|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:30 pm
Who: Luka and Cesc
When: Dawn
Where: A beautiful secluded segment in a Durem forest~
Weather: Low 80s, clear, and breezy
"You will be alright, yes?" Vivi asked the day before as she packed, pressing down a pair of heels between Shepard's folded jeans and shirts and then closing the suitcase. Cesc watched her with a faint smile, nodding mutely in response. It was the first time they would all be out of the bakery, the first time he would spend the night in another city. Durem, they told him -- so much more urban, so very different from the sun and the sea of Gambino. He was excited to see it, to stay in a different room, to meet more circus friends that were so rich a part of his family's history.
"Rhede'll be fine," Shepard muttered, coming in from the next room to gather the bag. He smiled, clapping the frei on the shoulder. "Gonna be a little adventure, eh, mate?"
* * *
Durem was different than Cesc had expected -- what had he expected? He hadn't known what different would be, but it was different all the same, so much more winding and old-feeling than Gambino. The buildings were taller, darker, but somehow more aesthetic than those on the strip where he lived. The air was different, untinged with salt but heavier somehow than the air by the sea. But the ex-circus friends, Jaime and Michel, they were not different from what he had expected: they were happy people like Vivi, and the night was full of laughs, and love, and stories of a different life. Vivi and Shepard had let loose, drinking and laughing boisterously and telling stories that started or ended with 'but probably you shouldn't hear this, Cesc.'
He decided that he liked Durem, very much.
It was not so long after they had all gone to bed that Cesc arose again, his rune hungry. He floated down the unfamiliar stairs of Jaime and Michel's house, crept to their door, and let himself out into in the soft deep blue of the predawn hush. Cesc had never fed before outside a certain radius of the bakery, but dawn was dawn. He expected to simply roam, same as he always did, aimless and comfortable. Dawn was his time -- he was usually alone and at peace, calm in the silence as all else slept. The house behind him was quiet. The Durem streets were quiet. The city slept as the sky would soon slowly light itself. The dawn would stretch itself over the horizon and color the world, and Cesc waited to bathe in it, drink it in whole.
But today, as he began his float through the darkness to find a spot to wait, there was something else. There was a whispering that rustled in through the rush of the waves, a beckoning carried in on the wind. It was familiar, that sound, deeply familiar... It was like when he had just been born and went out into the marshlands, following that inescapable ache that called him to it, asked something of him. He would follow it. He could not help himself.
He went, turning away from the house and toward the unknown. Houses began to thin around him as he went, and soon street signs were replaced by trees and grass -- a forest, so close and yet so secluded, unspoiled.
As the sky slowly began to turn from blue to pink, Cesc found himself descending into a grove of trees, a canopy of beautiful leaves and proud old branches. The calling hummed all around him like a song, voices added on voices, all barely audible but unmistakable. It was like entering a cathedral in choir, the awesome beauty and the hollow song, and the dawn like stained glass through the leaves. The dawn warmed him, amplified the noise, turning his eyes and wings and antlers into light and charging his rune into bright glowing white. He stood amongst the trees, closing his eyes heavily. What did they need of him? Why had they brought him here?
He reached out and touched a tree trunk, his fingers gentle over the bark.
What do you need?
The dawn wrapped around him, went through him, and its warmth extending past him and to the trees like a blanket.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:27 am
Was it the reverberating chants of the forest or the sudden warmth enveloping him that had caused for him to wake up?
Opening his eyes slowly, the Frei rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes before looking around him. The air was vibrating, ringing his chest. Getting on his 'feet' as quickly as he could, the Frei looked around the clearing to see just what had causing for the trees to shouting so loudly when he finally spotted it.
What he saw when he looked up, he had no words to describe it.
In the natural oculus of the clearing, what should've been the beginnings of a pale blue morning sky was instead a deep cotton candy pink. It's warmth descending upon the woods in gentle rolling gusts. The winds were kind, brushing against skin the way a tender lover might. Its touch faint, yet lingering. As the wind continued to whistle through the woods, Luka's eyes tried to follow the movement of the leaves overhead in an attempt to find the source of this strange phenomena.
