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 Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:46 pm
"Mm...." Nikolai murmured, the smile starting to fade. Jade would worry about him terribley too, but it was for the best. It had to be better than facing the person- no, the thing- that had taken away her happiness. Folding up his faintly glowing wings, Nikolai sighed deeply as he looked up at the stary sky overhead. His own stars had fallen from grace just as he had, so perhaps he shouldn't worry so much about feelings of loneliness when this seperation was better for everyone.
Sighing deeply, Nikolai closed his eyes to shut out the sad thoughts before he could face Guin again. Carefully, hesitantly, the boy moved to hug the girl around her neck while taking care not to touch her sharp wings. Whatever they found, no matter how painful, they would find out together.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:13 pm
Guinevere traced the stars, but was still lost in thought. She didn't know what it was that had made her so fond of Nikolai in the first place. Before he had moved away, they had barely known each other. So why did she remember him so well? Why had she cared so much about him? Sure, she didn't know many people at all, and thinking seriously, he was the person she knew best who wasn't Kemuri or Kotatsu. But still.
Was it his message? She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn't know her message, but her entire life so far had been tightly connected to death. Maybe she had sensed it in him. Maybe people like Nikolai and herself just gravitated towards each other because they could feel death on each other. She didn't want that to be the reason. She wanted a better reason than that.
She blinked and looked over at him as he sighed and moved towards her. Her cheeks turned red and her wings fluttered, but she returned his awkward embrace. She didn't think it was because of his message or Aaron or anything. She just liked Nikolai because he was him. And that was a good enough reason for her.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:24 pm
For a long time he sat there, holding onto the only person he had left. Whatever it was that made him gravitate towards Guinevere made him thankful he wouldn't have to face these trials of emotion and sanity alone.
Without his knowing, the glinting lights that had clung to the darkness of his hair seemed to release their grasp of it. Perhaps it was the Sanctum's power, or something between the two Heralds, but within moments they reformed as a ring over Nikolai's head. It was almost too ironic; the more pain he understood he'd caused, the more angelic his appearance became. Though for the moment, with his eyes closed and holding onto Guin, he was none the wiser of the transformation.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:50 pm
Guinevere felt a warm light, and saw Nikolai's hair was acting very strangely indeed. Her eyes widened but she bit her lip. Nikolai had had a trying day. She didn't want to plague him with more mysteries.
Come to think of it... She didn't think Aaron had ever hugged her. Nor had Vincira, or Kotatsu. And she had used Kemuri as a pillow before, but he had never hugged her either. With a slightly lightheaded feeling, she realized this was probably her first hug. She had never really thought about it, but if she had to, she supposed she had always expected different circumstances for that.
Like when Aaron came back for her.
She had been so sure when she was younger that he was going to come home. She had known it, he would never leave her with dull, mild Kotatsu. He would come back and say it was all a mistake, sweeping her up into a hug. She had been so sure. And then the days had become weeks, the weeks became months, and then years had passed. And now her first hug was gone anyway.
She paused, thinking about this for a moment.
Finally, she held Nikolai tighter for a moment. She didn't want to think about it, she really didn't. The lights haloing over Nikolai's head shone brightly, and he felt comforting to her. The only thing she could do was hold on to him and move past the past.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:58 pm
Eyes opening suddenly when he was held fast to Guinevere, Nikolai was pulled from his sad thoughts rather abruptly. A smile slowly began to appear on his face again for her whether she could see it or not and lifted a hand to stroke Guin's hair as Jade had for him. Before he realized it tears misted his eyes and Nikolai continued to smile despite himself. This was really all too much... but somehow he was content. "Thank you." He whispered again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:14 pm
Guinevere closed her eyes as he stroked her hair, but remembered herself when he spoke. Slowly, she let go of him and got up, looking embarrassed. She had been hugging him for an awfully long time, and she still wasn't used to hugs in the first place. It felt strange, she decided. Not bad, but strange. "No," she told him eventually, "Thank you." Because he was helping her too, wasn't he? He was helping her even if she had had never asked him for it out loud. She hadn't even known it at first, but he was someone that she felt comfortable with, truly comfortable. Not like with Kemuri, who had only reminded her of Aaron. And that was something she had needed for a long time.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:29 pm
Lifting a hand to wipe away his tears, Nikolai leaned back against the stone once more and nodded. They didn't have to say anything to know they mutually needed the other's help. Making himself as comfortable as he could, Nikolai seemed to get ready to go back to sleep. "It's late..." He murmured, hoping she could understand with just that. There was no point in looking for clues when the stars were out still and they had no light to see by.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:03 pm
Guinevere nodded and closed her eyes. Even after her nap, her journey had been exhausting today. Her wings still ached. She looked at Nikolai and smiled. He looked healthier, much healthier and she felt a tired rush of relief as she drifted off to sleep. Things were falling apart, she knew. Nikolai was getting into danger and she was following along right behind him. Their guardians didn't know where they were, and they were about to sleep in a field. But she felt... content. Despite everything, despite even her normal background nagging about Aaron, Aaron, Aaron. Right here, right now, she felt happy. "Goodnight Nikolai." she whispered, and fell asleep.
