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 Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:13 pm
 Her fingers dove into her hair as she dropped her armor onto the bed, hands freeing the locks from their helmet-induced hairstyle caused by her motorcycle helmet. Her eyes flicked, briefly, around the tidy room with mild interest, spotting a change of clothes and her unmade bed. She'd clean later, she needed new clothes (preferably warm ones) and a hot beverage. Or rum. Either was good. Her gun was set on her bed, hands tossing her knives beside it as she snatched up her red tank-top and slim jeans, changing into them as she walked towards the kitchen of her apartment.
Her head hurt, and it seemed to throb more and more every day. It didn't help she had visited the library and learned news about Ta, and it hurt. It took all her might not to snatch her gun, armor, and boots and head over to her friends house. Friend. A friend she had taught to write. A friend who was basically a member of an extinct species. A friend who she was struggling not to rush over and grab. That'd for sure scare the s**t out of her dragon-friend, and Para wasn't in the mood to see those cute red eyes filled with fear.
Still.... now that she knew she was struggling to just stay home. It was far too late to barge into Ta's home, and now that the girl could read she had less reasons to come over. What would her excuse be? 'I wanted to see you. I want to protect you.' How creepy was that?
"Mew! Her eyes flicked down at the grey and white kitten against her leg, grunting at the thing as she searched for her hot chocolate powder. Ugh. She had picked that cat up as a present for Ta, but until then it was stuck in her apartment, mewling for some attention of some sort, which Para wasn't really good at giving. How did one please those four-legged fur balls? Shake it? Luckily, she hadn't attempted that, yet.
The storm outside wailed against her window as she turned the stove on, eyes rolling as if to silence the wind. Being from the desert, she often forgot how rain felt, and especially when it raged the way it was. Her lights flickered, causing her eyes to narrow towards them. They better not, she didn't want to lose heat.
As the cat, still nameless, mewled she settled into her leather couch, throwing her legs over the edge and yawning as her milk heated. The storm better stop before she lost power...
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:13 pm
 Pale fingers traced over the pages of a thick book. Crimson eyes followed, taking in the words printed within. The reading lamp placed next to the chair flickered. Sighing, Amrita closed the encyclopedia she had been studying from and placed the heavy book on the small table beside her. She had learned so much in what seemed like such a short time. Paradox had been so kind to help her to learn to read better.. and even write. Yet she had somehow not managed to get a chance to actually tell her friend her name. She was still called "Ta" by the other..
The storm outside made the small dragon uneasy. A desert native herself, she couldn't really recall any storms in her homeland, from what scraps of memory she had of the peaceful days hundreds of years ago. Her people were now simply a chapter in history books.. extinct. Perhaps there were a few survivors, like her, living in hiding, but it didn't make much difference. The once-thriving Brood of Dragnier were gone.
This was now her home.
Her home which Para had helped her get. It wasn't anything special, but it was certainly an improvement over the caves she'd been hiding in after her long sleep. It was small and relatively cozy, and Para had been giving her lots of books as gifts over the time she had still been practicing..
Para. Ever so often, Amrita's thoughts wandered back to her. She had grown so fond of the rather mysterious soldier. The other didn't talk about her life, so it was all guesses.. yet Amrita really wanted to get to know more. To know everything. Everything there was to know about her closest, dearest friend. Whenever she was over, it made her day. It truly made the small house feel like home, when they were both in the same space.
Right now, home didn't feel as cozy though. The roar of thunder could be heard outside, and heavy raindrops beat against the window. The lights flickered again in the quiet room.
What she wouldn't give to have her friend over right now. Being alone scared her. Para's presence was soothing to her, and she was certain the storm wouldn't be so bad with the purple-haired vixen here with her.. but she had no way of calling her over. She couldn't go out in this weather. She had no phone - or voice, for that matter.. so all she could do was curl up inside her blanket, hoping for the storm to settle.
