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 Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:36 pm
There was a cool rush of whistling wind circulating. It was steady and calm; yet, it was as conniving as any great breeze could be. Without discrimination, it had chilled the bones of those lurking outdoors. It had ruffled hair, it had stolen papers. Even more heinous, it had stolen large amounts of his remaining feathers. As Kouji had walked down the street, he had felt the gust grab hold of him. With a loud and angry tantrum, he had grown furious with it, throwing the bag he had been carrying to the ground. With mild desperation, he had grasped at his his fleeting feathers - but there was nothing he could do. Like grown birds, they were on their way to a new destination; unlike birds, they were not easy to replace. He could not obtain new feathers. When they had vanished, they were gone.
It was saddening. The slick, ebony things would be gone from him soon; he would be barren. Tasteless and haunted by what seemed a crushing blow. His feathers were a part of him, and though he had not expressed it, their departure was akin to an amputation. He was losing himself. He wasn't sure why they were venturing afar, but the fact of the matter was that they were. There was nothing he could do; thus it frustrated him.
His angry picking at the wind for his wing's cover had held no avail. He had not managed to salvage a single feather, which had done little to soothe his growing troubles. He was becoming furious.
With fiery eyes, he had leaned over to swipe up his bag. The item had tilted awkwardly, its inhabitant peering at the busy world which surrounded them. A jacket had been placed inside the small green back-pack. It had been folded meticulously, tenderly, and with thought - as if it had been especially set aside for someone.
It had.
"Come on!" Kouji had snapped, stuffing the item back into its hold gruffly. His bony fingers had squeezed the strap of the bag, nearly thrusting it over his shoulder. His skeletal wings had flickered meekly as he nudged a bare foot against the icy side-walk without thought. Just further addition to his poor actions and luck. Soon his was storming the street again, the bag wavering behind him like stubborn child threatening to drop things over and over again. He was mumbling to himself, grunting, and thinking. The jacket had been packed with the intention of searching for the 'Rene' who had given it to him in what had seemed an eternity ago - but the further away from home he got, the more he grew to realize that he was uncertain of where to begin looking. Eventually, he had become irritable with himself. He had set to the park, and, with only a heaving sigh, he had dropped to the space beneath the leafless oak up the hill of the festive place. He had ruffled his hair, pulled at it, and had rocked, fighting himself over what to do. Halley would have known. He always knew, though he suspected the answer would have been 'she gave it to you, keep it'. That wasn't what he wanted. So much for the question: What Would Halley Do?
He wanted to give it back.
The problem was 'how'. More appropriately, 'where'. What were the answers to those questions?
"This wasn't supposed to be so hard. Why is it always hard?" He had murmured. The adrenaline pumping throughout his veins had began to die down. Quietly, he had drawn his knees to his chest. His arms had wrapped about them, the red stained fingers grasping at the edge of his long shirt. With a defeated look, he had set his chin down on top of them, peering downward at the rushing groups of people carrying on with their business.
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:54 am
It was busy, it was cold, and a certain chained up girl was beyond pissed. Not like that was any different than normal, though.
"C'mon, Chaya." She growled, voice strained. The smaller angel reached forward, grabbing two fistfuls of dress and pulled herself tighter behind the teen.
God, Rene hated crowds. Chaya could never keep up, and damned if she was going to loose the last person from her family that she'd seen in a Goddamned year. Reaching one hand around, Rene gave Chaya's arm a little squeeze. Chaya just clung tighter.
"Oy, get ******** out of my way!" Rene growled at a larger man, shoving him hard. The man stumbled, looking around surprised at the surprisingly strong girl who stormed by.
It wasn't as if Rene had any place to be. Just that she didn't want to be there.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:24 pm
His fingers had picked at the grass in thought. There were many questions swarming him - where was it that he needed to start looking? Was it smart to just call out the name and hope someone recognized him? Would anyone recognize him in the first place? His entrapment within the singular basement of the building he called home had seemed to drag on for a long while; he wasn't entirely sure how long he had spent inside, only sparingly emerging for a gruff comment or a sliver of a meal before slipping back insider for his privacies. Occasionally, Louis had ventured down through a secret entrance that the little panda-crazed boy would not disclose - but even that was far and few.
If it were a surprise within his own home to see him, what was he thinking in hoping anyone else would? He was even uncertain of what the girl had looked like! He had remembered chains. Chains that had quivered and shaken, rattled with motion. Constricting chains that he had not dared inquire about for sake of being intrusive.