And finally, he saw it.
Just a little ways off from him, a figure touching one of the trees.
Was it a figure? Or was it a creature?
Confusion laced the Satyr's face. From what he could make out. it looked like a giant creature of light. What would've been difficult for a normal person to look at, Luka had no problems seeing. From the large pointed antlers made of light, dancing with color as it refracted whatever sun rays made it through the thick pink blanket above to the strange burst of light that came out of the creature's back. It's hauntingly illuminating eyes and brightly glowing torso, was this what the trees were shouting about?
What was once a harmonious ringing was now a chaos of thrumming, rumbling and words. Whatever message the woods were trying to send, they were now jumbled beyond decrypting.
As the sounds of the woods grew louder and louder, Luka could only stare at the mysterious thing that had shown up in his woods. That was the cause of this pandemonium. That had to leave.
Floating taller than his usual 5'2", the Frei flared out his wings in a show of aggression. Whatever it was, it needed to leave now. And, he would do whatever it was necessary to make it leave. Floating towards Cesc, Luka addressed it in a surprisingly hostile voice.
Leave, you're not welcome here.
The words bellowed through the woods with the strength like a wall of wind. The woods, as if sensing the Satyr's distress writhed ever so gently. Shifting, turning, seeking to give their new guest and Luka a private area. The trees would never reveal to the Satyr that they had called for this other being of light. Their jumbles of words had been those of excitement, anticipation. But Luka, he had heard them wrong.
In his fear of losing his clandestine spot, he'd perceived this antlered thing a threat. His heart was clouded with emotion, and he couldn't hear things as they were.
Go away.
Luka shouted once more, this time approaching Cesc even closer. He knew he was not as intimidating as Zul or Rivener. But there was a certain wildness to this eyes, a warning that the young Raevan was capable of much more than he appeared.
You're making my trees anxious. Go away.
You don't belong here.
He repeated.
If only he'd known that it was the forest itself that had drawn Cesc in. Then, perhaps he would have greeted the other as a friend instead of foe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:44 pm
With his eyes closed and his hand on the tree, Cesc rested in the dawn's light, allowing himself to be a medium of its warmth. Light, calmness, peace flowed through him in a way he could not control or understand -- all he knew was that the aching song that had brought him here began to change in tone, to recede, even if just slightly. His fingers gently moved over the old tree's bark, a motion similar to that of a parent's embrace, calming a child after a nightmare.
Shh, shh. Tell me what you need.
The stag leaned closer to the tree, trying to pick out its voice from the multitude, his brow knitting. He did not have the power yet to understand; he knew this from all the other times he had heard this pained sound of loss but was helpless to heal or soothe it. Eiry, Melisande, Xiu ... he had felt it vibrating from them but could not offer any relief there, either. It was like a language he had not yet learned but desperately sought to master -- he wanted to help, he must help! Here, the dawn gave him a boost, maybe enough, maybe just enough to understand...
Leave, you're not welcome here.
Cesc's eyes snapped open at the words -- so clear and angry! Was it the tree's voice, the one he'd tried so hard to pick out? He lifted his eyes to its branches. They shifted in some kind of response, recoiling, changing the landscape around him. Was he being thrown out? So quickly?
"No," Cesc whispered calmly to the bark, quiet determination behind his words. He knew -- he knew he would be able to decipher their plight if only he had more time. The dawn was not limitless. Its inspiration would not last him much longer. He just needed a few more moments of silence! "Wait--"
You're making my trees anxious. Go away.
The words were more powerful now, angrier -- and closer. They did not thrum from the tree, but from somewhere else nearby, very nearby. Those words, they were not even the same language as that of the trees' siren song. They were something else, not English, not Spanish, not French, something else, something Cesc understood without recognizing. When the words were spoken, they did not travel to him so much as through him, the sound reverberating in his heart. He spun around, looking for the source of it.
