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 Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:44 pm
Off the road, past the growling cerberi-- cerberuses? He'd ask Darin later-- past the frozen river, through the forest now coated with snow, Edward led Elijah through it all, never missing a step, the way to 'home' instinctively ground into the monkey's apprently scattered mind. "Aaaand... tada!" There it was, finally, a gigantic estate not visible from the road, probably about seven stories tall, though it was difficult to gain a full understanding of the place. It seemed to almost... shift whenever eyes fell upon it, almost as if it were alive. "This is the Nest! See, not that hard to get to!" he grinned, opening the door for Elijah and leading him up the stairs to the second floor, ignoring the others on the first floor (to his credit, none of them seemed to notice Edward either).
One, two, three-- five! "There we are," Edward grinned, knocking on the door before opening it, revealing the coon they'd been talking about and a young angel who was pouting at him rather convincingly. "Davie, Darin, I was just at the shop, and I ran into Elijah-- he wanted to talk to you, Darin, if that's ok?" Something had shifted about the monkey's demeanor, calmed almost, the hyperactivity settled in Darin's presence.
  Darin blinked at the intrusion, but didn't comment for a long moment before glancing at Davian. "Davian, we can continue this discussion later, all right?" He hadn't expected Edward to seek out Elijah, or for Elijah to be brought back to the Nest, but neither was necessarily bad. Simply surprising. It meant that Edward had been considering their discussion more than Darin had thought the monkey would. Things were changing, or at least, so it seemed on the surface...
It figured that something would happen, but Davian wasn't too concerned. They would discuss this later, because it was important, and if Darin wouldn't listen, Davian would seek out Cody himself because this just wasn't normal or anything like that, and Davie didn't like it this way. "'Kay," the boy shrugged, bouncing off the bed and up to Elijah. "Hi there, I'm Davian," he introduced himself with a grin, "I'll see you around!" he called as he flew out of the room.
That conversation would have to be continued later. For now... "Elijah," Darin smiled slightly. "How are you? Please, come in."
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:01 pm
Elijah was slightly... hiding... behind Edward, peering out from over his shoulder before he turned his brown orbs to blink at the angel, offering a smile, but no chance to offer his name. He felt... horrible and extremely rude that they had interrupted, because despite what Edward had reassured him of earlier, it appeared they had been getting somewhere from the pout that had been on the angel's face. Pursing his lips together, his brows pressed together lightly as he stepped into the room, though he tried his best to focus on Darin instead of looking around. "Hello again, Darin. I'm... terribley sorry to have interrupted, and I... won't take up much of your time." He started before blinking. "I'm... doing well, what about yourself, Darin?" He inquired in a soft manner, closing his eyes. "I... wanted to apologize for my behavior towards wine from the first time we had met, or my behavior in general, at that..."
There. He said it. At least he hadn't permitted himself to get too distracted by anything to forget what he came here to say. But... but that meant what he came here for was done and over, didn't it? So... wouldn't that mean it would probably be best to leave now? but... perhaps that would be more rude than interrupting their conversation to talk about random things. Breaking up a conversation that appeared to be getting somewhere only to apologize for behavior was more rude than breaking up a conversation because one wanted to bask in the other's company, wasn't it? Okay, true he enjoyed Darin's company and found it quite pleasant to be in, but he didn't bask in it... did he? Oh bother! Damn thoughts!
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:18 pm
Giving Edward a look, Darin smiled slightly at Elijah, motioning for him to sit. "You have nothing to apologize for, Elijah," he murmured, shaking his head slightly. And truly, he didn't. He'd found Elijah's company refreshing and new-- something that didn't happen every day, which was probably why he hadn't spoken about Elijah to Edward and... damn. "Edward, I hope you didn't bother Elijah because of our conversation earlier," the coon turned on the monkey suddenly, the thought rising to his mind.
