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 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:48 pm
The wooded area surrounding the labs had been miserable to fly out of. Usually the entire area was dense and vibrant with foliage, but winter had been hard and every tree was bare and twisted, looking rather sinister in Nero's opinion. He hadn't been outside of the controlled environment of the Labs in ages and to see everything so dead was nearly enough to make him reconsider his decision to seek company. Still - Nero felt so terribly alone, cooped up as he was. There was plenty to read and the fridge always seemed to be stocked with food that he could eat, but it was almost impossible to find someone, anyone, to talk to. Those who worked in the labs were either to busy, and Nero hadn't seen Gaius, Arturo, or Div in ages - the only person he had ever seen regularly was Gogol, and Gogol was -
Well, sitting on a windowsill. Happy, or so Nero hoped. But he certainly wasn't much for conversation these days, though that didn't stop Nero from ocasionally speaking to the gem.
But Nero was going crazy. He needed conversation, and he'd been so long without it; he simply couldn't take it anymore. So he'd bobbed and threaded his way through the dead forest, mindful of sharp branches, and eventually stumbled on civilization.
He'd first tried to the shop, only to find it empty. Completely. How had this happened? Were there still feien in the world, or had they all gone as well? Confused, he'd looked around the area, but saw no clues, nothing - no feien either. Hopes crushed, Nero decided to head back to the Labs.
To think he'd come out all this way for nothing. It was almost heartbreaking, and despite Nero's almost limitless stamina he found himself growing increasingly weary. Perhaps he ought to take a break... There was a park nearby that he had liked years ago, so Nero decided to visit it (provided it was still there.) Much to his relief it was, and while it wasn't the prettiest place during winter Nero settled down on a tree limb, stretching his legs out in front of him and blowing a piece of hair out of his eyes. He'd made himself a little coat made out of felt to ward off the cold, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Ah well, he wasn't going to stay long anyway.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:17 pm
He didn't need to. Before long, he heard a faint breaking of branches off to the side. Then it was gone only to be followed by a much softer sound of a little voice, calling out. "I will be home later, Captain! I wish to visit Hadrian today."
The owner of the voice suddenly appeared, small and dark-haired and wide-eyed, wings fluttering. She gasped and hovered as she spotted Nero. "Oh. I... That is, forgive me. I did not know I would be interrupting anyone by coming this way." Immediately, she started to edge out of his way, looking utterly sheepish.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:27 pm
Nero had only just sat down when he heard branches rustling nearby, a noise he nervously attributed to either a squirrel or bird or another sort of animal menace that might like to make a meal of him. He rose quickly to his feet, wings tense as he prepared to take to the air, only to find himself thrown when he heard a quiet voice nearby. It was soon followed by a little person, not much smaller than himself, emerging from the branches.
She looked just as startled as he did; Nero began apologizing at almost the same time as his new visitor. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize this was your tree! I, um - I don't really make a habit of trespassing, so I'll be going now."
Nero made a big show of straightening his coat, but slid his eyes sideways to peer curiously at the newcomer. Small, winged, prellan - she looked just like a feien, though admittedly not one that Nero had seen. Where had she come from? It was possible that she was some other sort of creature, since the variety of species running around Gaia was dizzying to say the least, but Nero couldn't shake the hope that just maybe he'd found another like him.
"Excuse me," he began, pausing briefly to clear his throat, "but would you happen to be a feien? I went to the shop, and I found it abandoned - it's been a long time since I've been out." He seemed almost embarrassed by this confession, twisting a long piece of hair around his finger. "Do you know what happened to it?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:31 pm
"Oh." The other feien's face fell a bit and she chewed her lower lip, hands knotting in front of her for an instant before she absently rubbed at the inside of her left wrist. "It's," she paused awkwardly, "It's gone. The Fleet has left Gaia and taken the shop fittings with it. They have disbanded and opted for another method of protection." She glanced at his face as if for permission and then moved closer so she could alight on a branch of his tree. "And this is not my tree. I don't think it belongs to anyone."
She looked around vaguely and then took to the air to land on the same branch he stood on. Holding out her hand politely, she continued, "My name is Galatea and, yes, I am a feien."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:41 pm
"I'm Nero. It's very nice to meet you." Nero replied, taking her hand and shaking it gingerly. The older feien looked completely bewildered by what little Galatea had told him - what was the Fleet? What did they have to do with feien? Perhaps he had missed more than just the shop being abandoned.
For a moment the memory feien fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. There was an awkward silence, but it was mercifully brief as Nero found himself unable to cope with his curiosity. "You'll have to forgive me, but I have no idea what this 'Fleet' is." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "As I said, it's been a long time."
Longer than he had realized.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:58 pm
Galatea looked distinctly uncomfortable at being asked to explain the Fleet and she again rubbed at her inner wrist, looking down. "The Fleet is, or rather, was an organization that protected... Well, most things. My Captain belonged to the Fleet as did I. They matched us up and I shall be forever grateful but..." Her mouth twisted as if something deep down inside were hurting and she shook her head, lifting her chin to look at Nero again. "So you are not a Fleet feien," she announced quietly. "You must know the older feien then." Her mood suddenly lightened. "Do you know Hadrian? Or Mr. Silva?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:04 pm
Nero could tell that it was an uncomfortable subject for Galatea, and he let it drop for the time being. While her explanation had only raised more questions, Nero was never the kind to force people to talk about things that made them ill at ease. Instead he smiled at her questions, but shook his head. "Not as I can recall, I'm afraid. It's possible I met them and simply don't remember."
