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 Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:43 pm
Finally though, a meet-up had been set and now Ren preened over her outfit, a little white peacoat with soft fur along the collar and earmuffs to match. She looked warm and comfortable and sweet with the smile that was upon her lips at the thought of meeting Reks once more. Too much time had passed for her liking. Although all of the raevan's Ren had met held a special place in the girl's heart, none of them shared quite the same qualities and interested her in the same way.
Star gazing, she had suggested. Just a little bit of a quiet evening where the two of them could possibly get to know each other a little better. Hopefully the other frei would not find it too boring. Ren had picked the perfect night - the night of the height of the Geminids shower - in hopes that there would be something a little more interesting going on in the sky for the other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Doe held the aurora's earmuffs as she tweeked her hair, pushing a loop back behind her ear before pulling it forward once more, watching it curl against her cheek and frame her dark lashes.
"Yes. We will be fine." There was patience in her tone but the frei was growing tired of her guardian asking the same question so many times. There was little she could do though, unless she revealed just how much she got out at night without her guardian's knowledge. So she smiled at the redhead in the mirror before pulling her jacket a little tighter about her thin shoulders and reaching for the headband of the muffs. "I promised to take the ferry over. I wont fly." Ren knew how Doe hated it when she flew the short distance to the shore, so she had given her word that she would take the hated boat in order to further assure her guardian that she would be ok alone. That she was young but responsible.
A little while later she was at the meeting spot her and Reks had agreed on, close to the area where they would be ending up. The grass crunched with frost under the human's feet, but Ren did not feel as much of the chill, her rune glowing steadily under her coat. Although she was fairly impervious to the weather, the coat was for show as it often made others uncomfortable if she wore her usual attire. Plus, it was really a cute look on her.
"Reks!" At the sight of the rock frei her smile grew wide and she moved towards him, her voice soft and warm as it caressed his name. With wings lofted high and eyes practically glowing in the same way her hair was (for she'd grabbed a quick bite on the way over) it was obvious how happy the aurora was to see Iorek.
After the terrifying camping experience he and the other ravens had gone through something wasn't feeling right in Iorek. The situation had been frightening, but what scared him even more was how he felt after coming out of that jungle. Relief didn't magically just lift off his shoulders when they escaped. Instead he felt heavy with dread. No, something wasn't right in him at all.
As soon as he got home Iorek didn't want anything to do with this family or friends. He had retreated to his bedroom and that was where he stayed until Lillian managed to coax him out.
Now somehow here he was outside, dressed in a warm hoodie and scarf, awaiting the pretty raeven Ren. He should of been thrilled. The kind of thrilled that was all about bouncing off the walls at the chance to spend time with the girl, a very nice girl at that. But he was worried. What if something set him off like last time? It would be just him and her...alone..at night...honestly this was the perfect set up for a horror movie. Maybe this would be the impromptu remake of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Iorek hung is head and heaved a heavy sigh. What a terrible mood to be in when he was supposed to be getting to know Ren. Oh Ren, a girl who just happened to give him a kiss on their first meeting. Not many guys got that. And instead of bringing flowers and chocolate he had brought a telescope and a frown.
His ears perked when he heard his name. Quickly he whirled about to see the shimmering raevan hurrying over to him. His scowl was demolished in an instant at the sight of her. She looked radiant. From the way she was glowing, Ren belonged up amongst the stars.
"R-Ren! Uh...h-hey." Iorek quickly straightened up and smiled as they locked eyes. "Wow, uh, heh...how are you?"
The aurora had noted the brooding nature of the other frei as she'd approached, but dismissed it as his smile took its place upon his features. She preferred this look to the other, and decided not to press him about the unhappiness that had been there a moment before.
"How have you been?" Ren asked, tilting her head like a curious kitten as she moved close to Reks, surprised at the telescope in his hands. "You came prepared!" She was immensely pleased with this outcome, for she'd obviously been too preoccupied with her own vanity to have bothered with such a thing.
"I think I found us a good spot," she said, looping her arm into his and pulling him gently towards an area less crowded.
Reks flushed and fiddled with the telescope in his hand as she leaned in. He shyly glanced up at her as a faint blush heated his cheeks, "Me? Um, I'm good..how about you? It's been a while since I've seen you."
His eyes lingered on her until she pointed out the telescope he was rubbing raw by now. "Oh! Oh yeah, heh, I thought it would be handy for us. My vision is good at night but if we want to see the stars this little trinket should help us." But he still should of brought flowers or something. Even if Ren was happy with this it wasn't exactly an exciting present.
When their arms locked, Iorek bit his lower lip and hoped Ren didn't hear the squeak that came out of him. Why hadn't he been going out again? Temper tantrums were worth the risk if it meant cozying up under the stars. "Y-You did? Awesome. We are definitely prepared!"
Lifting a free hand, Ren waved it absently, dismissing the question as she replied. "I haven't done anything really. Doucette says I am too young to do many things." The frei turned her face up towards Reks' with a little pout of a frown that quickly returned to a wide grin of excitement.
There might not have been a present, but she had not expected one and was thus not unhappy not to receive one. Seeing the other stone frei was more than enough to cause her heart to feel like a meteor shooting across the sky.
"Yes! I heard that if you see a falling star, and you make a wish, it will come true! With so many falling stars, we are bound to be able to make a wish." Revontulet took in a deep breath and held it a moment, thinking over all the wishes her mind held before letting out the breath in a woosh! "What would you wish for?"
"Too young?" Iorek chuckled and gave a dutiful nod, "Oh yeah, I've had that said to me too. But I guess us going out like this means something. I'm glad you were able to make it."
Iorek turned his eyes towards the sky and looked about in hopes that maybe the stars would already be zooming across the sky. "Hmm...me?" Reks laughed again at the sound effects. "I don't really know. World peace? Or maybe just more wishes. How about you?"
Honestly he would wish for this nagging feeling to go away...and maybe another kiss from Ren. But that would just be his own little secret.
Ren lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, her wings giving a flutter of irritation. There was simply no way that Doucette would have kept her from coming out to meet Reks - not after she'd worked so hard to get in touch with him.
"You can't wish for more wishes," Ren said, poking him in the shoulder with a finger and wrinkling her nose at him, "That's always been against the rules." No word on the whole world peace thing. It was kinda lame, but she was already shooting down one of his ideas - no need to destroy another!
"I'd wish to spend more time with you." Revontulet's words were open and honest, not a hint of teasing or coyness. She had not liked that it had been so hard to see the stone frei, and now that she was with him she wasn't going to play games.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 4:23 pm
[A Sweet Christmas Party!]
Who: Everybody who's anybody!
Wow! I love Christmas!
How nice to see everyone! Even if some are still recovering from
the summer's fiasco...
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 5:33 pm
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 5:34 pm
Although their little home was not nearly as well decorated as the Lab's Christmas party had been, it was obvious that the redhead had stayed up late putting together things in the living room to impress her charge.
Little snowflakes dangled from the ceiling, cut with precision from paper of varying shades of white to add depth, and lights were strewn from one end of the room to the other, twinkling gently from around the coffee table and around the door frames and especially over the tree. Their tree was fat but not very tall, spreading its great, big arms into the space as if there could be no one else in its vicinity. Doucette had covered it in blue and white lights and hung silver and pale gold ornaments from the branches. A little star shimmered cheerfully from the pinnacle.
"Do you like it?"
Ren was frankly speechless, surprised at the transformation that had occurred in their little space. "Yes," she finally managed, turning to face Doe with a small smile upon her lips. "I really like it. You did all this?"
