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 Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 5:30 pm
Did women always love to exploit weak spots? Alex would have liked to answer her question, but her fingers brushed against the base of his ear, and his mind became a muddy mess. The ear above it perked upward slowly, until it pointed tautly at the ceiling. His eyes closed helplessly, and he sunk down against the couch, loosening his grip on her.
"I would tell you.. but I can't remember right now.." He whispered honestly, nuzzling his head against her cheek. He was drunk with love.
---
Once he'd invited the visitor outside, he bent back down to finish planting the tree. He'd just patted the soil down when hands covered his eyes, and he stood up slowly, feeling the strain she had to stretch to keep her hands covering his eyes from so high. It made him break into a helpless grin.
"I'm planting a tree, Shauna." He emphasized her name to prove he knew who she was, and pulled her hands away to turn around and envelop her in a big hug. His skin felt cold to the touch, but he didn't seem affected otherwise. "Come on, I've just finished up here. Let's go inside where it's warm, so I can wash up." He let go of her and gestured back towards the door, where he would lead her inside.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 6:14 pm
"I see, too much talking? We can just sit here so you can think on it...I'd like that..." Her voice came out as a purr at this point, resting her head against Alex's chest right over his heart. Eight sighed blissfully and let her limbs tangle up with Alex's, legs, arms, tail and all...just that one hand stayed in its place at his ears. His heartbeat was so calming, and Alex was so warm, Eight could just lay here forever! Eight didn't want to keep having to wonder when she'd see Alex again though...no more being caught by pleasant surprise when her boyfriend just randomly appeared at her door...so it was time to ask!
"Aleeeeex~?" The fingers that were toying with his ears paused, and she lifted her head enough to look him in the eye. "We've been together for a couple months, right...? Well um, it gets kind of lonely when you're not around, and you know how big my family is, so feeling lonely is pretty impossible...but um, I was wondering if you wanted to," She sat up on his stomach, leaning down for just a moment to claim his lips for her own for a brief moment. "I was wondering if you wanted to move in. You know..come live with me for a change? I'm hoping I don't sound selfish or anything, but I really don't want to be apart like that ever again...or at all!" Eight leaned down again to nuzzle her cheek against Alex's, stealing another soft kiss before sitting up straight and looking down at him with a face that so clearly said 'Please say yes!'
"It could be my birthday present! You moving in! Since you're all I need, sweetheart." What a sap she'd become.
---
"This isn't Shauna! It's--eep!" She giggled brightly, giving Asra an affectionate squeeze. He was so cold! How could he do that? "What kind of tree was that?" The fox asked, giving the plant a curious glance. That was a bit random...didn't trees die when winter came? Sure they came back to life...but why plant one when it was almost December? Oh well, why question Asra? He might have some hidden motives for the tree...or maybe it was special! You'd think she'd know more about plantlife with Shanti around always growing them, showed how much attention to paid when the dream tried to explain it to her.
"So how're you, Asra? I haven't seen you since Halloween! Do anything special? ..Besides plant a tree?" She'd cut to the chase eventually, but Shauna wanted to be polite before she asked such an abrupt question! Although from the way she was moving and the tone of her voice, it was somewhat obvious the girl had come for a reason.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:09 pm
A heavy feeling fell on him, one that felt so good to give in to. His arm felt twice as heavy, and his head lolled toward her hand. He felt so relaxed, and it was so easy to forget where he was, or anything. All he could think about was how good her petting felt under his ear. His leg bent up slightly, rubbing against her until it was lost in tangled limbs. He knew someone was purring, somewhere, but he couldn't figure out who it was.. he failed to realize the purr was eminating steadily from his throat. If she hadn't called his name, his leg was in danger of twitching instinctively in response to her scritching. Somehow her voice reached him, even as lost as he was however. His leg curled back up around her comfortably and his eyes slowly opened, attempting to focus down on her.
Those were some very serious words.
He reached up slowly and tangled his fingers with her own, pulling her hand away from his ears to think properly. His eyes locked with hers, reading them carefully. The typical insecurities flared up inside of him, but how could he ever say no when she looked at him like that?
"Penny.." He murmured quietly, indicating just how seriously he was taking her words. "Are you sure about that? It's a big step you know.. you might not want me around that much. And your house is already so full, I'd just be a burden.." He reached up and brushed her cheek softly with his fingertips, following the contours and hollows of her facial features with his touch. His eyes briefly left hers to follow the path he brushed against her skin, before they returned to look at her once more.
