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 Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:38 pm
 He'd been excused from his post early that morning, much to his disappointment. His presence when the Boss had his 'friends' over was becoming less and less, thus his own time with his demon caretaker dwindled as well. Surely Regime thought he was doing him a favor, loosing him into the world and leaving him to his own methods. But B was dissatisfied, and was only waiting for the time when he thought he could return to the Junk Heap once again without being turned away. There was no purpose for him to serve out here on his own, and he simply felt very... empty. The freedom was thief and a parasite. If he sat still too long and thought about it, he imagined himself withering away, the corners of his being turning to ash.
A staccato rhythm was playing itself through the dense trees as the male took a trail through the woods. Every few steps forward put a pink paw against the side of a tin can, propelling it forward just a little farther. Aside from the occasional deviation, he was keeping it pretty constant. Because no one important was looking, he even decided to hum along, improvising different compositions to see what fit best. Music was a predominate force in his life even though he could not do much for it himself. He could find some comfort in it, though his emotions often ranged just as far as that of a damp rock. Sometimes things festered there, but on a general whole it was just cold and unpleasant.
The can was a simple thing he'd picked up earlier and had been carrying about all day. They had a rule where they lived- you didn't come back without something to add to the pile. If there was something better on the way, he'd take it instead. This was just to insure he could return without delay.
After a while, B found himself passing through a small meadow of flowers, buzzing with the soft hum of insects. He changed his tempo, kept his dull gray eyes on the blooms that had not yet wilted beneath the summer heat. Finding a particularly sweet looking blossom, he reached and bent its stem to the ground. With a very deft twist of his paw, he had efficiently shattered and crushed it into the dirt.
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 8:18 pm
 Anyone that cared to acquaint themselves with Avalie knew that she did not mope. Unwittingly terrorized with mindless yammering and playful challenge, yes, but it was rare to catch the colorful girl out of sorts, even when she was without her skittish brother by her side. Truth be told, it had been quite a stretch of time since she had seen any of her family members, her venture into adulthood accompanied by a very visible wedge that no one could easily overlook.
It hadn't initially made much sense when her siblings all changed colors as if they too were subject to the seasons, her own spring-splashed fur remaining untouched by the trudge of months. She hadn't even suspected trouble when the other teenagers began to blossom with the first, fragile slips that would become butterfly wings, chirping delightedly to one another and watching her for developments of the same variety. She had rolled on the ground, rubbed her shoulders in dust and across roots, impatiently hoping that such rough treatment would make her own wings erupt that much faster. But the exercise merely left her sore and baffled, forcing her poor father to examine the ruffled coat for signs of growth only to report that there was nothing there. She was not changing, would never change. Instead, she was stuck perpetually in her ridiculous orange socks and bright yellow eyes, doomed to reside in baby clothes while her brothers and sister took on true adult features.
They'd all been horribly nice about it, of course, Santiago gently informing her that she was still his beautiful little girl, and that he would gladly take her up into the sky she'd never known. But it wasn't the same; the graciousness of her parents could never possibly match her own set of wings, carefully fitted to her back and tailored to her mind. It was the first instance in her life that she'd been ill-tempered, a terrible little beast to those she loved and previously piled affection on. Cheated out of being airborne, there was no one to blame but them, the family of butterflies that she did not belong to anymore. And when they refused to fight her back, to make her curb her venomous tongue and pointless accusations, she'd fled. They didn't deserve her confused ire, and she didn't have the right to ladle it selfishly over them until she felt better.
The memories floated and spun before her like pollen dust, yellowed with age and liable to make her eyes water if she watched for too long. She missed them and their well-meaning ways, her little family of beautiful gliders that would stare at the mundane earth and secretly pity what she hadn't become. It was the raucous sound of metal skittering across dirt that finally distracted the kitsusagi, bright lids fluttering to disconnect from reverie while she raised her face from where it rested in the brilliant, camouflaging blossoms. Her ears moved quickly, searching for the source like a bug's antennae until she locked on to the walking target, her mouth parting inquisitively.
He wasn't anyone she recognized, or even someone she would immediately pretend to know just to make friendship swiftly attainable. His green hued features caught her attention, however, and she couldn't help but allow a feeble grin when she realized that his odd mishmash of colors was comparable to her own. The green made her think of lizards and exaggerated movie monsters, while the pink was the same delightful shade as the flower he took the time to pause and obliterate. Only the black was less whimsical, and her attention was diverted to the noise coming out of his mouth before she could find an apt metaphor. Was he... humming? To the tune he made with the can that announced his passage.