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:32 pm
Para was finding this whole stay put thing impossible. She was anxious. What if, god forbid, one day she visited Ta and the dragon was gone? What if she went to see her and that sweet, gentle, kind woman was just....
Her heart stiffened briefly at that thought, her eyes closing firmly as she chased the thought away with something more pleasant. Like home. The desert. The sands where she used to play. Where she used to train with the other kids, loading the guns and whispering about local gossip as the drill sergeant passed. Back when it all had seemed like a game.
She had a group, then. Kids her age. It had all seemed fake. Sure, she had experienced death before. Yes, she had stepped on her dead parents corpses. Yes, she watched her village burn. But, at the time, the guns felt fake. The promises of war and blood seemed far off. They had been training to save, and saving had seemed so damn easy.
The first mission had been the wake up call.
Bodies.
Screams.
Blood.
She had just been a teenager then, and she witnessed blood fly. She remembered, vividly, the kid she used to play with fall to the ground. The boy she was betting on how many "baddies" they'd kill gurgled as he spasmed on the floor. The world burned. Ash rained upon her as the smell of burning corpses filled her world.
That had been the beginning of her heart hardening.
Hundreds of missions after that, she found her eyes flicking across the corpses. Mouth grinning as she hissed a bet towards a lucky survivor, stepping over the body of a fallen team-mate. Death was normal. Life was rare. Hell, it was people like her, one of the ones who hadn't died yet who was weird. Names came and went. Hands shook hers then went cold. It was normal. Yes, she had attachment to her village, and a selected few. Only the elite. Only the ones she knew wouldn't fall. The world had become so cold, and had little room for her to allow others in.
And again, once more, her village crumbled and burned, and her new family was sent to death screaming. It had seemed bleak back then. Empty. Hollow. Forgotten. She had thrown away her life and run to the city. She had collapsed, fighting those she viewed wrong and letting her body rot after each blow. She had been trying to die. Trying to save others and by doing so injuring her body beyond repair. She was trying to rip apart her limbs and die.
And then Ta came.
She was more than kind, she was pure. A creature who saved her despite the obvious fear that had flickered when her red orbs gazed upon the woman's armor. Ta had become a home. She had become a place where Para could feel safe in. A person she could cherish. She didn't need a voice to leave a mark on Para's heart. She didn't need to speak to make Para's hands warm again. She was perfect. She was the only person Para found herself wanting.
What if she vanished?
Her eyes flashed open at that thought, body lurching off the couch as she slammed the stove off and rushed upstairs. She wasn't thinking as she slipped her armor and helmet on. She couldn't feel anything but the raw, hungry, familiar terror as she ran outside, straddling the motorcycle and speeding off to the one place she wanted to be the most. The place she wanted to be more than her desert. The place she felt warmest in.
By the time she reached the others house she had about convinced herself Ta was gone, her paranoia shadowing any reason. She abandoned her motorcycle, not bothering to park it or even stand it upright as she rushed up the steps and banged on the others door, gasping for oxygen she couldn't hold onto.
"Ta! It's Para!" She yelped against the wind, hands stopping their pounding as she rested against the door, heart hammering louder than the wretched, anguished storm.
What would she do if she lost her?
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 4:13 pm
Amrita had sat down in the corner of her bed, buried in a pile of blankets and pillows. At least it was warm that way, but it didn't keep out the sounds of the storm which showed no sign of stopping whatsoever. She had developed an immense fear of thunder somewhere along the way. Maybe it subconsciously reminded her of the rumble of the collapsing walls and structures of her village.. when the Urkans had raided the place under the command of their goddess, Myria.
Now that she had been able to read books more, she had grown even more afraid than before that someone, someday, may recognize her as one of the Brood.. to the world, they had been told to be a bloodthirsty race out to destroy the world with their power.. when in fact the Urkans were pretty much the only ones to cause any bloodshed in the 'war' which took place.
What if Para found out?
What if it would cause her to fear, or even hate, Amrita?
