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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:20 pm
 -Incomplete-
Though the day began partly-cloudy, slightly breezy, and really quite cool, the first half-formed thought that entered Rylan's head upon waking went something like; 'Hmm, I think a picnic lunch today would be lovely.' Understandably, when she made this announcement at the breakfast table later that morning, she was met with somewhat less enthusiasm.
Nonetheless, by noon that day Rylan had whined and cajoled Sophia into preparing an impressive amount of sandwiches and snacks, managed to get herself, a fairly apathetic Jiang, and the almost impractically large picnic basket into the back seat of the car, and convinced Stefan to drive them to one of the nicer wooded campgrounds near the outskirts of the city.
When they arrived, the small parking area was, unsurprisingly for the time of year, empty. Exiting the car- Rylan with Jiang bundled up in her arms, and Stefan hauling the basket- they bypassed the more open area, with its scattered fire pits and picnic tables, and headed for the more heavily wooded spots, which surrounded a slow-moving river that cut through the site- the primary reason Rylan had chosen this particular area.
She wandered along beside the riverbank until coming across a nice looking patch of grass, and nodded in approval. "I think here will do nicely, don't you think?" She then brought her attention back to Jiang, who looked notably happier about the whole trip since catching sight of the river. "Would you like to splash around a bit, or would you rather eat first sweetie?" He didn't have to think about it very long. "I would like to swim first, please." She set him down next to the water's edge and helped him shed cloak and sweater, watching as he slipped into the cold water with little more than a ripple.
Taking a couple steps back as she neatly folded the clothes, she waved Stefan over. "Would you be a dear and set that down just over here?" After setting the basket down with an 'oof', Stefan promptly announced that he was going to have a nap in the car, and disappeared back down the short trail before he could be asked to do anything else. This wasn't much of a surprise, and Rylan happily laid out the blanket and sat down, fishing a flaky pastry out of the basket as she listened to Jiang splash about.
Life was quite grand, really.
-Incomplete-
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:00 pm
-Incomplete-
The day was sweltering. A heat wave had come over the region Cyrus City lied in, and despite the fact the multitudes of homes and buildings had cast much needed shade over the city at this time of day, it did little to keep the humidity from rising and making the air thick. As a result the streets were bare, save for local merchants and the brave.
Tevadi was one of those brave few, though no one paid much attention to her. Who would pay much attention to that of a sweaty, dirty child covered in tattered clothes? No. No one saw her there, though she preferred it. It made things hard for to gain any money, she'd admit, but it was better to have a hard time gaining money than to easily gain it and be noticed.
The pale little girl sat on a bench, wooden and a little wobbly by the canal. She needed a break, or a drink, one of those two. She couldn't tell which at the moment. Rubbing her eyes lazily, she bit back a yelp. The sweat from her brow stung her eyes. She needed a bath. Maybe in the fountain later on.
Tevadi sighed and looked around her. Just some carts, just some people, nothing to be worried about at the moment, "...I need a drink."
Jiang-Chen counted himself lucky today. Humidity was one thing that never bothered him, and while the heat was unpleasant, the canal water was just a few degrees cooler, enough to make a world of difference for his comfort. The emptiness of the streets was beneficial as well- on days like today, the merchants were so desperate for business that most wouldn't think twice about his appearance, as long as he wanted to buy something (and could get their attention from the canals). The little leather pouch he wore tied around his waist already had several treasures he'd acquired today, clattering together merrily with the remainder of his pieces.
He rounded the next corner and surfaced, peering automatically at the street signs to get his bearings. As he turned back to continue on his way, however, he caught a glimpse of navy in the corner of his eye, and did a prompt double-take.
He blinked several times, his mind taking a moment to believe what his eyes were seeing. Glancing furtively up and down the street, he slipped below the surface and came up near the bench, keeping his head fairly low to the water. Looking around again, he called out in a whisper he hoped was loud enough to reach her ears (they were big, they should help her hear better, right?).
"Tevadi. Tevadi, over here."
Tevadi felt a chill go down her spine when she heard her name be called. It was an automatic response for her at this point to be wary of anyone who either new her name or had come to be so accustomed to seeing her face that they could pick her out of the crowd. That was generally when she moved to another part of the city, a place where she isn't recognized.
Tevadi slowly turned her head, searching for where the voice had come from. No one around here knew her name by heart yet, they still had to guess it frequently. She got up from where she sat on the wobbly bench and took a couple steps forward and from side to side. Trying to see the surrounding area better. No one she recognized.
It was only when she turned to look over the canal that she caught the sight of someone in the water. The black of horns and the white sheen of wet hair.