With a shrug of her shoulders the guardian moved over to loop an arm over the thin frie's shoulders, pulling her close into a hug. The aurora took a deep breath of the smell of pine and peppermint on the woman's clothes, enjoying the crisp, sharp scents that had lingered from the decoration process and no doubt would also be part of the next surprised since there was no peppermint in sight. "I don't usually do a lot for Christmas. Although I like it, I don't usually decorate a lot because I'm often out for my birthday. But when I saw your expression at the Christmas Party I couldn't help but put this together for you."
For a moment Ren tilted her head to the side, mulling over Doucette's words for a long moment before plucking a few out and echoing them back, "Your birthday?"
"Oh yes! My birthday! I turned 28 today. Silly how some people have to be born on Christmas, huh?" Doe tutted playfully, having long gotten over the concerns of a child wishing for multiple presents for the two distinct celebrations. "Honestly...I think I forgot how much I enjoyed Christmas Ren. Thank you for reminding me how beautiful it is."
The aurora pulled away, dragging Doucette's gaze from the tree to the troubled looking frei. "What is it?"
"Today is your birthday," Revontulet repeated, not unfamiliar with the concept, "But I didn't know. I didn't get you anything..." As if a present would materialize in her hands, the aurora looked down at them with a small frown. "No, no. You don't have to get me anything," Doucette soothed, reaching out to brush her fingers through the ombre locks and tuck a bit behind her ears. "Having you is the best gift I could ever get, Christmas or birthday or otherwise."
But Ren was not to be moved by the words. Instead she turned and moved back to her room, closing the door quietly behind her and on the puzzled face of her guardian. Once in her room the girl stared about, from one end to the other in order to assess her assets. There wasn't any money to buy anything, and she'd made the woman's Christmas present already, so whatever she was going to use for a birthday present was going to have to be on-hand. Frowning, the only thing she could decide upon was not something she wished to part with. Dutifully she wrapped the small rectangular object up and then scooped up the Christmas present from under her bed.
Only then did she return to the living room, holding out the presents like offerings to the redhead. "I hope you will like them," she felt prompted to say in the silence that hung between them. Making a dismissive noise, Doucette took both of the presents and took a seat to open them, tearing into the smaller Christmas present first as she spoke. "Ren, I told you! I would like anything you got me, but you didn't have to get me -- oh..."
In her hand was a small necklace made of soft leather scraps and moonstones, huddled together to rest perfectly against the gentle dip between her collar bones. "It's lovely," she breathed before shifting to put it on, resting her fingers against the stones for a moment before turning her gaze up to Ren's with a warm smile that lit up her whole face. "How does it look?" She didn't need to ask if the girl had made it herself - that much was obvious with what little money Doe had been able to spare to the girl for gifts, and the guardian enjoyed watching the girl tinker with jewelry from time to time, honing her interests and strengths.
"Perfect," Revontulet replied, the stiffness in her shoulders softening as the smile was echoed upon her face. There had been a fear that the woman would not like the gesture, that it would seem tawdry and silly, but the way Doucette gazed upon the necklace and touched it with such reverence made the aurora glad she had chosen the gift.
"And the other one," she prompted, eyes narrowing slightly as she watched, waiting for the recognition to spread across Doucette's face.
Inside the delicate wrapping was the first VHS tape Ren had ever watched when Doe had brought her home, the two of them sitting on the couch watching old movies during the day as the aurora sat silent through most of it. The case and tape were obviously well loved in the time since. It was a little silly, giving a gift that had actually come from the person you were gifting to, but there hadn't been any other choice in the matter. "It is taking me a long time to learn, but I know it wasn't easy taking me in," Ren paused, considering her next words. She didn't want to bring up the summer's events in the jungle, the obvious attachments raevan's would have to each other and the obvious potential for danger they posed to one another through that connection, but there was no way to side step the issue, "And I know it wont get any easier," she managed diplomatically, "But I will always remember that you took me in." Revontulet tapped her finger against the tape in her guardian's hands, a calculated indication that the frei watched and remembered much.
Doucette found she could not reply, instead turning and grabbing the few gifts she had gotten for Ren and passing them over, hoping her tears would stop rolling down her cheeks by the time the aurora finished opening her presents.
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 5:36 pm
Frankly, the girl wasn't entirely sure what Christmas was, or what Christmas time meant and why it was special, but she had overheard Doucette saying something about it on the phone and now she desired to pass this specialness on to Praj. Already she had made his name decorative, with little loops and squiggles around each letter. That made it special, didn't it? But what could she say that would make the letter special?
He had offered to come visit her, or for her to visit him if that's what she desired. Honestly, Revon did not want Doucette hovering about while Praj was visiting. Already the guardian gave shifty looks at the aurora when she smiled at the letters Praj wrote and even tried to read over her shoulder! But Ren had had none of it and locked herself in her room every time, hiding the letters under a loose floorboard under her bed where she was sure Doucette had not found them.
I would like, the letter started, but the pen had obviously stilled there for a long moment as she thought, as the pen click-click-clicked gently against those white teeth.
I would like very much to meet you Praj. If you give me the choice, I would like to come to your house. At the moment, Doucette is on holiday from work and will be home very often. I would like to speak with you without my guardian.
Ren frowned at the paper. It all sounded very...bland. If she had not spent so much time making his name so lovely at the top she would have crumpled the offensive words and thrown them in the trash, but the girl lamented the loss of that hard work and instead attempted to add more to the letter.
It has been a long time since I have seen beautiful Praj.
The girl's cheeks turned a pale, happy peach at the memory.
It would be nice to make a special memory with Praj this Christmas.
Yea, that sounded good. Ren quite liked that last bit. Best not to ruin the rest of the message with further banalities. Signing the letter with her own decorative name to match his own, the frei put the letter in the mail and eagerly awaited a reply for when she could meet with the red-headed star once more.
*~*~*~*~*~*
With all the gold tinsel and crimson ornaments, smiling faces and overly enthusiastic music, Prajna had quickly grown tired of the holiday season. The Star had felt...common as people prepped for the Christmas holiday: its wine button down was no longer a unique hue, melting into the sea of other wine and maroon Christmas sweaters, its blackened wings, though dark, stopped being a creative sight as angels decked the halls and doorways. Even its usually adorable top hat came across as just another decorative accessory, something excessive but acceptable during this bustling time.
The only thing that kept Prajna feeling one of kind however were the letters it received in the mail.
Namini and David had received a few envelopes from distant family or co-workers but Prajna had been getting them quite routinely and with each new arrival, the troublemaking redhead huffed out its chest in great pride. Revontulet never ceased to flatter the Star with her elegant handwriting and beautiful way of words. While Prajna watched a lot of trashy television, it loved literature nonetheless and so, the androgynous soul quickly found itself more and more enamored and impressed with each of Revontulet's articulate writings. However, in this last letter Prajna received from its dear friend, something seemed.... different.
Her words seemed pacing and hopeful. Anxious almost. The two young Freis had been discussing potential visits quite often in their letters but somehow, time just never seemed to make itself available. Prajna had tried to get Namini to come with it to visit Doucette and Revontulet (The humans had seemed compatible enough), but some excuse always came up: "Prajna, I'm helping a friend decorate her house." or "Prajna, we need to go grocery shopping. Maybe next time." or "Prajna, the trip's a bit expensive...." or "Let's just see them after the holidays, they're probably doing their own thing." The Star grazed its fingertips across the letter, tracing over the words. Something seemed ...wrong about having made Revontulet wait so long.
Prajna had to think of a way to make it up to her.