He wanted to say yes. He wanted to do more than say yes.. but he still couldn't bring himself to go that far.
He was such a wimp.
He smiled hesitantly, his heart racing in his chest. Truth be told, living with Eight sounded like the best idea he had ever heard of. Suddenly, he wanted it almost as much as her. Maybe more.
---
As Asrafel led Shauna inside, he grinned his carefree grin and headed for the sink to wash his hands. "It's an evergreen. It won't grow much this winter I think, but it won't die either. Then when early spring comes around.. zoom~!"
He turned off the water once he'd finished washing up, and looked down at his hands, considering her other question. "Oh, me? You know.. this and that." He let out a nervous laugh, and turned to settle down with her. "And you?" He asked with a soft smile. "How's things this high up? Are you enjoying the view?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:45 pm
"Yeah...I know it's a big step, but I've given it a lot of thought." Her eyes fluttered closed at the touch of his fingers, her breath hitching briefly. The corner of her mouth turned up into a tender smile, allowing her head to lazily rest against Alex's hand as long as it was there. "But it's up to you...if you say no, I'll just drop it and forget I asked." She shrugged a bit, opening one eye to look down at Alex. A burden? He'd be anything but a burden.
"If I thought you were a burden I wouldn't have asked, I've finally stopped adopting children...Shauna has her own room now that's she's growing much too old to still sleep with me, so I have my bed back...and then Reynee's moving out soon since she's getting married, so ever so slowly my house is becoming less crowded." She giggled. "Almost nothing could make me happier..." There were still a few things that would make her happier than Alex living with her. Her other eye opened so she could look down at her boyfriend again, lifting her hand to hold the one that was touching her face to gently rub it with her thumb. "So what do you say?"
---
Shauna giggled. "Zoom, eh? It could be next year's Christmas tree!" Unless it got too big...but then they could just decorate it so it looked pretty while it was outside!
The fox rose a brow. This and that? What a descriptive answer. Leaving it be, Shauna decided Asra would have told her if he felt she needed to know, she took off her jacket and hugged it against her chest. How were things--oh! She knew what he meant now! She gave a little spin on one foot, letting her hair fly out in all directions until when she stopped and one bit of hair whipped her in the face. "I like this view way better than the view from when I was forced to be crawl around on the floor! At least Momma and Elle taught me to walk so the view was a little better!" Hm...might as well start steering Asra towards the topic now so her question didn't seem completely random later. Staring thoughtfully out the window while she thought of how to bring it up, Shauna turned back to Asra and stuck out her tongue playfully.
"I met your sister Vidya not too long ago~! She's really fun! ...I didn't know there were kids who didn't come from their parents, I know I certainly didn't, because Momma said you gave me to her..." She smiled, spinning around again and making a noise of displeasure when she was whipping again with some of her hair.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 11:01 pm
He was hoping she had already thought her argument through. He needed no convincing, but it was still nice to be sure. Though he tried to hide it, a breathe of laughter escaped when she mentioned the very idea of saying no. He waited until she was through, and leaned in close enough to brush his nose against hers, and rest his forehead against hers. "A wish come true," He repeated in a whispered breath that blew against her lips, hardly audible at all. His eyes had closed when he leaned in, but now they opened to meet hers, and he smiled.
"I'd love to."
Not a second passed before he captured her lips with his own, and fell into a kiss that sealed his words. He felt no need to stop, either; if she tried to pull away, he would only follow persistently, and refuse to let her go.
---
"It could! But it'd have to be outside. I would never want anything I plant to be chopped down." He scrunched his nose up and giggled, while rubbing his hands together. "I could go for some hot chocolate, how about you?" He didn't wait for her answer, but instead pushed up to his feet and began preparing it while she continued to talk to him. At the mention of Vidya, his smile brightened, and he plucked a marshmallow from the bag and threw it at her for a snack. When he turned back to the hot chocolate, her questioning voice made him realize what she was getting at, and his carefree smile faded in place of faint worry.
"Oh, yes.. many children on Gaia come from different places, it's a very magical place I would say!" His voice still held the high tremor of nervousness, though it was only barely infused within his deep voice. He put the cups of hot chocolate in the microwave, and turned it on before turning back to Shauna. A rare, almost sad smile was on his face.
