Welcome to Gaia! ::

Well, he had been eager to see Shierra today. Aleksi had taken care of his appearance, still adapting to how he had changed since arriving in Matori, and had even brought a gift for his companion before the skies decided to open up into a torrential downpour. "I suppose nature had a different opinion about today." Now all he could do was try his best to keep the rain from drenching him, steam surrounding the mage as heat evaporated a chunk of the rain as the storm continued raging about him on his way towards Shierra. Once he got closer to the meeting spot though the hybrid bolted forward, intent upon finding her before the storm got any worse.

[Aleski 1]

"Do I?" Aleksi squinted as he thought about the strange Oban creature he had seen here and there since arriving in Matori. "Feel like I'm a bit more hairy than them though." He teased lightly as he dragged his hands through his soaking wet hair to move it away from his eyes, the tendrils already curling as they clung around the edges of his face. Admittedly that had been his fault for losing focus at the sight of the gazebo, the magic wavering as heavy rain just pelted him for those few final steps towards Shierra. "And here you are providing a nice fire." He acknowledged as he moved closer so that he could hold his hands over the flickering flame. Could he have just dried himself off with a snap of his fingers? Possibly. Was it anywhere near as fun as standing next to Shierra like this? Definitely not. So he opted to take the slower option to dry to fully enjoy the moment and the crackling of the fire as the rain drenched the area around them.

"I was going to say we take a walk today, but it seems the weather said otherwise. Do we just stay here and see what happens next?"

Aleksi chuckled. Just a little bit then, alright. Before he could open his mouth to say much more though the fire flared and he found himself taking a step closer to also enjoy the heat. Of course silence was not his forte and once he noticed the sigh, the hybrid tilted his head with interest. "Not fond of the lightning? Have I stumbled into a discovery that could risk my neck?" He teased, enjoying the sound of the rain despite the rumbles of thunder in the distance.

"Sure." Aleksi nodded and grabbed the other end of the bench to drag it over. He wasn't usually one for manual labor but he understood the intention and necessity here, the bench providing them a good spot while the rain drenched the world around them. "Too bad we didn't bring anything to roast over the fire, that would have been too insightful." He mused lightly though he did dig around in his coat, the inside pockets typically hiding something or the other. "I have a small journal in here, some chocolate mints or you if you want to get closer for warmth." Aleksi slipped out of the longer coat so that he could offer it towards Shierra as the wind picked up around them.

"I suppose I just enjoy the excitement of danger." Aleksi joked, his gaze mischievous as he looked pointedly at Shierra. "Must be what attracted me to you in the first place. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me though." It just meant more opportunities for him to comfort her if she wanted whenever the thunder was too loud. He was a bit shameless like that, after all.

A chuckle let his lips at the question. "A bit greedy, but I suppose it's only fair. As long as I can have one mint for myself." Aleksi settled on the bench, sitting near Shierra so that he could hold out the mints. "Reading the journal though means you have to share the jacket so that we can both stay warm together." He added as lightning flashed in the sky above them, prompting him to scoot closer for Shierra's comfort. "Sound like a deal?"

"Pfft. So generous of you." Teased Aleksi as he placed the one mint in his mouth to enjoy. He only waited another moment before tucking himself in next to Shierra so that they could share the coat's warmth. "Much better." Of course that meant he had to allow her to go through the journal now, but thankfully it was a fresh one that he had just picked up in the market a few days ago for some note taking.

"Those secrets don't get to walk around in daylight, if you're looking for something spicy." Joked Aleksi even as he curled against Shierra, the rain starting to completely white out the area. At least the fire held true, the flickering flames providing warmth and light even as the storm raged around them. "This one is just for notes to help inspire some theater productions, but maybe you'll enjoy some poetry." He chuckled, the majority of pages just holding descriptions of the ocean during the day or little details about the markets and the like. There were even snippets of conversations, Aleksi taking some notes from the adventures that others talked about in passing. Some held poetry, others just held plain descriptions with attempted sketches of various creatures like a zanteer and people. Mostly doodles since Aleksi wasn't an awe inspiring artist with paint, but more focused on words.

A blaze of gold splits sea from sky,
As waves breathe light and shadows die.
The ocean wakes in bejeweled flame.
No dawn is ever quite the same.

"Cheesy, no? But I thought it was a nice introduction to a scene change though for a future script. There's some notes from conversations with strangers in there as well. It's curious who you can run into when just browsing through the local markets." Aleksi chuckled after another moment though, looking over at Shierra with that crooked grin of his. "Though I could come up with another poem right now, if you enjoy such things."

[Aleksi 5]

"Oh, there's a separate notebook for that." Aleksi joked back in response, his eyebrows wiggling teasingly. "But I'm far from being any sort of artist, I only work with words." Still, he supposed that wasn't something he really had discussed until now. Not that he was keen to talk about work that much, especially considering how he had grown up and watched it consume his father's time.

"Well, shouldn't you know to always be surprised by me?" Aleksi grinned as he watched her flick through the pages. The reaction to thunder though had him wrapping an arm around her shoulders to keep her close as the rain began flooding the streets around them. "That so? Maybe we are a good match then. Let's see..." Aleksi held onto Shierra, the hybrid scooting closer as he thought about what words to give her.

"She burns, unbound, a rising flame,
Both wrath and wonder in her name.
Dangerous heart, always untame."

"Something like that perhaps?" He offered with a soft chuckle before cautiously adding. "Back in the academy days we used to play a game where we did a sentence at a time, everyone having to find a word that rhymed with the ending of the last statement. If you're bored...well, it's always a good way to pass time so you're not thinking about the storm."

"I figured catching the feisty aspects of your personality might keep me from getting in too much trouble....or maybe not." Aleksi chuckled. "As long as it entertains you." Maybe one day he would stop joking about her threatening jokes from their initial days together, but not today.

"It was beautiful." Aleksi offered as he leaned his head against Shierra's where she rested on his shoulder, the hybrid making certain to keep her close as the thunder continued rumbling around them. "No other beauty can ever measure, not to the one I treasure." He murmured, a small smile on his lips as he allowed the gentle words to mingle with the sound of falling rain as the storm finally started to lighten up around them.

[Aleksi 7]