Even though Christmas was not particularly Prajna's favorite holiday, the cheery event usually a gloom reminder of the burn scars Namini suffered to capture Prajna's star soul, the redhead immediately knew of a way it could make it up to Revontulet. It just needed time... and time was quickly running out. So that afternoon, Prajna scribbled a quick response to Revontulet and slipped it into the mail.
Its letter simply read: "Wait for me. For you, there will be something amazing for Christmas. -P"
...
Christmas day came and Prajna finally understood that excitement it saw the rest of Gaia flutter about December in.
The day started with a beautiful breakfast made by Namini (with David assisting, in his rare acts of contribution). Pancakes and bacon, eggs and coffee adorned the dining room table, with a small set of twinkling Christmas lights for Prajna. After breakfast, gifts. David had purchased a gradient colored scarf for Namini, the fabric fading from pink to a rich eggplant, and a galaxy painted scarf for Prajna (something the Frei was surprisingly quite impressed by!). Namini had gotten David a new wallet with a picture of the three of them already in one of the slots; for Prajna, Namini had gotten the Frei a lovely navy overcoat. It was cut in a military style and, with David's scarf, Prajna seemed that much more human. There were even little slits in the back for the Star's dark wings to poke through! With no real income, Prajna had also gotten some money from both siblings and purchased matching bracelets for the three of them: each gold bracelet had charms with their initials in the back. On the back of a small star charm was a simple PN. On the back of a bow was Namini's NN. And on the back of a heart was DN (though the charm was sweet looking, Prajna was happy to have it hint at David's obsession with love and sex). While it was still coping to feel ... part of a "family", Prajna knew this couldn't hurt at least. It had watched many friends give one another bracelets in television shows so it seemed appropriate. Judging by Namini's tearful reaction, it hadn't been too bad of a gift either. Other gifts were opened as well: David had shown off this leather belt he had received from a "friend." Namini revealed a few gift cards her classmates or old co-workers had given her. A few things had even come in from the Lab!
Though to the Naos' ignorance, Prajna had already opened a mystery gift it had received a day prior... from Revontulet. Having been the only one home at the time, Prajna had taken no hesitation in ripping open the package (though in the secrecy of the bathroom). Inside had been a movie Prajna did not recognize. It screamed Revontulet with its cover decorated in gorgeous women, cloaked in an air of mystery. Prajna had been left speechless but it did not let the humans know... Before Christmas day, the Star had even gone so far as to keep the DVD case hidden behind a portrait in the living room.
Eventually Christmas day calmed. Namini had watched a few holiday specials with the Star and David had disappeared to read comics, or sometimes he would cook up some small snacks for the three of them. But as night approached and the festive spirit finally died down, Prajna felt its partial body grow more and more twitchy and uncontrollable. It eyed the clock, waiting for the moment everyone said their goodnights. Prajna even went so far as to feign exhaustion, just so Namini would slip into her room earlier and David would quietly go back to listening to music and playing games. But then, finally, silence.
Prajna waited a good hour, just to make sure nothing moved or squeaked, that all the jingling in the world had stopped before it slipped into its new Christmas apparel and rummaged through the couch. From a deeeeeep corner of the pillows, the Star pulled out a small black box, slipped it into one of the coat's warm pockets and then floated quickly to the front door. Once more, Prajna glanced around the room then checked the time. Midnight. It could get there in a few hours hopefully....
Then, just as silently as the night had become, Prajna slipped out the front door, the black box in its right pocket and some unspent Christmas money and one of Revontulet's envelopes in the left. Once outside and in the courtyard of the apartment complex, Prajna then made a "run" for the towncenter, hoping there was some desperate taxi driver still available.
- - - - - - -
It was cold. It was dark. And yet Prajna could not contain itself. Its face felt hot. It even thought it was sweating beneath all the layers! As the taxi driver pulled up to the address Prajna had read from the envelope, Prajna felt its hand begin to shake as it gripped the black box tightly. In a way, it was disappointed in itself: Who was Revontulet to make Prajna all shaky and worried?! The question scared the Star in some way and yet it couldn't be avoided, it was an inquiry that demanded provocation. Was the girl really worth all this trouble? Prajna liked trouble, that was a fact, but something about the way Prajna's chest ached at the thought of a sad and longing Revontulet seemed so different from the mischief Prajna tended to cause. It was a kind of hurting, a type of harm, Prajna couldn't bear to inflict on someone, even in jest or without intention.
"We're here," the driver coughed, extending his hand in the unspoken way that said "Now give me my money."
Prajna didn't even count the bills before giving the man all it had left and bolting out the warm car into the biting cold. And as the man drove off, Prajna couldn't even take in its surroundings...but only stare at the building in front of it. It was a quaint little house. So white and pristine, a perfect little cottage representative of the Christmas holidays.
And as Prajna floated up the front steps, each "step" slow, cautious... hesitant, it was at times like these where the Star was thankful it lacked feet. It was probably early morning now though the sun was still hidden behind trees and the distant horizon. If Prajna knocked, would Doe answer? Or would Revontulet still be awake? Would she have waited even now for the Star?....
Prajna found itself floating in front of the main entrance, staring blanking at the middle of the door. It was torn between knocking and just leaving the gift on the front step. It had come so far but suddenly, it was losing its nerve. Why? Why was this happening to it? Now? Prajna felt humiliated and silly, though nothing had even been done to it. It felt a bit childish, looking back on everything it had just done to get here: lying, sneaking, breaking "curfew", maybe running away if you would count that. And yet, imaging Revontulet's gleeful face, or even her relieved face... something about that idea eased Prajna's mind. Something about it seemed worth all the trouble and internal chaos.
Something about knowing Revontulet was just a few feet away, separated from Praj just by a mere door, urged the Star to raise its pale, cold hand and knock softly against the wooden frame. It felt like its knocks echoed throughout every splinter of the Delacy home and Prajna could only pray that only Ren heard it...
*~*~*~*~*~*
Days had passed since the aurora had received the short missive from the star. There had been a visible wilting of her wings at the sight of how little had been jotted down, but they revived themselves somewhat upon comprehending the message. Wait for him, it had said.
Revontulet had no problem waiting. She was, in general, a rather reserved type of individual that enjoyed busying herself with her own matters and relying heavily on herself and quiet activities for her entertainment. Unfortunately, the frei was also the type that tended to do reckless things, and those activities kept both her, and Doucette, occupied over winter break.
Unlike the star, Revon had fallen in love with Christmas. Whereas he resented blending in with the rest of the ornamentation, the aurora felt that she had finally found somewhere where she could belong. The gently falling snow enchanted her and she spent hours staring out the window as it fell in fat puffs across the sand and trees. With the world covered in white she seemed somewhat more relaxed, a smile more often upon her lips and agreeable responses upon her tongue. It was not that she had outright disliked summer, for the girl had no sense of temperature in the same way others experienced it, but the colors and the discomfort of those around her had put her in a feeling of distance. Summer was a time when Doucette blossomed and excited herself.
Winter was clearly Revontulet’s season, and Christmas her holiday.
Doucette had not spent time decorating the house, for the Lab Party had more than compensated for the glitz and glamor the aurora craved and enjoyed, so Ren had busied herself with picking out Christmas presents for all of her friends. She dearly hoped that Prajna would enjoy the movie she had sent over. It was not, perhaps, the most enjoyable movie for others (for the girl had quickly found out her taste for classic romances and mysteries was not one shared amongst many), but it would have meant time spent with the star as well as reinforcing his thinking of her every time he saw it.
