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WOW WHAT A NEW RP WHAT SHUT UP

Where: Barton Streets
When: Early evening
Who: Eiry and Lulu, the arch-nemesis of old
What: Sudden smack-down of the sassiest sass there ever was.
Why: It's inevitable.

LuLu would not ever say she was an expert of Barton. However, she had tagged along with Josh on more than one occasion when he visited the city. By now, the rabbit knew the locations of things that she cared about. Tino's Bakery was on Madison Street. It had amazing carrot cupcakes. The frosting practically melted in your mouth. Today she had manged to get a free sample with a bit of chit chat on her part.

A pink perfumed clothing store resided a few blocks down from that. The lettering on its sign was too fancy for her to ever make out the name. Frills decorated its windows like lacy streamers and always manged to catch Lu's attention. She did not frequently don satin ribbons or Victorian styled corsets despite her interest in the look. That type of clothing was soft and delicate, Melisande could wear those things. On the other hand, LuLu felt comfortable in cropped tops with wild patterns or slouchy shirts that showed off a sliver if her newly developed mid drift. Today, she wore a shirt given to her by We'rika. It fit his humor and LuLu wore it out of an appreciation for the man rather than the garment. It was a few sizes too big and one part of the neckline slipped precariously low to reveal some of her shoulder. Her mocha skin was displayed like a dessert and her tattoo formed a raspberry swirl atop the decadent display. One of her wrists was adorned with numerous colored bangles.

Those stores were set on right side of Barton. The other side of town was less chic. Modern boutiques were replaced by antique shops. Cobblestone roads led to libraries and music stores. All the things that made LuLu yawn and a bored tear roll from her eye. The sigel would not frequent the left side of Barton if not for her favorite park being nestled in a distant corner on the map. As a matter of fact, that is where she was returning from. She did not pay much mind as she floated down one of the old, cracked sidewalks and made her way back to her guardian.

The rabbit's ears twitched softly as she caught her name drifting on the wind. It was weak as though spoken by a ghost, nearly lost among the street noises of Barton. She turned her head to investigate and was shocked to see Eiry. The other sigel was as pallid and haggard as ever, maybe even a bit more so than usual given his frightening circumstances.

Upon seeing him, LuLu's tranquil expression immediately feel into a sour pucker as though she had bit into a lemon. She honestly would have preferred an impromptu haunting rather than Eiry's company. She did not question what had brought the older raevan to this part of town. Instead, the girl replied with a bitter rumble, "What." Her arms were crossed defensively over her chest and locked into place to further emphasize the wall between them.

Lavender eyes watched the slow shuffle of his book. Back and forth. Over and under. To and fro. LuLu nearly snapped at him to get on with his explanation already. Fortunately, he dove into it before she could retort.

Her crossed arms continued to tighten over her chest as she restricted herself from Eiry. LuLu was wound tight like a coil as she listened to his story with halfhearted interest. The girl already did not have much patience and what little she did have was now being strained by Eiry's presence. The rabbit replied stiffly, "This is Barton."

LuLu was having just as hard a time keeping her temperament under control as Eiry was. For every retort the elder sigel wanted to say, she too had one clawing at her throat to escape. She watched him bite each quip back with an uncomfortable shift and was forced to pull back on her own insults.

Finally, Eiry's true request was out in the open and LuLu could not help but feel her skin crawl at the sick irony of the situation. The girl's voice came out a bit scratchier this time. Her throat was tight from so many unsaid words, "I could help you. But why should I?" Ah, and there was the swift backhand of karma.

LuLu's face scrunched up at Eiry's revelation as though she bit directly into a ripened lemon. A sour taste bled into her mouth and caused her eyebrows to stay knitted together despite her face relaxing. The outer edge of the blond arch, pointed delicately, gave a soft twitch. Kindred? She resisted the urge to scoff and instead heard the other sigel out.

Eiry and her differed in many ways. Even down to the clothes they wore and the way they carried themselves. Unsurprisingly, she did not share Eiry's opinion of their relationship. He was an enemy. And only that.

LuLu did not trust the wisp as far as she could throw him, ignoring the fact she could not actually pick him up to throw him, especially with something as selfless as a favor. She did not do favors for her enemies nor could she fathom why they would expect favors from her.

Yet, this raevan seemed to have spun an alternate vision for their relationship. One were they saved one another from peril. Maybe they even held hands ans skipped through meadows? Lu's exhale drew out into a long sigh. It was frustrating how differently they functioned.

Eiry's logic only continued to irritate her. Her wings gave yet another short, fierce flap. He had managed to strike a cord in the girl whether it was intentional or not. It left her agitated.

Yes, she was not completely cruel and heartless. That was something she had been trying to prove to herself and everyone else ever since her growth. Yet, did she really need to help Eiry in order to prove that her kindness actually existed?

LuLu replied slowly, forming her response carefully, "I am more than cruel." A smirk formed on her dainty lips. She repeated herself with more conviction, "Why should I help you? Give a real reason." Convince me went unstated.

Though her patience had been wearing thin from the get go, LuLu also decided to tread this conversation carefully to avoid peril. Without a bridge to raise them to safety, either one of them could get swept up in the rapids. Things could get ugly fast if they were not cautious and Lu understood this.

So the sigel listened to the wisp's pleas and bargains with a slack jaw. She listened in hope of not raising anymore attention to them. She nodded along with his words in what she supposed were the correct places for confirmation, because they rang truer than she had expected.

Lu might have been too quick to judge in saying they were nothing alike. At the very least, they both held respect and disdain close to their heart. Both had to be earned. Eiry had her disdain, but not her respect. But how could he earn that?