"I remember the day I gave you to your mother. I have lots of brothers and sisters, you know.. but I suppose the connection that formed that one single day we travelled together still makes me think you're more my sister than anyone. That sounds odd, I'm sure.." He chuckled and held his hand to his cheek. "Well, don't think on it too much. It just made me fond of you, that's all. Youre dear to my heart."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 9:29 am
Oh, how she hoped that laughter was a good sign. Eight's heart skipped a few beats when Alex came up and whispered against her lips, reaching out to hold him against her so he couldn't lean back...or if he did he'd just be taking her with him. Being able to hold him like this every day, all the time, was what she wanted most right now, which was why she'd put so much thought into asking Alex to move in; this girl was prepared for pretty much any argument Alex threw at her, but lucky for her he'd said yes.
She was going to say something, and she even opened her mouth to do so, but Alex's lips stopped her from saying anything. Eight leaned back a little so she could try and say something, but found that every time she moved Alex followed...why mess with a good thing? She loved his kisses, why was she trying to pull away so she could say a few silly words? Leaning forward into the kiss, Eight put all her weight on Alex to push him back down onto the couch, sitting up the way he was couldn't possibly be good for Alex's poor back; besides, Eight wanted to lie on the couch with Alex again.
---
Hot chocolate sounded great. This jacket may have kept Shauna's arms warm, but her legs were cold! Her feet were the warmest part on her since they were nice and furry, Eight always said they were kinda cute. The fox squeaked out in surprise when an airborne marshmallow came at her, catching it and not even wasting any time in tossing it in her mouth. What? No hot chocolate to go with it...er, wait...it wouldn't be good if he threw the hot chocolate at her too.
"Momma says that a lot too...why do you look so sad?" Her ears drooped a bit, frowning. Was what she wanted to know a bad idea? Shauna had never seen Asra sad before, it was surprising that such an energetic, bright, bubbly, loving, and overall happy person was even capable of feeling sadness. These thoughts lasted a second, however, and her frown turned into a faint smile when Asra said he thought of her as a kind of sister. "Aw, Asra! I think of you like a big brother! But...um..." She frowned again. If Shauna didn't ask now then surely Asra would find a way to change the topic before she could ask.
"While I was with Vidya the topic of where she came from somehow came up...she came from a tome, but uh....I don't remember anything from before you gave me to Momma. Don't get me wrong! I love being with her and the rest of my family! I just want to know why I don't remember anything...it could be because I was so little, but then why do I remember everything else and nothing of before? You were the one to give me to Momma, so I figured you'd know...right?" Shauna nibbled nervously on her lip, walking over to Asra to hug him tightly and bury her face against him. "I really want to know, Asra."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 12:41 pm
There was support behind him one minute, and none the next, as he felt himself sliding down effortlessly onto the couch. He head hit the couch pillow and sunk comfortably against it, though he hardly noticed the sensations of comfort and softness it gave him. He was much too caught up in her to notice anything else. His heart felt swollen, almost painfully so, and he was sure any moment it would burst. Somehow he didn't mind, as long as she didn't stop kissing him. His arms wrapped around her, brushing gentle fingers against her back while he held her in an embrace that tightened and loosened with every throb his heart gave. One single phrase continued to repeat in his mind with a pulse of it's own, though it echoed the beat of his own heart. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her.
Nothing else mattered.
---
I just want to know why I don't remember anything...
Asra didn't react at first when she hugged him. He stared at the table in front of him, as his mind worked. He had to think, he had to think hard about this before saying something he might regret. He knew that one day he'd have to explain things to Shauna, but.. she was too young. It was too soon. He had hoped the day wouldn't come so quickly. She wouldn't understand things yet, she hardly even understood herself. Why force her to grow up so soon?
Life was too short to rush.
He wrapped one arm around her and patted her on the back gently. His lips parted to speak, but what came out instead of words was a loud beep. The microwave had finished it's job, and he turned to look at it. "Oh! Hot chocolate's ready. Sit down and let me get it for you, and we'll talk."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:27 pm
"I love you, Alex." She murmured softly against his lips, her muscles tensing when his fingers touched her back. The halfling leaned in once again to continue their kiss, reaching behind Alex to search for any buttons that kept the back of his shirt closed for his wings. She'd missed moments like this so much; the racing of her heart, her mind going blank, her whole body tensing up in excitement, it felt so good.
"I love you so much." She almost whimpered that out, but instead it came in a soft whisper, the hand that wasn't feeling around his back moved up to his ears to resume the petting that she'd stopped earlier so he could think properly.
---
Shauna's eyes closed when Asra pat her back, although she snapped back open and she jumped at the sudden beep. Scary! "You mean it?" She gasped, letting go of Asra so he could take their mugs. If he offered her one before they sat down, she'd take it, and then sit down wherever Asra led her to.
