[ prp ] Casting Shadows (Alexis & America)

[lizbot]

America missed the rain of the Other Place, so whenever she crossed over to the smell of damp and a chill in the air, it was an odd sort of treat. Flying ahead, Mr. Bitterberry was a brilliant streak of blue across the grim looking sky as he sought someplace more comfortable to rest until America needed to borrow his eyes and wings. Inhaling deeply, the girl began searching through the street she was on, peeking in mailboxes and birdhouses.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

There was nothing terrible in the sky, like most days, really; Alexis was not given to reaching too high. Their domain tended more to the dark depths of the ocean - and luckily enough, the court was always available, and if they reached out and twisted the magic in the air they could do almost-anything. So it didn't matter if they went swimming in their clothes in someone-else's pool (was it someone else's? well, it was the reflection of someone else's; and they weren't swimming, anyways, they were sitting at the bottom, anchored there by their own creation until they gave up on it) or if they dragged their fingers across the gravel across the street until their fingertips streaked red.

There was no rhyme or reason to the blood on the mailbox; it was small streaks, five in a row, but it was fresh.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

Carefully, America reached out to touch the streak of red. And then, after a careful sniff, dabbed it on her tongue.

Welp. That was blood all right. Either something was in trouble or something was causing trouble, or, even more likely, there was a bit of both. Searching around for any further signs, she gestured for the bluejay to circle around and do the same.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

There was no further blood, not really; some streaks on the gravel, maybe, some on a nearby open door. There was no sign of a fight, no sign of struggle, no sign of death.

There were wet footprints leading through the door. Sneakers.

Alexis didn't know America had found their marks. How could they? They were sitting and doing as close to meditating as they ever got, and when their peace was found in someone-else's-shirt (belted, too big, almost like a tunic) and leggings ten feet under the surface, they took what they could get. Their fingers stung, but it'd heal quickly; they weren't blisters, just scrapes from where the skin was thin.

Iizbot

 

[lizbot]

Carefully following the footprints, America crept up to the doorway and peeked in. This process continued until she found herself back outside again, staring at a dark patch of person at the bottom of a pool. Really there were no second thoughts as she pulled off her back and jumped in to Do A Rescue.

The second thoughts happened when she remembered dead bodies general float. And drowning people usually try to like...struggle. This was weird. She was still gonna try to save them, though, just in case.

Looking on from above, Mr. B gave a hawkish cry.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis said something, or it seemed like they said something; because all that came out was a harsh stream of bubbles right in America's face. Even in the shadows of the pool, their eyes were strange and dark, red lines of skin on their neck on both sides where the skin raised -- and the water pulled America away from Alexis, forcefully, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her out of the pool to sit her on the side.

After a second, Alexis poked their head out of the water, resting their arms on the side. "What the <********>," they enunciated very clearly, and gave her a stare that mostly said are you batshit insane.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

The pool water had just picked her up and sat her the heck down. Not exactly gently but not enough to shake the astonished grin across her face, "Holy crap! Was that you?" Recognizing Alexis from the Void, most of her trepidation at what might be waiting dissipated.

"And is that your blood I found on the mailbox, are you okay?" Reaching up she began to wring out her ponytail.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Who the ******** jumps into a pool with all their clothes on," Alexis grumbled, tossing their hair in a motion way too dramatic to have as little extra water spray as it did. "Yeah, I'm fine -" they held up one hand - "just scraped my fingers, alright? It happens, I don't need a nursemaid." They weren't actually leaning on the side of the pool, not really; it looked more like they were sitting on something invisible in the water, legs splayed.

"Whaddya mean, was that me? 'Course the water was me. If the pools are comin' alive, we got bigger problems."

lizbot

skip forward two weeks later and Everything Is Terrible

 

[lizbot]

"People wearing clothes," America sassed easily with a ******** wink.

She takes a moment to consider the rest and then offers thoughtfully, "My boyfriend is a huge nerd, but he helps me with magic stuff. When I warg, I kinda zone out all freaky, and he's told me to do a thing like this book character, and hold a sign telling people that I'm not dead."

Maybe having an I'm not drowning sign would help. Maybe America just liked making signs.

"Anyway, that's super freaking cool. Can you do The Noah?" She makes a parting gesture with both hands. "That always looked hella neat in the movies."

daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Yes, ma'am," Alexis said, a little bitter in the way that implied they didn't actually mean any harm by it, "when I decide to go hang out on my own 'cause I don' want t'be bothered, I'll write ******** OFF all over someone else's front door with a highlighter."

They huffed. Their gills flared.

"Yeah, but I don't want to, so you're out of luck. I'm havin' a nice sit, here."

lizbot

]

 

[lizbot]

"Probably shouldn't use yellow, highlighter. That'd be hard to see," America replied helpfully.

"Does sitting on water mean you walk on water, too?" Alexis was apparently being biblically promoted from Noah to Jesus. There was a bird call from above, and America looked up to give the trees a little I'm not being killed right now -wave.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

"I don't carry a highlighter around, don't tell me what I can n' can't do." They scowled.
"'s not that I'm sittin' on it -- I'm, uh, kinda making a wave under myself? ...so yeah, I can walk on water, but I have'ta concentrate or else everythin' gets soaked."

Alexis paused. Took a second to look down at the fact that, collarbones-down,
they were underwater. Shrugged.

"These don't count. If I wanted to go shittalk the ocean, though, that'd be a walk-on-water moment."

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"You talk to the water?" America's eyes grew even wider. Without thinking, she pulled her feet out. Just in case she was being rude. Her shoes were soaking wet.

Actually all of her was soaking wet, the girl finally realized with a small shiver.

daekie

 

[Daekie]

"No, it's -" Alexis looked frustrated, trying to find words that weren't quite there. "Metaphorical. ******** the ocean, it's big and I've never gotten to punch a shark and I want to. Sharks are one of the most punchable things in the world." There was utter belief in their words: Alexis would absolutely punch a shark. They would punch any shark.

"s**t, uh -- can't you magic up a towel or somethin'? I'm not good at makin' things out of thin air..."

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Are there sharks over on this side?"

She rarely did any extra magic in Other Ashdown. There were reasons she could give, like not growing reliant, not wanting to take magic for granted. But in the end it was mostly an underlying discomfort of not having earned it. America was a person who liked to know the cost. Liked to have a cost, an exchange of some sort to give her plans definition. Maybe herself some definition as well.

So the question had her pause and where she wasn't uncomfortable shivering in the cold, she was distinctly so for all of a moment before shaking her head, "Naw, I'm good. I don't mind it. Do you sit at the bottom of pools a lot?" She wasn't judging, one of her favorite thinking places was the bottom of her little bathtub.

daekie