He was relieved to hear that there were still other feien. He had been so worried before!
"Perhaps you know some of the feien I knew," he began, looking hopeful. "Do you know any feien named Ares, Ruya, or Merrimack? Or - or Ianios?" Nero hadn't heard from his family in so long, and he'd been close to Ianios years ago. Of course he had a buried desire to ask after Shalafi and Calico, but he decided against it. He'd just rather not know.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:09 pm
She shook her head slowly. "No, I'm afraid not." She thought for a bit longer. "Ruby Soho? Mr. Aleric? Ms. Burgundia? Um... Mr. Kojak or Mr. Raphael?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:14 pm
Nero clucked his tongue, lips pulling sideways as he tried to place faces to the names. His expression had fallen somewhat - no word from his family didn't bode well. Still, he pushed the negative thoughts from his mind and smiled as brightly as he could manage at Galatea. "None ring a bell. But perhaps you could introduce me to them? I've been estranged too long." He laughed then, seeming to have perked up somewhat.
Mostly he was just happy to have conversation. He was barely restraining himself from thanking Galatea.
"Tell me about yourself then," Nero prompted, his interest seeming genuine. A frown soon crossed his features as he remembered that Galatea had said she was on the way to visit someone. "Oh wait - I'm sorry, you said you were on your way somewhere before? I overheard and - well. I don't mean to interfere or anything." Nero laughed again, though this time it sounded a bit forced.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:21 pm
Galatea picked up on his nerves right away and remembered her words about visiting Hadrian. In a reaction that would have surprised anyone that knew her, she blushed at the awkward reminder. "Oh." She looked very much as if she would fidget if she knew how to do it properly. As it was, she merely shifted her weight a bit to the balls of her feet. "Well, I had thought to visit Hadrian," she replied quietly, the blush lingering, "but I didn't call ahead or make plans so perhaps it's just as well that I don't go bothering him. I wouldn't want to be a nuisance." She laced her fingers together in front of her and tilted her head to study Nero for a moment and then smiled crookedly. "So perhaps it's a happy circumstance that I met you here."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:29 pm
Nero smile returned quickly, and he pushed a strip of blue hair behind his shoulder as he sat back down on the tree limb. Patting the bark next to him, he rested his arms across his knees and said, "I'll only keep you a little while, promise. It's been a very long time since I had the opportunity to speak to another feien." Despite the fact that there were supposedly three others living in the Labs. Who knew where they had gone off to?
"So, indulge me," he said, sounding chipper, "when were you summoned? Do you live nearby?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:47 pm
"Not very long ago, I suppose." Galatea moved closer and then daintily took the seat beside Nero. She paused to consider giving her actual bloom date but decided against it; if he did not know who the Fleet were, there was no way he would understand the date of her birth. "And the Captain and I live not far from here. This is where we come to train. The running paths are smooth but have inclines. Prevents a broken ankle but still gives a challenge."
She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, twisting so she could look directly at Nero as they spoke. "Do you live nearby? I'm sorry we've never met."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:57 pm
"Not exactly," Nero admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing awkwardly. "I live in a big laboratory complex in the middle of a forest. It's pretty far off. It's, uh ... an interesting place to live? I don't really see much of my bond as she's a busy person, but she sees to it that my needs are met. It has a wonderful library though! If you like to read you could visit." The offer was matched by a smile that was just a few notches short of brilliant, and the corners of the feien's eyes lifted. He seemed to be relaxing.
"Do you run as well? I'm terribly slow myself... Flying is easier for me anyway. I was friends with this feien once, Gogol - he was among the first summoned, but he acted like he was four - " Nero paused briefly to giggle, raising his hand to his mouth and shaking his head. "Anyway, Gogol must've had something happen to him when he was younger, because he outright refused to fly. Ran everywhere. Maybe I'm missing out on something."
"Who is the Captain?" Nero asked, tilting his head to the side.
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Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:44 pm
"Oh. She's my bond. Serafima Avelovich." The smile on Galatea's face practically glowed with pride of ownership. "She's strong and brave and intelligent. That was her who I was running with," she added. "She is very dutiful about her exercise. She lets me come along with her provided I can maintain the pace which used to be hard but I've gotten much stronger." Innocently, almost child-like, Galatea stretched out her legs in front of her, wiggling her toes for Nero. "Running is more tiring than flying but you get a valuable difference of view."
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 11:59 am
"And plenty of feet happy to squish you, I'm sure," Nero added, smiling. He was settling into the natural pattens of conversation nicely - it'd been years, true, but he'd always been a social creature. "Very nice," he added, glancing down at Galatea's toes. Nero couldn't picture himself running any great distance. He was slow enough with his wings, nevermind running on pavement where he was a much easier and more vulnerable target.
"That's a good point," he admitted, with another laugh. "Though I suppose I'll stick with the perspective I feel most comfortable with. You must be very quick to be able to keep up with a full-grown human though." The feien was impressed - not since Gogol had he heard of any feien running places, and Gogol had always been very athletic.
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