"Jiang...?" She whispered, skittering to the edge of the pavement to look into the canal. It was him. It was Jiang-Chen.
He reached up to grab the edge of the canal and lever himself higher out of the water as she approached- between Tevadi herself and the shade of the bench, he was still fairly obscured to the few people in the street. He gave the shifty eyes up and down the road one last time, then turned and gave his friend a small smile. "I am glad to see you are well."
Okay, so 'well' was maybe not quite it. His brows furrowed as he took in how tattered her clothing had become, and the dirt smudged across her skin. It was obvious that she wasn't having an easy time of things, and the lowered brows turned into a full-on frown. "Are you well?" It felt like a stupid question as soon as it left his mouth, but she really wasn't looking so good.
Tevadi's happiness at running into Jiang-Chen quickly muddled as he noticed her appearance and asked if she was doing well. She was doing ok, or as ok as she could possibly hope for when she was begging for money, and sleeping wherever she could find some shelter, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
"I'm...," She looked away for a moment before forcing herself to look him in the eye. She found out quickly if you didn't make eye contact with people, they were less likely to give you anything. You couldn't look pitiful if you were avoiding eye contact, "... No. Not really."
That was stupid, she thought to herself internally. You were supposed to tell him you were ok, so than he'd stop worrying.
She couldn't bring herself to lie to him. After all, she had already confided in him previously, so it wouldn't be like he couldn't tell she was lying through her teeth. Especially considering her state of being...
His frown remained, though the concerned slant to his eyebrows marked the expression as more worried than upset. She was looking thinner too, wasn't she? It was hard to tell past the grime and tattered clothes. "What has happened since the party? Have you escaped your pursuers?" The last part said in barely a whisper, distrustful of even the nearly-empty street around them. The fact that she was out in daylight suggested that she felt at least slightly safe from capture, for the moment at least, didn't it? Safe enough for them to talk for a moment, at least.
Needing to do something more to help his friend, he peered into his little leather satchel, poking the contents around with a claw. A few pieces were left, along with the various sparkly things he'd acquired that day - some of them would probably be good for bartering off. His brows furrowed, and something of an internal struggle probably showed on his face.
...He couldn't do it. Not even for Tevadi. He quickly picked the pieces out from amongst the treasures (the money was unimportant- dull and grubby, and Mother had boatloads of it anyways), and pressed the small handful of coins into Tevadi's palms. "This is all I have at the moment. It should be a few meals, at the very least?" Truthfully, he had no idea how far the pieces would go- he rarely, if ever, paid for meals himself on the rare occasions he ate out. "Please, tell me what else I may do to help?"
Tevadi made a puzzled expression before turning into something akin to uncertainty. Truth be told, she had stopped paying attention after some time. She was so concerned about making some money so she could buy something to eat and finding shelter she wouldn't be run out of she hadn't thought about the people coming after her. Mostly, whenever she saw anyone of authority she automatically shied away. Like it was programmed into her at this point.
"I... I think so," She replied sheepishly, feeling slightly ashamed she hadn't even been consciously paying attention for the danger she had been avoiding in the first place.
"I'm still here, right?" She joked. Ok, half-joked. It wasn't really a joke, because she isn't very convincing when it comes to humor. But it was the truth. She was still here, so presumably the danger had passed. Or she hoped it passed. Now she was definitely focusing far too much on this, what with her eyes darting around to see who was within ear shot.
When Jiang-Chen pulled the piece from his bag and shoved them into her hands, she gave him a pained look. This was his money and he was giving it to her, and she didn't deserve it. She hasn't begged for it, or sang for it. She felt terribly guilty for his kind gesture.
"Jiang... You don't have to," She said quietly, hesitantly offering it back to him. "It's your money... I.... don't deserve it."
His eyebrow twitched just slightly at her shaky reply. He was well aware that not everyone was as ...cautious as he was, but if anyone could benefit at the moment from a healthy dose of paranoia, it would be Tevadi. "...Regardless, I am relieved you are safe, for the moment at least." He smiled up at her slightly, wanting to reassure her that he wasn't angry with her, just concerned.
When she tried to return the money, however, he looked almost taken-aback. "Do not be absurd, you need it." His brow furrowed again, this time in confusion. "Money is of no concern to me, Mother will give me more if I ask." Unknown to him, that probably made it sound worse. "It is the only means I have to help you at the moment. Is that not what friends do? Help?" She certainly seemed to need some right about now.
Tevadi looked tentatively at Jiang before looking away as he spoke of how she needed the money, and how it was his only means of helping her at the moment. His words were true. Friends helped friends, in any means necessary. He was offering her help, and she was being ungrateful by refusing it.
