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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:17 am
The dark teen followed Shauna, managing to avoid colliding with anyone through some miracle. "Depends. I just don't pay attention anymore."
Paying for his new bed linens he tried to negotiate his way back out. He'd had more than enough of crowds for one day.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:41 pm
"Oh, well that's good! Can't let mean people get to you, right?" Shauna grinned, checking the purse Eight had given her to see how much money she had left to spend...she could do some more shopping! She blinked and looked up from the purse when Lonan started moving again, helping him avoid bumping into a display as they headed out of the store.
"You want any help? Or is someone going to come and get you soon? If not I can stay and keep you company!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:43 pm
"True enough." Letting the young girl lead him around the displays he recognised the feel of the sidewalk rather than the store's flooring under his feet.
"I'll be fine. My... keeper.... will be here in a bit. I think I hear her now."
He was right, the kitsune looking woman walked up. "Lonan, find what you needed?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:06 pm
"Your keeper? You mean like..your guardian?" Shauna looked up at Lonan, ears twitching curiously when he said he could hear her. He could? How could he hear a specific person when there were so many other people around anyway?
Shauna spun around when the woman in question approached, looking a bit surprised...but surprise sooned turned into a welcomed smile. Shauna lifted a hand to wave a few fingers in greeting, stepping aside for the kitsune to get to Lonan. "Hi~! I'm Shauna!" She chirped brightly, grinning.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:10 pm
"Hello Shauna." Drac smiled, moving so that Lonan could either grab her tail or shoulder. Sometimes in big crowds it was easier for him to catch her tail.
"Thanks Shauna." He offered a gentle pat on her shoulder. As he started to walk away with his guardian his wings folded against his back so they wouldn't be bumped. It was odd, though. Through out the whole time he hadn't smiled once.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:40 pm
Shauna grinned. "You're welcome! Anytime!" She'd noticed the lack of smiling...but surely Lonan had his reasons, right? The fox could smile enough for the both of them! "It was nice meeting you! See you again sometime~?" Shauna called as the pair walked away, squealing loudly in surprise when a cell phone suddenly started ringing in her purse. The fox scrambled for it, answering it to find, unsurprisingly enough, her mother's voice on the other line.
"I'm fine, Momma~! ...You don't need to pick me up yet...I'm fine~! ...How did you know my arms were full of plushies and that I'd probably need a ride soon anyway? You're...what?"
"Gotcha!" Eight growled playfully, glomping her daughter from behind. "Who was that?"
"Mommaaaaaaa! That was Lonan! A new friend~!"
"I see, did you get everything you were looking for?" Shauna shrugged, looking at the list she'd forgotten all about. She hadn't found anything on the list! Oh well, there was always next time.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 8:44 pm
The days passed easily for Lonan. Draconayzia had helped him wash, dry and set up his new bedding and arranged the room to his liking. She wasn't the type to dump everything upon a person, leaving details and wants for him. No one should have everything at once. It never did their soul any good. She had told him as much. He found the strong ideas of the woman had merit. Smiling, or smirking rather, he mulled them over, the need to always have a goal was a strong one. Leaving a few things undone from his 'wish list' would give him a small one while he figured out his goals.
As it was he didn't have any yet.
The schools nearby only offered things he either knew or had no interst in learning. Figuring his way around the Hollow was likely to take a few days, but his adopted family was happy to help with that. Even Devmani.
At first he'd been startled when the older teen had let him approach, letting the darker one map his face with his hands. It was how he could know people, by mapping their faces and features. Drac had let him do this as well once he explained. She had even been so kind as to tell him exactly what she was once he told her what he was. It was an odd exchange, but a good one.
Finding scales on the back of his new "mother" had been a small shock in comparison to finding that his "brother" was a centaur. He thought it was a joke at first. Apparently not.
He'd be learning Sign Language, why they were delaying in telling him. Perhaps they'd let him have a place to paint. Mixing scents with pigments let him know what he was putting where on the canvas. He needed to do that again.
Sighing to himself he turned on the small boombox he'd purchased and went about sorting his freshly bought and cleaned clothes to be put away in the dresser. This was going to be an interestiing life.
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 3:53 am
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 3:54 am
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:54 pm
"AAAHHHHH!"
The pain, the hard contracting around his heart, was always terrible. At least here in the woods no one would hear him. Another wave hit him, making him cry out again.
