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 Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 5:06 pm
WHO: Revontulet and Cruz
WHEN: Middle of summer, well after sunset but not quite middle of the night
WHERE: Beach, just under a certain balcony...
WEATHER: Warm, a bit muggy, you can feel it kinda hanging over you
Once again the aurora's room was quiet and empty, Doucette none the wiser as her charge drifted out across the beckoning, wide expanse of the ocean beyond their small home. Her eyes closed, Revontulet let her wings humm with happiness, the tail of her ribbon throwing up a gentle spray behind her as she flew. Could there be a feeling of more contentedness? More freedom? There were no other people here. Sometimes a boat would pass, slipping silently through the water on its way to its own destination, or fish would come to the surface, enchanted by the glow of her rune of the shifting, mesmerizing nature of her hair.
Not that Ren would have necessarily minded if there had been other people there. The frei was not antisocial by any means. Friendship seemed to come easy to the girl, just as talking had. Charismatic Doucette had called it. Although she wasn't entirely sure what the word meant, she took it to be a compliment all the same and that was just fine with her.
Nearing the far shore where the mainland stretched with lights dotting the roads and rising in the distant hills, Revontulet paused to feed, taking in the moonlight on the water until it reflected in her rich locks, seeping first from the roots and sliding down until even the pale green at the tips shimmered like precious prasiolite.
A little shiver overtook her thin shoulders as she finished despite the warm evening, that little feeling of happiness that tends to tickle down your spine at just the right moment. The wings upon her back seemed to shake like leaves being touched by a light breeze and gave the appearance that they were as frail as paper, lifting and bobbing against her back like a dragonfly come to rest for a short moment before buzzing off again.
What a beautiful night.
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:44 am
Low and idle sounds played from the television in the living room. For a Summer night, the apartment building and their small family was surprisingly quiet. Most folks were likely out on vacation, Anita's mother having done the same for the weekend, while she, Cruz, and their dog, Tango, stayed in Gambino. The building itself was practically seated right on the pier, ships and boats extremely common. Often during the Summer there was the sound of crazed beach goers, tourists, but tonight was calm and even the waves that broke upon the shore seemed more idle than usual.
Nestled on the couch, Anita sat at one end with her head lolled back, eyes closed while she breathed calmly. One arm was lazily tucked around Tango's thick neck as he rested his head in her lap and dozed. Cruz had taken to the opposite side of the couch, the only one fully awake. He'd turned the volume lower when he noticed Anita was asleep. She'd had a hard week at work with a slew of last minute preorders and new releases, she said, and though he didn't understand the processes in a sales sense he had seen the crowds in the game store before.
At the next commercial, Cruz floated off the couch and stretched. Tango took the opportunity to spread himself out more while keeping his head safely with Anita. Usually it was rainy days that felt this lazy, or so he was told, but everyone just seemed sleepy and content. It was a good feeling despite him not being ready for bed yet.
The curtains around the balcony were open, showing off the dark sky that meshed completely with the ocean's horizon at night. Stars were out, flickering dimly thanks to Gambino's lights, but the moon was bright and gleaming. The croc approached the balcony with a smile. They left the sliding glass door open while keeping the curtain mesh closed to ward off bugs. Warm air filtered in, thick and humid, occasionally pushed back by a cool sea breeze. The smell of salt water invigorated him and Cruz breathed deep of it. With the moon's glow trickling out across the waters, it was the only hint at night that sky and sea weren't one and the same. Other lights caught the croc's attention, a few dim and sporadic dots of greenish yellow that flared up and died in a matter of seconds.
There was something else, too, that his eyes locked on; out in the water, near the moon's reflection, was a brilliant glow that was steadily building. It practically washed over a visible form like liquid and Cruz's eyes widened as he drank in the sight. Its colors were beautiful, a lively blue with hints of green. The more he observed the more a realization sank in: that was a person. Cruz carefully opened the screen door and floated out to get a better look. His hands rested on the railing as he leaned out, squinting against the darkness. Wings. No legs. Ribbon.