Although outwardly she still seemed apprehensive, internally she was elated by his words. He called himself her friend. She had a friend.
"...Thank you, Jiang," She said quietly, pulling her outstretched hand back and stuffing the money given to her by her friend into a filthy pocket of her pants.
She was silent for a few moments before realizing she hadn't asked him how he'd been. Not wanting to be rude, she fidgeted with her hands and tried to give him her best smile. She didn't want this somber mood to continue.
"Uhm, how have you been Jiang?"
He watched calmly as she had her internal struggle, fully prepared to shove the coins back into her hands again if she tried to return them a second time- she wasn't leaving without that money, and he was going to make sure of it. When she didn't, he let a smile cross his face- an actual, full-fledged smile, that even reached his eyes. It was probably the warmest his expression had ever been. "You are most welcome, Tevadi." She obviously wasn't the only one who valued the friendship.
When she asked how he'd been, his expression quickly slipped back into something a little more normal for him. "I have been well enough. Despite keeping careful watch while I am in the city-" he had been looking for her just as much as any threats, but he wasn't about to tell her that- "I have noticed nothing particularly suspicious. There have been no signs that others who were there at the party are being pursued." Yet, anyways. He certainly wasn't going to be letting his guard down. "Otherwise, nothing of particular note has happened. I spend the majority of my time at home- I have been doing a great deal of reading as of late." In truth, he'd been a bit bored, but compared to what Tevadi was living, his life was charmed- he wasn't going to be doing any complaining. Not to her, anyways.
"...Reading?" She asked, her eyes a little mystified as she looked at him. For her, he had always been an oddity. Not in the sense that he was weird and something you'd see in the street shows as you passed, but in the way where he was like sunshine during cloudy days. Whenever he spoke, he always seemed to bring interesting things to her world.
"Reading like with books? The kind with the words?" She asked, not very versed in the art of reading herself. She knew enough to read the signs and to read the crude boards at bakeries when she managed to scrape up enough money for something she considered nice. Beyond that, her books needed pictures and vibrantly colored ones.
Tevadi pocketed the coins into her tattered clothing, making sure to double check that she hadn't accidentally shoved them into a pocket with a hole. Jiang wouldn't be pleased if she lost the money he gave her, and she didn't want to make him upset. He'd been so generous.
"Do you get your books from the book place?" She asked, now fixated on the fact that he reads things. "Uhm, uhm... the.... lee-bru-ry?"
Tevadi's pale blueish skin tinged red for a moment, realizing she had pronounced the word she was thinking of wrong. It was embarrassing for her, since Jiang seemed so learned and she felt like she was cursed with a simple mind and tongue.
He nodded, though his expression said that he was slightly mystified by her question. "With words, yes. They are the kind I prefer, ones with too many illustrations I finish with too quickly." He didn’t dislike the pictures, but he just wasn’t able to admire them at length the way he could a real object- it just wasn’t the same. He watched with no apparent interest as she stuffed the coins into a pocket, but looking closely enough one might be able to see the trace of approval in his expression, just the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
He had to take a second with her next question, brows furrowed for barely a moment as he tried to decipher her pronunciation, but fortunately ‘the book place’ had been a large clue, and his expression quickly returned to normal. "Ah, no actually. According to mother, her father was something of a scholar, and enjoyed collecting books before he passed away. As mother is… poor at throwing things away-" He shook his head, looking exasperated- ironic, coming from the tiny king of trinket hoarders. "-the majority of them are still in her possession. Many of them have been packed away in boxes, but enough still populate various shelves in the house that it would take me a great deal of time to read them all." Many of them, no doubt, wouldn’t be of much interest to him anyways though. "I confess that I have never actually been to the library in the city." Maybe Tevadi had been? She had probably seen a great deal more of the city than he, though maybe not better parts recently.
"You have lots of books?" Tevadi asked, fidgeting with her clothes as they spoke. His house sounded absolutely amazing to her. So many books that they needed to be put in boxes? That must be a fun place to live. Not like how she lived, bouncing from one abandoned home to another, or finding a nice box to hide in.
"Can, uhm...," Tevadi went quiet for a moment, feeling uneasy asking Jiang for anything. They were friends, and he had already been such a good friend to her that she didn't want to soil it by asking to much of him.
"Do, uhm," She started again, looking down to the ground as she spoke, fiddling with her clothes again. "Do you think, uhm, maybe I could see all the books sometime? I really... like books."
At least, she really wanted to like books. Her picture books were nice. She was sure if she could learn how to read the words, she'd like the books without the pictures too.