"I've never met anyone who made music with junk." She addressed him with the vaguest hint of meekness, her interest piqued too much for her to hide and wait for him to pass by.
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:27 pm
His long, green-tinted ears swung up in alert at the words of another, his body going rigid in response. The fur along his back was rising slowly with automatic threat. And, of course, his tenor notes died out completely. He turned his head to look for the source, but could not immediately find her. A tongue snuck itself between his lips briefly, swiping the air uselessly before sniffing.
"You've got too much wax in your ears," He addressed the flowers, not able to pinpoint the voice yet though his eyes narrowed keenly. Clearly he was in denial of such heinous accusations. "Show yourself."
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:01 pm
If she hadn't expected the gruffness of the response, the kitsu performed a graceful show of hiding her surprise, taking care to note the way his hackles stood at ready while she listened to the checked fury in his tone. Had she barged in on a moment of privacy? It seemed so, if his reaction was to be taken into consideration, but she was hardly sorry since he'd been doing it out in the open where anyone could see. Unless he owned the air she breathed, it wasn't as though she'd broken a rule etched in stone somewhere. Still, Avalie was disappointed when the notes faded away to nothing, the cylinder he'd been toying with following the murder of the refrain as it rolled to a halt in the thick grass. One thing was obvious though: she'd already forgotten about her own troubling circumstances, purposefully shoving them away for this new version of quiet conflict.
"And you've got honey in your mouth." Her remark slithered out of the greenery before she stood to give away her position, peering at him with orange-ringed eyes that seemed a less grubby alternative to bruises or bags. "See? Isn't mine nicer?" At the very least, it was less hostile than his commands to manifest. Then again, she had seen him the entire time he'd been walking into the grove, and he had just noticed her then. Strange how he even looked different now that he knew someone had been spying, harsher in manner and countenance. "I'm sorry if I startled you," She decided, her dad's rearing evident in the half-meant apology. "It's just... it was really impressive. I can't sing or anything-" Can't fly either. "and most instruments aren't really made for paws. Could you do it again?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:28 pm
As she rose, he did well to hide his surprise if he really did feel it. Her camouflage had been sublime and yes, he had thought the grove was moving at first. He was facing another kitsusagi, just as plain as he, if only a bit more colorful. A female, of course, that much he could have determined before. Not that he would treat her any different than he did any other stranger. He wasn't raised to socialize, was hissing through his teeth lowly even as she spoke to him.
She was bold, or at least that first statement was. As she went on she seemed to transform into something more and more accommodating, skittish, apologetic. Even though her words were soft and cordial, his ears were pinned back and his features wiped nonchalant. His response was flat, almost mechanical, a far cry from the tune he had held in him only a moment before. "Entertaining you is not my obligation."
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:22 am
Distance left between them was what made her miss hearing the sibilant threat as it spilled through his teeth, but there was no overlooking the way his jaws were set, the pull to green accented ears that laid back as though they were studded with too-heavy jewelry. Her sun dotted brow furrowed as she mulled over the recrimination called down upon her head for simply speaking, battling her natural impulse to back away from the unknown and monitor until she could boast a better understanding. It was a little late to turn and flee after she'd been so audacious before; or was it really just too early to smash the glass and hit the eject button? Whatever the reason, she wasn't about to run yelping in the other direction with her striped tails tucked beneath her. Besides, she was tired of only having herself to talk to, especially when all conversations turned toward what a mess she'd made of things back at home. She'd been screwed, screwed up - she got it already.
The terseness of his words seemed to complement his stony visage perfectly, almost to the point where it was an anticipated, if undesired result. What had become of the jaunty tune he'd coaxed out of a bit of refuse? Was it mere unfriendliness for her unscheduled attendance that was gluing thorns to him, or did the cause span wider?
"I didn't say it was," She reminded the huffy male, stretching out her grey-brushed legs before padding closer, nose wrinkled musingly. He seemed sort of small to be a bully, but then again, size was not the single quality that dictated one's standing in the ranks of the dominant and the dominated. Still, she dared to stroll past him toward where the can had been abandoned in his rush to seem composed, reaching out to dislodge it with a delicate paw. "I asked 'could you,' which is a little more wiggle room than you gave me when you decided I should get up and present myself all well and proper. Requests are different, sort of like wax and honey. I'd just like to hear an encore." She flicked the dingy instrument off her toes and toward him, offering up a small grin as well. "If you can't do it, I understand. Maybe it was just a one-time sort of thing that's impossible to replicate. It happens."