Raevan.
That was all he needed to fly back into the apartment. He closed the screen back up and searched quickly for Anita's set of keys. With as little sound as possible, he plucked them from the table and held them tightly in his hand. He would only be a few minutes. Just long enough to say high. Cruz hesitated with one hand on the door knob when Tango lifted his head and stared at him tiredly. He just lifted a finger to his mouth and pursed his lips, green eyes pleading with the animal. Tango just sighed and nuzzled against Anita's thigh.
Navigating down to the bottom of the building alone was something he had never done. It was empty in the stairs and the small lobby. Once it didn't matter if they keys made noise or not, he clipped them to the band on his left arm so his hands were free. He closed the distance from the building to the shore in record time and smiled brightly out at the figure whom he now could tell was feminine, though her features were obscured by the cloak of night and her own bright glow.
"Hello," he offered over the sound of the waves, his voice a low rumble but loud enough to carry without reaching the building.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:21 pm
Hello.
The voice drifted across the water and caused the frei to turn partially towards the sound. Part of her was sure the word wasn't directed at her, just another greeting of friends as they met on the beach. As her head turned, Revon's hair slipped over her shoulder, spilling down her back with a light bounce before falling still just between her shoulder blades. It looked like a waterfall, the glow shifting between each strand and highlighting from blue to green and every range in between.
Upon realizing there was only one lone figure upon the beach Ren's brows furrowed slightly and she drifted closer slowly, adjusting her gaze from the horizon and the moon to the shore, the glow of unnatural lights causing her to squint for just a heart beat. Once that blue gaze adjusted she realized that the one who had called to her was not indeed just some lone figure, but a lone raven, his ribbon trailing gently and rune a warm beacon that she now drifted a bit faster towards.
The newborn did not want to seem overly eager upon her approach, but her own rune glowed a bright blue green and pulsed in tune with her heart, excitement evident. "Hello," she breathed, her voice soft upon getting within hearing distance. Revon had a tendency to speak more quietly than necessary, causing people to pay more attention or lean into her, but beyond this is was inconsiderate for a woman to raise her voice and so she refrained from calling back to him.
Ren drifted close to the green frei, her eyes wide with interest, but she didn't speak further, waiting for him to make a move before she did. With her wings lofted high upon her back and drifting back and forth with slow determination, it was obvious the aurora was waiting expectantly, but was equally comfortable with the silence. She was especially comfortable with their closeness, though Revontulet could always be happier closer.
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Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:29 pm
Cruz's eyes widened with interest when the figure turned. He'd successfully caught their attention, and this fact pulled at the corners of his lips. At his sides, his fingers fidgeted anxiously; they were approaching now, all aglow, but their pace was agonizing for him. The closer the other frei came the more he recognized them as female and her features became more discernible; long flowing hair, pale skin that almost had a glow of its own in the moonlight, and so much blue tinted with hints of green.
Beautiful.
She stopped nearby and Cruz lifted his chin. This one hovered lower than him but certainly nowhere near as low to the ground as LuLu. He'd never seen any raevan float that low normally, though he was sometimes wont to crawling along the ground rather than keeping upright. The croc's smile grew as she drew closer, and even as she came to rest with some distance between them. That was alright for him, too. His curiosity pressed him closer, small fin-like wings vibrating intently with excitement that he did his best to rein back. Her wings, her form, she appeared delicate, and it made him want to act delicately in response.
"Who are you?" he asked wistfully with a slight tilt of his head, smile growing.