He hummed and tilted his head in a vague sort of gesture. "They are not mine, persay, but I can read them at my leisure, yes. So in a way I suppose it is rather like the library- I may read the books, but must then return them to Mother in good condition. Though I admit there are a few that I may have... 'adopted', one might say." Among them an illustrated guide to koi varities which he would deny keeping to his dying day.
He tilted his head inquisitively as she began her question, at first waiting patiently for her to continue, but as her stuttering and fidgeting continued, his expression became more and more concerned. He'd thought that the dire portion of the conversation was behind them, but her unease with whatever it was she wanted to ask had his defenses up again. He was just a moment shy of asking her what was wrong, when she finally managed to get her question out.
...And completely took the wind out of his sails. He sighed loudly in relief, and a great deal of tension abruptly left his shoulders. "Of course you may, Tevadi. You are welcome at my home at any time." He sighed again and shook his head slightly, more at himself than anything. "My appologies, I had thought that perhaps it was something more serious, to have you seeming so concerned." Obviously he thought absolutely nothing of inviting Tevadi to his house, regardless of her appearance at the time.
Tevadi brightened up as Jiang said she was welcome to his house at anytime. Her mind wandered for a moment, making up grand halls with velveteen carpets and lace curtains like the ones she'd peaked in on when she was begging in the nicer neighborhoods. She'd have to make sure she was nice and clean if she decided to go visit him, she didn't want to track dirty feet into his house.
But coming to your house is serious, She thought to herself idly, finding the prospect of embarrassing him in front of his mom her biggest concern in actually visiting him.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, scratching her head a little remorsefully, "I didn't mean to worry you, Jiang."
Having forgotten about the sweltering heat and humidity, she was quickly reminded when the condensation from her hair quickly slipped down her face and into her eyes, causing an unpleasant stinging. She recoiled slightly, shaking her head and quickly rubbing at her eyes with her hands.
"Oww." She whined, rubbing furiously.
Scooting closer to the edge of the canal, Tevadi dunked her hand into the water bringing it up to her face and scooting back a little before using it to wash off her face. She didn't want to wash off her face over the canal, because Jiang was in there and she didn't want the dirt to muck up the nice water.
"It is too hot," She commented, as the water she used to wash her face began to quickly evaporated from her pale blueish skin.
He waved off her apology with a shake of his head. "Please, do not trouble yourself further about it. I admit that the circumstances have left me... a bit too jumpy, at times." He actually thought he maintained a completely appropriate level of caution all things considered, but of all the things she had to worry about as of late, the last thing he wanted her concerned with was him. So if a little white lie might make her feel better, well, he had no problem telling it.
He shuffled slightly to the side as she approached, giving her space to splash herself off- though he consciously placed himself where the slow current of the water would carry any dirt away from him, he still appreciated that she stepped back before scrubbing her face. Her subsequent complaint about the heat merited a grimace at the unnecessary reminder, but still he had to nod in agreement. "It is rather unpleasant today- the water is only barely cooler than the air." Still, it was enough that he was rather glad to be in it, rather than up on the street. "Though I doubt there is anywhere much cooler to be found nearby, perhaps we might find a spot out of the sun, at least?" He could always hide out in the culverts where the canals crossed under the streets if he wanted shade, but unfortunately that wouldn't work for Tevadi.
-Incomplete-
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:02 pm
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:03 pm
-Incomplete-
It was one of the nicest days Cyrus City had seen so far that spring, and so it was unsurprising that what seemed like half the city’s population had flocked outside to bask in the relative warmth. The various small parks scattered about were particularly popular, crowded with people looking for any excuse to bask in the sun.
It was that same reason that found Jiang-Chen lounging in the large ornamental fountain in one of said parks while he waited for his mother to finish with a lunch meeting in a nearby cafe. His own small lunch- a pastrami sandwich and a thermos of hot tea- was set on one of the stone benches built around the fountain, conveniently within his reach as he leaned over the rounded stone edge. Sharp claws picked idly at the sandwich as he watched the crowds mill around, though the fountain itself was surprisingly deserted- there were two young women seated on a bench on the opposite side, conversing in hushed tones and stifled giggles about whatever it was young women talked about, but they seemed uninterested in him, so he ignored them. Besides, eavesdropping would be terribly rude.
He sighed quietly. People-watching was only entertaining for so long, and he’d long since grown bored.
Syn walked hand in hand with Kalos, exploring the city for the first time in a while. It had been so long since they had made a day to just kick back and relax. And of course, the good weather meant that Syn would not be able to keep Kalos in. It was in her nature, after all, to be out and about. Syn looked up at the clear blue sky and took a deep breath. Spring had finally arrived and they couldn't be happier. Winter just seemed to get Syn down. Something about the lack of sun maybe.
