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 Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:46 pm
WHO: Zul and Zurine
WHEN: Mid Fall
WHERE: A pier just off the beach, where carnivals are occasionally held.
WEATHER: Cool and breezy.
It was, in Zurine's estimation, a fine day for a walk. Well, rather a drift. As the weather chilled down, her mood improved, just as most other folks were beginning to wind down into their winter hibernations. The heavy cloud cover and the grey, blustery seaside felt good, the breeze combing through the long blue strands of her hair as she floated along, deep in her own thoughts. The summer had been so long, and thought it always took her awhile to get her bearings back, this time it felt like it was taking longer than usual.
Even as things began to get back on track, and she began to move forward out of the haze, Zurine had still found herself with an increased need for quiet and reflection. Perhaps that was a lingering effect, but at least it was one that she could live with for the most part. It was sort of nice to have a reason to think about things more. For a long time she had just moved forward without considering where she was coming or where she had been.
Still, it was this reflection that had driven her back out into the world again, and she found herself wandering down the boards of a long pier. They were setting up for something, and she smiled a little as the bright colors and such were being wheeled out of carts, down along the length of the pier. It was a carnival of some sort -- for most of the year, the booths sat shuttered and empty, beaten by the salt spray so that they had to repaint every year, refreshing the flaking paint with a fresh layer to attract the eye. Here, she felt as if she could rest a little. The workers largely ignored her, as small and delicate as she was, and she found herself a cozy spot against the fence, leaning her slender arms on the top of it as she looked out over the water, enjoying the hustle and bustle of things behind her.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 9:31 am
He had a lot on his mind. Too much, in fact. His past run ins with his new...friends was still heavy in his thoughts and seemed to consume each day as it fell into the next. Like the sky above, Zul was feeling heavy with grey, gloomy, as though the storm within him might overtake himself and those around him at the first drop of control. He'd had to leave his cozy home with Rivener and Melisande to contemplate, to figure out what to do -- what to say -- and had found himself, rather unsurprisingly, at the beach.
His thoughts tried to turn to Alex, but he quelled it as quickly as he could. She was so busy lately, and he really needed her. The demon had no idea how to put it in so many words, but whenever he felt despondent or in need of comfort, he came to the beach. It was ironic, given how many bad things happened over the waters in his life, but it was still a sense of peace and wonder to him. Even as he flew over the steely gnash of water amidst sea spray and the salt air, he could already feel his troubled soul exhaling with some relief...
And then he saw her.
The Sigel didn't slow his pace, eyes forward and a touch wide. He'd intended to fly over the pier, to just bypass the colorful display of the carnival that was being set up, but there was a spot of ice blue that was impossible to ignore. Certainly, there were all sorts of blues associated with the ocean, the sky, even the carnival had some -- but this blue, he knew well. Not intimately, but he'd never forget the color. He'd never forget her.
Zurine.
He pondered, briefly, pretending to not have seen her, but only for a moment. It was silly, given that she was looking out over the water he was zipping over and he was facing her. Not only that, but...she was out here, alone, and there was something poignant about that. Something he understood. Drawing in a breath of salt air, he slowed his speed and gracefully rose up the pier from the water's surface, folding his arms over the edge of the railing near her, looking over to her. The demon quirked a smile, almost guilty, as if he'd been caught in the act of doing something personal.
"Fancy meeting you here," he greeted the elegant Frei lightly. "Beautiful day for a stroll, isn't it?"
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 1:13 pm
She could have seen him coming, though despite herself, Zuri jumped and squeaked when he popped up over the edge of the rail, startled into a shock of laughter as she covered her mouth. "Ah! Ahaha, y-yes," she said, eyes enormous and her heart fluttering a little. Melancholy, yes, but it was more than surprising to see him. "It's just the kind of, of weather I like... How are you?' She hated looking so discomposed, but it was going to be all right.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 1:38 pm
He had enough presence of mind to look a touch embarrassed that he'd startled her, a flicker of an apologetic smile forming on his lips. "I've -- been better, but I'm good today. I, too, enjoy this weather, it has a certain sort of solitude that's inviting. It's always a pleasant surprise to find company who shares the sentiment, however." Zul's smile softened, as did his gaze. It was still hard to remember seeing Zurine the first time, or -- who she was, before she was Zurine, but it was still an effort to put in his mind that she was different now. Or, more importantly, that she didn't hate him for what happened.