One of his hands reached for her, hovering near her cheek as if to cup it but he did not touch her yet, merely admire. His rune was already pulsing with a desire to know her taste but he refrained from indulging that just yet as well. There was an order to these things, he was learning, and if it was as Anita had described to him, he certainly didn't want to chase this one off by being too forward.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:41 pm
A warm, inquisitive expression had settled over the aurora's features, lips curled in a smile that reached her eyes. That neon gaze seemed to flit like a butterfly collecting nectar, lingering before moving on in a meandering pattern. She was taking him in, the little fins upon his back and all the green that made him up. Green was good. Ren liked him and his colors very much and her rune shifted to a stronger green color to match him. Although it could not reach the rich forest green he put off, still tinted with blue as it was, there was a noticeable change.
"Revontulet," she replied, letting the letters bounce effervescently off her tongue. "Who are you?"
For a moment the moonstone's gaze was captured by the croc's hand, lifted and moving quickly towards her face. Lashes brushed across the apples of her cheeks as she closed her eyes and moved forward into the touch, welcoming the offered affection.
Ren's wings hovered on her back as if suspended in water, the tension she usually controlled over them suspended for the moment of absorbing the feeling of his fingers on her skin. The somewhat muggy air had warmed the girl's pale skin, but compared to the night air she was still cool and smooth, like a pebble one would pick up off the beach and roll between your fingers.
After a moment Ren lifted her own hands, eyes opening but only slightly, enough to guide herself, as if the moment would be broken if she looked too closely at it. Reaching up she placed her fingers on the croc's cheeks, letting them rest a moment before gently exploring the contours of his face while he allowed it.
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:44 am
"Revon," the croc purred, low and calm. Both corners of his mouth pulled taut with delight and, just as she floated closer, as did he.
Upon contact, his fingers showed no shyness. They flattened against her fair skin as his palm cupped her cheek, thumb brushing, caressing, in displays others would qualify as most intimate. These were standard for him. Her temperature was appreciated against the humidity; he was built for this air, it was welcomed with smiles and it brought energy, but he still needed to keep himself balanced and here this one was, offering that coolness which brought him away from feeling too hot or uncomfortable. The difference was far from extreme, it was pleasant and cooling, and that too was appreciated.
"Cruz," his voice rumbled, pleasant and non-threatening but still retaining some reptilian note.
His eyes fluttered wide then closed and his lips followed to match. The smile that had been in place since he recognized Revontulet as a raevan refused to disappear but he allowed it to diminish into a calmer one as her own fingers began to explore his face. He didn't want to interfere with her touch, nor his feeling of it. More than allow, he silently begged for it. Above all, physical contact was his absolute favorite and, despite being told otherwise by humans, he found that most raevans were as eager for it as he was. This one was no different and it sent a shiver of excitement down his meager spine.
There was still a mystery, yet. Never before had he seen another raevan so close to home that wasn't invited there. Curiously, the croc opened his eyes while leaning against Revontulet's hands, this way and that -- however she explored. His other hand found its way to her cheek and there they floated, holding each other's faces in wonder.
The thought of another raevan living so close, perhaps even in the same building, made his rune pulse brightly. "Do you live here?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 7:05 pm
"Not here," the frei murmured, lifting herself slightly with a little flit of pale wings so she did not so much have to reach for the croc as simply allow her hands to be there. "I live out there."
Ren's words were ambiguous, shortened by distraction and unaided by gestures. Perhaps he would think she lived in the ocean, much like a mermaid, or came to shore riding upon a shell and decorated with foam pearls as Venus had. In any case, the words were true enough, considering her home being smack in the middle of an island in the middle of the ocean. 'Out there' was about as strong of a sense for direction she could give someone, for certainly no cognitive mapping skills would allow another to reach their tiny home.
With a parting of her lips, Ren let out a light sigh, shifting her hands from his face to his neck and then slipped them further back over his shoulders as she pressed in close to him. Cruz had not asked before touching her, so she had not thought to inquire to his permission.
"Cruz?"
The word was not so much a question waiting for reply, but a repetition to ensure accuracy, or perhaps to ensure the attention was captured. She hoped he would reply though. The sound of the other frei's voice, the way it rumbled, made the edges of her wings shiver. Revontulet touched her cheek to Cruz's chest, waiting for the reply that would be so very close to her ears now.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:06 am
Out there.