Syn felt a tug at her arm and looked down at her daughter. "What is it?" She asked as a warm smile played across her face when her eyes fell on Kalos.
"Can I throw coins in the fountain?" Kalos' small voice sounded as she looked up into her mother's eyes. A pleading look was in them.
Sighing, Syn nodded and dug into her pocket for a few spare pennies. "I'll be over there." She said as she pointed to a bench that was within view of the fountain. "Stay where I can see you Kalos." She yelled as her daughter took of, sprinting, to the fountain.
Kalos, a little short winded, slowed down as she neared the fountain. Leaning on the side she looked into the clear water and saw various coins glittering in the sunlight. Giggling at the sight, she stepped back and let a penny fly. "Oops!" She said as the penny hit a hard surface on the fountain and bounced over to the other side.
At that particular moment, Jiang had just reached over to pour himself a cup of tea, and had his back turned to the girl's approach and subsequent penny toss. As it turned out, he heard the exclaimed 'oops' just in time- he was under the water in a blink as the rogue coin ricocheted alarmingly close to his head.
After a still, tense moment and an attempt to calm his heart rate, he peeked back above the surface, glancing around warily in case of additional flying currency. Determining that the coast was clear, he hoisted himself back up to the fountain's edge and towards his lunch- and scowled. The thermos thankfully hadn't been open yet when he bailed, but his sudden movement had knocked it from the bench, and well outside his reach. He looked around, gaze landing on the newcomer for a moment. Well, the fact she'd said 'oops' suggested that she hadn't intended to aim for him at least. Good enough.
With a flick of his tail, he drifted closer to the girl, stopping at the edge a few feet from where she'd thrown the coin. "Ah, please pardon me," he started, voice surprisingly even despite the recent scare. "I apologize for bothering you, but my thermos of tea has fallen out of my reach, could I trouble you to retrieve it?" He mentally crossed his fingers- he'd been polite, and didn't even get upset over the wayward coin, so hopefully she'd be nice enough to bring his tea over.
A splash, bigger than what her coin would have made, caused Kalos' eyes to widen. What had made that splash. Slowly, she made her way back over to the edge of the fountain. Leaning over, she examined the fountain's bottom and all of a sudden she leaped back, gasping and covering her mouth.
A boy had broken the surface of the water and was now making his way over toward her after having examined a thermos on the ground some ways away from the fountain. Kalos watched as the boy flicked his tail and drifted toward her. Tail? The boy had a tail? Kalos took a tentative step back as he glided to a stop. She had never seen anyone with a tail before.
It took a minute for her to realize the boy was talking to her. Lost in her own thoughts as she was. Kalos blinked and looked over at the thermos she had seen just a minute ago. She nodded at the boy and went to retrieve his drink for him.
"I-I'm sorry.." Kalos said sheepishly as she extended the arm holding the thermos out to him. Her cheeks had turned a slight rose color.
He accepted the thermos with a bow of his head. "No apologies are necessary." He set the drink back on the bench next to his sandwich, then returned his attention to the girl. "My name is Jiang-Chen. You have my thanks for retrieving my tea. As you can imagine, I have difficulties with moving outside of water." Here he gave his tail another slight flick for emphasis.
Without diverting too much of his attention, he reached over and poured himself a cup of tea from the thermos, sipping gratefully. It seemed to calm him down a great deal, smoothing out the last of the stress from the earlier scare. "Are you here to enjoy the fine weather as well?" he inquired politely. Small talk wasn't a skill he was particularly gifted in, but the girl still looked somewhat embarrassed, and the weather was the quickest change of topic he could think up to try to put her at ease.
Kalos nodded at his thanks, still at a loss for words. She jumped as his tail swished out of the water. Her eyes traveled the length of his body and a smile flitted across her face as they landed on his tail. He thoughts were all over the place but one thing stood out What was he.
She was to polite to straight out ask, though. So her curiosity would just have to suffer for now. "O-oh...my name's Kalos." She nodded again at his mention of not being able to move outside of water too well. She could imagine trying to get around with that tail.
Kalos' eyes traveled back up to his face and she noticed, for the first time, the patches of scales on his face. "The...weather?" asked Kalos as she tilted her head up to the sky. "It is nice, isn't it?" A full fledged smile broke out on her face at that moment. "I love being outside!
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kalos." Her fairly obvious curiosity barely fazed him- it wasn't quite right to say he didn't mind being stared at, but he was certainly used to it. He took another long sip of his tea before replying to the unasked question. "I am a dragon, if you were wondering." His tail flicked again slightly, though this time it was more to keep him level in the water than for showing off.
