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 Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:14 pm
It had been two years. Two extremely long years. His first exploration of the school had led to him to retreat into the forest due to being overwhelmed with too much of, well, everything. Living in the forest for one's entire life and then being thrust into civilization and attempting to live in a structured environment where no, Aurel, you can't do whatever you want whenever you want was, in fact, ridiculously harder than he anticipated.
He had not planned to be gone so long. Perhaps spend a weekend communicating with nature and trying to bring down his anxiety but that weekend had turned into well, maybe just another night...728 times. It was easier away from everyone. The trees didn't expect anything of him and the forest floor didn't care if he was scary or not (and he remembered Amrita's despair well) which suited him just fine. However, as the days passed Aurel felt more and more guilty. His Elder had wanted him to go to Amityville and learn. He had requested it, before his departure. Sure, his Elder had been crotchety and a pain in the a** and generally unhelpful in teaching him any necessary things about the world outside of his forest but he'd still been there.
Today, Aurel had gained the courage to adventure out once more with hopes that the first person he met on the grounds didn't have their mouth permanently closed like last time. Communicating was so much easier when one could speak - especially since while Aurel had started to learn to read, he still failed pretty badly at the entire comprehension bit.
The only bit of anxiety that Aurel could not push away was the question of whether or not he would be let back in after such an extensive absence. He could only hope. Heaving his bow and quiver over his shoulders and armed with a small bag of his books (which was dirty and tattered and missing pages) that he had read a million times, Aurel stepped back onto the grounds. This time, at least, he knew what FEAR was, knew brief history of the world, and knew the layout of the school. He was still clueless, but he was not completely lost. Onward to the dorms!
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:44 pm
Sparrow had spent the majority of the morning cleaning.
It had first started when he had come back to the room and discovered a thin layer of dust on some of the surfaces of his room. And, considering that his room was relatively empty to begin with, it had been a stark and obvious contrast, which definitely was not acceptable.
So, he'd cleaned. And then he'd cleaned some more. Once he was finished wiping down all the surfaces, straightening and dusting the drapes, reorganizing and alphabetizing both his books and his music selection, moving all the clothes around in his closet so that they were hanging by color, and had successfully cleaned out Balthazar's perch, he decided it was about time for a break.
He decided to take a walk. It was pleasant outside, and he took the Copernicus with him, the pavo riding on his shoulder with a look of satisfaction on his small face. A walking stick in hand, Sparrow made his way along the path that led to the forest, humming a small tune.
There was a rustling sound from somewhere to his left. Spinning the walking stick in a circle (it wasn't even remotely used for health reasons and just for decoration), Sparrow turned his head curiously, peering towards the forest just as something - a boil - came traipsing out of it, looking around.
Sparrow blinked. Then he smiled and meandered closer.
"Hello!" he said pleasantly, when he came within earshot. "Just arrived, have you?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:22 am
The Leshy had not been prepared to meet someone so soon after stepping onto the grounds. It had been at least a day and a half before he'd actually spoken to someone who was not in the office the last time he enrolled - but thank Jack this one spoke and he didn't have to try and read signs. He had gotten better at reading, yes, but it was still fairly difficult.
Impossibly bright eyes roamed from bottom to top of the reaper - cheerful, well put together, and with wildlife on his shoulder. Yes, that was much preferable to a peeping patchwork who broke trees. "In a way, yes." Aurel answered, voice scratchy from lack of use and heavy with a Slovak accent. He shifted the bag and quiver slightly, several of the autumn colored leaves floating from the branches growing from his back. They shifted to different seasons every few months despite Halloween being perpetually October - which could be a good thing since having brightly colored flowers sprouting from them in the middle of a dreary day could make it much more cheerful. Unfortunately, right now he was simply littering every step he went. They'd be bare soon.
"Who is pretty on shoulder?" Aurel indicated to Copernicus with a rather bright smile on his face. Already he was going in to pet it - no request on if he could even seeming imminent.
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:50 am
The boil was entirely unfamiliar to Sparrow - but, then again, nearly everyone was, considering he was himself relatively new to Amityville. He spun the cane in his hand around cheerfully and gave the boil an appraising sort of look as though to see what exactly he was.
"I've only just arrived a short while ago myself," said Sparrow with a smile. On his shoulder, Copernicus made small chirruping sound as the unfamiliar one stepped towards him, hand out stretched, and then purred, his tail flicking against Sparrow's back.
