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 Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:59 pm
Something about seeing old friends had gotten strange since Aludra's best friend had... faded from the picture?
Whatever it was. His tail flicked back and forth a bit as he pulled on a soft, well-worn woolen sweatshirt that was a pale greenish, tail wriggling uncomfortably out a badly-cut hole in a recently-purchased pair of pants. It was too tight or too loose or anything like that; it was just... placed... incorrectly. Noah shouldn't ever touch his clothing with scissors. Bad things always seemed to be the result.
He wasn't even completely sure why he was stressing over his appearance at all. It wasn't like Vincent was anything important or anything. Well, he was a friend, and technically was Aludra's twin, but that wasn't anything new and- ugh!!
Growling softly to himself, he shook his head, pulling his hair into a low ponytail and taking one last look at his reflection, frowning a bit. He would never understand his sister's motives when she thought it was a good idea to get him a mirror to sit on his dresser and stare at him all day and night. It made him... uncomfortable. He smudged a bit of off-coloured concealer across his cheek, covering over one of the many scars that still littered his face, making sure that they were invisible unless one was within a good two inches of his face.
Finally all set and ready for... his... playdate, he rewrapped and set the bandages around his left ankle, pulling on a pair of scrappy shoes and made his way down the stairs, glancing briefly at where Lironax was seated on the couch watching Moulin Rouge for the millionth time, before rolling his tri-coloured eyes and stepping out the door, leaning against the outside of it to wait for Vincent to show up.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:23 pm
Vinny had never had a problem with how he looked--until now. Now he was paranoid and nit-picky, and all around wanna-be perfectionist. It wasn't working out for him. His jeans were wrinkly from having chased his younger cousins around the yard (toddlers were fast!) his red and white striped shirt made him feel awkward--he didn't like it.
His headwings gave away his nervousness--they flapped ever so slightly. Occasionally, the boy would look around for his friend. He spotted him outside the house. He smiled and waved--his awkward sense of--whatever it was seemed to have disappeared. "Hey, Ludra." Vinny said with a bright smile. "How are you?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:32 pm
Aludra's tail flicked as soon as he heard his name from... some direction. He blinked a couple times, glancing about for a moment before his gaze settled on Vincent, a weak smile alighting his lips, tail tip flicking, though not with such absurdly desperate and forced happiness as it had when he'd met with Bovidae only a day or so before. The wing on his ankle flapped a bit as though noticing the larger headwings of the other fluttering slightly. However, a moment after the small appendage made that gesture, it seemed almost saddened, once again flattening against Aludra's leg, alone now that its 'other half' had been brutally murdered.
Aludra pushed himself off the wall and approached the other with little hesitation. "'Lo, Vin. Is good to see again," Aludra replied, blinking at the 'how are you' comment. He sped his mind through as many answers as he could fathom without looking like he was trying to make up an excuse, before giving the brunette a sheepish smile. "Is surviving. His life's been... stressful recently," he replied finally, nodding to himself, deciding that was a good explanation. He gestured toward Vincent curiously. "'Bout Vin? How is?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:43 pm
Vinny gazed at Aludra for a moment--he hadn't noticed all the sores the other boy had when he'd seen him last. How had he missed them? He gave his friend a concerned look, before nodding. "It's good to see you too, Ludra. What happened?" He looked pointedly at Ludra's missing ankle wing. "How'd you get hurt?"
He was genuinely worried, and his expression showed it. What'd been a smile was now drawn into a concerned and rather thoughtful frown. "Oh, I'm doing alright." He said. "You know--if your life ever gets too stressful, you can always hang out with me."
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:57 pm
Tri-coloured eyes followed Vincent's gaze to the bandaged ankle that once had another anklewing there. The limb lazily attempted to flex beneath it's wrappings, making Aludra hiss slightly; it definitely wasn't healed yet, that was for sure. Really, it wasn't ever going to heal completely, which he well-knew, but he wished that at least the smaller bones and ligaments that had been torn toward the base would heal faster.
