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 Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:22 pm
I am well. I continue my studies, and it is always interesting to live among so many other creatures. My friends are well also. Would you allow me to bring one of my friends home to the lair over the holiday, for a visit?
Ferros paused and studied the words on the screen. Typing was always slow work; his fingers were too large for the keys, and thus he used a stylus to tap each letter, one at a time. His scree-mails home tended to be short.
That would do, he decided, and sent the mail. Then he got up from his seat on the floor, flexing the joints in his neck, wincing at the scrape he heard. He needed oiling. Perhaps he could convince Tracey to help.
He was concerned about his friend. The angel's new boilfriend seemed strange, off somehow in a way that the iron dragon couldn't define adequately, even to himself. He'd been uncomfortable around Traciel's suitors before, plenty of times, but this was different somehow.
Ferros settled into his hoard with a deep, whistling sigh. Being surrounded by the scraps of metal and machinery would help him think.
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 1:08 pm
Tracey didn't normally date demons. There was something too close to home about them. He found scheming tiresome, political manoeuvrings even moreso, and he didn't see the appeal of wealth. They were always so caught up in the silliest of things. He tended to prefer monsters, the more aggressive the better, something of that predatory nature thrilled him. But it never lasted, their attention tended to be just as short as their respective tempers and all too often they moved on and left him alone again. Nacht was the exception to the usual pattern. There was something exotic about the pride demon, something exciting and foreign, he was very learned and knew a great deal about the human world, about power and where to find it - Tracey couldn't help but be utterly engrossed in everything he had to say. The only flaw was that for being his boilfriend, the other demon was surprisingly averse to contact, keeping him at arm's length, meeting up only on his own terms. But the fallen angel was accommodating, he was used to fairly shabby treatment and a distinct lack of romance from his partners.
That day Nacht had said to him that he was planning something special, that he'd found out about a powerful and old fear discipline he wanted to research that would make both of them very powerful indeed, why they might not even need to graduate, they could get their passports on sheer merit of what they could discover, it could change the world. The other boil had left early, he said he had to speak with his parents about securing a place to study further. Tracey was left in a state of absolute enthusiasm and excitement, the other boil had even hinted that Ferr could be involved in their project. He was so understanding, he knew how important his friend was to him. He'd landed a big fish this time, he was sure of it.
Priority of the day was sharing this news with Ferros, and after a bit of hunting him out, the fallen angel skipped over to him, somehow in doing so making a skip look like a predatory charge, launching himself into the air in a flurry of wings and throwing his arms around the big metal boil in what could only really be described as a glomp of greeting. Tracey didn't do greetings in a small way.
"Ferrrrrrr." he crooned. "What you doing?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 1:55 pm
Ferros had left his door open. He usually did when he was in his room. He had little in his hoard that most creatures would find worth taking, and he wasn't particularly worried when he was there to guard it. After a couple of small disputes that had happened early in the year when a couple of beings had assumed his size meant he was stupid, he had been mostly left in peace.
He was drowsing when Tracey found him; he'd really intended to think seriously about things, but the afternoon pumpkin-sunlight had been slanting in the window just right, and he'd been warm and comfortable, and fallen asleep sitting up. The thump of impact against his midsection woke him, and his eyes flickered, startled; he would have known this particular bundle of feathers and enthusiasm anywhere, though, and he carefully put his arms around Tracey, smiling. "I was thinking," he said, with as much dignity as he could muster.
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:47 am
The familiar tell-tale flicker of the dragon's eyes gave Tracey had a feeling that "thinking" was a bit of a manipulation of the truth on Ferros' part. He couldn't help but grin fondly and croon. "Thinking about napping you mean?"
It was easy for Tracey to be scatterbrained, his thoughts were always a wild whirlwind of enthusiasm and excitement, running at a very high level all the time. It even took him a few moments to remember why he'd come, swept up in the familiarity and security that was Ferros
"I was with Nacht." he said eagerly, always painfully eager to share every detail of his new relationship exploits. "We went out for shakes. He's so amazing~" His red eyes went slightly glazed as he came dangerously close to derailing. "He's got something big planned, something wonderful."
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:25 am
"Possibly," Ferros conceded, his jaw tilting just a little in a faint smile. "You must be a mind reader."
