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 Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:58 pm
 He shouldn’t have felt it, but he was a bit lonely.
Which is to say that he was entirely wrong in his calculation, that when he saw Raina’s face it wasn’t a surge of independence that went through him, but maybe just a fleeting rush of wanderlust. That maybe he wasn’t quite ready to be wandering the streets alone, even if they were only the ones immediately in front of his house. That maybe he wasn’t ready enough to face the huge world, especially not with his guardian bedridden in home.
Cephiel was taking care of her, that was for certain. He knew he could trust the smiling jokester with her- they were siblings, after all. But being in an empty street without her was a more than a little unsettling. In the west, the sun was slowly tumbling down like a sticky marble on the canvas of the sky that was the same as it was yesterday, and the day before that.
Dreary, dreary, dreary. Grey on white on grey.
He frowned as he shrugged into his jacket, the light material blending seamlessly into the snow-covered backdrop. The light that came down was slightly cyanotic and stung at his throat, but while he didn’t like the environment outside, he didn’t want to go back in, either.
In the end, he hung like an unsure doppelganger with a foot off their street, the last of their house’s number plate glowing hauntingly in the frigid stillness of winter. Turning a cerulean eye away, he took a shaky step before sighing in his small voice and falling backwards into the nearest snow-bank, his heels scraping on road salt.
“Gotta figure this out,” he mused aloud, closing his eyes as his glasses fogged.
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:41 am
The snow, the time of day, it had all been perfect, Tier said.
Perfect for what?
Apparently to... go outside.
Salem had been put into an awkwardly rolled up pair of scarves, hiding the marks on his face and was given a pair of sunglasses for those strange eyes, gloves and other things. He knew he looked different, in a very bad way, and though he was thankful to his would-be father it was still only masking the problem. People would be scared if they saw him, the small thing that he was, and though it was only a temporary solution it was all for the better.
So out they went, into the snow and dying light. Walking was difficult but some how Tier had managed to find him relatively the right sized clothes through hand-me-downs from neighbors. Salem wasn't sure if Tier had told them about him but he didn't think he did.
He didn't blame him.
"Wh-where are we..?" the cold air was surprising as they stepped out of the apartment. His first time out of that room, of that whole building.
"We're going to a store so you can find clothes that you want to wear."
Well, that sounded like fun, actually. Getting to pick stuff? Oh yeah. But how long would it take to get there?
Walking on the concrete was tiring, he could already feel his small toes beginning to ache but that might have been because his boots weren't quite the right size, Tier could just barely get them on. It was after a pause to adjust them that he saw some one just as small flop into the snow nearby. Tier didn't seem to take much notice but Salem tightened the grip he had on his father's hand.
"T-Tier!" a small finger pointed towards the young one. With the large snow gloves there was absolutely no telling what was actually beneath and that relieved Tier to no end.
It was hard for the older man to tell just what it was Salem was pointing at, the snow or the boy.
"I... I want to..." He wanted to play in the snow, too. With this boy, maybe, if they would both let him.
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Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:46 pm
The second he heard approaching footsteps, Faustus attempted give himself a once-over, however the foggy eyeglasses were a little more hindering than he had originally thought. Reaching up to remove them, he peered at his body for any signs of abnormalities that could give himself away as an Ashe, particularly after being warned by Raina.
He had never been too strange-looking and could usually pass for a regular child, albeit on the eccentric side, but he had heard about Julien’s eye color and Rioge’s brilliant blue hair, which he hid with glamour. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been born with such inherent abilities or a fae guardian like Araran who could teach him, but his hair was just dark enough to pass for a strangely-dyed mop of dark hair, especially in this blinding haze of falling snow. Sometimes, though, his eyes would glow or flowers would curtsy and spread their petals in his presence, so he made it a habit to always check beforehand.
Today, though, he seemed to be lucky enough. Still, he used his legs and pushed himself backwards, attempting to bury himself further in the snow-bank so he could be inconspicuous as possible, less likely to be confronted. His mind was a mess and he wasn’t sure how he’d act around someone he knew, much less a total stranger.