"I didn't bother him, per se, Darin, I was just... worried. When you don't tell me things, it either means that they're a very good person or a very bad one, and I wasn't sure." All right, so that was a partial lie-- he'd known that Elijah wasn't a bad person, but it was still something worrisome, and as Edward had never been great at thinking, he'd rather go out and find the source of the thought, rather than wait for Darin to get around and finish thinking about it and then tell him.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:28 pm
Glancing around, he sat on the nearest thing, which happened to be the bed that Davian had been sitting on. Crossing his legs and putting his hands on the edge of the bed, he looked down at the ground-- feeling quite guilty. He didn't want Edward in any sort of trouble... in the least. "He... didn't bother me at all, Darin," He stated softly, looking up to give both of them a sweet smile.
"Then I can rest a little reassured that I did nothing... idiotic," Eli finally commented after a moment or two of silence. Swinging his legs back and forth lightly over the edge of the bed, still crossed, he looked back down towards the ground. He didn't know why, but he felt rather nervous as well as.. nearly awkward, but not quite.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:43 pm
"No, you didn't," Darin assured Elijah gently, before giving Edward a concerned look for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry that I didn't do more than just walk you home-- I didn't know whether to stay or leave, so I did the latter." At least, that was how it had worked. Darin hadn't had much practice with that sort of thing, but it wasn't that he had... it was confusing.
To stay or go? That was the question, and it required thought, and Darin was the thinker, not Edward, so maybe he should just leave and let Darin think? But then Darin wouldn't tell him anything again, and they'd be back at the start, so... but Elijah wanted to talk to Darin, not Edward, and... thinking too much. Head hurting.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:54 pm
"Oh... you mean that's how I got home?" Eli asked with a slight, nervous laugh and a blush creeping up onto his cheeks. Closing his brown orbs for a moment, he tried to work through his own thoughts. Shoving the nervous and nearly awkward feelings aside was just the first step. Waiting a few moments, seeing as they had all three seemingly fell into silence, he concentrated. Once overcoming that, he perked up so his attitude matched his vibrant clothes.
"Well, for the parts that I can remember, I had fun and I did enjoy your company, Darin, which is why I had Edward bring me here. I guess... that may seem kind of silly or childish, maybe even selfish, but I've never really been around someone that I could just sit down and open up to... It was a nice change, and I would like to thank you for that," He said with a cheerful, sweet smile. Okay, so maybe the more comfortable he got the more easily words would come to him to make a conversation, since he had come with the lack of words to make up a conversation in the first place. Glancing towards Edward, he gave a big, reassuring smile.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:10 pm
See, now the fox was smiling and it made Edward smile and simplified everything. It made it okay even though Edward still didn't get it. "I'm gonna go keep an eye on Davie, since he's probably off doing something ill-advised," the monkey grinned, petting Elijah and nodding to Darin. "I'll see you both later!" he called before slipping out before either could protest. Things were fine. They would stay that way. He was content with that.
"Edw--" Darin shook his head with a slight smile. "Please forgive his abruptness, Elijah-- Edward has a habit of doing whatever comes first to mind. I'm afraid it's how he knows how to function best. And... I enjoyed our conversation as well. You're the first person I've really had a chance to talk to on a long term basis excepting those I knew before coming to Gaia."
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:21 pm
The fox's first reaction to the abrupt manner Edward had started off in was a blink, but that soon turned into a charming grin as they monkey disappeared, his eyes half-closing in his delight at how the other functioned. It was nice to meet people that were different; that weren't the same as every other person that mosied around. "No reason to apologize for Edward's behavior, Darin, I find it rather refreshing and, dare I say it, adorable."