Christmas had brought a surprise for Ren, for she’d woken to a tree too big for the space it occupied and surprisingly gorgeous. Doucette had gotten her charge a few small things, some records here, another film noir or two there. For whatever reason, it had not felt particularly special to the girl, for her guardian often got her movies and music to keep her entertained even when it was a holiday, but she smiled and thanked the woman all the same.
In return Revontulet had gotten her woman a necklace with moonstones woven with a bit of soft leather. Doucette tended to keep a lot of moonstones lying about and the frei had felt that the gift was perhaps pertinent to her guardian’s interests, a field of knowledge she had recently discovered she knew very little about.
So little did she know of Doucette that it came out on Christmas day that it was the Irish woman’s birthday and the newborn had been forced to improvise to find another gift to present the woman with.
Time enough had passed that Ren had almost forgotten about the note. Almost…but not quite. Every night she pulled out the paper and gently traced the letters written there, imagining the expression on the stars face as he’d written them. Everything about the note seemed to filter through her mind. Did he hold his pen lower or higher? Where did his free hand rest?
During the day though, Ren pushed the letter out of her mind, reminding herself not to think of it. The star had not mentioned a time, though the place was implied since he was coming to her, so she forced herself not to chew over it. Prajna would arrive when Prajna was able to. Revontulet felt, without a doubt in her heart, that the star would not let her down and so she didn’t allow herself the nervous, pacing actions Doucette so often exhibited when she was awaiting company.
The aurora was not the pining, wistful type after all.
That night, like every night, Revontulet had pulled on her peacoat lined with fur at the neck and cuffs, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the brush of the soft fabric against her jaw and cheeks. After discovering fur lined clothes, Doe was slightly concerned about the possibility of the moonstone wearing it all year round, even in the stifling heat. Tonight was perfect for it though, despite her lack of need for the item. It somehow calmed people to see a floating figure on the water with a coat on as opposed to arms hanging out bare. The floating part seemed not to bother them in the least though.
As if they were in sync, the aurora’s fingers fell upon the handle of the door just as the star’s first knock had fallen.
Doucette had gone to bed long ago, and the redhead was a notoriously heavy sleeper, something that Revon often took advantage of. With the door open now, Prajna could see the soft surprise on her face from the slight widening about her eyes to the little ‘o’ of her lips.
Not wanting to let in the cold and upset Doucette, the frei quickly moved next to the star before speaking, brushing against him as she turned to close the door in her stead. Close now, Ren offered a small smile, turning her head to the side slightly in something of a coquettish move.
“Prajna,” she breathed, her voice somewhat tremulous with him here now, so close.
If she’d had a stomach Doucette would have helped her identify her feelings as ‘butterflies in the tummy’ but for now her rune simply pulsed unevenly, her heart pattering out an awkward tempo in her chest. She was excited to see him again. Why had it been so long?
*~*~*~*~*~*
The moment Ren opened the door, Prajna couldn’t stop the next words from coming out, like …like… word vomit.
“Oh s**t.”
Immediately, the Star’s pale face turned a bright shade of pink. However, before Prajna could spit out some kind of apology, its turquoise companion slid in close, shutting the front door behind her. It was as if she had been right behind it, reading into Prajna’s thoughts! Prajna felt as if its privacy had been invaded and yet… wasn’t this what it wanted? For Revontulet to answer and not her human? Prajna didn’t know, it just didn’t know anymore what it wanted.
Its shoulders felt stiff but not from the cold. Being cold by nature, the Star barely felt it. But it did feel the soft radiating warmth coming from Ren. The Star’s blush remained, firmly settling into every crevice and pore on Prajna’s face, but the Star’s piercing blues seemed fixated on Ren’s small mouth. Her cranberry colored lips. They had formed a tiny ‘o’ and then shifted into a tender smile as she breathed life into Prajna’s name. Two syllables and she just…. just spun them into silk. Prajna tried to break its entranced gaze by tracing the outline of Ren’s small puffs of air now visible due to the cold. Even her breaths seemed graceful and cute.
But silence quickly filled the air and Prajna didn’t know what to do. So caught off guard, the Star tried to think of something to fill in the unsettling quiet but it was at a loss. All that seemed to fill its thoughts were its dream-like memories of the Freis’ first and only encounter and the cold air.
After so long, after so many letters, and here she was. And she seemed so happy, just to say Prajna’s name.
Prajna couldn’t have gotten rid of its blush even if it had more of a body to send all that blood too. And words? What WERE words at this point? It was as if Prajna had just been “born”. Nothing seemed audible.
So, in an odd mixed state of extreme happiness and utter awkwardness, Prajna remained as speechless as the night as it roughly shoved its hand into its deep coat pocket and pulled out the black box it had been hiding. In all the movies and television shows Prajna had watched, this process was supposed to be a lot smoother, a lot more cinematic. And yet, here the Star was, stupidly holding the box out like it was infested with fleas or something. Its hand was shaking.
Somehow, the redhead found itself managing words, “Sorry. … I’m sorry. ..Didn’t mean to make Ren wait … so… so long. Namini would not let me come for a long time. Not even supposed to be here now but…Prajna has a present for Ren.”
A soft smirk crept onto the Star’s androgynous features as it opened the box with its other hand. Inside, resting in the black velvet cushioning, was a small gold ring. Nothing worthy of an engagement or anything but it seemed to be a lovely trinket. In the middle, there was an intertwined circle of roman glass.
~*~*~*~*~
The star’s actions did not go unnoticed by the aurora, and she pulled her lips together in an attempt not to smile. It was endearing, but Ren was sure that if Prajna caught the look on her features he’d feel indignant and more flustered than he was already acting.
Unlike the other frei, Revontulet seemed overly poised, not the scared, skittish thing the star had found that first day in the hair salon. The rise and fall of those pale green wings upon her back rose and fell with a slow tempo, similar to the rate the girl breathed. Inhale-up, exhale-down. In the gentle glow of the Christmas tree lights through the window she too seemed to light up, a pale beacon to his darker colors.
It was strange to her, that she would be comfortable being in the star’s presence for all her distaste for garish reds and golds. Usually the aurora would have turned away, ignoring the offensive scheme until it had passed and she could enjoy the cooler colors of the world. But Prajna seemed to be perfect for these colors, as if he could wear anything and make it look good, even to her sensitive gaze. Tonight though, his dark coat suited him well and she marveled at it as he struggled to regain composure.
Although she wished to reach out to him, to sooth the palpable anxiety that hung very heavily around him, she kept her hands by her side, toying with the hem of her own coat. Ren did not think it would be much of a comfort to the star if she were to initiate contact, to imply that she saw weakness within him, and so she allowed him to gather his thoughts, eyes watching him with gentle affection through lowered dark lashes.
Finally he moved and her wings rose upon her back in interest.
“Prajna, I -“ Revontulet had started to rebuff him, to allay his concerns that he had kept her waiting and worrying. He was bold and brash and would come when he wished, she knew this and had accepted it.
More words were struggling to come forth but Prajna had pulled out the delicate box and she found her words disappearing much like their breath on the wind, the only noise escaping her the soft gasp of surprise when he opened it to reveal the beautiful item.
“Prajna,” she repeated again, apparently unable to say much besides his name, each one holding a different tinge of emotion. This name was soft, sweet, impossible to describe in its happiness at the sight of such a thing.
Lifting a hand to rest just under his, as if the frei were helping to hold up the box, Ren moved closer, trapping the box between them like an egg in a nest. “How can I accept this?” she asked, embarrassed of her own gift given, but a silly trinket in comparison to the ring. “Prajna has given me too much. I have already gotten the gift I wanted.”