A Raevan.
Cesc was dumbstruck, the blinding glare of the light all around him lessening as his eyes focused on the newcomer. He stared silently for a long moment, even though he knew he should speak or move -- the Raevan was angry and wildly so, and descending on him as though meaning to do him harm. But his words were so different, and he was here, just the same as Cesc was... Was he, too, called by the trees? Were they kindred in some way? The thoughts paralyzed him for that long second.
You don't belong here.
Or perhaps not kindred. Perhaps Cesc was merely a trespasser, following a call that had refracted onto him but was not meant for him.
"-- wait," the stag said again, his low voice still calm, its tone steady. The light all around him dimmed, revealing his slender form. "Stop. I do not mean anyone any harm."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:32 pm
As the warm light around Cesc slowly began to dissipate, Luka could only stare dumbstruck as another Raevan stook across from him.
How could that antlered creature of light be the same lean one floating only a few feet away from him. This person of fluffy cotton candy hair similar in color to the strange pink light that had wrapped the forest earlier. There was no doubt that this was a Raevan. The longer Luka stared at him the more features he could point out. Those nubs that rose above that pink hair to the more prominent ribbon that replaced his lower torso. It was strange meeting another Raevan here. Stranger yet, why had he been wrapped in that light?And more importantly, how had he understood him? He'd shouted at the being of light in Sylvan, assuming it to be one of many rare creatures that still habited this woods.
You can understand me?
The words were laced with confused and shock but they still held a cautious edge to them. His voice was softer as well, reminiscent of a breeze that had played in the sun all day. It wasn't as loud, as threatening.
Why are you here?
Luka asked, eyeing Cesc carefully. The fact that he'd encountered a Raevan changed everything. He couldn't simply just attack the person in front of him. Not to mention, it as another Raevan of light. The whole situation had grown exponentially more complex with the knowledge he'd encountered another light Raevan of all things.
I can't trust your words. You were here, and the forest was shouting. You caused something. Something changed. Luka explained, crossing his arms across his chest. His expression darkening every so gently as he murmured the last two words. Change, he didn't want change in this forest. He didn't want for anything to change here. But, something had changed.
More importantly, you're like me. What is your name and how did you find these words? Luka asked, approaching Cesc. Depending on the warm colored Raevan's answers, he would either ask him more questions or ask that the antlered one leave immediately.
But, to meet another like him? One so close to him? Standing only a foot away from Cesc, Luka could not deny the deep reverberations inside him that urged him to move closer to the new Raevan. It was a new feeling for him. Like a magnet that had found the opposite end, Luka was feeling an inexplicably strong pull towards Cesc. You feel it too? The pull? It was a strange question, but he wanted to know if this sensation he was experiencing was one sided or double. And if it was double sided, just how strong the attraction was for this new comer as well. Or, is it just me?
His liquid sunshine orbs locked with Cesc's own eyes.
Have you been here before?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:18 am
The closer Luka drew, the harder it was for Cesc to stay in place. Something strange was happening as Luka floated nearer -- the light that had wrapped around Cesc was becoming more intense again, without his urging or desire. And the light wasn't his light anymore, wasn't pink or golden or any of the shades of dawn, but rather pure white. It only brightened between him and Luka, didn't add onto his wings or antlers or light up his eyes. It looked as though it were charging, like someone had turned up a dial somewhere and caused the light to swell -- and it continued as the distance between them closed, warming that spot of the forest. Below them, roots shifted, drawing closer to the sweet, healing heat.
Cesc's eyes snapped down to the shared light and then back up to Luka, trying to listened solemnly as the other spoke. There were accusations being levied, questions he needed to answer, even though the stag felt more perplexed with every added second. What was going on? How could he explain his presence? He barely understood it himself.