With a twitch of his lip, he grabbed a hand full of grass. The cold wind had ruffled again, snatching a few tiny feathers. This time, he had managed to salvage one. His fingers had latched to it before giving the tree a look of spite. Bare and naked branches. He was beginning to remember one of the many reasons he had stayed inside.
Holding the feather loosely in his hand, Kouji had grabbed his bag. He had began to rise, brushing off his lanky figure with meticulous care. His red-stained fingers had tugged at his shirt; they had smoothed back his hair and reached to tap the awkward halo flittering above his head. Looking down the hill, he could see everything. The children laughing in games of tag, the men and women jogging or inhabiting the benches ... An angry girl shoving through people and hurrying away in a storm, chains rattling.
Chains rattling?
He had felt his heart stop a moment. It was worth a shot, wasn't it? The name - he'd just yell the name, and if there was no answer, then he would know he had been wrong.
A giddy feeling had seemed to enter his stomach. It was foreign, yet decidedly welcome. Haste filled steps had been taken down the oak tree's hill. His fingers had held the bag with the jacket firmly - and as he had began to yell he had felt a bit of a smile. A distant, hopeful smile.
"Rene --- !" He had shouted as loud as his voice would allot. A gasp had followed in suit as he lost his step, tumbling down the hill in an awkward roll. He had landed flat on his stomach, the bag strewn a distance from him.
That was smart...
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:20 pm
Chaya gripped the dress tighter, looking around. Rene stopped in ther tracks, head lifting up. Her name on the wind. Even though she knew better her heart lifted. It couldn't be one of her family members. Could it?
No, of course not. Rene spotted a the boy rolling down the hill. Her lips tightened over her mouth for a moment. Of course not. But, that boy had called her name. Rene wasn't the most popular name ever, so...
"Do..." It was a tiny whisper from behind. "Know.. Him?" Chaya asked, no doubt terrified. Rene's mouth was set as she walked up.
... Huh. Rene didn't forget faces, or bony wings.
"Kouji."
Call it a gift.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:53 pm
His head was spinning as he laid against the ground. The sharp, settled smell of the grass had wafted throughout his nostrils as he gave a distant groan. His limbs were throbbing! with creaking motions, he had planted his hands against the ground. He had began to push himself up, his fingers clawing into the dirt as he stood.
A few moments had been spent wavering. The dizzying feeling of his mind had made visualizing anything a complex matter. There had seemed to be doubles of everything toying with him. When he tried to walk, he staggered. When he paused, he rocked as if a clock's pendulum. Back and forth, a stumble and a shake of his head. He had managed to grope about the grassy ground and find his bag again. With the same firmness, he had snatched it, holding it with fixation.
A few blinks had been given in an attempt to regain his composure. He could see her approaching, and that had seemed to make all of the difference. His face had grown long, his mouth agape with wonder. It was as if he were Jason and had found the Golden Fleece through a fluke and an old memory. Anxiously, he had shut his mouth. His general, cool settlement had been stripped as he looked away in timid embarrassment; then the glance had returned. He had realized someone had been with the girl with the chains, which had seemed to prompt him to look. With firm eyes that seemed unwilling to budge, he had watched; then a noise had brought him back from an analytical stare.
The sound of his name. It really was her! Kouji had heaved a great sigh of relief. His fingers had rubbed his eyes as he recollected himself again; his bony wings had twittered meekly in their quirky mannerism. "So it is you." He had spoken on his breath, sounding almost exasperated - as if the tumble had worn him down.
"I was starting ... To think ... This was a pointless trip." He had shaken his head, inhaling deeply until his breath had returned. Then, without much of a word he had seemed to debate something. He had raised the bag slightly, lowered it, held it forward, back. He had repeated the action several times, uncertain of what he was doing until he had finally held the knap sack out. "Y-y-you're jacket!" He had stammered. All the more he was wishing he were a finer speaker, and better on his toes. "I forgot to give it back - I thought you might want it, so, well ..."
How funny was fate? A day without a plan had led him where he needed to be. "Here. I mean." He had seemed a bit frustrated with himself as he opened the bag to fetch the item and hold it out in place of the bag.
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:24 pm
Rene surveyed the boy for a good moment, her head tipping to one side. He looked different, worse than the last time she'd seen him. Less put together, not quite ready for the weather.
And he had the coat she'd let him borrow... God, it had to be over a year ago. How funny that he would've made an effort to find her...
"Huh. So, you set out to find me just to give me back my coat...?" Rene laughed, her voice scratchy. "S'nice of you. Noble."
Also completely unexpected. But, hey. Nice distractions were nice!