She could be locked away for life in some kind of a research facility, or simply killed.. because people apparently thought her kind would be capable of world destruction, when nothing could be further from the truth. Yet fear and suspicion always led to hatred and violence. It seemed to be the natural course people took, as evidenced by the numerous books telling of wars, which had taken place during the four hundred years she had been in her crystalline prison.. or safe haven, depending how you looked at it.
Could she entrust Para with the knowledge of what she was?
Could she take that gamble?
She didn't want to lose Paradox. She was her only friend.
...No.
Not just a friend. She was more, so much more, to Amrita. She was her tutor, her guide, her.. everything. She couldn't bear the thought of losing the woman. Not now that she finally had something to hold on to in this lonely, cruel world.
Her heart was pounding and she was fighting back tears, her mind racing wildly when there was suddenly violent banging on her front door. It caught her by surprise, making her jump. Who could it be? In this weather? Panic was about to take over when she hesitantly made her way to the door, hand shaking as she unlocked it.
And then her crimson eyes widened, welling up from shock, anxiety, relief and happiness all at the same time.
A soaked Paradox stood there, right in front of her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:22 pm
Seconds passed. Her knuckles tightened as her nails dug deep into her palm, tempting fresh blood. Seconds felt like years. What if Ta didn't answer? What if she was gone, and with her she took the last remaining humanity Paradox even felt anymore. The woman was so special, so kind. She was the reason for her life at this point, whether or not Paradox even wanted to admit it, and the mere idea of her being gone... well.... it was unfathomable.
She was drenched, and yet she didn't feel it. Her senses had shut off, allowing only the panic to thump wildly in her chest. Nothing mattered except that Ta would open that damn door. She hadn't, yet, and it was only urging her panic. Her mind began to play tricks against her, singing a song of distress as it promised her an empty house. A room with no Ta. She was so close to kicking the door down..... and then..
Ta opened the door.
Her heart stopped, mouth opening for a second. For once, her pale green eyes were visible, and they expressed the pure relief flicking within her system. Her arms reached out, grabbing Ta into a tight embrace, not really even remembering it was storming outside at this point. All that currently mattered was the small little body pressed against her.
"Thank god. Thank god. You're okay. You're right here. Thank god." The purple-head buried her face into the others shoulder, hands clinging to the woman's shirt, afraid Ta may suddenly be pulled from her. She didn't want to let go. Not yet.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:46 pm
After a short moment of staring, bewildered, Amrita found herself being pulled into the other woman's arms. A silent gasp escaped her lips, and her heart nearly jumped into her throat. What was going on? Why was Para suddenly embracing her like this? It wasn't at all unpleasant to her, though, and soon her small hands rose to wrap themselves around the other. They hadn't held each other before, though she'd found herself wishing for it more than once. Sometimes their hands would touch for a fleeting moment, then separate.
She had always been too shy to actually hold on to Para's hand at those moments.. but now she was there, they were holding each other close, and she could feel Para's racing heart, beating against her chest almost in harmony with her own thumping rhythm.
Her sweater was getting soaked from being in contact with the drenched Para, but she didn't mind. She didn't quite understand what the woman meant by her being okay, but she could tell the other had clearly been desperate to see her for some reason. Leaning her head softly against Para's for a moment, she closed her eyes, waiting for her friend to say something.
The girl knew they should get back inside, but she wanted to wait for the soldier to calm down first.
But why was she so immensely happy to be held? What was this emotion she was experiencing? What made her heart skip beats and her stomach get filled with butterflies, what caused that little jolt of electricity to run through her every time they even lightly brushed against each other?
Why did she not want to let go?
Why?
This woman meant the world to her, but she couldn't for the life of her explain what she was feeling..
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:16 pm
Panic had become a calm still as the woman held onto Ta, hands clenching tighter into the others sweater for just another second before she suddenly realized what she was doing. She was drenching the other, and in her haste to snatch the woman up she hadn't noticed. She stepped back, looking up at the other with both relief and a distant sadness. Would this be her life, forever? Frightened of losing the things she cherished most? With a soft, absent sigh, Paradox drew herself up completely straight, wiping her face and failing to rid it of water.