Old scars opened and ran fresh, the crimson on his wings and hair became liquid and ran to the snow, staining it red. White eyes stared aimlessly as visions assaulted him.
Pain. Sorrow. Anguish. Confusion. Hate.
All of them, separate and rolled together in an empathetic ball that left his mind reeling.
The images, the potent feelings, the complete and honest truth of greif. Despair. Someone, somewhere was hurting hard enough and not letting it show. Letting only their emotions bleed hidden away. He became the vessle for those trapped feelings. And his body bled literally.
Body shaking he fell back into the white ground. With a final cry that bowed his back from the ground he blacked out.
~*~
Some time later he woke again with a pounding headache. Disorriented it took him a while to figure out where he was. Getting up he put a hand to his head and started walking home, completely ignorant of the ruined snow he'd left behind. And the trickles of crimson that still ran sluggishly from his wings and the corners of his eyes.
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:52 pm
"Lonan! Are you alright?"
"...What?" was his somewhat inelegant response. His head was pounding with what felt like Devmani going full tilt in his cranium. Even her well meaning exclaimation left him wishing she'd be quiet.
Thankfully she was. A strong arm went around his shoulders and guided him to the bath. Even if he'd been in a frame of mind to resist he wouldn't have gotten far, he realized. She was in momma-dragon mode.
"Shhhhh..." Something cool and damp was pressed to his forehead as he found himself sitting on the lid of the toilet. He'd lost track of the motions somewhere along the way.
"You're just... covered in it. How'd you get so bloody?" Any residual stain was washed away from body, wings and hair. He had no idea how he'd gotten so bloodsoaked. Or even noticed it until she'd mentioned the blood. Now his nose wrinkled at the sharp tang in the small room.
"I don't know. I just woke up and stumbled home. I'll be fine though. Not the first time. Not the last." Something in his tone kept her from questioning it too much. Rather she just growled softly and made sure he was fine. The scars had resealed and there were no signs of blood loss. He was fine and fit and his pulse was strong and steady.
As he walked away with a new set of black pants on she couldn't help but wonder just what she'd gotten herself into this time.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 2:36 pm
Draconayzia Blessed quiet. Drac had checked on him earlier in the day to make sure he wasn't really injured or still bleeding. The wounds and crimson were now just what he had before, old scars and tips of red on wings and hair. Dumbfounded she'd given him a number to reach her if he needed to and went out to visit a few friends and then work at the gallery. It was becoming a second home to her. Almost. The teen sighed and waited for the water to boil. The one thing that had persisted since yesterday was the dull pounding in his head. Perhaps a good dose of tea would help. Prolixity Quiet footsteps sounded in the hallway, and a voice followed them. "Hush, hush, ouch, don't bite Daddy. Here's your toy, kiddo. Bite that." A moment later, the source of the footsteps appeared at the kitchen door; Prox was holding Merlyn and trying to soothe the fussy toddler, who had tear tracks in his cheekfur and was biting sulkily on his rubber dragon. The catboy paused when he saw that the kitchen was occupied. "Sorry to disturb you," he said to the young man he'd seen only in passing. "I need an ice cube, I'll be gone again in a moment." Draconayzia He was surprised he hadn't heard the man come in. Draconayzia had told him about her guests, but other than answering the door he hadn't bumped into them. "No, it's quite alright. I'm boiling water for tea. Care for some?" A second mug and a teapot appeared next to the range in short order. More water was put into the kettel and returned to the flame. "If you care to pick go right ahead. I tend to grab whatever's in the front." Prolixity "I could stand some green tea, but I need that ice cube first. Kiddo's milk teeth are coming out, and he's miserable." Prox padded over to the freezer to extract an ice cube to tuck into the washcloth he held in one hand. He offered the small cloth package to the kitten, who prompltly and crankily bit it, dropping his dragon. Prox smiled ruefully. "If it works," he said. Draconayzia "So I've heard." He turned off the kettle when it began to bubble and klank angrily, pouring the scalding liquid into the pot. "I'm afraid you'll have to get the tea you want. Draconayzia hasn't worked out and effective labling system yet. I can hold you son while you reach if you like." He had alsoready offered one hand towards the kitten to let him sniff and bat at his leisure. Prolixity "If you're not afraid of being nipped. They're like