His eyes flickered again slightly when Tracey shared his news. "Always with Nacht," he said, and was pleased that he sounded amused rather than worried. The other demon hadn't outright done anything to warrant the unease that Ferros felt around him, and in fact, aside from the lack of affectionate contact, had been on the whole polite and very nice to Tracey, which was a welcome change. Ferros couldn't pin down why he didn't like the boil. It was unreasonable, and so he kept quiet about it; Tracey deserved to be happy with a partner of his own choosing. Perhaps it was nothing.
"Something big?" Ferros inquired. "What sort of something big, did he say?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:58 am
"He was sort of cryptic about it but, well. He said that he knew about this old and powerful fear ability. Something that could maybe make us stronger than anyone could imagine. It has something to do with humans. Real humans." He lowered his voice consiprationally as if there was any other sort and they might overhear him.
He folded his wings neatly and leaned against Ferros. "He said he knows how important you are and that you could be part of it too if you wanted. Because it was big, and could change everything, change the world for the better." His gaze was distant as if trying to recall exactly word for word what the demon had told him.
"We might not even need to graduate." Worries had been eating at him lately, classes were difficult and his flighty attention span often meant that he failed or completely missed important tests. He was struggling and the idea of being able to skip school entirely was one of the most seductive parts of the plan.
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 12:16 pm
Ferros tilted his head curiously. "With humans? Isn't human-world access really restricted?" He delicately began to preen the feathers of Tracey's top wing, almost absentmindedly; it was a task he assisted with, as Tracey helped him with oiling, and it relaxed him.
The fact that Nacht had apparently included him in this plan of the demon's surprised Ferros. He'd thought that Nacht disliked him as well, had almost expected it. Few of Tracey's boilfriends liked the iron dragon, seeing him as an obstacle to be avoided, perhaps. Nacht hadn't seemed to know what to make of him when Tracey introduced them, and truthfully, Ferros had made sure to notch up his rumble and stand tall, silently emphasizing that Tracey's big friend was really big. Being considered and brought in on this plan ... it might be an effort to appease him, or maybe, just maybe, Nacht was decent enough to see that Tracey valued the friendship.
"It sounds exciting," Ferros said calmly. Tracey was certainly excited by it. Ferros would reserve judgment till he had more details, but he was pleased that he would be able to help, to protect the angel directly rather than from a distance.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:50 pm
"From what I've heard it is." Tracey offered "Half the time I don't know if people are just making things up or have really been there. But I think Nacht has. He tells me stories about it and some of them are just too strange to be simply made up. He knows things , and I don't think he's making this up." It was a gut feeling, but one Tracey couldn't shake, always a creature of his emotions, he lived day to day by his feelings and whims, so to follow them again in this instance was far from out of place for the fallen angel. "He says the old school he was in told them all about humans, that they went on field trips all the time. He's so wise." And knowledge was intoxicating in itself. Even despite the oddness the other demon sometimes displayed, despite the sometimes chilly glances and responses he got, it was that knowledge that kept Tracey so firmly hung on the other boil's arm.
"It is so exciting." He couldn't suppress the broad contagious grin that spread across his features at Ferros' response. He'd been worried, so deeply worried that the other boil might be hesitant or suspicious, that he might not be interested in the plan. He wasn't sure what he would do if he hadn't been interested, the dragon's approval was more important to him than Tracey would ever admit, if he said no, the plan, even the relationship between himself and the demon might well end right there - as much as he felt Nacht could be the one for him, Ferros in many ways already was, just in the close friend way he always had been. Wrenched between the two, he wasn't sure he could endure.
Thankfully, it wasn't a problem. He could hardly contain himself. "He's coming back with his friends tomorrow, he says he can tell us more about it, we can speak to his parents too. I can't wait! You'd like his friends I think, he says they are very clever!"
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:05 pm
While Ferros was a creature of logic much of the time, he trusted Tracey's feelings. The fallen angel's impulses often led him astray, but some things he simply had a sense for, and Ferros had learned when to listen. Curiosity bubbled in him. "Perhaps. I wonder what school that is," he said thoughtfully.
"I would like to meet these friends, I think." Ferros settled more comfortably in his hoard, automatically arranging himself so that Tracey could sprawl on him without having to negotiate any uncomfortable bolts or hard jointed edges. "Tomorrow? Where will they be meeting us?"
It was something of a relief to find that Nacht was letting Tracey meet his friends, his family. Maybe Ferros had misjudged the demon, letting a standoffish nature make him overly suspicious. Maybe this one really could be a good match for Tracey.