She woke up in a slightly less peaceful mood. With a gasp, she awoke, sitting up quickly. "Kotatsu." she said quietly. She had been gone all night. In all the times she had left home, she had never been gone all night. Kotatsu was the worrying type, she probably would have called the police by now. Not to mention how Jade must be feeling. She didn't know what to do, she was tempted to stay in the Sanctum until Kotatsu got over it or until she died. Knowing Kotatsu's ability to fret over things, it would probably be the latter. She tugged at her hair nervously. They were safe here, but if she ever wanted to go home again, she was going to be in big trouble.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:25 pm
~*~ Intermission?~*~
In all of the ten minutes that it took for Jade to return the soup to the kitchen and make some warm tea for Nikolai the pair had disappeared. When she returned to the room the tea cup fell from her hand and shattered on the ground when Jade saw the bed was empty and the curtains swayed with the breeze from the open balcony door. Rationality soon flew away after, followed by any sense of composure Jade had.
The police got the first earfull, only to dismiss her call as that of a lunatic. The second person to get her frantic phone call was Guinevere's guardian. Nervously cringing by the phone, Jade had tears running down her face and held tightly to one of Nikolai's stuffed animals for support. "Pick up..... please, please pick up!" She urged, voice breaking and crackling from her tears even before she had to speak to someone.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:39 pm
When the phone rang, Kotatsu had been on the roof, repairing the last hole Guinevere had made jumping around with a broomstick. It was a flimsy roof. Guinevere had hurt it more than it had hurt her. But since it was a small house, she could hear the phone ringing from there. "Crap." she said under her breath, and she scrambled down the ladder. "Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap." Running into the house, she rushed to the phone and grabbed it before it stopped. Who called her? She didn't have any close friends and the people from her past didn't know she had moved or anything. She realized her mad dash had probably been for a telemarketer, but answered anyway with a breathless "Hello?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:45 pm
"I-Is Guinevere and Nikolai there?" A squeak of a voice murmured as if trembled as much as the rest of Jade. The woman's knuckles were white on the stuffed doll she held but she wouldn't give up hope that her boy was safe somewhere. "This... this is Guinevere's Mother, right? Are they there? Please.... Nikolai is very sick; he has to come home!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:01 pm
Kotatsu frowned. There was a feminine voice over the phone, and it was confusing her. "I-I'm sorry...?" she said tentatively. She was pretty sure Nikolai had moved away a while ago, right? "I can see if Guinevere's around..." Putting the phone down, she called "Guinevere!?" and walked up to the Herald's room. "Guinevere, phone!" She was greeted with silence. Picking up the phone again, she said "I'm sorry, Guinevere doesn't appear to be here at the moment." she said apologetically. "Is this Jade? Have you moved back into town?" If she had, did Guinevere get Nikolai into trouble? Kotatsu bit her lip, Guinevere was a responsible young girl. Taking a sick person away from their home didn't sound like something she would do. "What's the matter?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:07 pm
The sound of sobs came from the other end as Jade sunk into a chair before her knees gave out on her. "They're gone! Nikolai was sick in bed fromthelasttimeGuineverecameand...." The woman's ran together as it reached a higher pitch than even dogs could hear. Taking a moment to try and calm down, it didn't seem to help as she began to cry all the louder. "Guinevere came to appologize, an-and now they're....! they're....! Oh I can't bear to say it!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:16 pm
Kotatsu didn't even know Guinevere had visited Nikolai in the first place. "Wait..." She said, trying to digest all the information that was being shoved at her in sobbing gulps. "What did Guinevere do she needed to apologise for?" She had the sneaking suspicion of worry nagging at her mind, but Guinevere wouldn't let Nikolai be harmed, right? Guinevere didn't let people she liked get hurt. She didn't even let Kotatsu get hurt. "I think... I think I'd better come over." Kotatsu decided carefully. "Where do you live?"
She tried to swallow her worry. It would be okay, it would be okay.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:24 pm
Jade relayed her address, and as it turned out it was only about four streets away. A considerable walk, but a drive would take no more than ten minutes without traffic. "Come quickly..." Jade whimpered before hanging up the phone. Rocking herself in the seat, the woman hugged Nikolai's toy to her chest. Never had she seen him play with those toys, but now she wasn't concern with that. So long as it belonged to Nikolai it was enough to give her something to cling to.
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