It was said with another tender smile of her which warmed those blue eyes. Seeing the star tonight, and knowing what he had gone through to visit, the aurora was filled with happiness. Lifting her free hand, Ren touched her cool fingers to Prajna’s cheeks, pulling back should they be too cold for comfort against his beautiful skin. Should he allow it however, the girl would brush her thumb across his cheek and sweep his hair from his eyes so that his gaze could be entirely hers.
“I am happy to wait for you, because waiting means I will see you. Waiting means something will happen.”
~*~*~*~*~
Prajna’s cerulean eyes seemed to twinkle with a kind of childish pride. When Revontulet’s chest seemed to rise and fall in excitement, Prajna felt its own chest swell. Its rune seemed to catch ablaze for a moment, like a small flame being fed a simple offering of paper or cloth, though it was impossible to see from underneath the jacket. For that Prajna was thankful but it was more thankful for this moment. As the Star watched its cool-toned friend slip her even cooler fingertips against the back of one of Prajna’s hands… then move closer… Prajna couldn’t help but hold its breath in anticipation. This was so similar to all the movies and plays the redhead had watched over the break. This was it.
As Revontulet spoke, her lips curled in an elegant smile Prajna would never be able to mirror, Prajna found itself drowning in her eyes. Those eyes that fluttered like uneasy butterflies, floating about trying to find just the right flower to land on. Finally, it seemed as if the Aurora’s eyes settled back upon the ring and Prajna had to exhale. It had to remember to breathe.
Then one of Revontulet’s hands lifted cautiously but gracefully until her svelte fingers traced the Star’s androgynous cheekbone. Prajna was frozen. Upon receiving her touch, Prajna remembered how others had felt when they had touched it: Varun had been hot, so hot, just like his temper. Vyn had felt so distant yet nostalgic. And yet, now, with Revontulet’s fingers against Prajna’s pale skin, the only word Prajna could think of was “calm.”
Something about the girl’s touch was incredibly reassuring and the contact resonated with something deep in the Star. The connection Prajna felt in that moment was so different from everyone else. All the awkward tension seemed to fade. However, it didn’t seem incredibly spectacular either; there was no fairy dust or rainbows, no magical moment in the rain. It simply felt like one of those perfect moments of content and ease. Like when, after all the holiday drama, after all the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and decorating and eating, you get a moment to just curl up with a loved one and talk until sunrise about silly little pet peeves or magnificent dreams. One of those moments where everything seemed natural and coordinated…
Then Revontulet pulled back her hand and Prajna was ripped out of its trance.
““I am happy to wait for you, because waiting means I will see you. Waiting means something will happen.” Her voice was like a Christmas dream.
It wouldn’t be something Prajna would forget. And suddenly overcome with a fear of having the moment end, Prajna, in an unfamiliar panic, dropped the box and grabbed both of Revontulet’s hands. The ring rolled out of the cushioning but Prajna didn’t notice. All it could think of was one of her hands for each its. The blush had seemed to disappear now as a more appropriate look of determination cross Prajna’s androgynous features.
“Never again will you have to wait for me!” Prajna almost growled the statement, though the growl was obviously one filled with drive and promise.
“Revontulet, I promise – you’ll never have to worry about me again. I won’t make you wait next time. I—“
The ring began to roll down the steps and Prajna was distracted yet again.
“Um! Wait!” Prajna yelped as it “chased” down the front steps after the ring. The Star managed to grab it before it reached the bottom step and as it returned to Revontulet’s side, it brushed what little dust was on it.
Then it lifted her right hand and slipped the ring onto her alternative ring finger and held it up so she could see it. Her newly decorated hand in one of Prajna’s. The stubborn soul cleared its throat and tried again.
“I promise never to make you wait for me again. As long as I can help it, I mean,” Prajna smirked, its mischievous nature returning to every crevice of its face.Email RP in Progress
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:48 pm
[Musical Inclinations]
Who: Revontulet, Doucette, Domevlo and Xan
I wonder if I could learn an instrument?
Xan seems nice! His dogs are so sweet.
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:58 pm
Revontulet scowled at her fingers as she stared at them. Why could she do nothing?
No fire or ice sprang from her fingers no matter how long she tried, and she couldn't quite seem to grasp the ability to make herself into a spirit form. The only thing that had happened was a flickering of lights, though she'd hardly noticed them as she concentrated so hard on other things.
The one idle comment she'd let slip near Doucette to gauge her reaction received nothing but a small shrug of the woman's shoulders and a shake of her frizzy hair. If it was raevan related, the redhead was well outside of her depths. But she had suggested that the aurora contact Zul or Eiry in order to learn more. Who better to teach her than those that could perform?
Although her first instinct had been to call Zul, her hand stilled over the phone and her expression clouded somewhat, hesitant to contact the demon for something that seemed awfully trivial. The jungle had felt hard on their friendship. It wasn't obvious whether it was simply how she perceived it or how it truly was, but Ren had been of no help in the depths of the tress and her and Doucette had been evacuated along with Zul and his guardian. Although Doe had sent Alex a get-well-soon card, they'd not reached out further. If Zul saw her as nothing more than a useless newborn then contacting him and revealing her true inabilities would not be well received.
Instead she picked up the phone and located Eiry's number in the Lab phone book. Perhaps the bubbly, outgoing sigel could assist her...[Willing to Learn]
Who: Eiry and Revontulet
It's not much, but I can do some magic now!!
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Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 5:55 pm
What had she done and what would it mean?
Already the aurora’s mind was back in the stack of books, straining to force something, anything out of her when suddenly it had clicked. Or perhaps popped would have been the right word. Like a water balloon filled to the brim, everything inside her had simply let go in a single moment.
Ren could feel it escaping from her finger tips, tingling through her wings, and seeping from her ribbon. All at once it was out into the world, whatever it was, and just as suddenly the world had gone quite dark and quite wet with a tinkling shower of glass.
When Eiry had finally located a flashlight, they’d discovered all the library’s lightbulbs had shattered, too full with the liquid that she’d filled them with as she transformed the very nature of the light within them.
Much to Eiry’s dismay, this had meant that all the books were rather damp as well. Though Revon had attempted to assist the librarian with cleaning everything up, it was a futile effort without knowing the ins and outs of the business.
And so the frei had left the older sigel, her wings a buzzing twitter upon her back as she hurried home.
Light to liquid, light to liquid.
That much the two had discerned through their moments of discussion around the concern for the books. Revontulet, the helpless frei, could finally do something besides observe and comment.
“Ren?”
Doucette’s voice floated out from the kitchen. Poking her head around the door frame, orange curls preceding bright freckles and blue eyes.
“Where have you been?”
There wasn’t any concern in her tone, just a gentle bit of pressure for information. The two had long ago come to a comfortable understanding that the aurora was not one to sit about idly.
“I went to visit with Eiry,” she replied, sure that Doe would remember the wisp of a sigel the two had met in the Jungle. Ren didn’t mention that word though. Jungle. Like a new curse word that had spread among the raevens and their guardians. The word brought chills to most and expressions of anger from others.
Had she and Doucette truly escaped the Jungle, or were they hurt in another way - ostracized by their ability to escape and continue to live outside its grasp?
Revontulet brushed the thought to side and moved into the kitchen with her red headed guardian, watching her chop peppers and onions with surprisingly deft movements. The pungent vegetables held no interest to the girl, but she enjoyed watching the colors get diced and tossed together.
“He’s teaching me magic.”
