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 Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:05 pm
Herald 04.04.08
When you come upon the scene, it is a weak and dying Herald that you find, unable even to stand. A few scattered feathers on the ground are the only remnants of the wings it once possessed. It has come to this place to die...or be saved? That, of course, is up to you.
You are alone when you find the angel. The Heralds have long gone unsaved, and though it appears to you, it does not hold much hope of living on. Near to where the two of you meet rests a grey stone slab that the angel seems desperate to reach. With your help, the Herald climbs upon it, needing something from you to save its life. What will you choose to give it? And what significance does that item hold for you? Is it a family heirloom? Something you happened to have on hand? Something you'd purchased earlier that day? A lucky charm?
You may have noticed that many details have been left off. This is because we want you to have plenty of freedom to develop the scene yourself. Consider time of day, weather, season, etc. when you post.
He had been looking forward to his first koto lesson. It's been so long since he had first heard one and decided that it would be added to the giant list of instruments to be learned. And finally, he had been able to get one. That was two weeks ago. A little each day afterwards, he had spent whatever time he could find plucking the strings haphazardly, not sure whether it was the correct way, but only taking comfort in its sound and touch. Somehow it calmed him. He had been waiting for his first lesson so that he could learn how to play it properly. But it seemed that on the way, he had gotten lost. Or rather, he had been lost, in the flow of music from his headphones. He was no longer sure where he was. He pulled the headphones off, and they hung around his neck, music still streaming in barely a whisper. Somewhere beyond the trees, the sea crooned in reply, but that did not help him find his position at all.
Readjusting the strap of the soft case on his back, he scanned the area. Nothing looked familiar at all. He stepped off the road. He wasn't sure why he didn't just turn around and try to retrace his steps back, but somehow he felt drawn... Pulling his jacket in closer against the still cool early April breeze, he wandered forward towards the trees.
A white feather...
And another...
He followed the trail until his eyes landed on their owner. It was... a person... but not a person. Sheets of long white hair fell upon pale shoulders and rested on the grass. Reaching out its frail arms, it pulled itself along the ground slowly, blue eyes never leaving a slab of stone that rested not far away.
He watched, oddly calm. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if perhaps he should normally panic at a situation like this. But yet, he was standing there, and all he felt was an odd sense of desolate beauty.
With a soft thud, the angel's (for what else could it be?) arm collapsed under its weight. It turned and looked up at him for the first time. The blue eyes pierced him. He moved forward slowly, knelt, and held out his arms. The angel lifted a shivering arm, and he took it into his own.
Slowly, he carried it onto the stone slab and laid it down. It was shaking... Feeling that perhaps a distraction would help, he pulled the case off his back and opened it. Lifting the koto out gingerly, he set it in front of the angel. "Here. Wait a minute."
He pulled out his phone to call his teacher. He didn't know what he was suppose to do right now, but surely, he was going to be late. As the phone rang, he turned his back on the stone, surveying the surroundings once more.
"Hello? It's me. I'm really sorry, but I think I'm going to be late today. Yes, I understand. I'm terribly sorry, but something came up suddenly---"
A solitary note rang clearly in the air.
He whipped around.
The angel was gone. And so was his koto.
"... Actually, I don't think I'll be able to make it today. I'm very sorry. I'll explain another time. Thank you. Sorry again. Goodbye."
He picked up the case. A single white feather fell to the ground. He bent and picked it up. Turning the feather over in his fingers, he looked around once more. It was really gone... He slung the case over his shoulder again, pocketed the feather, and turned back towards the way that he came.
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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:02 pm
Herald 04.12.08
You sit inside, protected and comfortable as the weather rages outside. The evening meal is on the table, and you're filled with an intense feeling of well-being.
Your mind veers, against your will, to the dying creature that you had come across. It certainly wouldn?t be comfortable tonight. What are you thinking? It's probably already long gone. But...what if it isn't?
What's it actually like outside? Do you go in search of the Herald? What do you bring to make it more comfortable, if so? Do you even find it?
How many days had it been? He couldn't remember. Since then, he had rescheduled his lessons, and managed to arrange to borrow the koto of one of his teacher's past students. Until he could get another of his own anyway. He had told his teacher that it was stolen. For what other excuse could he have used? Certainly saying that an angel had disappeared with it, would seem even more farfetched.