"I didn't mean to make you sad! I just thought...it'd be a simple answer, really!" The fox smiled hesitantly, trying her best to cheer Asra up before he told her anything. It wouldn't do if her best friend was sad! But...she really, really wanted to know, perhaps she should have worded her question better. She mainly wanted to know where she came from, but in turn she also wanted to know why she remembered nothing. It was a mystery to be solved, be it now or when Asra felt she was ready...
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:59 pm
He heard his own thoughts echoed in her voice, and couldn't help but smile. Was she trying to unbutton his shirt? He supposed so, and his smile grew. Finally, he pulled away enough to get a good look at her, but before he could do much else her hand lay claim on his weak spot once more, and everything went fuzzy. His thoughts continued to repeat themselves, but they had changed slightly in his muggy mind. He could hear it echo his heart, and it drove him onward still. He wanted her. He wanted her. He wanted her. If he could have thought of anything else, he would have realized just how much power she had over him, but nothing mattered except claiming her there and then. His lips searched for hers once more, and his hands took on a fervent life of their own, with the sole task of removing her clothing as quickly as possible.
The phone rang somewhere in the distance, muffled by something covering it. And he didn't care one bit.
((*Shoves into PMs* >.> NO MORE PEEP SHOW FOR YOU PEOPLE XD))
---
Asrafel took the mugs out of the microwave, and placed them on the table. "Don't touch them yet, they're still too hot." He snagged a few napkins from the dispenser and wrapped one around each mug, before sitting down with his bag of marshmallows. He dropped a pair in each mug, and settled the bag on the table.
"Well, a simple answer would be nice. But nothing is ever simple nowadays. Still, let's see if I can make it simple for now. It'll be easier that way." He bit his lip and thought carefully over his words, hesitating as he spoke.
"Everybody believes in something. Well, almost everybody I guess! We have someone to believe in too, but unfortunately even he makes mistakes. So.. what happened is, you were.. lost. Sort of. You weren't where you were supposed to be! So he sent me to get you, and bring you to Eight. Only.. I didn't know that! I didn't know much really.. when he first gave me to you, I actually thought he intended me to take care of you! Well, you can imagine how inadequate I felt.. I was just a kid myself! But I tried.. I really did. I just didn't know where to turn. Well luckily Halexei worked that out for me, because as luck would have it I found your mom, and she took care of you. Halexei believes your life began when Eight took you in, and so that's all you remember. Does.. that make sense?"
He had tactfully left out much of the story, and worried that it sounded holey and incomplete. Not to mention it hardly touched where they all came from in the first place.. but he wasn't quite sure Shauna wanted to know about that yet.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:35 pm
"Okay..." She reached out to try and snatch a marshmallow from the bag, nodding in agreement to Asra's comment about simple answers being out of the question nowadays. Shauna had really hoped it could be like she put in her diary. "Well gee, Shauna! You can from this place!" Sigh.
...Who was he? Shauna's brow furrowed a bit, staring silently at the steam rising from the hot chocolate. So she'd been lost...wait, what? How could she be lost? Oh...where was she then? In a bad home or something? The fox frowned a bit, curling her legs onto the couch and putting her head on Asra's shoulder. Wow, that was why she didn't remember anything? "Oh...I guess...sort of...not really but...eh...where was I? And who's Halexei? I've never heard of him." One ear perked up out of pure curiosity. Shauna really was confused now, but at least she'd gotten some sort of answer from Asra...that was fine; maybe she really was too young to understand right now, and she'd just have to ask him again when she was older or something.
"Hey Asra? You seem to know a lot! It might sound silly, but Momma went to go see Daddy today...but I didn't want her to leave." She frowned. "For some reason I was really scared someone bad or something would get in...I don't know why though! I've always been fine before with staying home alone! I get to do stuff I can't do when she's home!" It really was weird. Why would she so suddenly be afraid of staying home? The fox child sighed and closed her eyes, hugging Asra like a big, cuddly, fairy teddy bear. "Life's really weird."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:00 pm
Of all the things Asrafel felt Shauna wasn't ready to know about, Halexei wasn't one of them. He felt that all his kin had a right to know the name of the one pulling the strings, and the one who saved them all. He was both completely indebted and completely wary of the man at the same time.
"Halexei. He doesn't like us knowing about him, but that's one thing I can't agree with. He's the reason we're all here! See.. ah, it's complicated. Simply put, he brought us here and helped us be born. He also helps us grow! He watches over us, and.. well, I suppose he's kind of like what some people believe God would be like. I'm so horrible at explaining things!"