"Sorry. You're probably cold." She whispered, voice faint and strained. Her chest jerked, catching a sob before it escaped. The grief was flooding her as memories of the ones she loved most laid dead before her. Every single damn person she had held close was dead. When would she lose Ta? When would the destruction and chaos reach this beautiful woman?
Her chest jerked again, mouth opening and making a faint gasp as her eyes began to water. Fear. She felt it in every breath she took. What if she was the cause of Ta vanishing? What then? The ex-soldier could almost smell the gunfire again, a memory so hash and vivid that it sent a cold nausea through her body. When would she be able to stop fighting? When would she be able to just hold what she had and not be afraid to let it go?
"Sorry." She whispered, voice weaker than it had been before, holding a touch of sadness and pain within it as she lowered her head. "I didn't mean to...." To barge in was the end of that sentence, but it caught off as she shivered from the cold and focused intently on the ground, both ashamed of her act and afraid to ask to come in. Afraid to reach out and beg Ta to just touch her. To remind her that she was a living being. That she mattered. So, instead, she stood there, staring at the ground with every bit of remorse, guilt, and pain that had accumulated throughout the years threatening to make her cry.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:26 pm
Amrita brought her hand to the side of Para's face, biting her bottom lip lightly. If only she could speak, she could tell the woman how happy she was to have her there. Tell her how much she mattered to her.
And above all..
Ask her to stay.
The dragon definitely wanted Paradox to stay. She could see all the pain the other had held in, welling inside her and making her seem at the verge of breaking down. No, Amrita definitely wouldn't let Para go in this state. Gently, she took the soldier's hand and walked her inside. She was indeed cold, but she was certain the other was even more so. At least they were now out of the rain, but she didn't want Paradox to catch a cold, so she had to attend to her.
She took Para's hands into hers, giving her friend a determined, yet somehow apologetic look, before darting off to search for dry clothing she could lend to the woman, and along the way put on the kettle for some tea. Her anxiety was now almost entirely gone, since she wasn't alone anymore. Simply having Para there had such a calming effect on her, the storm didn't seem as bad now. She didn't have to feel so afraid. Para was there, she didn't hate her, she didn't know Amrita was a dragon.. though the possibility of that happening still worried her a great deal. She knew there were other kinds of dragons in the world as well, but her clan had suffered such a negative reputation.. she quickly shook off her paranoia and returned to her current task.
It seemed Para was practically the only thing on her mind now, as she feverishly tried to tend to her unexpected visitor.
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Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 10:29 pm
The touch of the others hand caused a gentle sigh from Para as, without thought, she raised her hands and cupped the palm of the other, nuzzling into it. Ta was okay. She was here. Alive. Safe.
'When will she vanish?'
That venomous voice of doubt and fear nearly cackled as Paradox's heart tore open. The image of blood stained her brain, a familiar and yet gut-wrenching thought within her very being. Stop. She wanted to scream and release the fear that had accumulated from years of war, pain, loss, and failure. She needed it to stop, now. She needed to be able to breathe again. To touch Ta and not be afraid of her crumbling under the pressure.
Touch.
Her heart throbbed, hands releasing Ta's immediately. Touch. She wanted to brush her fingertips over the others skin. She wanted to imprint herself into the others heart. She wanted to leave a mark, many marks, and breathe a promise that would bond. No. No no no. Ta was innocent and beautiful. She didn't need to be marked by the woman of war and blood. Ta was pure and complete, unlike the ex-solider. These thoughts were both wrong and disgusting, and she needed to rid them.
She was brought from her thoughts by the touch of Ta's hands, head lifting and eyes widening as the other pulled her inside. The trembling began, as finally she was free from the rain and now in a house. Watching Ta's expressions, the woman slid to the floor as the dragon ran off, hands gripping her face.