"It's good to see you again," he commented lightly. "You're as beautiful as ever. You're doing well too, I hope?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:45 pm
She looked at him, settling down a little; her hands braced delicately on the rail again, her shoulders bracing wide. Her wings fluffed, then settled, and she exhaled in a soft rush to ease her nerves. Zurine relaxed a little, and smiled. It wasn't too often that someone called her beautiful. "It's good to see you too," she said softly, her smile softly warming her eyes. "I'm... doing." One hand rose to rub her other upper arm, a sort of self-comforting gesture. "Things have been a little hard for me, especially this past summer, but... I'm coming back out of it, I suppose you could say..."
She didn't really know what else to say about the past summer. It was hard enough to even think about.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:09 pm
Zul's eyes flickered, intensity ghosting over his features. Hard? As if her existence wasn't hard enough.
The demon's smile faltered, and fluttering his own leather wings, he shifted just a little closer, making it easier to speak in tones that were not so easily overheard. "I know we've not had much time together, Zurine, but know that I would listen if you needed it." His eyes, usually warm with mirth, held a solemn sort of gravity that was softened only by the slight furrow of his brows. He tilted his head to the side, as though making himself smaller; she was in command, here. His age and size meant nothing in the face of her peace of mind. "I like to try and...be there for our kin, when humans cannot. We've many trials and tribulations they don't understand, and keeping it inside is...it's dangerous." His smile dimpled briefly, but it was full of tired memories. "Especially to the one who contains such pain."
He thought of Cordelia, of Roux - of Eirdirsceol. Perception, personality, power - it could be so damning when one was alone. "I imagine summer must be awful for you to begin with." His lips tugged into a temporary frown, and experimentally, he unfolded his arms from the rail, holding it with one and resting his fingertips of the other upon the worn, warped wood. Small ice crystals flecked around and over his fingers as he added lightly, "Does the heat bother you? If the cold is preferable, I can give you some small relief, dearest rose." His ice being good for something that wasn't violent was quite a new concept to him.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:05 pm
She listened to him, watching, quiet. His words rang so true to her ears that she felt some of the tension ease out of her, slowly letting her tight shoulders sag just a little. Zurine might not have known him so well, but he knew the sort of thing she had gone through, too. Either he knew it firsthand, or perhaps he knew folks who had known it, but it was familiar to him. She flicked her fingertips along her cheek, swiping at a phantom tear. "That's true," she said softly. "Keeping it inside is where things start to... to go wrong. Letting it isolate you..."
Her dark, keen gaze flickered down to where his fingers rested on the wood of the rail, and she watched the ice frost up softly around them. Her eyes widened, and she smiled, her heart thumping at the idea. Someone else who liked the cold, like she did...? She bit her lip softly. "I do prefer the cold... Most of us don't, though. The others, that is..."
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:07 pm
The demon smiled once again, finding it easy to do so when she was smiling herself. "If you don't mind my closeness...?" he queried in question and permission, scooting a little closer on the railing, but just a little. Nothing really changed visibly except for small scales of ice cresting down his shoulders where the fur of his gorget was, his eyes a touch more of a clear ice blue than before. Even so, the air around him cooled markedly, as though crossing through a frozen food section at the store.
"It's true." Zul inclined his heat, the orange spiral on his central horn thrumming a pale blue. "Most don't prefer the cold. Their loss, I say." Another brief smile dimpled his cheeks before he gently shrugged it off. "Keeping anything in, small or great, will start to poison your soul. It's a hard lesson I'm still trying to learn." The smile he wore was lop-sided and didn't quite reach his eyes. "But if you're not busy - or simply don't mind the company - I'd be happy to spend the day with you. They have a really great set up here, some games and cold treats. You may not yet be able to shed the darkness, but perhaps we can lighten your day just a little...?"
An open-ended invitation. He wouldn't blame her if she said no, but it went against every fibre in him to leave the cold beauty alone without her preference for it. Once upon a time, he'd been scared of her...of what he'd done to her, what he could do to her. He had a chance to turn that around entirely, and he was going to do his best. Perhaps...perhaps they could be friends.
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