tag or a race... and she perked up just a bit. She did enjoy running, it was all she was good at, and the stretch of her legs felt wonderful and the wind against her hair and...
no wait, wait stop, we're getting distracted here.
Looking at the troll curiously, fiddling with the idea- a very tempting idea- but she still had half a mind to decline his offer. Or at least she did a few seconds ago.
"What."
Not fast enough?!
"N-Now you listen here! Do you have a-any idea who you're talken' too?!" she blurted out, voice rising just a tad, quite flustered and caught up in the excitement of the accusation.
Meeting his eye gaze, she started at him with a rather... fierce look of determination. If there was anything that could get her into a tizzy, it was challenging her speed, and she just wasn't going to have that. She was the fastest damn troll around! Who the hell was this guy to go and challenge that? She was taken aback, if it wasn't completely noticeable by this point. Actions more outright and confident, she nonchalantly tossed the fat frog to the ground, the amphibian landing with a thud and a croak before waddling off to the safety of the pond.
If was funny that Zeffer saw this as a game whereas Sarcel was taking the idea all too seriously, because she felt like she had something to prove, rather then have some fun. Watching Zeffer bounce in place, overly eager, and she was standing there like someone just horribly offended her very being, her lifestyle, everything she stood for and oh christ's sake Sarce calm down it's only running.
Only running.
"You're on."
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:31 am
Zeffer gained a sly expression as he watched her perk up. Yeah, you had to appeal to what other people liked, sometimes, to get them to cooperate, he wasn't adverse to that. A snicker escaped him during the pause in the conversation, and shifted his gaze down toward their slimy little prisoner, waiting (once again) for her to respond. Once the challenge had been issued, it didn't take longer than a moment, and when she spoke again he was looking back up at her face.
What a treat it was, to see such a change in her. It was almost as if she had transformed into a different troll altogether. The stutter lessened, her voice raised in volume. The best part, however, was that she was looking right at him, making eye contact for what seemed like the first time since they'd begun to talk. Not only that, the look in her eyes was all full of fire and spark, fueled by the question over her lack of speed. God, he didn't even know her all that well and he found himself smiling over these little details, all too pleased to have initiated it, and not even knowing why. It was the change, he supposed...from quiet meekness to fiercely persistent in a matter of moments.
"I'll know after the race." Zeffer could not bite back his smile as he met her gaze. His own was not aggressive or mean-spirited, or anything one might have assumed it to be. Instead it shone with curiosity and ill-concealed mirth, as he was growing inwardly riled up, excited over their little contest. A laugh bubbled forth as he watched the frog bounce away once she'd tossed it aside, and he looked around suddenly, as if he were searching for something.
"You're on."
"Let's go, then. Across the park...to that light post." he pointed to the glimmer of light that was shining through the gloom, off in the distance. It was a fair ways away, but not too long, and seemed like as good a finish line as any. It would be a healthy sprint, and he looked to her for approval, shifting so they were facing back up the pathway, toward the city, and the light.
"Too bad there's no one to count us down. How about you do it." Zeffer wanted to make it fair. In a game like this, no amusement could be gained by cheating (in his opinion), and he was curious to see what Sarcel was capable of, anyway. He stretched a little, and reached to slick back his mohawk and wipe the water away from his eyes, peering off toward their destination.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:20 am
What a treat? It was funny, that a rather docile troll would get riled up so easily, over the most trivial of things. Being slapped around by a military bent troll and berated by just about any other proved highly upsetting to her, but never seemed to make her twitch. She'd have thoughts, yes, thoughts of terrible things she'd someday grow the spine to do. One day, when she'd finally be able to stand up for herself! To face her fears, to face the figures before her, to fight them and to win- it was a far off dream, but a dream nonetheless, and while most dreams proved to be nightmares, sometimes her wild flights of fancy took a lighter tone. Ambition, one of the few things that decided to settle and fester. If there was anything she learned from Sir, observed from him, it was his undying ambition, and even if not for the same context, she wished she could be so passionate about something of her own someday...
But she was. Her legs twitched with anticipation, eyes lucid, ready to prove her point. Finally, something to take seriously! Insult her coward nature, but challenge her speed? Her running? She begged to differ, and she'd show him! She'd show all of them! Most days she was Pathetic, but today- right now- she was Sarcel Cincil.
