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 Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:11 pm
The mood set by the greenhouse itself with its soft lighting and all the plants as they silently breathed all around them was quite mellow and calming. It made Ashura feel relaxed and yet somehow tired at the same time, as if he was realizing that he was as tired late. He chuckled softly when Scirocco mentioned he might get spoiled by having both himself and his plants around. Surely enough, Scir appeared to always know how to make him smile. "I am starting to fear that you are going to spoil me, instead" he spoke quietly as he unconsciously tilted his head slightly to the side as in a need to come closer to the other. "Then I suppose we are the same there. But that is alright, is it not?" he paused in order to think over Scirocco's words for a moment. Of course he travelled with him. Scirocco was his 'home' now, but how could he ever say such a thing without making it awkward for both of them? It was simply unthinkable. "Journeys must have a destination." even though he didn't smile this once, Ashura's words concealed one in them. "To be able to travel with you-" he felt powerless to express what he felt and it was infuriating, almost. "You've taught me innumerable things..." he trailed off.
As for those... worlds? Surely, there were things he longed to share with Scirocco, so many things he could talk about. There were so many places where he'd like to take Scirocco to, amazing lands with wonderful people, journeys he'd love to make anew like this, just as he were now. On the other hand there was a deep, dark underside to all this beauty. Worlds filled with shadows and despair, worlds haunted by memory and infested by nightmares unlike people that never went through had seen. Of course, in the end there was always a light, however small. A traveller has to leave everything behind every time after all. Such things were beyond him, outside him. But it wasn't as if the Planeswalker's life was one he'd recommend to anyone. As much as the calling for new places, sights and experiences was demanding, to constantly have to move forward like that was a painful procedure that in the end brought more pain than joy to the one going through it way and over again. To be bound somewhere might not be as terrible as it might sound.
There are no travellers anymore. he didn't know why he thought of those words. He didn't feel happy when he thought about them and he didn't feel sad. As opposed to his clashing feelings up to this point those words were oddly... empty, as if they were devoid of all meaning; words that existed only to be forgotten already. Maybe it was just that he lost the need to travel to other worlds now that he had found where he should be, or maybe it was something else.
Ashura didn't notice how flustered Scirocco appeared to be at that moment as he reached his hand out to collect the berries from the palm of his hand. Taking just a single moment to feel the berry's texture with his fingertips he then brought it up to his mouth to taste it. He carefully studied the taste before he swallowed and spent a couple moments in silence to savour it. The best way to describe that taste would be 'full'. It was a full, all-round sweet taste with a small twist, a pinch of sourness that complimented the sweetness well. "Those are... really nice, Scirocco." he nearly exclaimed. Surely such a result could only be due to the care with which they were brought up.
Nodding his head at Scir's next question Ashura took a small initiative and headed for the door, his hand still comfortably nested in Scirocco's. "I believe it is, but let me help you make your bed before that." with this and that they had forgotten about it completely and Scir looked tired and- okay, he was becoming anxious just thinking about it. "It has been a long day, after all." and he didn't know if there was anyone that could disagree about that fact...
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:51 pm
"Would it be so bad if I was to spoil you?" Scirocco asked, smiling back when Ashura chuckled. Scir leaned in, too, when Ashura tilted his head. He nodded in response to Ashura's question. Scirocco's breath caught in his throat again, as Ashura began with To be able to travel with you- but cut himself off. Scirocco wondered at the meaning behind those words. The exhaustion of wanting things to be something more, and trying to figure out if he was the only one who felt that way, was impossible. "You opened my eyes, Ashura. So I am glad I was able to do anything in return."
He couldn't fathom what was going on in Ashura's mind, all the things he had seen and felt on his travels. Scirocco's life, although largely nomadic during the warm months, had a kind of rhythm to them by now. It was only one world, after all; no matter how much he varied his path, the sights were much the same. He liked walking by the places where the seasonal priests worshipped. Scirocco himself didn't know the priests. It was Lemon who seemed to befriend everything that moved.