She needed to talk to her.
"Ta." She croaked, voice hoarse and exhausted. "I read some books. I....." Her voice cut off, afraid to speak further. Worried to breach the barrier that had been between them, preventing such knowledge to ever pour into Para's hands. Until now.
"You're a dragon, aren't you?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:30 am
With swift, almost unnatural movements the female lit the stove and grabbed one of her spare sweaters that was lying around. Oversized sweaters were nearly the only thing she wore, so there were plenty of them.
It took just one sentence from Paradox to stop her dead on her tracks. Amrita's crimson eyes widened in shock, and the sweater she was holding fell onto the floor. Cold. It felt as if she had suddenly been shoved into a walk-in freezer, and her entire body trembled.
How? How had Paradox found out? What would happen to them now? What did she think of her now? Was she afraid of Amrita? Of her supposedly world-destroying power? Would this be the end for them?
She had tried so hard to hide what she was. Stopped herself from transforming countless times when her instinct would have told her to. She kept her innate magic in check, as well, afraid to practice it for the off chance it would increase the likelihood of something triggering a transformation.
Now Para knew.. but how much did she know? How much had she learned? Amrita would likely have to show her what she really was, now.. and the thought frightened her.
She was afraid Para would be disgusted.
Her knees feeling weak, the albino female slumped onto the floor, still staring blankly at her companion in silent shock.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:18 pm
The other dropped, and Paradox was reminded about her knack to ruin the ones she loved. Her eyes closed, hands digging nails into her cheek as she let out a low, gentle sigh. Why had she spoken? Because she needed to. She needed to talk to Ta, and explain things and make promises.
"Why?" She whispered, trembling, but this time not from the cold. "Why didn't you tell me?" The years were draining, piling up and poisoning her system as her voice raised. Her nails tore skin, and yet she didn't feel it. She only felt the fear twisting within her stomach. Memories surfaced, drowning and corrupting as her hands turned into fists, one colliding into the wall beside her head.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" 'Stop. You're scaring her.' "I won't do it again!" Her voice was becoming shrill, eyes wild as she stood up, trembling. "I've lost every single person to violence. Every single one. I can't do it again. I can't. I can't fail another person. I can't be the reason they're dead. I ******** can't!" Fear trembled within her system, her mouth raw as she tried to stop the screaming. She couldn't. She couldn't make it stop. 'She's going to run away.' She was, wasn't she? Ta had never seen the broken side to her. She had never experienced anything but Paradox's gentle, compassionate side. And yet, here Paradox was, collapsed on her knees and covering her eyes as she tried to fight back the fear.
It wouldn't stop.
"What if I opened the door and you were dead?" She whispered, chest heaving as her hands dug once more into her skin, a familiar warm wetness touching her cheeks. "What if I hadn't found out and they took you, and I wasn't there to protect you?" What if, what if?!
"I can't lose someone I love again." And the sobs began as she curled into herself, the memories flashing and disturbing every sense. Except, the soldiers were replaced by the dragon. The blood was that of the precious woman she had grown to cherish and love. The soulless eyes were those of beautiful red, hollow and lifeless.
She couldn't lose Ta.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:37 pm
A mix of fear, confusion and compassion flashed across Amrita's face as Paradox began to tremble. She raised a hand, but quickly pulled it back. She had been afraid! All she'd ever known was hatred towards her kind! The only way to stay safe, to be accepted, was to try and not be what she'd been born as..
She knew there existed a method where a dragon could completely give up their power, and live on as a regular human.. she knew some of her kin had taken that option to be spared from the mindless slaughtering. But she.. the elders had told her and the other few children that they should do whatever they could to survive.. and hold on to their heritage, as they were all that was left of them.
She flinched as Para raised her voice, an instinctive response. The words cut deep, she could feel her beloved's despair as if it were her own.