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:03 am
It was hard to look baleful through pink-tinted bangs, but he managed it. His eyes were dull but viscously acute, watching as the vibrant female moved closer, showing his teeth just that much more. She was quite the brazen girl, wasn't she? Was he not being threatening enough or was she just that determined? As she drifted by him, the urge to bite into one of those banded tails was strong. He almost did.
Surely her way had to be some sort of art. How could she stand there and say such expectant things and all the while make it sound so sugar-sweet? It reminded him of another, his Boss, his guardian. But the strange female and Regime's purposes were like oil and water or, as she had so aptly put it, wax and honey. He got more out of it; from him she only asked a simple song. As sour as he seemed, as distant as he wished to place himself, his paw lifted and caught the can as it rolled to him and planted it into the earth. Over-sharp nails tapped the metallic surface with the irritation his features would not show, eliciting a new scale of tinny sounds. He simply stared at her for a good moment more.
"Are you trying to mock me?" B asked her, and this time there was a growl in his throat. He wouldn't have it. The male had yet to really give her a reason to run, but if she were trying to make fun of him somehow he had every intention of taking his retribution out of her flesh. It was actually more of a warning. "...The same one?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:49 am
Between the bite that never came and the way he accepted his instrument back, Avalie assumed she had at least partially triumphed over whatever antisocial tendency was eating into this as of yet nameless fellow. He still looked like grouch warmed over and flung off the wrong side of the mattress, but at least he hadn't pelted the fragile aluminum straight back at her head and started screaming obscenities. She wasn't so invested that a gaping gash on her face wouldn't send her scrambling for the hills, but there was no denying curiosity when it found a niche. The jagged melody she'd heard was the exact purchase she needed, and she would be insufferable until it was reenacted. Either that, or until she was very pointedly chased off. She was sure that Chrys had thought it a shame that she didn't understand when she wasn't wanted. After all, she'd dragged her brother through enough danger to know he must have formed some sort of opinion. Truthfully, the green female was keenly aware that she was an expert at wearing on nerves, it just didn't bother her enough to backpedal.
But his question actually took her aback for once, the nonplussed nature of it painting a clear, if diminutive frown over her features. Her attempt had been geared to goad rather than mock, but it seemed as though she'd been a little too sloppy about it. "No, not really," She replied, sensing for the first time just how thin the ice beneath her paws was despite the deceptive feel of solid ground and lush vegetation. "I don't do mockery particularly well anyway, so I try to stay away from it. This is really me being interested. Nobody..." She stopped, suddenly sure she'd choke if she continued, a perplexing stone lodged in her throat. Nobody in my family plays music. Is it really that hard to say? Irrational anger for her weakness surged, and she slapped roughly at an innocent patch of grass before she buckled down, shaking her head to make sure the second of stupidity was firmly arrested. None of that. She was busy with other things now, and she wasn't going to be bitter just because Santi had never taken up the oboe. That wouldn't have been the real source of her sadness anyway.
"Sorry. Just..." She had redirected her gaze to the earth momentarily after the attack, making sure she was calm again and in no danger of tripping. It was his additional question that caused her to glance up, ears quivering thoughtfully. "Whatever you want. I'm not picky. That and I'm tone deaf, so anything sounds good to me." The lopsided quirk to her mouth was hopefully enough to show she was merely teasing, though her last major error in communication was still quietly tiptoeing around the borders of everything voiced, waiting to steal in again.
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 7:27 pm
He didn't really understand her interest, especially when he was making no move to be accommodating. But she was, and he... he was actually considering relenting to her request. He listened to her plight, made no real reaction as she suddenly struck out aside from narrowing his eyes. Why had she done that? Clearly she was inside of herself, somewhere he couldn't see and didn't particularly care to know. It didn't matter.
Not forgetting the action, but dismissing it for the moment, his gaze held her humorlessly. Then his shoulders seemed to relax slightly, and he turned his head away as if he could stand to look at her no longer. He would play her a song, he decided, if not for her then... for Maddie, perhaps. His brother, what would he have said about this? No doubt he would have liked to hear it as well. So, after a moment, a slow and tinkling sound pattered across the hollow metal can. As he let himself forget her presence for a moment, he slid back into the music, picking up the tempo. Soon enough his voice joined it, tenor tones crooning out low between his teeth and lips to mingle within the melody, a wordless song that seemed to soothe him a little more.