Somewhere off in the distance, he thought he heard a crack of thunder. The weather this April had been unsteady. His thoughts lingered on the frail form he had seen. Would it have lasted? It even snowed a few days ago. Surely, it had gone somewhere by now. Afterall, it did disappear. With his koto. Without thinking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the feather. Somehow he had kept it with him, all that time. It seemed silly, and he had no idea why he continued to carry it around. But for some reason, he felt calmer with it on him. He shoveled the food in his mouth without paying attention, trying not to think about the angel, though absentmindedly, he continued twirling the feather in his hand.
Surely... surely it would be gone by now...
But...
What if it wasn't...?
Half aggravated with himself, he tossed the spoon into the half empty dish and stuffed the feather back in his pocket. Shaking his head, he pushed the chair back, got up, and went to find an umbrella.
Outside, the rain continued, beating a steady rhythm onto his umbrella. He wasn't sure whether he still knew the way, so he kept his hand on the feather, and went in whatever direction seemed right.
The night grew darker as he went on. Should've brought a flashlight... He stumbled over the uneven ground and threw his hand out to catch himself. As he looked up, he saw a dark shape looming in front of him. There was something familiar about that shape...
A flash of lightning split the sky and lit up the scene for a second. It's that slab of stone from before! And sitting under it, half-curled up and shivering, was the object of his search and the source of his agitation that night. It was drenched, from head to toe, white hair plastered flat against its head. It no longer looked as weak as it had been, but certainly it did not seem strong enough to have lasted this long either.
Pulling himself up from the ground, he advanced towards it. The sound of the rain must have drowned out any noise that he made, for it did not notice him until he was close to it. It looked up as he knelt down.
"Ryuka..."
Once again, he was startled by those brilliant blue eyes. But he was more surprised at the name he had whispered the moment their eyes met. He had no idea where it came from, but it simply rolled right off his tongue. The angel simply gazed at him calmly.
He held out his hand, and the angel reached forth to grab it. Holding tightly onto the freezing cold hand, he pulled both of them up. It stood, with its arms wrapped around its body, still shaking from the cold. He shed his still-mostly-dry jacket and wrapped it around the quivering figure. It was almost too weak to stand... Hoping that it would not struggle, he bent, and picked the angel up. It put its shivering arms around his neck. The freezing rainwater dripped from its arms down his spine, but he only shook himself slightly. Careful to keep the umbrella balanced in his hand, he set off for home.
Back inside again, the umbrella was quickly abandoned in the hall as he carried the angel into one of the spare rooms. And after drying it off as best as he could, he had laid it in bed, covering it with enough blankets to stop the shivering. All this time, it had not spoken, only gazing with those blue eyes. Now warm and dry, those eyes had turned sleepy, and soon closed in slumber.
Turning off the lights, he left to peel off his wet clothes and change into dry ones. Despite trying to be careful, he had inevitably gotten soaked in the rain. Upon returning to the kitchen, he contemplated the remainder of his meal. He no longer felt like eating. So he cleaned everything up and made to prepare for bed. Yet, even though he knew it was safe now, he couldn't help but worry about it. Quietly he let himself back into the room. It was still sleeping peacefully. He settled himself upon the couch, thinking that he would go off to his own bed soon.
When his eyes opened again, it was already morning. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he looked up, expecting to see a still-sleeping form on the bed. But the bed was empty. He sat up in a rush, ... and heard the sound of the koto from the other room. It had found the music room... He smiled and listened. It was playing better than he was! As the music, for those randomly plucked notes had somehow formed themselves into an odd melody, flowed through the air, he felt sleep try to reclaim him again. And he allowed it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:32 am
Hisaki's journal It's been a few days since Ryuka came to live with us. He seems to be recovering well, though he is still rather quiet, only speaking when needed. Perhaps when he gets more used to being here, he'll open up more. But of course, maybe thats just how he is...
He likes to spend most of his time in the music room, haphazardly playing whichever instrument strikes his fancy at the moment. I guess it must be natural talent. The koto that disappeared with him had been nowhere in sight when I found him, but I'm at least glad to see that none of my instruments have been disappearing. I guess I should just let that koto go...
I think if I had let him, he would probably be sleeping in the music room. But since I insisted that he pick a bedroom, he chose the one closest to it. Go figure. Being in that room puts him right next to Valens. But both boys seem to be getting along well enough. They're both quiet though, Ryuka a little more so than Valens, for whatever reason it might be. But Valens also likes music, and sometimes I hear two instruments being played at the same time. I guess Ryuka must be teaching. Even though they don't seem to talk much, I guess they communicate well enough through music, so I'm not worried.