Giving a very light giggle, he continued to swing his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed in thought for a few moments, uncrossing them to place his feet on the ground, lifting his head to look back towards Darin with a light-hearted laugh. "That is a relief for me. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can find me at the shop or at a Villa on the beach. It makes me glad to know that I-- this may be a bit forward-- may be making a friend such as yourself," He stated softly, offering the same, charming grin to Darin.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:39 pm
"He is rather... popular for that part of his personality," Darin nodded absently. "And I'd like to consider you a friend as well, so don't think of it as being forward, please," he murmured, considering the whole matter. It made sense to him-- it was finally all right, acceptable-- expected even-- to have friends outside of a certain circle. Provided one was careful, it could even be something... kinder. Gentler. Helpful.
And Elijah certainly fell into the category of someone unlike anyone he'd been near in the recent years. There was something... more... not naive, but... less jaded. Less devious, less angry and devouring. There truly was something refreshing about the still-living, rather than the living-dead. Then again, that was only to be expected...
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:50 pm
Offering a gentle smile, he tried to relax-- but not too much. He didn't want to be so rude as to make himself too comfortable in a room that didn't belong to himself, or someone that he had only met twice. Although, Darin was different... much different. He had always had a thought nagging in the back of his mind that the friendship between he and Nepher was irreplacable... but now that he had got out and tried-- even succeeded-- in meeting more Anthros, he found that to be untrue. A lie he had told himself. Nepher.. sure he loved the unicorn, but.. that love was more or less based off of a... not lust, but rather.. desire to be close to someone.
Which, as time progressed, he learned was something that he didn't need to desire, for he could be close to any friend he decided to make-- it was just a matter of just how close you allowed them to get. For instance, he had let Nepher very close-- the unicorn being his first friend and all-- so he felt love for him... but a different kind of love. The.. friendly love, and he rarely saw the unicorn any longer, so if it was the true love, that was withering into a friendship love. Either way, Nepher had seemed to.. disappear. No reason to feel guilty about making new friends, right? "Alright, then I won't think of it as being forward. So... I hear you've been doing good-thinking?" He said with a light, airy giggle.
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Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:08 pm
"Is that what Edward said," Darin smiled, amused. "That would explain a great deal," he shook his head slightly. As always, Edward seemed to be simplifying everything down to the easiest explanation. But that was simply the monkey's way, finding the simplest way to express his thoughts. Darin had known Edward for so long that he hadn't really thought about this... in a long time. Not since they'd been college students... back then.
Strange-- Darin didn't take to people easily, but something about Elijah made him open easily to the fox. There really had only been three individuals in the world Darin had ever felt anything resembling true closeness to before. In fact, other than with Edward and Davian... and the other... there had never been a need to find that closeness. And now there wasn't a need, but there practically existed an unheard of want. It made for an interesting strain of contemplation.
"He calls it 'good thinking' when I consider something for a long period of time and don't reach any unhappy conclusion, since he's most used to unhappy conclusions, as our previous home seemed full of them," Darin explained after a moment.
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Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:27 pm
Elijah nodded his head in agreement when the other-- well, not exactly inquired-- commented on what Edward said. Looking down towards the ground, he flicked his head to the side in an attempt to get the bangs out of his face. Stubborn things never seemed to stay where he had them at, no matter what he did to them. Giving up on removing the bangs from his face, his brown orbs flicked up towards Darin.
With the offered explination, the fox nodded his head and smiled lightly. It was odd-- at least for him-- that he found himself so comfortable in Darin's company. Though, perhaps that was because the encounters with Anthros after he met Darin were much less than pleasant. His first encounter with Edward - having been pounced on and all - hadn't been quite as pleasant either, although he didn't mind the monkey so much now. He supposed he was more comfortable around Darin because... his behavior was different from most-- more... laid back? or, he seemed laid back.
The closes to contact they had gotten had been when they were sitting on the couch drinking wine. Oh, that thought of getting drunk infront of Darin still made him more or less embarassed, even with the coon's reassurance. "Well, that does clear things up a bit. I'm glad you were didn't-- or rather haven't-- come to any unhappy conclusions involving me," He said with a light smile.