"Yes -- I feel it. I am Cesc," the stag said after a moment, his words English to the other's Sylvan. How could he understand it? He simply did, how could he explain? He frowned, trying to organize his thoughts and make sense of the situation. "I can understand, but -- I have never been here before." His accent made him seem all the more foreign as he gestured around himself to the woods, his eyes earnest. "I came outside to feed, you know, from the dawn. It is a part of me." He indicated up to the fading wisps of pale gold in the now-blue sky. The words of the trees, the ache, grew quieter to him now, dissipating as the dawn turned to day. His time to understand them had passed. Rhedefre drew in a slow breath, putting his hand on the nape of his neck and furrowing his brow.
"I heard a sound, some kind of something from the trees. I thought they were talking to me, but..." He shook his head ruefully. "I must have heard them talking to you instead. I am sorry."
Cesc looked back down to the light again and then back to Luka. He glided forward just slightly in experiment, and the light glowed sharply in response, accompanied by a strange noise, like a cracking. Startled, Cesc stopped, lifting his eyes to the other Raevan. "Are you... doing that?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:02 pm
Unlike Cesc, Luka hadn’t noticed the sparks of energy jumping around in the air between them. His eyes were focused on Cesc, and only Cesc right now.
When the other Raevan introduced himself, Luka couldn’t help but introduce himself as well. It was manners. As uneasy as Cesc’s sudden appearance made him feel, his guardian had done a fine job of hammering in some decency into the Satyr. As he continued to listen to Cesc, Luka’s brows furrowed in thought.
The other Raevan understood, but he’d never been here. And yet, somehow the two were making sense. When he’d spoken to Jezabroux in Sylvan, his guardian had merely stared at him blankly. Yet, trees, birds and other animals understood him. Their cat, Winston, could only understand a few words. But, here, this Cesc was understanding him perfectly. And, though Cesc wasn’t speaking back to him in Sylvan (or perhaps he wasn’t able to?), the two were still communicating perfectly. The whole thing was putting the Satyr in a tizzy.
When the Raevan mentioned feeding on Dawn, Luka’s eyes followed Cesc’s motion upward. So, the light that had expanded out of the other Raevan’s nubs, wings and eyes had been a result of him feeding.
As his golden orbs settled back on Cesc, he listened carefully as the other finally finished speaking. And when the Raevan drew his attention down the the white light surging between them Luka’s eyes widened.
What the hell was this? He’d never seen anything like this.
No. I’ve never seen this before.
Eyes narrowing, the Raevan reached out to touch the surging light. The light seemed to crackle even more loudly and rapidly. And before his hand could even touch the glowing light, a stream of pure white light shot out from the tips of fingertips in long ribbons towards Cesc.
Luka could only stare in horror as the white ribbons of light wrapped themselves around Cesc in what appeared to be a makeshift cocoon. What was going on? Still in shock, the Satyr could only stand there and stare in dumbfounded manner. Something like that, it had never happened. So, why was it suddenly happening? Was it because of the forest, or was it because of this Cesc?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 7:07 pm
If Cesc was at fault for the bright glow that had sparked between them, the stag certainly had no knowledge of it, and that much was written plainly across his features. He studied the phenomenon in silence, his eyes lowered, a faint crease between his brows. It showed no signs of abating, and when neither of them moved, it did not change in intensity, either. When Luka reached for the light, Cesc could only manage a half-formed noise of caution before the strings of white light shot at him, twisting around his limbs.
There was no penetrating the light -- its brightness was opaque in its sheer power. It bound the stag completely, from ribbon to antlers, with a speed that stunned Cesc into inaction. The last thing visible before the light engulfed him was his eyes, narrowing and darting quickly as he tried to make sense of what was happening. If not for the look of horror and confusion on the satyr's face, Rhedefre might have believed this to be an attack. He slammed his eyes shut against the closing wave of light.
And then there was a sharp cracking sound, like a thousand icicles falling.The white light went gold. Another crack followed, then more, then more still -- and then came a sound like a china cabinet crashing against a marble floor. The light that surrounded Cesc splintered everywhere, exploding off of the Raevan. The shards of light did not pierce anything, causing no damage... they just fell, and fell with force, all around the two staggered Raevans.