So she scouts out the path, gazing over at the light post flickering in the distance. Quite a trek, but nothing to her! Wiggling her toes in her accommodating boots, she worried that the slightly-to-large footwear would hinder her performance, but then she remembers it won't, because she is the best at running. A thought claws at the back of her mind, stop lying, but she doesn't. For once in her goddamn life, she is going to stand up and do something, even if the whole deal was a trivial game, it was certainly important enough to her.
She was the best at running, and she was going to show Zeffer that, right here, right now. Stark determination; "That i-it, huh?" she says, clear, minus the stutter. Oh, if only she could rid herself of that darn, crippling stutter. Maybe she could work on that later. Another goal to try and achieve and work at. She could imagine walking up to Sir- A new troll, a proper blueblood- serious, perhaps slightly sly, and she speaks...! The absence of a stutter. It would be glorious.
So she tries, she would start that right now. No stutter, serious, focus on the race Sarcel!
"On th... Three, then." She says, drawing a line in the mud with the toe of her shoe, taking place right where the tip of her boot hits the mark.
"...One"
This is your shot, now. Game or not, amount to something for once!
"...Two"
And don't stutter! It's hard, but you can do it for god's sake! Win, get the bragging rights for once. Think about how great that would be, eh?
"...Three!"
And she takes off like a bat outta hell.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:59 am
Zeffer loved to see that passion bloom in other trolls. Especially one like Sarcel, so quiet and anxious. He liked to see people get riled up, to be excited. Maybe it was because of the way he felt so much of the time, wound up tighter than a spring, always ready to move. It wasn't always so easy to get trolls to open up even a little, like she had. Half the time they were frightened lowbloods, many of whom were scared of him no matter how many times he renounced his belief in the hemospectrum, and anything higher often found him too obnoxious or nosy. In fact, it had really been way too long since he'd got someone else to play along like Sarcel was, so he was gonna try to enjoy it while it lasted.
"Yeah. M'sure you can handle that, right?" he grinned at the rhetorical question that he'd posed, checking out the course himself. He knew conditions weren't optimum. The weather would no doubt be a hindrance, but it wasn't as if either of them would be at a lesser advantage. He saw it as another challenge, and she hadn't complained, so he filed it away as a non-issue. Even though the rain had the tendency to get him freezing-soaking wet and soak through all his clothes, Zeffer loved running in the rain best of all.
He only gave a nod as she drew the starting line, stepping right up to it, taking a bit of a stance. His eyes are no longer on Sarcel, but on the light flickering out in the distance. He's still going to play the game, going to give it his all and see how well he stacks up against a troll who seems so confident in herself, in this activity at least. He panics inwardly, for a moment, when she starts to count. Were they gonna go on three, or 'go'? he wondered, his eyes wide, until...
"...Three!"
His hunch was correct. Zeffer launched himself off the finish line, bursting into a sprint in no time flat. That feeling was nothing short of amazing; the wind whipping his 'hawk back, the rain stinging his face, feet pounding along the soggy ground. His eyes were still glued on that light for the first moments of the race, but they inevitably darted to his opponent...and there she was, just a few steps ahead. He urged himself on, not caring that she'd passed him up...only wanting to see if he could catch up himself.
His muscles were already beginning to burn, just a little, at the sudden burden that was being asked of them. It felt good. The light was getting closer by the second, and Zeffer sucked in ragged breaths as he fought hard to close the distance between himself and Sarcel...he was finding it plenty challenging.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:39 pm
It's a serene feeling, one that she wouldn't soon forget. Perhaps it would be in her best interest to cherish the feeling; enjoyable things were always far and few between, always gone before you get the chance to really appreciate them. Slick soles colliding with the ground, propelling her lithe frame forward. Competitive soul aching for the reward, yearning forward for the sky.
Social contact was not a forte. Speaking wasn't either, if only because of her endearing stutter. Submissive, yes, but prideful in the things she excels in. The feeling of the wind in her choppy mess of hair, of the few collective raindrops still sputtering down in parallel lines. Running was a gorgeous feeling, but running in the rain felt so much more unreal.
She didn't even have to give any thought behind her quick steps-- it was natural. It all came naturally, it always had. She had to learn fast; a blueblood, supposed to be strong, able, but she was small and frail and weak and such an obvious runt of her caste that she had to make up for it. She ran. She ran from her problems and her fears and her aggressors. She ran from everything and it was the most euphoric feeling in the whole damn world to her.