Cruz's eyes combed over the beach, the rolling waves, the starry sky and its full moon. Yes, the ocean was where his mind went, which labeled Revontulet as something of a mystery. He was not so creative as to make connections to mermaids, nor versed in the arts to make leaps toward Venus, but instantly the aurora frei became a more enigmatic beauty and his eyes glistened with interest.
Each place Ren's fingers touched felt refreshingly cool, like a hint of waves across his skin, a spray of sea foam. His own hands explored idly, tracing up her pale arms from their bend, over her shoulders, a few fingers looping through silken hair. Soft. Everywhere, she was soft and cool and pretty.
As she rested her head, his own followed. His lips unknowingly rested near her ear and his chest rumbled with a low reply. "Yes." Confirmation.
This one seemed to be of few words, just as he was. The language of silence, movement of the body, however, was as talkative as ever and they appeared to be on precisely the same page. Touch was good. They were on a positive note. They were friendly.
"I live here," he murmured, glancing back to the apartment building not far off. It loomed over a boardwalk just in front of the beach, rows and rows of balconies with an oceanside view. "Why is Revon here?" It was late. His own guardian was asleep. It struck him strange, then, that one like him would be out away from home at this hour.
As more lights in Gambino turned off for the night, small glimpses of glow came to life. Here and there, dotting the beach, fireflies faded in and out of sight while avoiding the water's current. They stuck closer to shore, leaving Cruz ignorant to their existence as his back was turned.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:56 am
At his words, Revontulet picked up her head and turned her attention to here, bright eyes scanning the rigid structure of the apartment building. Thankfully she was familiar with the idea of apartments, and did not marvel at the fact that he owned the entirety of the place. She would not have wanted to display her youthful ignorance to him so early or in such a way. While the complex did not share its quaintness with her little sea-side cottage, and it could hardly be called charming, there was something about the balconies that interested the frei. Surely the top balconies would be the best - to stand there and observe the whole of the world before you.
Ren wasn't sure which "here" was Cruz's, but she imagined he must have the best of them.
"I was eating," A pale hand was lifted to the glow of her hair, the strands tangling and slipping between her fingers. "I like the moonlight best. And the ocean is the easiest, but the salt is a bit much...sometimes."
With her eyes pulled from Cruz, it was only a matter of time before the sparks of light from the fireflies caught her attention. Immediately the frei was on high alert, her wings jumping upon her back and fanning to their full width.
Despite the aurora's ability not to show her youth previously, it came obvious in her next question. "What are these?!"
Revontulet's voice was unrestrained, still soft and warm, but enthusiasm raised the volume and pitch, coloring her cheeks with a pale happiness. Fingers reached for one of the pale lights, but pulled back at is went out once more. "Where is it coming from?" Ren turned a confused look onto the crocodile. Surely he would know the answer.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 6:46 pm
His "here" was likely not the best, but nor was it the worst. Marginally, all of the apartments in the building were the same but, as Revontulet imagined he had the best, Cruz felt he did as well. No other apartment had Anita, Minerva, or Tango in it.
"Eating," he rumbled softly. Cruz's eyes followed Ren's fingers through her hair. The light moved through and across the strands, color gleaming like a prism. "Eat moonlight and ocean?" It was difficult for the croc to comprehend feeding from something as intangible as as light but the ocean made more sense to him. He could see how the salt would be overpowering.
Green eyes fluttered at Ren's exclaimation as the slowly glowing bugs came into further sight. Cruz turned halfway from Revontulet's touch, keeping one arm lazily around her. His lips curled into a wide smile and his own youth and excitement shown through his bright eyes.
"Buggies," he explained.