Sparrow, for what it was worth, didn't mind in the least that the other hadn't asked permission. Instead he said brightly, "Oh, this is Copernicus, my companion for the day. He's pretty good-natured, as you can tell."
He stuck out a hand. "My name is Sparrow, by the way - Sparrow Heartreed."
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:01 am
Aurel's fingers scritched under the pavo's chin, cooing at him in that scratchy, unused voice of his which made him sound ridiculous more than sweet. "Hello Copernicus." For the moment, the leshy seemed more involved with the mini-pet than with the other boil but, after a brief but embarrassing sugary display with the creature, he straightened up and stopped the cooing and placed a lopsided and rather goofy smile on his face. "He is very nice, yes. Thank you for letting me pet him."
It was taking just about every ounce of strength not to snatch him off the boil's shoulder and cuddle him. Luckily, Aurel wasn't that keen on embarrassing himself just yet. "Aurel. It is nice to be meeting you, Sparrow. I was here before, but I left." He indicated to the forest. "I am hoping that they let me come back. Do you think that they will?"
While Sparrow said he'd only just arrived, Aurel figured he probably knew more than he did. Most people did, anyway. The hand being stuck out momentarily confused him - did he want something? Then he remembered it was some weird social custom and reached out to shake it rather awkwardly with a little bit too much shake.
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:01 pm
Copernicus was clearly enjoying himself, his wings fluttering as he preened. Sparrow watched him with amusement and let the other boil have his fill of greeting without interruption.
"A pleasure, Aurel," said Sparrow brightly, shaking the boil's hand with vigor. He dropped it back to his cane when let go, a few black shadows drifting from his fingertips as though remnants of something. "And I don't see why they wouldn't let you back. I know it's certainly that time of year when the students return to Amityville, so I think you can be well assured that your arrival will be met with all the proper niceties."
He smiled, tilting his head in the direction of the school.
"Did you need help finding your dormitory?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:13 pm
"If they left it alone, I know where it is." The chances of them having left it alone, however, were slim. He'd just have to grow some new moss beds. No big deal. He sounded mildly distracted as he answered, eyes locking into the shadows that licked the air from Sparrow's fingers. "What was that?" He indicated to the boil's hand, head cocked to the side like that of an inquisitive puppy. The coolest thing he could do was change shape. Nothing like creating shadows.
Some people got all the luck.
Except he did have a cane. Maybe that wasn't so lucky. "And what's the cane for? Are you hurt? I can carry you?" Did he just offer to carry an almost complete stranger? Yes, he did.
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 3:38 pm
Sparrow laughed. "I came here only to find out that my assigned dorm was already entirely set up for me. Imagine that! Not that I mind, of course, but it was really quite a surprise, I must admit. They even had Copernicus there as well, my mother must have sent him from home."
He blinked, momentarily bemused as he tilted his head curiously at the other and then he glanced at his hand, realizing what Aurel was talking about.
"Oh," said Sparrow cheerfully. "I have this ability to, well..."
He knelt down on the ground where the shadow from his feet stretched out across the grass. Reaching out a hand, Sparrow dipped his fingers into the blackness and pulled upwards, the shadow stretching vertically as he straightened. He curled it into a ball in his hand and held it out towards the other.
"Shadow manipulation," he said with a smile. "Though if you touch it, it'll probably fall back apart, I'm afraid. Still, it's been a rather entertaining ability."
He opened his fingers and dropped the shadow back into place, where it immediately spread out beside him again. Turning his head back to Aurel, Sparrow gave another laugh and shook his head.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm quite well," he said. "This is merely a decoration to my current ensemble, I must say - a complement of sorts, which means it's relatively useless, but that is beside the point."
He winked. "It's just for looks, really."
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 4:11 pm
A nod was given when the cane's use was explained. There was a brief look of relief on the leshy's face - no, this new person did not have a grievous injury. That was good. He didn't have to carry anyone!
When Sparrow began to play with the shadow, Aurel watched with wide-eyed fascination. That ability could certainly be useful when it came to playing tricks on others. "Can you make the shadow look like anything you want?" He asked, dipping down low to look at the ball sitting in Sparrow's hand. He wanted to touch it, but he also didn't want it to just disappear. "And is it only yours or can it be others?" The wheels were already turning inside his moss covered head. Maybe he had found a partner in crime! Well, it certainly depended on Sparrow's willingness to help wreak havoc but he seemed agreeable enough. "I can do...that too. Kind of. But."