"Is nothing, really," he replied dismissively, chuckling a bit, his nervousness obvious in even the way he held himself. "Accidentally got stuck in door. Went to doctor and everything, though; did all could, but need to keep wrapped for while," he added, not needing to really try after how many times he'd gone through that lie. He had gone to the hospital, but they'd told him that the place he'd come from would know what to do better; but there's no way he was going to the Facility just because of one tiny wing.
Aludra smiled softly and gave a bit of a shrug at the offer, gesturing for Vincent to follow him down the hall that would take them to the elevator and then out the door. "Well, is kind of what he's doing now," he said, laughing softly. He didn't know why this was cheering him up even a bit, though he well realized that every time his thoughts drifted back to Lironax his smile disappeared instantly. As such, he was trying to keep his mind from that. Glancing back toward the other Greed demon, he pulled that smile back from wherever in his mind it had been hiding. "Vin doesn't mind bit, outside malls, right?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:16 pm
Poor Ludra! Getting his anklewing stuck in the door must have really hurt. He shuddered at the mere thought of getting one of his wings stuck in the door--ouch! "I hope it gets better soon. And that life stops being so stressful for you." Vinny said, his usual smile returning to his face. It was hard to frown when he was around friends, he'd learned.
"An outside mall?" Vinny looked curious. "I've never been to one. Is there one around here? I know there's an indoor one--we go there a couple times a month." For a nano-second, a frown appeared on his face, as they went to the mall too often for his liking. "But I'd like to see an outside one." He added, with a smile. Maybe he could buy something there--and maybe he could cheer Ludra up, too.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:18 pm
Aludra smiled a bit, glad for the kind words from his friend. "Thanks, Vin," he replied simply, pressing the button for the bottom floor as they entered the elevator. He nodded in reply to the slight bit of surprise in his friend's voice at the prospect of an outdoor mall.
"They're fun," he stated with a nod. "Big like real malls, but has to go outside to go to different stores," he added, tail flicking back and forth calmly. His right anklewing stretched out briefly to brush against Vincent's ankle, as though trying to show it's graciousness for the fact that Vincent still had both golden wings atop his head. However, Aludra made sure to pull the wing back up against his leg, a very faint but very there blush crossing his face because of the gesture.
"Isn't too far 'way. Still have to take the bus to get there, though," Aludra said, nodding a bit and getting off the elevator when it reached their floor, leading the way to the bus stop that was outside the apartment complex. If he'd planned it right, the bus shouldn't take anymore than ten minutes to reach them. Well... hopefully it wouldn't.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:11 pm
Vinny was fascinated, he'd never been to such a place--and it sounded much better than the mall he'd been to. "Sounds nice." A pale blush spread across his face as he looked down to see the contact. Almost involuntarily, his tail stretched out--and he touched Ludra's back with the tip of it playfully. "I've never been on a bus before." He admitted. He sounded a little embarassed about it.
He'd seen them--he knew they were like big cars and helped keep the air clean. That was about all he knew. "What do you want to do at the mall? Get ice cream or something?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:48 pm
Something about the playfulness of the contact, the... flirty nature of it made Aludra feel dirty, though in the betrayal sense more than... well, the other sense. He felt like he was cheating on Lironax almost, but that didn't really make a lot of sense; Lir was... just a friend; he always had been, nothing more. Despite what Aludra had wanted him to be at one time or another, he was just a best friend and soon-to-be step brother, with further crushed any possibility of a relationship with the--
WHAT WAS HE DOING?!
This was supposed to be a playdate-thing where he was supposed to be having fun with his friend, not mope constantly about what could or couldn't be with Lironax. As such, his own tail, which seemed rather amused by the antics of the other, prodded the tip of the other one curiously as the two of them walked, just a couple times, before wrapping around it in a fashion similar to many Lust spawn's tentacles. Immediately noticing the contact, Aludra's face lit up beacon-red [not noticing the fact that the blush made it obvious where concealer hid the cuts on his face] and he reeled backward, tail waving back and forth innocently as he blinked with wide eyes at Vincent.