The thought made him oddly sad.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 4:52 pm
"I can't remember the name, I was never good with names." It wasn't a lie, getting details to stick in the mind of the fallen angel was often quite a task, his attention span was short and even shorter when he was excited. "I'll have to ask him again. I don't know why he transferred, it sounds a lot more fun than here."
Tracey adjusted himself comfortably to his Ferros-chair, as always simply acting as if he belonged there, which in his mind he did, there was no one else he trusted more in all the world. "I've never met his friends either - these ones anyway so it will be a first for both of us." He smiled warmly, it didn't worry him as much with the knowledge Ferros would be there, people were generally one hundred percent more friendly when he was in the company of the imposing boil.
"And he said out by the forest, they want to test some things and it's always quieter there."
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:08 am
Ferros chuckled softly. He'd half expected that; Tracey's memory for detail was iffy at best, and shortened considerably with excitement, and the fallen angel was definitely excited now. Nor was the revelation that Tracey hadn't met these friends yet quite a surprise; Nacht was standoffish, cautious, and perhaps the demon had simply been making sure of the relationship before making any promises.
It wasn't a viewpoint that Ferros could understand personally. When the dragon gave his trust, he gave it wholeheartedly and without reservation. But he could see why some beings found such caution a wiser course.
"I like the forest," he said. "Gives me a chance to stretch out." By which, of course, he meant removing his skull pin. His natural form was too large to safely change to on school grounds, but further out he could shake out the feeling of restriction that a humanoid form gave him.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:22 am
Tracey couldn't help but smile broadly, rendering his normally friendly smile one hundred percent more true to his demonic heritage, the rows of razor sharp fangs quite defeating the usually deceptively soft impression he gave.
"Yes!" he beamed "I love it when you do." It was no secret that the fallen angel admired the dragon's true form, it helped that the heat from his body created the most delightful thermals to fly on, the result being a Tracey hovering close as he could manage without singeing his wingtips when they moved around.
"I don't think Nacht has seen it either, he'll be just as impressed as I always am I bet." He nestled in more comfortably against the other boil. "Its not till tommorow morning though. For now do you think I could curl up here and "think" for a bit?" Ferros got a cheeky smirk. "And then you can maybe help me with my homework, its really tough today." The homework was always tough for Tracey, or it least, it always seemed that way, it was never very certain if he simply wasn't smart or just preferred the company to help him do it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:39 am
Ferros's smile broadened in response. He liked Tracey's gentle side, the feather-soft flutter of wings and mind alike, but he was always delighted to see the fiercer, more demonic side of his friend's nature as well. It spoke to the deep-ingrained destructive instincts that lurked in his gears and pipes. "I will make a nice hot wind and you can show off your fine wings," he said.
He reached to the side at Tracey's request, pulling over the knitted blanket that he kept beside his hoard for just this purpose. Blankets and clothing did little for him, his own natural heat being internally generated, but Tracey was more comfortable with a blanket to drape over himself and keep the warmth in and the metal cushioned. "Of course I'll help," he said contentedly. It didn't really matter whether the homework was a matter of intelligence or company. Ferros was glad to provide assistance either way.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:00 pm
Tracey nodded approvingly. "Yes. It's so much easier to fly near you." It was a simple fact, Ferros made life easier. It had never even slightly crossed his mind that if things with Nacht took off he might have to see less of the other boil than before, it simply didn't come into his mind. Ferros was a pure necessity.
The blanket swept about them both was welcome, Tracey nestling against a half folded wing and Ferros himself, tugging the blanket up to his chin with a smile. "I'm glad. I'd have failed already without your patience. I'm really glad Nacht wants you part of this, I couldn't keep it a secret, even if I had to."
Closing his eyes he sighed, a contented easy sound. He was glad he didn't need to choose.
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:47 pm
Ferros had worried about it from time to time, that perhaps if - no, when - Tracey found a boilfriend who would treat him as he deserved, the angel would have less time for Ferros himself. He told himself it was selfish, that he didn't worry about that with Tracey's other friends, that he had no special claim. They were simply close friends. It still worried him. He tried to ignore it. Tracey wouldn't leave him behind.
"I'm glad too," he said gravely. "I'm honored by your trust." He quieted his internal rumble, slowing his engine just slightly so that they could both think more comfortably, and let the glow of his eyes flicker toward dimness.
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