He stepped back and looked at the forest behind him. What should he do to show off? He could certainly change the area around him to look like his old dorm room. Or the clearing that he spent most of his life in. Maybe he should change what he looked like? So many options, too many decisions.
"Would you like to see?" First make sure Sparrow was interested. No use in showing off if someone had no intention of watching or caring!
kurotomato They could certainly be great partners in crime >>
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:49 pm
It had been a while since Sparrow had had the chance to play with this particular ability, and he embraced Aurel's curiosity with relish. Reaching down again, Sparrow gathered another handful of shadows. He tucked his cane beneath his arm and spent the next several moments tugging the blackness this way and that until he finally held up a little figure rather like a doll.
"Sort of," he said, and laughed. "Unfortunately it would probably fade if someone else tried to do the same thing; I haven't met any others that share this ability, but it would be interesting to see if there were..."
He trailed off almost wistfully, shook his head, and dragged himself back into the moment. Dropping the handful of shadows so that they melted into nothingness in the grass, Sparrow smiled brightly at Aurel.
"I would be delighted to see," he said cheerfully.
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:53 pm
Aurel likely would have loved the s**t out of that doll had it actually stuck around and had been tangible. Instead, he watched it fade into the grass and gave a silent salute to it. Adios, amigo!
"I cannot do shadows, really. But I can change around me. Or me." It was a trick that was passed down to each generation of Lesovik and Aurel had had much fun enjoying the tormenting of those who came across him - not meanly, just fun-until-someone-loses-an-eye level. Luckily, nobody had gotten hurt.
He was torn between shifting shape into someone he already knew or shifting instead into a doppelganger of Sparrow. Deciding that might be a little bit more surprising, he focused on the boil in front of him and in the blink of an eye he stood there - almost a complete carbon copy of the reaper. Blond hair, not a single hint of moss or twig on him, a cheerful smile - right down to his clothes. The difference was there was a faint glow to his eyes and his shoes were inexplicably on backward while his feet decidedly weren't. "What do you think?" Came Sparrow's own voice from someone who was not him.
kurotomato You should give me your AIM so we can plot 8D
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:01 pm
Sparrow watched with an eager sort of curiosity, his hands twisting the cane in an absentminded sort of fashion. All of his attention on Aurel, he gave a slight shout of surprise and leapt backwards a step because suddenly he was not looking at the leafy boil from before, but, in fact, a direct copy of himself.
He stared, and then laughed, tossing his head back and shaking his head.
"That," said Sparrow. "is truly impressive, my friend."Kyribird q u q it's fredhasfreckles <33
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:08 pm
Aurel did a little dance before the image started to fade back into himself - leaves sprouting first followed by a multitude of branches and then the moss before everything disappeared and the leshy was back to what he had been moments before. "I can't hold things long, but it makes for good pranks. I can change things too," he indicated to the forest, "For short periods. To other places I have been." Which made watching travelers getting lost about one thousand percent more interesting.
"I think maybe I can learn to hold it longer. I want to learn." Aurel indicated to the campus, "This is why I come back."
kurotomato Mine is ebonized dragon <3
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Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:51 pm
It was fascinating. Sparrow watched eagerly, his eyes tracing the lines of the moss and the branches as they formed again, and then when Aurel was back to his original form, Sparrow brought his hands together in an enthusiastic clap.
"That was wonderful," he said excitedly. "That's a wonderful ability, I'm quite impressed."
On his shoulder, Copernicus made a pleased sort of snuffling sound, and leaned against Sparrow's head, and Sparrow reached up a hand automatically to pat at him, still smiling at Aurel.
"I think we could be very good friends, Aurel," he said brightly.
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 1:18 am
The clapping was music to the Leshy's ears and he offered a bright, excited smile the way of the other boy. "Thank you. It is something I have been doing for a long time. There is a thrill in being able to scare people, yes? Seeing a glowing eyed version of them out of nowhere when they are lost. It works well." He knew that with some work he could get it to hold longer and be more effective. Perhaps he could get rid of the backward shoe thing - that was only useful if he decided to become Amrita.
"I think so too, Sparrow. You can give me shadows to match my shape!" His shadow, oddly enough, seemed to stay Aurel-shaped versus whatever it was that he was changing into. Granted, most people, when faced with a possessed looking version of themselves, weren't overly concerned with what the creature's shadow looked like.
"What classes are you taking? You will have to sit with me if you share." Because there was nothing worse than not knowing anyone in the room. Awwwwwk-ward.
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