The words were so simple, Doucette had almost missed them in her focus. Eventually they sunk in, and the knife slowed to a stop on the counter. “Magic?”
It was, frankly, hard to miss the fact that the raevens were magical. There was the whole floating, glowing and I-don’t-have-a-body thing to remember. But in the months she’d had Ren, Doe had somehow forgotten that the girl herself could potentially be magical beyond her makeup.
“What kind of magic?” She attempted to pick up the silence between them, returning to the absent chopping of the yellow pepper under her fingers.
Revontulet had hardly noticed the pause, eager as she was to describe the whole adventure to Doucette. Fingers fluttered and jabbed in front of her as she spoke, animated with her excitement until the frei brought them down in a quick swooping motion.
“And then all the bulbs broke!”
Watching the exuberance twinkle in Ren’s bright blue eyes, Doucette couldn’t help but smile. “I’m so happy for you Ren. What are you going to do with it?”
The aurora’s expression crumpled into something close to petulant and she turned her head away.
“You don’t have to do anything with it. It’s just enough to do it.”
Her reply was stilted, tone affected by the set of her shoulders as she squared them. Why had she told Doucette? She wasn’t magical. She couldn’t understand.
A sigh escaped the guardian, familiar with the girl’s rise and fall attitude. One moment charismatic and joyful, the next shuttered and prideful. “Ren, I didn’t mean…” but she knew the words would fall on deaf ears.
Turning, Doucette was not surprised that the girl had left the kitchen.
- - - - -
Revontulet had not wanted to wait for Doucette’s apology. She knew it was coming, and that was good enough. The guardian apologized for everything. Once you heard one, you’d heard them all.
Doe seemed to apologize for things she couldn’t control, things she actually screwed up on, and things she just generally felt bad about. I’m sorry was as common as Hello to the Irish woman’s vocabulary.
For Ren, apologies weren’t so cut and dry. Saying she was sorry was difficult. The aurora did not often feel that the words were applicable for the situations she found herself in.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t, or didn’t, apologize. Revontulet just wanted to make sure she couldn’t be trapped by the word. She did not want people to believe her to be in the wrong just because of a simple phrase, nor did the frei wish people to feel she empathized with them too much either. Once someone felt you were on their side, that you commiserated with them, the possibilities stretched onwards and outwards.
With her brow furrowed in her thoughts, the aurora escaped out into the dark. Spreading her wings with a small stretch, Ren curled her ribbon and let herself sink into a seated position on the beach.
Her ribbon stretched out long and shimmering before her, like a mermaid’s fin lounging in the surf. A smile erased the thought lines about Revontulet’s expression as a wave reached out to lap at the tip of her ribbon.
Feeding time. Calm and perfect.
The feeling of the sand under her fingers was rough and unique. One might assume that her rather polished postures and expressions meant she was too girly to enjoy laying about on the ground.
Not so.
Ren dug her fingers in happily before brining one hand, wet with clumps, up for inspection as her ribbon drank in the water and her rune soaked in the moonlight.
And then something went wrong.
It started with a weird quiver near her rune. A transient ripple, as if something had dropped lightly into her and wouldn’t quite let her form herself back around it.
Revontulet sat up and placed a hand over the base of her ribs, afraid of what would happen if she dared to reach in and touch her rune herself. Had anyone mentioned that to her before?
Pressing hard against the border between her humanity and her ribbon, the aurora attempted a few deep breaths, the sound labored and awkward to her own ears. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel right. She didn’t feel right.
With a flick of her wings, Ren pulled herself off the beach and turned to go back into the house. Surely Doucette would know who to ask about this (for there was little doubt in Ren’s mind that the woman wouldn’t have the first clue what was ailing her charge).
The frei was about to move when a flicker of something blue-green caught her eye and she couldn’t help but turn towards it, not recognizing what she was seeing.
A small collection of blue-green liquid had pooled where she’d been sitting, the colors catching the light in a way that was both familiar and foreign to her. It reminded Revontulet of her hair and of the way it glowed and shifted after she fed.
This though, this was liquid and her hair had never looked so fluid.
Thinking to investigate later, Ren turned her head back towards the house, her hair falling off her shoulder and spilling down her back.
It was then that she noticed the dampness on her shoulder, cold drops of something trickling down her collar bone and the curve of her breast.
Drops of something blue-green and glowy.
With fingers that she willed not to shake, Ren lifted her hand to her hair. Immediately she pulled away at the touch of it. As if she’d just gotten out of the shower, the hair was heavy with the damp and the cold and her fingers seemed stained with the color.
“No…”
The word was strangled, cut off from a mouth that didn’t seem capable of forming even those two letters.
Hurrying into the house, Ren sought out Doucette, finding the vegetables frying absently upon the stove but the kitchen empty.
Opening her mouth to call out, Revontulet was stilled by a strange sound near the bathroom.
Moving towards it, she noticed that the woman, in her haste, had not shut the door all the way. Curled over the toilet, the red head proceeded to return all the food she’d recently consumed, and made some noises that suggested her body would have returned more if it had more to give.
Ren drew back.
Doucette couldn’t help her.
She was falling apart, but so was her guardian.
Somewhere between the house or the kitchen or the bathroom, the aurora’s hair had returned to normal. Clutching it over her shoulder now, the girl retreated to her bedroom and curled up on her bed, staring at the wall for hours until uneasy dreams took her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:22 am
Revontulet brushed her fingers through her hair, surprisingly dark without the usual night time glow lighting up the blue and green locks. She had not fed today, waiting instead to meet Luka, saving herself for the trick she learned with Eiry. Although it was not anything useful or even interesting, she had known that the light frei would appreciate it and be excited for her. Or, she was sure that Luka would be excited for her, wouldn't he? The aurora arrived at just about the same time Luka did, her hand raising in a gesture of greeting as she spotted him and moved forward with a quick flutter of her wings. "Luka!" she said warmly, voice full of excitement but not raised to shouting tones.
"Ren!" The Satyr called out with delight as he heard the femme calling out his own name. Floating over to Revontulet, he took her in a tight hug. He had forgotten just how fond he was of her and seeing her again was enough to make him glow with warmth. "Its been a while. Have you been well? You look prettier than I recall." he said with teasingly as he brushed a dark navy bang out of her eyes. "Your hair is darker than I remember though." He said slowly as he twisted the length of hair around his finger. "Or is it just my imagination?" He chuckled and gave her a small kiss on her head. "It's nice seeing you again."
A light laugh escaped the frei as the satyr pulled her into a hug, her own lanky limbs returning the embrace warmly. She enjoyed being around Luka because touching and showing affection did not feel like a choreographed dance. He simply did what he wished and Revon enjoyed the spontaneity. "You are just saying that," Ren said, though her cheeks turned a pale pink and her rune glowed with pride. "And it has been too long. I could not go another night without seeing you. I hope you were not busy," she said suddenly, eyes widening with concern that she may have interrupted his evening. For a moment Ren seemed confused about his comment on her hair, before she seemed to startle to alertness and shrug her shoulders with a little smile. "Maybe you have never seen my hair when it's not glowing?"
"No, nothing could possibly be more important than seeing you tonight." He with a reassuring smile upon catching the sudden look of concern that had flashed through them. "I don't have anything important to attend to these days." At Ren's explanation about her hair, the Satyr's brow arched neatly. "I guess I haven't until today." He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "So, now that we're here, may I ask what this big surprise is?"