He gave a somewhat more subdued smile in reply to her exuberent grin."I agree- a day as lovely as today is best spent outdoors." Another sip of tea. "Winter does have its charms, but I am glad to feel the weather begin to warm. Half-frozen fountains do me little good." Here he made an unpleasant face that suggested he'd learned this from experience.
"A...dragon?" Kalos hadn't known they actually existed. Of course she'd read stories about them from books Syn owned. For them to actually exist though? Crazy! She was a bit awestruck by the idea. Very curious as to how Jiang-Chen had ended up in this city.
Kalos frowned at the mention of winter. It really was her least favorite season. "I'd rather skip winter all together." she said as she peeked over where Syn was sitting. Seeing that she was currently busy talking to someone she seemed to know, Kalos quickly slipped out of her sandals and climbed onto the edge of the fountain. Sitting down, she stuck her feet into the cool water. I'd much rather be able to take my shoes off and run through the grass than to bundle up and have to trudge through snow. She blushed a bit as she realized that Jiang-Chen had never been able to do something like that. Though she was sure he had had a much more enjoyable time swimming in water during the summer months than winter ones.
His smile turned a bit smug. "Indeed." He did like to brag about it- just a little- when an opportunity arose. "I have yet to meet any others in the city, however." And even if he did come across one someday, it was likely that they wouldn't have come to be in the same way as himself- all the other oil people he'd met so far looked completely different.
He nodded in agreement. "I admit that I find the scenery lovely in winter, but only from the warmth of indoors, with a cup of tea." Speaking of tea, he set his now empty cup back down on the bench, and turned to lean on folded arms on the edge of the fountain, next to where Kalos now sat. He turned his head slightly so he could still see her comfortably before continuing. "Anything requiring leaving the house, however, I could do without. It becomes much too cold to swin comfortably. Even though Mother will carry me instead, the dry air bothers my scales terribly." The look on his face said quite clearly that this was extremely unpleasant.
"I've never seen a d-dragon here either." Kalos was still a bit flustered. Never in her wildest dream would she have imagined laying eyes on a dragon in the park.
Kalos stuck her tongue out at the lovely winter scenery comment. "It's too cold! And all the pretty flowers are dead during winter." She let out a soft sigh. "I wish it could be summer all year long!"
At the mention of his scales her eyes traveled back down to his tail. Blushing, she quickly raised her gaze back up to his face. She just couldn't help looking at it whenever he mentioned it. "Can you survive out of water?" Kalos asked bluntly. She was very curious about this boy and where he was from. She also wondered if there were others like him outside of the city.
"Ah, pity." He shrugged, looking unconcerned. "It is highly unlikely they would be a relation of mine even if one did surface, but I would still enjoy the chance to have a conversation." Maybe someday he'd come across one and get the chance, who knows.
He straightened up almost abruptly as she pulled the face, his eyebrows rising and mouth thinning into an expression of utter disdain. "How uncivilized." Disappointing- he'd been enjoying her company so far. He turned away just slightly, still looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "It is only cold outside, which is why I expressed that I only enjoy it when I myself am comfortably indoors. And flowers remain perfectly fine all year within greenhouses and conservatories- I am certain one could be found that is open to the public." He tended to get defensive when offended- unfortunately, it didn't take much of an etiquette misstep to set him off.
Fortunately, he wasn't offended enough to cut off the conversation full stop- that would be rude of him. Plus, it was difficult to make a suitable exit when confined to a fountain, large though it may be. Still, he was notably less amiable than before, though his expression had evened into something more neutral. "Save some dry scales, I have no trouble living outside of water. Obviously I am incapable of walking, but as I said, Mother is generally more than happy to carry me should I ask." He didn't like to, but he could. Dry scales really were unpleasant.
Kalos frowned as his reaction to her sticking her tongue out. What kind of parents did he have if a simple, silly gesture offended him so much. It took most of the control she had not to roll her eyes at him. "I am not uncivilized just because I stick my tongue out." Shaking her head she watched him out of the corner of her eyes.
Sighing she continued on with the conversation, deciding that she wouldn't dwell too long on his reaction to her sticking her tongue out. "Greenhouses are nice...yes. It's just not the same though." A listlessness had come into her voice. She really did dislike winter. Kalos looked down at her feet in the water and swished them around a bit.
He gave her a long considering look- she obviously had a different definition of 'civilized' than his own. Perhaps she belonged to one of the lower classes, they must have different standards for such things. "Manners are half the impression one presents to the world. Do people not judge you based on your etiquette?" He actually looked just a little astonished at the thought- like it just couldn't quite fit into his world view. Eventually he looked away to pour himself another cup of tea, mostly as a diplomatic way to break the staredown. "Perhaps we will simply need to agree to disagree."