little needles, and he's cranky right now." Prox turned Merlyn so the kitten could see Lonan better. Merl eyed the teenager sulkily, then stretched his arm out to be picked up, apparently feeling contrary. He kept a tight hold and toothhold on the wrapped icecube. Draconayzia "I live here. If I'm not used to being nipped by small teeth now that's a sad comment on myself." He carefully took the baby, making sure to keep him comfortable. Remembering a few of the things Drac had taught him he started a gentle rub on the baby's jaw. Supposedly it helped with a sore mouth. Prolixity Merlyn flopped bonelessly against Lonan's chest, sniffling, and bit the icecube harder. The gentle massage brought his ears up from completely flat against his head to half-mast, though. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Prolixity, and this is my son Merlyn. We're staying here for a bit until I can get myself moved back into my apartments at the shop." Prox bowed, and set about sniffing the jars f tea leaves to find what he was looking for. Draconayzia "That's alright. I'm Lonan." Feeling the baby relax a bit he kept up the gentle rubbing. It was at least alittle encouraging. "From what I was told the green tea should be in a bag towards the back." It was, sitting there clearly labled. Prolixity Merlyn shut his eyes and made a mumbling sound around the ice cube. That felt good. "So it is." Prox plucked the bag out of the cupboard and found a tea ball to put the leaves in. "What would you like?" Draconayzia "The same is fine for me. I'm not overly picky about the tea I drink. So long as it's hot and doesn't have sugar in it." Feeling the little rumbling against his chest from Merlyn he made sure to give the other side of his jaw equal attention. Prolixity Prox nodded and prepared a second serving of green tea for Lonan, pouring the tea into the mugs. "Merl likes you," he observed with some interest. Merlyn opened an eye at the sound of his name, then shut it again. Draconayzia "That's good. I think I like him too." Though no smile crossed his face he was visibly relaxed with the kitten in hand. Feeling that the house might be a bit chilly for Merl he brought one wing up and around. He didn't mind if a few feathers got tugged. Not like they were made of glass or anything. Prolixity Merlyn immediately latched onto a feather as it brushed him, opening his eyes with interest. Anen never let him grab wings, and Ieta, when she had come home for a visit from school, had stayed out of reach of careless grabs. Draconayzia Lonan just let Merl grab and turn a feather or two. It didn't really hurt. Sure it would get irritating if it went on all day, but a little curiosity was fine. Finding a loose feather he pulled it out and let the babe have it to play with before rubbing his jaw again. Prolixity Merl tried biting the feather. It didn't taste or feel as good as the ice cube, and he switched back, keeping a tight hold on the feather with his other hand. Draconayzia Lonan was content to keep rubbing the baby's jaw and letting him play with the molted feather. "Any place you'd care to have the tea? The living room should be warm. I started a fire there earlier this morning." Prolixity "Sounds nice to me. I'll carry the mugs, unless you'd like me to pry the kiddo off you," Prox said. Draconayzia "I don't mind him at all. And he's happy. And I imagine you could do without the bumdle for a bit. You're still tilting a bit from carrying him." How he knew was anyone's guess, but he'd probably gauged the way the feline was walking. Prolixity "Automatic compensation functions. He's gotten heavier recently, too." Prox picked up the mugs and headed for the living room. Draconayzia "Granted, but standing or sitting straight for a time probably wouldn't do any harm." Using his free wing he gently shooed a few complaining aiko from the couch and settled on it so Merl could lay in his lap and give him back his other hand. Prolixity "A good point." He set the mugs on the coffee table and settled on one end of the couch, reaching down to pet one of the displaced aiko. Merlyn squirmed himself comfortable and laid his head down, still chewing on the now thoroughly soggy washcloth. Draconayzia "If there's any tea left it might be a good idea to freeze it into cubes. Give him something to teethe on and maybe calm him. I remember Drac saying she did something similar with Devmani when he was a baby. Chamomile supposedly worked very well." Finding one mug with his free hand he sipped slowly, not wanting to accidentally spill some on Merl. Prolixity "Chamomile, no catnip," Prox chuckled. "Do you have any siblings? You're very good with him." He kept a quiet eye on the tea, fairly confident that Lonan would make sure it was safe, but still careful. Draconayzia "Other than my.. adoptive.. mother and brother, none of my own. It's enough and spending time with smaller ones is becoming easier. For