Ren squeezed Luka's arm affectionately, her eyes dancing behind dark lashes, "Luka you are all silver tongued," she teased, using a phrase she'd heard from one of her movies. Truthfully the girl was basking in his kind words, the vanity she tried to keep deep down rising up like a moth to the flame. "Oh yes!" she exclaimed, turning her head and looking around for a moment before spotting the little park across the way. There were small foot-lanterns along the path to light the way for others, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic at this time or location, which was why the aurora had chosen the location. "This way." Taking his hand, Revon pulled him gently towards the park, crouching down and reaching her free hand out until her finger touched the glass warmed by the bulb inside. After a moment of concentration, an obvious sign of her newness to this little trick, the lantern was suddenly filled three-quarters full with a pale yellow liquid that glowed much the way the light had done. "Ta-da!"
The Satyr smirked ever so slightly as she used the words silver tongued at him. "Hardly, silver tongued would be better used to describe Elai. I don't say words unless I mean them Revontulet." As she took his hand and lead him to the lanterns, Luka followed her silently. He was burning with curiosity as to what exactly she was going to show him. Surprisingly, he knew very little about Ren aside from her cute personality. As they came to a stop, his attention focused on her fingers against the bulb. As the light from the bulb spread and lifted upwards in a viscous motion, the Satyr's lips pulled into an o shape of excitement. "Ren! What, how did you do that? Can I touch it?" He asked, his hand reaching out for the liquid.
"Your words are still very silver, Luka," she said with a smile, pushing her hair back behind one of her ears. His delight at her trick had the smile growing even wider, her rune pulsing quickly with happiness. "I'm not really sure! I did it on accident at Eiry's library once, but I was tired for /ages/ after. He's been trying to help me figure out what else it can do. But I think it has to do with my essence - liquid aurora...liquid light." The moonstone's shoulders rose in a slow shrug as she watched him move his hand towards the liquid. "Its warm, but otherwise it's just water, nothing harmful."
"Liquid light..." He echoed slowly. Light was his domain but water was not. Could he still manipulate Ren's own watery lights? "I wonder..." As his hand came in contact with the liquid light, the glow intensified brightly like a miniature sun before exploding into a dozen smaller balls of pure light separate from the glowing fluid Ren had produced. In fact, the initial liquid light that Ren had made had lost it's light after being pulled from it's source by Luka. "I seemed to have learned something new from you." He mused. Waving his finger in a circular motion, the little orbs danced around Revontulet before returning one by one into the liquid she had produced.
Revontulet let out a gasp of surprise and delight at the sight of the balls rising from the liquid, now nothing but a clear remnant of what she had made. "They're beautiful," she breathed, reaching her hand out as if to touch one, fingers stopping short only to marvel at them more. The way they danced and circled lit up her face and accentuated the delicate angles of her face, she looked pale and almost spirit-like sitting next to the satyr. "I wonder...what else we can do together," Ren said, leaning in towards Luka expectantly, as if he, the light frei, would have all the answers.
"I don't know what we're capable of Ren." He said with a slight chuckle. "I know only as much as you, if not less." Of course, he did however know what happened when he was near Cesc. Theirs was an interesting dynamic that not even the Satyr understood completely. "I'm sure though that as you gain better control over your abilities, we'll find more things that I can do with them and what we can even do together." The satyr smiled before reaching behind the Aurora's ear and pulling out an orb of light from thin air. "A magic trick for the pretty lady."
The aurora let out a little cluck of her tongue against her teeth. "I am sure that's not true. You know much more than me, I'm sure." A little nod of her head was given though, at his next words. She was excited to learn more about her powers and how they might overlap or interchange with the satyr's. As his hand reached behind her ear, her eyes widened, waiting for what Luka was about to do. When she saw the little orb of light she let out a laugh. "Now you are showing off," Ren replied, reaching out one hand with a small wrinkle of her nose until the orb collapsed into a wet mess and drenching Luka's hand.
Luka chuckled. "Only showing off to impress you Ren." The Satyr gave her a playful wink. "Besides, you're mistaken. I know far less about my own abilities than you might think. And, I know even less about you than you think. So, it only makes sense that I know as much as you if not less about what we're capable of." As the orb collapsed into a watery mess on his fingers, he smiled and playfully tapped her nose with a wet digit.
"A lady doesn't reveal her secrets," Ren replied to his comment on not knowing her very well. Straightening her shoulders, the frei attempted to look very regal for a moment, before the wet digit fell upon her nose and she let out a soft gasp, her lips a mixture of open-lipped shock but curled at the edges for a smile. But suddenly her lashes fluttered and her wings drooped upon her back. She did not so much swoon as visibly fatigue, the double display of her new trick taking its sudden toll on the aurora.
Luka was quick to move, catching the Aurora in a surprisingly strong hold with his arms under hers. "Revontulet?" He asked, voice laced with concern at the Frei's sudden change in condition. "Are you okay? Do you need to lay down?" He asked, moving them from the sidewalk to the patch of grass nearby. "Can you hear me?"
"Ah, no, I'm fine," she replied, placing a hand on his arm as if to reassure him that there was nothing the matter. "I just shouldn't have done that. Eiry warned me about doing too much too fast. I guess I didn't pay attention." And she was speaking the truth, for what little color was in her already pale complexion was seeping back into her cheeks by the second and her rune had picked up a steady glow once more as opposed to flickering. "Thank you Luka..."
A look of concern lingered in the Satyr's eyes. "Are you sure? And, it's nothing to be thanking me for Ren. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." His head cocked ever so slightly to the side. "Would you like for me to walk you home?" It wouldn't sit well with him, sending Ren home alone by herself knowing she had almost fainted just moments before.
Revontulet smiled at her friend and reached out to touch his cheek with her fingers, cool and smooth, "Yes. I'm not hurt, I promise." Turning her head to look around the park, Ren thought about his offer for a while. She did not like to have the satyr see her weak, and she knew she could make it home on her own as long as she didn't try any other tricks, but his company was always welcomed. "I would like that very much, but only if you are up to it. I don't want to take you out of your way."
"It wouldn't be a problem at all for me to take you home Ren. And, I'm sure Elai would more than prefer for me to walk you home and come later then usual than come early and have you walk by yourself." Giving her a reassuring smile, the Satyr moved his arm around the Aurora's ribbon waist to better support her. "Shall carry on then my knight?" He said with a chuckle. "Your princess awaits a response."
A laugh overtook the moonstone at Luka's words and she was brought back to the bus trip and their silly conversation. Reaching up, Ren rested an arm around his shoulders comfortably. "This knight feels more like the damsel in distress at the moment," she replied, the color well back into her cheeks now as she smiled up at the satyr.
"Well, the knight is allowed to be weak sometimes." The Satyr said with a chuckle as Ren's infectious laughter coursed through him. Doing his best to support most of what little Ren weighed, the Satyr made in the direction of her residence.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:24 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:42 am
The sudden question took the aurora by surprise, and her gaze quickly tore itself from the movie she was engrossed in to her guardian.
Doucette stood between the kitchen and the living room, her shoulder leaning into the door frame as she crossed her arms expectantly. It seemed somewhat like an interrogation, Ren thought, before brushing the errant comment from her mind. Doe was not the type to drill her charge for answers, and her resemblance to brooding police force members did not necessarily reflect the woman’s true intentions.
In fact, Doucette’s eyes were bright and wide with interest for the girl’s reply, a small smile playing around her lips and causing her cheeks to dimple with anticipation.
Remembering how much Revontulet had enjoyed Christmas, Doe was certain the aurora would want to have an equally engaging experience of her very first birthday. One whole year old! The redhead could not fathom where the time had gone, but she was aware it had gone somewhere. Time had swooped in and taken the silent, owl-eyed newborn and left her with this independent, charismatic, and sometimes slightly troubling frei.
