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 Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 6:58 pm
Sheridan didn't mind however tight she was holding on, for as much as she worried she hadn't hurt him and his mane remained intact. Glancing over his shoulder from the corner of his eye, the dragon flashed a smile.
"Sure, if I want to."
There was a hint of mischief in that grin, it was time to go faster! A powerful lash of his tail, the dragon surged forward with a burst of speed, wings folded back as he climbed higher, carrying the little baku further into the sky.
In her natural form, Xiu was so small, he barely felt her on his back, the slight tug on his mane the only hint she was there at all. Unfortunately he had failed to notice her loosened grip, here's hoping she didn't fall off!
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:05 pm
By this point, Xiu was very much aware that her grip was loosening and that she was sliding back. While it made her a little worried, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, right? Sheridan had plenty of mane to hang onto, so she probably wouldn't slide off all the way.
Or so she thought at least.
When Sheridan sped up, the Baku's first reaction was to wag her tail and cling on, eyes wide with excitement. However, she found that--contrary to her thoughts just a few moments ago--it was...a lot harder to hang on than she thought. With a little yelp, she found that her grip had loosened, and she was now flying off of the dragon and falling downwards.
Fortunately, she had managed to grab the fluffy end of Sheridan's tail before she fell. The Baku clung desperately to the fluffy end of his tail, eyes wide as she was swung back and forth. If she let go now, she would fall! Hoping that her voice would carry over the wind, Xiu let out a distressed call.
"Sheeeeeeerrrrriiiiiidaaaaaaaannnnnn! Heeeelp, heeeeeeelp!"
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:58 pm
It was the tug on his tail that caught Sheridan's attention, a wince, the smile he had shown until that moment turning to a frown. His head turned, what was--
Oh! Uh-oh! Maybe he shouldn't have taken off so fast! It was a good thing his tail was as fluffy as his mane and that Xiu had had the quickness to catch it.
Almost immediately the dragon slowed his flight, head turned down to look toward his friend as his tail swung forward, carefully flicking her back to his mane. He'd have to make sure to be more careful from now on, he did not want a repeat of that, nor did he want to harm his friend.
"Are you alright?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:45 pm
The Baku immediately buried herself in his mane, clinging on tightly. She nodded at his question, but realized that he probably couldn't see her after a moment passed. "I-I'm fine!" Xiu called, lifting her head slightly, "A little shaken but...to be honest, it was kind of exciting too."
That was a little unusual for the Baku considering how easily frightened by things she usually was. Perhaps the exhilaration of flying had temporarily surpassed her fear. Whatever the case, she didn't seem upset at all that she had almost fallen now that she was safe.
"I'm jealous!" She called over the wind, tail lashing behind her, "I wish I could do this everyday too!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:19 pm
A sigh of relief, she was okay, and seemingly completely unfazed. That was reassuring, and the smile was quick to return with the realization. Still, he made a note to be careful from now on and make certain she was secure before taking off again.
"As long as you don't fall off, I can take you flying again if you like."
But he'd save the faster flying for another time. For now he glided at an easy pace, the back and forth motion of his body carrying them higher at a gentle slope. Maybe another time he'd show her real flying, complete with acrobatics and quick take offs, but for now they'd take it easy.
"Though there are many things you can do that I cannot."
He smiled. Flight or not, he thought she was amazing herself.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:23 pm
Grinning sheepishly, the Baku nodded to show that she understood. "S-sorry, I was just careless." Honestly, she had been so excited that she hadn't even noticed what had happened until she had already slipped. If she wanted to stay in one piece, it was probably best that she took a little more care when she was several feet up in the air.
While she enjoyed the fast flight, the slow and easy one was just as nice, and a lot more relaxing. She risked raising her head a little more so that she could survey the buildings below. They were so small! Or at least, they looked much smaller than they usually did. From up here, it felt as if they were giants.
...She could get used to this. It was nice not being so tiny all the time.
Xiu flushed a little at the compliment, and she was quick to shake her head. "N-not really! Just...some cooking, really." There was also the dream-entering stuff but...that wasn't very special, was it? At least, it wasn't very special for a Baku.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:57 pm
"I don't believe that."
At least he thought the dream eating was special. It must have been amazing, to be able to see and explore the dreams of the greatest minds, the see the world and the universe as they did.
But he decided not to push the matter further, maybe because he didn't know what else to say. Beauty in words really was not his strong point, especially with girls. He would concede that she was right about one thing though, she was a great cook (and a good teacher too).
His climb had leveled out, now gliding beneath a low lying cloud. Not knowing how well Xiu would be able to breath at higher altitudes, he dared not fly any higher at this point. Not only was the air thinner beyond that point, it was also colder, and while he was most comfortable in the thin cold air, he was sure his friend would not be.
"Look above you."
He had flown past the cloud, the star filled sky now stretching above them, the reflection of the halloween moon hidden for a brief moment behind the cloud they had just been under.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:16 pm
Xiu had been able to feel the drop in temperature as they soared higher, but it wasn't until Sheridan had leveled out did she really get a feel of the crisp and chilly air. "I-it's a lot colder up here!" She shivered, though she didn't really seem too bothered by the fact. Xiu did, however, bury herself into the dragon's mane to stay warm. Half of her head--up to her eyes--she kept poked out, just so that she could still see and enjoy the scenery.