The journeys that Scirocco went on held a singular purpose: find a way to speak with the spirits who had not yet manifested on their plane. He didn't remember exactly why he needed such a device, and in fact, he didn't even feel... he didn't feel like he still needed to find it, not with the same urgency. Who did he need to find? He had Lemon, and now... Ashura might be willing to stay close. Scir could hardly imagine being granted such an ideal life. Journeying with Ashura, home with his brother and his dearest friend. The ones he cared for most in the world gathered under the same roof. Scirocco smiled to himself, looking out the window at the snow. As much as he loathed being cold and damp, at that moment he was grateful for the unending storm.
He plucked another berry from the bush and popped it in his mouth, turning to Ashura as he tasted its sweetness with the hint of sour. The sugar of the berries was giving him a little bit of extra energy. "I am glad you like them," he said, "They are a combination of two different kinds of plants, which we managed to cross... Ah, it makes me sound like a strange scientiest. In truth, we required the help of someone whose power resided with plants. I like them, but I do not have the skills to blend two entire species together," he said, shaking his head and grinning. His eyes widened slightly as Ashura took the initiative to bring him into the other room, not letting go of his hand, but his look of surprise quickly melted into one of amused contentment. "Everyone needs a little help now and again, right?" Scir murmurred in response to Ashura's offer to help make his bed.
Out in the other room, Scirocco squeezed Ashura's hand before taking his back, in order to pick up one of the body-length pillows and a couple smaler ones. "If you would be so kind as to carry a few smaller pillows in, I would be grateful," Scirocco said, nodding his head at the plush floor. He brought his armful of pillows into the bedroom and placed them on the floor next to the bed, far enough away that if Ashura decided to step down on that side he wouldn't get stepped on, though. He fetched a sheet from inside the linen drawer and waited for the pillows Ashura might bring, ready to cover his bed with the sheet and then a blanket. He stretched, feeling exposed but comfortable in his light clothing, sleepware he hadn't worn in months.
"Will it be alright with you if I sleep here?" Scirocco asked, smiling at Ashura.
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Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:30 am
Ashura took a couple moments to think about Scirocco's question. Would it be bad were he to be spoiled? The answer was still hanging in between possibilities. Sometimes it was alright, after all who doesn't like to be spoiled a little? To feel special and exceptional in some way? On the other hand Ashura didn't want to view himself as such. He had already went through that process of wondering and was almost certain that he simply wished to be 'normal' like everybody else. Then again being spoiled a little was a part of 'normality' on itself, so the cycle continued on. Philosophy aside, he did appreciate what Scirocco was doing for him all the same. There was no way he could refuse him anything. "I suppose it's not so bad, as long as I can return the favour." he nodded. Then he spent another moment in silence, wondering why his feelings were always so conflicting. Why couldn't he make it easier on himself for a change? And Scirocco's words, those words that should make him happy 'you opened my eyes...' they only made him bitter. He couldn't wish his fate to anyone yet he had to acknowledge that Scirocco was a traveller. Of course he would look upon his ability as nothing but a gift. He was on the borderline of asking if Scir would prefer being in his place. If he would like to be like him.
Yet he feared that the question would only help made both of them sad, so he selflessly pushed it aside. It had been a long day, and a beautiful evening that if he somehow could he'd make it last even longer. He wanted to stay longer, he really did, forever if there was such a thing as 'forever', if it was within his powers, if he could- Because being there, at that place, with Scirocco... it made his heart grow warm, so warm that it almost threatened to melt away in his chest. It made no sense to picture it but there was no other way to describe this feeling.
He was surprised at Scirocco's talk about the plant which's fruit he had just tasted. So it was a hybrid that was created by merging two entirely different species into one? He didn't even know that such a thing was possible so he was almost awestruck at the revelation. "T-that's unbelievable!" he exclaimed, excited almost like a child that had just discovered something new. "Surely... the people of this realm have so many interesting powers." he nodded. He had already witnessed many wonders in that land and he wondered how long it would be until he stopped being surprised if that was even possible.