So far, it was difficult for Doucette to put her finger on why exactly she would have said her experience with Ren had thus far been slightly troubling.
I was not that the girl was overly willful, or that she seemed deeply interested in activities that would get her in trouble. For the most part, the aurora was agreeable to most activities and was often helpful around the house.
It was only…sometimes the words that came from Revontulet’s lips caused Doe to pause in her steps. Often she attributed it to the fact that the girl was, simply put, not of this world entirely. One need only stand in a crowded area to know that raevans were not the norm. To top it off, she’d gathered through several meetings with other frei that Ren’s make up was slightly different than that of her kin's.
Although she had not met every raevan out there, she felt she’d met enough to gauge that they’d all been born of some altered magical thing, such as Trox’s own Tatiana with her Planetless Rings. Revon checked that box with her beautiful Liquid Borealis, but the second half of her seemed unique.
Every other raevan Doucette had thus far met, was the product of animal or plant, never mineral.
What did that mean for Revontulet?
For a moment, while she watched Ren’s attention drift between her movie and her guardian while she made up her mind, Doe thought back to the jellyfish. What would have come of Ren should she have been made of something more organic in nature? Did the soul have an impact on the raevans? Would someone like Cesc remember his past life as a stag?
“I’m ok without anything.”
Ren’s words cut into the woman’s memories and thoughts and she jolted out of her casual lean against the door frame.
“Don’t want anything? But Ren…you were so upset at Christmas when we didn’t do anything for my birthday. And this one is so exciting! Your very first birthday!”
Dark lashes blinked over her bright gaze before brows furrowed with a moment of confusion. “I was upset because you didn’t tell me it was your birthday. We know it’s my birthday. I feel these are separate problems.”
Doucette sighed and rubbed the palm of her hand against her cheek before moving over the the couch and sitting down next to the frei. Taking the remote she paused the movie, the sound of the waves outside picking up in volume once the competition was gone. She was going to miss that sound when they left.
“Revontulet,” the redhead paused in her words. There was so much she wanted to tell the frei, but she worried over the reception. Should she be bringing something like this up on a day that should be focused solely on the girl beside her?
“Ren,” Doucette started again, reaching out and clasping the aurora’s hands between her own. Not for the first time did she notice the smooth, firm texture of the girl’s flesh and the slightly cooler temperature. “I need to tell you something.”
Pale wings lifted with interest as Ren turned towards Doe, head tilting to the side slightly as she waited for the information.
“I’m pregnant.”
For a long moment, the frei did not reply, her mind sifting slowly for the word that was familiar and yet distant from her. The aurora’s expression cleared as she found the meaning and her gaze flickered between Doe’s face and her stomach.
Still she didn’t reply.
“Ren, do you understand?”
Revontulet nodded, her tongue wetting the curve of her lips as she sought the proper reply. She knew, from her movies, that saying congratulations was the most appropriate, but she also knew that this meant there would be a lot of changes within their family. At least it explained why Doe had spent so much time curled up around the toilet as of late.
“When?”
The guardian let out a breath she wasn’t even aware she’d been holding.
“Doctor’s are saying early September. I’m at about three months currently. I thought perhaps you would begin to notice so I wanted to tell you rather than surprise you.” Doe smiled encouragingly at Ren, waiting for more questions, happy that the frei was at least showing minor signs of interest in the pregnancy.
“I don’t want a party.”
Ren turend back to her movie, still on the screen with Maxine Cooper bending over her outstretched leg. Kiss Me Deadly was not her favorite movie, but it was interesting and more comforting that the conversation at hand.
“But…it will be the last time we can celebrate together, just the two of us!”
The words were meant to be encouraging, but Ren’s wings shivered upon her back as she went rigid. Pulling her hands from Doucette’s, she maneuvered out of her bent position on the couch and hovered in front of the tv, back to her guardian. Did Doucette have to rub it in like that?
“I’m sorry Doe, but I don’t want a party. I don’t want to celebrate getting older. I don’t want to celebrate things changing.”
“Ren, that’s not what the party’s about!” Doucette pushed herself off of the couch as well, reaching out to touch the frei’s elbow. “I want to celebrate every moment with you. If I could celebrate every day that you’ve been with me, every minute that you’ve come into my life, I would! Change doesn’t have to be bad. I changed my life to welcome you into it and, if given the choice, I would do so again.”
The aurora took a deep breath and turned into her guardian, wrapping her arms about her and burrowing her face into the soft, warm flesh at the crook of Doe’s neck. There were no sobs or sniffles though, simply a girl holding onto the thing that meant most to her in the whole world - a thing that soon would no longer just be hers.
“Just us two then,” Ren said, muffled against Doucette’s shoulder. “And I want to put the Christmas lights back up.”
If only for a little while longer, Doucette could be just hers, and hers alone.
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:07 pm
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:32 pm
The frei was studying herself in the mirror, head turning from this way to that trying to assess what exactly was happening to her. It was as if squinting her eyes could assist her in pin-pointing the exact cause of her literal melt-downs.
Outwardly, it looked as if nothing had changed.
Ren’s eyes were still bright and curious. The appearance of a pale purple blossoming just below seemed to accent a hollow look along with the darkness of her lashes, but only those truly studying her features as she was would have taken notice of this.
Revontulet’s features had always been sharp and more angular than plump, even as a ‘baby’ by raevan standards, but the curve of her cheek bones seemed more prominent as of late. As this was more the style of many of the woman Ren had come to admire in her movies, it was not as concerning as her hair.
With a shake of her head, Ren’s wavy locks cascaded forward, over her shoulders, and curled against her cheeks and into her lashes. The bounce and texture was still there, but the color was muted. Whereas before, the frei’s hair had always seemed like true blues and greens, it now appeared like a dye-job. A very good one, but certainly no longer natural.
The blues and greens were darker than they had been before, as if they’d been overlaid on something dark and were slowly washing out. Ren had noticed, too, that when her hair glowed it seemed lack luster - a flashlight through thick stained glass instead of inner luminescence.
Revontulet was unsure how she felt about the whole thing, to be frank. Should she be concerned about these things? Or were they part and parcel of her being?
Doucette was too busy with the coming baby and spending time with Troxel to notice that anything was truly wrong with her charge.
This was not to say that the redhead neglected Revon, for the changes had been slight, gradual. It had taken hours in front of the mirror to pinpoint the exact areas of change in herself that were no longer as perfect as they once had been. That Doe might have mistaken them for natural changes was nothing to point the blame on.
The aurora took a deep breath and pushed away from the sink, feeling slightly dizzy as she did so. Her rune gave a pulsing humm that would have been similar to a stomach grumbling if she knew what the sensation felt like.
Since the night on the beach when she’d first experienced the melting, Revontulet had only fed a few times.
At first, Ren had assumed that the experience was nothing more than a fluke - an odd occurrence of events after spending the afternoon performing magic with Eiry resulting in instability somewhere inside her.
Beyond the initial concern, she’d adjusted and pushed the incident to the back of her mind.
Until the next night when she fed again and experienced the same results, her hair dripping blues and greens down her back for nearly fifteen minutes before it stopped.
It had become clear to Ren that eating was the cause of her problems, and that meant eating had to go.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:35 am
[You Know Smoke Follows Beauty, Baby]
Who: Revontulet, Doucette, Troxel, Tatiana, Camille
Everything is changing...even me.
Oh dear...I didn't mean to make her feel so off-balance.
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