He laughed softly, but the little smile on his face faded somewhat when she mentioned her new fear. He mulled it over thoughtfully, and lifted the cup to his lips, forgetting how hot the drink was a second too late and wincing when it burned his lips. "Owieow! Oops.. should let it sit a minute more I suppose.." Setting the drink back down and grabbing a marshmallow to brush against his lips, he frowning in thought. After a minute he asked, "Shauna.. do you have nightmares?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:34 pm
Shauna blinked a bit, suddenly finding this all very interesting. A god that didn't want the people he helped bring to life to know about? But why not? "Wow! He sounds like a great person!" She giggled, shaking her head. If someone helped someone they were supposed to be happy and let the people they helped know! Unless it was a bad thing...but it couldn't be, that was just silly.
The girl gasped a little at Asra's sudden yelp, putting a hand over her mouth. "Are you okay Asra?" She frowned in concern, glancing at the two mugs. Yeah, a minute more...at least wait until they weren't steaming anymore, but it was nice to know she wasn't the only one who couldn't take the heat of hot chocolate! Eight could gulp it down like it was water, Shauna found it pretty amazing.
..Nightmares? Shauna giggled softly and shook her head like it was the silliest question she'd ever heard, looking up at her friend with the brightest smile. "Of course not! I have a dream catcher I keep over my bed, it catches the nightmares and keeps me from having them! I'm making one for Vidya too. Why?" What did nightmares have to do with her fear of being alone in the house?
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:18 pm
A great person. Asrafel successfully held back a response to that one. "I'm fine~" He had managed to squeak out when she asked if he was all right.
His hands warmed against the mug as she explained her dreamcatcher. His eyebrows rose in surprise. How convenient! Perhaps he should ask the other kin if they would like a dreamcatcher - or better yet..
"That sounds so lovely. You should consider making them for some of our other friends and kin! Elle for example! And Joce, perhaps? You've met her haven't you? They would make lovely Christmas gifts!"
He failed to mention himself in the mix because, unlike his kin, he didn't suffer from nightmares. His dreams were usually pleasant, though still cofusing enough to cause concern.
"I ask because dreams and nightmares can often tell you more than anyone could. They're awful things sometimes.. I wouldn't wish a nightmare on my worst enemy. They're inevitable with our kind though.. from what I understand, they tell us something of our past."
Deciding that the hot chocolate was tolerable by now, he brought it to his lips and took a tentative sip. Still hot, but he bore it. "I wonder if your sudden fear of being alone has something to do to with that."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:50 pm
"Well...the web's kind of hard to make...but I guess I could make some! You want one too? I wouldn't want to leave you out! I'd make one for Brimstone, Ror, Elle, the colorful boy I met here...I never did learn his name, he didn't make a single sound, but he was really nice...who's Joce?" She'd never met a girl named Joce before...but Asra knew her! So she had to be a nice girl! Shauna had no idea Eight had met her briefly the night she disappeared. The fox reached out to take her mug as well, the steam was ever so slowly ebbing away...slowly.
Asra seemed to know a lot about people like them...but why did he keep referring to them as 'our kind'? Were they really that different? "So...something about our pasts come to us as a dream or nightmare? I'll never have to worry about nightmares then! ...How come you keep saying 'our kind?' It sounds weird." Shauna pouted, taking a sip of hot chocolate and wincing. The only other signs of burning her tongue that she showed was her perked ears and fluffier tail.
"I've never really liked being alone for that long, but it's never been this bad before. I couldn't stand to be alone for one minute! I came running here almost as soon as Momma left." She took another sip from her mug of hot chocolate.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 4:23 pm
"Oh, I assumed you met Joce at the Halloween party. My mistake! Joce is a blonde girl, about your age, I adore her."
He hesitated for a moment, before answering her first question. "They are so lovely.. but I fear I would never use mine if you made me one. I don't have nightmares you see.. I am fortunate to have beautiful dreams that I would never want to lose. They're always so full of life! I wish my kin had dreams just as happy.."
He sighed wistfully, before giving her a wry smile. "Not kind, kin! As in kindred spirits! You can feel it, can't you? You and I, and Elle, we're kin! We came from the same place, the same way. And we're all watched over by Halexei! It bonds us together closer than even family ties can."
He took a heavy sip of his hot chocolate now that it had cooled down enough to enjoy, and smiled as the warmth filled him. "Well, you can always come here anytime you don't want to be alone, Shauna. Our doors are always open, and you know I'd always love to see you!"
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