LuLu puffed up and grew a little more intent as the wisp mentioned forgiveness and forgetting. He was going further than she had anticipated. That left her both curious and unnerved. She had expected at least some resistance from the other sigel, but he seemed to be dead set on his path towards redemption. The rabbit felt as though she was loosing her footing all of the sudden.

And then, she was lost in the rush.

Her satisfied smirk fell away with a blink of her lavender eyes. "Beg." The word sounded a bit uncertain on her tongue. It was questioning as though she had never heard the term before.

LuLu's eyes widened. When Eiry had said he would beg the younger sigel had not expected grovelling to be a part of the deal. Any potential for a smug getaway fled in that instant. LuLu's confidence ran away with it.

Eiry looked pitiful on the ground. No, beyond pitiful! The way he had fallen prostrate and was whimpering for forgiveness. It was like watching a kicked puppy pleading not to get hit again. He was a far cry from the boisterous prankster who had first earned her ire. LuLu was uncertain how anyone could hold any malice for this pathetic creature and the display it was putting on.

Eiry's skilled theatrics had a way of drawing attention that was not just Lu's.

The rabbit scanned the small crowd which was beginning to form around them. Her lips drew into a thin, strained line as the humans lined up one after the other; each of them wanted their fill of the spectacle. It was getting harder for LuLu to breathe. The air was growing warm and stale as though it was being trapped in by the countless bodies caging them. There was not even a gap large enough for a sliver of light to show through. That was the last straw! LuLu felt like a bully. But on top of that, her cruelty was on show.

It was mortifying! The rabbit squawked the older sigel's name indignantly, "Eiry!" She reached down and clamped her small hand at the back of his pale neck. Her fingers curled tightly into the curly hair at his nape.

The girl then hoisted Eiry up with all her might. The action was more haphazard and messy than she had intended. Both their bodies flopped around before they settled into the obscenely narrow space which was not taken up by the curious crowd.

They slotted against one another and LuLu found herself speaking more loudly than was necessary for their proximity, "Damn it, Eiry! Why did you do that?!" Lu's face was practically set aflame with a bright blush from cheek to cheek. Her expression was frozen in helpless shock. "You were not supposed to go that far!"

Her words then grew muted until they spilled out at a low mumble. She kept that volume as though it would counter her previous roughness, "Shhh, no more begging. Shhhh." Her hand eased at the back of his neck. It was no longer forceful, but served more to ground the wisp.

Lu continued, "Please, stop. I do not like seeing anyone like that. Not even you."She gingerly guided him out of the throng of spectators. A few startled cries erupted from the crowd as they broke free. She tried to ignore them, but Lu was sure her flush deepened to a dark maroon.

Once they were a safe distance away, one which Lu deemed them no longer an eyesore and amounted to a few blocks, she released her elder. "Stay calm." It was not completely apparent if those words were meant for Eiry or herself. "Everything will be okay. Hm?" LuLu leaned in and smoothed her hands over his rumpled collar; though, it looked a bit ridiculous even when it was fixed.

Through that whole process LuLu's gaze was lowered, avoiding Eiry eyes and whatever lingering guilt laid in their red depths. Her tone grew more solemn as she made her own confession, "I have treated you no better." It was true. LuLu had also been full of spite during all of these years. However, ever since her growth, she had turned over a new leaf. LuLu wanted to show that she was not just bile and anger.

Her palms rested just above Eiry's clavicles. She swore she could feel his heart beat thrumming through his whole body. It was pounding so strongly, probably from his impassioned words. His words may have been a bit over the top, but they had served their purpose.

Lu was moved. "I can see how badly you want to be forgiven." Lu dislodged them with a pat on either of Eiry's shoulders. "So I will. I forgive you."

At last, her eyes met his. They had softened to a dewy amethyst and held no more bite. "I hope you can forgive me, too." She felt as though she was revealing something Eiry had never seen before; the most fragile pieces of her self. This was a side she shielded from her enemies in order to protect the weakness it made in her armored exterior. Closing her amiability away meant those who wanted to hurt her had one less angle to attack from.

In spite of that, it appeared as though there was no longer a need for such strong defenses between her and Eiry. "I will help you get home tonight. Please, do not make me regret all this." Her hackles were lowered after so many years and it was both relieving and terrifying. LuLu did not want to hurt Eiry any further, but she also did not want to get hurt by him again.

LuLu took a moment to wipe the haze from her eyes. She wanted to believe Eiry's words and treat them as gospel. The fact they had forgiven one another should serve as some sort of promise for good things to come. Yet, the rabbit had some skepticism. Years of bad habits did not die off within the span of a day. Hatred did not rest peacefully. It tossed, turned, and resurfaced until the day it finally faded away.

If she kept up her end of this deal and the wisp did the same with his then there could be hope of this budding friendship lasting and perhaps growing stronger with time. Though, as of right now, it was a truce.

LuLu could not help the quick intake of breath she made when their hands met. It sounded like the faintest whistle through her parted lips. She had been surprised. The other sigel was cooler than expected. His skin felt like sheets in the winter which had been left alone for too long. At first, the touch was almost uncomfortably cold but it grew warmer the longer you lingered.

Then she got a blast of that coolness when Eiry pressed their bodies together. The rabbit fought the urge to squeak, but could not stop the shiver that ran through her. However, soon the cold melted into a cozy warmth they shared. She reached out to place a gentle pat upon Eiry's shoulders. It was timid, but served to remind him that she was indeed there and that this was real.

Eiry pulled away and LuLu followed his lead. She was quickly reminded that they still has to address the matter of returning him to his home. The girl smooth a hand through her braid and pursed her lips in thought. Seconds seemed to tick by and the only thing that developed through her brainstorm was the tension running through her brow. The younger sigel finally said, "I do not, but Josh works here. He will have an idea. He also has a phone and a car. I can take you to his building."