"We all do need help, indeed..." he mumbled with a smile as he did as Scirocco asked and gathered some pillows to bring to the other room. Trying to make his way to the other room without bumping into any walls -sometimes he did wish he was just a little taller, just tall enough to be able to peek over those pillows as of present- he couldn't help but smile to nobody but himself; those ordinary, everyday actions making it all seem so welcoming and familiar. Managing to navigate to the bedroom he placed the pillows he was carrying down and moved to sit at the edge of the bed, his feet still on the floor as he watched Scirocco make his bed.
"Of course." Ashura replied at the question that followed. Why would he have any objections after all? There was nothing that he could object to at present. Nothing. He had all he could have asked for and even more; everything he could wish for just within his reach. He heaved a sigh full of content and pulled his feet upon the bed, the tiredness of the day flooding back to him at once as he let himself relax, no more obligations for the day, not even minor ones. And at that moment he was as happy as he could be.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 1:02 pm
Scirocco couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Ashura's mind. He seemed to be churning over something, and Scirocco supposed he chose not to speak of it. "I would not begrudge you and reciprocity," Scirocco replied, "as much as I do not feel that I should be spoiled, if it makes me happy to spoil you, then I won't prevent you from experiencing your own happiness." Scirocco acknowledged that in part, it was almost selfish to want to spoil Ashura. It might make him uncomfortable, and yet Scir didn't want to help it; he wanted to make Ashura comfortable, so that he wanted for nothing. It worried Scir, the bitterness that he thought he saw reflected in Ashura's expression, even if only momentarily. Still, because Ashura said nothing, Scir couldn't place too much on his passing interpretation. Perhaps everything was fine.
"There are many powers, I don't know what determines who receives which power. I, for example, am a wind elemental while my brother has no elemental powers to speak of. He has strength, but his 'power' is only really visible in his ability to invent things and realize them. Even then, that is more testimony to the power of knowledge and the written word than anything else." Scirocco paused, having rambled a while. He felt his exhaustion rise up to meet him again. He really did get floored so easily.
Scir looked up at Ashura sitting on the edge of the bed, pausing his movements, and smiled. Just looked at him, smiling: Ashura was sitting on his bed, and things couldn't be better, in Scir's conception. Even if his heart was so conflicted, and he couldn't express himself properly. Scir longed to rise and walk over to Ashura, to hold him. However, he sighed heavily with a wry smile and returned to making the rest of his bed. He tucked the sheet around the pillows, and lay on the lumpy "bed" they had made. It could be worse, really. The pillows were quite plush. He found that he might end up sleeping on the floor mid-way through the night, though; sleeping on the ground one night, and on a bed of soft pillows the next seemed like too much of a transition. His mattress was firmer, because of Scir's traveling.
Quietly, Scir lay on the pillows, looking at the ceiling. He traced constellations on the panels with his memory, identifying stars through the ceiling. Idly, with one hand, he stirred the air with his fingertip, creating tiny whirlwinds smaller than his pinky. They tickled his skin. "Goodnight, Ashura," Scirocco mumbled, closing his eyes, still conjuring little whirlwinds. They died as soon as he set them down, but while he had them, they were comforting somehow. It wasn't immediate, sleep's arrival. Scirocco drifted in an in-between state for some time, before falling into what was at first a peaceful dream.
He was walking through a field, one with little white flowers peeking out from between blades of grass. The sky was blue, expansive, and there was a dirt path cleaving the field in two. Scirocco stood in the flowers, and he saw Ashura walking down the path. He waved, and called out in joy, seeing Ashura. Ashura did stop to wave, and Scirocco tried to approach him. His feet became heavy, and the grass was holding him back somehow. Ashura seemed to become impatient, or distracted, and began to walk away. Scirocco tried to call out to him again, tried to ask him to wait, that he would find the words to say soon enough, but his mouth was too dry to speak. He kept churning the earth, until he tripped over himself and crumpled up in the ground, which became an earthy darkness that folded over him and blocked out light.