some reason Devmani told me that being as quiet as I am can be a good thing." Prolixity "I hope it rubs off," Prox said, and reached over to pet his son's ears gently. "Thanks for holding him." Draconayzia "Not a problem." He was fine with letting the kitten stay on his lap while he sipped at the tea. It sounded as thought his father was tired too. "If you need someone to watch him while I'm home I'll take over for an hour or two if you like." Prolixity "Now and then, perhaps." Prox smiled at Lonan. "He's not a burden; but I do occasionally have things to do that a kitten shouldn't get into, and my other sons can't always be around to help." Draconayzia "It's perfectly fine and reasonable." Still sipping at his tea he made sure to keep rubbing Merl's jaw, switching sides regularly. Prolixity Merlyn was getting close to purring, the pain of growing teeth relieved by ice and massage. He lay quietly on Lonan's lap. Prox nodded and sipped his tea. "What do you do?" he asked finally. Draconayzia "In what sense?" That was a rather broad-based question. Draconayzia "I train, I try to learn new things. Read what books I can that are available to me. Which are sadly few....." Prolixity Prox looked surprised. "I'd have thought Drac would have a decent sized library?" Draconayzia "She does. But not in Braille." Prolixity "Oh. ... Oh, I wouldn't have guessed." Prox's tail flicked rapidly with his surprise. Draconayzia "My apologies. Most would have noticed by this point, but then agian you certainly have right to be distracted. Does it bother you?" He turned his face towards where he asumed the man was seated. Close but not quite direct. Prolixity "No, not at all. I should apologize for being unobservant." Draconayzia "It's alright. Ask if you want, I don't mind. It's normal for me." Prolixity Prox sat back, cradling his cup of tea and looking curiously at Lonan. "How long, if you don't mind saying?" Draconayzia "As long as I've been here." The term 'here' was rather openended. He'd been blind as long as he could remember, but not in a traditional sense. Prolixity Prox nodded, forgetting for a moment that Lonan wouldn't catch the gesture, and said, "You get around quite well." Draconayzia "Thank you. Practice and all that. Though my first week living here did result in a rather alarming amount of stubbed toes." Prolixity "I imagine so. I've never had to try it." Prox shifted a little awkwardly, uncertain if the subject was uncomfortable. Draconayzia "There's no reason to be uncomfortable around me. I've made adjustments. My hearing and sense of touch are sharp and my reflexes make up for what I occasionally miss. Unless it's a real problem to you don't curb because of one trait of mine." Prolixity "Sorry - just getting used to the idea." Prox sounded embarrassed. "It's odd; all the unusual traits in this city, and something like this surprises me." He shook his head, amused at himself. Draconayzia "I'm a bit confused by that myself. My wings are negligible, but my eyes, they cause small paniced masses." Prolixity "I'm a shapeshifter myself, and most people take it in stride; but my Fenthry daughter is near-mute, and every time someone learns about it they have the same awkward reaction. I am sorry, I didn't mean to do that to you." Draconayzia "It's fine. If nothing else I'm used to it. Though the fact that you aren't trying to find an escape route is encouraging." Prolixity "You did me the favor of holding the kitten so I could have tea; that alone is reason not to slink off with my tail tucked," Prox chuckled. Draconayzia The teen offered a slight tilt of his head to that. "I suppose so. Honestly I was a bit surprised you let me. Then again you hadn't realized just yet." Prolixity "No reason not to, even so. I saw that you supported him properly, and even calmed him down." Draconayzia "Thank you. Most people paonic when they realize I can't see a thing. Rather amusing if it didn't hurt to have a loud voice that close to me." Prolixity Prox reached over to smooth a stray lock of hair out of Merlyn's face. "We all have things that make folk jump, I think." Merlyn murmured drowsily and stuffed the near-melted ice back into his mouth. Draconayzia "True. Hmm, I think he'll need another cube. He's still rumbling though." The stroke on his jaw had slowed but was still there. He could tell the clamp-down reflex had faded a bit at least. Prolixity "I'll go get him one. I hope he hasn't dripped on your lap too badly." Prox rose and picked up his mug to take into the kitchen with him. Draconayzia "Not to worry. With all the small creatures that have an apparent addiciton to curling on one's lap, water is a rather welcomed change." Prolixity The catboy just chuckled in response to that and disapperared into the kitchen. A minute later, he came back with a fresh ice cube, and set about the delicate business of pying the washcloth loose to wrap it in without upsetting