He took a long sip of his tea and a deep, calming breath- it seemed to do wonders for his disposition. "I will agree that greenhouses are not as pleasant as the outdoors, but surely preferable to no flowers at all for those few months?" His attention was briefly drawn by the movement of her feet, and he idly swished his tail in counterpoint. He'd never admit it, but once in a while, he did wonder what it would be like to have legs instead of his tail.
"Manners are one thing. I do have them. However, being silly every now and then is a must. What's life without a little fun?" asked Kalos. "I suppose there are those who choose to judge me on such little things," she said as she side glanced at Jiang-Chen then continued. But if someone can't like me for who I am, quirks and all, why should I bother caring?" She smiled genuially at him.
Glad to be on a different subject, she jumped on the chance to talk about flowers. "Greenhouses are wonderful. Flowers all year round, who would not love that? It's just not the same as being able to step outdoors and see them without having to travel. "
He looked back towards her and blinked a few times, taken just a little bit by surprise by how well-spoken her argument ended up being. It went a long way towards making up for what he still thought was fairly sketchy decorum, in the end. "This is true I suppose, though I must say that it appears we choose to have fun in different ways." It didn't sound particularly hostile, just matter of fact. He chose to ignore the sideways glance she gave him, but mostly because he was carefully considering her following statement. He couldn't particularly relate- his life was ...easier, if he could make people like him as much as possible. As he'd said himself, manners were half the world's take on you- the other half was appearance, and his did him very few favors in a city where magic could be frowned on. He shook himself slightly as he realized that he'd been silent a little too long as he was lost in thought. "To live such a carefree life must be... interesting." He almost sounded wistful, and promptly took another sip of tea to cover it.
At that point, he was just as happy to jump on the change of topic. "Needing to brave the winter weather to reach them is unfortunate, yes. Even the short trip to the small greenhouse on the grounds at home is generally more time out in the cold than I would choose to deal with." Not to mention it had more vegetables than flowers anyways- not so interesting to look at. "Are there any varieties you are particularly fond of?" He gestured slightly at the large white bloom in her hair, looking curious. To wear one around like that, it must be a kind she liked a great deal, right? "Flowers are lovely, and I do enjoy admiring them, but I admit that I know very little about them."
"You...you have a green house at your house?" asked Kalos, not just a tiny bit mystified at being able to have something so grand in your backyard. Syn and her's house was nice. Even big by some normal standards. However, there wasn't much room outside of the property and even though she was younge, she knew that there was no chance they'd ever be able to afford a big greenhouse. It made her wistful. Oh to have flowers with in a few feet of her house all year long.
Kalos had been so deep into her thoughts that she almost hadn't heard his question about flowers. Blushing slightly she nodded. I love gardenias. It was the scen..." She trailed off. She had been about to tell him she'd been born from a thing of oil that was scented with gardenias.. While she was curious about his background, she wasn't at all sure if he'd been born the same as her or if he'd been born from an egg or something. For all she knew, dragon people were normal outside of the city and not born from small containers of oil.
"Hm? Yes, of course." He didn't make it sound like anything special, but he was generally very casual in talking about wealth. "It is used mostly to grow some of the vegetables for the household, and the seedlings that go into the garden in the spring. As the garden is currently being planted, only the vegetables are remaining." He shrugged just slightly. "It is probably less than interesting to see at the moment."
He tilted his head slightly, unsure why she trailed off like that. "You are fond of the scent? Is that why they are your favorite?" He was taking a guess, but unless she wanted to finish her sentence, it was all he could think of. Now that he paid a little attention, he could smell the flower in her hair quite strongly, even over his own scent. "It is quite a pleasant aroma. Assuming, of course, that the flower you wear is the same variety?" He really didn't know anything about flowers, hopefully he'd guessed correctly.
"Yes, I'm fond of the scent. But also..." Kalos hesitated for a bit. She wondered if it was such a good idea to tell him about her past and where she came from. "Well...I was sort of...born from the scent. Well, oil that is." Now that she had said it outloud it sounded kind of silly. She really hoped he didn't think her crazy for this.
"Yep, it's a gardenia." She smiled brightly at him. Though Kalos figured he probably guessed at it. He really didn't seem like the kind to pay much attention to flowers. Not many people liked them like her. And, of course, she'd always be fond of the gardenia.