And how each stop brought her closer and closer to her destination. A destitute sprinter-- drawn close to the alluring light like a moth-- only now she didn't feel so desperate to prove herself. She looked back, saw the ceruleanblood only a few paces behind, but a few paces nevertheless. She was ahead of him. She was winning and that was all that really mattered, never mind the fleeting feeling of- dare she say fun- that was bubbling up in between the cracks.
Yes, fun. Such a strange emotion in itself. It was as if she was free, happiness-- or was it really happiness? Did the two really have such a direct correlation on each other? Which was the dependent variable, what was the independent one? The happiness, or the fun? Her heart thrummed a song inside her rib cage; joy. It was in fact joy! Bliss! She was running and winning, succeeding, not loosing. Pathetic? Look at me now, Sir!
...Well, if he even cared.
But that was besides the point. Frivolity or not, it was a challenge she stood up too, dared, gripped by the neck and...
The light. She had reached the light. Never mind the sparse groupings of trolls commuting around the park, some giving sideways glances and others minding their business. Her hand had touched the metal first and by god it was simply wonderful.
There's a strange sensation in her lungs, bubbling up into her throat; she laughs, for once sounding like the god damn child that she respectively is. It's an awkward sound-- she doesn't laugh too much, if it weren't yet painfully obvious that she was a shell for harboring negativity-- but she laughs all the same.
Why? Because it was fun. She had fun, she won, she proved something. Sarcel looks back now, obviously winded, but that's hardly a bother to her. She enjoys the stretch of her lungs as they try to take in as much air as they can. Breathing is a wonderful feeling when it's with fresh air, when you actually feel like you can breath, instead of being cooped up in her dusty hive.
But there was another thought pricking her mind: She had no friends, seldom socialized. Zeffer wasn't so bad, though, she concluded.
"Well I think I h-handled that pretty w-well." She remarks with a strange introduction of confidence, if one gave pardon to the small stutter.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:56 pm
Zeffer enjoys a similar feeling, but for him it's one he strives to experience as often as he can. Usually he manages to succeed, and this instance is no exception, but no matter how many times it happens, it never seems to get old. Before they're even halfway, he's forgotten about the fact that he's a few feet behind her, losing the race, forgotten mostly that it's supposed to be a competition of speed. The rush, the delicious illusion of freedom it granted as he sped along at her heels, that was all he needed.
The slight burn was alreadt beginning to build up in his muscles as they drew nearer to the finish line, but even that was a good feeling. He pulled in deep breathes of rain-freshened air, and even let out a breathless laugh as they passed others who had chosen to brave the cold and the wet, paying them no heed at all as they sped past, one after the other. When she glanced back, he could only grin and trek on. No matter how much effort he expended, it seemed, she always managed to stay several paces ahead.
It wasn't that he'd given up, but damn if she wasn't a natural at what they were doing. There was nothing more he could do, but it didn't agitate him in the least. It was a strange thing about the blueblood; usually winning or losing was a non-issue. Usually having any one else participate in his shenanigans tickled him enough not to care at all, and so it was, when Sarcel claimed her victory by being the first to touch the lamppost. He came in seconds later, his hand connected to the metal with a light slap, before he doubled over for a moment, panting and laughing softly along with her.
Whether they're aware of it or not, they are both having fun, they are both happy and charged up, slowly coming down from the high that came on during the race. Zeffer shakes for a moment, and few water droplets are shook free of his drooping hair and hooked horns, and he heaves a pleased exhale as Sarcel speaks up.
"Yeah....yeah, I'd say so too."
He tried to tone down the big grin that was plastered over his face while he caught his breath. He didn't wanna make it look like he was laughing at her or anything, because he really wasn't. It'd been a kickass race, and another soft, pleased sound left him as he straightened up, still panting.
"You're so ********' fast. I busted my a** and still couldn't catch up. Good race." he laughed again, and leaned against the post, reaching up to wipe some of the water from his face. Zeffer was tempted to run his mouth a little more, but decided not to. He would let her revel in her well-deserved victory for the moment as he sucked in air and regained his composure.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:56 am
Aware of it or not... yes, she was quite pleased, she was having fun. It was a glorious feeling, to run, one that she loved and...
She didn't even allow her mind a pessimistic thought. What if she hadn't won? It didn't cross her mind. She might not of had much faith in herself or her abilities, but her speed was an exception-- the only exception, in fact! Trying to catch her breath, the winded blueblood suppressed the laughter to quiet giggles, obviously still high on the euphoric feeling of success and the freedom of running.