However, as the footsteps grew louder with the snow crunches, so did a small voice. Faustus peered out from behind his artificial wall and caught a glimpse of a heavily bundled but small figure, and immediately his arms began to tingle with something- recognition? Magic? Frostbite?
Swallowing, he shrank back into his pinchbeck fort and tried to appear as innocuous as possible, tilting his chin downwards as if distracted.
“Don’t come this way,” he mumbled under his breath, softly, sweetly. It was more a plea than a command, but he knew neither would help whatever was bound to happen now.
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:57 pm
"Don't come this way..."
Tier's grip on wee Salem's hand tightened slightly. They were on a schedule, the small Ashe remembered, but wouldn't they have all of the night? His father hadn't exactly explained all of the dangers that would be out on the streets at such time nor that stores only stayed open for so long. Whoops. He would make better on that next time.
For now, though, Salem was interested in the snow and this little boy in it, two things he hadn't seen before in one instance. How special is that?
"I-I.. um..." the wrapped up child wasn't sure why this new face would say such a thing, except for the first thing that cropped up in his own mind when he saw himself in comparison with one as normal as Tier. Fear. Hatred? Maybe not that far, but it was an intense dislike. Even with all of the precautions Tier had taken on his appearance he felt as self conscious as ever and shrunk back into the coat.
He felt Tier kneel down beside him, towards the child, "It's getting dark. Would your parents want you out after sunset?" The kid had an interesting style, that was for sure, and Tier was surprised how interesting it did look on one so small. He felt a small sense of deja vu but couldn't peg just what it was that was familiar, he'd surely never seen this child before and he had only lived in this city for a few weeks now.
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:46 am
Faustus closed both eyes as the steps grew louder and louder. They reminded him of the tick-tock of the clock in his room, the one with the forest green shade in the walls, the one in which Raina would speak to him at night, every night, in that comforting voice of hers. The very same Raina was lying in bed now, sweating profusely and sleeping with her eyes moving feverishly under pale clammy eyelids. The image terrified him, but was knocked out of his mind almost instantly when the steps stopped.
They didn’t listen to me.
It was his first thought. But then, almost immediately after, a cold fear settled in his heart. What did that entail? Did they want something with him? Were they from the Unseelie Court? His heart rocked at the notion, and his hands began to grow fiery with his unconscious movement to drive them deep into the snow. Shakily, he extracted them and blew on the pinkish surfaces, trying not to notice that the larger of the two figures- at least, the one with the longer shadow- had bent down to his level and was now peering at him with an air of curiosity.
And then the question. Was the man concerned or haughty? He couldn’t tell from the tone, and he wasn’t about to look up into the face, either. He lowered his hands into his pockets and focused on the dead branches of a nearby rosebush, his voice soft but unreadable.
“I can take care of myself,” he spoke earnestly, almost as if to convince his own heart. Cephiel would be alarmed, but would have trust. And Raina, well… she needed to worry about herself right now.
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Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:13 am
Tier brought a hand under his chin, resting the elbow against his bent knee, and frowned down at the boy as he blew on his hands. No gloves. The thought caused his eyes to travel to his young charge's hands, always covered now.
Almost on cue from Faustus' response, Salem reached a hand into the snow drift and took some of it out, holding it up to his face. The temperature wasn't fully settling even though the gloves weren't meant for handling the snow itself, just protecting from the low temperature. All it felt like was a dull tingling sensation that barely registered as that which was "cold".
The older of the three smiled slightly and turned back to look at the young one without the gloves, "I don't doubt that. But... hey, do you mind if my son played with you for a few minutes?" It wasn't that late yet, if it was just for a little while, maybe a half hour at the most, they could still get a lot of shopping done even before the shops closed. That was, of course, if this young one agreed.
Though it couldn't be seen behind the dark sunglasses, Salem's eyes became as wide as saucers and were pointed directly at Tier; the ball of snow he held fell onto the concrete with a dull plop. Play? With this strange child? Before they left, hadn't Tier advised him not to get too close to people, to "strangers"?