It was that darkness that opened into wakefulness. Scir was panting, and sat upright, looking around him. His skin was cold and beaded with sweat. He peeled his shirt off, tossing it beside him, and looked down at his arms and hands. His fingers were shaking, and his skin cold to the touch, but he didn't seem to have any physical markings on him. What was it, then, the pulsing in his chest? His heart was racing. He tilted his head up, looked over to his bed as if remembering that in the dream Ashura had kept on walking. He half thought the bed was empty, at first, and pushed himself to his feet, casting off the covers and sheets. He stood up next to the bed, and saw Ashura lying there, which eased his anxiety at least a little. Scir let go of an anxious breath. He was about to try and sleep again, when he became overcome with the same fear he'd felt in the dream, the desire to find the words to speak. Scir swallowed, his mouth dry, and leaned over Ashura, half-asleep and afraid he would disappear. What if Ashura was an apparition? Scir leaned in, closer, until his face was near enough to Ashura's that he could feel him breathing.
Scirocco didn't think about it. He pressed his lips against Ashura's softly, lingering, his brows furrowed. Ashura was warm, alive. It startled Scir awake, and he took a step back, covering his mouth with his hand, eyes wide. What had he been thinking? He needed to apologize, make ammends, something; was Ashura awake? had he been awake? Was he stirring? Scir's heart raced.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:49 pm
Even if Scirocco's words didn't come off as too great a surprise -since Ashura had already become rather familiar with that gentle and kind demeanor that was a lot like his but at the same time was not exactly identical- they made him happy like most of the things Scir did for him. But in the same time he didn't know how to reply without embarrassing himself and he didn't know how to keep this embarrassment from showing even if he didn't as much as speak a single word. He tried to pretend to overlook the statement just so he could keep himself from blushing; yet he feared that he would anyway and that it would be only too obvious to contain anymore.
"Maybe the powers people receive are reflections of what they were before arriving here, don't you think?" he paused even though the question was nothing but rhetorical "Or maybe it's what people wish to become when they arrive here, something they spent a lifetime looking forward to..." he would surely like to give such an interpretation himself. After all he had found what he was looking for in that place; and such a wondrous place it was, surely it couldn't all be a coincidence, could it? And he wanted to tell Scirocco so badly... he really wanted to speak of the way he felt, what all of this meant for him, but the words seemed to get caught in his throat before he could speak them and even the thought of them escaped him before he could form it into sentences. And there were so many things he couldn't speak of, so many things that he wouldn't tell, all of them piling up to form a complicated, winding warren in his mind that coaxed him into silence whenever he would as much as dare think of it. He'd have to carry the burden of it alone.
Yet, burden or not, looking down at Scirocco looking back up to him, smiling could only put a smile on his face as well in return. It was almost like a reassurance that everything was still okay, time flowed as it had to flow, his days with his dearest friend would continue, still. Would it last until spring? Only time could tell but he wanted to believe that Scirocco too would want this as much as he, himself did. Still smiling, he curled up on the bed, pulling the covers over his head as if he was trying to nest under them; finally peeking out he took a few moments to blink at Scir's little whirlwinds. Round and round they went... just like the thoughts in his head. "Goodnight to you too, Scirocco." he returned the wish and unable to stop himself from smiling, still he allowed to his eyelids to drop heavy over his eyes as he plunged into a deep sleep.
And for the first time in a long while Ashura didn't dream of things in his past, not good nor bad. The one dream he had was of warm, welcoming stillness where everything was so quiet that even his heartbeat seemed loud. It was a safe place, or rather someplace where he felt safe. And this place... he felt like he could stay there for as long as he wished, nobody to take him away from there.
Yet inside his dream he didn't, couldn't know what Scirocco was going through at pretty much the same time. There was no way for him to transcend dreams, otherwise he would surely have tried to change the outcome of it, if he had known what it was. And in the end he might have felt Scirocco's warmth close to him, he might have even felt that gentle kiss; but if he did, both were lost inside his sleep not to be remembered in the morning as anything more than the passing of a pleasant dream.
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