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:35 pm
Kouji was no shining glimpse of health nor care. Messy, somewhat ill-expressed and sickly. He was certainly a ghastly appeal, perhaps all the paler with the passed time. Any color from his cheeks had appeared drained, absent, and dead. The simple comparison was death - he looked like death - and perhaps that wasn't as far a stretch as one would imagine. His hands overly tainted with something red, and his eyes drooped and exhausted. Yet, still, there was an air of confident integrity and cheerfulness to his awkward demeanor. As much of a ghost as he proved to be, he was no horror in sight nor mind.
At least not at that moment.
"I just found it, and it sounded like a good idea." He had smiled sheepishly at the insane idea of the thought. It had been a long period of time, and there was a random bump in at a park. There was nothing particularly logical about the situation, yet that did not seem to bother him. He had only shifted a lanky arm to rub his shoulder, perhaps a little embarrassed.
"It's kind of lucky - I didn't know where to look, but, here you are?" He had laughed lightly himself, pausing briefly to look at the individual accompanying Rene. For a moment, he had almost forgotten her - and that felt well beyond the politeness and formalities he often exhibited when in a particularly chipper mood.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:12 pm
The little blue haired girl just gripped Rene's dress harder, peering out at him with huge eyes.
"Cut it out, Chaya." Rene scolded, reaching behind her to ruffle her hair. "This is Chaya. She's... Kinda my little sister. Been watching her ever since... Well, s**t happened. You know how that is."
Her voice had a slightly rougher tone to it. Bad memories.
"She's kinda scared of everything, ain't just you. She don't talk much anymore." Rene added, then looked a the girl. "Say Hi."
"H...Hi." Chaya whispered, managing to pry one hand off of Chaya's dress to wave to Kouji.
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:58 pm
There was something oddly familiar about the girl. She reminded him of someone ... Louis? Yes, she reminded him of Louis, and that brought somewhat of a tugging smile to his face at the sight of her nervousness.
Kouji had blinked at the introduction. His focus had seemed to waver momentarily as he looked between the two girls. So her name was Chaya? that seemed simple enough to pronounce. "Chaya, huh?" He had repeated, clearing his throat and lightly smoothing out his attire. His tumble had left him a mess, and, in some instances, that tended to bring out a slight meticulousness.
When he had finished, he had given a nod of his head at the little girl. "You're shy, aren't you?" He had asked calmly. "My ... Uhm. Louis. Louis is like that too; he's my youngest brother. Nothing to be scared of, I'm not as scary as I might look." He had held up his hands, catching a glimpse and quickly lowering them. That was comforting, Kouji.
With a slight breath, he had straightened his posture. "I know how that can be. When something happens, something else always follows."
"It's ... Nice , Chaya."
That was formal, wasn't it? Nice? It was nice. There wasn't anything threatening nor disturbing to the matter.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 11:00 am
Chaya watched him for a bit. He was trying. He was trying to be nice. After a moment, she giggled slightly, hands gripping Rene's dress. "Nice." She repeated softly. He wasn't that scary. No scarier than Rene, for sure.
Rene petted her head again, fluffing her hair slightly. "She's kinda shy now. Never stays away from me for more than two minutes, the little leech." She laughed, even the laugh rougher. The chain across the windpipe was probably to blame.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:51 am
Nice. There was the word he had needed to hear - and it certainly had been a relief from the wide-eyed terror he had felt the poor girl exhibiting. Simply shy, he supposed. It truly was reminiscent of odd little Louis - but at least the girl wasn't reliant on an easily dismantled toy. "She looks like a good kid." He had looked from Rene to Chaya. "You are a good kid, aren't you?"
Kouji had smiled softly, nodding his head. One of his hands had nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. Just thinking about relying on people made him realize how little he had ever tried to get away from his own family. They were almost a safety fall.
Then he had blinked. His hand had been lower as he observed the chain, recognizing it from the past. It was an off accessory that he couldn't fathom. It was curious enough for him to want to ask, but, oh, at the same time it almost seemed a personal question. "Is that thing ... Tight?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:51 pm
"She is, most of the time." Good, yes. Annoying? Yes as well. Rene patted Chaya's hair, and the girl went back to hiding her face against Rene's waist. From time to time she would peep back towards Kouji, giving a little smile, and then back to hiding.
At the mention of the chain she snorted slightly, tugging on the piece around her neck. "Tight? Yeah. Hard to breathe sometimes. Nearly strangles me in the night. Chaya's caught me a few times before it went too far."
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