"What -- what --" gasped Cesc, falling backward and catching himself against a nearby tree. His eyes were dull with shock as he stared, jaw slack, at Luka. Somehow, something inside him wasn't confused, or shocked, or even upset. It was happy, rejoicing, as though it had found something. It was a feeling as bizarre as... well, the rest of what had happened.
A strange, helpless, stunned smile started growing on the stag's face.
"What was that?!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:37 pm
When the ribbons of light suddenly exploded into shards and fell towards the ground, Luka could only stare slack jawed. What was this?
He raised a tentative finger to touch one of the falling shards, and the spark exploded in a small ball of light before ebbing away completely. What the hell?
Looking up at Cesc, the Satyr stared. His mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the right words to say. Closing his eyes, Luka took a deep breath before trying to speak again. It was difficult. There were so many things he wanted to say, to ask. But, he knew Cesc was about as aware as he was about the whole thing that had just happened.
"I don't even know." He replied slowly. "That's never happened before. The light just shooting out of my finger tips, especially looking like that. And... how it wrapped you up. But then, it shattered..." He was rambling. But, it was hard not to. "You, the whole light exploding was all you right? I can't break light like that." He explained.
Without another word, Luka suddenly reached out to touch Cesc in the chest where the Raevan's heart would be located. Once again, ribbons of white light shot out on their own accord. However, this time, they shattered before they could even wrap around Cesc. The air shimmered around them as shards of light danced downwards. Occasionally they'd sizzle and pop before exploding in small balls of light as they touched Luka.
Something in Cesc pulled a part of him out, but... it also repelled? "You're not just dawn right? He said slowly. "You're breaking my light. It's subconscious, but you're the one doing it right?"
This time, Luka summoned a small ball of light on the tip of his finger. Slowly, he pushed it towards Cesc. Would this one send out ribbons as well? Or would it just... shatter normally?
"You, this is the first time it's happening for you too right?" A slow smile was forming on Luka's lips as the shock began to pass. This was just too fascinating. He was aware of his ability to control light. He could weaken or intensify existing lights, create light without a source. But, he'd never been able to explode light like glass like that. That, that was definitely all Cesc.
"What are you Cesc?" Luka asked, a curious look on his face. Whatever animosity he'd felt towards the Raevan earlier was gone. What had just happened with Cesc, he wanted to know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:37 am
This was beyond strangeness. This was purely amazing, so much so that Cesc forgot about the plight if the trees, about what he thought was a misunderstanding that led him here to begin with. Was it the magical atmosphere, the living pulse of the grove that spurred all this? The entire forest seemed to be at attention, as well, after those first beams of light had wrapped around Cesc and exploded. Had the stag thought to listen, he would have noticed the silent amazement the forest seemed to share.
"You are … light?" Rhedefre said slowly, trying to make sense of the situation. What had he learned? They were all different, each Raevan, of differing parentage that made them who they were. A mixture of two things that gave them runes, looks, personality, magic. What was Luka but light? Light of such purity. But maybe there was more. Was Luka the one that drew this power from him? If Cesc could shatter light, he had never noticed it before now.
Still, when he considered it...
Yes, he could answer for the broken light. He knew himself.
"I am made of the dawn," he continued. "Parts of the dawn that broke and fell." He looked skyward, his expression still faintly puzzled, but a small smile now warming his features. "I suppose I must have, ah…" Cesc looked back at Luka, reaching out for the small ball of light the other pushed toward him. With them both so close to it, the ball simply popped into what looked like stardust, glowing gold. "… remembered how to break."
He stared at Luka, brows lifted. This was new, this power -- but would it exist apart from Luka?
"Never before now. Is that yours? The power to--" Cesc frowned as he forgot the word, rubbing his fingertips together as he tried to find it. "- to amplify? What are you, Luka?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:07 pm
"I am light. Light without a source. I can make light. I can take light from existing sources. I can enhance and weaken currently existing light." Luka explained. His powers however, didn't seem only limited to light. For an example, there was his ability to speak in Sylvan. Sylvan was hardly related to light.