His first reaction wasn't, in fact, to look at her like she was loony- instead he looked around them sharply to check if anyone else had overheard her. Satisfied after a moment that they were being ignored, he turned back towards her and leaned just slightly closer. When he replied, it was in a notably quieter tone- it was unlikely anyone nearby would be able to overhear him even if they had been trying. "We have something in common then, it would seem. My oil was called Dragon's Tears." He paused for a moment looking thoughtful, as if considering his next words carefully. "It might be best to be... cautious, in sharing that information with others. Questionable manners aside, there didn't seem to be anything bad about Kalos- certainly nothing that would make him wish anything bad on her. Hopefully she'd understand that he meant the (admittedly vague) warning with good intentions, and not as a criticism.
After another quick glance around, he straightened back up and took a long, calming sip of his tea, and abruptly returned to the topic of flowers. Trying his best to shelve his minor paranoia attack, he returned his attention to the flower in her hair, taking a moment to study it more closely. "Gardenia. I will need to remember that. I have never put much thought towards knowing the varieties of flowers, even the ones planted at the house. Perhaps we even have gardenias and I was unaware." Now he was a bit curious- maybe he'd ask when he got home.
"Y-you're from an oil too? Kalos leaned in and whispered just so he could hear her. Amazing, she didn't think she would ever meet anyone else like her. Her mom and her had not been out much lately and so she hadn't had the chance to meet new people or make friends. Let alone find someone like her. Now that she paid attention, there was a slight scent, different from her's or their surroundings, surrounding him. She had just thought it was something coming from one of the many shops around here.
Kalos swished her feet around in the water some and listened to him talk. The warm air blew through her hair and made the petals of her flower flutter. "Yes, I bet you'd appreciate flowers more if you leanred their names." Kalos bit her lip and looked up at Jiang-Chen. She couldn't help but ask "H-how do you get around at home?" A slight blush krept into her cheeks as she voiced the question that had been on her mind for some time. She really did hope he wasn't offended by it. Her innate sense of curiousty had been bugging her to ask for a while now.
He couldn't quite help glancing around again as she spoke, though he was inwardly thankful that she'd dropped her voice to a low whisper. "I am, yes." he replied equally quietly, though without the tone of surprise her own voice held. "Have you not met many others?" He couldn't say that he'd met lots of other oil-people, but if his impression was right, there were certainly enough of them around the city that he didn't think it was that unusual to run across another.
He had been just about to respond regarding the flowers when her somewhat sudden question effectively derailed his train of thought. Despite that, he looked only slightly bemused, not offended. "Ah, I am carried, of course. Technically speaking I can cross short distances on land, however it is… difficult." The saying 'fish out of water' was appropriate in more than one way- needless to say, he rarely did it. Belly-crawling was beneath him in all but life-threatening circumstances, and it wasn't easy on the terrain either- despite a new coat of wax and heavy buffing, there were still faint claw marks across the floor in his mother's room from the altercation surrounding his 'birth'. "It is rarely an issue- there is almost always someone in the house available to take me to another room should I ask, and the places I spend the most time always have several books and such within easy reach."
"You're the first I've met that's..." Kalos trailed off as she looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening to them. Seeing that the coast was clear, she continued. "That's like us." She wondered how many others there were that were like them. Was there others that had her same scent or was she the only one? Something unique? There was so many questions she wanted to ask Jiang-Chen but she didn't want to seem overly nosy so she kept them to herself for now.
"Carried? Must be nice to be carted around all the time. Though I suppose it gets old for you, huh?" Her cheeks darkened as the words she'd been thinking left her mouth. "Sorry. Sometimes my mouth just has a mind of it's own." She smiled warmly at him.
The first? He looked a bit stunned by that, actually. ”I admit that surprises me. After my… appearance, mother and I returned to the oil shop, as she wished to make inquiries. There was an older boy there who shares our origins.” He had trouble believing that someone wouldn’t want to go ask questions after a child emerged spontaneously from an incense burner, especially after the chaos that surrounded his own introduction to the world. ”I have run across a few others since, yourself included, of course.” That he knew of, anyways.
He waved off her apology, looking unconcerned. Being straightforward didn’t necessarily equate to being rude, and she obviously hadn’t crossed whatever complicated, imaginary etiquette line that may exist in his head. ”No offence taken. I admit that I have not thought much on it- it is simply part of my life.” He paused for a long moment to consider. ”I suppose that sometimes I would enjoy being able to move more independently, particularly within the city, but not enough that I would trade my ability to swim.” To have both would be ideal, but that was just wishful thinking.
-Incomplete-
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:04 pm
[PRP] - Untitled
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:05 pm
[PRP] - Café Cuddles
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:09 pm
[PRP] - My Little Monstrosities
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:17 pm
[PRP] - Spring and Silver
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