"Wh-... but...?" the confused child's half formed question was only answered with a gentle pat on the head. Well... he did feel an unusual sense of familiarity, one he couldn't place, so perhaps this wouldn't be so bad. Tier had never steered him wrong before. Salem watched his guardian stand up again and move over to a nearby stoop, setting himself upon the steps and getting out one of those sticks that made smoke when he lit it on fire.
An awkward silence passed overheard as the seconds began ticking away. As much as he hated it, he couldn't just let his 'father's' suggestion of play-time go to waste, so the heavily bundled child took a few careful steps to the side, moving to see the kid's face. Even though he was quite, he seemed quite a lot more sure of himself, resolved in his ways. If only he could speak with such certainty.
"H-...hello..." a weak wave followed, "...I'm Salem..." he allowed it to dangle off for the other to introduce himself, and Salem hoped he would.
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:30 am
Distantly, Faustus seemed to noticed the hints of uncertainty that clouded the air. The older man looked concerned for him, almost like Cephiel, so much that he was almost sorry that he had replied in such a manner. With a flicker of his eyes, he caught sight of the heavy bundle reaching into the snow for a clump with an air of wonder.
What was going on?
One moment, he had just been wandering around, and now the two looked a bit too settled to be going off on their merry way any time soon. He thought of Julien, of Rioge and was once again glad that he didn't have any distinguishing fae features; that would have been a lot more trouble than he could handle.
The question that followed startled him. Looking up, wide-eyed, he peered through his glasses almost comically to look for hints of the underlying ridicule. There was none. Me, play with his son? With this...person?
He was about to open his mouth to dismiss the invitation but the other boy got there first, his hesitation at it mirroring his own. In the padded, heavy silence that followed, he found his thoughts pedaling backwards and reconsidering so that he could realize that the dull ache that throbbed behind his ribcage was want.
He wanted to play. He had always wanted to play. Ever since he emerged in Raina's home, he had only known Raina and Cephiel, and he couldn't trust anyone else enough to be their friends.
So maybe it was his calling, now, to go out and connect with someone. Even a bundle of clothes on the street.
He opened his mouth to introduce himself but was interrupted by an anemic-sounding greeting. He raised an eyebrow and drew to his full height on the pavement as the name that followed came. Shaking himself off carefully, he perused him, this Salem.
Between them, the snow that fell seemed to hold its breath, hush, this is a moment of truth, or otherwise.
And then,
"It's very nice to meet you, Salem."
A shift of weight. A flicker of a grateful smile.
"I'm Faustus."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 11:08 pm
The hesitation was clear between the both of them and it nearly made Salem back peddle himself, though in the completely opposite direction of Faustus; back to Tier, back to doing what they were doing and going on their 'merry' way. However, the boy stood, examining him in a way that caused him to shrink further into the over sized coat, nearly bringing his hands to cover his face even more.
"It's very nice to meet you, Salem. I'm Faustus."
Faustus.
It had a strong, sturdy ring to it, one that seemed to not quite fit his outward appearance. He thought the same of Tier whenever he wore his reading glasses though he wasn't sure why, for either one of them.
The boy had smiled, a charming one at that, and for a moment Salem considered fumbling with the clumsy gloves to pull down the scarf that hid most of his facial features but there was nothing but a vague sensation telling him there was some familiarity. Outwardly, this boy, this Faustus, appeared to be completely human whereas Salem was quite the opposite. Casting a second-long glance to Tier, who offered a quick smile of his own while smoke blew from his nostrils, Salem turned back to Faustus and patted at the scarf, offering him a quick apology.
"F-Faustus," he managed to stutter after a second or so that seemed to take an eternity, "How... do you play?" The handful of snow he had picked up experimentally had fallen away but he reached in the drift for another, holding it up to his face and observing it as if it were a living thing. It was his first day outside, out of the apartment, and this was the first time he had ever met another person besides Tier. Plainly put, it was exhilarating and terrifying, almost cripplingly so. "I... I haven't p-played before," it seemed the easier thing to say, rather than explaining how he had never met another soul.
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