The music reached a crescendo, he began to wind it down when he dared to glance sidelong at her. He had felt pacified for a moment, lids lowered lazily. But just looking away made him realize how vulnerable he may look, and he stopped abruptly, curling tails around himself with bristling embarrassment.
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:10 pm
It was difficult to decide which of her various deeds had been the one to bring him around. Perhaps it was the smile she kept lobbing helplessly in his direction, or even the way she had taken a swipe at nothing in a show of blank aggression that he seemed so well acquainted with. Maybe it was her refusal to drop the subject until she saw the results she wanted, even though there was very little preventing him from chasing her off the good old fashioned way. All she knew was that the dim black holes through which he regarded the world hadn't sucked the determination out of her just yet. If anything, they unconsciously demanded of her the kit she'd been before her wings had failed to crawl out with apologies for their tardiness: the chatty, upbeat little thing that knew best and would say so plainly. But it wasn't all assertive altruism, or whatever she needed to feel to press on; if she was dwelling on someone else, on whatever they might teach her - intentionally and otherwise - she could momentarily forget the issues that plagued her slack thoughts.
Avalie waited, more or less patient while his posture thawed somewhat, the change unnoticeable only to one who hadn't been watching, and she most certainly had. He tossed out the green vision she presented for a different patch of speckled plant life, and she was too focused on the light shift of his paws to feel offended. A series of taps began, and she knew that her own expression lifted with it, ears following suit to better catch the subtle nuances of the music. The tune steadied itself as he went on, morphing back into the beat she'd interrupted, and the female couldn't help but give an inaudible sigh of pleasure when his voice hopped in as well and drew it together. There, that was what she wanted, what she'd been expecting all along. It was easy to admire how cleverly he manipulated a recyclable into something else without forcing it into a true instrument's shape.
Hardly any time had elapsed before she felt the flow of music spilling down her spine, gliding along in maddeningly gentle bursts and dividing until each of her tails was occupied by an independent force, intent only on achieving what its original sought. The three fur-clad appendages began to move in a muted cadence to the song, trying to follow without interfering in the main strain. Her vocal cords started to quiver, more than ready to contribute when she suddenly sensed his stare weighing heavily on her. And then the concert ended, so swift in its absence that a sharp intake of breath had to chase its errant twin back down her throat, the potential note dismissed as she scrabbled to find words instead. "What? Why did you stop?" Her tails fell limp, having lost the initial drumming rhythm. Had he seen her preparing to harmonize? The failed butterfly's face felt hot, the warmth due in part to some unassigned emotion that hinged on his answer.
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:41 pm
He was suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to strike out at her, snap at her, scare her away. It wouldn't be hard. It was one thing to be persistent when there was only bark and raised fur, but how daring could she be if her sweet little face was in danger of being besought by teeth? His grey eyes bore her down, a fine tremble shuddering through the male. But no, he wouldn't. He looked at her and no, there was too much innocence and... and hurt. Confusion, so genuine. She wasn't making fun of him.
"I have work to do." He finally told her, impatiently, as if she were a pestering child. Leaning down, he took his can between his teeth and stood. It was still too early to go home, he realized, but all he wanted to do now was get away. The music still buzzed fresh in the back of his mind, and if he could have flushed with shame he would have. Turning, he began to pad further into the forest, planning to leave her to her disgusting flowers. This was too close.
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 3:37 pm
The shiver that ran through him caused her thoughts to suspend while Avalie braced herself, not altogether certain why her body was responding when all of his threats so far had been delivered without any physical backup. He hadn't touched her, hadn't made any lasting effort to drive her off, but something in the chips of onyx glaring back made the green female feel suffocatingly aware. What would she do, should she be evaluated a greater irritant than a listener? Had her little hiccup really been so monumental that it was worth getting thrashed over? He wasn't very big, but she was no larger, and most of her battle expertise had come about as a result of play-fighting or running away. Ten seconds ago, she hadn't cared how he stared, what he thought or if he retreated. Now it was left unguarded, the tangled anger and regret with just enough self-loathing to go around.