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:27 pm
Darin simply smiled at Elijah's comment. Ah, if only the boy knew what an 'unhappy' conclusion entailed-- the darkness of the past, the end of his mortal world and the end of the Kindred world, blood, death, destruction. All were quite the usual fare on Gaia, it seemed, but Darin couldn't help but be haunted by the past, haunted through his need to continually consider what had happened before, what could possibly happen again.
No. How could it happen again? There were no Antediluvians here who rose to devour their children-- at least, none who were related to Darin. There wasn't an entire sect of crazed, power-hungry vampires with the ability to actually harm everyone they chose (Crazed, power-hungry vampires, yes. Able ones, not in any large quantity). And, of course, there was no gorgeous girl who had captured Darin's heart.
Come to think of it, there were no girls at all, so that might prove to be a saving grace. Unless something about this place turned everyone towards enjoying the company of their own gender more than the other-- an idea Darin didn't quite feel comfortable about, but couldn't completely strike off either.
"How could I possibly have come to any unhappy conclusions about such an interesting person?" Darin asked, not entirely joking. "After all, you didn't do anything which would have brought about such a thought."
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:29 am
Elijah smiled warmly, slightly, at the comment. Cocking his head to the side, he reached up and brushed bangs from his face. Closing his brown eyes for a few moments, he shook his head and shrank into thought for a few moments. "I'm... not sure how to answer that, if it was a question at all," The fox replied with a very small, hearty laugh. "Either way, thank you for... what I take as a compliment."
Opening his eyes once more, he set them on the coon and thought a bit more. He had to be careful, use his time with the coon wisely. He didn't want to end up in another odd, confusing situation like he had with Nepher. Sure, he felt for the unicorn-- but it was all so stressful and... not at all worth the trouble he had gone through. Perhaps if he were truely in love it would had been worth it, but he came to his conclusion-- he was just hoping and rushing for what he wanted the most - love.
Wasn't that the thing that all really wanted? To love and be loved in return? Like that song.. Nature Boy. "Darin..." He started softly, a little blush crossing over his face, "I don't know how old you are, but you do seem fairly wise... and I have a question for you... though I doubt it can really ever be answered." Elijah said quietly, tongue flicking out to moisten his dry lips. Should he really even ask this question? well, that didn't really matter... because either way he was going to end up asking it, and probably scare the coon away. "I... don't mean to sound forward, and I don't mean anything by this... Well, not really... But..." A pause, "Do you think that the greatest thing anyone will ever learn is to love and be loved in return?" Glancing down towards the ground, the fox clearly felt foolish and... slightly upset that it had came out anyway.
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Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:32 am
...Elijah certainly didn't ask the easy questions, did he? Darin considered it for a long, long moment-- after all, there were so many answers for that question. In Darin's lifetime-- and his life after he'd died-- there had been many answers-- and only one because there was only love when everything else died and fell to pieces. Only love could withstand the brunt of time, of life, of death.
And yet... love wasn't always enough. Love couldn't heal a fatal wound, couldn't save someone from a fate they didn't deserve. Love could tear you apart once the object of affection vanished-- it could promote hatred, fear, anger, self-loathing. Love couldn't heal all wounds, even if love could create all wounds.
But that wasn't the question. The question was whether or not it was the 'greatest thing anyone will ever learn'. And that, quite frankly... well. Greatest, first off, wasn't specific. It was highly subjective, highly vague. But it was an honest question, one sages had struggled with. One Darin couldn't answer, though, perhaps, he could give Elijah the words which might assist him in finding his answer. "...'the greatest'? That... that's difficult to say. I can tell you though... love kept me alive when I was dead, and love haunted my afterlife. Love gave me my most treasured memories-- and my most wounding. It is... without a doubt... one of the most potent healers, and one of the most vicious weapons. It depends mainly on whether it's mutual... on how strong it is. Because there are varying degrees of love, varying degrees of strength."
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