Merlyn. "C'mon, kiddo; something new for you." Draconayzia "May I?" He gently took the cub and just opened the end of the wash cloth. Shaping it a bit as it melted in his hand he made it so it slid in with the old cube easily, making it so the kitten didn't even have to release the numbing bit of ice that was still there. Prolixity Merlyn grumbled and attempted lazily to bite Lonan's finger; he wasn't trying too hard, though. Draconayzia The teen just wriggled said finger in response. "Be nice and maybe I won't tickle you. Devmani hates that kind of retribution." Prolixity The kitten curled up again, latching onto the icecube and squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. "You've kept him quiet for a full ten minutes now, I think," Prox said cheerfully. "I salute your accomplishment." Draconayzia "Thank you. I think." His hand moved so he could tend jaw and ear now. Prolixity "If he'll relax enough to nap, it'd be lovely. The teething keeps him up and makes the fussing worse." Prox yawned involuntarily. Draconayzia "Ever try that 'teething-root' Draconayzia has? I'm pretty sure I know where it is. Supposedly it makes the mouth a bit numb and has a slight sedating effect." Prolixity "I'll give it a try if the ice and massage don't do the trick." Prox settled back onto the couch comfortably. Draconayzia "Alright. Just let me know." He switched hands since the one he'd been using was starting to cramp a bit. Prolixity Merlyn's grip loosened slowly, and eventually the wrapped cube slid out of his small hand as he slept. Very quietly, so as not to wake the toddler, Prox said, "Oh, good. He lost a lot of sleep last night. I think that was just what he needed; thank you." Draconayzia "Very welcomed." Taking the cube from the toddler's hand and putting the thoroughly dampened cloth into his empty mug he sighed softly and resigned himself to being a large napping-cushion for the next hour or two. Over all, not a bad thing at all.
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 7:00 pm
It was happening again.
Anger surged through him with an almost unnatural intensity. The muscles in his neck were working so much that they hurt as he tried to keep from screaming.
Frustration beat at him, making the anger worse. He wanted to tear his hair out from the sheer force of it. His entire body was trembling from the effort of reining in the emotions, feathers seeming to shoot from his wings as they were shaken loose. The scars opened and bled again, almost burning hot as rivulettes flowed down to stain snow once again. Jaw clenched he drew ragged breaths through the rails of his teeth and waited for it to subside.
It was frightening that someone could be so angry. More frightening that someone was able to hide the emotions so completely they'd been thrust onto the blind teen to be expelled.
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:25 pm
"Damnable little...." He quickly curbed his words lest some small perked ear overheard langage it was not yet supposed to.
Still, the headache lingered like like a drunk at his favorite dive. Obsinant and defiantely not wanting to go.
"Hold still." He managed not to jump out of his skin when he realized how little attention he'd been paying to his surroundings. A second miracle when he didn't jolt from feeling hands on his back and shoulders.
"Shh, just getting that headache gone. Sip at the tea, it's supposed to help."
Now that he thought about it he could smell the tea. Earl Grey with... lavender? That was different but definately good. He found that bit by bit he could let his muscles loosen up. It still hurt when she touched a tough knot and slowly worked it loose but over all the headache was reduced to a dull throb by the time Draconayzia had finished and the tea was gone.
"Thank you."
He thought he could hear a small trace of amusement in her voice when she answered on her way out of the room. "No problem, just don't let the kitten hear those words and we'll call it even."
He didn't know whether to be surprised or not and settled for just blushing a bit as she chuckled.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:24 pm
Whisper in the yard and turn the trees all into toys
Lay there on the ground and turn the dirt into your joy
From what I see and what I know it's all been boring lately
So I suggest we trade a question mark in for a maybe
Time your riddles right and make a point that has no sense
Make sure that you're smiling and the money's been well spent
Inocense and ignorance it all goes hand in hand
I'm not sure that I'm right, but I hope you understand
I hope that you're still searching for the start that has no end
And all the plastic people have now become your friends
Before you start to drift and your soul begins to scream
I just wanted to tell you that you're listening to a dream.....
-Fly From the Inside; Shinedown
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