The dismissal was so sudden that she almost missed it, the intensity from before ebbing instantly, leaving her chilled and bemused. Work? He hadn't seemed in a hurry to get anywhere before, back when he'd been humming and kicking a can about, but a few sparse words later and she was apparently eating into his time. The emotional tide from before surged forward to replace her battle-readiness, and she leapt up, taking a few steps after him. "Wait!" She snapped, and she wasn't certain if it sounded imperious enough to make him halt, if the slight tremor in her voice was old timidness or fear that he'd whip around and strike her. And part of her didn't even know why she was bothering to try. They weren't friends: he was volatile, and honestly a little unnerving, and she'd only pursued it for the distraction. They hadn't even stopped long enough to exchange something as straightforward as their names. But that didn't matter, not when he was lying, using a flimsy excuse to escape when he still owed her the lesser part of a song. She was the one that did all the running, not the other way around.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:35 pm
The reaction was instantaneous, dark body whirling as he was put on the defensive again. The hair on his back began to stand, ears laying back as he hissed, "What?"
Stalking toward her now, the tin can falling from his teeth with a clatter and stepped over. "Don't you have anything better to do?" He demanded, his lip curling a little in a blatant sneer. "Or are you so desperate for the company of another that you're willing to cling to the tails strangers who don't want you? What? Did you think we were going to be friends?"
His laughter was a short bark, and he felt himself grow cold inside, a sickening feeling churning his guts. "I don't want a friend. Especially not a gaudy girl like you. I have a job and a purpose and you are distracting me. You don't want me to consider you an obstacle. That said, what?" With those final words hissed through his teeth, he felt more on edge than ever. He found himself hoping he hurt her feelings, offended her enough that she'd go back to her flowers and he could go. But B knew as much about females as he did astrophysics, and the extent of her potential reactions in his mind was seeing her in tears.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:05 pm
Avalie at least had the sense to stop pursuing him when he rounded on her again, hackles up so high that it looked like he'd been rubbed static with a hellish balloon. But to her credit, she didn't back away when he came after her, grey-tinged ears mimicking the position she saw and flattening to her skull. Was she going to fight him? To what end? Certainly not to win, no matter how much bravado she had stored up and set aside for the inevitable creature that couldn't be pacified through words alone. Not that she was looking to assuage whatever ugly thing had reared up inside him, spitting at her and making the likable hint to its bearer vanish. And it did hurt, because maybe it was a little true. Maybe she was latching on to alien beasts after familiarity had stomped her half dead, left her wingless and unidentifiable in a ditch. But that didn't mean he had to say it, rubbing her face in it like a kit that had wet on the carpet.
"Drop dead," She growled back, yellow eyes burning sun-hot with budding fury. "Who the hell would want to be your friend? Bright on the outside doesn't mean dim in the head. You're just a disturbed b*****d." The oaths felt good, even if she saw her father frowning in the back of her mind, disliking her mouth and probably the way it was drawing her further into trouble. Once started, the girl couldn't stop, quivering with a blend of antagonism and rational impairment. She wouldn't be allowed to conquer, to sit on his head and twist his leg until he gave up, but she couldn't just let the painful things he'd resurrected puncture holes in her chest without retribution.
She'd darted forward before she had time to think, hopefully before he had time to register that he was being rushed, and ducked her head as though intending to butt him. But she sidestepped at the last instant, competent enough to lash a paw out and knock the tin can that rested under his bulk, sending it spinning out. She scooped it up into her jaws without even pausing to guarantee her hold, tasting metal and male saliva while her orange front feet blurred with her green backs, pausing for a moment to glance over her shoulder and lift her chin in challenge. Mouth full of stolen goods, she couldn't exactly crow at him, but she felt the message was clear enough. How did he like his gaudy girl obstacle now?
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Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:59 am
Little did she know, her retort, while surprising as hell, was beginning to put him back together into the neat little machine he'd been shaped to. His eyes had narrowed as he soaked in her words, the anger he had seemed to have incited there. Touched something, it seemed, in his blind (and desperate) lashing out. B Sharp found himself gritting his fangs at her in the parody of a grin as the final, cursed word passed through her lips. She had more in her that he'd given her credit, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it. It didn't matter- she'd be making her exit soon.
Of course, he hadn't planned on seeing her off with his can, either. When she came at him, he genuinely thought he was going to be attacked and immediately opened his maw to welcome her. Teeth whistled just past her ear as she skirted past, clicking too near the throat than should have been a comfort though had certainly not been an intended miss. A clatter- he whirled on her in time to see her snapping away with his intended offering in tow. Were he a less-disciplined being, he might have gaped.
"Give it back!" He snarled at her, not thinking twice as launched after the thief. Cheeky, insipid little--!
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