When Cesc went on about not having encountered that aspect of his power, Luka took a moment to think. "Maybe, it's happening because we're both here. Is it possible for us to maybe... resonate?" He said slowly. It was a strange idea, but not completely impossible. If he and Cesc were both aspects of light, then it only made sense that they would be able to accomplish more or completely new things together. Unlocking, a new portion of their power or so.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Luka turned his attention from Cesc to the rays of light falling down on him. Just had the other Raevan had fed earlier, it was now time for him to feed. As the sun's warmth shone down on him, his skin glowed lightly in response. Like Cesc's eyes had glowed, Luka's eyes also filled with a pure light, giving the white Raevan a ghostly appearance and a throughly piecing gaze. His rune charging up like a ball of electricity from the sudden flood of nourishment. Around him the air shimmered, and the trees seemed to bend in a surrealistic manner as the Frei's feeding bent and warped the light around him.
Deeply soaking in the sun's spicy warm rays, Luka shuddered as newfound heat flared through his body. It was a sensation he never got used to. That kick that shot through his body, almost like fire roaring across an empty field. It was almost... an addicting sensation too. It was a sensation that only came from feeding from the sun. Lamps, or any other kind of artificial light felt like ice. Artificial lights came with a slow cold that seeped through his bones, moving through his body like some kind of immobilizing fog. It was an uncomfortable feeling. He'd never voiced it towards his guardian, but the Frei made a conscious choice of avoiding artificial lights unless it was absolutely necessary.
As the fire continued to zip through his body, Luka stretched his limbs. Feeding for him, alway seemed to take a long time. But recently, it'd been taking him longer and longer to finish feeding. Not enough for any real worry, but a significant change in time that the Frei had noticed.
His eyes settled towards Cesc. "Sorry, can't quite control when I feed when I'm outside."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:54 am
Light without a source...
So Luka was like a tiny sun all his own, self-sustained and inwardly motivated. No wonder he had a forest to himself -- or was there a Guardian? Cesc wondered.
He watched as the early morning light cascaded down on Luka, warming him and charging him from the inside. It was fascinating to see. This new Raevan, made as he was of the same basic elements as Cesc, fed the same way as well. The stag had never before seen what he must look like when he fed. He knew only what he felt: that surging, living heat, the light that reverberated off of him -- but he had never been able to see what it must do to him when viewed from the outside. The light went to Luka, glowing through him, proving that they were one. Just as he was with dawn's light.
They really were kindred.
"Do not apologize. It's what we do." Cesc laughed softly, his smile tentatively friendly. Many things had gotten crossed this morning. The had not met under the best of circumstances. But Cesc found that he liked Luka nonetheless, that he was meant to like him. He believed Luka's explanation of their resonance. If so many things were similar between them, why not this? If Luka's trees had mistakenly (he thought) called to Cesc, and the light treated them equally -- why not their powers, too?
"Forgive me," said the stag after a short silence. "I know I came here by mistake, but I cannot help but think -- this is ... really amazing."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:13 pm
Something about Cesc's apology caught Luka off guard. "There's no need to apologize. I'm just not used to getting visitors or wanderers in here. The woods are not kind to strangers..." His sentence drifted off as his eyes settled on Cesc again. Because, there was the lingering question how and why the woods had unharmed Cesc.
"Cesc, what do these woods feel like to you?" It was a strange question, but one that would give insight to the Satyr depending on his answer. Luka had spent days, nights, weeks between the roots of these trees. Somehow, these woods had become a part of himself. "This is home to me..." Luka said slowly as he placed his palm flat against the trunk of a nearby the tree, a gesture that resulted in the air filling with a grinding noise as the tree shifted ever so gently to press into the Satyr's own palm. "They're not just trees. But, they're alive. They can think, and they tell me their stories. What they've seen in their lifetime. All the different changes that they've experienced from the seasons to the rise of cities. They can even show me places that I've only dreamed about or read." That was something Luka had never understood. The level of sentience in these woods. He had always known that his ability to communicate so extensive with these trees was heavily due to this forest's special nature. No other tree or wood had offered him its leaves as shelter from the rain or parted its roots as a spot of rest.