As for the rest of the family, Ryuka seems to like Rhys better, while Valens seems to favor Kiellyn. I guess it somehow makes sense. While Rhys is playful for a kitten, Kiellyn is a curious puppy. Either way though, it's good that the family gets along.
The weather's warming up lately, and when it's more stable, I think I will take the boys out somewhere. Just need to figure out where...
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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 5:01 am
Herald 07.05.08
Time has passed, and your Herald is becoming fond of you and beginning to show affection. You two have grown closer, but that's not the only aspect of growing.
The Herald is maturing into a young child before your eyes. No longer dying and weak and no longer sexless, it now has beautiful angel white hair and dark blue eyes of unusual depth. You may have noticed that the Herald has been scratching and touching its back for a while, and now it's finally explained. The herald's wings have started to grow in.
How do you deal with the child's discomfort? Do you have any remedies to ease it? How does he/she react? How do the wings reflect the item given?
"Still bothering you, kid?"
Ryuka sat in his bed, leaned up against the wall, rubbing his back against the slight bumps in the wallpaper. His shirt was scrunched up behind him. His nod was accompanied by a frown that hardly left his face these few days.
Hisaki sighed again and took a swig of his coffee. When is this going to be over?
"Come on then." He beckoned, his green eyes worried. "Is it doesn't get better tomorrow, I'll take you to see a doctor or something."
Ryuka pushed himself off the bed and followed the man downstairs. It's been almost a week since his back had started itching. At first, he thought perhaps he had gotten bitten by something while playing outside with Valens, but Hisaki's examination of his back showed no bite marks of any sort at all. Over the week, it had slowly gotten worse. The skin turned pink, and two spots, one on each side, had seemed to be swollen. It was getting hard for him to go long without touching it or scratching it. Even his blue eyes were weary from the sleepless nights.
"At this rate we're gonna run out of aloe soon." Hisaki surveyed his poor aloe plant. It was still oozing slightly from the latest cut he had made in it. Grabbing a small knife, he sliced off another piece. Extracting the gel into a bowl, he mixed in some chamomile oil. The fragrance filled the kitchen. "I just heard about the chamomile thing today. It's suppose to help you sleep too." Dipping his fingers into the bowl, he stirred the mixture around, and smeared it onto the Ryuka's back.
"Now remember. No more touching, and try to sleep on your stomach if you can." The boy nodded as Hisaki wrapped a wide cloth bandage around him. "That should hopefully keep it on you and off the bed if you do turn around." Ryuka pulled his shirt back on as Hisaki washed the greenish mess off his hands and the bowl. Drying off his hands, he asked, "Any better?"
The cooling effect of the aloe was indeed working, though it would not last forever. Ryuka nodded and pulled a small smile from his face. Hisaki smiled back, slightly relieved, as he ruffled his hand through the boy's soft white hair. "Good. Now try to get some sleep."
With the coffee mug spinning its way around in the microwave, Hisaki spared a glance at the kitchen clock. It was going to be a long night..."Ahhhh!!!"Hisaki woke up with a start, his head snapping up from the desk that he had fallen asleep on. What the... Ryuka! He slid the chair backwards and rushed towards the boy's room, scattering papers in the process.
Ryuka was crouched on his bed with his back arched, the top of his head buried in his pillow. His shaking fists were balled, grabbing onto his sheets.
"Ryuka!"
Hisaki rushed over and pulled up Ryuka's shirt. The bandage fell away by themselves. He gasped, as the mystery was unraveled. Ryuka was growing his wings! They were still small, but he had a feeling they would get bigger soon enough. The feathers were brown with thin dark stripes that strangely, made him think of a koto... He smiled. Ah well. Just another winged kid in the house.
"You ok, kid? Looks like yours wings are growing in." He touched the feathers gently.
Ryuka panted as he turned around, trying to see his back. It was no good. They were still too small. So he turned, and surveyed his reflection in the mirror. It took him a while to figure how exactly he would move them. But after a while, his brain found the right nerves, and practiced flapping them.
"Good thing it's nothing serious, huh? You should go back to sleep. Let me know if it still itches and we can put more of that aloe stuff on it."
Ryuka nodded as Hisaki closed the door behind him. But truth was, he was too excited to go to sleep, despite how tired he was. Now he had wings just like Valens! He laid down in bed, gazing at his reflection in the closet mirror. He flapped them around some more. But soon, the effort wore him out, and he drifted off to sleep, surely dreaming of flight.
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