When she heard Sheridan speak, the Baku immediately turned her gaze upwards and...sigh. "This is probably as close to the stars and the moon that I'll ever get." If Xiu could smile in this form, she would probably be grinning as she stared up into the sky.
After a long pause, Xiu gave the dragon a light pat on...well, on the mane, as that was all that she could reach. "Thank you for letting me fly with you!" She would definitely remember this experience, that was for sure.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:43 pm
Lots of fluffy mane to keep you warm!
Sheridan had been unaffected by the colder temperature. It was only when he felt the shiver from his friend that he realized how cold it must have been. Maybe he should remember a blanket for the next time, or a tiny fur coat, especially if the wind was blowing as it was tonight.
His wings tucked back, he glided toward the ground, taking care to descend slowly lest he dislodge his passenger. The dragon circled as he descended, the ground looming closer with each moment, the buildings growing larger, and (hopefully for Xiu) the air growing warmer.
As he neared the ground, limbs that had been held at his sides reached toward the earth, until finally they touched down. A few strides, and he came to a stop before crouching against the ground.
"You're welcome. Maybe next time we'll fly a little faster."
He smiled, he'd also make sure she didn't fall off next time.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:49 pm
Xiu wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved when they landed. On one hand, she wished that they could fly more, but on the other, she felt a lot safer now that they were on solid ground. So, instead of dwelling on either of those feelings, she grasped onto the feeling of excitement and exhilaration that she had felt when they had been soaring overhead.
"That would be amazing!" She agreed, sliding from Sheridan's back and onto the ground with a little plop, "Does this mean we'll do it again sometime?" The little Baku bounced on the spot, clearly excited by the prospect. Today's flight was a lot of fun, if not a little bit panic-inducing when she slipped and fell. Fortunately, it hadn't ended badly.
Her gaze moved to the moon for a moment before it slid back to the dragon. "Oh, though...how long do you usually stay out to fly for? Not too late, I hope?" Maybe it was because she didn't have wings of her own and couldn't experience flight whenever she wanted, but Xiu had a feeling that if she had wings, she would be spending hours just soaring around.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:37 pm
"If you would like."
The dragon smiled, a chuckle as he watched her excited bouncing. He had never really thought of flying the way she did. To him, flying was something that had always been a part of who and what he was, he could not remember a time when he did not fly. Perhaps he had taken that for granted at times?
His head lowered, playfully nudging her with the tip of his snout. She really was so much smaller than him. Even now, he was still a bit surprised by how tiny she was.
"I guess that depends, I sometimes lose track of time when I'm flying."
His expression turned sheepish, a little self-conscious at the admission. Flying or looking to the stars, he could do so all night until he fell asleep where he was.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:29 pm
She let out a little laugh, tipping over on her bottom at the light nudge. Reaching out, she gave him a light pat on the snout before nodding in understanding. "I don't blame you. I'm sure I would be the same if I had wings."
Her voice was a bit wistful as she said this, but Xiu quickly shook it away. She would never grow wings--Baku were simply not destined to fly (in the waking world, at least)--but at least her friend seemed willing to fly her around every once in a while. For once, Xiu wasn't so bothered by the fact that she was rather tiny.
"Oh! And you should come over again sometime to do some baking, if you have the time! I found a simple recipe recently, and I think you'd enjoy it." Leave it to Xiu to turn the topic to cooking or baking.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:59 pm
Baking? Hmm, was that different from cooking, or was she just using a different word this time? He was thoughtful for a moment, pondering the question.
Finally he smiled, and gave her a nod as he made a little hop on his feet, almost as if he were debating a pounce, though if he had thought of it he refrained.
"Alright, I'll come by soon then."
He'd have to work on that dish he had been trying then, so that he could take it to her when he went to visit. Thusfar he hadn't perfected it, well it had tasted alright, it just wasn't pretty. Who'd have thought that putting fish with rice could be so hard.
"Would you like me to fly you back to your room?"
Or the roof, the stars were always pretty from there.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:36 pm
"Mmkay! Just text me whenever you're free, okay?" The Baku beamed with excitement. She was always looking for baking buddies, and it would be nice to teach Sheridan a few more recipes just in case he ever had a need to bake something (or just had a craving for a certain food).
At the offer, Xiu nodded her head enthusiastically and immediately stood up again. "I'd like that! My window is open, so I can probably get in from there." Hopefully Arashi wouldn't be too alarmed when he saw the dragon outside of their window, though. The feline was generally well-behaved, but he did get rather defensive if he felt like someone was being a threat.
"How's your cooking going?" She piped up suddenly, tilting her head to the side, "Have any questions?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:26 pm
"Alright."
Wait, what...Sheridan suddenly had that look like he was plotting something! But there was now time to ponder that look in his eyes, as he immediately lowered his head, then using his snout he flipped Xiu into the air and onto his back. Well, looks like bakus -can- fly!
"I'm working on it."
And by working on it, he meant failing. Well, okay, to be fair he hadn't set anything on fire yet and he hadn't spilled oil all over himself. Of course, cooking would have to be used in the loosest sense of the word as he was more...putting ingredients together. But he was making progress, really he was!
"Maybe I'll have something to bring with me next time I visit."
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