Finally, he shook his head, giggling in an almost-cute, obviously nervous fashion, taking a step back toward the other boy so he wasn't ridiculously far away. "S-sorry. About that," Aludra mumbled softly, feeling a bit like Cestoloria at the moment, wishing that he could disappear to people who already knew he was there; but, alas, that was one skill that he didn't have.
"The mall..." he mumbled, almost as though he'd forgotten, before smiling a bit. "I-I don't really know," he commented, embarrassment overriding whatever it was that usually had him speaking in choppy third-person, though he quickly reverted to his normal speech a moment later. "Look at stores'n'things. Buy stuff if wants; Noah gave lot of money to get 'Dhara and 'Ludra out of the house, don't know why. Lir's just sulking on the couch, 'Dhara'll probably take him dancing 'gain, though."
Realizing he was rambling, he blushed deeper, green eyes looking up just in time to catch sight of the bus as it slowed to stop in front of them. He smiled a bit and gestured for Vincent to follow. He paid the fee, making a comment that he was paying for Vincent as well, before taking a seat toward the front, where it would be easier to get off more quickly, even if it drew more attention to the two of them. Ah, well. They wouldn't be on the bus for long anyway. "What's Vin want t'do at the mall...? Is movies and stores and arcades and food..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:05 pm
Vinny blinked at the contact, though it was obviously friendly--almost too friendly. He quickly noticed Aludra's face, and frowned slightly. "You're wearing makeup." He commented, looking closely at the boy's face. "Were you hurt? Are you hiding it? I don't think make up will really make it any better--it might make it worse. Hurts need air to heal." He spoke with all the wisedom a boy his age could. He was worried about his friend. How'd he get hurt so badly? He couldn't have done both the ankle wing and the cuts on his face at the same time..
"Oh, it's alright." Vinny said, with a smile and a shrug. He hadn't really minded--maybe it was because, as his brother so often told him, he was too innocent.
"I like stores." Vinny commented quickly. He did. He loved shopping--maybe this was a trait of greed children. Since his parents were fairly well to do--he never really had a chance to steal anything (or the desire to, since his mother always bought him anything she saw him set eyes on.)
He followed his friend onto the bus, and sat next to him. "We can shop, if you like." He suggested. "And then go to the arcade?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:23 pm
Inconsequentially, Aludra's tail fell to being half-wrapped around Vincent when he took his seat, gently tapping every so often to keep itself amused, almost, as usual expressing Aludra's mood as best as anything could. Aludra blinked at the comment, before shrugging slowly. "Doesn't hurt 'lot," he commented softly. "Just didn't want to worry him," he continued, gesturing toward Vincent, himself. It was true, after all; he hadn't wanted to worry Vincent with the cuts that practically took up more room than the scales on his body.
Of course, that had been the point of wearing the sweatshirt; it would make it so he didn't have to wear concealer all up his arms, as it would have been much more visible and easily found out that way. His tail tip twitched a bit, tapping nervously on the seat. "If he wants, 'Ludra will wash off when get there," he suggested, hoping that that would be suitable. "Is just really clumsy, though. Lately. Is nothing to worry about," he said, voice quiet, much like it was when he was in the church way-back-forever-ago.
"'Ludra likes stores, too," the boy commented, perking up a bit, tail tip wagging softly, his anklewing fluttering a couple times before it settled down once again. "Shopping's fun," Aludra agreed happily, laughing a bit as his mind and body were both slowly pulled away from the events of the depressing and rather large apartment. "Arcade's fun, too. Can do both, then, for sure."
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:36 pm
Vinny nodded at Aludra. "It's okay to have people worry about you once in a while." He told his friend--the boy knew that if he'd been in the same situation, he would have done the same thing. Humility kids didn't like to have anyone worrying about them--or thinking about them much. Still, even though he knew this, he couldn't keep himself from worrying.
"You don't have to." Vinny said, with a smile. "If it makes you feel better, you should keep it on." He paused, and frowned. "I don't think you're that clumsy--" He started, but decided to go on a different tangent. "I'll make sure you don't get hurt at the mall." He said.