As the sun's rays saturated him completely with their warmth and vividness, the Satyr began to regain his normal appearance. There was the exception of his eyes seeming sharper, hotter almost as if he'd absorbed the very sun itself into his eyes.
"Who is your guardian Cesc?" It was a good question. Luka couldn't believe there were so many Raevans he'd never met before, particularly this one. They were practically two different sides of the same sheet of paper.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:31 am
What did the woods feel like to Cesc?
Luka's explanation was breathtakingly beautiful. The conversations he had with the trees, the depth of connection that he held with the very soil of the place. Perhaps this place itself was his Guardian? Or he, its? They were tied at the heart, this place and this person, that much was for certain.
But Rhedefre did not feel that way. The woods, to him, were different. They were living. And they were speaking, or mumbling, or whispering very softly. They did not calm him, or coddle him, or give him insight. If he had to say anything about the woods, he would have said that they were somber. Save the Raevan, they were a strong place, but not a happy one.
Perhaps, again, his lines were crossed. Perhaps they were merely unhappy with him.
"It is a beautiful place," Cesc said politely. "There is life here in the very air. But I confess I cannot hear the speech as cle... as clearly as you do. To me, the sound..."
Cesc dipped his head. He could not find the words. In any case, he was certain he must be wrong.
Even if he could still feel it, that anxiety, radiating from the tree trunks...
He passed his tongue over his lips, and Luka spoke in the silence.
"My guardians are a man and a woman from Gambino. Vivi LaCelle and Shepard Ryan. We have a bakery, Vermillion, in that city." Cesc smiled. Here he knew what to say. "Perhaps you have met before?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:20 am
Luka's head tilted ever so slightly at Cesc's explanation. How curious. The two were similar and yet, obviously very different. The trees were definitely welcoming the other Raevan, but why couldn't Cesc hear it?
When Cesc mentioned Vivi, his eyes light up. "Yes! Vivi~ Vivi and her strange talking man. She's so wonderful to be around. I like her soft hair and her voice. She is a very fun person." Smiling, Luka couldn't help but recall the petite woman who'd charmed him during their first meeting. "One day, I will visit you at Vermillion, Cesc. I haven't been there yet, but I'm sure my guardian wouldn't mind the drive especially since it's Vivi, and he'll get to meet you too."
Fawning on Cesc over his relationship to Vivi, Luka was oblivious to the trees that had begun to grow still. It was to be expected though, the increasing amount of light with the growing day was always a sign for the forest to still itself. A living forest active during the day only spelled danger to the forest itself.
"You're far from home!" Luka suddenly exclaimed. "Gambino is a car drive away from here. How did you end up here Cesc?" Luka asked, eyeing the white stag raevan all the more curiously now. "Do Vivi and Shepard know you're here?" If by chance Cesc had wandered all the way here from Gambino, it was probably a good thing Luka had run into him. Vivi was probably worried sick about the other Raevan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:04 pm
Cesc's smile brightened as recognition of his guardians' names registered on Luka's face. Vivi, at least, he knew to be quite active in the Lab -- she went to every event she could, and kept in touch with some of its workers. It did not surprise him that his spry guardian had managed to meet more Raevans than he currently knew.
"You have met her! I am not surprised. She is a fun person," Cesc agreed, a note of fondness in his voice. "I am certain she would have much joy to see you again."
He paused as Luka continued to speak, the other Raevan's good natured concern obvious in his words. Cesc shook his head quickly, ready to put him at ease. "We are all of us in Durem just now. Vivi and Shepard took me here to visit some of their old friends, and because I have never seen the city. They are both in town, if you are free later... I only came out because I ..."
The words suddenly deserted him. He snapped his finger, trying to jog his memory of English. "I ... cannot but... I have to feed on the dawn, at that time."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