With one hand, Cruz reached out and presented his palm amid a cluster of the fireflies. One, then two perched upon his extended fingers and crawled across his skin. Off and on with seemingly no discernable pattern they glowed with the rest of them.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:12 pm
Ren gave a small nod to his question, lashes lowering against the apple of her cheeks as she did so. It did not seem so weird to her, eating something as intangible as light. It soaked into her ribbon and through her skin, hollowing deep into the pit of the aurora where her rune reflected it back once it had taken its fill of the stuff.
People sunbathed, did they not? Instead of their hair lighting up as hers did, their skin grew brown and soft.
The water was easy as well, like a plant putting down roots all Revontulet had to do was touch the stuff with her ribbon and it pulled right in. Like a child sucking water up through a curly straw she could feel it wind its way up and up and up before filling her with a refreshing chill.
"Buggies?" The word felt awkward and young on her tongue, and she felt somewhat confident that there was some better vocabulary out there for them. For the moment though, she was willing to let all that go. Leaning towards his hand, Ren got the better look of the fireflies as they inched along his skin, laughing as only their behinds lit up.
"Why do they only light up sometimes? Why not all the time?" Lifting a hand, the aurora pointed to her hair, a steady glow that only altered as it moved but never seemed to dim.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:09 pm
"Buggies," Cruz confirmed with a smile. There certainly was better vocabulary, Cruz knew it was well, but there was something easy and enticing about calling them something cutesy when they were so small.
At her question, the croc leaned closer to his hand as well. The two bugs were not lighting up together or in perfect time. Various numbers of seconds passed between each and there didn't appear to be a discernable pattern. "Mm... don't know," he admitted with a tilt of his head. Cruz looked between the fireflies and Revontulet's hair, her glow ebbing and flowing like the tides while theirs flashed briefly and then went out, only to flash again.
Pulling his free arm away from her, Cruz pointed a claw at one of their glowing rumps. He gave it a gentle nudge and, instead of getting a reaction from the light, the firefly quickly left its perch. Its neighbor followed just a moment after.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:11 pm
The two studied the rumps of the fireflies for an inordinate amount of time, like scientists working out the secrets of life. Until Cruz nudged them away and the aurora let out a soft noise of disappointment as they fluttered away.
She liked to watch them fly, almost lazy with indirection as the lights hazily bobbed this way and that over the sand. Some of them landed on her ribbon or in her hair, attracted to the glow. For a moment the girl wondered if they were something she could feed off of.
Ren captured one of the bugs as it inched along her ribbon and held it captive between her hands, face screwed up with concentration as she attempted to extract their light from them for her own purpose. Thankfully, nothing happened, only the on-off light between her fingers of the little bug trapped there.
"Do they come out every night?" she asked as she let the buggie go.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:12 pm
It had been easy enough to get them to land on him the first time. The disappointment felt by their retreat was short lived and soon Cruz was holding his hands out again to garner the firefly's attention. Meanwhile, Ren was busy with her own motivations.
A few landed upon Cruz's dark skin once more, adding a soft yellow hue to his bronze tan. The ones that chose to alight in Revontulet's hair earned a giggle from the croc.
"In Summer," he nodded, observing the ones sparsely dotted across his arms, "but not when it's cold or raining." The cold must have been hard on them, too, he mused.
Carefully, he turned to face the aurora frei with his arms outstretched. A small number had taken post against his skin, roughly five between both arms. Cruz held them out to her in offering for further examination with a pleased smile.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:13 pm
Ren bit her lip in thought. Why did everything dislike the winter so much? And where would they go when it got cold? Would Cruz disappear as well when it got cold? Would he go somewhere with the fireflies and only return in the summertime?
The quick glance Ren shot the croc, bight gaze covertly stolen through neon lashes, showed great concern over these thoughts, but she couldn't let him know she was so distraught by this possibility.
Finally though, she was distracted by her thoughts by his offered arm, cluttered with little blinking lights. With delight, the aurora's smile grew upon her lips. "I bet I can catch more," she said, lifting her wings on her back with childish confidence.
Surely, being their brethren, they would prefer her?
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