She was usually one of the first ones to point her finger at, assume, challenge their thoughts. Always one to assume that whenever anyone said anything nice, they were mocking her. Mocking and condescending... Trolls weren't nice, it wasn't their nature. But then, she went against her castes habits pretty bad, didn't she? Zeffer did, too...
And she didn't take his words as the hostile string of verbs and adjectives that she usually would. Instead, her happiness didn't die out; she was still so overly pleased with this outcome that she wouldn't be brought down for... a while, at least. A stray thought wondered about the frogs back at the pond-- the especially fat one-- and she remembered how, walking up to the pond, she had wanted to leave. Wanted to run back to her hive and curl up and accept the fate that she would forever be an introvert, unable of proper communication and social interaction...
But she was getting better, and this proved it, because she was acting somewhat... normal for once.
"Y-Yeah, good race." she agreed, reveling all right. Her composure slowly regained herself, and she slowly... warmed up to the idea of having a possible friend. The closest thing she had was Sir, and well, haha...
The mohawk and boots still threw her for a loop, though. Dark eyes glazed, looking over the other blueblood. The laughter, though it was an abrupt change, now slowly dissolved like it hadn't been there at all. Her expression still held a slight smile however, which was an accomplishment in itself. She was standing up a but more straight now, not slouched over, trying to hide in her clothes...
Not that it mattered since she was pretty short for her age anyway. Hell, she was tiny compared to most others-- maybe that was why Sir kept her around, he probably looked like a giant next to her! It was an amusing thought; of course that wasn't the real reason, he kept her around because she was his recruit, right? Because... something or other.
But she was getting distracted, done giving the storm-chaser a chance to calm down-- she hoped he was calmer now, actually, "...S-Say... Zeffer, 're you fro-from around here?" small talk was good, right? That's how friendships happened or something right?
God why was she even so hung up on the idea of having friends. A thought in the back of her mind told her it was because she had to learn how to socialize sometime, another whispered it was because she was terribly lonely...
Either way, she stared up at Zeffer expectantly, eyes wide with strange... curiosity. This was fun!
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 4:56 am
When he'd caught his breath a bit more, he felt himself swell with happiness, and he was even more buzzed than before they'd run the race. It felt so good to get his blood pumping, he pushed away from the lamp post, rolling his shoulders and stretching out, giving a soft grunt of satisfaction when he felt something pop. He finally let his eyes dart back to Sarcel, having allowed his attention and thoughts to wander off while they cooled down for those few moments.
The lingering smile on her face was a relief to see, and he grinned back, glad to see that his almost-compliments hadn't been taken the wrong way. Most trolls did take them the wrong way, and with good reason...sometimes he could be a real smart a** and lay the sarcasm on thicker than grubsauce, but this time he was being sincere, or at least trying his very best to be.
"We should definitely go again sometime. Or play other games! It'd be great!" He snickered. She would be an absolute beast at tag, he'd bet anything on that. There weren't many trolls that seemed to like to play games like that, but maybe Sarcel would.
He bounced in place for a moment, turning his head to glance out across the park once more. In his jazzed up state it was tempting to move around, and it seemed that he could never sit still, not even for a second. He recounted the race, glancing over to where they'd run from, and wondered if the frog he'd captured had found its way back home. It was a shame they'd had to discard it so quickly, but he was happy all the same to have been privy to Sarcel's speed and skill. The loss of the frog had been completely worth it. There would always be more of them to capture, anyway. He wondered if she ever liked to keep them as temporary pets. It was something he'd attempted a time or two, but Snakedad never seemed to understand that he wasn't supposed to eat them when they managed to escape.
Once again, her voice pulled him away from his distractions, and surprised him as well. He hadn't exactly expected her to pick up the conversation! But it wasn't totally unexpected, since she seemed to be in such a chipper mood. "Not exactly from around here...but I visit a lot. My hive's up near the lake at the Four Fronds." he explained, and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was so easy to move around from city to city that it hardly mattered at all, sometimes. "I try to go wherever the bad weather is. What about you, though? Live close?" he glanced around. She seemed like the type who would live somewhere quiet and secluded rather than the big city, but he supposed that even hivestems could be cozy and calm if you made them that way.
He was pleased she was asking. Pleased that he'd managed to get her to open up, if only a little. In Zeffer's world there was always room for more friends, more playmates, more people to pester if he happened to be visiting their town or passing through on one of his wild weather expeditions.
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