She wasn't dead, was she? If it truly came down to it, she could release her feral side, defend herself purely on instinct. She had never truly learned to control herself in her dragon form, so it was risky. She had partially hidden it to protect Para. But there was always the chance of some crazy collector, or someone else coming and taking her captive.. and then she'd have to fight, as well. Violence was truly something abhorrent to her.
Slowly, trembling from the adrenaline this sudden outburst had caused, Amrita crawled over to Paradox, and finally reached out to wrap her arms around the woman's shoulders.
She was there.
She wouldn't go anywhere.
She wouldn't leave Para.
She couldn't leave her. Not when she'd grown to love the other so much.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:47 pm
She had done it now, hadn't she? She had scared the dragon away. Ruined it. Destroyed her ability to be close to the beautiful dragon. ******** it all u-
Ta's touch made her shiver, arms reaching out immediately and pulling the other into her, wrapping her arms around Ta and burying her head into the woman's shoulder. The others scent calmed her, briefly, as she held onto Ta, hands bunching the woman's shirt.
"Don't go." Paradox whispered into the woman's shoulder, head raising to view Ta, eyes actually peeking through for once. "Don't disappear." How long had she gone without knowing the others name? How long had she just said Ta. She wanted to speak the others name. She wanted to repeat it over and over until it was etched into her memory. Ta could write now....
"What is your name?" She had fallen for a dragon. Someone mute. Someone without a name to her. She had been Ta, and yet, Paradox wanted more. She wanted to cling to this beautiful creature, protecting her with scarred arms and a violent past. She'd do anything to keep this one woman safe, and as she held onto Ta she realized this statement was a fact. She would do anything to keep fear out of those bright eyes.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 4:04 pm
Her heart was racing as she did her best to silently assure Paradox she wouldn't go anywhere. No, she would never leave the soldier's side voluntarily. It was strange.. how she disliked soldiers, war, and violence, yet found herself in love with this woman. Though in Para's case the violence was luckily in her past, for the most part.. Amrita could not help but worry for the other's well-being.
Time and time again, memories of their first meeting would come up, and she'd recall how bruised and battered Para had been then. She didn't want to see any injuries staining her beloved's body.
When Para finally raised her head, the dragon gently pressed her face against the other's, softly nuzzling her companion. They were both still soaked and cold, yet there was still an inexplicable warmth present. Something like she had never felt before. Was this what love felt like? She could feel butterflies in her stomach as they embraced each other. It was both calming and frightening at the same time, in a strange yet pleasant way..
Her name. She was again reminded that she'd never managed to actually tell Para her name. She'd been content with being called 'Ta'. She nodded slightly, rising up to her feet again, helping Para up and gesturing her to come with her to the kitchen, just as the kettle began to whistle loud enough to hurt her ears.
She rushed to turn off the stove, placing the sweater she'd picked for Para over the back of a chair, and grabbed a notebook and a pen.
It was time for them to truly 'talk'.
As soon as she had poured them both hot water for tea, she began to scribble on the paper. Her handwriting was a little childish, but still legible enough.
Shakily, she raised the page for Para to see.
'My name is Amrita.'
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 8:00 pm
Paradox's hands held in the air as Ta moved away, almost like a small child. She lowered them quickly, watching the dragon attend to her things before coming back. Her head tilted, viewing the paper (that was held shakily), and reached out, touching the others cheeks gently with the palm of her hands.
"Amrita."
Her heart stopped at the sound of the others name. This was T- Amrita's name. It was beautiful, and what had she expected? Gently, she leaned closer, hair flicking back into her face as she edged closer to the dragon.
"Amrita. I love you." Her voice was smooth as silk, despite the fear launching within her chest, tightening and restraining her lungs as she pressed closer. Gently, with almost a flicker of worry that she may hurt the other, her lips touched Amrita's, hands still cupping the others cheeks. The heat swirled within her chest and migrated to her cheeks as the drenched woman held onto the others face gently, frightened to let go. Afraid that the second she released Amrita she'd lose her.
Amrita.
What a beautiful name.
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