"Where do you want to go first?" Vinny asked politely. "Do you have a favorite store? Or do you want to go to the arcade first?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:52 pm
Aludra merely shrugged off the comment. Vinny was quite right in his thoughts, and of course knew from experience; Humility children didn't like attention much at all. Though, there was one thing that Aludra was priding himself on at the moment, odd as that would sound. Let's not say 'pride', but he was simply 'glad for the coincidence'. For once, he was managing to keep his Greed side subdued to a point, and not merging the two sides of himself. He was letting himself want things, physical things, but not anything more at this point, while his Humility side took the lead of his personality.
"Nah, is okay. Prob'bly looks silly, anyway," he commented softly, smiling just a bit. After all, with the scales that partially covered his face, he'd managed to accidentally get the concealer on that, and thereby kind of messed up a bit, making it look like he'd been attacked by a toddler with make-up supplies. Though that had actually happened before, he was proud to say that wasn't what had happened this time.
"Th-th-thanks, Vincent," Aludra responded to the comment about being protected, his face heating up once again, tri-coloured eyes averting to the musty floor of the large vehicle. Noticing their location, he got up onto the seat on his knees and tugged the pull-cord to signal the bus to stop, which it did, and he thanked the bus driver and stepped off with Vinny in-tow.
"Favourite store...?" Aludra questioned, before his eyes got wide and his face lit up even further. But, he didn't see any reason to lie about that, aside from the fact that it made him girlier than even his hair dictated. He scuffed his shoe on the ground nervously, his tail flicking back and forth before it poked at Vincent's curiously. "'Ludra likes the lotion stores. Bath'n'Bodyworks and... places... like that..." he said, blinking his eyes harshly as though that would will away the blush that made him feel as though he'd just stepped into a sauna.
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:28 am
Vinny shook his head. "It looks fine." He said, looking at his friend. Yeah, once he had noticed it, it did look silly. The boy was kind enough to deny it--he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings.
"Sure." Vinny said with a smile and a shrug. He had the feeling his friend hadn't been entirely truthful with him--humility children weren't known for their clumsiness (which usually provided them with attention). He decided not to mention that.
"I've never been in Bath and Bodyworks--I've seen it though. I use lotion too. My skin gets all dry." He made a face. His scales were always too dry, sometimes they even got sore. So, his mother had introduced him to lotion. "I like stores like.." He paused. "I really like Borders, and Gamestop, and I used to like the Disney Store, when my brother and I were younger."
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 3:20 pm
Aludra rubbed at the makeup that had smudged onto his scales a bit, sighing softly. He couldn't tell Vincent was lying, of course, but he'd been the one to put the makeup on. By default, that meant that it looked silly, or stupid, or wrong, or however it looked, it didn't look right. He scoffed under his breath to himself. None of him would ever look right. Not that it wasn't something that he was used to. There were times he didn't even think he deserved to be around people who looked like Vincent or Lironax. Yet he would stay, because he convinced himself that he, by comparison, made them look even better.
Aludra hadn't the slightest idea what this boy was doing to him. His tail swished back and forth a bit and he frowned softly. He was... blushing a lot around him, and talking got really awkward, like he had a mouth full of cottonballs and a mind full of fluff. He took a slow, deep breath, shaking his head a bit to clear it from such foolish thoughts. It was like it had gotten around Lironax when he'd gotten older... so strange...
He blinked in surprise when the other spoke again, the expression slowly fading into a soft smile as he listened. "Is a good store. Lot of nice smells," Aludra stated matter-of-factly, nodding his head a couple times. He chuckled softly; his skin got dry a lot as well, though it was starting to get better as of recently. He blinked curiously at the other stores that were mentioned. "'Ludra hasn't been in lot of stores like those, really. In lotion stores... clothing ones, too. Sometimes really nice stores, but is always scared he'll break something."
He liked this. Being outside with this friend of his whom he'd taught to be invisible, just... having fun, really. His tail tip gently poked at the other's before wrapping around it only halfways, and very loosely, as though hesitant to initiate contact, much like Aludra, himself. It was part of him, after all.
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